But often your customers, although ebullient about your product or service, aren’t able to express their enthusiasm very well in writing. So what do you do?

“Give them a little help,” says Clayton Makepeace, one of our featured speakers at Bootcamp yesterday. When they send in a ho-hum testimonial, give them a call or shoot them an e-mail. Ask them questions that will elicit specific, powerful statements worth quoting:

1. What was life like before you tried our product/service? (How bad was their breath? How bad was their financial situation? How little hair did they have?)

2. What stopped you from buying our product/service before, when you first heard of it? (Was it too expensive? Did your spouse say, “No way”?)

3. What was the ordering process like? (Was it easy to buy? How could it be improved?)

4. What’s your life like now? (You don’t just want to know the direct results of using your product/service. You want to know how it changed their life for the better.)

Ask these simple questions and you’ll get great testimonials. An added bonus: The personal contact will strengthen your bond with your best customers.

“Food for thought.”

“I love ETR and your new format.

“The short articles by Michael Masterson and some of his ‘half-baked’ ideas are wonderful, especially that he is somewhat of a contrarian to a few popular beliefs. He actually thinks about this stuff, investigates what’s going on, and writes about it. I’ll bet there’s quite a few folks out there, besides me, that agree with his comments.

“I don’t agree with everything he says in his articles, but they are still food for thought… alternative ideas, provoking, and worth reading.

Thank you sooo much for the inspiration. I’ve heard many wonderful comments, and not so long and drawn out as mine. But I want to put my two cents worth in, so here it is.

“I am grateful for everything you do. It means a lot to me… and is helping to build my confidence… in myself.”

Patricia del Valle

————————————-Highly Recommended ——————————————

90% of the Billionaires Living in America Weren’t Born Rich – They became rich because they had the “Billionaire Mindset.” This is the observation of Bob Cox. He’s a gifted success mentor. And he had the rare privilege of working with four of the richest men in the world. If you want to learn how billionaires really think just listen to Bob…

As Brian Edmondson, Director of the Internet Money Club, put it during his presentation yesterday at Bootcamp:

• Many people try to figure it out on their own — and usually fail.

• A few people manage to reach their goal by following a proven system.

• But the most likely to succeed seek out those who have come before. They look for mentors and coaches to guide them.

Michael Masterson has said it many times. And he’s shared how he has personally benefited from mentors throughout this career. With a mentor, you avoid “first-timer” mistakes. Your learning curve is drastically cut. And just having someone to encourage you can be extremely motivating.

A mentor is the fastest way to get from where you are now… to where you want to be.

Have you found yours yet?

————————————–Highly Recommended ——————————————

Do you feel like crap? Are you tired all the time?

Well get ready for a big change!

Read on to discover a secret that will give you an endless reservoir of energy. This could really change your life. You’ll learn…

• The 5 best natural antidotes to stress…

• How to make the blues a thing of the past…

• A super simple 4 step program to have all the energy you ever wanted and more!

Keep reading and re-energize your body and mind once and for all…

Though it’s not a traditional sales process or marketing campaign, direct-response marketing is at its heart. And it leverages the best parts of the Web — what Clayton calls the Internet’s “5 Golden Advantages”:

1. The emotional connection you can forge with your prospects and customers by telling compelling stories and providing valuable advice and information. (Online, you do it through e-mail newsletters, videos, blogs, and more.)

2. The power of your online community. People love to hang out with others like themselves. So you give them a place to hang out (where you can engage them with valuable content and sales messages). It could be a website, social network, blog, or e-newsletter.

3. The ability to contact your prospects and customers via e-mail as much as you want, whenever you want. There are no postage costs — and delivery is instant.

4. The capability to make limited-time-only offers and show your prospects how close the deadline is getting by using a countdown clock. (Visible deadlines trigger massive buying action.)

5. The capacity to react instantly to what’s going on right now, whether it’s in your business or industry or the national news. This “newsiness,” said Clayton in his Bootcamp presentation yesterday, “intensifies prospects’ engagement.”

