https://www.masterplan4success.com/

MasterPlan4Success, Princeton, IN (2025)

11/25/2025

What if there was a better way to write your Black Friday/Cyber Monday emails?

Researchers at the B.I. Norwegian School of Business just discovered something fascinating. 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 outperformed declarative sentences by 140%.

While most marketers stick with "Black Friday Sale Inside!" you could be testing a completely different approach.

Think about what happens in your brain when you read these two options:

"𝘚𝘢𝘷𝘦 50% 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘦𝘯𝘥."

"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳?"

You might care about getting half-off, you might not.

But with the second one, your brain automatically starts calculating. You can't help yourself.

Most holiday emails ask yes/no questions that give customers an easy out. "Ready for Black Friday deals?" gives them permission to say no.

Smart marketers ask questions that force engagement.

E-commerce owners: "Which family member is hardest to shop for?"

Coaches: "What's the one goal you want to crush before 2026?"

Consultants: "How much revenue are you leaving on the table this Q4?"

Course creators: "What skill would change everything for you in 2026?"

Your customers are already thinking about holiday spending. They're already planning for next year.

Your questions tap directly into those existing thoughts.

Try this in your Thanksgiving gratitude emails. Test it in your Black Friday campaigns. Use it in your Cyber Monday follow-ups.

Each question pulls them deeper into buying mode.

The Norwegian researchers proved it works. Holiday emotions make it even more powerful.

What if your next email started with a question instead of an announcement?

Your customers won't be able to help themselves.

P.S. Speaking of questions - are you ready to turn email into your most reliable revenue channel? I'm opening enrollment for a select group of 6 people in my new 𝗜𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘅 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲 program.

This isn't for everyone - I only work with serious business owners who are ready to implement expert guidance and see real results. If you'd like to learn more, send me a DM and we'll set up a quick call to see if you're a fit.

11/18/2025

𝟯𝟬𝗞 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝟮 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆

You're attending a party and someone offers you the most incredible-looking slice of chocolate cake you've ever seen.

You take one bite.

Rich chocolate melts across your tongue... followed by this perfect hint of sea salt that makes your eyes roll back.

But then... they take the plate away.

"Want more? You'll have to come to my bakery tomorrow."

Annoying? Maybe.

But are you going to that bakery? You'd probably camp out front if you had to.

This is exactly what Sophie Miller did to grow her email list from zero to 30,000 subscribers in just two years.

I caught her presentation at a recent conference, and I couldn't stop thinking about how simple yet brilliant it was.

Here's how it works:

Every Friday on LinkedIn (where she has 200K+ followers), Sophie posts marketing insights. But she only gives PART of the story.

She'll share 3-4 key points about a new Instagram algorithm change or TikTok trend. Enough to be genuinely helpful. Enough to make you think "this girl knows her stuff."

But not enough to satisfy your curiosity completely.

Then, at the end of her post, she makes her invite - "Want the full analysis? Get it in my Thursday newsletter."

It's psychological genius.

She's not withholding value to be a jerk. She's giving you a taste that makes you crave the whole meal.

As a result, her email newsletter gets 20,000 readers every single week. And 500 of those readers became paying members of her community.

Here's how you can steal this strategy:

🌐 Pick your best content platform (where your audience hangs out)

💡 Share 60-70% of your insight - enough to be helpful, not enough to be complete

🤔 Save the "so what does this mean for YOU or YOUR business?" part for your email

🗞️ End with a simple call-to-action pointing to your newsletter

The beauty is you're building trust with EVERYONE who sees your content, not just your subscribers. But you're giving your email community the VIP treatment.

Sophie calls it her "bite of cake" strategy.

I call it brilliant.

What's your best insight this week that you could turn into a "bite of cake" post?

11/11/2025

Think about the last 10 emails you opened today.

How many of them actually asked you to 𝘋𝘖 something?

Not just "click here to buy" ... but something that made you think, engage, and participate?

I'm betting it was maybe one. Or zero.

Here's the thing...

91% of people actually WANT interactive content in their emails. They want to click, vote, rate things, and participate.

Yet only 17% of businesses are actually doing it, according to Litmus.

Which means there's a massive opportunity just sitting there.

