Story Power Blog
Why The Wrong Way is Often The Right Way to Persuade and Teachļæ¼
Once in a while, I share with you stories about the wrong way to market your business. Like thisĀ story about a marketer who pretended sheād sent me a personal noteĀ when it was, actually, a message sent to everyone on her list.Ā Or thisĀ story about a marketer who sent me a sales pitch disguised as a…
The Most Important Holiday You’ve Never Heard Ofļæ¼
Happy Get to Know Your Customers Day. Let the confetti fly! Do you have any big celebrations planned? A confession: I didnāt know there was such a holiday until a few days back when I consulted my calendar of strange holidays. Strange holidays make great hooks for emails so I check the calendar often. Some are…
The Wreck Wasn’t My Fault, But This Was…
Yesterday, I sharedĀ the story of how a hit-and-run driver wrecked my car. I was stopped at an intersection. The truck driver cut a left turn too tightly and slammed their trailer into my car. I didnāt get the driverās license plate. No company logos or other identifying info on the truck or trailer. No recording…
Why I Won’t Treat You How This Truck Driver Treated Me…
A few hours before leaving on my family vacation last week, I was running errands around town when this happenedā¦ I was in my car, idling in the intersection turn lane, waiting for the left-turn arrow, turning the radio to another station. Not a care in the worldā¦ ā¦and then the airbag exploded in my…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.04.18
Rewriting the Stories We Tell Ourselves + Is This Syndrome Sinking Your Sales? + Picking the Brain of an Egyptian Scientist + A Deep Track by The Monkees + Conan O’Brien on Worst Fears Realized
Why Home is Better Than Oz to Build Your Business
Last weekend, I watched The Wizard of Oz for the zillionth time. The first time I watched it, I was terrified. You know, the flying monkeys and all. But this time I wasnāt scared. I was inspired. Dorothy dished out some inspiring wisdom right before she clicked her heels and returned to Kansas. āIf I ever go…
Opening Day Marketing Wisdom From Yogi
Major League Baseball opening dayā¦ ā¦makes me think of Yogi Berraā¦ ā¦and something he once said: āIf people donāt want to come to the ballpark, how are you gonna stop them?ā Yogi was a Hall-of-Fame catcher for the New York Yankees ā not a marketing genius. But those words are loaded with profound marketing wisdom. …
The One Word That Can Make You More Persuasive
Hereās a quick story that reveals how a single word can make you more persuasive. That word: Because A Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer sent researchers to a copy store near campus to study how powerful that word can be. Researchers, posing as customers, visited the store multiple times and asked if they could skip…
How to Captivate an Audience — the Zelensky Way
On March 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared on video before the British House of Commons. He delivered a defiant, confident speech that included these words: āWe will not give up, and we will not lose. We will fight to the end, at sea, in the air, we will continue fighting for our land, whatever…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.04.04
Organize All Your Shift + Brian Kurtz’s Tribute to Joe Sugarman + The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey + “Coming Home” by Drew and Ellie Holcomb + re: Procrastination
How to Consistently Create Never-boring Content
In case you missed, I sent an email yesterday that was bursting with dick jokes. Vance Morris dared me to do it (ā…use āoversize reproductive assemblageā in an email to your audience,ā he said). And I rose to the challenge. Thereās a big lesson in that email (you can readĀ the archived emailĀ for that)… ā¦but thereās…
R-rated Lessons Enclosed. I Dare You to Read On.
Itās not every day that someone triple-dog-dares you… ā¦but thatās exactly what my friend Vance Morris did yesterday. Iāll get to that story in a moment. But first, a warning: When I turn this email into a movie, The Motion Picture Association of America will give it an R rating. So if youāre the G…
A Cautionary Tale About a Marketer’s Trust-busting Email…ļæ¼
I got an eye-roll-inducing email yesterday from a marketer named Stephanie. I signed up for her list a few months ago. So technically, this wasnāt SPAMā¦ ā¦but it sure felt like it. Hereās what it said: Hi there Tom, I wanted to send you a special note, but I don’t have your mailing address š…
You’re Invited (Today)…
If youāre free today at 3 p.m. CENTRAL, hereās an ideaā¦ Be my guest as I revealā¦ 9 secrets to write client-attracting, story-powered content (the Joe Sugarman way). Hereās what youāll learnā¦ Eight āmagicā words that transform readers from tuned-out do-nothings to turned-on buyers The single, most important thing your copy needs to keep prospectsā…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.03.28
Joe+Joe — Polish Interviews Sugarman + You’re Invited… + The Implied Trade-Off with Loyalty Programs + Is Persuasion Legal? Ethical? Where Do You Draw the Line + The Medicine Man by Keb’ Mo’ + Tom Peters Says “Think Small!”
