A SEAT at THE TABLE: Helping business leaders grow their influence

As leaders try to navigate their businesses through a more complicated market environment, their Human Resources can be their most valuable resources - if they can keep them focused and engaged in the tasks at hand.

This has led to increasing conversations about the importance of corporate culture.

Many leaders think that this means creating a lofty vision expressed in flowery language. 

However culture only works when it is practical and actionable. 

But how do we do that in the face of distracted team members and hybrid work?

Today I’m speaking with Gustavo Razzetti, CEO and founder of Fearless Culture, a culture design consultancy that  has helped leaders from Fortune 500s, startups, nonprofits, and everything in between on every continent but Antartica.

He created the Culture Design Canvas, a framework used by thousands of teams and organizations across the world to map, assess, and design their culture.

Guvstavo is the author of four books, the most recent being “Remote, Not Distant: Design a Company Culture That Can Help You Thrive in a Hybrid Workplace”

In this episode of A Seat at The Table, Gustavo talks about:

1. Can workplace culture be designed - and how we can do this.

2. How to make our company culture easier for employees to understand - and more actionable for leaders.

3. How leadership can overcome the challenges of a hybrid work model.

4. What he’s learned working with a wide range of companies - from the best to the worst.


USEFUL LINKS

Gustavo’s LinkedIn profile. :  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavorazzetti/

Fearless Culture company website: https://www.fearlessculture.design/

Free download of Culture Design Canvas: https://fearless_culture.ck.page/b82be2c3e3

Get your copy of “Remote, Not Distant”:  https://www.amazon.com/Remote-Not-Distant-Company-Workplace-ebook/dp/B09VXX4FN3

Learn about The Current Situation in Sourcing:  https://thecurrentsituation.net

A Seat at The Table website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Whether you are running a huge organisation or a small business, one of the challenges everyone faces is finding the right talent. 

This can be especially daunting if you are looking for senior people with more specialised skill sets.  It’s not just finding the right person.  It’s about finding the right person with the right skills - and who is the right fit for your company.  And doing it in the shortest amount of time.

For many businesses, especially in the tech sector - but not exclusively - this has led to a global outreach where companies need to be able to recruit and evaluate candidates from multicultural backgrounds.

But is there an efficient and effective way to vet a large pool of candidates - and determine with any level of accuracy who might be the best person for a specific job?

In this episode I’m speaking with Alex Svinov, CEO & Co-Founder of Insquad, a company that helps tech startups  find developers 4X faster and build remote-first teams. 

Insquad has developed a method that shortens the recruitment process and saves time screening hundreds of CVs or resumes.

His company has an impressive 80%+ interview-to-hire rate and has worked with over 300 tech startups.

The methodology he’s developed at Insquad could be applied to any industry - not just the tech sector.

There’s a lot we can learn from Alex’s experience, including:

1. A faster, more efficient way to find the right talent.

2. Why a candidate’s mindset is as important as their skill set.

3. How remote working can enable companies to tap into rich talent pools around the world.

USEFUL LINKS

Connect with Alex Svinov:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-svinov/

Insquad website:  https://insquad.com

Learn more about The Current Situation in Sourcing:   https://thecurrentsituation.net

Your Seat at The Table: A road map to landing guest spots on podcasts: 
https://seat.fm/podcastcourse

A Seat at The Table podcast website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

 Employee retention is one of the most talked about topics these days.  Even heading into what looks like an economic slowdown, many companies are struggling to find and retain top talent.

As much as technology has moved into the workplace, thanks to new developments in AI, bots and digitization - there’s still a need for people who are innovative, have leadership skills, technical knowledge and can build relationships with customers.

Good people usually what differentiate the top companies in any field from their competitors.

However, finding those individuals who can help move our companies forward has many leaders shaking their heads in frustration.

Today I’m speaking with Marc Reifenrath, CEO & Co-founder of Spinutech, a full-service digital marketing agency with 150+ team members across the U.S.

Over the past 22 years, Marc has helped Spinutech grow from a college start-up to one of the premier full-service digital marketing agencies in the country. The secret ingredient? Company values that include “Get Better Every Day”.

The proof?  In its first 10 years Spinutech had zero staff turnover.


In this episode of A Seat at The Table, Marc talks about:

1. Why the first 100 days are so critical for a new employee.

2. How the having the right core values attracts A-Players from diverse backgrounds.

3. Why people are a company’s key competitive advantage - even in a digitally-driven world.


USEFUL LINKS

Connect with Marc Reifenrath:  

Spinutech’s website:  www.spinutech.com

Learn about The Current Situation in Sourcing:  https://thecurrentsituation.net

A Seat at The Table website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

When we think about ways to improve online sales, we typically don’t think about website speed. 

However  site speed can play a critical role in driving sales - or driving  customers away.

We know that today’s shopper waits for no one - and alternatives are a mere mouse click away.

