Dear ETR Reader,
Today, Ilise Benun shows you how to turn"annoying interruptions" into increased business and profits.
- Charlie Byrne
The Internet's
Most Popular Wealth, Health and Wisdom EZine
Comments/Questions: 1-866-565-1117
www.earlytorise.com
Wednesday , February 1, 2006
Message #1641
WEALTHY: Am I a cheapskate? Or a responsible parent? You decide … (Michael Masterson)
HEALTHY: Critical information that you're not going to get from your doctor
WISE: Jim Rohn on customer satisfaction
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
Are you blowing off some of your best opportunities to make a sale? (Ilise Benun)
How many of these "people-person" habits do you have? (Bob Bly)
Add the word "abstemious" to your vocabulary
*
Advertisement *
To Be Honest, I’ve Never Been The Sharpest Tool In The Shed…
But now I’m so excited about this way I’ve found of ‘hotwiring’ the Internet for fast and furious profits… and it’s SO simple I can’t believe no one’s ever thought of it before!
Please read on and I’ll explain everything to you simply and clearly right here:
http://www.isecureonline.com/Reports/700STGB/E700G206/
Thoughts on Paying for College
By Michael Masterson
I was a screw-up in high school, and so my college choices were very limited. As I remember, it was either the local two-year community college or the college of Vietnam. I chose the community school.
My entire college costs, including tuition at $400 per semester, were covered by the income I earned working as a painter on evenings and weekends. If I needed extra money, I took on a few hours of extra work, scrapping wallpaper or painting overhangs.
Graduate school – at the University of Michigan and at Catholic University – was more expensive. But I still managed to pay for it all out of the income I was earning at the time.
Those were the days.
I always said that I'd never pay for my children's education – that I'd give them the same opportunity I had: to pay their own way through college. When the time came, though, I didn't have the courage to do it. K and I paid for almost all of our boys' expenses. The only thing we didn't give them was pocket money.
Compared to some of our affluent friends, we were being abstemious. But I thought we were fairly generous. Still, it made me feel good to deny them something. If they wanted beer and movie money, I figured they would have to get part-time jobs. And they did.
Since we were so "generous" to our own children, I thought we should "help out" our nieces and nephews too. So, about 15 years ago, I set up a fund for them. Every month, I throw a few thousand dollars into an index fund. And when some unexpected money comes in, I throw in some of that too.
That fund has gotten to be pretty substantial. It's grown enough to pay about two years of tuition, room and board for all 17-plus nieces and nephews.
I suppose I could spring for their other two years – but I don't think that would be fair to either their parents or to the kids themselves.
"One customer, well taken care of, could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising."
- Jim Rohn
Be Happy to Hear From Your Prospects
By Ilise Benun
When I called my health insurance company the other day, to my delight, I had no trouble getting through to a human being right away. But when I told the guy what I wanted, he said, "That information is on the website."
"Can't you just tell me what I want to know?" I asked.
"Well, I can. But there's so much more information on the website."
"I don't want all that information. I just want to know what dental insurance you offer."
"It's all on the website," he repeated.
"Can't you please tell me?" I pleaded.
And, finally, he did .
This wasn't the first time someone told me to "go to the website." But not all websites are "user friendly." And I really don't have time to browse through sites like that on the off chance that I will find what I'm looking for. I've also run into problems when I needed some quick information.
For example, I called a property-management company with a specific question about one of their services. I left a message with "Vinnie," and didn't hear back. When I called a week later, Vinnie recognized me and said, "Oh, yes. I'm sending you some information."
"I don't want to receive information," I replied. "I just want you to tell me about your ABC service."
"It's in the information," he insisted.
"Can't you just tell me?" I asked again.
Then, instead of telling me what I wanted to know, he started going into the history of the company and their business hours.
I interrupted him. "That's not what I want to know. I want to know about the ABC service."
"I'm getting to that," he said, obviously annoyed.
Vinnie eventually told me what I wanted to know. But my experiences with him and the insurance company got me thinking about how some businesses seem to be using their websites primarily to avoid having conversations with their best prospects.
It doesn't make sense.
