commonsku Staff Picks: skucast
We’re passionate about creating educational content and resources for the promotional products industry. In this new series, we’ll be asking members of our commonsku team to share their favorite skucast episodes, series, videos, and more to shine a spotlight on some of our favorite pieces of content, and to give readers a road-map to getting the most out of our blog.
We’re excited to be celebrating the fourth anniversary of skucast this year! With a library of almost 150 episodes, we’re often asked where to start listening, and what our favorite skucast episodes are. We asked a few members of the commonsku team, from different departments, to share their opinions. Read more and listen to the full episodes below!
David Shultz, VP of Supplier Partnerships
Episode 100: The Customer of Tomorrow, the Distributor of Tomorrow: A Celebration Forward
“First, anytime you put Mark, Catherine, and Bobby on the mic together it's a potion of energy and idea-generating goodness that can't be replicated elsewhere.
Secondly, it was truly the point in time in which commonsku's notion of a connected workflow as it relates to the customer of tomorrow reached a tipping point and moved from theoretical to reality. It was shortly thereafter that our first supplier partner took commonsku's PromoStandards integration to a whole new level with product data and electronic POs giving our distributor community their first taste of a fully-connected workflow, from ideation to purchase order submission.”
The distributor of tomorrow is here.”
Kate Masewich, Marketing Director
Episode 80: Find Your Focus and Build a Business You Love with Yvonne and Anna from Monarch and Company
“I loved this episode because I loved Monarch's overall message of finding the right clients to work with by qualifying who that client is and saying no to those who didn't align. It's an especially important message as the promo industry grapples with the topic of sustainability.
As Yvonne notes, it's easy to get into this industry and be successful by taking on whatever work you get your hands on, but that work wasn't always making them happy. Their journey of building healthier client relationships, by defining what work they'd be proud to put their name on has ultimately led to them running a business they love. That's something every business owner should aspire to.”
Ashley Colautti, Account Manager
Episode 124 "People Don't Buy Products, They Buy Better Versions of Themselves"
“On the distributor side, we hear the term "Trinkets and Trash" all too often. I worked with some big brands that had huge marketing budgets with big goals, but they would leave promo to the very last minute and just slap a budget on it and have someone far removed from the actual campaign looking for the best deal.
Those requests open the door for a creative promotional marketing company to come in and pitch a merchandise journey "How do you want people to feel while physically holding your brand?"
Believe in your buyer! Don't dumb things down for them, they can take it! You can always go down but try to start at the top! If you are just selling commodities you can be replaced.
When you go to a concert and buy the t-shirt you're not looking for a deal you want to wear the memories and your cool taste in music.
PS your stack of books makes you look really smart Mark.”
Aaron Kucherawy, Manager of Customer Success
Episode 85: What 1,500 Skydives Can Teach You About Business with Stephen Holden, Holden Brand
“When it came to choosing my favorite skucast episode, I had to go with Stephen Holden’s. Aside from being a stand-up guy (and my best friend), his story of moving into his family business and integrating his perspective was great to hear. He added a whole new element of technology and conscientiousness around trends that is great for any business owners that feel a bit stuck in their current situation.
Plus, it’s not often you hear a story about someone who skydived naked on a promo podcast.”
Catherine Graham, CEO
Episode 114: A New Era in Productivity, The Connected Workflow with Catherine Graham
“The information in this episode of skucast is a must-listen for suppliers AND distributors. Whether you’re already a PromoStandards advocate or are new to the technology, this episode is a great way to learn how it will impact our industry and the favorable benefits for all parties.
The more transparency there is in terms of information flow, the more trust exists, and this will elevate the relationships in this industry.”
Do you have a favorite episode of skucast not mentioned in this post, or a topic suggestion for skucast you want to hear? Email us at alyson@commonsku.com or bobby@commonsku.com, we always appreciate your feedback and suggestions.