Conversion Checklist **We Need 5-7 Business Days To: Fill & Download for Free

Here’s what I do, in chronological order, on most days:#1. Wrap up listening to a podcast. There’s so much time that goes into the daily commute, whether it’s taking the bus, train, or just driving to work. I’d rather spend the time learning something new and getting ideas from experts that can improve different areas of my life. My top podcasts are: The Model Health Show with Shawn Stevenson, Optimize with Brian Johnson, and The Tim Ferriss Show.#2. Park the car and turn off the engine. It’s those few rare minutes when I’m not busy, or moving, or paying attention to traffic. And it’s a signal to my brain that one part of the day is done and it can now focus on what’s important. I love that moment of total silence.#3. Meditate for 5 minutes. And yes, I do this when I get to work. After getting my destination (which for me means driving in most cases), I sit in the car, open the window, and close my eyes. I focus on my breath, count the inhalations and exhalations (in sets of 10), and relax. When I’m done, I open my eyes and stretch. It’s a wonderful way to calm the mind and clean the slate before the busy day begins.#4. Walk for a few minutes to get some much needed vitamin D. We often forget that spending all that time indoors means we’re not exposed to the sun’s rays. And that’s where we naturally get the vitamin D we need! Even just a few minutes outdoors on cloudy days keeps us exposed to the sun’s rays, which helps boost our immune system, keeps us healthy, and gives us the energy we need.#5. Unpack breakfast and lunch. I like to bring food to work; it helps me plan my meals better, eat more healthy, saves time, and allows me to avoid rushing to get in line at the cafeteria or a nearby sandwich place. Sometimes it means packing up leftovers from dinner, or bringing a sandwich I put together as I’m getting ready in the morning. I try to add some fresh fruit such as berries or an apple for a mid-afternoon snack to keep me going.#6. Say hello and smile. For so many of us, the days just get busier and busier, and there’s so much work to do that it’s easy to forget there are people around us. It’s a good thing to remind ourselves to make eye contact and smile, whether it’s someone we see in the hallway, a classmate we sit next to, or a colleague we work with. Having a pleasant exchange, whether it’s about the weather or upcoming weekend, also boosts our people skills and helps us to feel better integrated into our work or school environment.#7. Eat breakfast. The first meal of the day (regardless of when we have it) sets the tone to our metabolism to do what it needs to do. I want to make sure that what I have for breakfast is my fuel to stay energized and full for a few hours until lunch. It can be a fruit-packed smoothie, a cup of oatmeal with nuts and seeds, or a parfait with Greek yogurt and berries. It’s easy to put together and can take as little as 5 minutes to prepare. Try this idea for a quick breakfast on the go.#8. Have my first cup of coffee. There’s such a beautiful aroma coming from that first cup of coffee in the morning! Recently I’ve been making about 2–3 cupfuls and packing it in a thermos which keeps it super hot for hours. My favorite brands of coffee are Nespresso and Jamaican Blue Mountain. Having a bit of caffeine early in the day as I’m working helps me focus better. Plus I love the taste which helps me wake up and stay alert!#9. Create my agenda for the day. I’ve already identified my top priority item for the day by asking my #1 question. Now all I have to do is write it down and add a few other items on my to-do list. I prefer to create a simple checklist in my notebook. It’s usually 5–10 items on average, and I tick them off one by one as I’m done, or else I look at the list before I head home and check off the items then. Having everything in one place helps me organize my thoughts better and I’m less likely to forget something important that I need to complete.#10. Block off the first 2 hours to work on the toughest project or task. Those are the hours that I’ve noticed represent my brain’s peak performance time. It’s also a way to take advantage of the circadian rhythm: for most people, those 2–4 hours after we wake up are optimal times to focus on problem-solving tasks, analyzing, and creating something new. To minimize distractions, I use headphones and listen to music, and I try not to socialize and have conversations until it’s lunchtime. The result? I get more done in those first few hours of the day than any other time.Now that you’ve read through these 10 ideas, which one are you most curious about trying out today?

