Author: Merrill

All small business owners eventually reach the tipping point when it comes to their client data – when do you stop using spreadsheets or digital address books and start looking into investing in CRM systems?

The latest episode of the Parker Web Partner Show is all about CRMs. Darryl Parker and the team discussed when to get one, how to get your team involved, and what other programs work with CRMs. Our Roundtable guest was Lidiane Mocko from CRM Growth Strategy, who gave us some great ideas on how to deal with pushback from your team when introducing a new CRM.

Watch here on YouTube and on all your favorite podcast platforms.

If the pandemic taught us nothing, it hammered home the need for companies to be highly adaptable when it comes to their businesses – especially when it comes to marketing.

In the latest episode of the B2B Marketing Excellence Podcast, Donna spoke with Tracy Beers, North American Marketing Manager for Wintersteiger. Tracy has to master multiple marketing channels for a company with multiple, disparate products and audiences. This has given her incredible insight into the need for flexibility and adaptability, while keeping a strong brand message across all communication channels.

Watch the conversation here on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast platform –

More and more people are joining the entrepreneurial ranks these days. And there are multiple ways to start your own business. You can start from scratch and build from the ground up. You can buy into a franchise. You can join a network marketing organization.

In the latest episode of The New England Business Alliance Podcast, I interviewed Joanne Grigoriev. Joanne came from an entrepreneurial family and decided to first follow her passion for music, becoming a professional concert flutist and music teacher. When her husband started a furniture manufacturing business, she worked by his side. And when she discovered a health and wellness product she believed in, she joined its network marketing team and started her own business.

Check out our interview and learn more about Joanne’s journey and why she feels that network marketing is a great option for people interested in anything from a side gig to starting their own entrepreneurial lifestyle.

Watch here on YouTube or listen via your favorite podcast platform –

The marketing world is being inundated with AI tools – some great, some awful – and you won’t know which is which until you try them. I tell my clients that AI is like fire – use it wisely and it is a powerfully helpful tool. Use it badly and you’re going to get burnt.

In the latest episode of the B2B Marketing Excellence Podcast, Donna Peterson shares with you which marketing AI tools she uses that make her job easier and faster. What works for brainstorming? Content generation? Social media? Video?

To learn more, watch here on YouTube or listen via your favorite podcast platform.

This week, the topic of the Parker Web Partner Show is TLDs – Top Level Domains. Historically there were only a few choices like .com, .net, .org, .gov. But now there are well over 1000 domains you can choose from. In this episode, we talk about when, how, and why to use various domains, what other options you have, and some things to be careful of. We also spoke with special guest Benjamin Wilson of Deliverypath about the various ways creative agencies can use domain names as a branding tool. Do you really have to register with multiple domains? Maybe. But there are other options.

Watch it here on YouTube or via your favorite podcast platform.

How many different ways do you engage with potential consumers? Because not all people absorb content the same way.

In the latest episode of the B2B Marketing Excellence Podcast, Donna spoke with Brad Kuvin, the Editorial Director for Precision MetalForming Association and MetalForming Magazine. They talked about the multiple ways in which you need to reach out and engage with your audience. People learn by reading, by watching, by doing. Give them text to read (articles, websites, blogs), videos to watch (webinars, video shorts, podcasts), and live events to go to (trade shows, demos, networking events).

To learn more, watch here on YouTube or listen via your favorite podcast platform.

Back in my corporate days, I was able to watch how quickly the internet changed the way B2B publications operate. One journal promised us a free ad on their website if we bought a full-page ad in their magazine. Twelve months later they offered us a free full-page journal ad if we advertised on their website.

On the latest episode of the B2B Marketing Excellence Podcast, Donna spoke with Tony Napoleone, VP of Client Services at Omeda. They spoke about the challenges that B2B publishers face today in being able to offer real value to both their readers and their advertisers. They spoke about the past (anyone remember BPA audits?) and the present (quality over quantity) and what publishers may see in the near future.

To learn more, watch here on YouTube or listen via your favorite podcast platform.

Brand New Podcast Launched Today!

Welcome to the first episode of the Executive Connect Podcast – a show for the next generation of business leaders. In each episode, Melissa Aarskaug will be speaking to experts and thought leaders who will share their unconventional leadership strategies that brought them success.

Today, Melissa spoke with Michèle Kline, bestselling author and founder of Kline Hospitality.  They talked about how to bridge gaps in your team by asking the right questions, how to build positive change in your organization from the top down, and when to step away from a toxic workplace and start your own leadership journey.

Watch here on YouTube or listen via your favorite podcast platform.

I worked with scientists and engineers for almost my entire corporate career. One of my superpowers is translating “geek” to “muggle” – helping engineers explain the cool things they do to the general public. But what about the other way around? Who is helping marketers speak to engineers in a language they understand?

In the latest episode of the B2B Marketing Excellence Podcast, Donna and Rick Ellis, Director of Audience Management of CFE Media & Technology, discuss the importance of effective communication with engineers and how to create marketing messages that resonate with them.

To learn more, watch here on YouTube or listen via your favorite podcast platform.