Procrastination is basically a way of life for many people
as it allows you to take a more ‘comfortable’ option for
delaying tough decisions.

When people procrastinate they are more often than not
putting off doing something that could be a huge benefit to
them, but for some reason they use more energy and effort
in delaying this task than actually doing it.

If left unchecked procrastination can become habitual and
it this is one of the main reasons why many people do not
achieve their goals or dreams.

So why do people procrastinate?

While there are a number of reasons why this happens, one
of the most common reasons is due to a subconscious fear of
failure, or a fear of change that is stronger than the goal
of success.

Maybe you’ve had a past bad experience and therefore you
are hesitant to venture out of the box for fear of being
‘bitten’ again. Maybe it’s a confidence thing we’re you
just don’t have the self-confidence to breakout of your
comfort zone.

Or maybe it’s because you believe that because you weren’t
born into successful or wealthy beginnings, you will never
amount to anything remotely worthwhile. So rather than
going through the pain of failure, you just don’t bother to
try in the first place.

This is the road of self-destruction. Listen. You’re going
to make a few mistakes along the way - this is all part of
‘playing the game’. But you are also going to hit a few
home runs and it’s during these times you realize how easy
it really is.

Those who are totally committed to attaining their goals
learn to overcome their initial fears and take the
necessary action to do the things they have put off for so
long.

You’ll be surprised that when you break the cycle and take
action a great weight will be lifted from your shoulders
and you will wonder why in the world you didn’t do this
earlier.

But of course overcoming your fear is not always easy.

In fact it can be quite scary as there may be some real
issues that you need to resolve, so you don’t want to make
the wrong decision. So first and foremost you need to carry
out due diligence to satisfy any concerns you may have.

After you’ve done your research and you are happy with
what you have found, it’s time to make you’re your decision
as to whether it is worth your while to take action or not.

But how will you know whether you should take action?

To help you get started here are some steps you should
follow to help you make your decision a little easier (but
please… don’t delay doing it ):

Make a list of all the things you need to do that you have
been putting off, you probably have this “to do” list
already drafted in your mind or written down in a safe
place.

Then, go to a quiet place where you will not be
interrupted for about 20 minutes. Go through each item on
the list and write down your excuses for not having
completed the task already.

Maybe there is a money problem, or you do not think you
have enough education or the proper qualifications.
Whatever it is just write it down and do not worry about
how it will be resolved, you can worry about this later.

Next, go through the list again and write down the
benefits you currently enjoy because you are
procrastinating on these tasks. Yes, you must be receiving
a benefit for not doing the task otherwise you would have
done it by now.

For example - if you wrote down that you do not have
enough education, then the benefit you are receiving right
now by not getting an education is that you have more money
than you would if you were spending it on school fees or
text books.

Another benefit could be that you have more time to do
what you want, instead of spending it locked away for hours
on end studying for boring exams.

When you’ve done this repeat the same process, but this
time write down the benefits you would receive if you
didn’t procrastinate and took action on a particular topic.

Finally, look at all the reasons you have listed as
excuses for procrastinating and the benefits you are
receiving and compare these to the benefits if you did take
action. Do your excuses still make sense?

This is the time to sit down again and make a plan - a
plan that you will stick to and not put off for any longer.
Quickly write down a list of things you will do to make
your dreams a reality and make a “to do” list that you will
actually do!

Then, go through the list again and put them in the order
you will do them (example: Do you need to get a loan before
you can go to college?) Also, write down the date that you
will complete each item.

Now that you have your work planned that you can achieve
in a manageable way, go out and make your dreams come true!

Have a great week

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Don’t procrastinate! GoTryThis ultimate affiliate link cloaking
software is almost sold out!

Grab one of the few remaining copies right now at GoTryThis.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The 60 Second Weekly Tip…

If you use PPC as part of your overall marketing, here are
a few things that are *vitally* important when it comes to
creating a profitable campaign:

1 - Exploit all the low priced traffic you can.

Use as many synonyms, misspellings and localized keywords
as you can to increase traffic. If you use uncommon
keywords you can often bid very low prices (5 & 10 cents)
and drive more cheap traffic to your site.

Using localized keywords that identifies city and/or
state, eg fish tanks in Olando, will often allow you to
receive very targeted traffic for much lower costs.

Also, don’t rely purely on broad match keywords. You can
triple your keyword count by using “phrase” and [exact]
match. And the bonus is that you can pay less for these
keywords

Using these techniques you can often turn a small list of
50-60 keywords and turn it into 1,000 or more!

2 - Always split-test and tweak your ads!

