The Newsletter Pro November 2018

The Newsletter Pro November 2018

#120 in the 2015 and #343 in the 2016 INC. 500 | 2016, 2017, & 2018 Best Place to Work in Idaho | Marketer of the Year | 24K Club Winner

11.18 208.297.5700 www.thenewsletterpro.com

As Seen On:

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

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Never Lose Another Customer Dr. Pitner and the Tone of Your Company It May Be Crazy Hard, but It’s Also Crazy Profitable! Propel Your Business With ‘Rocket Fuel’ A Secure, Online Way to Get the Signatures You Need

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ABC’S ‘SHARKTANK’ LESSONS FROM MY TIME ON SET!

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Get to Know Lauren Robblee

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HubSpot Is in the Human Business

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend a day on the set of ABC’s hit TV show “Shark Tank.” While on the set, I watched seven or eight pitches and hung out with all of the Sharks between the tear-down and setup of the next pitch. During those times, I listened to their thoughts about the deals and asked questions of a business nature. Here are the best lessons I learned from those conversations. These pitches really do go for 60–90 minutes. The entrepreneurs are grilled with questions — many times, the Sharks simply talk over each other in what must be an editing nightmare. Of course, the 60–90-minute pitches become the 10–12-minute segments you see on TV. Behind the scenes, sitting in a staff and guest viewing area, each Shark has a team member or two or three people who are there to take over the due diligence part of the investment after the deal is made. Shortly before lunch, Kevin, aka Mr. Wonderful, got a deal for a product. I went and had lunch with Kevin and his team, and one member quickly ate his lunch and then said he would go meet the entrepreneurs behind the deal and get the ball

rolling. Kevin continued to hang out and have lunch with us. Something else I noticed is that, between takes, the Sharks would have staff members come up to them and request to record a video or approve something. The lesson I took both from lunch and from watching the teams interact with the Sharks is that the Sharks have fully embraced

the mentality of “Work on your business, not in your business. They appeared to spend nearly all of their time doing work only a Shark can do. They made videos for social media, signed contracts, and made side deals, but they didn’t do work that others could do for them. I can’t say one way or another if this is how they operate in everyday life, but it appeared this was the norm for them. After seeing this, it got me thinking about how I spend my time and whether I’m using it as wisely as I can. I started evaluating what I’m doing and whether there are others who can/should be doing this work. It also got me thinking about what I should be doing. I’ve started making that list so I have tasks to fill the time freed up by transferring some of the work I shouldn’t be doing each day, week, or month. I spoke with Mark Cuban for a bit, and we talked about where he sees the economy going. I also asked about business valuations and where he sees them heading in the future. His response was interesting and thought-provoking for me. I’ll paraphrase, but he basically said he doesn’t worry about where the economy is going and which

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... COVER CONTINUED valuation is up or down because he can’t control any of that. What he does look at is what the popular trends are today. He pays attention any time the economy moves some items up in value and others down in value. He doesn’t try to predict or time it; he just moves in the direction everything is flowing. If you stop and think about how many of us small- business owners operate, you can see that it is at odds with the way Mark operates — which is likely why he is a billionaire and we are not. Of course, the situation is a bit different, as he has many different investments and a team of people (he had four with him on set, the most of any Shark) to help him. Even though there are differences, we can still learn from what Mark said: Don’t worry about timing the markets and trying to control something you can’t control. Instead, focus on what you do have control over, and pivot when appropriate. While we were sitting with Robert’s team in the background, it was funny to hear them talk about deals they’d be okay with the Shark getting and deals they had zero interest in. I even asked if Robert’s team member was glad when Robert didn’t win one of the deals, and she said, “Yeah, those people would have been a nightmare for me to work with.” Even when a deal is done on “Shark Tank,” it is not done. The Shark has time to do due diligence on the deals and back out at any point. The lesson I was reminded of while sitting with Robert’s team was that just because the boss says yes doesn’t mean you don’t also have to win over the team. It’s especially true in a situation like this, where the team is really the people you’ll be working with.

