Watch or listen to this week's episode on driving innovation and revenue through evangelism!

Matt Coats, Chief Evangelist at SchoolMint, shares his path from sales to evangelism - what sparked the vision, how he sold the concept internally, how it affected his compensation, and why it landed him on the senior leadership team.

Watch or listen for insights into the role of a Chief Evangelist, the need to turn the voice of the customer into new customer value, and strategies for preparing the market for these new solutions.

Takeaways:

• The primary role of an evangelist is innovation - continuously identifying new opportunities to create customer- and market-informed solutions. A Chief Evangelist is uniquely positioned to help turn the voice of the customer into realized customer value.

• Variable compensation can be part of an evangelist’s package. But that variable comp should look more like the CEO’s than a sales rep’s - not necessarily in quantity, but definitely in what it’s tied to.

• Three types of external meetings for an evangelist: direct prospect or customer contact in a formal way (presentation, exec briefing, etc), informal customer interactions (coffee, lunch, or a call), and conferences (panels, sessions, and networking).

• Evangelism is sales, but you’re selling ideas, not products. An evangelist can help sell employees on the meaning, purpose, and results of the company’s work, as well as sell to prospects and resell to customers the promise of improved outcomes.

Quote of the Show:

• “We need somebody who’s going to go out and sell this concept. It’s not about selling a product or a thing, we need to sell this idea to the market.”

Links Related to This Episode:

• Matt Coats on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattcoats
• SchoolMint: https://schoolmint.com

See or Hear More Conversations on Chief Evangelist with Ethan Beute:

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/Vszsdge-7xw
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5tEPLXnkNSYAsjpwD3O69t
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-evangelist-with-ethan-beute/id1652687400
• Chief Evangelist: https://www.chiefevangelist.com
  
  

Chief Evangelist is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Creator of the Zero Trust model of cybersecurity, John Kindervag serves as Chief Evangelist at Illumio. He joins host Ethan Beute to share insights from his journey turning a new idea into a global movement.

More than a dozen years ago as a Forrester analyst, he turned primary research into a new model of information security. Rather than a perimeter-based approach, a segmented approach that assumes zero trust is more effective. An affront to the status quo at the time, Zero Trust is now a global movement that’s reached every continent and resulted in an Executive Order by President Biden. Behind it all is passion, persistence, and evangelism.

Takeaways:

• The most important role of a Chief Evangelist is to create and communicate a compelling narrative and story that they genuinely believe in. Go beyond technical details to business strategy - and do it with expertise, enthusiasm, and human centricity.
• Put the problem and opportunity ahead of the product. Zero Trust is a strategy that’s product, technology, and vendor neutral. Evangelize the problem, not the product.
• Embrace both external and internal evangelism. Engage with customers and prospects while also fostering understanding and buy-in among teammates. And align with the CMO for maximum impact.
• No matter your problem, solution, or market, evangelism should be based on a deep and sincere desire to make people’s lives better.

Quote of the Show:

• “The only purpose for doing all this is to make people’s lives better. That’s the reason for technology. If you’re just into it for the technology, but not the human aspects of it, it’s not a good fit for you.” - John Kindervag

Links Related to This Episode:

• John Kindervag on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-kindervag-40572b1
• Illumio: https://www.illumio.com
• ON2IT: https://on2it.net
• Final Draft Report to the President: Zero Trust and Trusted Identity Management: https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Final%20Draft%20NSTAC%20Report%20to%20the%20President%20on%20Zero%20Trust%20and%20Trusted%20Identity%20Management.pdf
• DOD SkillBridge Program: https://skillbridge.osd.mil

See or Hear More Conversations on Chief Evangelist with Ethan Beute:

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/d7EJU3XaDXY
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5tEPLXnkNSYAsjpwD3O69t
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-evangelist-with-ethan-beute/id1652687400
• Chief Evangelist: https://www.chiefevangelist.com
  
  

Chief Evangelist is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Listen in on a conversation on the relationships between sales, technical marketing, product marketing, and evangelism. Join Brian Robison, Chief Evangelist and Vice President of Product Marketing at Corellium. To that role, Brian brings experience in marketing and evangelizing hardware and software solutions with Blackberry Cylance, Citrix, McAfee, and Tripwire.

The theme throughout his career: making a bigger impact inspired by the belief in the solution and its importance to people’s lives. The work throughout: developing assets, narratives, and hands-on experience with the product.

Takeaways:

• The most important role of an evangelist is to support the sale. Everyone is in sales, including the evangelist. The evangelist is there not to drive a transaction, but to discover, communicate, and establish clear value. You’re selling trust and relationships, not SKUs and prices.
• Often functioning as a “one-person production house” of product demos, stories, and presentations, Brian balances routine tasks with creative responsibilities is essential for efficiency, creativity, and innovation.
• Customer needs and customer use cases shift. Being aligned with your customers and being a hands-on user yourself deepens understanding and unlocks new ideas and enhanced value.
• Two tell-tale signs that you need an evangelist are a young company bringing something revolutionary to the world or a big company in an established market trying to create a paradigm shift. Both need a bigger conversation about the outcomes of a new approach, not just one about a tool.

Quote of the Show:

• “I have always sought out companies and products that are different, that change how people do things, that have a much bigger impact.”

Links Related to This Episode:

• Brian Robison on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrobison1
• Corellium: https://www.corellium.com

See or Hear More Conversations on Chief Evangelist with Ethan Beute:

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/-xmX4KoH570
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5tEPLXnkNSYAsjpwD3O69t
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chief-evangelist-with-ethan-beute/id1652687400
• Chief Evangelist: https://www.chiefevangelist.com
  
  

Chief Evangelist is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/