From Loyalty Strategy to Lasting Customer Relationships

Amber Meakin: This is Vouched, where we're flipping the script on the job search because people are more than a resume. I'm your host, Amber Meakin Okay, today I'm vouching for someone I had the privilege of working for, Elisabeth Keller. Elisabeth built her career from the ground up in loyalty and customer engagement, starting in operations, moving into strategic client partnership, and rising all the way to SVP and chief client officer. Along the way, she became the person brands leaned on to lead change, someone who could wear the corporate hat and the client hat at the same time and keep both sides moving. She's now the founder of Keller Standard, where she advises brands on loyalty, customer engagement, CRM. And true to form, she stays through the build. She's one of the sharpest loyalty minds I know. Elisabeth, welcome to the show.

Elisabeth Keller: Thanks for having me.

Amber Meakin: And thank you for being my biggest cheerleader, I think, on this idea that came to life over the last last few months. I really appreciate it.

Elisabeth Keller: course.

Amber Meakin: So one of the reasons for this is of course, vouching. And the biggest thing I want to say about Elisabeth during our time together at a loyalty agency, anytime I was on a phone call with her, we would call her the client whisperer because she always seemed to really connect with the clients and understand what their concerns were. And just the amount of experience she has around the loyalty CRM. I would also just see on our cross-functional calls with our. Delivery teams and technology teams, she really had a true, like end-to-end understanding and grasp of what was happening. And so, from my perspective on that, it was always, I was always learning something from her anytime we were on a call together. And I would also say, as a leader, she was always great at taking feedback and she was always open to that and would ask for that. You don't always see that in a leader. And one of the other things is she was great at providing us air cover with the leadership team. sometimes we would have challenges. she would come and talk to us directly about those challenges, but she made sure she was always supporting us in in front of our leadership teams and making sure that we were also being seen for the wins that that we'd accomplished. So those are just a few things that I would say about Elisabeth. thank you again for being my first guest on this show. I really appreciate it.

Elisabeth Keller: Welcome.

Amber Meakin: Elisabeth, a couple questions because this is really about you and you're letting people get to know you as well. You've built a whole career inside another company, rising all the way to chief client officer. What inspired you to strike out on your own and build Keller Standard?

Elisabeth Keller: I love this question because it really speaks to my passion and where my passion lies. I knew that what I really enjoyed, what really excited me was helping clients solve their business problems. That was where I was the happiest. I was always happiest functioning as an extension of my client's business and wanted to build a practice around that service and support where I could really truly be a partner to my clients.

Amber Meakin: Yeah, I think I even saw that so much when we would we would work with clients, some of the ones that you'd assigned me to, that you had been, you know, the primary contact for several years before I joined, and just the the relationships that you did have with them and the partnerships, I could really see that you you enjoyed that and you've thrived in that.

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah, I had somebody once tell me that when they came to work at the agency, their first couple of interactions with me, they thought that I was from the client just working on site at the agency. And I took that as a compliment because it meant that I was representing clients and clients needs in the way that they needed to be represented internally. But to your earlier point, kind of wearing both hats and balancing the corporate versus the client need, you know, with Keller Standard now, because it's more of a consultancy, I have the opportunity to really stay 100 % focused on the client need and as an extension of their business.

Amber Meakin: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think you told me a story once about a client that you worked on where they actually had you interview some of the people that were being hired within the company. Is that right?

Elisabeth Keller: That's right yeah it was in their marketing department as they were looking for new directors to run their loyalty and CRM and customer engagement they actually included me as part of the interview process to ensure one that they were getting the right level of experience and expertise but then also to to make sure that the chemistry was right not just with the client organization, also with us as the provider organization.

Amber Meakin: Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think again, that speaks a lot to your relationships that you've had with clients and just how they valued you. But I think that's so important, especially in just being an extension of their marketing, team, is amazing. So your whole approach is I stay in the room. You've watched strategies die in slide decks. What do you see that made that your founding principle?

