Your boss sent you an email; she wants you to write an article about the newest CRM platform inside sales is using.
The problem: you're not a techie.
Another problem: you're not in sales.
What would you do? Google? Wikipedia? Burn the midnight oil and send the article to her inbox before the deadline?
Well, it's possible you can beat the deadline and earn your boss' approval. But I bet a dime to a dollar it won't be as in-depth and as comprehensive as you'd like it to be.
I always believe in working smarter rather than harder.
In our example, I would invite someone from the tech and inside sales team to join me for coffee. I would ask questions about the CRM platform, and create my content from their answers.
Now imagine the type of article I can come up with. It's personal. It's authentic. And it connects with your readers.
Makes sense, right?
But I bet there aren't many marketers doing it this way. Why?
Maybe they're too afraid to ask.
Or they have this pre-conceived notion that people aren't interested in sharing information, which is disappointing because I believe everybody can be an expert in their own right, given the right medium and the right content.
So it behooves me to share 3 ways on how you can squeeze out expert knowledge from your coworkers – or from anybody for that matter.
Interview
Just like our example, I would treat my colleagues for a coffee or a snack. It's a fun way to do work related stuff and bond with your coworkers at the same time.
However, my biggest tip is to always value other people's time.
An easy way to do this is to send a questionnaire before your meeting.
The questionnaire should have the information you need and the topic you have to cover.
That way, they would be able to gather their thoughts and give a better answer. The conversation will flow smoothly … and before you know it, the interview is done.
If you want to get good at interviewing experts, check out this post from Joel Klettke, "How to Interview an Expert without Looking like an Idiot"
Attend training and seminars
Look, just because you're in the marketing department doesn't mean you can't join a tech conference or a sales boot camp.
Before a new platform is implemented (i.e. CRM software tool), most service providers conduct a knowledge transfer or a turnover.
During this time, they train the tech team and end users on how the system works. All you would have to do is sit down with your coworkers and take notes.
Better yet, you can ask the service providers to share case studies and course materials to make your research easier.
What's beautiful about this is that you're getting sources straight from the horse's mouth instead of rehashed content from somewhere else.
And if you're consistently publishing high-quality content, you'll build credibility and authority in your niche.
Spend a day with coworkers
Let's talk about immersion.
Spending even half a day with the sales team can bring valuable information about prospects. You can hear about their complaints, goals, and needs.
Sitting down with accounting and observing how they take care of the finances gives you an insight on how the company grows.
Yes, even people in the customer service section provide knowledge on how to interact with clients and what the pain points are… better than the executives themselves. I used to be one of these people at HubSpot.
Just imagine how powerful your content can be:
- You can publish specific content based on frequently asked questions
- Publish white papers, landing pages and eBooks addressing common customer concerns
- The email campaigns are more personal since the company is addressing real questions coming from the customers themselves.
Andrew Carnegie once said:
“The only irreplaceable capital an organization possesses is the knowledge and ability of its people. The productivity of that capital depends on how effectively people share their competence with those who can use it.”
How about you?
Can you come up with other ways to gather expert knowledge from your team members?
I empower businesses and marketers to create automated content systems that elevate sales and delight customers. Here’s how it works.
