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…
Being an Ordinary Visionary in Challenging Times
Dear Reader: This is a conversation between me and my alter ego, Marcus. Marcus embodies all wisdom and has a knack for waking us…
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.…
Vision, Words, and Actions for a Cause
With more than 50 Ordinary Visionary interviews conducted over the past seven months, I’ve learned a few very powerful things: – Visions propel creative…
The only Quality that can Conquer Fear
As Ordinary Visionaries, we often underestimate the difficulties and challenges we will face when we embark on our journey. At first, our vision may…
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…
Opinions and Judgments
Many things in life are hard. Work is hard. Marriage is hard. Aging is hard. But none of these is as hard as not…
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…
Developing the Art of Patience
Today's article is one in a series of many. These articles will be my take on expansive qualities we want to experience and express…
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…
Unleashing My Inner Geek
Last week I was listening to an interview with Wil Wheaton who played Wesley Crusher in Star Trek, The Next Generation. And he was talking about…
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…
Want to Get Attention? Try a Cartoon!
The first thing we want to get when it comes to attracting clients is: ATTENTION! If we don’t get the attention of our prospective…
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…
The Art of Honest Influence
Marketing your professional services and your efforts to attract new clients to your business could be called “The art of honest influence.” First, a…
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…
A Masterclass on Selling
This past Friday I hosted a Fearless Marketing Mastermind session on Selling. Some of the material was so good, that I’d consider it a…
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…
15 fun ways to waste time and avoid marketing
Every once in a while, I post a free public service announcement here for qualified organizations. Today, it's from the “We Hate Marketing Our…
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…
The Magic of Practice
Imagine that a talented gymnast hires a new coach. In their first session, the coach shows the gymnast the step-by-step moves for a gymnastic…
A Shift in the Winds of Discord
There is no doubt about it. The year 2020 and first half 2021 have been traumatic to some degree for all of us. Let…
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…
Why Do Marketing and Selling Suck?
What, pray tell, inspired me to write an article about how awful marketing and selling are? First of all, it’s 100% True, right? Marketing…
Response to Your Input
Last week, I asked for your input. I wanted to know what your issues were when it came to attracting new clients to your…
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…
This Will Move Your Business Forward
What do you want and need in your business right now? What can move your business forward in these challenging times more than anything…
What’s The Next Pivot in Your Business?
This Friday, I’ll be hosting my final “Going Radically Virtual Webinar.” I hope you can attend. (make your reservation here) My guest, Lisa Nirell,…
YOU are Your Own Superhero!
I had a very interesting dream last night about a “Female National Super Hero” who supported us all through the coronavirus until things were…
What We’re All Missing Right Now
Quick, what is something that you know better than anyone else, but take for granted? It’s a skill, an ability, something you are brilliant…
4 Things That Are Required Right Now
In last week’s Webinar on Going Radically Virtual, I did a poll to measure what the participants were doing in their marketing during the…
Marketing Yourself Now and Post Pandemic
Are you starting to think, “How will I market my business after the pandemic is over?” This Friday, I’ll be holding my 4th Going…
My Not So Brilliant 6-Step Action Plan
The month before the pandemic hit, I was working to fill my next group program. Enrollment was coming along slowly but surely. But then,…
Dare to Be Foolish
Right now we need a big infusion of creativity in our business and marketing. What got us here won’t get us where we need…
How Will You Move Forward?
