Think buyers want what you’re selling? Think again. It’s tempting to believe that your buyers make purely rational buying decisions. Because then all you’d need to do is make a rational argument — that’s easy enough. But the truth is your buyers are completely irrational at times. They often buy products and services without any […]
Podcast Episodes
The George Orwell Guide to Getting Inside Your Customers Head
George Orwell, author of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm, and many other works, is one of the most famous and celebrated authors of the 20th century. But what made Orwell such a powerful novelist wasn’t his ability to craft gripping prose or tell powerful stories — it was his ability to empathize with the characters he […]
Four Questions to Choose Your Ideal Clients (And Charge Whatever You Want)
Once you’ve conceded that not all clients are equal, the question is — which of your current or prospective clients are the best fit for your firm? This is a tough exercise. Because the truth is, there are no “ideal” clients. There are good clients, great clients, and almost ideal clients. But no client is […]
The Single Most Important Business Decision You’ll Ever Make
As a business owner, you make decisions every single day. Some are big decisions. Some are small decisions. But every decision has an impact on your business one way or another. And there’s no decision that has a greater impact on your business than choosing which customers to serve. In this lesson, we’re going to […]
The Nine Elements of a Business Model that Works
Apparently there are nine elements to a business model. That’s right… nine. The number that comes after eight and before ten. I can feel your anxiety on the other side of the screen as you read this. But in my defense, I didn’t make up the rules. Some guy from Switzerland did. While working on […]
Ask These Four Questions to Stress Test Your Business Model
What the heck is a business model anyways? There’s a long answer and a short answer to that question. The long answer can be found in many books and PhD dissertations. The short answer can be summed up into four questions a la Seth Godin. What compelling reason exists for people to give you money? […]
Three Trends Reshaping the Professional Services Business Model
How much do you think about your business model? If you’re being honest, not much at all. As long as your clients pay their bills and the ship is afloat, “business model design” is unlikely to make it to the top of your agenda. And that’s unfortunate. Because chances are there are some very real […]
Why You Should Never Stop Selling (Even After the Deal is Signed)
This is Part 3 of our series on the “buyer’s journey”. In this lesson, we’ll look at the third and final stage of the buyer’s journey — which is the decision stage. This is where the buyer is finally going to pull the trigger. They’ve picked the service provider that they want to work with. […]
How to Get on Your Buyer’s Shortlist When They’re Looking for Solutions
This is Part 2 of our series on the “buyer’s journey”. In this lesson, we’ll review the second stage of the buyer’s journey — which is the consideration stage. In this stage, buyers are becoming more serious about taking action. They’ve done their homework and formed an opinion about the solution. And now they’re looking […]
Why You Should Only Target “Motivated Buyers” (And Ignore Everyone Else)
This lesson kicks off our 3-part series on the “buyer’s journey”. We’re going to start by looking at the first stage of the buyer’s journey — which is the awareness stage. In this stage, buyers are becoming aware of the problem you solve. They’re trying to understand what they’e dealing with. And they’re gathering as much information […]