The Wit Wisdom Sage Business Advice DR Jeffrey Lant

The Wit, Wisdom, and Sage Business Advice of Dr.
Jeffrey Lant
“Dr. Jeffrey Lant, in his impressive book, How to Make a
Whole Lot More Than $1,000,000
Writing, Commissioning, Publishing
and Selling “HowTo” Information,
reveals one of the most powerful profit
centers … “ – Robert G. Allen, Author of
“Multiple Streams of Internet Income”
The Wit, Wisdom, and Sage Business
Advice of Dr. Jeffrey Lant
52 Articles That Will Change Your Life

Dr. Jeffrey Lant is a self‐made Internet Millionaire who has been at the cutting
edge of direct sales and marketing for decades. In addition to his remarkable
success in business, Dr. Lant has achieved worldwide admiration for his
academic achievements and is well known in fine art auction galleries around
the world. His remarkable life experience makes him uniquely qualified to
author 18 authoritative books and thousands of articles on business and life.

Here is a collection of 52 articles organized in logical categories including
actionable content with introduction by James Holmes, a fulltime Internet
marketer that has been personally mentored by Dr. Lant and will guide you
how to use the wisdom in this book to change your life.

Arranged By James A. Holmes

1 © 2010 and Beyond James Holmes by Permission of Dr. Jeffrey Lant All Rights Reserved
Read More Articles by Dr. Jeffrey Lant: http://www.MyWorldprofit.com

The Wit, Wisdom, and Sage Business Advice of Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Disclaimer
The publisher has made every effort to be as accurate and complete as possible in this report,
notwithstanding the fact that he does not warrant or represent at any time that the contents within
are accurate due to the rapidly changing nature of the Internet.

While all attempts have been made to verify information in this report, the publisher accepts no
responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the subject matter within. Any
perceived slights of specific persons, peoples or organizations are unintentional.

This book is a collection of Articles originally published by Dr. Jeffrey Lant. In practical advice
books like this there is no guarantee of results, traffic or income. Readers are cautioned to rely on
their own judgment about their individual circumstances and abilities to act accordingly.

This book is not intended to be used as a source of legal, business, accounting or financial advice.
All readers are encouraged to seek services of competent professionals in the legal, business,
accounting and financial fields.

Want to Start Driving Traffic Using Dr. Lant’s System Today?

Click Here to Start

LEGAL NOTICE

Any slights of people or organizations are unintentional and the development of this report is bona
fide. The producer and marketer have no intention whatsoever to convey any idea affecting the
reputation of any person or business enterprise. The trademarks, screen‐shots, website links,
products and services mentioned in this report are copyrighted by their respective owners.

You Can Give This Report Away
You May Not Change Any of the Contents Contained Here In
You May Not Alter Any of the Links Contained Here In
You Do Not Have Private Label Rights and Cannot Claim Authorship
You Cannot Sell This Report

All Rights Reserved
No part of this report may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic, or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval without
express written, dated and signed permission from the editor James Holmes which has been
granted here.



Dedication
For his tireless dedication to the profession of information marketing, I dedicate this book to one of
my personal Internet marketing mentors Dr. Jeffrey Lant, CEO of Worldprofit, Inc. Dr. Lant has
provided me with a elevated view of the awesome power derived from automation, systematic list
building, and the creation of multiple income streams. Through Dr. Lant’s mentorship my vision has
evolved as my desire to help thousands of people create successful Internet based business has
grown exponentially.



Table of Contents

Disclaimer

Who is Dr. Jeffrey Lant?

Who is James Holmes?

Introduction

Chapter 01: Developing Your Millionaire Mindset

Chapter 02: Developing Motivation and Self Determination

Chapter 03: Fostering Your Family Legacy

Chapter 04: Religious Faith

Chapter 05: How to Live a Charmed Life

Chapter 06: Mastering Your Finances

Chapter 07: Mastering Your Internet Marketing

Chapter 08: Mastering Your Home Business

Chapter 09: Business Best Practices

Chapter 10: Current Events Worthy of Comment

What is Worldprofit?



Who is Dr. Jeffrey Lant

The Acedemic

Dr. Jeffrey Lant graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of California, Santa Barbara
(UCSB). During his studies at UCSB he spent his junior year at the University of St. Andrews,
Scotland, where he won the University Prize in Philosophy and became the first American ever
elected to the Students Representative Council.

While at UCSB Dr. Lant became the University's first‐ever Woodrow Wilson Fellow and became a
highly recruited candidate for a doctoral fellowships by over 60 graduate schools across the
Country. He chose Harvard where he distinguished himself as a Harvard Traveling Fellow and
Harvard Teaching Fellow en route to winning a Master's Award for special achievement. Dr. Lant
graduated from Harvard University earning both a Master's Degree and Ph.D.

Upon graduation from Harvard, Dr. Lant earned the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in
Higher Education Administration at Northeastern University his third post‐graduate degree. Never
satisfied with quietly getting by, Dr. Lant became the first student to cite his own published work in
footnotes to his class papers.

The Author

Dr. Lant has published 18 books and published thousands of articles on the topics of home based
business, Internet marketing, and entrepreneurship. Many of Dr. Lant's titles can be found in
traditional printed form through Amazon and all of the titles are available for instant download via
PDF e‐book.

Internet Business Pioneer

It all started with a telephone call from George Kosch and Sandy Hunter, two Edmonton Alberta,
Canada based entrepreneurs with a vision to turn the sales process on it's head by leveraging a new
technology in a very powerful way. They persuaded Dr. Lant who at the time was busy publishing
syndicated articles, writing journals, and hosting a syndicated radio program on the Business Radio
Network. Needless to say, his plate was full! Through persuasion Kosch and Hunter convinced Dr.
Lant to travel to Edmonton and presented over a kitchen table the business model that has become
his life's work.

Collector of Antiquities

Dr. Lant's successes have afforded him the unique opportunity to fully indulge his passion for
collecting antiquities and European art. An avid collector since boyhood, these days you'll find Dr.
Lant's office strewn with the catalogs of major auction houses worldwide ‐ Christie's and Sotheby's
among them. Dr. Lant's collection is highly regarded and attracts visitors from around the world
and from many stations in life. Counted among Dr. Lant's guest have been eminent scholars and
new collectors at the dawn of assembling their own collections.


The W
Wit, Wisdom
m, and Sage Business Ad
dvice of Dr. Jeffrey Lantt

W
Who is J
James Ho
olmes
My Missiion is: To so
ow increase into the live
es of others by cocreatiing wealth a
and abundance.
I grew up
p believing in n the power o of creative thhought and seelf determinaation and I u
use these
attributess to live an extraordinary y life. I gained
d an understtanding of ho
ow to translate this
knowledgge and way o of living to otther people. II am here too help you. SSo how am I ccreating my
success? I’ve studied mindset, I haave sought ou ut programs that had excceptional value and camee
from creddible sourcess and I have b benefit from the guidance of amazingg mentors.
In the begginning I measured correect activities,, not results. I believed th
hat if I consistently complleted
the correct activities m
my results w
would be exceeptional and they have beeen. I knew tthat I would h have
to pay myy dues and develop a tracck record of ssuccess and aalso prove to o myself thatt I could teach
h
another pperson how tto do what I ddid to becomme successfull – to teach a system that duplicates.
I had no iidea how con nfusing onlin ne marketing could be, peerhaps you haave found th his to be true as

well. So m
many offers,, promises, s systems and d gurus all p
promising to o provide thhe “perfect
program m” guarantee ed to make y you millionss by just signning up or b
buying theirr system. I wwas
not easily
y seduced an nd can say thaat I have gottten value from 99% of th he informatioon products aand
training tthat I have accquired. I jusst as easily c
could have s
spent thousa ands of dollars buying i into
the hype e yet I am no ot judgmenta al of those w
who have. I ffortunately d
decided to tak
ke a business
approach h and made eeducated decisions.
I am not ssaying that I haven’t takeen a few dead d‐end turns aand fallen intto empty rab
bbit holes beccause
I have, it is almost unaavoidable. Thhere is a forrmula to succcess on the e internet annd I assure y
you
that it is more science than art. The internett is the great equalizer beecause it mattters far morre
where yo ou are going nnot where yo ou have been n and people care a lot mo ore about wh
hether or nott you
deliver vaalue for them
m and conducct yourself w with integrity
y. I love that!!
I am heree to help you succeed!

6 © 2010 and Beyyond James Holmmes by Permissio on of Dr. Jeffreyy Lant All Rights R
Reserved
Read Morre Articles by Drr. Jeffrey Lant: h
http://www.My yWorldprofit.co om


Introduction

Dr. Jeffrey Lant has written 18 book and published thousands of articles over his long and
prestigious career. When I sat down to share a small selection of his most recent articles it was very
difficult to narrow the list down to just 52. I wanted to assemble a book then would offer you as the
reader a chance to draw upon the diverse topics that Dr. Lant publishes on; and provide
organization into categories that are essential to creating a rich and abundant life.

Why 52 articles?

This book is meant to be both a primer and a guide. What better way to take what you learn from
these articles and put the lessons into action than a guided 52 week process? Yes, I want you to
internalize one article each week and take decisive action to apply the lesson to your own business
and life.

I am blessed to be mentored by Dr. Lant as a member of his Worldprofit Community and it is
consistent with my personal mission to want to pay my good fortune forward and share it with you.
I trust that you will find these articles to be informative, entertaining, at times profound, and always
of extreme value.

