You have to watch this, click below:

$300,000 GONE

Give me your comments.

All the best,

Allyn

Celebrating Success!

Do you remember the first time you really did something well? Maybe you hit a home run for your little league team, or played a piece of music perfectly at a recital, or even made a hundred on an Algebra test! The feeling of euphoria – floating on the clouds – was well worth the hours of practice it took, wasn’t it?

In our last email we talked about putting into practice a success principle. Specifically, we covered becoming a detail-oriented, hands-on manager. Did you practice? How did you do?

I’m betting that the first thing that popped into your head was the failures. Yep, it’s always easier to point to them, but maybe it’s time to take a good hard look at what you did right! Reinforcement is an important part of winning.

Everyone has a strong point… something others can learn from. It doesn’t matter if you’re the youngest kid on the block or the oldest man on your street. You have something worth emulating. The key is celebrating it, putting it to work for you.

Did you know that Colonel Sanders never got it together until he was relatively old? I doubt he woke up one morning and suddenly had new strengths that made him successful. No, those characteristics were right there all the time lying dormant. He just needed to discover them, and put them into practice.

On the other hand, Bill Gates was just an adolescent when he discovered he had the makings of a rich man! He didn’t waste any time whining over failures. Heck, he probably hadn’t even had time to analyze the meanings of success and failure. He just did what he knew he could do, and it worked.

You’re never too young or too old to win!

The next time you’re at a seminar take a look around you and realize that every one there probably has a valuable asset in their possession… and that includes you. If you were to stand up and share your nugget of knowledge, it might be the catalyst that sparks success in someone listening. So put it to work for you!

In our upcoming ezine, we’re going to jump tracks and cover some specific ideas to promote yourself, your business, or your services. Stay tuned!

Dedicated To Your Further Success.

All the best,

Allyn Cutts

PS To contact me via email, Click Here

About the Author

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers.

Allyn consults personally with clients to design and deliver offline and online direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://www.AmazingMarketingStrategy.com or you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays

You may reprint or distribute this article as long as you leave the content and the resource box at the end intact.

One Little Cobweb!

We’ve been talking about Sam Walton and Donald Trump… two very different men, but each successful. What common thread did they share the made their names synonymous with big bucks?

If you take a close look, you’ll realize that both men were hands-on managers. They both paid a great deal of attention to the details of what was going on in their businesses.

I’m not sure I would want to be around when Trump shows up at one of his hotels. It’s been noted that if he spots a cob web or some dust in the corner, he’ll make a point to check that same corner on his next visit. If the offender is still there, he’ll refuse to move until it has been taken care of.

By the way, he doesn’t use a computer or take notes. He just remembers where the cob web was and hones in on it the next time through. Heck, I can’t even remember what I had for breakfast; much less which corner of my own house has a cob web! His memory for detail must be amazing!

What about Sam Walton? He enjoyed visiting his stores, and inspecting them. He wanted to know if they were meeting his expectations.

There we have it… the common principal of two very different, but outstandingly successful men. The secret is a hands-on-management style.

The next step is to put it in practice. Do you remember the old saying, practice makes perfect? How many times will you need to practice a principle before it works for you? I don’t know, but it’s probably quite a few times!

Think about it. If you’re a salesman, how many times do you need to practice your presentation before you have it exactly right? What about a Broadway performer? I’ll bet they go over and over and over their lines before they are ready to step out under the lights.

Sports heroes, actors, salesmen, comedians, and yes, successful business men and women spend a lot of time practicing. Instead of rehearsing lines for your next play, work at becoming a hands-on manager… knowing what’s going on in your business. Hopefully you won’t drive everyone as nutty as Donald Trump is known to, but heck if that’s what it takes…

What’s next? Stay tuned!

Dedicated To Your Further Success.

All the best,

Allyn Cutts

PS To contact me via email, Click Here

About the Author

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers.

Allyn consults personally with clients to design and deliver offline and online direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://AmazingMarketingStrategy.com or you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays

You may reprint or distribute this article as long as you leave the content and the resource box at the end intact.

Sam Walton or Donald Trump?

What did Sam Walton and Donald Trump have in common? You’ve got three guesses…

In some of our recent ezines we’ve talked about characteristics that make people successful. Probably the most important of all was the ability to handle crisis – the ability to get back on your feet before anyone realizes you’ve been knocked down.

Of course if you’re going to be able to do that like the pros, you’ve got to know how they do it. So then we talked about really studying successful people and adopting their winning characteristics as our own.

