Bullhorns and Bullseyes

Accomplished leadership trainer and coach Denise Roberts, founder of Playing to Win, joins Tom and Curtis to share how her perhaps unorthodox methods of presenting and teaching have allowed her to fortify a leading position as a premier leadership trainer, especially for emerging leaders. Denise comes to us by way of MichBusiness and the National Association of Business Resources, for which she le...

This week’s guest is Chris Langille, Founder of Advisor Evolved, a digital marketing agency specifically serving independent insurance agencies (though not exclusively). Tom, Curtis, and Chris discuss the benefits Chris has realized by niching down in the digital marketing industry, particularly in the service insurance agencies. They emphasize the importance of focusing on the most profitable lin...

Curtis and Tom are pleased to welcome Scott Daigger, Founder of Buddy Web Design & Development, to the podcast to address a much-debated and oft-considered dilemma: What should the budget be for my new website? Scott walks us and the listener through his recommended process for identifying the appropriate budget (and the appropriate development partners) for any size website, from DIY to premi...

Tom and Curtis take a closer look at the sales funnel model, including ways salespeople and marketers can guide prospects into and down through the funnel. Curtis makes the important point that there exists both the marketing funnel and the sales funnel. Is there overlap? Should there be? How do you connect them? And how do you get more people to enter the funnels, follow the funnels…and even flip...

Kate Simon, the director of coaching at Glover U, joins the podcast to retell her remarkable story, from sales intern to sales mastery with Glover Agency. She, Curtis and Tom discuss the importance of building personal relationships in business, the role of Glover U in coaching and training real estate agents, and the alignment between sales and marketing . Kate shares her experience with cold cal...

Tom and Curtis welcome Dave Tear, owner of Sales Coaches’ Corner, to the podcast to discuss the changing landscape of sales and the importance of having a selling system. They highlight the need for salespeople to focus on opening opportunities rather than closing deals, as well as the value of building rapport and mirroring the prospect. The conversation also touches on the role of technology in...

Tom and Curtis are pleased to welcome Brenda Meller, an expert LinkedIn coach, to the podcast to discuss strategies for using LinkedIn effectively. Brenda shares valuable intel on recent changes in the LinkedIn algorithm, the importance of engaging with other users' content, and the value of thought leadership ads. Brenda stresses the importance of employee advocacy and brand ambassadorship on...

Tom and Curtis are joined by Tricia Meyer, founder and managing attorney at Meyer Law, which provides insights on the different types of contracts and their significance in protecting both parties. Tricia begins by sharing her experience with the Clever Baby , a teething and medicine dispenser product, and the importance of contracts in retail partnerships.  The conversation highlights the need fo...

This week we’re publishing a “bonus episode,” an interview with Jigar Navadiya , co-founder of DataSlush. Jigar’s company is a pioneering research-based organization dedicated to helping companies unlock the hidden potential within their data. Tom wasn’t able to join the show the special-episode recording, so Jigar and Curtis recorded the episode onsite at our friends’ studio at Auxiom. Curtis and...

Curtis and Tom interview Nick Swan , the founder of SEOtesting.com , about the state of SEO in 2024 and the importance of tracking and analyzing website user data. They discuss the recent algorithm updates by Google, the impact of helpful content on search rankings, and the potential changes in the search engine results page (SERP).  Nick explains how SEOtesting.com helps SEO professionals automat...

Building off last week’s mention of “The PESO Model,” Tom and Curtis discuss the power and benefit of integrated communications with Nikki Little , Senior Vice President at Franco, who shares her insights on integrated communications and the PESO model. The conversation covers topics such as the evolution of the communications industry, the keys to keeping communications integrated, the role that...

Curtis and Tom interview Cory Lindholm , a paid advertising expert, about the role of PPC advertising in B2B marketing. They discuss budgeting strategies, the importance of quality scores, and the value of data analysis in optimizing campaigns. Corey emphasizes the need for businesses to be willing to take risks and invest in PPC advertising, as it can generate high-quality leads and drive revenue...

