79. Marketers, Never Forget Your Why!

WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:08.150 You're listening to be tob revenue acceleration, a podcast dedicated to helping software executives 2 00:00:08.150 --> 00:00:11.949 stay on the cutting edge of sales and marketing in their industry. lets get 3 00:00:11.990 --> 00:00:16.870 into the show. Welcome to be tob revenue acceleration. My name is Dan 4 00:00:17.030 --> 00:00:20.629 See Brook and I'm here today with Rock Hughes, VP and head of marketing 5 00:00:20.910 --> 00:00:26.500 for EU at automation anywhere. Morning, rob how you doing today morning there 6 00:00:26.980 --> 00:00:32.340 very well, thanks our first say of official lockdown. Everybody starting to face 7 00:00:32.420 --> 00:00:35.729 up to the challenges of this. Now I'm planning on growing a beard and, 8 00:00:37.049 --> 00:00:40.009 as being a it's never been a better time. So you know, 9 00:00:40.289 --> 00:00:45.570 we're trying our this, but first day and everybody's everybody still buoyant at moments. 10 00:00:45.649 --> 00:00:49.289 So really absolutely nothing. We're all in the same boat together. I 11 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:52.920 would say that I would try and grow a beard, but I think I'm 12 00:00:52.920 --> 00:00:57.600 going to need longer than three weeks. So so I don't think I'll go 13 00:00:57.719 --> 00:01:00.759 down that route. But hopefully we can know with this podcast provide some some 14 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:07.030 some content ands and some easy listening for people to receive when they're not head 15 00:01:07.109 --> 00:01:10.510 down at work throughout the day. So the topic today, rob is, 16 00:01:11.069 --> 00:01:15.750 is around marketing and markets. Never Forget your why. But before we get 17 00:01:15.829 --> 00:01:19.780 into that conversation, could you please introduce yourself to our audience and give us 18 00:01:19.780 --> 00:01:26.819 a feel for your company and automation anywhere? Sure so, I run marketing 19 00:01:26.060 --> 00:01:32.140 for Europe for automotion anywhere. I joined the company from an analyst background. 20 00:01:32.180 --> 00:01:36.969 I was in the analyst community for fifteen years and automation anywhere came around, 21 00:01:37.129 --> 00:01:42.010 as all vendors do for all emeralst houses. Everybody Pitches Your Business and tries 22 00:01:42.049 --> 00:01:46.849 to gain some insiders to had a game, pit competitive advantage and understand what 23 00:01:47.010 --> 00:01:49.840 the markets doing and where the opportunities might lie. And our PA came along 24 00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:55.840 as a sector really and it was. It's one of those technologies that I 25 00:01:55.920 --> 00:01:59.200 couldn't find a business hole in as to why we wouldn't do it or why 26 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:02.189 company wouldn't start to automate or be forced to automate. You know, the 27 00:02:02.510 --> 00:02:07.750 macro environment is driving us to be much more efficient. I mean this recent 28 00:02:07.830 --> 00:02:12.710 issue with the with the virus and so on. It's just emphasize that even 29 00:02:12.830 --> 00:02:15.819 further. But you know, you have to have some kind of straight through 30 00:02:15.900 --> 00:02:20.340 processing goals in place. Otherwise we're not going to get to, we're not 31 00:02:20.419 --> 00:02:23.219 going to be able to deliver the services and the products that customers and our 32 00:02:23.300 --> 00:02:28.659 partners and our ecosystem is used to delivery with the same amount of people. 33 00:02:28.780 --> 00:02:32.330 So as the the world population begins to peak, we're going to end up 34 00:02:32.449 --> 00:02:37.129 with a lot more old people and a lot fewer young people to do the 35 00:02:37.250 --> 00:02:39.250 work, and so we'll have more people to serve and less people to do 36 00:02:39.330 --> 00:02:43.689 the work. That's one of the macro drivers around it, as well as 37 00:02:44.250 --> 00:02:47.280 companies like Amazon and new digital native organizations coming in and changing the way that 38 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:53.639 businesses are run. So, after fifteen years of listening to lots of business 39 00:02:53.680 --> 00:02:57.599 pictures, I work up one morning and said Ourpa is the is going to 40 00:02:57.599 --> 00:02:59.909 be the future, and I've got to the side, whether I talk about 41 00:02:59.990 --> 00:03:02.509 it or whether I get involved with it. And I got involved directly with 42 00:03:02.550 --> 00:03:07.750 automotion anywhere. So automation anywhere is one of the leaders in the marketplace and 43 00:03:07.909 --> 00:03:10.189 at that time it was still one of the leaders in the market place. 44 00:03:10.229 --> 00:03:13.620 It seems years ago, but it was only three and a half years ago 45 00:03:13.659 --> 00:03:17.139 that I joined, and I joined because of the vision of automotion anywhere in 46 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:23.340 any new technology organization that I think the leadership of the leading companies within those 47 00:03:23.819 --> 00:03:29.090 those markets. It is critical to define who's going to be the thought leader 48 00:03:29.129 --> 00:03:31.849 in the space. And I joined automotion anywhere because I believe in the vision 49 00:03:31.849 --> 00:03:36.490 that the company has and I believe in their in the leadership, their experience 50 00:03:36.610 --> 00:03:38.810 and getting us the vision. So that's a little bit about me and a 51 00:03:38.849 --> 00:03:44.000 little bit about the company. Yeah, and I guess marketing in a high 52 00:03:44.039 --> 00:03:47.599 growth sector like ourpa brings a lot of different elements to it. There's a 53 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:53.439 lot of different challenges. There's an element of maybe not creating a category but 54 00:03:53.800 --> 00:03:58.270 kind of reinventing your category around automation and and and that sort of message around 55 00:03:58.270 --> 00:04:01.789 intelligent automation. So from marketing spectrum, I'm sure got your hands full. 56 00:04:02.229 --> 00:04:06.750 Now, Robin A, in recent conversation you've been telling us that you are 57 00:04:06.789 --> 00:04:13.020 a strong advocate of the transactional approach marketing and actually that's all about making your 58 