BK, MN, BB, and I were talking about mergers and how companies are managed afterward. The doomed AOL/Time-Warner combo (and split earlier this year) came up. This got very quickly into the question of how much forward thinking a CEO should do.

A recent study found that 2008’s media coverage of the financial crisis was all about big government and big business. Small-business issues merited just 5 percent of the total. Newspapers and magazines and television experts were almost entirely focused on the auto industry, bank bailouts, and stimulus plans. And most…

I sent a memo to a client last week, telling him about a clever advertising campaign that one of his competitors is using. I had inside info that the competitor is making a lot of money with it. My client’s response was to tell me what is wrong with what…

If you want people to do as you wish, don’t tell them, sell them. This is a simple rule that applies to almost any situation. I not only use it in my advertising copy, I use it to persuade my:

Important Sales Insight: People often feel guilty about saying “no.” After you’ve spent time trying to persuade them to buy something, they feel bad about just saying “no.” They may say “no,” but there is lingering guilt for having wasted your time.

How can you get your key employees to quickly develop the skills and talents they need? How do you get them to understand what you understand? In short, how do you get them to succeed? These people can make your future immensely richer, fuller, and happier. But much of what…

Depending on your product and your target audience, using improper English in your sales copy may make it work better. The trick is to really know your prospect. Actually picture him or her in your head. Then pretend you’re having chat with that person while you write. A “conversation” with…

According to most “serial business builders,” bad hiring and firing decisions are among the most serious mistakes entrepreneurs make. These include: 1. Not spending the time and energy to recruit the very best employees 2. Not paying close enough attention to an executive’s performance 3. Waiting too long to fire…

One of the most important business skills is almost never talked about. It is speed. In Ready, Fire, Aim, I explain that the faster you get good ideas to the marketplace, the better your chances of succeeding. And the faster you can get almost anything done, the less it will…

Twenty-five years ago, when Jay Abraham and I were relatively young men in this business, we shared the tips and techniques we discovered. He’d give me his best new idea. And I’d give him one of mine in return. One of the ideas he shared with me was already an…