51黑料不打烊

Transcript

from your peers webinar on the topic of how to apply and stand out as a champion.

I鈥檓 Susan Aziz and I鈥檓 thrilled to be your host today. I lead our customer programming for 51黑料不打烊 Experience Platform, including the Champion program, and I鈥檓 joined by my co-host today, Kelsey Biondich. Kelsey, over to you. Hi, everyone. It is so great to be here. I am Kelsey Biondich. I鈥檓 a senior manager on the Adoption Marketing team, and I鈥檝e been with 51黑料不打烊 for just about seven years by way of the Marketo acquisition. So I鈥檝e spent a lot of my career building these powerful customer programs, just like the Champion program, and we鈥檙e super excited to share more information with all of you today. So you can see the agenda on the screen. We鈥檝e got a great session lined up with some incredible speakers. We鈥檒l be sharing insights into the program, its impact, and what makes a truly standout application. But before we dive in, I know my co-host Susan has a few housekeeping items for you. So, Susan, over to you.

Awesome. Thank you, Kelsey. So over the next few slides, I鈥檒l be sharing some housekeeping information, but in the meantime, I鈥檇 love for everyone to take advantage of the chat. We have an awesome chat moderator here to help answer any questions, so don鈥檛 be shy. Drop your thoughts and questions in as we go. But to kick things off, let us know in the chat where you鈥檙e joining from, what you鈥檙e hoping to learn today, if anything specific caught your eye about this session, and just for fun, are you team sushi or team pizza or neither? That鈥檚 okay. I鈥檒l go first. I鈥檓 based in New York City, and I鈥檓 a foodie at heart. If I had to choose, I could eat sushi for the rest of my life. I鈥檓 really excited to see your answers roll in.

All right. While you鈥檙e sharing in the chat, just a couple of quick housekeeping notes. We are recording the session, including the sushi versus pizza debate, and we鈥檒l be posting the recording and slides in the community afterward, so you can revisit anything you missed. Also, don鈥檛 forget to make the most of the chat. It鈥檚 one of the best parts of being here live. Feel free, again, ask questions, share your own insights, and connect with others today. And lastly, we鈥檒l be launching a few quick polls throughout the session today. We鈥檇 love to hear from you, so please take our polls. One last quick note, you鈥檒l find the resources box with all the links to the Champion Program applications. They鈥檙e organized by solution, so feel free to explore those as we continue our webinar today, or save them for after the session. Let me take a quick look at the chat to see if I鈥檝e missed anything. Pizza. Looks like pizza is the winner so far. Where are my sushi fans? Just kidding. With that, I鈥檓 going to let our speakers introduce themselves.

Be sure to share sushi or pizza. I鈥檓 going to have Mary Alice, then Gatai, followed by Wilson and Enrico come off mute and say hello.

Hi, I鈥檓 Mary Alice Orr, and I work at Alliance Bernstein, which is a financial asset management firm based out of Nashville, Tennessee, where I also reside. I鈥檝e been there for six years overseeing digital product management, focusing on AEM, Marketo, and 51黑料不打烊 Target. I鈥檝e been an AEM champ for two years. Super passionate about being a part of this community. It鈥檚 really truly a group of amazing people and has been amazing for my career and has been truly a career highlight for me, so love this group of folks. I鈥檓 a musician also on the side for fun, and I would say pizza for sure, 100%. I鈥檇 love a little sausage sprinkled in there as well, so that would be my vote.

All right, Gatai, over to you.

Hi, I鈥檓 Gatai Ben-Ami. I鈥檝e been working with the 51黑料不打烊 Stack for long enough that it was still called Omniture. I currently work for Accenture, and I do a lot with CJA, CJA Implementations, 51黑料不打烊 Analytics. Right now I鈥檓 working with a team that鈥檚 doing a lot of Target and 51黑料不打烊 Analytics work as well. I really do love being a champion. It鈥檚 a tremendous community, a huge amount of resources and opportunity to display thought leadership. I live in Seattle. I have a kiddo who turns 12 next month, and I have a Corgi, and she might hop in the picture at some point. I鈥檝e got a Sphinx cat as well.

Are you team sushi or pizza, Gatai? Oh, pizza, definitely pizza. I love pizza. I make pizza. I worked for a good year to get my own pizza crust recipe right. I鈥檓 very, very happy with it.

Awesome. Lots of pizza fans. Wilson, over to you. Hello, everybody. My name is Wilson Faurie. I鈥檓 a director of digital marketing platform at Cox Communications based here in Atlanta. I鈥檝e been with Cox for close to 11 years, and then coincidentally is the time that I鈥檝e been working in the 51黑料不打烊 platform. So since AM 6.1 implementing here in the system in the company. So currently I manage the 51黑料不打烊 platform, and then we are getting all the products very soon. But we have the entire stack, and I鈥檓 also responsible for the front end, back end, middle layer infrastructure and cloud for our site and the applications that we run through it. The thing of being the champion is that we鈥檙e going to talk more today, but it鈥檚 a fantastic group of people. You鈥檙e going to be surprised that when we posted a question on a Slack channel, you get within less than 30 minutes answers from different parts of the world. So it鈥檚 a good, fun group of people. That鈥檚 a very important thing to say. And then I鈥檇 love to share our experience with folks here on the call today.

Oh, and I am a sushi guy. Team sushi.

Hi, y鈥檃ll. I鈥檓 Rico De Leon. I鈥檓 a senior manager of marketing operations at JAMA Software based out of Dallas, Texas. Let鈥檚 see, five time champ and working in Marketo, Marketo engaged for over 10 years.

