How To "Cut Through" All The B.S. In 2006!

Dear Friend,

I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of the year.

This has been by far, the fastest year of my life -- and to be honest -- it's also been one of the very best years of my life.  In fact, outside of the year I met my wife and we fell in love, I think this has been the best year of my adult life.

Tomorrow I'm going to close out the year with some humourous observations about what's going on in the world around us, but today I want to talk about something serious -- changing your life.

Last week I received an e-mail from a subscriber and this is what she had to say:

"Hi Craig,

There's not a lot to tell you about my business because as yet it does not exist.  I am an excellent saleswoman and enjoy a good income from selling real estate in Western Australia. I would like to learn what I need to do to have an on-line business.

I have not much idea about what to sell and am sceptical about promises and claims made by the many on-line business folk in the myriad newsletters and sales pitches I wade thru in my email inbox every day. 

Some tips on how to get started and spend less time on time consuming hype going nowhere except to a request for my credit card details would be fantastic.  Regards, Mary "

I get e-mails like this all the time, so I'm going to make a few broad comments about things in general.

First off, the internet is just another form of media.

So the skill you really want to learn, is marketing, and if you want to use marketing that works -- and by "works" I mean "makes you money" -- then the marketing skill you want to learn is called "direct-response marketing".

Direct-response marketing is simply putting a call to action in front of the right audience.  Meaning, in a nutshell... you want to make a persuasive sales pitch to a receptive audience and then tell them what to do.

And the truth is, it's very tough to believe almost anything nowadays, especially anything on the internet where you really DON'T need to invest a great deal of effort into promoting stuff, and where you can be almost "invisible" if you want to.

And by-the-way -- you're not excused from this whole mess yourself, you know.  Your prospects struggle with believing what you're saying too -- no matter how righteous you think you are, and irrespective of your genuine intentions.

At the same time, learning anything -- whether it's learning how to become a better seamstress... or learning how to eat right and then getting in better shape... or learning how to write better sales copy -- is going to cost you money.

And usually, the more you spend on your education... and the more you invest in YOU... the more you're going to learn and grow.

It's also going to cost you time... and unless you're different from literally every single successful person I know -- it's also going to cost you in terms of screw-ups you're going to make, on your way to discovering how to actually get things done the right way.

So, while I genuinely can empathize with your skepticism, I think the question you're really asking is "How Do You Know Who's Real?"

And the answer to this, is...

You Don't!

You don't know if anyone your about to do business with is real, before the fact -- any more than you know your new dentist is real... than the cardiologist who wants to operate on your mother is real... or that the auto mechanic who wants to take apart your car is real.

Everyone has some kind of a system for judging someone's character, and I'd be foolish to try and say which system's best for you.

Some people go by a referral... some people look at credentials... some people go by "throwing the dice" and just taking a shot... and some people just go by a "gut" instinct, which is probably made up of little bits and pieces of each of these things.

I am a damn good marketer... I am a publisher... and I am also probably someone who will make your world a better place by being "in" it, than by being "out" of it, especially when you compare me to the average person walking down your street.

And I'm also not someone who's going to bullshit you and say something that's not true.

So listen, and listen good:  You ARE going to get burned a few times along the way -- regardless of what you're doing.

You'll get involved with doctors who are just looking to crank up their practice at your expense... you'll buy body-building or weight-loss supplements that simply don't do anything... you'll get stiffed by auto mechanics who want to grease you up your you-know-where instead of greasing up the inside of your engine... and you'll buy marketing products that won't live up to your expectations.

The thing is, when you're in motion -- doing SOME thing... anything -- THAT'S when you'll figure out what's what.  Sitting there on the sidelines waiting patiently, until you know in your heart-of-hearts, THE right thing to do... only moves you in the direction of... well... "sitting on the sidelines."

It doesn't move you forwards -- and it doesn't even move you backwards so you can learn from your mistakes -- it just... leaves... you... the same.

So worry less about being burned, and more about being in motion.

Don't make the same mistakes twice, and keep moving... and I think you'll find yourself doing just fine.

You're going to lose a few times, just the same way you're going to get frustrated with your kids and your spouse, even though you try and do the right things with them as well.

And how can your business decisions be any fairer, or why should their outcome be any easier, than the decisions and actions you take inside your own household?

Right?

Now take action... and then... go sell something,

Craig Garber

P.S. Tomorrow will be the LAST day to take advantage of the early registration discount for my Information Marketing Expo Seminar!  So if you really DO want to gain total control over your business,,, and therefore over your personal life as well... get movin' and groovin' over to http://www.informationmarketingexpo.com -- right NOW!

Any comments?

Send them to me by scooting over to the contact form on my "Here's How To Contact Craig" page, and maybe I'll publish them -- I appreciate your feedback!

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