Speaker 1: 0:19

Thank you Evan Polin, the president of Polin Performance Group, a master in sales coaching with over two decades of experience, evan is not just a consultant. He's a force in sales, focusing on mindset planning and skill development. He's also the co-author of Selling Professional Services, the Sandler Way. Joining him is Craig Andrews, partner and CEO of Beholder Agency. An expert in growth marketing With 20 years under his belt, craig blends marketing creativity with strategy to propel businesses forward, making Beholder Agency a leader in effective marketing solutions. Together, evan and Craig are here to share their wisdom on winning strategies, best practices and transformative insights that will fuel your growth. Get ready to revolutionize your sales and marketing approach right here on the Sales and Marketing Playbook Unleashed.

Speaker 2: 1:11

The Sales and Marketing Playbook Unleashed. I'm Craig Andrews. This is my partner in crime, Evan Polin. How are you doing today, Evan Polin?

Speaker 3: 1:19

I am doing great. Craig Andrews, how are you doing today?

Speaker 2: 1:22

We're going to just talk about each other in the full name sense, so everybody knows who we are. We're here to give you guys the answers and the results of how to make your business better.

Speaker 3: 1:30

We're going to make sure they can't forget us, no matter how hard they try.

Speaker 2: 1:34

They're going to try, but we're not going to let them do it. So we talk a lot in all the episodes if you guys have been listening we've been talking about how sales and marketing can work together or they work against each other. Right, and I think that's important. But today, what the guests that we have on here is they're going to talk about how the company culture can work for you or against you in the same way. And so the guest that we have today, rachel Platt, who I'll bring to the stage right now hey, rachel, how are you today?

Speaker 4: 2:04

Hi Craig, Hi Evan, Good to see you both. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 2: 2:08

No worries. Why don't you tell our audience in terms of what you do and in your profession?

Speaker 4: 2:15

Great. Well, I am the CEO of Platinum HR Consulting. We do people strategy and HR advisory. What that means is that we help organizations move beyond day-to-day compliance HR policies and really into the programs that allow them to create the environment that attracts, develops future leaders, recognizes your stars, retains talent and creates a more profitable, productive and, frankly, fun work environment for people to work in every single day.

Speaker 2: 2:57

Very cool, very cool. So I teased the show in the beginning talking about alignment, and I know when we talked prior to the recording, we talked about authenticity. Evan, help me, I can't speak.

Speaker 3: 3:09

Authenticity. Yeah Well, believe it or not, english is Craig's first language, but sometimes he gets a little tongue tied.

Speaker 2: 3:18

Yes, so the authenticity in business and corporate and so forth. Tell us kind of your definition from an HR perspective in terms of authenticity.

Speaker 4: 3:28

So authenticity in a company's culture. It means that there's alignment between what the company says and what they actually do and their employees and their consumers experience on a day-to-day basis and especially frankly, when nobody's really looking. It shows up in how leaders behave, how decisions get made, who and how people get rewarded, how people in general are treated, and it's, just it's such an important aspect.

Speaker 4: 4:00

It's just, it's such an important aspect, particularly at a time when transparency is even more important. It's expected. Information is everywhere and your entire brand integrity depends on that alignment.

Speaker 3: 4:21

So, rachel, I'm not sure if you've ever seen this before, but rumor is from time to time, on occasion, what a company tries to project their public image to be is a little bit different than what happens when you kind of look underneath and kind of push the rocks aside. What happens when there is a disconnect between the image that the company is trying to get out there to the public versus how they treat their employees and what the company culture is like, if you've ever seen it before, Shocker.

Speaker 4: 4:57

Yes, you read about it in the news, you hear about it. I've personally lived it, as I'm sure many of us have this disconnect. The impact is so real and so costly. If you're marketing oh, we're one big family which let me answer your question and then let me go on my one big family rant, if you will, for a minute. But your internal people? They feel overworked or undervalued, expendable.

Speaker 4: 5:33

That mismatch creates distrust. If your culture is performative, your employees sense it. Their trust erodes when they're dealing with your customers or your prospects. They often can feel even casual networking. The truth is out there and that hurts recruitment, that hurts retention, that hurts people because they disengage when they're even on the job, and that hurts your customers. They feel that. And so it's all of those inconsistencies that happen all the time because employees just aren't proud to be there. You're not walking the walk. So, bottom line, the employee experience, that is your brand and the entire ecosystem suffers when you're not. And so, before you jump into the, we Are family because I want you to get back to that and the entire ecosystem suffers when you're not.

Speaker 2: 6:45

And so, before you jump into the, we are family, because I want you to get back to that, I think that's a good one.

