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Jule Kim’s session delves into the art and science of asking questions in sales and professional interactions, emphasizing their transformative power. The primary theme is how well-crafted questions not only gather information but also build trust, uncover needs, and guide conversations toward meaningful solutions. Jule emphasizes that effective questioning is a foundational skill that shapes the trajectory of sales calls, whether addressing clients’ immediate needs or understanding deeper motivations.

The session is structured as an interactive exercise where participants submit questions based on a simulated scenario. Jule critiques these questions, focusing on their structure, intent, and potential to elicit valuable responses. Participants are guided to rethink their questioning approaches, favoring open-ended and exploratory styles over binary or leading queries. Jule’s method blends theory with practical insights, providing actionable frameworks that can significantly enhance interpersonal communication in professional settings.

Key Points
1. The Power of Questions: Questions are tools for exploration, connection, and problem-solving.
2. Types of Questions:
• Open-ended vs. Closed-ended.
• Leading vs. Neutral.
3. Stages of Questioning:
• Diagnosing the “symptoms.”
• Exploring the “causes.”
• Identifying desired outcomes.
4. Common Pitfalls:
• Vagueness.
• Making assumptions.
• Stacking questions.
5. Practical Applications: Using questions to uncover client needs, clarify objectives, and avoid premature solutions.

High-Level Structure Using the Pyramid Principle
1. General Principle: Questions shape the conversation.
• Why it matters: Trust-building and alignment with client goals.
2. Specific Framework:
• Start with symptoms: Understand immediate needs.
• Move to scope: Clarify extent and impact.
• Address goals: Uncover motivations and outcomes.
3. Detailed Practices:
• Avoid yes/no questions.
• Contextualize and narrow focus without leading.

Detailed Section Analysis

Defining Good Questions

Definition:
Good questions provoke thought and yield insights without making assumptions. They open doors to understanding.

Theory:
Effective questions are grounded in psychological principles, such as eliciting reflective thinking and reducing defensiveness.

Context:
In sales, the right questions uncover needs while demonstrating expertise and empathy.

Mechanism
• Use “What” or “How” to frame inquiries.
• Avoid overly complex or compound questions.

Framework

Example framework: Problem Identification → Cause Exploration → Desired Outcome.

Cause-and-Effect

Poorly framed questions can mislead or alienate clients. Thoughtful questioning ensures clarity and engagement.

Examples
1. “What challenges are you facing with your current website?”
2. “How do you envision Webflow improving your workflow?”
3. “What outcomes are most important to you in this redesign?”

Challenges
• Balancing precision with openness.
• Avoiding leading language.

Interconnections

Good questioning aligns with active listening and clear communication, forming a cohesive conversational strategy.

The Doctor Analogy: Diagnosing Client Needs

Definition:
Approach questioning like a doctor diagnosing a patient.

Theory:
This method prioritizes understanding symptoms before proposing solutions, mirroring diagnostic practices in medicine.

Context:
Sales professionals must identify the client’s “pain points” to offer tailored solutions.

Mechanism
1. Symptoms: What is the immediate issue?
2. Scope: How widespread is the impact?
3. Cause: What led to this situation?

Framework
1. Symptoms: “What prompted you to consider switching platforms?”
2. Scope: “Where do you see challenges in your current setup?”
3. Causes: “What changes in your business led to this need?”

Examples
• “What features are most critical for your business?”
• “How long have these issues persisted?”

Challenges

Clients may not articulate problems clearly, requiring probing and clarification.

Interconnections

This analogy ties into active listening, as it ensures the salesperson fully understands before responding.

The Role of Open-Ended Questions

Definition:
Open-ended questions encourage detailed responses and insights.

Theory:
They avoid limiting answers and encourage creativity and depth.

Context:
Especially useful in exploratory conversations like initial client consultations.

Mechanism
• Begin with “What,” “How,” or “Can you describe.”
• Avoid binary framing like “Is it this or that?”

Framework:

Example sequence:
1. Open: “What inspired this project?”
2. Refine: “Can you tell me more about the challenges you’re facing?”

Cause-and-Effect

Open-ended questions foster collaboration and mutual understanding, leading to more effective solutions.

Examples
1. “What does success look like for you in this project?”
2. “How would this change impact your daily operations?”

Challenges

Some clients may struggle with too much openness, requiring guided follow-ups.

Interconnections

Pairs with reflective listening to validate and build on client responses.

Unique Terminology or Concepts

Symptom-Based Questioning
• Inspired by medical diagnosis, focusing on immediate pain points before addressing broader solutions.

Leading Questions
• Framed to steer answers, often avoided to ensure genuine insights.

Stacked Questions
• Multiple questions in one. Simplify to enhance clarity and response quality.

Practical Applications and Actionable Insights

Strategies for Marketers
1. Use open-ended questions to explore client needs.
2. Avoid assumptions by neutral phrasing.
3. Apply the doctor analogy to structure consultations.
4. Contextualize vague responses with follow-ups.

Actionable Tips
• Start broad, then refine.
• Encourage reflection: “What made you consider this approach?”
• Set boundaries: “In one or two sentences, can you summarize?”

Conclusion

Jule Kim’s session illuminates the profound role of questions in professional dialogues. By emphasizing open-ended, context-driven questioning, she equips participants with the tools to navigate sales calls effectively. This approach fosters trust, uncovers deeper insights, and positions professionals as empathetic problem-solvers. As businesses prioritize client-centric strategies, mastering this skill will remain pivotal.

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Jule explains the nuanced strategies for creating impactful content across three categories:
**value-driven insights**, **personal stories**, and **unpopular opinions**.

Jule's approach reflects the current evolution in content marketing, influenced by platforms like TikTok, which emphasize authenticity and relatability. She underscores the importance of being specific, actionable, and aligned with the audience's needs to drive meaningful connections and establish credibility. This aligns with broader trends in digital marketing, where storytelling and value-based content have emerged as key differentiators.

Key Points:

1. Value-Driven Content:
  - Build authority by offering actionable solutions to audience pain points.
  - Focus on demonstrating expertise rather than overtly selling services.

2. Personal Stories:
  - Use storytelling to forge emotional connections and showcase authenticity.
  - Share struggles and lessons learned to resonate with the audience.

3. Unpopular or Contrarian Opinions:
  - Differentiate your brand by challenging mainstream perspectives.
  - Use unique insights to offer a fresh, thought-provoking viewpoint.

Content Evolution:
  - Highlight the shift from generic lists to more connection-focused content.
  - Acknowledge the influence of TikTok and other social platforms on audience expectations.

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High-Level Structure Using the Pyramid Principle

Top-Level Idea:  
To create impactful content, blend value, authenticity, and unique perspectives tailored to evolving audience preferences.

Supporting Ideas:  
1. **Understand Audience Needs: Craft content that solves specific problems or provides fresh insights.
2. **Leverage Personal Stories: Share relatable experiences to establish trust and engagement.
3. **Challenge the Norm**: Stand out by presenting contrarian or less-explored perspectives.

Details:  
- Provide actionable steps and vivid examples to ensure the message resonates.
- Align content with audience expectations shaped by platforms like TikTok.

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Value-Driven Content

Definition: Posts designed to provide immediate, actionable insights or solve specific problems.  
Theory: Authority is built by addressing core audience questions and proving expertise through tangible value.  
Mechanism: Use frameworks like "Symptoms-Problem-Solution" to structure content effectively.  

Examples:  
Explaining common branding pitfalls.  
 - Breaking down the success of viral campaigns like the Stanley Tumblr rebrand.  
Challenges: Avoid overwhelming the audience with data or facts without context or actionable takeaways.  
Interconnections: Ties closely to "personal stories" by humanizing expertise.  

Personal Stories

Definition: Content based on personal experiences, reflecting authenticity and relatability.  
Theory: Audiences are drawn to creators they feel are relatable or share similar values.  
Mechanism: Use the "Experience + Realization" formula to share struggles and lessons learned.  

Examples:  
Sharing a moment of vulnerability and how it led to growth.  
Discussing personal challenges in the branding process to connect with like-minded professionals.  
Challenges: Risk of overexposure or backlash from overly vulnerable posts.  
Interconnections: Stories can feed into value-driven content by illustrating lessons learned.

Unpopular or Contrarian Opinions

Definition: Posts that challenge mainstream beliefs or explore unconventional ideas.  
Theory: These posts leverage curiosity and cognitive dissonance to engage audiences and spark discussion.  
Mechanism: Present a popular concept, critique it with facts, and provide an alternative perspective.  

Examples:  
Contrasting the hype around viral content with its actual ROI.  
Challenging clichés like "the customer is always right."  
Challenges: Balancing provocation with credibility; avoid contrarianism for its own sake.  
Interconnections**: Contrarian opinions can be grounded in personal stories or data to enhance credibility.

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Explanation of Unique Terminology

Vulnerability Hangover: The feeling of regret or anxiety after sharing something personal online. Relevant as creators balance authenticity with maintaining their comfort zone.  
Perspective Shift: The goal of contrarian content, where audiences are encouraged to reconsider their existing beliefs.  

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Practical Applications and Actionable Insights

1. **Framework for Content Creation**: Use the "Symptoms-Problem-Solution" structure for value posts.
2. **Emphasize Authenticity**: Share personal stories that reflect your values and lessons learned.
3. **Think Differently**: Identify popular industry beliefs and provide alternative perspectives.

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Interconnections Between Concepts

- Personal stories can strengthen value-driven posts by providing context and relatability.
- Contrarian opinions benefit from the credibility established by value-driven insights.
- Together, these three content types create a well-rounded content strategy that appeals to diverse audience preferences.

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Jule Kim, an executive coach, focused on creating impactful content. Jule draws from her three years of experience in content creation and analysis to provide insights for professionals looking to elevate their content strategies.

The session emphasizes the importance of balancing authenticity, emotional engagement, and structural clarity to connect effectively with audiences.

Key takeaways include prioritizing depth in content over breadth, leveraging emotional relatability, and addressing fears about vulnerability. Jule also shares practical tips for handling criticism and experimenting with diverse formats and styles, making this discussion relevant for content creators across various platforms.

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Key Themes

Jule, shares her expertise on creating content that resonates. She blends personal anecdotes with actionable advice to illustrate her points. The major themes include:

1. Creating Valuable Content: Depth and uniqueness in content provide the foundation for engagement. Actionable insights further enhance audience interest.
2. Emotional Connection: Relatability and vulnerability are essential for building trust and loyalty with audiences.
3. Navigating Challenges: From criticism to self-doubt, creators must overcome fears to unlock their full potential.
4. Practical Strategies: Clear frameworks and relatable examples equip participants to implement Jule’s advice immediately.

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1.Go Deep, Not Wide

Jule advises focusing on fewer topics in greater detail. Audiences value expertise and specific insights over surface-level summaries. This approach not only boosts credibility but also helps content stand out. For example, instead of listing 10 tips for social media, an in-depth guide to one strategy would provide more value.

This strategy, however, requires thorough research and expertise, and it might alienate audiences seeking quick overviews. Pairing depth with emotional relatability can mitigate this limitation.

2. Emotional Relatability and Vulnerability

Jule emphasizes the importance of content that resonates emotionally. Sharing personal experiences and struggles fosters trust and relatability. For instance, discussing challenges like imposter syndrome or balancing work and family life can make creators more human and relatable.

While this approach strengthens connections, it requires creators to overcome fears about exposing personal details. The key is balancing openness with professionalism to maintain credibility.

3. Overcoming Fear and Criticism

Many creators fear judgment or negative feedback. Jule encourages embracing vulnerability and learning from criticism. Constructive responses, whether through humor or empathy, can defuse tense situations. Using AI tools to craft respectful replies is one practical solution.

Jule also highlights the importance of discerning between meaningful conversations and unproductive trolling. Engaging with critics requires emotional resilience and strategic thinking.

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Practical Applications

1. Experiment with various content formats to find what feels authentic.
2. Share relatable stories to create emotional connections with your audience.
3. Balance professional teaching with personal insights to humanize your brand.
4. Address audience criticisms with humility and transparency to build credibility.

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Interconnections Between Concepts

Jule demonstrates that structural clarity and emotional relatability are interdependent. Clear, concise content ensures accessibility, while emotional elements drive engagement. Together, these aspects create a cohesive and effective content strategy.

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Future Developments

Jule suggests that authenticity and emotional connection will continue to dominate content trends. Future strategies could explore new platforms like Threads or innovative formats such as micro-podcasts. The emphasis is on adapting to the evolving preferences of audiences.

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Conclusion

Jule’s session provides a comprehensive roadmap for creating impactful content. By prioritizing depth, emotional connection, and authenticity, creators can strengthen their audience relationships and achieve sustainable success. This balanced approach offers both a framework and practical steps for impactful storytelling in the modern content landscape.

Resources:
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69242.Made_to_Stick

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Chris Do shares with us how the Futur™ community is evolving. Key points include; cultivating a thriving community, leveraging collective expertise, and optimizing platforms for streamlined interaction. Using storytelling and reflection, the speaker outlines strategies to enhance collaboration and mutual learning while implementing platform updates.

Key Points
1. Human Connection and Community:
  - A recurring theme is the intrinsic human need for meaningful relationships, amplified through shared values and collaborative learning.

2. Member Empowerment and Knowledge Sharing:
  - Shifting the focus from a single leader to a collective wisdom model where members actively contribute their expertise.

3. Adapting Leadership Practices:
  - Implementing techniques inspired by successful coaches like Taki Moore to refine engagement models and teaching strategies.

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Detailed Section Analysis

1. Human Connection and Community
Definition: Building environments where members form meaningful relationships and engage on shared values.
Theory: Humans are social beings who thrive in communities reflecting their values, as highlighted by Maslow's hierarchy of needs (belongingness).
Context: The speaker reflects on retreats and group experiences to underscore why people pay premium prices for in-person connections.
Mechanism: Facilitated intimate discussions (e.g., van talks) create bonding opportunities.
Framework: Focused group settings, reflective questions to participants about goals, and structured engagements.
Cause and Effect: Higher member satisfaction leads to prolonged community participation.

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2. Member Empowerment and Decentralized Leadership
Definition: Shifting from top-down instruction to a collaborative model where members lead.
Theory: Collective intelligence theory suggests groups perform better when diverse expertise is harnessed.
Context: The speaker notes feeling like the “bottleneck” of information and advocates for member-led breakout sessions.
Mechanism: Highlighting and rewarding members with specific expertise to lead learning.
Framework: Taki Moore’s method of spotlighting three diverse contributors for breakout discussions.
Cause and Effect: Empowering members increases engagement and reduces dependency on central leadership.

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3. Technology Optimization for Unified Access
Definition: Streamlining technology systems for seamless user experience.
Theory: Cognitive load theory supports simplifying systems to improve user efficiency.
Context: The decision to migrate from fragmented tools to a unified platform like Circle.
Mechanism: Centralizing resources reduces friction and encourages engagement.
Framework: One username-password system integrated with a responsive backend.
Cause and Effect: Simplification increases participation and eases troubleshooting.

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Jule Kim, an executive coach and experienced podcast guest / co-host, shares her approach to creating standout podcast episodes by focusing on meaningful, genuine conversations. Drawing from her experience on over 30 podcasts, Jule emphasizes qualities that truly resonate with listeners: authenticity, rapport, and vulnerability. Rather than using “growth hacks,” she highlights techniques that help both hosts and guests connect in a way that feels real and memorable.

Jule stresses the importance of establishing an authentic connection. She suggests that both the host and guest spend a few minutes chatting before recording. This helps set the tone and build a comfortable environment, allowing the episode to flow naturally. Building rapport in this way is like meeting a new friend—you take time to get familiar and create a positive atmosphere.

Matching energy is another core part of her approach. Jule advises that hosts and guests pay attention to each other’s energy and find a balance that suits the conversation. For instance, if the guest has a calm presence, the host might adjust their own energy to meet that, rather than creating a jarring contrast. This kind of energy matching creates harmony, making the episode more engaging for listeners.

She also encourages hosts to allow room for vulnerability and honesty. Silence can be powerful, Jule says; when hosts don’t rush to fill gaps, guests feel they have space to express themselves openly. Jule explains how pauses can lead to deeper insights, sharing an example where a simple pause allowed her to reflect on family expectations. Many hosts struggle with silence, but she encourages them to let it happen, as it can lead to more authentic and thoughtful responses.

In practical terms, Jule recommends preparing by researching the guest’s background, tuning into their energy, and sharing something personal to invite openness. Challenges can arise, especially when balancing professionalism with friendliness. Jule suggests adapting to the other person’s pace and tone, as rigid interview patterns can often block authentic dialogue.

Ultimately, Jule’s insights show that a successful podcast is less about traditional metrics and more about creating a genuine connection. By prioritizing real conversations and shared humanity, hosts and guests can make episodes that listeners remember. Her coaching emphasizes that authenticity, attentive listening, and vulnerability are key to transforming a podcast episode from ordinary to truly impactful.

Action Items

1. Build Pre-Recording Rapport
  Spend a few minutes before recording to chat with your guest or host. Discuss topics you’ll cover, set intentions, and establish a comfortable tone. This helps break the ice and makes the conversation feel natural.

2. Match Energy Levels
  Pay attention to your guest or host’s energy and adjust your own to complement it. Finding this balance creates a smooth, cohesive flow that keeps listeners engaged and prevents any energy mismatches that could disrupt the conversation.

3. Create Space for Vulnerability
  Don’t rush through questions. Allow moments of silence where guests can pause and think—these gaps often lead to deeper, more insightful answers that listeners connect with.

4. Research and Personalize the Interaction
  Take time to research your guest’s background or the host’s style. This shows respect and interest, and it helps you tailor your conversation to make it more relevant and engaging.

5. Balance Professionalism with Authenticity
  While maintaining a professional tone, try to approach the conversation as you would with a friend. This approach allows for a genuine, relaxed atmosphere, making it easier to build rapport and connect on a human level.

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In this Office Hours led by Illiya Vjestica, the focus is on a crucial tool in creative and consultancy work: the capabilities deck. Illiya emphasizes the importance of this deck in helping freelancers, creative agencies, and consultants stand out in a competitive market. With clients increasingly inundated with pitches, especially in industries affected by AI, he advocates for a well-crafted capabilities deck to engage clients meaningfully. Illiya shares his personal experiences of crafting and evolving his own decks over the years, stressing their role in positioning oneself professionally, showcasing expertise, and securing new business.

The talk provides practical guidance on creating capabilities decks that go beyond listing services, focusing instead on building emotional connections with potential clients. From structuring a deck with clear narratives to using compelling visuals, Illiya encourages attendees to reflect their personal branding in their presentations. This ensures that the deck not only highlights technical skills but also fosters client trust. Overall, the session serves as both an educational guide and motivational call for creatives to invest in their presentation tools, using the capabilities deck for professional growth.

Key Themes

• Importance of Capabilities Decks: A capabilities deck opens doors by communicating skills and services in a way that resonates with clients.
• Personal Branding in Presentations: It’s essential to make decks personal and reflective of your brand to build emotional connections with clients.
• Practical Tips for Deck Creation: Illiya outlines a structured approach, emphasizing clarity, storytelling, and visual engagement in decks.
• Challenges in the Creative Industry: As competition rises and AI plays a larger role, creatives must differentiate themselves through tools like capabilities decks.

High-Level Structure: Pyramid Principle

The presentation builds from general concepts about why capabilities decks matter down to specific steps for creating a successful one. Illiya starts by explaining the competitive nature of the creative industry, particularly the pressure to stand out amidst AI-driven changes. He then covers the importance of decks in helping creatives get noticed, followed by his personal experience in evolving his own decks. Finally, he breaks down how to structure and design an impactful capabilities deck.

The Competitive Creative Landscape
Illiya addresses the state of the creative industry, where increased competition and AI tools make it harder for freelancers, consultants, and agencies to stand out. Traditional methods of attracting clients—like cold pitches or simply showcasing skills—are no longer enough. Clients are approached by many professionals daily, so it’s critical to develop a unique value proposition.

Context: The competition isn’t just about talent; it’s about how effectively you communicate your value. As AI takes over more creative roles, the human touch—empathy, storytelling, and personal connection—becomes the differentiating factor.
Challenge: Many creatives struggle to define and communicate this unique value.

The Power of a Good Capabilities Deck
A capabilities deck is often the first meaningful interaction a client has with a freelancer or agency. A well-constructed deck demonstrates professionalism and foresight.

Mechanism: A deck provides an overview of services, showcases previous work, and presents case studies with measurable outcomes.
Theory: A deck isn’t just about capabilities; it’s about being “investable.” The client needs to see clear benefits of working with you—something that a well-crafted deck can convey.

Personal Branding Through Decks
A capabilities deck should reflect the creator’s personal brand. Illiya advises against generic presentations, advocating for decks that capture the personality of the individual or agency behind them.

Examples: Illiya own branding uses autumnal colors and Star Wars-inspired elements to make his decks memorable.
Application: He encourages others to use imagery and color schemes that resonate with them personally, which helps build an emotional connection with clients.

Step-by-Step Guide to Structuring Decks
Illiya provides a detailed breakdown of how to build an effective capabilities deck, focusing on the following elements:

• Introduction: Start with a compelling hook that grabs the client’s attention within the first few slides.
• Pitch: Clearly define the problem, explain why it matters to the client, and present your solution.
• Credibility: Share your story, highlight past clients, and present case studies with measurable results.
• Call to Action: Always end with a clear next step, making it easy for the client to respond or engage.

Visual Impact and Storytelling
Visuals and storytelling are key components of a deck. Research shows that people are more likely to remember content when it is presented alongside a narrative and visual aids.

Process: Use visuals that are consistent with your brand and support the narrative of your deck.
Example: Illiya uses nature-inspired color schemes and imagery to create a calming and professional tone in his decks.

Explanation of Unique Terminology or Concepts

Capabilities Deck: A presentation tool used to communicate skills, experience, and services to potential clients. It functions like a digital portfolio but is more focused on pitching specific capabilities for a target audience.
Emotional Connection in Presentations: Drawing from the work of Errol Gerson and Simon Sinek, Illiya emphasizes that presentations should aim to connect emotionally with the client, not just display expertise.

Visual Representations

Illiya highlights the use of simple but effective visual techniques:
Slide Layout: Use clean, uncluttered slides, avoid bullet points, and leverage bold typography and impactful imagery.
Flow Example: His suggested flow for the deck includes: Hook → Problem → Solution → Credibility → Case Studies → Call to Action.

Highlight Practical Applications and Actionable Insights

1. Update Your Capabilities Deck Annually: Reflect new projects, learnings, and shifts in your brand positioning.
2. Make It Easy for Clients to Contact You: Include clear contact information and a call-to-action, such as a link to schedule a call.
3. Use Storytelling to Create Engagement: Incorporate client stories, challenges, and how your solutions provided value.

Future Developments

Illiya hints at the growing role of AI in the creative industry, suggesting that professionals need to adapt by integrating AI into their workflows while maintaining the unique human element crucial for client engagement. This integration can help speed up the creation process while preserving the personal touch needed to connect with clients.

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Finding Striking Visual Imagery

Unsplash - https://unsplash.com/
Pexels - https://www.pexels.com/
Illiya’s Photos - https://unsplash.com/@illiyapresents

Illiya’s AI Capabilities Deck Prompt - https://tinyurl.com/2zr6rnu6

Link Tracking Tools:
TinyURL
HubSpot
Bitly

Illiya’s Recommend Books:
Show Your Work - Austin Kleon
Oversubscribed - Daniel Priestley
Story Brand - Donald Miller

Illiya’s Free Guide:
https://illiyapresents.gumroad.com/l/5-presentation-design-combinations

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Embracing the Public Speaking Journey

Chris Do's Pro Call on public speaking offers insights, personal experiences, and practical advice for people looking to improve their communication skills and advance their careers/business and/or professional development.

Quick Recap

Becoming a confident and effective public speaker is a journey, not a destination. Every presentation, whether it's a success or a learning experience, contributes to your growth as a communicator.

Chris Do's story serves as an inspiring example of how facing your fears and consistently putting yourself out there can lead to remarkable personal and professional growth. His journey from a nervous student to a respected industry speaker demonstrates that with dedication and the right mindset, anyone can develop the skill of public speaking.

As you move forward, embrace each opportunity to speak as a chance to learn and improve. Remember that even experienced speakers like Chris still face moments of self-doubt, but it's the ability to push through these challenges that defines successful communicators.

Lastly, keep in mind that your unique perspective and experiences are valuable. Your voice matters, and by developing your public speaking skills, you're not just advancing your own career – you're also contributing to your industry and potentially inspiring others to share their voices as well.

Take the insights and strategies shared in this Pro Call and apply them to your own public speaking journey. With time, practice, and persistence, you too can transform from someone who fears public speaking into a confident, impactful communicator who can inspire and influence others through the power of your words.

Key Takeaways

The Power of Persistence
Long-term benefits of developing public speaking skills

Chris's journey from a nervous, self-doubting speaker to a sought-after presenter underscores the transformative power of persistence. His story demonstrates that with consistent effort and a willingness to learn from experiences, anyone can significantly improve their public speaking abilities and reap professional rewards.

Action Steps:
1. Commit to a long-term plan for improving your public speaking skills
2. Set incremental goals and celebrate small victories along the way
3. Keep a journal to track your progress and reflections on each speaking experience

Authenticity and Personal Style
Developing a unique and genuine speaking approach

Throughout the call, Chris emphasizes the importance of finding and nurturing your authentic voice as a speaker. Rather than trying to emulate others, focus on leveraging your personal strengths, experiences, and natural communication style to create engaging and impactful presentations.

Action Steps:
1. Identify your unique strengths and incorporate them into your speaking style
2. Practice storytelling techniques that feel natural to you
3. Seek feedback from trusted colleagues on how to enhance your authentic presence

Developing a Unique Speaking Style
Leveraging Personal Strengths

Creating a distinctive and authentic presentation approach

Chris emphasizes the importance of developing a speaking style that feels natural and aligns with personal strengths. He suggests using visual cues and storytelling techniques to create engaging presentations that resonate with audiences. This approach allows speakers to differentiate themselves and deliver more impactful talks.

Action Steps:
1. Analyze your most engaging conversations to identify your natural communication style
2. Experiment with different presentation formats (e.g., visual-heavy, story-driven) to find what works best for you
3. Seek feedback from trusted colleagues on your presentation style and adjust accordingly

The Impact of Public Speaking on Career Growth
Opening New Opportunities
How public speaking can accelerate professional development

Chris discusses how his commitment to public speaking has led to numerous career opportunities, including paid speaking engagements and increased visibility in his industry. He emphasizes that public speaking is not just about the immediate presentation but about building a reputation and network over time.

Action Steps:
1. Set specific career goals that could be advanced through public speaking
2. Research speaking opportunities in your industry or field of expertise
3. Develop a signature talk that showcases your unique insights or experiences

Overcoming Technical Challenges
Preparing for the Unexpected

Strategies for handling technical difficulties during presentations

Drawing from his Typecon experience, Chris highlights the importance of being prepared for technical issues. He emphasizes the need for thorough preparation, including having backup plans and being able to deliver content without heavy reliance on slides or notes.

Action Steps:
1. Create a simplified version of your presentation that can be delivered without visual aids
2. Practice your presentation using different devices and in various settings
3. Develop strategies for gracefully handling technical glitches during live presentations

The Psychology of Public Speaking

Managing Self-Doubt and Imposter Syndrome
Techniques for overcoming negative self-talk and anxiety

Chris shares his ongoing struggle with self-doubt, even as an experienced speaker. He discusses the importance of reframing negative thoughts and focusing on the value you can provide to the audience. This insight helps listeners understand that feelings of inadequacy are common and can be managed.

Action Steps:
1. Develop a pre-speaking ritual to calm nerves and boost confidence
2. Write down and challenge negative self-talk before presentations
3. Focus on your unique perspective and the value you bring to the audience

Continuous Improvement in Public Speaking

Embracing a Growth Mindset
The importance of ongoing learning and development in public speaking

Chris emphasizes that becoming a great public speaker is a journey of continuous improvement. He encourages listeners to view each speaking opportunity as a chance to learn and refine their skills, regardless of the outcome.

Action Steps:
1. Record and review your presentations to identify areas for improvement
2. Seek out constructive feedback from audience members and peers
3. Set specific improvement goals for each new speaking engagement

Building Rapport with the Audience
Creating Connection and Engagement

Topic Area: Techniques for establishing a strong connection with listeners

Chris discusses the importance of building rapport with the audience, even in unfamiliar settings. He suggests ways to make the audience feel comfortable and engaged, such as using relatable stories and interactive elements in presentations.

Action Steps:
1. Arrive early to speaking engagements to interact with audience members before your talk
2. Incorporate audience participation elements into your presentations
3. Use personal anecdotes to create emotional connections with your listeners

By following these insights and action steps, aspiring public speakers can begin to transform their communication skills, overcome their fears, and leverage public speaking as a powerful tool for personal and professional growth. Remember that becoming an effective public speaker is a journey that requires patience, practice, and persistence.

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Key Takeaway: Individuals and businesses can effectively define their niche, craft compelling offers, optimize their sales process, and leverage AI for content creation to attract high-value clients and achieve sustainable growth.

Defining Your Niche and Offer: The Foundation for Success

Finding Your Niche:
Identifying the right niche is crucial for business growth and attracting high-paying clients.

Chris Do emphasizes the importance of specialization and targeting a specific niche. He argues that struggling entrepreneurs often try to cater to everyone, leading to diluted messaging and attracting low-paying clients. Conversely, successful entrepreneurs focus on a specific type of client and tailor their services and messaging accordingly.

Action Steps:

1. Reflect on your skills, passions, and past client successes. Identify patterns or areas where you excel and have enjoyed working.
2. Research potential niches within your field. Explore industries with a need for your services and a willingness to pay premium prices.
3. Consider factors like target audience, revenue potential, and personal fulfillment. Choose a niche that aligns with your goals and aspirations.

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Crafting a Clear and Compelling Offer:
Clearly define your offer to attract the right clients and command higher prices.

Chris Do highlights that having a clear offer is crucial for attracting ideal clients and securing premium rates. He encourages participants to think about their ideal client's needs, pain points, and desired outcomes when crafting their offer. Do suggests focusing on a specific problem you solve and tailoring your services and messaging around that solution.

Action Steps:

1. Identify your ideal client's primary pain points and desired outcomes. What problems do you solve for them, and what results can they expect?
2. Develop a concise and compelling value proposition. Clearly articulate the benefits of your services and how you deliver exceptional results.
3. Package your services into clear and easy-to-understand offers. Define the scope of work, deliverables, and pricing to make it easy for clients to understand your value.

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Qualifying Leads and Optimizing Your Sales Process

Effective Lead Qualification:
Implement effective lead qualification methods to save time and focus on high-potential prospects.

Chris Do discusses the importance of qualifying leads to determine if they are a good fit before investing significant time in sales conversations. He suggests using assessments or questionnaires to gauge factors like budget, timeline, and project scope. This approach allows for efficient triage and ensures that you're only engaging with qualified leads.

Action Steps:

1. Identify your ideal client criteria. Determine the non-negotiable factors that qualify a lead as a good fit for your services.
2. Develop a lead qualification system. Implement tools like questionnaires, assessments, or specific qualifying questions during initial interactions.
3. Automate your qualification process. Utilize online forms or email sequences to streamline lead qualification and free up your time for qualified leads.

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Nurturing Leads and Building Relationships:
Implement a system for nurturing leads who are not yet ready to buy, but have potential for the future.

Chris Do stresses the importance of nurturing "maybe" leads, who may not be ready to purchase now but could become valuable clients later. He advises developing a system for staying top-of-mind with these leads through regular check-ins, valuable content, and personalized communication.

Action Steps:

1. Develop a system for segmenting and tracking your leads. Categorize leads as "yes," "no," or "maybe" based on your qualification criteria.
2. Create a nurturing email sequence for "maybe" leads. Provide valuable content, insights, and gentle reminders of your services over a specific timeframe.
3. Supplement your email sequence with personalized communication. Occasionally reach out with relevant articles, resources, or invitations to connect.

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Content Strategy and Leveraging AI for Marketing (1:05:51 - 1:46:06)

The Power of AI in Content Creation:
Utilize AI tools to streamline content creation and repurposing across different platforms.

Do explains how he uses AI tools like GPT to repurpose his existing content into various formats, such as blog posts, social media captions, and email sequences. He emphasizes the importance of training the AI on your existing work to ensure that it accurately reflects your voice and teaching style.

Action Steps:

1. Explore AI content creation tools like GPT-3 and Claude. Familiarize yourself with their capabilities and experiment with different prompts.
2. Curate a library of your existing content. Gather transcripts, articles, and presentations that represent your expertise and communication style.
3. Train the AI on your content. Provide the AI with examples of your writing to ensure that it can generate content consistent with your voice.

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Shifting Focus from Solutions to Problems:
Attract clients by focusing on their problems and positioning yourself as the guide to a solution.

Chris Do suggests that a powerful marketing approach is to focus on the client's problem instead of immediately pitching solutions. By highlighting their pain points and challenges, you create a sense of urgency and position yourself as a valuable resource.

Action Steps:

1. Identify the most common and pressing problems your ideal clients face. What keeps them up at night, and what challenges do they struggle to overcome?
2. Develop content that agitate those problems. Create blog posts, videos, or workshops that shed light on the challenges and their potential consequences.
3. Position yourself as the guide to a solution. Once you've effectively highlighted the problem, offer your services as the path to resolving it.

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Leveraging AI for Business Growth and Personal Branding

This discussion explores how professionals can strategically use and communicate their AI usage to create business opportunities and enhance their personal brand. Chris Do and other participants, share insights on incorporating AI into external communications, client presentations, and personal branding strategies.

AI as a Differentiator in External Communications
Incorporating AI into Outward-Facing Communications
Using AI as a tool to stand out in the market

Chris Do emphasizes the importance of incorporating AI into external communications to create more opportunities. He notes that AI is a significant buzzword, and by mentioning it in your outward-facing communications, you can differentiate yourself from competitors. This strategy can help you stand out, even if it's just by a small margin. The key is not just using AI internally, but actively communicating about it externally.

Action Steps:
1. Identify areas in your business where you're currently using AI
2. Craft messaging that highlights your AI usage in client communications
3. Create content (blog posts, social media updates, etc.) showcasing your AI expertise

Leveraging AI for Speaking Opportunities
Using AI expertise to secure speaking engagements

Chris shares his personal experience of being invited to speak at events specifically about AI in corporate branding. He notes that he's not an AI expert, yet these opportunities arose because he publicly discussed AI. This illustrates how positioning yourself as knowledgeable about AI can lead to new opportunities, even if you're not a deep technical expert.

