Giving Away Information
Issue #2103
- WEALTHY: Get a big discount on promising investments (Andrew Gordon)
- HEALTHY: The source of those extra pounds could be lurking in your medicine cabinet (Jon Herring)
- WISE: Mitch Thrower on sharing what you know
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- How to increase demand for your services (Bob Bly)
- A connection between caged animals and business growth (Michael Masterson)
- It’s Good to Know… about your teenage driver
- Add "remunerative" to your vocabulary
Revealed: Probably the Biggest Red Herring in History!
While the world’s been stock watching (and losing!), the elite quietly play a different game with different rules…
Feeling cheated and disillusioned by the stock market? Sure, you may have made a good trade here… but then lost on another. The people dutifully pour their hard-earned cash into investment banks to put into the stock market for them… and those investment banks gladly oblige, for a fat fee… which they invest somewhere else! I’m no conspiracy theorist, but in my opinion the stock market is really a diversion for the masses… a distraction from where the BIG and consistent money is made… in the world’s money mountain. And when I say “Money Mountain”, I speak quite literally… the BIGGEST mountain of money on the planet. Click here to read more…
Takeover Mania, Part 1
The market has never seen so many companies searching for other companies to buy, creating more opportunities for you to make money. But watch out! You could be looking at a sector that’s rising on mainly speculative buying brought on by takeover rumors. If you’re not sure, it means you’re already too late to make money, but not too late to lose it.
If speculative investing is your thing, I’ll show you exactly how to play this market and come out a winner tomorrow. But there’s a safer way to make money from the buyout trend - one that’s based on sound fundamental trading principles.
Here’s how to do it:
With the help of your favorite search engine, find medium- to large-sized companies that are well managed, come with double-digit growth prospects… and have just bought another company. These companies have everything going for them, except for that one "thing." Because companies usually overpay for such acquisitions, investors like to drive their stock prices down. Let the prices slide 10 to 15 percent, and then swoop in and buy.
You’ve just bought at a substantial discount. And if the management of these companies is as good as you think it is, they’ll also make their buyouts work - giving their companies an additional growth boost.
Buying sound companies that other investors are running away from isn’t easy - but neither is finding fundamentally strong companies at substantial discounts. This is one relatively painless way to do it.
[Ed. Note: Andrew Gordon, ETR’s Investment Director, has authored several books on energy markets, global countertrade practices, and the hot growth sectors of China and Russia. A former professor of marketing and finance, he is the editor of INCOME, a monthly financial advisory service that uncovers income-generating stocks that promise safety (first and foremost), along with much-higher-than-average profit potential.]
"You will be surprised at how receptive people can become when you are willing to share with them your expertise, enthusiasm, and energy."
Mitch Thrower
Giving Away Information: Will It Help - or Hurt - Your Business?
By Bob Bly.
The other day, a VP at a local management-consulting firm called me for advice on Internet marketing. He wanted to start a line of information products related to the firm’s consulting expertise - which is helping clients become compliant with OSHA regulations. (OSHA is the Federal agency that publishes and enforces safety and health regulations for U.S. businesses.)
"But I have to warn you," he said. "Our president is dead set against the idea." When I asked why, he replied: "He is afraid it will erode our core business."
For their advice, this particular consulting firm charges a handsome fee: $3,500 a day. The concern was that if they gave away their knowledge and expertise in the form of relatively low-priced information products, potential clients wouldn’t need the firm’s expensive consulting services. Instead, they’d study the info products, meet the OSHA standards by themselves, and save a bundle.
I set the VP straight… fast.
"Producing a line of info products won’t erode your core business in the least," I explained. "In fact, quite the opposite will happen. When people see you have published books, special reports, white papers, articles, CDs, DVDs, or other information products on your specialty, they will - whether they buy those products or not - perceive you as a credible expert on the topic. This, in turn, will increase the demand for your consulting services, not cut into it."
"It is simply amazing the reverence people have for the printed word," says EU, a successful publisher. "Simply because a person has written a book about a subject, people think he has something to say about it."
Selling information products actually widens the net of prospects who can benefit from your expertise.
You hear some marketers who state flatly, "We don’t give away what we sell." But actually, sampling is one of the oldest and most effective marketing techniques out there. You go to the food court in the mall, and which restaurant is the busiest? The one where a neatly attired, clean, attractive server is giving away free samples of chicken nuggets, barbecue beef, or whatever the restaurant’s specialty is.
Service businesses don’t want to give service samples, because their time is both valuable and limited. So, instead, they give away samples of their knowledge and expertise. How? By giving away special reports, white papers, or other free informational material. For instance, a successful swimming pool contractor I know gives away a free guide on planning and designing your dream swimming pool.
Some service businesses do actually give away samples of their service. My friend GB teaches one- and two-day seminars in effective business writing to corporate employees. To get new clients, he invited training managers of local companies to attend a free two-hour "mini-seminar." He sent out 100 letters. Ten training managers attended, and one hired him to do training as a result.
It’s difficult to get strangers to hire you out of the blue. After all, they don’t know who you are, what you know, and what you can do for them. But if you package some of your knowledge in a $15 paperback book, they’ll risk spending $15 to sample it. When they read the book, they will know that you know what you say you know - and believe you to be the expert you say you are.
So your info products allow you to reach a broader - and bigger - audience.
What about the danger that the prospect will learn all your secrets by reading a $15 book, and deprive you of a big fat fee for your services?
That rarely happens.
