The following is an email I received and thought I'd share the information with my readers.

INTERNET MARKETING 1

Hey Paul!

These days, nearly everyone wants to use the internet to grow their business. In my opinion, the internet is absolutely one of the most powerful tools available to an M L M 'er or networker.

But there seems to be a lot of misconceptions about how the internet works, and today, I'd like to give you a peek behind the curtain, and get an idea of what goes into internet marketing.

For a marketer, we are usually concerned about two different types of websites. The first type of website is called a data-capture webpage, or a "squeeze page". These types of websites are designed to get the contact information of a prospect.


Then, that contact information is then used to build a database of individuals who might be interested in your types of products or services.

For example, if I were marketing a health powder, I might put up a squeeze page that offered people a free newsletter about health tips, the latest health trends, etc. At that point, I would be building a database that I know is interested in my type of product solution, and recognize the value of living a healthy lifestyle.

The second type of webpage is a sales page, where you are actually trying to sell something to a prospect. For example, if I were marketing a telecommunication service, or a video email service, I would build a web page that incorporated all of the basic marketing elements (AIDA, or Attention, Interest, Decision, and Action), with a final call to action being the actual purchase of one of my telecom or video email packages.
Many distributors buy these company-produced "replicated" websites. The pitch most distributors get is that by having an internet presence, the distributor will be tapping into internet marketing.
Unfortunately, replicated website do very little to position YOU, and do a great deal to position THE COMPANY. You see, the only difference between YOUR website the and the 5,000 other replicated websites are the teeny, tiny bit info regarding the name and contact info of the distributor. Which means that you fade in along with all the other distributors out there.

Replicated websites are fabulous post-consumption tools, meaning that after your prospect has made an initial purchase, a replicated site is great for follow-up orders. However, they are terrible at inspiring the initial purchase. For that, you have to give your prospect a good reason to take that leap of faith.

Marketing is about being CREATIVE, about STANDING OUT. To do that, you have to know how to craft compelling, eye-popping, jaw-dropping copy. Copy that grabs your prospect by the throat, and drives them into your message.


By the end of reading your copy, your prospect needs to be nodding their head, saying to themselves "you know, this guy/gal knows what they're talking about". You have to know your audience, and know what they are looking for. Then, you have to give it to them. THAT...is marketing.

So many of us in networking think that we have to sell people on what we have. We think that we have to convince others to take a look at what we got. Many distributors do exactly that...and fail.

Marketing is simply the Art and Science of giving everything we have to everyone who needs it. Marketing is about finding people who already have the desire. At that point, our only job is to fulfill that desire.

In the next issue, I'll discuss the other side of internet marketing...driving traffic to a website.


Walking This Road With You,

- Josh

Joshua Fuson
Business Growth Specialist

The following is part of an email I received from Chris Widener, President of Made for Success.

Anytime you are making ground and moving toward success, there will inevitably be the opportunity for conflict. That is just a fact of life. You put two people or more in a group and there is potential for conflict - and conflict, improperly handled, can destroy your ability to continue on and achieve your goals. This is true in many areas of life, from the boardroom to the schoolroom. It can happen in marriage and it can happen between friends and business associates. And when conflict goes bad, success doesn't happen. The good news is that conflict can be healthy and can actually move you closer to success. Success is based on relationships and relationships offer the chance of conflict, so to get success, you must master conflict. So with that in mind, here are some ideas for handling conflict. When you are the one who is confronting the problem with someone else:

1. Don't assume.
Don't assume the worst. Don't assume that they meant what you think they did. Don't assume they know any better. Don't assume they did it on purpose. The fact is that most of the time our assumptions are incorrect and all our assumptions do is cause us to get out of a deeper hole.

Read Full Text....

"The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become."

Ben Herbster said that, and he was right. If you know what you could become, it would leave you breathless. Or maybe you do know . . . and are just waiting to catch your breath.

Okay, then. Rest for a while. Catch your breath. Yet, move as soon as you can!

It's been some time since I've posted. My last post was about 30-second elevator pitches. Here's is another of Blair Singer's emails to me on the same subject.


Hi Paul,

There you are on an elevator with the most perfect candidate for your product or service. You have a few floors to generate enough interest so that this short ride turns into long-term business. Have your game plan set?

Over the past week you've been reviewing your current 30- second elevator pitch against...

"The 3 Pillars of a Persuasive 30-Second Pitch"

1) Establish credibility
2) Make a promise
3) Remove the risk

We've covered the first two already but the most overlooked pillar is "risk removal." This is really about making it easy for your audience to take the next action.

Quite possibly the most famous pitch that incorprated this is the pitch from Domino's Pizza:

"Hot, fresh pizza delivered to your door in 30 minutes or less, or it's free."

The promise is the quick delivery time. The risk removal is the "or it's free" guarantee (it's even strong enough to create credibility by itself).

Here's the thing, you don't have to offer a "free" guarantee to remove the risk. You can offer a complimentary initial consult, or if you're a Realtor you can specialize in "holding the hand of first-time hombuyers."

So, while it can be a money-back guarantee, it's more about making your audience feel safe and comfortable about taking another step or asking another question... not too many enjoy diving into unknown waters head-first so don't force them to.

There's no point diving into a pitch or presentation unprepared, either. Now you have a process to engineer a winning 30-second pitch so you don't have to. With an elevator pitch you have 30-seconds to create interest and action. Use this formula to win big.

Here's the next email Blair said he'd be sending me. I hope you've all been working on your 30-second pitch.


Hi Paul,

It's one of the most famous scenes in the movie "E.T." - the young girl, played by Drew Barrymore, lures E.T. from the house into the garage by laying out bits of candy every few steps. E.T. nervously follows the promise of candy, and feels safe in doing so because he gets to move step-by-step.

A much smarter move than clubbing the alien over the head and dragging him into the garage, don't you think? Now, let's make the comparison... ever feel clubbed over the head by someone's 30 elevator second pitch? I know I have.

You may have experienced a 30 second pitch from someone that, somehow, crammed an entire 60 minute sales presentation into that 30 seconds. WRONG!

The purpose of your 30 second pitch isn't to sell your audience, but to lure them in.

A couple of days ago I told you how to quickly boost your credibility in your pitch. What was REALLY COOL was some folks took the idea and ran with it, tweaked their pitch and sent them back in. You may be doing some more tweaking to your pitch today ;)

Let's talk about another step of a winning 30 second pitch... how to keep your audience's interest and momentum and make it safe for them to move forward from the pitch to the next stage of conversation.

The 3 Pillars of a Persuasive 30-Second Pitch

1. Credibility - in the last email you learned how to provide proof building stats (how long you've been in business, how many happy customers, etc)

2. Promise

What kind of results do you actually provide your customers?

Loan officer - "...reduce monthly mortgage payments, sometimes by as much as 12%."

Supplement salesperson - "...provide energy to actually get through and enjoy the day without hitting that mid-day crash."

Travel agent - "...place couples in romantic, adventuresome, and exciting locations."

So much more compelling than "I do loans," or "I help you stay healthy." Include your "promise" in your pitch and you'll find more people perking up wanting to know more about you.

One thing to keep in mind here is to avoid actually telling folks what you do... instead, focus on what you help folks achieve. You only have 30 seconds, use the time to create a compelling end result rather than the process you take them through to get there.

So, there's the bits of candy that lead them in. How to make them feel safe...

3. Risk removal

In the next email I'll cover this aspect. In the meantime, focus on what results your audience is looking to you for.
That's what you highlight in your pitch.

Credibility in 30 Seconds

How ironic that I'd get an email from Blair Singer while at the same time just finishing up Ricardo R. Bellino's book, "You have 3 Minutes!" Bellino is the Founder of Trump Realty Brazil and Donald Trump's original Apprentice. Blair wrote:

The 3 Pillars of a Persuasive 30-Second Pitch

1. Credibility

Let's face it, if you want to win someone over you need to have credibility. How do you show that you're credible in 30 seconds or less? Give them some proof...

- how long you've been in business
"For the past 8 years...
- how many people you've helped
"I've helped 62 families..."

Pretty simple to do but often neglected. By not mentioning these facts you're doing yourself a massive dis-service.
Your experience and your success stories are very compelling assets that set you apart from others in your industry.

What to do if you're new to your industry? Borrow credibility.

"For the past 8 years my company..."
"As reported in Time Magazine and on Oprah..."

As you can see, it's pretty simple to inject credibility into your elevator pitch. Once you do, you'll find more of your prospects paying attention and asking more questions.

In the next email, we'll cover the other 2 pillars...

2. Promise
3. Risk removal

Take the time now to go back to your 30-second pitch and, if you haven't already, inject some credibility into it.

I'll be sure to post Blair's next email.

Understand Social Networks and Make Them Work for You
By Melissa Busch, associate senior edior, FundRaising Success

Although this article is written for the non-profit organization, I believe the principles apply to the for-profit organization as well. This article originally appeared in the June 4, 2008 issue of FundRaising Success Magazine.

