Most enterprise deals die because the buyer can’t defend the buying decision internally.

If your buyer can’t:
•	repeat your value clearly
•	explain why this matters now
•	justify the spend to a skeptic
then the deal stalls.

That’s not a sales issue.
You didn't manage the narrative.
________________________________________
WHAT I DO
I run Narrative installs for FinTech and B2B companies where deals slow after initial traction.
This is a fixed-scope intervention focused on one thing:
installing a revenue-driven narrative your buyers can understand, defend, and repeat internally.

I don’t coach teams.
I don’t teach frameworks.
I don’t run workshops.

I diagnose where your buyer’s internal decision-story breaks.
And I rebuild it so it holds up under scrutiny.
________________________________________
WHAT YOU GET
•	a single authority sentence your company can use consistently
•	a clear decision-narrative your buyers can forward internally
•	language that neutralizes “we’ll think about it” (without persuasion)
•	shorter, cleaner sales conversations

Fewer words.
Less drift.
Faster decisions.
________________________________________
WHO THIS IS FOR
•	Founder-led FinTechs and complex B2B companies
•	Enterprise or mid-market deals with real internal scrutiny
•	Teams where sales conversations go well...then stall

You already have demand.
You just can’t convert it cleanly.
________________________________________
WHO THIS IS NOT FOR
•	Early-stage founders testing offers
•	Sales enablement or training 
•	Anyone looking for tactics or scripts
•	Situations where pricing or execution is the real problem

When your narrative works, sales close quickly.
When it doesn’t, no amount of activity fixes this.
________________________________________
HOW I WORK
•	Fixed scope
•	Short turnaround
•	No iteration
•	No ongoing access

I only take a small number of engagements per month.
If your deals just aren't closing, I run a private diagnostic to determine whether it’s structural or situational.

If this isn't a problem you face, no need to reach out.

Marc  C. Angelos

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗪𝗢 𝗧𝗬𝗣𝗘𝗦 𝗢𝗙 “𝙋𝙀𝙍𝙎𝙊𝙉𝘼𝙇 𝘽𝙍𝘼𝙉𝘿”

There are two very different games people call “𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨.”
Most confuse them.
TBH, it's taken me 6 years into running my own firm to grasp this.

Here's the difference:

𝟭) 𝗔𝗨𝗗𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘-𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗗
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭.

It’s built on:
 • Reach
 • Algorithms
 • Frequency
 • Parasocial attention
It lives in feeds.
And it requires constant output to survive.


𝟮) 𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗬-𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗗 
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴.

It’s built on:
 • Depth of thinking
 • Clear judgment
 • Personal referrals
 • Ideas that travel room to room
It lives in conversations, not content calendars.

Most people only see #1 because it’s more visible.
But #2 is how 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 deals get done.

I’ve lived in both worlds.
30 years in Fintech -- 6 years as a "founder" on these platforms.

Wall Street ran entirely on #2.
You lived and died by personal reputation, judgment, and trust.
Meanwhile, these digital platforms reward #1.

Having lived both worlds, I can say that neither is “better.”
But they have different economics.
Different rules.
Different causes of failure.

The problem I see is that most founders unknowingly mix them.
This is why SO many biz owners complain that they post consistently and get attention....yet still struggle to close deals.

So here's the key to remember:

AUDIENCE-based brand = 𝘢𝘭𝘨𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘮𝘪𝘤 leverage.
AUTHORITY-based brand = 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 leverage.

Know which game you’re playing.
Because authority doesn’t scale the same way attention does.

Sales narrative for FinTech | Messaging that closes deals | 3 decades Fintech sales | Anvictus.com

Everyone has content.
Everyone has a framework.
Everyone has a “message.”

So what’s broken in sales?

The wrong people still show up.
That is the disease.
Everything else is a symptom.

Buyers have grown skeptical. 
Because they are wise now.
They arrive curious...but usually under-informed.
And often unqualified

However, that is not really a sales problem.
It's a failure of your messaging architecture.

To grow your revenue in 2026, start helping buyers decide BEFORE the call.
Before they ever even speak with you.
Because if a buyer needs you to explain what you do....your message has already failed.

I'm here in the trenches with all of you.
I see all the programs, trainings and "irresistible offers" flooding the digital space.

But we are no longer in the 2021 goldrush.
People don't need to be taught:
• how to sell
• how to write
• Or how to post

A.I. can do all that FOR you.
And it should.

You know what you actually need?

You need that first call to start halfway down the sales process.

