February 12, 2025 • 34 mins
Discover the art of simplifying strategic marketing with Amber Gaige, founder of Far Beyond Marketing and a third-generation entrepreneur from McKinney, Texas. With over 25 years of experience and an entrepreneurial legacy, Amber shares invaluable insights into navigating small business marketing challenges. Comparing effective marketing to a perfectly layered chocolate cake, she highlights the importance of thoughtful strategies at every level.
In this episode, Amber introduces her internationally bestselling book, revealing the "Four C’s of Effective Marketing"—a framework designed to help business owners avoid common pitfalls and achieve outstanding results. You'll also learn how to create repeatable sales funnels that automate marketing while maximizing efficiency, saving time and resources.
Join us as we delve into the role of AI in marketing and uncover how small businesses can use it strategically. Drawing inspiration from experts like Don Miller, Brian Tracy, and Michael Gerber, Amber explains the power of storytelling frameworks, systemization, and building a strong team. Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or starting your first business, this episode is packed with actionable tips to optimize your marketing and drive small business growth.
Amber Gaige: Founder & CEO, Far Beyond Marketing
Website: https://farbeyondmarketing.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marketing-strategy-coaching-ambergaige/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachambergaige
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farbeyondmarketing/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ambergaige4
Email: amber@farbeyondmarketing.com
#SmallBusinessMarketing #MarketingStrategies #FarBeyondMarketing #Entrepreneurship #AmberGaige #SmallBusinessGrowth #MarketingAutomation #StrategicMarketing #AIinMarketing #MarketingTips #StorytellingInBusiness #StoryBrand #DonMiller #BrianTracy #MichaelGerber #BusinessSystemization #SalesFunnels #EntrepreneurTips #BusinessGrowth #MarketingForEntrepreneurs #MarketingInsights #DigitalMarketing #SmallBusinessSuccess #MarketingFrameworks #BusinessOptimization #SmallBusinessPivots #BusinessPodcast #MichaelDMorrison #BOSS #BusinessOwnership #OklahomaCity
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right, welcome to another Small Business Pivots.
Today we have another specialguest from around the world, and
actually she is just a fewhours south of our headquarters
in Oklahoma City in theMcKinney-Plano Texas area.
How are you today?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hey, Michael, I'm doing great.
How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
I'm doing fantastic, fantastic.
Well, I know that no one canintroduce themselves or their
business like the business owner, so I'm going to give you the
floor here to do that and sharea little bit about what your
business does.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Sure Happy to do it.
Well, my name is Amber Gage andI am the owner of Far Beyond
Marketing.
We are a boutique strategicmarketing firm out of McKinney,
texas, and I grew up as anentrepreneur's daughter and
entrepreneur's granddaughter, soI am a third generation
entrepreneur and you know usTexans, we tend to value freedom
(00:51):
over much of anything else.
So I just decided when I wasready to start my business that
I wanted to help otherentrepreneurs to grow their
businesses, so that's what myteam and I do.
We serve entrepreneurs allacross the United States.
I have over 25 years ofstrategic marketing advisory
experience and we try to protectpeople from marketing that
(01:13):
doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Wow, wow.
I'm pretty confident that yougot some ears perked, because I
don't know of an entrepreneurthat hasn't complained about
their current marketingsituation, whether it be lead
generation not getting views,whatever it is.
So let's introduce the show andwe'll be right back.
Welcome to Small BusinessPivots, a podcast produced for
(01:36):
small business owners.
I'm your host, michael Morrison, founder and CEO of Boss, where
we make business ownershipsimplified for success.
Our business is helping yoursgrow.
Boss offers business loans withbusiness coaching support.
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
(01:58):
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
Atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
All right, welcome back toSmall Business Pivots.
I really don't even know whereto get started, because you were
born into the entrepreneurialworld.
What was that like?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Hard.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Just as hard as owning a business, right that's
right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
School of hard knocks all the way.
Yeah, my daddy was a plumber.
My mother has three businessdegrees.
My father graduated from theschool of hard knocks and
together they built anentrepreneurial empire from the
ground up, with no customers, notrucks, no employees, and now
they have a very successfulmultiple businesses together,
(02:42):
and I was blessed to grow up inthat and to watch our businesses
scale from the spare bedroom inour home to a one-room office
suite to now an office buildingthat is fully occupied by over
60 employees, and to really getto see the ebbs and flow of what
it's like to grow a familyowned and operated business.
(03:05):
And you know, when we'reteenagers, michael, you think
that is the last thing I'm goingto do with my life.
My parents are crazy.
And then what do we do?
We grow up and we start to dothe exact same thing.
So you know, it's in the blood,I guess.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah, well, you know, some of us entrepreneurs can
say we have walked in theirshoes as an entrepreneur, but
you were actually born intothose shoes and walk the shoes,
and now you are the entrepreneur.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
And I do like shoes.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And hats.
If you're not watching thevideo, you got to catch it on
YouTube.
You got a beautiful hat today.
So well, let's, let's jump intomarketing, because that seems
to be one of the biggestchallenges for entrepreneurs,
especially as technology, AI andeverything just keeps moving so
swiftly and fastly.
It just seems like once we geta hold of it, it changes again
(03:55):
and all of our views and allthose links and clicks and
everything goes away.
So, for our entrepreneurs, mostof them are small business
owners.
So, for our entrepreneurs, mostof them are small business
owners.
Interestingly that youmentioned plumbing, because a
lot of them are in thecontracting business and they
just don't have time to do itthemselves, so they're always
looking for good sources.
So what's some kind ofimmediate?
(04:15):
Here's some basic, foundationalthings about marketing that
small business owners shouldknow, because a lot of them
don't know what they're evenlooking for.
They just kind of look at theprice and what they're being
told they're going to get.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely Well, I like to
compare marketing to a deliciouschocolate layer cake.
And you know, at the first biteit's scrumptious and it's
wonderful, but the more you eatit, the more you feel sick,
because if you just keep doingit and keep doing it, you don't
stop to pause and think aboutwhat's coming next.
Pretty soon you got a tummyache, and marketing is kind of
(04:49):
like that.
You have to go into itunderstanding what you hope to
get out of it.
And a big misunderstanding,michael, about marketing is that
you're going to throw it upagainst the wall and see if it
sticks and it's going to createcalls for you and it's going to
drive revenue for your business.
And it just doesn't work thatway.
(05:09):
A chocolate layer cake haslayers.
You've got the cake, you've gotthe icing, you've got the fudge
, and that's what your marketingreally needs to be.
You have to have marketing in alot of different areas, because
the game is frequency overreach.
It's not enough just to marketone way or in one place and
(05:31):
think that your phone's going toring.
You have to be well diversifiedin your marketing and there are
a lot of different tactics andstrategies that business owners
can do.
I actually have aninternational bestselling book
that is called the Far BeyondMarketing Guidebook how to Stop
being Duped by Bad Marketing andin my guidebook I actually talk
(05:53):
about a system of marketingcalled the four C's of effective
marketing, and when you followmy system of the four C's, you
can experience marketing success.
Would you like me to tell youwhat they are?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
I can't wait.
I was hoping you would say that.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well, for those of you that are listening, grab a
pen, because I'm about tosimplify marketing for you
forever.
The first C of effectivemarketing is clear copy.
Know how to talk to yourcustomer so that they will shut
up, stop what they're doing andlisten to you.
It is not enough to show up ata party and start talking about
(06:33):
yourself.
