When you’re writing to sell, facts and figures are great–as a supporting actor. But you can’t load down a letter, presentation or anything with numbers and think that will do the job. If you’re looking to persuade people to act, you need the other part of the Reese’s cup–emotion.
The movement to convince people to stop [...]

Testimonials are a high-octane marketing tool that can significantly boost sales. Have you noticed how many retail websites are adding customer reviews these days? That’s because people want to know “the real scoop” before making a purchase—especially for something as intangible as a service. And seeing proof of someone else’s satisfaction makes them much more [...]

It all starts with a dead body.
If you’ve ever watched more than three episodes of Law & Order, you know the drill. Two people are going about their lives and stumble onto a dead body. The cops are called in and the opening scene ends with a wisecrack. (Though no one—on any series—pulls it off [...]

The interview I did with Elizabeth Potts Weinstein at The Wealth Spa Radio Show on 3 Steps to Compelling Copy That Speaks Your Client’s Language is now up at the show’s website, along with a link to the special offer I made at the end of the interview.

At the end of the day, it’s all about whether people are buying. So here are three key elements prospects are looking for before taking the final step:
1. The Know-Like-and-Trust Factor–When looking for professional services, the Know-Like-and-Trust Factor (KLT) rules the roost. This is why referrals, networking and public speaking can be such powerful tools [...]

They certainly are if you’re speaking your language instead of your prospects’. You live and breathe what you do every day, so you don’t even realize you’re using jargon and other professional gobbledygook that flies right over their head. But that lack of awareness may be costing you sales.
We’re not just about talking technical jargon. [...]

Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to communicate, and I’m not talking about fairy tales here.  It pervades (or should) all aspects of our business communications and marketing because it makes our messages memorable and connects your listener/reader on a more emotional level. As they say, facts tell but emotion sells.
Want to know [...]

One reason I think some people just dread writing is that they think it’s supposed to be big words and long, complex sentences using a semi-colon, like many of us were taught in school. But that’s not good writing, that’s academic writing or consultant-ese. (And we were actually taught a lot of dumb things in [...]

So last week I went to the Triangle Internet Marketing Meetup about making your marketing more effective. I had just seen the speaker Ron Rosenberg of QualityTalk at a Glazer-Kennedy Inner Circle chapter meeting and he gave a lot of good info on another topic, so I wanted to see what he had to say [...]

Yesterday everyone was talking about the beagle that would be competing for Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club last night. Uno was clearly the fan favorite going into the final competition with thunderous support each time he trotted around the arena. (One of the commentators said it was the most enthusiastic response ever [...]