Get to Know My Teacher - He'll Save You A Lot of Heartache And Cash

I have a wonderful teacher.

In fact, you know him.

I'll tell you his name a little later.

For now, all you need to know is that this teacher knows everything.

When I say everything, I mean...everything.

How does he know all these things?

Every single thing that's ever happened in the past, my teacher knows about... without exception.

Simple - he's been around a long time.

I call upon my teacher once in a while and, when I remember.

And, whether in business or just life in general, when I take heed of the lessons he teaches me I know I'm less likely to make mistakes... especially the same one I've made in the past.

Don't get me wrong... he doesn't know everything.

For a start, he can't tell me with absolute certainty what's going to happen in the future.

Nobody can.

Only God knows that.

Anyway, let me give you an example of where I messed up a few times...

In my online business, when I ignored what ever my teacher told me, I did the same things over and over again.

By that, I mean the same things that were bringing me no results.

And by doing those same things, guess what happened?

Nothing.

I got no results.

On the flipside, when I listened to my teacher and abandoned those things which did not work, more often than not, the results changed.

Not always - like I said, he doesn't know everything that's going to happen - my teacher.

My teacher can also teach me things others do.

For example, do you remember Black Monday?

It was the day the stock market crashed on October 19, 1987.

I remember it... vividly.

And I haven't forgotten.

A couple of years ago I warned some people against buying property.

I reminded them that what happened before Black Monday was exactly what was happening then.

I didn't mean the inner mechanics - just the fact the prices of everything was going way too high.

And, when things go too high up too quickly, there's only one way to go...

Down.

They didn't listen and bought property.

And now they have property worth less than they bought them for.

That happened within a few months of them buying them.

I think we all know what happened there, don't we.

So, back to my teacher.

I recommend him to everybody, without exception, because I know there's no-one in the entire world who would not benefit from his knowledge.

His name?

History.

Have You Heard of Drayton Bird?

Here's what David Ogilvy said of Drayton and his seminal book on marketing “Commonsense Direct & Digital Marketing”...

Drayton Bird knows more about Direct Marketing than anyone in the world. His book about it is pure gold.

Eric Van Vooren of BBDO Direct in Brussels said...

Without doubt the best marketing book which exists.

And probably my favourite quote about Drayton's book come's from Robert Leiderman, the leading telemarketing expert, when he said...

Perceptive, provocative and funny as hell.

You get an idea of the type of personality Drayton Bird is when he begins his blog with...

Welcome to Bird droppings

Okay, so who is Drayton Bird?

The Chartered Institute of Marketing named him “one of 50 individuals who’ve shaped today’s marketing”.

As you’ve already read above, David Ogilvy said he “knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world.”

Side note...

If you don’t know who David Ogilvy is, this is what his biography says of him… he’s the guy who…

“Founded the agency which would become Ogilvy & Mather. Starting with no clients and a staff of two, he built his company into one of the eight largest advertising networks in the world. Today it has 359 offices in 100 countries”.

And, while David died in 1999, he...

remains one of the most famous names in advertising and one of the handful of thinkers (Raymond Rubicam, Leo Burnett, William Bernbach, and Ted Bates) who shaped the business after the 1920s.

Drayton has written three business related books including, “Commonsense Direct & Digital Marketing”, “Salesletters that sell” & “Marketing Insights and Outrages”.

He has even written a novel entitled, in his own inimitable way, “Some rats run faster” which he wrote at the age of 27 when, I’m sure he would probably agree, was when dinosaurs still roamed the earth.

Drayton say of this book, “Hardly anyone read this brilliant work as it had virtually no plot”, which isn’t surprising as business and marketing are where his strengths lie.

He's written over 1,000 columns for international magazines, spoken in 42 countries and worked with many leading brands, incl. Amex, BA, Deutsche Post, Ford, Microsoft, Nestle, P&G, Philips, The Royal Mail, Unilever and Visa. In 1977, he and two partners set up Trenear-Harvey, Bird & Watson, sold in l984 to O&M.

As international Vice-Chairman and Creative Director, he helped O&M Direct become the world's largest DM agency network, and was elected to the worldwide Ogilvy Group board.

He now runs Drayton Bird Associates and has interests in 5 other firms. He says the ones he never visits do much better, but I kinda doubt that.

