p.s. Wish more speakers followed these 50 rules? Join me for the America Talks Business Conference in Philadelphia on July 25th. It's a living laboratory for the principles above. And a chance for YOU to take part in something very special indeed. Early bird tickets are active so you can register for ridiculously affordable rates right now.
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation...
Unless you're brand new to me and this blog... you know that my new Do It! Marketing book is about to be released.
You may also know that we hit Amazon #1 bestseller status not once - but TWICE already - and the book isn't even out yet.
What you may not know is that I had help. Amazing help from amazing people. Gurus and friends and colleagues and people I consider my personal and professional heroes.
Some helped a little. Some helped a lot. Some helped WAY above and beyond my wildest dreams...
If you're interested in marketing success, business success, and life success - well, there are a lot of so-called experts out there.
Many are called. Few are chosen.
I've made the choosing easy for you...
Here are 37 super-smart, generous, prolific, sometimes contrarian, and always fascinating people worth following...
p.s. The best thing about them - none of them would CALL themselves a "guru" - they simply consider themselves lucky to be sharing their insights with others who can benefit.
Here they are in no particular order (although each of them is truly #1)
Bookmark this blog post - stay connected with these people - implement their big ideas - and you WILL profit, prosper, and succeed.
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on the people who have made the biggest impact on YOUR professional success...
As you may know, my new book is coming soon... and I need your help...
If you pre-order the book today, you will get over $747 in business-building bonuses RIGHT NOW and LATER, you'll also get a minty-fresh book jam-packed with savvy marketing, sales and business development strategies, tactics and tools. (You'll be among the first to take delivery of the book the moment it is released - on or about June 5.)
I'd love your help in climbing the amazon charts today - even before the book is released. Is it a good book? Obviously I think so... but fortunately, I'm not alone! Here are just a few other people's opinions...
===== "One of the most practical marketing books you will ever read - so what are you waiting for?" -- John Jantsch, author of "Duct Tape Marketing"
"Do It! Marketing is a complete system for effective marketing. It is a fun read and the ideas, tactics, strategies and exercises it provides will set you apart from your competition." -- Mark Sanborn, author of "Fred 2.0" and "You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader"
"A terrific book packed with a gazillion smart ideas you can use immediately to supercharge your marketing. But beyond all those great ideas, Do It! Marketing shares key concepts and simple systems that will bring you more business with much less struggle." -- C.J. Hayden, author of "Get Clients Now!" =====
When you pre-order today, you'll get more than $747 in instant-access bonus material from some of America's TOP business experts. Everything is waiting for you here: http://doitmarketing.com/book-bonus
-- David
p.s. Why should you buy today even though the book won't be out till June? Because in addition to the $747 in bonuses you'll get immediately when you pre-order today, you will also be invited to a series of private teleseminars, you'll get pre-order only bonus ebooks such as the Do It! Marketing Manifesto I'm creating for 800-CEO-READ, and more pre-order only gifts and surprises. As you know, I'm incredibly generous with folks like YOU who are fabulous enough to support my work and I tend to OVER-deliver like crazy. So pre-order the book today and then pop over to http://doitmarketing.com/book-bonus to claim all your goodies.
Stop being put off by objections that stall your sales – and your income.
Join my pal Mike Brooks for this NEW sales webinar on June 12 (free, of course), where you'll learn – word for word - how to overcome these common stalls:
During the Call:
"We're not interested right now."
"Could you email me something?"
During the Close:
"I'll show this to my regional manager (boss, partner, etc.)"
"We're still looking at a couple of different options on this right now"
Plus a NEW voicemail script for prospects who are stalling you by NOT calling you back!
And please do share the registration link with other folks in your network who are tired of losing sales to the dreaded "stall" - you can point people directly to:
These strategies could make all the difference to help YOU sell more products, services, and programs. Mike's content-rich webinars always fill up, so register now to avoid missing out.
Hmmmm... that may be the dumbest prediction you've ever heard...
You'll do what, exactly?
In a word: Succeed.
You know - get "it" done...
That pet project of yours, that book, that event, that special thing you've been working on, talking about, noodling, doodling, and planning for YEARS...
Tired? Tired of what, exactly?
Tired of struggling
Tired of excuses
Tired of missing out
Tired of complaining how hard it is
Tired of striving
Tired of faking it
Tired of wishing
Tired of hoping
Tired of (day)dreaming
Tired of fantasizing
Tired of sketching
Tired of postponing
Tired of obsessing
Tired of perfectionism (perfect time, place, people, conditions)
Tired of being safe
Tired of disappointment
Tired of watching others zoom by you
Tired of sitting on the sidelines
Tired of keeping score when you're not even in the game
Tired of talking
Tired of planning
Tired of noodling
Tired of doodling
Tired of starting
Tired of choking
Tired of quitting
Tired of fear
Tired of uncertainty
Tired of self-doubt
So what the hell are you supposed to do instead?