Be sure to send me a little feedback and let me know how these articles have impacted your vision
for your business and their application for your life. You can find me by visiting my blog:
http:www.MyWorldprofit.com

Chapter 01: Developing Your Millionaire Mindset



MegaTraits: 12 Traits of Successful People
By Dr. Jeffrey Lant



Introduction
To be an American is to be a success seeker. Indeed, no other creed, cult, belief or religion in the
nation embraces so many of our fellow countryman as the sprint for "success." Yet, as we all know,
most people never succeed in becoming the success they dream of being.
That's why I was delighted when her publisher sent me Doris Lee McCoy's new book MEGATRAITS:
12 TRAITS OF SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE. I had two reasons for promptly focusing on her research: my
own continuing desire to be ever more successful and my wish to disseminate to the greatest
number McCoy's detailed findings.
McCoy, who comes across as a congenial, empathic personality eagerly seeking the essential
modules of success, has over the last many years interviewed a host of people most of us would
regard as successful... that is, people who have reached a certain plateau of physical, emotional and
spiritual/psychological comfort. They include politicians, statesmen, entrepreneurs, media and
entertainment personalities, athletes, and authors. As a result of her interviews, McCoy has
identified twelve essential components of success she called "megatraits." While many of these
come as no surprise, it is, I think, instructive to see them listed in one place where, each day, one
can review them and see whether one's work and life really exemplify these essential traits.
Successful People Enjoy Their Work
Be honest with yourself. Are you enjoying what you're doing today... or this week? Successful
people do. They enjoy the challenge, the game, the sheer excitement of what they're doing. Indeed,
as real estate magnate Trammell Crow put it, "Work is so much more fun than fun, it is improperly
called work." Oh, sure, each of these successful people has moments that are less than thrilling... but
they expect them and shuck them off as trivial by comparison with the excitement of their
productive lives generally.
What comes out clearly in McCoy's work is that the truly successful feel blessed by their work... and
delighted at the opportunity to work on the projects and problems that make up their chosen
occupation. Do you feel this way? Or is it pure drudgery getting up and facing yet another day of
employment? Says Malcolm Forbes "The essence of success lies in doing what you enjoy. Otherwise
you neither do it well, fully, or successfully."
Successful People Have High SelfEsteem and a Positive Attitude



I don't know about you, but I'm tired of meeting people who have refined self‐contempt and self‐
criticism to an art form and spend their time (and too much of my time, too!) telling all the reasons
why they've been victimized by life. This disgusts me... and it ought to disgust you.
McCoy's research points out in detail that you can't truly be successful if you don't have a good,
healthy quotient of self‐esteem and a positive attitude that irradiates everything you do.
Truly successful people are confident, upbeat, enthusiastic and certain that things will work out.
Yes, they know that many projects will fail; no, they are not mindless Polyannas. But they figure that
having done the necessary homework and taken the lay of the land, it is better to go forth with an
expectation of success... than the certainty of failure. As Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay Cosmetics says,
"It never occurred to me I couldn't do it. I always knew that if I worked hard enough, I could." Is this
how you feel?
Successful People Use Negative Experiences To Discover Their Strengths
I know many people who take defeat personally... who almost gladly tell me that as a result of their
bad experiences they now feel fully justified never having to try again. But these people, as McCoy's
research demonstrates, have taken the wrong lesson from experiences that didn't go as well as they
might like.
Negative experience, you see, successful people almost come to regard as a private tutorial, a
tutorial that gives them insight into what works, what doesn't, and why. As McCoy puts it, "In
retrospect, many of the successful can actually see how the difficulties they experienced offered
them opportunity to discover more of their potential. In some cases, they were able to use
traumatic experiences as a means of seeing more options than they had before." In other words,
they analyzed even the worst of experiences seeking to squeeze the last drop of insight and
education from them... so they could go out again and, at last, triumph.
Successful People Have Integrity and Help Others To Success
We live in the age of the fast buck at a time when crooks seem to prosper marvelously and where
even the best of people wonder whether integrity and empathy aren't drawbacks instead of must‐
have ingredients for success. Because of this pervasive attitude, I was delighted that McCoy found
integrity and helpfulness part of the makeup of the truly successful individual.
What this means is running your business so that on all transactions both people really benefit. As
Robert Dedman, Board Chairman for Club Corporation of America, says, "Your ability to set up
successful, lasting relationships is the biggest determinate you'll ever have of personal and business
success." This means you can't "strip mine" your way to success riding rough‐shod over people,
pushing "ahead" without a thought to their benefit. As Karl Eller, Chairman of the Board for Circle K
Stores, comments, "With any deal I've ever made, I've been careful that I was fair to the other side ‐
so that both parties were happy." Can you say this?
Successful People Are Persistent



This seems pretty obvious, doesn't it? Yet how many times can you name in your own life that you
took "No!" for an answer... despite the fact that you knew the person who said this to you really
would be better off with what you're selling? Successful people learn from the no's they get... learn
to see in them the beginning of the yes that they want. In short, they know that the most successful
people in the world are the people who get turned down the most... and who make sure they know
why, taking the time to re‐craft the next approach based on what happened to them before. They
don't take this rejection personally... but see it as a learning experience. Is this you?
Successful People Take Risks
As McCoy discovered, "One overriding trait of the successful is that they believe in their idea, their
product, themselves so fully that they are willing to take risks." Sadly, most people ‐ whatever they
say to the contrary ‐ don't take risks. They don't take risks in human relationships or in business...
but wait for someone else to lead the way. Not surprisingly, they never have much success.
What happens when you risk? Sometimes you fail... producing just the result the quivering ones
fear. More often, especially as you learn from failure, you succeed. Thus, as Forrest Shumway of the
Allied‐Signal Companies says, "In 75 per cent of the cases over the course of a lifetime, I will be
intuitively correct, and that is a fair percentage." Now, ask yourself: in what you do, do you put
yourself on the line, extending yourself, taking the risk to make any given situation better... or do
you hold back until someone else takes the "lead?"
Successful People Have Developed Good Communication and ProblemSolving Skills
I think of a friend I have who turns off virtually everyone he ever talks to, despite a good heart and a
zealous commitment to success. Why? Because he doesn't know how to communicate with people...
almost invariably he offends them. What's wrong? He doesn't have good communications skills...
the kinds of skills that enable him to put what he has to say in the best possible way and so both
engage the person he's talking to and persuade that person to take action. But successful people
have these skills. And you must have or develop them, too.
You must also have the ability to confront established norms of behavior and procedure and say,
"Does this make sense anymore?" It's just astounding to me how few people are unwilling to look at
a situation with an open mind, remembering that all things outlive their usefulness and must be
changed. Successful people know this. Their loyalty is to getting things done in a mutually beneficial
way; not how things are done.
Successful People Surround Themselves with Competent, Responsible, Supportive People



With the best will in the world, successful people cannot do everything themselves that needs to be
done. They realize they must rely on others... and so they seek out such people, cultivate them, and
reward them... taking every opportunity to include their supporters, praise them, and help them
develop. Truly successful people don't want "Yes People" around. They want people who are bright,
loyal, questioning, capable of being truly helpful. As Malcolm Forbes says, "No matter how
successful your business is, the only real asset is the people you have."
Successful People Are Healthy, Have High Energy, and Schedule Time To Renew
As McCoy discovered, the successful are generally characterized by a very high energy level... they
get up early, work late, and don't complain when it is necessary to work hours other people would
regard as onerous. McCoy discovered that many of the people she interviewed get by on less than
the normal amount of sleep and that most have a regular exercise program. In addition, most of the
successful take time for renewing themselves... for doing things that are not related to their regular
line of work. As McCoy puts it, "The changes in rhythm might involve a shift in activity or pace and
often a new environment. Revitalizing themselves is crucial enough to them that they actually
schedule time for it."
Successful People Believe In God, a Higher Power, and Sometimes Just Plain Luck
Importantly, the successful people interviewed by McCoy do not feel alone in their ascending
development. Not all are conventionally religious by any means; indeed, those involved in
organized religious constitute a diminutive percentage of her sample. Yet, these successful people
see themselves as "co‐creators" with a higher power that guides them; in other words, they're not
inventing their lives alone... nor, in trying moments, do they have to face circumstances by
themselves. As Ronald Reagan told McCoy "I have a deep‐seated faith that if you ask for help, it will
be given."
Successful People Have a Sense of Purpose and A Desire To Contribute To Society
These days, so much of what many people do seems pointless to them. A terrible feeling
of ennui and "is that all there is?" is pervasive and casts a blight on far, far too many lives. The
successful don't have this feeling. They know not only what they are doing but they know why it
matters. They have, in short, a sense of purpose about their activity that informs all they do and
makes them want to get "up and at 'em" instead of wasting time in self‐destructive doubts and
frustrating introspection.
The successful are certain they are contributing to society, making people's lives better. Most have a
zealous sense of mission that gives them both focus and zest. As McCoy writes, "The successful
show an inner strength, a 'knowing,' that enables them to move out of the ordinary at times when
they believe the situation calls for it. Not so much a rebellious act, it is the will to inspire a higher
level of good in society."
Other Characteristics of the Successful



