July 5, 2025 • 16 mins
Caroline Biesalski introduces Mark A Preston, who shares valuable insights on fostering business relationships. The discussion addresses common misconceptions and effective strategies for customer growth, highlighting the importance of understanding client needs. Mark offers unconventional strategies and emphasizes the role of mentorship in achieving business success. They explore the significance of setting clear goals and Mark discusses his upcoming projects. Caroline concludes the episode with her reflections on the conversation, offering listeners practical takeaways to apply in their business endeavors.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Right.
My final thoughts to you, and think about this.
Do not think about yourself.
Think about the people you want to do businesswith and what's important to them.
And it's about connecting them on more thanjust a product basis.
(00:25):
It's connecting them on a higher level andbuilding that relationship.
You get that right, then you're going to builda really successful business.
Welcome to Inspired Choice Today.
I'm your host, Caroline Biesalski, here tobring you authentic stories, surprising
(00:45):
lessons, and powerful takeaways to fuel yourjourney in business and life.
In each episode, I'll take you from oneinspiring guest to the next, blending their
experiences with my expertise to uncoverpractical strategies you can use right away.
Whether you're starting out or stepping up,stay tuned for insights and actionable tips
(01:08):
that make a difference.
And stick around until the end for a specialfreebie just for our listeners.
Hello, and welcome inspired podcast community.
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guest isMark A Preston, and I'm so happy that he said
(01:29):
yes to our interview.
How are you doing today?
Very well.
Thank you, and it's a pleasure to be here.
Oh, thank you so much.
I appreciate your yes to be on that podcast,and I would like to introduce you to the
audience.
Of course, you are a customer growth coach andspeaker with over 20 years of experience
(01:53):
helping small businesses in the UK and USachieve big impact with minimal investment.
As the author of four business marketing booksand the host of the Talk About Digital podcast,
you deliver no-nonsense strategies to simplifydigital marketing and drive customer growth.
(02:14):
You have helped businesses generate over 1million new customers and specialize in turning
complex concepts into actionable insights thatbusinesses can apply immediately.
Welcome to the inspired podcast.
What a pleasure.
Mark A Preston.
Wow.
What an introduction.
That was amazing.
(02:35):
This is you.
You're a superstar.
And my first question to you is, what's thebiggest misconception small businesses have
about customer growth, and how do you help themshift their mindset to see real results?
Well, the biggest thing I found personally is alot of small businesses feel as though they
(02:59):
have to spend a lot of money to get resultsbecause that's what the industry has portrayed.
Because, obviously, the industry wants them tospend the money, but in reality, they do not.
There's no better person to look at this thanthe businesses themselves.
And it's all about enabling them to think alittle differently rather than throwing money
(03:25):
at things.
Yes.
What a great answer.
And I experienced this myself as well as thebusiness owner for, I don't know, 16 years now.
And, of course, we think we have to do so much,spend so much, and then we adapt strategies of
other people.
Right?
(03:45):
Yeah.
I mean, it's not about copying what otherpeople are doing.
It's about finding your own thing.
What works for you?
Because what worked for somebody else might notbe the best strategy for your individual
business.
Now we have to also think about the growthpotential of each business because each
(04:12):
business can only service a maximum amount ofpeople until they have to change all the back
end of the business to enable growth to happen.
And like I say, when you strip it all rightdown, it's not about copying what works for
somebody else.
It's really about finding your own thing.
(04:36):
Wow.
I love that answer.
That gives me confidence as well and couragethat all the answers are already here, of
course.
And my next question to you is, in a world fullof marketing noise, how can small businesses—I
think that's the abbreviation—simplify theirstrategies and focus on what truly drives
(04:58):
customer acquisition?
Well, when you strip all the complexities outof it, it boils down to, well, do you know who
your target audience is?
Now when I say target audience, we need tothink of them as people, not pieces of data and
(05:21):
not audiences, the people.
And those people want to do business with youfor a certain reason.
Now if you understand who those people are andwhy they're doing business with you, then it's
just about using tools like Sparktoro, audienceresearch tools to find out where they're
(05:44):
hanging out online and basically putting yourmessages out there.
