Leahanne Hobson is the leader of Alinea Partners, “the only B2B Secret Shopping company for high technology and telecommunications companies.”
At Alinea Partners, Leahanne Hobson has “shopped 700+ companies globally with our scientific methodology that covers the full buying experience of a potential customer.”
Leahanne Hobson and Alinea help their clients “understand ‘in the moment of buying’ why or why not they closed that deal and what type of revenue, profitability and Customer Experience impact that had.”
With the help of Leahanne Hobson and Alinea, several companies “have increased sales of a particular solution up to 30%.” Some of these companies have “gone on to be bought by industry leaders.”
However, all of the companies shopped by Leahanne Hobson “have found the experience and recommended improvements highly valuable.”
At first, Leahanne Hobson found herself going through hard times while working on Alinea Partners. However, she kept at it and eventually got the attention of Microsoft.
Microsoft had been interested in Alinea’s Secret Shopper program. Leahanne Hobson began talking with the tech giant, and they asked her if Alinea could get this program running for them on an international scale.
After that, Leahanne Hobson managed to scale “the program globally and with other clients over the years.”
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Let’s learn a little about you and really get to experience what makes us tick – starting at our beginnings. Where did your story begin?
Leahanne Hobson: Many years ago, just entering my 20’s, I was a big fish in the proverbial small pond. Having joined a 4-person high tech start-up in the early 80s, I quickly took on more work & clients loving every minute of the 80-hour work week & jet-setting lifestyle. After 4 years, the company was bought by the biggest fish in the entire pond. My life changed overnight. I was informed that my skills & experience were needed in the new company, but I wasn’t ‘strategic enough’ to continue to lead the work with my adored clients. I was shocked. Insulted. And out the door looking for more appreciation elsewhere. It wasn’t until years later, standing on the other side of that door, that I realised how much my younger self didn’t know what I didn’t know. On a plane. Flying to Vienna. My new home. A land of culture, sport, fine food & where I now call family, community & opportunity. Today I own Alinea Partners. A woman-owned, European-based network of seriously customer experience obsessed individuals. Yes, another risk. And one that has allowed a great team of people with a multitude of experiences & talents to work together to support our clients in creating the most optimized & competitive customer buying experiences possible.
Leahanne says: ‘Strive to offer a new train of thought as often as possible.’
My company, Alinea Partners is the only B2B Secret Shopping company for high technology and telecommunications companies. We have shopped +700 companies globally with our scientific methodology that covers the full buying experience of a potential customer. We help companies understand ‘in the moment of buying’ why or why not they closed that deal and what type of revenue, profitability and Customer Experience impact that had. We have benchmarks on industry performance based on the country, region or business model of the shopped company. Many of the companies we have shopped have increased sales of a particular solution up to 30%, some have gone on to be bought by industry leaders and all have found the experience and recommended improvements highly valuable.
Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? Did you ever consider giving up?
Leahanne Hobson: Sometimes, there’s a point in your career where you find yourself at a crossroad. I found mine during one of several recession years. It was tough going for Alinea Partners. I remember clearly speaking to myself … “I don’t need to do this. I don’t have to keep trying making this company work. I, fortunately, have other options.” Little did I know that shortly after, the tables would turn. It turned out Microsoft was particularly interested in our Secret Shopper program, which up to that point they had only conducted in the US to a very limited scale. Could we get it running for them internationally, they asked. I immediately knew we could and set out to scale vs. close. The first thing we thought about was how to staff the program with all the different languages and the specific skill sets that were required. Once we found the right people and our Fluid Organization got bigger and bigger, we started scaling the program globally and with other clients over the years. Today, we have a unique scientific methodology where we assess +160 different points in the buying experience of 100s of clients worldwide. Standing at a crossroad means you have a choice. Choose to not quit. Choose to keep trying.
Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. What’s the worst advice you received?
Leahanne Hobson: How networking got me to where I am today; therefore it is the best piece of advice I’ve received. Years ago, I had the opportunity to leave the United States and go to Vienna. Having never been there or on any international business trip before, I packed a bag, got on the plane and landed in Europe. Just like that! I immediately started networking with some women who worked internationally. Months later, one of them told me a big international company had an opening for someone with marketing experience who spoke English. So naturally, I went to the interview. I walked in. There was a big round table with seven executives, all staring at me. The one in charge started to engage with me and our conversation lasted for about 25 minutes. Afterwards, he said: “Okay, unless anyone else around the table has anything to say… How much do you want?” I threw out a number… and I got the job! Later on, I found out that the people at that table had walked out of the room and simply fell to the floor at the speed of the deal. But it got me the job and it got me the job the way I wanted it. Even now, networking still benefits me professionally and personally. Never forget to engage with the people around you. Who knows what you could mean to each other in the future!
