Wealthy


My Beef With Subway
by Bob Bly (09/01/2008)

When you are imprecise with language in copywriting, it conveys an impression of sloppy thinking… and can also undermine your credibility. A case in point: the new commercial from Subway that proclaims “Everybody wants to try Subway’s hot beef sandwich.”

The Effect of Corporate Bankruptcy on Stocks and Bonds
by Charles Delvalle (09/01/2008)

As a stock or bond holder, you are part owner of the corporation whose stock or bond you hold. So what happens if that company goes into Chapter 7 bankruptcy?

Managing Customer Criticisms and Complaints
by Michael Masterson (09/01/2008)

If you find that you are failing to follow that protocol, you must ask yourself why. Why are you pitting yourself against them? Based on my own experience, it’s probably because you’re taking their comments personally. You’re upset. You want to defend yourself.

Dear ETR: “Where do you suggest we start rebuilding?”
by ETR (08/30/2008)

"Your ETR newsletter is great - but it seems to be for earners and those that are employed. My husband and I are starting again now, as our business has just failed. We have 6-10 months of rent left and 3 small children.

The Language Perfectionist: Is This Usage Brilliant or Dim?
by Don Hauptman (08/30/2008)

Last year, a kerfuffle erupted over Sen. Joseph Biden’s presumably well-intentioned characterization of Sen. Barack Obama, against whom he was then competing for the Democratic presidential nomination. (Well, he did win the consolation prize a week ago.)

The SPV Secret to Getting Others to Do Your Bidding
by Paul Lawrence (08/30/2008)

I love the movie business. (You already know that from reading some of my articles in past issues of ETR.) I’ve even produced a feature film. So I happen to know a few people in the "biz." And a recent encounter reminded of a powerful persuasion technique that can apply to almost any situation.

How to Handle Economic Predictions
by Andrew Gordon (08/29/2008)

Economists really stink at predicting one of the most important events they track: Recessions. A recent study of 60 recessions that hit various countries in the 1990s found that only 3 percent of "consensus forecasts" (as they’re known in financial circles) made by groups of economists correctly predicted one of those recessions a year in advance. And when they did see one coming, they underestimated its severity by a long shot.

Fast and Cheap Banner Testing With Google AdWords
by Alexis Siemon (08/29/2008)

If you’re like most business owners just starting out with a brand-new website, you want to know the fastest and cheapest way to drive targeted traffic to it. Worried ETR readers frequently write to us with this concern. "I need traffic and sales now!" they say. "Help!"

The Other ROI
by Suzanne Richardson (08/29/2008)

So you’ve put together a super product. And you’ve got a stellar copywriter who’s selling the pants off of it. And your marketing team is sending the ad copy to millions of subscribers to e-newsletters everywhere. But when the results come in, your big campaign has been a big flop.

Lickety-Splittedness: How to Write Better Sales Copy, Faster
by Clayton Makepeace (08/28/2008)

If you’ve ever felt like the Earth cooled in less time than it takes you to crank out a respectable first draft of your sales copy, listen up. I’m going to tell you about some of the things I do to tear through the process. Here are six little tricks that help me a lot…

Commodities Falling, but Prices Are Not
by Rick Pendergraft (08/28/2008)

Commodity prices (especially oil, gold, and silver) have been falling sharply since July 15. Unfortunately, prices at the producer level and the consumer level are still rising.

The Urgency Conundrum
by Bob Cox (08/27/2008)

A business associate of mine used to fax me on a regular basis. (This was before e-mail.) And every darn fax said URGENT at the top in big bold letters. At first, I found it curious. And then, it became annoying.

Breaking Down an “Obvious” Rule of Investing
by Andrew Gordon (08/27/2008)

Invest in strong sectors. Avoid weak ones. This seems obvious, yes? But too often, people invest in weak sectors and avoid strong ones. Here are some of the culprits behind this backward thinking:

How to Break Into the $20 Billion “Look and Feel Younger” Market
by Marc Charles (08/27/2008)

Aging baby boomers, who are retiring in droves these days, are fueling a $20 billion mega-market because they want to look and feel younger. The market I’m talking about is nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. And you can make a lot of money selling these products on the Internet or by direct mail - even if you have limited capital to invest.

A Non-Obvious Way to Build Your E-List
by Bob Bly (08/26/2008)

Internet marketers are always looking for new ways to build their e-lists quickly and at an affordable cost. So let me tell you about an under-used, non-obvious technique for adding new subscribers to your opt-in list. Using it, I added over 500 new subscribers to my e-list in just a few days - and these were buyers, not just prospects.

Dear ETR: Will Baby Boomers Cause a Stock Market Crash?
by ETR (08/26/2008)

"As the baby boomers retire, will the selling of their 401(k)s for retirement income have a downward effect on the stock market for many years to come? At 52, I don’t want to take another major hit. What will happen to the stock market as the population ages? I feel I have all my eggs in the same basket as everyone else."