The story-powered Ad That Launched an Eyeglasses Empire
We lost a legend this week — Joe Sugarman, a copywriting great, who taught me (and countless others) tons about marketing. He wrote many great books, including The Adweek Copywriting Handbook. I pulled that book from my shelf yesterday and flung it open to the place I dog-eared long ago: Page 178. The section about storytelling.…
Ben Franklin’s Wily Way to Turn Foes to Friends
Want to turn an enemy into an ally? Hereās a story I got from chapter 18 of āYes!ā by Robert Cialdini ā this monthās selection in theĀ Mastermind Book ClubĀ (more on that below).Ā Back in colonial times, long before he graced the $100-bill, Benjamin Franklin was running for reelection as an officer for a literary and…
I Missed the Holiday. Here’s a Pot o’ Gold to Make up For It…
Happy Belated World Storytelling Day. The big day was Sunday. I canāt believe I missed it. š I usually round up a bunch of my storytelling pals, head down to the corner tavern, and get drunk on green beerā¦ ā¦umā¦check thatā¦ Different holiday. World Storytelling Day? I donāt have any special alcohol-soaked traditions. In fact, I…
How my Client Overcame a Dreaded, Business-Crushing Disease
āI donāt have an interesting story,ā Elizabeth said. Her shoulders slumped. She stared at her shoes. Elizabeth was a client. Weād discussed how storytelling captivates prospects and inspires them to act. She understood and agreed. But then she told me she didnāt have what it takes. āThereās nothing about me worth telling. My story is…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.-03.21
How to Make Your Business Grow Without Being a Braggy, Bigshot Bro + How Content Marketing Has Evolved + Is Persuasion Legal? + 9 Strategies To Make Content Creation Effective And Enjoyable + Prepare for the BEST
The Great Peanut Fiasco and What it Reveals for Your Business
All I wanted was a frigginā bag of peanuts! Last night, at the NHL hockey game between (my beloved) St. Louis Blues and the Pittsburgh Penguins, I had a hankering for some salt and crunch. Peanuts in the shell. Some water to wash āem down. It was between the first and second periods so the…
How to Turn “Yawns” to “Yeses” When You Ask for Email Signups
Want to know one of the best ways to inspire more qualified prospects to join your email list? Sell them on the idea of subscribing. Seems kind of obvious, doesnāt it? Yet so many business people undersell their emails. They put a little form on their site with a headline āJoin our email listā (or…
How to Build Your Email List with the Right Prospects
Iām hosting a free workshop tomorrow (Thursday, March 17)Ā at 3 p.m. EST, 2 p.m. CST) called:Ā 5 Ways to Build Your Email List with the Right Prospects. This is a 5in25 presentation ā five tips in 25 minutes ā followed by discussion and Q&A. If you want to join us, sign upĀ here.Ā
Mastermind Book Club is live. Join now…
The Mastermind Book Club is live. And You’re invited… Go toĀ MasterMindBook.clubĀ to join. Ted ProdromouĀ and I started the club to help ourselves (and YOU) turn all those books we read into business-advancing action.Ā Here’s how it works… Ted and I will choose a book every month. We will share insights they draw from the books. Community…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.03.14
Goodreads is a Great Resource for Book Lovers + How the Chandlers Built Goodreads + How to Accomplish More in Less Time + Setting the Table + …from Albert Einstein
This Book Proves the Power of Rapport-Building
When I make a new connection on LinkedIn, I usually send a direct message ice-breaker to build rapport with the person. Often Iāll say, āPlease tell me something about you that I wouldnāt know by reading your profileā¦ā and then I share something about myself. I got that idea from Ted Prodromou (America’s Leading LinkedIn…
This Club Will Break All The Rules — in a Good Way
