Recommended Resources
Back in the 1980s, Micropolis Corporation was the computer disc king. They sold more 8-inch “portable” discs than anyone. But trouble loomed. Competitors introduced a better product – the 5-inch floppy disc. Less expensive. Easier to use. Simpler. CEO Stuart Mabon understood the threat and directed his manufacturing team to switch focus from 8-inch to…
Recommended ReadingThe Power of Authentic, Human-to-Human Contact I love this blog post from the great Mike Weinberg. Mike trains sales managers and sales people and is the author of three great books — including one of my favorites, New Sales Simplified. In this post, Mike discusses the power of HUMAN prospecting — and why it’s more effective than the…
Recommended ListeningSmashing the Plateau I’ve began listening to David Shriner-Cahn’s podcast, Smashing the Plateau, since soon after I met him earlier this year. I think David and his podcast are great! I was honored to be his guest recently, and the episode dropped this morning. We discussed: Why I started Story Power Marketing Why I decided to focus on…
Recommended Listening/ReadingHow to Make B2B Content Less Boring “People want to do business with people, and also people that they trust. Those people have the same motivations and desires and emotions and challenges, just like the rest of us.” So says content marketing expert Julie Revelant during a recent episode of the Marketing Smarts podcast. This episode…
Finish this sentence I get my best content ideas from… Please reply to this email with your thoughts. If you’re not sure how to answer… …if you’re having trouble completing that sentence, please reply and let me know that. BTW, if you’re having trouble, you’re not alone. I used to have no ideahow to generatea consistent flowof…
Recommended ReadingHow to Stay Relevant — The Beatles and George Carlin Way In past Monday Mash-Ups, I’ve recommended the documentaries “George Carlin’s American Dream” (HBO) and “The Beatles: Get Back” (Apple TV). Here’s a great article by Brian Kurtz that is loaded with lessons about how the best creators evolve to stay relevant (and then some). And…
A curious subscriber named Cynthia asked me last week: “If I want to create a business based on my expertise, how do I begin to identify my prospects?” Great question… …because most business people think they’ve identified their prospects well, but most get it (somewhat or totally) wrong. So most waste time and money on marketing…
Next week, I’m going to host a special live Zoom event called “Ask Tom Anything.” You’ll be invited (keep an eye out for an email with the details). Anything on your mind now? Ask away asap. If you reply to this email and ask a question right away, I’ll answer it at the beginning of…
A few days ago, I watched the old I Love Lucy episode where Lucy and Ethel take a job at the chocolate factory… …and can’t keep pace with the assembly line. It might be the funniest scene in television history. Classic slapstick comedy… …that also has me thinking about business systems. Assembly lines and other automations are…
Recommended ListeningRichard Koch on the Tim Ferriss Show Richard Koch is an entrepreneur, investor, former strategy consultant, and author of several books on business and ideas, including four on how to apply the 80/20 principle in all walks of life. In September 2020, Koch was a guest on Tim Ferriss’ podcast. This conversation is a beauty…