I had this conversation with a friend the other day. Brilliant guy. Sharp. Decades of experience. He’s applied to 60+ jobs in the last three months. He was submitted to a couple. Zero callbacks.

And it hit me: smart guys finish last.

Not because they’re not good enough. Not because they didn’t do the work. Not because they couldn’t crush the role. They finish last because the system isn’t built to reward talent, knowledge, or experience. It’s built to minimize risk.

They finish last BECAUSE they are too good.

If the job description says HubSpot and your resume says Salesforce – you don’t get a shot. Doesn’t matter if you could learn HubSpot blindfolded in a week. Doesn’t matter if you built out entire sales systems in Salesforce that generated millions. The AI doesn’t care about your brain. It cares about keywords. And if you don’t have the right word in the right place – you never even cross the starting line.

And if you think the manager is looking for “potential,” think again. They’re looking at your last couple jobs and asking: Was this person already doing exactly what I need? Because if not, you’re “too big of a leap.” You could be a product manager who grew revenue in banking, navigated regulators, dealt with impossible stakeholders – but if the new role is in insurance? You’re dismissed. Different label, different line item, too risky.

And then comes the age trap. The older you get, the harder it gets. You’d think 30 years of experience is an advantage. It’s not. It’s a liability. Because the 35-year-old hiring manager doesn’t want someone who makes them feel small. They don’t want someone who could run circles around them in knowledge. They don’t want someone who might challenge their judgment. They want safe. They want easy. They want a peer they can manage without feeling like a fraud in their own chair.

That’s the truth nobody likes to admit.

The job doesn’t go to the most capable. It doesn’t go to the fastest learner. It doesn’t go to the person who could walk in and reinvent the way things are done. It doesn’t go to the best of the best.

Who gets the job instead? The “safe bet.” The person who just left a role doing the exact same thing last month, with the right degree in the right box. Someone who will not reinvent anything, who slides into the team, nods along, keeps the steady comfortable pace without stirring the pond. Convenient to manage, pleasant to work with, and unlikely to challenge you – or your stale process.

Someone doesn’t throw all that knowledge and experience at you to make you – or the product – better.

So the irony? The more you know, the less they want you. The sharper you are, the more threatening you become. The more inconvenient. The more unpredictable. The more risky.

It’s not about who’s best. It’s about who fits easily into mediocre conformity.

So if you’re older, you’re ignored. If you’re different, misunderstood, quirky, you’re passed over. If you’re too talented, too experienced, too outside the mold – you’re dangerous.

That’s the game. Hiring isn’t a meritocracy. It’s not about brilliance. It’s not about upside. It’s about protecting the system from risk.

American job market doesn’t need superheroes. It doesn’t need Steve Jobses, Travis Kalanicks, Evan Williamses, Jack Dorseys. It needs Dwight Schrutes and Charlie Browns, quiet Dudley Do-Rights who does just a little more than “OK” to show that they still are good for the job, but who are convenient to keep.

Because they are predictable…

But the truth is, achievements are inconvenient. Growth is not always pleasant. Strive for excellence and especially when it’s enforced upon you is annoying and may be even painful.

The tragedy? The very things that make someone unstoppable in real life – range, adaptability, wisdom – are the same things that get you eliminated in the hiring funnel.

But you rip what you sew. America, don’t expect excellence in your products if you keep hiring mediocrity just because brilliance makes you uncomfortable.

Just like Cracker Barrel’s logo redesign – safe, bland, trend-chasing – predictable hires produce products and brands that feel forgettable.

Conformity kills recognition and impact. This is what happens when you play it safe.

You hired that.

The post Smart Guys Finish Last first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.

People keep asking me what is the message mindset coach.

We all use language every day, but most of us don’t realize how much our words shape our reality. Language is “more than just a means of communication” – it shapes our emotions, beliefs, and energy levels”. A Message Mindset Coach helps you tap into that power. In short, this coach specializes in the mindset shifts, personal transformations, and even business growth and the techniques they use are i one way or another are connected to the message – the words you speak, write, and even think.

We often overlook what we say, but every phrase we use carries weight (positive or negative) for how we feel and what we achieve. Not only the words that go through our system, impact our way of thinking, they shape our perceptions and ultimately influence our life’s trajectory”.

Message Mindset Coach guides you to examine the messages in your life – spoken, written, and internal – and help you reshape them for growth. In personal life, this exploration helps you recognize your speaking patterns that affect your communications – with people that matter in your life, and help shape that conversation which is especially valuable when it comes to the most important conversation in your life – with self.

In general, mindset coaches are experts at helping people discover, practice, and master new ways to intentionally shape their mindset. A Message Mindset Coach focuses that process on communication – external and internal.

When it comes to personal growth, Message Mindset Coaches show you that your internal dialogue and word choices aren’t fixed – you can rewrite them. In business, Message Mindset Coaches teach you how to use the power of message to supercharge your offer and relationship with your customer.

A Shared Struggle: Wrong Message

Aesop called the tongue both the best and the worst for a reason. Language can create peace or provoke war. It can build bridges or burn them. Word can kill, just as fast as it can cure. Shifting the narrative may change the game and turn it 180. All the most progressive mindset-shifting patterns rest on the message. Business success is literally in the message—drop your offer game, and you will not have any business.

A word is not a bird—you let it fly, you won’t catch it. Once spoken, it lives outside of you and begins shaping how others see you and how you see yourself.

