The Dark Side of AI in Lead Generation

One reason you receive incessant messages from lead generation services is that there are seemingly uncountable numbers of lead generation agencies with processes and automations that allow them to send nearly infinite pitches. AI will make it worse by raising the potential supply to another level of near infinity while lowering demand to near zero. […]

What Matters and What Doesn’t

I love the idea of a short, simple “care about list” — both do and don’t. – I don’t care about doing things I find crass or graceless just for the sake of empty digital rewards or in pursuit of illusory hustle.– I don’t care about what I refer to in my own mind as […]

The Leader’s Dilemma

The art of getting out of the way should be topic number one for any leader. Or rather, the art of making the way possible and then getting out of it. What’s the point of building a road if you’re only planning to block it? Before initiating anything, a leader should ask, “What have I […]

Understanding the Popularity of a Resigned Philosophy

“Oh, for f***’s sake!” Did I say that out loud, browsing alone in the Sunset News in Terminal 2 at SFO? Oops. Yes, I’m now talking to myself in public. It was the wall of books on “Stoicism” that provoked me. We live in a time when anyone can productize anything, repackage whatever in the […]

When Convenience Leads to Poor Judgment

I messed something up. Made a bad judgment call. And now, I’m quite pissed at myself. Although I (hope) I learned a few things. Here’s what I did: I used a tool that sends canned messages to people letting them know about my newsletter. I wrote the content, and it did the work. If you […]

Balancing Act

Some people like to tell the story before they get to the point (if ever). Others like to make the point before they share the story (if at all). On the other hand, some people want to hear the story in order to appreciate the point. Others want you to get to the point and […]

The Unseen Decay of Content Marketing

Content marketing is dead. I got an email this week that PROVES it. Look! The race to the bottom is unwinnable, but plenty of providers are trying to do so anyway. This email reminds me of the moment that I knew crypto was over. Months before conventional wisdom pronounced crypto dead, I was waiting in […]

Forget Leads, Focus on Seeds

For large-scale, high-stakes B2B marketing in finance, plant seeds. Don’t chase leads. For example, I don’t think there are CXOs in firms over $1 billion in AUM or transacting nine-figure sums daily that are filling out web forms or making existential decisions on the basis of lead magnets. Not ever. Stop the magical thinking. Again, […]

From Content to Intent

The environment… Human rights… Democratic values… Content… They have one thing in common. They’re collapsing. And it’s our collective fault. I wish I had better answers for the first three. But even if I did, no one is asking me to be emperor. What people ARE asking me is to help with “better” content. They’re […]

A Call to End Digital Pollution

The environment… Human rights… Democratic values… Content… They have one thing in common. They’re collapsing. And it’s our collective fault. I wish I had better answers for the first three. But even if I did, no one is asking me to be emperor. What people ARE asking me is to help with “better” content. They’re […]

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