---
title: "Key Takeaways from Inbound 2018: How to Grow Better"
description: "Key Takeaways from Inbound 2018: How to Grow Better"
image: https://www.prp.group/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/inbound-2018-main-stage-1000.jpg
---

[![White_PRP Group x Hawke Media Logo](https://www.prp.group/hs-fs/hubfs/PRP%20Website/Images/White_PRP%20Group%20x%20Hawke%20Media%20Logo.png?width=5009&height=2484&name=White_PRP%20Group%20x%20Hawke%20Media%20Logo.png "White_PRP Group x Hawke Media Logo")](https://www.prp.group/)

[![The Podcast](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/41856616/c34087bb-787f-4f40-bb0e-d48529d7e877.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/41856616/c34087bb-787f-4f40-bb0e-d48529d7e877)

[![Connect With Us](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/41856616/b2cbd633-db81-4d16-ad33-cc3973ac6471.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/41856616/b2cbd633-db81-4d16-ad33-cc3973ac6471)

**

** **

[![prp-group-logo-full-color-rgb-864px@300ppi](https://www.prp.group/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/prp-group-logo-full-color-rgb-864px@300ppi.png?width=864&height=180&name=prp-group-logo-full-color-rgb-864px@300ppi.png "prp-group-logo-full-color-rgb-864px@300ppi")](https://www.prp.group/)

[![The Podcast](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/41856616/6158d203-4f17-403e-9a57-0fa1d26c4959.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/41856616/6158d203-4f17-403e-9a57-0fa1d26c4959)

[![Connect With Us](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/41856616/b2cbd633-db81-4d16-ad33-cc3973ac6471.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/41856616/b2cbd633-db81-4d16-ad33-cc3973ac6471)

**

** **

Search

[![prpgroup-white](https://fs.hubspotusercontent00.net/hubfs/2224752/prpgroup-white.svg "prpgroup-white")](https://www.prp.group/)

** **

[![Our Blog](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/41856616/341b4c59-af1b-45f3-be6c-49418a32ccb1.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/41856616/341b4c59-af1b-45f3-be6c-49418a32ccb1)

[![Connect With Us](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/41856616/b2cbd633-db81-4d16-ad33-cc3973ac6471.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/41856616/b2cbd633-db81-4d16-ad33-cc3973ac6471)

![](https://www.prp.group/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/inbound-2018-main-stage-1000.jpg)

# Key Takeaways from Inbound 2018: How to Grow Better

 Written by [Kayla](https://www.prp.group/blog/author/kayla)

 September 26, 2018

By: [Amber Bullis](https://www.prp.group/prp-team-member/amber-bullis)

*This is the first post in a two-part series about our takeaways from Inbound 2018.*

Two weeks ago, three members of the PR with Panache! team hopped on a plane to Boston to join more than 24,000 other marketers at [Inbound 2018](https://www.inbound.com/about). The conference was a whirlwind of educational sessions, networking, and food trucks (yes, the food trucks were a very important part of my experience).

 

Hubspot founders Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah focused their keynotes on **two ways businesses can** **grow better: **Moving from the marketing funnel to the marketing flywheel, and implementing the customer code.

![inbound-2018-main-stage-1000](https://www.prp.group/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/inbound-2018-main-stage-1000.jpg?width=600&name=inbound-2018-main-stage-1000.jpg)

**The Marketing Flywheel**

CEO of Hubspot Brian Halligan showed why businesses should shift their focus from the traditional marketing funnel to what he calls the flywheel.

![Flywheel 2](https://www.prp.group/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Flywheel%202.png?width=600&name=Flywheel%202.png)

*Source: Hubspot*

 

In a traditional marketing funnel, turning prospects into customers is the goal, and is also where the funnel ends. However, in an age where peer reviews mean significantly more than business claims, companies must pay attention to their customer experience. **Really, marketing doesn’t end when the funnel does.**

 

Enter the flywheel, where equal force is applied to service, marketing, and sales, and where turning customers into evangelists keeps the flywheel in motion. The flywheel slows down, or fails, when too much friction is applied to the customer experience.

 

To start visualizing how the flywheel could work for your business, Hubspot suggests this “flywheel homework.”

