Americans spend more than $12 billion per year on the nation’s most pervasive addiction—self-help and the seemingly insatiable desire to be more successful. Like other compulsions, we can’t get enough to satisfy our longing. Every couple of weeks, there’s a new self-help book, video or seminar. Malcolm Gladwell’s latest addition to his shelf of self-help books is totally enticing. It’s …

The idea that marketing is something that companies “do” is so ingrained in the business mindset that it’s impossible to think otherwise. Yet, that’s exactly what needs to happen. It’s true that many marketers enthusiastically avoid the traditional marketing label with energetic efforts to recalibrate their careers. No matter what you call it, pull the curtain back and marketing largely …

One seminar leader opened a workshop for property and casualty insurance agents by asking this question: “Why do people buy insurance?” After the participants offered a variety of responses, the seminar leader said that there was only one right answer: “To take care of claims.” The point is, what seems rather intuitive to most consumers may not be quite so …

Most companies want to support charitable and civic organizations and causes. At the same time, the stream of donation requests can be overwhelming, particularly since no one likes saying no. Plus, the pressure comes from all sides—customers, politicians, employees, friends and associates. Everyone seems to have a favorite charity. And businesses are the most visible targets for support. Like any …

Trashing the branding process has reached star status as critics dismiss it as passé in a digital environment. Who wants the “behind the times” label? However, it’s interesting that those throwing the rocks at branding come prepared with replacement methods that they want to sell us. Because branding is how people experience a company and its products, don’t fall for …

What does it take to get ahead in business today? While the experts may offer such suggestions as having cutting-edge skills and being a good team player, there are other, even more essential, measures to take. . The techniques are actually quite simple, but they have one common and fundamental characteristic that makes them so valuable: each one produces positive …

The goal of every presentation is to successfully influence how listeners will think or act. That said, few presentations make the cut. Although many treat presentations rather casually, every one counts and each one is equally important. And here’s why: we are our presentations. We’re the one on stage, and we’re judged by our listeners not only on what we …