How You Build Trust With Specific Language
People don’t trust what they can’t see, and they can’t see generalities.
Don’t Ever LIE To Your Customer
My firsthand experience with window quotes reflects what I knew from marketing studies. Protect trust at all costs.
Gold circle where the 12 should be
Reading car magazines as a kid led me to buy a Movado decades later. Can social media play that long game?
Your One-On-Ones Aren’t Failing: Your Trust Is
An astonishing 50% of all one-on-ones on our team were getting canceled. Why? How?
THE WIZARD (bi)WEEKLY
Twice a month we’ll send our best advice, no strings attached.
Let’s grow your business.
No spam. No nonsense.
The Campaign Debate: Cute and Clever is a Costume
It’s not enough to get a laugh. You need to get remembered and called months from now.
Nintendo – When Gaming Met Storytelling
Donkey Kong was supposed to feature Popeye but (luckily) they had the wrong license.
Coffee Shop Near Me
There’s a limited number of prospects searching for what you provide each day. What do you do after you hit the ceiling?
Why this boring billboard is a SLAM DUNK.
They’re in a category where no one advertises, so awareness goes a long way.
Before You Fire Anyone Use This Framework First
Do 3 things before making a judgment, whether it’s the system, the process, or the person: Ask, Teach, and Own.
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This Is Why Your Ads Are Being Ignored (and the “Rhino” Fix)
Simplicity wins. It’s what makes people stop, feel, and remember.
P.F. Chang’s – From Scottsdale To The World
300 restaurants might not sound like a billion dollar empire, but you’d be wrong.
AI is blind, and media companies are stupid.
AI has no idea how many billboards, radio ads, or TV ads anybody is running. That’s huge.
The Two Things He Refused to Cut
I get that call every time the economy wobbles: “Should we pause the ads for a while?”
Lead Generation vs. Lead Capture
You can’t make somebody want a furnace. You can only be the first in line when they do if you prepare correctly.
How Do I Build Enough Trust That People Just Call Us First?
You don’t get there quickly, or with ads that sound like ads.
Jameson Whiskey – How They Won The World
Your brain knows this is fiction. But you also feel like this is amazing; Jameson’s cool.
The water was like glass.
Dad subscribed to “Work hard, play hard.” And in his words, I’m lazy. Not untrue. But that opens up its own possibilities.
Why Your AI Keeps Giving You Bad Answers
If you’re just throwing BS into the chatbot, you’re gonna get BS back.
Stop showing up at last call
How much of your marketing is reacting at last call, and how much is spent proactively winning hearts before anyone’s looking?
Should You Buy More HVAC Leads? Not Before You Find The Revenue Leak
If the problem is booking, dispatch, close rate, or job value, more leads may only make the leak bigger.
Wham-O – Meat Slingshot to Toy Empire
They originally wanted to send meat skyward for falcons. But then they saw hidden potential for countless iconic toys.
The Discipline That Separates Smart Advertising From Wasted Money
Most sprinkle ads to reach tons of people, but don’t reach anybody with enough repetition.
Marketing to Women Has Changed. The Evolution of Aspiration.
People still want products to take them somewhere. But the entrance requirements changed.
Google Is Changing How Missed Local Services Ads Calls Are Charged
You could pay twice for an opportunity you never got to talk to.
There are only two ways we break a business
People think, “If I just had more leads, then everything would be…” But when more leads show up, new problems do too.
Why Volkswagen bet everything on the Beetle
The industry believed you need to make it look big and luxurious. Now here’s Volkswagen with this tiny car.
Advertising Has Been Outlawed. Now What?
The thought experiment is this: If you had to turn up the lever on something that isn’t advertising, what would it be?
How to Maximize the Impact of Your Articles
In a crowded digital marketplace, consistency and helpfulness are true differentiators.
The father of instant ramen was NOT an instant success
He’s just out of jail, has no culinary training, but he’s observant and takes the risk.
Whose Bentley is that?
The boss drives a Bentley to work. What happens? Employees think, “I bring in all the sales. I paid for that.”
Your Game, Your Rules: Why Copycats Can Never Catch You
When you innovate then see imitators emerge, most owners suddenly want to deviate.
How Do I Get Picked Without Being the Cheapest?
Price fills the vacuum by default if you never gave customers a different reason to choose you.
September is the new January! Why not?
The nice thing about milestones is you, yes you, get to choose when the mile starts.
Price Transparency Is Not a Choice
Many businesses are still working from an old belief that they control when and how to reveal prices.
The Donut, the Hole, and Your Google Ads Budget
Only 5% of your market wants to buy today. Don’t lose sight of the remaining 95% who will need you later.
