The Bacon Podcast with Brian Basilico | CURE Your Sales & Marketing with Ideas That Make It SIZZLE!

Dr. Heidi Thorne, MBA/DBA, is a business speaker and author with over 25 years of combined experience in sales and advertising, including over 15 years as editor and advertising director of a trade newspaper covering the plumbing and mechanical contracting trades. In addition to two advanced business degrees (MBA/DBA), Heidi also has five years of experience teaching at the college level. Her business, Thorne Communications LLC, was also a promotional products distributor for 17 years. Heidi has been an active blogger since 2010, and is the author of several business print books, eBooks, and audio books on small business and self publishing. Her goal is to help authors avoid embarrassing and expensive mistakes when self publishing. As a professional business speaker, Heidi has done presentations on sales, social media, and self publishing with many business associations and chambers of commerce. She now hosts a regular audio and video podcast, The Heidi Thorne Show, where she discusses self publishing news and views. Heidi has also been a guest on many podcasts and educational webinars over the years. As well, she shares her knowledge and experience through her online courses on Udemy.

I have failed. When I wrote my book, It's Not About You, It's About Bacon, I thought I would finally find fantastic success. I had dreams of speaking worldwide, pontificating about the virtues of Relationship Marketing. In short, I thought I was going to be rich and famous. Then it hit me, that's what Relationship Marketing is all about—helping others achieve success without caring about fame and fortune. Just quietly but actively making a difference. Although my brand as a Relationship Marketer never reached the heights I dreamed of, it is still alive and kicking. Its audience is smaller yet more potent than I imagined. My business brand still lingers as an expert, trainer, and influencer, but it has dwindled to a whisper. So, I have been re-positioning my business brand as a company, different from a typical agency that offers on-demand, high-quality services and continues learning techniques that make the most of current data and trends. All of that is based on helping companies do the same through Relationship Marketing. "My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure." – Abraham Lincoln .In this episode... We will discuss how failing is learning and how to turn the pieces into future success. Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here

I'm originally from Ohio, and lived there for 12 years. Grew up Catholic (I'm a recovering Catholic now) and played every sport known to man when I was a little kid. Became a Steelers fan back then. Steel Curtain and all that. Got in a lot of trouble in school too. (No surprise to those of you that know me). At 12, we moved to a little 'burb outside Philadelphia where I was one of three gentiles in the entire town. I had an entire drawer of Yamikas. That was great...they were warm on my head and velour. In between 10th and 11th grade my parents decided it would be a great idea to move down to a little redneck town in Florida called Spring Hill, which I hated for every second I was down there. (Well, except for you Renee...you rocked.) In fact, I think my bags were packed on stage as I accepted my high school diploma. I bolted back to Philly and had stops in Newark DE, Long Beach Island NJ, and Palm Beach FL, where I graduated from music school. I then finished up undergrad at Temple University in Philly and studied communication, and this new thing called the "Internet". (It was 1994). I became a web designer, and worked that field for 15 years. I still do design and development, but only if you hold a gun to my head. In 1997 I moved to Boulder Colorado, and have lived there and in Denver for almost 13 years, until 2012 when I moved to San Diego. After a few brief stints working for other people, I found myself to be truly unemployable around 2005, and have been on the entrepreneurial track ever since. From 2004-2008, my parents would fall ill, and basically "level" me in all aspects of my life. Emotionally, financially, etc...They both passed away in 2007, just 7 months apart. I tried to "muddle" through 2008, and didn't have much success. But I decided to take actual time to mourn, so in 2009, thanks to my wonderful friend Melanie, I went to Europe to spread their ashes everywhere I could. You see, I had a "dream" as an adult to surprise my parents with a trip to Europe, so this was my best substitution. So, I got a little Italian Parmesan Cheese shaker, and I ventured off into the wild blue yonder. And they are *everywhere*. In the Sistene Chapel, the Beaches of Normandy, Notre Dame...you name it, they're there. I arrived back in the States, healed, broke, and happier than I'd been in years. But I knew that I no longer wanted to trade a dollar for an hour, so I went looking for something else. That's when network marketing and internet marketing found me. It's been 4 years since I found that world, and the transformation it's made in my life has been nothing but profound. I've met amazing people in the network marketing, internet marketing, life coaching, and entrepreneurship world. Every single day I learn from them and they impact me. In August 2013, I started a Podcast called The Solopreneur Hour - Job Security for the Unemployable. It's aim is to show the other unemployable people of the world the correct path to business success on their own terms. It's been an amazing ride. I'd love if you'd have a listen: http://solohour.com

