JANUARY 2005 Greetings & Salutations: As the old calendar on the wall relinquishes yet another page, it is time for me to once again fish around in that great void between my ears and share with you some of my insights into the wonderful world of making money. In the April '97 issue of his newsletter -- "No B.S. Marketing Letter" -- Dan Kennedy (talking about one of the well-known TeeVee Mailorder Gurus) said ... "The task of marketing gets infinitely easier if you are willing to set aside telling the truth." Leave it to Dan to tell it like it is. The reason Dan's remark about 'telling the truth' jumped off the page of his newsletter at me ... missing me by a mile ... was because of a series of questions that have been puzzling me for years, starting with ... Do People Really Believe They Can Get Rich ... Overnight ... Without Working ... Using Some 'Secret' Method or Technique? Which enlarges to ... Do all 'opportunity seekers' ... even me, when I was just a business tadpole ... begin by believing in the unbelievable? -- Are we all 'gullible' until our experience teaches us the facts of business life? If we weren't 'gullible' and we didn't respond to the 'get-rich-quick' ads, would we ever have graduated to the 'real' businesses in which we have made our fortunes? How many people begin by reading and responding to the bullstuff-ads and then give-up after finally realizing there ain t any free lunches? -- How many quit? -- How many graduate to a 'real' business? Can the absurdity of the get-rich-quick, bullstuff-ads be justified or, at least, defended? Does the end justify the means? -- Is it acceptable to use high-powered, bullstuff-ads to locate the 'real' would-be entrepreneurs, then nurture and culture their ambition? Or, by so doing, do we kill-off the entrepreneurial spirit of too many who would have, otherwise, become successful and productive elements in our society? -- Does the possible good outweigh the potential damage? What do you think? I Want Your Answers? As a 'real' entrepreneur ... with the scars to prove it in a wide variety of businesses ... I live in the business-opportunity forest. Therefore, your answers may let me see some individual 'trees' and provide a pragmatic solution from which we can all profit. -- So, send me your answers, today! -- I ll use your answers as the basis for a future issue on the subject of 'hype and bullstuff' advertising.
JANUARY 2005
Greetings & Salutations:
As the old calendar on the wall relinquishes yet another page, it is time for me to once again fish around in that great void between my ears and share with you some of my insights into the wonderful world of making money. In the April '97 issue of his newsletter -- "No B.S. Marketing Letter" -- Dan Kennedy (talking about one of the well-known TeeVee Mailorder Gurus) said ...
Leave it to Dan to tell it like it is. The reason Dan's remark about 'telling the truth' jumped off the page of his newsletter at me ... missing me by a mile ... was because of a series of questions that have been puzzling me for years, starting with ...
Which enlarges to ...
Do all 'opportunity seekers' ... even me, when I was just a business tadpole ... begin by believing in the unbelievable? -- Are we all 'gullible' until our experience teaches us the facts of business life?
If we weren't 'gullible' and we didn't respond to the 'get-rich-quick' ads, would we ever have graduated to the 'real' businesses in which we have made our fortunes? How many people begin by reading and responding to the bullstuff-ads and then give-up after finally realizing there ain t any free lunches? -- How many quit? -- How many graduate to a 'real' business?
Does the end justify the means? -- Is it acceptable to use high-powered, bullstuff-ads to locate the 'real' would-be entrepreneurs, then nurture and culture their ambition? Or, by so doing, do we kill-off the entrepreneurial spirit of too many who would have, otherwise, become successful and productive elements in our society? -- Does the possible good outweigh the potential damage?
As a 'real' entrepreneur ... with the scars to prove it in a wide variety of businesses ... I live in the business-opportunity forest. Therefore, your answers may let me see some individual 'trees' and provide a pragmatic solution from which we can all profit. -- So, send me your answers, today! -- I ll use your answers as the basis for a future issue on the subject of 'hype and bullstuff' advertising.
Now, let's do some ...
Bob Kelly wanted to know ... "Every week I get solicitations for programs offering free grants and giveaways. Do you know of any that are for real, or maybe of a way of contacting philanthropist-type people?" Bob: Free grants & giveaways do exist - but - the chances of anyone qualifying are slim & none without a well prepared application/proposal. With the great number of applications, the odds are against you. Here's where you can get all the information you need about "writing a grant proposal" that may be accepted ... GrantWriting
Bob Kelly wanted to know ...
"Every week I get solicitations for programs offering free grants and giveaways. Do you know of any that are for real, or maybe of a way of contacting philanthropist-type people?"
