I Love Marketing is an ever expanding world-wide community of people that love marketing and want to keep innovating and learning. This podcast is for Entrepreneurs, small business owners or even start-ups that want inspiration and ACTIONABLE marketing strategies about direct mail ideas, lead generation, lead conversion, getting referrals, email marketing and more. Joe and Dean also discuss psychology, books, people and productivity.
Marketing Wins and Roadblocks: The Cap Gap, The Chainsaw, and The Arithmetic Business with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #479
27 min
Joe Polish and Dean Jackson host a live I Love Marketing session built entirely around audience questions submitted on marketing wins and roadblocks. The conversation runs from AI as a chainsaw in a lumberjack's hands to the 16-year origin story of I Love Marketing itself, and lands on a single reframe: the signature result you would deliver if you only got paid for outcomes . Here's what you're about to discover in this conversation: Why Joe compares today's AI tools to handing a lumberjack ten million lightsabers, and the one question he says determines whether that power builds a business or buries it. The real reason Joe registered "I Hate Marketing.com" back in 2010, and the no-selling rule he and Dean kept until a listener complained they weren't promoting anything at all. Dean's "cap gap": the math behind how Gamal Aziz turned a profitable $4 million MGM Grand restaurant into an $11 million one by booking it as a loss. The journal prompt Dean uses to expose what people are actually being paid for: "What would you do if you only got paid when your client got the result?" Why Joe once had to loan Gary Halbert rent money despite the hundreds of millions that passed through his hands, and the phrase Halbert used to describe himself that Joe now recognizes as undiagnosed ADHD. Why Joe tells hydrogen water Entrepreneur TK that the real competitor isn't another water brand on the shelf, it's Coca-Cola and Pepsi fighting for "stomach share." If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Show Notes: The AEO Roadblock Joe names his current roadblock as learning answer engine optimization (AEO) versus SEO. He credits Genius Network Members for helping him navigate the positioning shift. AI as a Chainsaw, Then Ten Million Lightsabers Joe compares adopting AI to a 30-year lumberjack discovering a chainsaw: the tool doesn't replace the skill, it multiplies it. He extends the metaphor: AI now hands Entrepreneurs "10 million lightsabers," and the real roadblock is letting go of old habits, not the technology itself. Dean picks up the analogy and pushes further: a chainsaw is only useful once you actually point it at a tree. "To What End" Is the Real AI Question Dean reframes AI adoption around bankable results: more leads, more appointments closed, more sales, more referrals, more long-term relationships. He warns against becoming an expert at operating the tool without ever asking what it's for. The Highest Achievers Live With the Highest Dissatisfaction Joe quotes his friend Dave Kekich: "the world's highest achievers live with the highest levels of dissatisfaction." He connects it to the paradox of being your own boss: the best and worst thing about it is the same thing. Why "I Love Marketing" Almost Launched as "I Hate Marketing.com" Joe reveals he originally registered I Hate Marketing.com, aiming at people who'd never had marketing work for them. The podcast began in late 2009 after a single conversation between Joe and Dean that they thought other business owners would find valuable. I Love Marketing has run for 16 years and helped inspire other podcasts to launch, including nudging Tim Ferriss toward the format. Teach First, Sell Never (Until Someone Complains) Joe and Dean deliberately avoided pitching anything on the podcast for its early run. The rule held until a listener posted that they didn't understand why the hosts never tried to sell anything. Joe's takeaway: real value creates demand on its own, though a hobby project still can't pay the rent. The Signature Result Framework Dean defines a signature result as the outcome you'd create for someone if they simply got out of your way and let you do it. He compares most businesses to a "fire hydrant of value" metered out through the "garden hose" of a current pricing model. The prompt to test on your own business: what would you do if you only got paid when the client got the result? The Cap Gap Dean names the gap between your capability and your current output your "cap gap," the money you're losing by not filling that gap. He illustrates it with Gamal Aziz, who ran the MGM Grand and asked "how high is high" of every revenue line on the P&L. Aziz booked his own profitable $4 million restaurant as a $4 million loss, rebuilt it with chef Michael Mina into Nobhill, and did $11 million in sales the first year. Gary Halbert and the Arithmetic Business Joe recalls his friendship with the late direct response legend Gary Halbert, who had hundreds of millions of dollars pass through his hands and saved none of it. Halbert called himself "an edge walker," a phrase Joe now recognizes as a description of undiagnosed ADHD. Halbert's core lesson: "you're in the arithmetic business," no matter what you sell. What to Creatively Destroy Joe argues breakthroughs require breaking something first: a mindset, a business model, or a relationship that's no longer aligned. He notes that in most industries, roughly 5% of participants capture nearly all the money. Live Q&A: TK's Hydrogen Water Business TK, a pharmacist with a degree in functional anti-aging regenerative medicine, describes a molecular hydrogen water product built around raising water's "vibration." Joe presses on the real obstacle: educating customers on unfamiliar science, and competing for shelf space against Coca-Cola- and Pepsi-owned brands. Stomach Share Joe recalls consulting for Bill Phillips and EAS, where the operative metric wasn't mind share but "stomach share," how much of a person's daily intake one company could claim. The larger point: know exactly how your product fits into a customer's life and gives them a reason to keep buying and tell others. AskJoePolish.com and the Four Audiences Joe mentions AskJoePolish.com , his free AI clone trained on his books, videos, and articles, now being used by people to draft business plans and prep talks. Resources: AskJoePolish.com | Joe Polish's free AI clone, trained on his books, videos, and articles. Genius Network | Joe Polish's membership community for high-level entrepreneurs. BreakthroughDNA | Dean Jackson's 8 Profit Activators framework, referenced as the free download Joe and Dean built early in the podcast's history. MINDBODY Matrix Ultra Pure Molecular Hydrogen Rich Water I Love Marketing | Join the next I Love Marketing Live.