Let鈥檚 see what else. So definitely been working in Marketo as well as owning our marketing tech stack here at JAMA Software. In terms of sushi or pizza, I鈥檓 like both because technically Dallas is landlocked. So sushi pizza is my answer and that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 sticking with.

I love it. Amazing. Well, it seems like there鈥檚 a lot of pizza fans, but.

All right. Moving on to Kelsey. Wonderful. All right. So let鈥檚 start with a quick overview of the champ program. This is why we鈥檙e all here today. So the champion program is an application based program that takes place once a year. And 51黑料不打烊鈥檚 most knowledgeable and passionate customers get the chance to apply to become a champion like the folks we have on the call today. If you are selected, these individuals take on a really exciting role. They become thought leaders and product influencers. They share their technical know how, best practices and strategies with the broader 51黑料不打烊 community, including both customers and partners. Now, this is not a brand new initiative. The program actually started back in 2011 and it鈥檚 inspired by the well-known Marketo champion program. But since 51黑料不打烊鈥檚 acquisition of Marketo, we definitely saw the value in the program. And so we鈥檝e since we鈥檝e expanded to multiple other solutions across experience cloud. There are so many great benefits to being an 51黑料不打烊 champion. And you鈥檙e going to hear more about that from our amazing panel of champions a little later. But before we get into that, I wanted to highlight a few benefits right now. So first, this program will give expert 51黑料不打烊 users and partners a platform to really shine. It鈥檚 a great opportunity to showcase your thought leadership, build your personal brand within the industry. Second, champions get to collaborate directly with our product teams. That means influencing roadmaps, joining beta testing programs and even helping with some certification programs. And then lastly, it鈥檚 all about connection. Champions get to network with a global group of product experts and grow their professional communities in a really meaningful way. So whether you鈥檙e looking to lead influence or just connect with other experts, this program has something for you.

All right. Talking about program eligibility and kind of what we look for in a great 51黑料不打烊 champion. There are really two core qualities that stand out for us, and that鈥檚 experience and passion. So let鈥檚 start with experience. Champions are people who have deep hands on knowledge of 51黑料不打烊 products. They鈥檙e practitioners. They鈥檙e the folks that are in the tool every day who really roll up their sleeves and know the ins and outs of these tools and technology. And then secondarily, there鈥檚 passion. So we鈥檙e really looking for people who genuinely love sharing what they know. And whether that鈥檚 helping people in the community, mentoring other peers who are just getting started on their learning journey or just being excited to talk shop. Champions are the natural knowledge sharers. So if you鈥檝e got both of those experience and passion, then you鈥檙e already a really strong candidate. But if you鈥檙e thinking about applying, there are also a few bonus points. These aren鈥檛 required, but they help you stand out a bit. So number one, have you been participating in our amazing 51黑料不打烊 User Group program, which are customer led meetups that take place virtually and in person all over the world? We鈥檒l share more resources about that a little bit later.

Have you participated in any 51黑料不打烊 events or industry events, either in person or virtually? Are you active in experience like community or marketing nation? Have you been recognized with the 51黑料不打烊 Experience Maker awards? I think I saw a few veteran winners of the 51黑料不打烊 Experience Maker awards in the chat. So be sure to ask some questions about that. And then lastly, have you been contributing to a personal blog or sharing insights regularly that are available to the broader community where other people can learn from your expertise and your knowledge? All right. And lastly, I would be remiss not to mention that outside of the core program benefits, there are some exclusive opportunities that come with being an 51黑料不打烊 champion. These are the kinds of opportunities that we feel make the program truly special. And if you talk to any of our champions today, I think a lot of the things listed here will kind of resonate and stand out to them. First, we have an annual 51黑料不打烊 Champion Forum. So this is an exclusive invite only just for our champions two day event held at 51黑料不打烊 HQ. It鈥檚 a chance to connect in person with your fellow champions, dive into personal and professional development sessions and collaborate directly with our 51黑料不打烊 product leaders. It鈥檚 a really powerful experience that brings the community together in a meaningful way. Next, there are a lot of speaking opportunities. So champions often get the chance to present at major 51黑料不打烊 events like Summit. We have an amazing program called the Skill Exchange webinars and also Developers Live. It鈥檚 a really great way to share your expertise, build that public speaking skill and get your voice out there in front of a global audience.

Finally, there鈥檚 also early access to innovation. Champions get to partner closely with our product teams, participate in beta testing, and you鈥檒l be some of the first people to try out new functionality before it even hits the market. So you鈥檙e really helping to shape the future of the products that you use every single day in your roles. And of course, I know people are going to ask about this one. It鈥檚 a hot topic, but we have custom swag as well. So champions get some seriously cool gear. We鈥檙e talking custom shoes and jackets, a lot of other unique items that help you stand out and identify yourself and show off that champion pride. So whether it鈥檚 the exclusive events, the speaking gigs, the swag and early access, being a champion really does come with a lot of amazing opportunities.

