Which Expert Will You Trust Your Business To?

Issue #2433

• WEALTHY: An old lesson that can save you money (Charlie Byrne)
• HEALTHY: When the chip-craving hits… (Kelley Herring)
• WISE: Michael Masterson on having a mentor

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:

• Some so-called experts may not be as expert as they claim to be (Bob Bly)
• Graphic design on a budget (Brian Edmondson)
• It’s Good to Know… about the positive side of high gas prices
• Add “quasi” to your vocabulary

== Highly Recommended ==

“[The ETR / Agora Model is] a tried, tested, and proven system that works…”

While attending the Five Days in July event – Jean Millard of Willow Spring, NC went on to say:

“The Internet Business Building workshop has been a phenomenal experience. I feel like it is going to well advance my career in making a substantial impact in many people’s lives. I’ve very excited and it’s been an excellent investment.

“The ETR staff have been exceptional. There is a lot of noise out there and I appreciate ETR because they have a tried, tested, and proven system that works.

“It’s a cookie cutter approach, very simple, and now it’s just a matter of taking action. I can’t wait to get back and home and implement all the things I’ve learned.”

• Jean Millard, Willow Spring, NC

 Discover what over 90 aspiring entrepreneurs – ranging in age from 16 to 76 – discovered – the “ETR / Agora Model” makes starting your own Internet money-making businesses easy…

Click here to make your own Internet money-making dream a reality…

Keep Your Cool When Offered a “Hot” Deal

By Charlie Byrne

The plan was nearly perfect.

I’d fly from Florida up to JFK and spend Friday night at my nephew’s graduation party on Long Island. Saturday morning, I’d drive up to Boston to spend the rest of the weekend visiting friends, and would then fly back home out of Logan airport Sunday night.

All I needed now was what’s called a “one-way” car rental. Pick-up in one city, drop-off in another.

Problem is, they’re often VERY expensive. But I’d hit the jackpot. I found a Hertz deal online for about $130 for the weekend. Nice! I jumped on it.

Just one problem…

Sunday night, I’m running late as I hurriedly pull into the Hertz return lot at BOS. The return processor scans the car and prints out the receipt. I grab it and head for the shuttle. But just then… my heart skips a beat. Maybe a few.

$317.43! Gadzooks!

“What the…? There must be a mistake,” I thought to myself. But when I looked at the line items on the receipt, there it was… MY mistake.

Mileage Fee: 387 miles @ $0.45 per mile; Extra Miles Fee: $174.15.

I’d made the error of assuming that my rental came, as 99 percent of car rentals do nowadays, with unlimited mileage. But, sure enough, when I pulled out the contract, the mileage fee was there in bold and in plain daylight. Ahhh. So that’s why the base rate had been so low.

I was annoyed that my trip was costing about $200 more than I’d thought. I didn’t let it ruin my day though, because I realized that might have been the best deal I could have gotten anyway.

Meanwhile, I had relearned a valuable lesson: Whenever you get that “Brother, ain’t I smart!” feeling… watch out.

[Ed. Note: Spending more money than you'd planned because you didn't read the "fine print" is frustrating. And life is full of little irritations like that. Fortunately, there are clever ways to easily get out of most of them - and we've got hundreds of solutions you can discover in minutes right here.]

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“The very best athletes, entertainers, and business leaders all have someone in their corner that they can go to for advice, leadership, and teaching. Once you’ve found your mentor, you’ll be well on your way to success.”

Michael Masterson

Which Expert Will You Trust Your Business Success To?

By Bob Bly

The vast majority of entrepreneurs I meet – even mom-and-pops and small-business owners who operate out of their homes – spend thousands of dollars on hiring so-called experts to advise them on how to make their businesses more successful.

Sometimes, the expert’s advice works out, the investment is recouped, and the entrepreneur is better off for consulting with a professional. Other times, the expert’s advice is either useless or wrong. The business owner has thrown thousands of dollars he can’t afford to lose down the drain, and sees no improvement in his bottom line, productivity, efficiency, or operations.

Since I am frequently on both sides of the table – I sell my services as a copywriter and I also buy lots of services for my little Internet marketing business – I have a bit of advice that might save you from this agony… and enable you to select advisors who can actually help you.

In my experience, there are three types of experts for hire: the teacher, the practitioner, and the teacher/practitioner.

Teachers are those who give training, speeches, and seminars… write books and blogs and columns… sell their expertise as consultants or coaches – but don’t actually practice what they preach.

You know the expression “Those who can do; those who can’t teach.” I don’t think it’s always true… but these teachers have never proven that they can do what they talk about. That’s because, for the most part, they’ve only taught it or advised others how to do it.

An example of a “teacher expert” is Peter Drucker. He is revered as a management guru, and writes endless books and gives speech after speech advising CEOs on how to be great managers and leaders. But by his own admission, he has never been the chief executive of any company. (Running his own consulting business does not count.)