As a result of McCoy's hundreds of interviews, she was able to see that the vast majority of
successful people shared either all or most of the preceding 12 "megatraits." She also discovered an
additional six traits which, if not quite universal, were still widely shared by the successful, and it is
worth pointing these out to you, too.
Many of The Successful Challenge Traditional Concepts
As McCoy points out, those who cannot succeed within the established system for whatever reason
get ahead more often than not by challenging existing patterns of behavior. Their desire to be
included, to be successful in conventional terms, drives them to change the game and its prevailing
rules.
They Are Constantly Coming Up With Innovative, Fresh Ideas
The mark of the successful people, according to McCoy, is their willingness to discard ideas that
don't work any more... and their ability to keep coming up with new, fresh solutions to problems.
What matters is what will work... not how things have been done before.
Age Is Not a Barrier to Their Starting New Companies
McCoy presents many individuals ‐ including Ray Kroc who started McDonald's when he was 52 ‐
who didn't let their age get them down... but pushed ahead when others their age were thinking
about retirement.
They Continue, Even In Their Late Years, To Be Productive, Many Choosing Not To Retire
Until Long After The Traditional Age.
Because the successful are not "working" in the traditional sense, they have no incentive to "retire"
in the traditional sense either. They realize that the work they have undertaken for so long is what
has made their live so rich and productive... and they see no reason to abandon it, whatever the
majority of their age peers are doing.
The Successful Continue to Schedule Time for Their Education
McCoy reports that the truly successful are under no illusions that they know it all... or that what
they know today will be sufficient to enable them to compete tomorrow. They have succeeded
because of their ability to change, retool, rethink, develop and discard previously usable ideas... and
they know that this is what they must continue to do to remain successful. Thus, whether with
formal or informal programs of education, they are committed to staying abreast of the crucial
developments that will enable them to remain successful.
Last Words



Now that you've read this article, reread and post it. As the successful also know, each moment of
your life is either an opportunity to be more successful... or the chance to fall back and sabotage
yourself. Which is it to be? Too many people reading this article will say, "I know lots of what Doris
Lee McCoy took years to discover. I certainly don't need to consider it again." But, be honest with
yourself. Are you as successful as you want to be... and are you exhibiting these traits in your daily
life? Do you "know" the "megatraits"... or are you living them? Either way, the answer will be
perfectly obvious in time. The question is, will you like that answer?
Do You Really Want to be Rich? Take this revealing quiz and find out



By Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Introduction
The good news, as a recent survey has reported, is that there are approximately 1,600,000
millionaires in America. The bad news, as survey after survey discovers, is that the average person
has only accumulated retirement investments of about $35,000; $25,000 in a retirement plan and
$10,000 in other personal savings. Worse, about 1/4 of those surveyed have nothing saved.
Which camp are you in?
The truth is, that while the number of American millionaires has never been higher, the number of
those with insubstantial assets ‐ or no assets at all ‐ is growing at a far faster rate.
Yet you tell me you still want to hitch a ride on the American Dream, still want to be rich, still want
to be a millionaire. Well, let's see if you mean it. Get yourself a pen. Check the answer that most
represents the way you're doing business today. And be honest!
Q. Have you pledged yourself in writing to having a certain amount of money by a certain
date?
1. Yes, I've taken The Pledge and review it every day.
2. No, I haven't set any precise amount of money I'd like and haven't written anything
down. I just know I'd like to be rich some day.
3. Rich sounds good but I'm not into making any definite commitments.
Comment: People who earn their money have a plan. This plan consists of a precise dollar objective
and a date they want to achieve it. Because they know that it's easy to get distracted, they write
down their objective in this way: "I promise myself that by (date) I will have (amount) in assets."
Then they sign it, just like they would any legal document. They post this document where they can
see it daily... and carry it with them so that it helps inform and direct their behavior. If you're not
doing this... you're handicapping yourself.



Q. Have you figured out how many units of your product or service you need to sell to make
the money you need each day, week, month, and year until you reach your objective?
1. Yes, I know just how many units of my product/service I need to sell to reach my
objective on time.

2. I have a vague idea how much business I have to do, but frankly, I've never bothered
to create a precise plan.

3. I know I'm destined to be rich, so why bother? It's just too much work to figure these
things out for myself anyway, I have better things to do!
Comment: Achieving millionaire status is certain if you:
1. Set a precise dollar objective,
2. Determine how many units of your product/service you need to sell by what date, and
3. Factor in the expense of doing business. That is, millionaire status is the result of a certain
number of dollars raised less the expenses of business. It's pure mathematics.
Thus, what you have to do is set your objective and then create a chart taking into account all the
time in between the present and the date you say you want to achieve your objective. You need to
determine just how many units of value you have to sell each year to reach your objective given the
expense of doing business. Start your chart with last year, the most recent period of time for which
you have actual numbers. Then do your projections for this year... and for all the intervening years
up to your objective.
Obviously, the projections you make are based on certain assumptions. List these assumptions and
why you think they're valid. Attempting to jump from an annual salary of $40,000 a year to one of
$200,000 a year so that you can go from having $20,000 in assets at age 40 to having a million
dollars of assets at age 50 is probably unrealistic. Thus, you'd better be very clear about your
assumptions and why you think they are accurate and the results attainable.
Q. Can you achieve millionaire status simply by selling your current product/service line... or
do you need to diversify?
1. I've reviewed how many units of value I have to sell to reach millionaire status and I
know whether my current line of products/services will enable me to reach my
objective or how much diversified I need.

2. I'm not really sure about what I need to do; I haven't done an analysis yet, but, believe
me, as soon as I get the time I'm going to do it.



3. I don't know whether I can get rich or not with my current line, but I'm sure that if I
need some more products or services to make some more money I'll be able to find
them. I'm not worried!
Comment: Either your current line of products/services is sufficient to make you a millionaire in
the time you've allowed yourself... or it isn't. There aren't any other choices. If it is, fine. You have to
concentrate on aggressive client‐centered marketing. If it isn't, you have another problem. You need
to find and/or develop new product/service lines. The truth is, when you review the
product/service lines ‐ and, of course, the ways of doing business ‐ of most businesses, you discover
that it would take several lifetimes before their owners could possibly get rich. Both their offerings
are too narrow and their ways of doing business too passive. Don't let this happen to you!
Q. Are you clear about the precise groups of people who constitute your target markets?
1. Yes, I've studied my markets, and have a precise idea of the people who can benefit
from what I'm selling, and these are the only people I invest my money in marketing
to.

2. To tell you the truth, I'm winging it. I have a hunch who my market is, but I'm not too
sure which of my marketing makes money for me. You see, I've never really taken the
time and trouble to be certain about who my market is and where I should be
investing my scarce marketing dollars.

3. I'm a scatter shot marketer. I've never read a marketing book. Never done any
marketing research. I figure pretty much everyone is a candidate for what I'm selling
and so I dabble in lots of different kinds of marketing. I don't keep any records about
response rates and, to tell you the truth, don't have a clue what's making money for
me and what isn't. I'm not worried, though. I'm sure to be a millionaire. Just you wait
and see!
Comment: The cost of marketing is substantial. When you factor in such variables as copy writing
services, ad design and lay out, mailing list rental, producing marketing communications, the cost of
telephone and fax (both user fees and supplies), and the expense of lead follow‐up, you know that
marketing is a very significant expense to your business. That's why you have to target your efforts.
Marketing is both an art and a science. It's dedicated to targeting just the right people for the
benefits you have available and approaching them in the most cost efficient and motivational way.
When you're marketing properly, your offer is targeted to just the right people, is presented in the
most focused and economical way, and is designed to get the best qualified lead in the shortest
period of time. Is this what you're doing? I doubt it. Despite the large costs involved, most business
people continue to waste the bulk of their marketing dollars going after the wrong people either
because they keep hoping that they will respond... or because they just don't have a clue that they
are, indeed, the wrong people for their offer.



Q. Have you done everything to create "cash copy" in your marketing documents, or are you
still trying to motivate a response from your market with inadequate, passive, "me
centered" marketing communications?
1. I've worked hard to pack all my marketing communications ‐ flyers, cover letters, ads,
brochures, media kits, post cards ‐ with client‐centered benefits and motivational
offers that have everything to do with what the prospect GETS and little to do with
what I have or want. The results are helping me become a millionaire right on
schedule!

2. I know I ought to be spending more time creating client‐centered communications but
I'm just too busy. I know I ought to translate features into benefits... get client
centered testimonials about results I've helped my clients achieve, and generally
change the focus from myself and my products/services to the prospect and what he
GETS. I know this, and, by golly, I'm going to get around to it.

3. "Client‐centered?" What's that? When I want a brochure or some other marketing
communication, I just sit down and start writing. I don't bother about leading with
benefits... I rarely include an offer and never stress it. I figure that the prospect can
take his own sweet time about reading what I've sent. I'm sure he'll call me... sooner
or later!
Comment: Marketing is a motivational game. If you want to win, you have to turn the discussion in
your marketing communications from yourself... to the prospect. You have to tell him all the
BENEFITS you have for him, and you have to make these benefits as specific as possible. You need
to cut the adjectives and stress what the prospect will get when he uses your product/service. You
have to add credibility to your argument by telling him what others have achieved with your
product/service. These testimonials need to be specific and they need to be specifically attributed.
Moreover, you have to provide an offer for immediate action... something special that the early bird
gets when he takes action. Every marketing communication must have an offer... and the offers
must be focused on something the prospect wants and which will make his life better because he
takes faster action. The only action in marketing that's meaningful is fast action. And it is your job to
stress the benefits and provide an offer that gets the prospect to act quickly to acquire them. Most
marketing communications don't do this, and that's why most marketing communications aren't
worth the paper they're printed on; why they're an expense to a business, not an investment
helping to bring in new dollars.



Q. Have you explored all the marketing alternatives available to you ... and done everything
you can to find and use the least expensive first?
1. I know I have limited marketing dollars, and I need to invest my scarce dollars where
they're going to do the most good. Therefore, I made a study of all the marketing
alternatives available to me and how I could save money with them and get the best
values. I'm certain I'm investing my money in the right places.... the places where I'll
get the best return and where I can build my wealth fastest.
2. To tell you the truth, I'm never sure I'm getting the best values. I don't plot out my
marketing in advance. It's pretty much catch‐as‐catch‐can. All of a sudden, I need
some more leads. So I go out and buy an ad at full price or will do a mailing. Nothing's
coordinated though, and I never seem to get either synergy or the best prices. I know I
ought to do something about this, but I'm always too busy putting out fires around the
office to get the chance.

