1:20 Check out the Seth quote that’s been on Jen’s website since day one! “How can you squander even one more day not taking advantage of the greatest shifts of our generation? How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be remarkable?” Do you still agree with this?
Seth: More than ever! The chances that individuals have to speak up and be heard have never been bigger.
3:35 Your book made marketers feel good. That our work really matters. Does marketing really matter? The work of marketing? Is it something that can leave a legacy?
Seth: Every single person who has done work that mattered has been a marketer. Seth explains why this is true today and gives great historical references that will surprise you. Marketing is about sharing good ideas that matter, and ideas that will change how we look and think about the world. If our work is going to matter, it’s up to us to use the tools to uplift or tear down or we can use them to connect or to separate. It’s up to us to use the tools in a way that you are proud of. Yes, it matters.
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4:50 You talk about the smallest viable audience. It was good to read that I don’t have to have an email list of 100K. Can you talk about that?
Seth: The idea of mass works when you can get it at a discount. That’s not possible anymore. And people don’t want average products anymore. The path instead is to ask what is the smallest group I can live with that has a unique connected set of values, desires, dreams and fears? How do I delight that group?
6:44 How do we deliver “above average?” How do we bring out our actual magic?
Seth: What I can point out is the effort you need to bring out your actual magic is worth the journey. What we know is that with awareness and persistence you can develop skill and if you aim that skill in a specific direction you can become a “meaningful specific” instead of a “wandering generality.” h/t Zig Ziglar. x way to get above average results is to be obsessively focused on a small group of people who want to hear from you.
8:47 You also talk about the magic of good enough. Can you talk about that?
Seth: Certain things have to be significantly beyond good enough. That’s what makes them remarkable. Everything else just has to be good enough. Hear the breakdown and insights that help you determine when each is required. What is it that you want to own? What is it that you want to do? Everything else can be good enough. 10:00 I love what you say about authenticity. Some buzz words have been used so much that they have lost their impact. Authenticity feels like that to me.
Seth: Authenticity is a distraction. If we are hiring a professional to help us, like an attorney, we are not seeking to know about that person’s life. We want them to make a promise and keep it. That’s what we buy. Seth shares some tough love advice about taking a stand. Why consistent wins over authentic. 12:50 You have said that culture beats strategy so much that culture is strategy. Can you clarify that?
Seth: Strategy is supposed to be like playing chess. I love strategy. But what’s really going to determine how everyone acts everyday is going to be the culture. Seth shares the Starbucks example and why the message was meant to impact the culture. The culture becomes the strategy because that’s what the company stands for.
14:38 The conversation about pricing was a big relief. Can you talk about that?
Seth: Price is a story. It is not based on what something costs. You are paying because the price is supposed to help you understand what the thing is supposed to be. Many people wrestle with pricing because they don’t believe they are worth it.
It’s not up to you to decide, it’s up to the customer to decide. There are lots of customers that would prefer the responsibility and status that comes with paying more than to be the person who buys the cheapest thing.
Charge what you need to charge to do work you are proud of. That will find you the customers who are ready to pay that. No one will pay it because you deserve it or because you are working hard. They are going to pay it because it makes them feel they did something smart.
20:15 We can also relate this to the freelancer/entrepreneur who could commit to having clients invest at a higher level.
Seth: If you don’t believe that what you are offering is worth it, please stop offering it! Let’s start there. If we think our service is worth $100 but we are charging $50 then it’s a gift.
We’ve talked about entrepreneurs and freelancers. I want you to clarify the difference for us. Also, I often hear people who feel like they have a real business.
Seth: There is a difference between entrepreneurs and freelancers. Entrepreneurs build something bigger than they are. They are building an organization that one day they can sell. Freelancers get paid when they work. They do the work with their own two hands.
If you are an entrepreneur, don’t do the work! Your job is to hire people to do the work. Your job is to build systems and processes so that you make money when you sleep. It’s so you can make an impact on a bigger scale.
The people who don’t feel like they have a business are freelancers. And that’s okay. Find clients who will pay you appropriately or spend time getting better at what you do. 23:14 Why is asking “how do I get the word out” the wrong question?
Seth: Because it’s selfish! It’s like saying if everyone knew what I did, then I’d have lots of business. You already have a small group of clients that you are serving. Why aren’t they telling others? Solve that problem. If your customers are telling others, then you don’t have a getting the word out problem. If that’s not happening then the work is inherently private (so people don’t talk about it) or it’s not remarkable enough for people to share it. Solve that.
Rapid Fire Questions
These questions are about a variety of things that I wanted to ask. Some are personal, some are about Seth’s methods and I ask about some of his favorite things. His answers are amusing, and truthful and they’ll make you think.
24:30 Seth’s heroes. An impressive list of people who understand how to navigate how ideas spread. People who show up because they choose to not because it’s easy.
25:55 The best advice Seth ever received!
26:04 Are you on Social Media?
26:28 Are you addicted to your phone like the rest of us?
27:05 How do you write the blog posts? Do you batch them? How have you maintained the consistency?
27:55 What career would you be doing if you hadn’t chosen marketing?
28:17 Do you have morning routines? Good advice here – and not what you’d expect!
30:25 How do you come up with such good metaphors? 31:30 What’s your favorite book? He made a recommendation for our listeners.
31:48 What’s the first things you’d do if you were starting a business today? This answer is incredible. What’s your favorite podcast? His Answer!
32:54 What’s your favorite thing? He shares a real insight about why he does the work and why it’s so meaningful to him.
33:35 What is the ALTMBA?
Final words: Keep Making a Ruckus!