![Flywheel Homework 2](https://www.prp.group/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Flywheel%20Homework%202.png?width=512&name=Flywheel%20Homework%202.png)

For ideas on how other businesses are beginning to move from the funnel to the flywheel, a good place to start is by searching #ourfunnel on Twitter, visiting [OurFlywheel.com](https://www.ourflywheel.com), or talking to your PR with Panache! client lead (Not a client yet? [We’re still happy to help](http://www.prwithpanache.com/contact/)).  

 

**The Customer Code**

Dharmesh Shah, CTO of Hubspot, used humble humor and wit to share [**the customer code**](https://www.hubspot.com/customer-code), a 128-slide deck that shows how customers want to be treated.

[![Inbound Stage 2](https://www.prp.group/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Inbound%20Stage%202.png?width=600&name=Inbound%20Stage%202.png)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC3IxUEyUEA)

**The Customer Code Tenets Include:**

1. Earn my attention, don’t steal it.
2. Treat me like a person, not a persona.
3. Solve for my success, not your process.
4. Use my data, don’t abuse it.
5. Ask for feedback and act on it.
6. Own your screw-ups.
7. Help me help you, by helping myself.
8. I don’t mind paying, but I do mind being played.
9. Don’t block the exit.
10. Do the right thing, even when it’s hard.

 

By following the customer code, you will delight your customers and keep your flywheel in motion. How well is your business doing and what tenet needs the most attention? Grade your company against these tenets by downloading [a blank report card](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/53/hubspot-customer-code_reportcard.pdf?t=1537365643670&__hstc=20629287.35ac69d357b2fa23880f0e0d65c37a39.1509642712216.1537303764781.1537363048138.89&__hssc=20629287.5.1537363048138&__hsfp=1316036453).

 

The shift to customer-focused service, marketing, and sales isn’t easy--even Hubspot only gave itself a score of 7.1/10. But, the simple truth is this: customers influence a huge majority of buying decisions, and trust in marketing is at an [all-time low](https://www.edelman.com/news-awards/2018-edelman-trust-barometer-reveals-record-breaking-drop-trust-in-the-us).

 

By thinking about customers as an input for your flywheel instead of the output of your funnel, you’ll get better at treating them according to the customer code—and you’ll be well on your way to growing better.

 

Thanks for sharing!

### Get The Inside(r) Scoop

Previous Story

[← Why Successful Editorial Pitches Are Like Costco Samples](https://www.prp.group/blog/why-successful-editorial-pitches-are-like-costco-samples)

[** ](https://www.prp.group/blog)

Next Story

[Communicating with EdTech Customers: Message in the Method →](https://www.prp.group/blog/communicating-with-edtech-customers-message-in-the-method)

### Get The Inside(r) Scoop

[![White_PRP Group x Hawke Media Logo](https://www.prp.group/hs-fs/hubfs/PRP%20Website/Images/White_PRP%20Group%20x%20Hawke%20Media%20Logo.png?width=2000&height=991&name=White_PRP%20Group%20x%20Hawke%20Media%20Logo.png "White_PRP Group x Hawke Media Logo")](https://www.prp.group/)

PRP Group, a Hawke Media Company, is an award-winning full-service education PR and marketing firm serving the pre-K–12 and higher-ed community.

[** ](https://twitter.com/prwithpanache)

[** ](https://www.linkedin.com/company/2792391/admin/)

[** ](https://ecosystem.hubspot.com/marketplace/solutions/pr-with-panache)

[** ](https://meetings.hubspot.com/jacob34?)

#### Services

#### Contact

#### PRP

#### Legal

#### Get the Inside(r) Scoop*!*

Copyright © 2021 | All Rights Reserved.

```json
{
  "@context" : "https://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Kayla",
    "url" : "https://www.prp.group/blog/author/kayla"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2025-04-26T18:18:22.855Z",
  "datePublished" : "2018-09-26T07:00:00.000Z",
  "headline" : "Key Takeaways from Inbound 2018: How to Grow Better",
  "image" : [ "https://www.prp.group/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/inbound-2018-main-stage-1000.jpg" ],
  "mainEntityOfPage" : {
    "@id" : "https://www.prp.group/blog/key-takeaways-from-inbound-2018-how-to-grow-better",
    "@type" : "WebPage"
  },
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "url" : "https://www.prp.group/hubfs/hawke-red-1.svg"
    },
    "name" : "Hawke Media"
  }
}
```