3. Hey, when I want to do some marketing I don't plan; I buy. I can play with the big
guys. When I want to market, I go first class all the way. I pay top dollar for my ads
and marketing services; I don't bother to shop around for either mailing lists or mail
services. And I certainly never stoop to haggling about price. After all, I'm going to be
a millionaire. Why should I behave like a fish wife?
Comment: Future millionaires know the value of a dollar. They know that they have to make the
scarce marketing dollars they have go farther and that they can't afford to waste a penny.
Therefore, they are always exploring how to get more marketing bang for less business buck. Thus,
they:
• See about swapping lists instead of always renting lists;
• Use reciprocal package stuffer programs;
• Use a screened color in their marketing communications instead of paying for two colors;
• Tell ad sources they want to buy remnant space, instead of paying full price;
• Know what ad space costs, so they can get away with paying a reasonable markup and not
inflated prices;
• Always attempt to get free publicity in all media sources, instead of paying for ad space;
• Make good use of their postage costs by filling all their mail with piggyback offers, etc.
The objective of marketing is to make yourself a millionaire, not to spend all your money in
marketing. Dim "marketers" forget this. Remember, the only marketing expenditure that makes
sense is the expenditure that can help make you rich. All others are just a drain on your resources.



Q. Do you understand and abide by The Rule of Seven?
1. I understand that I can't just approach my target markets once and expect them to buy... no
matter how client‐centered my offer. I know I have to plan a campaign that brings my offer
to their attention a minimum of seven times in no more than 18 months. I must keep my
offer and benefits compelling... and keep hitting, hitting, hitting my market. And I do!

2. I know that when someone is marketing to me, I don't always get around to responding the
first, second or even third time I've heard about the product/service, even if the marketer
has a benefit I want. I know I ought to approach my target markets the same way, but the
truth is, I don't do this. I run one ad for one group, then send a direct mail letter to another
group altogether, and do some telemarketing to a third group. I don't always have the time
or money to follow up... and I rarely create a campaign that brings the benefits I offer
aggressively home to these people time after time. Any day now, I'm going to do better,
believe me!

3. I don't even know what The Rule of Seven is, and I certainly am not implementing it! All I
know is that I figure if I tell people in my target market to get what I'm selling, they'll either
do it right away or they won't. But I just don't have the time or money to follow up.
Comment: Millionaires run marketing campaigns. We (for I am one myself) understand that the
prospects in our target markets are inundated with offers, both from competitors and others
anxious to absorb the precious, limited dollars of our target markets. We understand that even the
most client‐centered offers, those rich with client‐centered benefits and meaningful offers don't get
everyone to take immediate action. We understand we have to hit them and hit them again... until at
last they do act, either to make an inquiry or to buy what we're selling. Unfortunately, while most
marketers understand this point, they don't live by it. Their marketing is episodic and disorganized;
it never achieves the meaningful impact of synergy. It is neither client‐centered enough nor
sufficiently repeated to achieve substantial results. When the initial results aren't what the
"marketer" expected, instead of analyzing to see what could improve them, including instituting a
far more focused effort, he changes to an altogether different market... and starts the same losing
sequence all over again! Without ever figuring out that the process he's following is doomed to
failure.



Q. Do you discard flatworms and others who show you they are not prospects... and both
seek to find and concentrate on the better prospects, the ones who can buy what you're
selling and will?
1. I understand all prospects are not equal. I understand that, particularly in a weak
economy, while the same number of people want the benefits I have available, their
ability to take action now to buythem is more limited. Thus, I do spend my time actively
qualifying my prospects. Instead of defending what I have available, carelessly sending
out free information about my product/service, and treating all people as if they were real
prospects, I put these "prospects" under a microscope to determine if they are real. Only
when I am reasonably certain the investment of my time and resources makes sense with
this individual, do I process him as a prospect ‐ and not a resource waster.
2. I have an inkling all prospects are not of equal weight, but I find myself wasting a lot of
time and money servicing people who turn out not to have been real prospects in the first
place. I'm not a good qualifier and don't have in place a good qualifying process. As a
result, I not only continually waste my resources but am disappointed by people whom
I've treated well... but who buy nothing.
3. Whenever anyone requests information I send it; whenever anyone calls I drop
everything to deal with him. In short, I make no effort whatsoever to qualify anyone or to
weed out the less good from the better prospects. I figure if I keep shooting at prospect
targets, keep sending information, and just keep asking for their business, enough of them
will buy so that I'll be okay.
Comment: Just because a person sends in a lead card, or calls you, or even walks in your door,
doesn't mean he's a prospect. And, take note, only real prospects deserve your attention and
assistance, because only real prospects who become real buyers can help make you wealthy. The
rest simply waste your resources. Thus, it's your responsibility to ask the key questions: What do
you want? When do you want it? Do you have the money to pay for it? Are you ready to get started
NOW? If the answers to these questions are unsatisfactory, the "prospect" isn't a prospect, he's a
waste of time and money and must be treated accordingly. Do you do this? Or do you keep hoping
against hope that the people who give you vague and unsatisfactory answers, who don't answer
your letters or return your phone calls are prospects and keep wasting time on them ‐ as far too
many businesses do? A millionaire trains himself to determine who is and who is not a real
prospect, and who is deserving of his time and attention. Everyone else he tosses out of his life
without regret. You should do this, too!



Your Score and What It Means
Now the moment of reckoning. Do you want to be a millionaire? Are you running your business so
you can be? Or are you simply huffing and puffing, talking about an objective but not doing what's
necessary to achieve it? See for yourself...
Each question has a number in front of it. Go back and add these up. If your score is between 7‐10,
you're on your way to becoming a millionaire. Yes, you have more work to do (particularly if your
score is over 7), but you understand the game and are doing what it takes to win it. Congratulations.
When you're in Boston dining at the Ritz, I'd appreciate the chance to have dinner with you!
If your score is between 11‐15, you have a lot more work to do. If you're not just talking about
becoming a millionaire, you'd better buckle down. You're insufficiently organized and haven't
formulated ‐ much less implemented ‐ your Million Dollar Plan. You're at a critical crossroads, and if
you really want to be rich, it's time to take your fate and your business in hand and start running it
like a money‐machine. Otherwise, what you say you want is going to elude you.
If your score is over 15, you're a sad sack. Stop talking about becoming a millionaire. You'd better
start being nicer to your richest relative; get over there now and clean her cat‐box. Since you
obviously have no intention of doing what's necessary to make your own money through your
business, inheritance is your likeliest option. Good luck to you. If you handle sweet talking your rich
relation like you've handled becoming a millionaire through your business, you'll probably strike
out there, too! Don't call me. I can't afford to know people like you.



Your lousy communication skills are hurting yourself and others.
Here's what you need to do at once.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

It's time to call a spade a spade. We are members of the most communications savvy and personally
wired generation ever. Even the tiniest mite has her cell phone with camera. Yet the truth is, the
explosion of communications tools has produced less real communication than ever; you and your
poor communications skills are one of the culprits. Listen up! After all, it's time your
communication skills improved to the level of your communications tools.

The quality of communications is not strained...

You, being an educated soul, are no doubt familiar with Portia's famous speech:

The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place
beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

(The Merchant of Venice. Act 4, scene 1.)

Bold and even impious, I now advise you (while great Shakespeare rolls in his grave) to change the
word "mercy" to "communications," thus:

The quality of communications is not strain'd... it is twice blessed..."

And so it is. Good communications are good for the recipient and for the sender too.

You know this... but you do not act accordingly. Which is why this (shall we say) motivating article
is so necessary and why you should take every single word to heart and make radical adjustments
in your lamentable behavior.

Poor communicators (with the probability strong that you are one of them) exhibit these traits:

Arrogance. The human animal is a selfish animal, conceived in selfishness and nurtured in the belief
that the Great Me, the universe‐centered I Am is the most important animal anywhere at any time.
As a result, this animal well and truly believes that she is so important that others must feel
grateful, even when the communication is not returned. Oh, my!

People (like you?) who do not communicate effectively are people who are telling others, clear as
crystal, that they are superior to you; that their time is more valuable than yours... and that these
lesser folk need wait (and happily so) and wait and wait some more until you condescend to
respond.



Such people by their behavior and non responsiveness clearly indicate that you and your concerns
are, by definition, of infinitely less consideration than theirs. And that you'd best be glad for the
little you get, for it is infinitely more than you deserve.

Poor communicators are slothful.

Good communicators, effective communicators realize that the business of communicating is like a
tennis match. The ball must always be in motion between the communicator and those he wishes to
communicate with. When the ball stops moving, the communication stops with it. The person who
has stopped the communicating process is , by definition, the lazy, inhibiting one.

All too often the communication stops and is not extended because of unadulterated sloth. It takes
work to communicate... it takes work to conceive a message and deliver that message. It takes work
to be prepared and move matters to their next stage. However the slothful communicator can and
does think of a myriad of "reasons" why he can obliterate the communications process without
remorse. Thus he goes blithely on with his affairs while others, fuming, apply language which is
ever more blue as time passes and their legitimate reasons for communicating go without any
response whatsoever. Oh, my!

A special cycle of hell

For the intractable, for the miscreants arrogant and slothful who will not change, an idea: for them:
a special cycle of hell wherein they are asked such questions as "are you hungry?" or "are you
feeling hot and uncomfortable?" These hungry and uncomfortable miscreants answer and answer
and answer. But response comes there none, ever. Delicious.

