Atlatl Software: Chris Beaudin

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Chris Beaudin, Director of Marketing for Atlatl Software, discusses the novelty of configure-your-price options and quote-generating software in B2B.

 

 

Danny:

Hey, so thank you for joining me today on IndustrialSage on our Executive Series. Today, I have Chris Beaudin, who is the Director of Marketing for ATLATL Software calling us from South Carolina, Charleston, Charleston area. How are you?

Chris:

Good, how’s everyone over there?

Danny:

Doing really well. Thank you so much for joining me today. So, today has been a great day. We’ve talked to a lot of companies. I’m excited to talk about you guys. You guys have actually a pretty cool product. For those who aren’t familiar with you, tell me a little bit about who you guys are and what you do.

Chris:

Yeah sure. So at ATLATL what we try and do is help our customers bring their products to life on screen. You know, we no longer can fight through the retail battle of going to a store, shopping showrooms. We want to spend time where it’s convenient to us, which is on our devices or on our laptops. And, as we’re looking for products, we need to experience them digitally, and so what we help companies do is how do they present that product visually? Where you can visualize it in 3D. You can actually configure the options and really take that all the way to a purchase, or to a salesperson that can help you. So, we are the conduit for that. We are a visualization platform, and we help companies all the way from kind of consumer goods to more of your traditional manufacturers do that.

Danny:

Excellent. So, very cool site. I definitely can see a lot of applications from that, especially now, as you mentioned, some of the digital assets. The way that we buy has completely changed. Whether it’s B2C or B2B, you’re starting to see those lines kind of converge or that expectation to buy a B2B product is the same, or as it should be, for B2C. But, we’ll get more on this later. So, before we completely go down there, I just want to get a sense of you, Chris, I want to get a sense of your journey from your career path. What does that look like for you?

Chris:

Yeah, I like to say I had the perfect recipe for a marketer. I had a father who is very business-minded, a mom who is very creative, and the output of that is someone who looks forward strategically and loves marketing. And I use that after attending James Madison University, went to… did some consumer packaged goods, some ad sales, and for the last ten years, before I joined ATLATL, actually worked for a leading provider to the HomeGoods space. We were a manufacturer, so I experienced it first hand, working inside manufacturing: the challenges, but also the opportunities for those that create great experiences and sell it to the market. Even though we were B2B, I always felt like B2B2C was really who we were. And so that’s how we moved to market, and was all about how do we provide them with a brand they can be confident around and products they feel confident buying. And, so that’s kind of been my path. And that brought me to ATLATL, which is, okay now, cool, so I get to sit on the other side of the table and do that for a lot of companies and not just my own.

Danny:

Excellent. So, when you’re working for the manufacturer that you’re doing HomeGoods manufacturing, what was your role there? Were you doing marketing, or was it other things?

Chris:

A lot of roles. I started in inside sales, so literally talking with a number of Home Depot stores, and working with their in-store personnel seeing how we can help provide a better experience at selling our products. After some sales management, then really got back into where I was always aimed, which was marketing. And so with brand management, and eventually strategic marketing, which is really where I found my sweet spot and where I enjoyed my time there because it was really focused on all those things that I touched on. How do we create great experiences, what are the technologies to do that, how do we think innovatively about process? How do we put all of these things together that end up bettering, not only our position, but really providing the frictionless path to a purchase for a customer.

Danny:

Absolutely. There’s been a lot of change, obviously, over the last several years on that as you’ve kind of progressed in your career path what are some of those milestone moments that you’ve had where obviously going from that manufacturer now, Director of Marketing for ATLATL, I will get it right, I promise you. Which, well, I want to find out the reasoning of the name behind, we’ll get into that here in a little bit. What were some of those milestone moments?

