Podcasts about challenge question

Send us a textIn this episode, we discuss the most important side characters from each book. Enjoy!Listen to episode 267, QuizMaster: Potions here!Topics/Summary:·      1:23 Challenge Question·      2:25 Professor Quirrell. Quirrell drives the story forward with a masterful hand, and we wouldn't have the same conflict without him. Snape is also a good option for this, but it is the contrast between Quirrell and he that makes the first book so interesting.·      7:25 Professor Lockhart. He is an absolute idiot, but an important idiot in the second book. Lockhart allows Harry to begin his journey as a hero. He also allows him to realize his connection with Voldemort which evolved later.·      13:13 Professor Lupin. I was so close to putting down Sirius Black, but in the end, Lupin takes the cake. He somehow finds a way to be everywhere. He is at the center of the conflict surrounding Sirius even though we don't know it, and he is one of the most important Harry has when it comes to a connection to James.·      16:42 Barty Crouch Jr. This is one of the easier ones on the list, because if we pick out any one event in the fourth book, Crouch had something to do with it. He was influencing the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the search for Voldemort, and the rise of Voldemort all at the same time.·      18:34 Professor Umbridge. This is another easy one. What would happen in this book without her? We wouldn't have the trial, any of the conflicts at Hogwarts, or Dumbledore's Army without her.·      21:05 Draco and Dumbledore. I'm going to cheat a little bit here and choose both Draco and Dumbledore because it is the dance of death they do in this book that drives forward the plot. Dumbledore's death was Dumbledore's own fault as much as Draco's.·      24:37 Snape. Finally, Snape. He is doing everything. He is probably the most powerful person in the wizarding world at this point just because of how many sides he is fighting for. Snape could take down anyone he chooses and influence the entirety of the war. One of the most impactful scenes of the book is when Snape is dying in the Shrieking Shack. These reasons are more than enough.Having anything you want to hear or say? Click here for a voice submission or here for text. ThePotterDiscussion@gmail.comthepotterdiscussion.comNox

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is ....What is the name of the prayer traditionally said before a meal? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is ....What mortal sin is the willful perversion of the natural gifts of God for the engendering of children whereby conception is prevented? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is ....In 1688, which American State had a law that had the death penalty for being a priest? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join me on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip Celebrating Three Years of Grant Writing Simplified It's been three years since I launched the Grant Writing Simplified Podcast, and it's been an amazing journey. The show has over 100,000 downloads from over 140 countries across six continents. I've made friends all over the world and we've come together as a community. I'm incredibly grateful for my team's hard work and dedication in making the show possible. Shifting the Conversations Around Nonprofit Work In the world of grants, we need to think beyond just the money. If you've listened to my TEDx talk, we need to focus on the Return on Impact (ROI). Funders need to know they will get a return for investing in your nonprofit.  To build a successful ROI, nonprofits need to be Relevant, Optimized, and Interact authentically. Once we lock all three of those in, that's when we can really make progress and we can get results around our impact. It's important that we are helping people understand that. Nonprofits play an important role in educating the world about their mission. Grants aren't a quick fix; nonprofit work is a long game. There's an urgency now more than ever to support nonprofits, to shift some things in the sector, to change the conversations around nonprofit work. I can't do it myself. But I can help give you the tools, the ideas, the verbiage and help you become more comfortable with the conversations. I talked to a lot of nonprofit leaders, grant writers, and consultants. There's a need to shift the conversation about how we support nonprofits, how we support funding, how we show up.  I get a lot of questions about grants from nonprofits who have heard, “Oh, you should get grant funding. There are grants out there that'll fix everything.” Ouch! There seems to be this mindset that grants are the easy answer, when in reality that's getting a little bit ahead of themselves if they don't have the other pieces in place. Many nonprofits still have some work to do in this area. I know that's hard to hear a little bit of tough love, but some time invested in the right things can really pay off down the road.  Grants aren't a quick fix; they're not quick money. They're not an overnight way to fund your nonprofit. They're a really small part of a much bigger fundraising plan, and you need those pieces in place. Grants are more of a long-term seed planting and cultivating to build those relationships over time to build out your strategy effectively.  An old proverb says, “Be not afraid of growing slowly; be only afraid of standing still. Growing slowly produces deep roots.” That's true in this context as well. With nonprofit work and with grants, it does take time just like planting seeds. You can't be digging them up and checking them every day to see if the seeds are growing. You have to tend and cultivate and water and let the seeds do their work. Same with grants and nonprofits, We have to cultivate and care for them and provide the right environment and the right conditions.  Booking a Mentor-On-Call Strategy Call If you're feeling overwhelmed with trying to help your nonprofit apply for grants, then a Mentor On Call Strategy Call may be a helpful next step. You can book a one on one Zoom call with me to get feedback on any questions you may have and access to an expert. You'll get clear action steps to keep moving forward and new strategies to level up. Holiday Zoom Party To celebrate the holidays, I'm hosting a Holiday Zoom Party! This is a chance to hang out on Zoom, ask mentor questions, share stories about grants, and celebrate the holidays together. Be sure to sign up for my email list or message me on LinkedIn to get an invitation to the Zoom Party. To read today's full episode:  Celebrating Three Years of Grant Writing Simplified To watch and share my TEDx Talk, The Real ROI of Grant Writing.   Challenge Question:  What do you need to have in place before you start looking for grants? Join us for the Holiday Zoom Party and let's chat about it!   Connect with Teresa Huff: Website: www.teresahuff.com Watch the TEDx: The Real ROI of Grant Writing Take the Quiz: Do you have what it takes to be a grant writer? Social: LinkedIn Community LinkedIn Instagram Pinterest YouTube Get on the Fast Track to Grant Writer: www.teresahuff.com/vip  

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is ....Name the major Catholic Fraternal Organization in The United States. Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is ....What are the three theological virtues? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... In the CS Lewis novel The Screwtape Letters, the main character named Screwtape, holds an administrative post in what bureaucracy? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... In 1988 which nation celebrated the thousandth anniversary of Christianity on its soil? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... What is the third Commandment? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... What does R.C.I.A. stand for? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... Which title from the Book of Daniel did Jesus use for himself? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... What is known as the greatest sea battle in history, between the Muslims and the Christians? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... What is the liturgical book containing the Divine Office assigned to the canonical hours which must be recited by all persons in Holy Orders, and by men and women religious who have professed solemn vows? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... Which commandment tells you to honor your parents? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... Which month is traditionally associated with prayer for the dead? Listen to hear the correct response!

Inklings ~ How to Spot the Karma Tripping You UpTake it to the next level and learn more techniques here: https://www.irenamiller.co/stepsIt's easy to get stuck in a cycle of frustration, banging your head against the wall, thinking life is just going crazy. Feeling like the universe has it out for you.That's when this technique can help.Allow me to introduce my signature “CPR” technique to help spot the trippy karma before it wreaks havoc.Challenge - Question the feeling and where it came from.Pause - Sit with the feeling and realize there are layers to this.Reflect - See how it fits into life right now.This is the first step. Awareness of what is going on around and within constitutes a big breakthrough.Depending on where you are in your spiritual journey and energetic journey. This might have brought up more questions than answers.That is what I do. And that is why people hire me. Because I'm able to provide a unique set of sacred practices to meet them where they are and walk them through to the next step. Together.Take it to the next level and learn more techniques here:https://www.irenamiller.co/steps---------------------------------Irena Miller is the playfulness behind the Mystical School of Energy Adventures (https://irenamiller.com/ ) a space to learn the sacred arts that unlock the mysteries, hunches, and unexplainable. She has been in business for 23 years guiding curious seekers and visionary empaths on how to take rewarding action on their gut instincts. She draws on her logical background as a Decision Science major and her intuitive side as a Reiki Master, Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher, and Energy Reader. She has a free weekly show - Inklings ( https://www.facebook.com/irenakmiller ), and she works 1:1 with clients. As an Energy Alchemist and Spiritual Life Coach, she shines the light on blocked energy that can show up as physical pain, limiting beliefs, self-sabotaging behaviors, and glass ceilings. Continue the conversation with Irena https://www.irenamiller.com and grab her FREE Gift to YOU http://www.irenamiller.co/getcalm Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inklings ~ How to Spot the Karma Tripping You UpTake it to the next level and learn more techniques here: https://m.me/irenakmiller?ref=ENGAGEIt's easy to get stuck in a cycle of frustration, banging your head against the wall, thinking life is just going crazy. Feeling like the universe has it out for you.That's when this technique can help.Allow me to introduce my signature “CPR” technique to help spot the trippy karma before it wreaks havoc.

Join Mark for another Freative Friday as he talks about redefining your challenge question. Connect with us on LinkedIn! SalesGlobe: https://bit.ly/2YOH9NT Mark Donnolo: https://bit.ly/2ZkQbRO

True story: Years ago, when I was sitting in Atlanta traffic, I had an idea pop into my mind to start a podcast for water treaters, and the first person I called to get their advice about starting such a venture was James McDonald. I called James because he was someone I respected in the industry and he was also someone who was already generously giving his time to help our industry improve, thanks to the Industrial Water Treatment Group he started on LinkedIn. Without James' encouragement on that fateful drive, I don't know if I would have ever started this podcast. Today, James McDonald, the Director of Technology and Marketing at Chem-Aqua comes back on the show to answer your questions, talk about the content he creates freely for the water treatment industry, how he started Industrial Water Week, and some really solid advice about inspiring others. James McDonald is someone who inspires our industry. He is the tide that raises all boats in our industry.    Bottom line: James McDonald is going to inspire and encourage you to make our industry better by sharing your knowledge and talents. Your roadside friend, as you travel from client to client.  -Trace    Timestamps:  Teaching others [0:01] Why James McDonald shares his knowledge freely with the industry [7:25] Leveraging LinkedIn to freely help the water treatment industry [13:17] Listener questions for James McDonald [16:13] James' Challenge in 2021 [23:20] Industrial Water Week [27:10] James' Memes and Jokes (link below) and Detective H2O [32:07] Inspiring others [40:34] Advice for 2022 [47:00] James' Challenge: Question everything and continuously learn. [51:26]   Quotes: “There's no I in TEAM; there's no I in WATER, but there is a WE.” - James McDonald “We're all in this together.”  - James McDonald “Any way we can help to make this profession more reputable, honorable, increase passion…the better it is for all of us.”  - James McDonald “We are not building up our competition, we are building up our profession.” - James McDonald “Like what you do, have passion for what you do, and share it freely.” - James McDonald “Things we do individually, things we do as a company can help our industry or hurt our industry.” - James McDonald “Industrial Water Week celebrates its 5 year anniversary next year.”  - James McDonald “Industrial Water Week is your holiday! Use it as a reason to offer training and share your passion.”  - James McDonald “I love what I do and I find ways to promote our profession.” - James McDonald “Always keep the big picture in mind.”  - James McDonald “We are here to: treat water, help our customers and deliver value to them.” - James McDonald “Whenever you are trying to teach others…it changes everything that you think you know about that topic.” - Trace Blackmore “You'll never master everything in water treatment. There is always something to learn” - Trace Blackmore   Connect with James McDonald: Phone: (937) 689-4031 LinkedIn: in/james-mcdonald-pe Websites:  www.industrialwaterscience.com  www.industrialwaterweek.com www.chemaqua.com   Links Mentioned: James' Jokes & Memes Muhammad Ishfaq's WhatsApp Group Industrial Water Week Association of Water Technologies (AWT) AWT'S The Analyst   Events Mentioned: The Hang - January 20, 6:00 p.m. EST, USA 2022 AWT Technical Training Seminars (West) – February 23 to 26 (Seattle, WA) 2022 AWT Technical Training Seminars (East) – March 30 to April 02 (Cleveland, OH) Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport Show - February 22 to 24 (Indianapolis, IN) 2022 Geospatial Water Technology Conference - March 21 to 23 (Austin, TX)    Books Mentioned: Drop by Drop: Articles on Industrial Water Treatment by James McDonald  

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... Who ? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... Who ? Listen to hear the correct response!

