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Two Constant Truths about the Stock Market Could Make You a Fortune
There are two constant truths in the stock market. (1) Unexpected good news about a company almost ALWAYS drives the share price up. And (2) That good news doesn't make the share price stay up for long.There is now a system that can help you use these truths to your advantage. You could make you FAST cash any day you choose. And you won’t have to pore over newspapers or Internet archives to earn your fortune. You won't believe what easy money this is! Click here to find out more.
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For Just $1.2 Million, How Could You Go Wrong?
Manuel Corchuelo is selling his home. Asking price: $1.2 million. According to Investor's Business Daily, the house is poorly landscaped and full of clutter. But then again, you get all that space ... 700 square feet! Mr. Corchuelo bought the home for $30,000 in 1987, and it's located in The Naked City neighborhood of Las Vegas, one block from the Strip. So I guess he figures it's now worth 40 times that amount because of the old saw about Location, Location, Location. But I'm thinking Bubble, Bubble, Bubble ...
Fortunately, there are still markets in the U.S. that are in the early stages of the appreciation curve and offer good value: a high quality of life, diversified economy, growing jobs and population, and properties that are priced so they still cash flow. (I'll be talking about five of the best of these hidden value cities on a teleconference call this afternoon.) But, the way I see it, the only sensible way to invest in bubble market like Vegas is to look for motivated sellers and buy at a big discount to market value. Or you can just take your cash to a casino and put it all on black ...
- Justin Ford
[Ed. Note: Justin Ford is the editor of Main Street Millionaire, ETR's real estate investment program. Sign up for this afternoon's teleconference call - "The Five Best Value Cities in America" - here.]
"Whatever you cannot understand, you cannot possess."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Put Yourself in the Other Guy's Shoes
By Bob Bly
When I tell you this story, you may think it makes me look like a jerk. But it conveys an important lesson - a lesson that will serve you well in both your business and personal life.
Okay. So here's what happened ...
A person I don't know called me at work out of the blue the other day - while I was frantically writing to meet a deadline. "I am reading your book," he said, naming one of my titles. "There is a typo on page 383," he said triumphantly, as if dropping the biggest bombshell since Hiroshima.
"Thanks, but you don't need to tell me about it," I said politely.
He stammered, absolutely stunned.
I knew it was not the response he was looking for. He expected me to write down the information he was about to give me ... and possibly engage him in a dialogue (which a lot of book readers want to have with authors). Instead, I simply thanked him for phoning, and ended the call.
I didn't lecture him - but if I had, here's what I would have said:
"Sir, I don't know you. I am not sure why you feel compelled to take time out of your day to call me up and report that there is a typo in one of my books. And I am not sure what kind of satisfaction it gives you. But I've written 60 books, totaling more than 12,000 pages. I would be surprised if there were not a number of typos within those 12,000 pages.
"The book you are referring to is one I wrote more than 20 years ago - and it is not going to be reprinted again. So there's nothing I can do about the typo you found.
"Also, I have a dozen projects on my desk right now, all with deadlines. To finish this work and run my business, I have about a hundred tasks on my priority list. Taking a look at my books that will be reprinted - and fixing typos in them - doesn't even come close to making that list. In fact, it's not even on my radar as far as 'important things to do' is concerned."
As I suggested at the beginning of this article, you may feel that my response to my anonymous proofreader was offensive. After all, wasn't he just trying to do me a kindness?
That's possible. But in my experience - and after two and a half decades of getting such calls - I have found that kindness is often not the primary motivation. Often, the caller revels in showing the published writer that he made a mistake. More frequently, he hopes that the author will become a friend or (unpaid) advisor - and that pointing out the typo will somehow open up a relationship.
And that's where my caller went wrong.
Because if you're the one who is trying to establish the relationship, it's incumbent upon YOU to really understand the other person - what he thinks, what he wants, and what's important to him.
This is true not only when you want to sell an idea - but also when you want to sell a product or service. So for those of us who are in the business of marketing a product or service, this means understanding your CUSTOMER ... what he thinks, wants, needs, fears, and desires. What's important to him - NOT what's important to you.
In the example of my anonymous proofreader, a better way to establish contact with me might have been as follows:
"Bob, this is Joe. I'm reading your book and there's one thing in it that I'd like to briefly discuss with you. It will take less than a minute. Do you have time now?"
This same approach works beautifully in selling - either when cold calling or following up on inquiries. People are busy, and they cannot abide it when others don't respect their time or understand just how pressured they are. I ALWAYS ask when calling someone I don't know: "Is this a bad time for you?" If they say "yes," I ask when would be a better time to talk.
