If you’re good at marketing, you know how to make people understand what you offer. But if you’re good at branding, you know how to make people feel a certain way about it. When you master this, you can create exponential value for your business. (For example, branding is what allowed Starbucks to sell a 50-cent cup of coffee for $4.) This week on the Building a Story Brand podcast, Donald Miller talks with advertising legend Don Schneider about the art of branding. He’s the creative force behind ads for marquee brands like Pepsi, GE, and HBO. But as you’ll see in this episode, what he’s discovered about branding and human behavior applies no matter your budget. Listen now and discover the secrets of branding that can have an exponential impact on your bottom line. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/27

A lot of us believe that killer negotiators are born, not made. But that’s not true. When you know a few key strategies, you can become a great negotiator and land great outcomes for your business. Best of all, you can do it while treating others with respect. In this episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast, Donald Miller sits down with negotiation coach and expert John Lowry. John walks us through five techniques to improve our negotiation skills so we can strike better deals, increase our revenue, and grow our companies. Get the worksheet that goes along with this episode at http://buildingastorybrand.com/26

Welcome to 2017! If you’re wondering how to make this year more productive and meaningful, try the 30-day process we walk you through in this week's episode. This system won’t take you more than a few minutes each day, but it will unlock new levels of energy and focus you didn’t know you had. Listen now and discover how to develop new habits, become more productive, overcome procrastination, and complete the major projects that will move the needle for your business this year. http://buildingastorybrand.com/25

Get our best wisdom from 2016, compressed into a single episode! As we close out the year, we’ve selected clips from 10 conversations we’ve had on the podcast and highlighted our biggest takeaways from them. If you’re traveling over the holidays, this is a great way to find helpful episodes you may have missed or revisit your favorites for fresh insights. Thanks to everyone for listening this year. We’ve learned a ton from our guests, and we hope we’ve helped you clarify your messaging and grow your business! http://buildingastorybrand.com/24

As good as your gut may be about your customers, there are some aspects of your business that are too important to guess at. That’s why I’m thrilled to have David Kinnaman joining us on this episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast. He’s the owner of The Barna Group, a market research firm that’s helped thousands of companies better understand their customers through survey data. He’s got 10 excellent tips for sending surveys to our customers. These will help you listen better, pinpoint opportunities for growth, and make better products and services. Listen to this episode, send a survey in the coming weeks, and I know you’ll have a stronger, more successful business to show for it. http://buildingastorybrand.com

2017 is right around the corner. How can you set yourself up for a great year in your job? What if I said you should fire yourself? It sounds crazy, but it’s exactly what our CEO, Nigel Green, does every year. It gives him the perspective and energy he needs to embrace whatever challenges the new year brings. In this week's episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast, we share exactly how you can do this process yourself and why it works. It sounds super critical at first, but it’s actually a positive way to ensure you’re growing in your job and serving your company well. Listen now and I know you’ll be inspired to close out your year well and start 2017 with a healthy perspective. (We’ve even got a free downloadable PDF that will walk you through the process!) http://buildingastorybrand.com

If you’re trying to run and grow a business, you know you’re going to need smart marketing tactics to get you to the next level of success. The trouble is, there is SO MUCH information out there. And not all of it can be trusted to actually work for you. So I’m thrilled to have Amy Porterfield joining me on the Building a Story Brand podcast this week. She’s an actual expert on all things digital marketing, and she has four ways you can dramatically improve your online marketing strategy, no matter what level you’re at today. Give it a listen! http://buildingastorybrand.com

Can we be real with each other? Leading a business packs a big emotional punch. The stress of the day-to-day. The immense pressure to succeed. The isolation at the top. The strangeness of managing an image. It’s a heavy burden to carry around -- and it takes a toll on us. That’s why it’s critical to care for your inner life and develop your emotional intelligence. If you do, you can forge a great home life and company culture. If you don’t, you can destroy it all. I’m thrilled to have Miles Adcox joining me for this week's episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast. He’s the CEO of the therapeutic retreat center Onsite, and he’s been helping leaders with this unique burden for over a decade. Miles has a six-part guiding framework that can help you create and sustain emotional fitness as a leader. It will change your company culture -- but more importantly, it will change people’s lives, including your own. We talk a lot at StoryBrand about growing your business, but you can’t do that without growing yourself, too. Start with this week's podcast! http://buildingastorybrand.com

