Conquer Local With George Leith

Learn how to create and enhance your personal brand, and how can you encourage your employees to do the same.Nina Blankenship, CEO of Let's Brainstorm, is this weeks guest on the Conquer Local Podcast. Nina comes from a background at LinkedIn where she spent the last five years in Singapore, won two of LinkedIn's prestigious awards, and is a contributing 2020 LinkedIn Learning Author "Video Strategies for High Engagement." In this episode, Nina walks us through a viral video strategy, how to activate your employees to become brand ambassadors, and how to elevate your personal brand. She also brings a special treat for our conquerors: use promo code CONQUERLOCAL and receive Nina's new book, Elevating your Personal Brand, for FREE!.Nina Blankenship is an award-winning marketer and has five years of experience working for LinkedIn in NYC and the Asia Pacific Region. She has helped thousands of corporate customers to gain global recognition through media. Nina has always challenged her clients

How do you know if you have the Entrepreneurial Spirit? Ryan Mason, CEO of BizBuzz Digital & CEO of Luxe Brand, joins us from Atlanta for today's episode to share his path to finding his Entrepreneurial Spirit. Ryan was recently named on the Top 12 Entrepreneurs to watch in 2020; this is an incredible achievement. Ryan believes that people, process, and platform are the key elements to building a robust business, and he's here to share the benefits of that approach with others. We learn from his failures and advises all other entrepreneurs out there. Ryan Mason is the savvy Founder & CEO behind Luxe Brand. Americas leading luxury shoelace provider. It is featured on Good Morning America, NFL Network, Foot Locker stores, over 30 athletes and celebrities, and BizBuzz, providing integrated marketing automation software and services for over 250 small and medium-sized businesses. In each of these roles, Ryan is known as a disruptive force with an eye for setting new standards of excellence, and he

Cybersecurity, what is it, why is it important, and how to train your clients to know the importance of being equipped with the right tools. Alex Ryals, VP of Security Solutions at Tech Data, joins us from sunny Arizona this week to explain why cybersecurity is so critical. Alex and George explore the convergence of Martech and Security Solutions and how it contributes to amplify you being the real, trusted local expert. Whether that be adding cybersecurity solutions to your offerings or the physical hardware that needs to be installed. This episode is jam-packed with tons of golden nuggets, so hold on tight, take notes, and get ready to learn from the best of the best. With more than 20 years in the IT and Channel industry, Alex joined Tech Data via the acquisition of Avnet Technology Solutions in February 2017 and currently serves as VP of the Security Solutions team in Tempe, AZ. Having spent several years helping Avnet build solution practices in areas such as Big Data & Analytics, Mobility, Security,

Developing a sales culture comes down to a science, it's important to work with people you can win, and have fun with. We look at what does a successful culture looks like to attract new hires.Vendasta's VP of Revenue, Neal Romanchych, joins us this week to talk about sales culture. We take a look at the science of selling and the structure of it, and he breaks it down to three points: People, Pitch, and List. Digging into the People piece, Neal uses the PAF approach: Performance, Accountability, and Fun. While president at 411, he found great success in his search for new hires and keeping a high performing sales team.Neal comes with 30 years of senior sales and management experience, having been a founding partner in 411.ca back in 2006 and served as their president for the last five years. His experience includes six years at Motorola, 11 years at Sprint Canada, and has been a founding member in 5 start-ups. In total, Neal has over 35 impressive years of experience in the telecom and media sector.

The four stages of competence, also known as the four stages of learning, show that individuals don’t know how little they know, or are capable of when it comes to a specific skill; they don’t know their incompetence.George Leith is back with another edition of the Master Sales Series, we're exploring the four stages of competence. When the learner recognizes their incompetence, they start acquiring a skill and consciously using it. Eventually, the learner will begin to utilize the skill without even having to think about it: they will have reached unconscious competence.The four stages are classified as:Unconscious Incompetence,Conscious Incompetence,Conscious Competence, and;Unconscious Competence.Join the conversation in the Conquer Local Community, and keep learning in the Conquer Local Academy.

