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Archive | January, 2012

She left me standing there, and I don’t know why

I was a customer of a very good web hosting service for many years — until I cancelled my account last month. Cancellation was easy — I did it online and it was hassle-free and efficient. I left with a positive feeling. But they have no idea why I left. Why didn’t they call? Why […]

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Have a quirk

Check out the little quotation mark in this Harvard Business Review story. Whenever there is a quote at the start of a line, they put the mark in the margin. It’s a little naughty — and it gives the page a lot of personality. What makes your work recognizably different? What makes people pause and […]

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I’d be embarrassed to work here

Check out this ad for a bank bragging about “90% customer satisfaction.” How is having 10% of your customers unhappy something to be proud of?

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The power of a great demo

You can talk all day long. Or you can just show people how great your product is. Look at this demo of a kayak lifting system by Paul from Rack Outfitters. Now I want one, and I don’t even have a kayak. Your homework: Grab a camera right now and film a co-worker demonstrating your […]

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Newsletter #867: The “Make It Theirs” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] Your products, your marketing, and your brand get much more interesting when you let your customers take ownership in them. A […]

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How to become a successful author

Writing a book and getting it published with a traditional publisher makes you feel important. If you’re a best seller, it’s a great experience. It’s a solid credential. But if you want to sell books or reach readers who need to hear your message – it doesn’t work. To sell books, you need to do two […]

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People will share what THEY do, not what YOU do

I probably won’t blog or tweet about my task manager, Remember The Milk, even though I really like it. Most people don’t advertise products for fun. But I’m happy to blog this idea that they shared: I completed 352 tasks in 2011. That makes me feel good. It’s my achievement. I’ll mention the product when […]

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It’s time do do something remarkable

Wimpy, a burger chain in the UK, wanted to get the word out about their braille menus. So they used sesame seeds to bake a braille message into the bun of 15 burgers. It was so touching, and fun, that the folks who read them talked about it in their newsletters. Read by 800,000 people. […]

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Newsletter #866: The “It’s The Little Things” Issue

[Welcome back to the Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That! newsletter. This is text of the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.] This issue is all about little, simple ideas that can lead to big things. How it can be done: 1. To […]

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