Ponderings From The Perch

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 t

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 w

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

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 leader

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 dat

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 Pe

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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

In the midst of a global pandemic, companies everywhere are taking a serious look at their marketing strategies. In this episode of Ponderings from the Perch, Priscilla and ScaleHouse founder/managing partner Kristin Luck join forces to take a deep look at what constitutes a successful business mindset in these trying times.  From early decision making, to familiarity with day-to-day expenses, to the importance of helpful communication, Priscilla and Kristin pull from their personal experiences to share what adaptations are the most crucial. They also share projections about how the shape of the workforce will be altered as a result of Covid-19.  Listen to the whole episode to get a wealth of insight and helpful tactics. Also, do yourself a favor and subscribe to Kristin’s blog posthaste! Stay safe! 

Want to know what it takes to successfully unify a team? Of course you do! Check out this episode, wherein Priscilla shares her top three tools for teamwork unity activation (visual: multicolor power rings in a semicircle!) Guess what? Each tool is centered around a component of communication.  Learn how Little Bird wrangles intensive project management both internally and externally (Trello), how we bridge the connectivity gap (Slack), and how we share accountability (Standup meetings), in about the amount of time it takes to shower. Heck, listen to it in the shower, if you want! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And now for something completely different! By popular request from the ever-inquisitive listener base of Ponderings from the Perch, this episode centers around sales in the market research space. In order to present a well-rounded picture of successful sales insights, Priscilla phones a friend - actually, three friends! Those three thought leaders are: Noelle Emmons, Sales Director at Remesh Dyna Boen, Chief Customer Officer at Survata Tacie Avedikian, Senior Director of Client Development at Innovate MR In addition to all being members of Women In Research, these three have a keen understanding of what it takes to be successful in the evolving landscape of sales. Get those insights by listening to the full episode! 

Growth, as a business owner, strikes up against a number of obstacles - control issues, financial issues, team dynamics, and perhaps most of all: the stories we tell ourselves, when those stories don’t match up with reality. The truth is, the clutter of these largely-internal struggles create what CEO and host Priscilla McKinney calls “head-trash,” leaving little room for leaders to rise above with clarity and direction.  In this episode, Priscilla talks with Brad Farris, prolific author, speaker, and Principal Advisor at Anchor Advisors. Brad discusses the ways his firm facilitates transition and growth in both entrepreneurship and leadership, and some of the most common problems he encounters. Having recently transitioned, himself, from a more face-to-face role to one that works in a virtual Mastermind meeting format, Brad has a lot of meaningful and helpful insights about leadership transformation.  “The thing that made it possible for you to succeed at that prior stage, you have to give that up in order t

Prost! We’re back from IIeX Europe in beautiful Amsterdam! In addition to presenting in a marketing module with esteemed colleagues from DLA Ignite, Keen as Mustard Marketing, and the Retail Performance Company, Priscilla McKinney chatted with several other presenters and attendees - both during the event and after - to learn what their key takeaways were. Additionally, we received some exceptional tips on making the most of conference season. Esteemed contributors: Adam Gray, co-founder DLA Ignite  Athena Lam, Lead at Piccolo Portfolios William Yattah, CEO and co-founder Discussnow Eimear Gillen, Marketing Executive at Research for Good Dr. Aaron Reid, CEO and founder of Sentient Decision Science Monique Drummond, founder of Relish Tacie Avedikian, Senior Director, Client Development at Innovate MR Tony Cheevers, Customer Success Officer at Researchscape International ^^Follow all of these people, promptly! This episode runs an extremely wide gamut of takeaways from the event, touching on social se

Across the market research space, specialization is becoming an increasingly sought-after quality - but it can also create an unintended silo effect. In this episode, CEO and Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney talks with SVP and Senior Client Officer of Ipsos, Kris Hull about striking a balance between deep expertise and a broader lens to uncover meaningful insights. Hull discusses the importance of listening and understanding client needs, and shares a mind-shift he calls “suspend your agenda,” that’s helpful in combatting myopic research.  LIGHTNING ROUND! Kris’s fave podcasts: Ponderings from the Perch (blush!), Data Gurus with Sima Vasa, and American Fiasco Fave Apps: Twitter, DuoLingo Fave Book: East of Eden, John Steinbeck Fave Blog: The Angry Staff Officer Connect with Kris on Twitter and LinkedIn! --- SPONSORS: In partnership with GreenBook, we're excited to host and award one podcast in the insights industry the title and glory of MR Podcast of the Year.  Know a podcast making (audio) waves in the indus

