“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – George Bernard Shaw, Born Jul. 26, 1856. The guy who gave me a career in copy (Andy Jenkins, RIP) was a big fan of this quote, and he used it a lot when I worked for him. Mostly in a […]
When Can a Non-Response Be Taken as a “NO”? (Almost Never) Read More »
“One of the effects of living with electric information is that we live habitually in a state of information overload. There’s always more than you can cope with.” – Marshall McLuhan, Born Jul. 21, 1911. If you’re not someone who can be a creator of new information, your best bet to survive in the future
“Too Much Information” Equals “Untapped Opportunity Read More »
“It is all very well to copy what one sees, but it is far better to draw what one now only sees in one’s memory. That is a transformation in which imagination collaborates with memory.” – Edgar Degas, Born Jul. 19, 1834. “They” say you should take old winning sales letters by the greats,
Why Hand Copying Old Sales Material Is a Big Dumb Waste of Time Read More »
“Black Sabbath was written on bass: I just walked into the studio and went, bah, bah, bah, and everybody joined in and we just did it.” – Terence Michael Joseph “Geezer” Butler, Born Jul. 17, 1949. Just start doing what you want to do. Don’t think about it too much. And I don’t mean warming
The Secret of Being Excellent Is Being Prolific First – So Get Started Read More »
“A film is made in somebody’s head – out of their determination to do it at all.” – D. A. Pennebaker, Born Jul. 15, 1925. This is where failure nestles in, curled up warm and safe, using your plans and goals as a cozy little blanket. Everyone’s got an idea. Most people have good ideas.
“I don’t look at a man who’s expert in one area as a specialist. I look at him as a rookie in ten other areas.” – Conor McGregor, Born Jul. 14, 1988. Specialization is KEY in getting attention for your “brand” in a crowded market. For some subset and segment of a given market, you
Specialization Can Get Your Foot In The Door – But OVER-Specialization is a Trap Read More »
“The world continues to offer glittering prizes to those who have stout hearts and sharp swords.” – F. E. Smith, Born Jul. 12, 1872. The world ain’t gonna give you a prize for showing up. Unless you count “eventual surprise death” as a prize. The world actually doesn’t reward anything to anyone. Life isn’t a
The World Is Full of Treasure For You – But You Must Fight For It Read More »
“If you haven’t found something strange during the day, it hasn’t been much of a day.” – John Archibald Wheeler, Born Jul. 9, 1911. One of the features of life is that it will adapt to meet the challenges of the environment it finds itself in. A hard life will make a body strong. But
To Make Your Brain Beefy, You Have To Flex It Daily Read More »
“They didn’t want it good, they wanted it Wednesday.” – Robert A. Heinlein, Born Jul. 7, 1907. It’s about expectation. A professional writer needs to deliver work at the promised time. Deadlines aren’t soft targets. (I was never as good at this as I insist others should be.) It’s about consistency. If you publish regularly,
The Difference Between a Pro and a Clown: Hit That Deadline Read More »
“Without promotion, something terrible happens… nothing!” – P. T. Barnum, Born Jul. 5, 1810. This is true in all fields, but I mostly talk to marketing and writing freelancers who have this bizarre expectation that simply hanging up your shingle is going to get you customers and clients. Nope! The best product or service in
Waiting For Clients and Customers To Come To You Is Dumb As Hell Read More »
