Gail Robertson, a marketing strategist, explains how curiosity drives sales. She teaches a three-step framework—sign up, suit up, show up—and emphasizes asking questions to uncover opportunities and build relationships, a practice she learned as a journalist and now teaches to sales teams.
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This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast, where business leaders share their insights. It is 6 questions in 7 minutes because successful business leaders are busy and rarely have more time to spare. So let's get to it. Question number 1: In a few sentences, please tell me who you are and what you do.
My name is Gail Robertson and my company is Gail Now. I am a marketing strategy guide. So what I do is help companies and individuals tell their story, because through telling their story, that is how you connect with people. And instead of just trying to sell and push what you're selling, really what we want to do is get to know people better and share our expertise.
Well, Gail, it's an absolute pleasure to have you on the show. Question number 2: What is something that makes you smile and/or laugh about working in your industry?
Well, what makes me smile often is that because I work in a non-traditional field like manufacturing, which I knew very little about when I got into it in terms of marketing, often I am learning about things that, you know, what is the difference between a mold maker and a molder? Because I'm in that field, they're, you know, stumbling and tripping over myself. That's how we learn. And that helps me teach marketing because when we flip that around, some of my clients find it difficult, some of the marketing terms. So it really helps me with empathy.
I like that. And yeah, you know, we're helping with empathy, then it gets you to relate even better to, to, you know, your customers and prospects because they're, they're willing to, to, to approach you more. Am I, am I right there?
Right. And we need to laugh at ourselves a lot more. We need to find the humor in things because sometimes people get so caught up in being professional, and you can still be professional and have a sense of humor because that's what people relate to. And I certainly am someone that likes to enjoy life and have fun, and we can bring that over into our work. As well.
We certainly can. Question number 3: I have a fictitious book with all the answers for business. What chapter would you think most companies should read?
Hmm, probably the chapter would be the one that I would write for you, and there would be a 3-step process, which is the one that I teach, which is sign up, suit up, and show up. And you need those 3 steps that help you with your business because it's all about a process. And once you have a process in place then you can start working towards your goals and achieve those goals, not just have dreams.
Yeah, I like that a lot because you're right. It's sort of like your process is your roadmap. Am I right?
Right. You need to have— for me, success has been when I've really thought about what is the steps that help me get to my goals.
Absolutely. That's wonderful. Question number 4. Other than the generic work harder, have a great attitude, and care for customers, What advice or insight would you give to other business leaders?
Hmm, well, the one that I celebrate for myself as well as helping others is using curiosity. Curiosity is one of those tools that we can use to help in so many ways because it's all about asking questions, looking around corners. And because of my background as a journalist, I learned early on that you know, you had to step out of your comfort zone and reach out to people, ask them questions, and then all sorts of doors opened. And I made connections with people, connections that I still have to this day. And it's about building those relationships. And I say my Twitter profile has me as Chief Curiosity Officer, and people are always asking me about that and what does it mean. And it's really about, you know, being inquisitive and encouraging others to do that as well. And in the work I'm doing in manufacturing, I work with sales people and encourage them to use that curiosity muscle, because it is a muscle. You need to use it and, uh, exercise it.
And I would imagine that using that curiosity muscle, it helps you open the doors to other possibilities and new ideas that may not, may not have come if you weren't curious about what, what could happen.
For sure. I've worked in areas of everything from— I've been a reporter, I've been— I ran a bed and breakfast on an island. I've been a fundraiser and all of the— and a marketing manager. And all of these are about transferable skills, but it had a lot to do with using curiosity to learn about different ways of doing things, different careers. And when you are curious, that's when you're going to see all sorts of opportunities. And in marketing, opportunity is your ticket to success.
It really is. I totally agree. Question number 5: What other business leader like yourself would you like to acknowledge I'd like to acknowledge and invite to be on my podcast?
Hmm, well, I know quite a few, but I'm going to throw a name out there because this person is definitely curious and is a great business leader. Brian Bendig is the president of Cavalier Tool and Manufacturing. Full disclosure, they are a client, but the reason that we work so well together and that I'm working with them is because they do see opportunities around every corner, and, uh, he is a great interview. So, and he has great ideas, I'm sure.
Well, great. I look forward to talking to him. Thank you for that referral. And our final question, question 6, please tell me about your first job.
Ooh, well, my first job as a child was I was helping, uh, Howie, who worked in a small town that I was growing up in, take, uh, loads to the dump. So that was my first job. And I really learned about the value of one person's junk is another person's gold, cuz I collected some cool things on those trips to the dump. But in terms of my more career-related job, I worked in the circular public relations department at a newspaper. When I was still going to university, I wrote a letter and I said, I will do any job from sweeping floors. And I remember I said that sweeping floors to washing windows. I just wanted to work at the newspaper. I showed up and the manager of that department actually was someone I knew from my church growing up. And I was a bit of an in, also learned about connections. And I was hired and learned that the value of, you know, working in newspaper, people Yes, they care about reading the news, but they also want their newspaper for the TV Guide, for doing the crossword puzzle, and all sorts of things. So it taught me that, yeah, as a journalist I'm important, but you know what, I'm not all that important. And one quick last story: I remember a woman called, didn't get her paper, she was very upset, and she said, "What will I do tonight?" Because I said, "We'll get you a paper tomorrow," or credit her, and I didn't know what she meant. And she said— and I said, "What do you mean?" She said, I normally do the crossword puzzle at 7 o'clock tonight. What will I do? Tell you, that's an eye-opener about, uh, she wasn't saying I wasn't going to read the news. So, so really a good opportunity to learn the value of all the pieces of the puzzle that make up any business.
Oh, what a great story. And for our younger listeners, just want to let them know that the newspaper is the printed web pages, right?
Yes, that was a few years back. It was when people used to get a newspaper delivered to their door. And not, uh, on their phone. And, you know, that's another thing that's so important is being able to understand that, uh, the whole cycle of what's happened when it comes to the media and how we get our news. And, and now on a podcast like this, this is how we're sharing information, so we can all adjust. I'm someone that came from the print newspaper and I'm now on a podcast and now do live streaming, so we can all change and adjust, adjust and, uh This is how we win at business and life.
That's absolutely right. I love that.
And Gail, thank you so much for being on the show.
How can people find you?
Well, my website is gailnow.com, and pretty much if you Google Gail Now, you will find me. I am on— most active on Twitter. I'm on LinkedIn as Gail Robertson. I also do the odd TikTok once in a while just for fun, and I'm on Instagram. So as I said, you can find me by Googling Gail Now, but Twitter is where I'm most active, so @GailNow. And please, if anyone has seen me here, please stop by and say hello. I will respond.
Perfect. This is Professor Pete Alexander with the Winning at Business and Life podcast. Get hundreds of amazing business insights from previous guest episodes on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening.
