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Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.
Sneaky, sneaky.

Think about a recent sales call you had. They were likely using some kind of sales coaching software. 

And they’ve likely recorded you without your explicit knowledge using that sales coaching software.

How does that make you feel?

Maybe you’re not bothered by the idea of being recorded without your consent or knowledge. We’ve all grown increasingly complacent in the knowledge that business and government tracks us online and on our phones.

Still, it is this author’s opinion that the individual should be given the option to be comfortable, or not comfortable, with being recorded without their knowledge or consent. 

To clarify, the trouble is not whether the practice of recording a sales call is legal or not (legality of the practice ranges greatly depending on each state’s or country’s laws). The trouble is that you should be told if you might be recorded by sales coaching software.

It’s best if customers are fully informed and proceed with what they’re comfortable with. 

How do you feel about a salesperson starting a relationship with this deception?

I can tell you, from my own experience as a salesperson, that being upfront and respectful of customers is fundamental in establishing good-will and a client base that returns to your company for further business and refers your company to others.

For the entirety of this article, by “call” I am referring to phone calls, as well as meetings via Zoom, Hangouts, or any other web conferencing software.

Is Sales Coaching Software Recording You?

Ever get on a virtual meeting with a salesperson and notice their name twice or the name of the company in the participants list along with their name (example below). Boo. This likely means you’re being recorded.

(Even if you don’t see anything on the screen that says “Recording.”)

Example:

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.
Kevin, watch out! They’re listening.

Do you really want to buy from someone who kicks off a call by deceiving you?

What Is Sales Coaching Software?

Sales coaching software are tools that salespeople use to record and analyze sales calls/meetings. A lot of them will record the audio from a call then analyze it. The analysis might include an overview of questions asked and how you answered them, length, and other data points that would be important for salespeople and managers to optimize their efforts. Two popular sales coaching software include Gong and Chorus (which I have personal experience using).

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.
The truth will set you free.

When Is It Legal To Record A Sales Call?

Before I go on, please note: I am not a lawyer, things change in the law frequently, you must check things for yourself, I take no legal responsibility or liability for the information below and what you may do with it, I am not providing legal advice. Do your own homework!

The legality of recording a sales call varies from country to country, and the rules are based on what country you are calling to, not which country you are calling from. 

There are also specific laws based on states in the US that can be more stringent than federal regulations when recording a sales call. 

To comply with varying regulations for the 50 US states, people are legally able to record sales calls when they have permission from the person they are calling. 

Federal law in the US only requires that one party of the conversation is aware of the recording and has consented to be recorded. 

That means under the federal “one-party consent” rule, the salesperson who initiated the call can be the one party to the conversation who has consented to have the call recorded. Keep in mind that many states have more stringent, “two-party consent” laws that require both parties to the conversation to have agreed to the recording. 

In the US, most states have adopted the federal one-party rule, which only requires that one party be aware of the call being recorded. As of October 15, 2020, the following states and territories in the United States have adopted their own recording laws, some of which require two-party consent:

  • Arizona
  • California
  • District of Columbia
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • New Jersey
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • Washington

The folks over at Recording Law have a great overview of all party (two party) consent states.

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.
Stop drop kaabooom..

When Is It Not Legal To Record A Sales Call?

While legalities vary state-by-state in the US, and each country has its own rules, salespeople should check the laws of locations they plan to call, as well as the laws for their region when deciding if it is legal or not to record a sales call. 

If they, or their organization, do this, that’s a different question.

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.
California know how to party.

The most stringent of recording rules and regulations are in California. 

This information is important for any company that conducts sales calls to residents of California, since the consent rules apply to where you are calling, not where you are calling from, as mentioned above. 

In California, there is a two-party consent law, so both parties on the phone must be aware of, and consent to, the recording. California has already hit companies that do not abide by this rule with lawsuits. By the simple act of having a salesperson ask for permission to record the call with the customer, you ensure that your company is within it’s legal limits everywhere, even when calling California. 

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.

Beyond Legality: When Is It Ethical To Record A Sales Call?

Still, beyond whether it is legal or illegal to record a sales call, when is it ethical to record a sales call? 

Note: If someone’s response to whether you should be doing something or not is that “it’s legal,” it should raise eyebrows.

The best practice industry-wide recommends telling the person you are calling that their call is being recorded. 

Is this really happening though?

The salespeople that do are covering their company legally, and they’re also building trust with customers by advising them of a call’s recording process when they are not legally obligated to let them know. 

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.

Quick sidebar on medical:

When it comes to medical sales calls, HIPAA and privacy regulations do not prohibit recording, but the recorded conversations related to medical information must be protected in the same way any other protected health information (PHI) is handled. 

So, salespeople could not send this recorded conversation to a third-party without the consent of the patient. Salespeople, let your medical sales customers know you are recording the call, the purpose of the recording, and how you will use the recorded conversation. Give them the option to opt-out of the recording to protect their health information.

The ethics also comes down to how the salesperson will use the recording. If the salesperson plans to use the recorded sales call to defame you (the customer), they are crossing both the ethical line in the sand, and touching on illegal use of recorded calls. 

It is this author’s opinion that the salesperson should use the golden rule when thinking of recording calls in terms of ethics. If it were them on the other end of the line, would they want this call recorded and used for training or other purposes? 

The best salespeople build trust and rapport; they certainly do not lie or deceive.

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.

What Do Sales Coaching Software Companies Say About Privacy?

Sales coaching software companies like Gong recommend having salespeople notify customers that the sales call is being recorded. They go on further to say that prospects agree to recorded phone conversations 95% of the time when given an option. 

When it comes to concerns about sales representatives feeling like they are being micromanaged by having their sales calls recorded, Gong reports that individual representatives are their most enthusiastic users. They get the chance to learn from their calls, while also learning from their peers’ sales call experiences. 

AirCall, which provides call recording and customer data collection, creates tools for managers to protect customer privacy. They allow for easy deletion of sales calls recording and memory wiping when a customer elects their “right to be forgotten” under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for European residents. 

Because they are based in France, AirCall adheres to privacy regulations for both Europe and the United States, giving customers of their clients a high level of protection for their personal data. 

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.

What Can You Do To Protect Yourself?

There are a few things you can do:

  1. Before you get on a call, ask the salesperson if they plan on recording the call.
  2. Always double-check before the call (even if you emailed), by asking on the call, “Are you recording this? How will this recording be used?

Below is a sample email/conversation to support you:

Hey ABC,

I wanted to confirm the meeting we scheduled for XYZ. Before we get on, I wanted to ask if you will be recording this call? If so, I’d like to respectfully ask that we not record it, because I….(options below)

1 – Don’t feel comfortable

2 – I have sensitive information I must share and though we have an NDA, it is my responsibility to protect this information as best as possible

I hope you understand and can confirm with me that the call will not be recorded before we proceed.

Thank you,
Your fabulous self

If someone is recording you and you do not want to be for any reason, you have power: Cancel the call.

Sales Coaching Software is Recording You. What You Need to Know.

Closing Comments:

I wrote this article with the intention that it supports everyone – salespeople, customers, and organizations. I’ve been in sales and on the buyer side, I know things are moving fast and mistakes happen.

Hopefully, this article will make you, regardless of who you are or what you do, more mindful and thoughtful, so all can do better and make positive connections.

Categories
Self Improvement Business Featured LeonardoM.com

Lies Hurt You & Hold You Back: A Look at Lying in the Workplace

Articles About Lying

Article originally posted on TrustWebTimes.com

Most of us can agree that deception is harmful and destructive to relationships and professional aspirations; But what about “white lies? Are white lies really less damaging to our professional relationships?

“White lies,” small lies you tell others to protect their feelings, to avoid trouble, or to make yourself look good, can take many forms.

  • “That outfit looks professional.” 
  • “The presentation looks amazing!”
  • “You sounded great in that meeting.”
  • “No, you don’t look like you gained weight.”

 Don’t think these lies “count” or are harmful? Read on.

What is a lie exactly?

In his book Lying, neuroscientist Sam Harris describes a lie as:

  • The intentional misleading of another when honest communication is expected.

Why are “white lies” bad?