Entrepreneurs, listen up. If you want to bust through that revenue plateau, you’ve got to get good at selling -- even if you don’t think of yourself as a salesperson. We’re pleased to have Nicole Walters of The Monetized Life joining us on this episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast. She quit her job as a top-selling corporate exec and built a million-dollar lifestyle business in a year. (Whoa.) Listen and discover four surprising strategies that we as entrepreneurs can use to dramatically improve the way we approach selling. If you’re ready to take a more disciplined, intentional approach to sales and finally move the needle for your business, don’t miss this episode! http://buildingastorybrand.com

As business leaders, we throw the word “grit” around a lot. It’s hard work, resilience, and toughness all rolled into one. But where does grit come from? And how can we tap into it to improve our companies and our lives? In this episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast, I sat down with Jon Gordon to talk about it. He shared four principles with me to help us develop more grit. And this guy knows his stuff. His principles of motivation and success have been tested and proven by pro sports teams and Fortune 500 companies. I really want him to go help out my Seahawks, but I digress. Give this episode a listen today. I know you’re going to discover something about yourself that’ll make you and your business more successful. http://buildingastorybrand.com

What do you offer your customers? Sure, you’ve got a product or service. But really, you offer your customers some kind of transformation. And when you fully understand this “before” and “after” journey of your customers, you can reach them on a whole new level. In this episode of the Building a Story Brand podcast, we learn exactly how to map out our customers’ transformation. Donald Miller talks with Ryan Deiss, the mastermind behind Digital Marketer, to talk about a simple four-part process you can do in an afternoon to make your marketing exponentially more persuasive. http://buildingastorybrand.com

Did you wake up this morning and ask, “What am I going to get done today?” Or did you say, "How can I use my time today in a way that makes tomorrow better?" If we really want to accomplish our big goals while keeping our priorities straight, we need to be asking the second question -- and working toward it every day. This week on the Building a Story Brand podcast, Donald Miller sits down with Rory Vaden, the NYT bestselling author and cofounder of Southwestern Consulting, to talk about the five strategies we can use to make smarter decisions with our time. Spoiler alert: these aren’t technology tools and hacks. These are revolutionary ways of thinking that will help you transform your productivity from the inside out. http://buildingastorybrand.com

Starting a business comes with plenty of challenges. And women face a unique set of them as they become entrepreneurs. To help, Donald Miller sat down with Christy Wright, founder of Business Boutique. And we’re kicking off the third season of the Building a Story Brand podcast by discussing 5 game-changing insights for entrepreneurial women. Christy sees the most common struggles women face in business. And she’s helped guide the success of thousands of female entrepreneurs through her wildly popular seminars. In this podcast, she shares five powerful insights women can use to develop as entrepreneurs. If you’re dreaming about starting a business, trying to get one off the ground, or building an empire, don’t miss this episode. http://buildingastorybrand.com

You can launch a product online with hope. Or you can launch it with a plan. In the Season 2 finale of the Building a Story Brand podcast, Donald Miller talks with Jeff Walker, digital marketing pioneer and creator of the wildly successful Product Launch Formula. Jeff shows us how to make our marketing more successful by treating it like a can't-miss event. Listen in and discover the strategies that have earned Jeff's students an estimated 400 million dollars and counting. If you're starting a business or struggling to make sales online, don't miss this episode! http://buildingastorybrand.com

Would you propose on a first date?   Of course not, but that's how many businesses approach marketing. You get a lead and immediately start asking for the sale.   In this episode of Building a Story Brand, Donald Miller talks with Brian Clark of Copyblogger about a better way to approach sales — with a strong content marketing strategy.   He'll show you exactly how to understand your customer, forge a relationship, and build trust — all by sharing your expertise for free.   Best of all? We get into the specifics of how to transform that trust into sales over time.   If you know it's time to start or improve your content marketing, but you're not sure what to do next, this episode will take all the mystery out of it so you can build a stronger business with content marketing.   http://buildingastorybrand.com

If we approached our jobs the way professional golfers approach theirs, we'd all be millionaires.   Meet Ben Crane, a PGA Tour golf pro consistently ranked among the world's best. Behind every stroke, he's packed countless hours of discipline, planning, intention, and sheer grit. When the pressure is on, he knows how to deliver.   Thing is, the five habits Ben employs to excel at golf don't only work for golfers. They'll help you win big in any area of your life. Listen and discover how to hit your loftiest goals, whether they're for your business, your health, or your personal life.   http://buildingastorybrand.com

