Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta

In this Greatest Hits episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Pavangopal A, CMO at Nandu’s, to discuss how engineers and marketers could learn from each other; why marketing is really all about objectivity; and why you should focus on yourself, not just on the competitors!

Pavangopal is the Chief Marketing Officer at Nandu’s, one of India’s fastest growing hyper-local omnichannel meat and packaged foods brands, where he originally started as the Head of Marketing and E-commerce. Now he leads the charge for all of their marketing, PR, and CRM efforts. Prior to this he was the Vice President for Strategy and Operations at Webenza India and was Principal Consultant at Experience Ideas! 

We can’t wait for you to hear what he has to share with us!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

👉 One of Pavangopal’s first Aha! moments was when he went into architecture and engineering and realized it wasn’t what he wanted to do at all. But regardless, he built a product with his engineering skills and no one was coming to purchase it; it wasn’t until they spoke with some senior marketing professionals that they realized, even though they’d created something that was unique, no one actually wanted it. It was there that the marketing lessons started to kick in; they started with the customer and worked towards the product, rather than the other way round.

👉 Despite the fact Pavangopal’s job as an engineer wasn’t what he wanted to do, there are things that marketers could learn from them and vice versa. It’s important for marketers to understand some of the key intricacies behind the products they sell, and engineers need to understand what the customer wants and needs. You need to start defining the boundaries of the problem you’re trying to solve and work towards an objective: after all, that’s the aim of marketing and engineering, no?

👉 Pavangopal used to throw loads of different features onto his products just to see how much they could do, but now he approaches them from the point of view of what the customer wants and whether they’ll find it delightful. He makes sure that it ticks off all the basic boxes first and foremost so that the customer is happy, and then he would add all the extras. Some people don’t realize that having too many features can be overwhelming, and that people much prefer simplicity over anything else.

👉 Nandu’s never takes their eyes off the competition. When you’re in marketing, half of the job is keeping an eye on them! You need to understand the consumer behavior and why they’re going to people that aren’t you. However, consumer behaviors are notoriously difficult to change, so instead of putting emphasis on what the competitor is doing all the time, try to focus on your core values and principles – it’s the only way to grow.

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And connect with the host and guests here:

Darshan’s Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehta
IResearch Website - https://iresearch.com
Connectqik Website - https://www.connectqik.com
Pavangopal on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pavangopal
Nandu’s Website - https://www.nandus.com
Other media:
Medianews4u
Financial Express
Fnb News
The Week

Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form

In this episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Mary Crafts, CEO of Mary Crafts, Inc, and founder of Culinary Crafts. Join them as they explore Mary’s experience of starting a multimillion-dollar catering company, overcoming the fear of failure, and the importance of vulnerability when connecting with others. Mary also talks about the value of continuous learning and creating unique customer experiences. 

Mary Crafts has over forty years experience in the food and beverages industry. In 1984, Mary started Culinary Crafts, which has since grown into the largest off-premise caterer in Utah; Culinary Crafts is the recipient of 22 Best of State Awards, 13 “CATIE” (Catered Arts Through Innovative Excellence) Awards, and International Caterers Association’s Caterer of the Year Award. Recently, Mary started Mary Crafts, Inc, a nonprofit that folds in Mary’s skills in business consulting, speaking, podcasting, author, and life coaching. Mary also hosts the podcast Crafting a Meaningful Life and has authored a book called Unbounded: From Sorrow to Summit.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

👉 Mary highlights the significance of vulnerability when creating genuine connections with others. By embracing vulnerability, she has been able to foster empathy, promote oneness, and encourage acceptance among her team and clients. This approach has not only strengthened her relationships but has also contributed to the overall success of her catering business.

👉Mary attributes her success to her unwavering commitment to learning and self-improvement. She urges individuals to remain aware of their motivations, seek opportunities for growth, and embrace new challenges to enhance their personal and professional lives. Mary's dedication to continuous learning has been a driving force behind her success and has allowed her to stay ahead in such a competitive industry. 

👉Differentiation is key. Mary says that when she started her business, there were eighty catering companies that all served food that looked exactly the same. This means she noticed a gap in the market for gourmet-style catering that didn’t break the bank, and thought up new ways to present food that got customers excited.