Fun Follow Up Sales Tips: The Fun Finale I Love Marketing Live Series with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #478
7 min
At a live I Love Marketing event, Joe Polish and Dean Jackson dig into the follow up emails nobody thinks twice about, and why that's exactly the opportunity. From Derek Sivers' legendary CD Baby letter to Jesse Cole's billion dollar Savannah Bananas, Joe and Dean make the case that the fastest way to grow word of mouth is to make the forgettable moments memorable. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode: Why the most opened email CD Baby ever sent wasn't a sales pitch or a newsletter, it was the receipt, straight from the discovery that changed how Derek Sivers wrote to Customers. The 20 minute email Derek Sivers wrote in 1998 that packs in a team of 50 employees, a private jet, and an entire town waving goodbye. Why searching "private CD Baby jet" online still turns up thousands of results decades later, and what that says about what actually makes people forward your email to their friends. How Jesse Cole turned a struggling baseball team into a billion dollar company by asking one weird question: what makes us the yellow tux in a sea of gray suits? Show Notes Why the Receipt Beats the Newsletter CD Baby discovered its shipping confirmation email was the most opened email it ever sent. Most companies default to a flat "here's your confirmation number" message at exactly the moment a customer is most excited. Dean frames every touchpoint in a customer's timeline, including a receipt, as an opportunity to add fun. The Letter That Started It All Derek Sivers wrote the first version of the CD Baby shipping email as a plain, forgettable confirmation. After a few months it felt incongruent with his mission to make people smile, so he spent 20 minutes writing something goofier. He later titled it "the most successful email I ever wrote" on his own blog. Inside the Actual Letter Sterilized, contamination free gloves and a satin pillow cradle the CD before it ships. Fifty employees inspect and polish the disc, and a packing specialist from Japan lights a candle before it's boxed. The whole town of Portland marches to the post office to wave the package off on the "private CD Baby jet." The Customer's picture goes up on the wall as "Customer of the year." What One Email Created Search "private CD Baby jet" online today and you'll still find thousands of results. Each result is someone who received the email, loved it, and posted it to share with friends. One goofy, 20 minute email turned into thousands of new Customers through pure word of mouth. Tiny Details Over Big Plans Joe and Dean's core lesson: business owners often chase "world changing massive action plans" when a small, delightful detail does more to make people talk. The CD Baby letter cost nothing extra to send, it just took intention. AI now makes it easier than ever to draft your own version of a delightful follow up. Every Touchpoint Is an Opportunity Dean's framing: every moment in a Customer's timeline, before, during, or after the sale, is a chance to inject personality. A confirmation email, a shipping notice, or a thank you note can all carry the same spirit as the CD Baby letter. Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas Joe points to Jesse Cole, owner of the Savannah Bananas, as another example of fun driving results. Cole's book Find Your Yellow Tux argues that standing out beats blending in. The Savannah Bananas grew into a billion dollar company, and one player has a bigger social media following than many Major League Baseball stars. Resources The Most Successful Email I Ever Wrote | Derek Sivers' blog post containing the full CD Baby shipping confirmation letter. How To Live: Derek Sivers' Most Valuable Life Lessons | Joe Polish's Genius How To Achieve More by Doing Less | Lessons from Derek Sivers Network interview with Derek Sivers. Find Your Yellow Tux | Jesse Cole's book on standing out in business. The Savannah Bananas | Jesse Cole's fan first baseball team, built on the "make it fun" philosophy discussed in the episode. How to Be Successful by Standing Out: Find Your Yellow Tux | The earlier I Love Marketing episode with Jesse Cole Building, Scaling, and Selling: 35 Years of Lessons from Three Exits | Joe Polish's interview with Mark Rukavina, founder of iMemories. CD Baby | The online music distributor at the center of the episode's story. Genius Network | Attend the Next Genius Network Event. I Love Marketing | Subscribe and Join the Next Live I Love Marketing Podcast.
Selling Boring, Confusing, or Depressing: How to Make Marketing Fun I Love Marketing Live Series with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #477
9 min
At a live I Love Marketing event, Joe Polish and Dean Jackson answer the question every marketer eventually runs into: how do you sell something people find confusing, boring, or depressing? Joe and Dean answer with a swing through David Ogilvy, Gene Schwartz, and David Sandler, and one of the strangest, funniest product launches. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode: Why Joe Polish says you cannot bore people into buying, straight from a rule David Ogilvy wrote decades ago that still holds up today. The exact moment you sabotage a "boring" product, according to Joe, and why believing it's boring is the real problem. Why nobody buys the flight, the hotel, or the TSA line: the destination versus travel distinction that reframes any hard to sell offer. Inside Slick Feet 50, the $59 lotion that never claimed to do anything, and how Dean and world champion barefoot skier Lane Bowers turned it into one of his most fun launches ever. The "confession" email disguised as a leaked Water Ski Magazine press release, and why customers asking "is this even real?" was exactly the point. Show Notes The Question: Selling Something Boring, Confusing, or Depressing Joe and Dean demonstrate how to use fun to sell a product or service that people assume is confusing, boring, or depressing. Joe frames the answer around delivery and framing before anything else. You Cannot Bore People Into Buying Joe cites David Ogilvy's Ogilvy on Advertising and Ogilvy's rule that boring people never sells. Even genuinely exciting products fail if the delivery is flat. Desire Already Has to Exist Joe brings in Gene Schwartz's Breakthrough Advertising and the idea that marketing cannot manufacture desire from nothing. Every person already has "a pilot light" of interest that marketing has to turn up, not create from scratch. It is less about what you say and more about how you say it. Marketing With People, Not At Them The founding purpose of I Love Marketing: most people underestimate how important marketing actually is. Framing marketing as something you do "at" someone instead of "for" them changes the entire interaction. The Trap of Believing Your Own Product Is Boring Joe says if you believe your product is boring, you have already talked yourself into a harder sale. You have to actually believe there is a real benefit before you can sell one. Pain Selling: Features vs. Benefits Joe references David Sandler's book on pain selling , noting that a feature is what a product does and a benefit is what it does for the buyer. Even a "boring" product can be sold hard if you focus on what it actually does for the person buying it. Sell the Destination, Not the Travel Joe compares selling to booking a trip: nobody wants the delayed flights or the TSA line, they want the beach in Hawaii. The lesson applies to any offer: sell what the buyer arrives at, not the process of getting there. People do want to hear about the "labor pains," but only because they want to see the baby. The Slick Feet 