Known as a Marketing Technology Wizard, Eric helps his clients save countless hours and expense by streamlining their processes and eliminating unnecessary systems for managing customer information and marketing programs. As the creator of The MegaFluence Method, he applies his extensive knowledge and decades of experience coaching businesses on becoming market leaders in their niche. Email him at eric@cognilogicfx.com or go to megafluence.net/eric for a free 30-minute introductory business analysis.
Eric Yaillen, Business Coach
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
I knew I wanted to be in marketing communications very early in life. In high school, I was actively involved in Junior Achievement (J.A.). In those years, JA was a year-long endeavor where local companies sponsored kids and taught entrepreneurship by creating mini-companies. My sponsor was a local television station, and we produced a television show. For three years, I was “elected” to be the VP of Sales and I was extremely successful, ultimately ending up as the top grossing salesperson internationally with J.A. Upon high school graduation (in 1980), I established my first PR company, landing Elmer Winter, the founder of Manpower International, as a client. I went on to have numerous positions in many different facets of marketing communication, including stints as the Press Secretary for the Lt. Governor of Iowa, promoting the 100th Anniversary of Commercial Electricity (similar to Edward Bernays, the father of Modern PR, did for the 50th Anniversary with Thomas Edison. BTW, I share a birthday with Mr. Bernays (Nov 22) and had the opportunity to meet him before he passed), and working as the local coordinator for ABC News Iowa Caucus Coverage in the 1984 Presidential Campaign year. Upon graduating from Drake University in 1984, I purchased my first computer in advance of attending graduate school at the University of Maryland. I went there because I was offered a job at the Washington DC bureau of ABC News. Eventually, I realized that the news business wasn’t for me. I wasn’t the type to sit around and patiently wait for things to happen. I found my first post-collegiate position in Event Marketing serving as Regional Marketing Director for Feld Entertainment, producers at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as well as Walt Disney’s World On Ice. As the only one of roughly promoters with the company, and the only one that was computerized during my 6 years with the company, I soon saw the value of automation. I was, by far, the most productive among my peers and performance bonuses made me the highest paid person in that position. I next entered the technology world as Marketing Director for a small software developer in the golf industry. Applying my skills in events, sales and marketing, I sold their systems to the PGA of America and eventually helped to create the first CRM system for their 41 regional offices. Next, I launched my own software company (in 1995), creating the first windows-based management system for member-based clubs, primarily serving high-end fitness clubs, hospital, and corporate fitness centers. Our corporate clients included numerous Fortune 100 companies including Honda, Toyota, Goldman Sachs, Deloitte-Touche and Lucent Technologies. The brand I created for the company still exists to this day, although under new ownership. I sold off my interests in 2003, choosing to slow down and return to the golf industry with a small regional golf association. But even there, I never stayed away from technology. First, I helped move the company from using disparate spreadsheets to run their business, to a peer-to-peer centralized database. After convincing the United States Golf Association to fund an initiative to provide CRM solutions to all State/Regional Golf Associations, I served as the only non-employee on their committee. After several years, I advanced to become the CEO of the Southern Nevada Golf Association, where I increased their event 10-fold, stabilized expenses, increased revenues and reestablished the association as a market leader for the industry in Nevada. However, my term was cut short after being diagnosed with Stage 3/c Colorectal cancer which forced me into early retirement. Being a type-A personality, inactivity led to significant depression. Seven years later, after new treatments made it possible again for me to do any sort of work mentally or physically, I decided to pursue a comeback. One early opportunity was working as a consultant on software projects for Perry Belcher, the godfather of Digital Marketing, and his business partner Chad Nicely. That ultimately led me to pursue business coaching. It's then that I created “The MegaFluence Method,” my 4-part framework that every business needs to survive and thrive in our current Web 2.0 world as well as in a future decentralized Web 3.0 economy. The elements of that framework are 1) branding/brand strategy as the foundation for a business, 2) understanding and knowing how to communicate with the ideal customer, 3) creating SOPs to make it possible to grow and scale, and 4) implementing the right technology in the right way to work smarter not harder (as well as scale even more!). In addition to starting this business, I also serve as the Chief Marketing Officer for an A.I. / A.R. company. This company is creating automomous flying passenger vehicles (self-driving flying cars). We also have an A.I./A.R navigation app and are creating fashion augmented reality glasses in partnership with a leading silicon valley optics company and with one of the top-5 fashion conglomerates. Additionally, we have a public-private partnership with the Philippines government to develop an Augmented Reality theme park; a concept we are also taking to other regions around the world.
