How Leaders Think with Kenny Lange

Preston Wetherington [00:00:00]:
It gives us this really a great opportunity to invest in our clients at a much deeper level. We're not just working with the business owner, but we're also working with their sales manager, their operations manager, their sales team.

Preston Wetherington [00:00:17]:
Welcome to the how leaders think podcast, the show that transforms you by renewing your mind and giving you new ways to think. I am your host, Kenny Lang, and with me today is the Preston Weatherington. Say the whole thing, people. All right, enough is enough. He is the founder of Nifty 50 Solutions, a full service marketing agency specializing in helping businesses grow through an effective fractional marketing department. When he is not working, he loves spending time with his wife Brittany and their daughter Remy, who is just adorable. Preston, welcome to the show.

Kenny Lange [00:00:53]:
Kenny, thank you so much for having me on.

Preston Wetherington [00:00:55]:
Well, this feels almost like a long time coming. I think we probably should have just been recording a lot of our other conversations in the past, but maybe we'll start thinking about that. We'll put it behind a paywall. It'll be a whole thing for our patreon there. This is the start. It starts today, and this is how we're announcing it. Preston's the first one. Well, Preston, tell me what is on your mind.

Preston Wetherington [00:01:20]:
Man, it's a crazy year. Election years are absolutely bonkers. You never know what's going to happen from an economy standpoint. And I'm in marketing, and typically whenever things are a little bit hectic, from an economy standpoint, one of the first things that gets cut is a marketing budget. But it's always a good gentle reminder that whenever there is economic turmoil, those that actually invest in their marketing and invest in their business, they're the ones that survive at the end of it. So it's a good reminder for small businesses out there. It's like, hey, if you're feeling a little bit of that stress, it's okay to lean into it and to invest in yourself.

Preston Wetherington [00:02:09]:
Yeah, which I totally agree with. And obviously with my, my background running an agency, I saw the same thing, too when I think 20, 2016, and I was at a different agency in 2020. But yeah, it just. People start getting weird about their spending. I feel like in business, people do cut their, their marketing budget. It's like first on the chopping block. I've also heard that personally, when people are cutting expenses, the dentist is the first to get cut, which seems weird. So I don't know, maybe we're going to explore a correlation between marketing and dentistry as well.

Kenny Lange [00:02:46]:
I am going to the dentist tomorrow.

Preston Wetherington [00:02:49]:
I may just.

Kenny Lange [00:02:49]:
Well, go ahead and cancel the appointment.

Preston Wetherington [00:02:51]:
You might, and cite the fact that it's an election year as your reason for cancellation. Perfect. I'm sure they're okay with that.

Kenny Lange [00:03:00]:
Yeah, I think they're understanding it's one.

Preston Wetherington [00:03:03]:
Of the options on the drop down. I'd prefer to reschedule for 2025 when things seem a little more settled. But we do.

Kenny Lange [00:03:10]:
The day after the inauguration.

Preston Wetherington [00:03:14]:
That or on day 100. But, but, you know, you say that and you would think like, oh, yeah, that's, that's naturally how everybody would be thinking, is to stay consistent on their marketing budget to generate awareness when people are, you know, obviously being a little bit more, I don't know, cynical is the word, but they're being a little bit more cautious in their decision making about where dollars go and what outside third parties are going to be retained or brought in. What do you see as the current thinking or the prevailing wisdom around marketing that pushes people away from the advice you just gave?

Kenny Lange [00:03:58]:
You know, I think 2020 changed the perspective for a lot of businesses with the pandemic. You know, people, the doors were shut. You couldn't go anywhere. And there is a desperate need to keep their businesses relevant, even though they couldn't actually service their customers if they were a Brooklyn border location. So, you know, we've, we've had a couple of little dips over the last four years, and I, in my experience, you know, it's actually been a little bit of a different mindset. It's like, hey, we still need you more than ever because you don't know when the next, when the next major life event is going to happen that requires, that requires this type of communication.

Preston Wetherington [00:04:45]:
So, obviously, like you said, there were some, some organizations, some businesses, and maybe even you could group some into industries that saw the need to, like, oh, we can't cut off the flow of dollars in our marketing because what happens if the next bump occurs? And it sounds like you're saying that the prevailing wisdom is shifting more so because of a catalytic event, like a pandemic. It's not all the way there, though. And it, does it come down to people just becoming aware of keeping their pipeline full? Or is it feeling like they, they need to keep whatever conversation they have with their customers just staying close to them and engaging in those sort of efforts? Or what do you, if they see that, that bumps gonna happen? What's the, what's the thing that they're chasing that, that keeps them engaged in the marketing beyond just, well, it's a part of business, so we got to do it, and it's important right now.

