My friend, Dre Beltrami at https://thesolopreneursociety.com is ready to release a new offer later this week. I reviewed it today, and my jaw dropped to the floor. Dre is reliably generous and knows how to put a lot of value into any package, but this will be over the top. The package that she'll be giving away could be priced at hundreds of dollars, yet she is giving it away in exchange for an email address.

I wondered about the ever-changing line between what we give away and what we charge for. How can we as creators continue to put our time, talent, and energy into making valuable things for people and keep giving them away? I don't have answers here, but I do feel the concern of many who wonder how we will ever make a sustainable living if we continue to give away what we make.

I'm not dissing Dre here. I think she's a genius, and I have elected myself her fan club president. And her strategy here does lead to a paying offer of her services for a day. I became aware that even though she was giving away the tools, I didn't have the talent to use them with the same level of skill that she does, which in a play of reverse psychology showed me I really needed to pay for her help.

There isn't a rulebook for pricing what you deliver. It will continue to be a dance between the creator and the consumer of setting a price that both can live with. But it's still a crazy world in which the marketplace has a range of prices from free on up. Deciding what to charge in times like these will only get more challenging.

#creativecareers #pricingcreativework #perceivedvalue

Easter morning reflections...

Many people are celebrating a variety of overlapping holidays this weekend.

Ramadan, Passover, Easter, and a few others all coincide.

Remembering family dinners at the Sims Hotel in Evanston, Wyoming. The kids' table, spiral ham, prime rib, and scalloped potatoes. 

Easter required new church clothes, starchy, stiff, and too clean. The candy was all gone by noon, and the hard-boiled eggs were converted to deviled eggs in time for dinner.

The desire for faith doesn't immediately lead to a place of peace and harmony. Instead, everything else I rely on - health, wealth, relationships - all removed. Then what?

Listen to hear more. Thanks for being here.

#Easter2022 #faithstory #gratitude

Stories about a couple of people who showed up in quiet but meaningful ways and made a memorable difference.

Is there something you love to create or nurture that could be shared with other people as a gift without strings?

Is there a way to show up to serve that no one else may notice, but it's a perfect spot for you to contribute?

Thanks for spending your time and attention with me.

#quietcallings #aplaceforall #yourgiftsmatter

A recap of some of the best business moments from the first season of Your Own Best Company, featuring:

Cat Stancik

https://ActionIncubator.com

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/BIYdUP2ZNlw

Danielle Lammon

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielleshannonagency/

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/H5oP6KYv5NI

Craig Cannings

https://FreelanceU.com

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/mEZ9clV30os

Steven Hoffman

https://FoundersSpace.com

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/i99WN7zTpUo

Tracey Burnett

https://TraceyBurnett.com

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/tyfnV-V9bRQ

Jason Van Orden

https://JasonVanOrden.com

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/uqnqBrxTjHY

Dr. Jürgen Strauss

https://InnovaBiz.com.au

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/Qz9t7wQxzVc

Brittney Murphy

https://OneThingMarketing.net

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/gOAlLkx3bcc

Alison Proffit

https://GetSoulfulSuccess.com

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/NGOE2NuaCTo

Adil Amarsi

https://GreatestCopywriterAlive.com

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/HJbw8N67p04

Sophie Zollmann

https://SophieZo.com

Full Episode: https://youtu.be/ySujMmh1b3Y

Thanks for listening, subscribing, reviewing, and sharing!

#businesspodcast #marketing #copywriting

If you would rather be stung by bees than give a talk or presentation, this one is for you. If you would rather wash dishes than go to networking meetings, this one is for you. If you make better connections working shoulder to shoulder with other people than through social media, this one is definitely for you.

In this Coffee Break, I share one of my favorite marketing strategies - Behind the Scenes Marketing. It's easy to understand. Show up and offer to help other people's events shine. Volunteer for community organizations and events. Be on the planning team for the Rotary literacy project fundraiser. Sing in the choir at church. Bring baked beans and rice to the coven potluck.

One of the most common complaints from business owners is the people they need to reach aren't accessible. No, they really are, but just not at the networking meeting. They do show up in lots of other places. Long and interesting conversations can be had when you show up in places to help and serve. Those conversations may well lead to opportunities. 

