Good Examples
Storytelling standout Bill Mueller shared a tale recently about a critic who told him “I don’t read emails with long copy.” Said the critic: “98% of the people who open email give you 3 seconds of their time.” That caught my eye… …because I write… …ummm… …you know. Still with me? Depending on your reading…
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I heard Dan Kennedy say this yesterday… “I believe in brand. I have brands of my own that I relied on my entire career – starting with ‘No BS…’ But I’ve never spent a nickel trying to BUY awareness for that brand…Instead of spending money, figure out ways to get paid to build a valuable…
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Earlier this week, I watched Albert Pujols fail – twice. Major League Baseball at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals against the Chicago Cubs. First failure: Top of the 4th inning, runner on first base with no one out. Pujols grounds into a double-play. One swing. Two outs. Nothing doing for…
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Imagine pouring your first cup of coffee, grabbing the morning paper, and reading the news: There’s life on the moon. So it went on this day (August 25) in 1835 for readers of the New York Sun. In a series of six articles published over one week, the paper reported that English astronomer John Herschel built…
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My friend Mike walked into his boss’s office last week and said, “I know the economy’s a little shaky right now. But I have three companies after me, and I’ve come to ask for a raise.” He and his boss haggled for a few minutes before agreeing that Mike would get a 5% raise. As…
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A few months ago, I was working on a new version of a 60-minute storytelling presentation. I was tinkering and tweaking, adding and adjusting. I wanted to make it “just right,” and that was holding me back. My friend Susan, who was helping me with the presentation, had seen enough. Gently but firmly, she said,…
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A self-proclaimed “respectful” reader reacts to yesterday’s email about Bill Russell and dominating presence…. “This one was a bit self-serving – don’t you think?” Here’s what I think… Oh no! The jig is up.I’ve been exposed.My evil scheme is foiled. Oh wait… …check that… That’s not what MEthinks. That’s what HE thinks. Turns out he…
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Funny story I heard from Laura Belgray…. (She’s an email marketing master who writes copy oozing with personality.) In her email this morning, Laura told us about her run-in with a grammar cop. Officer Grammar Grump is a lawyer who objected to a phrase in Laura’s previous email. Laura’s offending phrase: “Looking forward to seeing…
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My great-great grandfather Joseph Ruwitch was born in 1852 in a place known today as Ukraine. Back then it was part of Russia – an area called the Pale of Settlement. It was a massive place created by Tzar Catherine the Great. It was a place the government set aside for Jews… …a place to…
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“It’s not the plane…It’s the pilot.” So says Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) in the new movie Top Gun: Maverick. I saw it over the weekend, and I liked it. That quote about planes and pilots keeps knocking around in my noggin. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen so many business people get it backwards. They…
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