Practitioners are those who know about a particular skill or area because, rather than writing books or articles about it, they are personally successful at it.

An example is Gary Bencivenga, who is arguably one of the greatest copywriters who ever lived. Yet until his retirement, Gary – to the best of my knowledge – never wrote a book, article, or column on marketing. Nor was he a speaker at marketing conferences.

The third type of expert, the teacher/practitioner, is an active practitioner who is also a writer, speaker, and teacher.

A good example of this is Michael Masterson, who writes best-selling books on business and entrepreneurship based on his decades of experience building and growing many successful companies. Some of the companies he has been involved with have annual sales ranging from $10 million to $100 million – and beyond.

So, which type of expert should you hire – and when?

If you are a seminar organizer or meeting planner, most of your speakers are probably teachers. That’s because speaking is how they make their living, so they actively seek these engagements. (Practitioners usually shun speaking engagements, because they are too busy making money running their companies.)

You may think hiring a professional speaker to give a professional speech makes sense. After all, you want someone who knows the topic and can communicate it in a clear, motivating, and entertaining fashion.

The problem is that the teacher’s knowledge is all theoretical – gleaned from research and observation and thinking, but not from actually doing. Therefore, the teacher thinks he knows what works… but, in reality, he is just making educated guesses.

MA, a professional speaker who also owned and operated several successful insurance agencies, once said that nobody should be a full-time speaker – because if you are not practicing what you preach, you really don’t know what you are talking about.

I agree. And so does Early to Rise! All the speakers at Early to Rise conferences are successful in the subjects they speak about. What they have learned, they know from proven experience, not academic theory or guesswork.

Yes, you can hire a teacher as your seminar presenter or keynote speaker. Many can deliver a rousing talk that gets a standing ovation. But their expertise rarely extends beyond the content of that talk. And this shallowness inevitably comes through in both their presentation and their interaction with attendees after they step down from the platform.

If you are a small-business owner, you should never hire pure teachers.

Think about it. Let’s say you want to hire someone to manage a pay-per-click ad campaign for your company. Do you really want to take advice from someone who has, over his lifetime, done fewer actual PPC ad campaigns than you have? Someone who has only written a book based on studying the PPC campaigns of others – real entrepreneurs with the guts to actually put their own money where their mouth is?

The bottom line?

Your key business advisors and vendors should, first and foremost, have long experience – and a terrific track record – in the discipline for which you seek their help. Which means they should all be practitioners or practitioner/teachers.

The advantage of practitioner/teachers over practitioners is that their information is usually organized better, because they’ve already put it together as a seminar, workshop, or book. Plus, they have an enhanced ability to clearly and efficiently explain what they do (and why).

This gives you the best of both worlds. As a client, you get the practitioner/teacher expert’s in-depth experience and authoritative knowledge. You also benefit from his ability to educate you. That way, over time, you can learn to do more and more on your own – if you are so inclined.

[Ed. Note: You can get the benefit of decades of experience in business-building and money-making by signing up for ETR's 5 Days in July DVD Library. You'll get proven advice on starting an Internet business from experts who've done it themselves. Learn how to get your copy here.]

[Talk about a Practitioner/Teacher - Robert W. Bly is a freelance copywriter, a successful Internet marketer, and the author of more than 70 books. Get Bob's advice - all based on his own experience - by subscribing to his free e-zine, The Direct Response Letter. Do so today and get a free gift worth $116.]

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== Highly Recommended ==

How to Get Others to Agree With You

People are different in so many ways in their preferences and personality traits, yet there are common threads you can pull – and just like puppet strings – you can make the marketplace move to your control.

Within reason, of course.  But I want to introduce you to a book (that has long been out of print) that contains many secrets for persuading others to see your point of view.  Want to harness and direct the desires of an entire industry – for yourself or a client?  There are techniques for helping you do that in this book.  Want to use these secrets to further your career?   You can certainly do that.   Want explosive sales growth?  Just use the methods and techniques in this book and watch what happens.

But how can you get it if it’s out of print?  We secured rights to republish this book.  Then, we brought in ad experts and millionaire businessmen who have used these secrets to make millions.   These experts explore and uncover why and how these secrets work in great detail.  You get it all.  The book – and the interviews and commentary as bonuses.

Please hurry if you want a copy, as we are not guaranteeing our inventory is sufficient to handle all the orders. Click here to get all the details and to order today.

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Inside the Internet Money Club: How to Create Great Looking E-Book Covers

By Brian Edmondson

Having good looking graphics on your websites, e-books, and other digital products can go a long way in terms of branding yourself and your online business. It helps to establish credibility, professionalism, and trust – three key factors in converting visitors into buyers.

But what if you’re not a graphic designer and don’t have the budget to hire one or buy an expensive graphic design program?

That’s the challenge one Internet Money Club member had last week. “Do you have some tips on how to add an attractive cover to my e-book?” she asked. “I want to learn how to do it before purchasing software or getting professional help.”

