Perks of the Trade Volume 1, Issue 5 August, 2004 =========================================================== Contents =========================================================== Quote Of The Month-- Brian Weir Editorial--Glenn Beach Feature Article-- "The Upside of Down-times"--Glenn Beach Guest Article-- "Energy Marketing"--Joe Vitale Humor Veriuni Product Updates-- Closeouts New Veriuni Products Guest Article-- "Build Prosperity Mind Power!"--Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler Internet Marketing News Tips Q & A Advertisements General & Unsubscribe Info =========================================================== Quote of the Month =========================================================== "In order to be walked on, you have to be lying down." -Brian Weir =========================================================== Editorial =========================================================== It's easy to take things lying down when it's midsummer and hot hot hot! But don't let a business slump get you down even further. It's time to be thinking about your thinking. August's issue is all about changing your thinking to change your world. This is where business saavy meets spirituality head-on. It's been 7 months since you made those New Year's resolutions...how're we doing? This issue is all about how what you focus your mind on creates your reality. No, this isn't the lazy man's way to fame and riches; trust me, there is still a lot of work involved, but it's all about where your head is at... Hopefully this issue of Perks of the Trade will help you find any cloud's silver lining, and put any spare time you have this season to a valuable use, whether it be rest and relaxation or planning for the next big sales spurt. So crank up the a/c and enjoy the read, along with a tall iced tea! Glenn . =========================================================== Feature Article =========================================================== The Upside of Down-times by Glenn Beach Running an internet home-based business provides unique challenges. You may have to stretch your funds to last a year when you are only be bringing in cash for six months or nine months. Summer is usually a slow time, but the winter holiday time can be too. You must learn to prepare for the busy seasons and figure out how best to use your slow season to your business's advantage. And finally, you have to mentally prepare yourself for the rough times, even though you may not know when they will strike. I've learned a few money survival strategies over my years of self-employment. The most important is to live within your means. This means not spending big when you're making big money, only to fall back on using a credit card during the lean times. Live frugally when you're first starting out, defer spending, buy used, barter when possible, until you are able to roughly estimate a year's income, then spend according to an annual budget and save during the boom times. Pessimism will usually get you pessimistic results. A positive outlook generates enthusiasm. The first impulse is always to cut back on spending when business is slow. It's important to not slip into a downward spiral of spending cutbacks alone, because this will weaken your organization. The weakest entrepreneurs wish and pray for better days while making no lasting change. The strongest use the situation as a catalyst to create long-term change that will support growth well into the future. So don't dwell on your lack of sales; continually focus on new products, new technology or bettering your relationships with your customer base. The weakest entrepreneurs reduce prices without a reduction in costs. When price reductions don’t work, deep cuts are made in business expenses to keep the business afloat. What are usually the first to go are customer service and marketing. Unless this cycle is broken, companies may get caught in a downward spiral of repeated price cutting and cost reduction. The strongest entrepreneurs simultaneously reduce costs and improve the process, becoming more efficient and improving the product. This is the time to automate your follow-ups, begin a newsletter, write or update that ebook, actions that support both the short-term goal of survival and the long term goals of strength and growth. Creating something new will deliver MORE value to your customer, and this value will further differentiate you from your competition. In other words, if ANYONE is going to buy during this slow period, they will be buying from YOU because you offer them the best value for their money. Slow times are also a great opportunity to: Revise Your Business Plan Re-examine your markets, marketing techniques and maybe even your website -- and document your future course. Design a Survey Ask your website visitors questions about how satisfied they’ve been doing business with you, and ask them to offer at least one suggestion for how you could improve your product, service or customer service. You should offer those who fill out the survey a free gift. Write Articles or a Book Regardless of what business you're in, you want to be known as the expert in what you do. Once you become an author, people will assume you must know what you're talking about. Building your reputation is a perfect downtime activity. Educate Yourself Now's the time to catch up on all those ebooks you've been filing away, or visit your library and