I studied Drayton Bird’s work when I studied business in the mid-1990s and it seems surreal when you get to meet and work with someone with Drayton’s reputation, someone's work you studied.

In marketing terms it’s like being on first name terms with the biggest movie and rock stars.

Except for the fact Drayton actually knows how to think for himself.

You can get his book “Commonsense Direct & Digital Marketing” – now on its 5th edition here http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/ along with his other books. That's a direct link.

Take it from me, or you can find out for yourself, Drayton had me chuckling from the second paragraph.

This is not your average crusty text book... it's almost like reading a novel.

Ken McCarthy, of The System Seminar and probably the leading exponent of utilising the internet for business had this to say of “Commonsense Direct & Digital Marketing”...

What makes direct marketing such an appealingly reliable way of making money in good times and bad is that it's not based on theory, opinion, fad or fantasy.

Instead it's rooted in unchanging principles of human behavior.

If you're new to direct marketing, you won't find a better guide to this reality-based approach to selling than Drayton Bird.

If you're an "old hand," this is a book you'll want to keep handy as an entertaining and insightful reminder of marketing principles you know you can always count on.”

If you've been in business, or at least studied it for any length of time, you'll have heard of Peter Drucker.

Peter Drucker is generally recognised as the guru's guru when it comes to management.

Well, as far as I'm concerned...

Drayton Bird is the Peter Drucker of Marketing.

Or should that be... Peter Drucker is the Drayton Bird of management?

Here's that link again, go check out the comments on Amazon http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/

How Does A Rookie Know A Scam From A Great Gift?

I’ve got to ask you, how does a rookie, as so many of us are, know a scam from a great gift, and for nothing? Smells like an elephant to many of us, high and stinky. How do you know wats great or con?

That’s the specific question one of my readers asked me via email.

Now, it’s not usual that I reprint anything form emails word for word, but in this case I thought it necessary.

You see, for a long time I resisted writing a post like this… and… even if I did write one I tended to delete it almost immediately after.

The reason for that is there seems to be an almost unwritten rule that no one writes negative things about other marketers no matter what… or suffer the consequences.

And, being only human, that kinda made me a little nervous.

However, after receiving numerous emails similar to the one above, I figure I owe it to my readers to say something.

The good thing is, the scam artists are fewer than I originally believed.

The bad news is, the ones who do exist are… how can I put it… scum.

And they probably deserve to get locked up, not for just conning people, but for the hardship they put those people through.

Not everyone who gets conned suffers as they probably do have enough cash, jobs, etc. which means they’re still okay.

There are those, however, who don’t have backup and tend to dive into something through desperation.

Believe me I know… I was one of them.

Anyway, I’m going to describe one incident which really made me think about internet marketers, and which initially led me to believe they were all scum.

Of course, I don’t think that any more as I’ve educated myself and know a little more than I did.

It was in 2005, when I saw an advert by a very prominent internet marketer promoting their coaching and promising much, with amazing testimonials.

These testimonials were written and video… of real people… or so I thought.

I found out later, when it was too late and by accident, that those same people in those videos were working for a number of other people.

Some of them even had their pictures on various other sites advertising myriad other things.

In effect, their testimonials were outright lies and they were probably paid to do them.

Anyway, going back to the coaching…

This coaching cost me $4,000.

The thing is, once I was on there, I realised it wasn’t being run by the internet marketer promoting it…

It was outsourced to a different company.

I couldn’t believe it.

However, being fairly new to the industry I figured maybe this is how it’s done.

Cutting a long story short, I knew I’d been totally conned when I sent a specific email asking for advice, and received a generalised reply.

In fact, here’s a few excerpts from those emails…

Hello *****,

I’m sorry I feel that I am not getting the service that I signed up for. I realise that this is a coaching program but, the first session consisted of a recorded video telling me how to get myself set up as a business/sole trader, in my case, when I was expecting to be coached on how to start and internet business. I was told that after each session I just need to be patient until the next session.

I feel that I have paid a lot of money for this and “to be patient” is not something I was expecting to be told. When I spoke to you guys (not you particularly) I did mention that I really need to get going with this as I was paying for it with a credit card and I do not have a job to make the repayments. As a result, I need to be earning rapidly. I was told by the person who called regarding the coaching that I will not even be setting up a web site for at least two months. In fact, I would not even start working on one until then.

