Allison Loehman’s Post

I learned 23 things in 2023 as VP Growth Marketing & Underwriting and each week(ish) I’m breaking down my learnings into more detail. Last post, I unpacked the 2 main levers I pull to impact growth: increase submissions and/or improve close rate. Today, I’m unveiling the 2 main levers I pull to impact retention. Here’s what I’ve learned (so far). —— Deep Dive Lesson # 3 To retain, prioritize activities that empower your client and/or educate your users 💪 💡 When I “pull levers” for retention, I look at activities in one of two ways: 1. Does this activity empower my clients? MJ Smith has an awesome post on LinkedIn that talks about how buyers don’t actually spend money, they spend social capital. They put their internal reputations at stake to reccommend a product or service that comes at a cost to their organization. The easiest way to retain a client is to provide them with evidence that proves their decision was correct so they can keep their social capital in tact. Examples of activities that empower clients include: - Consistent reporting packages with actual client data that demonstrate the real impact and/or cost savings your product/service is making on the organization. - Client-specific events where your best-fit clients can meet with each other, learn about your roadmap, meet key partners and solidify bonds with their client success rep. - Meaningful renewal packages that describe, in detail, any new enhancements, additional touch-points, or new products that contribute to a rate increase. Give your clients the narrative they need to sell a renewal internally. 2. Does this activity educate my users? For this lever, I look for activities that will keep my users engaged, satisfied, and loyal over time - making it a no-brainer for the client, and the organization at large, to want to renew. Examples of activities that educate users include: - Personalized and easy onboarding. Tailor this experience to their specific use case to facilitate a smoother adoption process. - Self-serve/on-demand educational content that helps users get more out of your product or service. Think tutorials, webinars, blogs, user guides, FAQ sections, etc. - Product update communications that clearly explain the benefits and applications they can expect to receive from the changes. - User-success stories that show how others have successfully used your product to solve their business problems with action plans to help the reader achieve the same results. IMO, retention marketing is harder than growth marketing and activities take longer to implement because they typically involve buy-in and help from many different internal departments. My advice for those getting started: pick one or two activities from each lever and go all-in. Solid retention marketing is not about the quantity (or even creativity) of activities, it’s about consistency and credibility. What else did I miss? As always, keep the ideas flowing below 👇

I learned 23 things in 2023 as VP Growth Marketing & Underwriting and each week(ish) I’m breaking down my learnings into more detail. Last post, I shared my realization that “Growth Marketing” should really be called “Revenue Marketing” with Growth and Retention as the main goals. Today, I’m unpacking the 2 main levers I pull to impact growth and the activities I execute within. Ready? Let’s go. —— Deep Dive Lesson # 2 To grow, prioritize activities that increase submissions and/or improve close rate. 📊 In the simplest terms, “pulling the growth lever” is the function of executing strategies that effect one or both of the following desired outcomes: 1) Get More Submissions 2) Improve Close Rate In order to increase submissions, you need more of your ICP to be interested in your products/services. So how do you do that? For me, investment in brand awareness is a must. LinkedIn ads, in all formats and with varied messages, targeted to your ICP is the quickest and most cost effective way to guarantee consistent brand awareness that creates demand. I also like to have my team be physically present where our clients are—whether that's regional speaking engagements, virtual panel discussions, or yes, even having a booth or table at key conferences. Partnerships and industry collaborations. Tap into captive audiences and cross-sell your product/solution through sponsorships or strategic alliances. And, don't forget about hosting your own events. Carefully curated experiences can pique the interest of high-potential prospects. Once we have those interested prospects, how do we convert them to improve our close rate? A well-crafted strategic narrative can truly make a difference here. In fact if you don’t have this, do not do anything else from this post. I’ll dive into this in more detail a few lessons from now. High-quality, professional sales decks, revamped enablement materials, and direct mail/gifting strategies can significantly boost your conversion rate. Professionally written case studies are always effective - giving prospects a tangible example of how your product or service solves major business problems. Digging into data to understand your current submissions, and close rates. Identifying where there are gaps and opportunities for growth. - Are we winning more frequently within a certain region? - Are our close rates lower when solving a particular problem? Comprehensive analysis will allow you to focus your initiatives on the areas they're needed most. Be open to new approaches, willing to experiment, and focus on refinement. By committing to a continuous improvement mindset, you'll build credibility and momentum over time. Remember, growth is not a destination, but a journey. Each step we take, each lever we pull brings us closer to our ultimate goals. What other strategies have you used to drive growth? Share your insights below 👇

