894: Mastering INTENTIONAL marketing with a STRATEGY w/ Heidi Hattendorf

WEBVTT

00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:01.122
Hey, what is up?

00:00:01.122 --> 00:00:04.350
Welcome to this episode of the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur podcast.

00:00:04.350 --> 00:00:27.405
As always, I'm your host, brian LoFermento, and I obviously love all things entrepreneurship, but if there's one topic that gets me super excited, it is marketing, and so today we've gone out and we've found one of the best in the best when it comes to marketing strategy and being really intentional about how marketing can actually grow your business, which, let's not forget, that's the entire point of marketing.

00:00:27.405 --> 00:00:28.809
So let me tell you about today's guest.

00:00:28.809 --> 00:00:30.542
Her name is Heidi Hattendorf.

00:00:30.803 --> 00:00:43.886
Heidi is a renowned marketing executive turned entrepreneur, leveraging over 25 years of experience and expertise leading marketing and go-to-market teams in SaaS and tech in vice president and CMO roles.

00:00:43.886 --> 00:00:50.856
Now, her experience really spans the entirety when it comes to business sizes, the types of clients she's served.

00:00:50.856 --> 00:01:02.750
She's driven significant revenue growth and earnings for brands ranging from Fortune 50, not Fortune 500, fortune 50 companies to medium-sized SaaS companies to agile startups.

00:01:02.750 --> 00:01:07.042
Heidi's experience includes a decade of global leadership based in Europe.

00:01:07.042 --> 00:01:09.248
She's a sought after speaker and innovator.

00:01:09.248 --> 00:01:12.066
This is also a really cool fact that I'm excited to learn about.

00:01:12.066 --> 00:01:17.569
Heidi holds two patents and has been recognized with multiple awards in marketing and business leadership.

00:01:17.569 --> 00:01:19.156
As a certified business coach.

00:01:19.156 --> 00:01:25.072
She also provides companies with personalized guidance leading to improved profitability and scalable growth.

00:01:25.072 --> 00:01:28.394
Now she's a former Floridian here joining us on the podcast today.

00:01:28.394 --> 00:01:35.302
She's based in South Florida, with clients spanning the globe benefiting from her comprehensive expertise and dedication to their success.

00:01:35.683 --> 00:01:37.367
I'm very excited about today's episode.

00:01:37.367 --> 00:01:38.852
I'm not going to say anything else.

00:01:38.852 --> 00:01:42.030
Let's dive straight into my interview with Heidi Hattendorf.

00:01:42.030 --> 00:01:50.185
All right, heidi, we are so excited that you're here.

00:01:50.204 --> 00:01:50.606
Welcome to the show.

00:01:50.606 --> 00:01:51.168
Thank you so much, brian.

00:01:51.168 --> 00:01:52.253
I'm excited to be here.

00:01:52.253 --> 00:01:56.730
I love what your show's about and what you bring to the whole community, so thanks for having me.

00:01:57.433 --> 00:02:00.644
Thank you so much for the kind words and you exemplify so much of it.

00:02:00.644 --> 00:02:01.346
I love it.

00:02:01.346 --> 00:02:09.748
Something that I saw when you and I were communicating, even before today's session, is that you always say because it's a topic of entrepreneurship, is people say when did you leave corporate?

00:02:09.748 --> 00:02:10.937
And you say you didn't leave corporate.

00:02:10.937 --> 00:02:12.522
Now you're actually helping even more clients.

00:02:12.522 --> 00:02:13.204
So I love that.

00:02:13.204 --> 00:02:15.811
So give us that background beyond the bio.

00:02:15.811 --> 00:02:16.592
Who's Heidi?

00:02:16.592 --> 00:02:19.203
How'd you start doing all these amazing things that you're up to?

00:02:20.022 --> 00:02:21.284
Oh well, thank you so much, brian.

00:02:21.284 --> 00:02:32.637
No, it's a continuous learning journey that I know we're all still on right and the reason I say I'm that with corporate is because I feel like if you're an entrepreneur now, I'm serving multiple clients.

00:02:32.637 --> 00:02:40.002
When I was working within corporate, it was serving one client but still it was multiple end clients for that company.

00:02:40.002 --> 00:02:43.693
So there's so many parallels and there's so many learnings to take from one to the other.

00:02:49.159 --> 00:03:09.234
So, yeah, beyond the bio, I mean I had worked for Motorola for a number of years, both on the cellular side as well as on the public safety very successful business in marketing roles, business development roles, go to market and then had the opportunity to get into the RPA space with Automation Anywhere and just really took it to that next level in terms of SaaS medium-sized company, really helping grow the business there the RPA space with Automation Anywhere and just really took it to that next level in terms of SaaS medium-sized company, really helping grow the business there.

00:03:09.635 --> 00:03:21.116
And then moved into a global platform for serving life sciences and worked there for a number of years leading marketing roles, which was basically getting me into a deeper workflow management.

00:03:21.116 --> 00:03:22.942
So it's been a really exciting time.

00:03:22.942 --> 00:03:25.887
I had the opportunity then to venture out on my own.

00:03:25.887 --> 00:03:48.584
I had already set up an LLC, was doing some things to get that in place and then stepped into that full time, which was really exciting to then be able to now offer these same services to clients within marketing strategy go to market, setting up marketing plans, working with those teams and really navigating the complexity today of what's required.

00:03:48.584 --> 00:03:57.491
So I've seen it change and I've just been, you know, part of that change and helping companies get the most from their marketing dollars and their investments.

