Revenue Diaries Entry 13

I constantly worry that my imperfections as a human are ruining my kids. My impatience, frustrating outbursts, and unrealistic expectations are somehow molding my children into ungrateful humans. 

But then, there are those moments. Moments that remind me: “Hey, Kyle. Listen. You’re doing a good job. They are listening. They are watching. 80% of the time, you’re nailing it. Sure, you could work on the other 20%, but that’s okay. None of us are perfect.”

These moments aren’t about patting yourself on the back. They’re about seeing your kids grow… watching them evolve into assertive, intuitive, competitive, and gracious humans. 

After our oldest son’s, Caden, flag football game this week, I received this text from his coach, who also happens to be one of my best friends from college:

“Andrew said on the drive home: ‘Caden did something really smart. The last play, everyone said they were going deep, and he came up to me before the play and said, “If no one is open deep, I’ll be an option for you short.”’

It’s a small moment, but small moments can be powerful. His ability to think ahead and support his team gives a small window into the values we live as a family, and I hope we instill in them. 

It reminded me that my imperfections exist, but so do the lessons I’m teaching without even realizing it. Those lessons are landing. My kids absorb the good, even when I feel like they’re exposed to too much of the mess.

Parenting is a long game. And in the middle of the mess and bullshit, moments like these are proof we’re doing something right. Goodness and growth are happening, even when we don’t see it. 

❤️ Kyle

On Lessons from My Lastest Executive Business Review

Don’t forget to read the whole post. There’s a guide + template for your next review!

This past week, I presented my second Executive Business Review for 2024 to my peers on the Jellyfish exec team. These bi-annual sessions are about reporting on what’s been done over the year, building trust, and aligning it with the room’s most important priorities. And I have my boss to thank, Andrew Lau, for guiding me on the goals, structure, and potential “gotchas” that every leader faces.  

So why should you care? Because you should. For starters, it’s not just a presentation. It’s practice for thinking, acting, and communicating like a leader or a CMO/VP/SVP. Whether leading a weekly team meeting, an all-hands, or a strategic session with other leaders, understanding the principles of a great EBR will make you better… hard stop. 

Here’s the kick in the face… The skills that make an EBR effective aren’t just for a board meeting. They’re the building blocks of up-leveling your presence and turning the next Director to a VP or CMO. 

Goals: What Are You Trying to Achieve?

1. Address Assumptions and Build Credibility:

   • Directly counter any assumptions that important tasks are not being addressed or mishandled.

   • Build confidence by showing that leadership is in control, aligned with priorities, and delivering on promises.

   • Clearly communicate: “What we said we’d do, we’ve done. What we’ve yet to address, we acknowledge and plan for.”

2. Showcase Metrics, Not Just Words:

   • Use data to highlight progress, accountability, and oversight.

   • Avoid overemphasizing areas the audience doesn’t value, especially when there are gaps in delivery elsewhere.

   • Provide evidence of monitoring and accountability, ensuring stakeholders see progress rather than hear about it.

3. Invite Constructive Feedback:

   • Create a venue for stakeholders to suggest areas they feel are overlooked or misprioritized.

   • Frame these suggestions as opportunities for alignment and collaboration.

4. Gain Credit for Invisible Work:

   • Many stakeholders operate with a default assumption that if something isn’t visible, it’s not being done.

   • Use the EBR to surface these efforts and ensure they’re recognized.

5. Demonstrate “Say-Do” Alignment:

   • Show tangible examples of delivering on commitments:

     • "In Q3, we said we’d achieve X, and we did Y. The result was an improvement from A to B."

     • "For Q1, we plan to achieve Z, and we expect to move from B to C."

   • Set clear expectations for what will be done and when.

One thing I have to remind myself of before any major meeting is that an agenda is not the same as the meeting’s goals. There are right and wrong ways to prepare, and the wrong way starts with the agenda, then tries to define the goals, and finally, thinks about the theme and presentation style. It needs to start with the goals… everything else should flow from there.

