Podcasts about amazon basics

Katie Rogers, Gonzalo Mon Last week, consumers in four states filed a proposed class action against Amazon, accusing the company of greenwashing by misleading consumers about the sustainability of the company's Amazon Basics line of paper products. The 123-page complaint covers a lot of ground, but here are some of the key allegations

Jake and Anthony talk about the Moon lander mania this week has been—Firefly's Blue Ghost 1 and Intuitive Machines' IM-2 missions.TopicsOff-Nominal - YouTubeEpisode 187 - Amazon Basics Lunar Lander - YouTubeBlue Ghost Mission 1 - Firefly AerospaceAstroForge | Earning the Learnings: The Launch of OdinNASA still working to restore contact with Lunar Trailblazer - SpaceNewsIM-2 lunar lander on its side after touchdown - SpaceNewsVirgin Galactic to start assembly of first new spaceplane in March - SpaceNewsFollow Off-NominalSubscribe to the show! - Off-NominalSupport the show, join the DiscordOff-Nominal (@offnom) / TwitterOff-Nominal (@offnom@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow JakeWeMartians Podcast - Follow Humanity's Journey to MarsWeMartians Podcast (@We_Martians) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit) | TwitterJake Robins (@JakeOnOrbit@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceFollow AnthonyMain Engine Cut OffMain Engine Cut Off (@WeHaveMECO) | TwitterMain Engine Cut Off (@meco@spacey.space) - Spacey SpaceAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo) | TwitterAnthony Colangelo (@acolangelo@jawns.club) - jawns.club

El frío ya está aquí, y con él llegan los retos para los moteros.

AWS Morning Brief for the week of October 15, with Corey Quinn. Links:Announcing Amazon ElastiCache for ValkeyAmazon WorkSpaces now supports file transfer between WorkSpaces sessions and local devicesAWS Application Composer is now AWS Infrastructure ComposerAWS CodePipeline introduces new general purpose compute actionAWS Lambda now detects and stops recursive loops between Lambda and Amazon S3Convert AWS console actions to reusable code with AWS Console-to-Code, now generally availableHow to identify inactive users of Amazon Q DeveloperTransitioning off Amazon Lookout for MetricsSign-in to AWS Console Mobile Application with an AWS Access Portal or third-party IdP URLHow AWS uses active defense to help protect customers from security threats

One of the biggest components of mental clutter is our to-do's - causes the “thought swirl” that keeps us up at night and makes us feel distracted during the day. In today's episode, I'm sharing the 3 critical steps you may be missing when managing your never-ending to-do list! Resources Mentioned (affiliate links may be included, which means I get a small commission if you use my link - thanks): Order From Chaos: The Everyday Grind of Staying Organized with Adult ADHD by Jaclyn Paul This is similar to the stackable inbox paper tray I use in my kitchen Eisenhower matrix as described by James Clear I like the ScanSnap scanners and I use an Amazon Basics shredder. For electronic tasks, I use Apple Notes (using tags for easy reference), shared Google Calendars, and using tags/labels in Gmail I also use MeisterTask for work task management   Related Episodes: Episode 40: Too Tired to Tackle Your To-Do List? You're Probably Not Doing These 3 Things Episode 28: Are You Constantly Shuffling Around Piles of Papers? Steal my No-Fail Paper Processing Routine Episode 117: Declutter the Mental Load of Motherhood by Following My 5-Step System Episode 124: The Rise of ADHD in Women and How to Be More Productive When Focus is a Challenge - with Alicia Cohen *** I help moms declutter their homes, heads, and hearts. Contact - > info@simplebyemmy.com  Podcast -＞ www.simplebyemmy.com/podcast Learn -＞ www.simplebyemmy.com/resources  Connect -＞ Join our free Facebook group Decluttering Tips and Support for Overwhelmed Moms Instagram -＞ @simplebyemmy and @momsovercomingoverwhelm   *** Don't Know Where to Start? *** 5 Steps to Overcome Overwhelm -＞ https://simplebyemmy.com/5steps/ 5 Mindset Shifts for Decluttering -＞ https://simplebyemmy.com/mindset/   Wanna work with me to kick overwhelm to the curb, mama? There are three options for you! Step 1: Join a supportive community of moms plus decluttering challenges to keep you on track at the free Facebook group Decluttering Tips and Support for Overwhelmed Moms Step 2: Sign up for the weekly Decluttering Tips and Resources for Overwhelmed Moms Newsletter and see samples here: https://pages.simplebyemmy.com/profile Step 3: Get more personalized support with in-person or virtual decluttering coaching! www.simplebyemmy.com/coaching

With Prime Day over and Amazon's Q2 earnings report revealed, Dave recaps how his Prime Day went and what does means for the future of third party sellers on Amazon.    Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!    Prime Day 2024 was touted as the biggest shopping event ever, with record sales and more items sold than any previous Prime Day.   But who were the real winners of Prime Day?    Today, Dave talks about his personal Prime Day experience, how Amazon missed their estimates for Q2, and what that means for third party sellers.    The Big Takeaway Amazon's Q2 earnings showed sluggish growth in online store revenue and missed estimates for the "third-party seller services and advertising revenue" section. This might mean more fees in Q3.  Prime Day 2024 was the biggest shopping event ever, but its impact on overall sales is questionable as consumers may be delaying their purchases. Buy Now, Pay Later options are gaining popularity, accounting for 7.6% of all orders during Prime Day. Amazon Basics was the most searched for brand during Prime Day, indicating consumers' demand for low priced products.  Apparel is emerging as a strong category on Amazon, potentially due to Amazon's response to Temu and Shein.  Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: Amazon's Q2 Earnings and Prime Day 2024 03:06 - Sluggish Growth and Missed Estimates 09:47 - Prime Day 2024: The Biggest Shopping Event Ever? 13:02 - The Rise of Buy Now, Pay Later 17:42 - Amazon Basics: The Most Searched for Brand on Prime Day 21:24 - Apparel: A Strong Category on Amazon   As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.    Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.    Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

To find out what exactly happens to these returns and where they go, Dave stuck an Apple Airtag in it and tracked it over the next 3 months. Today's episode is sponsored by Clearco, a company that provides ecommerce businesses with working capital to fund inventory, marketing, shipping and logistics, and more! Check them out today!  Have you ever wondered what happens to your Amazon returns? Earlier in the year, Dave bought an Amazon Basics gym bag that he needed to return. To find out what exactly happens to these returns and where they go, he stuck an Apple Airtag in it and tracked it over the next 3 months. Here's exactly where it went and how I found it. The Big Takeaway Amazon inspects returns for their condition and might resell them to liquidators if they're not "like new".  80% of customers mark items as "wrong item sent" to avoid return shipping charges. There is a huge reseller market for Amazon returns. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: Tracking an Amazon Return 08:05 - The Reseller Market for Amazon Returns 13:17 - Buying Back the Returned Item 17:05 - The Environmental Consequences of Returns As always, if you have any questions or anything that you need help with, reach out to us at support@ecomcrew.com if you're interested.  Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes if you enjoy our content. If you have any questions, send us an email at support@ecomcrew.com. We'd love to help you in any way we can.  Thanks for listening! Until next time, happy selling!

AWS Morning Brief for the week of Monday, July 29th, with Mike Julian.Links:Amazon VPC IPAM now supports BYOIP for IPs registered with any Internet RegistryAWS Cost Categories now supports “Billing Entity” dimension Enhance database performance with Amazon RDS dedicated log volumesQLDB deprecation--more on the way?

