More than a Few Words

Today's chat is about LinkedIn and the art of personal branding. I've been cultivating my personal brand for years, both online and offline, and one of my go-to tools is LinkedIn. Joining me for this insightful conversation is Matt Parkin, a LinkedIn Top Marketing Voice and a personal branding coach. Matt's expertise has been sought after by industry associations, companies, schools, and conferenc...

What if you could determine who in your audience is your best client in just 180 seconds?  My guest, Juliet Clark explains that with a well designed quiz your prospects will actually self-select, telling you with their answers if the are good, great or mediocre prospect. It starts with asking people to self-assess where they’re at on a scale of one to 10 in relationship to the results you can help...

Hey there! Last week, I shared a few tips about crafting your offer, and today, we're diving headfirst into the world of landing pages. The goal of  your landing page is to convince potential customers to say, "Yes, I absolutely want that!" An effective landing page has a single, laser-focused purpose.  It is ok that visitors won't be getting to know you in-depth here; any distractions might derai...

Today we’re diving into business plans with Lura Wagenknecht. You’ve probably heard me harp on about the importance of business plans, and I know some of you might think it’s just a document collecting dust on a shelf. Well, let me tell you, every bit of that plan is gold, and Laura shared some great tips on how to make the most of it. Laura, the owner of Mosaic Business Consulting, is a seasoned...

If you are like most business owners you make the mistake of looking at your competitors for guidance on pricing. Unfortunately, they probably don’t know any more about pricing than you do. Why don’t business owners charge more for their products and services?  Robin Waite thinks it is usually it is fear that holds them back. Learn how you can get over your fear and raise your price. About Robin W...

I got up this morning and there was snow outside.  And, quite honestly I was annoyed because it still fall.  The change in weather  completely messed with my plans. But, when I got over being annoyed I reached for a sweater, found my my hat and went out to face the day.  In a way, that's the life of an entrepreneur. You have your plans, you have your ideas and then something happens. So you have t...

I was so excited to have another chance to talk to Andrea Liebross, a business and life coach who specializes in empowering female entrepreneurs.  This time our conversation revolved around how women owners can think big, manage like a CEO, and achieve success in both their professional and personal lives. Andrea shares insights from her new book, "She Thinks Big: The Entrepreneurial Woman's Guide...

These days everybody's trying to present themselves as an expert. So how do you stand out in your niche in a crowded market? Part of the magic comes from creating a visual brand. - That's what i had a chance to chat with Sharon Haver about back in 2021.  Funny thing, the conversation is as relevant today!  Where does the process begin to build a visual brand for yourself? In today's crowded market...

What will you do when Facebook goes away? Now I’m not trying to spread fear and panic and I don’t expect that the platform will disappear overnight. But let’s face it, technology changes, platforms change and so do fads and trends. At some point, Facebook will diminish. I mean, a decade ago, everyone thought that AOL was the be all end all. And the answer to the question is actually simpler than y...

In this podcast interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jan Cavelle, a seasoned entrepreneur from the UK with a wealth of experience in running micro and small businesses. She is the author of two books, "Scale for Success" and "Start for Success," aimed at helping aspiring and growing entrepreneurs. She has also contributed an article as a guest author to my new collection of essays. We di...

I know. you think we're living in a visual video world.  Maybe you believe  and you don't need to write anything anymore.  But that just isn't true. No matter what happens in the world of content it starts with words. So I really enjoyed chatting with Erin Lebacqz about the challenges people face when starting to write and tips on effective writing techniques for both informational and emotional i...

​When you create your brand you are investing in something that should last for the long haul. The colors, the fonts and your overall style guide should remain fairly consistent over the life of your brand.  However, sometimes your business changes and when it does you might want to consider rebranding. Maybe you want a more mature look, something more representative of. and established company. O...

