I have shared on here before that I am a recovering perfectionist when it comes to my podcasts, and I have yet another confession: sometimes I make mistakes.

Or, rather, errors. I recently received feedback from a newsletter subscriber that helped me see that some of my newsletter content was not what she was expecting, or hoping to receive. I’ve told you many times that I value feedback, and I’m taking what this subscriber said and trying to learn from it. I won’t get into the details here (I’ll do that in the intro to the podcast), but suffice it to say that our interaction reminded me of what I learned from Donald Miller—but maybe I needed to learn it again.

Repetition is a good teacher.

So, please enjoy this encore episode of my conversation with Donald Miller – New York Times bestselling author and the CEO and founder of StoryBrand, a marketing company that helps you clarify your marketing message so people will listen.

Click on the player above, or download the episode on iTunes. And, especially this week—feedback is appreciated!

Takeaways from this episode:

• Consumers encounter 3000 commercial messages a day. You can’t be cute or clever. You’ve got to be clear.
• Whatever you say in your marketing or elevator pitch should offer your customers some way of surviving or thriving.
• Your customers aren’t interested in your story—they’re interested in their own. You are not the hero, you’re the guide. Don’t make the story (your marketing message) about yourself.
• “If you build it, they will come” is a myth. You need to build it, and invite people to participate.
• Narrative void: where nobody in the company remembers where they’re going or what their role is in the story. Set a theme for the year and repeat it often so that everyone knows what they need to do and who they need to be to get it done.

Links Mentioned in this Episode: