1. Nothing Changes Until Action Is Taken

“Unrelenting action is what turns starry-eyed daydreams into steely-eyed objectives. You say you have a goal. Let me look into your eyes. Now tell me what you did today.” — Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads

“Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” –  Chinese Proverb

2. Don’t Follow the Herd

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” — Mark Twain

3. Be Likeable

“What’s your strategy going to be when you operate a commodity-based business… when you sell a parity product? The answer is pure and simple: Be more like-able than your competitors.” — Tom Wanek, Wizard of Ads Partner

4. Don’t Fall Into The Busy Trap

“Marketing strategy is choosing what to do & what to leave out. Marketing fails when you pour your resources into activities that create busy. Busy looks impressive. But, busy is not the highest and best use of your resources. Instead, focus resources on what will have the greatest impact on growth.” — Wizard of Ads Marketing

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” — Peter Drucker

5. Always Have a Plan B

“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” — Mike Tyson

6. Think Before You Give Your Attention

“Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

7. Tell More Stories

“People will remember stories long after they have forgotten your bullet points.” — Laurie Beth Jones

8. Write With Impact

“Use half as many words and they’ll hit twice as hard.” — Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads

9. Be Bold, Not Reckless

“Don’t mistake recklessness for boldness. Boldness is a calculated risk based on the best possible information.” — Richard Exley

10. Ignore The Twitchy Little Bastards & Naysayers

“Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

11. You Can’t Cut Your Way to Growth

“Lower your costs and profit will rise, is the central belief of a cost-cutter. But the cost-cutter never considers the damage to customer experience.” — Roy H. Williams, The Wizard of Ads

12. Be Adaptable

“I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”   — Jimmy Dean

13. Choose Your Advisors With Care

“If you want to soar like an eagle in life, you can’t be flocking with the turkeys.” — Warren Buffett

“Don’t hand your professionally written ads over to well meaning family, friends, staff or fellow business owners to “tweak or critique.” – Wizard of Ads Marketing

14. Deliver What You Promise

“There cannot be any gaps between what you say and what you do. Your staff must live up to the promises you make in your advertising. And so must your products and services. So fix your products and customer experience before you start advertising.” – Tom Wanek, Wizard of Ads Partner

15. Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.

“When faced with too much choice our brains shut down. The easiest decision to make is not to make a decision. Today you must make your brand, store, or product, easy to understand and easy to buy from. In an age of too much choice, you must simplify your message, make it sticky and then hammer it home relentlessly.” – Wizard of Ads Marketing

16. Your Marketing Is Never Finished

“The road to success is always under construction.” — Unknown

Are you ready to grow your business?
Well pull the trigger and ride the bullet.
Nothing changes until action is taken.

Until next week
Work hard. Have fun.

Latest posts by Craig Arthur (see all)