In this week's episode, we take a look at some ergonomics and health tips for writers and other sedentary workers. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of DRAGONSKULL: FURY OF THE BARBARIANS (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) at my Payhip store: SPRINGFURY The coupon code is valid through May 25th, 2024. So if you need a new audiobook for spring, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 199 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is May the 3rd 2024 and today we are talking about ergonomics for writers. Before we get to our main topic, we will do Coupon of the Week, an update on current writing projects, and then Question of the Week. First up, Coupon of the Week. This week's coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Fury of the Barbarians (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) at my Payhip store. That coupon code is SPRINGFURY. As always, that will be in the show notes with a link to the Payhip store. This coupon code will be valid through May the 25th, 2024, so if you need a new audiobook for spring, we have got you covered. Next up, updates on my current writing projects. I am almost done with Cloak of Titans. I'm currently at 98,000 words. I am hoping to wrap it up after I finish recording this episode (either this afternoon or tomorrow), and so we are well on track to having the book out before the end of May, if all goes well. I am also 8,000 words into Half-Orc Paladin, which will be the sequel to Wizard-Thief and Half-Elven Thief, and the third book in the Rivah series. That will probably be out towards the end of July because once Cloak of Titans is done, I want to go full speed ahead on Shield of Darkness (the sequel to Shield of Storms from earlier in the year and the second book in the Shield War series). If all goes well, the next couple of books I publish will be Cloak of Titans, Shield of Darkness, and Half-Orc Paladin. In audiobook news, Brad Wills is recording the anthology of Tales of the Shield Knight for me. We're about 1/3 of the way through it, I think and making good progress. I'm looking forward to sharing that with you all. I just got the notification that the files for the audiobook of Ghost in the Veils (as excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy) were uploaded, so just a little more proofing and then that should hopefully be available to you as well. So lots of good things to look forward to. 00:02:07 Question of the Week Now it's time for Question of the Week, which is designed to inspire interesting discussion of enjoyable topics. This week's question: what is the board game that you've been playing the longest? Board games have many advantages in the modern age. They don't require electricity, they don't need to be charged, and they also have a pleasingly tactile feel that you just don't get from tapping a screen. Sometimes you learn a game when you're a kid and sticks with you ever since. We have some interesting answers this week. Our first answer is from Jesse, who says: I have to say Labyrinth. Played it as a kid a lot with siblings. A year or two ago, my kids got it randomly from a relative, and now it's back. The real precursor to Mario Kart in terms of learning to hate your friends and discovering life is unfair. For myself, I only started playing Mario Kart with my siblings when I was already well into middle age, so we thankfully avoided squabbling over that. If we had played Mario Kart when we were kids, we definitely would have squabbled. Back to Question of the Week. Michael says: I don't really play them anymore, alas. I played chess in school but only so I didn't have to do physical education class. I used to look at the board and immediately resign and then just sit and read a book instead until the teacher wandered over. It used to annoy my opponents who took the game seriously. So congratulations to Michael for devising a chess stratagem that did, in fact get him what he wanted. MacKenzie says: hands down, chess. I may be awful at it, but it's definitely the record holder. Mark says: checkers, because my mum is good at it. Adelaide says: Scrabble for me. Venus says: backgammon. My mother taught me to play. I don't know how old I was. She never let me win. Every time I beat her it was because I had a better game that day. David says it's probably Shoots and Ladders, followed closely by checkers. Grace says: I no longer play the same board games I did as a kid so the ones that I play now with friends. I've played I think Arkham Horror and Quacks of Quedlinburg the most. Both are fun, though Arkham Horror, we've won all of two times. For myself, I think the board game I've been playing the longest is chess. I first learned to play when I think was I was ten and I've been playing on and off ever since. Amusingly for a post about tactile board games, I recently discovered chess.com and I like its large supply of chess puzzles, which are kind of like bite sized chess when I don't have time to play a full game, which is most of the time. However, last night I did have a bit more time to play and so I was able to play six games against actual human opponents on chess.com in about 40 minutes and I lost six times in a row. So it's a good thing I enjoy the game because there's definitely room for improvement. 00:04:45 Main Topic: Ergonomics for Writers Now on to this week's main topic, ergonomics for writers. And let's start this with a disclaimer. I am not a health professional. I am not a doctor. I'm not a nurse. I'm not an ergonomics specialist. For medical questions, you should seek medical advice and verify anything I say with the opinion of actual medical professionals. When starting a new movement or exercise routine, it's a good idea to start gradually, both for reasons of health and to prevent burnout or getting overwhelmed. So that is your disclaimer. I am not a medical professional. But I don't think you have to be a medical professional to notice that desk jobs have a serious problem, and that includes writing. If you're sitting for a long period of time, that can cause a host of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, potentially diabetes, etc. Sitting for long periods reduces your energy levels and can be detrimental to your mental health. Sitting for long periods in the wrong position can make joint, wrist, and back problems worse and cause pain. As an example, back in the old days when I did IT support, I was talking to a coworker who said that he was having back problems and so I made, you know, sympathetic noises and told him I hope he felt better. Then about an hour later I was walking down the hall and I happened to walk past his desk and I saw that he was using his laptop by sitting at the very edge of his chair, and his back was bent at like 45° angle to type on the keyboard. And I was like dude, this explains your back problems. So thankfully he improved his posture a bit after that. If you do have a job such as being a writer where you are sitting for long periods of time, how can you sit in the most healthy way? Changing how you sit is a relatively quick thing to do that will reap long term rewards in terms of potentially avoiding back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain and so forth. Make sure that your chair and desk are set in the correct positions. There are lot of diagrams available to show you, that demonstrate how to have an ergonomic desk set up. You want your elbows to be at a 90° angle. You want your wrist to be neutral or supported. You don't want them to be bent like T Rex hands. Your back and neck should not be leaning forward. The top of the monitor should be around eye level for neck health and in fact I have my main desktop monitor on this monitor stand I got off Amazon Basics just for the purpose of raising it to proper eye level. You want your knees so your legs are not pulled underneath your chair or resting on your chair casters, since this stresses knee joints. If your legs aren't long enough to go comfortably to a flat position when sitting normally, footrests work well and aren't very expensive or a large book will work, too. For your eye health, you want to look away from your monitor occasionally to reduce eye strain. Another good solution for the health problems that sitting too much causes is moving. You can have walking breaks where you get up and move for at least a minute every hour. This is an excellent time to get some water to drink or to use the bathroom. Fitness and smart watches or a cheap kitchen timer can be used to remind you to get up or stand. It might be a good idea to pace while taking a phone call, since you're going to be on the phone anyway and if it's not a video call, there's no reason not to stand up and walk around a little bit, so long as you're not irritating your officemates. Sometimes it's a good idea to take a brief walk daily. Some people who work from home use a walk around the block at the beginning of the day and the end of the day to mentally transition away from the workday in the absence of a work commute. Some people have the kind of work where they can do it while on a walking pad (like a low power treadmill) and an adjustable standing desk combination. This setup is a bit more expensive and can cost about like $350 USD for a basic setup and just like standing desks, they don't work for everyone. If you already have a treadmill, you can get a desk attachment for it for around sixty U.S. dollars. The transcriptionist of this podcast has used a walking pad/standing desk combination for about six months now and finds that it helps with afternoon energy crashes. She usually uses it for webinars, Zoom meetings where she don't need to be on camera, and tasks that involve more reading than typing, such as research for these podcast episodes. She can type while she walks, so long as she keeps her pace to under about two mph. She says the key is to think of walking as a supplement to working and not expect it to be the same as walking on a treadmill at the gym. For myself, I've mentioned before that pretty frequently that I use the Pomodoro technique while I'm writing where I'll write intensely for 25 minutes and then take a 5 or 10 minute break. That's also an excellent time to stand up and move around or if you're me, drop and do some push-ups to help keep carpal tunnel syndrome at bay. Another potential thing to think about is strength training/mobility. People tend to be scared of strength training because they're afraid of injuring themselves, but they really shouldn't be so long as they, you know, do the forms correctly. Strength training, as the name implies, strengthens muscles that support your joints and becomes even more important as we get older, since the human body tends to lose muscle mass as we get older. As little as two sessions of strength training a week have been shown to lead to fewer injuries and greater longevity. Strength training is important in the sedentary job like writing since we don't have tasks to build muscles already built into the workday. Writing is a lot of things, but it's not particularly great for building physical strength. Having a consistent strength routine also means that your body can instantly adapt to challenges like shoveling heavy snow or helping to carry a person in an emergency or getting the bag into the overhead bin on the plane without having to ask for help. As people get older, that kind of thing gets harder to do otherwise. In the case of shoveling, it can put a lot of strain on your heart, so it's best to prepare for these kind of life challenges with consistent strength training. There's a lot of strength training that doesn't require a lot of money or a gym membership. Body weight and resistance band strength training are beginner friendly and free or inexpensive. And as I mentioned earlier, you can totally do push-ups for free with no equipment. Another potential strength training exercise that may work for you is resistance band training. That's great for those who travel often or live in a very small space, such as a typical modern urban apartment. Latex or cloth bands that provide resistance for body weight movements can be found quite cheaply on most major retailers. Some are in the shape of a loop, while others have attached handles. Resistance band training includes exercises for those who are unable to stand at all or for long periods of time. Another good technique is dumbbell only strength training. Dumbbells can actually be used for lower body exercises like squats as well as well as upper body exercises. They are relatively inexpensive compared to a full barbell or strength machines and they don't take up a lot of space, which again is useful if you're living in a small space or place where space is constrained. Sample routines with video demonstrations abound on YouTube, if you're not sure where to start. Otherwise, you can find online training programs from companies like Street Parking or CrossFit Linchpin for about $20.00 USD per month, and they have structured training routines that have been scaled down to work with just dumbbells. Sitting correctly and moving often sounds like things that shouldn't matter to someone in a job that relies on the mind but physical health and a strong mind are strongly intertwined. People in intellectual jobs, I've noticed, tend to think of themselves as a mind that happens to have a body attached, especially people who are very often heavily into the sciences and engineering. But it's really, I found, the opposite. We are essentially a physical body that happens to have a mind attached to it and the better shape you can get your physical body and physical health into, the clearer your mind will be. I mean, just think about how hard it is to think clearly when you have chronic pain or chronic illness or some kind of medication you have to take to manage those things that interferes with your thinking, gives you cloudy thoughts. Truth is, this has been known for centuries and still confirmed by endless research studies. The Romans had a Latin phrase, “mens sana in corpore sano”:  a healthy mind in a healthy body. That sums up how interconnected the goal of both are. Ideally, when you're a writer, you want to prolong your career and increase your energy levels by spending at least a small time each week moving and strengthening the body. Sitting correctly also goes a long way towards preventing back and joint pain, which can definitely hurt your productivity and cause problems in other areas of your life as well. Finally, the most important thing with any exercise program is consistency is more important than perfection here. Start small and keep going. I've often said in this podcast, don't let the perfect be the enemy of the possible, and this is definitely true with exercise as well as writing. So that is it for this week. Thanks for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. Once again, a word of thanks for my transcriptionist for helping me pull together the research for this episode. As you might have guessed, she has a strong interest in physical fitness for people who sit at a desk and work a lot. A reminder you that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.