Instead of being annoyed, Vinnie should have been thrilled that I called. Just as you should be thrilled when a potential customer for your product or service calls.
Why?
Because from a marketing point of view, it doesn't get any better than this: the chance to have a dialogue with a prospect in his moment of need. The person who takes the time to call is more urgently in need of whatever it is that you're selling than the person who's simply meandering through your site.
On the phone, you have an opportunity to gather so much essential information in so little time. You have a chance to find out who your prospect is, how he found you, and – most important – what his particular questions and concerns are. Armed with that information, you can directly address his problem, and explain exactly how your product/service can solve it.
If he is nervous, you can allay his fears. If he is confused, you can set him straight. If he's misunderstood something on your website, you can correct that.
Shortly after my call with Vinnie, I got a call from a man interested in my services. He liked what I had to say, and asked me to send him some information that he could share with his business partner.
I started to say, "It's all on the website."
But I stopped myself and said, "Absolutely. It will be in the mail today."
[Ed. Note: Ilise Benun is the author of several books, including the forthcoming Stop Pushing Me Around: A Workplace Guide for the Timid, Shy, and Less Assertive. Watch for her new program, Effective Networking: The Fastest Way to Win Clients and Grow Your Business. And sign up for her e-mail tips from Marketing Mentor here: www.marketing-mentortips.com.]
Today's
Action Plan
Ilise makes a good point today. No matter how good your website is, there will be times when prospects will call you before they make a decision to buy – especially if they need the answers to some questions that are specific to their circumstances. And that gives you (or whoever is answering your phones) the opportunity to make a sale directly and immediately.
Still, having a website – and knowing how to drive traffic to it – is a necessary part of marketing in the 21st century. If you'd like to learn more about it, be sure and check out the recordings from ETR's recent Internet Marketing conference series. Get all the details here.
*
Advertisement *
The Real Estate Supernova Unleashed by Katrina
The share price of this little known real estate company began climbing several months ago. Then Katrina happened. Now its price has ignited, up 6% during the last two weeks alone.
But that’s just the beginning of the effect Katrina is having on this company. To get in before its price really goes crazy, you need TO ACT NOW. Click here for all the details.
http://www.isecureonline.com/Reports/TSA/ETSAG200/.
What Everyone Who Takes a Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Should Know
Recently, I've been addressing the issue of statin drugs in ETR. If you take these drugs or know someone who does, it's important to understand the risks. And I hope I've convinced you that you can't count on the drug companies or most doctors to reveal them.
Here's just one example …
By blocking the production of cholesterol in the liver, statins also block the production of Coenzyme-Q10. A Columbia University study found that CoQ10 levels were reduced by half after only 30 days of statin treatments. People who take statins need to know this, because CoQ10 is vital for producing muscular energy. And a lack of this nutrient can cause the heart (which is a muscle) to function improperly, resulting in heart failure.
This is not news. Researchers established the relationship between CoQ10 and heart health years ago. It is also well known that statins are responsible for depleting the body of CoQ10. Yet, very few doctors who prescribe these drugs make this known to their patients.
So, after reading what I've been writing, if you still believe you should be taking a statin drug … now you know that it is imperative for you to also supplement with CoQ10.
- Jon Herring
[Ed. Note: We want to hear from you. If you would like to comment on the potential benefits vs. the dangers of cholesterol-lowering drugs, please visit the ETR Speak Out forum.]
Reader Feedback: "Another reason to read ETR."
"Thank you for including more challenging vocabulary words in your Early to Rise e-mails. In the past, the words have been so commonplace that I was beginning to wonder who Early to Rise was targeted to, and if it really was something I should be spending my time with. The more challenging vocabulary has given me another reason to read ETR. Keep up the good work!"
- Bob Hudak
[Ed. Note: We hope you agree with Bob. Take a look at today's "Word to the Wise," below ... and let us know on the ETR Speak Out forum.]
It's Good to Know: 6 Essential Business Habits to Develop
1. Present your best self to the people you work with. Make a conscious effort to be your most positive, enthusiastic, helpful self – especially when that's not how you feel.