Lying at work
Lying at work

Harris considers white lies to be the most dangerous of all because although we imagine that we are telling these lies out of compassion for others, we rarely understand or anticipate their damage. 

This is because by lying, we deny those around us access to the best available information, and they, in turn, are then left to come to decisions or conclusions based on incorrect evidence. 

Consider a quick non-work simple example to illustrate principle: 

  • You tell your new partner that your Baha Men (singer of “Who Let the Dogs Out?”) is also your favorite band.

For your next birthday, your partner buys tickets to the upcoming Baha Men concert – they also spent $80 on two promotional t-shirts for you to wear. Along with being confused as to why they love Baha Men so much, and thinking deeply as to what else they sing and why they are even touring, you need to now pretend (lie) over and over. Your partner is operating on incorrect information and now you both have to pay for it. You could have stayed home and they could have brought their best friend who also loves the Baha Men.

Now imagine more serious consequences of this principle in the workplace such as the missed opportunities for professional growth and opportunities we deny others.

Does lying harm the liar?

And if that isn’t a strong enough argument against telling white lies, consider that lying hurts the liar in ways they likely don’t fully understand. 

A study reported in The Atlantic makes a strong case that lying is actually bad for us. The study found that participants who were able to reduce the number of lies they told in a week had fewer mental health complaints (such as feeling tense) and fewer physical health complaints (such as headaches), than participants who did not. 

Think about it. Keeping track of those “white lies” in order to remain consistent is a mentally and emotionally draining task.

Besides, it would be naive to believe that the effects of those little, “insignificant” lies would not build over time and to fail to realize that lying leads to more shallow, less fulfilling relationships. Look back at your life and consider the commonalities in relationships with people you have formed deep connections with. Now look back at your relationships that have failed. Or consider your relationships that have been long lasting but feel superficial. To what extent has honesty or deception played a role? 

Lying in the workplace:

This might not seem like that big of a deal if you are pretending to like Tara or Steve from Accounting, or by telling your boss that you have everything under control. But all these white lies will eventually come back to bite you in the ass. 

In the workplace, lies can harm your relationships with coworkers and your employer, and can ultimately harm the business altogether.

This includes lying to protect others, lying in front of others, lying in front of your boss to “support the team” and beyond. For example:

  • Sarah has a team she leads. Nothing is as important to Sarah than protecting and supporting her team. In this noble mission to do right by her team, she lies in front of them to her bosses and others. Most recently, Sarah lied in front of David (one of her team members) to her boss to help him get a much needed promotion.

    While at face value this might seem just and required, after all, Sarah supported David and David got his promotion, and everyone is happy. Most importantly you might think: no one got hurt.

    However, after the high of getting a new promotion settles, David might think, “Can I personally trust everything Sarah says?” What if David’s promotion meant working with Sarah as equals? David might always think to himself that you can never really trust what Sarah says, after all, she will do anything to protect her team and David is no longer part of that team.

The same erosion of trust and relationship could happen if Sarah lied in front of her boss, Eckhart, to “protect the company.” Eckhart may never fully trust Sarah while employed at the company and will surely not trust her when she leaves the company (to protect confidential information and so on). This can mean that Sarah is passed over for promotions and perhaps is given a bad job reference, with her boss sharing,
“Sarah is fantastic at her job, cares for her team, but…be careful…”

That being said, here are three major reasons to be truthful:

  • The Truth is a Gift: One of my favorite reasons for choosing truth over deception is that the truth is a gift you give to others and to your relationships. Telling the truth always means your words and thoughts always have the weight you want them to have and should have.

This concept is also covered in Harris’s book, Lying. 

  • Lying is Destructive: A major reason to avoid lying is that it can destroy the trust that you may have with other people. White lies can grow into even bigger lies and telling white lies can become habit-forming. Also, if you’re lying, you may even start to think everyone else is lying. This is no way to live.
  • Lying is Exhausting: If the moral and/or relationship reasons didn’t catch your attention, consider this: Lying is a heck of a lot of work and you need to keep track of the lies then worry about them. Do you really have the extra time and energy for that? 

Scenarios:

Lying at work
Lying at work

Many times it’s hard to think about and see the impact your lies have on people, even when you think they’re harmless or only create to “protect” someone:

  • Lying to Salespeople: Instead of pretending to love a product or service or that you will buy something, tell them the truth to set them free to not bother you and for them to explore better prospects.
  • Lying about a Mistake you Made: Instead of trying to hide it and creating countless more issues and needless worry, tell the truth and join your team in working to fix the issue.
  • Lying to Vendors and Partners: Instead of not letting them know you’re upset and cancelling their contract, tell the truth and give them a chance to win back your business or look for other clients, so they don’t take a major hit on their business.

In practice:

Lying at work
Lying at work

It may be a gut reaction to lie, you’ve done it all your life, but when people know you are telling the truth, they are more likely to trust you. 

Some points to consider on the road to truthfulness: 

  • Practice Makes Perfect: Telling the truth is a muscle you can build. You can always correct yourself afterwards if you do make a mistake and catch yourself in a lie. Also try eliminating the words “honestly” and “truthfully” when starting or finishing a sentence, as it begs the question, “were you not telling the truth before?”
  • Wait to Speak: You don’t always have to speak in every situation or after you are asked something. You can’t wait to answer or ask for more time to collect your thoughts.

    You might also think your truth at this moment is not worth sharing and that’s ok. 
  • Committing to Being Truthful is not a License to be a Jerk: We’ve all heard people say, “I’m not a bullshiter, I tell it how it is, no matter what.” Those people are assholes. Making the decision to be truthful is not a license to be unkind or insensitive. Think, am I being both truthful and tactful?

In conclusion, this is in no way a thorough exploration as to why lying is harmful and how speaking the truth is a winning strategy. Read Sam Harris’ book Lying. 

Thoughts?

Categories
Social Media LeonardoM.com Self Improvement

Is it a Good Idea to Date Another Social Media Professional?

Is it a Good Idea to Date Another Social Media Professional? By Leo Morejon

Article originally posted on Serial Marketers.

We live in a world of dating apps, ghosting, and now, thanks to coronavirus, social distancing and something called “Zumping” which apparently happens when breaking up happens over Zoom. As if things weren’t hard enough, now I have to worry about getting dumped over Zoom? It would really suck to get “Zumped” if you live with the person and they’re just in the other room.

Fear of getting Zumped aside, working in social media can also take its toll —  long hours, bad briefs, trying to figure out what TikTok is exactly and how to use it — it can all be really difficult on you and those around you, particularly your significant other.

So if you’re a social media professional, is it a good idea to date another?

Dating someone with the same profession, generally:

There doesn’t seem to be many studies done on this topic; one study from 2012 mentions that “work-linked couples” (couples who share their profession) are not able to properly maintain a work-life balance. 

The study claims that when a couple shares the same career, their work is likely to spill over into their home life, causing additional stress on the relationship. For social media professionals, this might mean conversations about where to go for dinner followed by a debate over the best time to post or the best content scheduling software over some spaghetti and meatballs. You may want to heavy up on the cheese, but hold the conversation about KPIs back.

Forget hard research though, what does Twitter have to say:

In a Tweet I shared on Mar 4, 2020, I asked: Social Media Peeps: What do you think about dating people in the industry?
It could be a good self-promotion tool.

“Crossovers are great for increasing your following” – Wes Finley (@wesblog)

Unless there is too much competition.

“I can see it now…constantly fighting about platform best practices and KPIs. Everything becomes a contest. Cliches like “those shoes look great on you, honey,” become “that filter looks great, sweetie.” – Matt Korn (@MKorn19)

That is one concern that many people have when it comes to working in the same profession, as that there may be competition among couples. Can you see it now . . . debating about who’s going to post that great photo first, whose engagement rate is better?

It may also just leave things unbalanced.

“I have a motto to “only date STEM” Which means as a creative, I prefer someone to balance me out. But also, not dating someone in the industry means I get to teach them all about it. I suppose dating someone in your field could also be a power couple move.” – Haley Moore (@haleywritemoore)

Or, it could be amazing, leading to increased support and idea-sharing

“1. Could be beneficial since they can relate to the time commitment, struggles, responsibilities of the job. 2. They understand what you are going through and can bounce around ideas for solutions.” – Karen Freberg (@kfreberg)

One 2016 study found this might be true, generally concluding that couples who worked in the same profession had the ability to be more supportive toward each other better, leading to increased family satisfaction.

