Peers Over Beers - Community Experts Podcast

In this episode, Chris and Eni dive deep into a current event that Mind Valley held for their customers including the community. We talk about user groups, a technology called Bevy and how they might use that for Community-Led Growth and more.

Creators & Guests

Host
Chris Detzel
Chris is a versatile Digital Community Strategist with several years of experience. He has owned community vision, strategy, and execution. He is responsible for leading the development and execution of community engagement programs, creating compelling content for customer communities and acts as the voice of the customer. He believes that data should drive decisions as it is the key element of any long-term successful strategy.

What is Peers Over Beers - Community Experts Podcast?

B2B Community Strategist Chris Detzel is your host for this fun and straight shooting podcast for enterprise community leaders / managers and digital savvy professionals. With easy and natural inquisitive banter, your host will tackle hard issues facing community leaders and managers in their day-to-day struggles, and yes, sometimes over a beer. From starting new communities, digitally transforming enterprise culture, moderation, and globalization techniques are all up for discussion.

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Chris Detzel: Welcome to another peers over beers everyone, my name is Chris Detzel and today Eni is a special guest he's been on the show before any how are you.

Eni Selfo: I am doing great and i'm very happy to be back Chris.

Chris Detzel: i'm glad you're back why don't you introduce yourself real quick, so that people know where you're from what you do and all that kind of stuff.

Eni Selfo: yeah my name is Eni I am the head of Community at mind valley i've been in this role for about three years now.

Eni Selfo: And what we do is we are an attack platform, bringing together all things personal transformation so it's truly always a pleasure to be the Community when people are so eager and keen to keep on growing and transforming and i've just come back from our festival Chris.

Eni Selfo: We were injured on we did the these incredible thing there is called a fast.

Eni Selfo: We had 375 of our students and Community come together to Jordan, and it was the first event we did post pandemic and my God I don't know if you've been to some events since pandemic.

Eni Selfo: Yes, the magic of coming back together is.

Eni Selfo: I i've been on a high seems.

Chris Detzel: to bed, you have to come back right.

Eni Selfo: Now these are personal kind of.

Chris Detzel: events that are more personal right, you know people trying to grow, you know.

Chris Detzel: and trying to better themselves and those kinds of things so it's a little bit different than like an event that I would go to.

Chris Detzel: towards all business for you it's business right but I mean for that person it's a more personal kind of you know, experience to whether trying to better themselves or trying to grow as a person, and you know, maybe they see it as somewhat of a vacation to some degree.

Chris Detzel: it's just one things.

Eni Selfo: They do, and this is something that i've reflected on since i've seen all of them come back so first of all, this was the one event in 10 years where we sold the highest number of tickets with your body it's also because we decided to give all the profits to Ukraine.

Eni Selfo: Even that.

Eni Selfo: One of our headquarters is in Estonia and we always felt that this was very close.

To home.

Eni Selfo: So that was beautiful celebration, but also the one thing that keeps people coming back some of our customers they've been back with us 10 times for the same event.

Eni Selfo: Because when you work with the Community in these events and then people feel like of course i'm coming to improve myself but i'm really coming to hang out my friends.

Eni Selfo: it's almost like no price that people will not be willing to pay for a memorable experience that they get to share with people they love.

Eni Selfo: And in on top of it.

Eni Selfo: You put some personal transformation and why not live through it.

Chris Detzel: I like that.

Chris Detzel: So to kind of get to the business piece of it a little bit is so you get to go to these events and i'm sure that there's a lot of back end stuff that you're doing to make sure that it's an amazing event and.

Chris Detzel: team is doing all these other things, to make you know, probably running around, but nobody knows or things happen, you know.

Chris Detzel: What is it that you guys, I mean obviously you're looking at more people coming you know and paying for the event so that's good, and you know from a Community standpoint, you know what do you do when you get back from that event, and what are some things that maybe.

Chris Detzel: Then it kind of you know, is there some follow up is there sure there's a lot of things that you're doing to make sure they're either coming back there next week at another event coming up or you know I don't know what does that look like.

Eni Selfo: So this time the way looks like is that we actually have our biggest event coming up in less than two weeks.

