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Business
Sean D'Souza
Sean D'Souza made two vows when he started up Psychotactics back in 2002. The first was that he'd always get paid in advance and the second was that work wouldn't control his life. He decided to take three months off every year. But how do you take three months off, without affecting your business and profits? Do you buy into the myth of "outsourcing everything and working just a few hours a week?" Not really. Instead, you structure your business in a way that enables you to work hard and then take three months off every single year. And Sean walks his talk. Since 2004, he's taken three months off every year (except in 2005, when there was a medical emergency). This podcast isn't about the easy life. It's not some magic trick about working less. Instead with this podcast you learn how to really enjoy your work, enjoy your vacation time and yes, get paid in advance.
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Total 534 episodes
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04/11/2022

Sales Pages: How to avoid procrastinating and fix three core elements- Part 1

When creating sales pages—or even when fixing them, you have a long list of elements to tackle. So many in fact, that you may just put off the fix for a few weeks, which ends up taking a few months. The reality is that you and I can't do it all at once. Why not take on a few elements, instead? If you were to fix things, where would you start? Here are two of the ones I'd get cracking on, right away. And there are two more showing up in the second part of this podcast.   Next Step: Have you listened to How To Create Extremely Focused Sales Pages—The Pebble System? Let me know what you think. 
28m
28/10/2022

How to get in a state of play—and not be stressed all the time

We know how it feels to be in a state of flow. Our work seems so effortless. However, we almost seem to be rushing to meet a deadline, and work seems—well—just like work. We've always thought getting things done on time is a good thing, and it is. But is it possible that getting things done on time is one of the biggest reasons why we always feel behind? How do you get into a state of play if you're always stressed? Let's find out in this episode. Next Step:  Learn how to get to the finishing line of all your projects—The Dual Boomerang System Of Learning.  
22m
21/10/2022

Why Is Storytelling So Important in Marketing?

We all know storytelling is a crucial skill to have as a business owner and also for you as a person. When we tell stories at the dinner table, everyone seems to listen. The same concept applies to marketing, but there's another bigger reason why you need to be able to tell stories. In this podcast, you learn the core importance of storytelling.   Next Step: Ready to listen/ read the entire series on Story Telling? You can start with—Three Core Elements of Storytelling (And Why You Need To Write Stories Right Away)
14m
14/10/2022

Why We Stall—And How To Pull Out of the Mess

No matter how good things are, there's a moment when things just don't go your way. That's when you've entered stall mode. It doesn't matter how skilled or experienced you happen to be. It's still a place that you can't pull out from. Yet, we all do. And there's a way to speed things up. Next Step: Listen or read about—The “Coats Of Paint” System To Break Out Of The Curse Of Perfection.
15m
08/10/2022

How To Gain Momentum In Business Using The Subsets Technique (And Gain New Clients Too!)

13m
17/09/2022

Why I keep writing articles (despite having written for 22 years).

Isn’t it better to recycle instead of writing all the time? A tiny bit of recycling may not be out of place, but there’s a good reason why we should keep writing new material all the time. Well, here are my reasons anyway. Next Step—Listen or Read over 51 articles on: How do you keep your readers locked into your article? (Audio and text)
16m
10/09/2022

The 5000bc story (Part 2): When the diversion turned out to be better than the destination

You know how you're told to set a goal and then benchmark your success based on that goal? Well, that's what we set out to do with our membership site at 5000bc. However, we kept running into these headaches that seemed to derail us. In time, however, we found that these constant diversions were to our benefit. That if we just stopped fighting them so much and figured out a way out, we'd end up better than we expected. And we did. Here's the story. Next Step: Find out (Audio and text) Why Clients Leave — And Why Lack Of Community Is One Of The Big Problems
22m
03/09/2022

