Cut expenses if you must, but beware cutting your marketing. — Remember the show Naked and Afraid? I loved that show. Two volunteers agreed to be dropped in the middle of nowhere with no resources but a few small tools they could carry (maybe a knife, or a fire starter) to see if they could survive for 21 days and ultimately…

At the heart of every presentation, there’s a question that must be answered. — First, imagine. You’re delivering a presentation that will decide whether a project you care about will go forward or not. You’ve got one shot. The leadership team — the deciders — are gathered and attentive, but they don’t have the benefit of knowing what you know. They don’t understand the…

Structure, simplicity, and how to use visuals properly — If Zoom is your new conference room, this is for you. There are three things that you need to master in order to deliver a presentation over Zoom to get decisions, get agreements, and get the movement that you need to move your work forward. …

And why every sales and marketing executive needs to master it — In an age of information overload, your advertising needs to stand out from the crowd. Savvy consumers are no longer swayed by traditional ads or cold calls. …

Decision creates accountability, even when what you’re deciding is to go into the unknown. Making the decisions required to generate sales and organic growth can be scary, whether you’re the CEO or the CMO. There’s always a moment before you launch a new marketing program or campaign, or before you pitch a potential whale, or before you give the approval to update your brand…

The pressure to get success, right now, is a heavy burden. Things seem to be moving so fast, don’t they? We’re tempted to be faster, stronger, better. To outwit, and out-hack all of our competitors. There’s so much pressure to be on top of everything — all the news, all the trends, all the latest in growth hacking, and SEO, and…

Aren’t you supposed to be working on a PowerPoint presentation right now? You know what I’m talking about — that powerpoint that you’ve been avoiding. If you do a good job on it, it could unlock the funding for a major project you’ve been trying to get off the ground. Or, it could secure you a few more headcount, or maybe even…

A framework for doing the things that will move you forward What is the purpose of all those To Dos on your list? Why are they on there? Are they the things you should really be working on? What do you really want? For most (including myself) it’s a harder question to answer than it appears on the surface. I want my business to grow, I…