P.S. I’ve been asked a number of times whether I pitched a product on the show. No, I was simply a guest of Robert Herjavec. –Shaun

company would get a deal? I saw a pitch or two like that while I was watching, and one of them even got a deal from Mark. WHAT GIVES? At this point, the Sharks know all about the “Shark Tank effect,” which is the estimated number of sales of a new product on the first night the show airs. Sometimes the deal gets done because the Sharks know they can make their money back on the first night. This is one reason why Mr. Wonderful likes those royalty deals. They allow him to get his capital back many times over when the show first airs. These guys and ladies may be on TV, but make no mistake — they are savvy investors. This is one reason you don’t see a ton of B2B products or franchise concepts have success on the show; the return on capital to the Sharks will take a lot longer because the “Shark Tank effect” is minimal in those types of businesses. Overall, the experience was amazing, the Sharks were friendly, and Mr. Wonderful truly is one of the savviest of them all, despite what may come across on TV.

While watching “Shark Tank,” have you ever seen a product and thought there was no way the

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Never Lose Another Customer BUSINESS HOW-TO

Have you ever wondered what your company would look like if you’d never lost a customer since you opened? It’s an interesting, albeit slightly depressing, exercise. It’s kind of like looking at your retirement account and then saying, “What would have happened if I really had started investing at 21 years old, just a few hundred dollars per month? How much more money would I have now?” A lost customer is like a retirement account, but one that grows in reverse. Every time you lose a customer, you lose all future growth and profits from that customer. As an added bonus, you also accrue an expense to replace that customer. How much would investing suck if you had to pay your advisor extra money to work harder to make up for them losing money in your retirement account? That sounds like a special form of investment hell, but that is exactly what happens when you lose customers. If you are good at what you do — if your product or service is needed or helps your customers — then when you lose a customer, you should take it personally. I know I do. Basically, when they leave, by and large, the customer is saying you’re not that good. Before I jump into some tactical ways to keep more customers, I want to point out one thing. Many times, a customer will leave and tell you they’re leaving because they’re broke. Most of the time, that is pure BS. Money is an easy excuse for anyone to give for why they’re canceling or want to get out of a contract, and most of the time, it’s a smoke screen. No matter what reason you’re given, it is important to dig and get to the real reason. Is it possible to save a customer or fix a problem when most of them give you a BS reason for why they’re canceling? How do you keep more customers? The reality is that it all comes down to two things … No, one of the two things is not a newsletter, but newsletters are an important part of both things. As I was saying, it all comes down to relationships with your customers and customer experience. The good news is that both are interconnected.

One of the best things you can do is take inventory of your prospect and customer experience.

with you, they won’t be looking to build a new relationship with someone else. Even if your competitor hired me to do a newsletter for them, once you have your relationship in place, it is a done deal as long as you maintain that relationship. Of course, they would build a relationship with their customers and get the benefits from that, but it would be very hard for your competitor to steal customers from you; your customers would already have a relationship with you and wouldn’t be looking for a new provider of goods or services in your category. You don’t have to listen to me — frankly, many people who read this won’t because it’s hard or expensive or [insert excuse here]. The problem is that you will get left behind. The world is changing at a faster and faster pace, and relationships and experiences are where we’re headed; it’s your choice to get on the train or not. If you choose not to, you do so at your own peril. Here’s one last thought: Last week, while I was in Pennsylvania speaking, I had drinks with a good friend of mine: Chad Madden, who runs the largest physical therapy business-education company in the world. He told me the story of when his dentist literally chased after him in the parking lot at the end of his appointment to ask for some marketing advice. You see, for several decades, this dentist has prided himself on not having to market his business. Unfortunately, over the last 10 years, because he always thought he didn’t have to market and competition kept growing and technology kept changing, this dentist just sat on the sidelines, never feeling like he had to market or keep up with the changes. Now here we are. His practice has declined to the point where he is struggling. At this point, his dental practice is basically worthless. Why? You can sum it up with two simple thoughts: Change or die, and grow or die. You have a choice. You can ignore my warnings about relationship marketing and bury your head in the sand, or you can jump on board and create those customer experiences and relationships and thrive. The world of business will continue to head in a more personalized, relationship-based direction. Choose not to follow or choose not to grow, and you too will find yourself in a parking lot asking for advice and praying for your business to be saved.

• What happens when a prospect calls?

• How is someone treated when they’re on the phone?

• When they walk in for the first time, do they get a tour of the office, if appropriate?

• Do they get a customer guarantee or promise flyer if they’re not in the office?

