Building Long-Term Business Growth | CRE Secrets Podcast with Aviva

**WARNING: DO NOT end this episode early. Stay tuned 'til the last second. You won't regret it.** Hint for you podcast listeners: ASHTON KUTCHER#QOTD: Give me some feedback on the new settings of the show. How do you like us filming on the 15th floor? -- Since you all can't see what's going on, check out the YouTube episode and let me know what you think!!THINGS I VALUE: I'm a humungous fan of patience. Lack of patience has caused so many people to not achieve the upside that they deserve and that just kills me. Another thing I value so greatly is an old school handshake. That really matters to me. Word is bond. Having people in your life that you can trust based on their word goes a long way -- you know, someone that you just know is going to deliver on whatever it is they say they're going to do. On the other hand, when someone doesn't deliver on something, I have the understanding to realize that unexpected things can come up and change the course of action. So I completely buy into being nimble and empathetic because you need to be able to understand that things don't always go according to plan, and it's not always the person on the other end that's to blame.I also think that people that are grateful are extremely attractive as well. NOTHING is more ugly to me than somebody who's spoiled and I also think at some level, hypocrisy is the thing that I hate the most, which I guess touches on my previous point. So for me, there's nothing more important than having perspective on things and understanding that although people may have the best intentions in mind, not everything is going to work to plan. You need to be patient and empathetic and realize that when someone

11 Dec 20149min

#QOTD: Give me some stories from your experiences with company holiday parties. I need gossip, people :) Also, why are you not visiting me this weekend at Wine Library? :(Google+ is most definitely a failure (in my eyes) for Google. While Google is my pick for the best tech company in the world, they made the wrong decision in doing something outside of their DNA. They tried to copy something, and I think that was ill-fated.I use Google+ because there's an audience of mine there and it ties in greatly with the YouTube society. There's a small niche group of people that I massively respect that have developed some great communities there. However, much like every social network besides Twitter, it isn't in fact a social network. Most of these "social networks" have become content portals. And so, I still have a great sized audience on Google+ and therefore they will not be forgotten and I will continue to distribute my content there because it's native, and that's what you need to do. Understand the nuances of the platform and deliver based on how it's used. So all in all, Google+ is a loss, but it's still something that needs to be paid attention to. Nothing is ever dead. I talk about email open rates being down, but it's still at the top of my current marketing strategy. It's about what's happening in that moment. So where is Google+ now? It still merits the time it takes to utilize the platform and therefore I will continue to engage with my community within it. Remember people - follow the eyes and ears.

10 Dec 20148min

#QOTD: What's the greatest holiday gift you've every received? - India K. :)With an organization of the size of VaynerMedia, of course you need a balance of employees that are highly skilled in particular focuses as well as those that are considered to be 'jacks of all trades.' So for me, of course both work, but truthfully, I'm a firm believer in the importance of being a 'jack of all trades.' So, for the purposes of drawing some lines in the sand, I don't agree that everyone should focus on one particular skill.Many people would argue that if you try to know a little bit of everything, you'll never get to the point of mastering anything. My argument? Bullsh*t. I don't buy it. I think I'm perfectly capable and skilled at 19 different things and that's just the way I roll. Look, you need to be able to adapt and you need to be able to evolve your skill-sets depending on the particular situation. In my world, there's NO room for excuses. So when I hear people make the excuse that they can't do other things because they've gone so deep in one focus, it bothers me. There's always room to get better in as many things as possible. You need to expand your arsenal because you'll never know when you'll need to tap into more than one skill. It's speaks to your agility and your ability to offer a number of benefits to a certain situation when the time calls for it. You can always get better. Start moving :)

9 Dec 201410min

#QOTD: Are you coming this Saturday? Yes or No? Also, I need your recap of the first 50 episodes of the #AGV show. What's the best thing that it's done for you?When people bring up my competitors I tend to respond in a condescending way. Quite honestly, I dislike my competitors (in the context of the game/business). When people bring them up I try and tear them down as quickly as possible. My competitors? Oh, you mean those people who are trying to win awards while I'm over here trying to actually sell sh*t? Deep down, I'm just not a fan of my competition. Anything I think that'll make somebody realize the value in working with us is something that I will push and fight for throughout the discussion, no matter what. Look, I'm a salesman, a talker, with great tact and enormous empathy. Hence why I win as often as I do. I can read a room and I know in real-time how to navigate the conversation and find my way to the top and win that discussion. Others? They just can't. They may just not be good enough to communicate their value without sounding awkward or inappropriate. Some just don't have it. Look, I can play the game and I know when to turn it on and off, but others just don't have what it takes to communicate their worth and their value. I care SO MUCH about my clients that I'll do whatever it takes to make them realize how worthwhile it is to work with me (VaynerMedia) as opposed to anybody else. It just is what it is. Other people just need to apply different routes and tactics. But quite honestly, any other route besides the one that I roll with, is sh*t. Period. End of story.

