When It Comes to Productivity: The Old Tricks are Best
“So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.” – Peter Drucker Here is the most important thing I know about management: There is no one right way to run a business. I’ve seen successful businesses built and run by all sorts…
READ MOREWhy Real Estate?
“A discovery is said to be an accident meeting a prepared mind.” – Albert von Szent-Gyorgyi When you’re a real-estate investor, you’re essentially in the business of finding investors to back your projects. Those investors are lending institutions or private lenders. They receive interest payments from you and, initially,…
READ MOREHow to Make the Price of Your Product Seem Cheap — Even If It’s Not
The typical aluminum-siding “package” we sold retailed at $2,600. That was a lot of money back in 1967, especially in the working-class neighborhoods we sold in. Like all good selling pitches, ours focused on the benefits first. We did a very good job helping our prospects imagine how much better,…
READ MOREThe 14 Characteristics of Successful People
“There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your youth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself, ‘It all depends on me.’” – Andre Gide According to productivity expert Jeffrey J. Mayer, successful people have 14 traits in common. They: 1. have a dream 2.…
READ MOREAn Alternative to Advertising
“Make your bargain before beginning to plow.” – Arab proverb Those who frown upon the practice say that if you lowball to get the first contract, you can never charge that client your regular rates — and you have just acquired a highly unprofitable piece of business. But…
READ MORETwo Facts About Advertising and One Truth About Copywriters
“I had a monumental idea this morning, but I didn’t like it.” – Samuel Goldwyn You relied on a one-trick pony, a copywriter who has had great success with a particular type of promotion — so much success that he insists on rewriting it for every one of his…
READ MOREA Beautiful Investment That Could Make You a Lot of Money
“Early morning hath gold in its mouth.” – Benjamin Franklin Minted from 1907 until 1933, the Saint-Gaudens Double Eagle is widely considered the most beautiful coin of all times. In fact, the coins are so beautiful that some people think they’re worth buying just as works of art. I…
READ MORETo Readers Who Worry They May Never Succeed: Do You Need “The Mindset of a Champion”?
I believe you can have a mind full of doubts and worries and still succeed. I believe it’s possible to achieve amazing things in life with a frightened heart and a terrified mind. It’s more than a belief, actually. It’s certain knowledge. I know because I have always been full…
READ MOREAvoid This Common Mistake With Your Money-Back Guarantee
“Relationships of trust depend on our willingness to look not only to our own interests, but also the interests of others.” – Peter Farquharson The best guarantees are: * fair * generous * long-term * unconditional When any of these four elements is missing, sales are likely to suffer…
READ MOREWho Do You Work For?
SB doesn’t know who he works for. As a development manager for a real-estate project I consult with, he must take direction from three people: a profit-center manager, a project manager, and me. Most of the time, our advice and recommendations are congruent. Sometimes, however, we disagree. And when…
READ MOREFive Good Reasons to Own a “Vacation” Home
“Home is where the heart is and hence a movable feast.” – Angela Carter There are at least five good reasons to buy a second home: 1. It can become your future retirement home. Buy it now and have it paid off in today’s cheap dollars. Years from now,…
READ MOREBuild Your Personal Fortune From This Half-Billion-Dollar Secret
“How I like to be liked, and what I do to be liked!” – Charles Lamb (letter to Dorothy Wordsworth, January 8, 1821) Most of us, at least most of the time, don’t feel we are ever quite good enough, strong enough, pretty enough, or smart enough. We feel…
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