What The Cold Caller Forgot

He forgot to think about you and not just him. He forgot you were busy. He forgot to work hard to add value and build an asset over time. He forgot to give before trying to take. He forgot that you don’t care about his emergency. He forgot that he can’t buy your permission. He…

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Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should

The tiny suburban cafe is full to bursting every day. It’s become more than a cafe really. The early morning cyclists punctuate the end of their ride at the tables on the pavement outside. Their last stop before heading off to work for the day. It’s the place where young mothers grab a takeaway coffee…

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Practice The Art Of Making People Matter

Walk along any suburban street. Sit in any cafe. Listen to telephone conversations at the airport lounge. Here’s what you’ll find. Everyone is having the same conversation. The early morning gym junkies, the startup hub members, the mothers catching the train to work, the fathers in the book store and the teens glued to their…

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Great Marketing Is Baked In Not Sprinkled On

The most common misconception in business is that you should work on your idea now, and add marketing later…. when you’re done. Marketing is not just the icing on the cake, or the sprinkles on the top. Marketing is the whole cake. The quality of flour you use. The lightness of touch of the baker.…

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Stand Out By Telling A Better Brand Story

The summer of 1980 was a terrible time to own a hair salon on Sydney’s Queen Street. The mile long suburban street had over twenty salons to choose from, and haircuts that were once $20, had been steadily knocked down a dollar at a time by each salon in turn. The first salon to discount…

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What The Waitress Remembered

My name. To look me in the eye. How I like my coffee. That her smile could brighten someone’s day. To make a difference. That giving a damn is seriously underrated. To hope to see me tomorrow. Not to hide behind the rules. To love her job. That what she does every day matters. Image…

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Give Them A Reason

Half of the products in your pantry now have a ‘like us on Facebook’ icon on the label. Why should you like a brand of mass produced honey on Facebook? Why does the brand manager think you should care? Marketing is about doing great work that gets noticed. It’s about giving people a reason to…

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Make Your Idea Matter

Make Your Idea Matter is finally available to buy on Amazon. Thanks to the people who bought the book yesterday it bagged a Top 3 spot on the Amazon Bestsellers list overnight! It’s taken most of our Australian winter (or your summer), to simply get the book edited, formatted, designed and ready for publication. We’ve…

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Thinking About How People Feel Vs Making People Do

Every one of us is a marketer. We spend our days persuading people to do what we want them to do. “Buy now.” “Click here.” “Please retweet.” “Only 5 4 left.” “Don’t drink and drive.” “Eat your greens and you’ll grow big and strong.” My friend Mark and his wife Cindy own and run a…

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