# 204 Language Network CEO Jordan Evans on Sales Tactics and Growth Through M&A

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In this section, Jordan Evans discusses his career trajectory and how he transitioned from working in tech startups to becoming the CEO of Language Network.

Career Trajectory

• Jordan's background includes studying Spanish and Economics in college.

• He was involved in multiple software startups before becoming the CEO of a language tech-enabled services company.

• Sales and marketing have been significant aspects of his career, leading him to work for Booking.com as the Commercial Director for North America.

• Jordan emphasizes the importance of learning sales skills as a path to reaching the C-suite.

• Despite facing challenges, such as being fired from a tech company, Jordan remained focused on his goal of becoming an entrepreneur.

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This part delves into Jordan's experience with startups, emphasizing the value of sales skills in the language industry and his journey towards entrepreneurship.

Startups and Entrepreneurship

• Jordan highlights that having a sales background is crucial in the competitive language industry.

• He views sales roles as entrepreneurial opportunities where individuals can take charge of their pipelines and customer interactions.

• Learning while working for others and gaining equity in early-stage startups provided valuable experiences for Jordan.

• Being let go from a tech company served as a turning point that motivated him to pursue entrepreneurship.

• Acquiring Language Network was influenced by family history, with his mother being involved in interpreting services for over 30 years.

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This section explores pivotal moments in Jordan's career, including being fired from a tech company and transitioning towards starting his own venture.

Career Challenges and Transition

• Despite successes at various startups, being fired prompted Jordan to consider working for himself.

• The experience led him to realize the importance of pursuing entrepreneurship rather than solely focusing on sales roles.

Opening Insights and Business Growth

In this section, the speaker discusses his journey of acquiring a business and the subsequent growth strategies implemented.

Acquiring a Business for Growth

• The speaker describes how he acquired a business to explore growth opportunities beyond what was initially perceived.

• Transitioning from software to services, the speaker achieved significant growth by unlearning startup habits and focusing on quality service scaling.

Current State of Language Network

• Language Network offers interpretation, translation, and localization services with a focus on specific client segments like healthcare, government, and international business.

• The company primarily focuses on interpretation services while also offering translation and localization solutions.

Business Expansion Strategies

This section delves into the avenues for growth through acquisitions and the challenges faced during sourcing deals and integration processes.

Growth Through Acquisitions

• The speaker highlights acquisitions as a key growth strategy but emphasizes the importance of finding the right fit and navigating integration challenges.

• Finding suitable acquisitions involves aligning with core competencies to ensure successful expansion into new geographic areas or customer segments.

Integration Challenges

• Integrating acquired businesses requires careful consideration of stability for customers and teams while building trust among stakeholders.

• Initial integration focuses on maintaining stability, resolving issues, and establishing multiple brands under Language Network for contractual reasons.

Strategic Integration Approach

This part explores the disciplined approach to integrating acquired entities within Language Network while prioritizing relationships and operational efficiency.

Disciplined Integration Process

• Emphasizing intentional moves in integration processes to build relationships with clients, teams, translators, interpreters, ensuring stability before operational changes.

Detailed Integration Strategies

In this section, the CEO discusses operational integration strategies to unify teams post-acquisition while maintaining brand integrity and goodwill.

Operational Unity and Brand Preservation

• Emphasizes operating as one company post-integration to avoid silos.

• Implements cross-training and shared operational systems for seamless collaboration.

• Highlights the importance of quick wins through low-hanging fruit areas for integration success.

Challenges in Sales and Marketing

The conversation shifts towards challenges faced by language service providers in sales, focusing on traditional sales tactics versus modern approaches.

Sales Challenges and Strategies

• Discusses the evolution of sales tactics from cold calling to digital mediums like social media.

• Emphasizes the importance of utilizing multiple channels for effective outreach, including calls and LinkedIn messages.

• Advocates for a personalized approach in sales efforts to stand out amidst competition.

Balancing Outbound and Inbound Marketing

Explores the balance between outbound sales efforts and inbound marketing strategies in reaching customers effectively.

Outbound vs. Inbound Marketing

• Differentiates between interruption sales (outbound) and inbound marketing, highlighting the need for a tailored message.

• Acknowledges challenges in targeting specific customer segments amid industry fragmentation.

Old School Relationship Building in a Digital Age

The discussion revolves around the effectiveness of traditional relationship-building methods in today's digital age and the importance of personal connections in business interactions.

Prioritizing Personal Connections

• Traditional gestures like shaking hands, buying coffee, or sending cookies with handwritten notes can break through digital noise.

• Building and cultivating relationships is crucial, especially when people may not prioritize certain needs unless directly involved.

Importance of In-Person Meetings for Sales

The conversation shifts towards the significance of face-to-face meetings in sales, particularly exploring cultural expectations and challenges related to physical meetings.

Face-to-Face Sales Interactions

• Discussion on the necessity of in-person meetings for salespersons to build rapport and conduct discovery effectively.

• Adapting to changes due to remote work by exploring alternative avenues such as trade shows, conferences, or industry luncheons for networking.

Navigating Business Relationships Amidst AI Integration

Delving into marketing strategies amidst an era dominated by artificial intelligence (AI) integration within industries like translation services.

Marketing Strategies in AI Era

• Challenges posed by AI overload in marketing efforts and the need to differentiate effectively within the language industry.

• Exploring the hype surrounding AI adoption and its practical implications for businesses seeking to integrate AI into their operations.

