Supered

Co Founder and CEO

Sprocketeer

RevPartners

Co Founder + Head of Strategy / Growth

Connectivity Wireless

Lead sales operations and business strategy execution through operationalizing and optimizing marketing strategy, business processes, MarTech infrastructure, measurement, and reporting. I own the CRM and all integrations into the system - MQLs, SQLs, Opportunity Management, MarTech Stack, and Revenue Operations - for all lines of business.

Director of Revenue  and Strategy

I led all marketing operations - content strategy, website operations, product marketing, social media marketing, and event marketing. Additionally, I relaunched the our CRM and onboarded Sales and Marketing.  

Performance: 
- Oversaw website revamp, SEO, SEM initiatives; users increased by 171%, page views increased by 289%, and conversations increased by 112%.
- Coordinated all social media campaigns; increased LinkedIn impressions by 9,900%, increased engagement by 4024%, and social media referrals by 256%

Director of Marketing and Strategy

C Spire

Directed the development and implementation of marketing and business strategies in multiple business units.

Performance:
- Led the marketing and business strategy efforts for C Spire’s TekLinks acquisition; led the rebranding of the organization to C Spire Business.
- Founded Request for Proposal (RFP) Response Division within C Spire Business; Won 3 of 3 RPS (~$10M Total Contract Value) while serving as interim Director; successfully transitioned RFP into operations.
- Developed and executed C Spire Business’s Channel Program marketing strategy and operational processes; achieved 102% of quota prior to the project’s completion; ran all integration into the CRM.
- Founded C Spire Gaming Club in 2017; grew membership from 25 to 315 from 2017- 2019 (%1160 growth). https://cspiregaming.com/

Chief of Staff - Merger & Acquisitions / Channel Manager / RFP

US Army

Led a 4-person data analytic team in support of the Division Headquarters Battalion (860-person organization); serve as CEO’s senior security and risk adviser for all threats affecting Fort Carson, Colorado Springs

Performance: 
- Hand-selected above peers (1 of 10) to serve in Military Intelligence key development position; ran 8 Division commodity programs – Physical Security, Information Security, Personnel Security, Foreign Disclosure, Safety, Organization Inspection, Intelligence Oversight, and Personnel Recovery
- Streamlined processes  by eliminating redundancies and incorporating database management practices; resulted in decreasing overdue security clearances by 96% and incident reports by 100%

Director of Analytics: Battalion Intelligence Officer

Led a forward deployed 96-person organization with $300M of assets with the mission of deterring Russian aggression in Eastern Europe

Performance:
- Recognized by Deputy Command General as the top company grade officer (1 of 35) during deployment to Germany
- Supported 52 operations in eight countries with zero incidents that demonstrated US presence in Eastern Europe and built interoperability among NATO nations
- Planned and executed the permanent relocation of the forward deployed Division Headquarters over 250 miles in Germany with zero loss of property while maintaining 24 hour operations
- Coordinated and oversaw the integration and departure of 180 personnel to and from the Mission Command Element in Germany to Fort Carson, Colorado with zero incidents, ensuring the MCE retained 100% operational capability during manning transition periods
- 1 of 15 chosen (150+ applicants) to participate in pilot 3-month workforce veterans transition program; interned as Management Consultant with Perkins Motors, increasing EBIT by 15% in 3 months

Director of Operations: Company Commander

Led the Division Headquarters Operations Company – a 250-person organization with $200M of assets – tasked with supporting 4,000+ Soldiers with operations, maintenance and logistic issues

Performance:
- Served as the Commanding Officer (CO) and the Executive Officer (XO) simultaneously in the 4th Division Headquarters’ Operation Company comprised of over 250 Soldiers (served an additional 5 months as XO)
- Utilized agile methodology to empower 5 direct reports to streamline complex supply chains, resulting in a 12% reduction in excess inventory, saving the Army $2.5M
- Created and implemented automated preventative maintenance plan for 48 vehicles and $93M of assets; increased readiness rate from 67% to 100%, saving the U.S. Army $1.2M in annual maintenance repairs
- Managed 18 property holders across 10 job functions (Aviation, Air Defense, Civil Affairs, Current Operations, Engineering, Executive Services, Field Artillery, Future Operations, Mounted Color Guard, Physiological Operations) leading to zero loss of property for a $200M property book during my tenure
- Ideated, created, and taught an eight week personal development course called ‘Life Hacks’, mentoring and coaching 30+ Soldiers that led to 12 promotions

Director of Operations: Company Commander and Executive Officer

Led a 12-person data analytics team for an 902-person Infantry unit; served as CEO’s senior Middle East intelligence advisor while deployed in Kuwait and Iraq