00:04:13.180 --> 00:04:17.819 communications, your campaigns, your messaging, ensuring it's a line to your companies 59 00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:23.420 overall mission and values. Now, can you elaborate on that further for our 60 00:04:23.459 --> 00:04:27.730 audience and tell us what tell us by that and also give us a feel 61 00:04:27.850 --> 00:04:32.170 for why marketers need to really keep their kind of corporate and an individual why 62 00:04:32.290 --> 00:04:36.810 at the forefront of their mind when not sure. And I think, and 63 00:04:38.009 --> 00:04:42.240 you know, the transactional bit that you mentioned there is important, as it's 64 00:04:42.519 --> 00:04:46.040 the transactional components that we build out marketing, and by transactional I mean we 65 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:49.480 do an event, we run a whip and are we run some contents, 66 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:56.189 indication we just placed as these are all levers and they're all transactional components to 67 00:04:56.870 --> 00:04:59.829 get us to where we need to get to. But I see, I 68 00:04:59.870 --> 00:05:03.069 come from a predominantly a sales background, quite high level sales, quite big 69 00:05:03.149 --> 00:05:09.420 deals, advisory type work rather than product so you're almost having to invent your 70 00:05:09.459 --> 00:05:14.860 own pitch. You're, you know, in the information space. It's all 71 00:05:14.899 --> 00:05:18.540 about the stories that you tell, and that's why marketing sits so comfortably with 72 00:05:18.699 --> 00:05:23.529 me, because in that consultancy space you kind of have to create your own 73 00:05:23.569 --> 00:05:29.129 marketing in your own ideas, because you're selling intellectual property and in reality and 74 00:05:29.410 --> 00:05:32.170 you're selling a vision. You're not selling something hard or a product or a 75 00:05:32.569 --> 00:05:38.240 something that's can touch and feel and use. You're selling an idea, approach, 76 00:05:38.399 --> 00:05:43.720 advice, etc. That offered me a suppose a different approach to the 77 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:48.360 marketing component and saying when I stepped up a step back from what marketing this 78 00:05:48.519 --> 00:05:54.550 traditionally doing, which is supporting sales. And we've heard this terminology around market 79 00:05:54.870 --> 00:05:59.589 led organizations and marketing their companies and so on, and but nobody, not 80 00:05:59.709 --> 00:06:01.509 nobody's the wrong way to put it, but very few companies seem to adopt 81 00:06:01.589 --> 00:06:06.980 that and run their marketing organization built on insight data. They they based it 82 00:06:08.060 --> 00:06:11.660 on lots of transactional data. This event really work for me. I ran 83 00:06:11.740 --> 00:06:14.180 a Webin are around it and we ran a blog at the end of it 84 00:06:14.259 --> 00:06:18.009 and we ran a whole lot of transactional meeting maker type of functions. For 85 00:06:18.170 --> 00:06:25.769 us, that's those those transactional components add up into a program and the program 86 00:06:25.930 --> 00:06:29.689 was focused around certain things. That might be focusing on your target account list, 87 00:06:29.769 --> 00:06:31.290 that might be displacement, it might be a number of different things, 88 00:06:31.850 --> 00:06:36.560 but that program will run. For most people call that a campaign. Our 89 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:43.279 campaigns actually run annually. So the annual idea is that we and we work 90 00:06:43.319 --> 00:06:46.120 in vertical so we look at vertical markets, we understand those markets, we 91 00:06:46.149 --> 00:06:50.230 understand our target accountless within those markets. We understand how we need to get 92 00:06:50.269 --> 00:06:55.589 to them and we spend around six months every year just gathering data to make 93 00:06:55.629 --> 00:07:00.110 sure that we understand we're aiming our sales team at at the right functions, 94 00:07:00.149 --> 00:07:03.100 at the right opportunities and at people who want to engage with us. The 95 00:07:03.300 --> 00:07:09.259 idea of the why, and you know why this is important, and having 96 00:07:09.300 --> 00:07:14.860 an overarching umbrella around this allows us to take every of the transactional components and 97 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:19.850 put them into the programs that are required and then run those programs in line 98 00:07:19.850 --> 00:07:24.209 with the specific campaigns. But it allows us to all, I'm very closely 99 00:07:24.329 --> 00:07:30.120 with sales and we don't marketing doesn't hand over to sales, and I think 100 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:32.560 that's the same and most organizations actually, and that you know, if you 101 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:38.199 think about how marketing influences a specific person, let's say it's a buy or 102 00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:42.040 an influence or it just a user, developer, whatever, from the moment 103 00:07:42.199 --> 00:07:45.829 they are exposed to your brand, from that very first touch point, they 104 00:07:45.870 --> 00:07:48.589 could pick up a newspaper and read about you, they could download a white 105 00:07:48.629 --> 00:07:50.949 paper, they could go on to the website, whatever it might be, 106 00:07:53.189 --> 00:07:58.110 the moment they touch your brand, until really that moment that person disappears out 107 00:07:58.110 --> 00:08:03.220 of your ecosystem. It's marketing responsibility to influence the messaging, make sure that 108 00:08:03.300 --> 00:08:07.379 they have the information that they need, make sure that ourselves organization is aligned 109 00:08:07.459 --> 00:08:09.620 to be able to give them what they need when they need it, and 110 00:08:09.899 --> 00:08:13.889 if we tie it into the overall campaign, we understand their work world a 111 00:08:13.930 --> 00:08:18.449 lot better because we're listening to them. The programs are aligned for our business 112 00:08:18.569 --> 00:08:24.569 goals and the tactics are put together to be able or the various tactical approaches 113 00:08:24.610 --> 00:08:26.920 are put together in line with the overall achievement of where we need to get 114 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:31.240 to. So sorry for the the confusing explanation, but hopefully that gives you 115 00:08:31.279 --> 00:08:35.519 an idea of why we look at the the why you have to figure out 116 00:08:35.519 --> 00:08:39.799 why we're doing this in the first place. Understand that we own the customer 117 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:45.789 from beginning to end and every single time we touch them we have an opportunity 118 00:08:45.950 --> 00:08:50.110 to either influence them one way or another, either positively or negatively, and 119 00:08:50.269 --> 00:08:52.830 our job is to own that whole jour jurney from beginning to end, and 120 00:08:54.149 --> 00:08:58.100 every transactional touch point that we have has to be part of a wider story. 