🖐 Happy Wednesday!

Issue #40 is 662 words = a 2.8-minute read.

1 big topic: Your clients are cheating on you

Every day, ChatGPT, CoPilot, and Gemini give your clients a reason to leave you.

Why it matters: 

Clients are your top source of future dollars and referrals.

🔥 Give them what AI cannot.

The backstory:

Landing clients haunted me in my first business.

My approach?

I used data to show prospects that I could fix their money problems.

This gave them confidence that I knew my numbers.

I thought this would win business.

Instead, they’d say, “Thanks for the ideas” and go to another firm.

🙁 Heartbreaking.

State of play:

Your goal is to give prospects and clients a positive change.

Take them from “Ouch to Ooh-la-la!”

Lean into their emotions.

You can ask:

• “What is your pain point?”
  

• “What do you want to feel at the end of the transition?”
  

• “If you could eliminate one big frustration, which would it be?”

Once you know their pain, it’s easy to apply your skills.

Draw it out on paper and show how your tools remove the problem.

Help them see how your talent makes them happy.

Emotion builds the foundation, and you should do it with every prospect.

They may forget what you did.

🙏 They always remember how you made them feel.

What’s next:

When you interact with your prospects and clients, it’s your chance to do what AI cannot.

Be a human.

Sprinkle emotion across every facet of your marketing.

This keeps AI at arm’s length and builds a bond with your audience.

• Write LinkedIn posts that lead with an emotion your customers have
  

• Create YouTube videos that show you know the frustration your customers want to remove
  

• Craft a blogpost that puts greed, fear and joy center stage; highlight it and then put your skills to work to address it

Go deeper:

OpenAI is now training its next model.

In a year, this whole arena will be different.

Each time your client turns on their MAC, PC, and phone, AI is there to help them.

You can’t compete with AI on tools.

❤️ You can beat AI with emotion.

• Explore the leaders in emotional intelligence
  

• Develop templates that bring emotion into your business so prospects see how your skills make them feel better
  

• Pick-up a book on consumer psychology ( I like Richard Thaler) and apply the guidelines to win more business

📣 Business Model Breakdown: Do You Have Enough Dry Powder?

The big picture:

Your business needs cash.

It’s key to have enough dry powder on hand.

News outlets tell us that Ampla, a big lender to start-ups, is turning off its credit options for many borrowers.

Why it matters:

Revenue is fickle, and you can’t predict it with 100% certainty.

You need sources of cash when revenue drops and bills stay constant.

Watch the cash balances and be sure you can get more in a smart, prudent way.

What’s next:

• Chat with your financial advisor and CPA
  

• Show them your revenues, bills, balances in checking, and savings
  

• Ask for ideas, guides, and advice should your dry powder get low

1 fun idea:

Relatives came to visit me during the holiday weekend.

It was sensational to see young kids working with iPhones.

🎲 At night, we took a rest from tech and let old-fashioned board games take us away.

Colonel Mustard. In the library. With the candlestick.

Classic.

Stay curious and keep opening doors.

-Erik

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