Performance: 
- Selected for leadership position traditionally reserved for specialized professionals with 5 or more years of experience
- Led an intelligence cell of 12 individuals, overseeing the production of 100+ daily intelligence updates(improved both the content and presentation through a rigorous training system)
- Taught and directed 9 separated iterations of enemy combatants predictive analysis for Embassies throughout the Middle East, creating over 135+ products, enhancing the shops' capacity and efficiency 
- Prepared the shop for a seamless transition with the incoming unit, building a digital continuity book that gave instant digital access to all 200+ products 
- Led the Battalion's administrative processes, decreasing incident reports from 21 to 2 (90%) and Military police derogatory reports from 148 to 18 (87%)

Senior Manager of Analytics: Battalion Intelligence Officer

Led a 5-person analyst cell for a 4,258 Soldier organization that tracked all enemy combatants on the battlefield while also synthesizing large quantities of raw data into actionable intelligence for the CEO

Performance:
- Recognized as best Junior Military Officer in Brigade (1 out of 60) during a month long training exercise in Fort Irvin, California 
- Created and operationalized an intelligence program that improved intelligence accuracy by 8% and production rate by 21%, resulting in the production of over 120 country assessments and 270 intelligence briefs
- Conducted over 50 Intelligence briefs and presentations delivered to senior government officials, senior Army leaders, and other stakeholders to increase awareness of enemy combatant’s capabilities, intent, and location
- Graduated as the honor graduate (1 of 27) during the Army’s Military Intelligence Basic Officer Leadership Course (MIBOLC) in Fort Huachuca, AZ

Manager of Analytics: Brigade Intelligence Current Operations Officer in Charge

Scholarship and Six month required course given to Military Intelligence professionals to perform duties at tactical and operational levels that include serving as MI staff officers (S2) at Battalion and Brigade levels, or as MI planners, integrators, and coordinators at Division and Corps levels. This course prepares officers to develop, interpret, plan, integrate, coordinate, and implement the Army's MI programs and policies for the military and civilian work force at the Battalion and Brigade levels.

Performance:
• Class Rank: 1/27 Army Officers
• Graduated with Honors (Van Deman Honors Program)
• Major General William E. Potts Award Recipient
• Army Achievement Medal (AAM) Recipient 
• Earned German Proficiency Badge (GPB)

Second Lieutenant - Student

BlackWhite Development

BlackWhite Development grew from the passion to develop sustainable and creative projects that foster fellowship and a sense of place in Jackson, MS. This entrepreneurial startup was the impetus and inspiration behind the Capitol Art Lofts

Performance:
- Envisioned and pioneered a $10M  joint venture to restore and convert 7 early 20th century buildings into 31 affordable artist housing lofts in downtown Jackson, MS
- Independently created five Pro Formas for multiple investors
- Served as the local partner engaging local media, elected officials, stakeholders and community members
- Secured $2M worth of historic tax credits for the project

Partner

I have led teams as large as 250 people (small as 4) and thousands of projects in the United States and abroad for hundreds of clients across multiple functional areas in the military and in the private sector. I thrive under pressure in competitive, ambiguous, and autonomous environments. I break rules when it makes sense, and I tenaciously apply a growth mindset towards everything I do. 

At Supered, I am working for a fast-paced team full of passionate people that work hard and have fun while doing it!

You might catch me saying:
- "I Believe; Do it BIG; Stay Supered!"
- "A Fistbump a Day Keeps the Doctor Away"
- "Fail often, fail fast; never stop learning"

I'm SO PUMPED about the HubSpot ecosystem

SO PUMPED, that I bet my house and children's education on it. 

So when I heard about the new podcast from Brian Garvey and Karen Ng, I got excited. 

And I got EVEN MORE PUMPED after listening to the first episode that features Yamini Rangan and her perspective on the ecosystem. 

Summary: HubSpot is going places 🚀 🚀 

Here at the things that make me (even more) excited after listening. 

1) The Brian Halligan Mandate: Make the ecosystem 1+1 = 5. 

2) Yamini's Background: She has sold, created GTMs for scale, been an engineer, and even been a partner. That's a lot of awesome in one person. 

3) Project Unity: HubSpot is hyper-focused on decreasing friction between and increasing collaboration for direct reps and partners (both services and apps). This is particularly important as HubSpot competes (and wins) in more midmarket deals (200 - 2000) person organizations. 

4) Ecosystem Belief: It's clear the leaders are committed to creating a platform. And it's impossible to build a platform without a thriving ecosystem of services and app partners.

