Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners

“Burn The Thoughts, Beliefs and Attitudes of the Happiest, Most Effective People Into Your Mind and You Will Feel How They Feel, Do What They Do and Get The Same Results They Get!”

Two weeks ago I told you about a product that has changed my life and many of you have decided to take a step in investigating what might be the transformative missing link in your own success.

Whether you are working on health and fitness goals, financial goals, relationship goals, productivity goals or all of these, I am confident that you will find a solution in the next 90 seconds.

First, a promise.

I promise that you have never seen ANYTHING like what you are now going to learn about. These Accelerated Success Conditioning Programs are a radical enhancement to traditional self-help.

These programs are not “how-to” lecture based advice. They make “how-to” information and self-help advice work better.

These programs don’t attempt to teach you WHAT to do. You may know what to do already - but can’t get yourself to do it. Anybody have books on their shelf filled with good advice that hasn’t yet been implemented?

They don’t explain how to get motivated… that wouldn’t last.

And they can’t show you how to eat, how to get more done, how to be more persuasive or how to feel happy or get rid of fears. Those are habits that can’t be acquired through lecture. These Accelerated Success Conditioning Programs are thought and behavior modification Programs, and as a behavior modification expert with two decades of experience in the field, I can tell you that the science is sound and I can attest that the product works. I own ALL of the systems and use them because they are so easy to implement.

So unlike mere advice or information, they literally alter your unsupportive thoughts, beliefs, attitudes and emotional habits you’ve developed over a lifetime to be more like the people who get the results that you want to get.

Imagine being able to:

• Hit your ideal weight and stay there forever without feeling
     miserable

• Exercise like a maniac and LOVE it

• Be free of depression no matter how severe or how long
     you’ve suffered

• Explode your personal sales and fall in love with prospecting

• Get rid of your panic attacks and stop obsessive behaviors

• Live every single day with passion and purpose no matter
     what your age

• Have more money than you could ever need

• Quit bad habits for good - and not miss them one little bit

• Become a goal achieving machine

• Feel great about who you are, happy to be you

Until now there has been no simple, easy and fast way to permanently change the little voice inside your head, to change how you think, to let go of your past, to release unsupportive emotions.

• No “how-to” book will insert the motivation to get up
     after you keep falling down

• No lecture or seminar can implant unstoppable
     determination to do whatever it takes to succeed.

• No punishment you could endure would guarantee that
     you’ll stop doing what you’ve done most of your life.

• No exercise equipment can force you to take the time
     to use it. 

• No patch, powder or pill can alter your behaviors. All
     they can do is suck your bank account dry and leave
     you no more able to succeed on your own than you
     were before you got hooked on them.
 
Until now, there has been no way to predictably eliminate the mental patterns that make fear jump up and stop you and install all the qualities it takes to make a dream life.

But now there is…

Check out this affiliate link to what I believe is one of the most powerful and definitely one of the least expensive methods to reprogram your brain that I’ve ever found.

Simple, inexpensive, and powerfully effective: This deserves your investigation.

Think Right Now or if you are curious, you can go see my own results from using one of the systems by visiting www.JulianSpeaks.com/bragging but be warned, there is a photo of me without a shirt on so view it at your own discretion.

Julian Fitness, Getting Things Done, Goal Setting, Success

I’ve often pointed out the relationship between a person’s financial success and their level of fitness. I’m not the only behavior change expert who recognizes the correlation. Countless success gurus have pointed out the direct correlation between physical fitness and “fiscal fitness”. The more a person is worth financially, the more likely they are to be healthy and fit.

As a behavior change specialist I find it fascinating to discover the myriad reasons people either take action or avoid taking action. One of the most powerful discoveries in human behavior (and it probably won’t shock any of you) is that we often do things that are NOT in our best interest and we repeat these patterns for no recognizable reason.

A few years ago I realized that I had gotten almost 50 pounds overweight and my cardio vascular endurance had plummeted. I was determined to get back into shape but just couldn’t seem to find the time (sound familiar?)

But something quite simple changed in my life and within a few months I had lost ALL the weight and was in the best shape of my life. That was more than three years ago and any of you who have seen the before and after pictures or who have known me for that length of time can attest to the recognizable differences in my physique.

