- WEALTHY: A secret to power in business (Paul Lawrence)
- HEALTHY: Can you eat a sandwich without bread? (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Goethe on taking bold steps
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Why does “pretty” matter for your business? (Suzanne Richardson)
- Yet another way Google makes life easier (Lori Allen)
- It’s Good to Know… about the cleanest clean
- Add “concinnity” to your vocabulary
== Highly Recommended ==
“Economic Rescue Plan” Now Available for ETR Readers ***
I don’t have to tell you how it’s become pretty darn obvious in the past few months, that when it comes to YOUR future… YOUR financial situation…
- You can’t rely on your Employer.
- You can’t rely on Wall Street…
- You can’t rely on the Banks…
- And you SURE AS HECK can’t rely on the Government.
Who does that leave?
YOU! You and only you.
But where do you start? What are your options? How can you rely on yourself when you don’t have experience, a ton of money, or a plan?
All good questions. And that’s why at Early to Rise, we’ve rounded-up three of the absolutely most BRILLIANT experts in self-reliance that we know… and arranged for them to talk with you in a complimentary urgent teleconference series.
They’re going to be explaining how they’ve built their OWN “recession-proof” businesses. And they’re going to tell you how YOU can do it too.
The first call is today, and I think you should be on it. Because taking care of your own financial future is what this is really all about now.
Join Alex Mandossian, Rich Schefren and Buck Rizvi where they’re going to be showing you how THEY took control of their lives… and how you can do the same.
Register here – and then make sure you listen to the call this afternoon.
“Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.”
Johann Wolfgang Goethe
The Power of Who You Know
“Who should I say is calling?” the assistant to the TV network producer curtly demanded.
“This is Paul Lawrence. I’m the executive producer of the International Sketch Comedy Championships, which I produce with the Laugh Factory,” I responded.
“Please hold,” the assistant said with some skepticism in her voice.
A moment later, she was back on the line, apologizing for the wait. She explained that her boss was in a meeting but would call me back. I thanked her. As promised, the call was returned later that day.
This powerful television network executive had never heard of me. So how did I have enough clout with her to get my call returned?
I used a power technique called “Allied Power Linking.”
Although she didn’t know me, she most certainly knew of the Laugh Factory, an important player in Hollywood. And because of my alliance with this club, some of its muscle was automatically linked to me. The result was a return call from an influential executive who might not have even gotten my message, much less called me back, had I not used this technique.
“Allied Power Linking” is a powerful tool. But, as with any power, you have to use it carefully so it doesn’t backfire. Here are some tips to keep in mind when employing this technique.
• Don’t lie about who you are in business with.
I could call the president of a major film studio and say I’m Donald Trump’s business partner. If the call is perceived as legitimate, a return call would certainly be made.
But before that happens, someone in that president’s office is likely to try to verify that I am, indeed, Trump’s business partner. And if it comes to light that I am misrepresenting myself, the following would happen:
1. It would kill the possibility of ever getting a meeting with the studio president or doing business with his studio in any way.
2. There’s a good chance that I would get contacted by Donald Trump’s legal team.
• Be certain that the person you reference is agreeable to being portrayed as your ally.
Before you start dropping his name, you want to make sure he’s okay with it.
Assuming you share the same goal, there probably won’t be a problem. But your powerful ally might set some parameters regarding how you represent your mutual affiliation and to whom. For example, there may be certain people that the ally would prefer you didn’t contact because of previous dealings he’s had with them.
• Be sure that the name of your ally will be meaningful to the person you’re trying to reach.
If I call a senior buyer at Wal-Mart and let him know that my cousin Ernie, a busboy at a local deli, is my business partner, that’s obviously not going to help me. But there are times when it’s not so easy to figure out how valuable it will be to use a particular name. Since you have only one chance to make a first impression, do your research.
When I called that Hollywood producer, I knew that the Laugh Factory had several business deals with her network. And I knew that many of its star performers also had deals there. So I rightly assumed that this ally link would have a lot of leverage.
Even if the ally has no business dealings with your target, if they are well-known in the industry – or at least well-known to the person you’re trying to reach – dropping their name is almost certainly going to help you.
• Don’t overestimate the power boost.
