Are You Using Video Marketing?

I'll bet you've watched a video or two on YouTube, whether it was for entertainment or information. Did you know that you can post videos there for free, and that yours could be among about one billion viewed there every day? Not bad potential for free, eh?

So - what do you need to consider to get onto that platform? As far as a monetary investment, a really capable little video camera can easily be had for $150-200. The current digital video recorders offer much greater transfer speeds than the old tape models, and can even provide high definition without getting too expensive. One accessory you'll really want is a tripod, and while a full height one can come in real handy, at least get a little desk top model to keep the camera steady and aligned.

Then, unless you want to get into sophisticated production, you probably already have free editing software on your PC (Moviemaker) or Mac (imovie) which will even allow you to add text to your video to display your name, title or business url. Once the movie's loaded into and completed in your computer, it's easy to upload to the web.

After you've gotten your gear together, you then get to work on the two big things you bring to the show - yourself and content. And when I say "yourself", I mean your real self, because we are talking about a social medium where you want people to perceive you as genuine, relatable and trustworthy. In short, unless you actually wear a suit when you're relaxed, you probably don't want to dress up & "play professional" to make a video presentation.

Also connected to presenting yourself, in addition to your clothing, is your setting. Sure, a comfortable place in your home or home office (as long as it doesn't look a mess) is a natural choice, but a place "in nature" can also help provide comfort to your viewer. I've seen and actually used the car as an everyday site for videos. Just be careful with your driving!

Then - present content on which you're knowledgeable which will be of interest and value to your audience. If you can make it entertaining, all the better - if your video is fun, it may get spread virally! Go for it - you can be in the movies.

JJ Fraser Attends and Applauds Wealth Masters International M2 Wealth Conference

JJ Fraser Attends and Applauds Wealth Masters International M2 Wealth Conference

J.J. Fraser Partners with Russell Brunson to Provide Internet Marketing Training - Free-Press-Release.com

J.J. Fraser Partners with Russell Brunson to Provide Internet Marketing Training - Free-Press-Release.com

Get and Use All the Right Tools

I'll never forget the time I was washing my car and my son, then about age 3, decided that he wanted to help and do what Daddy was doing. The problem was, I was using a big, round sponge, and there wasn't another one laying around for him to pick up. There were, however, a number of similar-looking rocks in the landscaping along the driveway . . .

I've skipped here a repeat of the blood-curdling scream I let out when I realized the results my "helper" was getting. Suffice it to say he would've been more on track if I had been sanding.

To get back to marketing tools, I remember when I used to write individual emails to leads and business prospects - how inefficient! If you're gathering names, and have a few people to communicate with you must get an autoresponder!

Probably the best-known (and for good reason) autoresponder service around is Aweber. It's the one used by my primary online business and it offers you the abiity to not only have all your respondents/leads automatically get added to an email list, but it lets you automatically send them an immediate reply, send them scheduled follow up messages, broadcast to a whole list or even send a "newsletter". Leveraging your time is so important to doing volume marketing communications effectively - be sure you use this tool.

Then - regarding your marketing communications, as I've mentioned before - it's not just about the features you offer, but the emotions you need to stir in your readers. Despite my avocation as a songwriter, I've spent so many years as a lawyer writing factual, logical stuff for judges that I have to really concentrate to write good emotional copy. (a topic in itself!)

But - there is a wonderful free tool on the web that rates headlines for you, and considering that your headlines are the most important part of your messages, you owe it to yourself to test them before you publish them. The Advanced Marketing Institute provides a free analyzer of the intellectual and emotional weight of your words, and it is really an amazing jewel of a tool. Make your efforts as effective as possible!

What it Takes to be a Successful Entrepreneur

1. Ask yourself – which is more important to you – security or independence? Assuming that you have a job to begin with, but maybe you’re not completely happy with it – you need to consider whether you just want to change jobs and keep the “security” (as if there was much of that any more) of a steady paycheck, or if you really want to chart your own course and be your own boss. Are you just looking for a raise or a better paying job, or do you really want to run your own show?

2. Consider your “why”. So, you’d rather be your own boss than an employee. But, is that just so you can be lazy, and not punch a clock for someone else? If you expect your business to really go, there must be a reason that’s big enough to still get you up and into your own office or shop. Do you have a passion for some subject or cause or craft that will drive you to do whatever it takes? It may be your family, a lifestyle goal or it may be a charity, but if you don’t have a real “why”, the work probably won’t get done. Remember – your business rests on you.

