Ponderings from the Perch

Show of hands: Anyone else getting sick of receiving random messages from every site you’ve ever bought anything from over the past 13 years? They’re like “Here’s how we’re handling the pandemic...need some new cuff links for these trying times?” What a bunch of applesauce. Priscilla and Ashley use Superman vision to reveal the hidden cause behind this unprecedented outcropping: It is the panic caused by an absence of marketing fundamentals. 

See, when you have your marketing fundamentals lined out, you won’t be sending weird tone-deaf sales-y emails to people who bought one stupid tie tack for their nephew back in 2006. You will, instead, pivot on your marketing anchor point, and continue doing the good work. The five fundamentals covered in this episode are SMART Goals, Personas, Content Plan, Competitor/Content Analysis, and Defined Metrics/KPIs. 

Peep all free the Little Bird Marketing resources mentioned in this episode here: www.littlebirdmarketing.com/resources

In the midst of a global pandemic the insights industry has proven to be flexible and dynamic. Looking for ways to meet brands' needs to navigate an era of drastically changing consumer opinion, leaders are digging into empathy, doubling down on communication and letting positive work culture guide their daily decisions. 

Becky Harrison, President of both the Ft. Lee, NJ and New York Fieldwork offices gives us a glimpse into the realities of managing during a crisis. With both facilities so near the epicenter of the American pandemic experience, her view is unique and a harbinger of hope. 

In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch she talks about the commitment to showing up authentically for employees, stakeholders, clients, respondents and vendors. While juggling work still in the field, migrating studies online, finding creative ways to engage respondents she is taking the time for human conversations and leading with empathy. In the end, Fieldwork sees themselves as a people company and a hub for hospitality and service to the insights community. This means being willing to be a resource to many while keeping an eye on the most appropriate response based on location. Becky also talks candidly about the importance of communication on a daily basis as the Coronavirus is a fluid situation. 

She talks openly about how her team is preparing for the surge of new research that will be needed as brands come back up to speed on their workloads. While in-person was suspended in the areas where her offices are located, as a part of the global Fieldwork team, she can be called on at any time to help get a project in field for any of the other offices. As they manage rolling reopening, their team is excited to showcase their flexibility and play their part in helping moderators, end-clients, mock juries, UX testing, medical device focus groups and more get back on schedule. 

We end the episode with a special thank you to Fieldwork for their consistent sponsorship of Women in Research, a free peer to peer networking and educational organization supporting women in the insights industry. 

Merrill Dubrow is a thoughtful leader, podcast host, blogger, sought after keynote speaker and CEO of M/A/R/C Research. At the first sign of the Coronavirus making an impact on American business, Merrill moved quickly to spearhead a leadership roundtable and has been listening as much as leading, giving voice to many within the MR industry to help us all face what he refers to as this "opportunity to lead."

He's moving through a hard time to lead 65 employees with class and a total commitment to strong and frequent communications. 

He openly discusses the hardships of leading and acknowledges his need to be mindful of his own needs while balancing the needs of others. While he reaches out to others for personal check-ins with his team he's been trying to keep things light while never mixing words about the future. It's a tough balance Merrill is managing, but his tenacity to keep leading with empathy is encouraging and inspiring. 

In a show of vulnerability Merrill shares a personal story from his childhood that prepared him for a moment such as this. It is this kind of openness that has earned him the respect of his peers for so long. 

Merrill counts some of the market research greats as personal friends including Steve Schlesinger, CEO of Schlesinger Associates, Adam Froman, CEO of Delivina, Ryan Barry, CRO of Zappi and Sarah Kotva, Vice President of Fieldwork and more. 

M/A/R/C Research also has a podcast called On the Marc. Merrill interviews a wide variety of interesting people, artists, and sports experts as well as market research leaders. Another timely interview of Steve Schlesinger can be found here. 

Anne Brown is an experienced market research professional and serial entrepreneur. As founding partner in Gazelle Global Research she leads a global team with international data collection, data processing and total fieldwork management. She knows market research in multiple time zones, continents and languages. 

She's no stranger to change. In this episode her experience and practical knowledge shines through. She's built a global team who quickly were able to respond to the Coronavirus threats, but she speaks candidly about what happened with so many projects in the field when it felt as if a light switch was flipped in global market research. 

Anne gives her thoughts about what it will be like to "restart" in waves. She candidly discusses the new realities facing many MR firms as they regroup with a "new normal." Her team is keeping an eye on changes and total layoffs. As her team provides a menu of services to augment research teams she anticipates requests for more services and a change in how MR firms will bid for work in the near future. 

