Michael Barbarita

Michael Barbarita brings three decades of hands-on business experience across multiple industries, including retail, manufacturing, and service. A strategic thinker with real-world results, Michael scaled his retail business, “Ski Town USA,” from $2.5M to $8M in five years. He also launched a frozen cookie dough product featured on QVC and recognized as a top 20 product in Massachusetts. Today, Michael helps small business owners decode financial strategies, understand the Buyer’s Journey, and implement the 20% of actions that create 80% of revenue. His no-nonsense approach helps entrepreneurs convert more leads into loyal customers and build businesses that thrive.

What if 80% of your marketing efforts are getting you only 20% of your results? What if flipping that was easier than you thought?

On this episode of Talking with the Experts, host Rose Davidson is joined by business veteran Michael Barbarita, who shares powerful insights into business strategy, sales conversion, and understanding your customer’s journey.

Michael brings over 30 years of experience scaling businesses, including growing “Ski Town USA” from $2.5 million to $8 million and landing a manufacturing product on QVC. He introduces listeners to two powerful concepts: the Conversion Formula and the Buyer’s Journey. You’ll discover how just a few intentional actions can unlock massive growth—and why chasing every lead isn’t the answer.

He shares why only 1-3% of your market is ready to buy now, and how to win the trust of the other 97% through smarter communication and systems. You’ll leave this episode with a new lens on business strategy, better clarity on your customer funnel, and the confidence to invest energy in what truly matters.

Whether you’re building a service-based business, running a retail store, or managing a startup, this episode is your shortcut to more profitable, enjoyable growth.

✅ Three Key Takeaways

1. Learn why only 1-3% of your market is ready to buy—and how to nurture the rest.
2. Discover the 20% of actions that drive 80% of revenue for small businesses.
3. Master the Conversion Formula to turn prospects into long-term customers.

Introduction of Michael Barbarita

• Michael Barbarita is introduced as a guest on the podcast, Talking With The Experts, hosted by Rose Davidson.
• Michael has owned, operated retail, manufacturing, and service companies for the past 30 years.
• One of the retail companies Michael operated, Ski Town USA, grew from $2.5 million to $8 million in less than five years.
• Michael also owned a frozen cookie dough manufacturing company called Cookies to Scoop, which was featured on the QVC Home Shopping Network and selected as one of the top 20 products in Massachusetts in 1997.

Michael’s Business Failure and Lessons Learned

• Michael experienced a business failure with an outpatient rehabilitation facility called Freedom Therapy Center.
• The failure occurred because Michael implemented the same strategies as the competition, lacking creativity and differentiation.
• From this experience, Michael learned the importance of taking the next step after a failure and not replicating the competition’s strategies.

The Conversion Formula

• Michael discusses the Conversion Formula, a marketing strategy centered around understanding the customer’s mind.
• The formula identifies two emotional issues in the customer’s mind: the problem they have and the solution they seek.
• The Conversion Formula consists of four parts: captivate (identifying the problem), fascinate (offering the solution), educate (describing the solution logically), and offer (providing a compelling offer).

Components of a Compelling Offer

• Michael outlines five components of a compelling offer: urgency and scarcity, risk reversal, adding more value, packaging and bundling, and being indifferent and disconnected to the outcomes.
• Urgency and scarcity create a sense of urgency and limited availability.
• Risk reversal involves the seller taking most or all of the risk in the transaction.
• Adding more value means providing additional benefits or value to the customer.
• Packaging and bundling involve combining services or products in a unique way to differentiate from the competition.
• Being indifferent and disconnected to the outcomes means not being overly attached to the sale and showing genuine care for the customer’s needs.

Michael’s Business and Financial Strategies

• Michael emphasizes the importance of being strategic in business and financial strategies.
• He highlights the need for fractional CFOs to be strategic in order to effectively address financial situations.
• Michael’s firm, Next Step CFO, combines financial strategies with business strategies to provide comprehensive solutions.

I Hope So Marketing

• Michael criticizes the use of generic marketing jargon such as ‘largest selection,’ ‘lowest prices,’ and ‘highest quality.’
• He refers to this type of marketing as ‘I Hope So Marketing’ because it doesn’t differentiate businesses and customers are sceptical of such claims.
• Michael promotes the use of the Conversion Formula as a more effective marketing approach that identifies specific problems and unique solutions.

The Buyer’s Journey and Conversion Formula

• Michael explains that only a small percentage of the market is ready to buy at any given time, while the majority are on the buyer’s journey.
• He emphasizes that utilizing the Conversion Formula during the buyer’s journey can compress the timeframe in which customers are ready to make a purchase.
• The Conversion Formula identifies emotional hot buttons and helps businesses communicate effectively with prospects throughout their journey.

Reducing Touch Points with the Conversion Formula

• Michael discusses the impact of using the Conversion Formula on reducing touch points in the sales process.
• He states that when the Conversion Formula is used, touch points are reduced by five to 11 points compared to the 20 to 100 points typically required without the formula.
• This reduction in touch points leads to more efficient and effective sales processes.

Interviews for Business Strategy Updates

• Michael mentions the importance of keeping business strategies up to date in a constantly changing business environment.
• He offers to conduct 60-minute interviews with business owners to gather industry-specific information and insights.
• These interviews aim to validate and update the strategies presented in Michael’s book.
• Business owners interested in participating can contact Michael through the provided website and message box.

• Introduction of Michael Barbarita, who has owned and operated various companies, including Ski Town USA which grew from $2.5 million to $8 million in five years.
• Michael Barbarita discusses the importance of differentiating business strategies from competitors, sharing his experience with a failed venture where he followed conventional methods.
• Michael introduces the conversion formula, a four-part marketing strategy aimed at addressing customer problems and offering unique solutions.
• The components of a compelling offer are discussed, including urgency, scarcity, risk reversal, adding more value, and being indifferent to outcomes.
• Michael explains the role of a fractional CFO and strategic implementation firm, emphasizing the need for strategic financial planning.
• Criticism of generic marketing jargon (‘I hope so marketing’) and the effectiveness of the conversion formula in standing out from competitors.
• Discussion on the buyer’s journey and how the conversion formula can compress the timeframe for a customer to become ready to buy.
• Michael shares how using the conversion formula can reduce the number of touch points needed to convert a prospect into a customer.
• Michael invites business owners to book an interview to discuss and validate business strategies in the context of their industry.

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