COMMENTS
Curious as to which CEO this was and how HubSpot got their hands on it? Did you guys accidentally send an unsolicited message? :)
If I were this CEO, I'd let you tell the world who I was cause it means that my message is going viral and more people will hopefully get the hint and stop bothering me with endless product offerings via email. Power to who ever you fortune 500 man or woman.
@Kip -- The message was forwarded to me by one of our venture capitalists who was talking to this CEO about inbound marketing. The CEO asked us not to reveal his name...
I was surprised at the length and thoughtfulness of this CEO's strategies for blocking these solicitations out.
What percentage of Fortune 500 companies have been built on inbound marketing alone? Wonder if he would be willing to bet his entire revenue stream on inbound only. Can we ask him??
LOVE you Hubspot but inbound has to be combined with outbound for most companies to thrive and survive.
I so absolutely agree with this. I get so many unsolicited emails and am put on so many email newsletters without having been asked if I want them. So, I'm not a CEO, I'm an SBO - small business owner. Should I still be sending the same type of email or will I burn my bridges? Thanks.
People call CEO's because they think they are the final decision makers when it comes to green lighting everything. This just isn't so. Do you honestly believe that a CEO of a Fortune 500 company knows (or cares) who within the company is responsible for print procurement? Used to be that a CEO's EA would assist in the process with advise on who to speak with, but that was so 2008. It's obvious that all those fat cat CEO's in Detroit were ignoring their calls for the past 3 decades. All said with sugar, Hubspot. Just breathe - a little in - a little out - it works.
@Joe Guerra - one thing I liked about this CEO's email but didn't include due to length was the fact that he carefully explained the process of responding to emails and next steps that will occur within the company. I thought this helped lessen the blow to the recipient and also provided them with action items that will help them correct their mistakes in the future.
Additional Expert below:
"Here is what will happen with your message:
- We keep track of these messages that are sent to me and my staff.
- We review them periodically to determine interest.
- If there is interest, the appropriate person will contact you.
To increase the odds of our responding to your message, please:
- Give a quick, specific summary of what it is that you are producing. “Data management solution” is not specific enough.
- Use email, not voicemail.
- Include a URL that points to more info. (Your company's home page is often too vague.)
- Include your contact information.
- Understand that if we are able to arrange a meeting, it may take multiple attempts to schedule it.
If you have already done this in the message you sent, that’s great"
Knowing several Fortune 500 CEO's I questions this CEO's intelligence. If he in fact was getting that many emails he would have his staff handle them with something more proactive. Not a very goo impression he is leaving his contacts. If I was a stockholder I may demand a new CEO be recruited..I know there are several out there who could do a better job with customer relations.
AHH!! AWESOME!! Bravo MR/S CEO! A reply, albeit, not what the vendor wanted, is a reply! Moreover, this CEO level set expectations for the vendor! We often approach things from a perspective of" 'What to DO! What to DO! What action to take!
It's often a crap shoot! This CEO at least lets a vendor know WHAT NOT TO DO! Is that such a bad thing!?
This CEO does indeed make some useful points. However, he is quite naive if he thinks that marketers should cease their outbound marketing efforts just because HE finds that approach annoying. The reality is that a vendor who has an effective, (preferably automated) follow-up process in place will make more sales than a vendor who doesn't.
Of course you have to follow up with great content - not simply be in sales mode 100% of the time. If this CEO has a problem with the follow-up process then let him unsubscribe - he was never likely to be a customer in any case. So best not to waste time on him. Of course, in parallel, it is important to create create content (as he suggests) that will rank high on the search engines. If he happens to stumble across it, great - but I would not bank on it. You cannot run a business on the basis that prospects may "stumble" across you on the search engines. You are then at the mercy of Google - not very smart. Of course, I totally agree that the most effective way to initiate the sales process is to have the prospect find YOU as a result great content - but that is only part of the strategy. If that is how he runs his business then, if I were a competitor, I would target HIS customers with a super effective outbound marketing campaign and blow him out of the water. That might be a very expensive, but useful, marketing lesson for him.
I'm curious to know how this CEO's company sells its own stuff?
Do the sales people spend their days sitting by the phone waiting for that inbound call? I doubt it.
Does the marketing staff spend its day trolling the social media sites hoping to generate some buzz. Probably not.
Inbound is fine, but I find it hard to believe that a Fortune 500 company isn't using more than its share of outbound marketing too.
This piece like many today, focuses on the particular connection channel, rather than what connects as being the driver to acceptance. Similar to advertising where we're getting better at understanding technology and digital media types but lousy at creating messaging anyone cares about, this might be dangerous.
The fundamental and #1 trigger relates to "what" you have to say, not "where" you say it. The where part comes next, and depends to some extent on the what part. But, for some reason, we continue to start work with our backs to where it is we should be looking first.
Why we continually avoid talking about the obvious, yet admittedly more difficult, is baffling to me.
Anything can be avoided or left invisible, regardless of what channel is activated. Whether inbound or outbound, people know why and what you are up to from a business selling standpoint, and what you want to have happen. The stickiness and power comes from the content within. The specific connection tool is secondary.
I like all media channels and connection platforms as they all have a value. (especially that LinkedIn thing where you can buy connections...how sweet and authentic is that!)
Remember: just because you're there, doesn't mean they care.
Hi,
Really this very good article about internet marketing.Thanks
as a newbie to inbound, i'm finding it extremely interesting. The concept, in today's world, makes a lot of sense. I'm glad I'm not alone in reading others' comments that are confused about "the mix" of inbound vs. outbound needed.
So I guess this genius has given his entire sales force explicit instructions not to contact any new prospects? If he's actually a "Fortune 500" CEO why doesn't he have his admin screening calls and emails like the other 499 companies?
Yes. I agree. This "genius" has far too much time on this hands. Get out and sell something pinhead!
Who was the CEO? may i know? it is interesting.
I agree with all the comments being made, I have a successful blog and I get plenty of calls and emails; but to just sit around and wait until someone is interested is not the right approach until you have a huge following like hubspot :).
Think of the analogy of dating: no matter how much you have going on, are you only going to wait for someone to show interest before asking someone out? I would still be a virgin...
Terrific insight from <em><strong>one</strong></em> CEO. Most helpful from my perspective are the items that were listed as <em><strong>"dont's"</strong></em>. It should be cut and pasted to the desktop of anyone trying to win an audience with a CEO. Let it serve as a pointed reminder that it is imperative that ANY communication, whether it is in email, phone, webinar or website be concise, clearly lay out the value and the offer. How many times do you get a meeting with the desired decision-maker and then blow the opportunity because your message is not on point?
It might be a good time to rethink how the inbound and outbound efforts can be adjusted to best take advantage of the new reality of "If I need you, I'll search for you myself". of this guidance. Does this mean outbound sales efforts should stop? Of course not. Tighten and re-focus your messaging.
I still want to be there from my outbound efforts so that when <em>"We keep track of these messages that are sent to me and my staff. We review them periodically to determine interest. If there is interest, the appropriate person will contact you."</em>
I have no problem with a CEO deciding that this is the approach he wants to use when dealing with sales people trying to solicit his time, attention and ultimately his business - PROVIDED that he runs his company the same way. Do his sales people make calls and send emails to potential prospects? Does he advertise and interrupt my web surfing or TV viewing? Does he inconvenience me by placing his company name on sporting venues or events?
There is a lot of hypocrisy and elitism emerging and we see folks using the "we will find you" as a viable excuse to not listen but if they were to practice what they preach they would probably be going under!