Jackie Dumaine... Yoga Woman on a Mission

I met Jackie Dumaine some time ago when she was in the advertising business, and I was considering buying some advertising.

We never did do business together there, but I have been marveling lately at her new found passion for yoga, meditation, and incredible story telling.

She mentions in one of the pages I am going to refer you to that she began writing at the young age of 6, and obviously has kept up her craft, as her site sings with pure genius.

          I want you to first read her “I Am Manifesto”
          http://www.jackiedumaine.com/about-me/i-am-manifesto/

Not much I need to say about it other than… AWESOME!

Jackie has poured her personality on that page and it is a work of art.

Have a look through her entire site and pay close attention to what she has done, and how she has shared it.

http://www.jackiedumaine.com/

Jackie has put together a wonderful example of how websites SHOULD be done.

Personal.

Personality driven.

Revealing.

Engaging.

If only more of them were like this!

I have nothing to do with Jackie’s success, and I don’t want to infer that by any means.

We have spoken a few times over the years and I always enjoyed speaking with her.

Tad Hargrave (http://www.marketingforhippies.com) had some influence on her marketing, me thinks.  

Tad is a great guy and a very smart marketer.  Tad and I co-taught a seminar or two way back when… and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him and seeing how he too has found his niche and created a revolution of “hippy” story tellers like Jackie.

I am a marketing geek, and just LOVE great success stories like this.

Especially when the story telling side is woven into the fabric of their websites and marketing.

Jackie… you go girl!

I am in awe of what you have done with your site and your vision.

Can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve next.

Troy

PS: If you are near Calgary on Thur night, you definitely need to see about attending her Guided Synergy Magazine Launch Party (she is on the cover and is the feature story).

Details at http://www.jackiedumaine.com/events/

It always amazes me.

Without a single thought or care about mastering the basics of marketing, they sprint head first following the scent of a shiny new “social media marketing tool”.

Meanwhile…the greatest marketing opportunities are right in front of their eyes.

Here is a perfect example that was sent to me by my friend and fellow marketing consultant, Graham McGregor (who, by the way, has an EXCEPTIONAL free book you can grab at  http://www.TheUnfairBusinessAdvantage.com).

======================
How they capitalized
on one of the
worlds greatest disasters.
======================

Before the naysayers go off on their tangent about capitalizing on disasters… listen in first before you judge.

The Titanic sunk in 1912.

Thousands of lives were lost.

The 100 year anniversary of this disaster is in 2012.

…rather than shying away from the sinking of a cruise liner, the New Zealand Cruise Ship, the MS Balmoral, decided to make the most of it.

2,000 people have pre-booked a cabin for the MD Balmoral voyage that retraces the route of the Titanic’s maiden voyage

Not only are people paying up to $12,100 for passage on this cruise, they are also lining up to “have costumes made to re-create the appearance of the original passengers, while there have also been requests from musicians to audition for places in the modern version of the string quartet that played as the flagship of the White Star Line fleet began to list.”

This Centenial Celebration is gearing up to be a highly enjoyable one for the passengers, and a highly profitable one for the Cruise line.

(http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10775547)

======================
What did they do right,
and how can you copy?
======================

The 2012 Cash Flow Calendar http://www.cashflowcalendars.com is designed to help YOU do exactly what the MS Balmoral has done…

…find unusual events, and create theme-based promotions around it.

For example, in January of 2012, here are a few unusual events you could create themed product or services launches around:

* Second week of January is National Pizza Week
* The fourth week is National Mozart week (and Jan 27th is his birthday)
* January 12th is the 36th Anniversary of the passing of Agatha Christie in 1976
* Friday January 13th is not only a Friday the 13th, but is also the Rubber Duckies birthday
* Sunday, January 22nd is National Answer Your Cat’s Question Day… what better reason for a pet-related marketing campaign (pet campaigns can be a BIG draw for contests, competitions, and just fun all-around promotions).

Keep it simple.

Find a special event or date you could really have fun with.

Do some research about the basics of the date or reason for celebration.

Create a 3 step (minimum) campaign that has some fun with the date, tells a great story that ties into that date, then relate the celebration to your special offer.