Not all social networks are created equal. And nonprofit organizations need to know the differences between them before they can get one to work for them. A social network can be a useful tool for a nonprofit, providing an arena for meeting potential supporters and contacts. Also, it provides individuals or organizations an outlet for spreading their messages to broader audiences. But before nonprofits can use social networks effectively, they have to understand the options, said Steve MacLaughlin, director of Internet solutions at Blackbaud, during the session “What Social Networks Should Be Doing for You” at The Blackbaud Interactive Internet Symposium held on May 22 in New York.

Read the rest of the article by Clicking Here To Continue or by copying and pasting the following URL to your internet browser http://content.dynamicmessenger.com/napco/?je4hZRSAfKn7tbccgGxqABaoec0pcnkTj&http://fsg.fundraisingsuccessmag.com/story/story.php?sid=107470&var=story

5 Best Practices to Profit From Business Blogs
By Britt Brouse

Blogs are picking up speed as a channel for winning better organic search results, converting more prospects and developing a more humanized, authentic brand. “Blogs are still not quite here yet in the majority of businesses, but the adoption is becoming quick because people are starting to finally recognize that this gives you a way to humanize your business … and get back to people-to-people interactions,” says Chris Baggott, CEO and co-founder of Compendium Software, a blog software provider based in Indianapolis.

With minimal setup costs, the benefits of starting a blog are just as powerful for small and large companies—with small companies pulling more search traffic and large companies expanding their brands. Like with any new marketing initiative, it is necessary to have a good plan in place. The practices discussed below illustrate how to get started with and manage a highly effective company blog.

1. Prepare a Strategy“It should be organized, you should have some kind of blog editor, and you should have multiple authors that you’ve chosen and vetted because they write well and have something interesting to say,” says Debbie Weil, Washington, D.C.-based corporate blogging consultant and author of “The Corporate Blogging Book.” Open up authorship to employees other than the CEO or public relations representative. “This is not just PR; it’s people that are really hands-on and involved with the product, service or company, and they’re telling readers something that they can’t get elsewhere,” Weil says.

For content strategy, Baggott advises using search keywords to brainstorm topics. “What are the terms that people are typing in that you want to win? Then blog on those topics … You tell real stories and humanize the company, but just make sure you use keywords in your blog post,” he says. Don’t write only about your product; develop posts with your demographic in mind. “If you are Clif Bar, you could blog about bicycle racing, hiking or outdoor activities—things that people who buy Clif Bars are interested in,” Weil says.

2. Focus on SearchBlogs are frequently updated and can beat your homepage in terms of winning organic search results. To organize your content, and provide focused results, Baggott advises looking at each blog entry as a search landing page. “Just like if we were doing PPC [pay-per-click] ads, we’d have a specific landing page for a keyword phrase. You know where [visitors] are coming from, so you provide a page that directly reflects what their search query was,” Baggott says.

Specific content will get the best results. “The more content the search engine sees that is specific to a topic, the more likely they are to serve up that page,” Baggott says. To achieve focus, he recommends organizing blogs around topics—not authors—and to create precise page and blog titles. Most importantly—keep updating. “Search is a content-driven business. The more content, the more likely you are to be found,” Baggott advises.

3. Convert With a Call to ActionWhether you’re an e-commerce retailer driving online sales or a B-to-B company generating new leads, it is vital to include calls to action throughout your blog. “What good does it do a business to have readers if they don’t convert?” Baggott asks. The content and the call to action go hand in hand. “If the blog is interesting, has useful content and fulfills the prospects’ need, they will click back to your homepage and say, ‘They seem to be leading experts on this product—and what the heck—I will buy my product from them,’” Weil explains. Therefore, there should be clear links back to your homepage or online product pages throughout.

Weil believes that some of the best calls to action on blogs are content-driven premiums such as whitepapers, webinars, reports and demonstrations. She advises marketers to put an employee’s contact information on the digital premium to drive any potential sales. Another benefit to offering premiums is building your e-mail list by requiring a valid e-mail address for each download.

4. Integrate Social MediaBlogs also allow companies to test-drive Web 2.0 media outside of their corporate sites. “Blogging is a piece of the bigger social media phenomenon, which includes community, user-created content, video, networking and micro blogging ... Blogs are a great platform for most of the social media tools that people are experimenting with,” Weil says. Southwest Airlines’ blog is a good example; it includes Flickr photographs, employee entries, videos, a survey, company information and options to share content from Southwest through other social networking sites.

Weil sees blogs as a sort of next-generation Web site and an indicator of where Web use is heading. “In a couple of years, you’ll go to any corporate homepage and you’ll expect something there that is fresh, real, where you can leave a question and learn something that is not just that static corporate speak about the company,” she explains.

5. Track and Measure ResultsLike any other marketing tool, blogs have measurable results. “You need to use the same analytics that you’re using on your Web site. Where’s the traffic coming from; what are they doing when they get to the site; and where do they go when they leave the site?” Baggott says.

One example Baggott gives of closed-loop ROI on a search is a customer who searched for a brand of liquor locally and found his client’s blog for a liquor store. Posting about a specific product, the store was seemingly the only one in the area carrying it and won the search and the sale. “It’s a good story of posting on a product, winning the search on the product and the customer coming in to buy the product. There’s a closed-loop ROI right there, and that happens every day with blogging,” Baggott concludes.

4 Tips for Testing Direct Mail Tweaks Online
By Britt Brouse

As direct mail marketers continue to build their e-mail files and online presence, the Web becomes a viable channel to test certain tweaks, which don’t always make it into the mailstream. Licinda Mytych, marketing manager for Agora Publishing’s International Living, began testing direct mail ideas online about four years ago and sees it as an excellent way to get inexpensive results before investing in direct mail.

“We have to be smart about it—online and direct mail are totally different markets—so you’re not going to put all of your eggs in one basket and devote yourself entirely to online marketing. It will help you read indicators. And then you can test direct mail, and you can do it in a smarter, more cost-effective way,” she explains. The tips below outline some examples of how to bolster your mail program with digital tests.

1. Use Lists to Your AdvantageLists can make or break your online tests. “We’ve found that lists that work great in the mail don’t often work great online and vice versa,” Mytych says. The differences in response between lists can be dramatic. “For us, it’s the difference between paid and unpaid recipients. We test to our free e-letter subscribers first, and that is a world of difference compared to testing to paid, direct mail-sold names,” she explains. Mytych suggests controlling this variable by finding or renting paid direct mail files that also contain e-mail addresses.

2. Stick to Copy TestsDesign is not the focus of Mytych’s online testing because HTML allows for so much more color and graphics than print, at almost no added cost. Copy, however, is very simple to test—especially in the subject line—which, like an outer envelope, has a limited amount of time and space to either get a reader engaged or drive a message into the trash. To generate the most effective subject lines, Mytych advises following the four U’s: “Always ask yourself if your subject line is urgent, unique, useful and ultra-specific” she says.

3. Vary Your PremiumOnline is a good place to test new topics or content for editorial premiums, and new premiums altogether for promotional items. International Living also tests the positioning of the premium within its offer. “We’re talking right now about testing multiple premiums with our two-year subscription offer to get people to convert to the two-year over the one-year sign-up. If that works, then I’m going to want to put that out in the mail as a possible test,” Mytych describes.

4. Fine-Tune Your Offer“Right now our testing involves delving into getting the best offer that’s going to appeal to the target and to evolve the package. That’s why we do a lot of testing online,” Mytych shares. She recently tested one- and two-year subscription offers at a higher price per issue versus an auto-renewal subscription offer at a lower price per issue. “We’ve been able to test into a lower price point and also test which auto-renewal offers worked the best,” Mytych says. The auto-renewal at a lower price point won online, and it currently has control status in the mail.

Social Media: Marketing Myths and Universal Truths
Online communities present great opportunities to raise funds and spread the word about your mission, but what is fact and what is fiction in this complicated medium?
By George Krautzel

Editor’s Note: This article was originally written for for-profit e-marketers, but the information is equally applicable to nonprofits looking to increase their presence and fundraising power online.

Social-media marketing opportunities proved to be viable additions to existing online advertising strategies for many of the top brand marketers in 2007. But the seeming complexity of these opportunities and the variety of social-networking sites and online communities available still are difficult hurdles for many marketers to clear.

Challenges such as structuring the appropriate campaign for target audiences, measuring engagement and results, and proving ROI still remain for social-media marketing. But many of these perceived challenges are, in fact, based on myths rather than real-life truths about the potential for success.

What is social media?
At its highest level, social media is defined as the online technologies and practices that people use to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives with each other. The focus of the interactions can be personal interest, consumer-oriented or business-to-business.

