A friend of mine turned me onto these videos today and I've watched them a couple times already.  Eric Thomas has a message about what it REALLY takes to be successful.  Watch, learn and apply what he teaches.  Do it.

 

All I can say is Wow.  Spend the 9 minutes and lift your heart.

The best quote was from the father.  "Yes you can.  You can do anything you want to do as long as you make up your mind.  You can do it."

Enjoy…

 

Written by guest author, Michael Williams (info about Michael at the bottom of this article)

I've written this post for a specific type of person in a specific type of situation… …

it's for the entrepreneur who has a good product, but isn't happy with its sales and isn't sure what to do next. If this sounds like you're situation — you have a product but it isn't selling like it should — then I'm going to give you 3 questions to ask yourself right now that could change your fortune. For each question, I'll also give you specific action steps so you're crystal clear on what you should do next to increase your conversion and sales by 10% or more.

The best part — it shouldn't require much change in your copy (which takes a lot of work). What we're going to focus on is 3 critical aspects of your offer that, when done right, make it "automatically attractive." When you do these, you'll have a much easier time because the offer is attractive in itself… and when you're selling something that is inherently appealing, it takes a lot less work to convince someone to buy. And that means more and easier sales for you. Here are the questions to ask yourself.

1. Is your offer risk free?

Anytime you make a purchase, you take a risk. Imagine buying a product with no return policy…

• You risk the time it takes to order…
• You risk feeling regret if it doesn't reach your expectations…
• You risk the ridicule of your friends if they discover it didn't work out…
• And you risk losing that money forever…

… which are 4 big risks: time, regret, shame, and money. If your prospect is reading your ad and feels even 1 iota of risk in any of those departments, she's NOT going to make the purchase. Even if you're lucky and she really wants your solution, chances are she'll wait to "think about it" or ask someone for advice. Fat chance you'll ever see her again. Good bye, sale. You can remove these risks and make your purchase an easier decision by including a guarantee.

Let her test your product risk free for 30, 60, or 90 days. If she likes it, you've just made a customer for life. If it's not for her–that's OK, too. If you handle the return promptly and cheerfully, studies show you still very likely just created a repeat customer. Don't lose a repeat buyer just because she decided to return 1 product. You'll want to test different guarantee lengths, but in general the longer the better. The longer she has your product in her hands, the more time she has to grow attached to its benefits… and that decreases the chances she'll return it. Plus, longer guarantee periods make it easier for her to succumb to humanity's inherent laziness ("I'll just return it tomorrow.").

Action Step:

1. Evaluate your guarantee. Have you minimized buyer risk as much as possible?
2. Test longer guarantee periods to see if your conversion increases (it probably will).
3. Analyze your return process. Is it quick, hassle-free, and enjoyable?

2. Does your offer provide instant gratification?

When a human has a problem, we want it solved yesterday. No one likes waiting. We want results immediately. So is there a component in your offer that gives your prospect instant results? Here's a personal example of how I dealt with this: My Dirty Copywriting course teaches entrepreneurs quick and easy techniques for writing hot, high-converting copy.

But here's the catch:

Copywriting isn't something you can learn overnight. It takes time to learn enough to produce real increases in your conversion (but once you do–you're off to the races, forever). Which creates a problem: it takes most prospects a few days (or weeks) to first learn enough, then actually implement the changes to her site that will meaningfully increase her sales. And in that time, her enthusiasm may dip… she might start asking if the product is really for her… if she really has the chops to learn it… … and that's natural.

If we don't see results, it's hard to stay motivated. So I needed to offer something that produced immediate results while she learned my copy secrets… which is why I also include a free guide on how to generate steady, targeted traffic to your site by blogging. This is MUCH easier to learn and use right away.

It produces instant gratification, which keeps her motivated and excited about my course. She can put in the time needed to truly learn copywriting… and while she does that, she can blog on the side for immediate increases in her traffic. Her motivation stays high and she stays in my course. She's happy because she's making real progress. I'm happy because she continues paying the fee. Everybody wins.

Back to you. What piece of your offer produces instant gratification? Is there something she can start using right away for quick results? Even if they're small, immediate results will keep her believing in what's possible. Not only does instant gratification make the purchase more attractive so you get more money in your pocket, but it also reduces returns so that money stays in your pocket.

Action Step:

1. Does your offer include instant gratification? If no, can you tweak your product or create a bonus to fix that?
2. Are you talking about those immediate results in your copy? If not, you should be!

3. Are you selling dollars for pennies?

Imagine walking down the street with 2 quarters in your hand. If someone walked up and offered $100 for those quarters, would accept? No catch. No funny stuff. Just a straight trade.