Going anon because the lady I am going to speak about is on Quora.How has it been to be in a relationship with someone who is borderline?Short Answer: It is an emotional rollercoaster and you constantly feel like you are walking on egg-shells.Long Answer (CAUTION: GETS EPISODICAL): It was the most intense relationship I've ever had. We met one evening on Tinder, started chatting on Whatsapp within 3 hours of swiping right on eachother. (She had 'accidentally' super-liked me). Before the day ended, we were already making plans to meet eachother.Day 1/2: We had exchanged tons of messages and she was literally falling in love with me head over heels. She was messaging me long and tender and very intimate and emotionally deep secrets and thoughts. She was messaging me from dawn to dusk and then we met on the 3rd day. I tell her I am not looking for anything beyond a good friend and she tells me not to friendzone her.Day 3: At our first date, she insulted me for the first time (and I missed the red flag). We however had a really good evening and after she left, she was saying how much she wanted to hug and kiss me when we were together.Day 4: But then the next day, the messages died. None came. When we met again in the evening, she brought up the topic of why she didn't send any messages that day. She said she didn't want to feel the pressure of constantly sending me messages (whatever that means, because I never asked her why she didn't message nor did I ask her to message). We however kissed. Infact we did more than just kiss. We almost had sex.Day 5: Messages trickle in. More kisses when we meet in the evening. We are now like teenagers who can't stop kissing eachother.Day 6: Ditto.Day 7: She insults me again when I tell her how I am not okay with how poorly she treats me and the things she tells me. She gaslights me and tells me I need to see a shrink for my issues. I agree to the 'issues' and I fix an appointment to see the shrink the next day.Day 8: No messages.Day 9: I am planning on traveling and tell her this. She gets furious and upset at me because I didn't prioritize spending time with her and instead chose to travel. We have our first argument where she gaslights me and shifts blame and make me feel like I am 'abandoning' her.Day 10: We spend time together. Kiss and say our goodbyes as I am leaving for my travel. She: 'Send me a 100 messages and call me everytime you get time'.Day 11/12: Bad network plus super busy, hence couldn't call, but she doesn't respond to any of my calls or messages. I am panicking and depressed over how the 'relationship' has broken.Day 13: I take a reality check after a tumultous 2 day period where she doesnt respond to me and understand that I had already told her we are nothing but friends. On my way back to my city and she is suddenly sending me a barrage of messages almost pleading me to forgive her and talk to her. I tell her we are 'just friends. nothing more, nothing less' That evening, she meets me, runs into my arms, hugs me and weeps uncontrollably. She doesn't want to lose me yet she doesnt want to be 'just friends'.We talk for many hours but by the end of it, she is berating me for telling her that we are ' nothing but friends'.Day 16: She tells me she is still married and that her husband has moved in to her house. She had previously told me that she is 'technically divorced' and waiting for her 'papers'. She had told me that her marriage is a dysfunctional one, where she married only because her younger sister wanted to marry her sweetheart. She tells me how she is in a conflict about me and her husband and wants me to tell her to choose her. When I tell her to make her mind and decide for herself, she berates me and wants me to order her to choose her.Day 25: By now, we are meeting eachother virtually every day, talking to eachother constantly and making plans together. There is a constant sense of anxiety and panic in every absence and everytime I am with her, I am walking on egg shells, because she is a psychologist herself and she keeps treating me like a patient, analysing my every move and word. She is constantly gaslighting me and by virtue of her profession, she kept throwing those big psychological terms and phenomena at me. She makes me feel inadequate and insecure and I ended up doing a double-take everytime I wanted to tell her something. We had tried having sex a couple of times, but I couldn't get an erection because everything she said was always negative and demeaning. And then when I couldn't get an erection, that became another pain point in our conversations. She would make fun of me and make judgements. She would talk about how I am not a man enough. In this time, she introduces me to her friends and even her husband as a 'friend' and she, her husband and me go for dinners, movies together. We are by now effectively leading double-lives and she is very much a part of my daily life. Everytime we are together by the end of the day, she says things that are hurtful and ones that she does remember the next day. She tells me that she is struggling with guilt (because of me) and is having depression and wants to seek therapy but doesn't. She being a psychologist herself, can't be seen to be going through mental illnesses. By now, there are several red flags that I've missed or chose to ignore. I try to be better