In many peoples’ “perception”, it directly translates to expert status. Even people who never bother to read your articles or book will attribute enhanced status to you because you’ve been published.

If you’ve been following me, this isn’t news to you. You’ve heard me say repeatedly that you should write a book.

Being able to add the title of “author” to your credentials can increase your perceived worth, which means you can charge more for your products and services and lower and even eliminate resistance to price.

Books can be used to position your products and services, like an extended sales letter.

And of course, the biggest reason for authoring a book is that it’s one of the fastest ways to raise your status to “expert”.

Yet, many business owners, despite knowing this, will never write a book. It’s impossible for me to tackle all the reasons why this occurs, however a big stumbling block I will cover here is the time factor.

Maybe you think you are too busy, can’t write fast enough to complete a book in a sufficient amount of time to make it worthwhile. Or you think you need to take time off in order to get it done and wonder who will “man the store” while you take time to write.

If you’ve ever thought about writing a book, you’ve undoubtedly read that it takes “6 months to a year” to write a book. Or you’ve heard the stories from authors like J.K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter, who said it took her 5 years to write her first book Harry Potter book.

But writing a book doesn’t have to take a long time, nor should it. Writing slow only earns you less money.

Another myth worth debunking is that writing slow creates better books.

Sara Gruen wrote her first draft of her novel in 4 weeks. Her book, Water for Elephants, is a magnificent novel, became a number-one bestseller, won awards, and birthed a movie.

Anthony Burgess was badly in need of cash and the advance offered for his novel required a manuscript—so he averaged 2,765 words per day, to get the famous A Clockwork Orange done in just 3 weeks.

Ray Bradbury had two noisy kids in his home, so he rented time on a typewriter in the UCLA library for ten-cents an hour to work on his novel. The ticking meter spurred him to great speed—he averaged 5,086 words per day to complete Fahrenheit 451 in 9 frantic days. A New York Times critic sniffed, “This is not a precisely designed work.” But it was a bestseller and is a much-read classic.

Each of the 76 novels featuring Inspector Maigret was churned out by Georges Simenon in less than two weeks. The most successful series sold 860,000 copies in the United States.

Robert Louis Stevenson had a sleepless night, disrupted by a reoccurring nightmare. The next morning he began the novel he finished in less than a week: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. (Source WIRED Magazine 1-12)

Personally, I write one draft, print it out, rearrange the order of some pages, make the fewest corrections by hand as possible, write “bridges” needed to segue one chapter to the next, and hand it off to Carla to clean up, and off to the publisher it goes. I write my books in approximately a week’s time, about 30 hours.

Perfectionism is rarely profitable which is why I rarely do a second draft of any book.  And I set a pre-determined budget of time for each book. When I use up the time, the book is done. Wherever I may be when the clock’s used up, only two more words are permitted: The End.

It is important to author a book. It’s equally important to create a pre-determined timeline and find the “Good Enough Spot”, the line of quality to stop working on your book, because going beyond these fails to profoundly interest your clients, customers or patients. After all, many will only be interested in the fact that you’ve authored a book.

NOTE: If you have been putting off writing your book, then I have some good news for you. My friend, Success Expert, and best-selling author Brian Tracy is opening up a FREE spot for you in his brand new webinar, “How to Write a Book and Become a Published Author.”

He’ll eliminate the mystery behind the publishing industry and reveal his working, step-by-step process for writing a book and getting it published quickly. This is the EXACT same process Brian has used to publish 52 books while running multiple businesses.

Plus joining him will be best-selling author of “The Millionaire Messenger” Brendon Bruchard. At no charge to you and only requiring 45 minutes of your time, you get two best-selling authors telling you exactly how it’s done.  Plus you’ll discover:

• Brian’s PROVEN 4-step process for writing a book and getting it published. He uses this EVERY time he writes a book – and you can use it, too.
• How to decide what you should write about – and it may not be what you think
• 4 keys to marketing your book idea – miss any one of these and you may never snag a publisher

Reserve your spot to join Brian and Brendon for this FREE webinar. Register free now…click here.

To be frank, I found his explanation rather trivial…

Because the P.S. is anything but trivial and should be awarded much greater attention than most give it.

You see writing copy is a very small part of developing copy that sells. Not only must thought and research be put into who you are writing to and what their objections might be, but careful thought must be put into each element of your copy and their function.

Often I see people shoot out of the gate with a strong headline and by the end of their message; they get a bit lazy, throwing on a P.S. almost as an afterthought.

But the truth is the P.S. is one of the most important parts of your copy—and you’ll find that most copywriters agree – you should never end a sales letter without one.

Why?

1)      Because some people jump to the end of your letter or message after reading your headline and before reading your letter, so your PS serves to further their interest in reading everything.