If businesses don't Adapt to Digital now, they may not be able to survive the long road ahead. The pandemic is the catalyst for businesses to make the switch to digital.Conquer Local travels to London England so we can speak with Paul Plant, Co-Founder & Director at BigFive Digital. Paul is one of the co-authors of Aftershocks And Opportunities: Scenarios for a Post-Pandemic Future, it explores four core themes; Critical Shifts, Society and Social Policy, Government and Economy, and Business and Technology. In this episode, Paul and George dive into why organizations who were reluctant to adapt to Digital are trying to follow the small businesses blueprint to be agile and quick to act. Paul also makes a few predictions around the airline industry, Darwinism, and why a country within Africa could be the world's first "cashless" country.Paul Plant is an experienced Strategic Marketeer, Digital Thought Leader, Entrepreneur, and Change Agent. He has been privileged to have worked with some of

Reviewing your team’s sales call, or your calls can be cringe-worthy. We learn why and how we need to get over it.This episode of the Master Sales Training Series, we dig deep into reviewing your sales call. We have special guest Brent Blazieko,  Founder of Soundlounge by Tbone, AND Conquer Local’s very own Audio Engineer. George and Brent use their past careers in radio to discuss how and why to listen to your personal sales calls and not just your teams. They discuss best practices, how to give feedback, and what to look for when listening to yourself.Brent is an audio engineer and producer, taking him from radio station imaging to theatre sound design, from production sound recording (on set for films, tv, and documentaries) to in-studio post-production mixing for advertising agencies. Music, sound, and, most importantly, listening have become his focus for work and life. Dedicated to the art of audio engineering, Brent will give your ideas the attention it deserves. Brent proudly produces many podcasts, i

Different segments of digital marketing can work independently, but adding a video marketing strategy can enhance and make them stronger.We speak to Brian Albert, Founder and CEO of Videobolt, in Florida this week. Videobolt has a history of helping businesses grow by producing high-quality videos and pass it along to SMBs who can't necessarily afford it. Brian shares the two questions you should ask yourself before hitting the record button on your camera to create a video for your brand. He explains how to overcome objections, how to use video to your advantage during the pandemic, and why turning on your camera is a must for remote meetings.Videobolt.com is the leading provider of spokesperson videos to businesses of all sizes, as well as an innovator in the personalized video space. Brian also founded thelaw.tv, a pioneer in lawyer video marketing. Prior to entering the business world, Brian was a television news reporter and anchor in New York and Florida (where he interviewed multiple presidents and

The Lighthouse Strategy is all about how companies can hone in on a particular niche that they aim to serve. Their niche could be anything ranging from restaurants to dentists to real estate agents.Dennis Yu, CEO of Blitz Metrics, is our guest this week on the Conquer Local Podcast. One of the most requested topics for the podcast is how to acquire new leads. When it comes to lead generation, this is the strategy Dennis recommends to all agency owners, regardless if you've got an established business or are just starting on their own. It's called The Lighthouse Strategy.Who is Dennis Yu? Dennis is an internationally recognized lecturer in Facebook Marketing and has spoken in 17 countries, spanning 5 continents, including keynotes at L2E, PibCon, Conversion Conference, Gultaggen, and Marketo Summit. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, National Public Radio, TechCrunch, Fox News, CBS Evening News, and co-authored "Facebook Nation" - a textbook taught in ove

By creating a culture of always serving the customers, hiring around customer-centric is an easy way to tell if the candidate is the right fit.Wayne Bischoff, CEO of Mediamark, joins us on the Conquer Local Podcast all the way from South Africa. Wayne's sales career started at the age of 7 when he began selling pencils on the playground. He shares how his background in sales prepared him as the CEO to create a customer-centric organization. Hiring amid pandemic has been a significant theme on the podcast. Wayne explains when he is looking to hire new reps, and he focuses on how they are motivated. If a potential employee says they are motivated by money, he doesn't want them to be a part of his organization.Keep the conversation going in the Conquer Local Community, and expand your knowledge in the Conquer Local Academy.Wayne is a dynamic natural leader with nearly three decades of extensive experience in the sales, marketing, and advertising industry, both in South Africa, Sub Saharan Africa, and Eur

