Nice Guys Finish First...Bad Guys Die

Nice Guys Finish First...Just think about a movie does the bad guy live or dies at the end of the movie. Listen to this short video and you will see that Nice Guys Finish First and Bad Guys...DIE
Tim Sanders knows the importance of likability both in life and in business. His first book, Love is the Killer App, became an international best-seller, and his most recent work, The Likability Factor, was the basis for PBS and 20/20 specials.

You can buy his entire packaged DVD presentation at http://successis.askjimcobb.com

Follow Up by Keith Ferrazzi... How Do Turn a Contact Into an Ally?

Buy this DVD at:http://successis.askjimcobb.com
Success is rarely a solo accomplishment. The author of "Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time" shows you how to eliminate artificial boundaries between personal and professional relationships. Building on a foundation of intimacy and generosity, you can strengthen all your relationships and build a community that can help you reach your most ambitious goals. Keith Ferrazzi, one of the world's most "connected" individuals, talks about: How to have real relationships in your professional life; How to warm a cold call; Finding time to build relationships;Opening yourself to others' generosity.

Keith Ferrazzi is one of the rare individuals to discover the essential formula for making his way to the top through a powerful, balanced combination of marketing acumen and relationship building. He was the youngest chief marketing officer of a Fortune 500 company and is recognized as a top business leader by Crain's Business and the World Economic Forum. Keith holds degrees from Yale University and Harvard Business School.

You can buy his entire packaged DVD presentation at http://successis.askjimcobb.com

Write Effective Free Advertising for Your Online Business Branding Part Two

From my previous post “Write Effective Free Advertising for Your Online Business”. We talked about the importance of the subject line and how it hooks the reader to your ad copy/ad body of your advertising; it's amazing what works and what doesn't work.

If you're an accountant, lawyer, or business consultant with a marketing program, you don't have to know how to write an ad, but you should know some things about how to produce exciting ad copy. You should know also that what you think works, may not.

While a great deal is known about what works in ad copy, there’s even more we don’t know. What makes it difficult for new ad copy writers is that what you may judge to be great copy because of the poetry, imagery, sound, and lyricism, may be lousy for accomplishing the mission of the ad. “But have no fear your ad copy lesson is here.”

When the advertising expert, David Ogilvy, was told that copy should be short and terse, because nobody reads more than a few words of an ad, he wrote the classic, "At 60 miles and hour the only sound you hear is the clock." It was a full page of text, describing the features of the Rolls Royce. It sold a lot of cars. Now I want you to really think about how these twelve words attracted the reader/consumer.

Now take a look at very short one liner’s the really attracted million of readers and listeners. “Where is the Beef”, “Got Milk”, or even “The Other White Meat”, you all should know the companies and organization that branded these short lines. These very attractive words triggered and branded your mind to them. The same goes for creating good ad copy.

But in an imitative world, a great many ad people imitated not the selling aspects of the ad, but its length. We were then treated to a bunch of long text ads, most of which sold nothing. Some ad people simply didn't get it. The good news is you do and will write great ad copy.

Perhaps the hardest thing for people who are not marketers to understand is that the process is a function of imagination. All of which are what we usually mean when we use the word "creative." There are rules, and these rules are always made to be broken. Like the best abstract artists, who know better how to abstract because they are fine realistic artists, it's likely that those who know the rules best are those who break the rules best. So as you begin writing ad copy do something different, the sky is the limit, and breaks the rules.

Some Simple Suggestions for Writing Ad Copy

1. Sentences should not be longer than seven words,
2. The number of sentences should be no longer than seven.
3. Make sure to place a space between the sentences.
4. I use an ellipsis at the end of my sentences (What is next…) these three dots provides for continuous thought. The reader is going to go to the next line to see what is…
5. Next…
6. Single line ad copy can be just as powerful as using the above rule of sevens.

Now we have covered the basics. Let me use the previous example from “Write Effective Free Advertising for Your Online Business” blog post.

Subject/Headline: You've Never Seen This Before…

Ad Copy/Ad Body: Or you'd be DOING IT!

And you wouldn't be wasting your time...

Posting your BRAINS OUT here in the free ads!

Let us help you escape this mess!

http://www.WorldWideWealthBuilders.com

First the subject/headline is invoking interest and the power line in the ad body is “Or you’d be DOING IT” invites the mind eye to see what else the message has in it. It invokes emotion, mystery, and you want to see what’s next. The credit for this ad goes to Digital Don Hill. He really makes the mind engage with this ad.