Help for the socially challenged and shy Johns and Janes everywhere.

Yet is the world of the non communicators made up solely and exclusively of the arrogant and
slothful? Certainly not. It is also, and in significant numbers, the preserve of the shy, the timid, the
socially malaprop, and untutored.

For them a single word: study.

There is one thing and only one thing which sets us apart and elevated from animals of every kind
and place... and that one thing is communicating. So, if you truly wish to learn, improve and foster
rather than retard communications, here is what you must learn and do.

1) Learn empathy, that crucial ability to enter into the minds and hearts of the people you are to
communicate with. What is it they are expecting from you? Deliver that, to the furthest extent
possible, and you have the essential element of success.

2) Be prompt about responding. In an age of instant communications, there can be absolutely no
reason for delayed or no response at all except your own failure to provide it. The means are at
hand; use them "as quick as boiled asparagus." And that's very fast!



3) Be clear on where you can be reached. Assume the person you are communicating with does not
have this vital intelligence. State it clearly, thoroughly... and reiterate to avoid any confusion
whatsoever.

4) Be willing to try again if the person you are trying to reach (even if that person initiated the
communication) fails to respond. Remember, empathy is the basis for successful communications.

5) Above all else, never stop improving your knowledge of communication and its techniques. In
this golden age of communications, the overwhelming majority of loaves and fishes will go to the
communicating elite... those who make it a point to master communications and steadily enhance
their knowledge and expertise. Make that person you!

Give this article to the communicating challenged. They need it so.

Your last task for today is to give a copy of this article to every substandard and inadequate
communicator you can. The task at hand, training communicators and enhancing their skills, is a
lifetime affair. Start it now. There is so very much to do and so many who need the help.



Eight SelfDefeating Behaviors Preventing You from Becoming the Millionaire
You SAY You Want To Be ... and What To Do About Them

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Introduction
Most people I know say they want to be a millionaire, but most of them say so in a way that makes
me absolutely certain they never will be. Why? Because they speak about this blessed condition as a
matter of hope and not a certainty. They are redolent of wistfulness and implausibility,
treating this achievement as unlikely, if desirable, not absolutely sure. Such people, of course, would
be only too happy to have the lottery rain riches on them... but as for getting it themselves, why that
is just too much bother, and frankly a vision they really don't have for themselves, whatever they
may say at cocktail parties.
If this is you, go back for your third martini; you're probably beyond help. This article is for people
who want to do more than talk about being a millionaire between canapés.
In my ongoing research into what it takes to achieve millionaire status, I have identified 8
significant self‐defeating behaviors that must be overcome. If you can identify them and overcome
them, your chances of becoming a millionaire, the first step to truly significant wealth, are vastly
improved. If you cannot, you'd better hope a maiden aunt leaves you her fortune... or that, while in
couch potato mode, you see your lottery number on the TV screen. Otherwise, being a millionaire
just isn't in your future.
#1 You Haven't Set Becoming A Millionaire As Your Goal
Real, as opposed to imagined, future millionaires know they'll join the Seven Figure Club. They
posit this as a goal, they resolve to make the necessary sacrifices and take the necessary actions...
and they live accordingly.
What's astonishing about all self‐made millionaires (the only kind I'm talking about here) is just
how confident they are about their future status... before they achieve it. They have a vision of
themselves as millionaires. They see themselves with the money... have an indelible mental picture
of themselves enjoying the perquisites and conveniences their money will bring.
Many report that before they achieved millionaire status, this certainty of impending wealth and
status made them figures of fun to classmates, relatives and disbelieving friends. In weaker
moments, the sarcasm, ridicule and lack of confidence of these people, frustrated and disappointed
the future millionaires. But they always were able to get back on course... either because of their
own inner certainty... or, in rarer instances, because a mentor intervened to assist them. One thing
is certain, however: they never allowed the undermining, mediocre, entirely unhelpful attitudes of
their "friends" to sabotage their own belief in themselves, a belief which is and
continues to be a sine qua non of achieving millionaire status.



#2 You Haven't Set a Time by Which You Will Be A Millionaire
Once you've set your objective about becoming a millionaire, you have to set a precise moment
when you want to get there. Whether this moment is realistic or not, I'll discuss shortly,
but you can't make progress towards your goal unless you have a precise goal to progress to.
In this case, that goal is the exact date by which you want to be a millionaire.
This date is an essential part of the mathematical formula you must create to become a millionaire.
Once you have set this date, you know precisely how much time there is before you reach it... and
precisely what must be done in the intervening period. You now have the essential clarity
that you must have to reach your objective. You know just what you are trying to achieve... and just
when you are trying to achieve it. Given that this is your priority, everything else, by definition,
becomes less significant accordingly.
#3 You Don't Know How Much You Have To Make Every Single Day to Reach Your Objective
There are, of course, many ways to become a self‐made millionaire, but the best and most certain
way is to do it the way a mouse eats cheese: a little bit at a time, gnawing one's way to success.
What this means in practice is that you must know exactly how much money you need to make
every single day, both from earned and unearned income, so that you'll achieve your millionaire
objective.
Please note that I said from unearned as well as earned income. As you'll soon see when we discuss
the need for a regular investment program, only a fool attempts to become a millionaire exclusively
through earned income. The goal is to use the benefits of investment growth and compound
interest to assist your ascendant progress.
Thus, say you were age 30 and wanted to be a millionaire by age 40. And say, for the sake of
argument, that you hadn't a penny to your name today. Fair enough. Between your 30th and 40th
birthdays, there are 3650 days of which about 3030 are business days; (this doesn't include either
Sundays or 10 holidays a year). This means, to become a millionaire by age 40 you must increase
your net worth by $330.03 per day, every day. In the beginning, this increase must come exclusively
through earned income, you having no other assets. By the end of the decade, a certain part of it will
come through your various investments.
Once you have arrived at this goal, you need to post it prominently. You need to see it every single
day and arrange all the activities of your life to achieve it. Otherwise, you either:
• Don't really want to achieve the objective (and are thus a flatworm), or
• Have set yourself a too ambitious objective, thereby ensuring failure and a tarnished self‐
image.
Neither outcome is desirable.



#4 You Don't Have Daily Sales Quotas and the Necessary Marketing Plans for Your Products
and Services That Will Net You the Amount Of Capital You Need To Reach Your Objective
Using my illustration above, you now know you must net at least $330.03 per day for capital
investment purposes. Do you have sales quotas and the necessary marketing plan that will
enable you to achieve this objective? If you're like most would‐be millionaires, you don't. How, then,
can you possibly expect to achieve your objective?
The achievement of millionaire status involves the creation of an exact mathematical formula and
arranging your life to achieve it. There's no mystery to this; instead, there's the grace, simplicity and
certainty provided by mathematics. Thus, if you must net $330.03 per business day, you must:
• Figure out precisely how much you need to gross daily. This involves determining how
many of your products and services you need to sell to both gross and net the right
amount, and
• Develop a marketing plan that ensures you reach the right number of prospects so
that you can gross the necessary amount.
Right now, most people selling products and services simply engage in undirected and non‐goals
related activity. That is, they go to work for the sake of going to work; sell products and services
without having a vision of what they're doing this for. The goal of work is never work itself, just as
the goal of selling products and services is never merely to sell products and services. Instead,
selling products and services are small but absolutely necessary steps in the achievement of your
ultimate objective, millionaire status.
What's important, however, is that you have your strategy down pat before you engage in any of the
tactics of product and service selling. That is, you must not only know what you need to net each
day but must have a clear idea of precisely what activities are the most likely to get you there... and
whether what you're doing now is sufficient.
Say you're a consultant currently selling your time alone and say that you currently make about
$30,000 a year. Right now, given your expenses, etc., there's no way you can invest $330.03 per
day. This means that part of your marketing plan must involve things like:
• Enhancing your perceived value as a problem‐solver so that you can raise your hourly and
daily fee;
• Spinning off problem‐solving products like audio cassettes, Special Reports, booklets and
books so that you can tap into new markets and develop so‐called "passive" income
sources, and
• Diversifying your problem‐solving skills to tap into new, more lucrative markets.



All these activities, of course, take time. You may decide, therefore, that it is entirely unrealistic in
years 1 and 2 of your Ten‐Year Plan to invest $330.03 per day and instead in years 7‐10 to invest
more per day based on your then enhanced earnings.
This is fair enough... if you mean it and don't simply engage in the kind of self‐defeating "put‐off‐
until‐tomorrow" behavior that so many would‐be millionaires fall victim to. I know many people
who say that in five or ten years they'll be reaping the benefit of their current self‐improvement
work... but I don't believe it. Too often, it's just too easy to say you'll make the necessary sacrifices
tomorrow (and investing is always a sacrifice of some current pleasure), when you don't have the
personal habits today that are a necessary prerequisite for success. That's why I think it
better to set a longer, more realistic investment time‐frame for the achievement of millionaire
status and to both make and invest what you can right from the very beginning.
#5 You Haven't Mastered Your Craft So You Can Make The Money You Need
The sad truth about most people wanting to become millionaires is that they just don't know
enough about their business to achieve this status. I have long said that you can become a
millionaire in virtually any business. Certainly in each distinct business and professional group
there are self‐made millionaires. The trick is finding out just how each of these businesses works
and arranging your activities so you can make it work for you.
Thus, self‐making millionaires are necessarily studious creatures... they study their craft, perfecting
it, seeking to understand precisely how things work... and precisely how money can be made. They
are not afraid of seeking out mentors and leaders in their field and asking intricate, probing, even
indiscreet questions about how things work... and how money is to be made in any given situation.
Sometimes this incessant inquisitiveness will lead to a rebuff... more often it leads to insight into
just how their business works... and how they can profit from it.
The sad truth is, most people have very little in‐depth knowledge about just how their business
works. They have a nodding familiarity with day‐to‐day activities but no insight into how the truly
successful people made their money... and how they themselves can profit from both regular and
extraordinarily business opportunities. In short, they just don't know enough. As a result, they are
doomed to remain part of the mediocre, unmoneyed mass.
#6 You Continue To Do Trivial And Inconsequential Things You Shouldn't Do
Recently, a young chiropractor called on me who said he wanted significantly to develop his
practice and make more money. He said he wanted to create a booklet as a marketing tool to get
more clients, but couldn't seem to get started. Upon quick analysis, I knew why. In addition to his
regular work, each night he felt compelled to go out drinking with friends, be seen at the "right"
parties, etc. He simply had no time left to spend on the development of his practice and his income
showed the consequences. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out... but it does take a
dedicated and resolute mind to do something about it.



