Issue #2522

• WEALTHY: Setting your marketing goals (Michael Masterson & MaryEllen Tribby)
• HEALTHY: Beating holiday bulge before it happens (Kelley Herring)
• WISE: Ellen DeGeneres on cheese

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• Is your business suffering from an identity crisis? (Jason Holland)
• Root beer Kool-Aid, raking leaves, and breaking the wishbone (Sharika Kellogg)
• It’s Fun to Know… about the white meat/dark meat debate
• Add "epicure" to your vocabulary

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Do You Really Want to Make Money?

By Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby

It may seem like the purpose of every marketing campaign is to make a profit. However, many marketers and business owners actually lose money on acquiring new customers.

There are three basic scenarios when launching a marketing campaign. You need to determine which scenario fits your business best.

• Do you want to bring your customers in at break-even? This means for every dollar spent, you get that dollar back but no more. For example, if you spend $1,000 and you make $1,000 with your marketing efforts while acquiring new customers, you have done so at break-even.

• Are you willing to take a loss up front in order to obtain more customers that can make you more money on the back end? For example, if you spend $1,000 and you make $800 while acquiring new customers, you are taking an initial loss. But you can continue to sell more – and more expensive – products to those new customers, making additional money on the back end.

• Is your goal to make money on the initial sale? For example, if you spend $1,000 and you make $1,250 with your marketing efforts while acquiring new customers, you have done so at a profit.

The chart below is an example of a basic breakeven forecast:

Assumptions

This will be very important when determining your marketing channels (e.g., endorsed e-mail, banner ads, PPC ads, direct mail, etc.), as well as your media plan.

Remember – your goal does not have to be the same for each channel. You may strive to make money on many of your online channels, while you’re willing to take a loss on your direct-mail campaigns because of the associated lifetime value of the new customers you bring in.

[Ed. Note: The above article is an excerpt from Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business, the best-selling book by MaryEllen Tribby and Michael Masterson. You don't have to be a CEO to put Changing the Channel's 12 Profit Accelerators into action. They can work whether you're a brand-new employee... or an entrepreneur... or the head honcho. If you don't have your copy of Changing the Channel yet, order it today.]

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"Nothing says holidays like a cheese log."

Ellen DeGeneres

7 Strategies for Staying Healthy Through the Holidays

By Kelley Herring

This time of year, family dinners, cocktail parties, and get-togethers pack our calendars and fill us with festive fare. But while the season is a welcome and joyous time, it is all too easy to overindulge.

Along with sticking to your exercise regimen and taking time to rest and de-stress, a little planning and the following simple nutritional strategies can help you stay healthy and maintain your weight.

Holiday Health Strategy #1: Beware of Hidden Hydrogenation

Buttery pies and flaky-crusted appetizers, piping hot from the oven, are oh-so-alluring. That is, until you find out they are loaded with trans-fats. Unless you are hosting the party or made the dish yourself, it’s safe to assume the baked goods being passed around are of the store-bought variety, which are typically packed with partially hydrogenated oils. If you’re going to avoid any food during the holidays, you should skip the puff pastries and pies. Reach, instead, for whole foods like shrimp cocktail, crudites, and baked sweet potatoes.

Holiday Health Strategy #2: Don’t Fall Victim to the Drink Dilemma

Most cocktails have around 150 calories, but many festive sips can pack a whopping 300 calories and more than 20 grams of sugar (like traditional egg nog). Because your body doesn’t register liquid calories the same way it does calories from food, this can easily equate to an extra pound of fat on your body. And it’s not only the calories, but also the way in which we process alcohol. When you drink alcohol, your body will burn through acetate – a byproduct of alcohol metabolism – instead of body fat.

To ensure that you don’t fall victim to the drink dilemma, consume in moderation. To reduce sugar and calories, choose light, non-sweet cocktails and "cut" fruit juices with sparkling mineral water. (And if you drink, be sure to see Strategy #7 below on folate.)

