The Modern Consultant

Traffic source of $100k in 3 days case study I mentioned on the last podcast episode was paid advertising.But when someone reference paid advertising, most people think of Meta or Google PPC ads.Then leads acquired through those channels are nurtured using email sequences.Instead, we spend $50k of advertising budget on acquiring email lists.Result?Less competition = Low Cost per lead = Higher Profits.We used the following 3 untapped email sources to acquire leads with CPL of $1 on avg. to get to $100k in 3 days:1. Buying an entire Email List2. Running ads in the email newsletter3. Cross-Promotion of email listsWant to know more?Key points I covered:Architecting a Growth System: I delve into the meticulous process of architecting a growth system for businesses, focusing on creating automatic sales, offers, and audience generation to drive ROI and impact for my clients.Paid Advertising Strategies: This episode reveals compelling insights into leveraging untapped sources for acquiring leads at a low cost with high return on investment, steering clear of traditional paid advertising channels.Strategic Sales and Offer Systems: I discuss the significance of comprehensive sales and offer systems, emphasizing the value of creating entry offers and leveraging order bumps and one-time offers to increase average order value and achieve early profitability.Impact-driven Business Model: I emphasized the importance of creating offers designed to change lives and generate a return on investment along with a return on student impact, ultimately delivering rewards to businesses that they can be proud of.Timestamp:00:00 Architecting $1,000,000 per product per year business model.03:41 Email newsletter acquisition, low cost, high return.07:53 Implement cold acquisition traffic math with multiple offers.12:39 Analyze lead sources for cost and profitability.About The Host:I'm Marc, and I help experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, I created my Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co

Last week, I spoke about two clients. In January, both did $100K. Client A did it in 3 weeks and Client B did it 3 days. The fascinating part? Client B, did less work - no webinars or sales calls, and it took less time.That said, I went on to share how Client B did $50K the week after they did $100K. However, that $50K came from doing more work. Like, A LOT more - 2 live webinar/workshops, more emails, and more follow-up.Naturally, that was a bummer, because by doing more, they hoped to make more.As a result, they thought about saying no to doing webinars ever again in the future.And that's when I spoke about The Circle of Choice - a tool for making better executive decisions.If you're curious about why I spoke him out of NEVER doing live webinars again in the future and how I did it with the Circle of Choice, then this episode is for you.And if you're a nerd about personal growth, then you'll especially love this one.Key Points:1. Architecting Growth: Marc introduces the concept of the ""circle of choice,"" a powerful executive decision-making tool aimed at steering your business towards success.2. Decision-Making Dynamics: The discussion offers valuable insights into how our thoughts, feelings, and actions influence the outcomes we experience.3. Goal Oriented Strategies: Real-world examples and scenarios are explored, illustrating how deliberate decision-making aligns with specific goals and can pave the way for increased success, profitability, and impact.4. Self-Leadership and Empowerment: The concept of the ""circle of choice"" extends beyond decision-making, encompassing self-leadership and visionary behavior change, empowering individuals to leverage their abilities and create tangible impact.Timestamp:04:13 Facing (bad) feelings despite achieving significant results.07:38 Double the result scenario within Circle of Choice.11:37 Model emphasizes self-leadership and citing sources.Resource:Self Coaching 101: https://www.amazon.com/Self-Coaching-101-Brooke-Castillo/dp/0977853993 (Not an affiliate link)About The Host:Marc helps experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, he created his Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co

Back in October, one of my clients did $100K in a week. In this episode, I talk about the upgrades to the campaign that brought in $100K in 3 days.The biggest difference?No sales calls. No webinars.$100K in 3 days from emails, sales page, and text messages.There's a lot more to it like changes to the offer, including price points, and product improvements but one of the best parts was this:Multiple sales for the $10,000 price tier without having to hop on a call or webinar.This makes it way more scalable.Lots to cover.If you're curious, timestamps are here for you:00:00 Expert uses non-traditional methods to succeed.08:06 Effective presale sequence led to successful sales.11:55 Create high quality deliverables as if he's delivering to corporate clients.14:33 How marketing funnel strategy created profitable business model?16:55 Introducing my course: Prep for limited release of new method.About The Host:Marc helps experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, he created his Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co

