Kevin C. Whelan

Marketing Strategy Advisor and Mentor

Articles

2021

October

October 21, 2021Oct 2021
Why mutual trust is an absolute must
October 20, 2021Oct 2021
Getting buy-in from the CEO
October 19, 2021Oct 2021
The importance of good onboarding
October 18, 2021Oct 2021
Free resources vs. applied expertise
October 17, 2021Oct 2021
Two ways to build demand in a new consulting business or niche
October 16, 2021Oct 2021
Is what you sell mutually profitable?
October 15, 2021Oct 2021
Advice without expertise is opinion
October 14, 2021Oct 2021
Do you want information or transformation?
October 13, 2021Oct 2021
How to stand out as a marketing consultant
October 12, 2021Oct 2021
Scale content but throttle services
October 11, 2021Oct 2021
Do things that take time
October 10, 2021Oct 2021
Stagnancy is death
October 9, 2021Oct 2021
Why most marketing doesn’t work
October 8, 2021Oct 2021
Pick one main goal
October 7, 2021Oct 2021
Wildly profitable, cash flow stable, low stress
October 6, 2021Oct 2021
The best in the world at what you do
October 5, 2021Oct 2021
The thing about referrals
October 4, 2021Oct 2021
You don’t own the right to social media distribution—build your list
October 3, 2021Oct 2021
Niching makes it easier to build an email list
October 2, 2021Oct 2021
The power of an email list
October 1, 2021Oct 2021
Do work you can be proud of

September

September 30, 2021Sep 2021
Be your clients’ biggest advocate
September 29, 2021Sep 2021
You’re in the service business, after all
September 28, 2021Sep 2021
Phasing into a niche
September 27, 2021Sep 2021
Pay the bills, then build the niche business
September 26, 2021Sep 2021
Do what works for you
September 25, 2021Sep 2021
You don’t have to choose a niche
September 24, 2021Sep 2021
Working with the competition
September 23, 2021Sep 2021
Don’t fall into this trap
September 22, 2021Sep 2021
Are you consuming or creating?
September 21, 2021Sep 2021
Member feedback re: The CEO is your best friend
September 20, 2021Sep 2021
Is it harder to sell advisory services than execution?
September 19, 2021Sep 2021
What do headaches and mental bandwidth have in common?
September 18, 2021Sep 2021
Competition is a good thing
September 17, 2021Sep 2021
The CEO is your best friend
September 16, 2021Sep 2021
Start with the basics then make it better
September 15, 2021Sep 2021
Anticipation sells
September 14, 2021Sep 2021
What to do when you don’t feel like showing up
September 13, 2021Sep 2021
One way to create a marketing strategy for your clients
September 12, 2021Sep 2021
Choose your clients wisely
September 11, 2021Sep 2021
Once you specialize, it’s hard to go back
September 10, 2021Sep 2021
Optimize for the edges
September 9, 2021Sep 2021
Iron sharpens iron
September 8, 2021Sep 2021
Play the long game
September 7, 2021Sep 2021
Marketing should be a little hard
September 6, 2021Sep 2021
The difference between “advisor” and “consultant”
September 5, 2021Sep 2021
How to make creating case studies easy
September 4, 2021Sep 2021
Pick a small group
September 3, 2021Sep 2021
What is your differentiation strategy?
September 2, 2021Sep 2021
Whose advice do you trust?
September 1, 2021Sep 2021
What to do when prospects want you to do execution work

