The Dave Gerhardt Show Five Marketing Principles That Matter More Than AI
Dive into essential marketing principles that outshine AI trends, focusing on what truly matters to customers. Discover how to resonate with your audience by making them look good, saving them time, and ensuring tangible ROI. Enjoy anecdotes from a memorable team retreat in Arizona and the significance of in-person connections. Plus, get personal insights on recovery from hip surgery, recent reads that inspire creativity, and a lighthearted Thanksgiving debate. Exciting leadership changes at Exit Five pave the way for future adventures!
38:13
Customers Care About Themselves First
- People don't care about your product; they care about themselves first and foremost.
- Build marketing around what helps customers personally — status, time, money, pain avoidance, or growth.
Frame Offers With Five Clear Benefits
- Use five direct propositions to frame every message: make me look good, save time, make money, avoid pain, reach the next level.
- Test and prove claims with data, testimonials, or receipts to make them believable.
Copied A Template And Won Credibility
- Dave copied a HubSpot marketing plan template early in his career and presented it to his boss.
- The template made him look smart and turned him into a HubSpot superfan despite not buying their software.
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Intro
00:00 • 1min
Why timeless marketing beats AI slop
01:02 • 2min
Wearing sunglasses and doing a solo pod
02:37 • 2min
People don't care about your product
04:41 • 2min
Five principles that win attention
06:31 • 1min
Make someone look smart
07:41 • 2min
Save time: prove it with data
09:26 • 40sec
Make me money: believable ROI matters
10:06 • 2min
Help me avoid pain
11:47 • 1min
Help me reach the next level
13:04 • 55sec
Applying principles to events and webinars
13:59 • 54sec
Exit Five team trip to Arizona
14:53 • 2min
Why in-person time matters
16:40 • 2min
Year-end planning and incrementality
18:17 • 1min
Arizona golf and celebration
19:26 • 26sec
Hip surgery and recovery mindset
19:52 • 1min
What Dave read and watched in November
21:12 • 5min
Book highlights: Strength to Strength, Hail Mary, The Fury
26:24 • 23sec
Encouraging reading in his family
26:47 • 25sec
Thanksgiving poll: turkey overrated, pecan pie loved
27:12 • 2min
Promoting Dan to CEO
29:27 • 4min
Dave's role going forward
33:32 • 26sec
Rebrand and future shows from Exit Five
33:59 • 30sec
Outro
34:29 • 4min
#38810
The Fury
Alex Michaelides
#78
• Mentioned in 177 episodes
Traction
Get a Grip on Your Business
Gino Wickman
In Traction, Gino Wickman provides a systematic approach to achieving business success through the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).
The book focuses on six key components: Vision, People, Data, Issues, Process, and Traction.
It helps business leaders clarify their vision, align their leadership team, solve common business problems, and foster healthy communication and discipline within the organization.
The EOS system is designed to help businesses overcome frustrations such as lack of control, people issues, insufficient profit, hitting the ceiling, and feeling stuck.
The book offers practical tools, real-world examples, and actionable strategies to drive sustainable growth and improve business operations.
#130
• Mentioned in 126 episodes
From Strength to Strength
Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life
Arthur C Brooks
In 'From Strength to Strength', Arthur C. Brooks addresses the inevitable decline in abilities that comes with aging and provides a practical guide on how to transform this period into an opportunity for growth.
Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks advocates for refocusing on priorities such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress.
He argues that by adapting our expectations and focusing on these areas, we can achieve increased happiness and purpose in our later years.
#13791
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
Seven Strategies for Wealth and Happiness
Jim Rohn
This book by Jim Rohn outlines seven strategies for achieving wealth and happiness.
The strategies include: unleashing the power of goals, seeking knowledge, learning how to change, controlling finances, mastering time, surrounding yourself with winners, and learning the art of living well.
Rohn emphasizes the importance of discipline, personal development, and careful planning in achieving financial freedom and happiness.
