Episode 093 - Dani Weinstein - CLIX Conference and Building Thought Leadership Communities

In this episode, Dani Weinstein talk about his experience at the CLIX event that had a ton of great Communality Leaders and speakers there. It was one of the first onsite meetings that was in person and he said he was a blast.

Chris and Dani also get into a discussion around how Chris is thinking about thought leadership in his community and thinking big picture. Listen in!

Creators & Guests

Host

Chris Detzel

Chris is a versatile Digital Community Strategist with several years of experience. He has owned community vision, strategy, and execution. He is responsible for leading the development and execution of community engagement programs, creating compelling content for customer communities and acts as the voice of the customer. He believes that data should drive decisions as it is the key element of any long-term successful strategy.

What is CX Nexus Podcast?

CX Nexus," hosted by Nicole Saunders and Chris Detzel, is a cutting-edge podcast at the crossroads of community, customer experience, customer success, sales, and marketing. Tailored for forward-thinking leaders in mid to upper management, this podcast is a goldmine of insights for professionals shaping their careers in these interconnected domains. Emphasizing the importance of collaboration and cross-functionality, it navigates the intricate dance of integrating diverse business functions effortlessly.

Each episode unfolds as a masterclass in cross-functional leadership, offering innovative strategies for collaborative success and a deep dive into the latest industry trends. "CX Nexus" serves as a powerful platform for personal brand development for both its hosts and its audience. More than just a podcast, it's a career accelerator for the astute professionals in marketing, community engagement, product management, sales, and customer success.

Chris Detzel: Welcome to another peers over beers i'm Chris decile and joining me is.

Dani Weinstein: Not only weinstein.

Chris Detzel: donny weinstein Danny how are you today.

Dani Weinstein: i'm doing well i'm.

Chris Detzel: doing well man it's good to have you back on the show you know, usually I.

Chris Detzel: will introduce you but you know you're just a regular.

Chris Detzel: You know you're here a lot, so I don't need to introduce you to introduce yourself now on so.

Dani Weinstein: yeah I think you know.

Dani Weinstein: we've been to the medical side of all thing.

Chris Detzel: Exactly.

Chris Detzel: Well, thanks for coming on again I really enjoyed our conversations and we're talking a lot about in our pre show, and one of the things that came up was the conference that.

Chris Detzel: You attend a call clicks and I saw a lot of my peers at this conference, unfortunately I couldn't go but love to talk to you more about clicks in the conference, and you know who you met who's new who's old, you know that would you like about it.

Dani Weinstein: yeah so you know the extended leadership event in memphis I think was a new a new event, I think it was sort of a lot of a fair amount of uncertainty about really how what was going to be like how.

Dani Weinstein: You know the quality of the.

Dani Weinstein: The talks and and the people that were there, but I think, in the end it was a you know, it was very much a pleasant surprise for those of us that attended, I think that the.

Dani Weinstein: First and foremost, the coolest thing was just you know getting back on the road and actually attending a conference and seeing you.

Dani Weinstein: Know number of people that.

Dani Weinstein: Well, first of all collection of people that we've been collaborating with for a long time, who, some of whom I met in person before like rich millington and Dave spanks and a fire.

Dani Weinstein: and others and then others that you know that the great opportunity to collaborate with and get to know virtually but never meet in person, so you know, the fact that you know Marjorie Anderson and and shot a summers and.

Dani Weinstein: Quite a few others that were there, I was just great and then, of course, being that you know this Community Community professionals just that general network, there were new superstars that really I was not even aware of.

Dani Weinstein: That we got to me.

Dani Weinstein: And, just like you know rock stars in their own you know, in their own regard, so I think you know that, having that was just was great.

Dani Weinstein: Of course, you know it's never a bad day when you're having the opportunity to hear presentations from from David and from Richard and.

Adrian.

Dani Weinstein: You know in any given session and then just you know again having these great conversations about what people are doing and a variety of you know, whether it be anything like Christina Garrett from hubspot and hubspot hubspot team is bunch of rock stars and.

Chris Detzel: soon.

Dani Weinstein: They had a couple of great sessions, but just came to meet them meet these folks in person was awesome.