Preston Wetherington [00:05:52]:
You know, it really depends. I think it kind of depends on the industry. So right now, the industries that have a lower ticket value per transaction, they're doing, they're doing fine right now. So your, your restaurants, your entertainment venues that you go and have fun, you go bowling, they're still seeing good returns. So right now, their big focus is like, hey, like, my pipeline is good right now. I want to keep my audience engaged. I want to be able to establish that community. However, on the flip side, what I'm seeing is that a lot of my clients and a lot of our prospects that have a higher ticket value per transaction, typically it's going to be your purchases that you make once every few years, like an AC unit or a roof or an engagement ring.

Kenny Lange [00:06:47]:
Hopefully you're doing that one just once and not every few years. But I digress. But those higher, those higher ticket prices, most of them will come to us like, hey, had you experienced any type of dip in lead generation for your other clients? And it's really around that threshold of $10,000 and up, they're a lot more hesitant with making that type of transaction right now. So the big focus with those types of companies is like, hey, we got to fill up our funnel because our sales guys need something to do and we need to be able to keep, we need to be able to keep our employees. So in these type, whenever the economy is a little bit shaky, you're going to see a much wider variance and what the demand is from a marketing.

Preston Wetherington [00:07:40]:
Standpoint right now, your examples were heavy on the, like a good, you know, a big absolute item. Do you, have you seen any difference in say, like service providers like you and me, you know, like we are nothing, small ticket, you know, paying $20 to go bowling and get a dinner or whatever? I don't know if you can get it for that cheap, but, but you get, what I'm saying is, like, for service providers, are you seeing any difference there?

Kenny Lange [00:08:14]:
Yeah, absolutely. So we have, I'm going to use this condo we have, for example. They're a software, as a service company. They, they're, they're an IT service, a software that helps it departments. And they've had a pretty long sales cycle throughout this last, throughout this little dip. So we've had to really help come alongside and help out what their brand messaging is and really hone in on what their target audience is. So we're starting to focus on certain industries, industries that are doing a little bit better at the moment. So we have to craft a messaging to fit them a little bit better.

Kenny Lange [00:08:56]:
And then we're starting to see a little bit more of a, more of a pipeline come through.

Preston Wetherington [00:09:02]:
Gotcha. And so it sounds like it's not a single tactic or even just, hey, let's do, we've been spending this amount on marketing. Let's keep the spend as is or increase it. It also sounds like there's a shift in what tactic is needed. Right. So, like, we're falling on hard times. Well, we can't, we're not just getting subscriptions left and right or what have you. It's, oh, we actually, we're going to have to be far more focused, you know, maybe going as far as like an account based marketing type play.

Preston Wetherington [00:09:46]:
Is that also something that you're seeing a pattern of where companies are not just saying, well, just let's do the usual whatevers in marketing of like, let's run some ads, let's make some blogs, let's shoot, you know, put a couple of promotional videos together, maybe some YouTube. Do you see them picking a couple of tactics and going deep with that as opposed to scattering it or across a bunch of different tactics?

Kenny Lange [00:10:15]:
Well, that's actually, we, we've actually changed our model with our agency within the last year. So historically, we had done kind of those individual service lines and really focusing on those. But something that we've, that we come across quite a bit is these business owners, they're really great at what they do, and that's why they make the money, that's why they make the big bucks and their industry. But however, like, I'm not, I'm not a money person. I outsource my bookkeeping. And if I try and do it myself, my numbers are going to be so far off, it's going to be spread across the country. So we come in, we come alongside companies, and we're like, hey, we want you to focus on doing what you do best. Let us craft and marketing strategy for you so you don't have to be concerned about it on a daily basis, whether the, whether these things are working appropriately.

Kenny Lange [00:11:17]:
So we're coming in and providing what we're calling fractional marketing department. So you're getting an allotment of hours every month. And we are truly, we're acting as your in house marketing team. So we're actually, we're creating that high level strategy while also executing.

