Tuesday, 7:35pm
Reno, NV
“No no, no, no no no noooo no, no, no, no, no no no no!” (The Human Beinz, Nobody But Me, circa 1968)
Howdy…
Well, that was a nice virtual brawl in the comments section, wasn’t it.
We do have a winner, whom I shall reveal in a bit here.
First, though, let’s get straight on the answer to the Quiz question: What is the “Magic Word” that can work wonders for your productivity?
There were a lot of great answers. Quite a few answers that totally sucked. And a bunch of awesome critical thinking on the subject, which of course was the goal of the quiz. I think Lisa Wagner wins the “Most Creative Answer” category, hands down, with her “strong coffee” response.
Damn hard to argue against strong coffee being an productivity enhancer. But that wasn’t the correct answer.
Those of you who perused the comment threads already know there were a couple of flurries down the “focus”, “clarity” and “movement” rabbit holes. These are not bad guesses.
But they miss an important rule of being productive: How does your theory play out in real life?
I have a personal vendetta against success-oriented theories that are, when put to the test, complete bullshit. This includesRead more…
Wednesday, 8:40pm
Reno, NV
“Money, money, money, money, money, money…” (Cabaret)
Howdy…
Hope you enjoyed the last post, where I offered up 3 observations about moolah.
For this current post, I promised to reveal the 4th observation…
… which is so powerful, it can instantly change the way you move and get things done in the world.
However…
… I’ve just had a sudden urge to get all Socratic here, and ask readers to do some critical thinking before I reveal that 4th observation.
It’s too easy to just toss the really hot wisdom in your lap… and the retention level when you don’t have to think about it first is abysmally low. I do you a grave disservice by not using the most powerful teaching methods available when I’m sharing the good stuff…
… and the Socratic method — which ignites critical thinking skills by asking questions (and never, ever just gives anything away) — is a proven way to juice up the ol’ brain cells, while being able to see what other folks come up with from their perspective.
In fact, let’s make it a real Quiz.
The first person to chime into the comments section here with the answer I’m looking for… Read more…
Saturday, 12:17pm
Reno, NV
“So what?” (Miles Davis)
Howdy…
Okay, I know I’m a few hours late delivering the answer to the very excellent Quiz #8.
I had writer’s block. Just couldn’t think of what to write…
Kidding! I’m joshing with you.
I apologize for the delay. Simple matter of being abducted by friends and whisked off to an enjoyable Friday adventure. I earned it, and knew you’d forgive me for being a tad late with the solution to the Quiz. (You know it takes me several hours to concoct these posts, right?)
Let’s get down to it, then.
First: I want to thank, and congratulate, everyone who posted for the Quiz. The threads on this blog are always energizing mini-riots of good critical thinking…
… along with a smattering of cleverness, sheer brilliance, pontificating idiocy, and (always) one or two utterly outraged comments from folks who wandered into the fray by accident.
I love it all.
As many have noted… the comment threads at this blog rival the actual posts for being fascinating reading.
There’s some smokin’-hot wisdom out there, for anyone paying attention.
Second: Here is the answer to the Quiz question…
“Writer’s block is…Read more…
Monday, 8:34pm
Reno, NV
“The horror… the horror…” (Brando, “Apocalypse Now”)
Howdy…
Let’s do another quiz, what d’ya say?
With TWO prizes.
This one is very simple. Or not, depending on how much you’ve been paying attention.
Let’s start with the good stuff.
Here’s what the winners will get: A twin package of Extreme Special Reports that have only been available as bonuses before…
Extreme Report #1. The super-potent (and much sought-after) “Power Words” collection…
Extreme Report #2. And the mind-altering “11 Quick Marketing Fixes” checklist.
These are easily among the most valuable reports a marketer could ever get your hands on.
Though they come as bonuses with our larger packages (there is no other way to get them)… these little treasures are often cited as “major game changers” when past customers tell me which piece of advice or tactic fundamentally impacted their life.
The first report is a thick compendium crammed with specific words and phrases I’ve plucked from successful ads I’ve penned over the years.