Inklings ~ How to Spot the Karma Tripping You UpTake it to the next level and learn more techniques here: https://m.me/irenakmiller?ref=ENGAGEIt's easy to get stuck in a cycle of frustration, banging your head against the wall, thinking life is just going crazy. Feeling like the universe has it out for you.That's when this technique can help.Allow me to introduce my signature “CPR” technique to help spot the trippy karma before it wreaks havoc.Challenge - Question the feeling and where it came from.Pause - Sit with the feeling and realize there are layers to this.Reflect - See how it fits into life right now.This is the first step. Awareness of what is going on around and within constitutes a big breakthrough.Depending on where you are in your spiritual journey and energetic journey. This might have brought up more questions than answers.That is what I do. And that is why people hire me. Because I'm able to provide a unique set of sacred practices to meet them where they are and walk them through to the next step. Together.Take it to the next level and learn more techniques here:https://m.me/irenakmiller?ref=ENGAGE---------------------------------Irena Miller is an Energy Alchemist + Intuitive Guide. She is the playfulness behind InSight of the Moon, a membership community connecting empaths and harnessing the energies of the Lunar Cycles (https://www.irenamiller.co/insight ). Her joy is introducing you to the experience of living a harmonious, engaged, and free-flowing life! With over 20 years of experience studying and teaching energy and yoga, she still loves to see the light turn on in her students' eyes after a practice. Irena has been featured in Runner's World, Spark People, seen on The Shift Network, Sirius Joy, and has lead retreats and teacher trainings. She is a certified Sekhem-Seichim-Reiki Master and Yoga Instructor at the Experienced-500 hour level with the Yoga Alliance. With time so precious and rare, she will teach you how to leverage your invisible support team and realize that you always have support on this journey if you simply ask. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... Who ? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... Who ? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .. Which alphabet is named after a saint?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .. Which tribe of Israel received no inheritance of land?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith.  Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... How old was Noah when he died? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith.  Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... On which river was Moses found by the Pharaoh's daughter? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge? This week's Challenge Question is .... Who ? Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .. Which prophet had a vision of God with smoke and six winged angels?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... What does the name Lucifer mean?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .. Which commandment forbids greed?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... Which prophet said "Behold a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son?"  Listen to hear the correct response!

Grace, Josiah, and their entire group of friends from America stood speechless, watching a battle between French and Mexican soldiers unfold before their very eyes.  They had traveled to Mexico to experience a holiday called Cinco de Mayo and had met a friendly girl named Ashley who gave tours with her family.  Along the way, discover the identify of the hiding boy, the best Mexican meals, and what "Yo soy..." means!  Join us as we discover Spanish phrases, Mexican foods, and  stories from Mexico's history! The stories today center around the idea that even a lump of slimy clay can become a beautiful valued possession!  Persevere and and you'll have beauty and victory in life! Highlights for further study:Benito Juarez, Mexican PresidentPuebla, city in MexicoTelavera potteryMexican cuisine (tacos, tostadas, chalupas, tlayuda tostadas, sope, flautas, tamales, and much more!)*Challenge Question* at the end of the episode!!  Place your guess on the Brilliant Mornings Instagram, or Brilliantmornings@gmail.com and you may receive a reward!!!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... When he got off the ark, what was the first thing Noah did?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... St. Scholastica is the twin sister of which saint?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... Who had John the Baptist beheaded in prison?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... Who was the first American-born Saint?   Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is.....Who wrote the most books in the New Testament?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... In what month of Elisabeth's pregnancy did the angel appear to Mary?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... Who bargained with God to save Sodom?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... Which apostle is known as the doubting apostle?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Episode 38 of The Belonging Factor Podcast is an introduction to the world of men as allies for women, and the first episode to be featured on YouTube. TO ATTEND THE FREE LIVE TALK ON MARCH 5, 2021, REGISTER HERE. To learn more about gender equity, and the role of men as allies for women, check out this resource. ON MALE ALLYSHIP The touchstone for successful gender ally development is this: a man is an ally when a woman says he is. Allies listen, co-create opportunity, and build a personal brand for accountability and trust. For us men, we aren't allies to women because we aspire to be, or because we say we are. We're allies only when specific women are willing to say to us and others: “Here's an example of how you are collaborating with me, supporting me, making and keeping promises,... If that sounds more advanced than where you're at today, this episode is for you! THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE QUESTIONS: CHALLENGE QUESTION 1: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING WITH FAMILY? CHALLENGE QUESTION 2: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU FEEL YOU DON'T BELONG WITH FAMILY? Answer via web/text HERE. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/belongingfactor/message

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... True or False...We must be free from mortal sin to receive Holy Communion?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Episode 37 of The Belonging Factor Podcast is the first episode to be featured on YouTube, and the first episode to feature The Belonging Factor Podcast "Challenge Question(s)." This marks an exciting turn in the direction of the podcast, as you are now at the center of everything we do here. Your answers... your questions... your comments... your sense of belonging... that's why we're here. As promised, you are able to interact with the show in two main ways. Please check the links below to engage in whatever manner is most comfortable for you (voice message or web/text). CHALLENGE QUESTION 1: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING WITH FAMILY? CHALLENGE QUESTION 2: HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU FEEL YOU DON'T BELONG WITH FAMILY? Answer via web/text HERE. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/belongingfactor/message

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... Did King David commit adultery ?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... What is the earliest date we can celebrate Pentecost ?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... Who asked for the body of Jesus after the crucifixion?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... What are the seven deadly sins?   Listen to hear the correct response!

Join Barbara G. and P.J. as they challenge your knowledge of the Catholic Faith. Play alone or with friends. Download the FREE Scoring Sheet at Living Bread Radio.com to keep track of your score. Are you up to the challenge?  This week's Challenge Question is .... Who was the Roman emperor at the time of the birth of Jesus?  Listen to hear the correct response!

Tell me about a personal challenge you had to push hard to overcome. That is a tricky question ... unless you know what the real background of the question is. Learn it in this episode --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/moritz-gruber/message

In this episode of the Quick Challenge Question Podcast, Drew and David answer the challenge: You Can't Argue People Into Heaven. 

In this episode of the Quick Challenge Question Podcast, Drew and David answer the challenge: Why Doesn't God Heal Amputees? 

In this episode of the QCQ podcast, Drew and David answer the challenge: Why are Christians So Judgmental?

In this episode of the Quick Challenge Question Podcast, Drew and David answer the challenge "Aren't all Religions Basically The Same?". 

In this episode of the Quick Challenge Question Podcast, Drew and David answer the challenge that Christians are Hypocrites. 

In our new Quick Challenge Question podcast, Drew and David answer the challenge of what happens to those who have never heard of Jesus? 

Garage Challenge Question 9/12/18 Are you investing in this critical area of your #garage? Get in the #comments as we would love your input here!! http://www.wrenchnation.tv Remember to tune in today at 4PM AZ. We're talking with Carvana --LISTEN LIVE ▶️ http://bit.ly/2Eqp4Ki

In this episode we discuss answers to our last Challenge Question and start to dip our toes into the waters of race privilege and racial bias and discrimination. We accidentally recorded TWO HOURS of content! So this is just the first in a multi-part discussion around race relations and race-based bias in the US.

Guest: Joel Blake, Partner and Technical Sales at Marketing Technologies  Highlights: Increase your rep, distributor, or reseller sales by supporting them with abundant sample products and stories behind those parts.  Make sure they have up-to-date collateral. [4:40] Videos of the manufacturing process in action are also helpful for distributors to share new processes with the end users. [6:00] Those manufacturers who give better support to their distributors get more attention which can translate to more sales. How about a regular sales phone call with your distributors to keep them up to date? Ask your distributors what they need! [7:30] Joel's one wish from manufacturers - "Place more emphasis on the digital aspect of marketing. Get with the digital marketing age." [11:00] Joel is proud to represent the Millennial viewpoint and advocates the digital processes throughout manufacturing! [13:00] Here's what Joel sees his manufacturers doing for marketing support, some are using email, some are experimenting with social media like Twitter and LinkedIn. [16:00] Big opportunity for manufacturers is to support their distributors by providing educational material beyond the product and company manufacturing. This would get the attention of distributors and will very likely get you more distributor sales from your reps. [18:50] Manufacturers - put together an educational webinar and produce it for your distributors and their customers. Joel shares some great ideas off the top of his head. [21:40] Interview Questions: Question 1 – Joel, you represent several manufacturers.  How would you describe excellent marketing and sales support and contrast that with inadequate or poor marketing and sales support from the manufacturer? How much does your perception of the support affect where you put your daily and strategic efforts? Question 2 –  If you had one marketing support (or sales support) wish that could be granted, what would you wish for from your manufacturers? Follow up with why did you choose that? Question 3 –  Let’s talk specifically about marketing.  Of those manufacturers who do provide marketing support, what specifically are they doing to support you? Are any of your manufacturers or have you heard of any others who are supporting distributors with educational content like webinars, ebooks, white papers?  (content besides company and product information) Question 4 – What is the one thing a manufacturer could do for you and for any other distributors out there that would inspire you to put more effort into selling their products? Challenge Question –  This week I’m repeating our challenge question from last week because it is from a distributor of manufactured products.  The question comes from the St. Louis area, a distributor of manufactured products, process instrumentation devices. “I’m the owner of a manufacturer’s rep company where we sell to various manufacturing companies. It’s getting tougher to get their attention these days and we seem to be fighting over the lowest price more often than not. Lately, the first and last call we get is for a price quote. We’re pretty good at pitching the product, but it’s not working so well lately. How can we position the company as a premium supplier by sharing expertise? Define your differentiation and unique value to your customers. You can use educational content to differentiate. Pitching the product is not a good way to differentiate. In fact this is a straight line to being perceived as a commodity. There's value in reliability, price is rarely the top concern in a purchase decision. Takeaways:  Make sure sales and marketing are aligned and on the same team. Don't do marketing and sales the same way as everyone else in the industry. Look outside of manufacturing and see what they are doing for innovative ways to differentiate your sales and marketing activities.

