The 10-Minute Advantage

Robert Coles

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Entrepreneurship

Business growth doesn’t have to be complicated—or time-consuming. Join Robert Coles each week for practical 10-minute lessons on marketing, AI, operations, sales, productivity, and business strategy that you can put into action immediately. One idea. Ten minutes. Better business.

2 hr ago

The Fortune Is in the Follow-Up

A prospect goes quiet. An email goes unanswered. A proposal sits untouched. Most businesses eventually assume the same thing: They must not be interested. But silence doesn’t always mean no. Sometimes people are simply busy—and the business that stays thoughtfully connected is the one they remember when they’re finally ready to act. In Episode 12 of The 10-Minute Advantage, Robert Coles explores why consistent, human follow-up is one of the simplest and most overlooked ways to win more customers and build stronger relationships. Drawing on the story of legendary car salesman Joe Girard, Robert explains why staying top of mind matters before the sale, after the sale, and long after the initial conversation has ended. You’ll also learn why the dreaded “just checking in” email usually falls flat, how to follow up without becoming annoying, and how your CRM can help you maintain relationships without turning those relationships into robotic automations. Then, your 10-Minute Advantage is simple: find five people you haven’t followed up with and send each one a genuine, useful message. Five relationships. Ten minutes. And potentially an opportunity you didn’t even realize was still sitting there. Because follow-up builds relationships. And relationships build revenue. In this episode: Why silence from a prospect doesn’t necessarily mean rejectionWhat Joe Girard understood about staying top of mindThe difference between helpful follow-up and annoying follow-upWhy you should stop sending “just checking in” emailsHow follow-up changes after someone becomes a customerHow your CRM can help you remember to be humanA simple five-person follow-up challenge you can complete todayFor an extra dose of encouragement throughout your week, listen to The Daily Momentum. And if you’re ready to strengthen your sales habits and systems, explore The 28-Day Sales Challenge, part of The 28-Day Challenge series: 28 days of practical action designed to help you build better habits, stronger systems, and more momentum. Thanks for spending ten minutes with The 10-Minute Advantage. Take what you learned today and put it to work—then share this episode with someone who could use the advantage, too. Keep the conversation going, explore more practical ideas, and join us again for another ten minutes designed to help you think smarter, work better, and keep moving forward.
1 day ago

People Buy Trust Before they Buy Products - Winning Customers Series | Part 1 of 5

Before someone buys your product, signs your proposal, books an appointment, or enters their credit card number, they usually buy something else first: trust. In Episode 11 of The 10-Minute Advantage, Robert kicks off the new Winning Customers series by exploring why trust may be one of the most powerful — and overlooked — competitive advantages a business can build. Using the story of Marcus Sheridan and River Pools during the 2008 financial crisis, Robert looks at what happens when a company stops trying to control the sales conversation and starts genuinely answering the questions customers are already asking. Price. Competitors. Problems. Limitations. Timelines. Even the uncomfortable questions that most businesses would rather avoid. Because today’s customers aren’t waiting for your sales pitch to educate themselves. They’re searching Google, reading reviews, comparing competitors, browsing Reddit, checking social media, and asking AI before they ever talk to you. You can’t control all of that information — but you can become one of the sources they trust while they’re gathering it. You’ll also hear why earning trust sometimes means being willing to lose a sale, how small moments throughout the customer experience either build or erode credibility, and why helping someone make the right decision can be far more valuable than convincing them to make a decision right now. Your 10-Minute Advantage: Set a timer for ten minutes and write down every uncomfortable question customers ask about your business. Then identify the one you’ve been avoiding the most. That may be exactly the question you need to answer publicly first. Because winning customers isn’t about becoming better at convincing people. It’s about becoming the kind of business people feel comfortable choosing. In this episode: • Why trust comes before the transaction • What Marcus Sheridan and River Pools can teach us about customer education • Why customers can recognize a sales pitch almost immediately • The questions businesses are often afraid to answer • Why transparency can become a competitive advantage • When losing a sale can actually strengthen your business • The tiny moments that build — or destroy — customer trust • A 10-minute exercise you can put into practice today This episode begins the five-part Winning Customers Advantage Series, exploring how businesses attract customers, keep them, turn them into advocates, recover when things go wrong, and build relationships that last. The 10-Minute Advantage gives you one practical idea you can understand — and start using — in about ten minutes. Thanks for spending ten minutes with The 10-Minute Advantage. Take what you learned today and put it to work—then share this episode with someone who could use the advantage, too. Keep the conversation going, explore more practical ideas, and join us again for another ten minutes designed to help you think smarter, work better, and keep moving forward.
21 Aug

