Charm and Charisma
- WEALTHY: Make friends to make money (Bob Cox)
- HEALTHY: Turn your body into an "automatic" fat burner (Jon Herring)
- WISE: Maya Angelou on people skills
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Revisiting my 3-minute challenge (Michael Masterson)
- A free online word processor (Will Newman)
- Add "pellucid" to your vocabulary
The Only Three Ways to Grow a Business
Did you know that there are only three ways to grow a business?
- Increase the number of customers.
- Increase the average transaction value.
- Increase the frequency of repurchase.
Find a way to maximize each one, and your business will experience an
astonishing rate of growth.
In his "9 Pillars of Business Growth" program, acclaimed consultant Jay Abraham outlines hundreds of proven, frequently unrecognized, and almost totally underutilized ways to grow these three key areas of your business. If you own a business (or would like to), be sure to take a look at Jay’s program.
- Patrick Coffey
"I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Maya Angelou
Charm and Charisma
By Robert L. Cox
Today I’d like to tell you about a simple step you can take to make a huge positive change in both your business and personal relationships … and how much faster success will then start to come to you.
I’m talking about developing a simple but highly important trait: charm and charisma. Make the effort, and you’ll have no trouble following what I call the "Billionaire Way."
In past ETR messages, we’ve talked about some of the top strategies billionaires use to succeed. For one thing, they know how to create time. For another, they have developed the ability to take in their surroundings more clearly and completely than regular Joes. But there are other things that set billionaires apart from the general population.
For instance, most of them are charismatic individuals - and their charisma is one more reason that they are, well, billionaires.
What is charisma? It is the ability to make other people feel good about themselves. It makes them like you and want to work with you and do things for you. Having that kind of support from the people around you is a huge help.
The good news? Even the shyest people can transform themselves into charismatic charmers - and skyrocket their success - because charisma is a learned skill.
So … how do you do it?
People thirst for acknowledgment and friendship. Show an interest in them and they will think more of you AND want to do more for you.
You have no idea just how powerful this can be. Take an interest in other people’s pursuits, their work, their homes, and their families. Make merry with those who rejoice. Mourn with those who weep. Let everyone you meet feel that you regard him or her as a person of importance.
Try this simple exercise:
Choose three people you don’t normally speak with (perhaps a co-worker, a neighbor, and a vendor). Go up to each one and simply ask how they are today or how their weekend was. Listen to them. Be engaged in what they are sharing with you. If they respond that something hasn’t gone well, be sympathetic. If they tell you about something that went well, be enthusiastic and say "That’s great!"
Develop the habit of doing this regularly and you’ll notice that it becomes easier each time. You start with an attitude of being friendly, interested, and focused on every person with whom you are having a conversation … and, before long, you will be thought of as a charming and charismatic person.
Another exercise:
Choose three people that you see often. Think of something each one has done for you recently and make it a point to thank them for their efforts. Tell them how you appreciated their assistance or help in resolving an issue or bringing a project to completion. Tell them what a good job they did, and pay attention to the way they react.
I think you’ll find that, as the saying goes, "Flattery will get you everywhere."
Billionaires know they can’t build their wealth alone. They learn early on in their careers that taking an interest in those around them helps them get where they want to be.
One billionaire I worked with, for example, owns the largest hotel chain in the southeast. He would have meetings with some of his hourly workers every month, a different group each time.
Imagine how these people felt when they were invited to join "the big guy" for a meeting where they could speak freely about their work, how they were being treated, etc. Having this billionaire show a sincere interest in them had to make them feel special, right?
And this small, thoughtful gesture had a big payoff. The workers returned to their duties with renewed vigor, knowing someone cared about them. Meanwhile, the hotel owner came away from these meetings with some great ideas for how to make some aspect of his business better, easier, or faster.
Michael Masterson has said, "Good business is based on equitable exchanges." We all want value for our money. Well, we want value for our feelings, too. That’s why learning to value those around you and making them feel appreciated will bring you rewards.
You may be saying to yourself, "Wait a minute. I am not charming, and I don’t know how to be charming … much less charismatic."
Well, you’re wrong.
