In this day and age, everything has a ‘by’ date, doesn’t it? It’s either a ‘sell by’ or ‘use by’ or ‘open by’ message telling you when something is no longer going to be edible, or viable, or just plain effective. If you’re like my mother-in-law or my wife, you might believe those ‘by’ dates […]

How many of you remember the absolute stress of Valentine’s Day when you were a kid? For me, as a fun-loving elementary school child arguably more focused on PE than mathematics, I always looked forward to Valentine’s Day. Our teacher let us make these silly manila folder envelops we hung on the side of our […]

Getting the word out about your business can be one of the toughest things you have to do as a business owner or manager. As much as you want to simply shout from the rooftops about your fabulous product or service, or brag about your spotless reputation, there is a lot of competing ‘noise’ out […]

Kenny Rodgers told us we ‘gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to walk away, and when to run…” But I am in no way a gambler. I do not find comfort in leaving things to chance – especially anything that could negatively influence my own business, or yours. I prefer structure and following […]

This might sound a little bit like a stretch here, but it’ll make sense. In some ways, Direct Mail campaigns are the written versions of infomercials. Right? Do you see it yet? Think about it. More often than not, an informercial is trying to get you to buy something right then, right away…right now! A […]

As a Direct Mail coach, I think it is very important to help you all understand as many aspects of this industry as possible. And one aspect that I find very interesting is testing. I’ve written about this before, but I thought now would be a good time for a little more detail around the […]

I was thinking about New Year’s and everything that comes along with it. The fun and the spirit and the crushing need to come up with the perfect resolutions. That thing or statement or promise to yourself, grand and almost unattainable, which will wonderfully change your life forever and make the next 365 days feel […]

I love the end of the year because the holiday just passed and as people wipe the egg nog off their lips, it is the absolutely perfect time for you to express to your customers how much you appreciate them and their business! To me, it is extremely critical in terms of the ‘future-value’ you […]

Have you ever heard that a shark must continue swimming or it will die? Sharks breathe through two basic methods, buccal pumping and obligate ram ventilation. I’m not 100% sure how to pronounce either of them, but it boils down to how the water flows over their gills so they can pull out the oxygen […]