Issue #2283
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The gentle waft of simmering bouillabaisse certainly puts a smile on my face. But the delightful aroma and taste isn’t the only reason this dish can make you feel happy. In fact, one key ingredient could have as much mood-boosting benefits as a common anti-depressant.
Earlier research pointed to saffron, an ingredient in bouillabaisse, as a potential anti-depressant. And new research published in the journal Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry confirms this pricey spice’s ability to alleviate the doldrums.
In the eight-week study, researchers compared saffron’s anti-depressant activity to fluoxetine (the generic name for Prozac). Forty adults, meeting the criteria for major depression, participated. Group 1 patients received a capsule filled with 15 mg of saffron (C. sativus) morning and evening. Group 2 received 10 mg of fluoxetine morning and evening. At the end of the trial, researchers found that saffron had the same mood-boosting benefits as the drug.
So how much is 15 mg of saffron, anyway? That’s less than a tenth of a teaspoon. Most saffron is sold by the gram, at about $15.
While you can season your paella or bouillabaisse with saffron, a good way to make this spice a mood-lifting mainstay in your diet is to mix it right into your favorite organic, chicken-based pre-made soups. Or brew a cup of Spicy Saffron Tea. Just add one teaspoon of saffron, four crushed cardamom pods, and three teaspoons of erythritol to four cups of boiling water. Steep for 20 minutes. Enjoy.
PS was a multimillionaire. (He died November 24, 2004. I still miss him.) He made his first fortune flipping HUD (Housing and Urban Development) homes in Los Angeles in the early ’70s.
His flips were not as glamorous as the ones you see on HGTV or Flip This House. They did not require a lot of time, money, or resources. He wasn’t restoring the homes to their original luster or even remodeling them. He would purchase properties from HUD for 10 to 20 cents on the dollar. Then he would gut most of the walls down to the studs. Sometimes he would replace the plumbing and electrical systems (but not always). He gave the new owners the opportunity to oversee the remaining construction, drywall, roofing, painting, and so on.
PS made his second fortune in what would become a multibillion-dollar market: self-storage real estate. He didn’t invent it. But he was instrumental in developing a unique aspect of it – the self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT).
Today, self-storage REITs are commonplace. And they offer the perfect opportunity for you to make money.
A real estate investment trust is a company (public or private) that manages a portfolio of real estate investments for trust holders (the equivalent of shareholders). To be classified as an REIT in the U.S., a company is legally required to pay virtually all of its taxable income (95 percent) to its trust holders every year.
A self-storage REIT is a company dedicated to owning (and in some cases, operating) income-producing self-storage facilities. These facilities (also known as "mini warehouses") lease space to individuals or businesses on a monthly basis.
PS always referred to the self-storage market – and the REIT aspect of it, in particular – as a veritable cash cow… an "On Golden Pond" investment.
On Golden Pond refers to the 1981 movie with Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn, and Jane Fonda – an old-fashioned story in an idyllic setting. The reason PS considered self-storage REITs to be an "On Golden Pond" investment is because he could picture an REIT entrepreneur relaxing on the porch of his cabin overlooking a beautiful little lake, enjoying the benefits of being in this business:
Another advantage of self-storage facilities is that they do not have the headaches associated with residential rental properties, such as property management, tenant turnover, excessive maintenance costs, and tenant complaints.
Not having tenants living on the premises eliminates most of the problems – like plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling repairs… excessive damage to the units… residential zoning… and the lack of tax breaks.
What’s more, the upkeep is relatively simple (and inexpensive).
Some self-storage facilities are nothing but steel garage-type buildings set in concrete. In addition, most of them can be run with a full-time resident manager and a part-time employee or two.
There’s one more advantage of self-storage real estate that might surprise you. It has to do with a formula that addresses the "actual revenue per square foot." In some cases, properly run self-storage facilities can produce more actual revenue per square foot than Las Vegas hotel rooms, apartment buildings, shopping centers, and even medical office buildings.
This type of investment has the potential to generate a healthy cash flow. Plus, self-storage facilities have a decent net profit margin. When you add the REIT aspect to it, there are even more advantages and tax savings.
Almost any type of real estate can be assembled into an REIT structure, and you can reap the benefits. If the REIT is privately owned, you can purchase shares directly from the company. If the REIT is publicly traded, you can purchase shares through a brokerage or investment bank. You can research publicly traded self-storage REITs on the major stock exchanges and track their performance too.
There are a number of other ways to invest in and profit from the self-storage market. Perhaps you can drive to a professionally run self-storage facility in your area and have a look around. You’ll need to determine what strategy is the best fit for your objectives. But here are some possibilities:
Issue #2282
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A "mibster" (MIB-ster) is a marble player. A lso, according to the Urban Dictionary , a marble addict, especially one collecting contemporary, huge, art-glass marbles.
