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- Feb 15 2008
- 75 Comments
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Okay, my last post was all touchy feely because of Valentines Day. And I hope you learned a lot from the videos.
Today’s post goes more in the opposite direction. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few opt-outs after this goes up. But’s that’s the chance I have to take.
Okay, here goes…
Some of you have asked why I didn’t make the MP3s of the recent Jay Abraham calls available for download. And that’s understandable.
Because many marketing mavens freely give away their calls and teleseminars. I’ve been known to do so myself on occasion.
But not this one–and I’ll tell you why.
Jay and I wanted you to take specific action to gain access to those calls. That’s why you had to:
1 register and
2 be at a certain place at a certain time to listen.
We knew that many of you would probably be forced to juggle schedules and rework some things to be there.
And to be honest (and a little sneaky about it)…that’s exactly what we wanted you to do. We wanted you to move a few mountains to get to the goal.
Let me see if I can explain further…
When I was trying to build Strategic Profits to a more profitable level, I called Sy Sperling of Hair Club For Men to see if he had time to talk.
He told me, “Well, I have lunch free tomorrow.” Thing was, I was in New York. He was in California.
So what did I do?
I said, “I’ll see you then.” And I hopped on a plane and flew 3,000 miles for a lunch date.
Now, some might think I’m crazy to do that. Yes, the airfare was astronomical. Yes, I had to rearrange my week. Yes, it put a damper on my immediate plans.
But the payoff from that one meeting was worth WAAAAY more than what it cost to get there.
I’ll give you another example…
When I was scheduling my first consult with Jay Abraham, it was under similar circumstances…
It was EXTREMELY short notice, and I could have went the cheaper route and did a phone consult instead of a live meeting.
But I didn’t. Within hours, I was over 1000 miles from home, sitting in Jay’s office, getting a face-to-face education that’s paid off a MILLION times over since then.
So what’s my point here?
Growth takes pain. Sometimes you have get out of your comfort zone to make things happen.
Businesses are not built on the principle of convenience. They’re built on the steadfast notion that you’ll do anything it takes to make this work.
ANYTHING. IT. TAKES.
If that means jumping a plane cross country to suck up the wisdom of a multi-multi-millionaire for a few hours, then so be it.
If that means passing on the easy phoner so you can have some serious face time with one of the world’s leading marketing geniuses, then so be it.
And if that means clicking on a link to register for a call, then making sure you’re at a phone when it’s time, then, well…you be the judge.
So let me just say this one last thing…
We want a specific type of person to come to our Maven Maker event on the 27th, 28th, and 29th. And by now, you probably know who that is.
Someone who will move mountains to be there…
Someone who is solely focused on the end goal…
Someone who knows–without a doubt–that this is the very thing that will put their business over the top for good….and will do anything in their power to be there.
If that’s not you, then please don’t come.
I’m serious–I don’t want you to take a seat away from someone who is going to great lengths to sit under the tutelage of Jay and I.
And if you’ve already paid and you can’t meet the above criteria, then please ask for a refund and I’ll gladly give you every penny back.
Agreed?
Okay, that’s it. Sorry to be a bit forward, but I think it had to be said.
Please visit the link below if you’d like to be included in the exclusive group we’ll be teaching.
Reserve your spot
But before you do, I want you to ask yourself one question…
Is this right for me or not?
Rich
P.S. Yesterday I shared a tool I use when I am writing, today I just wanted to share a killer site for finding the best flights at the best rate with the least layover time. Check it out at Farecast.com
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75 Comments to “I’m About To Ruffle Some Feathers”
Rich,
You could have had Mr. Abraham surprise those people by showing up at their house personally and they STILL would have complained about something.
I was incredibly grateful for the video. It was incredibly informative.
Thanks.
T
Well, Rich, I would have mixed feelings about this whole thing. Jay is a person with a lot of valuable knowledge to impart. Unfortunately, as you have shown in that short post, you are basically an idiot. Unfortunately there is nothing I can say to you that would have any meaning to you, so be happy.
Is “Jonathan” for real or is somebody just being a troll?
If he’s for real, what a dumbass! I guess he’s upset that he’s not getting the MP3’s that aren’t being made available.
Would you put other stuff aside if someone offered you $1 million, but only if you could be at a certain place at a certain time? Or would you not be there and then complain because they didn’t give it to you anyway?
Welcome to the real world…
WOW. I Love it when people are straight with me. It takes all the guessing about where they’re really at away.
I don’t mind saying I missed the call. My fault, my problem. But I can’t believe that someone would complain about not getting something for free that is obviously worth something. What a bunch of spoiled, ungrateful, spoon fed, lazy bums.
And I definately wouldn’t call someone an idiot who goes out of their way to give more than they take. People like that are the reason I’m glad I work with computers.
Hey, I’m hanging with you Rich. Keep up the fight, and don’t ever worry about the haters. They were gonna hate somebody, they just saw you first. All the smart people think you’re cool, and you don’t have to explain your jokes to smart people so they’re more fun to hang around anyway.