Every few months my wife, Melissa, leaves me. Itās not the pack-her-bags, move-back-to-her-momās, and call-a-lawyer kind of leave me. Itās the Book-Club-in-four-days kind of leave me. And it goes like thisā¦ Tom: Itās a Wonderful Life is on TV tonight. You love that movie. Wanna watch it? Melissa (with 3-inch thick Toni Morrison novel propped on her…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.03.07
My Birthday and My Dad + Remembering “Bloody Sunday” + The Go-Giver Marriage + Tim Ferriss Interviews Neil Gaiman + …from John Lewis
Why I Should Have Dumped That Rotten Client Sooner…
I fired a client last month. It felt great. I should have done it several months ago, but I balked. This client didnāt return emails, voicemails or texts. Didnāt complete work they promised. Didnāt meet deadlines for work they delivered. Then, they would pop up out of the blue and bark some command at me,…
Why That Email Signup Raffle Will Backfire
I spotted the following this morning on one of my favorite online marketing forums: āI have a trade show coming up. I want to take advantage of the traffic and grow my email list. The best thing I can think of is an email sign up raffleā¦What is the best way to approach this?ā …
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.02.28
Before It Happened + Donna Loughlin on the Story Power Marketing Show + Sleep Better with Light-Blocking Stickers + 6 Grammar Rules You Can Break + …from John Steinbeck
The Dirty Little Secret About the “Best Content Money Can Buy”
A couple of days ago, I told you about a sad-sack business owner who decided āemail doesnāt workā because it hasnāt worked for her. She was hunting for a content delivery channel that works. I wrote to her and said the problem might be her content, not the delivery channel. Iāve been doing this for…
Why Hunting For a Better Marketing Tool is a Waste of Time
Breaking news: If you want to convert leads to clientsā¦ Email doesnāt work. Neither does text. Same goes for video So says a frustrated consultant who posted a cry for help on Facebook āāā20 years in business, I don’t remember ever it being this hard to connect with prospects. Text and email, videos, and articles…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.02.21
Four Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln + The Go-Giver Marriage + Maxine Cunningham and I Discuss the Power of One-to-Ones + Six Strategies To Stop Procrastinating + Abraham Lincoln
The Mindset You Need to Build a Gold-Medal Business
Last night, I stayed up late to watch womenās Olympic hockey ā the gold medal match between the USA and Canada. Canada won 3-2, powered by two goals from captain Marie-Philip Poulin. This was Poulinās fourth Olympic gold-medal game. Sheās the only hockey player ever (woman or man) to score in four Olympic gold-medal games.…
Master Copywriters’ Simple Formula to Captivate Prospects…
I read some great advice last week from my friend Jack Turk, āThe Worldās Fastest Copywriter.ā If you want prospects to pay attention to you ā your webinar, your sales letter, your landing page, your emails ā you must do as the great Dan Kennedy does… Say interesting things in interesting ways. That sums up…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.02.14
How a Hotel Owner Discovered the Story to Skyrocket Sales + How to Build a Bliss Station + How to Communicate with Humans + A Book About Cults & More + Frederick Douglass
Marketing Lessons From the Prince of Denmark
Picture this: Your dad, the King, is sleeping in the castle garden. His brother creeps into the garden, kills Dad by pouring poison in his ear, marries the Queen, and takes the throne. So it went for Prince Hamlet of Denmark ā at least in William Shakespeareās version of the story. At first, Hamlet thought…
You Know The One About “the company you keep?” What do you think?
