Message #1201 Thursday, August 26, 2004 "There is nothing so easy to learn as experience and nothing so hard to apply."
Josh Billings *** * For Your Wealth: Why the average person can never get ahead financially * For Your Health: Two reasons to give up your antiperspirant * To Make You Wiser: The most reliable PC you can buy * Today's Essay: A four-letter word that gets EVERYBODY'S attention Plus: * Today's Action Plan * What we can learn from Violet Campbell * The difference between ideas and action * What "ad infinitum" means *Advertisement* "WE NEED TO TALK PRIVATELY... " That's what Mark Cohen said to his tennis opponent after a match in Hollywood, Florida. Back in his hotel room, Cohen pulled $10,000 from a suitcase and gave it to the stranger, who helped him make as much as 3,057% over the next two years. How did they do it... and how can you do the same today? Two years ago this investment would have landed you in jail. Now it's a great way to legally make a fortune. Detailed report at: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/ISS/WISSE812 WEALTH Why the Average Person Can Never Get Ahead Financially In a recent issue of the Daily Reckoning, Bill Bonner wrote: "My daughter is only 25, but she just bought a house in Northern Virginia. Of course, she mortgaged most of it. But can you believe they lent her $275,000? Is that crazy, or what? She works as a bartender, part time. She's very responsible and is good for the money, I'm sure. But I can't believe they would lend her that much money. How do they think she will pay it back?" Are Americans really the heavily indebted spendthrifts the world press makes them out to be? On the basis of the evidence, yes! The Bureau of Labor Statistics figures that the average hourly worker earned $521.73 per week during the 12 months ending in June 2003. During the same 12 months a year later, he earned an average of $524.37 -- only 0.5% more. Which is too bad for the poor schlep who works by the hour, because the cost of living (as measured by the Consumer Price Index) rose by more than 3% during that same period. So he not only feels as if he has less spendable income every year . . . he actually does have less. HEALTH Two Reasons to Give Up Your Antiperspirant Sweating is good. Not only does it flush out toxins from your body, but -- a new study indicates -- it is sexually attractive to some people. WISDOM It's Good to Know: The Most Reliable PC You Can Buy The results are in from PC Magazine's annual survey of over 8,000 users. Apple and Dell did best with desktops, while Apple and IBM earned the best scores for reliability in the notebook area. Read the full report at http://tinyurl.com/4wvmn. *Advertisement* The $84,000 Difference What if I told you that starting and following this simple program could mean an extra $84,000 a year in your pocket? That's what happened to Paul H. as soon as he put just one element of the system into effect. Click here to learn more: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/700SDDGC/W700E853/ TODAY'S ESSAY Introduction: The word "free" is the most powerful word in marketing. Always has been. Still is today. Will still be 10 years from now. Today, Bob Bly explains why. A Four-Letter Word That Gets EVERYBODY'S Attention by Bob Bly for Early to Rise "I saw the word 'free' used effectively in an ad recently," ETR's editor Charlie Byrne told me. "Jimmy Buffett is coming to town, and there are MANY tickets for his concert being offered on eBay. If you look at the listings, you'll see 'Buffett Tickets for Sale!' . . . 'Jimmy Buffett -- Good Seats' . . . 'Excellent Buffett Tix for Sale' . . . ad infinitum. (See "Word to the Wise," below.) "But one clever seller took advantage of the fact that Buffett's fans love to party before the concerts -- especially with Corona beer, the one you squeeze limes into. It's become kind of a ritual for these 'Parrotheads.' "So for his ad, he wrote: 'Buffett Tickets + Free Corona and Limes!!!' -- and I noticed that this ad got MANY more 'hits' than any of the others. Another demonstration of the power of a FREE offer." (In case you're wondering how the guy provided free beer and limes . . . if you buy his tickets (for $400 or so), he throws in a $10 gift certificate for a local Florida supermarket chain.) In his book "How to Turn Words Into Money", millionaire entrepreneur and master direct marketer Ted Nicholas devotes quite a bit of space to discussing the power of the word "free." "I've never sold anything that didn't sell better after offering free bonuses and gifts," says Ted. "'Free' is the most powerful word in the English language. If you're not using gifts and bonuses in your marketing operations now, your sales in many cases will go up two, three, and four times." Years ago, one of my friends worked in a medical ad agency. The clients were large pharmaceutical manufacturers targeting doctors with promotions about new drugs. The agency used direct mail to invite doctors to free seminars (called "symposia") -- educational programs about the diseases the drugs treated, designed to get the doctors to prescribe their drugs. The agency split-tested a straightforward invitation vs. a version that offered a free gift -- a pocket day planner -- as an incentive to attend the event. The wholesale cost of each planner, including imprinting the client's logo, was about $1. The invitation offering the free planner generated six times the response generated by the one that didn't offer the gift. (And keep in mind that, even back then, the doctors the invitations were mailed to were making handsome, six-figure annual incomes . . . and could certainly afford to buy their own pocket calendars.) That's six times the results -- just because of