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Editor’s Note: The following interview features a GreenBook Future List honoree, Melina Palmer. The GreenBook Future List recognizes leadership, professional growth, personal integrity, passion, and excellence in the next generation of consumer insights and marketing professionals within the first 10 years of their careers.
Introducing Melina Palmer
Melina is an applied behavioral economist and keynote speaker who provides consulting to companies of all sizes and industries from around the world. She is the host of The Brainy Business podcast, which has downloads in over 170 countries. Melina also teaches applied behavioral economics through the Human Behavior Lab at Texas A&M University, is a columnist for Inc.com, has contributed to the Association for Consumer Research, and is the author of “What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You”, which was a finalist in two categories for the International Book Awards. Her second book, “What Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You”, is currently on presale and comes out October 11, 2022.
What’s a fun fact about yourself that would surprise people to know?
I have a background as a vocalist and very nearly went to school for musical theater. Singing is one of my very favorite things – I used to compete in singing opera and was part of a country band in Seattle. The thing I have done the most is singing the national anthem, including for the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Storm, Seattle Thunderbirds, and many college games. While it isn’t the same and I do miss singing, being on the stage as a speaker and via the podcast fill the same space for me and bring the joy I feel performing.
If you could go back in time to when you first started your career, what advice would you give to your younger self?
Whatever your goals are, whatever you think is possible – even stretch goals – are nowhere near big enough. Especially in today’s interconnected world, there are so many opportunities out there for those who are bold enough to put themselves out there. That being said, don’t focus on your own accomplishments as much. Instead, find ways to lift others up and give freely without looking for anything in return. The universe has a way of taking care of people who give generously to others.
What do you consider to be key characteristics or qualities of a leader? How does this play into market research?
In my opinion, curiosity is a key quality for anyone to succeed in life and business. Being curious helps you to understand problems properly, find opportunities that others miss, and make your team members feel valued and understood. This also plays into market research because without curiosity, you can’t truly understand the motivations of the consumer. “Why did someone do that?” “What might be influencing their choice?” “I wonder why that happened?” Being a curious questioner leads to better research, products, services, leaders – everything!
What are your market research predictions for the near future?
I predict that the behavioral sciences/behavioral economics will have a much more prominent role in this space, as well as AI and machine learning. There is a really interesting intersection between these areas that people are discovering now and asking questions about – which I find very exciting. On their own, each of these can only get you so far. Combined? The possibilities are endless! When market research is built on sound behavioral science concepts to test, and the data/AI is built out with these in mind, exciting insights will emerge. I’m excited to see how this all comes together in the next 5-10 years.
What is something you’ve built or launched that you’re proud of?
There are two main ones: my podcast, The Brainy Business, and my book, “What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You“. The podcast now has over half a million downloads across 170+ countries and has grown so far beyond anything I ever imagined. It is humbling and amazing to have people from around the world reach out to me to say how much they appreciate the content and how it is helping them to apply behavioral economics into their life and work when there aren’t other resources available to them where they live. Similarly, writing my first book is such a milestone and something I’ve dreamed of for a long time. It takes a different type of dedication, and it has been exciting to see its reception so far.
What sets you apart from your peers? Is there a specific trait that you attribute much of your success to? (For example, resiliency, grit, capacity for risk, etc.)
Over the years, I have learned that my ability to take in large quantities of information and boil it down to usable, understandable chunks is somewhat of a superpower. This is one of the things that has made my podcast, speaking, and consulting so shareable for people (and why I was a successful marketer for many years). I also have an uncanny knack for finding the connection between seemingly disparate pieces of information to find an interesting new path. Research or insights from a completely different field hold so much opportunity when you take the time to be thoughtful, curious, and ask lots of questions.
What’s next on the horizon for you? Are there areas where you’re looking to level up? A company you want to launch? A new milestone you want to reach?
I’m already working on my second book, which is slated to come out in the fall of 2022 and about how behavioral economics can be used to help people be naturally better at change in business. In our ever-changing world, it has really become the job of the manager to lead their employees through change, so I am excited for this book and how it can help businesses to be better at managing change. Also, I am planning to put a pretty significant focus on video in 2022, which will mean leveling up The Brainy Business YouTube channel with lots of short videos that break the podcast (and my other insights) into bite-sized chunks.
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