“An artist carries on throughout his life a mysterious, uninterrupted conversation with his public.” – Maurice Chevalier, Born Sep. 12, 1888. A business has a conversation with the market, and with its prospects, and with its customers. That’s what marketing and advertising and selling IS: a conversation. Social media and Internet-based marketing in general has […]
No Message Stands Alone – All Communication is CONVERSATION Read More »
“The river flows at its own sweet will, but the flood is bound in the two banks. If it were not thus bound, its freedom would be wasted.” – Vinoba Bhave, Born Sep. 11, 1895. You’re creative. You’re smart. You’re talented. You’re skilled. So what? Who cares? What does that DO for anyone? You or
How to Limit Yourself to Turn “Too Many Good Ideas” Into Actual Output Read More »
“Don’t try to be different. Just be good. To be good is different enough.” – Arthur Freed, Born Sept. 9, 1894. I don’t know that I agree exactly with this. Being different can definitely be valuable. But I don’t think you have to worry about being unique or special in that way when you’re starting
Worry Less About Being Unique, Just Focus on Being Good (By Just Doing Good) Read More »
“Candor is a compliment; it implies equality. It’s how true friends talk.” – Peggy Noonan, Born Sep. 7, 1950. In times past, social interaction required a facade of formality. Especially in a business context. Gentlemen wore suits of clothes, and exchanged handshakes and cards and engaged in small talk, followed by queries and responses about
“I have a different constitution. I have a different brain; I have a different heart; I got tiger blood, man.” – Charlie Sheen, Born Sep. 3, 1965. How are you different from every other boring jerk out there? What makes you unique? Your history? Your style? Your point of view? You need to know. Because
You Already Have a Built-in USP – You’re Just Suffocating It Read More »
“If thinking men are few, they are for that reason all the more powerful. Let no man imagine that he has no influence. Whoever he may be, and wherever he may be placed, the man who thinks becomes a light and a power.” – Henry George, Born Sep. 2, 1839. Most people hate to think.
Use That Big Beautiful Brain to Build Your Business (Because Almost No One Else Does) Read More »
“A creator needs only one enthusiast to justify him.” – Man Ray, Born Aug. 27, 1890. You can start with a very small audience. But if you don’t have one, you’re not justified in spending too much time creating anything. Not if you want to create work people will connect with. Note – I’m obviously
How To Be Worth The Attention You Will Need To Succeed Read More »
“The minute you make people laugh, you get them to listen.” – Merrie Spaeth, Born Aug. 23, 1943. Aside from sharing an enemy, sharing a laugh is the quickest way I know to create rapport with a stranger. And it doesn’t have to be a belly laugh. It could be anything as simple as a
How to Clown on Fools for Fun and Profit Read More »
“I decided that I would be one of the biggest new names; and I actually had some little fancy business cards printed up to announce it, ‘Count Basie. Beware, the Count is Here.’” – William James “Count” Basie, Born Aug. 21, 1904. When you’ve got the goods… And you’re here to give the goods to
Warn The World of Your Awesomeness – BEWARE! Read More »
“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” – H. P. Lovecraft, Born Aug. 20, 1890. There’s a cognitive bias all humans have called “the Ambiguity Effect”. Fancy science says: It describes our tendency to avoid choosing options for which missing
How To Create Fear and Use It To Guide People’s Choices Read More »