You need as many sales objections as possible to be neutralized before that first contact.

You need them to show up...basically already sold.

Your teal goal is to avoid the tire-kickers. Not to persuade. 

You want to move the. from interest without buying intent.....
to sales discussions that progress naturally….with ZERO pressure!

Sales is evolving now.
Put simply, the conversation must now start further downstream.

THAT is the transformation I am focusing on amidst the AI slop.

As someone who has sold at a very high-level for many decades in Finance, I'm telling you that THIS will determine “sales success” in 2026.

And IMHO, this approach will be how you separate yourself from all the Clawdbot-driven pitching-diguised-as-networking

Because the 3C's of courses, coaching and community aren't cutting it anymore.

People want hand-holding and guidance. They want a real interactive exerience.

Not AI "personalization" that really just hidden automated outreach.

Because like it or not, THAT'S what's coming to the sales world.

In the end, REAL business...is about loyalty and repeat-revenue.
Focus on building THAT.
And you won't have to worry about chasing, pressuring and convincing.

undefined undefined

Metaverse and NFTs for Marketing

Content Marketing: Podcasting for Business

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Building an Integrated Online Marketing Plan

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Virtual Selling for Sales Professionals

B2B Marketing on LinkedIn

Blogging for Your Business

Business Storytelling 

Digital Strategy

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Marketing Tools: Social Media

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Content Strategy & Training | 3 decades sales | 5 year Entrepreneur |  Podcast Host | Speaker

HELPING ENTREPRENEURS STAND OUT & SELL WITH CONFIDENCE

I bring over 30 years of experience as a Wall Street Sales Leader.
There I led teams, closed multi-million-dollar deals, and mastered the art of relationship-driven sales.

After leaving Wall Street, I launched a content marketing firm.
For 5 years, I:
✅ Ghostwrote longform & LinkedIn content for Fortune 500 CEOs and C-suite executives.
✅ Built the personal brands of dozens of Wall Street leaders and their executive coaches.
✅ Developed LinkedIn strategies that helped create 3 best-selling business authors.

Now I help entrepreneurs.
I combine sales mastery with content strategy to help Creators, Solopreneurs, and Small Business Owners:
🎯 Build influence with powerful personal brands.
💡 Master sales techniques to attract and close more clients.

I’ve personally:
✔️ Trained over 300 small business owners in sales and marketing.
✔️ Run sales teams for leading content entrepreneurs like Joe Pulizzi.
✔️ Spoken on live stages, including Creator Economy Expo, to teach entrepreneurs how to thrive in the digital age.

WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT?
Modern business struggles with two major gaps:
1️⃣ Business leaders who don’t understand content strategy.
2️⃣ Content creators who don’t understand business fundamentals.

My expertise spans both landscapes—from finance, sales, and tech to content, entrepreneurship, and strategy. This unique blend allows me to help entrepreneurs like you stand out, sell confidently, and grow your business.

HOW I CAN HELP YOU
Whether you need:
•	Content strategy to amplify your brand,
•	Sales training to close more deals, or
•	A comprehensive approach to social selling and business development,
I’ll help you achieve clarity and get results.
________________________________________

Let’s Connect!
Looking for consultations, speaking engagements, or collaborations? 
Send me a message—I’d love to help you grow your influence and your income!

Actionable insights to help entrepreneurs 
 - stand out
 - attract clients and
 - sell with confidence

Every Saturday

Category of ONE Newsletter

𝗪𝗛𝗬 𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗟𝗢𝗦𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗙𝗜𝗥𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

It’s not because the offer is weak.
And it’s not because the buyer doesn’t understand.

Most deals stall because the buyer can’t repeat the logic internally.

They leave the call thinking:
“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦.”

Then someone else asks:
“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?”
“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘸?”
“𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮?”

And the deal quietly dies.

That’s not a trust problem.
It’s not a pricing problem.
And it’s definitely not a content problem.

𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙢.

If your message doesn’t give buyers:
 - language they can reuse
 - logic they can defend
 - framing that survives skepticism
they won’t champion you...even if they like you.

This is the gap I fix.

Not with coaching.
Not with content calendars.
But with a short, focused 𝙈𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡 that rebuilds the narrative buyers actually use.

If this feels uncomfortably familiar,
you’re probably already dealing with it.

You don’t need to be known to be successful.
You need to be TRUSTED by the right 10 people.

I've been in high-trust sales (FinTech) for 3 decades.
Here's the TLDR:
Real business has ALWAYS been about REAL relationships.
Trust is REQUIRED to make a sale of any significant sum.