Dani Weinstein: You know that, of course, I think, just you know just the the sort of that added benefit of attending a conference you've got some of the sponsor vendors to you kind of forget about this working from home or.

Dani Weinstein: You know not traveling but, just like you know there's some vendors that there that are spent some pretty big money and some really nice dinners and happy hours and so you're getting the benefit of that it's like wow.

Chris Detzel: I forgot how this is like yeah.

Chris Detzel: yeah yeah.

Chris Detzel: that's always a fun time, who is who are some of the vendors that.

Can over there.

Dani Weinstein: So you know.

Chris Detzel: Remember anyone, you know the folks from hot from higher logic and analysis Asian was there.

Dani Weinstein: yeah I got to catch up with my dear friend, Michael hall from from chorus I mean i've known him, you know he's he's goes back to the early lifting days at least 1011 years ago, so he was there, it was great to catch up with Michael.

Dani Weinstein: But then there were some others so, for example.

Dani Weinstein: Oh, my gosh it was me a moment I remember the name of the vendor they actually want to sponsor 60 great this great dinner and they're based in in Austin.

Dani Weinstein: And there was another gentleman.

Dani Weinstein: His name was a these are.

Dani Weinstein: Some ideas and he's actually got a.

Dani Weinstein: business growth accelerator podcast and he was really very much focused on.

Dani Weinstein: You know, on Community so i'm actually teed up to eventually be on his on his podcast he was actually interviewing people you know, during the during the conference.

Dani Weinstein: And it's pretty cool.

Dani Weinstein: Let me think there was also.

Dani Weinstein: Well, anyway, there were there were a handful of other vendors there that will not forget as well.

Chris Detzel: cool yeah sounds like a fun time, and so it actually was better than expected.

Dani Weinstein: yeah it was nothing better than expected, you know memphis was definitely fun fun venue.

Dani Weinstein: You know I actually spent some time well at the very end, they had like an hour or so free time I actually whatever to.

Dani Weinstein: You know the the birthplace of rock and roll so sun studios, which is about a 10 minute.

Dani Weinstein: 10 minute ride down the road from where the conference was a couple last tour on the last day and I was pretty epic just seeing you know the place where Elvis was discovered and and Johnny cash and.

Dani Weinstein: person and.

Dani Weinstein: it's just you know walking through a it's literally a time machine, I mean seeing this you know.

yeah.

Dani Weinstein: ours, and you know the original recording equipment and the reel to reels and the soundtracks of you know, the first tracks that Elvis record in that studio and that was fun, but I think more importantly, it was it was very much about you know about the people and.

Chris Detzel: Like these events are you know people are wanting to go to these events big time now, I mean you know, maybe, maybe it's going to be like this is like.

Chris Detzel: Oh, my gosh I can't get enough events for the next six 812 months, you know people are just going to go to every single event, then you know, maybe like I need some virtual stuff you know I mean so.

Chris Detzel: that's good that you get to get out it there's nothing better than to me then connecting with people face to face right, and you know the relationships.

Chris Detzel: become a lot better you get to know them you feel you know, like a bond, you know I felt closer to you, for example, when you came out to Dallas and we just met for beers right like that, because the first time, literally we met for beers and.

Chris Detzel: The first time we've met.

Chris Detzel: face to face wasn't all that long ago I don't know a year ago, or less.

Chris Detzel: and

Dani Weinstein: Less are.

Chris Detzel: yeah so almost here but it's just nothing better I mean you feel like oh wait, I know that person, you know it's pretty cool so.

Chris Detzel: Good i'm glad you got out and i'm glad to the conference was better than expected, you know, hopefully it's kind of interesting because you've seen kind of these new Community like things whether it's.

Chris Detzel: technologies or you know different schools coming out for Community managers leaders and then now conferences, you know that's not led by.

Chris Detzel: evie or cms or something like that so it's it'd be interesting and somebody told me well, I think this clicks things not going to work, I know that won't be that many people there and.

Chris Detzel: You know I actually heard a lot differently different things like from yourself and others that it was really nice and I think all you need it really is for community leaders it's just one.

Chris Detzel: Good venue a good.

Chris Detzel: Good agenda decent agenda, and then the people you know because we just want to connect with people I remember going to see a Max one time and.

