The Art of Saying Thank You Meaningfully
Posted on 02. Apr, 2012 by nardene in Blog, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
Imagine this. Imagine you move into a neighbourhood and a neighbour brings across a big cake.
What happens to you instantly?
There you are, with all your unpacked boxes, a to-do list so long it stretches all the way to Geneva and all that you can think of, is how to pay that person back. How you can thank that person in return.
Brian Tracy did me such a favour
Brian Tracy is a speaker/trainer and famous for sales-training worldwide. I stumbled upon his work early in the year 2002, when the first ebooks were trickling out onto the Internet. I bought an ebook and with it came some audio from Brian Tracy. And I was hooked. Imagine my surprise when I found half a dozen books in the library as well as audio cassettes (yup, cassettes). For me, a rookie in marketing and sales, those books and audio were heaven-sent. I’d listen to the tapes twenty, even fifty times over.
Can you tell I was thankful beyond words?
But how do you thank someone like that? Well actually in today’s world it’s dead easy. But this wasn’t today. This was 2002.
Anyway, since I was now officially stalking Brian’s every move, I learned he was coming to Auckland. So I did what any good stalker would do. I emailed his secretary. Back and forth we communicated. I found out stuff he liked, the type of wine he preferred etc. And of course, when Brian was coming to Auckland. Yup, down to the flight number.
And the day he landed, I was there to say hello
Weird, I know, but that’s how stalkers are. Brian was amused, but a little taken aback as well. I told him about the exchanges with his secretary and he decided I was slightly bananas, but kinda bearable. What he didn’t expect was a superb bottle of wine (I think it cost about $50) and a note thanking him for all he’d done.
That opened my door to Brian’s world
I was able to meet him for breakfast. I got to go to his event. He shared some ‘secrets’ with me that over the years saved us thousands of dollars (and made us thousands too). And I got to go backstage and see how things were done. There’s more of a story, but the point is simple.
Most people never say thank you in a meaningful way
And when you go out of your way to say thank you, you are remembered. People remember you because most people never say thanks. They may just send an email over. Or may not even bother to do that. But to really say thanks means that you stand out like crazy. I can, for instance remember a chocolate cake that showed up on my doorstep one November. I can remember the dinner at my favourite restaurant. I can remember a simple iTunes voucher I got from someone. I can remember that audio series on the ‘Talent Code’ that came in the mail. I remember, because thanks is so rare.
So is this about me getting gifts?
That’s a nice thought, so hold it, but that’s not the point at all. The point is just to say thanks to people who make a difference in your life. Renuka and I will often give the waiters and waitresses at the cafe a small bar of chocolate. When we travel, we often take little gifts for people. We will send t-shirts (after checking the size etc) or a little tree, for instance. The point is that you need to learn to say thanks often and consistently.
The problem with thanks is that you can’t wait
You have to say thanks quickly. And in a way that works. So for instance, a bar of chocolate may be appropriate for one person and not for another. A bottle of wine may be great for someone and not for another. And this can’t wait. You can procrastinate too long and forget about things. And a thank you opportunity lost is a thank you opportunity lost.
Be aware that it’s not always a gift as well
A book. A little card. A crayon drawing. A special video. There are a million ways to say thanks without spending a dime. But first you have to learn to say thanks as often as possible. And there are reasons. The first being that it makes you happy. That’s the most important reason. The second is that it makes the other person happy. And finally, the concept of ‘give and you shall receive’ comes into play.
You don’t give because you want to receive, but you get stuff back anyway. That one conversation with Brian made a difference to my life forever. And it changed my perception of things and added to my bank balance. One measly bottle of wine makes a massive difference.
| Product Offers: Links you should visit “I first bought the Brain Audit in 2002. It was 32 pages long. |
Top Selling Products Under $50
1) You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline.
So what’s the remaining 20% that causes customers to buy? Find out more
2) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’?
Learn how the core elements of outlining can save you from the misery of writing your next article.
3) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion?
Learn how to create drama and curiosity and help improve your web page conversion with visuals.
4) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients?
Put some sanity into your design, even though you are not a designer?
5) Chaos Planning
Year after year you sit down and create a list of things you want to achieve. Then suddenly it’s April, and you’ve not really moved ahead as you’d expected.
Learn Why Most Planning Fails: And The Critical Importance of Chaos in Planning.
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How To Start Your Story-Based Articles With Greater Impact
Posted on 26. Mar, 2012 by nardene in Blog, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, story telling
Yesterday I went to buy some walking shoes.
And I ended up spending $2000. And that’s not counting the shoes.
Now, did that opening get your attention?
Sure it did. It sucked you in. And the reason you hear that strange sucking sound is because I didn’t start off the article like most people do. Most people slide logically into an article. But you can use the power of the story. And not just the story, but the middle of the story. Because there, smack bang in the middle, lies the drama—the part that really captivates your reader.
So how do you know what to pick as you unfold your story?
The answer is actually quite mundane—even, counter intuitive. To get that drama, you don’t have to pick anything particularly exciting. You just have to make it exciting for me.
So let’s say we went back into my world of yesterday
Were the purchase of the shoes the most important point?
Or was it the purchase of a draughtsman’s table?
Perhaps it could be Italian food we had for dinner. Or just about anything.
In a story, you have at least three-four exciting points and any one of them can rise to the surface. Yes, any point is exciting. What really matters, is how you bring a factor of excitement to the story. As you explain the details, the simple fact becomes interesting.
And master story tellers know this to be true
They know that even a mundane story can be brought to life in the way you recount it. In a presentation at TED.com, speaker, Hans Rosling tells a seemingly mundane story of a washing machine. And Hans has many options when telling this story, but he chooses to talk about the ‘button-driven miracle’ of the machine. And he stays with that angle to get your attention.
