ZK's Web Marketing Blog » Laws of Success

Good Morning Sunday: What it Takes to be Number One – Vince Lombardi

ZK — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 07:57:32 +0000

As we wait in anticipation to watch today’s super bowl which starts in less than 24 hours, I thought it would be only befitting to dedicate the Good Morning Sunday post to Vince Lombardi – the greatest football coach of all time.

Arguably history’s greatest coaches, regardless of sport.

His ability to teach, motivate and inspire players helped turn the Green Bay Packers into the most dominating NFL team in the 1960s. The Super Bowl Trophy also know as Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Get ready for the Big Game as you enjoy this three minute inspirational movie that shares Vince Lombardi’s keys to success in an unforgettable way with vintage photos, great Lombardi quotes, and the rare audio segments from Lombardi giving his famous speech, What It Takes to Be #1.

Click here if the above movie does not play

“What it takes to be Number One”, became one of the greatest books on leadership not only in sports but also in business and life. The book explores powerful lessons about what it takes to be an effective leader and shows how to apply those qualities to one’s own life and career. It lays down effective leadership qualities and philosophy of Vince Lombardi.

What excites me most are his leadership quotes, his teachings as a coach and his inspirational speeches that motivate the team to perform and push beyond the ordinary every time.

Below are some of my favorite Vince Lombardi quotes

On Commitment:
“Winning is not a one time thing, it is an all time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time.

On Success:
“Success is like anything worthwhile. It has a price. You have to pay the price to win and you have to pay the price to get to the point where success is possible. Most important, you must pay the price to stay there.”

On Winning:
“You never win a game unless you beat the guy in front of you. The score on the board doesn’t mean a thing. That’s for the fans. You’ve got to win the war with the man in front of you. You’ve got to get your man.”

“If you’ll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives.”

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”

On Leadership:
“Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.”

“Leaders aren’t born they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.”

On Habit:
“Winning is a habit. Watch your thoughts, they become your beliefs. Watch your beliefs, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character.”

“It’s easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not a winner.”

Do you have any favorite Lombardi quotes ? Watch this inspirational clip before you see the Super Bowl match.

Have a Super Bowl Sunday and a great week ahead

Image Credit: Wisdomisms

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Good Morning Sunday: What it Takes to be Number One – Vince Lombardi

Good Morning Sunday – Susan Boyle, “I Dreamed, a Dream”

ZK — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:24:05 +0000

“My name is Susan Boyle”, were her first words when she introduced herself to the judges and audience at Britain’s got talent audition in 2009.

“And how old are you Susan ?” – asks Simon (one of the judges)

“I am 47 “, she said

The reaction from the judges and the audience after she said that could have shattered anyone’s hope of making it, but not Susan Boyle’s.

“And what’s your dream” – asks Simon

“I dream to be a professional singer” – she says

The reaction from the judges and the audience was very similar, there were giggles and not so friendly expressions. The boo’s from the crowd were louder than cheers for Susan Boyle.

Click here to see the video (embedding is disabled for this video )

That was how Susan Boyle was greeted by the judges and audience when she auditioned for Britains Got Talent.

But wait…

Here’s what happens when she recites her first note.

The audience is completely mesmerized by her powerful voice, the judges have a shocked look on their faces, the BOO’s from the crowd change into WOW’s.

In less than a few seconds, the negative energy around her turns into positive energy, the crowd is in awe during her performance giving her a standing ovation. The judges give her 3 Yes’s.

See the video (embedding is disbled for this video)

Susan became an overnight sensation. In less than a week after the audition Susan’s video was watched several 100 million times, she finished second in the show but Boyle’s debut album, I Dreamed a Dream (2009) remains as the UK best-selling debut album of all time.

There is something about the video clip that makes me feel extremely happy after I watch it every time, I am sure you’ll feel the same way once you see it.

A very inspiring story about how one underdog scores over and wins the battle. It does not matter who we are or how we look, all of us deserve a chance to prove ourselves.

Dream the dream you want.

