Part time jobs which paid squat, led me to thousands of dollars.

[Millard Grubb]

Originally Posted by GordonJ

ATTENTION. Right face.

At ease. Do this in your bathroom, and when you make your right face, make it toward the mirror, and SEE the face, THE best hungry face you will ever see.

And that is SECRET ONE. Assess what you buy, and why? Some necessities, probably have TeePee right there. But what about IM buys? Or look around your place, and if not a necessity, then WHY did you buy it, the whatever it is.

My little space heater under my desk keep my toes warm, whereas I prefer to work in a cool house, I'd rather wear a sweatshirt than have a lot of heat coming at me, but my feets, they like some warmth.

I guess I got HUNGRY for some warm feet, sans socks, which annoy me.

This time of the year, I bet ol Ben Suarez is raking it in with his EdenPure heaters, we just got our first taste of snow this past weekend, and we know it is on the way. Stupid people like me, still live here, and we make guys like Ben richer buying things we wouldn't need in S. FL. Why I ain't there, is a mystery to me.

Anyhow, in your bathroom looking at the Ideal avatar, do you see any toothpaste? Unless you make your own, chances are you are one of many millions of folks who use that same brand.

Do you go a month without when the tube is empty, or does your mouth hunger for some fresh cleanliness? And those smart folks selling that CONSUMABLE, are happy to fulfill that hunger you have.

So, when seeking HUNGRY markets for what you offer, start with the markets you are already a part of. Say you are in a group which discusses NOTES, and not the musical ones...but those which exchange hands and can turn a decent profit. Maybe a non performing piece of RE, coming on auction.

There will be bids. Who> where and when? Investors hungry for a good deal, eh?

So, my GO square with HUNGRY CROWDS begin with the one guy I see in the mirror, and then, my next move would be to find those AVATARS or Prospects if one prefers, who have similar interests as that handsome devil I see looking back at me.

More later.

Gordon

Gordon,

As usual, you explain more in a few paragraphs than an entire college course in just about everything you touch. In addition, you make it simple to understand the whole avatar concept... by just taking a look at ourselves !

This "Looking in the mirror" simplifies a whole host of questions and gives valuable direction for those of us who are information marketers.

This brings up the notion that we should stick to what we know.

I WANT TO HEAR MORE ON THIS.

[GordonJ]

Originally Posted by Millard Grubb

Gordon,

As usual, you explain more in a few paragraphs than an entire college course in just about everything you touch. In addition, you make it simple to understand the whole avatar concept... by just taking a look at ourselves !

This "Looking in the mirror" simplifies a whole host of questions and gives valuable direction for those of us who are information marketers.

This brings up the notion that we should stick to what we know.

I WANT TO HEAR MORE ON THIS.

MY opinion: 75% of the marketers I know, need to pivot away from what they are doing.

That could be controversial, if we had a ton of viewers here, and allow me to explain what I mean.

In over 30 years of dealing directly with Entrepreneurs and Internet Marketers, most create their own little mouse race; maybe having escaped the RAT race they once were in, now they are trapped in their own little world and the treadmill may not have as many people around it...

BUT IT IS A TREADMILL, just the same.

I am NOT saying to Abandon anything, but today, all of us, ME included, need to pivot to automation, software solutions, less people involved, less moving parts and less slop and mess.

Millard, I really am just an old record, and many folks have heard it, but sometimes, someone actually HEARS it.

When I made a conscious CHOICE away from Work (Werk?!!) for money to work for TIME, everything changed. My eyes were opened to Maximum Money in Minimum Time, the title of at least 3 different books I've read.

I like the concept. BUT, what is max money, and how much time is minimum?

Part two of that is, what do you do with the EXCESS money, the dough above and beyond living expenses, and here is where many create more work for themselves. THINGS. I made a conscious effort to NOT spend money on things. I was like Marty Kondo, not Marie, who didn't buy the stuff she would later see as clutter.

I like electronics, so a computer and all those gizmos were OK, but all the things I had or thought I wanted, fell by the wayside.

Again, not saying this is for anyone else, just as background.

If you want someTHING, NEVER get it on credit or terms, CASH ONLY. Hard concept to follow. But if anyone wants someTHING, then make the moolah first, then get it. A pretty tough discipline to follow.

Today, another opinion, Alen Sultanic is the best online marketer to learn from and follow, and his basic advice, which I have been giving for 30 years too is...MAKE OFFERS. Have something to sell.

Insurance companies use the term, IN FORCE, meaning the current state of an alive policy, one that is being paid or is paid up.

I borrow this term to offers, AND my initial question for people I work with is; what do you currently have in force? In the market? What are you selling?

To whom?

And WHY?

You are an ENTERTAINER. And you entertain via Magic.
You may be an Educator, also teaching by Magic.
As a marketer, you would need to have your magic knowledge IN FORCE, working for you. I think that is what you are doing now, right?

