Crafting Success: Navigating Diverse Landscapes in Business

Shownotes

In this episode of Sunny Side Up, Carolyn Najac interviews Christian DeMarais on crafting success and navigating landscapes in business. We discuss how engaging stakeholders successfully requires a blend of empathy, strategic narrative crafting, and in-depth understanding. He emphasises the power of understanding stakeholder perspectives and crafting a compelling narrative. Christian underscores the importance of empathy, especially towards internal stakeholders, viewing them as the real ‘customers’. Finally, while discussing B2B and B2C dynamics, he emphasises the significance of listening to customers and efficiently leveraging resources across diverse teams.

About the Guest

Christian DeMarais is currently serving as Director of Revenue Operations and Strategy at Wix, where he has helped build and scale over 25 Sales and Account Management teams in 3 years. In addition to a career as a RevOps and Sales Strategy Pro, DeMarais is also an accomplished actor who recently had a recurring role in Maniac (Netflix), as well as guest roles on Mr. Robot (USA), The Equalizer (CBS) and Elementary (CBS). DeMarais holds an MFA in acting from NYU and a BA in Business Management and Theatre, with a Minor in Dance from Gustavus Adolphus College.

Connect with Christian DeMarais

Key Takeaways

• When engaging with stakeholders, immerse yourself in their perspectives, understanding their needs, concerns, and objectives.
• Avoid Direct Objectives – Don’t always lead with your end goal. Let stakeholders understand your objectives through the information you provide and the narrative you weave. ● Craft a Narrative: Whether it’s a presentation, a proposal, or a report, build a story that captivates your stakeholders and takes them on a journey.
• It’s crucial to know what drives your stakeholders. Identify their priorities, financial metrics, time-saving efficiencies, or other KPIs, and cater your strategy to these. ● Empathy is key. While clear goals and KPIs matter, other aspects like ease of use and time-saving can be equally crucial.
• Never judge. Understand the perspectives and challenges of all team members. Your internal stakeholders, often acting as your ‘customers’, need that understanding the most. ● Ensure your services or products cater to a broad spectrum of your customers’ needs, making it easier for them to choose you over competitors.
• Continuously seek and incorporate customer feedback to refine and improve your offerings. Centre your strategies around customer needs. Listening to and acting on their input can lead to product innovations and sustained growth.
• Balance Macro and Micro Perspectives. Keep an eye on the broader business strategy while attending to day-to-day operations.

Quote

“Understanding is such a huge part of what we do. And I think understanding your customer, but a lot of times for RebLabs specifically, your customers are also internal stakeholders in the company and the business.”

– Christian DeMarais

Highlights from the Episode

Can you give insight into your background and journey through marketing over the years?

Christian DeMarais started his journey in acting, attending NYU for graduate studies. He explored sales through internships and realised that skills from acting were transferable to sales and revenue operations. Christian transitioned into a RevOps role and saw significant growth after joining Wix, especially during the pandemic. His growth was greatly influenced by mentors, notably Melanie Terranova, a key figure in RevOps at Wix.

How do you envision incorporating creative and unconventional approaches into a highly structured environment, creating a blend of innovation and tradition?

Christian draws a parallel between acting and stakeholder engagement. In theatre, objectives are shown, not told; Christian advocates for guiding stakeholders using a strong narrative in business presentations. Recognising and aligning with stakeholder goals, he leverages his acting insights to add value to his acting and RevOps roles.

How can you champion internal change? Can you offer tips on positively and constructively discussing this?

Christian stresses the importance of seeing everyone’s unique role within the bigger picture. He believes in clearly understanding team dynamics for efficiency and highly emphasises empathy. Drawing from his acting roots, he reminds us not to judge and emphasises understanding, especially for internal stakeholders, as they are often the true ‘customers’.

In your role covering both B2B and B2C, how do you handle resource allocation and sales territory design for B2B reps? Additionally, how do you define crucial KPIs?

When navigating both B2B and B2C domains, it’s vital to understand the dynamics and needs specific to each sector. One valuable approach involves capitalising on existing resources or tools that can be used across diverse teams with varying objectives. Remember always to keep the bigger picture in mind while addressing detailed operations. And most importantly, always listen to your customers.

Good reads: Is there a book, blog, newsletter, website, or video that you would recommend to our listeners?

The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg

Shout-Outs

Melanie Terranova – Head of RevOps at Wix

Dhwani Dalal – Director, Sales Strategy & Operations at DocuSign

Meg Goetsch – Vice President, Global Sales Operations and Strategy at Forter