Listen Now!

bCast - https://bit.ly/3ACsRBz
Apple - https://apple.co/3gsuA31
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3B0lVy6
YouTube - https://bit.ly/3KYAHtd
RSS -  https://bit.ly/3AFrUs6

And connect with the host and guests here:

Darshan Mehta on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehta
IResearch Website - https://iresearch.com
Mary Crafts on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/marycrafts/
Mary Crafts website: https://marycraftsinc.com/ 

Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form

In this Greatest Hits episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Monish Debnath, CMO and Founding Team Member of WickedGüd, to discuss the fascinating world of consumer insights. They delve into how culture impacts consumer behavior; why simple moments are the biggest aha moments; and why taste is the number one consideration for brands in the food industry, even if they focus on health. This episode is a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the intersection of psychology, business, and delicious food.

Monish is the Chief Marketing Officer and a Founding Team Member of WickedGüd, a food and beverage retailer on a mission to “UnJunk” India and the World one kitchen at a time. Prior to this, he was the Lead Strategist and Vice President of Strategic Planning at Havas, where he assessed creative ideas by grounding them in strategic consumer insights. He is an entrepreneur, design thinker, philosopher, and activist with a passion for consumer behavior and communication that amplifies human potential and shapes subtle qualities of the human spirit.

We can’t wait for you to hear what he has to share with us!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

👉 Monish has been intrigued by consumer behavior since he was very young. Now, he sees humans behave differently based on their exposure to the external environment, culture, and people around them. He has seen certain behaviors that seem to cut across cultures, which in and of itself was a big aha moment. To him, simple moments such as food choices based on culture are more significant aha moments than complex moments you never expect to happen. It is all about driving for simplicity. 

👉 According to Monish, every day is a day of insights and aha moments, yet people always struggle to find them. This is because they are not new; they are already existing and evolving. For example, when he ventured into the food and drink industry, he realized that a good mom always says no and a bad mom always says yes. This is not a judgment on their parenting but an observation that the mother who wants good for her family will say no to many things in the food space. That is a progressive mom. This is something people experience growing up and likely feel annoyed about, but it becomes an aha moment later in life.

👉 Food is important to Indian culture, and Monish got into the food industry to bring about desperately needed disruptions.. He wanted to bring healthiness to indulgent foods where health was a missing narrative. He and his team wrapped healthy ingredients into indulgent dishes: pasta and noodles. The whole idea was to take something healthy and make it just as indulgent and delicious as comfort foods while still appealing to the market.

👉 Taste is intricate, and taste is linear. You either like something, or you don’t. When it comes to food, India is a taste-first culture, not a health-first culture, and so Monish and his team have had to put taste as the top priority, both in their development and their marketing. As they are developing new products, they are constantly gaining consumer feedback and keep improving their recipes to ensure that the food is just as delicious as the typical versions, but with all the added health benefits of their ingredient choices. They have also had to focus on texture and appearance, ensuring their products are appealing before consumers taste them. One way they have done this is by incorporating a transparent exclamation point on their packaging so that consumers see the food item before they even open the box, knowing what to expect.

Subscribe Here!

bCast - https://bit.ly/3ACsRBzApple - https://apple.co/3gsuA31 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3B0lVy6 Youtube - https://bit.ly/3KYAHtd RSS -  https://bit.ly/3AFrUs6 
And connect with the host and guests here:
Darshan’s Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehtaIResearch Website - https://iresearch.comConnectqik Website - https://www.connectqik.comMonish on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/monish-debnath-9420049 WickedGüd Website - http://www.wickedgud.com

Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form

In this episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Vashte Johnson, the Founder of Slidedesignr. Join them as they discuss the importance of customer insights, Vashte’s insights accelerator model for creating powerful deliverables, as well as the importance of storytelling, clarity, and emotional engagement in visualizations.

Vashte Johnson is an insights visualization consultant with over fifteen years of experience conducting qualitative and quantitative consumer research. She is the Founder of Slidedesignr, a market research, advertising, marketing, and business services company focused on building powerful insight deliverables. Vashte is also a member of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association, a global network of qualitative research professionals. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

👉 When defining insights, Vashte emphasizes that they are not simply an accumulation of facts or observations. Instead, they are practical tools with direct use for clients. She stresses the importance of finding the underlying message within the data and connecting it to the client's problem. 

