Last month I sent you a blog post entitled, “Now 96 years of lifetime value”. It celebrated my Mom’s birthday…but it also chronicled my Mom’s dedication to direct marketing principles (although she had no idea she was such an expert). ☺ While there was some intended sarcasm and humor in that post (I hope you ...

Last June (1 human year ago/7 dog years ago) I wrote a post that led with this:  These are turbulent times—maybe the most turbulent times in our lives—yet there is also a calm about it if we take time being mindful about everything around us—and not jump to action (or inaction). I believe it’s ...

For those of you who are working towards retirement in a traditional sense (i.e. no work/all leisure), if we redefined the “R word” to incorporate your work with your play and you could have your preferred (leisure) lifestyle while still creating impact and changing lives would your goal for retirement be the same? It’s ...

After I wrote “The difference between no longer and not yet,” a member of our online family (Lori H.) gave me an idea for an additional blog post as a follow up.  She suggested that saying “yes” or “no” to new ideas with more of a plan in mind—that is, with a clear objective of what ...

At our Titans Mastermind meeting earlier this month, one of our speakers was Mark Winters, co-author of the 2016 bestseller Rocket Fuel: The one essential combination that will get you more of what you want from your business. In my interview with him we explored the essence of the book (and a whole lot more) with the ...

My Mom turned 96 last week.  I’ve written about her before…on her 95th birthday a year ago…specifically about how she is an expert direct marketer (with the phone being her favorite “medium”)…and I thought she deserved another shout out on her 96th. Last year we had a socially distanced birthday party for her, complete ...

I often tell people, and I have told you before, that I haven’t invented anything…rather, I am a good messenger for concepts, knowledge and eternal truths of direct response marketing to my online family (and those in my masterminds) who might not be aware of what came before…and how it can impact the future.  I’m also ...

“Learning is rooted in repetition and convexity, meaning that the reading of a single text twice is more profitable than reading two different things once.” – Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Lebanese-American essayist and scholar When I was in college, The Odd Couple TV show (a classic with Jack Klugman and Tony Randall) was on twice a night at 7:00 ...

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 ...