3. Consider the investment and risk. The size and strength of your “why” will influence this decision, but understand – you will have to spend money to make money. The thing about being an entrepreneur – in business for yourself – is that you must accept that, along with the potential for making more profit than you could ever expect in a wage or salary, there also comes the risk of having less income, at least for a while. So – do you have some cash or credit that you’re willing to invest in your own venture?

4. Do you have self-discipline? Remember that you won’t have a boss breathing down your neck – you’re going to have to make yourself get up, get to it, and get things done.

5. Can you think long term? If you’re looking into going into business, that’s way different from a lotto ticket or get rich quick scheme. Don’t expect “overnight success” – that’s a pipe dream. Are you prepared and determined to stick with it for the long haul, if necessary?

6. Do you take responsibility for the results? When you run your own business, you are where the buck stops. If you tend to want to blame someone else for the way things are, that will no longer work.

7. Can you delegate what can be offloaded? If you run a traditional business with employees you’ll probably need to have a manager to allow you to keep from living in the shop. If you grow a big internet business, you’ll eventually need to outsource some communications, at least. Can you let go a little?

8. Finally – do you care about serving people? Sure, you ultimately want your business to pay you, but that will only happen if you give others something of value. If you believe and practice the old adage that “you will get what you want if you help enough other people get what they want”, you can make it as an entrepreneur!

Two Key Elements to Your Success

OK - there are many elements required for any business to be successful - like good products and service and marketing, etc. But how about what you have to provide personally to assure that the business "goes"? First - belief. You must honestly believe in what you are offering and doing. Then, this will support the second element - work.
Have you ever encountered a sales person who let you know (intuitively, if not expressly) that they were just trying to move some product because it was their job? They could tell you about price and some features, but you never got the sense that they had personal experience with the offer or otherwise knew enough about it to have faith in it, to believe that it was great and that it came with their personal recommendation? They didn't inspire you to buy, did they?
And how about the person who complains that they're not having much or any success with their marketing or team building efforts, but just reports that their product or service is "pretty good, I guess"? Have you noticed a correlation between the attitude and the results? Belief is vital to both your inspiration to perform and your ability to inspire others to act. If you don't feel it, you can't show it, and others will sense all that and - they won't follow your lead. In the age of internet marketing by personal branding, attraction marketing and social media, you'd better be genuine!
Of course, if you don't believe that you've got something great to share or that you're working for a good cause, it'll be hard to give the effort necessary to get your message out there, to get things done. Belief is necessary to support work effort at 100%, but even a fireball of belief won't get you results without the work.
This is where you must perform a transfer of energy - from your head/heart to your hands/mouth. Most of the great internet marketers I know don't put together web pages and sales letters and adword campaigns and videos just because they love typing or research and analytics. (OK some love talking.) But - they understand the law of cause and effect - output effects like good production require the input of work by writing, talking and posting.
So - have you got something you can believe in - your system, your product, your mentor, your team? I hope it merits your putting in effort to do something with it - to promote it, nurture it, grow it. Because then, there's the happy completion of the circle - your work will produce positive results, and what? More belief . . . and . . .

Your Primary Business or Affiliate to Someone Else?

If you're at all like me, when you turned to the internet for a business opportunity you were probably looking for a (as in one) good way to make money other than going to a job and selling your time to someone else. Then, as you started to investigate, and maybe sign in to get more information about an opportunity or two, you began getting emails and seeing ads about other opportunities. Eventually, it becomes evident - there are thousands of business "opportunities" on the web!

But - as your wife, friends or even self are wont to ask - isn't it just a scam? Well, sure - with all the gifting and matrix deals and "auto pilot" work from home programs, clearly some are not realistic, much less legit. Let's face it - real business success always requires some real effort. And the most successful not only work hard, but work smart.

So - you do your research and you settle on what you have found to be a solid, established business that you can believe in that also has a great compensation plan. (I found mine in the CCPRO BiB) You then begin your training and marketing with dedication and focus and that is great - it's what you should do! Yes, if you want to have your own business, you better treat it like you own it and are responsible for it.

