Why Your Favorite Guru Won't Take Your Phone Call or Return Your E-Mail

By Bob Bly

My readers often complain to me that the gurus they follow are aloof and inaccessible. You can't reach them by phone... and either you get no reply to your e-mail or you get a reply from an auto-responder.

They feel that this is rude - and it makes them angry. After all, they bought the guru's book or program... or might someday soon. Doesn't that entitle them to some personal time and customized advice from the guru himself?

Well - yes and no.

I answer my own phone... and reply to my own e-mail messages. But I don't think other authors and info marketers are obligated to do so (though I think they should).

When you buy a Stephen King novel, you understand that he does not have to discuss the plot with you - and most likely will not. In the same way, when you buy a business book for $20, you are purchasing the contents - and nothing beyond that. The author may also consult and speak, but he charges thousands of dollars for those services... and buying his book doesn't entitle you to them.

One famous consultant complained to me that some of the subscribers to his free e-zine have the gall to call him up, ask for free advice, and then grumble when they don't get it.

"Do they not realize that my paying clients get first dibs on my time?" he asked me.

I do. It makes sense to me. And I hope to you too. Still, I want to help my readers as much as I can.

So how do I respond to queries and complaints, both phone and e-mail, without becoming overwhelmed - and unable to get my work done?

For e-mail queries and complaints, about 90 percent are routine (e.g., did not receive a product they ordered on my website, can't open the PDF of an e-book, etc.). These I pass on to my assistant, because she can handle them better than I can.

About 10 percent require a more thoughtful answer. These I answer myself - via e-mail or sometimes a brief phone call.

Tip: When a customer registers a problem or complaint via e-mail, calling them on the phone and helping them one-on-one converts them from a complainer into a rabid fan. They are shocked that you actually took the time to call - and care enough to resolve their problem personally.

Of course, I can't talk to everyone all the time. So I use caller ID to screen my inbound phone calls.

After the call, I listen to the voice mail. If it's routine, I pass the request or complaint on to my assistant. If it's a situation where my personal attention would add value or create more satisfaction, I return the call myself.

If you're an information marketer, you'll find that people you don't know are going to try to pump you endlessly for free consulting over the phone - and you want to avoid falling into that trap. Public speaking expert Patricia Fripp has a great technique that I learned from her and use with good results for handling these brain-pickers. When someone who is not a client wants to ask me questions, I say: "My time normally sells for $500 an hour. I will give you five minutes - starting now."

This makes the caller understand that your time is limited... and that by talking with them without charge, you are doing them a favor and giving them something of value.

Five minutes may not seem like much - but at $500 an hour, five minutes of my time is worth almost $42. That's a generous gift to give a total stranger. The time limit also forces callers to get to the point, not waste my time with long explanations, and listen to what I tell them without debate or argument.

Here's another way to save time on answering questions from readers:

Produce content - an FAQ page on your website, a blog, a newsletter, a special report, an information product - on the topics you are asked about most often. Then, when people ask you for advice on Topic X, give them the URL of the website where they can either read your content for free... or purchase your information product on Topic X.

Have I been clear on how to handle inquiries from clients, customers, prospects, readers, and fans? If not, I expect you'll call or e-mail me for clarification - and I welcome hearing from you.

[Ed. Note: Bob Bly is the author of more than 70 books and an undisputed master of the art of selling. Subscribe to his free e-zine, The Direct Response Letter, and claim your free gift worth $116.

Larry Potter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkJCsIMAiNY
www.ATicketToWealth.com

The Coupon-Clipper's Delight

Even with good copy and a good product, sticker shock can be a problem.

Solution: Quantity offers, limited-time offers, and trade-in offers are good ways to show prospects that they're getting a good deal.

Technique: Emphasize the discount with call-out boxes. Do the math in $$ if the savings is a percentage discount. In the body of the sales close, try showing the cost and efficiency of your product compared to similar, more expensive products. If you can make the offer time-limited, do so. And put that deadline in a call-out box on the reply page, too. Another idea: Try emphasizing the savings by creating a "price-off" coupon that gets sent back along with the reply card.

