Canadians Not Loose With Their Loonies

We learned something about Canadian consumers during this past weekend's appearances on The Shopping Channel in Toronto. They tend to carefully consider a purchase. When we present a product on QVC in the States, people call in during the show and immediately buy the product. On the Canadian Shopping Channel, the calls tend to come in after the show is over. So, I assume the buyers are doing a little research before plunking down their hard-earned loonies. The sales were respectable during three showings on Sunday, so I guess I'll be heading back for another appearance soon. That's a good thing, since I was hoping to visit the Canadian side of Niagara Falls during this visit, but got side-tracked by visiting a great winery (or 2 or 3!) along the shores of Lake Ontario. (Can you see my blood-shot eyes in this photo?)

Podcast Breaks Into the Top 20

Congratulations to Lisa B. Marshall! Her latest series of podcasts, the Public Speaker, just broke into the iTunes Top 20. Lisa was one of my first podcast clients almost two years ago. Her podcasts offer quick, practical tips that help you become a better public speaker. You can subscribe to the podcasts (and hear my recorded intro/outro) at Lisa's site. Quick and Dirty Tips is owned by the multi-national publisher, Macmillan & Company, and publishes the podcasts for another of my clients, Stever Robbins.

Real or Fake?

Can you tell from looking at this pic of me on QVC this past weekend? No, I'm not talking about my hair (that's real, thank you). Is the tan real or fake? The truth is that the QVC stylists usually spray paint your face with this brownish gunk to give you a golden glow. You wouldn't think I would need it since I live at the Jersey shore, and get to the beach a least a couple times a week .

My knowledge of stock trading is growing again. I'm working on a new course for Manny Backus at Wealthpire on swing trading. We're creating a DVD, several audio CDs, and a companion book. Swing trading sits somewhere on the trading spectrum between daytrading and buy & hold. We go over the technical indicators found on a stock chart (before we started on this project I had thought Bollinger Bands were either a musical group or some obscure disease).

Criminal Justice Files

The first two episodes of the Criminal Justice Files are now available online. Matt McClain and his crew did a super job on them - the video production values on them are network-level (my narration, not so much). The shows are a take-off on all the cops shows (with an underlying educational value). Check 'em out!.

E-mail Overload

This has been an active month for audio books. I just finished editing a 3-CD audio program for Stever Robbins on how to tame your email inbox. Stever, the executive coach and Get-It-Done Guy podcaster, provides some clever tips (and some devious methods) for taking control of your email. If you want to know how to declare "email bankruptcy," get a copy of the program. It's now available here.

QVC Overload

I may be a victim of over-exposure on the QVC shopping network. I made my 9th appearance there tonight, and the sales of the product I represent were less than stellar (ok - sales sucked). Could it be that everyone who needs a product to transfer VHS tapes to DVD has one now? We have sold hundreds of thousands of dollars of this product in the last couple months, but, come on, it's a big country! Speaking of countries, Mike at Honestech has lined up my next shopping channel gig for August - and it won't be in the US but just across the border. Will I be selling beaver pelts or tortillas? Stay tuned to find out!

The Secret Banker

I've been working on an audio book for Jay and Brian at Consumer Publishing Group for the past month or two. The topic of the CDs is how to reduce your personal debt (certainly a timely subject). Yesterday, I had the opportunity to record an interview with a bank loan officer. He spilled the beans on many of the tactics banks employ to increase their profits (while increasing your level of debt). Here's a hint: have you ever really read the loan agreement that the bank shoves at you? Ever wonder why you suddenly qualify for a larger loan that you really wanted? I had to disguise the Secret Banker's voice (I applied some GarageBand filters to his track) since he's still employed by a financial institution, and would prefer not to lose his job.