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Up at 1:47 am โœ”๏ธ Bags packed โœ”๏ธ Flew to Detroitโœ”๏ธ Dec 13, 2023

Tomorrow, Iโ€™ll be speaking to GEM Inc. This is my 50th strategic storytelling workshop of 2024 and my last speaking engagement of the year.ย 

๐Ÿ’ช Looking forward to ending 2023 strong!ย 


P.S. If you want tons of story ideas, download my free 150+ storytelling prompts here |ย https://www.storieswithtraction...

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๐Ÿ˜ผ ๐˜ฟ๐™ค ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช ๐™ก๐™ž๐™ ๐™š ๐™˜๐™–๐™ฉ๐™จ? Dec 12, 2023

I don't, but I've found that C.A.T. is a powerful acronym for posting content on LinkedIn.ย  Here's the concept...

C - Connect

A - Appreciate

T - Trust

Every time you post something on this platform, ask yourself, "will my network connect with this, will they appreciate this, and will it help me build tr...

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Check out these numbersโ€ฆ Dec 11, 2023

Post #1: had 2 likes and 1 commentย 

Post #2: had 1,587 likes and 735 comments

Guess which one landed me the most business?

Believe it or not, it was post #1.ย 

You see, the person who commented found the content super relatable to him, and he became a huge client.ย 

โ€œPopularโ€ posts donโ€™t always equate to p...

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It's not good business to only talk business on LinkedIn Dec 11, 2023

People have asked me, โ€why don't you just focus on promoting your services onย LinkedIn?"

My response is,โ€ when you go to aย networkingย event, do you stand there and chuckย businessย cards in people's face all night?โ€

If you're just on LinkedIn to push your product or service, you're going to get frustrat...

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๐ˆ ๐ฆ๐š๐๐ž ๐š ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ค๐ž, ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ˆ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐›๐ฅ๐ž. Dec 11, 2023

My 5-year-old son scratched up ourย coffee table.ย 

I yelled at him over it, and he cried.ย 

My wife told me that that โ€œniceโ€ coffee table that I like; she found while in college (20 years ago).ย 

She got it for free and decided to refinish it.ย 

She said, โ€œare you really going to get that angry with our son...

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Iโ€™m a Huge Failure Dec 11, 2023

It took me 200+ talks before I felt comfortable speaking.

It took me 100+ articles before I felt comfortable writing.

It took me 50+ podcast episodes before I felt comfortable podcasting.

Want to feel more comfortable?ย 

Find wise peopleย who can teach you impactfulย stuff, and then DO IT!ย 

Do.ย  Fail.ย  Adju...

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๐ŸŽ One bad apple and my whole bag was destroyed! Dec 11, 2023

Do you have a team member who's creating a toxic culture?ย Cut them out of your organization or do some heavy coaching.ย 

Do NOT let one person destroy your entire team because of their crappy attitude!


Whatโ€™s the worst thing someone can do to hurt company culture?ย 

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Master Storytelling | Stories With Traction Podcast Dec 08, 2023

ย 

PODCAST SUMMARY: In this episode, Mark Carpenter and Matt Zaun talk about what makes a great story, and they give actionable ideas for how leaders can better document their messages.

MARK CARPENTER BIO: Mark co-authored the book Master Storytelling: How to Turn Your Experiences Into Stories that T...

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S-T-O-R-I-E-Sโ€ฆ Dec 08, 2023

That word brings up different images in peoplesโ€™ minds.

Whenever they hear the word โ€œstories,โ€ there is a different picture.

โ€ฆand often, business leaders donโ€™t think enough about the strategy and intentionality behind the stories theyโ€™re sharing.

Wanna become a masterful storyteller?ย Check out the e...

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More Strategic Storytelling Podcast Episodes Coming Soon... Dec 07, 2023

โ€œMatt, what stories do I tell to connect with my clients?โ€ย 

โ€œMatt, how much time do I need to focus on this?โ€ย 

โ€œMatt, I already have a couple of stories; why should I work on new ones?โ€ย 

*that last one is my favorite.ย 

As if I'm going to say, โ€œyeah, just keep sharing the same story your company has shar...

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๐—œ ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฌ,๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ+ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฎ ๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐—น๐—ฒ ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†! ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐˜€ ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—œ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฑ ๐—ถ๐˜... Dec 06, 2023

I'm only kidding. I have no idea how many followers I added yesterday.ย 

Adding followers isn't my goal; sharing value is my goal.ย 

๐—™๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—ฒ, ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐˜€๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฝ ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€ ๐—ฏ๐˜† ๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜† โ€œ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—น๐—น๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€โ€ ๐˜„๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—น๐—ฒ๐˜'๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ป ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฝ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ!