Have a Happy Sunday and a Great Weekend Ahead

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Good Morning Sunday – Susan Boyle, “I Dreamed, a Dream”

Good Morning Sunday: 8 David Ogilvy Quotes to Help You Write Better Blog Content

ZK — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:21:16 +0000

He dropped out of college. He had been a cook, a salesman, a diplomatist and a farmer. He knew nothing about marketing, had never written any copy. He was unemployed at 38 when he approached advertising agencies to hire him.

No American agency hired him, however a London agency did hired him. Three year later he became the most famous copywriter in the world, and in due course built the tenth biggest agency in the world.

David Ogilvy was a Legend, an inspiration to many copywriters, marketers and sales professionals.

Often called “The Father of Advertising” and “The King Of Madison Avenue”, Ogilvy was know largely to help clients understand consumer insights. Real advertising or copy works best when based on consumer insights and addresses a solution to their problem. Apart from building a multi billion dollar business, he helped create some of the most iconic brands such as Dove, Shell, Hathaway Shirts and Rolls-Royce.

In 1965, Fortune magazine asked “Is Ogilvy a Genius?” and in 1975, Time called him “the most sought-after wizard in the advertising industry”.

David Ogilvy’s work and books have been very inspiring to write better copy, I encourage you to read his books and watch some of his videos. He is a true testament of selling products through simple and insightful copy.

Below are some of David Ogilvy’s famous quotes and are very relevant to bloggers and marketers to sell their products in the online medium.

1 ) “I have a theory that the best ads come from personal experience. Some of the good ones I have done have really come out of the real experience of my life, and somehow this has come over as true and valid and persuasive.”

- I start off with the above quote as being my most favored one. The best of communication that hits well with your audience comes from true life experiences be it pain, fear, excitement or seriousness. As a blogger this hold very true, you need to tell a story, your success, your failure and let your own personal voice come out on our blog. You will only make an impact on your reader when you write copy and thought that come from within.

2) “A consumer is not a moron. She’s your wife. Don’t insult her intelligence, and don’t shock her.”

- The is one of the great Ogilvy quote, you’ll often hear this one with advertising and marketing experts. To me this holds good for bloggers and internet marketers too, if you are trying to sell a product online ensure that you don’t insult your audiences intelligence. Don’t try to hard sell or be over persuasive in your copy, let it flow naturally, be honest and highlight the benefits of your product.

Treat your readers with dignity, value them and their opinions and comments.

3) “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”

- The magic of your communication is in your headline, if you get that right you’ll have more readers for your post. Spend time on crafting an effective headline, write a strong headline that gets the attention of your reader.

- Use effective titles in your headlines.
- Get the communication message of your post in a few words.
- Test and Measure your headline or copy.

“The headline is the ‘ticket on the meat.’ Use it to flag down readers who are prospects for the kind of product you are advertising.” – David Ogilvy

4) “The more informative your advertising, the more persuasive it will be”

- The key to successful blogging is being unique and informative. Write informative content that help your readers. As a blogger you should know what works well with your audience and what needs to change. Focus your time and energy in creating great and valuable content. Remember content is king, if its informative and addresses a problem it will sell by itself.

5) “The most important word in the vocabulary of advertising is TEST. If you pretest your product with consumers, and pretest your advertising, you will do well in the marketplace.”

- The true value of selling a product starts with testing the same with your audience, get to know what your audience likes about your product, here you need to test not only the positives but also the negatives of the products. Remember that testing negatives will only make your products better. It’s the same when you test your landing pages or your PPC ads. Testing is the key to success of any product online or offline.

“Never stop testing, and your advertising will never stop improving.” – David Ogilvy

6. “Good copy can’t be written with tongue in cheek, written just for a living. You’ve got to believe in the product.”

- Often we see blogs starting off well but a few posts later the blogger loses interest, the posts are written just to keep up with the keep content fresh without adding any real value to the readers or doing justice to content.

When you start a blog be passionate about it and believe in it. Your self belief is critical to your success as a blogger. Make you blog a content powerhouse by being relevant to your audience.

7. “What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its form.”

- Content is the king, be relevant to your audience. It’s important to provide them with solutions to their problems and benefits about your product and services. Create content that provides information and solves their problems. Content can be in the form of tips, FAQs, tutorials, how to dos etc.

8. “Never write an advertisement which you wouldn’t want your family to read. You wouldn’t tell lies to your own wife. Don’t tell them to mine.”