The Online Profit Multiplier

Many Internet marketers go about building a customer base the wrong way, said Clayton. They send out the same “buy something” message every day. This turns off new prospects, people who just signed up to receive e-mails from them — and they opt out.

That’s where his strategy — the Online Profit Multiplier — comes in.

The Online Profit Multiplier begins with engagement — with an e-mailed customer-centric conversation. (What can we do for you? What do you need? What frustrates you? We’re here to help.)

This goes on for a week to 10 days, said Clayton.

Then there is an invitation to an event. (I know what you need. And I’ve got it. You talked, we listened. We’re going to host an event on such and such a date. Registration is free — but you must sign up by the deadline.) This goes on for five days.

The event itself could be presented in several different formats: a teleseminar (audio only), a PowerPoint-driven webinar, or a video webcast. And the content could be structured as “eavesdropping” on a private conversation, as news, as an expose, as a town meeting, or as a Q&A session.

You can’t skimp on quality with your event, or everything you’ve done up to this point — and everything you do after — will have been for nothing. And it must be live, a one-time-only event, said Clayton. Because that:

• Puts a limit on how many can attend.

• Requires your prospects to act before a certain date.

• Requires your prospects to make a commitment.

By the time the event rolls around, half a month has gone by. And in that time, you haven’t send out any sales messages to your new prospects. You look like somebody trying to help them. And you are — because you’ve been delivering valuable info. Your prospects are thinking, “This guy is great,” said Clayton.

Meanwhile, by keeping them engaged, you’re also priming them to take action.

Now it’s time to make the sale — starting with an e-mail sent immediately after the event. And with follow-up e-mails for the next several weeks.

Clayton calls the Online Profit Multiplier the most powerful strategy he’s used in his 37-year marketing career to generate sales. It can:

1. Attract more qualified prospects.
2. Transform more prospects into paying customers.
3. Help get your customers to buy more often.
4. Convince your customers to make ever-larger purchases.
5. Persuade your customers to stick with you longer.

In fact, said Clayton, the level of response you can expect with the Online Profit Multiplier has been unheard of in the marketing industry.

And although the results he reported from his biggest client were from a file with 500,000 names, the exact same techniques can be used no matter what the size of your e-mail subscriber list is.

If you have no list? Identify other sites and publications in your niche. And offer them a percentage of sales in return for access to their subscriber names.

[Ed. Note: As Clayton noted in his Bootcamp presentation, some people could take this information and run with it. But with 17 hours of video instruction from Clayton himself -- plus a ton of details on planning your marketing campaign, writing powerful copy, and more -- the above really is just a brief outline of what the Online Profit Multiplier program can offer. Check it out here.]

——————————————-Highly Recommended —————————————

What MBA Students Have That You Don’t (Until Now…)

An unconventional course has appeared on the curriculum at Columbia University’s prestigious business school… at London Business School… and at the Haas Business School at the University of California at Berkeley. Says student Brandon Peele, “I attribute 80% of my $120K MBA price tag to this one class. It changed my life in profound ways. ” Now you can get all the life-changing benefits of this program… From your home… For less than a thousandth of the tuition.

And that means, despite the possibilities you see in front of you, your brain can sap your confidence and “psych” you out of taking action.

It’s the biggest challenge Tom’s seen with entrepreneurs he’s coached. They look at experts who’ve had success in business, and they think, “They are too far beyond where I am with my business.”

It’s true that there are some amazing people out there who have done amazing things in the business world. But, said Tom, they are no better than you.

Their success is not just due to the strategies they have or the time they’ve spent learning those strategies. Those things are important. And you should model them. But the thing that really sets them apart is how they see the world.

The good news is that you can reprogram your mind. You can change the way you think about your capabilities.

Instead of thinking that success is not possible for you — that successful people are somehow different — create an extraordinary vision of yourself, Tom told Bootcamp attendees. And act on it. As you create new thoughts and take new actions, you create new connections in your brain. The more you practice and get out of your comfort zone, the faster the process becomes.

At first, it will feel awkward — or even a little weird. But you will get better and better. And eventually, you will program yourself to see opportunities that you couldn’t see before.

