Issue #2581

• WEALTHY: Taking the fun out of marketing (Jason Holland)
• HEALTHY: Prevent falls as you age (Jon Benson)
• WISE: Winston Churchill on criticism

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• 6 steps to making critical comments work for you (Michael Masterson)
• The most disturbing "good news" I’ve heard in years (Suzanne Richardson)
• It’s Good to Know… about flashpacking
• Add "eremite" to your vocabulary

== Highly Recommended ==

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Is Your Marketing Plan All About Fun?

By Jason Holland

You (and your team) have looked at your products and have developed a plan for getting those products in front of your target market.

Part of that plan might include creative tasks like coming up with innovative copy approaches or design layouts. But don’t let the "fun" stuff take precedence over the plan’s real purpose: profit!

According to Inc., here are some of the nuts and bolts that should be the foundation of every marketing plan.

1. A specific target market for each product. "Men" is too general. "Baby boomer men" is still too general. "Baby boomer men with back problems" might still be too general. "Baby boomer men with a certain type of back problem" is just right.

2. An anticipated return on investment. If you don’t know how much money you need to make from a marketing effort (a print ad, for example) for it to be worth your while… you’re just wasting money.

3. A way to test until you find the best copy and offer. Campaigns are never set in stone. Tweaking and fine-tuning (even wholesale overhauling) is necessary until you find the right mix. This goes hand in hand with the next essential component of a marketing plan…

4. A way to track and monitor all your marketing efforts. Without this feedback, you won’t know what’s working and what isn’t. That’s why Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby almost always recommend direct-response marketing. As they say in their book Changing the Channel:

"Your online [direct-response] marketing efforts can offer you almost immediate feedback. And if you’ve done your testing properly, you can roll out instantly with your winner, while continuing to test different elements that can bring in more bottom-line dollars."

5. A goof-proof system for accepting orders. If a customer tries to buy and your online order form doesn’t work – or the customer service rep who takes incoming calls can’t answer his questions – you’ve just lost a sale. If it happens enough, you’re going to be out of business.

[Ed. Note: A comprehensive marketing plan is only one part of a business's overall growth strategy. You can find dozens of great ideas in Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby's Amazon.com bestseller, Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business.]

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"Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary."

Winston Churchill

Criticism Is the Price of Success – Prepare for It and Profit From It

By Michael Masterson

One of the most surprising and disappointing things about reaching an important goal is that many people won’t share your happiness when they hear about it. Some will even criticize your achievement.

This has happened to me a lot in my success-driven life. The criticism always hurts – but it hurts less now than it did when I was younger. Moreover, I’ve learned to profit from it. You can too.

What’s important, I’ve found, is not the criticism itself but how I react to it. Praise motivates me to do more of what I’m doing. Criticism – which used to make me want to quit – spurs me to examine what I’m doing and see if I can do it better.

This happened just recently after I published an article in my Ready, Fire, Aim newsletter (which goes out to ETR’s VIP customers) about the economy. Two of my most esteemed colleagues read it, didn’t like it, and chastised me for bad writing. That set me aback. I consider myself to be a pretty good writer, but they made me wonder if I was really just a shallow-minded pundit of mediocrity.

After doubting myself for a few days, I set to the task of profiting from their comments. I reread what they said and made notes on those points I thought were valid. I circulated my notes to Jason, Suzanne, and Judith, my editors. That began an ongoing discussion about how we could improve Ready, Fire, Aim. And we came up with a few good ideas.

I then wrote to my two friends who were nice enough to honestly critique my article. I thanked them for helping me make the newsletter better. And I meant it.

In What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful, Marshall Goldsmith talks about how important feedback is to success:

"Feedback is very useful for telling us ‘where we are.’ Without feedback… we couldn’t have results. We couldn’t keep score. We wouldn’t know if we were getting better or worse. Just as salespeople need feedback on what’s selling and leaders need feedback on how they are perceived by their subordinates, we all need feedback to see where we are, where we need to go, and to measure our progress."

Goldsmith acknowledges that negative feedback "can be employed by others to reinforce our feelings of failure, or at least remind us of them – and our reaction is rarely positive." Worst of all, negative feedback can sometimes shut us down. "We close ranks, turn into our shell, and shut the world out."

When Goldsmith was a child, his mother told him he had no mechanical skills. He went through high school believing that, and, when he was 18, scored at the bottom of the entire nation in a test given by the U.S. Army.