2)      The P.S. can summarize your offer, for the impatient “page jumper.”

3)      The P.S. can emphasize the most important benefit (which means, of course, you must first identify what that is.)

In letters, I’ve found that multiple P.S.’s almost always outperform a single P.S., and find that most pro copywriters also utilize this technique.

If you are looking for some ways to make your PS’s stand out, here are some tricks you might try:

• Vary the typestyle
• Vary the point size
• Use all caps (only if the P.S. is very brief)
• Put it in color
• Put it in handwriting
• Put it in a box with a screened color behind it
• In handwriting, run up the side of the letter as if you ran out of space at the bottom of the page

Sometimes you may choose to use the P.S. to somehow “up the ante” beyond everything offered and described in the main letter, such as introducing (yet) another bonus or strengthening the guarantee.

You might also add testimonials in P.S.’s to reinforce your message, add credibility and serve as a tipping point for the reader who is on the fence.

How long should a P.S. be? The longest PS that I’ve ever used in a successful sales letter was 2 ½ pages long. The shortest: two sentences.

One of the ways people recall information is “first and last.” That means that they tend to remember what you say at the beginning and what you say at the end, forgetting what is said in the middle.  So whatever you put in your P.S. must not only be powerful and persuasive but must, in effect, condense summarize and deliver your entire pitch, which is anything but trivial.

NOTE:  The truth is EVERY element in your copy should be given thought to—what its function is, just as much as the P.S. Because the job of your copy is to sell. And in order to do that, you must know and understand the “must have” elements of super powerful copy. In fact, this is so important that I recommend you have a checklist, template or method of ensuring all elements are included—every time.

Which is why, NOW through Midnight on June 17, 2013 GKIC is giving you the perfect template for this…a template that can explode your advertising and marketing results: Cash Copy Clinic with a GIGANTIC BONUS!!!

Not only does Cash Copy Clinic identify  these “must have” elements, but lays out a simple, easy-to-repeat eight-step sequence for creating copy that sells.

Get Cash Copy Clinic Now With the Gigantic Bonus!

When you order by midnight on June 17, 2013, you’ll not only get this for just $297 but you’ll also receive a very special bonus gift.

Gigantic Bonus Gift: Sales Letter Template (Worth Thousands !?!) — The #1 reason businesses fail is because their marketing message is too confusing or they hit on the wrong points or it’s all about them.  Well right now, when you get Cash Copy Clinic, I’ll include a true sales letter template.  Not simply an example, or swipe file piece, but an actual fill in the blank template.  Imagine having to spend less than an hour creating a totally customized sales letter using a template that has worked hundreds (and maybe thousands) of times to earn 5-6 figures of income in a single weekend.  Well you don’t have to imagine it anymore, you simply have to get Cash Copy Clinic now and I’ve included this one-time bonus for you for to put your success on overdrive!

To Get the FREE Gift and Cash Copy Clinic NOW click here!

They are the world’s highest paid athletes according to Forbes Magazine, with Tiger Woods topping the list at $78.1 Million in winnings and endorsement deals according to calculations made in June 2013.

Tiger is not only the highest paid, but he is the youngest golfer to win 50 tournaments on tour.

Ranked the number one golfer in the world, he has an impressive list of achievements including being awarded the PGA Player of the Year a record ten times.  Plus he has more career major wins than any other active golfer.  He’s also the youngest player to achieve the career Grand Slam (winning all the golf’s major championships in the same calendar year.)

Whether it’s in sports, the arts, or business, what leads people to greatness? What makes them the best in the world?

Being a successful volleyball athlete myself and now working closely with top entrepreneurs such as Rich Schefren, Ryan Deiss, and Yanik Silver, I’ve discovered a common ingredient—not only in athletes, but in entrepreneurs.

I’m not talking about drive and ambition, although that is important to succeed and will lead to a certain level of success, it is not what leads to the highest level of achievement.

Writing down your goals and having a plan is another element often referenced for high accomplishment. While I highly recommend having your end-game defined and a plan written down to achieve it, it too is not the missing, secret ingredient that gets you to the top.

Passion for what they do? Again, that will definitely help you out and keep you driving forward during times when you are struggling, but is not the one missing ingredient.

So what is it?

They seek out and work with the best coaches in the world.

Every one of the highest paid athletes on the Forbes list works with the best and (not surprisingly) highest paid coaches.

Rich Schefren, Yanik Silver, Ryan Deiss, Frank Kern…all turned to the best coach they could find.

But you might ask yourself, if you are at the top of your game, why you would need a coach…

I mean Tiger Woods is the number one golfer in the world earning serious money, why on earth would he work with a coach?