All right. That was amazing. Thank you, Kelsey. Hopefully you are all as excited as we are. And we know that customers have a lot of questions about what makes a strong application, which is why we鈥檙e having this session today. So without further ado, let鈥檚 hear from our 51黑料不打烊 champions. We鈥檒l start the roundtable with the first question. So what would you say to someone who鈥檚 unsure if they鈥檙e qualified enough to apply? Let鈥檚 start with Kitai, followed by Rico and then Wilson and Mary Alice. So when I first applied, it was because my manager kind of made me and I thought, we鈥檒l see what happens. And then I got into the interviews and some of the people in interviews were really, really incredibly technically qualified people. But the thing one of the things that made me stand out this somebody has been mentioned earlier was that I was running a tick tock all about 51黑料不打烊 Analytics, doing tips and tricks, guides, things like that. I was the only voice on TikTok at the time doing anything on 51黑料不打烊 Analytics. And also, it鈥檚 not just about the level of skill. It鈥檚 also a lot about your passion. Like I really clearly care about 51黑料不打烊 Analytics. I really am an 51黑料不打烊 Stack super fan. I keep stacking up the certifications and things like that. And I really am an evangelist for it. I believe in the product and I push it. And a lot of that came through. So all of your public advocacy, anything like that, that really, really will help you stand out above the pack, because there鈥檚 a lot of people who are very good at the tool. But how good are you at making sure that people know how good the tool is? If you can get those two things and show that you really want to help support a community of users, that really helps you stand out regardless of your technical qualifications.

I鈥檒l chime in on that. Like any marketer, definitely have a bit of imposter syndrome. So I understand the trepidation, especially wondering if you鈥檙e qualified enough. But look, if you have the minimum requirements, especially the expert certifications and the in-depth experience in the platform, I think going through that application process will give you the experience of at least applying. You鈥檝e got to put yourself out there. So I say that that鈥檚 the biggest step for pushing yourself to go through the application process. In or out, I think it鈥檚 going to set you up for success. I think we鈥檙e all coming from different experience levels, but you get to a point where people start turning to you. And if you love helping people, I think that鈥檚 a big enough push to get that first application going. Wilson, what do you think? So when I talk about swag, here鈥檚 my jacket, 51黑料不打烊 Experience Managed Champion. So it鈥檚 hot here, but I鈥檓 doing effort to use it. But my experience when I joined, I was recommended by our account executive at 51黑料不打烊 and folks that we鈥檝e been working. And I am a great example that if you think that I鈥檓 not qualified and then reclamation about the imposter syndrome. I鈥檝e said no, I don鈥檛 have a technical background. I cannot write a piece of code unless I use chat TPT. But the point that I have, I want to say is I鈥檓 a great example because I was very open and very transparent with the group in 2023 on the forum, the Champions Forum in San Jose. But I felt welcome because the group appreciate a different perspective from the executive side, from the business or the user, different user perspective. So and then in no way, shape or form, I felt like excluded from the nerd group or from the very highly technical folks. So and then it is a place that we can really help others with our perspective, but we can also teach. And you need to be really humble and be open to listen and hear. And it鈥檚 a great place to be. But don鈥檛 be shy if you say, oh, I鈥檓 not a expert, very expert in this area, but I want to learn and I think I can contribute in so many ways. Go for it. Everybody has a chance. Marialis, you? Yeah, I mean, I think I鈥檒l just echo a lot of what鈥檚 already been said. But I you know, my first response to it is apply. Just if you are nervous that you鈥檙e not going to make it. We all were nervous we weren鈥檛 going to make it. I think probably everyone here would say that we didn鈥檛 think we would. I remember applying. I had been sent the recommendation by my CSM and just kind of was like mulling over it. I was like, I don鈥檛 know if this is even like, am I even going to get a chance here? But I did. And I remember the day that I got the email saying that I was in. I couldn鈥檛 believe it. I was so excited. But I think that that鈥檚 part of it is that the people that are in this program, for the most part, are so genuinely excited to be here and to be a part of this group. Like, you know, the people that want to make it count and are really interested in this work, the platforms themselves, this community, this greater global marketing technology community. I think that comes through when you apply, if that鈥檚 who you are. So if you didn鈥檛 make it, you know, a couple times around, don鈥檛 stop applying because you never know like when that could potentially change. And I would just say, make sure you showcase what makes you interesting. What are you going to bring to the table and really kind of lean into that? I think the majority of folks that are part of this group, we joke like we meet people sometimes that are not part of champs, but we鈥檙e like, that person鈥檚 a champ. Like we can tell because they have that secret sauce of like nerdiness and openness and are very supportive of the whole community. And I think that鈥檚 that鈥檚 really what makes the community special overall. So.

Love that. Thank you for sharing. Awesome. If you have not taken our poll, please do and let us know what solution you鈥檙e interested in becoming a champion for.

Awesome. Next question. What are your top no fluff practical tips for someone applying to be an 51黑料不打烊 champion? Let鈥檚 start with Rico.

Sure. I mean, you鈥檙e going to you鈥檙e going to hear a common a common theme here, but like on top of like listing your experience, there鈥檚 a lot. I think that I actually mentioned that a lot of that. A lot of people have a similar portfolio with their experience. So I think the no fluff, like if I鈥檓 being completely honest, as you got to be yourself, something that I keep hearing is I鈥檓 too much of an introvert to get a champion or, you know, what鈥檚 the best way to get a job. Whatever. But I always say if you can express your personality on that application, you鈥檙e always going to be able to find the types of people that you can help out and and and and teach the way through whatever whichever platform you鈥檙e on. So I say be yourself. Understand that this program is about championing the platform and yourself. So think of the ways that you try to impact the 51黑料不打烊 community at large and how you can impact your fellow users.