Marketers are adapting to social media in a number of ways. Tactics include transforming customers into fully vested brand champions by adding social-media tools — like blogs, discussion forums and wikis — to their existing Web sites, as well as exploring existing online communities that can offer the ability to target audiences beyond existing customer bases.

The world of social media can be an extremely valuable tool in targeting prospects — as many marketers have discovered. According to an October 2007 survey of 116 senior marketing professionals, San Mateo, Calif.-based digital marketing optimization solutions provider Coremetrics discovered that 78 percent of respondents view social-media marketing as a way to gain a competitive edge. Yet, only 7.75 percent of total online marketing budgets are allocated to social-networking sites. This disconnect between the recognized value of social-media marketing and current budget allocation reflects the perceived risk and learning curve that marketers associate with advertising through any new medium. But a closer look at some of the myths and truths of social-media marketing shows that many of these risks can be minimized through a deeper understanding of the opportunity at hand.

Myth: Social media requires a radical change from the current online advertising approach.
Truth: Many of the same principles, and even the same advertising units, that apply to standard online marketing campaigns can be reapplied and repurposed for social-media campaigns. Since users of these social-media sites are generating significant volumes of content that is highly specific to their needs and interests, ad-targeting systems on the sites that ensure relevancy between advertising and user-generated content can supercharge online inventory for an advertiser.

Myth: There is no proof that social-media sites deliver the same ROI offered by traditional Web sites.
Truth: Social media, especially in a B-to-B setting, not only is helping advertisers listen to conversations their customers are having online, but it also is helping them integrate into these conversations in ways that are welcomed and valued by users. For these advertisers, results of social-media campaigns go beyond mere engagement to include measurable ROI that matches and sometimes rivals their success with traditional Web site advertising. For example, Information Builders, one of ITtoolbox’s advertising partners, achieved 750 percent ROI and surpassed its lead-generation goals through a series of whitepapers that demonstrated its thought leadership and technical expertise with decision makers and influencers in the ITtoolbox community.

Myth: Social-media sites are good for consumers, but the options for the B-to-B marketer are minimal.
Truth: The basic principle behind a social-media community is to bring together peers to share experiences and knowledge. In the business environment, social-media sites can be used to help professionals make better decisions, from IT purchasing to health insurance benefits. In fact, research shows that purchasers are turning to user-generated content sites to help make their purchasing decisions.

For example, the 2007 ITtoolbox/PJA IT Social Media Index: Inaugural Survey Results shows that executive decision makers spend an average of 3.5 hours a week consuming or participating in social media — the highest usage profile of any IT audience. And that nearly two-thirds of IT professionals surveyed believe that social-media content and user-generated tools have made for a more informed purchasing decision; more than three-quarters believe they have made their lives more efficient.

Tapping into B-to-B, user-driven communities allows advertisers to reach an attentive target audience and leads to positive marketing results.

Myth: The barrier to entry in social-media marketing is too high.
Truth: Marketers can lower the barrier to entry for social-media marketing by taking advantage of existing online communities focused on their businesses or industries. Rather than undertaking the creation of their own online communities and social-media tools for their existing customers — which can be a significant drain both on time and money — advertising with existing social-media sites both lowers costs and allows marketers to reach out to new customer bases.

Myth: It’s hard to ensure brand consistency across social-media sites.
Truth: Social-media marketing, like any other marketing campaign, doesn’t afford the opportunity to control every message focused on a particular brand. However, safeguards can be implemented to help with brand consistency. These safeguards include careful selection of the social-media site to ensure that the community’s focus and tone is aligned with the brand; a thorough review of the community’s moderation policies; and, perhaps most importantly, active engagement with customers in the community.

By monitoring and taking part in conversations where they are advertising, marketers can address any concerns or negative feedback about the brand that may be expressed by members of the community. And, by exploring social-media sites in the target market before pursuing a campaign, marketers can ensure that target sites include high-quality, user-generated content and focus is aligned with the corporate brand.

Conclusion
Social media and online communities offer marketing opportunities that have the potential for high ROI. In many cases, the campaigns and creative content already being used in standard online opportunities can be repurposed for a social-media marketing campaign to achieve superior results.

Is a Fungus Among Us?
Beware employee theft of trade secrets, intellectual property and clients
Author, direct marketing guru, and always entertaining Denny Hatch focuses on a major story in the news and shows how businesses can take advantage of—or avoid the pitfalls from—the lessons to be learned in terms of marketing, sales, PR and communications.

Here are two stories about people working for two businesses—an employee in one and members of the board in the other—who knew a lot about their respective companies.

Both allegedly annexed a core product and went into competition with it.

Both cases have resulted in lawsuits and countersuits.

A person that would do this to an employer is a fungus—a parasitic organism that obtains nourishment by locking onto a host and sucking it dry.

What can you do if such a person is loose in your company?

If you have an idea for a new product, do you develop it and then offer it to your current employer? Or do you surreptitiously shop it elsewhere?

If so, why?

A Personal Digression
In 1964 I got a job selling advertising for Library Journal, a magazine published by R.R. Bowker. At the time, book publishers produced seasonal catalogs—usually fall and spring—which were mailed to the Bowker editorial department as well as to booksellers, wholesalers, agents, foreign rights buyers, schools and libraries.

Arriving in the mail at different times, these catalogs came in various sizes and shapes and were stuffed into files, where they spilled out and were a perpetual nightmare to keep current. I figured a better information system had to exist, one that was more efficient, user friendly and less costly to the individual publisher, who was spending a fortune on composition, printing, binding and mailing.

At a client’s office, I discovered how British publishers dealt with the problem of catalogs. In the waiting room was a multivolume set of fat, paperbound books—a compendium of publishers’ catalogs bound together alphabetically. It was produced and shipped by The Bookseller—the British version of Publishers Weekly. From this I came up with the idea for “Publishers Combined Seasonal Catalogs”—same format as the U.K. product, same concept—and quietly floated the idea to a number of my clients who advertised with Library Journal.

Some publishers loved it. They immediately saw that by participating in this format (1) their catalogs would not be lost in an overstuffed file drawer and therefore would be far more easily accessible, and (2) this co-op binding and distribution system would save considerable money. Further, they could produce overruns for their sales representatives and as giveaways at the American Booksellers and Library Association conferences, as well as regional gatherings.

While others hated it, feeling that they would lose their individuality, enough said they liked the idea to make it a viable business. What’s more, once established, other publishers would see the wisdom of the product and come on board. For Bowker, it would represent a brand-new profit center with virtually no editorial expense that could be sold as an add-on by existing sales representatives.

I put together a business plan, designed a cover, made a crude mock-up of the product and sent it in to top management. Word came back from the board meeting that everybody loved the idea, but Library Journal—and its sister publication, Publishers Weekly—was undergoing a redesign, so nobody could get to this project for at least six months.

My salary at Bowker—the junior number three guy in a two-man office—was peanuts. When a very good offer for a job with another company came in, I was immediately interested. I went to Bowker’s VP of advertising and asked him where the catalog project stood, since I had just received a job offer.

“We want to go ahead with it,” he said, “but the redesign of the magazines is taking longer than we thought.”

“If I stay at Bowker and help launch this new catalog project, could I count on getting a piece of the action?”

“We don’t do that,” he said. “You have your salary.”

The idea was worked up with the full knowledge of my employer. I would have had no compunction about shopping the idea elsewhere. But at the time, only two other companies served the book industry, Kirkus Reviews and H.W. Wilson, which published a bunch of directories. Only Bowker had the clout and the contacts to get this show on the road.

I quit. Dunno whatever happened to the idea.

Barbie v. Bratz
I was astonished to discover that Barbie is 47 years old, and that, for all the competitors that tried to knock her off her pedestal over the years, Mattel’s savvy design and marketing staff swatted them all down. In 2005, the Barbie doll franchise brought in $3 billion.

One of the premier Barbie designers was Mattel’s Carter Bryant, whose Cinderella-like Grand Entrance Barbie sent adult collector Kristina Frazier-Henry into orbit. Frazier-Henry of Indiana is a serial blogger who has written 1,325 reviews on Epinions.com under the handle kristinafh. Her take on Grand Entrance Barbie:

I am a fanatical Barbie collector. Fanatical in the way that I would rather have an NRFB (that’s Never Removed From Box) Barbie than just about any other gift. Surprised? Yeah, thought you were.

Doll Description
This Grand Entrance Barbie is the first collector doll designed by Carter Bryant. It came out in 2001 and was met with a lot of oooh’s and ahhh’s from the adult collecting world. Here’s why.

Close your eyes and imagine an elegant ball. Your hair is blond (natural of course) and shiny. There’s no frizz to be had. The sides of your hair are gently gathered back while the back of your hair is curled in waves and lays gently across your shoulders.

Your gown is a steel blue taffeta creation made by designer Carter Bryant. The bodice is fitted and compliments your elegant waist. Underneath your gown is a thin, slip-like layer of tulle the color of ivory. Sewn into the middle part of your gown is a creamy pink silk sheath. The way the light shines off of the creamy pink makes a total stranger want to come over and touch you.