Sure, mentioning a powerful ally can help you get a foot in the door. But don’t make the mistake of wielding their name like a weapon. Never threaten the executive’s “gatekeeper” with something along the lines of, “If you don’t put me through, you’ll never work in this town again.” Politely reference your ally and hope that it will be enough to achieve the results you’re after.
If mentioning your ally’s name doesn’t help, it may be that you’re trying to use it at the wrong time or in the wrong situation. Still, you might want to reevaluate just how much power that ally can really deliver for you.
The entertainment business is certainly not the only industry where you need power behind you just to get a call taken by an assistant, let alone returned by someone with the authority to make a deal. This is a challenge faced by every entrepreneur seeking to build a business and develop potentially lucrative partnerships.
Knowing how to identify and use the right “power sources” will make the job a whole lot easier.
[Ed. Note: "Allied Power Linking" is a very effective tool, and must for success in today's business world. Get 8 more secrets to instant business power with Paul Lawrence's audio program.
You'll be able to make lots of powerful contacts this November at ETR's 2008 Info Marketing Bootcamp. Rub elbows with some of the biggest names in Internet marketing... and discover the strategies that helped these men and women make over $1 billion in revenues.]
Do You Need to Start Out Small ?
If you don’t have an Internet business yet, or if your company is smaller than $1 million, then you need something different… something that lets you start off small.
One man I know turned $10 into over $500,000. How’s that for starting small!
Let me show you how you could get a similar Internet income stream running for almost nothing.
- Charlie Byrne
ETR Associate Publisher
ETR Insider Report: Is Your Marketing “Pretty” Enough?
Erika Laguna, ETR’s graphic designer, said, “My goal is to make ETR’s marketing efforts look pretty.”
Everyone laughed. The entire ETR team had gathered for a staff meeting, and each member was revealing his or her daily goal.
Little did we know that Erika wasn’t making a joke. She was 100 percent serious!
“What does pretty mean in our business?” asked Michael Masterson. “Does anyone know?”
Erika was the only one who spoke up. “Something that’s pretty brings in more money.”
“That’s right,” said Michael. “In direct response, pretty means graphic design that understands and supports the written word… and the selling process. Something can’t be pretty just for pretty’s sake. It’s about directing the reader’s eye and making an emotional message consistent with the sales message.”
“Did you know that graphic design used to get short shrift in the world of marketing?” Michael went on. “For the longest time, direct marketers believed that all that mattered was the copy. But it’s been proven that images have a potentially huge impact on revenues. In fact, a colleague of mine was able to double his response rates in the mail just with good graphic design.”
And it’s worked for ETR, too. Our marketing team tested one Yahoo banner ad against another. They were able to quadruple the number of clicks the banner ad received just by changing the image that appeared on it.
So how can you make graphic design work for you?
Test.
Michael recommends that you test different graphic formats to see what type of responses you get. That’s the best way to see what’s “pretty” to your customers. When you’ve got “pretty” sales promotions, websites, and e-letters, you’ll have a healthy and successful business.
[Ed. Note: Running a successful Internet business involves a lot more than just making your marketing "pretty." The best way to learn the most effective business-building strategies? By getting "insider secrets" from people who've been there before you. You can do just that at ETR's Info Marketing Bootcamp this November. We've asked 12 of the most successful Internet marketers around to reveal a technique you can use to make at least $100,000 in 2009. Get more details here.]
Dear ETR: What’s a good substitute for bread?
“As bread is always being lambasted as being too high in carbs, exactly what can be used as a substitute that is both nutritious AND practical – i.e., that can be used every day to make a sandwich for lunch? Everything I can think of has a grain in it!”
Jim Crossman
Somerset, UK
Dear Jim,
Good question.
I asked my nutrition expert friend Isabel De Los Rios (thedietsolutionprogram.com) for some help. Here’s what she said…
You can go one of two ways with this, or use a combo of both:
1. Choose organic, sprouted grain breads (such as Food For Life Ezekiel Bread) whenever possible. The process of “sprouting” grains makes them much more digestible and nutritious. Compared to “processed grain,” sprouted grain is much higher in protein and fiber and lower in carbs.
2. Use vegetables – such as romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, sliced eggplant, and portabella mushrooms – instead of bread. For instance, instead of a boring sandwich, you could make:
- turkey, roast beef, and cheese lettuce wraps (Don’t forget a drop of mustard.)
