The Remote CEO Show

On this episode of The Remote CEO Show, I had the pleasure to interview Raitis Purins, the head of marketing at Printful. For those who don’t know what Printful is yet, it’s one of the biggest print-on-demand startups that allows you to create all sorts of custom products for you clients, without having an inventory. Prinful has over 600 employees now and several fulfillment centers and no matter what your business model is, you can find a way to incorporate their service in your business.

Do you want to know how procrastination ruins your life? Then this is the right video for you!

In my neighborhood in Toronto, there is a very nice mustang. It's been parked in the same underground garage spot for the past two years (or more).

When I first noticed it, it was shiny, and it looked awesome. Then a couple of weeks later, I already started noticing a light film of dust on it. As the weeks went by, the windows got dirtier and dirtier until you couldn't see the interior.

After the first year, we started noticing rust near the wheels, and the last time I saw it, it looked like a car that belonged in a scrapyard.

We are all like that car. We are ready to get on the road and do what every car is supposed to do. But some people choose to stay parked for a day or two. Then days turn into weeks, and weeks turn into months, and next thing you know, you don't even feel like you have what it takes to get out there and chase your dreams.

You turn rusty, like a parked car, and when the rust shows up, you lose even that little confidence you had in the first place.

Procrastination is a silent killer. It doesn't tell you it's taking your dreams apart until it's too late.

Set your own boundaries, and when you catch yourself delaying your goals, break that negative streak, and get back on the horse as soon as you can.

I know that getting stuff done is not easy, but seeing your goals vanish is even harder!

Wondering how to write cold emails that get you featured?

Do you need more authority in the market?

So you have a great product, but the problem is that the majority of people don't know you yet.

Aside from a couple of testimonials, you want to create some buzz around what you do, and the best way to do it is by getting your brand featured on print or online magazines.

But the thought of hiring a PR firm can be scary. You don't want to spend thousands of dollars in the hopes that you get a couple of articles talking about you.

So here's a simple step-by-step process that will help you get your brand message out there.

The first thing you need to do is finding the right press outlets in your niche. Each niche will have several blogs, magazines, and channels you can contact.

But wait a minute! Before contacting them, you need to have a list of reasons why they should write about you. The best way to do it is to come up with several stories that talk about your product (or service) in an inspiring way. Every product can have several stories covering different angles.

Now it's time to write your first cold emails to reporters and journalists, but it's not the right time to pitch yet. The first message is a way to build rapport. Talk about their past articles, show interest in their work. Tell them that you will share their work with your network (and actually do it).

Once you initiated the relationship, you can introduce your product and pitch it with the stories and the angles. If you have done this process correctly, you should have a list of reporters in your niche and a series of potential articles that talk about you and your brand.

Closing a sales deal is NOT as complicated as you think. Follow these 4 simple steps to close a sales deal!

Do you struggle with sales?

If you do, it's time to get back to the basics. There are a ton of different gurus out there that like to overcomplicate this topic because they need to create content around it, and even if you could talk about it for days on end, there are only a few points worth mentioning.

The first one is that you can't sell someone if they are not in buying mode, or if they don't need your product. That's why pre-qualifying a lead is crucial. Your goal is not to spend one hour with each of your leads, but it's too spend more time with those who are interested and have buying power.

Once you know you have a chance to close a deal, it's time to ask as many questions as possible. This is the step that a lot of rookie salespeople get wrong. They like to talk about their product too much, and that bores the prospects to death!!! Remember, people want to talk about themselves and their businesses. Ask away, and you will get all the information you need.

Once the prospect opened up, you should have enough info to put together a few sentences that will position your product as the only viable solution for them. You can do this by using features and benefits, social proof, authority, etc.

Once your client starts asking buying questions, you know that they are sold, so stop selling and start closing. This is not the time to socialize, but it's time to coach the prospect. Help them through the hard task of making a buying decision. You may have to ask for the business multiple times, but don't worry, it's all part of the process!

If you want to be more scalable you need to know how to build systems in your business. 

Do you have staff in your business?

Let's be clear. You can't grow your business alone, and if you follow this page, I know that you want to make an impact!

But hiring people can be confusing, and if you don't do it the right way, you could make your entire business collapse.

Here are a few rules you can start following today that will help you. Before hiring someone, you need to know precisely what that person is supposed to do. You can't set an employee up without giving them proper instructions, a list of tasks, and a clear set of expectations.

