TODAY

Ed Howie Prep

Lifelong Customers®
📅 Wed Jul 2 🕐 11:30 AM ET 📍 Mt. Vernon

👤 Ed Howie - Who He Is

Career Summary

His Core Thesis

"Most leadership teams are still competing in the wrong economy: spending more and more to acquire new customers while quietly losing the ones they already earned."

He believes the issue is rarely lack of effort. It's lack of clarity and alignment around what drives customer retention day to day.

Content & Speaking

His Team (CC'd on email)

Contact

🎯 Lifelong Customers - The Business

Ed positions this as an "installable operating system" that transforms existing customers into profitable growth channels. Pitch: "Multiply sales and profits without spending another dollar on customer acquisition."

The WOOO Framework (Core IP)

W
Wonder (Brand Promise)
O
Orchestrate (Design)
O
Operationalize (Deliver)
O
Optimize (Feedback)

Four-Engine Operating System

Assessment Tool

Lifelong Customer Retention Assessment — 12 questions, ~5 minutes. Produces a WOOO Score (0-100) with tier classification, phase-specific scores, industry benchmarking, and one prescribed next step. Ed says it's "fire" and uses it with all clients. Free, no sales obligation. He asked Brad to take it for "C-Store Experts."

Key Stats Ed Uses

222%
Rise in acquisition costs since 2013
5%
Retention boost = 25-95% more profit
10-25%
Avg annual customer loss
$650M+
Documented results

Ed's 3 Questions

The exact three areas Ed asked to explore, with suggested frameworks for your response.

Question 1
"Your take on Lifelong Customers."

Ed wants honest feedback on positioning, the assessment tool, and the business model.

Your Angle

Lead with genuine alignment. You live this at OA. Your retention is strong because you built systems around client success, not just acquisition.

What resonates:

  • "Retention is the new acquisition" is strong. You've seen it firsthand... OA's growth is driven as much by keeping clients as acquiring new ones.
  • The WOOO framework feels practical and operational. That's what most consultants miss.
  • The assessment tool is smart. Low-friction entry point that creates urgency by exposing gaps.

Constructive observations:

  • The name is clear but the brand could be punchier for a digital-first world. Ask how he's positioning on social.
  • "Installable operating system" language is good. Push on whether clients actually experience it that way or if it still feels like consulting.
  • Does the assessment create a clear enough "gap score" that clients feel compelled to act?

Questions to ask:

  • Typical engagement? Duration, price point, deliverables?
  • How much of delivery is Ed vs. the team? (Ties to Q2)
  • Close rate from assessment to paid engagement?
Question 2
"How do I best automate this enterprise?"

Your wheelhouse. Ed has the IP and methodology. He needs the operational backbone to scale.

The Automate & Delegate Framework

Start with the diagnostic: "What are you personally doing right now that someone else could do at 80% of your quality?"

Layer 1: Virtual Assistants

  • Assessment pipeline — VA sends assessments, tracks completions, follows up, compiles results
  • CRM management — every interaction logged, every follow-up scheduled
  • Scheduling — intro calls, discovery sessions, client check-ins
  • Report generation — Ed designs template, VAs compile data and build reports
  • Content repurposing — podcast to blog posts, social clips, email sequences
  • Client onboarding admin — agreements, kickoff materials, access setup

Layer 2: AI Agents

  • Assessment-to-insight pipeline — AI analyzes responses, auto-generates diagnostic report. Ed reviews and adds strategic lens.
  • Personalized follow-up — AI crafts tailored sequences based on assessment scores
  • Content generation — AI drafts retention-focused content in Ed's voice
  • Client health monitoring — AI flags at-risk clients before they churn (eating his own cooking)

Layer 3: Systems Thinking

  • Ed should only do 3 things: keynotes/workshops, high-touch strategy sessions, and biz dev. Everything else gets automated or delegated.
  • "Genius Zone" from your book — Ed's genius is frameworks and delivery. Operations should be invisible to him.
  • Position OA naturally: "We do this for 500+ clients. I can show you what a VA integration looks like. Starting at $1,895/mo."
Soft pitch, not hard sell. Share the framework first as a peer. If Ed asks "can you help me do this?" then naturally transition to OA. Lead with value.
Question 3
"How can we collaborate more intentionally?"