In this week's episode, we take a look at seven popular movies about writing & writers and take a look at what they got wrong. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of DRAGONSKULL: CURSE OF THE ORCS (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) at my Payhip store: SPRINGORCS The coupon code is valid through May 20th, 2024. So if you need a new audiobook for spring, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Introduction and Writing Updates Hello everyone. Welcome to Episode 198 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moeller. Today is April 26th, 2024 and today we were talking about seven of the most inaccurate movies about writers. Before we do that, we will have writing updates, Coupon of the Week, and a Question of the Week. So let's start with Coupon of the Week. First up, let's do Coupon of the Week. This coupon code will get you 50% off the audiobook of Dragonskull: Curse of the Orc (as excellently narrated by Brad Wills) at my Payhip store. That coupon code is SPRINGORCS and that's SPRINGORCS. As always, that coupon code will be in the show notes. This coupon code is valid through May 20th, 2024. So if you need a new audiobook for spring, we have got you covered. Now an update on my current writing projects and audiobook projects. I'm currently on Chapter 16 of Cloak of Titans. I'm not sure how many chapters it's going to end up being. My number keeps changing, but I think right now it's 25. I am over halfway through the book and I'm hoping to be past the 70,000 word point by the end of the day, if all goes well. I'm hoping to still have that out before the end of May. I am also 5,000 words into Half-Orc Paladin, which should come out this summer. After Cloak of Titans is out, my next main project will be Shield of Darkness, which I know many people have been asking about, so hopefully it will not be too much longer until I start on Shield of Darkness. In audiobook news, Hollis McCarthy is almost done recording Ghost in the Veils, and we should hopefully have that available to listen to sometime in May. Brad Wills is currently recording the anthology Tales of the Shield Knight, which will contain over 15 of the Shield Knight short stories that I wrote for the Sevenfold Sword and Dragontiarna series, and that should also hopefully be out sometimes toward the end of May or possibly June. So that is where I'm at with my current writing and audiobook projects. 00:01:58 Question of the Week/Update on Starfield from Previous Question of the Week Next up is Question of the Week, which is designed to inspire interesting discussions of enjoyable topics. This week's question: what is the first fantasy novel you remember reading? After all, if you're hanging around the website of Jonathan Moeller, Pulp Writer, there's a non-zero chance that you enjoy fantasy books. So it seems like a reasonable question, and it was indeed a reasonable question because we got a lot of responses. Our first response is from Justin, who says: believe it or not, the first fantasy novel I read was The Hobbit. My older sisters had pooled their money to buy the paper version of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I saw them reading it, and since my sisters were for once not being nasty to each other and reading together, it had to be good. After they finished The Hobbit, I asked to borrow it. It was allowed to read it as long as I didn't leave the room and wash my hands first. I was eight. Our next response is from Mary, who says: I remember my first reading of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. It was by no stretch of the imagination my first fantasy novel. Our next comment is from Stuart, who says: Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. When I was younger/preteens, I loved adventure books like Hardy Boys and The Three Investigators. I didn't really read much in the coming years, until one day it was raining outside and being bored, I made a nuisance of myself when my older brother was trying to watch TV. He finally snapped, told me to shut up, threw Pawn of Prophecy at me, and told me to read that. The rest, as they say, is history. I went from adding Eddings to Feist and Gemmel and then on to Jordan, etcetera. I will always have a soft spot for David Eddings books, though. So it seems the common themes here will be a sibling rivalry inspiring love of fantasy literature. Our next response is from Grace, who says: does the Magic Treehouse series count? If not, Chronicles of Narnia. Leanne says Dragonriders of Pern. Boy, did I want a dragon! Melinda says Piers Anthony's Night Mare. I was in 6th grade and my friend gave it to me for my birthday. Cheryl says: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. From then on, it was full steam ahead, Feist, Eddings, Tolkien, Irvine, and now most of the fantasy/sci-fi authors that are currently publishing on Kindle. David says: probably The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Kevin says: many, many moons ago it was the Earthsea trilogy by Ursula Le Guin. Then I wandered into TV and films in the sci-fi genre for a number of years, forsaking the written word. My imagination was recaptured more recently, about a decade ago, a decade ago, when a friend lent me a copy of Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind. Alan says: I've been through most of these mentioned so far though the years but my first introduction to once he was Edgar Rice Burroughs, like Tarzan, John Carter of Mars, Pellucidar, etcetera. Then on to Tolkien. Randy says: for me it was The Hobbit.  Went on a family vacation with my uncle and his family. I was introduced to The Hobbit. My uncle will read just about every night to my cousins, and as we're all sharing the same room, my sister and I began hearing the story. We got home. I asked my dad if I could read his copy. 50 some odd years later, I'm still devouring as many books as I can. Mike says: I am not sure which one it was, but I believe it was either The Hobbit or The Sword of Shannara. Diana says: The Gunslinger. I said what I said. Venus says: A Wrinkle in Time or Dragonsong. I know that the Pern books are actually science fiction, but I don't recall any of the science stuff that first time I read it. It was the first Pern book I read. The first epic fantasy I recall reading was Dragons of Autumn Twilight. Gary says: I couldn't give you a title or author, but I definitely remember the Choose Your Own Adventure books in the fantasy genre as a young reader. Tom said: Not 100% sure, but this is my best guess. It would be The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Ah, the Chronicles of Narnia. What a series. Juana says: I read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Catriona says: The Hobbit after listening to the BBC Radio play adaptation in the ‘70s. Pippa says: Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. I've reread them lots too and I've never tired of them. Perry says: Do the Iliad, Odyssey, and Beowulf count? For modern fantasy, would be a toss-up between The Hobbit and The Belgariad. Joy says: the Thomas Covenant series. My boyfriend at the time was into sci-fi and fantasy novels, so I borrowed it and was hooked. A different Glenn says: either Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey or the Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia A. McKillip. I love them both in the same summer while visiting my dad and cannot remember which one came first, but I got hooked on fantasy fiction that summer. Mandy says: The first time I remember reading the left an impression was the Dragonlance Legends series. My favorite fantasy series is Discworld. Gary (a different Gary) says: First one I remember is the Elfstones of Shannara. Also, the Dragonriders of Pern and Crystal Singer series. John says: Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. I was nine years old. It created a lifelong love of fantasy for me. Darla says: A Wrinkle in Time, The Faraway Lurs, and The Runaway Robot were some of the books I read as a kid. Later it was Lord of the Rings and The Dragonriders of Pern and I continue reading to this day. Andy says first ever was the Deverry series by Katherine Kerr. It was a very intense read for 14 year old on an 8 hour drive on a family trip. Sue says David Eddings- all his series, and Anne McCaffrey, Dragonrider series. Brock says Lord of the Rings. Susan says: probably Lord of the Rings, but it's over 50 years ago. I can't really remember. Edward says The Legend of Huma by Richard A. Knaak. Michael says. Now there's a question! Probably The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe or one of the other Narnia books, all of which are obviously epic. And finally, Judy says the White Mountains by John Christopher or anything by Dr. Seuss. So I think we can see it's safe to say that if you have a small children between the ages of eight and 10 and you want to get them into fantasy literature, the best places to start would be either The Hobbit, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, or perhaps the Dragonriders of Pern. For myself, the very first fantasy novel I ever read was Magician Master by Raymond E. Feist. What got me into that book was The Betrayal at Krondor computer game, which of course was a classic. After I finished the game, I did some reading. Remember this was way before the Internet, so you couldn't find out anything you wanted whenever you wanted and I was astonished to realize that Krondor was in fact based off an actual novel series. So I got Magician Master and started reading it. Fun fact, years later I realized that Magician Master was in fact the sequel to Magician Apprentice and went back to read the first book. So that was this week's Question of the Week. You may remember that last week's Question of the Week was what new Xbox game I should try. Many people had excellent suggestions. I think I'm going to go with Starfield from all the suggestions last week. The reason for this is that Starfield reminds me a great deal of Wing Commander Privateer from the ‘90s. If you remember, the Wing Commander series of PC games, they're basically Top Gun but in space. Privateer took the basic flight gameplay mechanic but changed it so you're an independent privateer captain and you had to make your way through the Gemini sector as a mercenary, a merchant, a pirate, a bounty hunter, or some combination of them. You had to buy your own equipment and weapons and find a way to turn a profit in your jobs, since you had to pay for everything. If you played the main plots, you got involved in conspiracy involving a lost alien relic, but you don't have to do any main plot at all. You just fly around the galaxy making credits, fighting pirates, and trading. Starfield basically feels like someone took Wing Commander Privateer, and then added on a Skyrim-esque role-playing experience for when your character is on the ground. I know it got middling reviews, but I'm enjoying the game so far. Perhaps because, at least to my eye, it feels like a massively updated version of Wing Commander Privateer. 00:09:43 Main Topic: Seven of the Most Inaccurate Movies About Writers Now we're 10 minutes into the show and still haven't gotten to our main topic, so I think it's time we should finally do that, which is Seven of the Most Inaccurate Movies About Writers. I decided to do this because I noticed that whenever a novelist or a writer of fiction turns up in a movie, the depiction of it tends to be grossly inaccurate. That's hardly unique to writers. The joke among the military officers, former military officers, and law enforcement officers is that whenever the military or law enforcement turns up on TV, you can have a good drinking game by counting all the inaccuracies and things that they get wrong. So why should writing be any different? I think the difference might be that writing is kind of a more aspirational career, where it's the sort of career that people tend to daydream about, like going off and becoming a writer and so they tend to get a lot of things wrong about that. So with the help of my transcriptionist, we pulled together a list of seven of the most inaccurate movies about writing. There's actually a couple of Hallmark movies on here, and this isn't to bash on Hallmark movies. I think Hallmark movies tend to be about the fantasy of romance in the way that a show like Law and Order is about the fantasy of law enforcement and criminal justice, or a movie like John Wick is about the fantasy of violence or a game like SimCity is about the fantasy of managing a large city. The reality is of none of these things are nothing like the way they're portrayed in fiction, but instead, Law and Order is about the fantasy of what we would like the criminal justice system to be like and John Wick is kind of like, you know, a revenge fantasy of what we imagine we would do if someone actually shot our dog. So with that in mind, let's look at seven of the most inaccurate movies we found about writing. The first one is called Winter Love Story from Hallmark in 2019. It kind of deserves the 22% it got in the Rotten Tomatometer. The plot is a debut writer who wrote a memoir is appearing on a book tour of a famous fantasy author in order to boost her sales. They travel around visiting charming bed and breakfasts with plenty of time to talk about their feelings. The fantasy writer has a dog that he really loves a lot. The movie really revolves more around the dog more than the books. Now, why is this a bad movie about writing? For one thing, it has an unrealistic view of book tours, namely that a debut writer who is writing a memoir (which is a notoriously hard to sell genre) would be given such a lavish book tour paired with an author outside her genre. Cross-genre of sales promotions here in the real world tend not to work terribly well, because someone who wants to buy an 800 page fantasy novel about dragons is probably not going to be super interested in picking up a new writer's memoir are about her failed dating life. The movie also has an unrealistic view of book marketing and the involvement level and commitment of traditional publishing staff. If traditional publishing marketing staff is marketing 50 plus other writers, they're not going to follow your whimsical book tour and give tons of advice and coaching along the way. Book tours really don't sell very many books in general, to the point where Brandon Sanderson, who is probably the top selling fantasy author in the world right now, stopped doing book tours in 2020 when COVID came along (because you know, everyone had to stop doing book tours). But after all the various restrictions lifted, he found that he really wasn't interested in resuming it because of the physical drain of traveling and it turned out it had no impact on sales whatsoever. Finally, the movie touts the very false belief that the skill of giving heartfelt, heavily autobiographical speeches is the essential skill in marketing your work. Honestly, if you want to sell books, you would have better luck learning how to use Amazon ads or Facebook ads effectively, but I expect that would not make for a very good Hallmark movie. The second movie we're going to talk about is Lost City from 2022, which I actually saw shortly after it came out because it turned up on streaming (I think it was on Prime). I thought it was actually pretty funny, but it was not terribly accurate about the business of writing. The plot is that a romance author is struggling to finish her book. While she's on tour with her famous cover model, she gets kidnapped and the cover model must turn into an action hero and rescue her. The plot very heavily borrows from the 1980s movie Romancing the Stone, which is also about a writer. The scenery in the movie is fantastic and Daniel Radcliffe plays the villain, this insane billionaire who kidnapped Sandra Bullock's character to help find lost treasure and their reactions were pretty funny. It's not a great movie about writing. Even the romance and romantasy (which is a combination of romance and fantasy) authors topping the best seller list right now (as of April 2024) do not have press tours that are more like a fan convention with a budget for sparkly jumpsuits and lighting effects, etcetera. Cover models do not get a lot (or even any) of promotion, attention, or respect from publishers. The cover model is given top billing on the tour along with the author, which just doesn't happen. One side note, what is probably realistic is the publisher trying to discourage tangents in full academic jargon by the author on her history related research interests. You will often find if you're reading a book that involved a lot of research on the part of the author, that the author is going to put that research into the book (whether the reader likes it or not). Our third movie is called Alex and Emma, which came out in 2003. The plot of this movie is that an author with writer's block has debts to a loan shark he must pay in 30 days or else the loan shark is going to get nasty. He hires a stenographer to help him church out a book and since it's a romantic comedy, you can probably guess what happens next. This movie was apparently very loosely inspired by the story of Dostoyevsky writing The Gambler/meeting his wife but is also apparently heavily inspired by the movie Paris When it Sizzles. Even with multiple sources of inspiration, it still received terrible reviews for an incoherent, unsatisfying plot. And why is this a bad movie about writing? For one thing, it treats writing a book draft in 30 days as a near impossible feat. Not to toot my own horn, so to speak, but I'm going to write the rough draft of Cloak of Titans in under 30 days. If all goes well, it will be well over 100,000 words. There's also once again the cliche that writing already must be autobiographical and reflect what's currently happening in your life in order to be good. If that were true, all my books would be about the adventures of a middle-aged IT guy, which would be kind of boring compared to epic fantasy novels. And another thing that's unrealistic is that the struggling writer gets a $125,000 advance from the publisher, but the publisher won't help him replace a computer when it gets destroyed by a loan shark's posse. Computers were, of course, quite a bit more expensive in 2003 than they are now, but still they cost a lot less than $125,000. So that part definitely didn't make sense. Our 4th movie is Not Another Happy Ending, which came out in 2013. A writer becomes successful but has writer's block when she's happy. Her publisher has to figure out how to make her unhappy so she can write again but falls in love with her in the process. And why is this a bad movie about writing? If following around most the successful writers in order to inspire them was the actual job of publishers, a few certain well known fantasy series might have at least one more book by now than they actually do. So we'll just move on from there. The fifth one is a movie that gets made fun of a lot and rather deservedly so: Eat, Pray, Love, which came out in 2010. The plot of this, obviously, is that a reader gets divorced and goes on a journey to Italy, India, and Bali in order to “find herself” and gain writing inspiration. Why is this a bad movie about writing? So many reasons! First, there's a sort of a cliche in poor taste that writers can't be great unless they leave their spouses, that their marriage is preventing someone from devoting themselves to great writing. Although the one thing you say for Eat, Pray, Love is that it's a gender flip as opposed to the way these things usually are in movies where it's the male writer who is being held back by his wife. The reality is that people with stable home lives are more likely to be productive than people without them, and this is true across all fields of endeavor, and not just writing. Another bad cliche is the idea that you need to bankroll a year of travel to luxury destinations in order to find inspiration to write isn't realistic or accurate, and in truth very, very, very, very, very few writers can actually afford this luxury. This type of thinking leads people to believe they need to go on expensive retreats in order to be a “real writer”, when in reality many famous writers rarely traveled. Examples: Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, I think J.R.R. Tolkien spent most of his post-war life entirely in England, etcetera. For myself, I do most of my writing either on my couch or while sitting in a $40 office chair I bought off Amazon Basics. That is definitely a cliche that you do not need to travel in order to write. In fact, travel can get in the way of getting writing done, which was one of the Brandon Sanderson's stated reasons for why he doesn't go on book tours too often anymore. Our 6th movie is As Good as It Gets, which came out in 1997. The premise of this movie is that a crabby, ill-behaved writer with some mental health challenges has a series of unexpected interactions that inspire him to become a better person. And why is this an inaccurate move about writing? First, there's a cliche that writers need to use a typewriter because a computer isn't as artistic or special. I know there are writers who insist on writing things longhand and or insist on using the typewriter and they have their reasons, but it's my belief that that is in fact very inefficient, and you should probably write on whatever method is most efficient or easy for you. And if you are writing for publication and profit, that means writing on a computer. If you don't like to type, you can dictate. There's also the idea I don't like that the idea that the reading public/critics will forgive terrible behavior or prejudice because of how brilliant you are. This is a fallacy you see across many professions where a brilliant doctor, a brilliant scientist, a brilliant politician, a brilliant writer, or whatever feels they have a license to act like a total jerk because they're so good at what they do. In reality, that often causes a lot of problems and ends up destroying the person's career. So that is a bad cliche, and one that if you're listening to this, I urge you not to put into practice in your daily life. Our seventh and final movie is another Hallmark one called A Novel Romance, which came out in 2015. In this story, a male romance writer who uses a pen name meets a female book reviewer who is unaware of his true identity even as they grow closer. Will pressure from his publisher to reveal his true identity hurt their budding romance? What did this movie get wrong about writing? First, there's the idea that pen names are somehow deceptive or shocking, especially in the romance genre where it's very common for a single writer to have multiple pen names. A professional book critic would consider it a very strong possibility that someone is writing under a pen name, which makes you wonder how competent the book critic is as a book critic. Publishers do not send limos to the airport for writers traveling to their personal vacation homes. If a writer is rich enough to have a limo and a personal vacation home, the writer is probably paying for it him or herself. The publisher is not. Most writing is not done on a legal pad while staring out onto the water next to your very expensive boat. Your agent, even a very nice agent (if such a thing exists) will not fly across the country multiple times in order to give you romantic advice. And finally, an author's pen name reveal would not be front page tabloid news. So those are just some of the things that movie got wrong about writing. So there those are 7 movies that are very inaccurate about what being a writer is like, and the point of that was not to pick on those movies (with the possible exception of Eat, Pray, Love, which deserves to be picked on) but to point out that the way they referenced what being a writer was like was often quite inaccurate, even if the movies themselves may or may not have been enjoyable for their intended audience. So that's it for this week. Thanks for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found it useful and a word of thanks to my transcriptionist help me to pull this list together because she's definitely seen more Hallmark movies than I have. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy and see you all next week.

