Dear Early to Riser,

Ever see someone give a presentation and think to yourself, "Damn! I wish I could be that good!"?

Today, David Cross gives you the "insider secrets" used by top public speakers.

- Charlie Byrne
ETR Editorial Director

www.earlytorise.com
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Message #1664

WEALTHY: Solving a problem you don't have … yet (Michael Masterson)

HEALTHY: Guns? Search warrants? For a sugar substitute?

WISE: Philip Crosby on keeping your audience's attention

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

The anti-selling approach to sales presentations (David Cross)

When a houseplant is more than a houseplant

Add the word "insouciant" to your vocabulary

*Highly Recommended*

Main Street Millionaire

Real estate can be a great investment. My holdings in various cities in the U.S. and abroad have added millions to my net worth and passive income. But it's only a good investment when you buy right. Part of that equation is making sure you don't pay market value in an overvalued market. And that's why I've written to you so much lately about the bubble markets – especially my market in South Florida.

If you still want to make serious money in real estate, there are two principal ways to solve the bubble-market problem. One is to learn how to find motivated sellers and buy at deep discounts to current market value. In a bubble market, this takes a lot of knowledge and work, but it can pay off big time. The other is to invest in the best value markets in America.

The best value markets are areas with a high quality of life, diversified economy, growing population and jobs, and properties that still cash flow (pay for themselves with rental income). And they're priced so average families can still afford to buy. Yet they're also experiencing growing demand, with plenty of appreciation yet to come. These cities, in short, have escaped the bubble valuations that have hit New York, California, South Florida, Washington, and other inflated areas. They're even benefiting from those bubbles, as "refugees" from the overpriced markets cash out the inflated equity in their homes and businesses and head to areas where they can live a lot better for less.

But perhaps the best real estate investment strategy for the next few years is to combine both techniques in one. That is, you learn how to buy deeply under market value in markets that are undervalued. And that's why I highly recommend Main Street Millionaire.

Main Street Millionaire teaches you how to buy under market value in any market … bubble or bull. At the same time, editor Justin Ford and his team have just come out with an in-depth report on "The Next Real Estate Bull Markets: Profiting in the Five Best Value Cities in America." The report is a $349 value. But, for a limited time, they're offering it free when you buy the Main Street Millionaire program.

Main Street Millionaire is a must-have for any serious real estate investor. In the current real estate market – and with MSM's new "Best Value Cities" report – it is more valuable than ever.

http://www.isecureonline.com/Reports/700SMSMO/E700G1A9/

- Michael Masterson

Breaking the Money-Making Habit

By Michael Masterson

Making money is habit-forming.

That's a good thing – because it makes it easier to keep working. But it's a bad thing too – because it makes it harder to stop when you want to stop.

What compounds the problem is that most people increase the cost of their lifestyles as quickly as they increase their income. Then they feel compelled to keep increasing their money-making goals. It gets to a point where even if they want to retire – and feel they could break free of their addiction to working – they don't see how they can do so, because their cost of living is so astronomically high.

The trick to staying out of the escalating-lifestyle snare is to pick a comfortable spending limit and stick with it. By comfortable, I mean one that gives you a full, satisfying lifestyle – one in which all your needs are met by the income you have.

Let's say, for example, that you are in the process of dramatically increasing your income. This year, you earn $100,000. Next year, $200,000. The year after that, $400,000. And then you continue to earn $400,000 a year every year thereafter.

By learning to live comfortably on, say, $150,000 a year – and sticking to it when you are making $300,000 and $400,000 – you would end up investing a lot of money "in yourself" every year.

Assuming that your total tax bill (including federal, state, local, and other taxes) is 35% (it shouldn't be more than that if you know your deductions and use corporate structures wisely), the arithmetic would look something like this:

Yearly Income: $400,000
Total Taxes: $140,000
Comfortable Spending Limit: $150,000
Balance for Investing: $110,000

By investing in a combination of real estate (where, because of the leveraging power of mortgages, you could see ROIs in the 20% to 25% range), stocks (figure 10% ROI), bonds (figure 6% before taxes), and a side business (figure at least 25% for the first 10 years), you can easily average 15% to 20% on your total investments. That means you can get wealthy pretty quickly by saving $110,000 a year.