Are you wondering where you should put your business and marketing focus right now? "What should I send to my network? How can I…
The Connection – Development Process
Are you wondering how to keep up the momentum in your business during the coronavirus shutdown? Today, I want to share a powerful but…
I Have No Frickin’ Idea
Now that the majority of the population of the US and Canada (and soon the World) are self-isolated and are starting to accept we’re…
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…
Living Your Business Values – Interview with Paul Zelizer of Awarepreneurs
Here’s our second monthly interview with a leading-edge business professional where I speak with someone smarter and wiser than me to figure out what…
Report from Social Media Marketing World
I’ve been at the humungous business conference, Social Media Marketing World since Sunday. There, I’ve been absorbing ideas like a sponge and I’d like to…
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.…
More Meetings = More Clients
What is the purpose of marketing? It’s to attract new business, right? Well, not if you're a B2B Professional. The purpose of B2B marketing…
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…
The True Spirit of Mr. Rogers
On Thanksgiving day, My wife and I went to see the Mr. Rogers film, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. This is one of…
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…
My Oh So Challenging Month
It’s been a challenging month in many ways. First, we lost power for four days which I wrote about last week. Then a few…
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…
Why Your Marketing Plans Get Stalled
In working with the participants of my group marketing programs, one issue comes up over and over again. “I don’t know how to do…
An Email Written From the Heart
Today, I got a wonderful email from Rene Safier, a wonderful singer in the folk/rock world. Rene also happens to be the wife of…
LinkedIn Connection Secrets
I’m not a LinkedIn Expert. More like a LinkedIn Dummy. Watch my quick video on this. But I’m learning, and looking at how to…
The Four Secrets of Getting Attention
For someone who is essentially an introvert, I sure talk a lot about getting attention! But if you want to attract new clients, it…
How to Write a Great Sales Letter
In the ABDO (Attention-Based Direct Outreach) Marketing process there are five main components: 1. Getting your list of prospective clients together. 2. Getting attention…
Marketing Plans – From Subscribers
Last week I put out a challenge to send me your plans for getting new clients as quickly as possible. I got a number…
A Client Attraction Thought Experiment
Imagine this: You are parachuted into a city where you’re a stranger. And you have one mission: Find some clients to work with. You…
How do you implement your marketing consistently and successfully?
It would be nice to think that there’s a secret strategy for implementing your marketing both successfully and consistently. But the longer I’m in…
What’s the Hardest Part of Marketing Yourself?
In my Fast Track Marketing System I divide marketing into seven very specific modules: 1. The Game of Marketing 2. The Mindset of Marketing 3. Marketing Messages…
Marvel’s Endgame or How to Be a Superhero
I don’t know about you, but I happen to be a Marvel movie superhero fanatic. I’m one of those weird people who has watched…
How to Make Your Outreach Campaign Work
I was speaking to a client last week about her marketing plan. She had developed a somewhat complicated plan to get the attention of…
The No Joke System for Attracting Clients
A few months ago I re-tooled my system for teaching people to attract new clients. It’s a new take on an old approach. I've…
I’m Starting a New Religion – Want to Join?
Disclaimer: This article is my lame attempt at humor. This is something I came up with a couple of weeks ago that I couldn’t…
Using Cartoons to Get Attention in Emails
Ready to dominate the world? You're not alone. A lot of that going around these days. So I thought I'd write a breezy ezine/blog…
All the Serious Objections to Writing Funny Emails
OK, the gloves are off. I’ve been haranguing you for more than a month about writing funny emails. But you’re still skeptical, to say…
Why is Writing Funny So Hard?
Quick, answer this question: “When you think of a stereotypical salesperson, what do they sell?” Scroll down to see the answer virtually everyone gives.…
How to Renew Old Clients with Funny Emails
Most emails sent to renew past clients are as dull as stagnant pond water: “Hi, haven’t been in touch for some time since the…
What Marketing Strategy Is the Best for You?
If you pick the right marketing strategy, you’ll be like that little guy in the middle of my diagram above. Yes! Winning! Fist pumps!…
Marketing Writing: From My Dog’s Perspective
For the purpose of this article, there are only two things you need to know about me: 1. I’ve been writing in my business…
The Story of The Drunk Marketing Letter
Ever since I can remember, I’ve enjoyed reading funny stuff. As a kid, we subscribed to the Reader’s Digest. And I would always go…
How Can You Be More Creative?
Is it true that some people are more creative than others? And even if that’s true, can less creative people be more creative? More…
The Fearless Landing
Imagine that you are the pilot of a cargo plane during wartime. And you’re coming in to land your plane on the base’s runway.…
Fearlessness is About Being, Not Doing
When we think about fearlessness and about fearless marketing, we think of things like courageous, bold action. We think of taking risks, doing creative…
The Fearless Marketer. A New Focus.
After 20 years of sending out my weekly, eZine, More Clients, I’m making a big change. It’s still a weekly eZine about marketing your…
What Do Creative Marketers Look Like?
