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Nov 17, 2022
7 min

Be the Giant: Top 3 Insights From ConneXions 2022

After attending ConneXions 2022, I'm feeling inspired and have insights to share.*

#1 - Be the Giant

What does it mean to be a giant as a small community broadband provider? This might sound counter intuitive at first, but let's break it down.

The big guys - the fortune 100 telecommunications providers may look like giants, but they can never have the impact in a small community that a local provider holds. We are the ones moving our communities forward and investing in ways they simply would not. We see the future in a way that goes beyond the bottom line. Here's an example that moved me:

A farm in rural America with a vision to be smarter. To use technology to automate their operation and provide more food to the community. They reached out to the big guys and were denied their smart farm dream. The numbers just didn't make sense. Why make a capital investment to build internet to only one customer? It was a hard no. It didn't work in the spreadsheet. This could be the end of this story, but you know that it isn't. Who saved the day? You guessed it - a local broadband provider stepped in to make the investment. The local provider saw past the spreadsheet. They cared about the community and appreciated the fact that this farm would provide more food to their friends, families and neighbors. Fast forward 23 years - this farm is thriving, the numbers worked out over the long term and the community took notice. That's the unmatched value of a community provider.

Another statement made by panelist Courtney Branham of Centranet Fiber, resonated with me:

"As a local broadband provider, you can't go to a pool party without being held accountable. We have an opportunity to effect lives."

This story is one we local providers can all relate to. Courtney was at a pool party and a parent came up to her complaining that she had to go into town to a local library to upload her child's assignments every week because the service at her home would always freeze on her. She stepped in, made a priority call and resolved the issue. This saved the family countless hours of time driving into town and improved their quality of life.

#2 - Build a Story Brand

This may have been my favorite session. It was led by Donald Miller, bestselling author of Building a Story Brand.

He started the session with a psychology lesson:

"The brain has two jobs. Stay alive and conserve energy. The brain is always scanning the environment for information. Your customer's brain is designed to ignore you. If you confuse, you lose. Be clear, invite your customers into story."

Here's the facts. People buy on emotion. You have to make them FEEL something. Disney doesn't market "we have the fastest rides" or "the most rides" or "the tallest rollercoaster". They create an experience. They draw you into story - "the most magical place on Earth."

You have to get their attention - remember their brain is designed to ignore you. You have to call them to action. He explained that CTAs on a website like "learn more" and "get started" are passive aggressive. If a guy walked up to you in a bar and asked if you'd like to "learn more" you would run. Instead you should call them to action "buy this plan", "can I box this up for you". Make them accept or reject the offer. I can imagine doing this with my kids. "It's late. I'm tired. Learn more?" I'll tell you - that's not going to work. Their brains, without question, are designed to ignore me. "Go to bed," is more effective. They need to be called to action with a clear message, no confusion.

He then went into the elements of storytelling. This is not magic (although it can feel that way). Story is based on FORMULA. Here it is:

  • Define the character (your customer)
  • Introduce the problem (controlling idea)
  • Be the guide (not the hero, the customer is the hero of his story - not you.
    Guide them to victory.)
  • Call them to action
  • Define success and failure
  • Make them accept or reject

He also introduced tools to help you practice storytelling. You can use tools like onlinesalesscript.com to help you craft your story based on the formula.

Closing thought:

"Don't make your customer think to understand your offer. Organize the idea the way the brain processes information. If you confuse, you lose."

#3 - Small Business is the Most Important Business

To build on the story of the smart farm in rural America, Calix CEO Michael Weening in his closing keynote made this very statement. He explained that in every economy, in every community, in every city, in every country in the world - small business is the most important business.

"No matter what economy you're in, small business is the most important business. And it's the most underserved. It's time to close that gap."

Small businesses outnumber the big ones by a landslide. These are the people who shape your community. These are the people who live and work in the communities they serve. These are the people who care about YOU. And small businesses are the most underserved. Enterprise solutions don't scale DOWN to a small business.

How do we close that gap?

The power of PLATFORMS and PARTNERS

We as local broadband providers provide this to our customers. Our local restaurants and bars, salons, gyms, dentist offices, grocery stores - you name it. We are one phone call away. We are their IT support. We are their partners. We make sure their business is running smoothly and they have the tools and resources they need to be successful. But who is doing that for us?

Here's the game changer. Calix unveiled Marketing Cloud Plus. An all-in-one marketing solution that has everything you need to compete against the big guys.

Don't have a data warehouse and team of analysts to give you insights?

Don't have market research with defined personas updated continuously with content planned around each segment ready to go with the click of a button?

Don't have an agency of record creating content for every medium and using celebrity influencers to carry the message?  

Don't have robust analysis of your customer data to show who your most loyal customers are and how to find look-a-likes?

Don't worry. Marketing Cloud Plus has it all. This is the closest thing to a silver bullet that I've seen:  

  • Market data down to a zip code +4 level (street level). BONUS: with built-in, done-for-you personas and campaigns designed for each. (*angels singing, white doves flying*)
  • $1 Million invested in content EVERY year with celebrity comedian Gerry Dee. Assets including video, commercials, e-mail campaigns, direct mail, social content. White label it, tweak it to your heart's desire and set it free.  
  • Reporting. How is that campaign doing? What is my CPA, ROAS? With a click of a button, this information is at your fingertips. Did well? Run it again on a look-alike audience that is identified for you through machine learning. 🤯  
  • Customer data. Who are your best customers? What are their attributes? Where do I find more of them? What is my loyalty score? Click, click, boom!  

This is how we become giants. With our giant hearts, commitment to our community and tools scaled down to meet our needs, we can win every time.  

We will out-innovate, out-perform and out-number the big guys. We are the giants. And we will win every time. And we're going to do it together. That's the power of platforms and partners. - Michael Weening, CEO of Calix

Last but not least. I want to express my gratitude to all the amazing people who made this experience incredible: Monica McDermond-Stokes, Chris Carter, Jimmy Rigsby, Naylor Gray, Dan Bloch, Gabe Petersen, Harris Miller, Aaron Graves and Kara Still

Calix Marketing Cloud Plus can become the growth driver for your broadband business. To learn more, download our eBook, How to Unlock Data-Driven Insights to Improve Acquisition, Strengthen Subscriber Loyalty, and Grow Your Business.

*This post was originally published on LinkedIn.

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