FIR Podcast Network

Thrive through chaos and lead your organization to success by balancing the areas of your life.

This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Thom Shea (http://aha.pub/ThomShea), the founder and CEO of Adamantine Alliance, host at the Unbreakable Podcast, professional speaker at the Hachette Book Group and the author of the bestselling book, “Unbreakable: A Navy SEAL’s Way of Life.”

Thom conducts training seminars and keynote presentations and serves as a strategic advisor for successful individuals across the globe who are struggling to elevate their quality of life and find the right balance. He teaches an effective method to achieve equilibrium in the areas of their lives so that they may learn to successfully thrive and manage their chaotic lifestyles. Thom is dedicated to help his clients uplift their lives and create a culture of teamwork, growth and inclusion in their organizations.

To learn more about Thom, go tohttp://aha.pub/ThomShea. To get in touch with him, visit http://thomshea.com/.

Here are a few AHA messages from this episode:

* The pain point of many successful individuals is finding the right balance for their chaotic lifestyle. #ThriveThroughChaos http://thomshea.com/ @ThomShea

* Balance between work and the other aspects in one’s life is essential in attaining harmony and achieving a breakthrough. Successful individuals should consider getting the help of an expert who can help them #ThriveThroughChaos. http://aha.pub/ThomShea

* Are you working with an expert who has a good balance between their work and their personal life? Valuing and practicing equilibrium can give a person the credibility to help entrepreneurs #ThriveThroughChaos. http://aha.pub/ThomShea

* Proper training and appropriate programs can help entrepreneurs elevate their quality of life and #ThriveThroughChaos. What programs have you signed up for to help elevate the quality of your life? https://thomshea.com @ThomShea

* One of the challenges for many successful individuals is finding the right balance between their work and the other areas of their lives. How are you dealing with this challenge? #ThriveThroughChaos https://thomshea.com @ThomShea

To learn more about thought leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

One of the most frequent questions that Gini and Chip receive from agency clients is “how do I prepare for the recession?”

In this two-part episode, they explore the question of whether/when we should expect an economic downturn and what agencies can do to prepare themselves for it. As important, they also discuss how to help their team prepares for any challenges that lie ahead.

This week’s first part examines the economic outlook, including signs that Chip and Gini are seeing in their work, along with some relevant industry research.

RESOURCES

* Recession Outlook (Promethean Research)

* Whether or not a downtun is coming, the time to prepare is now (HR Daily Advisor)

[read the transcript]

In this episode, Rachel Jacobs explains why case studies are critical to the scale and growth of agencies. Rachel, founder of Ecommerce Partnerships, reminds agency owners that their number one client is their own agency.

Step by step, you’ll learn how to integrate a case study opportunity before a client even signs the contract, who the audience should be, and the six key elements that make up a basic case study.

QUOTES

* Rachel: “There needs to be data, data needs to be at the core, there’s no point in telling a beautiful story. The data is what the results are. That’s where the value is.”

* Chip: “You described a case study as a story. And you need to tell a story, there needs to be a plot to your case study, you need to really set up what the challenge is that you had at the beginning, you need to go through what it is that you did, and you need to talk about the results. And if you follow that arc, that’s what makes for the good case study, not just spewing out facts.”

* Rachel: “A word of caution, though, the case study is not about the agency. And I think that’s a mistake, I see time again, agencies seem to think that a case study is an opportunity for them to show how amazing they are. And the reality is that your end customer doesn’t really care about how amazing you are when it comes to the case study. What they care about is connecting with the actual hero of the case study, the customer, and seeing if they can relate to them.”

* Chip: “The reality is that the whole name of the industry, the agency industry, we are the agent, we are in service to the client, we are not telling the client what to do. We are not the driver, you know, we are that trusted advisor if we’re doing our jobs effectively.”

RESOURCES

* Ecommerce Partnerships

* Rachel Jacobs on LinkedIn

[read the transcript]

Bring your brand to life fast with a high-quality voice-over narration and media production.

This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Justin Hibbard (http://aha.pub/JustinHibbard), an award-winning professional voice artist and on-camera host and emcee. He launched and directs LA’s JustTheVoice Productions, Inc. and is described as the voice-over titan.

Justin works with small to major market corporate clients who are under very tight deadlines. He gives these companies a consistent branding voice that is professional and reliable and helps bring their brand to life fast.

To learn more about Justin, go to http://aha.pub/JustinHibbard. To get in touch with him, visit http://justinhibbard.com.