Robyn Johnson, CEO and founder of Marketplace Blueprint, is with us on this episode of Confessions of a Marketer. She has been heralded as one of the country's foremost leaders on the topic of selling and marketing products on Amazon.com. And she has the distinction of being on the episode that kept this podcast going even while we were on hiatus, with hundreds of downloads and listens every month since we went on ice about three years ago. TRANSCRIPT Mark Reed-Edwards: Thanks for joining me today. Robyn Johnson: It's my pleasure, and I think it's awesome that I can help you be here as we reopen things. And Amazon has changed so much. Dog years are, you know, one year is every seven years. I feel like Amazon every one year is 10 years. Mark Reed-Edwards: That's for sure. I mean, think back three years ago, we were in the middle of the pandemic still. And the world was kind of getting used to using more and more technology. So Amazon had a huge boom as a result of that, along with the other tools that we all use every day. So the world is definitely different from when you and I talked three years ago. I'm sure things have happened in your life that are make you different. Can you share a bit of your background and what you do at Marketplace Blueprint? Robyn Johnson: Yeah, so I've been eating, sleeping, breathing Amazon for about 13 years now. We started as sellers, took a hundred dollars, grew our business to a million dollars in just a couple of years and primarily on Amazon. And after that, we coached a lot of other high volume Amazon sellers. This was when it was the wild wild west. You could do anything. People were taking apart food and repackaging it in very unsafe ways. We didn't do that, but there were a lot of people who were. And then about seven years ago, eight years ago, we started the agency called Marketplace Blueprint. And in that agency, we specialize only on Amazon. So we don't do Facebook, no Meta, no Google. We only do Amazon. And the reason for that is because everything in Amazon is integrated. So to work on your SEO for Amazon, you have to coordinate with ads, compliance, inventory management, and negative customer experiences. All of those need to be integrated to make sure that you get the best mileage out of your ad dollar on Amazon. And also that you don't get stuck with a bunch of fees or being unable to sell at all. Mark Reed-Edwards: So every company that makes a product, pretty much, thinks they need to be on Amazon. How do you decide on whether Amazon is in fact the right forum for your products? Robyn Johnson: So I will say that there are some products that Amazon is not a good fit for. Amazon works best on repeatable products, products that are going to be consistent. There is a space for custom products. We have a custom dog tag company that we've been working with for a long time that was on Shark Tank. They do very, very well. You can do custom items, but one of a kind things that are not repeatable, those don't do as well because Amazon's algorithm is really designed for is you have to really be able to repeat that sale over and over again. Now, the things that have changed is it used to be, you know, field of dreams. If you build it, they will come, you know, you just put a garlic press. press on there and you stick a label on it and it would sell. Those days are dying if they're not already dead. You really need something that will bring some unique value, so it fixes a problem or it solves a need in some way that's unique to others. Or you need to have very, very deep pockets. You can still launch a garlic press, but to get it to where you're going to get those significant organic sales, you're going to need to invest a ton of money in ads and be willing to go into the negative for a period of time if it's a really competitive or commoditized product. And then the other thing is we need to balance how much search volume is there for your product. So if Lego launches. anything, Lego will immediately get sales because Lego has such a loyal brand following. Now, if I launch a new product with a new brand, I will not get those immediate sales because people aren't already looking. So there's several tools that can help you look at that. And then the other thing we want to look at is-- especially with D to C. Sometimes D to C companies will come to us and want to take their product on Amazon. They've been very successful with D to C. One thing I want you to think about, if that's you, is when you're driving traffic from Meta to your website people are only seeing your product. So if you have a higher than average price for your industry, the difference is when you come to Amazon, your competitors are going to be centimeters away from your product. And so that means if you have poor reviews, if you have a much higher price and you can't really isolate and crystallize why your product is so much more expensive, it can be difficult for you to be successful on Amazon because the lower cost, higher reviewed items are going to be right side by side with you. I don't know if that helps. Mark Reed-Edwards: Yeah, it's kind of interesting. All this direct consumer stuff, like Flex Tape or something that you see the ads for, they kind of existed in their own universe. And often when you see an ad like that you might Google it or go on to Amazon and search for that type of product. And then, if that direct to consumer is playing in Amazon, you're going to see the alternatives. So maybe you know, a box of FlexTape is $12.99, but the competitor, or the Amazon Basics version is $9.50. You know, you go for the cheaper version. That's pretty much what you're saying, right? Robyn Johnson: Yeah. And on the converse of that, so, it can be good to have your product on Amazon, even if you don't plan to focus on that channel and just do some branded search, make sure your product comes up for your brand. I have this little ADHD timer that I use and I saw an ad on Twitter or X and I went to go to Amazon to buy it. But it wasn't on Amazon so I bought a competitor. Sometimes you can lose that, but if I had gone and the one that they were trying to sell me was 27 and the other one was 999 and I could see they were the same, they still would have lost that conversion. So if you're close, it can be good to have a presence. If you are going to be sold in retail stores , it can be even more important to make sure you're the one that creates the listing on Amazon so that you have control, that your brand registered. So that if you do decide you want to make Amazon a primary channel going forward, you don't have a lot of cleanup from resellers creating listings with any false information that could also potentially get you into compliance or legal issues. Mark Reed-Edwards: I think one of the big evolutions in the three years since you and I chatted last is how big Amazon has gotten as an advertising medium. Can you speak to that? How big are they? They obviously have a massive reach. And how do they determine where those ads show up? Is it contextual? Are they driven by keywords? How does it work? Robyn Johnson: Well, and you know, ads on Amazon used to be very simple, with keyword targeting, there really was only one placement, there really was no creative. But now Amazon has been adding more and more advertising product types. So this means there is more room for creative, there is a lot more granularity. And before, you know, I'll be honest, six, seven years ago, you could have been very successful just with an automatic campaign. And there are some select instances where you still can, but you're not going to get the same lift as if you have a really strategic thought out ad strategy. You know, and the biggest mistake that people make on Amazon when it comes to ads is, let's say you have a clothing line and you're trying to get some more traction on your Amazon sales. If you have a finite amount, let's say you only have. 3, 000, 2, 000, you know, you can be successful with a small amount but you, let's say you have 5, 000 a month for, you know, 20 SKUs, a lot of times people will spread that budget out equally, and really what we want to do is we want to target that ad spend on a small number of SKUs, a small number of targets, whether that be keyword, demographic, category, competitor targeting, and really focus on trying to get those ads to cause conversions for that specific product. And the reason we want to do that is we want to try to cause enough conversions where the product starts to rank organically in the first five to ten positions because the best place to hide a dead body is still page two of Amazon search. Mark Reed-Edwards: Ha, ha, ha. Robyn Johnson: Before I would usually say like 25 results could fit on a page. Now on a competitive search term, you know, above the fold, you you might only see two or three organic ones. So there might be only 10 organic spots on the entire front page. That means that you really do need to cause those conversions. And when you're looking at your ads, Amazon provides an advertising cost of sale, which is kind of like the inverse of ROAS. But what we want to do is we want to really look at the equivalent of TROAS, which is TACoS. And you know you've been doing Amazon too much when you see an ad for tacos and you immediately think ads and you have to recorrect yourself for the delicious snack. But TACoS will really tell you how your ads are impacting organic because that's really more than incremental sales. To maximize your profitability on Amazon we need to, of course, be looking at return on investment for each of those ads, but we want to see how that return on investment is increasing organic ranking because that was where you can start to bring back in some of that cost and increase profitability overall. So when it comes to Amazon, it's kind of like disciplining children, pick your battles, but win your battles at all costs. Mark Reed-Edwards: So for the uninitiated, can you tell me what TACoS is? Because I'm uninitiated on that. Robyn Johnson: So it's Total Advertising Cost of Sale. ACOS looks at, you know kind of what percentage of your ad revenue. TACoS looks at all of the revenue and the reason it's helpful is it tells us, you know, not just, you know, because sometimes what was we had a company where a specific campaign had like a 43 percent top ACoS, which is not good. You know, we really want to keep that 20 to 30. But when we looked at the TACoS, because even though that conversion rate was a little bit more expensive, the conversions that were happening took them on a very important primary keyword from page three or four to being the second organic result. So those ads were helping kind of feed the engine that kept them at the top of the page, if that made sense. Mark Reed-Edwards: One of the other pieces of news is that Amazon is now selling ads on Prime Video, and I'm wondering is there a connection between those ads and advertising on Amazon itself? Robyn Johnson: Yes, Amazon's offering a lot of sponsored TV, sponsored display, and they're beginning to test these. And a lot of times they even have no minimum budget. So, there's a lot of availability to kind of test and play. The negative is if you have a stakeholder or you as a stakeholder are very focused on direct ROI, we really have to remember that ad campaigns are going to be more brand awareness and you're not going to get the same numbers and direct ROI. Our agency is really focused on profitability for our clients. So if somebody has got a very tight ROI or they're in a tight cash position, we usually will not recommend these because we're still trying to figure out --Amazon is still trying to figure out --how to get the best conversion off of these. But Amazon has really been expanding the advertising capabilities for brands, and even services that don't sell on Amazon. And the really cool thing is while a lot of first party signals have been taken away from Meta and Google -- that's been a shifting ground for a long time. Amazon has a pretty robust set of first party signals that you can target just the right shopper. And they've been growing and developing this thing called Amazon Marketing Cloud where they can measure impact of year over year campaigns. And so there are a lot of really cool, fun, new to market things to be testing. There's a lot of new ad types, ad placements that are available for brands of all different sizes of budgets. It's just, you know, really understanding where those ads are, going to be surfacing. So like some of the Amazon DSP, which is kind of the, the managed used to be called kind of the managed services part, but now there's some self managed stuff in there as well. Some of those videos will show on Twitch, which if you're selling a video game accessory is awesome. If you're selling, you know, Bengay ointment cream to 60 year olds, probably not going to convert well. So, you know, it is about making sure whoever you partner with really kind of understands where those will show and understands how to limit and adjust and kind of guide you in a way that those ads are going to get the best possible engagement. Mark Reed-Edwards: So big question to close out. And maybe this is the theme for today's discussion. And , I think it's a rather big question, but if anyone's going to answer it, it's going to be you. What does it take to succeed on Amazon in 2024? Robyn Johnson: So, you know, this answer is very different than what I would have given you even a year ago. Amazon right now is very focused on compliance. Courts have found that they're liable for unsafe products that are sold on their marketplace. So before it really was just a question of marketing. Amazon has always been very concerned about the customer experience. This makes it a really complicated marketplace. And it makes it so that if you don't have experience with Amazon, let's say you are a guru when it comes to Google or Meta, Amazon can be different and difficult because a lot of things are labeled the same as they are in other ecosystems but they work differently. The other thing is that you're really going to have to have your compliance documentation in order, especially in the area of food supplements, anything child and baby, you're going to need to make sure you have to have a CPSC, you're going to have to have any safety testing that's required. You also need to be partnered with somebody to know the right words to say or you need to do that research on your own. So one of the things that Amazon a long time ago I'm guessing they got in trouble with the EPA or something along those lines. That's usually what causes this. But Amazon got really, really committed to verifying that pesticides were safe, which is great. But now, you know, all of a sudden, overnight, your anti bacterial sock is now considered a pesticide. So there are a lot of trigger words. So if you say let's say, let's say, for example, if you put the word doll in your bobblehead, that might now trigger you to to provide all of the CPSC documentation as a toy, even though your bobblehead was really not a toy. And then you have to really be watching your voice of the customer in Account Health, there's a tab called Under Performance, there's one that says Voice of the Customer. You should be checking that twice weekly. Anything with more than two of the same negative experiences-- So let's say two people, three people all say the shirt was too small or three people say they got the wrong item. If we see it more than three times in a row, even if it's a slow velocity item, then we want to make sure: What do we need to change in the listing? What do we need to change in the way that the pictures are located? So, you might say, well, I can't help it if people buy the wrong size. Yes, you can. You can put a size chart in there. You can put measurements. You can put that item on different sized bodies, so people can see it's tighter in the waist. And the reason that is important is if Amazon sees that your product is causing a negative experience, they will remove your product from the platform. Even if you're Lego. So don't think, well, my product is selling a lot. They won't do that. There are rare cases, but for the most part, if something's a negative experience, they will remove it from the platform. So you have to have all of that. Mark Reed-Edwards: Sorry to interrupt you, but is that done through sentiment analysis? Is it AI that drives that or are there people looking at these listings and looking at these ratings and investigating why they're low for a certain item? Robyn Johnson: You know, I think anybody that could tell you the answer for sure probably wouldn't be able to say because Mark Reed-Edwards: Mm hmm. Robyn Johnson: Amazon has really great NDAs. But my guess is that it's primarily driven by AI and then reviewed by people under certain circumstances. Because there are times where we have a product that has a 20 percent negative customer experience rate, but it's because one person out of five said something and those don't flag, which makes it more difficult because there's not like a hard and fast rule. I can't say, well, as long as you're getting this many and your, your NCX is below this, but basically, you know, keep everything out of those bottom two, the, the poor and very poor, and you should be hypothetically okay. But we want to keep everything good as much as possible. Mark Reed-Edwards: So the upshot with Amazon is that it's really, it's not a simple marketplace to do business with. Robyn Johnson: No, but it can be really, really powerful. You know, we have brands that were, you know, really struggling D to C. They weren't getting the brick and mortar spots, or they did get the brick and mortar spots that they wanted, and it caused more problems. They were dealing with returns and all sorts of different things. Now, Amazon has its own sets of problems. It has not sunshine and rainbows. We do have some good TACoS. We have some brands that have been able to completely turn around negative things. We have some really large brands that are in every Walmart, Lowe's, Home Depot, and for the last several years, Amazon has been able to sustain growth for them even though every other channel has been significantly down. So it has allowed them to have avoid layoffs. So it is definitely something that you want to consider. It can be a very powerful channel and you can use it to feed your other channels in some ways as well, because Amazon is so bottom of funnel. When you look at your ad conversions and you see what's converting there, that can really be sent back to your SEO, to your SEM agencies or if you're doing that yourself and really making sure that your product pages are using those keywords because those keywords that work on Amazon are all going to be very much the buyer intent. So it can be helpful there as well. It can also be really great for customer acquisition. Now, if you don't get any customer information, but especially if you have a consumable product, Amazon Subscribe and Save Now offers this ability to add a coupon on the initial purchase. I'm a marketer. I know all the tricks, but I will tell you the number of times that I have signed up for a subscribe and save, even though I wasn't even sure if I really was gonna like this product, and I ended up on the auto ship because I was like, "Ooh, I'm cheap and I can get 25% off my first purchase and then, you know, 5% off everywhere after-- Yeah, of course I'll sign up for a subscribe and save. I'll just cancel it later." And so usually two or three times later, then I, you know, go back. Yeah. You know, so. If you have a consumable, make sure that you are really utilizing Subscribe and Save. Amazon is now providing a lot more data. Their brand analytics that they've been providing has been really amazing to help determine whether or not: is the category down or is my listing down? We have two full time people that just handle Amazon compliance and then three people that just do Amazon seller support tickets. We call it being professionally persistent. There can be really good opportunities there. You do need to make sure that you have the margin in order to sustain on Amazon and really make sure you're looking at apples to apples. So the Amazon FBA fee, make sure when you're comparing that to your self fulfillment, you're including the cost, the tape, the labor to pack up everything. Cause all of that is included in FBA, but then you also want to make sure you're thinking about Amazon's return fee. Return policies are probably a little bit more generous. So that margin is really your access to being successful on Amazon because you do need enough margin in order to at least launch with advertising and some deals, maybe a coupon or Prime exclusive deal. And to be able to have that ability to discount on the big tent full days, like Prime Day and I think they're calling it T11 now, which is kind of ridiculous. It went from Black Friday to 11 days. I don't know when that happened. Mark Reed-Edwards: That's great. What a crazy world. Well, Robyn, I, I hope we catch up sooner than three years next time. I really appreciate your insight and thanks for joining me. Robyn Johnson: I hope it was helpful. And you know, if you're struggling with Amazon, no, it's not you. Amazon is, can be kind of a bear, but it can definitely be worth it. And keep listening to this podcast. You can hear more amazing, different confessions from different marketers. And thank you very much for having me back on the show.

