Issue #2552
- WEALTHY: More than a movie subscription service (Christian Hill)
- HEALTHY: 5 reasons to eat more chocolate (Dr. Ray Sahelian)
- WISE: George Sheehan on success
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- 10 simple ideas that could make this the best year ever for your business (David Cross)
- How – and why – to find out what your competitors are up to (Jason Holland)
- It’s Fun to Know… the top 5 words of 2008
- Add “furtive” to your vocabulary
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It’s so irritating to pay a late fee when you return a rental movie a day (or 30 days) late. Was anyone else really trying to rent Gigli during the two extra days I held on to it? Not likely. So why should I pay a fine when the movie was just going to sit on a shelf?
There is a solution that many folks have turned to.
Netflix!
This online movie rental service has no late fees. Ever. And their selection is much more extensive than what you find at your neighborhood Blockbuster or video store. The perks are better too. New releases are almost always available. You can schedule your next 10 movie deliveries – and you can modify your list if your tastes change. To return a movie, you just drop it in the mail. In about two days, the next one on your list is delivered. And now, you can even download and watch Netflix movies on your computer.
The best part is that a subscription to get one DVD at a time is under $10/month, cheaper than renting two movies a month from most video rental places.
With subscriptions being bought as holiday gifts for family and friends, Netflix (NFLX) should ride a revenue wave that will push its stock price up over the next few months. Currently trading around the $27/share level, I expect it to pop back up to the $32-$34/share level soon. Pick up some shares now.
[Ed. Note: The market may not look so hot right now. But you should be ready to take action when the moment strikes. Some incredible opportunities are headed your way. For an educational program that lays out the simple steps you need to take advantage of them, click here.]
“Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.”
George Sheehan
Make 2009 Your Best Year Ever – Resolution #8: Get Out There and Sell Yourself!
By David Cross
“How is the job hunting going?” I asked my friend Jane.
“Well, nobody EVER hires during the holidays, so there’s no point in looking. Actually, I’m kind of hoping I can get my unemployment benefits extended.”
If my dad had heard that, he would have had a fit. He strongly believed that having a job was a moral obligation. “Nobody has a ‘right to work,’” he often said to my brother, my sister, and me, “and nobody owes you a job. So get out there and sell yourself!” (And this was a pretty surprising attitude considering the tough working-class area in Northern England he came from, where the right to work was woven into the fabric of society.)
Throughout their lives, my parents felt that it was entirely up to them to make their own way in the world – even when that world seemed to be crumbling down around them.
I remember the year my dad had a devastating stroke that left him seriously incapacitated. My mum’s part-time, seasonal hotel cleaning job had finished for the year, and times were tough. But I also remember my parents’ sense of optimism and their determination to succeed, no matter what. The tougher things seemed to get, the more my parents “went out there” and doubled their efforts to find work.
My mum posted handwritten cards offering her cleaning services in the local newspaper office and in “7-11″ type corner shops in our neighborhood. She took an evening job working in a cafe.
My dad started on his dual road to recovery and employment by advising on building and plumbing jobs. He also helped out at his doctor’s surgery, local churches, and businesses – and wasn’t shy about making sure people knew he had 40-plus years of experience as a plumber and builder.
Somehow, together, they made ends meet.
How This Can Help You and Your Business
In tough economic times – like right now – you may have fewer new customers or your existing customers may be more cautious about spending. Worse, you may feel that there’s nothing you can do.
As unfair as it may seem, you’re on your own. Nobody is going to give you a bailout, nobody owes you a thing, and you have no right to anything except that which you create.
That sounds tough but it’s actually quite liberating – because you have full control over the direction you take with your business. What you decide to do is entirely up to you.
So my suggestion is to follow my dad’s advice and make this one of your New Year’s resolutions: “Get out there and sell yourself!” Use every means and every channel at your disposal to market your business and create new sales opportunities.
