In this podcast, Carrie interviews Brett Cohen CEO & co-founder of emagine, a digital agency located south of Boston, MA. Brett shares his insights of sales and marketing the “hard way” where there is no substitute for calling and meeting people face to face.

What we talked about Managing expectations from the very first interaction with a client Taking ownership of every aspect of a project Addressing "issues" immediately (no festering) Adversarial relationship toward customers Handling hard conversations (and keeping the emotion out) The best (and worst) forms of communication

What we talked about Using a business plan to decide what services you'll offer and what you won't Before choosing your ideal customer, you need to have customers to choose from :) When it's time to grow a team (and how to find the right people) Managing cash flow Business, communication, and tech tools used at WPRiders.com The importance of a mentor

What we talked about The process of developing a customer niche Just because you gear marketing toward your niche doesn't mean you can't serve others The three-level marketing strategy  How to get a client ASAP Building confidence in yourself The importance of content (and tips for getting into the swing of content creation) Vetting potential clients

Solving all the problems.

What we talked about The origins of managed WordPress hosting Serving a niche in a crowded space Find your differentiators that set you apart from the competition Empowering others (teammates) to make decisions and take responsibility for the outcome Working through explosive topics (i.e. politics) with your team Expressing opinion as a company vs an individual Joshua shares what inspires him

What we talked about Going from solo owner/operator to a partnership Accountability in a partnership Inbound marketing Engaging with your site visitors Serving up content based on who's looking How to get someone into your marketing funnel

Marketing is simply building trust and empathy with a group of people by talking to them. - Paul Jarvis What we talked about Email marketing as two-way communication We hate marketing because we don't understand it Alienate most people in order to get the right people on your email list Unless there's engagement, having a huge list is meaningless Email automation doesn't have to be intimidating Getting started with email marketing Episode links (and newsletter signup) (course)

What We Talked About Freelancing "back in the day" Turning a passion into a revenue stream Opportunities to systematize repetitive tasks Opportunities to upsell clients (while offering great value) Quarterly "temperature" calls Defining your ideal client (and evolving that over time) Taking time away from work to work on your business Self/soul searching to figure out what it is we want to work on