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When community builders are building a community it is important that you are sponsored by an executive or multiple executives. Dani and Chris share some stories of how they have built relationships with executives and how you build those relationships. Sometimes when executives leave, you have to start over. We talk a little bit about how you can do that as a Community leader
B2B Community Strategist Chris Detzel is your host for this fun and straight shooting podcast for enterprise community leaders / managers and digital savvy professionals. With easy and natural inquisitive banter, your host will tackle hard issues facing community leaders and managers in their day-to-day struggles, and yes, sometimes over a beer. From starting new communities, digitally transforming enterprise culture, moderation, and globalization techniques are all up for discussion.
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Chris Detzel: Alright, we can go out and get started so welcome to another peers over beers my name is Chris dazzle and we have another special guest donnie weinstein donnie how are you today.
Dani Weinstein: i'm doing great Chris good to see ya good, very good.
Chris Detzel: Yes, because you know we do these videos as well, so have a YouTube here's over beers and I publish them there, but obviously if you're listening to the podcast you can't see.
Chris Detzel: CS but here we are just two people face to face talking about the Community, so you know we did kind of a pre show today and our pre show was around the executive sponsorship and so we want to talk a little bit about that i'm sure we'll get off.
Chris Detzel: topic a little, but that's Okay, but Donna what's what's on your mind today about the executive sponsorship, because I have my thoughts, but I want to get dive into what you're thinking first.
Dani Weinstein: So the other day executive sponsorship, frankly, is.
Dani Weinstein: You know this is essentially the key keys to the city and, at the end of the day, if your executives are not you know bought in and in tune and regularly updated on your work and community.
Dani Weinstein: You know, out of sight out of mind.
Dani Weinstein: And so you want to make sure that was certainly when you're coming into a role.
Dani Weinstein: that you have the visibility, the highest loves as possible and if you don't have that you want to work toward toward getting that that certainly very critical I mean an example for me specifically is when I came into when I met counter several years ago.
Dani Weinstein: You know I thought I may be a consultant for them, they wanted to learn about Community they wanted to learn about my journey, I was presenting to extend the marketing team and that led to a meeting with my future boss and.
Dani Weinstein: You know the key was really that they didn't have a job for me.
Dani Weinstein: They saw the value this other potential and then the general manager was my executive sponsor she went up to the CEO to get funding to great the position and bring me on board and so that was great and during that the early days of my my tenure at cultura.
Dani Weinstein: We had that air cover where you know, I was getting face time with them really element to the CEO the President, we were doing executive reviews of the plans around community.
Dani Weinstein: You know, you asked for X you get why but I got you know 80 90% of my desire budget and that allowed us to put a plan in place to stay in for brandon community.
Dani Weinstein: To go live with the beta program and then go fully live now, having said all that things change during that time, you know the same general manager that.
Dani Weinstein: petition to Seattle to get funding for my role and for for Community moved on.
Dani Weinstein: And then we had a you know, a new executive new GM that came in and that person did not see the Community the same manner that the previous one did and so some educating.
Dani Weinstein: And the particular Jim was very focused on, you know how to double my revenue, the next the next small month, which is certainly a very important objective for a growing startup.
Dani Weinstein: But you know again tying that specific objective to standing up a new Community well those didn't necessarily aligned as your top two or three priorities.
Dani Weinstein: It was important to work, I was doing, but again time to time that the dots to doubling revenue in 12 months is not necessarily one of the same for building a community and nurture.
Dani Weinstein: Existing 1000 logos and driving deflection and content creation and you know advocacy adoption and ideation all those good things that community can do so.
Dani Weinstein: It certainly took time to bring that executive on board and then beyond that you know, I was kind of keeping an eye on the radar in the company, you know who are the other executives that we needed to bring into the fold and one is a new chief customer officer.
Dani Weinstein: Who is standing up a.
Dani Weinstein: You know, new Council they basically make the company more customer centric and he invited me to become part of that that cancelled so as I got involved with the work we were doing there.
Dani Weinstein: I felt like that was gonna be a better place from a strategic way to be in the longer term, and as we, as we did that you know pivoted and moved over to the reporting under the chief customer officer organization, so that certainly helped with.
