Olivia: Alright Jackson, I'm going to say a phrase, and you tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Ready? "Sales Funnel." Jackson: Ugh. A PowerPoint slide from 2008, probably in a bad font, with a bunch of arrows pointing to a tiny dollar sign. It feels… corporate and vaguely predatory. Olivia: That is the perfect description of its reputation. It sounds like something you’d find in a dusty binder labeled "Aggressive Growth Hacking." But what if it’s actually the most honest and effective way to communicate? Jackson: Okay, you have my attention. You’re telling me the corporate jargon monster is actually a misunderstood hero? Olivia: I am. And that’s the entire premise of the book we’re diving into today: Marketing Made Simple by Donald Miller and Dr. J.J. Peterson. It's a book that’s been incredibly well-received, especially by small business owners who are tired of wasting money on marketing that doesn't work. Jackson: Donald Miller, I know that name. He wrote Building a StoryBrand, right? That book is everywhere. Olivia: Exactly. And what's so interesting is that Marketing Made Simple is the practical, step-by-step follow-up. StoryBrand was about the philosophy of using story to clarify your message. This book, co-written with marketing expert Dr. Peterson, is the instruction manual. It’s all about execution. Jackson: Thank goodness. I love a good philosophy, but at some point, you need to know which button to press. So, this is the book that tells you which button to press? Olivia: It’s the book that builds you the whole control panel, and it starts with a very simple, almost radical idea: stop trying to be clever and just be clear.

Jackson: Okay, "clear, not clever." I’ve heard that before, but it feels a little simplistic. I mean, don't you need to be creative to stand out? Olivia: You’d think so, but Miller argues that for most businesses, creativity is actually the enemy of revenue. He tells this great story to illustrate the difference between what he calls branding and marketing. Imagine a new NFL coach is hired. But instead of running drills and teaching the fundamentals of football, he spends 90% of his time designing the team logo, the color of the jerseys, and the game-day trinkets. Jackson: That team is going to get destroyed. No matter how cool their jerseys are. Olivia: Precisely. The jerseys and logos, that's branding. It’s about how a customer feels about you. The drills and the plays, that's marketing. It’s communicating a specific offer to solve a problem and win the game. And Miller’s point is that too many businesses are designing beautiful jerseys for a team that doesn't know how to play. Jackson: Hold on, are you saying logos and good design don't matter? Apple is all about branding, and they seem to be doing okay. Olivia: It's not that they don't matter, but for most of us who don't have Apple's billion-dollar budget, clarity pays the bills. Aesthetics are the salt, not the flour. Miller argues you're wasting money on a new logo if your customers don't even know what problem you solve. He gives this fantastic example of a company with a revolutionary automotive product. Jackson: Let me guess, their billboard said something like "Synergizing the Future of Mobility." Olivia: Close! It was "Save time, save money." An invisible first impression. What the product actually did was let you change your car’s oil only once a year. The billboard needed to say, "The oil you only have to change once a year!" Because people are driving by at eighty miles per hour. They don't have time to solve a riddle. Jackson: The answer to confusion is always no. If I don't get it in three seconds, I'm gone. So the first step is to just… say what you do? Olivia: Exactly. And this is where he introduces the three stages of a relationship, which apply to customers just as much as they do to dating. First comes Curiosity, then Enlightenment, then Commitment. You can't ask for commitment—the sale—before you've sparked curiosity and enlightened them on how you solve their problem. Jackson: You have to get them interested before you explain the details, and you have to explain the details before you ask them to buy. That makes sense. It feels like common sense, but I can think of a dozen websites I’ve been on where they immediately ask me to "Commit" without telling me anything. Olivia: We all can. And that’s why the entire system Miller builds starts with one single, powerful tool designed to spark that initial curiosity. He calls it the one-liner. Jackson: Ugh, the elevator pitch. I hate that. I always just mumble something about "leveraging dynamic platforms" and then hope the elevator doors open. Olivia: Well, the one-liner is the antidote to that. It’s not about you; it’s about the customer. And it has a simple, three-part formula: The Problem, The Solution, and The Result. Jackson: Okay, break that down for me. Olivia: He uses an example of two private chefs at a party. The first one, when asked what he does, just says, "I'm a private chef." The conversation is fine, but it goes nowhere. The second chef, when asked, says, "You know how most busy families struggle to eat healthy meals together? Well, I'm a private chef who creates custom meal plans, so they can enjoy stress-free dinners and reconnect around the table." Jackson: Whoa. Okay, I'm hiring the second chef. Immediately. I didn't even know I had that problem, but now I feel it in my soul. Olivia: That’s the power of starting with the problem. It’s the hook. It makes the customer the hero of the story, and you become the guide with the solution. The first chef is just a guy with a skill. The second chef is the person who can solve my family's dinner-time chaos. That's the difference between being forgotten and being hired.

