"If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail."
Abraham Maslow

Today:

Allowing not-so-important problems to reach your office is bad for three reasons: (1) It will keep you from getting to some of your really important work, (2) you'll "train" some otherwise capable people to become lazy and develop a "take-it-upstairs" attitude about solving problems, and (3) you will put yourself needlessly on the "resentment" line when the solution you propose is not universally admired.

Today, I'll tell you how to keep this from happening.

Plus:

How to keep your young business alive and growing

Quick tips for avoiding probate

Getting over the fear of splitting compound verbs

"Nonpareil" is more than just a name for that candy people like to munch on while watching a movie

*Advertisement*

125% gains in six days... 31% in under three hours... 76% gains in one week... 62% profits in 11 days... 80% profits in a single 24 hours... 79% profits in another seven days... You're going to be SHOCKED by the results and even more shocked when you discover how easy this system is to use!

Read on - I'm certain you'll want to give Brit's system a no-risk trial run:

http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/TPT/WTPTD902/

Don't Waste Your Time on the Wrong Problems

EC, an old friend and former employee of mine, once allowed a serious business problem to go unreported because he thought he could fix it himself. He couldn't -- and it cost our company $400,000. What made bad worse was the realization afterward that I could have fixed the problem by making a five-minute phone call . . . had EC told me about it.

After that, I made it a policy that all serious problems had to come to me -- especially if it was not clear how they could be quickly fixed. I encouraged the implementation of this policy by thanking -- not criticizing -- people who came to me with dilemmas.

But that good policy had an unexpected and undesirable side effect. I began to get pulled into discussions about a lot of not-very-serious problems. Since I like to play the hero, I found my time getting taken up by these rescue missions. I was eventually spending two-thirds of my working day solving other people's problems.

One incident in particular sticks in my memory. It was a dispute between two employees over a parking space. I got involved, stupidly, and it quickly sucked up an amazing amount of my time and also left both people angry at me because they disagreed with the Solomon-like decision I thought I'd made.

So I had to rethink my policy. The question I had to answer was this: How do I ensure that all the truly big problems that others CAN'T solve come to me while few or none of the big problems that others CAN solve go elsewhere?

I came up with a strategy that has worked pretty well. I recommend it to you:

1. Call your key people together and explain the goal. Tell them why it's necessary that some problems reach you -- and use specific examples if you can -- and why it's equally important that others don't. Get their active compliance.

2. Ask them to have the same discussion with their people.

3. Provide a financial guideline for distinguishing between "big" and "not-so-big." When I deal with my main client (a $100 million company), for example, "big" is anything involving more than $50,000. When I deal with smaller clients, it might be $5,000 or $10,000.

4. It's not just about money. When a problem threatens to demoralize the entire work force or a significant group, it should be considered important. Likewise, if one of your people is worried that a certain problem has the potential to affect customer satisfaction, that's important too.

This list is not exhaustive, but it's a good start. If you use it as a foundation and build on it with individual discussions and memos, you'll soon have a situation in which you have only a minimum number of unnecessary interruptions and yet won't have to worry that there might be serious problems beyond your office door that should be brought to your attention.

*Advertisement*

Selling Yourself as a Copywriter: How to Earn $100,000 a Year

Everything you need to do, in the order you need to do it, to start (or jump-start) your freelance copywriting business -- and quickly get on track to earn $100,000 a year or more.

How to know when a client has a project on his desk so you can call him that day and get the job!

Setting and getting your fees: what to charge? how to present your fee? what to do if the client says? Your price is too high? how to get and negotiate royalties? when NOT to ask for royalties? and more.

Closing the sale: Contracts letters of agreement retainers advance payments methods of payment. (I take credit cards and I'll show you how you can, too!)

The easiest (and least expensive) self-promotion method on the planet.

The quickest way to meet lots of potential clients and build your credibility as a direct mail copywriting expert. Most freelancers are afraid to do this (and for no good reason; it's really fun and easy).

How to follow up leads until they give you a job (without pestering them).

http://www.selling-yourself.com/etr1

Today's Action Plan:

Rembrandt studied art before he became a master. And Donald Trump had several teachers before he became one of the most successful real-estate developers of all time. What's your career objective? And what are you doing about getting closer to attaining it? I mean, what are you doing right now?

