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Ep. 197 - Chris explores the challenging question: "What happens when your best isn't good enough?" He discusses the pitfalls of overcomplicated systems, the value of building with maintenance and scalability in mind, and the art of creating "dummy-proof" processes that even the least tech-savvy team members can execute. Chris shares insights on managing client expectations, real-life scenarios of complicated workflows, and why it's crucial to build strong foundations before adding advanced features. This episode is a must-listen for founders, marketers, and automation specialists looking to streamline processes and achieve better results with less complexity.

What You'll Learn:

• 5:58 - Why it’s important to create flow charts that are easy to follow for yourself and others
• 17:16 - The signs that a workflow in CRM software has become overcomplicated
• 19:12 - Why it’s crucial to understand the ecosystem of the software you're using for automation
• 23:15 - An expert tip that can improve efficiency in automation workflows
• 28:45 - What it means to create "automated conversations" within your workflow tasks
• 31:20 - The one thing you must keep in mind when building out a process to ensure any team member can execute it successfully
• 33:15 - Why it’s important to resist the temptation to add too many features too quickly when building automation systems

Resources:

• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge Newsletter
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

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Ep. 196 - In this episode, Chris delves into the often misunderstood world of MarTech, breaking down what the term MarTech really means and exploring its dual nature. He introduces the concept of a “MarTech Marketer” and explains how this role differs from a general Digital Marketer. He also discusses the relationship between MarTech, automation, and other tech-focused areas in business. Whether you're a seasoned marketer or new to the field, this episode offers essential knowledge to help you understand and leverage the power of marketing technology in your work.

What You'll Learn:

• 4:15 - How MarTech can be used as both an adjective and a noun
• 9:07 - The differences between a digital marketer and a MarTech marketer
• 11:30 - How MarTech relates to automation in marketing
• 13:45 - Why is it important to understand the distinctions between marketing technology and sales technology
• 15:20 - How is the increasing complexity of marketing technology affecting the industry?
• 17:59 - Why it’s crucial for hiring managers and job seekers to understand MarTech terminology
• 19:30 - The relationship between technology and software in the context of MarTech

Resources:

• ASG 195 - The Subjective Approach to Marketing
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge Newsletter
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

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Ep. 187 - Are you prepared for when disaster strikes in your business? In this week’s episode, Chris draws from personal experiences and emphasizes the importance of having systems and automation in place to ensure business continuity. He discusses the challenges of relying solely on human resources, the risks of not documenting processes, and the value of facilitation automation to streamline operations and enable faster onboarding of new team members. Tune in to learn how to future-proof your business and ensure it can withstand unexpected challenges, whether it's a personal crisis or a key team member's absence.

What You'll Learn:

• 0:43 - Disaster can strike at any moment - are you truly prepared for when it derails your business operations?
• 3:15 - The hard lesson Chris learned when sickness made him unable to run his business - and how to avoid that pitfall
• 9:08 - The powerful role "facilitation automation" can play in reducing errors and enabling anyone to seamlessly step in
• 13:23 - Why SOPs alone aren’t enough to keep your business running if key players are out of commission
• 19:02 - Efficient steps to quickly train anyone on even your most complex processes when needed

Resources:

• ASG 186 - Dear Manual Marketer...
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

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Ep. 97 - Join Chris this week as he discusses the major mistake that every marketer makes at some point, marketing to the wrong audience. Along with explaining the core reason that this happens, Chris lays out the 3 hidden traps that inevitably come from going wide instead of deep and most importantly, how to avoid falling into these traps. If you want to fast-forward past the headache that follows this all too common mistake, this episode is for you.

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Ep. 96 - This week, Chris is joined by marketing authority, Paul Sokol, to discuss the union of automation and messaging. Paul is a thought leader in Automated Experience Design, author, speaker, and promoter. Over the years, he has learned that the art of copywriting for automation requires a lot of attention to detail. Paul shares how to craft the right messaging for your customer journey along with many other automation gems intended for the experienced marketer.

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Ep. 95 - In this episode Chris is joined by the dynamic duo, Rob and Kennedy of Email Marketing Heroes. They share their framework for a unique take on a welcome sequence, as well as many other tips and tricks to improve your email marketing strategy from both a psychological and technological stand point. Get ready to take notes because the secrets revealed in this podcast will completely reshape how you look at email marketing.

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Ep. 94 - Have you heard of VIP days? In this episode Chris is joined by a fellow systems lover, Jordan Gill. Jordan is the founder of Systems Saved me and is passionate about providing clarity around the potential path to replace retainers with one-day virtual intensives. If you have been looking at other ways to scale your service based business without retainers, this episode is for you.

