The Safest Place to Store Your Cash

“The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.” – Frank McKinney Hubbard “You definitely need a cash position,” Porter Stansberry tells us. “And you need it to be immediate money. Not CDs, not gold. Your cash should be money you can write checks against…

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How to Get a Big Fat Raise

“When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say, ‘It’s in the script.’ If he says, ‘But what’s my motivation?, ‘ I say, ‘Your salary.’ ” – Alfred Hitchcock My No. 1 son works for an L.A.-based business that does postproduction editing of movies. He’s new to the job, but,…

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How to Avoid the Three Biggest Stock Market Mistakes

“I measure what’s going on, and I adapt to it. I try to get my ego out of the way. The market is smarter than I am, so I bend.” – Martin Zweig I’m not an expert in stocks, but I have been involved with stock-market publications and stock-market gurus for more than 25 years.…

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Why Forcing Your Will On Others Usually Doesn’t Work

It’s so hard to accomplish something great. And it’s made more difficult when you have to rely on others to succeed. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fix every problem, straighten out every hitch, and achieve all your goals by mandate? To say, “Just do it or else!” In the flux of our daily business life,…

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Lessons from a Direct-Marketing Legend, Part II

How do you become a marketing genius — someone who effortlessly comes up with innovative approaches to sell just about anything? Well, you can’t. Some things — and genius is one of them — have to be inborn. But you can develop certain techniques that will make it possible for you to consistently come up…

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How to Free Yourself From a Business Bully

“Bullies are always cowards at heart and may be credited with a pretty safe instinct in scenting their prey.” – Anna Julia Cooper The secret power of the business bully is his charm. If he were simply pushy, you would keep him at bay. He would never work his way into a domineering place in…

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How to Sell ANYTHING — Including Your Ideas and Yourself

It doesn’t matter whether you are writing an invitation, an e-mail asking for something, a memo outlining a proposal, a speech presenting your ideas, or a note to your sweetheart asking for forgiveness, the basic rules apply: The message is about the reader and his interests, needs, and desires, not you and your wants. It…

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What Good Marketers Know About Choice, Part I

When faced with the challenge of deciding on what choices to offer customers, inexperienced marketers usually take a “more is better” approach. If, for example, they are selling a subscription to a newsletter, they might offer 3-month, 6-month, and 1-year options . . . and, while they’re at it, throw in 2 years and maybe…

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How to Get the Most Out of ALL Your Employees

This is the four-step model I use to motivate my employees — everyone from the top on down — and maximize the productivity of the entire group: 1. Invest in your top performers. Spend time, money, and educational resources to locate, hire, train, and supply superstar employees. Don’t leave this to chance. 2. Don’t manage…

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