00:03:58.159 --> 00:04:10.287
Yeah, I love that overview, especially because I'm so appreciative of the depth and breadth of your experience that you bring into your own business, which I love the fact that you're a full-time entrepreneur and you get to bring that to other clients of yours.

00:04:10.707 --> 00:04:21.302
But I think what really stands out is that, knowing whether it's cross industry or cross business size, you've seen marketing at its fundamental level at all different stages of business.

00:04:21.302 --> 00:04:36.668
And I feel like somewhere along the way especially when we talk about solopreneurs, for example which, heidi, you and I can both relate to solopreneurs all over the world, because every business starts from small beginnings and, with that in mind, I feel like a lot of solopreneurs, marketing can become a distraction.

00:04:36.668 --> 00:04:36.928
Why?

00:04:36.928 --> 00:04:45.793
Because it's fun to work on our websites, it's fun to design things in Canva, but what I see in your background is you've done marketing for results.

00:04:45.793 --> 00:04:47.603
You help businesses actually grow.

00:04:47.603 --> 00:04:52.923
Talk to us about with that marketing strategist hat on, what is that function of marketing?

00:04:52.923 --> 00:04:58.687
When we talk about marketing, what does that actually mean, as opposed to just having it clog up our to-do lists?

00:04:59.550 --> 00:05:25.920
Yeah, great point, and I think one of the reasons is because companies see marketing out there and they have an association of oh, it means reaching a lot of people, it means having a website, and they can really start to drown in all of these different channels, which are all getting busier as time goes on and they're all also getting more refined, so there's more experts in each of these channel areas, areas.

00:05:25.920 --> 00:05:44.930
So back to your point having a marketing strategy is so key because it really sets the foundation for the priorities where that particular company is going to focus, based on what problems they're trying to solve, what market they're trying to reach, who within that market they're trying to reach, and then what is their value proposition, what is their expertise on how they can solve that problem, why should a customer pick them right?

00:05:44.930 --> 00:05:56.011
And so setting that strategy really lays the foundation to then formulate, let's say, a go-to-market plan, create how they're going to then reach those customers most effectively.

00:05:56.011 --> 00:06:03.728
And I think that's where companies they just dive straight into oh, let's get some ads going, let's get a website, let's just get out there.

00:06:03.728 --> 00:06:10.663
But without that refinement, upfront, it can really be wasted dollars, wasted time and not getting that return.

00:06:11.105 --> 00:06:16.584
So that's what I would say is set up that marketing strategy up front, which doesn't have to take a lot of time.

00:06:16.584 --> 00:06:21.461
Do that so that you've got a plan and then look at a way to measure that.

00:06:21.461 --> 00:06:24.146
Are you getting the return then from those different channels?

00:06:24.146 --> 00:06:26.771
What type of measures are you going to set up?

00:06:26.771 --> 00:06:36.423
Because that could be different for each company, whether it's, let's say, growth, is it profit, is it market share, is it awareness?

00:06:36.423 --> 00:06:38.048
Are we talking top of funnel, middle of funnel or later stage?

00:06:38.048 --> 00:06:49.370
And so it's really having that plan and that idea up front, being able to then tell the story, then come back to the measures to see effectiveness and be able to adjust and change course based on that.

00:06:49.980 --> 00:06:59.132
Yeah, heidi, I've got to pick on that P word of plan, because I would argue that most businesses certainly don't have a plan and if they do, they probably get off that plan pretty quickly.

00:06:59.132 --> 00:07:01.351
I'm going to throw all of us entrepreneurs under the bus.

00:07:01.351 --> 00:07:01.694
Right now.

00:07:01.694 --> 00:07:06.593
There's that phrase that, entrepreneurs, we jump off the cliff and we build the parachute on the way down.

00:07:06.593 --> 00:07:09.401
We are always because the world changes so quickly.

00:07:09.401 --> 00:07:14.420
We're always switching gears, we're always chasing ideas because we're all idea factories.

00:07:14.420 --> 00:07:17.168
So talk to us about a marketing plan.

00:07:17.168 --> 00:07:18.050
What does that mean?

00:07:18.050 --> 00:07:19.512
Is it different channels?

00:07:19.512 --> 00:07:21.223
Is it the timing of things?

00:07:21.223 --> 00:07:25.273
Is it an overarching messaging and positioning story that goes behind it?

00:07:25.273 --> 00:07:27.163
What's a marketing plan actually look like?

00:07:28.086 --> 00:07:31.021
Sure, and it can vary obviously, depending on the depth.

00:07:31.021 --> 00:07:35.642
I mean, the clients I work with are so smart, they know their business, they know what they want to do.

00:07:35.642 --> 00:07:37.971
A lot of times they've got a plan.

00:07:37.971 --> 00:07:42.425
So it's really refreshing and revisiting and documenting what is that plan.

00:07:42.425 --> 00:07:49.708
But yeah, to your point, a lot of entrepreneurs will dive straight in A lot of companies the same thing or they'll do what's worked in the past.

00:07:50.199 --> 00:07:52.728
I like to think of the plan as a few key areas.

00:07:52.728 --> 00:08:05.071
So first it's having that vision about what is it that you bring to the table, what is it that you can help solve, what are the problems and pain points and challenges that you help companies solve and overcome?

00:08:05.071 --> 00:08:10.153
And then really getting clear on compared to what, compared to who else can provide that?

00:08:10.153 --> 00:08:16.391
Not only other companies providing the same product or similar product and service, but what are substitutes?

00:08:16.391 --> 00:08:17.880
How else can that be done?

00:08:17.880 --> 00:08:23.283
So, for example, in the case of automation type technologies, can they just go with a homebrewed system?

