Comments on: A Conference Without All the Self-Promotion http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2009/05/a_conference_without_all_the_self-promotion.html Redfin Corporate Blog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:09:04 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 hourly 1 By: Glenn Kelman http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2009/05/a_conference_without_all_the_self-promotion.html/comment-page-1#comment-5888 Glenn Kelman Sun, 31 May 2009 21:51:56 +0000 http://blog.redfin.com/?p=1240#comment-5888 Yes, on one hand, I promote Redfin as being better than many other real estate search sites while on the other I like attending conferences free of self-promotion. At conferences and in interviews and blog posts, I try to address the topic at hand as directly as possible. Usually the best answer is factual: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/10/financial-model.html But when asked by a journalist why I joined Redfin, the most direct and truthful answer was emotional rather than factual: I am in love with Redfin's web technology, which I still believe is best in its class. I feel the same way about our commitment to customer service, which I believe sets us apart in a sales-driven industry. Aspirational, emotional statements are essential to a company's belief in itself, and essential to my conception of a leader. There's a time and a place for just the facts, and a time too to speak from the heart. What I hate is when somebody stands up to explain how to scale a website or acquire traffic from Google, and instead spends 20 minutes talking about how great his company his. I'm not opposed to marketing, especially if it's sincere, just to marketing where folks have paid to hear something else. Yes, on one hand, I promote Redfin as being better than many other real estate search sites while on the other I like attending conferences free of self-promotion. At conferences and in interviews and blog posts, I try to address the topic at hand as directly as possible. Usually the best answer is factual:
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2007/10/financial-model.html

But when asked by a journalist why I joined Redfin, the most direct and truthful answer was emotional rather than factual: I am in love with Redfin’s web technology, which I still believe is best in its class. I feel the same way about our commitment to customer service, which I believe sets us apart in a sales-driven industry. Aspirational, emotional statements are essential to a company’s belief in itself, and essential to my conception of a leader. There’s a time and a place for just the facts, and a time too to speak from the heart.

What I hate is when somebody stands up to explain how to scale a website or acquire traffic from Google, and instead spends 20 minutes talking about how great his company his. I’m not opposed to marketing, especially if it’s sincere, just to marketing where folks have paid to hear something else.

]]> By: Bob G http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2009/05/a_conference_without_all_the_self-promotion.html/comment-page-1#comment-5887 Bob G Sun, 31 May 2009 15:48:03 +0000 http://blog.redfin.com/?p=1240#comment-5887 Was their data "crazy good", "fanatical" or "way better" than the other guy's? :) Was their data “crazy good”, “fanatical” or “way better” than the other guy’s? :)

]]> By: Glenn Kelman http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2009/05/a_conference_without_all_the_self-promotion.html/comment-page-1#comment-5884 Glenn Kelman Sun, 31 May 2009 12:24:03 +0000 http://blog.redfin.com/?p=1240#comment-5884 Agreed Ian! My wife is an oncology fellow, here on a "young investigators" grant, which sounds like a boys' adventure book. Agreed Ian! My wife is an oncology fellow, here on a “young investigators” grant, which sounds like a boys’ adventure book.

]]> By: Ian McAllister http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2009/05/a_conference_without_all_the_self-promotion.html/comment-page-1#comment-5882 Ian McAllister Sun, 31 May 2009 06:52:41 +0000 http://blog.redfin.com/?p=1240#comment-5882 I miss data at tech conferences also and get most of the benefit from lunch/hallway/evening meetups, rather than sessions (especially sponsored ones). I'm curious, what were you doing at an oncology conference? I miss data at tech conferences also and get most of the benefit from lunch/hallway/evening meetups, rather than sessions (especially sponsored ones).

I’m curious, what were you doing at an oncology conference?

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