Nobody likes to have drinkswith those people, right?
We've all been there.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
We've all been there right?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
So you want to be the person that engages with your
potential client in such a waythat they are interested in
engaging with you.
What do I mean by that?
Well, storytelling.
Storytelling is a sense-makingdevice.
It's been around since theBible.
Jesus told stories.
Well, he also called a sheep,and sheep is not a compliment,
(07:01):
michael, we're stupid and we'redirty, okay.
So when you talk about tellingstories for your business, what
you want to do is tell the storyabout how the product or
service that you provide solvesa problem for your ideal
customer.
So if someone shows up at aparty and says Amber, what do
you do for a business?
(07:21):
I don't say well, I'm astrategic marketing advisor for
entrepreneurs.
What I say is I ask them aquestion.
I say well, do you ever?
Have you ever heard of abusiness owner that spent money
on marketing that didn't work?
Well, now they're engagedbecause I've asked them a
question about a problem thatthey're probably familiar with.
(07:42):
If they haven't done itthemselves, then they know
someone that has.
So I'm engaging them with astory and I'm talking about a
problem right away.
Then I follow that up with.
I make sure that doesn't happenfor busy entrepreneurs by
providing them a clear system ofmarketing that they can follow
with peace of mind and not wastemoney.
Wow, now I've got theirattention, because they know
(08:06):
that I care enough to explainwhat I do and I am organized
enough to provide a solution toa potential problem that they
have.
So that's what I mean when I'mtalking about clear copy.
Talk to your audience in a waythat people will want to listen
to you.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
That's great stuff, great stuff.
You mentioned something aboutyour ideal target audience.
How would one go about findingthat?
What's the best tips for that?
I know a lot of business ownersare, just like you said,
throwing a dart at the wall,hoping it sticks, and they
haven't even sat down to definetheir target audience.
(08:42):
Any quick steps you can offerfor that?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Absolutely.
That's actually the third C ofeffective marketing.
Oh sorry, so we'll go ahead andgo there.
We'll just go back to numbertwo in a minute.
The third C of customerdemographic is who's paying your
bills?
Take a look at QuickBooks, takea look at those top revenue
generating items.
Who is actually paying yourbills?
Is it the stay-at-home mom?
(09:07):
Is it the grandma?
Is it the husband or the wife?
Know who it is, and not justthe demographic of where they're
located.
What kind of car do they drive?
You need to know thepsychographics of your audience,
and this goes back to solvingthe problem for them.
What kind of problem do yousolve?
If you're a plumber and youunclog toilets, well then you
(09:28):
probably want to target someonewho owns a home.
Don't put your money in frontof a bunch of apartment dwellers
.
They're not making thedecisions.
If you're a roofer, same thing.
But you have to understand whatthe problem is that you solve
and then talk to your audiencein such a way that they will
engage with your services.
(09:49):
So who's paying your bills?
What do they look like?
Where do they live?
What matters to them?
What's the top revenuegenerating items that you're
selling right now?
Those are five great questionsto ask in order to determine who
your target audience is andthen tailor your call to action
to meet those needs.
(10:09):
So there again.
If you're trying to hit astay-at-home mom whose toddler
just put a potato down thetoilet, then instead of saying
call 555-1234 or say is there apotato stuck in your toilet?
We offer same day service.
Call us today and we'll getright out there.
Wow, now I know that you'relistening, that I'm home alone
(10:32):
with a potato in my toilet andguess who I'm going to call?
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yeah, yeah, that's great advice, great advice.
So, since I stepped ahead,let's go backwards.
Let's talk about the other C.
Oh, what was that C again,let's go backwards, let's talk
about the other C.
Oh, what was that C?
Again, I didn't hear the C.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
The C for number three was customer demographic.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Okay, customer Okay, and then number two.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Number two is consistent branding.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Ooh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Again.
Let's go back to that deliciouschocolate layer cake.
It is not enough for you tohave a sign on your truck or a
sign in front of your office andgo to a chamber event and hope
that people know who you are.
Your brand message needs to beconsistently displayed as many
places as possible, and this iswhere I like to talk about the
natural life cycle of a business.
If you're a startup company,then, baby, you are in guerrilla
(11:23):
warfare of marketing.
It is boots on the ground,passing out the flyers, handing
out the business cards.
I mean, you are politickinglike you are running for office,
kissing babies and shakinghands.
That is how you grow amarketing company bootstrapping
up right.
But if you're an establishedcompany and you're doing five
hundred thousand dollars or morein established revenue, then
(11:44):
the game changes and you need tobe diversifying into print,
digital media, social.
You need to have more of aonline robust presence, because
people know you locally, butcontinuously attracting and
upselling their current clientsis what you have to worry about.
(12:04):
There's a beautifulmetamorphosis of marketing as a
life cycle of a business grows.
So consistent branding makesure that your brand is clean,
make sure that your logo isrecognizable, make sure that
your logo stands alone so thatwhen people see your logo they
(12:24):
automatically understand whatyou do.
They don't have to guess aboutit.
I like to play this game in alot of my keynotes.
I flash a logo on the screenand I say now, what do they do?
Half the time they don't know.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Right.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
So pay attention when you're developing your brand
and don't be afraid to redevelopyour brand.
You should do that.
Know that your brand matchesyour words and that consistently
, you're not using a blue fontand a yellow font and a red font
.
Make it match and make sure itflows.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Great, great advice.
So when we have the clean copyI know a lot of frustrations
that business owners have isthey say no one can find my copy
.
I have great content.
Everybody says have goodcontent and I've got good
content but nobody's finding it.
Any advice on that?
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah, it's a bit of a jungle online and it doesn't
help when Google changes theiralgorithms or you get sunsetted
on Google local search ads orYelp takes down your listings.
I know it's a beast.
What I will tell you is thatsearch engine optimization is
not dead, but there is a nuancedscience to highly localized
(13:37):
search engine optimization.
I am not a fan for content forthe sake of content.
I am a fan of valuable contentthat is leveraged well in
multiple areas, such as yourwebsite, an email drip and a
Google business profile.
If you will make your contentrepurposable across multiple
(13:58):
platforms, then your messagewill carry further.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That's good advice.
I like the consistency because I, as well as many business
owners, have gone places and oneweek you're hearing somebody
say this and the next weekthey're saying that, and it's
like I don't even know what youdo anymore.
So saying that message over andover and I use this example of
Amazon because I've done thisbefore with business owners,
(14:25):
because a lot of times I gettired of hearing their own
message, and so this is justkind of coming from a business
coach angle I hear them say well, I'm tired of my message, I'm
sure everybody else is.
And I say okay, tell me wherethe arrows are on an Amazon
truck.
We see those every day, all daylong.
Not one to this day has told meexactly where the arrow goes.
(14:45):
It's underneath Amazon and itgoes from A to Z, because they
sell everything from A to Z.
But as going along with whatyou're saying, if you can't even
recognize that and we see thatevery day I promise you, small
business owners, they haven'theard your message either.
You know what I'm saying,because we're just a little
bitty fish in this big ocean.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
You know, the average consumer has to see and hear
your message no less than 11times 11 times Michael before
they will take one single action.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
You can never get that frequency high enough.
I'm a big fan of bookend spotsfor radio spots.
I don't like investing in 60second spots or 30 second spots.
Give me two 15 second spots oneither ends of commercials,
because you're going to hear metwice.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
That's good stuff.