5) EVEN MORE ecosystem belief: Ecosystems are accelerators. They don't have linear growth, they have exponential growth. The more customers you have, the more partners you have. The more partners, the better results you have. Example of the ecosystem effect = it took HubSpot 15k years to get to 100k customers; took them 2 years to get the next 100k. 🤯 

6) Customer Retention: The goal of an ecosystem is to drive more value for customers. This is already seen via the effect on customer retention.  Customer retention is higher when partners are attached (and apps are involved).

The African proverbs rings true here
- If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. 

Special shoutout to Jesse Cunningham for helping us be: "The best app partner Supered can be."

🫡 Matt Bolian

I've taken 1000s of shots. And missed ~75% of them. 

They are called "opportunities" in Salesforce and "deals" in HubSpot.

Here are some lessons learned from a professional loser ;) The 10 things you hear from prospects, and what they actually mean:  

1) “We’ll reach out to you when we’re ready” — Also known as "Let's never speak again, but in the nicest way possible."

2) “I am the only decision maker” — Brace yourself, the whole extended family is about to join the decision-making party, and no one told you it was a potluck.

3) “We will discuss internally and get back to you” — Translates to: "We have entered the witness protection program and can no longer be reached." You won't hear from them again. 

4) "Can you send a proposal without a call" — They just wanted a bedtime story to read. Yours is titled "The Proposal That Went Nowhere." They aren't buying.

5) “Can you send us your best pricing?” — They might as well ask for your lowest self-esteem pricing while they're at it.

6) “Everything looks good, we will be ready to sign next quarter” — Next quarter in the land of Narnia, where deals go to freeze and never thaw. Time kills deals.

7) Suggestion to reach out 3+ months later — Put it in your calendar as "Chasing Shadows," because that's about as fruitful as it will be.

8) “Just email me the details” — Perfect for when they need a quick 'No' but phrased as "Let me ponder this deep, meaningful information."

9) “We’re undergoing some internal changes” — Translation: "Our company is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic."

10) “It’s not in the budget this year” — The budget is a mythical creature, much like unicorns or a stress-free sales job.

I'll do a post next week on how to stop all the ghosting that happens. 

And remember, you lose more than you win. It's part of the game.

Don't stop believing. 

Create and Trust the process.

Stay awesome,
-Matt


Matt Bolian

Making HubSpot even Easier to Use 🤯🤯| Helping HubSpot Solutions Partners Scale 🚀🚀 | Turning HubSpot CRM Users into Superheros 🦸‍♀️🦸‍♂️

Just like HubSpot, it's been hard to communicate our updates.

Here are 10 things you didn't know Supered did: 

1) External Sharing: Every card can be created and shared externally. 

2)Any URL: It works on any cloud-based platform. It's not just HubSpot. It works on Salesforce, Apollo.io, Salesloft - any platform. 😯

3) PDFs: Any card can be turned into a PDF, downloaded, and shared (for free),

4) Robust Free Plan: The knowledge base (cards) and Maps (step-by-step guides) are free. Don't cost anything to use, share, or give people access to.

5) GDPR / SOC II - EMEA Germany: Most of our end users are in EMEA and a weird amount are in Germany. Yes we are GDPR and have SOC II :).

6) Maps are free: It's worth saying again. Sharing (PDF or URL), seeing, and blurring info is all free. A free work instructions tool. And in-app guidance coming VERY soon. 

7) Teams: You can control content seen by the team a person is on. 

8) Mircosoft Edge: Supered works with Mircosoft edge and Chrome. 

9)Schedule + Targeted Updates: You can schedule in-app notifications to trigger on certain days AND have them pop ONLY once a user hits a specific URLs. 

10) Filter by Meetings/Calls/Emails/Quotes/Line Items/Notes: Process rules can check and reinforce just about any process you can imagine. True process validation.  


Things coming soon: 
• Supered 2.0 (new UI)
• In-app Guidance
• Sequential Tasking

When I show people Supered, usually the reaction is: "Why did I not know this existed." 

The answer: Because we mostly market to HubSpot solutions partners. Our end-user game is weak. But that is true until it isn't 😉

A tool built for revenue team to enablement revenue processes on revenue tools.

There are tools I like and tools like love
- A tool I love: HubSpot
- Another tool I love: Coefficient

Why: Usually, I'm not jazzed by tools that "Push" CRMs to spreadsheets. In fact, I'm been VERY opposed to it. When the spreadsheet becomes the source of truth = Bad. 

BUT....

Coefficient lets you do something different. It supports a two-way sync with Hubspot. It extends the CRM; it doesn't replace it. 

With Coefficient:
- you can create another "object" without going enterprise. 
- you can do complex formula fields.
- let non HubSpot users input data into HubSpot (and interact with data in the system)
- take "excel" skills to "CRM Data" and do comprehensive data analysis for executives

Supered uses coefficient to run our Sales Team commissions.

