Vistage workshops
Hopeless founder Benjie Hughes leads 3-hour workshops for small groups of CEOs.
The takeaway: Clarity, not visibility, is the key to growth.
“The leaders who attended gained new perspective from Benjie - and left with a few nuggets to build an effective funnel and close more deals.”
Clay Harris, EOS Implementer
Speaking video
“I’ve never met anyone as talented at understanding the values behind an organization – and then communicating them in inspiring, relatable ways.”
Rick Guzman, The Neighbor Project
Vistage workshop summary
UNVISIBLE:
Stop getting the word out. Start getting more dollars in.
When it’s time to grow, a lot of business owners’ instincts are exactly wrong. They reach for visibility: More ads, more posts, more calls, more eyeballs. They buy marketing.
You don’t want more marketing. You want more results.
In “Unvisible,” entrepreneur and marketing strategist Benjie Hughes shifts the conversation from competing for attention, to competing for impact. Drawing from the work of Les McKeown and David Allen and from his own framework based in song and story structure, Benjie will help participants
Build a master sequence of their current tactics – then reorder them for their specific growth stage
Apply the “3 Slider” framework to identify new growth strategies – without abandoning what’s already working
Score their current marketing assets for clarity – and list changes that will motivate more clients to act
For leaders targeting growth, Benjie’s approach moves past the jargon and provides the tools to get more services sold – not merely seen.
“Unvisible” workshop outline
3 hours, adjustable
I. Welcome & Setup
Objectives:
Establish the challenge: Growth demands new strategies
Establish shared language for growth stages
Swap stories; build trust
Share: What growth stage are you in today?
IV. The Clarity Audit
Objectives:
Identify barriers to action
Prescribe fixes
Exercise: Guided audit of a marketing asset – delivered by a peer for outside perspective
Takeaways:
Clarity gets more sales from the visibility you have
Two types of clarity: Action and motivation
II. The “3 Slider” Framework
Objectives:
Demystify marketing lingo
Understand current strategy & envision a new one
Exercise: Apply “3 Slider” framework to your current tactics
Takeaways:
We want action, not just awareness
Strategize from what works - don’t reinvent from scratch
V. Next Steps & Takeaways
Objectives:
Reinforce key takeaways
Commit to next steps
Reflection: Do your goals demand new strategy, reordered tactics or a clearer message?
What will you stop, start and do more of?
Key takeaways:
30-day and 90-day actions
Peer sharing & accountability
III. Flipping the Funnel
Objectives:
Understand pipeline stages
Link tactics to those stages
Exercise: Sequence your current tactics, then modify to improve
Takeaways:
Use tactics with purpose – or not at all
Improve from the bottom up: action first, visibility last
Participant Materials
Leaders leave with a printed summary of key principles the tools Benjie uses to build messaging strategy for clients: “Three Slider,” “Flipped Funnel” and “Clarity Audit” worksheets, plus a framework for turning these findings into an action plan. There’s a link in the back of the workbook to download blank versions as PDF for future use.
“A game changer.”
Darin Newbold, Your Bold Solutions
“We’re moving on all cylinders because of this.”
Tony Murphy, Ask Tony
“Let me move faster and laid out a roadmap for what’s next.”
Chris Kyleszynski, Prohaska Consulting
Meet Benjie.
Before launching Hopeless Marketing, Benjie built and scaled a music business to hundreds of events a year. He ran a recording studio that became the world’s first musical coworking space. And he spend 20 years at small marketing agencies, where he led messaging and branding efforts for companies like
the world’s largest pea-protein manufacturer,
the research firm that investigated the Shroud of Turin, and
the software team whose app powered a citywide COVID response.
Benjie has consulted on mayoral and presidential campaigns, messaged company moves and nonprofit mergers, and designed campaigns for consultancies, fintech firms and prototypers.
He’s even rebranded other marketing agencies.
Why? Most marketers are great at getting seen — but smart enough to recognize that that’s worth nothing if you can’t get sold.
Benjie lives with his family in the world’s Haloweeniest city: Salem, Massachusetts. He loves Star Wars, coffee and epic stories — especially those found in the Bible or inside a comic book.
