March 11, 2009
Tough Times Are Sensitive Times... How to Deal with March
Madness Stress... The Gap Between Different and Difficult...
Giving Your Info Product a Look All Its Own
** Tough Times Are Sensitive Times
By Adrian Newman, Founder of e-Wealth Daily
On Monday, I wrote about how getting fired could be a blessing in disguise.
I've gotten a lot of response to this article. Some of it has been praise, with some readers telling me that the success stories put a "light at the end of the tunnel" for them as they search to reinvent themselves as entrepreneurs.
Other responses haven't been as positive. One reader pointed out that my using the term "getting fired" was a little too insensitive for those who have been laid off.
I can understand her argument and I respect her comments. As someone who has both been laid off and fired in the past, I know how it feels to be in that situation.
My first firing happened when I was 18 years old. I was working as a stock boy for a large department store in the shoe department. This wasn't my first job, but it was my most important job, because, at the time, I was helping support my family with the income I was bringing in.
I thought I was doing well, as I did what was asked. However, my supervisor thought I should be doing more. I was constantly yelled at. The more I tried, the worse it got. Many times, I thought about quitting; but I knew how important the money was, so I kept working.
Soon enough, I was called into the office and fired on the spot. I'll admit, I was partially relieved, but at the same time very upset. I never asked why they were firing me, but my supervisor told me, straight out, "You're just not the kind of person I want working for me." And that was that.
Later on in life, I found myself cleaning office buildings during late nights. It was a small cleaning company that had a few accounts and things were going well. The owner of the company was happy with my work and I was making some good money.
One day, the owner showed up for his routine inspection and gave me the bad news: the office I was cleaning was having financial trouble and were cutting their costs, meaning they weren't going to renew the cleaning contract. Two weeks later, I was out of a job. Laid off. Nothing to do with my performance; just economics.
Once again, I was out of job and very upset.
This happened once again in my life before I decided to jump into the business I'm in now, so I understand the difference between getting fired and being laid off. However, on both occasions, the results were the same: I was out of work, upset and unsure of my future.
And that's the gist of the article as I intended it. No matter how you've wound up out of work — through layoff, downsizing, forced retirement, unwarranted dismissal, or even getting fired because it was your own fault — it's still a depressing feeling.
And I want you to know that, no matter which situation you find yourself in, you can get out of it and become a successful entrepreneur with just a little hard work, a lot of determination, and the helping hand that I give you every day with the e-Wealth Daily Bulletin.
Stay positive, stay strong.
**How to Deal with March Madness Stress
By John Hurd, Chief Wealth Researcher
While it is important to stay on top of your finances throughout the year, it's quite safe to assume that many people will get a little — or a lot — behind.
If you find yourself behind on your paperwork and rushing to get your tax items in order, you're certainly not alone.
With the weight of stress hanging on your shoulders, you may make a few rash decisions that could wind up creating some very costly errors. So it's important to stay as cool and calm as you can and keep a level head while you go through your paperwork.
Here are a few ways that I feel could help you deal with stress and help you stay focused on your goals:
- Dedicate a specific time each day to getting your worries
out. For some, the best time to do this is in the morning. Set
aside about 30 minutes to go over your biggest concerns. Don't
expect to solve these problems right away, as the goal here is to get your worries out on the table so you can get on with your
day. You can also save this time for later in the day, but avoid
doing this right before you head to bed. The adrenaline you'll
probably work up will most likely keep you lying awake longer
than you want.
- Spend time with people not connected to your business. The idea is to distance yourself from your business anxieties for a little while at least. Don't let yourself get drawn into
conversations about your work while you are out. You must
have dozens of other interests, so keep your discussion on
those topics. It's certainly not rude to change the subject away
from your business when you know it will put a damper on
your time away from work.
- Limit the amount of time you spend alone. While taking
some alone time is good for collecting your thoughts, it isn't
always the best for you when you are dealing with stress. When
you are alone, there is little else to distract you from over-
worrying yourself. Instead, take your daytime breaks with
someone you know, eat dinner with friends and family or invite
them over to watch television in the evening.