Pumped to show y'all this works this Thursday during OUR FIRST Supered N' Friends starring Frank Ferris!

Join us at 12pm on 4/11. 

Stay awesome,
-Matt


What makes Coefficient different from other tools that push CRMs to spreadsheets?

What is Supered N' Friends and who is Frank Ferris?

For the last 3 months, I have chatted with a different leader who is running a HubSpot solutions partner every week.

I've asked them the same questions. What do you wish you did earlier?

And they all say the same things: "I wish I niched faster." 

It's odd how it works. Constraints on a business actually "unlocks" rather than restrict.  Here is why it works: 

1. Expertise Development: Specializing allows a company to develop deep knowledge and skills in a specific area, enhancing the quality and effectiveness of its services. This is a double dose of goodness - because it helps train and attract new talent as well. 

2. Targeted Marketing: A niche focus enables more precise marketing efforts, making it easier to connect with and attract the ideal customer base. Don't sleep on this. When you aren't everything to everybody, you get to be someone to somebody. Solve a clear pain and do it well. 

3. Reduced Competition: By serving a specific segment, companies face less competition and can dominate smaller markets more effectively. Said another way, be known for 1 thing. Be the best at that 1 thing. 

4. Increased Customer Loyalty: Specializing helps in understanding and meeting the unique needs of a particular group, fostering stronger customer relationships and loyalty. You can start building "systems" or "IP" around pain points in your niche. 

5. Operational Efficiency: Focusing on a niche streamlines operations and resource allocation, enhancing efficiency and potentially increasing profitability. In other words, you can give more value faster. 

Now niching isn't just "industry" specific. You can solve function specific or combine the two. 

Example: 
1) Best service company at HubSpot to Salesforce Sync
2) Best service company at HubSpot to Netsuite sync for industrial 
3) Best service company for running outbound plays for Saas In Hubspot.
4) Best service company for HubSpot + [enter industry or function]

Go all in. You won't regret it.

Stay awesome
-Matt

How can niching down help a business succeed?

How does specializing help increase customer loyalty?

What are the benefits of targeted marketing?

"I forced myself every day to answer five posts on HubSpot community because the community is full of very real businesses who have very real problems." - Chris Bryant

In Ep. 12 of Fast and Tierious Chris chronicles

How Bryant Works hit #3 NA Rookie of the year, #5 in Customer Care for NA, and Ranked #18 for NA partner of the year in 2024.

He shares much about his journey - including: 

- Transition to Solo Practice: Bryant transitioned from working full-time and freelancing on the side to focusing solely on his freelance HubSpot consultancy, Bryant Works, aiming to match his full-time income through freelance work.

- Narrowing Focus: One of the initial challenges was deciding to niche down. Bryant recognized the importance of specializing to stand out in a crowded market but found it daunting to limit his potential client base by focusing too narrowly. Overcoming this involved a leap of faith in specializing in HubSpot and identifying sectors within that niche, such as SaaS startups, where he could deliver the most value.

- Scaling the Shop: As a solo practitioner deeply involved in all aspects of his business, Bryant faced the challenge of scaling his operations while maintaining the high level of personal service his clients had come to expect. He addressed this by hiring contractors for specialized tasks, allowing him to delegate effectively without diluting the quality of his offerings.

- Moving from Projects: Moving away from project-based work to foster long-term client relationships required a shift in mindset. Bryant had to navigate the challenge of ensuring consistent engagement and value delivery over time, moving away from the traditional project lifecycle mindset.

- Power of Community: Actively participate in the HubSpot community and other relevant forums. This engagement can help you stay up-to-date with the latest developments, build your reputation, and attract clients through referrals and word-of-mouth (answer community posts on HubSpot forums or Sprocketeer).

What would he do earlier: Niche sooner
- Focus on a specific industry or service area where you can offer deep expertise. This specialization makes you more attractive to potential clients within that niche and allows you to provide more targeted and effective solutions.

His Big Bet: HubSpot going upmarket 
Chris is "betting big" on HubSpot's evolution, particularly focusing on enterprise-level features and the CRM development beta, like creating custom cards and tabs. He sees a significant opportunity in integrating custom solutions within HubSpot, allowing for more tailored and powerful tools for his clients.

-----------------
Fast and Tierious provides: Real, practical advice learned from building a HubSpot solution partner. 

Stay awesome. And Stay Supered
-Matt

I'm more excited about the HubSpot ecosystem 

than I have ever been.

Here's what I'm excited about and some things I learned from w/ Karen Ng, Brian Garvey and Noah Berk

1/ What I'm excited about: 

The HubSpot ecosystem. 

