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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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Nov 27, 2023

How to have an awesome dayโ€ฆ

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป Forgive your younger self.ย 

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป Believe in your current self.ย 

๐Ÿ‘‰๐Ÿป Create your future self.ย 

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We spend a lot of time talking about innovation in business but not enough time on creativity. Nov 27, 2023

I love when people lean into their creativity!

It's fun and profitable.ย 

Have a great day, everyone!

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5,553,030 ๐Ÿคฏ Nov 27, 2023

Itโ€™s hard for me to believe. It really is.

Just like everyone, when covid hit, I shifted how I was sharing info.ย 

I turned to LinkedIn.ย 

As funny as it is now, I had a tough time making my first LinkedIn post. Must have wrote and rewrote that sucker a dozen times.

So why is the number 5,553,030 so signi...

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#101: Great Mentorship | Stories With Traction Podcast Nov 23, 2023

EPISODES MENTIONED IN INTRO:

Stories of Leadership
How to Get Involved in Politics
How to Build a Legacy
How Hobbies Make You More Creative
Strategic Networking

SUMMARY: In this episode, Terence Farrell and Matt Zaun discuss the importance of mentorship.

TERENCE FARRELL BIO: Terence served as a Chester ...

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Today I cried tears of joy. Nov 20, 2023

Some of you may think Iโ€™m a sap.

Thatโ€™s ok.

One of my favorite mediums to share info on is podcasts.

As I'm thinking about what I'm thankful for this week, Iโ€™m excited that last week, my podcast hit ๐—˜๐—ฃ๐—œ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐——๐—˜ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ!

Iโ€™m incredibly grateful to ALL my guests who have been a part of this journey.ย THANK YOU!

Be...

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The moment you talk about how awesome you are is the moment you lose. Nov 18, 2023

Your prospects don't care about that.

They care about what you can do for them.

You need to share stories that your prospects relate to.ย 


Make your clients the hero - not you.

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Episode 100: Navigating the Generational Shift | Stories With Traction Podcast Nov 17, 2023

ย 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Dr. Katherine Jeffery and Matt Zaun discuss how to talk to different generations.

DR. KATHERINE JEFFERY BIO: Katherine is a generational strategist who specializes in developing business strategies that help organizations navigate the complexities of having five generatio...

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Katherine Jeffery, PhD studied how to talk to different generations so you donโ€™t have to. Nov 17, 2023

Wanna know why Gen-Xers do what they do? Wanna learn how to coach Millennials?

Check out this podcast episode, Navigating the Generational Shift.

You might want to listen to Dr. Katherine Jeffery; youโ€™ll hear stuff youโ€™ve never heard before.

Or donโ€™t; you can always stay disconnected from other genera...

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4 years ago, I was at an event, and David Newman, CSP, asked me... Nov 16, 2023

...โ€how much time do you spend on revenue-producing activities?โ€ I said, โ€well, I spend time doing...โ€

He said, โ€no, not revenue-producing!โ€

I said, โ€I do focus on...โ€

He said, โ€no, not revenue-producing!โ€

*This exchange went back and forth for a good 2 minutes.

Here's what I learned that day...

If you ca...

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Iโ€™ve learned how to be a better storyteller in business by studying the frameworks of multiple musicians... Nov 16, 2023

-Hooks
-Timingย 
-Delivery
-Patterns
-Foundations

If you want to learn how to create a tribe of people around you, what better individuals to look to than those who can dominate a music stage?!

Wanna hear more? Check out the podcasts here.ย 

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โ€œNewspapers are meant to be read on the way to the trash can.โ€ ๐Ÿ‘‡ Nov 16, 2023

I remember my Dad telling me that when I was growing up because I was reading a lot of newspapers and magazines.

His point was to read more material (like novels and non-fiction), where the author put more time and energy into their writing.

Social media is even lower-level writing than newspapers.

Y...

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Why is no one talking about this mistake?! Nov 13, 2023

There are too many leaders that try to delegate all aspects of marketing.

Do you really believe that Apple would be where it is today if Steve Jobs didn't focus on marketing?!

There is no way.

He took an active part in the process.

Think about all the stories he shared to position Apple.

Because of th...

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Up at the crack of dawnโœ”๏ธ Bags packed โœ”๏ธ Ready to fly โœ”๏ธ Nov 13, 2023

Fired up! This week, Iโ€™ll be speaking in Myrtle Beach, Columbia, SC, and Augusta, GA.ย 

Looking forward to showing leaders how to persuade with power through strategic storytelling.

This week is going to be awesome! ย 

P.S. If you want story ideas, download my 150+ storytelling prompts for free | h...

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Think you're too young, or too old?! Nov 13, 2023

Think you're too young, or too old?!ย 

You're always too something for someone!ย 

๐Ÿ‘‰Too short

๐Ÿ‘‰Too tall

๐Ÿ‘‰Too bold

๐Ÿ‘‰Too shy

๐Ÿ‘‰Too young

๐Ÿ‘‰Too old

๐Ÿ– Be too good for it to matter.ย 

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๐—ง๐—ฒ๐—น๐—น me what you want your company to be known for and then ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐˜„ me that you actually believe in it. Nov 13, 2023

๐Ÿ—ฃย  Most companies are all talk. ๐Ÿ‘‡

They write out their โ€œcompany valuesโ€ to check a box.ย  โœ”๏ธ

None of their employees could actually tell you all the company values since they're so forgettable.ย 

Paint the picture regarding your values
through stories.ย  Your definition of...

โ€œputting the customer first,โ€ย 

โ€œ...

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One of my Grandmothers used to tell me... Nov 13, 2023

One of my Grandmothers used to tell me, โ€when I tell you to jump, you ask how high! When I tell you to do something, you do it, period!โ€ She forced me to listen to her out of...FEAR!


My other Grandmother, on the other hand, would tell me why she wanted me to do certain things.ย 

She showed me how much ...

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๐’๐ก๐ž ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ก๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ž๐ ๐š๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ž, โ€œ๐‹๐ข๐ค๐ž ๐Œ๐ฒ ๐“๐ก๐š๐ข!โ€ ๐Ÿ‘‡ Nov 13, 2023

While speaking in Erie, I asked someone what their favorite restaurant was, and without hesitation, they yelled, โ€œLike My Thai!โ€

With that kind of recommendation, I had to check it out, and it did not disappoint.ย 

The owner and chef, Mike Augustine, put the kitchen right in the middle of his restauran...

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The Power of In-Person Meetings | Stories With Traction Podcast Nov 10, 2023

ย 

ย 

SHOW NOTES:

SUMMARY: In this episode, Carol Kavanaugh-Arrington and Matt Zaun discuss how in-person meetings spur on innovation and creativity for organizations.

CAROL KAVANAUGH-ARRINGTON BIO: Carol is the Director of Group Sales for Outside DMC.

She became an event producer in 1986 when she move...

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How to outperform 99.9% of salespeople: Nov 10, 2023

1) Share powerful stories that connectย 
2) Let your competitors drown in numbers

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Richard Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, which is comprised of hundreds of companies, regularly gathers his executives in person and asks them to share stories. Nov 10, 2023

Branson said, โ€œtelling a story is one of the best ways we have of coming up with new ideas.โ€

He has found this practice so powerful that he sets time aside every year for company retreats to position his organization to have a surge of creativity.

If you want ideas on how you can do this for your co...

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