Confessions of a Mail-Order Rip-Off Artist
I have a confession to make. Although, as a businessman, I’m a direct marketer … …as a consumer, I make it a regular habit to rip off direct-marketing companies. And if you follow the advice I’m about to give you, you – as a consumer – can get some of…
READ MORECould Copywriting Be the Business of Your Dreams?
Have you ever dreamed of owning a lucrative business that lets you work anywhere you want – anytime you want – and gives you plenty of time off to travel, spend time with family and friends, or to pursue your hobbies? If so, direct-response copywriting could very well be the…
READ MOREEarly To Rise
Common sense would tell you that business expenses are the costs you incur to run your business – the money you must spend in order to make money. The IRS explains it this way: “To be deductible, a business expense must be both ordinary and necessary. An ordinary expense is…
READ MOREA Multi-Million-Dollar Lesson from a “Selling Machine”
I walked into the CEO’s office and said, “I will outsell your top car salesman in two months or less.” He looked at me with astonishment, grinned, and said, “You’re hired.” He went on to say, “I’ve been waiting for a kid like you to walk through my door for…
READ MOREIcy Hot – Oh What a Marketing Lesson
If you correctly identify your target audience, their buying cycle, and your own product, direct marketing can literally build a company out of practically nothing. I met a man once who owned a 100-year-old “very old-time” patent-medicine production company selling a hokey-sounding analgesic balm – a glob of gelatinous goop…
READ MOREMore Tools of “The Master of Persuasion”
“The best way to persuade people is with your ears – by listening to them.” – Dean Rusk Two businessmen, Mr. Wants and Mr. Needs, are competing for the same investment dollars of a potential investor. We’ll call her Mrs. Angel. Mr. Wants has a Monday morning meeting with Mrs.…
READ MOREHow to Make Business Deals That Last
If you think business is about driving a hard bargain and writing a binding contract, you just don’t get it. Yes, you may be able to bully and/or dupe your way to getting what you want. But you’ll turn what could become a good, productive lifetime relationship into a one-time…
READ MOREDirect-Resonse vs Image Advertising
“Image” advertising (another name for institutional advertising) seeks to create an image about your product or your company in the hope that people will remember you when they’re ready to buy. Most image ads say, in effect, “Buy from us. We’re wonderful.” As far as I’m concerned, with image advertising…
READ MOREGet Your Employees to Contribute to Company Growth
JP was not my idea of a superstar. He hardly spoke at meetings … and when he did speak, he showed that he was smart, but his wit was full of sarcasm. He did his job, but as far as I knew, never volunteered to do anything. Although I several…
READ MOREWhat Business Owners Don’t Know About Price
What business owners don’t know about price would fill a shelf full of books. 1. For starters, they do not understand how elastic price is. Only a small percentage of buyers (of anything) base their decisions solely on getting the cheapest price. If most did, you’d see more Yugos on…
READ MOREThe Proof Is in the Promotion – or Should Be
Nowhere do some marketers think less like consumers than when it comes to proving the claims they make in their promotions. And to the reader, an outrageous claim that is not backed by one single iota of proof sticks out like a sore thumb. For instance, I was writing a…
READ MOREDoing Business Overseas: Is It For You?
If you like traveling, you should consider taking your business overseas. Working internationally has changed my life. An internationalized business provides you with all sorts of benefits – some personal, some business: A larger, overall market to sell your products to – which could lead to a bigger business. A…
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