On the TechVancouver stage ×1
First seen on the TechVancouver stage in 2017. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Chris ↗
In their words
one of the things that sort of separates those that are still around to tell those stories and those that aren't is the speed at which they can pivot.
listening became a vehicle for self-awareness. Self-awareness became the salvation, and that salvation allowed us to pivot, it allowed us to focus, and it allowed us to drive.
you got to bet on it. You've got to realize that this is the hill you have to be willing to die on.
Quick answers
Who is Chris Randall?
A Vancouver go-to-market leader who spent 16 years at ResponseTek, the enterprise customer-experience software company, ending as its Chief Customer Officer. He later joined Cymax Group as VP of revenue for Freight Club.
What did Chris Randall talk about at TechVancouver?
Finding a niche. He described selling ResponseTek's real-time feedback tool to the Vancouver Canucks for $2,000 in hockey tickets and to Nike — both of which failed, because fans and fun-mail were not the customer. Listening led the company to complex, high-retention industries: financial services, insurance and telecom.
What advice did Chris Randall give startups?
Once you know your niche, bet everything on it: build industry expertise fast, spend the whole marketing budget in one place, and stop people wandering into adjacent markets where you have no support and no product fit.