Preston Wetherington [00:11:35]:
Mm hmm. And it would seem like that's allowing you to really understand your clients at a deep level beyond just a simple intake or onboarding survey and a kickoff call, but really get to know them so that you can tailor what that execution should be instead of like, hey, here's this playbook we really like, take it, and we'll just throw your logo and your messaging in there. But it's really. Oh, okay. So this has isn't working any longer, but we see your particular audience is hungry for this. So let's go make the best this, whatever that may be. Right?

Kenny Lange [00:12:19]:
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. So there's, without giving away too much of what we're doing, but we have this new client that's been with us for a couple of months now. One of the things that we saw an opportunity for. So they're a pool builder, and one of the opportunities that we saw is that we saw an avenue for some annual recurring revenue that they weren't capitalizing on. So we helped them create a new service line that is helping cater to their new pool builds while also catering to their thousands of existing customers and that ability to reengage them on a deeper level and to help provide more so of an ongoing customer service experience that not only will help bring in that recurring revenue for them, but will also keep their company in mind for whenever their friends or family is looking to build a pool. So it's leading to multiple revenue avenues.

Preston Wetherington [00:13:25]:
Gotcha. Which, if you weren't taking the approach you're taking, may or may not have had the opportunity to even see that that was an opportunity to be explored. Is that fair to say?

Kenny Lange [00:13:41]:
Absolutely. So in the past, like, we, we kind of just stuck in our lane. We were, we were doing what we were contracted to do, and we, we saw some things here and there. We point out some ideas, but being able to come alongside is essentially, is kind of like your in house marketing team and kind of like your fractional chief marketing officer. Our opinion carries a lot more weight than, oh, he's just our social media guy or he's our website guy.

Preston Wetherington [00:14:08]:
Mm hmm. It sounds also far more relational than transactional.

Kenny Lange [00:14:14]:
100%.

Preston Wetherington [00:14:16]:
Which, knowing you, feels very on brand for just how you're wired, is just, you are a very relational guy. Has that been because I'm thinking of other business owners as well. Is that tension between building the company that is sort of wired in like you are versus what you think it's maybe supposed to be? How has that changed? Because you said this has been a change in the last twelve months or so. How has that changed helped you feel aligned with your company?

Kenny Lange [00:14:54]:
Yeah. So, you know, I've always felt like that we provide a lot of value for our clients and that that's never changed. It's never going to change. It just, it gives us this really a great opportunity to invest in our clients at a much deeper level. We're not just working with the business owner, but we're also working with their sales manager, their operations manager, their sales team. I know our clients and their team members by name, and my team is the exact same way. We know what's going on in their lives. For instance, we have a client that one of their sales guys, we were going through some stuff, working on a project and he was like, hey, we need to put a pause on this.

Kenny Lange [00:15:42]:
I have to go to New York because his mother passed away. So were able to pivot and really lean into caring for our clients employee and be able to be at least a little bit of a support system, which I feel like is not a normal thing in a client vendor relationship. And that's something that I really value and I really take pride in, is that we're able to have those personal relationships not just with the, not just with the business owner, but with their team. Because, you know, these business owners, they pour their blood, sweat and tears into building their company into what it is right now. And I feel like it would be a disservice to them if we don't treat their business the exact same way that they do.

Preston Wetherington [00:16:34]:
Right. Which I'm sure they deeply appreciate. I know I got those same sentiments when I was working with small businesses to where you are in contact with the owner and they're usually a part of the buying process. It's not some mega enterprise where that the owner is so far removed that they don't even know you exist. Is them really getting to share, hey, this is important to me. This is why, this is where this came from and being able to connect with that. Now you've, you've talked about the pivot in the model, you know, being that the fractional in like in house department, marketing department. And that's not the only, let's say, approach or, or way to engage with a marketing agency.

Preston Wetherington [00:17:24]:
You've tried a couple, you, you've seen some others out in the marketplace. What do you say to leaders, whether they're cmos or CEO's or owners? What executive directors, when they're looking for a marketing agency to come in and help them, what's the right approach? Because I don't hear you saying that there's one right way to rule them all, so to speak. You found what works for you and the type of people you want to serve. But how would you advise someone to, I don't know, sift through their options to find the configuration that's right for them?