But can a site that loads slowly really be part of the reason why online stores lose sales?  And if so, then what kind of boosts to traffic or revenue can we achieve by optimising our site’s performance?

In this episode I’m talking with Shawn O’Neill, founder of SpeedSense, a boutique consultancy and SaaS toolset company that helps enterprise brands lift revenue, improve customer satisfaction, and cut costs by running a faster website.

SpeedSense has helped a client increase organic traffic by 35% simply by speeding up their website.

They’ve also help a client raise annual e-commerce revenue by over $5 million in a few months through site speed.

There’s a lot we can learn from Shawn including:

1. Why it’s so difficult for e-commerce brands to run a fast website.

2. What you need to prioritise so that your site is not only fast - but also engaging.

3. How reducing your back-end server pool can help reduce CO2 emissions and your carbon footprint.

USEFUL LINKS

Connect with Shawn O’Neill:   SpeedSense website: https://www.speedsense.com/

Learn more about The Current Situation in Sourcing:   https://thecurrentsituation.net

Your Seat at The Table: A road map to landing guest spots on podcasts: 
https://seat.fm/podcastcourse

A Seat at The Table podcast website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Retail is facing a complex market environment right now with costs rising, more channels to manage and a consumer who a year ago was flush with stimulus money, but now is dialling down spending in the face of rising inflation.

What can retailers do to get ahead of market conditions - and position themselves to triumph?

Today I’m speaking with Carl Boutet, Founder, Chief Strategist & Executive Advisor at Studio Rx where he advises senior retailer leaders and brands on how to build better business strategies that leverage their combined choices of technology, analytics & design.

His master  recipe for success = Measure > Analyse > Predict > Prescribe

In this episode of A Seat at The Table, Carl talks about:

1. Why retailers need to shift their focus from managing cash flows to now putting more emphasis on resource allocation.

2. How to leverage the power of physical stores in everything from customer acquisition to community building.

3. The value of integrating upstream and downstream data to  have better clarity on inventories and better product information to provide to customers.

USEFUL LINKS:

Connect with Carl Boutet:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlboutet/

Studio Rx website: www.studiorx.world

Learn about The Current Situation in Sourcing:  https://thecurrentsituation.net

A Seat at The Table website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

B2B marketing has been something that most companies either did randomly or not at all.

While those targeting the consumer market understand that marketing is a must - the companies selling to other businesses see promotion or advertising as, basically, a waste of time and money.

The entire burden of driving sales falls squarely on the sales department, who rely on labor intensive efforts that are not efficient - and do little to build up the company’s brand image.

Putting lots of posts on social media doesn’t cost money, but it doesn’t differentiate your products from your competitor’s either.

So what are those leading B2B marketers doing that helps them win sales, stand out in a crowded market - and doesn’t break the bank?

In this episode I’m talking with Donna Peterson, CEO of World Innovators, a B2B Growth Strategist helping companies grow by building relationships that foster trust. 

By understanding each company’s mission, she is able to create smart goals and a cohesive marketing plan to help them to achieve results that exceed expectations.    

World Innovators has spent over 42 years working closely with B2B companies.  From this she knows what works - and what doesn’t - and what marketers need to do differently when facing more challenging economic times.

In this podcast Donna talks about:

• The most cost-effective promotion for B2B marketers.
• The power of combining content creation with brand advertisements.
• What successful marketing has shifted to quality over quantity.

USEFUL LINKS

Connect with Donna Peterson:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/donnaapeterson/

World Innovators website:  www.worldinnovators.com

Learn more about The Current Situation in Sourcing:   https://thecurrentsituation.net

Your Seat at The Table: A road map to landing guest spots on podcasts: 
https://seat.fm/podcastcourse

A Seat at The Table podcast website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Well trained teams are one of the foundations of a successful business. 

That can be a challenge, especially in businesses where front line teams have to keep up to date on a vast amount of new products.   Or in companies where team members need to be knowledgeable about products or services that are complex or very technical.

In  the old days companies would send people to training sessions or courses - some of which last days or even weeks.

That’s no longer a viable option for most companies. 

Fortunately, this is being replaced by innovations in online learning, the most recent and user-friendly being learning apps - that enable team members to study anywhere - and at any time.

Today I’m speaking with Darren  Winterford, CEO and founder of EdApp, a learning app that’s helping B2C and B2B companies empower their teams through easy to use training interfaces.

He’s a pioneer in the microlearning space,  and with the current focus on the democratization of learning, EdApp, together with the United Nations, have launched Educate All: An initiative to increase access to free, high-quality and impactful education around the world.

