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“The Way I See It” – Current. “Getting Out There” – before Aug 2023.

Finding Joy in the Absurd:  A Different Take on Political News

Finding Joy in the Absurd: A Different Take on Political News

This dialog with Marcus came out of my admission that I was spending way too much time watching and reading political news every day (often several hours). On the other hand, I felt that watching the monologs from the evening comics gave me something different…

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Dealing with the Despair  of Yesterday’s Loss

Dealing with the Despair  of Yesterday’s Loss

After the very disappointing (for me) election loss of Kamala Harris and the win of Donald Trump last night, I was feeling some despair. But not being the despairing type, I called on my league of wise counselors, and an ageless stoic, Marcus, appeared to…

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This Quality Sets You in the Right Direction.

This Quality Sets You in the Right Direction.

If you are committed to being an Ordinary Visionary, certain qualities are absolutely necessary. Last week, I wrote about patience as the underlying mindset that will help you stay on track and move forward with calm determination to make a difference. The next, perhaps more…

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Patience – The Greatest Secret of Ordinary Visionaries

Patience – The Greatest Secret of Ordinary Visionaries

What is the great secret of Ordinary Visionaries? Is it purpose, passion, or persistence? Is it knowledge, creativity, or genius? Is it hard work, good luck, or good timing? Well, all of those certainly won’t hurt, but I believe, nothing is more important to an…

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Don’t Talk to Strangers – Not!

Don’t Talk to Strangers – Not!

Yesterday I went to see Dune Part 2. Fantastic movie and better than Part 1. As I was leaving the auditorium, I made a comment to a man who was walking out with me. I said something rather innocuous, “Wow, that was some movie!” And…

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Do You Love to Give Back?

Do You Love to Give Back?

Yesterday evening, my wife and I had dinner with our friends Ann and Peter Young at their home in Ben Lomond. They are both wonderful people who I initially met while walking my dogs in a nearby park during the pandemic. Peter is a contractor,…

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I’m in the Optimism Business

I’m in the Optimism Business

I watch a lot of political news. Too much, perhaps. And a large proportion of it consists of bashing the other side. There’s a lot of anger, blame, and polarization. Both Republicans and Democrats tend to do that, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. And after…

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Steve Gets a New Home

Steve Gets a New Home

This issue is part 3 of a series about my life in Boulder Creek. The first one is here. The second one is here. When you make friends with homeless people, you mainly want to see if you can help somehow. And you soon realize…

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Homeless Thanksgiving at Junction Park

Homeless Thanksgiving at Junction Park

This issue is part 2 of a series. The first one is here: I had been walking my two dogs around the downtown area of Boulder Creek and past Junction Park for a few weeks. Every day, I passed an old, dilapidated Dodge van with…

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My Boulder Creek Story

My Boulder Creek Story

When I moved to Boulder Creek in 2002, I was on a roll with my business. I had published the InfoGuru Manual, and sales were strong. My wife, Saroj, was shipping out manuals every day. Soon after, I started my high-end group programs, and they were…

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Welcome to Spring… and to Spring Cleaning!

Welcome to Spring… and to Spring Cleaning!

Spring cleaning and organizing is a wonderful thing. As you clear your cluttered desk, you clear your cluttered mind. Dumping things you no longer need lightens your step. Organizing online files for easy access streamlines your work. My wife hired a home organizer a couple…

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What do You Like? And Why?

What do You Like? And Why?

We all like certain things.  But have you ever thought about what you really like? There’s a whole lot of things to choose from out there. What are your preferences? Below is a list of things that you may like.  Just read each one and…

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How Robert’s Getting His Groove Back

How Robert’s Getting His Groove Back

Have you ever started an exercise program, then quit, then tried again, and then quit again… Yeah, most of us have. It seems that this is the way most of us do it. I’ve been an on and off exerciser for more than 40 years.…

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Are You an Ordinary Visionary?

Are You an Ordinary Visionary?

An Ordinary Visionary is someone who generates creative ideas and consistently puts them into action and into the world. They recognize possibilities or opportunities that others often overlook, fueled by enthusiasm to take risks and bring their ideas to life. Are you an Ordinary Visionary?…

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of 2023

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of 2023

Well, 2023 has been one of the more interesting years of my life. I really don’t like to dwell on the past, but I thought it might be fun to share some of the highlights and lowlights of 2023 from my personal perspective. The Good…

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The Early Death of All My Machines

The Early Death of All My Machines

A few months before thinking of retirement, I totaled our two cars. I ran my reliable, sporty Mazda 3 into a utility pole. Then I stepped out of my wife’s lovely Prius, and it ran down a hill and slammed into a tree. Was somebody…

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The Magic of Acceptance

The Magic of Acceptance

Serenity comes when you trade expectations for acceptance.  – Gautama Buddha Accepting things the way they are is a very simple concept.  Something happens in your world, and you either accept it or you argue with it. If you accept it, then you are dealing…

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A Thanksgiving Message of Peace

A Thanksgiving Message of Peace

During challenging times, various paths unfold. Things generally trend upward or downward. They tend to sway toward either the light or dark side. The light embodies peace; the dark, conflict. Peace is straightforward. Perhaps overly so? Three actions can foster peace: 1. Engage in civil,…

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When You’re Not Watching the News

When You’re Not Watching the News

With my declaration on Friday that I was NOT going to watch and read as much news, I asked what I could fill that time with. Reading was at the top of my list and I did read quite a bit. I did a lot…

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Can We Sanely Consume the News?

Can We Sanely Consume the News?

