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872: Nurturing Partnerships to Create Exceptional Outcomes with Robert Glazer

What is the future of partnership marketing? How does nurturing partnership drive exceptional, measurable outcomes? Partnership marketing has evolved into “Affiliate Marketing Meets the Digitization of Business Development.” Software is now utilized to create partnerships at scale, and its evolution from affiliate networks to licensed software has expanded the definition of partnership marketing programs today.

Robert Glazer is the founder and chairman of Acceleration Partners, the world's leading partnership marketing agency. He is also the author of the best-selling book "Moving to Outcomes: Why Partnerships are the Future of Marketing." Today, Robert discusses the evolution of partnership marketing, how it differs from traditional affiliate marketing, and the importance of building diverse, outcome-oriented partnership programs to diversify from the "triopoly" of Google, Facebook, and Amazon.

Quotes

“The evolution from affiliate networks towards software that you can license and bring in-house has expanded the definition of partner marketing programs. This allows us to build and manage relationship-oriented, outcome-oriented programs with software at scale.” - Robert Glazer

“If you've met the type of people who have five-year plans and goals for their company and organization, they tend to get there more often than not.” - Robert Glazer

“We have employees in seven different countries and have worked with some of the largest global platforms. As companies grow quickly and expand into different markets, we can support them in those markets, on the platforms that they want to work with.” - Robert Glazer

Takeaways

00:59 Partnership marketing is an evolved, software-driven version of affiliate marketing, allowing brands to build and manage diverse, outcome-oriented partnership programs at scale.

05:10 The "triopoly" of Google, Facebook, and Amazon has made traditional digital marketing increasingly expensive and inefficient, driving the need for alternative channels like partnership marketing.

09:10 Successful partnership programs require a multi-faceted approach, including specialized skills in recruiting, onboarding, creative development, and analytics.

12:12 Recessions and economic downturns often lead businesses to refocus on proven, performance-based channels like partnership marketing.

16:18 Having a clear, long-term vision and strategy is crucial for building a successful partnership program that can adapt to market changes.

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871: Improve Your Business Conversations with Michael Reddington

Talking to people and engaging with conversations is something that takes a lot of courage to do. It is quite pressuring, not knowing whether what you're saying is making sense to the other party or not. We can't know whether you are able to convince them with your words. When it comes to business, it is important that you are great with conversations. You must know how to listen and speak carefully.

Michael Reddington is the president of Inquasive, a company that integrates key components of effective, non-confrontational interview techniques with current business research for executives. He is also a certified forensic interviewer and the author of “The Disciplined Listening Method.” Today, Michael discusses the importance of listening in business conversations, how to shift the focus from what you want to say to what the other person needs to experience, and strategies for addressing potential objections before they are raised.

Quotes

“When we're under stress, we revert to what we know. Many business meetings can be stressful, even for people who are confident in themselves and their goals.” - Michael Reddington

“If we're not listening, we're not learning. The more we listen, the more we learn, the less we have to say, and the fewer questions we have to ask to get powerful information that leads to the outcomes and relationships we aspire to create.” - Michael Reddington

“It's not about what we want to say. It's about what they need to experience.” - Michael Reddington

Takeaways

01:03 Focus on understanding your audience's needs, concerns, and perspectives rather than just trying to deliver your own message.

03:06 Anticipate potential objections or roadblocks from your audience and address them proactively.

07:54 Allow your audience to save face and protect their self-image, as this can help build trust and open them up to sharing more.

11:12 Observe your audience's verbal and non-verbal cues to pick up on unspoken thoughts and feelings.

15:02 Be patient and let the conversation unfold naturally, rather than trying to control it, as this can lead to unexpected opportunities.

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870: Perfect Guide to Starting a Podcast with Colin Gray

Thinking of starting a podcast? You have concepts, and you've got some ideas. You have themes. You want to talk about something you're passionate about, and launching a podcast is a great method. However, you should not begin your podcast without first considering a few key factors. Even if your show is going to be a pastime at first, chances are you want it to be as successful as possible.