If you are not actively learning, you are not making any progress. Time passes swiftly. If you do nothing today, chances are you'll do nothing tomorrow -- and that will make it even less likely you'll do something the day after that. Blink your eyes and a year will pass.

Don't let success pass you by. Do something today.

If you are still in the early stages of learning a skill, reread what I said in Message #958 about hooking up with a master and then sign up for a course or program that will get you going immediately.

If you are already pretty knowledgeable, get yourself a coach.

Whatever your learning program is, consider hooking up with a master. Both ETR and AWAI have personal coaches available. One of them is almost certainly right for you. For information, please email support@earlytorise.com

Keep Your Young Business Alive and Growing by Paying Attention to Your Market

Tim, an ETR reader, recently e-mailed to ask my advice about his direct-marketing business. Though the market for his product is currently quite large, he is concerned that it will ultimately dry up and he will no longer have a business.

The advice I have for Tim applies to just about any small business.

First of all, don't worry about your market's dying. It probably won't. But even if it gets smaller, you'll have a bigger and bigger share of it as long as you continue to upgrade and expand the benefits you are providing.

Also, don't think of yourself as being in the business of selling products. You have a relationship with a market that needs your help -- and servicing that market is your real business. The better you know your market, the more you can help them by expanding to provide additional products and services that can solve their problems.

Quick Tips for Avoiding Probate

Probate is an often costly and time-consuming legal process by which your property is handed down to your heirs -- but some assets are exempt. For example:

1. Property owned jointly, such as real estate, vehicles, bank accounts, and securities, pass without probate to the surviving owner(s).

2. Funds in insurance policies and funds remaining in IRAs, 401(k)s, and other accounts that require you to name a beneficiary pass without probate.

3. You can sign a form at your bank, naming the beneficiary you want to inherit the money in your accounts.

4. Most states allow you to name someone to inherit stocks, bonds, or brokerage accounts.

5. In California, Connecticut, Missouri, and Ohio, you can name a beneficiary for your motor vehicles.

Don't do anything, of course, without thinking about it carefully and speaking with a lawyer you can trust. (Source: www.nolo.com)

It's Good to Know: About Tough Grammar
Getting Over the Fear of Splitting Compound Verbs

Many people mistakenly believe that you shouldn't split a compound verb (one that is composed of more than one word, such as "had gone" or "would go") with an adverb. They think it's a no-no to say something like "had finally gone" or "would probably go."

It's not true.

"Had finally gone" or "would probably go" is not just OK, it's correct.

Word to the Wise: Nonpareil

Someone or something that is "nonpareil" (non-puh-REL) is peerless -- of unequaled excellence. "Nonpareil" is also the name of a chocolate candy disc covered with tiny beads made out of sugar. (Apparently, the creator of this candy had an extremely high opinion of it.)

MMF

Copyright ETR, LLC, 2003

Are you having trouble receiving Early to Rise messages?

Ensure that Early to Rise gets delivered to your email box, click below:

http://www.earlytorise.com/whitelisting.htm

If you'd like to suggest Early To Rise to a friend,
please point them to:

http://www.earlytorise.com/SuccessPartnership.htm

Do you have a good story about business? Success? Wealthbuilding? Something that powerfully, tellingly or humorously depicts an idea discussed in ETR? If so, we'd like to hear it. If MMF likes it we'll pay you between $75 and $500 for the right to use it in one of the daily messages. Please send your story to: support@earlytorise.com.

EMAIL CHANGE? Now you can administer
your account online. Simply go to Subscriber Services:

http://www.earlytorise.com/protect.cfm?file=account.cfm

and click the appropriate button.

To BECOME AN EARLY TO RISE MEMBER, with complete unlimited access to ETR's archived messages and priority access to MMF himself follow this link http://www.earlytorise.com or email support@earlytorise.com

To ADVERTISE in Early to Rise please email Will Bonner at bonnerwilliam@hotmail.com

NOTE: If URLs do not appear as live links in your e-mail program, please cut and paste the full URL into the location or address field of your browser.

Please contact Patrick at 561-278-5167 if you have questions regarding your account or are experiencing any problems receiving Early to Rise.