Eni Selfo: You know our most ambitious event ever we have over 1000 people that are coming to Estonia.

Eni Selfo: For three weeks and and we're doing what's called mine valley university and truly truly truly truly, this is the Community experiment that we do because there's.

Eni Selfo: The festival a fast is amazing it last for four to five days, though, so, then you you go fully in the Bible that's part of the magic it's an experience that begins and ends, everything is curated in every second of the month of the event.

Eni Selfo: But then when you come to my university you get to actually leave like people share their airbnb you know that you choose to leave with you get to leave with the.

Eni Selfo: Company for three weeks in a new in a new city, while still being exposed to all the transformational content, of course.

Eni Selfo: So the follow up was first of all, making sure that as many of the people that were in Jordan would be coming to to Tallinn, which.

Eni Selfo: is amazing to see the former that happens i've seen quite a few of them that had zero in terms of come into Parliament, then they said oh my God now this person is going in that person's.

Eni Selfo: fault.

Chris Detzel: that's kind of crazy that.

Chris Detzel: They would spend how many weeks was this last one they.

Eni Selfo: These was that this was four days.

Chris Detzel: Four days, and then they would come back for another three week kind of thing, how do they I guess a summertime and people have a lot of time off is that.

Chris Detzel: True.

Eni Selfo: Also at the majority of our customers he doesn't necessarily work for big corporations to be entrepreneurs and have their own businesses which allows them some geographical freedom as well.

Eni Selfo: So yeah now we are getting ready and the team is getting ready, the biggest challenge for us as a community team these come in three weeks, other than making it out live.

Eni Selfo: that's a lot yes it's a lot three weeks in advance is quite quite ambitious.

Eni Selfo: But we are selecting our new batch of super users, our ambassadors, because obviously people that come to this event are ready, the top.

Eni Selfo: 510 percent of our customer base so they get to experience the magic in person right they get to feel what's possible to live in community, what are the conversations that we can have.

Eni Selfo: How does it feel to party with these people, how does it feel to go out on a weekend excursion with some other people, and then the challenge for us it's going to be finding the right.

Eni Selfo: host that can bring back these experience to their own country, so I think I met last time, Greece, that the challenge right now that I have but beautiful challenge like what i'm working on and i'm super excited about his kickstart in these local events that.

Eni Selfo: are run by our Community and where I was betting on was something different than normal meetups I decided that I wanted to say bye bye to normal meetups and instead I wanted to propose a dinner form of people coming over for dinner either in someone's place.

Chris Detzel: To the.

Eni Selfo: restaurant and Captain that to 10 people to really allow for deep conversations and it's going amazing we've already had we already had dinners in 11 different countries.

Eni Selfo: And we've only started the project it's only been.

Eni Selfo: Less than two months so that's quite an achievement is more than more than one meetup a week in different countries around the world.

Eni Selfo: And now that we have 1000 super committed students and customers coming here our game will be okay, we need to find the right people that will will want to bring this back to their down and really expand the Community effect globally.

Chris Detzel: Well, I think you hit on something because i'm i'm highly interested in some of the stuff So if you don't mind me asking some questions around that and if you don't have all the answers that's fine, so I love the idea of.

Chris Detzel: bringing people together like 510 people and meeting inside either homes or maybe they you know meet some more specifically as a small group to have dinner with and.

Chris Detzel: Have conversation around whatever it is that they have conversations around I think that's important as a matter of fact, this guy.

Chris Detzel: He has a thing called dinner five his name is jack mcgee.

Chris Detzel: And he doesn't most in the US what he does today is he's been doing it for about three years now, now, you know something that messed it up was code, but he started doing it kind of virtually.

Chris Detzel: I think he's doing it face to face now is he'd bring together five to seven I think it's five.

Chris Detzel: people that are in the Community space leaders together either he did in his home in Austin Texas, he came to Dallas and we rented an airbnb and he's been to some other locations around us.

Chris Detzel: And would have kind of these dinners with five other community leaders and just have conversations and he would come in with a.

Chris Detzel: chef chef would make some dinner, I mean, and he cared about what he cared about was the food, the type of food, you know, like it wasn't.