P.S. Speaking of purpose, I love sharing insights on how YOU can...

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๐Ÿ“ ๐ˆ๐๐ž๐š๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐š๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐จ๐ง ๐‹๐ข๐ง๐ค๐ž๐๐ˆ๐ง... ๐Ÿ‘‡ Dec 04, 2023

โžก๏ธ ๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ก๐š๐›๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ . (I haven't missed a single day of posting in 4 years)ย I was inspired by Russell Brunson to post on LI every day.ย He said, โ€œdo something every single day without fail, and youโ€™ll see radical growth in your business.โ€ย He was more than right.ย My revenue results ...

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From Order to Doorstep | Stories With Traction Podcast Dec 04, 2023

ย 

SHOW NOTES:

SUMMARY: In this episode, Andrew Serby and I talk about shipping products to customers.

ANDREW SERBY BIO: Andrew Serby is the founder of EnterMarket, a full-service third-party logistics (3PL) provider supporting the broad and maturing needs of companies operating in the wholesale, reta...

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It can be effective to indirectly tell your customers something through a story. Dec 03, 2023

It can be effective to indirectly tell your customers something through a story.

A perfect example of that was when 3M decided to place money inside the advertising casing at a bus stop in Vancouver.

The case was covered at the edges with a 3M product, Scotchshield.

โ€œIf you break it, you can keep...

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My youngest son helped me launch a movement. Dec 02, 2023

From January - July in 2019, I set up a mock workshop in my house.

My only audience members: my son and his stuffed bear.

I'd give my workshop to the two of them for hours every day.

Thinking to myself, one day, it won't just be to my boy and his bear but to audiences all over the world.

For 7 month...

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Storytelling Through Print Media | Stories With Traction Podcast Dec 01, 2023

SUMMARY: In this episode, Andrew Smith and Matt Zaun discuss how sharing stories through print media can help you get above the noise (of social media and email).

ANDREW SMITH: Andrew is the Vice President of Sales at The Kennickell Group.

For more info, check out the website and Instagram page:
Kenn...

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1 thing I learned while touring Mark Twain's house...๐Ÿ‘‡ Nov 30, 2023

A few months ago, I shared my Powerfully Persuade Through Storytelling workshop with business leaders in Connecticut.

I had to stop by the house of one of the best storytellers America has ever known.

While there, I saw firsthand something that many people talk about but donโ€™t make it part of thei...

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Wanna build a story right now? Nov 29, 2023

Answer this questionโ€ฆ

โ€œWhat excites you to get out of bed in the morning?โ€

Here, Iโ€™ll go first. My kids motivate me beyond what I could ever imagine.ย  Especially since they know my goals, they are constantly reminding me of what I need to do.ย  Whenever I hit a business goal, I take all 3 of my kid...

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Walt Disney is an idiot! Nov 28, 2023

At least, thatโ€™s what hundreds of people said early on.ย 

Countless bankers rejected the Mickey Mouse concept!

But guess what? Walt Disney is hailed a genius today.

In fact, this year is the 100th anniversary of Walt Disney Studios!


Just because some people donโ€™t understand your idea doesnโ€™t mean tha...

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He was sobbing and had to hug me. Nov 27, 2023

Recently, after one of my strategic storytelling workshops, a gentleman in the audience pulled me aside.

60-year-old man.ย CEO of an extremely successful company.ย 

He was sobbing and had to hug me.ย 

For the first time in his life, he realized he had to start telling people his story.

He told me he wa...

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I spent 1,000+ hours on LinkedIn, so you don't have to... Nov 27, 2023

Here is the most important framework that I learned...


1. You have to understand your ideal clients.ย 
2. You share stories that relate to your ideal clients.
3. You engage (comment, "like," etc.) with your ideal clients' posts.
4. You network (virtual coffee/meet IRL) with your ideal clients.
5. You pu...

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Here are my LI numbers that led to cash... Nov 27, 2023

...my content produces 2 million+ impressions each year. Has for the last four years. This isnโ€™t bad, but itโ€™s not great either. Meaning anyone can do it.ย 

This led to tens of thousands of people checking out my profile.ย 

Profile views lead to inbound messages inquiring about services.

Inbound messages...

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