Think about it. When you were young, you could usually figure out a way to persuade your parents to give you the car for an important date or buy you some gizmo you "had to" have. Right? Granted, your parents are a bit easier to charm than anyone else - but they allowed you to do it because it MADE THEM FEEL GOOD to do something for you.
Same goes for practically anyone in the business world that you know or will ever meet.
Deep, down inside, you are charming - and you can learn how to bring your charm to the surface more often. All it takes is practice - starting with the above exercises.
Want to know something else that ALWAYS helps? Smiling and being the first to extend the hand of friendship.
You do not have to be best friends with your associates or vendors … or anyone else. However, you do need to convince them that you are sincerely interested in them. And the surest way to do that is to actually be interested in them.
Make the effort to develop your charm and charisma, and you’ll see what a huge difference it makes in both your business and personal relationships … and how much faster success starts to come to you.
[Ed. Note: Bob Cox is co-founder of the first TV shopping network and the author of The Billionaire Way.
Listen to his Power Surge Message next Wednesday and multiply your chances of meeting all your goals this year. Join over 700 ambitious Early to Risers in ETR’s Total Success Achievement Program , and we can practically guarantee that you’ll see immediate, measurable results.]
3 Dividend-Paying Stocks You Should Buy in the Next 5 Days!
I’m urging everyone I know to buy three stocks in particular - three income-generators that offer you steady sources of income that could begin in the next 90 days.
Click here to get the actual names of 3 income-producing stocks - their names, histories, stocks symbols, everything - you should rush and BUY in the next 5 days before they shoot higher.
Reader Feedback: "ETR has made a difference in how I look at life."
"I just now re-read your article on giving away money. I was interested in your thoughts, because I hope soon to be in a position to be able to be generous to my friends and family.
"Although I have not had much financial success, I have been able to make small investments here and there. One such investment has the potential of a substantial return - enough that I need not be concerned about working again. The genesis of this investment is specifically to help people who, like myself, are in financial straits and need a helping hand. If it does come to pass, hallelujah. If not, then life simply continues.
"No, I haven’t ’spent’ the money yet, but I have given it considerable thought. First, I would pay back those personal loans from family members from whom I’ve borrowed over the past number of years. Next, I want to give back to them. Maybe to move to a better home, pay off their mortgage, or just give them money because I would be in a position to do so.
"I also would like to be generous to some of my friends who, although none ever helped me financially, did support me spiritually and emotionally in my all too frequent times of need.
"It’s been said that if you loan money to someone who needs it, they will come to resent you. I have no intention of loaning any money to any of my friends or family, but rather to give them some. With my friends, anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000. With my family, I hope to be able to help my son and first-time-pregnant daughter-in-law move into a bigger house, as well as to set up something for my first grandchild. I hope to be able to do something similar for the other members of my family, and I also wish to help one longtime family friend who was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina.
"With the right advice (I receive information from ETR as well as other Agora publications), I feel that all of this will be possible, and still have more than enough remaining for me finally to have the time/freedom to do what I really wish.
"Thank you, Michael, for ETR. It has certainly made a difference in how I look at life."
ER
New York City
Speed Up Your Metabolism by Building Muscle
By Jon Herring
If you want to become lean and reduce your body fat, focus on exercise that builds muscle mass.
Muscle is "active tissue." It burns calories around the clock just to maintain itself, even while you’re sleeping or sitting at a desk. How many calories? I’ve seen estimates ranging from 10 calories to as high as 100 calories per day per pound of muscle. Assuming the actual number is somewhere in the middle, imagine how much fat you will "automatically" burn just by adding five pounds of new muscle this year.
Notes From Michael Masterson’s Blog: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Showering
Of all the provocative things I ever wrote about in ETR, the one that raised the most dander was when I suggested there was no need to spend more than three minutes in the shower. My mail overflowed with angry messages from people who felt I was trying to take away some of the best moments of their lives.
I was shocked by the reaction. I expected readers to be invigorated by my three-minute challenge and grateful for my effort to help them streamline their lives and find extra time to pursue their goals. Instead, they were outraged.
