Martha Harper – The Mother of Franchising
You’ve never heard of any of this. It’s a travesty. At age 7, she was rented out to be a house servant. By 1914, she has franchises in 128 cities.
I want to help you be gruntled about business
Gruntled is the kind of word that when a listener hears it, the business will know they heard it, and know their ad worked.
Who’s In Charge?
Things can get complicated with a family business and I cannot stress this enough: RULING BY COMMITTEE DOES NOT WORK.
9 Reasons You’re Struggling With Social Media Effectiveness, And Why It Matters.
Remember it’s social media. It’s not sales media. You need to be engaging with your potential customers online.
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.
Why Conflict Is Essential – In Advertising and Life
We demand conflict, tension, and drama — be it in sports, books, movies, or advertising.
All Hands on Deck: Captain Nemo’s Story Guide to Recruitment Videos
How to craft a memorable sea shanty that beckons brave adventurers to the Nautilus.
Liquid Paper – One Secretary’s Secret
It was never intended to be an empire, she just wanted to make her work easier. Next thing you know, Gillette comes knocking.
A Marketing Lesson, With Love From Gaston
Spoiler Alert… Gaston doesn’t get the girl, and you likely won’t get the customer if you take his same approach.
Partner Book of the Month
Latest Monday Morning Memo
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Are you overlooking something that’s holding you back? How my “aha!” moment could help.
I crooned: “Why didn’t I find her 30 years ago?”
What’s Your Ad Campaign’s Meta-Narrative?
Is the story of Rocky really about boxing? Or is it about an underdog’s epic journey? Great ads are like that too.
A Quick Guide to Google Analytics Auditing for Business Owners
Your digital storefront shouldn’t be a ghost town. Get the most out of Google Analytics without the need for a Computer Science degree.
Good Things Come in Threes – Strategy, Message, and Budget
Without a well-structured strategy, owners often end up bobbing in the water with no landmarks in any direction.
Naugahyde – The Nauga is Ugly, but the Hyde is Beautiful
This is what you do when you have a strange name and need everyone to remember you.
Sunday School can create true believers. What they get right about training.
Every adult was afraid I’d panic and run off stage. This was a public speaking course on steroids.
The Straight Dope On Dirty Sales: A Wiseguy’s Guide To The Scams, Cons, And Sleaze Of Unethical Selling
A warning for the s*** you should never pull.
What Kids Can Teach You About Story Persuasion
There’s a REASON why for every conflict we always want to know “who started it?”
The Smile Above the Toilet
We have a couple of meaningful plaques in our chapel telling the story of our bells – but where else? Where does almost everyone go at least once?
How to Increase Brand Loyalty
Bill and three of my closest friends joined a cult and disappeared from my life. You might be asking yourself, “What does this have to do with marketing?”
Famous Dave’s – He was from the middle of nowhere, Wisconsin.
With location as an obstacle, Dave figured out how to become famous for Bar-B-Que.
Temporal Stresses in Marketing: Achieving Long-Term Success
We’re constantly bombarded with information and stimuli, and it’s easy to get caught up in the present moment.
Don’t Stop Pushing the Car: Effective Marketing When Times are Lean
Having worked with many, many business owners, the default is always panic.
Digital Data is Eating Business Owners Alive
Tools like Google Analytics, Google Adwords, and Facebook Business Suite are essential for daily operations. But there’s a catch.
The Common-Sense Mistake Sabotaging Your Ads
Are your ads aimed at winning the type of buying decision that your customers are actually making?
McKee Bakery – Innovatively embracing change
Behind the scenes including the girl who inspired their famous brand, Little Debbie. She now sits on the board of directors.
Your Company: Leaf or Kite?
A kite can fly. But only when it is bridled to something bigger than itself. It is part of a system that creates lift: A leader with a vision.
The Ultimate 2023 Guide to Maximizing Click-Through Rate (CTR) on Paid Ads
Here are the 23 most important elements for optimizing your CTR in 2023.
Business as Romance: The Art and Science of Winning Customer’s Hearts
“In the absence of an emotional connection, people always choose the lowest price.”
The 2nd Worst Time to Introduce Yourself to a Customer
By then — absent extraordinary sales skill — it’s too late to build preference and make a high value sale.
Empire Builders: MTV – I want my Emmm Teee Veee
The story went from a Monkey to a Mogul to the birth of a new Music Medium.
Breaking Free from the Drama Triangle: How an Advertising Agency Can Elevate Your Business with Google Ads
Faced with Google’s complexity, advertisers can be victims with limited resources.
The Master Plumber’s Quiver: Five Arrows Of Competence And The Art Of Questioning
Being a master of your craft is more than just skill. It’s about understanding people.
What Are Your Ads Really Selling?
People evaluate professional services in the same way that they’d evaluate a potential friend or romantic partner.
Recruiting with radio and influencers. You’ll find hidden gems. I found myself.
I didn’t hear the ad, wasn’t looking for a job, and didn’t like that station. But maybe…
Sales Promotions are Like Fertilizer (Helpful & Dangerous)
Use too much fertilizer and your business will smell like manure.