👉 One misconception that is addressed in the conversation is the idea that insights need to be groundbreaking or entirely unique. Both Darshan and Vashte agreed that insights can stem from combining different observations and simply articulating a core truth that resonates with clients. It is crucial to visualize insights in a logical framework that clients can easily understand and apply. 

👉 Vashte's insights accelerator model comprises four key components. The first component is adopting a consultant's mindset, which involves thinking beyond the data and considering the larger context and implications. The second component is understanding the audience, as insights need to be tailored to the specific needs and preferences of the clients. The third component is reclaiming time for deep connections, allowing oneself time to think and form connections before diving into the design process. Lastly, the fourth component focuses on the idea hierarchy, where the most important insights are prioritized and presented effectively.

Listen Now!

bCast - https://bit.ly/3ACsRBzApple - https://apple.co/3gsuA31 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3B0lVy6 YouTube - https://bit.ly/3KYAHtd RSS -  https://bit.ly/3AFrUs6 
And connect with the host and guests here:

Darshan Mehta on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehta
IResearch Website - https://iresearch.com
Vashte Johnson on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vashte
Slidedesignr website: https://www.slidedesignr.com

Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form

In this Greatest Hits episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Karthikeyan Selvaraj, Founder & CEO of Dunkel Kitchen, a successful cloud kitchen chain! They delve into why passion and business are two different but essential things in your entrepreneurial journey and why you should always find different ways to succeed, as well as outlining the importance of mentorship in business.

Karthikeyan is India’s leading cloud kitchen coach, entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker. With over five years of experience in cloud kitchens, QSRs and fine dining Restaurants, he’s supporting aspiring food entrepreneurs across the globe to achieve their vision and unlock their full potential. Not only is he the Founder and CEO of Dunkel Kitchen, but he’s also the Founder of Biryani 2 Home (B2H), a biryani-specialized multi-cuisine restaurant!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

👉 Karthikeyan started in the corporate world, but his love was always for food, so he decided to jump into the food industry with all hands on deck. For a first-generation entrepreneur, things are never going to be easy, and unfortunately, passion alone isn’t enough to get you places in business. One day, it had gotten to the point where he was ready to give up, but his wife encouraged him to find ways to succeed, and it worked out!

👉 Although passion is good for an entrepreneur, it shouldn’t be the sole thing you rely on to succeed. Business requires a lot of different factors and moving parts, but it all needs to be done with some passion. Karthikeyan believes that, if making money is your only goal, then you will surely fail because, if there’s one thing customers care about, it’s what your values are; if you’re doing it for shallow reasons, then people will be able to tell.

👉 When you start off as an entrepreneur, you will find that you have a huge lack of financial knowledge; this won’t necessarily be your fault, because not everyone is taught about it. It will be a hurdle for sure, but you will be able to overcome it. With a bit of self-education and experience, it will all come together. 

👉 Mentorship is incredibly important. Karthikeyan says that, to this day, he has a business coach that helps him through the process. It was because of them that his life became easier and he gained more clarity on what he should be doing. He spent half a decade of his entrepreneurship journey putting everything as a blueprint for his online courses so that he can support aspiring food entrepreneurs. 

Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form

In this episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Arnold Lee, CFO and Managing Director of CFO Growth Advisors. Join them as they explore the need for companies to understand why customers behave the way they do, the challenges faced by startups, and the formula of finance, strategy, and customer insights as the key to success.

Arnold has over thirty years experience in corporate strategy. He is currently the CFO and Managing Director of CFO Growth Advisors, a CFO firm that provides a broad range of outsourced strategic and operational interim CFO services to startups, small and medium-sized businesses, and middle market companies in Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. Arnold has given hands-on financial and strategic support to over 200 startups and small businesses, as well as medium-sized and large companies in various fields such as technology cleantech, financial services, consumer products, and food and beverage. While pursuing his Master's, he contributed research to the best-selling management book ​Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 

👉 Arnold emphasizes that, despite being a cliche, all growth is not good growth. It might be tempting to always be growing—growth means more customers, more revenue, more market share—but it can be hard to maintain this balance. Arnold stresses that “the right kind of growth” must be prioritized. Although his company is all about enabling growth, they always focus on making it smart, efficient, and profitable. 