Example (as used in The Atlantic Monthly ): "Though it’s customarily considered bad form to shoot marbles past noon on Good Friday, the rules [for this year’s British and World Marbles Championships, held annually on Good Friday] have been relaxed to accommodate all the mibsters."
[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.]
Issue #2281
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Issue #2280
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All the really smart businesspeople I know have exactly the same challenge when it comes to building a business. That includes every single attendee at the Michael Masterson Wealth-Building Retreat we held last April, regardless of their business sector or gross revenues.
The challenge: Finding good people.
One of the entrepreneurs at the Wealth-Building Retreat had a $20,000,000 printing business. Yet he was still working 60 hours a week (or more), and wearing almost all the hats in his company. Simply because he could not find the right people to help him run it.
Because hiring the right people is one of my core competencies, I am often asked how to do it. Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not easy. But it is extremely doable.
Finding good employees is like dating. It’s a numbers game. Unless you’re truly lucky, the first person you date doesn’t end up being your spouse. Think about all the uncomfortable dates you had to endure … the many times your heart was broken … and the frogs you had to kiss… before finding "the one."
Finding the right employees is no different. You are going to have to kiss a few frogs before finding the superstars who can help your business grow. And if you are not prepared to do that, you will have a staff full of mediocre employees… or continuous turnover. Neither of these things is good for your customers, your one or two good employees, your reputation, or your bottom line.
To make it much easier to get past the frogs to my ideal employees, I make sure I can clearly define three things whenever I’m looking to hire someone:
Knowing the Characteristics of Your Ideal Employee
Regardless of the actual position you’re filling or the skill set the employee needs to have, everyone you hire should have three important traits:
1. A strong sense of urgency. A good employee is someone who understands that deadlines are made to be met and that speed is money. They also understand that business is business… and it is serious. We have a lot of fun here at ETR, but everyone is well aware that our customers invest their time and money with us. That means our primary mission is for our customers to reach their goals, whatever their goals may be.
2. A great work ethic. You want someone who shows up early and is ready to go, someone who is on time for meetings and appointments. A pattern of showing up late for anything is a sign of not caring.
When I explain this to job candidates, they often ask, "What if I am just not a morning person? Couldn’t I come in late and stay later in the evening?" My answer is "Absolutely not." Showing up early indicates eagerness. Staying late indicates disorganization.
3. Intellect. Your ideal employee is someone with great ideas. Equally important is that the employee is not afraid to express those ideas.
People are often surprised to hear that I require intellect in employees at every level of the company, not just management. But don’t forget that every single employee you have is an "ambassador" for you, a direct reflection of you. And at some time or another, they will speak to your customers, your competitors, and your industry associates.
Defining the Position You’re Trying to Fill
In addition to knowing the kind of person you’re looking for, you need to have a very good understanding of the position – and of the experience necessary to do the job properly.
I break down all positions into three categories: executer, manager, and leader.
1. The executer is an entry-level employee. She is not responsible for strategic planning, but rather the execution of the plan. This is generally someone fresh out of school or with little or no direct experience within your niche.
Some of her core responsibilities may include:
2. The manager is responsible for managing processes and/or other employees. He usually has five to 10 years of direct experience within your niche. He can think strategically, teach others, and start developing big ideas.
Some of his core responsibilities may include:
3. The leader’s primary job – 50 percent or more of it – encompasses meetings with staff, brainstorming, and business planning. A few examples of people in a leadership role would include marketing directors, editorial directors, and IT directors… all the way up to the CEO. The leader is someone with eight or more years of experience within your specific niche. Someone with a proven track record of success. This is a person who can come into your organization and be up to speed and make a difference immediately.
Some of the leader’s core responsibilities may include:
Note: "Leader" may be a high-level position – but all of your employees should showcase leadership qualities.
Identifying the Skill Set Required
When people ask me to help them find a good employee, I am always amazed when they aren’t really sure what they want that person to do. You can’t find the right person for a particular job if you don’t know what the job requires. For example, if you are hiring a receptionist whose main duties are to answer the phone, schedule your appointments on your Outlook calendar, and type your speeches and companywide e-mails, you would not want someone with a hard-to-understand accent who has never seen a computer.
So before you can initiate your search, you have to write a job description. If you have never done this before, start by writing down everything you think you want your new employee to do. List their responsibilities. And next to each responsibility, write down the necessary skill. Be specific.
Let’s use the example of a receptionist:
|
Responsibility |
Skill |
|
Answer the phone |
Excellent verbal communication skills |
|
Type speeches |
Types 90 words per minute |
|
Schedule appointments |
Excellent understanding of Microsoft Outlook |
Once you know the characteristics of your ideal employee and can define the job and the skills that employee needs… you start looking.