Action Steps:
1. Develop a presentation or workshop on how you use AI in your field
2. Reach out to industry events or conferences offering to speak on AI applications
3. Share your AI-related insights on professional networks like LinkedIn

Chris emphasized how leveraging AI can set you apart in the marketplace, helping you attract more business opportunities. He also touched on the risks and benefits of equity deals, drawing from his own experiences with acquisitions, hiring, and client work. His advice? Focus on your strengths and short-term strategies to improve your bottom line. The team also discussed challenges with non-profit clients, particularly how their causes, communication styles, and financial commitment should align with your own business criteria for success.

The discussion on equity deals for influencers and content creators provides valuable insights into an emerging trend in influencer marketing and startup partnerships. Chris Do's experience and perspective highlight both the potential rewards and risks associated with these arrangements. Key takeaways include the importance of long-term thinking, understanding the trade-offs between cash and equity, and the need for a strategic, diversified approach to these opportunities.

For influencers considering equity deals, it's crucial to:

- Thoroughly evaluate potential partner companies
- Seek professional legal and financial advice
- Align personal goals with company objectives
- Develop a portfolio approach to spread risk
- Continuously educate oneself on business valuation and startup dynamics
- By approaching equity deals with a well-informed, strategic mindset, influencers can potentially benefit from the long-term
success of innovative companies while contributing meaningfully to their growth.

Equity Deals in Content Creation and Influencer Marketing

This discussion explores the emerging trend of equity deals between software companies and content creators or influencers. Chris Do shares his experiences and insights on how these deals are structured, their potential benefits, and associated risks.

Understanding Equity Deals
The Concept of Equity Deals for Influencers

Software companies offering equity to influencers for customer acquisition

Software as a Service (SaaS) companies are increasingly offering equity to influencers in exchange for help in acquiring new customers. This approach allows companies to tap into established audiences without spending heavily on traditional marketing. The goal is typically to reach a critical mass of satisfied customers (e.g., 200-300) before focusing on scaling. This strategy, as explained by Daniel Priestly, enables companies to align with influencers who share their core values and traits.

Action Steps:
1. Research SaaS companies in your niche that might be open to equity partnerships
2. Evaluate your audience's alignment with potential partner companies' target markets
3. Develop a clear understanding of your audience's size, engagement, and conversion potential

Structure of Equity Deals

Typical equity percentages and expectations in influencer deals

Equity deals usually involve small percentages, often 1-2% or less of the company. Instead of receiving a cash payment (which might range from $30,000 to $100,000), the influencer receives this small equity stake. The potential payoff comes if the company is sold. For example, a 1% stake in a company sold for $100 million would result in a $1 million payout. This structure encourages influencers to think long-term and align their interests with the company's success.

Action Steps:
1. Calculate potential outcomes of equity deals vs. cash payments for your typical collaborations
2. Consult with a financial advisor to understand the tax implications of equity deals
3. Develop criteria for evaluating potential equity partnerships based on company potential and your risk tolerance

Key Considerations for Equity Deals

Risk vs. Reward
Balancing the high risk and potential high reward of equity deals

Chris Do emphasizes that equity deals in startups are inherently high-risk. The potential for a significant payout exists, but many startups fail or struggle to achieve profitability. He shares his personal experience with four equity deals, highlighting that most have not resulted in successful outcomes. This underscores the importance of not relying on equity deals for immediate income needs and viewing them as potential long-term investments.

Action Steps:
1. Assess your financial stability and ability to take on high-risk investments
2. Create a diverse portfolio of collaborations, balancing cash payments with selective equity deals
3. Develop a system for tracking and evaluating the progress of companies you have equity in

Performance Metrics and Expectations
Focusing on specific customer acquisition goals rather than content deliverables

Unlike traditional influencer partnerships that focus on content deliverables (e.g., number of posts), equity deals typically center around helping the company achieve specific customer acquisition goals. The influencer has the flexibility to achieve these goals through whatever means they find most effective. This approach requires a mindset shift from being a service provider to thinking like a business partner with a vested interest in the company's success.

Action Steps:
1. Develop strategies for driving customer acquisition that go beyond your usual content creation
2. Create a system for tracking the impact of your efforts on a partner company's customer growth
3. Regularly communicate with the partner company to stay aligned on goals and progress

Mindset and Approach to Equity Partnerships

Shifting from Service Provider to Business Partner

Adopting a partnership mentality in equity deals

Chris Do emphasizes the importance of truly thinking like a business partner when entering into equity deals. This means going beyond simply fulfilling content requirements and actively engaging with the company's growth and success. It involves regularly checking in on the company's progress, offering strategic input, and being invested in the long-term outcomes. This shift in mindset is crucial for maximizing the potential of equity partnerships.

Action Steps:
1. Develop a habit of regularly reviewing and analyzing the business metrics of companies you have equity in
2. Proactively offer strategic suggestions and support to your partner companies beyond content creation
3. Network with other influencers involved in equity deals to share best practices and insights

Evaluating Potential Equity Partnerships
Criteria for selecting equity deals and assessing company potential

When considering equity deals, it's crucial to evaluate the company's potential for growth and eventual sale or profitability. Chris advises against entering equity deals out of immediate financial need. Instead, focus on companies with strong leadership, innovative products or services, and clear paths to scalability. Consider factors such as the company's current revenue, growth rate, and potential market size.

Action Steps:
1. Develop a checklist of criteria for evaluating potential equity partnerships
2. Research successful exits in the relevant industry to understand what makes a company attractive for acquisition
3. Build relationships with entrepreneurs and investors to improve your ability to assess startup potential

Financial Aspects of Equity Deals
Understanding the Trade-offs
Balancing cash payments with equity stakes

Chris Do explains the inverse relationship between cash payments and equity stakes. The more cash an influencer takes upfront, the less equity they typically receive. This presents a strategic decision for influencers: prioritize immediate income or potential long-term gains. Chris provides an example where choosing full equity (1%) over a $100,000 cash payment could result in a $1 million payout if the company sells for $100 million. However, he emphasizes that this is a high-risk scenario and should not be relied upon for immediate financial needs.

Action Steps:
1. Create a personal financial model to determine your optimal balance between cash and equity compensation
2. Set clear financial goals and timelines to guide your decision-making on equity deals
3. Develop a strategy for reinvesting cash payments to diversify your income streams

Valuation and Exit Strategies

Understanding company valuations and potential exit scenarios

Chris touches on how software companies, particularly those with subscription models, are often valued. He mentions a common "10x multiplier" on annual recurring revenue for company valuations. For instance, a company with $10 million in annual recurring revenue might be valued at $100 million. This knowledge is crucial for influencers to understand the potential value of their equity stakes and the goals the company needs to achieve for a successful exit.

Action Steps:
1. Educate yourself on basic business valuation methods, particularly for SaaS companies
2. When considering an equity deal, request information on the company's current revenue and growth projections
3. Discuss potential exit scenarios and timelines with the company before agreeing to an equity deal

Legal and Contractual Considerations
Importance of Legal Counsel

Seeking professional legal advice for equity deals

Chris emphasizes the complexity of equity deals and the importance of consulting with an attorney. He prefaces his advice by stating he's not a lawyer and that his insights are based on personal experience. This underscores the need for professional legal guidance when entering into equity agreements, as they can have significant long-term financial implications and involve complex contractual terms.

Action Steps:
1. Identify and consult with a lawyer experienced in equity compensation and startup law
2. Create a list of key questions and concerns to discuss with legal counsel before entering any equity deal
3. Establish a relationship with a legal advisor for ongoing consultation as your equity portfolio grows

Vesting and Performance Criteria
Understanding how equity is earned and vested

Chris explains that equity in these deals is typically tied to performance metrics, such as helping the company onboard a specific number of new customers. Once the influencer meets these criteria, their shares are fully vested. It's crucial to understand the specific performance expectations and vesting schedule associated with each equity deal.

Action Steps:
1. Clearly define and document the performance criteria and vesting schedule for each equity deal
2. Develop a system for tracking your progress towards meeting the agreed-upon metrics
3. Regularly communicate with the company to ensure alignment on progress and any potential adjustments to goals

Strategic Approach to Influencer Equity Deals
Long-term Thinking and Portfolio Approach

Viewing equity deals as part of a broader investment strategy

Chris advocates for a long-term, portfolio approach to equity deals. Rather than relying on a single deal, influencers should consider building a diverse portfolio of equity stakes in different companies. This approach spreads risk and increases the chances of benefiting from a successful exit. It also requires patience and the ability to withstand the potential failure of some investments.

Action Steps:
1. Set a goal for the number of equity deals you aim to participate in over a specific timeframe
2. Develop criteria for diversifying your equity portfolio across different industries or company stages
3. Create a system for regularly reviewing and rebalancing your equity portfolio

Leveraging Your Unique Value as an Influencer

Understanding and maximizing your value in equity partnerships

Chris highlights that an influencer's value in these deals goes beyond just their audience size. It's about the ability to effectively onboard new customers and contribute to the company's growth. This requires understanding your audience's behaviors, preferences, and potential alignment with the partner company's offerings. It also involves being creative and strategic in how you leverage your influence to drive customer acquisition.

Action Steps:
1. Conduct an in-depth analysis of your audience demographics, interests, and purchasing behaviors
2. Develop case studies of your most successful brand partnerships to showcase your value to potential equity partners
3. Create a unique value proposition that highlights how your influence can drive customer acquisition beyond just content creation

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Introduction to Hooks and CTAs Workshop

Elle Money introduces an interactive workshop format designed to engage participants actively in learning about hooks and CTAs for Instagram content. This approach aims to enhance retention and practical application of the concepts presented.

Workshop Structure and Expectations
Topic Area - Interactive Learning Approach

Unlike typical workshops where participants passively receive information, this session encourages active participation. Attendees will analyze real examples of hooks from various niches and formats on Instagram. They'll be asked to evaluate whether each hook is effective and explain their reasoning. This hands-on approach helps participants develop critical thinking skills and learn to recognize effective hooks in practice.

Action Steps

1. Prepare to actively engage in the workshop by analyzing examples
2. Practice identifying good and bad hooks in Instagram content
3. Reflect on your own content and how you can apply these principles

Presenter Introduction
Elle Money's Background and Expertise

Elle Money introduces herself as an Instagram expert with 7-8 years of experience in the field. She previously worked as the social media manager for The Futur™ for over 4 years before pursuing her own full-time ventures. This background establishes her credibility and expertise in the subject matter, assuring participants of the value of the insights they'll gain from the workshop.

Action Steps

1. Research Elle Money's work and previous content for additional insights
2. Follow @elle.social on Instagram to stay updated with her latest strategies
3. Consider how Elle's experience aligns with your own goals in social media marketing

Understanding Hooks

Elle Money begins by defining what a hook is and explaining its importance in Instagram content. This foundational knowledge sets the stage for more in-depth discussions on creating effective hooks.

Definition and Importance of Hooks
Topic Area - What is a Hook?

A hook is the first thing a viewer sees or hears when encountering content on Instagram. For reels, it includes both the first few seconds of the video and the first line of the caption. For static content like carousel posts or single images, it's the first slide or the most visually prominent element, as well as the first line of the caption. The hook's purpose is to grab attention and entice the viewer to engage further with the content.

Action Steps

1. Audit your recent Instagram posts to identify your current hooks
2. Analyze the first few seconds of your reels and the first lines of your captions
3. List 3 ways you can improve your hooks based on this definition

Elements of an Effective Hook
Visual and Textual Components

Elle emphasizes that an effective hook on Instagram has two main components: the visual hook (what appears in the post itself) and the caption hook (the first line of text). She advises against repeating the same hook in both places, as this misses an opportunity to provide additional information and engage the viewer further. By using both components strategically, content creators can maximize their chances of capturing audience attention.

Action Steps

1. Review your recent posts and identify where you may have repeated hooks
2. Brainstorm ways to create complementary visual and caption hooks
3. Experiment with different hook combinations in your next 3 posts

Analyzing Hook Examples
Elle presents several real-world examples of hooks on Instagram, encouraging participants to evaluate their effectiveness. This practical exercise helps reinforce the concepts and develop critical analysis skills.

Evaluating Hook Effectiveness

Participants analyze various hooks, considering factors such as clarity, relevance to the content, use of negative hooks (e.g., "3 outfits you'll hate"), and the interplay between visual and caption hooks. Elle guides the discussion, pointing out strengths and missed opportunities in each example. This exercise demonstrates that effective hooks often provide clear value propositions, use intriguing language, and take advantage of both visual and textual elements.

Action Steps

1. Create a spreadsheet to track and analyze hooks from 10 popular accounts in your niche
2. Practice writing alternative hooks for existing posts to improve their effectiveness
3. Share your analysis with a peer or mentor for feedback and discussion

Crafting Effective Hooks
Building on the analysis of examples, Elle provides guidance on how to create compelling hooks for different types of Instagram content.

Techniques for Creating Hooks
Leveraging Hierarchy and Contrast

Elle emphasizes the importance of visual hierarchy in static posts and carousels. By making key information stand out through size, color, or placement, creators can ensure that the most important elements of their hook are immediately noticeable. She also discusses the power of contrast, such as presenting unexpected or contrary information (e.g., "Steve Jobs sucked at storytelling") to pique curiosity and encourage further engagement.

Action Steps

1. Experiment with different font sizes and colors in your next carousel post to create clear visual hierarchy
2. Brainstorm 5 "contrary" hooks related to common beliefs in your niche
3. Create a template for your static posts that emphasizes the hook through design elements

Personalizing Hooks
Adding Context and Relatability

Elle demonstrates how adding personal context to hooks can increase their effectiveness. By explaining why a topic is relevant or sharing a personal anecdote, creators can make their content more relatable and interesting to their audience. This approach helps bridge the gap between the hook and the main content, encouraging viewers to engage more deeply with the post.

Action Steps

1. Write down 3 personal experiences related to your niche that could serve as hooks
2. Practice incorporating "why" statements into your hooks to provide context
3. Ask your audience what types of personal stories they find most engaging

Call-to-Actions (CTAs)
After covering hooks, Elle transitions to discussing the importance of effective CTAs in Instagram content.

Understanding CTAs
Purpose and Placement of CTAs

Elle explains that CTAs (Call-to-Actions) are crucial for guiding audience behavior after they've engaged with your content. She emphasizes that CTAs should be clear, specific, and aligned with the content of the post. The placement of CTAs is also discussed, with recommendations for including them in both the caption and, where appropriate, within the visual content itself.

Action Steps

1. Review your last 10 posts and identify where you've used CTAs (or missed opportunities to use them)
2. Create a list of 5-10 specific CTAs relevant to your content and goals
3. Experiment with placing CTAs in different parts of your posts (beginning, middle, end of captions, in visuals)

Crafting Effective CTAs
Techniques for Compelling CTAs

Elle provides strategies for creating CTAs that motivate action. She emphasizes the importance of using action verbs, creating a sense of urgency, and aligning the CTA with the viewer's interests and the post's content. Elle also discusses the balance between being direct and maintaining an authentic, non-pushy tone in CTAs.

Action Steps

1. Create a swipe file of effective CTAs you encounter on Instagram
2. Practice rewriting weak CTAs from your past posts to make them more compelling
3. A/B test different CTA phrasings in your stories to see which perform better

Integrating Hooks and CTAs
Elle concludes by discussing how hooks and CTAs work together to create engaging and effective Instagram content.

Aligning Hooks and CTAs
Creating Cohesive Content

Elle emphasizes the importance of ensuring that hooks and CTAs work together seamlessly. The hook should naturally lead into the content, which then supports and justifies the CTA. This alignment creates a cohesive post that guides the viewer from initial interest to desired action. Elle provides examples of how to structure posts to maintain this flow from hook to CTA.

Action Steps

1. Map out the flow from hook to CTA for your next 5 posts before creating them
2. Practice writing hooks that hint at the eventual CTA without giving everything away
3. Ask a fellow creator to review your posts for coherence between hooks and CTAs

Measuring and Improving Performance
Analytics and Iteration

Elle discusses the importance of tracking the performance of different hooks and CTAs. By paying attention to engagement metrics, creators can identify which approaches resonate best with their audience. She encourages ongoing experimentation and refinement based on these insights.

Action Steps

1. Set up a tracking system to monitor the performance of different hook and CTA styles
2. Commit to testing at least one new hook or CTA approach each week
3. Schedule monthly reviews of your content performance to identify trends and areas for improvement

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Throughout this discussion, we've explored several crucial aspects of establishing and growing a successful digital marketing consultancy:

1. Defining Your Niche: We emphasized the importance of specializing in both what you do (horizontal) and who you do it for (vertical), allowing you to become a sought-after expert in your chosen field.

2. Effective Self-Introduction: We discussed moving beyond the traditional elevator pitch to more engaging, client-centric introduction techniques that immediately address your audience's pain points.

3. Leveraging Personal Background: We explored how to integrate your unique experiences and interests into your professional niche, enhancing authenticity and connection with clients.

4. Focused Business Strategy: We stressed the power of specialization and overcoming the fear of limiting opportunities, recognizing that a narrow focus often leads to greater success.

5. Marketing and Client Acquisition: We covered strategies for content marketing, networking, and showcasing results to attract ideal clients.

6. Pricing and Packaging: We discussed the shift towards value-based pricing and creating comprehensive service packages that align with client needs.

7. Building Credibility: We explored methods to establish thought leadership, leverage social proof, and share expertise through speaking engagements.

8. Scaling Your Business: We addressed strategies for growth, including productized services, team building, and creating digital products.

9. Continuous Improvement: We emphasized the importance of staying current with industry trends and actively seeking and implementing client feedback.

Implementing these strategies requires dedication, patience, and a willingness to continuously refine your approach. Remember that success in digital marketing consulting is not just about mastering the latest tools and techniques, but also about building strong relationships, delivering tangible value to clients, and constantly evolving to meet market demands.

As you move forward, focus on gradual, consistent progress rather than overnight transformation. Start by selecting one or two key areas from this discussion to implement in your business. Set specific, measurable goals and regularly assess your progress. Be prepared to adapt your strategies as you gain more experience and insight into what works best for your unique situation.

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The Importance of Specificity in Your Niche
Balancing horizontal and vertical dimensions in defining your niche

Chris Do emphasizes the need to consider both what you do (horizontal) and who you do it for (vertical) when defining your niche. This approach helps potential clients understand if you're the right fit for them. While it's often easier to define the horizontal aspect, the vertical dimension is crucial for creating a cohesive and targeted business identity.

Action Steps:
1. List out all the services you currently offer as a digital marketing consultant
2. Identify the common industries or types of clients you've worked with so far
3. Analyze which vertical(s) align best with your skills, interests, and financial goals

Identifying Your Ideal Vertical
Analyzing current clients to determine the most promising vertical

Chris guides Tahe through a process of examining his existing client base to identify patterns and potential verticals. This involves looking at the types of clients (e.g., health and wellness professionals), their specific fields (e.g., clinical psychologists, medical doctors, fitness professionals), and considering factors such as profitability and personal interest or affinity.

Action Steps:
1. Create a spreadsheet listing all your current and past clients
2. Categorize clients by industry and note the revenue generated from each
3. Reflect on which client types or industries you enjoy working with most

Factors in Choosing Your Niche
Considering financial, personal, and strategic factors in niche selection

Chris highlights several key factors to consider when choosing a niche: profitability, personal joy or satisfaction, and personal affinity or background. He encourages Tahe to think about which clients bring in the most money, which work is most enjoyable, and how personal experiences or interests might align with certain niches.

Action Steps:
1. Rank your top 3 client types based on profitability
2. List 3-5 personal interests or experiences that could relate to potential niches
3. Write a brief reflection on how your background (e.g., nursing education) could be leveraged in your marketing

The Power of Specialization
Understanding the benefits of committing to a specific niche

Chris emphasizes the importance of committing to a specific niche, even if it feels constraining at first. He explains that this specificity allows for more targeted and effective marketing, making it easier to speak directly to the needs and pain points of a particular audience. This approach is likened to writing a personalized love letter rather than a generic "to whom it may concern" message.

Action Steps:
1. Choose one specific niche to focus on for the next 3 months as an experiment
2. Research and list 5 common pain points for professionals in your chosen niche
3. Draft a brief "elevator pitch" that speaks directly to your chosen niche and their challenges

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Effective Self-Introduction Techniques

This section explores alternative approaches to the traditional elevator pitch, focusing on how to introduce yourself and your services in a more engaging and client-centric manner.

Moving Beyond the Elevator Pitch
Embracing modern, client-focused introduction methods

Chris references Michael Port's "Book Yourself Solid" approach, which aims to replace the traditional elevator pitch with more dynamic and engaging self-introduction techniques. This shift focuses on putting the client's needs and challenges at the forefront, rather than simply listing your services or qualifications.

Action Steps:
1. Research Michael Port's "Book Yourself Solid" methodology
2. Write down 3 common problems your ideal clients face
3. Practice introducing yourself by first mentioning these client problems

The "You Know How..." Technique
Using a problem-centric approach to introduce your services

Chris introduces a specific technique for self-introduction that starts with "You know how..." followed by a description of a common problem faced by the target audience. This approach immediately engages the listener by addressing a familiar pain point, making your introduction more relevant and compelling.

Action Steps:
1. Craft three different "You know how..." statements relevant to your niche
2. Test these statements with a colleague or friend for feedback
3. Incorporate the most effective statement into your LinkedIn profile or website copy

Tailoring Your Introduction to Different Time Frames
Adapting your introduction for various situations

Chris mentions that there are different versions of this introduction technique designed for various time frames - 15 seconds, 1 minute, and 3 minutes. This flexibility allows you to adapt your introduction to different social and professional contexts, ensuring you can effectively communicate your value proposition whether you have a brief moment or an extended conversation.

Action Steps:
1. Develop a 15-second version of your "You know how..." introduction
2. Expand this into a 1-minute version that includes a brief solution overview
3. Create a 3-minute version that incorporates a success story or case study

Leveraging Personal Background and Interests
This section explores how to integrate your personal experiences, interests, and background into your professional niche and marketing approach.

Aligning Personal Affinity with Professional Focus
Incorporating personal interests into your niche selection

Chris encourages Tahe to consider his personal affinities and background when defining his niche. He uses examples like enjoying fishing or the outdoors to illustrate how personal interests can naturally align with certain professional verticals, making the work more enjoyable and authentic.

Action Steps:
1. List your top 5 personal interests or hobbies
2. Brainstorm potential client types or industries that relate to these interests
3. Identify one way to incorporate a personal interest into your marketing content

Leveraging Educational Background
Using your educational history to enhance credibility and understanding

Tahe mentions his background in nursing, which Chris recognizes as a valuable asset in understanding and serving clients in the health and wellness space. This illustrates how educational background, even if not directly related to your current services, can provide unique insights and credibility in certain niches.

Action Steps:
1. Review your educational history and identify relevant courses or experiences
2. Write a brief paragraph explaining how your educational background benefits clients
3. Incorporate this information into your professional bio or "About" page

Embracing Holistic Approaches
Recognizing and aligning with emerging industry trends

Tahe expresses interest in the holistic wellness center model, where different health professionals collaborate to provide comprehensive care. This demonstrates the importance of staying aware of industry trends and aligning your services with approaches that resonate with both you and your target market.

Action Steps:
1. Research current trends in your chosen niche or industry
2. Identify how your services can support or complement these trends
3. Develop a service package or marketing message that aligns with the holistic approach in your industry

By focusing on these areas - defining your niche, crafting effective introductions, and leveraging your personal background - you can create a more targeted, authentic, and compelling digital marketing consultancy. Remember to continuously refine your approach based on client feedback and results.

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Developing a Focused Business Strategy
This section delves into the importance of narrowing your focus and developing a clear, targeted business strategy for your digital marketing consultancy.

The Power of Specialization
Understanding the benefits of a narrow focus

Chris emphasizes the importance of specializing in a specific niche or service area. He explains that while it may feel counterintuitive to narrow your focus, doing so actually makes it easier to attract clients and command higher rates. Specialization allows you to develop deep expertise, speak directly to your target audience's needs, and differentiate yourself from generalist competitors.

Action Steps:
1. Identify the top 3 services you're most skilled at or enjoy providing the most
2. Research the market demand for these specialized services in your chosen niche
3. Develop a unique selling proposition (USP) based on your specialized offerings

Overcoming the Fear of Limiting Opportunities
Addressing concerns about missing out on potential clients

Chris addresses the common fear that specializing might lead to missing out on potential clients or opportunities. He explains that while you may turn away some work that doesn't fit your niche, you'll attract more of the right clients who value your specific expertise. This approach leads to more fulfilling work and often higher profitability.

Action Steps:
1. Write down your concerns about specializing and potential missed opportunities
2. For each concern, list potential benefits of specialization that could outweigh it
3. Set a timeline (e.g., 3-6 months) to test a specialized approach and evaluate results

Aligning Services with Client Needs
Tailoring your offerings to your target market's specific challenges

Chris guides Tahe in thinking about how his digital marketing services can be tailored to address the specific needs of health and wellness professionals. This involves understanding the unique challenges and goals of these clients and framing your services as solutions to their problems.

Action Steps:
1. Conduct interviews with 3-5 ideal clients to understand their biggest marketing challenges
2. Create a list of how your services directly address these specific challenges
3. Revise your service descriptions to clearly communicate these targeted solutions

Effective Marketing and Client Acquisition Strategies
This section focuses on strategies for attracting and converting ideal clients for your digital marketing consultancy.

Leveraging Content Marketing
Using valuable content to attract and engage potential clients

Chris suggests creating content that demonstrates your expertise and provides value to your target audience. This could include blog posts, videos, or social media content that addresses common questions or challenges in your niche. By consistently sharing valuable insights, you position yourself as an authority and attract potential clients.

Action Steps:
1. Create a content calendar with topics relevant to your niche's pain points
2. Produce and publish at least one piece of valuable content per week
3. Share your content on platforms where your ideal clients are most active

Networking and Referrals
Building relationships to generate leads and referrals

Chris emphasizes the importance of networking within your chosen niche. This involves attending industry events, joining professional associations, and building relationships with complementary service providers. These connections can lead to referrals and collaborations that help grow your business.

Action Steps:
1. Identify and join 2-3 professional associations relevant to your niche
2. Attend at least one industry event or conference in the next quarter
3. Develop a referral program to incentivize clients and partners to recommend your services

Demonstrating Results Through Case Studies
Showcasing your expertise and results to attract new clients

Chris suggests creating detailed case studies that highlight the results you've achieved for clients in your niche. These case studies serve as powerful social proof, demonstrating your ability to solve specific problems and deliver measurable outcomes for businesses similar to your prospective clients.

Action Steps:
1. Select your top 3 client success stories that align with your chosen niche
2. Create detailed case studies for each, including challenges, solutions, and quantifiable results
3. Feature these case studies prominently on your website and in your marketing materials

Pricing and Packaging Your Services
This section addresses strategies for pricing your digital marketing services and creating attractive service packages.

Value-Based Pricing
Shifting from hourly rates to value-based pricing models

Chris advocates for moving away from hourly billing towards value-based pricing. This approach involves pricing your services based on the value and results you deliver to clients, rather than the time spent. Value-based pricing allows you to charge premium rates for your specialized expertise and align your incentives with your clients' success.

Action Steps:
1. List the key outcomes and benefits your services provide to clients
2. Research industry benchmarks for the value of these outcomes (e.g., increased revenue, time saved)
3. Develop a pricing structure that reflects the value you deliver rather than hours worked

Creating Service Packages
Bundling services to provide comprehensive solutions

Chris suggests creating service packages that address multiple aspects of your clients' needs. These packages can combine various digital marketing services into cohesive solutions, making it easier for clients to understand and purchase your offerings. Well-designed packages can also increase your average project value and streamline your workflow.

Action Steps:
1. Identify 3-5 core services that complement each other well
2. Create 2-3 tiered service packages that cater to different client needs and budgets
3. Develop clear descriptions and pricing for each package, highlighting the value and outcomes

By implementing these strategies - focusing your business, marketing effectively, and structuring your services and pricing - you can create a more successful and sustainable digital marketing consultancy. Remember to continuously refine your approach based on client feedback and market trends.
--

Building Credibility and Authority in Your Niche

This section focuses on strategies to establish yourself as a trusted expert in your chosen niche, enhancing your ability to attract and retain high-value clients.

Developing Thought Leadership
Positioning yourself as an industry expert through content creation

Chris emphasizes the importance of consistently producing high-quality, insightful content that addresses the specific needs and challenges of your target audience. This could include blog posts, podcasts, videos, or social media content. By sharing valuable insights and staying ahead of industry trends, you position yourself as a go-to resource in your niche.

Action Steps:
1. Identify 5-10 key topics or questions that are most relevant to your niche
2. Create a content schedule to address these topics across various platforms
3. Commit to producing at least one piece of in-depth content (e.g., long-form blog post, video) per month

Speaking and Teaching Opportunities
Sharing your expertise through presentations and workshops

Chris suggests seeking out opportunities to speak at industry events, host workshops, or teach courses related to your niche. These activities not only position you as an expert but also provide valuable networking opportunities and can lead to new client relationships.

Action Steps:
1. Research upcoming conferences or events in your niche and apply to be a speaker
2. Develop a workshop curriculum on a key topic in your area of expertise
3. Reach out to local business organizations or schools to offer guest lectures or seminars

Scaling Your Digital Marketing Consultancy

This section addresses strategies for growing your business beyond individual client work, allowing for increased revenue and impact.

Developing Productized Services
Creating standardized service offerings for scalability

Chris introduces the concept of productized services - standardized offerings that can be delivered efficiently to multiple clients. This approach allows you to scale your business more effectively than custom projects, while still providing valuable solutions to your clients.

Action Steps:
1. Identify 2-3 common client needs that could be addressed with a standardized solution
2. Develop a process and pricing structure for each productized service
3. Create marketing materials to promote these standardized offerings

Building a Team or Network of Specialists
Expanding your capacity through strategic partnerships or hiring

As your business grows, Chris suggests considering ways to expand your capacity without compromising quality. This could involve hiring employees, partnering with other specialists, or building a network of freelancers. By carefully curating a team or network, you can take on more clients and offer a broader range of services.

Action Steps:
1. List the skills or services you most often need to complement your core offerings
2. Research potential partners or freelancers who specialize in these areas
3. Develop a system for vetting and onboarding new team members or partners

Creating Digital Products or Courses
Leveraging your expertise to create scalable income streams

Chris mentions the potential of creating digital products or online courses as a way to scale your impact and income. These products allow you to share your knowledge with a broader audience and generate passive income alongside your consulting work.

Action Steps:
1. Identify your most frequently asked questions or requested advice from clients
2. Outline a potential e-book or online course that addresses these common needs
3. Research platforms for hosting and marketing your digital products

Continuous Improvement and Adaptation
This final section emphasizes the importance of ongoing learning and adaptation in the fast-paced digital marketing landscape.

Staying Current with Industry Trends
Maintaining relevance through continuous learning

Chris stresses the importance of staying up-to-date with the latest trends, tools, and best practices in digital marketing. This ongoing education ensures that you can provide cutting-edge solutions to your clients and maintain your competitive edge.

Action Steps:
1. Subscribe to 3-5 reputable industry publications or newsletters
2. Set aside dedicated time each week for professional development and learning
3. Attend at least one major industry conference or training event annually

Soliciting and Acting on Client Feedback
Refining your services based on client input

Chris encourages regularly seeking feedback from your clients to understand their evolving needs and improve your services. This client-centric approach helps you refine your offerings, enhance client satisfaction, and identify new opportunities for growth.

Action Steps:
1. Develop a standardized feedback process for all client projects
2. Schedule quarterly check-ins with long-term clients to discuss their changing needs
3. Use client feedback to inform your service development and marketing strategies

By focusing on these areas - building credibility, scaling your business, and continuously improving - you can establish a thriving digital marketing consultancy that stands out in your chosen niche. Remember that success in this field requires a balance of specialized expertise, strategic thinking, and adaptability to meet the evolving needs of your clients and the market.\

---

Resources:

1. 2Bobs Podcast: https://2bobs.com/
- A highly recommended podcast for creative professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of business and strategy.

2. Jonathan's Daily List: https://jonathanstark.com/daily
- A resource for solo consultants aiming to maximize their efficiency and earnings without expanding their team.

3. Punctuation: Your Creative Firm is a Single Building with Two Rooms:
https://punctuation.com/your-creative-firm-is-a-single-building-with-two-rooms/
- An article offering insights into managing and structuring creative businesses effectively.

4. The Futur Content on Copywriting and Cold Emails
https://thefutur.com/content/copywriting-and-cold-emails)
- A guide focusing on crafting compelling copy and emails for business success.

5. 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness by Jim Rohn
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/764702.7_Strategies_for_Wealth_Happiness
- A book that provides powerful ideas for achieving wealth and personal fulfillment.

---

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Effective Communication and Asking for What You Want

This conversation explores the nuances of effective communication, particularly in asking for what you want. It delves into the dynamics of parent-child relationships, professional settings, and personal interactions, highlighting the importance of intention, emotional intelligence, and neutral communication.

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The Art of Asking

Asking with Generosity and Neutrality
Framing requests in a positive, non-threatening manner

Chris Do emphasizes the importance of asking questions with a spirit of generosity and neutrality. He suggests that the way we ask for things can significantly impact the response we receive. By framing requests in terms of giving joy or allowing something, rather than demanding or withholding, we can create a more positive interaction. This approach helps prevent fear and shutdown in communication.

Action Steps:
1. Before making a request, reflect on how you can frame it in a way that considers the other person's perspective and feelings.
2. Practice asking questions that allow for a genuine yes or no response without implicit pressure.
3. Monitor your tone and body language when making requests to ensure they align with a spirit of neutrality and openness.

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The Impact of Violent Communication

Understanding how aggressive or threatening communication affects relationships

Description: Chris highlights how "violent" communication, whether in asking or responding, can lead to fear and reluctance in future interactions. This applies to both the person making the request and the one responding. When we respond aggressively to requests or ask questions with underlying threats, it creates a cycle of negative communication. This insight is crucial for maintaining open and healthy relationships, both personal and professional.

Action Steps:
1. Identify instances in your past where you may have used "violent" communication and reflect on how it affected the outcome.
2. Practice rephrasing common requests or responses in a more neutral, non-threatening manner.
3. Set a goal to catch yourself before responding aggressively to requests, and instead pause to formulate a more constructive response.

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Parent-Child Dynamics in Communication
Understanding Unspoken Intentions

Recognizing the underlying messages in requests

Chris uses the example of a child asking to spend time with friends to illustrate how requests often carry unspoken intentions or implications. In this case, the child's request implies unsupervised time in potentially risky situations, with an underlying threat of dislike if denied. Understanding these hidden aspects of communication is crucial for addressing the real issues at hand and maintaining healthy relationships.