👉 It’s important not to immediately partner with the first person that makes you a business offer. Arnold suggests that it’s harder to get a divorce than it is to part from a bad business partner. He says that, in effect, a business partner is a partner forever. This idea should make people “more careful and deliberate” about who they associate with. Just because someone wants to put a certain amount of money into the business doesn’t automatically make them the right person. 

👉 Arnold says that understanding customer needs and preferences is paramount to achieving success. Businesses that fail to gather and utilize customer insights are at a disadvantage, as they are unable to tailor their products, services, and strategies to meet evolving customer expectations. By gathering and analyzing insights on demographics, purchasing behavior, preferences, and feedback, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of their target market and make informed decisions to address their needs effectively.
Listen Now!

bCast - https://bit.ly/3ACsRBzApple - https://apple.co/3gsuA31 Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3B0lVy6 YouTube - https://bit.ly/3KYAHtd RSS -  https://bit.ly/3AFrUs6 
And connect with the host and guests here:
Darshan Mehta on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehtaiResearch Website - https://iresearch.comArnold Lee on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnold-lee-706372CFO Growth Advisors website: https://www.cfogrowthadvisors.com
Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form

In this Greatest Hits episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Danielle Blugrind, Senior Consumer Manager at Roku. They discuss Danielle’s aha! journey; why you shouldn’t try to reinvent the wheel with your product; how insights can help you see into the future and figure out who your customers are; the importance of keeping your product simple and clean; and why your curiosity and passion are the keys to success.

With over twenty years of experience in market research on both the client and vendor side, Danielle describes herself as an “insights devotee”. She is currently the Senior Consumer Manager at Roku, a world-famous brand of hardware digital media players which offer access to online streaming platforms. Previously, she was the Director of Consumer Insights and Brand Strategy at Taco Bell.

Tune in to this week’s episode of Getting to Aha! to find out more!

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

👉Ultimately, market research is all about human behavior, because at the end of the day, all consumers and customers are human beings just like the rest of us. Danielle explains that it was her passion for this aspect of the job that drew her towards it and, as a result, led her to become an “insights devotee”

👉To be an expert in the field of consumer insights, one must really care about what they do and have a natural curiosity about how people think and behave. Danielle has that very curiosity, and although such a feeling may have killed the cat, it only elevated her to exponential levels.

👉 When thinking up new, innovative ideas for your business, there is absolutely no point in trying to reinvent the wheel. Danielle tells a story about when they were trying to develop ideas for a new Taco Bell promotion and realized that the obvious answer wasn’t to recreate a bunch of flavors, but rather to collaborate with Doritos - an idea which in hindsight seems glaringly obvious. 

👉It’s important to try and figure out who exactly your customers are through insights. For example, in the world of streaming, it’s about looking at not just the customers' demographics but also at the geographical aspect. Different parts of the world have different rules and regulations regarding streaming, so figuring out who the customers are and what position they’re in can help a tremendous amount.

👉Always ask yourself: how do people feel when they see your ads? There is a multitude of ways to figure out the answer to this question. You can look at the data and examine what results they’re getting; you can look at what people are actually saying about your ads, or you could try your best to look at them objectively and listen to your gut.

👉 It’s all about the why. Why are consumers paying attention to and interacting with you? Why are customers interested in what you do? Take a look at the data and really listen to what your customers have to say!

👉 Roku is known for how easy its platform is to use and has become one of the most popular streaming methods to this day. It is made specifically for people who don’t want a complicated system. In order to get customers on board with your product, always keep it simple on the surface! Simplicity eases customers into it.

Listen now!

bCast - https://bit.ly/3ACsRBz

Apple - https://apple.co/3gsuA31 

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3B0lVy6 

Youtube - https://bit.ly/3KYAHtd 

RSS -  https://bit.ly/3AFrUs6 
Episode Resources
Danielle’s LinkedInRokuTaco BellDrucker School of Management 

Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form

In this episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Kory Grushka, Founder and Creative Director of Stories Bureau. Together, they delve into the interaction of Kory’s creative and legal career paths; explore the founding of Stories Bureau; and examine the impact of AI on storytelling.