** Giving Your Info Product a Look All Its Own
By James Burt, Online Marketing Expert
I got home the other night only to receive a letter from a contracting friend of mine in my mailbox. Yes, that's correct: an old-school, handwritten letter. Composed on two sheets of motel stationary pad paper, it was written in his usual frantic penmanship, complete with his comical verbiage. He's in Thompson, Manitoba, Canada, right now doing an engineering contract for a large firm. This place is over 700 km north of Winnipeg and is snowbound from late October to sometime in May. I really enjoyed getting his letter. Getting e-mails and texts from friends is fine, but I really appreciate the personal feel of handwritten letters, greeting cards, and post cards. You can tell someone has actually put some real physical effort into writing them.
Obviously I could tell this was my friend's letter by his lively and doctor's-grade handwriting. Hard to read, sure, but it really had its own look and feel. And that's what your information products should all have. Their own look. You can create a mass amount of appeal and gain new clients by just investing some time to create a visual display for your products.
A good way to start is to create a logo and/or header for all your products. If you're more graphically inclined, you can do this by just using some pen and paper, and then doing the design on "Adobe Studio" or even "Paint.net." Logos are meant to be simple, so you may just want to create one, making the text of your business name more graphically appealing. My superior Michael Lombardi did this, using a graphic representation of his last name for the company logo. Other
times you might want something with a picture or symbol. If this is required, come up with an idea and take it to a graphic designer. With all the digital design tools these days, they can be done very quickly and cheaply.
Designing both your print and online product pages is important, too. Make sure they have a similar look, page-to-page, and do not differ radically in their appearance. At IMI, we work closely with our in-house graphics people to make sure each page has the right logos, text fonts, layout specs...everything. I learned a bit of this firsthand from, again, watching Michael Lombardi, who has always tried to keep his direct mail, newsletters, and web pages looking consistent with one another.
Keep your writing consistent, too. There can be a tendency for some people to fall off their path of best judgment after writing a lot and shoot for more "poetic" written passages. This often fails, as people will not understand what you are trying to communicate. Your writing should be kept simple and easy so that someone can pick it out of the mailbox or inbox and start reading immediately.
Once you get going with your business, you might want to send out a survey or do a product test by getting feedback on a new design. You should monitor which product designs have the best response from clients and which ones generate more negative feedback. Beverage companies will often do this, and hold market research meetings to get the public's response.
Fashion and trends work in tandem with public taste. It can be difficult to keep up with this and, let's be honest, a somewhat shallow pastime. But it can also be fun. Think of yourself as someone working for an age-old company like Coca Cola, Chevrolet, or even Planter's Peanuts, and you see how they have managed to continually rework their looks to changing times. Thus, you can utilize creating a look to your advantage.
** The Gap Between Different and Difficult
By Michael Newman, Self-made Millionaire
I'd like to tell you something very important: it's not impossible to sell in a recession. Sure, right now times are tough, but instead of focusing on difficulty, try your best to identify more with the fact that times are simply different. Doing so may be hard, but once you realize that things are simply more different than they are difficult, you'll begin to build the proper outlook to make the right adjustments that could lead your business to increased sales.
One of the first things you have to realize is that, in times like these, customers are looking for different things than they were when times were good. They are more analytical about making purchases, are looking for different things, and are really trying to ensure that every dollar they spend goes as far as it possibly can. Basically, your customer is different; you must adjust your sales techniques in order to capitalize on the money being spent. In tough times, business doesn't stop, it changes. You may have to work harder to make sales, but take comfort in the fact that there is still business to be done.
So, how are customers changing? The answer is multifaceted. But for the most part, consumers are looking for more functionality from their purchases, greater value, and the distinction that they are treated as people by your business, not simply a number.
To make sales, you'll have to start selling to the customers' changing demands. One of the ways you can start is by highlighting the functionality of your product. So, if your product can do a multitude of things, it is more attractive to customers these days. For instance, if your product can save customers time, money, effort and/or anything else, they are more likely to spend on it. After all, today is about getting more for your money than ever before.
One of the best ways to make these sales is through boosting your sales efforts towards existing customers. You see, existing customers are already familiar with your business and product line and, since they've bought from you in the past, they are likely to see the added value of doing business with you.
Additionally, if you have a customer database, you are very well-prepared to sell them new products that can better fit their needs. After all, if you know what they've bought, you know what they may need. Give them a call or send them a letter letting them know what you can do for them.
If they tell you money is tight right now, introduce an alternative payment plan. Perhaps requiring less up front and more installments is the way to go. Explain the way you've decided to frame your payment system to best benefit the customer.
Tomorrow, I'll get more into some of the ways you can better promote your products and services to customers to make sales in this economy.
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