• What happens after their first visit?

• How often do you send something physical to them that isn’t just an advertisement or bill?

• Do they get a new customer gift?

• How do you hand the prospect off from sales to operations?

• How is that first interaction with operations?

• What do your month-to-month

communications with the customers and prospects look like?

This is by no means a complete list, nor is it in any order other than what came to my mind first, but simply addressing these areas in your business will have a profound impact on your prospect and customer experience and relationships. Think about the advantage you’ll have over your competitors with the above items in place. How many more referrals will you get simply based on the experience and relationship you’ll have with customers? How many more prospects will convert to customers because you were the only one following up with them weeks and months after they first inquired? As consumers have more and more choices, you must stand out from the crowd. And creating a unique experience and relationship with your customers is how you’ll do that. As an added bonus, it will be impossible for your competitors to copy you because they can never replicate you, and once the prospects and customers have a relationship

–Shaun

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MARKETING HOW-TO IT MAY BE CRAZY HARD,

CLIENT SUCCESS

As an orthodontist, I use the newsletter to build on the connections I make with my patients in the office. Most of my patients go for a long time between visits. My newsletter lets me check in with them every month and show my patients the tone of who I am and what the practice is all about. In the last few years, I’ve learned that my patients really love who we are! The best approach to the newsletter — and to life as a whole — is to be authentic. People do business with people, so it’s important to remind your patients or clients that you’re a person. Show them what makes you special and why they should want to do business with you. This means you have to be personal. It sounds scary at first, but this approach has really paid off. On the front page of my newsletter, my cover articles are about positive psychology, overcoming personal struggles, or my fear of fish. Inside my newsletter, my custom article is “written by” my dog, Buster (who is the best dog in the world, by the way). These aren’t stories you will find in anyone else’s newsletter, and my patients love it. I get great feedback on every issue. Patients go out of their way to tell me how much they enjoy it. People connect to my unique thoughts and unusual stories in a way you wouldn’t believe. And my team at The Newsletter Pro is just fantastic! They make building connections with my patients easy, and they make me look so good every month. In the years since I started the newsletter, I’ve had plenty of patients come into the office and say, “Wow, Dr. Pitner. You are such a good writer! You should write more.” (A big thank you to my writer, Darien!) WHO ARE YOU?

Have you noticed that everyone today is looking for the easy button in both life and business? It is crazy how many people want to avoid complexity. I watch this or hear about it all the time from “entrepreneurs.” Entrepreneurs will literally tell me how much they want to be millionaires or some other goal of theirs, and then, in the same breath, they’ll talk about not wanting to have a business or marketing tactic that is too complicated. They’ll say, “I don’t want to implement that idea; it seems too hard …” But It’s Also Crazy Profitable! Will Take Your Business to New Heights Every business needs leaders with different skill sets and strengths to succeed. There are plenty of ways to categorize leadership styles, but one of the most fascinating we’ve come across recently is from “Rocket Fuel: The One Essential Combination That Will Get You More of What You Want From Your Business” by Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters. In the book, Wickman and Winters define leaders as either “visionaries” or “integrators.” Visionaries are the idea generators, creative problem solvers, and inspirational forces within an organization. They’ll often manage external relationships and tackle big-picture ideas like core values and company culture. Integrators, on the other hand, are the leaders who focus on execution. Winters and Wickman define the key roles of an integrator as “LMA”: leading, managing, and holding people accountable. Just as important as these two roles is how they connect. “One sees the future, and the other makes it happen,” write Wickman and Winters. Visionaries need integrators to keep them tethered to the everyday reality of running a business. Without them, visionaries can suffer from “shiny object syndrome,” moving ‘ROCKET FUEL’ Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters’ OUR BOOKSHELF

The Newsletter Pro has helped me show my patients who I am, and it’s been an incredible experience.