Action Steps:
1. When receiving a request, especially from family members or colleagues, take a moment to consider what might be implied beyond the surface-level question.
2. Practice asking clarifying questions to uncover the true intentions behind requests.
3. In your own requests, strive to be more transparent about your underlying motivations and concerns.

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Balancing Responsibility and Freedom

Navigating the complexities of parent-child communication

The conversation touches on the delicate balance between a child's desire for independence and a parent's responsibility for safety. Chris's approach of offering a compromise (staying nearby but separate) demonstrates a way to address both the child's need for autonomy and the parent's concern for safety. This scenario highlights the importance of finding creative solutions in communication that respect both parties' needs.

Action Steps:
1. In parenting or mentoring situations, brainstorm compromise solutions before outright denying requests.
2. Engage in open dialogues about the reasons behind rules or denials, helping the other person understand your perspective.
3. Regularly reassess rules and boundaries as children grow, adjusting them to match their developing maturity and responsibility.

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Professional Communication and Rejection
Institutional vs. Personal Rejection

Differentiating between rejection from institutions and individuals

Melanie points out that people tend to handle rejection from institutions differently than from individuals. This insight suggests that we might benefit from approaching personal rejections with the same objectivity we apply to institutional ones. Understanding this difference can help in developing resilience and maintaining a positive self-image in the face of various types of rejection.

Action Steps:
1. Reflect on your emotional responses to rejections from institutions versus individuals, noting any differences.
2. Practice reframing personal rejections as you would institutional ones, focusing on external factors rather than personal worth.
3. Develop a rejection resilience plan, outlining steps to process and move forward from both types of rejection.

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The Cost of Asking in Professional Settings
Understanding the investment and risks in professional requests

Chris highlights the significant investments often made in professional settings when asking for work or opportunities. This includes not just time and effort, but also substantial financial resources and creative energy. By recognizing these investments as part of the business process rather than personal rejection, professionals can maintain a healthier perspective on outcomes and continue to pursue opportunities without undue emotional burden.

Action Steps:
1. Keep a record of your professional 'asks' and their outcomes to gain perspective on the natural rhythm of acceptances and rejections.
2. Create a post-rejection routine that includes analyzing the experience for lessons and immediately pivoting to the next opportunity.
3. Set aside a budget (time and resources) specifically for creating proposals and pitches, viewing it as a necessary business investment rather than a personal risk.

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Emotional Intelligence in Communication
Developing Emotional Maturity

Enhancing emotional intelligence in communication

The conversation emphasizes the role of emotional intelligence in effective communication, particularly in how we ask for things and handle responses. Chris and Melanie discuss how emotional maturity affects our ability to communicate our needs clearly and handle rejection or negative responses constructively. This insight is crucial for personal growth and improving all types of relationships.

Action Steps:
1. Engage in regular self-reflection exercises to increase awareness of your emotional responses in various communication scenarios.
2. Practice expressing your needs and wants clearly and directly, without relying on passive-aggressive or manipulative tactics.
3. Seek feedback from trusted friends or mentors on your communication style and emotional responses to challenging situations.

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Overcoming Fear of Asking
Addressing the root causes of communication apprehension

The discussion touches on why people often fear asking for what they want, linking it to past experiences and childhood development. Understanding these root causes can help individuals overcome their hesitation and communicate more effectively. By recognizing that fear of rejection often stems from past experiences rather than present reality, individuals can work towards more confident and clear communication.

Action Steps:
1. Identify specific instances where you hesitate to ask for what you want and explore the underlying fears or past experiences contributing to this hesitation.
2. Start with small, low-stakes requests to build confidence in asking for what you want.
3. Develop a personal mantra or affirmation to use before making requests, reinforcing your right to ask and the value of your needs.

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Effective Response Strategies
Neutral and Constructive Responses

Maintaining Neutrality in Responses
Responding to requests without emotional charge

Chris emphasizes the importance of responding to requests or questions with neutrality, avoiding sarcasm, passive-aggressiveness, or defensiveness. This approach creates a safe space for communication, encouraging openness and honesty. By maintaining a neutral stance, we can address the core issues at hand without escalating emotions or creating further conflict.

Action Steps:
1. Practice pausing before responding to requests, using this moment to compose a neutral response.
2. Develop a set of neutral phrases to use when you need time to consider a request, such as "Let me think about that" or "Can you give me more details?"
3. Regularly reflect on your typical response patterns and identify areas where you can increase neutrality.

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Offering Constructive Alternatives

Providing solutions rather than outright refusals

In the conversation, Chris demonstrates how to offer constructive alternatives when faced with a request that can't be fulfilled as presented. By suggesting a compromise (like offering to accompany his son but stay separate), he shows how to address underlying concerns while still acknowledging the other person's desires. This approach can lead to more productive outcomes and maintain positive relationships.

Action Steps:
1. When faced with a request you can't fully accommodate, brainstorm at least two alternative solutions before responding.
2. Practice active listening to fully understand the motivations behind requests, allowing you to offer more relevant alternatives.
3. Develop a habit of explaining your reasoning when offering alternatives, helping the other person understand your perspective.

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Handling Rejection and Disappointment
Allowing Space for Emotions

Recognizing the importance of emotional processing

Description: The discussion touches on how Chris allowed his son to express disappointment and frustration after being denied his request. This approach acknowledges that emotions are a natural part of communication and decision-making. By giving space for these feelings without trying to immediately fix or dismiss them, we can foster emotional maturity and resilience in ourselves and others.

Action Steps:
1. When delivering a 'no' or disappointing news, explicitly acknowledge the other person's potential feelings.
2. Practice sitting with discomfort when others express negative emotions, resisting the urge to immediately fix or dismiss their feelings.
3. Implement a "cooling off" period in your personal or professional life for important decisions, allowing time for emotional processing.

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Communication in Professional Settings

Tailoring Communication to Context
Adapting Communication Styles

Recognizing the need for different approaches in various professional contexts

The conversation touches on how communication needs to be adapted based on the professional setting and relationships involved. What works in a family setting might not be appropriate in a business context, and vice versa. Understanding these nuances is crucial for effective professional communication and relationship building.

Action Steps:
1. Identify the key professional relationships in your life and assess the current communication style you use with each.
2. Research and practice communication techniques specific to your industry or professional role.
3. Seek feedback from colleagues or mentors on your communication style in different professional contexts.

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Balancing Assertiveness and Sensitivity
Finding the right tone for professional requests and negotiations

The discussion implies the need for a balance between being assertive in asking for what you want professionally and being sensitive to the other party's position. This balance is crucial in negotiations, project proposals, and general professional interactions. It involves clearly stating your needs or wants while also considering the perspective and constraints of others.

Action Steps:
1. Before making a professional request, list both your needs and potential concerns or limitations of the other party.
2. Practice framing requests in terms of mutual benefit, highlighting how fulfilling your request can also advantage the other party.
3. Develop a personal script for making assertive yet considerate requests in various professional scenarios.

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Managing Professional Rejection

Depersonalizing Professional Setbacks
Separating personal worth from professional outcomes

The conversation touches on the importance of not taking professional rejections personally. This mindset is crucial for maintaining confidence and persistence in a competitive professional environment. By viewing rejections as part of the business process rather than personal failings, professionals can maintain motivation and continue pursuing opportunities.

Action Steps:
1. Create a 'rejection resume' documenting professional setbacks and the lessons learned from each.
2. Develop a post-rejection routine that includes positive self-affirmations and immediate planning for the next opportunity.
3. Regularly review and celebrate your professional successes to maintain perspective when facing rejections.

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Learning from Professional Rejections
Extracting value from unsuccessful attempts

While not explicitly discussed, the conversation implies the importance of learning from rejections and using that information to improve future attempts. This approach turns every rejection into an opportunity for growth and refinement of professional skills and strategies.

Action Steps:
1. After each professional rejection, conduct a thorough analysis of the process, identifying potential areas for improvement.
2. Seek feedback from decision-makers when possible to gain insights into why your proposal or request was not accepted.
3. Implement a regular review process of past rejections to identify patterns and adjust your overall professional strategy.

‍

---

Resources:

‍

Dammit, Just Ask!: The Essential Guide on How to Get More Out of Life and Business

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57624150-dammit-just-ask)

‍

The Remarkable Ask: Small Steps to Giant Leaps - with Andrew and Pete

https://thefutur.com/content/the-remarkable-ask-small-steps-to-giant-leaps---with-andrew-and-pete

‍

The library of film
https://shotdeck.com/

‍

Film Search
https://flim.ai/

Designing a Subscription-Based Pricing Model for Creative Services

This session explores how to transition from project-based pricing to a subscription model for creative services, specifically in the context of graphic design and brand strategy. The discussion aims to help creative professionals increase their recurring revenue and provide consistent value to clients.

Understanding the Challenge of Subscription Models in Graphic Design

Difficulties in creating subscription models for general graphic design services

Chris Do acknowledges that developing a subscription model for general graphic design services can be challenging. This is due to the typically project-based nature of graphic design work and the varying needs of clients. However, he emphasizes that with the right approach, it's possible to create a successful subscription model that can generate significant recurring revenue.

Action Steps

1. Identify your core competencies in graphic design and related services
2. Analyze your current client base to understand their ongoing design needs
3. Brainstorm potential recurring design services that align with your skills and client demands

Defining Core Offerings and Financial Goals
Clarifying services and setting revenue targets for subscription models

The discussion begins by establishing Pik's core offerings and financial goals. Pik aims to provide general graphic design services, acting as an outsourced in-house design team for clients. She also considers offering Chief Brand Officer services. The financial goal is set at $300,000 in annual recurring revenue through the subscription model.

Action Steps

1. List all the design services you currently offer to clients
2. Set a specific annual recurring revenue goal for your subscription model
3. Identify which of your services could be packaged into a recurring offering

Focusing on Core Competencies

The importance of concentrating on primary skills rather than expanding too broadly

Chris strongly advises against adding services outside one's core competencies, such as motion graphics, unless there's a significant investment in developing those skills. He emphasizes that spreading too thin can lead to subpar work and increased competition from specialists. Instead, he recommends focusing on and showcasing the services where you excel.

Action Steps

1. Evaluate your current service offerings and identify your strongest skills
2. Remove or de-emphasize services that are not your core competencies
3. Develop a marketing strategy that highlights your expertise in your primary service areas

Understanding Current Pricing and Client Relationships

Analyzing existing pricing structures and client billing patterns

The discussion reveals that Pik's current pricing model involves monthly billing based on completed projects, with an average monthly revenue of around $10,000 per client. This insight provides a foundation for developing a subscription model that aligns with existing client expectations and spending patterns.

Action Steps

1. Calculate your average monthly revenue per client over the past 6-12 months
2. Identify patterns in client spending and project frequency
3. Use this data to inform your subscription pricing strategy

Developing a Subscription Model Framework

Creating a tiered subscription structure based on client needs and budget

Chris guides Pik through developing a tiered subscription model. He suggests creating three tiers: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Each tier offers increasing levels of service and access to the design team. This structure allows clients to choose a package that fits their needs and budget, while providing a clear path for upselling.

Action Steps

1. Define three distinct service tiers (e.g., Bronze, Silver, Gold)
2. List specific deliverables and services included in each tier
3. Assign pricing to each tier based on the value provided and your revenue goals

Pricing Strategy for Subscription Tiers
Determining appropriate pricing for each subscription tier

Chris recommends setting the Bronze tier at $5,000 per month, Silver at $10,000, and Gold at $15,000. This pricing strategy is based on Pik's current average monthly billing of $10,000 per client. The tiered approach allows for both more affordable options and premium offerings, catering to a wider range of clients.

Action Steps

1. Set your baseline (Silver) tier price at your current average monthly billing
2. Price your Bronze tier at 50% of your Silver tier
3. Price your Gold tier at 150% of your Silver tier

Defining Service Offerings for Each Tier
Outlining specific services and deliverables for each subscription level

The discussion explores what services should be included in each tier. Bronze might offer a set number of design hours or specific deliverables per month. Silver could include more hours, additional services, or faster turnaround times. Gold might provide unlimited design work within reason, strategic input, and priority service. The key is to create clear differentiation between tiers to encourage upgrades.

Action Steps

1. List all possible services and deliverables you can offer on a recurring basis
2. Allocate these services across your three tiers, ensuring each tier offers increasing value
3. Create a clear, easy-to-understand breakdown of what's included in each tier

Addressing Client Concerns and Objections
Anticipating and overcoming potential client resistance to the subscription model

Chris and Pik discuss potential client objections to a subscription model, such as concerns about not needing design services every month. They explore strategies to address these concerns, including emphasizing the value of having a dedicated design team on call, the ability to roll over unused hours, and the long-term benefits of consistent brand management.

Action Steps

1. Compile a list of potential client objections to a subscription model
2. Develop clear, persuasive responses to each objection
3. Create a FAQ document addressing these concerns for potential clients

Transitioning Existing Clients to the Subscription Model
Strategies for moving current clients from project-based to subscription-based billing

The conversation touches on how to transition existing clients to the new subscription model. Chris suggests presenting the model as an evolution of their current relationship, highlighting the benefits such as predictable costs, priority service, and consistent brand management. He advises starting with clients who already have consistent monthly needs.

Action Steps

1. Identify clients with consistent monthly design needs as prime candidates for transition
2. Prepare a presentation outlining the benefits of the new subscription model
3. Schedule meetings with key clients to introduce and discuss the new pricing structure

Implementing a Chief Brand Officer (CBO) Service
Integrating strategic brand guidance into the subscription model

Pik mentions offering Chief Brand Officer services as part of her subscription model. Chris explores this idea, suggesting it could be a premium offering in the Gold tier or potentially a separate, higher-tier service. The CBO role would involve providing high-level strategic guidance on brand positioning, marketing strategy, and overall brand consistency.

Action Steps

1. Define the specific responsibilities and deliverables of a CBO service
2. Determine if this service should be part of the Gold tier or a separate, higher-priced offering
3. Create a detailed description of the CBO service to use in marketing materials

Focusing on Target Industries

Tailoring subscription offerings to specific industries for increased value

The discussion reveals that Pik's clients are primarily in the health tech and life science industries. Chris emphasizes the importance of leveraging this industry focus in marketing the subscription model. Specializing in these sectors allows Pik to offer more targeted, valuable services and position herself as an industry expert.

### Action Steps

1. Research the specific design and branding needs of the health tech and life science industries
2. Tailor your subscription offerings to address these industry-specific needs
3. Develop case studies and testimonials from your existing clients in these industries to showcase your expertise

## Balancing Workload and Team Capacity

### Topic Area - Managing resources effectively to deliver on subscription promises

Description: Chris and Pik discuss the importance of balancing client workload with team capacity. As the subscription model grows, it's crucial to ensure that the team can consistently deliver high-quality work to all clients. This may involve hiring additional team members or subcontractors, or carefully managing the number of clients at each tier.

Action Steps

1. Assess your current team's capacity and productivity
2. Create a plan for scaling your team as you acquire more subscription clients
3. Develop systems for tracking and managing workload across all subscription tiers

Marketing the Subscription Model
Strategies for promoting and selling the new subscription services

While not explicitly discussed in detail, the conversation implies the need for effective marketing of the new subscription model. This would involve clearly communicating the benefits of the subscription approach, showcasing the value of each tier, and highlighting the specialized industry knowledge that Pik's team offers.

Action Steps

1. Develop clear, compelling marketing materials that explain your subscription model
2. Create a comparison chart showing the benefits of each subscription tier
3. Prepare case studies demonstrating the long-term value of consistent design support

Measuring Success and Adjusting the Model

Tracking key performance indicators and refining the subscription offerings

Although not directly addressed in the transcript, it's important to implement systems for measuring the success of the subscription model and making necessary adjustments. This would involve tracking metrics such as client retention, upgrade rates, and overall revenue growth.

Action Steps

1. Identify key performance indicators (KPIs) for your subscription model
2. Set up systems to track these KPIs on a monthly and quarterly basis
3. Schedule regular reviews to assess the model's performance and make necessary adjustments

Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
Shifting mindset from project-based to subscription-based thinking

Throughout the conversation, Chris challenges Pik's initial belief that creating a subscription model for graphic design services is too difficult. He emphasizes that with the right approach and mindset, transitioning to a subscription model is not only possible but can lead to significant growth and stability in the business.

Action Steps

1. Identify and list any limiting beliefs you have about implementing a subscription model
2. Research and connect with other design professionals who have successfully implemented subscription models
3. Develop a positive affirmation or mantra to reinforce your ability to succeed with this new business model

‍

‍

Resource:

How to Ask Better Questions | The Art of Listening & Communication
https://youtu.be/KCQ7FAsZCHM?si=BBQqNt_UdHPOB34B

‍

This workshop aims to help solo creators enhance their storytelling skills, develop their unique voice, and engage their audience effectively. The session is led by Andres, who shares insights and techniques for compelling storytelling.

Introduction and Setting the Stage

Overcoming Nervousness
Addressing personal challenges in public speaking

Andres opens the workshop by acknowledging his nervousness, despite usually being comfortable with public speaking. This vulnerability sets a tone of authenticity and relatability for the participants. He mentions that this nervousness might be explored further in the vulnerability section of the workshop, hinting at the importance of personal connection in storytelling.

Action Steps:
1. Acknowledge your own nervousness when presenting - it humanizes you to your audience
2. Use personal challenges as potential material for your stories
3. Practice speaking in front of groups to build confidence over time

The Fundamentals of Storytelling
Why Stories Matter

Exploring the core reasons stories are impactful
Andres begins with a foundational question: "Why do stories matter?" He collects responses from participants, highlighting key themes such as connection, empathy, perspective, and community building. This exercise underscores the universal appeal and power of storytelling across various contexts and cultures.

Action Steps:
1. Reflect on why stories have been impactful in your own life and experiences
2. Consider how you can incorporate these elements (connection, empathy, perspective) into your own storytelling
3. Practice explaining the importance of storytelling to others in your field or industry

Core Elements of Effective Storytelling
The Storytelling Framework

Understanding the basic structure of compelling stories

Andres introduces a fundamental storytelling framework consisting of three key elements: Character, Conflict, and Change. This structure provides a simple yet powerful foundation for crafting engaging narratives. He emphasizes that while stories can be complex, starting with these core components helps creators develop more impactful and relatable content.

Action Steps:
1. Identify the main character in your story, ensuring they are relatable to your audience
2. Define a clear conflict or challenge that the character faces
3. Outline the change or transformation that occurs as a result of overcoming the conflict

Character Development
Creating memorable and relatable protagonists

Description: The workshop delves into the importance of developing strong characters. Andres explains that characters serve as the audience's entry point into the story, and their journey is what keeps people engaged. He encourages participants to think about what makes a character interesting, relatable, and worth following throughout a narrative.

Action Steps:
1. Write a detailed backstory for your main character, even if not all of it is used in the final story
2. Define your character's motivations, fears, and desires to make them more three-dimensional
3. Create opportunities for your audience to empathize with your character's struggles

The Power of Conflict
Utilizing tension to drive narrative forward

Andres emphasizes that conflict is the engine of any good story. He explains how conflict creates tension, which in turn generates interest and keeps the audience engaged. The workshop explores different types of conflict (internal, external, man vs. nature, etc.) and how they can be used effectively in various storytelling contexts.

Action Steps:
1. Identify the primary conflict in your story and ensure it's central to the narrative
2. Develop secondary conflicts that support or complicate the main conflict
3. Practice escalating conflict throughout your story to maintain audience engagement

The Art of Pacing
Controlling the rhythm and flow of your narrative

The workshop covers the importance of pacing in storytelling. Andres explains how varying the pace can create emotional highs and lows, build tension, and provide moments of relief for the audience. He provides techniques for speeding up or slowing down narrative pace effectively.

Action Steps:
1. Analyze the pacing in a story you admire, noting where it speeds up or slows down
2. Experiment with pacing in your own stories, using techniques like sentence length and detail level
3. Practice reading your stories aloud to get a feel for the rhythm and adjust as needed

Incorporating Sensory Details
Enhancing storytelling through vivid descriptions

Andres emphasizes the power of sensory details in making stories more immersive and memorable. He guides participants on how to effectively use descriptions of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch to bring their narratives to life and create a more engaging experience for the audience.

Action Steps:
1. Choose a scene from your story and describe it using all five senses
2. Practice "showing" instead of "telling" by replacing abstract descriptions with concrete sensory details
3. Keep a sensory journal to improve your ability to recall and describe sensory experiences

Conclusion: The Ongoing Journey of a Storyteller
Continuous Improvement and Learning
Fostering a growth mindset in storytelling

Andres concludes the workshop by emphasizing that storytelling is an ongoing journey of improvement and discovery. He encourages participants to continue honing their craft through practice, feedback, and exposure to diverse storytelling forms. The session ends with a discussion on resources for further learning and ways to stay inspired as a storyteller.

Action Steps:
1. Set a goal to tell or write one new story each week, experimenting with different techniques
2. Join a storytelling group or workshop to receive regular feedback and inspiration
3. Create a personal development plan for your storytelling skills, identifying areas for improvement and resources to help you grow

‍

Resources:

‍

References that I will be curating from:

Storytelling Secrets That Captivate ANY Crowd

https://youtu.be/AqnS_hrVZVQ

Stories Need This One Thing

https://youtu.be/uQqkZFn1xpg

Three Story Telling Tips (Story Formula)

https://youtu.be/AzrL1TOPS54?si=uJ3hcatQoa5AO6NQ

How To Tell Stories That Wins Hearts & Minds – Tell Your Story Part

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_RX0HuEA2U

How to Craft a Story Brand That People Remember

https://youtu.be/v8rfMt87Lb8?si=TZZvD1v4LhkOVasj

Amplifying the Best Parts of You! with Vinh Giang

https://thefutur.com/membership/pro-library/amplifying-the-best-parts-of-you-with-vinh-giang

Stop Hiding Who You Really Are: Be Authentic W/ Corey Poirier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzLE88D1oIg

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Why Storytelling Works: The Science

https://www.arielgroup.com/why-storytelling-works-the-science/#:~:text=Stories%20synchronize%20the%20listener's%20brain,is%20known%20as%20neural%20coupling.

Ai Prompt - Story Generation 1.0 for Solo Creators

For the duration of this conversation in perpetuity, I want you to help me build stories as a solo creator.
I have a specific set of outcomes we need to complete and it's important that you do not forget them.

*Important Note about the deliverables* You will produce:
1. You will tell the story using Kindra Hall's framework 
2. A revised version of the story in a first-person perspective
3. Three different compelling story titles
4. Please do not forget to complete all of these tasks

Listed below are all the instructions.

I want you to act like a professional storytelling coach and at random ask me 1 of the questions listed below 1-10;

1. What specific event or experience inspired you to start your entrepreneurial journey?
2. What was the biggest challenge you faced in the first six months of your business, and how did you overcome it?
3. Can you share a specific instance when you experienced a significant failure, and describe the steps you took to recover from it?
4. Who has been your greatest mentor or influence in your entrepreneurial journey, and what is one key lesson you learned from them that you applied to your business?
5. Describe a pivotal moment that significantly changed the direction of your business, and explain the actions you took to pivot successfully.
6. Can you describe a situation where you had to make a difficult decision within a tight deadline, and what was the outcome?
7. How did you handle a specific instance of uncertainty or risk that had the potential to significantly impact your business?
8. What specific strategies have you used to build and maintain trust with your customers or clients, and can you provide an example of when these strategies were particularly effective?
9. How do you stay motivated and focused during a prolonged tough period, and what personal practices or routines help you maintain resilience?
10. What is one piece of advice you would give to aspiring entrepreneurs based on a specific experience you had, and how can they apply this lesson to their own journeys?


Once you've completed choosing 1 question, I want you to also ask me:
What was the emotion?
Can you list a few specific details about the situation? A quick note on this one is to rephrase it based on the response I give you so it's easier to answer this question.


Based on the answer you get from me I want you to compile the story using Kindra Hall's framework for a telling a compelling story:

Normal - What was life like before?
Explosion - How did it change your life?
New Normal - What's life like now?
 
Once you've formatted the story in Kindra Hall's framework Normal, Explosion and New Normal I want you to also write another version of the story in a first-person perspective to be used in a public speaking setting like a solo podcast or a keynote.

The first-person version needs to be written in spoken language and have a natural flow of words. I want the story to elicit an emotion relative to the details provided. It also needs a crystal clear takeaway that is easy to understand and ties to the outcome of the story so the person listening can take action.   

Keep the story between 1-3 minutes.

Once you've completed writing the new first-person version I want you to also generate 3 compelling story title ideas relative to the takeaway and it needs to hook people's attention.

I'll give you a simple framework to work with:

Framework for creating story titles with R.O.T.

Results: Highlight the benefits and outcomes the audience can expect.
Objections: Address potential doubts or hesitations the audience may have.
Time: Clarify the timeframe for achieving the promised results.

Framework steps:
1. Identify the Core Message:
	- What is the main benefit or outcome?
	- What problem are you solving?
	- What action do you want the reader to take?
2. Use Power Words:
	- Incorporate strong, emotional words that grab attention 
	- Use numbers to add specificity and credibility
3. Keep It Clear and Concise:
	- Aim for 6-12 words.
	- Avoid jargon and complex language.
4. Address the Audience Directly:
	- Use "you" and "your" to make it personal.
	- Speak to their pain points and aspirations.
5. Create a Sense of Urgency or Curiosity
	- Use time-sensitive words.
	- Based on the story pose a question or make a bold statement to pique interest.

Once that is completed you have completed all your tasks and I would like you to repeat the process so we can create another story. I want you to ask me "What is another story we can build together?"



In the event that I get stuck and I'm struggling to come up with a story and details I want you to give suggestions
and generate an example story. I will tell you "I'm struggling"

Thank you.

‍

‍

Ai Prompt - Story Generation  2.0 For Solo Creators

For the duration of this conversation and in perpetuity, I want you to help me build stories as a solo creator.
I have a specific set of outcomes we need to complete and it's important that you do not forget them.

*Important notes about the deliverables* You will produce:
1. You will tell the story using Kindra Hall's framework 
2. A revised version of the story in a first-person perspective
3. Three different compelling story titles
4. Please do not forget to complete all of these tasks

Listed below are all the instructions.

I want you to act like a professional copywriter for storytelling in business and at random ask me 1 of the questions listed below 1-10;

1. How did you identify the opportunity that led to your business?
2. Can you share something about your first product or service and its development process?
3. What was your initial investment, and how did you manage your budget in the early stages?
4. How did you assemble your team, and what qualities do you look for in team members?
5. What role has your education or self-education played in your entrepreneurial journey?
6. How important was your family's support in your business?
7. Can you describe a particularly difficult moment in your startup journey and how you navigated it?
8. In your opinion, what is the most important quality an entrepreneur should possess?
9. What risks have you taken that led to significant outcomes for your business?
10. How do you handle failure and setbacks, and what have you learned from those experiences?


Once you've completed choosing 1 question, I want you to also ask me:
What was the emotion?
Can you list a few specific details about the situation? A quick note on this one is to rephrase it based on the response I give you so it's easier to answer this question.
What is one takeaway from this experience?


Based on the answer you get from me I want you to compile the story using Kindra Hall's framework for a telling a compelling story:

Normal - What was life like before?
Explosion - How did it change your life?
New Normal - What's life like now?
 
Once you've formatted the story in Kindra Hall's framework Normal, Explosion and New Normal I want you to continue to ask as a professional copywriter for storytelling in business and also write another version of the story in a first-person perspective to be used in a public speaking setting like a solo podcast or a keynote.

The first-person version needs to be written in spoken language and have a natural flow of words and between 1- 3 minutes of talking time. I want the story to elicit an emotion relative to the details provided. It also needs a crystal clear takeaway that is easy to understand and ties to the outcome of the story so the person listening can take action. 

The listeners to this story are readers of the following magazines: Forbes, Entrepreneur Magazine Inc., Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, Wired, The Economist, Business Insider. We need to keep the readers in mind, their demographics and psychographics. Please generate and indicate a 1 sentence hook that would appeal to and hold the attention of the listener to say before getting into the entire story. 

Please keep the story between 1-3 minutes of talking time.

Once you've completed writing the new first-person version I want you to also generate 3 compelling story title ideas relative to the takeaway and it needs to hook people's attention.

I'll give you a simple framework to work with:

Framework for creating story titles with R.O.T.

Results: Highlight the benefits and outcomes the audience can expect.
Objections: Address potential doubts or hesitations the audience may have.
Time: Clarify the timeframe for achieving the promised results.

Framework steps:
1. Identify the Core Message:
	- What is the main benefit or outcome?
	- What problem are you solving?
	- What action do you want the reader to take?
2. Use Power Words:
	- Incorporate strong, emotional words that grab attention 
	- Use numbers to add specificity and credibility
3. Keep It Clear and Concise:
	- Aim for 6-12 words.
	- Avoid jargon and complex language.
4. Address the Audience Directly:
	- Use "you" and "your" to make it personal.
	- Speak to their pain points and aspirations.
5. Create a Sense of Urgency or Curiosity
	- Use time-sensitive words.
	- Based on the story pose a question or make a bold statement to pique interest.

Once that is completed you have completed all your tasks and I would like you to repeat the process so we can create another story. I want you to ask me "What is another story we can build together?"



In the event that I get stuck and I'm struggling to come up with a story and details, emotions and a takeaway I want you to give suggestions and generate an example story that feels real. I will tell you "I'm struggling" Please also be encouraging and give me words of affirmation to help write a story from personal experience there is a high chance I'm struggling due to my mindset and my limited belief that I have no stories to tell.

Thank you.

‍

‍

‍

‍

End

‍

‍

Adapting to Change in the Information and Instructional Space

Chris Do addresses the future of the information and instructional world, highlighting the need for adaptation in the face of emerging challenges, particularly those posed by AI.

Future of AI-Assisted Content Creation

Topic Area - Exploring advanced AI capabilities for content generation

Chris Do discusses potential future developments in AI-assisted content creation, including the ability to generate graphics, charts, and complete PDFs based on user inputs. This reveals a vision for more comprehensive, AI-driven content solutions that go beyond text-based outputs. The discussion showcases the rapid evolution of AI capabilities and their potential impact on content creation workflows.

Action Steps:
1. Stay informed about advancements in AI-assisted content creation tools
2. Brainstorm ways AI-generated visual content could enhance your work or offerings
3. Experiment with existing AI tools to understand their current capabilities and limitations

Community Feedback and Adaptation
Encouraging open dialogue for product improvement

Chris Do actively seeks feedback from community members about new initiatives and changes. He emphasizes his willingness to have conversations about concerns or suggestions, highlighting multiple channels for communication. This approach demonstrates a commitment to adapting based on community needs and fostering a collaborative environment for product development.

Action Steps:
1. Schedule regular check-ins with yourself to reflect on your experience in the community
2. Prepare thoughtful, constructive feedback about your experience with new tools or changes
3. Utilize the appropriate communication channels (e.g., DMs, Circle) to share your feedback

Leveraging AI for Business Growth and Learning

Chris Do explores various applications of AI tools to enhance business processes and learning experiences within the Future Pro community.

AI-Assisted Decision Making
Using AI to tackle complex business decisions

Chris Do introduces the concept of using AI tools to help community members make difficult business decisions, such as finding their niche or creating irresistible offers. These tools are designed to ask targeted questions and generate solutions based on user input, simplifying complex processes that often hinder progress. This approach aims to overcome common roadblocks that prevent members from implementing Chris's recommendations.

Action Steps:
1. Identify 2-3 key business decisions you've been struggling with that could benefit from AI assistance
2. Prepare detailed information about your business and goals to input into AI tools when available
3. Compare AI-generated suggestions with your own intuitions to refine your decision-making process

Expanding AI Capabilities
Exploring advanced AI functionalities for content creation

Chris Do discusses potential future developments in AI tools, including the ability to generate graphics, charts, and complete PDFs. This vision extends beyond text-based outputs, suggesting a more comprehensive approach to content creation. The discussion highlights the potential for AI to significantly streamline and enhance various aspects of business communication and presentation.

Action Steps:
1. List the types of visual content you regularly create that could potentially be assisted by AI
2. Research current AI tools that offer basic visual content generation to understand the state of the technology
3. Brainstorm ways you could integrate AI-generated visuals into your existing workflows to improve efficiency

Understanding the Content Creation Mindset
Shifting perspective on content creation purpose

Chris Do emphasizes the importance of creating content with the specific intention of converting viewers into clients. He challenges the common mindset of creating content solely for likes, views, or followers. Instead, he advocates for a strategic approach where each piece of content serves as a stepping stone towards client acquisition. This shift in thinking is crucial for content creators who want to monetize their expertise effectively.

Action Steps:
1. Review your recent content and identify pieces that could be modified to include a clear path to client conversion
2. Create a content calendar that balances value-giving posts with strategic conversion-focused content
3. Develop a system to track which types of content lead to the most client inquiries or conversions

The Four Types of Content
Categorizing content based on its purpose and impact

Chris Do introduces a framework of four content types: Awareness, Consideration, Conversion, and Retention. Each type serves a specific purpose in the client journey. Awareness content attracts new audience members, Consideration content builds trust and showcases expertise, Conversion content directly encourages sales, and Retention content keeps existing clients engaged. Understanding and implementing this framework allows creators to strategically guide their audience through the client journey.

Action Steps:
1. Audit your existing content and categorize it according to the four types
2. Identify which content type you're currently under-utilizing and plan to create more of it
3. Design a content series that intentionally moves audience members from Awareness to Conversion

Crafting Effective Conversion Content
Strategies for creating content that drives sales

Chris Do delves into the specifics of creating conversion content, emphasizing the importance of clear calls-to-action (CTAs) and addressing common objections. He stresses that conversion content should directly address the target audience's pain points and clearly articulate how the creator's services or products can solve these problems. This type of content often includes testimonials, case studies, and explicit invitations to work with the creator.

Action Steps:
1. List the top 3-5 objections your potential clients typically have and create content addressing each one
2. Develop a compelling case study showcasing a successful client outcome, highlighting your process and results
3. Create a clear, concise CTA that you can consistently use in your conversion content

Balancing Value and Promotion

Finding the right mix of giving and asking in content

Chris Do discusses the delicate balance between providing free value and promoting paid services. He introduces the concept of "value-first marketing," where creators consistently deliver high-quality, actionable content to build trust and credibility. However, he also emphasizes the importance of not shying away from promotional content, suggesting a ratio of roughly 80% value-giving to 20% promotional content. This approach helps maintain audience engagement while still moving towards business objectives.

