David Cross

David CrossDavid Cross Although David hails from Blackpool, England - which is often referred to as the "Las Vegas of England" - he shunned a career in show business and instead followed a meandering career path overflowing with "life’s great experiences," working or living in over 20 countries along the way. Chef, teacher of Transcendental Meditation, guest presenter on QVC, earthquake relief volunteer, CEO of a web hosting company, marketer at a radio station and all combined with years of direct marketing, PR and sales experience for clients as diverse as health food stores, small charities and right up to multinational public companies.

David brings unique talent and experience to his role for the last six years as Senior Internet Consultant to Agora Publishing Group. Working closely with Agora’s publishers and marketers to test new ideas and marketing campaigns, Agora’s Internet revenues topped $200 million in 2007. David understands and can communicate fluently with creative "right-brain" marketers and analytical "left-brain" IT and software teams, all with equal ease. He has a proven track record for generating results and creative thinking and excels at making trouble to find new ways of making things happen!

He lives on a small farm close to Mount Hood in Oregon with his wife Cinda, a veterinarian, and their four children and a menagerie of animals (no more, please!). When not marketing or brainstorming you’ll find David following a dream of self-sufficiency for food, power and water within 10 years, tending the land and caring for the farm and animals. Not surprisingly, David is an engaging and knowledgeable speaker with many amusing anecdotes from his work and travels over the years.

Recent Articles

Dear ETR: “How can I cut back on Gmail spam?”
by David Cross (10/07/2008)

“In your article about getting rid of excess spam, you stated that Google’s e-mail service has excellent spam filtering. I disagree with that. I use Google’s Gmail. I receive between 200 and 500 spam messages per day, and several arrive in my inbox. I am very careful what I click into, and certainly never spam, yet I get an irritating amount of Gmail spam.

How do you get rid of excess spam?
by David Cross (09/16/2008)

I get tons of unsolicited e-mail, often the same message from many (20-25) people. Most of these are sex-related, with NO unsubscribe link. There are also lots of other e-mails that are not similar, but mostly sex-related (although there are a few about real estate, vitamins, software, and anything else you can think of). I get between 200 and 400 a day, which makes it difficult to conduct my business...

The Paradox of Choice, or All I Wanted Was a Loaf of Bread
by David Cross (09/12/2008)

“If you can find bread, buy it!” My friend’s advice seemed almost comical as we sipped tea and enjoyed scones, strawberry jam, and cream on a fine spring day in 1990 in Bristol, England...

Entrepreneurial Lessons From The Blue Whale
by David Cross (08/22/2008)

The first day, our new restaurant was jam-packed. People queued up to sample the food, and we immediately made a profit. We had an incredible chef, and the waiters were efficient and always full of alacrity. The restaurant thrived that whole summer, and our reputation spread across town.

How to Use E-Mail Vacation Messages
by David Cross (07/30/2008)

You're probably familiar with the idea of using an automated e-mail response to inform people that you're away on vacation.

I Shot the Serif
by David Cross (07/01/2008)

Which group of fonts is better for online marketing efforts: Times, Palatino, and Bembo? Or Verdana, Helvetica, and Arial?

A Dollar Saves the Day
by David Cross (06/24/2008)

I'd lost $8,000 and neither the sending nor the receiving bank knew where it was. Lost in the banking ether between Florida and Edinburgh. "It's up to the sending bank, we haven't received it," said the receiving bank. "We've sent it. It's up to the receiving bank," said the sending bank. "Where on earth is my money!" I said.

Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own
by David Cross (06/21/2008)

Righting Copywrongs
by David Cross (06/06/2008)

Keep in mind that there is nothing you can do to stop anyone from copying your website or other digital content. However, there are a number of things you can do to prevent them from actually publishing what they plagiarized. In some cases, you can even close them down.

A Traveling Salesman Finally Arrives at Home
by David Cross (05/20/2008)

For as long as I can remember, there's been a fundamental problem with running pretty much any business. Finally, we've figured out the solution. In the old days, it was known as the "traveling salesman problem." You see, a salesman needs to visit a number of geographically disparate cities. The problem - known in mathematics as a problem of combinatorial optimization - is how to visit all of the locations in the least amount of time.

Are My Great Expectations Just Wonky?
by David Cross (05/09/2008)

Studies by experts such as Dr. Jakob Nielsen have shown that when software or websites "break," many users blame themselves. "It must be something I did," customers think. And then they give up on the task in hand, which, if it is spending money on your site, isn't good for you.

Make Way for Life Happens
by David Cross (04/28/2008)

Life happens - and it often gets in the way. But how many websites actually take that fact into consideration?

Is Your Client Relationship Worth a Cup of Coffee?
by David Cross (04/21/2008)

One of the great sales directors with whom I worked many years ago gave me a simple tip: "If you buy a client a cup of coffee, never, ever, ever ask for a receipt."

Loose Talk Costs
by David Cross (04/18/2008)

Loose talk in business may not be a life and death situation, but it, too, can be costly.

Make Mine a Single
by David Cross (04/15/2008)

My friend Brian forwarded me an article espousing the benefits of "double opt-in" versus "single opt-in" for people signing up for e-mail newsletters. Single opt-in requires them to sign up. Double opt-in adds an extra step...

Proving You’re Not a Spammer
by David Cross (04/11/2008)

Spammers have made life tougher for Internet marketers. Anytime you send an e-mail to a subscriber to your e-newsletter, you have to navigate a maze of spam filters and wary readers.

Don’t Wait Until You’re Great
by David Cross (04/10/2008)

The world is packed with thousands of successful people who leapt right in. People who became great because they were willing to take a risk.

When Making Sales, Pricier Is Not Always Better
by David Cross (04/03/2008)

Try out your products at different price points. Then go with the price that brings in the most customers.

If You Really Must Have a Design, (Im)Prove It
by David Cross (03/20/2008)

You may feel very strongly that your website should look a certain way. But the fact is, it doesn't matter what you think. It doesn't matter what your designer thinks, either. And it doesn't matter what your webmaster thinks. What matters is what your customers think.

Don’t Pay Your Credit Card Bill Early
by David Cross (03/12/2008)

Paying your credit card bill on time and in full is one of the best ways to stay out of debt. It's also a good way to build credit.

The Value in the Email List
by David Cross (02/20/2008)

An email list is one of the most important things a business can own. Building an email takes some work but is worth the effort.

The 3 Basics You Need to Start an E-mail Newsletter
by David Cross (09/08/2007)

Why would you want to start an e-newsletter? According to Michael Masterson, an e-newsletter is one of the best ways to make almost any business at least twice as valuable, to generate substantial cash flow, and to double or triple your profits.

A "Real Simple" Way to Get Your Customers’ Attention
by David Cross (06/29/2007)

If you have an online business, a highly effective (and free) way to attract your customers' attention is to supply information - articles about your product, service, or industry - to multiple websites.

New Dog Learns Old Tricks and Fetches the Paper!
by David Cross (02/27/2007)

One major thing that we wanted to change when we revamped the Early to Rise website late last year had nothing to do with the Internet... well, not really. But it's something that affects every website in some way. Because in the race to have the coolest, "stickiest" website, the way many millions of people use the Internet is often overlooked.

Keeping the U in USP
by David Cross (06/20/2006)

In marketing, we call the unique aspect of a product's (or service's) personality its Unique Selling Proposition or USP. It's what makes it stand out from the competition and give consumers a reason to buy it. And the more unique (better differentiated) it is, the more others may want to emulate it.

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