– Dr. Leslie Pitner Pitner Orthodontics

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on to the next big idea before the time is right. On the flip side, integrators need visionaries to provide purpose and meaning to their work. Because integrators excel at the day-to-day operations, it’s easy for them to lose sight of the forest for the trees. Visionaries help guide the efforts of integrators toward the most productive ends. Throughout “Rocket Fuel,” Wickman and Winters offer numerous examples of successful visionary/integrator pairings, including Walt Disney and his brother, Roy; Henry Ford and James Couzens; and Ray Kroc and Fred Turner of McDonald’s. Each of these stories serves to illustrate how the two types play off each other’s natural talent, creating a whole that’s greater than the sum of its parts. If you want your business to soar into the stratosphere, you need the right leadership fuel. “Rocket Fuel” will deepen your ideas about the types of personalities that, when working together as a team, can lead your business into a brighter future. What? Are you crazy? Hard is what we do. Hard is why you get paid hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. You don’t get to six or seven figures by working 40 hours a week doing the easy things in life. This avoidance of hard work is coming in part from all the fake “get rich quick” garbage on the internet — rented Lamborghinis for videos in front of a mansion they found on Airbnb, or the photo of the Rolls Royce on the runway with a private jet in the background … or worse yet, a video on the private jet claiming it is theirs, but you can see the initials of the real owner embroidered on the headrests. It’s ALL fake. You know what it costs to take a private plane from San Diego to Las Vegas? About $2,500. If they’re at all successful, and part of what they’re selling is a fantasy lifestyle, $2,500 for the trip to Vegas to record videos that will help them sell $50,000 of product is simply a marketing cost. Of course, these people likely fly Southwest in a middle seat back to San Diego, but who cares? No one is filming that. I know three people who have private jets — all real entrepreneurs. If I wanted to make a video, how hard would it be to sit in their hangar and film? It wouldn’t even cost me anything.The reality is that no one is getting rich quick. There are no overnight-millionaire makers. There are no legal

secrets that will bring you massive piles of cash in a short period of time. People who claim to get rich quickly are lying or cheating someone in some way. If you follow internet marketing at all, you may have noticed that most of the gurus don’t sell as many huge courses. A few years ago, it was all the rage to have a million-dollar launch in 7 1/2 minutes. Of course, the 7 1/2 minutes didn’t count the months spent putting the campaign together to sell all those units. It didn’t count the weeks spent making the course. The other problem with this business model is that your product and ideas can be easily ripped off, and once you’ve sold the product, paid affiliates, and covered the 20 percent returns, that million-dollar launch turns into $300,000, and unless you create another product, you’re out of business. The alternative to “get rich quick” is to find a business or marketing technique that is complicated — one that would be difficult to copy. I know nine people who have seen the success we’ve had at The Newsletter Pro and tried to copy us. From those nine people, I know of nine failed businesses. Why? What we do is flipping hard. We may make it easy for our customers, but make no mistake — creating a custom newsletter that sounds like it was written by each business owner

and gets opened and read is not easy. I don’t have 60 employees because I simply want to employ all of Boise; I have them because that is what is needed to execute at a high level for my business. Those nine people who copied us failed because my team and I have taken something that is very complicated and created systems and processes that make it easier for us to execute. Trying to recreate this company from scratch without those systems and processes isn’t easy. The reason I was successful is that I had almost no competition. The product we have today isn’t the same one we started with. If someone was a customer even just a few years ago and isn’t today, they’d be surprised by how different everything is, including the quality of the product. If a new company comes in and tries to compete, they’ll have to at least get close to our quality or they simply won’t get the business, and to get close to our quality without all of our systems makes it difficult to turn a profit. This is why I love complexity. This is why I embrace hard stuff in business. These systems and processes also make the company more valuable from a resale standpoint, which is an added benefit.

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Have You Heard the Good News?

Ephesians 5:20 — ”Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 4:6 — ”Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Colossians 4:2 — ”Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Philippians 1:3 — ”I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.”

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MARKETING HOW-TO CONTINUED ...

Complexity in business doesn’t always have to come in the form of a complex business model. It can come in the form of complex marketing, which, in some ways, is better than a complex business model. We’re working on a top-secret project right now that is likely going to generate thousands of new leads and millions in new revenue every year for The Newsletter

is no guarantee. Assuming it goes somewhat as planned, we will actually turn a massive profit on all of our lead generation, taking customer acquisition cost from an expense to a revenue generator. But it is going to be hard. Ultimately, once I get it working, it will be another business that has the added benefit of feeding The Newsletter Pro.