121 00:08:58.220 --> 00:09:01.379 So that they don't feel as if there's multiple message is coming from all 122 00:09:01.419 --> 00:09:05.220 over the place and then also allows us to walk our sales team in and 123 00:09:05.379 --> 00:09:09.860 support ourselves team through the whole lifetime of the customer experience, whether that the 124 00:09:09.730 --> 00:09:15.610 one off purchase or whether it be twenty year relationship. It's our job to 125 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:20.330 help sales and and and help customer support and services and everything else that the 126 00:09:20.690 --> 00:09:24.960 business touches with our customers. So when we're talking about the transactional pieces adding 127 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:28.639 up to the Y, that's kind of the approach that we take. Okay, 128 00:09:30.080 --> 00:09:35.000 that's really interesting take on sort of building relationships with customers out of interest. 129 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:41.990 Does that approach remain the same both to new prospect and also existing customers? 130 00:09:41.029 --> 00:09:43.830 Or would you? Would you, based on that sort of process you've 131 00:09:43.830 --> 00:09:48.149 just described, their take a different approach to marketing to your distant customer base 132 00:09:48.230 --> 00:09:54.460 versus new prospects for that position purposes? Yeah, I mean you prospects is 133 00:09:54.500 --> 00:09:58.980 there's always a different it's a different ecosystem. The problems over, the problems 134 00:09:58.019 --> 00:10:01.820 that Compani s face always the same. You know, a lot of us 135 00:10:01.860 --> 00:10:05.740 get hung up on how will we do on the Gardener Magic quadrant? Or 136 00:10:07.129 --> 00:10:11.570 wards we've received, or how many times were number one on whatever quadrants and 137 00:10:13.049 --> 00:10:15.929 how many times were mentioned. Then then we tend to go to market and 138 00:10:16.330 --> 00:10:18.970 jump up and down and say look, one hundred and one one and we 139 00:10:20.090 --> 00:10:24.080 could all these posts. I think you know quite often companies are way to 140 00:10:24.240 --> 00:10:28.000 focus on what they do and not enough focus on what the outcome of the 141 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:33.120 markets that we're serving is. And we've got to relate our products and services 142 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:35.830 to solve that problem, not walk in and say look, we build robots 143 00:10:35.870 --> 00:10:43.629 as and they're cool. So I think all organizations are struggling with this idea 144 00:10:43.710 --> 00:10:46.029 that product, the product, is going to sell it for you, and 145 00:10:46.110 --> 00:10:50.179 I see a lot of marketing. We're selling is happening in the marketing process. 146 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:54.779 Now it's really about supplying companies with the information they need in a professional 147 00:10:54.820 --> 00:10:58.299 manner that they trust your source and say these are, this is a company 148 00:10:58.340 --> 00:11:01.860 that I want to come and talk to, whether that's a prospect or a 149 00:11:01.980 --> 00:11:05.169 customer. With a customer you should have a lot higher level of trust anyway, 150 00:11:05.730 --> 00:11:09.889 and the message should still be the same. It's about solving problems for 151 00:11:09.970 --> 00:11:13.889 the customer. It's not about the product. Now the channels that we use 152 00:11:13.970 --> 00:11:16.769 and noise will be different depending on whether it's a prospect or a customer, 153 00:11:16.809 --> 00:11:20.480 because you can swamp your customers with too much marketing information. You have to 154 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:24.440 have a very different type of approach. It maybe abm one to one or 155 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:28.320 a depending on the company, maybe one too onto few. So we tend 156 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:33.830 not to look at different strategies or different messaging. The messaging should be the 157 00:11:33.870 --> 00:11:37.309 same. The message you should be a lot about customer outcome and success. 158 00:11:37.350 --> 00:11:41.149 It shouldn't be a lot about our product and I think that that shouldn't differ 159 00:11:41.230 --> 00:11:46.820 between customer and prospect. But we can tell the stories coming from customers. 160 00:11:46.899 --> 00:11:50.580 We we use a lot of a user case studies and so on, and 161 00:11:50.700 --> 00:11:54.940 sometimes we have to anonymize them. But it's really about the Oddi of the 162 00:11:54.980 --> 00:11:56.179 possible, because they in our market. As you said, it's a new 163 00:11:56.259 --> 00:12:00.460 market. We kind of I don't like the idea of creating the market. 164 00:12:00.460 --> 00:12:01.610 I think it's the wrong way to put it. stears me if I'm on 165 00:12:01.690 --> 00:12:07.929 this, but it's much more about adapting to the market and leading it from 166 00:12:07.970 --> 00:12:11.610 the thought leadership perspective, as this how we try to see it with a 167 00:12:11.649 --> 00:12:13.769 surf and not the wave, the waves behind us and we're trying to stay 168 00:12:13.809 --> 00:12:16.120 on top of the ways to make sure that we can see what's coming. 