Chris Detzel: It wasn't just hey let's just have a dinner, it was specific really you know it's kind of his thing you know he, like but it's really the conversation and i've been to a couple of them.

Chris Detzel: That really intimate was face to face and things like that now you're doing sort of similar but it's bringing it around to the world, you know, like all over.

Chris Detzel: And I love that idea because i've been thinking about.

Chris Detzel: How do I do something similar to that it's kinda like meetups but yours is a little bit more intimate and focused so tell us more about you know how are you doing that technology wise is there some type of things that you're doing or you know how do you sponsor that what's the.

Chris Detzel: How do you go about that that i'm highly interested so.

Eni Selfo: i'm very happy and i'm gonna make a note for myself dinner five is the.

Chris Detzel: winner five.

Chris Detzel: His name is jack mcgee I can give you this information email you or whatever.

amazing.

Eni Selfo: So for me what was more important, most important, I actually started planning these following premier parker's.

Eni Selfo: Art of gathering principles I don't know if you've heard the very mention that you must have so if you haven't I really this book as completely revolutionized the wing, which I think of the bands for community.

Eni Selfo: Now it's called.

Eni Selfo: The art of gathering by priya Parker.

Eni Selfo: she's also been as be the one of the keynote speaker at the cms summit later, these September so great great personality to are.

Chris Detzel: You going.

Eni Selfo: Yes, I really hope so i've actually applied to speak so fingers yes let's see.

Chris Detzel: Maybe i'll go I think there's a few people that I want to meet that'd be great to meet you there so.

Eni Selfo: I would love to meet you too, and we started what what she really talks about is.

Eni Selfo: When we create the balance we focus so much on the logistics, for example, you know the napkins and the food the lighting and the venue and so often we actually either fall into.

Eni Selfo: defaulted templates on how to run that and she even uses the example of baby showers or birthday parties is like the same thing that we've seen over and over again.

Eni Selfo: But we we always fail to ask ourselves what is really the reason why i'm gathering these people and maybe want to give it a different perspective from the usual one.

Eni Selfo: So these are we started reflecting about the dinners and.

Eni Selfo: I there was a process of of deep listening when it came to what the Community wanted and I knew that what they kept telling me was I can have conversations with the mind valley community, I cannot have anywhere else.

Eni Selfo: So Okay, then let's capitalize on that.

Eni Selfo: This is the value that you find is that finally, I can have more vulnerable conversations I can actually talk about what's going on in my life, rather than go for the surface shallow small talks.

Eni Selfo: Then let's make the whole thing about this, and that was the purpose, how can we design a format, where people will experience this where we give them the conversation, they cannot have anywhere else.

Eni Selfo: And it's quite interesting because personal growth, by definition, when you're transforming yourself is a single player type of journey it's you and yourself, maybe you have a coach but it doesn't really tend to be into a community.

Eni Selfo: So my question was how do I turn it from a single player game, and I make it a multiplayer one word personal growth doesn't have to be just personal What if it becomes collective growth.

Eni Selfo: And the something that I am really excited about personally and someone that's part of the dinner project for me, was one of our authors his name is Keith for ozzy he wrote a.

Eni Selfo: huge number of books on networking some of these most famous ones are who's got your back never eat alone now he's focusing very heavily on management.

Eni Selfo: and leadership in this Pasco good word and he was doing something similar to the dinner five projects where he would always invite key leaders to his home to have dinner and facilitate vulnerable conversations.

Chris Detzel: Now we've.

Eni Selfo: Top Level executives from different fortune 500 companies actually talking about was going on in their lives.

Eni Selfo: Whenever.

Eni Selfo: These executives would walk out of this obvious house, they would always feel like wow I never thought you would get this intimate.

Eni Selfo: So I kind of like borrowed that concept and at the same time, some events that i've seen around the world like dinner and blank that gave me the idea of Okay, this is something that could scale in the future.

Eni Selfo: But first I want to make sure that that initial circle of people feels like I love tonight, and I cannot wait to come back.

Eni Selfo: And I really believe that the only way of doing that is focusing heavily on curating the experience and making it in a way that whether I attend the mind valley dinner in Berlin or in New York.