August

August 31, 2021Aug 2021
A long-term game for long-term-minded people
August 30, 2021Aug 2021
Single-purpose ideas
August 29, 2021Aug 2021
It takes guts to be an advisor
August 28, 2021Aug 2021
The danger of pricing in the middle
August 27, 2021Aug 2021
Spoken with kindness
August 26, 2021Aug 2021
Defining the perfect examples
August 25, 2021Aug 2021
Why you need to embrace the hard truths
August 24, 2021Aug 2021
A little reminder for the daily writers
August 23, 2021Aug 2021
You’ll be in business a long time…
August 22, 2021Aug 2021
Your business needs more money than you think
August 21, 2021Aug 2021
Attract more clients and build an audience quicker with cross-pollination
August 20, 2021Aug 2021
You can’t make your clients do anything
August 19, 2021Aug 2021
Selling downside protection
August 18, 2021Aug 2021
You can’t create demand
August 17, 2021Aug 2021
The benefits of a marketing Swipe File
August 16, 2021Aug 2021
Nobody is going to do it for you
August 15, 2021Aug 2021
Want access to my Methodology?
August 14, 2021Aug 2021
The price of attention is usefulness
August 13, 2021Aug 2021
Turning your ideas into assets
August 12, 2021Aug 2021
Name and claim your ideas
August 11, 2021Aug 2021
Focus on creating value, not more inputs
August 10, 2021Aug 2021
You can’t quantify everything
August 9, 2021Aug 2021
Be scarce and charge a premium
August 8, 2021Aug 2021
How would your business differ?
August 7, 2021Aug 2021
Optimizing for consumption
August 6, 2021Aug 2021
Look for the pattern of fractional leadership
August 5, 2021Aug 2021
Build, then optimize
August 4, 2021Aug 2021
What standard do you want to operate at?
August 3, 2021Aug 2021
Two ways to generate more demand for your consulting services
August 2, 2021Aug 2021
What if you could get there faster?
August 1, 2021Aug 2021
How to attract more business, deliver better results, and create more leverage

July

July 31, 2021Jul 2021
Start with who
July 30, 2021Jul 2021
Introducing the new Mindshare Pro membership program
July 29, 2021Jul 2021
Iterate and innovate your way to success
July 28, 2021Jul 2021
Being known for something is hard
July 27, 2021Jul 2021
Innovation is the only way to become a category leader
July 26, 2021Jul 2021
Why you need a Swipe File for your consulting niche
July 25, 2021Jul 2021
Premium doesn’t always mean the most expensive
July 24, 2021Jul 2021
Why higher prices lead to better profits, products, and clients
July 23, 2021Jul 2021
142. Just hit publish [Video]
July 22, 2021Jul 2021
How to remember your best ideas
July 21, 2021Jul 2021
Your process does not replace your thinking
July 20, 2021Jul 2021
Don’t get too busy to do great work
July 19, 2021Jul 2021
Positioning is the soil in your garden
July 18, 2021Jul 2021
Fractional CMOs may be generalists—but they should also be specialists
July 17, 2021Jul 2021
Fractional CMOs are generalists and that’s okay
July 16, 2021Jul 2021
Systems, habits, and goals
July 15, 2021Jul 2021
You have permission to not know everything
July 14, 2021Jul 2021
Is your consulting business niched enough?
July 13, 2021Jul 2021
There are big businesses in tiny niches
July 12, 2021Jul 2021
Brush up on your SEO fundamentals
July 11, 2021Jul 2021
Which would you rather?
July 10, 2021Jul 2021
Your prospects don’t care about your proprietary methodology (but your clients do)
July 9, 2021Jul 2021
My marketing Methodology for advisory client engagements 🔊
July 8, 2021Jul 2021
Trust your gut about bad clients
July 7, 2021Jul 2021
Writing daily into the void
July 6, 2021Jul 2021
The profit margins of an advisory business
July 5, 2021Jul 2021
Stocks and flows
July 4, 2021Jul 2021
The risk of overwhelming your clients
July 3, 2021Jul 2021
The world is craving fractional access
July 2, 2021Jul 2021
Are you alienating your ideal prospects?
July 1, 2021Jul 2021
What does this say about me?

