Lauren Turner

#general - March 06, 2025 at 10:01 PM

+1 on @Daniel Palay’s suggestion! Donations to a favorite charity in the customer’s name may potentially be accepted, since nothing is being handed to the customer personally.

Though I’d say with what’s going on with DOGE, be sensitive to folks in the public sector right now—they may likely be stressed about their job security. Connect with them as humans first.

#general - March 05, 2025 at 12:32 AM

Unless being a reference specifically comes up in conversation as part of the interview, you’re unlikely to find indicators of the customer’s willingness to be one just doing a keyword search for “reference”. I think your best bet is to either make sure your vendor asks about references/referrals in the interview, or have AI analyze the interview transcript for context clues on the customer’s sentiment.

#jobs - March 03, 2025 at 02:21 PM

Way to go viral! Great job, Mary!

#general - February 24, 2025 at 11:17 PM

Sending you a DM

#general - February 13, 2025 at 02:03 PM

Yes, happy to chat.

#random - February 13, 2025 at 02:12 AM

This snippet of conversation about "Was the Hootsuite owl jealous of the Duolingo owl?" had me on the floor. I'm DEAD.

#discussions - February 12, 2025 at 10:24 PM

@Cara Peterson send me a calendar link and we’ll chat

#discussions - February 12, 2025 at 10:21 PM

Oh, you’ve come to the right place. Happy to talk through this.

#general - February 12, 2025 at 09:09 PM

:stares in “Turner”:

#general - February 11, 2025 at 09:58 PM

Yep, usually late October

#general - February 11, 2025 at 08:36 PM

CustomerXCon, CMA Summit, CMX

#discussions - February 06, 2025 at 10:45 PM

@Amy I currently don’t have a free webinar on customer journey mapping to share, but I’d be happy to explore ways I can support your team in applying these frameworks. Since customer journey mapping is such a foundational element of success, we could discuss tailored workshops or consulting sessions to provide practical insights and strategies specific to your organization.
Let me know if that’s something you’d like to explore!

#discussions - February 06, 2025 at 02:08 PM

Hi @Natalie Gullatt . I have used buyer personas for presale campaigns and customer personas for upsell campaigns (the decision maker IS the customer persona)—it’s pretty pushy to try to upsell someone who hasn’t bought for the first time yet!

#jobs - February 05, 2025 at 09:25 PM

I'd call that more expected than ironic. Most marketing leaders came out of either product or demand gen, and don't really "get" CM (which is why so many JDs are all over the place--they don't really know what they need). The upside is that as the SME, you can tell them what the best practices are!

#cabs - February 05, 2025 at 09:22 PM

What @Jeanne Talbot said. You can make it fun like a photo booth with some cheeky accessories (hats, boas, etc.) and starter cue cards like "What I love most about [company] is..."

"If I didn't have [product], I'd..."
"If you're thinking about buying [product], I'd say..."
etc.

#discussions - February 05, 2025 at 09:15 PM

I don't see it as being particularly new, but it's very helpful to be able to map out the different buyer journeys, especially since those purchasing decisions are now often done by committees spanning several departments, each with their own priorities and pain points.

#jobs - February 05, 2025 at 09:12 PM

@Emily Coleman I'm seeing that too. Just yesterday I saw one that encompassed ownership of product marketing, customer marketing, and lifecycle marketing (and even asked for SEO knowledge) with a title and salary that matched what former company used to pay an entry to mid-level manager in 2019.

#general - January 31, 2025 at 11:45 PM

As your sales team what they think a reasonable percentage would be that needs a reference, and use your best judgment to validate what they say (or use historical precedent as a baseline). You can also give parameters to them like “we should only use references if the deal is worth more than X, or is a marquee brand, new industry/use case, etc” to guide them towards what they think a reasonable percent is. I just came up with 30% as an example number to plug in.

