Thursday, 4:51pm
Reno, NV
“I’ll have what she’s having…” (When Harry Met Sally)

Howdy…

I figured I’d end the year in a ball of fire, and just lay it out for you here.

If you tried, really really hard, and weren’t successful last year…

… it was probably mostly your own damn fault.

Yeah, sure, the economy sucked, politicians were mean, your prospects are all screamin’ idiots, and God had it out for you.  All totally excellent excuses for having a crummy bottom line again.

It’s not your fault.  It can’t be your fault.  That… that’s just…

… that’s just completely unacceptable that it might be your fault.

And, hey, maybe you did piss off the universe, and spooky forces beyond your control mucked things up so you had a bad year.

I believe you.  I really do.

However…

After you’ve been around the block a few times in life, you start to notice some very interesting things about success.

And the big realization, I’d have to say, is that the idea that success is somehow magically bestowed on people in a spontaneous burst of luck and being in the right place/right time…

… is just bullshit.

It is.  It’s total bullshit.  Hollywood likes to pretend it’s a real plot point.  And folks clueless about how the world works — who spend their lives outside looking in — use this myth as a comforting excuse for their own lack of goal attainment.

Once you’ve spent even a little time with successful dudes and dudettes, you notice something startling: They all have well-defined goals, and they focus on nailing them like terriers going after a squirrel.

They are not stopped by lack of skill, or lack of time, or lack of connections in the right places.

They are not stopped by ADHD (which a LOT of the entrepreneurs I know are saddled with, btw), or feelings of inferiority (many of the best are entirely motivated by “I’ll show you” revenge fuel), or lack of education (drop-outs galore).

And they are not stopped by the main reason most wannabe entrepreneurs never get past that “deer in the headlights” pose: Not knowing what to do next.

Every single excuse ever floated by anyone in the history of mankind…

… has been met and conquered by people with less brainpower, less money, less skill and less luck than you.

This can really piss a guy off.  Especially if you’re deeply invested in believing that anything other than growing the fuck up and getting serious about attaining your dreams is what creates success in this world.

Let me remind you:  You have one ticket in this life.  You’re already on the ride — it doesn’t “start” at some future point, when you’re finally ready or finally have your shit together.

The game is on NOW. Nobody knows how long your ride will last.  There might be a little meteor headed for your ass this very second, BANG, ticket cancelled.

More likely, you’re going to continue (for a while) living in the rarest of times, considering our history.  Unlike nearly ALL of your ancestors — who ground out a living with back-breaking work, under the yoke of oppressive authority, without even a vague sliver of a dream that things could be better.

You OWE it your under-nourished, vulnerable-to-germs, knowledge-hobbled, bug-infested ancestors to take FULL ADVANTAGE of the mind-bending opportunities swirling around you every second.

I mean, really.

How dare you whine about how tough it is to succeed.

Those poor schlubs in your past fought, slaved and died for centuries inching toward a reality where a person might have a little freedom to choose how they lived their life.

And yet…

… we DO complain, don’t we.

Everyone loses perspective over the course of a lifetime.  It’s not like the culture helps us out.  The distractions built into modern life read like a solid science fiction story.  George Orwell is rolling over in his grave.

Nevertheless, just because there ARE distractions and obstacles that trip up nearly everyone trying to get something going…

… doesn’t mean that YOU have to succumb to them.

The biographies of the most successful people you know about ALL have chapters — sometimes multiple chapters — where things looked bleak, and the story could easily have played out as one of a total loser.

At some point, a switch just clicks on for most of them.  One second, life seems dull and you feel trapped.

The next second… BANG, the most critical decision of a lifetime is made.  And the adventure begins in earnest.

You know what that decision is?

It can be as simple as deciding to get started.  To take the first step.

Success junkies talk about passion a lot.  But most people confuse passion with “desire”, which ain’t the same thing at all.

Desire is helpless.  A long sigh, a breathless wish.

Passion is all about movement.  You’re breathless only because you’re engaged in hot and heavy action.

So, okay… you wanna hear my Top Ten list for turning your life around, starting right now?

You may not like this. I’m warning you.

Here we go…

Step 1: Stop wasting time.

You don’t “need” multiple hours every night to relax… and racking up time staring at the Boob Tube isn’t helping your brain, your digestion, your nerves or your future.

Knock off just ONE TV show you’re currently watching every week… and you’ve just found a hot little hour to devote to your new life.

Tear the plasma monster off the wall and donate it to charity, and you’ve recovered a second lifetime of hours.

Look, don’t go cold turkey if you can’t handle it.  But stop pretending you aren’t wasting massive piles of time doing things that… if you were to suddenly come face-to-face with one of your exhausted, oppressed ancestors…

… he wouldn’t haul off and slug you as hard as he could, for squandering a life crammed with possibilities that he never dreamed of.

Seriously… “Dancing With The Stars?”  Are you fucking kidding me?

Step 2:  Take a deep breath, and allow the dreaded “D” word to enter your world.

That stands for “discipline”… something few Westerners have even a nodding acquaintance with.

It’s simple to put to work, too.  Every day, do something you really, really, really don’t want to do (that needs to be done eventually).  It can be doing the dishes, or exercising, or getting up early (by going to bed at a decent hour)…

… or it can be diving into that biz book on your shelf, or that DVD course you bought last year that you never tore the shrink-wrap off.

Living even a mildly disciplined life will change your future immediately.  You often know what needs to be done… but you use all that potent gray matter in your skull to find ways to AVOID those things.

Just stop it.  Become an effective person.  Start DOING shit that needs doing.  Right now, you have a backlog of chores and items on your “to do list”.  It’s a happy day when your new chore is to find a new project to dive into, because you’ve mopped up everything else.

Step 3:  Be a good animal.

Eat better (and less often), treat sleep as a sacred necessity for advanced living, get your butt into the gym or onto the tennis court (or just on a trail), allow for quality “ponder” time (or uninterrupted meditation), and plan (and enjoy) life with gusto.

My motto has always been “moderation in all vices”.  Steady as she goes, but let’s kick it up a notch every now and then, test the adrenaline pump.

But the Prime Directive remains: Never pretend you’re something other than a complex biological machine, requiring good fuel, attention to wear-and-tear, constant routine maintenance, and ample opportunity for gleefully maxing out the emotional, spiritual, intellectual and kinesthetic possibilities.

You could do worse than follow your dog’s lead in most of this.  (Except for eating garbage, of course.)

Step 4: Face your fears.

If you’re not keeping a private journal where you can air out everything on your mind without reservation (even if you have to write in code a lot), then start one now.

The first pages can be a list of what you’re afraid of.  Just get it out of your head and onto a page… so you can stop obsessing for a while.  (Obsessive thinking often comes from your brain’s whack notion that if you don’t obsess, you’ll forget.  I’ve found that your brain actually knows that writing it all down means it can relax with the memorization nonsense.  It’s like burying your bone in a familiar place — you can stop carrying it around for a while, and concentrate on something else.)

The biggie: If you’ve got something bugging you that ain’t going away with simple pop psychology tricks (like journals), then get some pro help.  Psychology is a field that has never lost its inferiority complex among other sciences, and so it keeps dabbling in pharmaceutical bullshit and elaborate protocols for treatment.

Now, you may need high-end treatment.  There’s zero shame in that — sometimes, our wiring just goes berzerk, and modern chemistry may help.  I’m not a doctor.  If you have serious problems, get serious help.