Action Steps:
1. Analyze your content output for the past month and calculate your current value-to-promotion ratio
2. Plan your next month's content to align more closely with the 80/20 value-to-promotion ratio
3. Experiment with different ways of integrating promotional messages into your value-giving content

Leveraging Social Proof

Using client success stories to build credibility

Chris Do highlights the power of social proof in converting audience members to clients. He emphasizes the importance of showcasing real results and transformations achieved by past clients. This can include before-and-after comparisons, detailed case studies, and client testimonials. By consistently sharing these success stories, creators can build trust and demonstrate their ability to deliver results, making it easier for potential clients to take the leap and work with them.

Action Steps:
1. Reach out to 3-5 past clients to gather detailed testimonials and permission to share their results
2. Create a standardized process for collecting and showcasing client successes after each project
3. Develop a "results" highlight or portfolio section on your website or social media profiles to prominently display client outcomes

The Importance of Consistency

Maintaining a regular content schedule for maximum impact

Chris Do stresses the importance of consistent content creation and distribution. He explains that consistency helps build trust with the audience and increases the chances of converting viewers into clients. Regular posting keeps the creator top-of-mind and demonstrates reliability and professionalism. Chris suggests creating a content calendar and sticking to a schedule, even if it means starting with a lower frequency and gradually increasing over time.

Action Steps:
1. Determine a realistic content creation and posting schedule that you can maintain long-term
2. Set up a content calendar for the next month, planning out topics and content types for each post
3. Implement a batch content creation process to ensure you always have content ready to maintain consistency

Adapting to AI in the Information and Instructional Space

Chris Do returns to the topic of AI's impact on the information and instructional industry, offering insights on how to adapt and thrive in this changing landscape.

Embracing AI as a Tool
Integrating AI into existing business models

Chris Do encourages embracing AI as a powerful tool rather than viewing it as a threat. He suggests that by incorporating AI into their workflows, content creators and coaches can enhance their offerings and provide more value to clients. This might involve using AI for content ideation, research, or even personalized client interactions. The key is to use AI to augment human expertise rather than replace it.

Action Steps:
1. Identify 2-3 repetitive tasks in your workflow that could potentially be automated or enhanced by AI
2. Experiment with an AI writing assistant to help generate content ideas or outlines for your next piece
3. Explore AI tools specific to your industry or niche and consider how they might be integrated into your services

Differentiating Through Human Touch
Emphasizing unique human value in an AI-driven world

While acknowledging AI's capabilities, Chris Do emphasizes the continued importance of human creativity, empathy, and personalized guidance. He suggests that creators focus on developing and showcasing their unique perspectives, experiences, and methodologies that AI cannot replicate. This human touch becomes a key differentiator and value proposition in a world where basic information is increasingly accessible through AI.

Action Steps:
1. Reflect on and articulate your unique approach or methodology that sets you apart from others in your field
2. Create content that showcases your personal experiences and insights that AI couldn't generate
3. Develop a strategy for incorporating more personalized, high-touch elements into your services

Staying Ahead of the Curve

Continuous learning and adaptation in the face of AI advancements

Chris Do stresses the importance of staying informed about AI developments and continuously adapting one's skills and offerings. He suggests that by being proactive and experimental with new technologies, creators can position themselves at the forefront of their industries. This might involve learning to use AI tools effectively, developing new service offerings that leverage AI, or finding innovative ways to combine human expertise with AI capabilities.

Action Steps:
1. Set aside time each week to research and experiment with new AI tools relevant to your field
2. Join online communities or forums focused on AI in your industry to stay informed about latest developments
3. Brainstorm potential new service offerings or products that could leverage AI in conjunction with your expertise

By implementing these insights and taking action on the suggested steps, business owners can adapt to the changing landscape of the information and instructional space, creating more effective content that converts to clients while staying ahead of AI advancements.

Resources:

Zoom Whiteboard (Sign in required):
https://zoom.us/wb/doc/QS0X00tqTRCtebLgp_yEVQ/p/74508479758336

Advanced Buyer Persona Generator — Bot Booster
https://davekatague.craft.me/xPfH66lxReMxEN

Sales Page Creation Prompt for The Futur Pro Group
https://davekatague.craft.me/F6AD2cJsYvQfUH

Perplexity:
https://www.perplexity.ai/

‍

Key Takeaways
The conversation between Chris and Pik provides valuable insights into the potential and challenges of implementing subscription-based models in service design businesses. Key takeaways include:

Shift in focus: Subscription models allow designers to redirect energy from client acquisition to producing high-quality work, potentially leading to improved outputs and increased client satisfaction.

Value creation: Successful subscription models must balance client value with business sustainability, offering clients impactful results at an attractive price point while remaining profitable for the designer.

Adaptability: While some design services (like web design) naturally lend themselves to subscription models, graphic designers can creatively adapt their services to fit this model.

Strategic pricing: Implementing gradual price increases and creating demand through limited supply can help maintain profitability and exclusivity.

Client relationships: Subscription models can foster longer-term client relationships, allowing for deeper understanding of client needs and more strategic design solutions.

Challenges: Designers must navigate issues such as defining scope, managing client expectations, and maintaining consistent value delivery over time.

Future opportunities: The subscription model opens doors for integrating new technologies, offering cross-disciplinary services, and addressing emerging client needs.

In conclusion, while transitioning to a subscription-based model presents challenges, it also offers significant opportunities for service design businesses. By focusing on ongoing value creation, strategic pricing, and adaptability, designers can create sustainable, client-centric business models that align with evolving market demands.

Successful implementation will require careful planning, clear communication with clients, and a willingness to iterate and refine the offering over time. As the design industry continues to evolve, subscription-based models may become an increasingly important way for designers to build stable, profitable businesses while delivering consistent value to their clients.

In-depth Summary:

Subscription-Based Service Design: Transforming Graphic Design Business Models

I. Introduction

Chris Do, the speaker in this transcript, addresses the challenge of transitioning from traditional project-based graphic design services to a subscription-based model. He emphasizes the importance of this shift, framing it as a crucial step for service design professionals to secure their future in the industry.

The main themes presented include:
1. The benefits of subscription-based models for both designers and clients
2. The challenges of implementing such models, particularly for traditional graphic designers
3. The need for creative problem-solving to develop valuable subscription offerings

Chris argues that dedicating 5-10% of one's efforts to designing a new business model could significantly impact a designer's career trajectory over the next decade. He positions subscription-based models as a solution to common pain points in the industry, such as the constant struggle to acquire new clients and the stress associated with project-based work.

II. Key Terminology and Concepts

1. **Subscription-based model**:
  Definition: A business model where clients pay a recurring fee for ongoing services.
 
  Chris presents this as an alternative to traditional project-based work in graphic design. He argues that this model can provide more stability for designers and consistent value for clients. "I really do believe that subscription-based models is really beneficial for you and your clients for a number of different reasons."

2. **Service design**:
  Definition: The practice of planning and organizing people, infrastructure, communication, and material components of a service to improve its quality and the interaction between the service provider and customers.
 
  Chris uses this term to encompass a broader range of design services beyond traditional graphic design. He encourages graphic designers to think of themselves as service design professionals to open up new possibilities for subscription models.

3. **K-P-Is (Key Performance Indicators)**:
  Definition: Measurable values that demonstrate how effectively a company is achieving key business objectives.
 
  Chris mentions KPIs in the context of designing subscription services: "where your clients feel they get... all the results that they want the impact. The K-p-i's that matter to them at a price that they would consider a steal."

4. **Unlimited design**:
  Definition: A service model where clients pay a fixed fee for unrestricted access to design services within a given time frame.
 
  This concept is introduced by Pik as a strategy she attempted: "A subscription 5,000, and then unlimited design, like design support Monthly."

III. Rhetorical Analysis

Chris Do employs several rhetorical strategies to persuade his audience:

1. **Appeal to long-term thinking**: Chris encourages designers to allocate mental resources to future-proofing their businesses. "I strongly encourage you to put some percentage of your brain power, maybe 5 to 10% designing your next business model that's going to carry you into the next 10 plus years."

2. **Problem-solution structure**: He first outlines the problems with traditional project-based work (stress, constant client acquisition) before presenting subscription models as a solution.

3. **Quantification**: Chris uses specific numbers to make his arguments more concrete and achievable. For example, "if you can find, I think, 8 to 20 clients on an annual basis... You can hit all of your financial goals."

4. **Contrast**: He contrasts the current model's focus on finding new clients with the proposed model's focus on doing great work, emphasizing the quality-of-life improvement for designers.

5. **Interactive approach**: By engaging directly with Pik and using her experience as a case study, Chris makes the discussion more relatable and practical for his audience.

6. **Repetition**: Chris repeatedly emphasizes the benefits of subscription models throughout the transcript, reinforcing his main argument.

The effectiveness of these strategies likely varies depending on the audience. For experienced designers frustrated with traditional models, the appeal to long-term thinking and the problem-solution structure may be particularly compelling. For newer designers, the quantification and concrete examples might be more persuasive.

IV. Key Insights and Practical Applications

1. **Shift in focus from client acquisition to quality work**

Chris argues that subscription models allow designers to redirect energy from constantly finding new clients to producing high-quality work. "You can hit all of your financial goals while focusing more of your energy and your creativity towards doing great work as opposed to finding new clients."

This insight suggests a potential transformation in the day-to-day operations of design businesses. Designers could allocate more time to skill development, creative exploration, and client satisfaction, potentially leading to higher quality outputs and increased client retention.

2. **Creating demand through limited supply**

Chris introduces the concept of creating a waitlist for services: "It's just about making sure people are aware of what you're doing, so that they that you're able to create more demand than their supply of you. So they get on a wait list, and then when a new opening happens, then they can jump in."

This approach could be implemented by:
- Regularly showcasing high-quality work on social media platforms
- Sharing client success stories and testimonials
- Creating content that demonstrates the ongoing value of the subscription service
- Limiting the number of subscription slots available at any given time

3. **Gradual price increases**

Chris suggests the possibility of slowly increasing subscription rates over time. This strategy could be applied by:
- Implementing annual rate reviews
- Communicating added value to clients before price increases
- Grandfathering existing clients at lower rates while charging new clients higher rates
- Offering tiered subscription levels with different price points and service offerings

4. **Tailoring subscription models to different design disciplines**

While Chris acknowledges that some design services (like web design) are more naturally suited to subscription models, he encourages graphic designers to think creatively about how to adapt their services. This insight could be applied by:
- Analyzing client needs for ongoing design support (e.g., social media graphics, marketing materials)
- Identifying repetitive design tasks that could be bundled into a subscription
- Exploring complementary services that could add value to a design subscription (e.g., brand strategy sessions, design education for the client's team)

5. **Balancing client value and business sustainability**

Chris emphasizes the importance of designing a service "where your clients feel they get... all the results that they want the impact. The K-p-i's that matter to them at a price that they would consider a steal." Simultaneously, he stresses that the model should be "sustainable for you."

This balance could be achieved by:
- Conducting thorough research on client needs and pain points
- Clearly defining the scope of services included in the subscription
- Implementing systems and processes to efficiently deliver recurring services
- Regularly reviewing and optimizing the service offering to maintain profitability

V. Examples, Analogies, or Case Studies

1. **Website design as an ideal subscription service**

Chris uses website design as an example of a service well-suited to subscription models: "websites seem like the ideal thing because websites are not static. There's compliance, there's security patches. There's updates, there's content. There's design changes, there's content changes all the time."

This example illustrates key characteristics of an ideal subscription service:
- Ongoing need for updates and maintenance
- Regular changes in content and design
- Technical aspects that require expert knowledge
- Continuous value delivery to the client

2. **Pik's experience with unlimited design subscriptions**

Pik shares her attempt at implementing a subscription model: "I tried to do unlimited, I tried to do... A subscription 5,000, and then unlimited design, like design support Monthly."

This case study highlights potential pitfalls in subscription model implementation:
- The challenge of defining "unlimited" in a sustainable way
- The need to carefully price services to ensure profitability
- The importance of setting clear boundaries and expectations with clients

3. **Branding and identity design as a foundation for ongoing services**

Pik describes her current service offering: "I do branding and identity design. But then, usually afterward, I help... like my client, do all kinds of marketing materials right from building the template social media website."

This example suggests a potential structure for a graphic design subscription:
- Initial branding project as an entry point
- Ongoing support for various marketing materials
- Regular updates to brand assets and templates
- Social media content creation and management

By analyzing these examples, we can identify common elements of successful subscription models in design:
- Recurring client needs
- Opportunities for ongoing optimization and improvement
- A mix of creative and technical services
- Clear value proposition for the client

VI. Strategies for Implementation

Based on the transcript, we can extract several strategies for implementing a subscription-based model in a service design business:

1. **Start with a transitional approach**

Chris suggests beginning with a hybrid model: "Maybe you start off with a regular project, and then you transition them into some kind of retainer or subscription-based model." This strategy allows for:

- Building trust with clients through traditional project work
- Demonstrating ongoing value before proposing a subscription
- Gradual adaptation for both the designer and the client

2. **Identify recurring design needs**

Chris emphasizes the importance of finding "consistent work that you can do on a recurring basis." To implement this:

- Analyze past projects for tasks that clients frequently request
- Survey existing clients about their ongoing design needs
- Look for patterns in client feedback and pain points

3. **Create tiered subscription options**

While not explicitly mentioned, this strategy is implied in the discussion about pricing and service offerings. Implementation could involve:

- Developing different service levels (e.g., basic, standard, premium)
- Clearly defining what's included in each tier
- Allowing clients to upgrade or downgrade as needed

4. **Establish clear boundaries**

Chris hints at the importance of setting limits: "You can hit all of your financial goals while focusing more of your energy and your creativity towards doing great work." To achieve this:

- Define specific deliverables for each subscription tier
- Set clear turnaround times for different types of requests
- Establish a process for handling out-of-scope work

5. **Focus on client education**

Chris mentions the need to make clients aware of the value: "It's just about making sure people are aware of what you're doing." Implement this by:

- Creating case studies showcasing the benefits of ongoing design support
- Developing educational content about the importance of consistent branding
- Offering workshops or webinars on design-related topics

6. **Implement a waitlist system**

Chris suggests creating demand through limited supply: "So they get on a wait list, and then when a new opening happens, then they can jump in." To execute this:

- Set a cap on the number of active subscriptions
- Create a simple sign-up process for the waitlist
- Regularly communicate with waitlisted prospects to maintain interest

7. **Continuously refine the offering**

While not explicitly stated, the need for ongoing improvement is implied. Implement this by:

- Regularly soliciting feedback from subscription clients
- Analyzing which services are most frequently used
- Staying updated on industry trends to add relevant new services

VII. Challenges and Limitations

1. **Resistance to change**

Chris acknowledges that shifting to a subscription model can be challenging: "I heard you say that it's going to be tough to do this as a graphic designer." Potential obstacles include:

- Client reluctance to commit to ongoing fees
- Designer hesitation to change established business practices
- Difficulty in quantifying the value of ongoing design services

2. **Defining scope and managing expectations**

Pik's experience with "unlimited design" highlights the challenge of setting boundaries. Issues may include:

- Clients expecting more than what's feasible within the subscription fee
- Difficulty in estimating time and resources needed for ongoing work
- Balancing client demands with sustainable business practices

3. **Pricing strategy**

Finding the right price point is crucial. Challenges might include:

- Setting a fee that's attractive to clients but still profitable
- Accounting for potential scope creep in ongoing projects
- Determining how to handle price increases over time

4. **Consistent value delivery**

Maintaining high-quality output over an extended period can be challenging. Potential issues:

- Avoiding creative burnout from repetitive tasks
- Ensuring that long-term clients continue to see fresh value
- Managing workload across multiple ongoing subscriptions

5. **Cash flow management**

While not directly addressed in the transcript, shifting to a subscription model can impact cash flow. Considerations include:

- Adjusting to smaller, regular payments instead of larger project fees
- Managing resources for ongoing work versus one-time projects
- Handling potential client churn and its impact on revenue

6. **Service standardization**

Creating a scalable subscription model may require standardizing services, which can be challenging in creative fields. Issues might include:

- Balancing standardization with creative customization
- Developing processes that can be consistently applied across clients
- Training team members to deliver consistent quality in a subscription model

By acknowledging and preparing for these challenges, service design professionals can develop more robust and successful subscription-based business models.

---

Zoom Whiteboard Link:
https://zoom.us/wb/doc/SrTB3WGzR02qaBa-xvj_3Q/p/73460861960192

Prompts:

‍

Making Content and Using AI

This call focused on providing strategies for consistently creating valuable content, gamifying the process through a "content bingo" challenge, and exploring how AI can streamline content creation workflows. The overarching goal was to help overcome inertia around content creation.

The Content Bingo Challenge  

Using a bingo board format to incentivize taking diverse content creation actions

Chris introduced a "content bingo" board with different content activities like writing a blog post, creating a video, etc. The idea was to gamify the process of consistently creating content across multiple formats and platforms. Completing a full bingo line or coverall bingo would be the goal to strive towards. This turns content creation into more of a fun challenge versus an intimidating obligation. The variety keeps things fresh and caters to different strengths.

Action Steps:
1. Print out or bookmark the content bingo board
2. Commit to crossing off at least one square per week
3. Celebrate small wins along the way towards bingo lines

Overcoming Content Creation Hurdles
Pushing past inertia and negative self-talk around content creation

Chris acknowledged that consistently creating content can feel overwhelming, especially when you're not yet seeing results from the effort involved. He aimed to reframe it as a worthwhile process of gradually building an audiences' trust and relationship with you over time. Negative self-talk like "but no one's reading/watching" can become a self-fulfilling prophecy if you let it freeze you into inaction. The bingo approach makes it feel lower-stakes and more manageable.

Action Steps:
1. List out your common negative thought patterns around content creation
2. Reframe each one into a positive affirmation (e.g. "I'm planting seeds for future growth")
3. Piggyback content creation sessions with other habits to make it feel more natural

Leveraging AI for Content Assistance
Using AI tools like ChatGPT to augment and accelerate content creation  

Chris spent time exploring the expanding capabilities of AI language models like ChatGPT for aiding in various content creation tasks. From generating content outlines and drafts to editing and repurposing existing content into new formats, AI can be a powerful force multiplier. He encouraged everyone to start experimenting with these tools and pushing the boundaries of what they think AI can handle.

The key is learning how to prompt the AI effectively to steer its output towards your desired goals, whether that's ideation, writing, analysis, or other content needs. Combining human creativity with AI's skill in rapid iteration can unlock new levels of quality and consistency.

Action Steps:
1. Sign up for a ChatGPT account (or another AI writing tool)
2. Study effective prompt engineering techniques
3. Identify 2-3 aspects of your content creation process to pilot using AI assistance

Creating for the Long Game
Adopting a patient, long-term mindset towards cultivating an audience through content

Throughout the call, Chris reiterated that building a loyal audience of any substantial size through content is a long-game endeavor. It's about planting seeds of value consistently over years, not chasing ephemeral metrics like viral hits or vanity follows. Each piece of content contributes to a body of work that showcases your expertise and viewpoint. An audience's trust gets earned gradually through the accumulated weight of that content over time.

The goal isn't any single piece going viral, but developing a self-perpetuating machine for continual audience growth. This slow burn approach may be at odds with our cultural obsession with insta-fame and get-rich-quick schemas around content creation. But true resonance and authority accrue through patient, committed effort.

Action Steps:
1. Determine your personal "why" for creating content beyond just business metrics
2. Set an audacious multi-year goal for the size of your ideal audience
3. Plan content cadences and formats you can realistically sustain long-term

Resourcefulness and Overcoming Limiting Beliefs
Developing a resourceful, "figure it out" mentality versus staying stuck in limiting beliefs

Chris challenged the group to push past self-imposed limitations and scarcity mindsets that can stunt growth as entrepreneurs. He insisted "the prize is you" - putting the onus on each person to tap into their own ingenuity and resolve to overcome obstacles.

This requires cultivating a mindset of resourcefulness, where you get scrappy about finding creative ways to solve problems and achieve goals versus making excuses. Every limit is an invention of the mind. With the right psychology and determination, you can always find a path through or around barriers.

Action Steps:
1. Write down your biggest limiting beliefs currently holding you back
2. For each one, list out alternative perspectives that empower more possibility
3. Share your limiting beliefs with the group and crowdsource resourceful solutions

The Importance of Taking Ownership
Fully owning your goals, actions and results as an entrepreneur

A key separator between entrepreneurs and others is the degree of psychological ownership they take over their activities and outcomes. As an entrepreneur, there is no boss or system to depend on - you are the entrepreneur and "chief reality creator" of your world.

This means no more amateur, half-committed efforts. You must take full ownership and responsibility for your dreams, put in the work, and be unstoppable in finding ways to create the reality you want to see. Half-measures and waiting for permission will only lead to disappointing results. Embrace being the owned of your destiny.

Action Steps:
1. Get crystal clear on your biggest goals and write them down
2. Audit where you're making amateur, de
nial-based or victim-minded excuses
3. For each goal, list out 5 "ownership actions" only you can take full responsibility for

Adopting a Long-Term Perspective
Looking past short-term losses/frustration towards your long-term vision

Building something enduring as an entrepreneur requires phenomenal patience and fortitude. Too often, temporary setbacks or chunks of time with slower progress provoke excessive self-doubt and premature quitting.

Chris emphasized the need to cement an unwavering long-term perspective internally. Turbulence and volatility are inevitable when charting a new course - the goal is to cultivate the resilience to push through the storms. Those who can stay  centered on their deeper "why" and quasi-spiritual calling amidst the noise are the ones who break through long-term.

Action Steps:
1. Write out a vividly-detailed multi-year vision for your desired future self/business
2. Identify which short-term frustrations currently cause you to feel discouraged
3. Re-commit through ceremony (vision board, personal event, etc) to your long-term path

Chris Do on Financial Planning for Business

Chris Do shares insights on how to approach financial planning for your business by examining financial records, projecting future earnings, and setting realistic and stretch goals.

Key Points:

1. Review Financial Records:
  - Look at your financial records for the first two quarters (Q1 and Q2).
  - Identify any anomalies, such as gaining or losing a significant client.
  - Understand why your numbers may differ from the expected.

2. Calculate Gross Income:
  - Determine your gross income for the first half of the year.
  - Gross income is the total earnings before expenses, not profit.

3. Project Future Earnings:
  - Take your gross income for the first half of the year and divide it by two to estimate your quarterly income.
  - Project this quarterly income for the remaining quarters of the year to get an annual projection.

4. Set Goals:
  - Use your projected annual income to set financial goals.
  - Establish a realistic goal based on your current trajectory.
  - Define stretch goals for additional motivation and potential growth.

Key Action Steps to Implemen:

1. Gather Financial Information:
  - Review your financial records for Q1 and Q2.
  - Consult with your accountant, financial planner, or a trusted advisor to gather accurate data.

2. Analyze Anomalies:
  - Identify any unusual financial activities or changes in client base that may affect your numbers.
  - Understand the reasons behind any significant financial changes.

3. Calculate Projections:
  - Divide your gross income for the first half of the year by two to find your average quarterly income.
  - Multiply this average by four to project your total annual income.

4. Set Realistic and Stretch Goals:
  - Based on your projections, set a realistic income goal for the year.
  - Establish stretch goals for potential higher earnings to motivate and challenge your business growth.

5. Track Progress:
  - Regularly review your financial progress against your goals.
  - Adjust your strategies as needed to stay on track or to achieve your stretch goals.

By following these steps, you can create a structured approach to financial planning that helps you understand your current financial position, project future earnings, and set achievable goals to drive your business forward.

Chris Do on Showing Gratitude for Client Generosity

Chris Do discusses how to appropriately express gratitude to clients who provide new opportunities and financial support, emphasizing the importance of personal effort over monetary gifts.

Key Points:

1. Visualize Client Generosity:
  - Imagine receiving tens of thousands of dollars from a client as new opportunities.
  - Think about how you would respond to such a gesture.

2. Avoid Monetary Gifts:
  - Giving money in return can be perceived as offensive or cheapening the act of generosity.
  - Instead of giving money, focus on expressing genuine gratitude through thoughtful actions.

3. Effort Over Money:
  - Effort and personal touches are more meaningful than monetary gifts.
  - Reflect on personal relationships where effort made a significant impact over financial gestures.

4. Personalized Thank You Notes:
  - Write a heartfelt, personalized thank you note on quality stationery.
  - Visit a stationary store and choose a nice card stock and envelope.
  - Use your best writing pen to craft a sincere message.

Steps to Express Gratitude:

1. Write a Personal Note:
  - Address the client by name.
  - Express sincere appreciation for their support and the new opportunities they have provided.
  - Mention how your business relies heavily on referrals and how much their support means to you.

2. Avoid Generic Gifts:
  - Be mindful of the client's preferences. Generic gifts like flowers may not always be well-received.
  - Take the time to understand what the client would genuinely appreciate.

3. Example of a Thank You Note:
  - "Dear [Client's Name], I recently heard from [Person's Name] that you had sent him my way. As a small business owner, referrals are 90% of how I get new business. From the bottom of my heart, I truly thank you. If there's ever anything I can do for you, please do not hesitate to call. This isn’t about money. This is just about my genuine appreciation for you."

4. Communicate Your Dependence on Referrals:
  - Highlight the importance of referrals to your business in your note.
  - This subtly encourages the client to continue supporting you through referrals.

By focusing on personal effort and thoughtful communication, you can effectively show gratitude and strengthen your client relationships.

‍

Chris Do on Setting and Monitoring Financial Goals

Chris Do discusses the importance of setting and monitoring financial goals for your business on a quarterly, monthly, and weekly basis to ensure you stay on track.

Key Points:

1. Focus on the Next Quarter:
  - Break down your annual goal into manageable quarterly, monthly, and weekly targets.
  - This helps in maintaining focus and tracking progress effectively.

2. Annual Goal Breakdown:
  - Example: If your 2024 goal is $100,000, divide it by 4 to determine your quarterly goal.
  - Quarterly goal: $25,000.

3. Quarterly to Monthly Breakdown:
  - Divide the quarterly goal by 3 to get the monthly target.
  - Monthly goal: approximately $8,333 (for simplification, Chris uses $8.5K).

4. Monthly to Weekly Breakdown:
  - Divide the monthly goal by 4 to get the weekly target.
  - Weekly goal: approximately $2,125.

5. Weekly Monitoring:
  - Track your weekly progress to ensure you are on track to meet your goals.
  - Adjust your efforts if you are falling behind or performing above target.

6. Self-Monitoring as CFO:
  - Many small business owners may not afford a CFO, so it's crucial to develop basic financial literacy.
  - Understanding and managing your finances boosts confidence and helps in achieving your goals.

Actionable Steps:

1. Set Your Annual Goal:
  - Determine your financial goal for the year (e.g., $100,000).

2. Break Down the Goal:
  - Divide the annual goal by 4 to get your quarterly target.
  - Divide the quarterly goal by 3 to get your monthly target.
  - Divide the monthly goal by 4 to get your weekly target.

3. Track Your Progress:
  - Monitor your weekly earnings to ensure they align with your target.
  - Adjust your efforts if you are behind or ahead of schedule.

4. Develop Financial Literacy:
  - Educate yourself on basic financial principles to effectively manage your business finances.
  - This knowledge empowers you to make informed decisions and stay on track with your financial goals.

By following these steps, you can systematically approach your financial targets, ensuring you stay on track throughout the year and adjust your efforts as needed to achieve your business goals.

‍

How to effectively establish yourself as a thought leader and create valuable content that resonates with your target audience.

1. Develop Awareness Strategies:
• Actively promote your business and expertise to make others aware of your presence.
2. Write Thought Leadership Content:
• Pretend you're being interviewed by a top industry magazine.
• Write down 10 significant questions and answer them in detail.
3. Distribute Content Across Platforms:
• Post your answers on Linkedin and repurpose them for other social media platforms.
• Aim to be present across multiple channels to reach a broader audience.
4. Engage with Your Audience:
• Monitor the traction your content receives and engage with your audience to build relationships.

Resources:
Here are the links mentioned in the chat:

1. Claude AI: https://claude.ai/
2. Pik's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kungpikliu/
3. Pik on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kungpikliu/
4. Pik’s website: https://www.designangel.la
5. The Futur Pro Library - Lead Gen Support: https://thefutur.com/membership/pro-library/lead-gen-support
6. The Futur Content - Mastering the Language of Business Success - With Phil M. Jones: https://thefutur.com/content/mastering-the-language-of-business-success---with-phil-m-jones
7. The Futur Content - How to Write Social Media Content That Attracts Millions with Jasmin (Jay) Alic: https://thefutur.com/membership/pro-library/how-to-write-social-media-content-that-attracts-millions-with-jasmin-jay-alic

‍

Transitioning to a Subscription-Based Business Model

Introduce core topic of restructuring services from one-time fixed fees to recurring subscription fees. This call covers strategies for shifting from a traditional one-off project billing approach to an ongoing subscription model for generating more predictable revenue streams. Chris Do aims to help attendees reimagine their offerings through this alternative framing.

Understanding Fixed Fee Engagements  

Summarize pros and cons of fixed fee model
Evaluating tradeoffs of one-time fixed fee billing  

Chris Do opens by reviewing the familiar fixed fee approach where clients pay a single lump sum for a defined scope of work with a clear start and end. Advantages highlighted include guaranteed income, predictable revenue, client understanding of the total cost upfront, and ability to make more if work is completed efficiently. However, downsides are unpredictable lengthy gaps between projects, ongoing sales effort required to continually refill the pipeline, and potential "feast or famine" income volatility.

Action Steps:
- Audit your current services and revenue model
- List out pros and cons you've experienced with fixed fees
- Identify any client types or offerings well-suited to test subscriptions

Introducing the Subscription Model
Contrasting subscription vs. retainer agreements  

Clarifying the distinction between subscriptions and retainers

Chris Do acknowledges initial confusion around the difference between subscription fees and retainer agreements. A key distinction provided is that retainers are typically use-it-or-lose-it prepaid bank of hours, whereas subscriptions provide defined ongoing access and value delivery regardless of hours used in a given month. Subscriptions shift the mindset to providing continuous access to a role or relationship rather than nickel-and-diming customers for time. This aligns pricing with the value experienced rather than task completion.

Action Steps:
- Determine which current services could transition to a subscribe-and-access model
- Identify any unlimited, on-demand or background support aspects to bundle into subscription
- Experiment with decoupling value from time by exploring fixed monthly fees  

Benefits of the subscription model

Advantages that subscription pricing can unlock

The primary benefits covered include smoother monthly recurring revenue and better income predictability, stickier longer-term customer relationships, separating pricing from time-based outputs, packaging up smaller offerings clients couldn't justify large upfront spend on individually, and removing the disincentive for customers to minimize utilizing your services. Other pluses are increasing the total accessible market by lowering initial barriers to entry and capturing more share-of-wallet from existing customers.

Action Steps:
- Calculate your average client lifespan to model lifetime value potential  
- Forecast different revenue and market share scenarios with subscription model
- Design service bundles with more components than typically engaged for individually

Reframing Value Delivery

Shifting to continual value-added relationship

Reposititioning the engagement from project-based to ongoing support

A key mindset shift required is moving away from transactional, one-off project completion in favor of an always-available, continually value-additive relationship. Rather than doing a job and moving on, the subscription model means you are perpetually responsible for proactively improving, optimizing and enhancing results for the customer on a recurring basis. This may require up-front overdelivery to demonstrate the expanded value incorporation until renewals occur and trust is built.

Action Steps:
- Define the comprehensive scope of support a continual relationship would entail
- Outline process for regular check-ins, updates and collaborative engagement
- Develop leading indicators to demonstrate ongoing value beyond just project completion

Evolving pricing model to de-risk adoption
Using subscription model to lower barrier to entry

With the subscription model, customers can access high level premium services and expertise with a lower initial cash outlay, allowing them to derived benefit immediately before incurring the full costs of a major implementation or initiative all at once. This essentially de-risks the decision to move forward by letting clients start realizing value first before deciding to double down on a larger expansive engagement. For providers, it allows rapidly seeding the relationship and getting a foot in the door.

Action Steps:
- Identify entry-level subscription tiers for lower buy-in
- Map out natural upsell path from basic to premium levels
- Design triggers/cues for expanding scope based on proven value

Operationalizing the Subscription Model
Aligning services to subscription packaging

Restructuring offerings and pricing for recurring billing

To successfully transition to a subscription model, services need to be repackaged from one-off projects into renewable, ongoing components. This may involve breaking down larger engagements into phases, modules or productive capacities that renew continuously. Value-additive activities like monitoring, optimizing, strategic advising and on-demand support lend well to subscription-based pricing. The aim is providing defined ongoing access rather than nickel-and-diming customers for time spent.

Action Steps:
- Inventory all services, breaking them into phased components
- Identify areas providing continuous value beyond initial completion
- Package combinations of services into recurring membership tiers

Implementing the subscription operations  
Enabling the recurring billing and engagement model

From an operations standpoint, Chris Do outlines needed components like shopping cart software to sell subscriptions, payment gateways for recurring billing, delivery mechanisms for subscription fulfillment, and engagement processes to nurture ongoing relationships. Up-front work is required to build subscription-based sales funnels, marketing sequences, onboarding processes and customer success protocols. However, once established, the model runs more automatically than starting from scratch each engagement.

Action Steps:
- Research subscription management tools and payment solutions
- Map out a customer lifecycle and touchpoints from marketing to renewals
- Develop content, training and standard operating procedures for subscription delivery

Pricing subscriptions for value over time  

Determining optimal subscription fee levels and pricing strategy

Pricing subscriptions requires a shift in mindset from bill rates and project budgets to evaluating the value provided over the full subscriber lifetime. Factors to consider are competitive service equivalents, market benchmarks for similar subscriptions, willingness to pay, and projected customer lifetime value. Pricing too low leaves money on the table, while excessive costs reduce adoption. Chris Do suggests starting higher than expected, while removing friction and reinforcing value delivery.

Action Steps:
- Analyze market rates and competitor subscription pricing benchmarks
- Calculate estimated customer lifetime value based on projected renewals
- Test pricing tiers positioning and anchoring based on perceived value

Transitioning Existing Clients
Discussing subscription upgrades

Approaching existing clients about subscription model transition  

For existing clients on traditional fixed fee models, Chris Do recommends being transparent about exploring subscription offerings as an option to provide more continuous value and support. Emphasize this enhances the relationship rather than diminishing services. Existing trust and familiarity provides a springboard for testing subscription upgrades and renewals with a familiar audience before marketing more broadly. Chris Do cautions against blindly transitioning everyone overnight, but gaining buy-in adopters.

Action Steps:
- Identify existing clients and segments best suited for subscription model
- Develop talking points comparing current value to enhanced subscription
- Propose subscription upgrade for continual service on a trial basis  

Offering incentives for early subscription adoption
Providing migration benefits to convert existing clients

To accelerate transitioning the existing client base, Chris Do suggests offering incentives and grandfather privileges for being among the early subscription adopters. This could include promotional pricing, letting existing fees and agreements roll over into the new model, or providing added bonuses and extras to convey expanded value perception. The goal is reducing friction to adopt the new subscription-based model versus the comfortable status quo.

