Mark Twain?s Great Marketing Idea

To tell you the truth (and about 53% of this article is true), I don't know where I heard this story about Mark Twain. But I've heard it enough times to verify that it's either (a) at least half true, or (b) a credible lie.

Anyway, it's seems that in the early 1850's Twain ? then known as Samuel Clemens ? found himself in San Francisco without a job. The reason he was there, I believe, had something to do with the Gold Rush.

Twain loved the town, and wanted to stay. But to do so he had to find a job. Since he'd worked on a newspaper before, he applied at a big publication there.

No thanks, the editor said. We don't need any writers right now. And even if we did, we don't have money in the budget to pay them.

Twain countered with an amazing offer. What if he agreed to work for free? I'll write for you, Twain said. You publish my work, and if people like what I write, maybe you'll hire me.

You can guess the rest of this report. The editor loved Twain's work, hired him, and Twain's career continued to build. But what if he'd simply walked out the door that day?

The moral of this story: Free is pretty hard to refuse. Next time you have trouble winning a client, how about offering to do a project for free, just to show what you can do?

Rix Quinn's new book "Words That Stick" is inexpensive, and offers lots of writing ideas. You can get it from you local bookstore, or http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN /1580085768/qid/

For details on Quinn's workshops and consulting services, e-mail him at mailto:rixquinn@charter.net

---

Radio Advertising Works With These Tips!

Advertising on the radio can be an effective lead generation... Read More

Mail Can Make You Money

Are you still waiting for business to turn around before... Read More

Top Five 2004 Required Marketing Tips Needed to Succeed

When marketing your practice, as well as designing yourbrochure, web... Read More

Your Headlines Are Key To Your Success Or Failure. Do You Know What To Write?

Most professional copywriters would say that headlines account for 80%... Read More

Growing Your Business With Your Marketing Priorities

None of us have enough time in the day to... Read More

Six Ways to Boost Response on Your Surveys and Gain More Useful Information

So... you spend time and effort putting together a survey,... Read More

Are Your Marketing Efforts Working...Or Could They Use A Little Help?

Marketing is a broad business subject that encompasses a range... Read More

15 Ways to Promote eLearning Programs

Pre-note: In this article, teleclass is an example used to... Read More

21 Ways To Expand Your Subscriber List

Expanding your subscriber list, whether it be for your ezine,... Read More

The Sweet Aroma of Highly Effective Marketing

Highly effective marketing is accomplished when your marketing materials and... Read More

Youre Halfway There!...Or Not Part 1

The year is almost over and the last half of... Read More

How To Successfully Launch A New Business Activity

I often talk with business owners who tell me how... Read More

A Look at Color Brochure Printing

Brochures have become vital in today's workplace, serving a wide... Read More

10 Ways to Get Your Flyers Noticed

An inexpensive way to promote your services is to createvarious... Read More

Moving a Business Relationship from Free to Fee: Power of Freebies - Part 2

In the last issue we looked at 5 reasons why... Read More

Most Wanted Response... How To Make It Work

"When I walked into the grocery store last Saturday, I... Read More

Make Your Mailing a Home Run, Not a Strike Out!

You can use great design and copy to get a... Read More

Creating And Maintaining A Mailing List

Starting to collect proper information to create a... Read More

13 Lessons in Marketing, Super Bowl Style

Each year, the Super Bowl provides marketers opportunity to study... Read More

Linking Features & Benefits

I'm sure that you've had those Eureka! moments, too. When... Read More

Meaning and Marketing - The Hurricane

I step outside my back door and look at some... Read More

Online Communities - A Marketers Wildest Dream and Worst Nightmare!

Online Communities are all over the Internet and attract lots... Read More

Why Market to Generation X?

Generation X"--the 40 million or so people born between 1965... Read More

The Power of Thank You

Sometimes we loose site of the small things in life... Read More

Marketing is More Than a Token Process

"Necessity is the mother of invention!" The first time I... Read More

Always Sell To New Eyes And New Ears

One of the hardest things for you to do as... Read More

Why Do You Need to be in the SERPS?

Why does your business need to be in the Search... Read More

How to Tie a Tie and How To Kiss - What Do They Have In Common?

How to Tie a Tie and How To Kiss -... Read More

How to Avoid the Line Extension Trap

If you follow the prevailing logic of most modern companies,... Read More

Loan Officer Marketing ? Why Realtors® Don?t Read Your Brochures

When you place brochures from every mortgage company side by... Read More

11 Powerful Marketing Tips

Each of these 11 marketing tips is based on a... Read More

How to Turn Your Marketing Into a Money-Making Machine - Examples of solid Marketing

As Claude Hopkins presented in his Scientific Advertising many decades... Read More

How Much Is Your Popcorn Worth? Powerful Lessons In Marketing & The Psychology Of Selling - Part 3

To read the beginning of this special report, you can... Read More