The shocking and very sad news in Israel and Gaza this past week had me mainlining news practically 24/7. The net result: I am very informed and also very stressed out. Truthfully, I’ve been a news junkie my whole life. But I have to ask…

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50 Questions That Will Get You Unstuck

50 Questions That Will Get You Unstuck

Ever notice that you talk to yourself in statements that are often negative? Here are a few common ones I’ve heard from clients over the years: I can’t do that. That’s just not for me. I don’t know how. That would take me forever to…

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The Five Wisest Sayings?

The Five Wisest Sayings?

What are the ultimate wisest sayings? Sayings that when fully understood can transform our lives? Good question. Let’s see... Wise sayings, aphorisms, proverbs, adages, or maxims have been around for a very long time. If you do a little research, you’ll learn that there are thousands…

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The Malignant, Not Enough Disease

The Malignant, Not Enough Disease

In working with clients over the years, we often explored core beliefs that held them back. One of the most common (but least recognized) was, “I am not enough.” This belief can lead to a wide range of behaviors that tend to sabotage our efforts. Here…

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The Politics of Harmony

The Politics of Harmony

These days there seems to be more and more friction between the major political divides in our country. This division is characterized by the World Famous ABCs: Accusation, Blame, and Criticism. These days a lot of people seem to be focused on how their side and…

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15 Pithy Marketing Quotations

15 Pithy Marketing Quotations

I love quotations. When I started my business, I compiled a hundred or more quotes about success and read them frequently. I own books of quotations and look up quotations online almost every day. Quotations are condensed wisdom. Read a few wise quotes in the morning,…

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The Zen Master’s Bonsai

The Zen Master’s Bonsai

As you may have noticed, in my leisurely retirement, I am spending way too much time on ChatGPT. :–) Despite this descent into talking to a computer AI, I’m discovering many amazing uses for it, and, of course… I’d like to share one of my favorites.…

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How Do We Find Balance?

How Do We Find Balance?

Last week, I shared a simple idea that emerged from a ChatGPT conversation: “If each individual were to cultivate a consistent practice of empathy – the ability to understand and share the feelings of others – it could potentially bring about a dramatic and transformative change in…

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How to Make Perfect Connections

How to Make Perfect Connections

I recently found a book in my Kindle Library called “How Clients Buy” by Tom McMakin and Doug  Fletcher. I had bought and downloaded the book in 2020 but neglected to get around to reading it. Well, I‘m glad I finally did! One of the…

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Is it Possible to Persuade Ethically?

Is it Possible to Persuade Ethically?

If we want to grow our businesses and attract new clients, we need to learn how to persuade people. But how do we do that ethically, without manipulation? I’ve worked with many clients who have struggled with this issue. Nobody likes to be seen as…

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The Three Keys to Getting More Response

The Three Keys to Getting More Response

I always emphasize to my clients that the most reliable method of determining the effectiveness of a marketing strategy or approach is through one thing and one thing only: RESPONSE. If your strategy generates a positive response, it's working. This principle applies to any marketing…

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The Flip Side of Conflict, Blame & Anger

The Flip Side of Conflict, Blame & Anger

Have you noticed that there seems to be a lot of conflict, blame, and anger going around these days? And those feelings, states of mind, and actions are all working against our productivity, contribution, and thriving as individuals and as communities. This is something I’ve…

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Why Don’t You Have a Newsletter?

Why Don’t You Have a Newsletter?

In speaking to my Getting Out There Group last week, I told them that next month we would be working on creating an email newsletter for their business. As much as I talk about Proactive Marketing – I.e., getting out there, making connections, and having…

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Be an Idea Partner

Be an Idea Partner

In the early days of my business in the late ‘80s (making me a certified dinosaur) I know I had to make new connections with business owners through networking and outreach. It was a matter of survival. So, I read a lot of books on…

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How to Be a Thinking Partner

How to Be a Thinking Partner

I have worked with clients for almost 39 years, and I have always done my best to help them. Sometimes, I have felt like my efforts were not enough, but I have come to realize that I was often wrong about that. It was more…

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The Power of Stillness in Getting Out There

The Power of Stillness in Getting Out There

This weekend I bought an excellent book I wanted to recommend to anyone who is working to get out there as a self-employed professional. It’s called “Stillness is The Key” by Ryan Holiday. Holiday has achieved something very rare: becoming a bestselling author of books…

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The Three Principles of Authentic Persuasion

The Three Principles of Authentic Persuasion

Today, I’m going to write about one of the most important skills any of us can possess as self-employed professionals: The power of Authentic Persuasion. Ultimately, If you can’t persuade, you won’t attract many clients. But first, let’s get very clear: persuasion is not about…

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The Diver and the Diving Coach

The Diver and the Diving Coach

Once upon a time, there was a young woman who wanted to be an Olympic diver more than anything else. She read books and watched videos about Olympic divers as it was the most exciting thing in the world for her. So, she decided to…

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More Ideas for More Meetings

More Ideas for More Meetings

The most important skill in attracting new clients? Getting more meetings and conversations with your existing network of contacts. Remember the 80/20 principle? When it comes to attracting new clients as a self-employed professional, getting meetings is 80% of the equation. Everything else is 20%.…

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The Big Key to Getting More Meetings

The Big Key to Getting More Meetings

How do you get more meetings with prospective clients? This is a topic I’ve written about a lot, but I want to emphasize one key to getting meetings that makes all the difference. Affiliations. Also known as connections, similarities, relationships, etc. In other words, it’s…

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The Pothole Potluck – Ideas, Input & Insights

The Pothole Potluck – Ideas, Input & Insights

Are you getting tired of consuming media information? You know, email, articles, videos, social media, TV, streaming, news, podcasts, advertising… endlessly. All of this stuff is coming to us point blank every minute of every day. We all sit at our computers for hours on…

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Take Small, Scary, but Low-Risk Steps

