The Language Perfectionist: Redundancies Repeated, Yet Again
At a conference I attended recently, a speaker referred to “the little homunculus in the brain.” The word homunculus is Latin for “little man,” so the word little is redundant. I’ve written about redundancies several times in this column. But the error is so common that another report is probably…
READ MOREGetting and Keeping Customers
Your existing customers are the number one asset you have. Here’s a story about a company that never figured that out: my first Internet service provider. An Internet Business Tale of Woe The Internet service provider I had for my website did a very nice job of Web hosting for…
READ MORETry Negativity: Make It a Privilege to Buy
Here’s a little quiz for you. Who said the following? 1. “Those who can, do; those who cannot, teach.” 2. “The Golden Rule is, there is no Golden Rule.” 3. “Will you sleep with me for a million pounds?” Well, the man who said all those things was the Irish…
READ MOREDon’t Build a List, Build a Community
“Mom, Mikaela has Bieber Fever!” Connor yelled across the family room. Without thinking I asked, “Is it contagious?” Without missing a beat he said, “Not for me — but I think Delanie has caught it as well. Look in Mikaela’s room and see for yourself.” The minute I entered the…
READ MORE“What did you accomplish last month?”
This is the question I asked 60 publishing executives who work for my biggest client. We had gotten together for our yearly meeting last month at a resort on the Maryland shore. One of my presentations was about personal productivity. I showed them my system (the one that’s included in The Pledge, my new book).
READ MOREWhere Will You Be This Sunday?
As you may have heard (we’ve mentioned it in Early to Rise once or twice), ETR’s biggest event of the year, our Info-Marketing Bootcamp, is kicking off this Sunday. Attendees will soon be hearing from the top experts in starting and growing profitable online businesses that have already begun to arrive.
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: Ambiguities on the March
In my reading, I continue to spot ambiguously written sentences. Such errors can create miscues that confuse readers and force them to pause, backtrack, and reread in an effort to understand what is really meant. Consider these examples: “I stand behind no one in my enthusiasm and dedication to improving…
READ MORERespect at Work: If You Want It… Be Prepared to Give It!
Remember the Tom Cruise movie Jerry McGuire? One of the great taglines in that film — besides “You had me at hello” — was when one of Jerry’s clients kept saying, “Show me the money!”
READ MORESix Messages You Never Want to Send
Does your marketing copy send prospects a message you never meant to send? Let me clarify…
READ MOREThe Cost of My Consulting Advice
Here’s How You Can Hire Me for Just $5 a Month.
I wish he hadn’t talked me into it. It’s going to be yet another task on my to-do list, and it might kill my multimillion-dollar consulting career…
ETR’s Humble Beginnings
Happy Halloween! This year, we pulled out all the stops here at ETR headquarters. How do you like our spooky look?
I can’t wait to tell you more about what we’ve been up to — but before I do that, I have some exciting business to take care of.
I want to tell you about a special new service Michael Masterson himself has created.
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: Get It Right “Every” Time
A supermarket recently opened in my neighborhood. The managers promptly posted a sign boasting “Low prices everyday.” This is a frequent error, though that doesn’t make it any less excusable. The sign should read “Low prices every day.” The adjective everyday precedes a noun, as in “The life of the…
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