borrow that bestseller you've been wanting to read. Maybe there's a seminar you've been dying to attend...go! Take Time for Yourself Play catch-up--or don't. Straighten up your desk, organize your files, read, or don't! Remember why you went into business in the first place? Enjoy your family and friends, rest up, exercise more or spend time on a hobby. Take a vacation, even if all that means is turning the computer off for a couple days a week. Strengthen Client Relationships Email people you already know, brainstorm, commiserate on lack of sales. You'll feel better, re-energized. Branch Out If you enjoy writing, offer your services as a copywriter or editor, for example. If you find that summers are always slow, then find a part-time job. This bit of socializing is just the ticket for curing the isolation blahs that can set in when you work by yourself day after day, month after month. One theory of seasonal slumps is that there are none--only "a lack of creativity." A person who feels they have a slump should look at it from a different angle or find a niche they haven't reviewed before. Just think and play with ideas. Study and read a lot of publications outside your category so you're familiar with what's going on in other industries. So yes, there really is an upside to your down-times when you are working at home. After all, this is what being your own boss is really all about, having the flexibility to choose your own business style and hours. You can either diversify and stay busy year-round, or work your tail off during the busy times and make enough money to relax and do what you want during the low times. Remember to take the time to enjoy those benefits you wanted when you started this business: freedom, family, friends, relaxation. About the author: Glenn Beach is a poet, writer and home business entrepreneur in Nova Scotia, Canada. Free newsletter, more articles, and business start-up info at: http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com =========================================================== Guest Article: "Energy Marketing" An Unusual New Way to Attract New Clients by Joe Vitale =========================================================== "It doesn't matter what you say in an advertisement," Esther Hicks told me over dinner with her husband, Jerry, one day many years ago. "People will pick up on the energy in the ads, not the words in the ads," she continued. "They'll respond, or not, based on what they feel from the ad." That was probably my introduction to "Energy Marketing" or what I now call "Mental Science Marketing." I've since met several people who practice this unusual new form of marketing. Sandra Zimmer, for example, runs the Self Expression Center in Houston. One day she and I were having lunch and talking about marketing. I told her I remember seeing her ads years ago, and that they seemed to have a halo around them. "I put that there," she said. "How?" I asked. "I meditate on the ad I'm about to run and infuse it with my energy," she said. "When the ad comes out, only those people who pick up on the energy in the ad will call me." Since Sandra has been running a thriving business for many years now, I'd say her method works. Two years ago I began seeing ads run by a healer named Ann Taylor Harcus. Those ads had the same border of invisible light around them. When I called Ann the first time, I said, "Your ads are charged!" She knew exactly what I was talking about. "I put my energy into those ads," she told me. "I sit in silence and consciously send my energy into them. I am charging them so they magnetically attract the people who need me most." Considering Ann has now worked with well over 100,000 people, I'd say her method is working, too. A month or so ago I was interviewed by Terri Levine, of www.comprehensivecoachingu.com. She had read my latest book, "Spiritual Marketing," and wanted to know how someone "charges an ad" with magnetic power. It was the first time anyone had asked me that question. "Well, I simply intend for the ad to pull the perfect clients to me," I began. "I know that intention rules the earth. So I simply decide to add my energy to the ad and program it to bring me the results I want." I could tell I needed to explain myself further. "Think of it as Mental Science Marketing," I went on. "There's a whole school of thought that says you can heal anything by tuning in to the underlying perfection in life. Well, why not heal a business in the same way?" Before my "Spiritual Marketing" book became a #1 bestseller at amazon last June, I may have been reluctant to talk about this unusual new form of marketing. But the truth is, this is what I've been doing for maybe ten years. I simply haven't been talking about it in public. You can probably understand why. Mental Science Marketing isn't as nuts and bolts as the marketing practiced by those who like to focus on headlines, benefits, guarantees, and other traditional elements of a good ad. Mental Science Marketing is more internal. It's flying by your gut. It's listening to your intuition. It's aligning your beliefs. It's tuning in to your spirit. It's, well, different. But Esther Hicks is only partially right. What you put in an ad does indeed matter. If you run an ad with nothing in it, you won't get any calls, despite what you may have done on an energy level. You still need to put *something* in that ad, if only a phone number. That's