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Ep. 93 - What would it mean for your business if you could close leads in the DM's through automation? This week Chris is joined by the excited and enthusiastic co-founder of ManyChat, Mike Yan, as he announces a major update to chat marketing that is going to change the landscape of how people use social media and close leads. Listen closely because this is your entryway into making the next quarter that much greater by adding an element of chat marketing and DM automation to help scale your sales.

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Ep. 92 - This week Chris is joined by his good friend, Janet Kafadar, as they peel back the layers of Janet's strategy for automating her coaching business from sales to fulfillment. She reveals how she attracts, qualifies and closes leads while painting a realistic picture of what you can automate and what you shouldn't in order to keep things simple and streamlined. Once you see how effective this strategy is, it will be extremely difficult for you to deny doing the same in your business.

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Ep. 91 - Typically, Chris is always an advocate for data driven decision making and letting the data determine what needs to be done. However, this week Chris is joined by Tim Cakir who brings an interesting case to the table, that sometimes your gut is right. Finding a balance between the two is key. But how do you balance the decision driven nature that we must adhere to as marketers, with the human nature of trusting your intuition? Tune in for Tim's explanation that provides a better understanding of when to trust your gut over your data.

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Ep. 90 - Do you know what you should be taking into consideration when choosing a MarTech stack for your business? This week, Chris is joined by Dan McGaw to discuss the importance of the tools that you select and the data that they provide. By the end of this episode you'll have a better understanding of how to select the best technology stack that will help your businesses extract and interpret the right data to grow your revenue exponentially.

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Ep. 89 - Adrian Savage joins Chris in this week's episode to discuss how you can make sure your emails land in the inbox instead of the spam or promotions folder. Adrian is the founder and creator of Deliverability Dashboard and over the years has helped many well-known names in the online space improve their email performance. Get ready to take notes and pay close attention as Adrian breaks down all the factors that go into avoiding the spam folder and increasing your email deliverability.

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Ep. 88 - Chris pulls back the curtain in an open conversation with a Co-founder he had the privilege to personally work with and scale their e-commerce business using automated email marketing. Eric Schechter is the Co-founder and VP of Marketing at GiddyUp, a partner marketing network and performance platform. Chris had the joy of meeting Eric while conducting a live workshop and when the opportunity presented itself to jump onboard and help, he did. Have a listen to learn all about the massive results that were a result of this partnership.

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Ep. 186 - Why continue to settle for tedious manual efforts when technology allows for streamlining work, reducing errors, and freeing up time - all while producing the same or better results? In this episode, Chris challenges you to level up beyond simply "getting it done" and consider truly optimizing your processes through marketing automation. He argues that CEOs could be getting more value from what they pay marketers, and marketers could be providing more value without exerting more effort. By the end of this podcast, you’re sure to be inspired to stop settling for basic automation and embrace a smarter way of working.

What You'll Learn:

• 3:45 - Why the manual marketer shouldn’t settle for their current "good enough" efforts
• 6:30 - Examples of why you may want to use automation to facilitate tedious and redundant tasks
• 11:25 - What Chris is tired of seeing from marketers in Facebook groups and training programs
• 12:30 - The difference between learning marketing strategy vs. applying technology and automation to marketing efforts
• 19:05 - Chris argues that CEOs and clients could potentially get more from their marketers with the switch from manual to automated
• 23:15 - Why marketers should want to evolve their marketing and automation efforts
• 24:33 - Where marketers can learn more about marketing automation and improve their skills

Resources:

• ASG 185: Your Done Doesn’t Equal My Done
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

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Ep. 87 - Are you properly leveraging your thank you pages? In this episode Chris is joined by Brian Keith to talk about one of their favorite topics in online marketing. Brian is the founder of Red Beard Consulting where he helps companies scale their profits and impact through auditing their existing systems. Tune in to hear Chris and Brian discuss various ways to win (and a way to lose) by using thank you pages effectively.

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Ep. 86 - In this episode Chris is joined by one of his favorite marketers from the ActiveCampaign community, Kay Peacey. Kay is a Certified ActiveCampaign Consultant and an experienced digital marketer. Sit back and enjoy this conversation, whether you already utilize ActiveCampaign or are just now hearing of it, as Chris and Kay give a holistic perspective to leveraging automation, as well as a few things to be mindful of.

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Ep. 85 - Do you find yourself operating in your business with random or inconsistent action? In this week's episode Chris discusses the enemy of automation and why inconsistency can be detrimental to your success. As much of a super power as automation is for your business, it can be defeated. Be sure to listen and take notes so you can ensure that you're not holding kryptonite up to your marketing automation efforts.