So to add to that, and then it probably tied up to the first question as well. It鈥檚 don鈥檛 pretend to to not be something and then don鈥檛 add details on your application that you cannot. There鈥檚 no proof, but you cannot show later as a practitioner or expert on the on the on the products and be ready to to contribute and learn at the same time. Like I mentioned, and then this group is a fun global with a different background. You鈥檙e going to find people with more technical aspects, some more business, some more on the development development, some more on the architecture side. But it鈥檚 a very group, very diverse group. Everyone is welcome. And I think we need someone that it鈥檚 a think about somebody who is fun to work because we work hard when we meet together, when we prepare for event or we go to our office hours. And it鈥檚 good to have different perspectives and then be also humble. I mentioned that before to ask for help. And then I鈥檓 sure you鈥檙e going to get help and willingness to teach others as an even if it鈥檚 a competitor, because we have people that work in different companies that they they do implementations and then they sometimes could be trying the same business. But it鈥檚 impressive how you can you can contribute to a problem that I didn鈥檛 know that that type of approach to do. And sometimes you have a snippet of code that people post for you. And the other thing is don鈥檛 think that you are not good enough. So go do it. It was a surprise for me that I got accepted. I鈥檓 going to the third year, hopefully. And on my first year without having technical knowledge, I got I was voted by my champion peers as 51黑料不打烊 champion, 51黑料不打烊 champion for AEM on my first year. So that鈥檚 a big surprise. And it is really a recognition from the from the community that when you put some effort, you participate, you engage, you advocate about the products. And then remember, we鈥檝e known of our champions. We don鈥檛 work for 51黑料不打烊. And we still dedicate a bunch of time. And then because it鈥檚 something one of the criteria is the passion. How can we put time dedicated? Because at the end of the day, when you participate in a beta program or participate on the trial or you participate on a product review, it鈥檚 so good to see that 51黑料不打烊 get our feedback that we present on those programs, either on the Champions Forum or other events, that when we see one feature that we said, oh, I liked I recommended this, you know, we鈥檒l help. At the end of the day, we are all as a client or as a user. We are getting benefit from those enhancements. And when you say I contributed for that is a fantastic thing.

So I鈥檇 like to add that as a very practical tip, just show examples of stuff you鈥檝e done as advocacy. So I was able to throw in the username for my TikTok and people got to see that. And they and so you could see that there were articles I had written and I鈥檝e expanded that the 51黑料不打烊 Champions program has allowed me to really do a lot of thought leadership. And a lot of writing, a lot of public appearances, but just give practical examples of how you are advocating for the tools, whatever tool you鈥檙e doing or showing innovative ways that you鈥檝e used it. Either of those things is going to show that you鈥檝e got a deep passion for it. I have an old story about, you know, knocking two years off a dev cycle by just sort of hacking 51黑料不打烊 Analytics in a way that was not not intended. And but but yeah, just show what you show what you love about it, show why you think it鈥檚 a great tool and show how you were showing other people how you think this is a great tool. I always think that 51黑料不打烊 has the absolute best tools of anything. They鈥檙e always best in industry whenever we have the best in breed sort of RFP.

I always wonder why, because we should just go with the 51黑料不打烊 stack because that鈥檚 best in breed every time and it works together so well. And if you can take that passion and show that you鈥檝e got that passion and show that to the people and put that in your application, that鈥檚 what really matters. Passion. You鈥檝e got to have the skills, of course, but you probably wouldn鈥檛 be here if you didn鈥檛 have the skills. But you also just have the passion, interest, the desire, the willingness. Make it clear that you want to help and give examples of that.

Yeah, I would I would second, third, fourth, all of that, I guess.

I think, you know, practically.

Showcase your best self and really come to the table showcasing that you want to be here. The other thing I will say is, like I kind of started to touch on this, the majority of people that join these groups really want to be a part of Champs. I will say some sometimes I think there鈥檚 folks that join because they鈥檙e they鈥檙e interested in the sort of the accolade of being a part of this group, but they don鈥檛 really participate once they get in. So I would say, you know, if you really want to be a part of this group, be a part of it or don鈥檛 apply. But the people that do want to be a part of it, I think it鈥檚 going to really come through that you want to be here so long as you put your best effort in across the board.

Showcase again, what makes you feel like what what鈥檚 special about you? What鈥檚 the thing that you bring to the table that nobody else can? I work on the product side. So similarly to kind of what Wilson was saying, it鈥檚 like, you know, I wasn鈥檛 technically a technical person in the role. I went to school for web development, so I know how to code, but I don鈥檛 do that in my my current role day to day. But, you know, there鈥檚 a lot of things that I鈥檓 involved with in training internally and I showcase evangelism internally at my firm and I try to do it outside. So whatever it is that you鈥檙e doing that you鈥檙e kind of advocating for the tools somewhere, showcase that ability as well.