Chris Detzel: What a couple of things, but then I was just connecting you know talking to people face to face missile sessions that care.

Chris Detzel: know what I mean like I mean whatsoever, but it was to me about how do I start building relationships, you know and start finding people that you know no more than I do you know about some of this stuff and doing different things so i'm glad you had fun.

Dani Weinstein: yeah and i've got my cheat sheet here, so I do want to give a shout out to orbit was one of the vendors that.

Chris Detzel: that's right.

Dani Weinstein: And we got to meet their one of the founders Patrick words.

Dani Weinstein: But some of the you know the usual suspects, for there as well, so hi Brian this course credits bar we've got resumes there, so we got to meet up with my team from California, you know john summers and ideals and we're in town.

yeah.

Dani Weinstein: And then of course this meeting, you know some new faces that you know we've been on our radar just you know meeting them in person, so like I said shawna and but I know meeting Ashley brooke Shaw and.

Dani Weinstein: You know tears Austin.

Dani Weinstein: See well so Christina Garrett, they never met before certainly you know meeting up with rich Ashley freedom was not on my radar he's from a consultancy gilda came up from the UK, and then you know this rock star.

Dani Weinstein: You know her name is Lisa the olivia era olivero she's out in New York, right now, but she's I never did it wasn't even on my radar previously, and so we got to know really well.

Chris Detzel: When she found.

Chris Detzel: Remember.

Dani Weinstein: million, and she just relocated to New York City and the recent months.

Dani Weinstein: Okay she's got a book on you know, on Community and.

Dani Weinstein: has a huge following and apparently and shake she gave an incredible talk really about, you know.

Dani Weinstein: grow revenue run Community so it's quite interesting.

Dani Weinstein: And of course the shadow tardy Whitney and Heidi Williams, who put together the events so.

Chris Detzel: Like I said.

Dani Weinstein: The first time it was definitely exceeded expectations and a lot of good content, a lot of good quality time with with a lot of people and, as I said, we met up with I got to know you know I think everybody got to grow their network incrementally and learn more and also make more connections.

Chris Detzel: cool man I love it I love it.

Chris Detzel: So something else I wanted to kind of run run by a little bit if you don't mind, what do you think so all right so sort of kind of talk to you a little bit about it during the pre show but.

Chris Detzel: At you know something that that I felt like a real to and building the community of Rialto it's been really a great experience for me, but also, you know I would say.

Chris Detzel: For us, you know I built I built this online Community it's now been a year on April 28 you know so just a few days from now will be going to be year old and we've done some really good things you know, like.

Dani Weinstein: A virtual birthday cake and customer badges.

Chris Detzel: yeah that's right, so I don't know if I have the badges ready, but i'll definitely have.

Chris Detzel: You know, I have a little.

Chris Detzel: kind of thing there that don't just post out and say you know congratulations and things like that so.

Chris Detzel: Personal linkedin and slack and all kinds of different things, with it, you know, so the company stays excited.

Chris Detzel: But you know I built this really great technical community, so you know it's doing some really good things, and you know getting people engaged and involved with each other, but also our product more.

Chris Detzel: And you know it's complex and things like that, so there was real need, and it will continue on and hope and will continue to cultivate that you know but.

Chris Detzel: What i've been thinking about a lot lately, and this spend kind of circulating around, probably for the last 345 weeks with.

Chris Detzel: And the nice thing is there's buy in at every single level because i've talked to my boss, the CMO, the chief customer officer our CEO face to face or not face to face, but one on one.

Chris Detzel: Time and then our founder and cto and there's this appetite and it's all around community.

Chris Detzel: think a little bit bigger like you know, today we have this technical community that we do some really good things with there's a bigger Community around just that technical community that that.

Chris Detzel: Is in the data space right there's people so when we think of you know reality is a master data management company is complex stuff you know that people do but.

Chris Detzel: there's but there's a practice, you know around master data management that we don't really talk about, we have the technology to help.

Chris Detzel: The mdm professionals but we don't talk about mdm as a practice we don't think about we're talking about overall at a high level data governance practice and how do you get good data governance or good data quality are good, you know.

Chris Detzel: You know a good data catalog and all these things we don't we don't say we've never talked about it but we're not.