Eni Selfo: He will always feel similar even though obviously, the people will change the question of the night will change.

Eni Selfo: So this is how we did it kind of like for math wise when it comes to budget we didn't spend anything really for the dinner itself because it's a local host that organizes it everybody pays their ticket, of course.

Eni Selfo: We make sure that.

Eni Selfo: We don't make it accessible and it's not like Michelin star dinner that people, maybe don't feel comfortable to pay.

Eni Selfo: And when it comes to the management of these, we have just started implementing bevy as our platform for management.

Eni Selfo: Because the difficult part for me was the only way of me, knowing what was going on and, as I said, we just started the project, two months ago, so it was I would have to check in with my teammates without Dan would have to check in with all of you.

Eni Selfo: To send this information, and I just wanted a place where I could see what's going on, when is the next event coming up what is happening.

Eni Selfo: And it's been amazing to see that we've got the one of the last meetups that made me smile because I never imagined that would happen there the last dinners was in Trinidad and Tobago.

Eni Selfo: You would think like it would take off in huge cities, but when you have the right local host you can read anywhere and.

Chris Detzel: Any word.

Eni Selfo: You know, for me, brings that purpose that I was telling you at the very beginning that I heard from the Community, we want to meet people around us.

Eni Selfo: In my town, so when I see this happening in smaller places not like in Sydney Australia or in New York to me it's like okay we're doing the right thing, because we're actually bringing the Community in places where, otherwise we would never go as mine Bollywood our big events.

Chris Detzel: And I think what people so remote now you know and it continuing to grow with remote jobs and moving anywhere, they want to go, I mean you know it's just going to be more and more of that you're going to see a lot more people outside of these big cities.

Chris Detzel: I would assume.

Chris Detzel: You know.

Chris Detzel: Well, how did you.

Chris Detzel: i'm thinking more program wise, so you know sorry if i'm getting too technical, but just kind of a little bit tactical, but when you think.

Chris Detzel: So, bringing in bevy but, but what are all the things that are what are some of the things that you have to do to kind of.

Chris Detzel: Get that setup like the things I think about is one you gotta you know brand a you got to do all these things within bevy itself, and then you can start giving access to you know some certain people that you want to have events and.

Chris Detzel: It is there some my application that they the.

Chris Detzel: event people that have to go through you know what does that look like and.

Eni Selfo: yeah so we have.

Eni Selfo: We have a base of Radio ambassadors that we had selected over the years.

Eni Selfo: And they've already proven their incredible skill set commitment, dedication and loyalty to the Community, so this was a big challenge Chris i'll have to say that.

Eni Selfo: it's very difficult to find people that really do it because they want to grow, the Community versus people that do it because they want to grow their own.

Chris Detzel: brand new.

Eni Selfo: network or.

Eni Selfo: So and and that's a tricky one because everybody can you know talk about how much they love the Community and why they want to do it in a selfless way, but then.

Eni Selfo: You have to give away some of the power and the feedback at some point we'll come back, but that was finding hosts rather than ambassadors per se was already like.

Eni Selfo: Quite it's quite an interesting selection process to to put in place and that's why this year.

Eni Selfo: we're actually going to look for the first time doing these during mine valley university so before anyone could apply from all over the world, we would work thundered interview online and then just wait for the feedback to come in right.

Eni Selfo: And to see the results, what was happening, but this time the task I gave the team is I want you to find people you genuinely want to hang out with I don't want this to feel like work, the new ambassadors that come in, are the type of people you want to take out for dinner.

Eni Selfo: yeah and and we will really work on creating the relationships, while we're together, because I think we have a unique chance of being with them, for several weeks.

Eni Selfo: And and truly turning these into friendships and extended TEAM members, rather than some remote person you've never met before that feels really passionate about the brand and it's supporting you.

Eni Selfo: So, then it will be also for us as a team, we need to create the experience that they will then bring back.

Eni Selfo: To their own cities so they really feel like uh huh I know how these fields, and in a more exclusive way than just doing it for the big 1000 polaris coming to Tallinn very shortly.