The best way to discover the winning force driving a man or woman is to pinpoint the principles that gets them going. That’s what I want to talk to you about today.

Have you figured out what Sam Walton and Donald Trump have in common? Yes! That’s right! Money… and a heck of a lot of money! In fact, that’s probably about the only thing they have in common. They’re as different as night and day.

Isn’t it strange how two men with drastically different personal style, mannerisms and philosophy have both reached the same pinnacle of success? Yet, there they sat – side by side in the world of the rich. If we could see the vehicles that brought them down the road to the world of riches, it might give us a bit of insight.

I imagine Sam Walton making the trek in his old pickup truck, parking in front of the old Bentonville office that housed his first store. None of that for Trump! He’d be cruising by in a chauffeured limousine on his way to his personal helicopter pad. Two different men… two different styles… one common success.

If you’re bent on copying the style of the successful, you’ll end up scratching your head in confusion. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Each has the style that’s right for them. If we’re going to discover the real secret to their success, we’ve got to dig deep. Let’s forget about their personal style and mannerisms for a while, and look for principles that got them where they are.

Next time we’ll unearth a not-so-obvious principle that BOTH Walton and Trump practice.

Dedicated To Your Further Success.

All the best,

Allyn Cutts

PS To contact me via email, Click Here

About the Author

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers.

Allyn consults personally with clients to design and deliver offline and online direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://www.AmazingMarketingStrategy.com or you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays

You may reprint or distribute this article as long as you leave the content and the resource box at the end intact.

Getting in Step…

Last time, we talked about how we handle crisis and the fact that our response to a crisis is the key to success. I’m amazed at just how resilient some people seem to be. They’re like a big, red playground ball. The harder they fall, the higher they bounce. Nothing seems to get them down for more than a split second.

How do you get in step with people like that? If you’re not fortunate enough to be on first-name basis with a high-achiever, you’re going to have to get in step just like most of us do…

* Read a book written by or about a great success
* Attent a seminar with successful speakers
* Enlist in a business boot camp
* Sign up for an online course
* Plug in a CD or DVD

Let’s face it. The more we know about successful people, the more likely it is that we’ll be able to mimic their success. Maybe mimicking isn’t the right word. It’s more like this… we’ll be able to share in their success, because we have adopted their winning characteristics as our own.

When you start delving into the life of an inspiring icon, there are three things I suggest that you do.

1. Study them

When I say study the person, I’m not talking about reading through their life story and putting it back on the shelf. Heck, if the book could be returned to the store and resold as a brand new book, you’re missing the drift here.

When I finish a book about someone like Lee Iacocca, the book is in pretty sad shape. It’s full of notes in the margins, highlighter has leaked through some of the pages, dog-eared pages make it twice its original thickness, and little pieces of paper with notes fall out every time I move the darned thing.

When I say study the book, I mean it’s bruised, battered and abused when you’re through with it. There’s no way you’ll get one red cent for it, even at a used book store.

We’ve covered one of my suggestions for learning from the story of a successful person. Next time we’ll talk about the other two. Stay Tuned!

Dedicated To Your Further Success.

All the best,

Allyn Cutts

PS To contact me via email, Click Here

About the Author

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers.

Allyn consults personally with clients to design and deliver offline and online direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://AmazingMarketingStrategy.com or you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays

You may reprint or distribute this article as long as you leave the content and the resource box at the end intact.

The Real Secret to Success

Today we’re going to talk about a characteristic that all great leaders share. I’m talking about presidents, CEO’s, professional athletes, coaches, salesmen, you name it. If they are top-notch, you can bet they have a good handle on this.

Before I tell you what it is, let me define successful. I’m not talking about “pie in the sky” win-win people. I’m talking about people who come out on top in a dog-eat-dog world where they sometimes get lost in the dust of the scuffle - maybe even get bloody and trampled under for a while.

This characteristic that successful men and women throughout history have displayed is the ability to recover in a crisis… the ability to get back on their feet so quickly that the observer doesn’t even notice the recovery.

Heck, getting knocked down isn’t my idea of fun, but what we do when it happens really defines us. Will we lay there and point to all of the reasons we’re down for the count? There are a lot of things that can cause failure…

1. Unexpected Trouble: A huge client suddenly cancels their orders or files for bankruptcy
2. Technology Advancement: It can be a challenge to keep on top in the fast-paced computer world
3. Lack of Planning: It’s pretty easy to fail to fully plan for disaster - after all, we’re expecting success
4. Lack of Financial Discipline: Whoo boy! That’s a tough one to admit to
5. Acts of God: Hurricane Katrina taught us a hard lesson about our ability to stand face to face with nature

We have the choice of either laying there and pointing fingers, or getting up, dusting ourselves off, holding our head high and taking up right where we left off - as though nothing had happened.

