Alison Bukowski

#customerxcon - September 27, 2023 at 05:53 PM

Looking forward to seeing you!

#customerxcon - August 24, 2023 at 09:27 PM

I will definitely be there and am truly excited - this is my fourth year and each year it gets better, I meet more and more of my people - seriously, I'm kind of a fangirl of so many of you! The content is excellent, the networking even better. I've always been there as a practitioner and now I have the privilege of getting to be a sponsor as well - and I'm super psyched about our #peoplebeforeprofessionals experience at the "booth."

#open-share - August 24, 2023 at 11:45 AM

@Emma Hanevelt I would be happy to help or take a look at something because I have multiple "flavors" of this type of message; that said, my first question to you is - what do you want the tone and the goal of the message to be? Are you simply saying thank you (which of course you should do), are you wanting to do something with the review, are you trying to engage them into something further like an advocacy program? However you can make that message align to your goals AND celebrating the customer, that's where the message should start 🙂

#open-share - August 22, 2023 at 12:39 PM

Regardless of my employer, I think that review collection at customer conferences and even CABs is an excellent idea - the output and quality you see is much higher than through simple email solicitation. I echo what everyone here said, having a donation available, has been far more "profitable" than just doing a basic gift card - if a person can select their charity, even better. I will now say, because of my employer (and when I was a PeerSpot customer), having reviews collected by the PeerSpot team at an event was amazing - no booth - actual "feet on the street" approach to interviewing customers and getting detailed feedback.

#reviews - August 16, 2023 at 12:03 PM

Hi, Cristina - I agree with what's been said here - I gained a lot more traction when using the personal approach for outreach (alongside an automated approach for certain things like CSAT and NPS) - once I established that relationship, I could be a bit more automated in the future. I also created a series of videos about roadblocks we face when gathering reviews - maybe some of it will prove useful to you: <https://marketing.peerspot.com/resources/>

#open-share - August 07, 2023 at 02:19 PM

😂

#open-share - August 07, 2023 at 02:18 PM

Yes, it's a new term I'm trying out. Weather of Knowledge (n): A person with a great deal of experience in a particular subject matter area. An individual who has weathered the storm, been around the block, and put their experience to good use. (see also Wisdom of Knowledge).

#open-share - August 07, 2023 at 11:06 AM

Emily is amazing and a weather of knowledge!

#announcements - August 07, 2023 at 11:06 AM

I agree with @Shannon Howard - if it is coming from me personally in a professional setting, you all know it will be a #peoplebeforeprofessionals approach -a personal touch matters. My tone is completely different when I am doing a newsletter or corporate communication. That said, I think companies that find their brand and do it well, work in a personal touch as part of it. That said, your advocacy program can always have a totally different voice and approach (within reason) than your corporate brand - @Liz Richardson does a great job of talking about this in the Captivate certification program.

#random - August 01, 2023 at 06:57 PM

@Jeanne Talbot beat me to it - I am going to be in the Bay area on September 11-12 - maybe someone would like to meet up for a coffee, etc.

#announcements - July 27, 2023 at 06:45 PM

I want to echo this sentiment...I'm not on here nearly as often as I want to be, but I do scroll through and absorb all the tips and information. Sometimes I just scroll for the camaraderie as well 🙂

#announcements - July 18, 2023 at 04:53 PM

My head kind of wants to explode when I think about the AI tools that we're going to need to make sure AI tools aren't being used in ways we don't want them to 🤪

#announcements - July 18, 2023 at 04:52 PM

I know I wasn't tagged here, but chiming in anyway 🙂 It is typical to have 35% of GPI reviews rejected for a variety of reasons (direct feedback from my GPI account manager in my last role). So I think if they typically are rejecting that many and now there are mechanisms in place to identify AI-generated reviews, plus the FTC cracking down on reviews as well...let's just say I'm not surprised. I agree with @Katlin Hess that if you're seeing something concerning, follow up with your account manager if you have one. For us at PeerSpot, we secure a lot of reviews through direct interview with customers so the verification process is faster and more reliable.

#reviews - July 14, 2023 at 11:44 AM

Thanks, @Rachel Ward Yes, before I was even at PeerSpot, I leveraged events as a great way to collect reviews - the energy, the connections, etc. that are built and established at events are second to none. And no better time to maximize customer time than ask them to share their experiences. I would fill my review quote in two days instead of two months - happy to chat with anyone about it.

