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Everyone Has Advice, But Will It Work for You? – How the U-Factor Strategy Helps You Filter the Noise

  • Jul 25, 2025
  • 3 min read

Robb Sullivan is the creator of The U Factor Strategy™, a method that has helped him close deals with over 150 A-list celebrities, athletes, and executives. He now teaches audiences how to uncover what people really need, understand it deeply, and move unfettered toward results.

Executive Contributor Robb E. Sullivan

In today’s world, advice is everywhere, but how can you tell if it’s actually right for you? Robb Sullivan's U-Factor Strategy offers a simple yet powerful framework to help you cut through the noise and determine whether the advice you're receiving is tailored to your unique situation. By asking three key questions, you can pause, reflect, and decide what truly resonates with your needs.


Two men in business attire are sitting on a park bench, one of them holding a tablet and gesturing.

Everywhere you turn today, someone is offering you their advice.

Quite frankly, I never knew so many people were this smart.


There’s a supplement for this. A strategy for that.

A five-step fix for just about everything.


And honestly?

Some of it might be great advice.


But here’s the real question:

Will it work, or is it right for you?


If you’ve ever wished for a simple way to filter whether someone’s advice is truly right for you or just what worked for them, this might help.


It’s not a system. Not a set of rules.

Just a simple way to think things through when life gets noisy. I call it the U-Factor Strategy.

 

What is the U-factor strategy?


The U-Factor Strategy isn’t about judgment or decision-making for anyone else.


It’s simply a personal lens I developed to help me tune in when there’s too much coming at me. It rests on three simple questions:


  1. Has this person taken time to uncover my specific situation?

  2. Do they genuinely understand my challenges, priorities, or limitations?

  3. Are they offering something based on me, or just moving forward unfettered with what worked for them?


There’s no right or wrong.

But asking those questions gives me space to pause. To reflect.

To sift.

Not to reject advice, just to weigh it properly.


Even good intentions can miss the mark


A few months ago, I had the flu for the second time in three months, and this time, it came back with a vengeance.


People I know and care about flooded me with ideas:

“Take this.” “Try that.”

“My cousin had the same thing and swears by this.”


I appreciated it. Truly. But none of them knew my full medical history.


They didn’t know I live with stage 3 chronic kidney disease.

They didn’t know I can’t take NSAIDs because for me, they’re dangerous.

They didn’t know what could set me back or worse.


And that’s when it clicked again:

They weren’t bad-intending, it just wasn’t right for me.


Curious if the U-factor might help you, too?


If you're like me, you sometimes feel overwhelmed by opinions, input, or even your own internal dialogue.


This lens might offer a little clarity. Use it if you want.

 

So the next time you’re sorting through advice, you might find it useful to consider:


  • Have they taken time to really uncover what’s going on with me, or are they making assumptions?

  • Do they seem to understand my situation, urgency, or the context I’m actually dealing with?

  • Are they moving unfettered toward something that really helps me, or just repeating what helped or benefited them?


No judgment. Just a few questions to help you decide what truly fits.


One last thought


We’re surrounded by well-meaning voices.

But sometimes, the most valuable thing we can do is pause. Not to reject what’s coming in, but to check if it fits.


I think Mark Manson said it well in his book The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck.

“You can’t afford to give too many f*cks about too many things.”


That doesn’t mean we stop listening.

It just means we get intentional about what we take in.


That’s the heart of the U-Factor Strategy.


Want to go deeper?


Download a free preview of Robb’s latest book, Go For It: The U-Factor Strategy.

Watch the student-inspired video: Dear Mr. Sullivan.


Follow me on LinkedIn, Instagram, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Robb E. Sullivan

Robb E. Sullivan, Speaker & Sales Strategist

Robb Sullivan is a speaker, sales strategist, and creator of The U Factor Strategy™, a proven method developed from decades of success selling to high-stakes clients, including A-list celebrities and Fortune 500 executives. With experience building a nationally ranked AV company and closing multimillion-dollar deals, Robb now empowers teams and individuals to show up with clarity, empathy, and boldness in every conversation.

This article is published in collaboration with Brainz Magazine’s network of global experts, carefully selected to share real, valuable insights.

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