The trick is to maintain that spending limit.

You wouldn't move into a $5 million house. You wouldn't buy a $150,000 Porsche. You wouldn't take an $80,000 vacation. You'd have a blast – a $150,000 blast – but that would be it.

If you don't make that promise and do slip into the common path of excessive consumption, you will surely have trouble retiring – even after you've exceeded, by far, the financial goals you had set for yourself.

Today's Action Plan

To retire happily and avoid becoming addicted to work and making money, here's what you have to do:

Step 1. Set a net-worth target. And then set income and business targets that will support it.

Step 2. Figure out exactly how you are going to be able to enjoy your life after you've reached your wealth-building target. Figure out just how much money you'll need each year, and what you hope you'll be doing to make your life happy and worthwhile.

Step 3. As you go about building your fortune, make sure that you never allow yourself to slip into a lifestyle that is more expensive than you really want. Don't let yourself be tugged into buying a bigger house than you really need, designer labels that don't really improve your appearance, expensive vacations that aren't any more fun than cheaper ones, high-priced wines that don't taste any better … and so on.

If you can do all that work now – draw it out in as much detail as possible – you won't have to struggle with it later.

*
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"The audience only pays attention as long as you know where you are going."

- Philip Crosby

Zen and the Art of Speaking at Seminars

By David Cross

Seminars and trade shows rain PowerPoint presentations over us like a plague of locusts in the desert.

"Click … and we've improved the features of Wango Widgets in this key area and … jargon, jargon … click … in this next slide we can see how Wango Widgets will capture full market share this year … click …"

Can our brains take another two hours of this? We came here to learn some juicy marketing tips, and it looks like at least half of the presentations on the schedule will be full of this kind of [bleep].

But it isn't the presenter's fault. He was sent to that conference to get sales leads … and he truly believes that people want to hear his pitch. (Hint: They probably don't.)

I've spoken at seminars in more than 15 countries over the last 20 years … and I've learned the hard way that successful presenters understand that their reason for being there differs from their audience's reason for being there. Successful presenters (like successful copywriters, entrepreneurs, salespeople, managers, chefs, marketers, interviewers) fulfill their own needs more effortlessly by fulfilling other people's needs first.

Successful presenters work hard to give their audience real-life, tangible, usable tips, ideas, information, and advice – peppered with anecdotes. They involve, engage, and reward their listeners. Give people something they can take away from your presentation and use or think about to help improve their business, and you will always be in a "win-win" situation.

If you have ever heard Bob Bly speak, you know exactly what I am talking about. Bob is a wonderful presenter. Hugely engaging, entertaining, funny, self-effacing, and with more real-life experiences and practical knowledge than most of us muster in a lifetime. But nobody in Bob's audience ever feels "sold to" by him. And afterward, he always has people milling around him.

Bob's relaxed, "freely giving" style is a cornerstone of his impressive business-building and referral network. (He also gets invited back to speak at more conferences than any other speaker I know.)

This style of presenting is especially helpful for anyone who's not experienced with public speaking. By talking about your real-life experiences and giving away useful knowledge, ideas, and information, you will automatically speak in a more natural way than you would when trying to deliver a "formal" presentation.

Where's the Catch?

The catch is the "Zen" part of this approach – best-summarized by this maxim from the ancient Vedic text Bhagavad Gita: "Action is thy duty, reward not thy concern."

In other words, your job is to make your presentation with your audience's best interests in mind – without being concerned about any benefit it may have for you.

