From A to B

Leadership KEEPS ON fighting you on running basic tests. They don't care about data. Your ideas "suck" (to them at least). We've all been there. I wanted to discuss this with someone who has BOTH experience in experimentation, BUT also talking the talk with senior leadership. Of course I had to talk to Nima "The Machine" Yassini. We got into: - What it is that leadership REALLY wants. And why CROs aren't necessarily delivering on that promise (primarily in messaging, not in actual body of work) - Why consultants are somehow more trustworthy than in-house experts (even if they're saying the same shit...) - Should experimentation really just be re-classified as 'research'? Timestamps: 00:00 Start of Episode 2:15 Common Reasons Why Leadership Hate Experimentation 7:01 Leadership (For Some Reason...) Values Consultants Over In-House Opinions 10:20 Experimentation Needs Cross-Functional Help - We Can't Do It Alone 15:50 Creating a "Culture of Experimentation" Should Equally Focus on "Culture" - Not Just "Experimentation" 21:00 Leadership's Drive for Impact (Inadvertently) Leads to Snakeoil / Lack of Experimentation 28:16 Messaging Matters in How You Communicate What We Do 35:49 Shit You Need to Know: Michal Eisik Go follow Nima Yassini on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nimayassini/)! And check out this article he referenced in the podcast: https://tinyurl.com/FromAtoB-NimaArticle Also make sure you guys are following Michal Eisik on LinkedIn - link to her post here: https://tinyurl.com/FromAtoB-Michal If you have listener questions, submit them at https://tinyurl.com/askfromatob for a chance to be featured too!

Are you burned out in your #CRO job? Many of us are. Or have been. Or continue to be. Or... will be in the future. André Morys (CEO and founder of konversionsKRAFT) and Shiva Manjunath discussed this topic in this episode. We got into: - Signs you may be burned out in your CRO career - André's thoughts on why CROs burn out more easily than in other jobs (and he's 100% right...) - Tactical ways to address the burnout you're having without fully quitting (though... quitting IS always an option) We also got into a pretty interesting debate around using AI users in research for this week's "Shit You Need to Know".... Timestamps: 00:00 Start of Episode 2:30 Signs You Might Be Burned Out In Your CRO Job (Or Career...) 8:51 André's Theory to Why CROs Burn Out More Than Others (...And He's Right) 15:14 CRO Is Objectively A Tough Industry to Be in 16:38 Other Major Reasons Why CROs Ultimately Get Burned Out 22:17 Your Burnout May Be More On "Dealing with Politics" Rather Than Actually CRO-Related 24:04 Tips on Dealing with Your Burnout 33:56 Shit You Need to Know: Kate Moran (Using "AI Research" - this one got a little spicy...) Go follow André Morys on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andre-morys/)! And if any of y'all are feeling burnout, you are all free to DM either one of us so we can try to help y'all work through it. Also, consider signing up for Experiment Nation's (free) "CRO Therapy" talks, moderated by the OG certified home Tracy Laranjo. Also make sure you guys are following Kate Moran on LinkedIn - link to her post here: https://tinyurl.com/FromAtoB-Kate If you have listener questions, submit them at https://tinyurl.com/askfromatob for a chance to be featured too!

Kelly Wortham, an A/B testing expert, and Shiva Manjunath, a conversion rate optimization guru, dive into the world of experimentation. They tackle the fears surrounding your first A/B test and share real experiences from the CRO community. Learn what to prioritize and what to ignore when starting out, and explore simple tests that anyone can run. The discussion even heats up around the questionable use of ROI in evaluating test results, highlighting a more nuanced approach to A/B testing. Get ready to embrace the fun of experimenting!

Carlos Trujillo, known as 'The Selfie King', is an eCommerce CRO expert, and is joined by optimization whiz Shiva Manjunath. They dive into the nuances of B2B vs. B2C conversion rate optimization. Discover how core principles overlap while user psychology and metrics differ. They highlight the importance of understanding customer needs and the balance between creative strategies and structured techniques. Plus, get a sweet promo code to snag a discount for an upcoming conference and maybe even a selfie with Carlos!

Ben Labay, CEO at Speero with vast hiring expertise, shares insights on acing your CRO interview. He emphasizes that candidates should act as product owners, spotlight their past successes, and showcase critical thinking. Labay categorizes hires into A, B, and C players, urging candidates to illustrate measurable achievements. The importance of asking thoughtful questions about daily roles is highlighted, along with tips on what to deliver in the first 90 days as a CRO. Plus, there's a special promo code for an upcoming conference!

Slobodan "The Maniac" Manić joined Shiva to rap about snakeoil in CRO. From understanding the importance of process-focused methodologies, recognizing red flags in case studies, and emphasizing research over results, this episode equips you with the tools needed to avoid being deceived by CRO scams. This is important, because many times people will call themselves 'CROs' and, unfortunately, it ends up cheapening our reputation when bad faith actors use our name to peddle bullsh*t. Slobodan is the homie, and this was a banger podcast. Vibes were immaculate. Timestamps: 00:00 Start of Episode 2:27 What IS Snakeoil...? 5:14 Snakeoil in CRO Case Studies 8:39 Are "Guarantees" Bad? 11:48 Fixation on "Micro" vs "Macro" Metrics Can Be Problematic 21:35 Detecting Snakeoil in CRO Agencies 38:22 Shit You Should Know : Tim Mehta Go follow Slobodan on LinkedIn, and subscribe to his show at https://www.nohacks.show/ Also make sure you guys are following Tim Mehta on LinkedIn - he posts great content! If you have listener questions, submit them at https://tinyurl.com/askfromatob for a chance to be featured too!

Erin Weigel, aka 'All She Does Is Win', challenges the rigidity of UX patterns and best practices, emphasizing the importance of user-centric design decisions. She discusses how simplicity is subjective, the hierarchy of evidence in UX, and the dangers of blindly following best practices. Erin advocates for personalized experimentation over scale optimization for optimal user experiences.

Gerda Vogt-Thomas discusses politics in CRO and experimentation, focusing on in-house vs. agency-side politicking and the importance of removing emotion from decision-making processes. The conversation explores strategies for managing office politics, building relationships, stakeholder buy-in, and navigating challenges in CRO processes.

Tara Robertson, a marketing expert, and head of Demand Gen at Chili Piper, discusses how CROs can work better with growth marketers. Topics include the perception of CROs by growth marketers, building trust, the worst test idea ever, and the importance of collaboration for lasting relationships in demand gen marketing.

Sam "The SEO Guy" and Shiva Manjunath discuss all things SEO and content in this episode of From A to B. Why is it that SEOs and CROs are fighting for resources... when in reality, they should be SHARING resources under a shared goal! In addition, they discuss things why page intent matters, and how CROs should be focused on this just as much as SEOs. Timestamps: 00:00 Show Kickoff 3:37 SEO and CRO Overlap 10:37 Search Intent and Page Purpose 18:10 Why Do SEOs and CROs Hate Eachother 24:15 Tips on SEO/CRO Collaborating 34:12 AI and SEO - Do They Play Nicely? Go check out everything Sam does on his website, (https://www.breakingb2b.com/) and go check out his podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/1rJ7NqYMMsULgeIN9rjdG0)