Tom Ruwitch
On a typical day, Javier Yat changes four or five flat tires at his auto repair store in Brooklyn. Decent, steady business but nothing special. When the sun sets, the business magic begins. Most nights, Javier parks a van, loaded with tires, along the Belt Parkway, just down the road from a 12-inch-deep pothole. Nighttime…
Recommended Reading š”How to Communicate with Humans (by John Carlton) The secret weapon of elite salespeople ā and the thing most people completely lack ā is empathy. Not sympathy (feeling bad for someone), but true empathy: the ability to intellectually step into someone else’s shoes and understand what’s going on in their head while you’re…
In 1774, King Frederick II of Prussia was ruling over a land ravaged by famine. He urged farmers to plant potatoes to end the famine. But back then, potatoes were considered livestock feed in Eastern Europe, not suitable for human consumption. So farmers defied the king and didnāt plant themā¦ ā¦until King Frederick changed marketing…
At the bottom of this email, you’ll see a special invitation to hang out with John Bejakovic — one of the world’s great copywriters and author of one of my favorite books on the psychology of selling. Here’s a little taste of what makes John special… In his book “10 Commandments of Con Men, Pickup…
My favorite story from the book “10 Commandments of Con Men, Pickup Artists, Magicians, Door-to-Door Salesmen, Hypnotists, Copywriters, Negotiators, Political Propagandists, Stand Up Comedians, and Oscar-Winning Screenwriters” by John Bejakovic: St. Petersburg, Russia. 1903. Harry Houdini takes the stage at the court of Tsar Nicholas II. He’s already run through a few tricks for the…
Recommended Follow Allan Crockett: Helping You Fill the Void Beyond Business Success If you are a business owner — especially one who recently exited successfully or may be about to — you need to know Allan Crockett. He’s been posting great content on LinkedIn about what happens next after you exit your business. It’s all…
In honor of World Storytelling Day, two quick stories about the profit-generating power of stories… STORY #1 Neuroscientist Paul Zak ran a simple experiment: he showed people a short, emotional story about a father and his young son with terminal cancer. Then he measured their blood. After watching the story, participantsā brains released oxytocin —…
A provocative question I spotted on a discussion board for marketers this morning: “Do brands really need to make customers feel inadequate to retain them?” The guy who posted the question explained: “A lot of marketing basically works by telling you something is wrong with you first… Do you think retention built without insecurity marketing…
Happy National Awkward Moments Day. I’ve had many. Here’s one… A few years ago, I was in the cereal aisle at the grocery store when I ran into my high school pal Lisa. I hadn’t seen her in years so I was surprised to notice… Her belly was enormous! It was sticking out so far…
Here’s a true story about audience-building. Read on if you want to attract more followers and turn them into clients… Before he became the voice behind George Clooney, Dan Tyminski was a best-kept secret — a guy with great chops and a small audience. He joined Alison Kraussā band, Union Station, as a guitarist and…