In contrast, dating someone outside the profession could lead to more exciting and varied conversations:

“My husband isn’t in the industry, and I really enjoy hearing about and talking about things outside of the “social media peeps-sphere.” I know he gets tired listening to me and my SM Peeps friends when we get together!” – Jeannette Arrowood (@nettaP)

At the end of the day, is it about love or your follower count? (Sorry, I mean “engagement rate;” If my partner worked in social media, she’d be telling me, “followers don’t matter!)

Worse still…what happens if you break up and now and have to worry about the other person knowing and telling everyone that you bought followers . . .  that one time. You know, you’ll be thinking, “It only happened that one time, it never happens, I swear . . . will they tell others?”

It is ultimately up to you whether you want to balance the pros and cons when it comes to dating someone also in social media.

What have been your experiences? What do you think?

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Marketing Events Branding LeonardoM.com Social Media

Tips on Being a Great Social Media Speaker – Or any Kind of Public Speaker

Tips on Being a Great Social Media Speaker – Or any Kind of Public Speaker

Being a social media public speaker is one of my dreams come true. I am lucky to be flown around to speak on all sorts of marketing and technology topics. Really. Each and every time I get asked to speak, I feel honored and excited. I want everyone that wants to be a social media speaker to feel these feelings and do the best they can when they speak.

I also love being considered a social media motivational speaker.

Social Media Motivational Speaker Leo Morejon

If you’ve heard me talk, you know I am so excited to be living in this day and age. It’s an age where, as people, we are connected more than ever before; an age where business people and marketers have unprecedented access, tools, and capabilities.

Two of my favorite things to ask marketers are:

  1. If you went back in time before the internet, and you asked any business person how they would feel if they could target exactly who they were trying to focus on?

    • This person wouldn’t believe you; it sounds too good to be true. But guess what? It’s true today.
  2. How do the metrics you get from Facebook, Google, and so on, compare to the metrics that marketers used to get from billboards, TV, magazines, etc. before the internet existed?

    • It’s an unfair comparison. Looking at Facebook Insights alone, one download will give you hundreds of metrics. While only some items may be important to you, and some people will complain about analysis paralysis (define), most marketers would rather have more metrics than fewer metrics. If too much data is your problem, it’s important that you have a good relationship with your data.

We live in amazing times, and we should be excited to be living today.

I’ve been able to support other social media speakers receive invitations to speak or assist them as they develop their talks. Teaching others to be social media speakers is an unexpected, pleasant surprise.

I’m going to provide my tips and tricks for being a great social media speaker or speaker of any kind. These are tips and tricks that I use and have learned by speaking at countless meetings, product demos, marketing conferences, universities, and advertising events. While there are other great articles about the importance of storytelling, practicing, etc., these are more practical tips for being a great speaker:

1) It’s ok to be nervous.

I’ve spoken countless times and I still get nervous before almost every single speech. Being nervous shows you care and you should learn to use this nervous energy to energize your talks. While some people turn to beta blockers to help with this, I’m not a fan, and I do the following to help get my energy ready to be on stage:

  • Seek out people. The worst thing you can do is go straight to the stage from your hotel or flight. I try to get with people before I speak to get into a rhythm. I especially try to be people at the conference. This helps to feel out who your audience is and also helps make your speech more memorable.
  • If I can’t get to a group of people, I call or video conference a close friend and I talk with them about anything. If you don’t have anyone you can call, call me: (732) 314-6152.
  • Listen to music. I put on my headphones and listen to a song that motivates me and gets me going.

2) Don’t worry about the number of slides.

I follow a version of the Lessig Method of presentation, coined after Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford University law professor, who recommends one-word slides or slides with just one image so the viewer’s focus is on the speaker, energy stays high, and points are easily made. Lawrence Lessig’s TED talk “Laws that Choke Creativity” beautifully shows off this style.

I have presentations that are only fifty slides, and I have presentations that have hundreds of slides—all have very few words on them. I do this for many reasons. See an example of my influencer marketing speech for social media week below.

  • Timing: At my keynote social media speech at the Real Time Summit, I initially had one-and-a-half hours to talk, but due to unexpected events, my talk got cut down to forty-five minutes. Because most of my slides had very few words on them, I could easily speed up my talk (or slow it down if necessary) without the audience thinking they were missing something.
  • Memorization: Sometimes I don’t have the time to remember a full presentation, especially when I’m filling in for another speaker last minute. Being familiar with the subject, only having a few word prompts or a general outline,allows the slides to become reminders of points I want to make and identifiers of the next point to discuss.

3) Don’t rely on slides.

When a speaker has too much information on his/her slides, it’s hard to understand and the listeners tend to start reading what’s on the slide. If they’re reading, they’re not paying as much attention. Generally, my busiest slide looks like the one below. Keep in mind that people are there to see and hear you speak, not read slides.

4) Throw away notecards.

If you don’t know your topic thoroughly, why are you giving a speech? Looking at notes takes your attention away from the audience and makes you appear unprepared. You want to make eye contact with your audience. If you’re distracted by looking at your cards, your talk will suffer and people will pay less attention.

5) Expect technical issues and don’t fumble.

Don’t be the person that falls apart or stays quiet when a projector, video, microphone, or any other piece of equipment doesn’t work. This is not only embarrassing for you but cringe-worthy for the audience. I’ve seen this happen too many times with hundreds or just five people in attendance.

  • Knowing your stuff really well is key here. As pointed out on point number four, you need to know your stuff without relying on your slides so you can keep talking through any technical difficulty.
  • Try not to use many videos. Even if you prepare ahead with the event host and test the system beforehand (which you should always do), you never really know what’s going to happen onstage.

6) Be memorable:

Needless to say, I love learning more about marketing, yet I’ve still been put to sleep by even the most interesting topic. Storytelling is a key pillar here and the following tips are more related to my personal style than anything thing else. I still share them in hopes of inspiring and supporting any readers.

  • Include funny topics. At my speech on voice marketing at the AAF-Louisville and AAF District 5 National Speaker Series Luncheon, I used Squatty Potty to illustrate how any brand can use voice marketing by using them in different examples. I did this while people were eating lunch. While my timing was a mistake, my goal to be memorable, regardless of the situation, wasn’t.
  • Use GIFs. Who doesn’t like GIFs? They’re short, funny and make a point. Here’s one GIF I should during the luncheon
  • Tell jokes. I’m a fan of comedy so I actually think of my talks as though I’m doing stand-up comedy. I practice joke timing, joke setups, and other things comedians focus on while onstage. This isn’t easy. If a joke doesn’t fit, and you still have fifty minutes to talk, that’s hard, but keep going. Comedians practice their jokes over and over. Do the same to see what works for you.

7) Be interactive.

This goes along with staying memorable. I walk into the crowd and use the laser on my clicker to engage with audience members. Here’s me pointing at the amazing Josh Decker (CEO of Tagboard) during the Real Time Summit in Tennessee.

Leo Morejon Speaking at The Real Time Summit

8) Bring your own equipment.

I use the Logitech® Professional Presenter R800 and always try to use my own computer. This helps to ensure that the presentation is being presented how I want it. If you share a presentation with someone, you might deal with font issues or other compatibility issues.

Logitech® Professional Presenter R800

9) Don’t be pretentious.

This is the most important thing to remember. I shouldn’t have to say this but it does happen that speakers get overinflated about their self-worth. You get invited to speak—how lucky are you? You might even be getting paid to speak—how even more lucky are you?! Remember to be magnanimous and thoughtful to those around you. Besides the fact that being nice makes you a great human, it also might get you invited back to speak again. I’m always there early to set up chairs, support other speakers, and provide any help I can because setting up an event is ridiculously difficult, so add additional value by helping out.

10) Be yourself.

Be inspired by other social media speakers, but don’t try to be them. This playacting will come through during your speech. Being yourself is the easiest thing because no one knows you better than yourself. To be a great speaker you must be genuine and authentic.

