Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
The Cow in the Ditch
What do you do when you see a cow in a ditch? Well, first, you get it out. Next, you figure out how it got there in the first place. Then, you make darn sure it doesn’t fall into the ditch again.
Read MoreWhy You Should Be More Like a Drug Addict
As I explain in today’s essay, you can learn a lot about wealth building and success from your average junkie. Don’t believe me? Some of these guys make as much as $900 a day. What’s your typical payday? Also today, I explain why what you eat has a huge impact on your energy levels. Then…
Read MoreEliminating the Weak End of Your Product Line
If you want to increase profits, trim low-profit-margin items from your product line. They are probably eating up limited and valuable resources that could be better used elsewhere.
Read MoreDefeating Fatigue: Answer These Three Questions
There’s nothing wrong with feeling tired. It’s your body’s way of telling you “Give me some rest.” But staying tired — week after week — is a health problem, one you don’t have to live with and shouldn’t. If you have been feeling tired for a while, answer these three questions:
Read MoreWhere Do I Find a Mentor?
ETR reader Kendra Pearsall is eager to find a mentor and/or business partner. But she works at home, alone. “How do I find someone to work with?” she asks. Kendra, there are plenty of ways to do it. The most important thing to know is this: Don’t look for a “forever” business partner like you…
Read MoreHow to Write a Great Corporate Memo
There are dozens of tricks you can learn about business writing and, in particular, about writing a good memo. Here’s the one that I believe is the most important: Before you begin to write, ask yourself, “What is the single most important idea I want my reader to walk away with?”
Read MoreWhat It Really Takes To Become Wealthy
“I don’t have your attitude,” Jeff said to me. “I just don’t have the mindset of someone who can make a lot of money.” “Do you want to make a lot of money?” I asked him. “That’s the sad thing,” he said, smiling wryly. “I do.”
Read MoreThinking of Moving Back Into Stocks? Be Careful
At the beginning of the year, The New York Times profiled several investors. Their stories were similar. As a result of the market plunge in 2008, Cindy and Eric Canup had to put off their dream of “buying land in Northern California or Oregon.” Joe Mancini had to put off his retirement. Robert Paynter, a…
Read MoreTryingTo Be All Things to All People
It takes courage to turn away a paying customer. But sometimes that is what you should do. Let’s say you have a business that repairs car brakes. You have three mechanics who work for you. One of them is a master mechanic. He can do just about anything. Someone comes into your shop and asks…
Read MoreDon’t Let Anyone Tell You What You Can — or Can’t — Do
“I’d love to be in the communications business,” Sarah, an accountant, told me. “But I’m an introvert. Plus, I’m boring. So I studied accounting in college. And though I’m doing something I’m good at, I hate my job.”
Read MoreLearn direct marketing now or perish
The other day I saw an ad one of my clients had posted on the Internet. The copy was weak. It lacked an “Aha!” idea. It was balanced on two rather than four legs. Its lead was wrongheaded, it had insufficient substantiation, and no social proof. I mentioned this to my client’s marketing exec. “I…
Read MoreHeisting hall of fame headlines
Old-time copywriters like yours truly enjoy a walk down Memory Lane now and then. We do it for fun, but it can be profitable too. I’m talking about rereading the best-known direct-marketing ads of the past. Copy written by such luminaries as Gene Schwartz, Claude Hopkins, and John E. Kennedy. It’s fun to read through…
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