according to her. Many of the things she says are making me feel less and less confident about myself. She is constantly accusing me of cheating on her. Of loving her less. Of abandoning her. Of stressing her. Whatever I do, is too less for her. I was never enough for her and my behaviour or personality was never enough for her. Everytime we had an argument, she would find a way to make it look like I was at fault and make me feel terrible and I would resolve to change and do whatever she tells me to do (because she was the 'expert')Day 29: We are having a nice moment together when she turns her face to me and tells me 'Let's have our 3rd last kiss now'. I am shocked and ask her why. She: 'Oh its one month since we met and I am not ready for a relationship.. I don't think this is working' and she leans in for a kiss. I am completely shattered and my mind is racing. As I get up and walk away, she begins to tell me how 'we already spoke about this and said how we will break up if this doesn't work after a month'. 'I don't remember saying that' I say. She pauses, looks at my face and tells me 'I was just kidding' and hugs me and wants to have sex right then, right there. All the while I am still shocked at all that just happened.Day 31: She has no recollection of what she said 2 days ago (on Day 29). We are back to eachother as if the conversation never happened.Day 34: We have a minor argument that soon escalates to a full blown verbal spat. She tells me 'I want a break.. from us. I can't do this anymore... I can't do us anymore' ... As earth-shattering it is to hear that from her, at that moment, I felt relieved. I said 'If that's what you feel, yes, let's break up .. we will be okay' And that was the watershed moment. An anti-climax. I didn't pursue her. I didn't tell her I'll change. I didn't tell her I'll do whatever it takes to be with her. She didn't expect this either. She held my hand tight and said 'Let's just take a few days off apart from eachother and talk again next week', hugged me tight and left. We didn't message eachother that night and the next day, I realised she deleted me from her contacts/blocked me because I couldn't message her on Whatsapp.Day 35: She messages me and asks me to repay a cash loan she had given me. Originally, I was supposed to repay this by the end of the month, but her tone in the texts is accusatory. I promise to pay her back and do.Day 38: After returning a copy of my home key, she tells me 'All transactions are complete... Please let me know when we can touchbase to talk and I'll wait'. I say 'Yes, all transactions are complete'. 'Good Bye'. She responds 'No, there is still something there' but never tells me what that 'something' is. She tells me how the past week has been 'tumultous and disastrous' for 'both of us' and how she didn't think 'in the wildest dreams' that we will be here.Day 40: She blocks me on FB.So, this is how a person came into my life, and in a matter of 40 days, swept me off my feet, put me on a pedestal sky-high and then dethroned me in the most unceremonious manner. I've been in other relationships, but she was the one lady that I fell head over heels (reluctantly at first, inadvertantly later). This was the most intense relationship I've ever had and I've had a fair share of relationships. She left me as a shell of my former self. She was sexy, seductive and extremely intelligent but she was emotionally shallow. During rare moments of 'soberiety' she would tell me how traumatised her childhood was and how 'damaged' she is. She would tell me how her parents abandoned her when she was a little girl. She would tell me how men used and abused her. She would tell me how insecure she feels.As much as I’ve been burned, I am glad I escaped the way I did having suffered this relationship for only 40 days. I shudder to think what would have become of me if I would have stayed longer.This was more than 60 days ago and I don't know if I am still completely healed. I still crave for her. Lesser than before but I still miss her. I cherish the good moments and miss them. I know there was no future in the relationship and this may not be the shortest relationship yet, but when she left, it felt like she took all the bulbs from the room as well. I was in complete darkness and was on the verge of killing myself. I couldn't tell anyone about what I was going through because of the stigma of dating a married woman. And when I did confide this to friends, they couldn't believe I let this happen to me. But then I started reading up on BPD and started ticking out a checklist of behaviours she exhibited and realised this was destined to happen because of the 'childhood trauma' I had suffered, that made me a 'co-dependent' person, with a tendency to be a rescuer/fixer. I was a 'Yes' person. I couldn't help 'falling' for equally damaged people.I know I am healing. And today I have a much better relationship with a wonderful lady, who loves me and gives me the space I need.I know I will get better because I know what I should not be.Being with a BPD takes a special kind of intelligence. You need to bulletproof yourself against the gaslighting a BPD will put you through. You need set your boundaries and defend them with all you've got. You need to trust and respect yourself the most. And most importantly, you need to love yourself the most first.

