Backstop’s Q1 Task Force: Hitting It Out of the Park

by: Maryling Yu

At Backstop, we develop innovative solutions that help our clients thrive. But our innovative spirit doesn’t stop there. We’re always working to find new and better ways of doing nearly everything. Our task force program is a perfect example. It’s a unique approach to setting and achieving business goals that consistently gets results.

Each quarter, we assemble a task force to focus on a specific company mission or theme. For example, the “Health and Wellness” task force in Q3 of 2017 challenged every employee to take positive steps toward a healthier lifestyle. And, the Q2 2017 “Know What Your Customers Know” task force helped every Backstopper become more familiar with the specific terminology and vernacular our customers use.

The task force initiated in the Q1 2018 was also effective – and fun! The team challenged the entire company to meet or exceed our critical revenue target. This challenge grew out of the recognition that Backstop’s success is directly related to our customers’ successes. It turned out to be one of our best undertakings yet.

We approached the challenge by focusing on storytelling – telling stories that demonstrated how each and every member of the Backstop team plays a role in our customers’ success.

The 12-member task force team took turns telling stories about specific customers at company meetings. To keep things interesting and fun, we co-opted various approaches to the stories, like fairy tales, superheroes, and even Star Wars. Each story made a direct connection between the client’s success and the efforts of the Backstop team. Among the many highlights was a video made in the “spaghetti western” style, which featured Justin Barone from Engineering and Lauren Ballewske from Support trotting out their very best cowboy drawls.

At the end of the quarter, when we learned we had not just met, but exceeded our critical revenue target, we pulled out all the stops to celebrate. The entire company gathered at SPIN for a Ping Pong party, and every employee got to choose between a warm Patagonia vest, Patagonia pullover, or phone charger to commemorate the achievement!

Our quarterly task force program is just one of many approaches that helps Backstop employees stay focused on our goals, while still having a ton of fun!

Maryling "Mare" Yu is the Vice President of Marketing at Backstop Solutions Group. Mare is responsible for all aspects of marketing for Backstop, including building the Backstop brand, creating demand, enabling the field, and demonstrating results.