And here’s how it unfolds…
“I was only four years old when I saw my mother load a washing machine for the very first time in her life. That was a great day for my mother. My mother and father had been saving money for years to be able to buy that machine.
And the first day it was going to be used, even Grandma was invited to see the machine. And Grandma was even more excited. Throughout her life she had been heating water with firewood, and she had hand washed laundry for seven children. And now she was going to watch electricity do that work.
My mother carefully opened the door, and she loaded the laundry into the machine, like this. And then, when she closed the door, Grandma said, “No, no, no, no. Let me, let me push the button.” And Grandma pushed the button, and she said, “Oh, fantastic. I want to see this. Give me a chair. Give me a chair. I want to see it.”
And she sat down in front of the machine, and she watched the entire washing program. She was mesmerised. To my grandmother, the washing machine was a miracle.”
So what’s the interesting part in this story?
It could have been that the clothes came out extremely clean. It could have been the sound and how they were captivated by the sound of the machine. It could have been the changeover from hard labour to just a button-driven miracle. Hans chose the button-driven miracle. But as you can see, he could have chosen anything as long as he used emotions to drive home the story.
You can feel the excitement, the awe, as Hans tells the story. And it’s these set of emotions that keeps the drama going and the heart pulsating.
Which brings us to this bizarre set of conclusions
1) That you can pick any story, or any subset of a story to get the drama going. And you often find this drama somewhere in the middle of your story.
2) The most important factor is one of enthusiasm. Bringing out the fear, the surprise—all of those emotions are what keeps the reader engaged.
One of the best ways to get the reader’s attention is to tell a story. But easily the best way to get that story raging ahead is to pick something—anything from the middle of the story and use it to start your article.
And as you work down your way through your story, you’ll find at least two-three spots where you can harvest great emotion or unusual drama. Now that you have that emotion/drama, it’s just a matter of putting that stuff at the top and drawing your reader in.
It’s a beginning no reader can resist.
| Have a look at these products “What do your customers think? What would make them buy?” |
Top Selling Products Under $50
1) NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline.
So what’s the remaining 20% that causes customers to buy? Find out more
2) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’?
Learn how the core elements of outlining can save you from the misery of writing your next article.
3) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion?
Learn how to create drama and curiosity and help improve your web page conversion with visuals.
4) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients?
Put some sanity into your design, even though you are not a designer?
5) Chaos Planning
Year after year you sit down and create a list of things you want to achieve. Then suddenly it’s March, and you’ve not really moved ahead as you’d expected.
Learn Why Most Planning Fails: And The Critical Importance of Chaos in Planning.
NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action?
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The Science of Making Mistakes
Posted on 19. Mar, 2012 by nardene in Blog, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
That may seem to you, to be the silliest headline ever. Why would you need to learn how to make mistakes? You’re already a pro at making mistakes. You don’t need a how-to article to tell you how to make mistakes, right? But bear with me as we explore why mistake making is a science.
At Psychotactics, we have a cartooning course
This course is designed to teach anyone (yes, anyone) to learn to draw superb cartoons. But guess what? Most of the folks who join the course can’t really draw.
They probably haven’t drawn much since sixth grade. And if there’s one thing that’s absolutely guaranteed, is that they’re all going to make mistakes in the course.
Except they don’t want to…
Which is normal. Who’d join a course to make mistakes? So the best thing is to let someone get it right. If they get too many things wrong right at the start, disillusionment sets in. And it’s hard to keep going if you look like a goofball.
It’s also hard for those supporting you to say “Wow, that looks great!” So the first goal is to get as much right as possible. But getting things right is a tedious process, because you’re not experimenting enough. And the irony is once you start experimenting you make mistakes—tons of mistakes.
Which is why time needs to be set aside to make mistakes
So we enter a phase of speed drawing. In a fixed time of say, 30 minutes, the participants are encouraged to draw as many characters as possible. And you only get a pat on the back from me, the teacher, if you make a ton of mistakes.
This method appears to be contrary to what your teacher told you in school, but it works. Suddenly the mistake-making brain goes to work, churning out 20 or 30 cartoons in less than 30 minutes.
And suddenly you find it’s not so terrible to make mistakes after all
For one, you realise that your slow, tedious work is not a lot better than the quick, slap-dash work. And that both, the slow, tedious work, and the mistake-making exercise, have their roles to play.
It also relieves you of the need to be always right. And because everyone is making mistakes at the same time, the entire exercise turns out to be enormous fun, instead of a shameful activity.
The same principle is put into play when doing other courses
In the Headlines course, we have a period of writing headlines correctly. And then a period of writing every single headline wrong. To write the headline wrong, you have to know how to write it correctly in the first place. So the brain is forced to focus, but there’s no downside. You can’t get a mistake-making exercise wrong.
There’s just no way to get it wrong. You can make all the mistakes you want, and not have the slightest fear or embarrassment. And this removal of fear is what allows you to learn faster.
In effect, talent is just the elimination of mistakes
We see talent as something inborn. But it’s not inborn at all. Anyone can learn to write headlines or draw cartoons, or do anything to an exceptional degree—if they make enough mistakes and proceed to eliminate the mistakes.
But how can you eliminate mistakes if you don’t make them in the first place? The only way out of this trap is to have a system to make mistakes.
Airline pilots go through a mistake-making drill
Pilots aren’t just taught to fly planes correctly. In training (and the training is ongoing) they are put into situations where things go horribly wrong.
They’re then expected to work through those mistakes and work out a way to get the plane back on an even keel. Top sporting teams don’t just work on their strategy of winning.
