Unique Selling Propositions
The problem with most marketing consultants is they try to make their client’s product seem unique.
Play angle of approach for fun and profit
Angle of approach lets you transform a rolling piece of scrap into a dream car.
The Psychology of Pricing: Anchoring Techniques
Adding a decoy can increase selection of the most expensive option from 32% up to 84%.
Ding dong! Avon calling! – Why it worked.
Persis showed how the best way to market to women was to have women selling.
THE WIZARD (bi)WEEKLY
Twice a month we’ll send our best advice, no strings attached.
Let’s grow your business.
No spam. No nonsense.
Which Marketing Strategy is Most Effective?
Growing a business requires two types of strategies: Overarching Marketing Strategy and Message Strategy.
My Spock Meets Don Quixote
To be a successful entrepreneur you have to be one part Don Quixote and one part Mr. Spock.
How Did You Hear About Us?
Asking is selfish and goes nowhere. And don’t ever make your problem the customer’s problem, ever.
The Rise of Root Beer – Attaching to the Familiar
How did a pharmacist popularize his alternative to polluted water or alcohol? Can we use the same play?
Partner Book of the Month
Latest Monday Morning Memo
Find Advice By Tag
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Mastering Sales Onboarding: Tips for Training New Reps
Replacing someone due to poor onboarding can cost 50% of their annual salary.
How to Become Famous on a Small Marketing Budget
There are 3 main levers that can help you become famous and wealthy.
Digital Advertising: The Magic Money-Burning Machine?
How do you ensure that your digital advertising performs like an investment rather than an expense?
Calendly’s Formula – Dive Into The Customer Experience
There was software he found that solved bits and pieces, but none checked all the boxes.
Hyper Empathy: The Double-Edged Sword in Sales
When does it go too far and become unconsciously just about, “I want you to like me?”
Everyone Should Have a Jingle
What makes a great jingle? And what does the science of audio branding teach us about them?
Our Simple, 6-Step Sequence for Cementing Your Success
Your business needs a real plan to build a cohesive brand and attract your best customers.
Is ROAS the Crown Jewel of Marketing Metrics?
You’re lucky if you can confidently track more than 50% of conversions. So what’s the alternative?
Yahtzee’s Rise To #1 – What The Creator Got Right His 2nd Time
A door-to-door salesman creates Bingo and stays broke. How did he make millions on his next game?
QR Codes: How to Use Them the Right Way
QR codes offer a powerful bridge between the physical and digital worlds, but they’re often misused.
Beware The Flying Monkeys
Even a Technicolor scarecrow could follow these 5 lessons for small business owners.
Drumming Up Passion and Commitment
You ask one guy what he’s doing, he says, “Laying bricks.” You ask the next guy, “I’m building a cathedral.”
Pictionary’s Secret to Success – Something Old, Something New
A lot of places go, “Let’s just do PR.” But they did something better.
How Do I Get More Good Leads
Let’s cut to the chase on how to attract the high-quality leads that want what you’re offering.
The triangle of combustion: why websites aren’t advertising
You may have a smokin’ hot website. But your website isn’t advertising. Advertising is intrusive.
Forgettable to UNFORGETTABLE: William Mattar Made a Huge Impact!
Don’t just copy the ad. Take the underlying idea of what made it successful and apply it.
Reframing the Recruitment Riddle
Your lures have to be more attractive than the same-old benefits package of your competitors.
Liquid Death’s Secret Ingredient – Not Water. Marketing.
He came from the advertising industry and was tired of the handcuffs.
Three steps to advertising clarity
Instead of starting with the meat of a marketing strategy, businesses jump to the “dessert” of media selection.
This is a GOOD Car Commercial
My daughters were like, “That’s a stupid ad.” But they were pinpoint targeting the DNA of the drivers they wanted.
“Did you find everything you were looking for?”
Here’s the problem: If you’re going to ask a question, be prepared to listen to the answer.
Slinky’s Marketing Springboard
Christmas is coming and he has not sold one. So what does he then change to sell 300 million?
“Google is God”
Just because you need Google to succeed doesn’t mean it alone can put you in a leadership position.
How Old Spice Saved Their Brand!
“We’ve got nothing to lose.” It was hard to say yes and run this strange ad, but they were that desperate.
Cult Branding Secrets: Tools for Creating Loyal Customers
The cult made promises then didn’t deliver, but my friends stayed. And that baffled me. Where does loyalty come from?
Donut Stop Believin’: Dunkin’s Recipe For An Empire
How’d they become the 2nd largest restaurant chain in the US? Get the ‘hole’ story.
Recruiting, Rewarding and Retaining
33% of high performers plan to leave their company. But if they’re formally recognized it drops to 14%.
How Poo-Pourri Went Viral
When you tone something like this down, it doesn’t work. The owner must be ready to go all the way into the joke.
