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WEALTH
Don't
Surround Yourself With "Yes" Men
Take
a look at everyone on your team. Ask yourself honestly if they
are regularly challenging your ideas. If not - if your key people
tend to defer to you - sit them down and take responsibility
for having turned them into cheerleaders instead of challengers.
Apologize and then ask for their support in the future. Talk
about how the group could best discuss and evaluate new ideas.
If
you do, your business will prosper and you won't have to worry
about wasting time, resources, and possibly big money pursuing
bad ideas - even if they are yours.
-
Michael Masterson
HEALTH
Heart
Disease: Inflammation Is the Common Denominator
If
you've been reading this column all week, you know that high
cholesterol is not the cause of heart disease. And you know
that your cholesterol level is not a reliable indicator of risk.
Many people with low cholesterol levels develop heart disease,
while many with high cholesterol do not.
However,
there is a common denominator among those who have developed
or are at risk of developing heart disease ... and that's inflammation.
The
signs of inflammation ON the body are easy to recognize - redness,
swelling, warmth, and pain. But "sub-clinical" inflammation
that occurs WITHIN the body does not come with such obvious
signs.
To
reduce or prevent this kind of inflammation, limit your consumption
of omega-6 fats (vegetable oils, processed foods, and conventionally
raised meats) while increasing your consumption of omega-3 fats.
(Fish oil is the best source.) You should also avoid sugar and
refined starches, as these are key factors in chronic inflammation.
The
best indicator of sub-clinical inflammation is a substance called
C-reactive protein (CRP). Tomorrow ... the best way to lower
your CRP.
(Reference:
Vital
Choices e-letter)
-
Jon Herring
WISDOM
"No"
Doesn't Always Mean "No"
Norm
Brodsky overcame the fear of being told "No" by thinking
about one of his father's favorite lines: "If you don't
ask, you don't get."
Brodsky
was ambitious. He definitely wanted things. So he figured he'd
have to learn to ask. Eventually, when he heard the word "no,"
he simply thought of it as another way of saying, "Can
you ask me again, differently?"
(Success
Power magazine)
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TODAY'S
MESSAGE
How
to Get Noticed
by Michael Masterson
There
was a shipping box sitting on my desk when I came into my office
this morning. It had a handwritten label on it addressed to
me, care of Early to Rise. The return address was for a man
from Montana - someone I didn't know.
If
it were a letter, it would have been scrutinized by Terry, who
would have put it in the "don't know" pile along with
all the other unsolicited and mostly unwanted mail that finds
its way into our mailbox each morning. Sitting in that pile,
its chances of getting more than a second's glance from me would
have been very slim.
Don't
judge me too harshly for this. Early to Rise reaches 420,000
people every day. That generates a lot of one-sided ("Can
you help me?") correspondence. And there's a limit to how
much of my time I can reasonably afford to spend on new projects
and people since my life is so full of good ones right now.
But
this wasn't a letter. It was a box - a box with printing on
it that promised fresh, gourmet coffee inside. At 7:00 in the
morning, my appetite for good, fresh coffee is great. There
was no question in my mind about whether I should bother to
open this mystery package. And there was no hesitation in my
actions.
Once
opened, the box did not disappoint. It was filled with packets
of exotic coffees. There was a little Post-it note with a handwritten
message: "Each packet makes one 12-cup pot. For best results
brew in a commercial-style brewer."
I
sorted through the brightly colored packets. One was a Supremo
from Colombia. Another was 100% Arabica. I set them in my outbox
so that Terry could brew me up a pot of one of them when she
arrived. And then I noticed that there was a longer, also handwritten,
note enclosed. It read:
"Dear
Mr. Masterson:
"My
life was long on autopilot until I came across Paul Hollingshead's
compelling invitation to become a copywriter. I decided to grab
the wheel and begin steering again.
"This
morning, I finished reading your book "Automatic
Wealth". And I need to thank you for showing
me how to steer!
"You
mention in your book that you start many mornings with 'a cup
of 7-11 coffee.' Since I currently manage the office for a coffee
business here in Springfield, what better way to say 'thanks'
than to send you a few pots of the finest coffee I've found.
"Two
things:
1.
"If you're not already using a commercial-style brewer
in your office (Braun makes a good one), go buy one today.
It makes a tremendous difference in the finished product,
no matter which coffee you start with.
2.