It's that time of the year when business starts to wind down, and people are looking forward to the holidays. Not in the marketing business. This is the busiest part of the year, prepping our clients for new business in 2024. We're tweaking our brands and checking it twice, revamping websites, and optimizing systems with the latest tech. Since people are more aware of those transactional tactics, there has been increased interest in open, non-transactional, authentic, cooperative conversations. The key to making that happen is trust. Building trust is a process, and that is what our clients continue to learn and implement actively. It gives me hope that our clients will succeed by focusing on 50 to 150 quality business relationships while their competition focuses on the masses. What follows are three key things that I am truly thankful for this holiday season and why I am filled with hope for a successful new year. "For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, and debate. ” – Margaret Heffernan .In this episode... We will discuss how human empathy and interaction will make a resurgence in the coming year when marketing to people. Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here

Bill Guertin (pronounced like "13") is a positive voice for change and is the leader of the “7 Voices” Movement, whose purpose is to hear, recognize, and minimize the effects of the negative Voices inside people’s heads and to implement simple strategies to make positivity a life-choice every day. As a sales trainer, he's worked with the ticket sales departments of over 100 professional sports teams throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico, and he serves as Chief Learning Officer of ISBI 360, a virtual training network specifically for executives in sports and entertainment. Bill has over 30 years’ experience in sales and leadership, including 20 years in broadcast media as a sales rep, sales manager, and General Manager of radio properties in the Midwest. When he is not working, Bill spends quality time with his wife, Sherri, their three grown boys, and their families who enjoy Sundays together watching the Chicago Bears. He serves as a Board member of the Baylor University Center for Sports Strategy and Sales and volunteers for the Kankakee County Humane Foundation. Learn More About Bill - Click Here

I've heard it said that to succeed in business, you must master business tools. Some businesses make do with what they can afford, while others highly invest in cutting-edge technologies. With the advent of AI, companies hope that data can be gathered, processed, analyzed, and implemented faster and at a lower expense by a computer instead of people. At some point (unless you sell via a computer and e-commerce), people need to communicate with people to generate and close sales. So then, does it make sense to try to master people and then tools? Relationship Marketing may mean something different to you, but it's about creating conversations for me. The content you create and distribute should generate conversations between current, past, and prospective customers. "Assumptions are the termites of relationships." - Henry (the Fonz) Winkler .In this episode... We will discuss what relationship marketing is and how to master tools and people. Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here

Chip’s first experience with the tech sector started in 1994 after downloading the first Netscape browser (now Firefox) and led him to join his first startup a year later. He’s worked for and advised high-growth ventures and Fortune 500 companies in online media, internet infrastructure, PCs (Dell & Lenovo), and most recently, Fintech & Gov Tech SaaS companies, in addition to serving as CEO for a US commercial 3D printing manufacturer. In 2014, Chip started Flywheel Advisors, helping early and mid-stage companies (Consumer and B2B) to identify and drive sustainable growth and scale by leveraging customer feedback and insights. Lastly, a fun fact: Chip was the first to place a keyword ad buy in 1997 (Yahoo!) Learn More About Chip - Click Here

Dog daycares have to vet their potential customers before they can become customers. First, they are required to have the right vaccinations to prevent doggie flu, kennel cough, and more. Next, they have to pass a temperament test. They put your dog in the play area with one to two other dogs that have been singled out because they play well and understand the boundaries of play. If your dog passes, then they can join a large group and are monitored to make sure they are not too timid or aggressive. Is that something you could or should do with your business? Adding people to your email list is a way of vetting if they are real people and possible prospects. If you email weekly (52 times or more per year) versus once a month (12 times per year), you can see if the email bounces or the contact unsubscribes. In this dog-eat-dog world (hopefully figuratively, not literally) it makes sense to invest time in people who have invested time in you and your website! "Get in the habit of vetting your research as you go – particularly research conducted online. Verify facts from multiple reputable sources before you record them.” – Gayle Lynds .In this episode... We will discuss how to vet your prospects who visit your website to increase sales faster.. Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here

Brynne Tillman is the LinkedIn Whisperer and CEO of Social Sales Link. For over a decade she has been teaching Entrepreneurs, sales teams and business leaders how to leverage LinkedIn for social selling. As a former sales trainer and personal producer, Brynne adopted all of the traditional sales techniques and adapted them to the new digital world. She guides professionals to establish a thought leader and subject matter expert brand, find and engage the right targeted market, and leverage clients and networking partners for warm introductions into qualified buyers.