Or why would the most successful entrepreneurs already at the top of the ladder need coaching?

Because it accelerates success and keeps them at the top of their game.

A great coach will guide you in what you need to do to win.

A great coach will be knowledgeable of the most effective techniques, methods and strategies required for success.

A great coach will get to know what pushes your buttons so she or he can motivate you and keep you on course when you start to stray in the wrong direction.

A great coach will introduce you to the greatest leaders—whether it’s through mastermind groups or simply telling you what you should read or in the case of an athlete putting you with a team or workout partners.  He puts these people in your path so that you can be surrounded by successful people that will help you expand your thinking and knowledge and push you even further.

So if you want to accelerate your success and reach (and stay at) the top of your game, crowd your path with successful people and the best coaching you can find.

NOTE: Yanik Silver, Rich Schefren, Frank Kern…names you’ve undoubtedly heard. They are some of the top Internet Marketing Gurus…and continue to be. What do they have in common? They all enlisted Dan Kennedy and knew he was THE top guy who could help them accelerate their success online.

For the first time ever, Dan Kennedy will reveal to you his insights about Online Marketing which have been responsible for more money being made selling things online than most of the names you associate with the Internet. Things which were previously only shared with a rare few premium private clients who invested serious cash to find out what he had to say.

Even more rare, is the fact that you will be getting this information FREE. I’m not big on that, in fact I sometimes charge people to have lunch with me, but this is critical information our GKIC members need right now. So you have the unique opportunity to join in and find out:

• The constructive and productive ways to think about the Internet and online media—and how it can provide you with a legitimate portfolio of opportunities.
• Key principles and ideas you need to understand to streamline your success. There is enormous amount of B.S. about online, I’ll help you sort this out, so you can focus on what truly works.
• The marketing and selling principles valid with every media, including online media.

There is very limited space available for this LIVECAST event. If you want this unheard of FREE access to Dan Kennedy’s coaching, you’ll want to register at the link below, immediately.

Click here now to register www.dankennedy.com/internetsecrets

P.P.S. If you’re still thinking about this and haven’t registered, let me ask you a question. If you decided you wanted to learn to play golf like Tiger, who would you go to for help? Tiger Woods…or his coach?

My guess is you’d go to his coach. Because if the person is a successful coach, it’s pretty much guaranteed they know how to convey what they know to others with clarity and precision.

If you want to earn money and gain the independence like Rich Schefren, Tim Ferris (author of the 4-hr work week) and others like them, then you’ll want to go to their coach…Dan Kennedy and find out what he has to say.  Register here now or go to www.dankennedy.com/internetsecrets

A businessman was complaining that he’d spent thousands of dollars on his website, yet only 1% to 2% of prospects were actually responding.

Understandably the man wanted to know how to reach the other 98%.

It’s a pretty common problem…

Yet many business owners don’t even know they are “losing” 98% of the visitors to their site.

But here’s the thing. It doesn’t have to be that way.

And, as a small business, if you set up your website right, you actually can do something that in the past was impossible to do:

You can compete against big business.

Because on the web you have the same amount of real estate space as the “big boys.” Think about it…your web page is the same size as the next guy’s, no matter how big a company they are.

In fact, when you apply the secrets we share with you here at GKIC, you may even have an advantage over larger companies.

Today I’ll give you six tips for making your website reach more than the all-too-typical 1 to 2%:

Six easy tips to help your website convert better:

1)      Make it clear what you want people to do.  On every page you should make it clear what you want people to do. Do you want them to sign up for your newsletter? Get more information about your product? Contact you? Buy your product? Tell them exactly what you want them to do and you’ll improve your odds of them doing it.

2)      Use the same language on your navigation buttons as you do in your copy. For example, if you use “white paper” in your copy don’t use the word “report” on your navigation button.  This is confusing to readers and makes them think they are in the wrong place.

3)      Use links in your copy to help people move to the next page. When you reference a product, service, event, article, etc. found on your own website, be sure to link to it. This way you make it easy for your potential consumer to find what they are looking for without having to scroll or waste time searching for something.

4)      Carefully choose what you actively promote on your home page.  When offering multiple products or services, don’t try to give equal space on your home page to everything you offer.  This is confusing and overwhelming.  Plus, by giving readers only a few choices, you are clear on what you want your customer to do.

For example, an appliance repair company might service a variety of types of appliances and brands of appliances. Rather than trying to list every single type of appliance from a washing machine to a dryer to a stove to a refrigerator to a dishwasher, etc. you might want to focus on the appliance most frequently repaired. Let’s say 65% of your repairs are to refrigerators and brings in the bulk of your income. By devoting more of your home page space on refrigerator repairs, it’s easier to instantly see you provide that service, raising your relevancy to that 65% who visits your website.