Above is a picture of Judy Clark and the staff of HR Answers in Portland Oregon. Judy is one of the most creative (and…
How to Get Your Articles to Millions of Readers
A couple weeks ago I did an interview with an independent professional that just might rock your marketing world. Her name is Teresa Riccobuono…
Rock Stars Start by Knocking on Doors
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve watched two remarkable films: A Star is Born with Lady Gaga and Bohemian Rhapsody about Freddie Mercury…
Celebrating 50 Years of the White Album
As long as I can remember, music has always been important to me. And at the tender age of 10, I (and several million…
R.I.P. Stan Lee – 1922-2018
Where would popular culture be without the great Stan Lee, creator of Marvel Comics? As I kid, I used to love Thor and Spiderman Comics, and more…
Habits – The Big Secret to Marketing Success
What do you think you need more than anything else to attract more of your ideal clients? Many people will say, “better information to…
Change Doesn’t Come Through Anger and Hate
These days, the political landscape is incredibly divisive. I spent some time browsing through Facebook this past weekend and was surprised to see that…
The one thing about fulfilling your potential that almost nobody knows
Today’s Article is by Dr. Amina Aitsi Selmi. Amina has been a client of mine and publishes the Wise Wednesdays ezine. It’s my favorite…
How to Select the Best Marketing Strategies for Your Business
I’ve probably had more conversations about this topic with clients than any other: How to choose the best marketing strategies for one's professional service…
Nail Your Marketing Message in Your LinkedIn Profile
Your marketing message communicates to the world what your business is about. And your LinkedIn profile is the perfect place to both develop and…
Where Friggin’ Exactly Are Your Perfect Clients?
Is the search for your perfect clients making you feel a little bit crazy? Well, the deal is, your perfect clients aren’t hiding from…
How to Turn Intangible Concepts into Tangible Services
What are you actually selling? Some say a concept, an idea, a benefit, or value. But one thing is for certain, if it’s not…
A Different Approach to Goal Setting
We all know that it’s important to set goals. Unfortunately, the way we think about goals tends to reduce the chance that we’ll achieve…
Marketing or Football… Which is Harder?
Being a professional football player is a hard job. But you’re more likely to succeed as a professional football player than you are at…
John McCain: Honoring the Value of Persistence
As I hit my 34th anniversary of being in business, and this morning, inspired by the news stories of John McCain’s life, I was…
The Five Pillars of Marketing Success
Does the following give a pretty good picture of your current marketing activity? You have a website but you’re not really satisfied with it.…
The Hardest Thing About Being Self-Employed
Being self-employed isn’t easy. Not only do you have to develop, market, and deliver professional services at a very high level, you also need…
Why Most Online Marketing is a Waste of Time – What Works Instead
When it comes to growing your business these days, all you hear about is online marketing. After all, if more prospective clients simply found…
How to Dramatically Increase Your Email Response
Is it possible to use personalized emails that get a great response, and ultimately, new clients, from those in your network? I’m not talking…
How to Successfully Meet the Three Biggest Marketing Challenges
I like to think I’m a pretty good marketer of my professional services. After all, I’ve been at it for 34 years, read hundreds…
How to Get Beyond Paralysis by Analysis
My internal dialog started in 2008 when I decided to write another book to help me market my services. Here’s what my mind used…
How to Go ALL IN on Your Marketing
His first version of Amazing Grace was very good. But then the workshop leader suggested a new scenario to help take the song to…
Action Plan Partial Sabbatical Update
Last month I announced that I was taking a “Partial Sabbatical” from working with new clients or conducting programs. What I’m attempting is to…
Stop an Addictive Habit – And Replace It With an Inspiring One
Other than substance abuse, what is the most destructive habit or addiction facing American Society? Since mid 2015, I believe the top destructive addictive…
The Genius Formula: Plan, Promise, Schedule
Gay Hendricks, in his book, The Big Leap, says one’s Genius Zone is, “the set of activities you are uniquely suited to do… that…
Working Your Business From the Zone of Genius
At the end of 2012, after a long string of business successes, I experienced burnout and dramatically scaled back my business. My first big…
The Amazing Power of Accountability
I found myself saying to Keith, “OK, I’ll go to the gym 3 times a week, starting on Friday. And since that time, almost…
A Guarantee: The Most Powerful Brand for your Business
I’m working with a client right now who does high-end sales training. And we’re currently working on the messaging for his website. In the…
Is Your Business a “Service” or a “Brand”?