We are seeing the change in front of our eyes. What do I mean:
- Upmarket: HubSpot is creating more and more use cases with more and more ICPs without losing their foothold in the SMB market. 
- Partner Day: 2024 Partner Day is getting more attention, more investment, and more awesome. 
- App Partners: Can be HCT, help create academy content, and are invited to more events at Inbound
- Investment in Partners: They have the 1+1=5 philosophy. They are committed to partners of all types (solutions + apps). And they back this up with action. 

There is WAY more here, but you can see why I'm getting excited.

2/ Learnings from the podcast (points + quotes):

Integration and Open Platforms (Karen + Brian):
- Takeaway: They highlight the strategic initiative to open up the platform to foster better integration between partners and solution providers.
- Quote: "One thing we're trying to do is open up the platform, we're trying to connect partners and solution partners." - Karen

Investment in Partner Relationships (Noah):
- Takeaway: Noah points out the importance of investing in relationships with app partners to deliver more comprehensive solutions to clients.
- Quote: "We can't be partners with everyone; it's simply too much... It comes down to our ICP and what does that client need."

3/ HubSot Plus: And probably my favorite part of the podcast: Noah explains obo. 's HubSpot plus strategy: 
- Holistic Client Solutions: Noah emphasizes that while HubSpot provides a strong foundation, his clients often need additional functionalities or integrations to fully meet their business needs. "HubSpot plus" is about creating a full spectrum of services and integrations around the HubSpot platform.
- Adding Value Beyond the Core Offering: Noah mentions that this approach is not just about using HubSpot as a tool but enhancing it with other services and applications that can provide additional value to clients. This might include advanced data services, customized marketing automation, or specialized customer relationship management strategies.

I left the podcast jazzed. 

Jazzed about not just now, but the next 10 years. 

Ecosystems aren't created by accident. And they don't happen overnight. 

And the tide is rising. The momentum is building. 

It's going to be a crazy, wild, fun ride.

#Hubolution

Price is contextual:

Bottle of water at a grocery store = $0.10
Bottle of water at a gas station = $1.50
Bottle of water at a theater = $4.00

You would never pay $4 dollars for a bottle of water at the grocery store. Your 24-pack would be $96 instead $2.50 🤯 🤯

But when we are at the theater (or football stadium, concert, or ballpark), we pay $4 with almost no hesitation - a 400x prince increase. 

In the right context, people buy what they need. Sometimes, they want it even MORE than when it costs a fraction of the price.....

Moral of the story: Get people to the right context, before you talk about price. 

It matters more than you think.

"Sales Team commissions? Really? That is idealistic and won't scale." 

Supered is moving to sales team commissions on April 1st

We think it is impossible to execute our Surroundbound GTM play without it

BUT we have lots of people telling us it's a bad idea. They warn: 

1) Individual Accountability Vanishes: 
When everyone's on the same commission boat, personal drive and accountability are lost. Why push harder when you can ride the wave of the team's effort?

2) Can't Keep Top Performers: 
Your top performers? Why stay when their efforts translate to the same reward as their "underperforming" coworkers? They can make double working somewhere else.

3) Increased Conflict: There will be lots of team tensions. When rewards are pooled, disputes over who contributed what will be hard to manage. How do you know who is winning and what behaviors to reward?

4) Less Innovation: In a team commission model, the incentive to innovate and excel on an individual level dwindles. Creativity and personal initiative take a backseat.

"Let's face it, team commissions might sound warm and fuzzy in theory, but in sales, it's a recipe for mediocrity and discontent."

But what if?

What if it works? 

What if sales didn't hoard leads, freely shared resources, and didn't operate in isolation? What if there was another way? What if the below was true:

-> Unity Over Ego: Individual commissions breed lone wolves, not teammates. Team commissions forge a united front, where collaboration trumps cutthroat competition.

-> All for One, One for All: Remember the freeloaders' scarecrow? It's a myth. A well-structured team commission system motivates everyone to pull their weight, ensuring no one wants to be the weak link.

-> Spotlight on Collective Success: Sure, let's idolize the lone stars while we sink the ship. Team commissions highlight the collective achievements, driving home the message that success is a team sport.

-> Culture Over Chaos: Want a toxic work environment? Stick to individual commissions. Team commissions cultivate a culture of support, mentorship, and shared goals.

-> Innovation in Unity: Innovation doesn't die in teams; it thrives. When people work together, they combine their strengths, leading to more creative solutions and better outcomes.

IMO, It's a bet worth taking.

Worst case: We're wrong and we do individual-based commission

How do you extend HubSpot without "going enterprise?"

How do you add "objects" without enterprise? 

Answer = Coefficient.