Your internal monologue makes you who you are—or breaks you, preventing you from becoming who you want to be. Just like it’s easy to fall into negative self-talk, it’s just as easy to send the wrong message to your target audience and miss the marketing mark. In business, the impact of the wrong message may come at a high price. In personal life, the price may be even higher – not only wrong message can turn you away from being who you want to be, it stalls your growth, breaks relationships, and it also breaks lives.

Regaining Control

Here’s the good news: you can change your inner narrative, improve any conversation in your life, and you can make any offer sound irresistible – with the power of message. You can literally use the word to not only inspire others to buy what you are selling faster and easier, but with the right message, you can steer anyone to make decisions that favor you. and it’s not manipulation. It’s inspiration.

With a shift in perspective about your inner and outer conversations – you become the author of your story, and your life. Your life is absolutely inseparable from the kind of message its running on. Even if you don’t talk to anyone – you always talk to yourself.

You even talk to yourself when you are in a coma. That may sound surprising, but research shows that our brains continue to process language and internal dialogue even in altered states of consciousness. Our internal narrative is so deeply wired that it doesn’t simply switch off; it loops and repeats beneath the surface, influencing how we feel and who we become.

This means that the messages you send yourself—whether encouraging, critical, or neutral—are always active, shaping your mindset at a foundational level. It’s not just about what you say out loud or write down; it’s the ongoing conversation inside that forms the blueprint of your beliefs and behaviors. Recognizing this gives you a profound opportunity: to take conscious control of those internal messages, because even when you’re not speaking, your mind never stops communicating with itself.

You can create your own reframes that feel true. Practice makes real change: each time you notice a harsh thought and swap it for an encouraging one, you slowly rewire your brain. Studies confirm that with practice, your brain will adopt these new positive patterns, leading to “significant improvements in your emotional well-being and overall outlook on life”

In other words, by repeatedly speaking to yourself with kindness and possibility, you train your mind to expect and achieve better outcomes. You deserve this shift.

Your Open Invitation: Shape Your Narrative

The Message Mindset Coach ultimately invites you to reflect: What story do you want to tell yourself and others today? Your words literally shape your beliefs, so you always have a choice. You can continue believing the old limiting scripts, or you can choose words that uplift. Every inner question – “Can I do this? Do I deserve this?” – is an open invitation to a new answer. You might try it now: the next time you catch yourself saying “I’m not ready” or “I don’t deserve it,” pause and ask, “What if I am ready, and I do deserve this?”

You deserve to be heard, to express your ideas, and to succeed. You deserve to send a message about your offer that finds the exact people who need it the most – and help as many as possible.

A Message Mindset Coach simply holds the mirror up to your language and says, “Look at this power in your hands.”

How will you use it? Whether you make a small shift today or begin a deeper journey with a coach, know that changing your message is changing your life. The choice is yours.

The post The Message Mindset Coach – Truly Empowering Your Voice first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.

What I discovered wasn’t a viral hack or a secret formula. It’s just a structure that works for me—because of how I speak, how I think, and how I connect. You don’t have to copy it. In fact, I hope you don’t.

But if you’re trying to make your message land deeper, maybe this framework gives you something to experiment with.

Here’s what I did—step by step.

1. Open with a Disarming Question or Contradiction

Start with something that makes your audience tilt their head. It should quietly destabilize something they believe to be true.

In my video, I opened with:

“Why does going the right way still feel like something is missing?’”

It wasn’t loud. Just… gently disorienting.

Why it works: It creates a subtle emotional tension. A reason to stay and find resolution.

2. Name the Universal Struggle

Call out the “smart” way of doing life—and show that it’s still not working emotionally.

I said:

“You’re a good student. A high performer… but why does it still feel like something’s off?”

Why it works: People want to feel seen, not studied. When you reflect their internal experience, they lean in.

3. List the Logical Steps We All Try to Take

Name the checklist. The milestones. The things we’re taught to pursue.

“Pick the right college… the right partner… the right rules…”

Why it works: It sharpens self-recognition. The viewer sees themselves in the list—and starts to question it.

4. Introduce Internal Conflict (Voice vs. Voice)

Pit their inner voices against each other. Show that “truth” is layered.

“Is it my father’s ‘right’? My mother’s? My own? What if mine keeps changing?”

Why it works: It opens space for inner fluidity. It invites them to honor their own uncertainty.

5. Spiral Down into Existential Realization

Now we go deeper. Ask the hard, meta-questions.

“Why do I keep returning to the complexity… Why don’t I let myself be simple?”
“Am I expecting a reward?”

Why it works: The viewer stops analyzing and starts feeling. Their own ache surfaces.

6. Break the Illusion (The Cracking Moment)

Reveal what you saw. Share the moment the illusion fell apart for you.

“We’ve become so absorbed in doing life right, it’s like a performance…”

Why it works: It’s the unmasking. And when you take off your mask, they begin to take off theirs.

7. Cultural or Emotional Mirror (Optional)

In this video, I included a line from Pleasantville:

“David’s Mom: ‘I had the right house. The right car. The right life…’”

Why it works: It grounds the message in a shared emotional moment. Makes it sticky.

8. Offer a Soft Reframe (No Instruction)

No advice. No action steps. Just a shift in perspective—tender and spacious.