I learned 23 things in 2023 as VP Growth Marketing & Underwriting & shared my entire list last week to over 90k people. 🤯 I received many comments & DMs asking for more info. So I’ve decided to dedicate 1 post a week(ish) to breaking down each lesson in more detail. Disclaimer: I had a LOT of requests to flesh out #13…but I can’t start there. I have to go in order. Each lesson builds on each other & in order to fully grasp the vision I have for the SDR role you need to understand how I got there. So, let’s get started. —— Deep Dive Lesson 1: Growth Marketing is a misnomer. It’s Revenue Marketing with growth & retention as the main goals. 📈 I was excited to join Allied in early 2023 with my new title. Having spent the last 5 years in a demand role, “growth” signified not only what I’d be focused on for Allied, but a real description of my personal career journey. I jumped in - hosting deep dives with our sales team members, launching ads, implementing pipeline stages & reinvigorating our core client pitch deck. I. Was. Crushing. It. Kinda. When July rolled around, my CRO asked me if I’d “given any thought to our retention strategy for 1/1 clients?” “Of course!” I said, panicking. “I’ll write something up to show you by EOW.” I had no idea where to start. I’d been studying our clients, building relationship with our CEs & executing ad-hoc requests over the last 6mos but I hadn’t thought specifically about a retention STRATEGY, & certainly hadn’t related that back to the concept of “growth.” With a self-imposed deadline looming over me, I dug in. Working with our incredible SVP, Client Success leader we developed health scores, CRM tracking, presentation materials & renewal narratives for our team of 14 CEs who are, I can confidently say, the best in the industry. Looking back, it’s funny how a simple check-in question from my leader — whose vision saw miles ahead of mine — had shifted my entire perspective of what my “growth marketing” role was. Here’s where I landed: If you report to a CRO (like me), your purpose, your focus is Revenue Marketing - not exclusively “growth.” Growth is one goal. Retention is another goal. Both have levers you pull to impact Revenue. They work in concert, not in silos. If your marketing strategy can grow a customer base but can’t retain it, you’re only halfway there. If your marketing strategy can retain clients, but can’t attract new ones, you’re only halfway there. Strategizing for growth in a vacuum is dangerous. You need a revenue marketing lens that is also focused on how you sustain that growth through rock-solid onboarding & an impactful customer journey that is so integral to your client’s success it eliminates the question of “if” someone will renew and instead asks “what are we helping them achieve next?” —— Hope this “learning in public” post is helpful! Curious to hear from others who agree or have a different perspective. Drop your ideas below 👇

23 lessons I learned in 2023 as VP, Growth Marketing & Underwriting: 1. Growth Marketing is a misnomer. It’s Revenue Marketing with growth & retention as the main goals 2. To grow, prioritize activities that increase submissions and/or improve close rate 3. To retain, prioritize activities that empower your client and/or educate your users 4. Invest in physical touchpoints with your ICP over digital every time. People buy from people 5. Pricing is so important. You need to understand proposal development to truly impact revenue 6. You’re only as successful as the people you execute through. Spend half your time enabling internal team members to carry out the plan & adjust based on feedback 7. Don’t focus on growing the top of the funnel 1st. Instead, prioritize activities that improve close rate. If you can’t sell business from the pipeline you already have, you don’t need more 8. A strategic narrative is your best enablement tool. If you don’t have one, make that your 1st project for 2024 9. The best piece of content you can create is a highly modular presentation deck - complete with a talk track. Seriously, don’t forget the talk track! 10. Don’t be afraid to ship 1st attempts at 80% 11. Marketing should never be a one-or-few person team. You need to constantly identify staffing gaps and make business cases that explain why you need to add full-time, temp, or freelance help to fill them 12. Never put anyone other than a sales professional who can close deals on a cold, discovery, or first demo call 13. Repurpose the SDR function into a Growth Enablement role. Improving an AE’s close rate - not submission volume - should be their main goal 14. You don’t have to entertain every submission. Be picky - focus on ICP-fit and let the rest know why it won’t work 15. Improving retention is the biggest revenue marketing opportunity, but also the hardest to impact 16. Help prioritize leadership’s involvement with at-risk clients by blending internal assumptions with client surveys to assign a “Red, Yellow, Green” client health score 17. Don’t overcomplicate reporting 18. The only metrics that matter are: Increase in ICP submissions, SQO -> HIRO CR, Win Rate % & Total New Revenue, Client Retention, User Retention, Total Revenue Retention & Avg. Client LTV. 19. You need AT MINIMUM, 1 FTE dedicated to CRM & pipeline hygiene. Don’t underestimate the value in this role 20. If an existing piece of tech is underused or unable to scale in use-case, get rid of it 21. The best way to accelerate your career is to work at a marketing agency. Your skill-sets & network grow exponentially, & having the experience of managing clients makes you more credible when you want to shift back to an in-house role 22. Becoming a CMO is no longer my main goal. Being aligned to a CRO has helped my ideas flourish in a way that being part of a siloed marketing department never did 23. My team is the best & I can’t wait for 2024! Happy New Year! 🎊