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Ep. 84 - In this week's episode Chris is discussing the importance, power and utility of screen recording software. Whether it's taking a quick screenshot to share and collaborate with your team or a video recording of your screen, this software can become an indispensable tool for your business. This is the first of a variety of episodes to come that will be focused on reviewing different softwares to improve your productivity, marketing and overall business.

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Ep. 83 - This week Chris is joined by Scott Martineau, Co-Founder of Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) to discuss a method he created to help you more easily and effectively plan out your marketing in preparation for automation. Scott calls these valuable resources, Marketing Playbooks. Tune in to learn how they can help you execute highly effective and profitable automations in your business.

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Ep. 82 - Do you want a deeper and more personalized learning experience for your customers? In this episode Chris is joined by Nathalie Lussier to talk about her software AccessAlly. Nathalie is an award-winning entrepreneur who has been making web sites since she was 12 years old. She graduated with a degree in Software Engineering and a job offer from Wall Street, but she turned down this job to start her own business right out of college. Have a listen to learn more about this powerful digital course and membership solution for industry leaders.

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Ep. 81 - For a nice change of pace, this week Chris is joined by Stanley Tate to highlight the struggles and triumphs of growing a business in the online space. Through Stanley's law firm, Tate Esq. LLC, he helps his clients develop a student loan repayment strategy. After listening to this episode you are sure to be inspired, motivated and ready to do the work... regardless of what industry you're in.

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Ep. 80 - Are you using webinars to grow your business? Webinars are a great marketing strategy but can often feel complicated and stressful. Luckily, David Abrams is joining Chris this week to discuss what goes into creating and conducting a successful webinar as well as a tool you can use to simplify the process. David is the Co-Founder of Demio and has years of experience in SaaS, Marketing and Business. Have a listen to learn tips and tricks for running a winning webinar in 2021.

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Ep. 79 - Could you use cohort based courses in your current business model for more growth and transformation? In this week's episode, Chris discusses cohort based courses, with special guest Wes Kao, as well as a variety of other important topics for marketers and course creators. Wes is the co-founder of Maven, the first platform for cohort-based courses. This conversation provides a wealth of insight around positioning yourself and standing out in the market.

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Ep. 78 - If you've ever wanted a behind the scenes peek of what the journey from freelancer to startup company looks like then this episode is for you. This week Chris is joined by Michael Hunter to discuss the process and various phases that led him from freelancer, to agency and eventually to bootstrapping a software company. Michael is the Co-Founder of Spiffy Checkouts and the founder of PersonalBrand.com. Have a listen to this interview for another inspiring example of growth and endless possibilities.

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Ep. 185 - Are you truly satisfied just coasting at "good enough" or do you have that hunger to level up and achieve even better results? In this episode, Chris tackles the idea that what clients see as a completed job may not match an expert's standards. He dives into why so often, clients simply don't have the specialized knowledge to recognize areas for improvement. It's an insightful look at the importance of getting objective feedback from real experts and why it is crucial to get uncomfortable and actively seek out opportunities to grow, rather than staying stuck in a mediocre comfort zone. This episode is sure to light a fire under you to stop settling and start striving for more.

What You'll Learn:

• 0:47 - What Chris means by “my done" is not the same as "your done"
• 2:50 - The human behavior that often leads to settling for mediocrity in business
• 6:15 - How to qualify what is really “working” and what isn’t
• 12:01 - What “better” means when it comes to marketing automation
• 14:19 - Chris compares the dynamic of clients applauding basic work to an NBA player dominating in high school
• 19:53 - The challenge Chris poses to digital marketers regarding their skills
• 24:59 - Why business owners often enable and perpetuate mediocrity in the marketplace
• 29:47 - The issue with businesses not properly investing in continued learning for their marketing and tech personnel

Resources:

• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

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Ep. 77 - Have you been struggling while attempting to use spreadsheets to visualize your marketing? In this week's episode Chris is joined by Bastian Earth to discuss a new way of tracking the performance of your marketing in ActiveCampaign. Bastian is the Founder of Wild Audience where they help you build authentic relationships through marketing automation. Tune in to learn about new technology and tools that can help your marketing as well as an impressive full circle story of how Chris and Bastian initially connected and later reconnected.

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Ep. 76 - What would it mean to your business if you could easily fix the holes in your marketing and optimize what's working? In this episode, Chris is joined by Mikael Dia to discuss a funnel mapping tool that aides you in improving the quality of your marketing services. Mikael is a digital marketing expert and founder of Funnelytics. Have a listen to learn how you can benefit from this simple visual tool that helps users understand the numbers in their marketing at a glance.