Imagine...- You joined the Navy...but you didn't know how to swim?- Your Mom told you to "find a man"...so you went to the grocery store and picked up your husband.- You wanted to get better at cooking...so you decided to learn from a Presidential chef.All of this is true, and then some, of Nicole Schwegmann, 20-year Navy Veteran, who, has done it all from driving warships to being the lead media correspondent for the entire U.S. Navy.This, is a podcast unlike any other.We talk about it all: overcoming fears, taking bold actions, her career switch, sacrifice for nation, and much, much more.She will retire from active duty service in March 2024 and next, she'll be entering the world of entertainment - a lifelong dream. If you've ever wondered about how to turn adversity into the adventure of a lifetime, then, you're in for quite the ride today.Here's what we cover:1. Overcoming Challenges: Nicole's journey from the Navy to Hollywood was shaped by overcoming personal fears and cultural influences. Her resilience and determination serve as valuable lessons for navigating through life's obstacles and pursuing one's goals.2. Defining Success: Nicole emphasizes the importance of personal fulfillment and enjoyment in one's career, rather than simply achieving conventional success. Her perspective highlights the value of aligning one's professional pursuits with their true passions and values.3. Taking Tangible Steps: Nicole's advice on taking concrete actions, such as enrolling in classes, writing scripts, and networking, demonstrates the significance of commitment and preparation in pursuing one's ambitions.4. Self-Discovery and Personal Growth: Nicole's journey of continuous learning and self-improvement, from culinary school to screenwriting, underscores the importance of investing in personal development and seizing opportunities for growth.5. Transitioning Into Civilian Life: As a veteran, Nicole shares insights into the challenges of transitioning from military culture to civilian life, emphasizing the importance of seeking guidance and mental preparation for life beyond military service.References and Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicoleschwegman/Thread: https://www.threads.net/@nicoleschwegman Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleschwegman/ Timestamps:00:00 Intro06:03 Adding swimming to military training made life tougher.09:39 Story of uncle's unexpected toss into the pool.12:09 Dating, work, and Pentagon.14:21 Met someone in grocery, now together for 17 years.18:44 Balancing life while embracing military commitments.22:02 Career and life coach helped me clarify.25:10 Extrovert with introvert tendencies, strong creative streak.29:26 Sacrifice for nation, missed family milestones.30:12 Reflecting on 20 years, wish for carefree approach.36:13 Passionate podcasting about food and cooking.37:19 People don't think about you that much.43:17 Mom's resilience and Naval Academy influence.44:04 Success is closer than you think.48:01 Prepare for Los Angeles move through online networking.About The Host:Marc helps experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, he created his Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co

