Look at the most successful businesses over the last decade.
From Amazon to Netflix to Uber, they have all had one thing in common: proximity to their customers.
Let’s take MailChimp for example.
Up until 2007, they had been focused on web design. But then they made the decision to focus on email full-time — and enter an already crowded market.
Fast forward to today and MailChimp is on pace to bring in $400 million in revenue this year alone. And they’ve been displacing competitors left and right over the last decade.
Here’s an excerpt from the New York Times about MailChimp’s rise (Mr. Chestnut is MailChimp co-founder Ben Chestnut):
“At the time, MailChimp faced a host of larger and better-capitalized rivals, including Constant Contact, which went public late in 2007. But Mr. Chestnut said MailChimp had a proximity to its customers that its competitors lacked. Because MailChimp was itself a small business, it understood what those businesses wanted out of their marketing tools. Its offerings were cheaper, it added features more quickly, and it allowed greater customizations to fit customers’ needs.”
MailChimp had a proximity to its customers that its competitors lacked.
That’s the one line that stands out.
In a crowded market, up against competitors with deep pockets, MailChimp was able to win because they were able to get closer to their customers.
And the same can be said for any of the brands I mentioned earlier (who do you think knew their customers better: Uber or cab companies? Netflix or Blockbuster?)
As Bernadette Jiwa said: “Whoever gets closest to their customer wins” (and the post that inspired this graphic).
But in this world today, where proximity to the customer matters more than anything else, the tools that the majority of businesses use just end up pushing people further away.
What the traditional B2B sales process tends to look like.
Our mission here at Drift is to help businesses grow by delivering a better, personal experience across every conversation a customer might have with your company.
And today, we’re launching another tool that you use to connect with your customers in a modern and personal way: Drift Profiles.
Introducing Drift Profiles: Your Digital Business Card
With a Drift Profile, your customers will have everything they need to know about you, all in one place.
Customers expect a direct line to the people at the businesses they are working with. They don’t want to fill out a form and then wait for hours to hear back from a sales rep or to get help from support.
They expect businesses to respond on their terms when it’s most convenient to them as a customer — not the company. And now with Drift Profiles, your customers will always be able to connect with you directly and personally.
A Drift Profile is like a digital business card.
Let’s take Isabella for example:
Create your Drift Profile for free with a Drift account.
Isabella works in Customer Success here at Drift.
She can create her profile and then share the link with all of her customers and the people that she works with. For example:
She can put that link in her email signature or even in her Twitter bio, and then all of the people that have the link will be able to:
- See Isabella’s contact information and social profiles.
- See if she’s currently available (online) or away — and either start a conversation right from her profile or leave a message for later.
- Call her or schedule a meeting.
- Learn more about her personally — like the fact that she speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish, loves Coldplay, and buys greek yogurt by the gallon.
Reinventing The Business Card
Business cards have helped to start so many sales conversations over the years. But now with Drift Profiles, there’s a new type of business card: one that matches the way that people actually interact today online.
Here’s Matt with more on what you can do with Drift Profiles:
Here’s How To Get Your Drift Profile
All you need is a Drift account, and you can signup for free right here.
Once you’re inside of Drift, you can create your profile by clicking on Settings, which will take you here:
Here’s a help doc with everything you need to know about using Drift Profiles.