Interview with LinkedIn's CFO Steve Sordello

Ahead of our One Year Anniversary in Asia we caught up with LinkedIn's CFO.

How can social networking improve the way we do business?
Overall, social media has given companies access to unprecedented amounts of information on client behavior and preferences – aka Big Data, which at LinkedIn we are a big data company. Making sense out of the data and helping professionals better understand and leverage data to help achieve their business  objectives.
 
As such, social media has becomes an office productivity tool, much the same way that email did in the late 1990s. For LinkedIn specifically, we are transforming the way companies:

• Hire: HR departments are using social media to connect with job seekers and to identify potential passive candidates and streamline the application process.
• Market: Marketing teams leverage social media to extend their message and engage their targeted audience the way they can never be able to do through traditional media.
• Sell: Sales teams use social media to generate leads turning cold calls into warm calls and track clients as they move through the sales funnel – the era of Social Selling.

What does bold marketing leadership look like to you?
Bold marketing leadership is challenging the status quo and leveraging new, innovative ways to achieve the company’s marketing objectives. As I mentioned, social media is currently a disruptive way of identifying and reaching new and current customers. It also allows marketers to iterate continuously and leverage data to maximize ROI for the customer and company.

What advice would you offer to marketers looking to impress their CFOs?
It is important for CMOs and CFOs to have alignment on the overall company objectives to work harmoniously. The CFOs are generally concerned with managing the company financials, driving the business for top line growth and bottom line leverage while mitigating risk in an effort to exceed market expectations. In addition CFOs are also educating the market and investors on the company value proposition and the investments it is making to drive future value. In doing so CFOs look for investments that can drive sustainable value and enable the organisation to scale over the long term. I would encourage all marketers to partner closely with the CFO or finance organization to show ROI and long-term value creation on their investments.

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