My Next Big Gig

August 21, 2006
Filed Under Change Management, Customer Experience, Entrepreneurship, General, Reputation, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization | Leave a Comment

Lots of people ask me for details of what my next leadership role would look like. They want to know my ideas for using traditional sales, marketing and business development in conjuction with strategies to build passionate users and use attendance of events, networking with influencers and blogging about the events themselves to put focus on these issues. So I was challenged to put that together by someone. **I want to be clear that this a corporate and not an agency or consulting perspective!** I’m happy to customize a spec once we have a discussion, please ask!

CUSTOMER EVANGELIST

POSITION
As Customer Evangelist, you will contribute to lowering customer acquisition costs and increasing the frequency of acquisition, remove objections to usage and adoption, drive continuous innovation from customer and partner listening and increase usage frequency. Customers whose lives you touch will be transformed into passionate spokespeople to create positive word of mouth and make YOUR COMPANY the most adored brand in the world leading to high user adoption rates of your product and feature introductions.

This individual is a leader and rainmaker capable of seeing the big picture as well as the finer details. This is a roll up your sleeves, dig in and get it done role. The CEO strives to create a participative and progressive culture and is committed to executive sponsorship of the customer evangelist’s transformational activities to meet priority goals through resource allocation as necessary.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Role will likely be about 50% (depending on the organization) mix of traditional brand shaping, partnering creation, sales, marketing, viral marketing, data metric and reporting invention, business development and you are always seeking ways to do things differently and better using new technologies and/or techniques like search engine optimization. Create viral acquisition.
Travels to networking events and conferences targeting early adopters, influencers and generation to listen to customers, potential strategic partners and expand brand awareness. Strive to develop speaking engagements and evangelize YOUR COMPANY’S BRAND AND PRODUCTS as the preferred product distribution channel and consumer’s destination of choice for local purchases.
Identifies new partnership and distribution opportunities as they arise in networking and communicate them to other team members for analysis of brand implications and then participate in execution.
Be a critical voice of YOUR COMPANY’s new customer experience blog. This blog profiles unique product usage by customers as well as blogging about conferences attended by Customer Evangelist where you build strong networking relationships. This blog also creates transparency and trust by listening to blogosphere feedback to prioritize feedback for introducing new features and initiatives.
Participates in blogosphere brand monitoring, conversation and shaping as well as competitive landscape with YOUR COMPANY’s team to build the world’s most responsive and adored brand.
Places periodic feedback phone calls to existing partners leaders to ask “How are we doing?” and “What can we do better together?”
Monitors new disruptive technologies (like mobile and location based services), through networking events and other research, in order that they can be embraced. In some countries, PC ownership is low and mobile devices rule, we need an individual to be open to that changing in North America and making our platform flexible and relevant in eventual foreign markets.
Coordinate with other “voices of the customer” touch points throughout the company to integrate the feedback into the continuous innovation research and scope expansion.

QUALIFICATIONS

An understanding that flexibility in what your role may periodically require from you, especially in terms of extensive travel, is critical.
A clear passion for satisfying and listening to customers, disruptive technology, simplifying processes and relationship building through both traditional and new age communications tools. It is required to do the customer profiles that you have had experience bringing out why people do what they do.
Communicates well with both C-level executives and other groups within and outside the organization. Understands that different types of communication are necessary. Respects the importance of each individual in driving both change and customer satisfaction.
Previous experience in a hyper growth company which utilized technology to transform customer experiences in a learning, innovation and highly collaborative, rapidly changing culture.
Possess a clear passion for networking, search, process simplification, online marketing and customer relationship management.
Superior command of data models and appreciates the importance of tying together disparate data sources to create value for both customers and the organization while appreciating personal privacy. Previous experience working with Phd’s or heavy engineering types is welcomed and is a definite plus.
Candidate will have an existing blog with a growing readership of A-list readers.
B.S., Top 10 MBA strongly desired.

Again, this is a draft document that is a foundation of postition customization (if you are a small startup this would be appropriate to do!) My ability to network and use event attendance in a unique way is one of my emerging and potentially most valuable assets when mixed with my strong strategy and data abilities.

Please read my bio further if this is your first time here.

Thanks!