I'm thrilled to share the update of my new role expansion at Allied – leading the newly formed 'Growth Marketing & Underwriting' team! This innovative step, merging the brainpower of our Underwriting team with the dynamism of the Growth Marketing function, was made possible thanks to Andrew (Drew) Rozmiarek, our CRO. His leadership and vision for both departments this year have paved the way for this strategic combination to make an immediate impact. Over the past year, Drew, Ellie Wineman, Stephanie Tadaro and I, along with our industry-leading Sales and Client Executives, have worked to build an impactful Growth Marketing function, laying the groundwork for Allied's new phase of growth. Now, with the expertise of the talented Underwriting team in our marketing mix, we're set to elevate our game even further. As part of this expansion, I'm excited to collaborate more closely with Domingo Gonzales III, who is a phenomenal functional and strategic leader for Underwriting. His insights and people-focused approach are invaluable. We will be a formidable pair! This integration is truly about synergy – leveraging our combined strengths to better serve our markets and customers. We're keeping our eyes on the big picture: smart strategies, meaningful customer engagement, and organic growth. #GrowthMarketing #Underwriting #Leadership #PeopleFirst

LinkedIn - help me out! Do you know of any vendors that will send you a "kit" of everything you would need to host a professional-looking webinar? I'm talking backdrop, microphone, lighting etc. We will use Zoom as the host, but want our backgrounds and sound to be amazing. Drop your recs below 👇 Thank you!

Innovating your marketing strategy through a thorough audit is a multi step process that involves both examination and strategic action in four key categories: 1. Audit Positions: * Evaluate the roles and individuals contributing to your marketing team's success. Don't limit this to just those within the marketing department; remember that marketing often relies on cross-functional support from teams like product, sales, pricing, and customer success. * It's crucial to find out how each team member, including those from cross-functional teams, perceives their role in marketing. What aspects do they enjoy or find challenging? What do they aspire to do more or less of? Building these insights helps you tailor strategies to individual strengths and preferences. * Beyond gathering data, invest time in building relationships with team members. Understand their motivations, ambitions, and career goals. This understanding can be invaluable in aligning their efforts with the overarching marketing strategy. 2. Audit Tactics: * Divide your marketing tactics into four distinct buckets: those that enhance brand visibility, those that increase submissions, those that improve close rates, and those that contribute to client retention. * Analyze the performance of each tactic within these categories. Examine the allocation of your marketing budget, the results achieved, and where possible, calculate the return on investment (ROI). Not every tactic will yield a direct ROI, but all should deliver results aligned to a specific goal. * Which tactics are consistently delivering positive outcomes and which ones are falling short of expectations? Are there any strategies that haven't been tried yet? 3. Audit Tech Stack: * Assess whether each tool is contributing to efficiency and effectiveness or if it's adding unnecessary complexity. * Identify areas where improvements can be made, such as by integrating tools for smoother workflows or by eliminating redundant applications that no longer serve a purpose. * By optimizing your tech stack, you can ensure that your team's time and resources are directed toward tools that genuinely support your marketing objectives, rather than being bogged down by inefficient or overly complex technology. 4. Audit Reporting: * Review standardized templates and processes for tracking key metrics, ensuring consistency and clarity in reporting. * Pay particular attention to your ability to report on the "metrics that matter." Based on my experience, these essential metrics include tracking the increase in the number of submissions from your ICP, the proposal to finalist stage rate, close rates, client retention rates, revenue retention rates, and the average lifetime value (LTV) of a client. These metrics serve as critical indicators of your marketing strategy's effectiveness and overall business growth. How do you perform a marketing audit? Comment your tactics below 👇