Holiday Health Strategy #3: Stay Off the Hormone Roller Coaster

Foods rich in refined carbohydrates spike your blood sugar and put your body on a hormone roller coaster, triggering more hunger and more eating.

To avoid this destructive cycle, focus your holiday plate on lean proteins (including organic poultry, wild fish, and grass-fed meats), healthy fats (like nuts and olive oil), and nutrient-dense veggies (especially leafy greens and crucifers). Beware of the refined carbs lurking in not-so-obvious places – like sauces and gravies made with white flour.

Holiday Health Strategy #4: Choose a Smaller Plate for Less Weight

With a large spread, it’s tempting to grab a big plate and try everything the host has to offer. A good strategy is to scope out the buffet line first and choose the items you’ll be having (opting for the roasted Brussels sprouts instead of the creamy casserole, of course). Then, when it’s time to dine, use a small plate to help keep portions (i.e., calories) under control. And remember… nothing tastes as good as thin feels!

Holiday Health Strategy #5: Makeover Your Old Desserts

Did you know that one piece of pecan pie has more than 500 calories, 65 carbohydrates, and 32 grams of sugar? And that eating 100 grams of sugar can reduce your immune system’s ability to kill germs by a whopping 40 percent! Not only does sugar depress your immune system, it meddles with your endocrine machinery, encourages fat storage, promotes cancer, and physically ages you through the production of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs).

The good news is that now you have a sweeter option – erythritol. This "almost sugar" is all-natural, has no calories, and has a glycemic index of zero. Use it cup for cup in all of your favorite recipes to safely sweeten and delight your guests. (They’ll never know the difference!)

Holiday Health Strategy #6: Chew on This

Have you ever been "done" eating, only to make your way back to the buffet line one last time? Here’s a surefire way to send your body the message that the kitchen’s closed: Chew a piece of all-natural, sugar-free gum. Not only does peppermint taste terrible with mashed potatoes, but chewing gum has been found to reduce hunger and specifically stave off cravings for sweets (according to recent research published in the journal Appetite).

Holiday Health Strategy #7: Bolster Your Immune Arsenal

We often don’t think of our immune system – until it fails us. And stress, alcohol, sugar, and lack of sound sleep and sunshine – known immune wreckers – are par for the course during the holidays.

The good news is that you can strengthen your defenses and get your immune system in tip-top shape to guard against many common winter woes. Along with a high-quality whole-foods multivitamin/mineral and a fish oil supplement (both of which you should be taking every day), here are some of the best-known immunity boosters to keep on hand:

• Vitamin C – Boosts the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies and also increases interferon – the antibody that coats cells’ surfaces and makes them impenetrable to viruses. While 200 mg per day is what many experts recommend, you may want to increase your intake to 1,000 mg per day.

• Vitamin D - An essential part of a healthy immune system. Vitamin D receptors are found in most cells of the immune system, and this "sunshine vitamin" is now known to reduce the risk of many diseases (including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease). To optimize your vitamin D levels, opt for 10-15 minutes per day of unprotected sunlight or between 2,000 and 4,000 IU daily in supplement form (as recommended by Jon Herring and Dr. Al Sears in Your Best Health Under the Sun).

• Folate – Helps to protect against alcohol-induced DNA damage. Recent studies show that 650 mcg of folate per day negates the increased risk of colon and breast cancers associated with alcohol consumption.

• Selenium - Increases natural killer cells and mobilizes the body’s cancer-fighting cells. And just one Brazil nut provides a hefty 100 mcg (about 150 percent of the RDA) of this immune-boosting micromineral.

• Garlic – Stimulates infection-fighting white blood cells, boosts natural killer (NK) cell activity, increases the efficiency of antibody production, and acts as a natural antioxidant and adaptogen.

• Zinc – Boosts the number of infection-fighting T cells, especially in those with weakened immunity. Aim for 15-25 mg per day.

• Adaptogens (astragalus, andrographis) – These plant-derived agents help your body adapt to and defend against stress by enhancing your immune artillery. Take adaptogens during the prodromal phase or initial onset of illness (for example, as soon as you feel that slight tingle in your throat or tightness in your chest).

