Posted on May 3, 2019 by R.J. Foster, Whenever someone approaches me about creating content for their business, I always ask, “Are you trying to create awareness or interest?” And more often than not, they respond, “Aren’t they the same thing?” Now I’m no Noah Webster (to everyone who appreciates ...

The elevator speech is a great concept; a concise yet compelling description of your business that you’re ready to deliver whenever the opportunity presents itself. For many, though, the elevator speech is little more than a commercial; a rapid-fire list of products or services, and the offering of a business ...

  We love buying things, but hate being sold things.  We go shopping looking for stuff to buy, but we tell the persistent salesperson to leave us alone.  We like searching the web for information, but we cringe when online ads and pop-ups search for us.  We enjoy the idea of getting something, ...

  Commercials tend to cram a ton of information into a clever or catchy package that is delivered as consistently and frequently as possible. This is great for the seller, because it lodges their pitch in the minds of listeners where it will play when they need the product. Unfortunately ...

Posted on October 6, 2015 by R.J. Foster Selling is, by nature, a contest.  We compete for attention to build awareness.  And if our pitch is more exciting than everyone else’s, people buy our stuff instead of theirs.  We win. So we try to sound like more than the other guy; ...

  Once upon a time, I was an occasional guest-columnist for the Appleton Post-Crescent.  In February of 2008, I wrote the following piece about Valentine’s Day.  I realize my “little girls” are a wee bit beyond exchanging valentines. But it still makes me smile to remember.  I hope it brings ...

  I’ve never met Santa Claus, not as far as I know. Yet I feel like I know him.  How is that so? He doesn’t run ads on radio or TV. He’s not on the LinkedIn, the Twitter, or FB. Still he’s known everywhere, east-west-north-and-south. And the only medium he ...

“What the heck’s a Wordsmith?”  Well, it’s kind of like a blacksmith, except without the fire and sparks.  The blacksmiths of old worked in metal, creating the things people needed to make their lives better, more enjoyable, more successful.  As a Wordsmith, I work in language – forging words, spirit, ...