Productivity

Yesterday, I shared a couple of stories about marketing experts who use social media to build their lists and emails to drive sales. I promised I would share ways to implement this strategy without working your tail off. Here’s one way: Get someone to implement the strategy for you. What if you had a trusted…

Remember that time when Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp all went down for six hours on the same day? It was October 4, 2021. And the world — at least many of the 3.5 billion account holders who lost their precious social media access — went bananas. But not Amy Porterfield. Soon after that dark…

A stinky story ripped from the headlines: Pop Goddess Olivia Rodrigo says some of her most devoted fans wear diapers to her general admission shows (festivals and such)… …so they can secure and hold front-row seats without pesky bathroom breaks. How does she know? “That’s been an experience as a performer that I have smelled,”…

Here’s how a struggling business owner reacted when I suggested he send more emails to his list so he can get more clients. “I’d like to get more clients. But the idea of writing more emails seems worse than fingernails on a chalkboard!” (Ouch!) I asked, “What if we wrote the emails for you?” His…

Earlier this week, I asked a 6-figure business owner, “What’s holding you back?” His response: “Mainly just figuring out the best use of my time. There are so many options for promoting myself, all of which sound exciting and useful. I struggle with finding the ‘order of operations.’” Sound familiar? When it comes to business-building…

I have a new entry on my ever-growing list of “Stupid Marketing Tricks That Give Marketers a Bad Name” — Calendar Spam. It works like this… Tricky Marketer gets your email address. Maybe you opted in to Tricky’s list. Maybe not. Tricky schedules a public event — a workshop, webinar, whatever. Tricky puts that event…

“The phone’s not ringing.” That’s what my client told me when he said his email campaign wasn’t working. He’s a commercial real estate broker. He sent property notices to prospects. Each email linked to a flier and prospectus. It wasn’t generating warm prospects and sales. So, for him, it meant “email marketing doesn’t work.” Before…

On a typical day, Javier Yat changes four or five flat tires at his auto repair store in Brooklyn. Decent, steady business but nothing special. When the sun sets, the business magic begins. Most nights, Javier parks a van, loaded with tires, along the Belt Parkway, just down the road from a 12-inch-deep pothole. Nighttime…

Ripped from The Headlines… The Washington state Department of Licensing installed one of those automated phone trees (“Press 1 for… Press 2 for …”) and combined it with AI so Spanish speakers could get answers in their native language. A government license bureau + phone trees + early-adoption AI. What could go wrong?! Well… …when…

Once upon a time, I tried to change the oil in my car all by myself. It didn’t go well. My first mistake: Choosing a drain pan that was too small for the job. My second mistake: Trying to cap the drain while oil was pouring from it to prevent the too-small pan from spilling.…