Eni Selfo: So definitely there's a selection process, and then we we do a three months probation as well and i'm only after that yeah only after that we confirm the person because.

Eni Selfo: it's a brand That gives you quite a lot of recognition in in in this personal transformation space.

Eni Selfo: So it's.

Eni Selfo: it's not something that we can take lightly, we need to protect the brand as well.

Chris Detzel: yeah.

Chris Detzel: When you start someone to get a little bit more.

Chris Detzel: You know about business value and things like that, because I think that piece really you're doing all these really cool things you're connecting people and.

Chris Detzel: At the end of the day, that brings more people that just to me as obvious so it's to me that's that's business value but that's not, how are they to see it, you know or.

Chris Detzel: They want to see some data.

Chris Detzel: Some points, and can you talk about you know, after some of these events Leslie just the big events, certainly the big events are key but, but when you look at.

Chris Detzel: Some of these kind of you know chapters that you're doing and people come in each other's home what what is the value of that, and how are you showing the value is now you have a tool that probably helps you at least.

Chris Detzel: capture some of that.

Chris Detzel: So that's positive and so tell me more about that piece.

Eni Selfo: Oh, this has been the most painful part.

Chris Detzel: Of course, it always is.

Chris Detzel: i'm the best you can the best you can I mean you know and then maybe even what are you trying to to do you know, in the future, because you know it's always hard to to do that, especially from a Community standpoint so it's, not that I don't get it, but I do think it's important.

Eni Selfo: yeah I think you do too.

Eni Selfo: I needed Bobby so much because.

Eni Selfo: I am very simple.

Eni Selfo: I translate that into the into time that our customers spend on the platform.

Eni Selfo: I counted as if it's time spent on platform.

Eni Selfo: that's what I needed it to be.

Eni Selfo: tracked was last year, I think I didn't I don't remember if I mentioned this so last year we had.

Eni Selfo: Over 800 students that were engaged through our host into virtual events and sometimes they were on some calls for like two three hours together.

Eni Selfo: And we're not capture we didn't have access to any of that data because.

Eni Selfo: The ambassador's would maybe hosted on the personal zoom.

Eni Selfo: Which wouldn't know who the person was what type of customer is the free new one is the paid one is it a pro one we didn't know didn't have any of these data, so the value that the executive team sees in these is engagement.

Eni Selfo: That we measure as.

Eni Selfo: behavior on the platform, so any Minutes that the students are spending together counts as engagement data that we can then report towards monthly active users or daily active users.

Eni Selfo: Okay, what we are trying to prove the question mark and the assumption is we all think that if I find my new best friend inside of mind body done, I will likely stay in the ecosystem longer.

Chris Detzel: yeah pretend.

Eni Selfo: It sounds like a sound assumption now my my.

Eni Selfo: What I would like to see is actually to move beyond an assumption space and see how does this impact our retention numbers.

Eni Selfo: of people that attend local meetups renew their membership more do people who have done local meetups.

Eni Selfo: completed more lessons, what does, how does their behavior change in the platform after they've done the meetups so that's what i'm trying to uncover now.

Eni Selfo: And we're also going to start the series of events around Europe as part of our European expansion, and so I want to see if people that have been engaged in local meetups what they're likely what are they let's say 50% more likely to purchase a ticket for our next in person event.

Eni Selfo: These will kind of like the number some monitoring.

Eni Selfo: Looking at behavior on platform number of lessons completed, how will, how will the renewal behavior change based on attendance on these meetups and dinners and then.

Eni Selfo: Are they more likely to then investing to come in for offline events if they have experienced something at a local level that makes them want to be like.

Eni Selfo: wow this is how we fall to what Dan did in Bremen, I must go to the flagship one because I can't even imagine what that would be for me.

Chris Detzel: I kind of see this as a multi.

Chris Detzel: You know multi opportunity for you or the team and Community so one is.

Chris Detzel: you've got all these local meetups happening and so people the elite the chapter leaders, or whatever you call ambassadors are having these are I forgot what you call them but.

Chris Detzel: they're bringing in new people all the time and so that's capturing in a sense, leads for you right so trying to as long as you get that information their email address and things like that who they are, and then that can go into the system of marketing and however you might do that.

