Inside the Envelope

Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. Fear and self-doubt are two of the biggest dream killers in most of us. Success often comes down to what we're willing to do about it. Will you take some risks and do something different than what you've always done? Many of us are so afraid of failing that sadly we'll never take the leap of faith required to do anything worthwhile in this life. Whether the dream is about starting a business, getting an advancement at work, or simply finishing a major project, something seems to hold us back. It's tempting to use the excuse that something external has forced us to procrastinate, but most of the time that something is really inner self-sabotage. That inner voice does its best to derail and destroy our dreams. So we fail before we even start. And that pattern repeats itself, over and over again, like a bad nightmare. To stop and crush that sequence we have to do one thing: take action without rega

Deadline Lessons from Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live (SNL) producer Lorne Michaels once said, "I say it every week: We don't go on because we're ready. We go on because it's 11:30." He went on to say that being "ready" is a state of mind, one you can condition yourself to overcome with regular deadlines. SNL is a long-running late-night live television sketch comedy created by Lorne Michaels. The live aspect of the show requires an absolute commitment to being ready to go on air at 11:30 eastern time every Saturday. It's a hard deadline. No excuses can be accepted or tolerated. The show begins with a topical sketch, at the end of which someone breaks from the skit and shouts: "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" But before the show airs each Saturday night, an entire week's worth of preparation has gone into making that episode a reality. Monday starts with a production meeting where ideas for the followin

Every print marketing piece should have an end goal in mind. Depending on the type of marketing piece, these goals can range from simply building name recognition to creating curiosity and ultimately generating sales. The next time you find yourself struggling to create print marketing that will get noticed, remember these three steps to maximize your effectiveness: Step 1: Grab attention. Start by getting your reader's attention. Remember this must happen from the initial glance at your promotional piece. Try using a bold headline, graphic, photo, or marketing claim. Choose something that encourages viewers to take a moment to read your marketing message. Step 2: Create interest. Provide teaser information that will engage prospects and entice them to learn more. Teaser information could include an announcement about exciting new products or features, a current or upcoming promotion, or anything else that will persuade customers to learn more. Step 3: Engage the r

When it comes to marketing, we can learn a lot from photos of adorable animals. Here are a few key tips to take away the next time you catch yourself oohing and aahing over an adorable fuzzy kitten or roly-poly puppy: Have you ever noticed how adorable animal photos have a knack for engaging a wide variety of people with various interests? While marketing is most effective when aimed at a targeted audience, you should strive to appeal to a variety of personalities within your audience. Photos grab attention and have the power to invoke emotion. The sight of a baby animal can easily warm the heart of most people. Think about the photos or imagery you use in your next marketing campaign, and focus on the emotions your selected images will create for your audience. Consider using humor whenever appropriate. Have you ever seen a hilarious photo of a cat and felt the need to show others so they can laugh with you? The same is true of humorous marketing. By sharing something funny, WE al

In order to be successful in business, you must portray confidence. If you aren't confident in your abilities or the quality of your products and services, why should a prospect or customer have confidence in you? The words you choose in sales and marketing are very important and should portray a positive, confident image of your business. That's why you should never start a marketing or sales pitch with an apology. If what you have to say is important, you should always say it confidently, with no apologies. Starting a conversation with an apology ("I'm sorry to both you...") suggests that what you have to say isn't really important and may influence prospects or customers to think the same. Rather than apologizing or downgrading your approach, try showing confidence by saying, "I have an exciting new product I'd like to share with you, and I need a few minutes of your time. Do you have a moment to discuss this now, or can I make an appoi