“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… Read More →
They Can’t Walk Away From the Sale if You Trap Them in a Super Fun Maze.
“When people ask for time, it’s always for time to say no. Yes has one more letter in it, but it doesn’t take half as long to say.” – Edith Wharton, Born Jan. 24, 1862. When it comes to making sales, if a prospect says they want to think about it, it means they aren’t… Read More →
Shortcut to Creating a Perception of Value in Absolutely Any Piece of Information
“Men value things in three ways: as useful, as pleasant or sources of pleasure, and as excellent, or as intrinsically admirable or honorable.” – Mortimer Adler, Born Dec. 28, 1902. Let’s make today about practicality. We write to sell things. That’s our goal. Our duty. And to do that, we have to make people see… Read More →
A Funny Sign You Saw Is Not Good Copy
“We have too many high-sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them.” – Abigail Adams, Born Dec. 22, 1744. In our line of work, it can be easy to be attracted to other ads that are clever, or funny. We envy the creativity of their writers and conceivers. We mentally (or even physically)… Read More →
Facts Can’t Sell Anything Without Feelings (Doot Doo Doot)
“Attitudes are more important than facts.” – George MacDonald, Born Dec. 10, 1824 I can’t persuade anyone with JUST the facts. Facts are boring. Static. Motionless. Some dummies keep saying we live in a post-fact age. I think that’s dangerously untrue. But I digress. If facts alone could close the sale, I’d still be a… Read More →
Make Your Reader Chase the Sale by Using the Right Bait
“All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why.” – James Thurber, Born Dec. 8, 1894. This applies to man and woman and child and any sorts of animals or androids or aliens – provided they have money to spend. They should strive to learn what… Read More →
Make More Today By Putting Tomorrow For Sale
“I’m not good at selling laptops. I’m good at selling ideas.” – Nicholas Negroponte, Born Dec. 1, 1943. If you want to sell a product, an object, a service, whatever – you may get caught up in trying to describe the features and benefits and advantages of that particular doodad. And that’s understandable. If you… Read More →
How Painting Your Bottom Red Can Make You Stand Apart
“My shoes are special shoes for discerning feet.” – Manolo Blahnik, Born Nov. 27, 1942. You want your customers to have a special relationship to your products, your offers, and you personally. That’s called branding – that relationship that exists beyond and outside the immediate benefits of the product. And the secret of doing this… Read More →
Getting Good at Lying Makes You Better at Making Truth Believable.
“Good lies need a leavening of truth to make them palatable.” – William McIlvanney. Born Nov. 25, 1936. People get upset when I compare marketers to liars. Or I talk about manipulation. And coercion. Your hands are already dirty! Just own it! It’s better! But I digress. Here is what you need to realize. Even… Read More →
Application of Agitation Creates a Persuasion Situation
“When a man is discontented with himself, it has one advantage – that it puts him into an excellent frame of mind for making a bargain.” – Laurence Sterne. Born Nov. 24, 1713. This is one of the big secrets right here. If you want your prospect to feel super good about buying, try making… Read More →
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