50 Origin Story Dean's favorite marketing memory involves his friend Lane Bowers, a former world champion barefoot water skier, and his $59 training DVD. They created "Slick Feet 50," a fictional magic lotion for the bottom of your feet, packaged as the "Slick Feet 50 Barefoot Success System." The system layered up a full ritual: apply the lotion, elevate your feet for two hours, watch the two hour instructional DVD, sleep eight hours, and wake up a better skier. The Confession Email The launch email had the subject line "Confession" and read like a personal heads up before a Water Ski Magazine story broke. The linked "press release" had Lane Bowers swearing under oath that Slick Feet 50 contained no illegal performance enhancers and should be legal for international competition. Tongue-in-Cheek Marketing That People Question (and Love) Kids and even a doctor asked Lane and Dean if Slick Feet 50 was "real," comparing it to finding out Santa isn't real. Dean says the product was always sold with a wink, and the skepticism itself became part of the fun. Ritualizing Compliance With a Wink Dean and John Benson later laughed almost to tears designing a "weight loss pebble" you keep in your pocket and touch before every meal, paired with John's actual diet system. The idea was never that the pebble did anything on its own. It was a way to ritualize following the real system underneath it. Why Fun and Curiosity Sell Better Than "Serious" Marketing Across every example, the common thread is a system wrapped in enough curiosity and humor that people want to follow it. It is not the product that has to change, it is how it gets framed and delivered. Resources Ogilvy on Advertising | David Ogilvy's advertising classic, cited for the rule that you cannot bore people into buying. Breakthrough Advertising | Eugene Schwartz's 1966 copywriting classic on tapping desire that already exists. You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar | David H. Sandler's sales book behind Joe's "pain selling" reference. Genius Network | Attend the Next Genius Network Event. I Love Marketing | Subscribe and Join the Next Live I Love Marketing Podcast.
How Do You Make Auto Repair Fun: I Love Marketing Live Series with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #476
4 min
Auto repair is one of the few purchases Customers never look forward to making. Someone comes in expecting a simple oil change or minor repair, only to discover they need hundreds of dollars in unexpected work. Joe Polish and Dean Jackson explore how businesses can transform that disappointing moment into an experience customers appreciate, remember, and enthusiastically tell others about. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode: Why Customers judge an experience more by how they're treated than by how much they spend. How to turn an unexpected repair bill into an opportunity to surprise and delight Customers. Why strategic partnerships can increase the perceived value of every Customer interaction. How to create "bonus value" that Customers weren't expecting. The VCR Formula and how it can uncover additional opportunities to serve Customers. Why community often generates better marketing ideas than brainstorming alone. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Show Notes: Customers Don't Mind Paying for Value—They Mind Unexpected Surprises Most Customers expect a small repair but discover a much larger expense, creating an emotional challenge. Improving the experience after delivering bad news builds trust and loyalty. Customers remember how they felt more than the repair itself. Every unexpected problem creates an opportunity to exceed expectations. Ask a Better Marketing Question Ask what additional value Customers can receive rather than how to make them spend more. Shifting from revenue to value changes the entire Customer experience. Customers become more receptive when they receive unexpected benefits. Added value naturally strengthens Customer relationships. Create Strategic Partnerships That Benefit Everyone Partner with car washes, detailers, wheel shops, tint companies, stereo installers, tire shops, and other complementary businesses. Partners receive qualified referrals while Customers receive meaningful bonuses. Transform a Repair Bill Into a Value Package Provide a bundle of partner offers with every qualifying repair. Customers leave with discounts, certificates, and bonus services. The added value can outweigh the emotional pain of the repair bill. Memorable experiences create long-term loyalty. The VCR Formula Creates New Marketing Opportunities Vision + Capability × Reach helps identify additional value opportunities. Every Customer interaction creates new partnership and referral possibilities. Looking beyond the transaction uncovers new revenue opportunities. Community Creates Better Marketing Ideas The live audience contributed creative marketing ideas throughout the discussion. Joe emphasized the power of community-generated insights. Collaboration often produces better marketing than working alone. Resources: ILoveMarketing.com/476
How Do You Make CRM Fun: I Love Marketing Live Series with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #475
10 min
Most business owners think of CRM systems as databases, spreadsheets, follow-up reminders, and administrative work. Joe and Dean challenge that thinking by reframing CRM as a relationship-building tool that helps you create more value, more opportunities, and more enjoyable Customer experiences. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode: Why most CRM implementations fail despite having powerful software. The difference between collecting Customer information and creating meaningful relationships. How better follow-up can become one of the easiest sources of revenue growth. Why most businesses focus on transactions when they should be focusing on lifetime relationships. How to use CRM systems to become more thoughtful, relevant, and memorable. The role technology should play in creating better Customer experiences. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Show Notes: CRM Is Really About Relationships, Not Software Most people think CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, but they spend almost all their time managing data instead of relationships. The software itself is rarely the problem; the challenge is using information in ways that create more meaningful interactions. Great CRM systems help businesses remember important details, preferences, milestones, and opportunities to serve Customers better. The ultimate purpose of a CRM should be helping people feel known, understood, and appreciated. The Fortune Is In The Follow-Up Many sales opportunities are lost because businesses fail to stay in touch consistently. Follow-up should not feel like chasing people—it should feel like continuing a conversation. CRM systems provide structure for maintaining relationships long after the initial interaction. Businesses that systematically follow up often outperform competitors who rely on memory or inconsistent communication. Technology Should Enhance Human Connection Automation should support relationships rather than replace them. Customers still want to feel like they're dealing with real people. CRM tools work best when they help deliver relevant communication at the right time. The goal is creating a more personal experience at scale. Relationships Compound Over Time Every interaction creates future opportunities. Strong customer relationships lead to referrals, repeat purchases, and introductions. CRM systems help capture and organize relationship capital. Businesses often underestimate the long-term value of staying connected with past Customers.
