Ed Forteau

EdForteau.com

No More Cringe is not just a book; it's a movement. Are you tired of aggressive, pushy sales tactics that feel inauthentic and make interactions awkward and uncomfortable? It's time to join the Genuine Connections Revolution.

As a business consultant, I'm dedicated to helping professionals build genuine, impactful relationships on LinkedIn. My book, No More Cringe, introduces The Strategic Ally Method, a revolutionary system that transforms cringe-worthy interactions into empowering, authentic connections.

▶ 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤?

👔	Professional Service Providers: Consultants, coaches, advisors, and freelancers seeking deeper client connections.
💡	Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners: Those yearning for a more human, effective client acquisition approach.
📊	Sales and Marketing Professionals: Tired of high rejection rates and low ROI.
🕒	Busy Professionals: Juggling demanding careers and personal lives, needing strategies that resonate with their values.
🤝	Socially Conscious Individuals: Valuing sincerity and professionalism, craving authentic engagement.

▶ 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝:

🔄	The relentless struggle with inconsistent client acquisition.
😣	Gut-wrenching frustration and anxiety from traditional marketing strategies.
⚡	Overwhelming pressure from ineffective outreach techniques.

▶ 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮:

⚖️	Aligns with Your Values: Integrity, professionalism, and work-life balance.
💆	Addresses Emotional Pain Points: Relieves stress, builds confidence, and banishes hopelessness.
🛤️	Offers a Clear Path to Success: Practical, step-by-step guidance to transform LinkedIn outreach.

Say goodbye to cringe and hello to real impact. Your journey to transforming LinkedIn outreach starts here. Purchase No More Cringe on Amazon for only $2.99 and start building genuine connections that lead to lasting success.

Join the Genuine Connections Revolution today!

Author of "No More Cringe: How to Transform LinkedIn Outreach from Awkward to Real Impact"

EdForteau.com, a division of Win/Win Professional Marketing and Sales Association, is a Digital Marketing Agency that helps local small businesses compete, and win, against their larger regional and national competitors who have big budgets and in-house marketing departments.

We provide unique, yet simple, solutions for local businesses in the complex and rapidly changing world of digital marketing.

Digital Marketing is complex and confusing. We make it simple and profitable.

Email Marketing Coaching/Consulting & Digital Marketing Coaching/Consulting

Email Open Rate Optimization

▶ 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑:
• Any business that uses email to communicate with prospects, clients, or customers that have experienced their emails going to spam, or not getting delivered
• Any business that wants their email accounts set up properly to ensure high deliverability
Why? Nothing has a greater/more immediate impact on your bottom line than fixing email deliverability issues

▶ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐃𝐎:
• Fix any types of email deliverability problems so more of your emails are delivered, seen, opened, and clicked
• Setup your email infrastructure so your emails land in your recipient's primary inbox
• Setup email reporting and monitoring to catch problems early, to avoid lost revenue
• Provide advice on the right email marketing platform to use to meet your objectives

▶ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐒 𝐖𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐗:
We provide the peace of mind that you are receiving the maximum ROI from emails, because all forms of your emails are delivered. This includes:
• Cold Emails
• Subscription Emails
• Support Ticket Emails
• Proposal Emails
• Contracts via Email
• Invoice/billing Emails
• Transactional Emails
• Marketing Emails
• Contact Us Forms

▶ 𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒:
• Email Deliverability Audit - Identifies the source of 90% of email deliverability issues
• DMARC Reporting/Monitoring - Monitors the health of your email accounts and pinpoints the issues that happen infrequently
• Domain Reputation Recovery - Our proprietary method of improving the reputation of a damaged domain in under 30 days
• Email Infrastructure Setup - Ensures maximum email deliverability and protects your domain reputation
• Email Deliverability Repair - Our team has a combined 28+ years in fixing email deliverability issues

▶ 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒:
• 95%+ email deliverability rate
• An immediate increase in email open and click-through rates
• On average, a 200-400% increase in email-related revenue

▶ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐘:
• See our LinkedIn Service Reviews

EMAIL DELIVERABILITY EXPERT - Get More Of Your Emails Delivered, Seen, Opened, Read, and Clicked

The most common email deliverability questions we answer in regards to email infrastructure.