They also closely examine situations where things can go horribly wrong and how to pull out of it. And the reason is simple. Getting things right once is a fluke. You have to get things right consistently, and often there’s no second chance. To be at this level of readiness, you have to be prepared to make mistakes while learning.
That’s the key factor: While learning
This article isn’t about you goofing up just for the sake of it. No one wants to be in a plane where the pilot is trying to get out of a tailspin. No one wants his or her favourite team to be trying out a new maneuver in the middle of the game.
Most of the major mistakes need to be made in practice, so that when it’s show time you’ve eliminated as many glitches as possible.
You need to get things wrong consistently and then iron out the mistakes
So if you’re a teacher, you need to institute a period for getting things right. And then getting them wrong. If you’re a student of a skill, you need to announce that you will try and get things right (and point out what you think you got right).
And then go through a part where you get things wrong on purpose, relieving you of the tension and need to be right and perfect all the time.
Get things wrong. Make it a science project. See how many things you can get wrong on purpose. And then fix the glitches later.
It’s the fastest way to getting things right.
Did you find this article useful? You can leave your comments here. I would love to hear from you.
| Why You Need The Brain Audit “What do your customers think? What would make them buy?” |
Top Selling Products Under $50
1) NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline.
So what’s the remaining 20% that causes customers to buy? Find out more
2) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’?
Learn how the core elements of outlining can save you from the misery of writing your next article.
3) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion?
Learn how to create drama and curiosity and help improve your web page conversion with visuals.
4) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients?
Put some sanity into your design, even though you are not a designer?
5) Chaos Planning
Year after year you sit down and create a list of things you want to achieve. Then suddenly it’s March, and you’ve not really moved ahead as you’d expected.
Learn Why Most Planning Fails: And The Critical Importance of Chaos in Planning.
NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action?
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Uniqueness: Why We End Up Feeling Stuffed
Posted on 25. Feb, 2012 by Sean D'Souza in Blog, branding, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
Ever been to a buffet?
You know how you start off with the spring rolls, then it’s baked ham with pineapple sauce. Then it’s roast lamb with mint jelly and rich brown gravy. Top that up with roast seasoned pork loin with apple sauce and a little chicken with apricots and Camembert.
Well, so does your customer when you stuff your uniqueness with features, more features and even more features.
You’re just trying to be helpful. But in doing so, you’re totally confusing the customer and driving them to the competition.
In case you missed the announcement, for the last few weeks we have been giving away a lot of goodies absolutely free.
Goodie 1: Learn how to create your Uniqueness. Find out the biggest mistakes and how to avoid them.
Goodie 2: What Good Is Uniqueness If A Competitor Can Easily Copy It?
Goodie 3: Brand Positioning: Why The Right Uniqueness Is Built On A “DNA”
Goodie 4: Brand Positioning: Do You Need To Carve Out a Uniqueness
Goodie 5: Uniqueness: Why We End Up Feeling Stuffed
-Sean
P.S. These goodies are being offered for a short time. So get them while the page is still live.
How To Be A Critic
Posted on 20. Feb, 2012 by nardene in Blog, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
As you chomp into any dish, something happens in your brain.
Your brain analyses the contents of the dish, compares it what it knows and then spits out a critique.
So the dish could be too salty, too sweet—or, or, or,—it could be just right, or even better than you’ve ever tasted before.
In a matter of seconds, we have feedback.
Whether we choose to voice our opinion or not, is totally our call.
And sometimes we don’t. And sometimes we do.
So should you be a critic?
The answer is yes. And no.
I remember my own pronunciation mistakes.
And as I grew up, I’d picked up several words from teachers, friends etc. And I’d pronounce those words incorrectly. So I’d pronounce the word ‘question’ as ‘ques-sin’. Or Tibet (as in the place, Tibet) as ‘Tib-it’.
My favourite series was the ‘tion’ series. Words like ‘consumption’, for instance. I’d use the ‘z’ sound, so it sounded like ‘con-zum-shun’. Well, let’s just say, that from time to time, a lot of folk here in Kiwi land would do a double-take when I spoke certain words.
The point is, I wanted to improve
So I appointed my friend and super-critic, Chris Parkinson, to pick up the glitches. If you know Chris, that’s what he’d do for a living. But anyway, he critiqued, and I fixed it. But there was a difference. I wanted to be critiqued.
I couldn’t hear myself, and even when corrected, I still had to work quite hard at pronouncing some very basic words like ‘industry, electricity’ and probably every word that started with ‘v’ (I’d say it with a ‘w’ sound).
But there’s a point that is important to note: I asked Chris to critique me.
Most of us don’t take critiques well, and unless asked for, critiques are often disregarded, even shunned. So the basic rule of critiquing is, don’t give advice unless asked. Don’t critique unless asked.’
But even when you critique, a rule should be observed
Let’s say for instance, in 5000bc, we have a critique section. In that section, every one who posts their website or article knows they’re going to be critiqued. But even when you’re asked to critique, you must only critique ONE thing at a time.
If you’re asked to critique a sales page, and you go nuts on that page, it’s not only too much for the person to take, but it’s also too much to fix all at once.
Therefore, even when critiquing, you need to make sure that you critique just one thing at a time.
And if you’ve been on a course with me, or watched carefully, I’ll tend to critique just one thing. In the Article Writing Course, for instance, there are several elements that we have to consider: Connectors, disconnectors, first fifty words, visual impact, blah, blah, blah.
But I will focus on just one thing to the exclusion of all others. This enables the person being critiqued to work on that one thing, fix it and move ahead.
So to be clear, don’t tackle more than one thing at a time. And only critique when asked.
But this rule changes under certain conditions
It changes when you have a common frame of reference. So, for example if everyone in the room has read The Brain Audit, and you’re on The Brain Audit course, then you’re expected to work with your team of 4-5 people.
