What is your why behind what you do?
Again, it comes back to using marketing for good.
I think there's tremendous potential in it and helping people again, to, to make
choices in an informed, empowered manner versus feeling like they're being
manipulated or lied to.
And so working with marketing teams, sales, sales teams, it is about helping
them not only to do that, but do it in a way that's even more effective than
traditionally the way we think about sales and marketing, in particular sales.
I mean, sales kind of has a negative connotation to it because over the years,
you know, people have had bad experiences with salespeople, with, you know, the
kind of your typical sort of used car salesman, if you will, and feeling like,
you know, you're, you're being manipulated.
And I think that that's damaging.
And especially in today's times, like we have access to more information now
than ever before.
And so those kinds of manipulations, those kinds of like being deceptive,
they usually get found out and that can have some really negative effects.
So for me, you know, my why is to help sales and marketing teams approach sales
in a way that's not only empathetic and understanding, but also even more
effective for them.
So it's creating wins for everyone, buyer and seller alike.
We talk about, you know, one of the things that I like to really hone in on is
this idea of resilient relationships and building resilient relationships with
your customers.
And it comes back to what I was talking about is that if your customer trusts
that you are, you know, going to be upfront with them, you're going to be
authentic and honest, you're going to be looking for real solutions that will
make a difference in their lives.
And you do that consistently, you start to develop what I call a resilient
relationship.
And what that means is there is a trust, there is a certain amount of loyalty,
although I'm not big on the term loyalty when it comes to marketing.
I think it just is a.
It's a very passive way of thinking about people.
Resilient relationships, when you develop them, you have the ability to
engage over time with your consumer.
And when something goes wrong, we all make mistakes.
People always make mistakes.
Brands are no different and companies are no different.
They're going to make mistakes.
If you've formed a resilient relationship with your consumer, they're going to
give you the benefit of the doubt.
I'm, you know, I'm a Apple guy, like, you know, have been for a very long time.
I have, you know, always Mac, always iPhone, you know, in, in Apple has made
some missteps along the way, but because I trust them and I trust them to do
the right thing and I trust their products, I will give them the benefit of the doubt.
I'm not going to go running to a competitor the first time they, they, you
know, make a mistake or do something that I don't like.
And I think there's real power in that.
And it leads to, you know, obviously it can lead to like very big sales
and very big loyalty over time.
And that caught, you know, the benefits of having long-term customers is, is
a very, very tangible thing for companies.
And so, you know, again, that like any relationship means that you have to
tend to that relationship and be a good steward of that relationship with your
customer, and that means being upfront.
It means being authentic.
It means admitting mistakes.
It means making those mistakes, right.
And when you do that consistently, that's where you develop that kind of
following that will be there for you through thick and thin.
Going along with what you said, including many examples of Apple.
I am same way with Apple.
Like I love Apple quite a bit.
And yes, they have made a few mistakes, but there's something about Apple that
you just want to be with Apple for now, right?
Yeah.
And it's interesting because, you know, there's real tangible reasons for
that are real functional reasons, right?
They make, they great, make great technology.
They make it user friendly.
You know, they've empowered so many people, but then there's also
the emotional side of it, right?
There's trust.
There's, there's almost a sense of belonging.
There's a great quote.
I wish I had come up with it, but I didn't.
And I cannot remember off the top of my head who said it, but they said,
people join brands.
They don't buy them.
And I think that's a really smart way to think about it.
You know, why would someone want to join my brand?
You know, and when you think of it that way, then you're going to be putting
yourself in their shoes and saying, okay, well, what, why would this person want
to join, what can I do to make them want to join?
Um, and that puts you in a very customer centric mindset.
That can be very powerful.