I cut my teeth on marketing ‘gurus’ like Dan Kennedy and Jay Abraham. I have always loved their direct no nonsense approach. (the fact they are incredibly successful at what they do helps too)

As amazing as it sounds, I found a new hero… His name is.. Read the rest of this entry

Do you know what I find hard, writing my own advertising. I don’t have the same mental constipation with my client’s ads.

I am going to let you in on a little secret… a lot of us copywriters and marketing pros have a hard time with our own business’s marketing. With all the training we have we still have a civil war going on within our heads.

The trouble with all business owners is…  Read the rest of this entry

For those of you who don’t know, I have worked with a lot of local businesses. I also used to own a localized service business. One common problem I had and all others have is trying to tell people how much better our service/product is better than the others.

I have yet to talk to a business owner who does not think badly about their competition. Usually it’s more of…  Read the rest of this entry

Watch how marketing superstar Eben Pagen deals with creating a headline Read the rest of this entry

When I am writing someones sales page I need to research their product or service.

A lot of the time I see a lot of value in what they offer, yet they charge almost nothing…. and then lump on a bunch of bonuses or freebies.

I had a client with a business selling plans for building a contraption for car enthusiasts. I took one look at his price and…  Read the rest of this entry

 Being that I write ads and sales pages I always find myself
in a situation where I need to qualify my client’s position.

This happens a lot in the ‘relationship’ niche.

It can be very hard to position somebody as someone with
the answers when they don’t have a body of work or
proof (like degrees, awards, expert testimonials, etc)

You likely have had to (or will be) trying to convince people
to buy your thingy or service based upon your know-how.

A lot of niches can do this with screen shots and testimonials,
but a lot of others do not have these tools.

My favorite example of someone completely forcing his will
upon people to believe him is…  Read the rest of this entry

The Great Marketing Separator — Nonconformity

Today I am going to focus on those of you who have small businesses. When I was running my local service business I was afflicted with the disease of sameness…

I never focused on what made my company different, but yet I would always say ‘no other company is like mine’. The problem is we think one way and the marketplace thinks another.

This post is not about getting your message out there, this is about the truckloads of cash you may be screwing yourself out of…. because  Read the rest of this entry

Stop talking and start doing!

Here we are in 2010. It’s really amazing how fast time flies.

I find it sorta funny how everyone initially sees it as a new beginning. "It’s a chance to start fresh!"… why? It’s just another day. Nothing has happened but some numbers changing. Why do people think that will be enough to bring success or enthusiasm strong enough to do better this year?

It’s no wonder every New Year’s resolution disappears almost immediately after the first week is gone by.

Some may see this as me being negative or the glass is half empty. Hell no, it’s an absolute fact.

I’ll tell you what, I did not do nearly as much as I wanted to do in 2009. I suppose I could treat it like a credit card and transfer the balance to a new one (the 2010 card) and keep spending like time ain’t running out.

I just met up with…  Read the rest of this entry

If you own a small business, this is for you

For those of you who don’t know, I write ads. Both online and off. Small business owners can be very difficult to work with, do you know why? Most are megalomaniacs (power drunk)

Almost every offline small business I work with is focused on their image. Almost all online businesses are focused on sales. It is an interesting dichotomy.

I started with a offline local business and I can’t tell you how blind I was. Let’s face it, most small business owners can’t sell toilet paper to a family with food poisoning… Read the rest of this entry

Sometimes we need to pat ourselves on the back a little more…

I was listening to a seminar the other day and Dave Lakhani was speaking. He brought up something I feel we should all do more often…. celebrate.

We are always waiting Read the rest of this entry