Are you listening?

Effective communication isn’t just about what you’re saying. Often, it’s more about how well you’re listening. In fact, listening is one of the most important skills we can develop in our professional and personal lives. So why is it that we place so much importance on having good “communication” skills and not nearly enough on… Read more »

Navigating the world of virtual trade shows and other 2020 challenges

  According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR), there were approximately 9,400 B2B trade shows and exhibitions held in the U.S. in 2019, contributing $101 billion to the nation’s GDP. For many B2B companies, these events represent a critical component of their annual marketing plan and a good percentage of their budget. While in-person trade… Read more »

Will millennials spend 27 years with one employer?

Last month I celebrated (yes, celebrated!) my 27th year at Manzella Marketing. At the time I started, I was pregnant with my second child, who now has his MBA and has been working for nearly a year at his first “real job.” The work anniversary made me wonder if my two millennial sons and the… Read more »

BINGING IS GOOD FOR YOUR (MENTAL) HEALTH

Fight cabin fever with a good binge! If you had asked me last month what the term “social distancing” means, I probably would have said it means taking a break from Instagram and Facebook. But with Western New York schools now closed for a month, sporting events cancelled, and restaurants and entertainment venues shuttered indefinitely,… Read more »

10 Reasons Why Direct Mail’s Not Dead Yet

In the irreverent, cult classic movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, there’s a scene in which a mortician pushes a cart filled with people who have died from the Black Plague. As he shouts, “Bring out your dead,” another man emerges from his home with an old man slung over his shoulder. When he… Read more »