Blogs

Most of us prefer to think that business is all about dollars and cents, profits and loss, but it isn’t. Business is about relationships, and more specifically about nurturing those relationships so that there’s something “in it” for all parties. Profit and loss are just byproducts of that relationship  . . . and likeability is…

It seems like there are lots of folks out there who will pretty much do anything to get noticed. I’m thinking of the Paris Hiltons and the Kardashians of the world (though Paris has been “quiet” as of late), plus all those pseudo-celebrities filling out the casts of the dozens of reality shows dominating our…

Perusing the Web the other day, I found this quote: “…Opportunities! Every life is full of them. Every newspaper article is an opportunity. Every client is an opportunity. Every sermon is an opportunity. Every business transaction.” Now that’s music to my ears! The quote comes from Orison Swett Marden. Maybe you’ve heard of him. Born…

Prices seem to be on the rise again after a few years of holding steady following the economic collapse of 2008. From food prices, to entertainment, to fuel, to housing, to this and that, everything seems to be on the uptick. If you’re like me, you’re thinking, “How can a guy get a break?” Surely…

If there were such a thing as a marketing “silver bullet,” then I’d either need to find a different line of work—because everyone could do it—or I’d be super rich, because I’d be the keeper and dispenser of marketing’s secret sauce recipe. But marketing is not easy and automatic. It’s much more than a press…

I never know, week to week, from where the seeds of my next blog might come. Sometimes, something will catch my eye—a news article, TV show, chance encounter, LinkedIn post, or some other social media share. It’s all part of the creative process, and this week I’ve been thinking about creativity—go figure!—which brought my attention to…

Be prepared. It’s one surefire way to improve your chances for success. Parents prepare. Teachers prepare. Students prepare. Chefs and shoppers prepare. Businesses and leaders prepare. Doctors and athletes prepare. Heck, “Be prepared” is even the Boy Scouts long-time motto. Sure, some folks find success out of sheer luck, but I tend to believe even…

The notion of “leadership” seems to come up a lot these days, whether it’s in casual conversation, business discussions, the news, or politics. It’s a word that gets thrown around a lot, which got me to thinking that it’s probably not understood all that well … which would explain a lot! Leadership is about getting…

As marketers, we’ve probably all faced one or more of these situations: We’re not converting Web traffic to sales No one’s subscribing to our email list Our free download just sits there with no suitors, like a wallflower at the high school dance We’re getting no takers on our offer of a free consult No…

A blog on the topic of personal branding seemed like a natural follow-up to last week’s “I Know My Brand … Do You Know Yours?” As I started to ponder what to write, I had the strangest sense of Déjà vu. Seems I’d touched on that subject a few years back, so why re-create the…

Feedback is how we know we are doing something right; it’s also how we know when we’re doing something wrong. Feedback is necessary. It’s how we improve our relationships and raise our golf (or in my case, volleyball) game to the next level; it’s also how we fine-tune our business offerings and hone our brands.…

The calendar tells me it’s spring—though some of my northern and mid-western buddies might disagree—and the days are getting longer and warmer. Another true sign of spring is that the Major League baseball season is upon us (Go Dodgers!). For baseball fans across the land, hope springs eternal and anything, at least for a week…