169 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:20.720 Yeah, and I think that's an interesting take in it. Regarding your market, 170 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:24.360 I mean I think the idea around automating things, in automation in general, 171 00:12:24.519 --> 00:12:28.960 has has has been around for a long time, but OURPA is kind 172 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:31.750 of the next phase of that and how I agree. I'm not sure you're 173 00:12:31.950 --> 00:12:37.470 having to completely create a market. I think the market is people believe the 174 00:12:37.549 --> 00:12:41.389 markets are. It's kind of about reinventing it and bring a new, intelligent 175 00:12:41.470 --> 00:12:46.100 version of automation to the forefront of people of mind. Now you're talking earlier 176 00:12:46.100 --> 00:12:52.539 on in our conversation around your transition from a from a sales background into more 177 00:12:52.580 --> 00:12:58.490 of a consultancy and analyst area through tractually joining automation anywhere in the marketing team, 178 00:12:58.850 --> 00:13:01.889 and I think you spoke about the fact that you joined them because it 179 00:13:03.049 --> 00:13:05.769 was a case of do you keep talking about it or do you get involved 180 00:13:05.809 --> 00:13:07.330 in it? And I suppose the reason you go involved in it you really 181 00:13:07.409 --> 00:13:13.360 believed in in the technology and the impact that you're having on on on businesses 182 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:18.559 and on people's lives. Now that that's an interesting taken, an interesting journey. 183 00:13:18.559 --> 00:13:20.039 I'm sure a lot of people can relate to that. How from your 184 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:24.159 perspective, how important is it for people to join the company that they can 185 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:28.789 personally relate to, from a from a mission or vision perspective, or do 186 00:13:28.830 --> 00:13:31.870 you think it is possible to actually that sales marketing professional? Perhaps I don't 187 00:13:31.870 --> 00:13:37.429 care and it's just about they see a big opportunity to and a lot of 188 00:13:37.470 --> 00:13:41.700 money for EACHAM for example. Do you think it's really about doing something that 189 00:13:41.779 --> 00:13:45.820 you deeply care about? Yeah, that's that's a great question. And and 190 00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:48.899 you know it's weird as you get all the different things matter to you. 191 00:13:50.740 --> 00:13:54.220 When you're young, you know the M series cars the biggest focus in your 192 00:13:54.299 --> 00:13:58.009 life as a young man, let's say. But as you get older, 193 00:13:58.049 --> 00:14:01.769 you know it, you start to realize that once you get stuff and you 194 00:14:01.850 --> 00:14:05.250 know this is what it goes way beyond marketing and sales. This is how 195 00:14:05.289 --> 00:14:07.450 we love our life. You know, you realize that the more stuff doesn't 196 00:14:07.450 --> 00:14:13.000 make you happy and it's the little things that you want to work towards. 197 00:14:13.080 --> 00:14:16.000 And you know, I've been lucky enough to be pretty successful in a lot 198 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:20.799 of companies and with fantastic people around me, the analyst community, surrounding me 199 00:14:20.879 --> 00:14:26.070 with PhDs and brain boxes that I I'll never ever have that opportunity again, 200 00:14:26.190 --> 00:14:28.950 with the professors from London School of Economics, with my colleagues, you know. 201 00:14:30.029 --> 00:14:35.549 So you're balancing ideas and thought processes offo and over time you generate a 202 00:14:35.629 --> 00:14:39.419 wider understanding of potential in life and what your potential might be. And I 203 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:43.860 think it's markets as most. A lot of people get into marketing because it's 204 00:14:43.899 --> 00:14:48.139 seen as creative, but now that I've been in the marketing space for a 205 00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:52.970 while and I see the creative bit is actually a bit of a dying art 206 00:14:54.169 --> 00:14:58.169 and I see everything based on analytics and pulling leavers in a digital everybody talks 207 00:14:58.169 --> 00:15:01.730 about digital being key. If your story is not good enough and you don't 208 00:15:01.769 --> 00:15:05.769 believe in it, you don't have the passion for an you don't understand the 209 00:15:05.929 --> 00:15:09.879 impact that you're trying to have and you can't relate your product to that, 210 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:15.159 you really really struggle to have any kind of real enthusiasm behind what you do 211 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:18.279 or how you run your teams are how you do your job. Now it 212 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:22.309 sounds admirable. Admirable to say and very lofty actually to say. Only take 213 00:15:22.309 --> 00:15:24.789 a job that you really love. You know, we see this all over 214 00:15:24.870 --> 00:15:28.309 the place, but I think through time you know you have to do your 215 00:15:28.950 --> 00:15:31.029 warts and all, you have to you know crap, get the callousers and 216 00:15:31.110 --> 00:15:35.539 do the hard work and learn through experiences. Is, in my experiences, 217 00:15:35.940 --> 00:15:39.659 is been the best way to learn. When your head enough times and you 218 00:15:39.700 --> 00:15:43.580 stop doing stupid things. But and it's never the first time that you stop, 219 00:15:43.740 --> 00:15:46.419 trust me, it's you always give it another go. But I think 220 00:15:46.500 --> 00:15:50.809 you know. For me, I looked at this what makes you you? 221 00:15:50.889 --> 00:15:52.809 I looked at Oppia, at the market, and you said, yeah, 222 00:15:52.809 --> 00:15:56.570 we're not creating the market, and the problem with us is we're so successful 223 00:15:58.289 --> 00:16:00.330 in this market place. We grow, we double our business and we've been 224 00:16:00.370 --> 00:16:04.120 doing it for over ten years now, year on year, and we do 225 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:07.440 it not with ease. We work hard to get there and when you get 226 00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:11.799 to a certain size double it becomes a refect, your real challenge. But 227 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:15.320 with the goal behind you and with the belief that we're making the right impact, 228 00:16:15.639 --> 00:16:18.230 then you can change the world. And for me it was looking at 229 00:16:18.230 --> 00:16:22.269 automation, anywhere, looking at Darpa market and saying if I look at the 230 00:16:22.389 --> 00:16:26.269 macro world, I mean I've already mentioned that we don't have enough people. 