Stop Talking About Yourself: You’re Killing Your Sales
Rejection primarily comes down to one reason: you didn’t understand their situation.
If that happened to me, that’s how I would like to be treated.
You should always respond to every review, regardless of the platform. This is true AEO.
Google – Do No Evil…
Back during the “do no evil” days, salespeople went to agencies asking for insertions to be sent back by fax.
The Problem With Almost Every Car Commercial
You and I both know every new car has nearly the same features and the same benefits.
Starting Takes Courage. Staying Takes More.
Ask yourself: has the plan failed, or have we just reached the point where courage needs to become endurance?
Why the Ads That Make You Feel Always Win (and Logic Rarely Does)
People don’t buy because you’re logical. They buy because something moved them.
Training is a Waste of Time and Money
Money’s spent, enthusiasm spikes, but old habits return quickly without proper installation.
When dinosaurs walked the Internet, and ChatGPT’s modern T-Rex
I’ve seen this cycle in the internet space played over and over again.
How Do I Measure the ROI on Brand Advertising?
A lot of reports can measure your harvest, but how do you measure planting and fertilizing?
Chocolate Chip Cookies – An Empire???
It’s 1935. The Toll House restaurant is robbed. They’re broke. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Afraid of the Camera? Your Business is Paying the Price
When you start doing something, all of a sudden it becomes easier to continue. It’s the law of momentum.
Bored or Broken? How to Know When to Change Your Ads
Why the owner’s clock and the customer’s clock are never synchronized.
This Ad Failed Because of One Simple Mistake
Questions can be unbelievably powerful. But there are 2 types, and you want to pick the right kind.
Whoever Keeps Score Decides Who Wins
Your ad report claims last month was amazing, but your bank account hasn’t heard the news. Familiar?
Silently positioning themselves as…
Some tech companies make a lot of noise about what they are doing. But YouTube is quietly gaining ground.
Why Safe Brands Get Ignored and Bold Ones Win
“We want our ads to appeal to everyone.” It sounds safe, but it’s actually the most dangerous thing you can do.
Porsche – From Inexpensive To Luxury
Ferdinand wanted to make cars for the people, but the Porsche brand we know is an empire of performance.
Google’s Latest Profit Grab – “Fixing CPA Bidding”
The target you entered is becoming more important, and your costs might start going up.
You’re Reacting, Not Leading | The Leading Indicator Shift
Can you see reality and changes in your business early enough to do something about it?
Stairs to your North Star are worth the Climb
In life and in marketing, keeping stuff easy on one level seems… Smart. But is it really?
The AI Nervous System Still Needs Direction and Belief
AI can speed you up, but it won’t notice you’re walking in the wrong direction.
The Hidden Skill Behind Every Great Ad
Every terrible ad that’s ever hit the airwaves was approved by someone. Think about that.
The Unleveraged Asset EVERY Small Business Ignores
Companies struggle to find fresh social media ideas. Just look at your reviews.
How Do I Word My Ads So I’m Remembered?
The best messages are both vivid enough to stick and consistent enough to compound.
The Home Depot – Inspired by Walmart
“Get rid of the flash sales, buy in bulk, keep everything as cheap as possible.”
ChatGPT Ads Now Offer Geographic Targeting
The final verdict isn’t here yet, but this is a critical step toward making ChatGPT Ads useful for local businesses.
Why VRBO’s advertising isn’t working…
You’re saying we’ll have a vacation with our teenage daughter, and it’s going to be crappy.
Are You Buying Jobs or Building Business Value?
You want marketing to be an investment, not just another expense. Higher returns can take longer.
They keep telling me our price is too high but I don’t believe them
When price is blamed, it usually means value was explained but not experienced.
Radio is NOT Nostalgic, It’s Just Good Business
It’s not just vinyl records gaining ground. “Analog radio” searches are at an all-time high.
Watch this if you want to IMPROVE the way you communicate!
Delivery matters. Even if the words are identical, the communication may not be.
Apple Maps Ads: Home Services Won’t Be Eligible At Launch
Apple is taking a careful and limited approach right now.
Don’t Advertise Why You Sell. Advertise Why They Buy.
Consumers are motivated by feelings. Coke spends all their effort just trying to be likable.
Killing the Classified Ad: The eBay Origin Story
This was back when tech asked, “How do I make this easier and better for everyone?”
What happens when you break a promise…
What are they doing? Lying to their customer. Because they have zero intent to be there the next day.
Some People Say Our Ads Are Annoying. What Now?
Indifference is the killer. Irritation is just evidence that somebody’s paying attention.