As Yoda said (And the reason I quote the Jedi Master is that Tom McCarthy did): “There is no try. Only do.”

——————————————Highly Recommended —————————————-

Everybody Should Be a “Closer”– Even if you’re not in sales… you’re in sales. You sell yourself at the very least. To potential employers. To your boss during meetings. To the customer service clerk refusing your refund. But you won’t get what you want in those cases without the ability to persuade. Let Michael Masterson show you how to project personal power.

But Ryan is not in the porn industry. One of his major niches is fitness. And that’s where he’s applied what he’s learned from porn sites — specifically, how they market their … um … products.

You can do it too. Here are two of the many examples Ryan gave to Bootcamp attendees:

• Offer members-only websites.
• Have a range of niche products to satisfy all the interests of your buyers.

A third “borrowed” technique has given Ryan an unexpected source of monthly cash. He has begun applying monthly charges to his fitness websites. (In the marketing business, this is known as a “continuity program.”)

The point isn’t for you to start checking out porn sites. As Michael Masterson has pointed out many times in ETR, you should constantly be looking at sites and businesses in other industries to get fresh ideas that you can try out in your market.

If they don’t work, you’ve lost nothing but a quick and easy test. If they do work, they can dramatically improve your sales.

If You’re Overweight, Now You Have Something Else to Worry About

As if heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes weren’t bad enough…

A study shows obese people have a greater risk of losing their vision.

Harvard researchers studied 261 patients for an average of 4 1/2 years. They found that the bigger your waistline, the more likely you are to have vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration.

All the news isn’t bad. They also found that exercising a few times a week cuts your risk by 25 percent.

Same Old Same Old

Do you find yourself recycling the same promotional copy… the same ads… the look and feel of your sales letters and e-mails?

If so, Clayton Makepeace has news for you. It’s costing you… big time.

As Clayton said in his Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech at Bootcamp yesterday:

“Everything you say to your prospects and customers is part of a continuing story. Every promotion is a new chapter. If everything looks and sounds the same… if the offers and guarantees are the same. You’re losing money.”

This was just a sneak peek at what Clayton spoke about later in the day during his Bootcamp presentation. Check out tomorrow’s issue for my full report

“Thanks for presenting Dr Rao and his work. The bonus videos are awesome and already having a profound effect on my daily life.”

Andrew Joy

—————————————–Highly Recommended ————————————–

“If a picture truly is worth a thousand words, we’re about to make a hell of a lot of money!”- The multi-billion dollar “home shopping” industry got its start on cable access. It was a low-budget public access “operation” run by three guys in Clearwater, Florida. Before they had even made their first dollar their success was a sure thing. They had the “Billionaire Mindset”…

A joint venture is simply two or more people working together to achieve a common goal. In a nutshell: “You promote my stuff, and I’ll promote yours.” That could mean selling each others’ products or giving each other access to your e-mail subscribers or visitors to your high-traffic websites.

But the best part of JVs, said Chris Chickering during his presentation at Bootcamp, is the leverage — the chance to reap hug potential rewards for very little risk. (After all, the only thing you have to do to get a joint venture going is call or e-mail a potential partner. And how risky is that?)

Some other advantages of joint ventures:

• Can be done with little to no expense. (You’re simply sending an e-mail to someone else’s subscriber list.)

• Helps you establish credibility, fast. (If you get even one industry leader on board, you have a very good chance of attracting others in your niche to do business with you. And once you can document the amazing results you’ve had with one partner, you can use that to get other JV partners. It’s the domino effect. If, for example, you could get Cesar Millan to promote your dog-training program, how much pull would that give you with others in that niche?)

• Enhances product and marketing development. (By sending out your product to your JV partner’s list, you get more feedback to help you improve it.)

• Gives you an infinite return on your investment of time. (Once you’ve established a relationship — a profitable relationship — with a JV partner, you can go back to them again and again).

But you can’t just pick up the phone and try to badger people you’d like to work with to do a joint venture with you.

You have to prepare.