In this interview, I was excited to invite Patty Farmer, to join me once again for a quick conversation.  This time we dove into how to integrate marketing and sales activities to benefit your business. It all starts by setting specific and measurable goals for both marketing and sales efforts, establishing benchmarks to track success. Patty explains the importance of reverse engineering goals, st...

If you missed my conversation with Tina Bakehouse about writing tips in late 2021, here's you chance to catch up. Many "would be writers" think they should start with a title and let the story unfold.  Our guest, Tina Bakehouse suggests starting in the middle.  Begin by fleshing out the content in the middle.  Once you are clear on the body of what you're writing it will inspire the title and the...

​The goal of every page on your website is to get visitors to do something. Maybe that's fill out a contact form, pick up the phone to call you, download an e-book, register for an event or sign up for your newsletter. No matter what it is you want customers to do the best way to get them to do that is to have a clear call to action on the page. CTA's come in all shapes and sizes as they're scatte...

Why did I invite Lisa McDonald, a certified career coach  to join me for a conversation?  You are not looking for a job, but you are probably looking for employees, And Lisa is probably working with those potential employees, telling them not to apply for a job with your company.  In this lively conversation, we talk about the mistakes employers make starting with job descriptions that don't reall...

More than just marketing hype, your brand is about creating an impression of your company in the mind of your prospective customer. It is the basis on which all your other marketing should be built. More than ten years ago, Allison Carter and I discussed how a brand position defines who you are and who you serve.  It isn't marketing copy, but a clear outline of what you want customers to think abo...

My uncle used to say that he was going to write me a short note but didn’t have time, so he wrote me a long letter instead.  When you are limited in the number or words, you choose your words carefully and you use them sparingly. When you have the luxury of a long letter, you can ramble on and on, and hope that sooner or later, you’ll get to the point. And you hope the recipient will hang in long...

My friend Michelle McNally, the Executive Vice President of Customer Success for BoxCrush dropped by to talk about the importance of safeguarding digital assets, including passwords and resources. We talked about the key elements  business owners should have control over to ensure the security and accessibility of their online assets. Michelle highlights the common challenges faced by business own...

When asked about their branding style, I often hear business owners say they "want to look like Apple." They admire the clean, sleek design. They imagine their brand will seem modern, authentic, high-tech, hip, cool and smart if they incorporate some of the same style elements into their brand. But it is usually a bad idea. Don't get me wrong, I love Apple's branding for Apple. It just rarely work...

In this podcast episode of "More than a Few Words," host Lorraine Ball interviews Geoffrey Klein, a story expert, TEDx speaker, and content producer, about creating captivating content. Klein's new book, "The Content Beast," serves as a guide to crafting remarkable content. The conversation revolves around the challenge of making content stand out and the art of storytelling. Klein suggests that a...

In this conversation from our archive, Andrea Butcher of HRD  - A Leadership Development Company shares why she  believes you should live life by design, not by default.  Taking control of your daily activities starts with a long term vision - where do you want to be in ten years.  Once you have the vision, you can begin to think about what you can do this week to move closer to that goal.  And on...

To develop really effective marketing, you need to be clear about your brand position, what makes you uniquely qualified to earn the business of your customers. Look beyond the technical skills and product specifications to the intangible elements. What should customers think and how should they feel as they interact with the brand. Sounds simple, but it isn’t. Being high quality, hardworking, off...

​I had a wonderfully, thought-provoking conversation with Jon Rogers about a unique strategy for business growth – the idea of buying businesses rather than building them from scratch. Jon shares his insights into how wealth accumulation is often driven by acquiring and merging existing businesses rather than starting from the ground up. He emphasizes that these principles can be applied by anyone...

Are you clocking in early and burning the midnight oil every single day? As a small business owner you may feel that is required to get ahead, but it doesn't have to be the pattern for your days. It's not when you waltz in, but how well you dance as you hit the floor. The art of time management is an elusive dance, but here are a few simple steps that will help you glide to success. Create a daily...