Take Small, Scary, but Low-Risk Steps

OK, let’s say you know exactly what you want in your business. For instance, to attract a certain number of clients and make a certain amount of money. Well, what is the fastest, simplest way to get from where you are to where you want…

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Crossing the Prospecting Chasm

Crossing the Prospecting Chasm

When I work with clients, we go through four main stages. 1. Clarification of their marketing message. 2. Development of their written materials about their services. 3. Prospecting to get meetings with connections and prospects. 4. Engaging in the selling process. Stage 1 & 2…

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The Source of All Marketing Challenges

The Source of All Marketing Challenges

Last week, in my new Open Sessions Program, I asked the following question: “What is your biggest challenge in attracting new clients? (and what is the Source of that challenge?)” Well, it’s easy to come up with a challenge; it’s anything that you are trying…

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Practice – The Master Key to Persuasion

Practice – The Master Key to Persuasion

Article #7 of the 12 Ps Series. Read #6 on “Your Step-by-Step Marketing Plan.” One of my favorite metaphors for successful marketing is putting on a play, let’s say Hamlet. OK, you land the part of Hamlet. Congratulations. So, what do you do next? You…

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Your Step-by-Step Marketing Action Plan

Your Step-by-Step Marketing Action Plan

Article #6 of the 12 Ps Series. Read #5 on “Preparation – Another word for Learning.” Since the words “Action and Plan” are in my business name, I obviously think planning is important! Planning is defined as, “the process of making or carrying out plans.”…

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How to Banish the Fear of  Marketing and Selling

How to Banish the Fear of Marketing and Selling

One of the marketing practices I strongly encourage my clients to implement is to reach out to people, make connections, get meetings, and have conversations.  If you can learn how to do that, you can attract as many clients as you need to your business.…

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Preparation – Another Word for Learning

Preparation – Another Word for Learning

Article #5 of the 12 Ps Series. Read #4 on How Aware Presence Can Transform Your Life. “Good luck is when opportunity meets preparation, while bad luck is when lack of preparation meets reality.” – Eliyahu Goldratt It’s tough finding profound things to say about…

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What Are Your Three Client Issues?

What Are Your Three Client Issues?

When you first meet with a new prospective client, what do you say? Some talk all about their services and their unique process. Others talk about their outcomes and results. But my colleague, Mark Thompson, always first talks about his prospective clients' “three key issues.”…

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How Aware Presence Can Transform Your Life

How Aware Presence Can Transform Your Life

Article #4 of the 12 P’s Series. Read #3 on Picturing  What You Want. Living in the moment, at its essence, could be expressed as "Aware Presence, Here, and Now."  In my opinion, it’s the most important trait to develop for Success and Fulfillment. But…

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Picturing What You Really Want

Picturing What You Really Want

Article #3 of the 12 Ps Series. Read #2 here. This weekend I watched the amazing movie, Everything Everywhere, All at Once. Three times! (It’s now on Amazon.) Yeah, I can be obsessive about some things! The movie was a perfect illustration of my topic…

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Articulate Your Purpose – And Keep it Simple

Articulate Your Purpose – And Keep it Simple

Article #2 of the 12 Ps Series. Read #1 here. When you know what you want, you know your purpose. Last week I wrote about passion. And when you are clear about your passion, your purpose isn’t far behind. In last week’s Star Trek episode…

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What are Your Greatest Passions?

What are Your Greatest Passions?

What are you really passionate about? I mean excited about, turned on by, fascinated with? Do you know? A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the 10 Ps of Success and Fulfillment (now expanded to 12 Ps) and in presenting this model to my…

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Marketing, Selling, and Loving Your Clients

Marketing, Selling, and Loving Your Clients

Do you love your clients? I mean do you really like, appreciate, and cherish them? I do, and not just because they pay me and are the source of my livelihood. I love them because I really get to know them. In our work together…

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The 6Ps of Getting Out There

The 6Ps of Getting Out There

On Friday, I watched a great new movie on Netflix: Hustle, featuring Adam Sandler. Not the goofy-type Adam Sandler movie, but an inspirational (and funny) masterpiece about getting out there and making it happen in the world of basketball. I highly recommend it! This wonderful…

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Getting Out There!

Getting Out There!

This little weekly newsletter is 25 years old this summer, and I’m making a few changes. First the name. The first name of the newsletter was The Marketing Flash. That lasted a couple of years and then I thought it was a little too generic.…

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Get More Done. In Less Time.

Get More Done. In Less Time.

Many people write very long to-do lists every day. And they pride themselves on checking off a whole lot of items. And this makes them feel productive. Maybe you? I used to do exactly that for many years and then one day realized I spent…

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Want to Play the No-Blame Game?

Want to Play the No-Blame Game?

Have you noticed that there’s a whole lot of blame going around these days? People blaming other people, blaming companies, blaming politicians, blaming celebrities, blaming strangers, blaming anything and everything. Well, I have a little personal project called the No-Blame Game. Its aim is simple.…

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The Know-Like-Trust Factor

The Know-Like-Trust Factor

You’ve probably heard about the need to build what’s called the “Know-Like-Trust Factor” if you want to attract great clients. But how, exactly, do you do that? Well, first of all, marketing professional services is very different than marketing most other products and services for…

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Reading is Steroids for the Brain

Reading is Steroids for the Brain

Today, I’m posting a guest article by Matt Furey who sends out one of my favorite email newsletters. He’s the owner of Psycho-Cybernetics.com. All of his articles are thought-provoking and motivating. This one on reading I found particularly interesting. You can subscribe to Matt’s newsletter…

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Stop Selling and Start Listening

Stop Selling and Start Listening

Whenever you read about selling these days, it’s all about messaging, story-telling, and pitching. Thing is, those are wicked tough skills to learn. They take a lot of work and time. They take a ton of preparation and practice. They take a boatload of hard…

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How Old Are You Really?

