A Checklist for Breakthrough Sales Copy
I have always seen myself as a kindly, helpful soul — but clearly my memory fails me.
Back in my Ogilvy & Mather Direct days, people quickly turned their computer screens blank whenever I materialized in the creative department. Seems I had the nasty habit of reading the sales copy they were writing out loud and making derisive comments.
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: Eschew Ambiguity
Here are four passages I encountered in newspapers. Observe how, in each case, poor wording creates an ambiguity that can lead the reader astray.
READ MOREWho Is Celebrating the Euro’s Fall?
Up, Down, or Sideways By Jason Holland There is a certain type of investment that will thrive whether the market is going up, down, or sideways. In today’s essay, Andrew Gordon, Research Director of our sister publication, Investor’s Daily Edge, tells you what it is. And he introduces you to…
READ MOREThe Only Business Start-Up Strategy I Recommend
When Mary Kay Ash retired from her job in 1963, she took her life savings, $5,000, and opened her own business. Boy, did it pay off! Mary Kay Cosmetics is now a billion-dollar company.
READ MOREAre You Losing Your Soul?
I recently bumped into an old acquaintance I hadn’t seen in years. “Are you still managing money?” he asked.
“No, I write investment advice now,” I said.
READ MOREThe Instant Business in WordPress
If you can write a letter in Microsoft Word, you can build your very own website.
With the WordPress publishing platform, there’s no need to hire an overpriced Web designer or graphics expert.
READ MORENot all Carbs are Created Equal
Not all carbs are created equal.
“There are good carbs, and there are bad carbs,” he told me. “And the difference between the good and the bad depends on how much starch they contain and how that starch affects your insulin production.”
READ MOREHow to Effectively Close Any Speech or Presentation
Effective public speaking isn’t only about grabbing your audience at the beginning. The way you finish is crucial to the overall success of your speech.
For one thing,your final words are likely to be the ones your audience will remember for the longest time.
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: Ultimately, Don’t Misuse This Word
What’s wrong with the following sentence (found in a pop music review)?
“If you affiliate in any way with the underground scene, you’d be remiss in not going to Lipgloss. It’s the penultimate hipster haven in Denver….”
READ MOREOver-the-Hill “Dabbler” Discovers the M-P-N Formula for Success
For 22 years, I tried to crack the code for running my own successful business. One that would actually support my family and allow me to “thumb my nose” at The Man.
Ad sales, life insurance, soy candles, and software consulting are a few of my attempts at a home business during those years. None of them generated enough revenue for me to quit my corporate job.
READ MOREThe Glorious Schizophrenic Website Tool — WordPress
By reading ETR, you’ve already learned that designing a website doesn’t require hiring a Web designer and spending big bucks on software. Plenty of free or inexpensive tools and easy-to-use programs (yes, just about anyone can build a site with them) are available.
READ MOREGetting Wealthy From Inflation: Part II: Gold
The most convenient way to own physical gold is in the form of bullion coins. Be sure to buy top quality — coins that aren’t damaged in any way. Nicked or scratched coins won’t get you full value when you go to sell them. And make sure that you are not paying a big premium for them. Five or six percent is the absolute limit, in my opinion.
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