Chris Detzel: doing a lot of that what I want to do is now start thinking about whether it's some high level employees could be VP directors or whatever that.

Chris Detzel: That are experts or can be thought leaders so really start cultivating internal thought leaders, because I wanted to see I want well to to be.

Chris Detzel: kind of a thought leader in the space of all things, data, and more specifically around the data type stuff that we could cover around data, governance, data quality, you know security and and master data management right so.

Chris Detzel: And then start looking at the influencers outside of real to that you know could be our customers and I think you know, today we have a real to Executive Council and we got.

Chris Detzel: A great list of those customers, some of them are cto CIO chief data officer, we have a couple of cios and ctos and you know at that at that level so.

Chris Detzel: there's one place to tap there but also like I said could be other influencers like who's that just give talks about the data governance stuff for that you know that kind of stuff and then you know you and.

Chris Detzel: So when you start doing that, when you start doing webinars or onsite meetings these four or five kind of events you know for.

Chris Detzel: 1015 people type events and then eventually get to the bigger event, you know you're thinking of thought leadership, you know and.

Chris Detzel: And those kinds of things you're writing content around you know data governance, rather than real to data governance it's not relative it's the data governance as a practice or mdm as a practice and.

Chris Detzel: You know, put camp video and there's a lot of shit that you can go do and start you know start building a strategy around.

Chris Detzel: And you know what i'm thinking is is that I want to spend 70% of my time there and then the other percent you know with with the technical Community today it's me hopefully i'll get another person or two and then your future but to help run the technical stuff.

Chris Detzel: But that's that's what i'm thinking is there's a bigger, better and a Community that's a better bigger and broader community that I can go after and that's what I want to do, have you ever done stuff like that or thought about that.

Dani Weinstein: yeah very much so, I mean, I think you know sort of my time at domo I think that's probably the better analogy is.

Dani Weinstein: I think the way to think about it, is the the type of thought leadership that you would have speaking at our annual conference.

Dani Weinstein: Obviously, we would be putting up our you know executives from our largest customers on stage.

Dani Weinstein: That who you know thought leader on data analytics and data management, and you know here it's it's not exactly the same thing, but it's it's analysis and the fact that you're talking about you know.

Dani Weinstein: You know data governance and master master of days of data, and so I haven't thought leaders there and so.

Dani Weinstein: If you create a I think we've never really got the opportunity in the virtual space to do that, but thinking about meetups and user groups, the various sizes having a thought leader life that come in, who may not necessarily be a customer yet, but.

Dani Weinstein: doesn't matter I thought leader with there was definitely that type of thing that you know marketing would typically own and would have at you know these bigger events for the New York City.

Dani Weinstein: and San Francisco analysis, are some of the smaller venues but doing that and then migrating those conversations we've been having those things, promoted and even the conversations nurtured.

Dani Weinstein: In the communities and opportunities we never got there during my time, but that's certainly something that was on on my radar, so I think the way you.

Dani Weinstein: were doing another way to think about it that's absolutely great opportunity because, again, it meets the coordinator of your technical community in the day, because they do want to learn from.

Dani Weinstein: yeah where's where's the industry going, who are the thought leaders it's a big carrot to dangle in front of them for for events and for me that's but also to help drive conversation so.

Dani Weinstein: I think it's I think it's a hybrid of.

Dani Weinstein: You know how do you manage or TEE it up in either you know, in a virtual event or in person events setting, but then off ramp that post events conversation into.

Dani Weinstein: Your Community environment specifically around the thought leadership, regardless of whether their existing customer or not.

Chris Detzel: yeah no, I agree with you on that, and I think and the other thing that.

Chris Detzel: kind of pushed me into this level of thinking and start you know, an Epiphany kind of hit me is.

Chris Detzel: My co sent me a message, the other day I think his last week we did ask me anything with our cto and founder.

Chris Detzel: And you know, we had a good amount of people, I think, was about 100 folks and about 60 of those were employees and 40 or.

Chris Detzel: You know customers partners and things like that, I mean positive about, that is.

Chris Detzel: You know I get a lot of really good content from customers and engagement and that way, but you know a lot of employees actually came so he asked, because how many people are on this.

