Issue #2669

• WEALTHY: Manufacturing powerhouses on the rebound (Ted Peroulakis)
• HEALTHY: 5 ways to protect yourself from “fat fuel” (Kelley Herring)
• WISE: Thoreau on simplifying your life

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• The expectations of the modern consumer (John Forde)
• Following the trail of high achievers (Brian Tracy)
• It’s Good to Know… how grocery store shelves are organized
• Add “toper” to your vocabulary

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The Best Way to Invest in BRICs, Part 2

By Ted Peroulakis

Although the markets of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) have crashed along with those of the rest of the world, these countries have tremendous growth potential – which could mean investment opportunities for you.

Their growth potential is due to several factors, including abundant natural resources, low labor and production costs, and increasing foreign trade.

I gave you an overview of Brazil and Russia yesterday. Today, let’s look at India and China.

India has great long-term potential due to its stable economy and position as a low-cost producer of manufactured goods. And consumer demand is exploding as India’s standard of living increases. Because so many people in India speak English, many companies from English-speaking countries have sales and service operations in India. And India’s highly skilled and educated workforce has led to a strong software development industry.

The best way to play India: PowerShares India (PIN). This exchange-traded fund holds a nice basket of Indian stocks and seeks to mirror the Indian stock market as measured by the Indus India index.

Although China still has a communist dictatorship, the country is open to free trade and capitalism. China is the main outsourcing location for manufacturing today. Labor is still very cheap, and logistics between China and the U.S. are very good. It will remain the top low-cost producer of manufactured goods for years to come. Furthermore, with the Chinese enjoying a higher disposable income, domestic consumption is exploding. As a result, retail sales are hitting record highs.

The best way to play China: iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (FXI). This exchange-traded fund holds a nice basket of Chinese stocks and seeks to mirror the Chinese stock market as measured by the FTSE/Xinhua China 25 index.

[Ed. Note: Investment expert Ted Peroulakis and 8 of his fellow moneymakers will be gathering in Miami this June to share exactly how you can use their top recommendations to make a fortune in today's market. Get all the details here.]

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Life: Once Complicated, Now Easy

By John Forde It’s often said that you can use certain sales messages over and over because, let’s face it, your target market is a marching army. Over and over, they revisit the same points in life… they discover the same needs and wants… you show them how to satisfy those needs and wants… and the cycle just repeats.

That may be only half true.

While a lot about selling never changes, consumer expectations can change quite a bit. Take today’s “lifestyle” cutbacks, thanks to the economy. What feels like “cutting back” to today’s crowd is actually a step up in living standards when you roll back to nearly 30 years ago. On a more subtle level, that’s even true when you roll back to just 10 years ago… or five years ago… or a couple of years ago.

Modern consumers expect more. In some ways, they also expect to work less hard to get it. This just goes to show you that the promises you’ll make in your sales pitches can’t remain static. They have to keep getting bigger. Or at least sounding bigger.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing, I can’t tell you. After all, innovations happen when everyone from big companies to mom-and-pop outfits are pushed to compete.

On the other hand, it can go only so far. There’s only so much luxury and service we can sell before the expense of it breaks us… or drains the consumer’s bank account and available lines of credit.

So what happens when no marketers can afford to offer more… and no customers can afford to pay for it?

A while back, two marketing experts saw a whole new consumer trend coming down the pipeline. After the wake-up call. After the bust. After the recovery.

The boomers, they predicted, would sideline their ambition for a life of luxury and convenience… and start yearning for something a little beyond the material. When they said that, I figured they’d gone a little loopy. But now I’m wondering… could they be right?

Gene Schwartz once wrote, in his landmark book Breakthrough Advertising, that people’s superficial desires weren’t all that tough to spot.

But only the best marketers knew that all people share an even deeper, second “secret” desire.

It’s the desire not just for products, services, or pitches we “like”… but a deeper desire for products and services that help us flesh out our own idea of who we are. Not to mention who we could be. And maybe most important of all (to us), who OTHER people think we are.

I’ve long said – and I wasn’t the first – that the deepest desire shared by most prospective customers (a.k.a. people) is the desire to be loved and respected. Or at least respected.

In good times, when it feels like everyone is getting richer and living larger than the next guy, respect comes from living like a king. Piling up stuff. Earning luxuries. Getting pampered.

In tougher times, character starts to matter as much… or more. Austerity becomes honorable. Excess, an embarrassment. Security, prudence, sound judgment – those become the hot sellers.

We start rolling back to the fundamentals. Looking for answers. Or at least looking for people who seem like they have the answers… and the substance to back them up. Credibility, always important, becomes even more so.

Could it be that this is where the boomers – the biggest market in the history of capitalism and the driving force behind more than six decades of economic growth – are headed next?

Maybe.

Look, for instance, at how many things have trended back toward fundamentals. People walk more, use glass instead of plastic, cook at home, eat healthier, cut up their credit cards.

It might well be out of necessity. Yet even necessity has a way of wooing her bedfellows. By simplifying, we may very well find ourselves in a position to rediscover the things that matter.

