spreading ideas
846 posts

The One And Only
Competing is a zero-sum game. We succeed when we make peace with the fact that we don’t need to compete when we know who we are.

Better Marketers Show And Tell
Every day, we sell ourselves in adjectives that sell us short. Leader, expert, communicator, specialist, efficient, experienced, better, faster, cheaper. We’ve forsaken the effort of showing, for the convenience of telling. There is a better way. Don’t just tell us about the features and benefits of

Being Heard Is Overrated
It’s easier to be heard when we shout. But being heard shouldn’t be our ultimate goal.

Your Brand Is What You Consistently Do
What you consistently do—every time, without fail, differentiates your business.

Earning A Competitive Advantage
Very few new businesses have an unassailable advantage that makes them the only choice for a prospective customer. Most don’t make measurably superior products or own proprietary software. They haven’t patented a secret formula, and they don’t necessarily have more resources or talent than the next

Competence AND Character
As individuals and brands, we’re judged by our character, not just our competence. How does your character differentiate you?

Earned Loyalty
We have the privilege of working to be indispensable to customers and making them feel like they belong—instead of stuck. True loyalty is earned, not rewarded.

Better Than Maybe
As marketers, if the best use of our resources is to only speak to the people who want to hear from us, then targeting every maybe is not a great marketing strategy.

Stories Make Us Stronger
We build more resilient families, companies and communities when we know who we are. We get stronger together when we prioritise finding, owning and sharing our stories.

Memorable Marketing
Memorable marketing isn’t just about what you say when—it’s about how you act at every moment.

The Flipside Of Persuasion
Sales and marketing are as much about understanding as they are about persuading.

One Chance
How would things be different and better if we acted as if every chance to do the right thing was our first, last or only one?

Reaching Resonance
The impact you make will depend on your ideas resonating with the right people—not just reaching the most people.

Who Do You Want To Be To Whom?
The key question for all of us, no matter what business we’re in, is who do we want to be to whom? When we lose sight of who we’re in business to serve, and why we lose more than our competitive advantage. We lose the heart and soul of our business.

How Obstacles Create Value
The better we understand the obstacle, the better we get at solving the problem. And the better we can describe the obstacle, the better we become at selling the solution.

Shame About The Weather
Some people have no choice but to pay attention to the weather. Pilots, fishers and farmers must make allowances for the state of the atmosphere on any given day. But for most of us, the weather isn’t a problem, unless we believe and declare it to be. And yet, we allow our thoughts about the…

When Marketing Works
Marketing works best when it’s in service of the customer.

What’s Your Customer Acquisition Strategy?
Successful selling is as much about customer discernment as it is about brand differentiation.

10 Benefits Of Strategic Storytelling
Stories do more than help us to tell and sell. Shared narratives are powerful catalysts for change and the building blocks of our culture.

Planned Progress
If you’re going to build the business you want, then you must be intentional about how you’re going to do it. There is no such thing as accidental progress.
