Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! …  And if you’re one of my many readers around the globe and here in the US who don’t celebrate Christmas: Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, Happy Festivus, Happy Kwanzaa, a belated Happy Hanukkah, or whatever best wishes are...
Sex, seduction, and selling: a new take on this old topic…

Sex, seduction, and selling: a new take on this old topic…

I wondered if I’d ever write one of these posts… You know how it goes. There’s the old saying that “sex sells.”  And to a degree, that’s right.  We’ve definitely been conditioned to buy things based on the promise of having more and better sex.  Practically every...
Reputation Hacking: A lesson learned from Dan Kennedy

Reputation Hacking: A lesson learned from Dan Kennedy

The title of this video is a type of reputation hacking… It’s Video Friday.  And yes, this concept is based on something I once learned from Dan Kennedy.  But he’s not the ONLY source of this — and in fact I don’t think the words “reputation hacking” have ever come...
Today, I turn the tables!

Today, I turn the tables!

For today’s issue of Breakthrough Marketing Secrets, I’m going to do something different. Since we’re coming up on the New Year and everybody’s about to go into mega holiday mode, I thought I’d use today to ask you a couple questions. Can you take a couple minutes...
How to create powerful brand copy…

How to create powerful brand copy…

Branding, for branding’s sake, is dumb… That’s the fundamental  perspective I come from, as a direct marketer. I’m not into brand-building.  I’m not into image advertising.  I believe that traditional “Madison Avenue”-style advertising is a complete waste of money....
My favorite tip from traffic expert Vince Reed

My favorite tip from traffic expert Vince Reed

Last Friday, I shared my Battle Mastermind interview with Vince Reed… (If you haven’t watched the video yet, click here to get it.) I really like the format.  Vince goes “toe to toe” with his guest, trading blows…  Or, questions…  About how to get better business and...
5 ways to increase profits in any business…

5 ways to increase profits in any business…

Increasing profits in a business is simple… Not always easy.  But simple. There are a limited number of “levers” you can pull, on a consistent basis, that will increase profits. Some are short-term profit boosters that can have a negative impact on the long-term...
Make ONE benefit the star of your selling message…

Make ONE benefit the star of your selling message…

The following came out of working with a copywriter to improve her copy… Fundamentally, she’s a good writer. But she was falling into the same trap many copywriters fall into. In fact, she was falling into the same trap I fell into many times early in my copywriting...
How to create “conspiracies” and then prove them right…

How to create “conspiracies” and then prove them right…

Now we’re getting into the ol’ sales voodoo… …  I had a reader ask me for a part two to an essay I was regretting pretty much as soon as I was writing it. Why? Well, over Thanksgiving, the family watched The Wizard of Oz.  And — spoiler alert — there’s a moment at the...