“That’s right – it filets, it chops, it dices and slices. It never stops. It lasts a lifetime, mows your lawn, and it picks up the kids from school. It plays a mean rhythm. It makes excuses for lipstick on… Continue Reading
Nope, I’m not gearing up for a political diatribe. That’s not our beat. But when it comes to productivity, there’s been another topic on my mind… What’s the one thing that Donald Trump… and Martha Stewart… and talented film and… Continue Reading
I grew up loving what the nuns used to call “25 cent words.” In high school, we called them “SAT Words.” These are the words, they told us, that make you sound smart. That win you respect, jobs, and the girl of your dreams. People who use these words, they said, can walk through walls. Boy, did they get that wrong… Continue Reading
Somebody once asked David Ogilvy for a list of traits that matter most when hiring copywriters. Above all, he said, they have to have an unwavering, overpowering, enormous sense of curiosity. I can’t help but think that has to be right. Why? Continue Reading
Says Kramer, “It appears that we are, in fact, set up to respond favorable to complexity. Decades of work in experimental psychology have revealed that when people are free to choose between a simple visual image and a more complex one, they gravitate to the complex…” But if that’s true, does the age-old mantra of “Keep It Simple, Stupid” fall apart? Continue Reading
Years ago, I think it was National Lampoon sent out a mail campaign trying to get subscribers… or maybe it was renewals… with a picture of a man holding an adorable puppy draped over his left arm. In his right hand, he held what looked like Dirty Harry’s revolver. The headline read (I’m paraphrasing): “Subscribe now or the puppy gets it!” Depending on how you feel about puppies, that qualifies as an “urgency” pitch. Of course, there are other ways to create urgency. Continue Reading
Every one of your customers is an untrustworthy, fraudulent, false-hearted, cheating, calculating, double-dealing… (deep breath)… crafty, duplicitous, disingenuous, untruthful, scheming… stinker. Well maybe not a stinker. But liars they are. It’s true. How so? Continue Reading
In the classic marketing book, “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind,” authors Trout and Ries made it clear. In any marketing challenge, you often get one shot at staking out your territory inside your customer’s cranium… Either you’ll get it right and have loyal customers lined up at your back door, ad infinitum… or you’ll blow it and spend a fortune trying to re-invent their perception of you, possibly for years to come…
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I got a note awhile ago from consultant Bob Serling Bob writes: “Years ago, I was using a print broker for some of my mailings. She had been referred to me by a direct marketing legend whose identity I’ll protect… Continue Reading
Bob did this and it cost him about $175 to get this “business” off the ground. That turned into $20,727 in sales that he barely worked to collect. Now he’s just repeated the process and makes, on this kind of business alone, over $200K per year. It takes him about an hour or so per week to keep the income flowing. Continue Reading