Those differences are still here. I’ve kept the weight off and in fact have gotten in even better shape over the last year and will continue to get stronger, faster, and leaner as I continue to age. These differences are irrefutable and obvious when you see me or see pictures of me.

What you CAN’T see are the other, more meaningful changes that have taken place. Because my endurance is up it is easier for me to get more work done in less time. I feel stronger and more confident. My relationship with my wife has gotten much better. Because I am more efficient in the things I do, I actually have more free time and have taken up a few new hobbies including geocaching which is like a world-wide, 24/7 Easter egg hunt that often involves some pretty serious hiking.

So what was the little something that happened to me three and a half years ago? When researching human behavior modification techniques, I came across what I believe is one of the most powerful tools for a person to be able to literally hypnotize themselves into becoming exactly who they would like to become.

The CD system is really quite simple and it is NOT subliminal programming. Rather it is based on proven scientific principles that have definitely worked in my own life.

If you are interested in losing weight, developing higher self-esteem, getting more organized, becoming a better leader, controlling your smoking habit, setting and reaching your goals, or any of the other patterns that ThinkRightNow has available, I encourage you to visit their site through the affiliate link below and at least investigate what has clearly worked for me and many others.

If you purchase 3 systems, you get a fourth system tossed in and each system is less than $35.

If you’ve been thinking about doing something to regain the health you deserve but you’ve been putting it off because it would be too difficult or you don’t know where to start…Then I recommend you add the “End Procrastination” system to your cart 

Check out ThinkRightNow and see if you are willing to put them up to their 6 month money back guarantee.

You have nothing to lose but unwanted weight and bad habits!

Julian Fitness, Getting Things Done, Goal Setting, Success

Last week I got back from a five day mastermind session with a few of my very intelligent friends. We spent the week in Dallas, Texas where we rented an executive suite and stayed up until 3am every night, which was quite different for me since I normally rise at 4:30 am.

We had several very serious discussions on trends we saw over the past twelve months and how we might be able to capitalize on them. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing some of what we discussed and discovered, so stay tuned for those emails.

But in addition to conceptual and the strategic planning that went on, we also took time to engage in the tactical. We spent time each day in the gym working out. We spent time on the computer implementing ideas to test our new theories including some new Amazing System Autoresponder campaigns, some new Google Adwords campaigns, and a few other actions that we agreed would remain exclusive to our group.

But there is a reason I’m sharing this with you.

We scheduled our mastermind session in Dallas to coincide with a marketing conference that overlapped our group session by 3 days. During that time it became clear that success falls on a continuum. At one end, inability to pay bills and at the other end complete financial freedom and everything in between…well, in between!

When looking for the commonalities we were hoping for something revealing. Smart people at one end, dumb people at the other end. But that was not true. Friendly at one end, rude at the other? Not particularly true. But across the board we noticed that implementation seemed to be a distinguishing factor.

Smart, nice people who failed to take action were overshadowed by dumb, ugly, rude people who consistantly implemented the tactics that supported their goals.

What lingering ideas have you been thinking about but have failed to act on? Choose THREE of them (no more) and work on them until they are fully functioning. You’d be surprised what you can do with just a few working tactics.

Julian Getting Things Done, Success

Okay, watch this video closely. There are some funny things to catch. The opening scenes of us working out were filmed at the END of our workout, so you get to see me struggle to lift 25 pound dumbells as my arms were totally exhausted.

You also get to see “Mr Disney” himself, Brad Ross as he totally flubs his lines. If you know “One Take Brad” you will find this as shocking as seeing me unable to lift 25 pounds.

Julian Marketing, Success, Video

Here’s a video clip from a talk I delivered November 2009 to a group of professional performers (magicians, speakers, entertainers, etc.).

Julian Down Economy, Embracing Fear, Goal Setting, Success, Video

While everyone else is telling you that now is the time to get ready to succeed in the new year I’m going to offer my bit of contrarian advice:

This new year, plan on failing more.

Many years ago, when I wanted to become a writer, I signed up for a correspondence course from an ad I saw in the back of Writer’s Digest Magazine. One of the first lessons covered was getting over the fear of rejection. “For every magazine article you publish, you should expect to receive one hundred rejections.”

