Sorry on the delay getting more posts up here.  Been a busy year so far.

Well, it was bound to happen. A serious upgrade of my own blog was in order.

Have a look at http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com and please let me know your thoughts.

I will still post articles here, but am branching out into my own as well.

Thanks, Troy White

A client of mine made a comment that I wanted to note.

>>>> 'Thank you for taking the time to enhance my offer. I know you put a lot of effort into it and appreciate your time and experience in putting this together. I am starting to see the process of putting together a successful sales letter.'

Note the word PROCESS... that is what is truly important here.

Here is my comment back:

>>>> 'The sales letter process is just that - a process.  We start with a rough draft - tune it - tune it more - tune it more - test it - measure results - tune it - test it - etc...

Go through it again - see what you like and dislike - then send it back so we can get it out in time for holidays. Troy'

The marketing process is NOT a one-hit-wonder.  You will not get it perfect the first time you try it!

People amaze me when they believe they should be able to run a single $200 ad one time and make themselves a small fortune.

It is ALL about testing and finding out what works... and (just as important) what DOESN'T work.

You never know until you test.

The market will tell you

 (a) if you have the right offer and
 (b) if you are in front of the right people.

If you miss either - you will not get results - period.

So try numerous things - and measure what results you get. If you get no results - you need to modify (one or the other - only change one thing at a time so measurements are accurate).

One-hit-wonders sound great (we all wish it was so easy) - but in reality they don't work in the long term and very rarely in the short term.

So, if you want to do your marketing the right way for 2009, invest in the Creative Marketing Tips Program now - before you miss out on yet another marketing opportunity to pass you by. It's VERY reasonable and a great investment in your business!

http://www.creativemarketingtips.com

(The March Edition has an incredible blueprint for turning controversy in tough times into a major marketing opportunity and cash flow creator... last chance to get the March edition... plus all the bonuses)

To your ongoing marketing successes!

Troy White

PS:  Getting tired of all the media crap they are throwing at you? 

Doom and gloom getting you down? 

Starting to believe them that the world is coming to an end and no one is safe?

Find out the TRUTH in the March edition of Creative Marketing Tips. 

Discover WHO is making huge bucks, and HOW... including one client from Wild West Wealth last  year that took what he learned (in June of 2008) and has gone on to create a new business that is making him nearly $1,000 PROFIT per DAY. 

As I type this, he is sitting on a beach in the Dominican, spending 15 minutes a day managing his $1,000 a day business.

Learn WHAT he did... and what YOU need to start doing now http://www.creativemarketingtips.com

Again I ask - are you believing the media doom and gloom...
or are you taking your future into your own hands?

"The advertisements are the most truthful part of a newspaper."
-- Thomas Jefferson

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity.
The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty."
--Winston Churchill

I looove to learn! And I hope you do too. Creating success also means developing an insatiable appetite to learn about all kinds of varied subjects - marketing being the main one for small business owners.

You know what is truly scary?

One number I saw recently said that the average US or Canadian citizen invests only $48 PER YEAR on books. Those same people probably spend much more than that on coffee in a month.

Is caffeine more important than training your brain for success?

That is a sad statement to where people place their priorities. They think nothing of dropping $2,000 on a big screen television … but ask them to invest that in a seminar or home study course and stand back for all the excuses.

Fortunately, I love to learn … and I invest in my education.

I can say from past years, my investments in books, home study materials, newsletters, audio programs and live seminars usually runs $15,000 - $30,000 per year.

Never before have we had access to so many experts and such powerful training materials as we do now … and those who are not investing in these tools are missing out on some incredible breakthroughs.
I am going to save you some time and money though.

I have summarized some of the main points that you should all immediately start applying to your life and your business. These are just a few of the tips I have learned from marketing masters like Clayton Makepeace, Ted Nicholas, Dan Kennedy, Jay Abraham and Bill Glazer. These are tips I gladly paid big dollars to learn (and remind myself of) … and I want to pass them on to you.

From there - it is up to you.

Will you keep doing what you have always done?

Or will you make a change and profit beyond your wildest expectations?

It is entirely up to you. I want you to profit. But I will not hold your hand along the way though. If you take action on just a few of these, you will experience some powerful results … that I guarantee.

Let's get on with it!

1 - Ask yourself this question - "Are Your Goals Worthy of You?" Read it and ask it again. It is the opposite of what 95% of people ask - they switch the words and ask if they are worthy of their goals. WRONG! You need to have confidence in your self and your vision in life. Are your goals big enough and grandiose enough? Make them so. Dream big, really really big. And then ask again - is that goal worthy of you?