You’re expected to critique as part of the course. If you don’t critique/help the other person, they actually feel neglected and hurt. And there’s a distinct possibility that they’ll drop out of the course.
Why? Because you can’t keep saying “great job” every single day. When you’re learning, you want to improve. But because you have a small group and because you have a common frame of reference, you can point to that frame of reference.
The frame of reference is extremely important
Because everyone has read The Brain Audit (on that course) they know what you’re referring to. They expect to be critiqued by the small group they’re working with. And most importantly, even if they don’t feel they’re qualified to critique, I have to let them know it’s okay to critique.
Because I’m reading every post and if the critique is off-target, I’ll get things on target. Or it may lead to an interesting discussion and we’ll all be the better for it.
But as you can see, there are several elements in place such as common frame of reference, expectation of critique, small group and most importantly that someone is overseeing every tiny post you make on the forum—and can direct you if you go off course.
I’ve been a critic
I thought it was normal to be a critic.
Obviously not.
In many cases people want you to just say ‘wow’.
In other situations, a ‘wow’ is wonderful, but the critique is expected as well.
You have to know when to do what.
And what is expected of you.
You may think that the better thing to do is just shut up and not offer any critique at all. And that’s a bit off the mark. Instead ask the person if they’d like a critique from time to time. If they trust you, they’ll say yes. And then please, don’t over do your critiques. Pick on one thing. And don’t be a pest. Intersperse critiques with praise.
Being a critic is a good thing. But as you’ve worked out, it depends on the circumstances.
P.S. Yes, you can critique anything we do or say at Psychotactics. Yes, anything. We want to fix things all the time. We even occasionally offer chocolate bars for your critique.
| Why You Need The Brain Audit “Before I bought the Brain Audit I felt lost and like a desperate salesman.” |
Top Selling Products Under $50
1) NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline.
So what’s the remaining 20% that causes customers to buy? Find out more
2) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’?
Learn how the core elements of outlining can save you from the misery of writing your next article.
3) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion?
Learn how to create drama and curiosity and help improve your web page conversion with visuals.
4) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients?
Put some sanity into your design, even though you are not a designer?
5) Chaos Planning
Year after year you sit down and create a list of things you want to achieve. Then suddenly it’s February, and you’ve not really moved ahead as you’d expected.
Learn Why Most Planning Fails: And The Critical Importance of Chaos in Planning.
NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action?
[next_step]
Why Bad Testimonials Attract Bad Clients
Posted on 17. Feb, 2012 by Sean D'Souza in Blog, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
Nothing bugs you more than a painful client.
A client who hassles you at every step of the way.
A client who won’t pay on time.
A client who takes up so much of your energy that you get drained.
I used to have clients like that
And then at some point I stopped getting bad clients.
Every single one of our clients were helpful, kind and extremely co-operative.
Work became a joy instead of a painful exercise.
And after a lot of digging, I found out the reason for the change
Amazingly it was the testimonials. My Web site was like a mirror. When I had the “right” testimonials and the right “tone” to the testimonials, and of course the right “structure”, I started getting amazing clients.
So what’s the right tone and right structure?
Can something as basic as a testimonial make such a massive difference to your sanity and your cash flow? And is it possible that instead of just getting another testimonial, you’ll actually get an insight into how the customer buys, and their rationale for choosing you?
If you’ve ever struggled to get consistently good clients (or detailed testimonials for that matter) then you’ll find that this knowledge is more than just common sense. It’s a bit of strategy you can’t do without.
Judge for yourself at:
http://www.psychotactics.com/testimonialsecrets
P.S. Here is what Allen Weber has to say about this product
“It solved the problem of getting meaningful testimonials, without
needing to ‘bribe anyone’ for it”.
I have been using testimonials in sales letters, and on websites for many years. And I have given testimonials for products I love. I thought I knew a lot about testimonials: From the sugary sweet ones that say nothing bad to the ones that use Sean’s six questions he writes about in this book–which are really critical to get good, well, constructed testimonials from clients and/or customers. What I found while reading this book…well, by page 26–PAGE 26 itself–I already had a full sheet of notes on how to improve testimonials.
And as I continued reading, I found so many MORE new great ideas for getting testimonials–whether written, on audio, on video–and how to use them effectively. I was shocked, even a bit amused at how little I knew.
Utilizing the easy to understand, easy to implement information in this book should bring in far greater revenue. And even better, it solves a problem for me of how to get real, meaningful testimonials, doing it legitimately–and without making anything up, or needing to “bribe anyone”.
The best thing of all: I’ve learned how to get these testimonials long before anyone has bought the product!
Allen Weber
Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Judge for yourself at:
http://www.psychotactics.com/testimonialsecrets
How ‘Pre-Stamps’ Help Overcome Client Resistance
Posted on 07. Nov, 2011 by nardene in Blog, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
A local car wash ran a loyalty program
For every car wash you paid for, you got one stamp on your card. If you completed eight washes, you got one free wash.
Another set of customers also joined that very same loyalty program. But they didn’t have eight blocks to fill on their card. They had ten blocks to fill. But there was a difference. The second set of customers had two stamps already filled for them in advance.
You see what’s happening, right?
Both sets of customers have to fill in the exact same number of stamps to get the free car wash—namely eight washes. So which group did better? Yup, the second group. In fact 34% of the second group got to their free car wash vs. just 19% of the first group. So why did this happen?
It’s called momentum
And it’s a feeling you know exceedingly well. If you have to start a project, you dilly and you dally. You find every reason to avoid the project, because starting up is so hard. But once you’ve got about 20% of the project going, you feel the wind in your sails and you move groggily ahead, but at least you’re moving. And this is what resistance hates the most.