Hi Rich,
LOL You know, last time I checked, your business was um… “YOUR” Business… to do with as you so choose… Isn’t that why we are all here, to do things our way instead of having to do things - right or wrong - the bosses’ way? I know that is one of the reasons I am on the net.
If you lose subscribers because you wanted to see who would jump through the hoops to be where you wanted them, then you probably have not lost anything worth losing.
In my ebiz, I don’t lose sleep over someone leaving as I realize that my biz was not for them, so why would I want to waste my time? I don’t want dead weight, only those that are interested and might at some time in the future realize what a good opportunity it would be for them. You obviously have the same type mind set.
Good for you!
My Dad taught me long ago that you can’t please everyone all the time, all you can do is try
Rich, I still have not received the notes from the call. Are they done yet?
Thanks
jeff, they should have either gone out today… or they’ll be out on monday
Thank you, Rich. I listened to the Maven call while I was driving, and I actually pulled over to the side of the road to write down the list of … well, I probably shouldn’t give it away to the people who couldn’t make the call.
Oh, and to all the people complaining about Jay and Rich not accomodating THEIR schedules or giving away free MP3s: boo-freaking-hoo. Like Tom Hanks told Matt Damon at the end of “Saving Private Ryan”: “Earn this.”
If a FREE phone call with Jay Abraham and Rich Schefren - actually, there were about 3, weren’t there? - isn’t worth rearranging a schedule, then what is?
good strategy to make an important point, personally I got a lot from this e-mail. thank you
Mike Kocis
Great Job Rich.
I think however the stragety is easy to see.
The one who jumps through the most hoops, is the one who pays the big bucks, in the end.
Guiding them down the prim rose path, cleverly, will ensure this next group of wannnabies will fork out $$$$$$$ you and Jay will get on your next mega launch.
Wheres the real scarcity in all this anyway? A good product should always stand on it’s own and last forever. Why pull these big launches off the market?
I guess without the fear of loss, the false sense of scarcity, artifically changing the law of supply and demand is nescessary to get people to buy.
Otherwise it would just another product on the shelf.
What a shame. There is so much money to be made creating somthing that is real and people need. Creativity is the core of the world, and is the only thing that will make you feel whole.
Create from your heart Rich. Don’t create for money. The money is just a by-product of your creation
These artificial launches only haveone goal in mind. To make money
Create from the heart. Help people. That is where the real riches are.
God Bless you Rich always, and good luck to you in all that you do.
If you have the courage you will leave this post for all to see. If not I understand this is really meant for you anyway.
However if this truth does not make your post - then I know your heart does not have the courage. This fear will be your ubdoing eventually. Have strength, leave this post, otherwise only you and I know why this post did not make your blog today.
Eric
Only an idiot would not see the lesson, or the logic that you address in your post. Of course it makes total sense that if you’re going to make it you do what needs to be done. You must be driven and willing to pay the price. That’s my motto and I thank you for reminding me of it.
Thank you for all you say but more importatnly, what you DO!
Peace
I must second Eric’s sentiment.
The only true scarcity in this whole scenario is time…my time.
In a digital age with time as a scarcity, there is money to be made.
One of the main reasons I STAY as your subscriber, is because you ARE such a straight talker.
Unfortunately, I’ve been sick, (surgeries, etc.) this past several months, and can’t travel yet, but I’ll be with you guys in “Spirit”.
Keep up the good work, and forget about those small people that want everything for nothing.
dear Rich,
I am excited about your excellent work which I follow and appreciate for the few months since I came across your blog!
As I guess you are having a worldwide audience on different time zones - I have to say for us far from the US it’s sometimes hard to follow the US-time schedule of “live-calls”. I was overly optimistic last time and despite my inscription could not make it - could there be replay at different times?
Thanks
Melchior
Rich, good post but you make an assumption upon which eveything you say rests, namely that Jay Abraham is worth crossing the street for.
Yes, Jay has written many good things about business and I have found his writings very useful. However, in my personal interaction with Jay I have found him to be at his best when he is selling a program to me, and at his worst when he is delivering on a program he sells. Most of his effort is in the sale and little is left over for the delivery.
I am presently taking a program from him and my opinion is that he is playing upon his ability to hype himself and to use crowd control to his advantage. He is not delivering what he promised. His group telephone calls are a blantant waste of time. He is not prepared. He is not a good speaker. He cannot make a point without taking at least ten times as long as he should. He uses too many adjectives with every thought and he uses the same adjectives over and over and over, until I, personally, have to turn him off.
In my life I have had many teachers. Some of them were the best teachers in the world. They include Linus Pauling and others of his stature. I know what makes a good teacher. Jay is not one of them. Sure, he is very successful and he is worth studying and possibly emulating. But he is not always worth crossing the street for.
Every really good teacher I know never hypes himself. Never uses Jay’s strategy of pre-eminance. Always is very humble. But when you hear their words, their clarity, the depth of their understanding, the simplicity they can make of a subject too complex for the ordinary among us, the incredible knowledge they deliver that opens your mind to new dimensions, then and only then you realize how great the great teacher really is.
