Overdeliver: Build a Business for a Lifetime Playing the Long Game in Direct Response Marketing

Earlier in my life, I wondered why it always had to be me that made the extra effort to keep in touch and why they weren’t as motivated to maintain the relationship. But I learned that my disappointment was wasted energy. It wasn’t that they didn’t love me. They just didn’t have it in them to work that hard with everything else going on in their li

Early in his book, Grant asks which group you think will be the least successful in their buisness and personal endeavors—givers, takers, or matchers—and reveals that it’s the givers. But as you read on, he also asks which group you think will be the most successful . . . turns out it’s also the givers. The important lesson is how you give, not how

KEY TAKEAWAYS Your customers are the most important people in your business. Keeping them happy—serving them, creating world-class experiences, overdelivering on what you promise, and always innovating for their benefit—is your primary role. Customer service and fulfilment are critical marketing functions. It’s the “marketing after the marketing” t

Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.

I remember an old-time legacy publisher who would not rent their mailing list of book buyers to other mailers offering books in direct mail. They foolishly thought that every customer had a set budget to spend on books per year, and they wanted their customers to spend that budget only with them. It’s no surprise that this company is no longer in b

But the customers I dealt with in the past and the ones I deal with today always know one thing: they can count on me (and whoever is on my team) to be proactive and reliable.

If you picked up our financial reports and just looked at the numbers for the first year of a customer’s relationship with us, it would have looked like we were losing our shirts. But the key was calculating how much those first-year subscribers would contribute over the entire time they were subscribed. Renewals were the biggest part of that total

Consider eliminating the phrase “I’ll meet you halfway” in dealing with people in your life, difficult or not, acquaintances or close friends, whether you are in a tough negotiation or just disagreeing on something.

KEY TAKEAWAYS Success in business is not just about the numbers. It’s also the result of surrounding yourself with remarkable people who lift you up—and being that kind of person for others. The more proactively you build your connections with other great people, the more growth you will see, both personally and professionally. Be a strategic contr