Journey to the Past
Blow the horn and tap the tambourine… It’s National Tell a Story Day! So buckle up, Buttercup. It’s story time. (This is one of my favorites) About a quarter-century ago, when my twins were toddlers, we were spending the weekend at our country place in the Ozark foothills in south-central Missouri. The ground was thirsty.…
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This is one of those “boys just one have fun” stories. A story about a U.S. president who knew he might be punished if he continued his reckless behavior. A story that was covered up for years but eventually got out. A story about… … … … … … Ulysses S. Grant It happened in…
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Here’s a story from my upcoming book — about my transformation from a hard-pitch sales guy to a “story-seller…” I was sitting in my office at MarketVolt, the email marketing software company I founded in 2001. I was making some phone calls when our VP of Sales, Pat, bounded in. He’d come from a meeting where…
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I’ve completed another lap around the sun. Time to stick another candle in the cake, make a wish, and blow ’em out. And time to write about Dad. This has become a tradition for me: Tell a story or two about Dad on March 7 — the day I was born (1965) and the day…
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I rummaged through my attic yesterday to double-check whether I have any classified documents stashed away. (All clear on that front… I think.) I did find a treasure, though. A vintage Zenith radio that belonged to my dad. He grew up before TV dominated, when radio was king. His favorite “shows” were on the radio…
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I ran into a public speaking expert on LinkedIn last month who posted 12 principles speakers “must be adhering to.” #7: “You don’t pitch your books, your online courses or anything!” Don’t pitch anything from stage!? EVER!? I had to push back on this one. So I replied: “…Doesn’t it depend on the event? Some…
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I just had the most disturbing flashback. The year is 2008. The month is December. The economy is in a free-fall. And I’m busy planning the year ahead for the email marketing company I founded and run, MarketVolt. I sit in front of my computer, fire up MS Word, and type in big, bold letters……
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Three riddles from trick-or-treaters that made Melissa and me smile last night: Good Q: What’s a vampire’s favorite fruit? A: Neck-tarines. Better Q: What did the obsidian say to the geologist? A: Don’t take me for granite! Best Q: What did Tennessee? A: The same thing as Arkansas! (There’s nothing like a silly Halloween joke.)…
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Fifty-seven years ago today (September 13, 1965), The Beatles released “Yesterday.” Paul McCartney wrote it, and he says the song came to him in a dream. Here’s the story from McCartney’s biography Many Years from Now by Barry Miles: “I woke up with a lovely tune in my head. I thought, ‘That’s great, I wonder…
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A sequel to the email I sent yesterday re: Dan Kennedy and direct response marketing (archived here in case you missed it) I worked in the newspaper industry for most of the 1990s. By 1996, I was working on the online side. Most newspaper display advertising was (and still is) paid brand awareness. No calls-to-action. No tracking. …
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