Here's your Monday Morning Bonus Reader The distance between learning and doing? That’s the Genius Gap. The smaller the gap → the more you tap into your genius.The bigger the gap → the more you feel stuck or stagnant. Plans are great but that can be an endless hamster wheel. What does move your brand? Action. Because with action, you learn. What works. What doesn't. Who to trust. Who you can rely on. Like Sarah who just closed a $100,000 deal with a new client based on implementing this exact...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Issue #139 Reader You don’t have a marketing problem.You have a branding problem. Most companies confuse the two—and it’s costing them more than they realize. The outcome? Marketing doesn’t fix a weak brand.It amplifies it. Jaguar killed decades of luxury positions in a few days of stupid marketing Which means if your message sounds like everyone else, you don’t get more attention. You get ignored faster. Branding isn’t your logo.It’s not your website.It’s not colors. It’s the position you...
6 days ago • 1 min read
Reader Here's your Monday Bonus They said, "Name country without the letter E" My answer is simple: Unitd Stats of Amrica ✅ It's a country.✅ With zero Es. What would've been your answer? —David BrierP.S. Being able to "unthink" is a super power. A quick request I’ve been honored to be ranked in the Top 10 Global Gurus for Branding for the last 7 years straight. If my work has helped you sharpen your approach to branding, positioning, or differentiation, It would mean the world to me to get...
10 days ago • 1 min read
Issue #138 Reader Most businesses try to make more money by adding something. Wrong move. More offers.More features.More complexity. That’s the most common mistake. The fastest path to more revenue is 180 degrees opposite: you must master removing things. What do you remove specifically? The friction customers quietly tolerate. The frustrations they secretly hate.The upsetting extra steps that they outgrew.The annoying speed bumps they quietly despise. Here’s a simple 3-question audit you can...
13 days ago • 1 min read
Reader Your Thursday Morning Bonus: Here’s a quiet sales mistake that kills momentum. A prospect raises an objection…and we respond with... “Yes, but…” Example: “Yes, but that’s not how our system works.”“Yes, but that would increase the cost.”“Yes, but that timeline isn’t realistic.” The moment “but” enters the sentence, the prospect hears one thing: “You’re wrong.” A lesson from improv There’s a stronger move used in improv, negotiation, and great sales conversations: “Yes, and.” It...
15 days ago • 1 min read
Reader Yesterday was International Women’s Day. I spent it at a memorial. Celebrating the life of a woman whose light shined on the life of so many others. My wife and I said goodbye to our dear friend of 40 years. Christina Kumi Kimball was a goddess. Grace. Precision. Focus. Beauty. She was the daughter of a small Japanese mother and a 6-foot-5-inch-tall African American military father. She became a dancer. Not just any dancer. • She performed with the Alvin Ailey Dance Company.• She...
18 days ago • 1 min read
Issue #137 Reader Coming up with a truly ingenious idea is often hard work. Most people and companies try.Very few succeed. But here’s the uncomfortable twist. Even when we do come up with a brilliant idea…our next challenge is even harder. Finding the right channel to deliver it. Without the right platform, even genius can disappear. Think about the world-class musician who graduates from Berklee or Juilliard. • Years of discipline.• Technically flawless.• Thousands in tuition. And where do...
20 days ago • 1 min read
Reader Your Thursday Morning Bonus: Most brands can’t answer this question clearly: “What problem do you eliminate?” Not features.Not benefits. The problem that disappears because you exist. Your 5-minute assignment: Reply to this email with one sentence: “We eliminate ______ for _______.” If it’s clear, you’re ahead of most brands. If it’s fuzzy, that’s your next fix. —David BrierHelping brands control the story that sticks P.S. I read every reply. Unsubscribe · Preferences
22 days ago • 1 min read
Reader Here's your Monday Morning The most trusted brands admit what they’re not. Costco doesn’t promise convenience.They promise value. And they structure the story deliberately, following the “but” sales principle I shared last week. For Costco, it works like this: You buy in bulk, but you save so much money, you can afford to eat out. What it would look like if you bought the "Brier Action Figure" in bulk. Inconvenience first (before the but).Upside last (always after the but). Costco...
25 days ago • 1 min read