If you are on LinkedIn, I am sure you have fallen victim to the connect and pitch. Chances are they got your name using Sales Navigator, a tool like ZoomInfo, or by looking at their connections and simply reaching out to their connections. You know how it works. Someone connects with you and says, “I am not trying to sell you anything”, and then keeps messaging you to act like they wanna be your friend. I had one guy the other day (who is a fitness coach) hit me up with a list of seventeen fitness challenges in the guise of doing research. You know where that will go if you take the bait. I replied, “Nice pitch to find out how to sell to the pain, Marketing 101! Good Luck!” to which he replied, “I am not trying to sell you anything!” Sure bro, SURE! Blog posts like this are perfect content to share in an email or social media. That generally comes in a short form teaser. The hope is that people click back to read the full article. That article should have a call to action in the form of a banner ad or popup to get them to give you their information if and when they are interested. That is how a contact marketing system works. It funnels real leads that have an interest in your products and service. That also gives your sales team mostly qualified leads to start and build better sales relationships. Which I am sure they will find more pleasant and productive than making cold calls all day! "I have always said that everyone is in sales. Maybe you don't hold the title of salesperson, but if the business you are in requires you to deal with people, you, my friend, are in sales.” – Zig Ziglar .In this episode... We will discuss how what's a lead and why it should matter to your sales. Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here

In Memorial of On October 21st, 2023. Mark SA Smith passed on. He was a friend and an inspiration to me and this podcast. He was an educator and entrepreneur who gave his knowledge and time to help others. Fly on Friend ______________________ Mark S. A. Smith designs and implements customer acquisition systems that find and recruit customers for disruptive products. He speaks at entrepreneurial events delivering pragmatic ideas to grow and succeed. He is an electrical engineer, media technologist, computer programmer, hardware salesman, a software marketer, and business owner who works with leaders who must develop the best way to bring in the right customers, fast! Mark wrote 13 books and sales guides targeting government, educational, healthcare and the private sector, including three with Guerrilla Marketing author, Jay Conrad Levinson. He has authored more than 400 magazine articles. With his engineering, sales, and business background, he can teach information in a way that customers, sales people, and management understand so that they can clearly communicate with their customers. Creates powerful and innovative sales channel tools, combining product knowledge with proven sales skills. Creates custom white papers and books to sell technology to top management. Delivered thousands of speeches on selling.

The phrase, “can't see the forest for the trees,” means that someone is so focused on small details or individual parts of a situation that they fail to see or understand the larger picture or the overall context. In other words, it suggests that a person is too preoccupied with minor, irrelevant, or unimportant aspects of a situation and, as a result, misses the broader and more critical perspective. But in the case of marketing, you want people to see your tree in the forest of cold calls, unwanted direct outreach messages, and random targeted pixel ads. Content marketing is a strategic approach that can share the unique attributes of your products, services, competitive advantages, and people. It has two components. First, you have to create that unique content. It has to be written in a way that attracts and interests your intended audience. Secondly, you have to market. That means distributing it in a way that people take notice. The main goal of content marketing is to create sales. B2B sales take time and trust. In most cases, it takes multiple visits to your website, to generate enough interest to want to have a conversation with your company or sales team. “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus .In this episode... We will discuss how content marketing is like noticing a colorful tree in a first of green. Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here

Michelle’s primary focus is helping leaders and employees achieve high-performance and measurable results that encompass engagement, productivity, well-trained individuals and effective teams. Michelle brings a vigorous customer-focused approach with client engagements. She is accomplished with diverse and multi-cultural audiences and is a certified Personified Leadership facilitator. Michelle’s body of work spans the following practice areas: Instructional Design, Facilitation, Executive Coaching and Performance Consulting Learn More About Michelle and Instructional Design- Click Here

We live in a complex world of chaos. The difference today is that the amount and speed of data we have access to and consume, in the form of audio, video, text, and voice, can be overwhelming. We often tend to self-sanitize by consuming stories and narratives that affirm our worldview and values. That leads to compartmentalized communication. So what can we do? We can start by listening to and understanding people who agree and disagree with our worldview. We need to invest in getting to know and relate to people in a more analog form. There is no turning back. Digital communications are here to stay. But just like we have seen a resurgence in vinyl record stores and sales, there is a time, place, and desire for a mix of analog and digital business communications. Some of the bias and comfort level is generational. I am sure you have seen sales teams that range from Gen Z to Boomers. Younger generations have grown up only knowing digital technologies while boomers started out 100% analog. Being a Chief Relationship Optimizer, I embrace technology and its repeatable and time-saving benefits. I also embrace the power of sitting down for a coffee, meeting for a meal, and attending networking events and conferences to enhance interpersonal relationships. “We live in a digital world, but we're fairly analog creatures.” – Omar Ahmad .In this episode... We will discuss the differences between analog and digital communication styles, and how they can and should coexist!. Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here

Ultimate Catalyst for personal transformation. Creator of the ultimate life formula. Author of 13 books and “your ultimate life“ podcast. 30-year executive experience in the energy industry. Survived a near-death experience and committed to those ending addiction to average. Coming through decades of depression, addictions, life-threatening illness and a near-death experience, Kellan has become the ultimate catalyst to help motivated people melt barriers, move mountains and mobilize superpowers to achieve their true desires. As a coach and keynote speaker, Kellan’s masterful approach helps people get past old stories, change beliefs and create a life context to reach even goals that seemed impossible. Learn More About Kellan & His Books - Click Here

