Thryv CEO and President Joe Walsh joined Gordon Borrell and Corey Elliott, hosts of the Local Marketing Trends podcast, for a look at small businesses and how the tools they use to run and grow have changed – from printed yellow pages directories to digital marketing solutions and, most recently, Software as a Service (SaaS).

In Episode 13: Tough Lessons on Transformation from a Guy in the Hotseat – Thryv CEO Joe Walsh, Walsh discusses the steps his company has taken to control the decline of the print product, tackle disruption, develop small business automation software, and pivot toward becoming a SaaS company.

Marketing Technology News: Qwantify Guarantees e-Commerce Success for Online Entrepreneurs on Shopify

“When I joined Thryv (formerly Dex Media) and we began developing a strategy to control the decline of the yellow pages business, I really felt there was an opportunity to help small businesses modernize,” Walsh said. “Small businesses who don’t modernize and don’t communicate effectively with their customers lose their customers to competitors that do.”

The interview features a few surprises, and how a story by comedian Sam Kinison provided a wake-up call to Thryv’s sales team.

Marketing Technology News: Why Audio Ads Should Be a Part of Your Advertising Strategy in 2020

“The way you create a great business is you find a problem and you solve it; you find a need and you fill it,” said Walsh.

Walsh is also joining Borrell and Elliot in March as a keynote speaker at the Local Marketing Trends conference, Borrell Miami 2020.

Marketing Technology News:  Vervotech Continues to Expand Market Base with AI in Travel Technology