If you do your homework, you’ll be able to make a quick and powerful presentation. And that will change their thinking from “Who the heck are you?” to “Hey, how are you?”

Establishing that first deal can be hard work. But once you get the knack of it, it will became easy — even automatic.

Here are Chris’s four steps for getting ready to make your first JV deal:

Step 1. Establish yourself as having a quality product or service AND quality marketing.

If you want to succeed with joint ventures and have explosive results, you need a great product or service, yes. But your marketing has to be phenomenal, maybe even better than what you’re selling.

If you don’t have quality marketing, said Chris, it’s like having a Ferrari with no wheels. Don’t skimp on the amount of time, money, and effort you spend on perfecting your marketing, especially your sales copy. If you do, you won’t have success, you’ll have trouble getting more JVs, and, most important, you won’t make any money.

Step 2. Get your operational stuff in order.

The first part of this is to have great customer service and support. You must provide your JV’s customers with your e-mail address and phone number. And follow up on every refund request and complaint. The whole point of a joint venture is to improve your partner’s relationship with their audience. You want their customers to have the best possible experience with you. If they don’t, that will be your last JV.

You not only have to make your partner’s customers happy — you need to make your partner happy, too. And that means having a reliable sales tracking system — one that your JV partners can access themselves. And when you send their commission checks, send a detailed report of their sales as well. They shouldn’t have to call you to get that kind of information.

Step 3. Develop the heart of your message.

What’s your mission? What’s your company’s reason for being? It should show in your marketing and with any contact you have with potential JVs.

Your potential partners won’t want to hear a long, dragged out explanation of who you are and what you’re all about. So before you start making phone calls or sending e-mails, boil it down to a 10- to 30-second “elevator pitch.” That same pitch can be used when meeting people at industry events.

It’s easy to blab on for 10 minutes, said Chris. But it’s tougher to make your message concise. Here’s an outline. Ask yourself:

• Who am I/what is my company all about?
• What do we do?
• What makes us special?
• Why am I calling?

That’s the basic structure. But you should be prepared with several different pitches, depending on who you’ll be talking to.

Step 4. Do your due diligence.

Before you contact a potential JV partner, make sure their product, message, and business mesh with yours. Do your homework. Know who they are and what they do. And be prepared to show them exactly how a joint venture with you will be worth their while.

Joint ventures are a key element of online marketing. And they can be the perfect way for a start-up business to get noticed in its niche.

But before you make your first phone call, you have to be prepared. You can’t wing a JV deal. Most people have only a short amount of time to pay attention to your “pitch,” said Chris. And if that initial contact doesn’t go well… you might not get a second chance.

[Ed. Note: This is just a small sample of the profit-producing JV strategies Chris Chickering shared at ETR's Info-Marketing Bootcamp. You can get them all, along with nearly a dozen other presentations from the Internet marketing world's top experts, with our Bootcamp home-study program. Check it out here.]

—————————————Highly Recommended —————————————

$4,000 an hour “Internet Guru to the Gurus” agrees to reveal his most powerful money-making secret

Not long ago, a well-known online entrepreneur was making $10,000 to $15,000 a month.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

But once he met up with “The Internet Guru the Gurus”, he discovered he was doing something completely wrong.

So he applied a simple secret to his business. Soon, his revenues soared to $180,000 a month. Shortly after, he was making $300,000 a month. And twelve months later, he was bringing in over $1 MILLION a month!

That may sound like an unimaginable figure to you. But what if you could use the same powerful money-making secret to build your own online business?

The good news is, you can. What’s more, you can start using this secret without paying “The Internet Guru to the Gurus” his usual $4,000 an hour consulting fee.

Here’s how…

But, as many of the speakers at ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp have stressed this week, much of your success as an entrepreneur depends on the relationships you form with fellow business builders. In fact, these partnerships will accelerate your success. You’ll make more money, faster.

They’re not talking about traditional networking — i.e., handing out business cards (that never get looked at again). And they’re not talking about taking advantage of your colleagues through tough negotiation.

It’s about creating value for others. You don’t ask for special deals. You don’t call in favors. You give freely. You become involved in and interested in their success.

