Sam Horn's Blog, page 9

That's Intriguing #33: Top 12 Tips for Designing a Winning Pitch

Thanks to all of you who emailed to say you enjoyed those top ten tips on delivering a winning pitch in my previous blog post.

Due to popular demand, I've now agreed to share my best-practice tips for developing a clear, concise, convincing pitch that captures the attention, respect and interest of decision-makers.

I hope these tips help you put together an intriguing pitch that gets people's eyebrows up and motivates then to want to know more about your idea, project, product or venture.

1. ...

That's Intriguing #32: Top Ten Tips for Delivering a Winning Pitch

Many clients have asked me to post my Top Ten Tips for Delivering a Winning Pitch article online so they can share it with their colleagues and take it viral.

Ask and ye shall receive.

Top Ten Tips for Delivering a Winning Pitch – by Sam Horn, The Intrigue Expert and inventor of The POP Process

You've invested months or years into developing your business.

Now, you have minutes to intrigue and impress potential investors.

The following tips can help you command the attention, respect and...

That's Intriguing #30: They Don't Call 'em Fleeting Thoughts for Nothing

Ink it when you think it.

Why is it important to ink it when we think it?

Did you read Alice in Wonderland? Do you remember this passage?

"The horror of that moment, I shall never, never forget!" – the King.

"You will, though," the Queen replies, "if you don't make a memo of it."

Even the Queen knew to jot thoughts when they're hot.

I'll always be grateful to former National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones for showing me why it's every writer's job to ink it when we think it.

National...

That's Intriguing #29: Why Is it Important to Build an Umbrella Brand?

Give-me-ambiguity-or-give-me-something-else-T-shirt

"Give me ambiguity – or give me something else." – t-shirt slgoan

Are you a Jack of all topics – master of none?

When people look at your website and marketing material, are they confused by all the different things you offer?

Do you feel like your business and career are all over the map?

Do you find it hard to, as speaker Joe Calloway says, "pick a lane"?

Explorer Daniel Boone once said, "I can't say I was ever lost, but I was bewildered once...

That's Intriguing #28: How Can Everyday Events Provide Fresh Insights for Blogs, Articles and Presentations?

em>"You can make more money and more friends, but you can't make more time. That's why it's the greatest gift you can give someone." – Captain James Key

A couple summers ago, I was so immersed in writing a book, the weeks flew by, September came, and I never went swimming once.

Yikes. I promised myself that wouldn't happen this year. I've vowed to swim at least 4 times a week – either in the lake or in one of the 22 (!) community pools in our community of Reston.

So, yesterday, I wrapped up a ...

That's Intriguing #27: How to Use Stories to Make Your Business Presentations More Compelling

Earlier this year, I read an article in The Washington Post Sunday Magazine about a tanker that had caught fire 800 miles off the Hawaiian coast.

Fortunately, a cruise ship happened to be going by and was able to rescue the 11 crewmen.

However, as they pulled away, a passenger heard the sound of a dog barking. The captain's dog, Hokget, had been left behind.

When the cruise ship got to Hawaii, the crew held a press conference. The captain said how grateful they were to be rescued, but all he c...

That's Intriguing #26: Top 10 Intriguing Quotes of All Time

"The secret to creativity is to say an old thing in a new way to or a new thing in an old way." – Richard Harding Davis

I guess you can tell I love quotes . . .

Fresh quotes are a quick way to get our message's foot in our readers' and listeners' mental door.

Why?

When we introduce something people haven't heard before; they want to know more.

Here, as promised, are my 10 favorite quotes of the more than 2000 featured in my books POP! Tongue Fu!®, ConZentrate, Take the Bully by the Horns...

That's Intriguing #25: Want to Make Your Art Your Work?

A friend gave me a card recently that read, "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

I believe this is the ultimate power of books, blogs and presentations – and spending time with a compatible friend.

The best communicators introduce ideas that result in an epiphany – either of something we once knew and have forgotten or of something that crystallizes in front of us and we SEE a truth for the first time.

That was m...

That's Intriguing #24: Why We All Ought to Adopt the Wisdom of Randy Pausch

My son Tom just called me to ask, "Have you ever watched The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch?"

Tom is a 25 year old living his dream, working as a certified mission controller at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. He still gets "chicken skin" (what Hawaiians call goose bumps) at the thought that he gets to work with the shuttle and the ISS (International Space Station).

As he says with wonderment in his voice, "I do something down here; and it makes something happen up there."

Tom was at a...

That's Intriguing #23: How to POP! Your Book Title

A client asked me on Friday, "What are the purposes behind choosing a book title that works – for all the right reasons?"

I told her, "Good question. There are 7 things we're going for with our non-ficiton book title. A winning business or self-help book title and sub-title should:

1. Stop people in their tracks and grab their attention because it doesn't blend in with all the other books on the shelves.

2. Address a problem you're facing, a need you have, or a benefit you want.

3. Contain ...