Issue #2677
- WEALTHY: You would have made $500K if you’d done this… (Ted Peroulakis)
- HEALTHY: 2 weeks to a nutrition education (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Lucas Conley on branding
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Why you should start a cult (Michael Masterson)
- To be or not to be (Suzanne Richardson)
- It’s Good to Know… about TV and radio making big money online
- Add “insuperable” to your vocabulary
== Highly Recommended ==
The Internet Has Become a Profit-Happy Playground for Budding Online Entrepreneurs
From an “automatic” $800 monthly to $187,296 in one day, for a few hours of work – that’s what is possible with this new Internet formula for success.
Now you can discover how to do the same by setting up “automatic” income streams that flow to you each and every month. And there’s no limit to how many sources of income you could have.
This program, called Instant Internet Income, is easy, fast, and flat-out WORKS. Just follow the step-by-step plan for making money online.
One note: It’s guaranteed to do exactly what it promises, or your money back. Click here to learn more and get started today!
Sell in May and Go Away?
A common saying on Wall Street is “Sell in May and Go Away” – meaning May’s a good time to sell your stocks and take a vacation from trading because the stock market is going to drop in the summer months.
Is this based on fact? Or is it some kind of myth?
Long-term statistics reveal that most market down periods do, indeed, occur over the six months from May to October. I crunched the numbers back to 1950, and it appears that the old adage holds water.
According to my calculations, if, for example, you’d invested $10,000 into the S&P 500 in 2008 with a strict “sell on May 1, buy on October 31″ strategy, you’d have had more than $500,000 on May 1 of 2009. If you’d just bought and held the S&P 500 during that same period, you’d have wound up with less than $80,000.
So “Sell in May and Go Away” has a history of success. It also has some other factors working in its favor: the so-called Santa Claus rallies that typically boost November, December, and January performance due to holiday spending, as well as the market boost in April due to optimism about upcoming first-quarter earnings reports.
But past performance is not indicative of future returns, and this strategy does not work every year. Plus, there are negatives. You pay a higher capital gains tax rate on stocks you hold for less than a year, and you pay more in commissions than you do with simple buy-and-hold investing.
[Ed. Note: Ted Peroulakis keeps a close eye on breaking investment opportunities as an analyst with Investor's Daily Edge, ETR's sister publication. Find out more about IDE here.
You can meet IDE's financial experts - along with other top names in the industry - in person this June. Find out more here.]
“More than marketing, advertising, or positioning, branding is an all-in-one ideology.”
Lucas Conley
Building Brands, Starting Religions
You can sell your products, build your brand… or start a religion. It’s a very clever and useful distinction, one that every businessperson should understand.
One of Agora’s publishers reminded me of this important business-building idea yesterday, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. It will help you grow your business – bigger than you might believe. And it will make it easier to sustain your profits during difficult times.
Creating a brand name gives you a big advantage over your competitors who are selling generics. You will find more places to sell your products. You will be able to cut better deals with media placement. You will enjoy higher response rates. And your bottom line will be profitable and stay that way for a long, long time.
I’m not talking about universal branding (although the same benefits and principles apply). Creating a name like Coca Cola or IBM is not an option for small-business owners. But entrepreneurs can create brands within the limited universes they sell to. And those brands can dominate their market.
Call it micro-branding, if you will.
Early to Rise, for example, is well known in the self-improvement and business-opportunity industries. The Oxford Club is a dominant brand in the financial advice industry. Health Sciences Institute is familiar to just about anyone who reads natural health newsletters. And American Writers & Artists Inc. is the best-known business servicing people looking to become freelance copywriters and designers.
It is highly unlikely that Early to Rise or The Oxford Club will be mentioned on The Tonight Show or show up in The New York Times crossword puzzle. But within their individual markets – which comprise several million buyers – they each have established themselves as known brands.
That recognition makes it much easier for these businesses to acquire new customers. When prospects receive offers from them, they are more likely to read them – and when they read them, they are less resistant to the sale.