TL;DR version:Free software as lead generationPartnership with other sites to cross promotePaid marketing on untapped channels such as Reddit, Instagram, and niche websitesContent multiplier marketingAcquisition as marketingOptimize content and digital marketing effort for mobileInternational marketingThere are so many stupid, generic business lists online:“10 tips to grow your business!”“3 secrets to SEO Google doesn’t want you to know!”“17 steps to making passive income!”The worst part is, these clickbait articles are written by people who have never built a business before. I’m sick of seeing all this bad, unhelpful advice on the web.Today, I’m going to give you actual, proven strategies to market your business in 2017. No B.S. No clickbait. No tricks.In deep detail, I’m going to show you 7 tactics I’m actually using to grow my businesses this year — including Sumo Group, which I recently grew to 8 figures. I’m sharing these strategies so you can give them a try for yourself.—1. Free software as lead generationFor years people have been giving away free content as lead generation to get email addresses and build their contact database. But times have changed.The crappy ebooks and free download markets are oversaturated. People don’t want to exchange their email address for a regurgitated, one-page PDF that takes up space in their Downloads folder.Instead, they want something valuable. With a bazillion ebooks and checklists out there, the new way to drive leads for your business is free software.Here’s how it works:Find a problem related to your core businessBuild a simple solution (this is important — it doesn’t have to take you 1,600 hours)Make it freeDrive awareness of your other products\U0001f911I’ve done this recently with leoh.io. It’s a simple, free Google Chrome extension that creates a personal dashboard. I use it regularly and it’ll be a great way to drive traffic to Sumo.com in the near future.The goal with building tools, apps, websites, and software is to create VALUE for your customer (and help them solve a problem).Software works great as lead gen as you’re able to deliver value to a consumer before you ask them to hand over anything. If people like the software, they’ll want to get even MORE products from you.Plus, you’re able to separate yourself in a market that’s obsessed with boring lead gen ebooks, PDFs, checklists, and resource guides.So, what software should you build?Here are a few ways to solve that:Look at “how to” articles you can turn into software. For example, SEO auditing, site graders, headline analysis, etc.Create quizzes related to your industry for customers to self-evaluate their situationSpin out a small part of your larger app or business (think “freemium” business model)To get you going, here are four types of free products you could make:Chrome extensionsWordPress extensionsWebsite gradersStandalone appsQuizzes—2. Cross promotionCross promotion is one of the most successful marketing strategies we’ve used for Sumo.The reason cross promotion works so well is because it’s a win-win situation.In other words, think of it as a guest appearance on a rap song. You BOTH get to spread your message to new fan bases.Instead of just offering your product or software, create a bundle with other products for the same price (or for FREE).At Sumo, we regularly reach out to other businesses and try to find great cross promotion opportunities to entice new customers.For example, we partnered with a company called Beacon for one deal. Here’s how it worked…First, we put together an offer. In this case it was, ‘Buy Sumo and get a year of Beacon for free’For every sale, we pay Beacon a percentage of the moneyWe send this “Sumo + Beacon” offer out to our Sumo mailing listBeacon promotes the combined software deal to their mailing list, too#Cha-ching \U0001f4b0We get the Sumo product out to a whole new subset of users (Beacon) for low cost, and Beacon gets their product out to whole new subset of users (Sumo).Another way I’m currently using cross promotion is with my podcast, Noah Kagan Presents. I’m reaching out to companies for free products to give to my audience. These companies get FREE promotion to my audience, and I get products to drive new listeners.This is hugely beneficial for all parties involved:My listeners receive added value (free stuff)Partners get to reach my audience and grow their own brandI get to reach my partners’ audienceYou don’t just need a product to do this either. What are other ways you can use cross-promotion in your business?Here are some more ideas: You can do this with joint webinars, guest posts, or coordinate a summit/event across multiple partners.Cross promotion can be done at any size. It doesn’t matter whether you have an email list of 100 or 100,000.Think about it: Who wouldn’t want to get their product in front of new people for free?