2Bobs—with David C. Baker and Blair Enns
- Episódios
- 254
- Publicação
- quinzenal
- Último episódio
- 4 nov 2026
Sobre o podcast
Conversations on the art of creative entrepreneurship with David C. Baker and Blair Enns
Episódios 254
Demand Is the New Supply
Blair recognizes that AI has triggered a knowledge product oversupply and now we have a signal-to-noise ratio problem. He sees reputation and reach reshaping the knowledge economy, consolidating a lot of power …
Notas do episódio
Blair recognizes that AI has triggered a knowledge product oversupply and now we have a signal-to-noise ratio problem. He sees reputation and reach reshaping the knowledge economy, consolidating a lot of power and wealth among a smaller number of experts who demonstrate their trustworthiness and rise above the noise.
Links"Demand Is the New Supply" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com: https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/insights/demand-is-the-new-supply
Inside the Head of a CMO
Given the data from recent research about Chief Marketing Officers, David has four things creative agencies should keep in mind during sales and work interactions with them. LINKS "Inside the Head of a CMO" by …
Notas do episódio
Given the data from recent research about Chief Marketing Officers, David has four things creative agencies should keep in mind during sales and work interactions with them.
LINKS"Inside the Head of a CMO" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
The Boathouse Fifth Annual CEO Study
Confessions of a CMO: A Field Guide to How CMOs Are Evolving to Thrive Under Corporate Pressure
Get Your Freak On!
Blair has been thinking about how, as AI continues to streamline more administrative tasks over time, we will be left to focus on the things we humans are good at – interacting with other humans. Because of …
Notas do episódio
Blair has been thinking about how, as AI continues to streamline more administrative tasks over time, we will be left to focus on the things we humans are good at – interacting with other humans. Because of this, the interesting people will win in selling their services and expertise.
Links"The Interesting People Will Win" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
"The Fertility Crash Will Make the World a Small Town" by Tyler Cowen for The Free Press
Do You Need an Advisory Board?
We all know how valuable external input from trusted advisors can be for our business. But what does that look like for independent agencies who don't have investors to answer to? LINKS "Do Independent Firms …
Notas do episódio
We all know how valuable external input from trusted advisors can be for our business. But what does that look like for independent agencies who don't have investors to answer to?
LINKS"Do Independent Firms Need A Board?" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
A Proposed AI Contribution Scale
Categorizing AI-generated copy as "human vs AI" is not as binary as with AI-generated images or video. So Blair has developed an AI Contribution Scale to help us all be more transparent when using LLMs in the …
Notas do episódio
Categorizing AI-generated copy as "human vs AI" is not as binary as with AI-generated images or video. So Blair has developed an AI Contribution Scale to help us all be more transparent when using LLMs in the creation of written communication intended for prospects, clients, and peers.
[This episode's notes are AI-0]
Links"The Coming Collapse of 'Thought Leadership'" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
Curt Jaimungal's 5-minute YouTube video on why you shouldn't let AI write for you
How Sellable Are You?
In a recent article, David discloses the questions all creative agency principals need to answer whenever they are ready to find the right buyer and successfully navigate the merger and acquisition (M&A) …
Notas do episódio
In a recent article, David discloses the questions all creative agency principals need to answer whenever they are ready to find the right buyer and successfully navigate the merger and acquisition (M&A) process to complete the sale.
LINKS
"How Sellable Is Your Firm?" by David C. Baker for Punctuation.com
Positioning, Strategy, and AI
Blair and David are hearing all kinds of people talking about how their positioning needs adjustment because of AI. Blair does see an issue developing for many creative firms, but more with business strategy …
Notas do episódio
Blair and David are hearing all kinds of people talking about how their positioning needs adjustment because of AI. Blair does see an issue developing for many creative firms, but more with business strategy instead of positioning.
LinksPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind and The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout
Good Strategy / Bad Strategy by Richard Rumelt
Playing to Win by Roger L. Martin
The Lords of Strategy by Walter Kiechel, III
Employee Retreats for Remote-First Teams
David recommends regular in-person company-wide gatherings for remote workers as an opportunity for creative agencies to help build their organization's culture in our post-pandemic economy where online video …
Notas do episódio
David recommends regular in-person company-wide gatherings for remote workers as an opportunity for creative agencies to help build their organization's culture in our post-pandemic economy where online video meetings continue to fill our calendars and working from home is the new norm.
LINKS
"Investing in Ee Retreats at Remote Firms" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
Productization (Again)
Blair changes his mind on productized services. Again. And AI is the reason. LINKS "The New Age of Consulting" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
Thirteen Signals Your Website Should Send
David shares a quick list of website elements he sees is missing from a lot of creative firms' websites which could help them attract more new business. Links "13 Signals Your Website Might Send" by David C …
Notas do episódio
David shares a quick list of website elements he sees is missing from a lot of creative firms' websites which could help them attract more new business.