Send out all 3 steps, each of them having fun and telling a different part of the theme or story-based campaign.

Simple.

In theory… right?

The key is to just do it. Don’t overthink it… massive momentum and action will take you MUCH FURTHER than over analyzing it will!

Just get it done.

Have some fun.

And give your clients and prospects something fun to get excited about too.

It worked for the cruise line… and will work for you too.

Here’s to a fun-filled, promotion and story packed marketing year!

Troy

PS: People often ask if this applies in their country too (assuming they are outside of North America).

Why not?

Even if National Pizza Week is an American thing, or a Canadian thing, so what?

There is no rule book saying you can’t create your own holiday like this.

DECLARE IT!

You don’t need to ask for permission to do a promotion… just get it done!

The 2012 Cash Flow Calendar...turning wacky dates into money making marketing campaigns

The 2012 Cash Flow Calendar http://www.cashflowcalendars.com walks you through the basics of good theme-based promotions and gives you AMPLE opportunity for standing out from the crowd.

…it also gives you a 12-month, week-by-week calendar you can modify to suite your own marketing plans for the year.

Rest assured though… actually filling the calendar out for your own use… and then IMPLEMENTING what is planned… is THE KEY to massive marketing success in 2012.

Thinking about it or promising to do it won’t get you there…

…getting it DONE will.

March 2002, I finally quit the corporate world.

Fortunately for me, I was owed a decent chunk of outstanding commissions from my computer sales job.

…it bought me some time to figure out what I “wanted to do when I grew up”.

It also started to finance my copywriting education and web marketing initiatives.

My wife, Kari, had been planning corporate and wedding events for years.

I twisted her arm and got her to agree to write a guide for planning weddings (specific types of weddings).

She wrote the book. I wrote the copy.

We went live.

That was over 9 years ago… and that simple (very ugly) sales page continues to make us money.

We do very little to it…

…and it continues to send us cheques.

Every.
Single.
Month.

My biggest mistake in the past 9 years? Not building up MORE of these sites. I have done this type of site in a number of industries, but I could have made far more moola if I had spent time getting this going on a larger scale.

Which is EXACTLY why you need to be on this teleseminar with my friend Dan Lok.

Dan is smart… smarter than me!

He was a copywriter… but he saw the light and went gung ho on these kind of sites.

And has made $27M since then in sales

Dan has agreed to do a one time webinar for you and I.

I will be there taking notes and planning my fall.

You?

Unlike other gurus, Dan doesn’t speak at big conferences or go on the roads or do a webinar every week. And he doesn’t need to. He’s kind of semi-retired now.

The economy is on shaky grounds still, but Dan’s businesses continue to prosper (so do my own niche sites that continue to send us cheques in goods times and bad).

Secretly he told me, he’s made more money in the last 12 months than in any previous year.

He knows something that people don’t.

You need to hear what he has to say.

If you get a chance to hear him, you don’t want to miss it. We only have 300 spots, if you don’t think you will show up, don’t register.

This is probably the most important webinar you’ll listen to this year.

Plus, and this is a BIG plus, I have a surprise announcement for you on the call – that you will ONLY hear if you are on the call.

Dan has agreed to share his private formulas for conquering the online marketing world… and I want you to join us next Thursday.

[--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]

Here’s a short-list of what will be covered on this 75-90 minute webinar:

* The fastest, simplest way to start making money on the Internet. Period.

* How to create a business that makes money for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!

* How to ‘fire your employer’! No more clocking in or out and no limit to the amount of income you can rake in.

* An amazingly simple strategy to make money without having your own ‘list’ of customers or prospects

* How to stop trading time for money and start earning a 6-figure ‘Passive’ income within 12 months.

* 2 big mistakes many new Internet Marketers make that you must to avoid at all costs. (Hint: Making these 2 mistakes can waste thousands of dollars and years of your time!)

Here are the details:

FREE Webinar: DAN LOK’S ON-LINE MONEY MAKING METHODS REVEALED

How to Get Started With Your Own On-line Business, or Start
Making (More) Money On-line with Your Current Business.

Date: Thursday, September 8, 2011
Time: 5 – 6:30 p.m. Pacific. (7pm Mtn. 9 pm EST).
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/651755038

[--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]

Looking back over my past 9 and a half years in this business, I have loved it beyond anything else I have ever done in my life.