June

June 30, 2021Jun 2021
Three questions to guide your next blog post
June 29, 2021Jun 2021
Acting against your immediate best interest
June 28, 2021Jun 2021
Organize your thinking
June 27, 2021Jun 2021
What to do when nothing is getting done
June 26, 2021Jun 2021
Your brand is how people feel
June 25, 2021Jun 2021
Write the truest sentence you know
June 24, 2021Jun 2021
On writing daily
June 23, 2021Jun 2021
Niching is a force multiplier
June 22, 2021Jun 2021
Four benefits of fractional CMO positioning
June 21, 2021Jun 2021
The risk of fractional CMO positioning
June 20, 2021Jun 2021
“Best” or “only” positioning
June 19, 2021Jun 2021
Your differences are your strengths
June 18, 2021Jun 2021
A framework for leveraging and selling your marketing expertise
June 17, 2021Jun 2021
Should you start out niched or broadly positioned?
June 16, 2021Jun 2021
Should you take on clients outside of your niche?
June 15, 2021Jun 2021
Good design and marketing
June 14, 2021Jun 2021
“They’re not cheap”
June 13, 2021Jun 2021
Are you dreading your next project?
June 12, 2021Jun 2021
How you onboard could make or break the relationship
June 11, 2021Jun 2021
132. How to design a group coaching program 🔊
June 11, 2021Jun 2021
What business are you really in?
June 10, 2021Jun 2021
How to build a consulting business you can love
June 9, 2021Jun 2021
The price of uncertainty
June 8, 2021Jun 2021
Always be marketing
June 7, 2021Jun 2021
Not sure what to write about?
June 6, 2021Jun 2021
“Process saves us from the poverty of our intentions”
June 5, 2021Jun 2021
Cheap advice doesn’t sell
June 4, 2021Jun 2021
Marginal profit and handling value conversations 🔊
June 3, 2021Jun 2021
An advisor’s duty is to be radically honest
June 2, 2021Jun 2021
Fix the system, don’t reprimand the person
June 1, 2021Jun 2021
Pricing advisory retainers the goldilocks way

May

May 31, 2021May 2021
The benefit of doing fewer things
May 30, 2021May 2021
Use constraints to your advantage
May 29, 2021May 2021
How to get your content read by your ideal clients
May 28, 2021May 2021
Using a methodology & operating system in your advisory OR execution business [Ep. 130]
May 27, 2021May 2021
There’s no such thing as a perfect client
May 26, 2021May 2021
Modelling success
May 25, 2021May 2021
Doing the thing you’ve been putting off
May 24, 2021May 2021
Value propositions that work
May 23, 2021May 2021
Be the advocate for your clients
May 22, 2021May 2021
Are you in alignment with your work?
May 21, 2021May 2021
128. How to create epic case studies with minimal effort [Ep. 128]
May 20, 2021May 2021
Nothing important to say
May 19, 2021May 2021
Why you need space to think
May 18, 2021May 2021
What it means to sell your expertise
May 17, 2021May 2021
How to transition from selling execution to advisory work
May 16, 2021May 2021
Consistency over time is hard to beat
May 15, 2021May 2021
Useful content
May 14, 2021May 2021
Why creating confidence in yourself and your clients is critical to your success [Ep. 126]
May 13, 2021May 2021
How much should marketers rely on their gut instinct?
May 12, 2021May 2021
Vague goals lead to vague strategies
May 11, 2021May 2021
Fighting for simplicity
May 10, 2021May 2021
Think of daily writing as a sample
May 9, 2021May 2021
The two traits you’ll need to succeed as a professional marketer
May 8, 2021May 2021
A good example of productized consulting services
May 7, 2021May 2021
What to do when a client or prospect asks for a discount [Ep. 123]
May 6, 2021May 2021
What you need to know to sell strategy
May 5, 2021May 2021
Not every marketing dollar needs to prove an ROI
May 4, 2021May 2021
An email-based community concept
May 3, 2021May 2021
How to quickly improve your business
May 2, 2021May 2021
Don’t do this
May 1, 2021May 2021
Do you run a business or do you own a job?

