Profit From the Next Wave of Info-Publishing

“I get satisfaction of three kinds. One is creating something, one is being paid for it, and one is the feeling that I haven’t just been sitting on my ass all afternoon.” – William F. Buckley (1925-2008) Right now, there’s no better business in the world than information publishing. Whether you are marketing e-books, newsletters,…

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Use Stravinsky’s Secret to Supercharge Your Marketing Copy

“Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise.” – Julia Cameron The two black men, clean-cut and well-spoken, casually stroll down an upscale California street. Mostly-white yuppies step into and out of restaurants and clubs on this busy Saturday night. Well-dressed 30-somethings stroll about, window shopping. Now, one white couple comes from the…

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A Power That’s Worth Untold Fortunes

“All our work, our whole life is a matter of semantics, because words are the tools with which we work, the material out of which laws are made, out of which the Constitution was written. Everything depends on our understanding of them.” – Felix Frankfurter Today, I’d like to offer you an incredibly powerful gift,…

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Turning Your Monumental Foul-Up Into Lasting Goodwill

“The secret to making something good out of your mistakes is to (a) refuse to feel guilty about them, and (b) resolve to learn from them.” – Michael Masterson I placed the phone call and was told she would arrive within an hour. To my left and 55 floors down, were the neon lights of…

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Make Sure Your Big Night Kicks Butt

“In between what might have been and what has come to pass / A misbegotten guess alas and bits of broken glass.” – James Taylor, “Long Ago and Far Away” Sometimes valuable marketing lessons turn up in the most unusual places. Take, for example, the movie Big Night. When I first saw this film back…

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Success Is a Decision

“The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe The most unusual thing about 19-year-old Kyle Maynard isn’t that he’s already in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. It’s not that he currently holds the world’s record for modified bench press in his division. And it’s…

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Why ER Still Doesn’t Have an Internet Marketing Program

It was just before lunch when I saw Stephanie, our marketing intern, angrier than I’d ever seen her before. She had just stormed out of Michael Masterson’s office. “What happened?” I wondered. “I spent a month working on this thing!” she told me. And now it’s all gone to hell.” “S&%#!” I felt really bad.…

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Don’t Make Success Too Complicated

Is there a magic formula for career success? A set of steps that will guarantee you rapid growth as an employee? A surefire plan for becoming the “golden boy” in your company? Perhaps. Examine this list and see if you think it covers all the bases: 1. Build your competencies. 2. Learn to work with…

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Has the “Rock ‘n’ Roll” Real Estate Developer Gone Too Far This Time?

“What’s happened since the last quarter of 2004 has never happened before.” “It’s a feeding frenzy.” Casually dressed in faded blue jeans and a paisley shirt, Frank McKinney, the millionaire Florida real estate developer, sits across from a visitor. The long-haired McKinney appears relaxed in the cedar-lined office he describes as “the place where everything…

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