But I really am kicking myself over not doing more of what Dan is showing on this call.

It is the reason for my surprise announcement on the call…

…and is the reason I want you to be here with me.

Dan is going to deliver some incredible goods here – do NOT miss out.

Don’t delay and kick yourself later.

Dan is the real deal, will show you how to replicate the systems he uses, and you can steal his ideas to get your own online sites cranking out more revenues with greater frequency.

See you next Thur on the call.

Troy

PS: Dan will not only be showing YOU how to get this done – I will be taking copious notes as well!

Don’t miss this one – Dan is not one to do calls like this very often. https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/651755038

I have also seen the ugly underbelly of the ‘guru’ business.

The one thing I have found again and again is that the real success stories are from the least likely of places.

They aren’t out there spouting off how great they are, or showing off their fake clickbank cheques and rental cars they claim as their own.

The real ones go about their business and rarely show off what they have accomplished, or how.

Dan Lok is the real deal. I have known him for 4 or 5 years now, as we both write monthly articles for a paid membership program. Dan has sold $25.7 millions worth of products online recently, and has agreed do a one-time webinar with you and I.

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/651755038

Dan started off writing copy and trading time for dollars, much like many others do that sell their time for dollars.

He wrote great copy.

He made great coin doing it.

…but he makes his REAL money running one of his many online businesses.

Lots of it ($25.7 M in revenues).

And the places he does make his real money are not selling ‘how to make milyuns with my push-button-magic-dohickey, like many do.

Dan has agreed to share his private formulas for conquering the online marketing world… and I want you to join us next Thursday.

https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/651755038

Now whether you are looking for a whole new business venture, or you want to augment your current income with a new revenue stream, or you have a business or real estate investing business that you want to promote better on-line, then you will definitely want to be on this webinar!

[--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]

Here’s a short-list of what will be covered on this 75-90 minute webinar:

• The fastest, simplest way to start making money on the Internet. Period.

• How to create a business that makes money for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!

• How to ‘fire your employer’! No more clocking in or out and no limit to the amount of income you can rake in.

• An amazingly simple strategy to make money without having your own ‘list’ of customers or prospects

• How to stop trading time for money and start earning a 6-figure ‘Passive’ income within 12 months.

• 2 big mistakes many new Internet Marketers make that you must to avoid at all costs. (Hint: Making these 2 mistakes can waste thousands of dollars and years of your time!)

Here are the details:

FREE Webinar: DAN LOK’S ON-LINE MONEY MAKING METHODS REVEALED

How to Get Started With Your Own On-line Business, or Start Making (More) Money On-line with Your Current Business.

Date: Thursday, September 8, 2011
Time: 5 – 6:30 p.m. Pacific. (7pm Mtn. 9 pm EST).
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/651755038

[--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]

Don’t delay and kick yourself later.

Dan is the real deal, will show you how to replicate the systems he uses, and you can steal his ideas to get your own online sites cranking out more revenues with greater frequency.

See you next Thur on the call.

Troy

PS: I have thoroughly loved every minute of the last 10 years in business… but there is ONE thing I wish I had done more of, faster, and earlier. Build more online revenue streams! I have a number of them now – but could have, should have, been much more prolific in this area. Dan will not only be showing YOU how
to get this done – I will be taking copious notes as well!

Don’t miss this one – Dan is not one to do calls like this very often. https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/651755038

Does your marketing look like it's buried in the clutter?

11  important rules you need to stick to if you want to succeed in your marketing:

1)      The purpose of your marketing is NOT to showcase your brand, your logo, (it does not need

to be for them to buy something, as it can be for them to take some kind of action like visiting a web page to get something for free)

2)      You MUST learn how to create compelling offers that get them to take those actions.

3)      Each of the marketing campaigns you launch will consist of a minimum of 3 steps.  In other words, when communicating with your clients and prospects, you must send at least 3 different pieces to them in order to call it a properly designed campaign (and one that will actually work and help you achieve goal #1 from above)

4)      No more cutesy sayings and vague one-liners that say and do nothing that take you closer to goal #1. Again, a cute radio ad is useless if it doesn’t generate you leads or make you money.