To some this might seem discouraging, but in fact the opposite is true. When you realize that failure is an intergral part of success then it is no longer something to be feared. I began to see rejection letters as a measure of forward progress. If I got one and quit then I would NEVER reach my goal. I needed to stumble and fail at least ninety-nine more times before I had any right to expect a byline.

And so I kept fearlessly submitting articles and proudly collecting rejection letters like feathers in my cap. Where some would see failure, I saw markers of forward progress. Fast forward twelve years and  I have 20 books and mor ethan 100 published magazine articles. I no longer collect (nor save) rejection letters, but neither do they get me the least bit dejected.

“Failures are milestones, not tombstones.”  –Julian Franklin

I have many great plans in the works right now, some of which are sure to face hurdles and set backs, some already have. I welcome these challenges as a part of the game.

I don’t know what great ambitions you have for this year, but as you set goals, mentally prepare for the fact that you might not make them all on the first try. If, by some strange fluke you do make them all easily then you didn’t set high enough goals to begin with. Push yourself this year and then forgive yourself when success is not simple and easy.

If the stock market doesn’t cooperate with your investment goals, don’t give up. Have you been getting discouraged showing your business plan to prospective downline memebers because no one seems interested? Good! That’s a sign of forward progress. It’s much better than sitting at home not showing the plan because of a fear of rejection. Been going to the gym and not seeing the results you want? Keep going! Has the economy affected your business? Are sales down? Are you feeling forced to try new things in order keep up? Fantastic!

This year, instead of paring down your resolutions to one or two really important ones, I suggest you pile your plate high with all manner of goals, dreams, resolutions and promises. Dream as big as you can, gather lots of intermediate goals and then plow into them head first. If you want to succeed more in 2010 than you did in 2009 then you are going to have to accept more failure. The only way to fail more is to try more.

Thomas J. Watson, Sr., the president of IBM from 1914 - 1956 and the man who propelled the company to the incredible success that it became and still is was quoted as saying “If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.”

“If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.”  –Thomas J. Watson, Sr.

Don’t get too comfortable with failure, but for goodness sakes don’t avoid it! The sign of a great achiever is a long list of past failures. Get out there and start failing!

Julian Embracing Fear, Failure, Goal Setting, Success

Unemployment has been kept under ten percent nationwide and everyone is celebrating about that…except those in the ten percent (thanks @bradmontgomery)

But for a very long time in this country there has been a trend that has crippled and undermined the people who most need to be helped right now. For the past few decades there has been a growing quest to celebrate victimization. As each socio-ethno-political group and sub-group strives to prove that they are more put-down, held-back, shut-out and suppressed than the other socio-ethno-political sub-groups (or at least more so than the other gender in their own sub-group) people have slowly come to believe that rewards go to the most down-trodden. The sadder and more pathetic you can appear, the more likely you will be to gain favor from those in a better position.

It is as if we have lost our identity as a nation of survivors and instead adopted the idea that we are a nation of victims. Every news report tells about the victims of crime and the victims of a storm and the victims of automobile accidents, even when these people are NOT victims but SURVIVORS. The difference is much more than semantics. It is about how we internally identify ourselves. And our self-identity is a critical element in how we address problems. It affects how we relate to others and even how others relate to us.

This is point number one. If you want to get a job during a recession or to move forward in any endeavor at any time, begin thinking about yourself as a survivor and not a victim; in all situations, no matter what. And here is another, even more important insight about human behavior: People place a higher value on things that are in-demand or that are scarce enough to not be easily obtained.

Among those who are unemployed right now there is an almost uncontrollable urge to let others know how bad things are for you. I was listening to a radio segment where callers can offer their “verbal resume”. One of the questions the DJ asked each caller was “How long have you been unemployed?”, and each caller seemed to want to out-do the caller before, with greater tales of woe and hard times.

In spite of the fact that society lately has been training people to believe that the more down-trodden you are the more entitled you become, the truth about the way humans actually behave is the opposite. Human beings are attracted to those who are successful, active, engaged, in-demand, and even those perceived as “lucky”. There are countless studies that reveal our natural disposition to want whatever others want. Robert Cialdini, in his book “Influence” calls this phenomenon “Social Proof” and it is a double-edged sword. Not only do we want what others want, but we will avoid what others are avoiding.