Most people in their right mind would absolutely accept. The value you're getting — $100 — vastly exceeds the price you're paying — 50 cents. Your offer should be along the same lines. The value you're delivering should far exceed the price you're charging. Let's continue with my previous example to illustrate: By joining my Dirty Copywriting course, my customer will learn exactly how to increase the sales of her product(s).

She'll learn easy ways to create simple, attractive promotions so she can produce cash on demand. She'll have complete control over her sales conversion and the success of her business — and nothing could "suddenly" happen that takes that ability away from her. How much is complete control over the success of your business worth? To me, that is worth a lot. It is to many others, too. When you look at the course fee, you'll see it's peanuts compared to how much you get out of it.

That difference in value, the difference between what she gets out of my course and what she must put in, is enormous. She gets MUCH MORE than she has to give up. If you want your purchase to feel like a no-brainer, your offer needs to be the same way. The value you provide should absolutely dwarf the fee you charge. To do this, you need to understand what your prospect values. What desire is most important to her? What problem is she dying to solve? What benefits would she love to have? So that's 2 things:

• what she wants
• how much value she places on attaining it

When you know those 2 things, you'll know exactly how much you can charge.

Example. I love tea (my desire). But I hate heating the water in a pot because I always leave it on the burner, boil out the water, and then damage the pot (my problem). This honestly caused a lot of personal strife. It was a huge problem… until I discovered the electric kettle. It automatically shuts off once the water starts boiling. Not only can I "set it and forget it" when I want tea, but I no longer need worry about damaging my pots. Finally, guilt-free tea at my finger tips. I can't explain how truly valuable the electric kettle is to me. I'd HAPPILY pay $50 for it. Yet, the manufacturer sells it for $14.99 (they produce it for like 5 bucks). And that price makes it a no brainer purchase for me. The value I get is huge compared to the price I have to pay. That's what your offer should feel like to your prospect. Like she's getting dollars for pennies.

Action Step:

1. Understand what your prospect wants. What benefits does she place the most value on? What is the "game changing" result she's looking for? Make notes as ideas arise.
2. Then, look at your product. How easily does it deliver these benefits? What other important results does it produce that she might not even know about? For each note about your prospect, write down how your product satisfies those desires, solves those problems, and produces those results.
3. Now, look at your copy. Are you properly communicating the value of your product? Can she easily see how your product will give her what she wants so badly?

Charge a fee that feels like peanuts in comparison to the value she's getting (The lists you make will be pure golden nuggets to include in your copy.)

One last thought: This does NOT mean you should charge low prices. Far from it. The rule applies whether you're selling a $17 ebook or $5,000 coaching. You still need to make it crystal clear that the value you're providing is MUCH higher than the fee you're charging. Think about her desires. Think about how her life will change once she solves her problem. What new opportunities will open up in her life? Will she gain prestige? Will she gain more freedom? Will her friends be envious? Your price doesn't matter. What really matters is your ability to show her in crystal clear, easy to understand terms, how much sweeter and easier her life will be after she makes the purchase.

Let's wrap up — where to go from here

After asking yourself these questions, you may realize your offer isn't as hot as it could be–that's just fine, because now you know what to change. Tweak your product. Add a bonus to satisfy a desire you weren't hitting before. Add a guarantee or test its length to remove her risks. Changing your offer is far easier than re-writing your entire sales letter, but it can produce incredible growth in your conversion and sales profit. So review this post NOW and focus on just these 3 aspects…

1. Is my offer risk free?
2. Does it produce instant gratification?
3. Will my prospect feel like she's getting "dollars for pennies"?

You never know, you might just find the tweak that changes your fortune forever. For those possessing the cajones to take action: please post the thoughts, inspiration, and questions that come up. I'll be coming back to this post a few times to discuss and offer advice to those with the fire to improve their fortunes.

"Strong copy will not overcome a weak offer but in many cases a strong offer will succeed in spite of weak copy written by marketing morons…" ~ Gary Halbert, legendary copywriter

Mike Williams is an entrepreneur and former freelance copywriter in Jersey City, New Jersey who runs an online hookah shop and teaches an online copywriting course.

I'm not a big hip hop fan.  But I really enjoyed this video by Josh Shipp.  Combining hip hop and a positive message - he shares his thoughts with kids graduating in 2010.  Overall, I think his message should be listened to by more than just this years graduating class. 

Thanks to my mentor and friend Jason Moffatt for sharing this with me on his blog.

Enjoy - and be sure to share this!

Dan Buglio

 

You know - here is a guy who shows how important it is to be grateful for the things we DO have and stop worrying about all the things we DON'T have.

Another "must watch" when we strt feeling bad for ourselves.

Dan Buglio

 

Once in a while I stumble on something really worth watching.  So I'm going to share it with you.

Watch this video and let it sink in.  And let me know what you think.

