A business lesson from The Wizard of Oz
Issue #2530
- WEALTHY: Two stocks that can climb the wall of worry (Rick Pendergraft)
- HEALTHY: Why you should load up on citrus fruits (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: Goethe on the important role of the man behind the scenes
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- A business lesson from The Wizard of Oz (Rich Schefren)
- Are you speaking the same language as your customers? (Jason Holland)
- It’s Fun to Know… Is your life a reality show?
- Add “homily” to your vocabulary
== Highly Recommended ==
Unbelievable Profits – No Matter What the Market Does
Are you aware that there is a group of people that are happy that the financial markets are going crazy?
This group is made up of people you’ve never heard of. They don’t care whether the stock market goes up or down because they make either way…a lot of money.
One man knows how to make fortunes when stocks go up… and rake in unbelievable profits when stocks go down.
He’s been playing by a whole different set of rules than the regular investors.
After making so much money for so long, he decided it was time to change sides. Now, he’s going to reveal the information that has made him so much money.
Get your free report on how to get rich no matter what the market does.
Good News: Because Fear Is High, a Bottom Is Near
“Tom” said something that reinforced my belief that a bottom to this bear market is near. And it was music to a contrarian’s ear. What he said was: “The tone of our phone calls has completely changed. The emotion in the calls we get isn’t greed anymore, it is fear.”
Who is Tom? He works on a sales team that sells financial products, and he talks to investors all day long.
The old saying that the market likes to climb a wall of worry is going to come into play over the coming months. If the amount of fear in the market is any indication, that wall has reached new heights and the climb could be long and steady.
Because the climb will be long and steady, there is no need to dive head first into the market right now, but it is certainly time to start dipping your toe back in the water and scooping up extremely undervalued stocks. Two of my favorites are Chattem (CHTT) and AT&T (T). Both should do extremely well over the next year, regardless of what the rest of the market is doing. Even better, when the market starts going up, they will climb that wall along with it.
[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, and market analyst Rick Pendergraft has put together an educational program that lays out the simple steps you need to take advantage of them. Not only do you get three months of Rick's best recommendations, you also learn how to make good investment choices yourself. Get the details here.]
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain!”
Does the title of this article ring a bell? It should.
It’s from the cinema classic The Wizard of Oz. (You’ve seen it on TV… how many times?)
Dorothy, The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, and The Cowardly Lion are quaking in fear before the smoky, fire-drenched image of The Mighty Oz. But then Dorothy’s little dog, Toto, tugs at a side curtain to reveal the REAL Oz – a stocky little fellow with a bushy moustache and a bit of a stutter.
I caught this scene again recently while my daughters were watching the movie on DVD. (My youngest loves it, though she’s a little scared of The Wicked Witch.) And it got me thinking…
All of the most successful people I know in the Internet marketing business have their own “man behind the curtain.” That person takes care of everything behind the scenes, making sure the business is running smoothly on all cylinders and not missing a beat. And he’s vital to its success.
I’ve got my own version right here at Strategic Profits. His name is Brian Johnson.
If you’ve ever been to one of my events and seen a pale, dark-headed guy running to and fro with a walkie-talkie and a look of complete exhaustion, that would be Brian. Brian’s involved in every decision we make, and his tireless efforts and pit-bull tenacity have played a major role in the success of Strategic Profits.
While I’m doing my work as the “face” of the company, I trust Brian to take care of everything else. Basically, all the stuff involved in day-to-day operations falls on his plate first. And I must say, he does a phenomenal job. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without him.
As I said, all the top people I know in this business have their own Man (or Gal) Friday.
People like Mike Filsaime, who’s got Tom Beal… Jay Abraham, who has Spike Humer… and Jeff Walker, who has Jon Walker. But that’s just to name a few. Many others work tirelessly behind the scenes to help generate multi-millions for their companies.
So what does this mean to you?
That’s easy. You should already be thinking about adding someone like this to your own business.
I know, I know. You’re saying, “I’m just a one-man show, Rich. How can I add somebody to the mix when I’m struggling to make ends meet as it is?”
A couple months ago, I put on an All-Star Guru Conference Call. When I asked the Internet marketing household names who “appeared” on the call what their biggest constraint had been in growing their businesses, the overwhelming majority made this confession:
“I was trying to do it all myself. And burning out quickly.”
It wasn’t until they started hiring people – beginning with a “man behind the curtain” – that they experienced the tremendous growth and prosperity that put them over the top.
