Tell us about your journey and how you landed your current role as the CRO at Fintel Connect.

My background is actually in finance and economics, but I was connected with our founder around 11 years ago and fell in love with what she was building. Those in affiliate marketing know that the channel is a perfect match between advertorial and PR, and what attracted me to this industry was the inherent foundation of partnership where everyone wins—brand, affiliate, and consumer. The opportunity to work at a technology company that really specialized and offered ways to scale and create efficiency with this type of marketing was exciting. Fintel Connect emerged from another business that we ran in a different industry. We recognized a huge opportunity in financial services and evaluated whether we could really make a difference and create value by bringing a new solution to the space. My background and career have focused on growth, which means leveraging scrappy marketing and creating meaningful partnerships and relationships. As a result, I took on the responsibility of driving the growth of the business forward.

What key strategies do you implement at Fintel Connect to drive revenue growth?

We strongly believe in creating value for our clients and our industry. Therefore, we strive to offer thought leadership, educational materials, and insightful content that is engaging. This approach establishes us as a destination for individuals seeking such insights, and we aspire to be known as the foremost provider of growth marketing solutions for financial brands. By fostering strategic partnerships and delving deep into this niche, we are working to solidify our credibility and expand our presence. However, we consider ourselves to be only at the beginning of our journey.

What works better for revenue generation during an economic downturn—sticking to the basics or doing something out of the box?

I believe it’s important to be realistic about what truly makes a tangible difference for your business. In our case, we understand the formula that works, so we focus on strategies that can have the greatest impact. For us, thought leadership revolves around creating valuable content, providing education, and sharing insightful perspectives. However, other businesses might achieve it through different direct channels or paid avenues for broader awareness. The key is to strive for predictability. While the basics are important, it is crucial to leave room for experimentation. You never want to fully commit your resources. But experimentation is valuable because you never know where an opportunity might arise. Of course, it should be well calculated. You need to set clear goals, measure the results, and adapt as you go along. The most important thing is not to put your business in a state of discomfort or at risk. So, striking the right balance between tried-and-true methods and calculated experimentation is the way to go.

Familiarize us with the technologies you leverage to accomplish Fintel Connect’s revenue objectives.

Well, as a B2B business operating in the financial services industry, our sales cycles tend to be quite lengthy. To manage our processes effectively, we rely on CRM tools like HubSpot. In fact, we recently implemented their marketing solution, which has been beneficial for our email marketing campaigns and overall workflow. To stay organized, we utilize tools like ClickUp, which helps us manage our time and development tasks. Speaking of development, we make use of platforms like GitHub and DevOps to streamline our development processes.

When it comes to channels for communication, LinkedIn takes the lead as the primary digital channel for engaging with our target audiences. We also leverage Twitter to establish ourselves as thought leaders in the industry. We also use SEMRush for web optimization purposes. However, in terms of importance, our email marketing campaigns and CRM system are key tools for us. So, with these tools in our arsenal, we are able to enhance our operations and effectively reach our goals.

How does Fintel Connect ensure the best experience for its customers?

It all boils down to understanding the pain points of our customers and creating products and solutions that effectively address those challenges. We firmly believe people are willing to invest money to eliminate pain or friction. With our specialized approach, we have diligently identified and defined these friction points in terms of growth and compliance. We have developed tools and features that are intuitive, user-friendly, and designed to alleviate those pain points.

We are not ones to shy away from feedback. In fact, we actively seek insights from our clients, end users, and publishers to gather direct feedback on how we can enhance our offerings. Their input is invaluable in making improvements that simplify their lives, empower them to excel in their roles, and have a more significant impact. This feedback constantly informs our development roadmap, ensuring that we are always evolving and delivering the best possible solutions. After all, our goal is to make a positive difference and enable their success.

How do you ensure alignment of sales, marketing, and customer success teams to keep revenue goals on point?

Communication plays a pivotal role in effective leadership. We make it a point to cascade specific targets, insights, and information about what is working and what is not, ensuring everyone is on the same page and understands their role in the organization.

In our company, we view marketing as an extension of the sales team, as their efforts directly contribute to sales performance. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that marketing’s success is also dependent on feedback and input from the sales team. It is a collaborative relationship where both teams work hand in hand. When we onboard new clients, our customer success team plays a vital role in gathering insights and understanding the unique motivations and priorities of our clients. This valuable information is then shared with the marketing and sales teams, ensuring we are all aligned and working towards the same objectives.

By maintaining this open line of communication and feedback loop, we create a cohesive environment where everyone understands the needs and goals of our clients. This approach allows us to provide the best possible solutions and ensures that all teams are working together harmoniously toward customer success.