I find it hilarious that this approach is suddenly some new "strategy."
Guru's are "discovering" this go-to move to battle AI slop. 
Meanwhile, Dale Carnegie is rolling over in his grave.

Newsflash: 
where trust goes...money flows.

The rise of the Internet didn't change that.
AI slop doesn't change that.
Nothing ever will.

So for those who don't know how to build trusted relationships... 
it's time to learn. 

This starts with the story you tell.
It's time to nail your narrative.

Apparently, I am one of the top users of ChatGPT in the world. 😳
Didn’t realize this until their year-end recap popped up.

But this doesn’t make me smarter than anyone else.
(𝘐𝘧 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦....)

For context, I've been using ChatGPT since November 30, 2022.
(𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘺 1.) And here is what I have learned:
The biggest failure of most business leaders isn’t their prompting.
It’s that 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙮.

Because ChatGPT is an X-ray machine.
It instantly reveals who already knows how to think.
The winners don’t have better AI skills.....t𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨.

And this applies to your business.
Specifically, to your messaging.

Because clarity compounds.
 - Clarity of thought.
 - Clarity of execution.
 - Clarity of communication.

And yes, I use all the other major LLMs too.
Each has it's strengths/weaknesses.
But your success is about MORE than just having the right tool.
You need to leverage it properly.

I'm curious where folks see AI helping most?
Even better....where do you see it making things worse?...

"Sales" and "Content" is getting harder.
.....unless you have leverage.

In today’s market, you need at least one of these:

1) PRE-EXISTING TRUST
 Real experience. Real scars. Credibility that can’t be faked.
In my case, I come from 30 years on Wall Street and I've run my own firm for 6 years. And just like me, no AI can replicate YOUR lived experience. 

2) A SHARP POINT OF VIEW
A clear enemy. A line you won’t cross. A belief that repels some people.
In my case, I believe you cannot build a large business without mastering trust at scale through these platforms. Which means MOST large companies are doomed. Sorry, not sorry.

3) A NARRATIVE THAT CLARIFIES
Your business needs language that helps your buyers see their world differently. You must be able to explain to your prospective buyers what's REALLY happening to them.

Unfortunately, most AI-era builders have none of the above.
But here's the truth - "distribution" is no longer about being everywhere.  
It’s about being clear enough so that the right people self-select.

AI has killed mediocrity.
So buyers aren’t paying for information anymore.
They are paying to borrow your JUDGEMENT.

So stop explaining your system.
Instead, just explain the illusion people are stuck inside.
Because in an AI world, your insight IS your sales pitch.
Insight......not information.

In an AI-saturated market, understanding is cheap.
Belief is rare.
Most founders mistakely think they are selling the first.
When really it's the second.

Here's the good news.

When you have finally earned your buyer's belief:
      •   You stop over-explaining
      •   They repeat your words back to you
      •   Your sales calls stop drifting
      •   Your content finally has a spine

Remember that your goal is clarity that earns trust...

…before the pitch even starts.

"𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑘𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠?"

I was recently asked this during a discussion with a tech founder.
It's a good question.
Especially as AI continues to bleed the two into each other. 

So here is how I answered:
• Marketing handles BELIEF at scale
• Sales handles EMOTION at the margin

Your sales narrative's job is to maximize how much belief is pre-installed
so sales doesn’t have to fight uphill.

In other words, 
Sales should feel like confirmation....not persuasion.
Give it some thought.

AI accelerates a weak narrative JUST as fast as a strong one.

We ALL need to AI our companies.
That much is clear. 

But remember:
 • AI optimizes delivery, not belief
 • AI tests angles, not truth
 • AI scales narratives that already work...but it doesn’t invent them
 
Clarity comes before content. 
Always.

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Sales narrative isn’t a new problem.

Most companies are struggling with sales and marketing.
But the reason for both lives 𝘶𝘱𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮.

It's 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 you start making content.
Before you do the "outbound pound."
Even before the sales meetings.....you have to nail the message.

This problem plagues every company.
It’s timeless & universal.
And it precedes AlLL "go-to-market" motion.
B U T....it’s especially brutal for tech founders

Because if you can’t explain your value clearly,
no amount of activity downstream will save you.

More content won’t fix this.
More sales meetings don’t fix it.

Only clarity does.

Marketing works when your message gives a specific group of people language they can repeat to others.

Not “attention.”
Not “reach.”
Not “content.”
Repeatable language.