Email Infrastructure - Consists of the moving parts that ensure your marketing and transactional emails are delivered to your recipient. They consist of your Sender IP(s), Domain Reputation, Proper Email Authentication, Feedback Loops, Reporting and Management Tools, etc.

Email Authentication - DKIM, SPF, and DMARC - Mailbox providers are tightening their security protocols, making email authentication more important. Proper authentication of DKIM and SPF is a must. Setting your DMARC policy to "Quarantine" or "Reject" shows the mailbox providers you are serious about protecting your email from phishing and spoofing attacks.

Sender IP - Two types: Shared IPs & Dedicated IPs. Sender IPs are the location from which your emails are sent, and play a big role in where mailbox providers place your emails. If your Sender IP Reputation is high, you will have good email deliverability. If it is poor, your emails are most likely to end up in spam or blocked. The quality of the Sender IPs you are assigned is the luck of the draw. ESPs are unlikely to change them, once they are assigned. If you are sending a high volume of emails, and following best email practices, we advise purchasing a Dedicated IP.

Domain Reputation - Similar to the IP address, the sending domain carries a reputation that affects deliverability. To protect your mail domain, we advise setting up subdomains for different email functions. For example, support.store.com for customer service requests and transactional emails, info.store.com for marketing emails. This way if your subdomain for marketing emails gets compromised (low engagement, spam complaints, etc.) it will not affect your transactional emails.

Periodically run your Sender IPs and Sender Domain through a blacklist checker, such as MX Toolbox, to make sure that they are not flagged for spam or other complaints that would lead to blacklisting.

Email Deliverability Consultant | Email Authentication | Sender IP | Domain Reputation

The most common email deliverability questions we answer in regard to email engagement and list segmentation.

Sender History - Your email history plays a role in where your emails will be placed. How your subscribers have engaged with your emails. If your Domain and Sender IPs have been on any Blacklists. If you have a history of Spam Complaints. The age of your Domain.

Engagement - Mailbox providers' algorithms track the user engagement of your emails. If subscribers don't open your emails, or repeatedly delete your emails without opening them, that may cause the mailbox provider to filter your emails into a subfolder. Excessive complaints and unsubscribes could cause the mailbox provider from accepting any emails from your company. High email engagement (such as users opening, clicking, and replying) positively impact email deliverability.

Email Volume - The lower your email volume, the less recourses are required by the mailbox providers to process your emails. The mailbox providers are more likely to treat your emails favorably, resulting in high email deliverability.

Email Regularly - Have a regular schedule for sending emails to your list. This is especially important if you mainly send email blasts. Ideally, send emails on a regular day and time. The best days and times to send it are Tues 9:00-11:00 AM, and then Thurs. 9:00-11:00 AM.

List Segmentation - Use email automation to segment your list and send emails based on subscriber behavior. Doing this will increase subscriber engagement. As well, send emails out in much smaller batches, which puts less strain on the mailbox provider's resources, resulting in higher email deliverability.

▶︎ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐘:
See our LinkedIn Service Reviews

We post new articles on email deliverability regularly on our LinkedIn Business Page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/email-open-rate-optimization/

Email Engagement | List Segmentation

The most common email deliverability questions we answer in regard to why emails go into spam because of email copy/content.

List Quality - Add subscribers to your list that want to hear from you. Use double opt-in vs. single opt-in. Move unengaged subscribers to a re-engagement list after 60 days, and remove them after 120 days.

Content - Spammy/salesy copy is more likely to get your emails placed in the promotional folder than the spam folder. But today, email code is more closely scrutinized. Mailbox providers want to see clean code in your emails. Avoid potentially malicious code, such as <embed> tags or JavaScript. Ensure the code from any third-party apps you are using has clean code. Check the domain reputation of any links in your body copy. Do not use link shorteners.