I cannot wait that long. I am in a lot of trouble right now if I can’t make these payments to my card. I would really appreciate it if you would please issue me with a refund as I have a family to feed as well as making these rapayments.

Thank you,
Rezbi

They knew my situation before I got on their ‘coaching’ course.

Here’s another…

Hello,

This is a message for S*** L***: I was told I should be receiving a call from, I think it was J***, on Monday regarding my particular situation. I have not received that call. Please let me know if he will still be calling.

I have been going through the lessons that are available online but they are quite limited. I am emailing my coach to see if there is anything further I can do meanwhile.

Thanks,
Rezbi

You can see on the second one I was so angry I didn’t even feel like putting anyone’s name in the salutation.

Here’s a couple of others…

Hi,

I’ve sent emails before trying to get in touch with a coach with no luck and have tried phoning but can’t get through on the advisory line for some reason. Would someone please call me back ASAP. I am on **********.

Thanks,
Rezbi

I don’t know about you, but for $4,000 I expect a teensy weensy little bit more.

And this is the once which really sealed it for me…

Hi,
If your product ideas fit the suggestions that we gave you in course 3 and you can find a supplier, then go with it.

J*** R***
ihelp@*****.com
8*******

—–Original Message—–
From: G N Rezbi [mailto:rezbi@feelinglazy.co.uk]
Sent: Tuesday, November 07, 2006 11:20 AM
To: J*** R***(icoach)
Subject: Re: Product

Hi J***,

Thanks for that, I’ll do that. Just wondering what your thought are regarding my ideas?

Thanks,
Rezbi

If my product ideas fit the suggestions!?

I was a complete beginner and all I was looking for was the guy to take a look and give me his ‘expert’ opinion on whether or not it was a good market to go into.

For $4,000 of ‘coaching’ was that too much to ask for?

Now, fast forward a couple of years and I’m looking at another internet marketer promoting something similar.

Just out of curiosity I decide to give them a call.

A guy answered the phone and mentioned the name of the promoting company - seemed fair.

However, something didn’t sound right, so I asked the guy straight if they were the same company I had been with before.

Obviously I didn’t use those words, they didn’t know who I was.

He replied that, indeed, they were.

I don’t know what happened, but I’m guessing they got found out, wound up their old company, and started a new one…

Doing the exact same thing.

Suffice to say I wouldn’t have gone with them even if I needed to.

The really funny thing is, the internet marketer promoting their ‘coaching’ is another very highly regarded company just like the first one.

Or, are all those testimonials for them lies, too?

Now, I can’t tell you for sure how you can know who’s out there to con you and who’s not.

What I can tell you is, the majority seem to be okay.

So, my suggestion is, get on a few lists and begin to build a relationship with those people - find out who you can trust through the way they ’speak’ to you through their emails.

See if their recommendations for products are any good.

You may end up getting some of those products, if you feel they’re something you need, but please don’t buy anything unless you’re sure…

Especially if they cost a lot of money.

Also, please, please, please… don’t buy anything if you don’t have the money.

If someone tells you to ‘leverage’ your credit cards to ‘invest’ in your business, just assume you’re leveraging your credit card to grow theirs… and run a mile.

Or, just delete the email or put the phone down.

Whatever it is you do to stop yourself getting scammed, do it.

Here’s what P. T. Barnum wrote in his excellent book ‘The Art of Money Getting’

Young men starting in life should avoid running into debt. There is scarcely anything that drags a person down like debt.

I would advise you to heed those words.

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Does Blogging Give You An Adantage Over Other - Static - Websites?

Does it ever occur to you why people write blogs and, what’s more interesting, why others read them?

One of the reasons I’ve found to be true is because bloggers tend to be seen by a lot of people like newspaper journalists or magazine columnists.

I know this to be true as I personally run a few blogs on a variety of topics, and their readerships run into the hundreds and even thousands per day.

One thing I’ve found is the more ‘newsy but opinionated’ type of posts I make, where I write my own opinion on a public matter, the more readers I get.

This type of information on blogs is more interesting to the average reader as it has a more personal feel to it due the the person writing in his or her own voice, unlike the media.