What Separates Ethical Persuasion From Manipulation
If you don’t believe in it, for the love of God, don’t try to sell it.
Google Is Moving Local Services Ads Into Google Ads
What’s changing? For visitors: not much. For advertisers: everything.
Don’t Take Shortcuts
Brands want to get buyers there faster, easier, and simpler. The problem is that marketing is relationships.
I’m terrified to coach my best people.
Withholding coaching from the high performers isn’t kindness. It’s abdication.
Be Different. Just Like Everyone Else.
I’m not trying to bum you out. I’m trying to amplify how important this stuff is.
This commercial made me cry…
It’s expensive yet they’re the fastest-growing pet brand over the last decade. They start with self-identification.
How Do We Lose to Companies With Worse Service?
You’ve been perfecting the last 10 feet of a mile-long race as your competitors own the first 5,270.
Flush With Success: Lowe’s Strange Story
“Carl, why’s there toilets in the office?” He goes, “Well, I bought 400 of them and I ran out of space, so they’re sitting in here.”
The Alchemy of Virality: Make the Viewer the Hero
Most people are merely chasing the trappings of viral content, not creating anything new.
Your Accidental Sales Process is a Disaster Waiting to Happen
With real process, winning stops feeling like luck and losing stops feeling like doom.
The Hidden Forces that Shape Behavior
The reaction our brain has to a really well-written character is the same as talking to somebody in real life.
“We Care” Is Not a Marketing Strategy
Nobody gets bonus points for clearing the basic bar, but most ads are celebrating mere table stakes.
You already know what this is
McDonald’s had bravery on this that if people didn’t figure it out, somebody would tell them.
Designers Are Losing The Will To Live!
When everyone’s post, flyer, or van wrap has the same AI generated feel, it becomes a problem.
Walk before you run. Lessons from Amazon’s 8,000 orders a minute.
You can have that massive vision, but you must still start with something smaller.
The Future of Creativity: AI, Art & the Heart
AI can emulate the habits of the greats. But does it say what they would have said? Does it move you?
Why Am I Spending More on Marketing For Fewer Leads?
The real problem is almost never that you’re spending too little.
The Core Confession: “One Bad Quarter from Disaster”
Stepping in to fix sales problems carries a permanent cost.
1 Star Google Reviews: You’re Doing Them Wrong!
People are becoming more skeptical of review systems.
You Can’t Handle Different
You want a breakthrough idea that a focus group approves. That’s not truly different.
Why this AMAZING ad doesn’t land…
It made you feel like you were listening in, which hits you differently.
The Attention Equation: Story, Trust & Timing
Most owners do this backwards. Humans love to reciprocate, so start by giving a gift.
Kindness Is Free
Observations after 3 decades of returning to my Happy Place. Why does everyone line up for Tommy’s Hot Dog stand?
Why Great Brands Are Unreasonable
Most people have no idea the Pirelli calendar exists. That may be part of why it works.
Don’t Let The Legal Department Kill Creativity!
They make you as bland as possible to snuff out any chance of going to court. But the edge is what made it funny.
Lily’s Sweets – She drove $20 million with 4 employees. How?
In her sixties she builds this and sells for $425 million.
Is Everything Better with Pepsi?
The campaign does something important. It says I’m honoring your likes and your loves.
What Magicians Teach Us About Marketing, Trust & Attention
People don’t want to be pushed. They want to be understood.
Don’t Be Too Efficient
We forgive big companies that treat us like cattle, but at a small company, it can destroy all faith and trust.
Radio’s Secret: Why It’s Still a Media Powerhouse
Even marketing agencies believe just 40% of Americans listen each week. Nielsen measures it at 87%.
OTT Advertising: The Secret to Dominating Your Local Market
The number of people selling it without knowing what they’re talking about has exploded.
French Florist – From Failing to Flourishing
Michael wanted to help his uncle sell his flower shop, but now it’s growing like a weed for these 4 reasons.
Why this Campaign Absolutely Dominated!
If you proposed “We’re only ever going to change one word,” most leaders would guffaw.
AI Eats Up Stories
It’s like Pac-Man eating pellets, but it really wants the gold coin. What are those coins? The answer is both new and old.
The Truth About Raising Prices
Sometimes the market knows your worth before you do. But push prices too far and people stop believing you’re fair.
How to MASTER Recruiting
Having good staff is just as important as having good clients, but how do you find them?
Why 80% of Businesses Are Running on Broken
Your brand has a story. The question is whether it’s true.
Google’s AI Search Is Here, And Here’s How to Prepare.
People talk about Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) like it’s an entirely new discipline.