Here are a couple of AHAmessages from this episode:

* The pain point of many small to major marketing companies is not having a consistent high-quality and reliable branding #Voice that can help make their products come alive. http://justinhibbard.com @JustinHibbardVO

* Online videos can be a valuable tool for many companies looking to improve their marketing and business strategy. Are you looking to improve your online marketing? #VoiceOver http://justinhibbard.com @JustinHibbardVO

* An animated video can be a marketing tool that represents a company and its brand online. A high-quality and reliable #VoiceOver artist can be a critical component to create a great animated video. http://aha.pub/JustinHibbard

* A professional #VoiceOver artist can set the mood of a marketing video and add human touch to its story. How do you want your customers to feel about the product you’re marketing? http://aha.pub/JustinHibbard

* The #VoiceOver industry is driven by word of mouth and repeat business. Companies should consider working with someone who has good reviews from previous clients. http://justinhibbard.com @JustinHibbardVO

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Raise your hand if you love clicking onto your favorite site only to be immediately bombarded by pop-ups?

Everyone have your hands raised?

Of course not!

I’m willing to bet many of you think pop-ups are simply annoying.

However, whether you love or hate them, they can be effective in converting customers.

I know … probably not what you wanted to hear, right?

 

It’s All About the Data

Because we intuitively know how much everyone dislikes pop-ups, we spend a lot of time discussing whether or not we should use them in our marketing strategies.

Well, we looked at the stats and the general conversion rate from pop-ups is around 3%, and can go as high as 9%!

Most other online conversion rates range anywhere from 1% to 3%.

Of course, it’s important to keep in mind that just slapping some pop-ups on your site isn’t enough to achieve that sort of success.

Pop-ups have to be integrated into your marketing strategy, that’s already using the PESO model.

Which is exactly the topic of this week’s Spin Sucks podcast.

Pop-Ups: Not as Bad as You Think

In this week’s episode, you’ll learn:

* The different types of pop-up ads you can use

* How each pop-up works

* Why you should work pop-ups into your marketing strategy

* The next steps to follow after your pop-up ads start working

* How to create funnels from your pop-up ads

Do You Use Pop-Up Ads?

Do you love or hate pop-ups? Have you found an effective way to work them into your marketing strategy? We’d love to hear about it.

Tell us how you feel about pop-ups in the comments below!

In this episode, we go Down Under for a deep dive into the business of WebSavvy, a Melbourne-based digital marketing agency founded by Mike Rhodes. He explains why he chose agency life over being a helicopter pilot, advice for fellow agency owners, effective team training, and much more.

Mike is also the founder of AgencySavvy, focused on education and training for agency owners. He is the co-author of The Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords with Perry Marshall and Bryan Todd.

One of the most striking parts of this conversation is just how much Mike is focused on improving his team and sharing knowledge throughout the agency community. He talks about an innovative professional development program he has for his own employees, as well as the work he is doing to help make other agency owners more successful.

QUOTES

* Mike Rhodes: “Getting out of your inbox is one of the best things that you can do as an agency owner. And obviously, we all believe that we can’t afford to do that, can’t afford to hire someone to help me with that. But I think we can’t afford not to.”

* Chip: “It’s important to, as agency leaders, to remind ourselves that a lot of our teams may not be as comfortable speaking or presenting. And so to find opportunities for them to get that experience is great.”

* Mike: “If you’re listening to this in 2026…Yeah, we used to have these things called screens.”

* Chip: “Agency owners, generally speaking, haven’t done a good job of defining what it is that they actually want to achieve. Because once you know what you want, then you can start fencing things off, you can start setting objectives, you can guide yourself better.”

RESOURCES

* WebSavvy

* AgencySavvy

* Mike Rhodes on Facebook

* The Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords

* Dan Sullivan / strategiccoach.com

* Perry Marshall

* Michael Gerber / The E-Myth Revisited

[read the transcript]

Conquer the overwhelming range of business tools with a simplified business solution.

This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Lydia Sugarman (http://aha.pub/LydiaSugarman), a pioneer in the Internet space who is bringing a uniquely qualified and sophisticated level of understanding of integrated social media marketing, online marketing, marketing automation, and Integrated Agile Marketing (TM). Lydia creates smart and integrated business and online marketing tools and techniques, enabling entrepreneurs to enjoy a seamless process for their business operations. Her experience in working with business executives and marketing strategists, as well as engaging with clients, has allowed her to develop in-depth knowledge in social media marketing, online marketing, and marketing automation.

To learn more about Lydia Sugarman, go to http://aha.pub/LydiaSugarman. To get in touch with her, visit http://www.lydiasugarman.com.

