Sales and Marketing with Bill Doerr
That's a substantial objective with several challenges which must be overcome enroute. I recently had the opportunity to share a few wonderful minutes with Jake Weatherly on this topic, getting his input and insights.
Jake's a remarkable young executive and Palo Alto Software is an amazing company. By the end of this article, you'll understand why on both counts.
I first met Jake in October 2008 at a conference we both attended in Kansas City, MO for the Duct Tape Marketing organization. Jake was there to re-introduce a Palo Alto Software product (Marketing Plan Pro) that is now based on the Duct Tape Marketing philosophy and system for planning marketing strategy and, lest we forget, implementation of that strategy for small t0 medium-sized businesses.
I remember being intrigued by his title -- "VP of Customer Experience". I haven't met too many of these in my career and I was left with no doubt that this was not a 'cutesy' title. Jake is all about business. In fact, I think of Jake as being to a company what Tiger Woods is on a golf course -- young, smart, talented, capable committed, passionate, personable . . . you get the picture. He's what a recruiter friend of mine might call a 'hot property'. Which, of course, he is. And it's why, after a brief hiatus at another major IT company, he's returned to Palo Alto Software to take up the banner -- and the cause -- of developing evangelical customers who are so emotionally dee-lighted with Palo Alto as a company and their software as products that competitors will be having some sleepless nights (if they're not already!).
Of Acorns and Humble Beginnings
I knew Palo Alto Software was founded by another incredibly talented individual -- Tim Berry. Tim's history is pretty stellar. So it's not surprising that he would be the nucleus of an organization that attracts people like Jake. With that in mind, I asked Jake to tell me about his current position and what he's seeking to do with it.
"Our company is passionately committed to helping people succeed in business. Because of that overall mission, my own specific mission is to deliver an experience to our customers that will turn them into evangelists for our brand". I had to ask, "How do you plan to do that?" Jake replied, "To make that happen, my strategy is to empower our team members to partner with our customers to make sure their success is realized. We are committed to understanding our customer's goals, owning them with our customer and then achieving them together -- no matter what that requires".
You may have noticed, as did I, that the 'we' and 'our' pronoun is used extensively by Jake. "We're nothing if we're not a team . . . each team member owns the responsibility for the success of our mission . . . no matter what it takes or, by whom!". More on that 'team' thing in a bit.
The Challenges
Tim Berry, Jake Weatherly and the rest of the Palo Alto Software team members have assumed personal responsibility for achieving a significant objective. That's not going to be a 'walk-in-the-park'. So I asked Jake, "What do you find is potentially keeping you from achieving the mission of delighting your customers and creating evangelists for the Palo Alto brand?". Jake gave an insightful answer, "What we must do to fulfill our mission is also the basis for why we might not . . . specifically, our challenges fall into 4 areas:
- Offer substantial value that attracts prospective customers
- Offer an experience that retains customers and makes them 'fans'
- Offer a progressive environment that attracts quality people who can support our growth
- Scale operations without losing the quality experience that fostered our growth in the first place
Having identified what he wants to see happen, Jake explained how he's addressing each of these unique challenges:
VP of Customer Experience
In a company started by a McKinsey consultant, MBA and one of the top thought-leaders around (Tim Berry) you know nothing is done by accident. Jake's title is no exception. While everyone in the company is trained and empowered to do what any one else may be expected to do, titles are both meaningless and meaningful. Meaningless because Palo Alto is poised to scale operationally by ensuring that cross-training and familiarity with others work is a capability that prized and rewarded. At the same time, the significance of creating a position that is 'on the field' (or, organization chart) and responsible for making sure the customer has a great experience is communicating to the entire company more about the importance of the function and responsibility of the position than the position Jake is filling.