Dani Weinstein: You know, with with the vision and again as part of that journey getting the executive sponsor because that allowed us to move from a.
Dani Weinstein: eliminated invite only community to opening up for things to all of our customers, which we, which was done this past.
Dani Weinstein: This past fall and even look back you know my days at HP when we again had sponsorship, all with the CEO to build out this.
Dani Weinstein: To get you know funding for looking back in the early days to go to building out these incredible communities for HP consumer support for for many years, we had.
Dani Weinstein: visibility and sponsorship, all the way to rsvp to the VP even executive VP at HP but even the last couple years that I was on that social care team, you know the VP retired the SVP whatever to apple our vpn.
Dani Weinstein: we've done the apple and then after that it was sort of we've kind of lost momentum a little bit with.
Dani Weinstein: You know, every six months we get a new sheriff in town, it was like, why are you why are we spending so much money but lithium I respect so much for that community.
Dani Weinstein: Kansas, just like one of its own and so against that mind share of again the value of Community and making sure that you're presenting next communicating it and providing.
Dani Weinstein: metrics around relevant relevant kpis and Roi is incredibly important.
Chris Detzel: I think that you hit the nail on the head so just to give you a little bit about my story, because I think it's highly important, especially specifically on this topic is that you know when I came before I came to reality, I worked at a cyber security company called Proba.
Chris Detzel: Great company, but you know they never had a community and the CEO and.
Chris Detzel: His staff at the time, believed heavily in Community because they didn't have any they've been around for a while they weren't a start up or anything else you know 6000 logos etc and.
Chris Detzel: During that regime, you know I really did some really cool things, but then, when they left you know.
Chris Detzel: The CEO left chief customer officer left the VP of customer success left you know all those people that were there are now gone and new CEO need new chief customer officer knew.
Chris Detzel: Everything I mean, I think I did a really good job from bottoms up, you know as well you know, but then I had to start over with tops down.
Chris Detzel: And it's not that they, let me go or anything like that, but you know I started seeing the road in the wall like you know they're not they don't want to invest in Community anymore, they don't.
Chris Detzel: miss a big sort of saw the value, you know, but it was but it wasn't really on top of their mind or anything else, and so.
Chris Detzel: So I didn't get as much chance there to present in front of the executive staff I didn't get now the CEO at the time or she was like.
Chris Detzel: She called me said hey Chris you know what's this Community thing like I keep hearing your name and keep hearing these things about community.
Chris Detzel: Like what the hell is it you know, and so I had to educators, you know positive as I started started to get in from, but when I came to rail to so the CEO.
Chris Detzel: That left and Barbara is the one that is actually recruited me to relate to so that that's a good sign right when you're seeking to recruit you and and so, and even to this day, like i've been there, a little over a year, and even to this day, he always pushes the the executive team to.
Chris Detzel: Think about Community in a big way where we going to go big community is one of you know they're doing many things, but community is on that list still and and so you know I report in today to the CMO.
Chris Detzel: Which is a good place to be you know, but the chief customer officer that's there now truly believes in it and and others, and so I think that you know.
Chris Detzel: When you kind of look at hey you need buy in and you need to present that to the executives in front of people I have plenty of opportunity, you know, like on Tuesday i'm presenting.
Chris Detzel: To the entire company that includes the CEO and the entire staff about you know all things Community right like What did we do last year, what are the metrics, what are we going next year.
Chris Detzel: Those kinds of things right, you know, and so, and I have, and then you know the other ways that I get in front of the company is through these we have these weekly.
Chris Detzel: stay calm stand ups that HR puts on you know, two or 300 people are on those calls, including the executives, sometimes, and so you know every month or so I try it maybe it's six weeks I try to get in front of the.
Chris Detzel: That on that team and present you know customer stories what's going on, this is the value and everything else.
Chris Detzel: And, and so what i'm doing internally it's creating that excitement, not just with you know you know people that are going to help me do the work you know the worker bees, but i'm also creating that buzz and excitement within.
Chris Detzel: The executives every single executive.
Chris Detzel: I have contact with I can can't you know, like like the like, today I had this idea, you know we always have ideas, and I was like i'm going to do this, so I reached out to our founder and cto and they're trying to push him to be more.
Chris Detzel: kind of out there, the master data management.