- sauteed chicken and vegetable lettuce wraps
- tuna salad on sliced tomatoes
- turkey or beef burgers on portabella mushrooms
- scrambled eggs and bacon on sliced tomatoes
Happy eating!
[Ed. Note: Supplement the above suggestions for low-carb meals with a fat-burning exercise routine. Learn how to build muscle and blast fat with Craig's Turbulence Training program. And for advice on how to lose weight, eat right, and exercise better, sign up for ETR's free natural health e-letter.
Have a question for an ETR expert? Write to us at AskETR@ETRfeedback.com and one of them may respond to you in ETR.]
Find a Restaurant Anywhere in 4 Seconds Flat
By Lori Allen
Hand me your text-message-enabled cellphone, and I can find you an Indian restaurant in Paris, a public pool in Columbus, or a movie theater in Quebec in about four seconds.
How? With Google’s latest innovation, Google SMS. You don’t even have to pay for a call to use it. (It does require a text message, so check your cellphone plan to find out if you’ll be charged a separate fee for that.)
I use this service all the time to find restaurant addresses when I’ve forgotten to bring them with me or I’m in a place that’s not familiar.
Google SMS also does translations, weather forecasts, sports scores, flight information, word definitions, currency conversions, and all kinds of other useful things.
Just send a text message with the right word combination to 466453 (GOOGLE) and a response will be texted back to you before you can put your phone back in your pocket.
Be careful, though, because you have to get the Google SMS commands right to get the answer you’re looking for. You can find out what they are, practice them (without actually sending text messages), and watch a demo at Google.com/mobile/default/sms.
[Ed. Note: High gas prices and checked-bag fees may be troublesome for some, but not for people who have a "Get Paid to Travel" plan. To find out how to defray some of your travel costs, sign up to receive The Right Way to Travel free e-letter.
When you reach a certain income level, small price increases just don't matter. Learn how you can make between $100,000 and $1.2 million in 2009 right here.] .]
It’s Good to Know: The Cleanest Clean
It may seem obvious, but one fact bears repeating: Expensive doesn’t necessarily mean “best,” and cheap doesn’t necessarily mean “worst.” In fact, there is often little or no difference between best and worst… other than a name and fancy packaging.
A test of facial cleansers conducted by Consumer Reports demonstrated this once again. The top two winners had nearly identical scores – but one (La Prairie) costs $70 and the other one (Estee Lauder) costs only $19.
Actually, all the cleansers tested were rated as very good or excellent, except two. Both were big brand-name busts: Biore’s daily cleansing cloths and Pond’s cold cream.
(Source: Consumer Reports)
There’s a New Gold Rush… and This Time It’s Sweeping the Internet – Those Who Know Where to “Pan” Are Getting Rich
It seems like everyone is dipping their hands in the Internet money-making river, and finding a few “gold nuggets” here and there… But a few people are extracting wagon loads of money from one secret spot.
And, as much as those “lucky few” are frantically scooping up their share, this secret spot keeps growing by leaps and bounds every year, and there’s no way they can keep up. Truth be told, there’s too much “gold” here to take home in several lifetimes – even if thousands of people find this spot. This could very well be the mother lode of online business profits.
Think I’m making this up? Try this number: $170 BILLION. That’s how much was ready to be scooped up last year. This year, the pot will only get bigger. Much bigger.
Word to the Wise: Concinnity
“Concinnity” (kun-SIN-uh-tee) – from the Latin for “well put together” – is studied elegance of design or arrangement. The word is usually used to refer to literary style.
Example (as used by Elizabeth Ward): “He has what one character calls ‘the gifts of concinnity and concision,’ that deft swipe with a phrase that can be so devastating in children.”
[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.]
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008
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Good timing. I am having lunch today with a very successful network marketer. We work in different arenas but I know I can learn a ton.
The lunch came about because I sent him a greeting card with one of his quotes in it. I don’t think I impressed him with that quote but he knew I took the time to learn about him.
When I followed up after sending the card we had a great conversation.
One small step to break the ice.
i would be much obliged if you could give your comments/suggestions., as considering the activated liquid oxygen as a dietary supplement.
thanks for your news
regards/george hapides