Experienced publishing, data, tech and marketing operations problem solver

If you’re in publishing and have a technology-related problem, I can probably help you with it. Give me a call and let’s talk.

I’ve been working in B2B and B2C publishing since 1984, with lengthy gigs in editorial, production, marketing, IT, web development, product development, customer service, fulfillment and events — but almost always with a focus on technology.

The publishing world is not all that tech savvy, so a big part of my career has been translating tech issues for non-tech people. I have often served as the liaison between tech and non-tech departments, and have run training sessions on how to get marketing to work effectively with IT.

I have a proven track record of getting things done and solving problems in creative ways. I can add value to your organization in ways you won’t expect.

I have …

• Created a conference department from the ground up, increasing revenues to over $1 million per year.
• Researched and then implemented a customer data platform resulting in better web segmentation for ads and content.
• Managed a large staff through the pandemic, quickly transitioned a large portion of the staff to remote work, maintained service levels for clients while optimizing internal head count, and worked with IT and management staff to develop tools and methods to ensure remote staff were being productive.
• Created and successfully marketed Thompson’s Employee Handbook Builder, their first all-digital product for human resources professionals.
• Created the product store for Kiplinger and managed all e-commerce operations.
• Managed the Kiplinger email system and integrated it with their CDP and back-end customer databases.
• And quite a lot more ….

I recently left the corporate world and started a consulting business called The Krehbiel Group, where I help my clients with publishing- or marketing-technology issues.

The Proverbs say “let another praise you, and not your own mouth,” and my English-German heritage makes it hard for me to write self-promotional material. (To be honest, I hate it.) So here’s what a few others have said about me.

Greg has experience in all aspects of professional publishing, but is particularly interested in and good at two things: finding creative solutions to technology problems, and breaking down barriers between teams to get them to work together effectively.

Denise Elliott, my former boss at Kiplinger, agreed with all that, but proposed this instead.

Greg is an all-around hire. He gets along with everyone, is a good manager, good at dealing with vendors, knows how to dive into projects and difficult problems and comes up with creative ways to fix them. He is particularly good at COO/CTO-type work.

I hope that gives you a good picture of me.

Here’s a list some of the things I’ve done and could potentially help you with, but the big picture is that I know the information / publishing business and I figure things out. I didn’t know about fulfillment until I had to dig into it. I didn’t know about Customer Data Platforms until we started investigating them. The technologies and the details aren’t that important. What’s important is learning business requirements, understanding the people involved and their motivations, and using data and technology to work towards solutions.
That’s what I do. If that sort of skill can help you, give me a call.

I’ve also worked as an editor and a digital marketer, I’ve managed email and content management systems, I’m a good public speaker, I’ve managed scientific publications, warehouses and call centers, I’ve written direct response copy and technical documentation, optimized landing pages, and integrated e-commerce platforms with back-end systems ….

And there’s more.

Marketing Technology

My degree is in science, and I understand tech things pretty easily. That’s been a constant refrain in my career. I’ve been solving tech problems for publishers for a very long time — way back to the early days of converting text for digital publishing.

Recently, I led Kiplinger’s investigation into Data Management Platforms and Customer Data Platforms, evaluated potential vendors, recommended the winner and led both the implementation and the subsequent development at Kiplinger. I also spoke on the topic for the Specialized Information Publishers Association.

Patrick Crane from BlueConic referred to me as “a best-in-class marketing technologist who balances creativity and operational excellence, and I can’t recommend him enough to any folks who are hiring.”

If you need help with marketing automation, with a CDP, or need some clever ideas about what to do with one, I can help. But more generally, I know how to look at the customer journey and experience and adjust technology to fit.

Technical Requirements and RFPs

I’m very good at understanding new technologies, how they would integrate with existing systems, and how they will help the business. I also write effective technical requirements documents — for email service providers, marketing automation, content management systems, fulfillment systems, CDPs, etc. Again, the technologies aren’t important. I can figure it out.

I excel at working through the process of evaluating vendors and then transitioning to the new system. If you’re struggling with integrating a new system into your current tech stack, I’m sure I can help you.

I’m also fairly adept at WordPress and built Kiplinger Alerts.

Fulfillment

I did a comprehensive evaluation of the American Psychological Association’s fulfillment system, and worked with my peers at Kiplinger on two fulfillment system conversions. Back in the old days of the Internet, I was in charge (from the client side) of one of the first implementations of MultiPub‘s then new e-commerce suite.

I know fulfillment issues pretty well, and if you’re going through a fulfillment change, I can help match the back-end systems to how you want to communicate with your customers.

Inter-Departmental Cooperation

I’m not a programmer (I’ve done some), but I know enough technology to understand the tech people. I’m not a creative genius (although I’ve written several fiction books), but I know enough about the creative side of the business to work with the marketers and the design people. Because of my broad background, and some inter-personal skills I’ve learned along the way, I’m a very effective liaison between departments.

I’ve led several conference sessions on “How to Get Marketing to Work with IT,” and I have since expanded that into “Breaking Down Inter-Departmental Barriers” — a workshop I can do for your office, if you like.

Product Development

I’ve led new product initiatives throughout my career, resulting in successful print and digital publications. One, Thompson’s Employee Handbook Builder, was a great success at Thompson, and has continued it’s life at BLR). I mention this one specifically because it used many of my skills, being a fun mix of editorial, user experience, technology, human resources, and working with outside vendors.

Editorial

My career in publishing began in editorial. My first publication was Thompson’s Gas Transportation Marketing Service, which was mostly data. I think that’s why they didn’t check if I could spell or type! I learned on the job, with Strunk and White and the dictionary at my elbow, a primitive Mac typing tutor for lunch, and the not always gentle tutelage of senior editors and associate publishers. Good times.

I advanced through the editorial ranks until an opportunity arose to work on a digital publication, at which point I led the editorial and technical development Thompson’s Tax Library, and then ran the web publishing department when we converted all of Thompson’s loose-leaf publications for online delivery.

Management

I’ve been managing people for decades, and I’m pretty good at it. I’ve led teams of two to thirteen, and managed departments with more than 90 people. I’ve also managed inter-departmental working groups. I work well with other people, and help them to succeed.

I’m also pretty good at public speaking and training. Did I mention my workshop on “Breaking Down Inter-Departmental Barriers”?

Contact Info:

Greg Krehbiel
240-687-1230
gkrehbiel@gmail.com
My LinkedIn profile
My resume