Question 1 –   Let’s talk about this perception that marketing has no return or that it is impossible to measure the return of a marketing investment. What is your take on that perception? (with a slant to the B2B manufacturing sector) Question 2 –  How do you define and calculate return on investment or ROI for the marketing function? What are some metrics manufacturing marketers should be tracking? Question 3 –   Could you share a success story with the audience about a B2B manufacturer or a B2B company who was able to successfully measure ROI and what were the positive outcomes to the business and the marketing department as a result? Question 4 –  Let’s imagine a manufacturer or a marketing director at a manufacturing company out there listening. He has 1 or 2 people on his staff, not much budget and when times are tough, marketing is the first place where budget gets cut. What are some initial steps he could take to start to prove a return on the marketing investment, change the perception of marketing as a black hole expense and even begin to position marketing as a direct source of revenue? Challenge Question –  This week our challenge question comes from a robotics manufacturing company in northern Indiana. Here it is “I’m a VP marketing at a mid-size manufacturer and I have a strong passion for marketing by educating our customers to help them solve their problems. I’m new here and I’m having trouble getting buy-in for a content marketing strategy that is not completely about the products. I have 2 questions; how can I break through the culture barrier that says we can only market by pitching the product?  Second, how long does it usually take to prove the concept of content marketing?”

Welcome to this episode #26 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast, “Surrender and Embracing Difference” with TiLT Parenting for Differently-Wired Kids founder Debbie Reber. This conversation about seeing diversity as an asset, valuing and embracing difference, couldn’t come at a better time. Debbie Reber is the founder of TiLT, an online destination aimed at helping parents raising differently-wired kids do so from a place of confidence, connection, and peace. She’s also host of the TiLT Parenting Podcast, a life coach, speaker and a New York Times bestselling author of books aimed at raising self-esteem for young girls. Before becoming a writer, Debbie worked in children’s television, for a relief and development organization and at UNICEF. Despite this long list of accomplishments, perhaps the greatest thing Debbie has done is become parent, advocate, homeschooler and champion for her own son Asher who is 13, has Aspergers, ADHD and is profoundly gifted. After years of struggle with Asher, Debbie and her husband took a leap of faith in 2013, moving from the U.S. to Amsterdam where she stepped into her own hero’s journey to acceptance, surrender, and presence. In the process, she and Asher have come to an exceptional place, and share their lessons learned, wisdom and real life experiences to make sure other parents of differently-wired kids don’t have to journey alone. Debbie and I had an amazing conversation, about faith, personal transformation through parenting and how to live an E.P.I.C. life of alignment. Debbie invites us to question hidden beliefs about neurodiversity, explore the judgements we make about children who are “differently-wired” and invite us to become more compassionate as a result. She’s also invited us to take her TILT 7 day challenge to support ourselves to gently shift our awareness. This conversation was a year in the making and it was really powerful for me. I was reminded about the gifts our children bring us, even when they don’t come in the ways that we expected and it renewed my commitment to show up fully for my own children, embracing their differences and surrendering to the knowledge that life is a journey and not a destination. Special Message for All of Us I want to note that I bring this episode to you at a unique moment. At the time of this recording, the nation has endured tragedy and division in the wake of events at Charlottesville, fueled by hatred and fear about our differences. Days later, the universe provided us with awareness that we are bound together by something bigger than ourselves as people everywhere took in the total solar eclipse with awe. The definition of eclipse means to darken and block out the light. We eclipse the light and love, and our common humanity, when we fail to recognize, understand, and celebrate our differences, whether that difference comes from the way our brains think in the case of differently-wired kids, the color of our skin, or the religion we follow. But, as Debbie so eloquently describes in our conversation, when we can see diversity as an asset and embrace difference, everything changes. When I noticed that Miki DeVivo, another mom raising differently-wired kids, was launching her beautiful book of poetry this week, “The Naming of Real Things,” I asked if she would choose a piece for me to share as a lead into what felt like a sacred conversation with Debbie, as a prayer and invitation for all of us, during this challenging time, to move from darkness into more light, love and compassion for one another. Here it is... From Miki DeVivo’s  new book of poetry, the Naming of Real Things (shared with permission) Love More Love more fully. Let your love fill in all the cracks Like Japanese gold. Raise your heart To your lips and drink till you are full. Love more widely. Let your love widen beyond all the borders Inflicted by man. Raise your arms To the sky in blessings spread wide. Love more deeply. Let your love deepen beneath the surface Of skin and kin and the way we each choose to worship. Raise your eyes To see the raw humanity standing before you, pain and wisdom so deep. Love more fiercely. Let your love rage like fire and do not be silent. Raise your voice To power again and again, unflinching and fierce. Love more wildly. Let your love wild like flowers blanketing a meadow in the spring. Raise your feet To dance among the blossoms, growing wild. Love more warmly. Let your love warm the icicles of contempt that pierce your heart. Raise your glass To the fountain of hope until your cup runneth over, sweet and warm. Love more freely. Let your love free from the small box you were told would keep it safe. Raise your hands To pick the locks and set yourself free. This Week’s Challenge: Question and explore your beliefs about neurodiversity. Raise your awareness and step into more compassion with Debbie’s 7 Day Challenge. Topics discussed in this episode: How Debbie and I have connected as mothers of differently-wired boys, since Jonathan Fields and Harmony Eichsteadt, of The Good Life Project, made an introduction between us a year ago. How Debbie wrestled with an Evangelical Christian faith upbringing, the questions she explored about her own spirituality, and how she came to believe there is something greater that connects us all. The right turn Debbie’s career took from empowering young girls to championing her own “differently-wired” son and then building a community to support parents to champion their own. The unexpected gifts that raising Asher has brought to Debbie and her life and the key that helped her shift into acceptance. How Debbie followed her intuition and changed everything for the better, to make a big leap of faith, move to Amsterdam, and begin homeschooling Asher. Nature is Debbie’s church and how lacing up their shoes for long walks outside provides Debbie and Asher opportunity for deep connection. Debbie’s new book, coming out in spring 2018, to help parents of differently-wired kids realize they are not alone. How Debbie’s “self-interest” helps her prioritize creating space and time for herself. The quote from Shakepeare Debbie’s son Asher shared, on his podcast episode, as he reflected on the importance of risk and leaps of faith required in order to grow. Resources mentioned in this episode: Miki DeVivo’s book “The Naming of Real Things” The Good Life Project Episode 53 of The TILT Parenting Podcast: Debbie and Asher’s TiLT Parenting One-Year Anniversary Special where Asher talks about his sleep-away camp experience Episode 18 of the Mother’s Quest Podcast: YOLO (You Only Live Once) and other Milestone Reflections with my son Ryan Neale which Debbie and Asher listened to together TILT Parenting and the TILT Parenting Manifesto Debbie’s Differently Wired 7-Day Challenge TiLT Community Facebook Page Quote Asher used after his reflection on his sleep-away camp experience “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” -William Shakespeare Announcements Women Podcasters in Solidarity In this week after the events that took place in Charlottesville, I’m even more committed to a quest I’ve been on to understand the roots of racism and bigotry, how it still shows up today, and how I can become a better ally and advocate to fight against it. I’m raising awareness for myself, and inviting you to do the same, through a special podcast episode coming out in September. If you want to listen to that episode, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and sign up for email updates at mothersquest.com. And if you are a women podcaster yourself, I’d love for you to make the pledge to use the power of your platform for this cause. You can learn more and join the initiative by signing up at mothersquest.com/solidarity. Q and A with Debbie Reber Join us on September 1st, Friday at 10:30 AM PST for a Q and A in the Mother's Quest Facebook Group with Debbie to continue our conversation and check in on the challenge. Click this link to join the Mother’s Quest Facebook Group and get invited to the event. Visit the Website If you haven’t yet visited the website, head over to www.mothersquest.com to explore some of the ways you can get more connected. At the site, you can sign up for our email list (to get show notes delivered to your inbox and our new “Mothers on a Quest” features), click the link to join the Facebook group and press record to leave a voice message for me. You can also download the FREE Live Your E.P.I.C. Life Planning and Reflection Sheets. Sign up! – Free 30 minute Discovery Session I’m rolling out my new coaching offerings and having great conversations with women who are ready to live a more E.P.I.C. life and interested in coaching. If you’ve had a spark moment setting you on a new path or are at a crossroads but feel unsure, guilty or overwhelmed, I’d love to talk with you about how working with me could help light the way, get you clear about what you want, shift your mindset from fear to faith, and get you moving into action. I’ve been there, I’m still on the journey myself, and I’d love to bring all I’ve learned from a decade of coaching, 13 years of motherhood and all the lessons from my podcast guests to support you. Send me an email at julie@mothersquest.com or sign up for a free discovery call by clicking this link if you’re interested in learning more. Acknowledgements A big THANK YOU to our “patrons” for helping to bring these conversations to myself and other mothers through financial and/or in-kind support: Katharine Earhart of Alesco Advisors Jessica Kupferman of She Podcasts Resistance Artist Jen Jenkins Dohner Genese Harris Tonya Rineer, founder of The Profit Party Liane Louie-Badua Cristin Downs of the Notable Woman Podcast Erin Kendall of Fit Mom Go Niko Osoteo of Bear Beat Productions Erik Newton of The Together Show Claire Fry Divya Silbermann Rachel Winter Caren and Debbie Lieberman Cameron Miranda Fran and David Lieberman Debbie and Alan Goore Jenise and Marianne of the Sustainable Living Podcast Support the Podcast If you’d like to make a contribution to Mother’s Quest to support Season Two of the Podcast and/or help provide coaching scholarships for mothers, follow this link to make a contribution http://mothersquest.com/be-a-supporter/ If you would like to “dedicate” an upcoming episode to a special mother in your life, email me at julie@mothersquest.com --- Mother's Quest is a podcast for moms who are ready to live a truly E.P.I.C. life. Join in for intimate conversations with a diverse group of inspiring mothers as they share how they are living an E.P.I.C. life, Engaging mindfully with their children (E), Passionately and Purposefully making a difference beyond their family (P), Investing in themselves (I), and Connecting to a strong support network (C). Join our community of mothers to light the way and sustain you on your quest at https://www.facebook.com/groups/mothersquest/  