Can you really look and feel younger? Yes! In this episode, I'm sharing six of my favorite science-backed anti-aging habits—and they go way beyond fighting wrinkles. These practices will get you feeling healthy, energized, and strong. They can improve your quality of life and even your health. But the glowing skin is a great perk. If you want to unlock a more youthful you and discover what it means to age powerfully, this episode is the perfect place to start.    FULL show notes: jjvirgin.com/antiaginghabits   Subscribe to my podcast: http://subscribetojj.com   Watch the FULL VIDEO on my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/jjvirginvideos   Download Inner Wellness, Outer Beauty: Your Anti-Aging Cheat Sheet: http://jjvirgin.com/antiaging   Read my book, Sugar Impact Diet: https://store.jjvirgin.com/collections/books/products/sugar-impact-diet-paperback-book   Learn how foods cause leaky gut in The Virgin Diet: https://store.jjvirgin.com/products/the-virgin-diet-paperback   Manta Sleep light-blocking eye mask: https://amzn.to/47p3ce8   Joovv red light therapy: https://joovv.com/products/joovv-go-2-0   Sunlighten Sauna: https://get.sunlighten.com/JJVirgin use promo code JJVIRGIN when requesting pricing information for $600 off   Amazon Basics lavender Epsom salts: https://amzn.to/48EgN2d   Kooru Cold Plunge: Go to https://www.koorucoldplunges.com/ and use code JJVIP500 for $500 off   Listen to Is Muscle the Key to Longevity? with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon: https://jjvirgin.com/main-podcast/is-muscle-the-key-to-longevity-with-dr-gabrielle-lyon-ep-597/   TRX Training: Free Shipping on all orders $99+: https://www.avantlink.com/click.php?tt=ml&ti=931205&pw=347877   Download my free Resistance Training Cheat Sheet: http://jjvirgin.com/power   Reignite Wellness™ All-In-One Shakes: https://store.jjvirgin.com/collections/shakes   Reignite Wellness™ Amino Power Powder: https://store.jjvirgin.com/products/amino-power-powder   Dr. Joe Dispenza meditations: https://drjoedispenza.com/?rfsn=6914154.37386a&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6914154.37386a Watch Nine Anti-Aging Foods You Should Be Eating Every Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Dnw5Fj9bSs