It hates momentum, because momentum disregards the temptation to get easily distracted; it avoids those fervent pleas to just head to the cafe or do something that’s not project-related.
Which is why you need to create momentum both for yourself and your clients
Let’s start with your client. Let’s say you want them to do something really big and momentous. Where do you start? You start with the tiny bits. So tiny in fact, that they’re almost impossible to goof up.
So let’s take an example. At a Psychotactics workshop, we want to create a safe zone as quickly as possible. But this is difficult if everyone just shows up on the day of the event itself. Everything is new; everything is different and hence quite intimidating.
So we have a meet and greet session the day before
What do they have to do for the meet and greet? Why, nothing other than show up. That’s easy, huh? So they show up. And they don’t show up in their regal outfits. Everyone’s casually dressed. There are no speeches, no notes, no seats to find, nothing to do but show up.
And when they’ve shown up, we take them to the room and show them the room. They get a chance to see where they’re sitting. They see the notes on their desk. And then we have a question session. If there are any questions, they can get it out of the way. Once they’re done, we suggest they go to dinner together.
So what just happened there?
20% of the safe zone was created before the workshop began. When you watch the participants walk in the next day, they’re not frozen. They’re laughing, they’re joking and they’re having a great time. There’s no fear and intimidation. And hence the momentum towards creating a safe zone is well on its way.
And no matter whether you’re in consulting or training, you can knock out the resistance simply by getting stamps on their card. Once the client gets started, they continue to move along more efficiently than if they started from zero.
But how do you use this concept for your own goals?
Let’s say you want to lose weight. What do you do? You need to get 20% on your card, right? Well, don’t start with this big vigorous program of losing weight. Just focus on one thing you are guaranteed to achieve. E.g. No munching sweets after lunch or dinner.
Now this isn’t about eating less, or exercising more or doing Zumba steps. It’s just a little something that is almost like cheating. But it gets the momentum in place. A week of this simple activity and you’re well on your way to getting 20% on your card.
But isn’t this kinda sneaky, almost like fooling your brain?
Sure it is. But why do you care? You want to get the job done, don’t you? So go ahead and fool your brain, if that’s what it takes. And help your clients fool their brain. If you’re running into clients that won’t get their work done, won’t do their assignments, don’t implement things on time—then look for the blockage.
The blockage lies in them having to fill ten stamps on their card, instead of eight.
How can you fill two stamps in advance?
How can you get the momentum going?
Figure that out, and more clients will get to the finish line faster than ever before. And ironically, so will you!
How do you get momentum? Share your business or personal story here.
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“For the first time ever I think I have a clear picture of where our marketing and communications has to get to.“ “If anything the quantity of marketing and business books I had read; and videos I had watched, had left me, while not confused, certainly unfocused. I felt I almost knew too much, and could not get any clarity. I first came across The Brain Audit as a book review in a newspaper while on holiday. The Brain Audit was a revelation to me. The Brain Audit cut through all that and made such sense to me. For the first time ever I think I have a clear picture of where our marketing and communications has to get to.”
Brian Megaw Find out how —The Brain Audit can help you “I was wary of signing up and paying for a forum or another membership site“ “If you suspect that your business could be bringing in a lot more revenue but you don’t have a clue how to make that happen without hype or hassle, 5000bc is a must-have resource.” “I honestly didn’t see what 5000bc could offer me that I couldn’t get from Sean’s books. Besides, how could a bunch of people – most of whom are not business experts – help me build my business?” I joined anyway because the price was right and I wanted the information that came with the premium membership. The information and support I received from Sean and my fellow “cavers” about a single Web page was directly responsible for selling $10,000 worth of books in less than two weeks. Unlike many Web communities, 5000bc members are active and to the point. Sean keeps adding content that drills down to specific problems in business and then shows you how to solve them. Try it. You won’t regret it.”
Judge for yourself—How 5000bc can make your business succeed. Products: Under $50 NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline. 1) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’? 2) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion? 3) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients? 4) Chaos Planning 5) Nothing bugs you more than a painful client. NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action? |
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The Similarity Between Talent And Email-Clutter
Posted on 17. Oct, 2011 by nardene in Blog, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, time management
Imagine you had a friend who said to you, “I have 140 emails in my in-box”. What would you say next? I’ll tell you what. You’d be a little surprised, and you’d say, “You get 140 emails a day?”
“No, not a day”, this friend would answer. “I get just 20 emails a day.” But I check my email weekly.
At this point, you want to hold back, but you can’t help yourself.
“Why don’t you check your email every day?” is what you’d ask. And the friend would stubbornly say, “Ah, I have no time. I can only check it once a week.”
But you can see the downside of this obstinate behaviour, can’t you?
If you check 140 emails a week, a lot of things happen. So let’s make a list of things that instantly go wrong.
1) There’s just too much to cope with at one go.
2) It’s hard to sort out the important and the urgent from the crappy stuff.
3) If there’s an urgent matter that you’ve ignored for an entire week, that something is going to come back and bite you in the butt, big time.
Which is kinda how talent works
If I go for a watercolour class, I go once a week. So guess what? Let’s say the class is on a Tuesday. Then I don’t do much on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sunday is when I start thinking about practicing. And before I know it—yup, you got it—it’s Tuesday.
And this is why most of us never acquire skills at the pace we should
We always seem to have no time. But what good is all that mumbling and grumbling? You can’t acquire adequate skill by dipping your toe in it once a week. The only way is to practice and learn every day.
Without the daily check in, your brain struggles
If you learn every day, your brain goes through steps.
1) It learns a lot. And it kinda forgets most of the stuff.
2) The next day, it tries to remember, but fails.
3) This is when the brain is most alert. It has failed. So it pays attention.