2 - Start working in time chunks. Set aside 2-4 uninterrupted hours for you projects. Most people will start a project and deal with interruptions as they come through the door, or e-mail, or phone. WRONG! You are now a time 'chunker' - and people around you need to understand this is the way you now work. Get used to this way of working and you will accomplish amazing things.

3 - Start seeking the valuable lesson in everything you do, hear, experience and pass by. No matter if the project fails or succeeds - write down what you learned from it. Every person you meet and everything you do - has a lesson you can learn. It is up to you to find out what that lesson is though. And do it before you forget. Write it down in your journal (if you do not have a journal - go get one).

4 - Read your lesson journal - which lesson can you apply today to your next project? Or your next problem? Then do it. Find a way to apply and use that today - do it and record your results.

5 - No matter what your business is - get your journal out and write down this question at the top of the page - "How can I personally make my clients lives better?" A simple question but very powerful. Think about it - how many companies that you deal with offline or online - apply this model? Less than 10% I bet. Most of them are out to get the sale and then move on to the next "prospect." If they actually considered how they could help your life be better - how effective could they be? For example - there is a company that I personally dealt with offline that sell kids educational products. I spent $2,000 on their products about a year-and-a-half ago. And never heard from them again. If they had thought about how they could help me and my kids have a better life they would quickly realize that they could offer me products to help us at least monthly. I would gladly spend $100/month on my kid's future and success. And yet I have never heard from them again. Do you know anyone like this? How does it apply to your business?

6 - Always have your antennae up. Look and listen for ideas, insights, and concepts that you have never thought of. Write them down. Talk to anybody and everybody you run into. Ask them what they do, how they do it, why they do it, what could make their jobs better, their offerings better, what are their dreams and aspirations?

7 - Ask yourself - "what don't I know that is absolutely critical to my success?" Then decide where you can find that information quickly. Start writing down ideas on how you can work with people that have that knowledge. If you do not have money to pay them for their expertise - how else can you work with them? Is there any way you can trade services for services or services for products or products for products?

8 - Start writing a book. On whatever you are good at, or whatever you want to be good at. Start researching the industry and successful businesses in that industry. A book is one of the most important tools to building your credibility and to build on publicity for your business. The book is not necessarily one you sell - it can be a bonus for prospects or clients to show them you know what you are talking about.

9 - Find or pick a charity that you deeply believe in. How can you help them accomplish their goals? Possibly volunteer your services or donate products they can auction off to raise funds. Donate a percentage of all revenue you receive to the charity. Find multiple ways to help them and you will quickly find opportunities knocking on your doorstep.

10 - Start building a dream team. These people can be people in your life now (if they are motivated and positive people) or people you would love to work with. If you do not know them now - think of ways you can give back to their interests, passions or charitable causes they are interested in. Start interviewing these people and find out what makes them tick.

11 - Create your stadium pitch. Get some paper out and think about your product or service. Imagine you have a stadium of 50,000 people at your beck and call. You get 30 - 60 seconds in front of the audience to convince them of you and your offering. What would you say? How could you get your point across so convincingly that they would be stupid to say no? Now consider the fact that any one of them can walk out at any point in time and do not have to listen to your pitch. Would your pitch change? What can you say to make them stay? What can you say to make them buy?

12 - Consider that there are only 3 ways you can grow your business. You can increase the number of clients, increase the average sale price, or increase the number of times they buy in a year. Most people (90%) focus in on increasing the number of clients - and it is the least effective and the least profitable. So what can you do to increase the other 2 methods?

13 - Use a shotgun approach to marketing your business. Think of multiple ways to promote your offering - and have them all happen at once. Very similar strategies to war - air, land, water - each of which has multiple resources and firepower coming at the target (the customer) at once. How does this apply to your offering? What types of firepower will you use?

14 - Test all of your crazy ideas. No matter how crazy they sound - try it out. Find out which ones work. Then optimize how effective they are. Test all variations of that idea. Find out which variation works best.

15 - Think of your offering your prospects see. What can you do to educate your prospects to the extreme that they know everything there is to know about what you do? If you are an expert (which you need to be) in your business - how can you show your clients how they too can be experts - before they purchase?

16 - What is your "magnificent obsession"? You must have a passion so deep that everyone who you talk to understands what you stand for and what you want to accomplish. When you build your obsession and ingrain it into your soul - nobody will be able to derail you from obtaining your goal - no matter how negative they are.

17 - A 30 second personal drill you must do. Ask yourself – am I having fun? What could you do to enjoy your life more? How big or small of a company do you want to run (2 people or 200 to manage)? What would happen to your business if you decided to take a month off? Once you have these answers you now understand areas you MUST start working on immediately.

