“I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.” – Florence Nightingale, Born May 12, 1820. This quote can be taken as kind of funny – since for us, making words out of feelings IS the action that brings results. But let’s say that Flo […]
Productivity Hack: Shut Your Yap And Move Your Hands Instead Read More »
“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.
Metaphors Make Manipulation Manageable Read More »
“Most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility.” – Sigmund Freud, Born May 6, 1856. But Siggy, what if people could have freedom, but WITHOUT the burden of responsibility? Wouldn’t that be the greatest thing since sliced bread? What would people pay for that kind
How to Sell By Telling People What They WILL NOT Get When They Buy 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 »
“A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer.” – Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenber (aka Novalis), Born May 2, 1772. There is a lot of talk in our line of work of becoming an authority figure in a market – a recognized expert. And this quote speaks to the
Stick it Out, Take it Further, and Discover Something Worth Selling to Other Seekers Read More »
“Folks don’t like to have somebody around knowing more than they do.” – Harper Lee, Born Apr. 28, 1926. When you’re trying to position yourself as a trusted advisor, your audience can’t ever feel like you are holding out on them. They can’t feel like you’re keeping secrets or withholding valuable knowledge for yourself. Countering
Make Them Believe You Would Tell Them All Your Secrets, And They Will Love You Read More »
“I’ve always worked on the principle that if it interests me enough to write about it, then it must interest a lot of other people.” – Morris West, Born Apr. 26, 1916. First, cultivate the ability to muster a genuine interest in absolutely any topic. Next, figure out the topics your target audience cares about.
To Be InterestING, BE interestED. Enthusiasm is Contagious. Read More »
“All the best stories are but one story in reality – the story of escape. It is the only thing which interests us all and at all times, how to escape.” – A. C. Benson, Born Apr. 24, 1862. We tell stories. Stories about the reader. Stories they haven’t heard about themselves yet. The ending
Escapism Motivates: Where Will You Go When You Get Away From Here? Read More »
“If I could find anything blacker than black, I’d use it.” – J. M. W. Turner, Born Apr. 23, 1775. This one isn’t about the content of the quote, but more about the implications of it. Turner couldn’t find paint that was any blacker than the paints he used. He could never actually accurately show
Programming Imaginations With Impossible Imagery is the New Black Read More »
“A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” – Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin), Born Apr. 22, 1870. This is a statement that sounds sinister because of how specific it is. If you make it as general as it is in reality, it’s not so evil-seeming. Anything repeated often enough will eventually be believed, not just
Repetition is the Mission… Repetition is the Mission… Repetition is the Mission… Read More »
