| Being the day before Thanksgiving, I have a 30-minute "task" for you that will make you feel good and bring you many future blessings. Step One: Take out five sheets of paper. Nice stationery, if you have it. Step Two: Think about the people in your life who help you. And not just in the obvious ways. For example, think of someone who: - makes you laugh
- inspires you
- you can count on, no matter what
- has taught you a valuable lesson
- you love
Step Three: Handwrite a thank you note to each of them. It should take no more than two or three minutes per person. Ten to 15 minutes to write all five letters. Step Four: Address five envelopes. Step Five: Take them to the post office and mail them. Question: Do I have to write them on paper and post them? Won't e-mail do just as well? Answer: No. Problem: I'm not good at writing letters. This will take me all day! Solution: The letters don't need to be long, perfervid, or poetic. Just two, three, or four sentences that express what each person means to you. Be brief, but be specific. Identify -- as simply, truly, and precisely as you can -- the reason for your gratitude. To make it extra easy, you can use this as your template: Dear Harry, I was thinking of you this afternoon and found myself grinning in public. It occurred to me that you have always brought a smile to my face. I wanted you to know that I am grateful for it. Your friend, Michael Masterson As I said, you will get two benefits from this exercise. You will have a good, warm feeling when you write the letter. And you will be encouraging and deepening a relationship that is good for you. -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- 88 Recommendations, 1 Loss - So far, out of 88 recommendations, bond expert Steve McDonald (of our sister publication Investor's Daily Edge) has shown his readers 87 winning plays. You owe it to yourself to make sure your retirement years really are your golden years. Steve can help make sure they are. Click here to learn more.
"The toughest thing about the power of trust is that it's very difficult to build and very easy to destroy. The essence of trust building is to emphasize the similarities between you and the customer." Thomas J. Watson Picture this... You're out with friends. Single and looking, you lock eyes with a woman whose glance stops your breath. Excited, you take a second look. Your face flushes and your knees wobble. You feel 16 again. Yet you're smart enough to know one thing. If the first words out of your mouth have anything to do with what you're thinking right now, you're more likely to go home with a black eye than with her. To have a shot, you need a different approach. You introduce yourself. Establish common interests. Reveal a little something about yourself. Listen as she does the same. Until she's starting to show signs that she's into you, too. Only then, do you ask... The same is true in marketing -- especially online. You can quickly turn a prospect off -- and lose them forever -- by asking for the sale too soon. How to seduce your customers This article is about what to do, not how to do it. Strategy, not specific tactics. We're not dealing with marketing "pick-up lines" here. This is a specific approach you can take called Multi-Step Marketing. The idea behind Multi-Step Marketing is that, instead of asking for the sale immediately, you ask prospects to begin a friendly relationship with you. You ask them to take a small, no-obligation step. And that step is to give you permission to contact them again. They give you their contact information in exchange for some valuable information. A free special report or mini-course. You deliver that valuable information as promised. Then you continue to deliver valuable information over a period of days, weeks, or months. You build the relationship until they're ready to take that next step. Until they're ready to commit. Until they're ready to buy! Why seduction marketing works so well Before I got into marketing, I learned everything I could about psychology. I've always been fascinated by how our minds work. Multi-Step Marketing is a great example of this. You see, in the deepest recesses of our minds, there are powerful instincts that drive our thoughts and behavior. Instincts that helped our ancestors survive. Instincts that, when we encounter something new, say, "Don't trust that until you're sure it won't hurt you." Those same instincts fire off when we're approached by a stranger. Those same instincts fire off when a new person or company tries to sell us something. Those are the same instincts that we, as marketers, need to overcome if we want to make the sale. And Multi-Step Marketing helps us do just that. Seduction marketing in action A bit back, I was thinking I could publish an information product based on my hobby of playing ice hockey. As I looked into the market, I brainstormed how Multi-Step Marketing would work in this business: - First, none of my banner ads, Google ads, or any other ways of driving traffic to my website would actually sell my product (a hockey skills-building system). Instead, they'd offer free information, such as "Hockey Players: Free Report Reveals #1 Way to Improve Puck-Handling" or "Hockey Speed Secrets: Free Report Will Boost Your Skating Speed in 3 Days."