However, if what’s troubling you is more along the line of emotionally-hobbling guilt, or feelings of inferiority or inadequacy, or the all-too-common problem of feeling like you’re a freak trying to hide your freaky nature among the throngs of normal people out there…

… you’re ripe for something as simple as “talk therapy”.  I’ve slugged my way through every dark alley of pop psychology there is, from Gestalt encounter groups to dream analysis to primal screaming and other stuff you don’t need to know about.  (I have a mostly-worthless degree in psych, you should know, from a California university.  A California university, mind you.  Every shocking notion you have of what that might mean is true, I’m proud to say.)

And often, what ails us is primarily the incorrect notion that we’re “naughty” and abnormal… when the truth is that everyone out there harbors a squirming nest of personal demons and private failures.

Life isn’t something you “figure out” and then coast through.  The lessons and challenges come fast and furious, and never let up.  It’s sensible to be wary of danger.  It’s crippling, though, to be afraid of your own shadow.

If you need help, get it.

The people having the most fun (and scoring the big results) in life aren’t normal.  They’ve just come to terms with their individuality, and figured out how to rock on with the hand they’ve been dealt.

You can do it, too.

Step 5: Stop lying.

To others.  And to yourself.

This doesn’t mean you suddenly become that azzhole who constantly delivers “the truth” to everyone around them.  The “truth” is hard to ascertain in many situations, and living well includes being diplomatic and sensitive to other people’s feelings.

Lying often has nothing to do with the truth.  It’s just a weak but persistent form of protection for your ego.

The key to being honest to yourself and others is to realize that you aren’t required to respond to every question put to you.  It’s perfectly all right to say “no comment”, or “um, yeah, I’m not gonna share that”.  (The “Magic Word” that all professionals and successful business owners need to have in their arsenal is “No”.  Said politely, with a smile, but firmly and without explanation.  ”I understand that you want me to answer that question.  No.  What’s the next topic…”, repeated as often as necessary, is NOT being rude.  People learn, growing up, that persistence will wear others down and get them to do what you want.  Which is fine, for the rest of the world.  As a pro, however, you have the right to opt out of that game.  Without explanation.)

Lying is a hard damn job.  You have to remember all kinds of stuff that isn’t true, so you don’t cross up your stories.

Being honest means you are freed from the restraints of a complex relationship to what’s going on.  To others, you may stop blabbering so much, and instead be a little circumspect with your answers (which is always a good thing).

You may even start listening more, which can also change your life.

Being honest with yourself is the big payoff, though.  Our default position is to spin things so our little ego isn’t damaged.  But you can “spin” honestly, too — there are always multiple realities to any situation, and you can look at shocks like failure in ways that put it in perspective, while being honest.  (Most successful people have failed a LOT in their career.  They just didn’t take failure as the last word on the subject… but rather looked at it honestly, to learn the lessons and come back with better chops for the second round.  THAT’S how you win.)

Step 6: Do constant reality checks.

I often say that good salesmen lead better lives… because to make sales, you must see the world and everyone in it as it IS…

… not as you wish it was, or believe it should be.

People will tell you they’ll act in a certain way in a certain situation, and then do the exact opposite.  They’re not “bad”, they’re just doing what people always do — ignore reality.

Top marketers constantly observe people’s actions (not their words).  Gary Halbert, when he wanted to get a reaction on a new ad he’d just written, had a favorite bar he would go into and read the ad aloud.  If everyone said “that’s a great ad, that should be a winner” then he knew he had written a bomb that would fail.

The ONLY reaction he wanted to hear was “Holy crap!  How can I get one of those for myself?”

This same kind of reality check needs to happen inside your head and heart, constantly.  What’s really going on with you, right now?  What do you want, what do you NOT want, what are you willing or not willing to do to make the good stuff happen?

Step 7: Reach out to loved ones.

People miss you.  You’re horrible at staying in touch, and old timers will vouch for the fact that years can zoom by and destroy even strong relationships if you ignore the maintenance they deserve.

You don’t have to stay in touch with anyone, of course.  Relationships that are burdensome can sap energy from you, and they need to be shelved if you’re gonna move forward in life.

Still… somebody’s waiting for a call from you, right now.

Make it.

Step 8: Reach out to colleagues.

People love to talk about what they love doing…

… and entrepreneurs are starved for networking with other entrepreneurs.  Both to find out what’s working or not working out there for others, and to share what they’ve learned.

It can be shocking, at first, to realize just how much support you can get even from competitors sometimes.  Business can be like a hockey game — brutal, but with total respect for the other team.

Every single successful marketer I know has a deep network of buddies and colleagues they call frequently, and share information that outsiders would pay a fortune for (like testing results, and experienced advice).

This is why most of the success junkies hit up events and seminars.  You can’t really get to know someone from phone chats, or reading their blogs.

The real connection comes from face-to-face meetings, hanging out and breaking bread (while sharing gossip).

Step 9: Reach out to experts.

Mentoring changed my life.  I’ve had multiple mentors along the way, and some didn’t even realize they WERE mentors.  (I just observed them very carefully, and deconstructed what they did and how they did it.  Some of the writers I learned the most from were dead when I came along, so I had to use critical thinking instead of actually working with them.)

But I also learned to quickly recognize others who had lessons for me (again, whether they realized it or not).  Some thought of themselves as experts, others were just damn good at their job.

All had fountains of knowledge and skills worth exploring and figuring out.

Side note: It’s not a coincidence that many of the best marketers alive are also quite good at a musical instrument.

You know why?

It’s the PROCESS of learning.  It’s hard to get even the basics down for an instrument… and you must dedicate yourself (and use the “D” word) to get to a point of competence.

Most people, given the choice, will not go through the physical pain (your fingers will bleed when learning guitar) and mental anguish (because you will fail over and over again on each step — no one gets it right the first hundred times) of learning something as sophisticated as a musical instrument.

Most guitarists I know didn’t really have a choice.  The desire to master the beast came from within, and we were driven to do it.

Still, I’ve met others who did it to please parents, or just because their reference group of friends all did it.  And they got the same benefit as the driven ones:  The realization of what it takes to learn something new.

It’s a process.  And you CAN learn it, and you CAN do it.  It just takes a little guidance.

There are a lot of great experts out there who teach.

There are also a lot of bogus assholes who fake it, and if they teach you anything at all, it will be to never trust someone without vetting them first ever again.

The key is to first find ONE expert you feel you can trust. Make them earn your trust.  Triple-check their credibility and credentials.

Through this first relationship, you will be introduced to other teachers and guru’s they recommend.  It’s still up to you to be an adult, and be critical of anyone you get advice from until they’ve also earned your trust.

But the first move is always yours.

When you’re ready, reach out.  Get involved, take advantage of all interactive opportunities, and don’t be shy about sucking up all the free stuff that experts willingly ladle out.

Much of the rookie entrepreneurial world is populated with cynical fuck-ups who would rather tear an expert down, than learn anything.  It’s like TMZ for business — there will never a lack of rubber-necking, sneering wannabe’s trashing everyone who has dared to be successful.

You can hang with these types, if you like.  You’ll be entertained.

But you won’t get anywhere in life.

Cynicism is for bench warmers.

You wanna play, put your ego and your sneer away.  Find the experts with the experience and the willingness to teach that fits what you need…

… and get involved.

Step 10: Master the art of setting good goals…

… and putting together a doable plan to achieving them.

