Throughout my career there were times I felt like a tiny voice in the management void. As an early advocate of internal marketing – a strategic blend of Marketing and Human Resources that focused on taking care of employees to take care of customers – I found companies bought into the concept but not its
“With age comes wisdom” … and wrinkles. As a long-time solopreneur with a start in the corporate world, I’m fortunate to have more wisdom than wrinkles. I’m also fortunate to have the opportunity to share what I learned along the way with career coach and podcast host, Deborah Brown-Volkman. We covered a lot of ground
2023 is a milestone year for me. I started Quality Service Marketing 35 years ago after working in bank marketing for more than 10 years. Going out on my own was scary, but job security was relative as the bank I worked for was being acquired by a larger bank and I had survived a
[Note: I’m happy and humbled to re-post the following written many years ago by Jason Stershic, digital marketing professional, blogger, podcast producer, host of The Palmer Files Podcast, and (best of all!) my son. Thanks, kid!] Sybil Stershic is my mother and, for most of my conscious life, she’s been the proprietor of Quality Service
I often hear marketing staff commiserate about how they struggle to get respect and buy-in for their programs. Several reasons account for this: given its work with advertising agencies, media firms, and incentive and premium providers, marketing is primarily associated with creative (aka “fun”) processes to promote the brand marketing teams typically work within functional
In the quest for product/service innovation, it’s easy to overlook an obvious source: your own customers. How to effectively involve and engage them – and make them feel valued in the process – can be found in Chip Bell‘s just-released book, Inside Your Customer’s Imagination: 5 Secrets for Creating Breakthrough Products, Services, and Solutions. Renowned
[Note: I’m pleased to share this timely post from Matthew Fenton, a Chicago-based marketing professional and founder of Three Deuce Branding that specializes in brand clarity. Here he offers a fundamental strategy to uncover the brand values a business needs to survive and thrive in these challenging times. More on Matthew’s work can be found
Connecting and engaging people in the workplace with LEGO® … just one of many fascinating topics shared in my video discussion with Smart Women Conversations’ host Yvonne DiVita, respected blogger, serial entrepreneur, and my former publisher who remains a dear friend. Yvonne launched Smart Women Conversations to “inform, educate, create laughter and share stories of
What a joy to be a guest on the “Profitable Happiness™” Podcast, hosted by bestselling author and musician, Dr. Pelè, who focuses on workplace happiness as a key to success. In our engaging 30 minute conversation, we talk about what lead me to bridge marketing and human resources with internal marketing to create a positive
This is the story (more of a tribute, actually) about my beloved father. He was a tailor by trade who ran a small alterations and dry cleaning business. I used to visit his shop to watch him work on a treadle sewing machine surrounded by rainbows of thread neatly stacked on shelves. Sometimes I would