But, as you market and socialize, you begin to get more and more emails and tweets from other marketers, and you get distracted. Maybe you begin to wonder if the grass is truly greener or the deal is sweeter elsewhere. I mean, there are folks out there who've been doing this longer than we, right? Yes, and here's the point - the successful and wealthy are that way because they provided a lot of value to a lot of people. The bottom line is that you must do the same.

But, you don't have your own marketing training program or business system and compensation plan, and not everyone you contact wants into your primary business opportunity. And, you're spending money marketing your business, and a little extra cash flow would help, so do you hook up with some one else - another opportunity? Yes. Keep plenty of effort on your business to nourish it, but it certainly can make sense to affiliate with "bigger fish".

Face it - few can compare to Yanik Silver, Mike Dillard or Perry Marshall when it comes to successful internet marketing experience and knowledge, and many in this internet marketing community can still benefit from the guidance they provide. But - you may actually be making contacts that they aren't! So, "gurus" such as these will offer you commissions when you affiliate with them and become a personal referral source to them.

It's a win-win situation, in that you benefited from the knowledge of another; you shared that valuable resource with someone else, and; the teacher pays you a commission for their new customer. In the best of these deals, not only will the teacher get a new customer, but you should get a new lead and potential customer for yourself along with your commission.

However, please be prudent and discerning. What do I mean? I simply suggest that, if you're going to help promote another individual or opportunity that is not the primary opportunity you already know and love, you should know enough about it (him/her) to do so with confidence, respect and pride so your community credibility is preserved. (e.g. MLM Traffic Formula2) If you haven't noticed already, the "big boys" are also affiliates, touting the programs of others they know and respect.

So - do go for more than one stream of income; just be judicious about your choices and don't get so many lines in the water that your efforts are diluted. With the right (valuable) products or information and plenty of smart activity you, too, can become a "big fish" in this world-wide pond.

Key words and AdWords

I have to acknowledge, right up front, that when it comes to talking about using keywords to target traffic, and doing that specifically with Google AdWords, I’m no Perry Marshall. (look him up for free training if you haven’t already - http://m171.infusionsoft.com/go/default/jjfraser ) However, I can say that this marketing strategy has proven to be the most effective in generating not only quantity, but quality leads for my primary business. (and Google didn’t pay me to say that)
The real point, and value in using AdWords with specifically selected keywords in your ads is that you are targeting your marketing efforts. Not only do you get to select particular geographic locations and languages for your ads, but you then can develop groups of ads which employ particular keywords to target different markets by products, interests or activities. You think first in terms of “campaigns” and then adgroups of keywords.
Obviously, you’ll have some things in mind when you consider your product or service and the people who may be searching for it. For example – sound system / home sound system / home surround sound system / multi-channel home sound system, etc. Or – home business / work from home / online home business / make money from home. So – you’ve got a few ideas – how do you focus? Fortunately, in the interest of developing successful searches and satisfied customers, Google provides a getting started guide, keywords finding and ranking tools, and more help to assist you in navigating a very deep and complex system which uses algorithms to rank content as it searches millions of pages of content on the internet.
But – it’s not free, and another consideration that you analyze in choosing the words you want searched for is how much they “Cost Per Click”. Just having your ad come up brings you nothing, and costs you nothing; but – if it attracts a click, you pay. And – then you want the individual you attracted to be well matched to your opportunity, and you want your landing page to snag them to take more action. (another topic in itself)
When you’re picking the words for your limited 3-line ad, you’ll want to not only consider the searched keywords, but the relevance of your words and the url you ultimately direct people to. Google will remind you (or hold your ad) if the address in your ad isn’t consistent with the actual site folks are directed to. This is not only important to focus your marketing by limiting your ad showings to target placements, but Google uses relevance as a factor in ranking how ads come up. More internal consistency and relevance in your copy and web site can help get your ad on the first page, rather than down where no one goes.
Finally – a particularly important aspect of this medium is that, because you’ll be paying for clicks, whether they turn into customers or not, this is not a “set it and forget it” type of advertising. Even though you do get to set a maximum budget for daily charges, you will need to monitor your ad campaigns daily to see where you get clicks, and whether those clicks continue on to bring money back to you as customers, subscribers or members.
Still, in the end, as you really want contact with people who are actively searching for what you’ve got, using a system that connects with targeted “lookers” can be highly effective and profitable, especially when you’ve got millions of potential viewers. If you’re serious about studying up and developing an AdWords campaign, you can get “The Definitive Guide to Google AdWords” here:http://perrymarshall.com/cmd.php?pg=jjfraser

Words, Keywords, Adwords

To start, I must acknowledge that "Adwords" is actually a Google program, although the term may be developing a generic reference. But, the bottom line is that when writing to market your business, your selection of words is very important - for at least two reasons.