Put your messages in front of the people thatwant to do business with you.
It's not about who you want to do businesswith.
It's about the people that want to do businesswith you because you provide something of value
(06:09):
that will help them.
It's not about you, and it's not about posting,look.
I'm great, and I'm fantastic.
It's about, look.
You have this problem, and this is how we canhelp solve it.
Wow.
It sounds so simple when you explain it, putyour message out there, and then it's not about
(06:31):
you or about me.
It's about the clients that we serve.
Right?
Yeah.
I mean, this is what I mean, I get frustrated.
I've been in the industry since 2001, and itfrustrates me that people make things too
complicated.
You know?
But in reality, I'm here to say, well, it's notcomplicated.
(06:59):
In fact, a lot of small businesses I work withsit back and think, oh, is that it?
Why didn't I think of that?
And the problem is it's usually the logicalthinking stuff and the most obvious stuff that
gets forgotten.
(07:20):
People forget about it because they think, oh,well, there's all these complexities around it.
But like in the digital marketing world, it'sjust tools.
If you think about it, they're just tools toenable you to get your voice heard.
Wow.
What a great answer.
(07:40):
Thank you so much.
Yes.
Tools.
And, yeah, when we take the ego out or thearrogance or selfishness or something like
that, it's about the client.
You already mentioned it.
And, of course, I have another question foryou.
It is, you've helped businesses generate over 1million new customers.
(08:01):
What's one unconventional strategy you've seenwork that most people overlook?
Oh, now that is a fantastic question, and notone I usually get asked.
But here's the thing.
It's the unconventional things that stand out.
(08:23):
Say, for instance, like, a small business Iwork with said, look.
Okay.
You have all these customers.
What do we need to do to actually drive morecustomers?
Well, you've got all these people over herethat already love your business.
(08:44):
Right?
So why don't you engage with them and get themto tell others how great you are?
Get them to post photos of the things they'rebuying from you and how it solved the problem.
Share it.
Build, you know, get things out there.
(09:04):
And I think a lot of people overlook thisbecause they're so inclined to think I need the
new sale.
And what they should be doing is thinking,well, how can I engage more with my existing
customers, keep them super happy, and in turn,those existing customers will help to drive my
(09:26):
business forward?
Wow.
I love that.
So it's the unconventional things that stay inmind as well when we think of a business?
Yes.
It's I wouldn't call them unconventional.
I just think of it as a different way ofthinking.
(09:47):
There's no conventional or unconventional.
There's either what works and what doesn't.
Right?
It's as simple as that.
You might try some things that don't work.
I mean, nobody's perfect.
You will do, and I do.
But it's either what works or what doesn't.
(10:09):
What achieves your goals.
And, like, every business has a goal.
They have a growth goal.
And what you need to be doing is doing thethings that get your business closer to your
individual growth goal.
Yes.
It sounds so simple.
(10:31):
And you help the businesses, of course, to dothat.
And where can we find you when people want toreach out to you after listening to this
episode?
or you can go to LinkedIn and search for Mark APreston, and you'll find me.
(10:52):
Because if you can't, I won't be much of acustomer growth coach.
That's so true.
Thank you so much.
Please reach out to Mark.
He's amazing.
He shares his knowledge and wisdom, of course.
I have another question about your own coachesand mentors.
Do you have coaches for yourself?
And who was the best coach you ever had?
(11:16):
Oh, in fact, I don't have a coach that workswith me.
I've spoken to lots of different people whoI've done a 12-month professional speaking
mastermind with, and I've done other things.
(11:37):
But, realistically, I look at it as I haveconversations with people who've already
achieved what I want to achieve.
And I wouldn't call them coaches.
I'd just call them individuals, and I have acertain thing I want to achieve.
(11:58):
Well, who are the people who've already beenthere and done that, and what sort of
challenges have they faced along the way?
Yes.
I love that.
This is exactly what I do in my podcast.
I talk to individuals like you, for example,the expert with expertise on growth for
(12:18):
businesses as well.
And, of course, I have another question.
It is about your goals.
Do you set goals for yourself or intentions,and what is one of your next projects?
Yes.