Larry Potter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkJCsIMAiNY

www.ATicketToWealth.com

Competitor Category: Bookstores

I've lost track of the number of times I have reviewed some publisher's expensive information product, only to find that it contains less information than a 250-page paperback I can buy at Barnes & Noble for 15 bucks.

One competitive strategy to use against bookstores is micro-niching - publishing in a highly specialized niche that trade-book publishers won't touch.

Example: I can go to Barnes & Noble today and find several highly useful - and quite inexpensive - books on social networking. But if I publish a title like "Building Your Dental Practice With Social Networks," that is too narrow a niche for bookstore sales.


Larry Potter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkJCsIMAiNY

www.ATicketToWealth.com

Shop for a well-maintained home in a well-maintained neighborhood.

When you’re looking for a good home to retain resale value and realize a profit if you sale, you need to find a well-maintained home in a well-maintained neighborhood. Property values are dependent upon homes being well-cared-for, with modern amenities and a well-maintained structure and lot.

However, if you have an immaculate house surrounded by a bunch of slobs, your property values may actually decline because the neighborhood is in poor repair. Look for a well-maintained property in a well-maintained neighborhood to maximize your investment.

Larry Potter

http://budurl.com/nn8h

www.ATicketToWealth.com

If You're Late on Your Taxes...

By Tim Clay

Tomorrow's the deadline for filing your taxes, and you're not ready. Maybe you had personal problems. Maybe you kept procrastinating... or are a little lazy. It happens.What should you do? Don't panic...Simply by filing Form 4868, the IRS gives you an automatic extension of six months (until October 15). With the extension, you avoid getting hit with a late-filing penalty, and that can be considerable. The penalty is 5 percent (of the tax you owe) per month up to a maximum of 25 percent of your total tax bill. Avoiding this penalty is too easy to just "let it happen."But, there are still two more ways for Uncle Sam to ding your pocketbook.

Late-payment penalty. If you owe money on your taxes and do not send full payment with the extension application, the late-payment penalty kicks in - and this can be up to another 25 percent of the tax due. Not quite sure how much you owe? Come up with a "ballpark" figure based on your 2007 taxes, and send as much of that as you can. That way, even if you end up owing more, at least you avoid some of the late-payment penalty.

Interest. In addition to the late-payment penalty, you're going to be charged interest on any balance due (tax owed minus the payment you wisely make with Form 4868) at the Federal Short Term Rate plus 3 percent. The rate changes every three months, and the interest is compounded daily. So get Form 4868 filled in and filed NOW!

[Ed. Note: Internet Money Club member Tim Clay, E.A., is an Enrolled Agent - a federally authorized tax practitioner - and a certified QuickBooks Advisor with 25 years of experience. Visit www.AskTaxGuys.com to learn more and sign up for Tim's free tax-tips newsletter.One of the best ways to reduce your tax bill for 2010 - while building a business that could throw off income for years to come - is to further your education. Learn how you could make between $50,000 and $5 million by starting your own Internet business - and get ETR's 10-pound "playbook to Internet riches" right here.]

Larry Potter
http://budurl.com/nn8h
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Establish a program that strongly encourages - and rewards - referrals.

Most satisfied customers will gladly give a referral without expecting to be compensated.

Because you've helped them, it gives them pleasure to help you. That psychological boost, in itself, is a reward.

But it doesn't hurt to offer something more tangible.

Larry Potter
http://budurl.com/nn8h
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Be consistent in your marketing.

The majority of small businesses are inconsistent in their follow-up.

They might send an email or direct mail piece and then wait months

before sending another one. Without consistency, your prospect has

no idea who you are. Can you imagine how quickly emails from unknown

senders get deleted?

Furthermore, inconsistency can cause a perception of ineffectiveness.

Nobody wants to buy from a company they don't trust.