How Do You Make Sales Calls Fun: I Love Marketing Live Series with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #474
15 min
What if sales calls were more fun? In this special I Love Marketing Live series hosted by Paul Colligan, Joe Polish and Dean Jackson answer real audience questions and reveal how to make business growth easier, more profitable, and a lot more enjoyable. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode: Why sales feels draining when you are emotionally attached to the outcome of every conversation. How the pressure to "close" prospects often creates the very resistance salespeople are trying to avoid. Why confidence in your ability to create results is more valuable than any sales script or persuasion technique. The distinction between convincing people to buy and helping people make good decisions. How focusing on outcomes instead of activities can make sales more profitable and significantly more enjoyable. Why some of the highest-performing salespeople rarely think of themselves as salespeople at all. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Show Notes: The Problem Isn't Sales, It's How Most People Think About Sales Many Entrepreneurs associate sales with pressure because they approach conversations hoping for a transaction rather than looking for an opportunity to help. When someone enters a sales conversation worried about being rejected, their attention shifts away from the prospect and toward their own needs. The most effective sales conversations occur when the focus stays entirely on understanding what the other person wants and whether you can genuinely help them achieve it. People naturally trust those who are committed to helping them make a good decision, even if that decision is not to buy. Joe's frame: do not delegate marketing or the checkbook to anyone you have not first learned to lead in those areas yourself. Confidence Comes From Certainty, Not Persuasion Joe and Dean discuss how sales becomes dramatically easier when you are certain about the value you can provide. Confidence is not generated by memorizing scripts. It comes from knowing your product, service, or process consistently creates results. Prospects often sense uncertainty long before they hear it directly. The most expensive thing you can communicate is a lack of belief in your own offer. The more confidence you have in the outcome, the less energy you spend trying to convince people. Dean's working principle: sell something you would be thrilled for your closest friends and family to buy, with the same energy you would bring to a recommendation made for free. Sell the Destination, Not the Vehicle Customers are rarely excited about the mechanics of what you do. What they actually want is the result your solution makes possible. Great marketing and great sales both focus on the transformation rather than the process. Businesses that communicate outcomes clearly tend to attract more qualified prospects and experience less price resistance. Joe's frame from the live: when you sell travel, you sell the destination, not the TSA line. When you sell anything else, the principle holds. Helping Is More Enjoyable Than Convincing Conversations become easier when your goal is understanding rather than persuading. The best sales interactions feel collaborative rather than confrontational. Prospects are more likely to buy when they feel understood. People do not buy because they understand what you do, they buy because they feel understood. A service mindset creates stronger relationships and better long-term customer retention. Rapport is trust with comfort. Build the comfort first, build the trust over time, and the sale almost makes itself. Resources: What's In It For Them? | Joe Polish, book Influence | Robert Cialdini, book Pre-Suasion | Robert Cialdini, book I Love Marketing Breakthrough DNA Report | Free Download Average Joe's Marketing | Joe Polish's marketing book Genius Network | Joe Polish's Genius Network
From Marketing Frustration to Marketing Foundation with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #473
1 hr 14 min
Joe Polish and Dean Jackson go live and ask the audience the same simple question. What is your biggest marketing frustration right now, and what does it actually feel like? The answers cluster into five patterns, and underneath all of them is the same diagnosis. People know what to do. They are stuck on focus and follow-through. This episode is the masterclass that unsticks them. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode: Why Dean says "a compelling offer is 10 times more powerful than a convincing argument," and the jet-stream principle that makes it work every time The four-word filter Dean has used for 30 plus years to write every piece of marketing he touches (you can run it on anything you have already written tonight) Why your Customers do not know your biggest advantages, and the Schlitz beer story that turned a forgotten brand into number two in the country with a single campaign The 10-handwritten-notes-a-day discipline that quietly rebuilds the muscle most marketers are losing to AI Why Joe says "most people do not use social media, social media uses them," and the single question that flips it The five clusters of marketing frustration that came up live in the audience poll, and the one thing all of them share The Prospect Vending Machine versus the Prospect Slot Machine: Dean's framework that explains why your funnel feels random The financial advisor case study that produced a billion-dollar honey hole inside a 20 mile radius (you can run this exact play in your own market) Why Gary Halbert made his copywriting students hand-write his sales letters five times in a row, and what that means for working with AI without quietly making yourself dumber Gary Chapman's tip on why complaints are actually love letters from your market, and how to read them Dean's 50-Minute Focus Finder, the simple practice that empties the open browser tabs in your brain so you can actually finish what you start Why selling something nobody wants to buy taught Joe more about marketing than any course or book ever did Show Notes The Question That Started the Episode Paul Colligan opens with a single live prompt. "What is your biggest marketing frustration right now and what does it actually feel like?" Frustrations come in clusters. Lack of clarity on the target market. Censorship. Too many ideas and too little time. Missed calls. Replacing meta ads. Poor organizational skills. LinkedIn that reads like it was written by an LLM. Overspending on stuff you cannot confirm is working. Dean's reframe is the foundation of the whole episode. Marketing is people, and people pursue self-interest with absolute reliability. If you can embrace that, you have a cheat code. If you try to fight it, you are in trouble. Compelling Offer vs. Convincing