Chris:

Yeah. You know, I think there’s probably three that I always, as I talk to people and try to mentor those coming up. There’s three things that I always carry with me. One is, I joined ATLATL coming off of one of the low points in the recession, too. So, what I take away from that is, even though I was successful at my previous role before American Woodmark, the downturn hit everyone. And so, how do you learn from that, how do you grow out of it? And so, understanding how you emerge from the troughs of life, I guess. Understanding what it takes to get out of that, what people respond to, but also how do you continue to find ways to progress. And so that was a key milestone for me, bouncing back from, I was a young man who was just married and owned a home, and all of a sudden I was part of a downsize. And then joining a company in the HomeGoods space in the middle of a downturn, right. But, what I was able to watch happen is our stock price in American Woodmark go up from $14 a share to $140 at one point. And, witnessing that growth, there’s two things. One, I wish I had more stock in those early days. Two, was also just, it really comes back to we were focused on the customer. Very early on, during the downturn we said what do we need to protect to emerge out of this better than everyone else. And, that wire, that mindset of being customer-focused. Certainly, we care a lot about it today. Ten years ago, you didn’t. And, so I think that is one major milestone is having that come into play and then, really the other was towards the end of my tenure with Woodmark, which was how do you find an innovative way to do something no one else is doing. And the project that I was able to kind of create and then lead was how do you sell direct to consumers through technology? How do you find new ways to go to market? How do you find things that no one else is doing and bring those to life? And, so that mindset of finding new ways certainly was something that I like to hang my hat on and challenge others to do as well.

Danny:

Finding new ways, I’m going to write that down. I really like that. I think that’s, I love that. I love that mantra. All right, so let’s jump forward a little bit now. So, I’m curious, I’ve just got to ask. The name, what’s behind the name?

Chris:

So, I didn’t pick it, but I do like what it stands for. So, an atlatl is actually a real tool. So our ancestors used it to hunt. So, an atlatl is essentially, think of the modern equivalent is the thing that launches a tennis ball for dogs. So, basically, it was a tool that would launch a spear when our ancestors were hunting. The story behind it though is, it was an innovation that created leverage for greater speed and accuracy. So, as we came to market, really that was the intuition behind it is we are a tool that uses visualization as leverage to create greater speed and accuracy in the buying experience. And, there’s a lot of ways that could talk about how we do that, but that’s kind of what the name stands for.

Danny:

That’s awesome. That’s a great story, and now I understand the name, and it totally makes sense. That’s a great move. So, just getting an understanding of the business a little bit more, like, how long have you guys been around for? You guys been around for decades? What’s the history there?

Chris:

ATLATL’s been around since about 2013, actually born out of the manufacturer. And, I think I mentioned earlier, really spent some time in the CPQ side. The CPQ is a technology for manufacturers, it’s about configuring pricing and quoting. We added a V to the front of that for Visualization, for visually configuring pricing and quoting. But I think as we’ve evolved, what we’ve seen in the market is really the need is who can provide that visual front-end. And so as a company, that’s what we’re really focused on. What we really provide is visual solutions. And so that visualization doesn’t just live inside the CPQ anymore, it stands alone. And so we provide visualization as a standalone visualizer, a visual configurator that you can put on a website, one that can be tied into a commerce platform, or one that can still be put into a CPQ platform, to an ERP, maybe into just a CRM. There’s a lot of opportunities where we can integrate, share the data, and create more of a holistic kind of total commerce experience.

Danny:

That sounds super cool. So, obviously you’ve been in the space for a while. What are some of the big challenges that the industry is facing from your perspective?

Chris:

Yeah. You know, we talk about these a lot, right? Because for us, it’s all about the speed of our sales process. It’s those roadblocks. And I lived this internally in my last role being inside the manufacturer. I think the biggest thing is, I think there’s two things kind of happening. One is some companies moved early, and they had this fatigue of software. What software didn’t work, and what legacy that has in future software purchases. And overcoming that, showing why we can be a great partner for them. But, I think much more of the challenge of many more companies is that they haven’t done this before. And so this new to them, and there’s that hesitation around innovation. Are we ready? Is this something we should be doing? We know we can only do this so much, where do we put our chips? And, at the end of the day, we always argue look, whether you’re fearful of the next recession, or downturn, or you think things are going great why should we spend this kind of money, the answer to us is if you can gain efficiency and improve your customer experience in either scenario, you’re going to win. And that’s what we help you do is a more efficient way to sell, but a better customer experience.