April

April 30, 2021Apr 2021
More isn’t always more
April 29, 2021Apr 2021
The systems of a marketing consultant
April 28, 2021Apr 2021
What problem are you really solving?
April 27, 2021Apr 2021
Questions make great content
April 26, 2021Apr 2021
The two kinds of clients
April 25, 2021Apr 2021
How to fix your value proposition to get more consulting clients
April 24, 2021Apr 2021
There’s always another client
April 23, 2021Apr 2021
Audio: How to scale your marketing consulting business (Ep. 119)
April 22, 2021Apr 2021
Client turnover is a good thing
April 21, 2021Apr 2021
How to talk about money with your clients
April 20, 2021Apr 2021
Why marketing advice should be jargon-free
April 19, 2021Apr 2021
The four things you need to be a successful consultant
April 18, 2021Apr 2021
One thing for one target market
April 17, 2021Apr 2021
Mass production or boutique service
April 16, 2021Apr 2021
Marketing needs a 6+ month horizon
April 15, 2021Apr 2021
How to know if your idea will work
April 14, 2021Apr 2021
How to get traction in a new niche
April 13, 2021Apr 2021
Why you should be selective about who you work with
April 12, 2021Apr 2021
The win/loss cycle of consulting
April 11, 2021Apr 2021
Your market is bigger than your target
April 10, 2021Apr 2021
The longer I’m in business, the less I do
April 9, 2021Apr 2021
The case for niche specialization (EP 118)
April 8, 2021Apr 2021
Replicating the things that work
April 7, 2021Apr 2021
What if you could only do the part of your job you loved?
April 6, 2021Apr 2021
How it feels to be a specialist vs. generalist
April 5, 2021Apr 2021
Check in on your best clients
April 4, 2021Apr 2021
Take a blue collar approach to your work
April 3, 2021Apr 2021
The best way to get clients
April 2, 2021Apr 2021
How to create target market profiles that actually get results
April 1, 2021Apr 2021
How do you know if your product or service is any good?

March

March 31, 2021Mar 2021
Your clients are paying for your worldview
March 30, 2021Mar 2021
Why you need to prune your clients sometimes
March 29, 2021Mar 2021
Nobody can succeed for you
March 28, 2021Mar 2021
The real way to keep score
March 27, 2021Mar 2021
Momentum and inertia
March 26, 2021Mar 2021
Podcast Interview on the Mitch Gray Show: Why Marketing and Mentoring Matters
March 25, 2021Mar 2021
Everything is a signal
March 24, 2021Mar 2021
How to ask people to do things the right way
March 23, 2021Mar 2021
Know why people should invest in you
March 22, 2021Mar 2021
How to get good at marketing
March 21, 2021Mar 2021
Great copy is assembled, not written
March 20, 2021Mar 2021
Do things that light you up for people you like
March 19, 2021Mar 2021
How to succeed in business
March 18, 2021Mar 2021
Say one thing, say it well
March 17, 2021Mar 2021
The value of scarcity
March 16, 2021Mar 2021
When should you execute tasks and when should you advise on them?
March 15, 2021Mar 2021
Reputation management
March 14, 2021Mar 2021
The daily portfolio
March 13, 2021Mar 2021
Why it’s important to like who you serve
March 12, 2021Mar 2021
Two things that make you more likely to be hired
March 11, 2021Mar 2021
Daily means daily
March 10, 2021Mar 2021
Why small is an advantage for consultants
March 9, 2021Mar 2021
Why offering less will make you a better consultant
March 8, 2021Mar 2021
Why you should price your consulting services based on longterm value
March 7, 2021Mar 2021
Why should I choose you?
March 6, 2021Mar 2021
The marketing voyage has no one set course
March 5, 2021Mar 2021
“Anti-laws” of advertising
March 4, 2021Mar 2021
Single-focus marketing
March 3, 2021Mar 2021
Nothing shows you care like a David Hasselhoff Cameo
March 2, 2021Mar 2021
A tip for daily bloggers
March 1, 2021Mar 2021
Steven Pressfield and The Resistance