Kenny Lange [00:18:06]:
You know, ultimately, I feel like that, I mean, as you said, there really is no one right way. We know what works for us. There's other marketing agencies out there that do absolutely incredible work, that have a very different model from what we have, and they've had loads of success with it. So really, it really just kind of depends on what that business owner feels comfortable with. I feel like that's whenever there is a marketing type of engagement, I feel like that the personalities really need to blend well, because if you don't have faith in this marketing provider that they're going to be able to understand what you do and executed appropriately, then really, the conversation just ends there. So for us, there's a reason why we go so deep into the company and the industry. Whenever we do engage with them, we know enough to get ourselves in trouble. Well, by no means are we the experts.

Kenny Lange [00:19:10]:
Ultimately, our clients are the experts. So that's why communication is so, so vital. And if you don't, if, if you don't feel like you have that, that type of relationship and, like, if you're not clicking immediately, I don't feel like it'll work out long term. So it really just, I feel like it really is a case by case basis.

Preston Wetherington [00:19:31]:
Right. So, I mean, just big step one would just be, hey, do I feel like I have some rapport with this, this marketing person that, you know, I've set this meeting with and, and do I feel a sense of trust with them that if that doesn't feel right, then we shouldn't bother going beyond that. Now, assuming that someone says, you know, sits down across from a marketing agency, professional or owner, what have you, and they feel that rapport that you're describing, like, yeah, okay, I think they get what I'm trying to do, what my needs are, my challenges, and so I'm feeling heard and building relationship. If that feels good, then how do they go about evaluating, you know, capabilities or, you know, do I get somebody who's, you know, focused on a narrow band versus full service like yours and, you know, that, that fractional in house versus someone who's not trying to hold that position? Are there some, you know, mental frameworks or questions or, or even a configuration of, of an organization that should be considered to help create a really great alignment?

Kenny Lange [00:20:51]:
Yeah. So there's a couple of different ways with this so there's gonna be two camps, in my opinion. So there's one camp that they're like, I know exactly what I need, and I'm looking for the best company that can execute this. So there, I'd say that it's probably a 50 50 split because these companies, they've probably been around for a little while, and they've, they've already tried a whole bunch of things. They know what works, they know what doesn't. So they're looking for case studies, they're looking for similar success in an industry or maybe in an adjacent industry. So that's really where that, where the analytics really matter. So between that and talking through strategy and how you execute the strategy, and then you have the other side that they've been so drilled into what they do and they've grown enough to where they're like, okay, I know I need to be doing this, but I don't necessarily know where to begin.

Kenny Lange [00:21:54]:
So that's where, in this case, we had come in and we had treat it kind of like the doctor's appointment. We'd assessed where the pain points are, what's. What's healthy, what's not healthy, and then we kind of develop a course of action from there. That's where we write that prescription.

Preston Wetherington [00:22:12]:
Gotcha. Yeah, no, that's a great way to break it down. So if I'm someone who says, hey, I know what campaign I want or I know what sort of media that I want to produce, I just need to go and find somebody who has a great reputation for executing that particular thing. Right. The breakdown reminds me of something that I talk about in organizational development. Like, as you're starting to hire people is early on, you want to hire missionaries, people who buy into the vision, they're willing to be bought into that, the cause, help you figure it out and push everything forward. Later on, though, as your organization gets larger, more sophisticated, you have maybe more aggressive goals because you have the data behind it. You need to hire mercenaries.

Kenny Lange [00:23:10]:
Yeah, that's a great way to put it.

Preston Wetherington [00:23:13]:
And so it sounds like sometimes, because you did mention the older, older businesses they've seen, I was almost about to quote like a insurance commercials. Like they know a thing or two because they've seen a thing or two, but because they can have that sort of clarity and they have that sort of institutional knowledge, they can just say, no, no, no. Like, I'm not looking for consulting on the concept, just the expression of it. Whereas a firm like yours is really great. If someone says, I have an idea but, and I know where we're at, I'm not quite sure how to connect the dots between the two and what that should look like. And maybe they did a while back, but as you've pointed out, I mean, 2020 shifted a lot of things. I think things continue to shift and change. I don't know that the dust is fully settled.

Preston Wetherington [00:24:08]:
I think it'll be a while before that happens.

Kenny Lange [00:24:11]:
Absolutely.

Preston Wetherington [00:24:12]:
So that's a great way and a simple way to think about it. I mean, obviously relationship and trust come first, but then after that, figure out which camp you're in and then, you know, the style of engagement that's probably going to be ideal for you. And what I would tell someone who's a CMO vP of marketing, if you're, if you're at a little bit of a larger organization or maybe you're wearing a bunch of hats and somehow you got thrust into that is, you know, making a really good decision there, can either make you look pretty, really smart or lead to you looking for another job. I'm sure you've seen that in the past.

