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Operating Metric, Process Innovation, and Working Like a Lion

Operating Metric, Process Innovation, and Working Like a Lion

In this edition of Fresh Salmon I'm covering leads as an operating metric, process innovation at startups, and working like a lion.

September 13, 2022

The NFL is back in the US if you're a fan. Week 1 wasn't bad at all.

In this edition of Fresh Salmon I’m covering leads as an operating metric, process innovation at startups, and working like a lion.

Before I dive into today’s edition, first, I would like to welcome 29 new subscribers to the Fresh Salmon community since the last edition.

If you like this newsletter, please do tell your friends to subscribe :)

1) Leads as an Operating Metric

Treating leads as a success metric in B2B marketing is very DANGEROUS!

It takes the focus away from building a qualified pipeline to generating top-of-the-funnel leads. This is why I am a staunch believer in treating leads as an "Operating Metric" rather than a "Success Metric".

Let's say you are an athlete like Usain Bolt for the sake of example. Bolt's success metric is winning the 100m dash.

However, he must train for it every day, and this is his operating metric. The "Operating Metric" can easily be tracked on a daily and weekly basis, and it is the leading indicator of your success.

Your success is primarily determined by your core KPI, your "Success Metric".

There will be no one who will keep you at work for your "Operating Metric", you must hit your "Success Metric".

2) Process Innovation at Startups

Let's talk about Process, shall we?

I know half of you were like....🤮 🤮

It probably sounds too boring or too corporate. But the reality is everything that is scalable is built on a process.

Why are processes important?

Process describes how things are done.
Process provides the focus for making things better.
Process determines how successful the outcomes will be.

You can design your way to success by focusing on the right processes in the right way.

Process is such an underrated topic in the startup world. We stress more on breaking things at startup. Not many people realize, it is also applicable to processes.

Breaking Processes = Modifying/Creating/Calibrating Processes.

At a startup, there is so much opportunity for Process Innovation. The fact that startups don't view it with the same rigor as product innovation is almost shocking.

Startup teams that get good at building lean processes are able to scale faster. Period.

Let's give Process Innovation the respect it deserves. Could you tell me your thoughts on it?

3) Work Like a Lion

We tend to view the world as linear. Work 8 hours, get 8 hours of output. Right?

It doesn't work like that.

Outputs are non-linear based on the quality of work you are putting in. The person working at a grocery store is spending as much time as you are, there is no difference in the amount of time spent.

The difference is the kind of work.

The right way to work is like a lion. You and I are not cows, we are not meant to graze all day. We're meant to hunt like lions.

This idea that you will have linear output by cranking hours everyday is flawed. That's machines.

Machines can do that. Machines should be working 9 to 5.

Human beings are not meant to work 9 to 5. Are you in agreement?

Interesting Thing That I Read Last Week

I'm just getting my feet wet into the partnerships ecosystem, and I am discovering a few gems. Here is another awesome post by Reveal, it is the free platform for Partnership, Marketing, and Sales teams to generate revenue through their ecosystem.

Disclaimer: I’ve no affiliation with Reveal, and this is not a paid promotion.