Did you know that Conquer Local has its very own Digital Marketing Academy? It's a game-changer because the SaaS industry changes under our feet.We have Jacqueline Cook (Jackie), Chief Strategy Officer at Vendasta, on the podcast to discuss the strategy behind the Conquer Local Academy. After some research and listening to digital marketing agencies and entrepreneurs from different areas of the world, there was a realization that there was a need in the space for a digital marketing academy. It needed to be all-encompassing of various digital solutions that intertwine frequently. The Academy is built into a culture that embraces a community that agencies and entrepreneurs can grow and learn in. People learn differently; some learn by reading about it, and some want to watch videos at 2 am. The Academy was created to accommodate different learners in the way they want to learn, and on their time.She works with the CEO to shape Vendasta's long term strategy and to align both the culture, organizational

For marketing agencies and salespeople alike, we must put the local business first. We have to be able to present a buyers journey to a client because whether we try to empower them or not, they are always in charge.We have Jeff Koser, the spirited founder and CEO of Zebrafi, who is at the helm of the podcast this week. Jeff and George dig deep and analyze how the customer journey is shifting into a buyers journey. Jeff is the award-winning co-author of Selling to Zebras - How to Close 90% of the Business You Pursue Faster, More Easily, and More Profitably. Jeff has more than 25 years’ experience in leadership roles in operations, sales, and marketing. In 2010, he was recognized as one of the best sales authors of all time in the book, The Sales Gurus. Zebrafi is the Guided Selling Cloud for the Enterprise, where sellers are guided to great fit prospects, armed with presentations that are automated and collaborative on a live platform that guides both the buyer and the seller, leading to value-based and busin

If you are ready or not, the pandemic is a Forcing Function for Digital Transformation that local businesses need to adopt.Marty Fisher, President of Sherpa Marketing, is our guest this week; Marty started Sherpa Marketing in 1996. Since the global pandemic hit local businesses hard he started an initiative called Adopt a Business. He has a passion for local businesses, and when he saw the effects the pandemic would on the economy he knew Sherpa Marketing needed to step in. George and Marty discuss how the pandemic has been a forcing function for a digital transformation, they explain that now more than ever the importance of e-commerce on a website and being able to update their online listings in an instant.Owning and managing Sherpa Marketing since 1996, Marty brings “Big Idea” thinking, marketing intelligence, and business acumen to every customer interaction. Providing solutions that deliver value is not an objective that can be met without a strong commitment from the leadership of a company. By encoura

What if organizations can emulate intrapreneurship within their walls? What would that mean in terms of growth for the employee and the organization itself?We welcome Dr. Chitra Anand, an advisor to high growth companies, she has recently received her doctorate of business in intrapreneurship. No, that isn't a typo—What is an intrapreneur? An intrapreneur is an entrepreneur within a large, complex organization: a startup within a company. Dr. Anand explains how organizations need to embrace intrapreneurship in employees to stay agile and to promote drive within. This includes risk-taking, running experiments and micro experiments, looking for constant opportunities, and allowing the ability to have the time to try and fail. Dr. Anand is also an author and published her book in 2019, the Green House Approach, which is now a required read for the Forbes School of Business MBA program.Chitra Anand is an award-winning communications & marketing executive. With over 20 years in the technology industry, she

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between branded content and native content. Wundervue defines branded content as any sales or marketing initiative that uses content to engage a user, and that is paid for by a client.Jared Merves, Founder of Wundervue, explains how to succeed through storytelling. He believes that branded content is the silver bullet that provides publisher partners a path to revenue and profit growth and the sustainment of quality local journalism. Jared explains how branded content is a full customer journey program that lives in the top-to-middle of the marketing funnel to measure awareness and engagement. A successful branded content initiative is connecting the client to their target audience to demonstrate the value of what they have to offer. Jared Merves is a digital marketer, local advertising expert, and entrepreneur. Jared has more than 13 years of experience driving digital innovation for many of the nation’s largest local media companies. At Wundervue, Jared and h

