Olivia: Your average customer is only aware of about 25% of what you actually sell. That means 75% of your potential revenue from the people who already trust you is just… invisible. Sitting there, completely untapped. Jackson: That is a terrifying statistic. I'm just thinking about our own business, and I bet it's even worse for us. We launch new things, we mention them once, and we assume everyone knows. That 75% feels like leaving a winning lottery ticket on the table. Olivia: It's a massive blind spot for most companies, and it's the core problem Alex Goldfayn tackles in his book, The Revenue Growth Habit: The Simple Art of Growing Your Business by 15% in 15 Minutes a Day. Jackson: That title is a mouthful. And honestly, it sounds a little like an infomercial. "15% growth in 15 minutes!" Olivia: I hear you, but Goldfayn isn't just a theorist; he's a serious consultant for huge brands like T-Mobile, Logitech, and Sony. His firm has tracked over 100 million sales activities over two decades. So when he makes a claim like that, it's backed by an almost frightening amount of data. Jackson: Okay, that adds some weight. So if it's not a gimmick, what's the secret? Olivia: Well, Goldfayn argues the reason for that 75% gap isn't your product, your price, or your fancy marketing collateral. It's your mindset.

Jackson: Ah, mindset. The go-to answer for every business guru. But what does that actually mean in practice? Are we talking about morning affirmations and vision boards? Olivia: Not at all. It's much more tactical. He says most businesses are stuck in a "selling" mindset. They talk about what they sell—their products, their services, their features. And his argument is simple: that's boring. It makes you a commodity. Jackson: I mean, if you sell screws, you sell screws. What else are you supposed to talk about? Olivia: You talk about how you improve the customer's life. Goldfayn has this fantastic quote: "Talk about your products and services, and you’re just like everybody else: boring, unemotional, commoditized. Talk about your value... and you’ll stand miles apart from the crowd." Jackson: Okay, but "value" is another one of those vague marketing buzzwords. If I sell screws, am I selling "enhanced structural integrity" and "the promise of a well-built future"? That sounds even worse. Olivia: He gives a perfect, real-world example to cut through that. He shares a transcript of a customer interview he did for a client, a manufacturing company we'll call X Co. The customer is a CEO named Tom Johnson. Throughout the entire 15-minute conversation, Tom never once mentions the specific equipment he buys. Not once. Jackson: Really? What does he talk about then? Olivia: He talks about the relationship. He talks about how the sales rep visits him regularly, not just to sell, but to check in. He talks about dependability and trust. He says X Co. isn't a vendor; they're a partner. He even quantifies it, saying his partnership with them accounts for 23% of his company's annual revenue growth. Jackson: Wow. So the "value" isn't the product at all. It's the outcome and the feeling. They're selling peace of mind and profitable growth, not just machine parts. Olivia: Exactly. And that's the mindset shift. You stop thinking, "What can I sell this person?" and start thinking, "How can I help this person succeed?" Goldfayn ties this back to a very personal place. He shares his family's story of immigrating from Ukraine with almost nothing. He says you have to know who you work for. For him, it was his parents who sacrificed everything. That perspective changes a sales call from a potential imposition into a mission to help someone. Jackson: That adds a layer of depth I wasn't expecting. It reframes the whole act of business from a transaction to a service. But a good mindset doesn't automatically translate to 15% growth. The book's title makes a very specific, very bold promise about a 15-minute habit. How does that part actually work?