#general - January 31, 2025 at 09:38 PM

This is what I use:
TR=(L×CW×PR)
Where:
• TR = Total reference calls needed per quarter
• L = Number of new leads or opportunities per quarter
• CW = Expected close-won percentage (conversion rate from lead to customer)
• PR = Percentage of deals that require a reference
So, for example:
• L = 100 new opportunities per quarter
• CW = 20% close-won rate (20 deals expected to close)
• PR = 30% of deals need a reference
Calculation:
TR=100×0.20×0.30=6 reference calls needed per quarter

#random - January 31, 2025 at 03:47 PM

Ok, try this Prompt:

You are a marketing expert skilled in writing personalized, high-converting outbound email campaigns. Please write an outbound email that achieves the following objectives:

Objective & Strategy:
a. Goal of the email: (E.g., book a demo, schedule a consultation, download a free guide, sign up for a webinar, purchase a product, etc.)
b. Target audience: Describe the recipient persona, including job title, industry, company size, pain points, and key motivations.
c. Call-to-action (CTA): What specific action do we want the recipient to take? (e.g., “Schedule a meeting,” “Download a report,” “Reply to this email”)
Email Content Requirements:
a. Personalization details:
• Recipient name: (Required? Optional?)
• Company name: (Required? Optional?)
• Mention specific events, achievements, or business challenges relevant to the recipient’s company or industry.
a. Problem statement: Outline the common pain points or challenges the recipient faces that your product or service solves.
b. Value proposition: Explain clearly how your solution helps the recipient achieve their goals or solve their problems. Highlight unique benefits, features, and differentiators.
c. Credibility elements: Include relevant social proof such as:
• Testimonials, case studies, or success stories
• Specific data, statistics, or results from similar clients
• Awards, partnerships, or recognitions
a. Tone of voice:
• Friendly and conversational, but professional
• Adaptable to the industry: (e.g., more formal for finance or legal, more casual for tech startups)

Email Structure:
a. Subject line: A compelling, concise subject line that captures attention. (Max ~50 characters; personalization encouraged)
b. Opening line: A personalized and engaging hook to immediately connect with the recipient (e.g., referencing a recent success or challenge relevant to them).
c. Body content:
• Start with empathy or acknowledgement of their challenges.
• Present the solution and benefits (be concise and compelling).
• Provide a strong reason to act now (urgency, a limited-time offer, or a critical business opportunity).
a. CTA: Clearly state the desired action (e.g., “Click here to book your demo” or “Reply to this email to get started”). Keep it action-oriented and direct.
b. Closing: End with a warm and professional sign-off. Optionally, include a P.S. section to reinforce the CTA or add an extra benefit.
Additional Details:
• Word count preference: (Short and snappy? Detailed and informative?)
• Style preferences: (e.g., bullet points vs. paragraphs, humor vs. straight-to-the-point, etc.)
• Use of links or images: (Yes/No, placement preferences)

Example Input for GPT:

“Create an outbound email campaign for a B2B SaaS company targeting marketing managers at mid-size e-commerce brands. The goal is to schedule a demo for our AI-powered personalization software, which helps increase conversion rates by up to 30%. The email should include references to recent e-commerce trends, use a conversational but professional tone, and feature a testimonial from a client in a similar industry. CTA: ‘Book your free demo today!’”

You can plug in your campaign details, and GPT will generate emails that fit your goals.

#random - January 30, 2025 at 05:28 PM

(Also I have no idea why Merlin looks like James Van Der Beek with a beard)

#random - January 30, 2025 at 05:27 PM

Oh! I built a bot for that: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-KyMtDhZBj-merlin

Just type “start” and it’ll walk you through everything. Ping me if you have questions!

#random - January 29, 2025 at 12:49 AM

@Amanda Peacock I don’t have a database, but I’m a pretty solid prompt engineer. What specifically are you looking for?

#general - January 27, 2025 at 09:23 PM

Have customers write (or submit a video) a brief “why [your company/product] has captured my heart.” Post them all and have customers vote on favorites. Give prizes to the top 3, and a guaranteed donation to the American Heart Foundation if a certain threshold of entries is reached.

#discussions - January 25, 2025 at 06:04 PM

@Aylin Siu

#jobs - January 24, 2025 at 10:49 PM

All of this. Being a functional expert and being a good people manager are different skillsets. Sometimes a company gets lucky with a handful of leaders who are both!

#discussions - January 24, 2025 at 07:07 PM

I have one in my Customer Lifecycle Program playbook. I charge a fee for this (I'm a consultant), but the basic rundown is you put together a detailed customer journey map from both a LAER and a PIMO model (including all your major milestones and touchpoints) and then you layer your KPIs over it.

