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Epiphany Series
Epiphany 35: You Don’t Win RFPs By Being the Best. You Win By Being the Safest Bet.
There was a moment in my career when I realized I had been approaching RFPs in the wrong way. I thought RFPs were about demonstrating our expertise, the sophistication of our methodology, and the innovative nature of our work. It turns out that’s how you lose. Committees don’t select vendors…
Epiphany 34: You Can Advise, But You Can’t Make Them Act
There’s a moment every consultant eventually faces — the quiet frustration of realizing that no matter how much data you show, how many times you explain it, or how clearly you map the financial impact… the client just won’t act. You see the train coming. You warn them — sometimes…
Agency Management
The Master Contribution Value Framework
Why Contribution Value Beats Contract Value — Every Time Most organizations make decisions based on contract value —…
Why Clients Really Cancel: The Four Forces Every Agency Underestimates
Most agencies think clients cancel because “performance dipped” or “a competitor undercut price.”That’s rarely the truth. After decades…
How We Built CYA Protocols Into Hreflang Builder (And What We Learned the Hard Way)
Why SaaS Software Needs Extra Layers of CYA Hreflang implementation is notoriously fragile. It touches multiple systems, depends…
Rants
Stop Adding Friction: Make It Easy for Me to Give You Money
Companies frequently discuss digital transformation, automation, AI, and “streamlined operations.” But most can’t get the basics right. You…
PMC v. Google: When your Business is Built on Borrowed Traffic
On September 12, 2025, Penske Media Corporation (PMC) filed suit against Google in the U.S. District Court for…
The Subscription Cancellation Hellscape: A War on Friction We’re Losing
Yesterday, I reviewed my credit card statement and saw eight subscription charges. I opened my handy Evernote tracker,…
Travel
48 Hours in Athens Greece
This was our second trip to Athens. Our first was in 1995 when I was invited to defend…
6 Hours in Gibralter
I had wanted to go to Gibraltar since I saw the silhouette of the island in the 1070’s…
Andalusian Adventure Planning Tips
Our Andalusian adventure has in the planning cycle for over 20 years when we first visited Spain. It…