231 00:16:26.309 --> 00:16:30.470 We lose twenty eight million people out of the workforce in the next forty years 232 00:16:32.029 --> 00:16:33.899 just in Europe. Now that's going to be a nearly twelve percent of our 233 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:37.580 workforce is going to disappoint. So we have to do more with less. 234 00:16:37.059 --> 00:16:40.659 Being a digital company. If you're not a digital company, I don't know 235 00:16:40.659 --> 00:16:45.259 what business you're in. Every everybody's digital and for maybe not in their operations, 236 00:16:45.419 --> 00:16:48.210 but and they go to market. Everybody has digital offerings, where it's 237 00:16:48.250 --> 00:16:52.289 websites or APPS or whatever it might be. Everybody's got their foot in the 238 00:16:52.370 --> 00:16:56.210 water. There the challenge. That can't be sad as we didn't the majority 239 00:16:56.250 --> 00:17:00.169 of our operations is not digital. It's based on legacy and our PA can 240 00:17:00.250 --> 00:17:03.440 step in and modernize all of that. But for me it's much more about 241 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:08.319 I've seen so many people in my career, really brilliant people that are doing 242 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:15.039 very mundane jobs, people with NBA's and in India running call centers and or 243 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:17.869 sitting on the on that another side of the phone, and then we wonder 244 00:17:17.950 --> 00:17:22.109 why we have high atrition and needs, and India specifically, because we have 245 00:17:22.190 --> 00:17:26.470 hugely talented people do very munday jobs. There's outsourced to India. So my 246 00:17:26.630 --> 00:17:30.900 mess for less. That can't carry on. We've got a free up intellectual 247 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:33.980 capacity of humans. We've got to change this. There's virus is really exposed 248 00:17:34.019 --> 00:17:40.299 us our supply chains or exposed there's a there's a hard drug, for example 249 00:17:40.380 --> 00:17:45.170 in the US. I think said seven hundred ninetyzerole people are on this drug 250 00:17:45.369 --> 00:17:48.569 and it's only manufactured in China. Now that's not pointing fingers at anybody, 251 00:17:48.609 --> 00:17:52.250 it's saying that there's a weakness and our supply chain and if a supply chains 252 00:17:52.289 --> 00:17:56.769 get shut down, forget about the virus. The seven hundred Ninetyzero people that 253 00:17:56.809 --> 00:18:00.960 are relying on that drug to keep them alive on now at risk. So 254 00:18:00.119 --> 00:18:03.240 the way that we business is have is going to have to change. There 255 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:07.759 the whole market is is, or the whole world is is pivoting at the 256 00:18:07.839 --> 00:18:11.440 moment to try and understand how do we stop this type of thing in the 257 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:15.950 future, how do we build fail safe in and I think the only way 258 00:18:15.990 --> 00:18:21.029 to do that is to free people up to actually be people and think and 259 00:18:21.269 --> 00:18:26.509 contribute and just add value rather than just do things. So I think over 260 00:18:26.710 --> 00:18:30.460 time, for me they're, you know, the the golden light was the 261 00:18:30.539 --> 00:18:33.980 world has got to change. The economic models of the world are changing because 262 00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:37.460 of the way that digital companies were. People are trying to companies are trying 263 00:18:37.500 --> 00:18:41.170 different things. They're trying things I've never done before. We've been poking at 264 00:18:41.210 --> 00:18:45.730 Agile for a long time now. We're all working from home at Metas for 265 00:18:45.009 --> 00:18:48.930 than ever, how we think, how we operate. So I think that 266 00:18:49.130 --> 00:18:53.089 from a mission perspective, you have to believe that you're doing. In my 267 00:18:53.650 --> 00:18:56.920 in my case, I'm looking at and thinking this software can actually free people 268 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:03.720 to actually have interesting lives rather than just do the same thing over and over 269 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:07.480 and over again and repeat it and etc. We never release the potential of 270 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:10.950 humans and we're going to have to as we move forward and we face with 271 00:19:10.990 --> 00:19:15.990 these massive ecological changes, these massive challenges that we've got with this virus and 272 00:19:17.150 --> 00:19:18.789 you know, we don't know if this is the last we're going to see 273 00:19:18.789 --> 00:19:22.990 of these types of things. So I think moving forward, a company of 274 00:19:23.109 --> 00:19:26.819 people are smart. People have to align themselves to good causes. They have 275 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:30.460 to have a societal impact if they're really going to make a change, because 276 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:34.619 you know that. And lastly, everybody's on their soapbox. So everybody's got 277 00:19:34.619 --> 00:19:40.849 a comment about your business. You know how organizations behave. It's critique constantly 278 00:19:41.130 --> 00:19:45.650 and companies can be made or broken, you know if the right people or 279 00:19:45.650 --> 00:19:48.809 the right influences are saying the wrong things about them. So all the right 280 00:19:48.890 --> 00:19:52.359 things about them. So we're much more interwove and I think you have to 281 00:19:52.440 --> 00:19:57.720 be socially responsible and we have to figure out how your product or service can 282 00:19:57.839 --> 00:20:03.359 tie into doing something positive rather than just making money. I know it sounds 283 00:20:03.359 --> 00:20:07.349 a bit lofty, but it almost everything, in every product in the world 284 00:20:07.829 --> 00:20:12.190 besides the obvious