- Once a prospect clicked through to my website, the page they'd land on -- the "landing page" -- would not sell anything either. Instead, it would build on the promise of free information. It would also give them a way to get the free information -- a form for providing me with their name and e-mail address. (A service like Aweber at www.aweber.com has copy-paste tools for adding these forms to your website.)
- As soon as they submitted their name and e-mail address, I'd send them an e-mail fulfilling the promise of free information. It would give them download instructions for the report.
- I'd set up an autoresponder series, continuing to give valuable information related to my skills-building system. While I could refer to my product, and even link to the sales page, the primary focus of these e-mails would be to continue to give real value to the prospect.
- Finally, after giving away enough good information to establish trust and credibility, I could start sending e-mails selling my system.
One area where seduction marketing generates notably large profits Multi-Step Marketing works particularly well in self-publishing. And I like the self-publishing industry for a number of reasons. A self-publishing business is easy to start, has low expenses and high profit margins, can leverage your passions and experiences into significant income, and can give you the lifestyle you dream of. The Multi-Step Marketing approach makes it easy to grow your own self-publishing business -- in your spare time or as a full-time gig -- quickly and affordably, without having to be a marketing genius. If you've started a self-publishing business -- or are considering starting one -- try it. See how Multi-Step Marketing can help you generate more profits quicker. [Ed. Note: This article was adapted from one that appeared in Spare-Time Biz Success, an e-letter covering business opportunities that you can start in your spare time to generate a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand dollars in extra monthly income. If you're looking for a complete roadmap to starting your own self-publishing business, check out Self Publishing: Your Complete Business Plan for Creating a Life Without Borders.] -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- Who's the Boss? - Getting your people motivated is not always easy. That's especially true in today's down economy. Some of the best, most succinct, and most useful advice on managing employees -- all sorts of employees -- is contained in a single chapter of Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson. Books have been written on this subject, but you'll get all you need to know in this chapter.
How Often Should a Profit Center Manager Contact You?
By Michael Masterson
Your business is going pretty well. You have 18 employees and three product lines. Each of those three profit centers is headed by a manager -- Dick, Jane, and Spike. Dick is in your office five times a day and copies you on every e-mail he sends or receives. When you give him advice on a direction to take, he asks for details. He tape records your directions and follows them scrupulously. His goal is to please you by doing everything you say exactly as you say it. Jane is another ball of wax. When you challenge her with a business objective, she questions it as if she's not quite sure you have it right. After a longish conversation, she will reluctantly agree to take on the project. And then you don't hear from her again -- no e-mails, no copied correspondence, no office stop-bys, nothing -- until the project has either succeeded or failed. Jane's goal is to impress you by showing you how smart she is and by doing everything herself. Dick is a pain in the butt and a waste of your time. He makes you do his work by asking too many questions, and he never applies any of his own creativity to a project. Jane is a loose cannon. She is so intent on being in charge that she resists your advice. She doesn't trust you and you don't trust her. You write a little story titled "Dick and Jane Meet Spike," and give it to Dick and Jane. The story is about three profit center managers who are vying to be CEO. Spike gets the job. Here's why: - When Spike wants your advice, he pops into your office, smiling. "Do you have a minute?" he asks. And he means it. He gets right to the point and is gone in the briefest amount of time. His behavior makes you feel that (a) he respects your time and (b) he values your judgment.
- When you delegate a task to Spike, he asks you in advance if there is any aspect of that job that you want him to report on. Unless you specifically tell him that you want to be copied on certain correspondence or consulted at certain points, he operates invisibly. Because Spike takes the time to ask, you feel comfortable that he is happy to keep you in the loop. And since he is willing to execute his task independently, you feel confident that he will continue to grow and take on more responsibilities.
- When Spike attends group meetings, he is always prepared. He has his marketing numbers at hand (although he seldom needs to refer to them because he can recite the key numbers off the top of his head). Furthermore, he always has at least one good idea to offer.
- Spike is considerate and supportive of his fellow workers. But he never gets dragged into office politics or takes his focus off his job -- which is to produce long-term profits for his product line.
