Business on Matus Stafura

6 Timeless Marketing Tips from Gary Halbert to Boost Your Business

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Gary Halbert was one of the greatest copywriters, often called the “Prince of Print.” His curiosity and hard work allowed him to accumulate invaluable knowledge about what truly works in marketing and sales.

Here are my favorite tips from him:

1. Psychology Is 10,000 Times More Important Than Technology

Your product may be a masterpiece of pure genius, designed to help countless people. You might invest heavily in descriptions, high-quality images, and videos, yet still struggle to make sales.

Plant the seeds today

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Another year has passed, and it’s time for reflection. This year was far better than the one before—not because of what I did in recent months, but because of the work I put in years ago. I’m talking about seeds that grow on their own, even while I sleep. Far from perfect, but nurtured over time, they’ve transformed into plants and trees.

The problem with having a job is that you only get paid for the hours you work.
Your earnings are limited to your active time. And what happens if you lose your job tomorrow? Cultivating your own “garden” is essential. If you neglect it, nothing meaningful will grow. But if you take the time to clear out the weeds and plant tiny seeds, you’ll eventually enjoy not just the fruit they bear, but also the knowledge, discipline, and independence they bring.

On being prepared

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The actress Toni Collette remarked in an interview that director Ari Aster was the most prepared director she had ever worked with. Aster had visualized the entire movie Hereditary in his mind, down to the smallest detail, two years before filming began.

The first time I encountered this concept was with another legendary director, Alfred Hitchcock. Hitchcock meticulously visualized scenes, shots, lighting, sets, and design to such an extent that filming became a mere technical execution of his preplanned vision.

Before you do great things, do small things first

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

“Big things have small beginnings.”
— Lawrence of Arabia

When Quentin Tarantino became famous, he was asked how he made his first movie, which turned out to be an instant classic and international hit.

He explained that Reservoir Dogs was not actually his first film.

Before that, he made a short movie (My Best Friend’s Birthday), which wasn’t great. However,

… it gave him experience with every stage of the filmmaking process.

Why you should never try

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Don’t try. – Charles Bukowski

Years ago, I read about a lecture given by a professional therapist to a group of students.[1] During the session, while interacting with the audience, the therapist he noticed one of students expressing willingness to try something. But it did not work. In other words the student’s attempt never materialized into action.

“Come here. I want to show you something,” therapist said. The student approached the stage and sat down.

The dangers of paid advertising

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Guessing is expensive. A lot.

Anybody inexperienced in making sales chooses the easiest (and most costly) way to promote - paid advertising. Immediate exposure brings you potential customers and revenue almost instantly. But, as time goes by, these ads are less and less effective and more expensive. The reasons are countless. Ads are repetitively shown to the same audience, blocking software, irrelevant ad placement, inflated cost, competition, distrust in ads, overall fog everywhere, and so on.

Consider implementing assembly line in your business

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

In the early 20th century, it took several weeks or months to produce a single car by hand. Workers performed multiple tasks that were dependent on each other, and the production of the parts of the vehicle was often of inconsistent quality. They also had to share the same space, often colliding while moving parts in a single room or performing individual tasks. Everyone could do anything, but little was accomplished on a daily basis. The process was terribly slow.

Why would you make your life hard

Mon, 16 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Every business craves more sales. By looking for more customers, collaborating with new distributors, and adding fresh products or services to their portfolio. However, every action taken poses a risk and the potential to make things worse. Poorly thought out decisions or being blinded by the desire for profit can lead to ignoring or tolerating negative consequences. Increase the chance of success, not only by proper planning but also by avoiding making mistakes.

About customers who can't reach you

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

INTRODUCTION

Even if you have a worldwide, well-known company recognized by millions, there will always be a part of the population (potential customers) who are totally unaware of your existence. Increase the probability of sales by merely opening new doors to potential customers. Successful companies make sure that people know about them from every possible angle - you can see or hear (even smell) them everywhere in various forms. And don’t allow yourself to be misled by the idea that just because your business operates online, you can be found by everyone.

Know when to end a project

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Nothing happens to the wise man against his expectation. — Seneca

Projects are interconnected tasks

Every business has its own projects that are split into smaller, specific, manageable tasks. Each of these tasks has its own importance, urgency, and purpose - once completed, it brings us closer to completing the larger task and, ultimately, the project. These tasks share resources: business, budget, infrastructure. Failing to close a project when it should means it keeps draining those resources.