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah. Strategy without execution is just an idea. And I've seen a lot of great ideas that have been raised and brought to organizations. And the magic of a great strategy, because I've seen a lot of really great strategy, but the magic of that great strategy isn't bringing it to life. I've seen lots of organizations struggle with that, that they get deck after deck after deck after idea after idea and everybody agrees that they're wonderful ideas and then nothing happens. You know, they get put on a shelf, they collect dust and I've always seen it as my job to help ensure that clients bring those ideas to life so that they can reap the benefits of them. You know, I think I think beyond shaping the strategy, implementing, measuring, evolving, that's where the strategy actually lives, not in a deck that's discussed and celebrated and then filed away for some posterity. It's the bringing the idea to life. And that's why I stay in the room. I want to help customers and help clients actually bring those ideas to life so that they can reap the benefits of them. I had one client once who you know they would come to me they had been a client for a very long time and they would come to me as they had marketing team changeovers and they would say have we ever thought about doing this and I would say yes and and their question was why haven't we done it you know because there were times where they couldn't do it and you know operations couldn't make the adjustment or they couldn't sell it internally or they couldn't. they couldn't justify the value of it you know it was funny to see those ideas kind of come back again funny ironic i think it's really important to identify good ideas and then bring them to market so that that's why i stay in.

Amber Meakin: Yeah, makes sense. I remember, you know, several meetings that we would have with clients and and working with the strategy teams. And again, yes, great ideas, tons of decks, great ideas. And like you said, they they died. and I do you think it's just about staying in the room, I would observe sometimes we had clients that had participation from their whole organization. You know, end to end, you had the tech teams, you had e-com teams and marketing all really kind of working together. And I felt like those were the clients that we'd still be staying in the room with them, but they also had their teams staying in the room too. How do you think, like with clients that you're not getting engagement from their technology and e-comm teams to really come in? How do you think, like with what you're doing now that you'll be able to maybe do more of like bridging that gap with those teams, if that makes sense.

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah, no, it's a great question and observation. think that the organizations that can bring strategies and initiatives to life are those that do have cross-functional collaboration and that everybody understands the value of the program that's being brought, whether it's an engagement program or a loyalty program or a CRM program. I think that the biggest challenge with organizations is their their own inertia right or you know I recently posted something about this about you know let's do it another double points promotion why are we doing it other you know I can ask why why are we doing this why are we focusing on this and in my current role. I think that it's just it's easier to kind of push on that and. push on those things because i'm working within a corporate construct where i'm having to serve. The initiatives of the company and the initiatives of the client now i'm solely focused on the client and really helping them kind of see around their corners and understand what roadblocks are are hindering them and i see a lot of organizations. know mistake let's just do this again. because we've done it before and it worked, know, that kind of action for action sake versus, okay, we have this strategy, how are we going to actually move it forward internally? How are we going to make meaningful changes that are going to result in increased revenue, longer retention with customers and clients, those kinds of things. It's just where I am now. It's kind of a different vantage point. And I think that I can have a little bit of a different voice now that I'm on my own than I did working within a company.

Amber Meakin: Yeah, that makes sense. All right, so for l folks outside of loyalty, what's the real difference between a program that builds habits and one that builds genuine loyalty?