18 - Your customers are marketing geniuses - they know exactly what they want and it is your job to find that out. Find ways to phone, e-mail, fax or talk to them about their needs, wants, desires, passions, concerns etc. When you know what type of a company they want to deal with - you have your ticket to fortunes. People deal with you because they want you to change their life - do you deliver on their wants?

19 - Always follow your gut feelings, intuition and instincts - they will lead you in the right direction. If you do not know how to tap into these resources or want to build on them to strengthen them - learn how. There are a multitude of resources out there that show you step by step how to build on them.

20 - What would you do differently in your business if it was treated like a movie theater? Admission is charged at the door and word travels quickly if it is a box office hit or a box office flop? How would your movie be received?

21 - Referrals can be one of the most important tools you can use to exponentially grow your business. There are hundreds of ways to generate referrals. Do you use any of them now? How could you reward people to refer others to your business? If you have not done your job on making your clients happy - you cannot ask for a referral. Are you comfortable asking? Some of the tools available to generate referrals; pay them per lead, ask your competition, bribe people in a fun way, ask your vendors, automate the referral process, donate to charity, be outrageous, put on an event, publicity, conference calls, family and friend programs and there are many many more. The key is to start writing down ideas on what works for you. Then start doing it.

22 - Think about the lifetime value of your clients. Maybe your front-end sale is $40 but how many times will they buy in a month, a year, a lifetime? Add the numbers up - what is one client worth to you in a lifetime? How much do you spend to obtain 1 new client? Do you see the difference here? Most people spend under $10 to obtain one new client and yet the lifetime value of that client is $1,000. Do you see the problem? For every $10 you invest you receive $1,000. How many $10 bills will you now invest in client acquisition?

23 - Ask - "who else does business with my ideal client?" Now go talk to those people - competitors or not. Explain your mission in life and the goal of your business. Find out how their business is doing and if they are looking for new ways to generate business. Start finding ways to deal with everyone that your clients buy from.

24 - What can you say to your clients or prospects to make them ask "huh, what did you just say?" Make your statements so outrageous that they ask you to prove it. And then prove it.

25 - If you are in a retail business - do not sell the products. Sell the experience of your store. This is the biggest reason retail business go out of businesses so quickly - they are there to discount products - and that is it.

26 - Set the buying criteria for your prospects. One they have seen your offering - they have to reevaluate how they decide who to buy from because you made them realize - you are the only one that provides an experience as high quality as you do.

27 - Plan your long-term strategies before you plan your tactics. Strategy shows where you plan on going, who you want to be, and what types of clients you want as your friends. Tactics show how to get all of your strategy accomplished.

28 - Use risk reversal in your offer. Make it so your clients come out so far ahead by dealing with you they would be stupid not to. Even if they decide that your product is not for them and they return it - they still come out of the deal with the refund and many bonuses that they never had before dealing with you.

Most importantly - TAKE ACTION TODAY.

To your success,

Troy White

PS: This article was originally written for the Small Business Mastery Column, which I write every Friday for the World's Highest Paid Copywriter, Clayton Makepeace. 

You can get weekly power packed, and content rich, articles at http://www.smallbusinessmastery.com ... check it out... great info.

PPS: If you haven't signed up yet, why?  By now you could have had 2 promotions out the door, and  make thousands of dollars in additional profits. 

All with simple copy and paste tools. 

See for yourself... http://www.cashflowcalendars.com/

It's here... what have you already done?

2008 flew by in a flash... and 2009 is here waiting for those who can handle what she brings. 

Not only will this coming year prove to be an exciting one, it will also bring out the best and worst in people's personal financial situations. 

Sadly, quite a few people will not be prepared.... they will lose their jobs with no savings to tide them over... they will lose most of their savings, and sell off what remains in a state of panic... or they will go through the coming year in a zombie like trance, just waiting for it all to come to an end.

Then there are those who go into this year with a plan. 

They have thought through what they will do differently this year, month and week. They think through the long term consequences of the businesses they start, the projects they get involved in, the investments they put money into, and the priorities they make in their life.

Early January 2010, one year from today, some people will reflect back with awe over what happened in 12 short months.

They tripled their income.  They bought rental properties for pennies on the dollar. They started that new business, or expanded their existing one. 

They are living the life they once thought was just a vision in the back of their mind. 

On the flip-side... January 2010 will also see some people overwhelmed with fear, sadness and depression.  Maybe they lost their job and couldn't see the foresight to find a new job in a new industry.  Or they panicked and sold off their remaining investments, only to see those investments return back to their former levels.  Or they just went about their day-to-day activities as they always have, and, surprise surprise, things look pretty well exactly the same for them this January as they did last January.