00:08:23.283 --> 00:08:27.369
Could they continue on with the processes and how they're doing it today?

00:08:27.369 --> 00:08:28.673
There's always that.

00:08:29.175 --> 00:08:36.946
And then, once you've got the positioning, then from there comes a messaging framework, what that looks like, and then you can start to formulate channels.

00:08:36.946 --> 00:08:43.511
How are we going to then reach the people that we've identified are buyers and are in a position to make those decisions?

00:08:43.511 --> 00:08:45.717
So that's at a very high level.

00:08:45.717 --> 00:08:50.110
But those are some basic components that you know a lot of times may live in someone's head.

00:08:50.110 --> 00:08:54.109
Maybe it doesn't get revisited or reviewed or measured against.

00:08:54.109 --> 00:09:14.126
And so just having those key components together, you know, in terms of that vision, problem, value proposition, positioning, messaging and then channel strategy are so important and then you can get into the fun stuff right In terms of telling those stories, creating the events, creating the connection points.

00:09:14.126 --> 00:09:18.602
But I think marketing strategy is just as fun and exciting.

00:09:18.602 --> 00:09:23.082
To have that plan upfront, it's absolutely vital, especially in today's competitive environment.

00:09:23.644 --> 00:09:44.645
Yeah, I love that, especially because, having gone deep into your work, I see how much storytelling is part of that strategy that you bring to your clients, because I find and we get emails from listeners all the time where when we talk marketing, they always want to talk channels, and the reality is the channels will change over time and also, as you pointed out, the channels really depend on what your individual market is.

00:09:44.947 --> 00:09:46.529
There's no one clear-cut channel.

00:09:46.529 --> 00:09:48.734
There's no one channel that will work for everybody.

00:09:48.734 --> 00:09:58.822
So then let's talk about the stuff that matters and is really going to dictate our success, whatever the channel is, and that is that messaging, and you already introduced us to that word of stories.

00:09:58.822 --> 00:10:05.394
Talk to us about how to pull those out, because for so many of us, we take for granted what our quote unquote story is.

00:10:05.394 --> 00:10:10.724
We know it, but we don't think it's important to others and maybe we don't know how to tell that story to others.

00:10:10.724 --> 00:10:13.073
So, heidi, let's start going down that path.

00:10:13.073 --> 00:10:18.188
What the heck are these stories that we should be telling in our marketing, and where on earth do we find them?

00:10:18.889 --> 00:10:20.360
Yeah, it's a great point.

00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:39.971
I feel like even a few years ago you'd say story, or marketers are storytellers, and you could just feel CEOs kind of rolling their eyes saying, oh you know, it sounds really esoteric, but I think people have really warmed up to that idea because we're human right, and even with all of the automation and all of the technology, there's even a greater craving for a story.

00:10:39.971 --> 00:10:42.283
How does this have context?

00:10:42.283 --> 00:10:44.227
We're not just transactional creatures.

00:10:44.227 --> 00:10:48.466
We want to understand how a solution fits in and solves our problems.

00:10:48.466 --> 00:10:56.274
That could be giving us more time back money, greater awareness, but just a deeper connection within our market.

00:10:56.756 --> 00:11:01.207
So the way to think about stories is to start with what's the problem that you're solving?

00:11:01.207 --> 00:11:02.951
What is this issue?

00:11:02.951 --> 00:11:19.427
You want to make the customer, the client, the hero in the story, and I think it's too easy for companies they're so excited to tell about what they do, all the great capabilities, all the great success, so it's sort of a natural to come in and want to make your company or yourself that hero.

00:11:19.427 --> 00:11:22.634
But really each of us are the enablers.

00:11:22.634 --> 00:11:43.803
We're helping to make that client the hero by overcoming the challenges that they're up against, and then it's really telling the story in terms of how does your solution, how has that helped others let's say, maybe telling a specific story about how your solution has helped others to achieve that, and then painting a picture, too, about what's possible.

00:11:44.365 --> 00:11:46.682
Is your client going to be able to reduce costs?

00:11:46.682 --> 00:11:51.481
Are they going to have, let's say, greater customer retention of their own?

00:11:51.481 --> 00:11:53.390
Are they going to expand into new markets?

00:11:53.390 --> 00:11:59.469
Maybe they're going to be able to do a product launch, or it's just that they'll provide greater fulfillment.

00:11:59.469 --> 00:12:10.822
They've got a mission or purpose that they want to share with the world and that's going to be articulated and that's going to come across, which is an even higher level of storytelling than just at the product level.

00:12:10.822 --> 00:12:19.168
So there's so much opportunity and, you know, I think what all of these stories have in common is really this beginning, middle and end.

00:12:19.168 --> 00:12:22.740
It's got a rhythm to it, characters and it.

00:12:22.740 --> 00:12:33.173
You know it can really bring out this problem solving and this heroic effort, and I think we all like a really good story, and especially one that helps us get to a better place.

00:12:33.980 --> 00:12:42.091
Yes, heidi, I love the way you articulated that, because, listeners and entrepreneurs, I feel like we get inside our own heads and we think we always have to have the answers.

00:12:42.091 --> 00:12:46.448
We always have to be the answers, but what you just highlighted for us is our customers, our clients.

00:12:46.448 --> 00:12:51.448
They're the ones that need to be in this story, and I can't help but think about Apple's commercials.

00:12:51.448 --> 00:12:53.517
And let's think about AirPods, for example.

00:12:53.517 --> 00:12:56.572
When Apple launched AirPods, what did they show in those commercials?