A few years later, a professor persuaded him to take another look at his mechanical abilities. That’s when he realized his mother was wrong, and he was "just living out the expectations [he] had chosen to believe."

So that might be the first thing to say about profiting from criticism. Recognize that a negative comment about you or your abilities cannot damage you unless you let it.

Goldsmith says that he wasted years, convinced that he was mechanically inept. But he didn’t blame his mother. He blamed himself. "I was the one who kept telling myself, ‘You can’t do this!’ I realized that as long as I kept saying that, it was going to be true."

Here are some useful techniques for profiting from criticism.

1. Remember that criticism is the price of success.

As writer Elbert Hubbard said, "Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing." So if you do something, you’re going to be subject to criticism. President Obama gets criticized. Clint Eastwood gets criticized. Even Mother Theresa was criticized. The more success you have, the more criticism you will engender. Some of it will be helpful. Most of it will be useless. But don’t be afraid of it. It won’t kill you. It will only make you stronger.

2. Dump your failure-support group.

This group includes jealous friends, professional enemies, and habitual critics. These people get their kicks from kicking you when you are up. They want you to be down where they are. Don’t go there. Just ignore them.

3. If you can’t ignore your critics, frame your responses strategically.

Sometimes, you won’t be able to ignore your critics – if, for example the criticism is coming from your boss or your family. That’s when you need to stay calm and respond strategically.

In Self-Esteem, Matthew McKay and Patrick Fanning recommend a technique they call "clouding." "Clouding involves a token agreement with a critic. It is used when criticism is neither constructive nor accurate. When you use clouding to deal with criticism, you are saying to the critic, ‘Yes, some of what is on your screen is on my screen.’ But to yourself you add, ‘And some isn’t.’ You ‘cloud’ by agreeing in part, probability, or principle."

Agreeing in part – finding one part of your critic’s comments to agree with or acknowledge.

The Criticism: You’re not reliable. You forget to pick up the kids, you let the bills pile up until we could lose the roof over our heads, and I can’t ever count on you to be there when I need you.

Your Response: You’re certainly right that I did forget to pick up the kids last week after their swimming lesson.

Agreeing in probability – acknowledging that there’s a possibility your critic could be right. The chances may be a million to one against it, but you can truthfully say, "It’s possible you’re right."

The Criticism: Starting a business now is a terrible idea. The economy is in the crapper, and you’re just wasting time and money.

Your Response: Yes, it’s possible that my business won’t work out.

Agreeing in principle – acknowledging the logic of your critic’s argument, but not necessarily agreeing with his assumptions. This clouding technique uses the conditional "if/then" format.

The Criticism: You’re really taking a chance by claiming all these deductions you don’t have receipts for. The IRS is cracking down. You’re just asking for an audit. It’s stupid to try to save a few bucks and bring them down on you like a pack of bloodhounds.

Your Response: You’re right. If I take the deductions, I’ll be attracting more attention to myself. And if I get audited, it will be a real hassle.

4. Take helpful criticism seriously.

Helpful criticism is sometimes harsh but it’s always well intended. It’s not hard to identify it. The hard thing is to accept that it is helpful and use it to improve yourself.

In Succeed for Yourself: Unlock Your Potential for Success and Happiness, Richard Denny says, "Constructive criticism is not negative, so be enthusiastic about it. Remember, you are very fortunate if you receive it. Encourage others to offer constructive criticism."

5. Thank your critics.

I make it a habit to send a personal "thank you" to anyone whose criticism has helped me do better work.

6. Solicit criticism – from people you respect – while there is plenty of time to make changes.

One of the most successful publishers I know does this regularly. When considering the launch of a new product, he sends a memo to a small group of more experienced publishers explaining his concept and asking them to poke holes in it.

By getting their criticism early, he doesn’t feel its sting. After all, it’s not his baby that is being criticized. It’s just an idea. And ideas, as we all know, are not worth anything until they are put into action.

Another benefit – and this is a big one – is that it saves him time and frustration. By getting input on an idea before he’s done a lot of work on it, it is much easier for him to make changes.

[Ed. Note: As Michael Masterson says, criticism is the price of success. But don't let a few critics stand in your way. Today, you have a chance to develop a billionaire mindset that can help your income soar. Discover the secret to attracting wealth like a "money magnet" right here.