There are several ways to get professional results quickly, easily, and inexpensively. Here are the three that I use most often…

• First, you can go with a text-only design.

 That’s right. You can achieve a really nice effect without using any graphics at all. By working with different fonts and font sizes for the text, as well as different colors, you can get a nice look. Be sure to keep it consistent and utilize “white space” for a clean, professional look (think newspapers).

• Second, if you’re looking to incorporate graphics into your design, you can use graphics that are royalty free.

 Keep in mind that “royalty free” doesn’t mean “free.” Usually, you pay a small one-time fee up front for the graphic, and then you can use it as much as you like. You’ll find high-quality photos and images at a site like istockphoto.com.

• Third, you can hire a freelance graphic artist relatively inexpensively.

I’ve been able to find professionals to create entire packages for me, including website headers, e-book covers, banners, and “buy now” buttons for under $100. Look for freelancers on sites like Elance.com and Guru.com.

One important caveat…

I frequently talk with aspiring Internet entrepreneurs who have great ideas and great content to share with the world. In many cases, it’s the small things that hold them back from taking action – such as not having the perfect title for their product or not having the best looking graphics for their site.

It doesn’t matter how good or bad your websites, graphics, and e-book covers look if nobody ever sees them. The idea is not to get it perfect, but to just get it going.

Ready, Fire, Aim! Launch your website, start generating traffic, and start making sales. You can clean it up later.

[Ed. Note: High-level "secrets" to success on the Internet aren't necessarily complicated. While you can't get personal mentorship from Internet Money Club Director Brian Edmondson until the IMC Class of 2009 opens up, you can still get help to take your Internet business to the next level. ETR's team of experts has laid out a step-by-step program for creating a money-making business online. Get the details here.]

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Blue Corn: The Lesser Evil

By Kelley Herring

As I’ve cautioned before in ETR, products made with cornmeal – even organic cornmeal – are hazardous to your health and waistline. They rank high on the glycemic index, elevate blood sugar levels, and encourage your body to store fat.

But when the occasional craving strikes and nothing but the crunch of a corn chip will satisfy, there’s something you can do to make this indulgence less harmful: Choose blue.

A recent study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture evaluated products made with blue corn versus white corn. The researchers found that blue-corn tortillas had less starch and a lower glycemic index than their white-corn counterparts. The blue ones also boasted 20 percent more protein. They partially credit anthocyanins – the blue antioxidant phytonutrients found in blueberries, red wine, and other foods – for the healthful effects.

When it comes to snack foods – even “lesser-evil” snack foods – the best advice is to steer clear and fill up on fresh, organic, whole foods. But for the occasional “cheat,” opt for organic blue corn chips made without genetically modified organisms (GMOs) – Garden of Eatin’ Red Hot and Blues, for example.

[Ed. Note: It's okay to indulge yourself every once in a while. But for the most part - even when it comes to snacks and desserts - make sure you're making smart choices. Nutrition expert Kelley Herring makes it easy. She's developed a nutritious chocolate cake that tastes absolutely sinful. Learn how to get a slice right here.

And for healthy recipes, the latest health breakthroughs, and plenty of motivation, sign up for ETR's natural health e-letter.]

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It’s Good to Know: The Positive Side of High Gas Prices

It turns out that high gas prices aren’t all bad. Deaths from traffic accidents have dropped by as much as 20 percent in some states compared to this time last year, according to the National Safety Council. The death toll nationwide has dropped 9 percent. Researchers say that people have cut back on driving because of the expense, which means fewer accidents overall. The Arab oil embargo of the 1970s had a similar effect.

(Source: Associated Press)

== Highly Recommended ==

How to Make Fast Profits From Your Own Internet Import Company for Just 48 Cents a Day – Starting in Less Than 24 Hours

Right now, corporate America is getting filthy rich off of you.  And they do it every time you shell out money for almost any item – large or small.   These profits come from the massive mark-ups on imports from places like China, where a widget may cost a buck or two, but sells for $19.95.

But now the tables have turned on the corporations – thanks to the Internet and our global economy. And you can be the one reaping windfall profits from the import business.  Best part:  You can easily run the entire business online, with no employees, no previous experience or knowledge, and with as little as $50 in start-up costs.

All you need to do is simply follow a proven, step-by-step plan that is handed to you with this turnkey system. Just a few hours of “work” (if you want to call it that) is all it takes to set your business up.  Then, the whole thing runs on autopilot, freeing you to live life however you wish.

OK, so let’s get going – learn how you can get started right now!

Word to the Wise: Quasi

“Quasi” (KWAY-zeye) – from the Latin for “as if” – is used as an adjective or prefix meaning “having some resemblance.”

Example (as used by David Kelly in a New York Times review of Audition: A Memoir by Barbara Walters): “This book is so chock-full of news and quasi entertainment that it’s tempting to start quoting some of it, even if out of context.”

Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008

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