First - consider your target reader and psychology. What words are going to get attention? How about easily and quickly? Of course "free" is very attractive, but it may be overused and actually prohibited in headlines on some sites. Asking a question is a good way to get attention, and then your response can be something like "yes, I did/was, too - but then I found . . ." Again, you're offering something to fulfill a need your reader has. Give them a "how to" satisfy or relieve or win that they'll appreciate.

But - beyond the psychology of getting attention from readers, how about the system of getting attention to your writing from searches on the web? The Adwords program involves costs to get your posts to pop up high on the search results pages, but even if you're not investing in that "pay per click" type of marketing, you want to have relevant words in your post. If you're marketing a home business or training program or weight loss system you want to have those words and associated words in your headline and copy for the search engines and "spiders" to hit on. And the thing about search engine optimization now is that people are searching with not just a single word or two, but with "long tails" or phrases that qualify their search.

For example, an entrepreneur looking to work from home may qualify her search with such as: "how to make money from home" or "best home based business" or "work from home online business". Because there are so many possible combinations that are relevant, but approach the same target from different directions, you will want to "split test" different keywords and phrases in different ads running simultaneously to see what gets the better response. Here's a curious example - "make money online" looks to get five times as many hits as "make money at home".

Fortunately, there are tools available to get you started and give you guidance. One you can use for free is: freekeywords.wordtracker.com. In any case - keep searching, reading and writing, and - may both spiders and people find you!

Copywriting - So What?

If you're going to market something you're going to have to write about it (unless you've got the money to pay someone else to) and your writing is a skill that must be honed. (believe me, I'm still learning) Actually putting pen to paper is a good place to start your flow, but what will you write? Your writing can range from the brief 140 character messages on Twitter to 3 line sponsored ads to brief emails to multi-paragraph articles for ezines and a multi-page sales letter to your prospects.

And - the whole point is - someone else will read your copy, and from their perspective ultimately ask "So what?" or in other words - "What's in it for me?"  In a nutshell, what we have to communicate is what will be a benefit to the reader. It's not about "I" the writer - it's about "you" the reader.

My neighbor recently got started in a business that he wanted me to consider, and as he made his presentation, he pointed out feature after feature of the company and product line. Unfortunately, the age and size of the company, and prices of different packages just had me thinking - "Yeah, so - what does that mean for me?" 

For example - a huge number of product options is a fine feature, but on the other hand - letting me know that I or my prospective customers would be able to find a great fit for any personality, style, need or situation would have done much better at getting my interest - by letting me know how I would benefit.

When you're considering the benefit your reader will get, think about problems you will solve for them. Deal with the emotions of pain and pleasure they could avoid or feel, for example: reduced frustration because you're offering them a proven system; more pride because they will look better or be a leader;  the pleasure of the fine things money can buy, or; the little effort they'll have to put out because your product or system is so quick and easy.

What's a good way to get the information across? Tell a story. Give your reader something they can get involved in from real life. Or teach them something. As I mentioned in an early post, you want to not simply pitch, but give value. Here's a word to consider: "sellucation". Remember that people don't want to be sold, but they can enjoy buying when they're confident of their informed decision.

To close, I hope to have given some useful tips to consider and use. Again, writing good copy is an important learning process. Study those writers whom you respond to, and don't plagiarize, but do pick up tricks.  You can learn from some top pro's here:   http://vur.me/Sundance03/traffic   Write on!

Do You Tweet?

I guess if you understand the question, you're already answering "yes", but this is touching on the subject of "web 2.0" marketing via social media, and possibly the hottest thing now - twitter.

As you may know, twitter is a place where you post a profile/bio to introduce/define yourself and orient other people in the world to what you're about. Of course there are all kinds of folks with all kinds of interests ranging from business to cooking to music to simply socializing. But, what's of interest to us, internet marketers, is that there are thousands of us of various different stripes and experience levels in various locations all over the world who are looking around, touching base, and sharing inspiration and ideas.

So how do you develop communication with bunches of folks you don't otherwise know? Well, you can look for famous folks or your favorite business leaders and then follow them and their followers. You can then expect that a number of folks will "follow" you back, and as with facebook friends - you start sharing posts.