Bounces and Spam Traps - Verify all emails before you start emailing them to ensure there aren't any spam traps. Remove emails that frequently bounce.

Spam Complaints - Keep your spam complaints low (under 0.1%). If you make it difficult for subscribers to unsubscribe, they will mark your email as spam. Place your unsubscribe link(s) in places that are easy to see. Remove inactive subscribers from your main list after 60 days of inactivity. Subscribe to Google Postmaster Tools. 

Using All CAP (subject line or body copy) - Using all CAPs or excessive punctuation in the subject line or body of your emails raises a red flag and can get your emails placed in the promotional folder (at best) or the spam folder (at worst), and possibly blocked.

Subject Lines - 47% of email recipients open their emails solely based on the subject line alone, while 69% of recipients report spam emails based on the subject line. (Source: Grammarly)

▶︎ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐘:
See our LinkedIn Service Reviews

We post new articles on email deliverability regularly on our LinkedIn Business Page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/email-open-rate-optimization/

Email Copy | Subject Lines | List Quality | Spam Complaints

Business Rainmakers

Founder

Exit Success Lab

Exit Success Lab is a transformative community dedicated to guiding CEOs and entrepreneurs in enhancing the value of their businesses and ensuring more lucrative options upon exit.

It achieves this by bringing together vetted professional B2B service providers with successful entrepreneurs to create a think tank for solving challenging business problems. There are monthly trainings, office hours, and networking meetings.

As a faculty member who specializes in Database Equity Marketing, my role is to equip Exit Success Lab members with tailored strategies to optimize their databases (including client lists, prospect lists, and email databases). By leveraging database equity, members can amplify their business's appeal, streamline client acquisition processes, and foster sustained growth.

With a focus on cultivating a culture of continuous improvement and mastery of business strategy, Exit Success Lab empowers entrepreneurs to strengthen their business value and pave the way for a prosperous future.

Faculty Member - Database Equity Architect

Business Rainmaker

▶ 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐈𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑:
• Businesses where email is a critical part of their sales process
• Entrepreneurs who want to achieve a higher ROI with their email campaigns
• B2B Marketers looking for more cost-efficient options to paid ads for client acquisition
➣ We are the best fit for result-oriented entrepreneurs who want to maximize the performance of email in all of their marketing activities.

▶ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐄 𝐃𝐎:
• Fix underperforming email marketing campaigns
• Implement strategies to improve the quality of your list (prospect list or subscriber list)
• Advise on the most effective email marketing strategies and tactics, and customize them for your situation
➣ Create a framework for consistent and predictable results utilizing the latest behavioral email marketing automation methods

▶ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐌𝐒 𝐖𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐗:
• email campaigns
• email open rates
• email click-through rates
• email engagement
• email sales conversion
• email list management
• email infrastructure
• poor email deliverability
• scaling email marketing campaigns

▶ 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒:
1. Evaluate your current email marketing campaigns
2. Provide a detailed execution plan for improvement
3. Work with you, and/or your team, to implement the plan
➣ We see email marketing strategy and consulting as a collaborative effort between us. We act as your guide to ensure all of your email communication is delivered and seen by the right people, at the right time, so you achieve your marketing and sales goals.

▶ 𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐒:
• Increased email open and click-through rates (typically 2X higher than the industry average)
• 200 - 400% average revenue increase from email marketing campaigns

▶ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐘:
"Truly an amazing experience working with EORO. They're professional and incredibly knowledgeable in all things email. Will certainly continue working together."
~ Joel Waldenbäck, Co-Founder på Zutobi

Email Marketing Strategy | Email Marketing Specialist | Email Automation

Wandering Media Group

Wandering Media Group provides email marketing services to the travel market. Services include:
Email Deliverability
Email Automation
Email List Management

B2B Email Marketing | Email Copywriting | Email List Management

Win/Win Professional Marketing & Sales Association

For over 28 years, Win/Win Professional Marketing & Sales Association has advised small to medium-sized businesses to implement sales and marketing systems that increase revenue.