00:12:56.572 --> 00:13:10.461
They showed a girl walking through New York City where, instead of hearing her music, all she could hear were the taxis honking their horns, the sirens, and then she activated the noise canceling function and, all of a sudden, she tuned into the music and she was dancing.

00:13:10.461 --> 00:13:14.230
And that's the story that we got from that product, which, seemingly.

00:13:14.230 --> 00:13:17.745
How exciting can you make a commercial for a headphone?

00:13:17.745 --> 00:13:20.871
But Apple found a way to weave those stories in.

00:13:20.971 --> 00:13:25.166
So, heidi, I'm also going to call out, because I think it's so brilliant of you that you can't help yourself.

00:13:25.166 --> 00:13:29.313
You already started talking about some of the objectives of marketing.

00:13:29.313 --> 00:13:32.908
You talk about improved customer service experiences for clients.

00:13:32.908 --> 00:13:33.951
You talk about some of these.

00:13:33.951 --> 00:13:38.929
Obviously, so much of your background has been objective and results-based.

00:13:38.929 --> 00:13:42.830
What are some of those metrics that you pay attention to in the world of marketing?

00:13:43.913 --> 00:13:56.581
Yeah, it's such good timing to be talking about metrics because we've got more data than ever, and not just because of AI, but because of the connected enterprise digital transformation that's been going on for a number of years.

00:13:56.581 --> 00:13:59.211
So there's just no shortage now on data.

00:13:59.211 --> 00:14:01.379
Now it's a question of what do we do with that.

00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:15.101
So what I would say is it's really important to figure out what are the right metrics that you want to measure against, and also looking at how does that click through, looking at which metrics are, let's say, leading indicators and which are more of your results.

00:14:15.101 --> 00:14:43.033
So I think for a while, you know, people were enamored with, let's say, clicks or, you know, like what you might call vanity metrics or just volume metrics, and everyone's really shifted now towards looking at well, what's actually translating through, what's moving the needle, what's turning into a paying client Salesforce different CRM systems can help with that but really setting up, looking at how those different leads flow through the system.

00:14:43.033 --> 00:14:50.317
So it's still good to look at, let's say, marketing qualified leads, what's coming through, having the right criteria, but then what's converting?

00:14:50.317 --> 00:14:52.597
So I think conversion rate is really important.

00:14:52.597 --> 00:14:56.938
What's actually turning into dollars?

00:14:56.938 --> 00:14:57.961
That's equally important.

00:14:57.982 --> 00:14:59.708
And then also looking at retention.

00:14:59.708 --> 00:15:02.970
So what is it that is keeping your customers happy?

00:15:02.970 --> 00:15:05.307
Why are customers staying with you?

00:15:05.307 --> 00:15:10.508
If you're in a software business, why are they renewing and also why are they not staying?

00:15:10.508 --> 00:15:14.168
Or, if the deal didn't go your way, that win-loss.

00:15:14.168 --> 00:15:25.149
To better understand that and then start to look at that in a quantifiable way to see is it something on the product or service side or is it a perception that could be changed?

00:15:25.561 --> 00:15:28.089
But really getting a couple of pieces of key data.

00:15:28.089 --> 00:15:36.187
So again, really on marketing metrics as it flows through the system what's converting, and then also looking at retention, win loss.

00:15:36.187 --> 00:15:51.583
And then you also want to look at customer satisfaction, and I think in customer satisfaction it's also looking at beyond, like an nps, which you know, I think everyone tried to make it a very like one statistic, but it's more holistic.

00:15:51.583 --> 00:15:53.469
Customers are more complex than that.

00:15:53.469 --> 00:16:05.989
So it's looking at what, why they took on your product or service in the first place, what's working for them, what's not working, and just having a little bit more qualitative conversation to then turn into quantitative.

00:16:05.989 --> 00:16:09.455
So those are the measures that I would recommend.

00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:16.552
Yeah, I love that overview, especially because I know that you're bringing to the table this overview from big business as well as small business.

00:16:16.552 --> 00:16:23.660
These numbers are incredibly important all across the board, and you directly called out listeners I'm going to echo this that Heidi just shared with us.

00:16:23.660 --> 00:16:26.187
You directly called out vanity metrics.

00:16:26.187 --> 00:16:33.231
Holy cow, I'm so glad that we're exiting the era of vanity metrics People talking about how many social media followers they have, and all of that.

00:16:33.573 --> 00:16:35.301
It doesn't touch your bottom line.

00:16:35.301 --> 00:16:37.385
So, listeners, heed Heidi's advice here.

00:16:37.385 --> 00:16:41.403
This is the incredibly important stuff and, heidi, I will transparently share with you.

00:16:41.403 --> 00:17:06.223
One of the reasons why we've been so excited to have you on the show is because not only do you bring all this marketing strategy behind you, but I also know that you've been involved in go-to-market planning and processes, and I think that that's something directly relevant to our audience and our listeners is because a lot of them maybe are in the go-to-market process of their business journey, whether it's with a new business or a new service or a new product or a new SaaS.

00:17:06.223 --> 00:17:11.865
Whatever it is that they're looking at, they may not have that existing customer base to look at.

00:17:11.865 --> 00:17:19.510
So, heidi, shed some light there, because I feel like it's a bit of an art and a science, and I'm excited to hear how you view what is go-to-market.

00:17:19.510 --> 00:17:23.288
How can we actually set ourselves up for success in that very important phase?

00:17:24.509 --> 00:17:25.712
Great, well said, brian.

00:17:25.712 --> 00:17:28.404
And go-to-market is so critical and it's evolved.

00:17:28.404 --> 00:17:33.464
It's really changed because there's recognition now that it's a team sport.

