Behind The Dot Expert Interview: Max

How did you get into growth?

I started out with growth marketing more than six years ago upon the recommendation of an old classmate. At first, I thought to myself: this is not for me. However, after we talked about his experiences and upcoming plans over a couple of cups of coffee I started with a 6-month trial period in a small team. We were one of the first to start with growth marketing in The Netherlands, a sort of Blackbox that needed to be explored.

What is your role within your team?

I am currently working as a senior on growth projects. Which means I am mainly working on a strategic level with our clients as well as partly operating the projects.

What do you love about your job?

In the early days we were pretty much “cowboying” our way through the world of growth marketing. Mostly educational, doing a lot of new things. Not just new for me but also for the market itself. It was very dynamic, a lot of different clients and challenges. Which had me hooked on growth marketing and was probably the reason I never took any days off ha-ha. Now I did find the balance more and I even must decide between three upcoming ski trips this year.   

Anyway, something I also really love is that you get a look behind the scenes of a company. You can tell that client cases are rapidly changing together with changes in the market, which constantly makes you do new things.

Some personal info?

In my spare time I love to go out for some good food and drinks with friends. I am not the most sporty person anymore, but when I put my mind to something there’s no stopping me. Last year, I even signed up for a Spartan Race together with a colleague. In preparation for this I was really into cross fit. Now you can find me on the golf course every now and then.

If you weren’t a Growth Strategist, what career would you have?

Something completely different. I would probably do something with my hands. A craftsmanship, something like woodworking. Really creating something from scratch and then actually have a tangible product at the end of the day. At least I hope…

Where do you think the future of Growth Hacking is going?

I believe peoples’ association with growth hacking is slowly changing. It was – and often still is – seen as this hip and happening ‘golden nugget’ way to exponentially grow your business. Luckily, we see a more mature and nuanced perspective on the rationale and fundamentals of growth marketing evolving. The ‘hacks & tools’ have made place for a more profound understanding of what can really drive success for a business. Now the challenge of the ‘cookie less era’ makes growth marketing more challenging. Developments like this and how society changes, influences the landscape around growth marketing. The fundamentals however remain similar.

So, in that sense I believe growth marketing is making a shift. It’s becoming more of a sustainable approach to business development, less like the short & snappiness growth hacking was first known for.

If you could choose any client to work with, who would be your dream client and why?

Any client who has an idea or concept that is challenging the status quo. What must be completely built up from scratch. A Start-up or a new division within a larger concern. Yeaz! is a great example. They put all their trust in us and were really open for our approach and out of the box ideas. Which was very fruitful and, in my opinion, necessary for a successful partnership.

What advice would you give companies who want to start with Growth Marketing?

I would advise companies to start obtaining a basic level of knowledge on growth marketing. Simply allowing you to have different perspectives on what you’re doing. Besides that, I believe a certain ‘growth marketing’ mindset and simple common sense are necessary. That doesn’t just apply to growth marketing alone. Occasionally, ask yourself the following: are we open to take the necessary steps which will take us where we want to be? Are we already doing everything that can be done? Take a critical deep dive into what you’re currently doing and ask yourself to what extent you’re capable of delivering true value. Of course, you can always engage a company to help you with this.