Yeah, in addition to news and commentary, there is also a lot of sharing of links to your favored business opportunities or affiliate programs, but again - go back to the basic marketing ideas I set out below - don't just shout and sell - show yourself as a person of integrity offering something of value. That'll get you better responses.

As for the details - the "tweets" sent or posted on twitter are limited to 140 characters, so you've got to not only be concise, but if you are sharing a link, you've got to use a shortening tool like bit.ly. Check it out - it's handy for making your links small & cloaking them, too.

If you want some help developing your "following" without spending hours of your own time clicking, you'll find numerous programs that do just that. Here's an example: http://bit.ly/rT9Ih

Until next time - share good things with good people, and happy tweeting!

Post a Press Release!

If you're excited about your internet business, as I am, make a point of announcing it! Sure, you're posting ads and sending emails, but have you done a press release?  I'm not talking about newspapers or the AP, but there are a number of sites which do this on the web, and you'll have choices ranging from free to $100+ depending upon the distribution service you want.

When would you post a press release? When you have an announcement that is "newsworthy" and is more than just a marketing ad, because the publishers will review your post and won't want it to just be a commercial. Your occasion could be the launch of your business or a new product line, or perhaps a benchmark you've reached or award you've received.

 Then, when you're drafting your release try to think in terms of a news story with facts and with quotes. What happened with or to whom? What comments did that elicit? What might this mean to someone - be it you or someone else?

I can give you an example of a post I recently did which survived the editorial scrutiny at PRWeb.com before they put it up.  This publisher does charge for their service, but their distribution and links are greater than a free publisher such as Free-Press-Release.com.

Also, I found it interesting that PRWeb automatically activated the link I noted in my release.  Check it out here:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/05/prweb2391584.htm

Other places to look into include: prleap.com, clickpress.com and express-press-release.com.  Note that you can post essentially the same release to the different sites, but if you want to go back with the same publisher, you've got to have something different.

For a look at my same release on FPR, see:  http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200905/1242100346.html

Anyway - if you've got something to talk about - shout it to the web community!

More on Attitude and Action

I've been, of course, spending time with mentors, books and fellow marketers, and I just have to go on a bit on this same subject. When you look at people who are really on top in marketing there's something to note - they're not blatantly trying to pitch you something for their benefit. What's their attitude? They are offering to SERVE YOU.

It makes sense, doesn't it - that what you may spend money on has got to be of benefit to you? And are you mindful of how you tend to turn away from someone who is obviously trying to sell? I see this a lot on Twitter (I'm there as JJFraser) and you can bet I respond to those who offer HELP as opposed to those who are obviously touting their opportunity or the latest system.

In a nutshell - to be successful, one has to offer VALUE that is going to lift others up, for example with inspiration or knowledge, and then rest assured that your rewards will follow. Whether you're dealing with your own personal team or with the marketing community in general, the focus should be on others, not on yourself. As Victor Frankl (Man's Search for Meaning) said: "Success, like happiness, cannot be pursued. It must ensue. And it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself."

So - you take the attitude of abundance, and of being a servant giving value to others, and put that into actions like teaching and sharing the knowledge gained from your experience and those who have preceded you. You know about duplication. There's wisdom in doing what's already proven to be effective. And you act, again and again, on different forums and through different media to share.

In the arena of social networking (and the marketing going on there) the old adages prove true - business is built upon relationships, and people buy from people they like. Be your best true you and give something away. It'll be worth your while.
Have a happy and successful day!

Attitude and Action

Hi - sorry it's been a little while since my last post, and believe it or not, here on April 27 it's snowing again in Colorado! Yep - another six inches on the balcony here on Green Mountain.

But, in my work and travel over the last ten days I've not only heard repeatedly from my colleagues, but found again and again in my reading that setting your mind on a positive image of yourself and visualizing yourself doing and being what you plan for is an essential basic element to your success.

In "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" it was described as the Secret of the Lake - an exercise of looking into a still lake and envisioning one's dreams as reality. In truth, a lake is not necessary. You just need to take some quiet time in your own head and truly envision - feel - experience what you will be and have. Make it a reality to your subconscious so it can assist you in making it reality.

