Jonathan Pritchard

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Category: Persuasive Professional

  • Writing as time traveling

    Writing as time traveling

    Reading minds is cool and all, but what about seeing the future?

    Or one better: seeing the future and then pulling it into the present moment.

    How badass would that be?

    I guess the level of badassery would depend on what you see.

    Are you seeing Armageddon? Maybe leave the future in the future.

    Seeing everything you’ve ever hoped & dreamed for? Bring it on in!

    While I appear to predict the future on stage during my show, there are ways to shape your future in the present moment.

    I 100% believe this is the most powerful kind of magic that a person can genuinely perform.

    You can imagine the future that you want, go through certain kinds of “rituals,” and then live the future that you dreamt up.

    I’ll be posting a video tomorrow that explains how it works.

    It pulls on the approaches I’ve used to go from living in a trailer park to traveling the world as a high-paid consultant working on the coolest projects under the sun!

    Then, for the rest of the week, I’ll be sharing more insights about it.

    Have questions? I want to hear ’em! What kind of future do you want to create? I want to know! What would you like to know about how it all works?

    Hit reply and let it rip. I’m ready.

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

  • What the hell does this have to do with sales?

    Everything.

    If you’re going into conversations without a firm script or outline (at minimum) what is you even doing?!

    Write down questions you think they’re going to ask you.

    Then answer them.

    Write down the reasons they will give for not signing up.

    Then address them.

    Write down how you make your clients more money.

    Then explain it.

    Write down what you do that nobody else does.

    Then charge money for it.

    Writing is sales. Sales is writing.

    Abracadabra the hell out of your sales conversations and you’ll pull money from thin air.

    Yet another fantastic demonstration that magic perfected thousands of years before anyone thought to put two and two twogether.

    Alright. It’s Saturday. Time to listen to WNCW radio & have a crazy good breakfast with the family.

    See you bright and early Monday morning with more ideas on how to get you paid.

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

    PS: Have questions about your business, marketing, persuasion, or anything else that you’d like me to answer? Hit reply to this email, write it out, and hit send. This is my real email address and I read every single email that I get. (and I answer almost all of ’em, too!)

  • Objection, your honor.

    Ugh. I can hear it. Another “but I’m a special snowflake and here’s why I’m not a writer” excuse thinly veiled as a legit reason.

    Here it is: “Jonathan, I talk. I don’t write.”

    Yeah? And?

    I’m a talker too.

    I get paid to talk.

    and you know what I do?

    Write it all down before I say it so I can figure out the best way to say it in the safety of my own imagination before I have to say it for real.

    I learned how to do this in high school.

    I was a competitive debater. I was in the National Forensics League.

    And I don’t like to brag, because it makes me a HUGE nerd, but I maxed out the points I could get for Lincoln-Douglas debate. *

    pushes up the glasses (that I don’t wear) to emphasize the point*

    Most of my Saturdays were spent arguing with other nerds about stuff like whether or not we should have the death penalty.

    Light topics like that.

    What did I do before going into the first round for each new topic?

    Organize my thoughts. Also called “writing shit down so I can get a handle on it.”

    That’s why I say everything is a writing problem.

    Figure out how to write better, and everything gets better.

    And it’s especially useful if you’re “not a writer.”

    You can write 100 versions of your idea before committing it to video when you record your next YouTube video.

    Don’tforgettolikeandsubscribeandsmashthatnotificationbellsoyoudon’tmissoutonnewvideoseveryTuesday.

    1. Write it a bunch.
    2. Say it once.
    3. Profit

    There you go.

    Another excuse bites the dust.

    Get to writing why dontcha?

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

  • What happens when you write?

    All the good stuff you’ve been looking for, that’s what.

    Not to put too fine a point on it, of course.

    There’s just so much you can write about.

    • Your inspiration
    • Your process
    • Competitors
    • Case studies
    • Processes
    • Projects you like
    • How you think about current events
    • Evaluating claims
    • Answering client questions
    • Entertainment

    Ev-er-y-thing.

    And each piece you write (and also share) is another invitation for the right people to get to know you.

    (Don’t worry about the wrong people getting to know you. They won’t care enough to actually read much of what you write, so it’s a self-correcting non-problem. Neato!)

    The more you share, the more they know, the more they understand, the more they fall in love with your mind.

    And that’s what we’re all here for, MIND READING.

    Share your thoughts. Share them often & broadly & loudly.

    OK?!

    Good.

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

  • Here’s why you’re a failure

    Yesterday I talked at you about copywriting: abracadabra for life & business.

    And I know what you’re thinking.

    “But Jonathan, I’m not a writer!”

    Yeah, I know. That’s why you’re a failure.

    Ok, might be pouring it on a little thick, but it’s to make a point.

    I’m not a writer either.

    Or, I didn’t think so for yeaaaaaars.

    In fact, I got awful grades in high school & college for my papers.

    “Too casual.”
    Nuh-uh!

    “Stop using ampersands.”
    I like the way they look & I won’t stop, thank you.

    “Where are your sources?”
    MY BRAIN.

    You get the picture.

    AND SPEAKING OF PICTURES.

    I went to college for art. Painting. For “if I could tell you about it I would have been a writer, but I make images for you to look at” painting.

    That’s why I, too, resisted thinking about myself as a writer.

    It seriously held me back.

    What might it be doing to you?

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

  • Everything is a (fill in the blank) problem.

    Starting with an aside; bear with me.

    Before we dig deeper into The Current Topic™ I want to give you a heads up that it’s Tuesday so that means there’s a new YouTube video up.

    I call attention to one of the most common lead generation strategies I see, and then I explain why it does more harm than good to a business.