5)      You will learn how to become a more natural writer, and use those skills to further build on goal #1

6)      Your personality in your marketing is your greatest asset. Don’t hide the fact that you are a real live person, like most business owners do. They try and mask the size of their company… pretending to be a big company.  Putting your face and personality front and center in all your marketing will do more for your sales than anything else you do.

7) Effective advertising rarely looks like advertising.

8)      Effective advertising stops your ideal customer in their tracks and literally forces them to start reading your ad.

9)      Effective advertising always has some form of tracking mechanism in place so you know exactly if it is working, or not.

My first few years into copywriting, I had logged 2,000 hours of writing and studying from the masters (I tracked my hours).

Since discovering this thing called copywriting, I have a whole new world in front of me.  I see why most businesses struggle.  I see why people think marketing doesn’t work. I see why most people think advertising is a waste of money. And I see why some companies go on and accomplish amazing things in record time.

I have had the privilege to work with some incredible people, from all over the world. Movie stars. Bestselling authors. Public speakers. Inventors.  Real estate investors and developers.  Information publishers.  All said and done, there are probably 35+ industries I have helped now.  And have made them millions and millions of dollars in short periods of time.

Why do I share this with you? Because just 7 years ago I had no idea what marketing was or how it worked.  Today, I am an internationally-known entrepreneur who has helped thousands of people turn their businesses around.  Every week, my articles go out to thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners spanning the globe.  And I absolutely love seeing the look in a client’s eye when they hit their first grand slam in marketing. The pay doesn’t hurt either.

If I can do it, so can you.  I failed English in high school and university.  But I quickly discovered that real marketing doesn’t care about proper grammar.  As you will see in this article, real marketing breaks many of the rules of proper English.

Yet it works… and the results speak for themselves.

 

 

I LOVE your comments… good and bad.  Let me know what I can do to help you grow your business faster and more profitably.

Troy

In 22 years, I have been:

* a House painter and franchise owner (consulting on colors)
* a Unix systems consultant
* a multi-media consultant
* a storage and backup consultant
* 10 of those years as a marketing and copywriting consultant

I have loved nearly every moment of it… but knowing what I now know, I would certainly change a few things if I had a hot tub time machine.

When Michael Zipursky asked me to contribute to his Masters of Consulting book, I jumped at the opportunity to share some of my insights.

Some of what you will discover:

* The 3 words that will help you land any client you want.
* A pricing plan strategy that is backed by science and works 90% of the time.
* Discover how to expand your business and make much more money through outsourcing the right way.
* Why 95% of the marketplace isn’t for you, and how to find that golden 5%.

…and much more.

Full details on his new Masters of Consulting Interviews bundle is at this link here.

If you are in a business where you are consulting with others, this is a fantastic resource I am proud to be a part of.

Troy

Usually they claim their buyers are different than any other buyers.

Often though it comes down to this…

“…I sell to businesses – not consumers. And business buyers don’t fall for the same tricks you are sharing Troy.”

I will say this… Business to business (B2B) buyers are NOT different than Business to consumer (B2C) buyers!

A BUSINESS cannot buy anything.

Someone, somewhere, has to be involved in the purchasing process.

And anytime a person is involved, there are biases, prejudices, emotional triggers and hidden motives involved.

As much as we like to pretend otherwise, I don’t think there are too many businesses who use robots for purchasing from strangers. )

Yes, there can be minor changes you make to your campaigns to target business buyers, but people are people and the exact same tools and techniques that work in the B2C market ALSO work in the B2B market.

I have shown this many times over the past blog posts.

Like the one client who sells B2B: we sent out 200 letters to a COLD list… business buyers who had NEVER heard of him before. These were highly sophisticated buyers who worked for companies that ranged from $5 million a year to $500 million a year.

We mailed a 2-page black and white letter (no fancy brochures – no gloss – no color – not even a picture to be seen).

We sent it DIRECTLY to the purchasers.

We got a 18% response rate (the goal of the campaign was to initiate direct contact with the purchasing managers – either through a phone call or email… in essence, getting that first foot in the door).

The letter talked more about his family than his business!