Anne Brown is a PRC certified member of the Insights Association and a longtime member of ESOMAR, WIRe, AMA, PMRG, WBENC and WBE.

Sandy Casey is the Senior Vice President of Global Supply at InnovateMR - a trusted provider for consumer and B2B panels used for surveying and data collection. Sandy kicks off this episode with a super helpful paradigm to help navigate the stress during COVID-19. Of course it's a great piece of advice at any time, but it seems especially relevant today. 

She offers the best feedback loop as follows:

Stay positive

Stay healthy (physically and mentally)

Stay aware

Stay focused

Stay in sight

This circle of thinking enforces the very best and allows for anyone to ask for the right help at the right time. 

With her years of experience mentoring so many in the insights industry, you can see how she can quickly distill her expertise into something of immediate value. While she is inspiring her team and keeping them motivated she is quick to point out the need to also be helpful to clients and suppliers in our ecosystems. 

She talks about her practice of radical transparency and how that fuels the best conversations for meaningful collaborations. Starting every conversation whether internal or external with a genuine check-in with all involved, she actively creates an environment where everyone can be heard and respected. 

She points out the feedback loop is not complete without her phrase, "Stay in sight". While it's a great play on words for the insights industry it applies to all team members. While it may seem hard for some to accept kudos, it is a key part of continuing to do great work. The importance of giving credit where credit is deserved is a cornerstone of the way Sandy operates, leads and builds up everyone on the team. She also likes to remind leaders to not forget the importance of acknowledging the contributions of partners and taking the time to make sure their bosses know when they go above and beyond. 

She and Priscilla credit WIRexec retreat for bringing them together and encourage all women in the insights industry to sign up (it's FREE!) at www.womeninresearch.org to find peers, mentors and the support we always need, but truly require when times are tough. 

Sponsors:

Global sampling, field management, data collection and more - Gazelle Global’s ad hoc services give you access to global experts as an extension of your team, without the extra overhead. Our team is ready to lend our expertise to complete projects to your specifications today. Visit our website to learn more!

Ryan Barry leads Zappi's global commercial function overseeing its sales, partnerships, marketing and client service functions and serves as a member of the firm's executive leadership team. He is well know in the market research industry 

Want to talk about Boston teams and have a beer? Ryan's your guy. 

Want to talk about effective sales enablement? Ryan's your guy. 

Interested in leaving behind industry jargon to really talk about what insights could look like in 2,3 or 5 years? Still, Ryan's your guy. 

He talks about the state of Zappi as they moved into this new Coronavirus reality and how he sees a way forward. He's a part of a dynamic leadership team of Zappi, navigating tricky times with almost 200 employees globally. As a lean start up turned scalable success he is very familiar with life on the edge. This, he believes, probably prepared him better than he could have known for leadership during this global pandemic. 

In this episode Ryan really pulls back the curtain to reveal the realities of leadership and acknowledge how hard it can be to still deal with the fear of failure or imposter syndrome, just like everyone else and yet still manage to step up and lead. He is powered by a strong ethos of leaving behind ego to truly understand things from others' perspectives. He talks about the lost art of listening to employees, customers and stakeholders and why it is so important to listen before speaking and brings some really great ideas to the table to keep teams engaged and connected. 

What's next for Zappi? One phrase will give you a hint, "Faster, Cheaper, Better." 

Sponsors:

Global sampling, field management, data collection and more - Gazelle Global’s ad hoc services give you access to global experts as an extension of your team, without the extra overhead. Our team is ready to lend our expertise to complete projects to your specifications today. Visit our website to learn more!

It’s MR Leadership week! Benefit from the collective wisdom of market research thought leaders, who share their experiences, mindsets, and tips for managing in these trying times.

Mario Carrasco is the cofounder and principal at ThinkNow - a technology-driven cultural insights agency. ThinkNow is also responsible for Diga y Gane, one of the largest and most representative Hispanic online panel in existence and ThinkNow Connekt, a powerful on-demand multicultural research tool. In this episode, Mario and host Priscilla McKinney discuss entrepreneurial mindset, how the crisis has illuminated cultural disparities that have long existed, and the cultural significance of messaging. 

Mario notes that entrepreneurs can often feel isolated, and that it’s important to keep in touch with fellow entrepreneurs for solidarity and camaraderie. He says his mantra through trying times (as well as regularly) is simply to show up and work - and to be okay with the days you don’t get as much done as you hope for. 

