How do you steal the spotlight from Marc Benioff at Dreamforce? By hiring a Benioff impersonator. Yes, Kyle Porter and the Salesloft team ACTUALLY did that. But they didn’t stop there…
Joining co-hosts Matt Amundson and Craig Rosenberg to chat about the amazing stunts pulled in the early days of Salesloft and how to build a healthy company culture is Kyle Porter himself, the Founder and Board Chair of Salesloft. Beyond bringing a Benioff doppelganger to Dreamforce, Kyle shares some brilliant plays his team used to drive brand awareness and become the biggest story at their competitor’s conference. Kyle also dives into how he built a loving culture within Salesloft and how that loving culture was extended to and felt by their customers.
Also, Craig provides a gripping tale about his experience with an elevator and Matt sets the record straight on whether a presentation he gave was sweaty or swear-y.
Sign up for our Newsletter: https://thetransaction.substack.com/
Critical Takeaways
- When you really love your customers and they can actually feel that love, they are willing to go to bat for you and your company. Because Matt felt that Kyle loved him-as a customer-he would defend and promote Salesloft when others were defending or promoting a competitor.
- Building a strong company culture is more important than ever. It should be built on love–in a platonic way–for the members of your organization. A healthy organizational culture translates to better team dynamics, productivity, and ultimately, better customer interactions and satisfaction.
- Dare to be different, especially when it comes to events. People will only really remember 1-2 things from an event, so it’s critical to make that shortlist. A bigger booth doesn’t necessarily make you more memorable. Most event booths zig, so find a way to zag, even if it means doing something other than a booth (Sorry if that one hit too close to home).
Sponsored Segment
This episode is presented by Ringmaster Conversational Marketing, the go-to branded podcast team. To discover how your company can leverage B2B podcasts to deliver outsized ROI, visit ringmaster.com.
Interested in becoming a sponsor of The Transaction? Contact thetransaction@samguertin.com
Chapters
00:00 Introducing Kyle Porter!
08:25 Awesome SaaS Stunts from the Salesloft Team
26:00 The Importance of Organizational Culture and Leadership
30:18 Loving Your Customers
32:54 Building a Community & Leveraging Customer Advocacy
44:28 How to Build a GREAT Sales Deck and Engage with Key Decision Makers
50:36 The Impact of Kyle’s Brand as a Founder
Epic Quotes
- “We're going to continually love and serve our customers and our people better than anyone else. And when you care more than anyone else, you're going to win ultimately.” - Kyle Porter
- “When a customer bought SalesLoft, I had the mentality that they had just saved my life and I was going to treat them as such” - Kyle Porter
- “Taking care of your employees Actually helps you take care of your customers” - Matt Amundson
Connect with Kyle
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyleporter/
- Website: https://www.salesloft.com/
- Kyle’s post about the Marc Benioff Impersonation (with pictures): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141022175506-2446560-how-we-impersonated-the-salesforce-com-ceo-for-one-of-the-best-marketing-hacks-at-dreamforce/
- The Puppy Party for #Unleash17: https://x.com/Salesloft/status/872167164123459584
Shoutouts
- Jon Birdsong: https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdsong/
- Mike Damphousse: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damphoux/
- Behind the Cloud by Marc Benioff: https://amzn.to/3CE8WXS
- AJ Gandhi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjaigandhi/
- AJ Gandhi’s episode of The Transaction: https://thetransactionpod.co
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Ruthie's Table 4
For more than 30 years The River Cafe in London, has been the home-from-home of artists, architects, designers, actors, collectors, writers, activists, and politicians. Michael Caine, Glenn Close, JJ Abrams, Steve McQueen, Victoria and David Beckham, and Lily Allen, are just some of the people who love to call The River Cafe home. On River Cafe Table 4, Rogers sits down with her customers—who have become friends—to talk about food memories. Table 4 explores how food impacts every aspect of our lives. “Foods is politics, food is cultural, food is how you express love, food is about your heritage, it defines who you and who you want to be,” says Rogers. Each week, Rogers invites her guest to reminisce about family suppers and first dates, what they cook, how they eat when performing, the restaurants they choose, and what food they seek when they need comfort. And to punctuate each episode of Table 4, guests such as Ralph Fiennes, Emily Blunt, and Alfonso Cuarón, read their favourite recipe from one of the best-selling River Cafe cookbooks. Table 4 itself, is situated near The River Cafe’s open kitchen, close to the bright pink wood-fired oven and next to the glossy yellow pass, where Ruthie oversees the restaurant. You are invited to take a seat at this intimate table and join the conversation. For more information, recipes, and ingredients, go to https://shoptherivercafe.co.uk/ Web: https://rivercafe.co.uk/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/therivercafelondon/ Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/therivercafelondon/ For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iheartradio app, apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.