Chief Evangelist with Ethan Beute

Today’s guest is Dan Steinman, Chief Evangelist at Gainsight. Dan joins Ethan Beute and shares the idea that creating awareness of something that’s making a difference is the most important aspect of the role.
 
 Dan also discusses the three aspects of being a great evangelist, two ways to source insights to generate thought leadership, and why he and his CEO stopped trying to track and measure the ROI of his role.  Be sure to listen in on Dan giving his advice on how you can become a better listener to your clients about what does and doesn't work for them!


Takeaways:
  • Dan thinks that the most important job for a Chief Evangelist is to raise awareness and understanding of the category of customer success. Growing the category helps grow your company.
  • As Chief Evangelist, you must provide thought leadership about your category, your product, and your business. This content helps attract, educate, engage, and activate people within your broader community and within your customer base.
  • Evangelizing and creating thought leadership have three sources of insight. One is the fundamentals of customer success, two are the things that evangelists are trying, some working and not working, and three are all of the thoughts you hear from your community.
  • Dan shares that their book, Customer Success, was likely the best evangelistic work they did at Gainsight. But to make a book useful and successful in service of your mission, you must adhere to the basic dos and don’ts that he offers here.
  • It is always so important to listen to your clients about what works for them and what doesn't work for them. Listening to what works and what doesn't work, it becomes pressure on your product to make it better for those kinds of big-scale ideas that your clients may have in mind.
  • Attributing revenue. Tracking activities. Measuring outcomes. Dan and his CEO spent a lot of time on this, but eventually gave up because it wasn’t worth the effort. They both knew the work was valuable.


Quote of the Show:
  • “Evangelism is the idea of creating awareness of something that's making a difference.” (02:41)


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Chief Evangelist is produced and sponsored by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Creators & Guests

Host
Ethan Beute
Ethan Beute is the Chief Evangelist at Follow Up Boss, former Chief Evangelist at BombBomb, host of The Customer Experience Podcast, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Human-Centered Communication and Rehumanize Your Business.

What is Chief Evangelist with Ethan Beute?

Welcome to Chief Evangelist, the podcast that unravels the unique and potent role of Chief Evangelists and the influential movement they lead. Hosted by Ethan Beute, each episode delves into the world of evangelism work, exploring its intricacies and shedding light on what success truly means in this space. From understanding why focusing on a problem is more impactful than a product, to the overlap and divergence with thought leadership, community building, category design, and traditional sales and marketing – this podcast is your go-to resource for insights into innovation and the demand for evangelism. Whether you're aspiring to be a Chief Evangelist or seeking to comprehend its significance, join Ethan for captivating conversations with evangelists across diverse companies, verticals, and industries.