On September, 17 2018, I attended the Growth Stacking Summit, hosted by Dan Martell, who has successfully exited 3 companies and invested in over 40 startups. The audience was filled with 80+ startup founders in attendance ranging from pre-revenue to multi-million dollars in Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR).

We all were immersed in an Intensive 9 hours of coaching.

Each module throughout the day opened with a personal story sharing a challenge he faced in growing his business, and how he applied a framework to help overcome and then systematize the task. Dan’s authenticity and vulnerability in sharing his personal experiences drew the audience in, building trust while cultivating a loyal following.

After a day filled incredible content, here are three distilled takeaways.

Focus: Scaling isn’t about the volume of activity, its using the right tactics in the right sequence. Focus was a recurring theme throughout the day – focus on one product, one problem, one customer, one route to market. As Dan says “startups die from indigestion, not starvation” meaning, they do too many things and aren’t going deep enough on any one. Simply, “Go Deep, Not Wide”.

I see a similar pattern when businesses aim to develop their narratives. They are often too many moving parts which in turn increases the complexity and decreases the resonance. One coaching client I work with was recently preparing to pitch to investors when we discovered their story was too complex. They were getting caught up in all the features of their product – how it worked, all the things it measured, the science and math that underpinned the technology. In an effort to try and share everything they were, in effect, were sharing nothing.

We scaled their story back to its essence. At its core, their product helps police departments reduce risk and increase public safety as marijuana is about to become legalized in Canada. As you refine a story to its’ essence, it gets faster. Build a razor sharp story by aiming to strip away, simplify and focus on one audience and one, highly impactful takeaway.

Fears. Frustrations. Wants and Needs: Dan uses a framework to map your avatar’s hot buttons and create a highly resonant messaging. Core to this framework is creating friction by setting up conflict between frustrations and wants as well as fears and aspirations. This friction creates contrast between what is today and what could be – a new world that the customer wants to reach.

As brand builders, we too need to use conflict and tension to keep our audience engaged and strike an emotional (vs. rational) chord. The key to doing this well is going deep on insight. Don’t settle for surface level frustrations but instead explore personal drivers on a fundamental human level.

Vidyard was the last startup I worked at and our product helped reveal video engagement analytics. Instead of stopping at “we help marketers show ROI on their videos,” we pushed further about what our company enabled at a human level. What we learned was that while many marketers are insecure, unable to show their impact on revenue relative to their sales counterparts, our customers said that we made them more confident when they sat down with their business leaders because they were better equipped to quantify their impact and prove their worth. That’s powerful.

Alignment: Another recurring theme of the day was ensuring your tactics are properly sequenced and aligned. One example of this is to make sure that your product story (the experience people have with your product) is aligned with your core values (the one thing your product does that makes your customer go ‘woah’). This alignment is so critical because a slight tweak in your product story can have a huge impact on how customers perceive or interpret your value.

I experienced the impacts of this firsthand when I was leading marketing for BBM, the instant messaging platform that became popular on BlackBerry. Our core value was around being the fastest and most reliable way to communicate with the people you care most about. But our setup process was complex and involved too many steps.

So we re-worked the onboarding flow so that after you gave us your email address, the first thing we did was to help you find those people who meant the most to you by ingesting your address book. This resulted in users building their contact lists faster and realizing value in the product in less time. More users. Higher engagement. Less churn. This fit BlackBerry’s core mission, being one of the best technological providers of a wireless product.

Alignment is important in developing your brand and narrative, too. Your DNA and values need to be in sync with your north star (reason for existing). Your north star needs to be rooted in the experiences your brand and product delivers (what they buy into, not just what they buy). Experiences need to be underpinned by the intrinsic and extrinsic attributes of your product and company.

Living Your Brand Story: One thing I couldn’t help but notice throughout the day was how aligned Dan was as a brand. Dan uses the very techniques he teaches through the session (it’s pretty meta). And the persona he’s built through his YouTube videos carries into the event. For instance, Dan often posts about his daily workouts and focus on physical and mental wellness. Come break time, even the snacks aligned with his personal brand – the typical chips and carbs were nowhere in sight, swapped out instead for fruit, veg, juices and organic energy bars. Now that’s living your brand story.

To conclude, building a successful business needs a clear foundation. The story, simplification of your processes, and focus are instrumental in building a brand that lasts!

Pitch Perfect(ly)

Pitching your business to job-seekers in 3-minutes (or less).

