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Susie Eckstein
CRM Enablement Associate Manager - Best Buy
Professional Background
Susie Eckstein is a seasoned expert in higher education with a remarkable career spanning over 17 years, dedicated to leading program innovation and implementing effective marketing and business strategies for non-degree short courses. Her extensive experience involves recruiting new students to various graduate business programs while overseeing the entire student life-cycle from the initial recruitment phase right through to alumni relations in specialized master's degrees. As she embarks on a new chapter at Best Buy, Susie is eager to leverage her extensive background in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems within the retail industry, demonstrating her ability to adapt and thrive across sectors.
Throughout her esteemed career in higher education, Susie has effectively bridged the gap between technology and business, aligning strategic initiatives to drive enrollment and enhance student engagement. She played a pivotal role in constructing the technology stack for Executive Education at the University of St. Thomas, which included the integration of Salesforce, Pardot, and a comprehensive e-commerce environment. In doing this, she spearheaded marketing automation efforts specifically targeted at non-degree programs, which incorporated both consumer-focused (B2C) lead nurturing and business-oriented (B2B) account-based marketing strategies. Her significant contributions in this area earned her a coveted spot as a presenter at the prestigious annual Salesforce Dreamforce conference in 2019, where she shared her insights and results from her innovative marketing automation initiatives.
Education and Achievements
A testament to her commitment to lifelong learning, Susie Eckstein holds multiple degrees from the University of St. Thomas. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree, emphasizing marketing management and sociology, before attaining her Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a focus on marketing. Her educational competence doesn't stop there; she continues to expand her knowledge by successfully completing various non-degree programs specializing in business analytics, design thinking, project management, social media marketing, data-driven marketing, as well as earning a graduate certificate in business communication—all from the esteemed University of St. Thomas. This dedication to professional development showcases her innovative mindset and desire to stay at the forefront of industry trends.
Her ability to manage complex projects and initiatives stems not only from her educational background but also from her extensive work experience within the university setting. Over the years, Susie has held several prominent positions at the University of St. Thomas, including:
- Director of Strategic Initiatives at Opus College of Business, where she was responsible for overseeing strategic planning and implementation initiatives aimed at enhancing educational offerings and student experiences.
- Director of Open Enrollment for Executive Education, a role that involved overseeing admissions for non-degree programs delivered to top executives and professionals seeking advancement.
- Associate Director of Marketing and Open Enrollment for Executive Education, focusing on marketing strategies that effectively attracted prospective students and showcased non-degree offerings.
- Assistant Director of Part-Time MBA Admissions, where she expertly managed the admissions process and recruitment efforts for the MBA program, further solidifying her understanding of the student journey.
Each of these roles has strengthened her expertise in enrollment management, marketing, and program development, all critical components for the success of any educational institution.
Notable Skills and Core Expertise
Susan Eckstein possesses a rich blend of skills that contributes to her effectiveness in educational leadership and strategic marketing. Her core areas of expertise include:
- CRM Systems: Mastery in utilizing systems like Salesforce and Pardot to optimize enrollment processes and enhance marketing effectiveness.
- Marketing Automation: Development and implementation of marketing automation strategies that drive lead generation and nurture potential students through the enrollment cycle.
- Project Management: Proven ability to manage complex projects from conception to completion, ensuring successful outcomes aligned with institutional goals.
- Strategic Initiatives: Expertise in developing and executing strategic initiatives that facilitate innovation and program excellence.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Proficiency in leveraging data to inform marketing strategies and improve student engagement, thereby boosting enrollment rates.
Commitment to Innovation
Susie's commitment to innovation is paramount to her professional identity. Her proactive approach to integrating technology with business strategies has not only enhanced educational offerings but has also refined her institution’s overall operational efficiency. Her work continues to resonate within the higher education landscape, inspiring peers and colleagues alike.
As she transitions to Best Buy, Susie looks forward to harnessing her expertise in a new environment, furthering her impact through CRM practices that enhance customer experiences and drive business results. Her journey serves as an inspiring reminder of how dedication, continuous learning, and a forward-thinking mindset can yield remarkable accomplishments across multiple industries.
In summary, Susan Eckstein’s career trajectory illustrates a commitment to educational excellence, continuous professional development, and innovative marketing strategies. Her adept ability to manage complex educational programs and initiatives while fostering collaboration between technology and business makes her an invaluable asset to any team she joins. With her sights set on new challenges, her future at Best Buy stands as a testament to the capabilities and experiences she brings to the table.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
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Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.
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