Does self-care feel out of reach? Maybe you feel like you don't have the time, the energy, or the money. I get it. But self-care comes in many forms, including little upgrades that provide a big boost to your well-being. In this episode, I'm sharing six of my favorite finds that have enhanced my sleep, skin, mood, and more. And because I know convenience is key, you can get them all on Amazon. Check them out, then bump taking care of yourself up to the top of your to-do list.    FULL show notes: jjvirgin.com/selfcare   Subscribe to my podcast: http://subscribetojj.com   Watch the FULL VIDEO on my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/jjvirginvideos   Download my FREE Best Rest Sleep Cheat Sheet: jjvirgin.com/bestrest   Read my book, Sugar Impact Diet: https://store.jjvirgin.com/collections/books/products/sugar-impact-diet-paperback-book   Learn how foods cause leaky gut in The Virgin Diet: https://store.jjvirgin.com/products/the-virgin-diet-paperback   Amazon Basics lavender Epsom salts: https://amzn.to/48EgN2d   Manta Sleep light-blocking eye mask: https://amzn.to/47p3ce8   Dr. Joe Dispenza meditations: https://drjoedispenza.com/?rfsn=6914154.37386a&utm_source=refersion&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=6914154.37386a   Buensueno silicone earplugs: https://amzn.to/3tvDRBG   Philips Hue Smart Play Light Bar Base Kit: https://amzn.to/3TIYR2o   Philips Hue Go Portable Dimmable LED Smart Light: https://amzn.to/4aHv7cd   Zenagen Revolve hair thickening shampoo: https://amzn.to/3vqbDJ5 Video: Do 3 Things as Soon as You Wake Up for Peak Energy All Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQn3myTrju0

Hurruah! It's 2024 and Ted and Gareth are back for another year of dribbling over tech. On this show an investigation into the sexy streamings on Twitch, Google's and Apples app store action, the Incognito mode judgment, Nuclear container ships, a tough tablet from Samung, a little ebook reader from Onyx, Samsung AI, Motorola AI, Microsoft AI, Google AI and the Retroid Pocket 4. With Gareth Myles and Ted Salmon Join us on Mewe RSS Link: https://techaddicts.libsyn.com/rss Direct Download iTunes | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Tunein | Spotify  Amazon | Pocket Casts | Castbox | PodHubUK Feedback, Fallout and Contributions Logitech G Yeti Orb Microphone - HardwareZone Review SoundCore AeroFit Pro Earphones - Ted's Review - (with free SoundCore Motion 100) …but no Marshall Acton III which I begged Santa for - the mean, petty-minded bag'o'shyte Swan Stainless Steel Bean to Cup Coffee to Go Machine News, Mews and Views Google and Apple might have to play nice with external app stores in Japan China's Nuclear-Powered Container Ship: A Fluke Or The Future Of Shipping? Game Over: The Tech That Died in 2023 Police to be able to run face recognition searches on 50m driving licence holders Portable, non-invasive, mind-reading AI turns thoughts into text 2023 vs 2022 – UK Broadband and Mobile Speeds vs the World Google agrees to settle $5 billion lawsuit accusing it of tracking Incognito users Cleavage but no underbust, please for those who present as women: Twitch bans "implied nudity" among streamers Hardline on the hardware Sony dips toes into VR, publishes patent for trackball foot controller Onyx Boox Palma review: The bite-sized e-reader Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 5 images and specs leak featuring S Pen The Wearables Watch This awesome [absurd-looking] watch lets you play your favourite classic games on your wrist The retro gaming watch The original Pixel Watch's long-awaited notification sync feature finally arrives Phone Zone Motorola Razr: next-gen edition slated to launch as first-gen AI-powered foldable smartphone You won't need a Samsung phone to benefit from Galaxy S24's AI call translation The Name of the Game Don't throw your Stadia controller away - Google extends its Bluetooth support to the end of 2024 Retroid announces the Pocket 4 and Pocket 4 Pro, but you'll have to wait to get oneKeep an eye on Retro Game Corps for a review before purchasing. Flap your trap about an App Dell shows demos of an enhanced Copilot that automatically manages your system Microsoft Copilot launches as a standalone Android app Windows 11 will let you reinstall your OS through Windows Update without wiping your files Google Gallows & Chrome Coroner Chrome now defaults to desktop mode on ‘premium' Android tablets Google Clock's weather forecasts get a big redesign for alarms Google is preparing a paid version of Bard Hark Back (Ideas down below if needed/wanted) The Long Telephone cable Bargain Basement: Best UK deals and tech on sale we have spotted Amazon Basics 48-Count AA & AAA High-Performance Batteries Value Pack - 24 Double AA Batteries and 24 Triple AAA Batteries (48-Count) - £11.61 (sub  & save option too) Sanodesk Electric Standing Desk £76 from £90 HONOR X6a - £93.97 RRP: £129.99 Elgato Stream Deck XL £190 from £230 Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones - £239.00 RRP: £316.67 (and £47.80 x 5 months for me) Dell Inspiron 14 5435 Laptop 16:10 FHD+ (1920 x 1200) Display | AMD Ryzen 7 7730U | 16 GB 4266MHz LPDDR4x RAM | 1TB SSD | AMD Radeon Graphics | UK/Irish Qwerty Backlit Keyboard | Platinum Silver £549 from £679 INIU USB C Charger Cable £9.99 Was: £12.99 + 35% off Samsung Galaxy Watch6 Classic 43mm Bluetooth £294 from £369 Main Show URL: http://www.techaddicts.uk | PodHubUK Contact:: gareth@techaddicts.uk | @techaddictsuk Gareth - @garethmyles | Mastodon | garethmyles.com | Gareth's Ko-Fi Ted - tedsalmon.com | Ted's PayPal | Mastodon | Ted's Amazon YouTube: Tech Addicts

Welcome to our final podcast of 2023. How is that even possible? We begin by sharing about Kim's Christmas present from Chris; the Soundcore Frames Bluetooth glasses by Anker. We discuss pairing and connecting, and Kim plays some music and shares how to use the touch controls. You also get to hear the phone call quality when using the glasses. Activate this link to purchase a pair of Soundcore Frames for yourself or someone you love. This is our affiliate link, and we receive a small commission when you purchase via this link. Next, Kim discusses a great Audible alternative, Chirp. This site regularly has sales in which you can purchase books for under $10 each. Kim loves Chirp for its ease of use, variety, and, of course, awesome prices during sales. Learn about the service, go on a tour of the home page, walk through the checkout process with Kim, and discover how to play books from your Chirp library both on a PC and via iOS. And yes, we use the Soundcore Frames during the iOS portion. Visit this link to check out Chirp and their vast selection of books. Our final demo of the year is for this great Amazon Basics shredder. Note that if you purchase from the above link we'll receive a small commission. We thought we needed a second shredder in the house, and while this one isn't quite as powerful as our old one, it doesn't need to be. IT shreds CDs, credit cards, and all that junk mail or those sensitive documents you no longer need. We definitely recommend it. We hope your holidays are happy and filled with lots of love and laughter. Looking forward to sharing 2024 with you! Thanks for being a listener! We appreciate you! Happy Merry everything!

Join us in this power-packed episode as Aaron Cordovez shares the insights he learned from Amazon TITANS after attending AMZ Innovate 2023. Learn tips and tricks from top sellers such as Jabran Niaz (Utopia Deals), David Ghiyam (MaryRuth's Organics), Mike Beckham (Simple Organics), and Steven Borrelli (Cuts). _____________

In der heutigen Folge unseres Tech-Podcasts decken wir die neuesten Gerüchte und Nachrichten aus der Welt der Technologie ab. Packt das iPad Mini bald einen großen Punch mit einem faltbaren Display? Wir diskutieren die Möglichkeit des iPad Mini Fold und was dies für den Tablet-Markt bedeuten könnte. Samsung macht Schlagzeilen mit dem Galaxy SmartTag2 – einem Tracker mit vielseitigerem Design für 40€, aber haben sie sich zu viel bei Apples AirTag abgeschaut? Wir beleuchten die Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten. Dann sprechen wir über die Burn-In-Probleme beim iPhone 15 Pro Max. Trotz eines Updates scheint das Hitzeproblem bei allen iPhone 15 Modellen noch nicht behoben zu sein – Nutzerberichte häufen sich. Die Satelliten-Internetrevolution wird erschwinglicher: Starlink bietet jetzt Dienste ab 50 Euro im Monat an. Wie wird das den Internetmarkt verändern? Apple-Produkte stehen oft für Qualität und Innovation, aber ist das den Preis wert? Ein CT-Scan vergleicht Apples 149 Euro Thunderbolt 4 Pro Kabel mit einem USB-C-Kabel von Amazon Basics – das Ergebnis könnte euch überraschen.

044 - November 4, 2023Rich DeMuro talks tech news, tips, gadget reviews and conducts interviews in this weekly show. Airs 11 AM - 2 PM PT on KFI AM 640 and syndicated on stations nationwide through Premiere Networks. Stream live on the iHeartRadio App or subscribe to the podcast.Follow Rich on X, Instagram, Facebook and Threads.Call 1-888-RICH-101 (1-888-742-4101) to join in!RichOnTech.tvRich talked about how he noticed his Halloween low light photos are getting better over the years as smartphone cameras and sensors continue to improve.He also explained how he books flights using Google Flights and loves the website Point.me, which helps you make the most of your rewards points. Use code RICHONTECH to get your first month for $1.Rich shared his road test thoughts on the Rivian R1S SUV. Overall, he loved the rugged good looks and creature comforts, but charging it fast and on the road proved to be a challenge.Consumer Reports tested USB-C and Lightning cables to find the most durable. The winners? Apple's and Amazon Basics.John in Los Angeles asks if there's a service provider that can forward emails from his domain to his Gmail inbox. Rich says he uses Hover for this purpose and it's only $5 a year. Use this referral link and it might save you a few bucks. Michael emailed to say Cloudflare does something similar.There's a new Beatles song called Now and Then and it was made possible thanks to AI.Chuck in Laguna Nigel asks about plug in hybrid vehicles.HBO Max is downgrading features for longtime subscribers on the grandfathered $15.99 plan.Terry in Temecula is having issues accessing ChatGPT. He keeps getting error messages. Rich says to clear the cookies and cache for the website and that should help. Rich also recommended checking out other AI options including Claude AI and Google's Bard.You can now move the URL/Address bar on Chrome for iOS to the bottom of the screen to match what Safari did in iOS 16.Mickey in Camarillo wants to know if gift cards can be used online or in store. Rich says it depends, so be sure to check the gift card redemption details before you buy. Also, check out Raise for discounted gift cards.The cashback shopping app Ibotta is giving away free Thanksgiving dinners.Steven in San Diego is wondering what to do now that Mint is shutting down. Rich says there are two types of alternatives: those that help you budget and those that help you see all of your financial accounts in one place. At the end of the day it will come down to which app you like best and if you want to pay for the service. Check out CoPilot, Monarch, PocketGuard, YNAB, EveryDollar and Empower. For budgeting, Rich says he uses a simple Excel spreadsheet.Page emailed to say they like Quicken Simplifi for finances.Rich has been checking out CoPilot. Use my referral code QXCTP4 to get 2 months free.Stephanie shared a story about how she got scammed by trying to sell something on Facebook Marketplace. She ended up calling a phony Zelle number she quickly found on Google.Elsa in Playa Del Rey asks if she should do the free trial for NETGEAR Armor. Also, Elsa mentioned the free privacy email service from DuckDuckGo.Louis in Riverside is trying to set up a passed down iPhone but it has an activation lock enabled.Larissa May is a digital wellness activist and the founder of #HalfTheStory, a non-profit focused on educating, advocating and mitigating the harms associated with social media and tech use.Helpful apps Larissa mentioned: OneSec and Opal App.Apple is quietly discontinuing it's voice based $5 Apple Music plan.Apple has new M3 chips, new laptops and a new iMac.If you're looking for more free streaming options, check out Xumo Play.Samsung might launch the S24 even earlier next year.Apple Arcade is getting new games for the holiday season. Rich downloaded Knotwords+ and it's a fun twist on a word puzzler.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Fall is the time to prepare for a potentially harsh winter ahead.  So, we are in Northern California and with the exception of our mountainous areas, we don't see exceptionally harsh winters.  But that doesn't mean that we do not prepare our rental properties located here for the winter months.  We still get pretty big storms with high winds and last year, quite a bit of unexpected rainfall.  The point is inspections are always a good idea.  Even more so just before the cold winter months set it.In this episode we give you suggestions on what fall seasonal maintenance items you should be doing for your rental properties, especially if they will experience freezing temperatures this coming winter season.We time this preventative maintenance along with our semi-annual property inspections.  This way we can lessen the amount of disruption to our tenants and keep our time on property to a minimum, which also helps us remain efficient in our business.Where we touch on the things you should focus on inside the unit, most of the tasks are for the exterior of your rental property.  We discuss what to do and why it is important.  The rest is up to you. LINKS