Do you remember the early cell phones? The first one was made available to the public in 1984 (the year I started my business).…
The Long Lost Art of Being Discovered
One of the most fascinating of Hollywood legends is the discovery of film actress Lana Turner at the soda fountain in Schwab’s drugstore in Hollywood,…
For GOD’s Sake, Just Try Something New!
I really admire successful people. And over the years, I’ve studied many of them, read their biographies and books and tried to emulate their…
What are Your Business & Marketing Intentions?
I’ve just returned from a week-long vacation in Cancun Mexico (see above). And I took some time to reflect on the future of my…
10 Obsessive Ways You’re Undermining Your Business
Roger is an independent professional creative, much like you and me. He does his own specialized version of consulting, coaching, and training. Roger is…
Why Nobody is Reading your Marketing Content
Almost every week I’m telling a client there’s a big problem with their marketing content. It’s not the subject matter, their writing style, their…
How to Find Your Marketing Sweet Spot
Ever feel you’re making a lot of forward progress but don’t really know where you’re going? Today a client brought this concern up in…
How to Use Follow-Up to Renew Past Clients
Everyone has heard a thousand times that it’s easier to renew an old client than to find a new one. After all, the marketing…
Website Insights for a Site That Attracts More Clients
This week I launched my brand new website: You're here! Over the last 20 years, I’ve designed and launched a total of seven different…
Fighting Truthiness and Hype in Marketing
In 2005, Stephen Colbert, in his TV show, the Colbert Report, coined the word, “truthiness.” "Truthiness is the belief or assertion that a particular…
Money – Four Ways You Can Increase Your Prices
This is the final in a series of four articles about getting paid more money for your professional services. In recent weeks I’ve talked…
Money – Increase Your Sales by Adding Bonuses
Today’s article is the third in a multi-part series on making more money in your business. In a practice known as the “baker’s dozen”…
Money – Discovering Your True Value
Today’s article is the second in a multi-part series on making more money in your business. The main reason I’m writing this series on…
Money – And How to Make More of It
This is the final in a series of four articles about getting paid more money for your professional services. In recent weeks I’ve talked…
Make a Difference Before You Make a Profit
This article is the seventh and final in an eight-article series on the Seven Laws of attracting Clients. See the first article at this…
Why Storytelling is Key to Attracting Clients
This article is the seventh in an eight-article series on the Seven Laws of attracting Clients. My sixth law of attracting clients states that…
How to Communicate Like a Human Being
This article is the sixth in an eight-article series on the Seven Laws of Attracting Clients. My fifth law of attracting clients states…
Nine Ways to Make Your Business More Visible
My Fourth Law of Attracting Clients states that you must be visible. Imagine that you woke up one morning and discovered you were completely…
Marketing With Logic and Emotion
A couple days ago our refrigerator conked out. A repairman showed up today to take a look. The verdict? We’d need a new freezer…
What a Sasquatch Can Teach You About Attracting Clients
More than 29 Million people have watched this Youtube video about the Purple Mattress Protector pitched by a female Sasquatch. You can see it…
YOU are the Killer App
This article is the second in an eight-article series on the Seven Laws of Marketing. Law #1 – You must be very good at…
The 7 Laws of Attracting Your Ideal Clients
Recently I asked myself what was really important in attracting clients and growing a professional service business. And what I realized is that it…
Do You Live in a Marketing Fantasyland?
