Longer, Deeper Event Talks Deliver Real Business Value
Fascinating Trend: Events are FINALLY going deeper in 2026 Quick explanation: Over the past 5 years, I think many event organizers bought into this Tik-Tokification of events, making talks shorter so as to "keep the attention" of the audience. In my opinion, this has been a big mistake, for a couple of reasons: 1. When audiences complain about how long a talk is it's almost never due to the length of the presentation itself. Rather, it was because (A) they didn't feel they got true value for their business or (B) they didn't think the speaker's communication skills were engaging enough. 2. Subjects like AI and macro business trends are too complicated to brush over in a 30 minute keynote and expect real change. It doesn't work that way. In fact, that often just ends up overwhelming the audience because they never learn "how" to do the thing. This brings me back to my original point. Today I'll speak at my 15th event of the year, with more than half of these talks being over 60 minutes in length, a trend that is quite different than the previous few years. Clearly, event organizers want (and need) more depth. Now, instead of just giving 45 minute keynotes on surface level buyer trends and AI, we're actually going deep, often times with 90 minute sessions that cover where AI is, where it's going, what this means for business ops, sales, marketing, and practical, hands-on steps businesses can apply today to take action. All this to say, the business world is in a major state of "learning" right now. AI is new for everyone. A completely blue ocean in most industries. And the only way we're going to really learn it is by rolling up our sleeves and truly getting into it. It's a challenging task ahead, but the time to lean-in (and not gloss over) is now. What say you?
Start Every Post with TLDR and Question H2s
Hey marketers, want more wins with AI summaries and citations? Yeah, me too. Here are two simple actions we've seen work really well with clients over the last 90 days: 1. Include a TLDR summary to start EVERY blog article...
Free 90‑Minute Sales Kickoff to Transform Your 2026 Performance
Tomorrow I'm doing something I've never done before: Putting on a FREE, 90 Minute Sales Kickoff (SKO) for ANYONE that wants to dramatically improve their sales skills and mindset for 2026 - B2B, B2C, sales leaders, soloists, this is for...
Stay Flexible, Don't Underestimate AI's Evolving Power
Two things are becoming crystal clear to me when it comes to AI in business: 👉 #1: Stop marrying yourself to any single AI platform. I don't care if it's ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. The market is moving too fast....
Skip Meetings without a Clear Purpose
Life Tip (that took me years to learn): If you don't know *why* you’ve been invited to a meeting, don't go. Let's translate the "why": 👉 "To hear updates" ...That's an email. 👉 "To give input" ...That's a shared doc....
Stop Texting Prospects—Call Them to Close Deals
Dear Sales Professional, If you would like to lose a ton of deals you should have closed, keep attempting to resolve concerns over text messages instead of calling the person directly and having a real conversion. Sincerely, A Friend Who...
Prioritize the Right Platform, Don’t Spread Yourself Thin
Important Reminder for All Marketers: 👇 Yesterday I was chatting with a client (boat retailer) that told me they wanted to focus more on their LinkedIn efforts. My response: Why would you put your energy on a B2B platform when...
Psychology Beats Tactics: Top Hard Sales Skills
The 3 Hardest Skills to Teach in Sales (From 2,000+ Hours of Coaching) 👇 After two decades in the trenches and thousands of hours coaching sales professionals, I’ve realized that the "mechanics" of sales are (with the right coaching) easy....
Put the Answer First: Stop Burying the Lead
Dear Marketers, Put the answer first. Put the answer first. Put the answer first. Sincerely, Humans & Answer Engines (ChatGPT, Claude, Etc.) ------- (In other words, stop burying the lead with your content. If you want impatient humans to stick...
8.5‑Hour Live Tuna Battle Captivates 2,500 Viewers
My commercial fishing company did something online that has never been done before a few days ago, and the story is a wild one. Here's what went down: During commercial bluefin tuna season (which happens to be right now) we...
AI‑averse Majority Forces Businesses to Rethink Marketing
Last week POLITICO asked which party benefits from Americans' fear of AI. This morning The New York Times led with a story about the growing backlash. Everyone, apparently, hates AI now. Good. Here's why: When the masses reject something out...