This is not something you can do intuitively.  Nearly everyone thinks they understand what a real goal is.  And they also feel they should be able to achieve a goal just with positive thinking (and maybe a few inspirational catch phrases).

And they are wrong.

Goal setting isn’t rocket science… but it is more like learning a new instrument than it is like buying a new car.  Change doesn’t come easy — there are all kinds of obstacles in your head, your heart, in the universe and in the cards that need to be met and conquered along the way.

There is a process.

Most people don’t even know what they really want.  They just know they lack happiness or fulfillment or something…

… and early goal setting under these conditions will be wildly ineffective.

Fortunately, with just a little bit of coaching, you can become a goal-achieving monster.

And that is the key to moving from where you are in life, to where you want to be.

Now, it’s late, and I’ve given you too much good stuff already in this post.

If you’re ready for more of the real shortcuts and inside advice to making this coming year your best ever…

… whether you measure “best ever” in terms of cash, or happiness, or achievements, or all of it put together…

… then I recommend you at least check out the Action Seminar we’re hosting at the end of February.

Get the details on the Action Seminar by clicking here.

Yes, it’s a live event, so you’ll need to travel and get your act together enough to attend.  We’ve made that part as easy as possible, by having the seminar in San Diego (with one of the easiest airports in the country to get in and out of)… where it’s also going to be nice, with ocean breezes and suntanned happy folks everywhere (even while your home town gets slammed with another blizzard or locust invasion or whatever other horrors winter usually brings).

Plus, we’ve arranged for discounts at the hotel.  Good times.

But best of all, you’ll get to hang out with a small army of experts we’ve hand-picked… along with a roomful of other entrepreneurs and veteran biz owners and rookies and budding professionals who are PERFECT for networking and forming new joint ventures and sharing info.

Skip it if you’re scared, or distracted, or “out in the weeds” with your life.  Your choice.

But make your decision at least with all the facts:

Get the details on the Action Seminar by clicking here.

I doubt we’ll host this event again.  It’s tough work putting it together, and corralling all these hot experts for a whole weekend.  And it’s going to be exhausting (though exhilarating, too) for us…

… because we do so much interactive teaching.  This is an event focused entirely on attendees, and the needs you bring with you when you arrive.

It’s all about making 2011 your best year ever… however you want to define “best”.  For most, it’s profit and income.  We excel at teaching that.  But happiness is also important, and we have the goods on that, too.

First step, if you’re at all interested, is to get the details.

Get the details on the Action Seminar by clicking here.

Don’t screw around and miss this event because you got distracted.  Veterans and rookies alike are welcome, and will get breakthrough insight and real plans you can implement without taking huge risks, or finding new sources of investment cash, or changing your biz radically at all.

This is DOABLE stuff.  It’s the key to making things happen fast… so you have the rest of the year to maximize results, and enjoy life.

From where I sit, this should be a no-brainer decision.  But you gotta make up your own mind.

Check it out.

Stay frosty,

John

P.S. What are YOUR top ten secrets for success?  Do they jive with mine, or do you have insight on something I may have skipped over?

The comment section is now wide open, and ready for threads.

This is THE most important period of the coming year.  Getting your year off to the best possible start means months of doing it RIGHT, as opposed to months of wasted effort (that can murder your profits).

It’s your movie.  You’re writing most of the script, and here’s an opportunity to see how the best in the game write boffo blockbusters for themselves, year after year.

Will I see you in San Diego?

Friday, 3:33 pm
Reno, NV
“When the world is a monster, ’bout to swallow you whole…” (R.E.M., Can’t Get There From Here)

Howdy…

Quick post today (I promise).

It’s about a HUGE freakin’ disaster lurking behind many entrepreneurs right now…

… like a snarly ugly googly-eyed monster sneaking up on your ass with fangs bared and claws clutching.

Some of you, right now, can feel its hot fetid breath on your neck.

Boo!

You know what this beast is?

It’s the Great Unknown Future that most marketers are facing right now, as 2011 comes galloping around the corner.  And there are no fangs sharper, and no evil hunger more devouring than a recession-addled economy (licking its chops as it creeps up on you).

Now, here’s a free piece of advice from a grizzled veteran of 30 years in the biz world:  I’ve successfully navigated at least 3 huge (and at least 3 other less-huge but still extremely painful) recessions since I began my career as a marketing expert.

I’ve done it alone…

… and I’ve done with the help, mentoring, and insight of folks who had been down that road before.

And I gotta tell you:  It SUCKS to do it alone.

And having a little solid, experienced help watching your back can almost immediately transform your progress.

In my consulting practice, I see a lot of lonely cowboys wandering the marketing range, trying to figure everything out on the fly. They have no one to shuck and jive with… no one to bounce ideas off of (so they never get honest feedback)…

… and no one to shine a light as they stumble in darkness, or warn them of dangers down the latest gimmick-rabbit-hole, or help them find, test drive, and evaluate the vast pile of resources out there (some of which are okay, some of which are evil-nasty-bad-for-you, and some of which are drooling cousins of that monster still sneaking up behind you).

No one to trust.

And gosh, that can suck worst of all.

I know that entrepreneurs and small-biz owners frequently list “being overwhelmed” as their biggest obstacle to success.  (Finding simple ways to be more productive is Number 2 on that list.)

But from where I sit…

… and remember, through this blog, my little social media empire (I use the term loosely, of course), and my decades-long experience consulting with and helping clients…

… the most fundamental problem out there is feeling isolated.  Lonely.

With no one to trust.

In fact, that’s just about the ONLY question I need to hear from anyone seeking help… to realize they’re in big trouble.

There’s plenty of advice out there.  Oodles of direction, ladled out by self-appointed guru’s and experts grinning from ear-to-ear, beckoning you hither.  A virtual CandyLand of resources, where sure-thing opportunities, slick deals and wondrous avaricious dreams abound…

… if you will only let down your guard and trust them.

To which I say:  STOP!

Take a deep breath.

And apply a little critical thinking here.

Do you really believe that a fad… or a gimmick… or a single “hot new secret” is gonna transform your life?

Hey, it’s fine if you do.  It’s a free world, thank God.  Go for it.

However…

… when you’re finally ready to grow the fuck up and quit fighting the reality of the business world…

… you’ve got to make some fundamental decisions.

Fundamental Decision #1: Do you want to build a REAL business, and install a solid foundation for generating ethical wealth and happiness that you create, yourself?

Or, are you just gonna hope for a magical solution to your problems?

If you’re into magic, you may want to split now.  I’m just gonna harsh your mellow here.

Fundamental Decision #2: If you ARE ready to build a real business…

… are you also finally prepared to put your ego aside, and admit you need a little honest help finding the right path to success?

Yeah, I know… your ego is already squirming and fussing, trying to get you to click off this page and go check out some porn or a free game site or something.  Gotta distract you, in case you actually TAKE a freakin’ step to change your life.

Just put the little bastard in a strangle-hold for a few minutes.  Shut him up.

And listen:

ALL of the successful entrepreneurs and biz owners I know…

… have built up teeming networks of like-minded colleagues, friends, partners, and associates.

Even more precisely: They surround themselves with winners, and hungrily share in the resources of this “inner circle” of success-junkies.

Because trying to make a business work all on your lonesome doesn’t just suck…

… it also will murder your ability to find your own best (and fastest) path to wealth and happiness.