#open-share - June 29, 2023 at 12:25 PM

Putting back on my customer marketing hat, I will weigh in here and say that in all my previous roles for the past twenty years, reviews have been a part of it - but like @Laurie Timms said, having it under one umbrella makes a ton of sense. When it's owned by CMA, we can actually leverage it to drive strategy and improve relationships with internal stakeholders. My AR team cared about GPI, so we shared goals that were for those reviews - it worked really slick because we were both invested and I could still use it as part of my overall review strategy. Other areas like PMM cared about reviews from G2/PeerSpot so we collaborated, and again, shared reviews, and then with CS it was all of it since they gained so much from the insights. Basically it's all about creating a diversified review strategy and when one area of the business can own it, magic can happen and you have invested and supportive partners. It's actually one of my favorite topics to talk about at conferences, webinars, etc. Okay, I'm done 😉

#announcements - June 02, 2023 at 02:08 PM

I agree with Evan, that's crazy - and I am so sorry to hear it! That said, are you doing your reference ask alongside an advocacy program invitation? Either way, I ask for a call with the primary POC(s) and then ask them to invite others that may be able to speak to the relationship with you or the products. If an advocacy program is at play with benefits to the customer (how I believe it should be done), then you have a bigger carrot to entice them to join the conversation 🙂

#welcome - June 01, 2023 at 05:38 PM

A huge welcome to everyone over the past couple of weeks - I have trouble keeping up with all the awesome marketers joining this community, so excuse the collective "hello" 🙂 But the sentiment is the same!

#open-share - May 24, 2023 at 04:01 PM

Feel free to check it out: The CustomerX Files

#open-share - May 24, 2023 at 03:52 PM

I use Zoom or Riverside to record, an independent video editor to finalize and process the files; I do audio only because I'm old school in that way - an interview, but more conversational interview than journalistic - and always remote.

#announcements - May 24, 2023 at 02:13 PM

That said, we leverage customer reviews all the time as stories and that doesn't necessarily require customer approval - at PeerSpot the quality of our reviews lends itself to a direct export and case study - the customer has already shared the experience and attached their name to it, so without edits, the testimonials and story can be used.

#announcements - May 24, 2023 at 02:12 PM

So many thoughts on this one...first, logo use and story use are totally different things - to use a logo to showcase they are a customer is one thing, but to define their story without them actually giving it is another - I don't think you're overreacting on that one - customers need to be involved if their voice is being used.

#open-share - May 24, 2023 at 11:13 AM

@Harini Balachandar Yes, I leverage my podcast for customer engagement, assuming I am reading the tea leaves a bit with your question - what specifically are you interested in?

#announcements - May 17, 2023 at 03:36 PM

I just kept thinking, well, there goes another point I won't have time to talk about, and another, and another...you get the picture. Eventually I was just like, alright, well, isn't that what a second date is for? I prefer to be a woman of mystery and intrigue, clearly.

#random - May 16, 2023 at 05:28 PM

My mark of a good presentation is if I get questions - if I kept someone engaged enough to think of a question, that's victory! Well done, Laurie - though I am not surprised - you're amazing 🙂

#announcements - May 16, 2023 at 03:03 PM

Yes, @Katlin Hess, agreed - those links are helpful; and we offer options like that at PeerSpot as well...I actually like using some of those links as well for different business units to create some friendly competition. It's amazing how sales and CS like to go at it when there's a prize on the line 😉

#random - May 16, 2023 at 11:56 AM

Looks like Katlin has you covered 🙂 Otherwise, I have a couple of options as well depending what you want to share - including one from Gartner (gasp!).

#announcements - May 16, 2023 at 11:52 AM

The list is far too long to present here 🙂 But we need to get over the whole "anonymous reviews don't matter" mindset. They are hugely valuable! - you can ask someone to provide their name without organization and then it's simple to pull up their LinkedIn profile when speaking to showcase who they are...you can ask them to let you know, which many true advocates will so that you can keep track. I did my own incentive once for people who wanted to remain anonymous so they didn't feel left out, and the response was tremendous - they simply sent me a screen shot of their review; they were happy to do that extra thirty seconds and my leadership team was thrilled I was keeping track for metrics purposes.

