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The Way I See It Articles Index

A collection of articles about living life sanely in the 21st Century
as a Self-Employed Professional

I’ve been writing articles for my business for more than 30 years, and 25 years for this blog. Impressed? Gee, I hope so, or this has all been a colossal waste of time!  There are 100+ articles on this current site and the others are lost to time and space. But if you’re a glutton for reading, you’ll find 5 1/2 years worth more on my Old Typepad Blog (2006-2011)

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…

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.…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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!…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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,…

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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:…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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,…

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…

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…

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 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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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……

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.…

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,…

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…

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…

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!…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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

When we think of marketing our professional services, we often think about all the things we need to do to be visible and get…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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?…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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