Remember that everybody fails on their way to success. It happens to the best. Do you remember “The Day Trump Went Thump”? Donald Trump went from wealth to poverty in a widely publicized plunge. Today he’s back on the map with money in the bank - lots of it - and has even used his experiences to create a television show. Now, that’s success!

Next time we’ll talk some more about what makes a person successful.

Dedicated To Your Further Success.

All the best,

Allyn Cutts

PS To contact me via email, Click Here

About the Author

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers.

Allyn consults personally with clients to design and deliver offline and online direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://AmazingMarketingStrategy.com or you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays

You may reprint or distribute this article as long as you leave the content and the resource box at the end intact.

The Ultimate Secret to More Time and Money… Webinars

Do you ever wonder how just how much more can be squeezed into a 24 hour day? I don’t know about you, but my “To Do” list is longer than Santa’s inventory for next Christmas. The only problem is that the days absolutely refuse to stretch… even a few extra minutes to let me skim the trade magazine that’s been on my desk for a week.

I’ve practiced speed reading and every other trick I’ve come across, but just keeping up with the huge amounts of information heaped in front of me every day is a challenge. Am I the only time-challenged person out there? Yeah, that’s what I thought… you are too. And so are our potential customers!

Anything that we can come up with that will give your customers more time and still feed their unending need for information is a magical key to getting their attention. Heck, imagine cutting yourself in on some powerful benefits, giving your potential customers what they need, and making money at the same time!

One of the greatest tools I’ve come across for accomplishing the time saving/money making feat I just mentioned are Webinars. Webinar is just the newest high tech term for a seminar on the Web.

Think about it… what else can bring hundreds of people together for an informational seminar without the time and energy spent planning and traveling to an onsite seminar? The benefits are amazing.

Webinars…

*Provide great prospecting opportunities
*Keep you in touch with current clients
*Build your image
*Save time spent in travel
*Save money spent in travel
*Make money with registration fees

Many big companies are even using Webinars for their annual sales meetings. Instead of trying to gather 200 people in one place, they meet in 200 different places and accomplish the same goals… without the time and cost the sales meetings used to require.

Organization skills and knowing how to put your resources to the best use are key components that successful businessmen and women learn to develop. Webinars may be the tool that will make the ultimate difference in your business.

This time we’ve talked about a high tech tool to make the best of your resources. Next time well talk about a timeless characteristic that defines success.

Dedicated To Your Further Success.

All the best,

Allyn Cutts

PS To contact me via email, Click Here

About the Author

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers.

Allyn consults personally with clients to design and deliver offline and online direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://AmazingMarketingStrategy.com or you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays

You may reprint or distribute this article as long as you leave the content and the resource box at the end intact.

Head Into the Virtual World With the Reigns In Your Hands

We’re still talking about success and taking a close look at what makes others successful. The key element of success we’ll be looking at today is control.

Have you noticed that just about everyone who is successful in business has a computer? I honestly can’t think of a successful business person I personally know who doesn’t. There are a million-and-one reasons why computers are so necessary to success, but I’m not sure I like the darned things.

Think about it… when they don’t do what you want them to, what are your alternatives? You can glare all day, threaten to cut their pay, or get mad and use a few expletives. They just sit there with the same error message on the screen – unintimidated and unchanging. (That’s when you learn to appreciate staff who are at least upset when you’re ticked off because they don’t do what you want them to.)

If we’re honest, computers are often in control. That’s a scary thought! Fortunately, instead of pounding our fists on the desk and pulling our hair out, there is another alternative.

Simply take control. Hey, I’m serious! How often do we find ourselves using computers for more than we intended to? Yeah, we find out what they can do and feel like we have to use them when we’re not ready. Don’t forget that you have the power to say, “No!” or even, “later.” Jumping into a project half prepared is the perfect formula for letting your computer take control.

Don’t take me wrong. Computers are really the most amazing invention to ever be introduced to humans. Take a look at Federal Express. Everyday millions and millions of packages pass through the company’s computer system. You can track your package with a few clicks of the mouse and know exactly where it’s at and when it will arrive at your doorstep. A perfect example of a company that is in control of its computer system!

Don’t forget though, even Federal Express incorporated computers one step at a time. You can avoid serious headaches and the loss of dissatisfied customers by being in control.