Culver’s Restaurant – Family business to successful franchise
Culver’s has over 900 locations and is one of the most profitable per-store franchises in the US.
Inherent Drama As Advertising Super Power
One of the secrets behind many of the most iconic mascots, slogans, and campaigns in American history.
What Is Empathy?
Cognitive Empathy is like a map of the terrain. Emotional Empathy is like stepping into the forest without a map.
Is Cap’n Crunch Driving Your Marketing?
A marketing diet heavy on pay-per-click is not sustainable. It lacks all the essential minerals and nutrients that make buyers love you.
Maximize Productivity, Morale, and Profits: The Ultimate Vacation Policy Guide
Vacations are not just a benefit for the employee, they should be a benefit for the company as well.
Schlitz – Discover the Schlitz Maneuver
The origin story of the beer that made Milwaukee famous and the character behind it.
Fierce Competition, Long Buying Cycles, and Great Advertising
For long buying cycles, pre-convince customers before they’re looking. Waiting is too costly.
Pay Attention: Smart People are the Worst Explainers
Inattentional blindness is a real thing. It’s not just about being a better explainer; it’s about being a better thinker.
Navigating the Digital Depths: A Dive into the Google Ecosystem
If navigated well, this ecosystem can give your business a thriving digital life.
American Tobacco Company – The origin of the smoke break
He put trading cards into the packages which protected the cigarettes during transportation.
Why I Got Fired
In a little over 18 months, top of mind awareness jumped 550%. And I was fired. And I deserved it.
Effective Marketing on a Budget
The common shotgun style approach may actually hurt your business growth if you are working on a limited budget.
Don’t Become a Digital Hostage
What if you were locked out of your online leads or extorted? It happens often, yet business owners don’t share this publicly.
The New Voice of Writing Ads (Non-Ads)
What’s driving this trend? In a word: trust. Consumers are looking for brands they can connect with on a deeper level.
Entenmann’s – Creates a packaging revolution
The next time you look at the powdered donuts through the clear window in the box, pay a little homage.
The Bump Free Zone
Growing your company should be fun, and it should feel good. Like giving up my Saturday morning cartoons to place magazines.
Do you have a Bob problem? When critical processes are in a black box.
“Oh, Bob is the only one who would know that.” It happens in virtually every company I visit.
A Tale of Two Strategies: An Expedition into the Land of Brand Building and Sales Activation
Les Binet and Peter Field propose a 60:40 ratio of brand building to sales activation.
Tempur-Pedic – Seeing an idea and being open to it.
I just gotta sell ten thousand mattresses. How hard can that be?
The New Marketing Ideas: Transparency, Engagement, and ZMOT
There is a dangerous assumption that all contenders are created equal during The Moment of Truth.
Death to “Corporate” Marketing
To effectively market, you need to catch people’s attention, not blend in with how all the other industry ads look.
Focus on Results: Avoid Micromanagement and Leverage Metrics for Record Profits
Why do people micromanage others? It comes from a fear of failure.
Vice Media – Heroin, Failure, Grit… and Disney????
Luck favors the heroin addict that refuses to give up! Just ask Disney.
Embrace the Future: The Cost of Not Transitioning to Google Analytics 4 (GA4)
Not upgrading is like using a Nokia bar phone when everyone else has the latest iPhone.
Challenges of a Family Business
There’s a relative I haven’t spoken to in five years. Family coming first sounds good, but the reality is more complex than that.
I Want it, But I Can’t Have It
The ANGC has maximized Exclusivity in everything relating to The Masters. Here’s how you can do the same.
The Power of Magical Thinking (For Business Growth)
It’s a form of psychological persuasion aimed at transforming externally motivated, grudge-driven buyers into happy customers.
Google Local Services Ads: Shining a Spotlight on Your Business
These are not the traditional pay-per-click ads, but a pay-per-lead model.
Warby Parker – Losing your glasses sucks! Replacing sucks more.
They lost the idea competition at the Warton School.
The Unfortunate Branding of Camp LeJ—e
Targeting is more expensive than brand-building. Here’s why.
Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid
Marketing Heads insist “it’s a numbers game” and standardize campaigns to reach more people, neutering creativity in the process.
Ignore the end game at your own peril: Succession and retirement essentials.
I first saw this unfortunate turn of events happen for a client 20 years ago.
Instagram – The day Obama joined, they knew it was a big deal
How pivoting after an early discovery with customers led them to sell in just two years for a billion dollars.
How To Avoid The Pitfalls Of Lower Price
You don’t have to be the cheapest to win the business. You have to be the best bang for the buck.
The Itch Which Must Be Scratched
Every human comes into the world with a hunger for answers to the 4 Big Questions. Great ads speak to them.
Embarking on the Grand Voyage of Google Ads: A Symphony of Collaboration
Torrents of keywords and ad campaigns billow around you while you’re questing for the guiding light.
Ask Home Service Technicians to Do The Right Thing
The first step is to imagine the customer as your mother, and money is not an issue. What would be the ideal solution?
