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remarkable communication

How to Get Delightfully Rich (and Still Keep Your Soul)October 15 2008

Thinking about the post I would write for Blog Action Day, I started to realize just how powerful this “poverty” idea is. In the developed world, swimming the way we are in material abundance that we can’t really see, just changing your thinking about poverty can have profound implications for the kind of success you can start to create.

I don’t believe in the Law of Attraction, but I know from experience that you tend to see more of what you focus on. Focus on poverty and you’ll see more poverty. Focus on wealth and you’ll see more wealth. And just like keeping your eyes on the road ahead when you’re driving, you have a natural tendency to “go where you’re looking.”

I see two patterns that tend to shape the lives of both rich people and poor people.

Rich People Learn from Experience that Taking Action Leads to Results

Poor People Learn from Experience that Taking Action Is Pointless

Now here’s the interesting part:

If You’re Reading this Blog, You Get to Be in Group #1

You have Internet access. Which means you either have a computer or at least access to a good library. You can read. You live

7 Things Big Dumb Companies Do That You Can’t Afford (Especially Now)October 9 2008

Not every big company is dumb. There are actually a decent number of big smart companies that do things we can learn from. But big, well-capitalized companies have a mortal enemy: inertia. It’s very hard to change the direction they’re already headed. It’s very hard to fix the cultural mistakes that have been ingrained in the company since its early days. It’s very hard for most big companies to learn.

So if you’re a small company (maybe even a company of one brave, stalwart soul), here are some ideas about how to outsmart and outmaneuver your big competitors. With the economy generally falling down around our ears, this is a great time to get a lot smarter. As Godin said, Small is the New Big. Use that to your advantage.

Here are 7 big-company mistakes not to make.

1. Printing 10,000 Brochures . . .

. . . and then having to dump 9,950 of them. This happens so often it would be funny–if it wasn’t your money getting flushed down the toilet.

Most small businesses don’t need a brochure at all. Brochure

Does Your Business Have the Support It Needs?September 30 2008

Flickr Creative Commons Image by toronja_azul

Those of you who follow me on Twitter might have seen my grumbling about not getting some StomperNet stuff I had paid for. I figured a little public whining would solve my problem, and it did—they kindly called me up and made things right. (I don’t advocate that as your first line of fire, but I’d submitted two support tickets already, and I was getting a little cantankerous.)

Now the StomperNet dudes don’t think small. I believe their budget for salaries is right about one kazillion dollars. They have a large staff of ninjas on just about every facet of Internet business, from SEO to conversion to how to make your shopping cart do things that verge on the unnatural.

They apparently, though, don’t have a support expert on staff. (Maybe after this they’ll add one.) Some customers had all kinds of problems, and their fulfillment house (the folks who put CDs into boxes and mail them from a warehouse) didn’t do them any favors either.

So here’s a quick tutorial on support and handling screwups, because how you handle this

The Top 10 Writing Blogs for 2008/2009September 23 2008

I am tickled pink (and purple and orange and sparkly blue) to be in Michael Stelzner’s list of the Top 10 Writing Blogs for 2008/2009. I want to especially thank the folks who saw my post on this blog and went over to nominate me, as well as to those who posted your support in the nomination thread.

Here are Michael’s descriptions of the 10 winning blogs. I’m absolutely honored to be in such terrific company. Now I’ve just got to find the right spot for my nifty new “Top 10 Blogs” badge.

1. Copyblogger: As the undefeated champ, this blog has held the number-one spot for three straight years!  The baby of Brian Clark, this blog keeps winning because of its excellent and educational articles.
2. Men With Pens: James Chartrand and Harry McLeod are the dynamic duo who continue to deliver rich content and community discussion.
3. Freelance Writing Jobs: Founded by Deb Ng, this site is the first stop for freelance writers seeking ne

Email Marketing: What’s an Autoresponder, and Do I Need One?September 19 2008

I like Perry Marshall a lot. I think he’s a smart guy. And I think this class he’s giving on autoresponders (sequences of email messages that fire off in a specified order) is probably worth the $4,000 he’s charging for it. It includes a bunch of gnarled old direct response copywriters coaching you through the process. (I’m guessing they will essentially write it for you, with your input). Plus probably there are extras like foot massages and lattes made with Himalayan cashmere goat milk. Or something.

But if you don’t happen to have $4,000, I thought I’d expand on a few good points he made in this article. Yes, the article is setting you up to buy the course. But the points are still valid.

Complex systems can make you a lean, mean competitive machine

King Crankypants Dan Kennedy is a big proponent of this. He advocates making your marketing sequences and processes so complicated that your competitors wouldn’t steal them if you sat down with a whiteboard and a pot of coffee and drew out a map for the