I love it when high-quality people call B.S. on meā¦ ā¦hold me accountableā¦ ā¦get me out of my rutā¦ ā¦share a perspective I hadnāt consideredā¦ ā¦inspire me to implement, not dawdleā¦ ā¦encourage me to be my bestā¦ ā¦and then guide me to be even better. And I love to offer peers all of the above. …
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.02.07
The Hidden Danger in Copying Successful People + Do You Talk At or Converse With Your Prospects + The Art, Drama and Power of Olympic Competition + Why I Noodle, Doodle, and Jot + re: Creativity
A Unique Chance to Create Dangerously Entertaining Content
My favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie is The Trouble With Harry. Itās not a thriller or murder mysteryā¦ …although there is a dead body. The dead guy is Harry. Heās lying flat on his back in the woods in Vermont, with a bullet hole in his head, dead as a bug on a windshield. The movie is…
Ashamed to Sell? Nuh-uh. Here’s the Key…
There’s this bloke down under named Daniel Throssell who fills my inbox with entertaining (and informative) story-powered emails every day. I’d like to tell you about a pair of emails he sent last month… …because they’re so spot on… …and so relevant to anyone who has ever struggled with selling their services. Last month, Daniel…
Monday Mash-Up 2022.01.31
Train Your Brain To Become a Learning Machine + PickMyBrain.world + Doreen Downing on the Story Power Marketing Show + The Giant Hand Of Vyrnwy + The Voyage of Discovery
Willie Nelson and The Power of Creative Content
A few days ago, I began reading a book called Keep Going by Austin Kleon. On the very first page, Kleon shares a quote from Willie Nelson. The quote keeps rattling around in my brain:Ā “I think I need to keep being creative, not to prove anything but because it makes me happy just to do it……
My Shameful Trip Down the Social Media Rabbit Hole
I read a GREAT thing yesterday. Itās from Austin Kleonās book Steal Like an Artistā¦ “You’re going to see a lot of stupid stuff out there and you’re going to feel like you need to correct it. One time I was up late on my laptop and my wife yelled at me, āQuit picking fights on…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.01.24
Show, Don’t Tell + InnovaBuzz with JĆ¼rgen Strauss + Jon Keel on the Story Power Marketing Show + A Book to Keep You From Getting Spread Too Thin + From Essentialism…
The Second-Greatest Thing I’ve Ever Done in the Shower…
Remember that time you were in the showerā¦ ā¦and a great idea popped into your headā¦ ā¦and by the time you stepped out of the showerā¦ ā¦the idea was GONE! That used to happen to me all the time. But no longer. Earlier this week, I got me some AquaNotes! (Thanks, Todd Cherches, for telling…
When Content Inspiration Strikes, Will You be Ready?
Paul McCartney says his song āYesterdayā came to him in a dream. Shazam! The song popped into his head while he was sleeping. He wrote it down when he woke. Iāve never had a song, email, or anything else I create appear to me in a dream. Bad luck for me, I guess. But that…
Monday Mash-Up – 2022.01.17
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. + The Power of Visual Thinking + My Favorite New Podcast: Storytime with Seth Rogen + The Sales-Generating Power of Being Helpful + The Courier
Why the World Needs Another Friggin Podcast
A few weeks before I launched my podcast, The Story Power Marketing Show, I shared some of the details with my pal Adam and asked for his feedback. He liked the podcast graphic, introduction, and other details. And then he wrote (with a wink and a smile), “Because…just what the world needs…another friggin’ podcast!” Yeah, I used…
So Many Stories to Create. So Few Ideas. How to Fix That…
Yesterday, I heard āstorytelling expertā on a podcast say, ābusinesses need to get their STORY right.ā I hear that a lot. Story. Singular. As in ONE story. As if storytelling for business is about getting ONE story right, and then youāre done. But thatās not how it works. If you want to break through the…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2022.02.10
John Carlton on Quality vs. Quantity + How to Get Paid What You Deserve + The Author of Overdeliver Reflects on the Value He Brings + The Art of Noticing + re: The Thrill of Noticing
How to Generate Great Content Ideas Without Hurting Yourself
Beth subscribes to my email list, and yesterday she signed up for my upcoming How-to-Generate-Content-Ideas workshop. She wants some help. When she registered for the workshop, I asked, āHow do you come up with content ideas now?ā Beth’s reply:Ā LOL… is this a trick question?!?!? I sprint from a dead stop into a chain link…
Quick Question
No story today. Just a quick heads-up and question… I’m planning to host a free, hour-long workshop later this month (date TBD) to reveal how to create more interesting and entertaining content (emails, blogs, social posts, etc.) without getting stuck. I’ll focus on how to generate a flood of great ideas so you can kiss…
