Katherine Breuss hosts Melanie Varin, CEO of Top Line Results, on the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast, discussing the importance of effective CRM systems and the alignment of sales and marketing teams. Varin shares her career experiences at GE and in her own business, emphasizing the value of employee engagement, strategic business alignment, and personal well-being. She also highlights her support network, particularly her women's leadership organization and church, which help maintain her alignment and support in both professional and personal challenges.

Contact Melanie – https://www.linkedin.com/in/mrvarin/

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Katherine Breuss: Welcome, Melanie Varin to the AG45 Soul Aligned Strategy Podcast. It is [00:01:00] great to have you here and I would love for you to share with the audience about who you are and also about your business as

Melanie Varin: Awesome. Thank you, Katherine for the opportunity. Really appreciate it. So again, I'm Melanie Varin. I am the CEO and owner of a business called Top Line Results. I'll come back to that in a minute. But I'm also a mom and I'm also a very active member of my church and I'm al in a great neighborhood and,

As of a couple years ago now, live on a wonderful lake, and that's a big part of what we do, especially this time of year, given that it's summertime in Wisconsin. But,

Katherine Breuss: jealous.

Melanie Varin: Yeah. Back to the business. So Top Line Results is a tech company that helps our clients put together the tools for building valuable relationships.

So we support three of the, Best known CRMs in the business, [00:02:00] and one is Microsoft Dynamics. Anybody who's using Microsoft could benefit from that. Another is Zoho, which is maybe a little more cost effective option for folks who, wanna watch their, investment. And then HubSpot is the third option, and that's an option where if somebody's leaning into marketing, that's a great option.

'cause it started out first as a marketing tool and then as a CRM, but. Um, in addition to the CRM work that we do, we help connect our clients' marketing efforts to their sales efforts, their sales and marketing are aligned. So we support the marketing side of all three of those platforms, plus many other platforms Constant Contact and MailChimp, and even Marketo and Pardot and whatnot.

So we support a wide range of platforms for building relationships that our clients can grow as they get the word out about themselves and stay in contact with their current clients. Reach out to prospects or optimize some of their operations and whatnot. So we help select the platforms, implement the platforms, [00:03:00] train, help, drive, engagement, tweak, add capabilities as they grow and they need more stuff.

And, that's what we do day in and day out. Our team is about 16 people. All but one are based here in Wisconsin. One is in the Chicagoland area, but we sell to people in about 26 states. So a big reach, even though by and large most of our clients are in Wisconsin and Illinois. Um, and we work with all types of businesses, small to medium sized businesses typically, but manufacturing, financial services, nonprofits, professional services, industrial services.

Just a huge variety, it's fun. Um, every day is different and we're generally helping people live into their dreams for growing and expanding their reach. And when we help our clients succeed, then we feel pretty happy and successful as So.

Katherine Breuss: That's cool. I, I love that. And, and [00:04:00] CRM, the world is CRM.

Um, for the last couple years I was, I knew you needed to get CRM, and, but there is such a, oh my there are many CRMs out there, and it's if. And it's not my forte it, it can be overwhelming. So does your firm, do you support businesses and the owners to not only choose the ser but then setting it up and then utilizing it in the best way possible?

Because A CRM, you could use this much of it, or it could be You know?

Melanie Varin: Yes.

Katherine Breuss: That much.

Melanie Varin: Yeah. Well, it's any other software we buy, think of Excel. You know, Excel has many functions and most of us use the most simple of them in, are barely scratching the surface. Um, we do help our clients try to get as much out of their CRM investment as possible because if you only use the superficial stuff.

Then you have an electronic Rolodex and there are cheaper ways to do that. But, there are [00:05:00] many things in CRM now, especially with the advent of AI and some of the new capabilities that that brings to bear, that we try to help our clients get as much out of their investment to use the functions that make sense for them.

Hide the functions they don't care about and don't need because we don't wanna overcomplicate, but then also train and assist and as they grow and need more capability, then help them understand what the options are. So then hopefully they can stay in the same platform they have and with an add-on or some additional support or a portal or something else, they can have even more capability to keep growing.

So.

Katherine Breuss: That's great. And I, and I wanna, 'cause one of the things, at Ag 45, you

know, we help owners with time. Yes. And I cannot emphasize enough. A CRM for those out there who are not using a CRM or not utilizing their CRM I would applaud or, or, support and say, go and [00:06:00] figure this out and, and, contact Melanie or someone who is an expert in it because.

