Milena Traikovich helps businesses drive effective campaigns for nurturing high-quality leads. As our Demand Gen expert, she brings extensive experience in analytics, performance optimization, and lead generation initiatives.
Can you tell us a bit about your background?My background is a mix of media planning, tech, and business development, but I’ve always been fascinated by how relationships shape success. Throughout my career, I’ve focused on analytics and performance optimization to drive more effective lead generation initiatives. This blend of experiences has enabled me to help businesses design and execute campaigns that genuinely connect with people.
What led you to co-found Thnks?Thnks was born in 2016 with the question “What would you do if a client was behind you in line at a coffee shop?” For myself and my co-founder Larry Rubin, the answer was 100% of the time we’d buy that client a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. We wanted to re-imagine business relationships built on gratitude, so we created a platform where users can instantly send personalized gestures of appreciation, perfect for business development.
What is the main mission of Thnks?The main mission of Thnks is to bring gratitude into the business world in a meaningful and scalable way. We aim to help businesses nurture relationships through small, thoughtful gestures, transforming how companies grow and connect by making gratitude a key part of their interactions.
How does Thnks aim to transform business relationships?Thnks aims to transform business relationships by making it easy to show appreciation. Our platform allows users to send personalized gestures at the right time, making gratitude a natural and impactful part of business development. By focusing on human connection, we help companies build deeper, more genuine relationships with their clients and partners.
What role do you play as the CEO and Co-founder of Thnks?As the Co-founder and CEO, my role involves setting the strategic direction for Thnks and ensuring that our technology aligns with our mission. I focus on advancing our platform’s capabilities, integrating new technologies, and driving our overall business development to maintain a high level of service for our users.
How do you set the strategic direction for Thnks?Setting the strategic direction involves a mix of market analysis, customer feedback, and constant innovation. We look at industry trends, listen to our users’ needs, and identify ways to enhance our platform to stay ahead. It’s about creating a roadmap that leverages our strengths and addresses the evolving landscape of business relationships.
How does your platform help businesses nurture relationships?Our platform helps businesses nurture relationships by enabling them to send personalized tokens of appreciation effortlessly. By integrating data analytics, we provide insights on when and how to send these gestures, ensuring that they are timely and relevant. This approach makes it simpler for companies to maintain a human touch in their interactions.
What key lesson did your experience in media planning teach you about customer relationships?Media planning taught me the importance of delivering the right message at the right time to the right audience. Personalization is a natural evolution of that principle. Understanding what makes someone unique and tailoring interactions to those specifics can make a significant difference in building meaningful customer relationships.
How did media planning influence your emphasis on personalization in marketing?Media planning emphasized that a well-timed and targeted message is crucial. This directly influenced my approach to personalization in marketing—understanding that treating customers as individuals and delivering personalized content enhances their overall experience. Thnks builds on this by making every gesture feel personal and timely.
Can you describe how technology has helped scale the mission of Thnks?Technology has been instrumental in scaling Thnks. By creating a seamless platform that allows users to send personalized gestures easily, we can extend our mission of gratitude to a larger audience. The integration of data analytics helps businesses understand when gratitude is most effective, allowing them to personalize their outreach on a significant scale without sacrificing sincerity.
How do you balance technology with sincerity in your platform?Balancing technology with sincerity involves ensuring that our platform enhances human interaction rather than replaces it. We design our technology to be a tool that assists users in expressing genuine appreciation. It simplifies the process of choosing and sending gestures while keeping the human element at the core of every interaction.
What role does data analytics play in your platform’s effectiveness?Data analytics plays a crucial role in our platform’s effectiveness by providing insights that help our users optimize their gestures of gratitude. It identifies patterns and suggests the most impactful times to send personalized messages. This ensures that every gesture is not only personal but also timely and relevant.
How does Gen Z’s approach to workplace culture impact Thnks’ strategy?Gen Z’s emphasis on genuine connections and support in the workplace aligns perfectly with Thnks’ strategy. They value authentic relationships and appreciation, which is central to our offerings. This cultural shift reinforces our belief that gratitude can drive engagement, loyalty, and long-term success in business relationships.
Can you explain the concept of “growth through gratitude”?“Growth through gratitude” is about using genuine appreciation to foster stronger business relationships. When people feel valued and recognized, they are more likely to engage positively and remain loyal. This concept is becoming a key differentiator for companies, making interactions more human and driving growth through deeper connections.