5)      Use direct response copy. Your website should have all the elements of good direct response copy. Don’t forget to use headlines, sub-heads, offers, proof, guarantees, etc. to sell your products and services.  Not sure what is meant by “direct response?”  Then you need to check out Magnetic Marketing (test it here for 30 Days for just $1)

6)      Make your copy front and center. Don’t let graphics and design push your professionally crafted selling copy to the side. The most successful websites rake in sales by making sure their copy is front and center.

Make these simple changes and instead of 98% of your prospects abandoning your website with little to no chance of returning, you’ll get them to take some action, putting you one step closer to converting them to a paying customer.

NOTE: You’re invited to a very unique and unusual online event with Dan Kennedy. (Even better it’s FREE) This is a rare opportunity because the information Dan will share, up until now, has only been shared with a few of his premium clients. Come behind closed doors as Dan holds a LIVE training in front of a studio audience where he’ll reveal his secret online strategies. No that wasn’t a typo—I said his online strategies – the secret ones!.

You see, although Dan mostly “pleads the fifth” when it comes to the internet, he devises strategies and crafts entire websites for clients. In fact, the “Who’s Who” of Internet marketing such as Yanik Silver, Frank Kern, and Rich Schefren credit Dan for the major influence on their methods and success.

There is very limited space. So if you want to find out the same big money-making secrets Dan gives his premium clients including the top Internet Gurus, and want your website to convert better and to experience your own online success, be sure to sign up and be in attendance.

Click here to sign up now or go to www.dankennedy.com/internetsecrets

There is no charge for this and you can watch conveniently from your home.

I enjoy going to these profit-boosting events because whether someone is new to marketing or a seasoned pro, I love hearing their always-inspiring success stories immediately after they attend.

But having said that, if you can’t attend this time, you might not want to wait until our next boot camp to start seeing big things happen in your business.

That’s why today I thought I’d answer the number one question people ask me…

 “What is the most important thing I can do for my business right now to start getting more customers, clients or patients and making more money?”

Granted there is not a completely simple answer to this question, but I will give you four things you MUST do if you want to consistently attract more customers, increase revenue and eliminate competition:

1) Create a system. If you want to consistently attract your ideal customers, clients or patients you need to have a reliable, efficient and affordable system in place that will bring them to you like clockwork.

Without a system in place, not only will you throw dollars down the drain by not knowing which marketing strategies to spend your money on, but you’ll waste time trying to figure it out.

When you know exactly which media is most effective and have a plan for what you’ll execute, you’ll be able to predict your costs and you’ll also know what response to expect.  Plus a system set up to attract only ideal customers, clients and patients will mean you won’t waste your time and resources trying to sell to people who either don’t want or need your product or service, or can’t afford it.

2) Swipe from proven promotions. One of the biggest time and money wasters is creating everything from scratch. Trial and error promotions mean your system isn’t reliable.

Switch to swiping ideas from proven promotions and you’ll be able to accurately predict how many customers or clients or patients you’ll attract each time you send out a promotion.

3) Sell in a competitive vacuum. Set your product or service up as the only logical choice for your ideal customer. When you create marketing that showcases you in a unique light and unlike your competitors, you not only have a competitive advantage, but you have in built-in price resistance because consumers will see that no one else is doing what you are doing.

For example, GKIC member Dwight Woods has a martial arts studio—something that could easily be viewed as a commodity. When you are selling a commodity, consumers tend to “price shop” looking for the lowest price for they can find. Dwight repositioned his business and showed his connection to Bruce Lee, something his competitors couldn’t do. Suddenly he became a “category of one” which made it impossible for his customer to “price shop” therefore making price irrelevant to his ideal client. (To read more about how Dwight did this, look at your March 2012 issue of the No B.S. Newsletter. Not yet a member? Click here.)

4) Be consistent.  One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is to run a campaign, get a bunch of business and then wait until they feel they need business again before running another campaign, which is usually too late. Put your marketing on autopilot and run your system continually so you will steadily attract a constant flow of customers.  Then you’ll never have to worry about whether or not you have enough business.

Putting a system in place that uses proven promotions, sells in a competitive vacuum and runs continually has taken members from the brink of bankruptcy to astounding profits.

And it will do the same for you, once you put your system in place following these four simple steps.

NOTE: If you’re looking for the absolute easiest and fastest way to attract customers, clients or patients, then I have good news for you. Because now through Midnight on Monday for just $1.00 you can gain full access to our members #1 recommendation for accomplishing this… Magnetic Marketing .

Hands down this is the top resource our members tell business owners they should get.  And because we feel so strongly that every business owner can benefit from having a system in place, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to get.