Olivia: This is where the tactical side kicks in. The habit is built on a series of simple, proactive communication actions. The most powerful one he introduces is what he calls the "Million-Dollar Question." Jackson: Okay, now it really sounds like an infomercial. Lay it on me. Olivia: The question is simply: "Did you know we also do X?" That's it. The entire point is to systematically close that 75% awareness gap we talked about at the beginning. You're not cold-calling; you're talking to existing customers who already like and trust you, and you're simply making them aware of other ways you can help them. Jackson: I can see the logic, but it feels like it could be an awkward upsell. "Thanks for your order! While I have you on the phone, let me pitch you something else!" People can smell that a mile away. Olivia: The framing is everything. Goldfayn is adamant that you're not pitching, you're helping. The script he provides is very low-pressure. For a printer, it might be: "Really quick, while I have you, did you know that in addition to printing your marketing pieces, we can mail them for you, so you never have to see or touch them? Most people aren’t aware we do this, and I just wanted to make sure you knew." It's positioned as a helpful "for your information." Jackson: That does sound better. It's less "buy this now" and more "here's a capability you might find useful later." So that's one part of the 15-minute habit. What else? Olivia: The other major part is systematically gathering and communicating testimonials. He describes a two-track communication system. The "one-on-one" track is things like the 'Did You Know?' question. The "company-to-many" track is broader communication, like a regular newsletter. And the fuel for that newsletter? Customer stories. Jackson: Right, but getting testimonials is a hassle. People are busy. And then if you share them, doesn't it just feel like bragging? Olivia: This is another one of those self-limiting beliefs he wants to demolish. First, he says you're not bragging; you're letting your happy customers tell your story for you, which is infinitely more credible. It's helping your prospects make a good decision. Second, he says the fear that customers will say no is completely unfounded. His data from thousands of client interviews shows that 95% of customers are happy to give a testimonial when asked. They're often honored you chose them. Jackson: Ninety-five percent? That's a surprisingly high number. Olivia: It is. Because you're not asking a stranger for a favor. You're asking a happy customer to share why they're happy. The discomfort is all in our own heads. An uncommunicated testimonial, he says, is like a tree falling in an empty forest. It makes no sound. The goal of the habit is to make sure those stories are heard. Jackson: Okay, so the system is: adopt a 'helping' mindset, and then spend 15 minutes a day on simple communication, like asking the 'Did You Know?' question or sharing a customer testimonial. It all sounds incredibly simple. Olivia: It is. Jackson: Then my question is, if it's this easy, why isn't every business owner doing it and swimming in money? What's the catch?

Olivia: And that is the million-dollar question for real. This is where the book gets brutally honest. Goldfayn says the system is simple, but the reason most people will fail at it is... us. The problem isn't a lack of knowledge; it's a lack of discipline. Jackson: The knowing-doing gap. The graveyard of all self-help books. Olivia: Precisely. He shares a very personal story to illustrate this. For years, he had worsening back pain from a herniated disc. Doctors offered surgery or medication. Instead, he decided to try losing weight. He put himself on a radical diet of just fruits and vegetables. He says the diet itself was simple, but the power was in the discipline of starting it and repeating it, day after day. He lost 50 pounds in four months, and his back pain went away. Jackson: So the Revenue Growth Habit is essentially a diet for your business. The rules are simple, but sticking to them is the hard part. Olivia: Exactly. And this is where he reveals the single biggest differentiator he's observed in his own consulting work. He looked at his clients and separated them into two groups: the "slow growers" who were getting 5-10% growth, and the "fast growers" who were getting 30-40% growth. Jackson: And what was the difference? Olivia: One word: accountability. The fast-growing companies had owners and managers who were comfortable holding their people accountable. They would actually ask their team, "You said you'd send out five case studies this week. It's Friday. Where are they?" The slow-growers, he found, would let their teams get away with being "too busy" with reactive work. Jackson: That's the uncomfortable truth, isn't it? It's so much easier to blame the market, the competition, or the complexity of the strategy than to turn to your team—or yourself—and admit, "We just didn't do the simple work we said we would." Olivia: It's the path of least resistance. But the book argues that building an engine of accountability is the only way to make the habit stick. Whether it's a manager, a peer, or even just a planner that you review weekly, there has to be a system that forces you to confront whether you did the 15 minutes of work or not.

Olivia: So when you pull it all together, you see the full picture. It starts with a radical mindset shift from selling products to helping people. That mindset fuels the daily 15-minute habit of simple, proactive communication. But none of it works without the final, crucial piece: an engine of accountability that bridges the gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it. Jackson: It's fascinating. The book is packaged and sold as a collection of business growth 'hacks,' but it's really a book about applied psychology. It’s about overcoming our own internal friction—the fear of rejection when asking for a referral, the fear of bragging when sharing a testimonial, the fear of not being perfect that leads to procrastination. Olivia: That's a great way to put it. Jackson: The 15-minute rule isn't just a time management trick. It's a psychological lever. It's designed to make the task so small, so non-threatening, that your brain can't justify procrastinating. You can't reasonably say you don't have 15 minutes. It short-circuits the excuse-making machine in our heads. Olivia: And Goldfayn makes it incredibly practical to start. He says don't try to implement all 22 techniques at once. Just pick one. Maybe tomorrow, your one action is to send a single handwritten note to a client you appreciate. Or ask just one customer the 'Did You Know?' question. That's it. That's how the habit begins. Jackson: I like that. It's not about a massive overhaul; it's about one small, deliberate action. We'd actually love to hear from our listeners on this. Have you ever tried one of these super-simple communication habits in your own work? Did it feel awkward, or did it actually lead to something? Share your stories with us. Olivia: It's a powerful reminder that sometimes the biggest results come from the smallest, most consistent efforts. Jackson: This is Aibrary, signing off.