The Bacon Podcast with Brian Basilico | CURE Your Sales & Marketing with Ideas That Make It SIZZLE!

Bill is skilled in Sales, Data Center, Management, Business Development, and Marketing. - More Coming Soon

Learn More About Bill and Confluence LLC - CLICK HERE

Rumor has it that celebrating more birthdays leads to a longer life. Every year I hake my birthday off (not to celebrate myself, but to celebrate that who acknowledge that day).

I tend to get over 1000 personal birthday wishes that I respond to one at a time.Yes it takes hours, but I have found there is benefits to engaging with those who interact with me on my birthday.

I kind of think how people to birthday wishes come in three flavors....

* Care Level One - A Full personalized reply

* Care Level Two - A copied and pasted reply or an emoji

* Care Level Three - A blanket thank you at the end of the day or the day after

In this episode,  we will explore how engaging with people on your special days not only increases engagement in the future, but it can also lead to new business sometimes!  (Oh... and Happy Birthday to you - whenever that is)

Karen has the vision and experience to help your company, identify what is holding it back from realizing its true potential, to help you strategize and implement the change and processes that produce the measurable results you desire.

She has helped companies in multiple industries and service sectors throughout her career. Karen is a sought after change agent that companies have come to rely on to break up the procedural and cultural logjams. It’s based on her unique ability to see opportunities where others see roadblocks, and her ability to communicate in a clear and concise way where plans almost write themselves.

Karen is also an accomplished speaker and a published writer. Over the years Karen has lectured at numerous national and international symposiums and conferences. Her areas of focus include: Creating Fully Engaged Employees, Building Great Leaders, Driving Business Results, and Women in Leadership.

Learn More About Karen - CLICK HERE

Starting next year I am writing a new book.  It does not have a title yet, but the overall theme is You are not in the sales business… you are in the TRUST business!

In the consumer world, there is a certain mindset that is more advertising based than relationship based. You are not just competing for the attention of your perfect customer, but you are also competing for their hearts and minds.

Trust has to be earned. So the content you share, and even the platforms on which you share it, can have a lasting effect on earning and maintaining the trust of your current and future clients!

Here 5 ways you can instill Trust....

 

* Give Free Value Up Front

* Money Back Guarantee

* Case Studies

* Testimonials

* Referrals

In this episode,  we will explore why building trust is so much more important in Business to Business marketing - Happy New Year!  (Here's to a great 2020)

Marla Tabaka is an internationally known small business strategist, national radio show host, and leading Inc.com author. Her integrative approach to coaching combines mindset management and strategic planning, resulting in multi-million dollar businesses for many of her small business clients.

After a career of 22-years as an Emmy Award-winning producer at NBC Television,  Tabaka worked as a creative consultant for large and mid-sized corporations, established and sold a retail business, and then founded her business coaching practice in 2003. Early in her coaching career she achieved the status of leading coach with the American Express sponsored “Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence” program where she led dozens of female business owners to successful 7 and 8 figure business results.

In 2015 she co-founded EmpruV Business Value Builders with ABC’s Shark Tank’s original Shark and founder of As Seen on TV, Kevin Harrington. The two co-host the nationally broadcasted Big Pitch Radio Show and Tabaka holds an Advisory Board position at the award-winning DRTV consultancy, Shark Finds with Kevin Harrington.

In addition to her articles at Inc.com, you’ll find Tabaka’s work featured in major business publications such as American Express Open, Fox Business News, TIME Business, NAWBO SmartBrief, The Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, and The Business Intelligence Report. 

Learn More About Marla and EFT Tapping - CLICK HERE

During the holidays, chances are you are spending time with family and friends. You have an opportunity... to create memory assets. There are many opportunities to capture moments, textures, images, video, and audio that can be used throughout the year and into the future.

Phones today often have better technology than video and photo equipment in your closets. It makes sense to grab your tripod (or buy one) and your cell phone holder (or buy one), and use it to to capture memory assets that can be used in may different ways.

Here is just a few ideas....