Click here now to claim your $1.00 trial offer of Magnetic Marketing so you can begin attracting a steady and reliable stream of consumers.

Take the $1.00 Trial Offer Now or go to www.dankennedy.com/magneticmarketingspecial

The way I order a book from Amazon is by scribbling the title on a scrap of paper for Vicky. But I write tons of copy for it, devise integrated offline-online strategies, craft entire web sites, develop online video, and work with clients large and small who make millions of dollars with MY online strategies and suggestions. The “Who’s Who” of internet marketing gurus and experts all credit me for major influence on their methods and success, from Yanik Silver to Frank Kern and Rich Schefren and, well, you name somebody.

But much more importantly, I guide clients and GKI members in diverse businesses, in REAL businesses to treasure on the internet. I’m not selling “get rich on the internet”, but I certainly help a lot of people in doing exactly that.

In the past 12 months alone, I have BUILT successful marketing involving online media for a high-end financial advisor targeting 55 to 70 year old clientele, a group of health care practices, a non-profit, and, of course, a number of info-marketers.

There are also a number of enduring, on-going online selling sites I’ve created or consulted with clients on – one, notably, has been producing no less than $50,000.00 a month for almost 4 years. Truth is, I’m probably responsible for more money being made online (selling things other than: how to make money online) than most if not all of the names you associate with the internet.

The legitimate leaders of the field hold me in high regard. I have a note from Yanik Silver that includes “thank you for being one of the three people I credit with my achieving financial independence.”

Tim Ferris, best known for his mega-bestseller “The 4-Hour Workweek,” says he found one of my books when he was in high school(!) and has read it 5 times since – he called it “steroids for your entrepreneurial cortex.” He also credits me as one of the two authors who “completely changed the way I think about work and enabled me to create a life of adventure and meaning.” I understand that he very recently wrote about me in one of his blog posts.

I know such quotes reference big, broad things, not the micro-mechanics, try to use and do everything that can be used and done, and lose sight of WHY you are doing them and what the stardards for choosing an measuring results should be. You can fall down a rabbit-hole into a wonderland of media and tools and activities – and be trapped there.

There are Three Internet Marketing Truths You Should Know To Make Money Online:

• First, there are marketing and selling principles valid with every media including all online media.

• Two, there is an ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF B.S. about online floated about and popularized by people who do not understand the essential principles and IDEAS they speak of as if facts – these “online is unique,” new metrics, online only folks are just the same as the Amish, except they have iPads instead of horses and buggies; they live in their own little world.

• Three, there is a constructive, productive way to think about the internet and online media. It is not a new god to be worshiped. It’s not a wizardly magic wand. But it does provide a portfolio of legitimate opportunities.

These are the three things I’ll be talking about during my LIVE internet video session being broadcast on Monday, July 1st from 11AM to 3PM ET

Click HERE to Sign Up Now…or got to www.dankennedy.com/internetsecrets

This is stuff I’ve previously ONLY shared with a rare few of my premium Private Clients…who invested serious change to let me bend their
ears with this information.

It’s definitely NOT in my comfort zone to share these insights on the cheap… let alone for FREE like this webinar will be… but I’m setting better judgment aside as I’ve been told by my compadres at GKIC that this info is crucially required by their members at this point in time.

They want to make this our gift to you.

So be it. I suggest you take full advantage by registering now.

Click HERE to Sign Up Now

They aren’t the only stadium having trouble selling tickets.

Across the board ticket sales for Major League Baseball are down and ten clubs are experiencing more than a 20 percent drop in ticket prices in their secondary markets.

Even the mighty Boston Red Sox had their 820 game sellout streak come to an end in April.

What’s to blame? Some are citing the economy. Others cite weather. And yet others blame individual clubs for their poor performance during the previous season.

The response has been to lower ticket prices.

The interesting thing is that based on TV ratings, interest in baseball isn’t in decline. Millions are still watching and, in fact, interest has even slightly increased. So does it make sense to lower ticket prices?

You’ve no doubt read and heard talk by economists, futurists, financial analysts, politicians, and the media about the need to lower our expectations and shrink our lifestyles as the only rational response to all that has occurred in the economy. For example, there was an article that ran in USA Today, in which they warned of the need to “brace for a lower standard of living.”

You’ve likely seen a store at the local mall that has an eternal “Buy one, get one half off” sale that never ends.

Lowering prices, lowering standards…this seems the “natural” response.

But for you and I, lowering prices and lowering expectations is the least rational response.

It only makes sense if you wish to cede control of your life to circumstances. That is a fundamental choice that belongs exclusively to you.

There are, of course, changed and changing facts and realities in the business and financial landscape, but a good way to think about them is as a pro football team’s coaches and players must think about games played on natural turf, artificial turf, outdoors, indoors, in heat, in cold, in rain, in snow—regardless where they play, they play to win. And somebody wins every time.

