Lily Roosevelt on “Why I joined Metadata”
Why did I join metadata?
I joined Metadata because it came with the opportunity for growth. Which is funny because I think that is the same reason why many of our customers work with us. It’s cool to be aligned in that way. My success is your success and vice versa.
I’ve noticed a lot of parallels between how we run our customer relationships and how I am treated internally. This is something I love about Metadata. Consistency across the board. Because, at the end of the day, we care about the data and we trust the data to help us make the best decisions.
I’ve found four pillars that support this data-driven approach and have supported my experience as a new hire: alignment, measurement, authenticity, and coaching.
While learning a new job and creating new relationships, so much of the ambiguity of this newness is tolerable because these pillars provide enough structure to allow me to be psychologically safe, that is, to trust my team, and to trust the data. These pillars are also things which we pass onto our customers – because we know that growth is hard and it gets a little bit easier with structures to lean on.
Alignment and Measurement
First things first. What are we measuring and how are we measuring it? From my first day, I’ve known what my goals are and how I am measured. This intrinsically means that I also know what I am working towards. There is something to reach for which will not only benefit me but will also benefit my organization, and ultimately my customers. Talk about alignment.
When first getting to know a customer, there are four points that I hit to ensure I best understand what they need:
- What matters to the customer, and where are they hurting?
- What is a fair metric to measure their success, and how might they be measuring their investment in us?
- What does success look like for them, and what is the path that we need to take to get there?
- What internal initiatives are they running, is my POC leading the charge on any new strategies?
We often see our Metadata customers charged with being the stewards of a whole new demand generation strategy, and so much of what they are doing internally is creating alignment amongst their team and the greater organization. I’ve found that I can best serve these customers by making sure they have the data to back them up when they need it.
Alignment takes trust and collaboration. If the client’s team can center around clear metrics and KPIs as the standard through which to judge their demand gen program, everyone can have greater confidence in their efforts and get excited to get on board.
Authenticity and Coaching
My day is filled with honest conversation, collaboration, and problem solving both during internal meetings and customer calls and it is freaking energizing. In each and every instance, we are working to build something great. I find this to be exciting and strive to pass that excitement along to everyone with whom I work. These conversations are a lot easier and a lot more fun to have if people feel that they can be themselves. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten is to lead with vulnerability in order to get others to share with you and trust you. Something as easy as sharing something unique or unexpected about yourself when meeting someone new for the first time does the trick. Sharing feedback, ideas, and opinions are all things that are unique to each and every individual and they are so valuable because they are so individual. I’ve found myself to be in an environment that takes the time to understand each person’s goals and it makes us better at our jobs.
Again, these are values that are paramount to pass along to our customers so they, like I, know that they can ask for help and raise a hand to deliver feedback. There are times when I am guiding my customer and there are times where they are guiding me. I recently gained more context on the unique criteria for a customer’s target buyer. This customer took the time to share what they’ve tried in the past to find these people and what challenges he’s run into. Now we are better equipped to collaborate on our approach going forward and not repeat the same mistakes. Metadata is a continuous feedback loop and it gets smarter and smarter over time because it learns from its inputs. I model my relationships after this process. Because who doesn’t want to get better? The longer we work together, the more open communication we have, the better results we deliver. Who doesn’t want to grow and crush their KPIs?
I joined Metadata because I knew I would be well-supported in my personal and professional growth. Because I am well supported by my leaders and teammates, I am able to support our customers. You’ve got a deep bench when you work with Metadata.
Lily Roosevelt, Customer Success Manager
