Your Job Is the Future—Theirs Is to Keep You Honest in the Present
Blair has David expand on his recent article titled " You’re A Dictatorship That Gathers Individual Democracies—Good For You. "
Jan 05, 2022•30 min•Ep. 128
2Bobs—with David C. Baker and Blair Enns
Conversations on the art of creative entrepreneurship with David C. Baker and Blair Enns
Episodes
Sales Clichés and the Damage Done
Blair tears down seven common sales advice statements that B2B creative firms should actually avoid following in their new business engagements. See the episode notes, links, and transcript
Dec 15, 2021•36 min•Ep. 127
Ten Set Pieces
Blair provides some modeling language in a sales context. While using scripts for a sales conversation is not advised, there are some “set piece” phrases that are handy to have at the ready.
Dec 01, 2021•40 min•Ep. 126
Collecting From Deadbeat Clients
If you ever need to go to war over not being paid, David has some bombs you can lob over your enemy’s front lines.
Nov 17, 2021•31 min•Ep. 125
Firing a Client
Blair interviews David on why dropping a client is sometimes necessary and how to best approach letting them go.
Nov 03, 2021•31 min•Ep. 124
Attribution Errors
Where did the new client come from? Who gets credit? Should the new business person be involved in growing existing accounts? How should they, and/or the account people be compensated? Blair addresses all of these sales attribution questions.
Oct 20, 2021•30 min•Ep. 123
How to Write That Book
You don’t need a degree or license or permission to write a book. David and Blair share the steps they took and what they have learned from the writing process.
Oct 06, 2021•31 min•Ep. 122
Should You Write That Book?
If you think you might have a book in you but aren't sure writing and publishing your own book as an entrepreneur is worth the effort, this episode is for you.
Sep 22, 2021•35 min•Ep. 121
Are You Ready for a Minority Partner?
David has eight questions he wants agency principals to ask themselves before hiring him to help add a new partner.
Sep 08, 2021•29 min•Ep. 120
Approaching Normal
In this follow-up to their July 2020 discussion, “Four Regrets You’re About to Have,” David interrogates Blair on the extent to which he is a valuable and accurate predictor of what is happening in the marketplace.
Aug 25, 2021•35 min•Ep. 119
Talking About Mental Health
Blair interviews David on his recent article in which he was very open and honest about his struggles with depression and anxiety. LINKS "I Struggle With Mental Health. Maybe You Do Too." mentally-healthy.org Mentally Healthy 2020 Results...
Aug 11, 2021•32 min•Ep. 118
Orbiting the Giant Hairball
For the last time—ever—David and Blair discuss client-side marketing departments, their struggle to be entrepreneurial and what we can learn from them.
Jul 28, 2021•35 min•Ep. 117
Five Levels of Pricing Success
Blair combines a few of the deeper topics he and David have already covered to provide a larger view of the overall pricing journey he recommends creative firms take.
Jul 14, 2021•34 min•Ep. 116
Your Four Advantages Over an In-House Department
In-house creative departments aren't going anywhere, so David wants agencies to be mindful of the unique value they bring to the projects for which their clients still need them.
Jun 30, 2021•32 min•Ep. 115
A Ten Year Retrospective on the Manifesto
David asks Blair some awkward questions to get inside his head about his successful book, The Win Without Pitching Manifesto .
Jun 16, 2021•27 min•Ep. 114
What an Acquirer Will - and Will Not - Care About
Most of us haven’t sold one firm that we’ve owned, and those principals who have formerly sold their firm aren’t always...ahem...telling the truth.
Jun 02, 2021•28 min•Ep. 113
You Contain Multitudes
In a nod to the Walt Whitman line, Blair believes successful sales people - as well as agency principals - often need to present themselves as different personalities in different situations. And David believes sales trainers are actually therapists.
May 19, 2021•29 min•Ep. 112
The Challenges of Growing Too Quickly
As we’ve seen independent creative marketing and digital firms experience rapid growth over this past year, David offers five factors that principals should consider in order to avoid growing for the wrong reasons and/or mismanaging that growth.
May 05, 2021•29 min•Ep. 111
The Tao of No
Having a problem with either hearing or saying “no” can lead to problems for your business. Blair has 12 statements about the word “no” that can help.
Apr 21, 2021•35 min•Ep. 110
What a Normal Person Thinks of Your Creative Firm
When people from other industries learn about what goes on inside your firm, are they awe-struck in a good or bad way? Blair and David come up with a list of things that are unique to the creative firm biz and how they’ve seen outsiders react to them.
Apr 07, 2021•29 min•Ep. 109
Communication Components in Your Sales Toolbox
Blair shares an overview of all the communication tools creative firms should be using throughout the sales process.
Mar 24, 2021•35 min•Ep. 108
Performance Bands
David and Blair discuss what the four performance bands are, eleven critical factors that keep firms stuck at the lower performance bands, and what firms can do to move into a higher band.
Mar 10, 2021•36 min•Ep. 107
Creative Bullshit Bingo
David is in a cynical mood and takes turns with Blair sharing clichés they hear their clients use to describe their business.
Feb 24, 2021•23 min•Ep. 106
Is "Agency" Still the Right Word?
Blair stops to think about what "agency" actually means, and if it's the right term to describe firms in the creative services space.
Feb 10, 2021•26 min•Ep. 105
Let's Talk About Money
David lists eight truths about money that he's identified in his efforts to help entrepreneurs make better business decisions.
Jan 27, 2021•32 min•Ep. 104
The Enemy Within
Blair addresses the internal struggle for margin that happens in many firms between delivery teams and business development teams due to their lack of distinction between cost and price.
Jan 13, 2021•29 min•Ep. 103
Holding Opposite Perspectives in a Healthy Tension
David wants entrepreneurs to live with tension in various aspects of their business, using it to their advantage in making important decisions instead of just worrying about resolving the tension itself.
Dec 30, 2020•31 min•Ep. 102
Slapping Down Your Childlike Glee
Blair offers some ways to help prevent over-excited new business people and principals from giving away the shop and appearing unprofessional.
Dec 16, 2020•34 min•Ep. 101
Myth of "I Just Need More Opportunities to Get in Front of Prospects"
David draws a picture for Blair about the implications of this statement he hears almost all of his clients and prospects say about being able to close new business.
Dec 02, 2020•22 min•Ep. 100
Big Clients Vs Small Clients
Blair shares the tradeoffs creative firms have to deal with when pursuing firms of a particular size, and David gets Blair riled up again about procurement.
Nov 18, 2020•36 min•Ep. 99
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