The callers on the radio segment I listened to who were recently let go seemed like a far better catch than the ones who had been looked over and refused employment offers for eight, nine, or ten months. This seemed true not because they were more convincing or even more skilled, but because there was a natural inclination to wonder what was “wrong” with those who had been unemployed longer. Logically I KNOW there is nothing wrong. We are in the worst recession in at least 80 years and it might eventually prove even worse than the Great Depression. Very competent, qualified, dedicated people are unemployed through no fault of their own.

But even as an author and expert in human behavior I am not immune to the effects of humanity. I am as susceptible to the natural psychological triggers as all of us are. I recently brought on a very highly skilled person who had been laid off from a job that paid quite a bit more than I was willing to pay. One of the things that attracted me to having Paul on our team was the fact that even after being laid off, he was still very much in demand, in large part because he created the image of being in demand. He took on jobs that many people with his background and education would think would be “beneath” them. He even volunteered at places just to keep his schedule very full.

I don’t know if he did it consciously and strategically, or if he is just naturally driven to stay busy, but regardless I wanted him on my team. In fact, when he first approached me I wasn’t even in the market to take on a new team member and told him so. But like a survivor, he kept the conversation going and now I find myself worried that someone is going to hire him away from me.

This is not about playing “hard to get” games like a teen-ager in angst. It is not about posturing to pretend you are in demand. It is about filling your schedule with real, meaningful activities so that you ARE in demand. It is about taking charge of your situation. It is about becoming a survivor, which means you have to act like a survivor.

Julian Down Economy, Scarcity, Social Proof, Success

I am pretty stingy with my endorsements. I have lots of friends who want me to sell their stuff but I politely decline unless I TRULY believe in it. This usually happens less than once or twice a year and invariably I end up catching some flak about it for some reason or another.

Faithful readers might remember LAST November when I endorsed a company called Think Right Now for the help they provided me in really cementing some important beliefs in my mind that helped me accomplish more while getting into the best shape of my life. I liked the product so much (it’s just  a simple CD) that I invested in the company and endorsed their product and when people bought it, I made an affiliate fee (the HORRORS!). This created quite a little controversy. Apparently some people think you should only make money doing things you loathe and DON’T believe in and if you DO believe in something you should to that for free. I disagree, but we are all entitled to our opinions.

Anyway, if you are a performer or speaker or aspire to be either, I HIGHLY encourage you to purchase a set of the DVDs and CDs from the recent Eric Paul Super Conference in Philadelphia. It is no exaggeration to say that this was quite probably the single most important event I’ve ever attended either as a speaker or attendee, and at this event I was both.

I spoke on growing your business in a down economy and I will admit that I got a little “passionate” in my talk. If you are easily offended don’t watch the DVD of my session as I probably crossed the line on a few occasions and definitely crossed it at least once. It caused a bit of a stir at the conference but many people came to my defense and the video is evidence that what I said was absolute truth.

Frankly, Eric Paul (the organizer of the event) is down on his health and I think it has caused him to make some decisions that he wouldn’t normally make. He’s giving 14 DVDs, 9 audio CDs and a CD-ROM for less than you would pay for ten CDs. He’s charging less than most of us paid to fly to Philly! And you get it handed to you on a silver platter to listen to and watch at your convenience.

It is a great opportunity to catch some great speakers, hear some amazing insights, and review them at your leisure and he’s giving it away WAY too cheap. I’m buying a set and I was there to see it live. Get your hands on it while you can. He’s taking it off the market at the end of November. You have until the 27th.

Here’s the link to get what you need: Eric Paul Super Conference DVDs

And if you are interested in the product that I endorsed LAST YEAR, still use, and still get great results from, feel free to visit:  Think Right Now

But FYI: I will make some spare change as an affiliate on both of these products, so if this bothers you, don’t use the links above.

Julian Down Economy, Getting Things Done, Success

The other day I was listening to a guy complaining that he wasn’t getting paid everything he felt he was worth. I finally got sick of hearing him whine and so I called him out on it. It doesn’t matter what you think you are worth. The primary factor in your pay is what the person paying you thinks you are worth. If you have a boss, what are you doing to prove your worth to him or her? If you are a salesman, what are you doing to demonstrate the VALUE of what you sell? If you are a business owner, what are you doing on a consistant basis to PROVE that what you provide is worth MORE than what you are asking for it?