Argument Dean's signature line: "A compelling offer is 10 times more powerful than a convincing argument." A compelling offer moves people in the direction they are already moving. You get in the jet stream and friction drops. A convincing argument tries to drag people in a direction they are not naturally going. It is exhausting for you, and it feels like pressure to them. Marketing vs. Selling Joe's working distinction: selling is what you do when you are face to face or on the phone with someone. Marketing is what you do to get them to be face to face or on the phone with you, properly positioned, pre-interested, pre-motivated, pre-qualified, and pre-disposed to do business with you. Frustration is fear plus anger. The reason Joe used to hate marketing was that he did not understand it. He had a definition of marketing that was based on bad salespeople. Trust is not the same as rapport. Rapport is trust with comfort. Rapport can be built quickly. Trust takes time, and trust is rarely destroyed in one moment. It is a series of small choices that add up. Get Benefit Now: The Four-Word Filter Dean got these four words from Jeffrey Lant's 1995 book Cash Copy. He has used them as the through-line on every piece of marketing he creates for 30 plus years. Get. The destination, not the transportation. The outcome the prospect actually wants. Benefit. The result, not the mechanism. What the Customer ends up with. Now. The only time to act. Every piece of communication must tie back to one of these four anchors or it does not earn its space. Select a Single Target Market (Procter and Gamble Style) Profit Activator one is to select a single target market. Most Entrepreneurs try to make it convenient for themselves by bundling people together. Blue collar home service workers is not a target market. Electricians are. Carpet cleaners are. Procter and Gamble runs 23 billion-dollar brands, each one focused on a hyper-specific market. The biggest companies on earth narrow, they do not broaden. Dean's e-bike catalog Facebook ads ran four different creatives to four different segments. Single guy on a trail for men 25 to 50. A couple riding around a lake for 50 and over. A super-mom cover with a basket on the bike for women 25 to 50, which became the top performer. Handwritten Thank-You Cards Joe's challenge: write 10 handwritten notes per day, five days a week. 50 a week. Just thank-you cards. Friends. Prospects. Clients. Anyone who has done anything for you. Gary Halbert made copywriting students hand-write his own sales letters five times in a row. When you write the words by hand, the language penetrates your thinking and you start to feel the underlying psychology. Dan Sullivan-linked research has shown roughly 40 percent better retention when you write by hand instead of typing. The pen and the thumb light up memory circuits that a keyboard does not touch. Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages applied to marketing: words of affirmation, physical touch, acts of service, gifts, quality time. A handwritten note hits multiple at once, and a Prospect cannot get that from an email or a Facebook post Listen to What People Complain About Gary Chapman told Joe: if you want to know someone's love language, listen to what they complain about. Complaints are usually people begging for attention. Marketers can read complaints the same way. The negative version of a wish is still a wish. The pain inside a complaint is the outcome the prospect actually wants. Most people find complaints annoying. Marketers should find them useful. The Prospect Vending Machine vs. The Prospect Slot Machine Most marketers are running a slot machine. They put money in, pull the lever, and hope something comes out. They have no way of knowing which input maps to which outcome. A vending machine works differently. You pick what you want, you see the price, you pay it, and you get exactly that. Predictable, repeatable, designed. The goal is to engineer your marketing so it works like a vending machine. Specific input. Specific output. Known cost per ideal Prospect. The Billion-Dollar Honey Hole (Financial Advisor Case Study) Dean worked with a financial advisor whose dream client was someone transitioning into retirement, turning assets into income. They defined the ideal person. 62 to 67 years old, married homeowners with two to three million in investable assets, in a one million dollar plus home, conservative voters. Inside a 20 mile radius of the advisor's office, they found 4,300 of them. Dean reframed it: 1,000 of those people with a million dollars each represents a billion dollars of investable assets. The tactic: start with 100. Whatever you would pay to get the ideal Client, deploy that across the first 100, and let them teach you what works before you scale to the rest. The Five Clusters of Marketing Frustration Parth (Joe's AI Team Member) parsed every audience response in real time into five themes. Clarity (who is the audience and what is the message). Overwhelm and paralysis (too many ideas, too many shiny objects). Visibility and leads (getting seen without a Team, replacing meta, more discovery calls). Consistency and systems (outreach cadence, tracking, organization). Trust and connection (community, people seeing it for themselves). The audience then voted live on which one mattered most. Visibility and leads won by a landslide, with trust and connection close behind. The diagnosis underneath all five: people already know what to do. They are stuck on focus and follow-through. AI, Cognitive Offloading, and the 50-Minute Focus Finder Joe is training himself to spend three hours a day off-screen. Handwriting. Reading paper books. Time without the device. He locks his phone in a lockbox from 10pm until noon and uses a Remarkable tablet during the analog hours. AI is a productivity superpower and a memory accelerator at the same time. The risk is camouflage laziness. If you let AI think for you, you get the words but you lose the understanding. Dean's 50-Minute Focus Finder is the antidote for Entrepreneurs with too many open tabs in their brain. Get into an infinite white room, lay every idea out on a yellow pad, exhaust the working memory, then evaluate by consequence and timeframe. Most urgent items involve other people who are waiting on you. Daily maximizer (Tetris) versus pre-arranged song (Guitar Hero). Joe runs Tetris, Dean runs Guitar Hero. Both work. The point is to pick the song before the day picks one for you. The Schlitz Beer Lesson Claude Hopkins, the father of modern advertising, was hired to advertise Schlitz beer when it had slipped to roughly number eight in the country. He toured the brewery and took notes on the dark bottles that prevented mold, the four-stage bottle cleaning, the 100 year old mother yeast cell, and the 4,000 foot artesian well they dug for the cleanest