The Customer Engagement Lab

Today, we're joined by Dr. James Janack. James is a communication professor at Eckerd College specializing in rhetoric and oral communications. Have you ever listened to your voice on a meeting recording and immediately cringed? Us too. In this episode, Travis and James discuss all things vocal delivery, from the rate of speech to volume to tonality. They even listen in on a few product demos and cold calls to analyze what works and what doesn't during this critical touchpoint. You'll learn about: What most people get wrong with the vocal image and how to fix How to give your audience a more active role Lessons learned from ancient Greek rhetorical theory

In this episode, Travis chats with Andrew Pearson, the co-founder of LiveNotary (now PandaDoc Notary), about his sales journey and what it takes to survive and thrive post-acquisition. Andrew shares his story about LiveNotary and what's made him successful as a seller pre and post-acquisition.In this episode, you'll learn about the following:Major milestones to hit before getting acquired by another startupThe framework for post-acquisition success as an "acquired" sellerWhy a 'land and expand' approach is the long-term play for this scenarioCheck out PandaDoc Notary to see how he's selling/marketing the product today.https://notary.pandadoc.com/

Attracting new business with your marketing or sales efforts is all about getting noticed. And pattern interrupts are the best way to do that. In this episode, Travis chats with Nick Cegelski, the host of 30 Minutes to President's Club – the most popular sales podcast in the world. Nick and Travis review pattern interrupts used in sales calls, emails, and content. If you're looking for some new pattern interrupts to test out, tune in and take notes!In this episode, you'll learn about:The history of pattern interruptsPattern interrupts you can try out for calls, emails, and contentThe framework for crafting new pattern interrupts

Today, we're joined by Cassie Tucker. Cassie is the Founder of CAMM Media and co-host of the Marketing Happy Hour Podcast.Ever wonder why the ONLY people interacting with your company on social media are the people that work there? Or maybe you've poured your heart and soul into a thoughtful LinkedIn post that completely flopped, and you just can't figure out why.We always blame the algorithm for poor engagement and stalled audience growth. But if we're being honest, it might just be your content. In this episode, Cassie and Travis discuss how you can use authentic content to break through the noise and build an audience of loyal fans.By the end of this episode, you'll learn about:How to use humor to engage your audienceWhy overly curated content flops and authenticity wins every timeFinding the sweet spot between relatable and controversial content

Creating local buzz for your brand can be challenging if you don't know where to start. We've got you covered. In this episode of The Customer Engagement Lab, we chat with Zach Moore, Founder of Coastal Creative, to learn some of the creative marketing tactics his team leveraged to get people talking about their digital media agency at the height of the pandemic. The Coastal Creative team used networking and events to draw positive attention and interest to their brand, and you can do the same. By the end of this episode, you'll learn:How to come up with ideas to generate hype around your products/servicesFast and simple ways to start networking in your local communityThe importance of balancing profit with community reinvestment

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Today, we're joined by Cassie Tucker. Cassie is the Founder of CAMM Media and co-host of the Marketing Happy Hour Podcast. Ever wonder why the ONLY people interacting with your company on social media are the people that work there? Or maybe you've poured your heart and soul into a thoughtful LinkedIn post that completely flopped, and you just can't figure out why. We always blame the algorithm for poor engagement and stalled audience growth. But if we're being honest, it might just be your content. In this episode, Cassie and Travis discuss how you can use authentic content to break through the noise and build an audience of loyal fans. By the end of this episode, you'll learn about: How to use humor to engage your audience Why overly curated content flops and authenticity wins every time Finding the sweet spot between relatable and controversial content

Creating local buzz for your brand can be challenging if you don't know where to start. We've got you covered.  In this episode of The Customer Engagement Lab, we chat with Zach Moore, Founder of Coastal Creative, to learn some of the creative marketing tactics his team leveraged to get people talking about their digital media agency at the height of the pandemic.  The Coastal Creative team used networking and events to draw positive attention and interest to their brand, and you can do the same. By the end of this episode, you'll learn: How to come up with ideas to generate hype around your products/services Fast and simple ways to start networking in your local community The importance of balancing profit with community reinvestment

Kevin Kermes built a thriving online community in less than a year. Seriously! He went from 0 to 300,000 subscribers in less than a year. Developing a community is paramount to business success, but it's no easy task. Kevin shares tips on creating an online community and building relationships at scale in this episode of The Customer Engagement Lab.We'll cover: Harnessing your Zone of Genius to kickstart your community buildingWhat's the XYZ method, and how to use it to define your ideal audienceTopic Selection 101

