Issue #2501
- WEALTHY: A simple way to get more ideas, more energy, and a higher IQ (Michael Masterson)
- HEALTHY: A new reason to eat more fruits and veggies (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Helen Keller on working together
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Where has common human decency gone? (MaryEllen Tribby)
- Who should your product line benefit? (Suzanne Richardson)
- It’s Fun to Know… how Google protects your reputation
- Add “derogate” to your vocabulary
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”Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Helen Keller
How to Double or Triple Your Brainpower Almost Immediately
In the past few months, I’ve rediscovered a powerful secret to making life better and easier. It’s something I’ve talked about in ETR before – because I’ve experienced it before.
But just recently, I proved to myself once again that this secret can help you double (at the very least) your brainpower. And you know what comes with having a more powerful brain…
You have more and better ideas, and you come up with them more quickly. Which can lead to more products for your business, more marketing channels to explore, and, eventually, more money.
Best of all, this secret is very simple: Hook up with a partner.
Now there’s more to finding a partner than meets the eye, and I’ll get into that in a minute. But first, I want to show you how truly powerful partnership can be.
The Power of Partnership in Action
On Tuesday, my latest book, Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business, hit bookstores. This book is different from anything I’ve ever written. For one thing, it’s got a very narrow focus: multi-channel marketing. But the biggest difference is that I didn’t write it by myself.
Changing the Channel is my seventh book. I’ve already penned six books. So why, you might ask, did I need a co-author? The answer: Because I knew that writing the book with this particular co-author would make it at least twice as good.
My co-author, as you probably know, is ETR’s own MaryEllen Tribby.
When I first met MaryEllen, I knew she was special. She had the golden touch when it came to business building. So when the opportunity arose to bring her on as CEO of ETR, I jumped at it. And since she’s been at ETR, revenues have quadrupled.
While ETR’s revenues were soaring, MaryEllen and I had weekly meetings. And those meetings were a frenzy of idea-sharing. I would mention a marketing technique I’d used, and MaryEllen would talk about how she’d used it in the past. We’d brainstorm new products. We’d feed off each other’s enthusiasm, and we’d think about new ways to grow ETR. We’d leave those meetings feeling energized and full of ideas.
One of the major breakthroughs we made during that time resulted in Changing the Channel. You see, we’d both been testing marketing ideas throughout our careers. But once we started talking every week, we discovered something astounding: We’d been using the same 12 strategies, over and over, to repeat our successes.
After making that discovery, we knew we had to put those 12 profit-acceleration secrets into a step-by-step plan that CEOs, entrepreneurs, and even entry-level employees could use. And the plan – which became Changing the Channel – was doubly strong because we worked on it together.
We each brought a different perspective to the book-writing process. We encouraged each other through writer’s block. We helped each other strengthen weak chapters. We shared examples to help bolster our explanations. We challenged each other to include only our strongest and best advice… and on and on.
In the end, we wrote the book using more than twice the brainpower I could have provided had I written it by myself.
How to Recognize a Perfect Partner
In my view, a great partner has the following characteristics:
- She has something (besides money) to offer the partnership that you don’t have. This might be intelligence, assertiveness, creativity, perspicacity, a capacity for networking, an indomitable spirit – anything, so long as it is helpful to getting the job done.
- She is fair-minded. By that, I mean she understands that there are many ways to contribute to a relationship (see above) and she values the way you contribute.
- She is long-term-oriented. She understands that doing a good job on any major project takes time.
- She is loyal. She will never try to break the original deal even if it starts to become unbalanced.
And partners don’t have to be colleagues. Some of my best partnerships have been with mentors or superstar employees. One of my greatest mentors, JSN, helped me become a business owner, an entrepreneur, and a multimillionaire. My next partner took me even further.
Why Go It Alone?
Studies show that the majority of successful people rely on at least one other person. My own experiences validate those findings, as do the experiences of my most successful friends and colleagues. (I can’t think of a single lone wolf who made it to the top on his or her own. I know several people who think they did – but, in reality, they were helped by others along the way, and then denied those people the credit they were due.)
Surveys show that business partnerships achieve greater success than individual proprietorships. Statistically speaking, they are more likely to survive the difficult start-up stage, they grow faster, net greater profits (for both partners), and last longer.