Growth Marketing Specialist | Digital Marketing Specialist | Public Speaker & Trainer

OneGuide

Providing 1:1 Email marketing strategy, including email deliverability and email automation coaching through OneGuide, an expertise platform that connects high-growth B2B software companies with experienced advisors.

Link: https://askoneguide.com/authors/ed-forteau/

Advisor

Leader of the Genuine Connections Revolution | Helping Service Providers, Entrepreneurs, and Sales Professionals Build Authentic Relationships | Author of "No More Cringe” | Changing the Way We do Business on LinkedIn

I’m Ed Forteau, Business Growth Strategist, Community Builder, and Creator of The Strategic Ally Method.

I help relationship-driven entrepreneurs attract high-value clients…without chasing, cold pitching, or playing the content hamster wheel game.

If you’re great at what you do, but feel like sales turns you into someone you’re not, you're not broken.

You’ve just been sold the wrong playbook.

Most of my clients come to me feeling stuck.

They’re burned out from outreach that goes nowhere.

They hate the pressure to perform on social media.

And they’re tired of trying to be “everywhere” just to get noticed.

What I teach flips the script:

✅ Start warm, low-pressure conversations that naturally lead to business

✅ Tap into the trust you’ve already earned to unlock hidden opportunities

✅ Show up as a Strategic Ally, not another sales person or content clone

✅ Build “quiet authority” without shouting for attention

✅ Use simple, human systems that work even when you’re not online

Here’s a story I hear all the time:

A client spent months tweaking cold email campaigns.

They saw early wins…until everything stopped working.

Low replies. Spam folder black holes. Endless fixing.

They tried my method. DMed just ten warm messages to mutual connections of people they knew.
Two booked calls. One became a client.

Then came momentum.

They told me, “This just feels…different. Lighter.”

I said, “It’s less work than trying to save a sinking ship.”

That’s the shift:

From pushing and persuading to connecting and converting.

From guessing what strangers want to showing up where you’re already trusted.

You don’t need to become someone else to grow your business.

You just need a better way.

That’s why I created The Genuine Connection Alliance. It’s a private community for relationship-first entrepreneurs.

Inside, you’ll learn my frameworks, build a powerful support system, and attract clients through trust, not tactics.

It’s where my best clients come from, because they experience the method before they ever hire me.

If you believe business can be built through conversations, connection, and real value, let’s talk.

Or better yet, let’s start a conversation that leads to something real.

💬 DM me the word “Alliance” and I’ll send you the Genuine Connection Alliance overview doc. It might be the missing piece you’ve been looking for.

Social-Advisors

Stop living in a sea of sameness. Double down and your personal brand and results will follow.

We help advisors build their brand and grow their influence. We leverage technology to establish processes and artificial intelligence to measure & qualify opportunity. Save time and create predictable results. 

Social Advisors was founded on the simple principle that advisors are not clones. The industry has done its best to treat every advisor as though they were the same. The lives of the regulators and the firm's compliance officers are easier if you don't go outside their box.

All the pre-approved content in the world, whether it's from the firm or a third party vendor, is not going to help you grow. In fact, today it is seen as lazy and probably works against you. 

Build a narrow audience and highlight your differentiators. Speak to them as personally as possible. Share content that demonstrates your understanding of their uniqueness. It won't take long to grow a legitimate influencer brand.

Of course, as your audience grows by 10+ targeted people every day, it is imperative that you understand who is gravitating to your message and ready to engage. The tools we implement will tell you exactly who is consuming your content, visiting the fees page of your website, watching that key video. Once we know who is ready, we're here to help you convert connections into clients.

President

RIA Collective

Take the Fear and Mystery out of Going Independent.

