I had a surprising online experience that just stopped me in my tracks. First, I thought it was funny. Then, I realized it was brilliant.* I was having problems with some email software that I pay for and, like many of us, found the FAQs in the Help section to be totally useless. So, I selected …
Potentially revolutionary, article in The Wall Street Journal today has a direct parallel to sales success. Apparently, The Business Roundtable, leaders of some of America’s largest companies, changed its statement of decision making purpose from being based solely on achieving the highest profits for shareholders (investors) to now taking into account “all stakeholders” – employees, …
You are going through the feed on your favorite social media and you come across… “Getting crabby about marketing. It’s opening day of crab season here and our traps have just been set. The idea of setting traps for a bounty to come is always really exciting, especially on opening day. It’s been a long …
As different sides argue the causes of gun violence in America, one graph destroys the one that says videos are the cause, proving once again that a picture is worth a thousand words. Click here to see the article from Vox with the compelling chart from the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation that proves …
In the world of comedy, when a joke flops, they say the comedian “died” on stage. In business, when a presentation flops, the presenter can be said to have “died” as well, if not on stage, at least in the meeting. The best way to avoid such an embarrassing (and costly death) is to master …
Riddle: Three frogs are sitting on a log. Two decide to jump off. How many are left on the log? Answer: Three, because deciding to do something is not the same as actually doing it. Everyone feeling good at the end of a meeting is not by itself advancing to a next step. Closure only …
You wouldn’t knowingly shoot yourself in the foot. Yet, inadvertently, that is what many sellers and presenters do in their meetings with clients when they use “waffle” language, words and phrases that undermine credibility. Do you use any of this “waffle” language? If you do, try the alternatives below. Words Matter Just as in I just wanted …
Nayla Bahri didn’t realize it then, but an image she heard back in a college literature class was to morph over the years into an incredibly effective metaphor for getting results for her clients at work. She recalls, “A faculty member asked our class something along the lines of, ‘Who do you think this character …
Fifteen year old Coco Gauff made history last week, first, by becoming the youngest player to qualify for the main draw at Wimbledon, second, by defeating Venus Williams in the first round. and, then, by winning her next two rounds. Although she lost in the fourth round yesterday, her performance has been astonishing. The secret …
If you don’t think metaphors nail a point and make you stand out among the competition, check out Kamala Harris’ memorable line from last night’s Democratic debate: “I don’t think Americans wants to witness a food fight. Americans wants to put food on their table! Anne Miller Make What You Say Pay! – with Metaphors
Graduation time and that means commencement speeches designed to inspire graduates as they leave the known safety of school and set out on the larger, unknown world stage. Celebrities, world leaders, artists, and corporate executives are among the speakers invited to start them off. Their speeches vary, but–not incidentally–almost all use a metaphor to enhance …