Themes & Style: Are You Saying It The Right Way?

Successfully delivering an EBR isn’t just about what you say. It’s how you say it. Your audience will interpret the content and delivery as a reflection of your priorities, values, and leadership style. 

1. Prioritize Metrics Over Statements:

   • Let the data tell the story. The most compelling moments come when the audience concludes themselves based on clear evidence.

   • Avoid anecdotal or overly descriptive narratives; focus on measurable outcomes.

2. Tailor to the Audience:

   • Recognize the audience isn’t composed of peers or supporters but rather critical stakeholders who see the EBR as a reflection of your priorities, capabilities, and direction.

   • Avoid presenting as though you are addressing a familiar or sympathetic audience.

3. Strategic Recognition:

   • Be intentional about recognizing team contributions. While it’s important to celebrate wins, understand that overemphasizing certain types of achievements (e.g., brand-focused efforts) can come across as tone-deaf to those who prioritize other areas.

   • If you highlight team members, align their achievements with metrics the audience values.

4. Avoid Premature Celebrations:

   • Certain stakeholders view “declaring victory” as complacency or lack of ambition.

   • Discuss your wins as milestones within a broader journey rather than endpoints.

Potential Gotchas: What Could Throw You Off? 

This is the most important lesson I’ve learned in my two and a half years at Jellyfish: you must be ready for potential missteps in the room. Even with the best preparation, presenting to critical stakeholders can go sideways quickly if you’re not careful, and I’ve made my fair share of mistakes.

Missteps can derail even the best intentions. Lucky for you, I’ve compiled a list of the pitfalls I’ve faced and how to avoid them.

1. Stakeholder Assumptions: If stakeholders believe certain areas are underperforming, highlighting them as successes could signal mismanagement or misaligned priorities.

2. Perception of Values: Your presentation is a reflection of what you prioritize. Stakeholders may interpret this as indicative of where the organization is headed. Ensure the emphasis aligns with their expectations.

3. Tone Mismatch: Avoid framing efforts in a way that feels personal or overly casual if the audience expects formality and rigor. Reflect on the language and tone they expect.

I wouldn’t end this section without giving you a usable template for your next review meeting! Based on my approach, here’s an example framework): 

Want a quick start template? Just click here and make a copy. 

1. Agenda Overview

Provide a clear roadmap of what will be covered to set expectations from the start:

• What We Do and How We Do It

• What’s Working

• What’s Not Working

• Update: Major Project

• Appendix: Upcoming Themes, Roadmap, and Team Updates

2. What We Do and How We Do It

Explain the core functions of your marketing organization and how they contribute to the company’s goals:

• Brand: Build awareness and thought leadership through direct traffic, share of voice, and ICP education.

• Inbound & Allbound: Drive net-new prospects and nurture target accounts to generate pipeline. Metrics include pipeline, account engagement, and ROI.

• Community & Advocacy: Generate customer advocacy with case studies, reviews, and events. Key metrics include customer stories and net-new advocates.

• Product Marketing: Support launches, enablement, competitive analysis, and positioning. Metrics include funnel conversion rates and win-rate improvements.

3. Marketing Scorecard

Present your key performance indicators (KPIs) in a clear and concise format:

• Leading Indicators: Metrics like web traffic, engaged accounts, and content downloads.

• Pipeline and Revenue: Stage-by-stage pipeline metrics (e.g., Stage 1, Stage 2), influenced pipeline, and closed-won revenue.

• Include YoY comparisons to show growth and trends over time.

4. What’s Working

Highlight successes with a focus on measurable outcomes. Use data to back up the narrative:

• Examples: Increased web traffic, higher demo requests, or improved engagement metrics.

• Explain why these efforts worked and how they connect to broader goals.

5. What’s Not Working

Be transparent about challenges and areas needing improvement:

• Provide data and context to explain the gaps (e.g., underperforming channels, missed targets). Outline actions already in motion to address these issues.