The choice IS yours... you know that.

But, if you have not at least started thinking through (on
paper) what you are doing differently this year... how can you expect any different results?

If you have not set some goals for the coming 12 months, how can you expect to achieve them? 

How will you know what it is you're aiming for?

By now, you should have put together your best of/worst of lists for 2008.  This is a great way to reflect back on the year... to give yourself a pat on the back for everything you did that worked out for you on the plus side. 

It?s also the chance to reflect back on the things you did in
2008 that didn't work out all that well for you. 

The defeats.

The failures.

The constant frustrations you met with. 

When you look at the good AND the bad... you will see trends. 

And those trends you see can revolutionize 2009 for you.

The failures... have they happened before?  Constantly? 

What are you going to do differently about it this year so they DON'T happen again?

Gift #1 (guaranteed to work)

Here is what I would suggest you do right now...

...set aside 60 minutes. 

Turn off the tv.
Forego a lunch break.
Get up an hour earlier.
Or stay up an hour later.

Lock yourself away somewhere without phones, tvs, or email.

And get busy writing!

List out everything good that happened to you in 2008.

List out everything not-so-good that happened to you in 2008.

And look for the trends.

Things that keep repeating themselves... things that have positive and negative results for you.

Then come up with a plan on how you will do 10 times more of the positive things in the coming year.

And how you will eliminate the negative things you do that cause bad things to happen in your life.

The best way to write your plan?

This is something I have done for many years now, and I love how it feels once you are done.

After reviewing your good and bad.  And after thinking through what you will be doing differently in the next year.

Write a letter to yourself (or your spouse, your kids, or whoever is most important to you in your life right now)... but the letter is dated January 1, 2010... a year from now.

And talk about all the incredible things that happened over the past year. 

Gush about your accomplishments, your successes, your biggest ah-hah moments.

Talk about what a wild ride 2009 was... and how much fun it was to accomplish all those dreams in one year.

See yourself in that state, a year from now, and really feel how exciting it will be for you to be there celebrating your best year ever.

Lock that feeling in.

Get that letter typed up ... or leave it in long hand.

Important: Read it every morning for the next year (it takes you
1 minute... you CAN find the time).  When you read it... see yourself there enjoying the moment. Feel what it will feel like to celebrate the big wins you wrote about. 

You do that, right now, before you forget and "put it off for later", and I guarantee you that 2009 will break all of your previous record years.

You do that, and review it every single morning, and some amazing things WILL happen for you.

It helps you think big.

It helps you plan the year.

And it helps reprogram your mind for success, with a daily boost to keep out all the negative stuff the media is throwing at you.

Despite what the media is saying, right now is an incredible opportunity for success minded individuals like you and I.  More wealth is made in the down times than the good... and that time is right here and now.

The choice is yours... will you do something differently right here and now that guarantees January 2010 will be a massive celebration at your house?  Or will you keep hoping and praying something will change... "one of these days"?

Make the right choice... I am here to support you in your quest.

To a fabulous year ahead!

Read below for Gift #2

Troy

PS: If you are in need of more leads and sales, you need to run on over to http://www.cashflowcalendars.com right now.  I am giving away a product I used to sell... one that will help you attract a better quality of lead... and convert more of them to paying customers.  The perfect start to your new business year!  Get the free gift before I change my mind.  Hundreds have bought it before... you get it free.

I had an interesting phone call this weekend from a friend from way back. 

Someone who I used to hang out with in University, party with (a little too much), chase girls with, and dream about success with.

He's a great guy... that has grown incredibly jaded since we last spoke.

He used to aspire to do big things in the business world.

But... he couldn't lay off the partying when it mattered... and the years crept on him, along with the growing "past jobs" section on his resume.

He is now in yet another job... and does not sound happy about it at all.

And everyone from our "inner circle" who has gone on to succeed in their fields, is "all about the money"... me being no different (according to him).

He doesn't seem to have much drive or motivation left to become a success, despite his young age of 39.

I am not sure if he is reading this or not.

And I am not sure if you are becoming increasingly jaded about succeeding in a turbulent world.

But, I want to leave you with one thing I recently heard that is incredibly inspiring... no matter who you are and what your situation is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"HELL on earth is...

...meeting the person you know you COULD have become!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't know about you, but that FIRES ME UP.

I love that quote... more than almost any other.

And it is the driving force for my business in 2009.