Chris Detzel: You know so.

Chris Detzel: Lead generation opportunities, so how many of those at some point, come to a big event or whatever, and so you can somehow push the bevy information into like a mark hedo or salesforce or I don't know whatever y'all use.

Chris Detzel: To track it score it that kind of stuff so that's a huge opportunity I mean you know just they're bringing in leads for you guys, I mean that would be enough, but then to is those local.

Chris Detzel: Chapter leaders that are actually coming to your events and hosting the event, you know is one do they renew their membership but didn't renew at higher rates.

Chris Detzel: Do they go to additional things because their you know their ambassadors and you're giving them certain things and that kind of stuff so you know so it's not just you know renewals but renewing higher rates going to.

Chris Detzel: Other events and then bringing other people into some of those events and.

Chris Detzel: Then lead generation.

Chris Detzel: there's all kinds of shit you know that.

Chris Detzel: You guys can look at and do.

Eni Selfo: And that's why and that's when there are quite a lot of assumptions to prove and actually when it comes to Community I haven't even Community like meetups.

Eni Selfo: I haven't even.

Eni Selfo: opened the doors of acquisition i'm just asking the host to engage our already existing customers, the reason why I haven't felt.

Eni Selfo: too keen to move on back is because i'd like to keep the Community meetups have a space that is free of any sales.

Eni Selfo: yeah and if we bring in that element than, given that we will be hosting more events as mine valley hosted by us across Europe, for example.

Eni Selfo: Then, in that case we can tell local host bring new people that you think would be interested in maybe we give them discount codes as an as an incentive and then the acquisition is kind of like more control in a way, by us the sales speech and everything.

Eni Selfo: Because I really when you when you start bringing these transactional elements into the meetup it can erode the value.

Eni Selfo: I love the idea of a space where they literally go.

Eni Selfo: to share a meal and have conversation, they cannot have anywhere else, and I almost feel it as it's my duty to protect it from you know, sometimes.

Eni Selfo: You just never know how people might sell the program and then how that might rub the person the wrong way so i'd rather just keep it as a clean experience.

Eni Selfo: And then acquisition we focus when we are hosting it.

Chris Detzel: yeah I see what you're saying, but I think that it's good point so I didn't know that piece, but and I don't hate that but I also think that, whenever you look at.

Chris Detzel: Those hosts and stuff like that they're the ones talking about your product, one way or another, you know whether they're having their their outsides in.

Chris Detzel: The mind valley thing oh my God it was really cool we did this cool shit oh really tell me what you did it well, we did this thing blah just take a look at it.

Chris Detzel: And how do you and that's coming from the Community right like you know So how do you do that anyways and so far, like, I think that there's ways to probably capture some of that I don't know but.

Chris Detzel: Because that's what you want, you want people when they're going to different events or when they're going to hang out with their friends, they don't know anything about mine Valley.

Chris Detzel: So, would you do, last week I went to this conference and its place called mind Valley, and you know we get this thing and did all you know what I mean like Oh, you did.

Eni Selfo: That sounds really cool reframe that you, you offered I nobody knew about this conversations within the team when nobody offered the reframe as it is right now and actually i'm having my Aha moment right here.

Eni Selfo: yeah it's true, I mean they are talking about the product.

Chris Detzel: Anyhow, already right, so why don't you give them an avenue and and find a way to capture those conversations right so when you look at so, for example, you create this Ambassador program or you create the super.

Chris Detzel: What is it.

Chris Detzel: Whatever program that allows so so the beauty of the way people engage is different.

Chris Detzel: Everybody wants to engage in different ways, so one of one way is hey they want to go to your events face to face and they love that kind of stuff.

Chris Detzel: Whether they want to go to a webinar or hey they want to go online and just answer questions or they want to post questions or you know.

Chris Detzel: or hey maybe they're even a speaker that goes to conferences and speak about your product because there because there's because they're being successful at whatever they're doing it in their role.

Chris Detzel: Your product has.

Chris Detzel: A big influence and how they're successful you know what I mean or you know their life for you guys, I mean you just use that personalized.