A stage. A microphone. 3 minutes. If that’s all you had to capture the interest of a room full of job-seekers – a captive audience who have come here specifically to learn about your company – what would you say? How do you stand out? The answer might surprise you.

At a recent job fair hosted by Communitech, a number of pitchers found themselves in that very position. While the companies couldn’t have been more different, after a few pitches they all start sounding remarkably unremarkable and the audience’s attention turned to Instagram. Here’s a taste:

“We’re the leading cloud platform/app/marketplace for ________.” Another one?

“We’re in growth mode.” So is everyone

“We’ve got a great culture.” Great, get in line.

“We’ve got great product market fit.” Let me consult my startup dictionary.

“We’re looking for talented motivated people who want to make a contribution.” So is everyone.

And then someone gets up and opens their pitch by asking a simple question.

“How many people recently watched a red sports car get put into space?”

75% of the room puts their hand up, intrigued and re-engaged.

“Science fiction just happened in my lifetime,” says the speaker. “But what does this have to do with KW and our company?”. The pitcher then connects the dots between a recent Space-X milestone, the rise of satellites orbiting the planet and the need for someone to make sense of the mounds of data they’ll be beaming back down to earth. “At our company, we put that data together.”

The room was hooked. Not surprisingly, there was a lineup at their booth after the pitches ended.

So what makes a good company sales pitch to would-be job seekers? Maybe a better question is, ‘what do job seekers really want to learn about your company?’ In this case, the audience literally told us.

When one speaker was struggling to get his scripted pitch out, the audience (in an effort to help him find his sea legs) started shouting out questions. As is so often the case in marketing, we need to listen to our audience and answer the questions they care about.

What did they want to learn?

What gets you excited about getting up and going to work in the morning?

What does a day in the life look like?

What will someone find at your company that you won’t find anywhere else?

How do you make people’s lives better?

What characteristics are you looking for?

Notice the difference?

They aren’t asking what the company made, whether they are in hyper-growth, or whether they serve catered lunches and have beer on tap. They couldn’t care less about that.

They want a picture of what their life would look like as part of the team, in pursuit of a mission – not a picture of your fancy office.

They want a human answer; a personal story – not a scripted pitch read word for word from behind the podium.

They want to feel your passion – not just hear that you want passionate, driven people.

Whether you’re pitching to the job-seekers that will help build your business or customers who will fuel your growth, keep these three things in mind to build a stronger, more compelling pitch

Tell stories. Stories trigger all the feels and are memorable.
Be human. Ditch the script and speak from the heart.
Get interactive. Open a dialogue with your audience vs. talking at them. They will tell you what they want to hear.

If you’re looking for help with crafting and telling better stories, or building a sales pitch that cuts through the noise, check out our upcoming Marketing Masterclass workshops in Waterloo, Ontario.

My Canadian Love Letter

Dear Canada,

Hey! It’s been a while since we were together and I’ve been meaning to reach out. You see, I’m asked all the time about what it was like to move from New York and live in Waterloo, Ontario (located approximately an hour from Toronto, ON) for three years. You’d think even though our land masses touch, we Americans would know more about you, but alas, you’re somewhat of a mystery down here. I thought my love letter would clear up some things. And maybe more, my love letter might spur some others to fall in love with you too!

First, a confession. While we’ve had a love affair for about seven years, my first and one true love will always be New York. I love everything about it (well…almost everything). I think it’s the best city in the world and a state that has so much to offer. I was born, raised and educated here. It will always be home. But you…when a convincing recruiter from BlackBerry wooed me to visit you in 2010, I jumped at the chance.

The company was building a turn-around team – a group of people from all over the world brought together to help the company compete, bridge the gap to new products, and navigate some rough waters. I was reluctant at first, but that BlackBerry love pulled at my heart strings and our family’s zest for a good adventure told us to jump. So, we jumped – with a 5-year-old, 2-year-old and a very patient and supportive engineer husband. Six weeks later, we were living in Waterloo. What happened next was one of the most fascinating professional experiences you could ever imagine and one of the most profound personal experiences of my life.

Now that I can reflect, let me tell you a bit about why I love you, Canada.