Kory Grushka is an entrepreneur and creative director who was previously a successful corporate lawyer. He is currently the Founder and Creative Director of Stories Bureau, a boutique creative agency focused on B2B content and internal creative for Fortune 500 companies. Kory further consults on business development, strategy, positioning, and branding.


KEY TAKEAWAYS

👉 Kory started his career as a designer, illustrator, and animator. If anything, it was too creative, and he constantly felt stuck in a dark room. Looking to be challenged, he went to law school, becoming a successful corporate lawyer while still interested in a creative entrepreneurial career. After eight years of sticking it out as a lawyer, his secretary’s husband brought him on as a salesperson for a branding agency, allowing Kory to learn about insights. He found that his legal brain helped him in this, going against the typical notion of left brain versus right brain.

👉 Kory is a big believer in niche and scalability, which partially influenced the founding of Stories Bureau. Working at a branding agency and regularly being approached for segmentation work, Kory realized nobody served the space from a storytelling niche. There were storytellers, but they didn’t go into the space and make stories out of insights. It was an obvious opportunity to fill the niche and was incredibly scalable; there was endless demand but no supply. So, Stories Bureau was formed, starting as a new entity of the branding agency, which Kory then bought out in 2018. 

👉 Kory has always been open to change, and so he has been experimenting a lot with AI and its use in insights and storytelling. He believes that it will ultimately have a profound impact on storytelling. He thinks it will help to review all research, identify insights, and help you optimize your storytelling. In the short term, it won’t be able to replace humans but will work in collaboration with them to amplify their storytelling capabilities. Content on demand is the future, and it will lead to a profound change in the storytelling world.
Listen Now!

bCast - https://bit.ly/3ACsRBz

Apple - https://apple.co/3gsuA31 

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3B0lVy6 

Youtube - https://bit.ly/3KYAHtd 

RSS -  https://bit.ly/3AFrUs6 
And connect with the host and guests here:
Darshan Mehta on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehtaIResearch Website - https://iresearch.comKory Grushka: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kory-grushka-5179573 Stories Bureau:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/storiesbureau 
Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form

In this Greatest Hits episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Lynn Adelmund, Senior VP of Market Research at Trifecta Research, a leading research and advisory firm serving Fortune 1000 companies and agencies. They discuss some of Lynn’s Aha! moments; how technology has impacted the world of consumer insights; how insight professionals can get too caught up in semantics; and why insights are all about building a connection with customers. They also chat about the overabundance of data, making it more difficult to read and sort through it all!

Lynn is the Senior VP of Market Research at Trifecta Research, but she was previously a Business Insights Manager at Kreg Tool Company, and was also the VP and Chief Insights Officer at GlynnDevins. In fact, for nineteen years she was an Analyst, Manager, and Director of Research over at Informa, proving that she’s more than experienced in all things insights. 

What Lynn doesn’t know about insights simply isn’t worth knowing!

KEY TAKEAWAYS

👉Lynn recalls early on in her career when she was asked to create an analysis for the first time. She pulled out what she thought was a great analytics technique and wrote a great report. However, once it reached the president's desk, he saw that there was a typo and stopped reading immediately. From this, she learned that insights are only as good as the way you communicate them!

👉Any insight professional loves when you figure out what’s driving a consumer. Lynn says that consumers love technology as long as it’s supporting something they love in their life; if someone loves their iPhone, it’ll be because there is something they love on it; someone might love Facebook, not just because it’s Facebook, but because it allows them to connect with their grandchildren. Everything consumers do, they do for the sake of a connection.

👉Insights and research pros can sometimes get a little caught up in the semantics, but Lynn believes that true insight is new knowledge that allows us to better connect with customers and stakeholders. They help us serve customers and allow us to understand them more clearly. 

👉The world of insights has evolved and grown a significant amount in the last few years, and a lot of that growth is due to new technologies and tools. There used to be a time when, in order to get some of the best insights, you had to go door-to-door, but now we have tools that can analyze data and examine customer behaviors and habits, making for more detailed insights. 

👉Despite the fact that new technologies and tools have allowed us to access more data, it is equally just as hard to keep up with that data due to its sheer volume of it. In fact, Lynn mentions that, in certain niche audiences, they’ve gone back to doing telephone interviews rather than gathering data in the new, modern way - it’s almost as if they’ve time-traveled!