“Maybe the right thing is to just try to be driven by love…”
“…not perfect. Not always clear. Just real.”

Why it works: It creates relief. No pressure. Just a new way to see things.

9. End on a Gentle Paradox or Permission

A closing phrase that feels like an exhale. An invitation to stop chasing.

“And maybe not even look for the right way.”

Why it works: It unhooks the viewer. The spiral closes not with a solution—but with peace.

Summary: The 5-Step Simplified Spiral

1. Disarming Entry

Open with a question or statement that breaks expectation and evokes immediate reflection.

2. Shared Human Struggle

Name a common internal tension or psychological dilemma that creates identification and emotional grounding.

3. Unseen Pattern or Trap

Reveal the deeper system, belief, or loop that sustains the struggle—something normally overlooked or misunderstood.

4. Reframe and Restore Agency

Offer a perspective shift that dissolves self-blame and repositions the listener as capable of change.

5. Open Invitation

End with a thought or inquiry that expands choice, sparks insight, or invites aligned action.

Final Thought

You don’t need to follow this exactly. But if you’re a deep thinker, a soft challenger, or someone who speaks from the quiet corners of experience—this may work for you too.

It worked for me because I didn’t try to teach. I tried to feel. And people don’t just subscribe to knowledge. They subscribe to resonance.

Try it. Not because it’s “right.” But because it might just be real.

The post What I Learned From My Best Performing YouTube Video first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.

If you’re a small or not-yet-large business, this article is for you.
Read carefully — because the gap between surviving and scaling often comes down to the strategy you apply when money is tight and options are limited.

What Alex Hormozi Says — And Why It Matters to You

In a recent video, Alex Hormozi outlines why many businesses, especially service providers, should focus on large or wealthy clients. His reasoning is clear:

Limited Resources

Small businesses don’t have enough capital or manpower.

Slow Decisions

Despite smaller size, internal delays are common.

Risk Aversion

Fear of failure keeps them from taking bold moves.

Owner Dependency

Too much relies on one person’s vision or bandwidth.

Weak Market Position

Competing with larger brands is tough.

Transactional Relationships

Long-term strategic partnerships are rare.

In other words: many experts won’t work with you — not because they’re snobs, but because your business conditions make high-impact work hard to execute.

The Hard Truth: When You Hire Help, It’s Often Inexperienced or Low-Quality

If you’re a small startup with limited funds, understand this:
Top-tier professionals usually avoid your segment. It’s not personal — it’s economics.

So when you hire help, you’re likely getting:

• A beginner (who lacks experience)
• Or someone who cuts corners (even if they look impressive online)

This doesn’t mean you’re doomed — it just means you need a strategy to navigate this reality wisely.

The Smart Strategy for Small Businesses: Creative + Intentional Outsourcing

Here’s how to get the support you need without pretending you’re a big fish.

Hire students who need portfolio work

• Use platforms like Behance, design school boards, or even Instagram DMs
• Expect slower turnaround and guidance needs
• Give clear briefs. Make it easy for them to shine

Tap into skilled family or close network

• Got a cousin who’s a UX designer? Or a brother-in-law with SEO skills?
• Offer non-cash value: e.g., free childcare, vacation stays, or even barter deals like cooking for their family
• Family wants to help — but they need to see value and boundaries

Hire offshore via Fiverr, Upwork, or OnlineJobs.ph

• Always vet with small paid test tasks
• Ask for before-and-after examples or loom videos explaining their work
• Use country-specific forums to understand pricing and norms

Learn to do things yourself

• This isn’t about becoming a full-stack developer
• It’s about becoming dangerous enough to do, direct, or delegate well
• Learn the basics of design, funnels, email, or even video editing — enough to judge quality and bridge gaps

When to Do Things Yourself: How to Decide

Use this as a quick filter to know what you can take on personally:

• Does it directly generate revenue or grow your audience? → Learn to do it
• Can AI tools accelerate or automate most of it? → Learn the tool and get started
• Is it repeatable, scalable, and not super technical? → You can probably master it fast
• Would doing it yourself help you manage future hires better? → Worth learning

Examples:

• Learning Canva or Figma? Yes
• Writing your own landing page copy with ChatGPT’s help? Worth a try
• Doing your own legal contracts? Nope. Hire a pro

What to Pay Full Price For — No Discounts, No Bargaining

Some things are not worth skimping on. Here’s a good rule of thumb:
If it defines your brand or is a high-trust item — pay full price.

• Logo & brand design — If done wrong, you’ll redo it multiple times
• Website development — Avoid template messes that break
• Legal, tax, and financials — Amateur mistakes are expensive
• Core software infrastructure — Bad tools slow you down more than you realize

Be frugal — but not where it costs you your credibility or compliance.

How to Leverage Self-Study and Pick the Right Guides

If you’re doing it yourself, do it well. Here’s how to find quality self-study resources:

• Look for practitioner-led content — Not theory, but from those who do the thing daily
• Avoid YouTube rabbit holes — Instead, buy 1–2 solid, structured courses
• Ask: does this guide show me how to think and make decisions? If it just shows buttons, it’s incomplete
• Leverage AI to accelerate learning — e.g., paste in course outlines and ask AI to explain key concepts or help create a checklist
• Follow creators who build in public — You’ll learn from their process, not just their product

Examples of good self-study platforms:

• UpGreatly (Created by a small business for small businesses)
• Skillshare (great for creatives)
• Udemy (look for highly rated, recent courses)
• AI + YouTube for execution support

Final Word

If you’re reading this and you’re still small — own that.