One more key to success coming up! Until next time…

Dedicated To Your Further Success.

All the best,

Allyn Cutts

PS To contact me via email, Click Here

About the Author

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers.

Allyn consults personally with clients to design and deliver offline and online direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://AmazingMarketingStrategy.com or you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays

You may reprint or distribute this article as long as you leave the content and the resource box at the end intact.

Bust the “Silver Spoon” Phenomena

We’ve been talking about learning from successful people and businesses. With that in mind, let me ask you this…

Have you ever noticed that people who have a lot of money seem to get more effortlessly? Yeah, I know… I’ve heard a lot of people grumble about the rich getting richer without breaking into a sweat too. Heck, we can point fingers and say they were born with a silver spoon in their mouth, but when you get down to the brass tacks… they UNDERSTAND money.

Understanding money is a key ingredient to becoming someone who has money, and fortunately it’s getting easier instead of harder to do just that. Think about it. A checking and savings account used to be the only options within realistic reach of the “average Joe”. If you’ve been paying attention, you know that there’s an amazing menu of options available at any bank or savings and loan company you walk into.

What does that mean? It’s time to get busy and become students of money. If we’re going to have a lot of it, we need to understand how to invest and manage it. I can already hear it… So what if you don’t have much to manage and invest at the moment! Prepare for the future.

Fill your mind with all kinds of information from books like, “The Richest Man in Babylon,” and “The Only Investment Guide you will Ever Need,” to Money Magazine and the Wall Street Journal.

It pays to study the secrets of wealthy investors and successful CEO’s and to read inspiring “rags to riches” stories. After a while, you’ll start finding a common thread woven between the success stories. You’ll formulate a plan action for yourself. Before you know it, you’ll have the mindset of the successful!

Ready for more success secrets? Next time…

Dedicated To Your Further Success.

All the best,

Allyn Cutts

PS To contact me via email, Click Here

About the Author

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers.

Allyn consults personally with clients to design and deliver offline and online direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://AmazingMarketingStrategy.com or you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays

You may reprint or distribute this article as long as you leave the content and the resource box at the end intact.

The XBox Marketing Secret

In our last email we talked about standing up to big businesses with a little marketing savvy. Rather than being knocked out of the arena, the little guy might need to have a few tricks up his sleeve.

Sometimes it pays to find out exactly what the giant competitors are doing. Let’s sneak a peek at Microsoft – an obviously successful giant. Here’s a little secret you might not have known… Microsoft is losing big bucks on its Xbox 360. That’s right! They lost more than $3 million dollars on $157 million in revenue from Xbox sales.

Bill Gates and his marketing guru’s can’t be denounced as marketing illiterates, though they are getting a few raised eyebrows over the Xbox 360 losses. So you can bet there’s a reason to their madness… marketplace dominance. They are willing to sink millions into dominating a “market in the making” – a video game console market. Why? Yeah, marketplace dominance works!

Heck, you probably don’t want to go out on a million dollar limb to get your name on the top of the list in your marketing niche. But you do want get yourself to the top of the list in a hurry. Your goal is to be the first name to come to mind when someone mentions your marketing niche. For example, when someone mentions computers what do you think? Yep…Bill Gates and Microsoft.

That’s the reaction you’re looking for - instant recognition, or marketplace dominance. The best way to become dominant is to keep your name, face, logo, message and voice in front of your potential customers constantly.

Here are a few things you can do to achieve marketplace dominance:

1. NEVER allow a customer to slip away without getting contact information.

2. EMAIL: send out about 52 emails over the course of a year.

3. PHONE: have a sales associate make phone calls about four times every year. 4. MAIL: 18 mailings each year will make your name and message familiar.

Communication on a consistent basis will have your business linked to their subconscious and ready to rise to the surface in an instant. You’ll be like family… heck the kids probably don’t even write home 18 times a year!

Join me next time for some more great insight about what successful people do to win.

Dedicated To Your Further Success.

All the best,

Allyn Cutts

PS To contact me via email, Click Here

About the Author

Allyn has spent over 24 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales to current customers.

Allyn consults personally with clients to design and deliver offline and online direct marketing strategies that focus on metrics and measurable results. You can learn more about Allyn Cutts at http://AmazingMarketingStrategy.com or you can call 610.437.4106 between 10 AM and 4 PM Eastern Time Tuesdays and Thursdays

You may reprint or distribute this article as long as you leave the content and the resource box at the end intact.