RecomMONDAYtions ~ 2026.08.31
Recommended Listen
Jerry Seinfeld: Systems, Routines & the Work Nobody Sees
Waiting for inspiration to strike is the most expensive habit in creative work. Ask Jerry Seinfeld.
In a long, wide-ranging sit-down with Tim Ferriss, one of the most successful comedians alive barely mentions talent. He talks about systems. Writing on a schedule whether the ideas are flowing or not. Treating the work like an athlete treats training. Show up, put in the reps, protect the streak.
Seinfeld built a career on doing the work on the days he didn’t feel like it.
If you’ve been waiting to feel ready before you write, record, or ship, give this one a listen. It takes the excuse away.
Recommended Watch
Stop Selling the Event. Sell This Instead
Most event invitations lead with the date. Big mistake, says John Carlton.
In this hotseat clip he makes a point that applies to any promotion you send. The moment a reader sees the date, you’ve handed them a reason to say no. “That’s my anniversary.” “We’re traveling that week.” Gone, before you ever made your case.
The fix is an order-of-operations thing. The event isn’t the product. What people walk away with is. Sell the transformation first: the outcome, the thing they can’t get anywhere else. Only then do you tell them when and where.
Short clip. If you promote webinars, workshops, or anything with a date attached, watch it before you write your next invite.
Recommended Event
Think Like Your Client & Arrive At Yes
You think you know why your clients buy from you. Odds are you don’t.
That gap between why you assume they buy and why they actually do is costing you deals.
Lynn Whitbeck built a live workshop to close it. She walks you through how to stop guessing and start seeing your offer through your client’s eyes, so the right people show up already leaning toward yes.
If you’ve been white-knuckling your way through sales conversations, this is a better way in.
Tuesday, September 1, 2:30 p.m. ET / 11:30 a.m. PT
Save your spot here
Free AI Summit
The No BS AI Summit
Everyone’s bought the AI tools. Far fewer can point to what those tools have actually earned them.
That’s the exact gap the No BS AI Summit is built to close. No “here’s what a prompt is” hand-holding. This one’s for people already past the basics who want to turn all that AI horsepower into actual revenue.
Dr. Theresa Pantanella is hosting, and it’s free: four hours, five sessions, live Q&A in every one. Come with the business question you’ve been sitting on. Register and she’ll even send you a custom breakdown of your own business, no charge.
This Wednesday, September 2, 11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. ET / 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT · online · free Grab your seat
Latest Episode: The Story Power Marketing Show
How to Use AI to Attract the Right Customers and Repel the Rest (with Jon Benson)
Jon Benson has shaped how the world buys online. And most people have never heard his name.
Back in 2005 he invented the Video Sales Letter, the format that became the backbone of modern digital marketing. Decades later he’s still writing words that move people to act, through what he calls persuasion that feels good on both sides.
This week he joins me to talk about where AI fits. His take: generic AI writes generic copy, because it’s trained on the whole beige internet. The fix isn’t handing the keyboard to a robot. It’s feeding it real frameworks, real research, and your own hard-won knowledge. Then it accelerates what you know instead of replacing it.
We also get into the counterintuitive part: great copy doesn’t just attract the right buyers. It repels the wrong ones, on purpose.
If you’re trying to sound like you in a market where everything sounds alike, this one’s worth your time.
Discussed in this episode
~02:46 — Birth of the VSL
~05:54 — VSL Essentials
~07:16 — Mirror Language Research
~08:19 — Story Loops and Cadence
~11:01 — Fitness Copy Story Example
~15:36 — From VSLs to Benson AI
~17:45 — Why the Easy Button Fails
~21:10 — Blueprints, RAG and Filters
~23:44 — Frankenstein Copy Warning
~26:22 — Write What You Know
~29:00 — Repel the Wrong Buyers
~31:44 — Buyer Alignment Profile
~33:18 — Values-Driven Copy
~47:32 — Where to Find Benson
~49:03 — AI Accelerates, Not Replaces
Full episode video: vimeo.com/1221029467
Don't go away yet..
p.s. Coaches, authors, and consultants hire me to power-up their creative content and storytelling to captivate prospects, stand-out and book more business.
Whenever you're ready, here are several ways I can help you become a storytelling stand-out so you'll land more clients without pitching and prodding:
1) Get the Story Power Profit Pack -- 52 Strategies, Tips, and Tactics to Transform Your Content from Ignored to Adored.
2) Watch the free, 7-minute Micro-Training: “The 3 Most Important Storytelling Keys to Captivate Prospects and Inspire Them to Act -- Without Pitching and Prodding.”
3) Become a Story Power VIP: Master how to discover, assemble, and deliver business-building stories. Twice-monthly live masterclasses. Members-only content. One-on-one feedback and consulting sessions. And more… If you'd like to learn more about our VIP program, just reply to this email and put "Story Power VIP" in the subject line. I’ll contact you with more details.
4) Work with me one-on-one: If you’re interested in working directly with me -- to discover, assemble, and deliver powerful, business-building stories -- simply reply to this email and change the subject line to "Private Client." Tell me a little about yourself, your business, and what you'd like to accomplish, and I'll reply to discuss options.
5) Invite me to speak at an event: I can tailor a presentation that meets the specific needs of your organization. Informative. Entertaining. Virtual or live. Potential for continuing education credits when applicable for your group. If interested, reply to this email and change the subject line to “Speaking Engagement.” I’ll circle back to discuss the possibilities.
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