Is that why advertising hype is dead? Is it why “relationship marketing” has become the most powerful force online? Is it why so many marketers love to talk about “brand,” not realizing that brands don’t matter until a consistent relationship of quality has been established?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Personally, I’m guessing yes.

[Ed. Note: To get more of copywriting expert John Forde's wisdom and insights into marketing (and much more), sign up for his free e-letter, Copywriter's Roundtable, at www.copywritersroundtable.com. Or send an e-mail to signup@jackforde.com. Get a free report about 15 deadly copy mistakes and how to avoid them when you sign up today.

Knowing what your customers want, what keeps them up at night, is one of the keys to success. Discover how to identify products the market is hungry for, create a website, and get prospects to buy at ETR's upcoming 5 Days in July business-building event. You will set up your own Internet business... and discover how to set yourself up for income for life. Find out more here.]

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You Don’t Need a “Job” to Keep Your Financial Future Safe

“651,000 Jobs Lost in February” says the New York Times.

“U.S. Jobless Rate Soars to 8.1%” says MSNBC.

“Recession Job Losses Top Four Million” says the Wall Street Journal.

You may have a job today – but tomorrow could bring the news you’ve been dreading.

Instead of waiting in panic for that pink slip, do something to protect your financial future.

Get your hands on a “confidential playbook” that could help you make between $50,000 and $5 million starting this year.

Success Leaves Tracks

By Brian Tracy When I began searching for the secrets of success many years ago, I discovered something interesting: Success leaves tracks.

So if you want to be a big success, look for those tracks. Find out what successful people in your field are doing, and do the same things. You will shorten your learning curve and accelerate your results.

That’s what I did.

When I studied the interviews, speeches, biographies, and autobiographies of successful men and women, I found that they all had something in common. They were all described as being “extremely well-organized.” They used their time very, very well. They were highly productive and they got vastly more done than the average person in the same period of time.

I followed their paths and it made me who I am today.

Here are two things you can start doing immediately to put this idea into action:

First, develop a plan to learn from the actions of the experts in your field. This can save you years of hard work.

Then, study everything you’ve learned and choose one of those things – the most important one – to implement. Decide how to do it. Then do it.

[Ed. Note: With Brian Tracy's Flight Plan, you can discover how to achieve more, faster than you ever dreamed possible. You also receive 2 BONUS CDS!

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Are Obesogens Making You Fat?

By Kelley Herring

It's estimated that 300 million people in the world are obese.

While we know that eating too much food (and the wrong kind, at that) and not getting enough exercise are the primary causes of the obesity epidemic, researchers have discovered another factor: obesogens.

Obesogens are endocrine disruptors that affect the way the body uses fat. They also affect the distribution of fat and the development of sexual characteristics.

Here are the top three obesogens:

• Bisphenol-a (BPA) - found in plastics with recycling codes 3 and 7 and in liners of cans

• Organotins - biocides found in conventionally grown produce

• Phthalates - found in personal care products like nail polish, shampoo, lotions, perfumes, etc., as well as plastics

You may get only a small amount of these obesogens, but their effects are cumulative. To protect yourself, follow these rules:

1. Eat only organic foods that are not treated with pesticides.

2. Buy canned foods in BPA-free cans. Vital Choice and Eden Foods are two companies that certify their can liners are safe.

3. Drink spring water in safe BPA-free bottles or filter your water using reverse osmosis and store it in glass containers.

4. Read the labels on personal care products carefully, and choose organics. Better yet, put on your skin only products made with ingredients that you would put in your mouth.

5. Avoid plastics. The "new car smell" is a telltale sign that phthalates are present.

[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring - founder of Healing Gourmet - has created a revolutionary health transformation program called Your Plate, Your Fate. In this 7-part program you'll learn how to protect your health and optimize your weight by maximizing the nutrients in your food. Plus, you'll get 3 bonus books to help clear your kitchen of harmful ingredients, spot the nutritional deficiencies that could be setting you up for disease, and the 20 tests your doctor should perform (but probably hasn't) to guard your health. Learn more here.

For more advice about which foods you should - and shouldn't - be eating to stay in top health, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.]

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It’s Good to Know: How Grocery Store Shelves Are Organized

When you’re shopping for staples like flour or sugar, don’t just grab the first box or bag you see. Grocery stores place the more expensive premium brands at eye level – and, in fact, manufacturers pay thousands for that shelf space.

The products above eye-level are usually cheaper, with the real bargains on the bottom shelf. The quality is about the same for most “commodity” items. You pay for the privilege of not having to bend over or reach up.

(Source: Consumerist and CBS News)

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Word to the Wise: Toper

A “toper” (TOH-per) – from the French for “agreed” – is someone who drinks too much. “Tope!” was originally an interjection used when proposing a toast.

Example (as used by David Nyhan in the Boston Globe): “But there remains a core of bottom-line voters to whom the promise of tax cuts is as seductive as gin to a toper.”

[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