Well, you're an entrepreneurand you were born in two
entrepreneurial family.
I know marketing is a big deal,but so is just being an
entrepreneur.
So the show is Small BusinessPivots.
What are some pivots thatyou've seen along the way from
your parents?
You said they started grass.
You're listening to SmallBusiness Pivots.
(15:56):
This podcast is produced by mycompany, boss.
Our business is helping yoursgrow.
Boss offers business loans withbusiness coaching support.
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the
(16:18):
subscribe button and share it aswell.
Now let's get back to ourspecial guest.
Well, you're an entrepreneurand you were born in two
entrepreneurial family.
I know marketing is a big deal,but so is just being an
entrepreneur.
So the show is Small BusinessPivots.
What are some pivots thatyou've seen along the way from
(16:40):
your parents?
You said they startedgrassroots in one of the
bedrooms and you have a lot ofemployees.
So what are some of those keythings that people can take in
saying, hey, that's what I cantry in my business because I'm
stuck?
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Absolutely, absolutely.
You know, my daddy always said,baby girl, begin with the end
in mind and never get intosomething you don't know how
you're going to get out of.
He was a visionary from thevery beginning, and so I tell
entrepreneurs when they'regetting started a lot of my
coaching clients that you haveto start systemizing your
business from day one.
(17:14):
You cannot wear all the hats.
I love my hat, right, but I canonly wear one.
If I wear three, I look stupid.
So, as an entrepreneur, we haveto decide where our skill sets
lie and then build systems andprocesses around the things that
are our lesser strengths.
So start now to systemize yourbusiness.
(17:37):
And I know what people aregoing to say Michael, I can't
afford to offload a bunch ofstuff.
I'm not telling you to breakthe bank.
I'm telling you to utilizetechnology, utilize AI, utilize
platforms, utilize software.
Figure out the things by doinga personal time study that suck
your time and bump you upagainst that wall of
(17:59):
procrastination, and then figureout a way to systemize around
it.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Yeah, that's key.
I always say SOPs are one ofthe three essentials that every
business needs to be successfuland move forward.
Small business owners try to doso much themselves, right,
because they don't want to breakthe bank.
They do the social media, theydo this, they do that, they use
AI for blogs.
What are some things that theycan actually do that would be
(18:26):
beneficial, or a beneficial useof their time, versus just
trying to do what everybody elseis and that's not really moving
the needle?
Speaker 2 (18:34):
I'm so glad you asked that because it actually brings
us back to our fourth C, whichis channel management.
The final C of the four C's ofeffective marketing is channel
management, and how I definechannel management and marketing
is establishing your repeatablesales funnel.
Spend time, energy and effortbuilding a beautiful sales
(18:56):
funnel.
A sales funnel consists of areally well done landing page or
website, a lead generating PDF,a form, a follow-up process.
Maybe it's an automaticallytriggered email or an
automatically triggered responsefor a text campaign or a chat
bot on your website.
But if you have a reallywell-designed, seamless sales
(19:21):
funnel online and thenoperationally, your marketing
can work while you sleep.
So take the time to analyzewhether your website is making
you money or sucking you dry.
Take the time to figure out ifyou are actually losing inbound
phone calls and what you can doto capture those.
(19:41):
There's a ton of differentplatforms out there to help you
answer your calls while you'rebusy serving clients.
You have to be able tosystemize and strategize so that
marketing works for you, notthe other way around.
So often we waste money onmarketing that drains our bank
accounts and then we become aslave to just trying things
again and again and again and weget frustrated and we get
(20:03):
bitter and we get angry.
But if you build a system nowthat will work on your behalf,
then you can just pour a littlebit more gasoline in it when
you're ready to get that racecar going down the highway
faster, and you don't have toreinvent the wheel.
So, channel management, figureout how to reserve your
(20:26):
customers.
Upsell your customers, becauseit's always cheaper to upsell a
current customer than to go fishfor a new one and then rinse
and repeat.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
You mentioned sales funnel and I think I know the
answer, but can you explain toour audience how they could
create that?
What's the best way?
Because everything that you'redescribing is a lot simpler than
what we see on the internet.
You know, buy this program.
Well, let me back up.
I don't know of a businessowner that hasn't bought a
program, hasn't bought a video,a book or whatever it is, and it
(20:56):
failed.
So what are some of the beststeps to create your sales
funnel, starting from scratch?
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Yeah, you know, I actually talk about this in my
online course.
So if you go to the Far BeyondMarketing Guidebook and you go
to our e-course, I guide youthrough how to build a sales
funnel from start to finish.
But I'll give you a few littletips here.
First thing you do is youdefine your message.
Then you apply your message toyour website, your business
cards and all of your marketingparaphernalia right, then you
(21:24):
have something that you giveaway for free.
You need to reward someone forinteracting with you.
Usually this is a $10 value.
I'm gonna give you my emailaddress if you're gonna give me
some free information that I'mlooking for online.
This could be a downloadable PDF.
It could be a quiz.
It could be a downloadable PDF.
It could be a quiz, it could bea qualifier about a product or
service.
But give them something thatties your audience to you.
(21:45):
Then create an opt-in, makethem come to you to give you
that email address.
So now you have a methodology ofreaching out to them, even if
they never take action, andreach out to you because you've
already paid for thatinteraction one way or another,
whether you've put money in aPPC ad on Google or you've put a
(22:06):
banner ad on a local website ora chamber of commerce event.
So you need to have a way tocapture the contact information
of whoever has even thoughtabout doing business with you.
Then follow up.
Make sure you've got asystematic follow-up, whether
it's a text message, a phonecall, an email, a chat bot, some
kind of way that you arefollowing up with your potential
(22:29):
clients.
And I'm talking about this froma digital marketing perspective
.
There's all kinds of othersales funnels you can put
together on an operational sideor even a print media side.
You can put together on anoperational side or even a print
media side, but most people gettripped up for digital
marketing.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
So yeah, what is it like to work with an agency like
yours, because I know a lot ofbusiness owners maybe don't
understand how that works.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Yeah Well, I you know again, I'm a Texan, so I like
to do things my way.
You know, just a little bitstubborn.
So I actually developed theantithesis of a traditional
agency.
I sold my first agency back in2018 and played in the land of
private equity and while Ireally appreciate mergers and
acquisitions and private equity,what I found was keeping things
(23:15):
simple is what matters for myclients.
So, to work with me and mycompany, it's month to month.
We ask for a 90-day agreement,but you can get out after 30
days.
We design a custom 90-dayAccelerate program for all of
our clients where we talkthrough the exact marketing
tactics that our clients need togrow their unique business.
(23:36):
They get a direct accountmanager, they get a text enabled
phone number.
They can text us 24 seven andwe'll answer back.
So we really do become thatmarketing partner in your
business.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
I love that, because a lot of things that we see on
the internet are so complicatedand this is so simple.
It still comes back to clarity,right, Like if someone doesn't
there I believe it was DonaldMiller, I think that said it's
not always the best businessthat wins the business, it's the
(24:11):
business people understand.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
I agree, and.
I am a story brand guy, one ofonly 600 in the world.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
So I figured you were storytelling Some people don't
know of Donald Miller.
They haven't heard of you.
Know, those of us that have, wethink like what you haven't
heard but they haven't.
So can you explain kind of likewhere that came from and why it
works?
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Absolutely so.
Don Miller was a verysuccessful writer and he figured
out the secret sauce forblockbuster movies so that every
blockbuster movie that followsthis seven-part framework is
very successful in theaters.