Action Steps:
- Define a special promotional pricing tier for existing customers
- Allow existing clients to migrate at renewal without disruption
- Add exclusive bonus benefits for current clients upgrading to subscription

Offer Design
Subscription
What is the primary result that the client wants?
What are they trying to avoid? What is creating a headache for them?
How much are they currently spending to solve this problem?

Additional Resources:

Pro Call #246
https://thefutur.com/membership/pro-library/premium-pricing-and-positioning

Pro Call #241
https://thefutur.com/membership/pro-library/lead-generation-support-2

Pro Call #238
https://thefutur.com/membership/pro-library/lead-gen-support

Secret to Running a $1 Million Solo Design Agency
https://youtu.be/8vwgUwgH2Js?si=xC936j3ldJg6MlYo

Pro Call #241

GPT Prompt:

I am a ____. I generally ___ _____.

For the kinds of things that I do help me to design a business model that's a subscription-based model, as described by Ronald Baker in his book Times Up.

Help me figure out my target audience, the offer, and suggest anything that is currently trending in terms of what people need and how you see that moving into the future.

‍

(Fill in the blank with your relevant details about your service/product and goals.)
Example:

"I am a copywriter. I generally write copy for email marketing funnels and websites. For the kinds of things that I do help me to design a business model that's a subscription base model, as described by Ronald Baker in his book Times Up.

Help me figure out my target audience, the offer, and suggest anything that is currently trending in terms of what people need and how you see that moving into the future."

‍

Website Optimization for Service Providers
Optimizing your website to effectively communicate what you offer and attract your ideal clients.

Clear and Descriptive Website Content
The importance of clarity over cleverness in your website messaging.

Many service providers try to be too clever or creative with their website titles and messaging, often at the expense of clearly conveying what they actually do and who they serve. Your website visitors are trying to quickly understand your offering, so prioritize clarity and directness in your headlines, titles, and copy. Don't sacrifice being easily understood for the sake of being creative or clever.

Action Steps:

1. Review your website's titles, headers, and core messaging with a critical eye - does it instantly communicate what you offer?
2. Get feedback from someone outside your industry on how clear your website messaging is.
3. Rewrite any unclear sections with a focus on simple, straightforward language.

Using descriptive site titles and headlines to improve visibility.

The site title (what shows in the browser tab) and main headline are two of the most important areas for communicating what your website and services are about. Avoid vague titles like just "Home" and instead use descriptive titles that incorporate keywords people would actually search for related to your offerings. This will improve your visibility in search and help set accurate expectations.

Action Steps:

1. Brainstorm a list of keywords and phrases your ideal clients might search related to your services.
2. Craft a new, descriptive site title utilizing some of those keywords.  
3. Ensure your main homepage headline succinctly explains what you offer.

Using Video and Multimedia Effectively

The role of video content in supporting website messaging.

While embedding videos can provide helpful multimedia content, videos alone are not enough for optimizing your website's ability to rank and convey your offerings clearly. Search engines have an easier time processing and categorizing text-based content. Using video transcripts alongside embedded videos allows you to leverage the engaging multimedia while also providing crawlable text.

Action Steps:

1. Transcribe any existing video content you have embedded on your website.
2. Post those transcripts on the same pages as the embedded videos.
3. For new videos, create and post transcripts immediately when publishing.

Structuring website content like a book for clarity.

Your website should be structured similarly to a book, with clear hierarchies, sections, and supporting subheadings to orient the reader and provide scaffolding around the core content. Avoid just having pages of unbroken text with no guides or signposts for the reader. Use descriptive section titles, bullet point breakdowns, and content chunking to make your website content skimmable and easily navigable.

Action Steps:

1. Review your website content and identify areas that are just walls of text without breaks.
2. Break up those sections with descriptive subheaders, bulleted lists, and shorter paragraph chunks.
3. Implement a consistent hierarchy of heading styles to delineate sections.

Understanding Your Audience's Language

Aligning your language with how your target audience searches.

A common pitfall is creating website content using insider language and jargon from your industry, while your potential clients may not be familiar with that terminology yet. They likely don't know the "correct" phrases and may be searching in more colloquial terms describing their problems/desires related to your services. Do research into how your target audience articulates their needs in their own language.

Action Steps:

1. Identify some of the core jargon and insider phrases you commonly use related to your services.
2. Brainstorm how a complete newcomer might describe those same concepts in a more plain language way.
3. Incorporate those alternate phrasings throughout your website and pay attention to if it improves your engagement.

Considering the typical buyer's mindset and journey.

When someone lands on your website from a search, they are likely in one of these mental states: 1) They have a specific question or problem they want answered, 2) They want to buy a product/service related to that problem, or 3) They are researching to find the right provider for that product/service. Your website content should be mapping to their current mindset and moving them along that exploratory journey.

Action Steps:

1. List out the common questions, problems, and pain points your typical buyer has before finding you.
2. Ensure your website has content pathways that address those concerns and queries.  
3. Optimize your website flow to guide visitors naturally from those entry points to your offering's solution.

Key Takeaways

The main insights from this content emphasize the need for clear, descriptive, and audience-aligned messaging throughout your website. Prioritize explaining your offerings in simple terms over creative phrasing. Structure content for scannability. Optimize text, titles, and multimedia with your target audience's language in mind. By framing your website messaging from your potential clients' perspective, you'll be more effective at attracting and converting your ideal customers.

- Additional Key Points

Understanding Search Intent and User Experience
Recognizing Different Search Intents

The three main types of search intent that bring users to your website.

People landing on your website from search engines typically fall into one of three main intent categories: 1) They have a specific question or problem they need answered, 2) They want to purchase a product or service related to that problem, or 3) They are researching and comparing providers to find the right solution. Your website's content and user experience need to cater to the current mindset and goals represented by each of these different search intents.

Action Steps:  
1. Identify the common questions, problems and pain points your target audience has before finding your offering.
2. Ensure your website has dedicated content pathways that directly address and answer those concerns.
3. Map out the typical user journey from each of those entry points to your product/service's solution.

Adapting website content to match the user's current mindset.

Description - Based on the search intent that brought them to your site, users will be in different mental modes of either: 1) Wanting a specific question answered, 2) Being primed to make a purchase decision, or 3) Researching to evaluate their options. Your website content should be tailored to intuitively guide them through the next logical step for their current mindset versus trying to force them onto a path they're not ready for yet.

Action Steps:
1. Audit your existing website flow and content for areas that may be misaligned with common user intents.
2. Adjust content and calls-to-action to feel more natural depending on each intent; don't try to sell too soon.  
3. Implement intuitive pathways and nurturing content to warmly progress users to conversion-ready when the time is right.

Creating Content Clarity and Hierarchy  

Structuring website content like a well-organized book.

To make your website easy to navigate and consume, take inspiration from the way books are structured with clear hierarchy and signposts. Avoid overwhelming visitors with dense walls of text. Instead, incorporate elements like helpful titles, section headers, bullet point breakdowns, and chunking of content into separate pages/tabs when needed. This allows people to quickly skim, grasp an overview, and easily dive into sections that are relevant to their interests.

Action Steps:
1. Review your current website content and identify any areas lacking adequate structure and separation.
2. Break up text into shorter paragraphs, pull out key points into bulleted lists, and use descriptive section headers.  
3. Explore options for separating larger guides/resources into chapters or separate pages within a logical content hierarchy.

Leveraging both text and multimedia in website content.

While pure text content is ideal for search engine optimization purposes, smart use of embedded videos, images, and audio can enhance the overall user experience when balanced with descriptive text elements. Search engines continue to improve at extracting meaning from multimedia too. Utilize video transcripts, image alt-text, and text summaries surrounding that rich media to get the best of both worlds.

Action Steps:
1. Audit your existing multimedia content and ensure it has accompanying descriptive text elements.
2. For new video/audio content, create and publish text transcripts or thorough text summaries alongside it.
3. Optimize images with keyword-rich alt text that describes the visuals helpfully for users and search engines.

‍

Transitioning to a New Niche
Izzy is transitioning her design business to focus on event branding within the cultural sector like museums, theaters, and festivals. This shift requires refining her brand positioning and messaging to attract more clients in this new niche.

Refining the Client Avatar

Clearly defining and validating the ideal client profile

To effectively market to the cultural sector, Izzy needs to solidify her client avatar - the prototypical client she wants to attract. Using AI tools like ChatGPT can help refine this persona based on research into the wants, needs, and demographics of her target audience. A well-defined client avatar allows all marketing efforts and messaging to speak directly to that ideal client.

Action Steps:
1. Research cultural institutions, their values, and their audiences to understand drivers.
2. Use ChatGPT to synthesize data into a clear, multi-dimensional client persona.
3. Get feedback from current clients to validate and iterate on the avatar.

Website Redesign
Aligning website content with the new client avatar

With a refined client avatar, Izzy can now update her website's copy and content to directly resonate with that target persona. The website is a critical marketing asset that must communicate her unique value proposition for the cultural sector. Involving a professional copywriter could further elevate and polish the messaging.

Action Steps:
1. Conduct a content audit to identify gaps between existing copy and the new avatar's needs.
2. Rewrite all website pages through the lens of the validated client persona.
3. Hire a copywriter to refine the narrative and optimize calls-to-action.  

Breaking Through Hesitation
Overcoming the reluctance to ask probing, personal questions  

Chris mentions the immense value in being willing to ask difficult, even seemingly intrusive questions to gain valuable insights. He shares a personal example of revealing his own earnings as a model of the transparency required for professional growth. Chris encourages pushing past discomfort to inquire about topics others may avoid.

Action Steps:
1. Reflect on your hesitations around asking probing questions in professional contexts.
2. Practice raising incisive questions in low-stakes conversations to build comfort.
3. When engaging someone, consciously push past inner resistance to ask for revealing details.

Genuine Curiosity Builds Rapport  
Asking thoughtful questions to deepen relationships and understanding

Chris contrasts simply interrogating someone with a genuine spirit of curiosity and desire to learn about their experience. Approaching conversations openly and warmly, without judgement, creates an environment of trust where people feel safe to share authentically. This mutual vulnerability breeds rapport.

Action Steps:
1. Before important conversations, reflect on what you truly want to understand about the other person.
2. Listen actively and allow follow-up questions to arise organically from curiosity.
3. Note when you feel tempted to make assumptions, and pivot to asking questions instead.

Evaluating Business Viability
Rigorously assessing profit potential and scalability of a business model

Chris stresses the necessity of critically analyzing whether a business model can actually generate sufficient profits and scale in a sustainable way. Many get excited about an idea without vetting its financial viability. He encourages diligence in projecting all costs and revenue potential for a realistic picture.

Action Steps:
1. Map out all potential costs and risks associated with your business model.
2. Estimate realistic revenue and profits based on market data, not optimistic assumptions.
3. Pressure test your model by playing out different growth scenarios and bottlenecks.

Leveraging Relationships for Opportunity

The Power of Introductions  
How mutual connections can facilitate beneficial new relationships

Chris illustrates the power of using existing connections to get introduced to others who may become valuable collaborators or clients. The example of his interaction with Daniel Priestley shows how an intro from a mutual acquaintance kicked off a fruitful relationship. Warm introductions provide credibility.

Action Steps:
1. Identify people in your network who could potentially introduce you to promising contacts.
2. Explain the specific value in connecting, so they understand the"why" behind an intro.
3. After the intro, follow up quickly while capitalizing on that initial context.

Having a Platform Attracts Interest
How a strong personal brand creates opportunities for collaboration

Chris notes that by intentionally building his own platform and following, he attracts interest from others looking to expand their own reach. With a large engaged audience, Chris can be selective about who he chooses to highlight through collaborations that provide mutual benefit.  

Action Steps:
1. Focus efforts on consistently creating value-driven content to grow an audience.
2. Identify potential partners whose offerings or expertise complement yours.
3. Propose collaborative content or cross-promotion that allows you both to win.

Assessing Profit and Business Viability
Rigorously evaluating all costs and revenue potential for any new business

Building on previous advice about evaluating business models, Chris stresses the need to get radically accurate about assessing profitability and viability. He illustrates how perceived profits can quickly get eaten up by under-estimated costs. A sober, data-driven projection of all expenses vs. revenue potential determines true feasibility.

Action Steps:
1. Map out all costs - personnel, equipment, overhead, insurance, etc. Don't overlook hidden costs.  
2. Don't make optimistic assumptions. Base revenue forecasts on demonstrable evidence and data.
3. Identify and stress test all key assumptions. Validate each aspect of the model.

Deprogramming Inherited Belief Systems
Questioning beliefs inherited from external authorities

Chris emphasis that many of our assumed "truths" are simply belief systems inherited from parents, culture, institutions and other authorities during our formative years. As part of self-determination, we must decide what to keep or discard.

Action Steps:
1. Make a list of your core driving beliefs/values and their origins.  
2. For any beliefs sourced from external authorities, examine if you still consciously choose them.
3. Be willing to let go of or update beliefs misaligned with your direct experience.

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The Art of Storytelling on Social Media

Importance of Storytelling and Writing Skills
Storytelling and writing are crucial in the social media landscape.

Jasmin begins by emphasizing the significance of effective storytelling and writing skills in the context of social media in 2024. He acknowledges the challenges individuals face, such as feeling uninspired by their industry, lacking professional writing experience, and struggling to generate engagement and leads with their content. Despite these obstacles, Jasmin reassures his audience that formal writing education is not necessary to succeed. He introduces his "7 steps to storytelling mastery" as a solution to these challenges, inviting his audience to discover the true meaning behind the statement "Everyone's a writer."

Action Steps:

1. Reflect on your own writing challenges and identify areas where you can improve your storytelling skills.
2. Embrace the idea that everyone is a writer, regardless of formal education or industry niche.
3. Explore Jasmin's "7 steps to storytelling mastery" and apply them to your own content creation process.

Common Pitfalls in LinkedIn Posts
Avoid practices that divert attention away from the post's content.

Jasmin addresses common pitfalls in LinkedIn posts, including leading readers away from the content through links, hashtags, or excessive CTAs. He emphasizes the importance of keeping readers engaged within the post and discourages practices that detract from the post's effectiveness. Jasmin identifies these practices as detrimental because they divert attention away from the content and hinder meaningful engagement. He underscores the need for posts to retain reader attention and provide value without prompting them to leave the platform.

Action Steps:

1. Review your LinkedIn posts to ensure they retain reader attention and provide value without prompting them to leave the platform.
2. Avoid practices such as excessive use of hashtags, leading readers to external links, or employing CTAs that divert attention from the post.
3. Experiment with ending posts on a high note using power statements to leave a lasting impact on the audience.

The Framework: Essential Ingredients
The outlined components serve as essential ingredients, not rigid steps.

Jasmin introduces Step 2 of his framework, emphasizing that the components outlined are not rigid steps but rather essential ingredients for effective writing. He clarifies that while the framework is presented sequentially, users have flexibility in structuring their content. Jasmin highlights the importance of hooks in social media posts, describing them as crucial elements that contribute significantly to post quality. He stresses that a good hook is paramount for a successful social media post, constituting 90% of its effectiveness. However, Jasmin cautions that even the best hook cannot salvage a poorly written post.

Action Steps:

1. Consider the outlined components as essential ingredients for crafting effective social media posts, allowing flexibility in structuring content.
2. Prioritize the creation of compelling hooks, recognizing their critical role in post effectiveness.
3. Focus on overall post quality, recognizing that a strong hook alone cannot compensate for poorly written content.

Crafting Effective Hooks
Simplicity and authenticity are key in conveying the main message.

Jasmin discusses the importance of crafting effective hooks for social media posts, emphasizing simplicity and authenticity in conveying key messages. He illustrates this with examples, highlighting the significance of addressing the foremost thought in one's mind to create impactful introductions. Jasmin advises against overthinking and encourages focusing on delivering the primary message concisely. He suggests that adhering to this approach often results in a perfect hook, minimizing the need for extensive revisions.

Action Steps:

1. Prioritize clarity and simplicity when crafting hooks for social media posts, ensuring that the main message is effectively communicated.
2. Strive for authenticity by addressing the primary thought in your mind when creating hooks, aiming to create impactful introductions that resonate with your audience.
3. Avoid overthinking and focus on delivering the main message concisely, recognizing the effectiveness of simplicity in hook creation.

Hook Writing Techniques
Four effective ways to craft hooks for social media posts.

Jasmin discusses four effective ways to craft hooks for social media posts, emphasizing the importance of simplicity and relatability. He outlines these methods as one-line summaries, questions, memorable quotes, and t-shirt points, sharing personal strategies for each.

1. One-line summaries: Jasmin advocates for concise one-line summaries that succinctly convey the main message of the post, providing a time-saving approach to hook writing.

2. Questions: He explains how questions can serve as engaging hooks, particularly when framed within quotation marks, leveraging the psychological trust effect associated with quoted questions to captivate readers' attention and encourage continued engagement.

3. Memorable quotes: Jasmin highlights the effectiveness of incorporating popular quotes or taglines into posts, modifying them to suit the context of the content being shared, thus leveraging the familiarity and resonance of well-known phrases to draw readers in.

4. T-shirt points: Lastly, he suggests crafting hooks akin to statements one would print on a t-shirt, encapsulating key ideas in short, memorable phrases that resonate with readers.

Action Steps:

1. Experiment with one-line summaries to concisely convey the main message of your social media posts.
2. Utilize questions, particularly within quotation marks, to engage readers and encourage continued engagement.
3. Incorporate memorable quotes or taglines, modifying them to suit the context of your content, to leverage familiarity and resonance.

The Role of Rehooks

Rehooks are crucial for sustaining audience engagement beyond the initial hook.

Jasmin delves into the significance of rehooks in maintaining audience engagement throughout a social media post, following the initial hook. He elucidates how rehooks serve as the second opportunity to captivate readers' attention, preventing their disengagement and ensuring continued interest in the content.

1. Importance of rehooks: Jasmin emphasizes that while hooks grab attention initially, rehooks are crucial for sustaining audience engagement beyond the first few lines of a post. He likens hooks to opening doors, while rehooks ensure that readers remain in the metaphorical room of the post.

2. Strategies for crafting rehooks: Jasmin outlines two primary approaches for writing rehooks: presenting something contradictory or addressing objections. Contradictory statements or additions to the initial hook can intrigue readers further, while addressing objections directly helps to build trust and credibility with the audience.

3. Addressing objections: Jasmin underscores the importance of anticipating and addressing objections that readers may have to the content presented in the hook. By preemptively addressing these objections in the rehook, writers can overcome skepticism and maintain reader engagement.

Action Steps:

1. Incorporate rehooks in your social media posts to sustain audience engagement beyond the initial hook.
2. Consider using contradictory statements or addressing potential objections as strategies for crafting effective rehooks.
3. Anticipate and address objections that readers may have to the content presented in the hook, building trust and credibility with your audience.

Infusing Personal Authority and Uniqueness
Incorporating personal anecdotes and references establishes credibility and trust.

Jasmin shifts the focus to the importance of infusing personal authority and uniqueness into social media posts, particularly in educational content. He challenges writers to evaluate whether their posts convey their unique expertise and authority, emphasizing the need to establish trust with the audience.

1. Incorporating personal authority: Jasmin underscores the necessity of integrating personal anecdotes or references into posts to establish credibility and trustworthiness. By sharing insights into their own experiences or expertise, writers can effectively demonstrate their qualifications and build rapport with their audience.

2. The brand authority challenge: Jasmin introduces the "brand authority challenge," prompting writers to consider whether their posts would still carry the same weight and credibility if their name and face were removed. He emphasizes the need for posts to reflect the unique perspective and expertise of the writer to distinguish them from generic or repetitive content.

Action Steps:

1. Incorporate personal anecdotes or references into your social media posts to establish credibility and trustworthiness.
2. Evaluate whether your posts would still carry the same weight and credibility if your name and face were removed, ensuring they reflect your unique perspective and expertise.
3. Strategically infuse personal elements into your content to foster a deeper connection with your audience.

Establishing Brand Authority

Providing context and credibility through strategic personal references.

Jasmin highlights the effectiveness of adding a single line that provides context about the author's background or expertise within the post. By incorporating such references strategically, writers can enhance the credibility of their content and increase audience engagement.

Jasmin acknowledges that the inclusion of personal references should be done strategically, ensuring they are seamlessly integrated into the post to augment its impact. Whether included in the hook, rehook, or elsewhere in the post, personal elements serve to enrich the content and foster a deeper connection with the audience.

Action Steps:

1. Include a line or brief reference that provides context about your background or expertise within your social media posts.
2. Strategically integrate personal references and anecdotes in a seamless manner to enhance the impact of your content.
3. Utilize personal elements to enrich your content and foster a deeper connection with your audience, whether in the hook, rehook, or throughout the post.

Adapting Writing Styles to Social Media Platforms
Tailoring writing styles to suit different social media platforms.

Jasmin discusses the need to tailor writing styles to suit different social media platforms while acknowledging platform-specific nuances. He highlights the necessity of writing hooks quickly to optimize efficiency, citing research indicating significant time spent on hook creation and optimization.

Action Steps:

1. Adapt your writing style to suit the nuances of different social media platforms to maximize engagement and impact.
2. Aim for efficiency in hook writing to optimize time spent on post creation and ensure timely content delivery.
3. Stay informed about platform-specific best practices and updates to tailor your content effectively.

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Sales Training and Questioning Skills

Introducing the value of practicing specific skills to improve overall sales abilities. The focus is on learning how to ask better questions.

Importance of Asking Good Questions

Developing the skill of asking strategic, open-ended questions

Chris highlights that one of the most valuable skills in the 21st century is learning how to ask really good questions. This will help improve sales capabilities, client management, staff management, and even prompting AI language models more effectively. Good questions should be open-ended, strategic but not leading, and avoid aggressive or binary language. Practicing how to rephrase questions is crucial.

Action Steps:
1. Identify areas where you tend to ask leading, binary, or aggressive questions in client/colleague interactions.
2. Before important conversations, prepare 3 open-ended strategic questions relevant to the discussion topics.
3. Rephrase any accusatory, confrontational or closed questions into open-ended, consultative framings.

Critique of Top-Down Teaching Style

Moving towards a bottom-up, skill-building approach to training

Chris reflects that his previous top-down style of teaching core concepts may not be as effective for everyone. He aims to shift towards a bottom-up method focused on practicing specific skills through drills and exercises first. The belief is that repeatedly applying the techniques will lead participants to naturally grasp the broader principles behind them over time. This learning-by-doing approach could prove more impactful.

Action Steps:
1. Identify 2-3 specific techniques or skills you tend to struggle with related to your work.
2. Design a basic drill or exercise to practice that isolated skill repeatedly.  
3. Commit to 10 minutes per day working solely on strengthening that skill through your custom drill.

Question Rephrasing Exercise

Hands-on drill for improving questioning skills

One exercise Chris proposes is giving participants a "violent", binary, closed or leading question prompt, then having everyone rephrase it into an open-ended, strategic format repeatedly. This allows direct practice avoiding problematic question styles. The more reps people get reformulating questions, the better they'll become at naturally phrasing consultative, non-aggressive lines of inquiry in real situations.

Action Steps:  
1. List out 5 lines of unproductive questioning you tend to default to in your domain.
2. Spend 10 minutes rephrasing each one into an open, non-leading question.
3. Role play client situations with a partner, catching and rephrasing each other's suboptimal questions.

Iterative Product Development

Chris provides context around his philosophy of designing and introducing new frameworks in public as a work-in-progress.

Embracing the Iterative Process

Viewing live workshops as public "dress rehearsals" for future products

Chris sees the pro community calls as a way to develop and refine new training concepts in an iterative fashion. The messy process is done transparently, with participants acting as a live audience to pressure test ideas before they become more finalized offerings. This allows learning in public and gives members insight into how the "sausage is made" in creating Chris's curriculums. It's all part of an open design process.

Action Steps:
1. Identify one new skillset, workflow or system you want to implement in your business.
2. Schedule a series of low-stakes tryouts where you test-drive the new approach with a small sample first.  
3. Solicit candid feedback after each tryout to refine your process before scaling it wider.

Extracting Value from Messy Starts

Finding insights and lessons within failed prototypes

Even the sessions that don't go as planned can provide valuable learning experiences, according to Chris. He encourages participants to look for the"gold nuggets" and takeaways within workshops that derail or pivot in unexpected directions. The ability to find utility in rough drafts and change course is an important mindset for iterative creation. Failures aredata points.

Action Steps:
1. After your next skills practice session/workshop has a "failed" moment, spend 10 minutes writing down all potential lessons.
2. Identify 2-3 actionable changes to test in your next iteration based on the failures.
3. Implement at least one small shift in your very next practice for immediate course-correction.

Practicing Empathetic Client Listening

The second half of the call dealt with Chris role-playing a prospect interaction to allow participants to practice attentive listening and insightful questioning.

Attuning to Prospect Emotions and Context

Picking up on unspoken signals and motivations through dialogue

In his simulated prospect call, Chris purposely embedded various context clues and emotional hints within his prospect persona's responses. The exercise challenged participants to attune to these signals beyond just the words being spoken. Chris states practicing this skill of empathetic listening for underlying drivers is critical on real prospect calls. Feeling the emotional terrain being expressed allows for more nuanced, tailored communication.

Action Steps:
1. Record your next few prospect calls and review them solely for emotional fluctuations in the prospect's tone.
2. Make a list of all emotions you detect beyond just their literal responses (excitement, hesitation, confusion, etc.)
3. Brainstorm adjustments you could make in your next call to better address those underlying emotions.

Crafting Intuitive Next Questions

Formulating follow-up questions that feel natural and unscripted

Based on the particular backstory and circumstances Chris portrayed, certain follow-up questions would make more logical sense than others to explore further. This illustrated the concept of careful, intuitive listening to shape insightful continuations of the dialogue. Chris stresses that skilled questioningshould feel like an organic back-and-forth conversation, not an interrogation.

Action Steps:
1. Review recordings of your last 3 prospect calls and identify moments where your next questions felt pre-planned or disconnected.
2. Draft 2-3 more intuitive continuations you could have pursued based on realistic follow-ups to their specific statements.  
3. Role play prospect calls with those more context-aware questions until it feels natural.

I've covered the key topics, skills training, and role-play exercises from the session transcript so far. I can continue expanding on additional sections or areas from the call if you'd like me to elaborate further. Just let me know if you need any clarification or have additional instructions!

Navigating Prospect Objections

This section covers strategies for addressing potential roadblocks that may arise during sales conversations.

Reframing Objections as Opportunities

Shifting the mindset around how to view and handle objections

Chris advises against seeing prospect objections as negatives to be overcome or beaten down. Instead, he recommends reframing them as valuable data points that allow you to better understand the prospect's specific context, concerns and motivations. Objections provide openings to ask clarifying questions and demonstrate more empathy. This curiosity mindset turns obstacles into opportunities for building trust.

Action Steps:
1. Make a list of the 3 most common objections you encounter from prospects.
2. For each one, script out 2-3 open-ended questions you could ask to fully understand the root of that objection.
3. Practice your curious, consultative response when those objections are raised instead of getting defensive.

Meeting Prospects at Their Level

Adjusting communication style to match prospect's depth of knowledge

Chris underscores the importance of gauging a prospect's level of sophistication and tailoring your dialogue accordingly. Don't overwhelm a novice with excessive jargon or lingo if they operate at a basic level. Likewise, don't dumb things down unnecessarily for an advanced prospect. Meet them where they're at with context-appropriate vocabulary and specificity. This builds credibility.

Action Steps:
1. Identify pieces of expertise-level jargon you tend to overuse habitually during pitches.
2. Script out 2-3 different ways to articulate the same core concepts with increasing simplicity.
3. In your next prospect call, pay attention to signs of their comprehension level and adapt terminology as needed.

Dismantling "Think-It-Over" Stances

Strategies for keeping momentum when prospects want to "sleep on it"

The "I need to think about it" objection is a classic momentum-killer in sales. Chris outlines a blueprint for preventing these stalemates. First, directly empathize and validate their desire to be certain before deciding. Then, reframe the pause by positioning it as sorting out specific remaining concerns together in that same call, not going dark indefinitely. Continue asking questions to unpack those final hesitations and propose an appropriate next step.

Action Steps:
1. Script out an empathetic response for when prospects say they need to "think it over."
2. Prepare 3 curiosity-driven questions that reframe the pause as uncovering and handling specific remaining issues.
3. Have a menu of viable "next step" options ready to propose based on their outstanding needs.

This covers the key insights and strategies outlined in the call recording around handling objections, reframing seller/buyer dynamics, and keeping conversations progressing. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional sections you'd like me to break down!

Positioning and Selling Premium Services

This portion focuses on strategies for confidently presenting and selling higher-end service offerings.

Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Developing an unshakeable belief in the value you provide

Chris acknowledges the psychological hurdle of imposter syndrome that can undermine someone's ability to sell premium services confidently. He stresses the importance of truly internalizing and owning the expertise, experience and unique perspective you bring to the table. Continual upskilling and immersing yourself in your craft cultivates justifiable self-assuredness. Clients can sense authenticity.

Action Steps:
1. List out all your relevant credentials, accomplishments and differentiators that substantiate your authority.
2. Write out a personal manifesto declaring why you deserve to be compensated at premium rates.
3. Record yourself passionately delivering this manifesto and rewatch it daily to internalize the mindset.

Conveying Tangible vs Intangible Value

Articulating your complete value proposition beyond just deliverables

Chris highlights that premium services aren't just about the tangible outcomes or final deliverables produced. There is an intangible dimension of value embedded in the expertise, experience and unique creative perspective the service provider brings. He advises learning to overtly codify these intangible benefits as part of your pitch, not just listing the tangible artifacts.

Action Steps:
1. Brainstorm the intangible benefits clients derive from your experience and proprietary approach.
2. Write out case studies exemplifying how these softer benefits manifested in client results.  
3. Weave these intangible value propositions into your sales conversations alongside the tangible scope.

Mastering Value-Based Pricing

Structuring service pricing around perceived value rather than costs

The traditional model of costing out services based on labor hours and material fees is inherently flawed, according to Chris. It commoditizes offerings as transactional rather than strategic. He advocates moving toward value-based pricing, where the pricing mechanism is delinked from billable hours and instead anchored to the perceived value and measurable impact for the client's business.

Action Steps:
1. Identify the key performance metrics or business outcomes your ideal clients care most about improving.
2. Calculate the potential revenue impact or cost savings you could generate based on reasonable target improvements.
3. Use these value-driven numbers to frame and anchor new premium pricing structures appropriately.

This covers the key principles and mindsets Chris outlined around confidently selling premium-level services and positioning exceptional value.

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The most important aspect when building trust in a sales or client relationship is focusing on genuinely understanding the other person's perspective. Active listening and asking open-ended questions demonstrate care for their unique situation and goals. Reflecting back what was said verifies comprehension, while avoiding assumptions or inserting one's own analysis prematurely.

Uncovering the client's "insight moments" where they gain a new lens through respectful dialogue strengthens rapport far better than simple agreement. These "aha!" realizations that solutions exist where previously there were only challenges boost confidence in working together to succeed.

Using empathy through "I statements" instead of accusations maintains constructive discussion. Choosing neutral emotions keeps interactions calm and solution-focused, whether addressing objections, uncertainties or even pricing concerns. Understanding tangible value propositions builds confidence in proper resources and budgets.

Allowing clients to envision desired outcomes from expertise generates willingness to invest appropriately. Transparency into strategic processes and delivering incremental value at milestones reduces risk perceptions. Ensuring compatibility between provider philosophy and client priorities sustains long-term partnerships over transactional exchanges.

With patience and experience, these facilitation techniques give professionals the confidence to have courageous yet graceful conversations that move prospects from confusion to clarity and motivation. The goal is to unveil win-win insights through listening with compassionate curiosity.

9 Core Principles of Sales:

1. Help prospect gain clarity
2. Consultative Questions.
3. Ask deep follow up questions
4. Transparent/Say what you think
5. Match & Mirror
6. Talk less. Ask more.
7. Don't pitch
8. Logical progression (scaffolding)
9. Use neutral/objective language

Additional Points:
- Authenticity, logic and empathy must be present together for effective communication and trust-building.
- Reflecting back at key junctures shows understanding, but over-reflecting interrupts the natural flow.
- Asking thoughtful follow-up questions keeps clients engaged in discovery of their own needs and preferences.
- Storytelling helps convey expertise and experience in relatable ways for clients.
- Setting achievable, action-oriented objectives together creates accountability and momentum.
- Reassurance of understanding uncertainties and not rushing commitments nourishes confidence.
- Reasonable budget ramp-ups that demonstrate proof of success alleviate concerns over large initial investments.
- Establishing methods for feedback enables adjustments to meet evolving expectations.
- Regular check-ins maintain the collaborative partnership beyond the sales cycle.
- With practice, facilitating open conversations in a confident yet gracious manner becomes second nature for advisors at any experience level.

The overall aim is empowering clients through insights into their goals and situations, so they feel heard as esteemed partners in defining winning strategies.

Top 9 Action Items:

1. Focus on understanding the client's unique perspective, goals and challenges through active listening and open-ended questions. Avoid assumptions.
2. Help clients gain new insights and "aha!" moments by how you frame discussions, but don't over-analyze or insert your own views prematurely.  
3. Use "I statements" when addressing sensitive topics to de-escalate conflicts and show vulnerability to build empathy.
4. Help the client envision the positive outcomes and future state that can come from achieving their objectives with your expertise.
5. Clearly explain the specific value, benefits, strategic process and expected results for any proposed budget or solution.
6. Set achievable, measurable objectives together that create accountability and momentum over time.
7. Consider reasonable budget ramp-ups that demonstrate proof of success through milestones to alleviate concerns.
8. Establish regular feedback check-ins to maintain the collaborative partnership and adjust approaches as needed.
9. With practice, facilitate conversations with confidence, empathy and authenticity to forge trusted advisor relationships.

The overarching action is to focus on understanding the client's perspective above all else through the 9 Core Principles of Sales.

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the Whiteboard Link:
https://zoom.us/wb/doc/S5rNkQFxTgu1_mDZHOYCXg

Wiring Yourself for Wealth

This call focuses on reframing your mindset and priming yourself for success before diving into tactics. By addressing inner blocks and rewiring limiting beliefs first, you create fertile ground for wealth-building strategies to take root.

The Curse of Knowledge
Experts often struggle to relate to beginners' perspectives

Description - Chris opens by acknowledging the "curse of knowledge" - as an expert, he sometimes forgets how overwhelming the basics can feel when you're first starting out. He got feedback that his previous webinar overloaded people by jumping into advanced concepts too quickly. This self-awareness sets the stage for Chris to meet people where they really are - at step zero, before any tactics.