Elisabeth Keller: The age-old question. So really it's about building a relationship with a customer that they can't live without. Having a bond so deep that the customer couldn't possibly imagine living without. And it's a lofty goal. But it's how a brand connects with a customer that's really critical. Again, I recently posted some thoughts around this, know, ultimately it's the customer who chooses to be loyal to the brand. It's not the brand that chooses the customer loyalty. The decision rests solely with the customer. And what I think the work brands have to do is create an opportunity for that choice by how they show up for the customer, the products they offer, the consistency of their service, how they solve problems, because we all know problems happen. There is no brand that doesn't have problems. And I think it's how they show up when those things happen, how they leverage data to create a connection where the customer feels seen. I recently received a loyalty promotion. that was about keeping my status for 2026. And I was laughing because one, it is September. I'm like, what will the status possibly give me for the next three months? But then also, it's with a brand that I've stopped transacting with. So it was really interesting to me. I had this moment of like, they don't know me at all, right? Why are they not sending me a come back and complete three transactions in the next six weeks and we'll give you your status, right? They're not incenting the reconnection through the purchase. They're saying, get your status. like, my status is meaningless because I'm not purchasing anything from them. So it was a really interesting, I looked at it and as a consumer, I'm like, they don't know me, they don't care about me and probably a hundred thousand other people got exactly the same message versus, hey, we haven't seen you in a while, you know, please come back or share the reasons you have stopped transacting with us or, not all about the transaction, but if I had felt seen and known, I might have felt a connection with the company in a completely different way. And that's just a recent example of how I think companies miss the mark on connecting with customers, right? And, you know, we measure transactions, we measure retention, we measure basket size, we measure repeat business, we measure all of those things as a way to think we have loyalty. But really the loyalty is in the customer affinity to the brand. Can I live without this brand? I can't possibly imagine my life without this brand. I am a brand customer, right? That's how I define myself. Those things create loyalty. Those things create a bond that transcends transaction. Again, lofty, lofty goal. But I think that If we can create that bond, then the transactions, the retention, the willingness to stick with a brand, even when something doesn't go right, it stacks the deck in the favor of the customer making that choice to be loyal to the brand rather than just buying a habit. You know, I'm, I get $5 off, so I'm going to stop at that store instead of this store because I get $5 off. But when that other store gives me $5 off, I'm going to go there instead of the first one, right? you know, loyalty is full of examples where we buy transactions, but we're not actually driving loyalty.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. So you talked a bit about an examp a bad example. Is there a brand that you think is doing it well?

Elisabeth Keller: I actually think Sephora has done a really good job of connecting with their customers, right? That, that they are. Their program and how they connect with customers i think really speaks to the fact that they know what their customers need and want and it's really more about how the customers experience the brand not getting double points today or you know. Or five dollars off it's not about that it's about. how the customer experiences the entire brand and the events that come with being a customer and having things and events that make the customer feel part of something bigger than themselves rather than just another coupon or discount or double points promotion.

Amber Meakin: Mm-hmm. Yeah. there's not a Sephora nearby me. So I end up ordering from them. And it's always nice to get their free samples, you know, that you can select and get with your order. And more times than not, I've ended up buying that sample, you know, trying it out and actually buying the actual product. You know, it's like, this is nice. I like this. So yeah, Sephora is a really, really good one.

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah and you could you could choose to go to Ulta or whoever else but but Sephora has created an environment where you get things that are of value to you that make you keep coming back to them right versus all the other ones that you could choose.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. Yeah. I think, you know, it's interesting too when you talked about like the email that you got and the okay, let's get you signed up to keep your status for a few more months and maintain. you know, I had an experience this last couple of weeks with my air going out and the company, you know, had to come back and we had to order part and wait now and everything. And they before it was even fixed, they're asking me to review them on Google. And it was funny because they asked me to do it twice. And the second time I replied to the email and it was on a Sunday. And I said, let's get the, you know, air conditioner fixed first. And I get an automated reply of sorry, we're out of the office today. Please, you know, check back on Monday. So you're communicating with me on the weekend. You're communicating with me. When the products, the issue's not resolved yet. And it really kind of goes into more of that customer journey of, you know, making sure you're you've got targeted marketing that you're doing, that it's the right target, and that that flow really makes sense. And because otherwise you're just gonna irritate people.

Elisabeth Keller: Right. Well, and and it speaks to the fact that in those instances, like your example, it's a perfect example of a company putting their needs above the customer. Right. And so, so I would argue that you can't create loyalty if you are always kind of going, what do I get? What do I get? What do I get? You can create loyalty when you are sensitive to what the customer needs and what the interaction is and really listening to the interaction and you're exactly right like if they had said we know that it's not complete yet but could you give us a review for the work done today. Right it signals that they know who you are and that they're listening to you versus just give us what we need and not having any sensitivity for. The actual situation I I always talk about I do it a lot in restaurants but I talk about situational awareness grade is is the waiter situationally aware does the waiter recognize that my water glass is three quarters empty and needs to be refilled without me asking does the waiter. You know recognize that there's a pause in the eating and maybe we're done with our meal right it's the versus. Okay now i do this okay now i do this okay now i do this or the customers i really need this right and there's a real world extension to crm customer engagement and loyalty where. You know companies are. You know they're thinking about can we get more revenue can we increase basket size can we increase category spend can we do all those things but they forget that the person who makes the choice. To come to them is the customer and if they serve the customer and think about the customer need the loyalty follows versus what do we need and your example is is a perfect example of how a company has the wrong. perspective.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. Yeah. You know, on the flip side, I posted about this on on LinkedIn a couple of weeks ago was about my experience with water guru, who, you know, with my water monitoring tool that I've had for about two years, it stopped working and it was out of warranty, but they went ahead and decided to go ahead and send me a full replacement without me having to pay anything. And I was just like, that's an amazing idea and concept of, you know. Going ahead and just doing the right thing. And part of the reason I think they probably did that was they did see something in it for themselves, which is I'm a subscriber for the cassettes that have to go in there. And those things are like, I think 60 or 70 dolly three months. So I was not about to go buy a new water guru after it went out for two, you know, from two years. And I wasn't really in a position to do that. But hey, you want to replace the thing and you know, or the equipment. And I'm still a subscriber. So you're not losing that subscription. So it really was a win-win of I get my tool and they still get to keep me as a customer.