Here are a couple of AHAmessages from this episode:

* The pain point of many entrepreneurs is getting overwhelmed in handling multiple business tools to effectively run their business. #Integration http://www.lydiasugarman.com @LKSugarman

* Having multiple #BusinessTools can make it difficult for entrepreneurs to efficiently manage their businesses. They should consider having all their tools in one place for seamless functionality. https://venntive.com/ @LKSugarman

* Integrating sales, marketing, customer success, and operations tools can help businesses increase their leads, accelerate sales, and simplify their processes. #Integration https://venntive.com/ @LKSugarman

* Many years of experience in #OnlineMarketing can give a person the credibility to create successful solutions that can help grow a business’s bottom line. Choose someone credible to help you with your business. http://aha.pub/LydiaSugarman

* Growing your business may require great effort to make it run smoothly. Entrepreneurs should consider finding a simple-to-use #BusinessTool that can help ease the marketing and sales process for them. http://www.lydiasugarman.com @LKSugarman

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Maximize your profit while solving labor challenges with cost-effective building materials. This episode features #ThoughtLeader and #Expert Tatsuya Nakagawa (http://aha.pub/TatsuyaNakagawa), an accomplished entrepreneur, author, and expert on innovation and marketing. He is the co-founder of Castagra, a manufacturing and technology company.

Tatsuya works with business executives and innovators to help forward-thinking contractors, commercial property owners, and manufacturers solve difficult coating and building material challenges. He develops cost-effective and environment-friendly building materials to ensure both quality and profitability. He believes that technologies that are inspired and derived from nature are the future of all commercial and industrial solutions.

To learn more about Tatsuya Nakagawa, go to http://aha.pub/TatsuyaNakagawa. To get in touch with him, visit http://www.castagra.com/.

Here are a couple of AHAmessages from this episode:

* The pain point of many business executives, innovators, contractors, commercial property owners, and manufacturers is finding quality #BuildingMaterials to maximize their profit while decreasing the labor costs. http://www.castagra.com/ @TatsuyaNakagawa

* Contractors who want to succeed in their projects may face a dilemma between maximizing their profits and delivering quality. They should consider the help of an expert who can achieve both. http://aha.pub/TatsuyaNakagawa

* Maximized profitability with fewer labor issues can occur by having the best quality #BuildingMaterials. Are you using the best quality building materials for your projects? http://www.castagra.com/ @TatsuyaNakagawa

* Many years of experience working with businesses, innovators, and contractors can give a person the credibility to produce quality #BuildingMaterials. Choose someone credible to help you maximize your business’s profitability. http://aha.pub/TatsuyaNakagawa

* There are cost-effective #BuildingMaterials that can help contractors and businesses maximize their profits, incurring lower labor costs. What building materials are you using? http://www.castagra.com/ @TatsuyaNakagawa

To learn more about Thought Leadership and how it can help you be successful, subscribe to the channel: http://youtube.com/user/thoughtleaderlife.

Did you know we have less than 100 days until Christmas?

You may feel like you just celebrated New Year’s Eve last week.

But … according to the calendar, we’re right around the corner from 2020.

Fall is always the busiest time of the year with so many deadlines and so much work to get done.

But what if part of the reason you’re staying so busy is because of digital clutter?

Is Your Digital Clutter Stressing You Out?

If you’re like most people, email subscriptions, free trials, and other digital clutter easily add up.

We’re so crunched for time it’s easy to overlook them and think, “I’ll handle that later. It’s not urgent.”

The problem with that line of thinking is it eventually creates a bottleneck that’s going to clog up other areas of your day.

To top it off, it’s taking up real estate in your brain that you can use for other more important aspects of your job.

The digital decluttering process might seem overwhelming, but when it’s broken down into manageable pieces, you’ll find it’s not so scary after all.

Let’s take a breath and tackle digital decluttering one step at a time.

Digital Decluttering Advice from Spin Sucks

In this episode of the Spin Sucks podcast you’ll learn:

* Why digital clutter can affect your business

* How to tackle the digital decluttering process one step at a time

* About tools to help keep your email manageable

* What you need to do to clean up on your social media profiles

* How to dive into your analytics and figure out what your key metrics should be

* Tips and tricks to save a little money while you take on digital decluttering

How often do you tackle digital decluttering? Do you have a regimented schedule that keeps you on track? We’d love to hear about your process!

This is the second of our two-part interview with Charley Spektor, principal at Saratoga B2B Group. Charley and his business partner, Paul Desmond, combine SEO and quality content to produce sustainable lead generation for B2B clients. In this second podcast, we discuss some of the practical tools that marketers can use to improve their SEO operations, common mistakes that marketers makes when trying to improve their SEO results, how to provide the best content mix to deliver solid leads and how to stay ahead of the constantly changing technology. You can find part one of the interview here.