FROM THE DESK, MIND AND HEART OF JEFF HODGES
Hey Everybody,
I don’t know what it is doing in your part of the World but here today it broke the seventy degree mark for the first time this year. Warm and sunny weather is just so therapeutic !!! I couldn’t let it go to waste so I spent the majority of the day doing some long overdue visiting. Of course, riding with the window down and some good music playing made the trip that much more enjoyable. But, now it’s time to spend some quality time with all of you. So, as always, welcome back to all my regulars and welcome aboard to all the new comers. If you are new and want to read the back editions or if you just missed one you can find them all by going to either:
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com/links.html (bottom left corner of the page)
OR
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
********************* Success University *********************
It’s that time of year again !!! It’s time for the Success University Annual Leadership Conference. This year’s event is being held in London, England. You see, Success University is not just your average online business opportunity company. These people are all about Leadership and Support for their members. They go the EXTRA MILE. Now, being in over 175 countries and having become approximately 80,000 students strong, they continue to reach new levels of excellence and are showing the World that THEY MEAN BUSINESS !!! They even have a Special Promotion going on right now that will provide YOU with a FREE ticket to the event by simply having a few of your downline to purchase tickets. What’s that ??? You say you’re not a member ??? Well, then you need to finish reading this newsletter so you can go check them out at…….
http://www.jhodges1.successuniversity.com
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Almost on a daily basis I get emails asking me what the best advertising methods are. I always tell people that there are no right or wrong methods. There are the methods that are best suited for you, based on your strengths and weaknesses in certain areas. For example, you may be a good talker but not know your way around the internet. Or, you may be a real computer geek but can’t carry on a conversation in person. However, there is another dimension to advertising and it is really the actual KEY to any and all kinds of advertising you may use. The KEY that I’m talking about is Psychology !!!
To be competent in advertising you must understand Human Psychology. You see, Human Nature is perpetual so the principles of psychology are basically unchanging. Therefore, once you learn them all you have to do is apply them to attain the desired results. All advertising is trial and error but the more you understand how people think the more error you will eliminate and the faster you will dramatically improve your results.
One of the most effective methods of advertising is the Curiosity Factor. People are naturally curious and when hooked with an exciting lead in or a catchy phrase, they are drawn in and want to know more. I must point out, however, that you should never confuse arousing curiosity with generating Hype !!! People are very burned out on hype and will run from it screaming !!! A good example of arousing curiosity without hype is stating a true fact about the product or service that is a real attention getter without actually telling them what the product or service is. Curiosity will take over at that point and they will check further into what you have to offer.
Next, never fall into the Cheapness Trap !!! People are not attracted by CHEAP. They have a very high level of a self deserving mindset and want quality because they feel deserving of only the very best. When people look to purchase something they have a tendency to judge it’s value by the price that is being charged for it. If it is something that is going to benefit them greatly in some way and you have it priced much too low the first thing they are going to do is assume that it is of low quality. Believe me, it is just as important to charge ENOUGH for your product or service and it is to not OVER CHARGE !!!
Another aspect to consider is the Guarantee you place on your product or service. In recent years the most popular method has been a Money Back Guarantee. The customer receives a written promise that if they are not happy with what you sell them that you will willingly and swiftly refund their money. Unfortunately, we live in a World of scams and rip offs so people are not very willing to let go of their money and HOPE they can get it back if they are not happy. Have YOU ever tried to get a refund from an online purchase ??? A more preferred method is to NOT take payment at the time of sale but rather let them try your product or service for a pre-determined amount of time then, if they are happy they pay and if not they return the item. If you are not comfortable letting it go without receiving payment then simply take their payment information and agree to not charge them until after the Trial Period. If they do not return it then you are assured of payment.
Be bold in the confidence you place on what you have to offer. But, be bolder in the manner in which you exhibit that confidence. Don’t be selfishly bold and talk only of how great your offer is. INSIST that they try your competitor’s offer. Show them that you know that your product or service will stand on it’s own merits. Most people will react to this type of approach by skipping the comparison purchase and going immediately for yours. They will deduce that if you are that confident of what you have that they will EVENTUALLY be buying yours anyway so they may as well start with the best.