where knowing traditional selling methods helps. But I've known people who created ads with all the right elements in it---headline, coupon, you name it---and the ads bombed. So just writing ads with skill won't always work, either. My policy is to combine both approaches. Learn all you can about how to write headlines and body copy. But also learn all you can about how to infuse your ad with your own energy. The combination can be irresistible. Just ask Jerry or Esther. They hired me to write an ad for them to run in a leading national magazine. I wrote it and they ran it. "We got so many calls we had to stop running the ad,"Jerry told me later. "It overwhelmed our office." What made it work? The words in it or the energy in it? My guess is that the words in it reflected the energy init -- and in fact amplified it. In short, you need both. Just as studies show that most (not all) communication is visual, most (not all) marketing is mental. Finally, let me leave you with a challenge: Look at the next ad, sales letter, commercial, or even website with an inner radar searching for the energy in it. See if you can note what is radiating from the ad. How does it make you feel? What is happening inside yourself while you view the ad? Then ask yourself what is actually in the ad---the words and images---that are helping you feel that way. You might even go so far as to hold a sales letter inyour hand and----before you read it---see what you sense. Does it have a good feel? Do you want to buy? Are you seduced or repelled? Now read the letter. Were your feelings right? If nothing else, this is a great way to increase your sensory awareness of everything from your five senses to your intuition. Why not start right now, with this very article? How does this make you feel? Are you picking up on my energy? Do you have a sense of what I'm trying to communicate? The fact of the matter is this: People buy for emotional reasons and justify their purchases with logic. When you are clear about your offer, your energy will be clear. When you proceed to create your ad, that energy will guide you. And when people read the final ad, it will be your energy that they will feel first. Just something to think about. Or do I mean "feel" about? Welcome to the new world of Energy Marketing! ---------------------------------------------------------- Joe Vitale is the #1 best-selling author of "Spiritual Marketing." He's written far too many other books to list here. See his main website at http://www.mrfire.com =========================================================== Humor =========================================================== A shopkeeper was dismayed when a brand new business much like his own opened up next door and erected a huge sign which read 'BEST DEALS.' He was horrified when another competitor opened up on his right, and announced its arrival with an even larger sign, reading 'LOWEST PRICES.' The shopkeeper panicked, until he got an idea. He put the biggest sign of all over his own shop. It read: 'MAIN ENTRANCE' =========================================================== Veriuni Product Updates =========================================================== Veriuni Store Closeouts Veriuni Air Freshener/Deodorizer: Cinnamon - Pint ($6.71), Quart ($12.52) Veriuni's line of Air Fresheners provides a chemical free freshener and odor neutralizer that naturally dissolves the cause of odors using earth friendly ingredients. It leaves a clean fresh scent that lasts for hours. https://www.ezinfocenter.com/8316011.103/Item.vstore?id=698 Veriuni Activated Oxygen Stain Remover:8 oz. bottle ($9.85) A gentle, but powerful stain and spot treatment for removing stains from fabrics and surfaces naturally and safely. https://www.ezinfocenter.com/8316011.103/Item.vstore?id=743 =========================================================== New Veriuni Products =========================================================== Been There, Done That Ebook by Dr. Joe Rubino In Dr. Joe Rubino's book, "Been There Done That" you'll learn the keys to success in building your network marketing business - from the man success magazine called a "millionaire maker" in their December 95 cover story. https://www.ezinfocenter.com/8316011.103/Item.vstore?id=754 =========================================================== Guest Article: Build Prosperity Mind Power! by Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler Do you have a desire to become wealthy? OK! Then let's play a little ‘mental monopoly game' to set an imaginary value on your mental process. Let's suppose that for every thought you have, you either gain or lose a dollar. Assuming you have one thought a minute, every hour would then offer a potential $60 gain -- or a $60 loss. Each successful 16-hour day would then equal a potential ‘gain' of $960. But on the other hand, a single negative thought like ‘Forget it, I'll never make it anyway' might trash four hours – creating a loss of $240 on your ‘mental balance sheet.' So, can you see how important a single thought can be to one seeking prosperity? ** The Power of a Thought Your life is not just the *result* of the thoughts streaming through your mind. In truth, your thoughts actually *create* your life. How can that be so? OK. Suppose you were laid off from your job. Now it's obvious you did *not* create the weak economy leading to that event. BUT – you ARE in total control of how you