Danny:

So, kind of circling back when you were talking about how you thought that in your previous role that when you guys were able to take that share-pricing, you said was like $14 a share and go up to hundred, it was really focusing on that customer, and at that point that was just not really a big thing. Yes, you’re hearing about that a ton, and I keep hearing about, not just customer experience, or customer-focused rather, but being customer-obsessed, you know. Hearing that a lot. How are you guys, I mean, obviously it seems like the big focus around the product behind there, talk to me a little more about that.

Chris:

I think, to be truly customer-focused and customer-obsessed it is holistic. I think where we come into it is you don’t have a customer if you don’t sell effectively. And to sell effectively, really you need to stop selling. It’s a bold statement I’ve tried to make for this year which is if you can stop selling, but empower your customers to buy, you will win. And I think that’s a key that people, they have to kind of mentally wrap their brain a little bit ’cause it’s so different. But, really, it’s kind of common sense. People want to buy. If you give them the tools, and are there when they need you, You’re going to win. And so I think that’s what it’s about. If we can help them do that, everyone’s in a better position. When it comes to experience as a whole, I’ve been writing a lot about visual commerce and the experience economy, and how all these things tie together. At the end of the day, to me, I mentioned earlier, there’s always a better way, right?

Danny:

Yeah.

Chris:

I think, getting a bit macro for a minute, but once the web came about and kind of this democratization of information, then you added social media, and now, all of a sudden, we have this network at scale to balance things off of. It changed the paradigm where the real kind of social currency is experience. It’s not just about the product I have, it’s about oh I bought it in this really cool way. Or I did this really cool thing with it. It’s about the experience, about the way we use things, the journey we take. And so, when it comes to visualization, the way we play with that is this is part of it. People can buy a foam mattress anywhere. They want to tell you how they bought it from a Casper. Because it’s different, it’s new, it’s something many other people haven’t done yet. So that’s that paradigm shift that we all have to kind of, okay well I’m B2B, yeah it still relates ’cause we’re all consumers, and people want to buy this way now.

Danny:

That’s awesome. So, all right. I really like the phrase you said, and I hope I wrote it down right ’cause I’m going to steal it, I’m just letting you know. You said, “In order to sell better, stop selling.” Was that the, you probably said it a little better.

Chris:

Absolutely, yeah. It’s all about buying. How do you empower customers to buy? If you can stop selling to them, they’re going to appreciate it. They’re not going away. You’re not going to lose them, but give them an opportunity to buy in a way that they want to buy and they’ll surprise you.

Danny:

Now, that’s so true. I mean, yeah. And that’s a hard shift, because, I mean, for years that was the, “We’re the better one,” “Here’s the feature,” “Come on, man, I’m just going to show you.” No! And you mention we’re inundated with the information age, we’re absolutely inundated with it. I think it’s super interesting there were stats talking about the average consumer is interrupted with two thousand interruptions a day or just disruptive marketing, what have you. “Oh we’re going to flip it around on its head.” Now, it’s like, when they’re ready they’re going to come looking for it. But, they don’t want you hounding, you know?

Chris:

And what’s interesting, you actually will sell more by not selling because what happens is when people are sold to they feel like they’re being sold to so they don’t buy as much. They buy something that they feel like okay I didn’t get sold on that. Instead, when people are buying, and they choose what they want they end up buying more. They choose options that maybe they wouldn’t have been sold because maybe they weren’t even presented it ’cause they were too afraid, the salesperson was, that they would lose a sale. We used to talk about this a lot when I spent time in the HomeGoods space ’cause a lot of times people, when they’re doing a kitchen remodel for example, will always have remorse that they should have spent more during that project. And I should have added that, should have added that. Because they were so worried about the budget they were being sold, rather than the experience they were going to have of this remodel at the end.

Danny:

Yeah, it makes a lot of sense. Wow, very insightful. I love that. We’ll make a little thing out of that in order to sell better, stop selling. And then I love the whole, obviously, the social experience piece. That’s super valuable. I can see a lot of different applications there as a way to sort of unpack that experience piece and put it in digital forms, and whatnot.