"Buy your coffee directly from a reputable roaster. It's
better quality, fresher, less expensive, and most will sell
direct to the public.
"I
look forward to meeting you in person when I get down to South
Florida. The 'student who's a coffee guy' really wants to thank
you in person."
Wow!
Was I impressed!
Here
was a kid who figured out two secrets about getting noticed
that 90% of the people who write me, hoping for help, never
understand:
-
If you want to get an introduction to a busy person, you
have to find a way to get through an elaborate system he
has set up to protect himself from people who want to take
his time. If you do the conventional thing - a letter, an
e-mail, or a phone call - you'll be handled in a conventional
way. In other words, you'll be put off.
-
Once you get through to your target, give him a reason to
like you. Telling him that you have a problem doesn't make
you seem as likeable as you may think. And flattering him
doesn't work either. Everybody else who is trying to get
a favor from him does that.
What
this fellow did was unique and effective. The packaged coffee
was the perfect opening salvo. It was friendly. (The printing
promised fresh ground coffee.) It was informal. (The handwritten
note suggested that.) And it was beneficial - to me!
Had
there been nothing inside but a sales pitch, I would have been
impressed by the sender's cleverness is getting me to read his
letter. But I would have read it with a negative point of view.
(As in, "This guy must think I'm easy.") By stuffing
the box with bags of coffee and including a Post-it note that
told me how best to use them, I was left with a very warm and
open feeling to the sender.
And
that's how I read his letter - with openness and expectation.
Here, again, I was pleasantly surprised. Most "You don't
know me" letters ask me either to solve a particular business
problem or to act as someone's personal mentor. (What do these
people think? That I'm twiddling my thumbs every morning looking
for something to do? And for someone else? And for free?)
But
this letter was not a solicitation for help, but rather an instructive
epistle on how to enjoy better coffee every morning. There was
a touch of flattery in the beginning and a touch of "Maybe
you can help me later" at the end. But most of the letter
was good advice on how to get myself a better cup of coffee
every morning.
I
liked the letter so much I set it aside to write this message.
Then, later, while talking to a friend's friend who runs a big-time
baseball training camp and was looking for a copywriter, I decided
to recommend the guy - even though I had seen none of his work.
Well,
that's not true, is it? His box of coffee with the accompanying
handwritten letter was an example of his work. And it was very
good work, at that.
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TODAY'S
ACTION PLAN
I've
been thinking about how I can use this very same marketing technique
in my business life - and it occurred to me that this would
be a good way to get "Automatic Wealth" into the hands
of some VIPs that I'd like to read it.
The
book, some gift that's in some way connected to the book, and
a handwritten note explaining how the recipient can enjoy and
benefit from both. Just that and nothing more. No need to ask
for a favor in return. That can come later, when the time is
appropriate.
How
can you use this technique in your own business?
IT'S
GOOD TO KNOW
A
New Way to Learn Vocabulary
Setting
information to some sort of rhythmic beat makes it much easier
to remember. In fact, that's one of the reasons it's so easy
to remember the words of pop songs - without even trying. Teachers
take advantage of this little quirk of your brain by having
you chant mnemonics (see "Word to the Wise," below)
like these, over and over again:
-
"30
days hath September, April, June, and November ..."
-
"I
before E except after C, and when saying 'A' as in neighbor
or weigh."
-
"Minus
times minus is plus. The reason for this we need not discuss."
Now
someone has applied this idea to the challenge of teaching students
difficult vocabulary words that they are likely to run into
when taking the SATs. Go to www.flocabulary.com
and you'll find lyrics like these set to a hip-hop beat:
"I'm
agoraphobic: scared of open spaces,
claustrophobic: scared of confined spaces,
so I'm doubly screwed, know what I mean dude?
At least I'm transparent like diaphanous
screens letting light through.
I live in fear, it sounds queer,
I have harrowing experiences year after year.
Just to step out my door is a strenuous task,
requiring strength..."
If
you'd like to help your teens increase their vocabulary so they
can ace the SATs, but you can barely get them to pick up a book,
you may want to give this a try.
-
Charlie Byrne
WORD
TO THE WISE
A
"mnemonic" (nih-MON-ik) is a memory
aid. The word comes from the Greek "mnemon" ("mindful").
Example
(as used by Charlie in It's Good to Know, above): "Teachers
take advantage of this little quirk of your brain by having
you chant mnemonics like these, over and over again."