Action Steps:
* Reflect on your own journey and recall what felt most confusing as a beginner
* When teaching others, pause frequently to gauge their understanding  
* Ask yourself "What implicit knowledge am I assuming here?" and fill in those gaps

Cultivating Self-Belief
Overcoming insecurity and self-doubt is crucial groundwork

Through personal stories from his youth, Chris illustrates how feelings of being an outsider, insecurity about his language skills, and generalized self-doubt held him back initially. He paints a vivid picture of that mindset as a counterpoint to where he is now - this juxtaposition underscores just how pivotal an internal belief shift was for his success. The path starts with overcoming those limiting beliefs.

Action Steps:
* Write down your biggest insecurities and doubts holding you back
* For each one, re-frame it as a potential strength (e.g. "I overthink things" -> "I'm thoughtful and deliberate")
* Affirm your reframed strengths daily to build self-belief

Creating an Abundance Mindset
Shifting from a scarcity mentality to an abundance perspective  

Chris shares the pivotal realization that there is enough success and wealth for everyone - it's not a zero-sum game with losers and winners. He contrasts this abundance mindset with his youth, where he bought into scarcity narratives like only the lucky few make it big. Developing an abundance mentality opens your eyes to the opportunities all around rather than perceived obstacles. This inner shift is foundational.

Action Steps:
* Notice when you think in scarcity terms like "there's only so much to go around"
* Counter those thoughts by listing examples of runaway successes that created abundance
* Start a daily gratitude practice to tune into the abundance already in your life

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Sales and Lead Generation Foundations
- Establishing the proper mindset and skill foundations for consistently generating leads and making sales as an expert/consultant.

Lead Generation
Having a continuous flow of leads is essential for business survival.

A company's entire existence is predicated on its ability to continually create new customers. Lead generation is the critical first step that enables everything else. Before teaching strategies, the instructor wants to ensure the audience has the proper foundational mindset for attracting and converting those initial prospects.

Action Steps:
1) Conduct a self-audit of your current lead generation activities and sources  
2) Identify the top 3 channels that are delivering your best leads
3) Brainstorm 2 new lead generation campaign ideas to test

Selling Skills  
Converting warm leads into paying customers is the biggest stumbling block.

Despite the audience presumably consuming the instructor's content, when he puts them through role-playing exercises, their sales abilities are completely lacking. He sees this as a "brick wall" that must be addressed. No matter how good you are at delivery/production, if you can't sell effectively, you'll never get to share your true expertise with clients. The instructor expresses some tough love here to trigger a mindset shift around improving selling skills.

Action Steps:  
1) Record yourself conducting a mock sales conversation and critically assess your performance
2) Study 3 examples of successful sales professionals selling a similar offer  
3) Script out and practice delivering your unique selling process out loud

Delivery and Operations
Having streamlined production processes enables scaling expertise.

Compared to lead gen and selling, Chris Do sees his audience as relatively strong in this operational area of successfully delivering their expertise through products/services. However, he still wants to optimize this aspect, as you can't leverage your talents without first mastering the crucial step of customer acquisition. He acknowledges there is always room for further systematization.

Action Steps:
1) Document every step in your current delivery processes/workflows
2) Identify the top 3 bottlenecks or inconsistencies in your execution  
3) Research 2 new tools/apps to test for greater productivity

Mastering the Core Skills
Providing an overview of the 3 critical pillars required to build a thriving expert-based business.

The Mindset Foundation  
Having the proper mental framing is paramount before building true expertise.

Chris Do mentions that before getting into specific tactics, the audience must solidify their mindset around being capable of success. He references the "curse of knowledge" - the flaw of assuming others are at your level of understanding and motivation. By reframing inaccurate limiting beliefs holding people back, he can then provide substance that will be properly integrated and applied.

Action Steps:  
1) Write out your personal story of why you're called to this work
2) Identify 3 successes you've already had as proof of your potential
3) List the beliefs/thoughts that tend to hinder your self-confidence

Establishing the Proper Foundation
Having a strong, level foundation is critical before building anything else.

Drawing a powerful analogy from his former teacher, Chris Do explains that if you try to build a house on a crooked, unstable foundation, every subsequent aspect will be flawed and require constant compensation. Just as a a builder must start with a properly squared and plumb base, the audience must ensure their core ground is solidly set before piling on other strategies that will inevitably falter.

Action Steps:
1) Define the mission/purpose that will form your foundational "why"  
2) Get honest feedback from others about any perceived incongruencies
3) Establish your personal code of ethics to filter all decisions through

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Mindset For Getting Value From Consumed Content

This call covers a powerful mindset for ensuring you get real value and an "ROI" from any information products, courses, books or other learning materials you invest time and money into.  

Approach Consumption With An "Get My Money Back" Mindset

Adopt a mindset of extracting enough value to recoup your investment when consuming anything.

Chris advocates for consciously approaching any paid information or learning experience with the intent to get back the monetary value you put in, and then some. He uses the example of books behind him on his shelf - for every book he paid for, he made the investment back many times over by applying the ideas, teaching the concepts, or building something off the material. View your consumption not just as an expense, but as an opportunity to create value. Don't just take in and hold the information, but find ways to give it back out through your work.

View Creation as Generating Byproducts
The creation process naturally yields many valuable byproducts beyond the core offering.

Chris describes a mindset from the book "Rework" about finding value in the byproducts created during the development of any main creation like a course, book, product etc. For example, worksheets, self-assessments, tools and other pieces you create in the process can be extracted and turned into their own separate products to sell at lower prices. Most creators focus only on selling the main thing, but you can exponentially increase your revenue streams by selling off these byproducts.

Action Steps:

1. For your next creation, keep a list of any support tools, templates, exercises, etc. you develop along the way.
2. Identify which pieces have potential standalone value and could be packaged up to sell individually.
3. Add these byproduct offerings to your sales pipeline at lower price points to create additional revenue streams.

Staying focused on measurable goals
When reviewing examples members share, Chris steers feedback towards concrete goals the work should achieve, like lead generation or sales conversion.

Keeping objectives specific and quantifiable helps optimize strategies and assess whether they are effective. It prevents vague or vanity metrics from guiding decisions.

The copywriting framework called R.O.T stands for Results, Objections, and Time. Results refer to the outcomes or promises made in the copy, while objections address potential doubts or hesitations the audience may have. Time indicates the timeframe associated with achieving the promised results. By addressing objections and clarifying guarantees, copywriters can overcome resistance and build trust with their audience. The three stages clients go through before making a purchase are problem awareness, solution awareness, and product awareness. Homework for copywriters includes crafting clear and focused headlines, ensuring lead magnets have strong hooks, and understanding the customer journey to tailor messaging effectively. Additionally, being prepared, asking questions strategically, and practicing good hygiene are essential elements of effective participation in workshops or meetings.

Key Points:
1. ROT framework: Results, Objections, Time.
2. Address objections and clarify guarantees to overcome resistance and build trust.
3. Understand the customer journey: problem awareness, solution awareness, product awareness.
4. Craft clear and focused headlines; ensure lead magnets have strong hooks.
5. Practice good hygiene and be prepared for effective participation in workshops or meetings.

Top Action Steps:
1. Apply the ROT framework to your copywriting efforts by clearly defining promised results, addressing objections, and specifying the timeframe for achieving outcomes.
2. Analyze potential objections your audience may have and develop strategies to overcome them in your copy.
3. Tailor your messaging to align with the stages of the customer journey: problem awareness, solution awareness, and product awareness.
4. Review and refine your headlines to ensure they are clear, focused, and compelling, with strong hooks to attract your audience's attention.
5. Prioritize good hygiene and preparedness for effective participation in workshops or meetings to maximize your learning and networking opportunities.

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Overview
(email information will be below this summary)

We'll breakdown of the key concepts, frameworks, processes, mindset shifts and action steps from the webinar transcript on generating non-stop leads.

Main Concepts
1. Define Your Expert Niche
The market is who you serve (e.g. entrepreneurs in a specific industry)
Your passion is composed of things you find fun and easy to do  
Your expert niche combines your passion and serves a specific market
Defining your niche brings clarity of purpose and fulfillment

2. Email Campaign Principles
The webinar provides guidance to accompany an email campaign  
It teaches frameworks for generating leads through strategic planning

3. Personal Journey and "Why"
Sharing the speaker's personal experiences finding their niche in 2014
Understanding their motivations helps the audience find their own

4. Joining the FuturePRO Group
Details are provided on joining this coaching program
A limited-time offer is mentioned

5. Outline for Next Steps
Plans are discussed for follow-up content and support

Defining Your Expert Niche
The speaker emphasizes defining your expert niche as the most important business decision. Michael Port's book provides a framework:

1. Identify your market - a group you have something in common with
2. Reflect on your passions - things you naturally excel at and find fulfilling
3. Combine your passions to serve a narrow target market
  - This brings clarity and purpose like "sunshine"

Defining your niche this way is transformative. Jewel Kim's story demonstrates finding fulfillment through holistically addressing multiple interests.

Action Steps:
1. Complete reflection exercises on your interests and strengths
2. Research target markets you could passionately serve  
3. Draft your expert niche statement combining the two

Personal Journey and "Why"  
The speaker found their niche in social media customer service in 2014. This was a breakthrough that aligned their passions.

Sharing their experience helps attendees understand:
1. The transformative nature of defining a niche
2. How to persevere through self-discovery and change
3. The clarity, fulfillment and business focus that results

Relating a personal story makes complex frameworks more tangible and motivates taking action.

Action Steps:
1. Reflect on your own experiences with change and discovery  
2. Note any insights that could apply to defining your niche
3. Find inspiration from examples of others' journeys

Joining shows commitment when inspiration hits to transform goals into actions. Success requires systems, accountability and expertise.

Action Steps:  
1. Note the details of the limited-time offer
2. Assess if this level of support could help you succeed  
3. Consider signing up if it's a good fit

Outlining Next Steps
Future content will:
1. Address specific questions from this webinar  
2. Dive deeper into frameworks and exercises
3. Provide case studies and further inspiration

Follow-ups create structure and commitment. Receiving additional perspective helps solidify learnings.

Action Steps:  
1. Note any follow-up content you'd find most valuable
2. Mark your calendar for future sessions
3. Consider an accountability partner for motivation

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Day 1 kicks off with clarity: Defining your Ideal Client Avatar.  

Imagine waking up to a world where every marketing dollar you spend returns tenfold and where every piece of content resonates deeply with your audience. This isn’t a dream. It’s what happens when you know your ideal client avatar inside and out.Today, we’re peering into the DNA of that ideal client. This process is about bringing into sharp focus the people who will love and actively seek what you offer.

‍Here is a workbook designed to guide you through this process (please make a copy as prompted and do not edit the original), which we have broken down into 4 detailed steps:‍

Step 1: How to find your expert niche.

First, start with your target market. Who are they? What industry are they in? Get a clear picture of them in your head. Then, find the overlap with the things you are passionate about. This seems obvious, but so many of us work in a field for people we don’t care about just because it’s something we’re familiar with.The overlap between these two, target market and passion, is your expert niche.Some questions to consider as recommended by Michael Port in his book “Booked Yourself Solid.”

• What work do you do that feels more like play than work, where you lose sense of time?
• Who do you already know and are already working with?
• Which group of people do you already have a lot of personal interest or knowledge of?
• Who is actively seeking out solutions you already provide?
• What natural talents do you have?
• What comes easy to you?

Did you figure out your expert niche? Stop here if you haven’t, and put some thought into this. Everything you do moving forward will be based on clearly defining what you do, who you do it for, and why it matters.This is why author Blair Enns calls this the “Difficult Business Decision.”

Step 2: 7 Points of Differentiation by Allan Dib

I also want to introduce you to Allan Dib’s “7 Points of Differentiation,” which I learned recently while having a live call with him on LinkedIn.Take a crack at it…Differentiate or die! Undifferentiated companies compete on price, chase prospects, and are easily replaced. Differentiated companies command a premium, choose who to work with, and often have a waitlist. Pick one or more of these points to narrow who you are and what you do.

• Location/Geography: What areas/regions do you want to serve? Targeting a specific area can refine your marketing strategies. It could be Los Angeles or California. It can be the United States.
• Values: What values or beliefs are important to you? Aligning your brand with these values can create a strong connection.
• Demographic: To narrow down your ideal target, consider age, gender, income level, education, and more.
• Industry: Which industry does your client work in? Tailoring your message to industry-specific needs can increase its relevance. For example, the industry could be advertising agencies.
• Desire: What are their deepest desires about your product or service?
• Problem: Identify the main problem they face that your product or service can solve.
• Trend: Are there any current trends that affect their decisions or lifestyle? AI, automation, metaverse, Gig economy, Attention economy, social media platforms, etc.… Leverage these to make your offer more appealing.

If we combined some of the examples above, it could sound like this: I help LA-based advertising agencies create compelling short-form, vertical content for IG, YT, and TikTok.‍

Step 3: Jobs to Get Done Framework

Understand not just who your client is but what they need to accomplish. Here’s how to use this framework to deeply understand, empathize and anticipate their needs.Draw three columns. From left to right, label the first “Jobs/Tasks,” followed by “Gap/Obstacles,” and then “Opportunities.”Start with the first column and list the jobs they’re trying to get done. Begin from the moment they wake up until they go to bed at night. This should represent a typical “day in the life” of your dream client. If you’re having trouble with this, try to think of one person vs. a group of people. The clearer your vision of the person, the better and more accurate this will be.Next, identify the obstacles preventing them from completing these tasks. What’s getting in their way? What makes it more difficult for them to complete this? For example, if the task was to work out in the morning, the gap could be having fresh gym clothes, a post-workout meal, an exercise routine, etc.… Get it? Now, do this for each task/job.Last but not least is the “Opportunity” column. What would make their life easier or less complicated? Use your imagination here, and don’t be limited to what you offer, what you know how to do, or even your budget. This is pie-in-the-sky thinking. You can always go back and find an MVP model.This exercise will give you a clearer picture of what your dream client wants and needs. Now, think about all the resources you have, people you know, and tools you have, and see how you might identify 1-2 things you can implement in your content, service, or new tool. This is why this column is called Opportunity!Every obstacle is an opportunity waiting to be discovered.User Centric Design/Marketing follows this model:

• Know me
• Anticipate my needs
• Make my life simple
• Look out for me
• Reward me

Look at that! You’ve already unknowingly completed the first 3 steps. Now, you need to find a way to simplify their lives by providing tools/resources. More on this later. For now, do your best and save what you’ve done for when we get together.

Step 4: Identify Compelling Events

What is a compelling event, and why does it matter?A compelling event is something that triggers your ideal clients to seek out a solution. Something interrupts their life, creates pain, and compels them to act. Some examples of compelling events are getting laid off, getting a promotion, sales revenue being up/down, new product launches, bad press, and disruptive technologies.Why is this important?A compelling event precedes a purchase. This is the most opportune time to contact a prospect, as they are most actively seeking solutions. Something that might not have been important is now urgent.The good news is that, with a little research, you can find the events that will impact your prospects.Some examples include:

• Getting a Mortgage/Loan: A perfect time for moving companies to reach out.
• USPTO Trademark Granted: An opportunity for lawyers specializing in intellectual property to offer their services.
• Speeding Ticket: A direct cue for attorneys to make contact.
• Trade Show Exhibitor Booking: A prime moment for specialty promo manufacturers to propose their products.

That’s day one in the books.

Today was about laying the groundwork, setting you up for a strategy more like a conversation than a broadcast—your move. Use what you’ve learned, refine it, and start crafting the future of your business with clarity and intent.

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Day 2

If Day 1 was about precision, Day 2 is about amplification—not through sheer volume but through the compelling power of Word-of-Mouth Advertising (WOMA). It’s about turning your satisfied clients into your most persuasive advocates.

Before we get started, here is your workbook for this lesson. Please make a copy as prompted and do not edit the original. Now, let’s get started!

The Anti-Elevator Pitch Pitch

In Michael Port’s Booked Solid, the concept of the anti-elevator pitch is a game-changer, especially for you, the creative entrepreneur. This isn’t about the hard sell; it’s about forging genuine connections that resonate with your unique audience. It shifts the focus from what you’re selling to the story and value you bring to the table, sparking interest and conversation rather than a one-sided pitch.

Michael’s 5 step process is to answer the question, “What do you do?”

1. Introduce the target market
2. Identify 3 of the biggest & most critical pain points
3. List how you solve them w/ investable opportunities
4. Demonstrate the number one most relevant result
5. Reveal deeper core benefit (the why)

Here are 3 versions of Michael’s outline for applying this in conversation—from short and sweet to full-blown dialogue. Use the following frameworks for your business.

Version 1
I help (1. Target)… (5. Benefit)

Version 2
I help (1. Target)
You know how… (1. Target & 2. Pain)
Well, what I do is… (3. Solutions & 4. Result)

Version 3
You know how (1. Target) do, are, or feel (2. Pain)
Well, what I do is… (3. Solutions)
The result is (4. Result)
The benefits are (5. Benefit)

If you’re stuck, here are some other ways of using an Anti-Elevator Pitch:

• Begin with Curiosity: Open with a thought-provoking question or statement that touches on a common challenge or aspiration within your niche. For instance, if you’re a graphic designer, you might ask, “Ever wonder how the right visual identity can turn a small brand into an icon?”
• Narrate with Passion: Share a short, compelling story that illustrates your creative process, a project’s transformation, or the impact your work had on a client. This isn’t just about outcomes; it’s about the journey, creativity, and connection that define your work.
• Engage Through Invitation: Close by inviting them to share their story or creative challenges. This turns the conversation into a collaborative dialogue, and your role shifts from a service provider to a creative partner.

Example:

At a networking event or even in a casual conversation, when someone asks about your work, you could respond with:

“Have you noticed how some brands just have that magic, making you feel connected, inspired, or just plain happy? I worked with an indie musician last year, crafting an album cover and social media visuals that truly captured the soul of his music. It wasn’t just about the design; it was about telling his story visually, creating an experience for his audience before they even pressed play. His streaming numbers doubled, but more importantly, his fans felt a deeper connection to his work. How do you want your audience to feel when encountering your brand?”

Using the anti-elevator pitch, you’re not just offering a service; you’re inviting potential clients into a collaborative creative journey that promises not just results but resonance and relationship.

WOMA: The Game Changer

Genuine recommendations from trusted sources stand out in a world bombarded with ads. That’s where WOMA comes into play, turning your work into conversations around dinner tables, across social media, and within professional networks.

Exactly What to Say, Courtesy of Phil M. Jones

Imagine knowing just the right words to encourage your clients to spread the word. Phil M. Jones offers us these golden questions:

• After expressing gratitude: “You wouldn’t know 2 people who would benefit from what I do, would you?”
• Seeking testimonials: “Would it be crazy for you to share the experience you had working with me?”
• Maintaining connection: “One last favor. Would it be okay to follow up with you in a week?”
• The follow-up: “I bet you didn’t get around to calling the 2 people we talked about?” (Pause for response). If they forgot, they will apologize and promise to do it right away. If they took care of it, you’re all set. Now follow up.

These questions are more than just a formula; they’re an extension of your creative process and client relationship. They’re about weaving the narrative of your work into the larger tapestry of your community and industry. Through thoughtful engagement and genuine curiosity, you’re not just expanding your clientele—you’re cultivating a community that values and champions your art.

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Day 3

Before we get started with Day 3, here is your workbook for this lesson. Please make a copy as prompted and do not edit the original. Now, let’s get started!

Alex Hormozi discusses the Core Four ways to generate leads: advertising, Cold Outreach, Content, and Warm Outreach.

A healthy marketing mix includes elements of all four. Run ads to reach large groups of people. Buy contact lists of people you want to work with and do cold outreach: emails, messaging, calls, etc. Then there’s content, which is the focus of what I want you to work on, followed by some warm outreach.

Why?

“All strategy is autobiographical”— Blair Enns.

Content marketing is how the Futur has gone from relative obscurity to having thousands of loyal fans and customers. Content isn’t just for sales or marketing; it can be used to build community and connection and create unforeseen opportunities.

Best of all? You can build authority and thought leadership in your expert niche this way. I’ve come to believe that I’m invited to speak at events, not because I’m the best speaker, but because of two reasons: the size of our social following and familiarity. The event organizers know what to expect because they’ve seen me multiple times across multiple platforms.

7/11/4 Rule

In a Google report called Zero Moment of Truth, researchers concluded that before someone makes a decision to buy, they spend time researching, talking to friends, reading reviews, and making recommendations. They will spend, at minimum, 7 hours interacting and consuming content across 11 touch points (social, web, event, email, etc.) and across 4 locations.

That sounds exhausting if you had to spend this amount of time with each of your prospects before they even decide they want to buy. Uggh! Good news, you can do this at scale with content.

Think about how it is that you are reading this email. There’s a good chance you’ve spent a few hours listening to our podcast, watching a whiteboard session on YouTube, swiping through an IG carousel post, or participating in a LinkedIn Live Audio Event with me. Am I right?

Before you run for the hills thinking about how much work is involved, that you don’t have enough time to create posts, that you are too camera shy for YouTube, and would rather jump off a bridge than become an “influencer,” consider this other idea. Most successful companies spend 10%+ of their resources on marketing. That is 10% of their time, team, budget, energy, and creativity in building and generating leads. It’s why you’re here, right?

It’s not magic. Lead generation doesn’t work if you don’t. But it doesn’t have to be like a tooth extraction. We can have fun.

I was inspired by an idea that Stephanie Owens shared with me. Why not gamify this whole experience? She created a Bingo card with different types of lead generation activities. I’ve adapted this idea and made one just for the Pro Community.

As in with Bingo, connect any 5 vertical, horizontal, or diagonal columns, and you have a Bingo! Here’s a breakdown of each with one stipulation. Counting any item as completed must be recent, so we impose a 6-month statute. So, if you were published 10 years ago, don’t check that off. That’s a long time ago for someone to remember you. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, so use your own judgment. For example, having a NYT best-selling book is an accomplishment that you can claim regardless of how long it’s been.

Let's have a look at the Bingo card.

B Column:

1. Give a keynote for 200+ people: Deliver an Audio/Visual presentation at an event attended by over 200 people. Bonus points. Having professional shots of you speaking at the event to build social proof.
2. Leave a comment with 50+ reactions: Write a comment on a social media platform that receives over 50 likes, responses, or other forms of engagement.
3. Attend industry convention: Be a participant at a conference related to your professional field. Additionally, get 3 business cards/contact info of someone you’d like to develop a relationship with. Then, at some point, invite them to lunch.
4. LinkedIn Carousel (PDF document) with 1k+ reactions: Create a carousel post on LinkedIn, a series of images or slides, that gets over 1,000 reactions.
5. IG Reels with 100k+ views: Publish a short video on Instagram Reels that reaches or exceeds 100,000 views. Hint: screen capture your most liked Tweet and add trending music to it. Easy peasy. Lemon squeeze-y.

I Column:

1. Get 500+ reactions on LinkedIn post: Share a post on LinkedIn that receives over 500 reactions. If you need help, watch YT episode with Jasmin Alić for tips.
2. LinkedIn followers 5k+: Accumulate over 5,000 followers on your LinkedIn profile.
3. Google top 10 organic ranking 3 keywords: Have a website or content that ranks within the top 10 search results on Google for three different keywords. Can’t use your name or company name. Also, ensure the search result is filled with people or companies you want to compete against. No point in having keyword dominance for a term no one is looking for. You are the company you keep.
4. Featured on top 50 podcast: Be featured as a guest on a podcast that is ranked within the top 50 in its category.
5. TEDx talk: Deliver a talk at a TEDx event. Reach out to local schools and universities. There’s a good chance they’re in the planning stages right now.

N Column:

1. LinkedIn audio event w/ 100+ attendees: Host an audio event with more than 100 active attendees on LinkedIn.
2. IG Reels with 20k+ views: Post a short video on Instagram Reels that is viewed over 20,000 times.
3. 10k+ Twitter/X followers: Build a following of over 10,000 on Twitter/X.
4. Send out 10 Love Letter websites: Craft 10 personalized pitches demonstrating a deep understanding of potential clients’ unique needs and aspirations. Refer to Dan Mall’s “Love Letter” webpage.
5. 15k+ IG followers: Grow your Instagram following to more than 15,000 people. No bots, please.

G Column:

1. Book notable guest for interview: Secure an interview with a person of significance or fame for a show, podcast, or article.
2. YouTube long-form video 10k+ views: Create and publish a long-duration (15 min+) video on YouTube that receives over 10,000 views.
3. Write a “top 10” blog post: Author a blog post that is structured as a “top 10” list in a particular category or subject matter. Make sure you include yourself as one of the 10.
4. LinkedIn Top Voice: Be recognized as a “Top Voice” on LinkedIn, indicating that you are one of the most influential content creators on the platform.
5. Leave a comment with 20+ reactions: Post a comment that receives over 20 reactions in terms of likes, replies, or other engagements.

O Column:

1. YouTube short 100k+ views: Publish a short video on YouTube that gets over 100,000 views.
2. Featured on national trade publication: Have your work or profile featured in a major trade publication relevant to your industry.
3. LinkedIn Collaborative badge: Earn a badge on LinkedIn for collaboration, likely indicating partnership or teamwork recognized on the platform. A new feature on LinkedIn allows you to answer 3 questions related to your expertise to earn a 30-day badge.
4. 5 client recommendations on LinkedIn: Receive and display five client recommendations on your LinkedIn profile. Make it easy for your clients. Write the first draft for them. This will make it easier.
5. Profile update w/ 2-word brand: Update your LinkedIn profile with a succinct, two-word personal or professional brand statement. Here are some examples: Loud Introvert, Proud People-Pleaser, Hope Dealer, World-class Hugger, Brandmother. Watch my Adobe MAX video on Personal Branding to unlock your 2-word brand.

Update your social feed with your Bingo card as you make progress, until… you can yell “BINGO”!!! Use the hashtag #FuturPro, and make sure to tag me @theChrisDo or @TheFuturIsHere.

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Content Bingo Overview

Introducing the concept of "Content Bingo" - gamifying the content creation process to hit various milestones.

Why Content Bingo?

- Makes the process of building an audience through content more fun and engaging
- Provides a clear roadmap of achievable goals to work towards
- Capitalizes on the psychological motivation of completing a pattern/row
- The accomplished points need to be within the last year

The Bingo Card

- 5x5 grid with different content/engagement goals in each square
- Goals range from straightforward (5K LinkedIn followers) to more involved (Giving a TEDx talk)
- First person to get 5 squares in a row (horizontally, vertically or diagonally) "wins"

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Dissecting some of the Bingo Squares

5K LinkedIn Followers  

Having an established audience on LinkedIn

Description - One of the more straightforward goals, having 5,000 followers on LinkedIn demonstrates you have built a reasonably sized audience on the platform. This can be valuable for increasing the reach and engagement of your content. For some, this box may already be checked off.

Action Steps:
1. Optimize your LinkedIn profile for discoverability
2. Consistently share valuable content tailored to your target audience
3. Engage authentically with others' posts in your niche

Leaving LinkedIn Comment with 50+ Reactions

Creating engaging commentary that sparks discussion

This relates to the content strategy from Yasmin Alec of posting once but commenting 5 times with thoughtful responses that add value. The goal is to leave a comment that generates more reactions/engagement than the original post, indicating you fueled an interesting dialogue. Chris mentions using contrarian views to spark debates as one effective approach.

Action Steps:
1. Study posts/comments that tend to generate high engagement in your niche
2. Identify opportunities to provide an alternative perspective or pose thought-provoking questions
3. Aim to be a catalyst for rich discussions in the comments

Giving a TEDx Talk

Building credibility and visibility through public speaking

While requiring significant preparation, giving a TEDx talk at a local university or event can be a great credential and content asset. It involves pitching your idea, working with coaches, writing drafts over 6 months, and ultimately memorizing and delivering your speech. This is a challenging but rewarding goal for establishing yourself as an authority.

Action Steps:
1. Research upcoming TEDx events in your city/area and their application processes  
2. Brainstorm a novel, compelling talk idea that aligns with your expertise
3. Start building public speaking experience through smaller local events

LinkedIn Collaborative Badge

Engaging on LinkedIn by answering community questions

LinkedIn has started prompting experts to answer topical questions related to their listed areas of knowledge. If your responses are selected as high-quality, you can earn a 30-day "Collaborative" badge on your profile. This visually signals your active involvement in sharing expertise.

Action Steps:
1. Update your listed areas of expertise on your LinkedIn profile
2. Monitor the Q&A section for relevant questions in your domain
3. Provide detailed, valuable answers to position yourself as a go-to resource

Strategies for Effective Content Creation

Leveraging Engagement for Algorithm Favor
Growing your reach by creating engagement

Chris notes that platforms like LinkedIn will favor accounts that generate lots of engagement through tactics like sparking debates in comments. This signals to the algorithm that your content is resonating. He cites examples like posing "Team X vs Team Y" questions around polarizing topics to fuel engagement.

The Ordinary, Extraordinary, WHY, 3 Things Framework

Crafting compelling story-driven content

This framework provides a structure for creating content that hooks the audience through storytelling. It involves:

1. The Ordinary - Start with something extremely common/ordinary that everyone can relate to. This draws people in by establishing familiarity.

2. The Extraordinary - Transition into something extraordinary, novel or counterintuitive related to the ordinary situation. This piques curiosity.

3. The WHY - Explain the motivations, reasons or deeper insights behind why the extraordinary event/perspective exists. This satisfies the audience's desire for understanding.

4. 3 Things - Provide 3 concrete takeaways, tips, or action steps the audience can implement related to the content. This makes it actionable.

By segueing from the ordinary to the extraordinary, providing the "why" context, and giving 3 takeaways, you create an engaging, insightful, and practical content experience.

Action Steps:  
1. Identify an ordinary situation as your familiarity hook
2. Determine the extraordinary perspective/event to introduce  
3. Unpack the motivations/reasons behind the extraordinary
4. Outline 3 specific takeaways or actions for the audience to implement

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Resources

Jasmin (Jay) Alić - Building A Powerful LinkedIn Presence: Tips from a LinkedIn Expert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfDMqfnFHxM&t=9s

Ryan Robinson's Content Marketing:
https://thefutur.com/content/content-marketing-ryan-robinson

Why Most Creatives Fail Online: Strategies for Lead Generation, SEO, and Content
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6z8-ZAXfHE

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Building Social Proof

The Importance of Social Proof
- Social proof is crucial because we feel unsafe doing things alone when no one else is doing it.
 - *"We know this in restaurants. We know this in movies. We know this in amusement parks. If no one's there, we feel scared."*
- Conversely, when many others are doing it, we feel safer joining in.
 - *"Conversely, when everyone is there, we feel really safe, because we cannot be the only idiots who are going to try this out."*

The Myth of Winning on Craft Alone
- There is a persistent myth that success will come purely from honing one's craft.
 - *"Here's the myth: you will win based purely on your work."*
- This myth is perpetuated in schools that focus solely on technical skills while ignoring other important skills like marketing, sales, and communication.
 - *"So they invite speakers to come to schools who are really all about the craft. They couldn't explain their way out of paper bag."*

The Importance of Building an Audience
- Instead of focusing only on craft, effort must be made to build an audience and social proof.
 - *"So in your way of trying to attract new clients. You have to do everything you can to establish social proof."*
- A key question to ask is: "What am I doing to build social proof?"

Picking the Right Platform
- The first step is picking one social platform to dominate that aligns with:
 1. How you like to create content
 2. Where your potential clients gather for information, entertainment, and inspiration

Action Steps:
- Reflect on the platforms you enjoy creating content for
- Research where your ideal clients spend time online
- Use AI tools to analyze your situation and get platform recommendations
- Commit to posting consistently on your chosen platform

Understand Your Ideal Client
- To choose the right platform, you need to clearly define your ideal client:
 - Demographics (age, gender, income, education, etc.)
 - Psychographics (values, interests, behaviors, etc.)
- Thoroughly understanding your ideal client allows you to determine where they spend time online.
 - *"I would describe it [to the AI]...They're probably in their late twenties to mid fifties. They're split between men and women. They have some kind of education."*

Use AI for Platform Analysis

Prompt Start "I need help identifying the most suitable social media platforms for reaching potential clients or prospects. I aim to understand where they typically engage with news, entertainment, and inspiration on social media.

About Me:
(Insert details about you)

Ideal Client Profile:
(Insert details)

What are the top 3 social platforms and break it down by demographic, psychographics and reasons why you would recommend creating content on this platform.

Additional Information:
(Please provide insights on your preferred mode of content creation (e.g., text, audio, visual), personal interests, or creative strengths to refine the platform recommendations.) " Prompt End*

Consistent Content Creation
- Once you've chosen the platform, commit to posting consistently to build an audience over time.
 - Quality content distributed consistently is key.

Action Steps:
- Create an ideal client persona with detailed demographics and psychographics
- Use AI tools to get platform recommendations based on your persona
- Plan a consistent content calendar and posting schedule
- Celebrate small wins as your audience grows over time

Building Authenticity and Chance Encounters

The Power of Authenticity
- Being authentic in the content you share increases the chances of serendipitous connections with ideal clients.
 - *"She told that story and of all the things that she told. This is how this person found her."*

Embracing Your Unique Story
- Don't filter out the unique aspects of your life and experiences when creating content.
 - Those could be the very things that attract your ideal clients.

The Long Game of Audience Building
- Building a real audience takes patience and commitment to showing up consistently over a long period.
 - You never know when sharing your authentic self may attract your next ideal client.

Action Steps:
- Get comfortable sharing personal stories and experiences in your content
- Lean into what makes you unique, even if it seems irrelevant
- Adopt a long-term mindset for growing an audience slowly over time
- View each new follower as a potential future client opportunity

Reflection Prompts

Here are some reflective questions to consider regarding building social proof:

- What platforms do I truly enjoy creating content for? Which feel like a natural fit?
- Where do my ideal clients likely spend time online to learn, be inspired and be entertained?
- How can I better define the specific demographics and psychographics of my ideal client?
- What unique personal stories and experiences could I share to attract ideal clients?
- How can I develop more patience and a long-term mindset for slowly building an audience?
- What's one small step I can take today toward consistently creating content?

Closing thoughts

Building strong social proof is crucial for attracting ideal clients, as people inherently feel safer following the crowd. However, the myth that technical craftsmanship alone leads to success persists.

The reality is a multi-pronged approach is required:

1) Deeply understand your ideal client to identify the right platform for reaching them.
2) Consistently create authentic, personal content to build an audience over time.
3) Embrace the long-game of audience building through patient, persistent effort.
4) Remain open-minded, as sharing your unique story can lead to serendipitous client connections.