Don't get me wrong... I had an excellent year with revenues more than doubling, a major business award, and a serious mission for 2009.  But I want more.  I want to achieve more... teach my children more about success... and enjoy more of my life with my partner and wife Kari, along with our incredible twin daughters,  Hailey and Katrina. 

And this quote will push me to even greater heights in 2009.

You?

Who is that one person you might meet, that you know you COULD have become?

You know the one... he or she is certainly no better, no smarter, or more gifted than you are.

Why have they gone on to great things? 

How can you?

What is YOUR reason to make 2009 your best year yet?

If my friend is reading this now, find that reason again... and use it to get back the fire you used to have.

You have more than enough time to achieve anything and everything you want in life.

And the current economic conditions are an excellent time to get serious about your future.

Despite all the crap you hear in the media, down times like this  are when most wealth and success is made... will you be taking  part in the good side of the recession...

... or the bad? 

The choice IS YOURS... no one else.

Again, I ask you to read this one more time and think seriously about it...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"HELL on earth is...

...meeting the person you know you COULD have become!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHO is that person?

And what will YOU do to ensure it never happens to you?

Paste that quote on your wall, to remember what YOUR driving motivation is.

Put it on your computer, in your wallet, or wherever else  you need to ensure you see it 15 times a day!

Make this next year your most incredible ever.

And let me know how I can help.

To your success,

Troy White

The power of the right message to the right market

 

Two success stories to share with you on advertising effectively.

 

SUCCESS STORY #1 – Network Marketing Money Machine

 

I received a phone call 2 years ago from a husband and wife team. They have done exceptionally well in the network marketing industry, and now was to go big on the speaking / information publishing business.

 

We designed them a campaign that goes like this:

 

Step 1 – Squeeze page to capture emails from people

 

[All a squeeze page does is capture contact information from people who visit your website. You need to entice them into why they should sign up – snippets of content they get, free bonus books or audios, etc. When they enter their information – name and email – they are then sent to step 2.

 

Step 2 – Thank you for sign up and Free CD giveaway

 

[We gave away an audio cd detailed part of their system they use to earn well over a million a year in the industry. The cd is free, shipping and handling is $5. This gives people a very low cost way to get more familiar with you and your techniques. If they take the free cd offer, they click through to the order page with an option to buy into step 3.

 

Step 3 – Upsell to higher end package at 20 -40 times the price of step 2

 

[When people go to the order page for the cd offer, they are offered an option to buy a much higher pried package. In this case we did 2 higher priced options – one at 20 times the cd s&h price, the other at 50 times that price. They can get just the cd... or take them up on the upsell offers with much more information and product sent to them.

 

Step 4 – For those who never took the offer for steps 2, 3 or 4 – they get sold into step 2 through the auto responders they receive once they sign up on the free newsletter (step1)

 

THE RESULTS?

 

Because the copy was targeted perfectly to their market, and because they had a good number of people read the copy:

 

1. 1800 people purchased the cd option

2. 20% of those people bought upsell #1 (at 20 times the price)

3. 5% bought upsell #2 at 50 times the price

 

Do the math! That is a serious money making AUTOMATED machine. For every 1,000 qualified people they send to their site, they know roughly how much money they will make immediately.

 

In the next 9 MONTHS, that simple marketing system, with the right words, sold well over $1.2 million dollars.

 

QUESTION FOR YOU:

 

How can you leverage these ideas and automate the sales process in your business?

 

SUCCESS STORY #2 – First time author ROCKETS to #1

 

Another client of mine launched his first book. You may have seen some of the promotions for The Power of You!?

 

We invested a substantial amount of time and resources putting a massive campaign together for him.

 

1. Teaser sales letters to get people to the main sales letter

 

2. $3,000 in bonuses to buy the book on the launch day

 

3. Long copy sales letter to sell the book and bonuses – the key was that he needed people to buy on a single day so Amazon could do their calculations on if he had a best selling book (calculated by Amazon every hour based on total books sold from their site)

 

4. Recruited LARGE numbers of partners to endorse the book to their own client lists. They got to read the book first, then endorse the book to their own clients if they like the book. IMPORTANT NOTE: the partners received NO financial compensation for doing this.

 

I wrote the copy they sent to their lists, to recruit them as partners, to sell people the book, etc.

 

5. Arranged everything to happen on August 15th starting at 12:01 am.

 

THE RESULTS?

 

#1 on Amazon – on the main book best seller list AND in all 5 registered categories the book qualified for!

 

PLUS, 3 days later – it was STILL #1

 

Thousands and thousands of books sold (5,000 sold in first 2 weeks, 55,000 sold over the next 3 months) – each of those books is a lead generator for him (ads on the inside of the books for other products) and a MASSIVE database built from the launch (people had to supply their emails to get the bonus materials)

 

Now he has #1 International Best Selling Author to his name.

