B2B Insights Podcast

In the first episode of our new “We Are Merkle B2B” series, Nick is joined by Michael McLaren; Global CEO of Merkle B2B. Michael is a successful and dynamic business leader who has held a variety of global executive roles in the U.S., Australia, Singapore, and Japan. He has extensive experience managing integrated brand communications and over the years has worked with key global clients, including IBM, Microsoft, Intel, and Cisco. Learn more about Michael’s journey to Global CEO, the concept behind Merkle B2B, current challenges in B2B and how the B2B decision-making unit is changing.

This week Matt Powell is joined by Steve Chad, Customer Engagement Manager at PFU, a Fujitsu company. They will be discussing how to embark on your digital transformation journey and ensure the results effectively meet your business goals and objectives.

They cover the benefits of digital transformation, the best starting point for your journey, the biggest hurdles you may face, what a digital transformation roadmap could look like, and the importance of organizational intelligence and digital’s role within it.

The report which Steve refers to can be found here: https://www.fujitsu.com/uk/microsite/organisational-intelligence/

Simi Dhawan is joined by Gabe Schlake, Global Head of Customer Success at CPA Global, to discuss what digital transformation really means and why it’s the foundation of customer success. Hear why digital investment is imperative if you want to deliver the very best customer experience, how CPA Global implemented a digital-first approach to transform ways of working and position their people as digital leaders, and the key questions B2B businesses should be asking themselves to make digital transformation a success.

Our Head of Growth Nick Hague is joined by Iain Valentine, the CEO of Isobar UK&I for an in-depth discussion around building a customer-centric digital experience.

From our recent COVID Tracker research, we have seen a (perhaps unsurprising) massive shift towards digital transformation with two-thirds of businesses across a very broad range of verticals stating that they are building more digital-centric business models.

While B2B organizations have been slower to move and catch up with the B2C sector with regards to delivering a customer-centric digital experience, it is clear to see the time is now for B2B brands to take action. With a wealth of experience in this area, Iain sheds light on what trends are being seen today in the B2B world, as well as advice for companies looking to pivot towards a new digital age but haven’t made those tentative first steps yet.

This week I’m joined by Simi Dhawan, who works alongside me as a Research Director at B2B International. With COVID-19 accelerating changes to working cultures in organizations around the world, we delve deeper into the changing workforce. While flexible working was once deemed to be a “nice to have”, it is now an expectation as employees try to balance their personal lives and needs with that of work.

Today on Insights Inside, I discuss agile strategies and “the new normal” with David Ward, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Irwin Mitchell. Find out how they’ve flexed their operating model so quickly, and how they’ve maintained their “people culture” in this new digital world.

This week on Insights Inside I talk to Steve Laborda, Founder of ValueBizbooster. ValueBizbooster is a consultancy designed to educate others on value selling and how to deliver organizational transformation. We discuss the importance of selling on value in today’s challenging climate and the key steps you need to take to be successful with it.

This week on Insights Inside, I talk to Rhys Taylor, Head of Strategy APAC for gyro. gyro are the first full service, global creative B2B powerhouse. We discuss the importance of placing your customer at the heart of your strategy, how CMOs can identify opportunities in the current situation, and why delivering a seamless omnichannel B2B experience is so crucial.

This week on Insights Inside, Matt Powell talks to Jane Frost, CEO of the Market Research Society. An industry leader within the research space, Jane discusses the importance of businesses continuing to focus on research in times of uncertainty, as well as how research professionals can best position and frame the value of research within their companies to ensure its importance is recognized.

This week on Insights Inside, my B2B International colleague Matt Powell is joined by Theo Kroese, the Founder of Moving As One. Theo previously led the global marketing strategy at Mammoet, and has now used his expertise to start up his own consultancy which helps businesses align their teams around a common goal. Matt and Theo talk about bringing a brand and customer experience to life through this common goal, how they can overcome pitfalls and challenges and what this all means for businesses during times of great uncertainty.