Chris:

Yeah.

Danny:

That’s super, very cool. So, the last question I was going to ask you I think you kind of already answered it. And that was how are you guys positioning yourself to stay ahead of the pack. And it sounds like that’s really the whole mantra and the whole vision. That’s the vision from the beginning, that innovative piece saying hey, let’s do it differently.

Chris:

Yeah, and I’d argue, look, everyone’s going to say they have a greater product, right? And I even heard this from a customer today on the phone. He said, “Look, I totally get it. If I don’t have a really well thought-out, well designed, sophisticated, buying experience that screams quality they’re going to judge my product in the same way, right?” So if your buying experience isn’t at least as great as your product quality, you’re going to lose. You have to put a lot of effort today into how you present your product, how you sell your product. But really, how are you creating a path to purchase? How are you creating a path to letting that person buy it? And that reflects on the quality of your product. The entire experience is reflective in there. So, that’s what we see coming up is how do we be a part of that, whether you’re trying to create a differentiation, or whether you’re a market leader. But you have to maintain because people are going to be coming. Upstarts, digital natives are coming in every industry. You need to be playing in that game or you’re going to be losing out to a streaming service when you used to sell DVDs.

Danny:

Yeah, exactly, we’ve heard of those companies before.

Chris:

Right.

Danny:

You know, it’s interesting. It’s kind of funny. I liken it to traditional retail experience. Let’s say you go to a Wal-Mart, or pick whatever, your big-box retailer. You pull up, and there’s potholes in the pavement, and the lights are like, flickering, and the T on the Wal-Mart is like, falling off, you know, paint’s chipping. Just that experience, when you look at it you’re just kind of like, “Ehhh…” That’s exactly what you’re talking about there. One-hundred percent.

Chris:

Yeah, experience is holistic. And obviously, we play in a significant part of that, but really, I think companies need to address okay, what does my start-to-finish experience look like for a customer, and how do I improve every element.

Danny:

Yeah, that’s it. Simple.

Chris:

Yeah, it really–

Danny:

That’s awesome. So, I think that kind of wraps up our interview. There’s some, for me, a lot of great takeaways, and so for companies that would want to learn more about you guys, obviously, I’m sure you have a website, I’m guessing.

Chris:

Of course.

Danny:

Yeah, of course. What’s the domain? Where could people find you?

Chris:

Yeah, come visit us at ATLATLsoftware.com, and we can chat directly with you there. I’ll probably be online. You can ask me questions, if you like.

Danny:

Excellent. All about that customer experience. When people are ready, they want to ask questions, they can start chatting away, huh?

Chris:

Perfect, yup.

Danny:

Excellent, well, Chris, I really thank you for the time. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve really enjoyed our discussion. Again, a lot of fascinating takeaways. But, we’ll make sure we’re going to push this out, and everyone’s going to be all excited. They’re going to come flooding, wanting to learn more about you. And again, just thank you for the time.

Chris:

Yeah, I appreciate it.

Danny:

All right, excellent. So, great. Another great episode. Listen, I’m just going to, a really really simple recap on there. And I’m just going to read it, ’cause I don’t want to botch up the things. But, my big takeaway is in order to sell better, stop selling. It’s all this whole, the customer experience piece. And we’ve talked about it a lot here. It’s really how do you create a buying journey that is with the least amount of friction as possible? How do you present your content and your experience in a way that people want to buy? And if you’re hounding them and that traditional thing, it just doesn’t work anymore. And, as you know, we’re moving, everything is going all digital. Be thinking about how you can do this. Be sure to check out these guys at ATLATL. You can check them out online, we’ll put the link in the show notes. If you’re listening on the podcast there, the links are in the articles with the video, and you can check them out. So, that’s all I’ve got for you today. Thank you so much for watching or listening. I’m Danny, and… yeah, I’m tired. It’s been a long day. And I’ll be back with you next week with another episode of IndustrialSage. Thanks for watching.

 

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