00:17:33.464 --> 00:17:44.949
So it can't just be marketing doing the one-to-many piece, setting the foundation and then handing over, let's say, to sales, and then sales getting the business and then handing over, let's say, to customer success.

00:17:44.949 --> 00:17:52.061
It's absolutely a team sport where it's all in.

00:17:52.061 --> 00:17:54.848
It's really a coordinated effort, a collaborative effort between the different teams and between the functions.

00:17:54.848 --> 00:18:09.003
And that's regardless if it's a large you know, fortune 500 company, fortune 50 companies, medium sized SaaS or small startup companies, medium-sized SaaS or small startup.

00:18:09.526 --> 00:18:11.211
The idea of marketing, sales, customer success really working together.

00:18:11.211 --> 00:18:19.277
It just means that there's a coordinated plan and that there's the metrics that are going to also follow and that nobody's doing a handoff.

00:18:19.277 --> 00:18:23.568
It's all working together and then looking to see what's working, what's not working.

00:18:23.568 --> 00:18:24.901
So I'll give you a good example.

00:18:24.901 --> 00:18:27.667
Let's say that there's a digital campaign being set up.

00:18:27.667 --> 00:18:45.930
So rather than having a sales team saying, well, you know that's not working and waiting for some good leads, let's find out what is working, what's resonating, and then let's go right back to the copy, get that adjusted and changed and then, if it's a larger team and there's the sales development reps or the business development BDR, sdrs.

00:18:45.930 --> 00:18:49.556
Let's help them with some of that copy and see what's working, what's not.

00:18:49.556 --> 00:19:00.853
I always believe in A-B testing and testing out messages to see again with data-driven metrics what you're going to get back, what's resonating and then making some adjustments.

00:19:01.382 --> 00:19:06.740
So, at the bigger level, go-to-market is a team sport because so much hinges on it.

00:19:06.740 --> 00:19:13.044
There's so much at stake and we need perspectives from marketing, who's setting the foundation and doing the one-to-many.

00:19:13.044 --> 00:19:17.963
We need perspectives from sales, who may be in some of those later stage conversations.

00:19:17.963 --> 00:19:26.307
Customer success, for knowing what's working along the way and what can then be embedded for new clients and really adapting to changes in the market.

00:19:26.307 --> 00:19:38.790
What worked even six months ago may not be working now and could be different, especially when you get things like AI coming into the mix and then also teams trying to do more with less and also be in multiple channels.

00:19:38.790 --> 00:19:41.740
So there's a lot of reasons why this is changing.

00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:49.414
But having a modernized go-to-market approach is really time well spent and we'll definitely return on that investment.

00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:54.741
Yeah, what really stands out to me, the way that you talk about go-to-market is, I feel, like too many businesses.

00:19:54.741 --> 00:20:00.625
They think you know launching this product or launching this service, that's the moment that things have happened.

00:20:00.625 --> 00:20:01.888
We can celebrate that launch.

00:20:01.888 --> 00:20:12.816
But hearing you talk about this, it is way more strategic, way more intentional and, most importantly, it is the first step in a very long process towards what we all hope to achieve, which is, of course, scale.

00:20:12.816 --> 00:20:22.384
And I feel like scale is a word that we throw out in the world of business so much, and a lot of times we lose sight of what scale actually is, what it means and how to achieve scale.

00:20:22.384 --> 00:20:25.269
But, Heidi, this is something that you've worked at in different levels.

00:20:25.269 --> 00:20:30.096
What does scale mean to you within the scope of both business and marketing?

00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:32.963
Yeah, great, great point, and it is.

00:20:32.963 --> 00:20:37.183
You're right, it is a word that gets thrown around a lot, and for good reason.

00:20:37.183 --> 00:20:38.528
Companies want to scale right.

00:20:38.528 --> 00:20:39.330
They want to grow.

00:20:40.560 --> 00:20:43.887
The point to think about, though, is what type of scale?

00:20:43.887 --> 00:20:55.112
So I always think about profitable scale and this is one of the pieces that I bring into the business coaching and advisory side is that scale for top line may not always be the best method.

00:20:55.112 --> 00:20:56.503
It's really looking at.

00:20:56.503 --> 00:20:58.570
Will that also deliver increased profit?

00:20:58.570 --> 00:21:15.881
Because if you're taking on clients that are less profitable or costing you more because it's not exactly aligned to your ideal customer profile or your core market, it could be costing you more, and it may take you into a direction that doesn't really fit where you want your business to be longer term.

00:21:15.881 --> 00:21:22.143
Now, if it's a conscious decision and you want to expand into those markets, then of course you know, then that's a strategic decision.

00:21:22.143 --> 00:21:28.712
But think about I always think about profitable scale, so that you're also looking at that at the same time.

00:21:28.854 --> 00:21:31.865
What investment will it take to get into some of those areas?

00:21:31.865 --> 00:21:36.000
Also, with go to market, there's more than just inbound and outbound.

00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:41.702
There's partner strategy, there's community led strategy, so that you don't have to try to do it all yourself.

00:21:41.702 --> 00:21:48.828
You can form some of those alliances and that can be another way to help scale and that can also keep the costs adjusted.

00:21:48.828 --> 00:22:01.451
And, especially as you're learning, let's say, about some of these new markets or new product areas, whether it's geographic or in adjacency, and then that allows you sometimes to bring in other expertise and actually accelerate and get there quicker.

00:22:01.451 --> 00:22:13.547
The same was true with a coach or an advisor being able to do that with somebody who's been there, done that, who can help save you some investments by helping point in the right direction and collaborate with your team.

