Social Selling and Personal Brand Building with Chadd Olesen

{"blocks":[{"key":"pTkrJ","text":"Founder Journey and going Zero to One with AVRL","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[{"offset":0,"length":47,"style":"BOLD"},{"offset":0,"length":47,"style":"fontSize_20"}],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"dtoFO","text":"Arjun Sundararajan began the show by asking Chadd Olesen about the journey of starting his company Advanced Voice Research Labs (AVRL). Originally, the company had a unique strategy where it started with a customer, which was BMW. This unusual approach required Chadd to step into a sales role despite his engineering background. He managed to drive sales using an intriguing method of engaging in meaningful conversations and creating impactful content through Linkedin, despite their product being in the high ACV range. Chadd explained that he preferred an inbound content-leverage strategy to engage with senior business leaders rather than a traditional sales approach. He found that building relationships with these business leaders quickly moved past any bureaucratic hurdles, successfully selling their products directly to the business.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"4YuoE","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"Jxhs4","text":"Effort to build Personal Brand and target an audience","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[{"offset":0,"length":53,"style":"BOLD"},{"offset":0,"length":53,"style":"fontSize_20"}],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"RXdXE","text":"In the second section of the show, Arjun explored Chadd's effort to build a personal brand using provocative, short-form content which attracted a following on Linkedin. Chadd mentioned that these posts were not originally part of any planned strategy but were more natural reactions to circumstances in the industry which stirred strong feelings in him. This approach aligned well with their go-to-market (GTM) strategy and has contributed significantly to their sales efforts. Interestingly, Chadd stated that his posts are not necessarily written for any specific audience but may resonate with anyone who needs them. His transportation and logistics industry's tendency towards politics and his intention to truthfully state his views, irrespective of these politics, likely contributed to his posts' appeal to his followers. The influence of his thought leadership has had a striking impact on his brand’s go-to-market efforts.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"3lMoc","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"GaCFT","text":"Social Selling Approach - Platform of Choice","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[{"offset":0,"length":44,"style":"BOLD"},{"offset":0,"length":44,"style":"fontSize_20"}],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"nH2Jl","text":"Arjun Sundararajan and Chadd Olesen delve into the world of social selling with a focus on thought leadership and influence. They discuss their startup strategy, choosing platforms for their go-to-market (gtm) efforts, and the importance of recognizing their target audience. As the founder, Chadd leans towards LinkedIn for its direct reach into his CXO level network over other platforms. While he's open to exploring other platforms like Twitter and 'X', he doesn't foresee being a prolific writer on sites like Facebook. Arjun probes Chadd on how his social selling strategy evolved over time. While Chadd acknowledges having focused on expressing his thoughts initially, he clarifies that he never directly solicited people to his brand, AVRL. He believes the key to successful social selling is weaving an authentic narrative that resonates with people rather than focusing on the brand itself. This unique approach discards traditional advertising and creates a more organic connection with the audience.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"wvEgz","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"NFDt6","text":"Getting Started with Brand Building","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[{"offset":0,"length":35,"style":"BOLD"},{"offset":0,"length":35,"style":"fontSize_20"}],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"XIfKQ","text":"Arjun Sundararajan discusses initiating brand building and the steps that he perceives to be beneficial. According to him, one of the first things someone should do when starting with brand building is understanding their current networking range and their brand's position. Arjun and Chadd Olesen discuss how one of Chadd's employees, Madison, was instructed to focus on her thoughts outside of work. Chadd recommends setting aside time to generate authentic thoughts and content and addresses the topic of content stimulation. He believes that authentic content must come from actual thoughts. Chadd gives advice on the relationship between an individual's thought process and the brand message. He also suggests that there should exist some overlap between the crucible topics of one's content and their brand. Further, he explains his process of maintaining authenticity in his posts which is largely contingent on his emotional state at the time of writing.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"HSUEH","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"iKK0L","text":"Open Discussion","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[{"offset":0,"length":15,"style":"BOLD"},{"offset":0,"length":15,"style":"fontSize_20"}],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"uEk3B","text":"Arjun Sundararajan and Chadd Olesen have an open discussion about the importance of staying consistent with content posting. Chadd shares that he typically posts around 7 AM and targeted his posts at individuals who might check social media early before starting their day. Chadd puts forth an argument suggesting that the visibility of the content might not be majorly influenced by when it is posted. He believes that if the content is of high quality, it will gain visibility over time regardless of when it was posted. Both Arjun and Chadd conclude that it is more important to post consistently and when available rather than fussing over what is perceived as the optimal time to post on social media.","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}},{"key":"pfHta","text":"","type":"unstyled","depth":0,"inlineStyleRanges":[],"entityRanges":[],"data":{}}],"entityMap":{}}