Also, when you make a blog post, it gives your readers the chance to make their own comments - either for or against what you write - read other material linked to your post… or link something themselves.

In effect, a blog is very interactive, which is one of its main attractions.

And blogging is trendy - anybody who is anybody seems to have a blog, and it gives you the a satisfaction of blending in… of being appreciated for your writing.

It’s a way to ’speak’ your mind on public interests and events.

It’s a chance say what you feel… about… anything.

It’s a medium of keeping a record of everything you write, and call upon it if and when you need it… easily accessible.

It’s a chance to get into print without having to go through a publisher and all the related hassles and headaches.

You can even use a blog, whether as a writer or a reader, as a medium of debate… a place to air your opinions… as long as you know there are rules of engagement in all areas of life and realise others have opinions, too.

And, blogs are a perfect way of marketing your business and keeping in touch with your customers, your employees, your associates and whoever else has an interest in your business.

Lets face it, a blog can be used in almost any way you want to use it, and it gives the added advantage of the ability to update as often as you would want to… as long as what you have to say is interesting and easy to read - as I hope this blog is.

Why Blog?

Out of all the things I have tried personally, there is one thing which brings in more natural traffic than anything else...

... Content.

And the content which has brought me more traffic than any other is the content I have on my blogs.

A blog is a wonderful tool, both for marketers and for the average person who just wants to have a presence on the web.

Specifically for marketers, a blog can be a means of providing information, and for selling products.

In effect, the content on a blog can be utilised as a sales page.

This is also a very good reason why it is a good idea to learn copywriting.

In fact, it's essential for anyone utilising their blog for business to learn copywriting.

For, what may seem like idle ramblings to the average person, the correct wording can mean the difference between that reader ordering a product directly or indirectly from that site... or not.

When you think about it, a blog is an amazing tool.

When we want to make a sale on the internet, what do we do?

We write a sales letter.

Or, we get someone to write one for us.

And then we have to drive traffic to that page where, hopefully, the sales letter will be convincing enough to convert that traffic into sales.

The fabulous thing about a blog is, anything we write on there, if it's decent content, can be a sales letter.

Plus if we know what we're doing, every single article we write can be a sales letter.

Now, I've mentioned a few times about how fabulous I think a blog is and this is why...

A blog is constantly updated with fresh content...

And what are search engines always looking for?

You guessed it... fresh content.

The more regular the content and the more unique it is, the better the chances of your blog being listed.

And if you happen to attract visitors who comment on your blog, all the better as their comments also help to increase search engine rankings for search phrases.

You also have other bloggers with same or similar interests who may visit your site and comment.

They may even write posts on their own blogs about something you've written and link back to your original post, thus increasing link-backs to your site.

Those link-backs not only increase search engine rankings, but they also increase the traffic to your site.

Even sites which are not blogs may link back to your site if they have similar interests or are promoting something similar to your content.

One method for increasing traffic which I have personally only just recently begun to utilise is RSS feeds.

I've seen feeds from my sites on numerous other sites, whether intentionally by people interested in my content or sites which pull content from my site automatically.

Either way, they link back to my site, thus sending me even more traffic.

On some of my sites I also have an automatic announcement set up.

What this does is, every time I make a new post, my autoresponder sends out a short email to my subscribers informing them of it.

Result?

More traffic.

I know of quite a few online businesses whose main source of income is a blog.

One such marketers is Yaro Starak of Blog Mastermind.


Yaro makes a six-figure income as a direct result of running his blog which you can check out here Entrepreneurs-Journey.com

As well as earning a six-figure income from what you can see on that site, Yaro teaches others how to earn a six-figure incomes by doing the same here Membership Site Masterplan.

It's really a very simple business model where he blogs about... blogging.

You can see on his site he has several advertising spaces he 'rents' out for a regular income, and he also writes reviews on various products he promotes.

When you think about it, all he does is write a few articles on his blog, and that's all he really needs to do make a more than comfortable living.

Just imagine the additional income he has coming in from teaching others.

I do more or less the same on my on sites, except I don't hold courses on blogging... which doesn't mean to say I don't teach anything.

You can check out my internet marketing blog here Internet Marketing Secrets Revealed for a decent education on marketing both online and off.

I currently have a serialisation going on of Claude Hopkins' Scientific Advertising in both written and audio.