One hundred and fifty years ago today, one of the greatest men to ever live delivered a short, yet very impactful speech at a location where over 50,000 men died fighting for what they believed in.

When was the last time you read the Gettysburg Address? I mean REALLY read it?  With the condition of these United States being what it is today, I believe it is fitting that we all take a few minutes to review and ponder what these words really mean to each of us personally…

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Abraham Lincoln – Republican President of the United States of America
November 19, 1863

An article this week in the Wall Street Journal really hit home. It’s about the propensity of business people today to rely too heavily on email and text, and forget about using the phone.

It’s interesting that the article opens with a case study of the negative ramifications of not using the telephone, especially for sales people:

Patty Baxter realized there was a problem. In her 20 years at Metro Guide Publishing in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the office usually hummed with sales calls. Now, it was quiet.

Advertising sales were down and Ms. Baxter identified a reason: Her sales staff, all under age 35, were emailing clients with their pitches, not calling them on the phone.

Exactly!

As a coach and consultant, I’m working in and around dozens of businesses every year, and one thing I’ve seen consistently is that most businesses would be much more effective if once in a while people would give up their days-long email back and forth and just call the person to resolve something. I’ve literally watched employees spend hours emailing each other trying to resolve a situation or do a deal. When I tell them to “just pick up the phone and call them” the situation is usually rectified within five minutes.

The Wall Street Journal article points to “Millenials” as the main culprit. That may be true, but I’ve seen this over-reliance on email communication across all generations. Even old geezers like me sometimes need to remember the primary business tool that launched our careers!

So remember, when you really want to get something done…

On a funny/sad note, the article did point out something that many twenty-somethings may not actually be aware of…dial tones:

Dana Brownlee, a corporate trainer based in Atlanta, says the issue of phone aversion frequently comes up in her project management training sessions. One of her clients, a manager at a large utility company, recently had to teach his young employee what a dial tone was and explain that desktop phones don’t require you to press “Send.”

Sigh

Click here to read the entire Wall Street Journal article (Opens in new window)

What do you think?  Are you or your staff less productive because people aren’t using the phone enough?  Please leave your thoughts in the “Comments” box below…

Ron Popeil is a master salesman.  A man who has sold over a BILLION dollars worth of products pretty much single-handedly, he knows how to create incredible value in the mind of the consumer. His products were simple, effective, saved you money, simplified your life (Set it and forget it!) and of course they were great values. The most important part of this is great value.

For example, below is a short video of his Showtime Rotisserie “Call To Action”. Before getting to this point, Ron has spent 10 minutes wowing the audience with all of the incredible ways the Showtime can improve their lives. He’s compared it to other (expensive) appliances, compared it to the costs of going out to dinner, demonstrated how efficient it will make their lives, and in many other ways, pretty much convinces the audience that it’s probably worth $400-$500 for the appliance.

Now watch what he does…

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You see what he did there with he pricing? He made it seem like you would be crazy not buy buy one at such a low price!

And the multi-pay? His 4 payments of $39.95 strategy is another proven winner when it comes to pricing. First of all, it make the actual price feel much less, and second, it helps break down the overall purchase into manageable financial “chunks”. Buying a Showtime Rotisserie is almost a no-brainer by the time he’s finished.

So how does this apply to your business?  A few lessons here:

#1 Make sure you are creating massive value in the mind of the customer before bringing up the price

#2 When pricing your products and services, make sure that the actual selling price is below the perceived value price (but high enough to make a tidy profit)

#3 If your products or services are expensive, see if you can create a multi-pay program to make it easier for your customers to buy

#4 (And I’ve mentioned this one many times in my speeches and writings) DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR THE SALE. I’ve seen time and time again where a business owner isn’t confident enough in their product, service, or pricing to boldly ask for the sale. You’ve got to be like Ron, and be confident in your delivery.

Confidence = Customers.

With all due respect to one of my favorite TV shows of all time, I felt I simply had to steal the subject line for today’s blog post because it’s so fitting.

Why?

Because I recently completed my FINAL Midweek Momentum webinar.  That’s right.  As of now Midweek Momentum is no longer. 😦

I started Midweek Momentum exactly one and a half years ago with a few goals in mind, including lead generation, making my time more efficient, and of course helping others.

