January 26, 2009

Make a Trade and Get What You Want... How to Use "The
Velvet Sledgehammer"... Learning From Amazon... A
Business Opportunity You Can't Overlook... and More.

** Make a Trade and Get What You Want
By Adrian Newman, Founder of e-Wealth Daily

Back in the day, blacksmiths used to trade their handmade horseshoes for a quart of milk from local farmers. These days, cash is king, and it seems like it's the only thing that you can barter with.

However, I believe that you can get the things you need for your business with something other than cash. All you need is to be savvy in order to find the no-cash opportunities that are indeed out there.

Though it may seem like an antiquated idea, trade could make a big difference to your business. Anything that you can do to save money is a good thing. So I encourage you to build your business relationships and look into trade as a means of getting what you want.

There are probably dozens of small business owners in your town who are just like you and are looking for a way to lower their expenses. Everyone is trying to succeed and it can be difficult to optimize the potential of your business when you don't have the finances to afford the things you need.

For instance, you might have a great plan for a web site, but you might not have the know-how to do it yourself -- or the money to hire a graphic designer to do it for you. Well, what about approaching a local designer and offering them a trade in services instead?

Perhaps you have or do something that another entrepreneur can take advantage of in exchange for his/her assistance. By exchanging services, you're both helping out each other's businesses as well as the local economy.

Not to mention that you are also doing something I believe to be extremely important, which is building relationships. There's no question about it -- you need solid relationships in order to survive in business. Whether your relationships are with customers, suppliers or other proprietors, having someone who is willing to help you out is vital to your success.

Believe me; you are going to need some help from time to time. So, by building a relationship that is based on helping someone with your service -- and them doing the same for you -- you are solidifying a working relationship that doesn't involve money.

Of course, the most significant benefit of trade is the money you will save. You might think that, by providing someone with a service for free, it's actually costing you money. But in reality, it isn't. What you are doing is offering your talents to someone in exchange for theirs.

Determine what you need and what you can't afford. Or, better yet, what would be helpful to save on that you could potentially get for free. Then start scouting your town for small businesses that might be able to help you out. Check your local phone book, as many businesses might be home-based or not as easy to spot.

When you first make contact, be sure to do so in an honest manner and not as a salesperson. Remember: You are asking for a favor and you are providing something in return for that favor.

Keep in mind that the entrepreneur you contact could very well say no to your request. Don't be upset about this, as cash is the only thing some people will work for. The key is to offer a product or service in exchange for theirs that they will find useful. If you don't offer up something of value in the trade, then you probably aren't going to get much in return.

Consider joining your local chamber of commerce. At commerce meetings, you can interact with other business owners and get to know them on a personal level. If you form a relationship with them beforehand, it will make bartering for services that much easier in the future.

If you operate your own business, you need to know that you have more to offer others than just cash. You have talents and strengths -- if you didn't, your business would never work. Use your other assets in order to help out your business.

Trading will save you money. But most of all, you will build business relationships, which, in the long run, can have a value much greater than cash.

** How to Use "The Velvet Sledgehammer"
By Doug D'Anna, the "Hundred-Million-Dollar Man"

Most people don't realize this, but there are many things they can do to actually eliminate resistance before it even presents itself.

One of the easiest and more persuasive ways to do this is to make people feel good about themselves.

I call this technique "The Velvet Sledgehammer." Why? Because it is such a soft and simple technique, yet it smashes through resistance in a powerful and unstoppable manner.

The reason it works is simple:

The more you make people feel good about themselves, the more they will feel good when they are around you. These good feelings can melt away the resistance they feel toward you, to your ideas, or anything else that may be a block in your life.

Think, for a moment, about your friends. Think about the people you would bend over backward for, people who you would go out of your way to help no matter what.

These friends, family members, acquaintances, and co-workers have created a positive rapport with you that serves, in essence, as a psychological bridge over your resistance.

On the other hand, the people you meet who are not in sync with you come to your bridge crossing only to find it closed.

Frankly, this is how you could turn the most stubborn resistance into unwavering enthusiasm for you.

The fact is, no matter where you go, and no matter what you do, there will always be a gatekeeper who stands between you and your future. In order to open the gate, you must have the key -- and that key is you.