It does save you time. And I am even gonna say as it is worth investing having someone who knows how to set it up, how to use it. Um, because that in itself can be overwhelming for someone that then you don't even do it. Or you said, you're it's sitting there and it's a Rolodex, right?

Um, but from a time and effectiveness and efficiency and all of that highly. Highly recommend. So

Melanie Varin: yes, I, I couldn't agree with you more. Most of the, let's face it, most of the information you need out there is on the web somewhere and you can probably figure it out, but it will take you a very long time to do and you can fall into some rabbit holes or some pits that you don't wanna be in.

We've done much of this often that we know which rabbit holes to avoid, [00:07:00] which pits to sidestep and, and can do things probably a lot more efficiently. Part of what you do when you invest in A CRM is not only invest in the software itself, but invest in the services to help you get up and running efficiently.

And that's what we to do is get our clients up and running, as efficiently as we can they can be productive. 'cause that's what it's all about. It's a productivity tool by and large, that you can sell better and faster and smarter. Yeah. And improve your own business.

So,

Katherine Breuss: And get more of your time back, you know? Yes, yes. Letting these systems do a lot of the heavy lifting. Um, that's, I, I, I am a huge fan of what you do, and it is needed. Um, thank you. And, we were talking earlier about, soul lined, soul lined strategy and, that is, probably one of the key aspects of Ag 45, because we [00:08:00] believe that.

The owner, the CEO, the leaders, the people who are making the decisions, taking the action. It's important that they are taking care of themselves, that they're, as I call, they're the engine behind everything. So it's ensuring that it's clean, you're having clarity about who you are, where you're going, what you want.

Because when you show up that way, then you can that impacts the decisions in the business. So I, I'm interested in terms of how other, business owners and leaders think of soul aligned. So, Melanie, when, when you think of soul aligned, I'd love to hear your take and also what as the impact of your business and your life when you are soul lined, and also when you're not.[00:09:00]

Melanie Varin: Well, let me give you two similar but different answers to that because they both apply, at least in my case. So I'm gonna rewind a little bit. Before I came actively involved in my own business, I worked for a corporate and when I was a GE Healthcare, I was leading a marketing team and my boss tapped me on the shoulder and said, Hey, I want you to lead the sales team as

I had no experience doing that, but I quickly learned once I got in there and, and learned from my sales professional peers who were great at what they did, that some of what my marketing team was doing and some of what my sales team were doing were not very aligned. You know, talking about alignment very often sales has had it off in one direction and marketing in a different.

When I realized that, and I didn't know that before, I had both roles, but once I had both roles and I could see both sides, I put several things in place to get those aligned, and it became a superpower We had higher revenue, higher margins, higher [00:10:00] employee set, higher customer set, less turnover.

Everything was All, all of a sudden, way better than it had been before. And that alignment made a huge difference. So I became a huge fan of that alignment from day one when I experienced it and I ended up writing a book about it. Um, and I did that because I want other people to know and experience the benefit of that.

One of the thing that makes me aligned about our business is that's exactly what we try to do for our clients, is try to make sure their sales teams. And their marketing teams are aligned. And to that end, we support both types of platforms, but we've also written integrations to connect the platform.

So if you're using Microsoft on one side for sales and HubSpot on the other side for marketing, we can now help those platforms talk and that data can be shared back and forth. And you can keep your teams looking at the same data, even if. They're in different platforms because the platforms are connected.

So that [00:11:00] alignment is very much in line with who I am and one of my big passions. So in that regard, I would say that aspect for me is very soul aligned. The other side of things is, sometimes I take on too much and I try to do too much. And when I was the COO, which was the case up until about six weeks ago.

I had certain roles and responsibilities. Now that I've recently been named the CEO, I need to transition out of some of those responsibilities and into different ones. Some of them will be the same 'cause as an owner, some of them I own from being owner. Um. I'm not quite through that transition yet.

And in that regard, I'm not perfectly soul aligned because I'm doing two big jobs now instead of one. And I need to find a way to get rid of some things and a way to take on some other things. And I haven't successfully made that transition yet, partially because some of the projects I was working on got bigger, not smaller since the announcement happened.