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah, well, and it's playing for the long game, not the short game, right? You

Amber Meakin: Exactly. Yeah.

Elisabeth Keller: know, it's, we could push to get the revenue from selling you a new unit, or we can keep this person as a customer. can, you know, have the long game of the subscription for the things that go in the unit. and... We also now have a customer who is out there evangelizing something on linkedin and maybe google and whatever right there but they did exactly what i'm talking about they created. An environment where you chose to be loyal to the brand because you were at a point in time where you could have very easily shifted to another company. And

Amber Meakin: Yeah, absolutely.

Elisabeth Keller: and by thinking about, what is this relationship and what's the long game? Loyalty is the long game. We measure loyalty, we measure CRM initiatives in what's happening now, what's happening now, what's happening now, but it's a long game. You know, the whole point is that we want customers to come and keep buying from us and not leave.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. Yeah. Great conversation. Clearly, clearly

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah, it is.

Amber Meakin: we love talking about loyalty.

Elisabeth Keller: We do. We do.

Amber Meakin: All right. So you talk about the CFO question, proving incremental lift. Why do so many loyalty leaders struggle to answer it?

Elisabeth Keller: Is this really hard to answer it's the question is always are we actually getting increased spend. Incremental spend money we wouldn't have gotten otherwise if we didn't have the program or are we just moving money from one bucket to another. i've had this conversation with so many clients of well they were non members and now they're members well. Are we get really getting more revenue or are we just now putting the nonmember revenue in the member revenue bucket and it's still all the same amount of revenue. And I think that. You know that the the proving of. Are you getting something that you would not have gotten if you didn't have the programmer initiative is it. It's the hard work that you have to do. And I think I love CFOs because I love the challenge that they provide, but they are skeptical people, right? They want proof of the fact that the money that's being spent because loyalty is in some ways a cost center, right? The cost of points, the cost of discounts, the cost to maintain customer databases, the cost to like run the program and operationalize the program. They want to make sure that that cost is actually being offset by increased earnings and revenue. And it's not just about breakeven. It's not just about, we're getting enough revenue from the program that it's paying for the cost, right? It's about making sure that programs are contributing revenue centers. The question is a hard one to answer. And also, it might be an uncomfortable question to answer because the answer might be, in certain situations, we're not getting incremental revenue. We're not actually seeing a lift from this program, which then leads to, well, if the program's not working, what should we do? It's also partly because loyalty programs in many cases are just kind of funded as a cost of doing business. And I think I mentioned that before where, you know, it is a cost center. So I think it's what people really need to do is make sure that they're reporting on a rig of... tongue tied, rigorous ROI model, where they're separating revenue that they would have gotten without the program from incremental revenue associated with the program. That they're calculating the true cost of the program, including breakage estimates, technology, communications, and human capital. A lot of times they forget to calculate the people that are required to run the program. that they're modeling customer lifetime member value of members versus non-members over a multi-year window. It's not just this 12 months, right? Because I talked about the fact that this is a long game. Loyalty is a long game. So it can't be measured or quantified in a quarter. Like you can see the effects of it, but it's over time that you have to measure it. And then, Demonstrate retention impact right members who are customers who would have churned but didn't they stayed with the brand and how much are those customers worth right because the the if they would have left but didn't. that is in an odd sort of way incremental revenue because

Amber Meakin: Yeah who.

