My guest on this episode is a master at putting together an enthralling plotline. However, his narrative of choice isn’t film. It’s not even just marketing. It’s life, and life by design.  Donald Miller is an author, speaker, and the founder and CEO of StoryBrand -- a globally recognized branding framework used by the industry leaders like Pantene, Intel, Berkshire Hathaway, and Zaxby’s.  In this episode, Donald joins me to discuss what’s really, really working in online marketing today.  We talk about the specific type of practical knowledge required to propel success… and why they’re not teaching it in top 20 business schools. But more than that, Donald and I also talk about how entrepreneurship gives us the ability to control much more than just conversion rates and content delivery. When we direct our work, we have more freedom to decide on our setting.  Our key players. Our next chapter. In this episode, Donald and I discuss: Why people don’t buy from you when they open your sales email (and the moment when they definitely DO buy) When to be in your customers’ inbox to land a sale and the foolproof way to never miss that window The missing pieces of information the best and brightest entrepreneurs know (and how you can leverage them for your own success) When to worry about credentials and when to forge your own path How to become more enthralled in your own story than you are in others And so much more! Click here to listen to my conversation with Donald Miller. You’ll not only walk away with clearly defined action to take in your email marketing, but you’ll be more inspired to take a hold of the plotline your life is following -- and decide exactly how your business plays into it. Here’s a glance at this episode... [05:07] A lot of the stuff we learn in business school isn't necessary to grow a business. The best kind of business education is working for a company and developing yourself to become more valuable on the open market. [06:38] Personal productivity strategies include separating primary projects that are important from secondary projects.  [10:37] Don's morning ritual includes reading his eulogy -- find out why! [14:55] Narrative traction is when you engage in a story, because you're hoping for a certain outcome. Too many people don't engage in the outcome of their own lives. [17:31] Don shares a messaging strategy that we can use right now. Create a story that points out the customer's problems (red), talk about your solutions (yellow), and describe the customer's life if they buy your product (green). Your story needs all three colors.  [22:36] Marketing and building a sales funnel. A one-liner is one sentence that gets your customer engaged with your product. Your landing page invites people into a story. The third part is a lead generator like a webinar or PDF. Nurture and sales campaigns are after getting an email address.  [31:05] Your main goal is to connect your customer's problem to your solution. Failing to close the deal means failing to connect their problem with your product.