Eugene (Gene) Schwartz, author of  Breakthrough Advertising, had this to say in his preface to the 2004 edition (now out of print) which I had the privilege to publish while working at Boardroom…and then re-publish in 2017: “…this book is not about building better mousetraps. It is, however, about building larger mice, and then building ...

If you are someone who only seeks fame and the roar of the crowd, this blog post is not for you.  However, if you are someone who gets complete satisfaction from being the world’s best at what you do–whether anyone sees you do it or knows it’s you doing it–please read on.  In marketing, ...

The best ideas rarely seem like they are best while they are happening…it’s only when you look back on them and see what they created when you can safely say to yourself:   “I was a genius. That was worth it.”  Once you make a commitment to something big, in the words of my coach Dan Sullivan ...

“There is no luggage rack on a hearse…”- Clotaire Rapaille, cultural anthropologist, in his book, The Culture Code Someone who was on my Titans Xcelerator group coaching call this past week put the quote above into the chat…and although Rapaille had a particular meaning in mind for the quote, I want to focus on a different angle today. ...

If you have been part of my online family for a while, you know I lament that too many of mentors are dead…but you also know that I quickly turn that apparent sadness into new energy…thanks to you.  Because whenever I profile a great direct marketing practitioner or copywriter of the past, you have ...

While on the tribute call for legendary copywriter Clayton Makepeace last week (a recording will be made available soon), I realized the huge advantages of being in a place where you don’t belong.  When I began my personal tribute to Clayton, I thanked those on the call (over 1,200 people!) for inviting a “copywriter wannabe” ...

A year ago we lost one of the greatest copywriters of all time…but not completely…because he left us so much…before he left us.  While he may no longer be able to write a new magalog, create a groundbreaking VSL or develop a kick ass email series that would knock anyone’s socks off (i.e. getting ...

The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything. You’ve gotta keep control of your time, and you can’t unless you say no. You can’t let people set your agenda in life. – Warren Buffett Sometimes I wish I could abide by Warren Buffet’s ...

When a customer, vendor, student, client, partner (or anyone else you do business with) comes back to you after a transaction (or even just an interaction), with any version of any of these…BEWARE!  “That’s not what you promised in the sales letter” “That wasn’t the deal” “The guarantee was deceptive” “This is not what ...

I appeared on a podcast recently and the first question was a doozy: “How do you define leadership?”  I could have gone with a more “standard” answer such as:  Set the direction clearly for the company so everyone is on the same page all the time Create a corporate culture that inspires innovation from ...

The first time I entered your inbox with this Sunday missive (some of you may recall that fateful day!) was 7 years ago today, on Valentine’s Day 2014.   At that time it went out to a small group of family and friends (a VERY small group)…but I maintain that it was small and mighty.  If you ...

If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breathe a word about your loss… …Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it.    This is from a poem called “If—“ by Rudyard Kipling…but it might as ...

Beginning February 1st (through February 8th), the Do Good and  Make Money Super Summit is taking place on a computer near you…hopefully yours. 🙂 It’s a wonderful Summit with 75+ speakers sharing wisdom that I think is among the most valuable for marketers…on how to be benevolent, generous and caring while not apologizing for making money ...

During Titans Mastermind meetings, like the one this past week, I look for themes that flow through multiple discussions, speaker presentations and hot seats.   This time it was an oldie but a goodie: It’s easier to keep a customer than to get a new one.  And there was also the kissing cousin: Promote to cold traffic ...

Two years ago at our Titans Mastermind in Miami, the genius marketer and email innovator Dean Jackson coined a phrase that has become part of my regular “riff” when it comes to using email for good as opposed to evil:  “Fishing without bait”  For Dean it is just one of many observations that eventually become part ...

You’re probably sick of me calling this list my “online family.” You need to know it’s not lip service…and since we know words matter, how you “name” anything is the first step to treating it with the proper respect. That’s why I do it…because I am especially respectful of the word “list.” My first job in ...

Overdeliver is not a word. I just checked again to make sure on The Google, The Wiki and with Merriam-Webster—it’s confirmed. And I have no plans to lobby the two Merriams or Webster (all deceased since 1880 anyway)…or Encyclopedia Britannica, who bought Merriam-Webster in 1964…or anyone else for that matter…to reconsider their folly in not recognizing this wonderful ...

Don’t worry…this is not a post about why clicks are more important than orders.  I would never subject you to that…especially at the beginning of a new year.  This post is about another kind of “click”…and whether you have heard the expression “clicks on a dial,” before or not, buckle up.  Because, if you ...

During my many years at Boardroom (the iconic publisher and direct marketer) we never met an idea we didn’t like. That can be a huge burden…you know, “too many ideas, not enough time.” But looked at another way, “too many ideas” might be the single, most important reason we became so iconic (and so successful). The ...

The “marketing battlefield” is constant and demanding. It’s an endless war that requires stamina, continuous (lifelong) pivots…and of course, a ton of testing. ☺  But this endless war of marketing, unlike other endless wars that involve devastation and casualties, is obviously not as “serious”; and I want to stop the comparison before I equate a ...