Chris Detzel: Or how many people and then he asked me how many employees and I said oh it's pretty good we did the.

Chris Detzel: numbers because we'll see that differently, because there's way too many employees and not enough customers and partners and prospects.

Chris Detzel: or disagree and, at the end he goes Chris community should be a marketing machine, with hundreds of events and thousands of users, that aren't employees coming to these events, whether it's virtual, it is a verb but.

Chris Detzel: But he's basically saying onsite virtual whatever and then maybe it's a feeder into the big event right, you know and so.

Chris Detzel: You know, and I started thinking about that as a.

Chris Detzel: Well, no way i'm going to be able to do it with just this technical Community no way you know, like and then all the other things that we've been talking about for weeks it finally came to me to say.

Chris Detzel: that's the way to do it, I think I think the way to do it is is one is i've already and i'll tell you what i've done already donny just in the last three or four weeks.

Chris Detzel: And i've been thinking about this for a while, but now it for some reason it just hit you know it's like Oh, because.

Chris Detzel: You know leaders talk at a high level sometimes and sometimes you get to think about how am I going to do this, or what am I going to do, like, I mean I can't do this tomorrow, but you start setting the foundation for it and so.

Chris Detzel: I was, like all right so i've got to figure out who these thought leaders are and i've been kind of doing this before, but now I put an idea, and so, how to reach out to our VP of product our.

Chris Detzel: Our senior leader over.

Chris Detzel: A machine learning and Ai that is really new to the company, but knows a lot about that, and now mastered it and how that fits into master data management.

Chris Detzel: And then we have this other guy that used to be a master data management practitioner right like so he said shit.

Chris Detzel: i'm using those three guys and we're gonna go do some shit you know what I mean like and so.

Chris Detzel: Now i've got commitment from that person in Ai Al mdm stuff that he's working on this thing called data quality and i'm like all right, and so i've talked to him, he goes Chris now.

Chris Detzel: What we can do is i've got some people at their thought leaders are not part of relative to anything else, and I can interview them and we have this thing you know.

Chris Detzel: Very well, what's stopping you and so he tells me in first ones data quality, and so I have this guy that you know he's doing some really good stuff and data quality.

Chris Detzel: Great let's let's do let's do a virtual event around that so he's committed to do I just got the message that they to two a month.

Chris Detzel: Right so once once every two weeks basically Craig now i've got this other guy that's going to start doing some stuff around you know how to build your master data management.

Chris Detzel: Practice from scratch, you know and then but, but you know you've got to get people to start committing consistently and you have to to kind of do that a lot as well, so.

Chris Detzel: positive is that i'm just starting to build momentum and then i've got like a call with their CMO next week and then the leader of VP of growth and and I was.

Chris Detzel: telling my boss, but this is CMO, and he goes all right, Chris here's what we're going to do we need to figure out these three things.

Chris Detzel: And he goes so that I can get marketing behind you on this, you know.

Chris Detzel: we're going to meet with the chief Community or the chief communications officer we're going to be with me blah blah blah, we have a working session we're just going to work stuff out or even go, and so I was, like all right, and so.

Chris Detzel: i'm just you can tell i'm super excited about it because it's a little bit different for me and and it's the same stuff but a different.

Chris Detzel: type of things not technical anymore, I mean it's still technical things in it, but it's more at the higher level and i'll be very interesting to see some of the outcomes, so I said a lot of stuff sorry about that, but you see my passion for it.

Dani Weinstein: So yeah that's great and while you were talking about this opportunity I just remembered that a very good friend of mine from HP days is actually a.

Dani Weinstein: Very season expert in master data management so i'm going to happily introduce you to geoff Johns because I think it's somebody you want to bring into your network.

Chris Detzel: I will I just sit to my linkedin message so thanks for that or connect that's pretty cool um any thoughts on you know, maybe strategy tactics things to you know, think about you know.

Chris Detzel: I think this is kind of for me, the first step is going to have this virtual and then start taking these guys on site, you know I mean to could be client sides, but more about.

Chris Detzel: You know let's let's go to.

Chris Detzel: The steak dinners or lunches and mean for two or three hours and have a 20 minute quick conversation about this thing and then do some networking.

