By Cultivate | November 30, 2021
In the last episode, Sam introduced the Rev Ops team to her 7 Steps to Accelerating Sales Results.
In this episode, Sam starts to put her plan in motion – and realizes she needs some extra help to level up against the competition.
I reach out to Justin after receiving the sad news of Beth’s passing from Don.
“Please call me when you get this message. I’d like to discuss the first few initiatives of the Rev Ops team with you, before we meet with the full team.”
I plan to offer Justin the leadership role on the Rev Ops team. There’s a lot of planning needed, and he’s just the person to manage the process and guide the team. When time is of the essence, who else would I call but Justin Thyme?
Justin replies immediately. He says he appreciates the assignment and will make time to align objectives before I head out of town to the big Sticky Trade International Conference (STIC) in New York City at the Googleheim. “Planning is my jam,” he says enthusiastically.
“Even our planning metaphors involve the stickiest of substances!” I think. And that’s another quarter for the Jar of Shame.
He's also aware of the Lean Canvas tool that I’d like him to use to develop our go-to-market strategy for Ticky Tak in the west.
The Lean Canvas is a perennial tool developed by best-selling business author, Ash Maurya. It starts with identifying the target audience and defining their pains and challenges.
Justin is off and running with the 1st task to get consensus from Ken and Sharon regarding an immediate market opportunity ahead of us. Like a waterproof watch, I can count on him under pressure.
At the STIC conference, I stop by our booth to check in with Kay, Brandy and the events team.
“How’s it going so far?” I ask Kay.
“Pretty good, but I’m hearing buzz that our competition StitchKey Adhesives plans to scoop up that western territory,” she says. “Maybe you can visit their booth today to get some intel.”
I nod and see Brandy walking toward us. I let Kay get back to the show and invite Brandy to walk the floor with me. Before we get far, I see Les Holdette, longtime CEO of Holdette-Tytlee and one of my mentors. Even though we’re technically competitors now, we target different industries and don’t go head-to-head in most markets. I give him a hug, introduce him to Brandy and ask him how the conference is going.
“It’s great – customers are really responding to our new identity,” he says, gesturing to the busy booth behind him.
Brandy nods appreciatively at the look and design of their exhibit then whispers in my ear, “We need to up our game. ”
I reply, “You’re right about that."
“The booth looks great, Les. But even more impressive is how busy you are! Congrats on a great show.”
We head over to scope out StitchKey Adhesives. They have rebranded their industrial line and the booth is buzzing with customers. I can’t help but notice the VR experience that they’ve set up. Their sign says: “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be surrounded by massive adhesive polyamides?”
Brandy gets in line to check it out and waves me over. “I’m going to geek out here.”
“Enjoy” I say. “I’m going to head back to the Sirius Bond booth. Let’s chat later about our brand and trade show presence.” She gives me a thumbs up.
I make my way back to the Sirius Bond booth, where I find Kay and pull her aside. “I’d like to work directly with Brandy on a new identity initiative,” I say. “I think she has some powerful creative ideas that will help us get to the next level.”
“I think that’s a great idea – I know Brandy has been waiting for this opportunity,” says Kay.
“I'll work with her to define a budget and let me know what you need.”
“Perfect!” I say.
Then, I am off to get ready for the awards ceremony to accept the Stickum award for product innovation. We may be a little behind in keeping our brand current. Our technology cannot be beat.
I’m excited to get back to the office and tackle this initiative. I can’t wait to reunite the team so we can get rolling!
"Competition is fierce. I’m psyched to develop our plan to reach target customers and achieve competitive advantage."
The Lean Canvas, adapted from Alex Osterwalder's Business Model Canvas and optimized for lean startups, is a powerful tool.