—3. Paid marketing on untapped channelsFacebook and Google ads are incredible because they have huge volume. But the same thing that makes them great — tons of eyeballs on the platform — is also a problem for marketers. Everyone knows about Facebook and Google ads, and every business, from Fortune 50s to mom-and-pop shops, market there.Advertising is most successful when there is market inefficiency.These advantages occur on channels where there’s a lot of volume, but less competition or no competition.So, what are these channels? (I know you’re asking.)The platforms that work vary business-to-business, and industry-to-industry. But here are a few ideas to get you started…RedditDid you know you can buy ads in specific sub-reddits? Not a lot of people are doing that right now.Here’s an example ad:Reddit has huge scale. It’s the 24th most visited website on the web, with roughly 1.2 billion pageviews per month.Best of all, you can niche your idea on reddit and target a very specific audience. Currently, there are 1,037,343 subreddits (and growing) covering every niche you can imagine:ChessAnimal bloopersPing-pongOnline marketingSmall citiesLife tipsSpecific diets and nutrition plans (e.g. Paleo, Ketogenic, bodybuilding, etc.)And tons more.InstagramThere’s incredible value to be found on Instagram, too. But not through their ads platform, which runs through Facebook Ads). Instagram’s current advantage s through buying ads directly from people with large followings and highly engaged audiences. Search on Instagram for users with followers in your target market, and directly pay the person to post on their channel.I know one fitness Instagrammer who only gets paid $1,000 a month to post one post per week promoting a product. Compared to normal advertising on Instagram, this is a massive savings. With hundreds of thousands of people in her audience, that works out as some of the cheapest ads you can buy.Niche websitesOne of my favorite strategies is to target super-small sites where prices are low and traffic quality is high. We did this to great effect with Mint.com’s marketing strategy.A few additional places you could find untapped advantages:Message boardsNew sites / blogsDirectoriesNiche blogs and other niche websitesWhat you’re looking for is an advantage — a platform where an audience has already been created, and the site isn’t saturated with advertisers yet.Even better: If there are no ads on the site, you have zero competition.—4. Content Multiplier marketingI’ve been blogging since 2000. This makes me old as hell in the Internet world. As your elder, I demand respect (and lots of tacos).Content marketing has changed a ton in the past couple of years, though. Almost anyone can set up a blog, write a semi-readable article, upload some GIFs and share it with the world within an hour.This type of content marketing is mostly commoditized.To separate your brand and your business, the best content marketing is now multi-channel.For example,This article started out as a YouTube video.Now I’ve turned it into a blog post.Next, I’ll create a podcast episode for it.Then, I’ll take snippets for external guest posts.Now, I turns it into a Quora answer.Think of it like a pyramid. I start with one core piece of content. Then, with my team, I turn that one piece of content into multiple, cross-channel pieces.Your content can start out however you want — an audio recording, a video, blog post — the key is to increase awareness and showcase on different channels.People want to consume content across various mediums, not just one. The more leverage you can make your content, the more you’ll stand out.Plus, you’ll attract different types of fans with different content: readers, visual learners, auditory learners, etc.Create content that’s easy to replicate. Audiences are in newer locations so get MORE leverage out of each piece of your content.—5. Acquisition as marketingAcquisition as marketing was on my list of marketing strategies for 2016 and it’s making another appearance this year for one simple reason (and no, it’s not because I’m being lazy)…Acquisition as marketing is STILL underutilized.Acquisition is often seen as glamorous, big-money deals that only the biggest companies do. But almost any company can make acquisitions. You just have to identify the right targets.With an acquisition, you’re looking for a way to reach an audience that will be interested in your product or service. It could be:Mailing listsHighly followed social accountsProductsBlogsChrome pluginsShopify pluginsYou’re looking for any acquisition that can put your business front and center in the eyes of more people in your target market.Where should you look for acquisitions?Product Hunt is a great source for failed businesses. Hundreds of new products launch every day and very few of them go on to make enough money to be sustainable.Here’s a recent look at marketing products showcased on ProductHunt:Head over to Product Hunt and search for keywords related to your business to see what you can find. Some products may not have made any money, but may have built up substantial mailing lists.Your personal network is also a great way to find acquisitions. Ask around in your industry to see what opportunities are out there and waiting for you. LinkedIn is a great place to start.To give you a real-world example: Just this year I noticed a site owned by someone I know stopped updating the product. I reached out and she sold me the site.Once you’ve found a product or list you’d like to acquire, the first step is to make contact and build that relationship. When we FINALLY acquired Sumo.com, it took 7 years and 200+ emails, but it never would have happened without making first contact.