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Ep. 75 - There is one thing that many entrepreneurs have in common - shiny object syndrome. This week Chris is joined by special guest Jade Olivia to discuss how shiny objects can be distracting you from creating the customer journey that your customers deserve. Listen in to learn how to overcome this common entrepreneurial problem and keys to crafting an effective customer journey.

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Ep. 74 - Have you been interested in increasing your website conversions? In this week's episode Chris is joined by special guest, Ethan Denney, to cover exactly that. Ethan is the Co-Founder of ConvertFlow, an online software that helps marketers automate converting visitors into customers as well as a tool that Chris has trusted, used and recommended for years. Tune in for insight on how you can automate and increase your website conversions without code.

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Ep. 73 - Do you ever dare to experiment with your business? In this week's episode, Chris talks about the importance of maintaining an experimental approach to building your business with Matt Giovanisci. Matt is a self proclaimed bare hands brand builder with a broad knowledge of online business and the creator of MoneyLab.co, SwimUniversity.com, and BrewCabin.com.

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Ep. 72 - Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a huge impact on a small start up? This week Chris is joined by Brittney Bossow who does just that! Brittney has made a successful automation career for herself as the Chief Operating Officer for WHY Institute. Tune in to discover what her journey to starting a thriving career in automation looked like, what challenges she faced along the way and where she's at now.

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Ep. 71 - In this week's episode Chris is joined by Greg Jenkins who is here to demystify how you can leverage the true power of Infusionsoft. Greg is the founder of Monkeypod Marketing, where he focuses on empowering entrepreneurs through online courses and educational resources. Tune in to their candid conversation about Infusionsoft and how to achieve success with it, despite the unfortunate monicker the marketplace has given it.

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Ep. 70 - Have you ever searched online in an attempt to define the difference between digital marketing and marketing automation? If you have, you already know the search comes up short. In this episode Chris takes a leap to do what has not yet been done and draws a clear distinction between digital marketing and marketing automation. Lumping them into one doesn't serve the business owner or the marketing professional well and it's time to put an end to doing so.

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Ep. 69 - Is your follow up strategy working for you? There is an art to creating a highly effective follow up and depending on your strategy it can supply you with either fortune or failure. Join Chris in this week's episode as he focuses on the Follow Up system of the Significant 6 and how you can properly approach it in your business for maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

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Ep. 68 - Have you ever found yourself "over automating" your business? In this episode Chris discusses a trap that you have more than likely fallen victim to as he himself has many times as well. He exposes both the trap and the cheese in hopes to help you avoid this pitfall in the future and continue to make the most out of your automations.

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Ep. 184 - Do you really need all those bells and whistles, or should you focus on mastering the fundamentals first? In this episode, Chris challenges the conventional theory of building for scale. He draws on his lengthy experience in marketing and scaling businesses to argue that entrepreneurs should prioritize building functional, basic systems before worrying about advanced scaling strategies. Tune in as he shares insights on keeping things simple yet scalable, measuring the right metrics, and maintaining your systems – a refreshing perspective that will save you from costly mistakes in your journey for growth.

What You'll Learn:

• 00:31 - How Chris's initial experience of working at a rapidly scaling startup shaped his mindset about marketing
• 05:14 - The benefits of building basic landing pages and funnels first before adding advanced features
• 10:24 - The approach Chris recommends for new businesses - Hint: It’s not building for massive scale from the start
• 18:37 - Chris answers if advanced marketing skills and complex tactics automatically translate to better results
• 23:35 - The role that mastering the fundamentals and consistent execution play in achieving scale
• 28:23 - What the main considerations should be when building marketing systems initially
• 33:56 - The importance of having someone to actively maintain and optimize the basic systems

Resources:

• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

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Ep. 67 - Have you ever felt overwhelmed and stuck when trying to choose which new technology option is "the best"? This may surprise you, but you might just need to take a step back. Join Chris in this week's episode as he sets some expectations around technology from both the perspective of the one making technology recommendations, as well as from the person seeking them.

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Ep. 66 - In this week's episode, Chris is joined by Michael Begg. Mike is an entrepreneur and expert in eCommerce, digital marketing and operational nearshoring. In this interview they'll be diving deep on the subject of Amazon Sales Funnels. Mike is providing insight on the data and analytics that are provided by Amazon as well as how you can strategically approach that for your own business success.

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Ep. 65 - Join Chris in this week's episode as he speaks with a special guest and member of the Automation Bridge Community, Rob Drummond. Rob is the founder of Story Copywriters where he focuses on leveraging the art of storytelling in your marketing. Tune in to hear Rob's story about the non-traditional path he took and how he eventually "stumbled" onto copywriting.