The 5000bc story (Part 1): The ups and downs

What does it take to get a membership site to keep going? We go on a wild journey where the entire site was wiped out and how it bounced back again. And how nearly 20 years later, it’s still going. Next Step: Listen to: Planning On Starting A Membership Site? The Limited Membership Website Model
27m
27/08/2022

Why kids seem to learn faster than adults (Part 2)

Kids have a superpower. When they're very young, they don't know Monday from Sunday. And it's this lack of knowledge that also gives them an upper hand when they're learning. Unlike adults who are clear about how the result needs to look like. just about anything will do with a child. How do we take that child-like attitude and use it to speed up adult learning? Let's find out in this episode. Next Step: Interesting in more learning methods? Read or listen to:How To Accelerate Learning (And The Surprising Power Of Fun)
19m
20/08/2022

Why kids seem to learn faster than adults

You’ve heard the line many times before, haven’t you? And at times, it seems like kids learn at a blinding pace. But why does this phenomenon occur? Is it because kids are smart or just that we are more accommodating as trainers? Let's find out in this episode. Next Step: More about kids and what you can learn from them.What I Learned From Children (And How It Lowered My Stress Levels)
21m
14/08/2022

Why Sales Pages Are Annoyingly Difficult To Write..

One of the toughest tasks a business owner can have is when it's time to write a sales page. You know that it's unlikely your product or service will sell unless you have that sales page. Yet, once you sit down to write something, it's almost impossible to write anything down. And when you do, the words are so um, boring that you believe it's something to do with you. In reality, it's because you haven't done a target profile interview. Why does that interview become crucial, even to seasoned copywriters? Let's find out in this sales page episode. Next Step: Find out  How To Create Extremely Focused Sales Pages—The Pebble System
24m
05/08/2022

Why some people are always overwhelmed (and others aren’t)

Can You Stop Feeling Overwhelmed? Almost all of us have varying levels of stress. Yet some of us are always in a fog, always struggling. Is there a fix? And is it a non-overwhelming one? Next Step: Listen or readThe Overwhelm Virus: How To Get It Out of Your Daily Routine
28m
30/07/2022

Audience Building: Three compelling concepts from David duChemin

When it comes to audience building, we tend to fall for the hype. It's all about "getting a thousand clients" or "making thousands of dollars". If you've already been down that path you know that all of those methods fail spectacularly. You have to ask yourself: what works? Or rather, what are the principles that you need to be paying attention to, if you really want to get, grow and keep your audience? Let's find out with these cool concepts from photographer, David duChemin. Next Step: Have a look at the series on—How To Keep Customers Coming Back Again? (available in audio and text)  
26m
23/07/2022

The counterintuitive—yet simple strategy—to completing courses and books

When we start on a course, we all expect we'll get to the end. Yet time after time, we seem to abandon the course quite early. Part of the reason may be that the content is boring or too difficult, but often the bigger problem is our desire to implement it. What if that method was one of the primary reasons why we don't seem to finish courses and books? What if there were a counterintuitive method to complete and implement your learning?  There is, and it's simpler than you think.  Next Step: Listen to or read—The Untold Backstory of Psychotactics Online Courses and Products
12m
08/07/2022

Re-Run 6 Why Writing Is So Exhausting (And How You Can Make It Less Of A Chore)

23m
01/07/2022

Re-Run 05 Why Restricting The Numbers Of Sales Increased Profits (And Will Give You More Downtime)

19m
25/06/2022

Rerun 4: The Real Goal Of Productivity (And How it Helps You Waste More Time)

9m
17/06/2022

Rerun 3 How A Simple “Five Point Questionnaire” Helped Me Write My Sales Page (And Saved Me A Ton Of Time As Well)

20m
11/06/2022

How To Sidestep Chaos (Even When High Conflict Is Tearing Us Apart)

31m
04/06/2022

Rerun 1- How The Doorway Principle Lets You Get Started (Even When You’re Not Known In Your Industry)

14m
30/05/2022

The Simple Logic of Email Frequency (And How it Helps Sustain a Business)

