Hi, Reader.

When you hear a new song for the first time, you might not like it. But after you hear it a few times, it starts to grow on you.

Before long, it becomes your new favorite song and you can't believe you didn't like it when it first came out. Has this ever happened to you?

It's psychology at play, and you can use this cognitive bias to help market smarter. Because, when it comes to marketing your professional services firm, the song must remain the same.

On the latest episode of Breaking BizDev, Mark and I tackled a topic that’s become a cornerstone in how I think about podcasting, content strategy, and professional services marketing:

The Mere Exposure Effect

It’s a simple concept with big implications—people are more likely to like, trust, and buy from things they’ve seen before. Even if they don’t consciously recognize it. That means your expertise alone doesn’t win business. Familiarity does.

But I'm no behavioral economist. And neither is Mark. Sure, we apply psychology to our trades, but we're no experts. That's why we brought on two smart voices to break this concept down:

• ​Ryan Paul Gibson, the "customer interview guy," who talked about how repeated impressions (like his signature red balloon🎈) help his brand stay top-of-mind.
• ​Melina Palmer, CEO of The Brainy Business and host of a podcast by the same name, who explained why the brain craves what’s familiar—and how this shapes buying behavior.

Together, we explored how professional services firms can engineer familiarity across the full business development cycle—from LinkedIn to prospecting emails to yes, podcasts.

If you want a podcast strategy that turns listeners into leads, this episode is a great primer.

Ready to launch a podcast for your firm?

I help experts like you launch and grow business podcasts that build trust with buyers, accelerate network growth, and generate endless content.

Want to learn more? Reply to this email to start a conversation.

Cheers,
- John