Colin Gray is the founder of The Podcast Host, a website dedicated to helping anyone start and grow a successful podcast. With over 11 years of experience in the podcasting industry, Colin has established himself as an expert in the field. In addition to running The Podcast Host, he is also the founder of Alitu, a software tool that simplifies the podcast production process. Today, Colin shares his journey in building The Podcast Host and Alitu, sharing insights on the importance of providing valuable free content to build trust and credibility with his audience.

Quotes

“I can split myself into two parts. I do a Planning Day at the start of every month to outline my higher-level goals for that month. Then, every Monday morning, I revisit that higher-level plan and create a more detailed manager-level plan for the week.” - Colin Gray

“It's not just that everyone is different. Everyone does have different ways of working, but equally, you yourself have many different ways of working inside you as well.” - Colin Gray

“If you're switching from one type of task to another, it takes your mind a little while to flip, change mindset, and adapt to the new task.” - Colin Gray

Takeaways

00:34 Providing valuable free content is crucial for building trust and credibility with an audience.

10:43 Balancing innovation and reliability is a key challenge in software development.

12:15 Implementing structured time management strategies can help increase productivity and reduce stress.

21:48 Recognizing and embracing different working styles within oneself can lead to more effective task management.

26:51 Segregating tasks and planning ahead can help maintain momentum and ensure consistent progress.

Resources:

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Testing the Wrong Thing: How Often to Send Emails? (And Other Dangerous Ideas)

What do you think would happen if you spent all your time...

  • Trying to come up with the perfect product name?
  • Trying to figure out what's the best time of day to send out emails?
  • Trying to find the perfect price?
  • Trying to decide if your product should have 4 modules, 8 modules, 100 pages, 5 hours, 10 hours?
  • Trying to add more content to that product before it was launched?
  • Trying to decide if you should send 1 email per day, 1 email per week, or 1 email per month?

I hate to be a broken record for the last decade, but this is how you make money on the internet...

  1. Find that overlap between: a real need people are having (and are willing to pay money for), and the perfect solution you can provide using your skillset
  2. Cut up that solution into four "parts" or modules, making sure people get real tangible results from module #1 that erases the entire cost of the course and that modules 2, 3, and 4 build on top of that
  3. Record a 1-hour video for each module, making sure to give them a goal or result after each lesson
  4. Put those inside a membership site, create a payment button so people have to pay at LEAST $97 for access, add that button to a blank web page
  5. Create a sales letter above that payment button,

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Persuasion & Influence: The Most Important Blog Post You’ll Ever Read If You Ever Wanted to Sell Anything Online

Component #1: Stage of the Selling Process
(A.I.D.A.)

  • Attention: what's in this for me, why should I give you 30 seconds of my time? (usually a shocking statement, bold claim, promise, or newsworthy statement)
  • Interest: who are you, why should I listen, how does it relate to me?
  • Desire: what is your offer, what does it do, why would I want it?
  • Action: what do you want me to do right now to get it?

A very common mistake I see with sales letters (or with teaching of any kind) is that someone's got this in the wrong order. They're trying to sell something before they've demonstrated the importance of it, or they haven't captured my attention before they began talking to me. Some of them don't have a very clear call to action!

The point is, just look at your webinar presentation and sales letter and make sure that the ENTIRE presentation as a whole follows AIDA. Starts with attention, moves to interest, then desire, then finally action -- the pitch! Every piece of the webinar itself (intro, teaching, and pitching) should follow AIDA on its own and every slide should also follow AIDA -- even if the "attention" part is the headline of your slide, and the "action" is just to continue listening, watching, and participating in that webinar.

Now that we know the order we're going to proceed in, let's look at what tools we're going to use to do the job -- they are pretty interchangeable...