What to Do Now

Take a look at that presentation you're about to give. Wherever you see a reference to a product or service feature, highlight it. For example, "Wango Widgets enables more effective conversion tracking and demographics from diverse vertical sources."
Think of an actual, real-life example where Wango Widgets did what that Now, instead of telling your audience only about the feature, tell them the story … and you're well on your way to a better presentation.
The next step is to separate your product or service from the rest of your presentation. Share helpful information and tips that people can use even if they do not buy your product or use your service. Give these out freely and expect nothing back in return.
When you see other presenters, notice what they say that turns you on or off. Adapt what you learn to your own presentations and style.
Take baby steps. Small changes in your presentations can often greatly improve your results. You don't have to change your entire approach all at once.
Keep in mind that it's not only okay to mention your product or service, it's also okay to mention your competitors and praise things they do well.
Practice your public speaking skills. Not being "salesy" is no excuse for a sloppy presentation
Have fun!

(Ed. Note: David Cross is Senior Internet Consultant to Agora Publishing in Baltimore.)

Stevia: The FDA's Dubious Double Standard

I've written a number of times about my favorite sweetener, stevia. It has no calories, it tastes great, and it doesn't raise your blood sugar. Nor does it come with the potential side effects (like cancer and neurological disorders) of artificial sweeteners. This prompted an ETR reader to ask:

"It seems like everything we use to sweeten food causes health problems. But what about the naturally sweet herb – stevia? Why aren't more manufacturers using stevia instead of sugar, fructose, aspartame, or high fructose corn syrup? Could it be that stevia costs too much?"

It is not because stevia costs too much. Unfortunately, it involves politics.

Stevia cannot be patented, so it does not have the profit potential of artificial sweeteners. And because it's much safer, it represents a threat to the multi-billion-dollar artificial sweetener industry. So, these companies have used their lobbying power to wage a campaign against it. And despite the fact that stevia has been used safely for centuries, it was BANNED by the FDA for years – and was even subjected to armed seizures of its manufacturing and storage facilities.

Stevia is no longer banned, but it can only be marketed as a "dietary supplement." It cannot be sold as a "sweetener" or used as a "food additive." That's why you don't see it in foods, tea, and soft drinks (as it is used in other countries).

- Jon Herring

(Ed. Note: We want to hear from you. Do you use stevia? What has been your experience with it? And what do you think about the FDA's double standard – granting carte blanche to the companies that produce artificial sweeteners while restricting our access to this safe, natural alternative? Visit the ETR Speak Out Forum and tell us what you think.)

It's Good to Know: How to Combat Indoor Air Pollution

You think of your home as a haven from the smoggy, exhaust-filled outside world. But your home isn't as pristine as you might think. There's a good chance that the air inside your "haven" is contaminated with everything from asbestos and pesticides to detergent fumes, carpet fibers, mold, and tobacco smoke.

The worst part? Prolonged exposure to these toxins can cause serious health problems like asthma, humidifier fever, and Legionnaires' disease. One way to fight this pollution is to fill your home with air-cleaning plants.

In a NASA study, scientists found that "houseplants can purify and revitalize air in our homes and offices, protecting us from the negative effects of such common toxins as ammonia, formaldehyde, and benzene."

Plants absorb airborne toxins through their leaves, effectively keeping them away from our noses and lungs. Large-leaved plants are best at reducing pollutants in the air, and have the added benefit of increasing humidity levels (which can help respiratory conditions and allergies).

According to a recent issue of Organic Gardening, the 10 plants best at cleansing the air are: areca palm, red palm, dwarf date palm, Boston fern, pothos, English ivy, Australian sword fern, peace lily, rubber plant, and weeping fig.

For best results, OG advises that you set up two or three plants in each room, making sure each one has plenty of space to allow for prime air circulation.

For more ways to combat indoor air pollution, check out the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website at http://www.epa.gov/iaq.

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Word
to the Wise: Insouciant

"Insouciant" (in-SOO-see-unt) is another way of saying carefree or nonchalant. The word is derived from the French "in" ("not") + "souciant" ("caring").

Example (as used by Thomas Frank in a Harper's Magazine article titled "Pop Music in the Shadow of Irony"): "They don't seem to care whether they become stars or not, and their irony … has a scoffing, insouciant feel."

Michael
Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2006

Have a Question for Michael Masterson?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 28th, 2006 at 1:46 pm and is filed under Daily Issues .