How you act and how you treat people is the ultimate decision- maker between whether you will open the resistance door or keep it slammed shut. Which would you prefer?

** Learning From Amazon
By John Hurd, Chief Wealth Researcher

Over the past few years, I have begun to shop more and more online. Like many people, I was worried about credit card fraud or simply not getting what I wanted. I'm a hands-on kind of guy and, for that reason, I like to see and touch and try out what I'm buying. Even when it's something such as a book, I like to flip through the pages and see if it's what I want.

However, with online deals beating traditional brick-and-mortar stores time and time again, I've started to ignore my doubts and put my trust in online purchases.

So far, I have yet to be let down and I see little reason why that would change in the near future.

Of the purchases I've made online, many of them have been through the retailer Amazon. Mostly purchasing books and music, I've found the best deals on this site. I've also found that, even without ever talking to someone at Amazon, I feel like they know me there.

When I log in to my account, I'm reminded of the products I was looking at the last time I was there. When I open my e-mails, I'll get one or two from Amazon with suggestions about what else I may like. More often than not, I review their suggestions and they aren't half bad. And, the more purchases I make, the better the suggestions they have to offer become.

Now, I know there are people who have had bad experiences with Amazon; just do a quick search online and you're bound to find plenty of them. This means that the company still has a lot to learn; but, based on my experience alone over the past few years, the team at Amazon seems to be learning at a fast pace.

Whether you're selling a service or a product, it is a good idea to take a look at what Amazon is doing and try to learn a few things from them.

In an online world where there are few human voices to help you along the way, building trust with potential customers is more difficult, but is still possible. Many people are apprehensive about spending their money online, but people are spending to the tune of billions of dollars a year.

Take a look at your online sales tactics. Are you building trust through offering proof of your past performance online? Are you establishing ways to build a relationship with customers before they make their first purchase?

If not, take a look around at your favorite web sites and follow their lead. It could be something as simple as posting stories on your web site or something a bit more involved like starting individual accounts for customers.

** A Business Opportunity You Can't Overlook
By Michael Newman, Self-made Millionaire

Every day I watch the news and read the newspaper just like you do. I'm aware of all the current economic problems facing our nation. I hear about the companies making layoffs and cutting expenses and see the faces of all the unfortunate people who have been told they will no longer be collecting a paycheck. The truth is, as I'm sure you're aware, it can all be kind of depressing.

Then, one day, when I was sitting down with my morning coffee, I had a great idea that could not only prove to be a lucrative business opportunity in these conditions, but also provide businesses and individuals with the work they need to put the money they so desperately need in their pockets. This opportunity, in fact, has the potential to benefit you and hundreds of people who have recently been laid off or put out of work. The idea is for you to start your own temporary employee placement service.

You see, as companies make large cutbacks to their staff in an initiative to counteract reduced sales and rising costs, they are left with large voids to fill. However, these voids and the economic conditions do not justify hiring on a new full-time employee (especially if they were forced to recently let one go). The job, however, still needs to be done, and it needs to be done for the right price. The perfect way to fill the void: hiring temp workers.

To start this service, you'll need to develop a pool of skilled workers you can keep on file to contact when the businesses in your area need some temp help. Temp help can last anywhere from a one day a week (or less) to weeks at a time, depending on the job the client needs. Because the job could be for a variety of different things, it is necessary to keep a wide array of people with varying skills on file, so you've always got someone who can be of use to your clients.

Market your service to businesses by sending out a direct mail package, contacting them via telephone and scheduling meetings with their owners or operations managers. Explain that you can provide the workers to get the jobs done whenever needed, and save them the hassle of having to work longer hours or make a new hire...don't forget to mention all the money they can save!

To get a pool of workers you can contact, put some ads in your local newspaper. Highlight all the benefits of being a temp worker: the flexible hours, the ability to get paid and the fact they no longer have to be stuck in the nine-to-five rut. With the shortage of available work these days, interested people shouldn't be hard to find.

You get paid by having clients pay you an hourly rate for the temps they bring on. You then take that pay and give a portion of it to the temp. So let's say you have a billing rate of $40 an hour per temp, you then pay the temp $15 an hour for the job they do.

If you're looking to take advantage of a unique business opportunity in an economic downturn, this is definitely it. Start building a pool of workers today and get your temporary employment service off the ground!