Given the different conditions, they dress differently, run different plays and use different game strategies. They change their plan and figure out different ways to adjust to their conditions. But they don’t ever set aside their intentions of winning.

Whatever the realities are, one is that there is wealth. As long as it exists, it is yours to attract.

And you can attract it with far greater ease and faster than you think possible, if you believe you can and have the right “know how.”

There are three components necessary for you to shift to a winning plan.

1. There is a philosophical component. There is a way of thinking that repels wealth, which is how most people think. There is also a way to think that attracts wealth. If you think that way, you are magnetic to opportunity, money and wealth.
2. There is a strategic component. There are very practical things to do to put yourself in the right position and set in motion the forces that attract wealth. These include entrepreneurial strategies, relationship strategies, influence strategies, marketing strategies—that when properly employed and focused on, will make you magnetic to opportunity, money and wealth.
3. Finally, there is a behavioral component. There are behaviors that repel wealth, and there are ways to behave that attract wealth. Ultimately, it is my contention that wealth attraction is more about doing than thinking. (You can read extensively on these three components and how to make radical shifts in your business  using them in my book No B.S. Wealth Attraction in the New Economy.)

You have to ask yourself if your business is really in decline and if so, is lowering your prices and expectations really your only option, or is your wealth attraction skewed. Because in the end, you have to either prepare to win, or lose to someone who is.

NOTE: TODAY is Charlie Dombek’s FREE webinar for business owners at 2:00 PM EDT.  One of the strategies to employ to make sure you win is in finding ways to keep more of your profits. Charlie Dombek, CPA is one of the most creative when it comes to cutting your taxes so you can regain control.

Don’t miss Charlie’s presentation on:

• The tax mitigation plan you can use to drive down the cost of taxation.
• How to audit-proof your business.
• How to structure your compensation and benefit plans so you can keep more of your money.

To receive access details, click here NOW.

For example, a casino boat due to open in the Chicago area ripped out a completed section—before they even opened—because they decided the owner didn’t like the way it looked. The renovation cost tens of thousands of dollars.

That wouldn’t happen in today’s economy. People are more limited and discriminate on what they spend on things like that. However, sometimes businesses aren’t as discriminate when it comes to their marketing dollars.

They spend money on gaining fans through social media, but don’t have a campaign in place to convert those fans into paying customers.

Or they plan a campaign to fill an event or sell a product, but don’t have an understanding of what the return will be from their marketing campaign.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s important to spend money on marketing, but you want to be in control. Otherwise you could end up in hot water. As an example, one of the reasons General Motors filed for bankruptcy protection was because they didn’t have control over their advertising.

Here at GKIC we start the year by taking a good hard look at what and how we are spending are marketing dollars. We believe in testing and spend a good deal of money on marketing, but we also believe in being smart about it. Here are steps you can take to make sure you stay in control while getting the most out of your marketing dollars.

Step one: Plan your year. Create a marketing calendar at the start of each year. At GKIC, we know a year in advance when our events and product launches will occur. We know how many and when we are going to send dedicated content emails. We know what our newsletter schedule will be and how many affiliate promotions will do. Sometimes we add or take away, but we always start with a detailed plan and you should too.

Step two: Predict your income/response from each campaign. Based on your list size and your relationship with your list, you can expect a certain response. For example, let’s say that every time you send out a limited time offer you get at least 50 people to respond. If your goal is to send these out once a week,  you can predict what your sales will be for each campaign.

Step three: Create a budget for every campaign based on your estimated response. It’s important to consider whether or not a back-end product will be offered and what the total lifetime value of a customer is when determining whether you should spend considerably less, break even or even slightly more to acquire a customer. For instance, in the example above, if your product sells for $100, then you could predict that you would make $5000 per campaign based on your estimated sales of 50 units. Knowing that information means, in most cases, you won’t want to exceed $5000 in expenses when sending that campaign. However if this is to acquire a new customer and the total lifetime value of a customer is considerably higher, you might consider exceeding $5000 to run the campaign.

Step four: Build in some discretionary budget for opportunities. One of Dan Kennedy’s wealth secrets from his No B.S. Wealth Attraction in the New Economy book  is to always be looking for opportunities and see what is not there. He cites Home Depot’s CEO who in 2005 was able to see two markets others didn’t see, that once added more than doubled their profits. Tight budgets cause you to put blinders on so you won’t spend money and when you have blinders on, it’s easy to miss what could be the best and most lucrative opportunities.

By having a certain amount of marketing money built into your budget that is not yet allocated, it is easier to be open to opportunity.