6. Update: Major Project

Deep dive into a critical initiative, such as a product launch, campaign, or strategic pivot:

• Share the project’s current status, key milestones, and impact on business goals. Use this as an opportunity to showcase progress and collaboration across teams.

7. Appendix

Provide additional context and detail for those who want to dig deeper:

• Marketing Themes & Roadmap: High-level strategy for the next period.

• Team Updates: Highlights from team leads to show alignment and accountability.

Never, ever underestimate or underprepared for something like an Executive Business Review. It’s as much about building trust, alignment, and accountability as it is about showcasing your team and progress. Turn the review into a tool, not another slide deck. 

On BDRs Reporting to Marketing

Should your SDR / BDR teams report to marketing? 😚

Uh-oh.

I was recently asked this question for a podcast and wanted to share my quick thoughts because I'm in a somewhat unique position where I've experienced both. The BDR team reported to marketing at Lessonly, and the BDR team reports to sales at Jellyfish.

TL;DR - they both work. Here's how to decide:

Long(ish) sales cycles and complex deals?

BDRs should report to Sales. Alignment is everything when success depends on a strong BDR + AE relationship. Misalignment will happen when the teams report to different orgs. Trust me.

Enterprise sales motion with expensive AEs and big quotas?

Sales is the way to go, always. Again, alignment is essential. But also, it's about efficiency and productivity. Do you want your $$$ AE spending time doing outreach and outbound instead of working on their current opportunities? Marketing (who is spending $$ nurturing the accounts) doesn't want that, nor does sales.

Shorter sales cycles with inbound driving most of the pipeline and bookings?

In this case, BDRs might thrive under Marketing. We used this model at Lessonly, and it worked well. When inbound is the primary driver of the business, it's about uniting the tip of the spear. The focus shifts to aligning messaging and converting leads quickly.

Hot take >>> You shouldn't have BDRs if your sales cycle is high-velocity with heavy inbound. Use your AEs to work the leads and the deals, but ensure you keep an eye on their capacity.

Like anything in business, the answer is always "it depends." Cue the pundits with strong opinions who haven't experienced leading in both models. I'm excited to hear from you.

The Hard Truth: You’re the Reason You’re Not Further Ahead

I’ve been following Dr. Julie Gurner and absorbing her insights since 2015. I was lucky enough to work with her as a career therapist for a few months that year. Her newsletter, Ultra Successful, is essential reading for anyone serious about leveling up in their career and life.

She recently shared an excerpt from her most recent musings and I had to share it with you. 

Let me just pull the most important part of this..

 “While you are the reason you are moving forward...you are also the reason you are not further ahead.”

Yep, it cuts deep, especially for us highly competitive, high-performing leaders. The qualities that push you forward can also hold you back.

It’s easy to keep moving and focus on what’s next, but sometimes, you have to stop and look in the mirror. What’s working? What’s not? What are you avoiding?

For me, this shows up in common ways:

• Refusing to delegate because “it’s easier to just do it myself.”

• Ignoring feedback because it feels like a personal attack. Don’t be a petulant child. 

• Moving so fast that you don’t notice what’s breaking (or caring).

It’s not about a lack of talent or ambition. It’s about self-awareness. The best leaders don’t succeed because they’re flawless...they succeed because they’re willing to ask tough questions. 

Here’s what I’ve been pushing myself to do recently: 

1. Listen to feedback: Not just from people above me, but from my team and peers. They often see what I can’t.

2. Pause and reflect: I sometimes think pausing is a waste of time. It’s not. It’s how to avoid burnout and make better decisions.

3. Be vulnerable: I’m constantly admitting what I don’t know. Own your mistakes. People trust leaders who are real. You know, people trust humans. 

So, what’s the thing you’ve been avoiding? Where are you letting your ego get in the way? You are never going to be perfect in this chaotic life. It’s about being honest with yourself and doing the work to fix what’s holding you back.