In this episode, I chat with Kris Rudeegraap, Co-CEO of Sendoso, a direct mail and gifting platform that helps sales and marketing teams stand out and build better relationships. With a decade in sales before founding Sendoso eight years ago, Kris shares how his background influenced the company's vision and how they evolved their messaging and category positioning to better resonate with their target audience.
We dive into Sendoso's journey from initially targeting sales teams to discovering that marketing leaders were the actual buyers. Kris explains their category naming evolution - from the failed "engagement delivery platform" to the more descriptive and customer-friendly "direct mail and gifting platform" - highlighting the importance of using language your customers already understand.
Kris shares fascinating insights on how companies use strategic gifting to drive remarkable results, including how Gong generated over $30 million in pipeline from sending pinatas and how Gainsight leveraged their CEO's book to create $8 million in pipeline. We discuss the balance between personalization and scale, with Kris explaining their three-part personalization framework: personalizing around the individual, the signal, or the action.
We also explore how Sendoso's messaging evolved from feature-focused to outcome-driven, and how they use data and AI to enhance creativity in gifting strategies. Whether you're a startup founder or marketing leader, this episode offers valuable insights on breaking through the noise in today's crowded digital landscape.
Enjoy!