And we got email after email THANKING US FOR WRITING A PERSONAL LETTER.

One guy said “I get DOZENS of ‘pitch letters’ like this a week – I want to commend you on writing a very personal letter like this – I wish I saw more of this in my business”.

Hum.

Guess something like that shows you that B2B buyers are NOT different…. they are people and like to buy from people.

So keep that in mind next time you are thinking up excuses on why YOUR buyers are different.

They aren’t that different.

They still eat, sleep, dream and have fears or dreams.

They are people like you and I are.

Treat them that way.

Not many B2B sellers do… so you will definitely stand out from the rest of the nonsense!

Troy

PS: I wanted to make sure you understand this – I have personally sold both B2B and B2C.

When I was working for Hewlett Packard in their Unix systems group… I sold $50,000 computer systems to business buyers. I also sold multi-million dollar servers and storage systems to business buyers. There was ALWAYS a person writing the final orders. Those people wanted to be TREATED like a human being too.

One potential client I nurtured for 2 years selling them smaller systems, ultimately knowing a big purchase order was coming… eventually.

And it did.

$3 million dollars worth of computer gear was sold in the end – the only reason he bought? “Because I stuck with him, and treated him the way he wanted to be treated. Not like some robot purchasing system. That was from him – the one who signed the purchase order and cheque.

If I treated him differently – the sale would have NEVER gone through.

Why?

Because ‘everyone’ is NOT online.

Because ‘everyone’ do NOT prefer email to print mail.

Because ‘everyone’ is not on Facebook and Twitter.

There is a huge opportunity to leverage the dinosaurs we call our postal service into your marketing.

And the United States Postal System just figured out one of Canada Post’s little secrets.

Yes, for many years now, astute marketers were using Unaddressed Admail in Canada. Direct to the door mail for 11.9 cents per household.

Fantastic for lead generation!

But until recently, the USPS didn’t have a service that would work like Canada Posts Unaddressed Direct Mail tools.

…Until now…

What it means to everyone is that there are now more options south of the 49th parallel.

And it also means it is TIME to get serious about using this tool.

If you need help – let me know.

If you want a webinar around this – let me know.

This is a fantastic tool for geo targeting of your prospects and clients.

Hope you are using it!!

Let me know your thoughts.

(I also have a product called Direct Mail Detox
that you will find helpful for generating QUALIFIED leads)

Troy

PS: I should also share the fact that I have seen some incredible results using this next-to-free direct mail tool. One client in a very competitive, commodity type business used a flier I did up and we used Unaddressed Admail to businesses – and got an incredible 12:1 return on their investment. Another sold a number of high end home products (average price of each piece if $800) for a whopping $300 investment in mailing and postal services.

This is a great way to find leads and make sales. Definitely worth your time to test.

The J. Peterman catalogue is a masterpiece of mixing romance and storytelling, finished off with a dash of practicality and concern with the highest quality product and service possible.

Not too long ago I had written a post about J. Peterman on my own blog.

Not long after, I got a very pleasant surprise and received an email from Jonathan Sexton, Gladiator for the J. Peterman Company (or as he says, drab title ­ Director of Marketing).

He complimented me on the article and we have agreed to do a teleseminar discussing J. Peterman’s success… failure… and resurgence in popularity.

I thoroughly enjoyed Peterman’s book,
“Peterman Rides Again”.

If you haven’t read it before… you need to.

His book is packed with exceptional storytelling and a very insightful look into the life of this unusual garment globe-trotter.

It all started with an ankle length duster – a long, simple riding coat that John Peterman purchased during a trip to Wyoming. “I wore that coat and people wanted to buy it off my back” said Peterman.

As he took his initial purchase and turned it into a mail order company, he found his flair for writing and eye for unusual items was drawing in people who were looking for something out of the ordinary.

The first full year selling J Peterman Dusters he sold $580,000 worth that year. That led to the J. Peterman shirt… which was another great seller… which led to another… and another.

John Peterman would travel the world looking for unusual items that people normally wouldn’t be able to find, or had romance and stories built right into them.

And he succeeded.

The catalogue that started a cult…

As you may know, his catalog, the Owner’s Manual, was a masterpiece.

