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There is a temptation in marketing to always be clever. New ideas. New angles. New campaigns. New messaging. When results slow down or attention feels harder to earn, many companies assume the answer is to change everything. Most of the time, that instinct is wrong. In seasons where attention is fragmented and buyers are overwhelmed, consistency outperforms creativity. Not because creativity is bad, but because clarity is better. People do not buy from the most entertaining b

Unleashing Your Team to Create Legendary Customer Experiences You’ve worked hard to eliminate friction, amp up the fun, innovate constantly, and forge personal bonds with customers. The last piece of the Fans First puzzle is perhaps the most crucial behind the scenes: Empower Action. All those awesome customer-centric ideas won’t go far if your team on the ground can’t act on them in real time. Jesse Cole understood that to create magic for fans, every single staff member – f

Building Lasting Connections That Go Beyond the Bill of Lading Think about the last time a business made you feel truly special . Not just a generic “Thank you for your business,” but something that made you say, “Wow, they really care about me.” That feeling is rare – and that’s exactly why it’s powerful. Engage Deeply  is the Fans First principle that says: focus on meaningful, personal interactions, even if they don’t scale, because they create loyal fans for life. In Jess

If you want to be known for something, you have to talk about it. A lot. Reputation does not build itself. The companies and individuals who dominate their industries are the ones who flood the zone with content around a few consistent themes. They do not just show up occasionally; they show up relentlessly with value-driven, relevant insights that make people stop and pay attention. You cannot be known for everything, but you can be known for something. The key is to decide

Why Trying Crazy Ideas Might Be the Best Route to Growth If you walk into the Savannah Bananas’ office, you might see a big wall full of sticky notes with wild ideas – things that sound impossible or ridiculous. That’s because Jesse Cole built his success on a culture of constant experimentation. Experiment Constantly  is the third Fans First principle, and it’s all about ideation, innovation, and iteration on steroids. The Bananas try everything . Some of those experiments f

Every time I step into a company like GEODIS, I’m reminded that excellence is contagious. It doesn’t have to be loud or flashy. It shows up in the way people greet one another on a video call, the way they talk about customers, the way they lean in to learn. I recently had the privilege of speaking to the GEODIS Emerging Leaders group for a session called Just Be Excellent Today . Their team was gearing up for peak season, which in logistics means long hours, heavy volume, an

Turning Everyday Logistics into Memorable, Fan-Worthy Moments Pop quiz: what business are you really in?  If you said trucking or logistics, Jesse Cole might buzz the wrong answer. He’d say you’re in the entertainment business – because every business is, in the sense that you’re trying to give people a positive, enjoyable experience . Now, “entertainment” in our context doesn’t mean you need jugglers in the warehouse (although hey, if that delights your clients, go for it!).

A strong brand is not built on a clever logo, a trendy color palette, or even a catchy tagline. Those things help, but they are not what make your brand memorable. What really builds a strong brand is consistency . When every person on your team is sharing the same story about who you are, what you do, and why it matters, it make a lasting impression. Here’s the truth: every touch point tells a story.Your website tells a story.Your sales team tells a story.Your invoices, soc

How to Smooth Out Every Bump in the Road for Your Customers Every time a customer sighs  or grumbles  doing business with you, you’ve got...

The Fans First Playbook for Transportation Leaders Imagine going to a baseball game where a dancing umpire busts moves between innings,...

You know that feeling when a story just clicks ? It grabs your attention, pulls you in, and sticks with you long after you’ve heard it....

Since 2022, I’ve been creating testimonial content for my clients, and every single time, I’m amazed at what their customers have to say....

In the words of marketing expert Donald Miller, “When you confuse, you lose.” Nowhere is this more true than in the transportation and...