You don’t ask for anything in return. But you will get plenty back. Your partners will reciprocate. And just as you have helped them succeed, they will help you in ways large and small to grow your business and prosper.

Clayton Makepeace gave a great example of this yesterday during his Lifetime Achievement Award speech. (More on that below.) Four years ago, when his company was struggling with search engine optimization, he asked MaryEllen Tribby for a few pointers. She brought in every ETR staff member who knew about SEO for a half-day meeting. And they helped Clayton bring his site traffic up to speed. (And keep in mind that, at that point, Clayton was one of ETR’s competitors.)

—————————————–Highly Recommended —————————————-

At What Stage Is Your Business? – You’re working solo. Probably at home. And your business is just getting off the ground. You don’t have to worry about leading a team… yet. But with Michael Masterson’s Ready, Fire, Aim, you can get to that point faster than you thought possible.

]]> http://www.earlytorise.com/2009/11/11/do-unto-others.html/feed 0 http://www.earlytorise.com/2009/11/10/someday-ill.html http://www.earlytorise.com/2009/11/10/someday-ill.html#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:01:33 +0000 Jason Holland http://www.earlytorise.com/?p=9340 “At this point, we cannot rule out malignancy,” he said.

It wasn’t the typical opening to an Info-Marketing Bootcamp presentation.

But MaryEllen Tribby, Publisher and CEO of Early to Rise, is not your typical presenter.

Those words were spoken by her doctor just last June. And, as MaryEllen revealed, the rest of that day passed as a blur, as if she were a spectator. All she could think about was her three kids, and how devastated they would be if something happened to her.

MaryEllen is fine. A biopsy confirmed that she did not have cancer.

But the experience changed her.

A few weeks later, MaryEllen was in Denver for ETR’s Five Days in July conference, teaching budding entrepreneurs how to start their own Internet businesses. She saw the passion of the attendees. Their drive.

And that convinced her she had to do something more herself.

Yes, she had a great job. She was working with the best in the industry. And she was well compensated.

But after years as a leader of other companies and businesses, she wanted to go it alone.

For some time, she’d been dreaming of starting a business combining her two biggest passions: Helping the millions of homeless children around the world. And reaching out to working mothers to make sure they led the balanced lifestyle they deserve.

In fact, she had purchased a domain name for her dream business in 2007. But, like many aspiring entrepreneurs, she kept saying to herself, “I’ll do it someday.”

As soon as she came back from Denver, she started working on her business in earnest.

And what she did can work as a step-by-step guide for you if you’re ready to start your own business. I can’t provide the specific examples and all the details she provided in her two-hour speech, but these are the core ideas.

Spend Most of Your Time on What You Know Best

You may be used to working as part of a team. Somebody does the graphics. Somebody writes promotional copy. Somebody else develops the marketing plan. But when you’re solo, you’re in charge of everything.

Some tasks you can just ditch. And some you can delegate. Establish your priorities. Should you spend time on the phone with your website hosting provider? No, you should delegate that. Should you spend time on content and offers geared toward your market, which you know better than anyone else? Yes.)

Make Technology Your Friend

You may be used to letting others handle the “tech” stuff in your workplace. But when you’re running your own business, you’re the tech guy. And, as MaryEllen discovered, it turns out much of it is pretty easy. For things you can’t figure out, take a class. If it’s really complicated, hire a freelancer.

You don’t have to know everything. But you need to know enough so you’re not at the mercy of your outsourced help. You don’t want to be overcharged or told something is impossible when they just don’t want to do it.

Don’t Ask for Favors, Ask for Advice

At meeting with the mega-successful entrepreneur Richard Branson, MaryEllen was invited to talk about her business. Instead of asking for help, she simply explained what her venture was about and asked for suggestions. Richard offered his support. And, already, his charitable organization, Virgin United, has been in touch with her.

You don’t have to know Richard Branson to take advantage of this approach. Just think about it. If you’re constantly asking people for favors… how long will they feel like granting them?