And Don came up with aseven-part framework to apply
storytelling to businesses.
(24:55):
So you start with a characterwho meets a guide.
That character has a problem.
They are reticent to solve thatproblem.
That guide gives them athree-step plan, or a plan right
, it's not always three steps,but in business it should be
three steps.
They overcome an obstacle andthen they achieve their
(25:16):
aspirational identity.
And isn't that the same journeythat our customers want?
They don't want us to be thehero of their story, they want
us to be their guide so they canget to their aspirational
identity.
And if we're really seriousabout serving our clients, well
then we should be happy to takethe guide role and not the hero
(25:38):
or the heroine role.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Yeah, I love that the hero, the villain and all those
other fun things that are inevery movie.
And for those that haven'theard of Don Miller and his
books, what was the name of thefirst book that he came out with
?
That was popular.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Story Branding your Business.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Story Branding yeah, okay, yeah, and I.
So I encourage everybody tograb that because that will help
with marketing.
To help you understand If youwatch movies after you read that
book, you'll go wow, no wonderthat one movie failed because it
didn't have all the parts in it.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
And I actually on my website on far beyond
marketingcom, I have a storybrand checklist that your
listeners can download and theycan go through the story brand
quiz to see what aspects theyneed to story brand for their
business.
It's under my entrepreneurialtoolkit.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
I know a lot of business owners say I just don't
have the time to do one morething, right, and so we're
sharing all this informationcoming from a fire hose and
they're probably thinking likethis is all great and stuff, but
I don't have time.
Any advice for that, comingfrom an entrepreneurial family.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
You know we make time for what's important and the
great Brian Tracy wrote afantastic book called Eat that
Frog and I love that bookbecause Brian says that you
should take the worst thingabout your day, that task that
you just really don't want to do, and do it first thing in the
(27:08):
morning.
And I find that when Iprioritize that hard thing and
just eat the frog, the rest ofmy day gets better.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Managing people.
So you your parents, startedfrom scratch.
They now manage a lot of people.
You manage people.
What are some good leadershipinsight tips that you've got for
our audience?
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Oh man, you know I always hire people that are so
much smarter than me.
I love to surround myself withpeople that are smarter, more
qualified and better in everysingle way, because I figure if
I can inspire them to achievetheir goals and they will bring
their best effort to my company,then they will feel inspired to
serve my clients well.
(27:53):
So I always try and be aservant leader.
I always try and delegate myweaknesses and hire people that
are so much better than me, andwe have.
I love the EntrepreneurialOperating System by Gina Wickman
.
It's a great book.
I believe in the right person inthe right seat.
I believe in letting peoplereally own the tasks that you
(28:14):
give them.
Don't be an Indian giver, youknow.
Let's.
Let's give it to them and letthem keep it, you know.
But yeah, if you're not usingan entrepreneurial operating
system, man, go get that book.
I like the.
I like the cheat version, the.
What the heck is EOS?
That?
That one's that thick and soeasy to read.
So y'all go get that oneinstead of the big old meaty one
.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Yeah, and that one for those that don't know is
Traction, traction, traction.
Yeah, that's that one.
And Scaling Up is another goodone for those entrepreneurs.
And the E-Myth.
I mean, we could go on and on,we could, yeah, but you know the
one thing it all comes back towhat you mentioned earlier was
systems, systems, everything yougot to have systems.
(28:55):
People have to know whatthey're there, why they're there
, what they're supposed to bedoing.
All those things you got tohave a plan.
Going back to marketing, aiseems to be a big topic these
days.
What are you seeing from yourangle in the marketing world of
how it affects how businessowners can use it wisely, and
(29:16):
what do you think it's going tobe doing here in the next year
or two?
Speaker 2 (29:20):
I sure wish I knew I couldn't have predicted what
it's doing right now, but Ithink AI is a fantastic resource
for busy business owners.
You can use AI for coding Now.
You can use AI for creating now.
You can use AI for creatingartwork.
Fun fact, I was listening to aninspirational message the other
day and I took the transcriptof that message and put it in
(29:42):
ChatGPT and I had ChatGPT createa piece of art based on that
message and then I had thatartwork put on canvas and
shipped to my office and nowit's hanging on my wall.
So I mean, the sky's the limitfor what AI can do.
I love the fact that AI canmake our lives easier.
It can answer questions, it cando tasks for us, but the
(30:06):
downside is, michael, it's onlyas good as the prompts that you
give it.
So taking the time to reallyfigure out what you're trying to
accomplish with AI and puttingextra time, energy and effort
into those prompts is certainlycrucial.
I think AI is changing the waythat we do marketing.
I think it's changing the waythat we do search engine
(30:28):
optimization, email marketing,coding, website development, et
cetera.
But you got to get on the train.
But you got to get on the train.
You got to get on the train.
Don't be afraid of it, embraceit.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Yeah, I will add one more that I experienced just
recently.
I had a really hardtroubleshooting problem with a
software I was using.
Even talking to the softwarecompany, they couldn't figure it
out.
I got on chat GPT.
Of course we use the profession, the paid one, so I don't know
if that makes a difference onthis particular issue, but it
(31:03):
solved my problem.
It figured out.
Yes.
So for those if you're having ahard tech support issue,
because it what it does is, ittook everything off the internet
and said here's the bestinformation I can find and the
stuff that it told me I couldfind nowhere their their tech
support didn't even tell me.
I was like, okay, I'm reallysold on this AI now, Cause now
(31:25):
it's a tool, it's a resource aswell.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
That is incredible, yes, and that's the greatest
feeling ever that you were likeI just got my problem solved.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
I should have started there from the beginning.
So now it's kind of my bestfriend.
It told me good night the othernight.
I said we're done for the dayand I said, ok, good night.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I always say thank you, too, when I ask you to do
something.
I'm like thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Hey the friendlier, you are the friendlier.
It is back.
Keep the robots on my side.
What can I say?
Maybe they'll clean my housesomeday.
I'd be okay with that.
So tell us before we sign offhere what are some areas,
platforms that they can find youon, because I'm sure there's
listeners that want to learnmore.
(32:08):
Follow you.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
I would be happy for them to do that.
I'm on all the platforms.
You can find me on Instagram,Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn.
My website isfarbeyondmarketingcom Amber Gage
.
That's G-A-I-G-Ecom, the FarBeyond Marketing Guidebook.
Y'all look me up.
I'd be very happy to connectwith you.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
And I see your course is on there too the Four C's of
Effective Marketing and thebook is on there.
Everything you need is on there.
So I encourage everybody to go,follow you so they can continue
to learn more and then reachout.
I think you offer a free phonecall, possibly a consultation,
to kind of see if they're a fitfor you and you for them to help
(32:51):
them boost their businessgrowth.
I always end with one finalquestion, and that is if you
were in front of an audience ofsmall business owners, all
seasons of life and differentsizes, what is something
applicable that would work forall of them?
It could be a quote, a book,just some insight that you've
discovered.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Well, I would say, to follow the KISS rule, keep it
simple, keep it simple.
We got into business for areason.
We got into business forfreedom, we got into business
for a dream, we got intobusiness for passion.
And I would say that sometimeswe lose that sight when we get
burned out, tired or overwhelmed.
(33:31):
So I think if we keep it simple, if we systemize our plans and
we delegate our weaknesses, thesky's the limit of what we can
achieve together.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Fantastic.