The same can be said of social partnerships. The capacity of a single mind is enormous – but the likelihood that its potential will be fully tapped is very small. We are all limited by emotional hang-ups, negative addictions, and self-destructive behavior patterns. But those limitations can be broken through when you have a partner to push and prod you. And when you reciprocate by pushing your partner to do and think and see more than they would on their own – well, then you have the beginning of something very powerful.
The fact is, a partner – whether a mentor or a superstar or a colleague or a spouse – can help you reach success much more quickly.
As your career or business develops, you’ll face problems and opportunities you haven’t met before. In such cases, it helps to get advice from a talented, intelligent partner. Someone who sees the world differently than you do. Someone who has had different experiences. Someone who can offer you all the benefits his or her unique viewpoint affords.
And you can take all that additional experience and brainpower straight to the bank.
Great partners will not only make you rich, they will make your life easier. Start looking for yours today.
[Ed. Note: Now's your chance to "partner up" with two of the greatest minds in Internet marketing. In Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business, Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby combine 60+ years of their best marketing ideas, insights, and strategies. Spend a few hours reading the book, put its techniques to work, and soon you could be making more money than you ever imagined. Order your copy of Changing the Channel today.]
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What’s New From the Publisher’s Viewpoint: R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Find Out What It Means to Me)
Everyone is feeling the effects of the most recent economic crisis. It does not matter if you are a business owner, a student, in middle management, or a stay-at-home parent. We are all worried.
Last week, I had lunch with two business acquaintances – “Amanda” and “Len.” Our conversation naturally turned to a discussion of ideas that might be beneficial to our businesses during this tough time. But the main thing I got out of our meeting had nothing to do with the business ideas we discussed. Rather, I left wondering where common human courtesy had gone.
You see, we got on the subject of cost cutting. Len said, “Well, I told MY people they’d better not spend any money on thus and such…” His voice was dripping with condescension. And instead of referring to his employees as his “team” or “group,” he called them “my people” – as if he owned them.
Amanda was even worse: “I think you should just fire half of your staff,” she said. “They are probably all idiots anyway. I know my people are.”
I thought about how little respect these two individuals have for their teammates. People they work with every day. Then I thought about their teams – and how horrible it must be for them to go into an organization every day, work hard, and receive so little respect.
I was surprised. Amanda and Len are intelligent people who run successful companies. Why would they talk that way?
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that by being respectful and courteous you will automatically have a successful business. We all know that it takes a lot more than that. But what I am saying is that respect is the foundation of every relationship. And when you show respect, you receive respect.
Early in my career, while working at Forbes, our company was in a softball league with other publishers (a big thing in New York City). Our team was made up of people from all levels of the company – from the IT directors to the mailroom guys to the marketing assistants. And many days I would go directly from a meeting with Steve Forbes to play softball.
One night after the game, a colleague asked me how I’d become so successful at such a young age. I explained that hard work had a lot to do with it, but that I also respected the people I worked with. I said that gender, age, status, and income had nothing to do with how I treated people – that anyone who was doing a good job, regardless of his or her position, deserved my respect.
This is the same philosophy my husband and I teach our children today. You know the old expression, “Children should be seen and not heard”? Well, whoever made that up most likely received very little respect.
My husband and I show our children the respect that they deserve. After all, why wouldn’t we? Our three-year-old is caring, smart, funny, and can put a smile on the grouchiest person’s face.
And I do my best to associate only with people I respect. Think about it. Would you want to spend your days and nights with people you don’t respect?
Respect is like innocence. Everyone deserves it until they do something that proves otherwise. (Of course, that doesn’t mean you should have an overblown sense of your own worth.)
The best thing about respect is that it is really up to you. If you are in a company where you are not getting respect or you do not respect the people you work with, do something about it.
[Ed. Note: Respect yourself - and associate only with people and companies you value. Let us know your thoughts on respect right here.]
How Do You Know Which Products to Sell?
When it comes to the products you offer, if you stick to two guidelines, you’ll never want for satisfied, loyal customers. Those two guidelines? As MaryEllen Tribby puts it, “Before we sell a product, it has to be good for the company and it has to be good for the customer.”