Create a Network You Can Brag About

Get the best people in your industry in your network. Not people you’ve only met once or see once a year. I’m talking about people you can call at any time. People who will do anything for you. (Of course, you have to be willing to do anything for them, too.)

When you’re starting out, you probably won’t be in touch with industry giants. But you can still make great contacts. Start with likeminded people who are as focused as you are on growing their businesses. As your businesses grow, you will be able to help each other.

Create Accountability Partners

You are 65 percent more likely to accomplish your goals if you have someone watching over your shoulder. As MaryEllen pointed out, it probably has a lot to do with not wanting to admit to not doing what you said you would do. That fear keeps you motivated.

So set up a time to speak with a colleague or business partner once a week. Talk to each other about what you’ve been doing with your businesses. Call them out if they’ve been slacking. Ask them to do the same for you.

Understand Your Market Intimately

One of the first things MaryEllen did was research her market and her competitors. Using keyword research tools from Google, she found that 43 million people a month search terms related to “working moms.” She visited every site in the organic results and pay-per-click ads.

She looked in depth at their site layouts, sales letters, offers, products, and marketing strategies. She figured out what other companies were doing right. And what they were doing wrong. (For example, many didn’t have sign-up boxes on their home pages to build their e-mail lists.)

Work on Your Business Every Day

You can’t just work on the weekends. You have to do something every single day to advance your business. If it’s important to you, you’ll do it. Get up extra early if you have to.

If you want to sell supplements online, for example, you could start researching which products are hot right now. You could contact some suppliers. Buy a domain name. Build your website.

Learn, Understand, and Strive to Master Direct-Response Marketing

Direct marketing is the key to online success. An e-commerce site like Amazon may work. But you’re not Amazon. You can’t wait for customers to find your site. You must reach out to them, get their contact information, and start building relationships that lead to sales.

Don’t Fall Victim to the Biggest Entrepreneurial Curse

Four projects halfway done yields ZERO revenue. One project 100 percent finished brings cash in the door.

Focus on one thing at a time — the one most important thing — and complete it before you start another project.

Ready, Fire, Aim

You have an idea for a business — and six to nine months later, you’re still working on getting your site together. And you’re still working on your marketing copy. Know this: Everything doesn’t have to be perfect before you launch.

As MaryEllen pointed out, most of what you learn about business comes from doing it. You’ll find out what people will buy and for how much. You’ll discover the best way to reach your customers and build your list.

Turning Someday Into Payday

These days, MaryEllen is working toward her dream: to start her own online business aimed at working mothers. And she’ll help kids in need at the same time. Her venture will allow her to work from home, spend time with her family, and make enough money to live the lifestyle she wants to live.

After years of putting off her dream until “someday”… it’s finally happening.

What are you doing to make your “dream” business a reality?

Maybe you’re waiting ’til after the holidays… or for the kids to get a little older… or for that big project at work to be finished… or for the economy to pick up again.

If that’s the case, now’s the time for a little MaryEllen-style tough love: Those are just excuses. Sure, they are real obstacles — but they’re still excuses. And you can always find more of them if you want to.

Stop trying to come up with rationalizations for not taking action. The truth is, now is always the best time to start a business.

[Ed. Note: Want to start your own Internet business... but have no idea how? MaryEllen Tribby is just one of the featured speakers at this year's Info-Marketing Bootcamp. She is being joined by a dozen of the top experts in Internet marketing, entrepreneurship, business building, search engine optimization, and much more. And every single minute of every single presentation, including MaryEllen’s two-hour talk yesterday, will be on video. You can find out more about how to get those videos here.]

—————————————-Highly Recommended ————————————–

How pinpointing the “Missing Link” can kick your online business into overdrive

Every inefficient system… whether it’s an overweight body, a sputtering old car, or a losing football team… has a “missing link” that prevents it from operating at full capacity.

It’s the same thing with a floundering online business.

There’s a “missing link” that keeps it from bringing in big-time revenues.

The good news is, once you pinpoint this “missing link” and get it handled, you can make more money online than you ever dreamed possible.