- Trust factor is very important in any form of communication or business, especially if you run a blog you need to truthful to your readers. Tell the truth and give you true opinions about products and services. If there is an issue with your product or service don’t try to cover up. The world of social media is very powerful, you will be exposed faster than you think.

There are lots more Ogilvy quotes and books that will help you understand marketing, advertising and copy writing with a lot of clarity and thought.

Do you have any personal favorite Ogilvy quote ?

Have a Happy Sunday and a Great Weekend Ahead

Image Credit: Ogilvy on Advertising

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Good Morning Sunday: 8 David Ogilvy Quotes to Help You Write Better Blog Content

Good Morning Sunday: If you don’t like your Results, Change your Approach

ZK — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 07:51:57 +0000

One of my favorite business stories is about a manager struggling to pay his bills, so he decides to get some advise from a financial expert.

He takes an appointment with a well respected, high profile financial advisor whose office is located in a swanky building on Park Avenue.

The manager enters the advisor’s swank office, but instead of a receptionist, the manager is greeted by two doors, one marked “employed” the other “self employed”.

He enters the door marked “employed” and is greeted by two more doors, one marked “makes less than $40,000 a year” and the other “makes more than $40,000 a year”.

He makes less than $40,000 a year so he enters that door, only to find himself face to face with two more doors. The door on the left is marked “saves more than $2000 a year” and the one on the right is marked “saves less than $2000 a year”

The manager only has about a thousand dollars in savings, so he enters the door on the right – only to find himself right back on Park Avenue.

The Same Doors Lead To The Same Results

The moral of the story is that most of us are like the manager who choose to enter the doors of life that lead them right back to where they started. The only way to get different results is to choose to enter different doors.

If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always gotten

If you want different results, change your approach, change your thinking.

Have a Super Sunday and a Great Week Ahead

Image Credit: Esthetic Core
Credits: Copycat Marketing 101

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Good Morning Sunday: If you don’t like your Results, Change your Approach

Good Morning Sunday: If you’ve never Failed, you’ve never Lived

ZK — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 07:15:46 +0000

Dismissed from drama school with a note that read, “Wasting her time, she is too shy to put her best foot forward.”

Turned down by a record company that said, we don’t like their sound, the guitar music is on their way out.

A failed solider, farmer and real estate agent, at 38 years old, he went to work for his father as a handyman.

Cut from the high school basketball team, he went home, locked himself in a room and cried.

A teacher told him he was too stupid to learn anything and he should go into a field where he might succeed by virtue of his pleasant personality.

Fired from a newspaper because he lacked imagination and had no original ideas.

His fiancee died, he had a nervous breakdown and he was defeated in eight elections.

7 Failed instances, 7 all time Greats…..If you’ve never failed, you’ve never lived.

Have a Happy Sunday and a Great Week Ahead

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Good Morning Sunday: If you’ve never Failed, you’ve never Lived

Good Morning Sunday: Moving from 2(0)11 to 2(0)12 – That Extra Degree

ZK — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:09:18 +0000

At 211 degrees, the water is hot
At 212 degrees, it boils
and with boiling water comes steam

And steam can power a locomotive.

As we move from 2011 to 2012, you need to visualize How your 2012 will be ? Or How do you want your 2012 to be ?

Will it just be another year or another number in your life or will it BE THAT EXTRA DEGREE.

One Extra degree makes all the difference, the difference between success and failure, the difference between victory and failure, the difference between being where you are and where you want to be.

That one extra degree of effort in business and life separates the Good from the Great.

Are you ready to make 2012 your best year, are you ready to turn up the heat and move that extra degree ?

Make 2012, that extra degree year of your life. At 212 degrees you’ll be a winner.

Have a Great 2(0)12 Ahead

Image Credit: 212 Degree Movie

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Good Morning Sunday: Moving from 2(0)11 to 2(0)12 – That Extra Degree

Good Morning Sunday: 5 Success Lessons from Muhammed Ali – The Greatest

ZK — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 07:52:23 +0000

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; January 17, 1942), nicknamed “The Greatest” is one of the greatest heavyweight championship boxers of all time. Ali became the first boxer to win the heavyweight championship three times. He is an inspiration to many of us not only as a great fighter but also as a hero. The hero who defied all odds and defeated the greatest champions in the boxing ring.