The new book, Fantasyland, by Kurt Andersen is the most interesting book I’ve read in years. It’s a 500-year history of how America went haywire through…
How Real Professionals Market Themselves
If you’re a management consultant, business coach or corporate trainer, your marketing is different than other service businesses. It’s different because it needs to…
When You Don’t Know What to Write
Some Mondays I don’t know what to write in this weekly eZine article. Other Mondays I’m more prepared because I’ve been thinking of a topic…
How to Multiply Your Creative Energy
Bobby Previte is a jazz drummer with a difference. He’s not cool and laid back, but a boundless ball of creative, brilliant energy. Since he…
8 Tips to Get Over Marketing Overwhelm
When it comes to marketing one’s professional services, the most common emotion isn’t fear, it’s overwhelm. My friend, Jill Konrath, has an overarching description of…
How Marketing is Much Like Cooking
Do you see marketing your professional services as hard, difficult, perhaps even unpleasant? If so, you’re not alone. We may see marketing as hard…
The Million Dollar Consultant’s Most Important Concept
Alan Weiss is known as "The Million Dollar Consultant" based on his book of the same name. In today’s More Clients I want to…
How Wise People Deal With Disappointment
I clearly remember the earliest disappointment in my life. I was about four years old and was expecting to go to a party. But…
20 Success Secrets Designed to Move You off Your Duff
“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell OK, Secretary Powell, but…
How to Discover Your Genius
We’ve all been duped about genius. We see the genius as a brilliant intellectual who comes up with ground-breaking ideas and discoveries. We think…
How to Make Cold Calls Hot
I’ll get right to the point. I’ve developed a model for direct outreach marketing that shows you how to get more conversations and meetings with…
The Power of Asking: 5 Simple Asks You Can Make
There I was in a restaurant, dishing out servings of my wife’s jasmine rice, garlic spinach and turkey curry to eager customers. My wife…
The Simple, Consistent Way to Get More Appointments
A couple weeks ago I asked one of my Clients in England (I have two) what he was doing to track his direct outreach marketing…
What is the Purpose of Your Marketing?
If I asked you the purpose of your marketing, what would you say? Most people I’ve talked to give answers such as: “To get…
What Kind of Business Are You?
Imagine attending a lively business seminar where people are having animated interactions between sessions. And you overhear a conversation in a group of three business…
5 Tips to Turn Contacts into New Clients
A past client of mine once mentioned that she knew of a store that needed some marketing help. That captured my interest so I…
5 Tips for Learning to Love Direct Outreach
When I started marketing my business many, many years ago, I remember a response I got to a follow-up call I made: "Robert, I have no idea what…
8 Steps to Creating New Clients
Close to twenty years ago I was meeting with a client in my office in Palo Alto California. We were talking about where he…
Turn Your Business Model into New Clients
Have you ever found yourself trying to explain your business to a potential client, but you're not getting through? First, you start with concepts: "We use…
Six Steps to Converting Prospects into Paying Clients
One of the most frequent comments I hear from my clients is: "If I could just get a meeting with a qualified prospect, I know…
Reach Out and Touch Someone
Remember the old television ads for AT&T – "Reach out and touch someone." Well, the idea of reaching out is important, but it takes more…
Direct Outreach: A Marketing Strategy That Works
There are a lot of ways to market your professional services and more of them are being promoted every day. Unfortunately, many of them…
Marketing Yourself in the NOW!
Many people wonder why marketing themselves is such a struggle. They experience marketing as hard and unpleasant. Is that simply the nature of self-marketing? Or…
No Marketing Ideas More Important Than These
Here's a scenario I imagined today... It's twenty years from now, and I'm in my mid-80's. My granddaughter, Colette, now 24, is considering starting her…
Hate Disapproval? Join the Club!
Many years ago I remember applying to the Art Academy in San Francisco. I wanted to take some classes and improve my design skills. I was…
The Tyranny of “Shoulds”
This Saturday I called my youngest sister to wish her happy birthday. We spent some time catching up before the conversation drifted to the…
A Marketing Lesson from Boomerangs
Everyone knows that if you throw a boomerang it will come back to you. When I was a kid I got a boomerang for a…
Marketing Possibilities – Beyond the Comfort Zone
A client of mine faced a conundrum after getting what should have been good news from a client of hers. Her client had found…
20 Marketing Questions and Answers
This past week I conducted a wrap-up session for the Marketing Action Group I've been conducting for five months. We did a question and answer session where…
Embracing the Shadow Side of Marketing
Have you ever felt you had "everything together" in your marketing, but you still weren't getting the results you wanted – meetings with qualified prospects that…
How to Learn the Right Marketing How-tos
In the mid-eighties when I started my business, I literally had no clue about how to market my services. I had heard of a number…
The Big Key to Improving Your Marketing Skills
Did you know that Benjamin Franklin's biggest passion was playing chess? A chess-player for 50 years, he practiced even more as he grew older. And…
The Power of Silence in Marketing
If you asked people their definition of marketing, many would answer with one word: NOISE! I often react that way as well - I'm…
Sell Your Outcomes, Not Your Services
"What do you do?" is one of the most common questions someone can ask you. And if you're in business for yourself, you want…
Make Intro Calls, Not Cold Calls
A cold call is calling a stranger and trying to convince them to do business with you. An introductory call is calling someone you…
How to Get More Prospects to Meet With You
This is one of my favorite stories about marketing, but I don't think I've shared it with you in this space. Several years ago…
Has Your Marketing Become a Box?
