I write short and actionable advice, called brain pickings, on slow marketing, productivity and humanity. Come for the humor, stay for the hindsight.
the school you went to, was it your idea?
the city you now live in?
the car you drive, the place you live, the socks you’re wearing?
how about your job, was it your idea?
if it wasn’t your idea, did you, at least, vote for it? did you have an opinion? did you fight for it?
your life is a combination of all of the choices you make,
how much of your life was your idea?
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 237 of the year, there are 129 days remaining of 2022.
email marketing is dead.
it’s supposedly been dead for a decade now.
for a dead practice, it sure is breathing very heavily.
333.2 billion emails are sent per DAY.
if you’re like most people and breathe 12 times per minute,
that means 17.5 million emails will have been sent by the time you take in one breath.
(possible mantra for my next meditation)
I’d be curious to know how many of those emails are spam,
how many are promotional,
and how many are from your accountant that hasn’t yet learned that emails have a “body” and not all of the information needs to be written in the subject line.
or is it just my accountant? 🙂
it’s not just email marketing,
it’s facebook advertising,
it’s search engine optimization,
and whatever new thing will be the thing when you read this picking.
it’s not the tool
it’s the consumer.
they’re getting smarter (as they should,)
they’re learning about the psychological tricks marketers use (as they should,)
they’re deleting, reporting and unsubscribing (as they should.)
people opt-in because they have a problem and they believe you have the solution.
they believe that once they leave their credentials, they’ll find closure and NOT a barrage of email sequences and invitations to BUY NOW before the offer goes away.
similarly to online dating, the email marketing bar is reaaaaally low,
next time your prospect opts-in, inspire them with something hopeful and give them something useful,
ideally the thing you promised you’d give.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 236 of the year, there are 130 days remaining of 2022.
click here to download your free ebook Read More »
I am not the kind of person that says “I’m the kind of person that…”
this expression genuinely angers me with the fire of a thousand suns,
as it usually comes with a bizarre sense of pride in a shortcoming:
“oh, I’m not a math person”
with little exceptions (e.g. dyscalculia) that’s usually code for “I can’t be bothered to think and don’t want to look bad.”
note: saying “I’m not the kind of person that enjoys killing” – is perfectly acceptable, and in fact, desirable.
you could very well say, “well, I just don’t like math, I’m not good at it, I prefer using a calculator instead”
ah, well…
having a preference and being unable to do something are completely different things.
you are exactly the kind of person you want to be.
having this awareness is immensely freeing, but also bears a hefty burden of responsibility,
“I am not the kind of person that…” then becomes “I choose not to….”
I choose not to be a math person is perfectly valid, you can’t be everything.
so, what kind of a person are you?
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 234 of the year, there are 132 days remaining of 2022.
I am not this kind of person Read More »
I’ve spent half my life getting in trouble
and the other half getting out of it,
nothing extreme or dangerous, just different.
(I take great pride in cultivating my oddness)
I did it because it was fun,
because I wanted to challenge myself,
because I wanted to be different,
because no one told me I couldn’t,
because my home was a safe haven.
I won’t bore you with examples, just a tip.
go first.
I wish I could go back in time to tell your parents to:
let you go to camp,
trust and forgive you,
give you more privacy,
let you go your own direction,
believe in you.
but I can’t,
so I will tell you this instead.
go first.
you don’t have to ask for permission to:
say hello first,
book the tickets first,
be kind first,
take the leap first,
make the change first,
choose yourself first.
go first.
being first allows you to:
set the rules first,
reap the rewards first,
learn the lessons first,
move on to the next thing first.
be first again.
indeed, if you never try first, you’ll never fail,
you’ll also never win.
who wants to be first?
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 231 of the year, there are 136 days remaining of 2022.
everyone loves a good hero’s journey:
writers, poets, composers, filmmakers, actual heroes…
and marketers.
think of Robin Hood for a moment,
as classic of a hero’s journey as they come:
I. nobleman gets captured in a fight;
II. he returns home after some time, expecting to find things as he’s left them;
III. instead he discovers an usurper had taken his place;
IV. the sheriff is also taking advantage of the people;
V. he then decides to become a vigilante and fight against those forces.
your garden variety “good versus evil” storyline we all know and love.
why do they work so well?
it’s hopeful, it shows that change is possible (even for little ol’ you,)
and that you can overcome great obstacles, defeat your enemies and get the girl, on your way to achieving your goals.
who wouldn’t want some of that?
now think of Robin Hood, the marketer…
“this is what’s happening to you and you might not even know it! join me and I’ll help you against the bad guys!”
meaning…
“mainstream skin care is mass produced, packed with harmful ingredients and they even test on animals! buy from me and your skin will thank you for it. I hike 20k and handpick the ingredients myself, play classical music to relax the leaves and manually grind them with the mortar and pestle.”
you’ve seen a million of these examples online, especially in small businesses,
a lot of influencers seem to be latching on to this arch as well.
it works.
it works well.
it provides a narrative we naturally understand and can get behind.
there are hundreds of tropes you can draw inspiration from, which one’s yours?