How to Find Your Ideal Employee
The first rule of hiring the right people is to be patient. Remember the old saying: "Hire slow and fire fast."
Think about what executive recruiters do. They build their Rolodexes. When they call Person A with a job opportunity and Person A is not interested, they end up with three phone numbers or e-mail addresses of people Person A knows.
So the second rule of hiring the right people is to think about all the people you know, especially when you’re looking to fill a middle- or upper-level position. If none of them are right for the job, call them anyway. They may know people who are. Keep collecting names and numbers.
If you are looking for more of an entry-level employee, advertising in a trade publication is good. But do some research first. Read the ads the publication normally prints and make your ad better. Make your position sound rewarding and exciting. If there is room for advancement, mention it.
You can also use Career Builder, Monster, eHire, and other online job search engines. Of course, you’ll probably have to sift through hundreds of applications, 99 percent of them useless. And you may luck out.
But you’re not going to find most of your potential superstars this way.
Even better than advertisements… and far better than online job search engines… is networking.
I will use ETR as an example. In 2007, we added seven new positions. In 2008, we have plans to add 10 additional positions. Because I know this, I look for possible employees everywhere I go.
When I attend industry events (which I often do), cocktail parties are my favorite networking places. (You get a real feel for the personality and style of the people you meet.) When I speak at industry functions, I tell the audience that I am available to talk about job opportunities. I talk to other parents while attending my kids’ soccer games. I have even talked to my doctor about having her write for our sister publication, Total Health Breakthroughs.
You can network ANYWHERE. Wherever there are people, there’s an opportunity. Don’t be afraid to ask your friends, colleagues, and competitors about people who might be a good fit for your company. You will be glad you did.
Remember, you don’t have to be the smartest person in the world to succeed in business. You just need to be smart enough to hire the right people to help you do it.
Companies know investors love getting cash. And there’s no quicker way to put money into investors’ pockets than by giving them dividend checks. Companies can also increase investors’ returns by buying back their shares.
But, given a choice, I’d prefer getting a dividend check. Wouldn’t most investors? And I think companies know this. So why do they buy back shares?
For one thing, they can. Sometimes they borrow money to buy back shares – something that is much harder to do when issuing dividends. But the main reason is that buybacks usually increase share prices. And most company execs have share-purchase plans. The more share prices go up, the higher they are compensated.
Buybacks are supposed to be shareholder-friendly. And, for the most part, they are. But the biggest beneficiaries are company executives.
From now on, I’m valuing dividends a lot more than the so-called shareholder-friendly practices of share-buyback companies. And so should you.
Thanks to the cardio-marathon mindset of the 80s, most folks are convinced they need to exercise for over an hour, seven days a week, to "get fit." But that’s not even close to the truth. So, how often should the average person workout?
First and foremost, your nutrition is more important than your exercise habits when it comes to fat loss and longevity. If you run for an hour each day but still have a doughnut for breakfast every morning, you could be shortening your life span and increasing your waist size. To set the foundation for fat loss and fitness, stick with whole, natural foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, and protein.
For your exercise sessions, focus on quality and intensity, not quantity. By exercising three days per week for only 45 minutes per session (or less!), you can strengthen your entire body. Try multi-muscle resistance exercises for strength, and burn fat with short-burst interval training. Follow that up with stretches for tight muscle groups only, and you’ll be in and out of the gym before you know it.
Spend the remaining four days of the week staying active and keeping your butt off the couch. Keep your body and mind busy with activities you love, such as walking with your dog, doing yoga, playing sports, or running errands by bike or on foot.
Issue #2279
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Issue #2278
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I won’t deny that cold-calling can work. Yet in 99 out of 100 cases, my advice is never to do it. The reason is that, even if the prospect on the other end of the phone expresses interest in your services, the very fact that you cold-called him puts you in a weak position – for three reasons.
First, people want to deal with vendors who are successful, not those who are desperate and need the work, right? Well, when you cold-call, your prospects assume that you are not busy. After all, if you were, you would not have time to sit there calling strangers and asking them for their business.
Second, cold-calling puts you at a disadvantage when estimating prices and quoting fees.
A large part of what determines how much you can charge is the law of supply and demand. When the demand for what you sell outweighs your supply, it’s a seller’s market and you can name your own price. By cold-calling, you are signaling to the prospect that the demand for your services is less than the amount of time you have available. Therefore, prospects generated by cold-calling are more price-resistant – and more likely to haggle.
Third, cold-calling puts you in a weak position when negotiating terms.
Again, cold-called prospects know that you want and need their business. You are perceived as being easy to hire, and, therefore, they feel they can dictate things like deadlines, payment schedules, and work arrangements.
Why is cold-calling so ineffective? Because it violates the "Silver Rule of Marketing."