But along that way, many other benefits came to the surface that I wasn’t expecting.  So my topic for my final Midweek Momentum webinar was…

“7 reasons YOU should be doing webinars for your business”

The session was recorded, and you can check out the video here:

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That’s the final session, but if you want to access the archives for previous recordings of Midweek Momentum, simply CLICK HERE and you’ll be taken to my Youtube channel.  (Opens in new window)  There, I teach you about Pinterest, the power of money back guarantees, the Psychology of Influence, accepting credit card payments no matter where you are…and much more!

Finally, a request: If you learned something or in some other way received benefit from participating in Midweek Momentum, I would be very honored if you would post your comment below… thank you!

“You can get whatever you want in life, as long as you help enough other people get what they want”
-Zig Ziglar

Zig’s philosophy has always been the way I’ve done business since I opened my doors back in 1999.

California Casualty, one of my clients at FawnKey and Associates, also has the same philosophy of serving others. In that spirit of giving, California Casualty has hired my company to design and manage a couple of exciting promotions that help two very special groups of people . . . nurses and firefighters.

The first promotion we launched is “Give a Nurse a Break”, which is sending one lucky nurse and three of his or her best friends to a fully catered spa weekend at world famous Chocolate Spa at The Hotel Hershey in Pennsylvania!

Know a nurse? CLICK HERE to email them the link to win!

The second campaign we just launched is the “Firehouse Makeover” promotion, which will honor one lucky firehouse in the U.S. with a Grand Prize makeover valued at over $15,000! In addition, we’re hosting “Thank You” BBQ’s across the country to 44 First Prize winning fire stations!

I’m really excited about this campaign, because my company brought in some wonderful corporate partners to support the cause, including Maytag, who is providing $10,000 worth of appliances, Sherwin-Williams who is providing thousands of dollars in paint and financial support, and Body by Jake who is providing fitness equipment to keep the firefighters at the winning location fit and ready for action.

Know a firefighter? CLICK HERE to email them the link to win!

I am honored to be a key part of supporting those who willingly sacrifice to serve others. After all, where would the world be without dedicated nurses and firefighters watching out for us 24 hours a day?

I’m addicted to a new show on TV called “Barter Kings”.

On this show, bartering experts trade and barter a variety of items in an effort to “trade up” from something as mundane as an iPod, wheeling and dealing it up to a car or boat or some other amazing item . . . all without any cash trading hands.

Dictionary.com defines barter as:

bar·ter [bahr-ter] verb
1. to trade by exchange of commodities rather than by the use of money.

Barter Kings is really a fascinating show to watch, as every episode has at least one “what the heck?” moment where someone makes a trade that makes no sense to me at all, exchanging something of very high dollar value for something valued at much less. However, the trade does make sense to the person doing the barter because they are trading something they don’t need for something they do need. And many times they don’t have the cash to just buy the item outright, so they are willing to do the barter deal. In fact, when you look closer, the barter might be the only and best way for everyone to get WHAT they need WHEN they need it.

This got me to thinking. I know there are many businesses out there who very much want to utilize my coaching and consulting services. Unfortunately, they don’t have the cash to hire me.  But they might have something they want to barter.

What one of my clients had to say after hiring me…

“Need help expanding your business? Need to be pushed? Need to know where to start or what to do next? Need help understanding how Social Networking can help? If you have been unsuccessful in your marketing efforts or just feel stagnated in this economy, I have 4 words for you: Hire Marty. I did!” — Maggie Mowery

So as of today, I’m officially open to “barter”. I have a very small capacity for new business over the summer, so as an experiment I want to fill those slots with businesses that I can help through barter.  If you could use my help with your business (or know someone else who could), but don’t have the cashflow to bring me on board paying my regular fees, let’s talk barter.

I’m open to bartering for goods OR services. Piano lessons, “guy toys”, a pool table for my kids, creative services, copywriting or marketing services, mechanic work, I’m open. No offer is too silly. I’ve never really done anything like this before, so I’ll be keeping a very open mind about what you have to trade.