Why is gratitude becoming a key differentiator for companies?Gratitude differentiates companies by building stronger, more meaningful relationships with clients and employees. It moves interactions from being purely transactional to more personal and impactful, which drives loyalty and satisfaction. Companies that consistently show appreciation foster a positive culture and stand out in a competitive market.
What are some benefits of making business interactions more human?Making business interactions more human can increase engagement, loyalty, and satisfaction. People respond positively when they feel genuinely valued and seen, leading to stronger relationships and better long-term outcomes for both the business and its clients. It also creates a more positive work environment and enhances overall brand reputation.
What major challenge do marketers face in personalizing customer experiences?The biggest challenge is balancing personalization with privacy. Customers want meaningful and tailored interactions but also value their privacy highly. Marketers need to use data responsibly, respect boundaries, and ensure transparency in their personalization efforts to maintain trust.
How can marketers balance personalization with respect for privacy?Marketers can balance personalization with privacy by being transparent about data usage, obtaining consent, and using data to enhance, not invade, customer experiences. It’s crucial to respect customer boundaries, provide options for data sharing, and ensure that personalization efforts are sincerely aimed at improving the customer experience.
Do you think AI-driven marketing can replace empathy in customer relationships?AI in marketing cannot replace empathy but can complement it. AI can identify opportunities and optimize processes, but genuine empathy involves understanding context, emotions, and nuances that machines can’t replicate. The most effective strategies will blend AI’s efficiency with human empathy to create meaningful connections.
How does AI assist in the sales and marketing processes at Thnks?AI assists by identifying optimal moments for engagement, helping to personalize gestures, and providing insights that inform our users’ strategies. It streamlines processes and ensures that gratitude gestures are timely and relevant, enhancing the overall experience while supporting the human element of our platform.
Why is empathy crucial in building business relationships?Empathy is crucial because it fosters trust and genuine connections. Understanding and responding to the emotions and needs of clients and colleagues help build stronger, more resilient relationships. It humanizes interactions and ensures that business connections are meaningful and supportive.
How can businesses blend AI efficiency with human empathy effectively?Businesses can blend AI efficiency with human empathy by using AI to handle repetitive tasks, gather data, and identify trends while leaving the empathetic, personalized interactions to humans. AI can provide valuable insights and recommendations, but the actual engagement should be led by empathetic and thoughtful human interactions.
What are some practical ways to keep digital communication authentic?To keep digital communication authentic, businesses should use customers’ names, reference specific interactions, and acknowledge feedback. Maintaining a conversational tone, avoiding overly robotic language, and adding personal touches can make communications feel more genuine and relatable.
What are some common mistakes when relying too heavily on automation?Common mistakes include treating automation as a “set it and forget it” solution and failing to personalize communications adequately. Over-reliance on automation can lead to impersonal or irrelevant messages, potentially damaging relationships. Businesses should balance automation with thoughtful oversight to keep interactions meaningful.
How can businesses avoid messages becoming stale or impersonal with automation?Businesses can avoid this by regularly updating their automation strategies to reflect current customer data and preferences. Tailoring automated messages to different customer segments and ensuring regular human oversight can keep communications fresh and relevant. Adding personal touches and reviewing content for authenticity also help.
Can you tell us about any upcoming features on the Thnks platform?We’re excited to introduce new integrations that provide real-time insights, allowing users to send the right gesture at the right time. Enhancements to our CRM integrations will enable sales and customer success teams to recognize key moments like closed deals or milestones directly within their workflow, making gratitude more seamless and impactful.
How will new integrations enhance personalization on Thnks?New integrations will enhance personalization by providing deeper insights and making it easier to identify the perfect moments to send gestures of appreciation. By integrating more closely with users’ existing tools, we streamline the process, ensuring that each gesture feels timely and relevant.
What advice do you have for marketers wanting to leverage technology while maintaining trust?My advice is to always put the relationship first. Use technology to enhance, not replace, human interactions. It’s important to remember that technology is a tool to streamline processes and create moments of delight but never lose sight of the person on the other end. Trust and authenticity should be the guiding principles, with technology supporting those values. Simple acts of gratitude can make a huge difference, as people want to feel valued and seen, which technology can support but never replace the human element.