Where can you create or double down on a complex process that will be difficult to duplicate? Where can you create intellectual property that competitors will never see, and even if they did see some of it, it would be just one piece of the puzzle? Can you take a complex part of your business that is currently a liability and simplify it so that complexity becomes an asset? This is how you can easily build a cash-making, wealth-building machine. Don’t run from the difficult; embrace it, own it, and simplify it, and your business will thrive and profit. –Shaun

Doing what others are

Pro, but it is going to cost me personally hundreds of hours of work to launch this new marketing campaign. I’m 90 percent sure this campaign is going to work, and I’ll share details with you once it launches, but like anything else, there

unwilling to do will get

you to the top. Wanting to work 40 hours a week or less in a lifestyle business is fine if

that’s what you want, but don’t complain when you’re not making seven figures in

profit per year.

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A person’s signature carries incredible weight. It’s a social fingerprint we rely on for business transactions, deals, and agreements, and as a way to conclude personal messages of all kinds. We scribble it on receipts and screens, and it tells others we are who we say we are. It’s verification. In the digital age, however, we still need an effective — and secure — way to utilize our signature. We need to be able to confirm transactions and agreements in a way that works with how most companies now do business. That’s where DocuSign comes in. DocuSign is both a tool and a company, and it has adapted to changing technologies, shifting the way countless companies do business. DocuSign turns signatures digital and adds incredible convenience along the way. With DocuSign, you can get those all-important signatures from anywhere in the world at any time. There’s no need to do business face-to-face

or via snail mail. DocuSign is quick and intuitive. It exists to meet the growing demand of a global user base of businesses and individuals who have customers everywhere. You simply upload a document (such as a contract or an invoice), confirm the identity of the signer, and select where you want the signature and dates to appear within the document. Then you send it and await receipt. The real magic of DocuSign is the security. Every document you send is encrypted. If at any

DocuSign can work for you. We even rely on their services here at The Newsletter Pro. DocuSign is a subscription-based service with different pricing tiers depending on your needs, whether you’re a small business or an individual. There are even mobile options for Apple and Android devices, allowing you to manage documents anywhere To learn more about DocuSign and to try it out for yourself, visit DocuSign.com .

point — from the second it leaves your computer to the second it returns — the document is tampered with, you’ll know. If necessary, you can void that document and start over. It’s extra peace of mind. DocuSign is a great tool that can be used in virtually any industry; they even have products tailored specifically for real estate. If you deal with contracts, invoices, or other critical documents,

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How Lauren Robblee Makes EVERYONE Feel Welcome BETTER THAN BEFORE

There’s a reason Lauren Robblee transitioned from appointment setter to The Newsletter Pro’s office coordinator earlier this year. It is rare to find someone with the ability to make people feel instantly welcome, and this happens to be Lauren’s superpower.

Lauren is also the woman you want on special projects that create office culture, like scheduling food truck visits or planning the big company Christmas party. Everything is a bit more fun with Lauren on the case. And it’s not just The Newsletter Pro that reaps the benefits of her talents; Lauren spends her free time doing volunteer work with Autism Society Treasure Valley. “I started volunteering at ASTV five years ago,” Lauren says. “Recently, they asked me to become a board member, an honor I was happy to accept. Ever since my cousin’s son Tyler was diagnosed with severe autism 15 years ago, our family has worked hard to take care of him at home, where he’s loved. My son Jonah has also been diagnosed with autism and ADHD, though his case is far less severe than Tyler’s. These circumstances can be challenging when going out to public events where people are not as kind or understanding of people with special needs.

“Autistic kids can miss out on fun experiences because they are seen as distracting. Early on, I got involved with ASTV’s Rally for Autism, a car show and motorcycle ride, and their annual Christmas party, because I wanted to make sure these events were being done right. It’s so important for people on the autism spectrum and their family members to have a fun place where they feel respected and understood. Social experiences and being around the same type of people helps build confidence, and I love being part of an organization that brings so much joy.” Having a heart of gold isn’t necessarily a requirement for working at The Newsletter Pro, but Lauren Robblee is a great example of the good that comes from helping everyone feel more welcome and accepted just as they are.

Whether you reach out by phone or you walk in the front door, chances are that Lauren’s happy voice will greet you. Even the briefest conversations with Lauren are guaranteed to brighten your day. Her warm personality is why everyone in the office feels comfortable going to her with any problem, from broken locks in the bathroom to a coffee- creamer emergency.