Kenny Lange [00:24:54]:
Absolutely. And that's exactly why I say that you need to make sure that you blend very well between prospect and marketing agency or client and vendor. You need to make sure that mesh is really strong because you're putting a lot of dollars into it. And with the wrong marketing strategy, it could tank a business real quickly.

Preston Wetherington [00:25:18]:
Yeah, no joke. And then you're going to be let go and then the owner and the rest of the people who choose, you know, obviously the owner sticking around, but now they've got to sort that out and it honestly could be twelve to 18 months for, for that to sort of, you know, it's a lot like trust. The old saying is what it can take like a lifetime to earn and a second to lose it.

Kenny Lange [00:25:45]:
Absolutely. Yeah. We have a client that we've had to do a lot of cleanup work because the previous agency that was working with them made some pretty bad FCO mistakes that absolutely destroyed all of their organic search traffic. And we've been working with them for about nine months now and we're still cleaning up some issues that were not clear in front of the face. For instance, the email address on the website looked like a normal email address, but that actual email address didn't exist. So these contact forms were just going into oblivion. We had no idea because it looked like a completely normal web, completely normal email address. And going through some stuff with the client, they're like, hey, where did this email address come from? That's not, that's.

Kenny Lange [00:26:40]:
We don't, we don't have that. I'm like, well, you've had it on there for a year, so we were.

Preston Wetherington [00:26:45]:
Going to ask you. We wouldn't even know to ask.

Kenny Lange [00:26:51]:
It was an inherited website.

Preston Wetherington [00:26:54]:
Jesus, man. Like that would.

Kenny Lange [00:26:57]:
So I don't even owner how much.

Preston Wetherington [00:26:58]:
Stomach would turn right? And then not just from missing the. The form coming in, but then people feeling like this company ignored them and then they go out and.

Kenny Lange [00:27:10]:
Exactly what is it?

Preston Wetherington [00:27:12]:
People are three times more willing to share negative news and impressions than they are positive ones.

Kenny Lange [00:27:19]:
Exactly. Exactly.

Preston Wetherington [00:27:21]:
Which is why, like, every restaurant on Yelp looks like it's terrible.

Kenny Lange [00:27:24]:
Yep. Thankfully, it did not. Thankfully didn't harm any reputation, online reputation. So we're very grateful about that.

Preston Wetherington [00:27:34]:
Right.

Kenny Lange [00:27:34]:
We would have copy issue a long time ago.

Preston Wetherington [00:27:37]:
Right. And that's the thing is stuff like that can be really sneaky and how it can hurt you, you know, because if you don't have the data point, and data points are great, but they can't cover everything. You can't measure everything. And thinking that you can or even that you should is just a recipe for frustration and dumb decisions. Now, flipping some things around, we've talked about, like how these, you know, these companies can find, identify the right marketing company. They need to lean into their marketing dollars, but make sure there's a tight alignment with whoever that collaborator, that partner is going to be. But what, what makes a great client from the standpoint of they're hiring you? Which you may just say, I have to remind them they hired me for a reason. And that.

Preston Wetherington [00:28:35]:
And I think there's truth to that. But if I'm a business owner and I'm listening to this, or a leader who's responsible for marketing budget, and I can bring people in, what would you tell me to help me be the best client collaborator possible? Because I know you've run up against some tough ones. So have I. And maybe you could share a little bit about that so the person listening can get the most out of their relationship with an agency, because I think that that has a big influence.

Kenny Lange [00:29:06]:
Yeah, absolutely. So I would tell them, it's like, hey, if we, if we're in this, we're, we're partnering up. So it's your business, it's my reputation. It's our company's reputation. We put a lot on the line as well, and we are determined to help make sure that you succeed. And we have the track record to show it. So not only do we talk, but we walk the walk.

Preston Wetherington [00:29:38]:
Are there simple things that you see a lot of people miss? And maybe it's their, you know, their 1st, 2nd or third engagement with an outside agency. They've, they've gotten big enough to where they're, they're not trying to do it themselves anymore. What are some things that could help them make that transition from I'm used to having total control and doing all this to, well, now I'm partnering and collaborating with somebody else. What, what could help them be a good partner with you?