As a special thank you to our best customers, Michael has started a new VIP service in which he gives insider business-building advice usually reserved for his private clients - a twice-weekly newsletter called Ready Fire Aim: The Michael Masterson Dispatch. If you have bought an ETR product or attended a conference and are not receiving Ready Fire Aim, please let us know by sending an e-mail to Michael@ETRfeedback.com.]

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== Highly Recommended ==

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Living Rich: A Free Way to Improve Your Mind, Your Life, and Even Your Career

By Suzanne Richardson

As Groucho Marx said, "Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read." It would appear that more Americans than ever agree with Marx, according to The New York Times, which recently revealed the results of a report from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The report, titled "Reading on the Rise: A New Chapter in American Literacy," bases its "good news" on the fact that, for the first time since 1982, there’s been an increase in the number of adults claiming to have read at least one novel, play, or poem over the past 12 months.

"At least one" novel, play, or poem? That’s all it takes?

Listen – if someone is only reading one of anything in a year, she’s in trouble. And so is her future.

Reading is one of the best – and least expensive – ways to "live rich." It can also make you smarter… help you improve your life… make you a more interesting conversationalist… help get you a better job… keep you in tune with your industry… or help you begin a new career.

Reading ETR each morning is a good start. We strive each day to give you at least one useful piece of advice that you can apply to your life.

But don’t stop there.

• If you’re an Internet marketer, read books on Internet marketing. Read Gladwell and Godin and Masterson and Tribby.

• Sign up for e-newsletters by the best in your field. (For example, John Forde, Clayton Makepeace, Alex Mandossian, Yanik Silver, Rich Schefren, and Bob Bly all have e-newsletters or blogs that can help you get ahead.)

• Read The New York Times. Read The Wall Street Journal. Read Scientific American. You don’t even have to buy them. Go to the library or read them online.

Read what interests you, and read what’s popular. Fiction and non-fiction. Poetry and plays. Blogs and e-newsletters. Magazines and newspapers.

But whatever you do, read something.

[Ed. Note: Let us know - right here - the top 2 books you think EVERYONE should read. One must be fiction, the other must be non-fiction.]

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The Balance Test

By Jon Benson

One of the tests for "true age" – the biological age of your body rather than your chronological age – is balance. You can test your balance simply by standing on one foot with your eyes closed. (Just be sure you have someone there to catch you in case you start to fall.)

If you can stand on one foot for more than 10 seconds, with the other foot raised about a foot off the floor and your eyes closed, you have excellent balance. Most people cannot do this at first. But with practice, I now have to time my one-foot balance with a clock rather than a stopwatch… and that is a sign of being biologically younger than my years.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), "Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for persons aged more than 65 years." Most falls occur due to a lack of balance, which declines as we age. Fortunately, resistance training and a bit of practice will help you keep your balance decades longer.

[Ed. Note: Jon Benson is a life coach and nutrition counselor who specializes in helping individuals discover a life-altering mind/body connection. His work in the field of post-40 fitness and mental empowerment has helped countless thousands rediscover a youthful body and positive outlook. Discover how you can do the same by clicking here.

For a free source of expert advice about how to add years to your life and life to your years, sign up for ETR's natural health e-newsletter.]

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It’s Good to Know: About Flashpacking

Grungy backpackers can be found from Barcelona to Brisbane, surviving on cheap food and searching out the cheapest possible accommodations. But recently, a new band of travelers has put a twist on this practice.

So-called "flashpackers" still seek out low-cost travel (usually by train), but they don’t settle for a hostel bunk bed in a crowded "dorm-style" room. They’re going for private rooms with amenities like flat-screen TVs – without breaking the bank. Flashpacking hotspots like Berlin and Peru feature clean single rooms for around $50. (They don’t, of course, offer the services you’d expect in a standard hotel.)

(Source: Travel and Leisure)

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== Highly Recommended ==

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Word to the Wise: Eremite

An "eremite" (ER-uh-mite) – from the Greek for "living in the desert" – is a hermit, especially a religious recluse.

Example (as used by Cynthia Ozick in The New York Times): "He is in the private cave of his freedom, an eremite, a solitary; he orders his mind as he pleases."

[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, 2009

Similar Articles:

• Criticism Is the Price of Success – Prepare for It and Profit From It
• Is Your Marketing Plan All About Fun?
• The Balance Test
• ETR Insider Report: The Evolution of Early to Rise
• Getting Tough and Taking Names