Strategic Profits

Taking Action: Rich Schefren Talks With David Meerman Scott About The New Rules Of Marketing And PR

Rich Schefren — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:20:54 +0000

Quick--what's the best selling marketing book on Amazon for the past 18 months or so?

Well, if you guessed "The New Rules Of Marketing And PR" by David Meerman Scott, you'd be right. This book is truly one of my favorites, because it breaks down some complicated theories to a simple-to-understand level that anyone can immediately implement into their marketing and business building strategy. No kidding--once you finish this book, you'll be all fired up to take action and start putting these principles into play. I had a recent chat with David about his book, and he answered some big questions for me, such as...

How does PR fit into today's latest marketing techniques?

How do you distinguish between what to give away for free and what to hold "close to the vest"?

Are requiring opt-ins a master stroke...or a major mistake?

Should I think of myself as a marketer--or publisher?

What are the steps needed to take action and get started right away?

Plus TONS more. And you can get it all right here.

Download Rich Schefren's Conversation with David Meerman Scott MP3

No charge. No registration required. Just a cool little freebie to help you along in your "taking action" journey. So do me a favor--listen closely to the interview. Pay attention to what David is saying. The man knows his stuff. And afterwards, tell me what you thought of the interview in the comments below, okay? To Higher Profits, Rich P.S. During this interview, David gave me a brilliant idea... We're talking angels singing, heavens opening, light shining through the clouds, the whole shebang. This mind-boggling approach is something I'll be using for a MONSTER project in the upcoming months. And I can say this with all certainty: It's going to turn internet marketing on its ear. So look for that soon. But in the meantime, download the audio, print out the transcript, take copious notes, and most of all--TAKE ACTION ON WHAT YOU LEARN. It will change your life.

Download Rich Schefren's Conversation with David Meerman Scott MP3

Listen To Rich Schefren Interview Dr. Robert Cialdini, Author Of “Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive”

Rich Schefren — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:12:04 +0000

Someone once said, "Never meet your heroes. They'll only disappoint you ." And that's been true to a certain extent. I've had the privilege to meet and chat with several people who have been a hero of mine in either a business or personal sense, and most of the time I came away discouraged But in this case, the exact opposite happened--I came away INVIGORATED.

Download Rich Schefren's Interview with Dr. Robert Cialidini About His Book, Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive MP3

Ask any top level marketer what their 5 favorite business books are, and 9 out of 10 will have Robert Cialidini's "Influence: The Psychology Of Persuasion" in there somewhere. This book has become required reading for marketers and business owners. It provides a fascinating insight into your prospect's mind, revealing scientific principles behind how we process decisions and the factors involved in making them. Cialdini's works have had a HUGE influence on my business, and are an integral part of what I teach. So when he agreed to an interview with me this past summer, I was absolutely thrilled. . Dr. Cialdini and I talked for over an hour about a variety of different topics, including social media, testimonials, blogging, continuity programs, and his new book titled, "Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive." And as a gift to my blog readers, I've made the audio of this interview available to you absolutely free at the link below.

Download Rich Schefren's Interview with Dr. Robert Cialidini About His Book, Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive MP3

I can't tell you how pumped up I was when I finished this interview. It was one of the most thrilling hours of my life, and I'm grateful to Dr, Cialdini for giving me his valuable time. He's always been (and still is, thankfully) a true hero of mine. And if you enjoy it as much as I did, let me know your thoughts in the comments below, okay?

Download Rich Schefren's Interview with Dr. Robert Cialidini About His Book, Yes!: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive MP3

To Higher Profits,
Rich

P.S. On a different note...the machine is cranking up for a massive launch coming in a few weeks. So make sure you're checking back to this page. Because we'll be delivering a BOATLOAD of highly valuable (and totally FREE) content that you won't want to miss. Mark my words--this fall, EVERYONE will be talking about the ultra-powerful tools we're about to unleash. And if you're checking this page daily, you'll be the first to know about it. So bookmark the blog right now--and keep an eye out. Because things are about to get VERY interesting.

Anybody Seen The Instruction Manual?

Rich Schefren — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 19:10:31 +0000

Whenever one of the girls gets something new, the first thing they do is squeal with delight. The second thing they do is thrust it into my lap saying, "PLEEEEEASE put it together Daddy?"