I do not mean my criticism to be a personal criticism of either you or Jay. But I do find your assumption to be invalid. You are assuming everyone should worship Jay. Jay makes his living on this assumption and many will consider it heresy to question this assumption. I know you will disagree with me but that is what makes the world go around.
I know exactly where you’re coming from Rich. I not only listened to the international call twice from another continent, but recorded it twice too, on a digital recorder (the first call got cut off towards the end.) After the first call I immediately signed up, but there was a glitch with my credit card. I breathed a sigh of relief when the charge went through on the third attempt.
I’m quite sure the same ‘let me have everything the easy way’ people who have harangued you about not providing them with mp3s of the call would think I should share mine with them too.
Tough s**t guys. Not only do I respect Rich’s pov on this and understand *exactly* where he’s coming from, I’ve got news for you, *there ain’t no free lunch.*
The two top internet business coaches in the whole world provide a content packed two hour call, replay it three times, and you can’t pay for the phone call? Yeah, there might be the odd genuine case, but then a sensible guy chalks it up to experience, like I have to accept I can’t get to Florida this year. It’s a question of *attitude*. Like, do you want him to wipe your *ss for you, too? I’ve got news for you. If you can’t afford or be bothered to arrange a two hour phone call then how the heck do you ever expect to run an internet business?
Anyway, I’m really excited about the home study course. I’ve been waiting 18 months for a price point I could afford. And when it comes, it’s so cool. Talk about over delivering
(Wonder if it’s possible to get someone to develop a bit of software to filter the rubbish some morons are posting as comments? Just a thought. I’m sure it’ll come with natural language processing, Bayesian algorithms etc, eventually. Then neither you nor any of us will have get distracted by timewasters. Same goes for the emails you receive. Nice when something like Spambayes includes ‘timewaster’ and ‘moron’ filters)
And you thought *you* were harsh
I thoroughly enjoyed posting that!
Hi Rich,
I believed if you want to succeed in anything you need to do whatever it takes to make it happen including listening to the call.
J. Abraham is the authority in marketing and we all have a lot to learn from him. I personally take him as one of the gurus in this area.
I hope you can provide us with more marketing secrets from other gurus as well.
Keep up the good work…
Ricky
WOW~we live in a world of such scarcity minded individuals…some would say…”why learn more…I know all I need to know and others would say…”TEACH ME…I AM HUNGRY LIKE AN SOB!”
When I was entering the training and seminar business, I was constantly on the lookout for ways to be the best and directed to the a story that pretty much changed the way I learn and not take learning so lightly…
The story was of Socrates who was giving one of his wonderful speeches before the crowds of admirers and critics…
At the end of one those speeches a young man came to Socrates, enthralled by his words, and his wisdom and said to him…”sir you are so wise. Your words move me beyond belief and your knowledge is immense…i wish to know all you know…can you teach me?”
Socrates, who was a big man, asked the young man to come with him…they walked to the sea shore…Socrates put his hand on the young mans shoulder and asked him to come with him into water…so together they both walked about waist high into the water…
Socrates asked the young man…”you want to learn what I know?”…”Yes” said the young man…”how bad do you want to know what I know?” said Socrates…”More than anything!” said the young man…
Socrates took his strong hand and then grabbed the young man by the hair on the back of his head and proceeded to put and hold his under the water…the young man struggled like there was no tomorrow to come up for air…yet he continued to hold him under as he struggled for his LIFE…shortly Socrates pulled him up very quickly and as the young man fought to regain his breath…Socrates looked at him and said…”How bad did you want to breath…how bad did you want to live? Tell me now!!!
The young man said…”more than anything sir…more than anything”…
Socrates then said to him…”young man, you will learn what I know and be wise like myself and others like me…when you want to know it more than life itself!”
Rich, I applaud your efforts! This program is not for everyone and its probably good they are not in attendance anyway…because it will just cause a bottleneck at the lunch line.
Yea…let go to lunch with a poor guy and ask him or her how to make millions…RIGHT??
Question this one~ Is there someone out there with the Chutzpah (did I spell that right?)…put there @#$% on the line…go up to a millionaire and say…(nicely) “may I take you to lunch…SIR or Mamm!” Even if that lunch cost them 2, 3, 5, or even 9 grand! Let’s see…MMMMMMMMM…I invest 5k to make $500K…no wait…wait is there any real estate left? Give me a break! PALLLEEEZE!
Sure…people will take it personally and that’s normal for the normal and frankly…[well you see what I mean]…Look I was a National Sales Director for Tony Robbins and WOW did we go against the grain…we rocked the training and seminar business…they went that way and we went our way. Sure we made people UNHAPPY…yadayadayada…we were super successful! [The yadayadayada was Jay Abraham who was a major part of that success]…at any rate here’s the deal…
FOLKS…YOU MUST be shaken up and grabbed by the hair…put under water and asked why on earth would you settle for less than the best life has to offer, learn how to make more money than you can possibly ever imagine spending…[what the heck...you don't need all that money? make it then give it away...that's a good thing] and why on earth would you not want to be around the best minds…the best…that’s right the best in the world on how to do that?”
Thank Socrates…looking forward to a wonderful lunch my friend!
