How to Make Difficult Business Challenges Easier
My friend Bernard opened a furniture shop shortly after he immigrated to Boca Raton, Florida from Manchester, England in the early 1980s. That’s when I met him. I was shopping for an armoire for our bedroom. Most of the nice ones I’d seen were priced above $500. He had a half dozen of the same quality for only $195. I asked him how he was able to do it. With a twinkle in his eye, he said, “It’s not that my prices are good. It’s the other prices that are bad.”
READ MOREHow to Master the Art of the Upsell
Salt is a restaurant tucked away near Patterson Park in Baltimore. I ate there last week. I’d give it 8.5 points out of 10, which for me is a very good rating. The food was great and I received an immediate warm and friendly welcome by the owner, Jane. But…
READ MOREWant Lots More Sales? Avoid These Seven Deadly Sins
A few years ago, after making a speech about copywriting that I thought was excellent in every way, my childish delight at my own brilliance was destroyed by a cynical listener. He said, “Well, you seem to know just about everything about what to do in order to write good…
READ MORESeduction
Most marketers approach their prospects like an army would attack a walled city: with a full frontal assault. We come at them with flags flying, trumpets blaring, and missiles flying. Our siege machines hurl fiery projectiles, our archers darken the sky with arrows, and we send row after row of…
READ MOREBreak the Rules, Grow Your Business?
Could it be that what’s stopping you from making your next big business breakthrough is that you haven’t broken the right rule? Most successful entrepreneurs I know are perpetual rule breakers. In fact, I find it hard to come up with even one who’s played by others’ rules and still…
READ MOREYour Business Is Selling Your Business
I recently received a letter from a nice lady I’ll call “Lynn” that reminded me of something very important. It is something that can thwart your efforts to start your own business. It is probably the main reason why smart and talented people never enjoy financial independence. It is big.…
READ MOREThe Right Way to Ask For, and Get, Referrals
Asking a client for a referral is no big deal. Provided the timing is right, there’s no reason to worry that you’ll look pushy, presumptuous, or out of place. To boost your chances of success, however, it’s important to know just how to ask.
READ MOREFinding Gratitude and Purpose
I couldn’t help but listen in. RB, an upperclassman, was reveling in his “accomplishment” over the weekend. “We found a gate into the pasture and drove out toward where they were sleeping,” he said, lowering his voice. “The first one woke up and ran off, just as we got close.…
READ MORENobody Owes You Anything: From Gardener to Entrepreneur
The average Nicaraguan is born in a shack with a dirt floor. He earns less than $15 a week. “E,” my gardener in Nicaragua, does much better than that. But he is still, by U.S. standards, poor. Since I am in daily contact with E when I’m there, I often…
READ MOREA Quick-Start Guide for the Internet Entrepreneur
I recently got an e-mail from a man I’ll call Jim, a longtime ETR reader. His question is probably the most common one I get. If you are interested in breaking into the Internet, pay attention. What I have to say to Jim might give you the information you need…
READ MOREThe Top 10 Ways to Position Yourself as an Expert Using Social Media
Let’s start by answering a very simple question: As a small businessperson, entrepreneur, or Internet marketer, why would you want to position yourself as an expert? The answer is very simple. Everybody trusts an expert. And, as every salesperson will tell you, individuals want to do business with people they…
READ MOREDon’t Take a Chance on Luck
Luck seems to have a peculiar attachment to work. I’m sure that you have heard the Dave Thomas quote: “It seems the harder I work, the luckier I get.” I would tend to agree with that statement, but I think there are a few other conditions that affect your “luck”…
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