9:37am
Saint Paul
Is it the smell?
Most certainly–especially when it’s steaming hot.
As my grandpa used to say:
“I’ve stepped in better stuff.”
And all my life, I’ve tried to avoid being around it. Which is sorta impossible, because somehow… in some undefinable, unfathomable way… it excites everyone.
I’m talking, of course, about…
(more…)10:21am
Saint Paul
Not sure if you’ve watched my recent interview with Kevin Halbert.
There’s one point that really stood out for me:
Kevin shares advice from his dad on how to land clients–and it’s NOT the well-known “starving market” idea.
At the 71 minute mark of our conversation, Kevin says that the best way to land a client isn’t to convince someone, unaware of your solution, to give you a try.
It’s also not to convince a someone who IS buying your type of solution that you’re the right man for the job.
Instead, suggests Kevin, your best clients are like an old Lucille Ball television episode…
Let me explain.
(more…)9:06 am
Saint Paul
Marketers often confuse Brand with Branding, and think they have control over the public’s perception of their company.
Wrong.
Here’s the difference.
(more…)Tuesday, Dec 31
Someplace East of the Mississippi
Gary Halbert was a well-known direct response copywriter, considered by many to be the best in the business. Ever.
In this wide-ranging interview with Gary’s son Kevin Halbert, you’ll hear insightful moments from Kevin’s life, including stories about Gary’s temper… the effort Gary put into his promotions… Kevin’s addition to the famous AIDA formula… and more:
(more…)11:51am
Saint Paul
The holidays are here!
Yesterday we hosted my wife’s family—21 people!—in our small 1950s rambler home.
We didn’t know how everyone would fit, and hoped the kids would find their way to the basement.
(more…)12:50pm
Back in Saint Paul
When it was all over, I shook the A/V guy’s hand.
“Thanks for coming today,” I said.
“Your microphone?”
I unclipped my mic and placed it in his waiting hand.
“Oh. Of course.”
Last week, I stood on stage in front of perhaps 40 marketers at B2B Forum in Boston, sharing my ideas on building relationships with email marketing.
(more…)8:34am
Saint Paul
Someone asked,
“What are some effective ways to persuade someone who has lost interest in something?”
Persuasion means you’re showing a person (or a group) reasons to move forward with an action or belief.
So if they’re not interested, you must get them interested before they can possibly be persuaded.
There are a number of ways to spark interest.
Here are ten that marketers (and Hollywood, and the Media, and others) use all the time:
(more…)10:59am
Saint Paul
“They’re all pretty much the same,” says Andi Schmied about some of the most expensive condos in Manhattan.
Andi booked tours with realtors who thought she was a billionaire, just so she could get in to photograph these high-end homes.
“The engineering–these towers being so tall and thin–means there’s little room for play or experimentation. They’re so boring; and the architects who accept the jobs are boring, too.”
That’s a problem for some people. But not everyone.
Not everyone wants a creatively designed home. They want an expensive home.
(more…)1:18pm
Saint Paul
Some writers are worried about AI stealing their jobs.
Other people worry that robotics—and tech in general—will steal everyone’s job.
And they might be right.
(more…)7:56am
Saint Paul
“That might work in your business…
“But my customers are unique. My business is different.”
Says almost everyone.
But they’re wrong.
(more…)