There’s a Holiday for THIS!? It’s True
In case it slipped your mind, a reminder: Today is National Spaghetti Day Yes, today! You didnāt know? Me neither, until I consulted HolidaysCalendar.com. Because of that site, I never miss a big holiday like this one. More on that in a moment, but firstā¦ ā¦in honor of the big day, Iād like to…
Monday Mash-Up ~ 2021.01.03
The Secret To Better Habits in 2022 + reMarkable 2 Lives Up to Its Name + Seth Godin Does It Again + Schmigadoon! is a hoot! + Hope for the Year Ahead
How Joyce Saved Her Family From a Deadly Twister
Just before the twister hit, Joyce walked out to her pickup truck to roll up the windows. It was November 15, 1988, and the high temperature in Davisville, MO was 70F that day ā 15 degrees above normal. Rain was falling. The wind was beginning to whip. Joyce, her husband Jim, and their daughter Shannon…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 47
A Little-Used Strategy to Book More Clients — Without Paying + How to Create a Life You LOVE in 2022 + The Story of Content Will Spark Ideas for Your Biz + Wise Words from Carrie Fisher
Home For The Holidays and Other Blessings…
The wonders of technology. My wife, Melissa, and I spent yesterday checking the āFind My Friendsā app on our iPhones, tracking the missing piece in our familyās home-for-the-holidays puzzle Our son Jake hit the road early, with his dog Cooper in tow, to drive from his home in Fort Collins to ours in St. Louis.…
How to Crank Out Client-attracting Content — The Easy Way
Last week, Ben Settle promoted his book Breakneck Content for sale at a 20% discount. The book is all about how to crank out business-building content. As usual, Ben cranked out tons of emails to promote the sale ā at least one per day, sometimes more. I already have the book so I wasnāt shopping. But…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 46
How to Answer Sales Objections + The Power of Sacred Time + My Octopus Teacher and the Habit of Noticing + The Power of Dishing Out Compliments + Daniel Pink Says the Future Belongs to Storytellers
The #1 Quote of All Time? Could Be…
Hereās a quote that caught my eye. āItās the start that stops most people.ā Michael Senoff, who interviews marketing experts and then sells the recordings, shared that one in an email earlier this week. He attributed it to his mentor and āgreatest story collector,ā Rob Gilbert. He called it the ā#1 QUOTE OF ALL TIME.ā…
How This One Little Question 3x’d Sales
Over the weekend, I went to one of those big-box stores that camps a āgreeter” by the front door. As I marched past him, he barely lifted his eyes from his phone as he mumbled, āāmornin.ā Some greeting! Made me think of the great marketing consultant Jay Abraham and a story he told about a…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 45
A System for Scoring + How to Launch a Gifting Program to Wow Prospects and Clients + Why Your Free Consultation Offer Sucks (And How To Fix It!) + An Ode to John Prine + John Prine Wrote and Sang This…
How NOT to “Suck on Sour Anxiety for The Rest of Your Days”
Thereās an old legend about the great mystery writer John D. McDonald. When he was just getting started, he heard writers donāt get āgoodā until after they write their 10th novel. That seemed like a long road to get to āgoodā¦ā So…he put it in gear and wrote 10 novels in ONE year. In no…
Curling Fans Screwed by “Secks” Toys
Bad news for American curling fans. Big laughs for the rest of us. And a great marketing lesson for good measureā¦ Thereās a company in the Netherlands that makes ātoys.ā The kind of toys not suitable for childrenā¦ …or prudes. “Adult” toys. (Wink, wink.) Anyhow, this toy company paid someone to put their logos on…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 44
Angry Mother-of-Bride Delivers Important Mindset Lesson + James Clear: How to Get 1% Better Every Day + Marketing Legend Reveals 7 Copywriting Sins + #ReadThis #ImproveSocialReach + Gail Sheehy on Growth
How Musicians And Marketers Become Masters
Last month, I sawĀ Richard ThompsonĀ at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis. Heās one of my favorites. A great singer and songwriter and — maybe — the best guitarist Iāve ever heard. During the concert, I turned to my friend John and said: āClose your eyes and listen. It sounds like he has a separate…
Famous Marketing Expert BS’d Me (and others) so I Ripped Him…
Ryan Deiss is one of the most intelligent and successful digital marketing strategists in the galaxyā¦ …and now Iām going to rip him. After you read the story, let me know what you think. Iām interested to hear your thoughts. The story began yesterday morning when Ryan sent me one of those Cyber Monday promotions…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 43
