“Not only did the Government Accountability Office add the 2020 Census to its high-risk list, but a critical computer system was recently discovered to have surpassed its budget by $309 million. As the 2020 Census approaches, such news does not instill confidence in the Department’s preparation for this constitutional requirement.” Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) opened discussion about the Census Bureau at a recent hearing reviewing the Department of Commerce’s FY2018 budget proposal with a bunch of concerns about the decennial Census and how to … [Read more...]

If you fell behind on your spring cleaning this year, it's okay -- so did I. I haven't put away my winter coats, I haven't unpacked all of my moving boxes, and I haven't cleaned my computer's desktop lately. You know what I'm talking about -- all those forgotten documents and miscellaneous screenshots that have been slowly taking over our screens for weeks -- and sometimes, even months. Hoarding files on your desktop not only makes it challenging to locate what you need when you need it, but it can also compromise the speed of your computer.  To help you keep … [Read more...]

According to DMR Stats, SlideShare users add more than 400,000 new presentations per month. The site receives 159 million page views per month, and has more than 70 million users. And it’s one of the most underutilized lead generation tools we marketers have in our quiver. Sure, it has a paid lead capture form, but even without it, organic calls-to-action (CTA) work beautifully. Plus, with the embed feature, you presentations are highly portable and easily placed in blog posts, bylines, and on social media. Out of the 30-plus decks I’ve posted, four of … [Read more...]

If you want to get started with investing, you need to start reading these books. … [Read more...]

George S. Patton once said: "If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking." In business, stirring the proverbial pot can be a good thing. And while negotiating these matters can be challenging -- especially when they involve our teammates or bosses -- differences in opinion will often lead to progress.  The most important thing to remember is that there is a big difference between healthy, productive disagreements and heated arguments. In order for two parties to come to a mutually beneficial agreement, there has to be a level of … [Read more...]

It might be an unpopular opinion, but I do believe that having tons of great ideas isn’t always a good thing. There just isn’t enough time in a single day to tackle all of them -- let alone while also doing your day job. So how do you choose just one -- and once you do, how do you make time to work on it, and see it through to the end? That, my friends, is why we get search results like these: We get it: Finishing a side project is really, really hard. After all, when you put in long days or weeks at work, the last thing you want to do is, well, more … [Read more...]

SurveyMonkey’s weekly polling (ending Thursday June 15) finds 43% of adults nationwide approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president and 55% disapprove. That result is a 2 percentage point uptick in approval and 2-point decline in disapproval since last week. Trump’s ratings had varied between 40 and 42% for the past 5 weeks. This week’s rating marks a return to the middle of the range of the Trump ratings tracked by SurveyMonkey, which have varied between 40 and 47% since early February. This week’s full topline results and a … [Read more...]

The Insights Association's grassroots members are contacting their Assembly members -- some even meeting with their representatives in person -- to amend S.B. 790, a bill that would otherwise ban respondent incentives for California doctors participating in most pharmaceutical marketing research. For instance, Michael Halberstam (Interviewing Service of America) met with staff for Assemblyman Adrin Nazarian early this week. Carlos Garcia (Garcia Research Associates) did the same with Assemblywoman Christina Garcia. And yesterday, James Arcediano … [Read more...]

At this crucial moment of preparation for the 2020 Census, we need to quickly and appropriately replace retiring Census Bureau Director John Thompson. The Insights Association, the leading and largest nonprofit organization representing the marketing research and analytics industry, recently joined a Census Project coalition letter to President Trump urging "the prompt nomination of a new Census Bureau Director." The letter continues: "With Census 2020 only three years away, it is imperative that the Bureau have a highly qualified and respected director … [Read more...]

A few years ago my team at RJMetrics was launching a short survey over the holidays. It’s a tough time of the year to get attention, especially when you’re a B2B SaaS company. At some point, someone suggested a cupcake giveaway. So we did. Ten participants were randomly chosen to receive a dozen cupcakes, and people LOVED it. They sent email responses to the request saying they hoped they got the cupcakes. They tweeted delighted responses about the campaign. When we delivered them, they tweeted pictures of them and their co-workers enjoying the … [Read more...]