Now lets look at a brilliant one line ad copy to get your mind thinking and unleash your creativity:

Subject/Headline: Your Secret To Internet Success Are Waiting

Ad Copy/Ad Body: Along With The Tools You Needed… http://www.BerryCritter.com

Now take a look at the headline, do you see two very powerful words? They both stand out. “Secret” and “Success” if you really study advertising you will find that these two words are in the top 10 of words to attract and evoke emotion. Again they trigger the minds eye. Now to the Ad Copy; “Along With The Tools You Needed” this connects to both Secret and Success. Your question is how these words connect to each other. Just think about it. “Secret”, you really want to know the secret. “Success” you need tools and help so you can be successful so the line “Tools You Needed” is the hook or the lock to getting the reader to respond by clicking on the url. I give the credit for this ad to Stephanie “Wavecriter” Haile. Stephanie one line ad is powerful and grabs attention and really attracts the reader by offering a solution to there need. To be frank, I really think one liner’s in free classified adverting campaigns produce results. They are simple, easy and really fun to create.

Now I will let you mind absorb this material and in my next post I will go in depth on your objectives and the elements of Writing Effective Free Advertising.

Cold Calling for Gold Part Two

The only way that you are going to do this is Practice, Practice, and Practice you’re panning for prospect through conversation out loud and role-play with friends or colleagues. This will set you mindset and focus on your prospect rather than your shyness. Even today I take a little time to visualize my prospecting for gold before I start panning. This allows me to focus on results and the gold at the bottom of the pan.

Now the introduction is over lets start building the relationship through asking question. But before we get started, keep this in mind:

“The shyness which is fear that you’re creating for yourself is far worse than the reality of panning for prospects. So overcome shyness and fear by doing. As you become more comfortable your mindset will change and you will focus on the gold. I can assure you that your shyness and fear will no longer be a challenge to you.”

Building a relationship through asking question is funs and exciting. You are getting to know someone new. So show respect and ask good questions that will allow for you to take down all of the bearers between you and your gold. The key words to develop questions from is who, what, where, why, and how. If you keep these words tucked in the back of you mind you will be able to generate great and power questions. So take a little time to develop a list of key question that you can build on. As your conversation grows with this prospect then so will your relationship. Once you are starting to feel comfortable in the conversation then you know that you are almost at the bottom pan and you will start see the gold in your mind. Now relax the gold will come but we have to add more water to really uncover it.

Why do you have to add water? Well you have to ask yourself two questions to validate your new relationship:

Is the prospect ready to invest in you? OR Should I wait and build the relationship more?

Now start asking more powerful validation questions, I mean asking: dangerous questions, guiding questions, killer questions, challenging question, pointed questions, smart questions, unexpected questions, well crafted questions, and well timed questions. I can assure you that if you ask questions like this, your prospect will form an impression of you as someone who is creative, intelligent, observant, and really cares about who they are and what they are all about. This will enable them to invest in you, entice them to continue a long term relationship, and will encourage them to tell their friends about you.

Obviously, after you have validated your relationship and the prospect is ready to invest in you. Pick the gold out of the pan and hold it in your hand and look at it. But you can’t stop here. You have to now refine the gold and turn it into your asset.

Watch for Cold Call for Gold Part Three , I would like to thank you for your time and I look forward to share more with you. Please feel free to leave your comment or even a question in my comment section .

Google Me Regards,

Ask Jim Cobb – Google Me

Memorial Day 2008 - Today I am Thankful

I am thankful for Life, Freedom, and Honor. Today I am sitting here thinking of the Men & Women who are giving everything for us. I also think of three Men that who I Love and Respect and thank God for letting me be a part of their life’s. I know that you always see and hear these three words on Memorial Day but these three words have a huge significance to me.

See Life is what we are living today. They have lived life for each one of us. Not only have they lived life but they have given it for us. These Men and Women have given us unconditional life. We are here on this earth because of them. We have to thank each of them for our Life. We have to thank God for letting them give, because they are the chosen ones. Each one of them has given us Freedom to be what and who we are today. I hold a deepest respect and Honor for each one of them and there is not a day that goes by that I will not forget and I will always remember their unconditional life and love of us.

These three Men that I Love and Respect are great Men. First, I have to thank the first Man. He as pasted but he was full of Life and allow me to live it each and everyday. He taught me that Freedom was not free and to Honor those who are giving and have gaven it unconditionally. This Man was a true giver, an American Patriot and gave to us each and everyday. This Man was like no other. This Man was my hero and he is my Father.

The second Man is still living and gave to me something no one else can give. That is Freedom. Freedom to be who I am and Freedom to be free and full of live, and just like my Father he is an American Patriot. See he has given and still gives today to our veterans and anyone else he can help. This Man is like no other he is my only Brother.

The third Man is Life, Freedom and Honor. See he made a choice, a choice to give unconditionally to us, to each one of us, just as the other two Men did before him. This unconditional Man shows his Honor each and everyday to me. This Man is My Nephew a U.S. Marine.

Today I would like to Honor and all who have and are serving all of us unconditionally. As well as those Men and Woman who are the chosen ones, on this Memorial Day I thank you for Life, Freedom and your unconditional Honor.

This story could be anyone’s story. It’s just one of millions of stories that could be told today and everyday. Please feel free to leave your comment or story and share it with the world. I love the song Arlington by Tracy Adkins and I want to have it here to play for you.