Your drinking buddies don’t count, either.  Your family… nope.  Even your pal with all the grand schemes and plans… unless he’s actually DOING anything to bring in the big bucks, he’s an anchor around your neck.

What you want…

… is live, face-to-face access to people who share your quest for a thriving business, and for the rewards of committing to the demands of creating your own damn path in the world.  As a successful, passionate and kick-ass dude (or dudette).

And you particularly want to rub elbows with folks who ARE successful. Who have come from where you are now… conquered similar demons and obstacles… and secured their own seat at The Feast Of Life (the only place to be if you’re serious about enjoying this ride).

I know you’ve heard this story before.  Every single successful person I know has a similar version of it:  Things didn’t start popping… until they reached out for help, and followed through on the advice they received.

No exemptions.  You see a successful person… you can bet they didn’t arrive alone at the Gates Of Good Times.

It’s not a “detail” of your journey.

It’s the foundation of everything else you do in life.

And I want to help you kick your dreams in the butt… so you can finally crash through the obstacles and sticking points, and get MOVING.

We’re hosting a live event in late February, down in gorgeous San Diego.  We’ve only done this one other time, around a year ago…

… and the results of letting people into a room we front-loaded with our favorite go-to-experts and success-wizards…

… will simply take your breath away.

The best part: We’re doing it one more time…

… and you’re invited.  If, that is, you can keep your ego (and your natural default laziness) at bay long enough to get involved.

This event is called The Action Seminar.  Go here for the complete scoop:

Action Seminar Details

You have a number of decisions to make as the new year rolls into town.

Just imagine not having to face them all alone.

And, instead, actually strutting into 2011 armed-to-the-teeth with plans you can implement immediately to start achieving everything you’re after in life and biz.

We’re all about planning and implementation.  Not piling more theory and more bullshit advice on you (which will only make you feel more lonely and overwhelmed).

No way.

What I love about this event is the emphasis on ACTION.  It’s not a “talk AT you” kind of event (which I hate just as much as you do).

Rather, it’s a “work with you” seminar loaded with everything (EVERYTHING!) we know about getting your act together…

… as fast and efficiently as possible.  So you can go from wherever you are now… to wherever you DESIRE to be…

… in a well-planned, step-by-step process.

Just like the already-successful folks you’ll meet there do it.

These are people you can trust.  They’ve PROVEN it, over and over again… by helping others, by sharing the good stuff generously, by knowing — really knowing — how important trust and experienced advice is for entrepreneurs itching to move forward.

Look… make up your own mind here, of course.

But get all the info first.  And don’t kid yourself, if you’re even wishing a tiny bit that “somehow” you’ll survive the next year without chucking your desire for magic, or without getting down to business doing what works.

The key to success, usually, doesn’t involve changing too rapidly at first.  You don’t need more staff, or a bigger office, or infusions of cash from investors.

Naw.

The essential thing you need… is a plan.  And a little honest input from some folks who’ve been successful already, and are willing to share the process with you.

Just see what the fuss is about, okay?

Both time and space are limited, so I’m urging you to hurry.

Pay particular attention to what others reveal about the last one of these we held.  (You may see echoes of exactly what you’re going through now.)

The breakthrough that will change your life forever may be nearer than you think.

Stay frosty,

John

Thursday, 7:41pm
Reno, NV
“Please allow me to introduce myself…” (Stones, Sympathy For The Devil)

Howdy…

This is one of those lessons that arrived accidentally…

… and I had to stop and ruminate about it for a while before it made sense.

I’m lucky I learned it early, too.

It’s provided me with a home base of sanity when the chaos has reached shuddering crescendos and it was hard to think straight (let alone make snap decisions when crisis loomed).

You may find it obvious.

That’s fine.  Just don’t go thinking it’s obvious to the rest of the mean ol’ world out there… cuz it ain’t.

Here’s the story: One of my first jobs working for Gary Halbert was to fly to Detroit… and interview a guy who’d just lost 750 pounds.

Yeah, you read that right.

Gary had an idea for a diet product based on the dramatic tale of this now-slender young man.  It had to be a true story, too, cuz we found it in The National Enquirer.

I mean, it was dripping with credibility.

The photo of the kid at his heaviest made people just stare and blink.  We’re talking about filling up a king-sized bed all by your lonesome, with a little tiny face lost in folds of flesh.

The last time he’d been on a scale, they hauled him over to a machine that weighs horses.

Now, there’s more to this story, of course… including my first encounter with a Michigan ice storm (I flew out there in freakin’ December, wearing my stylish, thin, warm-for-Los-Angeles leather coat… and learned a lesson about chill factor walking out of the airport, tell you what).

Also including the side-story of how the kid, now down below 200 (yep, he really had lost all that weight) went through multiple operations to remove the excess skin, which was donated to burn clinics.

And more.  I can regale a room with the stories from that adventure for an hour.

But this isn’t a post about losing weight.

No, it’s much more important to your life than that.

Let’s continue: Gary and I began a rocky relationship with this kid for a few months, trying to film him for his product (a self-help course for people wanting to lose massive amounts of weight steadily)…

… while navigating the kid’s mounting arrogance, ego and control-freakism.

Gary and I loved to delve as deep as possible into the working personalities of people — that’s where the genius of all great advertising lies.

So we spent many an evening wondering what made this kid tick.

Finally, I hit on something.  “You know what?  Something inside him caused him to get so big in the first place.”

Stay with me.  It’s not as obvious as you might think.

Halbert’s eyes lit up.  We were on to something.

See, at first the kid seemed nice, loving and family oriented.  Poor guy had just sort of lost track of his size, and oops, got big.  Perfect spokesman for a diet product or course.

Soon, though, you could almost feel the invisible manipulation tenacles slithering around your throat as he challenged anyone who dared to question his authority and superiority on… well, everything.

Now, I’m no shrink.  But we soon realized how that kid had used his obesity to control his family to the point their entire lives were devoted to his care.  Like slaves.

And he liked it that way.  And he shed the weight when he figured out another way to keep them under his thumb (by becoming a celebrity via fat loss).

Okay.  So this kid, who at first seemed kinda sweet and loving, turned out to be harboring a nest of demons.

So what?

Well, it was one of those “a-HA!” moments where half a lifetime of puzzles suddenly were solved.

Here’s that lesson: Everybody has demons.

Everybody.

You, me, the mailman, your little love-bug honey, the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker.

Not all the demons are malicious.  Some are fairly innocent… like a constant craving for chocolate, which can impact your desert choices at a restaurant if you’re the type of couple who likes to share.

Or like a fear of heights, which can impact your vacation plans together.

And there are common demons, which seem to inhabit most of the population: Fear of change, greed, road rage (a cousin of feeling powerless against The Man), whack-job political suspicions, predudices… and I’m sure you can add to this list easily enough yourself.

And there are demons whose main job is keep things confusing: The passive-aggressive little trolls who excel at twisting reality into forms only they recognize.

This realization — that everybody’s got demons — at first was a huge relief.

Personally, I had always assumed (for no good reason) that if it was unclear who was at fault in any given situation involving me… I should take the blame.

It just seemed wrong to assign bad motives to other people.  And I knew I had demons in my head — desires and fears and the lingering inchoate rage of barely surviving puberty and struggling in the adult world.

And I kind of enjoyed believing I lived in a world with mostly demon-free people around me.

I could handle my beasts (most of the time).

But the thought that someone else might be harboring the same impulses I had rattled me to the core.  Better to pretend there were pure souls out there in the majority.