Well, five years ago, I set myself a goal tosemi-retire on the 1st of July 2025.
(12:42):
Now I say semi-retire because I'm probablynever going to retire because I love doing what
I'm doing.
It just means that I can focus on the passionand making a real difference.
And everything I've done over the five years isto enable myself to get closer to that goal and
(13:02):
make sure it happens.
And, obviously, my goal is my family.
My why is my family.
You know?
To make sure that they take the worry out ofthem.
And, literally, once I've done that, then I canfocus on, you know, the plan moving forward
(13:22):
after that.
But for now, that is my goal, and that's whatI'm working towards.
Wow.
That's a great goal.
Thank you so much for sharing.
And, yeah, you retire or see me retire.
I love that expression as well.
And then I think, will you stop your podcast?
(13:43):
No.
What?
No.
It it
just means I won't have to do things in orderto generate the money.
It means that I can then focus on things thatmake a real positive difference in this world
without thinking, well, I need to earn X amountof money this month.
(14:08):
That's the difference it will be.
Whereas the focus will be, regardless of money,the objective will be to make a real positive
difference in this world and to people's lives.
Wow.
I think you just shifted my mindset because Ihave a new perspective.
(14:30):
It is making a greater impact on the world.
And, yeah, I love what you said.
So you enlarged my vision for my future aswell.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Yes.
And thank you also for our interview.
It was a real pleasure talking to you.
And now it is time for your final thoughts tothe audience, please.
(14:55):
Right.
My final thoughts to you, and think about this.
Do not think about yourself.
Think about the people you want to do businesswith and what's important to them.
And it's about connecting them on more thanjust a product basis.
(15:21):
It's connecting them on a higher level andbuilding that relationship.
You get that right, then you're going to builda really successful business.
Thank you for your message.
It is well received.
Thank you for our interview.
(15:41):
Yes.
It's been a total pleasure.
And I see you in the next episode.
Thank you for listening to Inspired ChoiceToday.
I'm thrilled to have you on this journey ofgrowth and transformation.
Don't forget to hit follow or subscribe to stayconnected and never miss an episode.
(16:06):
And here's something special.
Grab your free 20-minute breakthrough sessionwith me.
It's designed to help you kick-start or levelup your business.
Just check out the show notes for more.
Until next time, keep making those inspiredchoices.
See you in the next episode.
Right.
My final thoughts to you, and think about this.
Do not think about yourself.
Think about the people you want to do businesswith and what's important to them.
And it's about connecting them on more thanjust a product basis.
(00:25):
It's connecting them on a higher level andbuilding that relationship.
You get that right, then you're going to builda really successful business.
Welcome to Inspired Choice Today.
I'm your host, Caroline Biesalski, here tobring you authentic stories, surprising
(00:45):
lessons, and powerful takeaways to fuel yourjourney in business and life.
In each episode, I'll take you from oneinspiring guest to the next, blending their
experiences with my expertise to uncoverpractical strategies you can use right away.
Whether you're starting out or stepping up,stay tuned for insights and actionable tips
(01:08):
that make a difference.
And stick around until the end for a specialfreebie just for our listeners.
Hello, and welcome inspired podcast community.
This is your new episode.
My name is Caroline, and my today's guest isMark A Preston, and I'm so happy that he said
(01:29):
yes to our interview.
How are you doing today?
Very well.
Thank you, and it's a pleasure to be here.
Oh, thank you so much.
I appreciate your yes to be on that podcast,and I would like to introduce you to the
audience.
Of course, you are a customer growth coach andspeaker with over 20 years of experience
(01:53):
helping small businesses in the UK and USachieve big impact with minimal investment.
As the author of four business marketing booksand the host of the Talk About Digital podcast,
you deliver no-nonsense strategies to simplifydigital marketing and drive customer growth.
(02:14):
You have helped businesses generate over 1million new customers and specialize in turning
complex concepts into actionable insights thatbusinesses can apply immediately.
Welcome to the inspired podcast.
What a pleasure.
Mark A Preston.
Wow.
What an introduction.
That was amazing.
(02:35):
This is you.
You're a superstar.
And my first question to you is, what's thebiggest misconception small businesses have
about customer growth, and how do you help themshift their mindset to see real results?