If you're a big company like Amazon, YouTube and Apple, should you bother to send out e-mail newsletters? Can't you just spend loads of money on publicity and advertising? Why do these billion-dollar companies still work with e-mail? The answer is remarkably simple. If you don't keep in touch, someone else takes your place. However, that's not the only reason why you should start and sustain an e-mail newsletter—even in a world where we get too much e-mail. Find out in this podcast just why you should send out an email and what you should avoid as well. Next Step: Listen or read: Dread Writing Your Newsletters? How To Overcome That Frustration In Four Easy Steps
23m
21/05/2022

Storytelling: Why Fairy Tale Endings Are Unnecessary for Article Writing

How do most of our stories end? Usually, it's a fairy tale ending. Or maybe it ends in chaos, sadness or even disaster. We believe that an ending is crucial for any story. And there is no doubt that endings are needed for stories, but they're almost always irrelevant when you're using a story for an article. The story is there to make a point, not end with "happily ever after". Learn why a fairy tale ending is something you want to avoid almost all the time. Once you finish listening to this episode: Listen or read:How to Stop Clients In Their Tracks With Riveting Business Storytelling
25m
13/05/2022

Storytelling: Why "relevance" is the key to editing a story

It's not unusual to approach an edit with a machete. We see a mass of words and want to hack through them to make the story more interesting. The problem is, that we don't know what to throw away and what to keep. That's why "relevance" is more important to a story than just adding or removing words and sentences. Let's use the power of "relevance" to make a quick, precise edit. Next Step: Once you finish listening to this episode, don't miss: How To Craft Interesting Stories and Analogies (For Articles and Sales Letters)
22m
07/05/2022

Storytelling: Why starting with the "stuck point" creates intense stories

We often believe that stories have a sequence. First, this happens, then that happens and then something else shows up. And while that belief is generally true, the heart of the story is the "stuck point". You know it's powerful because the audience sits up upright. If you were to stop or even pause long enough, they'd be asking, "What happened next?" Do you get the "What happened next" with your stories? To get a consistent "what happened next" we need the power of the "stuck point". Let's find out more in this podcast. Next Step: Read or listen to: Three Unknown Secrets of Riveting Story Telling
28m
30/04/2022

Why Storytelling Needs Thumpity-Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump

When you hear someone tell you about their vacation, you try to be interested. All that exotic food, that astounding accommodation—it's all boring. Yet there's a reason why it's boring. We aren't really hearing stories, but instead, we're just getting a sequence of events. The magic to making it not boring is when you hear the sound of Thumpity-Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump. Yes, like falling downstairs. That's what storytelling is all about.   Next Step: Have a listen to— The Storytelling Test: How To Quickly Test How Your Audience Will React To Your Story
28m
23/04/2022

How to create a small 2-minute sales pitch

When people ask what we do, we are often unsure what to reply. Sometimes we may have a script that we've practiced over and over again. Yet we don't often have success with scripts, because somehow we haven't gotten the attention of the prospect. How can we bypass the tedious answer and create a small 2-minute sales pitch that gets the prospect involved? Learn how to use the twin powers of contradiction and demonstration to instantly get and keep attention.   Next Step: Once you finish listening to this podcast, listen to: How To Turn An Average Elevator Pitch Into One That Gets Consistent Attention
27m
08/04/2022

The Charlie Brown Moment: Why We Choke Under Pressure

Ever wonder what Writer's Block happens to be? It's a form of choking under pressure. When we're called upon to speak, to write, or to do something under pressure, we almost always seem to struggle. This choking happens even with professionals who normally breeze through their work. The big reason for this choking under pressure is partly because of the lack of the right preparation. Instead of training under Lucy Moments, we train under Charlie Brown moments. Let's find out how to avoid the choke and to avoid the sticky moments completely.   Next Step: Read or listen to—Writer’s Block Series: How A Lack of Energy, Not Time, Causes Writers to Stall and Crash  
20m
01/04/2022