Mike
Hi Jay
I thought the whole POINT of the internet, and this
digital age in which we live, was to make things MORE
accessible to people who are frankly overstretched in
every possible direction.
I am the working mother of 6 children and like it or not,
my life revolves around THEIR schedules as much as my own.
I live in Australia - on the other side of the world from most things that happen and in a completely different time zone.
Yes, people like me can bust a gut and stay up all night in order to be in the right time at the right place - but that won’t necessarily help us to function better the next day.
I find it a little condescending, and dare I say it, self-glorifying, for you to ASSUME that the way you conduct your life is the only way anyone SHOULD conduct theirs.
I was under the obvious misapprehension that you were in the business of selling a SERVICE. Somehow you want to put others in the position of feeling they have to FIGHT for the privilege of buying your stuff! What an interesting concept.
I will be unsubscribing - I’m too busy living my life to run around pleasing someone who just wants to sell me something else - but only on his arrogant terms.
Good luck.
Anais Nin said,
“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
So it is with many of us and with many of our businesses. We grow to a stage and stop because we’ve reached the limits of our awareness. We can choose to remain at that place but then we stagnate.
The next stage of our evolution may be painful, it may take an enormous amount of effort, it may involve great sacrifice but ultimately, if we are persistent, the rewards will surpass the effort/pain it took to achieve them.
Nickolove Lovemore
Skyline Coaching Blog
Question - And I ask this with the upmost respect?
How can you claim to teach SOCIAL MEDIA WHEN YOU DONT USE SOCIAL MEDIA?
You aren’t on STUMBLEUPON
You aren’t on DIGG - You have NEVER had a story hit the Front Page?
You aren’t on MIXX
You aren’t on Reddit
You aren’t on Propeller
You aren’t IN any TOP SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNITY
and furthermore - when you had you big big huge launch why didn’t you funnel those people into a COMMUNITY?
Email Lists are going BYE BYE
Seriously, I respect and admire you, I’m even a huge fan but I would love to hear feedback on this.
How can you be a maven but not even use it or have had success in it? Sales Pages are not Social Media
linda,
–I am on stumplupon
–We used Digg in our video contest and received tremendous traffic from it (remember - the voting buttons were digg buttons?)
–I like plugim, and sphinn and use them… but i don’t use mixx, reddit, or even propeller.
–I have a community (although small) on mybloglog
on top of that we get a good percentage of our traffic from stumbleupon and thousands of blogs who link to us.
we have 100s of videos on you tube about us, and we’ve been doing more and more youtubing ourselves.
i am surprised that you don’t think that’s enough.
about your next point….
and while in the longterm future email might change - it will always be a great channel. in fact, i’d put my earnings from our list against anyone whose marketed to their feed subscribers and i’m certain no one would even come close.
my job is to stay out in front… i’ve used all the ones you mentioned, then chose the ones that appealed to me the most. if i spent more time focusing on social media i wouldn’t be releasing a new report on monday (yes - two days from now) i stay on the cutting edge and you can’t do that with one foot planted too firmly in the present.
i hope that helps linda.
Huge personal questions here for everyone… I have read all the comments and am wondering what people expect of Rich and how he conducts his business. It’s like anything… you provide the service, information about what you will get with that service, and what it costs (maybe time, money, commitment or whatever else). In reality nothing is given away freely… everything involves a cost of some description. And it is up to the consumer whether we are prepared to pay that cost (time,money etc) or not.
I watched 5 videos of Jay Abraham only from links provided by Rich. I was totally blown away hearing him talk … and I am so grateful for having been given the opportunity to hear him. As for going to see him… or making absolutely sure I am on the end of a telephone when he is talking… I can’t really make that commitment because like many others I am in Australia and I don’t have that kind of money floating around. Not at the moment anyway.
But that’s my choice… I, like everyone else, make choices to do or not to do something based on what my needs and resources are at that particular time.
But I thank you Rich for providing me with information about the event that I can make an informed choice.
Jeanne
http://www.goalsnaspirations.com
I listened to this call with Jay and Rich. For me it was vere late and I was tired before the call, but during I can tell ya that I woke up, straight listening to evry word, taking notes like a maniac… I found it so interesting and giving…
Thanks for this call!
Ulla H
First off, I am constantly floored when “web 2.0 marketing” or “social media” are summed up with a list of the most popular bookmarking sites. This is just one small piece of the puzzle and doesn’t even begin to cover the reach you can get if you enter into social media fully without charging in there like a big Internet marketer foaming at the mouth at the thought of new wallets to dip into.
As far as your post, I couldn’t agree more. I waste more time on people who have no real desire to do anything real than I care to admit. Too many hype sales pages have muddied the waters and lead people to believe that there is a “magic bullet” and they can build an empire without lifting a finger. Tragic.
Meanwhile, those willing to go that extra mile and continue to learn without ever reaching the point of thinking they know everything are making it happen.
You are a pompous ass and I am opting out.
With you we are seeing the inane egotistical rumblings of the deranged thinking process
I don’t think your post had an offensive tone at all. Just straight forward talk.
But one can’t please everyone at all times anyway, so what? =)
Hi Rich,
You did a good job man!
