Reading Time: 2 minA few weeks ago, at the encouragement of a friend, I joined a Zoom session with a bunch of marketing folks that meet every month. Previous topics have looked interesting, but my calendar didn’t allow me to attend until this one. The subject this month? “How to improve your cold email outreach.” It was as […]
Trust
We suggest this one
Reading Time: 2 minAlmost every transaction that you make comes with some kind of push for an upsell. The question is, are they trying to upsell you just to make more money, or are they honestly trying to help you get more out of your purchase? It undoubtedly varies from company to company, but I see three things. […]
Early weaknesses lead to great trust
Reading Time: < 1 minWhen you’re showcasing a product or a service to a potential client, sharing the weaknesses of your product early can be a great way to gain more trust. From Robert Cialdini’s book “Pre-Suasion“: Rather than succumbing to the tendency to describe all of the most favorable features of an offer or idea up front and […]
Marketing isn’t magic
Reading Time: 2 minI was talking to a friend a few weeks ago that was working with a new company. That company had been outsourcing their SEO (Search Engine Optimization) work to another firm for a few thousand dollars a month, but it was unclear exactly what that other firm was doing. When asked for details on what […]
Do your own research?
Reading Time: 2 minThe phrase “do your own research” has exploded in popularity in recent years, as you’ve likely noticed. Here is a chart showing the popularity of the phrase on Google over the last 15 years: At first glance it’s seemingly a good thing, and ultimately it can be. However, there are a few major problems with […]
Information asymmetry no longer exists
Reading Time: < 1 minOver the last 20 years, most jobs based on being a gatekeeper have disappeared, as shared a few days ago in Tell Your Story Yourself. Access to information is similar – if you try to hide information because you think you can, you’re only lowering the degree to which you’ll be seen as an expert. […]
Marketing is not interrupting people
Reading Time: < 1 minMarketing is about building and promoting a brand that attracts people to what you do. It’s everything your company does and how the world views you. Advertising is about interrupting people at expected times. Running TV commercials or Facebook ads are great ways to spend some money to interrupt people when they are expecting it. […]
Visceral responses matter
Reading Time: 2 minGenerally speaking, I’m not a fan of AI. There are some great things coming from it, but I generally prefer the old way of doing things, and wish that all creativity came directly from human minds. However, it’s not something I can control so I’m digging in deeply to understand AI as well as I […]
Yes, that’s spam
Reading Time: 2 minAs time goes on, my definition of spam has gotten larger and larger. If you’re thinking about sending something and wonder “would this be considered spam?”, yes, it probably would be. My definition of spam has grown to simply include any cold contact. A cold email, a cold LinkedIn message, a cold phone call — […]
Respect includes clear criticism
Reading Time: < 1 minI mentioned a few weeks ago that feedback such as “make it darker” isn’t helpful or acceptable, but it can go a bit further than that. On a recent episode of Brian Koppelman’s “The Moment” podcast, he had Seth Godin on as a guest. Seth takes feedback very seriously, and takes the thoughts from “helpful […]