I hope this helps you become a better public speaker. I’m certainly not the end all be all, and I certainly have a lot to learn and a lot of practicing to do, so if you have any recommendations, please share them in the comments.

Go get em!

Categories
Data Analytics Data Driven Marketing Data Science LeonardoM.com

Treat Data Like a Team Member in Order to Succeed

Treat Data Like a Team Member in Order to Succeed

The concept of treating data like a team member was developed to humanize data and our relationship with it. The methodology takes proven methods of existing within a team and leading teams and applies it to working with data.

Mark Avnet, Chief Learning Officer - Converging Arts LLC

“I love the idea of mapping an interpersonal relationship schema to the business relationship with data. Definitely gives access to different types of questions to ask. Coolio!” – Mark Avnet, Chief Learning Officer – Converging Arts LLC

The data methodology was initially developed for data-driven marketers, but its concepts can be applied to anyone working with data as part of their job and it covers the following:

  1. What should a marketer’s relationship with data look like?
  2. What are the top two points marketers and others mostly struggle with? How can they improve in these areas?
  3. Beyond developing their relationships, what other areas should marketers focus to improve their use of data?
  4. Will marketers relationship with data change based on new advancements in AI, machine learning, and so on?
  5. What’s an area you would tell everyone in data that they need to focus on starting today?

Treat Data Like a Team Member in Order to Succeed Video Overview:

Treat Data Like a Team Member in order to Succeed Video Overview Transcription:

Paul: [00:00:06] Welcome back. Time for another episode of WVU marketing communications today live from the campus of West Virginia University. WVU Marketing Communications Today is a syndicated show. Sits squarely at the intersection of data driven decision making and marketing practice. From one of the faculty members at the Masters of Science DMC program Matt Cummings to tell us all about it.

Paul: [00:00:34] Hey Matt. Hi Paul.

Matthew Cummings: [00:00:36] Thank you and thank you all for tuning in today. This series is certainly growing in popularity and we appreciate your continued interest in WVU marketing communications today and especially today’s data related topic treat data like a team member.

Matthew Cummings: [00:00:55] I’m excited about this week’s episode because here today to share insights with us is Leo Morejon an award winning marketer sales leader and podcast there and a Guinness Book of World Record holder. More on that in in just a bit. Leo began his career as a marketer who pioneered real time marketing and as a sales leader at leading SaaS tech companies. His work includes the world famous Oreos Super Bowl blackout tweet. Some call that the marketing Super Bowl winning strategy and he’s holder of the first Guinness Book of World Records in social media and over his career. He’s used data driven marketing communications to drive millions in sales across top companies such as Mondelez and the Estee Lauder Companies. Today Leo combines his marketing expertise and sales knowledge to support both marketers and salespeople in reaching their potential via consulting his blog BuildAndInspire.com and his sales consultancy I love this name DogAndPony.io. It’s my pleasure to welcome Leo to the show. Hi Leo

Leo Morejon: [00:02:07] Hey Matthew how are you? It’s an honor to be here.

Matthew Cummings: [00:02:10] Well thanks for taking the time today. So I have to start out by asking about the Oreo Blackout Tweet. You know it’s one that’s often cited in in my graduate class by students as an example of of a brand empowering its marketing team an agency to really act quickly and take advantage of an opportunity. So tell us how that happened. What did that process look like and how did your 360i and Oreo brand team get together and really get that thing out in minutes.

Leo Morejon: [00:02:41] Oh man it was such a magical moment but really I always like to tell everyone it started over 100 years ago. It was one hundred years in the making. Right around that time Oreo was just turning 100. So we had so many different activities that were going on so many different campaigns like the Guinness world record that you mentioned or even the Daily Twist which was one hundred years of real time culture-jacking. Where we had literally a newsroom we get it in the morning. We look at what’s happening in the news and by the end of the day we work with the clients different agencies different partners and that’s what is going to resonate the most today and let us get it out as fast as we possibly could.

Matthew Cummings: [00:03:25] You’re not planning years in advance you’re talking about your meeting in the morning and you’re saying here’s what’s going on and how do we take advantage of it.

Leo Morejon: [00:03:33] You got it. So I always say it came down to practice hard work. And last but not least really loving the brand to this day, I could still talk about Oreo cookies for hours the first one was sold in Hoboken New Jersey. It was actually sold in tins based in New York. Right. We say Oreo cookies. We don’t say Oreos because it degrades the trademark like. Things like that are really the foundational elements that allowed us to to that.

Matthew Cummings: [00:04:07] So take us to that Super Bowl day and you’re together I assume with the Oreo brand team and what happens.

Leo Morejon: [00:04:16] So basically we’re there for a totally different campaign that gets overshadowed. But I absolutely love it. So basically if you wanted to have someone sculpt something for you an Oreo cream you just Instagram the photo a real artist would sculpt it which was amazing. We set up the newsroom, just in case anybody said anything related to that program or you know if something did happen and we’re tweeting we’re going through all the different posts that are being created from the cream and all that and all of a sudden the lights go out. I mean this it was it was magical. We all just looked around at each other and we’re like yeah because we are just ready. We had the hundred days of posting in real time culture-jacking, we had the Guinness World Record. We knew what to do. We were ready. So we all just looked at each other and it was just basically like no one said anything it was just like nodding heads and saying, “yep yep yep ok yep yep.” It’s just I don’t even know words came out to be honest I just that’s how I remember it was just like we just knew what to do. We’re that ready.

Matthew Cummings: [00:05:23] And it happened and it was magic and really it it changed the industry in real time marketing and brought that to the fore.

Leo Morejon: [00:05:31] Yes it changed the industry. It changed my life. It changed the life of all the wonderful people that worked on that. All the talented people that worked on there were lots of people that worked on that so I can’t take credit for that solely. It was really just really hundreds of people that even came before me. It really made an impact and I’ve been fortunate to be part of a lot of really amazing campaigns after that as well because of that and yeah real time marketing is the thing I was just in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the real time marketing summit and really was able to show off and talk a lot about that and see how the impact you made it. It’s just been magical and I’ve been so fortunate.

Matthew Cummings: [00:06:09] Awesome. Continues years later. So I want to shift gears and talk a little bit more about about data here for the rest of the rest of the show and when you and I started chatting about today’s podcast you kept mentioning the word relationship and a relationship that marketers need to have with data. Ideally what should that relationship look like?

Leo Morejon: [00:06:31] Really. Just like any other team member. Consider data as any other team member that you have in your organization. And the reason I go back to relationships and humans and team members is because really behind every business behind every marketing campaign behind any brand design behind anything really they’re human right. So I was thinking there’s a lot of data out there how can we make sure that we focus on making it a human piece from the very beginning so then the output is based on humans as well. So it’s really focused on seven key elements respect mentorship or education, challenging, listening, promoting, sharing and last but not least firing. Same kind of elements that you would interact with, your team is how you should look at data.

Matthew Cummings: [00:07:21] Right. A lot of leadership lessons in there in managing people and working with people. I think we need to unpack some of these or actually let’s unpack all of these. If you don’t mind in explaining. Let’s start with respect and can you talk a little bit more about how marketers need to respect that team member in data.

Leo Morejon: [00:07:42] Of course so respect. The first thing people think about when it comes to respect is caring for and making sure that it’s an important but one important element of respect in the team member or your data is not pertinent, making sure that it’s growing, making sure that you’re facilitating the growth of it, making sure that you’re there so that is getting better. So it’s not just I have this data and this is what we’re using for the rest of the world. This isn’t for the rest of the campaign or the rest of the brand project. It’s really making sure that we’re taking care of the data and feeding the right information in so we’re getting the right information out.

Matthew Cummings: [00:08:20] Sure. The other one you mentioned mentoring or mentorship and educating. Can you expand on that.