Elisabeth Keller: you would have lost it otherwise. You know, and I think companies really struggle with the report on earnings right now, report on revenue, report on, all the tangible things of what we typically measure for loyalty but they struggle with quantifying what are we getting that we would not have otherwise gotten if we didn't have the program. it's not easy and it requires a lot of thoughtfulness and analytics and modeling and you know it's not just as easy as we got a hundred thousand dollars this month from the loyalty program, right? which is low.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. working with, the finance teams, during my time at the agency it's definitely one of the most challenging things, but it was the most rewarding. making sure that we could show that value that they were getting out of it. Or if there was a challenge, how do you get the value out of it?

Elisabeth Keller: Right. And I think that one of the things, like anybody who can sit down with a CFO and say, our program generates this many dollars in incremental revenue against this many dollars in fully loaded cost, right? Because then they're starting to show the profitability. And here's the model, right, that they can defend. They can walk a CFO or an accounting team through, show the model. those are the people who are going to get the investment that they need to build the programs or keep going with the programs. And that even goes to, to your point. Okay. If we, if, if all that work is done and it shows a negative result, then how do we change the program so that we're getting a positive result also requires modeling it out and sitting down with a CFO and being able to walk through it in a way that shows that the analysis and the thinking and how it all comes together is sound so you can get the investment actually change the.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. Yeah. So what are you looking for right now? What kinds of brands, problems, or engagements that are the best fit for you?

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah, so I'm looking for brands that are working to improve their customer engagement and want a partner who's going to help them develop a strategy and bring it to life. I had one brand recently say to me, we don't like our program and we aren't getting results and we don't know why. I love that kind of challenge, right? Why are things not working and what should we be doing differently? Another brand I worked with said, do you think of our CRM program and where can be better? And in both of those cases, the work was around evaluating the current state, developing a strategy to improve it, and then implementing the solution. And I love those kinds of questions, like what should we be doing differently? What's not working? Where could we be doing better? And in those cases, I helped with strategy, rolled up my sleeves to put my hands on keyboards to support marketing teams of one to two people so that we could get those ideas to market. And that's always really satisfying to see, you know, wow, look at what we did and look at the results that we're seeing from it. So I'm looking for projects like that where I can really help. customers identify kind of current state needs for future state and then bring it to market, which is a little bit of change management, which I was talking to somebody recently, I've been managing change my entire career, right? Whether it's designing programs to change customer behavior or navigating client. client changes and priority changes or navigating corporate changes But that idea of where are we, where do we need to go, and how do we get there, and then rolling up our sleeves to get there, it's the kind of work that really excites me. And whether that's as a consultancy through Keller Standard, whether that's fractional work where I'm embedded in an organization or even potentially a full-time role, right? I'm open to any of those things. My current approach to work has been, I'm going to say yes and see where it leads, right? So it could be any form of me helping a company add value to its engagements, CRM or loyalty initiatives.

Amber Meakin: Mm-hmm. Yeah. kind of talking about rolling up your sleeves. reminded me, I think it was like one of the first times I ever met you. And you and a another colleague were like walking through the hallway. It was the middle of the night almost because we had this big release for a client. And like y'all were working hard and we're over there working hard with the team. And that was something, you know, for me, I think when I worked in operations. I would always get frustrated with like the customer success and sales teams because they're like, here, go do it. But then they just like walk away, you know? And I think that's where maybe you and I even connected a lot was because we want to be there to support the teams too, not just there to say, This is what we sold to the customer and this is how it needs to get done. so yes, I've definitely seen seen you roll up your sleeves a a time or two or ten.