Ed said "I'd love to collaborate with you with a cool brand." He's looking for partnership, not just advice.

Collaboration Opportunities

🔁 OA Client Referral Pipeline

OA serves 500+ clients across 85 industries. Many are growing and losing customers without knowing why. Ed's retention system layered on OA's operational support. Brad refers retention needs, Ed refers operational needs.

🎤 Co-Speaking

Brad on outsourcing/automation/AI, Ed on retention. "Scale Without Sacrifice" meets "Stop Chasing Strangers." Combined keynote at EO, YPO, or industry conferences.

🎙 Podcast Cross-Pollination

Ed guests on "Automate & Delegate" podcast. Brad guests on "The Wonder of WOOO." Each gets exposure to the other's audience.

📚 Joint Content

"The Retention + Delegation Playbook" — co-authored guide. Or a webinar series: "Keep More Customers, Do Less Work."

🤝 EO/YPO Network Intros

Brad's network (22 EO chapters, 2,000 members + YPO Atlanta) full of business owners who need what Ed offers. Warm intros both ways.

📦 Assessment + VA Bundle

Ed runs retention assessment. Recommendations require people power to implement. OA provides the people. Packaged offering: "Retention System + Dedicated VA to implement it."

💬 Key Talking Points

1
Open with alignment. "Ed, I live this every day. OA doesn't do long-term contracts... clients stay because we deliver. So I deeply understand the thesis you're building on."
2
Share your retention numbers. OA's story IS the proof point. 500+ person company, no contracts. Clients stay because you operationalized quality. That's exactly what Ed preaches.
3
Automation as augmentation. Ed doesn't need to replace his human touch... he needs to remove everything around it so it scales. VAs handle admin. AI handles data. Ed handles strategy.
4
Reference the book naturally. "I'm writing about exactly this... 'Automate and Delegate' comes out August 30. The premise is leaders should live in their Passion Pockets."
5
Ask about delivery model. How much is Ed in each engagement vs. team? What would it take to go from 10 clients to 100 without his calendar being the bottleneck?
6
Explore "cool brand" comment. Ed said he wants to collaborate "with a cool brand." Does he have a specific client in mind? Or is OA the brand? Dig in.
7
Close with next steps. Don't let this die. Propose one concrete action: joint webinar, podcast swap, client introduction, or OA discovery call for Ed's team.

🤝 Strategic Fit Assessment

For Brad / OA

For Ed / Lifelong Customers

The Big Opportunity: Ed has deep IP but appears early-stage in operationalizing the business itself. He spent 30 years learning retention at enterprise scale. Now he's building a company around it and needs exactly what you preach... systems, delegation, and automation. You're not just a potential partner. You're a potential client success story for your own framework.

📄 PDF Summaries

📄 LLC_INTRO DECK — Intro Call Deck

Walks prospects through the value prop: the problem (rising acquisition costs, silent attrition), the WOOO framework, four engines, client logos (Walmart, Chick-fil-A, United, 7-Eleven), testimonials, and assessment as entry point. $650M figure prominently featured. Ed walks through this on Zoom or in-person to set up the assessment.

Sales DeckClient-Facing13 MB
📄 LCROS APR26 — Product Map / Menu Board

Their "menu board" showing full product/service lineup. Engagement tiers, pricing structure, what's included at each level (assessment only vs. full system install vs. ongoing optimization), timelines, and deliverables per tier. Likely a clean 1-2 page visual layout.

Product MenuPricing Reference
📄 Retention Economy — Whitepaper

Thought leadership making the case for retention as the highest-ROI growth lever. Covers the economics (222% acquisition cost rise, 5% retention = 25-95% profit boost from Bain/HBR), case studies, WOOO in depth, and the C-suite argument. Probably 15-25 pages with data viz.

Thought LeadershipData-HeavyCore IP

Quick Reference

Ed's Key Links

Ed's Lingo to Mirror

Brad's Parallels to Reference

Numbers to Have Ready

Note: Ed CC'd Tom Haupert and Lisa Mobley. They may join or may simply be in the loop. Be prepared for 1-on-1 or small group.