The Silver Rule is a universal principle, first stated to me many years ago by my friend, marketing consultant Pete Silver. The Silver Rule of Marketing states: "It is better for them to come to you, rather than for you to go to them" (with "them" being your potential clients).
You can see why the Silver Rule makes sense.
If you go to a potential client, seek them out, ask for an audience, and plead with them to use your services, you are seen as needy and desperate. Your prospects think you can’t be any good at what you do. After all, if you were good, your schedule would be filled to overflowing – and you wouldn’t be spending your valuable time on the phone, dialing for dollars.
The only prospects who buy from needy and desperate vendors are those looking for the cheapest bid. So cold-calling risks dooming you to being the low-priced provider.
When they call you, the dynamic reverses. They call because they have a need or a problem… and they are hoping you can help them.
But how do you get prospects to call you? There are two methods. The first is good, and the second is better.
The first method is to generate inquiries through traditional marketing. This includes Yellow Pages advertising… magazine ads… TV commercials… direct mail… radio spots… billboards.
When someone calls in response to your ad in their industry trade magazine, you know they have either an immediate need – or at least some interest in what you are offering. Otherwise, they would not have called you. However, all they know about you is what they read in your ad. Therefore, they may not be convinced that you are the right one to hire.
The second method of getting people to call you eliminates this problem. I’m talking about establishing yourself as a recognized authority in your field. You can do this by writing articles for an industry trade publication… being interviewed on radio talk shows… writing a book… giving speeches at industry meetings… and/or publishing an informative print or online newsletter on your specialty.
When people call you because they read your book, they – like prospects who respond to your ad – are telling you that they have a need. However, unlike those who merely saw your ad, they are already predisposed to buy from you.
After all, prospects are skeptical of advertising claims. But authors are perceived as experts. So by writing the book (or the article or column or content-rich website) on the topic your prospects are interested in, you will be the one they call first when they need help solving problems in that area.
Think about how you can establish your reputation as a leading expert in your field or industry. Can you volunteer to be a speaker at the next big industry conference? Publish a white paper? Write letters to the editor? Publish a blog?
The best place to start: Write an article about the solution to a big problem your prospects are likely to have and publish it in a magazine, periodical, or on a website where they are likely to see it.
[Ed Note: Bob Bly is a freelance copywriter, the author of more than 70 books, and co-creator of ETR's Direct Marketing Masters Edition program. Sign up for Bob's free monthly e-zine, The Direct Response Letter, and get more than $100 in free bonuses.]
Issue #2277
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Despite all the great things going on in my life, I began feeling a little down in the dumps last week.
That’s not good. For creative folks like me – and for all marketing pros – depression can be a career killer.
When you’re depressed, your energy flees, your focus fuzzes up, your creativity goes AWOL – and if you don’t do something about it (and quick!), your income craters and your reputation and career chase it right down the tubes.
In short, depression is one of the costliest business problems any of us ever deal with!
Conversely, the ability to identify and neutralize depression quickly are two of the most valuable skills any entrepreneur or marketer could possibly acquire. They empower you to add scores more productive and profitable hours, days, and weeks to your year.
In my experience, depression comes from three places…
1. Too many drugs, so little time
When I say "drugs," I’m referring to my three personal favorites: (1) Grey Goose, (2) Starbucks, and (3) Marlboro Lights.
Once upon a time, I could pretty much party for 48 hours straight and never pay the piper. I could do Friday and Saturday at Sloppy Joe’s, ride the 14 or 15 hours home from Key West, and still show up for work bright and bushy-tailed first thing Monday morning.
These days, not so much. My 54-year-old body demands at least 72 hours to get over a weekend like that. And it puts me through a period of pretty intense chemical mopery before my wife, friends, total strangers, the local constabulary, my lawyer, and my creative muse begin speaking to me again.
Goes without saying: Losing 72 hours of creative time each week would make it nearly impossible for me to continue living the comfortable life to which I’ve become accustomed. And so I’ve been forced into a life of relative abstinence – punctuated, of course, by the occasional not-so-graceful swan dive off the wagon at vacation time.
Caffeine and nicotine are something else altogether. I can’t walk, speak, or think until I’ve had a couple of mugs of Joe in the morning. Problem is, it’s 2:00 p.m. before I know it, and by then, my get-up-and-go has got up and skedaddled.
And of course, it’s even worse if I’m inhaling nicotine – an infamous depressant – with all that coffee.
What’s the solution? The dreaded "M" word: Moderation.
On the plus side, there is a mood-brightening drug I can’t recommend highly enough – one that I absolutely hate getting.
I’m talking about endorphins. You get them by doing exercise: swimming, walking, running, that kind of stuff.
Work out for two weeks in the morning before you go to work, and you’ll be absolutely amazed at how much happier you are, how much more productive you become, and how much more moolah you rake in!