And the best part is, this is so simple to do, you’ll kick yourself for not thinking of it first.

Let me show you how…

It could be to start your own Internet business or learn a new language or travel to Asia.

Do you think you’re too old? Too inexperienced and unqualified? Too busy with other things? Too broke?

Overheard at ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp last night:

“I spent 20 years in the military. Then 25 years as a long-haul trucker. Now it’s time for something new. I want to start a business on the Internet, and I have some ideas. But I have no clue what to do next. That’s why I’m here!”

Age means nothing, other than time is running out for you to act. And other obstacles can be overcome easily… with the right attitude.

——————————————Highly Recommended ——————————————

Do You Think a Billionaire Would Read a Trashy Novel on a Business Trip? – Of course not. Business is business. They know, probably better than anybody, that time really is money. It’s part of the Billionaire Mindset.

Your 401(k) ain’t gonna do it. Neither is your day job.

The 200 aspiring Internet entrepreneurs at Bootcamp know. It was the subject of Michael Masterson’s keynote speech: The Special Theory of Automatic Wealth.

It all starts with the true nature of wealth.

“What is wealth?” asked Michael.

First, let’s consider what wealth is not. Wealth is not income. Even having a huge income is not wealth. Wealth is not a lifestyle with fancy cars and a huge house. Or investing in hot stocks. Anything rented, borrowed, or mortgaged – anything that can be taken away from you – is not wealth. Those are the trappings of wealth.

Wealth is stored, unencumbered value. That means retained income, savings, tangible investments, and financially-valuable and timeless skills. Anything with true value.

So how do you get this wealth?

Why is it that some people, no matter how privileged or how much income they have, are unable to really accumulate long-lasting wealth and others can?

It all boils down to the decisions you make.

Every conscious moment is an opportunity to become richer or poorer. Whether you’ll work on a project now… or later. Whether you’ll act on what you learn at a seminar… or get too busy and put it aside. Whether you’ll spend your “off” time gaining new skills… or watching game shows.

A person with a rich mind understands this concept. He is aware of these enriching opportunities. He can assess their value instantly. And he has the internal, emotional capacity to act on this information.

A person with a poor mind think the world is unfair. He believes in luck. He thinks there is a limited amount of wealth in the world – and he wants his cut. He feels powerless over his fate. He uses his energy criticizing, complaining, and condemning. This is someone who will never become wealthy.

Not all the decisions we make have to make us richer, said Michael. But when you make enough of these little decisions you start getting momentum. All these little decisions build and accumulate. Once you start making enriching decisions they will come easier and easier. And you will find more opportunities, accumulate more assets. Eventually, you’ll discover you’re very confident that you can build as much wealth as you want.

Here’s what it boils down to: Every situation is an opportunity. Every person you meet… every conversation… every book you read… every speech you  hear… every meal you eat… every spending decision… every chance you are given… every problem you face… is a chance to become richer or poorer.

And if you have a poor mind… or are just skeptical… or find it hard to “take action” all is not lost. You can change and develop your own rich mind in eight simple steps:

1. Forgive yourself for being imperfect

2. Educate yourself out of ignorance

3. Practice yourself out of incompetence.

4. Develop rich skills:

• Think well (have capacity to ask questions, gain an ability to trust your gut instinct)

• Speak well (speak from the heart and with enthusiasm, have purpose in your conversation, learn the art of persuasion)

• Write well (a combination of being persuasive and being able to identify great ideas)

5. Recognize opportunity in everything

6. Take action (start right away)

7. Take profits and save them (don’t spend more than you have. As your income increases, keep your spending reasonable. When you make money, pay yourself first – always put money in savings.)

8. Continue to learn. Be an avid learner, be interested in everything.

Michael continues to develop his Special Theory of Automatic Wealth. And you’ll see his thoughts in future issues of ETR. But this is the core idea – and what you can take away today:

Every conscious moment we all have the capacity to make these decisions. This gives all of us enormous potential power. You have this capacity if you just allow yourself to be aware of these opportunities, recognize their value, and take action.

As Michael said, “Right here, right now is your opportunity.”

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