“I’m not famous; I am simply very well-known to certain people. Famous is something different.” – Anton Corbijn, Born May 20, 1955. Many seek fame when they get into this game. Some because they truly desire fame for its own sake. But many do only because they think it’s somehow required to succeed. But really, …
How To Become An Influential Micro-celebrity (And Make Macro-money) Read More »
“If your mind is empty, it is ready for anything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki, Born May 18, 1904. One of the big mistakes a lot of new consultants and beginning freelance service providers make is to overplay their hand. The prospect …
Expertise Is Knowing What To Leave Out, Instead Of What Is Possible To Add In Read More »
“People need a narrative, and if there isn’t one on offer, they make one up.” – Jean Hanff Korelitz, Born May 16, 1961. In a world without humans, stuff just happens. Nothing means anything. Nothing foretells anything. Nothing is destined or fated. Nothing is deserved. Nothing is earned. There’s physics and luck. That’s all. But …
If You Don’t Provide A Story, The Reader Will Imagine Their Own (And They’re Bad At It) Read More »
“Emotion creates reality, reality demands action.” – Brian Eno, Born May 15, 1948. This is a really elegant way to explain the connection between emotion and behavior. If you can sufficiently tap into someone’s strong emotions, you can then use those to distort their perceptions and beliefs, and thus alter their subjective reality. Once you …
Change a Person’s Belief By Using Their Emotions Against Them Read More »
“We’re the country of movie stars because the stars, like ourselves, represent a kind of extended infantilism, beauties waiting for the big chance.” – Jerome Charyn, Born May 13, 1937. This is real similar to how Steinbeck said no one considers themselves poor. We all fancy ourselves as temporarily dispossessed millionaires. But this is a …
People Want to Be “Discovered” So Promise To Make Your Prospect Into A Star Read More »
“Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing.” – Salvador Dali, Born May 11, 1904. Originality is overrated. Sure, you don’t want to be a copycat. But you don’t have to be a creative genius, either. Some other famous mucky-muck once said something like “the secret of creativity is hiding your sources”. I …
“The metaphor is perhaps one of man’s most fruitful potentialities. Its efficacy verges on magic, and it seems a tool for creation which God forgot inside one of His creatures when He made him.” – Jose Ortega y Gasset, Born May 9, 1883. Persuasive writers are basically in the business of manipulating minds through metaphor. …
“When you stand alone and sell yourself, you can’t please everyone. But when you’re different, you can last.” – Don Rickles, Born May 8, 1926. There is no flavor that every tongue will find appealing. Hell, not even every taste bud on the same tongue will like every flavor it touches. But there are flavors …
When Your Persona Is Your Product, You Must Give It a Flavor No One Else Has Read More »
“Never write anything that does not give you great pleasure. Emotion is easily transferred from the writer to the reader.” – Joseph Joubert, Born May 7, 1754. Maybe Joe here was only intending to write things that gave people pleasure. In which case, I would agree with the first part of his statement. But is …
Write From a Place of Emotional Truth, and Transfer That Emotion to Your Reader Read More »
“Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.” – Niccolo Machiavelli, Born May 3, 1469. Darling Nicci. How I love you. Listen, so many people will tell you that you need to deeply probe the customer’s mind to be able to sell them. You need a 159 point …
Even the Mirror Will Lie to You About What We Really Are… Read More »
