Hi Dan!

> This is exactly what irks me about this
> forum - so much to comment on that's
> relevant that I don't have enough time to
> get to it all!

*grinning* I know the feeling. I have to stay up late or get up early to squeak the time in.

> Unfortunately it's not as easy to weed them
> out online as off-line. Offline I've got
> body language, I've got their words, I see
> what they look at, etc. Online I still have
> their words but typed emails don't carry the
> same degree of "automatic talking"
> that I get off line. I mean offline I say
> "Can I help you?" and you say
> "Just looking" before I get the
> sentence out. (Which is exactly why you
> don't ask that - you want a better answer.)
> With email exchanges much of that
> disappears. Makes it more difficult to read
> between the lines. Plus there is the issue
> of how well a person can express themselves
> in email.

I agree. Some people do really well with email exchanges. Others just don't. For those that don't come across well in email, I suggest making a phone call. Sometimes just having the voice contact can make the difference. : )

The "face to face" isn't there, but the power of the voice is still greater than just email is the written word is not a person's strong point.

> I really like your question - will have to
> write it down. If you don't mind how do you
> deal with the situation of the person
> becoming quite burned out on their topic
> after it becomes a business - and the fun
> goes out of it? That's happened to me with
> my hobbies when they became my business.
> Specifically sleight-of-hand. Just curios in
> that regard. Basically when it went from
> what they "like to do" to what
> they "have to do". Pick this up
> offline if you wish I'm just curious. After
> it happened to me - several times - I became
> leary of pointing people toward the
> passionate areas of their lives as a
> business.

I really DO know what you mean. For me, I diversify. I really love anything to do with writing and graphics. Those are my passions.

When I was a kid, I drew pictures in the margins of my notebooks. My teachers used to reprimand me and tell me to mind my work because no one was going to pay me to draw pictures when I grew up. *laughing*

When I wasn't drawing pictures, I was writing stories and poems on any piece of paper I could find. By 12, I was collecting quotes from great literary works.

I have prevented burnout by taking a zigging here and zagging there. 20 years ago, I was writing adcopy. After 7 years of that, I moved on to poster and sign layout. After that, it was graphic design for several years. In between the longer stints, I have taught art classes, trained people to write copy, etc.

Now, it's website design, graphics and copywriting. I also do a little ghostwriting. My job is SO varied now that one day I can be creating graphics for a tshirt and the next day it's a website again, and the next week it's writing an article series for a client.

The point being, be inventive - find different ways to work with what you love.

For example... with sleigh of hand. I don't know a lot about it, except that it's fascinating.

Instead of "doing", could you teach? Could you put together a book about fantastic sleigh of hand artists through time? Could you sell the tools of the trade via a website? Could you assemble sleigh of hand artists around the globe and promote their talents in exchange for a percentage of each job booked through your site?
I may be right out of the ballpark, but I think you see what I'm getting at. There is always more than one way to stay where your heart is without getting bored out of your tree. : )

> This sounds like a wise man! But the date
> on that letter isn't three years old -
> you're not suggesting that they are
> *fudging* are you?! Doing and teaching -
> two different things entirely. Rare is the
> person who can do both.

Yes, I think he is a wise man to ask his wife.
*g*

Suggesting that an anti-zorro may be less than honest in order to make a sale? Heaven forbid!! *laughing*

And yes, you're also right that doing and teaching are two different things, and rare is the person that can do both. It sometimes irks me that my consulting clients go on to make more money than I do. It doesn't really bother me much, though, because I'm proud that they learn so well. Perhaps I should be teaching more and doing less? Food for thought. Peter always tells me I don't charge nearly enough for what I give. Perhaps if my training course goes over well, I may do less design. Who knows. Time will tell, it usually does. : )

> The long sales letters have their place.
> Short ones do too. When I sold waterbeds...

Yes, long sales letters have their place. On a piece of paper in someone's hand. NOT on a website.