Now, most of them have a full staff to do all the annoying busywork that was holding them back. Which means they can concentrate on the most important matter at hand: making more money. And to say it’s worked out very well for them would be an understatement.
But don’t rush to hire the first person you come across. Here are a few suggestions for finding a winner…
• Make Sure You’re Compatible With Each Other
This is very important. Remember – you’ll be spending an extraordinary amount of time together, so you need to be able to communicate without cringing. And even if the person comes highly recommended with a long list of top=level experiences, none of that will matter one iota if you can’t stand being in the same room with him.
• Get References – and Lots of Them
You don’t know this person, but his friends and former employers do. So make sure you talk to them before pulling the trigger. Find out about his work habits and personal issues. Ask how he resolves conflict and why he left his former position. Because, believe it or not, people have been known to stretch the truth on a resume. So dig deep. You’ll be surprised by what you find.
• Establish a Trial Period Before Hiring
In the marketing world, what do we do when we have a brand-new campaign? We TEST it. Hiring a right-hand person is no different. Make sure he knows he’s working on a trial basis (90 days is usually enough) and that, at the end of that time, you’ll decide whether to continue the relationship. And have everything in writing, so there’s no confusion later.
Follow these guidelines when hiring your “man behind the curtain,” and you’ll be well on your way to seeing your company explode with monumental growth and record-breaking profits.
[Ed. Note: It's easy to hire a right-hand man when your business is well-established... but what if you're just starting out? ETR has you covered. Get your "man behind the curtain" with ETR's Bootcamp DVD Library. You'll get detailed instruction for how to make your business grow and prosper from nearly a dozen of the world's top Internet marketing experts - including Rich Schefren himself. Learn the details here.
Rich Schefren, known in marketing circles as "The Guru's Guru," is an online business exploder whose clients rake in more than $500 million every year - piling up more than $1 billion in sales every two years. Visit his blog to learn how to streamline your business while skyrocketing profits.]
Should Making Money Online Be This Easy?
I hear stories of budding Internet entrepreneurs jumping through hoops to make a buck. And sure, many times building a solid, long term business does take real effort. But you can also quietly pocket some decent dough online for much less work.
In this case, you can copy the exact steps one man used to make $187,296 in one day. No, that’s not a misprint.
What’s stopping you from doing the same? The program is called Instant Internet Income and I guarantee it works exactly as it says. Take a look and see just how easy making money online can be.
Do You Leave Your Customers Scratching Their Heads?
“Well, her pH looks good, and so does the CBC. But I’m worried about the electrolytes. You see here? They’re at 300. But there’s no reason she can’t go home. Just have her drink some Gatorade.”
And with that, the doctor left the exam room. (To be honest, the above is not a direct quote. I really don’t know what the hell the doctor said.)
A midnight run to the ER with my grandmother. And neither she nor I had any idea what had caused her dizzy spell.
Doctors are known for their inability to explain to patients, in laymen’s terms, what’s going on. And they’re not alone. In the business world, many companies sabotage customer relationships and lose sales because they use in-house shorthand, jargon, and corporate-speak.
I have never returned to the department store, for example, where an employee repeatedly (and with contempt) asked me for the “skew” of an item I wanted to special order. (Turned out he was saying “SKU,” short for stock-keeping unit, which is a way to track inventory.)
And my wife was driven to the point of exhaustion by a phone company customer service rep who said she couldn’t answer any questions until she had a “CIN.” Turns out this “customer identification number” (not to be confused with the account number), is printed in microscopic type on the monthly bill.
There are countless examples. And because employees are accustomed to talking like this within the company, many don’t realize when they are using language that is incomprehensible to people in the outside world… including their customers.
The last thing you want is to make your customers feel like outsiders. So check your customer service and marketing messages with an objective eye. Are you communicating with your customers using terms and phrases they don’t understand? When discussing technical issues, are you breaking them down and making them easy to digest?
If you’re not communicating with your customers on their level… you’re losing sales.
[Ed. Note: Ever run into corporate jargon? Let us know your worst experience right here.]
Want to Avoid Diabetes? Get More Vitamin C
Digging into a fresh grapefruit today may help guard against diabetes tomorrow. Why? Vitamin C.
A recent study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine evaluated plasma vitamin C levels and the risk of developing Type II diabetes. The study included 21,831 non-diabetic participants who were followed over a 12-year period.
The researchers found that those with the highest levels of vitamin C (in the top 20 percent) had a 62 percent lower risk of developing diabetes compared to those with the lowest levels of vitamin C.