When you look in the mirror, do you not see decades of successful shows under your belt? A face that knows how to Entertain, but in order to be either an Educator or Entertainer, you have to have...

AN AUDIENCE.

And that is the same as the TRAFFIC question too.

WHO is going to see the show? Where, when? (INTERSECTION).

And for most all Entertainers in the world, the stumper; HOW.

How to get an audience? A gig? A booking? YOU know what to give them and are confident in your abilities to give a good show.

Now, this is a general Metaphor TOO. All of us being "performers" of sorts. My stage is the Internet, most of my performance is done via WRITING, and I have my own confidence in my skill.

Just as you might custom tailor a performance to any given audience, an elementary school probably a bit different than a corporate gig (maybe not, a lot of spoiled brats in business...ha!)...I might change up my writing to meet the needs of my audience.

Anyhow, a pivot in basketball, is when one foot stays in place. And I think those using the term forget this, when I see people talking about making a pivot in IM, they mostly talk about changing direction, with both feet (whistle blows, traveling called, ball gets taken away).

But keep one foot in place, doing what is paying the bills, but pivot directions by losing the slop, mess and

going back to Max. $$$ MIN time.

[Millard Grubb]

Gordon,

I am with you 100% !

After years of booking my own shows via my efforts in marketing, ads, etc., etc., etc. I found it tiring. However, all this marketing, etc., gave me something better than the shows... I got an education !

As a result, I found myself doing less and less entertaining and more and more consulting. This consulting was NOT for magicians (I found magicians notoriously cheap) but for business owners.

A LOT of times, it's simply asking "How are things going?" to start a conversation, and then it's off to the races.

Frankly, I give away a lot of free advice just chatting with people. Usually, if folks want more information, they just ask. I go from there.

Ha! The biggest challenge is getting clients to do what you ask them to do !

I do like the concept of group consulting or a monthly fee to discuss concepts on a weekly basis to a group via Zoom or other platform. There are a few folks that do this effectively, i.e. weekly Mastermind.

Doing this remotely or "hands off" is essentially a course... however, doing a weekly Mastermind pays much better.

But, getting back to less slop, a course, is more of set it up... say, place ads in places your target audience sees, or joint ventures, etc., and you are ready to go.

Still, a bit of work whatever you do.

[GordonJ]

Ponder this:
Millard, knowing what you know today, if you wanted (had) to go out and get a few gigs, quickly, WHAT would you do?

Give this some thought, and I wonder what, if any, social media, or newsworthy "press" you might use?

Your thought upon answer, could be as valuable as a front row seat to the next Taylor Swift concert.

GordonJ

Originally Posted by Millard Grubb

Gordon,

I am with you 100% !

After years of booking my own shows via my efforts in marketing, ads, etc., etc., etc. I found it tiring. However, all this marketing, etc., gave me something better than the shows... I got an education !

As a result, I found myself doing less and less entertaining and more and more consulting. This consulting was NOT for magicians (I found magicians notoriously cheap) but for business owners.

A LOT of times, it's simply asking "How are things going?" to start a conversation, and then it's off to the races.

Frankly, I give away a lot of free advice just chatting with people. Usually, if folks want more information, they just ask. I go from there.

Ha! The biggest challenge is getting clients to do what you ask them to do !

I do like the concept of group consulting or a monthly fee to discuss concepts on a weekly basis to a group via Zoom or other platform. There are a few folks that do this effectively, i.e. weekly Mastermind.

Doing this remotely or "hands off" is essentially a course... however, doing a weekly Mastermind pays much better.

But, getting back to less slop, a course, is more of set it up... say, place ads in places your target audience sees, or joint ventures, etc., and you are ready to go.

Still, a bit of work whatever you do.

[Millard Grubb]

Gordon,

In answer to your question on having to get gigs fast....

First, I'd contact everyone I did a show for and ask for referrals, giving them a FREE show for every referral that turned into a show. This isn't a risk for me because I know that every show I perform turns into at LEAST 4 other shows throughout the year.

Second, if I have to use social media, I would use copy that sold my shows and see if I could book some shows that way.

Thirdly, still using social media, I would offer a FREE show, with directions to contact me for information. I would make sure that the school getting the FREE show would allow me to mail a snail mail letter to all their friends at other schools AFTER I gave them a great show.

I may have mentioned this before, I did the exact thing with a pre-school director and booked an ENTIRE summer of shows this way.

No reason that a variation of this couldn't work today.

Perhaps someone could offer to do a FREE analysis of a business and then ask for 3 referrals. I seem to remember Paddi Lund, the highly successful Australian dentist, asked for 3 referrals BEFORE he actually started work on a patient.

[GordonJ]

The SECRET, espoused by every known marketing guru ever...is REFERRALS.

