The Practical Marketing Show – Details, episodes & analysis

In this solo episode, host Cary Weston shares two real-world marketing success stories from experience-based businesses: a community theater and a family-run apple orchard. Through smart strategy tweaks—like using familiar shows to break down audience hesitation and building an email list during peak orchard season—both businesses increased engagement, ticket sales, and customer return rates. Cary breaks down what made these approaches work and how the same principles can be applied in any business, even if you're not selling "experiences."

• Reduce Risk for Customers: When selling experiences, the fear of wasting time is a real hurdle. Use familiar or popular entry points to build trust and get new people in the door.

• Know Your Audience—Literally: Gathering customer data (like emails) during high-traffic times lets you stay in touch and invite folks back when it’s not peak season.

• Model What Works: Once you know why people come, find ways to replicate that vibe or value throughout the year. Small changes can lead to repeatable results.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.

In this solo episode of the Practical Marketing Show, host Cary Weston takes the mystery out of AI and gives listeners a common-sense path to start using tools like ChatGPT in their business. Speaking directly to non-techie marketers and business owners, Cary shares three practical, approachable steps that strip away the pressure and position AI as a helpful teammate—not a tech hurdle. Whether you're curious or completely new to AI, this episode offers a friendly on-ramp to using it to get more done with less stress.

• You don't have to "learn AI"—you just need to learn how to talk to it like a helpful intern.

• Talk to it, literally. The more context and direction you give, the better the results.

• Get started by introducing yourself. Tell it what you do and ask how it could help. Then follow up with “tell me more.”

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.

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In this solo episode, Cary Weston shares a foundational idea that started as an off-the-cuff comment and turned into a guiding philosophy: persuasive and prepared. Using his "clarity circles" framework, Cary walks through how businesses can make smarter marketing decisions by focusing on the stuff that actually sets them up for success. Whether you're brand new or decades in, this episode will challenge you to stop chasing noise and start building smart.

• Persuasive gets attention. Prepared makes it count. — It’s not just about getting in front of people. It’s about being ready when they show up.

• Focus on the inner circles first. — Before you spend on ads, make sure your website, systems, and messaging are buttoned up. If people find you anyway, are you ready?

• Invest once, benefit over and over. — The most valuable marketing work is the kind that keeps paying off, without needing to constantly re-spend time, money, or energy.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.

In this solo episode, host Cary Weston breaks down the five biggest marketing mistakes he sees businesses make again and again. Pulling from real-life stories and decades of experience, Cary explains how these common missteps can waste time, money, and opportunities — and more importantly, what to do instead. Whether you're in marketing, sales, or operations, this one’s packed with practical advice that’ll get you thinking (hello, idea treadmill!).

• Make the customer the hero: Too much “we” and not enough “you” in your messaging makes it all about your business — and that’s a miss. Show customers how you help them.

• Track your leads like gold: Leads slipping through the cracks (post-it notes, ignored emails)? You’re not alone. Having a simple system in place makes all the difference.

• Know your goal and how to measure it: Don’t just “do marketing” to do it. Be clear on what success looks like and how you’ll measure it — beyond just a compliment in the grocery store.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.

In this solo episode of The Practical Marketing Show, Cary Weston walks through his 10 Simplified Rules of Marketing — a no-fluff, common-sense framework he’s refined over the past 15 years. It’s all about cutting through the jargon and helping businesses stop overcomplicating their marketing. Cary lays out why clarity, simplicity, and consistency matter more than cleverness, and he even shares a helpful tip for using ChatGPT as a customer lens tool.

• People don’t know, don’t care — until they need you. So your job is to be clear, consistent, and easy to find when they do need you.
• Simplicity beats cleverness. If your message is hard to understand, people won’t remember it — or act on it.
• You already know enough to market well. Reverse engineer your customer interactions and share that value clearly. That is marketing.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com
• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com
• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com
• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.

In this solo episode, host Cary Weston breaks down how understanding different communication styles can lead to more effective marketing and sales conversations. He introduces three types of people you’ll encounter in your marketing materials and sales processes — Summary Seekers, Detail Divers, and Hunter-Gatherers — and explains how to create messaging that works for each one. Whether you're building a PDF, a web page, or a sales email, knowing who you're talking to and how they process information can make or break your chance at the next conversation (and the sale).

