60 Seconds with Jame and Chris: A Quirk Podcast: Recent Episodes
James Thorne
Get a quick bite-size nugget every day from Monday - Friday to help you from in your marketing, business and life!
As we close out season two, we wanted to give you the highlights of the top episodes that bring together all the main things that marketing should be at its core. We hope these highlights will help you identify where you’re at and what you need to do to build a strong foundation and help your business grow.
We're interrupting our regular 60-second broadcasts to bring closure to season two. We're excited to implement new changes for the podcasts starting after the summer. But stay tuned for tomorrow's episode that highlights our favorite episodes from this season!
Communication is key to the creative process and community is essential in taking your ideas to the next level. Sharing new ideas can be intimidating, and that fear can keep you from telling others. But sharing with trusted people will help you get out of your comfort zone, and may inspire an idea for a new project.
How do you fuel creativity? Seek out opportunities who are further along in their journey. They can be incredibly helpful resources. Be teachable and listen, listen, listen!
Utilizing emails, texts or apps on your phone is a great way to capture ideas immediately as you think of them (yes, even the bizarre ones). You never know when you might need that idea again but may not remember it!
Pay attention. At any given moment you may see, hear or experience can morph into something you can use creatively. The small things make a big difference. Change your perspective on how you see things.
People want to be needed and known. It wasn't just the sell that brought you together to your client. Your client wants follow-ups, which helps build relationships. When a relationship is built there are more business opportunities where both the client and company succeed.
A change in scenery can aid in thinking outside of the box. A change of perspective can lead to a change in thinking, and a small change can make a big difference.
Have you been to get your oil changed only to be told you need multiple other replacements? As a company with integrity, care about your customer so much that you're responsible with helping them only in the areas they truly need as opposed to trying to upsell them with all of your services or products.
Empathy: Why do you care about the client you're selling to? In your heart, why do you want your client to succeed? If you can sell with empathy, they won't feel like you're being "salesy," they'll feel like you're truly trying to help them.
Evaluate where your business is and what it requires to promote your product or service, and consider cutting back on unnecessary costs like an office space to ultimately benefit your clients
Working remotely has multiple benefits, some of which include not paying for an office space, allowing freedom for yourself and your team, focusing your time on your product without neglecting your family and friends.
We're building a business of employees working remotely to create space without having overhead of office space, allowing us to efficiently grow our business and allow our employees freedom.
How can your business help your client with their specific need? Give the customer enough information on how you can solve their problem, allowing them to engage by asking questions, to provide clarity for them on their specific need.
"So many times, companies are tempted to do things that aren't part of their culture or being something they're not." Don't stray from who you are to try to win customers. Stay true to who you are and your culture.
"What happened to the days where advertising agencies help people grow and make more money?" We get so caught up in how everything looks that we don't focus on growing our business.
Believe it or not, website design is not important as important as what your website says. The key is simplifying what your website says to draw people in to your product or service.
Clarity in your message should be a priority. If your messaging isn't clear you will lose business and opportunity.
In charities, it's easy to get so caught up in what you're doing that donors become unclear on how they're making an impact. By reframing messaging so donors know how they're making a difference in the world.
We don't often invest in clarity, but what we learn about clarity helps transform our businesses and our personal lives and relationships.
The StoryBrand strategy has helped us confidently come in, help clarify your message and help build your business.
"Yoda is the one who knows all things and really should be saving the galaxy. But why is Luke Skywalker the hero?" Yoda is the guide who helps Luke succeed as the hero. Your company should position itself in the same way.
"The purpose of the guide is to help the hero transform into who they're supposed to be so they can win the day." Your company exists to help the customer succeed and win the day!
The front-end of your website should be framed to help your customers. "It's not about your story, even though your story is important once people realize you can help them.
"Customers don't care about you until they know you can solve their problems first." Of course sharing your story is important, but do these other things first.
Accountability is extremely powerful and perhaps the game changer for the amount of influence and impact that you have in what you're doing. In today's episode, Jake explains how accountability can propel your business forward.
If you're trying to be a certain type of organization, but you're not there yet, what needs to change? How close is the vision you have for the company? Do you have accountability? Quirk loves to come in and help organizations stay accountable to stay with the things that they want to do to change the world. So make sure you have accountability to help you do the same.