Component #2: Persuasion Tool
(Robert Cialdini "6 Keys of Influence")

I've seen many people try to explain their "system" for selling and persuading, but only explain one small piece. For example, has anyone tried to be your best friend in order to get you to buy from them (likeability)? It didn't always work, did it? On the other hand, if someone presented a trial offer (reciprocity) it made you buy... but not always, right?

These are the six tools you always use to get what you want, whether you realize it or not:

  • Authority: demonstrate higher value, you've got what I want, you know what you're talking about and I should listen to you
  • Likeability: we have common ground, we connect on several levels
  • Reciprocity: you've done something for me (either a literal gift or taught valuable information) so I want to return the favor
  • Commitment & Consistency: I've already agreed with you 20 times in a row, or I've sat through your 1-hour webinar, I want to keep following you
  • Social Proof: others see value in what you have so I do too
  • Scarcity: if I don't act on this right away, I will miss out in some way (won't be able to buy, will have to buy at a higher price, or won't get results if I wait)

I hope you seeing this list makes you realize why you sell to some people and not others. Honestly, some people will buy from you because they feel like they are you (likeability), because they feel the need to give back to you (reciprocity), because others like you (social proof), or just because you lit a fire under their butt to get them to buy right away (scarcity)...

And the way this REALLY makes sense to me is that authority, likeability, and reciprocity are the high-level strategies you'd use over time to sell high-ticket items. You play on your audience's need for certainty, love, and contribution.

While commitment & consistency, social proof, and scarcity are the cheap "gimmicks" that work great for low-ticket impulse buy sales. Think about it. Bucket brigades, hand raising, and multiple facts in a row (commitment and consistency) will give you a boost. Social proof (testimonials) will give you a boost. Deciding to only offer 100 copies or raise the price on Wednesday, will give you a boost!

The point of these six keys of influence: you need to have SOME of each of the six keys. Even if you don't have testimonials are your social proof, have case studies or explain to me how SOMEONE uses your product.

BUT! I think you're going to realize that the next time you create (or dissect) one of your own headlines, the effective ones uses one of these 6 keys as its MAIN driving force, probably with a 2nd a 3rd. For example, look at this headline:

"43 Smart Marketers Create 94 Information Products In Just A Few Short Weeks, Each In A Single Take, Starting With Almost Zero Training!
You Too Can Create Your Own Online Show, Event, or E-Class Just Like Two Guys Who Have Logged 545 Webinars (Totaling 1050 Hours)"

You could look at that and say it's a SOCIAL PROOF headline. Look at what these people did and you can do it too. I would say the secondary tool we used here was AUTHORITY, check out how well we train our students and how many webinars we ourselves have run. Finally, a 3rd tool that's just barely in there is LIKEABILITY -- we run online shows, events, and e-classes and would like you to do it as well.

Component #3: Underlying Need
(Anthony Robbins "6 Human Needs")

Here's where it gets super cool... if we know where we are in our selling process, we know what our end goal is at this point in time (get them to start reading, or to align with us, or listen to our offer, or buy now). That was component #1. Any of those 6 keys of influence will do it... but how do we know WHICH tool to use???

Ahhh... the answer is to know who you're selling to -- what are their needs? If you think about WHY someone buys your course on Facebook traffic, it's might be because they want to help as many people as possible with their training (contribution) or because they want everyone to know about them (significance)...

I've looked at every which way people try to simplify human needs but motivational speaker Tony Robbins was the only one I've found to break it down in a way that I can always remember...

  • Certainty: we need stability in our lives and to maintain what we have
  • Variety: we need new adventures and excitement
  • Significance: we need others to recognize how great we are
  • Love: we need to connect with other human beings
  • Growth: we need today to be better than it was 5 years ago
  • Contribution: we need to contribute to the greater good

Once again, how does this relate? To make a huge generalization, I would argue that most older men desire CERTAINTY the most. They want to be able to pay their bills and not have to worry. Their #2 need is VARIETY -- can't have the same exact day as yesterday. And #3 for them is SIGNIFICANCE. They still need love, growth, and contribution, but they see those things coming almost automatically as a result of meeting those other three needs. (Picture the ultimate "alpha male" -- William Shatner, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Jobs, Donald Trump -- they want certainty, variety and significance ABOVE ALL ELSE!)