You can apply the power of Google Sheets (and Excel) and use them with your CRM seamlessly. It opens crazy possibilities. 🤯 

When Coefficient came out with the 2 way HubSpot sync, I GOT excited. 

If you followed my content over the years, you may remember me saying: "Every Google sheet is an existential threat to adoption and thus the CRM."

And I still believe that (when it's not connected via Coefficient). 

Random Google Sheets represent something the CRM "can't do for me today." It becomes another data source disconnected. And people start to use it, AND NOT USE the CRM. They represent "features" that need to be add to the CRM.

But what if you could 
- combine the power and familiarity/power of Google Sheets AND the CRM.
- have people input data via Google sheet (instead of another user in HubSpot)
- blend Hubspot + other data sources to visualize trends or trigger notifications.

This Thursday at 12PM, we'll be chatting in depth about this with Frank Ferris.

If you Love HubSpot and Use Google Sheets, you should come.

So basically every HubSpot admin and Sprocketeer.

Link in comments. There will also be a giveaway.....

Stay awesome
-Matt

Supered  2.0 👀

Things you might notice:
• Pretty: It's much slicker and easier to navigate
• Sidebar: It's now collapsible
• Bases: Launching bases for end users and adding them as part of UI (collections -> bases)
• Full Drag and Drop: Can move cards fluidly in bases and BETWEEN bases
• Updates: "Updates" were moved to the top level - give their proper place (b/c they are awesome)
• Partners: Can switch between accounts on top left drop-down.
• Home: There is a "home screen" now :). 

This update sets the stage for large upgrades for both partners and end users.

Other big stuff coming:
• Tours: You can create "tours" that show/tell people exactly where to click. 
• Card Creation: Create documentation directly from the Chrome extension.
• Sequential Tasking: The ability to task people to do things in a specific order :).
• Client Bases: Special bases that allow you to interact with your clients - less tedious, easier way to deliver value to clients

Our goal is this: Make a tool that makes achieving process adoption MUCH easier

Things like
• Eradicate unread SOPs
• Replace constant slack messages for self-service
• Give reps the next best action in HubSpot
• Guide users in ANY platform - where to click (and why)
• Serve the next best actions

A real-time enablement platform made by and for revops professionals

I want to make Supered so good that people say, "If you aren't using supered for adoption, you are living under a rock."

We are starting by powering the HubSpot admin

Because HubSpot is the future.

Because Sprocketeers are awesome.

What impact will process adoption have on businesses?

We have 100+ paying customers and zero contracts

Month-to-month is CORE to our product strategy.

Here's why:

- Doesn't Hide Churn: Churn can't hide. Must provide value over and over again. Or people churn. 
 
- Feedback > Financial Security: What matters most is getting feedback on your product and updating it wicked fast. We get feedback 12x faster, because we have 12 more renewals. 

- Hyper Focused on Recurring Value: We made HUGE pivots on how we "onboard" and "sell" because we quickly realized the use cases we taught were not providing recurring value. Month-to-month contracts highlighted this much faster than annual. 

- Deeper Relationship: Month-to-month contracts create accountability. And when our team rises to that accountability - fixes the bug, rapid releases a new feature, or jumps on ad hoc training calls - we recreate friends and fans. We have more opportunities to delight and thus the ability to create deeper, more meaningful relationships with our customers. 

Month-to-month contracts keep startups hyper-focused on what creates value for their customers.

And that is a GOOD thing. 

I believe it so much, that's what Supered does.

Good Morning Ecosystem podcast is 🔥. EP2 featured Jill Rowley

This one is about: Partnership's growing role in GTM

Here are my top 4 learnings/takeaways:
1) GTM Evolution: The emphasis has shifted towards delivering and maintaining value for customers, acknowledging that retaining an existing customer is more beneficial than acquiring new ones. 
- It’s better to keep a customer than get a new customer
- It’s now Sales + Marketing + CS + Partnerships
*Quote: "Go to market was Sales Plus marketing fast forward to today...everyone had a wakeup call that we're in a subscription world and that we have to get our customers to value fast."

2) Importance of the Ecosystem: Companies must  design their ecosystems around their customers' needs
- Realize you are one small piece of their customer's ecosystem (and then design)
- All the other motions (sales-led, marketing-led, community-led, partner-led) exist to serve the customer
- Customer obsessed means building WITH the customer (not going to the market). You live where they are - you learn where they learn. 
*Quote: "Partnerships and the ecosystem are increasingly more important to your go-to-market...it's not about our ecosystem first, it is about my customers' ecosystem."

