James Schramko Podcast

Are you a meaningful specific, or a wandering generality? Here’s why one beats the other in marketing. [02:15]

But planning takes a lot of effort, right? Here’s what an expert has to say. [04:19]

Ron’s planning process takes exactly three steps… [04:59]

Of all your offers, which actually provides the most profit? [06:23]

Next, determine your best lead generation sources. [06:56]

Time to do your math (this is the fun part). [09:52]

If you want to make more sales, you’ve got to make more offers. [13:49]

The people who make the most money are obsessive with numbers. [17:32]

Now you make your promotional calendar, for which Ron kindly provides a framework. [19:55]

Need help? Guess what - Ron does that. Here’s where to go. [25:18]

Our experts review, and offer parting tips. [26:42]

Legal matters are typically not something you want to think of. A couple, luckily, don’t need much to fix. [01:45]

Some people ask, do I need a lawyer to start a business? Here are some legal realities you need to be aware of. [05:34]

Some people are just looking for someone to sue. How do you protect your business from litigation trolls? [10:37]

In a world of cancel culture, simply excluding someone from your clientele can cause trouble. [17:40]

James and Heather discuss how to deal with chargebacks and friendly fraud. [20:49]

There are ways you can get protection in business from sales disputes. [26:04]

What do you do when someone’s giving out your stuff for free? Here are tips for protecting your IP. [32:39]

When you do business internationally, some disputes inevitably cross borders. [41:30]

In resolving some legal matters, the mediation of a third party comes in handy. [44:22]

When mediation fails, arbitration is a less formal, less expensive version of litigation. [48:25]

When you’re marketing online, presence is everything. Luckily, we have a lot of say now in brand perception. [03:47]

Website anatomy, look and feel affect how people assess your offer. [06:44]

With his years of experience designing high-converting websites, these are the holes Greg commonly sees. [09:30]

In your eagerness to sell your product, are you forgetting what’s in it for the buyer? [12:20]

How closely are sales copy and high-converting website design related? [15:16]

You want people to buy, but that doesn’t mean you should show your offer to everyone. [17:20]

23:55 - A questionnaire can bog things down, but it can also play a crucial role in getting you qualified clients.

28:41 - The sales page is your silent salesperson. Here’s the ideal landing page structure…

33:46 - People can’t always deal with the founder, so set expectations accordingly.

36:18 - How important are proposals? James and Greg weigh in.

42:37 - There’s stuff you can do for the qualified client, and stuff you can’t. Be clear on what’s what.

When traffic is both your livelihood and your passion, it gives you a unique insight into the industry. [01:52]

Ilana’s approach to traffic is a lot like teaching kids to fly a kite. [04:35]

As the paid traffic expert, what does Ilana typically need to do? [06:03]

There’s a certain kind of client that Ilana and team would call their sweet spot. [08:38]

These are the things you’ll want to nail for a paid traffic campaign to work. [10:35]

Does it all sound overwhelming? Good news, there’s help. [12:43]

A hybrid services offers several advantages. [16:07]

Colin didn’t know he was good at selling till someone told him. [01:08]

Are webinar presentation tips still relevant in 2022? [04:15]

The hero’s journey is a classic emotional storytelling tool a lot of people get wrong. [09:51]

How do you change an origin story about you into a conversion story about your audience? [13:11]

One product sales presentation changed Colin’s whole life. [16:54]

James has his own relationship with storytelling. [19:56]

To be an effective sales tool, a story must balance vulnerability with credibility. [24:29]

If you’ve never slept on a park bench, what story can you tell? [27:51]

Colin breaks down the proof of an offer into three levels of certainty. [32:24]

The best validation for your offer is the customers who get results. [38:40]

The first thing you want to do with a sales presentation is touch people’s hearts. [44:03]

In a sales presentation of a product, you’re not just teaching content, you’re preparing people to commit. [47:50]

Give people too much to do, and you may lose the sale. [51:15]

Now, you transition your webinar presentation to the pitch. [53:22]

This is why you don’t want people picking your brain. [53:47]

Productivity now is a very different concept from what it was in generations past. [01:52]

Both Demir Bentley and James are reformed workaholics. Here’s how their transformations came about. [04:06]

How did Demir and his wife, Carey, determine what gap to fill in the productivity space? [07:20]

The Winning the Week method is a bid to deliver the least amount of coaching with the most amount of impact. [09:40]

Sports and productivity have something in common, minus the need for a loser. [10:34]

James doesn’t typically sit down to plan his week, but he has his own system that works. [14:21]

Demir’s system of planning weekly is something he put together for people not intuitively productive, like himself. [15:21]

Can learning how to plan a week really be so powerful? Isn’t it kind of obvious? [17:12]

Plan a week in 30 minutes and five steps? Yes, you can. [18:45]

Some productivity life hacks have been around forever - people just haven’t been using them. [19:44]

Most people have a resistance to planning. That’s why the first step is removing it. [22:22]

What’s the one thing you need done more than anything else? [23:20]

Interrogate your calendar to the point where you can lean on it without question. [23:47]

Accept that you can’t do everything. [25:03]

You’ve got your tasks - now when do you do them? [26:18]

You can learn a lot of things in hindsight - what did you get right, and what would you change? [27:18]

Do you really know where your time goes? [33:30]

When you’re learning how to plan a week to be productive, you’re ultimately the very best source of information. [34:43]

Sizing up a mentor? Ask yourself, would I trade places with this person? [45:54]

Copywriters are an eccentric lot, and Chris Haddad is no exception. He and James ponder why that is. [03:34]

Australia is home to some weird and wonderful wildlife, much of which can kill you. [06:54]

How did Chris come to be known as Mr. Moneyfingers? [08:43]

James can’t have Chris on the show and not ask about his PIG Method of emotional copywriting. [12:57]

Success without integrity can be pretty hollow. [15:59]

This is why Chris talks at 3X the speed of normal. [17:48]

Should you label a podcast episode by topic, name, or number first? [19:03]

It’s not the fame of your guests that carries the show. [22:05]

Are podcasts ultimately about conversions, or leads? [25:52]

Chris has guested on quite a few shows, and some have asked him to do outrageous things in the name of promotion. [27:17]

The name of a podcast can make or break a show. What’s the current trend? [31:10]

When people ask Chris what stories to tell, this is what he says… [36:04]

The PIG Method came first. This is how the Chris Haddad podcast followed… [37:43]

Why start a podcast? And what is the NEAT method? [40:48]

How easy is it to get guests, and how often should you publish? [46:48]

Can incompetence actually be a good thing? [49:43]

Where does Chris see his podcast going? Here’s the forecast. [54:36]

This episode is longer than usual for the podcast, but it’s nothing unusual for James’s guest. [57:53]

It’s a great feeling when you can see your students crushing it. [1:00:09]

Is a safety net a good or a bad thing to have? Our two experts weigh in. [1:04:56]

When should you give advice, and when should you withhold it? [1:11:04]

If you’d like to start a podcast on Apple, here are the main takeaways… [1:14:30]