Ali was involved in some of the greatest historic fights, including three with Joe Frazier and one with George Foreman. In his career he amassed 56 wins and only 5 losses. Ali’s never give up die hard attitude and his inspiring speeches made him a global icon.

In 1999, Ali was crowned “Sportsman of the Century” by Sports Illustrated and “Sports Personality of the Century” by the BBC.

5 Success Lessons from “The Greatest” – Muhammed Ali

1) Power of spoken words

“I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was.”

Muhammed Ali was a man who spoke what he wanted to be much before he became one. He believed in the power of spoken words, what you speak become seeds of thought, your thoughts create a vision and a dream. Speak what you want to see, not what you see.

2) The Power of visualization:
“Champions aren’t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them — a desire, a dream, a vision.”

Every champion has a desire, a goal and a dream to achieve much like every entrepreneur who has a vision and a dream for his business. Can you visualize your dream can yous see the unseen ?

3) Pay now, Play later:
“I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”

Everyone has to pay the price of success or failure. You decide when you want to pay it – early in your life or later on. People who pay the price early in life are generally successful in what they want to achieve. There is no substitute to hard work. Even The Greatest Muhammed Ali went through the pain and grind of everyday training.

4) Self belief is the greatest belief:
“It’s lack of faith that makes people afraid of meeting challenges, and I believed in myself.”

Have faith and self belief in yourself and in what you want to achieve. You can’t be successful if you don’t have self belief or lack of faith. Be a firm believer of yourself, Be a firm believer of your dreams.

5) Success is won in the mind first:
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”

Before you actually win or accomplish anything in life, you need to see it in your mind. You need to be a winner in your thought before you become a winner in reality. Seed winning thoughts before you plan the game.

Here is one more Ali quote that like like – ‘It’s hard to beat a guy when he’s got his mind made up that he’s going to win.”

Be like Muhammed Ali – Determined, Guts, Persistent, Fighter with A Winning Attitude.

Have a Super Sunday and a Great Weekend Ahead

Image Credit: WWE Superb

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Good Morning Sunday: 5 Success Lessons from Muhammed Ali – The Greatest

Good Morning Sunday: 7 Life Changing Business Lessons from Walt Disney

ZK — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 09:55:28 +0000

With Walt Disney at Disney World - Orlando, Florida

“All our dreams can come true — if we have the courage to pursue them” – Walt Disney

I was fortunate to spend a week at Walt Disney World – Orlando, Florida last month. I made the best of my vacation days and visited every theme park at Disney. It’s hard not to be struck by the vision and innovation of the parks founder – Walt Disney.

Walter Elias “Walt” Disney was a film producer, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, international icon, and philanthropist. Walt Disney was more than that, he was a visionary, a dreamer and one of the world greatest creators – the creator of the largest theme park – Disney World.

Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America; with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. – Walt Disney

There is a lot to learn from Walt Disney and below are 7 life changing business lessons I picked up during my visit to Disney World.

Lesson 1: Anything is possible:
- Walt Disney and Disney World prove it that you can start with nothing, absolutely nothing and build it to your imagination. Walt Disney’s ingredient to success was to have passion and love for what you are doing and anything is possible.

Lesson 2: Adversity always gets the best out of you
- Walt Disney’s greatest ideas were inspired out of his struggles. Walt once said, “All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

On a train ride from New York to California, Walt faced an uncertain future. He had lost nearly everything in his previous animation venture and was starting all over again. During the train ride, Micky Mouse popped out of his mind onto a drawing pad. Born of necessity, the little fellow literally freed him of immediate worry. The rest is history.

“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all, started by a mouse – Walt Disney

For Walt Disney his greatest adversity bought about his greatest ideas

Lesson 3: Unleash your imagination
- Walt was the greatest dreamer ever. Disney World is an imagination turned reality. A place where dreams are made of, a place where cartoon characters are given personality. A larger than life experience.

“If you can dream it, you can do it” – Walt Disney

Anyone can imagine a talking mouse or a castle in a park, but it takes hard work to make the dream a reality. He was never satisfied until they were built the right way, exactly as he envisioned.

