And, I was asked what my top book recommendations were for marketing, selling and writing compelling copy. So, I reached deep down hoping to come up with the coolest, newest, hippest, most cutting edge recommendations…but instead, I started offering up titles that ranged from 20 to 80 years old.

What gives? Simple answer. Times change, circumstances change, marketing and distribution channels change, products, services and technologies change. But, human nature has remained largely unchanged for as long as history has been recorded. And, in the end, solving, selling and marketing are fundamentally about understanding human nature, not bells and whistles.

So, if you want to go find the latest jazzy book on copywriting for the web or optimization, that’s fine. But, my guess is you’ll get even more out of legendary books like

• The Robert Collier Letter Book (1937),
• Claude C. Hopkins’ Scientific Advertising (1923),
• John Caples’ Tested Advertising Methods (5th ed 1997), and
• Eugene Schwartz’ Breakthrough Advertising (1966)

These books are as relevant, powerful and useful today as they were when they were published. Because, they spoke directly to:

(1) Crafting messages that cut directly to the heart of human nature and what makes people act, then

(2) Measuring, with precision, the impact in an effort to repeatedly tune and improve that message

So, if you want to know how to solve, sell, write copy and market better, don’t study advertising, study human nature…and start with the classics.

For the Career Renegade, conventional wisdom is actually a great asset. It thins the herd of competitors, leaving only those who choose to blaze their own path, rather than follow another’s. It creates space for those who lead with passion to truly shine.

Your first challenge is to understand this, to see conventional wisdom as simply the first of many tests, the collective presumptions of other people who have not been able to succeed in their own quests. Or, even more likely, a reflection of an unwillingness to ever try. Know this, accept it. Then resolve to move beyond it.

So, what do you think?

No doubt, it’s fun doing espisodes with well known people, but I wanted to also make sure to include stories of everyday folks who are doing cool things.

So, this episode features Christine and Steve Olson, married parents from Minnesota, who run an online bookselling business (ChristinesBooks.net) and a personal development blog (Steve-Olson.com)…and make real money doing it.

Enjoy…

This fantastic talk by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love, was given at the TED conference. Enjoy the insights…

And, as always, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Career Renegade TV is now live!

Our first episode features a totally behind the scenes interview with entrepreneurship, wine, vlogging and social media giant, Gary Vaynerchuk of WineLibraryTV.com fame. In this nearly one-hour, in-depth interview, we get into…

• How tasting hot asphalt as a little kid led to a career as a wine mogul
• How he mastered a huge body of wine knowledge, even though he hated school
• What is was like moving into a family business and helping take it from $4 to nearly $50 million in sales in less that 10 years.
• Why he decided to launch WineLibraryTV.com, why it actually lost the company money early on.
• The importance of passion, patience, work ethic and money
• Why being real is what it’s really all about
• Balancing family and work time
• Where he’s going from here.

Enjoy! And feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below…

From single mom with two kids on the verge of bankruptcy to successful super-affiliate, internet marketer, blogger and online marketing strategist, Clicknewz.com founder Lynn Terry is a powerful combination of will, intelligence and authentic kindness.

In this killer one-hour Renegade Profile, she reveals:

• How she went from supporting 7 people in an 800 square foot apartment to generating a great income and living in her own home.
• How she uses a simple egg-timer to balance working from home and playing with her kids
• How she handled raising a special needs child, working at home, home-schooling two kids and building a business all at the same time.
• What critical moments and realizations led her to a radical shift in career paths
• How she got into affiliate marketing and “what” affiliate marketing really is
• How to start as an affiliate marketer and grow your revenue on the side
• How she became a blogger, teacher and “super-affiliate”
• An inspiring and unusual way to define both security and success
• And, so much more.

If you are already subscribed to the Career Renegade profiles interview series, head on over to the vault now and listen to or download the interview as an mp3. And, if you’re not yet subscribed, sign up below, it doesn’t cost a dime, and dive into the growing library of Renegade Profiles.

I just posted this over at Jonathan FIelds | Awake @ The Wheel and thought Id share it here, too. It’s done on a Flip Ultra video camera, one-cut, no edits and it’s done in a style I like to call…”ghetto natural.”

The topic, by the way, is the notion of balance (which is kinda funny, because I almost trip numerous times while filming). Enjoy!