Does what you want to be known for, and what you're actually known for, align with your purpose? Then does it align with the DNA of your company? In order for your brand to impact the world, take note of what you want to be known for and what you are actually known for.
Who are you for, right now? There's the way you want to look, and what you're actually known for. In today's episode, Jake breaks down the difference between what you're known for and the vision for your company.
Who or what are you using to support your action plan? It's great to know where you're heading and to have a purpose, but you also have to make sure your company has people and tools that put the action into place. The people can bring their gifts, talents and passions to help push the company forward. But also, there are many tools that can help you support tasks that help you to raise money for your company.
So you have an action plan, but is it profitable? If money doesn't come in, money can't go out. Today, Jake encourages you to take another look at your action plan and focus on the areas that actually make money. It's easy to get caught up in daily tasks, but your action plan should be based on focusing on the main areas of your company.
Once you know the purpose of your business, the DNA of the leadership and what problem your company solves, it's really easy to create an action plan. In today's episode, Jake teaches how to create an action plan to solve your customers' problems.
Once you understand why your business exists and how your company is equipped to move towards that purpose, you need to understand what problem you're solving and how you are different.
Most people forget that companies have a DNA because of why the company started. It started in the beginning by the leadership which is what they were passionate about. But unless we know the purpose of the business it's hard to understand the DNA. Today, Jake wants you to question if the DNA of the leadership is still what the company is passionate about.
Do you know the purpose of your business? Whether you own the business or you work in the business, unless you are clear on the purpose, it can be tough to push through the trying times and it can be challenging to gain momentum. Without passion and purpose, you can't make big strides forward. So today, Jake encourages you to go back and figure out the purpose of your business.
Our Quirk team is reading the book "Know What You're FOR" by Jeff Henderson, and it has radically improved our team's minds on our interactions with our customers. Listen to Chris' testimony on the value of truly engaging with customers rather than just providing customer service.
We've talked a lot on the importance of being clear on your messaging and how you can clearly explain the journey to success for your customers. But today's episode, Chris gives you a few different resources that can help you help your customers.
When you're driving, you likely know where you're going in areas you're familiar with. But if you're venturing to a new area, you need to know have a plan on how to get there and understand what the area might be like. Google Maps is a great resource for your journey. As a company, your responsibility is to be that clear with your clients to help them understand that plan.
Your client may be confident in you, but they need to actually visualize their success after they start doing business with you. What are ways we can communicate the values they will receive after working with you? How will their lives be better for doing business with you?
Are you equipped to help or serve your customers? You may understand customers' problems or motivations, but do you know how you can truly help them succeed? We need to be clear to ourselves about our strengths and provide only what we can provide.
What is motivating your customers to search for your product or service? Their motivations are a deeper layer in understanding how to craft your communication to attach more meaning to what you can provide for them. If you can clearly explain how you understand what their motivations are, it will make a long-lasting connection and a deeper relationship between your company and the customer.
How can you help your customers if you can't fully understand what they want? How can they see the meaning and value in your company if they don't understand what they want? In today's episode, Chris explains how to put yourself in your customers' shoes to understand what they want.
Have you ever thought about changing your communication style to being more story-driven? What that means is, people can process their experiences and giving meaning to all of their experiences with you. There's a lot of advertisements and words in our daily lives that don't mean anything. But stories make communication meaningful.
Donald Miller from StoryBrand says, "People buy products only after they read words that make them want to buy products." It's super important that the words we use draw people in to take action. No matter the framework you use to ensure your messaging is clear, make sure your communication is clear, concise and calls people to take action.
You have a very specific gift or talent that the world needs. People are looking for the product or service you provide. And you want to share that gift with the world to help your customer succeed. But is your message clear and calling customers to action?
A lot of studies show that most people don't care if a business shuts down. But are you featuring, prioritizing and focusing on helping your client or customers in a way where they would miss your products or service if your business shut down today?
Is your website written in a way that talks about who your clients are while showing 'who you are? In today's episode, James gives another quick test you can do on your website to ensure you're making your clients your top priority.