Vitamin C levels are declining in our food sources. So, in addition to filling up on vitamin C-rich foods (citrus, strawberries, peppers, and broccoli, to name a few), you may want to take a supplement.
[Ed. Note: For more advice on the best foods to eat - and those you should avoid - as well as how you can apply the latest health breakthroughs to your own life, sign up for ETR's natural health newsletter. Get your free roadmap to feeling better and living longer right here.
Who says dessert can't be healthy? Nutrition expert Kelley Herring's brand-new recipe e-book, Guilt-Free Desserts, reveals 40 easy-to-make, mouthwateringly delicious, 100% healthy desserts you can make at home. Order today, and you'll receive the e-book Healthy Holiday Hors d'Oeuvres for free.]
It’s Fun to Know: Is Your Life a Reality Show?
Psychiatrists are reporting a new disorder, one that, researchers say, illustrates the influence pop culture has on mental illness. Patients with “Truman syndrome” (named after the movie The Truman Show) are under the delusion that their lives are being recorded and broadcast as a TV reality show. So far, about 50 cases have been seen around the world.
(Source: Associated Press)
What if you KNEW You Couldn’t Fail?
What if you knew you couldn’t fail at making money? I mean it…
What if you had miraculously ingrained into your mind to attract such
wealth that deals came to you effortlessly?
Opportunities you never thought possible PLOPPED into your lap with a note attached that read, “These dead presidents are for you…”
Not just any money… but a financial windfall that is so huge you think a rich relative died and left you an inheritance… THAT type of wealth.
GONE are your unpaid bills… GONE is that old clunker of a car and now you have a Mercedes… GONE is the stress of never having to worry about making lots of money and your family never suffering again!
Now, how would your life change if you had a Billionaire Mentor reveal to you his “wealth attraction secrets?”
And what if I told you could learn all these billionaire money-magnet strategies in just 30 days— guaranteed?
Well, you are about to find out…
Click here to get all the inside details…
Word to the Wise: Homily
A “homily” (HAH-muh-lee) – from the Greek for “instruction” – is (1) a moralizing lecture, or (2) an inspirational, often cliched, saying.
Example (as used by Brad Barkley in Money, Love): “The book consisted of easy-to-remember rhyming homilies on the subjects of selling, winning, and making money (‘If you want to earn your dough, get up in the morning and GO, GO, GO!’).”
[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
I’m in my 12th year of teaching. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen teachers and administrators use initials, code words, and acronyms the parents just didn’t understand.
I’ve been aware of this for years and try to speak with a vocabulary appropriate for the audience.
Your advice in this article is applicable to so many situations it’s hard to count.
Thanks
Phil
I received an official “notice” from the State of Maine motor vehicle dept. saying they will cancel my registration for lack of insurance if I didn’t do something about it. They didn’t tell me they were talking about my ‘96 Ford Van.
Instead, they used only the terms “registration certificate number: PC 7999ND” and included the vin #
I have several vehicles on the road and assumed they were talking about the one I deliberately canceled insurance on because the car was broken and I wasn’t driving it anyway.
As it turned out, they were talking about the car I WAS driving (my monthly insurance payment slipped my mind) Needless to say, I was pulled over, my car was impounded and I was left on the street at midnight!
I went to court and told them I thought the “notice” referred to a car I wasn’t driving. I argued that this paper I received wasn’t actual “notice” because it didn’t properly describe the vehicle in question, but instead used only terms known within the motor vehicle department and that NO citizen would EVER use these terms to describe their vehicle.
The judge said “I don’t want to call you a liar, but…” I was found guilty and fined.
And in case you didn’t know, and I’m sure you don’t, a registration certificate # is more commonly know as your license plate number.
So many people complained about being caught-up in this trap that this law was repealed. The sad part is, it wasn’t really a bad law. It was just that the “notice” was inadequate. I’m sure to this day they haven’t a clue as to the real problem.
All they needed to do was rewrite the “notice” to include the year, make and model. Virtually every insurance card in the country contains this information because people understand it and it’s important to include.
Or at the very least, the BMV should call a license plate number a license plate number. On top of that, they included “PC” which is not part of my plate number. “PC” describes the “type” of plate. ie: passenger car. (I was driving a van, by the way.)
So… even if everyone does know what a “registration certificate #” is, and assuming we all have that number memorized, the number they give you doesn’t even match! What a joke.