Starting a business is exciting and ambiguous – and that’s the fun. It’s a time of possibility, experimentation, imagination, and showing the world what you can do. But, it can also feel slow, frustrating, and full of traps and distractions, leaving potential entrepreneurs to question their self-worth and to wonder why they started in the first place. As a small business coach, I’ll help you cultivate an entrepreneur’s mindset, so you can start and grow your businesses with confidence and step boldly into the role of business owner. Subscribe to get access to weekly tips, small business interviews, and more.
🤬 How to Annoy Your Customers
|
Hi Reader, At least once a week, usually around dinner time, the doorbell chimes. I glance at my phone, pull up the doorbell camera, and there they are: a salesperson making their rounds. Solar panels, new windows, knives, car detailing — you name it. Most of the time, I ignore them. But when I do engage, the tactics are predictable: quick attempts at trust, appeals to social proof — “we just helped your neighbors save a ton of money.” To me, it feels no different than a spam call, a cold DM, or a billboard you speed past on the highway. It’s like walking through a department store and having someone shove a perfume sample in your face. It’s disorienting. My brain was in one place — cooking dinner, catching up with my family — and suddenly someone’s asking me to context switch into whatever their thing is. It’s dizzying. This is what not to do in your sales and marketing. Marketing, as Seth Godin says, is a contest for people’s attention. So, how do you capture attention? With a good story. Think about the energy of that door-to-door pitch: a jarring switchover. Now think about the energy of a great story: magnetic, inviting, the feeling of being seen and understood. Which energy is more likely to build not just transactions, but loyalty? Not just a swing of the bat, but a home run? That’s the power of storytelling. Notice even in this email, I started with a story. My goal was to show you how a story can pull you in, and ultimately set you up to learn something new. You can try this too! The best stories balance three things, often called the rhetorical triangle:
The right balance of these depends on your audience. But when you hit all three, your message won’t feel like an interruption, it will feel like an invitation. Until next time, Michael
Michael Schefman | 321 Liftoff Copyright © 2024 by 321 Liftoff LLC |
Michel Schefman, 321 Liftoff
Starting a business is exciting and ambiguous – and that’s the fun. It’s a time of possibility, experimentation, imagination, and showing the world what you can do. But, it can also feel slow, frustrating, and full of traps and distractions, leaving potential entrepreneurs to question their self-worth and to wonder why they started in the first place. As a small business coach, I’ll help you cultivate an entrepreneur’s mindset, so you can start and grow your businesses with confidence and step boldly into the role of business owner. Subscribe to get access to weekly tips, small business interviews, and more.
Hi Reader, There’s always a gap between where you are and where you want to be. Sometimes it feels like a chasm: How could I possibly get there?! I feel this all the time. I’ve got a long-term vision for where I want my business and career to go. And even on a smaller scale, I have a vision for how I want to show up in the next coaching session or meeting. But when I spend too much energy thinking about the end goal, I get stuck. The distance feels overwhelming and I tend to be overly...
Hi Reader, When you’re building something new and ambitious, feeling fear is natural. It’s that shiver down your spine before stepping onto a stage, or the goosebumps when you hit “publish” for the first time. But fear, like all emotions, is just a signal – it's telling you: this matters, pay attention. A little fear is healthy. It sharpens your senses, like the tense music in a haunted house. Panic, on the other hand, is dangerous. It scrambles your thinking, pushing you to make rash...
Hi Reader, Over the last few years, I’ve experimented with a lot: social media videos, podcasts, this newsletter, different coaching methods, website layouts, lead magnets, digital tools, program designs, in-person events, different taglines on my business cards. Some of it stuck. Some of it flopped. All of it taught me something. There's value in spreading out — exploring widely, experimenting with new ideas, and stretching your belief about what you're capable of creating. Spreading out...