-John
Happy St. Patrick’s Day
Looking back on 49 years in funeral service | News | journalpatriot.com
In my work with funeral directors everyday I am blessed with the opportunity to serve a truly unique and committed group of individuals. This is a great story in the spirit of this effort.*
-John
Phil Miller of Hays has seen and done it all in the funeral service business, and at the end of the month he’ll retire after 49 years in the industry, the last 42 at Reins-Sturdivant Funeral Home in North Wilkesboro. “I’ve done a little bit of everything in the funeral business, from opening graves to putting up and taking down tents,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “If you name it, I’ve done it—wait on families, work funerals, sell cemetery properties, sell pre-needs, sell monuments.” Miller, 70, said
Source: Looking back on 49 years in funeral service | News | journalpatriot.com
*Views expressed here are my own and do not represent the official views of Frazer Consultants
[podcast] How to Kick-start your Spring Fitness program
On a recent walk with Allie, I came upon a few insights about how you might think about kick-starting your spring fitness program. Here they are…
-John
Dan Jenkins, 90, Chronicler of Sports in Raucous Prose, Dies – The New York Times
Dan Jenkin Dies and his daughter speaks to his legacy…
In addition to the New York Times OBIT linked to below, I read another great article in The Washington Post about Dan written by his daughter. I especially love her statement about fatherhood…
-John
“So here’s the deal if you want a recipe for father worship, if you want kids who, when you are dying in the hospital, will race at 60 mph across town in search of the grape Popsicle you requested, just to please you one more time. Take your little girl or boy everywhere with you, even into bars. Do small, harmless things with them you shouldn’t, let them off easy and end every conversation with a laugh. But give them your God’s honest truth about what matters, and let them see you work.”
Click here for the story in The Washington Post
…as reported in The New York Times
Dan Jenkins, a sportswriter whose rollicking irreverence enlivened Sports Illustrated’s pages for nearly 25 years and animated several novels, including “Semi-Tough,” a sendup of the steroidal appetites, attitudes and hype in pro football that became a classic of sports lit, died on Thursday in Fort Worth. He was 90.
Source: Dan Jenkins, 90, Chronicler of Sports in Raucous Prose, Dies – The New York Times
How good copy will help you sell more stuff
written by john c ashworth
…just a quick Saturday afternoon post based on some reading I did this morning.
I would like to dispel this notion that no one reads anything anymore. I read plenty and I know a lot of others who do too. I believe good writing gets read a lot of the time. The problem is finding it. Then spending adequate time with it. Yes, that’s tough. But if the subject at play is one for which I have a particular interest. One that might be related to a product that I’m interested in? A product I use every day. A product for which my love contributes to the total in sales for that product each year. That’s worth something and it’s worth writing about in a way that communicates your beliefs and your passions as clearly and seductively as you can in order to solidify your customer bonds to your brand. When you avoid this exercise, you miss BIG opportunity to drive sales.
As example, this eloquent statement was found on the side of a box of Starbucks Keurig coffe cups I purchased at TJ Max last weekend…
French Roast
A master roaster watches, knowing that if he pushes a second too long, the glistening beans will burst into flame. White smoke hangs down as they turn ebony. This is French Roast, and you can’t roast it darker. Straightforward, light-bodied with low acidity, and immensely popular since 1971, our darkest roast is adored for its intense smokiness.
Words I love in this piece:
French
roast
glistening
smoke
ebony
adored
smokiness
I mean, look at these combinations of words you can make here…
adored smokiness
glistening smoke
adored french
You can add your own combinations in the comments below if you like.
Subliminal. Sublime.
Write on and your readers will find you!
-John
PS I have one more example before I go. So, this is no ordinary PS but this is no ordinary blog either. Where else are you going to find such a diverse group of insights, strategies, motivation, and solid science-based fitness tips than here on the Ash Flash. Subscribe today! By the way, for a cool article about the power of the PS, click here.
PPS Now here’s the story I want to tell you about why words matter and about how easy that truth is to ignore. Actually, I’ll just make it quick. Recently, I’ve been studying dictionaries. Yes. A story for another day. Wanted to buy one on ebay. They alerted me it was still on my watch list which accomplished its usual goal of creating desire where it had been forgotten. But then I went to buy it today…Yes, finally, after three alerts such as this with no action, today it caught me ready as a buyer, but there were no words to tell me anything about this dictionary. Not even a real photo either. And the last thesaurus I bought this way ended up to be one of these pocket thesaurus editions which I loath. I don’t want that to happen again. No sale. Because of no words! You can’t avoid this truth! And they have to be good words. Want to learn more every day about this topic and many more that will help you sell and accomplish more in less time, subscribe to the ash flash today.