Wow do I have some hot take-aways for you today…
I just got back from an amazing conference in Dallas where some of the BEST marketers and innovators on the planet dropped insane amounts of gold.
Straight from Dallas, I flew to Tampa for my Mom’s 70th bday (Happy Birthday, Mom!).
Then, just when I thought the excitement was over, I had a surprise run-in with the TSA bomb squad (note to self: maybe don’t pack protein powder in a carry-on next time ).
I wasn’t allowed to take a pic with the explosive specialist or the testing kit, but I got a fun one with the TSA agent. Glad I got to the airport early!
And now I’m back in Raleigh.
Before I jump into the take-aways, I wanted to say THANK YOU.
Because of you, we’ve been able to donate thousands of dollars to help support those who need it most in Asheville. Your support means the world, and your contributions are making a real, tangible difference.
So let’s dive into some of the ideas and gold dropped on stage (and behind-the-scenes!) at the event…
(These are just the highlights! I’ll go deeper for you in my next few emails so that you can see real-life examples and see how to put these into action in your business )
1. There’s a HEAVY adoption of AI. Not just for ideation and content, but more importantly for EFFICIENCY. The smartest ones in the room are using it to reduce friction. There are some really powerful use cases for customer service, SOPs, workflow automation, reducing redundancy, streamlining processes, and on and on. There is so much I want to share, so I’m going to write a separate email about this later this week.
2. The “Problem-Aware” group is where you want to spend your time. In the 5 Levels of Awareness (unaware, problem-aware, solution-aware, product-aware, and most aware), the “problem-aware” group is where you can CRUSH it with your marketing. This group knows they have a problem, but can’t articulate it, and they’re not sure that a solution actually exists. Creating ads that repeat their problem back to them in their own words—is working really well right now.
3. Some great conversations happened around the TOP fears that prevent people from making a buying decision: spending money and not getting results, looking stupid, making a mistake, being “found out”, wasting time, getting stuck, not feeling understood. (What to do with this: test our different verbiage in your content and marketing to see what may resonate and connect with your audience.)
4. Try starting off your day with this question: ”You get this ONE day. What should I do with it?” (thank you Jen Gottlieb)
5. “A day without a problem is an anomaly.” — This **was a shared sentiment by ALL of the extremely successful business owners on one of the panels. Solving problems is a big part of what we do. If you’re experiencing challenges or problems, it doesn’t mean you’re not a good business owner. The goal, of course, is to learn, adapt, and grow. If you don’t learn the lesson, the same problems will keep resurfacing until you start making different decisions.
6. Pillar Content is right now. And it’s working really well to help convert prospective buyers into PAYING CLIENTS. Here’s the question to ask: “What’s ONE piece of content you wish all your prospects saw before you asked them to buy?” This could be a solid lead magnet, a training, a video, etc. Integrate this content right into your funnel so that EVERY new audience member will see it at the right time. (Ryan Deiss)
7. Self-Doubt in business tends to show up in three ways: overthinking, treading water/procrastinating, and destination obsession. Here’s Jasmine Star’s advice on tackling each:
- Overthinking: Start by building in public—just take action. (I did this when I did my 90-day personal Reels challenge)
- Procrastination: Reframe your commitment by connecting it to its deeper purpose, practice discipline.
- Destination Obsession: Celebrate progress, include others in your journey, and take time to recharge
These were just the tip of the iceberg. I’m excited to dig deeper and share even more of these strategies with you over the next few weeks.
Hope you found these valuable
Make it an amazing day,
Alicia