Raise your hand if you’ve ever struggled to figure out marketing’s role in reaching retention goals. 🙋🏼♀️ That’s me with my hand raised high. As a previous demand marketer I had always been hyper-focused on growing revenue. Specifically growing at all costs in the late 2021, early 2022 days (who else can relate?) Protecting revenue was something I was less familiar with. Which is why I was excited to roll up my sleeves and revamp our 2024 retention playbook with our VP, Client Success this past quarter. Here are five (almost free) strategies that you can steel to start impacting retention: 1. 📊 Implement Client Health Scores: Understanding your client's level of satisfaction with your company is critical. - Categorize clients as healthy, at-risk, or on the verge of terminating. - Once scores are in place, develop targeted 1:1 strategies for clients who are at risk. Think of it as ABM for current clients. 2. 📄 Craft an Executive Summary to accompany your renewal contracts: An engaging executive summary sets the stage for why prices may have increased. - Spotlight key successes from the past year. - Illustrate the value clients can expect in the upcoming year. - Introduce new enhancements or offerings they will see in the renewal proposal. 3. 🖥️ Create a Dedicated Renewal Presentation for you Client Success team: Don’t underestimate the impact a dedicated renewal deck can have. Not only as an external tool, but an internal enablement tool as well. - Use data visuals to emphasize the wins and value derived from the ongoing partnership over the last year. - Highlight areas of growth and potential opportunities. - Make sure your retention teams have a captivating storyline, supplemented with effective visuals so they truly understand what they are delivering. 4. 🌟 Write professional bios to accompany outreach - especially if accounts are changing: Spotlighting the expertise and experience of your retention team members is an easy way to instill confidence in your ability to deliver the commitments in your renewal proposal. - Emphasize the team’s collective knowledge, specialized training, and significant achievements. - Add personal anecdotes for a human touch 5. 📸 Professional Headshots: Make the relationship more personal. - Help clients see and relate to the dedicated individuals behind the scenes. - Maintain a uniform, professional image for the entire team to strengthen brand identity. - Recognizable faces can establish deeper rapport and trust. Remember, while these strategies enhance the retention process, the fundamentals—like a solid product-market fit and genuine expertise—remain at the core of successful client relationships. To those in the retention field, are there any other tools or strategies in your toolkit? Let’s share and learn. Comment below! ⬇️

Recently, I had the chance to visit a Great Wolf Lodge resort with my family and I was blown away by the immersive experience the resort created. Let’s break down the key lessons I learned during my stay and how they can translate into actionable insights for B2B marketing. 1. Create Thematic Consistency: Learning: From the moment you step into the lodge, you are immersed into its world. This isn't just a hotel with a water park. It's a Great Wolf Lodge adventure. Takeaway: Creating a consistent, engaging brand narrative helps buyers connect with you. If your story is compelling, it makes the buyer feel like they're part of a unique experience, not just a transaction. 2. Form Strategic Partnerships: Learning: The Lodge hosts familiar brands (Build-A-Bear, MagiQuest, Dunkin’) to further enhance their guest experience, triggering a sense of familiarity, and boosting on-site spending. Takeaway: Partnerships can offer mutual benefits, bringing your customers value they recognize and appreciate, and providing opportunities for cross-promotion and increased visibility. 3. Create Packages: Learning: The Wolf Pass was a masterstroke. It incentivized us to explore every activity at the hotel. While kids were free with the pass, it cleverly positioned my husband and me into paying for joining the fun. Takeaway: Bundling services can create a win-win: increased value for customers and upsell opportunities for businesses. 4. Maximize Influencer Collabs: Learning: To celebrate their 25th birthday, the Lodge leveraged influencers such as tWitch & Allison, and Whitney Port to create a custom TikTok birthday dance and design novelty wolf ears, respectively. The story of these collaborations played endlessly on their custom TV channel - which even has a Great Wolf Lodge cartoon! The result was infectious - my kids were singing "howl and cheer for 25 years" throughout our entire vacation. Takeaway: Collaborating with industry thought leaders enhances credibility, broadens reach and fosters genuine engagement. The key lies in telling the stories behind these collaborations and turning them into engaging content, much like the Great Wolf Lodge did with their custom TV channel. This aligns well with the emerging trend of B2B brands becoming media entities, creating platforms to share rich, curated content. 5. Turn Buyers into Fans: Learning: Those complimentary wolf ears weren't just a cute souvenir. They were a brilliant marketing move. Guests wore them proudly on-site snd took photos in them to share on social media. Takeaway: B2B buyers want to feel special, too! Creative touches can turn a buyer into a brand advocate. Remember, happy customers are the best growth lever you can have. As a marketer, I love finding B2B inspiration in B2C spaces. They remind me of the importance of making every buyer's journey a memorable adventure. What's the most unexpected place you've found marketing inspiration? Comment below 👇