It's great advice.
Well, I appreciate your timewith us today.
You've been a wealth ofinformation.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Thank you for having me, Michael.
It's such a privilege.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Yeah, my pleasure.
Thank you for listening toSmall Business Pivots.
This podcast is created andproduced by my company, boss.
Our business is growing.
Yours.
Boss, offers flexible businessloans with business coaching
support.
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
(34:14):
If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the
subscribe button and share it aswell.
If you need help growing yourbusiness, email me at michael at
michaeldmorrisoncom.
We'll see you next time onSmall Business Pivots.
All right, welcome to another Small Business Pivots.
Today we have another specialguest from around the world, and
actually she is just a fewhours south of our headquarters
in Oklahoma City in theMcKinney-Plano Texas area.
How are you today?
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Hey, Michael, I'm doing great.
How are you?
Speaker 1 (00:17):
I'm doing fantastic, fantastic.
Well, I know that no one canintroduce themselves or their
business like the business owner, so I'm going to give you the
floor here to do that and sharea little bit about what your
business does.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Sure Happy to do it.
Well, my name is Amber Gage andI am the owner of Far Beyond
Marketing.
We are a boutique strategicmarketing firm out of McKinney,
texas, and I grew up as anentrepreneur's daughter and
entrepreneur's granddaughter, soI am a third generation
entrepreneur and you know usTexans, we tend to value freedom
(00:51):
over much of anything else.
So I just decided when I wasready to start my business that
I wanted to help otherentrepreneurs to grow their
businesses, so that's what myteam and I do.
We serve entrepreneurs allacross the United States.
I have over 25 years ofstrategic marketing advisory
experience and we try to protectpeople from marketing that
(01:13):
doesn't work.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
Wow, wow.
I'm pretty confident that yougot some ears perked, because I
don't know of an entrepreneurthat hasn't complained about
their current marketingsituation, whether it be lead
generation not getting views,whatever it is.
So let's introduce the show andwe'll be right back.
Welcome to Small BusinessPivots, a podcast produced for
(01:36):
small business owners.
I'm your host, michael Morrison, founder and CEO of Boss, where
we make business ownershipsimplified for success.
Our business is helping yoursgrow.
Boss offers business loans withbusiness coaching support.
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
(01:58):
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
Atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
All right, welcome back toSmall Business Pivots.
I really don't even know whereto get started, because you were
born into the entrepreneurialworld.
What was that like?
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Hard.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Just as hard as owning a business, right that's
right, that's right.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
School of hard knocks all the way.
Yeah, my daddy was a plumber.
My mother has three businessdegrees.
My father graduated from theschool of hard knocks and
together they built anentrepreneurial empire from the
ground up, with no customers, notrucks, no employees, and now
they have a very successfulmultiple businesses together,
(02:42):
and I was blessed to grow up inthat and to watch our businesses
scale from the spare bedroom inour home to a one-room office
suite to now an office buildingthat is fully occupied by over
60 employees, and to really getto see the ebbs and flow of what
it's like to grow a familyowned and operated business.
(03:05):
And you know, when we'reteenagers, michael, you think
that is the last thing I'm goingto do with my life.
My parents are crazy.
And then what do we do?
We grow up and we start to dothe exact same thing.
So you know, it's in the blood,I guess.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah, well, you know, some of us entrepreneurs can
say we have walked in theirshoes as an entrepreneur, but
you were actually born intothose shoes and walk the shoes,
and now you are the entrepreneur.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
And I do like shoes.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
And hats.
If you're not watching thevideo, you got to catch it on
YouTube.
You got a beautiful hat today.
So well, let's, let's jump intomarketing, because that seems
to be one of the biggestchallenges for entrepreneurs,
especially as technology, AI andeverything just keeps moving so
swiftly and fastly.
It just seems like once we geta hold of it, it changes again
(03:55):
and all of our views and allthose links and clicks and
everything goes away.
So, for our entrepreneurs, mostof them are small business
owners.
So, for our entrepreneurs, mostof them are small business
owners.
Interestingly that youmentioned plumbing, because a
lot of them are in thecontracting business and they
just don't have time to do itthemselves, so they're always
looking for good sources.
So what's some kind ofimmediate?
(04:15):
Here's some basic, foundationalthings about marketing that
small business owners shouldknow, because a lot of them
don't know what they're evenlooking for.
They just kind of look at theprice and what they're being
told they're going to get.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely Well, I like to
compare marketing to a deliciouschocolate layer cake.
And you know, at the first biteit's scrumptious and it's
wonderful, but the more you eatit, the more you feel sick,
because if you just keep doingit and keep doing it, you don't
stop to pause and think aboutwhat's coming next.
Pretty soon you got a tummyache, and marketing is kind of
(04:49):
like that.
You have to go into itunderstanding what you hope to
get out of it.
And a big misunderstanding,michael, about marketing is that
you're going to throw it upagainst the wall and see if it
sticks and it's going to createcalls for you and it's going to
drive revenue for your business.
And it just doesn't work thatway.
(05:09):
A chocolate layer cake haslayers.
You've got the cake, you've gotthe icing, you've got the fudge
, and that's what your marketingreally needs to be.
You have to have marketing in alot of different areas, because
the game is frequency overreach.
It's not enough just to marketone way or in one place and
(05:31):
think that your phone's going toring.
You have to be well diversifiedin your marketing and there are
a lot of different tactics andstrategies that business owners
can do.
I actually have aninternational bestselling book
that is called the Far BeyondMarketing Guidebook how to Stop
being Duped by Bad Marketing andin my guidebook I actually talk
(05:53):
about a system of marketingcalled the four C's of effective
marketing, and when you followmy system of the four C's, you
can experience marketing success.
Would you like me to tell youwhat they are?
Speaker 1 (06:06):
I can't wait.
I was hoping you would say that.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Well, for those of you that are listening, grab a
pen, because I'm about tosimplify marketing for you
forever.
The first C of effectivemarketing is clear copy.
Know how to talk to yourcustomer so that they will shut
up, stop what they're doing andlisten to you.
It is not enough to show up ata party and start talking about
(06:33):
yourself.
Nobody likes to have drinkswith those people, right?
We've all been there.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
We've all been there right?
Speaker 2 (06:38):
So you want to be the person that engages with your
potential client in such a waythat they are interested in
engaging with you.
What do I mean by that?
Well, storytelling.
Storytelling is a sense-makingdevice.
It's been around since theBible.
Jesus told stories.
Well, he also called a sheep,and sheep is not a compliment,
(07:01):
michael, we're stupid and we'redirty, okay.
So when you talk about tellingstories for your business, what
you want to do is tell the storyabout how the product or
service that you provide solvesa problem for your ideal
customer.
So if someone shows up at aparty and says Amber, what do
you do for a business?
(07:21):
I don't say well, I'm astrategic marketing advisor for
entrepreneurs.
What I say is I ask them aquestion.
I say well, do you ever?
Have you ever heard of abusiness owner that spent money
on marketing that didn't work?
Well, now they're engagedbecause I've asked them a
question about a problem thatthey're probably familiar with.
(07:42):
If they haven't done itthemselves, then they know
someone that has.
So I'm engaging them with astory and I'm talking about a
problem right away.
Then I follow that up with.
I make sure that doesn't happenfor busy entrepreneurs by
providing them a clear system ofmarketing that they can follow
with peace of mind and not wastemoney.