3) Social Selling and Relevance: Be more relevant by leveraging platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter for research and engagement. It's about building relationships and delivering value, rather than just making sales.
- Social networks let’s you self-educate; you get the context to be helpful (language, their pains, etc)
- Use the podcast to research (Jill knows Brian likes coffee A LOT)
*Quote: Who wants to be cold called? We didn't before and We definitely don't now, but who wants to be helped? Who wants to be understood? That's what these social networks like LinkedIn...are for."

4) Partnerships and Revenue: Partnership leaders - Need to split their brains between - current revenue AND how to create 1:Many relationships. Focus on and replicate your best partners.
- The best partners are the ones seen through the lens of the customers - ones that solve customer problems and increase retention. 
- Great partners connect with other partners. Great partners think about your ecosystem. They join your user groups. Willing to have hard conversations. 
*Quote: "Good partners, great partners, are thinking about your partner ecosystem, your customer ecosystem...they have the same values, they want to deliver value more holistically."

AND there was a special guest. Jill's mom :). 

Thank you Karen Ng / Brian Garvey for creating more awesome for the  HubSpot ecosystem

Run your marketing like a media company they say.

Easy to say, but what does that actually mean??

Here's how we interpret it at Supered: 
- Consistent: Create consistent engaging content that people can watch. 
- Brands: Run multiple series with indepedent brands and "twists"
- Brand -> Network: Don't promote the brand. Promote the people creating the content on a network

So what does that look like for us (and we are still figuring this out).

We run 9 series:
- Coming in Hot: Matt's take on RevOps and Leadership
- Supered Dupered Updates: Our product "launch series" - fun way to talk about new features
- Supered N' Friends: We feature other products we like 
- SURGE: We host user group sessions on how to use Supered
- Illuminating Supered: We teach people tactical ways to learn and use supered
- Supered JAMs: We create Music videos for our Nearbound partners
- Fast and Tierious: We talk to HubSpot solutions partners about lessons learned scaling in the HubSpot ecosystem. 
- Learn with me: Supered sales show what they are learning in Supered and how to apply it for practical use cases

AND introducing a new one called

- Show Me Your (Tech) Stack: Talk to Revops leaders about their 5 favorite tools and why? 

That's alot of darn content. One might call it a butt-ton (actually metric). 

And this doesn't even include 
- Funny vids from  Chris van Praag⚡️
- The "learn with me" content from Caleb King 
- The Supered solutions from Ashley Freter 🩷, Lindsey ⚡️ Smith, Lindsay John ⚡️
- The "Spill the Tea" with Lindsey ⚡️ Smith & Ashley Freter 🩷 
- The "building services" with Blake Lytle
- The Admin Hug with D'Ana Guiloff and Kyle Jepson

Here's the point. 

You could argue we have 15 series. And have 11 employees. 

Running as a media company is more than just "marketing go make content for us." That fails. 

It has to be a company-wide initiative. Everyone contributes to creating content. 

At least, that's our take and how we are testing it.

What do you think? How are you trying to run "B2B" as a marketing company? Any tips Travis Tyler??

What does it mean to run marketing like a media company?

What are some examples of consistent engaging content?

"There are features/tools that I never got with Salesforce and still can’t get to this day that HubSpot did right out of the box." - Davey Warren 🍐

In Ep. 12 of Fast and Tierious Davey chronicles:

How Pearagon won the Customer First Award in 2020, 2021, and was top 10 in 2022 and 2023. AND more!

He shares much about his journey - including: 

Getting Started in HubSpot
- Initial CRM Consultancy: Started as a general CRM consultant, not initially focused on HubSpot.
- Shift from Salesforce: Transitioned from using Salesforce after realizing HubSpot's features, user-friendliness, and partnership.
- Full Commitment to HubSpot: Decided to become a dedicated HubSpot partner after successful implementation experiences.

Scaling Challenges
- Rapid Expansion: Grew too quickly at first, which led to inefficiencies and the need to scale back.
- Finding the Right Talent: Challenges in hiring the right people, especially avoiding hiring friends and family.
- Outsourcing Difficulties: Initially struggled with finding the right outsourcing partners which matched their business model and pace.

Advice for new partners
1) Understand HubSpot Deeply:
Invest time in learning all aspects of HubSpot’s functionalities and tools to provide comprehensive solutions to clients.

2) Focus on Customer Retention: 
Prioritize keeping clients happy and engaged long after the initial sale, as this is critical for sustainable growth and building a positive reputation.

3) Build Strong Relationships with HubSpot: 
Engage actively with HubSpot’s support and management teams to gain insights, support, and resources that can help enhance your offerings.

4) Adopt Lean Business Practices: 
Be cautious with rapid expansion. Focus on maintaining quality and manage growth in a sustainable manner that aligns with your business capabilities and market needs.