Here are 10 things you can do – starting today…
1. If you are marketing only online, start using offline channels. That includes sending postcards, printed letters, flyers, newsletters, and catalogs by regular “snail mail.”
2. If you don’t have an Internet presence, it’s time to get one. You can start by placing an ad on Google – so when people search for keywords related to your product or service, your ad will be displayed.
3. Start thinking of “online” and “offline” as two different yet complementary marketing channels. Realize that both should be part of your overall marketing strategy. We know from experience that marketing through multiple channels is the most effective way to build a business.
For example, you could send a postcard or letter informing prospects to watch for a special e-mail you will send on a specific date. Or you could send an e-mail telling them to watch for a special letter you will mail to them in the next week. This kind of multi-channel approach is what Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby outline in their groundbreaking book Changing the Channel. If you haven’t yet read it, order it today.
4. Pick up the phone. It’s easy to sit behind a computer and fire off e-mails. But in an ever-more-disconnected world, people appreciate personal touches. Call your best customers to thank them. Check to make sure that they are getting the most out of their product or subscription, and take that opportunity to inform them about other products or services on offer.
5. Upsell. The moment someone places an order… that’s when they are most likely to make another purchase. You can take advantage of this by offering items related to what they just bought.
For example, offer a notebook to everyone who buys a pen from you, a multi-vitamin to everyone who buys an herbal supplement from you, an e-book to everyone who subscribes to your investment service. (You get the idea.) Doing this can greatly increase your average sale or transaction value.
6. Start e-mail marketing. Create a free report with useful information that will attract potential customers. For example, if you sell bathroom fixtures, offer a free report about planning a bathroom renovation or how to give a bathroom a Victorian look. Anything to give you a reason to start a new sales dialog with people.
Then place an ad for this free report on your website. You can use an autoreply service – such as aweber.com or getresponse.com - to send out the report automatically.
7. Buy remnant advertising space. If you want to increase your marketing activities without increasing your advertising spending, you need to start buying remnant space. Most newspapers and magazines have unsold space that they have to sell before they can go to print. You can get a 20 percent, 50 percent, even a 95 percent discount on this “last-minute” space and save yourself a fortune.
8. Turn every transaction into a marketing opportunity. When the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) started allowing companies to advertise on the plastic bins at airport security checkpoints, they turned what had been purely a transactional activity (sending people through the screener) into a marketing opportunity.
How could you do that in your business? Could you print product info on your invoices – or include a flyer about a special offer in the envelope?
9. Test your prices. When sales are slow, business owners often think that offering discounts is the best strategy. But it may not be. The only way to know for sure is to test the price of your wares. You may even find that by bundling products and services together – and throwing in a few free reports – you could end up selling the entire package for more than you got by selling those items individually.
10. Offer free workshops and classes. There’s nothing quite like meeting customers and prospects in person. It helps you forge strong relationships and increase your chances of future sales. One way to do this is to offer free workshops and classes. Going back to one of my earlier examples… if you sell bathroom fixtures, you could have free tiling workshops or classes on how to do simple plumbing repairs. And you would not only provide attendees with practical information, you would also give advice and refer to the products and services you sell.
The New Year is full of opportunity. What you do with that opportunity is up to you. There’s never been a better time to test and try new ideas and new angles – never a better time to “Get out there and sell yourself!”
My best wishes for a Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.
[Ed. Note: For a step-by-step blueprint to starting your own business - from setting up a website to creating products to writing sales copy and more - sign up for ETR's Internet Money Club. You'll have weekly contact with ETR's team of marketing and business-building experts - including David Cross, MaryEllen Tribby, and Brian Edmondson. And if you don't have a fully functioning business by the end of 2009, ETR will build one for you. Space is limited for this exclusive club. See if there are any openings available for the "Class" of 2009 right here.]
Your Special Holiday Gift from Early to Rise
Your website sales and sign ups can improve dramatically just by implementing David Cross’s simple usability technique.