Sandwiching: How to create a perfect crescendo for your story using a "sandwich"

The hardest part of writing is usually the first few lines. However, the ending can also be quite a vexing problem. Unless of course, you use a simple method called "sandwiching". When you use a "sandwich", it closes the loop, leading to a very satisfying sort of finish. How do you learn how to sandwich? Well, listen to this story taken from The Moth Podcast and you'll see how it can be done. Next Step: How do you keep your reader locked into your article? Find out here.
23m
25/03/2022

Storytelling: How to decide which facts to keep and which ones to drop

Why do you have a bloated story? It's often because there are way too many facts in the information you've put down on paper. Even if we know we have too many facts and figures, how do we separate the information so that we don't lose the power of the story? Let's find out in this episode. Once you finish listening to this episode head over to listen or read the series on—How To Keep Your Reader Locked Into Your Article.
18m
18/03/2022

The Eternal Sales Page Dilemma-How to choose the precise headline to get clients interested

When we sit down to write a sales page, we run into a problem almost instantly. We know that the client is usually looking to solve one problem, but which problem should we choose? How do we know if the client is simply going to ignore the headline and not look at the rest of the sales page? Should we stuff our headline with three separate problems or is that a really bad decision on our part? The answer is that the headline and the first problem isn't as crucial as most copywriters would have you believe. Follow these steps and you'll notice your sales page will come together in a less stressful, and more specific manner.
23m
11/03/2022

Why being "late to the party" is not a crisis for your business

When we sit down to write an article or create an information product, we often have a sinking feeling. We look around and find that it's "all been done before". That we have nothing new to add to the conversation. Why should we keep going despite these odds? More importantly, why is our hesitation driving clients to the competition?
31m
04/03/2022

How a simple "five point questionnaire" helped me write my sales page (and saved me a ton of time as well).

As I sat down to write a sales page for a course, I wasn't stuck. However, my progress was so slow that it was driving me crazy. A sales page consists of well over a dozen elements. However, to get started, it's important to get two core sections right. The first section to work on is: What you want to cover. The second section is: what are clients looking for? And as always, you need to start with me, me, me. Hence I started with the first section and here's my story.
19m
25/02/2022

U-Turn

When we write an article, we tend to get one point across. Yet, what if we were to disagree with our "one point" and do a complete u-turn? It doesn't seem logical to flip flop, does it? And yet that's what the client needs to create a more complex, more interesting version of an article. Let's find out why u-turns are crucial when writing articles.
6m
18/02/2022

How to get unstuck bit by bit (and why speeding it up doesn't usually work)

Usually when we're stuck, we want to get out of the mess in a big hurry. As a result, we end up digging a bigger hole for ourselves. How do you—that's you and I—systematically get unstuck? There's no precise formula, but there are stages of getting unstuck. And we have to do it slowly. Let's find out how.
30m
12/02/2022

Free Content Vs Paid Content: Will Clients Buy If You Give Away A Lot Of Free Stuff?

17m
04/02/2022

Why Do Clients Leave Your Community

16m
28/01/2022

Three Ordinary Aspects of Writing (That We Forget To Implement Consistently) Re-Reun 05

17m
21/01/2022

Why You Should Temporarily Ignore The “1000 True Fans” Concept – If You Want To Get Ahead Re-Run 04

31m
14/01/2022

How to audit your information product in four systematic steps Re-Run 03

13m
07/01/2022

The Dual Boomerang System Of Learning (That Helps Me Get To The Finish Line) Re-Run 02

9m
24/12/2021

How to get version 1 of The Brain Audit

This week there is a promotion for The Brain Audit version 3.2, but there’s a place where it all began. And you can compare the progress over time.   Here is the link:https://www.psychotactics.com/bonuses/brainaudit_old.pdf
4m
17/12/2021

Why You Should Pay Attention To Giving (And Why Receiving Is Just as important)