respond. Here's how that works: Suppose you get depressed and just give up. Your response would obviously create a negative reality in your life. But what if you instead ‘take the tiger by the tail' and start a new business on the web. You will have then created an entirely different reality in response to the exact same event. Life doesn't just ‘happen' to us. It's our *response* to what occurs that creates our personal reality! Think about this for a moment. You really ARE in charge of creating your own life. ** The Thought Streaming Process Many people go through their lives paying little or no attention to their active thought process. They are largely unaware of how their mind works: What it tends to pay attention to, what it fears, what it says to itself, and evenwhat it chooses to simply ignore. For the most part we eat, sleep, work, play, laugh, | worry, hope, plan, love, hate, cook, drive, work out – all with little thought as to *how* we think, or even *what* we are thinking. This is not necessarily a bad thing. If we gave conscious attention to virtually every one of our movements or actions, we would likely overload our brain with unimportant decisions. But there's another level of thinking we *should* give intense, dedicated attention to – the thoughts that create our life reality! ** Thought Stream Focus Successful people have success-focused thought streams. Wealthy people have prosperity-focused thought streams. Powerful leaders have leadership- focused thought streams. Do you want to create a lifestyle more prosperous than your current lifestyle? Then you'll have to develop and refine a ‘prosperity-focused thought stream.' ‘That's easy to say,' you may be thinking. ‘When you're successful it's easy to think success, and when you're rich it's easy to think prosperity. But I'm not close to wealthy or successful! The conditions of my life are keeping me down.' Not so! There's only one thing keeping any of us down -- our thoughts. Your thoughts got you where you are today – and they will keep you there, unless replaced with something more positive and powerful! But, you CAN learn to direct your mind to create any lifestyle you desire. The only true requirement is that you take action! Just*wishing* for something to change has no effect at all! You will always remain exactly as you are today, unless you take action, and change the focus and content of your thoughts. ** Creating a Reality Shift Assuming you DO want more prosperity, the place to start is by building a solid prosperity-focused thought stream. Start with a review of your current thoughts! If you want financial abundance, but constantly think about your lack of money –- you're focusing your thought stream on the wrong end of the ‘abundance stick.' You need to take charge of the internal messages your subconscious mind is broadcasting. Failure to pay attention leaves your subconscious mind in control. Then your subconscious will simply continue to reinforce the same thoughts that created the reality you have today. Focus on feeling prosperous. Do not give attention to mental thoughts of lack. Replace them immediately with thoughts of prosperity! Does this seem too simple? True, this takes no special abilities, intelligence or talent. It only requires a decision to take control of your thoughts. That's it! No matter what your past or present situation, or how many times you might have failed to reach your goals, you CAN change your life condition by simply paying attention to the thoughts streaming through your mind. Give it a try, and watch your reality shift! Your lifestyle is a mirror reflection of exactly how you think. Prosperity consciousness doesn't just ‘happen.' You create it. Or you just continue to accept the crumbs that life happens to throw your way. Change your thinking, and you change your life. Learn how to apply modern neuroscience insights to take control of your mental process fast. Click here: www.quantum-self.com/smash_your_limits.htm ----------------------------------------------------------- Note: By Dr Jill Ammon-Wexler www.quantum-self.com © 2004 All Rights Reserved. =========================================================== Internet Marketing News =========================================================== MICROSOFT SUES MORE ALLEGED SPAMMERS Eight new defendants are accused of violating the CAN-SPAM law. http://pcwnl.pcworld.com/t/119715/8331229/515708/0/ ------------------------------------------------------------ Feds Arrest Alleged Google Extortionist By Ryan Naraine http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3329281 The U.S. Secret Service has arrested and charged a Southern California man for allegedly creating software code to register fraudulent clicks on Google's AdSense program and attempting to extort money from the search giant. The case centers around a program called "Google Clique," which was allegedly written by 32-year-old Michael Anthony Bradley to surf and click on Web ads displayed by the Google AdSense program. