How To Sell More

Content is everywhere. And that makes attention, especially our prospects' and customers' attention, a hot commodity. Because every company and brand is competing for the same, very limited set of eyes.

In this episode, Mark Drager explores uncomfortable truths about paid advertising with Steve Pratt, the author of Earn It: Unconventional Strategies for Brave Marketers. Steve shares why your team needs to leverage unconventional marketing strategies to earn attention - rather than trying to buy it.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why traditional advertising isn't working

• How Dell transformed its brand perception without relying on ads

• Why you need to take bold, unconventional steps to gain a loyal audience

• The unexpected impact of long-form content

• Why providing value is more important than visibility

• How you can harness creativity and storytelling to compete with major brands

Steve Pratt is the co-founder of The Creativity Business, which offers speaking, workshops, and consulting to help companies develop differentiated content, marketing, and messaging that earns attention. He's also the co-founder of the world's first branded podcast agency, Pacific Content, named one of Entrepreneur's 100 Brilliant Companies.

Ready to earn your audience's attention and see real results from your marketing? Listen now!

Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Newsflash: CEOs should only do three things.

If you're a founder drowning in day-to-day operations, simplifying your job description can transform your leadership style and accelerate business growth.

In this episode, Mark Drager discusses the role of the CEO with Trey Taylor, the author of A CEO Only Does Three Things. Trey outlines the "non-delegatable" tasks that only CEOs can complete to set the cultural agendas of their companies.

Trey is the CEO of Taylor Insurance Services and Managing Partner of Threadneedle, where he leads strategic investments in financial services, real estate, and technology. With over two decades in the industry and more than 200 angel investments, Trey brings deep expertise in both running and scaling businesses.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The three things that only the CEO can do to set the agenda of the company

• What you can learn from founding father James Madison to become a better CEO

• Why most CEOs are wearing too many hats–and why it's a trap

• How to avoid under-engineering your business so avoidable problems don't blindside you

• Why you need to schedule "CEO time" every day

• Hiring, firing, and promoting to make sure you've got the right people in the right roles

• Why you should focus on doing a few things well instead of doing it all with mediocre results

Are you ready to simplify your job description and lead your company to the next level of success? Tune in now!

Connect with Mark Drager on LinkedIn → https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Want to know why some brands dominate while others fight for scraps?

In this episode, Mark Drager sits down with Gair Maxwell, author of Big Little Legends, to reveal how ordinary businesses become extraordinary brands through the power of story.

From turning a small-town car dealership into a $50 million phenomenon to helping a home renovation company scale to $1 billion in revenue, Gair shares the secrets behind creating magnetic brand narratives that make selling effortless.

Here you will learn:

• The "Mona Lisa Effect" and why the best product rarely wins

• How changing your story (not your product) can transform your entire business

• Why most companies get brand building completely wrong

• The four essential leadership qualities needed to become legendary

• How to discover and leverage your unique story in a crowded market

• The critical difference between marketing tactics and creating true legends

• Why traditional "best practices" often lead to mediocre results

• How to know if you have the courage to truly stand out

• The hidden power of symbolism and metaphor in business

• Practical steps to turn your company into a "Category of One"

• The surprising truth about what actually makes customers line up

Are you struggling to differentiate your business or ready to become a leader in your space? Tune in now!

Follow Mark:

LinkedIn: https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Instagram: https://hi.switchy.io/KcKi

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Struggling to take your business to the next revenue milestone?

In this episode, Mark Drager sits down with Trevor Mauch, founder and CEO of Carrot, a thriving SaaS company, to uncover the common obstacles businesses face as they scale and how to effectively navigate them. With Carrot's impressive journey from a startup to an eight-figure company, Trevor shares his expertise in delegation, leadership, and building systems that sustain growth across various revenue stages. He further explores the stages of business growth, sharing the specific pain points and solutions at each revenue milestone.

We cover:

• Key challenges at each revenue milestone

• How to transition from a hands-on performer to a strategic builder

• Effective delegation techniques for sustainable growth

• Strategies for evolving your leadership identity

• How to identify the key growth pain lines at $100K, $300K, $1M, and beyond

• Benefits of conducting an energy audit to optimize your business activities

• Strategies for performing an identity upgrade to align with your business growth

• When to scale your business and when it might be okay to scale back

• How to balance purpose, profits, and energy with the Entrepreneur Freedom Formula

• Real-world examples of successful scaling and leadership transformation

Are you just starting out or aiming for massive growth? Tune in to gain the knowledge and inspiration to confidently scale your enterprise!