Adoption of AI Technology in Business Operations

Reflecting on the current stage of AI adoption within companies, particularly focusing on leveraging AI technology for various tasks and marketing endeavors.

Adoption of AI Technology

• Embracing an adoption curve regarding AI technology rather than viewing it as an imminent takeover, emphasizing the ongoing process of integrating AI into workflows.

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The discussion revolves around the persistence of outdated technologies like fax machines in certain industries, particularly healthcare, despite the availability of more modern alternatives.

Why Do People Still Use Fax Machines?

• Despite advancements in technology, some industries, such as healthcare, continue to rely on fax machines due to regulatory and other barriers hindering the adoption of newer technologies.

Role of Fax Machines in Healthcare

• Fax machines remain prevalent in transmitting sensitive information across offices or sharing records within the healthcare sector, even with the existence of encrypted emails.

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The conversation shifts towards discussing the decision-making process between building internal tech tools or purchasing off-the-shelf solutions for localization and interpreting services.

Building vs. Buying Tech Solutions

• Deliberation on whether to develop internal tech tools or opt for best-of-breed off-the-shelf solutions for businesses covering text and interpreting components.

Evolution from Building to Buying

• Transition over a decade from attempting to build software tools internally to recognizing the value of leasing best-of-breed solutions due to rapid technological advancements.

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Focuses on the importance of customer intimacy and leveraging existing off-the-shelf solutions for language support services rather than investing resources in building proprietary technology.

Customer-Centric Approach

• Emphasis on customer intimacy by utilizing pre-built solutions that can be seamlessly integrated into workflows, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness.

Importance of Integration Points

• Acknowledgment that acquiring off-the-shelf software with adaptable plugins is advantageous in a rapidly evolving tech landscape, especially for tech-enabled service businesses.

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Explores the challenges faced by language solution providers regarding proprietary technology development versus prioritizing client outcomes through effective integration points.

Client-Centric Technology Approach

• Clients prioritize outcomes over specific TMS brands, emphasizing seamless integration into workflows and ease of use rather than proprietary technology offerings.

Balancing Development Efforts

• Advocacy for dedicating resources towards customer engagement and solution engineering using existing solutions instead of continuous investment in developing and maintaining proprietary technology.

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Examines the significant growth observed in US interpreting services driven by various factors such as language access, healthcare needs, immigration requirements, compliance regulations, and equal access laws.

Growth Factors in US Interpreting Services

• Notable growth trend observed in US interpreting services attributed to diverse factors including language access demands across sectors like healthcare and legal compliance requirements.

Regulatory Influence on Interpreting Demand

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The speaker discusses the impact of the pandemic on awareness of health disparities and the importance of communication during crises.

Impact of Pandemic Awareness

• The pandemic highlighted barriers to communicating about global health issues.

• There was inequity in health outcomes, leading to a lack of awareness among different populations regarding vaccines and available services.

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Leveraging various languages and mediums for community care and promoting equality and inclusion.

Community Care Strategies

• English alone is not sufficient to bridge gaps in community care during crises.

• Utilizing diverse languages and mediums is crucial for raising awareness, promoting equality, and fostering inclusion within communities.

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Factors influencing healthcare services delivery including regulation, demographics, public sentiment, and ASL interpretation.

Healthcare Services Delivery Factors

• Funding mandates and regulations play a significant role in healthcare service provision.

• Demographics influence the types of services needed in specific areas.

• Public sentiment and awareness impact healthcare delivery practices.

• ASL interpretation is essential for serving the deaf and hard of hearing communities effectively.

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Exploring the demand for qualified interpreters globally with a focus on Australia as a booming market.

Global Interpreter Demand

• Increasing demand for qualified interpreters worldwide highlights a need for more professionals to meet this demand.

• Australia emerges as a significant market due to its diverse linguistic landscape driven by immigration patterns and indigenous languages.

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Discussing potential growth areas within Language Service Providers (LSP) industry amidst rapid technological advancements.

Growth Opportunities in LSP Industry

• Emphasizing the importance of upskilling teams to offer enhanced solutions engineering services to customers.

• Considering adjacent growth areas such as machine versus human interaction in service provision within the LSP industry amidst technological advancements.

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Reflecting on the narrative of John Henry as an analogy for human effort versus machine efficiency in business growth strategies.

Human vs Machine Efficiency

• Drawing parallels between John Henry's story of human effort against machine efficiency with investing in team upskilling for enhanced customer value proposition.

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** Section Overview: ** Investing in team development as a key strategy for enhancing customer value proposition within Language Service Providers (LSP) industry.

Team Development Strategy

• Investing in team development enhances service quality through tactful knowledge application across various tools.

• Upskilling employees enables them to provide higher value propositions to customers, ensuring customer retention.

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** Section Overview: ** Exploring strategies for business growth focusing on team upskilling alongside creative problem-solving approaches.

Business Growth Strategies

• Enhancing team skills leads to increased customer satisfaction through tailored solutions engineering.

• Diversifying service offerings beyond traditional interpretations can drive business growth amid evolving AI technologies.

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** Section Overview: ** Analyzing niche specialization as a strategic approach towards sustainable business expansion within Language Service Providers (LSP) sector.

Niche Specialization Strategy

• Specializing further within existing expertise areas can enhance competitive advantage by offering unique value propositions.

• Focusing on specific customer segments with tailored services can optimize resource allocation while maximizing client satisfaction levels.