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Bradley met secretly with Google's engineers in early March and attempted to extort $100,000 by threatening to release the program for widespread use by spammers. ...Bradley was arrested last week and charged in a San Jose, Calif., district court with interfering with commerce by threats or violence and mail fraud. He was released on $50,000 bond and banned from using computers, accessing the Internet or contacting Google or its employees. The software programmer is scheduled to appear again in court on April 8. =========================================================== Tips =========================================================== Troubleshooting Windows XP, Tweaks and Fixes for Windows XP http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp.htm Watch Out! XP SP2 May Break All Kinds Of Stuff This release will be a milestone for sure. Redmond is pulling out all the stops to improve security, which will inevitably cause many problems, especially because SP2 takes a new approach called: "to heck with backward compatibility!" All in the name of higher security levels. http://www.w2knews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=0628TB-SP2 =========================================================== Q & A =========================================================== What is an opt-in email list? Opt-in email lists are lists of email addresses of people who subscribed for a topic-specific newsletter or something else. They have confirmed their subscription and asked or at least consented to receive information on business offers and new products and services. ------------------------------ How do spammers get people's email addresses ? Here's a quick list of a few ways this can happen; unfortunately there are many, many more: 1. From web pages. Spammers have programs which spider through web pages, looking for email addresses. 2. From various web and paper forms. Some sites request various details via forms, e.g. guest books & registrations forms. Spammers can get email addresses from those either because the form becomes available on the world wide web, or because the site sells / gives the emails list to others. 3. From a web browser. One example of this is when one reads E-mail with a browser (or any mail reader that understands HTML). The reader should be aware of active content (Java applets, Javascript, VB, etc) as well as web bugs. An E-mail containing HTML may contain a script that upon being read (or even the subject being highlighted) automatically sends E-mail to any E-mail addresses. A good example of this case is the Melissa virus. Such a script could send the spammer not only the reader's E-mail address but all the addresses on the reader's address book. =========================================================== Classified Ads =========================================================== Free! Subscribe now to the "Timely Time Management Tips" newsletter. Free tips sent to you to help you get more done in less time, with less stress. Send your email now to: mailto:timemanagement-subscribe@topica.com *********************************************************** *** BRAND-NEW Version 2004 JUST RELEASED! *** JUST RELEASED: VERSION 2004 of Corey Rudl's best-selling "Insider Secrets to Marketing Your Business on the Internet"! ... With 1,000+ pages of up-to-the-minute research, test results, examples, case studies, and the newest and hottest strategies for marketing your business on the Internet! In 10 easy-to-follow steps, with 61 comprehensive lessons, you get: >> Step-by-step advice you can use to start your very own Internet business in as little as 48 hours! >> How to build a top-selling web site... for LESS than $100! >> Where to find hot products (in 20 minutes or less!) that you can start selling TODAY! >> 100s of FREE and cheap online tools, resources, and software to automate your site (and save at least 35 hours a week)! >> How to get #1 rankings in the search engines and get tons of FREE traffic from the "Big Guys" like Google! >> Secrets to writing sales copy that increases sales by 400% (or MORE) -- immediately! >> Get 1,000s of NEW visitors to your web site... FREE! ... And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Check it out at http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity- canada.com/endorsements.html You'll be glad you did! *********************************************************** =========================================================== General & Unsubscribe Info =========================================================== Perks of the Trade © Copyright 2004 Glenn Beach, except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. Reprint only with permission from copyright holder(s). All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is. No express or implied income claims made herein. Your business success is dependent on many factors, including your own abilities. Advertisers are solely responsible for ad content. To contact us with feedback, questions or praise, email mailto:begle@work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com To subscribe, please email with "subscribe" in the subject mailto:begle@work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com To unsubscribe, please email with "unsubscribe" in the subject mailto:begle@work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com Please feel free to share this newsletter in its entirety including the link to our website: http://www.work-at-home-business-opportunity-canada.com Back issues available upon request. I bet you can guess the email address... =========================================================== Sincerely, Glenn Beach SFI Sponsor Perks of the Trade is an opt-in ezine available by subscription only. We neither use nor endorse the use of spam. Thank you!