While there are no shortcuts, strategically building social proof by choosing the right platform, sharing your authentic self, and developing an audience over time, increases the chances of your ideal clients discovering you.

Key Insights and Concepts from Dave Katague

Tools for Enhancing Workflows and Information Management

- Dave discussed using AI tools like Audio Pen and Recall to improve workflows by processing and transforming large amounts of information into organized outputs.

- He emphasized focusing on a select few high-impact tools to maximize their benefits.

- Tools like Audio Pen and Recall aid memory and retention by recording, summarizing, and indexing videos and information.

- Effective information management is needed due to data overload.

‍

Distillation, Communication and Analysis in AI

- Distilling and summarizing information is important for precision in AI-assisted communication.

- Dave demonstrated various AI tools and their functions, like the impact of word choice in prompts.

- He highlighted the distinction between reductive, transformative, and generative AI operations.

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Feedback Loops for Learning and Efficiency

- Feedback loops can improve learning and efficiency by quickly implementing feedback.

- Tools like scrolling capture and transcription apps were demonstrated.

- AI tools for generating images, illustrations and clear communcation like Midjourney, Stable Diffusion and Claude were discussed.

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Language, Tools and Merging Capabilities

- Different mediums of language expression like spoken, written and visual were considered.

- The tool LM Studio allows merging capabilities to create something unique.

- AI can be used carefully for tasks like indexing and writing while understanding context and author intention.

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Mindsets, Beliefs and Strategies in AI

- Dave discussed shifting beliefs to increase likelihood of purchases applying Dan Kennedy's sequence of beliefs.

- He analyzed contrasting mindsets between rich and poor using Claude for summarization.

- Strategies for copywriting, learning conversion and including relevant examples were covered.

‍

Project Planning and Video Analysis

- The importance of a clear video project brief with goals and metrics was emphasized.

- OpenAI's tool Sora can generate video from text prompts.

- Chatbots can help analyze prompts and project structures.

‍

Automation, Organization and Creative Thinking

- Tools like Zapier and Clickup were discussed for workflow automation and optimization.

- Mindset is important when adopting changes.

- Tips for Google Docs, Sheets, lateral thinking and organizing information were shared.

‍

Strategies for Incorporating Human Creativity in AI Storytelling

- Creativity and human input are important when working with AI for storytelling.

- Running models locally or self-hosting can help with AI governance challenges.

‍

Key Action Steps

1. Experiment with a few high-impact AI tools to improve workflows
2. Focus on distilling and sharing information for clear communication
3. Implement feedback loops to continuously improve processes
4. Consider how different mediums can complement each other
5. Analyze beliefs and mindsets to increase conversions
6. Develop a clear creative brief and goals for video projects
7. Utilize automation tools to optimize operations
8. Reflect on adopting new technologies and changes
9. Foster human creativity when partnering with AI
10. Explore self-hosting models for governance needs

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Reflective Questions

- How can I best leverage AI tools to advance my work and share my expertise?  
- Which of my beliefs could I shift to increase effectiveness?
- What key insights or demonstrations were most impactful for me?
- How will feedback loops and continuous improvement impact my growth?
- What new combinations of tools or mediums could I experiment with?

In summary, Dave Katague demonstrated how various AI tools can enhance workflows, information management, communication, creative thinking and more when applied strategically alongside human capabilities like creativity, intention and expertise.

Effective application requires consideration of beliefs, feedback practices and clear goals.

‍

‍

The Futur - A Different Al, "Augmented Intelligence":
https://app.milanote.com/1RJB2812VG5u2c/the-futur--a-different-ai-augmented-intelligence?p=khg0xC62NUb

https://app.milanote.com/1PsovF1ObqmI9L?p=C2Qou5npiqH

https://audiopen.ai/

https://cleanshot.com/

https://www.recall.ai/

https://eightify.app/

https://pasteapp.io

https://milanote.com/

https://www.craft.do/

https://openai.com/sora

https://getrecall.ai

https://octoparse.com/

Connect with Dave:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davekatague/

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Main Insights from the Pro Call #241

Business Evolution and Adaption

- Cyrus shared about focusing his creative agency more on consumer finance, sparking discussion on maintaining creativity while expanding into new areas.

- Maintaining the creative aspect of a business while expanding into new industries like consumer finance requires resources and planning.

- Industries and costs fluctuate over time - healthcare costs are rising while consumer finance costs are falling, requiring adaptation.

- As competition increases, unique styles that initially secured jobs may lose their advantage, necessitating new approaches.

- Being open to changing methods and industries allows scaling skills to emerging opportunities while avoiding becoming stuck in old ways.

Operational Effectiveness

- Hiring the right people, delegating tasks, and investing in training/automation frees the founder for higher-level work and maximizes productivity.

- Developing diverse skillsets within a team allows more flexibility in tackling new initiatives.

- Outlining blueprints for others to assist the founder is important for diligent delegation of responsibilities.

- Tracking and adapting acquisition costs (CPA) across industries helps optimize lead generation budgets over time.

Relationship Management  

- Maintaining proximity to and understanding of clients increases chances of retaining their business.

- Building good relationships with financial institutions is important but also difficult, prompting considering of alternative industries like healthcare and entertainment.

- Implementing ethical practices in subcontracting work prevents poaching of clients and protects partnerships.

Communication Strategies

- Investing in good audio equipment allows conveying emotions and impressions effectively over communication channels.  

- Content marketing by providing valuable resources is more effective than unsolicited cold pitches for attracting potential clients.

- Pursuing a subscription-based model is worth testing for consistent lead generation and client retention.

Action Steps:

1. Assess your business model and industries for need to adapt to trends

2. Evaluate team skillsets and roles for optimization opportunities  

3. Develop blueprints and processes for task delegation

4. Track key metrics like CPA and compare across sectors

5. Build closer relationships with clients through proximity & understanding

6. Implement ethical contracts protecting partnerships  

7. Invest in high-quality audio equipment for presentations

8. Provide valuable content to prospects instead of sales pitches

9. Consider subscription offerings for recurring revenue streams

10. Remain open-minded and willing to change approach over time

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GPT Prompt

I am a ____. I generally ___ _____.

For the kinds of things that I do help me to design a business model that's a subscription-based model, as described by Ronald Baker in his book Times Up.

Help me figure out my target audience, the offer, and suggest anything that is currently trending in terms of what people need and how you see that moving into the future.

‍

(Fill in the blank with your relevant details about your service/product and goals.)
Example:

"I am a copywriter. I generally write copy for email marketing funnels and websites. For the kinds of things that I do help me to design a business model that's a subscription base model, as described by Ronald Baker in his book Times Up.

Help me figure out my target audience, the offer, and suggest anything that is currently trending in terms of what people need and how you see that moving into the future."

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Why Podcast?

Podcasting provides opportunities to reach large audiences and develop expertise in an effective way. Some key reasons include:

Access to a Captive Audience:
Podcasts allow speakers to repeatedly engage with the same group of listeners over time rather than a single conference talk. Listeners choose to listen to podcasts out of interest in the topics and speakers.

Lower Barrier to Entry:
Podcasting has a lower cost and commitment than traditional public speaking. It only requires audio recording equipment and regular publishing of content. This makes building an audience easier.

Leverage Existing Conversations:
Popular podcasts interview thought leaders and get their insights in long format conversations. This provides value to listeners and networking opportunities.

Develop Online Presence & Expertise:
Consistent podcast publishing contributes to search engine optimization as transcripts become blog posts. This raises the profile of the podcaster as an expert in their field over time.

Action Steps:
1. Reflect on your areas of knowledge or passions that could become regular podcast topics
2. Research basic podcast setup and recording equipment options
3. Outline a potential podcast format and sample episodes
4. Identify potential guests or types of interviews that would interest your target audience
5. Create a 2-3 month content and publishing schedule

Setting Up the Studio

The speaker outlines the core equipment needed for a basic podcast recording studio:

Teleprompter Monitor: Displays notes, slides or camera feed for the podcaster to refer to without being visible to listeners.

Camera: Minimum 4K resolution for high quality recording that is future proof for different formats.

Microphone: Beginner podcasts are often well served by a single microphone placed centrally. Companies may provide microphones for promotional consideration.

Mixer: Combines microphone and any additional audio sources like music. Key is clean audio quality.

Background Material: Acoustic panels, plants and separation from walls improves sound quality. Warm colors reduce white reflections.

Distance between podcaster and background provides perspective. Practical lighting helps viewers see the space. Consistent weekly recording allows developing expertise over time. Audio goes to podcast editing, video to YouTube team.

Action Steps:
1. Research basic microphone, camera and mixer options within your budget
2. Map out camera angles and sound treatment needs for your recording space  
3. Test equipment setup and do a practice recording/editing session
4. Consider background decoration options that fit your brand and sound needs
5. Establish regular recording schedule to stay consistent

Growing Your Audience

Leveraging podcast interviews to expand one's professional network can amplify a brand over time. Some strategies include:

Develop Expert Connections: Respectfully interview influential figures, then follow up to broaden the relationship. Offering future assistance builds goodwill.

Frame Questions Generously: Pose questions from the perspective of helping your audience rather than personal gain. Guide answers to help listeners through practical scenarios.

Network at Events: When running into past guests, referencing engaging prior conversations is a organic way to stay top of mind in their network.

Leverage Multiple Platforms: Transcribing and repackaging audio as blogs, videos and social graphics expands potential reach. Consistency contributes to search engine optimization over months.

As the audience and community grows, opportunities can emerge. Maintaining positive relationships allows calling upon contacts and built goodwill down the road.

Action Steps:  
1. Identify 5-10 experts you'd enjoy interviewing and consider initial outreach
2. Draft sample question formats focused on helping listeners over self-promotion
3. Create social graphics and templates to leverage all content formats
4. Connect with local industry events or conferences to meet potential guests/network
5. Establish processes to nurture ongoing relationships over time

Overcoming Objections

Reflecting on past efforts can provide insights to improve future performance:

- Low turnout for live events may indicate messaging did not effectively convey value and next steps.

- Not understanding technological tools fully limited this talk's impact. Focusing more on practical implementation could resonate deeper.

- Some find transformation difficult because change requires leaving comfort zones. Leading with empathy to meet people where they are builds trust to progress together.

- Over-scheduling self for clients risks burnout from trying to do too much alone. Independent growth of community members spreads workload over time.

- Unexpected opportunities emerge from persevering through challenges. Having vision for listeners' success maintains motivation during obstacles.

Overall, approaching each interaction as an experiment to learn from, leads to continuous optimization. Maintaining service focus over self-interests cultivates long term relationships.

Action Steps:  
1. Reflect on past speaking experiences - what resonated most & least with your listeners?  
2. Inventory your strengths and growth areas to optimize future impact
3. Consider accountability or community elements to support listeners' independent progress
4. Schedule dedicated reflection time to evaluate efforts and avoid burnout
5. Maintain a learning mindset and growth vision beyond any single talk

Action Planning

To take meaningful steps from these insights:

- Set specific podcasting goals such as regular publishing schedule, listener numbers or guest interviews by a target date

- Map out content and equipment needs like a studio space, microphone, equipment budget

- Research technicians, designers or developers who could support setup and ongoing production

- Create sample episode outlines, interview questions and social sharing graphics

- Identify 5 potential guests to interview who are experts in your desired topic area

- Schedule blocking time on your calendar for regular recording, editing and publishing

- Setup analytics tracking and surveys to evaluate what resonates most with listeners over time

- Consider joining a podcasting mastermind or event for community support and networking

- Commit to consistent action and learning through iterative refinement of your podcast over 6-12 months

Transforming high-level intentions into clear action steps is key to gaining momentum. Maintaining service-focused habits supports continuous growth.

Action Steps:
1. Select 1-2 of the above to implement this week
2. Block time on your calendar to take meaningful action
3. Evaluate your efforts openly and establish accountability  
4. Maintain learning mindset through experimenting and refining your approach
5. Find a growth-oriented community for mutual support and motivation

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Main Concept Summaries

1. Establishing Clear Objectives:
Define specific goals for sales calls to enhance their impact.

2. Understanding Client Priorities:
Identify client needs and preferences to assess compatibility early on.

3. Adapting Approach:
Modify strategies based on project scope, budget constraints, and unique client situations.

4. Sales Call Objectives:
Tangible aims set in advance to guide discussions towards mutual agreement.

Application Examples

1. Budget-Focused Qualification:
Early in the call, emphasize questions on budget, timeline, and priorities to qualify a project swiftly.

2. Needs Assessment:
Prioritize understanding client strengths and challenges through probing questions before proposing a strategy.

3. Tailored Solutions Presentation:
Offer service bundles aligned with client objectives, avoiding random offerings.

Reflective Questions

1. Client Sophistication Level Matching:
Evaluate if my methods align with the level of sophistication of the client.

2. Assumptions Evaluation:
Reflect on potential biases that could disrupt the call by assuming things about the client.

3. Questioning Approach:
Assess whether I'm seeking clarity or prematurely jumping to conclusions during interactions.

Summation

Understanding client priorities and adapting sales approaches accordingly optimizes the effectiveness of calls. By directing pertinent questions and offering tailored solutions, expertise is showcased over generic offerings, facilitating better qualification and decision-making processes. Regularly challenging assumptions through open-ended client understanding builds trust crucial for optimized sales conversations. Focusing calls on client priorities over personal interests positions expertise as guidance valued over hard sells.

Chris Do highlighted non-aggressive pitching, client follow-up without breaking promises, and the shift from persuasion to a service-oriented mindset. The art of asking questions that provoke thought without bias was discussed, alongside the critical role of honesty, integrity, and clear communication in building trust—especially in faith-based settings.

Chris Do advocated for genuine, transparent interactions that prioritize understanding the recipient's perspective, and stressed the importance of fostering authentic relationships over mere business transactions. He also touched on the nuances of cultural differences in business and the unexpected benefits of casual connections, all while emphasizing the delicate balance between personal rapport and professional dealings.

Action Steps:
1. Create a Learning Environment: Foster a space where everyone, especially introverts, can comfortably share ideas. Give people time to think before they speak.
2. Client Follow-Up: When following up with clients, focus on understanding their needs and challenges without making a sales pitch. Use discovery forms to gather insights.
3. Pitching: Reframe pitching as serving. Understand client needs first and present options that empower them to make informed decisions.
4. Effective Questioning: Practice asking open-ended questions that encourage clients to share their thoughts on their brand or specific issues without leading them.
5. Communication Integrity: Always communicate with honesty and integrity. Be upfront about your intentions and be willing to receive feedback.
6. Authenticity in Communication: Strive for genuine interactions. Avoid ambiguity and be direct in your communication to build trust.
7. Clarity in Messaging: Ensure your messages are clear, succinct, and transparent. Put the recipient's needs first.
8. Building Relationships: Prioritize sincerity and directness over small talk. Focus on building relationships before diving into business transactions.
9. Cultural Sensitivity: Be aware of cultural differences in communication and business practices. Adapt your approach to be genuine and authentic.
10. Personal and Professional Balance: Maintain a balance between personal and professional relationships. Lead with personal connections in business interactions.

These steps are about nurturing trust, understanding, and authenticity in all your professional interactions. Keep the dialogue open, listen actively, and always aim to serve the needs of others.

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Chris Do cut straight to the chase: It's not about flaunting your shiniest work; it's about mirroring back the client's needs in your service deck. Make it resonate, make it relevant.
Chris zeroed in on a game-changer: lean into agency gigs for that steady rhythm. And when it comes to upping your earnings game by half. Ditch the self-doubt, anchor in the facts, and sell your story with conviction. Shake up the status quo with a subscription model—keep clients hooked on the value you're serving up, show them progress they can't ignore.

Action Steps:

Lead Generation and Client Conversion Protocol:
1. Personalize your service and capabilities deck to reflect the client's specific needs.
2. Engage with clients by allowing them to ask questions and expect them to act on the advice given.
3. Shift focus from general teaching to providing specific advice, critique, feedback, and actionable plans.
4. Structure meetings more effectively, increase their frequency, and provide more access to mentorship.

Freelance Design Challenges and Agency Work:
1. Consider focusing on securing agency work to stabilize income.
2. Educate yourself on payment terms and the creative process to prevent misunderstandings.
3. Read "Exactly What to Say" by Phil Jones for effective client communication.

Instagram Growth and Lead Generation Strategy:
1. Apply the problem framework to identify and address issues with Instagram growth and DM requests.
2. Develop a consistent lead generation process to overcome growth plateaus.

Ambition, Mentorship, and Client Communication:
1. Set clear income goals and work towards them with a positive mindset.
2. Communicate transparently and honestly with clients, focusing on facts.
3. Aim to acquire new clients willing to commit to higher retainer fees.

Transitioning to Subscription Model:
1. Set a goal for the number of qualified leads needed based on your conversion rate.
2. Maintain a consistent, narrow positioning to attract the right clients.
3. Establish criteria for accepting work and refer smaller projects to the Jobs Board.

Project Budgeting and Subscription Models:
1. Understand the variables involved in project budgeting and commit to them.
2. Explore offering a subscription-based model to clients for regular updates and maintenance.

In-House Agency Financial Discussion:
1. Calculate the overhead costs of hiring an in-house agency and set appropriate retainer fees.
2. Cycle through clients and consider rate increases as your agency grows.

Sustainable Branding for Small Businesses:
1. Consider the role of a fractional Chief Brand Officer (CBO) to apply your skills strategically.
2. Focus on identifying and improving the client's highest priority needs.

Enhancing Conversations and Website Optimization:
1. Audit your website for visual presentation and copywriting.
2. Utilize tools like "Ok, orange" for website optimization.
3. Generate social media growth through video content and topical discussions.
4. Create lead magnets and establish thought leadership on platforms like LinkedIn.

Creative Agency Challenges and Improvement Ideas:
1. Explore AI tools like Dobot or Chat-GPT to understand and improve creative agency processes.
2. Share successful strategies, such as outbound lead generation plans, through webinars or other formats.

‍
Resources:

Dirtybandits.com

Exactly What to Say on Amazon

Phil M Jones

‍

"Exactly What to Say"
PDF Link

‍

"Time’s Up! Subscription Business" by Ronald J Baker

Amazon Link

‍

Ron Baker’s Content

Ron Baker’s Content

‍

Quick Announcement:
New Rule for Asking Questions: Members are now allowed to ask only one question. To earn the privilege of asking another question, they must demonstrate that they have taken action based on the previous guidance or information provided.

Shift from Information to Action: In 2024, there is a shift in focus from information dissemination to action. Chris Do emphasizes that he will prioritize reviewing and providing feedback on the actions that members are taking, rather than just discussing ideas.

‍

Quick summary: AI integration, LinkedIn optimization, client targeting, lead generation, and event participation, aiming to improve overall business performance and effectiveness.

Top 4 Highlights

1. Incorporate AI Tools for Enhanced Productivity:
  - Explore and integrate AI tools to enhance understanding, productivity, and real-time editing of sales pages.

2. LinkedIn Profile Enhancement:
    - Use AI tools to rewrite and simplify LinkedIn profiles.
    - Post clarity and readability for the reader.
    - Focus on image quality and audience identification.
    - Refine customer persona for better lead generation.

3. Lead Generation and Business Growth Strategies:
    - Double down on generating leads from existing categories.
    - Leverage email, social media, and referrals for growth.
    - Address challenges posed by the post-pandemic economy.

4. Securing Speaking Slots at Live Events:
    - Explore alternative strategies like teaming up with a prominent individual.
    - Consider creating a Youtube video or submitting a case study.
    - Record a video pitch or sample talk for event organizers.

Resources:
AuthoredUp: https://authoredup.com/
Glasp: https://glasp.co/
Dave's Office Hours - "Make Content Effortlessly with AI with Dave Katague": https://thefutur.com/membership/pro-library/make-content-effortlessly-with-ai-with-dave-katague

Chris Do Prompts:

1. Reflection on Past Successes:
   - "List your top three most successful projects. What common attributes did these clients share?"
   - "Think about a project you really enjoyed. What made this client or project stand out?"
2. Analyzing Client Characteristics:
   - "Describe your ideal client. What industry are they in? What are their main challenges and needs?"
   - "If you could choose, what kind of projects or problems would you solve every day?"
3. Financial Viability and Market Demand:
   - "Research and list niches you are interested in. What is the market size and potential for each?"
   - "For each niche, identify potential clients. Are they actively seeking design solutions? How urgent are their needs?"
4. Understanding Client Mindset:
   - "Imagine yourself in your client’s shoes. What are their top priorities and decision-making factors?"
   - "What fears or hesitations might these clients have about hiring a designer?"
5. Unique Value Proposition (UVP):
   - "What unique skills or perspectives do you bring to the table that others might not?"
   - "How does your design approach specifically address the needs of your ideal client?"
6. Realistic Persona Building:
   - "Create a detailed persona of your ideal client. Include demographics, psychographics, and their typical day."
   - "What are the communication preferences and platforms commonly used by your ideal client?"
7. Testing and Feedback:
   - "Choose a potential niche. Reach out to potential clients for informational interviews. What insights did you gain?"
   - "Based on your research, are there adjustments needed in your approach to better serve this audience?"

---
For the next Pro Call we are looking for 4 experts:

1. Cold Outreach and Emails:
If you've rocked at reaching out to folks using emails or bought email lists, share your success for the next call.

2. Paid Ads Whizzes:
If you're a champ at running ads, whether on Google or Facebook, and it helped you grow your audience.

3. Content Strategy Pros:
If your LinkedIn, YouTube, or Instagram content strategy brought in leads that boosted your business.

4. DM Masters:
Whether you're great at chatting in person at events or nailing virtual outreach, tell us if you've got the DM game.

Let us know via Circle DM to Andres

The focus was on enhancing lead generation and marketing strategies. Pro Members shared their challenges in reaching target audiences, with particular emphasis on refining outreach methods and content personalization. Chris Do advised on the importance of a strong lead magnet, understanding the audience's needs, and the power of direct inquiries to track lead sources. The "core 4" strategy was introduced for nurturing leads, while niche targeting and the potential of referral systems were highlighted. Discussions also touched on the benefits of a subscription-based model over traditional retainers, aligning services with global business objectives, and the importance of defining clear offers to attract and retain clients.

highlights:
- Lead generation and personalized marketing strategies.
- Chris introduced the "core 4" lead nurturing strategy and recommended asking clients about their discovery paths.
- The necessity of a compelling lead magnet with clear results and guarantees was emphasized.
- Niche marketing, with a focus on understanding and solving specific audience problems.
- The power of referrals Chris Do providing a template for effective referral requests.(see below)

How to ask for a referral from “Exactly What to Say” by Phil Jones.

When people say “thank you” ask for a referral. This is the time to do it since they are grateful and in a positive emotional state.

“You wouldn’t happen to know… just one person, someone who, just like you… would benefit from (specific benefit or positive experience they have just thanked you for).”

Then be silent.

“Don’t worry. I’m not looking for their details right now, but who was it that you were thinking of?”

“You couldn’t do me a further favor, could you? Next time you see (person), could you share with him/her a little bit about how it was doing business with me and see if he’s/she’s perhaps open-minded about taking a phone call from me to see if I can help him/her in the same way I helped you?”

“Would it be okay if I gave you a call next week to find out how the chat with (name) went?”

Call (1 week later):
“I’m guessing you didn‘t get around to speaking to (name)?”

Resources:
Book:

Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact Paperback
by Phil M Jones (Author)

Highlights:
Transitioning From Content Producer to Strategic Partner:
   - Focus on building trust with clients.
   - Understand clients' goals to provide valuable services.
   - Implement sales strategies by educating clients of the value of your product.
   - Identify and leverage compelling events in your sales approach.
   - Invest in content marketing, such as articles and videos, to attract clients.
   - Ensure online visibility and make products more exciting for clients.
   - Develop the skill of asking probing questions to understand client problems.
   - Relate clients' issues to the buyer's journey for a better understanding.
   - Gauge clients' pain points and their willingness to invest in solutions.
   - Strive to become a strategic advisor by understanding clients' business objectives.
   - Learn about decision-making processes in clients' businesses.
   - Position yourself as a valuable partner by facilitating strategic discussions.

Education vs. Simplicity in Business Success:

   - Assess if there's potential in simplifying your business model.
   - Innovate in teaching or duplicating successful approaches.
   - Reflect on motivations and tactics for financial success.
   - Focus on enhancing services and operations rather than adding complexity.
   - Simplify offers and ensure clear communication within the team.
   - Invest in marketing strategies to stand out in your category.

Quick Summary:
In Pro Call #234, Pro people shared valuable insights to elevate business success. They mentioned the pivotal role of a client-centric approach, emphasizing the profound impact of understanding and prioritizing clients' needs for heightened satisfaction and positive referrals.

A conversation on transitioning to coaching, the focus shifted toward cultivating long-term value over aggressive content marketing, and urging participants to consider implementing a minimum commitment period for services.

Highlights of the power of content creation, motivational giving, and setting realistic goals.

Participants were encouraged to adopt focused goal-setting practices, embrace strategic partnerships, and infuse an element of gamification into their endeavors.

The discussions touched upon refining service offers, aligning goals with meaningful outcomes, and fostering efficient meeting practices. The overarching takeaway is a holistic approach to business success, encapsulating client satisfaction, value-driven services, strategic partnerships, and robust personal and professional development.

--
Goal Gamification in 10 Steps:

Define Your Big Goal:

1. Clearly state your main objective.
Break It Down into 10 Steps:

2. Identify 10 achievable milestones.
Create a Visual:

3. Make a visual representation of your goal and steps.
Establish a Star System:

4. Develop a simple system to earn stars for each step.
Post on Social Media:

5. Share your goal breakdown on LinkedIn or social media.
Record Dates of Achievements:

6. Note the dates when you complete each step.
Applaud Yourself:

7. Acknowledge and celebrate each achieved step.
Community Support:

8. Encourage others to join and support each other.
Ongoing Accountability:

9. Regularly update your progress on social media.
Celebrate Milestones:

10. Celebrate when you complete all steps and achieve your big goal.

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Storytelling and Script Structure Effectiveness

‍Alex, a creative director and entrepreneur, discussed the effectiveness of storytelling and script structure in increasing reach. He planned to share his insights, a few videos, and propose exercises to reinforce the points made. Alex emphasized the significance of this approach based on real-world examples of success, despite the promise of exponential growth might be seen as clickbait. He shared his journey from working with big consumer tech companies to establishing a creative team at Typeform and starting his agency, Sub One. Alex stressed the importance of risk-taking and experimentation in content creation.

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‍Organic Content vs Advertising: A Comparative Analysis

‍Alex discussed the comparison between buying and renting, using the analogy of acquiring a property versus paying for advertising. He emphasized that investing time and resources into creating quality organic content is similar to buying an asset, while renting attention through advertising is more akin to an expense. He noted that brands often struggle with understanding the dynamics of organic content and how to effectively leverage it. Alex also highlighted the technological disruption in media distribution, specifically the rise of platforms like TikTok, which has changed the way content is distributed online. He stressed the importance of making engaging content to reach a wider audience and effectively market products.Content

Engagement and Growth Strategies

‍Alex discussed the importance of improving content engagement and growth on various platforms, with a focus on watch time and retention as key metrics. He shared a success story of a friend who grew his following by finding a resonating storytelling formula, which in turn increased watch time. Alex then proposed creating a 'content compass', a guide to help individuals focus on their content creation, using Erfan's self-improvement positioning as an example. He suggested identifying four themes for discussion under Erfan's mission, such as business, personal life, mindset, and productivity, and generating specific topics under these themes for more focused content.

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‍Creating Engaging Short Videos for Audience Connection

‍Alex emphasized the importance of creating simple, engaging short videos to connect with the audience and learn from them. He suggested experimenting with different content topics and themes, and using viewer response to inform future content. Alex stressed the importance of storytelling and discouraged selling or promoting services in content intended for a general audience. He also discussed the importance of monitoring retention rates and adjusting content accordingly to reach specific view counts. Stephanie praised Alex's use of visual aids and promised to share his system with the team. Alex also shared his strategy of creating three distinct video shows and producing five videos for each without altering the videos as they are posted, analyzing the results based on total views and engagement. Alex emphasized the importance of audience engagement and retention, noting that high retention could lead to increased exposure. He also touched on the concept of 'improving' video content, suggesting that the first one to two seconds of a video are crucial to capturing viewer attention.

‍Content Creation Strategy: Innovation and Authenticity

‍Alex discussed Humphrey's content creation strategy, emphasizing the importance of innovation and keeping content fresh. He noted Humphrey's use of skits and talking head videos to explain financial concepts in an engaging way. Alex also highlighted the risk of relying solely on viral short-form content and the importance of staying up-to-date with audience interests. He stressed the need for authenticity and spontaneity in video content and expressed skepticism about the sustainability of fake podcast methods. Alex suggested experimenting with different techniques to capture audience attention and using software like CapCut for creating videos. A discussion was set up between Alex and Mark to delve deeper into these examples.Website Design

Expansion Discussed

‍markgoodkin, a graphic designer, discussed with Alex the possibility of expanding his services into website design. Alex suggested replicating successful content and creating engaging content that would attract viewers, including reaction videos and showing the work process. markgoodkin agreed to focus more on Youtube channels for inspiration. Alex emphasized the importance of creating compelling video hooks and understanding viewer engagement, hinting at a secret tool for understanding viewer engagement.

‍Exploring Content Creation for BusinessesAlex explored the evolution of movie genres and their invention by distribution companies for commercial purposes. He extended this idea to digital media, highlighting how content genres such as podcasts, interviews, tutorials, and pranks have been created to increase engagement. Alex proposed a brainstorming session to generate ideas for content creation targeted at a design studio, barbershop, and wedding photographer. The discussion focused on producing reactions and challenge videos for each of these businesses, with ideas such as surprise haircuts, street challenges, and reactions to photographs proposed. Alex encouraged experimentation to find the most effective format, and Mark from the design studio was invited to contribute ideas specific to his field.

‍Designing Creative Projects and Brand Perceptions

‍markgoodkin and Alex explored potential design-related projects, including creating reactions to new brand identities, redesigning popular logos, and asking strangers design questions. They agreed that these ideas could yield diverse and engaging content. Alex suggested using reactions in video content and proposed asking strangers about their favorite wedding moments, emphasizing experimentation and creativity in content creation. Stephanie emphasized the importance of creating content rather than overanalyzing ideas. The trio also discussed their perceptions of various brands, agreeing that many are too self-focused and lack innovation, leading to a lack of creativity in their content.

‍Content as Product: AI, Short Form, and IntegrationAlex highlighted the importance of treating content as a product and experimenting to meet audience needs. He suggested that AI could be used to brainstorm ideas and enhance script writing. Erfan and Stephanie questioned Alex about the future of short form content, and Alex, while curious, expressed concerns about its potential lack of substance. The meeting also touched upon the strategy of using shows to create different types of content. Alex emphasized the importance of integrating product discussions into the narrative rather than just using them as advertisements.

Highlights:

The Power of Collaboration: Chris Do shares the story of Dave Katague, showcasing dedication and hard work in a collaborative environment.

Lessons Learned: The importance of genuinely useful help, identifying unique gifts, and the significance of good manners in communication.

Personal Branding Mastery: Reflection on the importance of personal branding, focusing on internal self-knowledge, and the significance of clear communication and consistent generosity.

Strategies for Success: the essentials of developing relationships, clear communication, and consistent generosity. Learning the art of making goals known and creating content that resonates in the market.

Year-end Reflection: How to wrap up the year and planning for 2024, with Chris Do revealing his unique strategy of leveraging the holiday period for reflection.

Client Management Strategies: How to cycle out low-profit clients using the One Page Marketing Plan framework, and how to grade your clients.

Becoming a Public Speaker: Chris Do shares insights and how to define clear goals and the importance of consistent action.

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Action Steps:
"The cool part about using social media as content marketing is that you only have to make it once, and then it does its thing. That doesn't mean you only need to make one piece of content, but you don't have to constantly prop it up."
- Chris Do

Content Creation and Overcoming Obstacles Framework

1. What kind of content am I making?

Is it positioning myself in an optimal way for people who are looking for me right now to be able to find me?

2. What's getting in my way of achieving that first step?

Emotional
Physical.
Financial.
Spiritual?
What is it that's getting in your way? Is it a mindset? Write that down.

3. What do I need to have happen in my life for me to overcome that obstacle?

Itemize the steps. For example, if you don't have the equipment:
You need a microphone.
You need cameras.
You need an instructional video.
You need the resources to be able to do whatever it is that you need. Write it down."

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Resources:

School of Life:
https://www.youtube.com/@theschooloflifetv

Cleon Peterson
https://www.instagram.com/cleonpeterson/?hl=en

Elgato Telepromter:
https://www.elgato.com/ww/en/p/prompter

Make Content Effortlessly with AI with Dave Katague
https://thefutur.com/membership/pro-library/make-content-effortlessly-with-ai-with-dave-katague

Autonomy Skateboards
https://autonomyskateboards.com/

Aēsop:
https://www.aesop.com/ca/en/

You deserve a team you LOVE and a business that doesn't depend on you! Discover how to create more SCALABILITY in your business and FREEDOM in your life … WITHOUT sacrificing the quality of your customer experience. This program is dynamic, funny, moving, and filled with actionable value. (This is call 3 or 3)

‍

View Pt. 1

View Pt. 2

‍

About Joey Vitale:

Joey Vitale is an internationally renowned speaker, award-winning attorney, and business growth consultant. He has spoken to tens of thousands of people across the world. Joey has worked with influential brands like Cultivate Advisors, Honeybook, Maximum Lawyer, and The Futur.As a trusted business growth consultant, Joey helps impact-driven business owners who want to achieve exponential growth and realize their full potential.His forthcoming book is entitled: The Business Growth Advantage: How to Run Your Business in One Hour a Week, Crack the Social Media Code, and Make Limitless Income & Impact.