water. When he asked the executives why none of this was in their ads, they said: every beer company does this. He replied: but the consumer does not know that. He ran the campaign on those exact details, and Schlitz climbed to number two. The lesson for every business owner: you have a curse of knowledge about your own work. Things that are obvious to you are invisible to your market. Tell them. Ask Joe Polish, Agentic AI, and the Curse of Knowledge Joe has loaded AskJoePolish.com with more than 1,000 of his videos, his books, and his articles. It is free, and it is more focused than Joe is. Robin Farmanfarmaian, points out that even in rooms full of CEOs, fewer than a couple of people in the room know what agentic AI actually is. That gap is the opportunity. Same Schlitz beer principle, modern setting. The market does not know what you know. Your job is to tell them what is in it for them. What's In It For Them (The Closing Principle) Joe's frame: keep your give equal to or greater than your want. If you want money, referrals, attention, time, or effort from someone, your contribution into the relationship has to match or exceed it. Commerce, collaboration, and friendship are all the same equation. The friends who really like you are the ones to whom you genuinely give first. The 80/20 cuts both ways. The best move for many overwhelmed marketers is to fire the half-hard, annoying, lame, and frustrating clients and pour their attention into the easy, lucrative, and fun ones. Resources Mentioned What's In It For Them? | Joe Polish, book Breakthrough DNA Report | Dean Jackson, free download Scientific Advertising | Claude Hopkins, book Cash Copy | Jeffrey Lant, book Breakthrough Advertising | Eugene Schwartz, book The Game | Neil Strauss, book The Truth | Neil Strauss, book The 5 Love Languages | Gary Chapman, book Tiny Habits | BJ Fogg, book We Are as Gods | Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler, book Influence | Robert Cialdini, book Ask Joe Polish | Joe Polish's AI clone trained on 1,000 plus of his videos, books, and articles Focus Finder | Dean Jackson My Metal Business Card Strategic Coach | Dan Sullivan Genius Network | Joe Polish's Genius Network Genius Recovery | Joe Polish's addiction-recovery foundation Subscribe: I Love Marketing | Episode Show Notes: ilovemarketing.com/473 If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com .
Lead Conversion Mastery LIVE: The Nine Word Email with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #472
1 hr 17 min
Dean Jackson and Joe Polish go live with Entrepreneurs to share the one strategy that keeps working... The Nine Word Email. With real stories, hot seats, and the "mouse brain" insight, they show why simple, personal marketing still wins. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode: Why the most powerful email strategy most marketers know about is also the one they're most reluctant to send, and the mindset problem behind the hesitation The two prime directives of a mouse and why Dean says they explain virtually every buying decision your prospects are making right now, including the reason your last campaign probably didn't land the way you expected How a trade show operator sent one text message while literally packing up the booth and generated thousands of dollars in orders from people already on planes flying home The difference between a nine word email that starts a real conversation and one that reads like a salesperson wearing a casual disguise, and exactly how to tell them apart Three live hot seats where Dean and Joe build a nine word email in real time: a medical director company, an AI compliance lawyer, and a St. Lucia adventure tour operator who can't get a list of people on a cruise ship Why Dean says a compelling offer is ten times more powerful than a convincing argument, and what that means for the conversation you're actually trying to start If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com .
Right Offer = Easier Marketing (I Love Marketing LIVE) with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #471
1 hr 31 min
Joe Polish and Dean Jackson go deeper into crafting irresistible offers, simplifying your message, and building marketing that sells in advance. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode: Why "Horse For Sale" might be the most honest marketing advice you'll ever hear. The Receiving Dock distinction that makes prospects welcome you instead of screen you. The question Dean asks before building any offer that exposes weak positioning immediately. Why some offers pull people in almost automatically and others always feel like work. The Toronto outdoor wedding strategy that created demand early without advertising the actual service being sold. The "prospect vending machine" idea and why your business should never be waiting for leads. The difference between visible and invisible prospects and why not knowing the difference wastes money. The $100 decision filter that can save you months of chasing the wrong idea. Why "Stop Your Divorce" converts faster than "Improve Your Marriage" and what that means for your offers. The three levels of expectation every client experiences and the only one that creates loyalty and referrals. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com .
I Love Marketing Live: Time Travel Marketing, Breakthrough DNA, and The Human Advantage in Marketing (Why Live Still Matters) with Joe Polish and Dean Jackson - I Love Marketing Episode #470
1 hr 32 min
I Love Marketing is back—live. In this first relaunch episode, Joe Polish and Dean Jackson break down what never changes in marketing, why timing matters more than tactics, and how to build an asset of future buyers before they're ready to buy. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Joe and Dean in this episode: The reason most experienced marketers quietly kill their best campaigns without realizing it A thought experiment Dean uses that makes most people deeply uncomfortable once they actually think it through What changes when you stop judging marketing by short term conversion and start measuring something else entirely Why "educating your market" too early feels responsible but often produces the opposite result you want A subtle distinction between compelling and convincing that explains why so many good offers stall Why Joe says certainty beats tactics consistently and why almost no one ever gets to experience it How leads most people label as "low quality" often become highly valuable over time The overlooked referral mistake that causes even happy customers to stay silent Joe's direct answer to the AI question most marketers are avoiding and what he believes still cannot be automated Where persuasive language actually comes from when people are scared, stuck, and deciding what to do next If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com .