Two additional tips:

1)      Brainstorm options to determine the most effective marketing campaigns.  You have a variety of options available to you, from sending postcards to email campaigns to sales letters and more. At GKIC, we start with a campaign idea (say a five step campaign) and brainstorm with our marketing team and copywriters before we finalize it.  We decide what the elements will be and flesh out what the purpose of each piece. This consistently results in new ideas and helps create stronger, more effective campaigns. If you don’t have someone to brainstorm with, consider finding another GKIC member whom you can team up with to brainstorm each other’s campaigns. Or post in the GKIC social site  forum to get feedback from other members.

2)      Be creative and look for what you are missing.  There may be a lot of options that will be more effective for you. Testing new strategies or finding creative ways to make your marketing dollars go farther can help you increase your return on investment. For example, have you checked with publications that target your audience about whether or not they have “remnant space” available for you to test advertising in their publication? (Remnant space is last minute ad space that sells at a substantial discount because an advertiser dropped out.)  Or have you considered teaming up with another business to do a joint promotion? Look outside what you normally do and be open to ideas that will stretch your dollars.

Planning your entire year, deciding on budgets for those campaigns ahead of time, and brainstorming takes more effort. However, that effort results in a stronger financial picture—one that saves you money and improves your campaign results which increases your profits.

NOTE: If you want other ways to have more control over your business, it’s in the form of your taxes. There are a number of strategies you can employ to convert taxation from a non-controllable expense to one that is controllable.

This Thursday, June 6^th at 2:00pm EDT Charlie Dombeck is offering a FREE webinar for business owners on how to cut your taxes and regain control. Charlie will discuss:

• The new trend and redirected IRS workforce that is dedicating more of its resources to auditing small businesses and entrepreneurs—how this affects you and how to audit-proof your business.
• What to expect in tax increases and the revival of two dormant provisions of tax code that affect you.
• A strategic tax mitigation plan you can use to structure your compensation and benefit plan so you have the ability to drive down the cost of taxation.

To register for this free webinar and receive access details, click here.

While vacationing with my family in Grand Rapids, having virtually no symptoms other than what she described as a little heartburn, she had a heart attack.

My family took her to the hospital where she refused to believe she was sick. Even after being told she’d had a heart attack, she refused to lie in bed and sat in a chair instead, saying, “I’m not sick. I burped and now I feel better.”

She made history when she became the oldest patient in the history of Meyer Hospital to have quadruple bypass surgery.

A complicated surgery, you probably already know that most doctors won’t perform this surgery on older patients.

I am happy to report she is doing great. Now that the blood is getting through again, she has color in her cheeks she hasn’t had in years. And per her request in the hospital, I just delivered her new iPad which she was really excited to receive.

There are some great marketing lessons to be learned from this story.

1)      Just because the majority does something doesn’t mean it’s right. Most doctors would have taken one look at my grandmother’s 94 year old age and said she was too old to have the surgery. Because that is what the majority of doctors say and believe. That, of course, could have been fatal for my grandmother since there was no blood getting through her arteries. Thankfully, my grandmother’s doctor looked at her individually, collected the facts and made the decision to do the surgery.

In your business, following what everyone in your market is doing can often be fatal to your profits. Dan talks about when he got into doing TV infomercials. He said that there would be 5000 new shows testing each year and only 100 staying on. That meant that 4900 of those weren’t working. Look at what everyone is doing, but don’t do what they are doing unless there is empirical proof that that what they are doing is actually working. It’s better to examine all the information and make a decision based on fact, rather than what the majority is doing.

2)      Refusal to accept truth can be dangerous to your business survival. Luckily my grandmother accepted the truth of what was happening in the end. But boy was she stubborn about accepting the fact that she was unwell. That isn’t what she wanted to hear, however refusing to believe that she’d had a heart attack or take appropriate measures could have been disastrous to her future well-being.

There is one truth businesses don’t like to hear. And similar to my grandmother’s situation, it can be a very dangerous mistake.  Here it is…

That the business you are really in is the business of marketing and the thing you do, for example a dentist, a realtor, and info-marketer, etc., is secondary.

Being a better doctor, lawyer, carpet cleaner, maker of stuff, etc. will not make you wealthier. Marketing your business better will. The sooner you understand and accept this truth, the sooner you can improve the health of your business.

3)      Look outside of your market. While I know the iPad is a popular piece of technology, the majority of people in my grandmother’s generation aren’t up on technology, nor do they wish to learn how to use it. My grandmother looked outside her generation and saw a younger generation using iPads which prompted her to get one. That’s one thing that makes my grandmother stand out.

In industry segments, people tend to hang out together—they go to conventions where everyone does what they do. Speakers go to speaker conventions. Chiropractors go to chiropractor conventions. That means you end up doing and trying the same things.