During my two decades serving the industry, I've seen trends come and go. One that has been consistent and continues to gain speed is the move from captive advisor to independent advisor.

Some advisors and teams make the move with little friction while others struggle, often stuck in litigation too long to retain assets and ultimately never open their RIA.

At RIA Collective, we're trying to figure out what makes the experience easier for some.

Tune in to interviews with RIA leadership, breakaway attorneys, and industry experts as we work to take the fear and mystery out of going independent. Gain advice from those that have walked the same path that you're about to embark upon. Find out what they did right, and what decisions they would change.

If you're a captive advisor who feels stuck serving the firm first and your client second...
If your firm's quotas and proprietary products prevent you from truly serving your clients as a fiduciary...
If you worked hard to gain the credentials to help others but your role is dominantly sales...
If the firm's compliance prevents you from telling your story...
If you're stuck using antiquated technology....

It is likely independence is for you. Listen to RIA Collective to gain insight into making your transition go as smoothly as possible.

Founder and Host

LynnLeigh & Company, LLC

Advisory Council Member

The Oechsli Institute

Performance Coach

Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce

Board Member

Daymond John Academy

Working with entrepreneurs and professionals has always been a passion.  With Daymond John Academy, I get to work with a variety of business owners to create plans for their success.  What a great learning experience and opportunity to share knowledge.

Business Coach | Social Media Coach

Faulkner Media Group

National Account Manager

50 Below

I work with a team of dedicated professionals at 50 Below to create business opportunities for our company of more than 250 people.

I enjoy working with influential people in a variety of industries to fulfill the online marketing needs of dealerships, retail stores and financial professionals.  Contact me if you have a need for compliant websites and online stores; or to talk strategy for your business or network.

Business Development

Surfrider Foundation of Central Florida

Just one way to give back to an amazing organization.  Surfrider Foundation is protecting the fun and well being of our oceans and beaches for me, my children and future generations.  I am proud to help the Central Florida Chapter of Surfrider Foundation in whatever way possible.

Volunteer - Website and Social Media Administrator

Oakley

Independent Sales Rep

For almost a quarter-century, my professional mission has been to empower financial advisors to make a meaningful difference in their clients' lives. Over these years, I've supported these professionals in enhancing their business growth and marketing endeavors. I've observed firsthand how rapidly their strategies and tools evolve to cater to the shifting habits of their specialized audiences, particularly when it comes to the research and purchasing process.

The advent of automated technologies and platforms has dramatically reshaped my role as an advisor. By streamlining my business growth operations and zeroing in on the most lucrative opportunities, I've won more hours in the day, greater autonomy, and a higher caliber of potential clients.

However, one critical component in cultivating this burgeoning network of prospects is a well-structured, impactful content marketing plan. Regrettably, I've seen a rise in generic content marketing in recent years, which has led to decreased engagement and interaction. This fall-off can be traced back to the onslaught of generic sales messages we are all constantly exposed to, messages that lack a genuine understanding of our identities and requirements.

In my journey, I've had the honor of partnering with numerous advisors grappling with familiar obstacles:

- Being stretched too thin to maintain a consistent focus on business growth
- Struggling to set themselves apart due to stringent regulations surrounding marketing communications
- Acknowledging the potential of technology integration for success, but lacking the enthusiasm or know-how to do so
- Aspiring to discover their unique voice and stand apart from the masses, while realizing that mirroring the strategies and content of countless other advisors won't yield the results they seek.

By offering education and support, I guide financial advisors to pinpoint their desired audience and craft personalized content and business growth strategies. My objective is to generate more opportunities, gift more time, and grant more freedom for my clientele.

My work is fueled by passion, and I genuinely love what I do! I invite you to let me design a prospecting strategy that fits your financial practice like a glove, promising consistent revenue augmentation.

Let's begin a dialogue and undertake this journey as a team!

Email me: cvanderven@social-advisors.com
Check out our website: https://social-advisors.com

taplio

The Battle

Ed Forteau

Charlie Van Derven

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