Leo Morejon: [00:08:29] Yeah. And one begets the other kind of. So basically making sure that we’re adding and growing that data set right because just because we thought we’d look say Facebook and sites Facebook is always going to be adding new data. We want to make sure that it’s the right data we add it, if it’s not the right data we don’t add it. So we want to make sure that we’re growing the data set that we start with today or that we started with yesterday should not look the same tomorrow. It should grow. If you think about the different areas right, like we’ve seen different brands using even like weather data to understand when perhaps their delivery service business is actually going to grow. So that’s what I mean by mentoring and educator. Like what else can we add to this and things that are unconventional like I mentioned that’s, that’s a real example. Even though brands that work in the pharmaceutical industry that listen using social media listening tools to see when people are going to say they’re coughing or that they’re not feeling well. Right. So they think they actually know faster than than the government know when people are getting sick because of Twitter. It’s that mentorship and that’s educating to the dataset.

Matthew Cummings: [00:09:35] You also mentioned challenging and I know data is a topic that we we dissect here on this program all the time and it’s a challenge for marketers but that’s not really what you mean here right.

Leo Morejon: [00:09:47] No. I mean basically question it in this right. Right. Is this what we should be doing. It’s not following that. Blindly. You want to make sure that your questioning it. Should we be doing this does this make sense. Do we have the right data set. And that’s something you do your team too. It’s not always you know what you say is how you say when it comes to a human being. But it is a lot easier than have emotions. So you always want to create that friction. Saying: Is this what needs to be happening.

Matthew Cummings: [00:10:20] What about listening.

Leo Morejon: [00:10:22] Listening really comes down to making sure you actually use it. I always talk about things like confirmation bias and other things like that and a lot of times people will have data, hey millions of dollars for their tools get the best data scientists and then just say you know what we are not going to use it now. It could be it’s also based on time and resources. But if you invest that much listen to it it sounds obvious but you see it more often than you would imagine.

Matthew Cummings: [00:10:52] Now this one really jumped out at me promoting.

Leo Morejon: [00:10:57] So promoting, we could kind of combine it even with sharing making sure that you’re sharing information with the rest of the teams and that could be marketing sharing it with PR sharing it with corporate comms or sharing it with the product development team and vice versa. A lot of times I see information being siloed and I’m like if sales has this information market I would absolutely love this. And especially sales and marketing right. They should be sharing information every single day. In fact I think a lot of the information that’s been developed and being used should actually come from both teams as just one piece of data. So it’s really making sure that it’s important and it becomes ever so more important within the organization or within the team.

Matthew Cummings: [00:11:47] One definitely informs the other. What firing you took promoting and sharing together there but firing and that’s that’s an interesting one.

Leo Morejon: [00:11:57] Yeah. No one wants to ignore it too and when that data set is incorrect. That is sometimes hard to do and it could be because of an investment we invested so much in gathering this data. We need to use it. That’s bad business you collected the information it was bad. If you realize that bad move on. So it’s almost like when it comes to human even like hire slow fire fast you know you learn from your mistakes and move forward.

Matthew Cummings: [00:12:27] Right.

Leo Morejon: [00:12:27] And a lot of people don’t do that.

Matthew Cummings: [00:12:30] So of these keys to that relationship what are the top two that you feel marketers and others struggle with the most. And how can we improve in those areas.

Leo Morejon: [00:12:40] Sure it definitely. Has to be listening and firing. And because of two human fallacies that every human being has one is confirmation bias which is the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one’s existing beliefs.

Matthew Cummings: [00:12:59] Right.

Leo Morejon: [00:12:59] So I’m always looking for something that proves what I believe. If I believe that, open workspaces are the best. I’m only going to look for articles and I’m only going to look for data that shows that workplaces are the best. But still we do that in life. Right. If I say that’s food in the world I’m always going to be like this is why.

Matthew Cummings: [00:13:19] I come from a PR background. So you know made a career out of that.

Leo Morejon: [00:13:24] That’s true. And then this confirming of evidence right, which is the evidence that refutes when ones almost the opposite of it it’s like just can’t ignore it. You got to look for this. And what marketers need to do and this is just again just going back to human relationships we will always have this as human. It’s recognizing it and doing something about it. Say you know what, let’s look for something else that’s even you know I mentioned challenging like we have this but is it right.

Matthew Cummings: [00:13:54] Crashing or crushing it.

Leo Morejon: [00:13:56] And that’s how you change that. No I don’t think anybody like I mentioned anybody will ever not do this. I do this all the time. It’s about recognizing that you’re doing it and then correct inaction.

Matthew Cummings: [00:14:07] That’s great advice great advice for data. Great advice for working with people as well. We are going to take a quick break now. We’re going to come back and talk a little bit more about this relationship with data and why it’s so important and also how advances in technology may change that dynamic over time.

Matthew Cummings: [00:14:25] So hang tight there Leo and we’re going to be right back.

Paul: [00:14:33] And yes we will have to remind you all about West Virginia University’s online data marketing communications program. It’s the first graduate program of its kind in the country focusing on strategic thinking, critical problem solving, and informed decision making using data. The data marketing communications program prepares you for your career by learning these innovative important tactics and skills from award winning faculty like our host here today.

Paul: [00:15:04] It’s easy to find out more simply go to the Web site DMC.WVU.edu 9 little letters that can change your life for data marketing communications at West Virginia University DMC.WVU.edu

Paul: [00:15:26] And now back to Matthew who understands how to interpret all this code that I’m always throwing out here all these letters and acronyms here there’s IMC integrated marketing communications there’s DMC data marketing communications and underneath each of those hundreds and hundreds of other acronyms. And what is the difference, real simply between the IMC program at your school and the DMC program the data marketing and the integrated marketing really just the focus. So the focus of one is IMC the other is marketing communications with just more of a data focus. Both are master of science programs.

Matthew Cummings: [00:16:05] So that’s really, it really just depends on.

Paul: [00:16:07] Are they on campus or online or how do people take those classes.

Paul: [00:16:12] Both both are exclusively online so students from around the country and around the world.

Paul: [00:16:18] If you were going to learn how to do online communications why would you sit in a classroom to do it right.

Matthew Cummings: [00:16:22] Exactly exactly. Leo and I aren’t sitting next to each other now but we’re having a great conversation.

Paul: [00:16:28] That’s the point of the whole story here. Well I look forward to carry on.

Matthew Cummings: [00:16:32] Sounds good. Thank you Paul. Again you’re listening to WVU marketing communications today. Our guest today is Leo Morejon hon award winning marketer consultant blogger and owner of DogAndPony.io. Let’s jump right back into it before the break Leo, we talked about the keys to a solid marketer and data relationship beyond developing that relationship with data, what other areas should marketers focus on to improve their use of data and the information that it provides.

Leo Morejon: [00:17:04] Have the right tools for the right situation and the right vertical. Having the right tools, ss number one right, from everything being able to collect data to be able to analyze that data to be able to go ahead and share and visualize that data, that is number one with the technology that exists today we can do things we couldn’t even do five years ago. Humans can’t process the amount of information that we have or analyze them out information that we have. And one of the things I as someone who used to sell marketing and data technology is why we focus on even just using the right words. Internally we are team and externally or even when you’re sourcing, a tool for instance a lot of times people like to say analytics but there’s a big difference between analytics and data. Data being just the raw numbers and analytics being that processing and information and understanding of what that data means. And a lot of tools will say they have analytics but they really just have data. So it really having the tools and using them correctly.

Matthew Cummings: [00:18:11] So you mentioned that technology in our industry as you know and as everyone listening knows is constantly changing. So will marketers relationship with data also change then based on these new advancements in talking about things like A.I. and machine learning and so on.

Leo Morejon: [00:18:29] One hundred percent of it is changing today. It’s been changing. It’s going to change. A.I. I still get a question if A.I. Artificial Intelligence is a buzz term. It is absolutely not. It will make an impact on every single aspect of our lives and especially as marketers being able, like I mentioned before being able to collect data understand data analyze that data and in the past we had algorithms where we’d ask questions to the data and really just get those answers with A.I., A.I. will generate its own questions, its own aspects, in its own way to look at things. And that is changing everything.

Matthew Cummings: [00:19:13] We often say we don’t know what we don’t know. But with A.I. it knows what it doesn’t know and then ask the right questions right.

Leo Morejon: [00:19:21] You got it. That’s a really good way to put it. It knows what we don’t know. And then it presents it to us.