Chris Detzel: Expert kind of the visionary there everything else, and I said.
Chris Detzel: hey Mitch let's do an ask me anything you know we're going to on the Community we're going to invite you know.
Chris Detzel: Prospects customers partners and employees to it and i'm going to get this other new VP of product to be the moderator and or question asked her and so he can kind of go a little deeper.
Chris Detzel: than I can So what do you think because yeah let's do it boom schedule it done so, I agree with you, you don't do that you know, create the stickiness and everything else, and then people leave it is hard so I agree with you donny I mean so.
Dani Weinstein: Now you have a little bit of a little bit that in my Center Dome as well, I mean that's the wall and our CEO who recruited me, I mean he understood the valley Community when we're bringing on board.
Dani Weinstein: You know, Stephen don you know, in a couple more chief operating officers that followed, and you know they were very supportive of the work I was doing but, again, that that took time.
Dani Weinstein: and education and it's where does that you know where do they see that value relative to their other priorities, because again they've got.
Dani Weinstein: A lot of competing parties under dashboard and you got to make sure that you know you're tying in your value to their business objectives of the company's objectives, so you know very good if you look at the you know some of the examples of brands that have I would call them, you know.
Dani Weinstein: amazing committed, as we have an emerging communities that really they get it, I mean that the company gets it it's because they have a sponsorship up at the top, whether it be you know.
Dani Weinstein: Eric and cold at salesforce and the time that she took you know, to get visibility event off to you know the work that holly stone identify with you know the CEO is very much involved in the folks at neural alternates is another great example and.
Dani Weinstein: Brian and Jeff strad this amazing work there, and again that's got visibility up at the top.
Dani Weinstein: They don't even at least you know i'm not sure about the structure is clearly.
Dani Weinstein: that's got the the right level of visibility and it's not just a one off it's it's perfect it's percolated throughout the the company and again that's got to be a regular topic of discussion visibility that in a suit and assist you to be successful.
Chris Detzel: What do you think about that so let's let's give an example, so we I I hear this a lot, you know, we need to make sure we get executive sponsorship and I completely agree but.
Chris Detzel: You know let's let's give an example, each like you give me an example of.
Chris Detzel: Okay let's say you want the chief customer officer CMO or I don't know whatever you did slightly mentioned about kind of you know, tied to the business needs which that's the key at the end, the day but.
Chris Detzel: Can you give an example of you know how you might get the chief customer officer or VP of customer success or CMO or whoever, you know interested in in Community I mean what is one of the things that you would do to you know say hey look, this is what community can do.
Dani Weinstein: Sure, so, specifically those those two leads in front Center is going to be around, especially in a an enterprise SAS model.
Dani Weinstein: yeah rather than involved last couple years ago I stepped outside last couple of runs i've had last seven years.
Dani Weinstein: You know they live and breathe adoption up so retention and mitigating term so if, when Community is done right and it's not going to happen overnight, you know, some people take out let's turn it on, and you know.
Chris Detzel: The magic happens.
Dani Weinstein: Now, this is a journey there's a playbook you know you're not going to see those big results for until years, two and three, but when done right you built out.
Dani Weinstein: A core of super fans that really drive adoption at the accounts that they're at their ads.
Dani Weinstein: Number one they influence their peers that are other other accounts and other customers.
Dani Weinstein: They become references for reference calls and then also speaking on your behalf and promoting your brand at events so it'd be a user groups webinars.
Dani Weinstein: You know your annual conference all those things, and so we had data done with it showed.
Dani Weinstein: accounts with active members or Community we're typically several points healthier unless arrest and those accounts that are no activity here.
Dani Weinstein: But again, it takes time to create that magic that's a big enchilada but that's that's something that speaks to those executives, the ones that are much quicker to.
Dani Weinstein: Talk to value or, especially if they care about and are measured around support and support deflection certainly creating a place for Q amp a and validated answers are verified answers are stuff that solutions, whatever you want to call it.
Dani Weinstein: That ties directly into support deflection creating great content for education use cases marketing all those things can tie in and again it goes back to.
Dani Weinstein: You know, providing value for your customers to make them more successful so because the CSS and also goes to.