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Leahanne Hobson: Just as any company, Alinea Partners is managing the consequences that come with the current crisis’ chaos. Our clients, too, have to deal with the all-changing environment we currently live and work in. But apart from challenges, this situation brings us opportunities as well. You just have to find them. Not too long ago, we advised a client on how to be successful in times like this. What is your best move toward prospects? What tone of voice is most efficient in particular cases? And which tactical approaches are most useful? This applies to anyone who wants to move forward in this crisis. The best you can do is acknowledge the situation without dwelling on it. Find the light in the darkness. COVID-19 might be forcing you to the edges of your capability, but there are strong arguments that you’ll reap the benefits when this is all over. So, don’t make inconsiderate decisions. Don’t take advantage of the situation. Don’t just dump prices without thinking about the aftermath. Instead, anticipate before you act. Think positively. And most of all, look for ways to offer help and support to others. That’s a challenge worth taking.
What is most important to your organization—mission, vision or values?
Leahanne Hobson: Diversity is an asset. We’d know, because Alinea Partners is diverse at its very core. When I founded the company almost 16 years ago, I wanted to delight our customers by tailoring our services specifically to their needs. If Alinea Partners was to fit my vision of success, I’d have to find and work with unique, talented people with many different backgrounds and experiences. I’ve found them. Since then, diversity and inclusion are the backbone of our community. We are from all over the world. Austria. Germany. Hong Kong. Hungary. Italy. The Netherlands. Russia. The USA. And many more. We offer our core services in +20 languages. We have many different skill sets and backgrounds. Sales. Technical. Channel development. Marketing. Languages. And we work with many different clients and their channel partners. To mention a few: Cisco. Ingram Micro. Microsoft. Motorola Solutions, O2 (Telefónica UK). Wirehive. And perhaps, you. We’ve created an atmosphere where we bring out individual strengths to push for results that support our clients with greater impact. We’ve done that together. And we couldn’t have done it if not for our differences.
Delegating is part of being a great leader, but what have you found helpful to get your managers to become valiant leaders as well?
Leahanne Hobson: Supporting another’s success won’t ever dampen yours. I’m fortunate to have surrounded myself with an amazing team of people who understand and strengthen me and Alinea Partners. Even though I usually feel I can handle everything that comes with being founder and CEO, there are times I really value the opportunity to speak to people with similar backgrounds and experiences. People who I trust and that trust me, who will speak honestly to me, and tell me when I’m making mistakes. And to whom I’ll return the favor if they need it. People I can brainstorm with to take ideas from good to great.
Being a CEO of the company, do you think that your personal brand reflects your company’s values?
Leahanne Hobson: I founded Alinea Partners in 2005. So much has changed ever since. Even though I started Alinea Partners for myself, I run it for others. Every day we strive to help other companies get more and better results out of their sales and marketing processes; part of my core values. By delivering commercial value with a different train of thought, Alinea Partners stands where it stands today. I went the extra mile and will always keep doing that, because it paid off in so many different ways.
How would you define “leadership”?
Leahanne Hobson: I adhere to a common definition of leadership as it rings true for me. Leadership is the ability to inspire a team to achieve a certain goal and is reflective of how I choose to lead my life.
What advice would you give to our younger readers that want to become entrepreneurs?
Leahanne Hobson: Make sure it is what you really want. It should be a career and lifestyle choice, not something to do until a full time job comes along. Why? The best and happiest entrepreneurs are those who want to do things differently and have great initiative. If you fundamentally want to be in an organisation with long term established processes and ways of doing things, the entrepreneurial way may not be for you. Starting a business is about jumping in, rolling up your sleeves and often figuring it out yourself. Both directions can be good, but make sure you have the entrepreneurial spirt before diving in.
What’s your favorite “life lesson” quote and how has it affected your life?
Leahanne Hobson: My favorite quote is ‘Strive to offer a new train of thought as often as possible.’ I like it so much, I use a variation of it as the tagline for my company, Alinea Partners. By allowing room for free and different thinking, I have been able to do some amazing things in my life. By carrying that over to my business, we have provided clients with solutions that offer clear commercial differentiation which in turn motivates and inspires my team.
ValiantCEO would like to thank Leahanne for taking the time to do this interview and share her knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Leahanne or her company, you can do it through her – Linkedin Page
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