Is there a proven recipe for start-up? How to manage a team? Is HR department really necessary? What is the key to success in business? What do managers read? Last week on Facebook you asked dozens of questions to Grzegorz Błażewicz, CEO and founder of SALESmanago Marketing Automation. Today we present most interesting of them answered.
MARCIN: What is Marketing Automation actually?
GRZEGORZ BŁAŻEWICZ: Marketing Automation is an IT system for marketing departments, which should be integrated with transactional systems, CRM, to enable cooperation between marketing and sales departments. CRM sends transactional data on customers to Marketing Automation platform, while MAP sends behavioral data, scoring and information on events to CRM, for sales department to use.
Marketer gathers in the system all the information about his actual and potential customers – as identified individuals – and configures automatic marketing processes, which are then executed in all channels (from email, to website, social media, mobile to ad networks). The point of collecting data is to deliver right offer to right person at the right time.
PAWEŁ: Taking into consideration that 9 out of 10 start-ups fails within two years from founding, why is yours alive, well and solidified?
GRZEGORZ BŁAŻEWICZ: For sure we haven’t exactly solidified. We fight for our survival on extremely competitive and dynamically developing market. To keep pace with it we need constant progress, enriching product with new features and battle for the best human resources. Any slowdown of production or sales would entail problems in very short time and cause significant decrease in company’s value.
Another crucial aspect is continued optimization of processes and procedures in the company, so they can be scaled (we hire 80 people right now) without losing dynamic tempo.
KAMIL: Why does big enterprise (B2B with limited amount of customers) need internet marketing?
GRZEGORZ BŁAŻEWICZ: Marketing Automation was created 10 years ago in USA precisely for that kind of companies: big B2B firms with limited amount of clients, because there sales process takes a lot of time, customer must be addressed very precisely and offer must be personalized. When we started to design our own Marketing Automation platform, situation has already changed: the market was dominated by other models of online sales, which defined B2C sector. Therefore most of our customers are online stores or other operators selling to individuals, as banks.
Implementing basic automation processes in B2B is much easier than in B2C: all it requires is high quality content. Implementation of automation in eCommerce is more complicated, but doesn’t require producing tones of content, because we use bases of products offered in online stores. Most challenging task here is to convince sales departments (who are sure that sale is 100% relational), that delivering right content at right time and automated and personalized education of customer can actually speed up the sale and make it more probable.
KINGA: What investments in sales support systems would you recommend to a start-up without big resources?
GRZEGORZ BŁAŻEWICZ: Google Docs + simple free online CRM.
OLGA: How to motivate people (team, employees) to effective work and prevent them from resting on their laurels?
GRZEGORZ BŁAŻEWICZ: I believe that good people don’t require motivating or encouraging. What they need is constant challenging of their work. In a good team, consisting of people with similar mindset and sharing the same values, HR department has no reason to exist.
Well matched people organize themselves and if they need integration, they do it on their own, and if they want money for it, they just come and ask for it. Such are rules here at SALESmanago.
However I think that the whole team should know what do we attempt as an organization. It’ s hard and complicated and isn’t confined to realization of successive targets and revenues.
KINGA: But how to find good ones? What differs best from average?
GRZEGORZ BŁAŻEWICZ: Best ones know that they work mostly for themselves, have amazing drive, can spot problems on their own and take responsibility for solving them. The worst type is a paper-pusher type: with a lot of claims and ecpectations, unwilling to contribute but always eager to criticize. We try to avoid that one.
JANUSZ: Which management style is most effective for creative teams designing internet marketing campaigns?
GRZEGORZ BŁAŻEWICZ: I don’t know. I have never managed strictly creative teams. I don’t actually believe in creation. In believe in solid KPIs.
EWA: If you were to point out one rule of business success, what it would be?
GRZEGORZ BŁAŻEWICZ: Constant attempts and immunity to fails.
ŁUKASZ: What books do you recommend?
GRZEGORZ BŁAŻEWICZ: I’m not exactly a book-recommending type. I recently read and liked “Larger She-Bear’s Lover” by Sergiusz Piasecki, “New York Trilogy” by Paul Auster and “Morfina” by Szczepan Twardoch. From my youth I recall pleasure of reading “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” and other Kundera’s books. Only tip I can give is that I refuse to read any business or self-help books.
–
Grzegorz Błażewicz – Founder and President of Benhauer, co-inventor of SALESmanago Marketing Automation.
Has over 15 years of experience in the marketing business in Poland and abroad. Having worked for several marketing firms based in New York and London Grzegorz assumed the role of Marketing Director at Comarch – Central and Eastern European leader in IT solutions for the period 2001 – 2006. In 2006-2008 he held the position of President of Interia.pl – Internet portal and company listed on Warsaw Stock Exchange.
SALESmanago is 6th Marketing Automation Platform in the world, used by 3000 companies in 30 countries. In 2014 Rafał Brzoska, InPost and Paczkomaty founder, invested in the company.
After only 3 years since establishing Benhauer and SALESmanago are valued at 50 milllion PLN.
Follow