Speaker 2: 6:50

You know a lot of stuff, evan. Here. That she's speaking about is exactly what we talk about from a sales and marketing perspective, right? So ultimately, if you're talking about a marketing, we usually talk in the context of sales, of business growth and things of that fashion. But there is an internal marketing and there is an internal sales. That happens every day, and so to be able to tie those together helps that company grow and flow and move easier. Because, just like we talked about the disconnect between sales and marketing and who blames who the blame game we want to be in a position that the people aren't just blaming themselves and sacrificing each other to make that thing flow in an easy fashion. What's your take on it, evan?

Speaker 3: 7:31

Yeah, and we recently recorded an episode where we discussed customer persona and the importance of sales and marketing being on the same page, speaking the same language, giving the same messaging, and that if marketing is saying one thing, sales is saying something else, that salesperson is going to lose credibility, the company is going to lose credibility. Customers aren't going to want to do business with that company because they don't know what that company is about. I would imagine much the same if a company is trying to tout we're one big happy family, we treat our people well, and then they talk to some of their people who talk about how poorly they're treated, how overworked they are, how behind the scenes the company's cheap doesn't do right by their customers. That can probably hurt a company's brand more than anything else, because who knows better about what's going on under the hood than the employees who are actually working in the company day in and day out?

Speaker 2: 8:27

Yeah, rachel, do you have a real world example of we are family, Because we've all kind of felt that one?

Speaker 4: 8:33

Yeah, we have felt it, so I'm not going to give you a real world example, but I am going to go on my people strategy rant for a brief moment, if I may. We are one big family can really unintentionally trigger all the wrong associations. It's well-intentioned, but that assumes that everyone has a positive connection to their family. I'm lucky I do, but it really blurs the boundaries Because in a healthy workplace you're talking about accountability and feedback and there's performance expectations, the family metaphor. It's really hard to have those tough conversations without guilt or confusion when you're having a performance discussion, and so all organizations should really be avoiding.

Speaker 4: 9:49

Or a family, because, well, it doesn't mean the same thing to every single person. It's also a little bit manipulative. You know, family implies that employees should go above and beyond without question. Oh, you should do this. We're family.

Speaker 4: 10:00

Does that mean like unpaid overtime or sacrificing your personal boundaries, work time, personal time, whatever it is? It's just, it's wrong. It also masks those power dynamics that are there because families aren't performance based, companies are, and so there's a lot of resentment that can go along with that, but the idea of it is there's just better ways to say it without that emotional baggage. One of my clients has started using we're a purpose-driven team or we take care of each other team or we take care of each other. Another one of my clients uses we're a high trust people first organization. Now, it only works if you actually are and I'm not encouraging you to use these things if they're not actually true, as we're talking about authenticity. But those that are trying to move from we're all a family and into something different that really speaks to who they are. There's just different ways to do it without the baggage associated with we are family the baggage associated with we are family.

Speaker 3: 11:28

So, Rachel, along those lines, when companies are trying to attract employees that fit within the culture you know, do you have any ideas or best practices of what companies can do to make sure that their external messaging, when trying to attract employees, reflects you know what's going on and how to kind of thread the needle between attracting good candidates but not just making it seem like the best company in the world to work for, and attracting everyone when not everybody may fit in to what the organization's culture is? Good question.

Speaker 4: 11:58

That's a great question. So absolutely, I mean look, tell the truth If you are a novel concept.

Speaker 3: 12:07

Are you sure?

Speaker 4: 12:11

But if you are a hard driving All out, all hands on deck at all hours of the day, don't actually tell people that, oh, we respect your nights and weekends and you can do whatever you want to do. Tell people, allow them to opt in or opt out. You want people who are at the who rev at the same pace as what your organization actually does. There are people who thrive on that 24-7 intensity environment and so attract your kind. Attract the people who are going to be successful there and who are making smart decisions based upon the truth, not based upon some shiny, sparkly heart stars and rainbows and balloons falling from the sky. Just tell the truth.

Speaker 2: 13:12

And I think, evan, that touches right home with the persona conversation in one of our episodes as well. If you know who you're attracting and you know who you're talking to from a sales perspective and or HR perspective, you'll end up being more successful because you found your perspective. You'll end up being more successful because you found your culture, you found your tribe that's the better word. You found a tribe that really is going to thrive in that space.

Speaker 3: 13:33

So and Rachel, I'm glad that you shared that I don't get involved in a lot of hiring. But sometimes I'll consult with companies who are hiring salespeople and I see them make the job sound like the best, most wonderful job in the world and they attract all of these candidates but they're not actually attracting the kinds of candidates that would be successful in the role. They're not describing what they're looking for in their ideal person. And then they're shocked when they hire somebody because they were attracted to a really attractive sounding job description but couldn't actually perform in the role because they didn't really describe what that role was.