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah, I had a chief marketing officer at one of my clients. He gave me a, he gave me some feedback and a recommendation and in his recommendation, he said, in the seven years I worked with Elisabeth, I never really knew what her title was. And I thought that that was actually one of the biggest compliments that I could ever get because it, it, Demonstrated my desire and willingness to collaborate with the team to roll up my sleeves if it needed to if they needed to be rolled up to provide feedback and direction and guidance to provide. What you mentioned you know to provide air cover that that I know matter what my title was I never really saw myself as separate from the team and if I needed to hop on a call in the middle of the night and. help troubleshoot something, I was going to do it because it's what the team needed and it's what we all needed to be successful. I had somebody ask me recently about my leadership style and I said, I am not an ivory tower leader. I am somebody who, you know, is there with my team side by side and whether it be the client team or my internal team that I'm working with, you know, in the case where I'm I was with a corporation for so long or, you know, and it doesn't even matter cross-functionally, right? If the technology team needs support and needs help troubleshooting something, I will be on a call with them, right? because I think it's that shared objective, shared vision, shared goals that are so important to all of us being successful.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. I mean, it really is when is a team, lose as a team at the end of the day. really what it comes down to. And I think you've showed that throughout my time working with you for sure.

Elisabeth Keller: Thanks.

Amber Meakin: All right. So if someone listening thinks they have a problem worth talking about, how should they reach out to you?

Elisabeth Keller: Send me an email at lskeller at kellerstandard.com and that's E-L-I-S-K-E-L-L-E-R at kellerstandard.com.

Amber Meakin: Awesome. I'll make sure we also have that information in the show notes. So on a lighter note, when you're not deep in loyalty strategy, what do you love doing?

Elisabeth Keller: So I love baking. I really love. I love the process of baking. I love that there are ingredients and there's a recipe that you have to follow, but you can tweak it and that it's chemistry and heat and pressure that it all comes together to have something delicious at the end. somebody, a friend of mine said to me. We I was talking to her and she said you're a baker and I hadn't really ever thought about myself that way. But I think the way that I approach that particular hobby extends to my work life as well right in in in our work and our jobs there's you know we develop plans we have ingredients we have all these things that come together and you know there's mixing things up there's heat there's pressure. But at the end if everybody's working one team one goal if everybody's working toward a common objective there's something really amazing on the outside. which is truly why love to bake it i think it's fun and it's also fun to. Enjoy people enjoying the results of that effort i love to see you know when i because i give most of it away i love to see. people enjoying the fruits of my labor. So, you know, I do enjoy that. I also love to hike and bike and ski. I'm fortunate enough to live somewhere where I can do all those things and walk my dogs. They're my next love, so.

Amber Meakin: Yes. Yeah, I I love baking as well as you know, I got into the, sourdough thing this year. So that's been an adventure. Okay, so one final question. do you have a favorite quote or one you'd come back to?

Elisabeth Keller: Yep, and you know this quote Smooth C's never made skilled sailors. I love that quote because it just keeps everything in perspective for me. challenges, and I mentioned earlier, there will always be problems or challenges or things that have to be overcome or surmounted. And it's in the challenges that we learn and we develop skill and we develop experience that then we can apply to the next challenge. You know, it's kind of the quote that encapsulates my desire to not ever experience the same problem in the same way again, right? So if I've experienced it and I've truly learned from the challenge that I've experienced, then I have skill that I'm taking forward and can apply to the next thing so that maybe that situation won't be as challenging and it gives me an opportunity to then learn something new and different with a different challenge.

Amber Meakin: Yeah, yeah. I definitely remember that one. we heard it I think several times, but I think the thing I relate it most to is when we would have clients that were difficult or just going through a difficult time. And I like I don't think I ever asked to be pulled off an account, but I know because I always love the challenge. But I know some people would ask to be pulled off an account, they're like, I can't take this anymore. This person's terrible to work with, or this person can't figure this out, whatever it may be. And you'd be like, No, we're not pulling you off. Because I mean, one things are gonna happen, but really it is kind of like if you don't experience and you don't learn through that challenge, how are you gonna be show up for the next problem? Are you always gonna run? You know, yes, or like we wanna it's that fight, flight freeze, you know, thing that's ingrained in us, but Like the idea of sticking through it and having the problem solved. I think that's even earlier I was talking about, you know, working with the finance teams is one of my favorite things to do because yes, it's a challenge, but the reward is so worth it when you've built those relationships and that trust. and you can't do that if you don't go through the hard things.