Matthew Cummings: [00:19:27] It’s fascinating. And so you you feel that that changes the relationship for the better.

Leo Morejon: [00:19:33] Yeah. One hundred percent. And not even feel I know based on studies and everything where data that would take years upon years, hundreds of years really A.I. machine learning and other pieces of technology related to artificial intelligence could crunch that data within weeks, dayrs, hours that humans would just be impossible to do. And that’s happening today.

Matthew Cummings: [00:19:57] So there’s a lot here. What’s an area that you would tell everyone in data or in marketing that they need to focus on. What’s the priority here, starting today.

Leo Morejon: [00:20:09] The artificial intelligence and machine learning in every aspect of artificial intelligence so machine learning not just.

Matthew Cummings: [00:20:15] How did I know you’d say that.

Leo Morejon: [00:20:19] It’s changing the future. Sure it’s making an impact everywhere right. So yeah it’s. If you could understand that and here’s the thing right now A.I. is not intelligent enough to replace a human. A lot of what we call knowledge workers are like data scientists marketers and such like that. But it is there to provide suggestions right. So humans need to understand why, this piece of information was shared by the A.I. and then make a judgment on it. We need to understand how it works, how to feed it correctly and essentially have a good relationship with the A.I. and machine learning and machine learning, that’s something that’s been around for over 20-30 years too. So, in many ways, this isn’t new technology that is now finally coming to the forefront.

Matthew Cummings: [00:21:10] So something that we like to do in our master’s courses is really look at case studies and look at brands that are doing this well, there’s a lot to learn from that. So who is doing this well? Treating data as as that valued and trusted team member in a powerful way.

Leo Morejon: [00:21:28] Netflix hands down. Netflix is my favorite. It’s the darling when it comes to data and you see it. Look at all the fantastic shows. Look at how fast they are growing. They look at everything from ratings to what people are searching, to the dates and times things are being watched, for the length. I even heard rumors that they would look at illegal downloads of websites BitTorrent and such and that is one of the ways that they decided what to produce. So this is an example I don’t know if they did this for Full House but perhaps they looked at BitTorrent and saw it while people were downloading Full House a lot. Let’s go ahead and reproduce.

Matthew Cummings: [00:22:09] Yeah.

Leo Morejon: [00:22:10] Yeah. Yeah. So and like I said I don’t know if that was done with Full House specifically but I’ve heard that’s what they.

Matthew Cummings: [00:22:16] Cut it out right.

Leo Morejon: [00:22:18] Yeah. Cut it out. Uncle Jesse over there. It is. I mean just looking at that, right so what excites me is those kind of things like looking at the weather for the delivery looking at people copying on Twitter things that you would never ever think about but is data that is out there that excites me. And Netflix is doing that.

Matthew Cummings: [00:22:40] Anybody else?

Leo Morejon: [00:22:44] Amazon. Has to be Amazon. Yeah. Everything from logistics I mean they’ve revolutionized the way logistics works to virtual assistants. I can’t say her name because you’ll hear her in the background talk to me but.

Matthew Cummings: [00:22:58] She’ll order something.

Leo Morejon: [00:23:00] Exactly.

Matthew Cummings: [00:23:01] Do you have your speakers up? Maybe I’ll order something for you.

Leo Morejon: [00:23:04] Yeah right. Something funny. But it is about revolutionizing as in everything that the data they’re collecting the way that similar to even Netflix. The recommendation engine like as soon as I was actually buying new microphones for my podcast and they’re already like hey you also need this specific stand and you also need these specific mic covers and I’m like all right cool. This is fantastic where if it wasn’t recommended to me I would just skip them or not found them or not even thought about. I’m sure though the way that they’re using data is just fantastic.

Matthew Cummings: [00:23:40] They know us better than we know ourselves. So yeah marketing marketing though is still a mix of an art and a science and we focused a lot today on the data side but often marketers find themselves trying to find that balance between data and analysis and also gut instinct and heart. So what advice do you have for marketers who might be struggling with this or hearing different areas of emphasis from the leaders that they are reporting to.

Leo Morejon: [00:24:10] Yes it’s knowing your brand, knowing the vertical that you’re in, knowing the exact environment that you’re in. That is what will allow you to have the ability to make a gut decision. I’ve been in this situation before on Oreo where there was infographics that were going around and everyone was saying infographics are the best thing in the world with everyone’s posting them and they’re doing really well. In fact we looked at a lot of other brands and they were doing really well but my team and I because we worked on Oreo for three years feel like you know what they are cool and we see what’s being produced. That’s just not going to work for us. And we actually ended up going regardless because the data set it had no the data around CPG’s and other brands as infographics are fantastic.

Matthew Cummings: [00:24:58] He’s amazing.

Leo Morejon: [00:25:00] A lot of resources to make it happen and it’s probably one of our worst performing posts ever relatively speaking to you, you know data changes and metric changes and all that. But yeah we went with our gut because I just I knew the brand, I knew the community. My tenure the brand and knew the community so so well that we knew this is a time to ignore the data.

Matthew Cummings: [00:25:19] Yeah.

Matthew Cummings: [00:25:20] Last question Leo. You know we’ve talked tools, terminology what that relationship should look like. What do you like to read on this topic? Where should students or emerging professionals interested in this space go. Obviously other than buildandinspire.com, of course, for thought leadership in this area.

Leo Morejon: [00:25:39] Definitely. Two of my favorite blogs are smartdatacollected.com. A lot of really good information. In fact I think they have really good infographic on what’s happening with Netflix and how they’re using it. All the big data and then data economy as well as its data economy without the e dot com two of the best resources, even inside BigData.com I actually think that’s who has the Netflix info graphic and how they’re using data. And I’ve spent hours upon hours reading that and learning and applying that.

Matthew Cummings: [00:26:17] Awesome. I gotta go check that out. Anything else to add Leo before we wrap things up today?

Leo Morejon: [00:26:24] I think we are in the most exciting time when it comes to being analytics people, when it comes to being marketers. We should be absolutely excited to be living where we’re living. I always show and talk about billboards or magazines and ask how much data did we get there. What was the share rate and the engagement rate on a print ad on a billboard. So, we should be excited. I’m inspired every single day and anytime someone has a question that I think that, I just get excited, everyone should b excited.

Matthew Cummings: [00:27:02] This was awesome great advice great insights here Leo. Thank you for spending some time with us today to share those. And thank you for listening. WVU Marketing Xommunications today from all of us here at West Virginia University. I hope you found today’s episode as informative and exciting as I have until next time. Take care. You’ve been listening to another episode of WVU marketing communications today.

Paul: [00:27:32] Brought to you from the good folks at West Virginia University and the funnel radio network rattler work listeners like you.

Categories
Business Development LeonardoM.com Sales Software Tools

5 Unconventional Sales Enablement Tools and How to Use Them

5 Unconventional Sales Enablement Tools and How to Use Them

This list of unconventional Sales Enablement tools covers tools that generally are not considered sales tools for one reason or another, and they can be used for anyone doing any type of sales.

After all, everyone is a salesperson in one way or another, and I hope this article inspires everyone from solopreneurs to SaaS salespeople, to marketers selling ideas, and all in between.

Here we go!

1) aText (MAC) (For Windows: TextExpander)

aText (MAC) - Leo Morejon
  • What is it: A “text expansion,” or as they call it, a “typing accelerator” tool. Think of it as “auto-complete” for anything or everything you type on a regular basis. Similar tools exist for email, aText is different because it works across your whole computer.
  • How to use it: We all end up typing a lot of the same things over and over – from “Thank you” emails to links, phone numbers, and so on.  Use aText to save countless hours of typing, automatically compose full emails, populate lists of links to sales collateral, and more.

    Lifehacker.com has a fantastic guide: https://l3o.me/2QFfysz

  • Link: aText: https://l3o.me/2QJ1FK7 | TextExpander: https://l3o.me/2QFaMew

2) Fiverr

Fiverr - Leo Morejon
  • What is it: A freelance marketplace. You can hire people online to perform any number of tasks for as low as $5.

