Nov. 2, 2023

040 Martin Schneider (Annuitas) from Journalist to Analyst to Marketer to Evangelist

In this episode, our guest, Martin Schneider, Head of Research and Chief Evangelist at GTM transformation firm Annuitas, discusses the crucial role of a Chief Evangelist in crafting bigger, more persuasive narratives that instill belief in the ”'why” and “how” behind your vision.

Learn his path from journalist to analyst to marketer to evangelist and his process of establishing the evangelist roles within a few different organizations. Hear the unique skills and value built at each stage of his career journey that allowed him to find success with evangelism.

Takeaways:

  • An evangelist's key role is to create believers by crafting compelling narratives that inspire confidence in the “why” and “how.” In the subscription, you’re not just selling products; you’re helping people join and stay through shared belief.

     

  • An ex-analyst could be a great evangelist for you - to help you get noticed, get legitimized, gain authority, earn coverage, get quoted, get sourced and create differentiation. The AR and PR functions benefit from an evangelist.

     

  • Though it’s difficult to prove efficacy, you can look for evidence like competitors stealing your language or overbid on your keywords. You’re looking for evidence all around that your language and point of view are taking hold in the market.

     

  • An evangelist needs to be credible and authoritative (relative to product and best practices), to source and share great stories of your own (not just parroting product marketing), and to tell more than a company story (going beyond the pitch deck). You need to structure it well, incentivize others throughout the org, and engage them for shared belief in bigger narratives.

     

Quote of the Show:

  • “As we move into the subscription economy and everything is a service, you’re not just selling products anymore, you’re getting people to join and they’ve got to be believers.”

     

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