Kevin Kermes built a thriving online community in less than a year. Seriously he went from 0 to 300,000 subscribers in less than a year. Developing a community is paramount to business success, but it's no easy task. Kevin shares tips on creating an online community and building relationships at scale in this episode of The Customer Engagement Lab. We'll cover:  Harnessing your Zone of Genius to kickstart your community building What's the XYZ method, and how to use it to define your ideal audience Topic Selection 101

Podcasts have been growing in popularity over the past few years, and many brands are experimenting with podcasts to connect with and grow their audience. When done right, podcasts can have a tremendous impact on your business. But is it a good idea for every organization to start a business podcast?Seth Kushner, radio veteran and the (former) host of the Tampa Bay Lightning Block Party podcast, joins the show to discuss who should and shouldn't start a podcast. Seth and Travis will also discuss alternatives for companies that don't have the time or resources to invest in podcasting.

Podcasts have been growing in popularity over the past few years, and many brands are experimenting with podcasts to connect with and grow their audience.  When done right, podcasts can have a tremendous impact on your business. But is it a good idea for every organization to start a business podcast? Seth Kushner, radio veteran and the host of the Tampa Bay Lightning Block Party podcast, joins the show to discuss who should and shouldn't start a podcast. Seth and Travis will also discuss alternatives for companies that don't have the time or resources to invest in podcasting.

In this month's Lessons from the Lab, we try the note-taking app Evernote. We'll dive into it all – first impressions, what they're doing right, and opportunities for improvement from a design and content point of view. Plus, the group shares what “marketing made me buy.” Cat Lim, Creative Director at Pyper Inc, Anna Gallese, Sales Readiness Program Manager at PandaDoc, and Todd Clouser, Lead Brand Marketing Manager at Refine Labs, join Travis in the studio for this marketing roundtable discussion.

In this round-table episode, we test a free trial of the popular note-taking app, Evernote. We'll dive into it all – first impressions, what they're doing right, and opportunities for improvement from a design and content point of view. Plus, the group shares what “marketing made me buy.”Cat Lim, Creative Director at Pyper Inc, Anna Gallese, Sales Readiness Program Manager at PandaDoc, and Todd Clouser, Lead Brand Marketing Manager at Refine Labs, join Travis in the studio for this marketing roundtable discussion.

In this episode, Travis is joined in the studio by his former co-host Patrick Downs, Mid-Market Account Executive at Kallidus, and Ryanne Koch (Doumet), Sr. Manager of Customer Success at PandaDoc, for a "healthy" conversation around sales and customer success alignment.We dive into:How to break silos between sales and customer success teamsWhy you shouldn't make sales teams responsible for churn Best practices for improving the customer handover process

Between record-high inflation, supply chain issues, and rapid market changes, to say money is top of mind for consumers and business owners would be an understatement. So, what can businesses do to address their customer's concerns about pricing without compromising their bottom line? Small business expert Gene Marks joins the show to discuss shrinkflation and other tactics you can use to combat high inflation and protect your profit margin. In this episode, we cover: How shrinkflation works for subscription business models?Lessons small and mid-sized businesses can learn from bigger brands during economic uncertainty. Best practices for reevaluating your business costs and profit margins before increasing prices for existing customers.

Successful nonprofits do something that most tech startups and entrepreneurs try to do but rarely succeed. They tap into genuine human emotion.In this episode, Travis chats with Rachel Barrett, Director of Marketing at Shorecrest Preparatory School, about how she connects the emotional dots of her audience through storytelling, authenticity, and mission-driven messaging.Rachel shares her tips and a few examples of how to connect with audiences on a deeper, more meaningful level.

Amelia Taylor is (a former) account executive at Carabiner Group with over 10+ years of sales experience.In this episode, Amelia sits down with Travis Tyler to talk about how she remains optimistic, innovative, and creative in cold outreach and follow-up. The seasoned sales vet will evaluate creative outreach approaches like cameo videos and quirky gift-giving and listen in on a few cold calls.By the end of this episode, you'll learn:How to book more meetings and standout with creative follow-upsBest ways to shrug off rejections from cold callsThe benefits of joining the right sales community

Are capitalism and creativity in total opposition to each other? Can organizations deliver beautiful, high-quality experiences while rapidly growing?It's the age-old battle of quality vs. quantity. In this episode of The Customer Engagement Lab, Travis Tyler and Carmen Zita Alayeto-Moore look at both sides of the debate and try to determine how businesses can balance quality and quantity to become more sustainable in the market.