If people don’t retell it, it doesn’t spread.
Most founders generalize their message.
And then they wonder why nothing sticks.

When you nail your narrative, you move beyond "content marketing."
You start building trust.

Sales is not about pitching, persuading and chasing leads.
Not anymore.
In an Ai world, you must enable your buyer to:
 • self-identify
 • self-qualify
 • self-educate
 • self-convince

When your message does this, the buyers show up ready.
This is why your narrative actually sits upstream of sales.

The right narrative does the neavy lifting FOR you.
It does this by deliberately creating:
 • shareable beliefs
 • repeatable phrases
 • clear villains

When i say "narrative," I'm not talking slogans and taglines.
I'm talking about language buyers use to:
 • explain you to their boss
 • justify you to their partner
 • forward you to a peer

If the buyer can’t advocate FOR you, then your narrative is broken.

TLDR: 
• content is downstream
• distribution is downstream
• funnels are downstream

Your narrative belongs BEFORE all the visibility systems such as ads, and outbound. 

Because if there is one thing I have learned in 30 years of selling, it is this:
the moment you say “this might not be for you,” 
trust increases.

If your content gets likes but no sales meetings....that’s not an algorithm problem. I know the pop-move is to just roast the LNKD algorithm these days. But really, this is a MESSAGING problem.

In high-stakes sales environments (think FinTech, Wall Street, enterprise B2B), nobody cares how often you post.

They care if:
• They understand what you do
• It’s relevant to them
• It’s worth a conversation

Content doesn’t create sales.

Clarity creates conversations...
And conversations create the sales.

This is a shift from the PRE-AI era.
And its a nuance that most businesses are overlooking.

AI accelerates the clear and the specific.
But AI punishes the vague and the generic.

In this regard, 
AI doesn't break marketing.
It just exposes weak narratives.

So before seeking help with your
 - content
 - branding
 - storytelling
 - or thought leadership
....take the time to craft a trust-first narrative.

This is a system that gives the right buyers the words they need to choose you...and explain that choice to others.
And all this should happen before the sale ever starts.

Execution has become table stakes.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 
𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲.
 - Writing the code.
 - Building the workflow.
 - Designing the deck.
 - Shipping the feature.

Those things used to command a premium.
But AI has collapsed the cost and the scarcity.

𝐒𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞?

It moves upstream to the 𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋.
Not building or executing.

But rather, in deciding:
• 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵
• 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘣𝘶𝘺𝘦𝘳
• 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺
• 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬
• 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘥𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

Here are 2 truths FinTech teams can’t ignore:

𝟭. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸
 A “great product” doesn’t fix unclear value, misaligned narratives, or long sales cycles.

𝟮. 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 
 • AI can't decide what matters to a CIO, PM, or Head of Trading
 • AI won't frame the problem in commercial terms
 • AI can't position your platform against incumbents
 • AI doesn't align your product narrative to revenue outcomes

All that work sits upstream of your software.

Going forward, advantage accrues to teams with:
• 𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙥 𝙋𝙊𝙑
• 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙣𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚
• 𝙖 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙪𝙮𝙚𝙧
• 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝

Yes, AI accelerates execution.
But clarity still determines who profits....and who struggles.

𝑻𝑳𝑫𝑹:
Building your platform is now table stakes.
𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑖𝑡 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑓𝑖𝑐 𝑏𝑢𝑦𝑒𝑟?....

THAT is where deals are won.

𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.
And every time infrastructure resets, the same thing happens.
The tools multiply faster than buyers can understand them.

I’ve seen this cycle play out over the last 30 years on Wall Street.
In the 1990s, it was quote machines and FIX protocols.
In the 2000s, dark pools and matching engines.
By the 2010s, algo wheels, AI execution, and smart routing.

Each wave looked “revolutionary.”
Each wave produced the same problem.

There were too many vendors.
Too many similar claims.
Too much technical sophistication.
......and too little clarity.

The real challenge was never the technology.
It was that buyers couldn’t tell:
 • 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥
 • 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘦𝘥
 • 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 

When markets are unsettled, buyers don’t choose the best tool.
They choose the most defensible decision.

This is why infrastructure transitions are won or lost at the messaging layer.
It's not about the code....and it never will be again.

Here's what I mean:

The first iPhone didn’t win because it was obviously superior.
At launch, it looked like just another PDA (𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺/𝘗𝘢𝘭𝘮).

Apple won because Steve stepped onstage and reframed the category.
He made clear why choosing it made sense.
And he did this before the market had fully evolved.