* Interview a relative

* interview yourself (or spouse) for your kids

* Turn pictures in to books or wall art

* Or turn pictures into birthday gifts

In this episode,  we will explore many ideas and give you some tips on how your can capture you holiday spirit and share it for years to come. - Happy Holidays!

Mark S A Smith: Working in the world of technology since 1982, Mark uses systems thinking to help organizations successfully bring new, disruptive technology to market by orchestrating compelling, strategic conversations with executives.

Mark’s authored many books including include his latest Pivot to Profit from IT Disruption, Security in the Boardroom, Linux in the Boardroom, Guerrilla Negotiating, Guerrilla TeleSelling, & Guerrilla Trade Show Selling. Forthcoming: Selling Disruption & Executive Strategy Skills.

Mark is an electrical engineer, media technologist, computer programmer, hardware salesman, software marketer, business owner, executive coach, author, professional speaker, video producer, podcaster, blogger, musician, and father of five Millennial children who do not live at home.

Ask Yourself:

* Just how good is my “crystal ball?” Is that going to get better or worse?

* How much do I need to be thinking about the future?

* How important are each of the timeframes to making decisions that impact our business?

Action Plan:

* Build and frequently update a document to collect insights that impact the four timeframes.

* Hold “crystal ball” conversations with customers, vendors, partners, and industry leaders.

* Talk with people of all generations to get their thoughts and insights, to understand what they identify with, and what they feel is important.

* Look for changes in the way people think and make decisions.

Contact Mark On LinkedIn - CLICK HERE

As part of my Foresight 2020 series (looking back to forge ahead to make next year the best year ever), I wanted to explore how and why I think email marketing is going to be bigger and better than ever next year).

Looking into my "Zoltar" crystal ball, I can see that social media will become less and less of a marketing tool because it's a media that you can't control. The platforms decide what shows up in peoples news feed, how often and who gets to see it of not. That will make it harder and harder as they scheme how to squeeze more money out of it's users (us getting if for free are the product being sold).

It's time to heighten and freshen up your email game for 2020...

* Collecting The RIGHT Names (and emails)

* Segmenting Audience

* Creating and Sharing Fresh Content

* Keeping It Short and Sweet

* And Being More Consistent

In this episode, I will discuss how a Peloton Commercial and Limu The Emu helps you see how to build on controversy to get attention on social while building a captive audience that REALLY WANTS to hear, see, and read your messages!

Andy Crestodina is a co-founder and Chief Marketing Officer of Orbit Media, an award-winning 40-person digital agency in Chicago.

Over the past 20 years, Andy has provided digital marketing advice to 1000+ businesses. He speaks at national marketing conferences, writes for big marketing blogs and hosts a little marketing podcast.

Andy has written hundreds of articles on content strategy, search engine optimization, influencer marketing, conversion and Analytics. 

Top 10 Online Marketing Experts to Watch, Forbes 

Top 50 Marketing Influencer, Entrepreneur Magazine 

Top 25 Content Marketers, Express Writers/Buzzsumo

Top 100 Digital Marketers, Brand 24

Top 10 Social Media Influencers to Watch, Social Media Explorer

Top 50 Content Marketing Influencers to Follow, Outbrain

He is also the author of Content Chemistry: The Illustrated Handbook for Content Marketing.

Learn More About Andy & Orbit Media - CLICK HERE

It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.

At this time at the end of the year, it's kind of that undefined space between the past and the future. It can become kind of a business Twilight Zone?

Many say that hindsight is 2020 but I think that FORESIGHT is 2020 (meaning looking ahead to next year). Now is the time start planing and getting your house in order.

In this episode what I mean by your house is your website. Here is a few questions I suggest you ask yourself:

* What Is Your Main Focus (Has that changed?)

* What Is Your Value Proposition?

* What Do You Want People To Do?

* Is You Home (page) In Order?

* Are Your Other Pages Doing Their Jobs?

* Is Your Call To Action Clear and Working For Your Business?

In this episode, we will be looking at your website, and you can help keep your business, and your customers, out of the Twilight Zone...