Reid Anderson, Enterprise Sales at PandaDoc, is back, and this time he's giving us an inside look at how to successfully sell and work with legal teams. In this episode, we'll discuss:mistakes companies make when trying to persuade lawyers to ditch their legacy tools for new technologywhy it's vital to understand the different types of legal teams to solve their specific pain pointsthe importance of being upfront and HONEST about your products and servicesTravis and Reid will also commemorate the 22nd Anniversary of the ESIGN Act by debunking the top eSign myths and answering questions about signing documents electronically.

In this month's Lessons from the Lab, we try the popular language learning app, Duolingo. We'll dive into first impressions, brand affinity, microtransactions, and the growing popularity of Kawaii illustrations in tech apps. Cat Lim, Creative Director at Pyper Inc, Jan Aclan, Marketing Operations Manager at Multiverse.io, and Todd Clouser, Lead Brand Marketing Manager at Refine Labs, join Travis in the studio for this marketing roundtable discussion.

In this special edition of The Customer Engagement Lab, our host, Travis, assembles a panel of marketing professionals for our first-ever Lessons From the Lab.Cat Lim, Creative Director at Pyper Inc, and Jan Aclan, Marketing Operations Manager at Multiverse.io, join Travis in the studio to discuss recent purchase decisions.For this Lessons from the Lab, we're going to look at the popular meditation app, Headspace. We'll dive into it all – first impressions, what they're doing right and opportunities for improvement from the perspective of three marketing professionals.

For most marketers, planning in-person events is not fun. Unless you're Jacob Browne, Dean of Admission at Eckerd College, he lives and breathes marketing events. From campus tours, college fairs on the road, or open houses -- Jake knows all the tricks for crafting memorable in-person events that convert. In this episode, you'll hear both Jake's mistakes and lessons for meeting face-to-face to make a lasting impression that helps close a deal.By the end of the episode, you'll have tactics to:Creatively ensure more RSVPs for your next in-person eventEffectively plan your next event with unforgettable fun & learningThoughtfully intertwine various audience interests inside one event

Travis interviews his former CEO, William Volmuth of PowerChord, Inc.They recount Travis' last day when he quit his job and what that was like with a fun TikTok reenactment. Bill gives Travis tips and advice for businesses looking to improve their in-store traffic with hyper-local digital marketing. They dive into the importance and prioritization of Google My Business verification, SEO audits, and PPC.

Travis, Jed, and Carmen are all about finding and unlocking the power of patterns. Travis dives into how PandaDoc uses customer data to improve customer engagement, Jed covers his prospecting pattern identification process, and Carmen explores the best co-marketing tag-team patterns.

Getting a haircut can be awkward because getting touched and pruned by a stranger while forcing small talk is annoying. But when you meet Nicholas Bellaro -- you'll get why his barbershop is growing so quickly that he can't seem to scale fast enough. In this episode, you'll learn how to turn strangers into lifelong customers through nifty customer experiments, lessons, and tactics that Nick's accumulated while cutting hair for over a decade.By the end of the episode, you'll have tactics to:Ensure a thoughtful and seamless booking processImprove your conversations with authenticity & empathyBuild rapport quickly through trust, observation, and vulnerability

Travis chats with Eckerd College Environmental Studies Professor, Joanna Huxster, about how she makes skeptics into believers. Talking about environmental protection and climate change is tricky, and tone is everything. Learn to fix your storytelling abilities, so you inspire hope (rather than fear).

Travis interviews Veronica Swiatek, the CEO & Founder of Massage Studio. Veronica gives Travis details on how she opened her first hospitality business location during a recession. She discusses the strategies and tactics she used to keep cash flowing during tough times to come out on top. Veronica now has two brick-and-mortar locations that are thriving, along with 10 new stores at Tampa International Airport.

Travis interviews the CEO & Founder of DRINK KATY'S, a hand-crafted coffee + tea company. Their company motto is "Love is brewing," and Katy is a dynamite entrepreneur who shares the ins and outs of starting her business. She went from a $5k loan to 2 Million in sales in a year and a half. She's the queen of caffeine and teaches us how to overcome challenges faced by E-commerce SMBs.

Travis sits down to interview PandaDoc's (former) CMO, Nate Gilmore. They talk about why this change happened and what it means for the future of PandaDoc's marketing efforts. Nate details his perspective on his mistakes, lessons learned, and what he believes the short and long-term marketing plans are for his team moving forward. Together they watch a clip of Dave Gerhardt talking about marketing guardrails and react to what they believe are PandaDoc's marketing guardrails.

