BRUCE’s BLOG
The Sophomore Slump.
Artists as diverse as Metallica, Judas Priest, Mastodon, Ed Sheeran, Gnarls Barkley, and so many more have all been criticized for releasing second efforts that didn’t live up to their original triumphs. And no matter what style of music you enjoy, the Internet is full of personal lists of Sophomore Slumps in your chosen genre. But some artists, like Elton John, actually put out second records that were better than their firsts.
What is the Sophomore Slump and how does it affect you and your business?
Brainstorm: Do You Suffer From an I Infection?
How do you feel when you have a brainstorm?
Something you never thought of before suddenly becomes clear and powerful and takes over your consciousness. And if the idea is huge, it becomes all you can think about.
Ironically, this big, big, big brainstorm can often be something tiny, a simple tweak of something tried, true, and already taken for granted.
If you have had this experience, you know what happened to me on Friday.
Let me tell you about it:
How To Build a Blog.
After writing and posting over 800 blogs, I decided to give you insight into how I do what I do and to help you create your own outreach program. I’ve shared my experiences, successes and failures, the metrics of my work, the various technologies I’ve used, and the different people and resources that have helped me build a blog. My fondest wish is that you find these posts interesting and instructive.
Selling to B2B businesses.
When you’re selling to B2B businesses, you can brag and bluster until you’re blue in the face. But really… who cares? How would doing that separate you from all the other companies with the same message? Instead, you’re just like the little kid standing on the diving board yelling, “Look at me! Look at me! Look what I can do!”
All you’re doing is contributing to the vast field of noise.
Do You HATE to be Sold?
Do your potential customers and clients understand how you can make their lives simpler, faster, or easier? If they did, wouldn’t they rush to buy your product or service? If so, why not write a book about it?
The books create a win-win-win situation for Will’s company, the professionals he helps, AND the customers they do business with. And this all happens because Will understands that straightforward principle: People HATE to be sold.
They said WHAT about me?
We both know the old saying, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” So, I’m going to start sharing some heartfelt stories. Personal stories. Family stories. Friends’ stories. Stories about people who have successfully made life-changing pivots. Stories from my MasterMind members – where they are today versus yesterday.
Why? Because there’s nothing more I want for you than your happiness and success in every way imaginable. And if I can be a part of it – even better!
To do that, I have a quick request. Please send me a note. Tell me about your hurdles and your speed bumps and dead-end roads. Tell me about your dreams. Tell me your goals. And please tell me how you believe I can help you achieve them!
The Power of ChatGPT.
Like all earth-shattering inventions, AI is not going away. The smart response is not to run from it or to duck your head in the sand but to embrace the change and look to discover how you can use the power of ChatGPT to improve your business and your life.
Sailing vs. Sailing
Sailing used to be a means of transportation ruled by time and tide, but today, things have changed. These days, sailing is a journey rather than a destination, a state of mind more than a way of getting anywhere specific. What I discovered sailing in the Keys last week is that sailing, whether actual or metaphorical, is something we should all do more often.
How To Get What You Want.
Want to know how to get what you want. My new book is titled Is That All There Is? It’s about people our age who reach a level of success in their lives and then decide they want something different. To write the book I interviewed over 45 people who have successfully pivoted their own lives and then featured detailed stories of 14 of them. Is That All There Is? explains why these people were dissatisfied with their lives, (HINT: It’s almost always one of the Nine Ds). What they decided to do about it (HINT: You can’t GET what you want until you KNOW what you want). What worked (HINT: You’d probably be surprised how many different paths there are). What didn’t work (HINT: You’d probably be surprised how consistent the no-nos are). And what proven and actionable ideas they recommend.
ChatGPT and Synthetic Media Created This Post.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve been hearing a lot about ChatGPT and synthetic media lately. I decided to see if ChatGPT could write this blog for me, and if synthetic media could create my video. To do this I logged in and asked ChatGPT to write a 700-word blog post about using ChatGPT to write blog posts. Here’s what it returned. Please remember I did not write or shoot this, it’s all AI
How to Increase Your Value.
Oscar Wilde wrote “Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” Because we can’t count on others for this, it is our job to be scrupulous about the choices we make about how we’re going to spend our time, whom we’re going to spend it working for, and what we’re going to charge for that work. Simply put, to increase your value you must know your value.
Your Function is Cost of Entry
All companies have to offer some degree of function, or they wouldn’t be in business. But your function is cost of entry. And after the generic requirement of function has been met, it becomes the “What’s in it For Me?” factor that makes the difference, makes the sale, and makes your day.
What this means to you is that it’s time for a sober, gimlet-eyed look at your business’ messaging to make sure you’re not simply listing your features or cataloging your benefits but instead are making a clear and concise argument for how you make your customers’ lives better.
Is it True That Practice Makes Perfect?
Is it True That Practice Makes Perfect? The key to mastery is to develop the various talents that are an intrinsic component of who you already are, so that not only isn’t practice something you HAVE to do or even something that you WANT to do, but something that you do without planning to do it or even think about it. You do it because it’s a part of who you are. The saying in Spanish is “eso le nace,” meaning “it comes from within you” or literally, “it’s born in you.” Accomplish this, and practice makes perfect.
Smile
Charlie Chaplin’s best-known song, Smile, distills his positive outlook on life into a simple but profound masterpiece. And even though it was written almost 80 years ago, its message seems truer and more necessary today than ever before.
“If you smile through your fear and sorrow,
Smile and maybe tomorrow,
You’ll see the sun come shining through, for you.”
Is Elon Musk Destroying Tesla’s Brand?
There are lots of reason why a company’s stock price can fluctuate. But what if it’s Tesla’s brand, and more specifically, how the CEO’s actions have affected that brand, that’s causing the drop in shareholder value? In other words, have Elon Musk’s actions on Twitter and off, affected Tesla’s brand, resulting in a 55% drop in shareholder value?
How Do You Prepare For The New Year?
How do you prepare for the new year? Preparing for the upcoming new year gives us all an opportunity to look back over where we’ve been and what we’ve done while we also look forward to where we’re going and how we’re going to get there.
Putting the UNITY in COMMUNITY.
It’s time to celebrate putting the unity in community. And so, on Tuesday, December 13 at one PM EST, we’re going to host a reunion. Everyone who’s joined us over the past couple years and found the tools, guidance, resources, encouragement and relationships they needed to pursue their goals is invited to get together and tell us all all about it.
Living for the Weekend – The 3Ps
I hate to preach, but if we’re just living for the weekend, we’re living for less than a third of our lives. I’m not one to spout that old-hackneyed saying “if you make a living doing something you love, you’ll never work a day in your life.” But I do think there’s an answer. Part of it is called The 3Ps. The other part was inscribed by the ancient Greeks on the Temple of Apollo almost 2,500 years ago…