  • How to use it: The possibilities are endless. Hire someone to research a prospect, to transcribe a meeting, or to copyedit. Better yet, get really creative and use someone to create inspiring content to be used on a sales pitch or to wow a client. I’ve created personalized songs with unique beats and lyrics for a ringtone to share as a gift, explainer videos for a client, and also had someone help me research upcoming events – all for about $5 each.

  • Link: https://l3o.me/2PMgiuJ

3) Hootsuite

Hootsuite - Leo Morejon
  • What is it: A social media management tool. Manage Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms using one single tool.

  • How to use it: Salespeople need to use social media. Use Hootsuite to save time, uncover new opportunities, and optimize many other aspect of your social media efforts, quickly and easily schedule content, track conversations from specific people, setup keyword searches related to your product or industry, track your performance, and so on.

  • Link: https://l3o.me/2QJ0TNd

4) Croissant

Croissant - Leo Morejon
  • What is it: A shared network of co-working spaces. They have deals with multiple co-working spaces across a number of cities and you can check into and use any of them.

  • How to use it: Getting back to the office after a meeting or finding places to work in between meetings can be hard. Of course, you have cafes, but they can be hit or miss. Use Croissant to find a place by to your next meeting to prep, have meetings with clients, grab a quick deck to write follow-up emails so you don’t have to head back to the office, and so on.

  • Link: https://l3o.me/2MJDDeH

5) Traveling Mailbox

Traveling Mailbox - Leo Morejon
  • What is it: A “Virtual Mailbox.” A Virtual Mailbox replaces your snail mail (your regular physical mailbox address) by providing you a new address where things can get mailed. They will scan your mail, shred it, forward it, and even deposit checks for you.

  • How to use it:  Many salespeople travel frequently. Use Traveling Mailbox to keep your personal life in order while on the road. If you miss an important piece of mail (bill, insurance, license renewal, etc.) while on the road, it can cost hours of unproductive time in the future.

  • Link: https://l3o.me/2OC9j7h

Like this list? Have your own favorite unconventional Sales Enablement tools? Let me know in the comments below.

Categories
Sales Business Business Development LeonardoM.com

10 Account Manager Guidelines for SaaS Enterprise Sales

10 Account Manager Guidelines for SaaS Enterprise Sales

I created the following list early in my career for use by a SaaS enterprise account management team that was young, unpracticed and ready to learn, because of this, deadlines would be missed, clients would be confused, teams would point fingers and much more; all leading broken relationships (internally and externally) and countless sales opportunities were missed.

The list was designed to establish guidelines for these new account managers selling SaaS enterprise software but can be used in countless other situations.

Many, if not all, on this list, may seem obvious to you and not worth sharing, but remember what is obvious to you may not be obvious to all. We are all different and have different experiences, and this was an unseasoned team.

There’s also a damaging trend in many professional relationships based on “they should already know this” and people never talking about what “this” is.

One of the fastest ways to lose credibility is to expect people to be mind readers and then getting mad at them for not reading your mind. Sharing your expectations, and sharing them earlier on, allows you to curve issues before they happen and to easily and rightfully address any issues if they do happen.

First, some basics:

What is SaaS Account Management?

SaaS stands for “software as a service.” SaaS account management is the process of managing the customer’s relationship with the software service, as well as any trials or signups the customer may have. Account managers may find themselves with many different responsibilities, such as:
  • Updating the customer’s account
  • Troubleshooting any issues the customer may be having
  • Tracking the customer’s data usage

What does an account manager do for an SaaS company?

In short, account managers help SaaS companies close and maintain deals (contracts with clients/customers). The salesperson is the one who lands the company’s client and the one who secures the company’s initial contracts. The account manager is the one who works with the company’s most valued clients once they’re already signed for an initial agreement. Account managers are one of the most important people in a SaaS company, and the account manager position is the one that shapes the future of the business. They are the ones who make sure clients are happy and satisfied with the services and products they are receiving.

10 Account Manager Guidelines for SaaS Enterprise Sales – Infographic:

10 Account Manager Guidelines for SaaS Enterprise Sales Infographic
10 Account Manager Guidelines for SaaS Enterprise Sales Infographic

10 Account Manager Guidelines for SaaS Enterprise Sales – Full Overview:

 

  1. Is a trusted advisor
    1. Note 1: When conducting a meeting, reviewing a new product, presenting a deck, and so on, always share your point of view (POV) with the client. Share your thoughts with them.
    2. Note 2: You are an expert. The client is paying for your knowledge as well as the software. Share your knowledge with them to guide them.
    3. Note 3: “It is up to you” is not a phrase that exists when talking to a client, if they are asking you what they should do.
  2. Is ready to support as needed
    1. Note 1: We are all a team and are here to support one another.
    2. Note 2: Be proactive and reactive.
    3. Note 3: “This is not my job” is not a phrase that exists.
  3. Is responsible for notes/meeting minutes
    1. Note 1: If you are in a meeting, take notes or ensure a colleague is taking notes. If you are not present at a meeting you are responsible for, please assign someone to take and share notes.
  4. Always ensures notes are shared via Sales CRM (CRM)
    1. Note 1: All notes should be in CRM with action items for each person involved. Please ensure people are tagged as needed.

  5. Does not ever assume something is happening
    1. Note 1: Just because you asked for XYZ to be completed by X, it does not mean that it is getting done. Please follow-up and establish checkpoints to ensure work is being worked on.
    2. Note 2: Do not assume a client knows something. Explain to them as many times as needed, in as many ways as needed.
  6. Always follows up with people (internal/external)
    1. Note 1: Related to #3. Follow-up as needed with clients and colleagues.
  7. Ensures internal teams are ready for meetings
    1. Note 1: If you have colleagues in a meeting, ensure they understand the agenda and the roles they play in meetings and what they are responsible for. This can be as granular as defining who is taking care of the introductions.
  8. Does not argue with colleagues in front of a client
    1. Note 1: We are a team. We need to be a unified force. If one person fails or looks bad, we all look bad.
    2. Note 2: You are always encouraged to speak your mind, share ideas and help make things the very best they can be, even if that means a little friction. This pertains to how something is said and handled, not what is said.
    3. Note 3: If you disagree with a colleague or a point being made is offbase, please speak up but be sure not to argue or go on with an aggressive debate, handle it offline: regroup, agree and share one POV with the client.
  9. Does not embarrass colleagues in front of a client
    1. Note 1: Related to #6

  10. Is proactive; does not wait to be asked
    1. Note 1: If you see something that needs to get done internally or externally, do not wait to be asked. Jump on the task.
    2. Note 2: If unsure, inform others; you do not want to lose any time.

This list is only part of any puzzle, this list should be supplemented with further training, explanation, context and so on. Number eight (Does not argue with colleagues in front of a client) is one that you will particularly need to spend more time explaining and showing examples because it can be vague and you don’t want people to shut down.

Thru the years I’ve added and optimizes this list and also adapted it for different situations. Of course, it can always get better.

What would you add to this list? Comment below.

Need support? Reach out!

Additional Resources:

 

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Business LeonardoM.com Sales Tools

Create Scalable Services: The Service Model Canvas

Create Scalable Services: The Service Model Canvas

Friction is one of the most significant issues for any company – new, small, or big. Friction slows progress, and diminishes results across communication, collaboration, project management – everything!

This article is meant to support startups, growth stage companies, and large companies alike, reducing friction when developing new, scalable services. You can also think of this as a way to productize services. The document is not meant to be client-facing; it is designed to help with onboarding, marketing, and much more. It serves as a blueprint; it keeps everyone on the same page and explains different aspects that may be important to various projects.

The Service Model Canvas Template below is the same template I have used successfully to develop many services for myself and clients, and it’s free for you to download.

You can download the Service Model Canvas Template using the link below and follow along below for explanations of each section.

The Service Model Canvas Template - Leo Morejon


Service Model Canvas Template Guide:

Sample Scenario: To support with the explanation below, let’s pretend we’re creating services for Company Z, a Marketing Technology company that is now offering creative services. The examples are only meant to support the explanation, therefore they will not be long or detailed.