The Welcome Wagon

From the very first second the customs agent said, “Welcome Home to Canada,” we felt the power of the welcome wagon and Canadian kindness. Everyone says Canadians are so damn nice and it’s true. Almost immediately new colleagues, neighbours (see what I did there with that “u”) reached out, introduced themselves, invited us into their homes, recommended babysitters, restaurants, dance schools and doctors. That kindness was an undercurrent of our entire three years in Waterloo. You support your local stores, your local farmer, recommend a friend’s business and come together in good times and in bad. Without getting sentimental or too cheesy, it’s a beautiful way to live.

Empowered by Diversity

You’d think that coming from NY, we would be used to diversity and understand the power of embracing our unique cultures and differences. Well, I can tell you that despite all of my global travel and my proximity to NYC all of these years, I have never felt or experienced the value of diversity more than during my time in Waterloo. In three years, we learned more about different cultures, languages, traditions, holidays and families than ever before. This may be the single greatest gift of Canada – everyone feels welcome – no hesitations or limitations.

Your People

More than just the welcome wagon and kindness we experienced, I was impressed by the tremendous talent of Waterloo. I’ve worked with some of the biggest brands in the world and with some of the best agencies on the planet, but I can say emphatically that some of the most talented people that I have worked with in my career sit at desks in Waterloo, Ontario. This is hard for New Yorkers to believe. You see, we’re raised to believe that the most talented people in the world reside and work in the greatest U.S. cities. But I will tell you, when I go into battle, I want those Waterloo people in my corner. These people had the skills – that goes without saying – they are world-class, but they also had the grit, stamina, perseverance, commitment, fight and team spirit to work on the most complex problems, at any budget, finding creative solutions and pushing through to success. Top-notch schools like the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and Conestoga College deserve a lot of credit here too.

The Doctor Will See You Now

We moved up to Canada with lots of warnings from our American friends. “Sure hope you don’t get sick or hurt,” they’d say. “You might be better off just driving to NY.” You see, Canada has universal healthcare. We talk about that a lot in the U.S., but it never goes anywhere. We’ve heard lots of stories about people having trouble getting doctors or having long waits to have procedures done. That all may be true, but I can tell you that we didn’t experience it. Instead, we got a wonderful doctor early on. We had no problems getting into a specialist and we had no long waits. We had outstanding healthcare providers, no co-pays and on one particular Christmas eve with a toddler with pink eye, we got in and out in 20 minutes and the doctor handed us our prescription. No money exchanging hands. Just a tired and desperate momma and her sick baby boy.

Your Pride

In the U.S., maybe you go to a Yankee game and our national anthem is played. Now granted, it’s a tough song to sing and even the best singers have been tripped up by the lyrics. But – it’s relatively quiet. People usually have their hands on their heart and lip sync the rest. Not in Canada. You sing out loud and proud when O’Canada comes on. You sing in English. You sing it in French. You sometimes sing it half in English and half in French. There are moments when we feel this sense of community and USA pride. Unfortunately, it’s usually after a major catastrophe or cataclysmic event and then it drifts away and we go back to our lip syncing patriotism. But you have it all the time. You sing out loud and proud. And from that day on – we do too. We’re in NY at a Rangers vs. Maple Leafs game, we’re belting your tune. I get a wave of pride every time our kids sing along – loud and proud right along with you.

No Homework Policy

We were so impressed with our neighbourhood school. One principal said two powerful phrases to parents at our first open house that I’ll never forget. They were: “We’re about raising whole individuals here.” and “There is no correlation between homework and student success.” Whoa…WHAT? You got it – no homework policy. We couldn’t believe it. How do you keep the test scores up? How will my child learn the value of hard work? Instead, the principal encouraged the children to read, play outside, do something to improve the environment, play a team sport, enjoy family time, help with the household chores and get a good night’s sleep. And French Immersion starting in first grade – absolutely the best way to learn a language!

No Igloos Here

When we decided to move to Canada, the first set of questions were always about the same thing – the weather. Now, despite the fact that our drive from New York to Ontario was shorter than most people drive to Spring Break in the Outer Banks of North Carolina or Florida, I’m afraid we New Yorkers know surprisingly little about Canada. So, I tried not to get too annoyed with the incessant questions about penguins, igloos, blizzards and mountains. No – in fact, in Waterloo, we had basically the same weather as our home town in NY give or take a few degrees (in Celsius or Fahrenheit). The difference was, in Canada we embraced it. We still walked to school. I traded in my cute wool pea coat for a goose down parka. We learned to ice skate, we looked forward to hockey (and ringette) season and we bragged that “We were made of tougher stuff” now that we were quasi-Canadian.

