Topic: Dan Heath

Ask Dan Heath: How Do I Turn 'Too Picky' Into 'Pick Me'?

I'm a home inspector, and I'm looking for ideas on how to generate more business and outflank my competitor who has copied me (flattered?) in so many ways. Two of my competitors (partners) promote themselves like this: "Why hire one ...READ»

Leadership: Hard to Imagine What It's Like to Not Know What We Know

I recently reviewed the book "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die," by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. In it, they state "To strip an idea down to its core, we must be masters of exclusion. We must relentlessly ...READ»

Ask Dan Heath: Patience Is THE Virtue

Dear Dan, After 15 years of marketing for Fortune 500 companies, we're going to publish Diamond's Dog Dish®, a series of free postcards delivered to dog-lovers' inboxes bringing them a daily dose of "creature culture" with the goal ...READ»

Ask Dan Heath: The Scared Straight Approach to Teens, Texting, and Driving

Dear Dan, My daughter turned 16 about six months ago, so naturally I am terrified of her getting in a wreck. To make matters worse, I rode with her recently and she started texting while she was driving! I gave her an earful but ...READ»

On "A Problem-Solver's Guide"

"A Problem-Solver's Guide to Copycatting" is an article by Dan Heath and Chip Heath for Fast Company. The article looks at how P&G explored biomimicry with the aid of the San Diego Zoo for innovation inspiration.  They state, ...READ»

13 Business Books That Will Blow Your Mind

There are business books that teach you how to balance your ledger, hire the right people, and manage your cash flow. These aren't those books. These are the books that open your mind to new ways of doing business. Take a look at these 13 mind-blowing business books and add your own suggestions on what was left out.READ»

Public Speaking Training and Effective Presentation Skills

Nine tips to improve your presentation skills, by Sims Wyeth, Executive and Corporate public speaking coach.READ»

Please Ignore This Ad - Features vs. Benefits

BG and I were driving to work yesterday when I commented on a radio ad. She said she hadn’t even noticed it and I can’t say I’m surprised. It was a car ad from one of the big companies - Ford or Chevy, I think - and it made ...READ»

Corporate Creation Myths, and Why We Need Them

Why do Americans need to attach creation myths to everything, including the origins of our most visible business ventures? We idealize the lone inventor over the company man, the garage over the office space. We tell the story of ...READ»

Careers: Getting to the Moon with Personal Branding

What does John F. Kennedy’s challenge to put a man on the moon have to do with personal branding? A lot it turns out, according to Chip Heath and his brother, Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others ...READ»

We Know What We Know…Doesn’t Everybody Know It?

Have you ever found yourself taking for granted that everyone else knew exactly what you knew and didn’t begin to think that might not be the case? What would it mean if we assumed others didn’t know what we knew? If we started ...READ»

My Favorite Books for Bosses

In thinking about the process of writing "Good Boss, Bad Boss", and more broadly, about the set of books that I believe every boss should read, I came up with a list of my favorites.READ»

Made to Stick: Why Companies Should Pave the Way to Praise

Why do companies make it so hard to say thank you to the right people?READ»

• How to Find Real World Talent in Second Life
• How to Build a Halo of Happiness

How Do I Make My Resume Stick?

CV.v2 asks: I am putting together a resume for the first time since the days when I listed student-club memberships and honor rolls on it. Any advice for making a resume stick?READ»

Are Investors Hedging, Or Is Your Baby Ugly?

Every time we show an investor our concept and our prototype, they absolutely love it. How can we get the investors to get over their fear and pull the trigger?READ»

• Ask Dan

What CSR and Nonprofit Leaders Are Reading - Part I

It's always fun to find out what others are reading and peruse their book shelves. Here's a glimpse at the summer reading lists of a variety of people from business, nonprofits, and corporate social responsibility.READ»

How to Avoid Making a Bad Presentation

You can prevent bad PowerPoint from happening to good people. Take these steps to help presenters with their presentations and fix your meetings.READ»

• The Power (Or Problem) of Presentations

Can You Make Complex Things Simple?

Don't Simp Me In asks: You always preach the value of simplicity in marketing. But let's face it: Some businesses aren't simple (like mine). So what then--oversimplify?READ»

Why We Redesigned Our Magazine

"Does this outfit still work?" That's a question I ask my wife way too often, after I pull out an older garment from my closet or drawer. Bell-bottom pants. Skinny ties. Pleated anything. Clothing goes in and out of style, rising in ...READ»

The Leading Edge - Leadership Defined

Leadership is creating the possibility of a future that wasn't going to happen and then enrolling others into taking action to fulfill that future. - Ivan Rosenberg, CEO, Frontier Associates Through The ...READ»

The Snuggie Is Everywhere. WTF?

What the Snuggie tells about product creation and marketing.READ»

Make Goals Not Resolutions

Your dismal New Year's resolution record--and what your business can learn from it.READ»

• Get Back In The Box
• Analysis of Paralysis

Why Customers Will Pay You to Restrain Them

We worry about many things. Our kids' grades, our parents' health, the world at large. (Also, will all those unemployed investment bankers have enough to eat?) Add to that list one really odd thing we worry about: our own future ...READ»

• Successful Experiments in Customer Restraint

Made to Stick: The Anti-Slogan Argument

Fight the urge to think in clever taglines.READ»

• In Business, Story Trumps Slogan
• The Best Advertising Slogans of All Time According to Digg Users

Why Market Your Company With Stick-on Emotion When You Can Tap the Real Thing?

Why market your company with stick-on emotion when you can tap the real thing?READ»

• Making Nice