AWS Morning Brief for the week of July 3, 2023 with Corey Quinn. Links: AWS Lambda simplifies copying environment variables in the console code editor What is a spam trap and why you should care? How we learned to program with atoms in 24 hours flat  Running an SSH server on AWS RoboMaker New training series: Starting your Career with AWS Cloud AWS to remove 62,000-message Simple Email Service 'always free' tier from August 2023 AWS continues to invest in Ohio  The INFORM Consumers Act takes effect on June 27. Here's how Amazon is protecting our customers and sellers from bad actors.

Sales events are great!But...don't enjoy them so much that you rob yourself of success the following day."If you are going to hoot with the owls at night, you better be prepared to soar with the Eagles in the morning."Do what you have to do but bring that same energy to your day after an event that you did at the event. Your future self and your future clients will thank you!To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'Kelly

Sales has the opportunity to give each and every one of you opportunities of a lifetime.Unlike some industries that will cap compensation or have very few mechanisms for economic growth, sales potential is limitless.I can sell 1000 products this year and make $25,000 or 1 million products this year and make 25 million dollars. The result is the effort of how good I am at doing my job.I want to do everything I can to save sales pros from leaving the industry and give them hope that they can change their lives forever, with the right situation. To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'Kelly

6 Sales Process tips to help with being prepared for a sales meeting.To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'Kelly

Do you want to elevate your skills, or are you content to where you are today?If you said you are good, well...I have bad news for you. There is a giant world out there changing faster than some may be able to keep up.Adapt or die isn't a new slogan, but it will become the everyday manta in the future.How much are you willing to endure that makes you uncomfortable to get to wheere you want to be?To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'Kelly

Went to the Social Media Marketing World Conference in San Diego last week.Listen to hear my 3 biggest takeaways.To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'Kelly

 Having a mentor and/or being a mentor to someone else is a great way to grow your skillset, unlock new opportunities and create a better sales market.Reach up to those who are where you want to be and reach back to give a hand to those who are where you used to be.If you have the chance to do both, amazing! If not, try to do at least one for now.To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales 

Do you have piles of paper that are constantly shuffled around from place to place?   Do you lack a system around all the paper coming into your home?   Today I'm sharing my no-fail paper processing routine around the three main categories of paper that my mamas struggle with the most - mail, kids' school papers, and kids' artwork.   Resources Mentioned (may include affiliate links):   The paper tray/inbox I use in my kitchen looks like this one I use the ScanSnap scanner. Mine works with Evernote but they make other models as well. Amazon Basics 12-sheet paper shredder   For mail:   To unsubscribe: For catalogs you don't want, use Catalog Choice. Dmachoice.org to unsubscribe from mailing lists Optoutprescreen.com for credit card solicitations yellowpagesoptout.com for phone books Magazines - depends on the magazine but the company needs to be contacted directly in most cases. If you don't want the physical copy, your local library may have access to magazines through Libby or Overdrive. Mine has 3,900 magazines available!    For kids' school papers:   I use Evernote (especially the Evernote app) to easily capture kids' school work and artwork I want to keep. Here's a short Reel showing you how I use it.   For kids' artwork and crafts:   If artwork doesn't go on my kids' corkboards in their rooms, I leave it in art purgatory for a few months. Then I go through it and will either take a photo using Evernote or throw it away.   I will keep a limited number of items (especially with handprints, etc.) in a physical file folder after I have taken a photo or scanned it.   Other ways to keep your kids artwork is using a system like Artkive and Keepy. They are apps that have paid and free versions that can take your kids' artwork and make art books or framed mosaics out of them.    ***   Have a question about decluttering, simplifying, systems, or anything else we talk about on the podcast? You can now leave me a voice message here. Look for the microphone that says START RECORDING. Who knows, your question may be answered on an upcoming episode!   Episodes Mentioned:    Episode 27: What Does Your Home Say About You? The Secret to Decorating Intentionally with Dani Watson from fig & farm at home   Episode 26: Loathe Laundry? Learn to Love it with my 20-Minute System    Episode 6: The EASIEST Way to Declutter Any Space in Your Home!   ***   I help moms declutter their homes, heads, and hearts.   Hey there, mama. Are you tired of all the STUFF crowding your home, calendar, and mind? Do you wish you could say goodbye to the endless to-do list running around in your head, while you're running around in the middle of the mess? Want to declutter but don't know where to start? Are your dreams buried under piles of toys and laundry?   Welcome to Moms Overcoming Overwhelm, where you will find proven and practical solutions to declutter your home, head, and heart.  If you're ready to reclaim your precious resources of time, energy, attention, and focus and create the motherhood and life you want on YOUR terms - this podcast is for you.   Hi, I'm Emily - a wife, #boymom, and simplicity seeker. I struggled to get pregnant and felt completely overwhelmed - until I discovered decluttering could create the physical and emotional space I needed to become a mom.   Now, two kids later, I've transformed my life and motherhood by developing simple systems around decluttering, capsule wardrobes, kids stuff, cleaning and tidying, meal planning, time management, and more- and I can't wait to share them with you!   If you're ready to reclaim the time and energy you crave, be present with your kids, and finally enjoy the life and motherhood you SO deserve - let's kick overwhelm to the curb, shall we? Grab your lukewarm coffee, your notebook and pen, and clear off some counter space! Let's do this.   Podcast -＞ www.simplebyemmy.com/podcast   Learn -＞ www.simplebyemmy.com/resources    Connect -＞ Join our free Facebook group Decluttering Tips and Support for Overwhelmed Moms   Instagram -＞ @simplebyemmy and @momsovercomingoverwhelm   *** Don't Know Where to Start? ***   5 Steps to Overcome Overwhelm -＞ https://simplebyemmy.com/5steps/    5 Mindset Shifts for Decluttering -＞ https://simplebyemmy.com/mindset/    Wanna work with me to kick overwhelm to the curb, mama? There are three options for you!   Step 1: Join a supportive community of moms plus decluttering challenges to keep you on track at the free Facebook group Decluttering Tips and Support for Overwhelmed Moms   Step 2: Grab a free 20-minute discovery call at https://calendly.com/simplebyemmy/discovery Step 3: Get more personalized support with one-on-one coaching! www.simplebyemmy.com/coaching   iSjhVyeYBrXwwCmEHC53

Technology has made it so much easier to grow your market than ever before.Leveraged properly, you will separate yourself from your competition and open yourself up to new opportunities.Having a great "Tech Stack" will help you get to where you want to go in your business.To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

If you shoot for the moon, you may fall short, but if you are content to where you are today, you have already failed.Growth only happens when you push yourself out of your comfort zone and into new skills and opportunities.To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

Your value in sales is based on what you can provide for an organization in the future, not paid on your past performance.Now, your past performance will dictate the ballpark your compensation will land, but you are not owed any money for past results.The Lamar Jackson saga won't end well for anyone involved in the long run.  Lamar and the Ravens will both lose on this deal in the future.There are things that you can learn from this.Learning points:- You don't get paid future money for past results- Don't obsess over what someone else is making, focus on your business only- Be loyal to those who have built around you and seek to understand their situtation, not just yours.In a, "I have to get mine culture" money is way too high on the level of things professionals obsess over, not once focusing on the long-term vision yet to come.To learn more about making long term goals or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

If you are content to where you are in business & life, you have failed.You have to continually be growing, evolving and working on your skills.The sales world and world in general doesn't slow down or stay the same, so why should your process or skill set?If you make average plans, have an average mindset and take the average amount of effort, you will at best get average results.Why settle for average when you have the ability to do so much more? To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

If you are "rinsing & repeating" your sales message from a few years back, you are missing the boat.Yes, i said it. You are falling behind.The market is moving at lightning speed, and you will need to at least keep up or fall behind.How do I know so many people are still falling behind, I get tons of DMs, emails and messages still telling me they are "following up, circling back, putting it at the top of my inbox, etc."Your goal is to stay ahead of the market and keep your messaging and approach fresh. As I reminder, process isn't your sales system, it is the bones or the structure while the sales system is the organs and the muscle and everything else.To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

If it's easy, you need to find a new path.Growth only comes from being challenged. Never from comfort.If you think you can rinse and repeat what you have done in the past, you will unfortunately be sorely mistaken.Adopt or die. To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

To be your best, you need to know what you are great at and what your strengths are.Lean into those strengths and leverage those skills when building your business.To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

You can only control what happens in your business, not what happens in someone else's.So why are you allowing that energy to seep into your daily plan?Every day, all you can do and should do is focus on your process, your business and working your plan to the optimal level.If you do that, you are a success, whether your company recognizes it or not.To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

To grow in business, you need allies.It is crucial for your LONG term success to build a strong network and become a giver, not just a taker when you need to close a deal or find a job.Givers will have many more opportunities to progress than takers.You To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

Process takes time.Remember the phrase, Rome wasn't built in a day, neither was your sales territory.Scaling a business takes consistent action set in a specific order with certain underlying beliefs, a.k.a. a process.Some of the results of that process take time and you will reap the benefits of those actions in the future, but you have to start today and be patient.You To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

Taking over a failing territory or business is hard and time consuming.Here are 3 steps you can take to grow very quickly:1. PPF Method2. Look for inefficiencies3. Make the business your ownIn this episode, I share a few examples of situations that popped up in my career and how you can apply those learnings to your business.To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

In this sales environment, those who can connect better with buyers will win the day.If you are using the same sales tactics and features & benefits, you will struggle because today's buyers have been sold to and burned and are much more conservative than in the past.They want someone that understands what they are going thru and can deliver the results they have been looking for.There is no way you can do that if you start a call thinking you need to sell.Instead, think like a buyer and see how you can build a relationship by solving problems together. To learn more or if you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