True Trust Turns Performance Reviews Into Real Growth
I had a “year in review” meeting with my Chief of Staff, Becca Manganello , the other day. It turned into a surprisingly powerful discussion centered on just two questions: 1. What did I personally do that was most helpful...
AI Will Redefine Online Visibility by 2026
What extraordinary times in which we live my friends. In the world of marketing and technology, we’ve never seen change like this and 2026 will likely be a rude awakening for many businesses who have been asleep at the wheel...
Training Turns Sales Rep Into Heart‑Driven Performer
Last week I had one of my most rewarding experiences of the year. Here's the story: A CEO came up to me after I had one of his sales reps in a 2-day training with me weeks before. Here's exactly...
AI-Powered Instant Pricing Ends Call-For-Quote Era
True Story: I was recently asked to speak at a home services conference but the organizer said they did not want me teaching pricing transparency to contractors because, "That's not how we teach them to sell." In other words, they...
AI Trust Hinges on Perfect NAP Consistency
Wild Stat: After analyzing 3,500 websites, only ONE scored a “perfect” for NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone Number). If you own a business (especially a location-based one) you already know NAP matters. Legacy Google has always relied on it for...
CEOs Embrace Communication Mastery Through The Pathfinder’s Way
I spent the last two days doing something that I deeply love, but don’t often get the opportunity to do: Help five CEOs become the best communicators, speakers, and leaders they can be. It takes a special leader to say,...
Most Sales Kickoffs Fail—Make Them Truly Impactful
Why Most Sales Kickoffs Are a Complete Waste of Time Few events in the business world get more run and have less impact than an SKO—the infamous "Sales Kickoff." Here's a question for you: When was the last time you...
Great CEOs Delegate; I Let Partners Run Companies
Most people assume I “run” all my businesses. But the truth is I barely run any of them. Here’s the actual timeline of businesses I’ve started: 2001 - Swimming pool installation 2012 - Professional speaking 2014 - Consulting/coaching agency 2017...
AI Trust Signals Exposes SEO Agency Deception and Failures
I had no idea so many SEO companies would hate my software AI Trust Signals … but they do...and not for the reasons I expected. Turns out, there are a lot of SEO companies doing bad work and not being...
AI Will Make Pricing Transparency Mandatory for All Businesses
Have you seen this article from Inc. Magazine this month? It verifies everything I've been begging organizations to understand since AI changed the way we search. 👉 Pricing Transparency is about to be forced on ALL businesses. 👈 Why? Here...
Add Last‑Updated Timestamps and Schema to Avoid AI Penalty
Turns out that AI (and humans) HATE recommending stale/old content. That's why EVERY marketer should make this a non-negotiable in 2026: 👉 Put a “Last Updated” timestamp on every major page and article on your website, just like you see...
Sales Training Elevates Both Business and Personal Relationships
What a magical couple of days teaching MasterCraft Boat Company dealers how to create extraordinary connections with their customers. But let me tell you a powerful story how one man in the audience immediately applied what he learned to his...
Three Simple Steps to Defuse Upset Customers
While teaching a workshop this morning, I had a salesperson come up to me during a break and said, "Marcus, I don't do well with conflict. When a customer is upset, I freeze. Can you help?" This simple question led...
Transparent Pricing Builds Trust, Drives Massive Sales
In 2009 I became the first pool builder in the world to aggressively discuss pricing online. That one decision led to millions in sales. In 2019 I became the first fiberglass pool manufacturer in the world to have a pricing...
We’re No Longer the Answer to Challenges
“We aren’t the answer anymore.” “Why aren’t we showing up in ChatGPT?” “AI no longer loves us!” Sound dramatic? Give it a year. Just as marketers once panicked over losing their #1 Google spot, the next wave of anxiety will...
Even Market Leaders Doubt Their Marketing Effectiveness
Imagine being a $100 million plumbing company, completely dominating your market with 16,000 more Google reviews than your closest competitor, and still saying, "Our marketing isn't good enough." That is rare my friends. Why? Because the majority of CEOs dominating...
Pricing Calculators Outconvert Contact Forms—Upgrade Your Lead Strategy
Did you know the average "contact us" page has a 3-4% conversion rate? Did you also know the average pricing estimator (i.e. calculator) on a website has a 41% conversion rate? Here's the most interesting part: 👉 99% of websites...