Speaker 4: 14:10

And I mean it doesn't benefit the organization, it doesn't benefit the, the human that's coming to work and never changing their lives. You know, whatever that situation is, and really it doesn't positively impact your staff that you're trying to retain when they see that turnover, because you're not really telling the whole truth, that just creates more distrust, lack of engagement, and it's it's not a recipe for success. I mean, craig, somebody taught me this expression a couple of weeks ago and I'm loving it, but it really is your vibe attracts your tribe. I got it wrong. Your vibe attracts your tribe.

Speaker 2: 14:58

Yep.

Speaker 4: 14:59

And when you're together, you thrive.

Speaker 2: 15:02

That's right.

Speaker 4: 15:02

And so just tell the truth.

Speaker 2: 15:08

Yeah.

Speaker 4: 15:09

Be real. It just tell the truth. Be real, and you know, look, you're not going to share every wart that your organization may have, because we do aspire to be better. Use the words that say, hey, we're aspiring to X. The reality, though, of our work is Y. Right now, you'll have a much higher chance of having alignment in values and expectations.

Speaker 2: 15:38

And I'll say that a lot of times and this is one of the things that Evan and I spoke about in a previous episode as well the way we're moving in terms of technology, AI, the way we're moving in terms of the need for information to be exactly pinpoint so I don't have to spend a lot of time thinking about it the thing that's coming through and the consistency that's coming through there is the authenticity.

Speaker 2: 16:00

I've talked to Evan a lot of times about me having younger daughters and listening to the way they speak. They're on a different language path than us and I think that that language path because they're going to be the employees of the future and understanding that language path is important in transition because, ultimately, the things that I'm hearing from them is talking about the phrase they use, which always gets me dad, you're being fake, I'm not being fake, I'm telling you exactly what I'm telling you, and they're saying, no, that's fake. And I said I'm not being fake, I'm telling you exactly what I'm telling you, and they're saying, no, that's fake. And I said, OK, explain. And it's like we're on two separate paths. But that also plays to the authenticity in terms of how they see the information no-transcript they are.

Speaker 3: 17:00

I don't know that it's that much different from a salesperson selling to a prospect or an employer talking to an employee. If I'm using my own language and I'm not paying attention to who my audience is and who I'm speaking to, there's going to be that disconnect. If there's that disconnect, again, we're all part of an organization that talks about no like and trust. If we don't like, if we don't trust who we're working with, who our customers are, then it's not going to be a long-term relationship. So I think it's really important in the old days again, when my parents were in the workplace, it's hey, I'm the boss and this is how I'm doing, and if I don't like it, you can go somewhere else. Now there's too many other somewhere else's for somewhere to go where the employer can no longer just ignore their customers. Quite frankly, who are their employees? Who are going to make or break whether or not their organization is successful? So, rachel, I'm not sure what you have seen.

Speaker 4: 17:58

Look, it matters what you say. Everything you're saying is 100% correct In my experience. It has to do. It is generationally. It is just different expectations that have happened.

Speaker 4: 18:14

But at the end of the day, leaders at all levels it's not just your C-suite, but just leaders at all levels of the organization need to model the values visibly, consistently and it needs to tie with the words that they actually say Walk the walk, talk the talk. It's just non-negotiable, particularly for the younger generations, because they will call you out all day long if you say one thing and do something else. You know a lot of organizations, really strong leaders, are starting in meetings to ask the questions out loud hey, does this decision reflect our values? And hearing from around the group, like, what do people actually think about? That they're trying to demonstrate what holding each other accountable for when their words and their actions don't align and that really creates shared values, shared alignment, shared values, shared alignment and it is a more successful way of creating a culture in your organization. But the real secret like you have to know what your people think, you can't assume that you know. So I mean this happens all the time with your clients.

Speaker 4: 19:52

I've listened to a few of your past podcasts and you're talking about, you know, asking for feedback, surveying your people. It's not just about employee engagement. It's not just about the feature set of a product. It's not just about I mean all of these things Asking your team about values, alignment, about how and when they want to be communicated with. It's talking about authenticity. It's asking them what they need more of or less of from their leaders, how closely they understand what the mission and the vision of the organizations are, if they can't describe how the company lives. All of those things internally for themselves. Lives all of those things internally for themselves for new hires, for interns, in their marketing materials.

Speaker 1: 20:59

To their customers.

Speaker 4: 21:00

It's a huge red flag.

Speaker 2: 21:01

Yeah, it's a huge opportunity to do better yeah.