How Old Are You Really?

This New Rules video from Bill Maher was not only funny, but it was also very wise. Ageism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice in America I’ll give you the link after you read this: Why this rang such a bell with me is that most of…

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The Strategy Session Process (and closing the deal)

The Strategy Session Process (and closing the deal)

In last week’s newsletter, I talked about what needed to be in place before you conducted a successful Strategy Session (or selling conversation). Today, I’ll give you an overview of the Strategy Session Itself which leads to landing a new client. When I do a…

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Beyond the Icky Selling Process

Beyond the Icky Selling Process

I spoke to someone on the phone last week who told me he never sold. But yet he was quite good at getting new clients, so how is that possible? Well, it’s because selling has some terrible baggage attached to it. We think of it…

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Facing the Terror of Reaching Out

Facing the Terror of Reaching Out

It’s fascinating how many people love horror movies. It’s never been my favorite movie genre, but I can see the appeal. These movies trigger strong emotions – but you are ultimately not going to be harmed. If you gave people the choice between watching a…

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Random or Intentional Connections?

Random or Intentional Connections?

While I was preparing the video for “Lots and Lots of Meetings” I remembered a conversation I had with a colleague years ago. I came across Andrea Nierenberg, a business relationship expert, in a newsletter where we had both published an article. So, on a…

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Introduce Yourself (to people you don’t yet know… gasp!)

Introduce Yourself (to people you don’t yet know… gasp!)

Let’s say you belong to a chamber of commerce or a professional organization and you believe some of the members may be good prospective clients. You’ve been to some gatherings (or these days, virtual zoom meetings) but you really don’t know any of the members…

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How to Get More Meetings – Pt 2

How to Get More Meetings – Pt 2

Two weeks ago I wrote about how to get more meetings with past clients. Link here. Today, I want to share my favorite strategy and most effective approach to get more meetings with another kind of prospective client. Remember, first of all, that the key…

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Reach Out and Touch Someone

Reach Out and Touch Someone

For many of the clients I’ve worked with over the years, the most dreaded activity is reaching out to someone to speak with. The horrors of cold-calling loom large and it literally terrifies people to reach out and connect with someone. I’m not an advocate…

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Why We Struggle with Marketing

Why We Struggle with Marketing

There are two things that make us struggle with marketing. One is relatively easy to solve and the other is more difficult. The first thing is all the strategies and skills needed to market ourselves effectively. You know, writing good materials, getting in front of…

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When You Run Out of Ideas

When You Run Out of Ideas

There comes a time in everyone’s business when they run out of ideas. You are working on a problem and have tried a number of things but none of them work and no new ideas are coming. Since this has happened to me a million…

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I.S.C.G.I. Selling

I.S.C.G.I. Selling

A large percentage of self-employed professionals don’t like selling. But what about it don’t they like? – They don’t like to be seen as a manipulator. – They don’t like to try so hard to convince someone of something. – They don’t like the idea…

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The Marketing-Selling Sequence

The Marketing-Selling Sequence

A lot of marketing is like throwing a bunch of balls in the air and hoping they land exactly where you want. Your balls may include: Your marketing message, email promotions, online services information, qualifying phone calls, social media, online articles, a marketing presentation, and…

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5 Great Marketing Ideas

5 Great Marketing Ideas

Every week for 25 years I've written this newsletter, The Fearless Marketer (used to be More Clients). I write about 50 articles a Year. But in the past few months, I’ve written what I think are some of my most practical, hands-on articles. Look, ultimately,…

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The Amazing Process, Purpose, and Outcome Document

The Amazing Process, Purpose, and Outcome Document

About 30 years ago I worked with a client – an executive recruiter – who was having trouble closing new clients. The problem seemed to be that her service was very much the same as other executive recruiters and she couldn’t differentiate herself from everyone…

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The Magic of Warm Outreach

The Magic of Warm Outreach

Gauging from last week’s article on Color-Coded Persuasion, I was reminded once again that the topic of communication and persuasion is central to attracting new clients. My definition of marketing for self-employed professionals is simple: “Clearly communicating the value of your services.” But that’s really…

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Color-Coded Persuasion

Color-Coded Persuasion

Persuasion is a language art. That is, words and ideas are what persuade, more than anything else. The problem is, we communicate without noticing if we are expressing features or benefits in our messages. Features are what WE DO. Benefits are what THEY GET. Typically,…

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The Success/Failure Fairy Tale

The Success/Failure Fairy Tale

We all want to succeed and nobody wants to fail. Most of us can agree on that, right? But there are some really big problems with our ideas of both success and failure. And if you don’t get straight on them, you’ll continue to struggle…

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The Way of Marketing Moderation

The Way of Marketing Moderation

On a phone call with my youngest sister Sandy yesterday, we talked about her knee problems. Three of my sisters, between them, have had five knee surgeries. All three sisters did a lot of exercising in their lives – sports, running, walking, skiing. And that’s…

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How to Get Client Testimonials

How to Get Client Testimonials

Does is make sense to ask for client testimonials? And if so, how exactly do you do it? Well, yes, client testimonials are a good thing. Here are some ways to think about testimonials and a number of ways to get them. What other people…

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Join the “Make a Difference Economy”

Join the “Make a Difference Economy”

I have been thinking of ideas my whole life about how to make the world a better place. Naive of me, right? But I can and do have an impact in my business. And the way I approach and conduct my business is the only…

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How to Write About Your Services

How to Write About Your Services

When it comes to writing about your professional services, there’s a good chance you don’t know what exactly to write about and how to structure your writing. Essentially, what you write should answer 10 key questions a prospective client has about how you can help…

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You Are a Natural-Born Salesperson (Really ?!)

