I Knew You Were 'Special'

Hello again

I hope you've been watching the latest free Stompernet videos or, if not, that you've downloaded and read their Formula5 report. As they point out in the introduction to the report, we all have different learning styles.

Personally, I prefer reading, with pictures...

And among all the good, sound advice - none of it revolutionary but most of it eye-opening when it's presented the Stompernet way - was one nugget that was worth more to me than all the reminders to follow up, improve by 15% here, test higher prices there, and so on.

It was this: if you're in business, you're different. Just recognising that fact gives you two immediate benefits.

First, you can stop assuming your customer thinks like you. He doesn't, because he's a customer and you're a business owner. So when you offer a solution to his problem, he's grateful. He's far less aware of the fact that you're making money out of him than you are. So supply what he wants and ask for the money.

But the second benefit is even more profound. Because you're different you have permission to behave differently. Some of the rules and attitudes the rest of the world lives by don't apply to you. Like the one that says 'modesty becomes you'. Like the one that says 'no one will like you if you're pushy', or 'we don't talk business at social occasions'.

If you're in business, be in business. Promote your products in your emails, tell anyone who'll listen about the great product or service you offer, be proud of your business and definitely don't be modest about what you can do. That doesn't make you more attractive to most people; it just makes you appear uninteresting and less important than you are. That casual acquaintance might be (or might have been) your next big customer.

Of course, it's much easier to be upbeat and confident and to appear proud of your business if your business is something to be proud of, but it also gets easier if you're in the habit of promoting it at every opportunity.

Be proud to be different and be proud of your success in business.

Roy

What's He Got ...

... That I Haven't?

It seems a fair question to me. I mean, why should some people have all the luck, all the money, and that damn attitude that seems to say, 'I deserve it all'?

What do truly, exceptionally, mind-bogglingly successful people have that the rest of the population lacks?

What is it that divides the self-made 'haves' from the unmade 'have nots' (not counting those that inherited or otherwise got lucky)?

In short; what have they got that gets them everything else?

I think that's the wrong question, however we phrase it.

I think what they actually have is something missing.

Something like doubt, fear, uncertainty - or something that creates those unhelpful feelings, anyway.

I've finished Professor Daniel Gilbert's excellent book Stumbling on Happiness, and if you've read it too, you might well know what I'm talking about. You might have come to a similar conclusion already, anyway.

It's that mental process that seems 'unique to humans' - a dangerous phrase, as the Professor points out - which is so unreliable in most of us we really might be better off without it sometimes. It's called imagination.

It's imagination that shows us the worst possible consequences of an action, and it's imagination that makes us fearful for a child's safety when they're out of sight, even when keeping them in sight might put them in greater danger. It's imagination that makes us wonder 'What if I can't do it?'

And that's something that the most ballsy, seat-of-their-pants, outlandishly flamboyant and successful entrepreneurs in the world never seem to allow themselves to consider. Some of them don't seem able to conceive of the idea.

So, next time you're considering a new venture, and wondering 'Should I try this? What if I can't do it?' Stop imagining and just try!

Who actually knows what will happen if you do try? Not you, that's for sure.

And what's the worst that could happen?

No - don't answer that!

Unless you want to stay exactly where you are, that is.

Roy Everitt, Writing For Results

What's Your Net Worth?

Okay, so what is your net worth?

If you're a financier or banker, or you have money matters on your mind, you might well be thinking that's none of my business.

If you're a deep sea trawler skipper, you might think differently.

And if you're a trawler skipper who's especially aware of his or her finances, you might have read the question both ways...

But, if you owned the Internet, you'd probably be able to answer, 'As much as I'd ever want.'

All of which goes to show that we need to understand what we're being asked before we can give a useful answer. From there, we can draw all kinds of lessons about finding out what people want before we try to sell them a thing; about how communication is a two-way affair, and how the best answer in the world may be totally irrelevant to the person asking the question.

Sometimes, though, an unexpected answer to a question we've asked gives us a wonderful insight into a world we would never otherwise have known.

On a more mundane level, a product designed to solve one problem may actually be a perfect solution to another problem we didn't know existed. Apparently, chewing gum was 'discovered' by scientists trying to create synthetic rubber.

Do you have a product that just won't shift? Is it a great product, but without a great demand? If so, could you market it as the solution to a whole different problem - even one you didn't know was a problem?

Maybe; maybe not. But bat around some crazy ideas anyway - you never know. After all, who would have thought people would pay for a food you have to chew forever without it ever being ready to swallow, that has no nutritional value whatsoever and which, as far as I know, is totally indigestible?

Well, all over the world, people buy chewing gum.

And remember, even something that only ever sells to a small minority can make you a fortune if you can spread your marketing 'net' across the whole world.

So I wonder; what's Wrigley's net worth?

Roy Everitt, Writing For Results

PS. What? All this talk of 'nets' and not a mention of networking? Well, you ought to know by now that I think that's priceless. But rest assured, I'll get back to it!

Back on My Soap Box

Just a relatively gentle reminder, really, of the absolute necessity to get out there and network if you want your business to grow exponentially. And if you want to meet the people who can help you to the next stage, even the next five or six stages, you have to get to the biggest events you can.

Because that's where you'll not only get the best information but also get to meet the biggest names - the people who can help make people like you rich, with nothing more than a few well-chosen words or a single deal.

So, knowing what I know about the importance of learning and networking, I'd be negligent if I didn't tell you about a massive opportunity to network like there's no tomorrow...

AND to learn from some the BIGGEST names in Internet marketing

AND to profit from some amazing bonuses - easily worth far more than the ticket price

AND to witness a live experiment in online marketing

ALL at the WORLD INTERNET SUMMIT UK, at Earls Court, London on 15-18 November.

I'll be there. Most of my JV partners will be there. You can meet Ewen Chia, Tim Brocklehurst and Sean Roach there too, along with Tracey Repchuck, Tom Hua, Brett McFall and others.

Fancy networking with those kind of people?

If you really want to make it big in Internet marketing and you can possibly make it, you must get to Earls Court on 15-18 November. In fact, just cancel any other plans you had!

Because it's not called the World Internet Summit for nothing.

Want to know more? Click here for more information

Roy Everitt, Writing For Results

PS. It's a massive event; everyone who's anyone in the world of online marketing is going, so just click here to see who you'll meet. Don't delay too long, though - I've no idea what the capacity is, but I do know it's filling fast.

PPS. Excuse me getting excited, but this really is massive. I only just heard about it yesterday and I snatched up one of the remaining tickets. It's just too good to miss.

Accounting For Beginners

Well, yesterday's business (and busyness) spilled over into today, so this will be a very brief post.

Do you ever wake up in the night with a brilliant idea? No, not the ones that seem brilliant in the middle of the night but are clearly bonkers when you review them next morning; the ones that still seem to 'have legs' when you're wide awake.

How many of those have you had? Me too. How many have you actually acted upon?

No, me neither. But maybe the first stage towards acting on them is telling someone else you will act on them. Someone who'll hold you accountable if you don't.

That needs to be someone who's prepared to tell you off when you've broken a promise, not let you off with a warning.

An accountability partner is, I think, the next stage on the networking - mastermind-group road.

I'm counting on mine to help me make me make my latest 'not bonkers' idea into reality.*

It will take a while, but watch this space.

Roy Everitt, Writing For Results

* That does make sense if you read it really slowly.