 

QUESTION FOR YOU:

 

How can you leverage these ideas and have other people promote you to their lists? How can you use this to launch a new product, service or bundle?

 

The key here is to NOT say "that isn't my business". The key is to say "HOW can I make that apply to MY business?"

 

When you do that – and then implement what you wrote – you will see similar results as they have seen.

 

The power of the written word, combined with massive action...

 

Simple Things to Change and Test in your Marketing and Copy Over the Next 30 Days (measure your results before and then after you make these changes to see the effect on your bottom line)

 

· Are you running a headline in all of your marketing? Go to the news racks and pick up some copies of Cosmo and The National Enquirer (seriously). Find ways to modify some of their cover headlines to fit an advertisement, or email, or newsletter subhead line. This is a simple, yet incredibly effective way to create revenue producing headlines.

 

· Is it targeted specifically at your target customers?

 

· Are you specific in your claims? None of the “best in the world” type of claims – no one believes them anyhow.

 

· Does your marketing material answer the question – “would this help our field sales people close the deal, or pre-qualify the prospects?

 

· Does every piece of your marketing containing some form of measurement device (special website to visit, email subject line to send you, trackable phone number, etc)? Without this, you have no way of knowing which of your marketing dollars are working for you, and which ones aren’t.

 

· Does your marketing and advertising materials explain what it is you want them to do immediately after reading the ad or promotion? (does it ask them to take action by phone, mail, email, web form, or fax?)

 

· Does it answer all the questions your typical prospects ask your sales people?

 

· Can you specifically tell me who your ideal client is (age, sex, income, demographics)?

 

· Is the most common word in all your marketing “You”? If not – get rid of all the “I”, “We”, “Us” etc – they do not care about you! All they care about is what you can do for them.

 

· Do you have testimonials in everything that your prospects and customers see?

 

· Do you follow up with your prospects and clients at least once a month? Remember that there are totally different messages you want to send to your prospects and to your existing clients.

 

Try this out in the next month – and let me know your results. 

Troy

Aloha

Kari and I just got back from a week on the beach in Hawaii. 

It was awesome! 

Not only was I obviously in need os some sleep catch-up (averaging 9-10 hours a night… double my usual)… but I got caught up in some good reading as well (A Piece of Cake… amazing book too unreal to be true… but it is).

We are not the type of travelers who are busy every day seeing the touristy things and attractions. I did some scuba diving, surfing, and swimming… but the rest of our time was sitting on the beach, reading, sunning and people watching. 

Amazing what you see when you people watch.

There were 2 sides to the Waikiki beack… all within a 200 foot span. One side with the pretty people (both girls and boys)… quieter, more reserved, and more expensive to rent the beach chairs anmd umbrellas (what a money-maker THAT is!).  On the other side were the “less pretty” folk, open alcohol on the beach, more swearing, and cheaper rates on the over-priced chairs and umbrellas.   

Nothing divided the 2 except some invisible line.

Much like what is happening out there in the economy right now.

There are 2 sides to it all… some people are falling for the media hype and are afraid the sky is falling and the world is quickly coming to an end… other people see through it all and have THRIVING businesses.

How is it possible that 2 people, in the identical industries, can experience such vast differences in their business growth?

Much of it is in their mindset, their ability to see past all the media hype, and in their ability to take their marketing to the next level by massive implementation and consistent follow through.

Which side will you follow?

I challenge you to do everything in your power to see past it all, and to start doing everything in your power to grow your business faster and more profitably.

FIND ways to alter your business model so that you target people who aren’t falling for all the hype… or feed off the frenzy and sell to those who are panicking… but change your message to suit their needs at this time.

A few other business lessons I learned in Hawaii...

... The high end retails stores (Guchi, Coach, Tiffanys, etc)... there were a hundred of them there - and were all BUSY.  So yes, people ARE buying very expensive items still...

... Despite that, there were a ton of knick-knack stores - and they were also very busy (something for everyone, and every income level, in Hawaii)

... People are paying big for cool experiences.  The Dinner Cruise we went on had ~ 800 people on it - with everything from the cattle-car seating (shared with others at your table), to sit by yourself tables, to private rooms on the top level.  It  was packed... sold out... at $150+ per person...

... It is their slow season in Hawaii... and was still VERY busy. They are drawing more people from Asia now as they aren't as scared of the economy and the future  (lessons: find those who are still spending and modify your marketing to attract them)

... Some business people REALLY need to lighten up!  I saw quite a few of them with a stick up their you-know-what, attitudes galore, and a crackberry in hand (still working 12 hours a day while taking time off with their spouse... and their spouse... she did NOT look impressed!)