00:22:13.547 --> 00:22:15.884
So you're bringing really the best of both worlds together.

00:22:16.728 --> 00:22:21.825
Yeah, heidi, I'll tell you what you introduced us to so many different things that I think are important considerations.

00:22:21.825 --> 00:22:25.732
Again, coming back to that strategy and your intentional level of marketing.

00:22:25.732 --> 00:22:27.928
But you introduce inbound and outbound.

00:22:27.928 --> 00:22:47.969
Even that is a debate in and of itself and it's fun for me to get to have this chance to talk to you, because you view it all as part of the marketing mix, whereas I feel like too many business owners feel like it's this or that, and sometimes biases, sometimes personality types play into all of our personal preferences and biases towards these different channels.

00:22:47.969 --> 00:22:49.494
What's your take on that?

00:22:49.494 --> 00:22:54.027
Is it always essential for us to have a mix of inbound and outbound?

00:22:54.027 --> 00:22:58.724
Are there different ways for us to succeed and scale using one or the other?

00:22:58.724 --> 00:23:01.151
How do these all fit together in our marketing mix?

00:23:02.040 --> 00:23:15.313
I love the question and the perspective and you know this really comes back to what we talked about in the beginning where you know, a lot of times companies are trying to be everything to every channel and that comes back to that fundamental core marketing strategy.

00:23:15.313 --> 00:23:20.972
So you know, it really depends on who you're targeting and then where do they hang out right?

00:23:20.972 --> 00:23:24.730
And so are they highly digital and you're going for volume.

00:23:24.730 --> 00:23:33.446
So you want to really do, let's say, an inbound strategy, having a great website, having some lead magnets where they're going to come in and contact you.

00:23:33.446 --> 00:23:38.164
Outbound would be more along the lines of very personalized type outreach.

00:23:38.164 --> 00:23:41.492
Account-based marketing certainly ties in with that as well.

00:23:41.492 --> 00:23:45.128
That's been very successful for some large mega accounts.

00:23:45.128 --> 00:23:50.112
But it's really coming back to who you're trying to reach and what's the best way to try to reach them.

00:23:50.112 --> 00:23:53.086
So you don't have to necessarily pick one or the other.

00:23:53.867 --> 00:23:58.426
I would be careful not to spread so thin across every different type of go-to-market strategy.

00:23:58.426 --> 00:24:16.349
I always recommend to have one or two prime and that's based on who you're trying to reach and also where you have expertise and investments for a given channel, and then you can start to experiment a little bit and look to grow by bringing in some others, as I mentioned, like a partner strategy, community-led.

00:24:16.349 --> 00:24:27.604
The reason I brought up inbound and outbound is they're pretty fundamental and it's good to have a position on what each of those will look like as a good starting point.

00:24:27.604 --> 00:24:34.263
But yeah, definitely giving consideration to what's your marketing mix where can you be successful?

00:24:34.263 --> 00:24:36.351
And always measuring to see what's working.

00:24:37.059 --> 00:24:47.048
Yeah, heidi, I love that you're introducing us to so many of these different things, because we've had many marketing people on the show that we so know and love here at the entrepreneur to entrepreneur podcast.

00:24:47.048 --> 00:24:55.313
But what you're really talking about, it just keeps coming back to those fundamental levels of you view, all of these pillars of what is a true marketing mix.

00:24:55.313 --> 00:25:04.501
Talk to us about the partnership strategy, because in hindsight, it feels like you're revealing something that is so effective but that we don't talk about often enough within the world of business.

00:25:04.501 --> 00:25:11.126
It's the main strategy through which I grew my first two businesses, dating all the way back to 2008 to 2013.

00:25:11.126 --> 00:25:19.611
It was almost exclusively my only marketing strategy, but a lot of people don't take advantage of it because there are so many shiny objects in today's world.

00:25:19.611 --> 00:25:24.310
So, heidi, shed some light there about how partnerships factor into an effective marketing strategy.

00:25:25.401 --> 00:25:33.828
Yeah, it's a great point and I think a lot of times people have partner strategies, may not recognize it, and also they've tried different things.

00:25:33.828 --> 00:25:41.314
I think a lot of companies tried partner strategy, spent a lot of time and a lot of money educating and maybe didn't get the return on those.

00:25:41.314 --> 00:26:06.442
I feel like even in the last year I've seen partner strategies really being reinvented, and especially across the tech B2B space, and the reason for that is, you know now they're saying too like it takes 10 to 12 touch points for a customer to really pay attention in digital and it's something like 75% of the research is done, you know, without even the salesperson, before they even get to talking to someone from sales.

00:26:06.442 --> 00:26:14.769
So partner is another way to kind of help cut through all this noise and really get straight into where there's already relationships.

00:26:14.769 --> 00:26:30.731
Because it's such a busy, noisy world we're relying more than ever on experts, relationships, somebody to help navigate the path through and understand what's really working, what could be the best solution or, you know, the best service or partnership to have.

00:26:31.442 --> 00:27:01.402
So that's where partnership strategy comes in and especially it could be in a couple of different formats it could be a reseller, it could be a tech alliance so, and it could be just a commercial partnership, but the point is that there's a known partner that's gonna help either make that introduction or bring your product or solution into a bigger ecosystem, and it's all about those relationships and it's all about the brand recognition and the credibility.

00:27:01.402 --> 00:27:07.619
And so what I would recommend is to just be very thoughtful about who are those right partners for you.

00:27:07.619 --> 00:27:13.239
I think companies make the mistake of then signing up every partner because there's seemingly no cost to it.