If you have a Dick or a Jane working for you -- or if you suspect you might be a Dick or a Jane -- take a lesson from Spike. The guy is good. And he's moving up. Something to Think About Before You "Let the Good Times Roll"
By Michael Masterson
I tend to up my social drinking during the holidays. Maybe you do too. It's partly because I have the mistaken notion that drinking makes me more interesting. It's also because I am certain it makes some of the people I run into at parties more bearable. Those are both bad reasons. Meanwhile, there's a very good reason to give up this bad habit. A drink or two a day, studies show, is good for the heart. But more than that is bad for your brain, your cardiovascular system, your skin -- just about everything. Alcohol is basically poison. It was never part of our natural diet. We are not designed to consume it. So I keep that in mind. During the holidays, I am willing to drink a bit more than I usually do. But I remind myself, "You are poisoning your body." To counterbalance the extra drinking, I do two things: - I drink more water. My rule is one tall glass of water for every glass of wine or shot of tequila.
- I take a folate supplement.
Here's why: Alcohol interferes with the metabolism of folate. And folate is an important nutrient for the stability and repair of DNA. A deficiency of folate can actually result in cell mutations, according to the long-running Harvard Nurses' Health Study. Folate-rich foods include asparagus, spinach, broccoli, cantaloupe, bananas, beans, and wheat germ. But I'm unlikely to eat a lot of these foods during the holiday. So I take a folate supplement. That's what I recommend. If you are going to be drinking more alcohol, drink more water, too. And take a folate supplement. Second Impressions Count
By Bob Cox
When I finally decided to do something about my dream of becoming a pilot several years ago, the first thing I did was look for a flight school. There are a limited number in my area. I went down to the closest one to check it out. They seemed legitimate, and had quite a few students. They offered training airplanes. And they had an adequate staff to meet my needs. From my initial research, I determined that the price was fair. Overall, I got a good first impression. But as I trained, I noticed some things that made me uncomfortable. They appeared to neglect airplane maintenance. Customer satisfaction was a low priority. They seemed more concerned with making money than making their students (customers) happy. I stayed long enough to earn my license. However, since that day I have not gone back to lease their planes or take advanced lessons. My bad "second impression" kept me from turning into a lifetime customer. I still had a lot of money to spend on flying. So I found another training school, have since purchased my own airplane, and use their flight facility for all my aviation needs. My first flight school lost out on huge potential back-end revenues by forgetting about "second impressions." Are you doing the same with your business? Do you focus only on getting new customers "in the door"? Do you forget about meeting their needs once they're in? If you do, you're not going to be in business very long.
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It was a meeting of the minds. Glenn Fisher and the team behind Shortcut Publications, our brothers (and sisters) in arms from Britain, came to Delray Beach to observe our Bootcamp. And then they came 'round to the office for a good old face-to-face. Why should you care? These guys and gals are smart. And they have a ton of business building and investment programs that have never seen the light of day on this side of the pond. A lot of what they offer is designed for people who want to start a business, but really, truly don't have the time. So their programs help you make a few hundred "pounds" a week. Or, as they put it, your "holiday bar bill." And all you have to do is put in a few minutes of work before breakfast. We're still working out the details. But expect to see programs from Shortcut Publications early in the new year...
"Packed full of powerful business building advice." "I just started reading Changing the Channel a week ago, and from the first chapter on I've been bugging my friends to read it too. "Not only is it packed full of powerful business building advice and insight, it also reads like a family journal -- a journal of the ETR family building the business. Michael Masterson, MaryEllen, Alex Mandossian, Howie Jacobson, and the others are familiar voices from the ETR e-mails, and I greatly enjoyed reading the behind-the-scenes stories of how the ETR team built the business with the very same insights and wisdom now shared in the book. "Love it to the max!"
Junjie Huang
Singapore -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- Would a Billionaire Allow a Bad First -- or Second -- Impression? - Of course not. But there are plenty of "Billionaire Habits" that aren't so apparent. Success mentor Bob Cox has worked closely with four billionaires. He knows their secrets -- little tricks, applied every day, that have brought them fortune. And you can learn them too...
Today's Words That Work: Perfervid Perfervid (per-FUR-vid) -- from the Latin -- means impassioned, intensely emotional. Example (as used by Michael Masterson today): "The [thank you] letters don't need to be long, perfervid, or poetic. Just two, three, or four sentences that express what each person means to you."
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