Digital marketing has grown exponentially in recent years. And for a company to scale its business online and compete, using data and automating paid media campaigns is critical. Automation and technology aren’t just options anymore, they’re absolute necessities.
Just as mandatory for me though is the human side of data, automation, and technology. The soul of a business — the reason to do business — is to inspire humans to act.
I’ve been an entrepreneur for more than 25 years and have started three software companies, two of those solve efficiency challenges for eCommerce businesses that sell in multiple marketplaces. Finch is my current company.
Thousands of eCommerce companies have used Finch software to generate more than $5B in revenues for their businesses.
But something beyond the software’s performance drives Finch’s success and the success of our customers. That’s the strong, lasting human relationships we build with each other. It’s these relationships that I value most as a leader and entrepreneur.
I truly believe that if you keep people’s needs at the core of your strategy, you succeed.
And in a B2B relationship, and in a fast-moving industry like online-marketing, relationships matter even more. It’s crucial to personalize and humanize a service in order to create authenticity, loyalty, and long-term success for everyone involved.
At Finch, we’re committed to intelligently automating everything that can be automated. But, we also know that some things can’t be automated with technology. Maybe the most important one is the human relationship.
That’s why Finch has never been an anonymous software-as-a-service (SaaS) company where customers rarely, if ever, talk to a human being. Instead, we’re an advanced software company with a strong human relationship component.
Using the Finch platform involves more than just pressing a button. It involves a close collaboration between customers and our Client Success team members. That’s how we reach our customers’ goals.
Finch’s customers are product and industry experts. The expertise combines in a symbiotic relationship with the Finch Customer Success team’s expertise in digital advertising across multiple platforms. Together, we build a paid media strategy. That strategy is then flawlessly executed using the Finch platform.
Finch sees it. Finch customers see it. And it’s generated a lot of revenue for customers. But only because the relationship is strong.
It’s my experience that the closer relationships are, the better the outcome for both parties. And while Finch goes all out to help customers as part of our mission, sometimes our customers go all out for us too.
That’s exactly what happened in early June.
I was working when the UPS driver dropped off a package. It was a sizable box measuring 20 by 20 inches.
It was from Brian Bisges, the director of media and digital marketing at a large US grocery chain that’s a current Finch client. Brian has been a Finch client since 2016. He started using Finch when at a major US apparel retailer where he managed all digital advertising. When he joined the grocery chain, he brought Finch onboard there too.
Back to the box: Inside was a replica of the Finch logo hand-carved by Brian. He carved it from a log rescued from an old farmhouse owned by his grandparents. They built the farmhouse by hand more than 100 years ago.
The card Brian included in the box triggered a lot of emotion for me. In it, Brian reminded me of the close relationship we’ve built over the years, and how Finch has always delivered and been a great partner.
He knows the Finch story about evolution; where adaptability prevails over speed and intelligence (a reference to Charles Darwin). And when looking for a use for this very historical log with deep roots in his family, he felt that the Finch logo would be a great use for it.
This was such a genuine, generous way for Brian to express his appreciation of our relationship. It made an impact on me and everyone at Finch.
We’re indebted to Brian and our partnership and will continue to strive to forge an even stronger bond between our two companies — and a stronger bond between Finch and all our customers.
We thank Brian for reminding us why we come to work every day. For reminding us that it’s not for automation or technology but for the people we help with the automation and technology we engineer.
Brian’s gift made me think of how I’d summarize how and why Finch has such incredible relationships with our customers. That relationship doesn’t just happen. It happens because we’ve built a culture where every “Fincher” proactively builds that relationship with customers by ensuring:
Building trust is key to good relationships. Finch prides itself on delivering not only great technology but delivering on each commitment we make.
Effective communication is a two-way process. It begins and ends with good listening skills. The Finch team prides itself on listening to customers’ needs and questions.
Finch also believes in transparent communication with every customer. We let customers know what they can expect and when they can expect it. And we deliver because what we communicate has to be honest. And where communication and expectations meet is what people remember.
People want to work with people that get the job done, but they also like to work with people they enjoy being around.
At Finch, we ensure we always deliver and on time. But we also ensure, we’re always about more than just delivering. For us, it’s rewarding to get to know customers and meet them — whether that’s at a client event or a personal meeting, such as one of the regular strategic business reviews we hold with clients.
Brian taking the time to carve a logo from a valuable piece of his own history and sharing it with us, shows me that at Finch we’re not just developing great software and great outcomes, we’re doing it with a human touch.
If you need an advertising management platform and want to work with an incredible group of people, consider Finch. We’d be honored to earn your trust.