Dani Weinstein: attract the enablement teams and really everything about the customer journey customer experience from the CCS perspective.
Chris Detzel: Now that's that's good that's exactly what I wanted to hear and out, let me give you an example of slightly kind of what you said that.
Chris Detzel: So, from a customer success or you know our chief customer officer, one of the things that he wants what you know.
Chris Detzel: Certainly case deflection that's kind of the High Level you know problem you're trying to solve and so.
Chris Detzel: You know, but then in the beginning it's really hard to kind of prove because, even when you first started Community it's going to take time to really kind of.
Chris Detzel: build those Q and a's up and that kind of stuff but you know, one of the things in so that's that is definitely one of them and then.
Chris Detzel: Like you said, the case studies references all that kind of stuff and tracking that kind of stuff is.
Chris Detzel: will be another important thing, especially for both from marketing for cells and and in customer success, so I think you know all those stuff.
Chris Detzel: What i'm trying to do, unfortunately, you know it's all manual some of the stuff you have to do is manual and just a pain in the butt because.
Chris Detzel: You know, sometimes the the the company's not ready to integrate into different business systems, although it's important you can kind of push that customer experience stuff but one of the things i'm doing i'm presenting on this on Tuesday.
Chris Detzel: And nobody knows about it, yet so if they listen to this, oh no.
Chris Detzel: They don't know I mean only one person has seen this presentation, but.
Chris Detzel: Basically i've been trying to do this for a while, is.
Chris Detzel: My chief customer officer.
Chris Detzel: He said, Chris can we tie the accounts that are in the Community versus the CSM so the CSM is have these number of accounts.
Chris Detzel: And so you know, maybe they have 20 each or 15 years I don't know, whatever it is there's 12 or 15 of them, and so you know right now there's no system that ties together but.
Chris Detzel: I do know is I can go into our CRM and look at all the accounts that each CSM has buyer report, I could push that into excel and then I could push all the accounts and all the you know emails and users and to you know.
Chris Detzel: Like excel whatever and then do a V look up which i'm not really good at all that you know it's fine somebody to do some of the shit you know.
Chris Detzel: And, and then and then What it does is automatically once you kind of put it all together, is it didn't says, you know these are the accounts that each CSM has better in the.
Chris Detzel: Better in the Community right and then, and then you can even put the users, if you want or the number of users, that kind of stuff But then what that does is gives me the percent of accounts.
Chris Detzel: That are in Community by CSM gives me the name of the CSM and their accounts, if you want why don't you just put the number and then.
Chris Detzel: What I can do is today we're at you know X percent we want to get to this percent because we know when they engage.
Chris Detzel: Their buy more they will help each other more they will become more references and all this kind of stuff the more.
Chris Detzel: People you have in those accounts, the better, and so I have that information which i'm super excited about, and then a present that you know.
Chris Detzel: And that's a big value to them now, I can show the CSM and say go to this thing you know view only.
Chris Detzel: And you know, take a look at the accounts that are there, these are the ones you need to go after, and these are even more if you only have one.
Chris Detzel: You still need to go after them does that make sense, I think that you know it's just one little thing, but to me it's big because i've never done that, before right so, but now i've got to keep up with it.
Chris Detzel: So you know that's what I think it's it's just providing value to the organization and any way you can you know so.
Dani Weinstein: Now they gotta get Adama you know there were there was any analytics business, and so this.
Dani Weinstein: year before did a pretty robust can help scorecard, and so we can then look at the logos.
Dani Weinstein: And then cross mount those two you know our Community database that that are stars look at those people are active.
Dani Weinstein: math those back and then show you know this comparison.
Dani Weinstein: You know even even comfortable starting to do some of that work.
Dani Weinstein: around you know the accounts.
Dani Weinstein: You know those that were in in Community incrementally versus those who are not and what object is to get more from missing accounts in there, as the started to build out.
Chris Detzel: what's your favorite.
Chris Detzel: Is there a favorite type of executives you like to work with you know, a specific role that a little bit easier than the other, it just as a curiosity.
Chris Detzel: I it's kind of weird question, the reason I asked is think about that and i'll i'll kind of talk a little bit about so since.
Chris Detzel: improv so you know I did communities before in provo, but it was is that a is that a electrician place so it's a little different than.