Jack Turk on the Story Power Marketing Show + 25 Types of Humor to Tickle Your Funny Bone (+ Examples) + Get Back Reveals The Beatles Creative Process + LinkedIn Marketing for Introverts + George Harrison
The #1 Quality That Helps Hockey Pros and A-List Copywriters Succeed
Iām about to tell you a story about a hockey game. Not a hockey fan? No worries. Stick with me. The story is not really about sports. Itās about marketing and mindset. Last night, I went with my son, Jake, to a hockey game. Here in St. Louis, we love the St. Louis Blues. The…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 42
Dan Sullivan Dispenses Marketing Wisdom + Ted Prodromou and Brian Kurtz + Marketing Lessons from Mark Twain + How a Minor Leaguer Became MVP of the NHL All-Star Game + Dan Sullivan
The Surprising Truth About Pickle-flavored Lip Balm
Looking for the perfect stocking-stuffer for a loved one who has everything? Hereās an idea: Pickle Lip Balm. Yeah, you heard me right. Pickle Lip Balm is a real thing. You can buy a gherkin-sized tube of Mr. Pickle’s World-Famous Pickle Lip Balm on Amazon for the low, low price of $11.95. Warning: You may not like…
A-List Copywriter: How to Create Great Content Without Getting Stuck
Yesterday, I interviewed A-List copywriter Jack Turk for an upcoming episode of my podcast,Ā The Story Power Marketing Show. Wow! Jack delivered the goods! So many gold nuggets about how to create great, client-attracting content without getting stuck. Iāll let you know when the episode goes live (later this week). For now, a sneak peekā¦ We…
Fwd: Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 41
Recommended ListeningGuy Kawasaki and Seth Godin Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin are two of my marketing heroes. And inĀ this episode of Kawasaki’s “Remarkable People” podcast, they’re together talking about the current state of marketing. This is one of those podcast episodes that I’ll replay many times. Recommended ViewingA Familiar and Funny Customer Service Nightmare Here’s…
If You Had The Best Product In The World…
If you had the best product in the world, how would you market it? I spotted that question on a marketing forum last weekā¦ …and I was sad — but not surprised — to see the responses. Every single response focused on tools and tactics. āI would personally advertise it through Google advertisements, PPC. I…
How C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien Collaborated Despite Conflict
I just started reading a book called āBandersnatch.ā Itās about the writers C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and their relationship as colleagues and competitors. In the 1930s and 40s, Lewis and Tolkien were members of a literary club called The Inklings at Oxford University. Members critiqued one anotherās works-in-progress. āBandersnatchā explores how Lewis and Tolkien…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 40
Ann Handley re: Inviting Subscribers to Share Your Stuff + Mind-Mapping to Get Unstuck + A Better Way to Write a Cold Email + Glen Campbell’s Farewell Tour and Battle with Alzheimer’s + Try a Little Kindness
I Got This Super-creepy Email. Here Are Some Lessons…
Wowā¦ Sometimes I canāt believe the garbage that lands in my inbox. I got this one last week from a guy named Joon: Hey Tom, I don’t want to sound weird, but I was creeping your LinkedIn profile and wanted to reach out. Thought Iād see if youāre open to hopping on a call. Put…
How to Cure Writer’s Block to Create Client-Attracting Content
A small business owner asked me recently if I could help her cure writerās block. She wanted to create client-attracting stories. But every time she sat at her computer to write an email, blog, or social post, sheād freeze. Sheād stare at that blinking cursor and think, āNow what!?ā She was frustrated. She was confused.…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 39
The Promises and Perils of Artificial Intelligence + A Blood-and-Gore Story with Big Business Lessons + Business Lessons from Tim Cook + Which Media Work Best? A Fascinating and Funny Look… + From Tim Cook, re: Steve Jobs
Business-Building Wisdom from The Youngest Baseball Manager
I live in St. Louis, Missouri, USA where baseball is a big deal. Earlier this week, the St. Louis Cardinals tapped Oliver āOIiā Marmol to manage the club. Heās 35. That makes him the youngest manager in Major League Baseball. Heās younger than a few of the players heāll manage. So, naturally, reporters asked Oli…
The Stunning Story of My Trip to Facebook Prison
Iām not a hating kind of guy. Butā¦ I HATE Facebook. Lots of reasons. But hereās the latestā¦ A few months ago, I set up a Facebook business account so I could run ads to promote Story Power Marketing. I logged in the other day to set up a new user. But I couldnāt manage…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 38