In most cases, by testing and tweaking your ads you can
increase your click-through rates from an average of 1% up
to 10% just by making a few changes. This alone gives you
up to 10 times more traffic.

All you need do is create 2 separate ads with a single
change and test which one performs the best. Then create
and test another ad against the best performing one to see
if you can improve your results.

For example, my testing has found that removing the “www”
and capitalizing the first letters in your domain name can
have a remarkable impact on your results, eg DomainName.com

If it wasn’t for testing and tweaking I would have never
realized this and I would have continued to leave profits
on the table. Adtrackz is a must-have tool for your spilt tests.

3 - Disable the Content Network option!

When you first create your campaign, disable the content
network to improve your conversions and reduce your costs.

Then when you’ve tested and tweaked you ad to obtain
acceptable results, enable the content network for your
keywords, but bid a much lower price than you would for
keywords on the search network.

As a rule of thumb use 30% of the amount you bid for
keywords on the search network. This way you can increase
your traffic and build your profits, but at a much lower
cost.

4 - Never send visitors directly to an affiliate site!

Above all, you must ALWAYS capture your visitors contact
details BEFORE sending them to the affiliate website.

Do this by registering your own domain name and then place
a capture page on this site to entice your visitors to join
your list by offering them information relating to your
topic. When they sign up then you can forward them to the
affiliate site.

Not only can you contact them at a later date to help
convince them to purchase your chosen affiliate product,
you can also offer them other related products at a later
stage. If you do this, you can double or triple your
profits virtually overnight.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

For your enjoyment (and information), here is this week’s
quick trivia question…

Which fashion designer is credited with introducing both
the mini-skirt and hot pants in the 1960’s?

As usual the answer can be found later in the newsletter.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Featured Article
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ready, Fire, Aim!

Success in any endeavor can be linked back to one simple
truth… Learning does not always require thinking!

This is a bold statement, but thinking often hinders
learning. Hinders learning? Wow. That flies in the face of
most of what we know doesn’t it?

As children we were often reproached when we made
mistakes: “What were you thinking! Don’t you ever think
about what you’re doing?”

Then there’s the most successful personal development book
of all time telling us to do what. That’s right, “Think and
Grow Rich”.

True it is a fantastic book and a must read for success
minded people. But many of us get so tangled in thoughts
that we can’t get them out of our “heads” and this
restricts us form taking the required action for success.

Socrates, one of the greatest “thinkers” of all time said,
“Action equals knowledge.”

Action, not thinking, is how we achieve results.

Take playing the piano for instance. We could think about
playing the piano, but if you did you would never improve
until you start just letting it happen and start pecking
away at the keys.

If you asked an accomplished pianist to start think about
the keys they are playing in the middle of a rapturous
concert, the music would probably fall apart into a series
of painfully disconnected notes.

The same is true with typing.

Ask a person who flawlessly types over 70 words a minute
to think about the keystrokes and you could probably watch
the mistakes pile up. You see it’s all done automatically.
Once you start thinking about it you interrupt the mental
process.

Thinking hinders execution - and thinking can hinder
success. The fact of the matter is we can intellectualize
all we want, but until we take action we will never
accomplish anything!

There is a mantra in the martial arts that says “Ready,
Fire, Aim”. Simply put, this means take action and correct
that action as you go.

It is quite probable that many businesses never get out of
the starting gate because of over-thinking and over
analyzing. Most people want all their ducks to be lined up
in a row before they begin. This will never happen. The
time will never be perfect.

The key is to dig in and get started - and then “keep on
keeping on.”

In the martial arts, students practice moves over and over
and over again. They train their bodies to transcend
thought and take action in the moment.

Imagine a trained martial artist getting attacked on the
street thinking, “Hmm, okay I’m being attacked. Should I
turn my body this way or should it be the other way? Okay,
now I have to trap the assailments arms, tighten my fists,
pull back, and strike.”

Of course this is not what happens in the martial arts.
The key teaching in the martial arts is to ACT NOW - in
spite of the mind’s tenancy to analyze the situation.

The worst kind of thinking is fear of failure. The “What
if” disease. “What if I fail? What if people laugh at me?
What if I lose all my money? What if, what if, what if”?

Fear is paralyzing. It stops the movement necessary for
success. Fear weakens our resolve, cripples our creativity
and ultimately stagnates our successes. Conversely,
movement overcomes fear. When struck by fear, move. You
need to DO something!

So, don’t wait to explore your entrepreneurial spirit;
take action now - and watch your dreams and goals cascade
toward you.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This Week’s Trivia Answer
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Here’s the answer to the trivia question I asked earlier…

Which fashion designer is credited with introducing both
the mini-skirt and hot pants in the 1960’s?