People that want everything for nothing - please opt-out. Go and seek for oppurtunity’s man.. Rich is THE man and the maven in his area.
Rich - Don’t care for the people that are gonna optin’ out. They are the people that you don’t want as a customer.
Take care men and keep up the good work!
From the Netherlands.
Oh please people. Rick is simply manipulating. No feathers flying here. This is the old industrialization-consumerism style of thinking about marketing = the art and science of manipulating a select group of people how to FEEL, THINK, and BUY. Let’s be honest, the only reason you need marketing is if you are 1. completely UNKNOWN. 2. Your product SUCKS. Or you have 3. competitors like MAGGOTS.
All CityEconomies are flooded with products (and our mailboxes with this internet marketing crap). Less than 1% of products will ever rise to Seth Godin’s Domain of Excellence — products that are ranked so good, people rave about them and they sell themselves (Google comes to mind). They’re on CNN, CNBC, and Oprah. Very few make it to the A-list. And those that make it there, stay there a few months or maybe max of 2 years. Hunted down an ELMO doll lately? Didn’t think so.
You don’t need magic formulas. It’s still the 5000 year old fundamental concept of a sale “I have a solution for your problem”. Everything else is fluff and marketing manipulation.
Make your product the best. So good people talk about it. So they rave about it. Surprise yourself. Aim for the moon to clear the fence. Good luck.
Hi Rich,
I always wondered about the difference between what you preach and what you do yourself in fact…
I ‘ve bought your coaching course (Business Growth) in August 2006 and paid for 12 Modules. You are still selling this course as is - but you never cared to complete this course: I paid for the last 12th module in July 2007 and until now it is not available.
Can you please have the decency to refund my money? I contacted your support several times about this during the last half year, without results!
Thanks and success,
Marc
Hi Rich,
Thank you for the “attention age doctine 2 ” I have recommended it to my Asian students….most of whom are too poor to buy tel time…
I have invented a future press ( on the blog )..suggesting you will visit asia in the future..hope you don’t mind..I am really applying the wisdom in your report..Getting attention by using
creative thinking..which is what you do all the time ?
My latest is “selling to the poor “As there about 700 million
poor students in Asia .there is room for expansion..!
One thing that greatly puzzle me ; “Why the mavens do not translate all their products into ..Chinese; for example ; to this market everything is new…????
Or are they doing it now and do not mention it ?
Hi Rich,
Thank you for the “attention age doctine 2 ” I have recommended it to my Asian students….most of whom are too poor to buy tel time…
I have invented a future press ( on the blog )..suggesting you will visit asia in the future..hope you don’t mind..I am really applying the wisdom in your report..Getting attention by using
creative thinking..which is what you do all the time ?
My latest is “selling to the poor “As there about 700 million
poor students in Asia .there is room for expansion..!
One thing that greatly puzzle me ; “Why the mavens do not translate all their products into ..Chinese; for example ; to this market everything is new…????
Or are they doing it now but do not mention it ?
Thank you for your very valuable information..i took one comment you made in the business manifesto and immediately
started to have success…It focussed my project which will launch in Pakistan ..June…..
http://www.startup-asia.com
To Mike H:
Thanks for reminding me just how much I do and should want to help my family achieve prosperity in the wonderful story attributed to Socrates. There can be few motivators quite so powerful as parental love. As a family of arts people, like many artists, musicians and other right-brained creatives, we find the whole financial and business scene a real challenge. But you are quite right, and the story encapsulates brilliantly the kind of desire one has to have to sail or climb past all obstacles and achieve. My own personal development teacher for many years used a different metaphor. “Your thirst to achieve your goials has to be like the thirst for water of a man in the blazing desert who’s had no water for three days’. I think both images enshrine a powerful message.
It doesn’t surprise me that you were ‘a National Sales Director for Tony Robbins’ reading your post, and simply confirms the quality of people one is gravitating towards when associating with Rich Schefren. Nice to feel the ‘vibes’ and presence of ‘birds of a feather’, even if it is from half way across the world.
I would cite Ulla and Jeanne as great examples of the *right* attitude, too. It’s funny, I actually *fell asleep* during the first replay, Ulla, but I had a wise teacher who never objected if someone occasionally fell asleep during his lectures. If a person’s dog tired they’re dog tired, but I was glad I was recording it! And Jeanne, I really sympathise with you and the other lady being in Australia, making the timing even harder than it is for me. Rich and Jay did provide quite a range of time slots, which is helpful. You might look into landline international calling plans; I get the equivalent of 4 US cents per min for an addition of only around $4 US a month to my phone bill. My teacher, who grew an organisation of 3,000 students in the seventies and eighties before the Internet and without any formal qualifications, used to say ‘Attitude is the magic word’. Missing one or more calls won’t block a person’s efforts to succeed. Lapsing into a negative attitude will. It’s really striking the difference in attitude between people living in similar circumstances in similar countries, all around the world, isn’t it? I’m moved to say, haven’t some of you people ever read a positive thinking or positive psychology book? Don’t you know how your negativity is sabotaging your success?