The reason is not difficult to understand. We have all responded to great sales pitches only to be disappointed when the product or service was delivered. Because of those experiences we tend to be suspicious of any new sales pitch we see. It may look inviting, but we can’t help but wonder if the company is what they say they are.
But when we note that the offer is coming from a company whose name we recognize – a name we have seen for years – we feel less skeptical. We are less worried about being taken advantage of. We read it with a higher level of credulity.
I’ve seen proof of this a thousand times in my 30 years as a direct marketer. Promotional copy that would pull in mediocre response rates if used to sell a generic product will do very well for a brand.
Developing a brand doesn’t happen overnight. And it can’t be done by marketing alone. To create a brand you must spend years getting the name out there. And you must deliver a consistently good product so the awareness you stir up doesn’t work against you.
This is especially true now that the entire world is connected via the Internet. It’s easy for prospective customers, stimulated by a good direct-mail promotion, to check out your company by Googling your name and finding out what existing and former customers have to say. But if you are in business for the long term and you are committed to quality, there is no reason why you shouldn’t try to establish a micro-brand.
Despite the numerous and significant advantages to developing a brand, most entrepreneurs don’t do it. It’s usually because they have a short-term, promotionally oriented view of business. By that, I mean an approach to business that is based on generating yearly revenue goals – which usually translates to a marketing philosophy that can be described as “Let’s come up with another hot product!”
JSN, one of my greatest business mentors, had this perspective. He was a natural marketer and salesman, and had perhaps the shrewdest business mind I have ever encountered. Yet he never expressed any interest in building a long-term franchise. What excited him was figuring out what the market most wanted at any given time and then creating a product and promotion that would sell to that interest.
That is not a bad skill to have. In fact, it may be the single most powerful skill an entrepreneur can have. JSN taught me how to do it, and I still make it a big part of the advice I give to business owners in the first stage of growing a business.
But if that is all you do, you will never get your business beyond the five or 10 million dollar level. After 10 or 20 years you’ll be working as hard to generate income as you did when you started out. Things won’t be getting easier for you. And when times are tough, like they are now, you may find your business failing completely.
If you want to have a long, happy, and eternally profitable career, you should do everything you can to transform your business into a top-notch, well-known, micro-brand in your field. And while you are at it, you might want to consider setting an even higher goal – not only dominating your market but having customers who are feverishly loyal to you and devoted to your products.
I’m talking about turning your business into a micro-cult or micro-religion.
Think about the difference between IBM, a world-class brand, and Apple, a world-class cult. Kevin Roberts – a former executive at Pepsi – calls this “loyalty beyond reason,” according to Lucas Conley in his book OBD: Obsessive Branding Disorder. This is the “phenomenon whereby customers are so enamored with a brand that they ignore price, convenience, and competitor parity.”
Achieving micro-cult status is entirely possible for an entrepreneur. Dr. Atkins, whose newsletter I helped publish for many years, was a prime example. Dr. Sears, whom I work with now, is well on his way. Other micro-cults I know or work with these days include The Oxford Club, Steve Sjuggerud’s True Wealth, and Matt Furey.
All of these businesses are well known in their respective fields. All enjoy the business-building and profit-taking benefits of brand recognition. And all have rabidly loyal customers who buy products from them almost on command and preach the gospel to others whenever they have the chance.
“Branding is encroaching on areas of our lives we never before imagined – from hospitals and education to sex, psychiatry, and cemeteries; we’re branded, quite literally, from the cradle to the grave,” says Lucas Conley. “Today anything with a brand name is vulnerable and anything without one is an opportunity.”
I’ll be writing more about micro-branding and how the businesses I mentioned above have achieved micro-cult status. I’ll tell you the secrets I’ve shared with them and the secrets I’ve learned. And I’ll give you a simple plan for converting your business from a producer of promotions to a world-class micro-brand or micro-cult.