ones, can have some kind of positive impact on the environments 285 00:20:12.230 --> 00:20:15.829 that we serve. And as for me, understanding what that is and linking 286 00:20:15.869 --> 00:20:19.109 it that, that helps me decide where I want to work and where I 287 00:20:19.309 --> 00:20:22.500 want to throw my efforts. For sure, absolutely. And to your point, 288 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:29.339 some most example you're using around, you know today and the virus and 289 00:20:29.539 --> 00:20:33.339 how much that bringing it to the to reality for a lot of people that 290 00:20:33.460 --> 00:20:37.250 haven't sort of thought about the impact of if we had something like this. 291 00:20:37.569 --> 00:20:40.890 How can we very quickly work from home. I mean there's a lot of 292 00:20:40.930 --> 00:20:47.769 businesses that are benefiting very nicely from the current circumstances based on exactly that collaboration 293 00:20:47.930 --> 00:20:53.720 tools or communication tools or security providers that enable remote working so so easily. 294 00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:59.039 But actually I think, to your point it is lofty, but I think 295 00:20:59.920 --> 00:21:04.309 situations like we've seen ourselves in recently absolutely will mean that the sort of general 296 00:21:04.470 --> 00:21:08.589 working pattern and process is going to have to change and down and, to 297 00:21:08.710 --> 00:21:12.549 your point, companies like yourself a probably world placed to impact that. We 298 00:21:12.710 --> 00:21:17.589 look at automation anywhere. As a company you're going through hyper growth, as 299 00:21:17.630 --> 00:21:19.819 you spoke about there, and as we see with a lot of businesses, 300 00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:23.539 they can begin to lose their way a little bit as that happens and can 301 00:21:23.660 --> 00:21:29.660 keep that consistency when scaling is a challenge. Have you seen that as a 302 00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:33.490 challenge at automation anywhere and from what are some of the things that you guys 303 00:21:33.529 --> 00:21:40.210 are doing to ensure that alignment and consistency around your around your messaging, around 304 00:21:40.210 --> 00:21:42.170 your why? Really, how do you ensure that that still there as you 305 00:21:42.210 --> 00:21:48.880 keep growing? I think we're sticking to we've got a frilly extensive five year 306 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:52.799 plan in place that's not actually coming to the end of its the end of 307 00:21:52.839 --> 00:21:55.960 its activation. But you know, when you're building a company that's going as 308 00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:57.799 quickly. And just to put it in perspective, I always employed two hundred 309 00:21:57.839 --> 00:22:02.549 and seventy three and we're now two stars and nothing, two thousand six hundred 310 00:22:02.549 --> 00:22:07.829 employees the last time I check. That's not including the developers and the tempt 311 00:22:07.869 --> 00:22:11.829 staff that work with US and support us at CITRI's. So and that's happened 312 00:22:11.869 --> 00:22:15.269 in three years, just over three years. So and we're now, and 313 00:22:15.390 --> 00:22:18.819 what I think we're in ninety two countries where active with sales and we're over 314 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:23.779 fifty companies. We have officers now and when I started we had no officers 315 00:22:23.819 --> 00:22:27.859 in Europe at all. We now have three hundred fifty people in Europe and 316 00:22:27.940 --> 00:22:36.089 we have offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Warsaw, Milan, 317 00:22:36.329 --> 00:22:38.450 which is closed, of it everywhere close at the moment, and Madrid, 318 00:22:40.089 --> 00:22:44.759 Netherlands. And I think I've covered everything in Europe. I'm not one 319 00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:47.640 hundred percent. I think the Mos Switzerland, we have an office in Switzerland, 320 00:22:47.640 --> 00:22:51.200 as wrong to you. So we've grown pretty quickly and and you know, 321 00:22:51.920 --> 00:22:56.160 I think the the challenge on scaling and consistency is always, you know, 322 00:22:56.240 --> 00:23:00.309 keep your true north. Decide what kind of company you want to be 323 00:23:00.430 --> 00:23:03.750 in a different everybody knows, at different growth levels you require different sets of 324 00:23:03.789 --> 00:23:07.470 skills to get you there. You know, as you're moving, as you 325 00:23:07.549 --> 00:23:10.509 become more corporate, you need to hire a different CFO, for example, 326 00:23:11.269 --> 00:23:17.180 you need to hire a different team of people that around compliance implement. We're 327 00:23:17.180 --> 00:23:23.180 implementing huge systems from workday through to full implementation, full reimplementations of sales force, 328 00:23:23.259 --> 00:23:29.930 etc. And you need a whole team of skilled internal IT services guys 329 00:23:29.970 --> 00:23:33.730 to be able to build it. But the way to keep everybody, I 330 00:23:33.809 --> 00:23:37.849 suppose, kind of on track is is having your true north and just re 331 00:23:38.210 --> 00:23:41.680 to rating that. So we have a set of values that we live by 332 00:23:41.319 --> 00:23:45.599 and we try and will we run by OK ours as well. I don't 333 00:23:45.599 --> 00:23:51.079 know if you're familiar with their books of objectives and key results, and those 334 00:23:51.119 --> 00:23:56.230 are all broken down from our CEO right the way down to me and my 335 00:23:56.430 --> 00:23:59.630 team and everybody else. We all have a set of Ok ours and those 336 00:23:59.670 --> 00:24:03.829 are really the transactional stuff that we're trying to achieve and they all kind of 337 00:24:03.910 --> 00:24:07.710 total lot to make sure that me or has what he needs when he walks 338 00:24:07.750 --> 00:24:11.259 into the board meeting. It's on. So it's not easy. You have 339 00:24:11.339 --> 00:24:14.339 to have a plan B, if I'm honest, you know, because plan 340 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:18.180 a very seldom works or it never works out the way you wanted to explain. 