An Apple App to Control Procrastinating Impulses + Harnessing the Creative Power Within You + Headline Advice – Separating The Good and Bad Advice + Marketing Lessons from Horror Films + From Pablo Picasso
Maya Angelou’s Priceless Marketing Wisdom
Maya Angelou once said, āPeople will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.ā She was a civil rights activist and poet — not a marketing consultant. She didnāt say that to help you and me grow our businesses. But take her words…
Why Your Marketing Might be a Cliche
A few months ago, I met with an employment coach who helps unhappy workers find a job to fit their passions and skills. When they come to her, theyāre scared. Theyāre frustrated. Theyāre anxious. Theyāre unfocused. Theyāre unsure of themselves. She works with clients to TRANSFORM… From scared to courageous. Frustrated to satisfied. Anxious to…
I Pull Back The Curtain to Reveal…
Remember that scene in āThe Wizard of Ozā when Toto pulls back the curtain so Dorothy and her pals discover the āWizard of Ozā is merely a man? Iām thinking about that scene for two reasons: 1) After I send this email, Iām hopping in my car with my wife to follow the gray concrete…
3 Most Important Storytelling Keys
I just released a new on-demand micro-training (12 minutes): The 3 Most Important Storytelling Keys toCaptivate Prospects and Inspire Them to Buy —Without Pitching and Prodding You canĀ watch the whole thingĀ in less time than it takes to down your second cup of coffee. Click the big button below to watch now. And after you watch,…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 37
Great Content for Leaders (and Marketers) + Great Calls to Action + Automations to Save Time and Connect with Leads + User-Generated Content Tips + From Samantha Melhorn
Why You Should Implement the Proven Thing, Not Chase the “Next Big Thing”
Soon after I began the shelter-from-home thing back in 2020, a friend invited me to join Clubhouse. It was a new app that allowed people to converse in audio chat rooms. He said it was THE NEXT BIG THING. I didnāt sign up right away. But I kept hearing the Clubhouse BUZZ… ….The usual stuff…
You Won’t Believe What This Top Executive is Willing to Do For The Team…
Last week, I toured EPCOT at Walt Disney World with my friendĀ Vance MorrisĀ who used to work there and now is the planetās leading expert on how to āDisnifyā your business. As a surprise, Vance invited his pal Dave to share some insider secrets about how Disney World operates today. Dave is a top-dog at Disney.…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 36
A Great Example of a Story-Powered Marketing Video + Brandi Carlile + Find Your Voice, Change Your Life + Best Live Chat for Your Website + The Power of Being Different…
Why Disney’s Magic-Makers Have Systems for Everything
Remember that time you parked in a giant lot, and when it was time to return to your car, you couldnāt remember where it was? You wandered around the parking lot like a lost lamb — your fury rising like lava — until you stumbled upon your vehicle. Howād I know about that?! Come on,…
How a Thriving Copywriter Went From Easy Street to Skid Row
Sad storyā¦ I crossed paths recently with a full time copywriter whoās stuck on skid row. His top client accounted for 80% of the copywriterās revenue. And then the top client opted for a cheaper option. Poof! There went 80% of the copywriterās revenue. Now the copywriter is posting to public forums, saying he canāt…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 35
Save Your Favorite Things from The Internet in One Place + How aĀ Psychotherapist Transformed His Marketing To Sell More + “There’s always been a rainbow hangin’ over your head…”
Why You Need to Clean Up Your Stinkin’ Thinkin’
Back when he was a star catcher for the New York Yankees, Yogi Berra told a young teammate, ā90% of the game is half mental.ā OK, maybe Yogi wasnāt as good at math as he was at catching, throwing, and hitting. But he had a point. To succeed in baseball, you need mental focus and…
How to Eliminate Guesswork and Catch a Big One…
I just returned from a week in southern Wyoming where I gathered with high school buddies for some R&R and fishing. The first day on the North Platte River I stood knee-deep in the icy water. The only sounds: The rolling river, the occasional screech of a red-tailed hawk, and the āchirp-chirpā of grasshoppersā¦ …and…
Monday Mash-Up ~ Vol. 2, Ep. 34
Ogilvy on Advertising + “The Moment with Brian Koppelman” + An Ogilvy Cheat-Sheet + Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Open Rates + My Favorite David Ogilvy Quote
The Importance of Building Human Connections…
I launched my new podcast, The Story Power Marketing Show, back in July. We’re up to eight episodes. Last week’s is a good one. It’s all about being HUMAN. The episode title: “Act Like a Human, Not a Humorless Robot (with Dr. Heather Walker)” The more human you are in your business, the more HUMAN…