Small is not weak. It just demands smarter plays.
Big businesses buy speed. You buy resilience, creativity, and personal skin in the game.

You don’t need to pretend to be bigger. You need to be sharper.

The post The Smart Survival Guide for Small Businesses first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.

A decade ago, people would invest time in webinars, read through email sequences, and eventually schedule a call. Today, they won’t wait for that. They skim, skip, and expect instant answers. If your funnel still relies on long forms, slow email sequences, and outdated lead magnets, you’ve created a lead graveyard where prospects get lost and never convert. It’s time to evolve.

Why Traditional Funnels Are Losing Steam

People’s attention spans have shortened, and their expectations have skyrocketed. The digital world is crowded, and if your funnel doesn’t grab attention within seconds, it risks fading into the noise. When prospects enter your funnel, they want fast, relevant answers—now.

Here’s why traditional funnels are no longer effective

People don’t nurture themselves

Long email sequences and slow follow-ups are a thing of the past. If you’re not engaging leads in real-time, they’re bouncing to competitors who are offering instant solutions.

Instant gratification is the norm

In 2025, prospects expect frictionless, fast experiences. They’re conditioned to get what they want immediately.

No more one-size-fits-all approaches

Generic messages don’t cut it anymore. Leads want personalization from the very first interaction. If you’re still sending the same message to everyone, you’re missing the mark.

Speed is the new currency

If your funnel isn’t optimized for speed and ease, you’re leaving money on the table. Prospects expect to make decisions quickly, and if you don’t make that possible, they’ll walk away.

Adapting Your Funnel for the Speed & Attention Era

Instant Engagement and Personalization vs. Delayed Follow-Up and One-Size-Fits-All Messaging

• 2025 Funnel: Immediate interaction with leads through quizzes, chatbots, or real-time offers based on their input. Personalization happens instantly, tailoring the experience right from the first touchpoint (e.g., personalized videos, case studies).
• Old Funnel: Delayed follow-up after a form fill or webinar sign-up, with long waiting periods before engagement. Relies on broad, one-size-fits-all messaging sent out to all leads with minimal customization or relevance.

Real-Time Conversion and Instant Gratification vs. Slow Conversion Processes and Drip-Feed Content

• 2025 Funnel: Conversion happens instantly with minimal friction (e.g., booking a call immediately after engagement). Leads are provided with instant gratification, given what they need in real time and urged to act immediately.
• Old Funnel: Conversion takes place after multiple touchpoints and extended follow-ups (e.g., emails or waiting for webinar attendance). Relies on slow, drip-feed content or long email sequences to nurture leads over time.

Data-Driven Targeting and Behavioral-Based Approach vs. Broad Targeting and Passive Engagement

• 2025 Funnel: Uses high-intent retargeting and tracking (cookies, pixels) to show highly relevant ads and follow up with leads in real-time based on behavior. Adapts to the lead’s behavior, delivering content or offers exactly when they’re needed.
• Old Funnel: Funnels rely on broad targeting with minimal retargeting or real-time action. Assumes leads will engage passively through a linear funnel without considering behavior.

Conversational and Automated Interaction vs. Manual Interactions and Passive Follow-Ups

• 2025 Funnel: Uses conversational AI like chatbots to engage leads directly and guide them through the process, with automated SMS/email follow-ups for further personalization.
• Old Funnel: Relies on manual interactions, forms, and passive email sequences that require more effort from the lead to engage.

Speed and Efficiency vs. Slow Processes and Barriers to Conversion

• 2025 Funnel: Designed to meet the consumer’s need for speed and immediate solutions, creating a frictionless, fast decision-making environment.
• Old Funnel: Traditional models have slower processes with more barriers to conversion, creating longer sales cycles.

How to Revamp Your Funnel: 2025-Ready Workflows

Instant Lead Qualification Funnel

• Step 1: Lead takes a short quiz to qualify their needs.
• Step 2: Receive personalized content immediately based on their responses.
• Step 3: Offer a real-time strategy session with an instant booking option.
• Step 4: Follow up with an automated SMS or email for further personalization.
• Step 5: Convert them immediately—no waiting.

Why It Works: Immediate engagement, relevant content, and real-time solutions drive quick decisions.

High-Intent Retargeting Funnel

• Step 1: A lead visits your site but leaves without purchasing.
• Step 2: Show highly targeted ads based on their behavior (e.g., offering a discount for immediate booking).
• Step 3: Lead clicks and lands on a page with a clear call-to-action (CTA) to book a call.
• Step 4: Send a reminder text 15 minutes before the call.
• Step 5: Close the deal during the call with personalized solutions.

Why It Works: Retargeting shows prospects what they need right when they need it. Instant follow-up and booking increase conversion rates.

Conversational Funnel with Chatbots

• Step 1: A lead visits your site and is greeted by a chatbot that asks, “What’s your biggest challenge?”
• Step 2: Chatbot delivers personalized content based on their response (e.g., case studies, product demos).
• Step 3: Suggests a live demo or immediate call booking.
• Step 4: Automated SMS/email follow-up prompts them to take action.
• Step 5: Real-time conversion through direct engagement.

Why It Works: Personalization at scale, immediate interaction, and an easy path to conversion.