He also introduces the 70/30 finance rule, where 70% of income is spent on expenses and 30% is allocated to investing, saving, and charity.
The book stresses that true wealth and happiness come from internal growth and the consistent application of success fundamentals.
#342
• Mentioned in 66 episodes
The Martian
Andy Weir
R.C. Bray
The Martian tells the story of astronaut Mark Watney, who is presumed dead and left stranded on Mars after a fierce storm.
With limited supplies, Watney must draw upon his ingenuity, wit, and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.
Meanwhile, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring 'the Martian' home, while Watney faces numerous challenges in his quest for survival.
The novel is praised for its blend of science, humor, and suspense.
#5
• Mentioned in 483 episodes
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
In this book, Daniel Kahneman takes readers on a tour of the mind, explaining how the two systems of thought shape our judgments and decisions.
System 1 is fast, automatic, and emotional, while System 2 is slower, effortful, and logical.
Kahneman discusses the impact of cognitive biases, the difficulties of predicting future happiness, and the effects of overconfidence on corporate strategies.
He offers practical insights into how to guard against mental glitches and how to benefit from slow thinking in both personal and business life.
The book also explores the distinction between the 'experiencing self' and the 'remembering self' and their roles in our perception of happiness.
#24
• Mentioned in 290 episodes
Influence
The Psychology of Persuasion
Robert Cialdini
In this highly acclaimed book, Dr. Robert B. Cialdini explains the psychology behind why people say yes and how to apply these insights ethically.
The book outlines six universal principles of influence: Reciprocation, Commitment and Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Authority, and Scarcity.
The new and expanded edition includes a seventh principle, Unity, along with new research, insights, and examples.
Cialdini uses memorable stories and relatable examples to make the subject accessible and easy to understand, helping readers become more skilled persuaders and defend themselves against unethical influence attempts.
#13
• Mentioned in 371 episodes
Sapiens
A Brief History of Humankind
Yuval Noah Harari
This book surveys the history of humankind from the Stone Age to the 21st century, focusing on Homo sapiens.
It divides human history into four major parts: the Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, the Unification of Humankind, and the Scientific Revolution.
Harari argues that Homo sapiens dominate the world due to their unique ability to cooperate in large numbers through beliefs in imagined realities such as gods, nations, money, and human rights.
The book also examines the impact of human activities on the global ecosystem and speculates on the future of humanity, including the potential for genetic engineering and non-organic life.
#79
• Mentioned in 177 episodes
Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
In 'Project Hail Mary', Ryland Grace, a high school science teacher, awakens on a spaceship with no memory of how he got there or his mission.
He soon discovers that he is the sole survivor of a desperate mission to save Earth from a microorganism called the Astrophage, which is threatening to cause a new ice age.
As Ryland regains his memories, he encounters an alien named Rocky, and together they work to solve the scientific mystery and save their respective home planets.
The story blends science, humor, and heart, exploring themes of survival, discovery, and unlikely friendships.
#311: Dave goes solo this week (his decision, he said give me the mic; but Dan is also on him about podcast downloads around the holidays) with a quick November breakdown from real life - recapping the Exit Five team trip to Arizona, a big leadership update at the company, and covering five timeless marketing principles that matter more than ever (if you care about fighting AI slop). He also talks about recovering from hip surgery (everyone’s been asking how old he is), what he’s been reading, and a Thanksgiving food debate.
Timestamps
- (00:00) - - Intro + the sunglasses bit
- (04:08) - - Getting back into podcasting + November setup
- (05:38) - - The 5 timeless marketing principles
- (14:28) - - How to apply those principles in real marketing
- (15:38) - - Exit Five team trip to Arizona
- (17:28) - - Why in-person time matters
- (21:20) - - Dave’s hip surgery and recovery
- (23:50) - - What he read and watched in November
- (27:20) - - The Thanksgiving overrated/underrated debate
- (29:40) - - Big news: Dan promoted to CEO and what’s next for Exit Five
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