👉In order to retrieve good qualitative data, you need to make sure you have decent stakeholder involvement and that you know what you’re doing! Not only that, but you need to ensure you leave your biases behind. Make sure you go into it with an open mind and be ready to listen; don’t go in thinking you already know a topic and that they’re going to confirm what you already know!

Listen now!

bCast - https://bit.ly/3ACsRBz

Apple - https://apple.co/3gsuA31 

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3B0lVy6 

Youtube - https://bit.ly/3KYAHtd 

RSS -  https://bit.ly/3AFrUs6 
Episode Resources

• Lynn Adelmund LinkedIn
• Trifecta Research 
• Kreg Tool Company 
• GlynnDevins 
• Informa

Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form

In this episode of Getting to Aha!, Darshan Mehta is joined by Alex Montas, Head of Marketing at BENlabs. They discuss Alex’s background and entrepreneurial mindset, the importance of differentiation, the need to maintain humanity and connection in the digital landscape, the evolution of AI in marketing, and the importance of taking risks and learning from failure.

Alex Montas is a marketer with extensive experience across various channels. Alex has worked in big corporations like Verizon and Bloomberg, as well as medium to small startups like BENlabs, where he currently serves as the EVP of Marketing and Growth. After receiving an MB, Alex started in finance before becoming a product manager and finally settling on marketing. This vast real-world experience was channeled into his success at various companies, including Bloomberg Media where he reduced paid media costs by 400%, TubeBuddy where he increased revenue by 30%, and Verizon where he gained an incremental 300k subscribers. At BENlabs he helmed the rebrand, helped transform it from an agency model to an AI tech-oriented firm, and currently oversees all marketing for the company.
KEY TAKEAWAYS

👉 Build meaningful connections. Your ability to connect with someone will be what they remember, not the sales pitch.

👉 Always differentiate. You have to stand out from the rest of the crowd, and the best way to do this is to simply be yourself.

👉 When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Making the best out of a situation is not just a rule for marketing, it’s a rule for life.

👉 Understand your audience. Insights are everything when it comes to marketing: you need to make data-driven decisions based on who you’re selling to. Success will follow.

👉 AI is the future of marketing. This groundbreaking technology allows us to do things faster and more efficiently, and it’s only just getting started. AI has the potential to revolutionize selling.

👉 Being human is a strategy for success. As machines are able to do more and more jobs, it’s up to you to do the things they can’t. Make connections. Be empathetic. Be interested.

👉 Find a niche. In any organization there will be a small project that you can set to work on. If you can join a small division and cultivate success, then bigger and bigger roles will follow.

👉 Insights are everything. If you have hard data on who your customers are, what appeals to them, and what doesn’t appeal to them, then you’re halfway to understanding how to make products that will make their lives better.

Listen Now!

bCast - https://bit.ly/3ACsRBz

Apple - https://apple.co/3gsuA31 

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3B0lVy6 

Youtube - https://bit.ly/3KYAHtd 

RSS -  https://bit.ly/3AFrUs6 
And connect with the host and guests here:
Darshan Mehta on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan--mehtaIResearch Website - https://iresearch.comAlex Montas on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/almontasBENlabs Website: https://www.BENlabs.com

Getting to Aha! with Darshan Mehta is hand crafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Luca Popovac, Senior Executive, Abhilasha Sinha of Open Secret, Laura Beavin-Yates, Stephen Griffiths of Level 2, Kristin Luck or ScaleHouse, Melina Palmer of The Brainy Business, Nicolas Zeisler of We’re Doing CX Wrong and How To Get It Right, Pricilla McKinney of Little Bird Marketing, Brooke Sellas of B Squared Marketing and Joseph Michelli of The Michelli Experience.

Check out the 3 most downloaded episodes: 

• Changing the Direction of Customer Experience with Luka Popovac, a Senior Customer Experience Executive
• Innovation, Curiosity, and Being Human with Abhilasha Sinha, Chief Growth Officer at Open Secret
• [Greatest Hits ] Emotions & Consumer Behavior with Laura Beavin-Yates
  
  

If you are interested in joining Getting to Aha! as a guest, please complete this form