Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was assassinated on January 24th, 41. Not 1941, but 41. You see, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus — also known as Caligula, the third Roman Emperor, was also one of the most hated and despised men to ever walk the face of the earth. Caligula had a saying — it…

A quote falsely attributed to P.T. Barnum (founder of the famous Barnum and Bailey Circus), but actually coined by famous con-man Joseph (“Paper Collar Joe”) Bessimer, said “There’s a sucker born every minute… and two to take ‘em.” Here’s a blatant example of this: Recently, here in Tampa actually, the FTC nailed a business for…

Look, once a month I meet with a few very sharp, very aggressiveentrepreneurs on a monthly coaching call. The members of thisteam are all part of my Mavericks Coaching Group. These people are incredibly successful, AND incrediblymotivated. And they are also willing to ask themselvesquestions most people are afraid of. No, not things like, “Whatis…

I get stuff like this a lot, “Craig, why can’t I just run an ad with a headline that says “Free Sex” and then try and sell them life insurance. Here’s why this doesn’t work, and frankly, why deception doesn’t work in general. I will give you an example that I think will make things…

Here in America, today is Independence Day. Bluntly, I’m pretty ignorant about the past, but I do know today’s the day we celebrate the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from Great Britain. This isn’t a political rant, because as you know, England’s been VERY good to me. My…

Wow, it’s July already. I let the end of the last month slip right out from under me. I took Anne out of town for a nice long weekend as a well-deserved surprise and now I’m feeling pretty well rested. I got a chance to watch some television over the past few days, and is…

Here are a couple of questions that have recently crossed my desk. Q: Craig, why would anyone in his right mind use direct mail when you can use the internet to get business? Plus, sending out e-mails and using Google adwords is a lot cheaper than postage, printing, envelopes, etc. A: Most of the people…

Men are from mars, and women are from… apparently a place less valuable than Mars. Here, check this out: According to the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, college educated women earn 19% less than college educated men, 1 year after graduation. This, in spite of the fact that these women typically have higher…

I’ve been studying a lot of old ads lately for a project I’m going to start working on soon, and it’s amazing how easy it is to get bogged down in complicated selling formulas when you really don’t need to. A lot of your positioning and how well something is going to sell, is completely…

On yesterday’s Seductive Selling Coaching Call, we talked about how to use offline newsletters to make a bundle, and in many many cases, launch an entire empire. (You need to look no further than the example I make of myself, in this month’s Offline Seductive Selling Newsletter – http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl ) One of the HUGE mistakes…

England has been very very good to me. I have a number of friends and clients there, and of course, my wife is also from England. But here’s yet another reason why you gotta love the U.K. — the government is so “open-minded.” For example, in 2004 and 2005, the UK National Health Service paid…

If you live here in America, practically a moment doesn’t go by where on some news or entertainment gossip show, they aren’t covering Paris Hilton. Right now, every night you have literally DOZENS of shows covering Paris and whether or not she is going to get out of jail, and the myriad of (meaningless) circumstances…

Today is my 13th wedding anniversary, and soon we will be leaving for a long weekend out of town, for our anniversary, and then for Father’s Day (which I may talk about tomorrow). Here are a few items related to anniversaries and relationships: I love the U.K. I have a number of clients over there,…

Yesterday I told you a little story about what happened when I was over in Tarpon Springs this past weekend. Just in case you missed it, let me review a little bit here. First I’ll tell you what happened in quotes, and then I’ll answer the actual question afterwards, O.K.?: “We were in this store…

About 25 miles due west of where I live, there’s a small gulf-side town called Tarpon Springs. There are a few things you’ll notice when you first enter this sleepy laid-back town, which is literally right on the gulf — besides the balmy sea breezes blowing across you — even when the temperature is in…

When I was a financial planner back in the 1990’s, I was like every other independent entrepreneur — desperate for any new business I could find. But there again, at the same time, I was frustrated because I had so many tire-kickers and looky-loos to deal with. Meaning, I had to weed through a lot…

In 2000, I participated in a monthly tele-coaching program that cost me $397 a month. I say “cost” — because it really WAS a cost, not an investment. Although I got a few bits and pieces out of the program, the call was basically a platform for speakers to come on the phone and pitch…

Here’s an unusual marketing strategy that often works. I say unusual, because it’s actually a positioning technique that, on the surface, looks like an ethical consumer service, but make no mistake — it’s a positioning technique. It’s almost a way of saying, “If I can’t beat, ‘em… then let me police ‘em.” Let’s say you’re…

About two weeks ago I went to see the Pirates Of The Caribbean on opening night. My whole family has really enjoyed these movies, and the spirit of adventure they bring. The stories are very compelling and really get you involved (even when they make NO sense at all). Not to mention, the incredible special…

Just a quick note to let you know that tomorrow will be the last day to get your hands on this month’s Offline Seductive Selling Newsletter. Inside this month’s HOT new issue, you’ll discover: Why I booted THREE members out of my mastermind group (on page 12) On page 6 you’ll (finally) get the scoop…