This week we are re-posting the most popular episode of the year. Did you know that content marketing has super powers to grow your manufacturing business? It's true, but you need to know how to release the superpower. Robert Rose shares just how powerful content marketing can be for your business. Interview Questions: Question 1 – Robert if I were to get 10 of my audience in a room and ask them to define content marketing, I might get 10 different answers. Just to level set with the audience, would you share, in a practical sense, what is content marketing? What is not content marketing? Question 2 –  In your experience dealing with B2B manufacturing companies, if there is an opportunity for manufacturers who adopt content marketing to gain an advantage; increased market share, more sales, competitive advantage, etc., would you describe that opportunity? Content marketing is a common term these days, thanks to CMI, isn’t everyone doing it now? Question 3 –  Manufacturing is, some would say, a different animal as compared to high tech or the service sectors because they make a product and the company culture revolves around that product.  Content marketing is about sharing expertise and not about pitching the product, correct?  When I talk to manufacturers, they struggle with this idea of sharing knowledge and not pitching the product to gain engagement. In your dealings with manufacturers, have you also seen this culture hurdle and how do you advise a manufacturing marketers who want to get started with content marketing to deal with the product culture? Question 4 – Most of the manufacturers I talk to still go to market with a 1990s strategy, meaning they rely on a field sales team or distributors to build relationships one to one.  But their customers want to buy like it’s 2016.  Is this what you are seeing as well? Would you agree that herein lies the opportunity, closing that gap between how mfg goes to market and how their customers want to buy, for savvy B2B manufacturers? I don’t think content marketing is for every manufacturer, it’s not easy and it’s not for the faint of heart, but if done well, it really pays off.  Suppose there is a CEO or VP Sales and Marketing of a mid size B2B manufacturer listening to this podcast who understands the potential power of content marketing but doesn’t know how to get started.  What would you advise?  Challenge Question –  This week our challenge question comes to us from a VP Sales and Marketing at a Midwest metal fabricator. “I just attended an industry conference where one of the speakers was talking about how we should get into content marketing by starting a blog. We started a blog and nobody is reading it. What is your advice, should we continue with content marketing or, since the blog is not working, go back to pushing our widgets?”

This week we're discussing how sales and marketing alignment can increase revenue. You will also learn what it is and how to get alignment. Guest: Desiree Grace, VP Sales & Marketing at Anamet Electrical, Inc.Website: anametelectrical.com Highlights: Here are some statistics from the HubSpot website: Misalignment between sales and marketing technologies and processes costs B2B companies 10% of revenue or more per year. Companies with good alignment practices in place generated 208% more revenue from marketing efforts. When sales and marketing teams work together, companies see 36% higher customer retention and 38% higher sales win rates. [4:40] Sales and marketing are like siblings and the other departments are like the cousins. [6:50] Alignment is based on open and honest communication without either side getting defensive. [9:10] Product launches are a great example where tangible costs of the launch are increased when there is not strong alignment. ROI may even be negative because of poor alignment. [12:20] Desiree shares an alignment success story at Anamet Electrical by creating a rep council to share field information. [18:00] Deriree shares the idea of using a beta test instead of a large full scale roll out. [19:20] Here are a couple of steps to getting started: First, take a look at your base organizational structure. Are both teams under the same leader? Might need to change that structure. Find places where the teams can work together on a common project or task just to get started talking and sharing ideas. This creates understanding and understanding leads to alignment. Start with a customer survey and develop the questions collaboratively between sales and marketing. [23:30] Desiree shares her own success story with sales and marketing alignment at her company. One of the hardest parts of alignment is in preventing people from taking debate and criticism personally. [26:50] One of the biggest pitfalls is with long term employees who don't want to change. Be prepared to deal with resistance and the need to sell internally. Interview Questions Question 1: Desiree, let’s start with the basics, how do you define sales and marketing alignment? Sales aligned with marketing? Marketing aligned with sales? Question 2: I mentioned a statistic at the beginning of the podcast; misalignment can cost a manufacturing company up to 10% of revenue per year and well aligned companies generate 208% more revenue than non-aligned. As a manufacturing go-to-market practitioner and leader, have you personally seen similar results? What are some other tangible benefits of sales and marketing alignment you have seen in addition to revenue increase? Question 3: I suspect most of our listeners agree that there are tangible benefits to their top line and bottom line. But they are probably wondering, how is it done? How do I get my sales and marketing teams to work together? Could you sum up 3 or 5 steps to get started? Question 4: Would you mind sharing your own success story of achieving alignment in your professional experience? Do you have any pitfalls or lessons learned you could share with our audience based on your experience? Challenge Question (send in your own challenge question) This week, our challenge question comes from a chemical manufacturer in Massachusetts, here it is:  “We manufacture chemicals mostly for waste water treatment plants. We have a big field sales team calling on municipalities and large manufacturers. Our marketing team is very small and they are responsible for making brochures, setting up trade shows and the website. Recently, our main competitor has been eating our lunch. We get a lot of RFQs, but we’re losing, even to higher prices.  When we ask the prospects why they are choosing the competitor, they say because they (the competitor) are very helpful and they really seem to know what they are doing. We make a better product and have a better company, but, apparently, we aren’t getting the message out. How can we get the message out and start winning business again?” Learn how the competition is being helpful, find out what they are doing to create the perception. Find out why the customer has the perception that they know what they're doing. Close those gaps from the customer perspective. Your competition is ahead of you and probably sharing information to get that credibility. You should start creating content and start being helpful with your own unique expertise. Takeaways: Start looking at your internal data and start mining your employees knowledge, experience and ideas.

This week, we discuss how an outbound, consistent, persistent communication can increase brand awareness and boost your business and make you, personally, better at your profession. Today’s Guest: On this episode of Manufacturing Marketing Matters, I’m joined by Jason Zenger.  Jason is the president of Zenger’s and the podcast host of Making Chips.  Jason is my first guest that is also a podcaster. Jason and I talk about the power behind consistent, persistent, and frequent communication with your target audience.  Zenger’s sells tools, equipment, and shop supplies to manufacturing companies.  He explains that his podcast may help him with sales for his company, but it also makes him a better leader, which also adds to his sales.  In this conversation, you will learn how sharing expertise through a podcast helps your audience and helps your business. Highlights: [00:53] - Jason describes his responsibilities and roles with Zenger’s and describes Zenger’s business. [02:27] - Jason talks about his podcast, Making Chips. [04:12] - Podcasting is a time commitment, and Jason explains why he does the podcast. Jason explains that he sees the manufacturing as a vital component of the nation’s success. [05:20] - Jason talks about how the podcast benefits his business. [08:01] - Jason lists some of the benefits to your business by sharing expertise. He also explains how to set expectations for those benefits. [11:20] - The sales process involves a lot more people and departments now. Jason explains how he sees the roles broken down. [12:44] - Jason shares there is a current culture shift in the way business leaders become the personality behind the business. [14:54] - Jason provides some tips on managing time constraints with this changing culture shift. [18:22] - Jason talks about the differences between having a podcast or written content through blog posts. [19:47] - You may be wondering if taking on this type of venture to connect with your customers is worth it. Jason explains why he believes this difference is measurable. [21:04] - There’s a lot of unknowns with podcast statistics. Jason explains that despite the imprecise analytics, he feels that podcasting is a good investment. [24:00] - Jason answers this week’s challenge question. This question comes from the CEO of a company that manufactures medical devices. This person says their business has been flat and none of the strategies they have implemented has gained any traction.  The sales team is more traditional, and this person wants to know how to transform the group by having them share their knowledge. Jason shares his thoughts and some tips on this situation. [28:10] Jason shares his takeaways from this conversation: Start seeing what you can do in order to elevate the manufacturing industry. There are a lot of very wise engineers and manufacturing professionals that are nearing retirement. There’s a lot of intellect that needs to be extracted from these individuals. Interview Questions: Question 1:  Why do you do it? How does it benefit your business and/or your life? Question 2: I know a lot of our listeners wonder about this idea that you can grow a business without pitching the product. You’re a practitioner of this idea. Would you share with the audience how and why the concept of sharing knowledge and expertise can grow a business. Question 3: In the old days of the late 20th century and even early 21st century, the sales team owned the entire process from prospecting, to engaging, to closing the deal; the whole funnel or pipeline if you will.  These days, most of us are in agreement that the marketing function is responsible for the top and middle of the funnel and sales is responsible for the bottom of the funnel. Which part of the company is out there sharing the information like a podcast or a blog? Is it Sales, Marketing, PR or some other department?  How do you see it working in a practical sense? Question 4: It’s hard for manufacturers to devote the time and resources to a regular blog, podcast or webinar. Marketing and sales are usually very busy and running very lean. How does a manufacturer make the change, commit to a regular communication? Do they stop doing other more traditional activities? Get a loan to hire more people? Or is there another way? How big of difference can it make?  Enough to switch resources from print ads or trade shows? Challenge Question:  This week our challenge question comes from the CEO of a company that manufactures medical devices. Here it is “We’re a medical device company. Our business has been flat for the past 5 years. We’ve tried hiring more sales people, social media, content marketing and even blogging, but nothing seems to get any traction. My sales team is a bunch of dinosaurs (please keep this anonymous) who can’t figure out how to sell without demanding a rock bottom price. I read your book, The New Way to Market for Manufacturing, and I like the idea sharing expertise. We have 70 engineers on staff, how do I get them to share their knowledge and how do I transfer it to grow the business?”   Would you like a complimentary marketing plan evaluation?  This includes a 1-hour discover call, a 1-hour post-evaluation analysis, and a comprehensive look at your current strategies. Sign up at MMMatters.com/evaluation. If you have a challenge you’re facing or a problem, when it comes to sales and marketing, send it in as a challenge question, and I’ll pose it to one of our guest experts.  Email your challenge question to bruce@mmmatters.com. You can get a free copy of my book, “The New Way to Market for Manufacturing” by visiting MMMatters.com/ebook

This week we hear from a practitioner of using CAD files for lead generation. Nick Goellner shares his success story about how he revamped his manufacturing company website, and, using CAD files was able to achieve an incredible increase in leads. Highlights: Nick grew up with manufacturing and it's in his blood. As a marketing director, he revamped his website and started offering CAD files. [2:30] Reference past podcast MM 068 with John Major where we discuss the strategic use of CAD files. [3:00] Advanced Machinery Engineering is the company Nick mentions. Catalog Data Solutions is the engine behind offering the CAD files. [4:20] By offering CAD files, leads increased from about one per week to multiple leads per day. [6:00] Nick describes the nuts and bolts of how the process works from arriving at the site to getting the file to the sales process to requesting a quote. [8:30] Is offering CAD files a form of content marketing? Both Bruce and Nick believe it is content marketing. [12:20] Offering CAD files (or any regularly produced, high value content), helps make a website sticky. [17:45] If you have a large catalog of standard parts or a configurable custom parts. [19:15] Dorner Conveyor is another example of offering CAD for customizable products. [20:00] Question 1 –  Nick, to get us started, would you please explain to the audience what was the goal of revamping the website and, specifically, what were you hoping to achieve with the CAD file offering? Did you reach your goal?  Could you share some numbers like increases in leads, conversions or even new customers? Question 2 –  Let’s talk a little nuts and bolts. How does the process work, from a visitor searching and finding your site to finding the right file to downloading it and to placing an order? Question 3 – OK, they need to give up information to get the file correct? What do you ask them to provide? What else do you do with the information you collect for file downloaders? Question 4 – What about SEO and pay per click, does offering CAD files help with SEO and can you use it as a ppc campaign offer? One of the goals for websites is to make them sticky. In other words, we want visitors to return over and over again because the website offers such high value. Does offering CAD files help make a website a regular destination or are you seeing mostly new visitors and new file downloaders? Bottom line, what types of companies could benefit from offering CAD files on their website? Challenge Question –  This week our challenge question comes from a CEO at an industrial tools manufacturing company. Here it is “We manufacture consumable industrial tools. We were talking with a consultant the other day and he told us our sales funnel was upside down. His point was that because we’re offering product brochures at the top of the funnel and educational information at the bottom, it was backwards because we should be offering product brochures at the bottom and vice versa. What is your opinion? When, where and how should we be offering educational information and then product information?” Consider the HubSpot model where the top of the funnel is awareness, middle is consideration and bottom is decision. You will get better awareness and break through the noise when you share educational information. 97% of the people who see your product information are ready to engage with sales. They aren't interested in product specs until you have pass the first bar of credibility. Yes, your funnel is upside down. Move the awareness, educational content to the top and product information to the bottom. Takeaways: Really probe the needs of your audience before you choose a tactic like offering CAD files or creating content.