You Are a Natural-Born Salesperson (Really ?!)

Many people think of selling as a talent you were born with. Is there any truth to that? Well, yes. In fact, everyone was born with the talent to sell from day one. You were born to ask for what you want, even if those…

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How to Stop Procrastinating

How to Stop Procrastinating

We all procrastinate. And in many cases, it’s not a big thing – finally, we get around to doing what we were putting off. You know, things like tidying up your office, replying to your emails, or giving your dog a bath! But do you…

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Dealing with Marketing Struggles

Dealing with Marketing Struggles

What is the biggest struggle you have with marketing your professional services? Is it your marketing message, creating your services/programs, clearly communicating your value, getting in front of prospective clients, the selling process, or something else? We all have different challenges, but I believe that…

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What’s Your Most Valuable Commodity?

What’s Your Most Valuable Commodity?

As a self-employed professional, what is the most valuable commodity that your clients pay you for? Is it your experience, your ideas, your insights, your expertise, or your time? Well, yes, but those are actually the building blocks of your most valuable commodity. Conversations. Your…

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What’s your Favorite “P” Word?

What’s your Favorite “P” Word?

You may have seen this famous quote at some point in your life: “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education…

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Refining Your Marketing Message

Refining Your Marketing Message

Your marketing message is one of the most important tools in your marketing toolkit. But in my experience of working with clients on their messages for years, most self-employed professionals don’t have effective messages. What is an effective message? One that generates interest and response.…

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Three Questions = New Clients

Three Questions = New Clients

I have a question for you. Do you imagine that if you do good, effective marketing, that prospective clients will call you ready to do business with you? Well, that has never been my experience. Marketing for self-employed professionals is quite different from the marketing…

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What Do You Really, Truly Want?

What Do You Really, Truly Want?

Well, you could want a lot of things in your life, right? But, in your business, don’t you ultimately want to make a difference with the people you work with? And to make a difference you need to take action, right? Actions in working with…

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Fearless Marketing Mastermind

Fearless Marketing Mastermind

I've been tweaking my new free/low-cost monthly program to make it simpler and more valuable.  Here’s my update on the Fearless Marketing Mastermind: First of all, who is this for? Self-employed professionals offering consulting, coaching, or training services and programs (or a combination of these). What…

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Networking with Dogs and People

Networking with Dogs and People

Every day I take my dogs to a local park near my home. And tomorrow I’m going to my first live networking event since before the pandemic. What do these things have in common and what does it have to do with attracting new clients?…

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Mining for New Clients

Mining for New Clients

Why is it so hard to find the right prospective clients? Well, it really depends on how you look at it. If you think, “The only people worth meeting with are perfect prospects who can spend $X with me on this kind of project, and…

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Ready, Fire Aim (?)

Ready, Fire Aim (?)

The term, “Ready, Aim, Fire” comes from the military, going way, way back. And then it gained popular usage in business and marketing. Ready: Get your marketing campaign in order. Aim: Clearly choose your target audience. Fire: Launch your campaign. OK, this makes sense, right?…

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Proactive Experience Marketing

Proactive Experience Marketing

Recently, when I took a close look at the marketing that has worked best for me over the past 35 years, two things popped out. First, my approach was always Proactive. That is, I reached out in some way to my prospective clients. Second, was…

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The Key to Effortless Marketing

The Key to Effortless Marketing

My favorite definition of effortless is “achieved with admirable ease.” And wouldn’t it be cool if all your marketing could be (relatively) effortless? What would that look like? Is it even possible? And is this just more marketing hype? Well, let’s explore… Effort is defined…

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Goal Setting Frustration

Goal Setting Frustration

This morning, as I was preparing to write my newsletter article, I got my weekly copy of Matt Furey’s newsletter and I thought, “I can’t do much better than this today!” So, I decided to send it out to you. Enjoy. These are very powerful…

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Take the Red Pill

Take the Red Pill

This past week I discovered that I was living inside the Matrix. Well, not the computer-generated Matrix from the famous movie, but inside a particular Mind-Made-Matrix (MMM) that was shaping my perceptions, feelings, and actions. Living inside this MMM dragged me down, made me feel…

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Take a HOLIDAY from Your Thoughts

Take a HOLIDAY from Your Thoughts

Did you ever notice that you tend to avoid or struggle with certain marketing activities? Two big ones that come to mind are developing marketing materials of any kind and getting meetings with prospective clients. If you could move forward more easily with both of…

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Did You Thrive the Pandemic?

Did You Thrive the Pandemic?

I know you survived the pandemic this past year. You wouldn’t be reading this if you hadn’t. But did you thrive? But now, as we are slowly but surely coming out of the pandemic, I started an inventory of all the ways I thrived during…

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The Myth of Perfect Marketing Materials

The Myth of Perfect Marketing Materials

Someone in my current Marketing Action Group shared this: “I believe that bringing all my marketing into alignment is critical at this point. Would this be correct?” Marketing alignment would be having a marketing message, marketing materials, website, presentation, etc. all aligned and communicating a…

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What Do You Actually Do?

What Do You Actually Do?