These are just a few of the more important aspects of Human Psychology but there are far too many for me to be able to address in this newsletter. I just wanted to give you a basic idea of how important it is to get INSIDE THE HEADS of your potential customers. I’m not implying that you should go out and take a college course on the subject but I do recommend that you expose yourself to as much of this aspect of the sales process as possible. It all comes down to one basic idea. It’s not just what you say but, rather, HOW YOU SAY IT !!!
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“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”
- Plutarch
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“Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation ... even so does inaction sap the vigour of the mind.”
- Leonardo da Vinci
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Ok, allow me to take this opportunity to catch all of you a little off guard. It just came to me today that it has been sixty days since the beginning of the New Year. Guess what that means. That means that you are sixty days into your New Years’ Resolutions !!! That’s right, just sixty short days ago you made yourself a LOT of promises. The question is, how many of them have you made good on ???
You see, the average person, at the end of sixty days will have defaulted on 95% of their New Year’s Resolutions. That is a staggering statistic and one we should NOT be very proud of. Think about that for a moment. Every year we make countless promises to ourselves that are doomed for failure. Now, what you need to do right now is take a little personal inventory and determine if YOU are a statistic !!!
The first thing you need to do is get out your list of resolutions. You DID write them down, right ??? The first rule of Goal Setting, which is basically what a resolution is, is to WRITE THEM DOWN !!! Now, go down the list one at a time. Read each one out loud and evaluate where you stand on that particular one. No gray area. No excuses. No justification of failure. Just plain and simply, if it should have been completed by now, IS IT ??? If it was not scheduled for completion yet, ARE YOU ACTUALLY ON TRACK ???
Ok, now take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Of the ones that you are falling short on, it is VERY important that you accept FULL RESPONSIBILITY for the fact that you missed the mark. This is an essential part of getting it right the next time. If you try to blame something or someone else then, instead of doing it differently on the next attempt, you will simply eliminate what you are blaming for the failure and repeat your unsuccessful methods again. Now, don’t make me remind you of what Einstein said about his definition of Insanity !!!
Next, take a look at the ones that you DID accomplish or ARE on track with. I want you to take them to the next level. Remember, you are NEVER as good or as successful as you can be. There is always room for improvement. Hold yourself to a higher standard. If you set certain physical fitness goals and attained them then set stricter ones for next time. If you set certain financial goals and attained them then add a zero next time. I think you get the point. Never become stagnant in your development. Always see yourself as a work in progress. Always keep the mindset that success is not a Destination but rather a Journey through the Universe of your life, never ending and magnificent !!!
What ever you do, take this as a learning experience. If you have been predominantly successful in your Resolutions then intensify your efforts and achieve greatness. If you fell a little short, be firm but not hard on yourself. You should never punish yourself for any level of failure. Accepting the responsibility of the failure and responding to it by aspiring to do better next time will serve you much better than coming down on yourself. Always remember, A SET BACK IS A SET UP FOR A COMEBACK !!!
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“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
- Helen Keller
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“Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.”
- John F. Kennedy
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As usual, the time has just flown by. It seems like I just sat down here a few minutes ago when, in fact, I have been here for quite a while. That’s what happens when you are so involved in and enjoying what you are doing. It is always a joy as well as a learning experience and I eagerly await each week reaching this point. Each week it is my hope that I have helped someone in some way. If anyone ever has any suggestions for something you would like for me to cover just let me know. I will be happy to accommodate all of you in that respect. Well, I’m off to bed. Tomorrow and all it’s adventures and challenges are waiting just around the corner. So, until the Good Lord let’s us do this again next week just remember to always………………….
JUST SAY “NO” TO NEGATIVITY !!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Hodges
JeffreyHodges@thedreameffect.com
http://www.thedreameffect.com
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com
http://www.jhodges1.successuniversity.com
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
270-320-1324
Skype ID : jeffhodges1