This week we discuss the pros and cons of outsourcing marketing. Learn about pitfalls to avoid, 5 questions to ask when you are deciding whether or not to outsource and a few great examples. Highlights: Manufacturers are well positioned to go through the process of choosing whether or not to outsource because they are likely to already have a process in place for other business functions. Here are 5 questions to ask: [4:00] What is the specific work that you want to accomplish? What is the frequency of the particular marketing activity? Do you have an in-house resource that can do the work? What is the cost for us to do the same work in-house? What is the opportunity cost to do it in-house? One of the important considerations for risk is that you are going to have to devote time to your outsourced resource. If you are unable to devote time to communications and management, the outsourcing project will not be effective and productive. [9:10] Outsourcing can be a very efficient means to get your marketing activities done. [12:00] To find good fit agencies or consultants to outsource consider LinkedIn groups, colleagues, web search or local business networking groups. Find a company that is already doing the activity that you need to get done. [13:55] Pitfalls to avoid include, choosing based on lowest price, watch out for buying more than you need especially when it comes to technology, not having the capacity to communicate with your outsourced marketer. [18:50] Interview Questions: Question 1 –  Steve, what are some important considerations a manufacturer should look at when they are trying to decide if they should or should not outsource marketing or a portion of their marketing? What are the risks a manufacturer should be aware of with outsourcing? What are the possible gains a manufacturer could realize from outsourcing? Question 2 –  OK, let’s say there’s a manufacturing marketing leader out there who has decided they are ready to outsource. What are the first steps to take? Is there a process they should go through? Question 3 – The biggest question on the minds of some listeners might be, “How do I find the right agency for me?” Could you offer some advice on finding a best fit agency? Question 4 – How about pitfalls? I’m sure there are some folks out there who have had bad experiences with outsourcing. What are 3 to 5 pitfalls to look out for when outsourcing marketing? Challenge Question –  This week our challenge question comes from a business development manager at a packaging equipment manufacturer. Here it is, “The reason for my email is that I was hoping you might be able to point me in the right direction of other packaging equipment manufacturers that have been approaching marketing this way (stopping the product pitch and sharing expertise). Even with the metrics, I'm having a hard time getting management to see the value. My thought is, if I can build a portfolio of examples of similar type companies along with our metrics, that I can successfully demonstrate the opportunity it holds for us.” Share some examples of what competitors are doing, even if it is the opposite. Show opportunity or even create a little fear that the competition is moving ahead with a similar tactic. It will be hard to find manufacturers who are using this tactic. That, in itself, is the opportunity. Be the first. Be the early adopter. The winners will be the first movers. Do an A-B test comparing a product webinar to a knowledge based webinar to prove the concept. The best way to get buy-in is to show how the strategy is driving revenue. Takeaways: It's not too late to put your marketing strategy in place for the year. Marketing is a skill set, not something that can be done on the fly or as a side activity. Know what you need before you start to search for a firm to outsource marketing. Outsourcing can be a very efficient and effective way to get marketing done, but it's not the solution for all firms.

This week we discuss how to use CAD files to increase website traffic and generate awareness. If you are manufacturing parts whether configured or stock, this tactic is a must have. Highlights: The crux of the idea is that as a manufacturer of a component, you should provide downloadable, usable CAD that makes it easy for them to use that file in their own drawings without having to create the model themselves. [4:45] Most engineers will not stick on a site that does not offer CAD. But, only about 50% use this tactic. That spells opportunity. [7:00] The 2D drawing can be more important than the 3D. The 2D has a much wider audience. [9:00] Learn how CAD works to help with SEO. You don't want the person looking for a part to leave your website to get the CAD file.  [15:00] Those companies that do not use this tactic will start to lose business to companies that are already doing it. [21:10] Interview Questions: Question 1 –  Let’s start with the logistics. How does it work? A real example would be great. Question 2 –  It seems like any company selling a part would be all over this. Is the practice widely adopted or are only a few savvy manufacturers reaping the benefits? Is it hard to do and/or very expensive? Question 3 – Would you please walk our listeners through the strategy and then through the tactical steps from a prospective customer visiting the site to downloading the CAD file to making the purchase? Question 4 – How does offering CAD drawings on a website affect SEO? Web traffic in general? Are there other benefits related to marketing and sales that we haven’t discussed? Challenge Question –  This week our challenge question comes from a VP Sales & Marketing of a Midwest manufacturer of steel tubing. Here it is “We’re a mid-size manufacturer of all types of steel tubing. We’re sold on the idea of gaining brand awareness and differentiating by sharing expertise. Our challenge is that we have no idea about how to get started since it’s all new to our sales and marketing team. What would you advise being the first steps?” The best way to get started is to understand a common problem that your audience faces where you have expertise. Share knowledge around that pain or problem. Build some content and distribute it to your target audience. As that content is consumed by your target audience, your reputation as the go-to expert will begin to grow. Takeaways: Don't wait any longer to start using CAD for your business. Be aware that you may never know the amount of business you are losing because they are going to the competitor who does offer CAD on their website.

This week our guest expert Marcelo Prado and I discuss the huge importance of digital marketing for manufacturers. It is really a matter of survival. Those manufacturers who are willing and able to build their go-to-market strategy around the digital world will win, those unable or unwilling will become extinct. Marcelo shares the why and the how. Highlights: See a webinar by MAPI, Invent to Survive. One of the problems is that many manufacturers and the leadership do not understand what 'digital marketing' really means. First you have to educate about what it means. A pilot program helps to demonstrate the strategy. [5:30] The most exciting part of digital marketing is that it allows manufacturers to engage with their audience in many different ways as they go through their buying process. [7:00] It is critically important to understand that customers are in charge of the buying process. When they finally contact the manufacturer, if you have not already been providing information, you may never make the short list.   [7:40] Digital adoption among B2B manufacturers is very low. This is the opportunity. But, it's hard because there are so many options available. [10:00] Fresh off the virtual press - Marketing Technology Landscape Supergraphic from MarTech. Marcelo's team finally told him, enough with pilots, let's go make a decision and go ahead. [12:50] The leadership team can be your biggest hurdle. You must bring quantifiable KPI to show them that there is a contribution to revenue. [14:20] The very term "marketing" can be a problem because everyone has a pre-conception and, many times, negative. We need to change that perception! [16:00] Marcelo shares a case study of a product launch that was wildly successful combining digital marketing with traditional marketing tactics. [18:30] Digital marketing is not meant to take a sales person's role but is meant to enhance that role by making the salesperson more effective. [23:45] If you think your customers are not going online to research a product, you're fooling yourself!  Even for multi-million dollar products, they go online to research and self-educate. [26:15] hbspt.cta.load(2789653, '60ca8bfb-f5c6-4ee1-b96d-61b74b8bf04c', {}); Interview Questions: Question 1 –  First, let’s level set. Marcelo, would you offer a definition of digital marketing, the contrast to non-digital marketing and a few examples would be great? There are probably some listeners out there believing that they can survive without digital marketing. After all, trade shows, print ads and a field sales team have always worked. Why is digital marketing so important for manufacturers? Question 2 –  What are you seeing when you attend conferences, talk to colleagues and such when it comes to adoption of these digital marketing strategies and tactics amongst the B2B manufacturing companies? Manufacturers are enthusiastic adopters of digital technologies on the production end and supply chain side, why is adoption so low for digital marketing? Question 3 – You shared an interesting case study for the MAPI report about a product launch that combined digital and off-line tactics. I know a lot of our listeners would love this idea for their own product launches, would you share that story (Video Borescope)? Question 4 – What would you say is the biggest challenge most common to manufacturers adopting a digital marketing culture and how can they overcome that challenge? Is it really a question of survival or am I being overly dramatic? Challenge Question: [send in your own challenge question] This week our challenge question comes from a test and measurement company in Connecticut. “We manufacture test instruments for the aviation industry. We’re in the early stages of advancing our marketing function from “old style” to “digital”. A big question we have is about the tools. We’re contemplating purchasing a marketing automation platform. Do we need one or can we be modern without that tool?” Yes, you need the modern tools to be successful with digital marketing. Just maintaining the database is critically important and you can't maintain the database without a CRM (customer relationship management).  A big opportunity for manufacturers is to manage the list of existing customers. Another important aspect of a tool, there are privacy laws that must be adhered to, it is impossible to manage it without a marketing automation or email service tool. You need to have the tools to prove ROI to really excel at digital marketing. Takeaways: Customers are now in control of the sales process. Understand the customer buying process and how they engage, not just from your firm, but how they buy in general. When you get started with digital marketing, start with experimentation and pilots, but move quickly from that phase and scale to product stage. Digital marketing is really a 'must do'. Transcript:  