Meanwhile, spend a little time thinking about your business objectively. Is it a company that focuses on short-term opportunities? Or does it operate under a long-term, quality-oriented philosophy? If you interviewed your customers, would they say that they understand what your business is and where it’s going? Or would they know it only as a company that sends out great promotional pitches? If a third party interviewed your rank and file employees, what would they say?
[Ed. Note: What's your thought on "branding as religion"? Which brands do you swear by? Let us know right here.
Get Michael's surefire strategies for getting ahead in business and in life in True Path to Profits: A Master Entrepreneur's Guide to Business Success. Find out more - including how you can get a bonus subscription to Michael's VIP newsletter, Ready Fire Aim - right here.]
Important Message If You’ve Lost Money From Your IRA or 401(K)
I don’t know about you, but I’d barely trust Wall Street and the Big Banks with the 63 dollars in my wallet right now, never mind my IRA, 401(k), and life savings!
That’s why thousands of smart Americans are now taking matters into their own hands and quietly moving their money into much smarter positions “off Wall Street”.
One investment of as little as $1,000 has the realistic ability to quickly swell into a full year’s salary in just a few weeks time – and then repeat over and over again.
Another is currently offering the chance to gain year-in and year-out returns of 65% with 99.77% certainty – even in today’s economy.
How to Defeat a Sneaky Enemy of Good Writing
One of the biggest enemies of fine writing? The verb “to be.” In all its tenses, this verb can leach the impact out of almost any sentence. It sometimes seems impossible to avoid, but you need to seek it out and destroy it with a vengeance.
Your best weapon against “to be”? Stronger, more active verbs.
Take a look at this paragraph:
My husband and I were enjoying a warm, breezy stroll. The blue sky was strewn with wisps of white, the air was crisp and tinged with the perfume of magnolia trees in bloom, and the Seine was sparkling as it flowed under the Pont des Arts.
Yikes! “To be” verbs have crept in everywhere.
While not always easy, you can remedy this “to be” overkill by rephrasing a few lines and replacing the offending verbs with more evocative ones.
See how I fixed it here:
My husband and I strolled down the Rive Gauche, enjoying the April breeze on our faces. Above us stretched an endless blue sky strewn with wisps of white. The crisp air carried the perfume of magnolia trees in bloom, and the Seine sparkled as it flowed under the Pont des Arts.
When it comes to this tricky verb, ruthless editing can transform weak writing into powerful, descriptive prose.
Simple Diet Secrets for More Energy and Fat Loss
One of the main reasons men and women fail with their diets is a lack of education about what – and how much – to eat. And it doesn’t take much to get yourself up to speed.
1. For one week, record everything you eat on the Fitday.com website. I know it sounds tedious, but I’m only asking you to do it for seven days.
2. Use Fitday and Google to calculate how many calories you’re eating.
3. Start reading food labels. Eventually, you should move to a diet that doesn’t involve many food labels at all – a diet based on whole, natural foods, including fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, and meat. Meanwhile, reading labels will give you a good idea of what’s in the food you’re eating.
4. Write down how you feel after every meal. This will help you discover which foods make you tired and which ones give you energy.
Very simple, but very powerful! Within two weeks, you’ll be a walking nutrition encyclopedia – and will spend the rest of your life knowing exactly how much and what to eat.
[Ed. Note: Eating the right foods is only one aspect of losing fat and staying healthy. You also need to exercise regularly. Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne can help you burn fat and build muscle with three 45-minute workouts a week. Learn how right here.
For more easy-to-implement ideas about how to live longer and feel better, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]
It’s Good to Know: TV and Radio Making Big Money Online
The bread and butter of TV and radio is still on-air advertising. But that’s starting to change.
According to a recent study from research firm BIA, broadcasters brought in $805 million in 2008 from ads posted on their affiliated websites, and they expect their online sales to grow to $2 billion by 2013. Industry watchers recommend that they focus on ads for products and services aimed at viewers/listeners in their local coverage areas instead of national brands.
(Source: ClickZ)
== Highly Recommended ==
Is This All There Is to Life?