Bob: Free grants & giveaways do exist - but - the chances of anyone qualifying are slim & none without a well prepared application/proposal. With the great number of applications, the odds are against you. Here's where you can get all the information you need about "writing a grant proposal" that may be accepted ...
Kenneth Kirchner wanted me to tell you ... "I have a few websites I'd like to sell to generate some cash to pay off some unexpected medical bills ... http://www.onlinebusinessclass.com -- offers the seven week email course by David Vaillieres ... http://www.extremeclick.com -- a ppc search engine ... http://www.turboautoresponder.com -- a php downloadable script for an autoresponder ... http://www.alexapowerranker.com ... a piece of software to lower a sites' alexa score. -- Let me know if you can help me out." Looks to me like the sites have a ho'bunch of good stuff on'em. -- Could be a gold mine for someone. Interested?-- Contact Kenneth.
Kenneth Kirchner wanted me to tell you ...
"I have a few websites I'd like to sell to generate some cash to pay off some unexpected medical bills ... http://www.onlinebusinessclass.com -- offers the seven week email course by David Vaillieres ... http://www.extremeclick.com -- a ppc search engine ... http://www.turboautoresponder.com -- a php downloadable script for an autoresponder ... http://www.alexapowerranker.com ... a piece of software to lower a sites' alexa score. -- Let me know if you can help me out."
Looks to me like the sites have a ho'bunch of good stuff on'em. -- Could be a gold mine for someone.
Interested?-- Contact Kenneth.
Nathan Pennington had two questions about my mailorder course ... "1) In your mailorder manual you say: "On the other hand, if a mailing (or ad) does not recover its costs, the professional mailer has to decide whether or not the immediate 'loss' is too much to recover from future mailings to the 'buyers' gleaned from the mailing (or ad). - If the losses are too great to be easily recovered, the professional mailer simply doesn't mail that list (or place an ad in that publication) again." -- What about the beginner? How does he decide what losses are too great? Is there a rule of thumb? -- 2) You also say about the young man that was selling his "home improvements" business: "From then, until the day he offered his business for sale, he made it a practice to mail his entire in-house mailing list the catalog once each year." -- He must have been mailing more than one catalog to his customers just once a year, correct? What else was he mailing to them besides the catalog after he had 100 products?" Nathan: A "beginner" has to "test" to find out. First ... run your ad or make your mailing. If the ad or mailing wasn't profitable, don't repeat it in the same publication or to the same list, yet. Do a couple mailings to those who bought from the first campaign. Then, figure all of your costs for the first campaign and the follow ups. If you make a profit over all, repeat the ad or mail to the same list again. -- If you still have a loss over all, don't repeat your first campaign. He made individual mailings to his list throughout the year - but - mailed the catalog once each year.
Nathan Pennington had two questions about my mailorder course ...
"1) In your mailorder manual you say: "On the other hand, if a mailing (or ad) does not recover its costs, the professional mailer has to decide whether or not the immediate 'loss' is too much to recover from future mailings to the 'buyers' gleaned from the mailing (or ad). - If the losses are too great to be easily recovered, the professional mailer simply doesn't mail that list (or place an ad in that publication) again." -- What about the beginner? How does he decide what losses are too great? Is there a rule of thumb? -- 2) You also say about the young man that was selling his "home improvements" business: "From then, until the day he offered his business for sale, he made it a practice to mail his entire in-house mailing list the catalog once each year." -- He must have been mailing more than one catalog to his customers just once a year, correct? What else was he mailing to them besides the catalog after he had 100 products?"
Nathan: A "beginner" has to "test" to find out. First ... run your ad or make your mailing. If the ad or mailing wasn't profitable, don't repeat it in the same publication or to the same list, yet. Do a couple mailings to those who bought from the first campaign. Then, figure all of your costs for the first campaign and the follow ups. If you make a profit over all, repeat the ad or mail to the same list again. -- If you still have a loss over all, don't repeat your first campaign. He made individual mailings to his list throughout the year - but - mailed the catalog once each year.