This morning I received a nearly new copy of ‘The Magic of Psychic Power’ by David J. Schwarz, Ph.D, which I first bought by Mail Order when I was seventeen. I thought it was about being ‘psychic’ but in fact it enshrines all the basic principles to which all great successful people from Clement Stone to Brian Tracy and Jay Abraham and Rich Schefren cleave. I bought it to send to my eldest son. from a nervous breakdown he had at only eighteen due to a family crisis, He bounced back quickly and even better, due in the main, I believe, to the positive wisdom I have taken care to inculcate in him during his young life. It has made me even more determined to help him and my other children achieve successful and prosperous goals, which is the reason I’m here, am spending $2,000 on a home study course, and will be supporting him financially during his business start-up. Another of Shwarz’s principles I absorbed as a teenager was to ‘choose a top-notch mentor’. Whatever I’ve wanted to learn throughout my life, I’ve always gone out of my way to learn from the best. So of course I’m thrilled to have the chance to learn from Jay and Rich. I consider it a privilege to learn from equally bright people who happen to have directed their intelligence into areas which I haven’t.
Schwarz’s book is now out of print, although it’s worth getting second-hand. There are plenty more like it, and for the people emanating negativity on their comments I would suggest reading a few. You’ll feel a whole lot better, and it will actually *help*. A nineteenth-century sage said that to believe in optimism, in honesty, in decency and the good in people may make one appear ‘the perfect dupe’ in the eyes of the world, but it is actually wise. I’m not talking about being a patsy, know the negative of course, just don’t dwell on it. 34 years ago I chose a non-material life goal, and don’t regret that in the slightest. I am now here to help my son and my other children achieve prosperity, too, if it’s within our capabilities. I have absolute confidence I’ve found the best tutors I can, and that in itself will be a great help, I’m sure.
To Marc I would say I and a few other people were disappointed when the trip to Agora we entered the contest for didn’t come off (as far as I know). But Rich is a fast-moving dude, pours out extraordinarily helpful and inspiring free content in response to changing circumstances and internal inspiration, and like you and me I’m sure, would admit to not being perfect. Occasionally in the midst of surfing a 100 foot wave, a guy’s shorts can slip off.
Funny metaphor I’ve come up with there, but do you see what I mean. It’s the way we *react* internally to such problems that matters. Of course you were right to raise it, and I’m sure Rich will ‘put them back on’ momentarily. Yes, sometimes things go by the board and don’t get done that should get done when attention moves to ‘where the action is’. But the $64,000,000 (I’ve updated it for the 2,000’s 
) for everyone from me to you to my son is, while it’s right to raise such issues, can we deal with them and still remain positively oriented, not let something apparently negative derail and demotivate us? One of the major principles in Schwarz’s book was to train oneself to completely and utterly believe that ‘all things work together for good’. I now read in the course materials that W Clement Stone trained himself to believe the exact same thing. It’s not about whether it’s objectively true, it’s about what’s *helpful* to believe. As far as the attitude we adopt to other people’s imperfections and mistakes, it’s always salutary to look at oneself and one’s own life, and say, “what attitude would I like people to take to my *own* imperfections and mistakes? Would I like to be approached with understanding that I’m human or judged harshly against a perfect standard. People and their performance have to be taken as a whole, and taken as a whole, I admire Rich Schefren and give him a huge thumbs up. It’s interesting the different reports and attitude to Jay, too. It’s *obvious* the man is a marketing giant, and I can confirm for anyone who didn’t hear it that his and Rich’s performance on the two hour call jam-packed with useful content only confirmed that, for me, as a double first-class honours graduate, anyway.
And you know another of Schwarz’s principles?
‘Be glad you’re criticised. It’s proof you’re growing.’
I’ve attracted quite a few ‘knockers’ too. Someone recently asked me how it makes me feel. You know what? It doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Roosevelt used to tell a funny story about the press criticism of his family. He said only his dog got mad about it! Humour is a great defuser.
As a contrast to this blog, I visited the blog of another gifted and obviously brilliant business and marketing consultant recently. He is conscientious, hard-working, delivers excellent value and as far as I can tell doesn’t make ’slips’. But he’s operating in a totally different social environment. He is not ‘in the thick of it’, bombarded on all sides, like Rich is. Not a single comment on any of his posts. Even I didn’t feel moved to make one. As I emailed him, I don’t know what that shows exactly, but the hundreds of comments on many of Rich’s posts over the last eighteen months surely show that he, at least, knows a thing or two about marketing?”
Hi Rich,
As one of the troublemakers who have sparked off this post, I owe it to myself and to you to explain our position, or at least mine. We tend to see the world from our perspective, and tend to assume others are familiar with what we know ourselves. I certainly jump to such conclusions often enough. But it also applies to those who only see the walls of the ivory tower they inhabit.
