Blog

  • What’s your expert opinion on this x-ray?

    3:52pm
    Saint Paul

    I learned today that the swelling from a broken bone can take a week before it subsides.

    That’s because i broke my wrist on the ice rink last wednesday.

    The doc had put it in a splint, which ended up being too tight.

    So i rewrapped the splint over the weekend before returning for x-rays today.

    At today’s appointment, the first assistant looked at me in horror that i would do such a thing…

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  • Does Cold Outreach Work? (Not this X method)

    1:03pm
    Saint Paul

    Twitter DMs are filled with poor cold outreach.

    I don’t know who is teaching this method–I kinda want to ask the bros in my DM box–but recently I’ve got a bunch of seemingly-innocent questions designed to start a conversation:

    You here?

    Have a second?

    Can I ask you something?

    And a good number of the accounts follow the format: @somenamex_1

    Screenshot

    This is an indirect approach, which in theory works for:

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  • “I’ve stepped in better stuff”

    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…

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  • Halbert’s Advice on Client Getting

    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.

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  • Brand… or Branding?

    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.

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  • Growing Up Halbert (Persuasion Play Podcast #14)

    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:

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  • Tight, Merry Christmas

    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.

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  • Lessons from Speaking On Stage

    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.

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  • There is no Persuasion without Interest. Start there.

    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:

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  • Opening Doors… No Talent Required

    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.

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