Well, the biggest thing I found personally is alot of small businesses feel as though they
(02:59):
have to spend a lot of money to get resultsbecause that's what the industry has portrayed.
Because, obviously, the industry wants them tospend the money, but in reality, they do not.
There's no better person to look at this thanthe businesses themselves.
And it's all about enabling them to think alittle differently rather than throwing money
(03:25):
at things.
Yes.
What a great answer.
And I experienced this myself as well as thebusiness owner for, I don't know, 16 years now.
And, of course, we think we have to do so much,spend so much, and then we adapt strategies of
other people.
Right?
(03:45):
Yeah.
I mean, it's not about copying what otherpeople are doing.
It's about finding your own thing.
What works for you?
Because what worked for somebody else might notbe the best strategy for your individual
business.
Now we have to also think about the growthpotential of each business because each
(04:12):
business can only service a maximum amount ofpeople until they have to change all the back
end of the business to enable growth to happen.
And like I say, when you strip it all rightdown, it's not about copying what works for
somebody else.
It's really about finding your own thing.
(04:36):
Wow.
I love that answer.
That gives me confidence as well and couragethat all the answers are already here, of
course.
And my next question to you is, in a world fullof marketing noise, how can small businesses—I
think that's the abbreviation—simplify theirstrategies and focus on what truly drives
(04:58):
customer acquisition?
Well, when you strip all the complexities outof it, it boils down to, well, do you know who
your target audience is?
Now when I say target audience, we need tothink of them as people, not pieces of data and
(05:21):
not audiences, the people.
And those people want to do business with youfor a certain reason.
Now if you understand who those people are andwhy they're doing business with you, then it's
just about using tools like Sparktoro, audienceresearch tools to find out where they're
(05:44):
hanging out online and basically putting yourmessages out there.
Put your messages in front of the people thatwant to do business with you.
It's not about who you want to do businesswith.
It's about the people that want to do businesswith you because you provide something of value
(06:09):
that will help them.
It's not about you, and it's not about posting,look.
I'm great, and I'm fantastic.
It's about, look.
You have this problem, and this is how we canhelp solve it.
Wow.
It sounds so simple when you explain it, putyour message out there, and then it's not about
(06:31):
you or about me.
It's about the clients that we serve.
Right?
Yeah.
I mean, this is what I mean, I get frustrated.
I've been in the industry since 2001, and itfrustrates me that people make things too
complicated.
You know?
But in reality, I'm here to say, well, it's notcomplicated.
(06:59):
In fact, a lot of small businesses I work withsit back and think, oh, is that it?
Why didn't I think of that?
And the problem is it's usually the logicalthinking stuff and the most obvious stuff that
gets forgotten.
(07:20):
People forget about it because they think, oh,well, there's all these complexities around it.
But like in the digital marketing world, it'sjust tools.
If you think about it, they're just tools toenable you to get your voice heard.
Wow.
What a great answer.
(07:40):
Thank you so much.
Yes.
Tools.
And, yeah, when we take the ego out or thearrogance or selfishness or something like
that, it's about the client.
You already mentioned it.
And, of course, I have another question foryou.
It is, you've helped businesses generate over 1million new customers.
(08:01):
What's one unconventional strategy you've seenwork that most people overlook?
Oh, now that is a fantastic question, and notone I usually get asked.
But here's the thing.
It's the unconventional things that stand out.
(08:23):
Say, for instance, like, a small business Iwork with said, look.
Okay.
You have all these customers.
What do we need to do to actually drive morecustomers?
Well, you've got all these people over herethat already love your business.
(08:44):
Right?
So why don't you engage with them and get themto tell others how great you are?
Get them to post photos of the things they'rebuying from you and how it solved the problem.
Share it.
Build, you know, get things out there.
(09:04):
And I think a lot of people overlook thisbecause they're so inclined to think I need the
new sale.
And what they should be doing is thinking,well, how can I engage more with my existing
customers, keep them super happy, and in turn,those existing customers will help to drive my
(09:26):
business forward?
Wow.
I love that.
So it's the unconventional things that stay inmind as well when we think of a business?
