The Challenge has its name: Change— Week #12 Review

After 12 weeks and a few hours of content, it’s completely safe to say: CXL’s Conversion Optimization course delivers much more than the course’s value. It’s a relief to know that there is such rich content, especially when I remember that I wasn’t finding reliable materials available for study.

In this last week of classes, the main subject is team management and how to run agencies providing CRO services. Despite the specific theme, the knowledge is valid for designing any CRO program.

12th Week Insights

In this last week of lectures, the aim was to review some of them and complete the schedule. The final classes of the program focused on passing on knowledge from people who already worked in dedicated teams or even creating their agency for conversion optimization services.

It is always worth learning from the experience of people who have been through paths in this career so that, at first, some things become easier to understand. For example, it is still common to see CRO-focused squads not having an appropriate structure for the development. In some cases, the team already exists or is being structured. However, the company’s culture does not prioritize ways of thinking that develop people and processes according to the ideal in CRO programs.

In one of the last conversations with one of my managers, we directly related CRO actions to process improvement cycles. The means may be different, but all the research and analysis value behind every test and development is what makes these kinds of improvements so valuable.

Of course, in the end, all that will indicate success is a group of selected indicators improving. It won’t matter if they are influenced by changing the expected behavior on a website or by higher efficiency rates in a process. Both involve a little word that can be uncomfortable: change.

Last Review — How to change?

When I talk about changes, I don’t restrict this only to the behavior of our users and customers. Sometimes it’s also necessary to change our behavior and that of the people on our teams. Although not trivial, I believe that the best way to promote change is by explicit changing. It was a super positive point putting into practice a lot of new actions learned from the lectures, despite not having completed the classes.

A clear example came from the classes regarding Google Tag Manager. Of course, we already have a level of organization and maturity with using the tool. However, I could hear some compliments just for having indicated the use of a tracking strategy in one of our pages. The application of knowledge happened practically in real-time. Also, I have no idea how many materials I studied over the weekend and could follow up on meetings that same week. Of course, it was never a problem to ask concepts in squad calls, especially in an open environment like where I work, but it’s good to anticipate some of the questions.

In a very personal way, the only thing that deviated a little from my expectations throughout the course was the share of e-commerce materials.

In each of these courses, I was able to understand and learn a little on a subject with which I have no contact. Also, it was possible to adapt part of the knowledge to my daily life in a B2B company.

However, with certain techniques more applied to B2C divisions, there are not many relationships to do. Some of the mentioned ones have warning alerts so that they are not used in B2B, or calling for an extra piece of attention, if they are used.

Summing up, what I can say is that I missed a more inclusive number of cases and tests aimed at B2B businesses. Possibly with some of these examples, even if dealing with different sectors from which I work today, we could have thought of closer business perspectives. Which would add even more value to the course.

Of course, I understand the focus. As I know that the vast majority are involved with e-commerce, including people I have contact with, this material can help much. This is a point that could be improved for an audience like me and that might be already advantageous for another.

Highlights

As I have shown my positive opinion and feedback in every other 11 texts over the past few weeks, the last paragraph of this review will not contain some evaluation. I’ll highlight just two concepts that most impressed me, and I’ll try to take them to every environment in the future.

When we talk about Conversion Optimization, 80% is Research and 20% is Experimentation.

It is crucial keeping in mind that most of the time in CRO programs must be directed to research. That means that understanding the user, their journey, and their experience is essential. Searching for data to support the analysis and every hypothesis raised before carrying out any test will enable the smooth running of the entire optimization program that we are developing.

Every test has to be carried out with all the required caution. However, denying any primary steps (evaluation, auditing, and researching) generates many results that lead to nothing.

When we talk about movement, direction and speed are two different elements of the equation. Yes, we must be agile in decision-making processes, but we have to make sure we are going to the right place.

Be specific

I believe this was one of the first sentences used in the course’s classes.

As the modules passed, this particular combination of words changed shape. However, even when used by speakers from different backgrounds, its essence is maintained. The purpose was to say that to get results we have to connect with our clients.

That’s why researching is so important, and we must work from it. With insights generated from these analyses, we can be specific because we’ll know who we’re talking to and at what point in the journey they are, so we can choose the best way to lead communication.

With that in mind, all testing steps must be put into action.

The fact is that, both in this text and in a CRO program, there is a lot of content and work to be done before these tests are put into action.

Unlike the standard idea (also mine until a couple of weeks ago), tests are just one part of a complete CRO program. They can bring results. But, we will sure have consistent results using methodologies that prioritize research and databased steps to test our hypotheses.