Travis, Jed, and Carmen give tips and examples of how to research, sell, and advertise against the big competitors in your industry. Travis shares competitive intelligence best practices and PandaDoc's alternative SEO campaign. Jed covers his framework for how to respond to prospects that bring up competitors, and Carmen opens our eyes to real-world examples of when Davids beat the Goliaths with really clever and fun commercials.

Travis sits down with Nick Cisko, Customer Experience Lead at PandaDoc to talk about how he works to create a better buying experience for PandaDoc prospects. They discuss how if businesses want to really see, understand, and fix areas of customer friction -- then they need a dedicated CX person with no biases. Stick around for the end of the episode when Nick and I play a fun game to see where he stands on some of the hottest topics in CX.

In this episode, Travis, Carmen, & Jed focus on selling and advertising to unaware buyers that have never heard of you or your solution. How do you make them aware? How should you sell to them? How do you get them to notice you To remember you?For our middle segment, Jed Mahrle distinguishes between emailing aware vs. unaware prospects. We learn why his strategy for the unaware works so well for him and his team and how you can do it too.Last on this episode — Travis chats with Carmen Zita, PandaDoc's Brand Ops Manager, about Super Bowl commercials. She goes over the secret formula of successfully nailing a $6.5 million ad. Together they preview 3 Super Bowl ad teasers and predict which ones they think will do well and which ones will do poorly based on this formula. Travis focuses on a perfectly executed publicity stunt from the now-popular dating app, Thursday. And how an intern with a $35 budget helped the company become one of the top 100 social media apps in the world.

In this episode, Travis sits down with "Ya Boi Tucker" a ridiculous persona created by Senior Brand Marketing Manager, Todd Clouser, from Refine Labs.Together, Travis and Todd explore how Todd creates video content for Refine Labs to build an audience and brand awareness for the explosive marketing agency.Todd explains how he creates his TikToks, what goes into the overarching strategy, and how to make it a genuine channel for audience growth.

In this episode, Travis explores one of the greatest PR comebacks in recent history. Airbnb laid off 25% of its workforce and then, 15 months later, IPO'd. And their numbers are better than ever because of really thoughtful and smart leadership. This is a lesson in how to keep your business resilient during tough times.Later, Jed shares his tips for successful outreach when a prospect experiences both good and bad PR moments. He calls them outreach "triggers" that can be used for personalized targeting when building your prospecting lists.Lastly, Carmen and Travis discuss how Better.com leadership failed to take corrective action when their CEO fired 900+ employees on a single zoom call. Consider it the opposite of AirBnb's story. We explore the difference between resilient products that can withstand bad press and those that can't bounce back.

In this episode, we find out how and why Shawn Herring implemented a B2B secret shopper experiment at PandaDoc. We uncover the biggest gaps and challenges that customers experienced when trying to buy PandaDoc's software. Shawn explains how beneficial it is to carve out a marketing role that is completely dedicated to fixing the buyers journey.Shawn tells us about how coupling prospect and customer data with his secret shopper experiment allowed marketing and product teams to come up with lots of solutions to make buying and using PandaDoc as a first-timer simpler and more useful during a free trial.

In this episode, Travis speaks with Jack Shonkwiler, (former) Director of Brand and Digital Marketing at PandaDoc, about the limits of copy, website features that should never be used again, and tips to building a brand while also enabling demand gen.In this episode:Pushing the limits of copyThe worst B2B website featuresBuilding a brand & enabling demand genNon-profit vs for-profit marketing

If you think sales is an easy job, try cold calling an angry CMO at 1:22 in the afternoon. If you're not too busy crying afterward, it might be time to discuss what it really takes to be in sales.On this episode, Travis speaks with Reid Anderson, Enterprise Sales at PandaDoc, about overcoming adversity in sales and how to be more effective at cold calls, demoing, and negotiation. In this episode:How to detach from the outcome and make the next dialPulling the truth out of passionate responsesFacetime cold calling: genius or worst idea ever?