And I'm [00:12:00] working my way through that. But it's all good stuff. Um. So to your point, taking care of myself is something I have to keep in mind and do. And I will say for the last oh 15 months, I've been much, much better about exercising. So that's one of the things that keeps me soul aligned is having that routine and saying, no matter what, I'm gonna do this for me.

And, that helps a lot. So.

Katherine Breuss: Well first, will you share with the audience the name of your book and where they can find it?

Melanie Varin: Oh, yes, Um, my book is called Ignite Top Line Growth, and there's a subtitle, how Rev Ops and Go To Market Alignment, spark Success. So Rev Ops or Revenue Operations is where.

All of the revenue generating teams, sales, marketing, customer success and whatnot, all come under one umbrella in alignment. Mm-hmm. Um, and that's the subtitle, but it's written a Patrick [00:13:00] Lencioni book where, he always tells a fable in the beginning and then summarizes the concepts.

I've done that as got the permission of one of my clients to use them as the, the target. Uh. Company that I referenced and then summarize the concepts. It's not rocket science, but it's fundamental. A lot of people aren't doing it. Like when I did research for the book, the cost of misalignment between sales and marketing is a trillion dollars a year.

A trillion with a, You can buy the book on Amazon, both as an ebook or as a, paperback, and then it's available at any bookstore. If you ask them to order it, they can order it. They tr probably won't have it on the shelf. So if on their shelf, if you have a favorite independent bookstore and you shopping there, you can go there, give them the title, they can order it and, get it for you.

But otherwise, Amazon has it in stock.

Katherine Breuss: Oh, I love that. Support. Support the local bookstores, you know?

Melanie Varin: Yes.

Katherine Breuss: The local [00:14:00] shop. Um, that's, 'cause when about it, there's not a lot of them anymore. Like

Melanie Varin: no, there aren't. And they're fun to go into and, and spend a little time and shop around.

And they always have great informed, You know, owners or proprietors who can tell you what to look for and where to find things and make recommendations. And it's great to see folks who are passionate about books and willing to stick it out against all the big guys, the Amazons and the Barnes and Nobles and the others out there.

So, I know, not that I have anything against those folks, but Yeah,

I know. I, I don't either, but they obviously, I've got a love for small to mid businesses and with, in terms of Ag 45 and ensuring that they don't only survive, but they're, they're thriving. I love what you said.

Going back to talking about aligning the sales and marketing and how the results [00:15:00] soared and, and you saw that. And from an aspect of when we think of ourselves as if we are not aligned with how we're showing up in our life, whether that is in business, whether that is outside of our business, we are not going to get the same type of results.

As if or when we are aligned that the results that we get are going to be much more, exponential. Is that the word? Yeah. Yeah. Well, exponential result and enjoy the journey.

Yeah, exactly. Well. I agree that alignment has a superpower of its own. Uh, certainly on the sales and marketing side.

I've lived through that, but I know that when I am in that spot where I need to be doing the things I need to do and balanced in terms of taking care of myself as [00:16:00] as the business, I know that I'm in a much better spot. I'm gonna think of things differently. I'm gonna call on people, who might give me ideas instead of try to do things on my own.

And all of a sudden it's wow, this is much more fun than what I'm trying to figure it all out by myself. Um, I agree. Alignment, whether it's soul alignment or, go to market alignment or whatnot, it has a huge, huge impact and it's always very positive. So.

Katherine Breuss: It is. And

And even, to the point of, when you go beyond you, with a lot of, people who are listening, they have teams and you have a team of, yes. Team. Mm-hmm. And you have, leaders, other decision makers in that team. And it's not only ensuring that you as the business owner or the CEO that you are aligned, it's also ensuring that your team.

Is aligned to the business [00:17:00] and where the business is going. Otherwise, to your point when sales and marketing, they were going off in different directions, you're not gonna get the same results. So have you, can you share maybe an example of the impact when leaders are involved? In the strategy of the division or the business and getting them aligned to the direction you wanna take and the impact that has.

Melanie Varin: Yeah, Um, a couple things came to mind. One, I'm gonna give you a small example of making yourself available and being more aligned with the goals of the business. So back in my GE days, at one point when I had my third child, I went part-time. And that was good for me. That helped me stay soul aligned because I had other priorities than work, work, work.

Um, but when I was doing that, I [00:18:00] would come to work, I'd keep my head down, I'd do my work, and I'd leave because I, I only had many hours in the day and I wanted to get it done and go back to the, the rest of my life. Um, one of my boss called me aside and said, Melanie. You need to spend more time at the water cooler.