I know a lot of people will be quick to disagree... but I never open my mouth without making sure I have facts to back up what I say. *grinning* So, here's the fact.

ZDNet Labs just did some testing in conjunction with an eyetracking firm. They actually strapped gear onto people's heads to see how they read online. Guess what they found. They weren't reading long copy. They scanned it. They read bulleted points and the first two or three lines in any paragraph. And moved on to the next section.

Do you know when people DO read long copy online?
When they want help, specs, more information, etc.

But not on the first page of a website. : )

Which is what I've been saying all along. As has Jakob Neilson (internet useability reports)

Side note... I'm just finishing up a new ebook called "Special Report: Website Useability" It will be on my website by the weekend. I'll leave a link to it here, too, if you want to see it.

>I've thought about doing a series
> of tapes called - "What I learned about
> .... from ..." Such as "What I
> learned about business from an 19th century
> Card Shark". Or "What I learned
> about business from a traveling Evangelist
> who thought I was a Witch - and what the
> real Witches thought about it!" But
> that's on the back burner for the moment.
> Those are topics I can speak about.

I can relate.

> Which brings up the principle of
> "everything affects everything
> else." It's a point Jim Rohn makes when
> talking about habits and he's right. But
> expanding from habits until you get people
> thinking of their life as whole then it's
> not just an abstract thing - this business
> they have. If "Making a little
> money" becomes the goal - they aren't
> building a life they can enjoy. It's
> isoldated from their life. It traps them
> more.

I agree. If making money is a person's goal, I would highly recommend that they get a book on coping with depression. They're going to need it sooner or later. The way I figure it, I don't know what day my time to leave this world will come. I want to know that when that day comes, I have not spent my time just chasing money and marking time. Everything I do matters. It matters because everything I do is for people and with people. People like my family and friends, and like you and Gordon and Dien and the rest of the group here that adds a smile to my day here and there.

If you can take something you like to do, and find a way to do that thing so that it helps someone else, the money will take care of itself.

> I am so depressed now - I thought that was
> all there was too it....

I am going to assume that you have the same offbeat sense of humor that I do. If not, and you really do think that putting up a site is "all there is to it" let me know and I'll
do better with an answer.

> Here's another area where online/offline are
> so different. Offline I can push a bit, I
> can toe the line so to speak and ease off
> when the time comes, monitor reactions, etc.
> Online it's hard - plus the delay means you
> can't count on emotions remaining remaining
> constant between emails, etc. I've found it
> a big change for me over the years.

Very true. One thing that works online is to always leave room for return contact. Don't just answer a question - ask another one.

> I missed what AQ is.

Oops. AQ is Adversity Quotient. It's perseverance. Tenacity. That certain je ne sais quoi some people just seem to have. AQ is a measure of how much get up and go you have as well as how you handle adversity.

People who can't handle adversity become easily overwhelmed and emotional. During times of stress, they often become consumed by anxiety, frustration or doubt, and often pull back, stop trying, or lose their focus.

People who handle adversity well are more likely to succeed than people with a low AQ level.

People with higher AQs out-perform, out-persist, out-create and out-pace those with lower AQs.

> This can be a big problem. It's difficult to
> work with ahead of time. Most people have a
> hard enough time seeing themselves
> successful - much less overly successful.

Very true. Most people think we humans have a fear of failure. I believe that more people are afraid of success than they are of failure. They think "Who, me? Successful?" My answer is "Yes, you. If you have knowledge or talents that you can share with the world, how DARE you be selfish enough to keep them to yourself? How DARE you not help other people to enjoy what you have learned!"

People usually look at me in utter shock. Then, like the grinch when he discovered the spirit of Christmas, a small smile starts to grow on their faces.

Planting seeds.

> Thank you Linda!

You are very welcome!

As always, it's all - just my two cents.
(three with the exchange rate)

: )
Linda Caroll


Your image - is my business