Traditional funnels are outdated. Leads don’t wait. If your funnel isn’t designed for speed and relevance, you’re leaving opportunities on the table. These new, fast funnels align with the expectations of the modern buyer, particularly Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X, who prioritize speed, personalization, and convenience.

The Key to Staying Ahead

Speed
The faster you engage, the quicker you convert. Slow funnels create friction, and friction costs sales.

Personalization
Leads want to feel understood. Generic messaging won’t cut it in 2025. Speak to them directly.

Automation
Make decisions easier for your leads. Use automation for real-time engagement and frictionless conversions.

In the old model, you were chasing leads. In the new model, you’re guiding them toward a seamless decision-making experience. That’s where the power lies. Adapting your funnel to these new standards isn’t just a good idea—it’s the only way to stay relevant and competitive.

Ready to leave outdated funnels behind? Start building the 2025 funnel today.

The post 3 Awesome Funnel Fixes That Help You Stop Bleeding Money first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.

I’ve seen people double their revenue in 90 days just by replacing routine tasks with the right AI tools. And I’ve seen others disappear because they didn’t adapt.

This isn’t about hype. This is about survival. This is about leverage.

The game has changed — either you use AI or you get used by it.

Refuse to Adapt, Prepare to Vanish

In 2025, businesses that refuse to adapt will disappear. It’s not a matter of if—it’s a matter of when.
If you’re still running your business with outdated tools, personal control, manual tables, and relying on your memory, you’re already falling behind.
Meanwhile, the competition is using AI to do in months what used to take them years.

AI is no longer just a buzzword. It’s a new infrastructure that’s deeper, faster, and more integrated than anything we’ve seen before.
The internet might have been a game-changer in the past, but AI will define the next phase of business success.
If you’re not leveraging AI, you’re not in the race.

Not About Size—It’s About Systems

I see it every day.
Small businesses and independent owners are still trying to do it all themselves.
But then, there are those who’ve realized that artificial intelligence is the key to scaling their efforts.
They’re integrating AI into their businesses, and in just a month, they’re getting more done than others who are still stuck in the old ways.

Here’s what you need to understand: the businesses that incorporate AI will have a massive advantage.
This doesn’t mean firing your employees or needing to be a coding expert.
It’s about delegating routine tasks, automating processes, and using tech to streamline operations.

AI allows you to focus on what truly matters—strategy, creativity, and innovation—while it takes care of the rest.

And here’s the kicker: it’s not about the size of your business.
It’s about the system you have in place.
You don’t need to be a corporation to succeed with AI—you just need clarity

The 5 things you must do now to stay in the game

To stay ahead of your competition and fully capitalize on AI, here are the five absolute musts for 2025:

Maximize Website Conversion with AI

Stop waiting for customers to come to you. With tools like Invisible Leads, you can convert up to 50% of your website visitors into paying customers. Instant AI-powered outreach doesn’t just engage visitors—it builds a relationship from the second they land. This isn’t just automation; it’s the difference between passive traffic and real-time engagement.

Automate Customer Support with AI Chatbots

Say goodbye to wait times and missed opportunities. AI-powered chatbots like Web Chat Assist deliver 24/7 support, handling FAQs, guiding purchases, and resolving simple issues—without human involvement. Your customers get quick answers. Your team gets time back. Everyone wins.

Use AI-Driven Analytics to Predict and Act

Static dashboards are dead. Tools like Obviously.AI, Pecan, or Falkon use machine learning to analyze historical data and predict future outcomes—customer churn, lifetime value, purchase behavior, and even revenue forecasts. This isn’t “reporting.” This is AI telling you what to do next. You’re not just looking at what happened—you’re steering the future with precision.

Leverage AI to Automate Content Creation

Content doesn’t need to be a bottleneck. Platforms like Jasper and Copy.ai help you produce personalized, high-converting content—fast. Whether it’s blog posts, social campaigns, or email sequences, AI tailors your messaging for the right audience at the right time. It’s content that performs and scales.

Enhance Operational Efficiency with Task Automation

Let AI handle the busywork. Tools like Zapier or Monday.com connect your systems, automate repetitive tasks, and keep operations flowing. From email follow-ups to file management, everything gets streamlined. You get to focus on strategy—instead of the small stuff.

If you’re serious about competing in 2025 and beyond, you need to start integrating AI into every aspect of your business. AI isn’t just a tool; it’s the infrastructure that will drive your business forward. The sooner you adopt it, the sooner you’ll see results.

The post Why AI Is Your MAIN Competitive Edge in 2025 first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.

Cold outreach isn’t the problem—bad cold outreach is. If you’re sending the same tired, generic messages as everyone else, your prospects will ignore you just like they ignore the hundreds of other people who do the same thing. The reason outreach still works is that most people do it terribly, which means those who do it right stand out immediately. If you want responses, stop being lazy. Cold outreach still works, but lazy, generic, and spammy messages don’t.

Most people assume that if their outreach isn’t landing, the strategy itself is flawed. But the reality? The problem is you. Your approach is weak, your messaging is unclear, and your prospect has no compelling reason to care. Instead of blaming the method, fix your execution. Find what’s broken, iterate, and improve until you’re getting the results you want. If people aren’t responding, the problem isn’t outreach—it’s your approach.