Tom (especially) and Curtis are thrilled to welcome guest Jeff Large , CEO and founder of Come Alive Creative to the podcast to talk about....what else? — podcasting! They cover topics such as podcasting strategy, production considerations, and budgeting. Jeff emphasizes the importance of defining goals and target audience when starting and building a podcast. Important: consider this an investmen...

In this very special episode of Bullhorns and Bullseyes, Curtis and Tom take turns sharing their personal “secrets” of their own particular crafts — Tom in content development and Curtis in lead-gen and analytics. Tune in to hear their “takes,” and feel free to adopt our tricks and apply them to your own trade! Takeaways: They’re a secret! You have to listen to get them!

Tom and Curtis are joined by Lindsay Mullen from Prosper Strategies to discuss the unique challenges and strategies of working with nonprofits . They explore the diverse stakeholders in the nonprofit sector and the importance of shared power and change management. Lindsay shares insights on strength-based communication and the power of storytelling in nonprofits. They also discuss the budget chall...

Curtis Hays and Tom Nixon interview Terry Bean about the concept of behavior and its various applications to marketing and messaging . Terry explains how he follows a behavior assessment based on the four elements: air, earth, fire, and water, demonstrating how understanding these elements can help marketers tailor their messaging to different personality types. We also explore how behavior analys...

Tom and Curtis welcome a  bona fide  expert to the podcast to discuss the importance of referrals and testimonials in growing a business — and how to do it well! Michelle Blakely, a small business coach and expert in referral marketing, shares her insights on the secrets to asking for referrals and testimonials, including making it easy for customers. Among the “secrets” she generously reveals is...

This week, the guys shift their focus from storytelling to data — welcoming data experts Mark Gaskill and Chris DuBach of the Michigan-based omni-channel marketing agency Phoenix Innovate . Curtis introduces the concept of the OODA loop, which stands for observe, orient, decide, and act, and the four go on to discuss its application in decision-making with respect to marketing and advertising.  Th...

Ever hear of the marketing concept known as “ funnel-driven storytelling ?” This week’s guest, Josh Donnelly , founder of Donco Marketing , demonstrates how storytelling can be used to guide users through the marketing funnel and create a more intentional user experience.  He, Curtis and Tom also discuss the collaboration process between designers and copywriters and how to best align approaches t...

Tom and Curtis are joined by Alan Borman, a video producer and content marketer, to discuss the importance of video in the modern marketing landscape . They explore the balance between volume and value of video content, considering factors such as budget and the lifespan of assets. They also delve into the analytics of video performance and the power of authenticity in connecting with audiences. T...

Tom and Curtis “go meta” one more time, as this week they’re devoting a whole podcast to talk about the art, science and business case for podcasting . From strategy and purpose to the “nuts and bolts” about hosting, recording, editing, publishing, syndicating and promoting a podcast, they walk listeners through the entire process, from inception to completion. Curtis also walks through his own th...

In this episode, Tom and Curtis discuss the topic of marketing attribution , the methodology of attributing a purchase or lead to its source in a marketing campaign. They highlight the importance of measuring marketing effectiveness beyond simple conversions and discuss the challenges of tracking attribution in a complex digital landscape. They emphasize the need for a common vocabulary between sa...

Should design activate both the left side and the right side of the brain? In this week’s episode, Tom and Curtis are joined by Dan Corcoran , an expert in UI and UX design, to discuss the importance of graphic design in their work and how it intersects with analytics and user-centric design.  Tune in to learn about why we need to design for the user and not just for the client's personal pref...

Though we’ve “gone meta” before on Bullhorns and Bullseyes, this time we are entering the “Metaverse” quite literally. Collideascope team member since Day 1, Katie Decker, an expert in Facebook advertising, joins Curtis and Tom to discuss the misconception that “businesses have no business conducting business” on Facebook, and lays out some tips and best practices for doing it right. The three als...

You may have heard of the immensely popular Ted Talk, Simon Sinek’s “Golden Circle,” or  “The Power of Why.”   In this this week’s episode, Tom and Curtis explore the concepts of “why” and “user intent” to build off of the ideas in Sinek’s talk, in both a bullhorn context and that of bullseyes. Tom begins by explaining the theory behind his “ Why—>How—>What ” messaging hierarchy for content...