* Highly Recommended *
"Then I Started Thinking About Where I Want to Be in 10 Years..."
I received Power and Persuasion this week and started it last night after my family went to bed. (At 31, I work in a marketing department of a large company and now, after a decade of a lack of direction, I have big aspirations).
Well, I must say I was riveted. Typically, late at night, a book calms my mind and puts me to sleep within 15 minutes.
Well, two hours after opening it, I forced myself to stop reading, calm down, and get to bed. I had even grabbed a pencil and started marking up key thoughts.
I'm so sick of the "modern" philosophies of leadership that are just goofy, and I really enjoyed their debunking in Chapter 1.
At first, I was a little critical of the writing style because I'm used to the high-falutin language in other leadership books. It's difficult to put aside my preconceived notions of how a book "should" be written...notions put in my mind by my professors when I pursued my Master's Degree in History.
But then I started thinking about Michael Masterson's success and where I want to be in 10 years... who's more successful? Who probably understands writing more? Who's copywriting course am I reading?
If I don't remain "correctable" then I'll never be out of debt and living the lifestyle I want for my daughter and wife. When I changed my attitude towards the writing style (I did so on about the 2nd page), then Power and Persuasion came alive for me.
The unique conversational style also found in Automatic Wealth is in fact, easy to read, conveys the critical information effectively, and doggonit, is freaking motivating.
Thanks you guys for all you do!
- Doug Overmyer,
Mattoon, IL.
http://www.isecureonline.com/Reports/700SPAP/E700G217/
"Ever consider what pets must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul - chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!"
- Anne Tyler
A Growing Opportunity: Selling to Pet Parents
By Michael Masterson
With BP's two children off to work and college, she has directed her abundant love and energy to Zoey, a slightly overweight, nine-year-old golden retriever. "Zoey is just like a person," BP told me. "Actually, he's better than a person. I wish the people I know were as good as Zoey."
DM, my sister, is very sympathetic to that point of view. An avid pet lover and devoted "mother" of Pali, DM has become an amateur expert in all sorts of pet-related fields, from pet grooming to pet training to pet medicine and psychology.
BP and DM are planning to spend future Wednesday evenings at the Falcon House, a local restaurant that has smartly capitalized on the pet trend by offering a weekly "K9 Kocktail Party." I hear that the restaurant brims with dogs enjoying doggy delicacies from dog bowls while their owners sip pet-themed drinks like Salty Dogs and Greyhounds. (A portion of the proceeds from dog-related items is donated to the Humane Society.)
BP and DM are prime examples of their generation. Baby boomers, already a major force in American commerce, are getting nutty over pets. As their children grow up (and become increasingly less cuddly), they are transferring their attention to their pets.
"Pets have replaced children," says Ken Hall, chief marketing officer for PetSmart. The trend today, Hall says, is to pamper "four-legged children instead of two-legged ones."
The pampering of pets by surrogate human parents is not new, but the scope of it may be unprecedented. In the past 12 years, U.S. spending on pets doubled, from about $17 billion in 1994 to about $35 billion today.
Riding on the waves of this tide, PetSmart, with 700 stores in North America, is selling "thousands of goods, including disposable diapers, The Doggy Bone Cookbook, and apparel such as a faux-fur trimmed pink wool coat," says USA Today.
"By buying pets human-type gifts, we are making ourselves feel good and making them happy," says Bob Vetere, chief operating officer of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA). In fact, Vetere credits the "humanization of pets" with driving the market of high-end pet products and services that reflect more human desires.
The excessiveness of this trend cannot be underestimated. Theresa Howard, writing in USA Today, pointed to these hot new pet products:
- A $200 Swarovski crystal necklace with coordinated "Mommy" bracelet from Le Prissy Pets in Honolulu
- A GPS Global Petfinder at $350 and a Gucci pet carrier at $720, both from Neiman Marcus
- Aromatherapy baths for $50 and monogrammed terry spa robes for $40 from a Massachusetts dog spa
- And, best of the best, a bone-shaped doggy cellphone, selling for $349 (plus a $16 per month calling plan) at PetsMobility in Scottsdale, Arizona
If all this weren't so disturbing, it would be funny. And if it weren't so profitable, we wouldn't be talking about it in ETR.
There is only one way to deal with a rising trend that has core values you question: Invest in it. In this case, you can invest in the booming pet market by opening up one (or several) home businesses in the following pet-related fields:
-
boarding
-
grooming
-
training
-
feeding
-
supplies
And that's just to name a few.
To capitalize on the boomers' tendency to treat their pets like people, position your home-based business as if it were serving human beings instead of animals. For example, the short list of pet services above may be converted as follows:
- Turn your boarding facility into a Pet Hotel.
- Turn your grooming service into a Pet Spa.
- Instead of calling yourself a trainer, market yourself as a Pet Behavior Specialist.
- Turn your pet food supply business into a Gourmet Pet Food Shop.
- Instead of a pet supplies store, open a Specialty Pet Boutique.
According to the January issue of the APPMA Advisor, there are several other industry trends to keep an eye on. Among the top are doggy day care and in-home grooming services, as well as things like braces and prescription lenses for pets.