To recap 2023, let me take you behind the scene of the Modern Consultant Podcast:- 3160 listeners. - 38,829 downloads.- 41 Episodes.That's quantitative perspective. From qualitative perspective:- Reconnected with my collegues, friends, past clients and got them to share bunch of secrets.- Had an honor of talking to modern consultants behind $100k to $100B contracts.- Explored almost every topic ranging from marketing, sales, business growth, sleep, AI, and much more.Key Points Covered in this episode:1. Revenue Contribution: The podcast significantly contributed to a 5 figure contract in 2023, with potential for a 6 figure contract in 2024. Listeners turned into clients after engaging with long-form episodes, demonstrating the podcast's role in generating revenue.2. Audience Engagement: The podcast garnered around 38,829 downloads from 3160 listeners in 2023. Despite relatively small numbers, Marc emphasizes the meaningful connections and the opportunity to reconnect with business contacts and friends, highlighting the importance of a loyal and engaged audience.3. Integrating the Podcast into Sales: Marc delves into how the podcast fits into the sales process, particularly in the middle and bottom of the funnel. Long-form conversations allow potential clients to align with the host's values, understand his strategic problem-solving approach, and gauge his expertise, all of which can influence their decision to engage in a service contract.4. Strategic Partnerships and Intimacy: The podcast has been instrumental in creating deep connections with potential strategic and referral partners. Marc emphasizes that podcasting is a powerful tool for building intimacy and trust within the business community.Social Links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3DwBPWpH2KenaMbRyMDvDAApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-modern-consultant/id1679872784Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marcaarons876/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marc.aaronsLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcaarons/Timestamps:00:00 how podcast content contributes to client enrollment success?05:45 what I'm not doing when it comes to podcast growth.09:50 Podcast relevancy in "Sales" part of SOAR framework10:53 Demonstrates expertise and curiosity for potential clients.14:46 Strategic fit of the podcast in business growth and marketing.About Marc:Marc helps experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, he created his Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be recognized as a leading voice in leadership? That's something that Bhushan Sethi, our guest on today’s Modern Consultant podcast knows quite a bit about. That's because he's ranked #81 on the '2023 Power List of the top 200 biggest voices in Leadership'. As a partner at PwC he has led high performance teams at Fortune 500s to even greater levels of success.One of my favorite quotes? "Transformation isn’t just about change; it’s about evolving the core of your business". And that's just a taste of so much more.Topics We Cover:1. The importance of responsible AI, emphasizing the need for diverse datasets and diverse developers for ethical and impactful AI applications.2. Addressing societal issues such as racism and classism while navigating the challenges posed by the pandemic and geopolitical tensions.3. Business leadership, ethics, and the intersection of AI with ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) considerations.4. Insights into the significance of understanding clients, reinventing business models, and aligning profit-making with positive environmental and societal impact.5. Relatable personal anecdotes, including Bhushan's experience as an immigrant and his approach to teaching leadership to his children.References and Links: https://twitter.com/bhushansethi1https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhushansethiTimestamps:00:00 Intro03:19 AI changes signal exciting progress in technology.06:30 Unity technology, democratization, opening opportunities for countries.12:28 Responsible AI requires diverse and ethical datasets.16:12 Addressing racism, classism, and the need for collaboration.18:11 Engage in debate without polarization.21:55 Understanding of relationships in career is essential.25:22 Advising companies on transformative and people-centric strategies.28:36 Geopolitical tensions impact commodity prices and technology.31:17 Small businesses must adapt to technology for growth.37:53 ESG intersects with emissions, technology, and decisions.40:12 The Economist article on environment, social, and governance.43:56 Maximize profits through innovative, sustainable business models.48:25 Encourage compassion, understanding, and self-care in leadership.More About The Guest:Bhushan is a Partner at PwC where he serves as a seasoned global leader and pragmatic strategist. With a proven track record, he's helped global organizations achieve sustainable success through organization and workforce strategies. His expertise spans growth strategy, cost reduction, digital transformation, and regulatory compliance. Within PwC, he previously co-led the Global People and Organization practice.He is a frequent contributor to top-tier media outlets and actively contributes to forums like the World Economic Forum and G20/T20. He recently completed the “Harnessing AI for Breakthrough Innovation and Strategic Impact program” at Stanford University and currently serves as an Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern School of Business, teaching MBA students. Currently based in New York City, Bhushan's career has spanned across Europe, Asia, and the US.About The Host:Marc helps experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, he created his Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co

