Marketing Through Connection with Barbara Goldberg – 035

Marketing. You can either figure it out by ya-self – or learn from some smart people.

Check out this interview I did with Barbara Goldberg.

She is so smart – she is like Barbara Corcoran’s doppelganger with longer curly hair.

Hint : there is no hint, just listen in!

Our podcasts are interviews between Justin Krane, Krane Financial Solution’s President, and various professionals, one or more of which are or have been Krane Financial Solutions clients. However, nothing stated within the podcasts should be considered a testimonial or endorsement of Krane Financial Solutions or Justin Krane, and the professionals have not been directly or indirectly compensated for being interviewed.

A native New Yorker, Barbara began an exciting advertising and marketing career on Madison Avenue. She founded Responsive Research, Inc. and spent over thirty years as a marketing consultant, conducting focus groups for Fortune 500 companies. She moved to Los Angeles where she continued to work and raise two children. In 1993, she founded Salon Forum, a non-business venture, to bring women together in her home for events that support personal enrichment and connection.

In 2008, Barbara and other women of Salon Forum were inspired by one of its speakers, Gil Garcetti, to start the nonprofit, Wells Bring Hope. It is dedicated to saving lives with safe water in the poorest country in the world, Niger, West Africa.

**SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM FOR THE VIDEO!**

 

 

Research Responsively

• Market research is more about getting in people’s heads than looking at numbers.
• Product development needs to be about understanding what the consumer wants and needs as opposed to coming up with an idea and then figuring out who to sell it to.
• It is dangerous to believe that because you own a business, that you know everything you need to know and the consumer can’t give you any important information.
• Direct contact with the end user will result in an overview of how a product or service is valued, how it compares to your competition, and what is unique about your product or service.
• Invite clients to an intimate setting like a quiet restaurant or your home to ask questions of their thoughts on your product or service, and be receptive to hearing their input.
• Open-ended questions are critical to get credible information from your research.

 

The Time Outside of Business

• Business owners have a tendency to lose touch with their friends and friends are a key part nurturing your life.
• Barbara started the Salon Forum to not lose touch with her network, and in a method where she could connect with everyone at one time instead of making separate dates.
• The format of the forum started with a home-cooked dinner and guests getting to know one another, then a speaker would present and a Q & A portion would take place.
• The energy in the room when guests listened to Gil Garcetti talk about water insecurity in West Africa led to a task force quickly assembling and the creation of Wells Bring Hope.

 

Retire with Gusto

• Retirement is not defined properly. Retirement should be a transition into other missions and a life you find meaningful.
• Don’t view retirement as you’re done. View it as another chapter in your life and extension of the next thing that you want to do.
• One mistake that Barbara made was getting so consumed in her the day-to-day of her business that she neglected to focus enough on her accounts and financial life to ensure the promise of healthy retirement could take place.
• Even if you are not a financial guru, stay involved with your broker when looking at investments. It’s actually a lot of fun.
• It is somewhat common for women to do better in retirement than men because their social tendencies are more innate. If you are no longer working, it is important to find something to fill your time and spirit.
• Working toward a mission like Wells Bring Hope or other important nonprofits is a great way to spend time after a career ends.

 

Best Quotes:

 

“It’s a tremendously powerful feeling as a marketer or someone helping product development people to really give them an understanding of what is it that the consumer wants and needs as opposed to, “Oh, we came up with this great idea. Let’s see who we sell it to.” It’s not the way to go about things.”

“You need to hear from your end user. I think that’s absolutely critical because as marketers, we can sit and pontificate…and we do a lot, but it’s the consumer who offers you the bottom line sense of reality.”

“One of the things that happens when you are a business owner and really involved in growing your business, sometimes you lose touch with your friends. We don’t have enough time to just give adequate time for our families, let alone our friends. And our friends nurture us in a very different way.”

“I’ll warn your listeners about how I screwed up majorly. Because I was so engrossed in my business that I didn’t pay enough attention to my financial life.”

“I learned I loved doing investments with my broker. I loved it because I’m a researcher at heart.”

“You know, the most basic of human needs in the poorest country in the world- and giving all of the money to the project using all volunteers…you know, it doesn’t really get any better than that in my estimation.”

 

 

Connect With Barbara

Wells Bring Hope | Salon Forum
 

 

Stay Tuned for New Episodes!
Leave a review on iTunes or Google Play.