In trying to keep your client first, how can you remember details that are important to specific clients or customers? Listen to hear James' secret to prioritizing relationships with customers and clients by remembering these special details.
Focusing on making your clients your top priority really comes down to who you're for. In today's episode, James gives you a simple way to test out your social media content to see who your company is for.
Have you found a way to make everything you do in your business all about your clients? Not just the products or services you provide, but have you framed everything in your business where you're the guide and your client is the hero? Ask yourself, are the clients we serve the hero, or are we the heroes?
James wraps up this week on marketing tips and tricks by telling people about our @quirkadvertising Instagram account where you can find more tips and tricks on marketing and more
Today, James explains why saying "follow us on social media" isn't enough to convince your potential client to follow you. Plus, we're sharing more marketing tips on Quirk Advertising stories!
Have you ever received an email that seems promote the company rather than stating how the company can help you? Today, James shares one simple shift you can make so the client feels that you care about them rather than promoting their own business. If you're interested in more marketing tips, follow Quirk on Instagram at @quirkadversiting!
On a billboard you only have a few seconds to catch a potential client's attention. Listen to the advice James gives that ensures you make the most of your messaging within a few seconds. Do you want to receive more marketing tips and tricks? Follow @quirkadvertising on Instagram to watch their marketing stories.
Today, James highlights Planet Fitness for their clear messaging aimed to erase clients' fears around working out in a gym atmosphere. Plus you can receive more marketing tips and tricks on Quirk's Instagram stories! Just follow @quirkadvertising to receive ongoing tips.
Does your company have core values? Listen to hear how Quirk Advertising incorporates the company's core values across our operation.
Do you have a company that is about your employees? In today's episode, James explains the importance of putting your employees first.
There will be things you never want to compromise or things you want to be known for. A lot of times we start a company with goals and integrity, but somewhere down the line things change. As a business owner, it can be tempting to compromise a bit in order to grow your business, but today, Chris encourages you to not give up running a company exactly the way you were created to do it.
In today's episode, Chris shares that he accomplished his goals for his company, although it didn't happen like he planned.
Chances are, when you're pouring your heart, effort and time into building a business and gaining clients, you want everyone to like you. But not everyone will. Listen to Chris' story on how he overcame this struggle with a recent client.
One of the biggest questions we get from clients after we create a website and optimize it for SEO is, what type of content should we create? How do we actually attract people to come to our website? Jake gives you key information in creating the perfect content for your potential client or customer.
Today's search engines look for quality and relevance. When other people point to you and your website, you gain authority with Google. How do you gain quality links? Jake explains in today's episode.
SEO in 2020 isn't too different from the past, but Google continues to refine their measurements. Google now wants to recognize people who are experts, hold authority and are trustworthy.
Do you know what type of SEO you need to do for your business? There are two different ways to approach SEO. Both are helpful, but they both have limitations. Today, Jake breaks down which type of SEO would be best for your company.
There's been a lot written and recorded on SEO, but in 2020, there's one thing that you really need to focus on for your business and website to be successful: the customer. People are looking for information and the best thing you can focus on ensuring the searcher can find your information with ease
Does your website include images and videos that help the customer envision themselves using your product or service? People subconsciously relate to you and your business when they see relevant imagery smiling, laughing and enjoying the product or service.
A big part of the website is a dedicated section that details how your product or service will enhance your prospective client's life and solve their problem. It's also super important that this area be super clear and concise.
Potential clients don't really care about you and your story until they know you can solve their problems. People don't search for a company based on the story, they search for a company based on their problem or need. Then they want to know more about the company. The about section on your website should relate to the problem the prospective client has and how you can help.
Do you have a clear call to action on your website? Your website needs to tell prospective clients to do something. Don't make them guess. Don't make the copy on your website clever or cute, but be clear.
How can you create raving fans from your email? Emails should be so good that they should be shared. When you get to that point you're really winning.
Why are we so afraid of change? Just because something looks good or sounds good to you, we fear change even though it didn't work. Listen and test for what your audience is asking. If it doesn't resonate you can always change it. Your business is forever growing and evolving, just like your clients. The more you pay attention to your clients and what they're trying to accomplish, the better messaging you create.