Is Your Advertising in a Bit of a Pickle?
In the bizarre automotive sales world, these kinds of gimmicky cookie-cutter campaigns are the preferred customer clickbait.
Don’t forget the bottom line while chasing new heights in sales numbers.
Would you rather do $7.5mm in sales with profits of $520k or do $5.5mm with profits of $1.25mm?
AirBnB – Airbed and Breakfast dot com
How do two arts graduates with no travel or tech experience build a six-billion-dollar empire in only fourteen years?
Lead Generation and Demand Generation: What’s the Difference?
“Advertising is a tax we pay for not being remarkable.” So how do we become remarkable?
How the World’s Best Brand Creates Generational Loyalty
The techniques work because they tickle the human brain in just the right way.
The Frame Game — If You’re Not Playing, You’re Losing
Don’t hide from your downside. The best thing you can do is to reframe the negative.
Kodak – The fall of an Empire
Why couldn’t they successfully transition into a digital company when they invented digital photography?
Unleash the Power of Google Ads: Your Path to Business Success
By following six key steps you can achieve remarkable victories and witness the growth of your businesses.
How To Achieve Higher Average Sales In Every Sales Department
You must utilize all the tools available to you to ensure revenue is always moving up in succession.
Outsourcing vs In-house: Which is the Best Choice for Your Business?
The promise of cheap labor. When is it the right bet?
Differentiated vs Distinctive
Becoming distinctive can actually be much easier and less expensive than the cost to differentiate…
Warren Buffett on the Importance of Branding In 2023
If and when the economy turns south, you’ll be tempted to cut advertising costs.
Navigating Digital Depths with Google Analytics: A Compass for Business Owners
Steering Google Analytics might seem like battling a storm. Here are a few tips to help you navigate smoothly.
Proper Employee Onboarding: The Best Retention Strategy
Employee turnover costs as much as 33% of an employee’s annual salary.
Captain Pabst – Could I ever use a cold beer!
Discover the origin of the blue ribbon lager with a ship captain that lost his ship and knew nothing about beer.
Should your logo have a face?
“Branding experts” routinely ignore the overwhelming weight of this scientific evidence.
The Biggest Lesson AI Can Teach You About Branding
Psychologists were studying human-AI interactions and came across this fascinating pattern.
Everyone is replaceable
Employees work best when they think they are needed, but slack off when they think the company can’t live without them.
What Core Values Matter Most?
It is difficult to choose what you value and be prepared to defend it when things get hard.
Milton Hershey – How do I make Milk Chocolate?
Discover how he transitioned from Caramel to Chocolate after the world’s fair in Chicago.
Why You Want Your Branding Ads to Reach EVERYONE
Do you really mean everyone? Yes. Everyone. Well that’s just ‘cause mass media isn’t really targetable, right? No.
Where the Heart Goes, the Wallet Follows
We’re taught to think of customer relationships as something entirely different from personal relationships. And that’s silly.
How to Avoid the Perils of Promoting People Based Primarily on ‘Fairness’
I have seen dozens of bad promotions stifle growth and create a toxic vortex for the company.
What Is My Company’s Mission?
You posted core values on your wall, maybe a code of ethics and the employee handbook. Why didn’t they do as they were asked?
Why 60 Is The New 30
Recent studies show that ads aimed at creating implicit associative beliefs work better in longer formats.
Milwaukee Tools – The Hole Shooter
The better product struggles to become more popular until they demonstrate it in a store window.
Unravel the Mystery of Google Ads Success for Small Businesses
Before embarking on your Google Ads journey, you must learn to read the map.
What Is Your Company’s Purpose?
You see them everywhere. Customer-centric aspirations that feel nice. They seem nice. I bet they’re nice. I call shenanigans.
Self-Image and Advertising
You want them asking: What kind of person am I, and who would that person hire or trust in this situation?
Black Pearls – A New Gem Is Born
Pearl farming became French Polynesia’s most significant export because two yachts were docked next to one another, and the owners knew a guy.
Don’t Mess With My Rewards!
I was pissed off before I even read the email because I knew what it was going to tell me.
What Is A SMARTER Vision For Your Company?
Aaron had no money, no prospects, and owed a bunch but he wasn’t a quitter and is now running a 44-million-dollar plumbing company.
9 Common Branding Mistakes
Unless your ads sound, feel, and look different from everyone else’s, you’re doing it wrong.
Sales Process Fail: How Many Dollars Are You Leaving On The Table?
While the signs of sales underachievement are obvious and endless, the root causes are usually very specific.
Vincent Van Gogh, Torture of Belief.
He knew what he wanted, and he was going to get it. Surrounding yourself with people who believe in your dream makes the difference.
Navigating the Digital Terrain with Google Business Profile: Your Treasure Island for Success
Will your business emerge as their destination amidst a multitude of search results?
Wendy’s Dave Thomas – Dave Thomas’s Ideas Grew KFC
The double burger becomes Wendy’s best seller without changing the price or the size.