A Sabbatical
In 1998, Carter Bryant decided he needed a hiatus from Barbie and the fast life in Los Angeles. He returned to his roots in Springfield, Mo., and moved in with his parents. Driving by a local high school, Bryant claimed that he saw some local high school girls “wearing kind of, you know, oversized clothes, big, baggy jeans ... just got me to kind of thinking, you know, wouldn’t it be cool if there were some characters that kind of accurately represented today’s teenager.”

He dashed home and made sketches for a new doll to compete with Barbie. Its name was Bratz, described by Margaret Talbot in a 2006 story in The New Yorker titled “LITTLE HOTTIES: Barbie’s New Rivals,” as a design that “showed a face in which the lips and eyes were cartoonishly prominent and the nose was vanishingly small: it was as if the doll had undergone successive rounds of plastic surgery.”

Back to L.A.
In 1999 Bryant returned to Mattel as a Barbie wardrobe designer but continued to refine Bratz, which he presented to Isaac Larian, president of MGA Entertainment—a minor, money-losing electronic games company located in the San Fernando Valley of northwest Los Angeles.

The story gets murky as to who did what when, but a Mattel phone record paper trail indicates that Bryant was working on Bratz and talking to Larian from his Mattel office until he handed in his notice in October 2000 and went to work for MGA.

Bratz was launched in 2001, caught on big and began generating $1.25 billion a year in sales while the Barbie business declined some 12.5%. In 2006, Mattel decided it had been ripped off and instituted a lawsuit. Among the charges made by Mattel was that former employee Bryant’s 3% royalty on Bratz brought him $30 million.

Bryant and Mattel settled out of court, but Mattel is going after MGA in a trial that started last Tuesday. Meanwhile, MGA is countersuing Mattel.

The question here is not about dolls—or even this trial—but rather about a corporate culture that causes a creative employee to take a hot idea to a competitor, rather than bring it in-house and jointly reap the rewards.

Craigslist v. eBay
As readers know, I am no fan of eBay. Last Feb. 7, this cranky little e-zine published, “Should Congress Shut Down eBay? Is this auction site the world’s biggest criminal conspiracy?” I wrote:

If my numbers are remotely correct, it means that eBay is the supreme enabler of counterfeiters, forgers, hooligans, miscreants, petty crooks, pirates, rapscallions, reprobates, rogues, scallywags, scamps, scoundrels, swindlers, thieves, thugs and villains on a scale heretofore unimagined in human history.

If my numbers are correct, eBay is perpetrating the largest, most pernicious worldwide criminal conspiracy and fencing operation the world has ever seen.

If my numbers are correct, eBay is costing consumers whose homes have been burglarized—and businesses and copyright holders of all sizes whose property has been plundered and who have lost legitimate sales—billions upon billions of dollars, not to mention the insurance companies that have paid for the losses.

I am no fan of Craig Newmark and his Craigslist, a Web enterprise that seems bent on (1) taking over the classified advertising business and (2) putting traditional newspapers out of business. My problem is not that Craig Newmark is unhorsing a vestigial medium, but rather his service in 100 cities on five continents is mostly free. The free market, freebooting buccaneer in me screams, “For Pete’s sake, if you’re going to revolutionize an industry, do it to serve customers and make a killing while you’re at it!”

Now these two highly questionable organizations are in a fascinating death struggle.

In 2004, eBay bought out a former employee of Craigslist and wound up with 28.3% ownership. The two companies said that deal would allow eBay and Craigslist to “share expertise, resources and creativity.”

“Craigslist is an excellent example of how the Internet brings people together,” said Meg Whitman, president and CEO of eBay. “Whether it’s to trade goods, help neighbors or speak out on important issues, Craigslist has become the online gathering place for local communities.” eBay was given two seats on the Craigslist board.

Fast forward to the next year, 2005, and eBay announced that it was starting Kijiji—a series of 50 Web sites around the world offering free classified ads in direct competition with Craigslist. Alex Kazim, senior VP of eBay’s new ventures, proudly announced, “Kijiji builds local communities online, giving neighbors a way to come together around local needs and interests.”

On April 30, 2008, eBay filed a 29-page complaint against Craigslist in the Delaware Court of Chancery, claiming in essence:

NEWMARK AND [JIM] BUCKMASTER [CRAIGSLIST CEO]CRAFT A PLAN TO DILUTE AND DISENFRANCHISE EBAY

Let me say, if I were Craig Newmark and Jim Buckmaster, I would sure as hell do everything possible to disenfranchise eBay after buying into the company, learning the business and starting a competitor.

Craigslist filed a countersuit suit in California State Superior Court in San Francisco requesting a jury trial with the following complaints:

* UNFAIR AND UNLAWFUL COMPETITION UNDER CAL. BUS. AND PROF. CODE §17500

* FALSE ADVERTISING UNDER CAL. BUS. AND PROF. CODE §17500

* CALIFORNIA TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT AND UNFAIR COMPETITION

* CALIFORNIA PASSING OFF AND UNFAIR COMPETITION* DILUTION UNDER CAL. BUS. & PROF. CODE §14200

* BREACH OF FIDUCIARY DUTY

A Personal Digression
In the 1960s, I was at Grolier Enterprises, which was run by four dynamos: founder Elsworth Howell, whose real love was judging dog shows; VP Bob Clarke, a lovely human being who started in the Grolier mail room and died young; Ed Bakal, a rough-hewn ex-paratrooper; and Lew Smith, a brilliant, low-key marketing genius who went on to become Lester Wunderman’s creative director.

Grolier’s business at the time was selling Dr. Seuss books to kids. The competition was Weekly Reader Book Club and Scholastic’s paperback book clubs. All sold books to students in classrooms through the teacher.

Using the Scholastic paperback model, a guy named Joe Archie started the Willie Whale Book Club. Elsworth Howell watched it grow and told Archie he was interested in buying Willie Whale. They signed confidentiality agreements, and, stupidly, Archie laid out his entire business plan, MO and results for Grolier to see. Whereupon Howell told Joe Archie that he had decided not to buy Willie Whale and started the Peter Possum Book Club offering children’s paperback books in direct competition with Archie and Scholastic.

Archie sued and lost.

If history repeats, my bet is that both Mattel and Craigslist will lose.

Takeaway Points to Consider:

* As an employee, you come up with a great idea for a new product that could be a moneymaker. Do you trust your current managers enough to give them first dibs? Or would you keep it secret and surreptitiously offer it to competitors?

* As an employer, do you encourage new ideas from within and—if they come to fruition—are the creators rewarded?

* As an employer, do you engender trust among those who work for and with you?

* If not, why not?

* If an employee is drawing salary and benefits, then according to United States copyright law, if “the work was done within the scope of his employment (whether the work is the kind he was employed prepare; whether the preparation takes place primarily within the employer’s time and place specifications; and whether the work was activated, at least in part, by a purpose to serve the employer), then the work is a work for hire and the employer is the initial owner of the copyright, rather than the employee who actually conceived and fixed the expression.”

* Carter Bryant maintained that he conceived and developed the Bratz doll when he was at home in Missouri and not in the employ of Mattel. Therefore, he reasoned, he owned it and had the right to sell it to MGA.

* Employers and employees alike are urged to look carefully into the pros and cons of noncompete contracts.

* If you’re working up a new idea on your own, always use your personal computer and cellphone. Don’t leave a digital trail of memos, notes, proposals or e-mail exchanges on the company server. Do not use the company phone to make calls or receive calls about your project. Do not leave a paper trail in your filing cabinet.

* If you swim with sharks, chances are you will be eaten.

Prospecting

Here is another email I received from another colleauge about prospecting

Greetings Paul,

I wanted to speak with you briefly on the subject of prospecting. You see, prospecting is the fuel that feeds a business. Turn off the prospecting, and you turn off the lifeblood of your business. Prospecting is what keeps the cash flow of a business viable and steady.

But how do you prospect for MLM business? What are you looking for when you prospect? What makes a person a "master prospector"?

Well, one of things that I do is lead with a product or service, not an opportunity.

The reasons I lead with the product or the service in an MLM business are many. They include:

1. You cannot separate yourself in the marketplace based on opportunity. Everyone has an opportunity, and in this day and age, the average 18 yr old has been hit over the head with so many opportunities that leading with your company's opportunity to earn compensation sounds just like all the other opportunities out there. Everyone has a way to get rich, which means that for you to sound halfway credible, you cannot lead with opportunity.

2. Retention rates increase dramatically when you lead with the product or service. You see, residual income means that you get paid later, not now. So when you are building a residual income foundation, it takes a little bit of time, and if a distributor signs up to market your product based on the potential to make a million bucks, then 3 months later when they're not making all the money they want, they quit. The only reason they were ever using the product in the first place was to get a paycheck.