4) The following day you remember even more. And you make more mistakes.
5) The more mistakes you make the more your brain struggles.
6) The more it struggles the more it seeks to remember.
7) By the end of the week, you remember a lot more and are a just a smidgen faster than you were at the start of the week.
Smidgens don’t add up. They become exponential
At first, there’s too much to cope with, so your brain struggles like crazy. Of course the cranky ones give up at this point. But the smart ones keep at it. They don’t attempt to do it all. Just a little bit every day, so the struggle is manageable.
And in time those smidgens get together and boof—it’s like cycling
One minute you’re falling all over the place. The next minute you have balance and momentum. And suddenly you have far less struggle.
Struggle is sorting through 140 emails in your brain
Time is of no consequence. If you don’t clear those 20 emails a day, they pile up to 40, then 80. And when you get to them, they seem not like 40—but more like 500.
At this point you begin to detest dealing with email. And the same applies to whatever skill you’ve been trying to apply. You suddenly think you’re not talented, when it’s really a matter of daily diligence.
But often you need help—so listen up if you’re a teacher/consultant
Your students can’t deal with a ton of stuff. So break up your course into daily practice. We do this on all our course—and every big skill acquisition course we ever have at Psychotactics.
Every day is mapped out. Every break is mapped out. Every public holiday is taken into consideration. And there’s no escape for those who don’t show up every day—they just get barred from the course.
As a teacher you have to lay down the rules, because for starters, it forces you to think through the tiny steps the students have to take. And in turn, you have to enforce the daily practice, rewarding those who show up and physically booting out the slackers that don’t.
Talent acquisition is not a question of having time—or not having time. It’s about daily practice.
Tackling 140 emails at a time is for the dunderheads.
Don’t be one. If you’re teaching, break it up. If you’re learning, break it up. And suddenly those smidgens come together. Suddenly you’re, um, talented.
Because ‘weekly’ doesn’t work as well.
‘Bi-weekly’ barely seems better.
All that really works is daily practice.
Get started today!
What are you going to change today? Share your story here.
“Before I bought the Brain Audit I felt lost & like a desperate salesman.” I was one amongst a million more service based businesses. But now with the psychological marketing tactics I learned from the Brain Audit, I feel confident.And I fell especially unique when it comes to advertising and marketing because most of my competitors don’t know the marketing principles taught in the Brain Audit! I feel like a real professional marketing expert. Luis Depazos, Entrepreneur, Miami, Fl. USA “I was wary of signing up and paying for a forum or another membership site.“ “Because of previous less than impressive experiences with sites that are all sizzle and no substance run by flaky gurus. Sean’s free advice and articles are so good I didn’t think that he could come up with something even better. He does. When I joined, I found a wealth of practical information and advice on all sorts of topics related to small business, marketing (both online and offline), interviews with experts, critiques of members’ websites and their marketing material. Sean is there answering queries and questions, sometimes even turning advice that Free resources available to members which you don’t read or hear about outside 5000bc, not to mention free access to articles which later become paid products are added bonuses of being a member. You also get information about classes and workshops which Sean is planning before the general public is informed. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend 5000bc as a valuable resource to help you with your business and the free coaching.”
Judge for yourself http://www.psychotactics.com/5000bc Products: Under $50 NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline. 1) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’? 2) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion? 3) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients? 4) Chaos Planning 5) Nothing bugs you more than a painful client. NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action? |
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How To Cope With Increasing Information—And Win (Well, Kinda)!
Posted on 03. Oct, 2011 by nardene in Blog, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
“I’m never going to another place until I see Paris completely” said my fictional friend.
I don’t talk to fictional people that often, but this time I decided to have the conversation.
“You mean you’re going to pass up everything else on the planet, just because you haven’t seen all of Paris yet”, I asked, in my mocking tone of voice. But my fictional friend was serious. “Yes, I’m going to absorb every nuance of Paris, and then when I’m done, I’ll visit other places”.
Can you see how ridiculous this conversation sounds?
And yet we have this conversation with fictional friends every day. Well I do, at least. The conversation starts like this: “You have so much information on your computer; so many books on your iPad/Kindle; so many courses you’ve not done. So complete what you have, and that’s it. Complete it from start to finish and don’t touch another thing until you’re done”.
And this sounds like great advice, because technically speaking at least, it sounds focused and totally devoid of distraction. And this advice (or conversation) of stopping and prioritising is both right and wrong. Let me give you an example.
When I started out Psychotactics, I kinda knew little or nothing about marketing
I knew a bit about advertising. And that was it. But marketing? Nah, I didn’t know a lot. So here’s what I did. I went to the library and borrowed 10 books. I read them all, often jumping between books, and completing them all out of sequence—often not completing them at all. Then I’d borrow 10 more. And the librarian was a bit amused. She increased my quota from 10 to 30 books. So I’d bring 30 books home.
Can you imagine focusing on 30 books?
I can’t either. So I’d read a bit here and a bit there. And eventually I stopped seeing the world in sequence. I saw it in layers. The layer of one book would sit on another. One piece of information would layer with a completely different piece of information.
To give you an example, one book would talk about the organisational capabilities of ants. Another book would talk about coaching methods. A third would rattle on about how to build your website efficiently. To most people, this lack of order makes no sense.
But it makes perfect sense to the brain
The brain doesn’t care where the information comes from. It doesn’t even care about the quality of the information. All it knows is that it needs to work out the connections. And if you’re reading a book from end to end, then you’re following the connection of the author.
But if you’re reading three books all at once, some weird connections are being made in your brain. And layer builds on layer, creating a system that’s somehow an amalgam of three or thirty other systems.
