Friday September 14th, 2007: Issue #841
Sometimes you do things without quite thinking through the consequences.
When I emailed yesterday to mention that Michael Green has allowed me to give away a spreadsheet that shows, step-by-step, exactly what will be covered in his upcoming $20,000 in 20 Days Challenge I don’t know what I was thinking!
In the back of my mind I guess I assumed that there might be a few people interested. Maybe a couple of dozen. I certainly didn’t expect the flood of emails I’ve been getting ever since - each of which I’ve now replied to. At last count there have been over 250!
I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, the prospect of making $20k in 20 days is very appealing, and when was the last time you can remember a major-league marketer telling you exactly what is going to be in his product up front?
I can’t remember a single occasion and it says a lot about the integrity of Michael and his confidence that the course itself is going to blow your socks off.
If you haven’t seen the spreadsheet yet you can still get hold of a copy - just send me an email and ask! (See, I haven’t learned my lesson yet!) As I won’t be at my desk all day today, there may be a few hours delay in sending it, so don’t worry if you don’t hear back immediately.
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We had a very sad phone call last night. One of my closest friend’s mother passed away. It was expected, but still very sad. I’ve known Phyllis all my life. David and I have been friends since we were 2 or 3.
She was a lovely lady and I will miss her. But at least her suffering is now over.
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Bloggers do some odd things.
In my mind, the object of a blog is to get people to read what you’ve written - not put blocks in their way.
So why is it, I wonder, that so many bloggers like to split their articles up so that only the first paragraph or so is showing and you have to ‘click here to read more’.
Internet users (yes, me included) are very lazy, and unless there is a really good reason, that extra click is often too much effort.
I suppose they think they are using a version of the extended loop closure principle that I’ve written about on Wednesday and today - but in this case I don’t believe it is very effective.
If you want to tell me something in a blog, let me read it all. Don’t make me go through hoops.
What is the real purpose, I wonder.
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Here is something a bit different.
Quite a few years ago I promoted a small real-life book on personal development. After all this time, that book still holds the record for the most copies of anything sold that I’ve ever promoted. I’ve never promoted it again because the person I was JVing with stopped selling it - and ultimately disappeared from the Internet scene (nothing suspicious, he just moved on to other things.)
A couple of months ago I was sent another real-life book to review: ‘Live Big. Think Large. Act Sensibly.’ by Nick James.
I’ve known Nick James for a few years now and have always counted him as one of that rare breed of people who really walk the walk. Nick doesn’t just talk a good game, he plays one too. And is very successful as a result.
So when I learned that Nick had written a book on what it takes to succeed I was very keen to read it.
Throughout the book there is a continuing joke, based on a line in a Harold Pinter play, about people having an attitude of ‘”if only I could get to Sidcup” things will be great’. Sidcup is a metaphor for any kind of success that you know is ‘out there’ but that you haven’t actually got to yet.
Well, as a person who just happens to live in Sidcup I’m not sure whether to be pleased or annoyed that my home town is such a mythical beast!
Nick’s ‘Live Big. Think Large. Act Sensibly.’ is a powerful book that lays bare the mindset and beliefs of a guy who has proven over and again that he has what it takes to succeed. And by modeling yourself on him, you will develop that mindset too.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Live Big. Think Large. Act Sensibly.’ and seeing into Nick James’ mind. I’m sure that if only a small amount of his wisdom rubs off on me it will be very worthwhile.
The reason I mentioned that other book - the one I promoted years ago (The Midas Method, by Stuart Goldsmith) - is that Nick’s one is remarkably similar. Both are written in a very personal and personable style by self-made millionaires. Both are easy to read, yet contain a wealth of insights into the minds of people who really know how to succeed.
And I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Nick’s book just as highly.
http://www.urlnex.us/nickjames/
[Note to non-UK purchasers: Nick’s book is priced in sterling, but is available internationally. The current US$-£ exchange rate is roughly $2=£1. Your credit card company, or PayPal will do the calculations for you. Postage and packing is, I understand, free wherever you live.]
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An Inspirational Thought
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The codfish lays ten thousand eggs,
The homely hen just one;
The codfish never cackles
To tell us that she’s done.
And so we scorn the codfish,
And the homely hen we prize.
Which demonstrates to you and me
That it pays to advertise.
(Originally printed in the Toronto Globe)
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Who do you know who would love Kickstart Today?
Don’t keep it to yourself - send them to
http://www.kickstartdaily.com today!
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The Quote of the Day
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Eddie Rickenbacker said,
“I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through - then follow through.”
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Today’s Power Thought
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More on extended loop closure today and ways that you can work the concept to your own advantage.
Probably the most obvious example of how powerful extended loops are is the phenomenon of the soap opera.
Most of us will agree that the plot lines are ridiculous, the characters wooden, the acting poor, the sets wobbly and writing abysmal, but in one thing they excel: they make you want to come back for more.
Every episode has a cliffhanger that leaves you with an unsatisfied longing to find out what happens next.
This is an extended loop - and the best soaps manage to keep the loop open for long periods of time, building up the tension in the viewers.
And they don’t close one loop until they have set up several more.
We can all use extended loops and closures in our everyday lives. Watch out for the people around you and observe how the ones who tend to be the most compelling use them without even thinking.
In conversations you can start off by dropping hints that you have an important message to impart - and then ‘appear’ to forget all about it as you divert the talk to all kinds of other areas. The person you are talking to will have noticed (either consciously or subconsciously) that there is a loose end and the tension this creates will make them hang on your every word looking for the resolution.
A more blatant, but incredibly effective approach is to open a conversation with ‘ I really MUST tell you about …’ and then follow up with ‘ but I don’t know if I can’ (or should). This creates such a huge tension that the listener will be almost begging you to close the loop.
People who teach presentation skills often recommend the three-tells process: tell them what you are going to say, tell them, and then tell them what you said. In my book, this makes for incredibly dull presentations!
A far more powerful approach when you are presenting something that has a single clear message, is the hint, divert, tell method.
An example of this could be that you first tell them the benefits that they will gain from what you have to say. then you divert the thread to examples of benefits that others have gained. Then you finish by revealing what they have to do to get those benefits.
Used skillfully, this method has the audience begging you to reveal all, and then, because they have been subconsciously primed, they have a far greater belief in your message than simply telling them over and over would have given them.
Sales letters work in the same way. the most powerful ones tease you with benefits and open loops long before those loops get closed. And by the time all the extended loops are closed, you are ready to open your wallet.
If you are in a job where you have to write reports, don’t think that extended loop closure is not for you. Reading dry business reports is a tedious and unpleasant task - no matter how well they are written. So by sprinkling a few extended loops throughout, you can keep your reader interested. And by the time you close those loops down right at the end, you can be sure that your message will have had its best chance to be taken.
Communication is the most powerful tool in your arsenal of life - extended loop closure is one of the biggest guns in that arsenal.
Use it with care, but use it. And the more you do, the better you will get at it.
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Fascinating Facts
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There are seven Roman numerals:
M = 1000
D = 500
C = 100
L = 50
X = 10
V = 5
I = 1
Only one year in history can be written using all the numerals, once each, in order:
MDCLXVI = 1666
(The same year as the Great Fire of London)