Kenny Lange [00:30:07]:
Yeah. So in that type of instance where there is a little bit of a struggle to relinquish control, one, it's, I had to remind them, say, hey, this is a great thing that's happening. You're growing and you no longer have the bandwidth to do this. So you're looking, you're looking for the, for the right people to pass this off to and that there is one other thing and I lost it. Yes. Okay. So it's also okay to stairstep things. So you don't need to relinquish 100% of it.

Kenny Lange [00:30:39]:
It's okay to maybe do it. And we'll 25% skirts one. It helps them feel comfortable that, that we could go in and pay up right where they left off and even exceed what they were doing. And we actually see, we actually see it quite a bit. We work with growing companies a lot and I, we're there to help champion them and we're also there to make them feel as comfortable as possible because at the end of the day, is their money that they're messing with.

Preston Wetherington [00:31:09]:
Right. I love that, that stair step because I think some, some agencies may come in and pressure them to like, nope. That, like, you hired me for this reason. I mean, which is still a good, it's still valid, but they're, they're leaning into that as a reason for, and just give it all to me, which can come across, I would say, unintentionally so as a, as a disrespect to that and what they've done and what they've built to that point. And I find owners generally are okay relinquishing some control as long as they feel they could trust you. And I think it's easier if they feel respected or honored for what they've gotten it to thus far. Right.

Kenny Lange [00:31:55]:
Absolutely.

Preston Wetherington [00:31:55]:
You're not just there to crap on what they've done and say, oh, well, that's cute. Let me show you how it's done. But say, this is great. We're going to build on this and make it even bigger than you could imagine.

Kenny Lange [00:32:07]:
Yeah. It's all about one as a marketing agency, acknowledging, like, hey, they've been doing this on their own, or maybe they've, or maybe they've had some bad experiences and they've had to clean up. They've had to try and figure out how to clean up the mess. I've seen. I've seen both versions, but it's also giving them that comfort and the confidence in us that we can take what that foundation was and we can build that house on it.

Preston Wetherington [00:32:39]:
Yeah, I love that. And something, you haven't laid it out as a step, but I hope that whoever's listening has paid attention to this. When they're meeting with a marketing professional at an agency that they're thinking of hiring is if that person isn't showing respect and showing dignity to your expertise in the field and to the business, then it's probably not going to work out. If they're coming across, they may be very, very smart, but if they don't have that humility to know where their smarts end, then I think you're going to be in for a world of hurt.

Kenny Lange [00:33:21]:
A. I'd like to put an asterisk with that. So I think that it's also understanding different personality types as well. There's some people that, they're just very cut and dry, and they may be as well meaning as possible, but they. But it may come across as harsh. I've come across a ton of that, and at first, I was pretty offended by it. I was like, mandy, what are you, like, why are you saying stuff like that? Like, who are you to say that? But that's something that I've learned a lot over these last couple of years, and it's been, it. I probably say it's probably been one of my biggest areas of growth because if anybody is familiar with the disk assessment, I'm a strong I.

Kenny Lange [00:34:08]:
So I am people oriented extroverts.

Preston Wetherington [00:34:12]:
Yeah.

Kenny Lange [00:34:13]:
So for those that are high task oriented introverts, they don't communicate nearly the same way as me. And it makes.

Preston Wetherington [00:34:24]:
And you probably scare them.

Kenny Lange [00:34:26]:
Oh, absolutely. Just as much as they scare me. So really understanding how everybody is different and people operate very differently, then you need to kind of see through some of the things and that. Yeah. It just may be their way of saying it's like, hey, I'm nervous to take this step, but I trust you, but it may come across as rude.

Preston Wetherington [00:34:51]:
I think that's great. Really great insight. I'm glad you brought that up. I happen, since you brought up disc, I happened to be an off the charts d. I could see that. Yeah, I'm on, I'm on the fringes of. I think I may have left the piece of paper the report has me on, which is totally fine. My secondary is I, which is probably where you and I have a blast.

Preston Wetherington [00:35:16]:
This also makes a lot of sense that you know where like the best places to go get like coffee and food and stuff when we get together because you're like, I know where the party's at. I know where a good time is can be had. But I think that's excellent to figure that out because they may have the right need, you may have the right services, but if you can't, if you can't click on personality types and understanding you, you may not be able to find out theirs. They may not come to the table with. Oh, before we get started, I'd like to give you this personality profile on me to help you. They're not going to do that, but I think understanding yourself and how you're, you're wired, I think, can do a lot to understand that. One that I use quite a bit is the enneagram. As a matter of fact, I just, I got to speak at my church on that.