00:27:13.239 --> 00:27:20.688
But there is a cost it's your team having to spend the time the training going to events getting involved.

00:27:20.688 --> 00:27:24.578
Spend the time the training going to events getting involved.

00:27:24.578 --> 00:27:31.803
So be very selective and start with a partner where it makes the most sense for you to team up, get some traction and then build from there into a little bit wider partner ecosystem.

00:27:32.423 --> 00:27:33.567
Yeah, heidi, I'll tell you what.

00:27:33.567 --> 00:27:55.135
Use the word thoughtful, and it just seems like your approach to marketing is so thoughtful from so many different angles, and that's why I'm excited to ask you about this, because we don't always talk about this here on the show, because I do feel like it's a little bit of a fad, it's a little bit of a trend, but the markets are moving in the direction of AI and so a lot of people, when they view marketing, they think you know, I'll call content out.

00:27:55.135 --> 00:27:56.739
They think, oh, content is king.

00:27:56.739 --> 00:27:59.744
I'm just going to have ChatGPT write a bunch of content for me.

00:27:59.744 --> 00:28:02.769
So talk to us about the role of AI in marketing.

00:28:02.769 --> 00:28:07.586
Where is it as it stands, and where do you see it as a good complement to what it is that we're doing?

00:28:08.615 --> 00:28:12.742
Yeah, it's such an important topic and I've spent a lot of time already on AI.

00:28:12.742 --> 00:28:23.548
I did a webinar on AI in healthcare, I've been a user of the different tools, I make a lot of recommendations and I work with a lot of companies that are very much on the cutting edge for AI.

00:28:23.548 --> 00:28:30.207
And it's so important in marketing because we also hear a lot thrown around about oh, ai is just going to replace marketing.

00:28:30.207 --> 00:28:35.276
You know, as if it were that easy, and you know, I feel like there's the two extremes, there's.

00:28:35.276 --> 00:28:39.227
It'll have no impact all the way over to it'll completely replace marketing.

00:28:39.227 --> 00:28:51.211
You know, I think what we're seeing is that it's just a really nice co-pilot, it's really a nice complement to the marketing team, and the same could be true of a lot of different functions.

00:28:51.211 --> 00:28:57.085
So the way to think about it is how is your team within marketing leveraging AI and using this?

00:28:57.085 --> 00:29:01.776
Let's say, you know, is it developing ideas, is it some baseline content?

00:29:01.776 --> 00:29:14.020
But then turning it over to human experts that also have the industry knowledge, the customer knowledge, the changing market knowledge, to really then shape and finalize and pull it through?

00:29:14.020 --> 00:29:20.663
You know, it's not really something that you can just take off the shelf.

00:29:20.663 --> 00:29:30.967
Like you said, it is more of a thoughtful approach, but it's really powerful to be able to look at what AI can do to help generate in all different parts of marketing.

00:29:31.027 --> 00:29:36.048
So you mentioned content is one part that I just touched on, but another part is personalization.

00:29:36.048 --> 00:29:43.310
So one of the reasons why there's so much out there in terms of marketing and digital is because we're just trying to reach people right.

00:29:43.310 --> 00:29:50.233
But if we could do fewer things, do them well, make them more personalized, so it resonates, that's a win for everybody.

00:29:50.233 --> 00:29:55.164
It's just less clutter and it's more messages that resonate.

00:29:55.164 --> 00:30:04.042
Ai can be a huge assist on that by being able to pull the right data aggregate, help with some of that messaging and make it more tailored.

00:30:04.042 --> 00:30:16.388
So what we're seeing, too, is a lot of different companies are integrating AI to be able to have that component so that it talks better to other systems and that we're able to get that personalization.

00:30:16.388 --> 00:30:25.834
That's really where things are going is the personalization better resonating, and then that'll lead to higher conversions and also the.

00:30:25.834 --> 00:30:28.846
Then people won't be receiving so much.

00:30:28.846 --> 00:30:29.932
It'll be more relevant.

00:30:29.932 --> 00:30:33.986
It's the relevance and the personalization that's going to really help make a difference.

00:30:34.795 --> 00:30:39.287
Yes, listeners, all of these ingredients that Heidi is sharing with us here today.

00:30:39.287 --> 00:30:42.101
Relevance that's a key part of marketing.

00:30:42.101 --> 00:30:52.721
I feel like so many of us open up Canva and use a pre-made template that isn't relevant to us, it's not relevant to our clients, but it's the thoughtful approach that Heidi's sharing with us here today.

00:30:52.721 --> 00:30:56.436
Clearly, you can see why we've been so excited to invite Heidi on the show today.

00:30:56.436 --> 00:31:01.798
Heidi, I will say, you and I could geek out about marketing all day long, and I love the fact that you host webinars.

00:31:01.798 --> 00:31:12.125
You do so much else to put good, intentional, strategic, thoughtful marketing into the world for businesses of all sizes, and so I'm excited to tease so many of those resources that you have.

00:31:12.164 --> 00:31:19.332
But before we get there, I always love asking this question at the end of our sessions, which is what's your one actionable takeaway for listeners?

00:31:19.332 --> 00:31:24.727
Because they certainly have a lot of food for thought in the way that they do marketing in their own businesses.

00:31:24.727 --> 00:31:27.903
We've talked about so many different marketing topics here today.

00:31:27.903 --> 00:31:30.436
What's that one takeaway that you hope every listener says?

00:31:30.436 --> 00:31:30.837
You know what?

00:31:30.837 --> 00:31:33.522
Heidi's the one that pushed me to do this.

00:31:35.207 --> 00:31:38.162
And, like you said, there's so many different angles to be able to go on.