Are You an Information Addict?
by Michael Masterson (08/25/2008)

I hadn’t seen Dave in almost 20 years. He was my dentist when we moved to Boca Raton in the early 1980s. He continued to take care of K and the kids after we moved to Delray Beach 10 years later, but I opted for dental care closer to home.

How to Use YouTube to Dominate Google
by Craig Ballantyne (08/23/2008)

Thanks to Google’s self-interest in YouTube, here’s how your business can benefit by using videos as a promotional tool…

The Language Perfectionist: Figures of Speech That Figure in Speech
by Don Hauptman (08/23/2008)

A star-studded film scheduled to open later this year is called Synecdoche, New York. The title is a pun on Schenectady. But what’s synecdoche? Pronounced “sih-NECK-duh-kee,” it’s a figure of speech in which a part is used to represent the whole, or vice versa. Examples: Workers described as “hands” (part for whole). “The U.S. Army announced…” (whole for part).

The Biggest House-Buying Tip Ever
by Julie Broad (08/22/2008)

In Stephen Covey’s best-selling book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he recommends that you “begin with the end in mind.” And the same goes for real estate investments. It doesn’t matter if you plan to live in the property, rent it out, or renovate and flip it… before you buy, envision yourself selling it.

Strega Nona, the Missing Kisses, and Your Competitor’s Back End
by Howie Jacobson (08/22/2008)

The other day, my wife and son were reading Tomie de Paola’s wonderful children’s book Strega Nona. In the story, Big Anthony comes to work for Strega Nona and overhears her incantation over her magic pasta pot. The result: He learns the spell to get the pot started making pasta… and memorizes the words to turn the pot off. But because he is hiding while doing this, he misses the visual accompaniment to the “stop-the-pasta” spell: blowing three kisses...

How to Design Written Materials for Older Folks Like Me
by Bob Bly (08/21/2008)

Vision impairments increase with age - something to keep in mind when putting together any written materials aimed at the over-50 crowd. Time spent modifying your layout for them will more than pay for itself in increased audience response.

Fast-Response Bonus
by Suzanne Richardson (08/21/2008)

One of the most effective weapons in your marketing arsenal is urgency. Urgency makes your prospective customer feel that he has to take action and respond to your offer immediately. Your job is to give him a good reason to do it.

How to Survive Excessive Recession Hand Wringing
by John Carlton (08/21/2008)

Has the looming recession got you scared yet? The mainstream media sure hopes so. Sells more newspapers, boosts cable ratings on CNN and Fox and MSNBC, makes the populace hyper-aware (like jittery squirrels gathering nuts in a dog park), and gives advertisers a tidy little narrative to help position their products.

Simple Investing Works Best
by Andrew Gordon (08/20/2008)

The longer I invest, the more I realize that simple investing works best. The fewer rules you have, the better. Simple investing should be a natural outgrowth of having more knowledge and a better understanding of how investing works. Your ability to pick out what’s truly important and what works for you is key.

Issue #2438 The Art & Science of Bear-Market Real Estate Investing
by Justin Ford (08/19/2008)

"Something is worth precisely what someone else is willing to pay for it." So said a stock-market analyst to me one fine bull-market day many moons ago. A statement like that can seem profound, but it’s useless. Yet it is the mantra of many investors in all fields. In bull markets, the sellers say it. In bear markets, the buyers say it. But it is about as helpful as saying, "Wherever the sun shines, there it is daytime." So what?

Issue# 2438 Break Out of the Crowd to Get Free Publicity
by Paul Lawrence (08/19/2008)

A big article about your business in a publication (online or offline) - or even a brief mention on television - can catapult you to a whole new level of success. That kind of exposure just can’t be bought at any price. As a result, there are hordes of businesses trying to attract the media - and that makes it difficult for you to stand out from the crowd. Difficult… but not impossible.

Issue#2438 The Bitter Taste of Failure… or the Sweet Smell of Success?
by John L. Herman Jr. (08/19/2008)

I have spent a lot of time and money on deals that I didn’t get. So what? I always gave every deal my best shot - and, knowing that I had done all I could, I believed that, over time, the numbers would come back my way. My efforts would pay off.

How Much Are You Worth?
by Michael Masterson (08/18/2008)

A French woman, upon seeing Picasso in a Parisian restaurant, approached the great master and insisted that he put down his coffee and make a quick sketch of her. Graciously, Picasso obliged. When he was done, she took the drawing, put it in her handbag, and then pulled out her billfold.

Dear ETR: How does a weak dollar affect housing and stock prices?
by ETR (08/18/2008)

“I can understand the prices of oil, precious metals, food, etc. going up when the dollar is devalued - but how does that reconcile with housing and stock prices going down?”
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