This little question seems to have puzzled self-employed professionals since the beginning of time. Somebody asks you what you do and you make the terrible mistake of actually telling them. Like this: “What do I do? So glad you asked! I have this special methodology…

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Getting in Front of Prospective Clients

Getting in Front of Prospective Clients

Last week, I sent an email asking what your biggest issue was in attracting more of your ideal, high-end clients. I wasn’t surprised to see that the issue mentioned most often was “Getting in front of qualified prospective clients.” It’s true, if you could do…

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Why You Need Proactive Marketing

Why You Need Proactive Marketing

I don’t think I’ve seen a tougher environment for attracting new clients than in the past year. The pandemic has definitely made things harder. Companies are tightening their belts, and clients are in a reactive, not creative mindset. Even in my business, it’s been slower…

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Intentions, Not Goals or To-Dos

Intentions, Not Goals or To-Dos

Do you have goals for your business and your marketing? Do you have a list of to-do items aligned with those goals? If so, great, but today I’d like you to think about intentions. An intention is defined as “an aim or a plan.” And…

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Fishing, Marketing, Thoughts, & Action

Fishing, Marketing, Thoughts, & Action

I woke up last night thinking about the following question. (look, let me know if this makes sense to you OK?) “Who would I be if I couldn’t believe the thought(s) that stop me from reaching out in my marketing?” So, here’s one way to…

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Who Are You, Anyway?

Who Are You, Anyway?

It's my 69th birthday today (March 9). And I’ve been thinking about what to write for a few hours. The topic of security and insecurity came up. Last week in my Marketing Action Group we were talking about how insecure most people feel about reaching…

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The Four Keys to Creative Action

The Four Keys to Creative Action

It's easy for our marketing to get stuck in a rut. We don't know why people aren't responding, let alone buying. Look, the pandemic, the economy, right-wing insurrectionists, vaccines, and God knows what else, has made marketing a little harder right now. We are all…

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The Action Plan Marketing Model

The Action Plan Marketing Model

When we think about marketing our professional services, we usually think about all the things we need to DO to get clients. But that is usually very limited because marketing has numerous components and also processes. Plus, marketing has outer and inner aspects. To be…

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Share Results, Not Processes or Labels

Share Results, Not Processes or Labels

I had a dream last night where I was working out the core marketing message or “ultimate outcome” of a product of some kind. As I woke up, I pulled out my iPad and wrote down the five “ultimate outcomes” of working with my clients:…

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How to Give Sample Experiences

How to Give Sample Experiences

When I was intensively studying marketing in the “early days” of Action Plan Marketing, I read Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins. Perhaps the best marketing book ever written, published in 1923. Hopkins was the father of modern advertising and his clients included Goodyear Tires, Pepsodent…

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Are You Feeling Worthless?

Are You Feeling Worthless?

Nothing will kill your forward movement in life and in business more than a feeling of worthlessness. You know the feeling… You just don’t feel that what you are offering is worthy, good enough, or valuable. And when that happens you just close down. You…

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Don’t Just Tell. Show. Like this…

Don’t Just Tell. Show. Like this…

Marketing is very simple. At its essence, marketing is communicating the value of whatever it is you’re offering. When people who need what you’re offering truly get what your value is, some of them engage you and work with you. And pay you! Is there…

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Why You Need an Email Newsletter

Why You Need an Email Newsletter

I’ve been publishing an email newsletter each Tuesday for almost 24 years. Has it worked out for me? Well, let me count the ways… First of all, virtually ALL of my clients were first subscribers to my email newsletter. Second, writing this newsletter every week…

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Winning is Not Everything!

Winning is Not Everything!

A famous sports quote is “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the ONLY thing.” I’m rather ashamed to say that I’ve shared this quote many times. But this quote is not only wrong, it is malignant. In so many ways, winning has become the most important value…

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How Will You Live Your Life?

How Will You Live Your Life?

In the new Disney movie, Soul, the hero, Joe, has just achieved his dream, playing in Dorothea Williams’ jazz band, and he says, “I’ve been waiting on this day my entire life… I just thought it would feel different.” And Dorothea replies: I heard this…

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I Appreciate You!

I Appreciate You!

Yeah, 2020, has been a really tough year. But you hung in there with all the challenges. And I want to congratulate you and appreciate you for all you’ve done. You’ve… - stayed cocooned in your home office for the past 9 months, - moved…

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My Favorite Email Newsletter

My Favorite Email Newsletter

Look, I get a whole lot of email newsletters, but one stands head and shoulders above the rest… and it’s unlike any other. It’s by my friend and client, Jerry Wistrom, and it’s called “Words of Wistrom.” It about old-school business and enduring values. It’s…

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A “Thing” That Really Works

A “Thing” That Really Works

This year I realized that a "marketing thing" I’ve always been good at was not something I was actually teaching to my clients. Perhaps I took it for granted and just recommended that they do this particular thing, without giving them much guidance or direction.…

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Ending Your Struggle With Marketing

Ending Your Struggle With Marketing

Why I’m writing my newsletter as poetry, I have no idea. (See last week's here) But this idea popped into my head when I woke up this morning and I went with it! It points to something that’s both obvious and easy to miss. My clients…

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Do You Want Success or Happiness?

Do You Want Success or Happiness?

We all want success and happiness. And our culture encourages us to search for both. Well, what if it was easier than that? What if you didn't need to seek for either? These are some thoughts that just came to me last week and I…

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How Are You Staying Sane Right Now?

How Are You Staying Sane Right Now?

The combination of the presidential transition and the growing coronavirus pandemic is throwing life as we know it into confusion and uncertainty. I’m doing my best to stay sane, but it’s not easy. I am… …actively working with two group marketing programs right now, …watching…

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Trump: The End of an Era

Trump: The End of an Era

Well, it's over. And in celebration, I'm featuring the videos of the comedians who have kept me sane and laughing over the past four years. Stephen Colbert Trevor Noah Seth Meyers Jimmy Fallon Jimmy Kimmel James Cordon Bill Maher John Oliver Samantha Bee Dave Chapelle Saturday…

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Are you a Loser, Struggler, Con Artist, or Winner?

Are you a Loser, Struggler, Con Artist, or Winner?