Hand written on a slip of paper that has been in the top drawer of my desk for nearly 40 years...where it came from, I do not know ... who said it originally, I do not know ... when I transcribed it and put it in my desk, I do not know. -- It simply says ... "Let him who would be great among you be servant to all." It has been the foundation of my business life. - At last, another entrepreneur of the first order ... Shel Horowitz ... has voiced the same simple admonition in great depth, in his new book ... "Principled Profit: Marketing that puts people first." This long-overdue book sets forth clear & practical advice on how & why you can succeed by marketing ethically & cooperatively. Tells you how you can turn your customers & even your competitors into marketing evangelists for you ... with dozens of examples of large & small businesses that have succeeded by doing the right thing. "Principled Profit" is a powerful antidote to the Enron/WorldCom way of doing business. - By the by, Southwest Airlines bought 1,000 copies of "Principled Profit." -- If you had given up on the ethics of business, you need to read this one. Learn how your business can profit greatest by being servant rather than master. -- Order your personal copy, today.
Hand written on a slip of paper that has been in the top drawer of my desk for nearly 40 years...where it came from, I do not know ... who said it originally, I do not know ... when I transcribed it and put it in my desk, I do not know. -- It simply says ...
It has been the foundation of my business life. - At last, another entrepreneur of the first order ... Shel Horowitz ... has voiced the same simple admonition in great depth, in his new book ...
This long-overdue book sets forth clear & practical advice on how & why you can succeed by marketing ethically & cooperatively. Tells you how you can turn your customers & even your competitors into marketing evangelists for you ... with dozens of examples of large & small businesses that have succeeded by doing the right thing. "Principled Profit" is a powerful antidote to the Enron/WorldCom way of doing business. - By the by, Southwest Airlines bought 1,000 copies of "Principled Profit." -- If you had given up on the ethics of business, you need to read this one. Learn how your business can profit greatest by being servant rather than master. -- Order your personal copy, today.
Joe Trevisonwanted me to help ... "Please take a look at my book store on line ... on my site http://www.goldarch.com/Trevison/shop. -- I already have a handful of public domain books. The only problem I have is selling them. -- Help! What can I do to sell? -- Forums get mad when I put my ads with even other good advise. They don't get it when someone is not promote, something terrible happens ... nothing." Joe: It appears that you are trying to "sell" your books in your direct advertising ... sending your customers to your website to order. What you really need to do is create a sales page for each of the books. Then, only advertise to get people to come to your web site. It's much easier that way. Wayneneeded to know ... "I was considering buying notes for different types of properties. Only thing is, I don't have a ton a cash to do so. -- I have heard of using OPM before but not sure how to contact/find these people to start my buying ventures. Any assistance on how to find them individuals would be greatly appreciated." Wayne: You don't need the cash to buy the notes. Just find the notes and sell them to the ready buyers. You collect a share of each note you find and sell. Here's where you can get a free course on the subject:
Joe Trevisonwanted me to help ...
"Please take a look at my book store on line ... on my site http://www.goldarch.com/Trevison/shop. -- I already have a handful of public domain books. The only problem I have is selling them. -- Help! What can I do to sell? -- Forums get mad when I put my ads with even other good advise. They don't get it when someone is not promote, something terrible happens ... nothing."
Joe:
It appears that you are trying to "sell" your books in your direct advertising ... sending your customers to your website to order. What you really need to do is create a sales page for each of the books. Then, only advertise to get people to come to your web site. It's much easier that way.
Wayneneeded to know ...
"I was considering buying notes for different types of properties. Only thing is, I don't have a ton a cash to do so. -- I have heard of using OPM before but not sure how to contact/find these people to start my buying ventures. Any assistance on how to find them individuals would be greatly appreciated."
Wayne: You don't need the cash to buy the notes. Just find the notes and sell them to the ready buyers. You collect a share of each note you find and sell. Here's where you can get a free course on the subject:
As a matter of fact, the very first lesson covers how to trade the notes without any cash. If any of you are interested in the buying of notes ... as advertised heavily on TeeVee late at night ... this FREE course is about the best I've ever read. -- Sign up for it, today. Gary Moorewanted me to tell you ... "Here is a Free PDF file eBook ... "How To Buy on Ebay and Other Auctions and Not Get Ripped Off!" -- Get it Free at:
As a matter of fact, the very first lesson covers how to trade the notes without any cash. If any of you are interested in the buying of notes ... as advertised heavily on TeeVee late at night ... this FREE course is about the best I've ever read. -- Sign up for it, today.
Gary Moorewanted me to tell you ...
"Here is a Free PDF file eBook ... "How To Buy on Ebay and Other Auctions and Not Get Ripped Off!" -- Get it Free at:
David E.X.N. Nghiemis the author of ... "How to Get Fluent in Spanish in 28 Days or Less" It's a rather usual approach - but - if learning to speak Spanish is your goal, it should help. -- Get your personal copy, here:
David E.X.N. Nghiemis the author of ...