Lesson 4: Be a magnetic personality
- “You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality” – Walt Disney

The key to Walt’s success was his ability to attract people to his vision, inspire them and motivate them to work on his dream. He was a story teller, he sold people and they bought in and became loyal followers. He was on a mission and he inspired everyone to join his mission, he had a ability to create and inspire. No one felt used by Walt – they felt honored to be a part of his dream and vision.

Lesson 5: Be a sponge for ideas
- The theme parks continuously fed me with information and ideas. I tried to absorb and penned every one of them down. The theme parks are full of ideas and innovation. Some of the best ideas for business and life bubbled in my head during this visit. It’s amazing to see how Walt Disney implemented them and made it large.

“I’ve got lot of ideas. I haven’t worked them out and I haven’t proved them out. I carry ideas around my head for a long time – Walt Disney

Absorb inspiration wherever you go, that’s what Walt did.

Lesson 6: Try to envision the future
- This is one of the greatest traits of all entrepreneurs, Walt probably was the greatest futurist who ever lived. He not only predicted the future, he made it happen. He was a planner and a doer. He carefully studied trends and patterns of change, then acted on them. He made the future happen. EPCOT,the city of tomorrow (one of the theme parks)is an epitome of his future and vision about the possibilities of science, exploration of space and the expansion of new frontiers.

Always ask yourself, “How about tomorrow ?”, that’s what Walt did.

Lesson 7: Make family your priority
- “A man should never neglect his family for business” – Walt Disney. And that was exactly the way he led his life and business. Walt was a family man, and that’s why the name “Walt Disney” still means “family entertainment” to us all. Begin at home, make home and family your first priority that’s what Walt did.

Disney World was an awesome experience and a great vacation, the only vacation where I learnt a lot about business and entrepreneurship. And if you every happen to visit Disneyland don’t miss out on Walt Disney:One Mans Dream a short documentary on the life and making of Walt Disney.

Have a Happy Sunday and a great week ahead

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Good Morning Sunday: 7 Life Changing Business Lessons from Walt Disney

Good Morning Sunday: 32 Brilliant Quotes from Albert Einstein

ZK — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 08:06:24 +0000

He may not feature as an Entrepreneur in any business books or in any workshop on entrepreneurship, but he has inspired many Entrepreneurs and Business legends with his thought and his innovative style of thinking.

They call him the absent minded Genius, the man who gave us the Theory of Relativity – Albert Einstein

The brilliant thinker left behind some very brilliant quotes:

1. “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

2. “Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.”

3. “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

4. “I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.”

5. “The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.”

6. “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.”

7. “You ask me if I keep a notebook to record my great ideas. I’ve only ever had one.”

8. “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

9. “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

10. “Not everything that counts can be counted; and not everything that can be counted counts.”

11. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

12. “The only real valuable thing is intuition.”

13. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, Imagination encircles the world ”

14. “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”

15. “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

16. “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.”

17. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”

18. “Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learned in school.”

19. “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

20. “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

21. “Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

22. “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the the universe.”

23. “When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it seems like two minutes. When you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it seems like two hours. That’s relativity.”

24. “If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.”

25. “A question that sometimes drives me hazy: am I or are the others crazy?”

26. “A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?”

27. “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”

28. “Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”

29. “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

30. “Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them.”

31. “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

and here is my favorite one,

“Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics, I can assure you that mine are still greater.”

Have a Happy Sunday and a great weekend ahead

Image Credit: Albert Einstein Gemzies

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Good Morning Sunday: 32 Brilliant Quotes from Albert Einstein

Good Morning Sunday with Nick Vujicic – Life without Limbs, Happy and Beautiful

ZK — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 07:52:44 +0000

Nick Vujicic has been an inspiration to millions, with no limbs you think he would be very bitter with what life has given him.

Life is beautiful and no one can say it better than Nick Vujicic, one of the most inspirational person I have ever seen.

If you think life has been unfair to you and God has not been kind, then have a look at this video. Send it to someone who is having a bad day.

No Arms, No Limbs, No Limits

Have a Happy Sunday and an Awesome Week ahead

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Good Morning Sunday with Nick Vujicic – Life without Limbs, Happy and Beautiful