00:31:38.162 --> 00:31:42.420
What I would say, if you had one takeaway, is we started talking about marketing strategy.

00:31:42.420 --> 00:31:55.122
Let's say, just spend a few minutes, go back to your marketing strategy and really think through listing out what is that ideal customer profile, who is it that you're targeting and are you really hitting those right channels?

00:31:55.122 --> 00:32:01.403
And it's just a little bit of a reflective exercise to kind of look to see, you know, is this resonating?

00:32:01.403 --> 00:32:11.520
Because too often you know it's easy to go follow you know what's the latest trend that you've seen on LinkedIn, or you know that you've heard of, but what's really resonating for you?

00:32:11.520 --> 00:32:17.617
And then just do a little bit of an inventory there to just to see you know if you're on the right track there.

00:32:17.617 --> 00:32:23.545
You know, and there's so many different ways we could then discuss you know what it could look like, what could be next.

00:32:23.545 --> 00:32:25.010
Love having those discussions.

00:32:25.010 --> 00:32:27.942
So you're absolutely welcome to reach out and have that discussion.

00:32:27.942 --> 00:32:28.965
But that's where I would start.

00:32:35.674 --> 00:32:36.960
So thanks for the question and thanks again for having me, brian.

00:32:36.960 --> 00:32:37.361
It's been fantastic.

00:32:37.361 --> 00:32:37.642
Yes, for sure.

00:32:37.642 --> 00:32:39.188
And on that topic, it's a perfect segue into you dropping those links on us.

00:32:39.188 --> 00:32:46.397
And, before I invite you to do that, listeners, some of the stuff that Heidi talked about here on the air with us today they're right there on her website You'll find.

00:32:46.397 --> 00:32:50.243
You can view on demand her webinar about how AI is transforming healthcare.

00:32:50.243 --> 00:32:58.201
Whether you work in healthcare or not, heidi's perspectives and the thoughtfulness that she puts behind this it's going to open your eyes to so many different possibilities.

00:32:58.201 --> 00:33:02.803
Other podcasts that she's been on Heidi just has a wealth of knowledge and resources in that.

00:33:02.803 --> 00:33:07.201
So, heidi, along those lines, I know you do love having those conversations, so drop those links on us.

00:33:07.201 --> 00:33:08.824
Where should listeners go from here?

00:33:09.605 --> 00:33:11.729
Sure, sure and I'll keep it really easy, brian.

00:33:11.729 --> 00:33:20.364
So first follow me on linkedin or reach out to connect, so you'll find me on linkedin and then at my website, heidi hattendorfcom.

00:33:20.364 --> 00:33:37.760
All one word went with my own branding got a company transformation insights, looking to help you transform and, like I said earlier, basically around marketing strategies, go-to-market planning, team and personal coaching, and love to have a conversation with you, but those are the best ways to find me.

00:33:38.795 --> 00:33:39.941
Yes, listeners, you know the drill.

00:33:39.941 --> 00:33:45.903
We are making it as easy as possible for you to find those links down below in the show notes, wherever it is that you're tuning into today's episode.

00:33:45.903 --> 00:33:47.979
Heidi's website is very easy to find.

00:33:47.979 --> 00:33:50.484
It is her name HeidiHattendorfcom.

00:33:50.484 --> 00:33:52.678
You can find her name in the title of this episode.

00:33:52.678 --> 00:33:59.444
You can find that link that you can click right on through from the show notes, as well as a link to her personal LinkedIn, so don't be shy about reaching out.

00:33:59.444 --> 00:34:05.415
Otherwise, Heidi, on behalf of myself and all the listeners around the world, thanks so much for joining us on the show today.

00:34:06.278 --> 00:34:08.523
Thank you, brian, it's fantastic Great to meet you.

00:34:08.523 --> 00:34:09.925
Hey, it's.

00:34:09.965 --> 00:34:13.914
Brian here and thanks for tuning in to yet another episode of the Wantrepreneur to.

00:34:13.976 --> 00:34:14.878
Entrepreneur podcast.

00:34:14.878 --> 00:34:18.829
If you haven't checked us out online, there's so much good stuff there.

00:34:18.829 --> 00:34:25.621
Check out the show's website and all the show notes that we talked about in today's episode at thewantrepreneurshowcom.

00:34:25.621 --> 00:34:28.068
And I just want to give a shout out to our amazing guests.

00:34:28.068 --> 00:34:36.847
There's a reason why we are ad free and have produced so many incredible episodes five days a week for you, and it's because our guests step up to the plate.

00:34:36.954 --> 00:34:38.898
These are not sponsored episodes.

00:34:38.898 --> 00:34:40.503
These are not infomercials.

00:34:40.503 --> 00:34:43.998
Our guests help us cover the costs of our productions.

00:34:43.998 --> 00:34:54.942
They so deeply believe in the power of getting their message out in front of you, awesome entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs, that they contribute to help us make these productions possible.

00:34:54.942 --> 00:35:03.443
So thank you to not only today's guests, but all of our guests in general, and I just want to invite you check out our website because you can send us a voicemail there.

00:35:03.443 --> 00:35:04.780
We also have live chat.

00:35:04.780 --> 00:35:13.376
If you want to interact directly with me, go to thewantrepreneurshowcom, initiate a live chat with me.

00:35:13.376 --> 00:35:14.681
Go to thewantrepreneurshowcom, initiate a live chat.

00:35:14.681 --> 00:35:20.231
It's for real me, and I'm excited because I'll see you, as always every Monday, wednesday, friday, saturday and Sunday here on the Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur podcast.