Your Website Has One Job

Your website doesn’t need to impress everyone who visits it. It needs to help them take the next step. In Episode 10 of The 10-Minute Advantage, Robert wraps up the Working Smarter series by tackling one of the most misunderstood tools in business: your website. Too many businesses build websites like digital brochures—packed with company information, beautiful design, clever animations, and plenty of details about themselves. But your visitors aren’t primarily asking, “Who are you?” They’re asking, “Can you help me?” In this episode, you’ll discover the five essential elements every effective website needs, why clarity almost always beats complexity, how to create stronger calls to action, and the three questions every visitor should be able to answer within five seconds of landing on your site. You’ll also learn why your website should be treated as one of the hardest-working members of your team—working 24/7 to educate prospects, build trust, answer questions, and move potential customers toward action. Because a beautiful website that doesn’t convert is just an expensive brochure. Build for clarity. Build for trust. Build for action. Plus, get a preview of the next Advantage Series: Winning Customers, where we’ll move beyond simply acquiring customers and explore how trust, follow-up, referrals, memorable experiences, and customer advocacy create sustainable growth. Thanks for spending ten minutes with The 10-Minute Advantage. Take what you learned today and put it to work—then share this episode with someone who could use the advantage, too. Keep the conversation going, explore more practical ideas, and join us again for another ten minutes designed to help you think smarter, work better, and keep moving forward.
21 Aug

The 80/20 Rule That Can Transform Your Business

Being busy doesn’t always mean you’re making progress. In this episode of The 10-Minute Advantage, Robert explores the 80/20 Rule and how identifying the small number of activities that create the biggest results can transform the way you work. You’ll learn how to separate high-impact “needle movers” from the low-value tasks that quietly consume your time, why opportunity cost matters more than most business owners realize, and how a simple weekly audit can help you protect more time for the work that actually grows your business. Because answering emails, attending meetings, and checking things off your list might keep you busy—but they don’t necessarily move your business forward. This week’s challenge is simple: identify the three activities that have produced your biggest results over the past year, then look at how much time you’ve actually reserved for them next week. Busy is an activity. Progress is an outcome. Focus on what moves the needle. Thanks for spending ten minutes with The 10-Minute Advantage. Take what you learned today and put it to work—then share this episode with someone who could use the advantage, too. Keep the conversation going, explore more practical ideas, and join us again for another ten minutes designed to help you think smarter, work better, and keep moving forward.
19 Aug

Your CRM Should Be Your Hardest-Working Employee

Your CRM should do a lot more than store names, email addresses, and phone numbers. It should remember what you can’t, keep opportunities from slipping through the cracks, and help you build stronger relationships at scale. In this episode of The 10-Minute Advantage, Robert breaks down why a great CRM should function like one of the hardest-working members of your team—tracking conversations, prompting follow-ups, organizing opportunities, and automating the repetitive work that can quietly consume your day. You’ll learn why consistent follow-up is one of the biggest growth opportunities most businesses overlook, how automation can actually make your customer experience more personal, and why a business that depends on someone’s memory will always struggle to scale. Today’s Advantage: Open your CRM—or even a simple spreadsheet—and identify three people you need to follow up with this week. Schedule those follow-ups, then identify one repetitive task your CRM could start handling for you. Because your CRM shouldn’t just remember your customers. It should remember for you. Thanks for spending ten minutes with The 10-Minute Advantage. Take what you learned today and put it to work—then share this episode with someone who could use the advantage, too. Keep the conversation going, explore more practical ideas, and join us again for another ten minutes designed to help you think smarter, work better, and keep moving forward.
18 Aug · Bonus