Of course, none of this has to be done in brick and mortar. If I were starting a pet-related business today, I'd do the whole thing online. And I'd pursue baby boomers and baby procrastinators (young couples who are waiting to have human children) by targeting lists such as:
List Title |
Description |
Universe Size |
Lead Source |
Adorned Pampered Pet Owners |
Targets people who buy expensive items for their pets |
52,387 |
Direct mail |
Alliance Buyers: Pet Lovers |
People who share their homes with pets (44% male, 50% female) |
2,368,891 |
Compiled retail buyers |
Signatures - Pet Merchandise Buyers |
Animal lovers who have purchased specific items for their pets (10% male, 90% female) |
62,360 |
Direct mail |
Keep in mind that though these lists are intended for direct mail, you can usually contact the marketer to get e-mail addresses for an online sales effort.
I usually prefer "push" marketing strategies (direct email) over "pull" (website-based) strategies. But in this case, I think you can indeed begin a business with a good website because of the huge number of information seekers who are on the Web every day looking for the newest pet idea/product/gadget. The APPMA estimates that this includes14% of dog owners, 19% of cat owners, 18% of fish owners, and 23% of bird owners.
With so much money and time being spent online, you could certainly garner a chunk of the action.
Today's Action Plan
To get some ideas for the type of Internet/pet business you might want to start - and for tips and resources to get you started - take a look at these sites:
Or check out one of the many pet industry trade magazines, like Pet Product News (http://petproductnews.com/ppn/ ) and Pet Age (www.PetAge.com ).
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I grabbed one at random. I watched the DVD. I took notes and followed the instructions just like it said and waited for the results. It seemed simple enough and it took me less than an hour!
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Establishing Credibility With Your Customers
Here are some techniques copywriters use to quickly establish credibility when they're selling a newsletter. See how many of them you can adapt to your own promotional efforts:
1. Show a picture of your company's building to prove you're more than just a mailbox.
2. Link the specifics of the newsletter editor's background to reasons why this particular background enhances his value as a researcher and analyst.
3. Cite any awards the publication has won or favorable third-party reviews it has garnered.
4. Get and use testimonials from subscribers and the media. The best testimonials are specific rather than superlative, and support the key points you are making in your copy.
5. Stress the editor's credentials and experience. List the books he has written (and their publishers) and the periodicals in which his articles have appeared. Also, list his major speaking engagements as well as academic or business affiliations.
6. If the editor is not an expert in the field and the publication is not built around him, promote the credibility of the publisher instead. Tell how many publications the company has and why it has such a great reputation in the market it serves.
7. One way to get around an editor or publisher credibility problem is to create an Editorial Advisory Board. Have three to five experts agree to be on this board, and then stress their credentials and achievements in your promotional copy.
Don't forget standard credibility stuff - like the number of years you've been in business or the number of subscribers you have. "Our 20th year" impresses some people. And look for other statistics that can boost your credibility. For example, perhaps you still have your first subscriber who started with you 12 years ago when you published your first issue.
- 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.]
Love Your Lycopene
65 million people in the U.S. have high blood pressure. That's one out of every three adults. And with no symptoms, many are unaware they even have it - which is why it is often called "the silent killer." Most doctors treat hypertension with drugs - drugs that are expensive and carry significant risks. But new research shows there is a promising natural alternative - lycopene.
Numerous studies have shown that lycopene - a powerful antioxidant found in tomatoes - can protect against prostate cancer, breast cancer, and heart disease. And a recent trial published in the American Heart Journal suggests that it can lower blood pressure too.
Researchers studied the effects of a lycopene supplement called Lyc-O-Mato on 31 participants whose blood pressure was mildly elevated. (Unlike isolated lycopene, Lyc-O-Mato extracts and concentrates the entire complex of phytonutrients that are found in tomatoes.) The results indicated an average 10-point reduction in systolic blood pressure and a 9-point drop in diastolic pressure. The researchers considered this reduction to be significant.
You can find this inexpensive supplement in your local health food store or online.
- Jon Herring
It's Good to Know: What Is Wealthy?
What does it take to feel financially secure? As with everything else, men and women have different opinions. PNC Financial Services Group did an online survey of nearly 1,500 well-off men and women. Women said they'd need a median of $1.6 million in savings. For men, the figure was $2.2 million.
Michael Masterson wasn't polled, but he has a lot to say on this subject in his top-selling book, Automatic Wealth. Michael says that to really live the good life, you need to earn at least $1 million a year. Here's how he sees the four different levels of income:
"If you have a family income of less than $50,000, it's tough to make ends meet.
"If you earn between $50,000 and $150,000, you are getting by. Your bills are paid and you can afford some small luxuries, but you have to be careful.
"When you family income exceeds $150,000, you are living well and want for nothing (unless you have 10 children).
"When your family income exceeds $1 million, you can spend money without much thinking. You don't need a budget. You can be extravagant."
If earning a million or more sounds good to you, Automatic Wealth lays out what you need to do - step by practical step - to reach that goal. Click here for more information.
- Andrew Gordon
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Word
to the Wise: Putsch
"Putsch," a German word that literally means "thrust," is a secretly planned and suddenly executed attempt to overthrow a government. (The "u" is pronounced like the "u" in "push.")
Example (as used by Alan Jefferson in his biography Elisabeth Schwarzkopf): "Hitler operated from Munich where he enjoyed a fair degree of support, and it was here that his putsch took place in an effort to seize power in Bavaria."