Likewise, I would argue that MOST older women value those bottom three items the most... love, growth, and contribution. Do you think Oprah cares if she has $2 billion vs. $3 billion? NOT knowing her personally, I would say that Oprah belives in connecting with people (love), bettering herself as a person (growth), and helping others improve their lives as well (contribution) -- and that any certainty (money), variety (her business), and significance (fame) comes as an automatic result of that and therefore isn't so important.

Customer Avatar

You're going to have some Trumps as your subscribers, some Oprahs and everyone in between but once you get to know enough of your ideal customers you're going to discover your "ideal prospect" (Frank Kern and Eben Pagan call this your customer avatar) -- one imaginary person in your mind that adequately represents your ideal subscriber.

You'll figure out their name, age, appearance, what they do, what their income is, what they buy and THEN when you create a sales letter, or write a headline, you're just writing to that single person. And because you know what motivates them (their #1, #2, and #3 ranking needs), which tool you'll use to match those needs (which of the 6 Cialdini keys) -- then all you need to do is figure out which order to use them in! (which is Attention, Desire, Interest, and Action)

Bringing It All Together...

If you look at it correctly, this table will solve all your problems:

[table id=1 /]

Let me show you how to use it. Let's say your customer avatar is a slightly selfish person who values Variety, Significance, and Growth above all else. Let's also say you were selling a low ticket product so you're going to use Commitment & Consistency, Social Proof, and Scarcity to sell your product.

Now, we've decided that it would make the most sense if we opened with Social Proof, used Commitment & Consistency to keep them reading, and ended with Scarcity to really push them to buy right now.

Here's what we have so far:

  • Attention: Variety + Social Proof
  • Interest: Significance + Commitment & Consistency
  • Desire: ???
  • Action: Growth + Scarcity

We want to begin, build and end strong so I've listed our avatar's top three human needs in order as Attention, Interest, and Action, respectively. By the time someone is in the "Desire" stage, we're already explaining our offer to them, so we can put the remaining weakest pieces in there.

  • Attention: Variety + Social Proof
  • Interest: Significance + Commitment & Consistency
  • Desire: (Certainty, Love, Contribution) + (Authority, Likability, Reciprocity)
  • Action: Growth + Scarcity

How does this all come together? Let's consult our chart... for the headline (Action phase) we're going to start with a before and after statement, such as...

"If You're Not Using These Video Sales Tactics In Every Website and Sales Letter You Create, You Might as Well Throw $10 in the Trash Every Time Someone Visits Your Landing Page!
On the Other Hand, Apply This Easy 6-Step Formula and You'll Notice an Increase in Traffic, Higher Customer Response, and More Sales... Which Means More Money For You!"

Now for the "interest" step... significance + commitment & consistency = limited slots.

 

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869: Use Branding to Discover Your Target Audience with Ernie Harker

Is your brand getting KO'd by the competition? Why is branding important for your business? A strong brand matches colors, words, emotions, beliefs, and attitudes to earn the customers that you want most.

Ernie Harker is an experienced entrepreneur, author, illustrator, travel TV host, and Ironman athlete. One of the books he wrote is called, “Your Brand Sucks: How to ignite a brand that doesn't.” With over 30 years of expertise in branding and marketing, Ernie has valuable insights on how businesses can use branding to discover their target audience. Today, Ernie talks about the importance of finding a unique brand spark that sets a business apart from the competition, as well as the need to identify the core customer in order to craft effective marketing messages.