A product that’s “good for the company” is able to bring in money and/or names for our e-mail list. A product that’s “good for the customer” is one that not only satisfies our clients’ needs but “over-delivers” on value. And it does so in a clear, easy-to-understand manner.
Of course, a product that makes our customers happy is also a product that’s good for the company. So these guidelines go hand in hand. Before we offer any product to our subscribers, our marketing team makes sure it fits the “good for the company, good for the customer” bill.
It doesn’t matter whether you create your own products… sell other companies’ products as an affiliate… or buy pre-made products to sell to your customers… Make sure you put those products to the “company/customer” test. Your bottom line will thank you.
[Ed. Note: Finding the right products to sell is one important aspect of running a business online. You can get insider secrets about how to find or create top-notch products and how to attract new customers at ETR's 2008 Info Marketing Bootcamp. Our panel of Internet marketing superstars will be revealing specific strategies you can use to make $1.2 million or more in 2009. Time is running out - so sign up today.]
Every Guy’s Diet Needs More…
The other day, one of my clients asked me why I eat so many fruits and vegetables, and why I tell him to do the same. After all, neither one of us is trying to lose fat.
I told him that eating well isn’t all about fat loss. For example, when researchers from the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California studied the food records of over 193,000 men and women, they found that an increase in fruits and vegetables in the men’s diets, specifically, helped to reduce the incidence of colon cancer.
I don’t know any men who are eating too many fruits and vegetables, do you? Here’s how I increased my intake (and I encourage you to do the same)…
First, I started eating raw broccoli and peppers alongside my morning omelet. Second, I have fruit for my mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks (blueberries, apples, bananas, and even watermelon). Third, I added spinach to my lunches by taking a can of Amy’s Organic Chili, heating it, and pouring it over the spinach leaves. And, finally, my dinner revolves around a piece of chicken or steak surrounded by asparagus, broccoli, and avocado.
[Ed. Note: You don't have to eat bland, boring food to stay healthy. But you DO have to make smart choices when it comes to your eating habits. For healthy and delicious meals you can make at home, check out ETR's natural health e-letter. It's free and packed full of advice that can help you become healthier faster.
The other component to staying healthy is a a fat-blasting resistance-training regimen like fitness expert Craig Ballantyne's Turbulence Training program.]
It’s Fun to Know: How Google Protects Your Reputation
When intoxicated people, with limited judgment and in a heightened emotional state, pick up the phone, they sometimes call people they shouldn’t, say things they shouldn’t, or in some other way make fools of themselves. It’s called “drunk dialing” – and Google wants to protect its Gmail users from the Internet equivalent: drunk e-mailing.
A new Google feature – “Mail Goggles” – can be activated during late evening hours, or whenever you choose. In order to send an e-mail during that time, you first have to pass a “sobriety test” that consists of math problems. If you’re sober enough to do the math – or realize you can just use a calculator – you’re probably okay to send the e-mail.
(Source: marketingvox.com; gmailblog.blogspot.com)
== Highly Recommended ==
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Every industry has trade secrets. Insider tips and tactics for rigging life in your favor, giving you the advantage in almost every situation.
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Word to the Wise: Derogate
To “derogate” (DER-uh-gate) – from the Latin for “to propose to repeal part of a law” – is to (1) take away, or (2) deviate from what is expected.
Example (as used by Ciaran Fitzgerald in the Irish Times): “If someone wants to derogate from that and make a choice, then they are free to do it.”
[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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I completley agree. I carry the argument to another level. As an older person, I am very concerned to see the lack of respect in written communications on the web. If one disagrees to any extent, they use terrible words to address the person with whom they disagree. Whatever happened to civil disagreements?
We will almost never agree with someone else on every detail of any question. But, just because you disagree with someone does not mean that there is nothing to learn from that person. Even if they are totally wrong in your opinion, this could be a golden teaching moment not an opportunity to show your ignorance.
This is such a great topic about respect and yes, I absolutely agree. This is much how like Disney treat every single cast member and guest with the utmost respect regardless of their position within the company.
When you respect and treat those people with appreciation, it’s amazing the things that will happen for your business.
You have hit on one of the most powerful success ideas throughout history. As a professional speaker, I address this subject through the character of Benjamin Franklin. One of the great lessons he learned at an early age was that what we all really want is to be respected. We want to be valued for our talents and the contributions we make. Respect is the one thing that can often change an adversary into an ally.
