Posts by Mark Morgan Ford
A Growing Opportunity: Selling to Pet Parents
With BP’s two children off to work and college, she has directed her abundant love and energy to Zoey, a slightly overweight, nine-year-old golden retriever. “Zoey is just like a person,” BP told me. “Actually, he’s better than a person. I wish the people I know were as good as Zoey.” DM, my sister, is…
Read MoreMaking Your Web Searches Smarter
Recently, The Wall Street Journal ran an article about “hidden features of Google and Yahoo engines” that make research on the Web faster, easier, and more rewarding. Neanderthal though I am with regard to technology, I was actually aware of several of them: Using two or three words instead of one to get more relevant…
Read More“Using” Sexuality in the Workplace
In Message #1633, I wrote an article titled “Women in Business.” In response to some of the things I said in that article, a colleague wrote: “You know I always read your advice to women with particular interest … today was no different. “I’m sure it’s not conscious, but I’ve noticed that almost every time…
Read MoreHow to Pick a Financial Planner
I have mixed feelings about financial planners. Most of them are salesmen sporting extra credentials and spreadsheets. They feel your financial pulse, tell you that you’re sick, and recommend a battery of expensive products. The companies that make the recommended products (insurance companies, stock brokerages, and sometimes limited partnerships) pay them a commission on your…
Read MoreHow to Handle Irate Customers
When dealing with an irate customer, your first task is to convince him that you’re on his side. Only after an angry customer believes that you understand his problem and sympathize with his plight will he be willing to believe that you really mean to help him. This is especially true if he’s been run…
Read MoreHow to Write Great Headlines
When it comes to headlines, brevity is the soul of success. Not all great headlines are brief. But most are. The sure sign of the flummoxed copywriter is the six-tier, 40-word head that says just about everything that comes to mind. When a copywriter hands me a sales letter with a first page that is…
Read MoreFlying With the “Gold Bugs”
In a recent issue of Reality Check, Gary North reminded his readers that he has been recommending gold for more than four years. Bill Bonner, editor emeritus of Daily Reckoning, has “nagged” his readers to buy gold for the last three years. Gary chastises those who have refused to invest in gold. He characterizes their…
Read MoreSimplify Your Life: Pack Faster and Travel Lighter
I travel a lot. So does K. Neither of us ever checks luggage. And I, at least, never spend more than 15 minutes packing. Here are some tips to make preparing for your next trip easier and faster. 1. Choose one or two colors. Reducing your wardrobe to a single color (and one contrasting highlight…
Read MoreDoing Business Overseas: The Basics
About 25 years ago, I wrote a book for a major publisher on doing business in China. It won a good deal of praise in the business press, which surprised me … because I didn’t really know much about the subject. My experience of China had consisted of one trip to Hong Kong … conversations…
Read MoreMoving From Small to Medium
I’m thinking about selling most of my small real estate investments and buying one larger piece. And I’m also thinking about buying outside of my South Florida “neighborhood.” Here’s why: Right now, most of my investment property is in South Florida. Prices here are at an all-time high, but there are plenty of indications that…
Read MoreDid He Really Think I Was That Stupid?
After Hurricane Wilma opened the roof to our office, we had to gut and rebuild the place. But before we could begin reconstruction, the building needed to be dried out so that mold wouldn’t appear and destroy the new work. I called Stanley Steemer for a quote on bringing in a few commercial dryers to…
Read MoreThoughts on Paying for College
I was a screw-up in high school, and so my college choices were very limited. As I remember, it was either the local two-year community college or the college of Vietnam. I chose the community school. My entire college costs, including tuition at $400 per semester, were covered by the income I earned working as…
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