Following these simple nutritional strategies can help you stay healthy now, so you don’t pay a big price later. But don’t be afraid to savor a taste of your favorite holiday food and splurge a bit. Remember, wellness is all about balance!

[Ed. Note: As nutrition expert Kelley Herring points out, you can find plenty of all-natural methods for staying healthy throughout the holidays and beyond. For a twice-weekly dose of the latest breakthroughs in weight-loss programs... healthful recipes... and other ideas for achieving optimal health, sign up for ETR's free natural health newsletter.

Survive the holidays with Kelley's brand-new recipe e-books, Guilt-Free Desserts and Healthy Holiday Hors d'Oeuvres. You'll find 60+ healthy recipes you can easily make at home.]  

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Your One-Stop Shop for Vintage Designer Clothing… and Vegan Organic Food?

By Jason Holland

A new business recently opened a few blocks from the Early to Rise offices. But it seems to have an identity crisis.

The small shop has perplexed potential customers by offering not just vintage designer threads, but also vegan organic food. And they proudly proclaim this dual identity on their front window sign.

Now I happen to like both vintage clothes and vegan food. But is it just me or would most people looking for a dairy-free lunch not go to a store that sells meals side by side with used clothing? And wouldn’t someone shopping for a vintage Chanel dress prefer not to be browsing around people munching on lentil loaf?

I doubt this shop will survive. They haven’t focused on one type of product and one marketing message. This violates one of Michael Masterson’s principle rules: The Power of One.

This rule is usually applied to promotional copy. (Great advertisements, Michael keeps reminding us, emphasize one good idea, stir one core emotion, tell one captivating story, and direct the prospect to one inevitable response.) But it can be applied to businesses as well.

So this shop should choose to sell one product line or the other. They are just too unrelated for the owners to be able to do both of them well. Besides, customers don’t know what is going on when they walk past the place. Is it a clothing shop or a restaurant? And confused customers don’t walk in. They move on.

[Ed. Note: Are you confusing your prospective customers with mixed marketing messages? To hone your marketing skills, focus your marketing goals, and learn some profit-boosting new strategies, pick up a copy of Michael Masterson and MaryEllen Tribby's Amazon.com best-seller, Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions for Your Business.]

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10 Little Things I Love About Thanksgiving

By Sharika Kellogg

1. Going to New Jersey to see my very large family
2. Watching football with my father
3. Eating sweet potato pie until my belly swells
4. House hopping to each relative’s home with a bagful of Tupperware for leftovers
5. Drinking root beer flavored Kool-Aid
6. My mom’s Thanksgiving decorations (Autumn leaves everywhere!)
7. Raking leaves into a huge pile and watching my goddaughters dive into them
8. My last frosty ride on my motorcycle before putting it up until spring
9. A flag football tournament with all my cousins and friends from the neighborhood
10. Breaking the wishbone with my father to see who has to wash all of the dishes

[Ed. Note: What is your #1 favorite thing about Thanksgiving? Let us know right here.]

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It’s Fun to Know: Dark Meat or White Meat?

It’s the perennial turkey carver’s question: "Would you like dark meat or white meat?"

The reason for the difference in color and taste? The muscles in the legs and thighs of the turkey are more active, which means they need more oxygen. This, in turn, means those parts have more blood vessels and more myoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein. Myoglobin also carries a pigment that darkens the meat.

Breast muscles, used for flying by most birds, are rarely used by turkeys. (At least not by the specially bred for size, flightless, waddling wonders that end up on our tables.) As a result, less myoglobin – and fewer blood vessels and darkening pigment – is present.

(Source: Library of Congress)

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Word to the Wise: Epicure

An "epicure" (EP-ih-kyur) is a person who enjoys eating and drinking fine food and beverages. The word is from Epicouros, a Greek philosopher who taught that pleasure is the highest good.

Example (as used by Robert V. Camuto in the Washington Post): "As a confirmed epicure, I have eaten just about every meat acceptable in the Western world."

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Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008

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