Respect is a value and like all the other values, it has to be earned.
Only spending time with people you respect can be reverse interpreted to show that you respect yourself. I recented stopped spending time with someone because our values were so different. It doesn’t make my values better than theirs or vice versa, but it does make me respect myself more to be true to me.
One company I worked at a number of years ago, I was chastised by management because I treated everyone the same. This same management ruled with fear and turnover was huge. The same people that didn’t want to do a thing for them would do anything I asked, indeed went out of their way to help me, all because they knew I genuinely respected them. Just because someone was cleaning toilets, it didn’t make them any less valuable than someone’s higher paid position. If you think so, then try using the bathroom when it hasn’t been cleaned.
People give more of themselves in terms of effort and loyalty when they feel appreciated, and respect is more than half of that formula!
Lack of respect is the main reason I left my last job of 7 years. I worked hard and even worked off the clock to see that everything ran smoothly. Then my bosses hired someone that took advantage of a difficult period in my life (death of a sister, menopause) to turn my bosses against me. I did love to work there, even though I wasn’t paid much and would have stayed if I had kept the respect I did have.
You are absolutely correct. In my experience, those who don’t treat others with respect do so because they have the mistaken idea that they need to put other people down, in order to make themselves feel more powerful. It begins with self respect. A person who has real self respect will tend to treat everyone else with respect.
After all, prince or pauper, CEO or janitor, everyone has something to teach you–either lessons you want to embrace, or those you wish to avoid. How someone treats a subordinate says a great deal about their character, and whether or not they deserve MY respect.
I agree! It is a real treat to read a newsletter with such fantastic content. I am truly enjoying Early to Rise.
First of all…if you don’t have respect for yourself…then you won’t have respect for anyone else. And “respect” for someone should not be based primarily on his or her material gain.
Think about it…”Love thy neighbor as thyself”. If you don’t love yourself in a healthy, wholesome way, how can you really love anyone else?
I’ve been around a long time and made a hell of a lot of mistakes. I think now…I’m “starting to get it”. I’m finally realizing, that in the context of the universe and spirituality, that my ignorance is pretty much infinite!
Enough rambling…I think respect is about:
1. Treating others the way you’d like to be treated.
2. Treating where you work like it was your own business.
3. Leaving everywhere you go a little bit better than you found it.
That’s my definition of respect and I’m sticking to it!
I have always simply did my very best at any job I have been given. Even though my enterprises were always successful, I think that I missed this great human relations tactic. I expected my employees to be just like me. They weren’t!!!
I believe this way of treating employees would have made my businesses that much more successful.
I won’t make that mistake again!
I always tried to give each of my customers a little more than he had bargained for. I will be sure my customers also have that respect, too!!!
Paul Tollison
Paul’s Pistols
Tacoma, WA
I would like to say for whatever it is worth; and that maybe not much in this business.
But for what I read here in the excerpt,I will most definetly buy this book and put it to work for me.
I am getting to the retirement age,I’m projecting 2010 and I want all I can get and then some for myself and my family in retirement.
I Know it’s not going to be easy and living on a fixed income is not going to be easy either.Cause you will never be able to make the bucks like you did in your younger years.
Helped me lot… thanks for such a informative article
Every person is a valuable person. I learned this lesson once when I saw what I thought was a poor man buying a can of soup and a small package of potato chips at a grocery store. My dad stopped what he was doing and had a wonderful conversation with this very humble and very quiet man. I then asked Dad to buy this man a cart full of groceries because the man appeared to be very poor. My dad’s eyes got large and explained that this man was one of the richest men in Texas and could buy 5 grocery chains if he wanted to. He was just out get out of the house for a minute.
I also have a friend who drives a 12 year old dented minivan, dresses very plainly and keeps her own house because she gets so much pleasure from having her very own home…since she grew up in mansions here in America and in Europe. Her father was a colleague of a very famous scientist and worldwide humanitarian. She has had tea with the Queen of England, movie and stage stars for friends but she picks up and takes her clothes to the cleaners and rakes the leaves from her own yard.
So I’ve learned to always find something redeeming in everyone because if they may not be a customer or employee now, they will always remember a kindness later.