I’m one Bloody Mary into my flight home, and I am inspired. Not by the Bloody Mary (although it is tasty), but mostly because I had a chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at a company we at Sigstr are striving to be like, LeadPages.
I accepted founder Clay Collins’ generous invitation to attend because I wanted to know what made them tick. How the heck can a company do this:
- 30 months into the business
- 40,000 customers
- Zero salespeople (until very recently)
Initially, I was convinced it was solely a result of an awesome content marketing machine coupled with an inbound engagement strategy built on the backs of the Lead Pages killer product (think landing pages on steroids – Sigstr is a REALLY happy customer). I love the idea of getting lots of small “yes’s” from a site visitor:
- I give you my email address for an awesome resource.
- The “thank you” page asks if I will sign up for the newsletter. I opt in.
- The newsletter is actually helpful and not salesy. I watch a video.
- I’m hooked. I’m in. I want to be a part of this because LeadPages seems to actually want to help, rather than sell me.
- I sign up for a basic account and grow from there.
Yes. This was their key to success. But it’s deeper than that. Content marketing certainly fueled the fire, but in order to keep it burning, there’s an equally critical component…an amazing team inspired by the culture they’ve created.
Tracy, Clay’s co-founder, presented the real catalyst for a future as exponential as the past has been. At the pre-party to the event, we visited the LeadPages office for drinks and food. EVERYONE I met was genuine and smart. Good people to say the least. People I’d want to work for or buy from. Recruiting is definitely a top priority for the LeadPages team. However, the core values once in the door are clear: “Humility and Respect”, and no culture issue is overlooked in the midst of exponential growth.
This foundation of humility and respect is overlaid with a sense of fun. It’s fun to grow. It’s hard work, but let’s have one another’s backs and enjoy the ride. It’s the journey that matters. It’s the same thing we’re building at Sigstr, but it’s nice to see you can hold onto it with 160 employees.
A quick example: LeadPages’ office has swings tied up in the rafters. Remnants of past days when they had space. Is the fun dead? Like the rusting swing set in the backyard of our childhood homes? Have the kids grown up and the playful creative workplace died? Alas! No! Now the swings are tied up because they ran out of space and desks replaced the swings. But they just rented another floor of the building. As they take over a new floor, the swings will swing once again.
Lower the swings, Clay and Tracy!
In all seriousness it was humbling and inspiring to get the “Factory Tour” as Converted speaker Pat Flynn put it. The behind the scenes look at LeadPages affirmed that a content flywheel is key but that great employees and culture are what will sustain an amazing business. Great work, and thanks for your generosity this week!