3. People buy in the presence of expertise. What I am referring to is the concept of "positioning". Paul you simply cannot position yourself as an expert in the creation of wealth until you have actually created it. You see, if you are talking to somebody about making tons of money in your business, and you are leading your pitch with the opportunity to make money, and they see that you are NOT making a ton of money, it's over. It's like listening to a person that weights 700 lbs give you advice on staying in shape. There is a credibility issue there, and unless you have generated serious income with your business, you simply cannot effectively lead with your opportunity.

So...when you lead with the product, the reason a prospect is purchasing from you is to access a solution that your product provides them. Which means that if they do choose to market the product, then they won't quit while they are building the foundation for their business and they are waiting for the big bucks to start rolling in...because the whole reason they got involved in the first place was because they wanted the product or service. Both business builders and product users stay on the books longer...which means more income in your distribution channel.

So if you are leading with the product or service, how do you prospect?

When you do your prospecting, and you are leading with the product / service, you are looking for 2 key things in the prospect to determine if they would be a good fit for what you have:

1. They need to have pain - The best type of prospect that you could ever hope for is a prospect that is aware of a need for something else. For example, if you are marketing a health juice, you want to be talking to people who are actively aware that the type of health solution they are currently using isn't providing them with the benefits they are seeking. You don't want to convince them that they need what you have. You want to determine that they are already aware of a need, and if so, how you could help.

2. They need to have a desire - Have you ever heard the phrase "misery loves company"? Well here's a new one for ya: "sometimes, misery loves misery".

We all know people who, for whatever reason, seem to take pleasure in their pain. We have all had a friend that was involved with a relationship that was less than beneficial for them, but regardless, they stayed in the relationship. Well, if your prospect has given up all hope of fixing their pain, then there is nothing you can do for them.

So... if a prospect has pain, and a prospect has desire to fix that pain, then I simply show them how to get that done. I know that there are plenty of opinions out there on how to grow a business, but personally, I enjoy helping people to solve their pain much more than convincing them that they need what I have.

If you have a business, then go find some people to help! We live in world that is chock-full of pain. If your product has benefits, then go find the folks that are in need of those benefits, and help them out! Ease their pain. Make the world a better place.

If you don't have a clue where to start, don't worry, I'll talk about how to find people with pain in further emails. Stay tuned. I'll keep you posted.

Walking This Road With You,

Joshua Fuson
Business Growth Specialist

Attitude is Everything
Jim Rohn

Last week I posted a quote by Zig Ziggler about "Attitude" and ran across the following this week:

The process of human change begins within us. We all have tremendous potential. We all desire good results from our efforts. Most of us are willing to work hard and to pay the price that success and happiness demand.

Each of us has the ability to put our unique human potential into action and to acquire a desired result. But the one thing that determines the level of our potential, that produces the intensity of our activity, and that predicts the quality of the result we receive is our attitude.

Attitude determines how much of the future we are allowed to see. It decides the size of our dreams and influences our determination when we are faced with new challenges. No other person on earth has dominion over our attitude. People can affect our attitude by teaching us poor thinking habits or unintentionally misinforming us or providing us with negative sources of influence, but no one can control our attitude unless we voluntarily surrender that control.

No one else "makes us angry." We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant. We choose, not they. They merely put our attitude to a test. If we select a volatile attitude by becoming hostile, angry, jealous or suspicious, then we have failed the test. If we condemn ourselves by believing that we are unworthy, then again, we have failed the test.

If we care at all about ourselves, then we must accept full responsibility for our own feelings. We must learn to guard against those feelings that have the capacity to lead our attitude down the wrong path and to strengthen those feelings that can lead us confidently into a better future.
If we want to receive the rewards the future holds in trust for us, then we must exercise the most important choice given to us as members of the human race by maintaining total dominion over our attitude. Our attitude is an asset, a treasure of great value, which must be protected accordingly. Beware of the vandals and thieves among us who would injure our positive attitude or seek to steal it away.

Having the right attitude is one of the basics that success requires. The combination of a sound personal philosophy and a positive attitude about ourselves and the world around us gives us an inner strength and a firm resolve that influences all the other areas of our existence.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Here is another recent email to me from Blair Singer

Hi Paul,

Why would someone happily pay $11 a gallon for something that falls from the sky, yet complain when spending $4 a gallon at the gas pump?

Pretty wild, isn't it? But Fiji water has done a stellar job of positioning itself as the finest water available to the market. How? The price, the story, and target marketing.

Fiji water is possibly the most expensive bottled water on the market. A fact that they're proud of, and so are their customers. The price is an indication of value and supports their story.

"Drawn from an artesian aquifer, located at the very edge of a primitive rainforest, hundreds of miles away from the nearest continent." That distance "is part of what makes us so much more pure and so much healthier than other bottled waters."

If you drink Fiji you'll also be happy to know that Fiji Water has a naturally high level of silica which "helps strengthen your hair, skin and nails."

This is water for the "elite," served in the finest hotels and restaurants.

Even with their premium price, Fiji is about to replace Evian (if they haven't already) as the best selling premium water here in the states. In fact, there's no sign of sales slowing down.

Wondering how to sell more product, at a higher price, to a loyal and raving market? Take a look at how you're positioning yourself.

Be awesome,

Blair

An expert from another email from Blair Singer

The 3 Pillars of a Persuasive 30-Second Pitch

1. Credibility - it's always important to establish credibility, even more so when you only have 30 seconds to get your message across

2. Promise - let the person know exactly what they will receive

3. Risk removal - this one's often overlooked yet can also be the most appealing aspect of your pitch. Risk removal makes it safe and comfortable for your audience to move the conversation further.

Go ahead and examine your pitch and see how you use the above elements.

In my next email we'll dive into this a bit further... right now, I'm going to dive back into the emailed pitches.

Be awesome,

Blair

4 Ways to Pass the B-to-B Gatekeeper
by Britt Brouse, associate editor, Inside Direct Mail

Ever wonder what happens to your B-to-B mail? Will it make it to the right person? If you are targeting businesses, especially mid- to large-sized companies, your mailing is likely to face the B-to-B gatekeeper, an employee who receives and sorts a company’s mail and decides which pieces warrant attention from the boss or decision maker. “If you watch them at their jobs, you know they sort the mail pretty quickly,” says Bob Bly, copywriter and author of “The White Paper Marketing Handbook.”

A gatekeeper will screen about 80 percent of B-to-B marketing mail, says Greg Demetriou, president of Farmingdale, N.Y.–based American Mail Communications. Here are four ways to create a B-to-B mail piece that will pass inspection.

Segment efforts by company size
Before you tailor your mailings to get past a gatekeeper, consider appending data regarding company sizes to your lists. “Large corporations are much more likely to have gatekeepers than small offices and home offices. As a rule of thumb, the bigger the company, the more likely they are to have gatekeepers; the smaller, the less likely,” Bly claims. (A good cutoff for companies that have direct mail gatekeepers is anywhere above 25 employees.)

Smart designs get noticed
Gatekeepers may have a keen understanding of the bosses’ professional needs or save mail simply on the basis that “it looks important.” In the former case, you need to appeal to the business’s present needs and performance. “I want that gatekeeper to say, ‘You know, I really have to show this to the boss; this really might be good for us,’” asserts Demetriou. In the latter case, Bly recommends a design that doesn’t look too promotional and instead resembles important correspondence, such as content-based mailings (newsletter or whitepaper). Along the same lines, Demetriou suggests that a high-end package will more likely pique interest than a self-mailer.

Appeal to a gatekeeper directly
You can also target the gatekeeper directly with offers, freemiums and premiums that address her responsibilities as an employee. Bly cites an example of a classic 9˝ x 12˝ mailing that was addressed to the prospect and had a smaller envelope spot-glued to it, addressed “To the Receptionist.” The smaller envelope explained the benefits of how and why the boss would profit if he or she had this great technology. Bly says the mailing was a “keeper” because it also offered an incentive to the gatekeeper where she could return a reply card and get a premium or discount.

Don’t forget the mailroom
When sending a mailing to a company with 25-plus employees, marketers need to realize the mailroom is their first real barrier. “In the bigger companies, Standard mail is usually not making it upstairs. The higher up the corporate ladder you’re going to reach, the more highly produced your approach has to be,” explains Demetriou, who says that mailings to C-level executives at large companies have the best chance of surpassing the mailroom if they arrive via a courier service or in dimensional packaging. Bly adds, “You don’t want 40 of your pieces to arrive in one day in the same pile. Mail three to five pieces at a time, and then wait a day or two before mailing the next five.”

Understanding Your Personal Energy Cycle
Laura Stack

An important piece of productivity concerns what time of day you select to work on which activities. Everyone has a natural time during the day when they are "UP" (prime time) and a natural time when they are "DOWN" (down time). During prime time, your brain is "on"; your batteries are charged and you're able to focus. During down time, your brain feels "slow"; it's difficult to muddle through your work.