Answer: Mary Quant

God bless her soul

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Off-Line Marketing Strategies
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

How to Use Traditional Methods to Grow Your Business?

If you take the time to talk to almost any prominent
advertising agency or Fortune 500 company you will almost
certainly hear the latest buzz words like “fragmented
advertising” and “consumer-centric campaigns”.

So this leads to the questions - What is fragmentation
exactly?

In basic terms this is the increase in the number of
available methods for getting your message to your audience.

One of the main difficulties faced by any business owner
is that advertising has changed and evolved over the last
few years. It is now all encompassing and includes a wide
range of mediums such as visual, audio and electronic media.

In fact, if you do a Google search for advertising, you
will be amazed at all the options that are available.

For example, if you just focus on the advertising options
for your website you’ll find popups, popovers, audio
messages, flash video, RSS, and even animated “sales
people” that can be programmed to appear right on your site
and interact with your customers.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

So is traditional advertising that includes the likes of
newspapers and magazines, television, billboards and radio
dead?

Not by a long shot. According to one top advertising
expert, traditional advertising methods are still highly
sort after because they are still very successful. The
trick is to figure out who your target market is, what they
want, and how they traditional find the information they
are searching for.

If you know customers, you can focus your advertising
dollars on the mediums they use to find their answers.

If your customers are senior citizens who traditional do
not use the Internet, then focus the majority of your
advertising on more established mediums such as newspapers,
magazines, television, and radio that they are reading,
watching or listening to.

If your target market focuses on working parents, you need
to do research to find out how, when and where they get
their information. Things you need to determine include:

Do they use the Internet?
Do they watch television?
What magazines are they reading?
What radio stations do they listen to?
When and Why?

Here are some simple steps for creating an effective
advertising campaign:

1. Know your audience.

What do they want? Where do they shop? What do they read?
How old are they? Where do they hang out? Do they need your
product or services? Can they afford your product or
services?

2. Know your competition.

Be prepared to do a little detective work. What are your
three main competitors doing to advertise? Where are they
advertising? How often? What types of advertising methods
are they using? How long have they been running? Are you
reaching the same audience? Is your message different?

Look at what they’re doing right, and figure out creative
ways that you can make your advertising just a little bit
better, or differentiate yourself from the crowd.

3. Monitor the ‘big dogs’ of your market.

If there’s something you’ve got to keep an eye on in the
Internet, it’s the big guys. Take particular notice of what
they are doing in your field and see if you can adapt some
of their methods to your target audience and your budget.

If they’re spending big dollars, you can expect that it’s
working!

4. Know your message.

What exactly are you trying to say? What do your customers
want to hear? Why should they buy from you, and not someone
else? Make every word count.

The Internet has made unbelievable amounts of information
accessible so the chances are your customers are much more
tech-savvy than they were a few years ago. But the Internet
also has contributed to “information overload” so you need
to make it easier for them to obtain what it is they are
seeking.

Another side effect of the Internet is that your customers
have probably become used to getting “instant
gratification” when they are looking for information,
products or services. They want it, and they want it now.

So you also need to give your customers what they want,
when they want it.

If you want to have an effective advertising campaign,
don’t try to be everything to everyone. Think of your
advertising as a conversation between you and your one
“ideal” customer.

Remember, if you’re giving your customers what they want,
then you have to develop your campaign so they don’t
perceive your ads as a nuisance, they see them as a service.

Mark my words. traditional advertising is not dead. If you
pay attention to who your customers are, and what they want
you can use it to your maximum advantage.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Have You Got Any Comments?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

This is your chance to speak out.

Comment on articles I’ve run in the newsletter, give me
your thoughts on changes or your ad testing results or
questions relating to your business, etc.

In other words, just talk to me about what you think I
need to do to improve the newsletter.

Be sure to include your website address too, because if
I use your comments in a future issue of the newsletter,
I’ll thank you by posting your address so that you can get
additional free traffic to your site!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
That’s a Wrap for this Week
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

That wraps up another week’s newsletter and I hope you
enjoyed this issue.

Don’t forget to send me any comments or questions you
may have to the Feedback Loop. I would be only too happy to
help you in any way that I can.

From time to time I’ll send you important updates
that will provide information that has the potential to
greatly improve your online business… and of course
your profits!

However, you can rest assured that I will only ever
recommend products that are considered to be of HIGH value
and will provide indisputably benefits to help you grow
your business… that’s my guarantee!

Your friend,

Gilles Rais

Categories: Newsletter Issues