I really want to help out at least one or two businesses this summer using the barter / trade method, so if your business needs the kick start I’m sure I can deliver, contact me ASAP and let the bartering begin!  (Click HERE to contact me)

One more comment from a satisfied client…

“Ideas, ideas, and more ideas. Marty is a true expert in his industry. He was born with a huge gift of coming up with amazing ideas to help and take your business to the next level (or the next 10 levels). I feel like every time I talk to the guy I get smarter. His integrity and passion for his clients is transparent when he is coaching and finding new ways to make you better. He is a coach, a mentor and role model for me, and If you are lucky to have him on your team DON’T LET HIM GO.  He is priceless in my book. Thanks for everything Marty.” — Jesse Eker

So what do you think?  Leave a comment below with your opinion, and let’s get our barter on!

I’ve said it time and time again, the secret to great marketing is being;

. . . at the right place,
. . . at the right time,
. . . with the right message,
. . . to the right audience

If you hit all four of those, you are pretty much guaranteed to be a success.

For example:

Need I say more?

Now go forth and do likewise 🙂

The following question was posted this week through my Midweek Momentum webinar:

Marty,
I am looking at creating some additional income from home through an already established online business. I’ve recently heard about “My
Online Income System” & “Independent Profit Center (IPCP)”.  Are you familiar with either of these?

Is there any that you know would be safe, secure and legitimate to work with? Thanks Marty!

Answer: RUN AWAY! From what I can tell, these are both scams designed to prey on people who are looking for just the type of thing you are seeking.

As far as I know, there are no (zero, zilch, nada) “safe, secure and legitimate” work from home programs out there.  In fact, a few years ago I did a posting to my entire social network asking for anyone who knew of a legitimate work from home (not MLM, not straight commission work) opportunity and I got nothing.

I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but seriously, if it was really possible to make “$379/day from hone in 60 minutes a day”, don’t you think we would all be doing it?

Actual screen shot from one of the websites mentioned above showing the "Too good to be true" (and probably illegal) earnings claims

I’ve had several relatives and friends get ripped off by falling for just these type of deals, so this is a VERY important subject to me.

Please, please, please don’t fall for these scams.  If you need a job, get a job.  If you want to start a business, start a business.  But there are no shortcuts to making a bunch of money from home in an hour a day.

This question was posted on my Facebook wall today. The answer was a bit more extensive than I wanted to post on Facebook, so I’m reposting the original question (along with my answer) here for all to read and comment…

Question:

Is there a difference between non-profit and not for profit?  I would love to do a foundation but I know my partner would like to make enough to decrease her hours at the office and put her hours into the business. What are your thoughts?

Answer:

For many people, the terms “non-profit” and “not for profit” are interchangeable. However, there can be subtle differences between the two.

A “Nonprofit” is generally an organization with a 501(c)3 IRS designation which allows them to receive charitable donations, and have the donor claim such donations on their taxes. Most non-profit organizations are formed around a “cause” or area of focus such as Salvation Army helping the poor, Boy Scouts of America training tomorrow’s leaders, or your local Sertoma civic club promoting hearing health and awareness across the country.

A “not for profit” is an entity which exists to serve a community or cause, but it’s not in the business of soliciting donations, but is rather a more traditionally-run business. The best example of a “not for profit” that I can come up with is a Credit Union. Unlike a bank (blech!), a credit union is charted by and owned by it’s members, so any excess “profit” at the end of the year is returned to it’s members.

To answer the second part of your question:

Many non-profit and not-for-profit organizations have paid employees, including board members, staff, and even a president. So it is possible to have a “nonprofit” organization that is chartered to serve a community or cause, may receive favorable tax and social benefits AND pays a salary to the founders of the organization itself.

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DISCLAIMER: I am neither a licensed tax adviser nor an attorney. This response is my opinion only, and may or may not be accurate depending on your particular situation. Please consult an attorney and a tax adviser before acting on any advice you read here.

Today’s post, a replay from my Midweek Momentum webinar series, is a lesson about the six Principles of Influence, as outlined in the book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Dr. Robert Cialdini.

I sincerely believe that these Principles of Influence will help you become a better marketer, copywriter, negotiator, and all-around more successful business person, and this video will get you started understanding the Principles of Influence and Persuasion. Click the video below for the replay . . .

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So what do you think? Are you ready to leverage some of the Principles of Influence in your business?

(Interested in buying the book? Click here to get a great price on Amazon)