First, let's chart your energy levels. Get out a piece of paper and draw a big "L" for a graph with a vertical and horizontal axis. Mark the vertical axis "0" to "100" to represent your energy level as a percentage. Mark the horizontal axis with your work hours, in one hour increments. When you arrive at work in the morning, draw a dot where energy intersects with time, to indicate how you feel in terms of your energy level. As the day progresses, draw a series of dots horizontally to show how your energy ebbs and flows. Then connect the dots and analyze your line chart.

Draw a dotted line at about the 75% energy level mark across your line drawing to represent your peak productivity zone. Write these exact time ranges out to the side of your graph. These are your "expensive" hours, compared to other times during the day, because your brain is capable of doing higher-level activities in that range. It’s important to know when you’re in prime time, because you can get so much more done. The key is to focus on:

• Important tasks
  Critical decisions
  Problem solving
  Complex thought

If you wait until you're in down time to work on these types of activities, it will take much, much longer and be much, much more painful. The challenge for most people is that when they're in prime time, they feel GOOD! The last thing you might feel like doing when you're "up" is working on that report, writing a proposal, or analyzing those figures. But if you wait until you're going down, you've lost the opportunity to get it done quickly. The trick here is a lot of self-discipline. Resist the urge to do “fun, easy, trivial” things during this period or talk to your friends.

I actually have two prime times: one in the morning, and one early afternoon. When I'm in prime time, I need to make my marketing calls, because I need to be "up" and on top of the conversation. Sometimes, I will purposely let my voice mail pick up my calls, when I know I'm in down time and won't be as articulate as I'd like to be with a client. I will also respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) sent by prospective clients in prime time. I want to write quickly and succinctly, and my prime time is the key opportunity for that work.

Similarly, I listen to my body when I'm in down time. When I feel my energy level waning, a quick glance at the clock will usually tell me why. I know I need to get up, stretch, perhaps go for a quick walk around the block, eat an energy snack, or make a cup of tea. Then I will go back and work on some different activities, not necessarily ones with low priority, but those that don't require the brain power of the prime time tasks. If I don't listen to my body's signals and respond appropriately, I will get a rip-roaring headache, preventing me from taking advantage of my second prime time.

Another consideration is when to hold meetings. If you're a manager or professional with the ability to call a meeting during a certain time, really think about when to hold them. It's often eye-opening to do this prime time graphing activity with your staff or the people normally in attendance. I think you'll find that corporate America has trained most people to be “morning people.” Our natural energy cycles cause us to be “up” or have “prime” time first thing in the morning. Unfortunately, most people insist on holding meetings at that time. *Some* meetings are good to have during prime time, like those involving brainstorming, problem solving, or strategy. But routine staff meetings, project updates, or information-only meetings should be held during lulls in productivity. If you are stuck attending these meetings with no control over when they are held, a phone call to the chair with this graph as a team-building activity might be well-received. Also send that person this article!

I think about my energy level like a dimmer switch my hubbie John recently put in our bathroom. People don't operate at "OFF" and "ON." You're not running full-tilt all day long, then sleep at night. It's not "0" and "100%" but rather various levels all day. People are more like dimmer switches. Or cats.

My kitty Emma follows the sunshine all day. She plays some, sleeps some, eats some, and pays attention to her own desires. People say things like, "I *have* to check email at (x) time of day." Why? Better to schedule times to handle email when you're in down time and stick to a self-imposed limit. Rarely to people need to be going a hundred miles an hour to handle email. Pay attention and slow down when your brain and body tell you to.

Be a cat. Be a dimmer switch. Follow your rhythms and work with your brain's and body's desires for you throughout the day. Remember, it’s costly to have key people, including yourself, tied up in routine meetings during periods of peak energy and productivity. And it's costly for you to work on things you can do in your sleep during your peak productivity zone. Once you know what that zone is, protect it for all your worth! Be self-disciplined when you're "up." And listen to yourself and rest when you're "down." Meow.

Laura M. Stack, MBA, CSP, is “The Productivity PRO,"® helping people leave the office earlier, with less stress, and more to show for it. She presents keynotes and seminars on time management, information overload, and personal productivity. Contact her at 303-471-7401 or visit her website at www.TheProductivityPro.com.

Spiraling Economy Has Consumers Cautious


With the economy continuing to struggle, consumers have tightened their purse strings and opted for practicality over discretionary when it comes to spending. According to the latest American Pulse Survey from BIGresearch, which surveyed 4,055 Americans, 61.7 percent said they’re dining out less to cope with the current economic environment. Here are some more noteworthy findings of the survey.

• 57.3 percent of respondents have also cut back on their driving;
• 47.4 percent are attending fewer movies;
• 46.1 percent are forgoing department stores for discount retailers;
• 45.3 percent are cutting back on their vacation budgets;
• 67.9 percent say gas prices have affected their budgets the most, followed by groceries (47.2 percent), home heating and cooling costs (46.8 percent), and taxes (36.1 percent);
• 50.3 percent report having negotiated for better prices on products other than a home or vehicle due to the current economic situation; and
• the products/services consumers say they haggle the most on for better prices include tires/batteries/auto repair (38.6 percent), followed by appliances (37.3 percent) and electronics (37.2 percent).

If you are interested in solutions to offset the rising costs of doing business or everyday expenses, call me today! I can show you how to save your hard earned dollars on almost anything for which you are already writing checks. You can contact me at 260.341.6387 or info@PaulWHawkins.com

Zig Ziglar said . . .

“You cannot tailor make your situation in life, but you can tailor make your attitudes to fit those situations."

Ziglar was profoundly right. How you shape your attitude is not a small part of how you shape your life; it is the only part – attitude is everything?

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Blair Singer, creator of SalesDogs®: a methodology that offers life-changing sales and communication success which has helped thousands worldwide to increase their incomes, recently sent me the following email.

This email is to highlight some shortcomings I've seen in sales pitches lately. If anything I say here resembles your current sales process I hope you don't take offense. Instead, I hope you take massive action towards closing more deals.

To start, why should people buy from you?

This isn't new, right? This is "Reason Why Advertising," a term coined by legendary ad man John E. Kennedy back in 1905.

I would go so far as to say "Reason Why" is more relevant today than ever simply because there are so many offerings out on the market folks ask the question more and more frequently... and you better be able to answer.

But look, don't wait for them to ask the questions. A good, successful pitch tells your prospect right upfront, because they always ask. The more of their questions you can answer before they come up, the stronger and more compelling your pitch.

In fact, you need to be able to tell them the 5 major reasons why:

1) Why you (the prospect)
2) Why me (the salesperson)
3) Why this (the offer)
4) Why now (the urgency)
5) Why this price (the value)

1) Why You?
This is where you show you understand your prospect's pains, fears, hopes, goals, and challenges. Why are you targeting them? How is your product or service important to them?

2) Why Me?
Proof is the backbone of business. Why should your prospect pay attention to you? Do you have a proven track record?
Credentials? Quantified testimonials?

Put simply, the more credible you are, the more believable your product, then the more likely your prospect will buy.

At the authentic event this weekend, I'll show you how to build credibility with your prospect in 30 seconds or less... even if you're brand new with no track record.

3) Why This?
Why are you selling what you're selling? It may be just to make money but one way or another you're selling it for a specific set of reasons.

It may be because it's a new product that's you want to gather testimonials for. It may be because you've heard to many complaints about folks not being able to easily achieve their goals, which your product helps them do. It may be to raise money for the poor and hungry.

As you can see, the reasons may vary widely but you need to let your prospect know. No matter how small your reasons, share them. If you don't, your prospect will be the one making up reasons for you.

4) Why Now?
No action takes place unless there's some sort of catalyst.
Your prospects are the same way in that they won't buy unless they feel the need to.

You need to give your prospects a reason to act now. This may be a direct reason (the deal is off the table on a certain date, or you may have limited quantities) or implied (missing out on something important).

Either way, you need to instill some sense of urgency or scarcity otherwise your prospect can just stall with a decision to buy later.

5) Why This Price?
Perhaps the bottled water you're selling was hand drawn by monks high up in the Alps then infused with a rare and sacred intelligence building mineral (I bet that would be some expensive water.)

Perhaps you're conducting a clearance sale to make room for new stock. Or it may be a new product you're introducing to the market.

Whatever it may be, there's a reason you're product is priced what it is. Don't be afraid to tell your prospects why.

When you're able to articulate each of the above "reasons why" the more your prospects will stop stalling, stop shopping the competition, stop challenging your price, and start reading you their credit card numbers.

If you're not doing this then that's a key reason why you're not earning the income you want.