My favorites? TEDx planning teams and production crews. Poetry readings. Art shows. Gallery openings. Artist talks. Community work days. Habitat for Humanity projects. Behind the scenes marketing is an amazing way to find and connect with the people you need to know and who need to know you.

#volunteerism #participation #h2hmarketing

Your imagination pays much closer attention to desire than to reason. It's not interested in what is reasonable or logical. It feeds on fancy.

Some of the people I work with are coming out of traumatic work situations where they've stayed too long and have come away with a lot of fear about making the wrong decisions again.

I have one question: How do you want to spend your time?

This question gets to the heart of what's important to someone. It helps them immediately clarify what option is in line with their desires, which most often directly reflects their values.

If you don't have a clear answer to this question, give yourself permission and room to explore. And you may need to do some healing before you're ready to move on. Maybe go to school or try some new skills on for size.

If you struggle with this question, consider scheduling a coaching session. https://franklintaggart.com

#priorities #vocation #purpose

I rarely experience creative blocks like writer's block and similar things. I'm pretty sure part of the reason why is I don't wait for inspiration. The three questions I talk about in today's Coffee Break are a simple but effective framework to help me take the first steps in my creative process. 

Write these down and keep them close:

Who is it for?

What difference will it make?

Where will it lead?

If you lack ideas, start with these questions. If I'm staring at a blank page, waiting for the muse to whack me in the head, I've found that an easy way to get started is to think about a specific person. It helps if I've had recent contact with them and I know something they're going through. 

Holding that person in my awareness gives me ideas and leads to the next question - what difference would I like to make for them? This helps me know what to create. And to then take the journey into the future with the last question, helps me to understand what outcome I'm hoping for.

Try this: Go on your favorite social media and find someone who is going through an experience they've openly shared. It doesn't have to be a difficulty or a challenge, but it can be. Is there something you can create for this person that will make a desired difference for them? What is it? And what kind of future experience might that exchange lead to?

Community is the source of all opportunity. If you lack ideas, inspiration, words, music, or purpose, start with becoming more aware of the people in your life.

For coaching with me, please get in touch https://franklintaggart.com

#community #creativeinspiration #writersblock

Had the calendar cleared for a full production day with an open microphone and at least seven hours uninterrupted. The utility company had a different plan :|

This is why I've always been a night owl. There are too many distractions during daylight hours. So it looks like I might be up late.

Thankfully, the crew took a lunch break, giving me enough time to record this Coffee Break. I'm tired of pivoting on every level.

#interrupted #disrupted #cranky

Following on yesterday's observation about getting married on the first DM, this Coffee Break encourages us all to remember that not only do our customers need to know, like, and trust us; we also need to know, like, and trust them.

If your marketing is really based on relationships, it can't be all about you. I find way too many examples of marketing based on inaccurate assumptions rather than first-hand knowledge, and I'd like to change that.

It takes less time to form an authentic connection with a person than it takes to recover from the pushback you get when you manipulate them. They'll remember the true connections favorably for years, but tactics without connection will be remembered unfavorably for a lot longer.

And please trust your customers to be able to make their own decisions.

How are you finding ways to know, like, and trust your clients?

#marketing #humanconnection #h2hmarketing

So you paid for the LinkedIn strategy course that told you that you should be sending direct messages (DMs) to potential leads, and you've paid extra for the search bots, LinkedIn Sales Manager, and the one-on-one coaching session. Now you're diligently sending your copied and pasted initial contact to the people who unwittingly accepted your connection request, and the first thing you do is make an offer for a package.

Get the hell off my lawn!

There are so many other ways to initiate contact with a potential client that don't piss them off and don't end up with them blocking you. In this Coffee Break, I have a few suggestions.

At a minimum, look at my profile before you send me a message; send a uniquely written note that shows me you've found something about me besides the fact I came up in your initial search that suggests I might be interested in what you have to sell and don't push. I'm a busy guy with systems that work. Don't assume anything until you get to know me. And even then, respect me enough to hold off on the pitch until you're sure it's a fit for me.

I may not reach as many people as you do with that tactic, but my rate of client enrollment is high enough to warrant a waiting list. Slow and steady continues to work for me because I get to know people, and I really learn what's best for them from THEIR point of view, and if there's an opportunity there, I make an offer. It is a lot of work, and it's enjoyable and fruitful.

Try something else and see if you can get some of your money back.

#LinkedInMarketing #SocialMediaStrategy #YouDontKnowMe