The prospect doesn t WANT you to solve problems on the sales call. Did you know that? It s a mistake that kills sales conversations stone dead. No money changes hands. No deals are struck. Nobody leaves happy. For a couple of reasons: First, how much problem solving can you really do on an hour-long call? A [...]

I want you to be like Sir Richard Branson Or Bill Gates. One of those big household names who have changed how the world works. They’ve got enormous reach, enormous wealth, big personalities. But that s not why I want you to be like them. I want you to have what they have: Absolute Non-Neediness. They [...]

When s the last time you woke up and said, Man, today I just can t wait to be a manipulative, pushy salesperson who pressures prospects into closing the deal? Probably never. In fact, a lot of great consultants start out with a hard aversion to sales. They don t want to seem manipulative. Especially when it comes [...]

Ever tell yourself scary stories? A ton of consultants trap themselves in a terrifying loop of self-inflicted horror stories. I ve talked to dozens, if not hundreds, of them Way too many are telling themselves things like: – I m too young or too old to really succeed as a consultant. – It s not the right time [...]

There’s a trap waiting for consultants. And you can’t escape it with more experience. In fact, the more experienced consultants earn, the more they risk. You can’t escape this trap with money. You can’t escape it with great clients. You can’t even escape it by doing better & better work. Because the more you do, [...]

Are you attracting the wrong prospects? Or is it just the wrong time? Here s a secret probably 90% of people don t know: Most of the time, prospects don t make buying decisions on the offer alone. A lot of people are surprised to hear this. For example, have you ever heard someone say People buy because [...]

Do you offer a guarantee? Nope. If someone comes to me and asks if I make a guarantee I would say that nothing in life is guaranteed except cheap products that break anyway. For me to offer a results guarantee based on one or two conversations when I haven t even started working on your business [...]

October 1 is the most important day of the year. What’s so special about October 1, you ask? It’s not the crisp fall air. Or the pumpkin spice lattes. Though I don’t mind either. It’s because October 1 is the beginning of the end of the year. It’s the 1st day of the 4th quarter [...]

“You have to kill all your darlings.” ^ Famous quote from Stephen King, who may have been quoting someone else. Every author, novelist, copywriter – anyone who engages professionally with the written word – knows this to be true. A great piece of writing is the product of rigorous editing. Editing involves “killing your darlings”… [...]

// These 4.5 Words Will Make You Irresistible to Clients // “You’re not ready yet…” Client says they want to work with you. They have the problem you solve. They’re ready to get started. And you say: “You’re not ready yet…” What?! Why? Because the timing isn’t right for the client… Not for you. For [...]

I get a little bit smarter every day. And that’s something I’m super proud of. I can look back on every single day and say to myself: “I learned something new today… cool.” Sometimes the learning comes from a book, training, workshop, maybe a podcast. But usually, it comes from the “day to day” business [...]

STOP WORKING WITH BAD CLIENTS You know that client you regret taking on? They’re a pain to work with. They don’t respect your expertise. They have an opinion about everything. Yeah, that one. Ever stop to think about how much that client is costing you? That’s right, COSTING you. Sure, you’re earning a [...]

// How Warren Buffett’s Investment Philosophy Can “Guarantee” The Market’s Desire For Your Offering // The $80 billion man’s investment philosophy can be summed up in one sentence… He only invests in businesses he understands. He needs to understand the market, the business model, the macro / micro economics forces at play… And if he [...]

// Powerful Lesson on Persuasion from the Owner of My Local Bike Shop // I recently bought a new mountain bike (Rocky Mountain Fusion 40 for my fellow MTB’ers). When I was first shopping around, I went into my local bike shop to get some advice from the owner. He told me what to look [...]

“We’ve discovered a cure for cancer!” Imagine this: You’re a high flying marketing consultant and a pharmaceutical company calls you in for a consultation. The CEO sits you down in the board room and says: “You’re not going to believe this, but we’ve discovered a cure for cancer. We need your advice on how to [...]

Harsh truth: No one cares how long it takes you to do the work. I recently hired my 16-year-old nephew to do some landscaping. We were negotiating the price and he started asking questions like: “How much will you pay me per hour?” “How long do you think it will take?” My response… “I don’t [...]

“Duct cleaning services? What makes you think I need my ducts cleaned?!” I get a call every other week asking if I need duct cleaning services. Every time, I say no. And without fail, two weeks later I get another call with the same question. I don’t know what made these people think I need [...]

“It took you HOW long to finish this project?!?” ^ My reaction after a documentary filmmaker told me it took 8 years to complete her latest project. Every year, something came up. New legal complications. New layers to the story. New production challenges. And every year, she kept pushing forward. I couldn’t help but ask [...]

****WHAT DO YOU WANT?**** Maybe you don t actually know and that s okay. I ve often figured out what I DO want by learning what I DON T want. And unfortunately, that sometimes means I ve had to go through something painful But the process of elimination works. And it helps you to get clear and raise the [...]

Business growth opens the flood gates to self-doubt. And self-doubt is the mother of all triggers that leads to imposter syndrome. But what if you stopped viewing imposter syndrome as a negative? And instead, embraced it. Because really what it means is you re doing something you haven t done before. You re setting lofty goals worth pursuing. [...]

I once asked a friend about repairing some drywall in my home. He started going into all the details of how to do it a step by step process. I stopped him and said, I don t need to know all that. Please just tell me if you can do the repair and make it [...]

*****Without meaning money is just money.***** It s just paper — or these days, plastic and data. Yes, money gives you things like food and shelter But at the end of the day, it s just a thing unless you attach meaning to it. You might have a specific amount of money you d like to earn [...]

I’ll bet money you’ve done this before. And that you’ve had it done to you. No, I’m not talking about tying someone’s shoelaces together… I’m referring to the silent test. You know… the one where you’re being tested without knowing it? Or testing someone without them knowing it? The kind of test where you have [...]

I was about to faint. After a long run on a hot, humid morning in Nashville, I was dehydrated with no water in sight. Feeling light headed, breathing heavy, sweating buckets… I was desperate to find water. And of course, I m using this experience to teach you a valuable business lesson