By Adam Erhart
The podcast currently has 19 episodes available.
You can't fight human nature.
I'd like to be able to sit here and tell you that I've never judged a book by its cover...
But frankly...
If I'm pressed for time...
That's the ONLY way I do know how to judge a book.
Did it just the other day too.
Was in an airport bookstore (my fave place to buy books btw)
Had about 3 minutes to find a book.
So I scanned. Sorted. Judged. And selected one with a cool title, color, and image.
And was on my merry way
(not sure why I said "merry way".. I don't usually talk like that)
Here's the thing.
That is EXACTLY how your customers select businesses as well.
The scale varies with how much it costs (and therefore how much time they decide to commit to the evaluation process) but all else remains the same.
They scan. Sort. Judge. And select.
If it's a pack of gum they pick quick.
If it's a 100k consulting package they pick slow.
But again...
The process remains the same.
So why not give yourself the advantage by investing in good design (ie making your stuff "pretty")
Yes this will take a bit more time, money, and energy...
But good design provides a real ROI.
Cause ugly stuff don't sell (especially not when there's a better design sitting right beside it)
The other day I was putting together a new weight machine for my gym.
"How'd it go Adam?" You may be asking... (let's just say that's what you're asking so this all flows nicely ok?)
So how'd it go?
Not well my friend.
Not well.
It took me probably 4X as long as it should have - and left my knuckles bloody and beaten (I kept slipping with the socket set)
Left me angry and frustrated (the instructions were literally useless... they had around 100 bolts and nuts and washers and NONE of them were labelled... scouts honor)
And even when I thought I was finished I realized the company forgot to ship all the weights (so I couldn't even finish)
This was the classic example of where the DIY approach (do it yourself) was a TERRIBLE idea.
And so it is with marketing.
We can all probably agree that Facebook Ads and a simple Sales Funnel are MANDATORY if you want your business to make a difference and actually matter - both now and in the future.
(If you don't believe they're mandatory then you're going to need to trust me on this or start doing some serious research - I'm not good at putting together gym equipment, but marketing strategy? That's my life! And FB Ads and a Simple Sales Funnel are... MANDATORY)
But how you go about getting your Facebook Ads and a Sales Funnel in place is another question entirely.
On one end you have the DIY model (the do it yourself model).
This is the model I used to advise most entrepreneurs to take... (old advice from another time :)
Take a 1k to 2k Facebook Ads course. Learn. Apply. And you're all set.
But the problem was... most people were NOT all set.
They had questions. Issues. Concerns. And needed more guidance than a course could provide.
Things like: how should I set it up? What should my lead magnet be? Is this a good offer? Why is nobody clicking on my ads? And what should my budget be?
All questions that needed one-on-one guidance, support, and coaching.
Then, on the other hand, you have the D4Y model (the done for you model).
This is what my agency has done for years.
But it too has its share of problems such as:
So we've covered the DIY model, the D4Y model... so what's left?
The DWY model (ie the done with you model)
This model is the hybrid lovechild of the DIY and D4Y.
And it puts you in the driver's seat of your business.
Giving you the information but also the ACCESS and INSIGHT to be able to create your very own source of leads, clients, and sales on demand.
I have never before offered such a program.
BUT... I'm working on opening a brand new BETA program at the end of next month to walk a carefully selected (and small) group of high-impact entrepreneurs through my EXACT traffic, attention, and lead gen system which is responsible for generating tons of dough (millions upon millions of dollars) for my client's businesses.
If you think this may be for you or you'd like a little more info then I'd like to invite you to fill out the form on this page: https://adamerhart.lpages.co/mentor-application/
IF you're a high-impact entrepreneur who wants a consistent, automated, and scalable lead gen system installed in your business then this is for you.
Also... I'm currently toying with 3 different names for the program. Hit reply and let me know which one you like best!
Take care and talk soon,
Adam "lead gen" Erhart
"Adam, how do you come up with SO MUCH content"
I get this question at least a few times a week.
And it's a good one.
After all... my content marketing strategy involves:
So where do all these ideas come from?!?!?!
Simple.
They come from everyday life.
That's it.
Gary Vaynerchuk once said "Document, don't create" and he's right.
Everything I create is really just some form of documenting things I've done, seen, read or tried.
I learn something, implement it, then pass on my findings to you.
Wash, rinse, repeat.
And the result is tons of content.
Someone once told me (and I wish I could remember who as I'd LOVE to give them credit here) that if you want to create interesting marketing then you need to dointeresting things.
Lemme say that again (as it's really important)
If you want to create interesting marketing then you need to do interesting things.
