I started Verve Search in 2009, with a laptop, in 2017 we were 35 people and sold to Omnicom Media Group. Today, we are 50 people. This is my presentation from Unboxed conference in Oxford, sharing my experience in building and developing teams.

2. P E P L E

3. Finding the “right” people

4. The right person might not think to
apply to your job ad

5. Different job ads
With different titles

6. CVs are often a shortcut to missing
talent

7. GRIT
(passion + perseverance)

8. Andrew

9. He’s also a gamer

11. Andrew is now Outreach Team Lead

12. Ask different questions

14. 100 people theory?

15. It’s HOW you THINK
that changes how you do

16. Find people with DIFFERENT
strengths.

18. PURPOSE

19. Vision & Values

20. How are you going to get there if you
don’t know where IT is?

21. “ The destination for digital pioneers”

22. Honest
Courageous
Inquisitive
Accountable
Pioneering

23. Vision Boards –
personal and agency

24. Developing People

25. The importance of NOT being agreeable!

26. AGREEABLE
DISAGREEABLE
GIVER TAKER
Source: inspired by Adam Grant

27. AGREEABLE
DISAGREEABLE
GIVER TAKER
Source: inspired by Adam Grant

28. AGREEABLE
DISAGREEABLE
GIVER TAKER
Source: inspired by Adam Grant

29. AGREEABLE
DISAGREEABLE
GIVER TAKER
Source: inspired by Adam Grant

30. AGREEABLE
DISAGREEABLE
GIVER TAKER
Source: inspired by Adam Grant

31. Encourage people to ask questions

33. Help people to be MORE
of who they ARE

34. Listen differently

35. SHOW them the way!!

36. Developed a competency framework
(single and management track)

37. Pathway to promotion

38. Competency Framework

39. A solid review system

42. Accountability grows through empathy
and understanding of other people

43. Love Week

46. Cheers4Peers

47. Difference between Empathy and
Sympathy

48. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw

53. 159 Links
10,557 Link Score
1.7 million views

54. It is not enough to do one campaign that gets good links.
You need consistently high quality links!

55. Launched 6 Campaigns in 2018

56. 358 links
27,838 LinkScore

57. Their target term, “Contact Lenses”, searched 74k times a month, moved
from position 12 at start to position 2
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
24
01/04/2017 31/05/2017 30/07/2017 28/09/2017 27/11/2017

58. Non-brand organic traffic increased by 188%

60. The main difference between success
and failing is not giving up

62. 3 buildings fell through – it took 6 months to get this campaign created.

63. Anyone can come up with ideas, but
developing ideas is the key, and that is a team effort.
And sticking to it is a ”stretch” effort.

65. “Being afraid, but doing
it anyway, since 1978”
Lisa.Myers@vervesearch.com
@LisaDMyers