KEEP UPP With Our

BEST POSTS

If you’re looking for more great content — like what you’re reading in this newsletter — to drive your business forward, take a look at these articles on our blog. Amazon Is Coming for You NewsletterPro.com/amazon-is-coming- for-you

Lessons From ‘Hacking Growth’ NewsletterPro.com/lessons-from- hacking-growth

Apple’s Runaway Success NewsletterPro.com/apple-runaway-success

The Wrong Kind of Customer Communication NewsletterPro.com/wrong-customer- communication

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BUSINESS PROFILE HUBSPOT IS IN THE HUMAN BUSINESS How the Inbound Process Sparked a Global Movement

Fans of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” will recall its famous but strangely poignant final scene: After nearly sending astronaut Dave Bowman to his deep-space death, the supercomputer HAL begs to be spared. But as Bowman disconnects HAL’s malfunctioning wires, the computer pleads, “Will you stop, Dave? My mind is going. I can feel it.” Viewers all around the world watched this scene with an uncomfortably forlorn feeling. It seems impossible that a piece of technology could have the capacity for such human emotions, and this disconnect remains problematic in the field of artificial intelligence. However, when it comes to the world of marketing and sales, Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah seek to overcome the often technical and inhuman nature of outbound strategies by reintroducing a human element. In the process, they have created something entirely different. If you even have a toe in the business world, you have likely heard of HubSpot. However, you might be unaware of the circumstances that led Brian and Dharmesh to develop their au courant marketing software. The two met as graduate students at MIT in 2004. While Brian was helping venture-backed startup companies through traditional marketing strategies, he and Dharmesh started to notice that the tried-and-true marketing tactics of the past decade simply didn’t work anymore. The companies’ attempts to reach customers through direct mail and email blasts made one thing abundantly clear: People have mastered the art of evasion. Armed with this information, Brian and Dharmesh decided to build HubSpot. In order to humanize

the marketing and sales process, they claimed that businesses needed to start treating buyers like people instead of numbers on a spreadsheet. This was the start of inbound marketing, a completely new and personal way to help people. With over 200 million people putting their numbers on no-call lists, 44 percent of people throwing away unopened mail, and 86 percent of people muting all TV commercials, Brian and Dharmesh created their company with the intention of appealing to humans rather than pestering them. Now HubSpot helps startups create content, optimize it for search engines, and share it on social media to attract and engage potential customers. Companies that use HubSpot’s inbound technology amplify the longevity of their relationships with customers, ultimately creating a holistic experience for anyone who interacts with their business. HubSpot also offers a plethora of free articles, guides, and tools that people can use to turn their business dreams into a reality without turning out their pockets. HubSpot’s mission to help businesses humanize their sales and marketing tactics mirrors the tenets that make up their company’s culture code. For example, take three of their 10 culture code points:

These points demonstrate that HubSpot’s goal of helping people bleeds into their expectations and overall treatment of their team members. They are constantly reinforcing the purpose of the inbound process by simultaneously emphasizing their mission and their metrics. They know the significance of honest communication with customers, clients, and employees, even when the conversations are difficult to have. And they understand that as consumers’ interests evolve, HubSpot’s processes must also adapt in order to stay on the cutting edge of marketing and sales. While creating easy-to-use, indispensable software helped Brian and Dharmesh’s company gain traction over a decade ago, their mission and culture make HubSpot the success that it is today. Any business owner knows that when it comes to maintaining momentum, it doesn’t matter how innovative, unique, or necessary your product is. The longevity of a company depends on the employees who work there. In fact, according to a Towers Perrin survey of 90,000 workers worldwide, companies with a low level of employee engagement have a 33 percent annual decline in operating income and an 11 percent annual decline in growth. Companies with high engagement, on the other hand, reported a 19 percent increase in operating income and 28 percent growth in earnings per share. HubSpot’s culture code demonstrates their knowledge that happy employees make a happy company. By taking care of their team members, they are not only furthering their mission of helping startups increase their web traffic and connect with potential leads, but they are also proving that they really are in the human business above all else. So even though Kubrick’s film and others like it touch on the disconnect between technology and human beings, HubSpot’s success proves that the two don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

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We are as maniacal about our metrics as our mission.

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We are radically and uncomfortably transparent.

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We are a perpetual work in progress.

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