Cautionary Tales
A cautionary tale about enlisting AI as your ghost writer… My friends Greg and Danielle are residential real estate brokers in Alaska. A few months ago, they began to use ChatGPT to write their listings. They figured the AI copywriting robot would save time and might generate better listings. Here’s what they found instead… Their…
Read MoreAlfred Hitchcock couldn’t have dreamt up this one… …another ripped-from-the-headlines cautionary tale about how NOT to get away with murder: A rapper was arrested in Las Vegas last month after police said he “confessed to the murder in his (song) lyrics.” Kenjuan McDaniel was already a suspect in the shooting death of Randall Wallace in…
Read MoreRipped from the headlines… …a cautionary tale about choosing the wrong tool for the job. Police in Orlando Beach arrested a Florida woman named Nichole this month for allegedly killing her roommate, Michael. The cops found Michael dead in his bedroom. Stab wounds galore. They found Nichole at a bar down the street. She was…
Read MoreOnce upon a time, there lived a man named Brown who ran a dairy farm. Farmer Brown owned 100 cows, all with udders full of milk. But no one was buying Farmer Brown’s milk, and he was going broke. When he first bought the farm, Brown hired a helper who didn’t know how to milk…
Read MoreA cautionary tale about email marketing gone wrong… In February, I met an executive coach who asked me to sign up for his email list. I visited his site, found the “Subscribe for Email Updates” form buried at the bottom of the homepage, and entered my name and address. I instantly received a confirmation email……
Read MoreHow’s this for ironic… Last week, a guy pitching marketing services for pest control companies began bugging me on LinkedIn. He first buzzed by on Wednesday: : “Hey Tom, let’s connect! – I’ve worked with a lot of folks in pest control and thought maybe I could be of help to you.” Pest control?!? This guy was…
Read MoreIt’s National 7-Eleven Day (July 11)… …which means you can get a free Slurpee® at your neighborhood convenience store (thank heaven) , but… Do NOT get one of those microwaveable burritos… …or, if you must, nuke it in the microwave at home or the office. I stopped using 7-Eleven microwaves after hearing this story, ripped straight from…
Read MoreAnother day. Another stupid marketing trick. Here’s the story… Last month, my pal Adam received a cold email pitch from a guy named Jim who wrote: “Hey Adam, My boss asked that I connect with you about a potential advertising opening for Words That Click…(his email below)…” Jim then described his advertising service and suggested…
Read MoreWhen I was in college, I had a roommate named Joe… …who was tall, dark, and handsome… …but shy as a vampire at a garlic festival. I once saw a great-looking woman approach Joe at a party, hand him a slip of paper with her number on it, and say, “Call me. Maybe we can…
Read MoreI got this LinkedIn direct message yesterday from a guy named Max after I accepted his connection request: “Θα ήθελα να σας γνωρίσω με το (τα προϊόντα μας), μια υπερσυγκλίνουσα πλατφόρμα που συνδυάζει το δίκτυο, την αποθήκευση, τον υπολογισμό και το σχετικό λογισμικό σε ένα συμπαγές, πραγματικά Ανθεκτικό σε σφάλματα αποτύπωμα δύο κόμβων με σχέδιο…
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