I had to look like I was strong, even though I was gasping for air. I couldn’t use altitude as an excuse, because we were at sea level. The Skrob family got away for a vacation to San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. While in San Francisco, we wanted to see the redwood trees in Muir Woods, a short drive … Continued
Approach your business like a professional
I played my best golf during college. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, my last class of the day was Governmental Accounting. I’d look over at my friend and with one nod to each other, we knew—there was no way we could sit through a lecture when the weather was so nice outside. So, we’d get up and leave for the golf … Continued
Why there’s no “self-sufficiency”
For most of my business life I’ve been the type of person who always wanted to learn how do everything myself. Even things like network server maintenance. It was so difficult explaining what I wanted or finding someone who could fix it, I just learned it and repaired it myself. I figured it was easier to do it myself than … Continued
The secret hidden in plain sight
There’s an ultimate test of physical endurance and mental fortitude: a six-day, 153.2 mile ultra marathon across the Sahara desert called the Marathon des Sables (Marathon of the Sands). Competitors carry their own supplies as they compete in temperatures exceeding 120 degrees. The longest one-day distance covers 50.6 miles and includes 14.3 miles of sand dunes. Four-time champion Mohamad Ahansal … Continued
Stopping the Mass Member Exodus and Replacing It With a Vibrant Tribe of Engaged Members Built With Paper and Ink
A few weeks ago, my wife and I took our 17-year-old son, Robert William, to visit several colleges. Over the course of four days, Robert took tours of Georgetown, University of Virginia, North Carolina State University, and University of North Carolina. His favorite out of the four is UNC. (This drives his mother crazy, as she’s a graduate of UNC’s … Continued
Choosing what to focus on
An IMA member from the UK faced a problem many info-marketers share, too many choices, not enough focus. Here is his question: Robert, I’ve run design businesses for the last 26 years—had great times in the good ol’ days with sales of over half a million dollars. Right now, because of the economy and through deviating into marketing consultancy, it … Continued
MINIMAL CHURN MEMBERSHIP
What if you had a thief break into your home while you were sleeping, creep into your bedroom, take your jewelry and cash, and then leave without getting caught? How upset would you be? Would it disrupt your normal life? How long would you tolerate someone robbing your home every month? Would you set up an alarm system or cameras? … Continued
Finally Revealed: The Trifecta of Lifelong Member Retention and the Process for Implanting It Into Your Members’ Brains
Your motivation for creating a better onboarding product is to boost lifetime member revenue with upsells, longer retention, and referrals. And I’ll show you how to do all of that within the next 1,800 words or less. While your motivation is for your benefit, as you create your onboarding, it’s critical that your primary focus be on delivering a transformation … Continued
Can there be too much “good service?”
I can clearly remember thinking, in 2008 as our country entered the recession, “maybe I’ll finally be able to get some decent service in a restaurant.” While high employment and rising home prices gave American’s the highest disposable income in history, it made fewer people the motivation to provide great service. After all, with so many people dining out the … Continued
Thrice Married Marketing Expert’s Marriage Advice Secret to Turning Your Members Into a Vibrant Tribe
In 2004, I participated in a small group mastermind led by Dan Kennedy. There were 20 of us who traveled from all over the country to Cleveland, Ohio, to meet with Dan in his basement. Dan had a nice basement, but it wasn’t the Hilton (or even the DoubleTree). Dan more than made up for the space accommodations, though, with … Continued