  • Section 1: Overview
    • Executive Summary/Pitch: This is the principal value proposition: why these services exist and what they are, from a high-level perspective. This is done so you can easily inspire people and explain to people your services in order to get them hooked.
      • Example: Company Z exists to make the lives of brand managers easier. Today, brands are looking to consolidate their partnerships, and with creative services from Company Z, it’s easier than ever before.
  • Section 2: Categories
    • Category: Here is where you create high-level categories for each service – this is helpful, as you organize details and thoughts.
      • Example: Content creation, copywriting, and so on.
    • Description: Provide a definition for each category.
        • Example: Content creation refers to any service where content is created.
    • Details: You can use this section to provide examples or a deeper explanation of the category.
      • Example: This includes, but is not limited to, video content and static images.
  • Section 3: Services
    • Service Category: The categories outlined in the “Categories” section go here.
        • Example: Content Creation, Copywriting, and so on.
    • Service: Name the service. I usually provide a descriptive name here and not a branded name, focusing solely on explaining what the service is. Of course, do what’s best for you. A good option is to include both.
      • Example: Video Creation
    • Ideal Target: Provide an overview of your target market or customer. Who are you selling to and who is the most likely to want/use this service? These are guardrails to allow you to focus as you sell, market, and so on.
      • Example: Existing brand clients looking to consolidate creative services and have budgets of $50k a month.
    • [Company] Offering: Describe a detailed overview of what you are offering. Do not leave anything out. Besides getting to “what” you offer, it provides details.
      • Example: The creation of video media using digital cameras in the US and UK.
    • Questions Answered: Include a list of all the questions your service answers. In other words, what problems do the services solve? What are some questions from prospects/clients that may trigger you offering your services?
      • Example: How can I reduce the cost of content creation? How can I consolidate my content creation spend?
    • Value Proposition: Investopedia describes it best: “Value proposition refers to a business or marketing statement that a company uses to summarize why a consumer should buy a product or use a service.”
      • Example: We grow your business by consolidating technology and services, with video being a great way to start.
    • [Company] Does Not: Provide details regarding what this service does not include – this is the area that most people forget to think about. These are part of the guardrails that support scaling.
      • Example: Create scripts, provide content analytics, and so on.
    • Needs From Client: List a detailed overview of what you need from the client to fulfill the service – this is for when you have a client, not necessarily for prospects.
      • Example: Brand guidelines, access to creative staff, access to visual assets, and so on.
    • How: Explain exactly how this product will be delivered. Go deep into operational detail here.
      • Example: Share onboarding paperwork, review internally, source internal resources, create a storyboard, share the storyboard, and so on.
    • Required Skills: Who do you need to get this completed? Alternatively, you can make this into: “who and what do you need?” … the ‘what’ being tools or other non-personnel resources.
      • Example: Scriptwriter, Final Cut editor, and so on.
    • Delivery Schedule: Provide a timeline for how long it will take to complete your service. Be conservative and buy yourself time.
      • Example: Two weeks

This version of the Service Model Canvas is ready to use for a lot of use cases. You can, and of course should, add more details if it makes sense to you. The main pushback shared about this Service Model Canvas template is that it has too many levels or areas; this is a feature of the template to allow for deep-thinking, and it allows this document to have legs. This Service Model Canvas is also not as visually pleasing as others; this too is a feature. By having the template exist in a spreadsheet, it makes it easier to create and edit.

Enjoy! If you make any useful updates to the template, please share it with me, the goal is to make this the very best that it can be.

Categories
Sales Business Development LeonardoM.com

Should Founders Build Their Own Sales Deck?

Should Founders Build Their Own Sales Deck? - Build & Inspire
The passion that the best founders have for their businesses can be intoxicating, and inspire a talented team to get on board and make their vision a reality.
 
However, not all founders do a great job of explaining their company and/or products to those outside the business – especially when it comes to putting together a sales deck. Finding the best way to communicate an inspiring idea to a potential customer takes time, and it can be hard for a lot of people who are used to relying on their own passion and personality to sell that vision to others.
 
This lack of clear communication can happen for several reasons. Below are some of the more frequent causes and how to improve:
 
Causes:
 
  1. Background: Usually, founders tend to focus on the part of the business where they have the most background and expertise. For example, people with a stronger coding and tech background may be inclined to use more technical language when describing their product, which may not be easily understood by the average buyer/consumer. If a founder doesn’t happen to have much experience in marketing, it can become challenging to figure out the clearest and most compelling way to explain their business. 
  2. Time: Being a founder is hard work. There’s almost never enough time in a day and a lot of decisions that demand immediate attention. Each is important in its own way, but you can never lose sight of how important a sales deck is; it is a tool for bringing in money. 
  3. Pride: Yes, pride can get be a good thing, but not when it has you putting every single little thing about your company in a deck. The inclusion of too much detail muddies the point, confuses people, and wastes time.
 
How to Improve:
 
  1. Test, Learn and Optimize: Put something together, get feedback from people outside your business and from outside your world. If your non-tech family member gets it, you’re on the right path. 
  2. Start with Why: Forget the How for a bit, and focus on the Why – specifically, why you exist. If you can explain the why, it will unlock the door for deeper conversations and other points to be made. Most importantly, it will inspire and evoke emotions that drive action in your consumer. 
  3. Delegate: Allow someone else on your team to develop the first draft, and build from there. Delegating will give you another chance to understand what others on your team think is important, and it gives you something to react to. They might have included things you never considered important, but which stand out as a key point to others.
 
Also consider hiring someone or a service to review your sales deck.
 
Finally, and most importantly, best of luck with what you’re building! Try different things, fail, gather feedback and keep going.
Categories
International Business Business Featured LeonardoM.com

First Time Working Internationally? 7 Things to Consider

First Time Working Internationally? 7 Things to Consider

Congratulations – you’re working internationally! There’s excitement at every turn: new cultures to explore, new business practices, and so much more. While it’s an experience you’ll never forget, there are certainly a few things I wish I knew when I started my first position abroad.

Of course everyone will tell you to be aware of cultural differences, and respect local working customs and traditions. But when it comes to conducting everyday business, there are a few specifics no one usually tells you about. So I figured it was time to put together my list of 7 things to consider before showing up for your first day of work in a new country.

Before we jump in, take note that this list is meant for someone whose role requires them to communicate with a variety of different groups and cultures at once. In that sense, the tips here can be helpful to anyone who’s frequently in touch with folks in multiple regions or markets. It’s also worth mentioning that this is written from the perspective of an American abroad, so some of these may not directly apply if your background is different.

Here are a few things I wish I knew before I started working internationally:

1 – The Word “Doubts:”

The first time I saw “doubts” being used in an email was after I proposed a major marketing campaign. The person emailing me said, “I have doubts about this program.” After some concern, I learned that this person and many others use the word “doubts” when they have questions. 

  • Tip: Email is often the worst way to communicate. If someone needs more information or needs further explanation, pick up the phone. Even better, set up a video conference.

2 – Your Email Signature:

Keep it simple. No links, no images, no code at all. If you are working with different markets, it does not mean everyone has the same email list or settings configured — even if it’s a coworker at the same company. In short, links, images, etc. often get stuck in spam folders, so don’t use them if possible. 

  • Tip: Write your signature in Notepad or a similar application that will clear all formatting. Then copy and paste.

3 – Idioms:

An idiom is an expression that has a mostly figurative meaning: It is raining cats and dogs, low hanging fruit, and so on. Business or otherwise, these can be confusing and should be avoided. 

  • Tip: Don’t use them. :)

4 – Date Formatting:

Not everyone uses the same date format. For instance, the US uses Month/Day/Year, while some in Germany uses Year/Month/Day.? 

5 – Decimal Points:

The US uses a dot to represent a decimal point while other countries instead use a comma or something else altogether. 

6 – Time Off:

Vacation practices are not the same across every culture or country. It is important to keep this in mind when setting objectives and schedules. 

7 – Internet Speed:

Not everyone has the same internet speed as you. This is true in the US and it is true internationally. When sending a file, asking for a file, or anything else that uses a lot of bandwidth, consider that someone may have a much lower speed than you. 

Though some may seem insignificant, relative to other things you need to consider, I know these will have a big impact on your job and overall success.

What would you add to this list?