“Oh, But My Company is Different.”
Real matters. Only a fool looks at another company’s ad and says, “We should do that.”
The Journey from Corporate Misfit to Creative Ad Writer
“Too colorful” to fit in at work, Jack began spotlighting the remarkable stories hidden in boring brands.
Social Media & Recruitment – A Case Study with No Bull RV
We’re imperfect people selling imperfect RVs. So we don’t have to pretend we’re something we’re not.
Should I Put Pricing on My Website?
Both B2B and B2C buyers aim to be at least 70% confident in their buying decision before they pick up the phone.
Emotion in Advertising Equals Dollars in Business
6 marketing pros on 2 continents explain the financial benefits with proven outcomes rooted in human psychology.
Cadillac’s SEXY Brand Revival Strategy
It takes vulnerability and bravery to address and dismiss like this, which is why it’s not done that often.
No Place Like Home Services Author Interview
Story. Culture. Experience. When we market a company and make promises to customers it’s either a mirror or it’s a fairy tale.
Anacin’s Marketing Lessons – USP or Feelings?
They forever changed how medicine was marketed, but people misunderstand why it worked.
SEO Is A Scam – What You Need to Know in 2025
Our first request is a list of SEO changes made over the past 3 – 6 months. 9 times out of 10, no changes were made.
Targeting is the “Only Way” to Advertise
Is mass media a farce? Maybe. Or is there another way to get the right people to do what we hope them to do?
How Well Do You Know Them?
What the Chamber of Commerce and a wedding bartender know about your customers and 25%-95% profit growth.
The Missing Element in Sales Training: Mastering Resilience
Optimistic salespeople sell 56% more, but how do they stay positive?
The UPS Strategy: Innovation at Every Turn (Except Left Turns)
A poor 19-year-old saw an opportunity in telegraphs. Now UPS has over 500,000 drivers. How?
The EASY Way to Win People’s Hearts!
The silhouettes and story worked wonders. You know something’s a big deal when it’s spoofed on Family Guy.
Marketing Funeral Homes: Balancing Sensitivity with Strategy
How do you sell something people resist thinking about? For example: funeral homes.
Unconditional Gifts: The Key to Influence – Part 2
In sales situations, most of these gifts don’t cost any money and customers respond to them.
Advertising Doesn’t Affect Me “I am immune to it”
90% of advertising is rubbish and most ads don’t work because the writing and the distribution are wrong.
The History of Franchising – Making Millionaires
What’s the story behind it all? And what kind of person becomes a successful franchisee?
PROOF That Direct Mail ACTUALLY Works!
It has been attributed to $2 billion of subscription sales, this letter. It was unbeaten for 28 years.
Ten Timeless Truths For Marketing Service Companies
Budgets are good, especially in marketing. Get clear on strategy, then let the budget be your road map.
Is Retail Service Really Dead? A Lesson in Patience and Understanding
How to model understanding so your team feels better and delivers for your customers.
Are Marketing and Advertising the Same Thing?
The difference between the two isn’t just academic, it affects how you’ll budget and lead.
From Scientist to Snapshot: How Kodak Made Photography Easy
It was the 5th most valuable business in the world for a reason. What did they do right?
This LEVI’s Campaign did SEXY, their way!
The marketplace that was not excited and the price point was too high. They ran this ad and it blew the doors off.
Is Traditional Media Dead? Insights on TV, Radio, & Digital Marketing
Are TV, radio, and billboards still worth the investment?
Unconditional Gifts: The Key to Influence – Part 1
When does the law of reciprocity backfire? When your “gift” isn’t a gift.
Is your company’s technology falling behind? A 10 minute primer.
Identify blind spots & opportunities so you can do more, faster, cheaper, with fewer problems.
The Cabbage Patch Kid Craze: Scarcity Meets Storytelling
Why did the world go nuts for these ugly little dolls, and how can we use that?
The Campaign that SAVED Cadbury
They did not want to do this ad. A gorilla sits there for 60 seconds.
The Psychology of Priming: Enhancing Sales Receptivity
Because words matter. But more importantly, their order matters.
Sowing & reaping: 5 lessons farmers can teach you about advertising
Farmers don’t drop seeds today and show up tomorrow expecting a harvest.
The Etsy Story: How They Listened and Learned
A tech-illiterate artist started Etsy when building sites was scary-hard. Why’d he succeed?
Business Lines Of Credit: To Use Or Not To Use?
Purchasing inventory which will be entirely sold within 90-120 days? Sure. Other plans? Not so fast.
Entrepreneurial Insights: Brian Tewes
Starting your own business can be brutal. Brian shares his war stories with advice for fellow entrepreneurs.
How Xero Shoes Found Success Ruling a Tiny Niche
How they bootstrapped (no pun intended) to dominate minimalist running.