2. Return phone calls promptly. If you can't get back to people within 2 hours, have your voice mail guide them to someone who can help them.
3. Take the time to learn and use everyone's name – including people in your company that you don't work with directly.
4. Listen before speaking. Even if you think you know more about the problem at hand than the other person, hear what he has to say. His ideas on how to deal with it may be far better than yours.
5. Look people in the eye when you're talking to them.
6. Don't be afraid to admit it when you are wrong.
- Bob Bly
[Ed. Note: Bob Bly is the editor of ETR's Direct Marketing University: The Masters Edition - a program to help you start your own successful direct-mail business.]
*
Advertisement *
240 Pages That Will Make You Almost Automatically Powerful
When you discover the secrets to developing two essential traits of every successful person, you will hold they keys to massive personal power…
…and everything you long for will immediately come within your grasp.
Michael Masterson reveals these secrets and more in his new book Power and Persuasion: How to Command Success in Business and Your Personal Life.
Power and Persuasion will show you;
how to almost instantly become a “highly effective person”
how to instinctively know how to burst through roadblocks and obstacles that leave others stumped and stalled
how to recognize good ideas and ACT on them
In Power and Persuasion you’ll learn the art of getting people excited about your ideas…wanting to see them through to the end…and happily doing whatever is necessary to make your vision a reality.
Order Power and Persuasion today!
Word
to the Wise: Abstemious
"Abstemious" (ab-STEE-mee-us) – derived from the Latin "ab-" ("away") + "temum" ("liquor") is often used to refer to extreme moderation in the consumption of food and drink. It can also describe anything that is restricted to the bare necessities.
Example (as I used it today): "K and I paid for almost all of our boys' [college] expenses. The only thing we didn't give them was pocket money. Compared to some of our affluent friends, we were being abstemious."
Michael
Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2006
Have a Question for Michael Masterson?
Have a question for Michael Masterson? Want to know the secrets to his success? Have a perplexing business problem? ETR welcomes your thoughts. Post them online at
http://speakoutforum.com/forum/
or send questions directly to Support@EarlyToRise.Com
ALL CONTENTS OF THIS E-MAIL ARE COPYRIGHT 2006 BY ETR,
LLC.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: REPRODUCING ANY PART OF THIS DOCUMENT
IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF EARLY
TO RISE. Protected by U.S. Copyright Law {Title 17 U.S.C. Section
101 et seq., Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2319}: Infringements
can be punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $250,000
in fines. Are you having trouble receiving Early to Rise messages?
Ensure that Early to Rise gets delivered to your email
box, click below:http://www.earlytorise.com/whitelisting.htm
If you'd like to suggest Early To Rise to a friend, please
point them to:http://www.earlytorise.com/SuccessPartnership.htm
To BECOME AN EARLY TO RISE MEMBER, please visit: http://www.earlytorise.com
or email support@earlytorise.com
NOTE: If URLs do not appear as live links in your e-mail
program, please cut and paste the full URL into the location
or address field of your browser. Disclaimer: The inclusion of an ad in ETR does not constitute an explicit
endorsement. It does mean that as far as I know the product
is not a rip-off. When I really like a product and want
you to buy it I'll tell you explicitly. Otherwise, view
these ads the way you would commercials on TV or display
ads in the back of your favorite magazine. Check them
out. Make a decision. If you don't like, ask for a refund.
(All products sold here will carry refunds.)
Nothing
in this e-mail should be considered personalized investment
advice. Although our employees may answer your general
customer service questions, they are not licensed under
securities laws to address your particular investment
situation. No communication by our employees to you should
be deemed as personalized investment advice.We
expressly forbid our writers from having a financial interest
in any security recommended to our readers.
All of our
employees and agents must wait 24 hours after on-line
publication or 72 hours after the mailing of printed-only
publication prior to following an initial recommendation.Any
investments recommended in this letter should be made
only after consulting with your investment advisor and
only after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements
of the company.
All material on this site is provided for information only
and may not be construed as
medical advice or instruction. No action should be taken
based solely on the contents of
this information; instead, readers should consult
appropriate health professionals on any
matter relating to their health and well-being.
Similar Articles:
- None Found