Usually, I enjoy stirring up a little trouble now and then, and might have argued with those readers just to see where the argument would go. But most of the ETR staff was equally upset with me, and so I figured it was better to let the issue die before I brought it up again.
That was several years ago. This last weekend, I read about a survey conducted by Olay, the soap company, that pretty much answered any questions I might have ever asked about taking showers. According to the survey:
- Women view showers as "destinations where they can take their time and think without interruptions," whereas men see showers as just another part of their daily routine.
- More men than women like to shower with a partner (and more have done so).
- Long showers are usually taken to soothe aches and pains. They are also taken by women to get privacy and by men to have sex.
- The average shower time for men and women is about 10 minutes, but women take longer showers than men. (The survey didn’t say how much longer.)
- Men spend half their shower time thinking about work and the other half thinking about sex. Women think about weight, fitness, and household chores.
Now that this survey has given me the opportunity to find out what the heck has been going on in all those showers all this time, I am coming out again and recommending three-minute showers. You can actually shower in about 90 seconds, but if you need to shampoo it will take a little longer - possibly up to five minutes if you use a hair conditioner. Since you shouldn’t be shampooing more than every other day, I think a three-minute average is just about the right number to shoot for.
If this recommendation gets you fired up, consider what good that extra seven minutes a day can do for you. And consider that if you are currently spending that extra seven minutes just thinking about sex or worrying about your weight, you are not only wasting your time but also water.
- Michael Masterson
It’s Good to Know: Why Pay $250 for Microsoft Word?
By Will Newman
Microsoft Word, which runs about $250, is a good word processor. But Google offers a good - FREE - alternative called "Google Docs." (And, even if you already use Word, Google Docs offers some additional benefits for you.) Specifically, Google Docs lets you:
- Use their online editor to format documents, spell-check, and more.
- Upload Word documents, OpenOffice, RTF, HTML, or text.
- Download documents to your desktop as Word, PDF, and more.
- View a document’s revision history and roll back to any version.
Since Google Docs is online, you can also:
- Invite others to share your documents by e-mail.
- Edit documents online with whomever you choose.
- Publish documents online to the world or just to specific people.
Here’s how to get to Google Docs:
Go to the Google website. At the top of the page, right above the place where you’d normally type in your search term, are these small links:
Web … Images … Video … News … Maps … more »
Click on the "more" link. A small box drops down. Click on the "even more" link. A new page opens. You’ll find the link to Google Docs & Spreadsheets on the right-hand side under the "Communicate, show & share" heading. After that, simply follow Google’s easy directions. (As a bonus, the same link takes you to a free online spreadsheet program that rivals Microsoft Excel.)
[Ed. Note: Will Newman is the editor of AWAI’s online newsletter, The Golden Thread - a free weekly alert loaded with writing and marketing secrets, tips, and insights.]
He’d Have Called Them Crazy - Or Worse!
With the Internet, it’s now possible to spend no more than a few dollars, write a couple of very basic ads, and have instant access to millions of potential customers all in a matter of minutes.
If anyone had told Jim Sheridan he could bank thousands in just 24 hours. . . without any product of his own. . . without spending a penny on getting it or promoting it, he’d have justifiably said they were nuts.
But Jim made a decision that he would overcome his skeptical nature and give it a go. Boy, is he glad he did! That one deal alone banked him $187,296 in one day.
The great news is - you can copy Jim’s plan exactly. The program is called Instant Internet Income and I guarantee it does exactly what it says it does.
Take a look at how Jim brought in over $175,000 in a single day!
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Pellucid
"Pellucid" (puh-LOO-sid) - from the Latin for "to shine through" - means clear, both in terms of language and the ability of light to pass through something.
Example (as used by Larry Rohter in The New York Times): "The prevailing atmosphere as one cruises Kukulcan Boulevard, the busy strip where most of Cancun’s 122 hotels are clustered, remains that of an Orlando or a Las Vegas dropped intact next to pellucid Caribbean waters."
[Ed. Note: Increase your income potential … become a more persuasive writer and speaker … build your self-confidence and intellect … become more attractive to others … just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR’s new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Michael Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2007