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    Maverick Visual Productivity Strategies Free To Listeners

    Monday, December 17th, 2007

    How in the world does a productivity expert end up talking about ‘flying penises’ and ‘burping’ while dishing out some of the best productivity strategies ever?
    You have to hear it to believe it.
    My good friend Kyle McFarlin was recently interviewed by Tony Goodson for ‘The Productivity Show’ on the Podcast Network. As I said on [...]

    Questionable Practices - Can You Have A Newsletter Without A Website?

    Friday, December 14th, 2007

    “I’m not going to wind up on your damn blog, am I?”
    What an unusual way to open a phone call, I thought. He has an interesting way of winning friends and influencing people. Hmmm, he’s at least piqued my curiosity. 
    Me: “I don’t know. Depends. How interesting or wacky are you intending to be today?”
    I’m [...]

    Spam-Free Copy For Your Marketing Campaigns

    Wednesday, December 5th, 2007

    Did you screw up? Did you emulate another marketer’s email and use one of those despicable SPAM filter work-arounds like “freeee,” “F.ree,” “f.r.ee” and now you’ve been branded a spammer? And now your open and response rates suck to high heaven? Infusion Software’s Ryan Peterson reveals what you can do about it in today’s guest post.

    When Your Client Is An Idiot - Worst Practices Bailout

    Monday, December 3rd, 2007

    “Because, frankly, the franchise owner was an idiot. 
    See, my friend tried to tell him that you don’t sell $200,000 products with a single sales letter. Your prospect doesn’t know you from Adam - and you expect him to read a few pages of sales copy and then cut you a check for
    Like what you [...]

    Controversy Or Avoidance - Which Sells?

    Wednesday, November 28th, 2007

    “I don’t like getting into debates. We’re running a business blog.”
    ‘Whew . . .!’ I thought when I read that. Good luck with that approach, buddy.
    Fellow copywriter and blogger James Chartrand is wrestling with the direction to take his “online personality,” and he’s doing his thinking out-loud with Harrison McLeod, the other half of [...]

    Steering Him Out Of A Marketing Mishap Skid

    Friday, November 16th, 2007

    You’ve created a new product and you’re ready to unleash it on the world and rake in the beaucoup  bucks. So . . . what’s the first step? Well, don’t do what this guy did would be a good step #1!
    Below, I critique his materials and efforts and tell him what to do and not [...]

    Your Front Page — Magazine Or Novel? Improves Sales Or Flattens Them?

    Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

    When you send your company’s blog feed out into the world, which option helps (or hinders) your sales and responses? Do you allow just a partial, teaser clip with ‘Click here to read the full article,’ or do you just plop the entire post out there for all the world to see?
    One way improves sales/responses, the other [...]

    Lance Armstrong Explains It All To You

    Monday, November 12th, 2007

    When challenged that his latest bit of wisdom was from Snoopy the Dog, “reluctant messiah” Donald Shimoda shrugged it off, “I quote the truth wherever I find it.”
    In that vein, if you have ever been tempted to quit, then enjoy this bit of Lance Armstrong’s real-life, snap-out-of-it wisdom from, of all things, the film Dodgeball:
    Like [...]

    Rosetta Stone’s Hot Chicks Bridge Language Gap

    Friday, November 9th, 2007

    You’re in the Big City rushing to your next appointment. Suddenly this exotic woman in a sundress stops you and asks . . . you have no idea what language she’s speaking — but she’s clearly into you and flirting to beat the band.
    <Big grin> No Problemo.
    You can’t understand a word, but dah-mn! . . [...]

    Relaunching Your Product - My Quickie Marketing Strategy Guide

    Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

    Continuing my Client Top Secret series (which in its short existence has become one of the most  popular categories, thank you for that!) . . .
    A prospective client (famous doctor) and I were talking about what he could do to relaunch and reboot his product that frankly, had fallen by the wayside.
    In 2000 he was [...]

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