These words and phrases are the building blocks of explosive hooks and “drive ’em to tears” emotionally-compelling writing…
… the stuff that can turn a lame-ass, boring ad…Read more…
Thursday, 10:11pm
Reno, NV
“Ain’t it hard when you discover that he wasn’t really where it’s at… after he took from you everything he could steal?” (Bob Dylan, “Like A Rollin’ Stone”)
Howdy…
This is gonna be good.
And a whole lot tougher than any previous quiz I’ve given.
I’ll explain the prize in just a sec.
First, the set-up for the question:
I find it shocking that so many wanna-be-rich marketers out there still think the question of “short copy vs. long copy” is unsettled online.
I can tell you this: For the top guys — the ones sloughing off the vast majority of the moolah being made by entrepreneurs on the Web — it’s settled.
Whether you’re primarily using video, or email, or websites, or social media…
… the Main Big Damn Rule for getting people to part with their hard-earned money in trade for what you offer hasn’t changed since the first caveman traded up to a new cave with a view for a slab of mastodon meat:
The more you tell…
… the more you sell.
Hey — I love a good argument. Don’t get me wrong.
And I’m always open to hearing someone out on this subject.
I realize that — for many people unsullied by actual experience in the biz world — it’s just plain tempting to believe that the rules of the universe have suddenly changed.
And you no longer have to be so… vulgar… to make a sale anymore.
Because, you know… the Web has changed everything. Social networking has somehow mysteriously short-circuited the old skepticism, doubt, and fear of getting “taken” that has marred the smooth exchange of money in the past.
Now, hey, we’re all buddies on Twitter and Facebook!
Mi casa es su casa.
How much do you need? Here, take my wallet…
Naw.
For anyone paying attention to what the entrepreneurs actually making money online are doing…Read more…
Monday, 12:10pm
Reno, NV
“Let’s just say I was testing the bounds of reality…” (Jim Morrison of The Doors)
Howdy…
We have a winner!
Actually, the winning answer to last Friday’s quiz crashed the gates within ten minutes of the post going live.
But it was good to let the test string out, anyway… because the hard-core thinking and pure cogitation going on was excellent mental exercise.
In fact…
… there was so much fresh thinking in the over 200 responses (as of right now — they’re still trickling in)…
… that I feel compelled to bestow THREE prizes.
One, for the first right answer. And two more for honorable mentions — one for Best Exhibit Of Pure Kick-Ass Attitude… and another for Cracking Me Up with real wit and cleverness.
I’ll reveal the winners in a moment.
First, though… let’s unravel what we’ve all learned here from this little brain teaser.
Revelation #1: James Surowiecki, in his book “The Wisdom of Crowds”, pointed out how often polls and crowd sampling is dead-on correct.Read more…
Saturday, 8:42pm
Reno, NV
“Look Dave, I can see you’re really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over.“ (HAL to astronaut Dave in “2001”)
Howdy…
Okay, let’s do a quickie quiz, what d’ya say?
It’s Saturday evening, after all… and I just got my ass whupped by Michele at Scrabble (her first win, ever, in 10 years of trying) (and I don’t expect to ever hear the last of it anytime soon).
(What’s the time limit on doing the “Ass Whup” dance, mocking your partner, anyway?)
So, to keep my mind off the misery of such a wrenching loss (she accidentally used all 7 letters in her third turn, and that bonus 50 points is what beat me), I’m hiding in my office.
I’ve got maybe 10 minutes before I have to come out and face more taunting and jublilation.
Thus, a quick blog post. (“Get out of here! I gotta work…”)
I’m giving a prize away, of course.
Let’s se… how about a fresh copy of “Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel” to the first right answer.
I’ve got a nice new one burning a hole on the shelf across from my desk. It’s got your name on it, Mr/Ms Winner. I’ll sign it, and have Diane ship it out asap.
Sound good?
Okay. Here’s the quiz:
The most common question I get from entrepreneurs who are stuck on some part of their marketing…Read more…