How a podcast can make a difference!

When I say the word podcast, some of my colleagues roll their eyes. I understand why, I talk about the medium quite a bit. Well this article isn't about one of my shows (Grow Microbiology, Nuts About Nutrition, etc). It's about one of my absolute heroes. His name is Douglas Burdett, the host of The Marketing Book Podcast. It's a great show where Douglas reads a book and interviews the author, every week! I have always been amazed at how Douglas can stay on task with being so busy. WOW! So how did his show make an impact on me?

For starters it is a consistent staple in my arsenal of podcasts I listen to. I learn from Douglas and emulate his approach on many of my podcast shows. I would like to share with you a few stories to extend the impact of his show.

A few years ago, I was on a work trip making sales calls. For some reason, I was having some challenges with my marketing identity. At the time, I remember people talking about how sales focused marketers "weren't" the way to go. This was challenging to hear and I didn't agree with that sentiment, but needed validation. Before embarking on my day full of sales calls with my colleague, I went out for a run and listened to a show where Douglas interviewed an author who wrote a book about sales and marketing. During the interview, they carefully outlined that it was mission critical for any marketer to be immersed in their customer. For me that meant the sales teams I support, faculty end-users and their students. Darn it, I wish I could remember the author and title of the book to give them credit. I remember being more inspired to work harder at my craft and I was reassured that I was on the right path, phew!

Last week, I was traveling to a hockey game. I was in my car alone and listened to Douglas' show titled "3 Big Ideas From 250 Marketing & Sales Books Every Marketer Needs to Know" https://www.salesartillery.com/marketing-book-podcast/3-big-ideas-250-books-every-marketer

To start, it's a wonderful summary of Douglas reading over 250 books. I am sure he could have talked about so many things and narrowed it down to three big ideas. Early in his talk, Douglas says "You can do it". How can you not LOVE that? Second, he mentioned that the right book at the right time can make an impact. I would say "YES" and so can a podcast:)

I learned so much from Douglas on the show, but want to leave you with one idea as a teaser to listen to his show. Later in the talk, he mentions marketing planning. One idea I picked up from his discussion was this "What are the key target markets in order of priority?" This later develops into where do you have competitive advantage.

The podcast is excellent and worth a listen and I just wanted to share my perspective with you. Douglas- thank you for the hard work and for inspiring me and many others to be better!

If my travels take me in your direction, I will owe you a Scotch:)

Happy Thanksgiving!