... Operates like a production line: Friday the new batch comes in... spends their money...  leaves the following Friday. Next batch comes in... repeat... provide good service...  provide LOTS for them to buy... send them on their way. Repeat.

... The service in Hawaii was exceptional... everywhere we went. Most of us are increasingly jaded about customer service.  In most places I visit - it just plain old sucks.  Not in Hawaii... they treat you like you are their boss and the most important person in their life (which you ARE, without paying customers you are out of business)

Tons of great things I noticed there - - I will share more later.

Something I wanted to let you know about…
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ALBERTA RESIDENTS:
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You may or may not know, but I help run the local Dan Kennedy No BS Marketing Group (the Calgary Chapter).  Next week we have an incredible speaker flying in that you need to hear…

If you feel frustrated with the results you are getting from your marketing  and advertising... you are NOT ALONE.

Tony Rubleski will help you fix the problem...

Tony has a brand new best-selling book titled

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Mind Capture: How You Can Stand Out In The Age of
Advertising Deficit Disorder...
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and recently went #1 in three different business categories with Amazon.com and received stunning reviews from a wide range of leaders in marketing, sales, psychology to academia, entrepreneurs and bestselling authors.

His work has been featured in various Radio, TV, Magazines, web based and newspaper outlets ranging from Bottom Line Magazine, The Detroit Free Press, the FOX TV network, Entrepreneur Magazine Radio, PR Web.com, the Inside Success Show to various interviews with some of the highest paid direct marketing and sales minds in the world including Jack Canfield, John Assaraf, Dan Kennedy and Larry Winget.

This WILL be an exceptional talk and I highly recommend you bring anyone you know who is in their own business. 

Why?  Because, the economy (and peoples fear levels) are taking a turn, and you NEED to start marketing yourself differently, and more effectively... this will show you how.

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Here's how you can WIN some MOOLA
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Send this email to your friends and associates who are in their own business or are in a sales or marketing role.  Do everything in your power to get them to come out to the meeting next Tuesday (it's free for the first time).

The person who brings the most guests will win $50 CASH plus 2 exceptional books one of them is a copy of Tony's book I will buy for you... the other is the brand new Dan Kennedy release).

More prizes also for those who bring guests to the meeting.

Calgary No BS Meeting - TIME and VENUE
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7 from 7-10pm

RSVP to http://www.albertanobs.com
or rsvp@albertanobs.com

Quality Inn Airport
4804 Edmonton Trail N.E. , (corner of McKnight and Edmonton
Trail NE)
Calgary, AB, CA, T2E 3V8
Phone:(403) 276-3391

I hope you can make the meeting!

Mahalo,

Troy

This came across the newswires and I just had to write about it.

A young mother of "difficult" children posted an online ad to find a nanny.

Nothing unusual there. 

What was unusual was her incredible honesty in the advertisement...

Some of the best comments:

'My kids are a pain'

"If you cannot multitask, or communicate without being passive aggressive, don't even bother replying," Rebecca Land Soodak, a mother of four on Manhattan's Upper East Side, wrote Aug. 19 in her advertisement on Craigslist.

"I can be a tad difficult to work for. I'm loud, pushy and while I used to think we paid well, I am no longer sure."

Some other excerpts from the listing: "If you are fundamentally unhappy with your life, you will be more unhappy if you take this job, so do us all a favor and get some treatment or move to the Rockies, but do not apply for employment with us."

And this: "Also, if you suspect all wealthy women are frivolous, we are not for you."

And this: "I have all sorts of theories on how to stack my dishwasher, and if you are judgmental about Ritalin for ADHD, or think such things are caused by too much sugar, again, deal-break city."

It worked... she found a nanny through the advertisement... and she got a ton of publicity (not sure if she intended that!).

All the parenting blogs are afire with this one.  People are up in arms and don't know what to do. 

You either love the approach - or hate it - but it certainly got attention.

What does this mean for business?

Brutal truths and reality in advertising -- a novel concept whose time has come... or has it.

Instead of seeing the ads that say "Make $5,000 a day on autopilot, starting tomorrow"... you would start seeing ads like "work 18 hours a day for a year in this network marketing system and, if you are lucky, make enough to cover your phone bills!" 

Ok, maybe that is a little tongue in cheek. 

But, in reality, ads using this kind of brutal honesty would have to say things like

"Ya, I make a good income, more than I could ever make working for someone else.