Millionaires focus. They focus on making money from both earned and unearned sources. They
realize they need time and concentration to do this, particularly in the early stages of their career,
before they've totally mastered their craft. To get this time, they must be ruthless about
weeding out the more mundane activities that clog other people's lives... things like washing dishes,
doing clothes, loafing about the house, having time‐consuming, soap‐opera‐ish problems. All these
must be dumped as unproductive.
When one is young and green, one may like to do these things and be "part of the crowd." As one
ages, one realizes one doesn't have enough time to accomplish everything and tends to become
more rigorous about excluding the unproductive from one's life. But certain millionaires earlier
develop an acute sense of the limits of time... and of the need to use it wisely. Even when young,
they know tempus fugit (time flies). Thus, they do whatever they can to shuck off the trivial and
inconsequential and they FOCUS. They know that nothing else is as important as the achievement of
their goal.
#7 You Don't Have a Regular Investment Program
Virtually no self‐made millionaire has actually earned every penny of his fortune. No, indeed.
Millionaires are wise in the ways of money and use investment growth (that is time) and compound
interest to assist them in reaching their goal. So must you. That is why you must have a daily
investment program, even if the amount you invest at the beginning is picayune.
Say, for instance, that right now all you can afford to invest is $10 per day, $60 per week.
Compounded at just 8% annually, the $3,120 you invest the first year will be worth $6,236.89 in 10
years and will be producing $498.95 a year in income. That's nearly $500 you don't have to make
through the sweat of your brow!
Now, think about it. Could you afford to save just $10 a day? Your first reaction may be, "No way!"
But think! Are you willing to make the necessary sacrifices in current comfort to achieve long‐term
comfort and security? Most people ‐ those who will never be millionaires ‐ will never make these
sacrifices. In the age‐old struggle between the grasshopper and the ant, they are quite clearly blithe,
unthinking grasshoppers. But you can't be! If you don't have the money to invest now, you must
rearrange your life to find the necessary money. Otherwise, you are losing out on two of the
millionaire's best friends... time and compound interest. You don't have to be a Wall Street
mogul to take advantage of unearned income, but you must have a regular, consistent, inviolate
investment program... and that program needs to start when you're far from being a millionaire.
#8 You Will Settle For Less
Would‐be millionaires may fall short of their goals. They may be thwarted, disappointed, frustrated,
cast down and stomped on. But, unless their spirit has been broken, they don't settle
for this condition of events; they study and scheme for ways to escape it... because they won't settle
for anything but the best.



All around me every single day I see people who have settled for less... for a home that's not as
grand as they'd like... for clothes that are not stylish... for a school for their children that doesn't
deliver a top‐quality education... in short, for things that are inferior. Future millionaires will live
with the inferior when necessary; they realize that sacrifices are a necessary part of their early
lives. But they never settle for the inferior as a constant presence in their lives. In fact, they despise
it... not merely for being lowly in itself but for representing a state of mind in which one has
accepted the inferior as somehow acceptable, inevitable for oneself and one's family.
Future millionaires see situations clearly. They cannot delude themselves, as so many people do,
that the inferior is somehow acceptable. Temporarily accepting the inferior may be expedient as a
means of helping achieve ultimate success, but to people of the millionaire mind the inferior will
always be nothing other than inferior... something, that is, to escape as early and completely as
possible.
And who will help them escape it? Why, the would‐be millionaire alone. Millionaires, you see, don't
wait for some deus ex machina in the form of a winning lottery ticket or expiring aunt to set them up
for life. They know they must do it for themselves and accept full responsibility for doing so.
If you can't accept this responsibility for yourself and act accordingly, you can never, never be a
millionaire yourself. Merely a penny‐poor wishful thinker which is too, too bad.



Chapter 02: Developing Motivation and Self Determination



Seven Things You Must NEVER Say to Yourself If You Want to
MAXIMUM Business and Personal Success

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

You've heard it and said it since you were a kid: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words
will never hurt me." That's definitely true if you are the recipient of the words... but absolutely
wrong if you are the sender. You see, language completely defines who you are, what you will do,
and the level of success you can achieve. If "you are what you eat," it is also absolutely true "You
are what you say."

That's why I've identified 7 key phrases that are holding you back, 7 phrases which you must
IMMEDIATELY eradicate from your speech as they threaten your success!

1) "I'll do it tomorrow."

Want success? Then understand that "tomorrow" is the enemy of "today." How many people do you
know who have a "manana" mentality, always willing to put off until tomorrow that which could so
easily be done today.

People who succeed in life are people who do today what can be done today, never allowing
themselves the luxury of postponement. These words, then, must be the first to expunge ... and
never allow your brain to think. "Carpe diem" must forever be your guide.

2) "I'll make do."

Now hear this: successful people never "make do." Making do is for people who have convinced
themselves that they will be happy with less. This, of course, is the direct opposite of what truly
successful people think, say, and do.

To the successful, "making do" means imposing restrictions on who you are and what you could
achieve if you made achievement, rather than its opposite, your objective. No great thing, no
worthy thing, no meaningful or awesome thing has ever emerged when the person in charge said
these words. So banish them at once from your vocabulary; if you keep them you will surely get the
less you say satisfies and nothing more. Is that what you want?

3) "I'm a survivor."

Initially this may seem positive, but upon further thought you will come to see how invidious this
phrase really is. No successful person is merely a survivor; such people do not merely continue to
exist (which is what survival means). Instead, they ascend beyond mere existence to the superior
state of flourishing.



Thus, instead of touting the mere ability to get by, give yourself a better objective by saying: "I am
not merely a survivor. Instead I flourish." (Note: Floreat Etona is the motto of England's most
prestigious and influential school, the school that has provided generations of leaders. Let the
slogan work its magic for you, too.)

4) "I'm fixing to do it."

Take a close look at these words.

They do not say "I am doing it."

They say "I'm thinking about getting around to doing it."

Now, it should be obvious that truly successful people don't brag about how they are "about" to do
something. No, indeed. These people, the people we want to be like and emulate, are people who
are masters of "do". And you must be, too. Drop "fixin" from your vocabulary forthwith.

5) "Working on it."

Here's another deceptive phrase which makes non English speakers scratch their heads in
bafflement. The phrase, you see, seems to mean one thing, but actually means quite another.

"Working on it" means the complete reverse. It does not mean that a thing is being attended to,
completion in sight. It means, instead, that the thing in question is not being attended to, has not
been started, and that no completion date can be seen because none has been set. Oh, my!

"Working on it" is a phrase beloved of procrastinators, the slothful and slow‐walkers worldwide
because it gives them cover for the work they are assuredly are not doing and the success they will
not achieve because of it.

6) "It's good enough for me."

This potent phrase has destroyed success for millions worldwide, generation after generation.
Success means constant application, work, a vivid striving after success and the thrill that comes
from having achieved it.

By contrast, the minute you utter the word "enough" you have signaled an end to absolutely
everything necessary to achieve success, including success itself.

"It's good enough" could hardly be worse for your aspirations, strangling success in its cradle and
leaving you with crumbs. "There is nothing quite so bad," wrote the insightful Oscar Wilde, "as that
which is good enough." This is why you must banish this corrosive phrase at once. Only the good
can be good enough for you!



*7) "I could never do that."

Are you one of the legions of people who use these killer words? Be advised: success cannot flourish
in this inhospitable terrain.

People who demand success empower themselves by creating an environment where the goal of
success is never undercut by the words they use and the thoughts they think. For such people, the
keynote is positive potential, not instantaneous death by your own hand.

You see, if you say you cannot do the thing in question, then most assuredly you will not achieve
that thing. As Henry Ford, master of the practical, the richest man of his time, rightly said: "You
think you can. You think you can't. Either way you're right."

Last Words

Success at the best of times is generally difficult to achieve. Why, then, make it even more difficult
by sabotaging yourself, diminishing success by empowering failure? Your thoughts, your words are
your realities. Negative words, restricting words, words that sabotage rather than improve and
inspire must be rooted out and destroyed.

YOU must create for yourself an environment where the total focus, including every word you utter,
facilitates achievement and does not handicap it. Start by eradicating these 7 invidious phrases,
replacing them with those that enrich, improve... and never impede. At once, your trek to success
becomes decidedly easier. Yes, you are on your way!

This astonishing phrase is dynamite, a sure‐fire indicator that the person who thinks and utters it
will have the most meager portion of success. In short, it undermines, sabotages and otherwise
strangles the very possibility of success.

What stimulates success is the keen desire to be better, to have better, to live better.