J. Abe. called them hidden assets. D. Kenn. had them as secrets, etc., etc., etc., etc., and on and on and on.

Your SATISFIED customers are the absolute, no argument, hands down, undisputed BEST source of new business.

I'm glad you share that. One note, and this goes back some time when Bob Blagg was writing his JUST ONE IDEA report, I encouraged him to include the exact example, and he did. Sales letters, all the things he would send out to prospects.

We may KNOW that referrals contain a big solution for new business, THE HOW TO GET THEM, and the ways and means, including letters, emails, scripts, etc. would fetch some nice coin in the market.

HOW do I ask my customers for referrals, how to do it in such a way that makes it comfortable, easy, and non threatening?

And I believe this will be an Evergreen product for as long as ever is green.

Thanks for sharing.

Gordon



In answer to your question on having to get gigs fast....

First, I'd contact everyone I did a show for and ask for referrals, giving them a FREE show for every referral that turned into a show. This isn't a risk for me because I know that every show I perform turns into at LEAST 4 other shows throughout the year.

Second, if I have to use social media, I would use copy that sold my shows and see if I could book some shows that way.

Thirdly, still using social media, I would offer a FREE show, with directions to contact me for information. I would make sure that the school getting the FREE show would allow me to mail a snail mail letter to all their friends at other schools AFTER I gave them a great show.

I may have mentioned this before, I did the exact thing with a pre-school director and booked an ENTIRE summer of shows this way.

No reason that a variation of this couldn't work today.

Perhaps someone could offer to do a FREE analysis of a business and then ask for 3 referrals. I seem to remember Paddi Lund, the highly successful Australian dentist, asked for 3 referrals BEFORE he actually started work on a patient.[/quote]

[Millard Grubb]

Originally Posted by GordonJ

The SECRET, espoused by every known marketing guru ever...is REFERRALS.

J. Abe. called them hidden assets. D. Kenn. had them as secrets, etc., etc., etc., etc., and on and on and on.

Your SATISFIED customers are the absolute, no argument, hands down, undisputed BEST source of new business.

I'm glad you share that. One note, and this goes back some time when Bob Blagg was writing his JUST ONE IDEA report, I encouraged him to include the exact example, and he did. Sales letters, all the things he would send out to prospects.

We may KNOW that referrals contain a big solution for new business, THE HOW TO GET THEM, and the ways and means, including letters, emails, scripts, etc. would fetch some nice coin in the market.

HOW do I ask my customers for referrals, how to do it in such a way that makes it comfortable, easy, and non threatening?

And I believe this will be an Evergreen product for as long as ever is green.

Thanks for sharing.

Gordon



In answer to your question on having to get gigs fast....

First, I'd contact everyone I did a show for and ask for referrals, giving them a FREE show for every referral that turned into a show. This isn't a risk for me because I know that every show I perform turns into at LEAST 4 other shows throughout the year.

Second, if I have to use social media, I would use copy that sold my shows and see if I could book some shows that way.

Thirdly, still using social media, I would offer a FREE show, with directions to contact me for information. I would make sure that the school getting the FREE show would allow me to mail a snail mail letter to all their friends at other schools AFTER I gave them a great show.

I may have mentioned this before, I did the exact thing with a pre-school director and booked an ENTIRE summer of shows this way.

No reason that a variation of this couldn't work today.

Perhaps someone could offer to do a FREE analysis of a business and then ask for 3 referrals. I seem to remember Paddi Lund, the highly successful Australian dentist, asked for 3 referrals BEFORE he actually started work on a patient.

[/quote]

Thanks Gordon for the kind words.

Most of us who've been around awhile, remember Jay Abraham offering to work for free as long as he got a tremendous referral after a job well done. (BTW, if anyone has a copy of that ad or knows where it is located, I'd sure like to look at it again.)

Jay sent out a very colorful folder out to his list (I have still got it) that proclaimed that if you took Jay's advice you could make money from virtually any business in town. This folder, along with it's contents was very pricey to make... and sold a very expensive seminar... I think this was the $15,000 seminar Jay produced.

In any case, I have always liked the idea of doing something very impactful for free or a very low cost to get people interested in my offer.

There has got to be a way that a person could do this in person. I realize that Jay created his little "Billion Dollar Man" booklet as a substitute for a business card, and Glenn Osborn had his newsletter that helped book clients from an Abraham seminar in the back of the room.

I would think the idea that I mentioned in another post about a "Hotsheet" per Gordon would be the ticket.... Now, just need to figure out what to put on it that gets potential clients excited enough to give me a call.

What might work is some great information with a link to a page that offers a free report as long as they give their email address. HOWEVER, I don't want the slop and mess....so.... offering a free analysis or consult with NO strings (I just tell them what should be done... not how to do it) is probably the right call.

Just put my number, since I will limit who gets this by the fact I am giving it away personally.