Wow, now I've got theirattention, because they know
(08:06):
that I care enough to explainwhat I do and I am organized
enough to provide a solution toa potential problem that they
have.
So that's what I mean when I'mtalking about clear copy.
Talk to your audience in a waythat people will want to listen
to you.
Speaker 1 (08:21):
That's great stuff, great stuff.
You mentioned something aboutyour ideal target audience.
How would one go about findingthat?
What's the best tips for that?
I know a lot of business ownersare, just like you said,
throwing a dart at the wall,hoping it sticks, and they
haven't even sat down to definetheir target audience.
(08:42):
Any quick steps you can offerfor that?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Absolutely.
That's actually the third C ofeffective marketing.
Oh sorry, so we'll go ahead andgo there.
We'll just go back to numbertwo in a minute.
The third C of customerdemographic is who's paying your
bills?
Take a look at QuickBooks, takea look at those top revenue
generating items.
Who is actually paying yourbills?
Is it the stay-at-home mom?
(09:07):
Is it the grandma?
Is it the husband or the wife?
Know who it is, and not justthe demographic of where they're
located.
What kind of car do they drive?
You need to know thepsychographics of your audience,
and this goes back to solvingthe problem for them.
What kind of problem do yousolve?
If you're a plumber and youunclog toilets, well then you
(09:28):
probably want to target someonewho owns a home.
Don't put your money in frontof a bunch of apartment dwellers
.
They're not making thedecisions.
If you're a roofer, same thing.
But you have to understand whatthe problem is that you solve
and then talk to your audiencein such a way that they will
engage with your services.
(09:49):
So who's paying your bills?
What do they look like?
Where do they live?
What matters to them?
What's the top revenuegenerating items that you're
selling right now?
Those are five great questionsto ask in order to determine who
your target audience is andthen tailor your call to action
to meet those needs.
(10:09):
So there again.
If you're trying to hit astay-at-home mom whose toddler
just put a potato down thetoilet, then instead of saying
call 555-1234 or say is there apotato stuck in your toilet?
We offer same day service.
Call us today and we'll getright out there.
Wow, now I know that you'relistening, that I'm home alone
(10:32):
with a potato in my toilet andguess who I'm going to call?
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yeah, yeah, that's great advice, great advice.
So, since I stepped ahead,let's go backwards.
Let's talk about the other C.
Oh, what was that C again,let's go backwards, let's talk
about the other C.
Oh, what was that C?
Again, I didn't hear the C.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
The C for number three was customer demographic.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
Okay, customer Okay, and then number two.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Number two is consistent branding.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
Ooh, yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:00):
Again.
Let's go back to that deliciouschocolate layer cake.
It is not enough for you tohave a sign on your truck or a
sign in front of your office andgo to a chamber event and hope
that people know who you are.
Your brand message needs to beconsistently displayed as many
places as possible, and this iswhere I like to talk about the
natural life cycle of a business.
If you're a startup company,then, baby, you are in guerrilla
(11:23):
warfare of marketing.
It is boots on the ground,passing out the flyers, handing
out the business cards.
I mean, you are politickinglike you are running for office,
kissing babies and shakinghands.
That is how you grow amarketing company bootstrapping
up right.
But if you're an establishedcompany and you're doing five
hundred thousand dollars or morein established revenue, then
(11:44):
the game changes and you need tobe diversifying into print,
digital media, social.
You need to have more of aonline robust presence, because
people know you locally, butcontinuously attracting and
upselling their current clientsis what you have to worry about.
(12:04):
There's a beautifulmetamorphosis of marketing as a
life cycle of a business grows.
So consistent branding makesure that your brand is clean,
make sure that your logo isrecognizable, make sure that
your logo stands alone so thatwhen people see your logo they
(12:24):
automatically understand whatyou do.
They don't have to guess aboutit.
I like to play this game in alot of my keynotes.
I flash a logo on the screenand I say now, what do they do?
Half the time they don't know.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Right.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
So pay attention when you're developing your brand
and don't be afraid to redevelopyour brand.
You should do that.
Know that your brand matchesyour words and that consistently
, you're not using a blue fontand a yellow font and a red font
.
Make it match and make sure itflows.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Great, great advice.
So when we have the clean copyI know a lot of frustrations
that business owners have isthey say no one can find my copy
.
I have great content.
Everybody says have goodcontent and I've got good
content but nobody's finding it.
Any advice on that?
Speaker 2 (13:15):
Yeah, it's a bit of a jungle online and it doesn't
help when Google changes theiralgorithms or you get sunsetted
on Google local search ads orYelp takes down your listings.
I know it's a beast.
What I will tell you is thatsearch engine optimization is
not dead, but there is a nuancedscience to highly localized
(13:37):
search engine optimization.
I am not a fan for content forthe sake of content.
I am a fan of valuable contentthat is leveraged well in
multiple areas, such as yourwebsite, an email drip and a
Google business profile.
If you will make your contentrepurposable across multiple
(13:58):
platforms, then your messagewill carry further.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That's good advice.
I like the consistency because I, as well as many business
owners, have gone places and oneweek you're hearing somebody
say this and the next weekthey're saying that, and it's
like I don't even know what youdo anymore.
So saying that message over andover and I use this example of
Amazon because I've done thisbefore with business owners,
(14:25):
because a lot of times I gettired of hearing their own
message, and so this is justkind of coming from a business
coach angle I hear them say well, I'm tired of my message, I'm
sure everybody else is.
And I say okay, tell me wherethe arrows are on an Amazon
truck.
We see those every day, all daylong.
Not one to this day has told meexactly where the arrow goes.
(14:45):
It's underneath Amazon and itgoes from A to Z, because they
sell everything from A to Z.
But as going along with whatyou're saying, if you can't even
recognize that and we see thatevery day I promise you, small
business owners, they haven'theard your message either.
You know what I'm saying,because we're just a little
bitty fish in this big ocean.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
You know, the average consumer has to see and hear
your message no less than 11times 11 times Michael before
they will take one single action.
Speaker 1 (15:15):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (15:16):
You can never get that frequency high enough.
I'm a big fan of bookend spotsfor radio spots.
I don't like investing in 60second spots or 30 second spots.
Give me two 15 second spots oneither ends of commercials,
because you're going to hear metwice.
Speaker 1 (15:33):
That's good stuff.
Well, you're an entrepreneurand you were born in two
entrepreneurial family.
I know marketing is a big deal,but so is just being an
entrepreneur.
So the show is Small BusinessPivots.
What are some pivots thatyou've seen along the way from
your parents?
You said they started grass.
You're listening to SmallBusiness Pivots.
(15:56):
This podcast is produced by mycompany, boss.
Our business is helping yoursgrow.
Boss offers business loans withbusiness coaching support.
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the
(16:18):
subscribe button and share it aswell.
Now let's get back to ourspecial guest.
Well, you're an entrepreneurand you were born in two
entrepreneurial family.
I know marketing is a big deal,but so is just being an
entrepreneur.
So the show is Small BusinessPivots.
What are some pivots thatyou've seen along the way from
(16:40):
your parents?
You said they startedgrassroots in one of the
bedrooms and you have a lot ofemployees.
So what are some of those keythings that people can take in
saying, hey, that's what I cantry in my business because I'm
stuck?
Speaker 2 (16:54):
Absolutely, absolutely.
You know, my daddy always said,baby girl, begin with the end
in mind and never get intosomething you don't know how
you're going to get out of.