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Ep. 64 - In this week’s episode Chris is joined by his special guest Jovana Vujnic. Jovana was one of the first ever enrolled in Chris' Mentorship Program and since has found great success in the automation world. Tune in to hear her pathway to transformation from mentee to starting her own marketing automation agency, ultimately allowing her to scale her business while traveling the world.

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Ep. 63 - Do you ever question why some people experience growth in their business at a large scale and others seem to continually struggle? The game of growth is an ongoing balance of strategy and effort. In this episode, Chris will be diving deep into this subject in hopes to prepare your mind and inform your approach about how to achieve continual, rapid growth.

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Ep. 62 - Join Chris in this week's special episode where he speaks with Kronda Adair, an alumni of his Mentorship Program, about success by way of mentorship.  Discover when and how Kronda found exponential growth in her business as she details her journey before and throughout the program.

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Ep. 61 - As we embark on a new year it's highly important to make sure your vision is clear and your targets are clearly identified. In this episode, Chris provides insight on what the focus and vision is for Automation Bridge this year as well as insight on what to expect from this podcast going forward.

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Ep. 60 - Do you find yourself struggling to really focus down in your business? If so, you're not alone. It can be difficult to stick with one thing long enough to fully see it through to true success or failure. In this episode, Chris will be discussing focus and what makes people so fearful to focus down on one idea, one market, one niche, one avatar. Additionally, Chris bids a farewell to a year that has had it's fair share of ups and downs for all of us.

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Ep. 59 - How do you know you're selecting the right checkout software for your business? For instance... Do you need a single page checkout or a full shopping cart? With a variety of options to consider it can be difficult to navigate in the beginning. Join Chris in this episode as he addresses this confusion that has been rising as the market floods with new first time digital marketing efforts.

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Ep. 58 - Are you putting as much effort into your delivery process as you are to your marketing and sales? Allowing the customer journey to end at the sale is an all too common mistake. In this episode Chris dives deep into one of the most undervalued systems of the Significant 6 and shares some insight on how adding focus to the customers post purchase experience can actually increase your sales.

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Ep. 183 - Chris sits down with Scott Moran, co-founder of SamCart, the leading checkout solution for digital creators. Scott shares eye-opening data from SamCart's 2023 Creator Profit Report, including the surprising number of clicks needed to power a six-figure business, the conversion rates of different traffic sources (You may be surprised at the top performer), and the critical importance of generating repeat sales from existing customers. He also shares actionable insights on maximizing customer lifetime value, expanding product offerings, and leveraging data-driven analytics to identify growth opportunities. Don't miss this episode packed with valuable strategies to increase sales conversions and drive sustainable revenue growth for your business.

What You'll Learn:

• 3:01 - Scott shares the original inspiration and mission behind creating SamCart
• 7:47 - How SamCart revolutionized the checkout experience compared to other tools
• 19:09 - The key conversion-focused features and designs that SamCart provides
• 24:23 - How many monthly clicks it takes to power a six-figure online business
• 28:26 - How the conversion rates of different traffic sources compare - according to data
• 34:31 - Why repeat customers are so critical
• 38:44 - Ways to effectively increase customer lifetime value and average order value
• 42:10 - What differentiates the analytics and dashboards in SamCart compared to other payment processors
• 51:41 - Where you can access the full 2023 Creator Profit Report and learn more about SamCart

Resources:

• SamCart
• The 2023 Creator Profit Report
• Subscribe to the Automation Bridge YouTube Channel
• Start Your Automation Bridge Community Membership
• Watch the 3 Segments Webinar Training

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Ep. 57 - Do you ever wonder if you could be getting more out of your free offer? Free can be very powerful leveraged correctly, but the opposite can be true as well. It can be permanently damaging to your business if it's not implemented properly. In this week's episode, Chris will discuss an all too common mistake made by many when marketing their business online using free resources as well as how to correctly use free to your advantage.

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Ep. 56 - Have you ever heard of consideration creep? If you have then you know that it can be frustrating yet simultaneously exciting. Even if you haven't heard of it yet, it's likely something you have unknowingly experienced as an automation builder. Tune into this week's episode as Chris explains what consideration creep is and how you can greatly minimize your time spent on it with some powerful pointers from the professor of automation himself.

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Ep. 55 - After a doozy of a year, Chris takes a step back to slow down and recalibrate his mind and heart on what he's thankful for this year. Even with 2020 being a year where we found ourselves bracing for the unknown, we can still find so much to be grateful for. Tune in to this week's episode to hear Chris' perspective on things to be thankful for today and moving forward.