#open-share - May 05, 2023 at 01:09 PM

I will second what Katlin just said - our CEO called it out on our Slack Channel and said "this is exactly why Alison is here and why we're all in on customer-led marketing"

#open-share - May 04, 2023 at 10:05 AM

I am admittedly a little late to the game here and am going to blame "event whiplash" if I don't make sense...but to hear, Ari, that you would receive anything but positive feedback on this effort leaves me confused and frustrated. You've been a pioneer in this space - always finding ways to recognize and elevate the community. And you've done it again with this effort, showcasing the next level of recognition for those who eat, sleep, and breathe customer-led marketing and make it their mission to keep pushing it into the mainstream and keep it there. And no, I say this not because I was so very fortunate to be nominated, but because you're one of the community and should be raised up for the effort, not cut down. Alright, I'm getting off my soap box now. Keep on raising each other up, people!

#welcome - May 03, 2023 at 11:54 AM

@Todd Greenbaum Are you still in Austin? If so, I am leading a marketing event today, but I offered up a couple of spots to anyone job seeking who wants to network - if you're here and available, I can get you details.

#announcements - May 03, 2023 at 11:52 AM

Hello, all - I'm on the road this week doing a customer event, so delayed responses 🙂 I am happy to chat with anyone - I've done ICCAP and Captivate, as well as Kevin Lau's and Leslie Barrett's courses. I like to learn AND support the community 🙂

#announcements - April 27, 2023 at 06:02 PM

Late to the party here - I think it comes from time and learning - and getting tired of over-extending as Kristine said. And honestly over-extending and then not getting any kudos or even a thank you for doing so. But I also apply a tactic that I use for managing my anxiety as well - stop for a second, take a breath - set aside the email for five minutes or tell the person who asked to let me process for a bit. Then I seriously sit and think what I will have to sacrifice at work or at home to complete the task - that helps me because usually it involves having to miss something else important. And then I go to the "I really want to help, but I have these five priorities right now" talk track. In other words, you have to frame yourself properly before you can respond/frame the discussion with someone else.

#announcements - April 26, 2023 at 11:41 AM

We also don't have a formal sales enablement function, so it falls on marketing to encourage and ensure sales is using the materials created. I have found success doing a few things: 1) Putting the materials in the place where they are (as Melissa said) - in this case it's a Sales Enablement drive folder that they have to go to for all their decks and other materials); 2) Only create materials that are agreed upon between sales, CS, and marketing - we have a bi-weekly call and we discuss what is needed, being used, etc. and we vote on what should move forward on my priority list - this helps ensure I'm not wasting time on things they won't use; 3) I send an email every month or so that highlights EVERY TIME where they will find the resources and then also calls out the new resources and which ones are going to be the best to use at that point in time.

#random - April 19, 2023 at 12:49 PM

Pretty much every week 🙂

#random - April 14, 2023 at 04:55 PM

I also can't be on the call today or next Friday because I am do exciting things like going to the DMV and driving my daughter across state lines for a fencing tournament. Try not be jealous. But, I would love to hear this discussion and/or participate in it. For whatever it is worth, I have a charter for our marketing team and it has our goals on it. It is framed in my office. When I am asked to do something else, I look at it, and respond accordingly. Mind you, before I started doing this, I showed my leadership team the framed version and said (jokingly...kind of) - you all agreed these are the priorities so if you ask me to do something outside of them, I get to hold up this sign. I've held it up five times thus far this year. I don't know if that helps, but I seriously do it, and maybe it at least made you smile.

#random - April 14, 2023 at 02:46 PM

You are not alone, Marie - everyone is feeling it right now...I would so love to be on the call to talk about how saying No is the best thing to do right now, but I'll be on PTO (kind of). Actually maybe I could dial in. I said "no" to three people this week, including leadership - it felt so wrong but yet so right 😉

#welcome - April 13, 2023 at 07:41 PM

I don't know how I missed this because it's hilarious and now I'll have another question for Dwayne when we get together for lunch...but we only do that sporadically on this cheat day - and he's pretty busy with the new live action Moana.

#welcome - March 16, 2023 at 03:19 PM

Hey, everyone...yes, I climbed out from under a rock and finally got onto the Slack channel - and I recently took on the role of Head of Marketing at PeerSpot, applying an entirely customer-led marketing approach across the department. Just saying hello and can't wait to learn and network 🙂