You can keep going through the motions, trying to keep up with the Joneses, and wondering if there is more to this life… or you can open the door to a whole new level of success, financial independence, and achievement.
It’s the difference between having a job you dread, or the job you dream about… between retiring with just enough to get by, or with a seven-figure nest egg… between living the life you live today, or living the life of those you envy…
Here’s your opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime insider’s look into the practical ideas, systems, and methods for creating an abundant life for you and your family.
All the risk is on our shoulders to deliver this. All you need to do is accept this generous offer and follow the step-by-step details for enjoying a brand new life. Here’s the link that can change it all for you…
Word to the Wise: Insuperable
Something that’s “insuperable” (in-SOO-pur-uh-bul) – from the Latin for “to go above or over” – is incapable of being passed over.
Example (as used by Milan Kundera in The Unbearable Lightness of Being): “It was vertigo. A heady, insuperable longing to fall.”
[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, 2009
Similar Articles:
- None Found
My thoughys at present time we all human are living in state of FEAR We all have to take step forward prosparity with a positive attitude without hate and superirity or inferirorty complexes we all have to start get out of mess which we created in anticipation to congure wictory against terrisum and poverty we created big monster and not able to get Victory We all are fighting for the cause of religin although all the religions tells God is one then why weare fighting for? We all know we are creations of god but we can’t define GOD we all have to get out of state of fear and without Haterisum we can achive pease and prosparity on our Mother Earth Harbhajan
To sustain your profits during difficult times, is to increase your intagible-invisible-untouchable BLESSING OF GOD day in and day out until it reaches certain par value that the inflow of revenue overcomes the outflow. There are 2 types of inflow to you, the first one is the Worldly Wealth of tangible revenue in dollars and cents and the second one is the intangilble Heavenly Wealth equivalent to the unpaid dollars and cents still owing to you. One must start doing good deeds to the others, the more souls the better, day in and day out, until the Heavenly Wealth accumulated reaches certain par value, then the inflow of revenue overcomes the outflow of expenses. At that point of time, you will be able to sustain profits.
This newly discovered branch of Sciences was tested by applying to the Prime Minister Robert Hawk of Australia on his Domestic Pilot Work Stoppage as well as the President of the US before the Persian Gulf War broke out in 1991 and things go as recommended.
Any one wants to try out the genuinity of this new branch of Sciences, experiment with oneself by sending US50 and birth date, birth time (GMT) and place of birth to http://www.kulpatry@yahoo.com. Literature will be given for more understanding and correct practicing to sustain the profits.
I am in process of building a website.The name of the ministry is Job Paladin Ministries Inc./ or PALADIN MINISTRIES.Incorporated Copy Rights and trade marked on 12/31/08.I am the founder, President looking for a board consisiting of myself and 12 others.This is nothing like any typical mainstream Religion you have ever seen.There is hope, faith and Love gifts to channel; the spiritual gifts and have the ability to judge the truth of ones actions by the fruit they bear.Currently we have two M.D.s’, one Vet Doc,and one women as a V.P.help me fill the remaining 8 board of director positions available.The goal is to teach and help only serious folks for life’s challanges.A hand up approach, never a hand out.Hand outs rarely work.You wind up being the chief enabeler to there problem and cause financial,emotional and sometimes physical banckruptcy your yourself and them.Keep in mind this is a Christian bibled based ministry.However,all are welcome,we help those seeking help in these uncertain times.God will not bless disobiedent People or Nations.The time is now to rebuild a new Christain Nation as the Founding Fathers intended it to be!I have US SUPREME Court Law to prove it too!GOD Bless You All and God Bless this REPUBLIC.PALADIN DEFENDER OF THE FAITH. aka Mike D. St.Pete. FL. 33707
Another key must be your ability to follow through on your claims. Customers want to believe in your product or service. In order for them to “evangelize” for your brand, they must have had a positive experience themselves, and they must have total confidence that the same will happen for anyone they send to you.
When customers have this kind of confidence, they “fall in love” with the brand and graduate from customers to followers; they become cult members.