“Planting Seeds” in Someone’s Mind Pays Off — Sometimes Big Time
Want to get someone to do something he doesn’t want to do? It’s amazingly easy. All you have to do is plant a seed and wait for it to sprout. This is a phenomenally powerful business secret I learned from JSN when I worked with him many years ago. He…
READ MOREA Guaranteed Way to Capture the Attention of Prospects
One of the greatest mistakes companies make is developing products based on a “great idea.” My friend and fellow consultant Rob Olic used to be Marketing Director for Small Business Development at the Wharton School. Every week, entrepreneurs would tell him, “Man, my company developed this exciting new product that’s…
READ MOREHow to Find a Guru
My heart pounded. A great opportunity was staring me in the face. I’d been introduced to a publisher who had made big money by marketing information products. At least, it was big money to me. I can’t tell you the precise amount, because I was sworn to secrecy. But I…
READ MOREThree Sentences That Saved Our Business
Have you ever been writing an e-mail or a report — pouring your heart and soul into each and every word — when, POOF, it vanishes? Maybe it was a computer glitch or a wrong keystroke. Either way, your work is gone. And you can’t retrieve it. Well, imagine if…
READ MOREUnderstanding the “Optimal Selling Strategy” of Your Business
Norm Brodsky wrote something in Inc. magazine several years ago that has stuck with me. It echoes a belief I share with him about the fundamental nature of business: “If you don’t really know what’s driving your success, you have to be careful about the strategy you adopt. There’s a…
READ MORECutting to Standard Sizes
My friend RP, a licensed building contractor, helped me build some shelves in my garage. Had I done it myself, I’d have fitted the shelves to the exact space of 16 feet, 9 inches. But RP said wood comes in 8-foot lengths. And by making the shelves 16 feet long,…
READ MORESeduction Marketing
Picture this… You’re out with friends. Single and looking, you lock eyes with a woman whose glance stops your breath. Excited, you take a second look. Your face flushes and your knees wobble. You feel 16 again. Yet you’re smart enough to know one thing. If the first words out…
READ MOREThe “Is It?” Closing Technique
You are trying to persuade someone to do something. He is resistant. You suspect it is because he has misgivings he prefers not to talk about. You don’t want to upset or offend him, but you do want to get his okay. What do you do? According to LL, a…
READ MOREUse a Swipe File to Write Promotions Better and Faster
A “swipe” file is a collection of promotions — mailed by successful marketers — that you have saved. “A good swipe file is better than a college education,” says my old direct-marketing “professor,” master copywriter Milt Pierce. The swipe file provides inspiration and ideas that you may be able to…
READ MOREA Good Place to Find Partners
A few months ago, I thought I’d found a great new partner to promote one of my sideline businesses: The International Sketch Comedy Championships. Through a friend, I was introduced to a former “A list” actor. He’d had starring roles in some big hits 20 years ago. And I was…
READ MOREHow My Biggest Client Built His Empire Without Managing Anyone
“We don’t talk much about office morale,” my main client said in a memo to his top execs recently. “Why not? Partly because we don’t know much about these things. Another is that we don’t think about it.” (Note: When he says “we,” he means “I.”) As far as I…
READ MORETwo Simple Speechmaking Techniques
I used to be a terrible speech giver. I hemmed. I hawed. I spoke too slowly. I rushed too fast. I mumbled. I shouted. I was terrible. But the worst thing I did was wander off topic and get lost in my thoughts. “Where was I?” I used to ask…
READ MORE