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Learn How Markets Really Work from Ken Fisher

Friday, May 16th, 2008

We are all victims of financial pornography. Mainstream media does a horrible job of explaining what’s going on in the economy, why it’s happening, what the impact will be, and what’s likely to happen next.

The is bad news for investors (and that includes anybody with a 401(k) or similar retirement plan) and non-investors alike. How can you make good financial decisions for yourself or your business if you don’t have accurate information about finance and the economy?

Ken Fisher, a highly esteemed professional investor with an impressive track record, wrote a book called The Only Three Questions that Count. It’s a great read. His purpose is to show people how to invest intelligently. In the process, he explodes myths I’ll bet most of us, including myself, have always taken as gospel. For instance, he demonstrates –

  • Why stocks with a high price-to-earnings ratio are not inherently more risky than stocks with low ratios
  • Why being a contrarian is just as risky as following the herd

    • (more…)

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    16 Incredible Conversations about Marketing, Etc.

    Thursday, May 15th, 2008

    Stumbled this site, Killer Startups. Use it to keep your finger on the pulse of emerging tech products. Not a conversation, but very cool.

    Matthew Stibbe poses a good questions — should we capitalize “internet”? What do you think?

    20 useful SEO copywriting tips from Matt Ridout. (more…)

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    Get Your Baffies, Coorie Doon, and Sip a Bit o’ Scottish

    Thursday, May 15th, 2008


    When Joanna Young came across the Pond, she gave me a wonderful gift — a book of Scottish words and phrases. If you love language, it’s well worth reading. I learned that the Scottish language is colorful, full of words that evoke the feeling of their definition, such as swither. I also detected a German (?) influence — not sure where that comes from, but I’ll wager Joanna and Amy know.

    Anyway, here is a list of my favorites. Thanks, Joanna.

    Baffies Slippers.

    Bampot An idiot, fool, crazy character.

    Blether To chat or a chat. (more…)

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    Happy Birthday, Robert Zemeckis

    Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

    (UPDATE: thanks to Captain Obvious I have his name right now.) Today film director RogerRobert Zemeckis celeberates his 57th birthday. This brilliant filmmaker (and Chicago native) is best known for blockbuster hits including The Polar Express, Cast Away, and Forest Gump. My favorite Zemeckis film is Used Cars, which was made way back in 1980. Starring Kurt Russell and Jack Warden (in a dual role), it is quite possibly the funniest film ever made. (more…)

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    Why Don’t Sales Reps Report Back on Leads?

    Wednesday, May 14th, 2008

    In a recent post about the importance of providing feedback on leads, commenters Karen Swim and Ricardo Bueno prompted the question, why don’t sales reps provide feedback on leads? (more…)

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    My Best No Comment Posts

    Tuesday, May 13th, 2008


    Timothy L. Johnson came up with a great question — what are your most under appreciated blog posts? His list of 10 zero-comment posts included some top notch material. I ferreted through all 400+ Word Sell posts and here’s what I came up with.

    The Big Zeros
    5 Ways to Add Fresh Content to Your Web Site

    How to Compose a Voice Mail Greeting (A seldom analyzed necessity of life)

    Top 10 Problems for Small Biz Web Sites

    Can a Salesperson Be Too Organized?

    How to Prosper in a Slumping Economy (My early forecast turned out right)

    Sales Power Lost in Translation (Humor with a point)

    Try (Best title)

    Use Online Press Releases to Jump Start Your Business

    This is not an official “tag”, but I’d love to see lists from Joanna Young, Bob Hruzek, Robyn McMaster, and Jeanne Dininni… along with anyone else who wants to dig into their past!

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    Happy Birthday, George Carlin

    Monday, May 12th, 2008

    George Carlin, one of the great observers of language and words is celebrating a birthday today. Enjoy this 10-minute, hilarious examination of language as it (mis)applies to airplanes! (Including some off color language, so be advised.)

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    Obstacles to Innovation in Small Business

    Monday, May 12th, 2008


    A good deal of my time is devoted to singing the praises of online marketing — especially social network marketing — to small and medium size companies in traditional industries. Adaptation is slow, although moving at a much faster pace than two years ago.

    Why do you think adaptation is slow? Why aren’t all companies blogging? Why aren’t more firms creating dynamic Web pages that encourage customer conversation? These are a few things I’ve noticed. (more…)

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    Incoherent Musings of a Twitter Newbie

    Saturday, May 10th, 2008

    So I’m sitting at the Old Towne Pub having a beer with my friend Joanna Young, who popped in from Scotland to say hello, and she starts telling me about how much she loves Twitter. And I’m thinking …

    Twitter. That’s just what I need. It’s like IM for grown-ups. I have enough distractions without hearing about what everybody is eating for breakfast …

    But then Joanna tells me Twitter is driving tons of traffic to her blog. My ears perk up. “Tell me more!” I say. So Joanna gives me the rundown on Twitter in her usual pithy and irrefutable way, so I figure I’ll give it a try. (more…)

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    How to Solve the Saturday New York Times Crossword

    Friday, May 9th, 2008


    (Now everybody will have something to do tomorrow!)

    The Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle is a tough test, some say the toughest. Word nerd that I am, my favorite part of Saturday morning is sitting down with a cup of tea and taking a crack at it. About 90% of the time, I can solve or mostly solve it, but it can take me anywhere from an hour to several hours. I spent a couple days working on the puzzle above, using a wide a variety of writing implements!

    Here are a few tips for crossword lovers looking to take their game to the next level …

    Strategy

    1. Use a pencil. As you can see from the photo, pens may backfire.

    2. What makes the Saturday New York Times crossword puzzle so difficult is not the answers, but the clues. In fact, the answers are often simple words. But you have to open your mind to interpret clues in multiple and unusual ways. For example, in last week’s puzzle, we had the clue, “Like anchors”. I was thinking about barnacles, submerged, etc. The answer was “ON CAMERA”. It took me a while to think of “anchors” as in TV anchors. Which brings up a second strategic point. (more…)

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