And sure it’s distracting
What could be more distracting than trying to master three (or thirty) things at once? And that’s where the problem lies. Most of us are trying to master things, when in fact we should be just listening. Just listen to something, and then implement one tiny bit of that something. For instance I was reading a book called ‘Free’, by Chris Anderson.
And that’s a chunky book, but I don’t care. I listen to that book/or read it and I don’t care if it’s 20 pages or 300 pages. I just implement a tiny bit. So I came back to the office and decided to implement that tiny bit and gave away the “Brain Alchemy Masterclass” away free. That increased our sales (and traffic) by 400% or more.
Nice book, I thought. And went and read another book on ‘The Talent Code.’
And I implemented one tiny bit from that book. And so on. I went back to reading ‘Free’ and then back to the book on talent and I keep reading other books. In effect, what I was doing was layering. And layering is different from mastering.
In effect, I was telling my fictional friend to go see Auckland, Tokyo, Melbourne, Barcelona, because it’s not fine to just focus on Paris, and Paris alone.
But there’s the other side called mastery
And that’s why I’ve been reading a book fort the last eight months. Is it because I’m slow at understanding the concept? Why would I read or listen to the book so slowly? Well to be fair, I’m not reading slowly. I’m reading and listening to it again and again, and again, and again.
So far I’ve read the same book about thrice; annotated it once; listened to it four times when on my morning walk. And what I’m aiming for is mastery of that topic.
I’m still reading other books, still listening to other stuff. But I’m focusing on mastering one thing, bit by bit. And yes, there’s been progress, I can assure you. In effect, I’m delving deep into the wonders of “Paris”, just like my fictional friend.
So how do we transpose this learning to every day life?
The main point to work out is the difference between learning and mastering. Mastery requires tons of time. You keep at this one concept for ages. You may put it down, come back to it.
You tinker, tinker and tinker like I’ve done with InDesign since the year 2005. You keep at it, because you know that it’s one of the things that are crucial to you.
But you must also learn other stuff. And when you learn something, you just implement a little bit.
Not the entire thing, just one tiny bit. And you keep learning, because your brain keeps layering. And what you learn on one thing, then applies to another thing.
I don’t just give this advice, I take it too
Right now I’ve got three courses going. One on Copywriting. Another on Cartoons. Another one on Uniqueness. And there’ll be a fourth on Pricing. Now if you’ve been on a course with me, you’ll know that this isn’t just some information being doled out, while I disappear from sight.
You’ll know that I’m there, checking, giving pointers, and writing new content in the form of PDF or audio. Creating new videos and answering forum posts all the time, as though we were on chat.
And at the same time, I answer posts in 5000bc (the membership site), am finishing two books, reading books, meeting clients, going out for coffee, taking week-long breaks, doing weekly cartoons, updating the blog thrice a week etc.
And I’m doing this for the most part with no outsourcing at all (I’m not against outsourcing, just not doing it as much as some people do).
If this sounds exhausting, it isn’t
It’s just that my brain has learned to be efficient because of this layering. But be aware that I didn’t start at this point. I built it up. When I first started out, it took all my energy to do just one course. Now four is a bit of a stretch, but not that much.
But learning stuff in one place helps me in another. And learning stuff in another helps me in a third. The point is that you can’t get faster and better by just trying to do one thing forever.
Your business is always going to tug both ways
You will be compelled to learn new things. And at the same time you’ll want to implement. What you need to know is that you’re not alone. Anyone who’s anyone, hears this fictional voice in their head telling them to stop and focus. And you should. You can and should focus on a few things, and then just keep learning other things, implementing when you can.
Paris is a beautiful place.
And my fictional friend would do well to stay there his whole life, exploring every bit of it.
But I like to travel. And yes I go back to Paris too.
It’s what keeps me sane in a completely insane world. 
How do you cope with increasing information? Share your story here.
| “Before I bought the Brain Audit I felt lost & like a desperate salesman.” I was one amongst a million more service based businesses. But now with the psychological marketing tactics I learned from the Brain Audit, I feel confident. And I fell especially unique when it comes to advertising and marketing because most of my competitors don’t know the marketing principles taught in the Brain Audit! I feel like a real professional marketing expert. Luis Depazos, Entrepreneur, Miami, Fl. USA 
“I was wary of signing up and paying for a forum or another membership site.“ “Because of previous less than impressive experiences with sites that are all sizzle and no substance run by flaky gurus. Sean’s free advice and articles are so good I didn’t think that he could come up with something even better. He does. When I joined, I found a wealth of practical information and advice on all sorts of topics related to small business, marketing (both online and offline), interviews with experts, critiques of members’ websites and their marketing material. Sean is there answering queries and questions, sometimes even turning advice that Mixing with people from all over the world which allows you to get a truly international response to your questions or requests for help is one of the big bonuses of belonging.The 5000bc members are really friendly and there seems to be a complete absence of ego which is often the bane of a lot of online forums. Free resources available to members which you don’t read or hear about outside 5000bc, not to mention free access to articles which later become paid products are added bonuses of being a member. You also get information about classes and workshops which Sean is planning before the general public is informed. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend 5000bc as a valuable resource to help you with your business and the free coaching.” Judge for yourself http://www.psychotactics.com/5000bc Products: Under $50 NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline. 1) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’? 2) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion? 3) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients? 4) Chaos Planning 5) Nothing bugs you more than a painful client. NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action? |
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Why Resistance Detests Groups
Posted on 26. Sep, 2011 by nardene in Blog, resistance, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
Resistance loves a loner.
Because loners have limited energy.
They start out on a project, all excited about what’s about to unfold. Then, for some reason or the other, they lose their way. And that’s when resistance gangs up on the loner big time. It’s not much of a fight.
The loner is already exhausted. One tiny tap on the head from resistance, and the loner falls into a heap on the floor. But this miserably one-sided bout could be avoided with the understanding of group work.