Chris Detzel: What I do the last few years or five or six years, but when I was in provo you know, I was under customer success and then, when I started a real to is under customer success.
Chris Detzel: Until recently, now I report directly to our CMO and so those two are completely different right like.
Chris Detzel: It was so weird because you know the things that i'm used to hearing.
Chris Detzel: And i'm not sure if there's one that I have favorite than the other, but it's just kind of a learning experience, but when you when you're under like the chief customer officer and their organization.
Chris Detzel: You know they care about support stuff they care about you know, making sure.
Chris Detzel: customers are implemented, they want to make sure that you know the customers are happy and you know they're always fixing problems that I mean it's just always the customer, the customer, the customer just on that side that that's all you care about.
Chris Detzel: And then just making sure that they're getting the value.
Chris Detzel: And that they're renewing renewing on time and maybe this could be a hiring tool tamps I mean it's just.
Chris Detzel: Customer customer you know dealing with problems after problem after problem, or you know, trying to make them, you know happy and and that kind of stuff but now, when you deal with marketing, you know generally there's a huge.
Chris Detzel: You know.
Chris Detzel: What do you call it a there's a huge relationship between sales and marketing right because all they care about is leads and bringing new new business and that kind of stuff so marketing sales are joined at the hip.
Chris Detzel: And so that's I hear about you know it's a different conversation on my shit you know, like i've been doing this for a long time.
Chris Detzel: You know, and you know secondary thing for me was yes leads will come in, or leads people will start looking at it's kind of a yes it's a brand awareness, but.
Chris Detzel: that's not what I what I care about his brand awareness on the customer side you know I want to be on the first page of Google and I want people to or you know when they search our product to be on the.
Chris Detzel: You know and find it right there on the first page and marketing, you know, like I get it, because it's leads or some case studies or I don't know.
Chris Detzel: You know I mean so it's a different language that's all i'm saying I didn't know if there is some kind of thing that you might be used to more so than the other.
Chris Detzel: Now.
Dani Weinstein: So I think we are putting you know tight, you know executives into a particular box or title my thought is my my what I like to work with a white references.
Dani Weinstein: executives, regardless of what role are in that really care about the real customer conversation that one i've got to talk to real customers and not just the reports.
yeah.
Dani Weinstein: And who understand the value of it, you know they care about the journey post sales so where's my customer how long they've been with us today in.
Dani Weinstein: year one and year two or three or five and why they want you know understanding what are they keep renewing and how are they getting information, because I think then there's a high correlation to the work that.
Dani Weinstein: happens in Community because they care about the pulse of the customer and what you're talking about what their what their pain points and what their needs are as opposed to, as you said, let's go find some more leads, which is important, but again.
Dani Weinstein: that's that's like having secondary liquidity well.
Chris Detzel: I agree, I agree um what else on this topic any any kind of buzzing thoughts around executives or anything else.
Dani Weinstein: No, I think I see I could say it's about you know mindshare and leveraging that and, once you especially once you have them on board is to leverage their influence and visibility and speaking opportunities that they may have across the company or even events.
Dani Weinstein: To leverage their platform to promote your cars.
Chris Detzel: I think that, so that kind of example that I gave today about you know, bring in miniature our cto into.
Chris Detzel: An ask me anything and and to have that kind of level of support you know I could slack.
Chris Detzel: Our founder and cto and say hey do you want to do this absolutely I want to do this, you know this kind of thing and.
Chris Detzel: And he's going to do it, you know, but then the other thing is, is trying to get other executives involved so there's somewhat of an inspiring kind of new.
Chris Detzel: of our product team and he's a VP of I forget product platform and some some some and but he's people love this guy, and so I asked him I said hey.
Chris Detzel: Would you like to join me in money shauna asked me anything and you could be the moderator and whatever.
Chris Detzel: I didn't know like i've i've met him a few times, but I never really kind of he said yeah absolutely because anytime you give me a MIC on a do it.
Chris Detzel: sees a good speaker, you know that's a perfect, so the reason I did that donny is is because it's important to get those leaders involved and engaged right like and then.
Chris Detzel: and bring them in right so they'll remember that, and I think that's that kind of stuff is fun when you start playing with those kind of emotions, the fun stuff.
