“If language did not affect behavior, it could have no meaning.” – Kenneth L. Pike, Born Jun. 9, 1912. There are a buncha idiots out there who frown upon the use of language for deliberate persuasive aim. You know them. They hate commercials. They think marketing is evil. They probably brag about not owning a …
Any Message That Isn’t Deliberately Persuasive Is Wasted Read More »
“Diamonds are intrinsically worthless, except for the deep psychological need they fill.” – Nicky Oppenheimer, Born Jun. 8, 1945. The former chairman of DeBeers says diamonds are worthless. Yet go to a jeweler and see what this worthless item sells for. Certainly not at a price that reflects the worth. Why the markup? Solely due …
“I don’t ever try to make a song better than my last song. I just try to make it different from my last one.” – Fetty Wap, Born Jun. 7, 1990. This one hit me like a ton of bricks, y’all. Or like a ton of feathers. Heavy either way. You’re probably pretty talented. You’re …
Being “Different” is Better (And Easier) Than Struggling to Be “Original” Read More »
“The wise man is he who knows the relative value of things.” – William Inge, Born Jun. 6, 1860. I’d be willing to say ALL value is perception based, and is therefore relative. And perception of value is based on RELATIVE comparisons rather than any objective absolutes. For example, something that costs $50 might seem …
Proper Pricing is All Relative – Position Properly, Please Read More »
“The rare pleasure of being seen for what one is, compensates for the misery of being it.” – Margaret Drabble, Born Jun, 5, 1939. The vast majority of the average assholes of planet earth will consign themselves to a lifelong practice of suppressing their true selves. Put upon by the burden of just being fake …
If They Believe You Truly “See” Them, They Listen Closely to Your Advice Read More »
“An object imbued with intent – it has power, it’s treasure, we’re drawn to it. An object devoid of intent – it’s random, it’s imitative, it repels us. It’s like a piece of junk mail to be thrown away.” -John Hockenberry, Born Jun. 4, 1956. People seldom desire an object for the physical properties of …
Stories Infect Anything They Touch With Value (If You Tell Them Right) Read More »
“Two important characteristics of maps should be noticed. A map is not the territory it represents, but, if correct, it has a similar structure to the territory, which accounts for its usefulness.” – Alfred Korzybski, Born Jun. 3, 1879. Consider that the human mind is basically a really detailed map of the universe you live …
The Territory Is Not The Map (Except When It Is) Read More »
“No one can read with profit that which he cannot learn to read with pleasure.” – Thomas Hardy, Born Jun. 2, 1840. If you are someone trying to learn a thing for the purpose of improving yourself: don’t try to learn anything from someone boring. Don’t beat yourself up for not consuming and executing on …
The Secret Tactic For Writing Engaging Work: Inside Read More »
“The model of ownership, in a society organized round mass consumption, is addiction.” – Christopher Lasch, Born Jun. 1, 1932. Our culture is pre-conditioned to pursue addictive consumption. If you don’t have young ones, watch some kids programming sometime and pay attention to the commercials. I’m not saying that’s bad. Consumerism is fine if you …
Deadly Sins? Or Signals for Endlessly Profitable Niches? Read More »
“There are two ways of meeting difficulties: you alter the difficulties or you alter yourself meeting them.” – Phyllis Bottome, Born May 31, 1884. There is a sales lesson here. Whatever you sell, you need to think of it as a solution to a problem. What difficulties does it help the lucky buyer to overcome? …