When someone on your email list receives an email, they should feel like they're receiving something. Whether it's inspiration, a free download, or a physical gift, be someone who's known for adding value.
The myth is the people don't read long emails, but really, they don't read bad emails. People are hooked and engaged in your email then they'll keep reading. If you prefer to write long emails just make sure they're good!
People likely won't read every word of your email. People scan! So be careful of putting too much content in an email. Instead, think about breaking a long email into multiple emails to make it simple. Add bullet points and make it easy to scan and still receive value.
Not everyone will open your email. People receive multiple emails every day and they may not open one from your company. But even if they don't open and read your email, they're still reminded of who you are. If they don't unsubscribe, they still want to receive your emails even if they don't open it.
If your content is relevant, your design is beautiful and your message is clear, and you're taking your customer on a journey, those who unsubscribe from emails are people who are likely not interested in your product or service right now.
Do you ever challenge yourself to figure out automation for your business? Emails are one of the best ways to take something off of your plate. Set it up, let it run, and let the system keep the people engaged.
If you build your entire business on social media, and one day the algorithm changes or the platform is taken away, you've lost your entire business because you don't own it. But you do own your website and emails. so be sure to utilize email marketing because social media algorithms change often and you don't want to miss out on money or sales.
What's the one thing that holds together your social media accounts, online shopping, professional communication, etc.? Email are the grandfather behind everything else. Email marketing is still the #1 way to make money!
The final layer of Quirk Advertising is ads. If you have the core of the company working together to clearly share your message across multiple platforms with good, supportive content, you can maximize your reach by incorporating ads.
The third layer of Quirk Advertising is content marketing. Building content and visuals helps support the first two layers and brings everything together.
Website, local SEO and email marketing are the second layer of Quirk Advertising. In today's episode, James explains why each of these aspects is critical in business.
Story and clarity of why is the foundation of Quirk Advertising. When you come on with us we figure out what you're trying to say and make it very clear and simple to understand, and we communicate the same way in return.
We don't think you can truly reach others with your products or services if you don't truly know yourself as a person and as a leader. Having the act of self-awareness will drive your team and how effective you are in helping others reach their goals.
Believe it or not, some of it can wait until tomorrow or until next week or perhaps you need to delegate tasks. When you're a startup or a small business you feel like you have to do everything, so in this episode James gives encouragement from the overwhelm of "right now."
Who is your client and your demographic? Knowing who you're targeting will help you frame how you build your business. Once you know this information you can ask specific questions to ensure they're a good fit for your business.
No matter what size company you run, you will have a sales process. A sales process determines whether the client will say yes or no. Having a simple and clear sales process increases your chances of making the sale. Make the process to say "yes" easy to help grow your business and to help your client accomplish their goals faster.
You might be really good at posting on social media. You have great pictures, great captions and you post regularly across different platforms. But half of what you do is interacting with your followers. Don't miss out on interaction just because you're posting because the best part of the community is interacting.
Today, guest speaker Bill Leckie of Strongbridge Group recaps this week's podcasts on four questions that matter when making a change in your business, organization or team.
A lot of people's projects get derailed by unexpected hiccups because of lack of planning in resources required to support changes within the company. In today's episode, Bill Leckie of Strongbridge Group imparts how to plan thoughtfully to provide resources in order to successfully make changes.
Some changes affect a small group of the company while others affect everyone. Today, Bill Leckie of Strongbridge Group reveals how to effectively explain who is being affected in a relevant way... that is relevant to the people you're speaking to.
Who is going to lead and communicate the messaging of this change? In today's episode, Bill Leckie of Strongbridge Group offers how someone with influence, authority and credibility in your company should be the "sponsor" of the change, extending the messaging into others in the company.
Why are we making this change and why are we making this change now? Guest speaker Bill Leckie of Strongbridge Group shares the importance of being able to answer these simple questions for your company.
What's the point in having an extra thing to do if you're not having fun while doing it? Hard work doesn't mean your side hustle can't be fun. How can you incorporate having fun in your side hustle?
Balancing your side hustle and your daily life can be exhausting. James shares the importance of structuring your time as your side hustle begins to grow.