Nobody has time to figure out why your message matters—you have to make it obvious. Skip the fluff, get straight to the pain point, and present a no-brainer solution. The easier it is for someone to say yes, the more likely they will. Confusion kills deals, but clarity closes them. The key? Get specific. Speak to a real problem. Make it easy to say yes.

2. Stop Sounding Like a Robot—Personalization Wins

Generic, small-talk outreach kills even the best-planned campaigns. If your opener is weak, your message is dead on arrival. Get to the point. No fluff. No filler. No ‘Hope you’re doing well’ nonsense. That phrase alone is a one-way ticket to the trash. Burn it into your brain—or better yet, grab a Sharpie and write this on your desk: ‘Hope you’re doing well’ = DELETE.”

Personalization doesn’t mean slapping a first name into a template—it means making it painfully obvious that your message is for them and only them. Mention something specific, reference their business, or call out a recent challenge they’re facing. Show them that you actually know who they are, not just that you found them on LinkedIn. If your message feels like a mass email, it’s trash.

The difference between a message that gets ignored and one that sparks a reply is simple: relevance. If you’re sending the same pitch to everyone, you’re sending it to no one. Get inside their head, speak directly to their challenges, and offer something that actually matters to them. Your goal isn’t to blast messages—it’s to start conversations. Stop sending the same recycled garbage.

3. Your Offer Might Be the Problem

You can have the perfect outreach, but if your offer is weak, it’s all for nothing. People don’t say no just because they’re too busy—they say no because they don’t see enough value in what you’re offering. If your message isn’t converting, take a hard look at what you’re actually asking them to do. If nobody’s responding, maybe it’s not how you’re saying it, but what you’re offering.

A winning offer is clear, urgent, and impossible to ignore. If someone has to think too hard to understand what you’re selling, they’ll ignore you. If they don’t see why it matters right now, they won’t prioritize it. And if there’s too much friction—too much effort, too much commitment, too much risk—they’ll move on. A strong offer removes friction.

Your job isn’t just to get their attention—it’s to make it stupidly simple for them to say yes. No confusion. No heavy lifting. Just a clear, immediate reason to take action. If your offer doesn’t make them feel like they’d be losing out by ignoring you, it’s not strong enough. You need to make it stupidly simple to say yes.

4. Follow Up Like a Closer, Not a Beggar

Most people send one message, get ignored, and quit. That’s why they never close deals. The truth? The first message rarely gets a response. The fortune is in the follow-up. But there’s a difference between persistence and being annoying. If you’re just spamming “Hey, just checking in,” you’re adding no value—you’re just reminding them why they ignored you in the first place. The real money is made in the follow-ups—but not the weak, “Just checking in” ones.

A follow-up should always give them something new—an insight, a case study, a reason to care. If you’re just repeating yourself, you’re wasting their time and yours. Keep the conversation moving forward, show them you’re worth their attention, and prove that responding to you is in their best interest. If your follow-ups aren’t adding value, they’re annoying.

You also need to mix up your approach. If email isn’t working, try LinkedIn. If that doesn’t work, send a video message. A voice note. A handwritten letter. People respond in different ways, so hit them from multiple angles. If you’re only reaching out once or twice, you’re losing deals before they even start. The difference between winning and losing? Follow up like a closer, not a beggar.

5. Stack Volume + Quality—Relentless Outreach Wins

Most people send too few high-quality messages or too many low-quality ones. Neither strategy works. If you’re not reaching enough people, you’ll never get enough traction. If you’re blasting hundreds of generic messages, you’ll burn your audience and your reputation. You can’t scale outreach by sending 10 perfect messages a week. And you won’t close deals by blasting 1,000 generic ones either.

The best outreach is both scalable and intentional. That means automating what you can without losing personalization. It means tracking responses, doubling down on what works, and constantly refining your messaging. You don’t just send and hope—you send, analyze, adjust, and send again. The real winners? They do both.

If you want to win, you need to be relentless—but with strategy. Outreach isn’t just about numbers, it’s about numbers that work. The ones who dominate their market aren’t sending more messages—they’re sending the right messages to the right people at the right time. Outreach is a numbers game—but only if the numbers are working for you.

The post 5 Killer Lead-Gen Outreach Game Changers You Need for 2025 first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.

But here’s the truth: LinkedIn was never built to be a lead database. It was built for professional networking and content sharing. If your entire outbound strategy relied on scraping, you were playing on borrowed time.

What This Change Means for Marketing Teams

If you’ve been using LinkedIn automation tools to generate leads, here’s what’s about to change:

• No more bulk scraping of contact data
• Increased account restrictions and potential bans for automated outreach
• Fewer low-cost, high-volume lead generation options

That’s a problem—but only if you keep relying on old methods. The best marketers aren’t sitting around complaining. They’re adapting.

The bottom line?
Marketing teams that were relying on Apollo.io and Seamless.ai need to pivot—fast.

There Are Better Lead Gen Solutions Than Ever

Losing a tool like Apollo.io might feel like a step backward, but it’s actually an opportunity. The big players—ZoomInfo, Apollo.io, Seamless.ai—focused on massive databases, which means a lot of outdated, inaccurate data. The good news? Smaller, smarter lead generation tools are emerging that prioritize quality over quantity.