Ethnicity data from COVID-19 studies has recently been released, detailing how the crisis is impacting minority groups - Mario discusses the impact to the restaurants, hospitality and service industries, and the interesting adaptations that are allowing some businesses to maintain a presence. He and Priscilla also talk about the unsung front line heroes in the agriculture industry, who are keeping groceries in-stock. Through all of this, they stress the importance of understanding for market research that encompasses a wider, multicultural, multigenerational audience. 

Check out ThinkNow's Covid Report Brief here, and their 2020 LatinX Report Brief here!

Sponsors:

Global sampling, field management, data collection and more - Gazelle Global’s ad hoc services give you access to global experts as an extension of your team, without the extra overhead. Our team is ready to lend our expertise to complete projects to your specifications today. Visit our website to learn more!

Imagine that you are friends with a guy who has consistently been an advertising industry juggernaut since the 1970s - hypothetically, let’s say this guy has been a major account executive with Saatchi & Saatchi, has owned an ad agency with clients including Nike, MLB and Harrah’s, has written a best-selling book, and has worked with RADIOHEAD. Now imagine that there’s a global pandemic that’s threatening to Thanos-snap a significant portion of the advertising and marketing industry, and that everyone is freaked out and scared. 

You’d want to harness the advice from that friend, and share it with as many people as possible, right? Cool. 

Meet Peter Levitan. He’s the aforementioned juggernaut, and Priscilla has invited him back to the podcast to share his insights on successfully navigating through crisis. Peter currently runs a consultancy that helps advertising agencies build and develop plans for growth, which has recently become more important to survival than ever before. In this episode, Priscilla and Peter discuss advice including:

In short, Levitan says: “Become un-ignorable.”

This podcast is packed with useful advice for agencies, entrepreneurs, and actually, everyone. 

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Sponsors:

Global sampling, field management, data collection and more - Gazelle Global’s ad hoc services give you access to global experts as an extension of your team, without the extra overhead. Our team is ready to lend our expertise to complete projects to your specifications today. Visit our website to learn more!

In these trying times, it’s especially important to celebrate success. In this episode, Ponderings from the Perch host and LBM president Priscilla McKinney talks with Fieldwork’s Natalie Renna, who has recently accepted a position as president of the Minneapolis Fieldwork facility. Natalie served as project manager at Fieldwork Minneapolis for five years and celebrates Fieldwork’s culture of valuing people and talents. 

In addition to discussing what makes Fieldwork Minneapolis unique - the 11,000 square foot facility hosts a suite of unique features - Priscilla and Natalie also discuss the evolution of online research, Fieldwork’s recruiting capabilities, and how to remain focused on being helpful. Fieldwork is also a proud sponsor of Women in Research. 

Times are tough. 

Times are confusing. 

What is clear is that we are ALL now ONLINE. 

The global pandemic has hit brands hard, but it has hit sales professionals even harder. Those who were not in up to date with the skills needed to survive in an ONLINE only sales environment are kind of freaking out right now. 

Interestingly enough, some people think that Coronavirus created this situation, but I would argue this situation was a reality long before this virus hit the world stage. Successful sales people have been adapting to the online sales environment for years. It's not hard to get people to agree that social media has fundamentally changed the way we live and do business. But the reality is they hadn't understood the magnitude - yet. 

Even before we all sheltered in place during a world pandemic, research showed that buyers were getting 57% of the way through their buying process before they contacted a salesperson (Source: CEB, now Gartner). 

Your next great deal and your most ideal client is on a self-directed journey where they research, ask questions and jump to conclusions about you, your products and your brand all while remaining anonymous. To win, brands must empower salespeople to be a part of this journey earlier in the process.

In normal times our Momma Bird, Priscilla McKinney teaches 12-week, skill transformation modules to instill the needed mindset shift and technical skills to create huge efficiencies within organizations. This system codifies what it takes to generate leads and drive revenue through social media efforts.

But with the threat of COVID-19 we must defer to our old friend, Sweet Brown and acknowledge, "Ain't nobody got time for that!" 

Instead, this episode offers a scrappy walk-through of mindset shifts, tips and tricks essential for getting sales done through excellence in social media. Whether you're a LinkedIn newbie or a seasoned pro, we can all can "upskill" even in these uncertain times.

Links referenced in this episode include: 

Digital Leadership Associates

Understanding Your Most Ideal Persona

Get a meeting with Priscilla about Digital Transformation Training

Peter Springett's most excellent blog to inspire your content