Chris Detzel: way of doing that so having programs for those particular people that enjoy speaking that enjoy reaching out to others to talk about it, you know, and so, if you have a program that rewards recognizes.

Chris Detzel: That behavior because they're the ones you know it's a bigger microphone when people are doing it for you So how do you capture that you know and.

Chris Detzel: On that behalf and on their behalf, and maybe it's also saying hey because you know you're doing such a good job you're doing you're talking about you're showing all these people, you know talking about mind valley and all the stuff you know here's you know.

Chris Detzel: discount I don't know whatever whatever it is that you do and and to get them to kind of continue there's lots of ways to do it, I mean.

Chris Detzel: You know, and I think that you guys have a huge opportunity because you're doing so many cool I mean it's a personal thing and you're you're touching the hearts and.

Chris Detzel: minds of people, you know, like my product doesn't touch the hearts and minds now What it does is you know it helps people be more successful at their jobs at the end of the day.

Chris Detzel: But it's not like you know just getting in to the kind of hey you know.

Chris Detzel: Would you do today, and you know what you're really kind of what are you struggling with today, you know it's like a counseling session or you know, but with friends or potential new friends and things like that, so you guys have a huge.

Eni Selfo: opportunity as been an example that has done these part that you were describing me right now that has inspired us so they you really think a community that has worked amazingly well on getting their customers to talk about the product.

Eni Selfo: You know it doesn't feel salesy and that actually feels includes the ban like Oh, let me bring you on this journey is there, someone comes to mind.

Chris Detzel: yeah there's there's a few so you know in this probably all the ones that you've heard of from a product company now.

Chris Detzel: You know you're really the first person that i've talked to that runs community in a different way, you know and does all these events and focus on that, but when you look at alternative Community they care a lot about user groups, they care a lot about.

Chris Detzel: You know rewards reckon you know Community it's stuff and and they have all kinds of programs to really do that.

Chris Detzel: You look at trailblazers salesforce has a great Community doing that.

Chris Detzel: slack communities are starting to do more, of those kind of things so Elizabeth kinsey so she's on my show sometimes to.

Chris Detzel: You know even I think zendesk you look at Nicole Saunders they're starting to do some stuff now all these are product companies, you know this, what I do so.

Chris Detzel: You know, you can imagine why, but I am trying to branch out that's why I have you on the show, because you have so many cool things to share and show and.

Chris Detzel: You know so from a product company they're those brands are doing really good and in a way kind of doing hearts and minds of things you know.

Chris Detzel: The other thing is is just giving people opportunities i'll give an example, so let's say you have.

Chris Detzel: Like, for example, higher logic is a Community platform that I use, for example, and one of the things that they do is they have events throughout the year, and they have a big event called the super forum.

Chris Detzel: guess November September I don't know when women but they give you opportunities to speak to the customers, they want your customers to speak, you know and so.

Chris Detzel: Things I like to do is I don't really get on to be honest, online forums and post things much you know if I see something I can help with I might but.

Chris Detzel: You know I don't do I don't engage that way, but I like to speak about my practice and things like that, because.

Chris Detzel: And then of course i'm going to talk about higher logic and how they're helping me be more successful you know, because they are you know that at the end of the day.

Chris Detzel: Back companies helping me be more successful and my online Community experience right or foreign customers and things like that.

Chris Detzel: And so i'm naturally going to say it, and just just like yesterday I was on a call and I had a I was doing a real to Community show and the topic was how to build a master data management practice from ground up.

Chris Detzel: And so we just kind of give some context and there's just one guy I said and we weren't even talking about relative now has a role to lead thing is one insurance company, he said, you know, Chris we used to use.

Chris Detzel: This other company, one of our competitors, and you know this is really hard to usually hard but oh my God real to does this thing but they're 80 people on this call.

Chris Detzel: I didn't ask him to say anything about it, and he just kept going on and on about how awesome.

Chris Detzel: Rato was and all the things that reality Oh, did you know, to help him right, and so, how do you capture that how do I get that guy you know, to talk more about it outside of real to lead stuff and so.

Chris Detzel: You know, I think that that's things that you get to think about is because they're going to talk about you anyways period like you're not there, they just are so why not, why not own it.