When it comes to persuading a prospective client to buy your services, it ultimately comes down to two big things. Honesty – That is, does your service actually deliver the results you say it does? And… Persuasiveness – Are you able to convince your prospective…

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Decoding the Marketing Puzzle

Decoding the Marketing Puzzle

Everyone has done a jigsaw puzzle. And you know it takes a lot of time to put all the pieces together. It can take hours and hours. But what if each piece was numbered on the back and the numbers went from left to right,…

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13 Things a Prospect Must Know About Your Service Before They Buy

13 Things a Prospect Must Know About Your Service Before They Buy

Let’s say you have a professional service that is very powerful; it really delivers the results your clients are looking for. And you have a prospective client who desperately needs those results but they can’t seem to get those results on their own. That’s a…

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Come With Me if You Want to Live!

Come With Me if You Want to Live!

This line by the Terminator, as played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is the best sales pitch of all time. Why? Well, let’s look at it! He’s making a request for something very important to the person he’s saying it to. That person, Sarah Connor (played by…

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Make Your Life and Marketing Simple

Make Your Life and Marketing Simple

Simpler is better. And if you can make your life and your marketing simpler, you’ll be happier and more successful. But how do you do that? It starts with the realization that everything in life can be reduced to the most important things. And those…

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My Newsletter Returns to Weekly Edition

My Newsletter Returns to Weekly Edition

Well, after the experiment of sending out my eZine daily for the past month, I’ve decided to go back to the tried and true weekly edition on Tuesdays. Why? Well, it sure seemed like a good idea and I really enjoyed writing it, but it…

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Boulder Creek Fire Evacuation Update

Boulder Creek Fire Evacuation Update

Below are all the email messages I sent to my list starting Tuesday, August, 18 when fire hit Boulder Creek, our home in the Santa Cuz Mountains. I wrote a letter every day, mostly to preserve my sanity! Monday, August 24. Fire still burning but…

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You’ve Got Some ‘Splainin’ To Do!

You’ve Got Some ‘Splainin’ To Do!

Like Lucy Riccardo (Lucile Ball), you’ve got a lot of ‘splainin’ to do. About your business. ‘Splainin’ is another way of saying, “Making a case for why someone should buy your services.” And until you get better at this, why should your clients buy your…

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Webinars: Your Best Promotional Tool

Webinars: Your Best Promotional Tool

Last year, my wife and I sat in the office of a Functional Doctor* to discuss my wife’s many health concerns. About an hour later, we left after handing over a $6,000 check for six months of services. Why on earth did we do that?…

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Seven Secrets to My Marketing Genius

Seven Secrets to My Marketing Genius

I recently sent an email to those in my current Marketing Action Group Program sharing about my, ahem, “Marketing Genius.” I seem to have a knack for attracting new clients, filling my programs, and keeping my head above water in good times or bad. In…

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The Magic of Your Best Idea

The Magic of Your Best Idea

What is your BEST IDEA? Not just a good idea, a brilliant idea, or an idea that works. No, Your BEST IDEA. Look, everyone has one. We can have dozens of brilliant ones and a ton of good ones. But you can only have one…

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Is it Time to Sell Yet?

Is it Time to Sell Yet?

During the pandemic, selling has been tricky. We don’t want to be seen as being self-serving, wanting to close a deal (with the client’s needs being secondary). That makes sense, but why not sell with the client’s needs being primary? After all, you are in…

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OK, Now What?

OK, Now What?

“How can I attract clients right now? Why are things so hard? I seem to have run out of ideas. Why can’t I create some momentum?” If you’ve been thinking thoughts like this recently, you’re not alone. When I think of the enormity of what…

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Three Ideas for Marketing Outrageously

Three Ideas for Marketing Outrageously

According to Jon Spoelstra, in his book, Marketing Outrageously, businesses need to embrace the concepts and practices of Marketing Outrageously. He should know. He practiced this as the general manager of several sports teams such as the Portland Trailblazers and the New Jersey Nets. He helped…

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What Exactly is Fearless Marketing?

What Exactly is Fearless Marketing?

I got so many responses from last week’s article about marketing mindsets, that I wanted to go a little deeper into the topic. My first main point was that marketing is difficult for many of us, because of our neurotic fixation on our fears, doubts…

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Can I Get Your Valuable Input?

Can I Get Your Valuable Input?

Instead of just reading today’s Fearless Marketer, I’d like to ask for some input from you. And I’ll make it fast and simple. Can you please respond to this blog post by telling me what you are looking for these days when it comes to…

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Going Radically Virtual

Going Radically Virtual

Wondering how your business can survive and thrive during the Coronavirus pandemic? The solution: Take your business Radically Virtual. In this article, I’ll talk about how, as a self-employed professional, you can stay put in your home office, work with existing clients and attract new…

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One Big Key to Attracting More Clients

One Big Key to Attracting More Clients

Every week in my group program I coach the participants on one or more of the 8 Marketing Keys to Attracting More Clients. This coming Thursday, I’ll be presenting a webinar with a scintillating outline of these 8 Keys. Reserve your space here. But hey,…

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How to Have a Marketing Breakthrough

How to Have a Marketing Breakthrough

My wife and I have been watching a wonderful show on Netflix called Chef’s Table. Each episode is an intimate peek into the life and work of one remarkable chef. The very first episode about brilliant Italian Chef, Massimo Bottura, and his restaurant Osteria Francescana…

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How to Change a Bad Thinking Habit

How to Change a Bad Thinking Habit

For the past several weeks I’ve been writing about and teaching how to get more meetings with prospective clients and those who can connect you with prospective clients. How to Get 100 Meetings More Meetings = More Clients Apparently it’s a hot topic. More than…

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The Incomparable Expert – Interview With Jason Leister