No “Eh”- No Way

If the weather was the first question, then the “language barrier” was the second set. Immediately, a New York friend would make a crack using ‘Eh?’ at the end of it or ask if we were going out and about – but with a weird OOOt and aBOOT pronunciation. We didn’t encounter much of that. Yes, there’s the metric system to get used to (but that’s our fault, not theirs…everyone but the U.S. uses it after all) and we had a good, funny banter about my accent – call, ball, important were among the favourites, and yes, some of the spelling was different, but those Eh, About and Sorry jokes were working my last nerves. Full credit to Canada for dealing with it all these years.

Thank you, Canada.

You know, Canada, that this list could continue. I’ve learned so much from our time together and I’m so deeply grateful for everything you’ve taught me. Although we can’t be together anymore like we once were, I cherish our visits and our time together reminiscing. My greatest lesson is that you may leave places, but you never leave people. Some of our deepest friendships, which will no doubt be lifelong connections, have come from our time in Canada. Thank you, Canada, for these amazing lessons – we’ll never forget.

Love,

Heidi

Heidi Davidson is the co-founder of Galvanize Worldwide, the world’s largest distributed network of marketing and communications experts. She lives in Westchester, NY with her husband and 2 children

Better Sales Questions = Better Sales Better Outcomes.

I’ve never carried a sales quota, but I’ve sat in on enough sales meetings to know that many of them can be a waste of time. In an effort to quickly qualify prospective customers, junior sales reps often rely on on a prescribed sales methodology that steamrolls prospects with a series of questions that reveal very little. Misdirecting their energies, they miss the opportunity to listen for what really matters to their customers, potentially damaging relationships and losing sales.

As marketers, we can help our teams get inside their customers’ heads so they can better understand and respond to their needs. The insights we guide them to—nuggets of truth—become building blocks for stronger relationships and more strategic, value-oriented selling.

Here’s how to steer your clients to more valuable, productive customer interactions by getting them to ask better questions and to take the time to listen:

1. Step back for a better perspective

Many sales people fail to see the forest for the trees, trying to triage problems directly tied to their product before taking in the context of the organization and its industry. Pain points are often symptoms of bigger, more strategic issues or circumstances. Get to the root by first learning about the company and its experience in its category and adjacent categories before inserting the proposed solution. Not only will this yield insight into how to frame value, it will also help to spot obstacles.

Ask enlightening questions, such as:

What’s new in your industry?
How does your company fit within the space?
What are the most important priorities for your business this year and how do they translate into your goals?
What are the key programs and initiatives you’re pursuing to achieve those priorities?
What’s worked, what hasn’t, and why?

2. Understand the stakes

Sales training techniques (think Sandler) don’t hold back at trying to uncover what’s at stake for a business and the champion if they can’t solve their problem. Sellers are often taught to telegraph the risk from the get-go, rather than naturally arriving at it by identifying strategic organizational goals, progressing towards the capabilities a business needs to build, and uncovering what’s worked and not worked along the way. Taking a measured approach to the conversation puts you in a better position to understand what a fail or miss means to the business. Try these questions, instead:

What was the “aha!” moment when grappling with your need?
How will solving that problem affect your mission?
How are other teams in the organization helping to solve the problem? Is it working?

3. Develop situational fluency

Prospective customer meetings should be conversations, not interrogations. Let your customer do most of the talking, but guide them by mastering situational fluency—the skill of adding value by injecting anecdotes and contributing to the momentum of the conversation. It’s an invaluable skill that develops with time and experience. Master it with these tips:

Listen before responding – Take a moment to process what you just heard and respond with empathy and compassion. Don’t be too quick to check the box and move to the next question.
Be genuine – Let the conversation steer your follow-up questions and ask follow-ups that show you’re listening and have an interest in what the person is saying.
Synthesize – Learn to distill what the other person is saying down to its elemental root. Play it back to them in your own words to let them know you know hear and understand what they are saying. It also provides a great opportunity to steer the conversation.

While doing the homework before meeting with prospective customers is critical, sales teams shouldn’t assume they know what’s important to their customers’ business. Asking the right questions and really listening will provide them an insider’s point of view, shedding light on how their product or service can add true value. Helping your clients master these conversations will help to solidify their relationships and yours, ultimately boosting business for both.

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