Sidenote: Story selling is a new buzzword to mainstream marketing, but the concept (to my knowledge) was first popularized by Colin Theriot, one of my mentors, who I’ve learned this from in 2017. Check out his work if you want to learn more.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 230 of the year, there are 137 days remaining of 2022.
call me hood, robin hood Read More »
I wonder if this is what they mean when they talk about being in line with your higher self…
I guess it’s one of those things you don’t realize is happening until it’s passed,
like a lightning, or a silent heart attack.
for the last few months I’ve been particularly productive and fabulously creative,
(the pickings, the braincrumbs newsletter and a big secret goal are testament to that)
and while I can certainly look back and highlight a few trigger points,
I know which was the first domino piece to have fallen…
clarity.
like a dog that doesn’t stop to think what will happen if he catches the car,
I used to run and bark furiously without question, only because I knew I had to,
I enjoy being part of the pack, you see (pun fully intended)
and even though I deep down knew that keeping myself busy with shallow work was just a guise for avoiding a few critically important, but uncomfortable actions,
I kept doing it.
again and again and again…
I had reached a point in which I felt as if I was constantly lagging behind myself,
thoughts going in one direction, steps in another.
incapable of making a sure move…
yet here I am today, having swam to the other shore, flush with inspiration and the energy to create.
how fertile this time has been for me.
above all else, I wish you clarity.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 228 of the year, there are 139 days remaining of 2022.
have you ever read a 300+ page book that could have easily been summarized in 3 paragraphs?
if so, have you ever wondered:
what is the point of all of the other 299 pages?
is it all just… fluff?
an exercise in creative writing?
an attempt to build rapport?
a desire to waste my time?!
is everything else meant to get lost in the fog of recollection?
you’re not alone,
I have also sat (impatiently) through many words, grabbing hold of my emotional support glass of wine, waiting for it to
A) get to the point
or B) end the point.
why?
Tools of Titans was the book that put this philosophical line of inquiry to rest.
if you’re not familiar with the book,
it’s a collection of 300+ interview summaries by some of the most inspirational and successful people in the world.
everything is divided into health, wealth and wisdom.
out of the 300 interviews,
5% were life changing
10% were highly actionable
25% were interesting
some were basic and however many percents were meh.
FOR ME.
32 year old Bianca, currently breathing the air in Bucovina, going through MY lives’ ebbs and flows.
even when all readers can collectively agree on the central idea that the author wants to convey in a book…
you don’t know which page’s argument is going to cause that penny drop.
the author is simply trying to cover all bases,
address as many objections as possible,
and repeat the points they find most valuable.
and while you’re sat there thinking “I have never seen a deader horse,”
that argument can be the argument that pushes the needle for your neighbor down the street.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 227 of the year, there are 140 days remaining of 2022.
the author’s dilemma Read More »
off the top of your head…
have you ever been through a heartbreak? was it their fault? what did they do?
has anyone else’s mistake ever caused you to lose money? was it a substantial amount? how much?
how many job applications were left unanswered? or opportunities were lost because of pure bad luck?
why do you still know this?
is this something you track?
how is this information serving you?
is it facilitating a greater learning experience? or simply feeding a grudge?
how much space would you gain if you let it go?
what would you fill it with?
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 226 of the year, there are 141 days remaining of 2022.
I first read about the 1% rule back in 2013, in James Altucher’s book Choose Yourself,
since then it’s become a widely accepted and celebrated concept in the productivity space, with James Clear leading the conversation (read Atomic Habits to learn more about tiny gains)
the concept is simple,
become 1% better by improving a little each day.
there’s two reasons why this works so well:
you can apply this concept to literally any habit or skill you can think of,
get creative with it, what is the absolute bear minimum you can do to become marginally better?
floss one tooth?
take one deep breath?
write one sentence a day?
intensity makes a good story,
consistency makes progress.
bonus!
if you’re like me and slowly compounding progress isn’t good enough of a motivator,
I occasionally tap into my competitive mindset and remind myself that,
everyone is already doing 100% of what they are,
if you want more, you have to become more.
101%
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 224 of the year, there are 143 days remaining of 2022.
one hundred and one per cent Read More »
the person that creates the product is typically the worst person to sell the product;
there, I said it.
entrepreneurs are so passionate about their product that they start the business inside themselves, and not out there, in the marketplace.
nobody cares about your product, except you and maybe your mom.
what qualifies you to sell to that market?
what is their problem?
what is the pain associated with that problem?
what is the cost of them living in this pain?
is your offer the solution to their problem?
no matter how good your product is,
if in their mind the problem has no cost, then the solution has no value.
“People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole.” – Theodore Levitt.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 224 of the year, there are 143 days remaining of 2022.
quarter inch holes Read More »