In our latest episode, Mary Stratton, Senior Manager of CXO Experiences at Rubrik, shares how she set her vision for her small program and through data-driven reporting solidified executive support and expanded her program. From setting clear parameters like requiring VP-level and above attendees, and requests be tied to SFDC Opportunities, to developing an all inclusive reporting dashboard to address executive level care-abouts, she has been laser focused on improving deal closure and driving pipeline. Mary partnered with Marketing Operations to build this dashboard using data from multiple platform tools which helped justify her HQ center upgrade and the addition of a new team member.  She also highlights her latest adventure of taking on executive meetings at trade shows and conferences as well as ‘EBCs on the Road’. Mary is an inspiration in our industry and happy to meet with those who seek her council on demonstrating value through reporting. 

Highlights

• Rubrik’s CXO Experiences - 3 modalities 
  • Briefing Program
  • Meetings at Industry Shows / Events
  • EBCs on the Road 
• Challenges faced while launching the Briefing Program 
  • Build network, connect with resources
  • Leadership buy-in
  • Build trust, create sales champions
• Building Executive Support 
  • Critical: Articulate your program's impact on the business
  • Using tools/integrations: BriefingSource, Salesforce, Tableau
• How to collect data needed for Reports 
  • Leverage Briefing Management Platform
  • Work with Marketing Ops Team 
• What metrics to build into Dashboard to showcase impact
  • Address Marketing and Sales organizations careabouts 
  • Target metrics for C Level Personages: CEO, CRO, CSO, etc. 
  • Individual win rate percentage for opps using briefings vs not
  • Account Type Breakdown (existing customers vs prospects vs partners)
  • Closed Won vs Closed Lost opportunities
• Reporting allowed for program expansion 
  • Headcount, Center upgrades, tools, etc. 

Resources

• “We Can Do Hard Things” Podcast 
• “We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life's 20 Questions” by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, Amanda Doyle

Guest Thought Leader

Mary Stratton, Senior Manager of CXO Experiences, Rubrik

Having led the Rubrik Executive Briefing Program for more than 2 years by herself, Mary has worked extremely hard to build upon the foundational aspects she inherited when joining the company in 2022. From finishing an ‘in-progress’ physical Center to rebuilding a program that was dormant for more than a year, she’s demonstrated the value that her executives and sales team have come to rely on to support them in closing more business. 

Prior to Rubrik, Mary cut her teeth in the briefing world at the Rackspace Technology and AppDynamics Briefing Programs where she learned from strong mentors about the importance of both the strategic and tactical aspects of managing a program and reporting on every metric possible. Today, Mary has expanded her program to support global briefings beyond her Palo Alto headquarters and has added executive meetings at top tier tradeshows/conferences to her plate. She is married and mom to 3.5 year old twins.