2. Lies your brain tells you
Has some terrible thing happened that gives you the right to be depressed? The promotion you just knew would make you a gazillion bucks flopped flatter than a flapjack? You’re broker than a sailor after shore leave, and the bill collectors are calling non-stop?
Hey – I’ve been there. It sucks.
But it doesn’t mean you have to suffer from depression-related brain-block, too!
The fact is, you get to choose how you feel in response to just about anything that happens to you.
See, everything that happens to you passes through a little "belief filter" in your brain – a conviction you’ve come to hold about yourself and/or the world around you.
These filters can be positive – as in "I’m brilliant," "I’m a winner," "I always come out smelling like a rose"…
… or they can be negative – as in "I’m a dope, a fraud," "I’m a loser," "Everything I touch turns to crapola."
Here’s the golden key: Nearly all the belief filters we have are utter nonsense.
The objective truth is, nobody is always a winner or a loser… creative or dull… brilliant or a dunce.
So the next time depression has you creatively hog-tied, try this…
First, identify the negative thought that triggered your lousy mood.
Then, ask yourself, "Is that thought valid?" (99.9% of the time it is not!)
And then ask yourself, "Is the belief filter that triggered that negative thought valid?" (Again: Almost never.)
Finally, ask yourself, "How should I change that belief about myself and/or the world to bring it in line with reality?"
You’ll be amazed at how quickly even the lousiest mood evaporates in the blinding light of the objective truth.
3. Self-obsession
I learned this simple fact of life many years ago – and re-learn it all the time. In fact, you could say it was my guiding principle for launching The Total Package e-zine last year.
The simple fact is, when my focus is on others’ well-being, I’m happier.
Conversely, I notice that when I’m trying to find things that will make me happy – new toys, vacations, etc. – I’m actually less happy.
So where’s your focus? Are you obsessed with your own feelings and the state of your life? If so, there’s a good chance those feelings are not positive ones.
Try doing something to improve someone else’s life today. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your mood lifts!
[Ed. Note: Clayton Makepeace has spent the last 35 years creating direct-mail, Internet, and print promotions that have sold well over $1 billion worth of products. Plus, as a direct-marketing consultant and copywriter, he’s helped four major direct-marketing firms at least quadruple sales and profits to well over $100 million per year each. Clayton publishes the highly acclaimed e-zine The Total Package (www.makepeacetotalpackage.com) to help business owners and copywriters accelerate their sales and profits. Check it out.
For dozens of goal-setting strategies that can help you bypass stress and other obstacles to your success, sign up for ETR’s Total Success Achievement Program. Learn more here.]
Issue #2276
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This is the fourth in a series of essays I’m writing on "master planning your new life." So far, we’ve looked at what you need to do to make a major life change.
I started by suggesting that you have to take full responsibility for your life, admit that you want more, and make a deep and public commitment to change. I even asked you to commit to that change in writing. Next, we discussed why you need to follow a specific, proven master plan in order to achieve success. And last week, we talked about how you could turn your dearest dreams into specific, actionable, time-oriented, realistic goals.
Now, before you can jump feet first into master planning your life, you have one more job to do: Figure out what’s really important to you.
Most people you meet on the street don’t like their jobs, are unhappy with their family life, and want more money. They believe that if they could just do this or that, everything would be better.
Winning the lottery would make it all okay. At least that’s what they think. But the truth is otherwise. Unless you live your life according to your core values, no success will be enough to bring you joy.
So before you attempt to set your goals, you have to spend 15 minutes figuring out your core values. What do I mean by core values? I mean the feelings you have about good and evil that are buried deep within your heart.
What does goal setting have to do with core values? It’s all about insuring your long-term happiness. If you set goals that contradict your core values, you will wake up one day and say, "I did everything I said I wanted to do. But so what?"
You don’t want to end up being yet another highly successful but fundamentally miserable person – a fate so common it’s become a cliche. Here’s how to make sure that doesn’t happen…
Begin by imagining a funeral. It is taking place in an elegantly appointed room. The room is full of friends and family members who have assembled to talk about the deceased. You look around. You begin to recognize faces. "Who is the deceased?" you wonder. You look at the casket. Good God, it’s you!
So what are the people at your funeral saying about you?
Imagine specific people: a parent, a sibling, a neighbor, a business associate, and even a stranger. Don’t be vague about this. Think about individual, real people. And imagine them making very specific statements.
It’s not enough to imagine your nephew saying something like, "She was a generous woman." You need to imagine a second, qualifying sentence, such as, "She always sent me expensive birthday presents."
And be honest. Don’t sugarcoat the pill. Say it like it is. For example, your next door neighbor might be saying, "I thought he was a very inconsiderate person. He never picked up the mess when his dog crapped on my lawn."
Imagine everything the people at your funeral could truthfully say about you – and then think about the way their words make you feel.
