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The potential of the one stop shop
Autumn is here, with a chill in the air. Which is why it was especially traumatic when our Rheem hot water suddenly stopped working last week. Ever since we had this hot water heater installed 3 years ago, it's been a problem. We went without hot water for almost a...
Did I go too far with this response?
A publicist just pitched me a story about carbon monoxide detectors, which isn't really a good fit for my podcast. I sent the following response. One person thinks I went a little too far. What do you think? Hi! Did you listen to my podcast before sending me the below...
If you want to reward your customers, reward them!
I went shopping at RITE-AID today and saw one of my favorite products advertised as: "Buy 2, get $2 off your next purchase." I grabbed two bottles and made my way to the register … where the clerk informed me that I could only get the deal if I had their frequent...
Be present: Put down your #@*($& phone!
I've noticed that more and more, people walk around with their phones glued to their ear or to their hands. They stand in the middle of hallways with the phone pressed against their ear, as if their life depended on it. They block stairways, staring entranced into...
Success Starts When You Stop Using Your Own Product
Have you checked out your competitors recently? I was just reading a review that says the new Blackberry smartphone is by far the best, speediest, most elegant Blackberry ever. But the reviewer would not recommend anyone buy it. Why? Because it's still missing a lot...
Use An Editor!
If you want to produce extremely high-quality work, it may be wise to find someone to help. It's hard to be objective about our own work. Almost by definition, we believe if we did it, it must be good. But yet, sometimes an objective eye can help us take our good work...
Know the Lifetime Value of Your Customers
When that lone customer arrives at your restaurant on a busy night, it's tempting to make him or her wait, in favor of the party of 12 that's sure to rack up a huge bill. But it just might not be wise. When you're deciding how to structure your business, who to give...
Creative deal structure–could it solve the housing crisis?
One of the most essential negotiating skills is the ability to divide up the risk, reward, blame, and credit properly among the parties in a negotiation. One of the reasons many people are so outraged at the financial collapse brought about by the real estate bubble...
Marketing vs. Sales vs. Copywriting vs. Design
I've recently noticed that many entrepreneurs hire a "marketing person" and then end up with someone who doesn't do what they expect. Sometimes it's because they didn't realize what "marketing" means. Other times, it's because the person they hired didn't know what...