If you want leads that actually convert, stop chasing volume and start focusing on precision. Some of the top alternatives include:

• LeadConnect Pro – AI-driven lead generation that delivers highly customized, verified lists of decision-makers with LinkedIn profiles.
• Lusha – Known for accurate B2B contact data and Chrome extensions for quick prospecting.
• Cognism – A GDPR-compliant lead database with deep firmographic and technographic insights.

How to Restructure Your Lead Capture Process After Losing Lead Gen Extensions

Let’s break it down using LeadConnect Pro as an example.

Tools like LeadConnect Pro give you exactly the decision-makers you need—usually double-verified, targeted lists complete with LinkedIn profiles. And the data base is truly massive at 900M+ global business contacts

• Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
• Download the leads, which include LinkedIn profiles.
• Upload the list into your custom CRM that manages LinkedIn communications.

That’s it. That simple. Not only do you avoid scraping junk data, but you also know these decision-makers are exactly who you need.

CRM Tools That Integrate with LinkedIn Messaging

Several CRM tools integrate with LinkedIn messaging to help streamline your outreach and automate communication. Here are just a few CRM tools that support LinkedIn messaging:

• HubSpot CRM: HubSpot offers integrations with LinkedIn Sales Navigator and tools like LinkedIn InMail, allowing you to manage and automate outreach directly within your CRM.
• Zoho CRM: Zoho CRM also integrates with LinkedIn via third-party tools like Zapier, allowing you to automate outreach and track LinkedIn messaging.
• Insightly: Insightly integrates with LinkedIn, allowing you to view LinkedIn profiles and message leads directly from your CRM.
• Outreach: Outreach has native integrations with LinkedIn, letting you send LinkedIn messages and track communication with prospects directly in the CRM.

These CRM tools make it easier to automate your LinkedIn outreach and track responses without needing to manually manage the messaging process.

Is It Time to Ditch CRMs for AI?

Listen, cold LinkedIn messaging is just cold calling dressed up in a shiny suit. Managers are drowning in sales pitches every day. The chances of your message standing out and actually getting a response? Slim to none. But what if I told you there’s a way to cut through all the noise and focus on warm leads? That’s where tools like LeadConnect Pro and their AI Sales Rep come in.

With AI Sales Rep, you don’t need to rely on external CRMs to manage outreach. This system integrates directly with your website, tracks visitors, and analyzes their behavior in real-time. When someone visits your site, the AI knows exactly what they’re looking for and sends automated, personalized outreach—no more cold calling or fishing in the dark.

Here’s why this approach is 10x more effective than cold LinkedIn messages: You’re working with people who already know who you are. They’ve visited your site, interacted with your content, and shown interest in what you offer. The AI even analyzes their behavior—what they clicked on, what they lingered over—giving you powerful insights into their pain points and desires. That’s targeted outreach, not random guessing.

Now, I get it—tools like AI Sales Rep might feel more expensive than a standard CRM, but there’s a reason for that. CRM systems are just tools to manage outreach—they help you organize, but they don’t help you find the right leads. AI Sales Rep gives you warm leads, which is exactly what every marketer wants: people who are already primed for your message, making your outreach way more likely to convert.

So stop wasting time with cold outreach. Invest in tools that give you warm leads, and watch your ROI skyrocket.

Resetting Your Lead Gen Strategy

Losing Apollo.io and Seamless.ai wasn’t a setback—it was a reset. The lead gen game is shifting, and the winners will be the ones who adapt the fastest.

The old model of scraping LinkedIn is done. The new model is smarter targeting, cleaner data, and a system that scales without breaking LinkedIn’s rules.

LeadConnect Pro and other AI-powered lead providers are the next evolution of B2B lead generation. The only question is—are you going to move forward, or are you going to get left behind?

The post How to Win without LinkedIn Lead Gen Extensions first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.

1. The Hyper-Personalized Outreach

AI helps you craft outreach messages that speak directly to your prospects’ pain points. By personalizing the message, you instantly increase engagement and response rates.

How to Make It Work

• Pull data from your CRM to understand past lead behavior.
• Segment leads by pain points, interests, and needs.
• Use AI to create customized email copy and website content.
• Set up automated personalized email sequences.
• Track engagement, optimize messaging based on performance.

2. AI-Powered Lead Scoring

Stop wasting time chasing cold leads. Let AI do the heavy lifting by scoring leads based on their engagement and likelihood to convert.

How to Make It Work

• Implement AI-powered lead scoring in your CRM.
• Track actions like email opens, clicks, and site visits.
• Automatically assign scores to each lead based on engagement.
• Prioritize outreach to leads with the highest scores.
• Continuously tweak the scoring model as you gather more data.

3. Predictive Lead Generation

AI analyzes historical data and predicts which leads are most likely to convert, so you can stop guessing and focus on the best ones.

How to Make It Work

• Gather data from past customers and their actions.
• Feed that data into an AI model to identify patterns.
• Use predictions to prioritize leads that match the identified patterns.
• Direct outreach efforts toward the highest-potential leads.
• Continuously update the model based on conversion success.

4. Automated Follow-Ups

AI ensures that no lead falls through the cracks by sending timely follow-ups automatically.

How to Make It Work

• Set up automated follow-up emails based on lead behavior.
• Use AI to trigger follow-ups at key moments (e.g., after a product view).
• Create multiple follow-up stages to guide leads through the funnel.
• Monitor open rates, optimize timing and content.
• Ensure follow-up messages are personalized and relevant.