Instead, the prospect reads your book and thinks: "The guy really knows his stuff. But this seems complicated. I don’t have time to learn it or do it myself. I’ll just hire him to do it for me."
Yes, there are probably other vendors the prospect could hire to provide the needed service. But, more than likely, you’re the one he’ll call.
After all, you wrote the book on it.
[Ed. Note: Master copywriter and best-selling author Bob Bly is the editor of ETR’s ETR’s Direct Marketing Masters Edition. a program to help you start your own successful direct-mail business. Sign up for Bob’s free monthly e-zine, The Direct Response Letter, and get more than $100 in free bonuses.]
Why “Bad” News About The Real Estate Market Is Making Top Investors Filthy Rich… And How You Can Be One of Them Even If You Don’t Have a Cent!
Any savvy real estate investor will tell you that you make your money when you buy. And in a market cycle like this one, the buyer with ready cash in hand calls all the shots.
What’s more, you can discover the power, profits and confidence that come from making all-cash offers even if you don’t currently have two pennies to rub together. In fact, in just a few short days, you can have an army of people begging you to take their money, without the hassle and delay of dealing with a bank.
Click here to discover this profitable secret used by top investors.
Notes From Michael Masterson’s Blog: A Visit to the Zoo Sparks Entrepreneurial Thoughts
After visiting the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, I had mixed feelings. It is halfway between an undisguised prison for wild animals (e.g., the Central Park Zoo in Manhattan) and a natural habitat (e.g., the San Diego Zoo).
At natural-habitat zoos, you can feel good for the animals, even jealous of their problem-free lives. But it is difficult to see the animals up close, because they have so much room to move and shelters to hide in. In a caged environment, the animals are clearly visible, but lethargic and seemingly bored. It is clear that, like prison guards, the keepers of these caged facilities are primarily focused (as they should be) on the physical health of their inmates. But, unlike the keepers of natural-habitat zoos, they pretty much ignore their psychological well-being.
I have no prejudice against zookeepers. Were it not for them, I am sure that people around the world would never have developed an interest in keeping endangered species from dying out.
Like most aspects of human culture, zoos were first created by quick-buck entrepreneurs who had little concern for the quality of their product or the satisfaction of their customers. They had an idea - that showing exotic animals could be commercially remunerative - and they pursued it. Because they were correct in their assumption, they succeeded.
At some point, customers started demanding more quality, and thus the save-the-animals industry (for it is an industry) was created.
The San Diego Zoo is an example of how you can reinvigorate a business by combining an old commercial idea (displaying wild animals in cages) with a new tipping-point idea (we should be ecologically responsible) to create something new (the natural-habitat zoo). This has to be seen as progress.
- Michael Masterson
[Ed. Note: To read more of Michael’s unedited, uncensored (and sometimes unexpected) ruminations, check out his blog here.]
Rapid Weight Gain: A Hidden Side Effect of Common Medications
By Jon Herring
If you’ve ever seen a drug commercial on television, you’re probably aware of the many side effects of prescription medications… things like (listed quickly in the commercial’s voiceover ) "profuse sweating, dizziness, fainting, shortness of breath, dry mouth, constipation, headache, sensitivity to light, spontaneous bleeding, and death."
Okay, I made up one or two of those side effects. But I’m sure you get the point. Ingesting a concoction of chemicals to alleviate a medical symptom can often result in unintended consequences. In some cases, these consequences can be more serious than the original problem.
But there is one side effect of medication that most people are not aware of: weight gain… lots of weight gain. If you take prescription drugs and you have gained weight for no apparent reason, it could be caused by your medication.
A team of researchers in Scotland reviewed data on drug use by more than 25,000 people. They found that there are many "obesogenic" drugs, and that commonly prescribed medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, and psychiatric conditions can all cause weight gain. The researchers found that some patients gained more than 20 pounds in less than a year.
Commenting on their study, the researchers wrote, "Given the common and long-term use of many of these drugs, it is likely that they play a significant contributory role in the increasing prevalence of obesity."
We don’t yet know all the ways that pharmaceutical drugs lead to weight gain, but we do know that they can sometimes increase the appetite or reduce metabolic rate. So my advice is simple: Be aware that any time you take a drug, there can be unintended and sometimes very serious side effects. And there are almost always lifestyle modifications and nutritional remedies that can address the root source of those symptoms. Seek those remedies first.
It’s Good to Know: Monitoring Your Teenage Driver
Thousands of teenagers are killed or injured in traffic accidents every year, often as a result of the driving habits of young, inexperienced drivers. To keep tabs on their kids, some parents are turning to special devices - similar to the "black box" on an airliner and often used by managers of large commercial vehicle fleets - that record speed, seatbelt use, acceleration, distance traveled, and other information. In-car cameras are also available for concerned parents in need of more intense surveillance.
(Source: Consumer Reports and The Washington Post)
Are You Ready for a Thrilling, Positive Change In Your Life?
This may be the life-changing opportunity you’ve been waiting for. If you continue doing everything the same way, you’re going to get the same results. You must make a change TODAY to see a change before 2008. Don’t worry, there’s still time.
I’d like to show you how to dramatically increase the chances of making all your dreams - whatever they may be - come true. Read on…
- Charlie Byrne
Word to the Wise: Remunerative
"Remunerative" (rih-MYOO-ner-uh-tiv) is another way of saying "profitable."
Example (as I used it today): "They had an idea - that showing exotic animals could be commercially remunerative - and they pursued it. Because they were correct in their assumption, they succeeded."
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker … build your self-confidence and intellect … increase your attractiveness 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