Your Intermittent Lex

The skills of improv comedy and the world of business

September 12, 2025

I love improv. The joy of watching great performers come up with brilliant stuff on the fly — scenes and jokes so perfectly crafted in real time that you...

It's Probably Time For a Deload

August 11, 2025

As you may know — mostly since I won’t shut up about it — I’ve lost more than 53 pounds since last November. (I recently created this page that explains...

What we get wrong about new businesses over and over again

August 4, 2025

Amazon announced today (see Bloomberg and The Hollywood Reporter) that it’s laying off 110+ people from the Wondery team, and breaking up what’s left of...

Any questions? Don't ask.

June 16, 2025

Stop asking "Any questions?" during sales calls to avoid putting prospects on the spot.

Yes, you need a call to action every single time

June 11, 2025

This is a post that starts by talking about my abs, and ends with telling you how to get far more from your cold emails and cold calls, because you’re...

The strategies behind my biggest sales wins (April 30th webinar)

April 10, 2025

“Pull your shoulders down, away from your ears.” I ride my Peloton bike a lot. Several instructors give this reminder throughout your rides. A decent amount...

The art of cold-calling. (Spoiler alert: It’s not art.)

March 25, 2025

Every sales organization needs to prospect. And prospecting means cold-calling, or — far more often these days — cold emailing. Many of us hate reaching out...

Pricing is hard (and why Spotify is bad for podcast ads but potentially good for other podcast networks)

December 19, 2024

I run a consultancy, which I creatively named Lex Friedman Consulting. I have a nice mix of clients. Sometimes, I work with brands who want to advertise on...

It's okay for things to be difficult sometimes

November 26, 2024

A few months back, I wrote about what I’ve learned about humans from publishing a whole lot of daily word games. You can read that whole piece if you haven’t...

What I’ve learned about humans from publishing many word games

June 6, 2024

My favorite side-hustles are the ones that start as whims. The New York Times launched Connections puzzles about a year ago. I thought they were great — fun,...

Telling them what they don't want to hear

February 28, 2024

Sometimes, people are wrong. Nobody likes to be wrong. Wrongologist Kathryn Schulz gives a great TED Talk where she asks the audience what it feels like to...

The importance of going unscripted

February 1, 2024

I was on a call with a sales coaching client this week, and I was asked about my biggest sales tips. I hit on several of the topics you'd expect, topics I've...

On getting paid

$ · January 11, 2024

Hey, paying subscribers. You look nice today. Sometimes, clients pay late. Sometimes, we're a little shy about how to approach them. We shouldn't be. I'm...

Let's talk about prospecting. You're probably doing it wrong.

January 9, 2024

A not-so-fun fact I learned after one year as a full-time consultant is that January is when some consulting clients cut back their hours as they revise...

A quick note to paying subscribers

$ · January 4, 2024

Hey, thanks for being a paid supporter of Your Intermittent Lex. I really, really appreciate it. Even though I moved from Substack to Buttondown, you're...

Too small to fail: On embracing change, because why not?

January 4, 2024

I love the magicians Penn & Teller. In their first book, Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends, Teller describes their rule of "No Permanent Damage": P&T are willing...

Take a break, or keep working — if that works for you

December 22, 2023

I have a mishmash of thoughts to share before we all take well-earned holiday breaks. There are memes that go around this time of year, encouraging you to...

Eschew obfuscation

November 16, 2023

I had a sweatshirt that said “eschew obfuscation” when I was a kid. I was very cool. “Eschew Obfuscation” means “avoid making things unclear.” The phrase is...

Real prospects don't ghost — even if they have objections

November 1, 2023

You’ve pitched. You saw real interest. It’s time to talk numbers. This is a crucial step in a sale — and it’s one so many people get wrong. We get in our...

When to fire, when to quit

$ · October 11, 2023

If a client tells me they’re considering firing an employee — or even a customer — and they’re debating the pros and cons, I know the advice I’ll give...