Kris Rudeegraap, co-founder and CEO of Sendoso, joined The Snoball Effect podcast to share insights on how brands can create memorable customer experiences and build loyal advocates. Known for his innovative approach to customer engagement, Kris emphasizes the value of personal connection in an increasingly digital world.
From delivering the perfect gift to making every touchpoint meaningful, Kris highlights why a personal touch is key to turning buyers into lifelong advocates. In his parting advice, Kris urged listeners to prioritize building connections—because, as he puts it, “Your network is your net worth.”
By reaching out to peers, sharing ideas, and learning from others, marketers can continue to grow and shape their expertise in new and impactful ways.
Key Takeaways
- Personalization through Gifting: Kris shared how thoughtful, personalized gifting can make a memorable impact. Using insights like customer interests or significant life events, brands can deliver experiences that go beyond standard outreach, turning simple gestures into moments of delight and connection.
- Unified Customer Journey: Rather than siloing “buyers” and “customers,” Kris emphasized treating everyone as part of a single, holistic journey. By keeping sales and marketing aligned, and engaging with customers at every stage, companies can build stronger, longer-lasting relationships that naturally lead to advocacy.
- AI as an “Assisting Intelligence”: AI can amplify marketers’ efforts by enabling personalized outreach at scale. From drafting content to suggesting the perfect gift, AI helps marketers focus on strategy while ensuring that each touchpoint feels intentional and relevant.
Engaging Customers through Gifting and Personalization
Kris shared how thoughtful, personalized gifting can make a memorable impact. Reflecting on his early days in sales, he said, “I started writing handwritten notes and sending them out to prospects. I started...hearing a dog bark on a call and going to Amazon, finding a dog toy, shipping it out to a prospect.”
He continued, “It worked super, well. It was just time-consuming to pack boxes and run down to FedEx.” This sparked the idea for Sendoso, where teams can now send tailored gifts with ease.
The psychology behind gifting plays a huge role in its success. "There’s that unboxing experience—it’s a bit like Christmas morning,” Kris said. This human-centered approach taps into the customer’s sense of surprise and gratitude, which leads to a stronger, more memorable connection. It’s all about creating moments that matter. Whether it’s a t-shirt with a company logo or a bottle of wine, gifts have the power to delight and leave a lasting impression.
Sendoso has taken this a step further by integrating with Amazon, allowing clients to choose highly personalized items. Kris described the feature, saying, “I’m gonna go find a Warrior's onesie and Amazon will…ship it to our nearest warehouse. We unbox it, rebox it, put a handwritten note in, track it through CRM, and send it out. And the recipient thinks they have a perfectly personalized gift.” By focusing on personalization, Kris has built a company that makes the customer feel seen and appreciated in every interaction.
The Unified Buyer and Customer Journey
One of the most powerful insights Kris shared was about creating a seamless buyer-customer journey. Too often, companies treat prospective customers differently from existing ones, with each team working in isolation.
Kris emphasized the importance of keeping sales involved beyond the initial transaction. This shift means that marketing and sales work together throughout the customer lifecycle, building stronger, more cohesive relationships that don’t end with a sale. Kris recalled a time when Google adopted a similar approach, referring to all clients as “customers,” regardless of where they were in the journey. This mindset, he believes, can help unify goals and create a smoother handoff between departments.
The Sendoso team also encourages their clients to nurture connections throughout the journey by using LinkedIn and other platforms to engage regularly. As Kris put it, “If you nurture relationships all along, the request for a testimonial or a case study comes naturally.” This approach not only improves customer experience but also lays the groundwork for building loyal advocates who feel valued at every stage.
The Role of AI in Personalizing at Scale
In a world where AI is rapidly changing the landscape of marketing, Kris offers a balanced perspective. “AI isn’t about replacing the human touch—it’s about amplifying it,” he said. For Kris, AI provides the ability to enhance personalization, from selecting gifts to crafting messages, while allowing marketers to focus on strategic decision-making.
One of Sendoso’s innovations includes using AI-driven data to suggest gift options based on customer preferences, creating a targeted approach without losing that human feel.
By understanding customer signals—like a new promotion or a big win—Sendoso’s platform can help marketers select gifts that reflect these milestones. Kris broke it down into three personalization layers: “you can personalize around the person, you can also personalize around the signal…and you can personalize around the action.” This structure ensures that every touchpoint resonates with the recipient.
Kris also highlighted the time-saving benefits of AI, especially in content creation and outreach. “AI can draft up a version one of that. Which would then more quickly allow me to finish that content and get that to my customers,” he explained.
By automating repetitive tasks, teams can respond faster and with more accuracy. He added the following about AI:
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Kris Rudeegraap
CEO @ Sendoso
“It’s not about taking the human out of the equation but helping humans focus on what matters most."
AI-driven insights, according to Kris, can make customer journeys feel more intentional and customized, setting a new standard for engagement.
A Challenge to Marketers – “Go Grab Coffee with a Stranger”
Kris wrapped up the episode with a challenge to marketers everywhere: “Go grab coffee with a stranger next week.” With remote work and digital transformation sometimes isolating us, he encourages everyone to rekindle that face-to-face connection.
Whether it’s with another marketer, a mentor, or someone you admire in the field, Kris believes these casual conversations often spark the biggest insights and inspirations. For Snoball, this approach is at the heart of word of mouth marketing: building real connections that drive authentic referrals.
Want to take your word of mouth marketing efforts to the next level? Let Snoball help! Schedule a demo to see what Snoball can do for your business.
Schedule DemoAs you shape your customer journey, remember that these small interactions can create the kind of genuine advocacy that no ad can match. Kris’s parting wisdom is clear—build those connections, and they just might become your most powerful marketing strategy.
