“The possession of a book becomes a substitute for reading it.” – Anthony Burgess, Born Feb. 25, 1917. I know a lot of smart people that sell training, or information, and they get very upset about people not taking that information or training and using it as intended. If that’s you, you would do well […]
How To Make Buyers Happy to Purchase Things They May Never Ever Use Read More »
“Sometimes you have to lie. One often has to distort a thing to catch its true spirit.” – Robert J. Flaherty, Born Feb. 16, 1884. Consider a poem, which often describes reality with a refined and elegant metaphor – one that reveals a deep but unobservable truth about a given thing. But despite the bard’s
“Trying to do business without advertising is like winking at a pretty girl through a pair of green goggles. You may know what you are doing, but no one else does.” – Cyrus McCormick, Born Feb. 15, 1809. Here is the revolutionary change in the nature of advertising as we begin to really get into
How to “Advertise” in the “Future” (Because Advertising is Dead, Ain’t You Heard?) Read More »
“To kill an error is as good a service as, and sometimes even better than, the establishing of a new truth or fact.” – Charles Darwin, Born Feb. 12, 1902. That’s true, Charlie. It’s not just as good or better. It’s way easier, too. To know what is wrong in the world of your prospect
What Most Copywriters Don’t Know: When to Shut Up, and What NOT to Say Read More »
“All books are either dreams or swords, you can cut, or you can drug, with words.” – Amy Lowell, Born Feb. 9, 1874. If you’re just using words to describe shit or explain shit, you’re wasting them. Words can stab. Use yours hit the reader’s tenders organs. Make them bleed. Reopen old wounds. Carve new
Words that Wound, Words that Heal – We Alternate Them to Persuade People to Buy Read More »
“Order is never observed; it is disorder that attracts attention because it is awkward and intrusive.” – Eliphas Levi, Born Feb. 8, 1810. Imagine a turd in a hotdog bun. The easiest way to get attention is to defy expectation, and break the prevailing pattern. Why? The brain exists to keep us alive. To accomplish
Pattern Breaker: the One True Way to Steal Attention in a Saturated World Read More »
“At my lemonade stand I used to give the first glass away free and charge five dollars for the second glass. The refill contained the antidote.” – Emo Philips, Born Feb. 7, 1956. Selling is a two stage process, generally speaking. First you sell the customer on your interpretation of their problem. Like so, elaborating
Fatal Copy Flaw: Too Much Lemonade. Not Enough Poison. Read More »
“We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings.” – Louis Nizer, Born Feb. 6, 1902. We don’t realize how much of what we do and say and think is a result of our brain acting on its own to protect our sensitive emotions. We are quick to reject anything that
Telling People Lies for Money (When They Won’t Listen to the Truth) Read More »
“The darkest hour in any man’s life is when he sits down to plan how to get money without earning it.” – Horace Greeley, Born Feb. 3, 1811. Darkest hour, Horace? Money is an unnatural man-made invention. What about it should make one need to EARN it? As though it must be deserved before being
You Don’t Need to “Earn” Money. It’s Just Paper and Imagination. Read More »
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” – Anton Chekhov, Born Jan. 29, 1860. Show, don’t tell. It’s an old adage among screenwriters, who incidentally love Chekhov. So, it behooves us to remember that demonstration is the highest possible form of proving the effectiveness of a
Make Metaphors That Cut Like a Razor to the Throat Read More »