8 Dec 201414min

#QOTD: Do you think that your culture (wherever you're located) has gotten soft? Do you think we should we have 7th place trophies?High-end wine is as much of a hoax as the art world is and as much of a hoax as a high-end restaurant charging $10K for a a once in a lifetime meal. It's as simple as supply and demand. Is a stock price a hoax? My answer? Yes and No. I used to think that the amount I was being paid for my speaking engagements was a hoax, but then I realized that I was getting compensated for what I was doing for that event. Is an actor quietly getting $8 Million for a movie a hoax, as opposed to an athlete who constantly gets ridiculed for being over-paid? It's all an arbitrage. That same actor is putting people in the seats and ad budgets are being leveraged against the appeal of that actor/actress.So, can I taste the difference between a $10 wine and a $100 wine? ABSOLUTELY. I live it. It's what I do. The beauty of wine is that everyone has their own palette -- similar to how people have different taste perceptions of art and music. It's simple branding. It's supply and demand. My advice? DON'T. DRINK.GOOD.WINE. It's all supply and demand. If you start to taste the good things (first class plane tickets, front row seats, etc.), you'll put yourself in the position to realize it's not a hoax. It's all perspective. It's context baby! Don't complain about it unless you're prepared to never taste it.

3 Dec 201416min

#QOTD: How was your Thanksgiving? AND, what's your Jets vs. Dolphins prediction for tonight's game?I literally spend ZERO time focusing on my competition. I don't look to the right of me or the left of me -- It's all forward moving for this guy. I focus ALL of my time on people, the teams around me, and our focus for the future.Do I know what the competition is doing? Sure, to some level - but I never go deep as my understanding typically goes as far as reading headlines and hearing some of the buzz of the industry. The biggest mistake I see entrepreneurs making is paying too much attention to those around them. Sure, take a look back once and while to see who's on your tail, but at the end of the day your focus needs to be on your own domain. If you can focus all of your attention to accomplishing what you set out to do, full-steam ahead, you'll win. Not only will you win but you'll be able to razz the competition a bit while you ignore them :) I find that not paying attention to your competitors is actually a tactic to be used and a competitive advantage which allows you to focus your energy on the work you've set out to do in the ways in which you've set out to do it.

1 Dec 201413min

#QOTD: What weaknesses of yours are you giving thanks for? And be honest. This will help you.Someone by the name of Tommy Mottola (look him up) once told me that he wouldn't try and sell anything until the artist he was working with and the product they were creating (in this case music) were ready. And I agree with that to some extent because if you're going to sell something you need to make sure that those ready to buy it can actually do so, but it also needs to make sense for the context involved. So let me explain. If you're able to achieve and execute on business objectives by building out content and pushing your product or business without the need of a fully built website, then by all means, go for it. By creating content you're beginning the journey of how your story will unfold. The reception of this content will also allow you to test and learn and understand the best approach to creating future content once your business and website are ready for the masses. That process you simply don't want to miss out on. And so, a big issue I've been seeing is that people are too reluctant to sell against the communities and the impressions they've established on social. Too many people are caught up on only leveraging their website for banner ads but selling against social audiences is essentially the same thing. If you're creating valuable content that's living on social then you might as well take advantage of that opportunity. Don't get caught up in only monetizing on the platform that you fully own when there's a world of opportunity that exists through the channels you're deciding to put your content on. So in short - If the opportunity to create content presents itself and makes sense for the objectives of the business you're trying to build, then my suggestion is to go ALL IN and get moving. NOW.

26 Nov 201412min

#QOTD: What wine are you pairing with your Thanksgiving dinner?The biggest decision of my life? Deciding to finally focus on what felt right to me. At an early age I received an "F" on one of my Science tests. From that moment in time I understood that no matter how many people tried to tell me the importance of school, I knew deep down inside that it wasn't for me. And although I knew it would bring me nights upon nights of punishment, I decided that school couldn't be the one thing I focused all of my energy on. From my "flower business," to the lemonade stands, to the baseball card collection, I knew early on that I was a businessman. Although I had felt it inside, it wasn't until I made the conscious decision to focus on these skills that things began to change for me and my outlook on the rest of my life would be forever different.The moment I made the decision I knew that I would be looked at by society as different, and I understood that, but I made the mental decision to accept that and focus on what felt right for me. I made a deal with myself that I was ready and willing to eat the pain in order to capitalize on my early self-awareness. I decided to focus on my skills and learn as much as possible about whatever venture I was focused on at the time. So rather than succumbing to society's pre-determined life plan for me, I fought it, and delivered on what I felt and knew I was -- a businessman. I suggest you do the same.

24 Nov 201413min