Advice from Ed Russ

I received a pleasant suprise when reading the May 30, 2009 issue of Marketing News. The Viewpoint column featured our friend, Ed Russ, chief marketing and sales officer in the U.S. for Grant Thornton. Did you know that Ed trained to be an Olympic gymnast? Perhaps that's why he has been instrumental in vaulting Grant Thornton's Net Promoter Score to 62% (from 49%) and the firm's brand familiarity to 64% (from 43%).

What is Ed's advice for young marketers? First, "Do something you really like doing. I don't care what industry it is in ... My second piece of advice is to have empathy. Look at the world through your clients' eyes. Look at the world through your employees' eyes. Look at the world through your boss's eyes."