The Shark's Roadmap: Insights from Daymond John on Success and Building a Business That Lasts with Daymond John at Joe Polish's Genius Network - I Love Marketing Episode #469
47 min
Join Joe Polish and Daymond John as they explore the raw realities of Entrepreneurship. This episode debunks common myths, highlights the intense dedication and sacrifices required, and underscores the crucial role of mentorship. Get ready for candid insights that will reshape your understanding of the Entrepreneurial journey. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Daymond and Joe in this episode: Turn Obstacles into Wins: Discover how Daymond John's mindset turns tough situations into big wins, showcasing the power of a positive business outlook. Simple Ideas, Big Success: Learn the importance of clear and simple business ideas for effective communication and success. Winning in the Digital World: Get insights on using online tools and social media to grow your business effectively. Create a Brand That Connects: Find out strategies for creating a brand that people deeply connect with. Smart Decisions for Growth: Learn how to make smart business choices that lead to growth, inspired by Daymond John's approach. Balance Business and Personal Life: Discover how to balance chasing business goals with managing personal life. Grow Your Business with Your Story: Learn how your personal story can be a powerful tool for business growth. Bringing Ideas to Life: Get advice on turning creative ideas into successful businesses. Lead Your Team to Achieve More: Discover tips for effective leadership that drives better business performance. Understanding Money in Business: Highlighting the importance of financial knowledge for making sound business decisions. Mentors Matter: Learn how having mentors can shape your business journey and lead to success.
Uncover the purpose of wealth, the secrets to ethical persuasion, and tips to overcome rejection and skepticism. Plus, Dr. Cialdini shares his advice on maintaining a 47-year-long relationship. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Dr. Robert Cialdini in this episode: What one of the richest men in the world said is the purpose of building personal wealth Dr. Robert Cialdini shares some of the latest, most interesting research on persuasion and influence The keys that make someone an ethical influencer (PLUS: One of the best ways to influence almost anyone…) How to deal with being scared or the fear of rejection when it comes to connecting and influence Dr. Cialdini shares some of the best ways to protect yourself against manipulation and unethical influences The best way to influence skeptical people and prospects... Having a 47 years of a relationship with his partner, Dr. Cialdini shares his best advice for having a relationship that works
Overcoming Doubt and Succeeding In Life and Business: An Interview with Hint Water Founder Kara Goldin and Joe Polish - I Love Marketing Episode #467
38 min
Kara Goldin, CEO of Hint Water, shares her fearless journey from tech executive to health beverage pioneer. Learn how she overcame industry doubts and personal fears to build a $150 million company. Get inspired by Kara's secrets to staying undaunted and achieving your dreams. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Kara in this episode: Kara reveals her Entrepreneurial journey of growing one of the most successful brands in a HIGHLY competitive space The health reasons why Kara started Hint Water (PLUS: What Kara ended up realizing about the big consumer industries) The difference you NEED TO KNOW ABOUT between "healthy perception" and "healthy reality" to PROTECT your health Training Your Brain To Be Addicted: How "Diet", "Vitamin", and "low fat" are Degrading peoples' Health Worldwide What Kara learned about success, mindset, and culture while working at Time, CNN, AOL, AND starting Hint Water How Kara positions Hint Water among an "unconcerned with health and simply wanting to sell" beverage industry The mindset to have during tough times so you can courageously keep moving forward and realize greater success How the beverage industry creates an uphill battle for healthy alternatives and dismisses new health-focused start-ups Kara discusses what she discovered while writing her new book "Undaunted" and why she decided to share her story How to not let fears get in your way, overcome your self-doubts, and regain control of your health and life
Culture and Leadership: A Powerful Conversation with Patty McCord and Joe Polish - I Love Marketing Episode #466
1 hr 0 min
Patty McCord, former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, shares insights on building high-performance teams and cultivating a strong company culture. Drawing from her transformative experiences at Netflix, Patty offers practical advice for hiring the right talent and managing team dynamics. Tune in for actionable tips to elevate your business and leadership approach. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Patty in this episode: How to create a great company that is a great place to be from and that is "resume-worthy" Why you want to seek "A Players" for EVERY role in your company (How to create an amazing team) Know exactly who to hire by looking at the problems you need to solve with your current team Why the first 100 people you hire as a start-up eventually lead to problems of scale When It's Time To Say Goodbye: Why team members don't work out and what to do about it Patty reveals the inside workings of her time at Netflix and the lessons she learned High-Performance Teams: Why behaviors matter for culture and building great teams Why tracking time off isn't useful according to Patty (and what you should do instead) One thing you must get good at (that most people aren't) if you want to hire effectively Context, Not Control: How to intelligently let go when you are delegating to people How Patty and Reid Hastings worked together and why they made a successful team How to give "Good Negative Feedback" versus The importance of being "customer-obsessed" when it comes to your company culture Patty's best advice for resourcing yourself and finding answers when you're in charge
Perfect Practice: Achieving Excellence in Business and Life with Harvey Mackay and Joe Polish - I Love Marketing Episode #465
24 min
At nearly 92, Harvey shares timeless wisdom on relationship building, effective sales strategies, and the importance of continuous learning. Discover the power of the Mackay 66, how to perfect your practice and invaluable insights from one of the most respected voices in business. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Harvey and Joe in this episode: Learn the secrets behind the Mackay 66 and how it can transform your sales strategy. Discover why perfect practice is essential and how to apply it to your business. Understand the importance of continuous learning and how to stay ahead in your industry. Harvey's advice on why you should surround yourself with successful, positive people. Gain insights on building lasting relationships and the power of genuinely caring about your Clients. How volunteering and giving back can not only help others but also boost your own success. Learn the value of trying different approaches when current strategies aren't working. Get inspired by Harvey's lifelong commitment to personal and professional growth.