Crypto and blockchain are in this position today.
Not because they’re hype.
But because they’re early - the companies are still wrapping their head around the potential.

Same movie.
New substrate.

Which means most FinTech builders in this space aren’t competing on product. Not yet anyway.

They’re competing on:
 • 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 20 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴
 • 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯
 • 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦 (𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱)
 • 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 

All this is happening while the market is still forming

Here's the takeaway:
Infrastructure gets adopted when it ticks 3 boxes.
 - 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲
 - 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲
 - 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲.

And THAT'S the work most teams are underestimating right now....

In the AI era, we can no longer assume that
 - content earns attention
 - lead magnets earn trust
 - or that funnels will convert

With LLM's, the biz game has shifted:
 - attention is now cheap
 - trust is scarce
 - information is worthless

So what to do?

We must all digest the truth that judgment is now the differentiator.
The "creator" folks call have named this concept "taste."
But that's too fuzzy for me.

Our JUDGEMENT of what should be done
is now more important than what should be done.

That is what you must sell...

Give it some thought.

AI didn’t break distribution.
It just exposes weak sales narratives.

Here is what I mean:

CLARITY without a sales narrative is still fuzzy.
NARRATIVE without visibility creates no demand.
VISIBILITY without clarity is just noise.

But these aren’t separate problems.
They’re interdependent.

You need all three:
      • Clarity
      • Narrative
      • Visibility

And that order matters.
THAT is the order in which you solve them.
Because you can't post your way into clarity.
And you don’t fix demand with volume.

You build it like this:
     1   -   Clarity
     2   -   Narrative
     3   -   Visibility

IMHO, most sales systems don’t fail.
They’re just built backwards.

The companies I work with all complain that "it's getting harder" to sell.
But here is the pattern I am seeing:
      - Large enterprise teams struggle with clarity.
      - Smaller founder-led teams struggle with narrative.

Which of the three breaks first in your world....clarity, narrative, or visibility?

A sales narrative is about building trust....so you never HAVE to persuade.

We are full-steam into this era of AI slop. 
Which moves your narrative front and center. 

We are all now in the game of digital relationship management. 
And that is the job of your narrative.

Yet most founders mistakenly believe "narrative" is about:
·        the founder story
·        customer tales
·        culture
·        mission
All those are fine and they have their place.
But they are incomplete. 
Because they don't drive sales.

Trust does.

To build that, requires 3 integrated layers:
     1. POSITIONING
            -  What category do you live in? 
            -  What problem do you actually solve?
 
     2. CREDIBILITY
            -  Why should they believe you, specifically?
            -  Experience? Testimonials? etc...
 
     3. URGENCY OF DECISION
            -  Why does this matter now? 
            -  What happens if they don’t act?

Most founders stop at Layer 2 - credibility.
Most "content" folks never even get to Layer 3.

But you will stand or fall at the point of the buyer's decision-making. 
Your revenue actually rides on Layer 3.

And this cannot be forced.  
They must WANT to do business with you.
You must be chosen among all the other options...
......because they have come to trust you.

Your business success, is now solely about building that trust. 
And you must do this amidst the AI noise.

When product, process and workflows can all be automated with AI,
it comes down to distribution.
Which means your communication strategy.

Your narrative must build that bridge of trust...

Many founders are loud...yet still invisible.
This is because:
     -   Their LinkedIn does NOT match their sales deck.
     -   Their podcast does NOT match their pitch.
     -   Their website does NOT echo what they say live.

Your sales narrative must do ONE thing relentlessly:
Make the same idea show up everywhere without sounding scripted.

That is what builds trust at scale.

𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗮𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲.

The mistake of most founders and senior executives is NOT doing the internal work before doing the marketing. 

Your MESSAGE must do the "selling" FOR you now.
That demands that WE first get clear on
 - how we are different
 - the one-liners we share with our market
 - the system for building trust on these platforms
 
In short, clarity comes before content. 
Laziness here leads to AI slop.
Be part of the solution...not the problem.
Please.

Do the work.
THEN make the content.....

ENTERPRISE buyers must be sold to differently. 

Because BIG COMPANIES need internal consensus to buy. 
Multiple department-heads must agree on the new CRM...or auditing tool....or AI widget. Or whatever is being considered. 

So this is a different type of a sale from the "funnel" crowd.
And here's the problem - 

Too many Fintechs fail to understand that they need to make their message easy to share INSIDE thatprospective enterprise buyer. 