IG handle: https://www.instagram.com/joeycvitale

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‍Chris's Adobe Max Experience and Observations Chris shared his experiences and takeaways from attending Adobe Max, a conference that has evolved over time, becoming more familiar for regular attendees. He recounted his initial attendance due to winning a design competition, which led to an expensive ticket that went unused. Despite this, Chris expressed a desire to return to Adobe Max, hoping to secure a booth for his team, even though he had no interest in speaking on stage. His request for a booth was denied. Chris discussed his experiences with Adobe and their web design software, Xd, as well as his involvement in the conference, which started with providing feedback and eventually led him to be an invited speaker on the main stage. He also discussed the social capital trading that occurred at the event and the logistical preparations leading up to his talk. Chris shared his observations and thoughts on changes made at the Adobe Max event, including the shift from featuring celebrities to focusing on creators. He also commented on the event's budget, expressing that it seemed to have been managed differently, with corners potentially being cut. Chris emphasized the importance of targeted relationships at events, recommending attendees research and prepare beforehand. He shared successful encounters throughout the day, including a chance meeting with a past collaborator and an invitation to speak at a Pepsi office in New York. At the end of the day, Ivy expressed her desire for the same opportunities and recognition that Chris has.Knowledge

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Sharing, Discipline, and Connections Chris emphasized the importance of sharing knowledge without constant marketing and shared his positive experiences of teaching and meeting admired speakers. He also highlighted the need for discipline, using personal examples such as public speaking, dieting, and working out. Chris expressed his deep appreciation for the impactful connections with individuals and the positive influence it has had on his life, including starting a business. He spoke about the unique nature of the audience at the Adobe Max conference, encouraging others to consider speaking there due to its high selection chances and supportive nature. However, he and Heather expressed their disappointment in Mr. Erin Draplin's repetitive speaking engagements, lack of variety, and excessive promotion of projects. Despite their critique, they acknowledged his popularity. Heather Crank highlighted the need for clarity in messaging, avoiding repetition, and being true to oneself, while Chris suggested that the presenter might have appeared overly stressed by the need to prove themselves.

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‍Aaron's Speaking Success Debated Chris and Heather discussed a speaker known as 'Aaron', who is known for repeating his talks with slight modifications. Despite some criticisms, Aaron's popularity remained unchallenged due to his relatability and storytelling skills. Chris praised Aaron's ability to capitalize on his popularity and learn from his success. Anneli joined the conversation, questioning how to separate Aaron's teaching aspect from his message to replicate his success in public speaking.

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‍Transitioning to Inspire: Chris's Journey to Speak Chris discussed his plans to transition from a teacher to an inspirational speaker, aiming to connect with a broader audience, particularly drawing on his experiences as an Asian immigrant. He contrasted his situation with that of Aaron Draplin, highlighting the importance of diversity in speaking engagements. Chris emphasized the need for individuals to produce content and change the current content landscape, which is largely dominated by older white European men. Anneli and Heather Crank agreed with his points, acknowledging the importance of representation and changing the status quo.Sales Process:

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Understanding the Client Chris discussed the sales process and emphasized the importance of understanding the customer's problem to motivate them to take action. He highlighted the need for a dialogue in sales presentations and noted that the sales process must be one-on-one for high ticket sales. Chris stressed the importance of being able to deliver the solution and communicating effectively with clients. He shared his ongoing challenge of getting people to take action and the importance of following instructions to avoid unnecessary expenses. He also discussed the importance of tailoring one's approach to each individual client to close more projects successfully.

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‍Proving Value in a Crowded Market Heather discussed her challenges in dealing with in-house teams or agencies where she felt the need to prove her value compared to other agencies. Chris advised her to prepare for potential objections, suggesting that when a client says they need to check with the team, it could mean they are non-committal, need a second opinion, or are stalling. Heather shared her experience of being brought in by an advocate but facing challenges in proving her worth when an agency with a closer relationship to the client is involved. The discussion ended with Chris noting that Heather's company, Lava Digital, is surrounded by competitors, and emphasized the need for Heather to find a succinct way to describe her role, as the executives she interacts with are usually busy.

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‍Effective Communication and Sales Strategies Chris stressed the importance of effective communication, emphasizing the need for clarity and conciseness. He presented the concept of handling objections and encouraged the team to focus on one key point at a time. Chris also advised Heather to be more concise and confident during sales calls, and to acknowledge the strengths of other vendors. He highlighted the importance of identifying specific problems and asking questions to surface issues. Chris also mentioned the need for explicit communication between team members and the use of AI tools for language barriers. He ended by promoting the creation of impactful slogans or brands to enhance communication.

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‍Effective Communication and Company Hierarchy Discussion Chris and Julio discussed the progress and next steps of an unspecified project, with a focus on effective and efficient communication within the team. Julio expressed difficulty in communicating directly with the final decision-maker at his clients' companies, particularly large ones. Chris advised Julio to take more control in these situations. They also discussed the hierarchy and size of companies, noting that those doing over 100 million dollars a year are considered big companies, and typically have a heavy marketing focus. It was confirmed that a company doing a million dollars in revenue would typically have around 10 to 15 employees.

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‍Pricing Strategies and Client Targeting Chris and Julio discussed their experiences with clients and pricing structures for their services. Julio shared a situation where a potential client wanted a quote before understanding the project's scope, which typically ranges from 10,000 to 25,000 dollars, depending on the website size. Chris suggested that they might be targeting the wrong clientele, as smaller companies might not be able to afford their services, and proposed they target larger companies with a million-dollar budget. They also discussed strategies for approaching potential clients and securing approval for marketing projects. The conversation ended with Chris summarizing three key lessons for Julio to learn from the discussion, and Julio shared his success story about winning a project after using the perfect proposal template, leading to a million-dollar project.

Instagram Growth Framework

Main Concepts
GNC Content Strategy
The GNC content strategy framework outlines three distinct types of content to focus on when posting to Instagram:

Growth content aims to reach new audiences and gain followers. It offers simple, valuable tips to attract attention and encourage exploring one's account.

Nurture content builds connections by telling stories and sharing more in-depth advice/processes. It enhances trust and makes followers care about the creator.

Convert content directly sells one's services by highlighting specific pains or desires and targeting messages to feel personally relevant. It aims to inspire taking action like inquiries or signups.

Key Post Type: Transformation Story
Telling one's journey from struggle to success in a relatable way engages followers and humanizes the creator. It establishes credibility while not directly selling. Including pain points and desires makes it easier for followers to see themselves in the story.

GNC in Action
Growth Post Example 1
The original "How I Made It" post simply shared the creator's backstory without an ask. It reached over 1 million people organically by offering value without obligation. Relatability and transparency built connections.

Nurture/Convert Post Example 2
Later versions of the same story structured details and a call to action to warmth audiences and drive inquiries. Including specific processes and results enhanced perceived understanding and desire for the creator's help. The new framing directly encouraged followers to take the next step.

Implementing GNC
Follow a Consistent Rhythm
Post using all three strategies each week - one of each type - to maintain balanced growth, connection, and conversion efforts over time on both Feed and Stories. Instagram requires patience and consistency.

Focus on One Strategy at a Time
Craft each post to target a specific aim (growth, nurture or convert) by including tailored elements. Avoid trying to fulfill multiple purposes simultaneously which dilutes messaging.

Customize to Your Audience
Make transformation stories personally relatable by highlighting authentic struggles and desires. Target messages directly at followers to build perceived understanding and urgency around taking the next step.

Action Steps
1. Audit your current Instagram approach. Identify which strategies you focus on and any gaps.

2. Craft one sample Growth, Nurture and Convert post highlighting core elements discussed. Get feedback and refine.

3. Implement a GNC posting schedule, starting with one of each type per week. Track and analyze results to improve future content.

4. Refine transformation story template to customize pains, desires and processes specifically for your ideal client. Test sharing your journey.

5. Experiment with different call to actions at the end of nurture/convert content like asking followers to share their struggles or sign up for more information. Track impacts.

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Chris walks Pro members through the sales funnel process, with an emphasis on selling through emotions using his "no sales" webinar method.

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Images from Call:

Live streaming can seem scary and daunting but it is a powerful way to differentiate your business from the crowd, with multiple benefits to accelerate your business growth.3 learning objectives of the presentation:- Understand why live streaming will set you apart in your industry- Learn how live streaming can help you create endless content, endless connections and a super loyal community- Establish yourself as an authority in your field, build a strong network and strengthen your relationships

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Fanny Dunagan is the Co-Founder & Content Strategist for PathLynks, a marketing consultancy serving medium and large tech companies. Her firm specializes in LinkedIn content strategies, livestreams and video marketing. She's passionate about helping people find their voice and create a legacy through thought leadership and content creation. She’s spoken about branding and videos at a variety of marketing and technology associations such as InnoTech Conference and American Marketing Association, as well as at the headquarters of Toyota and Whole Foods. She's also been a keynote speaker at State of Search Conference and Video Marketing World Conference. She's the host of The CG Hour and the Creator Tips, Tools & Tales Live Shows, as well as the Tech Legacies Video Podcast.

We're going to land this storytelling plane! We'll bring everything together and have a fully delivered story for your personal brand.

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ICYMI:

Personal Brand Storytelling Pt. 1

Personal Brand Storytelling Pt. 2

Personal Brand Storytelling Pt. 3

Personal Brand Storytelling Pt. 4



About Marc Gutman

Marc Gutman is an award winning storyteller, entrepreneur, adventurer, and idealist. But most importantly, Marc loves brands and their stories.

Marc has held several positions in the story business.  He’s served as Story Editor for Oliver Stone’s Illusion Entertainment, and written stories and screenplays for Oliver Stone, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox.

In addition to his time in Hollywood, Marc itched the entrepreneurial scratch by founding a multimillion dollar tech company in Boulder, Colorado.

Today, Marc focuses his energy on Wildstory, the brand strategy studio for brands that want to outmaneuver their competition.

Wildstory has worked with brands like Thor Industries, Airstream, El Cap, Planet Granite, Earth Treks, Movement, Inboard, Outward Bound School, and First Descents.

Marc is on a mission to help the world après… one brand at a time.

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Chris discusses how to overcome objections and accusations within your irresistible offer.

Join Chris as he analyzes the book launch of Alex Hermozi's $100M Leads.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Content Creation

AI tools can significantly enhance creativity and productivity by automating repetitive tasks and providing new possibilities.
Embrace AI as a tool to enhance existing skills rather than a replacement.
AI can help overcome common challenges faced in the creative industry.

Specific AI Tools

Mid Journey: A powerful image and photo creation tool that enables the creation of visually stunning content based on user prompts.
Runway: Offers advanced image editing and manipulation capabilities, making it a valuable tool for refining and enhancing visual content.
Chat GPT: A text-based AI tool that can generate human-like text, provide information, and assist with writing tasks.
Claude: A powerful language model that rivals Chat GPT and offers a range of advanced capabilities.

Practical Implementation

Importance of a clear vision: Being able to articulate a clear vision in your mind and communicate it effectively is crucial for successful AI implementation.
Emphasis on practical implementation: The focus is on providing practical insights and techniques for attendees to apply in their own workflows.
Collaborative resource sharing: A shared board serves as a central repository for resources and materials shared during the session, making it easy for participants to access and refer to them.

Action Steps

Analyze: Identify areas in your workflow where AI can be implemented.
Experiment: Explore different AI tools and experiment with different prompts and settings to get the desired results.
Collaborate: Share your experiences and resources with others to foster a collaborative learning environment.
Innovate: Use AI tools to create unique and original content that stands out from the competition.
Stay informed: Keep up with the latest developments in AI and emerging tools to stay ahead of the curve.

Reflection Prompts

What are the specific challenges in your creative workflow that AI could help you overcome?
How can you leverage AI tools to enhance your existing skills and capabilities?
What are the ethical implications of using AI for content creation?

Reinforcing Summation

AI is a powerful tool that can revolutionize content creation. By embracing AI and using it wisely, you can unlock new possibilities, enhance your creativity, and stay ahead in the rapidly evolving industry.

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Homework before the call: Find a customer avatar for your audience or who you'd like to serve

‍About Dave:

Dave Katague help business owners and creatives use AI to fast forward to outcomes they didn't think possible. Obsessed with storytelling, psychology and filmmaking, marketing, I love digging deep to use design to make things look good and make the audience feel.

Call Resources:

Building an avatar to create content
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Mila board

Learning AI Mila board

Film & Grammar Board

Prompts

You deserve a team you LOVE and a business that doesn't depend on you! Discover how to create more SCALABILITY in your business and FREEDOM in your life … WITHOUT sacrificing the quality of your customer experience. This program is dynamic, funny, moving, and filled with actionable value. (This is call 2 or 3).

‍

Catch Part 1 here.

‍
About Joey Vitale:

Joey Vitale is an internationally renowned speaker, award-winning attorney, and business growth consultant. He has spoken to tens of thousands of people across the world. Joey has worked with influential brands like Cultivate Advisors, Honeybook, Maximum Lawyer, and The Futur.As a trusted business growth consultant, Joey helps impact-driven business owners who want to achieve exponential growth and realize their full potential.His forthcoming book is entitled: The Business Growth Advantage: How to Run Your Business in One Hour a Week, Crack the Social Media Code, and Make Limitless Income & Impact.

Join Chris as he workshops Pro members' Irresistible Offers.

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Catch up on the first call in this series here.

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Resources:

How To Productize And Systematize Creative Services & Build A 7 Figure Business

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We are going to review the 4 necessary stories to build your personal brand  - this is 4 of 4, the Resurrection Story. We'll review story structure, then dive deep on the Resurrection Story, and then begin to workshop and discover your Resurrection Story.


About Marc Gutman:

Marc Gutman is an award winning storyteller, entrepreneur, adventurer, and idealist. But most importantly, Marc loves brands and their stories.

Marc has held several positions in the story business.  He’s served as Story Editor for Oliver Stone’s Illusion Entertainment, and written stories and screenplays for Oliver Stone, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox.

In addition to his time in Hollywood, Marc itched the entrepreneurial scratch by founding a multimillion dollar tech company in Boulder, Colorado.

Today, Marc focuses his energy on Wildstory, the brand strategy studio for brands that want to outmaneuver their competition.

Wildstory has worked with brands like Thor Industries, Airstream, El Cap, Planet Granite, Earth Treks, Movement, Inboard, Outward Bound School, and First Descents.

Marc is on a mission to help the world après… one brand at a time.

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Learn how creators are leveraging knowledge products to grow and scale their businesses. From online courses to digital downloads to coaching, Teachable's Creator Program Specialist will be sharing best practices for monetizing your expertise.

About Teachable and Monique:

Teachable is a no-code platform for creators who want to build a more impactful business through courses, coaching, downloadable content, and community.Monique is a Creator Programs Specialist at Teachable. She's guided hundreds of creators by providing strategic insights and technical implementation support to help them successfully build and launch their courses, digital content and coaching.

In this workshop, "Designing for Social Change: Unlock Opportunities for Income and Impact," we'll explore how creative fields, from marketing to video production, can power societal transformation. We'll unpack the importance of human-centered design, inclusivity, and accessibility, and shed light on the increasing demand for such socially responsible work. Time permitting, we'll end the session with a hands-on activity where participants brainstorm a creative project aimed at addressing a chosen social issue, effectively putting theory into practice.

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About Dana:

Dana Middleton is an integrative impact designer, social epidemiologist, and “empathetic alchemist” with an interdisciplinary background that includes public health, human-centered design, marketing and strategic branding, health communications, and instructional design. She is driven to help corporate leaders navigate the complexities of social change and turn challenges into opportunities for impact, blending artistic creativity with scientific, data-driven methodologies in her approach to impact design.Dana is the founder of Compositions, an integrative impact strategy and design firm that helps HR professionals leverage their corporate brand strategy to transform existing responsibility efforts into authentic and sustainable impact experiences.A Public Health doctoral candidate, with a Master of Liberal Arts in Social Sciences & Instructional Design/Education, and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Education, Dana's academic background enriches her understanding of social change dynamics. With an AHA Credential in Diversity Management, certifications in Brand Strategy, Social Justice Leadership, BEAM Administration & Management for Public Health, Strategic Healthcare Marketing, and Professional Certified Marketer/Marketing Management (PCM), Dana stays ahead of industry trends and enhances her ability to support equitable impact advancement.Beyond her client work, Dana actively engages in the social impact community. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Social Marketing Association of North America and collaborates with influential organizations like the American Hospital Association's Health Equity Influencers Roundtable, the Black Directors Health Equity Agenda, the American Public Health Association, and Social Value International.

We're revisiting the Irresistible Offer in this work session with Chris. Come with any progress you've made since the last calls and be ready to workshop with Chris.Need to catch up? Here are the original calls from earlier this year to review.

‍$100M Offers Pt. 1
‍‍$100M Offers Pt. 2
‍‍$100M Offers Pt. 3

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Chris' podcast with Mo

You deserve a team you LOVE and a business that doesn't depend on you! Discover how to create more SCALABILITY in your business and FREEDOM in your life … WITHOUT sacrificing the quality of your customer experience. This program is dynamic, funny, moving, and filled with actionable value. (This is call 1 of 3).

‍
About Joey Vitale:

Joey Vitale is an internationally renowned speaker, award-winning attorney, and business growth consultant. He has spoken to tens of thousands of people across the world. Joey has worked with influential brands like Cultivate Advisors, Honeybook, Maximum Lawyer, and The Futur.As a trusted business growth consultant, Joey helps impact-driven business owners who want to achieve exponential growth and realize their full potential.His forthcoming book is entitled: The Business Growth Advantage: How to Run Your Business in One Hour a Week, Crack the Social Media Code, and Make Limitless Income & Impact.

Join Sherry to hear about herexperiences using Midjourney. She'll talk about hacks and tips she uses to engineer prompt design.

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About Sherry:

Sherry Horowitz, a.k.a the "A.I. Conjurer," leverages her experiences in fine arts, graphic design, advertising and poetry, to finesse more intentional and arresting visuals from Midjourney. In this session she will discuss her approach to harnessing language, art direction and data sets to stay in control of the machine, and help you design gorgeous work to augment your creative services.

We are going to review the 4 necessary stories to build your personal brand: this is 3 of 4 - the Relapse Story. We'll review story structure, then dive deep on relapse, and then begin to workshop and discover your relapse story

‍

About Marc Gutman

Marc Gutman is an award winning storyteller, entrepreneur, adventurer, and idealist. But most importantly, Marc loves brands and their stories.

Marc has held several positions in the story business.  He’s served as Story Editor for Oliver Stone’s Illusion Entertainment, and written stories and screenplays for Oliver Stone, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox.

In addition to his time in Hollywood, Marc itched the entrepreneurial scratch by founding a multimillion dollar tech company in Boulder, Colorado.

Today, Marc focuses his energy on Wildstory, the brand strategy studio for brands that want to outmaneuver their competition.

Wildstory has worked with brands like Thor Industries, Airstream, El Cap, Planet Granite, Earth Treks, Movement, Inboard, Outward Bound School, and First Descents.

Marc is on a mission to help the world après… one brand at a time.

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It's a Futur Homecoming!

Join our special guest, Matthew Encina of Mod Musings, as we catch up on what he's done since going solo as a content creator, including how he's leveraged his content and personal brand to snag clients, brand collaborations, and sponsorships.

And in case Matthew needs an intro ...

Matthew is a creative professional working over 19 years, in the fields of design, advertising, and content creation.

He is recognized by the creative industry, winning multiple awards including 3 CLIOS for his work with Xbox, and 3 Webby Awards for “Ink”, the groundbreaking interactive music video for Coldplay.

As an online educator, Matthew has created content and courses at The Futur, where he shares insights and stories from his journey as a creative professional, to help others navigate their own.

Beyond the digital screen, Matthew speaks at international conferences and events about his experiences in the industry.

You can find more about Matthew Encina at matthewencina.com and follow him everywhere @matthewencina.

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In this ask-me-anything style call, Chris DO answers Pro members' question regarding content creation, hiring team members, scaling to $1 Million in revenue, and self-publishing a book.

This call covers the foundational aspects of any website, such as colors, layout, imagery, typography, UI elements, etc. We'll look deeper at optimizing these areas to provide the best experience for visitors, regardless of industry. We will analyze examples and focus on practical lessons you can implement.

Join Jess Miller as she gives a presentation on how designers and illustrators can leverage instagram for their creative business. I'll touch on all aspects including how to level up IG stories, hashtags, utilize keywords, reels, captions, DMs, etc.

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Jess Miller is a Los Angeles-based designer, illustrator, and educator. Her whimsical style is infused with bright pops of color and layered textures, drawing inspiration from nature, retro artwork, and vintage design. With a background in toy package design, Jess has seamlessly transitioned into a flourishing career in illustration. Her areas of expertise include hand lettering, surface pattern design, and character portraits. Jess's work has graced greeting cards, home goods, tech accessories, book covers, packaging, and more! In just three years, she has amassed a dedicated following of over 100K on her social media channels. She takes pleasure in sharing her strategies with fellow creatives, empowering them to harness the power of Instagram for their own creative businesses.

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Using Instagram Effectively for Creative Business Growth

Overview and Mindset Shift
The key to growing an impactful creative business on Instagram is developing influence by helping your audience grow through educational, motivational and inspiring content. With the right mindset and strategy, Instagram can become a powerful free marketing tool to connect with clients, collaborators and a supportive community.

Profile Optimization  
Brand your profile
Add your name, photo and clearly define your niche/specialty in your bio to establish trust and awareness. Use your username and bio to rank for important keywords.

Archive irrelevant posts  
Remove older posts that don't reflect your best work or brand to curate a polished feed that tells your story.

Separate personal and business
Keep personal details private to maintain a professional presence. Create separate accounts if needed.

Content Strategy
Posting a variety of content engages more people. Mix up informative, motivational, beautiful and fun posts to satisfy different interests.

Post types that perform well:
- **Conversational** - Ask questions to spark discussions.
- **Educational** - Teach skills through tutorials or tips. Provides value people seek on social media.
- **Entertaining** - Make people laugh with humorous memes.
- **Beautiful** - Highlight aesthetics fitting the visual platform.  
- **Motivational** - Inspire action and progress.
- **Inspirational** - Uplift through positivity and feel-good material.

Community Building
Foster connections through engagement.

Engage with others
- Like, comment and ask questions and polls on other posts in your niche.  
- Have friendly discussions to establish yourself as an authority.

Build relationships
- Create educational collaborative content with influencers.
- Offer support to help others grow their businesses.

Growth Strategies
Leverage insights and focus efforts on top-performing content to expand reach.

Optimize further
- Switch to professional dashboard for analytics to A/B test.  
- Refine hashtags for discoverability.
- Repurpose Stories to feed.

Expand reach organically
- Repost top comments to reach new audiences.
- Cross-promote on other platforms.
- Promote in relevant Facebook groups.

Monetization
Larger platforms lead to paid opportunities and clients finding you first.

Income sources may include:
- Classes and workshops  
- Freelance commissions
- Licensing artwork
- Affiliate marketing
- Brand collaborations

Action Steps
1. Audit profile and purge unrepresentative posts within 1 week.  
2. Ask weekly discussion questions to generate engagement.
3. Research hashtags for your niche and use 10-30 per post.  
4. Repost top comments 1x/week minimum.
5. Comment on 5 similar creator's posts daily to build relationships.

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In this call, Marc Gutman reviews the second essential story to tell in your personal brand, the inciting incident. We'll review story structure, then dive deep on the Inciting Incident, and then begin to workshop and discover your Inciting Incident story.

Prework: Bring what they want to be known for in your brand.

About Marc Gutman

Marc Gutman is an award winning storyteller, entrepreneur, adventurer, and idealist. But most importantly, Marc loves brands and their stories.

Marc has held several positions in the story business.  He’s served as Story Editor for Oliver Stone’s Illusion Entertainment, and written stories and screenplays for Oliver Stone, Warner Bros., and 20th Century Fox.

In addition to his time in Hollywood, Marc itched the entrepreneurial scratch by founding a multimillion dollar tech company in Boulder, Colorado.

Today, Marc focuses his energy on Wildstory, the brand strategy studio for brands that want to outmaneuver their competition.

Wildstory has worked with brands like Thor Industries, Airstream, El Cap, Planet Granite, Earth Treks, Movement, Inboard, Outward Bound School, and First Descents.

Marc is on a mission to help the world après… one brand at a time.

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The greatest creative agencies in the world aren’t the ones awarded in Cannes. They’re the tiny marketing departments that reside in our brains. Their media? Our thoughts. Their target audience? YOU. And wow, do they ever know how to market to you. Trouble is, most of the time that tiny agency in your brain is holding you back, preventing you from realizing your hopes and dreams. How? With nonstop fear-based campaigns that have been in market your entire life – campaigns that YOU keep approving, and believing, over and over.

In this session, you’ll learn to embrace your role as CMO of YOU inc. You’ll learn how to recognize – and visualize the internal marketing messages you’re buying every day without even realizing it.

We’ll journey through a playful exercise of uncovering the name of the tiny agency working on your behalf, help you terminate your longstanding relationship with that unhelpful agency, and ultimately craft an RFP for a new internal agency – one that will consistently deliver the success you’ve always wanted, but felt you could never achieve.

Pre-work to complete before the call:
Think about one limiting belief that you’ve held onto for far too long. It must be something you’ve told yourself over and over, and it must be something you know has held you back, but you’ve never been able to shake. Write it down in the most concise way possible, and bring those words to the session.

About Jed

Jed Churcher is Co-Founder & Creative Director of Library Collective, an LA-based creative agency that uses real people casting to help brands such as Fila, TurboTax, and Albertsons find unique voices to co-create authentic ideas with.

Prior to this, Jed spent 20+ years as a writer and creative director at large multinational agencies such as Publicis, J. Walter Thompson, BBDO, and DDB, leading creative development on some of the world’s biggest brands, including Walmart, Nestle, J&J, and Diageo. His work has been recognized in top-tier award shows, such as One Show, LIAAs, and Cannes Lions.

A passionate speaker about creativity, collaboration, and mindset marketing, Jed has delivered talks and seminars to clients and creatives in New York, Toronto, Qatar, and Cannes, France, as part of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

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Join Chris as he coaches Pro members with challenges, including time management, organizing and marketing masterminds, how to help students who work in industries threatened by AI, and how to onboard high-ticket clients.
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Time Management Resource: Rich Webz

Mastermind Resource: Taki Moore

Visual Effects Resource: Zach King

Project Management Resources: Practical Project Management and OpSys

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Join us for more AI learning, where you'll learn:- How to prompt ChatGPT to give you text that sounds like you.- Advanced ChatGPT prompting strategies for service providers- How to quickly generate ethical deepfake videos using AI- How to use Midjourney to generate design assets and personalized inspiration
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About the speakers:

Dave Talas:Entrepreneur and educator with expertise in Instagram marketing, digital marketing, online education and brand building. Taught more than 10K+ students online.IG: https://www.instagram.com/davetalas/

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‍David Taylor:AI and Web3 entrepreneur, founded AI SaaS, cryptoaccelerator & tokenomics firm; $25M+ token sales. Cryptoeconomics researcher, keynote speaker.IG: https://www.instagram.com/therealdavidtaylor/

Join Marc Gutman as he critiques Pro members backstories, one of the four stories that make up your personal brand, and apply the discussion to your own backstory.

Resource

Craft Your Backstory

Join Chris Do for a coaching session with Pro members. Topics of discussion include how to develop better podcasting and interviewing skills, how to build a community and who to hire first in order for the community to be successful, how to select the ideal clients and maintain healthy work-life balance, and how to go about hiring and outsourcing a team of freelancers.

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Podcasting Resources:

Dick Gordon The Story

Story Corp

Riverside FM

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In this workshop you’ll review the 4 necessary stories to build your personal brand starting with Backstory. You’ll review story structure, then dive deep on Backstory, and then begin to workshop and discover your backstory.

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Learn the foundations of world-class communication with Vinh Giang.

Continue learning from Vinh Giang here at a special Futur Pro discount.

We're all media companies. So let's get our video setup ... well ... setup! Join Chris as he shares everything you need to look and sound professional with your own DIY video studio so you can start making content and getting noticed.He'll discuss everything you need for audio, video, and lighting (both baller-status and budget-friendly), along with tips and tricks he's learned from putting together his own at-home video space.

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Helpful resources:

Video Desk Setup for Under $2,000!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WKrCejzVKk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WKrCejzVKk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WKrCejzVKk

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In this workshop, Made By James will be giving you all the tools you need to nurture your relationships and upsell your services and products to an established audience of buyers. There is a reason that the world's top creatives rave about their newsletter! It is a great source of income and integral to building trust in your brand… After this session you will wish you started a newsletter sooner.James Martin, AKA Made By James, is the owner of a brand and animation studio based in the UK called Baby Giant Design Co. He has amassed an online audience of hundreds of thousands across multiple platforms and he has over 320K followers on instagram alone. He is a designer that helps other designers and his mission is simple, he is here to help alleviate the daily struggles of creative humans through honest and engaging educational content.

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Benefits of Growing Your Newsletter

Your email list is one of the most valuable assets for any business or personal brand. Some key benefitsinclude:

You own your audience. Unlike social media where you're on "rented land", your email list cannot be taken away from you.

Email drives more conversions than other channels.** According to research, email marketing consistently converts better than any other digital marketing channel like search or social media.

It allows you to build value and nurture relationships.** By providing useful, valuable content on a consistent basis, a newsletter helps prove your expertise while strengthening connections with your audience.

It's a direct line of communication. You have a direct channel to reach your entire audience that doesn't depend on algorithms. This allows you to promote your products, services, launches and more directly.

It can become a profitable ecosystem. With the right cadence of both free and premium offers, a newsletter allows you to build a self-sustaining business through repeated customer interactions over time.

Keys to Newsletter Success

The keys to growing a successful newsletter include:

Provide value first, sell second. About 80-90% of your newsletter content should be free value and ideas. Selling should make up a small minority to build trust.

Consistently deliver high-quality, useful content. Take the time to craft content that truly helps and educates readers with industry insights, tips, lessons learned and other expertise.

Build it as a relationship, not just a broadcast. Take the time to engage and respond to readers to nurture the connections and foster goodwill over time.

Get readers onto your list through lead magnets. Offer valuable free downloads, checklists, templates etc. in exchange for an email opt-in to begin the relationship.

Use cadence strategically. Vary your frequency and content types (e.g. weekly, biweekly) and strategically weave in premium offers at optimal points in this rhythm.

Framework for Growing Your List

The following steps will help grow an engaged subscriber base over time:

1. Create a Lead Magnet. Develop a valuable free asset (guide, template etc.) to entice opt-ins.

2. Drive Traffic to an Opt-in Page. Promote your lead magnet on social media, your website or blog to generate interest and capture leads.

3. Welcome & Onboard New Subscribers. Send a welcome series to introduce yourself and contextualize future emails.

4. Deliver Consistent Valuable Content. Share high-quality industry insights, lessons learned, tutorials etc. on a frequent cadence (e.g. weekly).

5. Weave in Strategic Offers. At appropriate cadence intervals, promote premium offers by building perceived value first over time.

6. Nurture Relationships. Engage readers through personal touches like thank you notes, reader polls and comments.  

7. Measure & Refine.** Analyze open and click rates plus conversion data to optimize and test new content/offer strategies.

Action Steps

1. Brainstorm 3-5 ideas for a valuable lead magnet you could offer readers for opt-ins.

2. Draft a welcome series outline to introduce your brand's voice and value to new subscribers.

3. Map out content topics and a publishing schedule for the next 3 months of your newsletter.

4. Research email marketing best practices and analytics tools to measure engagement over time.

5. Interview successful entrepreneurs about how they strategically nurture reader relationships.

I'm nearing my token limit. Please let me know if you would like me to continue or have any other feedback.

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In this AMA-style Pro Call, Chris answers Pro members questions on a variety of business topics, including generating leads, building a personal brand, how to hire your first employee, and how to work with a business partner.

This call covers:

-How agency owners can build influence with a memorable moniker for their personal brand (e.g. The Brand Name Badass, The Yes Mistress)
- How a creative moniker can instantly distinguish you and turn heads (e.g. The Loud Introvert, The Fire Chief)
- The advantages to adopting a creative moniker, vs. simply using your own name
- What makes a moniker (and any business name) strong vs. weak
- Moniker brainstorming - live demo and help

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Call Resources:

https://eatmywords.com/

‍‍https://relatedwords.org/

‍‍https://phraseworthy.com/

‍‍https://onelook.com/‍

‍https://www.rhymezone.com/

‍‍https://www.thesaurus.com/‍

‍https://stock.adobe.com/ca/

Alexandra Watkins is founder of naming firm Eat My Words (www.eatmywords.com) and is a leading and outspoken authority on brand names. Her breakthrough creativity book, "Hello, My Name is Awesome: How to Create Brand Names That Stick," is considered the brand name Bible and was named a Top 10 Marketing Book by Inc. Magazine. Since 2005, Alexandra and her firm have created love-at-first sight brand names for clients from Amazon to Xerox. Her own "name hall of fame" includes Wendy’s Baconator, the Neato robotic vacuum, Smitten ice cream, Spanish language school Gringo Lingo, frozen yogurt franchise Spoon Me, and the Church of Cupcakes.

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How to find relevant podcasts and craft your pitch.

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WORKBOOK

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pmHN1IG_4Lm-q4SVBTM9lxn2hxImhIK8/edit#

https://m.facebook.com/groups/lightbulbhangoutUSA?wtsid=rdr_0t9SClp5QW9Mb22TS&_rdr USA FREE (say Lucy Werner sent you) 

https://www.facebook.com/lightbulbhangout - UK paid but worth every penny – not an affiliate link  

AI / IDEA GENERATING TOOLS

https://www.copy.ai/?via=lucy

https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer

https://answerthepublic.com/

https://chat.openai.com/chat

 Lucy’s newsletter:

The Hype Newsletter

 Lucy’s books:

Hype Yourself

Brand Yourself

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Answering specific questions on business strategy, taxation, business formation, getting top of mind positioning.
About Errol

I was born and raised in South Africa and left in 1966 to study at USC majoring in Accounting undergrad and Finance and Management at the MBA level, also at USC.

I worked in public accounting for 6 years before founding my own accounting and Business Mgmt firm for over 20 years.

Since then I have practiced as a strategic financial and management consultant and have taught entrepreneurship for 49 years at the Art Center College Of Design.

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In this workshop we will be diving deep into power of having clarity around content creation. What are the pillars that drive us? What is the promise we keep to ourselves and our audience? How do we create conversations that drive our personal brand into the stratosphere? Should we build a personal or business account? These are just a few questions that will be answered within this mega MBJ workshop.

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Please note that James' slide deck is for educational purposes only and is not to be repurposed, redistributed, or retaught in any form.

Learn how to craft a winning media kit to start pitching to podcasts and other opportunities in the media.

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Resources from the Call:

The media kit workbook:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SIIwmf1Y3rBwEtry6X-3LK_KFBCs6c0p/edit

Lucy’s Times pitch:

https://medium.com/@lucywernerpr/5-ways-ive-secured-publicity-1f8be3e905fe

Other resources: 

https://www.copy.ai/?via=lucy

https://coschedule.com/headline-analyzer

https://answerthepublic.com/

https://chat.openai.com/chat

https://m.facebook.com/groups/lightbulbhangoutUSA?wtsid=rdr_0t9SClp5QW9Mb22TS&_rdr USA FREE (say Lucy Werner sent you)

https://www.facebook.com/lightbulbhangout - UK paid but worth every penny – not an affiliate link

Lucy’s newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/thewern/the-hype-newsletter

Lucy’s Books:

Hype Yourself

Brand Yourself

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