Yes.
It's I wouldn't call them unconventional.
I just think of it as a different way ofthinking.
(09:47):
There's no conventional or unconventional.
There's either what works and what doesn't.
Right?
It's as simple as that.
You might try some things that don't work.
I mean, nobody's perfect.
You will do, and I do.
But it's either what works or what doesn't.
(10:09):
What achieves your goals.
And, like, every business has a goal.
They have a growth goal.
And what you need to be doing is doing thethings that get your business closer to your
individual growth goal.
Yes.
It sounds so simple.
(10:31):
And you help the businesses, of course, to dothat.
And where can we find you when people want toreach out to you after listening to this
episode?
or you can go to LinkedIn and search for Mark APreston, and you'll find me.
(10:52):
Because if you can't, I won't be much of acustomer growth coach.
That's so true.
Thank you so much.
Please reach out to Mark.
He's amazing.
He shares his knowledge and wisdom, of course.
I have another question about your own coachesand mentors.
Do you have coaches for yourself?
And who was the best coach you ever had?
(11:16):
Oh, in fact, I don't have a coach that workswith me.
I've spoken to lots of different people whoI've done a 12-month professional speaking
mastermind with, and I've done other things.
(11:37):
But, realistically, I look at it as I haveconversations with people who've already
achieved what I want to achieve.
And I wouldn't call them coaches.
I'd just call them individuals, and I have acertain thing I want to achieve.
(11:58):
Well, who are the people who've already beenthere and done that, and what sort of
challenges have they faced along the way?
Yes.
I love that.
This is exactly what I do in my podcast.
I talk to individuals like you, for example,the expert with expertise on growth for
(12:18):
businesses as well.
And, of course, I have another question.
It is about your goals.
Do you set goals for yourself or intentions,and what is one of your next projects?
Yes.
Well, five years ago, I set myself a goal tosemi-retire on the 1st of July 2025.
(12:42):
Now I say semi-retire because I'm probablynever going to retire because I love doing what
I'm doing.
It just means that I can focus on the passionand making a real difference.
And everything I've done over the five years isto enable myself to get closer to that goal and
(13:02):
make sure it happens.
And, obviously, my goal is my family.
My why is my family.
You know?
To make sure that they take the worry out ofthem.
And, literally, once I've done that, then I canfocus on, you know, the plan moving forward
(13:22):
after that.
But for now, that is my goal, and that's whatI'm working towards.
Wow.
That's a great goal.
Thank you so much for sharing.
And, yeah, you retire or see me retire.
I love that expression as well.
And then I think, will you stop your podcast?
(13:43):
No.
What?
No.
It it
just means I won't have to do things in orderto generate the money.
It means that I can then focus on things thatmake a real positive difference in this world
without thinking, well, I need to earn X amountof money this month.
(14:08):
That's the difference it will be.
Whereas the focus will be, regardless of money,the objective will be to make a real positive
difference in this world and to people's lives.
Wow.
I think you just shifted my mindset because Ihave a new perspective.
(14:30):
It is making a greater impact on the world.
And, yeah, I love what you said.
So you enlarged my vision for my future aswell.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Yes.
And thank you also for our interview.
It was a real pleasure talking to you.
And now it is time for your final thoughts tothe audience, please.
(14:55):
Right.
My final thoughts to you, and think about this.
Do not think about yourself.
Think about the people you want to do businesswith and what's important to them.
And it's about connecting them on more thanjust a product basis.
(15:21):
It's connecting them on a higher level andbuilding that relationship.
You get that right, then you're going to builda really successful business.
Thank you for your message.
It is well received.
Thank you for our interview.
(15:41):
Yes.
It's been a total pleasure.
And I see you in the next episode.
Thank you for listening to Inspired ChoiceToday.
I'm thrilled to have you on this journey ofgrowth and transformation.
Don't forget to hit follow or subscribe to stayconnected and never miss an episode.
(16:06):
And here's something special.
Grab your free 20-minute breakthrough sessionwith me.
It's designed to help you kick-start or levelup your business.
Just check out the show notes for more.
Until next time, keep making those inspiredchoices.
See you in the next episode.
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