Download the mp3 file. or go to mfg.mmmatters.com/ebook MM 064 - Website Tips for Manufacturers Guest: Tim Doyle, VP Sales at TopSpot Highlights: A top performing website must be first, aligned with your business goals. For example, one goal for a website may be to act as a sales generation engine. Another often forgotten goal is to make the website useful for customers and employees. [5:25] Tim estimates that less than 10% of industrial websites are top performers. Therein lies the opportunity for competitive advantage.[7:50] Is your website designed as a 'don't make me think' design? Tim mentions this resource, 'Don't Make Me Think' by Steve Krug. [9:15] Well crafted content that is relevant is one important essential piece of an effective website. [11:05] A website is not a statue, it is a laboratory that requires consistent maintenance, updates and continuous improvement. [14:30] Top 5 things you should do right now to improve website performance [15:30] Set up tracking and monitor results. Have an original benchmark. Analyze your sitemap in the context of identifying who you are and your differentiators. Use a free tool called Screaming Frog. Evaluate your site architecture for intuitive use and logical progression. Make sure the call-to-action is obvious and is it working. Test it. Incorporate multivariate testing in support of continuous improvement. Good Content Management Systems include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and, Tim's favorite, Modx. For ecommerce, Magento. [21:10] CAD drawings are fantastic for conversions on your website.  Check out Catalog Data Solutions. [23:20] If you hate your website, here are some website tips for manufacturers who want to build a new site. [25:00] An often overlooked value add for your site is to use professional photography highlighting your value to the target audience. [26:30] Send in your challenge question here. Interview Questions: Question 1 –  Let’s start off at 30,000 feet and then drill down. How would you characterize a top performing website? What percentage of websites that you see are top performers? Question 2 –  I think a lot of us and our audience judge a website intuitively. Could you propose a framework of sorts for evaluating a website?  (any references you could recommend?) A website must serve many masters; customers, prospective customers from the outside, then there’s HR, Finance, Executive leadership, PR on the inside.  Does a company have to choose one area to focus on or is it possible to serve all masters? Question 3 –  Let’s drill down into some details. What are the top 5 things (in order of importance) that we should focus on to build a new site or make an existing site into a top performer? What about the platform or content management system (CMS), what are the best ones for a B2B manufacturing website? Question 4 – Suppose I’m a VP Sales & Marketing for a B2B manufacturing company out there listening. I’m thinking to myself, my website sucks. In a quick list, what are my first 5 steps towards making it into a top performing, lead generating, sticky website machine? Challenge Question –  This week our challenge question comes in from the a VP Marketing at a San Diego area from a medical device company. Here it is “We make a medical device that measures blood coagulation. Our customers are hospitals and blood labs. One of our 2017 goals is to increase website traffic by 30% to ultimately increase the flow at the top of our sales funnel. Do you have any tips about how to increase website traffic for a medical device manufacturer?” First, define your goal. Be specific. Learn what your visitors are interested in achieving. Analyze the internal site search for insight into what your audience is looking for when they visit. It must be a holistic approach, not just one or two tactics. Use Google Custom Search, paid version, for internal search queries. Takeaways: Strive to build your website in a 'don't make me think' style. Use analytics tools and make sure you understand them or are able to use them for continuous improvement. TopSpot offer:  Contact Tim at tim@topspotims.com for a FREE website audit.  Put the words "Site Audit" in the email subject knowledge. Transcript: Bruce McDuffee : Welcome to Manufacturing Marketing Matters, a podcast produced by the Manufacturing Marketing Institute, the center of excellence for manufacturing marketers. I am Bruce McDuffee. Thank you for listening.     Hello manufacturing marketers. Thanks for tuning in to our show today. As a special offer to our loyal listeners, I'd like to offer a free PDF copy of a book that I authored specifically for manufacturing marketers. The mission of the book, just like this show, is to help you manufacturers or marketers, or business development pros working for a manufacturer, to advance your professional careers in marketing, and also advance the marketing function at your company.     The book is called, "The New Way to Market for Manufacturing". You can get your copy, again it's a PDF copy, at mfg.mmmatters.com/ebook. I'll put that in the show notes too, so you don't have to write that down. There's just a short registration form, no other requirements. Please check it out.     Onto the show. Our guest expert today is Tim Doyle. Tim is the Vice President of Sales at TopSpot. Welcome Tim.   Tim Doyle: Well thank you, Bruce. It's a pleasure to join you.   Bruce McDuffee : It's great to have you on the show. You're up in the Chicago area, is that right?   Tim Doyle: I am.   Bruce McDuffee : You guys get some snow up there today?   Tim Doyle: Icy rain. Icy rain, I'd rather have snow frankly.   Bruce McDuffee : We got about four or five inches here in Denver.     Folks, today our topic for discussion is the website, in the context of B-to-B manufacturing companies. We're going to discuss what makes a great website. Perhaps what makes a bad website. Why there are so many bad ones out there. How you can have one of the best websites in your space. If you want a website that works for you by creating demand and creating leads, then listen up. This show is perfect for you.     Before we get into the interview, Tim, would you please introduce yourself to the audience with a little bit about your expertise and experience around industrial websites.   Tim Doyle: Well, absolutely. Thank you so much. Bruce, as you mentioned, I'm Vice President of Sales at TopSpot. I actually have 30 years in industrial advertising. Like yourself, I'm one of the old dogs.   Bruce McDuffee : I'll say it. You started when you were 10 years old then.   Tim Doyle: Correct, absolutely, with crayons, crayola, drawing diagrams of actuators.   Bruce McDuffee : That's how I imagined it.   Tim Doyle: Yeah, I went to school for it at Western Michigan. I [inaudible 00:03:05] in advertising and immediately transitioned into industrial advertising. Growing up in the Detroit area, that was kind of a natural for me. Very quickly on, I actually was aligned with what many people would know if I mentioned the brand, but it was a very well-known industrial directory. My entire career has been content based and key word based. My transition to the web was quite seamless actually.   Bruce McDuffee : I know exactly who you mean. The old directory, yeah. We don't have to name them, but yeah. I can picture them. Good, that's great. That's a great background. So you were a pioneer in websites then it sounds like.   Tim Doyle: Yeah, back in the late '80s, we were actually developing searchable CD-ROM catalogs for bearing manufacturers, actuator manufacturers, all kinds of companies to help them target their demographic.   Bruce McDuffee : Great, thanks for sharing that background.   Tim Doyle: Sure.   Bruce McDuffee : I was thinking. We were chatting a little before the show here, Tim. I would wager that 95% of the manufacturing marketing audience out there have a business website, maybe even a little higher. I would also bet that probably only about a third are really happy with their website. This is just anecdotal. Are you seeing the same type of thing, or are you seeing something the opposite? What's your take on that?   Tim Doyle: No, I would agree with that. Frequently, people put up a website and they think it's just work. Then they're disappointed. Even the people who are happy sometimes, aren't doing the things that really give them an understanding of how to improve. I would say you're right about a third of people are happy, but that even then they're missing out on some opportunities.   Bruce McDuffee : Agreed. That's what we're going to talk about today folks. How can you get your website to work for you, and help grow and build your business? First question, Tim, let's start off at high level, 30,000 feet, and then we'll drill down. How would you characterize, or how would you define a top performing website?   Tim Doyle: I would suggest that a top performing website is in alignment with what your goals are as a business. If you have a set of goals, is the site clearly articulating what is in alignment with what those goals might be? If that makes sense. Do you have tracking in place to measure over time so that you can make adjustments, to put that data into play?   Bruce McDuffee : Goals should probably be more than just, "I want to put up a brochure website, lists all my products." Goals should go beyond that like- Can you talk a little more about that?   Tim Doyle: One of the goals of a website is to produce business. I call it making it into a sales engine, so to speak. Is it providing you with a continuous stream of high quality opportunities that are in the demographic you're going after? If it's not, then it's not in alignment with one of your most important stated goals. You have to analyze that.     Other goals of the site could be, "Is it assisting you with your current customer base?" That is often forgotten about. "Could the website assist you with your customers and make you more sticky, educate your customers, be a true resource for your customers"? In that vein, "Is it also assisting your employees, and potentially doing their job, or informing them?" That can often be an overlooked goal or maybe a agree-upon goal of the website. Many times it's not doing that.     Then you've got sales reps. "Is the website an asset to them? Is it helping them do their job?" That is also an overlooked opportunity. In many cases, the website is failing in that regard.   Bruce McDuffee : It's like really any business development or marketing endeavor first step, decide what your goals are. Build that foundation. Makes sense.   Tim Doyle: Correct.   Bruce McDuffee : Great, Tim. Have you seen a lot of websites? Let's talk industrial or manufacturing websites, Tim. I'm sure you've seen probably hundreds. I don't know, maybe thousands out there. What percent would you say, I know this is anecdotal, are great websites that are really killing it with the business goals, and doing everything they can do?   Tim Doyle: You know, it's pretty low. Believe it not, I'd say maybe 10%. Even within that 10%, if they don't have a process of continuous improvement, then they're missing out on opportunities going forward. I know that sounds low, but it's what I see.   Bruce McDuffee : No, it's what I see too. I would believe 10%. As you said, maybe even less. Folks listening out there, this is ringing opportunity for you. Right, Tim?   Tim Doyle: Oh absolutely.   Bruce McDuffee : If it's only 10% are good, and the website let's face it, that's your focal point. That's where people find you. That's where they form an impression of you. That's where they evaluate you, on your website, without talking to anybody. There's an opportunity, folks. If you can make yours 1 in 10 top performing, talk about a competitive advantage. Wow.     Tim, I think a lot of us in our audience out there, just humans, will judge a website intuitively. Do we like it? Does it seem easy? Is the colors pleasant? Whatever it is. Maybe as a professional website person, if I may, could you? Maybe there's a framework or some specifics you could share with us for evaluating a website, whether it's our own or whether it's someone else's.   Tim Doyle: Absolutely. Is it built in what I call a "don't make me think" style of architecture? There's actually a book on usability. It's an old book. There was a rewrite on it. It's by a gentleman by the name Steve Krug called "Don't Make Me Think". Particularly in the industrial space, let's just say you're targeting engineers or engineering titles. Engineers typically, and I apologize for any engineers in the crowd, they don't suffer fools well. When they land on a page on a website that doesn't meet their needs, they're out very quickly. It has to do with what they immediately evaluate on the page they're landing on. If you're doing your job right, they not necessarily landing on your home page. They're landing on an internal page.     The entire structure of the site needs to be crafted in that "don't make me think" style of architecture. Meaning it gives you good visual cues in the navigation at the top, the internal navigation on the internal pages, the calls to action, the request to quote buttons, things of that nature. Maybe the downloadables or the videos, are they easily retrieved and used? Is it easy to take action on any given page?     We all put sites through that benchmarking and auditing when we land on a page. When it doesn't meet that criteria, typically we're out. It's like a phone number or an address that might not be easily visible. It causes frustration. That's a problem.   Bruce McDuffee : Big problem.   Tim Doyle: That's a serious problem. The other thing, by the way, is content. When a website doesn't meet the needs of say, let's use that engineering persona again. It doesn't have educational, instructive content, then again, it's frustrating them. It's not meeting their needs. They might very likely just leave the page. You always have to think about well-crafted content that comes from your voice as a company.   