In Africa there’s a saying:
If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go with a group. And resistance detests groups. And there are several reasons why a group helps you get a project done with far more efficiency and a lower failure rate:
So how do groups help?
1) Release of Pressure
2) Exponential Learning
3) Support
1) Release of Pressure
The toughest part of a project is dealing with the pressure. And a release of that pressure is needed to give you a breather. When you rant and rave alone, it’s kinda depressing. When you’re suffering alone, you think it’s something to do with your talent, or your genes, or that you’re a freakin’ loser (yes, everyone feels super-lousy often enough).
And having someone to just listen to your rant is amazing therapy. You rant, you’ve been heard and now it’s time to get back to work, because you have a ton of mistakes to make, and learning to look forward to.
2) Exponential learning
Mistake making is frowned in our society. We love to get things right the first time. And yet all of us know that it’s impossible to learn without making a ton of mistakes on any project, no matter how familiar we are with the project. The problem is that mistake-making, instructive as it is, is also terribly depressing.
When you’re going round in concentric circles, your exhaustion builds up rapidly. However when you’re in a group, you learn from someone else’s mistakes, thus getting a bit of respite from the exhaustion factor.
When a group shares its learning and mistakes, everyone learns and everyone gets a little samba in their steps because you’re not just learning, but it’s exponential learning. You’re learning from four-five mistakes every day, and guess what? Most of those mistakes aren’t yours.
3) The third factor is just one of support
While resistance can take on a loner, it’s a lot harder to take on a group. If someone falls, there’s usually someone to pick you up. If someone is struggling, there’s someone to help. If someone has questions, there are answers that help you move along.
Working by yourself, you not only miss the ongoing support, but the struggle wears you out. And inevitably you give up.
Now this kind of group support doesn’t necessarily work for all kinds of projects
Sometimes the project is just to clean your desk. You could do with ranting and group support, but it’s an overkill. Besides it probably takes under an hour to get even the messiest desk tidy.
But if this seemingly mundane desk has to go on over a longer period of say, six to eight months, then you definitely need the power of the group.
In fact at Psychotactics, groups form a critical part of the project experience
If we take just the Copywriting Course for instance, the three months of learning and implementation are physically exhausting. If you were to try and replicate the same pace by yourself, you’d give up in a week or less.
But with a group, 75-80% make it to the finish line. When you consider the sheer intensity of the Copywriting Course, you should have the figures the other way around (namely 75% should fail to make it to the end). And yet it’s the group that helps you through.
But how do you work with projects where the group doesn’t have a common goal?
Admittedly it’s harder to pull off a project where everyone is headed in different directions. When the African saying suggested you go a lot further with a group, they were indeed suggesting the group had a common goal.
And if everyone in the group isn’t headed towards the same deadline, or using similar tools etc., then they have nothing in common. Then it’s relatively easier for the group to be counterproductive, as no one is learning from group-mistakes, and everyone has their own agenda.
It’s important for the group to set out a common agenda and at least have some common guidelines. So even if you have ten different writers, writing ten different types of books, they should ‘meet’ online every day and post their learning for the day, as well as a minimum of 800 words.
If they’re a group working on a gardening project, there needs to be the shared learning, the shared support moments, and shared implementation.
But don’t you need the right group for things to work?
Yes, having the right group is important. But how do you choose the right group? Groups need to be chosen primarily on the basis of attitude. Which is why for instance, at Psychotactics, we call our courses the World’s Toughest Courses. This weeds out the excuse-makers and ensures that you get the cream of the attitude crop.
And just as you get a great group, you can also get a lousy group. Then whining, whingeing and depression will be constant, and progress will be impossible. So just having a group isn’t enough.
You need to put in some filters to ensure that at least 75% (or more) of your group will make it to the finish line. And it’s a bit of work putting a group together, but hey it’s a lot less work than starting endless projects only to see them go up in flames.
Resistance likes fires
All this namby-pamby, touchy-feely stuff makes resistance look really bad. If prefers the loner. And most projects are done by loners. And resistance is happy. Now it can wield it’s little finger and push you over.
And resistance laughs and walks away contentedly.
| “Before I bought the Brain Audit I felt lost & like a desperate salesman.” I was one amongst a million more service based businesses. But now with the psychological marketing tactics I learned from the Brain Audit, I feel confident. And I fell especially unique when it comes to advertising and marketing because most of my competitors don’t know the marketing principles taught in the Brain Audit! I feel like a real professional marketing expert. Luis Depazos, Entrepreneur, Miami, Fl. USA
“I was wary of signing up and paying for a forum or another membership site.“ “Because of previous less than impressive experiences with sites that are all sizzle and no substance run by flaky gurus. Sean’s free advice and articles are so good I didn’t think that he could come up with something even better. He does. When I joined, I found a wealth of practical information and advice on all sorts of topics related to small business, marketing (both online and offline), interviews with experts, critiques of members’ websites and their marketing material. Sean is there answering queries and questions, sometimes even turning advice that Mixing with people from all over the world which allows you to get a truly international response to your questions or requests for help is one of the big bonuses of belonging.The 5000bc members are really friendly and there seems to be a complete absence of ego which is often the bane of a lot of online forums. Free resources available to members which you don’t read or hear about outside 5000bc, not to mention free access to articles which later become paid products are added bonuses of being a member. You also get information about classes and workshops which Sean is planning before the general public is informed. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend 5000bc as a valuable resource to help you with your business and the free coaching.” Judge for yourself http://www.psychotactics.com/5000bc Products: Under $50 1) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’? 2) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion? 3) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients? 4) Chaos Planning 5) Nothing bugs you more than a painful client. NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action? |
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