341 00:24:18.180 --> 00:24:21.579 It's always plan a, version twenty six by the time you get to 342 00:24:21.619 --> 00:24:25.450 the end of the journey. If you if you still with your plot plan 343 00:24:25.529 --> 00:24:29.049 A, we've been lucky and that the markets very, very active. So 344 00:24:29.970 --> 00:24:33.609 you know, we've tried things. We've got huge product development teams. We've 345 00:24:33.609 --> 00:24:37.130 got a huge amount of our revenue. I can't give the exact percentage, 346 00:24:37.210 --> 00:24:40.119 but a large percentage of our own you goes back into R and D for 347 00:24:40.200 --> 00:24:45.680 product development. So we're our PA is today is credible. It's almost the 348 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:48.960 AI or three years ago. You know, the technology doesn't get done or 349 00:24:49.079 --> 00:24:52.910 get smaller as a technology. Get Smarty. You need to step up and 350 00:24:52.990 --> 00:24:56.829 extend your product offering into you know, rather than just task what emotion. 351 00:24:56.910 --> 00:25:00.549 You need full process, auto motion. You need to incorporate AI and analytics. 352 00:25:02.230 --> 00:25:07.109 We've just built a BOT called discovery, but that actually runs across your 353 00:25:07.140 --> 00:25:10.700 systems and then builds the Bot automatically for you, so you don't actually have 354 00:25:10.819 --> 00:25:15.660 to have any kind of internal development. Just plug and play, come kind 355 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:18.140 of stuff. So I think you got to keep your true north and hyperscale. 356 00:25:18.180 --> 00:25:22.250 You got to know where you're going, no matter which route you have 357 00:25:22.329 --> 00:25:26.609 to take to get there, because those change all the time. So and 358 00:25:26.769 --> 00:25:30.849 under communications super important. It's the most important thing, I think, in 359 00:25:30.930 --> 00:25:34.410 any business. Clear communication as to where we need to go and you need 360 00:25:34.450 --> 00:25:38.559 to spend a lot of time communicating to the team internally to make sure that 361 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:45.079 everybody's focused and one hundred percent focused. I suppose I'm where you need to 362 00:25:45.160 --> 00:25:49.190 get to, otherwise you're not going to get there. So communication, you're 363 00:25:49.230 --> 00:25:55.549 true north, and those are probably the two most important points. I think 364 00:25:55.589 --> 00:26:00.390 in any scaling organization it's just keep keep your direction and show you flexibility on 365 00:26:00.549 --> 00:26:03.190 you know how you're going to get there and and you know, if you 366 00:26:03.470 --> 00:26:07.220 in any hyperscale business, people tend to work a lot longer hours just to 367 00:26:07.299 --> 00:26:10.740 be able to get there. You know, as a lot of entrepreneurial type 368 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:12.420 people, that you're play especially in the early days, to get stuff up 369 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:15.980 and running and some of them are working sixteen nine days, six days a 370 00:26:17.059 --> 00:26:21.329 week for two or three years at a time, and you have to have 371 00:26:21.410 --> 00:26:23.730 a bigger purpose. You have to have a better true north than just are 372 00:26:23.769 --> 00:26:27.769 we're going to IPO. You know, very few people are motivated by that. 373 00:26:30.009 --> 00:26:33.200 So I think when you're younger, Ip is very attractive, but after 374 00:26:33.240 --> 00:26:37.000 a while you realize the complexities around and your way for as much as you 375 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:41.440 can. But yeah, it's that's let me stop there. I think true 376 00:26:41.519 --> 00:26:45.599 door that flexibility and being and having a decent, purposeful help get there in 377 00:26:45.640 --> 00:26:49.430 hyperscale. Okay, that's certain. That's a really interesting spector on it. 378 00:26:49.509 --> 00:26:55.549 And it's final point around that is you mentioned about having a true north. 379 00:26:55.670 --> 00:27:00.910 But in a in a scaling hypergrowth company, do you ever see that there's 380 00:27:00.910 --> 00:27:06.339 a an opportunity or an instance where actually you're your true north or your why 381 00:27:06.500 --> 00:27:11.380 around what you're doing can change? Is that something that you could see happening, 382 00:27:11.500 --> 00:27:14.460 or would that mean that you actually perhaps haven't found it true north in 383 00:27:14.539 --> 00:27:17.849 the first place? That's you're absolutely right. And what I mean by true 384 00:27:17.970 --> 00:27:21.130 north actually is not a destination for the company, it's a type of company 385 00:27:21.170 --> 00:27:23.089 you want to build. Yeah, you know, if you build, if 386 00:27:23.089 --> 00:27:26.089 you build a company and you if you build a team, you know, 387 00:27:26.170 --> 00:27:30.000 even a small team, and you build it with the right purpose in mind, 388 00:27:30.119 --> 00:27:33.319 it doesn't really matter the roots that you take to get where you need 389 00:27:33.400 --> 00:27:37.240 to get to. So and the true north is about the type of organization 390 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:41.519 that you want to become, because then it doesn't matter if you're if you're 391 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:44.950 if you're just going to IPO, for example, as virus it's just put 392 00:27:45.069 --> 00:27:48.470 a block on everybody that's rushing to IPO and silicon valley at the moment right 393 00:27:48.789 --> 00:27:56.029 there's already the casualties. Any company that's exposed to the travel market is in 394 00:27:56.109 --> 00:27:57.660 trouble, especially if they're if they're funded, and there are, there are 395 00:27:57.660 --> 00:28:03.539 a small startup organization. So we're really starting to see some of those get 396 00:28:03.579 --> 00:28:07.019 hit by what's going on. But the true north of the company is really 397 00:28:07.059 --> 00:28:11.259 about what type of organization do we want to build, what do we want 398 00:28:11.299 --> 00:28:14.529 to do, what do we want to become? And I think in today's 399 00:28:14.569 --> 00:28:18.250 environment, with our first day of locked up, lockdown in the UK, 400 00:28:18.890 --> 00:28:22.529 it really shines is to well, we can sit here and try and make 401 00:28:22.569 --> 00:28:26.049 money on that, on this