I get a little bit smarter every day. And that’s something I’m super proud of. I can look back on every single day and say to myself: “I learned something new today… cool.” Sometimes the learning comes from a book, training, workshop, maybe a podcast. But usually, it comes from the “day to day” business […]
Podcast Episodes
Kill All Your Darlings
“You have to kill all your darlings.” ^ Famous quote from Stephen King, who may have been quoting someone else. Every author, novelist, copywriter – anyone who engages professionally with the written word – knows this to be true. A great piece of writing is the product of rigorous editing. Editing involves “killing your darlings”… […]
You’re Not Ready
// These 4.5 Words Will Make You Irresistible to Clients // “You’re not ready yet…” Client says they want to work with you. They have the problem you solve. They’re ready to get started. And you say: “You’re not ready yet…” What?! Why? Because the timing isn’t right for the client… Not for you. For […]
Toxic Clients
? STOP WORKING WITH BAD CLIENTS ? You know that client you regret taking on? They’re a pain to work with. They don’t respect your expertise. They have an opinion about everything. Yeah, that one. Ever stop to think about how much that client is costing you? That’s right, COSTING you. Sure, you’re earning a […]
Buffett
// How Warren Buffett’s Investment Philosophy Can “Guarantee” The Market’s Desire For Your Offering // The $80 billion man’s investment philosophy can be summed up in one sentence… He only invests in businesses he understands. He needs to understand the market, the business model, the macro / micro economics forces at play… And if he […]
Reciprocity
// Powerful Lesson on Persuasion from the Owner of My Local Bike Shop // I recently bought a new mountain bike (Rocky Mountain Fusion 40 for my fellow MTB’ers). When I was first shopping around, I went into my local bike shop to get some advice from the owner. He told me what to look […]
One Core Message
“We’ve discovered a cure for cancer!” Imagine this: You’re a high flying marketing consultant and a pharmaceutical company calls you in for a consultation. The CEO sits you down in the board room and says: “You’re not going to believe this, but we’ve discovered a cure for cancer. We need your advice on how to […]
Pricing Mistake
Harsh truth: No one cares how long it takes you to do the work. I recently hired my 16-year-old nephew to do some landscaping. We were negotiating the price and he started asking questions like: “How much will you pay me per hour?” “How long do you think it will take?” My response… “I don’t […]
Indiscriminate Selling
“Duct cleaning services? What makes you think I need my ducts cleaned?!” I get a call every other week asking if I need duct cleaning services. Every time, I say no. And without fail, two weeks later I get another call with the same question. I don’t know what made these people think I need […]
8 Years
“It took you HOW long to finish this project?!?” ^ My reaction after a documentary filmmaker told me it took 8 years to complete her latest project. Every year, something came up. New legal complications. New layers to the story. New production challenges. And every year, she kept pushing forward. I couldn’t help but ask […]