…Using hand drawn sketches rather than photographs.
…Using long copy to romance the reader, rather than short, typical, catalogue copy.

The J Peterman Owner’s Manual was the secret (and sacred) tool that like-minded people would cherish and read out loud amongst their closest friends on the inside.

It was an odd shape as well… 5 ½ by 10 ½ inches.

The catalog itself became a thing of legend and celebrities quickly became devoted fans and buyers.

A list of just a few J. Peterman fans (and customers):

Nicole Kidman
Tom Cruise
Clint Eastwood
Tom Brokaw
Paul Newman
Joanne Woodward
Kim Bassinger
Tom Hanks
Mia Farrow
Bill Murray
Angela Lansbury
Sidney Pollack
Jerry Seinfeld
Oprah
…to name just a few

Wouldn’t you just love to have a client list like that?

In 1991 the New York Times called him the Merchant Poet.

His success bloomed and his reputation became legendary among the discerning, more affluent crowd.

And then Seinfeld hit in 1995

With no advance warning, J. Peterman became a character on the hit sitcom, Seinfeld.

Seinfeld caught J Peterman by surprise – and it took them from having a catalog that was a well-kept secret to having no secret at all.

The growth was phenomenal and debilitating.

The phones lines lit up and people wanted more.

They bought… he expanded.

But something bad started to happen amidst all his success…

Seinfeld show made light of who the real J Peterman was, and it created the wrong impression in the general public eye.

[note: offline... the tv J. Peterman, John O’Hurley , said “J. Peterman answers a need for authenticity in a world that is losing authenticity at a catastrophic rate”]

Something to think about: O’Hurley’s statement reflects much of what is happening right now in our economy. People are distrusting, weary of spending money on the same-old, same-old. They are looking for unusual experiences, exciting new product offers, and a GREAT story they can tell their friends and family.

Don’t you think that maybe… just maybe…
the J. Peterman style of copy could help YOUR business stand out from the clutter?

I certainly think it applies everywhere!

Headlines or copy that reads like this “As my boat sank into the Zambezi I watched my luggage float downstream over Victoria Falls. But the day wasn’t a total loss…” compels people to read… and we all need to find new and innovative ways to bring people into our culture.

What happened to J. Peterman and caused the ultimate demise of this icon?

He lost touch with what made his company so great to begin with, and was focused more on investors and retail expansion, rather than the things that he loved so much about his company.

Expansion into retail destroyed all that he enjoyed most about his business. Cash flow issues continued to plague them.

Ultimately, the expansion caused him to go bankrupt, and his dreams were dashed.

He eventually bought the J. Peterman back out of bankruptcy with the help of friends and family, and is rebuilding it from the ground up (you MUST get on their mailing list, if you aren’t already).

They are again obsessive about the copy… even when he had Don Stanley writing his copy alongside him.

Back in the boomtime, the sheer volume of copy needed meant they need to expand and find other writers who could match their flair for persuasive story telling through catalog copy.

They were very picky on who wrote for them and how the copy sounded. One writer needed to sound just as appealing as the next… and they all needed to sound just like the infamous J. Peterman wrote it himself.

Some lessons from J. Peterman:

• He created a brand character that developed a life of it’s own (much like the Tommy Bahama character does).

• Build practical romance into your copy and the experience your buyers have with your company

• Attaching emotional meaning and feeling to clothing and everyday items you may put in your home or business.

• Focus on the best customer service possible. Develop the attitude that your service and guarantees are to be upheld to the point that anything and everything is guaranteed. Make it so people WANT to tell others about how great your customer service is. In his book, they talk about a return they got on a pair of boots that were obviously worn for work on a farm and in the fields. They were worn out and the customer wanted a refund. Most companies would say no. J. Peterman knew that if he gave the gentleman a new pair, word would spread. And it did… quickly.

• Truly think through the experience you give your prospects and buyers… how can you incorporate more Peterman style copy into your business?

• Do you tell the real adventures you go through to find components to your products? Or how you invented your newest creation? Or what the actual experience you provide delivers to the clients?

• Do you use catalogs? Could you? Again, go to www.jpeterman.com and sign up for their newsletter. Read their copy, and think through how you could romanticize your products and services like they do. (it IS possible to do, you have to use your creativity and writers voice to find it, and you will). Look at how a jacket and skirt becomes an experience. Or how a cologne can increase your heart rate and make you feel warm.