However, when you go outside of your industry… that is where you will find breakthrough ideas that make you stand out. For example, on most accounts, the drive through window which many attribute to the restaurant industry is actually said to have originated in the banking industry.

These are three qualities found in Renegade Millionaires. When you understand and adopt these three concepts to your business, you’ll not only escape fatal mistakes, but you’ll discover breakthroughs to profitable and creative innovations that determinedly expand your opportunities and put more green in your bank account.

NOTE: If you’d like to discover the source of unusual, radically different advertising that actually works while avoiding potentially fatal marketing mistakes that cost you money and cause businesses to die off, then check out the ONLY extended, in-depth, nothing-held-back conversation between Bill Glazer and Dan Kennedy about the philosophies and strategic secrets unique to Renegade Millionaire Marketing.

And as an extra special super bonus, now through Monday, June 3, 2013, when you pick up Renegade Millionaire Marketing you’ll receive Dan Kennedy’s Midas Touch Direct Marketing audio recordings which Dan recorded in the late 80’s, absolutely FREE.

The recordings while old reveal timeless breakthrough advice and the instruments you need to save your business and grow wealthy. In fact, Dan and his clients have now made millions from the strategies he reveals, which means the information he reveals could be worth a fortune to you and help you liberate yourself from struggle and frustration.

For the next three days you can get your hands on these Dan Kennedy vintage recordings…as part of our very special offer that includes Renegade Millionaire Marketing…

Get Dan’s Vintage Recording Now.  Click Here or go to www.dankennedy.com/renegademarketing

In these two recordings, Dan covers keys to marketing success and shows you the exact steps you need to take if you want to stop wasting money on advertising that doesn’t work and start attracting and spending time with only those that are most likely to buy from you. You’ll discover:

• Which media works best for different industries (information which still holds true today.)
• The basic elements every ad MUST have.
• Three things you must have to strategically put yourself in front of the people who will respond most favorably to what you have to offer.
• And much, much more.

Dan’s vintage Midas Touch Direct Marketing recordings are available as a free bonus (unavailable anywhere else!) when you purchase Renegade Millionaire Marketing— by midnight, Tuesday.

Get Dan’s Vintage Recordings Now!

There are, of course, many ways I cast nets to find clients. Books, tele-seminars, webinars, newsletters…are all done ultimately with the intention of gently inviting people to inquire about my services. Yet each has a different strategic purpose.

That’s a key point. You have to know your purpose for each piece, each item, each event. You have to know what your purpose is for being there. For being anywhere.

Most people are what Zig Ziglar used to call “wandering generalities.” They have no clear purpose. No definitive objective. No focus.

People put more thought into writing their grocery list than their key objectives for meetings, events, appointments.

For example, if a newspaper, magazine or trade publication invites you to submit an article and you merely write and deliver a good, content rich article and it is published, you have failed.

That newspaper, newsletter or magazine is a place. Depending on who reads it (which you need to know) why they read it (which you need to know) how many read it (which you need to know) and your own needs and purposes (which you need to know) you must engineer what you write strategically.

If you are hunting for whales, you need to present different bait than if you want to attract the greatest possible number of people to visit a website you reference. (Read more about ‘whales’ in my article Hunt Whales and Get Rich here.)

Whether you are writing a blog post, an email, an article, thought must be given to what you are trying to achieve. Your success or failure will be determined by whether or not you achieve that goal.

Keep in mind, your purpose for doing an event might not be the same as mine. Nor is the purpose of every article you write the same.

Not every business needs, wants, or is prepared to care for a whale.  Some businesses may need “Milk Cows” that give them a steady stream of business month after month and guarantee them sufficient income.

Another business might be starting out and looking for a lot of “Minnows,” each with a relatively low value, but easier to exceed expectations while they increase their experience and get good at delivering their product or service.

Over time this purpose may change too, which means each time you sit down to write, you must evaluate what your purpose is and who your audience is, avoiding the trap of always delivering in the same way.

My own strategic purpose is not the point. Having a strategic purpose and knowing how to insert it into everything you write, that’s the point.

NOTE:  If you are hiring someone else to write your blogs, articles, emails, letters, etc. I’d suggest you pick up GKIC’s FREE report, “The 7 Key Questions Every Copywriter You Hire MUST Be Able to Answer To Write Killer Direct Response Copy and Create Marketing Campaigns That Will Outsell The Pants Off Your Competition!” .

Bad copy wastes precious dollars and costs you sales. Set yourself up to make millions by finding out what you need to ask every copywriter before you hire them. Remember there is no charge for this.

Get this FREE report by clicking here now or go to www.dankennedy.com/7questions