Information shared by an expert at Google provides some SMB Best Practices can use when going back to business.Todd Rowe, Global Marketing Director at Google, is our guest this week on the Conquer Local Podcast. He uses the information collected from SMBs across the globe to understand the best practices they can take when re-opening after the wave of closures from the COVID-19 pandemic. With his knowledge, organizations will be able to help local businesses get back to business with ease. Todd Rowe has extensive experience in High Tech, in Sales, Marketing, and General Management with full P&L responsibility. Currently lead one of Google's fastest-growing business units. Extensive international experience building businesses in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Board of Director experience at privately held companies and Board of Advisors at Venture Capital firm. Todd specializes in building and running high-growth businesses. Background in Sales, Marketing, Product Management in Cloud, SAAS, and Sear

To build a cooperative in retail, it started with only 12 retailers, which quickly grew to 300 in one short year."Ten thousand mistakes can lead to the ten right decisions." Lindsay Gaskins, President, CAA Member and The Bike Cooperative, at CCA Global Members, is our guest this week. Lindsay started a brick-and-mortar business in 2008 during the financial crisis in the United States; in turn, she sold nothing in the first three months. Lindsay explains how she refined her business to have 45 stores open coast to coast. After her refined approach and did market research, they sold more in one day than in her first three months in business. These struggles and success brought Lindsay to help found cooperative in retail, she shares her dos and don'ts, and the advice to retail storefronts to stay healthy.Lindsay is a Senior Executive with deep retail industry expertise stemming from her experiences as a management consultant to top global retailers, as a head buyer for a large national retailer, as C

How to help the SMBs get back to business by being the Trusted Local Expert. What does it look like to reopen and how to communicate it to the SMBs customer base? George Leith is back to bring you another edition of the Master Sales Training Series. We discuss two things, first, being the trusted local expert; that's you. Reviewing how you operate as an organization, is it making your appointments remotely? Is it reallocating your budget? How are you delivering value to your client? George explores what you should be talking to your customer base about, what really matters to them, and how can we - the trusted local experts - be there to help them succeed.The second, are you open? Ensuring that once the SMB is open for business, they are able to communicate it to their clientele. The flip side to that, how are they communicating what they needed to scale back and possibly close their doors once again. How can we, as the trusted local expert's aid in the communicate it in these unprecedented times?Join

Consumers want to support their favorite local businesses. For this to happen, local businesses need to embrace e-commerce and go online.Greg Sterling, VP of Market Insights at Uberall, joins the conversation to give us the data on local business pivoting to e-commerce. Many local businesses have been able to embrace the digital shift, most fall into three groups: Successful in shifting to online, meeting expectations to stay open, and those who are struggling and may disappear. The successful cohort are businesses who have diversification online, a robust online component, and tighter integration between online and offline. To all the agencies and salespeople, now more than ever need to be the trusted local expert, and help the local business go through a digital transformation. There is an importance of communicating with customers, and strengthen relationships. Steers away from the sales pitch, and focus on doing right by them.Greg Sterling is a recognized expert on a range of digital marketing topics and

Customers travel through a series of steps—whether they know it or not—before they purchase at a local business. This is known as the customer journey.We welcome Ahsen Mohammad to the Conquer Local podcast this week to talk about the Customer Journey. Ahsen took the concept and built his marketing agency around it, Customer Maps, and only serves five customers. Instead of stretching out to bring more and more clients on, he prefers to go all-in with his clients and become a part of their team. For customers, the journey they undergo is not something they often think about, as they are just looking for an outlet to fulfill their buying needs. For local businesses, the customer journey is the difference between a sale and a consumer buying products/services from a local competitor.Ahsen has extensive experience of working for multiple global brands. He started his career with European Fashion brands. Ambition to work for multinational made him moved to global sports giant brand Adidas. He took up the role of Pr