This is COMMON, folks.

This is standard operating procedure for most human minds… to not go down that rabbit hole inside your brother’s core.

It’s why the neighbors of the serial killer next door always express surprise.  “He was a nice, quite man.  A little odd, but we never suspected anything.”  (Despite the occasional screams from the basement…)

As a marketer, you have to abandon many of the pleasant illusions that comfort everyone else.  Like believing your customers are different.  Or that you can sell lots of stuff by appealing to the “noble” virtues of your audience.

I’ve often cautioned friends who were nibbling at the edges of the entrepreneurial experience:  You will be startled, at first, by what you discover about your fellow earthlings.

The sheer volume of fear, desire, greed and sick need is unsettling.  It’s a jungle/madhouse/war zone out there.

However, once the initial shock wears off, you’ll be fine.

People are infested with demons of varying levels of nastiness.

So what?

They’re still lovable.  The world is still gorgeous.  And knowing how the universe operates — rather than pretending to know, and being wrong (like most folks) — offers you a supremely better life.

For one thing, you won’t often be fooled.  You’ll be a wicked-good salesman, too… because 99% of all selling is based on understanding the psychology of the process.

And your philosophy of how to live well can evolve (and thrive) based on reality… not wishes and dreams.

Now… what is the FIRST practical application of this advanced knowledge?

It is this: Look around…

… and figure out who’s watching your back.

Most people’s heads are crawling with demons they don’t realize or acknowledge…

… and yet they LISTEN to the gibbering.

I’ve seen this too often, both in business and in private life.

When people operate alone, or in isolated situations, they “take their own counsel”.

What they THINK they’re doing is going over the facts, weighing options, and judging the pros-and-cons objectively.

However, what they’re actually doing…

… is taking whispered advice from their demons.

And that seldom turns out well.

Much later (as the dust settles and the survivors of the decision begin to climb back on the Maslow hierarchy-of-needs staircase)…

… they’ll ask themselves “What the HELL was I thinking?”

And the answer is:  You weren’t thinking at all.

You let the demons into the control room.

Now, how does this affect you as a business owner or entrepreneur?

I’ll tell you:  Most of the biz owners I consult with are essentially isolated.

They don’t have confidants to tell their secrets to… they don’t have people who share their burdens… they can’t brainstorm ideas because no one around them understands what’s going on…

… and they sink or swim, every day, locked inside their own head.

With all those demons tugging and whispering and planting astonishingly dumb ideas in their brain.

This is, essentially, what separates the winners in the marketing world from the never-ending queue of losers.

The winners always — always – network relentlessly…

… and rely on the power of mastermind groups and coaching to stay on the cutting-edge, motivated and happy and on the best possible path at all times.

I know what it’s like to be alone out there.  I started my career completely solo, clueless and barely managing my fear (and the near constant deluge of bad ideas popping into my skull).

I used books as a crutch, and it worked to a point.  I learned a few tricks, and I used the “What would Claude Hopkins do?” philosophy when stuck.

However, as soon as I discovered like-minded souls in my Los Angeles area sandbox, I formed mastermind groups, or joined existing ones.

There is no second-best way to maximize your potential, at anything.

One professional, all alone, may be occasionally brilliant, and may develop a killer reputation.  And actually enjoy the job.

However, you team two pro’s together… especially when they’re simpatico on biz philosophy… and you get way more than just “times two” the brilliance.

No, you get a big-time multiple of brilliance.  It wasn’t just Halbert and I teaming up — it was also bringing our mutual support teams together… the people both of us already trusted for advice and criticism and brainstorming.

Our network was instantly many times larger, and amazingly more powerful.

And — best of all — we finally had someone we trusted and respected… to tell us when we were being fools, or idiots, or about to jump off a cliff.

It works like magic to put your butt on the right track, chugging steadily toward the rewards you seek.

Being alone sucks.

Teaming up rocks.  It’s the only way to fly.

This is why, when you scratch the surface of a top marketer, you discover a long history of using brainstorms and mastermind groups underneath.

I’ve always had partners or people I trust (and solicit opinions and advice from), ever since I discovered the sheer awesomeness of sharing brain-wattage with fellow travelers.

However, I’ve never officially hosted a mastermind group.

Until now.

People have been hounding me to do this for a very long time.  Certainly, whenever I’ve held Hot Seat seminars or Writing Sweatshops, the effect is very similar to a mastermind.

Except it’s just a one time thing.

A real mastermind is ongoing.  So you get to know your colleagues, and they get to know you.

And so their perspective on your plans is coming from a place of trust and familiarity, and a desire to root for your success…

… and to watch your back as you progress.

This is the great victory of a mastermind: You are no longer alone out there.

You’ve got a group of smart people invested in your success.

And you can finally tell your demons to go bugger off…

… cuz you’re getting solid input and criticism now.  The right stuff for powering your rapid ascent up the levels of success and happiness.

Okay, blatant pitch:

I’m now hosting two mastermind groups… for the first time ever in my career.

We started with one.  My biz partner Stan Dahl and I decided it was high time to bring together a great group of people committed to the mastermind concept…

… and get busy.

We let word of this mastermind slip at the recent Action Seminar… and we immediately had more people wanting in than one group could possibly handle.

(The right size for a mastermind is no more than 12… very small and tidy.  Any bigger, and it’s a seminar, not a mastermind.)

So… we split the original single group… into two groups.

Which allowed us to customize each group… so we have one that is primarily for entrepreneurs and small biz owners…

… and another one primarily for copywriters and consultants.

Stan and I have over 50 years between us as professional marketers, business builders, consultants, freelancers, and entrepreneurs.

I can say — without blushing — that we are among the “first choice” consultants hit on by marketers who understand the value of experience and current savvy.

We’re “Success Junkies”, and proud of it.  And we bring a wealth of knowledge, insider advantages, vast resources, and breathtaking skill to the table.

And we’re personally hosting each and every mastermind session of these two new groups.

I’m just letting you know about it.

We start both of them in early April… so you can still grab bragging rights for being among the very first members.

I just checked, and as of right now (while I write this) there are still a couple of spots open.

If being part of a regular mastermind group with me sounds interesting, go here to find out the details of joining:

www.CarltonCoaching.com/Platinum-Group/

I can tell you that, for the first folks who signed up, it was a no-brainer decision.

And if you’re still relying on your inner demons to watch your back as you navigate this increasingly rocky economy and biz climate…

… then maybe you should see what’s up here.

Okay, end of pitch.

I’ll see you again soon.

Stay frosty,

John

Monday, 2:33pm
San Diego, CA
“If you see my little red rooster, please send him home…” (Howling Wolf, master of innuendo)

Howdy…

I’m actually starting this blog in longhand, sitting in the Southwest terminal in San Diego…

… finally dragging my exhausted butt homeward after logging a full week here putting on the now-fabled Action Seminar.

It was a spectacular success, if you’re keeping score.

We directly challenged every seminar model out there… and delivered two frighteningly-on-target days of specific advice, techniques and life-transforming revelations.

Both the roomful of attendees, and the small army of Big Dog experts we assembled, loved the experience.  If you’re following the social media threads of folks like James “Schrak” Schramko, Mary Ellen Tribby, Big Jason Henderson, the Halbert boys, Harlan Kilstein, Brian Johnson, Kevin Rogers, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, and the other stellar names who participated…

… then you’re already hip to how the event went.

Excellent buzz.