[ETRVideos]x1K8H46RZG0[/ETRVideos]
A Former Blueblood Elitist Switches Sides – and Reveals All
I’m about to reveal a startling secret to you.
My doing this is going to really anger a lot of people.
These people are angry because they don’t think that you are the right “kind” to have this information.
You see, the people I’m talking about are what I call “blueblood elitists.” They are the Wall Street insiders who make truckloads of cash no matter what the market is doing.
I used to be one of them.
But, with all of the crazy things that are happening in the markets now…hard working people…with retirement funds…families…and kids to send to college…watching their dreams vaporize…I decided I couldn’t keep quiet any longer!
I’ve switched sides and I’m revealing it all. I’m going to let you in on the secrets that will allow you to make a fortune…no matter which way the market is going.
I can only allow a limited number of people into my inner circle. If you are ready to stop being on the outside looking in, get the full story now.
“Spying” on Your Competitors
No matter what product or service you sell, your competitors are selling something similar. To make sure your offer – and every aspect of your customers’ experience – stands out from the pack… you should find out what they are up to.
Your first step is to collect your competitors’ marketing materials. Find their print ads, call their 800 numbers, look at their websites, sign up for their newsletters, and read the sales letters they are going to start sending you. Among other things, you’re looking for the quality of their copy, layout, format, benefits, offers, and pricing.
Then start buying their products. Keep track of any problems that crop up with your orders, how long it takes for your products to arrive, and how these companies follow up with you.
Compare what you learn about the way your competitors operate to what you are doing… and use that information to make your own efforts better.
[Ed. Note: Competitive intelligence is a great way to get a leg up on your competitors and improve your business. Another way is to make formal goal setting part of your everyday routine. For a step-by-step guide (and year-long support) to achieving all your business - and personal - goals in the new year, join Early to Rise's Total Success Achievement Program 2009. Find out more about how this program can help you here.
Now You Can Enjoy Your Chocolate Fix Even More...
As you know, dark chocolate is high in antioxidants. Its health benefits include helping to lower blood pressure, prevent cancer, lower the risk of heart disease, and improve brain function. And that's not all...
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD tested the effect of dark chocolate on platelet activity, C-reactive protein (CRP - an indicator of heart disease and stroke risk), and lipid profile in 28 healthy volunteers. For one week, the volunteers ate dark chocolate (providing 700 mg of flavonoids per day). At the end of that time, the researchers found that, on average, their LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) had fallen by 6 percent and their HDL cholesterol ("good" cholesterol) had increased by 9 percent. Their CRP levels, too, were reduced.
So don't feel guilty about reaching for another dark chocolate truffle. Keep in mind, though, that, eating too much dark chocolate can lead to weight gain and excessive exposure to sugars and fats. To get the benefits without the sugar and fat, consider taking a capsule of a cacao supplement in the morning with breakfast.
[Ed. Note: Healthy food doesn't have to taste like cardboard. Simply make smart choices when it comes to what you eat, and you can live a healthier, fuller life. For tasty, good-for-you recipes - plus the latest health breakthroughs and easy-to-follow fitness techniques - sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter.
Ray Sahelian, MD - an internationally recognized expert in the evaluation of natural supplements - has agreed to offer a free bottle of his cacao supplement to ETR readers. Click here to learn more.]
It’s Fun to Know: The Top 5 Words of 2008
Drum roll, please… “Bailout” tops the list of the most-searched-for words in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary in 2008. Rounding out the top five are four words that just might be familiar to those who followed the run-up to November’s presidential election:
1. vet (as in a political candidate, not military veteran)
2. socialism
3. maverick
4. bipartisan
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Word to the Wise: Furtive
“Furtive” (FUR-tiv) – from the Latin for “thief” – means secretive, sly, or sneaky.
Example (as used by Michael Chabon in Werewolves in Their Youth): “He had always been more than willing to show me parts of [his notebook], whenever I asked him to; and naturally I had taken many furtive looks at its innermost pages when he wasn’t around.”
[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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