It isn't 2021 anymore. So, the things that you used to do that were fresh, are being done by every one of the competing reps in your territory.Text message used to be a leg up 4 years ago. Now, prospects get 5-10 text messages with pitches every day.Point being, you have to evolve your process and make sure you don't sound, look, or communicate like everyone else in your market.That means, analyzing the trends around you, talking with others in your network and having an open mind to learn new things.If you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

success is your duty. Right now, you possess the product or service that can change the lives of those who will purchase forever.Sales is not a one-way street where you sell, make all the money and the client is left holding the bag.If you sell that type of product, you need to find a new one.Each sale should benefit the future state of your client, and that should guide you during your day that you are changing people's lives, forever.If you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

During the discovery phase, you must qualify the prospect.They are either a 3-month, 6-month or 12-month deal.Focus on the 3-month now, build the relationship for the 6 and 12 months but finding out if they are available to buy now.Qualify them by asking great discovery questions to focus your time wisely.If you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

Brandon was a little nervous. Leaving the safety net of his career to take on a new challenge was a daunting task.Especially going from finance to sales. But, almost 2 years later, it was the best decision he made because he is crushing it.Brandon and I met in May 21 and discussed his goals, how he wanted to brand himself and what success would look like.Then like a fish to water, he has been everywhere, met everyone and has branded himself as the go to guy for real estate in Charlotte.Brandon's success can be attributed to him taking massive action. Trade shows, he was there.Brewery events, he was there.Neighborhood festivals, he was there.Each and everytime, handing out business cards, shaking hands and kissing babies.His blueprint for success was simple, take massive action, go all in and never hold back promoting and asking for business.Success comes from planning then executing. If you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

Your next role will come from your network.Your next big account will be a referral from your network.If you are still on the fence about building networks, stop. Build it today.If you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

Your north star should be what motivates and drives you on a daily basis.This is your impact.You should think about what you can do to better the situation of others and let that guide your career decisions.If you want help with your Sales Plan, reach out for a FREE strategy session.If you want to have a conversation about:- Scheduling a strategy call for your next move- Help building your business or territory- Starting your own sales podcast.Reach out to me:mike@survivingoutsidesales.comIf you want to support the show, click the link and get a shout out in a future episode:https://www.buzzsprout.com/1837367/supportTo start your own podcast and host on Buzzsprout, click link below to get going:https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1818120Microphone link- Amazon Basics: https://amzn.to/3fpizi1To connect with the show: Follow, Subscribe, like, 5 stars & DownloadConnect with Mike:Mike@survivingoutsidesales.comLinkedIn: Mike O'Kelly | LinkedInIG: Mike_OKellyLinktree: Mike O'KellySponsored By:Rithm AI-Website: GetRithm.comProspecting,Targeting&Routing,SimplifiedIt's time to Optimize. Not all calls are equal, Rithm puts the focus on the “right” keys to success.Go checkout & subscribe to the following YouTube channels & Websites:Connect with Surviving Outside Sales-YouTube: Surviving Outside Sales - YouTubeWebsite: SurvivingOutsideSales.comIG: SurvivingOutsideSales

DIGITAL EXPERT - OPERATIONS LEADER - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT - INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURHighly experienced digital business and successful management professional recognized for consistently growing revenues and profitability. Confident, highly energized, effective, and persuasive communicator with strong interpersonal and entrepreneurial acumen. Skilled in global, scalable operations and sales development for start-ups and established Fortune 500 environments.Leadership - Transformed culture across multiple departments while growing revenue over 100% without decreasing services to internal and external constituentsStrategy - Created scalable models for operations and revenue generation for start-ups  and Fortune 100 environmentsTechnology - Experienced in all earned and paid digital media, PR, and marketing, along  with CRM and marketing automation software (Infusionsoft/SalesForce/HubSpot)Collaborator - Consistently increased revenue and decreased costs by negotiating distribution,  sales, and strategic alliances with external partners and service providersAmazon Product Research & Product Launch Q&A00:00 Introduction02:44 There are tons of opportunities on Amazon02:46 It's always a good time to launch a product on Amazon03:36 Success rate on selling on Amazon07:56 Product ideas always start with keywords08;46 Greenlight for Products ideas criteria are desirable (search volume), feasibility (can you actually make the thing), and viability (can you make money out of these products)11:03 Do multiple design filings patents for different aspects of the products12:40 If the product is selling really well in the first 48 weeks, defend it a little bit with a patent14:16 The importance of Brand names16:26 How to select your brand name and its corresponding domain from godaddy.com27:19 Branding is very important on Amazon27:25 Shorter and relevant brand titles stand out. There is instinct credibility28:24 To reach the target customer and get the number one spot, your Brand should look legit; the seller looks legit the copywriting should be professionally written.28:51 Have you ever competed with Amazon Basics yet30:18 Difference between store name and brand name30:27 Under one Amazon account set up as LLC, and within that, you can get brand registered for multiple brands, and once you have a brand registry, you can get multiple storefronts for each brand.32:35 You can change your seller central display name as long as it is not yet taken; you can make it more relevant to your store33:19 Troubleshooting issues on variation themes36:25 Amazon splits the reviews to child variations when it reaches 10,000 reviews based on Dan's experience43:43 Have your seller name be generic if you are selling multiple brands45:11 Any video is better than no video unless it is a bad video; make sure your copy is great on your videos48:39 How to know if the parent is suppressed?49:22 To check, go to the parent and click edit and if it should error or “the SKU has an inconsistent classification with the parent,” then it is52:54 One piece of advice for sellers of handgun accessories is to be careful with IP infringement on models and weapons and as well as trigger keywords for Amazon-like weapons.55:01 On the initial launch of your products, what is the process of deciding to add variations specifically for color variations56:02 Pick the number of variations you want first and recognize the benefit of having 4 or 5 over 2 or 3 and then use PICKFU to rank colors and look at people's feedbackSupport the show

Amazon tried to grow the sales of its private label brands, like AmazonBasics, by adding more products. But rather than juice sales, it's created new headaches — especially with regulators. WSJ's Dana Mattioli explains why Amazon is starting to scale back. Further Reading: - Amazon Scooped Up Data From Its Own Sellers to Launch Competing Products  - Amazon Has Been Slashing Private-Label Selection Amid Weak Sales  Further Listening: - ​​How Amazon Employees Used Sellers' Data Against Them  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, we discuss Bolt's declining customer base and struggles with The Information's Malique Morris (02:50). In addition, we discuss Fast, Amazon's "Buy with Prime," ShopPay (25:35) and all the other developments in online checkout. Next, we cover a massive spike in Ethereum gas prices from Yuga Labs and Solana's bot attack (55:12). We wrap with our Startup of the Day: Gravity Sketch, a 3D design platform (1:11:35). (00:00) Jason and Molly introduce today's show (02:50) Last Thursday, The Information's Malique Morris published an article on Bolt's declining customer base and struggles, he joins us to discuss (12:19) Ourcrowd - Check out the deal of the week at https://ourcrowd.com/twist (13:26) Speaking to Domm Holland and Ryan Breslow, how are they different? (24:19) Fiverr - Sign up for https://Fiverr.com/Business free for the first year and save 10% on your purchase with promo code JASON (25:35) Amazon's “Buy with Prime” and their Amazon Basics monopoly (32:12) First Republic Bank - Discover what a long-term financial relationship can do for you. Visit https://firstrepublic.com/startup today to learn more. (33:08) Stripe doing their own Fast checkout, competing against their own investment? (46:20) Wrapping up with Malique Morris (48:50) Spring energy in New York (55:12) WEB 3 is going great update (1:11:35) We Live in the Future with our Startup of the Day: Gravity Sketch, a 3D design platform Read Malique's Article: https://www.theinformation.com/articles/bolt-a-checkout-startup-worth-11-billion-has-been-losing-customers-as-revenue-stalls FOLLOW Malique: https://twitter.com/luxeoflique FOLLOW Jason: https://linktr.ee/calacanis FOLLOW Molly: https://twitter.com/mollywood

The Amanda Palmer Method; Truth Social stumbles; Heardle through the grapevine; wings in the metaverse; Amazon Basics tied to forced labor; Twitter launches Tor service; Limewire is back... with NFTs; Musk is a free speech absolutist; executive order on crypto; Star Trek; After Yang; the Cure & Eddie Izzard; Upload is back; Dekalog & Three Colours; Dropbox drops update for macOS; Clash Royale anniversary; A.G. Riddle; more iOT rants; Samsung hack; RadioShack; Obi-Wan and Star Wars Galatic Starcruiser; Things Dave Likes; disco number twos.Show notes at https://gog.show/544/FOLLOW UPI quit my dream job in TV to become a TikToker, and it was the best decision I've ever madeDonald Trump is furious about the stumbling launch of his social media app Truth Social, report says'Heardle' is like 'Wordle' for the musically inclinedIN THE NEWSWingstop has filed a trademark to sell chicken wings in the metaverseAmazon suppliers reportedly have ties to forced labor camps in ChinaHBO hit with class action lawsuit for allegedly sharing subscriber data with FacebookTwitter Launches Tor Onion Service Making Site Easier to Access in RussiaLimeWire is back... as an NFT marketplaceMusk says Starlink won't block Russian media outlets ‘unless at gunpoint'Tesla violated labor laws by blocking union organizing, judge rulesBiden's executive order on cryptocurrencies zeros in on 6 priorities and 'urgency' in exploring the creation of a US digital dollarCryptocurrency Is No Fix for Russia's Sanctions WoesCoinbase blocks over 25,000 Russian-linked crypto addressesMEDIA CANDYStar Trek: DiscoveryStar Trek: PicardA Small-Scale Sci-Fi Film That Asks the Genre's Biggest QuestionAfter YangBitTorrent is Still the King of Upstream Internet Traffic, But for How Long?Robert Smith just told us The Cure's new album title at the BandLab NME Awards 2022Eddie Izzard - WunderbarEddie Izzard - Dress to KillUpload Season 2YouTube offers popular podcasts $50K in cash to pivot to videoCommon Sense 323 – Gas Up the Cold WarDekalogThree Colours trilogyAPPS & DOODADSDropbox releases official update for its macOS app with M1 supportGoogle says the latest Chrome on Mac outperforms SafariJason's Character in Clash RoyaleA Book of Secrets: Finding Solace in a Stubborn World by Derren BrownAT THE LIBRARYThe Extinction Trials by A.G. RiddleSECURITY HAH!The CyberWireDave BittnerHacking HumansCaveatDave's iOT update - Kind advice via Twitter from Kyle CorreaHomebridgeHOOBSStacey on IoT PodcastSamsung confirms hackers compromised its systems and stole Galaxy source codeDon't celebrate RadioShack's crypto pivot — it's just a Tai Lopez schemeGrippy Textured Non-Slip Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Wipes (6"x7") Premium for Glasses, Camera Lens, Cellphone, Phone Screen, Glass, Eyeglasses, 3-PackPluto PillowLumiLux Toilet Light with Motion Detection Sensor - 16-Color LED Bathroom Toilet Bowl Light (White)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.