Navigate growth with Focus Image Pro, a demand generation agency for B2B SaaS

I started a demand generation agency with a clear purpose, to make workplaces better. By helping HR tech companies connect with HR leaders, I believe we contribute to stronger workplace cultures, even if indirectly.

I also launched an exclusive HR tech community, interviewed more than 20 industry leaders through the HR Connect series, host virtual roundtables and masterclasses, and publish The Demand Engine newsletter where I share practical playbooks for growth. Each initiative has the same goal: to create spaces where HR tech solutions and HR leaders can connect in a real, meaningful way.

Today, at FIP, we connect HR tech companies with HR leaders through demand generation events. We arrange virtual roundtables and exclusive dinners that bring senior HR leaders and HR tech organizations together for genuine conversations that lead to real sales opportunities. 

Each event is unique and hosted exclusively by one HR tech company, making our events very different from traditional sponsorship-based events.

We've been building this quietly for a while, and I'm ready to talk about it.

This year we're running a full series of HR Executive Leadership Dinners across North America, and I'm proud of what the 2026 calendar looks like.

📍 New York | Total Rewards & Benefits (April 30)
📍 Toronto | Total Rewards & Benefits (May 28)
📍 Chicago | Talent Acquisition & Retention (June 18)
📍 New York | Learning & Development (July 16)
📍 Toronto | HR Technology & AI (September 24)
📍 San Francisco | Talent Acquisition & Retention (October 15)
📍 Chicago | Learning & Development (November 12)
📍 San Francisco | HR Technology & AI (December 3)

These aren't conferences. Small, intentional evenings where senior HR leaders can have the conversations that don't usually happen on a Zoom call.

No panels. No pitches. Just the right people, in the right room, talking about what actually matters.

Full event schedule here 👉 https://fip.agency/events

If you're an #HRtech company looking to connect with HR leaders in a genuine and thoughtful way, reach out. Happy to talk through sponsorship, speaking, and hosting opportunities across the series.

Dilara Cossette

Founder at FIP | Executive Dinners for HR Tech | Connecting HR Tech with HR Leaders

I want to admit something that took me almost 2 years to realize. I suck at sales 🤦🏻‍♀️

I know how to create demand and how to convert that demand into meetings, but when it comes to converting prospects into clients, my close rates were dropping.

And it made me realize something important. No matter how good your product is and no matter how great your features are, if you don't know what to say, how to say it, and when to say things, you will struggle with closing deals.

As founders of early stage startups, we wear so many hats, including sales. And sales is usually the first non development hire.

When people ask me when to hire the first marketer, I always say it should happen at the same time you hire your first sales rep.

However, in most cases marketing is brought in later, after hiring a sales leader, and often after hiring more than one salesperson.

But an important question every founder should ask themselves is when to bring in sales support.

And honestly, I think it depends a lot on your own sales skills. If you are a technical founder or someone without a sales background, yes, you can absolutely learn those skills.

But the real question is how long it will take, and whether you will ever be as strong as people who are naturally great at sales.

Do I regret the time and money I invested in learning sales skills over the last two years? Absolutely not!

Would I bring in sales support sooner? Absolutely yes!

If you are reading this and your close won rate is low, I would strongly encourage you to consider bringing in someone with a sales background who can support you with closing deals.

Today I'm very excited that Walter Willett will be supporting me with sales initiatives so I can focus on the things I do well.

Creating demand.
Turning that demand into conversations.
Getting meetings booked.

Hard admission to make, but I see this change as a very important step and milestone for FIP’s success.

Walter, thank you for all your guidance, support, and exceptional experience in event sponsorship sales. I'm really excited to be working with you 🤝

The first time I saw a #recognition platform at work, I thought it was brilliant.
Appreciation notes. Points. Gift cards.

What could go wrong?

Then I saw what was happening behind the scenes.

People coordinating in separate group chats, deciding who would give points to who next. Rotating favors so everyone in the circle wins.

And the ones not in that chat? Invisible!

It wasn’t until I joined Kudos® that I really got it >>> 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 ≠ 𝐑𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬.

When recognition turns into a game, it stops being real. It becomes transactional. Strategic. Performative.

Recognition should come first. Rewards can follow. But the moment rewards replace recognition, culture slowly shifts in the wrong direction.

What’s your experience with recognition programs? Have you actually seen one done right?

#workplaceculture #leadership #recognition #employeeexperience #hrleaders #peopleandculture #workplaceconnection

FIP 🧭

Most offers are weak because they are built in the wrong order.

> Founders start with the product.

> Marketers start with the channel.

> Sales teams start with the pitch.

But none of that matters if the offer is not rooted in a real problem.

Here’s the simple framework I use to create a strong offer:

ICP → Pain → Product → Offer

1️⃣ Start with your ideal customer profile. Be extremely specific about who you are targeting, not just their job title, but their industry, company size, geography, and what they are responsible for delivering inside the business.

2️⃣ Then define their real pain. What are they under pressure to fix right now? What is blocking results, creating risk, or costing them time and budget? If the pain is vague, the offer will be weak.

3️⃣ Next, look at your product or service through the lens of that pain. How does what you sell directly support solving that specific problem? Your product is the engine, but it's not the headline.

4️⃣ Finally, craft the offer. The offer is how you position your product in a way that directly addresses that pain for that ICP. It should feel relevant, timely, and aligned with what they are trying to achieve, not just another sales conversation.

When you build your offer in this order, your messaging becomes sharper, your outreach feels more intentional, and your results improve.

The simple framework I use to create a strong offer is in the first comment 👇

taplio

Dilara Cossette's Linkedin Analytics

Dilara Cossette 🧭

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taplio

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