Links"13 Signals Your Website Might Send" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
Embrace the Marketing Mess
Blair shares what stuck in his mind about marketing success from listening to a recent podcast interview with Rory Sutherland on Liam Curley's Undisputed Authority. Links "Embrace the Marketing Mess" article by …
Notas do episódio
Blair shares what stuck in his mind about marketing success from listening to a recent podcast interview with Rory Sutherland on Liam Curley's Undisputed Authority.
Links"Embrace the Marketing Mess" article by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
Rory Sutherland podcast interview on Liam Curley's Undisputed Authority
Firms Most at Risk
Which segments of our field will thrive in the near future and which ones will slowly lose relevance, and why? David wants creative entrepreneurs to continue being resilient and reinventing themselves every two …
Notas do episódio
Which segments of our field will thrive in the near future and which ones will slowly lose relevance, and why? David wants creative entrepreneurs to continue being resilient and reinventing themselves every two years while keeping a watchful eye on constantly evolving industry practices and technologies (including AI).
LinksPricing Resentment
Blair sees creative entrepreneurs opening themselves up to pricing resentment from their clients when the value of their contributions diminishes over time, especially when they've created significant economic …
Notas do episódio
Blair sees creative entrepreneurs opening themselves up to pricing resentment from their clients when the value of their contributions diminishes over time, especially when they've created significant economic value at the beginning of a long-term engagement.
LINKS
"Is Your Pricing Creating Resentment?" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
People vs. Profits
Prompted by a recent trip to Europe, David considers how the differences between worker protection laws in Europe compared to North America affect starting and running an agency in this fast-changing global …
Notas do episódio
Prompted by a recent trip to Europe, David considers how the differences between worker protection laws in Europe compared to North America affect starting and running an agency in this fast-changing global economy.
Links"Employment Law + Economic Flexibility" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
2Bobs in Tuscany
Join David, Blair, six other business owners and their spouses for four days and nights of creative business exploration in an intimate countryside villa designed for long meals, deep conversations, and unhurried thinking.
Three Patterns of Lost Opportunities
Blair identifies three recurring categories of lost sales in creative firms and offers solutions to each. Fixing two of these patterns can reap the dividends immediately, and adjusting your sales approach for …
Notas do episódio
Blair identifies three recurring categories of lost sales in creative firms and offers solutions to each. Fixing two of these patterns can reap the dividends immediately, and adjusting your sales approach for all three will pay off for years.
LINKS
"Three Patterns of Lost Opportunities" article by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
"Slapping Down Your Childlike Glee" 2Bobs episode
"Debriefing After a New Business Call" 2Bobs episode
"Assume an Advantaged Player" 2Bobs episode
"The Rungs You Can Reach on the Ladder of Lead Generation" 2Bobs episode
Why Clients Come, Stay, and Leave
David sees a lot of creative agencies making bad assumptions about their client relationships by not making the distinction between the reasons why clients come to them in the first place, why they choose to …
Notas do episódio
David sees a lot of creative agencies making bad assumptions about their client relationships by not making the distinction between the reasons why clients come to them in the first place, why they choose to continue working with them as time passes, and then why they ultimately move on.
LINKS
"Distinguishing Between Why Clients Come, Stay, and Leave" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
Is AI Going to Kill Labor-based Pricing?
Blair is stunned that he still encounters so many advisory businesses like ad agencies, consulting firms, legal and accounting practices — large and small — that are still selling time. So he and David discuss …
Notas do episódio
Blair is stunned that he still encounters so many advisory businesses like ad agencies, consulting firms, legal and accounting practices — large and small — that are still selling time. So he and David discuss what new revenue models should look like as we all adapt to how AI is changing our businesses.
Links"Time's Up, Babycakes" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
Time's Up!: The Subscription Business Model for Professional Firms by Paul Dunn and Ronald J. Baker
The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business in Any Industry by John Warrillow
The Forever Transaction by Robbie Kellman Baxter
Subscribed: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company's Future – and What to Do About It by Tien Tzuo and Gabe Weisert
If I Were Starting a New Firm
Blair interviews David about a recent article he's been receiving a lot of feedback on, in which he lists all of the things he would try to incorporate into a brand new creative agency, based on what he's seen …
Notas do episódio
Blair interviews David about a recent article he's been receiving a lot of feedback on, in which he lists all of the things he would try to incorporate into a brand new creative agency, based on what he's seen and learned from working with thousands of firms over the years.
Links"If I Started A New Firm, Now" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
Decoy or Anchor?
Blair differentiates between decoy pricing and price anchoring, which are two different techniques that are often confused for each other, and can increase your average proposal value in multi-option pricing …
Notas do episódio
Blair differentiates between decoy pricing and price anchoring, which are two different techniques that are often confused for each other, and can increase your average proposal value in multi-option pricing when used appropriately.
