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Lessons Learned

From Starting

And Selling A $1.1

Billion Company

by Brian K. Wright

I had the honor of interviewing Alec Stern, who is one of the founders of Constant Contact. He was with the
company for 18 years from startup to IPO to a $1.1 billion acquisition. We discussed a lot of topics including
how Constant Contact got started, creating a world-class customer service reputation, deciding what metrics
to track, and much more.

Brian: Thank you for being here, Once I had some success with it, Alec: It does. When we think
Alec. Tell us a little bit about your I never left. about customer success—and I
back-story. like to say surprise or wow your
When it was time for Constant customers—we’re all customers
Alec: My family was Contact, I met my co-founder every day. We have an experience
entrepreneurial. My dad had some through a mutual friend who was every single day with whatever
success in business, and my mom also an entrepreneur, who said, “I we’re doing. Our expectations
had her own small business. If know someone who’s technical, are pretty high, and we’re looking
there were things that we wanted, has an idea, and you’re really for someone to meet those and
oftentimes we had to make the good on the go-to market on the potentially exceed them every
money ourselves and get them. business side of things.” And we time. If they don’t, then we may
both were passionate about small not go back to them, or we may
One piece of advice my dad gave business, so he connected us. want to give a negative review
me was, “If you want to really about the experience or talk to a
understand the customer to Then we really hit it off, and were manager.
develop marketing programs for aligned with wanting to be on
them, you’ve got to get close to the front end of helping small It’s important to think about
them. And the best way to get businesses from the marketing what can you do in your business
close to them is to start in sales.” perspective. We wanted to help that would surprise and delight
grow the business, as opposed to them, and do something that they
I took that advice, went into sales, just technology. wouldn’t expect. One of the things
and started in tech for a large we did at Constant Contact, which
company. Getting close to the Brian: Let’s talk about developing we didn’t do initially, was when
customer, understanding their a world class customer service someone would open a free trial,
needs, learning consultative sales reputation. That comes with within 48 hours they’d receive a
skills, and asking a lot of questions exceeding their expectations on a phone call.
to solve their problems with very regular basis, doesn’t it?
technology were important skills.

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