Curious Business: Insights for B2B Growth

Is GenAI a revolution or merely an evolution of data-driven innovation and automation? Dan Klein has been at the forefront of data-driven tech for thirty years. From the timeless principles guiding how he helps organisations and the need to test GenAI’s output, to finding the value and championing curiosity, he provided real food for thought in this conversation with Stephen Morris.
As someone who has been working with neural networks, deep learning, automation and data-driven decision-making since the 1990s, Dan sees GenAI not as a revolution but as a continuation. Don’t go after the tech; think about how you can improve your business, focus on continuous enhancements and foster a culture that encourages small-scale innovation by those at the sharp end. He illustrates his view with references from real-world experience in the aircraft, automotive, banking, government and other sectors.
Dan believes we must champion curiosity to ensure organisations continue improving and adapting to new possibilities. However, he thinks many organisations neglect to maintain employees’ skills and use their knowledge and perspective to drive innovation. We must ensure experienced teams focus on doing what GenAI can’t – questioning, experimenting, and inventing. “The individuals who exhibit curiosity in the workplace,” he says, “always do substantially better than those who do not.”
In the rapidly advancing world of AI, curiosity stands out as a differentiator between those who will thrive and those who may be left behind.
You’ll learn:
How GenAI can augment human decision-making
The precursors and technological changes that paved the way for Generative AI  
What GenAI means for managers and management
The blockers that will stop many organisations from transforming and leveraging AI
What it means for the workforce of the future – onboarding, training and collaboration
The intricacies of synthesising information, managing data, and making informed decisions in evolving tech landscapes
 
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Connect with Dan on LinkedIn.
Listen to Dan's Data Today podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts).
Join Dan for kayaking, whale watching and lots more on the beautiful shores of Lake Sunart in Scotland.
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Mentioned in this episode:
Barbara Minto 'The Pyramid Principle' (Amazon.co.uk)
The Essential Deming (Amazon.co.uk)
--Thanks for listening to Curious Business, the business podcast that brings you fresh insights, experiences and anecdotes to help you think differently about your business and marketing.My name is Stephen Morris. I help businesses put the problems their customers and prospects face at the heart of their marketing so it matters and creates opportunities. If you'd like to know more, book a discovery call.

It seems we're awash with data these days. It's meant to improve decision-making and outcomes. While sales data tells us what has happened, it rarely tells us why it happened. It also tells us nothing about what didn't happen. Why did a customer walk away? What didn't they choose — and why?
Today's guest dives into that exact mystery almost every day. Tessa Stuart works in the food and drink retail space, helping brands to decode customer behaviour and perception, revealing the mindset behind the metrics. These consumer insights bring the numbers to life and transform how companies present themselves to customers when it matters most.
Known as 'The Shopper Stalker', Tessa shares her journey from advertising focus groups to becoming a leading voice of live customer insight via attempting to sell her children to Innocent drinks. Featured on Radio 4's The Today Programme, she's also the author of two books about getting stocked and then getting picked off the shelf.
What Tessa does is eminently transferrable outside of food and drink, listen to 'What Data Doesn't Tell Us' to find out:
Tessa's approach and how she became the Shopper Stalker
What she's learned about how consumers think and behave
How real-time encounters can help brands connect with customers
What her observations of buyer behaviour reveal about how brands should present themselves
How augmenting sales data can help us connect with actual customer needs
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Connect with Tessa on LinkedIn.
Sign up for her insight-packed newsletters.
Buy her books on Amazon: Packed and Flying Off The Shelves.
--Thanks for listening to Curious Business, the business podcast that brings you fresh insights, experiences and anecdotes to help you think differently about your business and marketing.My name is Stephen Morris. I help businesses put the problems their customers and prospects face at the heart of their marketing so it matters and creates opportunities. If you'd like to know more, book a discovery call.

What’s the best way to get employees talking about your business on social media? And is it worth doing? Are people influenced by what people say about their employers? In this episode, Stephen Morris speaks with employee advocacy expert Andrew Seel about the value, tools, benefits and best approaches, as well as its vital role in marketing and brand strategy.
Andrew is an accomplished expert in employee advocacy and social media. With a distinguished career that began at AOL, he navigated the landscape of early online communities. After founding one of the UK's first social media agencies, he identified the powerful potential of employees as brand advocates. This led to the launch of the first UK-based employee advocacy platform, Togethr. Working with well-known brands like John Lewis and Partners, BT, HSBC and the Post Office, Andrew’s passion is making digital communication more authentic and personal. 
Listen to this episode of Curious Business to learn:
What employee advocacy is and how it can work for marketing, sales, recruitment and employees.
Why authenticity and trust are the key elements in an effective advocacy strategy.
The best ways to encourage, motivate and help employees to participate.
How a structured approach, ongoing training and support are essential.
Togethr’s step-by-step guide to establishing employee advocacy and their ten-level advocacy scale. 
The unexpected benefits and ways employee advocacy can build trust, enhance recruitment and boost brand visibility.
 