because automation is a huge opportunity. When there's 402 00:28:26.049 --> 00:28:29.640 not enough people around to do the work and people are working from home, 403 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:32.839 there's huge amounts of opportunity for us to go in and say, look, 404 00:28:32.839 --> 00:28:34.799 there's lots of different pots that you can build to be able to do this 405 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:37.559 work. What we're trying to do at the moment as an example, as 406 00:28:37.599 --> 00:28:42.470 we're working closely with the NHS and government, and I'm not going to say 407 00:28:42.470 --> 00:28:47.910 anything more at the moment, but we're trying to build as many bots free 408 00:28:47.950 --> 00:28:49.670 of charge. We're not charging for this, just to try and figure out 409 00:28:49.750 --> 00:28:55.670 how quickly we can move information around with regards to covid where the hot spots 410 00:28:55.710 --> 00:28:59.259 might lie, because dayten, big data coming in is going to be a 411 00:28:59.380 --> 00:29:03.019 big, big problem as this starts to scale up. We've seen in Italy. 412 00:29:03.460 --> 00:29:06.339 You know, where are the free bids? Everything's done manually. We 413 00:29:06.460 --> 00:29:10.730 need some kind of system to be able to identify where we have capacity, 414 00:29:10.930 --> 00:29:15.730 where we have hot spots. There's so many different opportunities for information to fly 415 00:29:15.849 --> 00:29:19.049 around and get lost in this crisis. So I think companies, if you 416 00:29:19.130 --> 00:29:22.849 have a true north companies, will do the right thing in times of need 417 00:29:22.930 --> 00:29:26.599 rather than just carry on going in the direction of the game. Now we 418 00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:32.119 have to carry on right business because we support over fourzero enterprises and we have 419 00:29:32.200 --> 00:29:34.160 to figure out for them as well. We've, for example, we've created 420 00:29:34.200 --> 00:29:38.549 an HR bought that tracks where your staff are and we've told all of our 421 00:29:38.549 --> 00:29:41.589 customers just downloaded, there's no cost for this thing. Just download it, 422 00:29:41.670 --> 00:29:45.390 find out where I are, make sure a few of my team, for 423 00:29:45.470 --> 00:29:49.109 example, and isolation. The kids have got ill and they fact a lock 424 00:29:49.230 --> 00:29:55.019 themselves in. Our HR team needs to know how they are. They reporting 425 00:29:55.059 --> 00:29:56.140 every day and we use a bot to be able to track all of that. 426 00:29:56.259 --> 00:30:00.299 We're trying to push that type of technology out into the marketplace and be 427 00:30:00.619 --> 00:30:04.500 having your true north allows you to that flexibility to do the right thing first, 428 00:30:04.500 --> 00:30:08.730 rather than just chase the direction you were going. And if you're just 429 00:30:10.089 --> 00:30:14.450 you're true north is just the direction or just an IPO or just we want 430 00:30:14.450 --> 00:30:17.930 to be a billion, two, billion, twenty billion dollar company. How 431 00:30:18.009 --> 00:30:21.880 you get there will be much more complex, whereas if the company's led with 432 00:30:21.960 --> 00:30:25.240 a vision of this is where we're going to go and along the way we're 433 00:30:25.240 --> 00:30:27.079 going to have lots of adventures. It's a very different type of place to 434 00:30:27.160 --> 00:30:30.240 work and we can get sixteen hours out of people with with a lot of 435 00:30:30.319 --> 00:30:34.519 enthusiasm because we all believe we're doing the right thing. Okay, okay, 436 00:30:34.599 --> 00:30:38.910 cool, that's that's really interesting and thanks for that. Inside so well. 437 00:30:38.950 --> 00:30:44.950 I think we're sort of near into the end of our conversation today and really 438 00:30:44.990 --> 00:30:48.829 appreciate that you've taken the time to share your thoughts around marketing, your why, 439 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:53.779 how you keep the nesting consistent and and actually how you build a company 440 00:30:55.339 --> 00:30:57.940 with a true north mindset. I guess is is is the key, rather 441 00:30:57.980 --> 00:31:02.259 than looking at it as a destination. Now I'm sure there's going to be 442 00:31:02.259 --> 00:31:03.809 a lot of people that will want to continue that conversation with you. So, 443 00:31:04.210 --> 00:31:07.650 if that is indeed the case, how would you suggest that people get 444 00:31:07.650 --> 00:31:12.170 in touch with both yourself and, of course, your company, automation anywhere? 445 00:31:12.569 --> 00:31:15.809 Sure, so, if you want to get in touch with me, 446 00:31:15.970 --> 00:31:18.400 I'm on Linkedin, rock views. I'm automation anywhere. I'm pretty easy to 447 00:31:18.480 --> 00:31:22.799 find. My profile is open. Alternatively, you know, we can go 448 00:31:22.920 --> 00:31:27.160 to our website. Is Automation anywherecom do search on Google and will pop up 449 00:31:27.200 --> 00:31:30.839 as lots of videos and so on. So anyway. Anybody wants to each 450 00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:34.910 other and carry on with the conversation will happy to do so and once again, 451 00:31:34.950 --> 00:31:37.869 thanks very much for inviting me. I really enjoyed a talking with you, 452 00:31:37.910 --> 00:31:41.710 Dan, and thank you very much. Thank you once again, and 453 00:31:42.309 --> 00:31:48.220 stay safe and look forward to catch up against operatics has redefined the meaning of 454 00:31:48.420 --> 00:31:55.859 revenue generation for technology companies worldwide. While the traditional concepts of building and managing 455 00:31:56.019 --> 00:32:00.140 inside sales teams inhouse has existed for many years, companies are struggling with a 456 00:32:00.180 --> 00:32:07.009 lack of focus, agility and scale required in today's fast and complex world of 457 00:32:07.130 --> 00:32:14.250 enterprise technology sales. See How operatics can help your company accelerate pipeline at operatics 458 00:32:14.410 --> 00:32:19.400 dotnet. You've been listening to be to be revenue acceleration. To ensure that 459 00:32:19.480 --> 00:32:22.279 you never miss an episode, subscribe to the show in your favorite podcast player. 460 00:32:22.920 --> 00:32:25.200 Thank you so much for listening. Until next time,