How do you measure and optimize the effectiveness of your revenue growth initiatives?

We focus on aligning our efforts with revenue-related metrics and understanding the key factors influencing them. We analyze both activity-based and results-based metrics to assess the effectiveness of our efforts and the impact on our growth.

From an activity standpoint, we measure metrics related to volume and quality. We set targets for each business area that generates net new growth opportunities. It’s essential to evaluate whether we are reaching the right audiences and if our marketing efforts are generating the desired volume of opportunities. Moreover, we assess the conversion rate and quality of these opportunities from a sales perspective. We consider factors like messaging frequency, number of touchpoints, pipeline development, and conversion rate of the pipeline.

In addition, we also track metrics related to cross-selling and upselling to our existing clients. This allows us to maximize opportunities within our client base and further contribute to our revenue growth.

By consistently monitoring and analyzing these metrics, we can gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of our strategies and make informed decisions to drive sustainable growth.

How are Fintel Connect’s solutions transforming the fintech landscape for the better?

Our overarching vision as a business is to become the digital backbone for financial brands. Right now, we specialize in customer acquisition and tools to provide transparent insights into their marketing efforts. We’ve since evolved our solutions to meet compliance and monitoring needs as fintechs and brands expand their marketing efforts. Our future vision is to allow finserv marketers to have all the data, transparency, and protection they need at all stages of the funnel—from acquisition to conversion to retention and beyond.  

Ultimately, our goal is to enhance people’s access to exceptional products and brands. We aspire to support these brands in their innovation journeys, enabling them to continually deliver outstanding solutions to the market.

Can you walk us through the journey that led to the inception of Fintel Connect?

Like every great journey, it started with a problem. About a decade ago, Enterprise Bank in Canada approached us, seeking our expertise to manage and run their affiliate program. This marked our introduction to the world of financial services and affiliate programs. I don’t think Fintel Connect could have existed as a business specializing only in financial services back then. The changes in technology, consumer appetite, the way people use mobile phones, and the additional layers of security involved have allowed for the existence of digital account opening and loan origination systems. These advancements facilitate the power of Fintel Connect because we leverage all those things.

Being female-founded and female-led, how does Fintel Connect differ from other organizations?

The distinction, in my opinion, lies not in our female orientation but rather in our deliberate approach. Like many other businesses, not necessarily limited to this field, we place great emphasis on culture, team building, and making meaningful contributions. We are committed to making a difference.

How do Fintel Connect’s partner management technologies sort things out for organizations?

Our tool, Fintel Performance, offers scalability by providing a solution for financial clients who wish to access multiple affiliates without the need for custom handling. Additionally, it serves as a destination for numerous affiliates seeking high-quality financial products. Essentially, it is a classic affiliate technology that enables both sides to leverage their capabilities. However, our focus lies in catering to the specific and specialized requirements of the financial services niche.

As the world is turning towards AI, how do you plan to leverage it for your business goals?

We are already implementing it. We have compliance technology that leverages AI and machine learning to streamline complex processes and remove the burden of manual tasks. I often compare it to the evolution of calculators, which were once considered advanced technology but are now considered tools. Therefore, I believe that AI and machine learning should be viewed as tools rather than substitutes for intellectual ability. They allow us to leverage their capabilities and enhance our operations.

What organizational and business strategies do you implement to sail through economic downturns like the one right now?

The practicality of managing inflows and outflows of money must be closely monitored to ensure value is delivered. We aim to address real problems and provide meaningful solutions on behalf of our clients. This purposefulness in our relationship is not manufactured; it genuinely holds utility and impact.

How do Fintel Connect’s solutions stand out from the other rival products in the fintech space?

I firmly believe that our strength lies in the fact that we are part of the community and dedicated to serving the community. This distinction sets us apart from other solutions that may also engage with the financial industry but lack the deep immersion we have achieved.

What major disruptions do you foresee happening in fintech in the near future?

In my view, the trajectory of technological disruption remains uncertain, and it appears to be an ongoing continuum. We have not reached the end point yet. However, what I find intriguing is the intersection between fintechs, which focus on addressing specific and customized challenges, and their collaboration with banks, who operate as generalists. This dynamic presents a fascinating landscape to explore.

What advice would you give budding female entrepreneurs trying to make it on their own?

As an entrepreneur, I believe there is a fallacy in thinking that you can achieve success solely on your own. It is the community around you that plays a crucial role, whether it consists of your early founder team, business partners, or supportive friends. None of us truly embark on this journey alone. I do not know what it would be like to be a male founder because I am not one, but I think the key lies in recognizing your own strengths, being resourceful, and acting with intentionality.