 
Find out more about Togethr and its approach: https://www.wearetogethr.io/
Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewseel/
Check out Andrew’s podcast: https://www.wearetogethr.io/resources/podcasts
Mentioned in the episode: 'Tiny Habits' by BJ Fogg (Penguin)
 
--Thanks for listening to Curious Business, the business podcast that brings you fresh insights, experiences and anecdotes to help you think differently about your business and marketing.My name is Stephen Morris. I help businesses put the problems their customers and prospects face at the heart of their marketing so it matters and creates opportunities. If you'd like to know more, book a discovery call.

Join Christopher Martlew as he shares essential strategies for managing change in the era of AI and rapid business evolution. Managing change is perhaps the most challenging of capabilities, not just for organisations but for individuals, teams and leaders, too. We may not know exactly how the intersection of AI and business will impact our lives, but it will definitely involve significant transformations. Faster and more frequent change, too.
In this episode of Curious Business, I talk to Christopher Martlew, author of Leadership Recharged and Changing the Mind the Organisation. He explains how we need to make strategy more organic and responsive. Leaders need to move beyond vision-setting, owning change so they can accelerate and improve their ability to adapt. In the process, we discussed topics like:
Do people actually like change, and how well-prepared are we for it?
What happens when the AI agent on your management board disagrees with the rest of the leadership team?
Is having 53 direct reports the way for leaders to go?
What happens when IT is everywhere, not just in the IT department?
Connect with Chris at https://www.tangiblemanagement.nl/
Buy 'Changing the Mind of the Organization' on Amazon.
Pre-order Chris' upcoming book The Digital Executive. (Released March 2025)
Also mentioned in this episode: Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Picketty.
--Thanks for listening to Curious Business, the business podcast that brings you fresh insights, experiences and anecdotes to help you think differently about your business and marketing.My name is Stephen Morris. I help businesses put the problems their customers and prospects face at the heart of their marketing so it matters and creates opportunities. If you'd like to know more, book a discovery call.

Stephanie Forrest is the founder and CEO of comms specialists TFD. She joins the podcast to share her experience working with disruptive and emerging technology businesses. From working with startups to global companies, Stephanie shares her expertise in crafting engaging narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.
Hear how the communications landscape has evolved and learn effective strategies getting talked about in a crowded media space. Whether you are a startup trying to carve a niche or an established brand looking for a fresh approach, this episode provides practical tips and real-world examples of driving engagement and creating meaningful connections.
Listen to this episode to find out about:
The media and content landscape and what it means for brands
Knowing why people should care about your company or product
Finding your business’ story and making sure it’s something people understand
What stops messages from 'cutting through' and shaping a story that connects
How TFD frames and supports stories to make sure they engage journalists and readers
Connect with Steph at www.wearetfd.com.
The Adaptavist Group’s latest Digital Etiquette report ‘Mind the Generational Gap’ is available here: https://www.theadaptavistgroup.com/resources/insights/digital-etiquette/generational-gap
--Thanks for listening to Curious Business, the business podcast that brings you fresh insights, experiences and anecdotes to help you think differently about your business and marketing.My name is Stephen Morris. I help businesses put the problems their customers and prospects face at the heart of their marketing so it matters and creates opportunities. If you'd like to know more, book a discovery call.

Karen Green is a retail sales expert, keynote speaker and best-selling author. I wanted to talk to Karen about her latest book – Buyerology – and how understanding buyers helps us sell better.
She started her career as a professional buyer – for Boots and Tesco – before moving to the other side of the negotiating table. Since then, she has used her experience to help business owners sell to professional buyers too. With Buyerology, however, Karen has created an approach to help you sell to all kinds of people (not just those who do it for a living). Not only that, it can be applied to all kinds of ‘selling’ (such as career development or selling yourself) to make it a fundamental part of how you execute your business plan.
Listen to this episode to find out:
The surprising lengths professional buyers go to in order to gain leverage
How to not sell
When you should start building your leverage and power for sales conversations
How you can use the BUYER framework to sell yourself
The hardest thing to do in a negotiation
Connect with Karen at www.buyerology.co.uk and buy the book on Amazon. 
Also referenced in this episode: Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss.
--Thanks for listening to Curious Business, the business podcast that brings you fresh insights, experiences and anecdotes to help you think differently about your business and marketing.My name is Stephen Morris. I help businesses put the problems their customers and prospects face at the heart of their marketing so it matters and creates opportunities. If you'd like to know more, book a discovery call.