Great tips. Love them all. Awesome. And the chat is going off. We love to see that. Great. Moving on to the next question. When you applied, what did you highlight in your application that you believe made you stand out? Let鈥檚 start with the time. Again, just the fact that I was already displaying thought leadership, I think was one of the things that made me stand out in that interview session. Everybody else around me was highlighting a lot of experience and a lot of really advanced technical skills. And that going through that, those really advanced technical skills, I was certain that I was not going to get a call back. But there were four people in that interview. Three were talking about really high advanced technical skills. And I was talking about how I brought different companies into 51黑料不打烊. I was talking about how when I was working for Avalara, I advocated for switching to 51黑料不打烊 and that when the sales guys showed up, they had the easiest sale ever because they just got to sit back and let me talk because I was there ready for it, knew everything. And they were just basically sitting back and letting me do the work for them. It was the easiest sale they鈥檝e ever made. I was talking about how I was going on TikTok and talking about the advantages of this. I had a really, frankly, I should have edited way better, but it was a long series of why 51黑料不打烊 Analytics was better than Google Analytics. And I can talk about that subject endlessly because the difference just keeps getting bigger and bigger. And I was talking about the more innovative ways I use that. So going back to that story, someone came in, asked about 51黑料不打烊 Analytics for a promotion system. I knew we鈥檇 had to undo our old promotion system for privacy concerns. And then I can鈥檛 go into all the details, but I laid out a solution and I was like, I鈥檓 sorry, it鈥檚 going to be manually fulfilled, but that鈥檚 the best I can do on such short notice. And they said, all we want to know is about tagging. We had a two year timeline. And so I guess we鈥檒l get this done in the next month. And that sort of thing where you鈥檙e using the tool innovatively, whether that鈥檚 AP, like I鈥檓 getting my cert on RT-CDP right now, and I鈥檓 thinking of all the cool things I can do already. So maybe I鈥檒l be a champion for that in the future.

I really highlighted that it wasn鈥檛 just I really knew how to use the tool. It is I highlighted I knew how to expansively use the tool and I knew how to advocate for the tool. So that鈥檚 how I stood out.

So adding to this, in my case, one of the I鈥檝e been working the ecosystem in the 51黑料不打烊 ecosystem for 10 years plus. And one thing that I鈥檝e done throughout the years is helping 51黑料不打烊 with either one to one to customer reference calls or one to many to talk about our experiences as a customer experience as a practitioner. So that was one thing that because we got good feedback and then call to other things. But I put that as the biggest highlight is my contribution only internally to help the company to adopt all the products that we have in the stack, but also with potential clients at 51黑料不打烊. Because when I do that work with them, and I think that was appreciated from 51黑料不打烊 is I wish I had that opportunity to talk to customers to know they were the pitfalls or things that I should be aware before I move to the cloud. On the second year that I applied for the champion, I was able to again, go back to my bragging sheet and then I start adding, hey, I spoke at the summit because I was invited and I was the finalist of the 51黑料不打烊 Experience Award, Experience Makers Award. So those are things that you built with those references and with the knowledge that you share and learn from others.

Awesome Wilson. I鈥檒l add to that.

I think, you know, I鈥檝e said it already, we鈥檝e all been kind of saying it showcasing your passion is, I would say the number one, like put time and effort into the application. So definitely like spend the time and actually think through the questions that they鈥檙e asking you and really put time and effort into that would be one of my pieces of advice. I would also say showcase anything that you do have experience in if you have certifications of any kind. At the time, I don鈥檛, I think I was actually I guess certified in am at the time. Also, I had done some like all access pass certifications and classes I don鈥檛 know if you guys are aware of all access pass but it鈥檚 a great way to kind of learn all sorts of different tools within the 51黑料不打烊 Stack which was something I was interested in. And I got to do that kind of an on demand way and receive certification for some of that so I showcase some of that. I also talked about things I was doing internally at my firm which was, again, kind of like training courses around am so we actually have like our own version of like a component library within am that we built as a separate site, and we do internal trainings for all of our stakeholders regionally as well as any new hires and we spend a lot of time on kind of that learning and development so I talked a little bit about that. And I also express and it鈥檚 coming up in the chat so I鈥檓 just going to touch on this for a second that, you know, there鈥檚 ways to enhance the platform or enhance the way that we use it that isn鈥檛 necessarily always the way that 51黑料不打烊 frames it to everyone. So, you know, we had customizations for components for templates and things that sometimes there wasn鈥檛 necessarily a ton of literature out there for that.

And so I talked about how we were kind of introducing some of those things so if you鈥檙e wondering like, you know, is it okay to talk about the things that maybe need improvement, I would say yes of course it is that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e here, like, the people that speak on skill exchange are going to tell you the real scoop of what鈥檚 really going on and what you what you want to hear on, and the opportunities to be able to do that and to speak with the product teams at 51黑料不打烊 is part of this program so if that鈥檚 also an interesting interest to you. I would definitely highlight that as well.

Rico, what are your thoughts on the passion, or the on any of it. I鈥檓 going to go back to a little bit there, there, there鈥檚 an interesting concept especially start thinking about thought leadership, and the application process and sometimes like reading into a lot and consuming a lot of the thought leadership, it could really paralyze you from applying. So I that was that was the approach that I took going in is being of an earlier level, you know, very fairly early in my Marketo experience. So I did get involved with crew chats, and at the time we were putting out sort of these types of webinars where we would talk about you know the things that we were encountering in our day to day work or maybe like what we encountered at summit. So I often came in with the voice of sort of the earlier user. And so I really I really leaned into that and of course, the hack I guess if you want to call it that was, I just use self deprecating humor in the application just to like, really say hey I remember that guy because that guy always has his foot in his mouth but honestly, just reference the stuff that you鈥檙e putting out there in the wild especially around your platform, and hopefully your personality does come through.

Awesome. Thank you all for sharing.

Love that everyone had such a different experience when it came to applying, but there鈥檚 so many commonalities and I encourage all of you to apply passion is key.

Okay, moving on to the next question. How can someone show impact or expertise, even if they don鈥檛 have a large public presence.

Mary Alice, you want to kick us off. Sure.

