Perspectives: Rachel Truair, Senior Director of Revenue, Confluent

Perspectives is a series uncovering routines, inspiration, and insights by global brand leaders shaping the future of marketing.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rachel Truair is Senior Director of Revenue Marketing at Confluent. In her own words – Rachel shares her perspective on:

• Balancing work and life...
• How to feel more creative...
• Knowing your worth…

And more...

Describe your routine. What is your typical day like?

My day starts saying good morning to my loved ones, and making breakfast with them.

After that, I'm privileged to have a wonderful nanny who ensures my son is taken care of when I'm working.

I then head into my home office which is a long 5 step walk from my kitchen, and shut the door. I have been participating in a group focused on The Artist's Way and have been writing morning pages for about 30 minutes every morning, by hand. That helps me get my creativity flowing for the day.

The rest of the day rarely looks the same — calls, presentations, 1:1s, and networking. I try to stop for lunch at least for 10-15 minutes and it's usually something simple and quick like a sandwich.

Then I tend to wrap up calls and shift to “deep work” in the afternoon, like building decks or analyzing numbers.

Who or what do you look to for inspiration?

Nature fuels my creativity.

I've been challenged to find that connection with not being able to travel to some of my favorite destinations — usually by this time of year I've been fly fishing in the sparkling blue waters of Ascenscion Bay, Mexico or paddling in the lakes of the Adirondacks.

Since I've been more homebound, I've looked to other women for inspiration. One woman in particular, Riley Blanks of Woke Beauty, has been writing some beautiful prose on the state of our country and her own lived experiences.

I've also been inspired by Karen Baker, CEO of ShipStation, who is a vocal proponent of social good and change in tech, particularly the e-commerce space. Her thoughts follow me around like a conscience.

What do you feel most marketers struggle with?

For tech marketers, we are so closely tied to pipeline and revenue now more than ever before. That can sometimes make us second guess our ability to tell amazing stories, create inspiring campaigns, or give back in meaningful ways.

In an effort to always prove value and ROI, we sometimes lose our way when it comes to the meaningful impact marketing can make.

I think finding that balance is a huge struggle and can manifest itself for marketers in strange ways, such as dysfunctional team dynamics, attribution wars, or (probably the worst!) boring marketing.

What does the future of marketing look like to you?

I think it is going to be more human-centric than ever.

For B2B marketers, we are quickly having to adjust to a new reality where our buyers look more and more like B2C consumers. There's a great (pre-COVID) podcast by Forrester called “The Death of the B2B Salesman” that talks about this shift.

The future of marketing is requiring B2B marketers to move away from dated vanity metrics of the past (like clicks and even MQLs) and toward measurement that moves the needle toward revenue:

Are we reaching the right buyers, at the right time? How are they interacting with our content and why? What is happening in our buyers' lives that might make this campaign resonate (or not)? These are the questions that are forming the basis for how we will think about marketing campaigns going forward.

This spring, both the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement have created a renewed focus on corporate social responsibility that demands we can no longer lean on ignorance to forget about the human element of our society, and that extends to how companies market. I believe as we emerge from this time, we will see some amazingly brilliant marketing campaigns celebrating our ability to overcome anything.

I'm looking forward to it!

What is a book, podcast, person, or event that helped shape your career – and why?

I have just finished a 12-week program focused on the book The Artist's Way, which I wasn't familiar with prior to the program. It helped me to think more creatively and “fill the well” more intentionally.

I've found that has helped me be more creative in my day to day at work as a marketer.

What is something interesting or surprising you learned in the last few months?

That Tom Hanks collects typewriters! I never knew that before and I think it's just such a Tom Hanks move.

I discovered that fun fact while watching a great documentary called California Typewriter after I found myself reconnected with writing on a typewriter -- something I hadn't tried in years. The satisfying sound of ink hitting a piece of paper is surprisingly liberating.  

What advice do you have for marketers and creatives who look up to you?

Speak your truth, as a leader and human being. Don't wait for permission. 

If you have a great idea, work to advance it fearlessly. Be vigilant about your worth and where you want to go in your career.

What are you excited about or looking forward to?

Traveling again.