Too busy? Need Extra Time? Then it's Time for Your 'NEVER DO' list!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

We all know the importance of "to do" lists, that is lists where you write down what you need to do
and when you need to do it. You DO have such lists, don't you? They are essential for maximum
efficiency and focus.

Well, this is a recommendation to start drawing up and living by items on your "never do" list, a list
that becomes absolutely necessary as you see your opportunities and tasks expanding
exponentially and your time remaining inflexible and limited.

Time is infuriatingly limited

Face it. Since you were born, no one has been able to figure out how to get more than 24 hours in a
day. Generations of trained, often brilliant, scientists have come and gone... yet we have the same
amount of time as the Caesars with no change in sight. Bummer.

Thus instead of wishing we had more time, the challenge becomes making better use of the time we
have. Inspired allocation of time becomes the goal... and this includes the all‐important "never do"
list.

The residual pull of "do it yourself".

If your upbringing was anything like mine, you were constantly admonished: "if you want it done
right, do it yourself."

Without detracting from the wisdom of this remark, I must tell you this in all seriousness: quite
simply you cannot do it all yourself... and to achieve increasing success you must make the
determination and live by it... that that which can be done by others, must be done by others; this is
the only way you can perfect your ability to make money and mastermind the growth and
expansion of your empire.

Start today. What task(s) can you stop doing at once?

Review what you did yesterday, everything you did. Write it down. It is time to see where you
currently invest your time... and to stop doing at least 1 of the items currently being done by you.
Now, when I say write down EVERYTHING you did....I do mean EVERYTHING. The goal is freeing up
time... which means a total review of what you now do for yourself.

Looking at what you do

This list will include items like these

* household tasks like laundry, food shopping and preparation, taking care of pets

* time you spend with children and elderly parents



* running errands (list every one you must do)

* driving and upkeep of your vehicles.

Be thorough, be exhaustive, be honest!

Selecting the first item to be done by others

Remember, the amount of time is rigidly fixed. What you personally do... and what you delegate to
others to do is not. Now is the time to start this crucial delegation.

Household help

Busy people, important people, people with lots of things to do... and the desire to advance... almost
all have household help and so must you.

Hire your help (recommendations from friends help). Then train them to meet your exacting
standards and to create the lifestyle of ease and efficiency that you require as a necessary condition
for your own success.

Now, I'm not saying it's not possible to live without household help. What I am saying is that if you
want the maximum amount of free time that you can devote to getting on and getting richer, then
you MUST have household help. That help is a crucial factor in your success.

Training such people in what you require is essential. You'll need a "to do" list for them, and you'll
need to monitor carefully what they do and how they do it. Allowing them to get on with the job of
helping and serving you will yield a huge dividend in time and a general feeling of contentment and
satisfaction.

A driver

If you're like most people you spend a spectacular amount of time in and around your vehicles. This
is time better spent in advancing your economic well‐ being and comfort. In short, you require a
driver.

Drivers can be used for a myriad of purposes, from running errands to making an evening out
comfortable and efficient. If you've never had such help before, you can hardly imagine how
liberating it is to acquire and use it... and how promptly you become accustomed to its many
advantages. And the cherry on the cake, of course, is that it frees up a huge volume of time, time you
can better use for other purposes.



A word of recognition

My own driver is Aime Joseph, a man of efficiency and concern, who with his charming wife
Mercedes, take care of me and mine. Indeed, so popular is Mr. Joseph, that when my relatives visit
they always ask whether he will be picking them up at the air port. An affirmative answer cheers
them immensely. I am glad to attest to his virtues... and to the essential services he delivers,
services which have given me both leisure and the time required for enhanced business profits and
a better, more serene existence.

A word of advice: slow and steady wins the race

The first problem to overcome will be accepting the need for help to free up time. Then there is the
matter of cost. You'll say that you don't have the money to delegate life's essential tasks to others.
That's rubbish. You simply need to be sure that you can generate the necessary money from your
business and that this money is greater than the cost of the assistance you are acquiring. If it is, no
problem.

But don't go mad... before you add additional help to your expense ledger, always make sure you
can generate the income to pay for it. Once you are sure, proceed. This means moving ahead with all
due deliberation. Help is great, help is essential, help gives you the better life... but you must be able
to pay for it.

Now begin. You are about to stop doing one essential task after another, tasks you may have done
for a lifetime but which you cannot afford to do yourself any more. Why? Because you truly know
and intend to live by the fundamental truth that is Benjamin Franklin's famous line: "time is
money." Indeed it is... and now, with all your new and vital help, you are about to liberate a great
deal of that time and reap the very substantial benefits that come when you do!

What You Can Learn from the Great Napoleon's Catastrophic to
Plan His Work and Work His Plan!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

When you think of Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, you probably think of

* military genius

* conqueror of Europe

* creator of the Code Napoleon.

All this is true.

But what is also true is that Napoleon was a gambler, not a planner; a man who lost an empire
because he was unwilling to set a practical, achievable objective and do what was necessary to get
and hold it.



1813

By the spring of 1813, the Napoleonic empire, so very new, was already on its last legs. Napoleon
should have been planning how to keep what he had which, after all, included la belle France. His
chaotic finances, military weaknesses, and the national desire for peace provided reason enough to
consolidate his possessions and plan for another day.

The whole of Europe, including the Allies who opposed him (Russia, Prussia, Austria, England)
wanted peace, and they were willing to accept Napoleon's continuance in power (with certain
conditions) to get it.

However, Napoleon was a gambler, not a planner. He was simply unable to set a realistic goal and
work towards it, even if he could as a result, have his dynasty endure in France.

Oh, how he needed to listen and adhere to the sage counsel the Shakespearian Duke of Burgundy
gave to King Henry V:

"Why that the naked, poor, and mangled Peace, Dear nurse of arts, plenties, and joyful births,
Should not in this best garden of the world, Our fertile France, put up her lovely visage?"

But Napoleon would have none of it. When his military talents procured a victory (as they did in
May, 1813 at Lutzen) he insisted on more. When these talents failed him (as they did at Leipzig in
October, 1813) he would not accept less. This was not statecraft... it was mayhem.

The whole of Europe except one man yearned for peace... but this one supremely selfish,
disorganized and myopic individual... insisted on war, exasperating all, while ensuring ultimate
failure for himself.

Had he, in the turbulent days of 1813, planned for the continuance and stability of his dynasty, he
could have had it to the general joy and jubilation of Continental Europe. He simply needed to say
"J'y suis. J'y reste", as Field Marshal MacMahon did at the siege of Sebastopol in 1855; then set about
making it happen.

Are YOU a business gambler? Or do you plan your work and work your plan?

You KNOW the value of business planning. You know the planners get more and keep more.
However, like most people planning is something you just can't seem to get around to doing.
Instead, like Napoleon, you proceed without a clear objective and relentless focus. In short, you
muddle through.

This was catastrophic for Napoleon... and it's not smart for you either, especially in an economy as
weak and uncertain as we have now.

So, today resolve that you will do something the great Napoleon couldn't do: plan your work, work
your plan, and emerge as more successful than the emperor himself. Here's what you need to do:

1) Set a clear objective.



You need to know where you're going and when you plan to be there. If you don't know where
you're going and when you plan to arrive, just how do you expect to succeed? A clear objective is a
must.

2) Write this objective. Don't just keep it in your head.

Written objectives are the ones that get achieved; the rest are forgotten. I bet you don't have such a
written plan now. Change that at once!

3) Write down precisely how you intend to reach this goal.

Again, specificity is key. You must say how many units you plan to sell... and keep to this specific
schedule each and every day you wish to reach your goal!

Note: if you miss a day or two, don't give up and throw the baby out with the bath water. Humans
fail... but we can get focused again and succeed.

4) Make sensible revisions in your planning and execution.

Business conditions change. You must change with them. For instance, when circumstances are bad,
you must improve your offers to improve your cash flow. When circumstances have improved, you
should consider price increases. The key is realizing that changing circumstances necessitate
changes in your goal and the way to achieve it.

YOU can be more successful than the Emperor himself

Napoleon failed. The man with the golden touch was lacking the one thing he needed for success
and was so obviously lacking: judgment. He who had dazzled Europe... did not know how to contain
his hubris and turn it into sensible, achievable policy. Thus, he lost all.

Learn from the great man's titanic error.

Plan your work. Work your plan. Evaluate. Maintain what you have... always move ahead... but
never gamble. In this way you ensure your success. What's more, because of your planning and
focus, YOU will enjoy the success the great emperor himself forfeited.

Napoleonic resource

For one of the best books (and the best written) on Napoleon and his family, consult "The
Bonapartes" by David Stacton. Simon and Schuster, New York. 1966. It's a very good read.



Chapter 03: Fostering Your Family Legacy



Don’t Just Honor Thy Parents … Record Them!
By Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Don’t let this happen to you: at your parents’ funerals, one of your relations says, “It’s too bad we
didn’t record them. It would have been so easy to do. Now they’re gone forever!”

There are many reasons for recording a life history with your parents, but two are
paramount: there is so much you don’t know about them… and it’s the best way to keep your
memories alive. There is, moreover, something soothing about turning on a tape recorder and
hearing the much loved, familiar voices telling some stories you know… and some you’re hearing
for the first time.

Here are some tips which will help you achieve the very best results when you do this
important project.

1) Don’t wait
The worst thing in the world is saying “I could so easily have done this.” Instead of lamenting a lost
opportunity, proceed now, this very day. There is nothing to be gained by waiting.

2) Schedule a meeting with your parents now.
Treat this event with the planning and importance it deserves. Schedule a planning meeting. If you
live a good distance away from your parents, you may have to schedule months ahead. If so, do as
much as you can by telephone or webcam. Don’t put things off just because one or both parents are
not readily at hand.

