Cautionary Tales
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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,…
Read More
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 …
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More