Shame on you for missing it.

Anyway…

I haven’t got a lot of time here, so I need to focus on what I wanted to share with you here in this post.

There was a ton of practical info for everyone’s “To Do List” at the seminar…

… but there was also a very intriguing element of spirituality, too.

I wasn’t planning to go down that road.

However… … when I stepped onstage to begin Day Two, I told Stan I wanted to talk about something not on our schedule for a few minutes before we re-immersed into the planned sessions.

The subject just settled into my mind as I addressed the crowd.  It was important, mostly ignored by the marketing community, and absolutely NOT what anyone expected to hear from the Marketing Rebel.

Can you guess what I talked about?

Love.

So much of what entrepreneurs (and wannabe entrepreneurs) talk about when they discuss what they do, involves emotion.

Loving what you do, splitting from the awfulness of a J-O-B and super-charging your batteries with passion, generating good vibes that resonate in the universe, and so on.

And you know what?

While most folks talk a good “love” game…

… few really have looked at it critically.

And they fail to realize what they’re dealing with.

I asked the crowd to call out the most powerful emotion humans possess.

Many, incorrectly, said “love”.

Now, I personally thrive on love.  It’s fueled my career, and keeps me motivated.  I may be the only guru out there who openly tells his colleagues he loves them, and who hugs my favorite friends, colleagues and co-workers with genuine warmth both arriving and going.

(When colleagues first meet me, they often balk at the manly hugs.  But once they realize it’s just a tribal greeting — maybe one small step above a firm handshake — they usually loosen up.

(Unless they’re terminal uptight cases.  Lot of them around.

(You can make fun of it if you like… cuz it IS kinda funny to see grown men and women, accomplished in their fields and generally maintaining a dignified attitude, eschewing the offered handshake of a close pal and going in for the “I luv ya, man” hug.

(Tell you what, though.  That’s how you know you’re on the inside.  That’s how you know you’ve been accepted into the pack.)

I haven’t retained much from my hippie days.  (Jeez, we were naive.)

But I believe younger generations have been cheated, mostly, with the overwhelming cynicism and sarcasm and hyper-critical bullshit of our culture.

Screw what you believe is “cool” or “dignified”.  Get over your bad self, stop pretending you’ve got to be aloof to be respected…

… and come here, gimme a hug.

You goofy bastard.  Lighten the fuck up, will ya?

There really is a kind of love out there that isn’t sexual, isn’t whimpy or goopy, and won’t hurt your perceived status in the world.

It is, in fact, the exact kind of love that successful Big Dogs are referring to when they talk about “passion” in markets and marketing.

Now… here’s what you may have wrong about this specific brand of love:

It’s NOT the most powerful emotion out there.

Not even close.  The really powerful ones are fear, rage and greed.

Those monsters grow without being nurtured, thrive in all conditions, and consume entire realities like an invading predator.

And they will swamp love, barely registering a burp after devouring it.  If you let it happen.

No, love is not powerful.

It’s fragile.

You gotta want it.  You gotta pursue it.  You need to understand it, realize what it is and what it isn’t, what it can and can’t do, where it can be found…

… and, especially, how easy it is to lose.

Love withers without constant nurturing.  It’s a needy thing, full of contradictions and almost perverse in the way it will constantly test you, challenge you, and even dare you to abandon it.

When entrepreneurs talk about loving what they do, they are actually delivering — on a silver platter — the one big damn secret to being successful.

You have to be critically aware of your love, embrace the unpredictable nature of it, and commit to it.

The kind of love experienced by entrepreneurs who make it past the rough stages, and burst into the heady worlds of success and fame and wealth…

… is something that, I’ve realized, most people never get to feel.

It’s the love of creating something, committing to adventures with no guarantees, standing outside yourself and murdering your ego in order to better feast on life…

… and allowing yourself to be consumed by a hidden lifeforce you cannot measure, cannot fully control, and cannot summon only when you can “use” it.

Love has no power beyond its ability to transform your experience within the world.

You can’t force it on others.

It will die without constant nurturing.

And it can be a huge pain in the ass when it runs up against the snarling emotional predators out there, hating and snapping in fear and living in cynical denial.

And yet, the successful entrepreneur just shrugs, knowing that love is the secret to earning your seat at the Feast.

Not easy to figure out, difficult to please, infuriating in its irrational tendencies.

But you wouldn’t want it any other way, once you’ve sunk deep into its embrace.

No one is going to invite you to the Feast of Life.   There isn’t room, really, for anyone who isn’t “with” the program anyway.

If you think it’s hilarious to see grizzled veterans of the business wars giving each other powerful embraces, and really meaning it…

… then, sorry, but you’re alienated from the core of human existence.   It may be a long way you need to go to get back (if you even want to try), or it may be a simple shrugging off of your meddling, too-cool-to-live ego…

… but the first step is the same:  Figure out what your relationship with this kind of life-loving experience is.

Not what other people’s relationship is.

What YOURS is.

Then, the REAL adventures can begin in earnest.

Come on.  There’s someone close to you who needs a hug.

Get over yourself, and rise above the suspicious, eat-its-own culture all around you.

The Big Dogs breathe deep, and welcome love into their lives and business and dreams.

Just think about it.

I got a plane to catch…

Stay frosty,

John

Tuesday, 9:18pm
Reno, NV
“He who refuses to embrace a unique opportunity loses the prize as surely as if he had failed.” (William James, the Godfather of modern psychology)

Okay, let me get this straight…

You are seriously going to ignore one of the most amazing opportunities of your life…

… because…

… well, I can’t even begin to fathom what your “because” reason might be.

I’m sure it makes some sort of sense to you… but it’s probably an illusion.

I understand the weird, twisted way humans look at opportunity… because I nearly allowed the Big One to get away from me.

Like most folks, I sorta resented opportunities.  They never appeared at convenient times, it was seldom clear what was involved, and there was always some change required if I wanted to pursue it.

I had learned — as most people do — that if I just looked the other way, that pesky opportunity would vanish…

… and I could snuggle back into my cocoon-like comfort zone.  Safe and secure in the knowledge that nothing in my life was gonna be different.

And then, without warning, I was in my thirties, lost and clueless, saddled with a life of perpetual poverty and endless drifting.

Fortunately, I made up my mind one day to start jumping on opportunities.  Even the mis-adventures of slackerdom had dwindled to almost nothing… and, sleeping on a friend’s couch in San Diego, with no home, no job, no life and no money…

… it finally dawned on me that if my life was going to get “started”… it was up to me to act.

No one was going to invite me to a better life.

And no opportunity was going to grab me in a headlock and drag me into wealth, fame and happiness.

I cannot even imagine what my life would be like today, had I continued to ignore the doors opening all around me.

So, yeah, I’m a big fan of opportunity.

And I’ve been doing my best to create opportunity for others.  It’s part of the vow I took when I began my journey into business and living large… to give something back, all along the way.

However…

… I am not really surprised when I see people around me complain about the lack of movement in their lives…

… while habitually ignoring the opportunities that cross their path.

Now, sometimes opportunity arrives in a whisper… hard to detect if you’re not looking, easy to miss when you’re distracted.

No shame in missing those.  It happens.  (Though, when you get serious about changing your life, Step One is to attune yourself to the whispers of the universe… because that’s where all the good adventures begin…)

However, sometimes opportunity whacks you upside your head… so obvious that you have to work at ignoring it.

And that’s what I’m talking about here.

