CMO TripActions, Meagen Eisenberg: The Joy of Living in Awkward

There is a litany of analogies for marketing. An art, a technique, a skill. Yet few strive to combine a multitude of approaches. For Meagen Eisenberg, Chief Marketing Officer at TripActions, she synthesizes a combination of art, science, and the essential ingredient–joy–to form a unique marketing strategy. 

Meagen is a no BS go-getter who demonstrates an encompassing approach to how she conducts business. She hones in on her own efficiency and ability to think quickly and adapt, and expresses how cultivating that skill has made her a fast decision-maker. To reinforce that speed is a desire to always learn, which is the underlying motivation for her own professional progress. Meagen offers her perspectives on organizational structure, the highly valuable takeaways from mistakes and failures, and how her work at TripActions has adapted, through her own love and joy of the flux of marketing, to the changes of COVID-19. Meagen’s straightforward approach carries a lot of weight and is a force we all can consider. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• Why TripActions’ CRO, Carlos Delatorre, calls Meagen a superhuman - and why she believes in treating her sales team as a customer. (03:56)
• ‘The key for executives is to keep learning’: Meagen discusses her favorite mediums for learning, her love of books, and the various ways she stays on the pulse. (11:58)
• A discussion about preparing for and executing board meetings - and a look at PG Tuesday. (19:31)
• Meagen’s perspective on company alignment from the top down and how it sets the stage for success. (25:44)
• The silver lining in failure and Meagen’s attitude towards not giving up - and what it means to “live in awkward.” (34:55)
• The art and science of marketing - and the impact of COVID-19 on TripActions and how that differed from its competitors. (44:46)
• Meagen reflects on the worst day in her career during the pandemic. (55:14)
• A walkthrough of Meagen’s hiring process during her first six weeks at TripActions, her take on hiring people who solve problems, and why she loves marketing. (01:01:52)

Links:

• Connect with Meagen
  • LinkedIn
  • TripActions
• Connect with Joubin
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Email: gtmg@kleinerperkins.com 
• Learn more about Kleiner Perkins

Links Referenced:

• Dan Druker
• Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets
• MOVE: The 4-question Go-to-Market Framework
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers
• The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company
• Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
• Andre Agassi: Open: An Autobiography
• Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future