Take the Outrageous Path to Outrageous Success
You can (and should) always be different with your advertising. Because when you are… you accomplish your #1 goal. GETTING NOTICED! OUTRAGEOUS doesn’t always mean getting wild (like me on the cover of my newest book, where I’m wearing a straightjacket). It can be as simple as changing the font…
The Secret to Making a Billion Dollars
Love him or hate him, you have to admit it. Rush Limbaugh is a phenomenon. He doesn’t promise riches, better health, social status, to ease your workload, or get you dates. In fact, he never offers anyone one single benefit or presents a single “Reason Why” listening to him or…
Discover Your Talents
When we do strategic planning for corporations, the first thing we think about is how to increase the company’s rate of return on the equity it has invested in the business. This is done by allocating more resources to areas with higher potential, and taking resources away from those with…
How to Invest Like a Multimillionaire
Okay. You want to be a super-successful investor. I get it. You are already living on a fixed income. Or you are nearing retirement and worrying about whether you’ll be able to kick back and earn a passive living from your investments. I’ve been there. I’ve retired three times. I…
The Ultimate Start-Up Guide for Digital Entrepreneurs
Having a reliable source of side income is practically a “must ” these days. And don’t let the thought of setting up a business, creating products, finding customers, and marketing to them scare you. The fact is, you can get by with the bare minimum.
The Language Perfectionist: The Confusables are Back!
It’s time once again to clarify common confusions among similar words. All of the following examples appeared in major newspapers or online articles. “The census counts military personal and federal employees living abroad, but no other citizens.” Of course, the word wanted here is not personal but personnel. “Cannon 2…
The Worst Positioning Statement in the World: “We’re Better”
Here’s a trick question: What’s better — chopped liver or filet mignon? Most people would say “filet mignon.” But filet mignon isn’t better than chopped liver. Nor is chopped liver better than filet mignon.
How to Increase Response by 15 Percent
Years ago, I had a client who sold utility software for IBM mainframes. He would send out a letter with a technical description of the software and its function. He would offer to send the software on magnetic tape for a “free 30-day trial.” That was (and still is) an…
Don’t Waste Your Time on the Wrong Problems
A former employee of mine once allowed a serious business problem to go unreported because he thought he could fix it himself. He couldn’t — and it cost the company $400,000.
How I ETR’ed It
“At this point, we can’t rule out malignancy,” the doctor said. I just looked at my husband. I knew he was asking the doctor questions, but I didn’t hear any words. I saw his lips moving and felt his strong hand on top of mine. But all I could think…
$5,000 for an Afternoon Drive
“Sarah,” an interior designer for yachts, had just come back from a very successful business trip. Her boss, who never complimented her, was oozing with praise. She was so excited (and confident big money was coming her way) that she signed a lease on an expensive apartment.
The Language Perfectionist: The Cohort Retort
From a U.S. Department of Justice news release: “The following morning, when the first employee of the day entered the bank, Smith and his cohort, armed with handguns, confronted the employee and demanded money contained in the bank’s vault.”