Ponderings From The Perch

In the insights industry Lenny Murphy is a household name. From his list of concurrent roles, including Director at Veriglif, Thought Leader at GreenBook, Senior Partner at Gen2Advisors, and Chairman/Producer at IIeX, to his prolific insightful content production, it is easy to understand that Lenny knows what he’s talking about. Fittingly, his reaction to the global pandemic was different from most: “When all of this started, for me the thought was, ‘A lot of people are going to need help to figure out what’s going on, and what happens next…and we have a unique role in the industry of helping to do that.' That’s what we’ve always done.”  In this episode, Momma Bird Priscilla McKinney and Lenny discuss reliance on data, opportunities for experimentation and exploration in a new work paradigm, and staying connected to workers in the field as a key to providing helpful direction.  In terms of adaptation, IIeX events this year will be held virtually. Lenny points out that a playing field with more virtual events

If authentic relationships are your thing, this is the episode for you. Listen in as Priscilla and AJ Keirans, VP of Client Development at Disqo discuss authenticity, emotional connection, and embracing partnerships as learning experiences. Through Disqo, AJ helps businesses make informed decisions using customized proprietary technology. He shares his views on being open to evolution by embracing varying perspectives, and how those relationships can be adapted in virtual settings.  Along the way they talk about good and bad ways to use LinkedIn, craft beer, humility, and glamour shots. Check out AJ’s podcast, The 16 oz. Canvas to get an even deeper look into his personal passion.  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!

Robert Gray is co-founder and COO of Paradigm Sample. His superpowers are operation strategy and world-class client services. In this episode he elaborates on how Paradigm Sample is meeting this pandemic head on and moving forward. From internal promotions to far-reaching collaborations from within the industry, he celebrates the human side of insights and data collection.  Check out this quote from Robert about service: “The biggest thing that anybody can do, especially in operations, is realize that providing world-class service is actually a journey. It is not a destination. So, a company’s ability to be agile, flexible, committed to solving the issues for their clients is really critical. Sample prices obviously are more competitive, so you’re talking about that pricing component. As a result of that, we have to focus even moreso on quality and service at those competitive sample prices.” Don't miss this episode to get a solid dose of human insight, hope and optimism. ALSO watch out for Katie Egge as she

Anyone who knows Rob Volpe knows he is a deeply empathetic professional and leader. As the CEO of Ignite 360, he leads a team consulting with some of the world's leading brands to help them connect and understand their consumers.  In this episode he gets into great data on who consumers are dealing with the pandemic and recession. Beyond the data, his team is focused on helping companies think about their employees and their consumers with the empathy lens. He shares with us the steps needed to develop empathy and while driving home the need for it in business. As Henry Ford said over 100 years ago, "If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from that person’s angle as well as from your own." Ever self-reflective, Rob shared his internal discussions with his team about how he has changed his leadership style during this pandemic. As he has dialed up the vulnerability with both his team and his clients, he has been able to keep showing

If you're in the qualitative side of the MR business then you know the team at Fieldwork. They are friendly, helpful and definitely teach us all a thing or two about five-star hospitality. Whether they volunteer to check you in at Quirks, or sponsor Women in Research continued education and networking events, they always show up with a smile. With the advent of Coronavirus few segments of the industry were hit as hard as focus group facilities. With that perspective, we talked with Sarah Kotva, VP and Partner at Fieldwork, Inc. about what has kept them focused and afloat as we all navigate these uncharted waters.  Sarah is quick to point out that businesses have been operating in "the great unknown" over the past few months. Strengths that Fieldwork has displayed, she believes, have been in communication and adaptation. Fieldworkers pivoted both their internal communication and their client work (imagine rotating two mountains 90 degrees at the same time!) to virtual formats in order to continue addressing qu

Decisions are like onions. They have layers. And sometimes they make you cry a little bit. The truth is, the complex cognitive and emotional workings that drive our choices are not always aligned with our perception of them.  In this episode, Priscilla McKinney talks with Nailbiter’s SVP and Head of Client Services, Jocelyn Simon, about the minute, specific decision point: the moment of truth. Nailbiter’s platform helps brands unlock shopper insights through a platform that facilitates video shop-alongs for planned shopping trips. This allows them to capture the moment as it happens, and to observe the differences between real and reported truth.  Along the way, they talk about developments in ecommerce, the value of partnership, the absence of data between product launch and sales reports, and the misleadingly bad cover art for Rich Dad, Poor Dad (layers!!) Sponsors: Global sampling, field management, data collection and more - Gazelle Global’s ad hoc services give you access to global experts as an extensi

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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 hospi

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