If you don’t feel good, it means that, in those relationships at least, you are not living your life according to your core values.
Now, for every negative statement you just imagined, ask yourself, "What would I like this person to be saying about me?" The answer to that question will reveal your core values for that particular relationship.
The goal of this exercise is to create a set of about a dozen sentences. Each sentence will be a statement that indicates what you think is important in a particular area of your life.
Let’s say you imagined someone saying, "He was always struggling to make ends meet." That statement would make you feel bad, right? So then you imagine what you would like that person to say about you, and you might come up with, "He struggled for a while and then everything changed. He became very successful and died a wealthy person." If that statement makes you feel good, it’s reasonable to say that acquiring wealth is a core value for you. And you would write it down like this: "I believe that financial success is a valuable and admirable accomplishment."
Got it?
Negative Statement: "He was always struggling to make ends meet."
Positive Statement: "He struggled for a while and then everything changed. He became very successful and died a wealthy person."
Core Value: "I believe that financial success is a valuable and admirable accomplishment."
I recommend that you shoot for about a dozen statements, because you want to address all the major areas of your life:
Why?
Because your core values should determine your goals. And your goals have to be comprehensive.
Most goal-setting programs are not comprehensive. They focus on just one thing. Making more money. Or losing weight. Or being happy (whatever that means). Setting such singular goals can sometimes be effective if you have the flexibility in your schedule to focus on them. But most people don’t. And that creates a problem. They start out enthusiastically and make progress for a while. But before long, life’s many urgencies push their way in. Good habits are neglected. Bad habits return. Before long, the goal is abandoned.
You are going to avoid that very common problem by considering the full spectrum of your life – not just your health or your wealth but also your hobbies, personal relations, social obligations, and so on.
Here’s what you should do now:
For example…
Under Health:
Under Wealth:
Under Self-Improvement:
Under Social Happiness:
Write down at least two such statements in each of the four categories. The purpose of writing them down is twofold: to fix them in your mind, and to have something specific you can refer to later.
You will be referring to these core values many times in the coming years. They should be a source of continuous inspiration. Treat them seriously. They are the crux of your master plan.
[Ed. Note: You CAN get out of debt... lose 10 pounds... start a profitable business... or achieve any goal you set your mind to. Take your first step toward success by signing up for ETR's Total Success Achievement program. We'll provide you with weekly motivational e-mail messages, twice-monthly goal-setting teleseminars, and proven strategies for bypassing common obstacles along the way. Learn more by clicking here.]
Issue #2275
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Recently, I reviewed some copy from a copywriter who’s been writing for a while. It wasn’t bad. But it didn’t rise above the vast heap of promotions clamoring for attention.
So – as it stood – I knew it wouldn’t get read. And the product wouldn’t get sold.
The problem? Simply this: The copywriter was trying too hard to sell the product… by focusing too much on the product itself.
It’s a common mistake made by novice and B-level copywriters. They put too much effort into describing the product… what it is… and how it works.
That breaks the cardinal rule of copywriting: Keep the product invisible.
Michael Masterson calls this the "Secret of Transparency." The idea is to make your product transparent, or invisible, by focusing on the benefits and the ways the product improves your prospect’s life.
This is a VERY important copywriting rule.
Your prospect doesn’t want another book, manual, or gadget. What he wants is to be successful… or wealthy… or healthy… or attractive. The copywriter’s job is to get to that "Aha!" moment where he’ll suddenly realize that what you’re selling will help him get there.
Let’s look at a concrete example.
Imagine you’re selling a new personal success program written by a self-help guru. The basic promise of the program: "You can be successful without really trying, simply by switching on an internal mental switch."
If your copy focuses on the product from the beginning, you run a very real risk. First, your product will sound very ordinary – like so many programs out there. Second, your prospect – spurred by your copy – can easily go to Amazon and buy a book that makes a similar promise. You made a sale. But the wrong one.
In our example, you’re selling the secret to automatic success… in anything your prospect sets out to accomplish. You’re selling a "secret" that’s used by some of the world’s happiest and wealthiest people… something they learned very easily that transformed their lives.
So you focus on your underlying big promise, which, in this example, might be simply "automatic success." You do it by revealing just a little bit of the program here and there – and focusing on the benefits and the resulting impact these simple little secrets can have on your prospect’s life: wealth, success in business, better personal relationships… and that magnificent feeling of knowing that he can accomplish anything. All because he alters his thinking in a very small but profound way.
What you don’t want to do is give him a long-winded dissertation on the history of the program and how it works. This sort of approach gives the prospect too many chances to opt out. It’s boring to him because it isn’t about his needs, wants, desires, fears, or passions.
The bottom line is this. Your prospect needs to leave your sales letter convinced he’s found the "missing key" to his success. Finally, he’s discovered what makes successful people successful. This is his lucky day. Had he not read this letter, he might never have known about it.
