Mindset – Inner Game
I have a stack of newsletters Dan Kennedy wrote in 2001 – when the economy was “bad” and most business owners were in retreat. In the August 2001 issue, Dan told a story about a business owner who refused to invest in his “Magnetic Marketing” program. The business owner said, “If I did (purchase it),…
Read MoreI got a pitch today from an agency, looking to book their client on my podcast, The Story Power Marketing Show. The agent described her client as “a sales guru” who is “on a mission to make sure entrepreneurs and small business owners have access to growth hacking knowledge.” Quite a mouthful, huh!? When the pitch…
Read MoreThe robots are coming here! The robots are coming here! Sound the alarm! Batten down the hatches! (Whatever that means) Unless you’ve been in a cave, you’ve probably heard the news… There’s a new artificial intelligence copywriter in town called ChatGPT, and it’s got a bunch of people in a tizzy. On a popular message board for copywriters, one…
Read MoreDid you hear the one about the tour guide in Frankfurt, Germany who can’t speak or read German? This is no joke. In September, “Michael_S,” gave this guide a 1-star review after hiring him for a private tour around the city. From Michael’s review: “…this tour company has very poor standards for who qualifies as…
Read MoreRipped from the headlines: The Food and Drug Administration does not want you to cook chicken in NyQuil I repeat: The FDA does NOT want you to cook chicken in the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, stuffy head, fever, so you can rest medicine. In a “consumer update” on its website, the US government agency…
Read MoreIn case you missed the news yesterday: I’m hosting a complimentary content planning workshop… How to Generate a Constant Flow of Content Ideas — Without Suffering from Writer’s Block Tomorrow at 1 p.m. EDT, 12 p.m. CDT. If you want to attend, reply to this email with “give me the workshop details.” I’ll send you…
Read MoreHere’s the sad tale of a trivia master I knew back in college. His name was Noah Lott Doolittle. When we played the game Trivial Pursuit, Noah always won. What is the scientific name for a rabbit’s tail? Noah knew. (Scut) Before Hollywood, which New Jersey town was a center for the motion picture industry?…
Read MoreA 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,…
Read MoreWhen Melissa and I moved into a century-old house 25 years ago, my father-in-law offered this unsolicited advice: “It’s all about the water. If you control the water, everything will be OK.” I had no idea what he was talking about. Now, I know. Friggin water. I hate friggin water. I wrote the other day…
Read MoreA few days ago, I was watching David Letterman on the living room flat screen. He was interviewing the singer/songwriter Billie Eilish, and he said this: “I have seen your concerts…And the commanding power that emanates from you and the music is stunning. Do you remember the first time you recognized…” Dave paused for a…
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