Shrink the Comeback: What Consistency Really Means

What if consistency doesn’t mean never stopping? What if it means always being willing to come back? After an unexpected two-and-a-half-week absence caused by surgery, complications, and a much more difficult recovery than anticipated, Robert returns to The 10-Minute Advantage with a lesson learned from being forced off course. When life interrupts the plan, we often make restarting harder than it needs to be. We think we need to make up for lost time, recover everything we missed, or come back stronger than ever. We don’t. In this special episode, Robert explores a different definition of consistency—one built not around perfect streaks, but around the willingness to return. You’ll learn why the longer we wait, the heavier the next step can feel, and why one of the best things you can do after a setback is simply shrink the comeback. One action. One decision. One step forward. Because getting knocked off course doesn’t determine what happens next. Coming back does. Thanks for spending ten minutes with The 10-Minute Advantage. Take what you learned today and put it to work—then share this episode with someone who could use the advantage, too. Keep the conversation going, explore more practical ideas, and join us again for another ten minutes designed to help you think smarter, work better, and keep moving forward.
4 Aug

Stop Posting. Start Solving Problems.

Are you constantly wondering what to post on social media next? You may be asking the wrong question. In this episode of The 10-Minute Advantage, Robert explores a smarter, more sustainable approach to content marketing. Instead of chasing algorithms or scrambling for daily posts, discover why the most effective marketing starts by answering the questions your customers are already asking. Learn how educational content builds trust, establishes authority, and creates long-term business assets that continue generating value long after they’re published. You’ll learn why helpful businesses outperform promotional ones, how to turn everyday customer conversations into an endless stream of content ideas, and why creating a content library is one of the best long-term marketing investments you can make. If you’re tired of feeling pressured to “just post something,” this episode will change the way you think about marketing forever.
3 Aug

How AI Can Give You Back Five Hours Every Week

Artificial intelligence isn’t here to replace entrepreneurs—it’s here to remove the busywork that keeps them from doing their best work. In this first episode of our new Working Smarter series, Robert explores one of the biggest opportunities available to business owners today: using AI as a strategic assistant instead of a replacement for human creativity. Learn why the businesses seeing the greatest success with AI aren’t handing over their thinking—they’re accelerating it. In this episode, you’ll discover: Why AI should enhance your expertise, not replace your voiceThe biggest mistake business owners make when using AIFive practical ways AI can save you hours every weekHow to use AI for brainstorming, writing, research, organization, and content repurposingA simple framework for combining AI efficiency with authentic human insightWhether you’re just beginning to explore AI or you’re already experimenting with tools like ChatGPT, this episode will help you use artificial intelligence more intentionally so you can spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time serving your customers, growing your business, and doing the work only you can do. Today’s Advantage: Choose one repetitive task you’ve completed this week and ask AI to help you complete the first 80%. Then spend the final 20% adding your expertise, personality, and experience. That’s where your competitive advantage lives. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to The 10-Minute Advantage and check out The Daily Momentum for quick daily encouragement and practical mindset shifts. You can also explore the 28-Day Challenge series for step-by-step action plans covering AI, marketing, operations, sales, leadership, and more.

Trailer

Welcome to The 10-Minute Advantage

Welcome to The 10-Minute Advantage—the podcast for busy professionals, business owners, marketers, sales leaders, and anyone who wants to grow their career or business without spending hours listening to podcasts. Every episode delivers one practical lesson in about 10 minutes. No filler. No long interviews. Just clear, actionable ideas you can put to work immediately. Throughout the series, we’ll cover topics like: • Leadership and management • Marketing and branding • Sales and customer experience • Productivity and personal development • Communication and influence • Entrepreneurship and business strategy • Career growth and professional skills Whether you’re driving to work, taking a walk, grabbing a cup of coffee, or squeezing in a quick break between meetings, you’ll walk away with one idea that helps you work smarter, lead better, and keep moving forward. If you’re looking for practical business education that respects your time, you’re in the right place. Subscribe today, and join me each week for another episode of The 10-Minute Advantage. Because sometimes, all it takes is ten minutes to change the rest of your day.

Business growth doesn’t have to be complicated—or time-consuming. Join Robert Coles each week for practical 10-minute lessons on marketing, AI, operations, sales, productivity, and business strategy that you can put into action immediately. One idea. Ten minutes. Better business.

Creator

Robert Coles
Years Active

2026
Episodes

14
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 The 10-Minute Advantage
Show Website

The 10-Minute Advantage