(from www.JPeterman.com)

Harriet and Lord Peter jacket, $285, and pleated skirt, $175:

They met in her cell in the Old Bailey. Had she fed arsenic to her lover? Had she? He proved her innocent. Met again in Oxford. (She wore this outfit.) He courted her; punting on the Cherwell, quail’s eggs, wit, an antique ivory chess set. Proposed in Latin: “Placetne?” Oh, yes. It pleased her.

Shocking rabbit fur hat, $245:

Shocking to see someone this young, this independent, so beautifully dressed. Shocking to find out she was not who she said she was. Shocking to see her walk off the QE2, into the arms of an unsuitable man, just an ordinary bounder.

The other passengers couldn’t stop looking. At what she wore, how she wore it, the way they looked at each other, the way they still do.

Dominica Bay Rum.

The Small Island of Dominica. Columbus discovered it, named it, and left it alone. It’s north of Martinique. And it is the home, since 1907, of a very good West Indian Bay Rum manufactured under the Dominica brand-name.

Bay Rum has a fairly quiet scent, less strong than anything called perfume, less strong than anything called aftershave, but not so quiet as to be boring.

It is, in fact, quite sexy.

It is sexy the way skin begins to smell from strong sun, salt water, steel drums, breaking waves, moving palm branches and giggling coming from somewhere.

Men liked Bay Rum long before 1907, when the Dominica brand started. Men have liked Bay Rum since Spanish Main days. They like it for the least complicated reason in the world: it smells good.

A decent gift which often turns into a lifetime habit.

Dominica Bay Rum (No. 1044), 10 fl. oz. Imported.

NOW is the time to use incredible story telling and copy like this.

People are looking for new experiences and new ways to buy… this approach can easily make your company stand out from any and every competitor you have.

Last: if you want to dig deeper into the J. Peterman success story and learn how to incorporate their techniques into your own business, sign up for the free call recording at www.jpetermancall.com

What would be your TOP question you would like to ask their Director of Marketing? Leave your best questions below and we will see how much quality information Jonathan Sexton can give us.

Make sure you read their site, and get a copy of John Peterman’s book.

Last – you can get the recording of the call at J Peterman Call

Troy

PS: For more advanced marketing secrets of using stories to sell — make sure you are watching for the Marketing Dojang… the greatest kick butt site for creating winning marketing campaigns!

All a good busy… but something I have struggled with… as do many entrepreneurs I know.

How do you focus when new opportunities come rushing at you at break-neck speed?

So how do I, and anyone else who all of a sudden becomes swamped with new work, handle this?

Focus.

First thing is first… you need a plan.

1. Write down all of the projects you have to work on.
2. Estimate how much time per week each project will take
3. Add 50% to each of those numbers – reality shows that it almost always takes longer than we initially think
4. Now add up all the numbers – and divide by 5 or 6 days -you now have the number of hours a week you will have to work to keep on top of it all

…scared yet?

5. Next, start looking at what other distractions are on your plate – email, phone calls, distractions, newsletters -and start saying NO to things. You MUST stop doing the things that won’t help you be productive on your big projects.

With 4 new companies needing 4 new marketing campaigns – I have a ton of work to do…

And reading 100 ezines a week won’t help me get things done.

Answering silly emails is another time waster

Surfing the net – got to go

Answering the phone every time it rings is a serious distraction

Sleep – ah, who needs it? (Kidding)

Need to factor in family time – make quality time for it

Not an easy task for anyone – but we are all faced with it. The question is – how will you deal with it?

Create your plan, then stick to your guns. Get used to saying no, and get used to firing troublesome clients.

And get to work!

Troy

PS: One way to get more done is to outsource more.

Join me this Thursday night for a fantastic teleseminar with Heather
Stevens.

Heather has just brought out the KING and QUEEN of personalized
follow up systems.

NOTHING else beats this that I have ever seen…

…and it is designed to scale from the one-person operation… right
up to the $50 million a year company.

Join us here: Hands Off Marketing Systems -
http://www.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/handsoffmarketing.htm