Jackson: Okay, that makes a ton of sense. Starting with the problem, being a guide, being clear. I get the philosophy. So if the goal is that kind of clarity, how do we actually build this thing? What does the non-predatory, non-2008-PowerPoint sales funnel actually look like? Olivia: It's a machine with three main parts. And the first part is your website. Miller is adamant that your website is not a beautiful brochure or a monument to your company's history. It is a sales machine. An employee that works 24/7 to convert visitors. Jackson: A sales machine. That sounds a little intense. Olivia: It is, but in a good way. He provides a nine-section wireframe for a perfect homepage, but the most important part is the very top. The header. It has to pass what he calls the "grunt test." A caveman should be able to look at it and, in five seconds, grunt out the answers to three questions: What do you offer? How will it make my life better? And what do I need to do to buy it? Jackson: The grunt test! I love that. So many websites fail the grunt test. They're filled with beautiful, vague photos and headlines like "Reimagining Human Connection." Olivia: Exactly. And the call-to-action button says "Learn More." Learn more? That’s not a cash register! Miller says your main call-to-action should be direct: "Buy Now," "Schedule a Call," "Get a Quote." Don't make people think. Jackson: And what about all the other stuff? The 'About Us' page, the careers, the blog? Olivia: It all goes in what he brilliantly calls the "Junk Drawer." It's the footer at the very bottom of your website. People who are looking for that information will scroll and find it. But you don't put it at the top and create decision fatigue for the person who is just trying to figure out if you can solve their problem. Jackson: Oh, I love that. It's like the real junk drawer in my kitchen. It's full of important stuff—like batteries and old tape—but you don't want it sitting out on the dining room table when guests are over. Olivia: That’s the perfect analogy. So, once your website is a clear, grunt-test-passing machine, you need the second part of the funnel: the lead generator. Jackson: This is where you get their email address, right? The pop-up box that everyone says they hate but secretly works. Olivia: It is. But again, it’s about the philosophy behind it. He says asking for an email without offering value is like awkwardly asking for someone's phone number a minute after meeting them. It’s weird. A lead generator is the non-awkward way to do it. You offer them something of value for free—a PDF guide, a short video course, a checklist—in exchange for their email. Jackson: So, you're giving them a reason. "Here's a guide to the five mistakes people make when buying a house. If you find it helpful, maybe we can talk more." Olivia: Precisely. You're building trust. You're positioning yourself as the generous expert, the guide. And when someone gives you their email, they are making a small commitment. They're raising their hand and saying, "I'm interested." And that leads to the third, and most crucial, part of the machine: the email campaigns. Jackson: Okay, this is the part I'm most skeptical about. I get so many marketing emails. Won't people just get annoyed and unsubscribe if I email them every week? It feels like spam. Olivia: This is my favorite part of the book because he completely reframes it. He says there are two kinds of email campaigns: Nurture and Sales. And for the nurture emails, his advice is simple: "Just keep riding your bike by her house." Jackson: Riding your bike by her house? What does that even mean? Olivia: It’s an analogy for staying top-of-mind in a gentle, helpful way. You send a weekly email with a valuable tip, a link to a helpful podcast, or a great article. You're not screaming "BUY MY STUFF!" You're just showing up, being helpful, and reminding them you exist. So when they are ready to buy, you're the first person they think of. Jackson: And what about the people who unsubscribe? Olivia: He says, "The unsubscribe button is your friend!" You want to filter out the people who aren't interested. It cleans your list so you're only talking to people who actually want to hear from you. And even for those who don't open the email, your name in their inbox is a tiny, free branding moment. It keeps you familiar. Jackson: Huh. I never thought of it that way. The unsubscribe button as a helpful filter, not a rejection. And what about the sales emails? Olivia: That’s when you stop riding your bike and knock on the door to ask for the date. A sales campaign is a short series of emails—maybe five or six—that directly asks for the sale. It presents the problem, offers your product as the clear solution, includes a testimonial, overcomes an objection, and then, without apology, asks them to buy. Jackson: That feels so direct. Olivia: It has to be! And this is where Miller’s most powerful point on execution comes in. He tells a story about his friend Doug, who told his wife he intended to help more around the house. And she replied, "Intentions do not cook the rice." Jackson: Oof. I feel that. That is a fantastic line. Olivia: It’s everything. You can have the best one-liner, the most beautiful website, the most helpful lead generator. But if you don't execute—if you don't send the emails and ask for the sale—you're just a person with good intentions. And intentions don't cook the rice.

Olivia: When you put it all together, the entire framework of Marketing Made Simple is really a shift in perspective. It’s not about being a slick, manipulative marketer. It’s about being a guide. Jackson: Right. You’re not tricking someone into a funnel. You’re just clarifying your message so you can help solve their problem. The funnel is simply the clear, paved path you build to lead them to that solution, instead of asking them to hack their way through a jungle. Olivia: And it’s a path built on generosity. You give them a clear one-liner. You give them a website that respects their time. You give them a valuable PDF for free. You give them helpful weekly tips. By the time you ask for the sale, you’ve already proven you’re there to help. Jackson: The thing that really sticks with me is the emphasis on execution. That quote, "Intentions do not cook the rice," is going to be rattling around in my head for weeks. It’s such a powerful reminder that having a plan is useless unless you actually schedule the meetings, write the emails, and do the work. It’s simple, but it’s not easy. Olivia: It’s not. But it works. The whole point is to turn marketing from this mysterious, expensive art form into a predictable, repeatable science. A machine you can build and trust to grow your business. Jackson: A machine that starts with just answering the question, "What problem do you solve?" clearly. It’s so simple it’s brilliant. Olivia: It really is. So for our listeners, what's the one piece of marketing jargon that drives you crazy? Let us know on our socials. We'd love to hear your "sales funnel" equivalents. Jackson: I can’t wait to see those. I’m sure there are some real gems out there. Olivia: This is Aibrary, signing off.