February

February 28, 2021Feb 2021
Should you be a stickler for scope on fixed-fee engagements?
February 27, 2021Feb 2021
Inspiration and insight on running a membership program
February 26, 2021Feb 2021
The benefits of being a niche consultant
February 25, 2021Feb 2021
Nobody wants to hire the cheapest consultant
February 24, 2021Feb 2021
Assuming success in any niche
February 23, 2021Feb 2021
Does a daily newsletter exhaust you and your readers?
February 22, 2021Feb 2021
Knowing when to flex your authority (or not)
February 21, 2021Feb 2021
How to build an audience (insights by Tim Ferris)
February 20, 2021Feb 2021
Consulting is an intimate game
February 19, 2021Feb 2021
By doing less you accomplish more
February 18, 2021Feb 2021
A visual approach to a marketing plan
February 17, 2021Feb 2021
The best marketing
February 16, 2021Feb 2021
Minimizing your cognitive load
February 15, 2021Feb 2021
Sweat the basics
February 14, 2021Feb 2021
First impressions matter
February 13, 2021Feb 2021
The nuance to selling a “system”
February 12, 2021Feb 2021
Good marketing strategists and planners use examples
February 11, 2021Feb 2021
A writing trick for daily bloggers
February 10, 2021Feb 2021
Why you should work on your marketing daily
February 9, 2021Feb 2021
The three prongs of marketing
February 8, 2021Feb 2021
The tech stack I use to run a paid community on Circle
February 7, 2021Feb 2021
How NOT to add people to your mailing list
February 6, 2021Feb 2021
Transparency of mistakes
February 5, 2021Feb 2021
The ATM Strategy
February 4, 2021Feb 2021
The purpose of your website
February 3, 2021Feb 2021
The five kinds of content
February 2, 2021Feb 2021
Be unreasonably reliable
February 1, 2021Feb 2021
Sell the destination, not the journey

January

January 31, 2021Jan 2021
What I learned about group coaching vs. private consulting last year
January 30, 2021Jan 2021
Should you sell upfront stategy, audit, and roadmapping or start with an advisory retainer?
January 29, 2021Jan 2021
Directionally accurate
January 28, 2021Jan 2021
8 books every marketing consultant should read
January 27, 2021Jan 2021
Everything you encounter is a content idea
January 26, 2021Jan 2021
Strategy, systems, processes, and results
January 25, 2021Jan 2021
What if you couldn’t use your hands?
January 24, 2021Jan 2021
How to sell advisory services and scale your expertise
January 23, 2021Jan 2021
If you don’t know what to write, start writing
January 22, 2021Jan 2021
The disproportionate upsides and downsides
January 21, 2021Jan 2021
The thing about numbers
January 20, 2021Jan 2021
The thing about limiting beliefs
January 19, 2021Jan 2021
Your business is a system
January 18, 2021Jan 2021
What my toddler taught me about marketing
January 17, 2021Jan 2021
How to package your marketing advisory services
January 16, 2021Jan 2021
A resource for my typography nerds
January 15, 2021Jan 2021
The biggest differentiator you have is you
January 14, 2021Jan 2021
Most people aren’t ready to buy now
January 13, 2021Jan 2021
What to do when things aren’t working out for you
January 12, 2021Jan 2021
The emotional nature of consulting
January 11, 2021Jan 2021
Be known for one specific thing
January 10, 2021Jan 2021
How to listen to any article
January 9, 2021Jan 2021
What to do when your consulting work dries up
January 8, 2021Jan 2021
The tricky part of calculating customer lifetime value
January 7, 2021Jan 2021
How to create stuff people want to buy
January 6, 2021Jan 2021
Own it and move on
January 5, 2021Jan 2021
Be oddly specific
January 4, 2021Jan 2021
What happens when you aren’t charging enough
January 3, 2021Jan 2021
Where do you find your clients?
January 2, 2021Jan 2021
Your job as an advisor is never to convince
January 1, 2021Jan 2021
Brand vs. direct response marketing: which is better?

2020

December

December 31, 2020Dec 2020
How to make any marketing piece more effective
December 30, 2020Dec 2020
The tendency to overcomplicate
December 29, 2020Dec 2020
Should you position yourself as a fractional CMO?
December 28, 2020Dec 2020
Reflecting and planning for the new year
December 27, 2020Dec 2020
The value of marketing expertise