5. Dynamic Landing Pages

AI tailors your landing pages based on a visitor’s behavior, making sure they see exactly what they need to convert.

How to Make It Work

• Use AI to track visitor data and behavior.
• Set up dynamic landing pages that change based on what the visitor is interested in.
• A/B test variations to see which versions convert better.
• Make real-time adjustments based on behavior.
• Use AI insights to continuously improve landing page content.

6. Chatbots for Instant Engagement

AI-powered chatbots engage leads instantly, qualifying them in real-time and ensuring you don’t miss out on opportunities.

How to Make It Work

• Install an AI chatbot on your site to engage visitors immediately.
• Set the bot to ask qualifying questions (e.g., product interest, budget).
• Ensure it provides quick, relevant answers and routes leads for follow-up.
• Track conversations and improve the chatbot responses.
• Feed chatbot interactions into your CRM for effective lead nurturing.

7. Content Personalization at Scale

AI analyzes audience behavior and personalizes content for each lead, increasing relevance and engagement across the board.

How to Make It Work

• Segment your leads based on behavior, demographics, or other key data.
• Use AI to generate content that resonates with each segment.
• Deliver tailored content (emails, offers, blog posts) based on segment data.
• Implement dynamic content on your website for each segment.
• Track engagement and adjust content based on performance.

8. Automated Lead Enrichment

AI helps you gather more data about your leads, making sure you have a full picture of who they are and how to approach them.

How to Make It Work

• Integrate AI tools to pull in external lead data (social media profiles, company info).
• Automatically enrich lead profiles with relevant data points.
• Use enriched profiles for more targeted and effective outreach.
• Align sales and marketing teams on how to act on enriched data.
• Continuously update enrichment sources as new data becomes available.

9. Behavioral Email Campaigns

AI sends emails based on what leads are doing, significantly increasing engagement and moving them further down the sales funnel.

How to Make It Work

• Track lead behavior on your website (e.g., page views, downloads).
• Set up AI triggers to send emails based on specific actions (e.g., cart abandonment).
• Craft personalized email content that reacts to their behavior.
• A/B test email sequences to find what works best.
• Use analytics to optimize subject lines, timing, and content.

10. AI-Driven Ad Targeting

Stop wasting ad spend. AI optimizes your ad targeting, ensuring you reach the most likely-to-convert leads with precision.

How to Make It Work

• Feed customer data into AI-powered ad platforms (e.g., Facebook, Google).
• Use AI to identify the highest-converting audience segments.
• Set up ad campaigns that target those specific segments.
• Adjust ad creatives based on AI insights for better performance.
• Monitor ad performance and fine-tune targeting to maximize ROI.

AI doesn’t replace hard work—it multiplies it. Most people waste time on leads that were never going to buy. AI cuts through the noise and puts your effort where it actually matters. The game isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what works, faster and at scale.

If you’re not using AI in your marketing, you’re already behind.

The post 10 Killer Ways how AI Can Change Your Lead Gen first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.

What’s his secret?

He’s got a dedicated person whose only job is to call leads within 60 seconds of submission. That’s it. No multitasking. No distractions. Just immediate follow-up. And it’s working like a money-printing machine.

The Harsh Truth About Closing Rates

Most sales reps? 20-30% close rate.
Great closers? Maybe 40%.

If you’re struggling to close deals, the problem isn’t necessarily your pitch. It’s your timing.

Speed wins. Every. Single. Time.

Why Immediate Follow-Up Is the Ultimate Cheat Code

Leads are only hot for a few minutes. Here’s why:

• Attention is fleeting. Five minutes after submitting a form, people are already forgetting why they did it. Wait an hour? You’ve lost them.
• Emotion drives buying decisions. A lead reaches out because they feel the problem. Hit them before that feeling fades.
• Fast response = trust. The first company to reach a lead usually gets the sale. That’s not a theory—that’s consumer psychology.

Every minute you wait, your close rate plummets.

The Smarter Way to Follow Up Instantly

Hiring someone to sit by the phone 24/7 and call leads within 60 seconds is genius. But you know what’s even smarter? Not needing a person at all. AI can do it faster, cheaper, and better.

Let’s get real—most businesses are missing out on a goldmine of leads because they only follow up on form submissions.

But what about the thousands of people who visit your site and never fill out a form?

AI-powered visitor tracking changes the game.

This tech doesn’t just show you numbers—it identifies actual visitors, giving you names, emails, and phone numbers for 45-60% of them. Yeah, even the ones who didn’t submit their info. It’s like Google Analytics on steroids.

Now, pair that with AI-driven outreach, and you’ve got a 24/7 sales machine that:

• Identifies your best leads automatically.
• Sends personalized outreach instantly.
• Follows up until they engage.
• Never sleeps. Never forgets. Never slows down.

A human rep costs $60K a year to do this. An AI-powered system costs 10x less and never stops working. No weekends. No sleep. No sick days. And no mistakes.

The Future of Sales: Adapt or Get Left Behind

AI isn’t coming—it’s already here. The businesses winning in 2025 will be the ones using immediate, AI-driven, personalized follow-up.

If you’re still relying on slow, manual outreach, you’re bleeding revenue.

Find the right tools. Build your system. Automate lead capture and follow-up.

Because the company that responds first, wins first.

The post The Simple and Genius Solution to Closing at 55% Rate first appeared on UpGreatly - UpGreat Yourself!.