I’ve just been writing up some emails for attendees of our unique, head-rattling Action Seminar…

and I was stunned to realize that some names who NEED to be coming to this event… are not on the list.

The emails I’m writing will help attendees prepare for this game-changing event…

… because everything that happens in this 2-day interactive meeting…

… will be based on questions submitted by attendees, copy and websites submitted for critique by attendees, problems presented by attendees…

… and anything else attendees need addressed, fixed or solved to put their lives and their businesses on the Fast Track to making 2010 their best year EVER.

If the significance of this hasn’t settled in yet, consider this:  I have assembled a stunning group of experts, heavy hitter marketing wizards, and the best problem-solving professionals I know…

… and they’ve all dedicated themselves to revealing everything they know about making the Big Bucks, while living large at the upper end of the business food chain.  (Where all the happiness, fame and real fortune lies.)

www.marketingrebel.com/action-seminar

There is no line-up of speakers.  You will not be sitting in a room and be lectured by professional talkers.  And you will not be pummeled by pitches to buy one product after another.

Nope.

This interactive event is completely focused on helping attendees put together an Action Plan for their business…

… crammed with specific steps to take immediately (spelled out in simple terms anyone can understand) to actually CHANGE your life.

This is how all the Big Dog marketers operate.  They get input from the best minds they can find…

… they brainstorm and get advice on their specific situations, needs, and goals…

… and then they map out a plan to make it all HAPPEN.

I love seminars, and I encourage you to go to events hosted by people you trust.

However, after 25 years of producing seminars, speaking at them, and attending them…

… I know that MOST people waste the experience.

They get overwhelmed with incoming data… theories and ideas and piles of “if only I could get moving on that” opportunities.

And then they get back home… and realize they have no plan on how to implement anything they’ve discovered.

They have notes… but no plan.

So all those theories and ideas are left in the “someday” pile of squandered opportunities… never to be put into action.

Well, screw that.

This seminar is all about action.  Getting the simple implementation details on things you can do immediately to fix your problems, move your biz forward, and get into the groove where life continually cooks on high heat.

www.marketingrebel.com/action-seminar

We’re going to give you marching orders.  We’re going to help you draw up your own plan, specific to your situation…

… along with the tools and secrets of putting it all into action as fast as humanly possible.

The experts I’ve assembled all know exactly what to do.  They DO it themselves (which is why each new year is their “best year” as they progress through career and life).

And… they’re gathering for a 2-day blowout in San Diego to share what they know and do…

… with you.

If you can get your shit together enough to show up, that is.

Get the details now: www.marketingrebel.com/action-seminar

Look: I chose San Diego partly because it was the scene of MY big realization about opportunity.

Maybe there’s something in the air down there, carried on-shore by ocean breezes.  Or maybe it’s in the water.  Or the perpetual sunshine.  Or the sheer impossibleness of getting through a day there without a huge smile on your face…

… cuz, you know, you’re in paradise.

It’s also one of the easiest and nicest airports to get into and out of in the country.

The “Murderer’s Row” of experts includes the famous, the notorious, and the most successful go-to-guys in the biz.

We’re gonna cover “Getting Your Act Together To Make 2010 Your BEST Year Ever” from A-to-Z… including:

• Figuring out the weaknesses of your competition…
• Gorging on traffic (so your pile of hot leads is bottomless)…
• Creating new products that attract buyers like crazy…
• Digging deep into the groove of getting stuff done efficiently (so you have more time off, even as you make more money in your chosen gig)…
• Learning the cutting-edge unfair advantages of expert-level social media, pay-per-click, video selling, and classic ad creation…
• And everything else you know you need advice on… including solutions to problems, directions on the next steps to take, warnings when you’re screwing up, precise lessons on writing what needs to be written, and more.

In fact, if there’s anything you have a question about… any problem you’re hung up on… any piece of copy you want critiqued and fixed up… and any tactic, tool or business model you want expert input on…

… you can get it at this Action Seminar.

This is what we’re going to do, for two solid exciting days.  Talk biz, solve stuff, and help attendees put together a plan to crush it in 2010.

But you gotta BE there.

I know, I know… it’s coming up too fast (it’s January 29 and 30, just a short few weeks away)…

… and you gotta get off your butt in order to make it happen.

You have my sympathy.  I’ve been there — looking at opportunity I knew I needed, wanted, should embrace…

… and dithering until it went away.

So I could crawl back into my comfort zone, where I wouldn’t be inconvenienced by life changes or adventure or, really, anything new or exciting.

For most folks, I offer up a pass on this opportunity.  It’s not for you.  You’re not ready, it’s too inconvenient, it requires too much… life-force… to get moving on.

However… for those of you who should be here (and you know who you are)…

… there are no excuses for you not joining us:

www.marketingrebel.com/action-seminar

It’s cheap.  (An hour with me costs $2,500.  Most of my previous events have cost $5,000 just to attend.  You cannot corner ANY of these experts I’ve assembled without going deep into your wallet… if you can corner them at all.  Yet… attendance at this event is just under $800.  We purposely priced it low to allow more people to jump in.)

(Side note: Do NOT come if you have to borrow or hock Grandma’s jewelry to afford it.  If you’re that broke, you need to step back a bit and get a better handle on your situation.

However… if your business or career is suffering in the economy, or if you’ve hit multiple sticking points that have frozen your growth, or if you know you can get moving at lightning speed once you have a clear plan to implement…

… then you’re right in the sweet spot of attendees who will get the most from this event.

Again — we’re all about fixing problems, and shedding light on the dark areas of your quest for success… so you can ACT on accomplishing your goals.)

And… I can go on, but I’ve hit a wall.

You can lead a horse to water… but you can’t make him drink.

Horses are too stubborn.  Even thirsty, staring at scarce resources, and really needing to drink… they’ll dither.

Most people have that same quality.  Stubborn, mired in self-defeating habits, scared to death of change or adventure.

If you have good entrepreneur’s blood coursing through your veins, you already know what you need to do.

Have that argument with yourself, if you need to… where you stack up the excellent excuses on why you “can’t” possibly attend this one-time-0nly event.  (Cuz we’re not giving it again.)

Listen to Mr. Scaredy-Cat living deep inside you.  Listen to the chorus of “don’t, it’s too much trouble” and “OMG, what if you went and were disappointed” and (my personal favorite) “There’ll be another great opportunity along shortly… no need to jump on this one.”

Ah, the bullshit we regale ourselves with.  The myths and lies we comfort our frightened souls with.

The nonsense we put up with, all because the courage to change and take control takes a little effort to summon.

The room is getting full.  (And the special low rate we scored for rooms at the hotel is going away VERY soon now.)

The folks already signed up are excited, with good reason.  It’s gonna be a blast… and it’s gonna change lives.

If you’re in that group of people I thought for sure were going to join us… and you know who you are… there’s still a bit of time left to come aboard.

I’ll see you in San Diego.

Stay frosty,

John

Wednesday, 4:48pm
Reno, NV
“Shake the hand, that shook the hand, of PT Barnum and Charlie Chan” (The Grateful Dead, “US Blues”)

Howdy…

You know what the first thing many entrepreneurs and small biz owners do on January 1st (right after gagging down Excedrin with a warm dollop of “Hair o’ the dog”)?

They despair.

You know why?

It’s because… for all the “promise” a new year holds…

… for most folks in business, the months ahead are just shadows in a dark fog.