How many times have you felt exhausted and unable to think about your current project? Part of having a side hustle is understanding your abundant opportunities. In today's episode, Chris shares tips on managing energy to stay on your A game.
What kind of partnerships do you have? Who are you linking arms with to make an impact? With a side hustle, partnerships are critical to helping your business grow while adding value to others.
How do you feel about your entrepreneur journey? Do you feel like quitting? Try to remember why you started in the first place. There was something that got you excited to start in the first place, and surround yourself with people who are excited about what they're doing as well.
Do you need to increase your productivity? James shares easy and applicable tips on boosting productivity.
You should make growing your email list a priority because you want to stay visible to them. Emails are a great way to engage and grow relationships with your target audience. Email is a preferred contact method, so make sure you're always present in their inbox.
Entrepreneurs often mull over the perfect name for their business. Here are a few things to consider before deciding on a name.
As one of the world's billionaires, Mark Cuban has proven he's more than a shark and the Maverick's owner. His list of rules for startups is worth the read or listen on today's episode.
In the second part of our series, James shares 4 additional tips on increasing business.
Are you trying to figure out a way to boost business? In this two-part series, Chris gives 4 tips on increasing business.
Your business means you need customers. Without customers there is no business. Here are few ways to show your appreciation to customers.
Have a wrinkle but no iron? Need to start a fire? Can't remember what you need at the grocery store? Struggling with a cold? Chris shares 5 more easy life hacks.
Always losing something in the couch? Need a cleaner bathroom? Forget deodorant? Listen for some of James' favorite life hacks.
No big "buts" in here! Are you struggling with fear or goal setting? Do you have a plan to help you get closer to your goal? James shares helpful tips on pushing through when excuses are pushing back.
In today's episode, Chris shares 5 easy and effective steps you can take to build relationships and your business.
What are responsive websites and why is it important? 57% of online users say they won't recommend a company with a poorly designed mobile website. Here are a few facts about responsive websites.
A lot of us have dreams or goals so today, Chris shares tips on bringing dreams to life.
James shares practical and applicable tips on developing habits to help you become more successful.
Do you avoid email marketing? A lot of people don't understand the impact of email marketing, but email marketing is about 40 times more effective than anything else. Being present in inboxes is super important!
People often come to us for advice on cameras for photos and videos. James shares tips on how to take stunning photos and videos with easily accessible tools.
Has anyone ever asked you what you do? Chris shares how to efficiently build a clear and concise one-liner.
What is a good call to action and why are they important? People take actions if you help them get to that point. Giveaways, free trials, discounts, videos on your site help your client stay connected to you so they are more likely to take action.
Do you want to build stronger relationships? Whether personal or professional relationships, Chris gives helpful hints on building quality relationships in every area.
Do you want to save and protect your digital memories? Of course you do! But do you have an actual plan of protection? James shares tips on saving your digital keepsakes.
Is there something bigger than yourself that fits into the mission of what your company is doing? Beyond products and services, do you give back? Are you helping others? Are you making a bigger impact in the world?
There's a lot of things that you feel like are holding you back in your relationships, in work or in another aspect of life. To focus on moving forward, hear Chris and James share a tune that helps you remember to let it go.
Laughter has a long list of benefits! We enjoy laughter! Take a few minutes today to relax and laugh.
Do you consider yourself a positive person? Chris shares helpful hints on conquering negative thoughts and embracing gratitude.
Getting a good night's rest is crucial for your body and your brain to recharge. James shares the importance and tips to improve your sleep.
Have you ever dreaded a workout but felt like you could conquer the world afterwards? The mental shift with endorphins will always help you reduce stress and enjoy life!
You need to think big all the time! Constantly innovating yourself, standing out from a crowd is important and allows you to expand what's next. Then you're able to actually take steps towards making big thoughts a reality.
Building a unified team is something we all strive for. In this episode, Chris shares three keys to building a unified team no matter your team size.
Delegation is a big deal. You may get caught in the weeds or enjoy doing certain tasks and it's difficult to let go. Delegation is an important shift that allows you to build your business and your team and not get caught in the details.
Words are very powerful. The problem we have is that we don't use them effectively or we feel inadequate. The most important thing you can do with your words is be clear. Clarity will always win over cleverness.