The client they seek to land has a "champion" inside who must argue on behalf of the Fintech. I'm talkin internally. 

And the the weapon they need to win that battle....is your MESSAGING.
YOU - the FinTech - must provide them a simple, portable, powerful message that they can repeat to their higher-ups.

This is also the reality of any consultants who seek to sell into global firms.
In the end, winning-over multiple stakeholders is required to win the sale.

And that start before you ever pitch them.
It starts with the message you craft.

🌊 The Quiet Stall
2021 was oddly calm.
No clients left my agency, but no fresh ones walked in either. I kept telling myself the mid-pandemic lull would pass - right after we onboarded a few shiny, big-logo accounts.

Six months later I was drowning in mis-alignment: mission creep, late pay, and toxic patterns of entitlement. I clung to them (and an oversize team) out of guilt… until the day I admitted the obvious: “steady” isn’t the same as sustainable.

I slashed the roster, right-sized the team, and promised I’d never let momentum masquerade as growth again.

⚡ The Lightning Weekend
I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember - scribbling on scrap paper, blogging while friends still battled dial-up. 
I watched three tectonic shifts: dot-com, social, and now generative AI. 
I spectated the first two.
Not this time.

When OpenAI released ChatGPT in 2022, I spent one weekend testing prompts and saw lightning. If small businesses learn to direct the models instead of fear them, we replace guesswork with leverage. 

I went all-in:

🏗️ Built an AI-forward agency for founder-led teams
🌀 Launched the Marketing Power Circle mastermind
🎓 Started teaching AI-driven marketing at York University

💪 Fuel That Shaped Me
One time in grade 9, my mom once faced down a teacher accusing me of cheating - and won. And learned the value of reputation. She reminds me whenever I wobble: “If they don’t support your jump, it’s because they don’t know you can fly.”

My dad - gone a decade - showed the other side of courage: kindness loud enough to adopt the lost (animal and human). And an undying commitment to inclusion (boomer girl dads in India did not have it easy).

From them I learned:

🛡️ Defend what matters - clients, values, reputation - with fire if needed.
🤝 Lead with generosity; it compounds faster than any algorithm.

🚀 Today, Here’s What I Do

🤖🔧 Done-for-you AI Integration – audits, workflows, and automations that cut execution from weeks to hours

🌀 Marketing Power Circle – a small-group mastermind where founders leave each session with something DONE

🎤 Keynotes and Workshops – translating AI buzzwords into daily revenue engines

📣 Let’s Connect
📌 Follow for 5×-weekly prompts, templates, and behind-the-scenes AI experiments

📩 DM “MPC” for the next mastermind cohort

📧 Need a speaker or custom implementation? DM me

If serendipity brought you here, stick around - lightning tends to strike where preparation meets a little wild courage.

Susan Diaz

What did your planning for this year look like?
Mine looked like two focused sessions with my B2B buddy Gabby Zuniga MIR, CHRL at the vibey Verity Club, her ein Toronto.

Session 1: a 2025 retrospective. AI did the heavy lifting. We pulled from calendar, invoices, CRM, and marketing analytics. 

Then we asked:
What made money? (by offer, by channel, by client type)
What felt easy and energizing?
What created outsized downstream effects?
What looked busy but delivered little?

Result: clear patterns. Do more of what compounds. Retire the “high-effort/low-return” stuff without guilt.

Session 2: peer review. We brought our one-page plans and received advice and notes from each other. We traded intros, resources, tool stacks, and risks to watch. We did it over long, delicious lunches - with white space built into the day so decisions could breathe.

I’m excited for what’s ahead because the inputs are better: data, discernment, and the right room.

Tell me your planning story in the comments.

Susan Diaz 🎙️

🤖 I help teams implement practical AI to double their results 👩‍🏫 Instructor and AI Trainer | 📕 Author | 🎤 Speaker

Who are the early AI adopters inside of your organization? Who has access and training and space to experiment? Is there equity in the process? Or are we creating another version of the wage gap on cr^ck?

Heather Cannings of StrikeUP Canada joins me for a vital conversation about women and AI? Heather leads one of the largest online events for women entrepreneurs and the last time I spoke for the event, there were 3,500 registrants. So she knows a little something about the thing.

Catch the convo here https://lnkd.in/geA7vV5C 

This episode is a part of my 30 day podcast to book sprint where I'm writing my next book 'Swan Dive Backwards'. If you'd like access to an early copy, drop me a comment or DM and follow me Susan Diaz 🎙️

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