In this podcast episode, we chat with Andy Halko, CEO of Insivia. He discusses the value of coding in his career and his vision of democratizing strategic planning through AI integration. Andy also emphasizes the role of AI in removing bias and extracting valuable insights for marketing strategies. We discuss the challenges of “shiny key syndrome” in building a successful business and finding the right team members.
Here are a few of the topics we’ll discuss on this episode of Masters in Marketing Agency Podcast:
- Andy’s coding projects include an AI-integrated platform for strategic planning and a series of micro products.
- By combining AI with methodologies and structures, Andy aims to democratize strategic planning.
- Identifying personal strengths and weaknesses helps in finding the right team members.
- Recognizing that thinking one knows everything is a huge mistake in sales and marketing.
- Building partnerships with other agencies can be beneficial, especially when they complement each other’s strengths.
- Hiring individuals with a passion for execution and a willingness to get involved in day-to-day tasks is valuable.
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Quotables:
- 10:53 – I’ve always talked about like bias and you go into a company and you talk to their salesperson that’s been there 15 years and they’re gonna tell you, this is how our clients think. Your sample size is only the people you’ve talked to. AI ignores that. We come in and do personas and we gather information from AI and it’s using a wide range of different sources and data and all of a sudden you take it from, you know, the sales guy that comes in and says, I know our customers better than anybody else in the world and here’s what they think and here’s what you should do an ad about. And we know we’re all sitting there going, oh yeah, okay, whatever.
- 22:02 – “I’ve said for years the, you know, another effect, the Wiley Coyote effect of like, you see those cartoons and he runs off the cliff into the air and he’s going until he looks down and realizes there’s no ground beneath him. You know? And I think there’s a little bit of that in every entrepreneur, but I definitely think it’s strong in me of like, “just go forward and as long as you’re moving forward and you don’t look down, like you are not gonna fail.”
- 24:02 – “It’s funny when I look at websites and designs, I try and like put myself in a bit of a childlike mentality of “I don’t get it.” you know, that kid that keeps asking why, why, why? From a standpoint of “that’s how people are.” They’re, even if they’re super smart when they’re looking at stuff, they’re looking at it with half their brain, you know, and they’re not paying attention, they’re not reading fully. I feel like you have to remove that bias of [I think] people care about this or I know so much about it.”
- 14:58 – “If you’re a great designer and you decide that you want to open a design agency, if you think that you’re gonna be designing, you better either find somebody else to lead the company; or you better change your whole like, personality and outlook. I kind of had to hit that point at one point where it’s like going from that executor programmer to being able to go do speaking engagements and networking events and sales and all that stuff to really actually turn it into something.”
- 25:46 – “We actually have some with different agencies where they have strengths, you know, especially ones that are stronger in design. But we’ve got a little bit more of the technology and programming chops behind us. I mean, I think a lot of agencies out there, they’ve got their specialty. I think sometimes making sure that you realize what your specialty is and being able to admit like, I need to bring somebody else in for this or not is, is probably the biggest barrier to get over. But when you do, you can find really great relationships out there.”