Preston Wetherington [00:36:08]:
Right. Like, it can be applied in a bunch of different contexts, which by the time this episode is out, I should probably have my enneagram based page. So somebody could go and check that out. Or you can check out disc. There's a bunch of great places to get them. I really liked, I don't know if when you took it that you had like your, your natural and then your adaptive version of your discs, I thought that was cool because I had taken disc, you know, years and years ago. And then when I took one, I think it was through entrez leadership on Dave Ramsey's website. Their version of it is like they had a sale is $10.

Preston Wetherington [00:36:44]:
I was like, cool, whatever. But it showed the natural and adaptive. I was like, that explains so much. Right?

Kenny Lange [00:36:51]:
So I wish I remember what my adaptive one is. I cannot remember for the life of me.

Preston Wetherington [00:36:57]:
My adaptive one is a lot nicer than my natural one.

Kenny Lange [00:37:03]:
I think mine might be the opposite, if I remember correctly.

Preston Wetherington [00:37:06]:
Yeah, you get a little more stern. I like. We're probably like just passing each other as we adapt, which is we'd be.

Kenny Lange [00:37:13]:
Just liking like mild stress.

Preston Wetherington [00:37:17]:
We would. You just put the right amount of pressure and we're practically the same person. So. So, Preston, I feel like there's probably a hundred more topics that we could dive into off of this. But this has been, I think, incredibly helpful, especially to people who are not really experienced at engaging marketing agencies, maybe have felt intimidated by it or are still under the belief that their nephew, who's really good on the Facebook, can handle all of their marketing needs. Literally something I have been told in my history. So there's, there's truth in the humor.

Kenny Lange [00:37:52]:
We all listen, that world has been told that.

Preston Wetherington [00:37:56]:
But I mean, if somebody wanted to take a, that you talked about stair steps, but if somebody wanted to take that first step in the next 24 hours towards bringing someone in, what would you tell them to do with, without spending, you know, very much money or no money at all?

Kenny Lange [00:38:14]:
Yeah. So I would say take a couple of hours, really work through where your, where your pain points are. Whether it's a lead generation or maybe your website is not in the right spot or you have these amazing clients, but you don't really have a great way to interact with them, really identify that stuff and then sleep on it and you still feel the same way the next morning. Like, hey, like, these are, like, these are my areas that I need the most help in. Then take action on that. And the action, it really depends on what the need is. So there's tons of great resources online. There's great marketing agencies out there.

Kenny Lange [00:39:02]:
I like to think that we're pretty good, but depending on where you are and what budget level you're at, there's plenty of great options out there at all different kinds of price points.

Preston Wetherington [00:39:14]:
Gotcha. I love that. Get really clear on what you're going into the marketplace for and your search will be a lot more fruitful. Preston, if people wanted to know more about you and nifty 50 solutions, or maybe they have some follow up questions from our conversation, where would you send them?

Kenny Lange [00:39:31]:
Yeah, so our website is nifty 50 solutions.com. we're on most social platforms, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok Search, nifty 50 50 solutions for all of them and will pop up.

Preston Wetherington [00:39:44]:
Excellent. And we'll also have your LinkedIn profile there if somebody wants to reach out and connect and follow along. Well, Preston, thank you so much. This is a lot of fun. I've been looking forward to this for a while, and hopefully it will not be the last time that we record one of our very fun conversations.

Kenny Lange [00:40:02]:
Hopefully it's not.

Preston Wetherington [00:40:04]:
Next time I'm going to have a more decorative shirt so I can try to keep up with you. That'll be, I'm setting small goals now, but if you've made it this far, I appreciate you as a listener. This means a lot. I only want to add value and help you take your next steps in your leadership. And if this did mean something to you, please like rate review share subscribe there's like a thousand different actions, so whatever makes sense for your platform, please take that action. If nothing else, it gives me feedback. But it also could be the way that somebody stumbles across this conversation, and it could be the thing that unlocks their next step in leadership. But until next time, remember, change the way you think.

Preston Wetherington [00:40:52]:
You'll change the way you lead. We'll see you.