• Not everyone processes information the same way. Marketing needs to account for both high-level thinkers and detail-focused folks.

• Design your materials for two sides of the brain. Think: summary on one side, deep dive on the other — whether it’s a doc, PDF, or webpage.

• Hunter-gatherers matter. They may not be the final decision-maker, but they are key to getting you in the door. Help them help you.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.

In this solo episode, Cary Weston breaks down the often frustrating world of RFPs—request for proposals—from both the business and agency side. Drawing on his 25+ years of experience, Cary shows how most RFPs miss the mark by being vague, bloated, or copy-pasted from templates. He lays out a clear, practical approach for businesses to write better RFPs that get better responses—and for agencies to stop flooding proposals with meaningless jargon. Whether you're writing or responding to RFPs, this episode is packed with tips to help you stop wasting time and start getting better results.

• RFPs should bring clarity, not confusion. Treat them like a roadmap that clearly states who you are, what you need, and what success looks like.

• Generic input = generic responses. If you don't give thoughtful, specific direction in your RFP, expect mediocre proposals in return.

• Agencies: stop waiting to talk. The best proposals are tailored, relevant, and actually answer the business's needs—not seven pages of filler.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.

In this solo episode, host Cary Weston dives into a key blind spot that sneaks into how businesses communicate: forgetting what it's like to be the buyer. Cary unpacks how the "curse of knowledge" and internal assumptions can create confusion, missed opportunities, and even unintentional friction in the sales process. Through real-life examples, including a hands-on workshop with a small business and a chat about sludge (a term lifted from a Freakonomics episode), Cary shows how objectivity and empathy are secret weapons in marketing. He also shares how tools like ChatGPT can help you see your business through fresh eyes.

• The curse of knowledge is real: What’s obvious to you may be totally confusing to someone new. That disconnect can cost you sales.

• Sludge slows everything down: From unclear files to clunky processes, anything that creates friction in the buying experience is worth removing.

• Empathy drives better marketing: Looking at your messaging from a first-time buyer’s perspective helps you connect faster and more clearly.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.

In this episode of The Practical Marketing Show, Cary Weston dives deep into one of the trickiest questions for small businesses—should you put pricing on your website? Picking up from a previous conversation about pricing’s emotional weight, Cary shifts the focus to online transparency. He tackles common fears—like losing control of the conversation or tipping off competitors—and reframes pricing visibility as a way to build trust, qualify leads, and smooth out your sales process. Using real client examples and clear, simple steps, Cary gives you a playbook for sharing pricing in a way that informs, filters, and converts.

• Start with a range, not a rate sheet. You don’t need exact prices—just give people a realistic window to reduce confusion and time-wasting.

• It depends? Explain what it depends on. Outline the variables (size, scope, materials, etc.) to build understanding and authority.

• Pricing transparency filters out poor fits. Hiding prices may keep leads, but showing them helps attract the right ones—and avoids the frustration factor.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.

In this solo episode, Cary Weston dives into the tricky, emotional world of pricing. He explains why pricing is so personal—especially for small business owners—and shares stories, tips, and strategies to help shift your mindset and charge what you're really worth. Whether you're selling salsa or services, Cary brings relatable insight and a practical path forward. This is part one of a two-part series, with part two focusing on how to present pricing on your website.

• Pricing feels personal, but it shouldn't be emotional. Guilt and self-doubt aren’t pricing strategies. Business owners often project their own spending habits onto their customers—and it holds them back.

• You shouldn’t be getting a “yes” every time. If no one is pushing back on your price, you’re probably undercharging.

• Storytelling supports pricing. Make it easy for people to understand what sets you apart—your quality, mission, values, and the results you deliver.

A certified marketing coach and former ad agency owner with over 25 years of experience, Cary works with business leaders and marketing folks who are tired of the confusion, wasted time, and second-guessing. He helps businesses make common-sense marketing decisions, so you get more out of the time, talent, and money you invest in marketing your business.

• Practical Marketing Podcast Website: www.PracticalMarketingShow.com

• ChatGPTExperiment Podcast Website: www.ChatGPTExperiment.com

• Cary's Consulting Website: www.CMWeston.com

• LinkedIn: Cary Weston on LinkedIn

The instrumental music used in this podcast is called “StrivingForSuccess” by TimTaj.