The Subtlety of Language
Jim Rohn

I have found that sometimes the subtle difference in our attitude, which of course can make a major difference in our future, can be as simple as the language we use. The difference in even how you talk to yourself or others. Consciously making a decision to quit saying what you don't want and to start saying what you do want. I call that faith. Believing the best, hoping for the best and moving toward the best.

A few examples could be, instead of saying "What if somebody doesn't respond" you start saying, "What if they do respond?" Instead of saying "What if someone says no?" You say, "What if they say yes?" Instead of "What if they start and quit?" say, "What if they start and stay?" or "What if it doesn't work out ?" You say, "What if it does work out?" and the list goes on and on.

I found that when you start thinking and saying what you really want then your mind automatically shifts and pulls you in that direction. And sometimes it can be that simple, just a little twist in vocabulary that illustrates your attitude and philosophy.

Our language can also affect how others perform and behave around us. A teenager says to a parent, "I need $10." And if the parents learn to say, "No comprende. That kind of language doesn't work here. We've got plenty of money, but that's not how you get $10." Then you teach your teenager how to ask, "How can I earn $10?"

That is the magic of words. There is plenty of money here. There is money for everybody, but you just have to learn the magic words to get them. For everything you could possibly want. If you just learn the philosophy. How could I earn $10? Because you can't go to the soil and say, "Give me a harvest." You know the soil smiles and says, "Who is this clown that brings me his need and brings me no seed." And if you said to the soil, "I've got this seed and if I planted it, would you work while I sleep?" And the soil says, "No problem. Give me the seed. Go to sleep and I'll be working while you're sleeping."

If you just understand these simple principles, teaching them to a teenager (or adult) is sometimes just a matter of language. It's like an investment account instead of a savings account. Simple language, but so important. It is easy to stumble through almost a lifetime and not learn some of these simplicities. Then you have to put up with all the lack and all the challenges that don't work out simply from not reading the book, not listening to the tape, not sitting in the class, not studying your language and not being willing to search so you can then find.

But here is the great news. You can start this process anytime. For me it was at age 25. At 25 I'm broke. Six years later I'm a millionaire. Somebody says, "What kind of revolution, what kind of change, what kind of thinking, what kind of magic had to happen? Was it you?" And I say, "No. Any person, any six years, 36 to 42, 50 to 56. Whatever six years; whatever few years you go on an intensive, accelerated personal development curve, learning curve, application curve, and learning the disciplines. Now, it might not take the same amount of time, but I'm telling you the same changes and the same rewards in some different fashion are available for those who pay that six year price. And you might find that whether it's in the beginning to help get you started, or in the middle to keep you on track, that your language can have a great impact on your attitude, actions and results.

To Your Success,Jim Rohn

The Gift of Planet Earth

Life has a habit of changing itself completely around in 24 hours. Heck, in 24 minutes sometimes.

Don't you dare give up on Tomorrow because of the way things look Today. Don't even think about it...

From Teresa Royer, Member Relations Specialist, Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce

I stopped in to MSKTD the other day hoping to catch Mark Joseph and was impressed with their beautiful lobby. What is most impressive is the all-glass wall with glass doors on either side to enter the building. As you leave the lobby, on the right side etched in the glass are wonderful quotes / statements all about the importance of the customer.

I, being a fan of quotes, read each and every one of them and asked the receptionist if I was free to copy them. She not only said yes, but made me a copy of them.

Here’s a few I'd like to share with you:

• Because the customer has a need, we have a job to do.
• Because the customer has a choice, we must be the better choice.
• Because the customer has sensibilities, we must be considerate.
• Because the customer has influence, we have the hope of more customers.
• Because of the customer, we exist!

You definitely leave their office thinking they value the customer………..

3 Tips for Stand-out Direct Mail
By Joe Boland, copy editor, Target Marketing

People are hit with a plethora of mail every day, so your campaign needs to stand head and shoulders above the rest to draw attention.

To do that, your copy must be sharp and images compelling. Here, Mike Berry, associate creative director and senior copywriter for Grizzard, an Atlanta- and Glendale, Calif.-based direct marketing agency that specializes in the fundraising field, gives three tips on how to make your pieces stand tall.

1. “Scannables”: Berry says the use of what he calls scannables, which he defines as all the things that call for attention from the prospect—bullet points, bold text, underscores, caps, etc.—are important in today’s world. Prospects receive so much mail that they simply don’t have time to read it all. If you can get your point across with the prospect simply scanning the package, your chances of conversion escalate. “There’s so many messages being bounced around that we’re really trying to make sure the message comes through loud and clear in the space we have,” says Berry. “Take the key points to get the message across using scannables. If they take a peek, they’ll get it.” Berry warns not to overdo it, though. If you use too many scannables, the message is watered down because prospects won’t scan through too many.
2. Photography: Along of the lines of scannables, photos certainly capture potential donors’/buyers’ interest. But all too often companies use standard stock photos for their direct mail pieces. This simply won’t cut it. To really make a connection, Berry urges copywriters to use photos of real people in real situations to fit their message because these “images move people and motivate.” Berry also says stock photos take away from credibility with prospects while fresh, real photos enhance it.
3. Synergy: In today’s multichannel world, it’s important to put your efforts across the entire field. At Grizzard, Berry states, it’s about executing integrated strategies in which multiple vehicles are used in a synergistic fashion to communicate the message and drive people to action. “For example, corresponding space ads, outdoor and banner ads could support an appeal mailing,” says Berry. “And the direct mail package may drive people to a Web site where they can put their gift to work right away. We’ve done this for The Salvation Army at Christmas and have seen better, faster, more sustainable results.”

Nothing has to remain the way it is, and nothing is
the way it is forever unless and until you say so.

You really are in charge of your day-to-day
experience. Really.

The Top Six Ways to Stay Motivated
Chris Widener

I receive many emails from people that basically ask the same question: How can I keep myself motivated long term? This seems to be quite a common dilemma for many people so I want to address it because it can be done! Here are my tips for staying motivated:

1. Get motivated every day. Zig Ziglar was once confronted about being a “motivational speaker.” The guy said to him, “You guys come and get people hyped up and then you leave and the motivation goes away. It doesn’t last, and then you have to get motivated again.” Zig reminded the gentleman that baths are the same way but we think it is a good idea to take a bath every day! It is true that motivation doesn’t last. We have to renew it each and every day. That is okay. It doesn’t make motivation a bad thing. We simply have to realize that if we want to stay motivated over the long term, it is something we will have to apply to ourselves each and every day.
2. Have a vision for your life. The root word of motivation is “motive.” The definition of motive is, “A reason to act.” This is the cognitive or rational side of motivation. It is your vision. You have to have a vision that is big enough to motivate you. If you are making $50,000 a year, it isn’t going to motivate you to set your goal at $52,000 a year. You just won’t get motivated for that because the reward isn’t enough. Maybe $70,000 a year would work for you. Set out a vision and a strategy for getting there. Have a plan and work the plan.
3. Fuel your passion. Much of motivation is emotional. I don’t know quite how it works but I do know THAT it works. Emotion is a powerful force in getting us going. Passion is an emotion, so fuel your passion. “Well, I like to work on logic,” you may say. Great, now work on your passion. Set yourself on a course to have a consuming desire for your goal, whatever it is. Do whatever you can to feel the emotion and use it to your advantage!
4. Work hard enough to get results. You can build on your motivation by getting results. The harder you work, the more results you will get and the more results you get, the more you will be motivated to get more. These things all build on one another. If you want to lose weight, then lose the first few pounds. When the belt moves to the next notch you will get fired up to get it to the notch beyond that!
5. Put good materials into your mind. I can’t say this enough – listen to tapes. I still listen to tapes regularly. I buy tape clubs from other speakers and I learn and grow. Their successes motivate me to get my own successes! Read good books. Read books that teach you new ideas and skills. Read books that tell the stories of successful people. Buy them, read them, and get motivated! Buy great music and listen to it. I just did a spinning class at the club today. Whenever a good song came on I was actually able to get motivated to ride faster! It gets you going and motivates you!
6. Ride the momentum when it comes. Sometimes you will just be clicking and sometimes you won’t. That is okay. It is the cycle of life. When you aren’t clicking, plug away. When you are clicking, pour it on because momentum will help you get larger gains in a shorter period of time with less energy. That is the Momentum Equation! When you are feeling good about how your work is going, ride the momentum and get as much out of it as you can!

These are the top six ways to stay motivated:

1. Get motivated every day.
2. Have a vision for your life.
3. Fuel your passion.
4. Work hard enough to get results.
5. Put good materials into your mind.
6. Ride the momentum when it comes.

These are simple principles, that when you put them to work regularly, will change your life by keeping you motivated all the time! Get going!

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and author who has shared the podium with US Presidents, helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

Reduce Direct Mail Production Costs Without Sacrificing Effectiveness
By Dave Henkel

Everyone in business is looking for ways to reduce costs these days. But reducing direct marketing efforts doesn’t have to be the answer. The good news is that you can reduce direct mail production costs and still develop relevant, attention-getting direct mail by paying attention to four areas in the process: your materials, your production choices, the use of data, and a true understanding of current postal rules and regulations.