5) Strategic and Calculated Risk-Taking: 
Be prepared to make significant strategic bets if they are well-aligned with market trends and your business model, similar to Davey's full pivot to HubSpot.

6) Participate in Community and Educational Events:
Organize or participate in events that foster community engagement and technical training, such as the Winter Bound event organized by Paragon, to enhance visibility and networking opportunities.

What He Said He Would Never Do Again / Do Earlier
- Never Again: Avoid hiring friends and family to prevent personal biases and complications.
- Do Earlier: Master effective outsourcing strategies to avoid financial losses and operational inefficiencies.

Their Big Bet:
- Enterprise Market Focus: Betting on HubSpot’s move towards the mid-market and enterprise segments, aligning Paragon’s services to cater to larger, more complex clients and projects.

-----------------
Fast and Tierious = Real, practical advice learned from building a HubSpot service business.


What are some features that HubSpot has that Salesforce doesn't?

What are some recent achievements of Pearagon?

I was talking about imPortant things with James Fyfe

And I was blown away by:

How awesome Portant is for GSutie users (pretty frickin awesome)

AND 

How many tabs James had open (~75)?

But for real: If you use GSuite + HubSpot, and haven't tried Portant for document creation (contracts, proposals) or signatures, I strongly recommend you do. 

And then your imPortant things will be that much easier 😎

More things brewing for Portant + Supered :). 

HubSpot ecosystem is the place to build and grow!

"Why do you promote a strategy that doesn't help you sell Supered"

A question I got from a mentor abound Surroundbound. 

"Why teach people how to do modern sales tactics, when you don't get anything from it?"

Because 
1) I talk about things I believe 
2) I talk about things I am doing
3) I talk about things I'm excited about
4) I talk about things I think others might find helpful

LinkedIn is not about promoting a service or product. It's about creating relationships.

Just be helpful.

Show people the things you are learning and have learned.

I got on a call with Italo Leiva this week, and he said, "We did the culture and hiring things you suggested. And it's working." 

That one comment justifies any posts I put on here. Because it made a difference in a person's life and business.

And that is what matters. 

When in doubt, talk about something that you think might be helpful. 

The number of likes, comments, and reshares don't matter. 

They never did. 

Give liberally. It's always worth it. 

Stay awesome
-Matt


Why is it important to share helpful content on LinkedIn?

How can LinkedIn help me build relationships?

What are some examples of modern sales tactics?

Every yes is a thousand nos. 

The world is a buffet of endless choices

But's it not an "all you can" restaurant - each choice has a consequence

Every time say yes - we commit our time, energy, and resources. We unconsciously set boundaries against other possibilities.

This is decision-making: It's not just choosing the path we walk, but the countless potential journeys we leave unexplored.

So next time you say "yes," pause can consider: "What am I saying no to; is it worth it?"

To say it another way: 

"It's only by saying 'no' that you can concentrate on the things that are really important." - Steve Jobs

Our "Yeses" say more about our priorities than our "nos."   

Because our "yes" is a limited resource

Stay awesome
-Matt

What are some best practices for decision-making?

How can better time management help us make better decisions?

Step-by-step instructions in any app. 

And the best part: It's free.

Gratis. Cost no money. On the house. Zero dollars. No charge. Complimentary. Absolutely on us. No hidden fees, no fine print. Nada. Zilch. Not a penny. Wallet stays closed. Free as the wind. Free as a bird. Free as that leftover cake in the office kitchen. Free like an unsupervised toddler. Free like your cat at 3 AM.  Free as public Wi-Fi. Free as your grandma's advice. Free as the samples at Costco.

In other words: it's free.....

Why give away so much value for free? 

Becuase Supered ❤️ admins 

Releasing next weekish

Anybody who comments "FREEWILLY" will get something special on launch day :). 

Stay awesome.
Stay Supered.

And never stop believing
-matt 

What is the significance of providing free value?

Taplio

🫡 Matt Bolian's Linkedin Analytics

🫡 Matt Bolian

What is 🫡 Matt talking about?

Who is engaging with 🫡 Matt

🫡 Matt Bolian's Best Posts (last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Taplio

.css-1jgreyo{background-image:linear-gradient(284deg, rgba(39,43,72,1) 0%, rgba(33,47,183,1) 100%);color:transparent;-webkit-background-clip:text;background-clip:text;}🫡 Matt Bolian's Linkedin Analytics

🫡 Matt Bolian

What is 🫡 Matt talking about?

Who is engaging with 🫡 Matt

🫡 Matt Bolian's Best Posts .css-qqfgvy{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);}(last 30 days)

Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

🫡 Matt Bolian's Linkedin Analytics

🫡 Matt Bolian's Best Posts (last 30 days)