Last year, the recording session I did with Mel Robbins was going so well that her producers asked me to stick around–four hours later, we had recorded enough for two episodes.
One never knows how these things will feel until after the fact, but part 2 is live now. I hope you get as much out of it as I did…
My day with Mel inspired my new book, which ships in 9 weeks. And the limited-edition multi-pack is well on its way to being fully subscribed. I just added a new spiral-bound booklet for the first 700 orders. Photos to come when it comes back from the printer.
You can find the conversations with Mel here.
Problems can be solved.
Here’s a short riff on the world’s worst boss:
And here’s a page for Mel fans who are new to the blog.
And the episode…
The moment you start treating your customers as captives, they begin to make other plans.
It might take a while, but they always end up leaving. The first step is warning away their friends.
On the other hand, when we treat our customers like the free agents they are, they often choose to stick around (and bring the others).
Before you reward an analyst for jacking up the price and making some money this week, it might be worth focusing on what that short-term move is going to cost you.
More than 345 riffs, worthy of a calendar, all in one place. They don’t fit in a blog post, so I made a page of them. Hit the refresh above to see another one, or see them all, and vote on your favorites, at sethsriffs.com
On the riffs page, you can click the ? icon and launch a search of the blog for more details and discovery. Share links are also there.
The professionals you have the most in common with may be your competition. They wrestle with similar problems and have similar goals.
And you can offer value by sharing what you’ve learned and what you know–and that value will often be reciprocated.
I met Tom Rielly when was running PlanetOut in the 1990s. About forty of AOL’s biggest software partners had been invited to a conference, and Tom hosted a small gathering for a dozen of us in his hotel suite. When we got there, he shared the most interesting parts of his contract with AOL. Many of us did the same. As a result, everyone in that room was able to get a better deal the next time around.
When the acting community shared information about predators in Hollywood, it created progress toward safety, helped apprehend some of the worst offenders, and built connection and trust.
Literary agents regularly talk with each other, and via the living database at Publisher’s Lunch, share insights about genres, editors and authors.
NFL coaching staff, who you would think of as quite competitive, often talk to one another about players, policies, and personnel.
Chefs welcome up-and-coming chefs into their kitchens and share their best suppliers, because a supplier without customers doesn’t stick around for long.
Creative Mornings has changed the lives of thousands of freelance creators, simply by giving them a useful way to connect.
Walmart doesn’t want its suppliers to talk with one another, which is a really good reason for them to do it. Comparing test questions in high school is called cheating. Doing it in real life is a smart way to reclaim power and agency.
The competition isn’t the competition. ‘None of the above’ is the competition. The powerful monopoly is the competition. Loneliness is the competition.
It might be that your industry doesn’t already have a vibrant association of peers. If it doesn’t, start one. There have never been more tools or more upside for doing so.
What’s this idea (book, meme, song, TV show, marketing campaign) for?
Perhaps you want to reach the largest number of people.
Or make the most sales.
Or generate the most word of mouth.
Or be notorious.
Or change part of the culture.
Or get good reviews.
Or have people actually finish your book.
You might want to gain status, make friends, make a point or make a living.
Measure the right things and it’s more likely you’ll end up where you hope to go. But it’s certain you can’t have all of these.
The smallest viable audience isn’t an excuse. It’s the point.
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