    Give it a watch here.

    BACK TO OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAM

    What do you think is an everything problem?

    Government? People? Money?

    What’s at the root of all your problems?

    Is it you?

    On any other day I’d probably agree with you (but, like, in a loving way).

    Today, however, you’re off the hook.

    Today we talk about copywriting!

    That’s an industry insider word for “writing things that gets people to do stuff.”

    I call ’em Power words!

    Abracadabra-I-create-as-I-speak words.

    Having trouble landing that job? Probably not saying the WRITE things.

    Can’t get a date? You’re probably not Cyrano de Bergerac.

    (I will confess to mangling the spelling for his name and Google was helpful as ever in its ever-so-helpful condescending “did you mean this?” way)

    Having trouble selling that kick ass e-book that you poured your life & soul into? You’re probably using the wrong words to talk about it on social media.

    Your stage show sucks? I bet words have something to do with it.

    Can’t get investors?

    You get the idea.

    Words are how we get the things we want.

    I mean, we can also use violence, but that’s bad m’kay? Don’t do it. Bad.

    So yeah, learn the power of persuasive writing and you unlock a whole universe of possibility.

    Think about it.

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

  • New Book In The Works

    New Book In The Works

    It’s time.

    I wrote “[think] Like A Mind Reader” back in 2017. Since then it has helped people discover new opportunities, easier ways to accomplish huge goals, escape the spiral of self defeating mindsets, and more.

    You wouldn’t believe the messages I’ve gotten from people over the years telling me how much it helped them.

    Makes it all worth it!

    And now, I’m ready to start those conversations in a new domain.

    Sales.

    Sales Training

    I talk about it off and on, but I’m not sure I’ve laid it out directly before: after being a sales person at one of the country’s best digital marketing companies, I was moved into a training & planning role.

    My approach to selling was so dang effective for monster deals that leadership told me that I’d be more valuable to the company teaching the rest of the team how to do what I do than do it myself.

    So for the past 2 years I’ve helped seasoned pros & absolute beginners (no joke, one woman had been a missionary her whole life with zero sales experience and within a couple months she’s one of their top closers because she listened & did what I taught her to do).

    So I have a proven system that works. It’s simple. It’s different from every guru who claims to understand the psychology of sales.

    Not like this, you don’t, bud.

    The Question For You

    What questions do you have for me about sales? What do you think when you think about sales? What challenges do you have closing new business? Does it scare you?

    In short, what do you want/need to know about selling?

    I want to ask you now so you can get those over to me, and I can make sure I have all your bases covered by the time I finish this thing.

    My goal is to help you win huge opportunities more easily without compromising a single iota of your integrity. Helping awesome people be more awesome; that’s sales to me & hopefully you too once you read this thing.

    Hit reply, overwhelm me with as many questions as you can possibly think of, and we’ll make this thing the best damn book on selling that the world has ever seen.

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

  • Mind Bending TV Show

    Mind Bending TV Show

    It’s Saturday, so I figured it’s a good opportunity to tell you about a wild TV show in case you’re looking for something mind-reader themed to watch.

    I know I am.

    “Legion” is on Hulu, and it’s beyond fantastic.

    The general idea is that the main character is a powerful mind reader, and boy howdy do hijinks ensue.

    The stakes keep getting higher and the story keeps getting wilder.

    I don’t want to spoil some of the big reveals, so I’ll just say: if you enjoyed the way I talked about the gonzo sci-fi book series “The Book Of The New Sun” a couple weeks ago, and you’d like to have that same non-linear time-distorting mind-blowing experience delivered in TV format (with the occasional dance number) then make sure your Hulu subscription is up to date, and dive in.

    You can thank me later.

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

    PS: If you watch the series and get inspired to learn how to read minds, might I remind you that my book “[think] Like A Mind Reader” is built to be a prop that helps you do exactly that. . .

  • The Booth Crew

    The Booth Crew

    I have three jobs to do at trade shows:

    1. Attract people
    2. Edutain them
    3. Qualify them as a lead

    In order to get those done, I work with my client in the couple months leading up to a trade show.

    I chat with the marketing team to figure out the two or three things that they want to focus on communicating.

    Then I talk with some of the sales team to understand what concerns they see from their clients most often, and how they help address them.

    After I can think & speak about their company like my clients can, I get to work choosing demonstrations that dovetail perfectly with the messaging.

    That’s when I also write out a custom script that weaves in the marketing messages along with laughs. Together it makes for an experience that nobody else on the trade show floor can even come close to matching.

    That’s why I had at least a dozen people ask if I can help them out at their next trade show.

    Why, yes I can!

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

  • Booth Jonathan

    Booth Jonathan

    Vegas wasn’t ALL fun.

    Some of it was work, too.

    Which was fun.

    The group in the photo was a fun gang.

    I read their minds, predicted their future, helped stretch their imagination of what’s possible, and they are never going to forget the name “Thrive Agency!”

    The woman in the center had so much fun that she left and came back with her four other colleagues and made them watch.

    Now THAT is a high compliment in my book.

    You have to have a damn fine pitch if your audience grabs their friends to have you sell to them too.

    That’s why my trade show work is so much fun for me. I love getting the ratio of comedy, mind reading, and client messaging juuuuuuust right.

    Guess that’s why I get paid the big bucks!

    Might post a video of the 12 minute set in a couple days, but for now I’ll let you go.

    Best thoughts,
    ~Jonathan

    PS: If you work somewhere that exhibits at trade shows, let me know. I can really help them out. Get me in touch with the person who organizes the whole thing, and I can take it from there!