You can come up with all the right information by writing down everything that your business needs to operate, from emailing clients to paying bills and everything in between.

As you list all the actions, make sure to ask yourself, "If I didn't know anything about this topic, what instructions would I need?"

This question will help you with creating all the training and collaterals you need to run your new system smoothly.

Always remember to create these systems as if you were managing 100 people. That way, you will push yourself to standardize as many processes as possible!

Type "YES" if you are over with being lazy!!! I bet that you have a ton of different things that make you happy and make you feel good, but you probably rely only on a handful of them because they are the easiest ones to do. For example, you know that going for a 5k run gives you energy and boosts your confidence, but laying on the couch and eating ice cream gives you a similar sense of wellbeing in the short-term. The good news is that you can rewire your brain to crave long-term gain over short-term gratification. The first step is to stop doing anything that 'makes you feel good' for a set period of time before doing anything else. This is not an easy step, but it's essential so that you can flush out all the dopamine and its effects it has had on your brain. Dopamine gets released every time you are about to "get what you want," so think about how many times you've eaten junk food or did something you regretted, just for the sake of getting that dopamine rush. The second step is to replace your old habits with the ones that you want to start. As you practice these new actions, focus on the effects that they're having on your body and mind. You will notice a sense of euphoria, happiness, bliss, or other types of high energy feelings. This type of wellbeing is much better than the one caused by instant gratification because it doesn't come with any sort of guilt attached to it. Once you started your new productive lifestyle, you can reintroduce some of your old "vices," but now you should be stronger and more in control of your habits. But if you ever feel like you are "relapsing," cut all your instant gratification habits at once. That way, you make sure to reset your brain and then you can start the process again!

In this episode of The Remote CEO Show, I had the pleasure to interview a TikTok legend - Jesus Corona AKA boxedup entrepreneur.

Don't overcomplicate productivity... The simple truth is that a cluttered mind will get distracted. So for you to become productive (and stay productive), you need to slow down and stick to the basics. Have you ever had a fantastic week and told yourself, "I cracked the code of productivity!!" only to fall back into the worst procrastination spiral the following week? How is that possible?! After all, you had the solution to the problem a few days earlier. The reason why that happens is that you "tripped." Let me explain what I mean. One day you wake up, and you have an amazing morning routine. You feel good about the day, and you keep on doing everything that you had set out to do. At the end of the day, you are very excited, so you stick to your calendar, and the streak continues for a few days (or even a couple of weeks!!!) Then one day, out of nowhere, something distracts you from your newfound winning routine. You are frustrated, and you get overwhelmed. That night you go to bed later and the day after you wake up late. Now you are annoyed, tired, and distracted, and the next thing you know, you are back to square one. Does that sound familiar? I thought so... Here's the thing. If you don't plan on how to tackle those bad days beforehand, you will never get over them. Come up with a recovery sequence that you can rely on when your days go south, so as soon as you see a bad day coming, you can go in recovery mode and get back on the horse as quickly as possible.

Is social media dead?Well... It's not really. But it's definitely much harder to compete in the social media world now than it used to be back in the day. There is so much content online, and that means that you really need to master one platform and go all-in with it.Long gone are the days where you could post a photo, add a couple of hashtags, and get hundreds (if not thousands) of likes.The goal of social media (for business) it's not to grow your vanity metrics, but it's to create a group of engaged people that are serious about reading and sharing your content.Start your posting habit to provide lots of value to your followers. Aim at getting engagement over followers because engaged followers will soon turn into raving fans and clients.

Why do you want your business to fail?You're going to say to me, "No! I want to succeed." But if you're still not mastering your sales skills, you will soon have to close your doors.Here's a simple 4 step process you can start with.First off, come up with a series of probing questions to understand the real problems and needs of your prospect. Some of these questions may be a bit uncomfortable but guess what... no one said it was going to be easy.When you have a clear picture of what the problem is and what's going to happen if your prospect doesn't solve it, it's time to find the right angle to show your solution.Every prospect will need a different explanation of why your solution is a perfect match for them. You don't expect to open all doors with the same key, so don't expect to sell everyone with the same pitch.Once they understand your solution, show them how the solution will make the entire situation better. Don't be afraid to talk about feelings and emotions, as that's exactly what people use to make decisions.