We've all heard the saying "practice what you preach," but sometimes you're caught in the middle of a job or leading your team in a certain direction and you may not pull through with what you said. James explains the importance of integrity and following through on your word.
Customers don't buy for any other reason than an internal problem. As a business owner, your job is to look at the internal motivation of why your customer is coming to you. What is the problem you can solve?
We value the people we work with. We want to come to work and work with people we like. So first, look at chemistry and see if the person can fit into the culture of your business. Then look at competency. Always look for the right person before you look for what they can bring to your team.
It's okay to be generous, maybe with your money, but also with your time and knowledge. We want people to know we care about them! So in any aspect of life, personal or business, if there's the opportunity to be generous, take it.
As you grow as a leader you can start to feel alone.The inability to share with others the details you're experiencing can feel isolating. Here are a few tips to feeling less alone.
It's really hard to be patient when you're excited about something or are waiting for an aspect of your business to grow. Sometimes impatience can bet the best of us. But stay patient in the process. Sometimes part of the process is learning to be patient and growing in our leadership.
From growing business to focusing on family, James discusses the latest 10 books he's read.
Chris discusses the app "Notability" and the books "The Founder's Mentality" by Chris Zook and James Allen and "Free to Focus" by Michael Hyatt
It's actually important to take time off. When you're wearing down, not feeling well and can't operate at your best, if you continue to push through to stay productive your productivity level suffers. Take the time off you need to unplug, reset and feel better, then you'll be back stronger than ever.
When was the last time you made work fun for yourself or your employees? People start loving what they do when they experience something fun, creative and feel blessed in a way that that doesn't pull from their productivity. It doesn't have to be a big activity, it just needs to be fun!
We think it's a blast to have fun because, at the end of the day it's not about the product or service you've created. Most of that will die away. When you're on your deathbed one day, and you're reflecting on life, you'll be thinking about the relationships you've had. At the end of the day, life is about having fun, and that's how work should be, too.
You know the feeling you get when you accomplish something? Create small milestones throughout the process to motivate you to continue with your good habit.
A lot of times with habits we create lofty, unattainable goals, that make it hard to follow over time. With your habits, how easy are the changes you're trying to implement? Sometimes it's the small changes that make a big difference over time.
What can you do to make you want to do your new habit? Find something to incentivize yourself to reward yourself for continuing your new habit.
As you're trying to create new habits in your workday, in your leadership, make the habit obvious. Set reminders or make the habit constantly visible to remind you that you're building a new habit.
It's super important to learn what to say "yes" to. We've all been in a place where we've said yes to too much and become overwhelmed. Here's how to discern whether or not you should say "yes" to a task.
Work harder than you did yesterday. Tell yourself, "I will give my best." It's what you do after you give your best that makes the difference. Do your best today, then do a little better tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day. Because consistently growing and doing your best is what will make the difference in your business.
Let's be honest here, a lot of times we spend a lot of effort on things we shouldn't spend our time on, especially as business owners and leaders in our organization. We need to put people in place that can successfully fulfill the tasks while you focus on the bigger items. Find the things you're doing that you can hand off to someone else and keep your time where it can be most effective for your company and customers.
Without the small details, and all the individual steps it takes, big ideas will fail. We need to make sure we are also able to pay attention to small details. Find someone on your team who thrives in small details, steps and processes. Without small details, big ideas will never happen.
If you feel bogged down by small details, make sure you have someone on your team who likes big-picture details. Some people like to look at big-picture ideas: where the company is heading in the future, global effects, etc.. These details are super important, so make sure someone on your team can think big ideas!
Failure should be a part of your business, your process and your journey. Failure is never final, it's the best learning experience you can have. If you're not failing, you're not trying to grow by trying something new. Failure is not the end of your story, it's the beginning of the learning experience.
Imagine you're on a beach. You can actually see what that looks like. We need to take this approach with our customers. Say what you need to say, then let their imagination fill in what it could look like if they did business with you. A collateral of words actually don't help.
Everyone creates in some way. Creation doesn't have to look like a piece of art, a movie or a design. You're designed to create. A "creative person" is someone who has identified their strength, and how they make a difference in the world through that strength.
