How Mike Went From Rags to Riches
Mike raised a glass to toast everyone at the table. “Here’s to another year as successful as this one.” He was celebrating the fact that over the last year he’d made more money with his own business than he had in 10 years of working for someone else, and things…
How to Play (and Win) the Game of Making Money
If you want to make more money, there are two things you can do. The first thing you can do is learn new skills so you get paid more for the hours you work. One of the most valuable skills you can learn is the ability to sell and create…
How To “Work A Room”
There are tons of networking events to attend – too many, actually. Too many ways to meet people you’ll never see again, too many opportunities to collect a stack of business cards you’ll never look at again. But it’s well worth doing as much networking as you can, because you…
Tell Your Customer What’s In It For Him
We’ve all been there. You walk into Big Box Electronics. Some young pup starts talking to you about the big-screen TVs you’re eyeing. He mentions scan rate. HD-grade 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. Lines per inch. You stand there and nod, furrow your brow at appropriate places, and do your…
Improve Your sales by Asking for Referrals
We all know that if a client refers us to one of his associates or friends, we have a much higher probability of making a sale and doing business with that referral than if we had no introduction. In fact, it is up to 10 times easier to sell to…
How to Write a Screenplay (With a Little Help From Your Friends)
We each have at least one good movie script in our memory banks. What’s yours? And why haven’t you written it? Many years ago, I promised a close friend I’d write a movie about something we’d done together – opening up a rock ‘n’ roll club on Long Island. Mike’s…
How to Launch a Profitable Email Publication
Several years ago, I was working on a second bottle of wine with a prominent sales pro. He blurted out something about “the formula” that Bill Ziff (of Ziff Davis fame) used to generate a billion-dollar publishing empire. I was new to advertising, and the notion of a “secret formula”…
In Marketing, Flattery Will Get You Everywhere
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” the saying goes. But actually, flattery can get you almost anywhere – especially in marketing. The reason: People want to feel good about themselves … and if you give your prospects a legitimate way to do that, you get their attention and make them receptive…
Inside the Box Part 2
How to Write and Publish a Best-Seller
Hey you! You with the interesting life! You’ve got a book in you – that you know. But how do you get it out, onto those frighteningly blank pages? And then, how do you put those pages together into a coherent (see “Word to the Wise,” below), fast-reading book? And…
Turn Your Best Customers Into Voluntary Sales Reps
Have you ever wished you could clone your best customers or clients – potentially doubling or tripling or quadrupling the number of people just like them who come through your door? The truth is, you can! I’m not talking about scientific cloning. (In spite of what’s going on with Scottish…
How a Poker Tip Can Change Your Life
Nine months ago, I received a call from a good friend of mine that I met in college. My friend said, “Mike, you have to start playing poker. It’s just amazing. You can play with us next week at Frank’s house or just jump online and join a game. It’s…