Chris Detzel: know.

Eni Selfo: wow I have one strategy meeting coming up on Monday now i'm feeling my whole thing is being revolutionized by this conversation so first of all thank you because I very powerful refrain.

Chris Detzel: Good I mean look this what his peers over beers right we just talked about.

Chris Detzel: Our thoughts and how maybe we can help each other and things like that you've opened my eyes, a lot already to about events and how to kind of you know you know, using technology bevy and just just a lot of fun things you're doing you know but.

Chris Detzel: At the end of the day we got to continue to share sure value we've got to.

Chris Detzel: promote our customers and and make them the heroes.

Chris Detzel: And if we do that.

Chris Detzel: You know and figure out ways to do that better and capture certain things you know, because you know that's what they're doing anyways there, people are the events that you're doing you're.

Chris Detzel: stalking you know 98% of the people that go, I mean, of course, you can have a few people that don't like something or mad about some.

Chris Detzel: Ways some dead was who knows, but the point is is like.

Chris Detzel: The stuff you're doing is cool you know, and you got to get people talking about it, or at least capturing some of the stuff that people are saying.

Chris Detzel: about it and quote I mean you think of like marketing stuff quotes and things like that people want to be quoted people so.

Chris Detzel: don't be scared to ask people say hey Look, we have some marketing things that we're doing, they want to quote your thing you know, can we do it, you know what I mean like yeah that'd be great.

Eni Selfo: I mean you know we do that we have them, we have a part of our platform that is dedicated.

Eni Selfo: To what we call our customer stories.

Eni Selfo: And we have over 16,000.

Eni Selfo: thousand stories of transformation that our customers have submitted themselves so that's massive we have one person in the team that is dedicated exclusively to.

Eni Selfo: capturing that.

Eni Selfo: And comes to the event with us to capture the stories of the customers also as they're there and the other thing that we do, which to me, I think I find it very clever we invest a lot in photography we bring some of our photographers of.

Eni Selfo: You know, taking pictures of presidents and prime ministers.

Chris Detzel: So.

Eni Selfo: While we're really going high level and we're turning the camera on the participants, so I don't I think when if i'm not mistaken, the number was one air these last a fist in Jordan finished, we had.

Eni Selfo: 4000 pictures that we share with participants and i'm talking about super high level photography that and it's not portraits it's them in action them dancing done meditating done doing the breath work and then naturally you will share that because you look pretty cool yeah.

Chris Detzel: yeah it's on Facebook or.

Chris Detzel: instagram or.

Chris Detzel: Whatever.

Eni Selfo: they're sharing over yeah.

Eni Selfo: yeah it's all.

Chris Detzel: phenomenal I love.

Eni Selfo: The customer look great you give them a reason to you know, want to share and at the same time you capture moments that they might want to talk about.

Eni Selfo: So one of my one of the customers was very beautiful because she shared pictures of one of the workshops that I facilitated and wrote how that impacted her and all the shift that she received through that.

Eni Selfo: And it's like and then it's even more impactful when you have the visuals.

Eni Selfo: That go overseas right.

Eni Selfo: So that's something that I find very, very beautiful that we do for the word of mouth and actually treating the customers almost as.

Eni Selfo: heroes and that's why they got the same quality of shots that the CEO is guiding or that our authors are guiding same ones is the same photographers.

Chris Detzel: I love it any this has been a really great conversation, and you know.

Chris Detzel: it's such a pleasure and i'm so happy and glad that you came on and it's funny because I sent you an email, this morning I was like I haven't heard from her at all, and so she coming I sent you an email right and skinny yet, and then you just show up and was like yes.

Eni Selfo: i'll be calling the year that's why my emails but I was happy, this was happening on a public holiday because I might have space was free to.

Chris Detzel: To actually think about it.

Eni Selfo: yeah yeah.

Eni Selfo: yeah.

Chris Detzel: Well, thanks for coming on and we conclude another peers over beers and i'm Chris cattle and.

Eni Selfo: And I am any cell phone.

Chris Detzel: thanks again any.

Eni Selfo: Thank you, Chris.