But it took me years to get there, I still work wayyy too many late nights, and I still need more leveraged income... but the money is great!" 

Would that get buyers? 

Probably. 

It would attract a completely different type of person too, than the get rich overnight approach.

Here is another look at this approach in advertising..

One of the best movies ever... especially if you own a business... or want better results from your advertising.

If you haven't seen Crazy People with Dudley Moore and Darrel Hannah yet - get it!

I am on my... ahhhh.... 10th time through it by now.

Every time I watch it - I pick up on something new (ok - maybe just have a great laugh every time).

Dudley Moore stars as Emory Lesson, an advertising genius who ends up in an insane asylum.

What made him "crazy"?

Emory had enough of creating phony advertising and hypy garbage (none of that on the web now, is there?) and decides to create his own campaigns that tell... the truth.

Advertising with truth - what a concept!

Since sex sells, Emory crafts an explicit ad campaign consisting of unadorned sexuality... "Jaguar-For men who want hand-jobs from beautiful women they hardly know"

His colleagues take such great offense to the honesty in the ad - they decide he is now unfit and commit him to an asylum.

Undoubtedly, he fights it - but soon settles in to find a beautiful new friend Kathy (Daryl Hannah), and bunch of whacky misfits that are eerily comforting to his new home life.

Where it starts getting really good is when his ad agency accidentally runs a bunch of his "honest ads" and finds that consumers absolutely LOVE them - and buy the products being sold in droves.

Emory also finds that the crazy people are natural-born advertising geniuses... and a new business is born. Honest Ads being creating out of an insane asylum. And they are major hits. The ads hit home run after home run... and the laughs are great.  A few more ads in the movie...

"Metamucil- It helps you go to the toilet. If you don't use it, you will get cancer and die."

"Porsche-It's a little too small to get laid in, but you get laid the minute you get out of it."

"Come in Jamaica"

Needless to say - if you are in marketing and want to pick up an idea or two on creating more effective advertisements... watch this movie.

The truth behind it is real - people want honesty - and will buy when it is given to them.

My highest recommendation. 

Pick up a copy and watch it soon - your bank account will thank you.

In case you haven’t heard, The Great Copywriting Conspiracy report – which details how a 55-year-old biker generated over $22 million in 6 weeks on the Internet – has become something of an instant marketing phenomenon.

It’s averaging over 1,000 new readers a day – and the numbers are still growing!

While many have praised it as “breakthrough”… “extraordinary”… “loaded with info that immediately made me money”… it’s also had its fair share of naysayers.

You see, the critics wanted The Great Copywriting Conspiracy to go even deeper into nitty-gritty, specific writing secrets that can be used to immediately make more money online.

They want their response, sales and profits to explode RIGHT NOW.

Well… Tony and Clayton (the authors) listened. And that’s where their next special report comes in.

It’s called, The #1 Way to Electrify Your Ads http://www.copysharpshooter.com – and it details how you can more easily persuade ANY type of Internet visitor to buy your products or services.

Why is this info so urgently needed today more than ever?

Well… if you’ve been selling anything on the Internet in recent years, you’ve probably experienced the following challenges:

- Prospects really only want to read emails from friends (NOT marketers)…

- They get easily bored – and the second you bore them, they’re off doing something else…

- Their attention spans are shorter, yet their demand for entertainment is higher…

- They want you to speak THEIR “lingo” – if you don’t, you’re immediately labeled as an “outsider” and ignored…

Fortunately, the ONE SECRET revealed in The #1 Way to Electrify Your Ads http://www.copysharpshooter.com counters all of these problems. Just put it to work, and watch as the following happens to all of your Internet marketing efforts:

-Your copy – even if you’re not that good of a writer – becomes much more FUN to read, and your prospects pay closer attention to everything you say…

-Because they enjoy reading your stuff – they stick with you longer…

-Your prospects see you as a friend – a “cool” regular person who they can trust – which drops their “advertising defenses” and allows them to happily hear your sales pitch…

-And this causes them to buy a LOT more from you!

It’s really quite simple. Just put this secret to work – which you’ll discover how to easily do in the pages of The #1 Way to Electrify Your Ads http://www.copysharpshooter.com – and you can’t help but sell more and make more from every marketing piece you create.

Talk to you soon,

Troy White

PS – I’ve personally read this report and it rocks. It’s filled with nothing but actionable, moneymaking content. But I’ll be honest with you: It’s part of a bigger product launch sequence – and so I don’t think it’s going to be available for very long.

My advice? Go here and download your copy before the page is taken down:

The #1 Way to Electrify Your Ads http://www.copysharpshooter.com