Follow Mark:

LinkedIn: https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Instagram: https://hi.switchy.io/KcKi

Want more free tools?

Go to our podcast page at https://hi.switchy.io/KcKe

In today's fast-paced and competitive B2B landscape, understanding the balance between branding and marketing is more critical than ever. In this episode of How to Sell More, Mark Drager talks about why combining these two elements strategically can help your business stand out, attract better leads, and close more deals.

Mark explores why many companies focus too much on short-term marketing tactics while neglecting the long-term impact of their brand, and how this mistake can cost you big in the long run.

We cover:

• Why first impressions matter and how your brand can instantly build trust

• The hidden costs of relying solely on quick marketing fixes like social ads and SEO

• How a strong brand acts as the foundation for all successful marketing efforts

• The importance of defining what makes your company unique in a crowded market

• A practical framework for aligning brand, marketing, and sales for sustainable growth

• Why strategic branding creates long-term value while short-term tactics fade quickly

Are you tired of losing leads to low-cost competitors, struggling to stand out, or just looking to elevate your B2B sales process? Tune in and learn how to align your branding and marketing strategies not just to sell more, but to sell smarter.

Follow Mark:

LinkedIn: https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Instagram: https://hi.switchy.io/KcKi

Want more free tools?

Go to our podcast page at https://hi.switchy.io/KcKe

Is Facebook marketing dead, or are you just using outdated strategies?

In this episode, Mark Drager welcomes Megan Huber, a business strategist who has turned Facebook Groups into a revenue powerhouse. Megan shares how she effectively built thriving communities, connecting authentically with her audience, and converting group members into paying clients without spending hours online.

Known for her 'generous authority' approach, Megan simplifies the process of creating value-driven groups that act as robust lead pipelines.

She challenges the myths about social media marketing and shares her unique strategy for building a powerful lead-generation machine using Facebook groups.

Mark and Megan explore:

• Why Facebook Groups still work and how to leverage them effectively in 2024.

• How to position yourself as a 'generous authority' to attract and engage the right audience.

• The secret to creating a community that converts without overwhelming yourself.

• A step-by-step process to fill your group with qualified, ready-to-buy leads.

• Why content consistency and simplicity are key to driving engagement.

• How to use polls and DMs strategically to build relationships and close sales.

• Why Megan's focus on ONE audience, ONE problem, and ONE solution is the game-changer.

• Debunking the myth that Facebook is outdated and understanding where people make buying decisions today.

If you're tired of high-tech, complicated strategies and want a working way to build a client-generating community, tune in and learn how a Facebook Group can fuel your business success!

Follow Mark:

LinkedIn: https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Instagram: https://hi.switchy.io/KcKi

Want more free tools?

Go to our podcast page at https://hi.switchy.io/KcKe

Former Salesforce executive and Cerebral Selling founder David Priemer shows why focusing solely on product features and ROI misses what truly drives sales. Drawing from his experience leading small business sales at Salesforce and building four successful startups, Priemer shares the connection between human psychology and sales results.

Research shows buyers choose based on feelings rather than logic – a blind spot for many sales teams. When analyzing 70 sales representatives at Salesforce, Priemer found the highest performers built genuine belief in their solutions instead of relying on feature lists. This insight reshaped how their sales teams approached customer conversations.

Priemer introduces the "love-hate framework" for creating sales messages that connect. His example of Trunk Club shows this in action: "a service for men who love to dress well but hate to go shopping." This positioning helped secure their acquisition by Nordstrom by speaking to customer emotions instead of product specs.

The discussion examines why business cases alone don't close deals, how real conviction outperforms product knowledge, and what builds lasting customer relationships.