Quotes

“It's never exactly what you think it's going to be at the start. It's just a general idea. And then, after the illustration is done, you realize, 'That's kind of what I had in mind.' But it might be better, or it might be different.” - Ernie Harker

“Everybody in the water business talks about how great their water is. What you need to find is a unique point of differentiation that your target customer really cares about.” - Ernie Harker

“It's not about the quantity of eyeballs, but the quality. I can post a message about my widget and how cool it is to a million different people. But if only 100 are interested, it's a waste of time and money.” - Ernie Harker

Takeaways

08:22 Embracing a unique personality and not being afraid to let it shine through in branding and marketing can help a business stand out and connect with customers on a more personal level.

14:13 Branding and marketing should focus on finding a unique "brand spark" that sets a business apart from the competition, rather than just highlighting common product features.

20:57 Identifying the core target customer is crucial for crafting effective marketing messages that resonate with the right audience.

29:15 Quality of audience engagement is more important than quantity, as businesses should aim to build a smaller but highly engaged following rather than a large but disinterested one.

32:59 Collaborating with the right industry partners can help expand a brand's reach, but the partnership must align with the target audience to be successful.

38:10 Developing a distinct brand personality that customers can connect with emotionally is key to building a successful and memorable business.

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868: From Money Maker to Moonshot: Find Success Through Innovation with Lewis Schiff

What kind of businesses do you want to create? What makes you unique that you can bring to the business world? You have to look at the world differently.

Lewis Schiff is an accomplished entrepreneur and author who has dedicated over 25 years to studying success in America. He wrote the Amazon best seller, “The First Habit.” As the founder of the "Birthing of Giants" program, Lewis has helped numerous business owners transform their companies into thriving, multi-million-dollar enterprises. Today, Lewis shares his insights on the key factors that differentiate the top 10% of successful entrepreneurs from the rest, emphasizing the importance of understanding one's unique strengths and leveraging them to create substantial growth.

Quotes

“The most successful people I know look at the world differently than almost everybody else, and that's a really hard thing to do.” - Lewis Schiff

“You have to learn how you're bad at a lot of things to carve away and discover what you're good at. Most people do not have the stamina, tolerance, or elasticity to fail repeatedly to finally figure it out.” - Lewis Schiff

“The thing that you're probably really good at is something that comes so naturally and easily to you that you think, 'What's the big deal?'” - Lewis Schiff

Takeaways

02:48 Identifying and focusing on your unique strengths is crucial for achieving exceptional success.

04:40 Embracing failure and using it as a learning opportunity is essential for personal and professional growth.

16:30 Surrounding yourself with a diverse community and being curious about others' perspectives can lead to unexpected insights and breakthroughs.

20:01 Transforming a successful business into an even more valuable enterprise often requires a willingness to challenge the status quo and explore new possibilities.

27:27 The physical environment and traditions of certain institutions can create a mindset conducive to innovative thinking and problem-solving.

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867: Develop your Next Big Business Idea to Change the World with Bryan Mattimore

Developing a new idea for the next big thing in the market can be tough. This usually requires a lot of ideas and a lot of people during its process. The first thing you should do is to figure out the problems that need to be solved. In that way, you know what kind of problem you are facing and what kind of solution you should be proposing.

Bryan Mattimore is the co-founder of the 20-year-old growth engine Growth Engine Innovation Agency. He has written three books, including "Idea Stormers" and "21 Days to a Big Idea!" Bryan has facilitated over 1,000 ideation sessions and 200 successful innovation projects, leading to $3 billion in new products and services. He is also an innovation instructor at Caltech. Today, Bryan talks about developing big ideas and shares techniques for overcoming common challenges in the innovation process, such as redefining problems and questioning assumptions.

Quotes

“If you can create an environment where people are allowed and encouraged to be creative, you'll find that it's more fun, and you're likely to be more profitable and grow more rapidly.” - Bryan Mattimore

“You can go down a certain path with a certain problem definition. But you need to be flexible and open to redefining that definition as you come up with ideas and learn more.” - Bryan Mattimore

“A big part of successful innovators is the salesmanship of their ideas, which is, frankly, as or more important than the first 'eureka' moment.” - Bryan Mattimore

Takeaways

08:38 Successful innovation requires a toolkit of different ideation techniques, such as questioning assumptions, using metaphors, and exploring fantasy ideas, to reframe problems and uncover new solutions.