#jobs - January 24, 2025 at 07:00 PM

Chiming in to agree with the other points here. There's a fine line between evaluating how you think and free consulting. If you have done similar work as what the assignment is asking, I'd first offer one of those assets (proprietary numbers and such taken out) as a sample of your thought process/strategy/presentation skills. If it's clear they want you to solve a real problem they're currently having, I'd either charge an hourly rate, or else put a watermark over EVERY page stating that this work is for evaluative purposes only, and used for any other reason without your express written consent will result in legal action.

#general - January 23, 2025 at 10:42 PM

Hey Deja! How about a workshop? I run several:
Storytelling with Data
Improv Skills for CMA
Cross-functional collaboration
Program Building
Happy to chat about what works best for your team.

#general - January 10, 2025 at 03:18 PM

Cat walk across your keyboard? 😁

#general - January 09, 2025 at 01:30 AM

Happy to set up a quick call to walk you through it if you have questions

#general - January 09, 2025 at 01:27 AM

Try this! https://chatgpt.com/g/g-ZbOZf2CPf-cma-vendor-advisor

#general - January 09, 2025 at 01:24 AM

Peerbound is a solid AI based product for customer proof points. Champion is great for identifying and engaging advocates. Several other great vendors in the space—it really boils down to what your company’s priorities are, existing tech stack and budget.

#general - January 06, 2025 at 09:03 PM

@Lauren Stefano It’s possible they’re having internal budget discussions and don’t know if they can renew yet. Are there any new features or products set to launch in the next few months? If so, this could be a great time to offer a sneak preview or include something as an early renewal reward.

#open-share - December 24, 2024 at 09:36 PM

Happy holidays, everyone!
Created this fun little GPT to help make the most of your holiday leftovers and/or random ingredients you have on hand. It can make modifications for dietary restrictions, offer swaps for ingredients you don't have or don't like, and is designed to have everything EASILY done from stove to table in 35 minutes or less. Check it out: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-676b20f27f308191862e5596617e9752-grandma-ethel-s-leftovers-makeover

#general - December 06, 2024 at 06:06 PM

Same here, @Valeria Gomez ! Happy to talk 😁

#general - November 25, 2024 at 08:20 PM

Hi Clay! Yes, I have a full program playbook on this. You can check it out (a few sample screenshots) on customercentrx.com in the Playbooks section.

#general - November 21, 2024 at 04:10 PM

Different things. It’s a big mistake to view community as exclusively a marketing channel; when companies do that, it’s usually with the idea of “how do I get customers to do things for us?” rather than looking at community as a mutual exchange of value. That may get some quick wins, but it doesn’t build out long term trust or a reason why customers would want to engage.

#chatgpt - November 08, 2024 at 02:56 PM

I think there are enough free resources that you probably don’t need to pay for a credential, but that’s just my 2 cents.

#open-share - November 01, 2024 at 12:32 AM

The little bow in her hair! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

#open-share - November 01, 2024 at 12:31 AM

Adorable!!

#open-share - October 31, 2024 at 05:04 PM

Just make sure Travis Kelse doesn’t see it 😉

#open-share - October 31, 2024 at 05:03 PM

OMG!! So cute!!

#reviews - October 28, 2024 at 09:06 PM

Yes, you send an email with a link to the review and why it should be removed. Then, someone reviews it and makes a decision.

#random - October 28, 2024 at 03:35 PM

For US-based friends:
Did y'all vote yet?
If not, do you have a plan to vote?
This one's too important to sit out. Go do the thing.

#general - October 24, 2024 at 03:08 PM

They paying their references? 😂

#general - October 21, 2024 at 01:47 PM

I have! Happy to chat next week but I’m at CustomerXCon this week.

#general - October 17, 2024 at 05:24 PM

"How would you like to participate in this program's success?" All the other functions need to have skin in the game in order for customer advocacy to be successful. Ideally, they will have KPIs directly related to it (e.g. each CSM needs to have 10% of their accounts be active members of an advocacy program). You will need to talk to the leaders of each function to get that alignment.

#chatgpt - October 16, 2024 at 10:16 PM

I’ve built 17 custom bots—several for customer marketing and advocacy! Happy to do some demos! On the automation side, I’d love to be able to screen scrape LinkedIn contacts and put them into a spreadsheet

#general - October 09, 2024 at 03:48 PM

Back atcha! ❤️