I recently started to do something different in my marketing. On holidays (such as the 4th of July) and vacations, I don't write this eZine/Blog anymore.…
A Counter-Intuitive Way to Get Unstuck
I’ve noticed that some of my clients have great marketing energy. And others don't. Marketing energy is displayed when you are in the flow of…
10 Powerful Marketing Thinking Tips
In May I took one-month vacation from writing More Clients. It was a useful break and helped me get clearer about what I want to write about…
How to Prove Your Professional Services are Valuable
One of my current clients shared a very powerful new marketing idea with me and then I passed it on to some of my clients.…
Create the Perfect Marketing Plan
We expect perfection in everything these days. Perfection in our schools, healthcare, government and business. And, of course, in ourselves. If it's not perfect it's just not…
Six Tips for Think Different Marketing
I just read that Apple's ad budget is more than a billion dollars. That's more than the economies of some small nations! Although they spend…
Here’s Why Trying Doesn’t Work
Fitz's wife is asking him to stop drinking and gambling. And Fitz replies halfheartedly, "I'll try…" But Fitz is not your run-of-the-mill drunk gambler. He's…
8 Ways to Unstick Your Marketing Writing
I guess I'm lucky, but I haven't had writer's block for a long time. When I think of something to write, I just write it.…
7 Ways to Apply Authentic Marketing
Janice was upfront with me when we first talked about marketing her professional services: "I want to market my services but I just hate…
Ready for Your Marketing to be Exciting?
Last week I wrote about how many of the processes of marketing can be boring. And when you can accept the boring tasks for what…
The Virtues of Boring Marketing
I just started working again with a former client who has signed on as an Investment Director of a Private Equity Firm. He's looking for established businesses who…
Does Marketing Ever Get Easy?
The answer to this question is Yes and NO. One way to talk about this is to compare marketing to getting fit. Right now I'm…
How Not to Freak Out When Things Go Wrong
At the end of 2012, I freaked out for about a day. I had set something in motion that could have dire financial consequences…
A Marketing Recipe Book
Quick, what's the best marketing thing to do right now? No idea right? Well, today I'm going to share a simple "recipe plan" to…
Balancing Passive and Proactive Marketing Activities
Imagine this common scenario: You are scrambling around like a mad fiend, completing that blog post, fine-tuning your website, returning a call from a potential…
How to Reduce Marketing Stress
Is marketing inherently stressful? Given all the comments I've heard from clients over the years, you would think it was. I regularly hear comments…
The Marketing Glue that Attracts More Clients
You know what it's like when you're trying your best to put your marketing into action. You're calling to book speaking engagements, networking at…
Is There a Perfect Marketing Approach?
Wouldn't you love to know the perfect marketing approach for your business, you know, the one that brought in droves of clients with ease? Well,…
How to Create Marketing Momentum
In a teleclass program last week someone asked me how I create momentum in my marketing. That's a good question because a lot of…
Got Marketing Discipline? Sorry, it doesn’t work!
When you struggle with your marketing, you know how it goes: You think about things over and over and can't decide what you should…
What should you write about in your ezine and blog?
Every Monday at about 10 or 11 am, I sit down to write my weekly eZine and blog (actually the same thing, through two different…
How Do You Explain Your Business When it’s Unexplainable?