I fully understand that you want to see only those in Florida who are willing to make sacrifices to further their career, but do you want fools to attend? There are two issues here. One, to move a mountain, you have to know it is worth the effort, two, it has to be possible within legal and ethical means (some people’s mileage varies). I am not insulting you or any of the other speakers when I say that, but try and see it from the eyes of the un-initiated. Not everyone knows who you or the other speakers are. There are people new to the internet marketing world (and on very small budgets), and in an ocean of hype and (dis-)information, it takes time to sort through who is who. Do you want people to attend who pay thousands and drop everything just on hear-say? There is foolish risk, and there is calculated risk. Calculated risk comes from informing yourself. Even gut feeling are based on some prior or similar knowledge.
Personally, I now know who you and the others are, and have sampled your goods. I did make that phone call, which on my present budget, was a fair bit of change calling from the UK, but I figured at that point I had enough information to make that relatively small sacrifice in order to find out if a bigger one would be worth it, and I now know it is. The question remains - can I, and how big a price am I willing to pay?
On the second issue of the possibility of shifting a mountain, some mountains are bigger than others, and for some the tools for shifting them very limited. The bigger the discrepancy, the more ingenuity is required. I know that almost anything is possible, and I’ve shifted some pretty big mountains in my time, only the price you are willing to pay will limit what is possible. Short of illegal or highly unethical means, for many of us these mountains may be impossible to shift in the available time. Even ideas can take time. If we were able to shift just any mountain, we would not need to attend the event for anything other than rubbing shoulders with other giants in the field. Also, those who are able to finance the ticket and trip would not need to win the contest. For one thing they would not be shifting a mountain to do it, evident in the ability to do it anyway. It is in order to shift mountains, that we need the event to learn the tools for the job. A bit of a chicken and egg situation. Of course the final decision is yours, and I’ll respect your choice, but I would still like to make a suggestion. Why not reward those who show the greatest potential to be the next rising star by acknowledging the effort they make to attend, rather than the outright ability. A biblical parable comes to mind of the poor widow who “only” gave a mite (smallest coin), unlike the rich dude who gave a pile to charity, and was pissed off that he was not going to be rewarded with the kingdom of heaven for his bigger contribution. Jesus said “it was all she had”. Loosely paraphrased - I’m not too versed in the bible, though the point remains.
Also, to put the training into perspective, which partially answers the question of what price we are willing to pay, no one jumps through hoops and shifts mountains unless the trade-off is much greater than the cost. When the effort and cost to gain knowledge from these events and study courses outweighs that of seeking out that information for free on the internet and doing your own experiments, there is really no point. The whole point of these study courses is the fast track approach. If you have enough intelligence to benefit from the training, you have enough intelligence to get success through you own research eventually anyway, combined with drive, of course.
I won’t unsubscribe for several reasons. I respect honesty, I can see your position, and I don’t cut off my nose to spite my face - not that I would have a reason. I am adult enough to agree to disagree (though not without making my position clear), rather than go off in a huff.
May the most suitable person win, whoever that is. It won’t be me for the simple reason, that I have just discovered that my passport has run out, and as a foreigner in this country, it is neigh impossible to get a new one within one week when going through High Commissioners and more hoops than even trying to attend the event. And no, I won’t tell them that my granny is on her death bed. Just to let you know, in case you did pick me, and I would then have to decline the offer.
Cheers,
Judy (of the woods)
Hi Rich,
I can’t be more agree with you…
You’re definetely right and I’m proud of myself because every day I get more convinced that I have chosen a GREAT mentor.
Thank you,
Carlos Juez
Guayaquil-Ecuador
judy,
i appreciate your perspective and i am happy that you are not unsubscribing. even though i don’t always agree with you - your opinions are always well thought out, articulate and never insulting.
i will continue to deliver as much great information as i can to everyone who visit my blog or subscribes to my lists.
in fact, i am releasing another report in a matter of days on the very same topic as the calls. plus we have a bunch of other surprises for those of you who can’t make it to the event… but i’ll share those in the coming days before our historic event.
to higher profits,
rich
Okay….
I guess I feel compelled to add my two cents-
The response is all over the MAP on this one–
I would like to add that Rich is a Marketer.
Rich is a highly SKILLED Marketer.
All of us who get his emails and/or read his blog
are the names in his DATABASE.
We are his prospects,
his subscribers,
his ‘list’….
his ‘highly responsive target market’—–
Rich provides a lot of great content
and an awesome “approach” blueprint
to marketing online.
But- make no mistake:
You are being marketed to at every turn.
And why not?
That is what good marketers do.
Aren’t YOU trying to learn how to
improve you marketing skills?
Isn’t that why you are here?
This post, like most,
is a marketing tactic.
Check and see… is there any
big product launch coming out of
Strategic Profits, or an affiliate launch pending?
Of Course.
Now, stop thinking and reacting
like you are a MARK,
and start thinking like you
are a Marketer.
Examine this post, examine
how you feel when you read it,
count how many responses
come in, witness how many people
opt out and why,
think about how this further tightens this list
into hyper-responsive buyers
by trimming out a few more of the
dreaded “freebie-seekers”.
(Also, there is nothing like a little rant
or scold to cement a bond–)
Examine how effective this latest technique is
and then LEARN from it.
Some of the best education
you will EVER get from a
Great Marketer like Rich
is going to be:
How they market to YOU!
(Thanks, Rich– another great lesson!)