He was a visionary from thevery beginning, and so I tell
entrepreneurs when they'regetting started a lot of my
coaching clients that you haveto start systemizing your
business from day one.
(17:14):
You cannot wear all the hats.
I love my hat, right, but I canonly wear one.
If I wear three, I look stupid.
So, as an entrepreneur, we haveto decide where our skill sets
lie and then build systems andprocesses around the things that
are our lesser strengths.
So start now to systemize yourbusiness.
(17:37):
And I know what people aregoing to say Michael, I can't
afford to offload a bunch ofstuff.
I'm not telling you to breakthe bank.
I'm telling you to utilizetechnology, utilize AI, utilize
platforms, utilize software.
Figure out the things by doinga personal time study that suck
your time and bump you upagainst that wall of
(17:59):
procrastination, and then figureout a way to systemize around
it.
Speaker 1 (18:04):
Yeah, that's key.
I always say SOPs are one ofthe three essentials that every
business needs to be successfuland move forward.
Small business owners try to doso much themselves, right,
because they don't want to breakthe bank.
They do the social media, theydo this, they do that, they use
AI for blogs.
What are some things that theycan actually do that would be
(18:26):
beneficial, or a beneficial useof their time, versus just
trying to do what everybody elseis and that's not really moving
the needle?
Speaker 2 (18:34):
I'm so glad you asked that because it actually brings
us back to our fourth C, whichis channel management.
The final C of the four C's ofeffective marketing is channel
management, and how I definechannel management and marketing
is establishing your repeatablesales funnel.
Spend time, energy and effortbuilding a beautiful sales
(18:56):
funnel.
A sales funnel consists of areally well done landing page or
website, a lead generating PDF,a form, a follow-up process.
Maybe it's an automaticallytriggered email or an
automatically triggered responsefor a text campaign or a chat
bot on your website.
But if you have a reallywell-designed, seamless sales
(19:21):
funnel online and thenoperationally, your marketing
can work while you sleep.
So take the time to analyzewhether your website is making
you money or sucking you dry.
Take the time to figure out ifyou are actually losing inbound
phone calls and what you can doto capture those.
(19:41):
There's a ton of differentplatforms out there to help you
answer your calls while you'rebusy serving clients.
You have to be able tosystemize and strategize so that
marketing works for you, notthe other way around.
So often we waste money onmarketing that drains our bank
accounts and then we become aslave to just trying things
again and again and again and weget frustrated and we get
(20:03):
bitter and we get angry.
But if you build a system nowthat will work on your behalf,
then you can just pour a littlebit more gasoline in it when
you're ready to get that racecar going down the highway
faster, and you don't have toreinvent the wheel.
So, channel management, figureout how to reserve your
(20:26):
customers.
Upsell your customers, becauseit's always cheaper to upsell a
current customer than to go fishfor a new one and then rinse
and repeat.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
You mentioned sales funnel and I think I know the
answer, but can you explain toour audience how they could
create that?
What's the best way?
Because everything that you'redescribing is a lot simpler than
what we see on the internet.
You know, buy this program.
Well, let me back up.
I don't know of a businessowner that hasn't bought a
program, hasn't bought a video,a book or whatever it is, and it
(20:56):
failed.
So what are some of the beststeps to create your sales
funnel, starting from scratch?
Speaker 2 (21:02):
Yeah, you know, I actually talk about this in my
online course.
So if you go to the Far BeyondMarketing Guidebook and you go
to our e-course, I guide youthrough how to build a sales
funnel from start to finish.
But I'll give you a few littletips here.
First thing you do is youdefine your message.
Then you apply your message toyour website, your business
cards and all of your marketingparaphernalia right, then you
(21:24):
have something that you giveaway for free.
You need to reward someone forinteracting with you.
Usually this is a $10 value.
I'm gonna give you my emailaddress if you're gonna give me
some free information that I'mlooking for online.
This could be a downloadable PDF.
It could be a quiz.
It could be a downloadable PDF.
It could be a quiz, it could bea qualifier about a product or
service.
But give them something thatties your audience to you.
(21:45):
Then create an opt-in, makethem come to you to give you
that email address.
So now you have a methodology ofreaching out to them, even if
they never take action, andreach out to you because you've
already paid for thatinteraction one way or another,
whether you've put money in aPPC ad on Google or you've put a
(22:06):
banner ad on a local website ora chamber of commerce event.
So you need to have a way tocapture the contact information
of whoever has even thoughtabout doing business with you.
Then follow up.
Make sure you've got asystematic follow-up, whether
it's a text message, a phonecall, an email, a chat bot, some
kind of way that you arefollowing up with your potential
(22:29):
clients.
And I'm talking about this froma digital marketing perspective
.
There's all kinds of othersales funnels you can put
together on an operational sideor even a print media side.
You can put together on anoperational side or even a print
media side, but most people gettripped up for digital
marketing.
Speaker 1 (22:42):
So yeah, what is it like to work with an agency like
yours, because I know a lot ofbusiness owners maybe don't
understand how that works.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Yeah Well, I you know again, I'm a Texan, so I like
to do things my way.
You know, just a little bitstubborn.
So I actually developed theantithesis of a traditional
agency.
I sold my first agency back in2018 and played in the land of
private equity and while Ireally appreciate mergers and
acquisitions and private equity,what I found was keeping things
(23:15):
simple is what matters for myclients.
So, to work with me and mycompany, it's month to month.
We ask for a 90-day agreement,but you can get out after 30
days.
We design a custom 90-dayAccelerate program for all of
our clients where we talkthrough the exact marketing
tactics that our clients need togrow their unique business.
(23:36):
They get a direct accountmanager, they get a text enabled
phone number.
They can text us 24 seven andwe'll answer back.
So we really do become thatmarketing partner in your
business.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
I love that, because a lot of things that we see on
the internet are so complicatedand this is so simple.
It still comes back to clarity,right, Like if someone doesn't
there I believe it was DonaldMiller, I think that said it's
not always the best businessthat wins the business, it's the
(24:11):
business people understand.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
I agree, and.
I am a story brand guy, one ofonly 600 in the world.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
So I figured you were storytelling Some people don't
know of Donald Miller.
They haven't heard of you.
Know, those of us that have, wethink like what you haven't
heard but they haven't.
So can you explain kind of likewhere that came from and why it
works?
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Absolutely so.
Don Miller was a verysuccessful writer and he figured
out the secret sauce forblockbuster movies so that every
blockbuster movie that followsthis seven-part framework is
very successful in theaters.
And Don came up with aseven-part framework to apply
storytelling to businesses.
(24:55):
So you start with a characterwho meets a guide.
That character has a problem.
They are reticent to solve thatproblem.
That guide gives them athree-step plan, or a plan right
, it's not always three steps,but in business it should be
three steps.
They overcome an obstacle andthen they achieve their
(25:16):
aspirational identity.
And isn't that the same journeythat our customers want?
They don't want us to be thehero of their story, they want
us to be their guide so they canget to their aspirational
identity.
And if we're really seriousabout serving our clients, well
then we should be happy to takethe guide role and not the hero
(25:38):
or the heroine role.
Speaker 1 (25:40):
Yeah, I love that the hero, the villain and all those
other fun things that are inevery movie.
And for those that haven'theard of Don Miller and his
books, what was the name of thefirst book that he came out with
?
That was popular.
Speaker 2 (25:54):
Story Branding your Business.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
Story Branding yeah, okay, yeah, and I.