It's a rather usual approach - but - if learning to speak Spanish is your goal, it should help. -- Get your personal copy, here:
John Schulte of the National Mail Order Association (NMOA) http://www.nmoa.org said ... "I have contacts for some of your readers. -- For food novelties, try, http://www.jeremysplace.com -- For Discount advertising, try http://www.MediaBids.com ... (I refer all NMOA people there, it's a great advertising auction service, free to register and use, no catches. They have a "direct marketing and mail order" business classification, and people get a free report on creating good display advertising when they register.) -- And for the guy that wants to promote self-published software, he can promote it through Shareware sites like http://www.shareware.com -- Take care my friend."
John Schulte of the National Mail Order Association (NMOA) http://www.nmoa.org said ...
"I have contacts for some of your readers. -- For food novelties, try, http://www.jeremysplace.com -- For Discount advertising, try http://www.MediaBids.com ... (I refer all NMOA people there, it's a great advertising auction service, free to register and use, no catches. They have a "direct marketing and mail order" business classification, and people get a free report on creating good display advertising when they register.) -- And for the guy that wants to promote self-published software, he can promote it through Shareware sites like http://www.shareware.com -- Take care my friend."
Well ... that's it for this month. -- In order to make every issue responsive to YOUR needs, please send me your questions; or tell me what sources or resources you need to build your business; or give me any thoughts you want to share with your fellow members. Believe it or don't ... I ain t a mind-reader. -- If n you doesn't tell me what you need, I may never touch upon the information, sources or resources you need. This is your publication for you to use to your benefit ... I am just your moderator. Until next month, keep well ... J.F. (Jim) STRAW Grande Panjandrum
Well ... that's it for this month. -- In order to make every issue responsive to YOUR needs, please send me your questions; or tell me what sources or resources you need to build your business; or give me any thoughts you want to share with your fellow members.
Believe it or don't ... I ain t a mind-reader. -- If n you doesn't tell me what you need, I may never touch upon the information, sources or resources you need.
This is your publication for you to use to your benefit ... I am just your moderator.
Until next month, keep well ...
J.F. (Jim) STRAW Grande Panjandrum
"Every absurdity has a champion to defend it, for error is always talkative." -- Oliver Goldsmith
Can you stump the old master? -- Betcha can't! Over the past 40 years (man and boy), I have made bundles of money in direct selling, service contracting, wholesale merchandising, entertainment (I was a professional Trumpet player, vocalist & Radio Announcer), freight forwarding, import/export, retail merchandising, warehousing, real estate, electronics manufacturing, finder's fees, closeout merchandising, financial brokerage, business consulting, steel fabrication, gold and coal mining, offshore banking, mailorder, writing, and publishing. -- That being the case ... No matter what business you're in ... whether you're just starting, well on your way, or at the top of the heap ... I've probably been where you are, done what you are doing. -- So ... Anytime you have a question about 'how' to do something in your business - or - if you have any comments about anything I've said in issues of this e-Letter; or if you want to add your 2 cents worth ... just "ask" me or "tell" me. Send your Questions, Comments or 2 Cents Worth to ... with "Question" - "Comment" - or, "2 Cents Worth" in the SUBJECT. If I, personally, don't have an answer to any question you may ask, I will contact some of the professionals in your field of endeavor (I will probably know one or more personally) to get the real 'skinny' for you. Note: If you want to ask a question anonymously just tell me so when you send in the question. -- Nobody but you and I will know who asked the question.
Over the past 40 years (man and boy), I have made bundles of money in direct selling, service contracting, wholesale merchandising, entertainment (I was a professional Trumpet player, vocalist & Radio Announcer), freight forwarding, import/export, retail merchandising, warehousing, real estate, electronics manufacturing, finder's fees, closeout merchandising, financial brokerage, business consulting, steel fabrication, gold and coal mining, offshore banking, mailorder, writing, and publishing. -- That being the case ...
No matter what business you're in ... whether you're just starting, well on your way, or at the top of the heap ... I've probably been where you are, done what you are doing. -- So ...
Anytime you have a question about 'how' to do something in your business - or - if you have any comments about anything I've said in issues of this e-Letter; or if you want to add your 2 cents worth ... just "ask" me or "tell" me.
If I, personally, don't have an answer to any question you may ask, I will contact some of the professionals in your field of endeavor (I will probably know one or more personally) to get the real 'skinny' for you.
Note: If you want to ask a question anonymously just tell me so when you send in the question. -- Nobody but you and I will know who asked the question.
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