𝗦𝗼 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 When You Start Making Your Emails Interactive?

First, your emails land in inboxes.

When people click polls, rate products, or engage with your content, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Yahoo see that engagement. They think "people actually WANT this stuff" and move your emails to the primary inbox.

No more promotions tab. No more spam folder.

But here's where it gets interesting...

Interactive emails don't just get better delivery. They literally tell you what to sell.

🤩 When someone rates your service 5 stars ... they're ready to give you a killer testimonial (and primed for your next offer).

🛒 When they add something to their cart from your email ... they're ready to buy NOW.

📝 When they complete a quick survey about their biggest challenge ... you know exactly what product to pitch them next.

It's like having a direct line to your market's wallet.

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸:

Pick ONE of these and add it to your next email:

• 5-star rating system - "How would you rate yesterday's training?"
• Add to cart button - Let them buy without leaving their inbox
• Quick survey - "What's your #1 challenge?" with 3 clickable options
• Countdown timer - Add urgency to any offer or deadline
• Spin wheel - "Spin for your discount" (link to landing page)
• Simple quiz - "Are you a beginner or advanced?" for better segmentation

Most email platforms have these features built-in. You just need to activate and USE them.

Pick one. Add it to your email going out this week.

Watch what happens to your clicks. And your sales.

Because when your subscribers participate ... they buy.

10/28/2025

I read a story about a guy named Roger who hung wallpaper for a living.

Roger was always happy. Bouncing around worksites, singing under his breath, annoying everyone with his relentless positivity.

Someone finally asked him what he'd do if he could do anything in the world.

Without hesitation, he exclaimed, "I would go to Hawaii ... and hang wallpaper!"

"But you'd be stuck inside looking at wallpaper all day. How would you even know you were in Hawaii?" his friend protested.

Roger's response said everything: "But I would be 𝙞𝙣 𝙃𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙞."

Roger found joy in his work because he understood something most people miss. When you love what you do, everything changes.

I find my joy working with clients like Tanner who see email as a revenue engine that funds their goals and dreams - not as another evil task on their to-do list.

Six weeks ago, she came to me with a domain reputation so bad that Google buried her emails in spam folders.

Tanner understood the investment of time, effort, and money she would have to make. And she knew it would pay off.

She happily followed my guidance. Every single suggestion I made, she implemented immediately. No pushback and no excuses.

Then something incredible happened on day 28.

Google upgraded her domain reputation from low to medium - a transformation that typically takes months, not weeks. Her engagement rates started climbing steadily. More emails were landing in inboxes.

Last week, I analyzed her daily emails and gave her detailed feedback on content strategy.

Her response tells you everything about why she's succeeding:

"Hey Scott, this is super helpful. I love these ideas for mixing up the content. I can definitely see how keeping things too similar might cause people to tune out.

"I'm excited to try some of these suggestions and see how they perform. Thanks for digging into this and providing such actionable feedback."

Can you see why I'm exhilarated to work with clients like Tanner?

If you're serious about optimizing your email revenue before year-end, or if you know someone who is, I've opened 2 spots for private clients between now and December. My DM's are open.

10/21/2025

Last week was an incredible week at the LevelUp Summit in Dallas.

And man... they weren't kidding about the "level up" part.

After visiting Dealey Plaza where JFK was shot, I went to grab some food when I stumbled across this massive sculpture called "The Eye."

It's literally a 30-foot eyeball just sitting there. Staring at you.

Felt oddly fitting for a week that was all about seeing things differently.

Throughout the event, we heard from Jesse Itzler, Nick Santonastasso, Billy Gene, and other incredible speakers. All challenging us to step up our game.

Billy dropped this truth bomb: "𝘐𝘯 2025, 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘓𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘭𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘺 ... 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯-𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴."

Here's my email marketing version:

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝘁 ... 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆, 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻-𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀.

When you consistently show up ...

When you provide value (like using the story framework Nick taught) ...

When you monitor the metrics and manage it like an investment portfolio ...

The more money you make.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗖𝗔𝗡'𝗧 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 ... 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲?

10/16/2025

"Class clown."

Those two words on Barry Walton's third-grade report card haunted him for decades.

He thought it was a compliment. Until that moment he had to watch all his friends move on to fourth grade without him.