We recently watched a documentary about the Webb Space Telescope. If you are unfamiliar, the Hubble Space Telescope increased the range we could see into space versus land-based observatories. It has circled the earth at 360 miles up since 1990. The Webb Space Telescope was conceived in 1996 and launched on December 25, 2021. It orbits the sun at over 1 million miles and has a 5-layer sun shield to increase its ability to see deeper into space. Okay, I am sure at this point you are saying “Cool. But what does this have to do with marketing my business?” Well, I'm glad you asked! I believe that good business marketing has three legs like a stool: current, past, and future customers. Look at these three as different audiences, who get and respond to different messages, and what and how you can measure with different expectations. Our current customers are our present. Past customers show us an evolution of our business that we can use to predict what motivates and excites future customers. It all comes down to tagging and segmenting people and businesses, and developing distribution messages that promote quality business relationships. The main goal of a business card is to be remembered and have your interaction continued and acted upon. So why not make it as easy and actionable as possible? “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” – Steve Jobs .In this episode... We will discuss how segmenting your marketing can use your past to build new business in the future! Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here

Jon Ferrara is a CRM and Relationship Management entrepreneur and noted speaker about Social Media's effects on Sales and Marketing. He has re-imagined CRM by building a Simply Smarter Social Sales and Marketing platform, his most recent venture Nimble.com. It is the first CRM that works for you by building and updating contact data for you, then works with you, everywhere you work. Ferrara is best known as the co-founder of GoldMine Software Corp, one of the early pioneers in the Sales Force Automation (SFA) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software categories for Small to Medium sized Businesses (SMBs).

The business card's origin can be traced back to around the time of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock. Visiting Cards were used in the 17th century. Although they were standardized in size to fit in business card holders and Rolodexes, people have been trying to improve on them or make them stand out with odd shapes, creating a book from them, and even going 100% digital. But, just as live viruses remain and evolve over time, business cards are still the go-to tool for exchanging information at in-person meetings. Just as people predicted that social media made websites irrelevant, the DEATH of the business card has been highly exaggerated! The 2″ x 3 ½” paper-based card is still king. They fit in your pocket, are easy to hand over and store, and have more than enough space to get your brand and your contact information across. You can try one of those digital cards that you can tap on a cell phone. It creates your contact information in their device, but I bet you less than 50% of recipients could find it on their phone, and less than 10% would ever use it. The main goal of a business card is to be remembered and have your interaction continued and acted upon. So why not make it as easy and actionable as possible? “Innovation is the calling card of the future.” – Anna Eshoo .In this episode... We will discuss how to improve and maximize the use of business cards in your business! Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here

Deb Krier is a LinkedIn Strategist, social media advisor, and professional speaker. For more than 10 years, she has work with professionals to optimize their use of LinkedIn. As the founder of Wise Women Communications, a full-service marketing agency, she sees LinkedIn as a vital marketing tool for professionals at any level. Throughout her career, Deb has worked with corporations and nonprofit organizations developing and maximizing their marketing and public relations efforts. But, senior executives often don’t see themselves as something that needs marketed. Drawing on her experience in working for small businesses, one of the largest corporations in the world, the nonprofit realm and as an entrepreneur, she demonstrates how LinkedIn is a strategic tool that enables everyone to improve their business, whether large or small, and create an impressive personal brand. With more than 20 years of experience, Deb has a Master’s Degree in Marketing as well as a Master’s Degree in Communication Management. She has the experience and knowledge to help busy executives make an impact with their LinkedIn Profiles.

I think I can safely say that you don't go into business to lose money… unless you intentionally do so for a tax write-off. Yet making money is not as easy as it's often characterized. It takes a great idea mixed with execution. It takes hard work mixed with luck. And, it takes money mixed with convincing people to give you more. A CRO is something I just made up, but it's what I have found that gives SMBs a competitive advantage. While other marketers focus on website hits, SEO, lead generation, and TikTok videos, CROs focus on business relationships and use creative content and methods to optimize how those activities affect sales. Marketing is about people. It's about the relationships you have with customers, prospects, and vendors. That means A CRO should integrate people and technology to collect and utilize data pulled from and by your current staff, to optimize communications with people who already interact with your company. That is one of the best ways to predict how prospects will view, consume, and act on the marketing content you produce and distribute. In this podcast, I will explore how to implement A CMO marketing plan and philosophy, on an SMB marketing budget! “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” – Stephen Covey . Want To See How To Market BETTER? - Click Here