And now he wants more.
One more thing…
When you use the Secret of Transparency by keeping the product invisible and focusing on benefits, be sure that, throughout the copy, everything you say is subtly connected to your central and main promise – "automatic success," in our example. Always keep in mind that once you slip into explaining what the product is, it loses its luster. It becomes ordinary. And you risk having your prospect lose sight of the "big idea" behind your sales message.
And how do you find your product’s "big idea"? After collecting and studying all your research, step back and ask yourself: "What’s the most exciting thing this product can do for me? What can it do for my prospect?" Get excited about the product’s benefits – and share your enthusiasm with your prospect.
Adopting the Secret of Transparency may seem counter-intuitive. But when you apply it to your marketing copy – while less-informed marketers continue to focus their copy on the product – your sales campaigns will be successful when your competitors’ fail.
[Ed Note: Paul Hollingshead is an expert copywriter and a co-founder of American Writers and Artists Inc. (AWAI). The Secret of Transparency is one of over 60 deep-rooted secrets in AWAI’s Master’s Program. Each one is explained in precise detail… with examples to help you understand them… and simple exercises designed to make sure you never forget them. Learn more here.]
Issue #2274
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Issue #2273
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"I let myself go" is a phrase we hear all too often at the gym. It comes from people who have allowed months to go by without taking stock of their physical condition.
Hey, we all get busy. And time seems to fly by between workouts. But if you let yourself get "too busy" with work or family demands, the next thing you know you can’t fit into your lounge-around-the-house sweats. That’s when you know you’ve got to get your weight under control – and it can be simpler than you think.
Researchers from Drexel University and Brown Medical School studied 3,003 members of the National Weight Control Registry who had already lost 30 pounds. Their goal was to determine the impact of consistent "weighing in" on weight maintenance.
Just over 36 percent of the subjects reported weighing themselves every day, a habit that was initially associated with a lower body mass index. At the end of one year, these subjects also tended to gain back less weight (an average of 1.1 kg) than those who weighed themselves less frequently (4.0 kg).
Consistently monitoring yourself after you’ve lost weight is clearly a key component of keeping it off. To stay on track, I recommend purchasing a Tanita Body Fat and Bodyweight measuring scale. (It costs about $49.) Then weigh yourself every day, preferably under the same conditions.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne is the creator of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system. For a free online source of information, motivation, and social support to help you improve your health, lose weight, and get fit, sign up for ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
Issue #2272
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Issue #2271
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Beets and grapefruit juice both help protect your liver and aid in detoxification. Now you can add avocados to your liver-defending list.
Researchers at Shizuoka University in Japan fed 22 different fruits to a group of rats. The rats had liver damage caused by galactosamine, a powerful liver toxin. The researchers then measured the changes in specific liver enzymes. Of the 22 fruits, the avocado had the most potent liver-protecting activity. In fact, avocados boast five compounds that appear to be active in reducing liver damage.
Hirokazu Kawagishi, the study leader, says: "Besides offering taste and nutrition, avocados seem to improve liver health. People should eat more of them."
Don’t be deterred by the avocado’s high-calorie, high-fat profile. Avocado fat is the heart-healthy monounsaturated variety. Plus, the "alligator pear" has a slew of potent nutrients, including antioxidant vitamins E and C, glutathione, lutein, and zeaxanthin. If that’s not enough, they’re also high in fiber and potassium, and provide a good amount of folate to boot.
So go ahead and slice avocados onto salads, fold them into wraps, and mash them into guacamole. You’ll delight your taste buds… and protect your liver.
[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the founder and CEO of Healing Gourmet (www.healinggourmet.com), and is editor-in-chief of the Healing Gourmet book series. Learn more about how simple lifestyle choices can improve your health by reading ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
When done right, foreclosure investing can be one of the most lucrative ways to build your real estate portfolio. And with foreclosures soaring, there’s rarely been a better opportunity to buy quality properties at steep discounts – and have owners thank you for getting them off the hook.
You can’t just show up at the door with a handful of cash and expect to be welcomed with open arms. But by using three proven – and cost-effective – techniques, you can get your foot in the door with foreclosure owners, convince them that you’re the best solution to their financial woes, and make sure you’re spending your time on the best prospects.
1. Distinguish yourself from your competition.
The moment a lender files foreclosure papers with the court, the information is a matter of public record. Anyone can get their hands on it. In fact, some people organize this information and sell it to the many investors who are trying to find motivated sellers.
Within days of the foreclosure filing, the homeowner will be deluged with mail from would-be buyers. People will be pounding on the homeowner’s door, too, calling her on the phone, leaving notes in her mailbox. Buyers would contact homeowners via smoke signals if they thought it would work.