The World's Greatest Conversation on Behavior, Influence, and Negotiation: A One-of-Kind Interview by Joe Polish with B.J. Fogg PhD, Dr. Robert Cialdini, and Chris Voss - I Love Marketing Episode #464
1 hr 8 min
Learn unique strategies for creating lasting change, boosting conversion rates, and navigating tough situations. Discover ethical ways to use these powerful tools and insights on AI's impact on behavior. Tune in for transformative tips on success and discerning truth in a world of uncertainty. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Here's a glance at what you'll learn in this episode: What the top former FBI hostage negotiator says is the master secret to winning any negotiation A unique way to use behavior to create lasting change when almost nothing else seems to work What the world's greatest social psychologist and "godfather of influence" says is the most important key to influence and persuasion B.J. Fogg's three-part behavioral model that can help you more easily navigate any difficult circumstance or situation The right (and WRONG) ways to use the tools of influence, persuasion, negotiation, and behavior (And why being unethical doesn't pay) A simple set of words you can add to your website to significantly increase your conversion rates What the world's foremost authority on behavioral science says is the simplest way to achieve almost any outcome you want What the smartest people in the world do to know who to listen to and who to learn from Dr. Robert Cialdini reveals 3 ways to reduce uncertainty and increase discernment in a world of lies, propaganda, and media misdirection The way to congratulate your team members so it causes them to put MORE effort and motivation towards your organization's goals The neuroscience behind "feeling heard" that the top hostage negotiators in the world know Chris, Dr. Cialdini, and B.J. give their thoughts about AI's impact on behavior, influence, and negotiation What to do when someone violates your core values (and how to know when to let go of a relationship) One of the richest people in the world says THIS is important to focus on when growing a business Chris Voss reveals the surprising difference between your amygdala and your gut and how to take back control of your emotional architecture The limiting beliefs B.J. Fogg, Dr. Cialdini, and Chris Voss had to overcome to achieve success
From Vision to Reality: Building Your Dream Team with a COO with Cameron Herold and Joe Polish - I Love Marketing Episode #463
53 min
Step into the dynamic world of COO's with Cameron Herold. As he unravels the intricacies of effective leadership, covering key aspects like titles, compensation, and building successful partnerships with CEOs. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Cameron in this episode: The diverse positions falling under "second in command," harmonizing them with the entrepreneur's vision The signs signaling the need for a COO and how to proactively hire, addressing the entrepreneurial training gap The importance of aligning titles, roles, and compensation for executive success How a skilled COO can transform your business vision into reality Identifying the right candidate and the importance of successfully onboarding a COO Understanding the diverse roles and contributions of different COO archetypes Seamless Integration - how to bring a COO into your company with minimal disruption and preempting common challenges Proactive strategies to sidestep common issues and build a harmonious executive partnership Recognizing the natural life cycle with respect, and investing in continuous learning and coping mechanisms
How To Survive A Recession: Proven Strategies to Find, Convert and Keep Clients In The Toughest of Times with Draye Redfern - I Love Marketing Episode #462
19 min
The power of hyper-personalizing your marketing in a way that works in good and bad times. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Draye Redfern in this episode: How to plan and operate your business so you make it through the ups and downs of a recession The best way to secure your business financially and predictably before times get tough Questions you should ask yourself to protect your downside AND what you should do going forward How your marketing needs to change during a recession to attract and convert prospects Draye shows you how to mitigate the downside and optimize the upside during a recession"
Models That Matter: Simplify Sales, Conquer Complexity, and Delivery Value with Simon Bowen and Joe Polish - I Love Marketing Episode #461
1 hr 30 min
Simon simplifies sales, reveals the secrets to connecting with Customers, and explores the power of visual models and effective communication. If you'd like to join world-renowned Entrepreneurs at the next Genius Network Event or want to learn more about Genius Network, go to www.GeniusNetwork.com . Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Simon Bowen and Joe Polish in this episode: 3 element of your company's Genius and how it can impact your bottom line How to connect with your customers at a profound level to drive more sales The secret to selling more with visual models and unique communications What people are REALLY buying from you (PLUS: Three things they WANT most) Simon talks about how he communicates complex ideas simply and effectively The consequences of a product or service that doesn't work (and how to fix it) Why context is key when it comes to sales conversations and getting results What the #1 responsibility and focus of any successful business ought to be The limitations (and possibilities) to build human relationships with AI Taking any sales conversation from shallow to deep with the "Iceberg Model." Genius-Level strategies for marketing, selling, and framing almost anything
Keeping It E.L.F. (Easy, Lucrative, and FUN!): How To Build A Great Business Where Everybody Wins with Tommy Mello and Joe Polish - I Love Marketing Episode #460
1 hr 26 min
Dive into marketing principles, the power of sales letters, and the #1 reason people buy from Joe. Join us for inspiring insights, valuable lessons, and Joe's unique ability to connect with high-level Entrepreneurs. Here's a glance at what you'll learn from Tommy Mello and Joe Polish in this episode: How Joe turned his life around from addiction and made his entrepreneurial fantasy come true What Joe did with his carpet cleaning business that made him stand out from everybody else One of the most instrumental conversations Joe had that changed the trajectory of his business The Jet Ski Millionaire: The "first domino" that put Joe on the path to business success Why there's no relationship between "being good" and getting paid (and what to do about this) Secrets of education-based marketing, relationship marketing, and direct response marketing Why any problem in the world can be solved with the right sales letter (and how to write it) How "bad news" in the world could be the best piece of "good news" for your business and life Discover the #1 reason people buy from you and attract more Customers to your business The Million Dollar Racehorse: How to best take care of yourself so you win more often How to create valuable marketing that helps prospects make an informed buying decision Increase your productivity, leverage your capabilities, and 10x your achievements How to create conditions for a business that is E.L.F. (Easy, Lucrative, and Fun!) A valuable insight billionaire Richard Branson shared with Joe about hiring and delegation The power of guarantees, building trust, positioning, and focusing on "What's In It For Them" Two keys to identifying what people want, aligning with prospects, and selling more services The 9 principles of Genius Networking that can help you get what you want in life and business How Joe connects with high level Entrepreneurs, millionaires, billionaires, and famous people
