The ten-stage framework from my 2016 book, applied to how brands actually earn (and lose) their customers.
Based on The Ten Phases of Dating (2016) · View the book →In 2016 I published The Ten Phases of Dating — a ten-stage framework for how humans actually enter, sustain, and lose relationships. Every phase maps directly onto the customer-brand relationship. Most brands are trying to skip nine of the ten.
Prospect doesn't know you exist. Most brands waste the awareness stage entirely.
One transaction, no loyalty. Cotton candy — feels like a win, isn't one.
They're checking you out. You're mostly invisible to it.
Opens, browses, comparisons. Both sides ambiguous about what this is.
Buying from you and your competitors. Not choosing.
Chose you over the alternatives. Most brands stop paying attention here.
Predictable, transactional. The routine that either compounds or corrodes.
Refers others, buys premium tiers. Under-recognized in most CX programs.
A bad experience, competitor offer, category shift. What you do here decides LTV.
The math nobody talks about — but the one that decides whether the whole thing worked.
The talk adapts the framework for marketing and CX audiences. The book itself is the source — a candid, funny, ten-phase walk through modern relationships, told with real people and real stories.
Read The Ten Phases of Dating on Amazon →An advertising federation chapter, and a university entrepreneurship institute — different rooms, same framework.
Excellent presentation.
Insightful session.
Thanks for speaking at yesterday's workshop. I filled a few pages of notes because you sparked a lot of ideas.
The same eight questions come up across every booking conversation. Here they are, up front.
Professor Berry is David Berry — a 20-year paid-media strategist, adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Communication (10+ semesters, 4.9/5.0 across 350+ student evaluations), and author of The Ten Phases of Dating (2016). He founded the digital agency DYNAMO in 2016 and sold it in January 2024 to an Atlanta-based INC 5000 firm. He keynotes on customer-relationship strategy, paid-media accountability, and marketing effectiveness.
A ten-stage model David originally published in his 2016 book The Ten Phases of Dating and now applies to marketing. The stages: Single (Unaware), Hooking Up (Impulse Buy), Scheming (Silent Research), Talking (Low-Intent Engagement), Dating/Not Dating (Repeat Not Loyal), Exclusive (Preferred Brand), Relationship (Regular Customer), Commitment (Advocate), Make or Break (Retention Crisis), and Marriage/Divorce (LTV vs. Churn). Most brands skip nine of the ten — the equivalent of proposing marriage on the first date.
Fees start at $3,500 for a 30–45 min short-form keynote, $5,000 for a 60–90 min full keynote, and $8,500 for a half-day intensive. Chapter and nonprofit rates ($1,500) available for AAF, AMA, and university audiences. Travel billed separately, waived when he's already headed to that market.
The signature keynote is The Ten Phases of Customer Relationships. Five audience-specific adaptations: "Your CMO Is Showing You ROAS. Here's How to Know If It's Real." (CEOs / boards), "From Debt to Seven-Figure Exit in Eight Years" (EO / Vistage / YPO), "What 350 UM Students Just Taught Me About AI-Generated Ads" (marketers), "Using LLMs to Audit 6–12 Months of Paid Media in Hours" (PPC practitioners), and "What QSR National Chains Know That Independent Restaurants Don't" (hospitality).
South Florida based. Available nationally with reasonable notice. Recent hosts: Florida Atlantic University Entrepreneurship Institute (Sept 8, 2026) and AAF Greater Rochester (Oct 8, 2026). Virtual keynote also available.
David's 2016 book on modern relationships, told through ten stages that map how people actually enter, sustain, and lose romantic connections. Covered in the Miami Herald, Miami New Times, Aventura Magazine, and Cosmopolitan. ISBN 978-1-4835825-5-9. Available on Amazon.
Any room where marketing spend is a real number: CEOs, founders, CMOs, VP marketing leaders, agency owners, boards, and marketing operators. Executive peer groups (Vistage, YPO, EO), advertising associations (AAF chapters, AMA), CMO circles (ANA, Chief), and university entrepreneurship programs are all natural fits.
Book a 30-minute intro call or email hello@professorberry.com. Standard lead time is 14 days off-the-shelf, 30 days for custom-tuned delivery.
Grab 15 minutes to talk about the audience, the fit, and the date. If it's a yes, we lock everything on that call.
Book a 30-min call →Or email hello@professorberry.com