Good point here! I did not attend the calls and I really would like to get it on MP3’s but I know what my priorities are and what Rich’s priorities are. He has all the right to run his business the way he likes and as you say, if you are not expecting to be spoon-fed “what to do’s”, just by visitng this blog you are getting tons of ideas and examples on how to run an internet business, and you (we) are getting them for FREE.
I was on the call and I am in Jay’s Master of Passive Income mentoring program right now. I LOVE what you both are saying, Rich, and I thought the call was very helpful. I couldn’t take notes fast enough (am very much looking forward to the notes being published) and I have already started putting the principles into practice. They work and it’s great!
I am enjoying it all, both Rich and Jay’s work. Great egos are often the ones who do great things. I find no shame in being a big minded person–confidence is underrated in our society too often and healthy self-esteem is not admired as much as it should be, in my opinion. Acting “humble” to make others feel comfortable as a substitute for an honest and forthright nature and caring just isn’t that admirable to me, so I am glad neither of these two men go there. Again, for my preferences. Maybe that’s not true for others.
I agree with the others that right time, right place, right price, right mentors are important. Each of us makes our choice. We can all decide for ourselves what works for us in wherever we are in our lives. Maybe this event isn’t for you right now…maybe it’s the price, or maybe you just aren’t ready, or maybe you aren’t convinced. That’s fine. But, let’s not pretend that there is something wrong or ungenerous with Rich because he has a certain standard and expectation for his business interactions and quality of client.
Setting boundaries and intention is part of adult living. It’s part of getting what you desire. I applaud it. And, no, I am not choosing to go to the event. For me, I am already ear deep in homework from the events and mentoring I am already signed up for. I don’t feel offended by Rich pointing out that I am not jumping on this. I’ve already jumped on the bandwagon for other things and I’m ok with that. It’s mine to choose and Rich is welcomed to think and feel how he wishes about that. What he thinks of me is not what defines me, which is sort of the point I think he was making about himself.
And, yes, this post was a marketing piece, but who cares? Rich and Jay are marketers. Learn from the example! See it, take it, adapt for your own as you see fit, and benefit from it. Seize the day! Everyone, even the ones we might disagree with, can teach us. They are in our awareness for a reason, right?
Long winded response, but sincere. Best of luck to success to all, no matter what you’ve chosen.
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman
http://www.SmartWomanPublishing.com
I suspect you won’t get much unsubscribes as you predict… Even if many of us can’t make it to your calls or events, much of what we learn from you is more knowledge we’ve gained and can apply. I’m happy to be on your list since your Internet Manifesto debuted and have no intention of unsubcribing. Anyone unsubscribing is missing out.
I also requested the MP3, thinking it would be a reasonable way to accommodate those who went out of their way to attend the call that didn’t happen. HOWEVER, I also understood that it’s Rich’s show, and it’s entirely up to him how he chooses to distribute his free content.
Keep in mind, good free content is a gift. We can either be grateful for the gifts that people give us, or stomp our feet and complain about the fact that they didn’t give us the gift EXACTLY where we wanted, when we wanted, the way we wanted.
Personally, I didn’t think Rich’s comment above was out of line at all. And you know what? The fact that he allows people to complain about him ON HIS OWN BLOG says alot about the man as well! So thanks for all the tons of practical, useable, cutting-edge content over the years, Rich. Think of it this way: those who chose to opt-out over this probably weren’t even worth the microscopic cost of the bandwidth it took to reach them anyway. So hasta la vista, baby! The rest of us are on board for higher profits!
Hey, for those still interested in hearing the call, here are some options: hurry—it’s happening today and tomorrow! It is SO worth it!! I am going to listen in a second time!
http://askbobtheteacher.com/blog/become-a-maven
Hi Rich,
I always appreciate your experience, generosity, and what you have to say. And i totally except your point about those who make an effort will be the winners in the end.
However i don’t think the outcome of your thinking will be the best for your business.
You have to remember that there are people out there with 9-5 jobs, children, other commitments etc., and they live all over the globe, in different time zones with different incomes, at different stages of starting or running a business.
I live in the UK for example and have a relatively low income, and live in my parents house. I cannot stay up till 2-3am on a week night using my parents’ phone to make an hour long international call! It’s just not gonna work.
I don’t understand this backward, achaic internet marketing guru obsession with “calls” as a way to communicate! The whole POINT of your teaching is that the internet is the best way to communicate. So why make us all go back to the dark ages and use the phone?!!! What happened to podcasts and webcasts etc etc? I’d happily PAY for an hour long mp3, because 1) i could keep it 2) i could listen to it when i’m actually awake.
Keep up the good work Rich, but please, think of your international customers!
Mark
Rich, you are one busy man. Let me add that although you are busy you are helpful. Thanks for that.
Note that I am working on a new project with a new blog.
James
Rich,
Your Post hit Hard. As I ponder over a book deal- (have been accepted for publishing with Morgan James) - have put on hold- I think i may have to rethink my ideas, clear my mind and move forward itstead of the cynic.
I will be at the min event- flying from New Zealand so thats my mountain……..