—6. MobileAs a marketing channel, mobile is still pretty early.In 2017, I believe there will be huge opportunities on mobile because the conversion rates are so shitty and very few people are doing mobile marketing well. This means you can still get cheap advertising opportunities.To show you I plan these articles out and don’t just wing them, I’m going to make a callback to bullet point 3 above: mobile has a marketing inefficiency you use to your advantage.I know this point is a bit broad, but I bet most of you aren’t even thinking about mobile right now. So the best thing you can do is start.First, confirm HOW much mobile traffic you have:Head to your Google AnalyticsClick “Audience” on the left-hand side, then click “Overview”Scroll down to “System”Click on “Operating System”Many websites I know in the industry are seeing 50%+ of traffic coming from a combination of mobile and tablet. (If you don’t use Google Analytics, assume this is true).Second, go to your site on your phone and see how the experience is on mobile. Make a list of improvements. Some things from OkDork we optimized on mobile:Shrunk the header section so it’s easier to get to the contentOptimized the navigation for mobile useEnsure all email capture and CTAs look (and work) greatThird, begin to measure the effectiveness of your mobile traffic. How many visitors from mobile sign up? Join your mailing list? Do they read more of your posts?Analytics will help you to discover all of this data and enable you to make informed decisions about how to make the most of your mobile traffic.—7. International marketingA few years ago I made a bunch of Facebook games for a company I built called Gambit. We were bringing in about $40k per month, and I noticed that half of our money was coming from places like Finland, Portugal and New Zealand.I forgot my 8th grade geography (it had been a while, OK?), so I had pull out a map to figure out where our money was coming from.Here’s something us close-minded U.S. citizens don’t always remember: International countries have money, they face many of the same challenges as we do in the U.S., and many populations speak English, too.For next level international marketing, you can even translate your stuff. For example, the popular landing page software Unbounce recently launched a German language version of their highly-successful CRO blog.But let’s take this one step at a time. Thinking international doesn’t mean you need to start spending dollars on translators right away.Even if you just stick to the English speaking international countries, you’ll likely find:Advertising is cheaper internationally than the U.S.There may be less competition (more bang for your buck)Better results and more salesUntil my Facebook games business took off, I’d neglected a huge percentage of my market by not thinking international.The internet has made the world flat and there’s a lot of opportunity out there. You just need to go looking for it. Sometimes, that means searching beyond your front door.2 ways to identify international marketing opportunities1. Google AnalyticsAs a starting point, you can head into Google Analytics and take a look at where your traffic is coming from. To do this:Open up Google AnalyticsClick “Audience” in the left-hand navigationClick on the “Geo” menuClick “Location”This list is a great place to start identifying countries you could expand your marketing.2. Keyword searchKeyword tools like SEMrush are also really useful to gauge interest in international countries.If you search for keywords related your business, you can filter by country to see where people are actively searching for products/solutions related to your business.Throughout this post you may have picked up on a few key themes:Find your marketing advantage — and look for market inefficienciesWherever there’s an audience, there’s opportunity (even small, niche sites)Don’t just look on your doorstep, cast your net wide when looking for growthI’ll be using these 7 marketing strategies for 2017, and I hope you can too.With these strategies, I believe 2017 is going to be our biggest year yet at Sumo. Let’s make it the same for you and your business.Here’s to an incredible year…