1. The use of materials. Aside from the “green” considerations that are of vital importance today, you can actually spend less if you move to a lighter-weight paper for your piece; e.g., a 20-lb BRE will cost less than a 24-lb BRE. Additionally, it is often less expensive to choose an alternative to the traditional, tightly specified, branded papers. For example, using your printer’s in-house paper can save money because it is already part of the printer’s inventory.
2. Getting a handle on production costs. When you are assembling the specs for your direct mail piece, there are creative ways to achieve the same impact for less. For one, you might try changing from an envelope package to a self-mailer. Or consider reducing the number of preprint or lettershop versions by creative use of variable laser text on the main document. So much is being said about the value of personalization and color when it comes to business communications. And I believe it to be true. However, many marketers have been sold on personalized, digital-color applications without considering the costs versus the ROI. Often a preprinted, four-color form using black laser text can garner the same response for dramatically less money.
3. Good use of the all-important data. Work at mailing fewer but more targeted pieces based on better data. Mail smarter by taking the time to look closely at your list, cutting out the lowest-performing part. By eliminating the lower tier (those predicted less likely to buy or take action), you save both time and money while gaining the latitude needed to focus on those customers that truly deserve your time and attention.
4. Understanding USPS rules and regulations. Business mailers of all sizes need to maximize available postal discounts and follow the rules to achieve them. This is a complex issue, so it is important to partner with a supplier that understands how to gain the greatest postal efficiencies. For example, while commingling may be the solution for some mailings, for others more savings can be found using BMC or SCF rates. Be sure to ask your mailing services provider which method is best for each of your jobs.

Communicating with your customers is an investment. Finding ways to do so effectively and cost-efficiently will give you a positive return—in more ways than one.

—Dave Henkel is president of Johnson & Quin, located in Niles, Ill. He can be reached at dhenkel@J-QUIN.com.

21 Keys to Improving Customer Retention through Relationship Marketing Programs

by Lee Marc Stein at www.leemarcstein.com

In preparation for an annual offsite meeting with a major client, we developed this checklist with copywriter Mark Hallen.

1. Realize that your Retention Program starts on Day One. If your business model involves lead generation, Day One begins with your handling of the lead. You not only affect conversion, but the tone of the entire relationship.
   If you’re generating most of your new customers at retail, Day One is what happens when customers open the box after they’ve left the store. Are you doing enough to get them to register with you? How can you help them use the product more easily?
2. Assume that all new customers are created equal. As a general rule that worked in the past, a new customer generated through direct mail always had a longer lifetime value than a customer coming through direct response TV, inserts, or retail. Now, because of the Internet and because consumers are using all their channel options, we don't know how good a customer they're likely to be. Only performance can dictate that. Therefore you won't be able to pick and choose which customers to invest in with a relationship program. As the relationship unfolds, we can reduce or increase the investment.
3. Don’t try to start the relationship in the middle. While an action-based loyalty program can be augmented at anytime, a true relationship program will get the biggest return by beginning at the beginning. There will be less effect with older customers.
4. Make it easy to be a customer. Remove some of the necessary barriers you set up for suspects and prospects (e.g. automated email and voice response, long login forms). Think about a dedicated phone line for repeat customers. Some companies have different (easy re-order) web sites for customers than for prospects.
5. Reward and recognize longevity. You can afford to give long-time customers discounts, special services, and red carpet treatment. Don’t think so? Do the math. In many cases, it’s not even necessary to invest in a formal “loyalty” program. Recognition can go as far in exceeding customers’ expectations as rewards. Stage and invite best customers to “inner circle” events, even if the customer has to pay for the trip. Example: For its Select Banking customers, Chase arranges for a week-long golfing trip to Scotland. Even having a dedicated phone line for long-term customers can help them understand how much they’re appreciated.
6. Divide and conquer. Score your customers as you would prospects and leads. You can do this in many ways – everything from the old standard RFM (recency, frequency, monetary value) to share-of-wallet and potential based on relationships with other direct marketers. Once your customer files are scored, break customers up into distinct groups and build mini-marketing plans based on the segments’ unique needs, previous behaviors, established predispositions and potential to grow. Be sure to establish control groups within each segment so you can see the incremental value of your new marketing efforts.
7. Personalize and customize. Think about how good it feels when the waiter at your favorite restaurant greets you by name and knows exactly where you want to sit. You return again and again and always tip more than usual. The same thing works even with hardened enterprise IT buyers. Give them advice, counsel and content specific to their needs. There’s no question that direct marketers have the technology to do this.
8. Market to the life cycle stage and to the customer’s schedule. New customers have different needs and expectations than those you’ve had for years. What’s even trickier is that new customers acquired today will probably have different needs than the new customers you acquired three, five or ten years ago did. Do the research to understand and respond to these differences. Track triggers to certain behaviors and use those triggers to time your messages. When is a customer most likely to buy again? Immediately? A month later? A year later?
9. Ask them what they want. Most people want their opinions heard. And they’ll like being asked for them. The act of surveying your customers makes them think you care. When you report the results of the survey back to them, that’s a double confirmation of your concern. While you don’t want to do format surveys too often, you can get feedback after particular transactions.
10. Turn customers into stakeholders. Build a customer panel and/or an advisory board and invite customers to join. You’ll be surprised by how many will join, share, refer and buy more as a result of their participation. If you listen and act on what they have to say, that not only builds their loyalty but makes them more willing to reach out to prospects.
11. Use the power of referral programs. No customer is going to make referrals and then defect. Most customers will feel even better about the value of your product or service when they refer you to people like themselves who have stronger retention value.
12. Give instruction on how to get the most use from products and services. Obviously, this is most important with brand new customers, but also has retention value when an existing customer renews, buys a more expensive model, or accepts a new release of the product.
13. Do not turn all communications into sales pitches. Don't train the customer to believe that anything with your logo is trying to sell him something. Communications that are thank you's, welcomes, usage tips, anniversary messages, case studies, etc. make the customer feel that he is more than just a target for additional sales, and pave the way for opening the envelope when you are selling.
14. Assume that all new customers are created equal. When somebody first buys your product, you may not how good a customer they're likely to be. Only performance can dictate that. Therefore you won't be able to pick and choose which customers to invest in with a relationship program. However, you can reduce or increase the investment in a customer as you see what kind of customer he is.
15. Don’t try to start the relationship in the middle. This is the corollary to #1 (realize that your retention program starts on Day One). While an action-based loyalty program can be augmented at anytime, a true relationship program will get the biggest return by beginning at the beginning. There will be less effect with older customers.
16. Understand that unexpected “perks” do more than expected ones. Think carefully about how you position extras. Let’s say, for instance, that you’re marketing software to an installed base. If the upgrade mailing says "and you'll get 30 days free support" it might get some extra sales, but it may also decrease response because the customer thinks support will be necessary. It also raises expectations and may lead to disappointment. However, if you tell users AFTER they upgrade "to thank you for your purchase, we're giving you 30 days FREE support" it can't have a negative affect. It lets me know you're thinking about their welfare, since there is no (obvious) profit in it for you. In addition, because it was a "surprise" and not an incentive, users’ expectations for it are lower: whatever they get is a bonus.
17. Determine the effects of any retention or relationship program only in the long term. By definition, any relationship program must be viewed as a long-term investment with the potential for a sizable, but deferred, return on that investment. Do not look to see results this quarter or even this fiscal year. Your customer will reward you for good products, service and treatment only after a long enough period of time that establishes this as your company's way of doing business.
18. Make customers feel that the relationship is worth something. Here's a real relationship killer. I get a mailing with a special "customer price," then see a lower price in a store (or store circular) where anyone can walk in off the street. Treat me as an "insider," eligible for things that a non-customer can't get. Otherwise, what's in it for me?
19. Keep a Control Group long-term. To accurately measure the affect--and ROI--of a relationship program, you must retain a control group that has absolutely no contact with any component of the relationship program. Just as important, every action of this control group must be compared to the test group for a long period of time.
20. Define your goals and be sure they can be accomplished. Direct marketing is not a branding or image medium. Even mailing monthly, the frequency just isn't there to create a brand. Direct marketing can reinforce what I already think about the company, but not change it. That's why it's so important to start with new customers; that's when they feel best about us, so it's the best time to build on that.
21. Do not even think about a relationship program without reciting this mantra: "LIFETIME CUSTOMER VALUE IS EVERYTHING." All marketing should have lifetime customer value in mind, but it's the whole point of relationship marketing. Three, five, 10 years from now, how much more business have you done with Customer A (in whom you invested in a relationship program) vs. Customer B (in whom you made no additional investment). If you don't plan to look at the program this way, there's really no reason to do it in the first place.