He failed third grade. Had to repeat it. And he let that failure define him for far too long.

Maybe you've got your own story. That moment from childhood that still makes your stomach turn when you think about it.

The one that planted seeds of doubt that grew into a forest of fear.

But Barry turned that same failure into rocket fuel for his success.

Today, he's an Emmy Award-winning producer who's created content for NatGeo, Animal Planet, the NBA, and NHL.

His path from failing student to business success wasn't easy. But it taught him crucial lessons about turning pain into power:

There's a massive difference between supporters and enablers. One pushes you forward, the other holds you back.

Your "why" matters more than your "what." When you lose sight of purpose, even success feels empty.

You must face your "abyss moments" alone. That's where transformation happens.

In this raw and real episode of From the Trenches, Barry shares exactly how he turned his deepest childhood wound into his greatest business advantage.

Listen now to discover how to harness your past pain into future wins.

https://fromthetrenchespodcast.com/episode/transforming-your-darkest-moments-into-your-greatest-strengths/

10/14/2025

My buddy thought he was just peeling off some ugly wallpaper two years ago.

Instead, he found termite galleries carved straight through the wood. Mud-filled tunnels everywhere. Years of silent destruction happening right behind what looked like a perfectly normal wall.

Last week, I showed three business owners a screenshot about their emails - just like the one in the image.

They were SHOCKED.

Inside their email software, everything looked fine. Their open and click rates appeared "normal."

But Google was quietly trashing their emails.

A 20% rejection rate one day. 36.84% refused another. One day it hit 100% - not a single email got delivered!

These business owners had NO CLUE they were losing sales every single day. Just like my buddy had no idea termites were eating his house from the inside out.

Google's done playing games with senders who have:
🚫 Dirty lists packed with dead emails
🙈 Subscribers who haven't opened anything in months (or years)
📈 Spam complaints through the roof

And just like those termites, this damage is happening RIGHT NOW behind the scenes while your email software shows everything's "fine."

If you're planning holiday promotions later this year, every email that doesn't get delivered is money straight out of your pocket.

And if Google's already flagging you as a problem sender, the holiday rush is going to be a bloodbath.

The clock's ticking. The longer you wait, the worse this gets.

Don't let Google keep stealing your sales.

Request your Hit The Inbox™ Audit today and find out exactly how much this hidden damage is costing you.

https://HitTheInboxAudit.com

10/07/2025

This past week, some sharp high school entrepreneurs pitched their business ideas Shark Tank-style to our CEO program advisory board.

These kids were well-dressed, confident, articulate - they had their act together.

But they completely MISSED the biggest opportunity sitting right in front of their faces.

One student had identified a MASSIVE opportunity where they could sell their handmade goods. A week-long craft festival attended by at least 250,000 people.

Without a doubt, they could hit at least 50% of their $5,000 profit goal.

But what did the other students do?

They DISCOUNTED it.

"We don't have enough time to prepare. It's only 2 weeks away."

"It would require lots of intense work."

Have you heard these excuses before?

This same 'it's too much work' mentality is killing businesses every day.

I just finished a report for a client who has a couple thousand subscribers on his list.

Guess what? He's only emailing 1-2% of them.

But he's not alone.

Most businesses are missing sales ...

Missing relationship-building opportunities ...

Taking massive hits to their bottom line ...

All because they're ignoring the ONE BIG OPPORTUNITY that could transform their entire business.

They're hemorrhaging cash every single day ... reaching only a fraction of their subscribers while refusing to adapt to the new rules Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Yahoo are cramming down everyone's throat.

Most would rather keep doing what's "easy" ...

Instead of devoting a little bit of effort to fixing the gaps and plugging the holes ...

Even if easy means leaving 30-50% of their potential revenue on the table.

The holidays are coming. Nobody wants to tackle serious business between November and January.

So if you want to turn your email into a revenue engine ... if you want to stop leaving money on the table ... if you want to seize the opportunity that's staring you right in the face...

Then let's get on this NOW.

Schedule a Revenue Roadmap call and I'll show you exactly which gaps are costing you the most money ... and how to plug them before everyone checks out for the holidays.

https://revenueroadmapcall.com

09/30/2025

14.8 pounds.