Bruce McDuffee : Product information is not enough. Is that what you're saying?   Tim Doyle: Right. We actually have an acronym for it. We call it "b smart". Things like brand, size, material, application, requirements, type. Then you could add to that certifications or industry specifications of some type. It could be SKUs in some way. Most of our clients are contract or applicators, but we do have some distributors, so it could be model numbers and SKUs. You have to think about content and a content strategy from that point of view.   Bruce McDuffee : Sure, that makes of sense. To step back, the book was called, "Don't Make Me Think". It was by Steve Krug?   Tim Doyle: Krug. Yeah, it's an oldie but a goodie.   Bruce McDuffee : Sometimes the oldies are the best. Sometimes the oldies are even more relevant today than the newies. I can relate to that completely.     Tim, I had a client. I still work with him. One of the first things I did when I started a few years ago, was to evaluate their website. I went in to look at their website. They were selling electronic instruments. Evaluate the website, and the first thing I told them is, "You know, it's really hard for me to buy something from you. It's hard to get a quote. It's hard to see your prices. It's hard to see how I'm supposed to buy." Big problem. If it's hard for your clients to make a purchase or get the information they want, big problem. I agree with you, Tim.   Tim Doyle: Absolutely.   Bruce McDuffee : A website, and we alluded to this a little earlier, a website has to serve many masters. You've got existing customers. You've got prospective customers. Then you've got other things like human resources, finance, maybe investment, executive leadership, public relations. A website has to serve all of these and sometimes more. Tim, in your experience, does a company have to really pick one of those and focus on it at the expense of others? Or is it possible to serve all those masters well?   Tim Doyle: It is possible to serve them all. Again, it comes from a comprehensive content strategy really. If you did have to choose, you're typically going to choose in the area of new business development. But when you think about that, that is a huge content need, right?   Bruce McDuffee : Sure.   Tim Doyle: If by doing that, you're quite often meeting the needs of some of those other stakeholders. Then because some people don't have the resources to go live with the new website to meet the needs of all the stakeholders, you just have to make sure- We're going to talk about this is in a little bit. ... that your site is built in a CMS that allows for scalability so that you add over time. A lot of people think of a website, they think that they know that they're done. They think of it as a statue. You build a statue. You put it in the square, and what happens? Pigeons sit on it.   Bruce McDuffee : They do more than that on it.   Tim Doyle: [crosstalk 00:14:25]. Yeah, we think of it as a laboratory. Your website's a laboratory. Even if you go live with what you believe at the time to be terrific content to meet the needs of multiple stakeholders, no, no, no, you're not done. You have to have a system in place of evolving that content based on that data analysis over time. That's how you get the most out of your website.   Bruce McDuffee : Got it. So it's an ongoing, continuous improvement project really.   Tim Doyle: It has to be. That's what the top performers do. They have that in place.   Bruce McDuffee : They have a team or maybe they hire somebody to continuously keep that content fresh.   Tim Doyle: Sure. Absolutely.   Bruce McDuffee : Great, that's good to know. That's good advice. Let's drill down a little bit more into some details. I'm going to ask you for a list. What would say are the top five things? If you can prioritize, that are our listeners and that we should focus on if we're going to build a new site, or make an existing site into a top performer? What are those top five things you would suggest?   Tim Doyle: I think the first thing you need to do is set up tracking. Most people would say, "Yes, I've got Google Analytics on the site." But they never look at it. They've never checked to see if it's set up right. You have to an original benchmark. Google Analytics, when set up correctly, is an excellent tool to do just that. It will help you analyze the traffic to all the pages on your site, and any conversions that are occurring, and events that are occurring on the website. So that you have an original benchmark to look to. That can give you guidance in your content. Number one, Google Analytics and benchmarking the original data.     The second thing would be analyze the site map. Look at the site map. The site map is a list. It's the list of all the pages on your website. I call it "Your roadmap to success" because it shows you okay, this is the current content on my site. This is how it's labeled, the content theme of these pages. You have to look at that and say, "Okay, to clearly describe who I am and what are my unique differentiators as a supplier or a potential supplier." If the site map is done correctly initially, it will do that. You will clearly define who you are, knowing that that site maps going to grow over time. So you'll have top level pages and then sub pages that come off of that. If you've ever seen a site map, it's like a tree. It just comes down and then you've got branches coming off of it.     So number one, analytic benchmarking. Number two, analyze your content through your site map.   Bruce McDuffee : Quick question on that, Tim. What if someone's wondering how do I find my site map? Is there an easy way to do it?   Tim Doyle: Your web developer may have put a simple link down at the bottom. Sometimes you can after the .com, you could put /sitemap. There are other tools too though. You can use a tool called Screaming Frog.   Bruce McDuffee : Sure, I've heard of that.   Tim Doyle: Screaming Frog, it's a free tool, but you can get a paid version of it. It will allow you to crawl all the crawlable pages that it sees on your website. That can give you a sense of the content pages on your site. Screaming Frog. It's an easy download.   Bruce McDuffee : Great, thanks.   Tim Doyle: Sure. Then number three, you want to look at site architecture, your site architecture. Is it intuitive, as we were just talking about? Does it meet that "don't make me think" style of architecture?     Four and five, let's talk about four. You want to make sure that your calls to action are very obvious. A call to action is like a button that says, "request quote". That's a call to action. Is it very visible? The next thing would be are you doing testing with variables? If you've got calls to action on your website now, have you ever tested different versions of them to see which perform at a higher level? Again, benchmark the before and after picture. But you may have a request a quote link in the upper navigation. Then you test an obvious button on every page persists in the same location to see if you get a better engagement with the RFQ form.     I'm amazed at some of the performance improvements you get just by subtle tweaks to a button, or the language on a button, or even a form. You can test different versions of forms with different fields in them. You may have a more complex form. You may have a simpler form. In the industrial world, you should make sure that all of them allow for attaching a file because particularly with the contract fabricators, you want to get the drawing.   Bruce McDuffee : Right. Good. So number one, analytics, and benchmarking. Number two, make sure you have a site map that makes sense. Number three, make sure your site architecture is easy to follow and makes sense. Number four, make sure your call to action is obvious. Then number five was testing the variables. Is that right?   Tim Doyle: Yes. Multivariate testing, also known as conversion improvement.   Bruce McDuffee : Sure. Those are great five steps folks. If you want to make your website better, look at those five things first. Probably not the end of the list, right Tim? At least a good start.   Tim Doyle: Oh, I know. You could go on and on, absolutely. If you start with that, you're in a good place.   Bruce McDuffee : Great. Thanks. What about the platform or the content management system, the CMS? Do you find that some are better than others? I know Word Press is a widely used CMS. What are you seeing? What would you advise when someone's picking a CMS?   Tim Doyle: Yeah, Word Press is the most popular one. I would say about 60% of the websites on the web now are built in Word Press.   Bruce McDuffee : Is it that high?   Tim Doyle: Probably. The challenge with that is, is that it's a prime target for spammers that try to inject malware on your site. We do see hacked sites quite a bit. The main tip if you have a Word Press website, or any CMS for that matter, is make sure you are continually updating the version and the security updates on the CMS.     But also, particularly for Word Press, the security updates on the Word Press plugins, there's a lot of plugins that Word Press uses. Quite often we see this with manufacturers quite a bit. They don't even know all the plugins they have on their site. They don't update them, the security updates. They will get malware injected in the site. Be careful. It is a good CMS though. It's very intuitive. It allows for an easy crawl by the search engines. It's got a great editing tool.     Having said that, there's some other ones out there that are very good too. There's obviously one called Drupal. That's an open source CMS as well. There's one called Joomla. Both of which are very widely used.     The one that I prefer though, it's one that maybe not as well known. It's open source. It's extremely intuitive. It's called MODX. You can Google it, or go to YouTube and Google it. You'll see the backend editing tool and some interesting features and functionality of the CMS. The reason I love MODX is it's very secure. They keep control of their plugins and the contributors for the plugins. It also allows for a very easy crawl by the Google bots. So your content reveals itself very efficiently to Google. The editing tool is extremely intuitive. As a matter of fact, when you log into the editing tool in MODX, the file structure on the left looks very much like Microsoft Outlook. The icons on the editing tool look just like Microsoft Word. Even without any training, you can typically figure it out. Then with some training, you get some advanced knowledge on it. You can really take ownership of the content on your site, so CMSs.   Bruce McDuffee : Pretty easy to use?   Tim Doyle: Yeah, very easy to use. Those are the non-e-commerce platforms. If you are in e-commerce, say you're a distributor and you've got 20,000 SKUs, you might be looking for something like a Magento platform. Magento is a very well known e-commerce or quote cart platform.     Then if you are into components like bearings, or variable speed drives, or things like that, you might want to be providing CAD drawings. CAD drawings, are in my mind, at the top of the food chain as it relates to a goal conversion. Because when you specced in, you get purchased over 90% of the time because the purchasing agent typically doesn't swap out what the engineer has specced in. It has been our experience. If you are a distributor or a component manufacturer, in that way would want to provide CAD drawings, there's an excellent tool out there by a company out of San Jose called Catalog Data Solutions. You may have heard of them.   Bruce McDuffee : Sure.   Tim Doyle: It's an excellent CAD library that you can easily integrate. We've integrated dozens with MODX websites. It makes for a very robust content environment on the site.   Bruce McDuffee : I've heard that from other folks too. It seems like this might be one of those opportunities for some manufacturers is if somebody downloads your CAD file, it's a pretty strong buying indicator isn't it?   Tim Doyle: It's a rifle shot indicator. [crosstalk 00:24:10] It's one of the most accurate methods of getting specced in right there is if you're offering up CAD drawings. It's excellent.   Bruce McDuffee : I've heard that too. That's a bonus for the show folks. CAD drawings, use it to get more business.   Tim Doyle: Absolutely.   Bruce McDuffee : The last question before the challenge section, Tim. Suppose I am a VP Sales and Marketing for a B-to-B manufacturing company. I'm out there listening to the podcast. Maybe I'm thinking to myself, "Boy, my website sucks." In a quick list, what are my first five steps? Maybe this is the same as the previous question, but I hate my website. It's not working. Is there another list? Are there things I should start with, for example, to redo that website? I'm going to redo the whole thing.   Tim Doyle: Well, some websites can be worked with. Again, if it's built in a good CMS, if it's mobile responsive, and it's just a matter of adding content and images and things of that nature, that's fine. But if it's a static website, if it's in an old CMS and not an updated version, it's not mobile responsive, you don't want to put lipstick on a pig, to be crude.   Bruce McDuffee : That's okay.   Tim Doyle: You really got to analyze, "Where am I?" In most cases I see lately, it's rebuilding the website.   Bruce McDuffee : Start from scratch.   Tim Doyle: Because it's not worth putting money into the old site that may have served you well. But very often, design standards for websites now have changed so much because of it's a multi-screen world, you don't know what size screen someone's going to be looking at your site on. Particularly with millennials, when you look at millennials, they grew up looking at their smart phones for the most part. Acquiring information through tablets and smartphones. You have to have a website that really sizes properly to meet those needs.     