Chris Detzel: You know, then they're like Oh, I see the value and I know because everybody wants to speak everybody wants to be a star man to some degree right, and so, if you can make them that.
Chris Detzel: and help them, you know yeah you have to show the value all those.
Chris Detzel: You have to do all those things, but I also take the way of you know, can I make these guys are superstars you know what can I do on my end.
Chris Detzel: To one look at manisha as the thought leader in all things master data measure when people think of master data management, they think of monies, but then.
Chris Detzel: You had a secondary messages, how do I get arch kind of you know, some some.
Chris Detzel: Time out there with our customers that he probably hasn't had much of right and a bulk customers, you know and that could just be the start of our journey of a really good.
Chris Detzel: relationship, you know and that's what i'm always thinking about is the relationships that I can build internally both.
Chris Detzel: At the executive level but but also meet those that are really smart that can actually that know about the product and can get some shit done, you know what I mean.
Dani Weinstein: yeah point one way to one of the great way to help accelerate you know, especially once you've got an executive that's by then, and on board and an advocate for your work.
Dani Weinstein: is getting them involved a key events so specifically because you know, a user group in Chicago New York or something events and they happen to be there.
Dani Weinstein: Make sure that they you know acknowledge Community but also get to meet Center Community stars that may be in attendance.
Dani Weinstein: I think, for me, specifically on the most successful things was mine will Community awards at our annual conference total palooza.
Dani Weinstein: I would make sure that my executive sponsor my coo was you know doing an opening.
Dani Weinstein: and actually being there, not for five minutes, but the entire 90 minute happy hour event and seeing my full on show, or do you want, you know my ask was wherever we're recognizing the top.
Dani Weinstein: solution author, that the ideas champion or whoever may be, because then they're mingling they're getting there, and some of these people they know.
Dani Weinstein: But at that point to like the customer feels weird because, like wow you know CC I was now you know cares about what we're doing but, more importantly, they get to see firsthand the impact of these you know top contributors and Community you know for the company.
Chris Detzel: When you start communities sorry kind of get out score here, but, as I mentioned people start communities in different ways and.
Chris Detzel: You know the way I start communities is just you know I just I buy a Community platform and in a way right like and then I start engaging and potential users that might use a Community you know I find a list of thousands is, if I can have.
Chris Detzel: Customers right and then maybe even partners start asking them questions start getting them and then.
Chris Detzel: I start building relationships internally, because they know i'm going to need them to answer questions and do that kind of stuff but then I just.
Chris Detzel: Longo and those in these smaller organizations like i'm in today and provide did the same thing, but it was it was a little bigger but.
Chris Detzel: How do you because i've heard people starting user groups to slack group and then do all this shit you know, and I just go.
Chris Detzel: You know, like I already know they need it, I don't I don't need to know what customers completely think or what you know what I mean because it in this particular instance in a product company.
Chris Detzel: A SAS company already know they're going to need it, if they don't have it, they need it, and these are the, what are the reasons why you know, like.
Chris Detzel: it's pretty easy to me to kind of think about that, but.
Chris Detzel: I mean you probably have a different approach sorry i'm getting off, but i'm i'm very interested in and just kind of your thinking.
Dani Weinstein: Oh good so you know you know HP was a different animal.
Chris Detzel: yeah.
Dani Weinstein: we're finding that and that was off the charts scale because we had just crazy vaughn coming to our support website with domo one of the key decisions I was already done, because they already had an existing executive executive relationship with lithium.
Dani Weinstein: And, with no so they already they already were licensing platform they weren't doing anything with it so.
Dani Weinstein: When I got the data, the data that I got hired the data they decided to have their first customer conference which was literally literally 90 days away.
Dani Weinstein: So I was Thai boxing to launch a committed, so I spent several months with with my C level executives C level executives educating my Community getting more funding say I need a virtual project team.
Dani Weinstein: And he's he wrote a check I got a virtual team from from lithium and we were alive the day of the conference now.
Chris Detzel: that's pretty cool.
Dani Weinstein: And no mindshare from marketing I wasn't having any event, you know, we had one training event or a conference room to base it was Community go live I literally grabbed 40 people from the hallway.