Larry Potter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObVVfulxlBk
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Offer something smaller.

Your no charge gift or a no charge teleseminar that offers value and gets people on your list is a great marketing tool.

That way you will be able to build relationships with them and offer your services to them after they have gotten to know you.

Doing this will get you many more service clients than just promoting your services on social networking web sites.

Larry Potter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObVVfulxlBk
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Entrepreneurship in a Pill

Instead of building a profitable business by learning through experience, practice, and with the help and advice of others who have "been there, done that" - Cambridge University researchers would like to think you will one day be able to do it by taking a pill.

The esteemed scientists are exploring the possibility of creating a drug that would replicate the brain chemistry of successful entrepreneurs.

According to Barbara Sahakian, Ph.D., leader of the research team, such a drug has the potential to enhance risk tolerance (necessary for decision making) and cognitive flexibility (necessary for problem solving).

Yep. That'll do it.

(Source: CNN)

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObVVfulxlBk

Why the Words You Use Might Be Sabotaging Your Success

By Yanik Silver

Words are words, right? If you make a mistake and tell yourself "I'm an idiot," you're joking, of course. So it doesn't really matter. Or does it?

In fact, the more you say the same things over and over to yourself the more you internalize them.

Play back your built-in recorder and listen to the words you use when talking about money and success. Are you guilty of saying negative things like "filthy rich," "I can't afford that," or "look at those rich people - they're so lucky"?

Pay attention when you're talking to yourself and to others and you'll be shocked at the self-defeating language that creeps in.

One word I've worked hard to get rid of in my own life is "try." I bet you can catch yourself saying it to a friend. ("I'll try to make it tonight.") Or to a customer. ("I'll try to get that over to you today.") Umm... B.S.! Either you will or you will not.

Reframe negative talk and turn it around.

In his Rich Dad series, Robert Kiyosaki frequently uses the example of the Poor Dad saying "I can't afford this" and the Rich Dad asking himself, instead, "How can I afford this?"
That's a completely different and empowering statement.

"I can't..." or "I won't..." closes you down to solutions. "How can I...?" or "How will I...?" causes your brain to search for the answer to the problem.

[Ed. Note: Master Internet marketer Yanik Silver (www.MaverickBusinessInsider.com) knows that attitude and positive thinking can make or break your business or your career.
For countless more tips on defeating the "self-sabotaging" behaviors to which you are prone, check out Early to Rise's Unscrew Your Life newsletter.]

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

The Importance of Being Urgent

By Rich Schefren

There's one thing that all successful Internet marketers and business owners I've come in contact with have in common.

A sense of urgency.

Successful entrepreneurs look at practically every moment of every day as a challenge -and they attack it accordingly. This need for achievement motivates them to turn their ideas into action.
On the other end of the spectrum are "passive" entrepreneurs. They live every day pursuing their dreams safely, never taking risks or pushing the envelope, and hoping something good will happen.

I'm not just talking out of my keister here. I'm a living, breathing example of a former passive personality.

It wasn't until a mentor shook me from the doldrums and forced me to take that first step into the unknown that I started to see some serious results.

Why? Because successful people act from a sense of urgency.

So today, I want you to do exactly what I did. Ditch the passive nature and begin looking at your dreams with a SENSE OF URGENCY.

Tell yourself, "Today, I'm going to make a change and act from a sense of urgency. And these are the first two actions I'm going to take..."

[Ed. Note: Rich Schefren - one of the world's best small-business strategists - knows a thing or two about what it takes to be successful. The businesses he coaches have done over $500 million every year - piling up more than $1 billion in sales every two years. Visit his blog to learn how to streamline your business while skyrocketing profits.

The ability to sell is another trait shared by successful entrepreneurs. If you don't know how to sell, you're LOSING money. It's time to amp up your selling skills. You can learn how to do it from Gene Schwartz, one of the world's best copywriters. Get the details here.]

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Future Time...

When asked about his outstanding performance on the ice, Wayne Gretzky replied, "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.