Key Takeaways:

1. Start with Emotion: Connect with how customers feel about their challenges before presenting solutions
2. Build Real Belief: Sales success comes from actually believing in your solution's impact on customers
3. Own the Outcome: Taking responsibility for customer results builds deeper business relationships

Top 3 Reasons to Listen:

1. Close More Deals: Apply the psychological principles that drive buying decisions to improve your sales conversations
2. Stand Out in Your Market: Build an authentic sales approach that sets you apart when traditional ROI pitches fall flat
3. Increase Customer Trust: Position your business using the love-hate framework that turned Trunk Club into a multi-million dollar success

Follow Mark:

LinkedIn: https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Instagram: https://hi.switchy.io/KcKi

Want more free tools?

Go to our podcast page at https://hi.switchy.io/KcKe

Ever tried everything to grow your business, only to feel hopeless about your marketing and sales?

Mark Drager shares a story about a business owner who, despite 10+ years of experience and an established team, found nothing generated new business. Despite trying SEO, paid ads, social media, content marketing, networking, and cold calling - nothing moved leads through the sales process.

This sparked a crucial insight: Marketing is an amplification tool. Mark illustrates this using movies - audiences don't blame theaters for bad films, they blame Hollywood. Similarly, businesses must examine what they're amplifying before focusing on distribution.

What matters is saying the right message to the right people at the right time. When multiple approaches fail, the issue often isn't the marketing channel - it's what you're trying to communicate and to whom.

Key Takeaways:

1. Marketing amplifies your message - focus on what you're saying before how you're distributing it
2. When proven approaches stop working, examine if your market has shifted
3. Look at your price point, targeting, and messaging before changing tactics again

Follow Mark:

LinkedIn: https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Instagram: https://hi.switchy.io/KcKi

Want more free tools?

Go to our podcast page at https://hi.switchy.io/KcKe

Former A&E and Fox television executive Brad Holcman shares how his experience evaluating thousands of TV shows translates into effective sales strategies. Drawing from 20+ years producing unscripted television, Brad explains why most pitches fail in the first 30 seconds and outlines his proven framework for capturing attention.

Brad reveals why understanding your audience's challenges matters more than perfecting your pitch deck. Through stories from his career, he demonstrates how authenticity and targeted storytelling outperform conventional sales techniques. The conversation explores the essential pre-pitch work top performers complete, why rushing to close deals often backfires, and how to build genuine connections that drive long-term success.

From structuring compelling narratives to understanding when to reveal key information, Brad provides practical guidance in modern persuasion that works across industries. His insights help reframe how businesses approach sales conversations, moving beyond features and benefits to create meaningful engagement.

Key Takeaways:

1. Start with Challenges - Identify your prospect's biggest problem before crafting your pitch. Align your story with their specific needs to create immediate connection.
2. Focus Your Opening - Structure the first 30 seconds to highlight one compelling promise that addresses your prospect's pain point.
3. Build Trust Through Content - Share expertise consistently through valuable content before asking for the sale.

Top 3 Reasons to Listen:

1. Learn TV production secrets that turn cold prospects into engaged buyers
2. Discover the psychological triggers that make your pitch impossible to ignore
3. Access proven frameworks from someone who's evaluated thousands of successful and failed pitches

Follow Mark:

LinkedIn: https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Instagram: https://hi.switchy.io/KcKi

Want more free tools?

Go to our podcast page at https://hi.switchy.io/KcKe

Digital marketing veteran Ryan Deiss built his first online business in 1999 - when Google was still a university research project. Today, after generating $200 million in revenue across multiple companies, he sees a fundamental shift in how customers buy.

"The marketing funnel isn't just broken - it's dead," Deiss tells host Mark Drager. "Modern buyers don't follow a linear path. They bounce between channels, research extensively, and make decisions based on relationships, not just targeting."

In this episode, Deiss breaks down why established marketing practices fail in 2024's fragmented digital landscape. He explains how successful companies now focus on clear problem statements over hyper-targeting, why perfect attribution tracking misleads marketers, and how businesses build customer relationships without aggressive follow-up.

Key Episode Insights:

• Why broad messaging often outperforms micro-targeted ads
• How to write high-converting ads using simple problem statements
• Practical email strategies that maintain relationships without burning goodwill

Listen to discover how leading companies adapt their marketing for today's reality - and why methods that worked even three years ago might be hurting your results now.

Follow Mark:

LinkedIn: https://hi.switchy.io/markdrager

Instagram: https://hi.switchy.io/KcKi

Want more free tools?

Go to our podcast page at https://hi.switchy.io/KcKe