And I'm what do you mean? He's no one else is getting them benefit of your work. 'cause you're head down, get the job done that you're not being part of the team. Sharing ideas, offering suggestions, mentoring others. You've got a lot of experience and things to share. You need to offer that up.

That's a gift you can give to others. So spend more time at the water cooler, even though there was no water cooler, it was a figment, a a, a virtual water cooler per se. Um. And it made me stop and slow down and think, oh it's not all about checking the boxes and getting the stuff done.

There's a much bigger picture here. And being a part of the team is part of being aligned with the mission of the, the larger group. Because I could help others, they could help me. And it became a a, one plus one is three [00:19:00] things. So, that was, that was back in my earlier career, but it stuck with me because I'm that's true today.

Even now here. Um, I try to make a point when I'm in the office, which I try to do at least three days a week 'cause we have a lot of virtual people, but at least three days a week I try to be in the office and I try to make sure I talk to everybody in the office every day when I'm there, even if I only have a few minutes to check in because I wanna know that I care.

I want them to know that. I'm interested in what they're doing and I wanna be there to support them and that we are all part of a team. And that alignment goes a long way. And then when you start talking strategy and you start talking tactics and you start talking goals and whatnot, now you've got a team that feels you care.

They know you, they're, they wanna rally behind you and, it helps everything come together better. Plus they often, because they're doing a lot of the work, they can offer. Suggestions that I might not think of. And then [00:20:00] that also becomes a a one plus one is three thing because otherwise it's if I have to figure it out by myself, I'll probably head down the wrong path and realize that, weeks, months later and realize, oh shoot, I shouldn't have done that.

And, but somebody else might steer me correctly. And if I'm open to their ideas and willing to engage and ask questions and learn more, we're Better together, that collective, mm-hmm. Wisdom is better than, somebody trying to do it on their own. So that whole team effort, building the team and keeping that dialogue going, has been, been awesome.

It's been helpful and that's one of the first things I did when I became CEO is have sit downs individually with each member of the team to understand where they are and what they're doing and what's important to them. One of my management team leaders. Said. I challenged you not to ask them what they're doing, but tell them what you think they're doing to see how close you [00:21:00] are, and it'll give them a sense for whether you know what's going on or not.

So I took that challenge on and did it, and for the most part, people were pleasantly surprised about how much I knew about what they were doing, and that was reaffirming to them as that hey, she knows she cares. And she's paying attention. And that went a long way, toward alignment. And it was also fun too, to have those conversations.

Katherine Breuss: So it might not be the best strategy to do that if you don't think that you are gonna get it because

Melanie Varin: No, no. If you're not gonna get it better not try that. But I was, I was fairly confident I would get pretty close. So,

Katherine Breuss: So what, the way when you were talking, I envision, and I, I use this a lot is, a rowing team and when you have someone helping to direct and the direction you're going and everybody knows that direction.

Um, and then the more people you have in the boat and they're all wanting to get you there and rowing, you're gonna [00:22:00] get there a lot smoother, a lot faster than if it's you. Yeah. Or if you have people in there and everybody's rowing, not in a cadence and rowing in different directions and what, that's what I was envisioning as you were talking through.

Um. Talking through the alignment of your team. Um, and then al when you brought up water cooler, which is interesting, there was a time yes, where it was an actual water cooler and you would stand by the water cooler and have chats. Uh, yes. those days are gone. I don't know.

Yeah.

Melanie Varin: Yeah. I'm showing my age with that one, but

Katherine Breuss: Hey, I'm there with the, I, that was, there were some special moments It was, is it the coffee machine or is it the water cooler? Where you'd get some of those, most impactful, conversations.

And it's now about being more [00:23:00] creative about, if we're in a virtual world, how does that happen? Um, But pretty cool that you do it and you go into the office and, and get to understand and have clarity about, who the people are that you're working with, and, them having clarity even about you.

And, and that alignment. So I have another question. I'm gonna change gears a little bit. Okay. Towards value, and value in terms of, a business. What would you say if there was, one or two things that you think regardless of the industry, regardless of the business that you go, this is your most valuable.

Um, asset in terms of when you are growing that within your business?

Melanie Varin: Yeah, I. Most of the time, your most valuable asset are your, your employees, your team [00:24:00] members. Um, they're going to be the ones who, get the job done and they're gonna be those faces to your customers or clients and, either making it work or not.