Interesting life = interesting marketing
In other words: cool things in = cool stuff out
So please use this as your excuse to go do some cool stuff.
Travel, visit a new restaurant, see a new movie, try a new hobby or sport... anything really!
And then tell your tribe about it.
And use the story to teach a lesson, give some advice, or even just to entertain them (we all want to be entertained)
So what are you going to do this week? Hit reply and let me know!
Adam "do cool stuff" Erhart
Marketing differentiation and the importance of being remarkable
What story do you tell yourself?
This is a very important question to ask...
Because the odds are good that whatever story you tell yourself is the exact same one you're telling your customers.
Whether consciously and overtly (ie "buy from us because we're the best!")
Or subconsciously and subliminally (ie "we're pretty good but so are they...")
You see the power of a story (aka marketing) is not only how good that story is...
But how much it's believed in.
And how much it means to not only the people listening (aka your customers)
But also to the storytellers (aka you)
Because you can't fake it till you make it (social media is the 21st century's "BS Detector")
And you can't fool all of the people all of the time (nor should you want to)
And you certainly can't build a marketing campaign that entices, intrigues, or brings in buyers if they sense something's out of alignment or incongruent.
Authenticity matters.
Being congruent and consistent matters.
And telling powerful stories that you believe in matters.
Adam "raconteur" Erhart
I remember when I was first getting started in digital marketing years and years ago.
I would watch my Facebook newsfeed fill up with fancy pictures as the "gurus" infiltrated my feed with tips and programs on how I could be "just like them"
They would post pictures of their Ferraris, beach front mansions, and screenshot the "millions" of dollars they were making each year, month, week, or day... (I didn't know at the time that most of it was staged)
And they would run complicated funnel sequences with multi-step video series, 2-hour long webinars, and pushy follow-up sequences that left me feeling more overwhelmed than inspired. (Their goal was to show people how they knew nothing... and clearly needed to guru to have any chance of succeeding)
To them...
I was a failure.
A peon.
A "nice-guy" who would at some point get trampled by the ruthlessness of the industry and the fickleness of the market.
And weak for not manipulating my audience to buy things they didn't need, didn't want, and wouldn't use.
So what did I do?
Well little old me just kept plugging along...
Adding value where I could.
Creating content that I thought would help the people I cared about (ie you).
Caring more than they said I should.
And doing everything in my power to never, ever, ever jeopardize the reputation I was building as a trustworthy, ethical, and authentic source for top quality marketing strategy.
Fast forward a few years and here's where we're at...
95% of the "gurus" that once littered my newsfeed are gone (either by moving on to another shiny object, getting run out of town by the market, or simply realizing that building a REAL business just wasn't worth the work and sacrifice)
Turns out their strategy wasn't a strategy at all. Just a tactic disguised as a real plan and one based on simply getting people's attention - no matter the cost.
And their success was either a facade, or a flash in the pan.
Because you can't build a real business on shock and overwhelm.
You see getting someone's attention is easy. All you need to do is:
It's keeping attention however, and in a way that fosters goodwill, creates brand ambassadors, and builds customer loyalty that really grows a business.
Fortunately, for the 5% of us still here and that didn't get sucked into the internet marketing rabbit hole of yesteryear... well we're still doing what we've always done.
Caring. Creating value. Helping. Serving. And focusing on authentic attention over fake, phony, or hypy tactics.
It's a path that has lead me to create blogs articles (http://adamerhart.com/blog/)
Video series (https://www.youtube.com/adamerhartvideo)
And podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/modern-marketing-podcast/id1177731106)
As well as a free + printing and shipping print (ie paper and ink) newsletter full of my very best for only 9 bucks (https://www.adamerharttraining.com/p/memos)
It's a path I'd suggest you follow as well.
Care more than your competition.
Reputation is everything.
Adam "care bear" Erhart
I like to track and record things to help keep me focused and always moving forward.
This means recording things like my exercise and fitness, sleep (or lack thereof some nights), and overall levels of productivity (which I try to keep improving).
So when something's off...
I can FEEL it.
I also track what I eat pretty closely.
So the other night when we ran out of cashew milk (it's like almond milk but oh so creamier) I used half-and-half (ie 10%) creamer when making mashed potatoes instead.
The result?
DELICIOUSLY creamy mashed potatoes.
But I also felt awful the day after.
Slow. Sluggish. And like I had drank a bottle of cream the night before... shocking I know...
Basically it was a great reminder that:
Garbage in = garbage out
And the same goes for my mind.