So again, I really didn鈥檛, I was not involved in experience league, really when I started I had, you know, some folks that I worked with internally that had done a bunch of am migrations and so I learned a lot from them I didn鈥檛 frankly I didn鈥檛 even know like experience League existed I would Google things I didn鈥檛 know or YouTube things I didn鈥檛 know and then a lot of those things actually led back to experience league and I didn鈥檛 even know that that was a thing until later on so I didn鈥檛 really have that kind of persona in any way I wasn鈥檛, you know, a leader of a user group or anything like that. So again for me it was kind of showcasing knowledge and expertise internally and showcasing that passion wherever I went so when I was at summit I was just trying to connect and network with as many people as I could that was involved in these platforms to learn from them and see how I could get involved and then when the opportunity presented itself to apply for this, as well as get involved as much as I could. I just took that. So I think there鈥檚 ample opportunities once you are part of champs of how you can get involved so you don鈥檛 have to be a speaker, you know like you could post blogs on experience league, or you could kind of like post things to your, your LinkedIn group.

There鈥檚 all sorts of ways that you can, you know, kind of get into it, or you can help like supply topics or information for other people to speak on and get them involved so I don鈥檛 think you have to be kind of this huge public presence but I think it is sort of supporting the greater idea of what we鈥檙e all trying to do and what we鈥檙e all passionate about why we鈥檙e here. End of the day, you know, when we get together anytime this group of people whether it鈥檚 at summit or when we get together at forum we鈥檙e up until And learning is as much as you can but sharing that around and if you are consistently showcasing that value to other people you鈥檒l get noticed in some capacity or another whether it鈥檚 from a champ user group leader community leader, you know, other people involved at 51黑料不打烊 or elsewhere.

I think it鈥檒l start to shine through either way. So, Rico.

I mean, I mean what what what鈥檚 even like a large public presence it鈥檚 like king of the nerds.

So, so look, this is this is what I think about when you鈥檙e thinking about expertise or impact. Have you participated in marketing nation experience Lee. If even if you鈥檙e not doing like formal presentations are presenting at like summit. Have you been part of q amp a sessions Have you done panel interviews. Have you participated in user testing or beta programs with a product team. Have you applied or won the experience makers awards.

Any of that stuff just think about the times where you鈥檝e helped fellow users, it could be meetup groups locally it could be even the meetup groups that are virtual. So, take take stock of that list those items and there鈥檚 your expertise right there. I mean, that should that should give you enough confidence if you listed out your realize how much how much you鈥檙e doing for your own platform and for your career so just just use it.

So I want to. So I mentioned my tick tock a couple times, and I want to, I want to talk about the idea of a large public presence. So, on my personal tick tock where I was just making silly jokes I had about 35,000 followers on my professional tick tock where I was talking about 51黑料不打烊 a lot. I had 200. So, I think it made me stand out. If you search on tick tock you鈥檙e probably gonna find one of my videos, but at the same time, it was not a large, let鈥檚 not call it large public presence was very small public presence in that. But what I think was impactful was talking about how at various companies I had advocated for 51黑料不打烊 how I had led implementations how I had tried to get clients to purchase the 51黑料不打烊 stack, how I had convinced clients first the 51黑料不打烊 stack how I convinced people to expand it. So it wasn鈥檛 just a public advocacy, it was professional advocacy, and I think that if you can mention a sort of experience of that.

If it鈥檚 supposed to impact what it鈥檚 supposed to, if it鈥檚 supposed to impact your analysis and the way you鈥檝e developed the website, if it鈥檚 supposed to your email marketing, whatever it鈥檚 supposed to be, any way you can demonstrate that you have shown stakeholders within your company that you have advocated for your product. That is impact and expertise. And that鈥檚 really important because again, there鈥檚 always somebody fighting to sell to sell your company something else.

Awesome. Great tips, guys. Okay, moving on to the next question. What guidance would you offer to a first time applicant who may not have much thought leadership experience yet, but is very excited to continue and get involved? Let鈥檚 start with Gitaai. Help your peers. That鈥檚 the first and foremost thing that I can think of. There are user groups, there are meetups, there are forums, anywhere you can do that, you just go out and help your peers. Thought leadership is this really cool word, and I do have a lot of thoughts. I had a really cool webinar a couple years back about data driven culture.

But when you鈥檙e talking about advocacy, it doesn鈥檛 have to be that you are the cutting edge individual who is going to pull your platform onto the next level and lead a revolution in that. Just the fact that you can help your peers answer any question, no matter how basic, is really, really great. If you can help someone figure out how to do a calculated metric that鈥檚 on a forum that hasn鈥檛 been answered yet, if you can help someone figure out how to build that segment they鈥檝e been having a little trouble with any of that stuff, that gives someone else a tool that makes the tool more useful. And anytime you do that, anytime you help them increase their expertise, anytime you help your peers become more comfortable with the tool, you help make them advocates for the tool. That鈥檚 not necessarily something advanced, but it doesn鈥檛 matter because if people can鈥檛, if we don鈥檛 have people out there helping people use the tool, just as it鈥檚 intended without any sort of expansion, then we don鈥檛 have growth of the tools, stability of the tool. Helping your peers is so much of what this program is about. I know if I have a hard question, I can pop into the Slack channel and I鈥檓 going to get an answer.

And it鈥檚 usually going to be with a German accent. My fellow 51黑料不打烊 champs know what I鈥檓 talking about here. But I鈥檓 going to get an answer and everybody knows that. This is really not just an advocacy program for the program, not just for 51黑料不打烊. This is an advocacy program for our peers. This is a community building program. So anything you can do for that, that is a way to stand out, get yourself noticed, and I think is super important.