Links"Decoy or Anchor?" article by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
We Are All Closet Socialists
Despite the fact that many entrepreneurs hate people telling them what to do, they end up running their own agencies using a "central planning" model. Instead, David encourages entrepreneurial leaders to set …
Notas do episódio
Despite the fact that many entrepreneurs hate people telling them what to do, they end up running their own agencies using a "central planning" model. Instead, David encourages entrepreneurial leaders to set clear standards, give staff more freedom, and institute kind accountability, for them and ourselves.
Links"Countering Your 'Central Planning' Tendencies" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
Shower Your Way to Sales Success
David interviews Blair about his recent article in which he gives us methods to cope with our own natural emotional and physiological responses that can be triggered when unforeseen events unfold within sales …
Notas do episódio
David interviews Blair about his recent article in which he gives us methods to cope with our own natural emotional and physiological responses that can be triggered when unforeseen events unfold within sales conversations.
LINKS
"Can Improv and Cold Plunges Improve Your Sales?" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
Blair's interview on the Undisputed Authority podcast with Liam Curley
Why Entrepreneurs Are Unemployable
Blair interviews David about a recent article in which he argues that the very traits that make entrepreneurs successful also make it hard for them to give up being their own boss and join someone else's …
Notas do episódio
Blair interviews David about a recent article in which he argues that the very traits that make entrepreneurs successful also make it hard for them to give up being their own boss and join someone else's company.
LINKS
"What Makes Entrepreneurs Unemployable" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
The Problem of Mechanistic Thinking
David interviews Blair about his recent article in which he explores how our businesses are not simple machines that can be tuned (or killed) with specific wrenches, but they are complex adaptive organisms that …
Notas do episódio
David interviews Blair about his recent article in which he explores how our businesses are not simple machines that can be tuned (or killed) with specific wrenches, but they are complex adaptive organisms that we need to understand differently.
LINKS
"Your Business Is Not a Machine" by Blair Enns for winwitoutpitching.com
Oppositio Singularis: The Positioner's Folly
David sees too many marketing agencies trying to attract new business by staking claims of specialness on things for which nobody is claiming the opposite, instead of building their positioning on uniquely …
Notas do episódio
David sees too many marketing agencies trying to attract new business by staking claims of specialness on things for which nobody is claiming the opposite, instead of building their positioning on uniquely defined expertise.
Dealing With the Ghosting Problem
Are prospects not responding to your follow-up after you submit a proposal? Blair goes through what might be causing their lack of response and then provides three tools to address the ghosting problem. Links …
Notas do episódio
Are prospects not responding to your follow-up after you submit a proposal? Blair goes through what might be causing their lack of response and then provides three tools to address the ghosting problem.
Links"Ghosted. Now What?" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
Defending the Castle When the Moats Are Drained
One characteristic of our industry is disappearing moats. After a brief overview of the fourteen moats we've lost from 1965 to today, we'll look at what turf we really have left to defend and what the future …
Notas do episódio
One characteristic of our industry is disappearing moats. After a brief overview of the fourteen moats we've lost from 1965 to today, we'll look at what turf we really have left to defend and what the future will look like if we get this right. It'll be very different, and you'd better get ahead of it.
The Four Priorities of Winning New Business
What do we do in those situations where we have to pitch? Blair simplifies some important principles from his books into a sequence of four precepts we can follow when the sales process doesn't progress like …
Notas do episódio
What do we do in those situations where we have to pitch? Blair simplifies some important principles from his books into a sequence of four precepts we can follow when the sales process doesn't progress like we'd hoped.
Links"The Only New Business Indicator That Matters" 2Bobs episode
Understanding Earnouts
If/when you sell your firm, it'll likely be the largest transaction of your life, and so it makes sense to understand it! In this episode David gives a crash course in everything earnouts. LINKS "Understanding …
Notas do episódio
If/when you sell your firm, it'll likely be the largest transaction of your life, and so it makes sense to understand it! In this episode David gives a crash course in everything earnouts.
LINKS
"Understanding Earnouts" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
Grow or Die?
Blair recognizes growth opportunities in every area of life and business, yet sees many people chasing metrics while unknowingly resisting genuine progress for various reasons. LINKS "Chief Growth Officer" by …
Notas do episódio
Blair recognizes growth opportunities in every area of life and business, yet sees many people chasing metrics while unknowingly resisting genuine progress for various reasons.
LINKS
"Chief Growth Officer" by Blair Enns for winwithoutpitching.com
You're Cheating Clients Unless You're Repetitive
David recognizes that the fear of repeating ourselves in our client work is motivated by the right things: "am I delivering value?" LINKS "Repeating Yourself as an Expert" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com …
Notas do episódio
David recognizes that the fear of repeating ourselves in our client work is motivated by the right things: "am I delivering value?"
LINKS
"Repeating Yourself as an Expert" by David C. Baker for punctuation.com
Aqui estão os 40 episódios mais recentes de 254. Os mais antigos estão no feed do podcast.
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