When I listen to positive, inspirational, and actionable mentors I get better, do better, and feel better.
And when I come across hyped up baloney about how much money some guru is making selling crappy offers, the latest bitcoin hack, or some other short-term tactics over long-term strategies...
Well...
I feel worse.
Garbage in = garbage out.
That's why I have a VERY carefully curated list of mentors that I follow, learn from, and do whatever I can to spend more time with.
I subscribe to their email newsletters - and delete the rest.
I join their masterminds - and pass on the rest.
And I hire them to help make me better - actively ignoring the other fly-by-night snake oil salesmen the online world seems to be full of.
Great stuff in = great stuff out.
It's how I consistently come up with new ideas.
How my marketing campaigns (my own, my clients, and my students) consistently improve
How I never have to worry about the latest algorithm updates or changes in some social media networks policy
And why I'm so confident in my ability to get results (because as my friend Jesse Elder says, confidence comes from evidence)
So choose your mentors carefully.
Choose 1, 2, maybe 3 and do everything you can to learn from them.
Then...
Ignore the rest.
How can you choose the best "gurus" to listen to for you?
Follow your gut.
Trust your instincts.
Listen to your heart.
And you'll make the right decision for you.
I'm not a big basketball guy (I was always more into hockey and football)...
But I do know and respect the man, the myth, and the legend... Michael Jordan.
Arguably the greatest basketball player to ever play the game (please don't respond with "LeBron is better"... because again... I'm not a big basketball guy)
Anyway...
I'm gonna butcher this quote badly but basically, Michael said something vaguely along the lines of (and I'm kinda paraphrasing):
"you can practice for 8 hours a day but if your technique is off you're just going to be getting consistently worse"
Regardless of the exact words, the concept remains the same.
Doing the right things consistently brings you consistently better results.
Doing the wrong things consistently brings you consistently bad results.
Which makes it crucial that your technique (ie strategy) is solid BEFORE deploying that social media advertising campaign, that webinar, or that new funnel.
Otherwise, all the fancy schmancy tactics, tools, and "hacks" (oh how I hate that word) won't do anything but expedite your losses.
The beauty of the age we live in is that things move FAST!
This means when you've got a winning market, offer, and message combo you can ramp things up in 6 months where before it may have taken you 6 years.
It also means if you've got a losing offer, market, and message combo you can burn your house to the ground faster than I can say... supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.
Strategy first (something I preach here: https://www.adamerharttraining.com/p/memos)
Always.
Seriously...
Strategy first.
Adam "strategy first" Erhart
I'd like to introduce you to one of the most powerful concepts I know in marketing.
It's something that I can guarantee will change your marketing, business, and life for the better.
And something most, if not all, of the most elite and successful marketers I know deploy to their full advantage.
If this is something new to you then I'd (strongly) encourage you to give it careful consideration.
And if you're already familiar with it - then consider this a friendly refresher.
Regardless...
It's not to be taken lightly.
First a word of warning.
I'm not a woo-woo, crystal-wearing, incense burning, "The Secret" studying, just-think-good-thoughts-without-doing-any-work type of guy.
That said...
I do believe in visualization, gratitude, meditation, positive affirmations, good and bad "energy", and goal setting. (All things that help to rewire and train the brain to be more productive and effective. And are all backed by science)
Most importantly of all...
I believe in PMA Marketing.
Also known as...
Positive Mental Attitude Marketing
What is PMA Marketing you ask?
Let me tell you.
PMA Marketing is SIMPLY putting out the highest and most positive attitude possible in all of your business and marketing materials.
It's a mindset.
And it means being positive.
It means providing value.
It means being helpful.
It means being the first to smile, the first to extend a handshake, and being quick to acknowledge other people and say thank you.
And it means being a beacon of light in an otherwise far too dark, gloomy, and cynical world.
Basically...
It means understanding and accepting that a positive mental attitude may very well be the single most valuable marketing asset you could ever hope to acquire.
(I can attribute nearly every amazing opportunity in my life to a time of exemplifying PMA Marketing, and every negative time to when I let it slip just a little)
And PMA Marketing comes across in EVERY single thing that you do.
Every video you make, every email you write, every Facebook post you create, every client call you take... everything. (It's one of the reasons this video has 40k views and 149 comments. Even though it's serious, not really funny, or even viral worthy... I'd like to think you can tell that I truly care :) https://youtu.be/kJ6V76Zd05Q)
It works because people like positive people.
And people like doing business with people they like.
It's really no more complicated than that.
Adam "PMA" Erhart
The podcast currently has 19 episodes available.