I can't count on my fingers and toes the number of people I know who have written a novel and are: working on it editing it revising it re-doing it thinking about it sitting on it, or sending it to agents It's awesome. Everybody's got a novel. And with modern internet publishing through Amazon and similar services, they could be published and selling books in a matter of … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas
As a non-Christian, why do I celebrate Christmas? Is it the opportunity for lavish gifts and unmitigated weight gain? I'll admit, it's very easy for me to slip into frantic hustle and bustle. It's fun buying presents for people I like and my children are among the people I like most. However, I'd like to think that Christmas can be more than that. Jesus for a non-Christian I've heard … [Read more...]
The Inigo Montoya marketing method
It is unavoidable. I say "Inigo Montoya," and you say, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Whatever else he said in The Princess Bride, we all remember those 13 words. He said them over and over - when he met the 6-fingered man, as he raced through the halls of the castle and even after being stabbed by a sword. "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You … [Read more...]
Is your website a pimply teenager?
How many times have you had the pimply teenager version of customer service? "Welcometomcdonaldsmayitakeyourorder?" What about pimply teenager sales technique? "That'llbe4.47pleasepullforward" The pimply upsell? "Wouldyouliketoaddapieforonly99cents?" There's a lot of websites out there that are pimply teenagers. They're order takers or worse - they can't even take an order. The … [Read more...]
Small business websites: cheap improvements and better results
If you're a small business owner, you've most likely been overwhelmed by offers to help you with your SEO. These services are expensive and since they are limited to only a certain number of keywords, they can be hit or miss. For example, if you're a dentist and you've chosen to rank for "best dentist in St. Louis," you should be prepared to spend a lot of money to rank for this term, since … [Read more...]
Riding a bike, remembering a friend
"Anything worth doing is worth doing badly." - G.K. Chesterton After 20 years of no exercise and 2 packs a day, I coasted east on Delmar, letting gravity do the work. My first serious trial was over a mile away and I was blissfully unaware of the pain that lay ahead. For now, I enjoyed the sensation of speed as wind brushed my face and I kept pace with the traffic on the gentle downhill run … [Read more...]
Improving Small Business Marketing Results: Be a Math Geek
Effective marketing doesn't have to be cheap, but it does have to be viable. Viability can be determined by comparing the cost of the marketing against the income it generates. If income is greater than marketing expense + overhead, then the small business has a perpetual money machine: the more money that is poured into marketing, the more money will be generated. This is the goal. It can … [Read more...]
Marketing a Chiropractic Practice, Summarized in 4 Words
Wear a lab coat. To understand why these are the most important 4 words for successfully marketing a chiropractic practice, I want to briefly cover what positioning is. Positioning is aligning what is known with what is unknown in the mind of the consumer. It is a way to achieve instant familiarity and to be recognized by someone who hasn't heard of you before. When I tell you that my … [Read more...]
The most vital marketing expense
What is the most vital marketing expense that you have? This is something so simple and so basic that all other money spent on marketing is wasted if this isn't in place. "Ah... I see what he's doing there. He's a marketing guy and he's going to pitch me on his services...." Nope. In fact, the most important marketing expense for any company can't be bought from me or any marketing … [Read more...]
To my Scientology friends
I want to invite you to come to Church next weekend. After years of preparations, we are about to see a renaissance of our religion. Several weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Executive Director's conference at Flag. It was the first time ever that all of the ED's of the Church had met at the same time. We got a chance to see everything that will be released in the coming days … [Read more...]