Day in and day out, you put products or services in front of prospects. You may be starting to notice that it’s tougher to close the deals you really want. Perhaps that’s because you‘re relying on a few tactics that no longer have currency in the digital culture. When your...
Author Archives: Patricia Martin
As Simple Step to Better Thinking
Escapism. It’s a precious thing to be able to clear the mind. To sit quietly by yourself, in a place outside your comfort zone (by that I mean, not your local coffee shop… you know, the one with the free wi-fi, where you sit in that same spot by the...
How to Influence Change: 3 Lessons I’ve Learned
After 20 years of helping companies and influential nonprofits compel change, I’ve learned valuable lessons about what it takes to get people to take action. Chief among them is that it’s not about the issue–it’s about what the issue means in people’s lives. Despite our passion for the causes we...
The Wisdom of Self-Doubt
I’m writing a book. It’s taking forever. As I gaze across my writing studio, I see my stack of notes, a little over 3,000 pages last time I counted. Why is it taking so long? Well, I’m busy with client work, international travel, and, well, life. Excuses, excuses–the primary barrier...
Reading list: Taking Your Vital Signs
For months, I schlepped a weighty hardcover book in my suitcase entitled, Vital Signs, by Greg Levoy. Finally, a long delay at LaGuardia had me cracking it open. Once an expert on finding your “calling” Levoy’s recent book is about finding your passion. In an over-hyped world, it’s hard to...
We Are What We Wear
We like Worn Stories, Emily Spivack’s fascinating collection of profiles about notable people through the lens of their clothing. It’s a study in identity expressed by fashion choices. We started following Spivack when she started the fashion blog for the Smithsonian. She has a knack for giving us nuggets of...
Future Trends: How Millennial Cultural Consumers Buy Travel, Culture and Luxury
Cultural consumers share traits of luxury consumers. They are educated and economically advantaged. In a recent report from Deloitte, luxury brands will need to up their game in technology if they are to remain competitive with the emerging Millennial consumer. When I read the Deloitte’s second annual Global Powers of Luxury...
Creativity is a Mix Tape
Millennials like Sadie Schwarm fascinate me. Sadie is an ambitious young PR professional with a penchant for finding out what makes people tick. Her recent piece for Platform Magazine quotes a study about Creativity in PR | A Global Study that revealed the industry’s investment in creativity is beginning to pay...
How Millennials Spend Their Money
Here’s a quick look at spending preferences among Millennials compare to all other consumers. The very first category, rented dwellings, is a stand out. First, it speaks to the steep hikes in rent that most cities have seen in the last two years. For instance, in 2014 the average monthly...