How many customers do you gift away?
Forget gifts or incentives. Instead, focus on rewards for loyal customers.
Does Billboard Advertising Work?
We frequently hear, “I tried billboards once, and it didn’t work.” What separates the winners from the rest?
The “I Knew It All Along” Trap: Hindsight Bias In Business
If you were aware this was relevant to you then it wouldn’t be a bias.
FedEx: How a Ridiculed Idea Revolutionized Shipping
Got a C for the idea in school. Lies. Forges. Gets arrested. Gambles his last $5000 in Vegas. And changes the world.
How Many Pancake Restaurants?
Specializing creates your position at the top of a small list rather than competing in a bigger (harder) list.
Five marketing mistakes you can’t afford
It’s not big things that lose customers; they’re too obvious. Your prospects see things you don’t.
Mastering the Process: Inside the Mind of a High Achiever
Behind every high achiever is a system for success. Jay was new to sales and the ideal subject for my experiment.
Why Great Ideas Need Champions: Xerox’s Regrets
Xerox had game-changing tech in the ’80s but failed to capitalize. What did Apple do that they didn’t?
5 Success Principles NASA Uses Available To You
A subtle takeaway from Apollo 11: Neil wasn’t striving for stardom. He was a pilot with a flight plan.
The Contagious Power of Emotions in Sales
Brain science is very clear. This is an automatic and subconscious response that can work for you or against you.
Measure Twice, Copy Once: The Kinko’s Lesson on Data-Driven Decisions
They only earned $30 each night. But the 24/7 branding spiked daytime sales by 50%.
Leading the Bull
If you’ve got to do a hard sell job to get them to take action then you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.
You WON’T Believe This Forgotten Apple Ad!
You remember the 1984 ad. They tried a similar formula in 1985 and it flopped. Why?
Why Pay Per Click is (Almost) Always a Waste of Money
Don’t waste money fighting to outbid people who aren’t looking for you. Do this instead.
How Using Nano Tools Can Improve Your Productivity in 15 Minutes
I get no commission for talking about this. I just think it’s a cool thing.
Pop Goes the Industry: How Bubble Wrap Found Its Killer App
First they filed a patent and then they had to go look for a viable market.
How will you (actually) measure success?
Tracking the wrong things in marketing doesn’t mean you can fix anything. But it sure feels good.
Pioneers and Settlers
We’ve conflated “pioneer” with “achiever” and forget that the original pioneers were pursuing a simply insane notion.
Before the Sale: Craig Arthur on Profitable Relationships – Part 2
Sending staff to help customers without training is like abandoning them.
The Secret to Building Trust: Expose Your Weaknesses
Customers ask, “Can I trust your capabilities and do I trust your soul?”
Say yes. Start now.
Just as bad experiences give birth to great stories, a bad idea can lead you to uncover a better one.
Bigger Than Me
We’ve all had some degree of feeling like we’re serving a higher calling with what we do in our business on a day-after-day basis.
Before the Sale: Craig Arthur on Profitable Relationships – Part 1
Relational buyers are more profitable and make a long-term commitment.
The Secret Weapon of Trivial Pursuit: Celebrities
Even if it sold out, they would still be in the red. So how did they make it big?
Athletes to Business. Visualization Creates Golden Results
Beyond athletics, visualization makes brands famous by driving emotional bonds and actions.
Your Life is Forfeit
In this two page ad there are no photographs, prices, phone numbers, or website address. Here’s why it works.
Curiosity: The Salesperson’s Secret Weapon
Buyers take curiosity as a signal that this salesperson is engaged, listening, and will meet their needs.
What Made Tripadvisor a Leader? Customer Centricity.
User review was an afterthought at first, but they noticed what visitors wanted.
Personality or Procedure?
Focusing on personality & flash helps you become top of mind. But without processes in the background, the work falters.
Building Your Culture is Your Brand
What sets exceptional companies apart? The story. The people. And every customer interaction.
The Right Way to Build Rapport
When a salesperson thinks, “I am going to make you like me no matter what” and overdoes it, customers recoil away.
How To Recruit Good People
If they’re hardworking and loyal, you know what they’re not doing? They’re not looking for work. So how do you get them?
6 ways to supercharge personal endorsement ads
Two categories: live reads and true personal endorsements. One is much more effective.
Branding, Like Cattle
Not allocating proper resources risks turning your brand into a temporary tattoo: easy, fun, and painless but fleeting.
Speaking with Confidence and Influence
7 tips (backed by science) for how you can be viewed as more confident and persuasive. A few will surprise you.
Silly Putty – Ad Writer Acquires It For $147 Then Earns $140 million
GE couldn’t sell it, but an out-of-work marketer found the right angle.
Is Your Bank Really Working for Your Business?
The same banks that are less convenient for personal banking may be the best banks for your growing business.