The Incomparable Expert – Interview With Jason Leister

Introducing a new monthly interview series with leading edge-business professionals. This has been in the works for some time. It’s based on the premise that ultimately engaging in business and marketing is about BEING who you are. I’ve spent the majority of my weekly writings…

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A Humane Approach to Marketing

A Humane Approach to Marketing

Last week I did a “webinar demo session” on how to send very simple emails to get meetings with prospective clients and those who can lead you to prospective clients. You can get a copy of the session here. And then the feedback started to…

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What to Say Once You Get a Meeting

What to Say Once You Get a Meeting

I’ve been writing a lot about the importance of setting up meetings with prospective clients and those who can lead you to prospective clients. How to Get 100 Meetings More Meetings = More Clients But what do you actually say in such a meeting that…

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How to Get 100 Meetings

How to Get 100 Meetings

When we think of marketing our professional services, we often think about all the things we need to do to be visible and get known. “I need to have an online presence, post regularly on social media, write articles for LinkedIn, join organizations, and network…

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The Amazing Fable of Bubble City

The Amazing Fable of Bubble City

There once was a magnificent city named Bubble City. It was a wonderful place. Everybody knew everyone else. And all its inhabitants felt familiar and safe. It was a bustling city full of life, energy, and businesses that met their every need. And was called…

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How to Deal With Marketing Resistance

How to Deal With Marketing Resistance

What’s something you want in your business right now? It could be a number of things: You want to make more money, you want to attract more clients, you want to improve your website, you want to get your LinkedIn marketing on track, you want…

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How to Increase Engagement on LI

How to Increase Engagement on LI

Last week I talked about having “Human Conversations” on LinkedIn. You know, simple, conversational, authentic. Like you’d talk to someone you met at a party: “Hi, what do you do?” “I’m a consultant in the field of intuitive leadership.” “Wow, that sounds exciting. How long…

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Have Human Conversations on LI

Have Human Conversations on LI

Last week I shared some ideas about connecting on LinkedIn. Today I want to share in more depth about having "human conversations" through LinkedIn Messenger (as opposed to robotic conversations). The first thing to realize is that very few people are actually having human conversations…

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How to Connect on LinkedIn

How to Connect on LinkedIn

As wonderful as LinkedIn can be to find and connect with your ideal prospects, most of us have no idea how to actually turn them into paying clients. This is the first of a few articles on how to do that. This is based on…

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Power Outages and Mindsets

Power Outages and Mindsets

Here I am sitting in my 54-degree frigid office, typing with numb fingers.  The power has been out since Saturday evening and we're not sure when it will be restored. But thanks to my trusty new WEN generator (above), I have power to my computer,…

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What Are You Really Selling?

What Are You Really Selling?

If you’re a self-employed professional, you know what you’re selling, right? Management development programs, executive coaching services, communication skills training, financial planning, etc. Right? No, wrong. Those are your services, but that is not what you are selling and not what your clients are buying.…

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Mastery of Marketing Campaigns

Mastery of Marketing Campaigns

The majority of clients who have come to me over the years want to know how to get more clients faster. And they’re often looking for a “silver bullet” that will draw new clients to them magically. The closest thing I know to a silver…

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The Secret to Winning the Marketing Game

The Secret to Winning the Marketing Game

Marketing is a game. And the whole point of a game is to make something more important than something else. What we make important in the marketing game is attracting great clients, earning good money, and making a difference. There are two important secrets to…

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Imagination is Actually Magic. Seriously.

Imagination is Actually Magic. Seriously.

What would be real magic? Making something instantly appear out of nowhere. Or disappear. And we know, according to proven scientific principles, we cannot transcend the physical laws of the universe. We can’t turn the moon into the sun with a wave of a wand…

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Stories You Tell Yourself About Marketing

Stories You Tell Yourself About Marketing

Why does marketing often feel like a struggle, a challenging and not very fun to do? I want to suggest that it’s mostly because of the stories you tell yourself about marketing. If you haven’t noticed, you are always telling yourself stories. And the first…

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Navigating the Rapids of Your Mind

Navigating the Rapids of Your Mind

Imagine you’re in a kayak paddling down a river. It’s a beautiful day and you’re feeling great. But then, up ahead, you see a fork in the river. To the right, the river is flowing smoothly; to the left, you see rapids and rocks. So,…

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How to Make Your Marketing More Proactive

How to Make Your Marketing More Proactive

Several years ago, I was meeting a participant in one of my group programs. We were discussing his speaking plan. “Jeff, I’m glad to hear that you’re getting speaking engagements and that people are enjoying your talks. But what are you doing with the cards…

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How to Market Without “Bad Manipulation”

How to Market Without “Bad Manipulation”

This past week, someone sent me this question: “Would you take some time to answer how good marketing is not emotional manipulation/controlling?” Great question. When you really think of it, marketing is simply a process of getting people to respond to you favorably. You have something…

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20 Ways to Make Your Marketing More Likable

20 Ways to Make Your Marketing More Likable

Quick, what do people respond favorably to? Simple, everyone responds favorably to stuff they like. And conversely, people respond unfavorably to stuff they don’t like. And that, dear reader, is the complete story of human psychology in a nutshell! Just think of all the marketing…

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A Marketing Plan for an Ex Nun

A Marketing Plan for an Ex Nun

One of my most rewarding clients was a nun. Patty Grasher was a nun who lived in a convent for 28 years. And I was rather surprised when she signed up for one of my programs about 15 years ago. She blew away my pictures…

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A Little Story about Ice Fishing

A Little Story about Ice Fishing

I want you to introduce you to an Eskimo boy named Tulok from Inukjuak, Canada. Although born in the Arctic, he didn’t spend a lot of time living there. Because of his high intelligence as a child, he was lucky enough to get a scholarship…

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