This not only feeds your attraction system to develop this reality in your life, it strengthens your underlying "why" to be doing what you do - be it sports or your business. Then - you take ACTION, with confidence and purpose as you proceed to write a letter, compose an ad, post a blog, make a call, hit the trail or whatever.

See yourself as who and what you want to be, and get going. Make it a great day!

Getting Leads

Hey - here it is after Easter, after tax day, supposedly solidly into Spring and I've got a foot of snow outside my place here on Green Mountain! But, the dogs love romping in it, and it's a fair excuse to sit inside & blog.

So - if you're not gonna chase your family and friends about your business - who are you gonna talk to? How about other people who are interested in marketing on the internet? Yup - you want to look for the lookers. And, especially in light of the current economic mess, there are plenty of folks looking for alternatives to the old j-o-b. But what if you don't know many of those folks yet?

Well, as I expect you already know, there are social networking sites on the web, and through them you can get in touch and acquainted with people who are just friends of friends. Or - maybe just related by a common interest. To tell the truth, it was quite a while after my kids got me onto Myspace and Facebook that I was introduced to the options of searching for groups - such as folks specifically interested in web business and marketing. Then I got turned on to Twitter and found that people I was interested in were following other people of interest to me, and then people were following me, and . . .

I'd say one of the most important things I've learned about these various associations is that, along with all these people interested in associations and affiliations and such, there is a huge wealth of information about how to increase your connections. Sure, many folks have a program they want to sell, but there is an amazing amount of free information to be picked up, too.

There's even a free service for making lots of email connections with other web biz afficianados - consider:
http://vur.me/Sundance03

I've gotta rest up for more shoveling, but I hope Spring is springing and blooming for you!

No List of Family & Friends

I just started talking last time about the similarities and differences between the old MLM and modern internet marketing styles, and how the age-old principles of positive thinking and visualization still are taught (and of course are applicable). Then, after going through pages of email solicitations and lotso tweets on Twitter it came to me - there were and are folks who just want a bunch of customers, and there were and are folks who want to build a business enriched by many real and valuable relationships.

The old MLM marketing strategy had a big foundation in one's list of friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc. etc. as supposed prospects for a home business. And MLM marketers drove millions of people crazy, and away from them, by trying to sell an opportunity to people who weren't looking to buy one!

Sure, lots of on-line businesses today still suggest shooting an email to everyone in your address book to promote whatever opportunity, but those who work on building real businesses head in a different direction - a focused direction. And interestingly - marketing to people they don't know at all - who may be across the world! But - they are people who are looking . . .

Man, it's gonna be a while before I get to any of the fine points of Google, but you know (and must be mindful) that people use the net to look for things, and modern internet marketing is about getting yourself found by the lookers!

Here's where the difference between out-and-out selling and attracting customers comes in. It's like the difference between being a hunter and a fisher . . . think about that.

And then notice the difference between what looks like a glitzy quick-buck deal (scam) and what has a real feel of truth and value. You know when you're dealing with genuine and honest people in a genuine and honest business. "The Greatest Salesman in the World" by Og Mandino holds many nuggets of positive philosophy and attitude including this: "today I will multiply my value a hundredfold". That's bound to help your business, and in my next one I'll get more into the subject of content. But, on that note, I can't help but give some props to the most valuable and "attractive" guy I know on the web - Mike Dillard. If you're not already following him, you better check here: http://vur.me/Sundance03/7day

Until next time - don't forget all the greatness you have within!
Best regards,
J.J.

Marketing in the 21st Century - same old?

Yes sir - it's a whole different world from the old Amway days of pushing soap and drawing circles! Sure, one must always have a good product that fills a need, and there must be good profit to make it worth one's while to do the business. But the number of people who want their own business has increased phenomenally, and the internet has taken us all far beyond our neighborhoods and personal phone books.

The opportunities and potential are skyrocketing! And, even though there are scoundrels and scams in the internet realm, as elsewhere, there are many, many honest geniuses and philanthropists, too. I'll talk later about the refinements in marketing methods and vehicles, but I must note at the start the common thread which goes back decades, if not longer. It's attitude or mindset.

If you haven't read Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich" - get a copy, it's still a regular reference for today's top leaders and trainers. If you are one, you're very familiar with the visualization principles. Perhaps better known in today's society is "The Secret" - available as a book or a DVD. What's the common thread? Thoughts are things. You make or attract what you think about. You actually can create your own reality!

So - how do you direct your thoughts, and toward what? More in the next one.