John Bradley "JJ" Jackson (Page 6)

John Bradley "JJ" Jackson

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Farewell to a Dying Friend

Farewell to a Dying Friend

I got a call this week that my old friend Don who was dying of congestive heart failure and was in a hospice. Time was short. He asked for me. Early in my career I struggled with my desire to be successful and to be true to myself. Like many

The Power of Disagreement

The Power of Disagreement

Usually when two people think alike, it's because one of them is not thinking. Let me submit that agreeing with anyone for a prolonged length of time won’t make the world a better place. Rather, disagreement is powerful and it is how we make the world better.

Blogging for Beginners

Blogging for Beginners

While I am obviously partial to blogging, I am told by many “wannabe” bloggers how hard it is to get started. The reasons for not blogging are many and include a lack of big ideas to write about, too little time to write, and an extreme distaste for writing. In

How Search Engines Really Find You in 2025

Search Engine Optimization

How Search Engines Really Find You in 2025

Search engines are still the primary way customers discover you online. But the way they decide who gets found has evolved a lot. At its core, the goal hasn’t changed: if your website can’t be found, it might as well not exist. The biggest search engines today such

Forgiveness

Holding a grudge is hard work and stressful. Forgiveness lightens your load and allows you to put your energies where it really matters. There is growing research about the negative health effects of prolonged anger and bitterness. Ruminating on what others have said to you or have done to you

Send 4th of July Cards

Gratitude Marketing

Send 4th of July Cards

For many people, the 4th of July holiday means BBQs, fireworks, family, friends, and relaxation. It is wonderful time of year. Why not use this grand occasion to express appreciation to others? Most people choose to express gratitude during the Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s holidays. Yet, these best

Your Personal Mission: A Baccalaureate Speech

Personal Mission and Purpose

Your Personal Mission: A Baccalaureate Speech

Villa Park High School 2011 Baccalaureate Speech Good afternoon, it is truly my honor to be here. Villa Park High School 2011 graduates, please accept my sincere congratulations for a job well done. Everyone here tonight is proud of you and what you have accomplished. Yet, soon you have big

Personal Mantras

Mission and Vision

Personal Mantras

Personal mantras say how you are different. A mantra is a religious prayer or mystical phrase or poem that instills concentration when repeated and is used for meditation and prayer. The key is to focus on the mantra and to block out everything else. A personal mantra is three to

First Impressions Matter

First Impressions Matter

Most of us have learned to rely on our first impressions or gut instincts when we met someone new. Surprisingly, that brief first encounter can give you enough information to make a judgment about another person. On the spot we can decide if we like or dislike that person. It

Balanced Agreements Are Better Agreements

Balanced Agreements Are Better Agreements

While everyone wants more or better, the key to getting what you want in a negotiation is to make sure the other party is also getting what they want. That means that you need to understand the true motivation of the other party. Understanding the other party’s true motivation

Niche Markets and Entrepreneurship

Niche Marketing

Niche Markets and Entrepreneurship

The entrepreneur who finds a customer segment that has been under served or overlooked can earn extraordinary rewards. Niche marketing requires that you focus on customers who cannot get what they want or need from their existing providers. For various reasons, mainstream firms will often innocently overlook or deliberately pass

The Future of Reading: From Print to Digital

Change Management

The Future of Reading: From Print to Digital

E-books once felt like a novelty, but today they are a central part of how we consume stories and knowledge. What began as a small disruption has now matured into a permanent shift in publishing, retailing, and even writing itself. Authors, like publishers and retailers, must adapt or risk being

New Venture Sales Forecasting

Sales Forecasting

New Venture Sales Forecasting

Forecasting sales at for a new venture requires in-depth research along with educated guess work. There is no substitute for knowing your customers and why they will buy your offering. Buyers will choose your product over the competition because it is different or better. They buy for their own reasons

Creativity Subverts Conventionality

Creativity Subverts Conventionality

My friend and author, Mahdy Khaiyat, encourages me to express myself freely and to let my creativity flow with abandon. He says that if I do this I will subvert conventionality. I agree. His book is called "A Cornucopia of Aphorisms" is a collection of aphorisms that are

12 Tips for Better Business Cards

12 Tips for Better Business Cards

The ubiquitous business card is a critical tool for communicating your brand. Make sure it reflects your image and that you maximize its usefulness. Here are 12 tips for better business cards: 1. Print the card using color. Study after study shows that color printing significantly impacts the readers’ ability

Leading a Sales Force During Difficult Times

Leading a Sales Force During Difficult Times

Here is a blog written by my friend Dr. Stephen Duarte: There is no question that the economic conditions have affected your revenue generating potential. The tendency is to get tougher on the sales force when revenue heads south, but you might want to rethink that strategy. Pressure is met

Direct-to-Door Advertising

Direct-to-Door Advertising

Consumers are flooded with advertising messages. It is estimated that the average American sees up 10,000 advertising messages a day. These messages come in all forms: text, e-mail, newspaper, direct mail, web advertising, radio, TV, and others. Increasingly these traditional advertising methods are loosing effectiveness. Yet, direct-to-door advertising seems

What Do Bankers Want to Know?

What Do Bankers Want to Know?

When a small business or start up approaches a bank for a loan, you need to be able to answer the following eight questions: 1. How much money do you want? 2. Why do you want the money? 3. How will the money be used? 4. How will you repay

You're Never Too Old to Learn Something Stupid

You're Never Too Old to Learn Something Stupid

Clever headline? OK, maybe not, but as least it got your attention. Welcome to the world of the paraprosdokian, which is a figure of speech used in the last part of a sentence or phrase that is surprising or unexpected. Comedians use this device to amuse or surprise us. Groucho

Professor Applauds "First, Best, or Different"

Professor Applauds "First, Best, or Different"

"I had great success using this book ("First, Best, or Different") for teaching university level marketing. The use of real world examples connects with the students. Student feedback was very positive. The book is fun to read." Dr. Nancy Merlino Food Marketing and Agribusiness Department, Program

Just Say Yes to Opportunity!

Just Say Yes to Opportunity!

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” - Charles R. Swindoll Opportunity is everywhere, but we have been trained since childhood to say “no” or to look the other way. All our lives we have been taught to fear the unknown, to

Public Relations 101

Public Relations

Public Relations 101

Public Relations 101: Class is in session. First, crash the plane in the ocean. Second, declare the pilot a hero for not killing everyone. Third, blast the media with images of grateful passengers all chanting, “we did not die today.” Fourth, repeat as necessary until everyone forgets that the plane