Oh, the joys of being a Father...;)

Now, when it comes to assembling a toy or a bike or a Barbie Playhouse, I'm not one to fiddle around with instructions. I simply don't have the patience. I mean, let's face it: whoever writes these things has a sadistic sense of humor. First you gotta unfold the origami-esque instructions, which you will never return to its original form no matter how hard you try. Then you have to find your preferred language, which depending on where the toy was manufactured can take quite a while. Then you check the inventory of screws, parts, stickers, and assorted plastic pieces, almost assuredly ending up with too many of one thing and not enough of another.

Then--and ONLY then--are you ready to put it together.

Like I said, I don't have the patience for this. So most of the time I just dive in and start putting pieces where I think they should go according to the picture on the box. And usually it moves along pretty well...to a point. Then suddenly, I realize the thingamajig should have went into Slot D instead of Slot P. Uh oh. Which means Fold B is not actually a "Fold" at all, but an Insert. Yikes. And the Phillips head screw wasn't supposed to go in the Main Unit, but in the Side Unit. Ouch. Meanwhile, my daughter is looking over my shoulder with breathless anticipation, asking the same question every 14.2 seconds.

"Is it done yet, Daddy?"

Oy. Eventually, I get the thing together. But not without a few hours of intense frustration, some R-rated words uttered under my breath, and backtracking several times to fix what I messed up. And of course, all of this would have been avoided if I had only followed the instructions. Which brings me to my point: What I just did with my kids' toy is EXACTLY what many of us do these days with our businesses. I mean, who cares about processes anyway? Right? We jump in and start firing away in all directions, blindly pushing forward and ignoring the road signs that say "don't go here!" And the result? Not good. You get pulled in a million directions at once, lots of things get started but never finished, and eventually you give up entirely because it's simply too much effort to go on. Sound familiar? Now, I'm not saying you should sit back and plan plan plan 'til you're blue in the face. If you've been reading my Taking Action series, then you know that's not the case. But what I AM saying is this: It's a lot easier to build something--whether it be a successful business or a Strawberry Shortcake scooter--when you follow the step-by-step directions or processes. A vital key to transforming your business is the understanding of the processes involved. Now, I don’t want to make a big deal out of this and I know it’s nothing new to you BUT HEAR THIS; Most people still do not do it or take it seriously. That’s why I want to show you some examples and talk a little about it. I know… “What’s the big surprise Rich? This is not rocket science…”

Then why don’t people do it?

While working with our clients, talking with successful friends, and researching for our major new releases, we find that many of the people struggling know this but are STILL not creating systemized processes in their business. You see, most people spend time creating their strategic objectives and big goals. Then objectives are created to hit the overall strategy of the company. Then they create objectives to support the bigger objective. Then they will develop all kinds of goals so that they can measure the company’s progress toward the objectives. And none of the goals will conflict with each other, right? The company’s plans are executed perfectly and everything is great. Just collect the checks because everything is all rosey and perfect. Huh? Welcome to the real world. Most people create these in a vacuum. The list of activities that need to take place in each process is what will determine if a business can meet its goals and objectives. It is an approach that will help assure reliable accomplishments and profitability. It’s an approach that will help assure controls are in place to alleviate risks. You need to understand the processes that will efficiently drive your company forward. These processes play an important part in understanding the way the work is done, even if you THINK you know how it is done. It’s a great way to identify gaps or improvements, hidden steps you may not know about. It will guide your teams or outsourcers on how work is to be done which will improve efficiencies and reducing headaches. It is your “User Guide” or “Instructions” if you will. Don’t confuse this with a business plan because that’s not want I am talking about. Would you build a toy scooter without instructions? Would you build a house or building without a blueprint? Would you try to drive across the country without a road map? I mean, you could, but does it make sense to? Well then why try to build a company without systemized processes no matter how big or small they are? Just think about that. How many people do you know that could NOT show you what they use as a guide? So where exactly do you get those "how to build a business" blueprints? Well, we are about to release a whole series of them but for now, here is an example from our friends over at Cashmaps of an important tool like I am talking about. These process maps are not the “end-all-be-all” but they are to show you examples of processes that can help you get more done faster and in a reliable manner.