We have mantra at StoryBrand: ​if you confuse, you'll lose.​   We say it in reference to customers, but it's also true for your team. Businesses don't just falter because they lack a vision. They falter because the employees don't truly understand what that vision is.   As a leader, your job is to make sure everyone on your staff knows where your company is going and how they can help it get there.   In this episode of Building a Story Brand, Donald Miller sits down with Ken Blanchard, the legendary leadership expert and author of ​The One Minute Manager, to talk about how to lead so people listen.   He shares a three-part approach to crafting, sharing, and maintaining a powerful vision for your entire company. He'll inspire you to start communicating differently with your team, and you'll have a more mobilized, effective, and unified staff to show for it.   http://buildingastorybrand.com

Like it or not, we all judge each other by our appearances. What you wear makes an instant impression on your customers. It's up to you to define what that impression is.   In this episode of Building a Story Brand, Donald Miller sits down with Toi Sweeney, an award-winning image and style consultant. She shares the must-have pieces men and women need in their wardrobes to communicate success. You'll discover how to use color, fit, and style — on any budget — so your clothes always work for you, not against you.   With her advice, you can makeover your professional wardrobe in a few hours, feel more confident, and stand out for all the right reasons.   http://buildingastorybrand.com

Ever struggled to keep your customers coming back? Donald Miller talks with Chick-fil-A's VP of Brand Activation, David Salyers, to discuss how the beloved fast-food chain has built a multi-billion-dollar business by dazzling its customers.   In this episode of Building a Story Brand, you'll discover how to put Chick-fil-A's powerful customer-centric principles to work in your own business. And when you do, you'll have more repeat business, better word of mouth, and lower advertising costs. If you're serious about customer service, don't miss this episode!   http://buildingastorybrand.com

Customer service matters more than ever in our super-connected world. One customer experience for your business — good or bad — may end up influencing thousands of people.   In the Season 2 opener of Building a Story Brand, Donald Miller sits down with Mark and Brian Canlis of the world-famous Canlis restaurant in Seattle, WA. These brothers deliver unforgettable customer experiences night after night, year after year. They share exactly how they put their customers first — through radically unique approaches to hiring, team morale, profit, and more. Listen and get inspired to take your business' customer service to the next level.   http://buildingastorybrand.com/

What really drives true success — whether it's on the ice or in the office? In this episode, Donald Miller talks with Scott Hamilton, Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater and humanitarian. They dig into what it takes to accomplish your biggest goals and beat the competition, plus what will derail you along the way. Apply Scott's hard-won wisdom, and you can achieve whatever crazy-big dreams you have for your life or business. Visit http://buildingastorybrand.com/7 to get an unedited version of the interview with Scott Hamilton, along with a video of Don's website critique.

Feel like your sales copy falls flat? Join Donald Miller for a conversation with world-renowned copywriting and marketing pro Ray Edwards. You'll discover Ray's six-part formula for writing persuasive sales copy, including one critical element most people overlook. Skip it, and watch your sales tank. If you want to dramatically improve your sales letters, email campaigns, pitches, and landing pages, don't miss this episode! Visit http://buildingastorybrand.com/6 to get an unedited version of the interview with Ray Edwards, along with a video of Don's website critique.

As anyone who's ever bought a set of kitchen knives at 2 a.m. will tell you, infomercials are selling machines. And in this podcast, you'll discover exactly how and why they work so well. Donald Miller talks with infomercial producer Jonathan Davis to uncover the secrets of getting people to take action and respond. Apply these proven strategies to your own marketing, and you'll get more people saying YES when you ask them to buy, inquire, or get involved. Visit http://buildingastorybrand.com/5 to get an unedited version of the interview with Jonathan Davis, along with a video of Don's website critique.  

Feel overwhelmed and overworked? Don't miss this game-changing conversation with Donald Miller and Twitter pioneer Claire Diaz-Ortiz. In this episode, you'll discover six steps you can take to achieve more by doing less — starting today. This practical advice will help you simplify your to-do list, recharge, boost your creativity, and grow your business the right way. Visit http://buildingastorybrand.com/4 to get an unedited version of the interview with Claire Diaz-Ortiz, along with a video of Don's website critique.

Donald Miller talks with personal finance legend Dave Ramsey about how to position your business as a guide and focus on your customers' successes. Dave intuitively understands this marketing strategy, and it's a huge reason why his products and content have impacted millions of people. In this episode, you'll discover exactly how to make this powerful shift in your communications and tap into your customers' most powerful motivations. Visit http://buildingastorybrand.com/3 to get an unedited version of the interview with Dave Ramsey, along with a video of Don's website critique.