Dani Weinstein: Some interest I joke article there you know chief revenue officer lithium he gave a keynote about the bad Community I trained everybody real time in a training session in our development environment is taboo.
Dani Weinstein: that's great, and then we put them close their accounts, we turn on the Community and they literally started posting during my train.
Dani Weinstein: that's how we launched the the Dominican and obviously from there, we got a lot more traction with you know what we're doing and in the case of culture is more traditional.
Dani Weinstein: The way that I look at it, as is simply this the bread already has conversations going on with customers, so those conversations happening.
Dani Weinstein: Yet the support is that the CSM.
Dani Weinstein: So understanding Okay, who the nature of the conversations the pain points and so on.
Dani Weinstein: So I had in my mind kind of a framework, I did the vendor selection and by the regular players to the to the to the rfp.
Dani Weinstein: You know I budgets were approved already and we had a decision on who we're going to go with.
Dani Weinstein: And then we had a plan, because of our ipo was things were sensitive, they said listen we don't want to fully open at day one.
Dani Weinstein: let's do a beta so we did a private Community invite only and I have reached out to the CSM that said game unless your customers, I wonder who you know, and then they know who they are.
Dani Weinstein: yeah we were doing invites every every week kind of like the clubhouse model.
Dani Weinstein: 1500 nights a week and we're getting pretty good response rates, probably as much as high as 40%.
Chris Detzel: is pretty awesome.
Dani Weinstein: Over you know 10 week period.
Dani Weinstein: Four week period where we got about 500 customers in there.
Dani Weinstein: By the time we got through the summer between May and August and again that got the you know the conversations going and got content created a folder structure.
Dani Weinstein: In the meantime, we went ipo we've got you know got that behind us and then you like, I said I moved there and the chief customer officer is organization is like.
Dani Weinstein: Open up doing to go there, what you need to do, and at that point, you know we then open it up and now i'm going to number one seo.
Dani Weinstein: and getting all the usual suspects involved around you know, promoting Community whether being you know email campaign marketing campaign websites.
Dani Weinstein: CSS email signatures and stuff yeah and then, of course, getting thought leaders involved to to create content, so the short answer your question is it's really understanding, where are the conversations taking place, who are you going to reach out to, and then you have to invite.
Dani Weinstein: 10 people you got to start out with a core.
Dani Weinstein: hanger our path passionate about your brand they have knowledge about your products and they're going to be wanting wanting to have thirst for that community.
Dani Weinstein: And in my case culture was pent up demand, and you know cancer portion of course you iterate along the way, and then you bring more people to the show.
Chris Detzel: And it's great man I love that.
Chris Detzel: it's funny because when.
Chris Detzel: I do it a little bit differently, I do kind of talk to CSM and get them excited but.
Chris Detzel: you're right, you can invite a million people, and if you invite a million people, and you don't have content there then it's kind of like going to a party that the ones that.
Chris Detzel: You start, I think that you know, the best way really is to kind of start small ish you know I like your kind of I did that, too, I started.
Chris Detzel: I did a just a week, though, maybe two I said I will do kind of a pre launch to see if we can get people interested and maybe start creating some content, a few weeks before and then.
Chris Detzel: Add people in hey you know you're you know you're special and we want you to come in you're solely invited to this thing and that kind of work, you know and then eventually just kind of.
Chris Detzel: launch it and then now it kind of you know, people will just come in, and you know i'm getting and I don't have to do much anymore, you know, like we're getting.
Chris Detzel: Customers all the time now so it's pretty cool now I agree well dying any last parting words before we before we go.
Dani Weinstein: Now we're catching up with you, you know just let folks know you know with the share with Chris short time and now you know now free agents, we.
Dani Weinstein: did a.
Dani Weinstein: Big company, you know counter and I was you know little round of layoffs so looking for my next big gig here.
Dani Weinstein: And so uh any of you looking for someone to drive leadership thought leadership at the strong brand there's reach out to me to find me on Twitter linkedin well.
Chris Detzel: awesome and.
Chris Detzel: Then i'll put that stuff in the trees over beers notes, you know the show notes and everything else, your linkedin and things like that so well Danny thanks so much for coming on today it's another peers over beers thank everyone for listening and until next time.
Dani Weinstein: Express.
Thanks.