http://www.strategicprofits.com/cashmaps/free-samples

Imagine if you had something like this for all the major aspects in your business… How would that positively enhance your progress? It would take guess work out, and unite teams. It would have clear paths so that you could measure progress effectively and monitor performance. Helps focus people on what matters the most. Identifies bottlenecks and constraints. Helps to streamline delegation. Helps to understand boundaries, and align business activities to objectives. Improves communications. Clearly identifies if your processes are working or not, and much more. EVEN BETTER… what if someone did them for you, or handed the proven processes to you on a silver platter? It's true—processes and process maps helped me build my business and achieve massive success so quickly. I am going to share more with you in the future on this but for now... This "CashMap" (as I like to call it) is just an example of the kind of process maps I use to help systematize my business and accomplish my goals faster, easier, and with less effort. When I need to know what to do next, I simply refer to my process maps and it tells me the exact step to take. No long winded rhetoric. No boring theory. Nothing but good, clean, to-the-point content that shoves me in the right direction. So here’s a free sample process map for you. No opt-in necessary.

http://www.strategicprofits.com/cashmaps/free-samples

(One note--there is an opportunity on the download page to get another 3 of these maps for free as well, but you have to check out the link to find out more.) I'm telling you--this is exactly one of the things you need to assemble a profitable income in the shortest time possible. Talk about your easy-to-follow instructions...I wish someone told me this when I was just getting started. To Higher Profits, Rich

OH, and one last thing...after you download this Process map and look it over, come back here and tell me what you think in the comments below.

Sound cool?

http://www.strategicprofits.com/cashmaps/free-samples

Something Cool’s Happening This Friday

Rich Schefren — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 21:09:15 +0000

Okay, so I'm really pumped about something and I need to share it with you real quick... For the past several months, I've been feverishly working on the next big thing for Strategic Profits (more on that in a moment). And you know me--I'm the research-aholic. Even as I'm typing this, I'm virtually buried in a mass of books, magazines, printouts, Post-Its, and assorted clippings. (more...)

The Most Powerful Marketing Strategy Ever

Rich Schefren — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:19:08 +0000

Today, I'm going to detour from the Taking Action series a little and ask you to take a different sort of action...

Lots of people ask me what the secret to my success is. And there's really no "one thing" that made it all happen. It's more of a mixture of things.

But there is one strategy that's played a MAJOR part in my success...one that's consistently put millions of dollars in my pocket with very little effort.

(more...)

99% Discount: Clever Marketing or Complete Madness?

Rich Schefren — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:09:23 +0000

I had to blink my eyes about 10 times before I would believe what I just read.

Yep--it said 99% off.

Not 9%. Or 29 or 39. Not even 59 or 69.

NINETY NINE percent off.

But how could that be?

(more...)

Who’s Been Talking About You?

Rich Schefren — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:46:30 +0000

If you read the Attention Age Doctrine 2, then you know how important your reputation is when marketing online.

You need to know what people are saying about you, your products, and your business. Because if you ignore it, things can spin out of control very quickly.

Companies like Kryptonite Locks...AOL...Dell...McDonaald's...even Wal-Mart learned this the hard way. They saw their reputations tarnished with internet revelations of shoddy workmanship, underhanded marketing techniques, and poor customer service.

These billion dollar corporations paid dearly for their mistakes. (In fact, Kryptonite Locks has never really recovered from their ball-point-pen fiasco.)

But you don't have to go through all that. In fact, you can monitor every online discussion your market is having about you and your products on a daily basis--starting right now.

(more...)

Even Bill Gates Loves Apple?

Rich Schefren — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:26:25 +0000

Recently on a Q+A call I was asked - why have so many of the internet marketing gurus switched to macs? My Answer - Because they can, it's cooler (power of positioning), and the internet is moving more and more to multimedia and macs are simply superior when it comes to anything multimedia. Oh yeah, and lastly they are the most powerful computers on the market. Along those lines, I've gotten several requests to see my setup so here it. It's an 8 core processor, with 16 gigs of RAM, and 3 X 30 inch monitors. Perfect for creating presentations! (more...)

Listen To Rich Schefren’s Interview With Predictably Irrational Author Dan Ariely

Rich Schefren — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 20:37:04 +0000

Q: Is your market "predictably irrational"?

Find out here.

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Using Visual Search

Rich Schefren — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 11:54:20 +0000

It's late at night and I'm burning the midnight oil. Why? Because I am working on my next report, and it's shaping up to be my best one yet. It happens everytime... I get so absorbed in my writing that I just click away on my keyboard until I look up - and everyone is gone!

Anyway, during my research I happened to stumble across a really cool new site. It's SearchMe and it completely changes the way you surf online. I think you're going to love it.

(more...)