In this episode of A Seat at The Table, Darren talks about:

1. How mobile apps are an easy to use driver of more educated teams.

2. Using micro learning to keep colleagues up to date - in real time.

3.  How to use learning apps to make training easier and more engaging.


USEFUL LINKS

Edapp website:   https:// edapp.com

Connect with Darren Winterford:   linkedin.com/in/darrenwinterford

LinkedIn page:  linkedin.com/in/edapp-micro-learning

Darrent’s Twitter: twitter.com/thisisedapp

Learn about The Current Situation in Sourcing:  https://thecurrentsituation.net

A Seat at The Table website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Referrals are an often overlooked way to grow your business.  Many see it as ‘old school’.

‘Word of mouth’ has been a time tested way to grow sales and connect with new customers - but in a competitive market, companies need more proactive marketing in order to survive.

Now there’s a new easy to implement, low cost marketing opportunity back by technology that can help both DTC and B2B brands growth their sales - especially as customer acquisitions costs have risen by an estimated 60% over the past 5 years.

Today I’m talking with Raul Galera, Chief Advocate at ReferralCandy, an app that allows eCommerce brands to set up and run customer referral programs.

Raul has helped over 30,000 brands leverage the power of word-of-mouth and turn their customer base into their marketing team.

In this episode of A Seat at The Table, Raul talks about:

1.  How  referral marketing has evolved over the past decade.

2.  The  difference between word of mouth and referral marketing.

3.  How to leverage community marketing to grow your sales.

4.  3 key strategies to introduce a successful referral program to customers.


USEFUL LINKS

Connect with Raul Galera:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/raulgalera/

Referral Candy website:  referralcandy.com

Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/referralcandy

Twitter Handle: @referralcandy

Learn about The Current Situation in Sourcing:  https://thecurrentsituation.net

A Seat at The Table website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

These days when we talk about retail the conversation quickly turns to e-commerce.

In a tech centric era, the pandemic was the perfect storm that convinced everyone that the future of retail was online.

Industry advisors and media proclaimed “Go digital or die”.

Companies threw every possible resource at building or enhancing their e-commerce channels.  Massive amounts of capital was poured into technology-based digital solutions - oftentimes at the expense of everything else.

Everyone wanted to ‘replicate’  what Amazon was doing, with the hope of capturing some it the marketplace giant’s success.

As we found out ‘learning from’ and ‘replicating’ are two different things.

With the pandemic behind us - and inflation ahead of us - is the future of retail still going to be heavily dependent upon e-commerce?

And if not, what could the next successful business model look like?

In this episode Walter Holbrook, a retail consultant with over 50 years of experience in senior management roles at retail chains including Kmart, Kids Outlet, Turner Home, and Rugged Warehouse, shares what he sees as the multi-billion dollar overlooked opportunities in retail. 


In this episode he’ll be discussing:

Why retail needs to refocus on driving profits rather than chasing sales.

How grass roots retailer chains are cashing in - without e-commerce or heavy investments in technology.

What successful retailers are getting right - and how its helping them win even in highly competitive markets.

USEFUL LINKS:

Connect with Walter Holbrook:   https://www.linkedin.com/in/walter-holbrook-0665008/

Learn more about The Current Situation in Sourcing:   https://thecurrentsituation.net

Your Seat at The Table: A road map to landing guest spots on podcasts: 
https://seat.fm/podcastcourse

A Seat at The Table podcast website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm

Calling on customers has become such a standard part of most businesses that we tend to take it for granted.

We have our habitual way of approaching customers and don’t often think about whether this approach is as effective as it could be.

We assume that people who don’t buy our products or who are not even interested hearing about them, just aren’t the right prospects for us.

But what if it wasn’t the customer.  What it was the way we approach customers  - especially new ones - that’s not as effective as it could be?

And hat could we learn from a master sales person that could help us 10X our sales success?

Today I’m speaking with Navid Momeni,  CEO of Sales Guru Global and bestselling author of "How to Become A Sales Master."

Navid is known as a sales magician. He has a rock-solid 10+ year track record of success in identifying and pursuing new business, which has made him a top-ranking sales leader.

In this episode of A Seat at The Table, Navid talks about:

1.  The best methods for prospecting in 2022 (Post Covid) to increase sales.

2.  Why proper handling of objections is such a big deal in sales.

3.  Things you should NEVER say during a qualification call.

USEFUL LINKS

Connect with Navid Momeni:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/salescoachnavidmomeni/

Sales Guru website:  www.salesguruglobal.com 

Navid’s book “How to Become a Sales Master”:   https://www.amazon.ca/Become-Sales-Master-Navid-Momeni/dp/195033628X

Learn about The Current Situation in Sourcing:  https://thecurrentsituation.net

A Seat at The Table website:  https://seat.fm

SEND US A MESSAGE

THE CONSISTENT MARKETING SYSTEM

Stop starting over again each month. We'll work together one-on-one to build a tailor-made system you can repeat each quarter.  Marketing gets done - on easy mode.  Get the details about the Consistent Marketing System.

More resources for B2B marketers at our website at seat.fm

Visit A Seat at The Table's website at https://seat.fm