Some of this would be yes, does the content on the site clearly articulate who you are, what you do, and the industries you work with. That could be an easy one to look at beyond the CMS, how old it is.     Do you have high quality images? One of the best investments you can make as a manufacturer is in professional photography. It is very much not thought of by many of the clients that we initially start talking to. It's the easiest thing to do is get great imagery of the components you're machining. What looks better than a well-machined piece of 316 stainless?   Bruce McDuffee : Absolutely.   Tim Doyle: It just glistens. Or a piece of titanium that's machined with lots of value added. Get good photography. It's an asset to your company that you should continue to add to that archive. Have a process of continually adding to your image library. Frankly, it's a transferrable asset of your company. You sell the company, and you've got a 10 year archive of imagery. It has value. The value that it adds to your website is immense because it can take a good design and make it great.   Bruce McDuffee : As opposed to stock images off of?   Tim Doyle: Exactly.   Bruce McDuffee : Got it.   Tim Doyle: That's a big mistake. Big mistake to use just simple stock images all the time.   Bruce McDuffee : That's interesting.   Tim Doyle: [crosstalk 00:27:28] you do.   Bruce McDuffee : I have never come across that with my clients. That's fantastic advice. That's great.   Tim Doyle: Then the quality content, quality images, obviously the navigation, you talked about that earlier, and the architecture, and then the tracking. Obviously, the tracking, people forget about it. They don't really know how to look at the data. That is an obvious one where you would engage an outside firm. Because even if you hire someone who's pretty good at content development, you can't think that they're going to be an analytics expert too. Then the obvious calls to action of course, and the multivariate testing, which we talked about earlier. Those are some of the things that you might want to think about if you're a VP of Sales and Marketing [inaudible 00:28:08] a manufacturing company.   Bruce McDuffee : Thank you. I suppose one of the, like you mentioned early on in the show today, one of the most important things is to sit down before you even begin and say, "What are our goals? Who are we serving? What do we want this site to accomplish? What will a successful site look like?" Things like that. Lay that foundation, like you said earlier.   Tim Doyle: Yeah, exactly.   Bruce McDuffee : Good. Well, that's great advice. Folks, I'll put all of the mentions and the links that Tim mentioned in the show notes so we can take advantage of all his great suggestions. Tim, that brings us to the second part of the show, the challenge question. Folks, send in your challenge questions. These are questions from you that you send into the show. Then I pose them to a relevant expert. Well, I try to match it up to the expertise of the guest. Just email it to me. Bruce@mmmaters.com. Or you can hashtag it on Twitter at mfgmarketing, and I'll pick it up and I'll pose it to our guest expert.     This week our challenge question comes in from a VP Marketing in San Diego. By the way folks, these are usually kind of white labeled. That's how most folks want them. VP Marketing from the San Diego area, from a medical device company. Here it is. "We make a medical device that measures blood coagulation. Our customers are hospitals and blood labs. One of our 2017 goals is to increase website traffic by 30% to ultimately increase the flow at the top of our sales funnel. Do you have any tips about how to increase website traffic for a medical device manufacturer?" Tim, what do you think?   Tim Doyle: Well, it's the same advice I would give anybody. But we have to look at the goal, and we have to define the goal. Is increasing the traffic by 30% a top of the food chain goal? I would say well, anybody can increase the traffic 30% utilizing certain tactics or strategies. Is it the right traffic? We have to go back and look at the persona we're going after and target content and strategies that we know is going to resonate with them. Because we want to position you in front of those specific types of specifiers in hospitals and blood labs at the precise moment they realize they need to look for someone like you.     Knowing that, we want to look at certain things like, "How do they, when they have a need, search for these types of machines or systems that analyze blood coagulation?" One of the ways to do that would be to analyze what people are typing into your internal site search. If you have internal site search on your website, look at a date range of say six months to a year, and see how are people querying the content on your site. You know the internal site search. Bruce?   Bruce McDuffee : Sure.   Tim Doyle: It is the most underused tool for content analysis, for learning the intent of when people come to your site. You can learn exactly how they're thinking about it. When you think about blood coagulation, I think some people call it an INR. It's just another way of saying machine that analyzing anti-coagulation or coagulation. You can go either way with that, I believe.     The goal is to, I assume, increase sales. That's the number one goal. They're thinking that just by increasing traffic, we're going to do that. That's not always accurate. We got to go back to the goal is to increase sales. We got to get the correct people to the site. That means we have to use data, and iteration over time, to achieve that goal. Iteration of content over time.     I know I'm getting kind of deep in the weeds here, but you have to make sure that you've got very accurate KPIs, Key Performance Indicators, as to what you're doing. Having an original benchmark, rolling benchmarks over time, start developing the content, this is on-page, in collaboration with potentially articles on a blog.     Now you got to understand what does an article on a blog do? It typically brings visitors they're trying to educate themselves. They don't convert to an action at a high rate. But it puts out signals of trust to Google, Bing and Yahoo, so it's helping you achieve your organic optimization goals in totality.     Then you've got the on-page content that resonates with these potential buyers when they land on that page. With the proper calls to action, and the proper content, you should compel them to an action.     There's no magic bullet. It comes with a content strategy, based on analysis of the personas you're going after, and then tracking and benchmarking over time.   Bruce McDuffee : So just starting a blog, and blogging three times a week, that's not enough? Or is it enough?   Tim Doyle: No.   Bruce McDuffee : That's not enough?   Tim Doyle: No, it's not enough. You have to have a whole system approach. Blogging's great if you've got great articles. Typically comparative in nature, this versus that, you know what I mean?   Bruce McDuffee : Sure.   Tim Doyle: It can be a good place to start. What are your unique differentiators? How can a machine like this add value, either in speed or efficiency, or accuracy? It could be how to calibrate one, or things to look out for. Five things to look out for with blood coagulation measurement system. But you have to have the on-page content. That's the content on your landing pages that clearly articulates information about your systems, information about the way you approach the industry, things like that, brand size, material application, environment, and type. Remember, "b smart".   Bruce McDuffee : So the two work together.   Tim Doyle: Exactly. They work very much together. Now beyond that, once you've got your page, your on-page content very solid, and you've got a blogging strategy, then you can think about things like email blasts, and acquiring and building over time very accurate lists of potential customers to put out a message that is clearly supported by the content on your website, and the content in your blogs. Maybe video content, things like that.     There's no short path to success. It has to be strategic. Then you've got to execute based on a plan. Then evolve it over time based on data analysis.   Bruce McDuffee : It's a holistic approach. There's not one single tactic. That's interesting.   Tim Doyle: It has to be. It has to be a whole system approach.   Bruce McDuffee : You really need a professional, someone who really knows this stuff. You can't just give it to the marketing coordinator, who sets up the trade shows it sounds like.   Tim Doyle: No, it's not that you can't have someone who's pretty good at something in house. You do need to pair them with experts to assist them. Because you can't expect one person to be an expert in data analysis, an expert in content development, an expert in conversion improvement. You can't hire those unicorns.   Bruce McDuffee : Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Well, that was a great answer to that question, Tim. One thing you mentioned that the internal site search. For our listeners out there, you're saying that you can go in probably Google Analytics, and see every term that someone typed into that internal site search.   Tim Doyle: Correct. Some of the most valuable data you will ever get to look at.   Bruce McDuffee : I bet it is.   Tim Doyle: It gives you insights not just into content development, but frankly, it can give you insights into maybe some new service offerings that can take your business in a new direction.   Bruce McDuffee : Wow, that's powerful. It's not that hard to put it on your website either.   Tim Doyle: No, Google Custom Search, it's $100 a year for the subscription. Do not use the free version.   Bruce McDuffee : Okay.   Tim Doyle: Do not use the free version. Use the paid version. It's about $100 a year, worth every penny. Typically, it should be placed in the upper right hand corner of the website in the header. That's where people expect to see it, persistent on every page. You want them to use it. Now people like it. They like to use it. You want them to use it because it helps you refine your website. It gives you the strategy.   Bruce McDuffee : It gives you intelligence. That's great. That's a great tip.   Tim Doyle: Yeah, it's awesome. It's fantastic. It's so simple. I love simple stuff.   Bruce McDuffee : Yeah, it sounds simple. I'm going to put that on my website. That's great. All kinds of great tips today. Well Tim, that takes us to the final section, the takeaways. I always ask our guest experts if they would share one or two takeaways, maybe reemphasizing something we talked about, or maybe a couple of actionable nuggets going forward. What do you have for us today, Tim?   Tim Doyle: I guess keep it simple, on that theme. Can you truly say that your website is built in a "don't make me think" style of architecture, with tremendous content? If not, reassess. Do you have great analytic tools in place with data that you understand, or have access to people who can help you understand it, for continuous improvement?   Bruce McDuffee : Great, thanks Tim. Great takeaways. I know everyone is paying attention to this episode. Finally, before we sign off, Tim. Would you like to share anything about yourself or your company, TopSpot, with our audience?   Tim Doyle: Sure. TopSpot is an industrially focused web development and search engine marketing and analytics firm, based in Houston, Texas. We work nationwide and internationally. We specialize in working with industrial companies, manufacturers, and distributors. Of our 750 plus clients, I would say 90% of them are manufacturers and distributors, many of them contract fabricators. It's a core competency. I would offer, if you would like to reach out, Tim@TopSpotIMS.com. I'd be happy to do a quick audit of your website for free, and give you some tips and some personal guidance. No obligation.   Bruce McDuffee : That's a great offer. Thanks, Tim. I'll put that in the show notes folks, with Tim's email. That's a great offer. Take advantage.   Tim Doyle: Sure, just in the subject line, just put "site audit".   Bruce McDuffee : Site audit. Will do. Well, Tim, thank you so much for being a guest today on Manufacturing Marketing Matters sharing the knowledge, and tips, and experience, and those great examples. I know I certainly learned a lot today.   Tim Doyle: Awesome. Thank you so much for asking me. It's been an absolute pleasure.   Bruce McDuffee : That was Tim Doyle, Vice President Sales at TopSpot. For more information about Tim and TopSpot, visit the guest bio page and check out the show notes at mmmatters.com/podcast.     Finally, don't forget about that copy of the book. This is a limited time offer. The book's called, "The New Way to Market for Manufacturing". Just go to mfg.mmmatters.com/ebook.     Thanks for listening to Manufacturing Marketing Matters. If you find this podcast helpful and useful, please subscribe at iTunes or stitcher.com. You can download this episode of mmmatters and get the show notes and learn more about the podcast at mmmatters.com. I'm Bruce McDuffee. Now let's go out and advance the practice of marketing in manufacturing today.    

Having been in the preaching ministry since a pre-teen, I've learned quite a lot and have matured even more since then. I have come to discover that young ministers (not just young in age) find it difficult to maintain a healthy spiritual, social, and educational life. I have privilege of serving as a ministry trainer now and have suggestions to those who are young in ministry or on the edge of being burned out in ministry. They are: Challenge Yourself, Question Yourself, and Respect Yourself. I'll be breaking all of those down on today's show so feel free to join in the discussion.

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