the offer of a little free gift. Something the doctors might very well toss in the trash if it arrived unsolicited in the mail. I am asked at least once a week the following question: "Bob, hasn't the word 'free' lost its power?" The person asking the question is concerned that, because of overuse and the increasing sophistication of readers, "free" is no longer effective. My answer is always the same: "'Free' alone is not enough today to make a promotion profitable. In the early days of direct marketing, perhaps it was. But now, there are so many people using the word in their ads that simply saying 'free' does not make you stand out. You need something more, like a powerful benefit or unique selling proposition -- or a masterfully written promotion. "But once you come up with those things, combine them with a free offer. Because saying 'free' still, even today, increases response significantly vs. the same copy without stressing a free offer." Bottom line: FREE still works. Use FREE for yourself and see! *Advertisement* You decide where you want to go -- an African Safari... Hawaii... Belize... Paris... Rome... We'll show you how to do it - using only a pen, some paper, and a sense of adventure. http://www.thetravelwriterslife.com/sh/etr1 TODAY'S ACTION PLAN Bob Bly is the editor of Mailbox Millionaire, ETR's program to help you start your own successful direct-mail business http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/700SCBMO/W700E628. Today, he gave us a new twist on an old idea -- just one of many direct-marketing "secrets" that can make a marketing strategy more profitable. Along with more than a dozen other presenters, Bob will be a featured speaker at ETR's Wealth-Building Bootcamp, to be held October 5-8 in Delray Beach, Florida. To learn more about the Bootcamp, click here: http://www.agora-inc.com/reports/700SETRBC/W700E883/. BUSINESS SKILLS What We Can Learn From Violet Campbell by Charlie Byrne for Early to Rise I was vacationing in Baltimore with my wife and wanted to show her the beautiful Oxford Club headquarters -- one of Agora's historic downtown buildings. I had asked Jean, our company's top administrative assistant, to arrange to get us in -- but I had no security card, so I was a little concerned. I shouldn't have worried. We knocked on the door and were personally greeted by the receptionist, who introduced herself as Violet Campbell. You would expect a receptionist to buzz you in, tell you to look around, and get back to making phone calls or whatever else she was doing before you arrived. Not Violet. She explained the history of the building. She gave us a little tour (including a trip around the block to see another interesting building). She even brought us in to say "hi" to two top Oxford Club executives. Violet had some interesting anecdotes as well. This one is my favorite: She needed new light bulbs for the building, so she e-mailed the maintenance department. They didn't respond, so she e-mailed again. This time, she said, "You better get some light bulbs over here pronto or there's going to be big trouble!" Just one problem. In her e-mail address book, "Maintenance" was right next to "Michael Masterson" -- and the message went to him by accident. How did Michael respond? With this note to all the company's big shots (with a cc to Violet): "Can't make the Executive Briefing today. I've got to work on getting light bulbs for Violet." "Is everyone in your company so helpful?" Peggy asked me as we were walking out. I'm not sure about that. But I am sure that if the first person you meet at the Oxford Club is Violet Campbell, you'll be starting off with a great impression of the entire organization. Something to think about when you look at the way visitors (and customers) are greeted in your company -- in person and on the phone. WORTH QUOTING The Difference Between Ideas and Action "I didn't always appreciate the difference between ideas and action," said the sage. "As a young scholar in India, I learned a valuable lesson. At that time, I came from a privileged family, spending most of my time reading. One day, while on a journey, as the boatman took me across a wide river, I described to him how I had gathered all my knowledge. The boatman listened attentively; then, after a time, he asked me if I could swim. 'No,' I replied. 'Then I'm afraid your knowledge is wasted,' said the boatman. 'This boat is sinking.'" (Source: "The Laws of Spirit" by Dan Millman) WORD TO THE WISE "Ad infinitum" (ad in-fuh-NYE-tum) means to infinity . . on and on without end. Example (as used in today's essay, above): "If you look at the listings you'll see 'Buffett Tickets for Sale!' . . . 'Jimmy Buffett -- Good Seats' . . . 'Excellent Buffett Tix for Sale' . . . ad infinitum." Michael Masterson Copyright ETR, LLC, 2004 ALL CONTENTS OF THIS E-MAIL ARE COPYRIGHT 2004 BY ETR, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: REPRODUCING ANY PART OF THIS DOCUMENT IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF EARLY TO RISE. Protected by U.S. Copyright Law {Title 17 U.S.C. Section 101 et seq., Title 18 U.S.C. Section 2319}: Infringements can be punishable by up to 5 years in prison and $250,000 in fines. Are you having trouble receiving Early to Rise messages? Ensure that Early to Rise gets delivered to your email box, click below: http://www.earlytorise.com/whitelisting.htm If you'd like to suggest Early To Rise to a friend, please point them to: http://www.earlytorise.com/SuccessPartnership.htm EMAIL CHANGE? Now you can administer your account online. Simply go to Subscriber Services: http://www.earlytorise.com/protect.cfm?file=account.cf m and click the appropriate button. 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