What inspired you to start megafluence.co, and how do you help your clients?
I encountered many seemingly uber-successful businesses that struggled with technology. Most found it too confusing or difficult, they didn’t understand funnels, and often cobbled together too many disparate systems that often didn’t work well together, leaving unmanageable data silos and ending costing far too much than is necessary. I decided to make solving problems with technology as my primary focus while also being able to counsel my clients in all aspects of their business.
Can you tell us about a particularly successful campaign or partnership facilitated through megafluence.co, and what made it so effective?
We work primarily with coaches and have several influencers as clients who have huge followings of experienced and wanna-be coaches. One of our clients is creating an industry network of coaches that want to be able to speak on stages, be podcasters or podcast guests. We are streamlining their systems, improving their business processes, automating their programs and helping them to build out their course and membership sites. For another leading coach/influencer with millions of followers, we are streamlining her presently disparate systems and lowering her monthly subscription costs by over $1K. We are also helping her protect her intellectual property, build customer service and sales teams, improve her email marketing and add additional communication channels including automation of Instagram, Facebook Messenger, and SMS marketing. Another client is a master photographer serving the coaching community. We are also streamlining her business operations as well as helping her to build new e-courses and high-ticket coaching programs. Additionally, we are creating new products to help her create new revenue streams for her business. We are effective because of our experience and knowledge and our ability to improve the long-term profitability of our clients.
How has your business evolved in recent years, and what changes do you see on the horizon for this industry? We are a relatively new business, and our making changes on a regular basis. This includes creating numerous MegaFluence JV Partnerships with vendors who are experts in a variety of areas that businesses need help with ranging from SEO, Digital Advertising, Finance, Event Marketing as well as in the implementation of new technologies such as A.I, Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality, Blockchain technology, and NFTs. The coaching industry is growing exponentially as many people are seeking a different way of life other than trading their time for money with an employer. It's difficult enough to have a business, and especially hard if you don’t have the knowledge or resources to implement it right.
What advice would you give to others who are just starting out in this industry? Those that want to succeed need to be willing and have the desire to invest in themselves and in their business. That means finding mentors who can help them achieve the results they deserve.
Who inspires you to be the best that you can be? I don’t have much of family. No siblings, spouse or children…so I am very self-motivated. That said, inspiration started from my mother who was a copywriter and freelance marketer while being a stay-at-home mom. My father was a micro-biologist, so my pursuing a career in marketing communication was following in my mother’s footsteps and technology was my way of mixing science into the mix.
Tell us about your greatest career achievement so far. My achievements are like children…there is no way to pick the greatest or a favorite. That said here are a couple:
I created a PR Stunt for Walt Disney’s World on Ice called “Put Your Wedding Plans on Ice” where we searched for a local area “Snow White” and her “Handsome Prince” to take their actual marriage vows during the finale number of the ice show. This stunt was help in numerous cities, and was featured in international Bridal Magazines.
Set numerous attendance and revenue records for Feld Entertainment
Created the first CRM system (in the days of MS-DOS) for the PGA of America
Created the first windows-based club management system.
Built a successful software company to have over 500 clients ranging from small independent fitness centers to Fortune 100 companies.
Led an initiative to bring CRM solutions to the United States Golf Association and State/Regional Golf Associations
Resurrected a small failing regional golf association.
Tell us about a pivotal moment in your life that brought you to where you are today. Certainly, being diagnosed with Stage 3/c cancer, then ending up in a coma and getting stage 4 kidney disease, yet despite that, coming out the other side (presently cancer free) and ultimately being able to contribute to the world to help others be successful in achieving their vision and mission.
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