One of the most frequent requests we get is to share more information about podcasting. In this episode, Little Bird Marketing CEO and podcast host Priscilla McKinney shares three simple, actionable tips that can be implemented immediately by anyone - whether you’ve been a guest on somebody’s podcast, or are the host of your own! These tips will change your mindset regarding audio content promotion, and help you expand a single podcast appearance into a multifaceted piece of content.  Sneak peek of the tips: 1. Use your podcast appearance to boost your gravitas as a professional.  2. Get a transcription of the audio to get more out of the content (ie blog!) 3. Create micro social media content from pulled quotes. Check out the full episode to start maximizing your efforts.  SPONSORS: Digital Transformation Kickstarter One Day Intensive Workshop for Sales Excellence on LinkedIn Wednesday, April 8th TICKETS Social selling has fundamentally transformed the way consumers gather insight, journey through the buyi

In this episode, CEO and Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney talks with President and Founder of Market Dynamics Research Group Sondra Brown. In addition to discussing how to uncover rich insights for companies, the importance of events like CRC (Corporate Researcher’s Conference), and coffee, they also talk about a major shift that MDRG initiated in 2018 and 2019. That change helped refocus the direction of the company - looking closely at deliverables, staff, methodologies and more - it allowed them to continue innovating in the market research mission.  Sondra tells some of the takeaways from her CRC presentation on French Market Coffee, the importance of empathy in MR, and the best and worst advice she’s ever received. Lightning round: Sondra’s Fave Podcast: The Daily from the New York Times / The Next Big Idea  Fave App: NYT Crossword Puzzle Fave Book: Multipliers, by Liz Wiseman  Fave Blog: Next Gen Market Research --- SPONSORS: In partnership with GreenBook, we're excited to host and award one podcast in the

Success is kind of like the triangulation of GPS systems - nonlinear. In this episode, CEO and Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney talks about her journey to success through the lens of Malcolm Gladwell's bestseller Outliers. Where humanity celebrates a simplified "rags to riches" style tale of human ingenuity, Priscilla opts for a more realistic view that encompasses the bumpy path of entrepreneurship. She dishes on an important success, a devastating failure, a pivotal stroke of luck, and a Matrix-style bullet dodge that shaped her path to running a host of successful businesses.  If you like this podcast, you'll definitely be interested in Priscilla's blog The Joke of Meritocracy.  SPONSORS: In partnership with GreenBook, we're excited to host and award one podcast in the insights industry the title and glory of MR Podcast of the Year.  Know a podcast making (audio) waves in the industry? Nominate them with the form on this page. Nominations are due by February 15th, 2020. Winner will be decided by vote. Voting

If you believe pop culture wisdom from the 1980s, you know that to exist in 2020 is to exist in “the future.” We finally made it. And because we live in the future, we have an unbelievable amount of technology that provides volumes and volumes of data on all imaginable subjects. Let’s call that “the rose,” and refer to another 1980s prophesy: “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” The thorn, in this instance, is that it can be extremely difficult to put those volumes and volumes of data to use in a meaningful way.  In this episode, Priscilla McKinney talks with Carmen Bohoyo, Managing Director of Insights at Kantar about making sense of data in an impactful way that blends technology and human experience. They discuss the importance of innovation, collaboration and celebration in business. Carmen is a fellow member of Women in Research, and is passionate about helping others, through partnerships with Trekking for Kids and Special Olympics. Check out the whole episode for even more insights! Carmen’s Fave Podcast: Fear

Priscilla “Momma Bird” McKinney and Lucy “Colonel Mustard” Davison keep it real in this episode of Ponderings from the Perch! Lucy is founder and president of Keen as Mustard Marketing, and she talks with Priscilla about Insights Marketing Day 2020, B2B marketing intricacies, mustard (of course) and Women in Research. Hold that thought for a second, though.  FIRST, you must know that Insights Marketing Day London is fast approaching - like, January 30 fast. If you haven’t jumped on that yet, now’s a really good time. SECOND, you must know that Keen as Mustard Marketing is to Insights Marketing Day UK as Little Bird Marketing is to Insights Marketing Day US.  So to recap - Priscilla and Lucy both have badass superhero names, they’re both founders and presidents of content-driven marketing firms, and they both support Greenbook in the production of Insights Marketing Day. Consequently this podcast is reminiscent in a multivers-esque way of watching Captain America and Thor trade off Mjölnir and smash an army

Little Bird Marketing CEO Priscilla McKinney and Disconnect | Reconnect Founder Steve August are no strangers to the “stunning discomfort of entrepreneurship.” In this episode, Steve recounts the early experiences in scaling and exiting the digital qualitative research platform Revelation. Along his journey, which includes multiple successful exits, he witnessed a continuity between entrepreneurs. This observation led him to found Disconnect | Reconnect to help those entrepreneurs reframe and move beyond their obstacles.  From the Lightning Round: Steve’s fave podcast: How I Built This Fave app: Our Pact (designed for parental controls, but Steve uses it to limit his own cell usage!) Fave book: Traction by Gino Wickman Fave blog: LinkedIn, for its curated blog aggregation services From our sponsors: In partnership with GreenBook, we're excited to host and award one podcast in the insights industry the title and glory of MR Podcast of the Year.  Know a podcast making (audio) waves in the industry? Nominate th