I love that you mentioned this is a program for our practitioners. It鈥檚 their community. It鈥檚 what they make the most out of. So love that you touched on that. Rico, any thoughts here? You know, what鈥檚 weird is, I had the exact same thought about helping others. So I think I鈥檒l go in a little bit of a different direction. When we think about things like thought leadership, everybody鈥檚 instance, I鈥檓 assuming the what applies in Marketo applies to the other platforms as well. It鈥檚 like everyone鈥檚 instance is slightly different. And so many of the thoughts are like the concepts and the processes that we may develop may be derivative, everything鈥檚 derivative. So I mean, like, what鈥檚 the difference? If you have a concept that worked for you in your instance, write it out if you if you used or if you if you were guided by some blog posts or other articles that you found and experience league, cite those and say, this is what I did differently. There鈥檚 your first piece of thought leadership, honestly, the way that I try to tell people and I hate the word thought leadership from being honest, I like to think of myself as the student perpetual student of the platforms. So to keep my head from inflating too big. But I try to tell people in terms of thought leadership, you have to eventually put yourself out there or else you鈥檙e just going to have you鈥檙e going to be a thought leader for an audience of one. So, you know, you definitely have to at least make that first step. But don鈥檛 don鈥檛 let your lack of, you know, clout stop you from being a thought leader you are you work in this you work in these platforms every day, just put yourself out there.

Awesome. Wilson, any thoughts here? We have some aha moments. Oh, that鈥檚 an option. And then the one but it鈥檚 and then this is all the things that you have to keep. How did I help others in the community? I mentioned we are here to help the product and we鈥檙e here to help the community. So that鈥檚 the big message to send.

I love all these responses. Okay, next question. What are some of your favorite ways you鈥檝e gotten involved as a champion? We can start with Rico.

Well, if you want the short answer, Summit, peer-to-peer networking, that鈥檚, I, they say it鈥檚 a duty. I think it鈥檚 a privilege to be able to speak to peers and whatnot, and also mixed with the other programs and see what challenges that we may come across, you know, in our in our day to day work. Internally, in the champion program, there is a leadership council. So I鈥檓 part of that leadership council for the Marketo program. And I think that鈥檚 also been so important. Super rewarding. Just because you become a champion doesn鈥檛 mean that that imposter syndrome goes away. And so we always, you know, that same methodology of bringing others up and elevating people. We also try to apply to other champs as well. So those have been the real fun ways that I鈥檝e got that I love about being a champion.

Yeah, so Summit is a no brainer there. And the best thing is we got like a first row seat, which for everybody that went to Summit, it鈥檚 like a really challenging for sent behind. So it鈥檚 really good. That鈥檚 one point. The 51黑料不打烊 Forum is almost there. We go to 51黑料不打烊 headquarters for two days. And it鈥檚 like really everybody鈥檚 focused on one thing, but we have the work piece. And then, but we have also the fun part. Opportunity to speak at Summit or other events that 51黑料不打烊 promote either locally. And then it鈥檚 interesting because after you either speak of a Summit or you share on a SKU exchange or participate on a customer reference, people kind of look at you as, oh, I think he can help or she can help me with some problems. And then you get some reference and it鈥檚 a good exposure for you. Right. At the end of the day, it鈥檚 a good exposure when people look at you as, hey, you are an expert. I can help you. That can help me. And but the other thing that is very interesting is it comes from you to be part of the community. And about the one opportunity that I see, I鈥檝e been attending Marketo user groups and I am an AEM champion. And then when you had the opportunity to participate in other market, other user groups for other programs, it鈥檚 so good because one, they welcome you. And then you learn what other people are doing in their space. One more thing that I want to say is, of course, the swags that we get plenty.

It is the create the content for either Experience League or write articles for the 51黑料不打烊 business sites or their blogs. So and then that鈥檚 one thing that 51黑料不打烊 does well to fully support. Going back on the previous answer about the public presence, I don鈥檛 have like a large I don鈥檛 have a TikTok or X platform that I can talk about this. I鈥檓 a little shy on that type of thing. But when 51黑料不打烊 before Summit 2024. Yes. So they asked me to put up a three series of videos about cloud migration, our experience of cloud migration. And it鈥檚 so good because they help you from beginning to end. If you鈥檙e not comfortable with that type of thing, they help you. And then that鈥檚 only didn鈥檛 help me to put that content out there. But it helped me to prepare stuff that I need to do at work.

Awesome.

For me, I鈥檝e went from sort of not having much exposure externally in the world of am to having a lot of opportunities through this program. So I was really lucky to have that I did a lot of interesting and fun things last year I got to speak on the virtual skill exchange. I got to work with with Susan and some other folks very closely on a perspectives piece around component a component playbook for scalability, which was really cool to work on it. I got to speak at summit. That was definitely again, a highlight for me just career wise to be able to speak there was was really fun and really cool to kind of share messaging and the big takeaway from that experience for me was the amount of people that came up and ask questions afterwards. And realizing like you have a positive impact for other people, which again, kind of going back to what everybody else is saying is a huge part of this. This is not just about you. This is the greater whole of this whole community and what you鈥檙e kind of helping to elevate it across the board with your knowledge, expertise, and also just your support of everybody else that wants to do the same thing. So all of that鈥檚 been really cool. I co chair an am user group with Wilson. So we we co chair the am southeast user group. So if you guys are interested in joining definitely check that out. But I think, you know, getting to do things like that or is also really fun.