Incredibly Talented People
Jake refers to 'our team' so much I thought I was being recruited for the company softball league. But of course, he's referring to the human assets of Palo Alto Software. "We're extremely selective about the people we bring onboard because they are, truly, the 'company' to any customer who comes into contact with them. If we hire the right kind of people who can make the 'magic' happen for our customers, we'll create the kind of experiences that develop solid relationships with our customers and profitable revenues for our company." I asked how he goes about finding such valuable team members. "Good question. It's not easy! We've found that by communicating some of the qualities we're seeking, invariably the 'right' people see themselves in our recruiting ads and they effectively self-select themselves". That seems to have a lot to do with being very clear about who you want and what you expect. So I asked, "What role do 'values' play at Palo Alto Software?"
A Values-Based Company
I sensed a grin come over Jake's face. "Gee Bill, you hit the jackpot with that one!" I asked him to explain. "Palo Alto Software is a business. No doubt about that. And Tim Berry started it with some very strongly felt values clearly in mind. He learned early in his career that honoring his family -- and all the commitments that come with being in a family -- was extremely important to him. That value of honoring family and building personal relationships is reflected in how we work at Palo Alto Software. We honor relationships because that is truly 'who we are' -- it's almost as if that's a part of our corporate DNA. By honoring our relationships with our team members, we know they will do the same with our customers. And that's not something you will typically find in our industry. Afterall, good software -- other than ours -- is 'out there' in other companies. But the personal, emotional bonding that comes with working with one of our team members isn't". And that's how Palo Alto Software stands out favorably in the minds its customers! Jake added, "Our edge isn't necessarily in the software we create -- as good as that is. It's in the relationships we establish and maintain with our customers". I thought, "That's a great insight!".
I then asked him for an example of how values drive actions at Palo Alto Software. "Well, we believe that "No task is too small to do and do well". We also believe, "No job isn't mine to do". Recently, we had an extraordinary surge in customers needing phone support. All the regular support team members were up to their eyeballs making customers happy. So one of our executives, seeing a need and not being busy herself, jumped right in . . . picked up some calls and helped our customers get what they came to us for . . . an exquisite experience that we (and, our customers) are confident they won't find anywhere else but here a Palo Alto Software". "Any other examples?", I asked. "OK. We also believe in having fun. So I recently made a commitment to wear my roller-blades in the office until our team hit a certain milestone. The milestone was significant. Consequently, I was skating around the office a lot! But it's the kind of conversation starter that makes for an easy and better way to convey our cultural values than putting up a plaque on the wall in a formal boardroom".
Thoughts To Leave With . . .
Jake Weatherly reminds me of the truism that "Business is done between people, not companies". A meaningful relationship, honoring what is important to your customer, is often the slight edge that allows you to out-perform your alleged competitors. That's nice to say. Critical to do -- consistently and conscientiously. That requires a plan. And whether you're planning to get a new business off-the-ground or market an existing business to grow to the next level, Jake and his team members would love it if you'd give them a chance to earn your business and keep you around for a long, long time. Oh, by the way . . . if you happen to 'fall in love' with the people you work with at Palo Alto Software and you feel compelled to 'share the love' with your family, friends and business associates who may benefit from their outstanding business and marketing planning software solutions . . . all the better.
Jake Weatherly is Vice President of Customer Experience for Palo Alto Software in Eugene, OR. Previously with Palo Alto Software for 9 years, he worked for 2 years at Webex before returing to Palo Alto about a year ago. He's a new dad, proud father, passionate executive and pretty good at roller-blading, too. He can be reached at: jake@paloalto.com
Bill Doerr, CCO of SellMore Marketing, LLC is the creator of The Preferral Prospecting System™, The Expert Directory™, The Client Machine™ and The Ultimate Marketing System™. Bill uses these programs to help his clients build relationships, referrals and revenues. You can reach Bill by phone at: 860-798-6964. By email: billd@sellmoremarketing.com. And online at: www.sellmoremarketing.com as well as through the TNNW blog: http://thenationalnetworkers.blogspot.com
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