Where is your business focusing?

I've found that one of the most powerful practices as an entrepreneur is to spend a day away from the office, dream a little, and envision my company 1, 3, 5 years into the future.

When I occasionally "fly into the future" it makes it easier to come back to the present, push through obstacles, and chart my course to the future I have envisioned.

Spend some time in the future and you'll be able to "skate to where the puck is going to be!"

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

The "No Response Necessary" E-Mail Productivity Trick

By Jason Holland

Some days it seems like half your e-mail time is spent sending short replies to people to let them know you got their e-mail.

"Thanks!" "Got it!" "Working on it!"

Of course, there are times when an important e-mail requires confirmation. But for the most part, it's just a courtesy.

So let's all agree to stop. It cuts down on productivity. And the time would be better spent writing and following up on e-mails that do require a response.

So here's what you do. Before hitting "Send," type "No Response Necessary" in the message or even on the subject line. (In Outlook, you can simply click the little red flag on your toolbar and choose that option from the dropdown menu.)

Ask your colleagues to do the same. Before you know it, that flurry of unnecessary replies will stop and you will have added hours to your workweek.

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com

Don't Improve Your Weakest Area

To be extremely successful - in business, career, and wealth building, like We Provide The Cash - you don't have to be good at a lot of things. In fact, you can attain an extremely high level of success even if you are really good at only one thing.

Warren Buffett made this point some years ago in a lecture to a group of college students. He told his audience that he is not very strong, not very fast, not very physical, not very athletic. "If I was dropped in the middle of Africa, I'd be eaten by a lion within two minutes." However, because he is good at one thing - investing in the stock market - Buffett is an extremely wealthy man.

You don't have to be good at a lot of things. Find one thing in life that you love - that turns you on, that you are passionate about - and keep doing it. The more you do it, the better you'll get at it.

Of course, to ensure financial success, that "thing" - that singular passion - must be something others will pay money for. To paraphrase Aristotle, "Where your passions intersect with the needs of the public, therein lies your vocation."

A mistake many people make is to work to improve themselves in areas where they are weak. What you should do instead is work to improve yourself in the one area where you are strongest.

Why? Because we are a society of specialists.

Success does not come from being a Jack of all trades and a master of none. It comes from mastering a skill or body of knowledge that others - employers or customers - will pay you to share.

Society admires the Renaissance man, the well-rounded individual. But more often than not, it's the singularly focused person - Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Tiger Woods - who reaps the greatest rewards.

Larry Potter

www.ATicketToWealth.com

I Shocked By Saturday Night Live Skit...‏

Last weekend, a SNL nightly news bit came on
and opened with this...

"It was announced by Warren Buffet today that he will keep
investing in the stock market even though it is in turmoil..."

and then the punch line went something like....

"It just goes to show you that as long as you have billions of
dollars, everything is still ok."

Without trying to... Saturday Night Live had taught millions of
viewers a HUGE lesson if they were paying attenton.

A lesson that I have been trying to teach YOU.

The lesson is this...

When you create your own wealth and are in control of what you
make, there is no such thing as a bad economy.

In fact, a bad economy INCREASES the wealth of those who can offer
solutions to people's money problems.

I have been presenting you will a few solutions to your time,
financial, and lifestyle freedom issues.

I am currently featuring a program because it fits the needs of
today's opportunity seeker.

It's VERY inexpensive, it is extremely simple, and most
importantly... it can produce a MASSIVE extra income very quickly.

Home Seller Assist

In fact, I have been able to use the program above to turn a single
$697 spend into over $57,000 in 9 months.

If it's not for you, that's ok. Just find SOMETHING that is.

Take a look at the link above and I am pretty sure
that you will be impressed.

Bottom line is that unless you want to always be at the mercy of
things that you cannot control like the economy, your employer,
etc... you have to create your OWN wealth.

I am here to help you.


To Your Success,

Larry Potter
www.ATicketToWealth.com