That’s how much I’ve lost since I began my “get healthy” journey on July 16.

I’m feeling better and still hitting the gym 3x a week - even though I still hate every minute of those 45-60 minute workouts.

But I’m frustrated.

Despite eating fewer calories than my coaches recommend and despite upping my protein intake, I’ve hit a plateau.

The scale just won’t budge.

My coach tells me this is normal. And to stick with doing all the right things - because I will have another breakthrough soon.

I’m hearing similar frustrations from small business owners with email marketing.

They’re irritated with the new rules that require extra work, extra time, extra investment.

So they say “screw it” and go back to their old sending habits.

And that’s when the problems start.

Just last week, 5 of my clients got over 60% of their emails 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗥𝗘𝗝𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗 by Google.

Not shoved into spam. Not delayed. But vaporized as if they never existed.

Why?

Some had dozens of people marking their emails as spam. Others had dirty lists filled with emails that bounced left and right.

𝘼𝙇𝙇 of them have continuously mailed subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked on an email in months.

Google’s cracking down hard right now.

Since 40-70% of your list likely uses Gmail or Google Workspace, when Google punishes you, it’s like gaining back all the weight you’ve lost PLUS 20 pounds.

It’s a nightmare to fix.

If email is important to your business - following up with leads, deepening relationships with customers, driving revenue …

You can’t afford to be lazy and ignore the new rules.

The breakthrough comes when you stick with doing the right things over and over, even when you don’t see immediate results.

P.S. Planning a Black Friday/Cyber Monday blitz? The last thing you want is Google rejecting half your emails right when you need them delivered most.

Send me a DM and let's make sure your biggest revenue days don't turn into your biggest disappointments.

09/25/2025

During a breakfast meeting at Vancouver's Pacific Rim hotel, a consultant confessed her fear of raising prices. She worried clients would balk at higher fees.

But by the end of that meal overlooking the harbor, everything changed.

She walked away and immediately landed a deal worth $100,000 more than she'd ever charged before.

What made the difference?

A profound mindset shift about pricing that Michael Zipursky has now used to help over 1,200 consultants dramatically grow their revenue.

Michael recently joined me on From the Trenches to break down the surprisingly simple framework behind doubling your income - without working more hours.

You'll discover:
💲 The critical pricing mistakes keeping your revenue artificially low
📝 A proven framework for confidently commanding premium fees
😍 How to position higher rates so clients eagerly say yes
➕ The business case math that justifies premium pricing
🤝 Strategic ways to raise rates with existing clients

Michael shares the exact process he uses to help consultants shift from competing on price to communicating true value.

And you can implement these insights immediately to start earning what you're truly worth.

Listen to the full episode now to get Michael's complete revenue-doubling framework.

https://fromthetrenchespodcast.com/episode/michael-zipursky/

09/23/2025

Take a look at this email I got earlier this month.

At first glance, it might look like a decent outreach email.

But...

There are 4 major problems with this email that will completely kill your response rates (and get you in serious trouble).

Did you spot them?

If you're making these goofs in your own emails, you're probably wondering why your open rates suck and they land in spam.

>> 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹: https://hittheinbox.email/post/whats-wrong-with-this-email.

Because if you're sending emails like this one, you're doing more harm than good to your business.

Don't make these same mistakes.

09/18/2025

80% of B2B buyers complete 70% of their buying process before talking to a single vendor.

Let that sink in.

By the time someone reaches out to you, they're almost done deciding. They've researched. They've compared. They've possibly even chosen - leaving you fighting for scraps of attention in those final moments.

My guest on this week’s podcast, Steve Johnson, spent 20 years scaling companies from startup to pre-IPO. He's seen firsthand how B2B buying has transformed - and why most companies still sell like it's 1999.

In this raw conversation, Steve reveals:
👻 The real reason prospects ghost your sales calls
📈 A counterintuitive approach that tripled one client's close rate
🏢 Why selling to "businesses" kills deals (and what to focus on instead)
👬 How to turn unlikely allies into your biggest advocates
💵 A clear framework for predictable revenue growth

Steve also shares the exact process for adapting your sales approach to how people actually buy today.

Listen to the full episode now at https://fromthetrenchespodcast.com/episode/steve-johnson/

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