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Today’s episode is our second for our two-part series with guest Merrill Dubrow, the President, and CEO of M/A/R/C Research. He shares with us what gets him excited, especially after serving the industry for 25 years. Merrill Dubrow, a thought leader, also gave some relevant advice for industry professionals that is definitely worth listening to.
Getting and Staying Excited
For someone who has been in the business for 25 years, financial gain is not entirely something to be excited about. He candidly shared with our host, Sima Vasa, the main thing that excites him is moving things forward, in terms of the whole enterprise or the insights association.
“The reality is I love moving the business forward. We got a nice pipeline of products that are coming out over the past year and they’re all having success. We want to continue to have partnerships — the right partnerships.” – Merrill Dubrow
Moreover, Merrill said he gets excited mentoring people — having the ability to move people’s career forward.
On Mergers & Acquisitions
Merrill shared his opinion on the recent trend of mergers and acquisitions in the insights industry. He says this is not going to change as it is largely driven by investors. However, he warned that it could change a lot of the dynamics of the company.
“I think the M&A it not going to slow down at all. I was approached not soon after I transacted this company, I could’ve sold it, told them I’m not gonna do that. Everybody is for sale and those aren’t are still getting approached.” – Merrill Dubrow
He further continued saying that company goals are not all financial. As for himself, he refused to transact M/A/R/C because, at his age, his focus is giving back to the industry.
Advice for Insights Executives
Merrill gave two pieces of advice for insights executives and those who are starting out their careers in the industry. For insights executives, he points out the importance of staying on trend but carefully choosing which technology to pursue.
“I’m not saying don’t go after technology. Go after the right technology — for your staff, for your clients — so you can build a business that is profitable and long-standing. Don’t go after a shiny toy because everybody else is going after it, I think that the wrong way.” – Merrill Dubrow
Additionally, she then shared the importance of joining associations and increasing networks. It is a form of continuous learning as well as an avenue to give back to the community.
“If you have a large pool of contacts and if you are involved in an association, you will see what’s coming next, you’ll see the cutting edge methodologies are.” – Merrill Dubrow
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