When times are good, maybe — maybe – you can stumble over some tasty opportunities as you wander.

When times are bad… you know, like our current recession-shackled economy… that fog of uncertainty gets thick enough to choke you.

Would you like to know what the UNCOMMON entrepreneurs and small biz owners do when looking ahead to 2010?

They smile.  They yawn at the recession.  And they feel damn good about their nice, clear, unobstructed view of the coming months.

No fog.  No murderous pitfalls hidden in the shadows.

They are uncommon, because they are PREPARED.

They have an action plan… and they know how to implement it.

You wanna commit business suicide?  Stumble into the coming year without a clue how you’re going to grow or get better results.

You wanna join the Feast, where the Smart Few are enjoying floods of traffic, maxed-out conversions, and the kind of almost-ridiculously-abundant free time (like a vacation every month) that “most” biz owners can only dream about?

Then get hip to the amazing magic of putting together a simple action plan.

And make sure it’s a plan you can easily (and even joyously) implement right away.

I’d like to help you, if you think getting some honest, hard-core, proven mentoring can get you off your duff… and into your seat at the Feast.

Here’s what’s up: There has always been a stark contrast between those who plan, and those who don’t even know how to plan.

For nearly 30 years now, as a high-paid consultant, I’ve been helping entrepreneurs and biz owners figure out the critical first steps to take to get moving in a new, profitable, easier (and more fun) direction.

Having even a simple plan (with just a few steps to take) will change your life forever.

But only if you are confident (and know the easy tricks) of putting this simple plan into action.

I know how to do this.  And I hang out with masters of simple-but-insanely-lucrative planning.

So…

… I’m holding a live workshop-seminar in San Diego the last weekend of January…

… where you can come and get direct help putting your own killer action plan together.

Plus learn the tricks to implementation.  The key to making your plan a reality.

We’re gonna fill you up with proven, easy step-by-step actions to take immediately… to:

• Blow away all constraints on flooding your biz with fresh, super-qualified traffic…
• Put yourself in the “go to guy” spot in your market, with all the influence and swag that gets heaped on honest authority figures…
• Maximize your ability to convert leads into happy sales…
• And finally learn the “lazy man’s way” to put your productivity in high gear.

Best part: The powerful simplicity of this kind of planning…

… means that veteran business owners will immediately benefit, as well as raw rookies.

Most people absolutely suck at planning.

And if you insist on trying to do it yourself, without expert help…

… you’re headed down a rabbit hole that can trap you, confuse you, and murder your business while you’re fighting self-created emergencies.

The top marketers (including any competition now cleaning your clock) ALL know how to map out a simple action plan… and put it in motion.

Even the best plan in the universe is worthless, if it never gets implemented.

This, by the way, is the problem with most seminars: You get a mountain of ideas dumped on you, with no hint of how to execute any of them.

The advanced stuff (which you shouldn’t be touching yet) gets all jumbled up with soon-to-be-obsolete stuff, which buries the easy stuff…

… and you’re left with zero “real” plans.

Just a lot of notes and wishes and dreams again.

Well, screw that.

We’re even calling this unique event “The Action Seminar“.

And it is populated with the best teachers and planning wizards I know.  Including…

Mike Koenigs, the uber-talented genius behind “Traffic Geyser”… who specializes in getting the most stubbornly-resistant people to quickly (actually immediately) use his simple-yet-awesomely-effective video secrets to carpet bomb the Web with a killer sales message.  (The cheapest camera you can find will do the trick, too.)

James “Schrakmo” Schramko… the brilliant Aussie who came out of nowhere last year (knowing squat about the Web), to dominate search engine rankings and generally crush all competitors in any market he chose to conquer.

He understands what it’s like to be a rookie looking for a clue… and he has made a huge name for himself helping entrepreneurs zoom to dominance with minimal skills and very little investment.

The simple plans that are easy to master, and simple to implement, is the way to get rich and happy as fast as possible.

Oh, and check this out: Teran Dale (my personal favorite PPC advisor) has the inside track on Google.  He’s managed as much as $1 million dollars a day in pay-per-click advertising in huge, super-competitive niches.

The kicker: The competition in these niches are paying $7 – $12 dollars per click… while Teran’s clients are only paying $0.21 cents.

If you suspect that everything you believe about PPC is dead wrong… you’re right.

Teran will be working directly with select folks at this seminar, while we watch and learn.  And he’s gonna be sharing ALL the good stuff… brought down to doable, simple and easy steps.  (You’re invited to join the pool of attendees we’ll choose Teran’s subjects from.)

Oh, yeah.

This is just a small taste of the Feast you’re about to share in.

We’ve also got the globally-respected Les Brown (to get your head straight about planning for success)… Melanie Benson Strick (to help you finally get off your butt and start being massively productive) (with more time off)…

… my hilarious (but deadly serious about profits) colleagues Travis Miller and Jimmy Vee will show you how to become a social media MONSTER (even if you can’t yet spell “blog”)…

… and I’ll be joined by copywriting legends Harlan Kilstein (still the only guy around who can show you how to hypnotize readers into following you anywhere) and Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero (of “She Factor” fame — and remember, the ladies still control 90% of the money out there, guys).

Plus: The entire faculty of the Simple Writing System mentoring program will be there, for you to corner and suck every shred of sales-boosting secret out of their super-talented brains.

Let’s drop names:  Kevin Rogers (my head writer for The Stable O’ Copywriters)… “Million Dollar” Mike Morgan (a top freelancer with tremendous chops)… Tony Flores (head writer for The Arbitrage Conspiracy)… Scott Haines (a killer writer and old pal of mine and Gary Halbert’s)… Jimbo Curley (the star writer who replaces me at OHP Golf)… Tina Lorenz (easily the hottest copywriter in the “launch” game right now)… and two “under the radar” (for now) writers I’ve personally hired to write for me: Robert Gibson and Mark Landstrom.

Special guest stars include “A List” copywriter David Deutsch (who recently had 6 million-dollar controls for Boardroom, Inc)… Gary Halbert’s sons Bond and Kevin (who I’ve been working closely with while they restructure Gary’s legacy)… and some Mystery Guests who should blow your mind.

There’s just one catch:

This event is coming up soon… and there are VERY limited spots open.

To get the details, just check out this info-site:

www.marketingrebel.com/action-seminar

There’s quite a bit more to the fun and seriously-lucrative stuff you’ll encounter at this rare, totally unique event.

And… I am personally making sure that you get at least 12 action-steps, customized to your situation, that are simple enough for you to implement as soon as you get home (or back to your room).

If you can handle more, you’ll get more.

But the main thing is this: This ain’t a “talk at you” event.

It’s interactive… and it’s all about helping you put together a freakin’ PLAN to go out and put into action NOW.

So you can get back to your office and start demolishing your evil competitors and dominating your market.

While earning more, and having more time off, and generally being happier and staring down the economy and every obstacle in your life…

… and winning.

Oh, this is gonna be good.

For the few who get their act together and score a spot, that is.

For the rest… well, good luck out there in the fog.

Seriously — go check out the info-site now.  (You’re gonna faint when you see how CHEAP it is, too):

www.marketingrebel.com/action-seminar/

Stay frosty,

John

P.S. Just in case it wasn’t made crystal clear:  No prior experience or skills or hidden “insider” advantages are necessary to make ANY of this stuff work like crazy for you.

Just hurry, okay? It’s coming up fast, and won’t be repeated.