Motion pictures can be a great source of information and inspiration. Watching and analyzing the different aspects of film, the shots, the scenery, the plot, may inspire your creative process. Take a breather, watch a movie and see how you can apply it to something you're working on.
Solitude can be helpful, but music can be a catalyst for creativity. Incorporating music while you work develops creativity
Take time to journal, dream and listen to your heart. This can be hard, especially for business owners who are constantly busy, but the more time you can create space for reflection and creativity allows your brain to rest, and ultimately become more productive
There's never been more easily accessible information than there is now. Utilizing this information can increase your knowledge and inspiration to enhance your business.
A change in scenery can aid in thinking outside of the box. A change of perspective can lead to a change in thinking, and a small change can make a big difference.
Communication is key to the creative process and community is essential in taking your ideas to the next level. Sharing new ideas can be intimidating, and that fear can keep you from telling others. But sharing with trusted people will help you get out of your comfort zone, and may inspire an idea for a new project.
Document what you like. Pictures, places, movies, tv, commercials can give you a different perspective on the world that may create an idea for your business, or another aspect of your life.
How do you fuel creativity? Seek out opportunities who are further along in their journey. They can be incredibly helpful resources. Be teachable and listen, listen, listen!
Utilizing emails, texts or apps on your phone is a great way to capture ideas immediately as you think of them (yes, even the bizarre ones). You never know when you might need that idea again but may not remember it!
Pay attention. At any given moment you may see, hear or experience can morph into something you can use creatively. The small things make a big difference. Change your perspective on how you see things.
People want to be needed and known. It wasn't just the sell that brought you together to your client. Your client wants follow-ups, which helps build relationships. When a relationship is built there are more business opportunities where both the client and company succeed.
Have you been to get your oil changed only to be told you need multiple other replacements? As a company with integrity, care about your customer so much that you're responsible with helping them only in the areas they truly need as opposed to trying to upsell them with all of your services or products.
Empathy: Why do you care about the client you're selling to? In your heart, why do you want your client to succeed? If you can sell with empathy, they won't feel like you're being "salesy", they'll feel like you're truly trying to help them.
Evaluate where your business is and what it requires to promote your product or service, and consider cutting back on unnecessary costs like an office space to ultimately benefit your clients
Working remotely has multiple benefits, some of which include not paying for an office space, allowing freedom for yourself and your team, focusing your time on your product without neglecting your family and friends.
We're building a business of employees working remotely to create space without having overhead of office space, allowing us to efficiently grow our business and allow our employees freedom.
How can your business help your client with their specific need? Give the customer enough information on how you can solve their problem, allowing them to engage by asking questions, to provide clarity for them on their specific need.
"So many times, companies are tempted to do things that aren't part of their culture or being something they're not." Don't stray from who you are to try to win customers. Stay true to who you are and your culture.
"What happened to the days where advertising agencies help people grow and make more money?" We get so caught up in how everything looks that we don't focus on growing our business.
Believe it or not, website design is not important as important as what your website says. The key is simplifying what your website says to draw people in to your product or service.
Clarity in your message should be a priority. If your messaging isn't clear you will lose business and opportunity.
In charities, it's easy to get so caught up in what you're doing that donors become unclear on how they're making an impact. By reframing messaging so donors know how they're making a difference in the world.
We don't often invest in clarity, but what we learn about clarity helps transform our businesses and our personal lives and relationships.
The StoryBrand strategy has helped us confidently come in, help clarify your message and help build your business.
"Yoda is the one who knows all things and really should be saving the galaxy. But why is Luke Skywalker the hero?" Yoda is the guide who helps Luke succeed as the hero. Your company should position itself in the same way.
"The purpose of the guide is to help the hero transform into who they're supposed to be so they can win the day." Your company exists to help the customer succeed and win the day!
The front-end of your website should be framed to help your customers. "It's not about your story, even though your story is important once people realize you can help them."
"Customers don't care about you until they know you can solve their problems first." Of course sharing your story is important, but do these other things first.
Does your website pass the grunt test? Within 5 seconds, does it tell them who you are, what you do and how you can help them? If not, spend time figuring out your messaging and placement of messaging.