Today, Paul Zelizer, the founder of the Awarepreneurs Facebook Group, posted about a common perception that many independent professionals complain about: "I do REALLY,…
10 Things You Must Do to Get New Clients
A typical interaction with one of my clients: "Robert, the foundation of my marketing is solid, I know my message, and I have a website…
Lessons you learn after 31 years in business
Thirty-one years ago this week, (August 1, 1984) I started my business in San Francisco CA. It's been quite a ride and sometimes I can't…
The 5 Best Email Subject Lines to Increase Open Rates
When I wrote my email newsletter last week, I gave it the headline: "What Marketing Identity is Holding You Back?" I thought it was…
The 7 Essentials of Proactive Online Marketing
I can't tell you how many times I've heard this comment from a client: Client: "I'd like to set up some passive online marketing…
How Professionals Can Get Beyond Impostor Syndrome
"What's holding you back from marketing your consulting services?" I asked my client. After a long, in-depth conversation, we discovered it. "I believe I'm an…
Attract More Clients with a Core Issue Article
Ross Blake, a client of mine in New York State, is having pretty amazing results every time he gives a talk. At the end, he…
How to Make Change Happen Faster
For the past 30 years I've had problems with lower back pain. I won't go into all the gory details here, but suffice to say, it's been…
How to Ensure better Client Results
A couple years ago I got the "Dreaded Email." It was from a past client who had done my 9-month marketing program, and he…
How to Leverage Random Business Connections
As I've said a zillion times, most marketing is random. Most professionals don't have a step-by-step system for attracting clients, despite the fact that…
How to Ask without Fear of Rejection
When I started my business, I was deathly afraid to ask. I'd get cards from prospective clients but rarely followed up with them. Because, of…
How to Make Your Customers Love Your Business
On a short vacation to Lake Tahoe last week, the weather wasn't ideal with both snow and rain, but on our last day, Saturday, we…
Surviving the Dread Marketing Mistake
When I got up yesterday morning and looked at my email, I realized I'd made a marketing mistake. The night before I'd cued up…
Why Marketing Tips Aren’t Enough
When I started my business many years ago, I soon realized I needed to market my services. So I started to read books on…
How to Build Your Business Faster
In a recent post on Facebook, I outlined my basic system for growing your business faster. Here it is: 1. Work on developing a…
Where Should You Focus Your Marketing Efforts?
Tom was frozen in his marketing. After he'd left the corporate world about three years ago and started his own consulting practice, he found…
Lists That Will Help You Manage Marketing Overwhelm
This past week I found myself in a difficult spot. Not only did my fall last week slow things down quite a bit (what with…
7 Traits for Marketing Breakthroughs
If you really think about it, wouldn't you love to have a marketing breakthrough? A breakthrough might start with one good idea or insight that…
A Little Less Information, A Little More Action
As I pulled my rental car into the very busy parking lot of the Hanalai Bay Beach a few days ago on my Kauai vacation, my wife…
Why do We Resist Asking for Money?
This weekend I was looking at something I was resisting. I had sub-contracted a website design over a year ago. I had paid the web…
How to Launch a Book That Grows Your Business
On August 1, 2014, I started the process of writing and launching an e-book, The Unstuck Process. I thought you might be interested in…
Creating a Powerful “Audio Logo”
I remember clearly when I formulated my first really effective marketing message: "I work with Independent Professionals who are struggling with their marketing." It…
Secrets to Giving Away Free Stuff
Sometime soon after launching my website in 1996 I learned about the concept of giving away "free stuff" to people who visited my website. I launched…
How to Make Your Marketing Flow
Making your marketing flow is something most Independent Professionals would welcome. We’d all like our marketing to result in a flow of new clients. But…
Openings and Closing in Marketing
In Rolf Dobelli's amazing book, "The Art of Thinking Clearly" he enumerates 99 thinking mistakes we all make and how they affect our lives. But…
What to Do When You Get a Lead
It can be a lot of work to get the attention and interest of a prospective client. It takes time and effort to put out…
Fighting Fundamentalist Marketing Beliefs
Sam Harris, author, and famous atheist, has taken a firm stand against the dangers of fundamentalist religions. He asserts that they are not only delusional but harmful to…
Ho to Turn Follow-ups into New Clients
What do you do after you've met a prospective client at a networking or social event? What do you do after giving a presentation to…
How to Write a Client-Attracting Article
I keep getting questions about how to write client-attracting articles or reports. One of the most important marketing tools you can have is an…