So employees are some of the most valuable assets, obviously. Um, your strategy is pretty important because you wanna know where you're going and if you are. Uh, leading a team of rowers, you wanna make sure you're headed in the direction and you're all rowing in a way that's gonna make sense for the business.

So I would think strategy has gotta be up there. Obviously clients. Um, getting them and finding them and keeping them happy and keeping them coming back for more is another valuable asset. I know sometimes when companies are sold, they're sold because another company wants those that company's clients, and that's another valuable.

Asset, as If you're a huge enterprise, certainly there's a lot of value in, in certain brands and things that. We're not a big enough brand that, our top line results brand is probably gonna matter at the end of the day when it [00:25:00] comes to our valuation. But, I would say you're.

Your employees and your customers and your strategy, your direction, knowing where you're headed and why are probably some of the most important, values that any company, regardless of industry, regardless of size, that's gonna make the biggest impact.

Katherine Breuss: You're speaking my language strategy, it's, and, and strategy.

for some people when they think strategy, they're oh, strategy. But, about it as the, the rower. It's knowing where you're going and it's who's the team, how we're gonna do it? Um, what's the pace? Um, I don't know. That to me is cool. Yeah.

Last question I have, and then I'm gonna, I'm gonna let you, you go and probably have some dinner or something. Um, but in terms of, there's fellow business owners listening, and as a business owner, as a CEO. Running a, [00:26:00] a company regardless of the size, it can feel lonely. There are challenges, that we face that might be a little bit different than if you were, an employee, what would be.

One piece of advice that you would to share with the, the owners who are listening to this podcast that might help them feel less alone and or even get some golden nuggets that they can take away.

Melanie Varin: Well, one of the things that I value most in terms of, my support network, which is important to have a support network, are two different types of networks.

One is I belong to a women's leadership organization called Tempo Milwaukee, and one of the best things they offer are mentor circles. And monthly I get together with my mentor circle, and that's where I can share things that are challenging for me in business or whatnot. [00:27:00] They have learned a little bit about my business over time, but they have good business sense.

They're women leaders who are successful and they can offer suggestions. So that group has been very, very supportive. They were super supportive when I was writing my book because I was doing that nights and weekends and burning the candle on both ends. And then, super supportive when it came out.

So, having a support network is great and I find that in, You know, a leadership organization that is great. I know Fred was involved, my husband was involved in, CEO round tables through various chambers and whatnot. So that support network is good, especially for owners or CEOs who.

Wanna bounce ideas off, but maybe don't feel comfortable doing it with the employees or the team because maybe it's premature or whatnot. Having that independent support network is good. The other support network for me is my church. I'm very involved there and have friends there who we might not talk business, but if I'm having a personal challenge or [00:28:00] issue.

Um, family or whatnot, in fact, I have a, a son who's ill now. Um, they're super supportive and that goes such a long way to making me feel I'm not alone. And I have, people who care, people who love me, people who are willing to pray for me or call me or send me a note or whatnot and let me know that hey, they, they're with me and them.

And that they think I've got this, and, and I'll find a way through. You know, that's, that's my offer, suggestion to offer is get that support network, whether it's personal or professional or whatnot. That to me, that goes a long way or toward helping. And when about soul aligned, that's a great way for me to feel I'm soul aligned too.

So

Katherine Breuss: I love that. And, and we, we have that as one of our. Five A's in terms of success and it's having, advocates, you know? Yes. And, and it's, it's looking and, and asking that question of the people who I surround myself with, [00:29:00] whether in business or outside of business. 'cause we're more than our business.

You know, we, we, yes. We're more, we're more than even three dimensional, but, do they lift me up or are they bringing me down? And obviously we want. Those advocates and that support network to, to lift us up. So I love that piece of advice 'cause it is, important. Um, thank you Melanie.

Thank you much for your time. Um, it has been a real pleasure, to have you on the podcast and, maybe we'll have to have you back in six months. Yeah.

Melanie Varin: Thank you Catherine, much for the opportunity. It's been a pleasure. I, I watched some of your earlier podcasts before hopping on this one, and you have a lot to offer business owners, best of luck to you and hopefully we will be con stay connected in the future,

Katherine Breuss: I would love that.

Yeah. Thank [00:30:00] you. Okay.

Melanie Varin: Have a good evening. You too.