12:45 Involving key stakeholders early in the innovation process and allowing them to contribute to the ideas is crucial for gaining buy-in and overcoming organizational resistance.

17:40 Failing quickly and learning from those failures is more important than trying to get the perfect solution on the first try, as it allows for iterative improvements.

22:07 Mashing up ideas from different industries or domains can lead to unexpected and innovative solutions.

27:33 Imposing constraints or limitations on a problem can sometimes spark more creative thinking and breakthrough ideas.

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866: Build a Global Podcasting Brand with Audrey Bell-Kearney

Reaching out to your target audience was challenging for entrepreneurs, when the internet was not around. With so many outlets via which you may communicate your niche these days, all you have to do is get your message through.

Audrey Bell-Kearney is the CEO of Noise Media Network, a media, marketing, and consulting firm that produces and distributes digital content for clients. She is a podcast host, with her show "Good Morning, Gwinnett" airing four days a week live. Today, Audrey shares her experience in the podcasting industry, including how she has leveraged her show to build relationships with local government officials and small business owners, and how she has structured a partnership with her local Chamber of Commerce to provide podcast services to their members.

Quotes

“We need transparency. We need you to be transparent and tell us where the money's going.” - Audrey Bell Kearney

“I talk to business owners all the time. I sit on the chamber board of two chambers, and often they think it's something that can't help them.” - Audrey Bell Kearney

“I help take away the fear of being out there—the fear of not knowing how to work something, what to do, or who to call.” - Audrey Bell Kearney

Takeaways

01:37 Podcasting can open doors to valuable connections and opportunities, even with government officials and community leaders.

04:39 Small business owners may be hesitant about podcasting, but it can be an effective way to establish themselves as experts and attract new customers.

13:44 Consistency and passion are key to maintaining a successful podcast, even during difficult personal circumstances.

21:59 Tailoring the podcast format to your own style and preferences, rather than trying to emulate others, can lead to a more authentic and engaging show.

28:09 Taking advantage of partnerships and technology can help expand the reach and impact of a podcast, even for those who may be intimidated by the technical aspects.

Resource

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865: Get into Growth Mode Using Automation with Kevin Snow

Starting a business and establishing a presence in the traditional sense might be intimidating. It might be as simple as a few clicks for the tech-savvy. However, it is a different scenario for the technological nomads. It may be difficult for them to navigate through complicated web pages, links, or commands.

Kevin Snow is the President and CEO of Time on Target and the co-host of the top 100 Apple podcast called "Growth Mode." As a sales expert and technology enthusiast, Kevin shares his expertise in integrating digital technology with sales processes in an authentic and professional way. Today, Kevin discusses the importance of starting small with marketing automation and sales process optimization.

Quotes

“Wisdom comes from experience, and experience comes from bad choices.” - Kevin Snow

“It's always about understanding and helping them realize where their limitations are now, and then figuring out a really cool way to fix it.” - Kevin Snow

“Your number one job as a CEO or business owner is sales. You need to sell, especially if you're just starting out, because that's what gives you proof of concept for your product.” - Kevin Snow

Takeaways

05:48 Embrace the iterative nature of marketing automation and sales process improvements, as the ability to revisit and enhance your systems is key to driving business growth.

13:00 Start small with marketing automation and sales process optimization to get easy wins and build excitement around the technology.

20:00 Document and understand your current sales process before implementing complex automation to ensure it aligns with your clients' needs.

24:35 Use an outside perspective to help identify limitations in your sales process and develop innovative solutions to streamline your operations.

32:37 Prioritize sales as the CEO or business owner, as it provides proof of concept for your product and keeps your company going.

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