Speaker 3: 21:05

And what can companies see day to day if they're not doing those things?

Speaker 2: 21:11

Good question.

Speaker 4: 21:13

Higher turnover. That's number one. People voting with their feet. I don't want to be here anymore because I don't believe in you. It is disengagement, it is a lack of putting forth that extra effort to get something done on time or at the highest level of quality that will put everything they've got into it versus those who won't because they'll just do what is good enough. It's absenteeism, it's lack of employee referrals. All of these things, these pain points that really can have a negative impact on your culture, your productivity and your profitability. I mean it is all tied together.

Speaker 2: 22:19

Absolutely, absolutely so, rachel, this is the time in the show in which I'm going to give you a little bit of time to think about the three tips that you're going to leave this audience. You already gave them a lot of nuggets, and that's why we're the playbook. We're giving you ways to understand how to be successful. But think about it. While Evan and I talk briefly here about Evan, you want to talk about what's coming up.

Speaker 3: 22:39

Sure. So some upcoming episodes that we have again. We're going to have some other, you know, additional great interviews, just like this one. We're going to have our final episode in talking about making sure that the customer persona, the branding, is consistent across sales and marketing. So summer school will be in and we'll be giving you some of the tips, some of the things that you should be doing throughout the summer months to make sure that you're continuing to be successful, so that you don't have to start all over again once September hits. And please comment. If there's things that you'd like to see, let us know. On LinkedIn, you can find us on YouTube, spotify, apple, wherever you get your podcasts. So please continue to tune in, comment, download, like, listen. But it's going to be an exciting and busy summer for the Sales and Marketing Playbook Unleashed.

Speaker 2: 23:34

You tell them preach, evan, I hear you. So, rachel, before you get to the tips, tell people how they can reach you. That's more important.

Speaker 4: 23:43

Absolutely. You can find me at platinumconsultingcom. Just want to point out, like my last name, which is plat and has two t's, platinum is spelled with two t's. Think about it talent, um has is a t, so so, platinumconsultingcom, you can definitely find me on LinkedIn. I'm giving out tips, tricks and other workplace funny stories on LinkedIn on a regular basis.

Speaker 2: 24:21

Awesome, all right, so you're up, rachel, the three tips that you want everybody in the audience to walk away with everybody in the audience to walk away with.

Speaker 4: 24:28

Number one if you are a leader, when you meet with your staff, don't only talk about the tasks. Ask about how the human is doing, what their aspirations are. Get to know them as a person and offer a little bit of vulnerability and share things about yourself. Creating that connection builds trust. Layer on top of that authenticity about telling the truth, um, and that really can magnify an organization and an individual's performance. Number two we spoke about this a little bit survey, ask questions, pulse surveys. It doesn't have to be a huge deal, but make sure that you understand what and how your employees feel about working there. And for the marketers out there that are putting together the campaigns and are working with the sales team, some of the best, most successful organizations include HR in those brainstorming meetings so that they can tie their external brand with their internal employment brand and that tie together. Really, if it's true and it's authentic, it really makes some magic.

Speaker 2: 26:15

I love that last one because also, what that does, that ties in the ability to have the internal staff be able to repeat it back for you out to the client bases that they're reaching out to.

Speaker 4: 26:26

Of course. I mean it makes so much sense, but there are so many organizations who keep it separate or who say that, oh well, that's an HR issue or that's an internal issue. No, it all needs to come together, to work together. That's how you really create a story that has impact and that everyone can live and share and feel. Whether they're working internally, you have internal customers also. How about we handle it?

Speaker 2: 27:03

So, yeah, I love it. One big kumbaya moment. If I could, we just put one big hug together. Let's do it. Everybody love each other. I love it, Evan. Any last points before we take off.

Speaker 3: 27:15

Rachel, just thank you so much for your time and for the expertise that you're sharing with our audience.

Speaker 4: 27:20

Happy to do it, happy to be here and remember we are not. It's a big hug. We're not a family. We're just going to grow and learn together. We're going to lead with empathy. We're going to deliver excellence. We're going to hold each other accountable. But we all have to deal with our own home and families.

Speaker 2: 27:41

So, as we say on the sales and marketing playbook keep winning Till next time. Bye-bye now.

Speaker 1: 27:52

Thank you for joining us on this exhilarating journey through the world of sales and marketing. Remember, the playbook is in your hands and the possibilities are limitless. Keep exploring, experimenting and innovating, and watch as your business reaches unprecedented levels of success. Don't forget to subscribe to the Sales and Marketing Playbook Unleashed on all major podcast platforms and follow us on YouTube, facebook and LinkedIn for even more exclusive content. Until next time, keep hustling and keep winning.