Problem is, the letters from these buyers are all pretty much the same. Most of them ask the homeowner to make a call right away to get a quick offer. Often, the homeowner hasn’t yet decided if that’s what they want to do. This is one reason these letters get a poor response.
But you don’t want to be wasting money on ineffective marketing. To make sure you get your message noticed in the sea of other offers, you must be different.
Don’t send your letter in an ordinary envelope. Capture the homeowner’s attention by using a different-sized envelope, a colored envelope, a postcard with a compelling headline, an audio CD. The possibilities are endless. We have even sent letters in brown paper lunch bags. The point is, you want the homeowner to pick up your letter and read it – not toss it in the trash with a dozen similar letters.
2. Educate your prospect and establish credibility.
Most people facing foreclosure haven’t been in this position before. They don’t know what to do, and they are mistrustful of everyone. So if you hope to get them to contact you, you must establish your credibility.
A good way to establish credibility is to educate the homeowner about his situation. In particular, make sure he fully understands all his options. In your letter, explain that he could file for bankruptcy, refinance the property, or deed the property to the lender. You also want to explain why selling the property to you is in his best interest. (For more details on these options, see my ETR article "2 Investing Secrets That Quadrupled My Real Estate Income.")
Then lead the homeowner to your website to get more information. On my website, sellers see testimonials from people I have helped. I then ask them to fill out a form to see if I can help them too. By first educating them about their options, I get many more leads than my competition.
Here’s a perfect example of how this strategy works…
Steven and Pam were in a tough financial situation – and a few weeks away from losing their house. Since they’d entered foreclosure, they’d been bombarded with mail from investors offering to "help." They contacted some of those investors, but were disappointed.
I sent them a letter that was not only educational, it outlined a precise "remedy" for their situation. I even offered them some guidance on steps they could take to help themselves.
Now even the best letter with a perfect message is worthless unless it gets opened. That is why I mailed the letter in an unusual-looking envelope, addressed it by hand, and added a personal return label. When Steven and Pam saw something that stood out from the other mail they were getting… and read the useful information inside… they could not resist calling me.
The very afternoon that they called, we put a deal together that helped them avoid foreclosure, save their credit, and get paid for part of their equity. I ended up with a nice house that had over $60,000 in equity – and with a 30-year fixed loan at a low six percent interest rate. (I used the existing loan that had been originated by Steven and Pam, and I brought the loan current by paying the late fees.)
3. Pursue only the best leads.
Whether you hire an assistant, set up a lead-tracking database, or automate common clerical tasks, leveraging your personal time will free you up to focus on the activities that maximize your potential to make money. People without systems trust their memories. (A terrible mistake!) So they never really know what they are doing from day to day, don’t know if their marketing is effective, and, consequently, don’t do well in this (or any) business.
I have automated systems for my marketing, and automated systems that sort and sift my leads. For example, my computer sends faxes while I sleep. When I get a response, I know I’ve found a motivated seller. I never waste time where there is no chance of a deal. I spend my time ONLY when the situation matches my search criteria and I have a high probability of success.
The name of the game for me is to lead a self-directed life, with lots of time for family and friends, travel, and other things that interest me. You can do this too if you systemize your business and leverage your time.
Don’t spend another dime on advertising and marketing until you memorize the above three rules. Foreclosures are at an all-time high, and the opportunity to make good money is here. Take advantage of it.
[Ed. Note: Marko Rubel is a real estate investor working and living in
Issue #2270
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Stressed out? Reach for a soothing cup of black tea.
A recent study conducted by University College London researchers evaluated the health benefits of black tea on stress in the body. Seventy-five regular tea drinkers were split into two groups. All study participants gave up their normal tea, coffee, and caffeinated beverages. One group drank a caffeinated black tea. The control group drank a caffeinated fake-tea placebo.
To eliminate the "comforting" effect of drinking a cup of tea, researchers masked the sensory cues typically associated with tea drinking. Then they had the groups perform challenging tasks to evaluate their bodies’ stress responses as measured by the hormone cortisol, blood pressure, blood platelets, and self-rated stress levels.
The tasks caused similar stress levels in both groups. However, 50 minutes after performing the tasks, cortisol levels had dropped by an average of 47 percent in the tea-drinking group compared with a mere 27 percent in the fake-tea group. The researchers also found that blood platelet activation (which is linked to blood clotting and the risk of heart attacks) was lower in the tea drinkers. And the tea drinkers reported feeling more relaxed in the recovery period after performing the tasks.
Because tea is chemically complex, researchers can’t yet pinpoint the ingredients responsible for the health benefits of black tea. What they do know is that enjoying a cup of black tea may speed recovery from the daily stresses in life. And that, in turn, can help reduce the risk of chronic illnesses such as heart disease.
Stock up on healthy and delicious organic black tea. It’s calorie-free, packed with powerful phytonutrients, and can help soothe away stress too.