Marketing is the communication of value. If you want to communicate value clearly, then behavioral economics can help. That's because behavioral economics combines the study of economics (this includes the study of how groups of people make purchase decisions) and psychology (how individuals make decisions).That said, we have a very special episode of The Modern Consultant here today, because I have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Sean Ericson - an economist specializing in innovation and climate change. While his current work is focused on electric utilities and meeting their decarbonization goals as we adapt to a changing climate we talk about much more:We talked about:1. Sunk cost and its impact on decision making, emphasizing the importance of focusing on future prospects.2. The link between behavioral economics and evolutionary biology. Drawing from psychology to understand decision-making processes.3. Individual and group decision-making, exploring the balance between individual costs and collective benefits, with climate change as an example.4. Game theory implications on personal relationships and the influence of one's actions on the choices of others.5. The complex interplay between relationships and transactions, highlighting the positive externalities of relationships in economics.6. The concept of trust in collaborations, the impact on decision-making and values, and the psychology of self-sabotaging behavior.Timestamps:00:00 Four big questions in economics around individual and group.06:14 Value in marketing and economics is complex.09:00 Make choices based on future, not past.11:27 Behavioral economics shows limits in decision-making.14:17 Individuals balance costs and benefits for group.18:42 Act in a way that benefits others.23:37 Building trust is key in business relationships.25:12 Collaboration in game theory requires trust.31:14 Navigating money and transactions in business relationships.34:47 Relationships can lead to unexpected benefits.39:05 Balancing group interests while preventing free riding.About Guest:Sean is an economist specializing in innovation and climate change. Sean has a masters in energy economics from the Colorado School of Mines and his PhD from the University of Colorado Boulder. His current work supports electric utilities meet their decarbonization goals and adapt to a changing climate.About The Host:Marc helps experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, he created his Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co

How does Oprah show up at your doorstep?For starters, you might be an actress turned leadership coach to 6, 7, and 9-figure entrepreneurs. This is the story of Lisa Fabrega - my guest today on The Modern Consultant.For more than ten years, she has helped entrepreneurs, corporate executives, Academy Award nominees, and Nobel Prize organization candidates break through boundaries that have been holding them back from their next level.Her signature approach enables clients to reach their highest levels of success and impact.Topics We Cover:1. Transitioning from a career in acting to becoming a successful business coach for high-powered executives.2. Overhauling branding and marketing strategies to attract attention from influencers like Oprah and Gayle King.3. The impact of having the right inner circle for success and protection.4. The significance of capacity over strategy in business, especially for leaders facing rapid growth.5. Achieving authentic visibility and its impact on business growth and leadership.6. The energy exchange in pricing and sales methodology, and the importance of being compensated for intellectual property.References and Links: - Website: https://lisafabrega.com- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisafabregaTimestamps:00:00 Sought changes, felt talents being wasted. Career shift.06:01 Admiration for Oprah as personal development pioneer.08:36 Innovative strategies led to unexpected success and recognition.11:45 Excited for Zoom call, then interrupted by neighbor.14:29 Experience with 74,000 people reveals common obstacles.19:02 Leaders face capacity walls, especially regarding money.19:53 Embrace visibility, diversity, and authenticity in leadership.26:06 Individuality attracts, but fear hinders visibility.29:37 Business success depends on offers, audience, and pricing.30:33 Pricing in business is an energy exchange.34:49 Overcoming challenges, finding value, and business growth.40:17 Focus on your strengths for sustained success.42:28 Releasing content, staying detached, planning for future.46:28 Belief in you is more valuable.48:35 Proper compensation fuels value and energy exchange.53:39 Importance of choosing the right people around.More About The Guest:Lisa has addressed thousands of people both on stage as a keynote speaker as well as when she appeared on Oprah Daily and on podcasts including The Unmistakable Creative, Her Rules Radio, and Tell Me A Story with Debra Silverman. She’s also been featured in Oprah Magazine, Forbes, CNN, Yahoo! News and The Huffington Post. She splits her time between Florida and California with her two rescue dogs, Luna and Sadie.About The Host:Marc helps experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, he created his Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co