So I encourage everybody tograb that because that will help
with marketing.
To help you understand If youwatch movies after you read that
book, you'll go wow, no wonderthat one movie failed because it
didn't have all the parts in it.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
And I actually on my website on far beyond
marketingcom, I have a storybrand checklist that your
listeners can download and theycan go through the story brand
quiz to see what aspects theyneed to story brand for their
business.
It's under my entrepreneurialtoolkit.
Speaker 1 (26:29):
I know a lot of business owners say I just don't
have the time to do one morething, right, and so we're
sharing all this informationcoming from a fire hose and
they're probably thinking likethis is all great and stuff, but
I don't have time.
Any advice for that, comingfrom an entrepreneurial family.
Speaker 2 (26:47):
You know we make time for what's important and the
great Brian Tracy wrote afantastic book called Eat that
Frog and I love that bookbecause Brian says that you
should take the worst thingabout your day, that task that
you just really don't want to do, and do it first thing in the
(27:08):
morning.
And I find that when Iprioritize that hard thing and
just eat the frog, the rest ofmy day gets better.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Managing people.
So you your parents, startedfrom scratch.
They now manage a lot of people.
You manage people.
What are some good leadershipinsight tips that you've got for
our audience?
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Oh man, you know I always hire people that are so
much smarter than me.
I love to surround myself withpeople that are smarter, more
qualified and better in everysingle way, because I figure if
I can inspire them to achievetheir goals and they will bring
their best effort to my company,then they will feel inspired to
serve my clients well.
(27:53):
So I always try and be aservant leader.
I always try and delegate myweaknesses and hire people that
are so much better than me, andwe have.
I love the EntrepreneurialOperating System by Gina Wickman
.
It's a great book.
I believe in the right person inthe right seat.
I believe in letting peoplereally own the tasks that you
(28:14):
give them.
Don't be an Indian giver, youknow.
Let's.
Let's give it to them and letthem keep it, you know.
But yeah, if you're not usingan entrepreneurial operating
system, man, go get that book.
I like the.
I like the cheat version, the.
What the heck is EOS?
That?
That one's that thick and soeasy to read.
So y'all go get that oneinstead of the big old meaty one
.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Yeah, and that one for those that don't know is
Traction, traction, traction.
Yeah, that's that one.
And Scaling Up is another goodone for those entrepreneurs.
And the E-Myth.
I mean, we could go on and on,we could, yeah, but you know the
one thing it all comes back towhat you mentioned earlier was
systems, systems, everything yougot to have systems.
(28:55):
People have to know whatthey're there, why they're there
, what they're supposed to bedoing.
All those things you got tohave a plan.
Going back to marketing, aiseems to be a big topic these
days.
What are you seeing from yourangle in the marketing world of
how it affects how businessowners can use it wisely, and
(29:16):
what do you think it's going tobe doing here in the next year
or two?
Speaker 2 (29:20):
I sure wish I knew I couldn't have predicted what
it's doing right now, but Ithink AI is a fantastic resource
for busy business owners.
You can use AI for coding Now.
You can use AI for creating now.
You can use AI for creatingartwork.
Fun fact, I was listening to aninspirational message the other
day and I took the transcriptof that message and put it in
(29:42):
ChatGPT and I had ChatGPT createa piece of art based on that
message and then I had thatartwork put on canvas and
shipped to my office and nowit's hanging on my wall.
So I mean, the sky's the limitfor what AI can do.
I love the fact that AI canmake our lives easier.
It can answer questions, it cando tasks for us, but the
(30:06):
downside is, michael, it's onlyas good as the prompts that you
give it.
So taking the time to reallyfigure out what you're trying to
accomplish with AI and puttingextra time, energy and effort
into those prompts is certainlycrucial.
I think AI is changing the waythat we do marketing.
I think it's changing the waythat we do search engine
(30:28):
optimization, email marketing,coding, website development, et
cetera.
But you got to get on the train.
But you got to get on the train.
You got to get on the train.
Don't be afraid of it, embraceit.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
Yeah, I will add one more that I experienced just
recently.
I had a really hardtroubleshooting problem with a
software I was using.
Even talking to the softwarecompany, they couldn't figure it
out.
I got on chat GPT.
Of course we use the profession, the paid one, so I don't know
if that makes a difference onthis particular issue, but it
(31:03):
solved my problem.
It figured out.
Yes.
So for those if you're having ahard tech support issue,
because it what it does is, ittook everything off the internet
and said here's the bestinformation I can find and the
stuff that it told me I couldfind nowhere their their tech
support didn't even tell me.
I was like, okay, I'm reallysold on this AI now, Cause now
(31:25):
it's a tool, it's a resource aswell.
Speaker 2 (31:28):
That is incredible, yes, and that's the greatest
feeling ever that you were likeI just got my problem solved.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
I should have started there from the beginning.
So now it's kind of my bestfriend.
It told me good night the othernight.
I said we're done for the dayand I said, ok, good night.
Speaker 2 (31:44):
I always say thank you, too, when I ask you to do
something.
I'm like thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (31:48):
Hey the friendlier, you are the friendlier.
It is back.
Keep the robots on my side.
What can I say?
Maybe they'll clean my housesomeday.
I'd be okay with that.
So tell us before we sign offhere what are some areas,
platforms that they can find youon, because I'm sure there's
listeners that want to learnmore.
(32:08):
Follow you.
Speaker 2 (32:10):
I would be happy for them to do that.
I'm on all the platforms.
You can find me on Instagram,Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn.
My website isfarbeyondmarketingcom Amber Gage
.
That's G-A-I-G-Ecom, the FarBeyond Marketing Guidebook.
Y'all look me up.
I'd be very happy to connectwith you.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
And I see your course is on there too the Four C's of
Effective Marketing and thebook is on there.
Everything you need is on there.
So I encourage everybody to go,follow you so they can continue
to learn more and then reachout.
I think you offer a free phonecall, possibly a consultation,
to kind of see if they're a fitfor you and you for them to help
(32:51):
them boost their businessgrowth.
I always end with one finalquestion, and that is if you
were in front of an audience ofsmall business owners, all
seasons of life and differentsizes, what is something
applicable that would work forall of them?
It could be a quote, a book,just some insight that you've
discovered.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
Well, I would say, to follow the KISS rule, keep it
simple, keep it simple.
We got into business for areason.
We got into business forfreedom, we got into business
for a dream, we got intobusiness for passion.
And I would say that sometimeswe lose that sight when we get
burned out, tired or overwhelmed.
(33:31):
So I think if we keep it simple, if we systemize our plans and
we delegate our weaknesses, thesky's the limit of what we can
achieve together.
Speaker 1 (33:41):
Fantastic.
It's great advice.
Well, I appreciate your timewith us today.
You've been a wealth ofinformation.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
Thank you for having me, Michael.
It's such a privilege.
Speaker 1 (33:50):
Yeah, my pleasure.
Thank you for listening toSmall Business Pivots.
This podcast is created andproduced by my company, boss.
Our business is growing.
Yours.
Boss, offers flexible businessloans with business coaching
support.
Apply in minutes and getapproved and funded in as little
as 24 to 48 hours atbusinessownershipsimplifiedcom.
(34:14):
If you're enjoying this podcast, don't forget to hit the
subscribe button and share it aswell.
If you need help growing yourbusiness, email me at michael at
michaeldmorrisoncom.
We'll see you next time onSmall Business Pivots.
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