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Thoughts on Paying for College
By Michael Masterson
I was a screw-up in high school, and so my college choices were very limited. As I remember, it was either the local two-year community college or the college of Vietnam. I chose the community school.
My entire college costs, including tuition at $400 per semester, were covered by the income I earned working as a painter on evenings and weekends. If I needed extra money, I took on a few hours of extra work, scrapping wallpaper or painting overhangs.
Graduate school - at the University of Michigan and at Catholic University - was more expensive. But I still managed to pay for it all out of the income I was earning at the time.
Those were the days.
I always said that I'd never pay for my children's education - that I'd give them the same opportunity I had: to pay their own way through college. When the time came, though, I didn't have the courage to do it. K and I paid for almost all of our boys' expenses. The only thing we didn't give them was pocket money.
Compared to some of our affluent friends, we were being abstemious. But I thought we were fairly generous. Still, it made me feel good to deny them something. If they wanted beer and movie money, I figured they would have to get part-time jobs. And they did.
Since we were so "generous" to our own children, I thought we should "help out" our nieces and nephews too. So, about 15 years ago, I set up a fund for them. Every month, I throw a few thousand dollars into an index fund. And when some unexpected money comes in, I throw in some of that too.
That fund has gotten to be pretty substantial. It's grown enough to pay about two years of tuition, room and board for all 17-plus nieces and nephews.
I suppose I could spring for their other two years - but I don't think that would be fair to either their parents or to the kids themselves.
"One customer, well taken care of, could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising."
- Jim Rohn
Be Happy to Hear From Your Prospects
By Ilise Benun
When I called my health insurance company the other day, to my delight, I had no trouble getting through to a human being right away. But when I told the guy what I wanted, he said, "That information is on the website."
"Can't you just tell me what I want to know?" I asked.
"Well, I can. But there's so much more information on the website."
"I don't want all that information. I just want to know what dental insurance you offer."
"It's all on the website," he repeated.
"Can't you please tell me?" I pleaded.
And, finally, he did .
This wasn't the first time someone told me to "go to the website." But not all websites are "user friendly." And I really don't have time to browse through sites like that on the off chance that I will find what I'm looking for. I've also run into problems when I needed some quick information.
For example, I called a property-management company with a specific question about one of their services. I left a message with "Vinnie," and didn't hear back. When I called a week later, Vinnie recognized me and said, "Oh, yes. I'm sending you some information."
"I don't want to receive information," I replied. "I just want you to tell me about your ABC service."
"It's in the information," he insisted.
"Can't you just tell me?" I asked again.
Then, instead of telling me what I wanted to know, he started going into the history of the company and their business hours.
I interrupted him. "That's not what I want to know. I want to know about the ABC service."
"I'm getting to that," he said, obviously annoyed.
Vinnie eventually told me what I wanted to know. But my experiences with him and the insurance company got me thinking about how some businesses seem to be using their websites primarily to avoid having conversations with their best prospects.
It doesn't make sense.
Instead of being annoyed, Vinnie should have been thrilled that I called. Just as you should be thrilled when a potential customer for your product or service calls.
Why?
Because from a marketing point of view, it doesn't get any better than this: the chance to have a dialogue with a prospect in his moment of need. The person who takes the time to call is more urgently in need of whatever it is that you're selling than the person who's simply meandering through your site.
On the phone, you have an opportunity to gather so much essential information in so little time. You have a chance to find out who your prospect is, how he found you, and - most important - what his particular questions and concerns are. Armed with that information, you can directly address his problem, and explain exactly how your product/service can solve it.
If he is nervous, you can allay his fears. If he is confused, you can set him straight. If he's misunderstood something on your website, you can correct that.
Shortly after my call with Vinnie, I got a call from a man interested in my services. He liked what I had to say, and asked me to send him some information that he could share with his business partner.
I started to say, "It's all on the website."
But I stopped myself and said, "Absolutely. It will be in the mail today."
[Ed. Note: Ilise Benun is the author of several books, including the forthcoming Stop Pushing Me Around: A Workplace Guide for the Timid, Shy, and Less Assertive. Watch for her new program, Effective Networking: The Fastest Way to Win Clients and Grow Your Business. And sign up for her e-mail tips from Marketing Mentor here: www.marketing-mentortips.com.]
Today's
Action Plan
Ilise makes a good point today. No matter how good your website is, there will be times when prospects will call you before they make a decision to buy - especially if they need the answers to some questions that are specific to their circumstances. And that gives you (or whoever is answering your phones) the opportunity to make a sale directly and immediately.
Still, having a website - and knowing how to drive traffic to it - is a necessary part of marketing in the 21st century. If you'd like to learn more about it, be sure and check out the recordings from ETR's recent Internet Marketing conference series. Get all the details here.
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What Everyone Who Takes a Cholesterol-Lowering Drug Should Know
Recently, I've been addressing the issue of statin drugs in ETR. If you take these drugs or know someone who does, it's important to understand the risks. And I hope I've convinced you that you can't count on the drug companies or most doctors to reveal them.
Here's just one example ...
By blocking the production of cholesterol in the liver, statins also block the production of Coenzyme-Q10. A Columbia University study found that CoQ10 levels were reduced by half after only 30 days of statin treatments. People who take statins need to know this, because CoQ10 is vital for producing muscular energy. And a lack of this nutrient can cause the heart (which is a muscle) to function improperly, resulting in heart failure.
This is not news. Researchers established the relationship between CoQ10 and heart health years ago. It is also well known that statins are responsible for depleting the body of CoQ10. Yet, very few doctors who prescribe these drugs make this known to their patients.
So, after reading what I've been writing, if you still believe you should be taking a statin drug ... now you know that it is imperative for you to also supplement with CoQ10.
- Jon Herring
[Ed. Note: We want to hear from you. If you would like to comment on the potential benefits vs. the dangers of cholesterol-lowering drugs, please visit the ETR Speak Out forum.]
Reader Feedback: "Another reason to read ETR."
"Thank you for including more challenging vocabulary words in your Early to Rise e-mails. In the past, the words have been so commonplace that I was beginning to wonder who Early to Rise was targeted to, and if it really was something I should be spending my time with. The more challenging vocabulary has given me another reason to read ETR. Keep up the good work!"
- Bob Hudak
[Ed. Note: We hope you agree with Bob. Take a look at today's "Word to the Wise," below ... and let us know on the ETR Speak Out forum.]
It's Good to Know: 6 Essential Business Habits to Develop
1. Present your best self to the people you work with. Make a conscious effort to be your most positive, enthusiastic, helpful self - especially when that's not how you feel.
2. Return phone calls promptly. If you can't get back to people within 2 hours, have your voice mail guide them to someone who can help them.
3. Take the time to learn and use everyone's name - including people in your company that you don't work with directly.
4. Listen before speaking. Even if you think you know more about the problem at hand than the other person, hear what he has to say. His ideas on how to deal with it may be far better than yours.
5. Look people in the eye when you're talking to them.
6. Don't be afraid to admit it when you are wrong.
- Bob Bly
[Ed. Note: Bob Bly is the editor of ETR's Direct Marketing University: The Masters Edition - a program to help you start your own successful direct-mail business.]
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Word
to the Wise: Abstemious
"Abstemious" (ab-STEE-mee-us) - derived from the Latin "ab-" ("away") + "temum" ("liquor") is often used to refer to extreme moderation in the consumption of food and drink. It can also describe anything that is restricted to the bare necessities.
Example (as I used it today): "K and I paid for almost all of our boys' [college] expenses. The only thing we didn't give them was pocket money. Compared to some of our affluent friends, we were being abstemious."