Is giving better than receiving? Maybe not. If you've tried to give something to someone and they won't accept it, you know exactly how it feels. We're not talking about something creepy here. The stranger off the street is wary even if you're handing out $100 notes, as giving has to have some trust involved. Even so, receiving is highly underrated. Let’s find out why.
31m
10/12/2021

How random pieces of advice from friends and bosses help me keep my focus

A random piece of advice isn't supposed to stay with you for years, and yet it does. In this episode we zig and zag into India (where I lived for a chunky part of my life) and then into New Zealand, where I had to start anew and with little or no help from anyone.
19m
03/12/2021

Why we struggle to acquire skills (and how the mindset of the teacher is the root cause)

Let's say you're about to learn a new skill—and you don't. You finish the course and you're still not quite anywhere as good as you hoped. Is that your fault? Or the teacher's fault? Or is it 50:50? Learn why so many of us struggle with skill acquisition and why mindset matters. ________________________________________ P.S. How do you change your mindset? What can you learn from children? Here are 21 articles on learning.
18m
26/11/2021

Scaring Clients Away From Your Sales Page?

Why a simple fix can bring them back. Most of us have products and services that solve many problems. The natural, and the seemingly logical way we go about talking about the product or service, is to make sure the client knows they're getting a great deal. However, this over-enthusiasm is precisely what causes clients to be confused, and leave. Let's find out how to simply, and quickly get clients to keep reading your sales page. ________________________________________ P.S. Interesting in learning more about —How To Write Your Sales Page (And The Biggest Mistakes)? 
27m
19/11/2021

Why "write every day" is seriously misunderstood (and why it prevents us from writing every day)

Write every day. Write every day. Write every day. We seem to hear a lot of that advice when we start off in writing. Yet, are we likely to be misunderstanding what the real meaning of "write every day" means? Most of us believe that we need to write at least an article a day, or at least some chunky bit of content. And yet that level of having to write on a daily basis is precisely what would cause us to fail. Yes, as you'd expect, there is a way out.   ________________________________________ P.S.  Here are 27 Articles on —How To Keep Your Reader Locked Into Your Article
20m
12/11/2021

How To Get Clients Comfortable On Zoom

Why would clients be uncomfortable on Zoom? They're your clients after all. Yet, time and time again we notice a reluctance on the part of the client. —They turn off their video, and it's possible they don't have a photo either. —They don't ask questions, despite you trying your best to get them to pitch in. Zoom calls can often seem thankless, but there's a way to get clients extremely comfortable on Zoom. Let's find out how. ________________________________________ P.S. Here is a series on—Strategies On How To Start A Podcast.
32m
05/11/2021

The Paradox of Motivation and Burnout (And Where To Draw the Line)

Some days, you can't get yourself motivated. Yet on other days, you're working so hard that you're frying up much too quickly. How do you keep a balance between getting yourself motivated and still not tipping over to the other side?
22m
29/10/2021

Chaotic Week? How To Use The Goldilocks Method To Get Things Back On Track

Some days seem to start not on Monday, but Wednesday. You fully intended to get your planning going, but something got in the way and it looks like the week is slipping away from you. What do you do to arrest this slide? We bring Goldilocks to the rescue—that's what we do. Weird weeks show up all the time, but here's a system that gets you back on the rails.   P.S. Here are 21 Articles on Time Management (You can read or listen to the articles)
8m
22/10/2021

The Real Goal of Productivity (And How it Helps You Waste More Time)

Most people tend to tell you to be more productive. Sales need to be doubled, you somehow aren't satisfied with the client numbers, and need a lot more. In short, it's this endless race towards a rather nutty goal. Instead, how about a goal that allows you to waste more time? That throws you back to when you were 17 and not constantly trying to earn, learn or hustle your way through life. Productivity is important, but the goal isn't exactly what you're expecting. Let's find more about the real goal of productivity.  
7m