Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Channing Muller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Channing, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

The best investment I made happened when I first took my company DCM Communications from a side hustle to full time and that was in a business coach. While it did not turn out to be the right fit long-term, I learned some really great lessons through the experience that 100% made it worth it.

Lesson 1. How to detach emotion from sales.
It’s not about selling the ideas in my head (as a creative service provider) or whether or not I need the sale to hit my revenue goals. It is about me offering a solution to a customer’s problem. Period. When I adopted that thought process, everything got easier and the language I used in marketing & sales became more effective.

Lesson 2. How I don’t want to do business.
This coach had a very specific system that had worked very well for him to reach multi-seven figures. There were other people in my coaching class who follow the model and are making the same. The problem is that the process didn’t sit right in my gut.

As much as I want my business to reach a certain revenue level, I want to do it in a way that allows me to sleep peacefully at night knowing I am truly doing what’s in my client’s best interest while still sticking to my value.

I think learning what you don’t want in business (and life) is just as important as what you do. The more you can eliminate options that are the wrong fit, the more than once that are the right fit to play out because they have the space to walk into.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my career as a journalist, then an editor and eventually worked my way to the advertising side of media companies. While in that role I realized the sales team didn’t really know how to sell advertising as well as event sponsorships, so I started coaching them on how to present the benefits of ads. Added bonus, I would design the campaigns to make sure any client who did buy ads got an effective one that would keep them coming back.

After a few years I wanted to round out my education in communications a bit more and took on a marketing role at a large software company where I got involved in every single project I possibly could. I wanted to learn how all the different roles in a marketing department (graphic design, copywriters, web developers, etc) worked and then how they would fit with the other departments (IT, sales, product development) to make a company profitable. That got me access to the C-Suite and a chance to really learn how decisions are made from sales, product development, accounting and overall company vision perspective

After leaving journalism, then editing and advertising, I continued doing freelance work on the side knowing that I would eventually have to leave my corporate job to make the business really work full-time. Sure enough, I got laid off after an acquisition and that became the catalyst to make DCM Communications really come to life.

Since then I’ve been putting my skills learned from those experiences and tailoring them down to be most beneficial for my clients at the small business level.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

Honestly, the best way I’ve been able to do this is through, it’s going to sound crazy to some, but ACTUAL engagement with my clients. I talk to them. I email them when I see/read something they might find beneficial. I comment (not just “like”) on their social media content. I offer tips/ideas on ways to use that content beyond social or how to improve the next time around.

I keep the lines of communication open.

Many people will just “like” a social post (if they even bother to do that) and keep scrolling. So  actually engaging with them via DMs, comments, replies to their email marketing is a little effort that really stands out.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I really loved “Never Split the Difference” by Chris Voss, an FBI hostage negotiator who delves into various different tactics and explanations of the psychology behind how people make decisions, which I found really helpful from a sales perspective. After all, the more we can understand our client’s mindset, the better we are able to serve them. (aka: good marketing)

The other book I loved is “We Should All Be Millionaires” by Rachel Rodgers. What I really loved about this book, beyond the premise of making sales & business education accessible to ALL regardless of their race/gender/sexual orientation, is another money mindset she tackles.

Instead of “I need to cut back on [FILL IN THE BLANK],” when budgets get tight, she thinks “I need to make X more sales to make this happen.”

It’s not about cutting back, but rather focusing on what you can do to make MORE. What IS in your control to get there? What extra call can you make? What extra email can you send out?

It’s a much more productive way to look at money-management than always worrying over cutting something that is adding to your life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dcmcommunications.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dcmcommunications/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/channingmuller/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@dcmcommunications