Chris Detzel: You know that kind of stuff so the tactics are one virtual events to is onsite events and then we'll see as hopefully we can build that up and have marketing support on a bigger event early next year.

Dani Weinstein: yeah I think the key is to get it done a great job of doing your homework and getting executive buy in I think it's tapping into what you know marketing tivoli owns historically, to get them involved and leverage their resources and dollars to put on bigger events.

Dani Weinstein: And, but I think, at the same time, think about starting small and getting a.

Dani Weinstein: High quality, you know in person and virtual thing going I think you're on the right track, I mean one thing that you may want to consider is sort of analogous to this, which is.

Dani Weinstein: We used to do expert days at HP we call the dojo days of domo, but that was for like any you know, bringing toughest questions and we're going to bring a series of experts on to.

Dani Weinstein: A rapid fire through a Q amp a, I think, in this case it's more about you know, having a virtual you know, having a virtual Panama, maybe you then create a live Q amp a session where there's you know some seasoned experts that can help with those you know real time answers.

Chris Detzel: You know so it's kind of like i'm sure you're a part of this when Adrian did over vanilla forums in the past, he, especially when I think code first hit he did these huge is a huge it seems like events all the time that he would get somebody like you or me on and.

Chris Detzel: You know, and he would just have.

Chris Detzel: leader after leader after leader after leader and have all this content, you know if I was him I would have.

Chris Detzel: it's not his job per se, but if I was the organization, I would have taken all that content and used it three or four other ways like you can do five different things they didn't do that, but it was really a cool.

Chris Detzel: idea, and he didn't really good job of getting experts and things like that and marketing out, you know.

Chris Detzel: You know that kind of stuff so it's kind of like that, but I want to take it to even a bigger level, you know I want to I want.

Chris Detzel: people to know who the hell rel to is in the data, you know I want us to be seen as those thought leaders and, all things you know what else you know, can help with data governance, you know and all the master data management etc so.

Chris Detzel: I think it's it's a big opportunity it's a big thing to go do but fucking cares man, I mean it sounds fun to me.

Chris Detzel: Like what's the worst that's gonna happen nothing you're going to learn a lot, you know.

Dani Weinstein: yeah I think a lot of upside there and I think it's definitely a.

Dani Weinstein: You know, as they say, it brings a lot of a lot more excitement once a day to day conversations that are more and more tactical side because of regulation that that's going to come as a magnet for you know for the brand.

Chris Detzel: what's a different conversation right, I mean it's just it's just completely different you get on like the webinars I do today, for the most part, you know within the Community is just.

Chris Detzel: very technical and how you do this thing you go here you do this click that you know put this code in, and you know what maybe it'll work and.

Chris Detzel: Sure enough to go mess, with it, but then on the Executive Council it's completely different right like you know these people have to.

Chris Detzel: deal with hiring they have to deal with you know, trying to find this talent that's really hard to find.

Chris Detzel: they're dealing with you know other business leaders within the organization, how do you kind of get by in this certain area, you know what's the business cases that tribe.

Chris Detzel: master data management that you know what is, what does it solve at the end of the day, you know these technical users just trying to make it work I don't give a Fuck you know what.

Chris Detzel: Honestly, a lot of them don't know what the business, do you use cases and why they're what they're selling for they're just trying to put together, like a puzzle, you know and so.

Chris Detzel: Definitely different levels of conversation I mean they're both extremely valuable.

Chris Detzel: You know, but you know if all you're talking to your customers and how to use something you know.

Chris Detzel: it's not going to get you to the next level it helps to establish the Community, I think, but if you want to get to that next level that you need that peer to peer networking at the higher level two you know, so you need both.

Chris Detzel: Anything else.

Dani Weinstein: No that's a great topic to cover.

Chris Detzel: With don has been great man, I really appreciate you coming on piers over beers.

Dani Weinstein: Well it's always fun coming on show and appreciate you having me and keeping the flavor Michael live here and.

Chris Detzel: yeah.

Dani Weinstein: Out there looking for you know thought leadership and Community world to helping drive strategy and execution i'm still available for prior.

Chris Detzel: On Asian man you definitely have to go after him and donny thanks again for coming on piers over beers i'm krista till end.

Dani Weinstein: Nobody wants that.

Chris Detzel: You do.