What have you done TODAY to prove your worth to the world? For more than seven years I’ve written a monthly column called The Business of Magic in a trade journal for magicians called The Linking Ring. That is a volunteer position that I have faithfully delivered on for almost 100 consecutive articles all for the simple opportunity to demonstrate my value as a writer, as a marketing consultant, and as someone who delivers on a promise consistantly over time. For almost that long I’ve been contributing to this blog and producing a periodic e-newsletter, again simply as a method of demonstrating my value as a professional speaker and expert on human behavior change.

When I first founded the company that is now called “Library Rat” there were times early on in the business when I would go do shows myself that I couldn’t pay anyone else in my company to do because the mileage covered would be more than we made in total fees for that one simple show. But I knew that when we got into that new marketplace and demonstrated value that we would have the toe hold we needed to grow into the most successful provider of school assembly programs in the state of Texas. Any very successful person can tell you stories about various times in their life when they had to work particularly hard for little or no compensation other than the chance to demonstrate the value of what they were working on.

We are in a sluggish economy right now. Almost everyone is feeling it at some level. Money is still there. Money is still being spent. But buyers feel a stronger need to ensure they are getting the value they are paying for. If you don’t feel that you are getting as much money as you deserve it might be because you are failing to demonstrate sufficient value. Think about ways to demonstrate and prove your value to the people paying. Think about ways to increase the value of what you do.

HINT: The things you do that you THINK create value are almost never the things that your customers and clients think are valuable. It’s the old “Features vs. Benefits” argument. Know that your customers don’t care if the table is made of 5/8″ solid mahogany planks treated with an impermiable solution of blah-blah-blah. All they care about is that the table is strong and it will clean up easily even if their kid colors on it with a green crayon. People are rarely concerned with the clever details you find so facinating unless you take the time to explain how these details actually add value for them. Buyers never care about how DIFFICULT something is for you to do, they only care about the finished solution and how quickly and effectively it solves their problems or makes their life easier.

So I’ve seen two responses to the sputtering economy. There are businesses (and employees) who have dealt with the lower sales by cutting corners, reducing quality, and delivering with an attitude of pessimism. There are also businesses and employees that have heard the wake up call and are paying even more attention to the customers they have, doing everything they can to ensure the satisfaction and happiness of the people who deliver money to them and their business. Today is filled with opportunities to begin demonstrating value. What are you going to do today?

Julian Customer Service, Down Economy, Success

The stock market seems to be turning around, albeit very slowly. Housing prices are on the slow rise again. And while this economic glitch hasn’t left us yet, it is easy to tell that she’s already packing her bags to go.

Frankly, I’m going to be a little bit sad to see her leave.

She’s like an old, crazy aunt from out of town that drops in to visit uninvited, stays longer than she’s really welcome, and puts everyone through hell while she’s in the house. But once she’s gone everyone looks around and realizes that they are somehow better because she was there.

Comfort is the enemy of change. Anytime a person is comfortable there is no real reason to go through the effort of changing.

You’ll never lose weight until the discomfort of your weight (physical, mental, or emotional discomfort) is greater than the discomfort you will experience doing what it takes to lose the weight.

Your business will never break new ground until your current model becomes so frightening, unsustainable, or discomforting that you take the risks involved in growing into new areas.

Relationships will never mature and develop to their full potential until you step out and take the risks involved in being emotionally vulnerable. And if a relationship is doomed, it will continue to linger like a dead albatross until the pain of breaking up is dwarfed by the pain of staying in the relationship.

Pain and discomfort are the ultimate catalysts of change. All growth is the result of change at some level. We grow when we become uncomfortable with where we are. Painful recessions are a great way to make lots of people uncomfortable enough to grow.

These last two years or so have really pushed a lot of people to take risks that they wouldn’t have taken in other economic circumstances. Some of those risks paid off, others did not. But society is better because the risks were taken. And the individuals and companies taking the risks are better off for having taken them as well. Yes, even the ones who took risks that didn’t pan out as expected, because every change results in some form of growth, whether emotional, mental, physical, or financial.

Julian Down Economy, Success