As we gear up for 2024, I've been thinking to myself, who are all the experts that are on the frontlines of being able to help expertise-driven businesses grow faster online? Who's doing it with data? If I could find a "superexpert" for every single one of the 9 steps I used to help my clients win, who'd I wanna have a conversation with?That's when I thought of this week's guest - Tory Gray.Longtime friend and CEO of Gray.Company, an SEO, Data & Digital Market Intelligence consultancy.In this episode, we dive deep on her extensive experience in SEO and growth strategy, owning both product and marketing roles for in-house startups and reputable agencies.Topics We Cover:1. AI Tools Beyond Content Creation2. The Importance of Human Curation with AI-generated content3. SEO as an investment and determining your target market, emphasizing the need to understand audience awareness levels, competitiveness, and conducting competitor research.4. The Future of Data AccessibilityReferences and Links: Tory's Website: https://thegray.company/Her LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torygray/Timestamps:02:46 Obama Campaign used data to target specific people.04:04 Medical data source helps identify symptoms and sentiment.07:48 Combining data for ideas and audience analysis.12:43 Proprietary assumptions, varied data sources, crawling tools.15:41 COVID changed search behavior.17:41 YouTube sees surge in interest from businesses and how we analyzed ~500,000 YouTube Videos 20:18 Analyzing competitor data to develop YouTube strategy.23:39 ChatGPT dramatically improves content accessibility and optimization.27:34 Get unstuck, find creative angles and ideas.29:56 Use SEO to define your market and optimize.38:38 Measuring brand visibility across channels and platforms.46:08 TikTok poses threat to Google's search.52:59 Discussion on charging for Reddit app usage.55:04 Learn, calm down, stop stressing, enjoy, be strategic.About The Host:Marc helps experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, he created his Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co

After our Jay Abraham episode, I kept thinking to myself, who'd be a great follow-up to buying, growing, and selling businesses? Then, a Modern Consultant listener recommended I have chat with this week's guest.Why? Well, she's a master of negotiation - $1M+ deals, $1B deals, and $100B deals. So, no matter what level of business you're playing at, there's something everyone can learn from here.Meet Christine McKay, CEO of Venn Consulting, a master business negotiator with extensive experience in M&A (mergers and acquisitions), divestitures, and integration. She is also the author of the book, Why Not Ask? A Conversation about Getting More and contributing author for several compilation books.Topics We Cover:How The Hardest Negotiation Starts WithinThe Four Primary Styles of NegotiationThe Champion Style of NegotiationEvaluating the Success of a DealBenefactor, Maverick, and Ambassador Styles of NegotiationNegotiation as a Way of LifeUnderstanding Negotiation Styles in Relationships and BusinessReferences and Links: https://www.vennnegotiation.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/christinemckay/Book (Amazon): Why Not Ask?: A Conversation About Getting MoreTimestamps:00:41 Negotiation styles, identifying clients, personal journey.09:29 Supportive, homeless single mom graduates Harvard, alcohol journey.11:07 Incredibly transparent and impactful story, deeper insights into personal interests, grandfather's suicide, inner world transformation, negotiation with oneself.20:06 We adapt to get more yeses, surround ourselves with similar people, develop a default style for asking, influenced by media.23:21 Beware of the zero sum mentality.31:46 Playing victim, undermining, destructive. Sometimes championing boundaries.37:13 Growth mindset in negotiation, 4 styles.39:48 Negotiating math assumptions in pricing strategy.48:52 Negotiation is everywhere; values guide compatibility.52:34 Curiosity fuels effective negotiation; play is important.59:29 Assess inventory, profits, risks, strategy, relationships01:01:37 Find opposite of fear; lean into it.More About The Guest:A specialist in David & Goliath negotiations, Christine is building the Negotiation Center of Excellence for small and mid-sized businesses. Having worked on deals totaling over $100 billion, Christine has negotiated with and for approximately half of the Fortune 100 including: Apple, Boeing, Marathon Oil, Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, American Express.About The Host:Marc helps experts scale their impact in the form of high-ticket courses, programs, VIP days, and masterminds (without losing the deep impact of their 1-on-1 work).After helping over 1,000 entrepreneurs, he created his Product Flywheel Framework to help the next 1,000 do it faster. Learn more at: https://8020solutions.co