My caller could have continued: "I found a typo in the book. Do you want to know about it?"
This is also a good strategy in selling: Before launching into your "pitch," ask the prospect for permission to proceed.
The point is this: If you want to open up a relationship with someone - a potential "friend" or a potential customer - you need to know how to communicate effectively with him. In other words, you have to, as the cliche goes, "Put yourself in the other guy's shoes."
[Ed. Note: Bob Bly is a popular Early to Rise columnist, self-made multi-millionaire, and the author of more than 60 books, including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Direct Marketing and The Copywriter's Handbook.
He is also the editor of ETR's Direct Marketing University: The Masters Edition - a program to help you start your own successful direct-mail business.]
It's Time for Your 6-Week Check-Up
On January 2nd, I asked you to write down your most important health and fitness goals for 2006. Then, on January 3rd, I encouraged you to "come out of the gate charging" by focusing on several challenging goals that you could accomplish in the first six weeks of the year.
Well ... how's it going?
Have you been following your exercise program? Have you stuck to your resolutions about what you will (and will not) eat? Are you feeling and looking better?
Or ... are you in the same place you were on New Year's Day? Eating the same foods that make you fat and unhealthy. Skipping exercise because you "don't have the time."
Either way, we want to hear from you. Whether you're making progress or nothing much has changed, visit the ETR Speak Out Forum and tell us where you stand.
And while you're at it, tell us about your health goals and the challenges you are facing. What would you like to accomplish this year and in the years ahead? And what solutions will you implement to get you from here to there?
If you didn't write down your goals at the beginning of the year, consider this to be a second chance to do it.
- Jon Herring
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You No Longer Have Any Excuse For Not Making
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Jay Abraham receives $5,000 per hour for his consulting... and that’s when you can get him. A full day would run you $40,000! His tape sets alone normally sell from $500 to $2,000, and live training programs range from $5,000 to as much as $25,000 for a single event.
That's why I'm so excited to let you in on this. For the first time ever Jay is practically giving away a revolutionary business growth system for pennies-on-the dollar.
Jay will send you a comprehensive business growth system, containing some of his best money-making ideas, methods and concepts to study, apply and prosper from... and he will only charge you a modest processing fee to get it produced, packed and shipped off to you.
If you want to start making a ton more money and have a clear, direct path to real prosperity and business wealth, read on…
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Simplify Your Life: Pack Faster and Travel Lighter
By Michael Masterson
I travel a lot. So does K. Neither of us ever checks luggage. And I, at least, never spend more than 15 minutes packing. Here are some tips to make preparing for your next trip easier and faster.
1. Choose one or two colors. Reducing your wardrobe to a single color (and one contrasting highlight color) greatly reduces the number of items you need to bring. My choice is black and white or black and gray.
2. Pack only one pair of shoes. Shoes are the most space-consuming item in your bag. If your main color is black, bring black shoes. Wear one pair on the plane - a comfortable pair that can double as gym shoes - and pack a dressier pair that (1) will look fine with a suit/dress, and (2) you can wear to walk in the city.
3. If you're a man, you only need one jacket. A blazer or conservative sports coat is best. Wear it, don't pack it.
4. Make your travel pack half the size it is normally. You don't need shampoo, soap, etc. if you are staying at a decent hotel.
5. Place the heavy stuff ... your extra pair of shoes and your travel pack ... at the bottom of your carry-on bag. On top of that, put your pants/dresses. Shirts come next. Sweaters go on top.
6. Here's something I don't do but K does (and I recommend): If you are going to be away for a week or less, take the time to plan what you'll wear each day.
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Setting Goals --And Sticking To Them - Will Help You Achieve Financial Independence
Don’t take our word for it. That’s the headline from an AP article than ran in hundreds of newspapers across the nation last week.
"This is definitely the time of year to get things started," was how Barry Armstrong, a Boston financial planner with Woodbury Financial Services put it.
"For some people, it's a bitter message. There are things that you don't like doing. But they have to be done."
Former waitress Pamela Newman went from hand-to-mouth living to owning two condominiums in the San Diego area. What did it take? Resolve.
Resolve to make 2006 the year you kick it up a notch. Here’s how:
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Word
to the Wise: Ratiocination
"Ratiocination" (rash-ee-ah-sih-NAY-shun) is the process of reasoning. The word is derived from the Latin "ratiocinari" ("to calculate").
Example (as used in a Time magazine article titled "People": "For all their vaunted powers of ratiocination, grand masters of chess tend to be a skittery lot."