It's the end of an era.Patrick Downs, after discovering Chick-fil-a serves breakfast, is leaving to advance his sales career (and make a little more money) elsewhere.But his legacy will live on. In this episode, we say our ready goodbyes and share some of our favorite stories from that legacy, including:The time Patrick played hardball from Bikini BottomPatrick's SaaS-y insights on love and Kevins The lessons he's taught us — from demos to strip-lining to the folly of blanket sales advice

We have the first true software engineer, developer, and software architect on the show today. And no, we're not going to talk about tips for API products, but we will discuss changing tool providers, a distrust of advertorial websites, and the importance of quality materials in your swag. In this episode, Travis speaks with friend and former colleague, John Adams, Principal Engineer at Fanatics, about awareness and expectations for post-purchase. In this episode:Discussing awareness and product awareness w/ TwitterImportant steps to take post purchaseDistrusting advertorial websites

Travis catches up Sally Weiss, Sales Enablement Program Manager at PandaDoc , to find out what really goes into successful sales enablement.In this episode:The true meaning of sales enablementThe plot of Sally White and the Seven Sales Dwarves The need for a therapy channel on Slack

Pricing needs to equate to value gained.Throwing in something free that your customer doesn't want?Yeah, it makes them think they're overpaying. So says today's guest, Matt Price, who joins the show to talk acquisitions and pricing.A very French welcomeImportant considerations in acquisitions Poor pricing plans and how to fix them

So a client comes to you and says they found a cheaper offer.Now what?Do you send them on their way with hopes for the best? Or is this the beginning of a deeper conversation around the customer's needs, finding the missing value point, and introducing the bucket tip?When a customer approaches you with a cheaper option, it's typically just the tip of the iceberg. If you want to keep the sale, you have to find the root of the cause.Stop solving ghost problems and start dealing with the corpse in the ground.Luke Ruffing, Co-Founder of SalesCast, joins to show to discuss: Ghost objections and how to dig deeperNegotiating an insane commission structureRoleplaying part-time sales & part-time golf

When was the last time you celebrated your wins?It's easy to get so stuck on your new problems that you completely forget about how far you've come.And that can contribute to productivity dysmorphia — an unhappy junction where anxiety, impostor syndrome, and burnout intersect.In this episode, your hosts, Travis Tyler, Sr. Digital Content Producer, and Patrick Downs, fly solo to discuss:The lost art of stripping lineNickelodeon's brilliant nostalgia marketingProductivity dysmorphia

If you're timely, you've got the right targets and you can cut through the noise to reach the right buyer.This then allows your outbound to succeed without you ever even needing to mention your product, service, or company.That's some outbound-avocado wizardry today's guest, Kristina Finseth, Director of Growth Marketing at Interseller, shares with Patrick and Travis in today's episode.Along the way, the three:Tackle a Tiktok talkerPick apart a podcast product demoShare some secrets on social selling

Why would you ever ask your prospect what their use case is?Does your doctor ask you to tell them what virus you have? Of course not.Be the doctor: Find your prospects problem — and solve it.If you don't approach your prospects this way, it's probably best not to tell today's guest, Becca Holland , CEO and Founder of Flip the Script , because she'll let you know: You're doing it wrong.In this episode:Becca receives a personalized message from the one and only Sailor TwiftBecca breaks down our outreach copy We discuss the keys to personalization at scale

Contrary to popular belief, the customer is not always right.But that doesn't mean you don't stop treating them with empathy. That's something today's guest, Megan Bowen, COO & CCO at Refine Labs, learned early in her career.In this episode, we discuss:Why penicillin can't cure a TBIWhy the customer is not always rightWhy honesty really is the best policy

In your sales proposals, do you spend pages and pages talking about how great your own company is?Before you get to the price, do you make your customer wade through a bog of legalese so deep that it's sure to give flashbacks to that scene with Artax in The Neverending Story?Sales proposals are hard and if either of these sound familiar, yours probably needs rescuing.But have no fear —if anyone can save it, it's today's guest, Pete Nicholls, Founder and CEO of HubDo.He joins Patrick and Travis to discuss:Why you should lead with value in a sales proposalThe difference between a differentiator and a discriminatorHow being a Lord of the Rings nerd can land a tricky sale

How do you make sales content so good that your competition invites you onto their podcast? Well, this week we're hanging out with Will Aitken, Account Executive at Proposify – AKA: the enemy — because he's been doing exactly that. And he was nice enough to join us to share what makes his sales content so compelling.Keep your friends close and enemies closer, right?In this episode, we cover:Will's hurtful comments about usEffective strategies for making viral sales videosHow to stay consistent and get results with your contentThe worst car negotiation of the 21st Century

In this episode, we're giving marketing some love. We don't have a guest, just your loveable hosts, Travis Tyler, Digital Content Producer, and Patrick Downs, Team Lead and Outbound Account Executive, at PandaDoc.In this episode:The trials and tribulations of creative pitchingWhy copywriting is so important in sellingIn the name of marketing, Patrick goes Hollywood and lands a commercial… in New YorkThe moment everyone has been waiting for — our hosts face off in an epic freestyle rap battle