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah, I agree. And I think that, you know, a lot of people do come, they're like, I just want it to be easy. there's so much amazing learning that can happen when things are challenging or hard. And it really stretches people to understand what their limits are and what they're actually capable of. Right. And, know, and my job as a leader was to to help people realize their potential, to help them realize what they could do if they weathered the storm. to me, it was really about, okay, I know this is challenging and let me help support you through the challenge because where you will come out on the other side of it. is stronger, more confident, more capable, and who doesn't love that sense of accomplishment of look what we've just gotten through.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. That comes into I mean, sometimes we needed the air cover with the with the clients and that and that

Elisabeth Keller: Yeah, absolutely.

Amber Meakin: helped. I mean, it's it is. Sometimes it's a growing experience. And yeah, I always appreciated the way you'd show up for that by still still having us go through it, but also being there to support us as well. yeah. All right. So I said one final question, but there's there's actually one more. so part of the whole concept of vouched is to pay it forward. So I'm here vouching for you. And so I'm curious if there's a former colleague or colleague or team member that you would have show up on the show and and that you would vouch for.

Elisabeth Keller: Yes, absolutely. I would vouch for Fran McKay. Any day of the week, any time of day, she's amazing. She is, you know, she's actually, it's interesting. I hired Fran after a half hour phone conversation. She was in the UK and I needed a director to run the office there. And I had a half hour phone conversation with her, had not ever laid eyes on her, hung up the phone, walked down the hall to HR and said, give me an offer letter now, best hire ever made. One of the best, I should say. Yeah, sorry.

Amber Meakin: I won't take offense. I love Fran.

Elisabeth Keller: One of the best hire. I brought you back twice. If that's not vouching for somebody, I

Amber Meakin: That's true.

Elisabeth Keller: don't know what is. But she, she. quick study. you know, the clients loved her. She was capable, like you, capable of having difficult or challenging conversations with clients, but finding a way for things to be mutually beneficial, to have mutually comfortable outcomes, to help drive their programs forward. you know, we had so much positive client feedback about her but she is smart and kind and funny and dedicated and. Yeah she she is great.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. She's, you know, even though we didn't work on any of the same accounts together, just even in account reviews and her storytelling, she's always just the best storyteller and just always so positive, even with the teams and always encouraging.

Elisabeth Keller: she took quite a few client relationships that were in very precarious and difficult states and turn them around where the clients were like, we love you guys. Right. You know, and it was through her kind of steadfastness and her honesty and her, and, she, like you willing to roll up her sleeves and do what it, what it takes to get things done.

Amber Meakin: Yeah. she's already agreed to be on the show since that's part of part of the process here. So we're gonna look forward to speaking with her soon. Elisabeth, thank you so much. Appreciate it. And

Elisabeth Keller: Thank you.

Amber Meakin: this will be our first one. So this is exciting. I really appreciate your support and getting this off the ground.

Elisabeth Keller: Sure. I think you are doing an amazing thing. I love the concept of this and I love your courage and willingness to step out there with this. I think it will be hugely successful.

Amber Meakin: Yes, I hope so. We're getting some good some good initial initial feedback, so love it. Alright, that's where we'll leave it for today. Thank you so much for spending this time with me and for listening to the very first episode of Vouched. Finding a job right now is tough. One opening can draw hundreds, if not thousands, of resumes, and most never reach a real person. So instead of leaving good people stuck in that stack, vouch puts a real name behind them. every episode Someone gets vouched for by a person who has worked with them and will stake their own reputation on them. Sometimes that voucher is me, Sometimes it's a guest voucher stepping up for someone they believe in. Either way, you hear exactly why. Today I vouched for Elisabeth Keller and you got to hear just a bit from me and directly from her on her loyalty and CRM expertise. So if you're building a team or you have a problem you think she's built to solve, Take this as my personal recommendation and reach out to her. Her contact information is in the show notes. I hope you enjoyed getting to know her and maybe picked something up new along the way. And this is really the whole point of vouched. The best people usually come recommended, and I want to keep that going. If you know someone who deserves to be on this show, someone you would personally vouch for the way I just vouched for Elisabeth, I would love to hear from you. You can reach me at vouchedpodcast.com. That information will be in the show notes right alongside Elisabeth's contact information. Thank you again for listening, and thank you, Elisabeth, for trusting me with the very first one. I'll see you on the next episode of Vouched.