With the NBA Finals beginning this week (and for those of you outside the U.S. that’s the championship series of basketball), I want to talk about a concept that I’ve heard a few times recently: Positionless basketball In the past, basketball had five positions: Point guard (for the short guy who could dribble and ...
I wrote a version of this post about a year ago…titled it “when death comes knocking, look busy”…and I didn’t know then that it would be so timely today. And thank goodness I took my own advice. Death came knocking for me a little over a month ago…I had a stroke…and somehow when death ...
I’ve had the privilege of working with some of the greatest copywriters who have ever lived…and there’s one who you probably never heard of who I want to tell you about today. First a little history. When talking about the greats in anything—sports, entertainment and yes, even direct marketing—thinking about your “Mount Rushmore” is ...
There is nothing more important than the concept of “specialty over commodity” when we market our products and services, regardless of the medium we choose, online or offline. Some things just scream specialty…like the supplement I once marketed where the key ingredient could only be found in certain caves in western Africa. That was ...
I was reminded this week of an incredible trip I took to Nicaragua about a year and half ago which included a 3-day marketing seminar (more on that below). I had the privilege of vacationing there after the event and learned what a fascinating and expanding country it is…and sadly for me, I was ...
…and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Or…when it comes to writing books: “If you write a book and no one reads it does it still make an impact (and is it still worth writing)?” We all have a story to tell…whether it’s fiction or non-fiction…and ...
Watching the events from Paris this past week made me think about my trips there over the past few years. It brought me back to a place of wonder…and of course made me a little sad too. I wanted to share those thoughts with you again in the hope that we can all find ...
If you have not seen the movie Coco, it is a must watch. On the surface you might think it’s just another animated Pixar film for kids…but don’t be fooled. This is one of the most important films I have seen in a very long time–and those of you who have read previous posts about my ...
If you are a CEO, president, owner (or in any senior position of your company), being your own “boots on the ground” in the office is part of your job no matter how much you delegate to others. From Wikipedia: The origin of the term [“management by walking around”] has been traced to executives ...
Chapter 2 of my new book Overdeliver: Build a Business for a Lifetime Playing the Long Game in Direct Response Marketing is simply titled “Original Source.” This is a topic I’ve spoken about before and it is one that I think is super important for all marketers, copywriters and entrepreneurs…and that’s why I devoted an entire ...
I want to tell you about a direct marketing legend today who you may not have heard of before…but I guarantee that you have employed something in your marketing career that he invented, perfected or enhanced. Simply put, Gordon Grossman (who is the epitome of an “Original Gangster”) pioneered direct marketing techniques that you ...
“No mailer [or marketer] tests enough” -Dick Benson Growing up in the world of direct mail in the 1980’s, I had many role models. Most were personal mentors; but many were actually companies who I paid close attention to and watched everything they did. Combined with that, I also feared being one of ...
My Mom is a spunky 94 and she loves to talk. I know that she would think I was a much better son if I called her more often too. When I tell her that email is the “new thing” and if she participated she’d hear from me more often, she isn’t buying…if it’s ...
Having a dream job or career that never materializes completely is no reason to abandon that dream. I know many people teach that you should never compromise and only pursue that one thing you were destined to do. However, being a little more pragmatic, and without telling you to forget about your highest aspirations, ...
After 34 years helping to build Boardroom Inc. (working with some of the best copywriters who have ever lived)–and now four years into my “new career” of paying forward all I have learned–I am as convinced as ever that being a great copywriter is not just reserved for those who have it listed at ...
This post is in two parts…kind of like “the card” and then “the gift.” And be polite—read the card first! 🙂 Part one: Share the love I love Valentine’s Day. I would have included a heart emoji above but I don’t know how to do that in this email delivery system. Next week ...
I’m all for killer offers and compelling calls to action (CTA’s)—but it was obvious during the Titans Mastermind meeting two weeks ago in Miami that the marketing landscape is changing quite a bit and almost on a daily basis. And I think it is for the better. We had an all-star cast of guest ...
While I am not a huge heavy metal fan, Metallica’s Enter Sandman is one of my favorite songs because it always reminds me of one of my heroes, Mariano Rivera. (The song was played every time Rivera entered a game—he was a baseball player—and I think after you learn more about him, you might become at least ...
“Over lunch, a colleague’s young nephew asked me how we tweeted before the Internet. Pneumatic mail tubes and a lot of stationery, kid” -Lester Wunderman on Twitter 3/25/12 We lost one of the pioneers of ...
One of my favorite movies of all time is Amadeus, which if you haven’t seen it, is a fictionalized biography about Wolfgang “Amadeus” Mozart which follows Italian composer Antonio Salieri’s rivalry with Mozart at the court of Emperor Joseph II. One of my favorite scenes in the film (actually one of dozens that are so ...
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