What Do You Do When a Friend Asks You for Money?
“My best friend is the man who in wishing me well wishes it for my sake.” – Aristotle (Nicomachean Ethics, fourth century B.C.) They say you shouldn’t mix business with either friendship or family. And they may be right. But I’ve done a lot of both and have mostly good…
READ MOREHow to Grow Your Business Through Endorsements
A famous business publication interviewed me once and asked me this question: “If every one of your marketing concepts but one was taken away, which would you hold on to at any price?” I didn’t need a second to think about the question. I immediately answered that I’d never give…
READ MOREDo the Dirty Work Yourself
“I am inclined to believe that a man may be free to do anything he pleases if only he will accept responsibility for whatever he does.” – Ellen Glasgow (Vein of Iron, 1935) They say that players who got fired by New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner resented the…
READ MOREA Chance For You To Find Your Spot In Paradise
My little bit of heaven in Nicaragua is a community called Rancho Santana — 1,600 acres of very beautiful country, along a remarkably stunning stretch of the Pacific Ocean. It’s about 90 minutes from Managua by car and 25 minutes by helicopter. The weather is perfect. The local people are…
READ MOREMake Important and Powerful People Want to Be Your Friend
“A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.” – Dante (“Paradiso,” The Divine Comedy, c. 1300-21) There are two things almost all people like to do: 1. talk about themselves 2. talk about something they know a lot about You can put these facts of life to work for you in…
READ MOREInteresting Trend in the Advertising World
Dear Early to Rise Reader, Last Monday, The USA Today reported on an interesting trend in the advertising world. Many of the world’s biggest and most successful companies, the paper reported, are now turning to direct-marketing (which they call the “ugly step-child” of the advertising world), instead of traditional, glitzy,…
READ MOREThe Traits of Leadership: Let’s Call It Like It Is
“There are men, who, by their sympathetic attractions, carry nations with them, and lead the activity of the human race.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson (“Power,” The Conduct of Life, 1860) To command the respect of your subordinates, you must lead with self-awareness, honesty, authenticity, and humility. So say Larry Bossidy…
READ MOREDo You Have Your Crisis Plan Ready?
We’ve talked about this before. Having a “Plan B” ready for action will make success no less sweeter and will make failure a whole lot easier to deal with — and less costly. For specific projects and promotions that you are in charge of, it’s relatively easy to create a…
READ MOREHelp Your Employees Learn From Both Their Successes And Their Failures
We learn from our successes and our failures in equal measure. To encourage learning in your business, reward both. Praise good work and goals met. But also praise mistakes that were “smart” tries. That’s not always easy to do. Failure is disappointing. How do you hide yours when it happens?…
READ MOREWhen It Comes To Leadership — Real Leadership — Reject The Currently Popular “Soft” Skills
The world is changing for business leaders. So says OfficeTeam, a business that advises other businesses on leadership. To be successful in the future, OfficeTeam predicts, you will have to listen to your employees, share your feelings with them, and keep your mind open to all kinds of ideas, even…
READ MOREHow to Make Your Children Wealthy
“One of my father’s most precious legacies to me was spiritual. I learned from him the value of courage and the strength of will.” – Armand Hammer (Hammer, 1987) TG told me that a mutual friend, OJ, had burned through an inheritance of $180,000 in a year. Most of…
READ MOREHow To Put Your Prospect In The Mood To Buy
To determine the best emotional context to use in order to reach your prospect, it’s useful to think in terms of opposites. And the way to do this is to ask yourself the following seven questions about your product: 1. AFFORDABLE OR EXPENSIVE? MMF told me a story that demonstrates…
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