During an interview last week a candidate asked me, “what motivates you every day?”
This question is very straightforward and simple for me to answer. First, I am highly motivated to be successful, it’s always been the way I am. Whether it was sports as a kid or now, I want to win. Second, I not only want to win but I also want to be part of things that are the best. Thus, the answer is straightforward for me:
“To be the best search and merchandising engine for the mid-market space.”
The irony of the question last week is that we had just been awarded G2’s Highest Rated E-commerce Search software, eight points higher than the next competitor. I actually hadn’t seen this prior to the question but it completely validates my drive to be the best.
In order to get rankings like this you not only have to have a great product, but also the service that goes above and beyond. Our technology is very complex for some users and the service that our Customer Success team provides is what allows customers to experience the full value. We like to think of ourselves as not only a software company, but also merchandising experts. Our Customer Success team not only understands our technology, but also best practices in how to merchandise, thus helping our customers achieve their merchandising goals.
Generally I do not plug our product, but it is important to have something that motivates you to show up to work everyday, and when you see something like this you are validated. More importantly, you hope each team is motivated by this through how their department touches or supports the end customer.
Motivation throughout the organization is not at all the same and each department is likely motivated in different ways. For instance, sales might be all about the money, so a great product might be easier to sell and they make more money. Engineers may see completing the code to a feature as motivating. Regardless of the team, the single thread of all motivation I hope every employee has is putting the customer first and meeting their needs, regardless of their department.
Focusing on the customer as the main point allows each team to be marching towards the same goal, while also being motivated by whatever excites them to show up to work. This breeds the success to score the highest in things like G2 Satisfaction.