Dan Buglio
The FreeIQ Guy

 

I've been posting a few times already about Eben Pagan and his latest product Guru Blueprint.  I would try to tell you everything that is included, but he does so much better a job of explaining it all.  Watch it now.

Let me know if you have any questions at all. 

To your business success…

Dan Buglio

For small local companies across the globe, local internet marketing
 is a growing trend for lead generation. By using the internet, connection between the client and business owners becomes instant. Everybody can easily access the web's creative and multi-use benefits for their own use with local internet marketing. This strategy will help companies grow.

With more consumers going to the internet for local services today, local online advertising has become important for small, local companies. With the use of search engines, customers have immediate access to various products and expert services. The benefit of going to the web has exceeded the benefits of offline information search. Very few people choose slowly dragging their fingers down the small fonts of the Yellow Pages anymore. As the rewards become more evident, the acknowledged technique of searching offline is rapidly becoming extinct.

As a result of research and questionnaires, it has been verified that local business internet marketing is extremely effective in reaching its target customers. When you compare it, advertising your items on the internet is considerably more affordable than offline promoting. Local Online Marketing saves company owners time and money.

Putting info regarding your product and expert services readily available online expands your impact. It is recommended detailed information about what your company offers in your local internet marketing strategy. One proven fact among entrepreneurs is that marketing your products online is a key to success.

If you do some research you will find that the standard search engines are a significant help in identifying probable consumers. You can use search engines in marketing your products. With local internet marketing, a variety of methods are available to help you promote your merchandise. Search engines can concentrate on consumers from a specific area and direct them to your merchandise.

If you own a small company, funds are normally constrained and is essential to budget money and make cost effective choices. In the long run, utilizing the internet is a one of the most powerful and economical ways to promote your business enterprise. With a miniscule investment, local internet marketing can effectively grow your business making the online information superhighway your internet marketing playground.

Buying webistes is just not something you would do without any preparation at all. To avoid being taken in by fraudulent individuals, you have to go through the due diligence process, and step one is to perform some ownership checks of the website and of the domain. This step is probably the most crucial and if anything wrong comes up during this process, at least, you would have the choice of just withdrawing your bid from buying the site altogether. That is, if there really no workarounds to any of the problems you discover.

Checking the Ownership of the Website  

The most basic step in confirming the ownership of a site is to utilize the WHOIS tool provided by DomainTools. This tool can be used free of charge and it gives important info needed in verifying site ownership, although there's also a paid version that provides more in depth information. At the very least, you'll have access to the domain registration information and contact information of that specific domain. Match the data you get from the WHOIS inquiry with the info provided by the seller, and ensure that they are the same.

Check the Site Owner

The next step in making sure that the transaction you are entering into is completely authentic is by checking the reliability of the owner himself. With popular marketplaces like Flippa.com, you can view the seller's info which can give you an overview of how long the seller has been a flipper and if he has a sound history. You could also perform an internet search for the seller's Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or LinkdIn accounts, and get more information from them. If you don't have his full name, you can put in the name he uses as a seller in your search and see if anything comes up in internet marketing blogs or forums.

Check Domain Status, Registrar History

From a simple WHOIS search, you'll also get important information on the registrar history and the status of the domain. Take note that if a website has recently been transferred to a different registrar, it cannot be transferred again within the next 60 days. This is generally known as the waiting period for domain transfers. When you do a verification on the status of a domain, expect it to be in a "locked" mode - meaning, the site or domain owner will have to "unlock" it before he can give the ownership to the buyer.

Check for Any Trademarks

A website may contain trademarks such as Microsoft in a MicrosoftRules.com site, or Apple in a AppleGadgets.com. If you want to purchase a site using a trademark, you need to confirm first that the seller has the lawful right to use the trademark, if the site isn't being offered by the companies Microsoft or Apple themselves. More importantly, the seller should have the official documents to support such claims.

Only after you've accomplished the above suggestions in checking the legitimacy of the site ownership and the seller himself, can you continue on with the next steps in the due diligence process when buying websites. Whether you are into flipping websites full-time or part-time, check us out to get all the steps involved when researching a prospective website to buy so that you don't get scammed!

FINALLY: Someone has explained exactly why written "content" and video is the new form of "cash" online - and how to use this information to make a lot of money (just go here and opt-in to watch the free video):



This video explains many of the mysteries of why some products sell for high prices online - while most don't sell at all.

You'll also see a "virtual live demonstration" of how easy it is to create valuable videos in minutes on your computer - then learn what to put INSIDE your videos so that people want to buy them.

But maybe the best part of this awesome video is that it actually shows you how to format information so that people will pay HIGH prices for it - including two free downloads that walk you through the process of making YOUR information so you can sell it for big bucks.

Here's the link again - just opt-in to get this video and the free downloads (there's nothing to buy on this site):

Watch the video here

Enjoy,

Dan Buglio
Your FreeIQ Guy