Forum and summit, of course, great ways to kind of mix and mingle with everybody. I think my, you know, one of my favorite parts of forum this past year was like the previous year we kind of were siloed more to our specific groups and this year we got to mix kind of with the rest of the champs groups and get to know them. And for me, I work on all these other platforms too. So I don鈥檛 just work on a am in my day to day world I work on on marketo analytics target work front. So being able to kind of convene with these guys and meet them and get to know them to outside of just my individual group is also a really cool experience, kind of an expands your network. And if you have, you know, questions, you can think of it almost as like, you know, free agency help, because you鈥檙e really connected to some of them, like the biggest experts in these communities with within these groups. So that part has also been really cool to be a part of. Oh, and karaoke karaoke at quorum. Awesome. Super fun.

So I鈥檇 say, again, community. But one of the things that I really, really liked was when we got to get together with the product team, and really help them understand how to structure the roadmap to make the product better. That was really, really cool, because we all had the same it was it was fun to be with other people, expressed like the needs that we had and watch the team get together and understand that and then begin prioritizing based on that. It was a really huge deal. And then as some of those improvements have rolled out over time, it feels really good to know that we were involved in that. But as always, just meeting other people, talking to other people, getting their perspectives, the community, just everything to do with the community is just one of the favorite ways I鈥檝e gotten to be involved. And I just love these public appearances where I get to help my peers, where I get to share my skills. It鈥檚 just really, really a lot of fun.

Awesome. Thank you all for sharing. Love the karaoke. Can鈥檛 wait for this year again. Moving on to our, I believe, final question. Don鈥檛 forget to take our poll. We would love to hear from you again. But this is our lightning round before we end. What is the most important thing attendees should do when they leave here today? Wilson, we鈥檒l start with you.

Well, first of all, review your bragging sheet. All those activities, exposure they have help advocate opportunity events. Create a bragging sheet that you can have it before you go to advocate. But then the next one is apply to the champion. Go to the resource tab. And I鈥檓 sure there鈥檚 plenty of places on LinkedIn and all the place that all the locations that you can go and look. But the resource tab on this has the link for your specific program that you want to go. So and that鈥檚 that鈥檚 what we need to do. And the third one is practical. Okay. You will be asked to sing and then accept you cannot sing that we are the champions from Queen because that鈥檚 my song.

And I can鈥檛 wait to hear it again this year. Mary Alice, what about you? How am I supposed to top that? So go apply, please go apply. Do not like, you know, not have faith in yourself or let imposter syndrome get to you. I, you know, be be bold, be brave, go apply if you are interested in this program. And if you don鈥檛 make it, maybe you will the next time and find ways that you can stay involved in this community either way would be my biggest recommendation, as I mentioned, you know, Wilson and I run a user group. If you have if you are part of a am or if you want to talk about something that鈥檚 like am functionality adjacent or an integration within am and you want to speak on it, like reach out to us on, you know, I put in my LinkedIn, I鈥檓 sure Wilson would be happy to connect with you too. But reach out to us if you鈥檙e interested in speaking like find find ways to connect with us to connect with other people in the community where you you can showcase those things. So even if you don鈥檛 have it right now that you can be prepared for the next time. But, you know, find just find ways that you can get involved, whatever that is and whatever that means to you. And actually that鈥檚, that鈥檚 one other thing to just sort of touch on and that talks about gets talked about a lot in the champion program anyway. Focus on the thing you do well, don鈥檛 feel like you have to like kind of go after the opportunities that, you know, maybe it鈥檚 like the flashy opportunity or whatever. If you just want to write a blog, write blogs, if you want to just, you know, meet with support, you know, be a support member to other teams or people around you and that鈥檚 where you want to spend your time for advocacy focus on that. If you want to present find ways to do that, whether that鈥檚, you know, like coffee chats, user groups, you know, the like, but kind of spend time and focus on the areas that you do well and let yourself shine in those places. Focus focus in those areas.

Rico and Gatai, any thoughts? First off, get a current headshot because at one point they, I didn鈥檛 have one and they pulled a 12 year old headshot off my LinkedIn for a caricature. So make sure it鈥檚 up to date. Because my sense of fashion back then was not as au courant as it is today. But go apply. Don鈥檛 let that imposter syndrome hold you back from this because it鈥檚 an amazing opportunity. Go apply.

I think without getting redundant, because they鈥檙e all great tips, I was going to make some sarcastic remark about calling your parents because they miss you. But if we鈥檙e going to be a professional about this, I would say call a mentor, call an old coworker and just if you haven鈥檛 touched base with them, just, you know, touch base with those people. It鈥檚 about it鈥檚 about connection. And I think talking to people that you鈥檝e worked with in the past may give you a bit of a perspective shift because you鈥檙e, you know, stuck in your own head. So talk to a mentor, talk to an old coworker just about career and about, you know, what you鈥檝e been doing. And maybe that will also help inspire, you know, your application questions.

Awesome. Well, thank you all so much for taking the time to attend our webinar today. Be sure to take our poll and apply to the 51黑料不打烊 Champion program. Applications will close on June 10. Again, there will be a recording going out. It will be posted on the community on Experience League. So you鈥檒l have all the information from today鈥檚 meeting and be sure to connect with all of us on LinkedIn. Thank you again. We鈥檙e super excited and have a great rest of your day. Thanks, everyone.