Launch!
Go!!
DO!!!
Kick ass
Take names
Leap - and the net will appear
Make it happen
Get off your buts
Climb in the cockpit
Strap in
Light the afterburners
Jump out of the plane
Figure out the rest on the way down
Yes, YOU!
Yes, really REALLY YOU!!!
Why am I telling you all this?
Well, because I'm kinda doing it myself...
After.
Ten.
Years.
The small business conference idea I had 10 years ago was a victim of a decade of noodling, doodling, planning, and dreaming.
Here are the top 7 things that entrepreneurs, business owners, and independent professionals must do every single day:
Revisit your goals, milestones, and metrics for the day, week, month, and quarter (financial, marketing, sales, operations)...
Ramifications if not done daily - you lose sight of the big picture and get pulled off your game by distractions, trivia, and grunt work.
Put new prospects on your radar via strategic outreach...
Ramifications if not done daily - your sales and marketing start to slip and you suffer from the feast-or-famine small business sales rollercoaster.
Thank your team - whether in-house, outsourced, full-time, or virtual...
Ramifications if not done daily - your team loses their motivation, momentum, and mojo. Once that's gone, they're halfway out the door.
Offer value - in terms of content, your blog, a video, a resource, a referral, a favor, a gift... Ramifications if not done daily - you become just more marketing noise and customers and prospects tune you out and see you as a peddler, not a partner.
Invite engagement - online, offline, in-person, by phone or Skype; ask and answer questions, solicit feedback, invite comments, send a survey...
Ramifications if not done daily - your business becomes isolated as you talk AT your customers and clients rather than talk WITH them.
Recharge your batteries - just like the airlines say, "secure your own mask before assisting others"... Ramifications if not done daily - entrepreneurial burnout, stress, drinking, drugs, and divorce. Don't laugh - you could be next.
Be gracious and grateful - take a moment to appreciate what you have, what you've built, and who you get to serve each day...
Ramifications if not done daily - instead of becoming more and more fulfilling, your business success becomes a trap, a race, and a never-ending contest that you can never win. Stop and smell the coffee!
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation...
As you may know, my loyal Labrador Retriever, Woofie, works part-time as marketing dog here at Do It! Marketing HQ.
Her website attracts a LOT of traffic and she gets some very nice inbound traction via email (at least for a dog!)
Here are nine secrets to Woofie's online success - and perhaps some good ideas for YOU, too:
Post regularly. She posts updates annually on her birthday (4/29) but the point is that her audience has come to EXPECT that. You should post more often - but with the same dogged consistency.
Don't ask for much. Woofie shares her updates with enthusiasm and authenticity. She never sells. She never begs. She never whines. How about you?
Be cute and relax. Woofie's main job with her web marketing is to be herself. Share what's interesting and important to her and her like-minded followers. Bacon. Cheese. Wagging. Tennis balls.
Let people come up to you first. Woofie has lots of ways to interact with her on her website. You can email her. You can follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. She makes herself approachable and then lets her fans be in charge of getting in touch.
Photos - visuals sell. Her website is 80% photos and 20% text. As my pal Jay Baer, author of the great new book Youtility, likes to say, "Text is going away. Everything online is moving to photos and video."
Let other people help you. Since Woofie has no opposable thumbs, she needs people to answer her email for her. That's where I come in. Folks email her. I respond, pointing out the fact that I'm responding on her behalf because of the whole thumbs problem. Generally, you'll do much better in business if you FLOP (Feature and Leverage Other People.)
Make people feel better about themselves after engaging with you. 'Nuf said.
It's OK to be silly. Especially if you're a Labrador Retriever! And it's OK to be funny, human, and kind if you happen to be funny, human, or kind.
10 kisses, one bark - keep it positive. Nobody like growling, barking and whining. Not from a dog. And not from a blog. And certainly not from an online expert, thought-leading professional, or entrepreneur like YOU.
What do YOU think? Please use the COMMENTS area below to share your advice, insights and recommendations on this topic and join the conversation...
Prepare, don't memorize.
Here's another in my series of marketing and business book reviews - but not just any old business books.
Here are the top 7 things that entrepreneurs, business owners, and independent professionals must do every single day:
As you may know, my loyal Labrador Retriever, Woofie, works part-time as 
DECIDE is the most powerful word in marketing.