3) Start brain storming the questions you want to cover in your interview.

You should come up with significant questions; your parents should do the same. As coordinator of
this project, take it upon yourself to gather all this material together. Understand that simply
sitting down with your parents and a tape recorder and “winging it” produces results which cannot
be entirely desirable.

Your questions should cover all factual information (birth place, birth date, name of parents,
number of siblings, date of marriage, etc.) as well as open‐ended queries of the “what attracted you
to each other?” type.

4) Select a good, quiet spot where you can do the recording.

Everyone should be as comfortable as possible. Make sure you have a pad of paper and pen
for yourself and the ‘rents as an aide memoir. And be sure to have a pitcher of water at hand,
nothing carbonated please.



5) Do a short test.
For best results, do a test. Introduce yourself, have your parents introduce themselves. Note:
it is advisable, if possible, to do three recordings: one with each parent individually; a third with
them together.

6) Keep tapes to 60 minutes each.

Do not try to include everything in just one tape. It will make the tape seemed rushed, which is just
what you don’t want. Instead, plan on at least 2 hours, about the length of a television documentary.
Divide the time into sections including early years, education, marriage and children, career,
and a general free‐flowing section about whatever your subjects want to record.

7) Before taping, write an introduction
Remember, you know the subjects, so do your siblings. But your children won’t know them
very well and their children hardly at all. Thus, a good informative introduction is necessary
with complete names, including yours.

Take some pictures of your interview.

The more personal and appealing you can make the final result, the better. Remember, all photos
must be dated and the names of the participants carefully printed on the back. This is a must.

9) Make copies of the final result and send to siblings, etc.

Of course you did all the work. That’s the kind of person you are. So do the packing and
shipping too. Your relatives will be glad to have the tapes and hopefully recognize the hard work,
deliberation and careful planning you put in. But don’t count on it!

10) Listen to your tapes when you want to spend some time with your parents.

The special tapes you’ve created should not be put in a drawer, never to be taken out. The great
thing about tapes, no matter how far they fall below Hollywood production standards, is that they
bring your loved ones to life, whenever you like. Play them, enjoy them, shed a tear, hoist a glass.
These are your near and dear ones… and by listening to the tapes, you bring them back.



You only die once. Tips for Commencing the Journey of Your Life with
Clarity, Style and Consideration of Others.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

When I was growing up in Illinois in the 'fifties, there was a well‐known phrase, that the only two
certainties in life were death and taxes. Well, we hear plenty about taxes... but precious little about
death, much less making a "good death." With this article I aim to rectify the imbalance a bit and get
you thinking about how to prepare for death, the last great journey of your life.

Some people will find this subject distasteful, even gruesome and appalling. But that's a decidedly
provincial and short‐sighted view. The plain fact is, we must all die... so the question is not whether
your demise is going to happen or not; rather, it's whether you have prepared yourself and others
for the event... and whether you have arranged matters with efficiency, convenience, and style,
always remembering that you get one chance and one chance only to arrange matters properly; that
it must be done right.

1) Your last will and testament

Millions of people who should have a will, don't. They offer any number of "reasons" for putting off
until tomorrow that which they should be doing today... but the plain fact is, planning to give up all
that is near, dear, and familiar unnerves them. I know.

Like so many, I procrastinated about drawing up a will, only to discover when at last I could
procrastinate no longer that the process was fascinating, enthralling and liberating. It was good to
know that questions of property and dispersal were handled and that, at the end, I could
concentrate on other things rather than the last will and testament I had put off too long.

2) Allow ample time for necessary will preparation and creation

Naively, I thought that preparing a will would be a matter of a few weeks, a month or two at most.
In fact (due partly it is true to a dilatory lawyer) it took nearly 15 months to gather all the necessary
information, schedule and have conferences, consider the disposition of every cent of money and
item of furniture; in short, it was a much more time consuming (and expensive) event than I ever
imagined. Prepare accordingly.

3) Decide where and how you wish to be buried.

The question you must answer is whether you wish to be cremated or whether you wish your
mortal remains to be buried. I found this a particularly difficult question. It happened that I had
seen a film on the actual process of cremation, and didn't at all like what I saw. On the other hand, I
didn't relish being planted in the cold, unyielding ground of New England for eternity either.



My best friend, a scientist able to look the matter in the eye with sterner clarity and resolution than
I was, told me in no uncertain terms that I was over analyzing the situation, that cremation was the
only intelligent and ecologically friendly course of action. I selected cremation... but without the
bell‐ringing conviction and certainty of my friend.

4) Habeas corpus. Now what can you do with it?

You must make, in a moment of clarity, the decision not just what must be done with your remains
in terms of burial or cremation... but whether these remains can be used for the benefit of others.
Do you want portions of your body, still usable; to go to others... or do you wish to stay intact,
inviolable?

Personally, I had no trouble with this issue; it made eminent good sense to allow others to benefit
from whatever was sufficiently useful.. and which I would be unable to use. Noblesse oblige. And so
the proper authorities have my express desire and my permission to use me however they see fit.

5) No heroic measures

Do you want to exhaust all efforts to stay alive, even if "living" means that you can do nothing more
than breathe and exist? To me, such a "life" can be purchased at far too great a cost, with resources
best used for others. To be "alive" but unable to "live" seems to me a very poor use of resources, and
a situation that causes maximum expense and maximum trouble for others, rather than the serenity
and peace we seek.

6) Write the necessary letters

Before you die there are things to do, important things which cannot be put off. Amongst these
tasks is the writing of certain letters, letters to spouse, to children, to dear and valued friends, and,
yes, letters to those you may have offended... or who need some clear, final statement from you
about some misunderstood deed or hurtful action.

These letters must be hand written... and must render sentiments of importance and total honesty.
You owe it to yourself and recipient to write from the heart, especially if what you write is painful,
difficult, and unexpected. Work hard on these letters, for what you write will be read, reread, and
considered often by the recipients. Plan on it.

7) Arrange a final chat whenever possible

Hearing that his lifelong love Madame de Laval was dying, the Prince de Talleyrand, the celebrated
French 19th century statesman, hurried to her side. There, they remembered their youth and its
pleasures, tears freely flowing. But this was not how either of them wished the matter to end.

Madame de Laval asked for a few moments to compose herself... the Prince de Talleyrand removed
himself... and, too, pulled himself together.



Madame de Laval called him in, offered the full hospitality of her house, and they settled into a long,
intimate, gracious chat, lively and fulfilling of the kind they had enjoyed for so many years.

The Prince then said his adieux and departed, only to learn that his chere amie had died a few hours
later, satisfied and comforted... the way eternal partings from your dearly beloved should be. As the
end approaches, spend it thus... for parting, as Shakespeare knew, is such sweet sorrow.

An Appreciation of Dr. Robert Butler, Advocate for the Aging

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Do you intend to live to a ripe old age? To enjoy "the last of life for which the first was made," as
Robert Browning wrote?

If so, you need to pause a moment and tip your hat to Dr. Robert Butler, who passed July 3, 2010 in
New York City. He was 83 years old., full of honors and of years.

I knew Dr. Butler professionally and worked with him as a consultant to The National Caucus and
Center on Black Aged. He was a much respected and even revered member of the Board of
Directors. His fellow directors realized that they, along with so many other elder services, might not
even exist without his pioneering work on aging.

Dr. Butler and The Invisible Aged

Until Dr. Butler and his ground breaking work, it is hardly too much to say that the aged, while
everywhere among us, were not seen and were but rarely considered.

In a very real way, therefore, Dr. Butler discovered the aged and turned the spotlight on their
deplorable situation. His 1976 book "Why Survive: Growing Old in America" won the Pulitzer Prize
for its unflinching look at the how the elderly were systematically ignored, mistreated, forgotten,
treated with contempt, neglect, and just plain cruelty.

This book made a great nation squirm with embarrassment and ensured that the aged would never
be forgotten again, a finding which brought hope as well as some beneficial change to millions. It
was but one in a lifetime of accomplishments.

To read Dr. Butler's accolades is to understand how one informed, persistent person can alter the
course of human events and assist the process of amelioration and systematic improvement for
millions, including every one now alive and aging.

Item: Dr. Butler was a founding director of the National Institute on Aging, one of the National
Institutes of Health.

Item: In 1968, Dr. Butler coined the term "ageism", or age discrimination and lead a pioneering task
force on the impact of age prejudice.



Item: Dr. Butler was instrumental in research that established that senility was not inevitable with
aging, but rather a consequence of disease.

Item: In 2006 Dr. Butler led another study that addressed age discrimination in the workplace,
elder abuse, and the media's role in perpetuating and even condoning such abuse.

Item: at the time of his death, from leukemia, he was leading a committee on aging for the World
Economic Forum.

Dr. Butler Understood the Power of Institutions

Unlike certain prophets unable to work within the system, Dr. Butler, a trained gerontologist and
psychiatrist, understood the necessity to create institutions. He

* was founding chairman of the nation’s first department of geriatrics, at the Mount Sinai School of
Medicine

* was founding president of the International Longevity Center‐USA in New York City, a research,
policy, and education center dedicated to the field of longevity and ageism.

to name but two. He understood that permanent change required permanent institutions to foster
and deliver that change.

What We Need To Recall about Dr. Robert Butler

* He saw what others either would not or could not see. Hard though it may be to believe, when he
started his work the aged were largely invisible; their deterioration thought to be inevitable and
assistance limited and powerless to present wide spread abuse. We thank him for seeing.

* He knew that public outrage could fuel widespread action. And so he piled fact on fact until had
what was necessary to call up the outrage of a hitherto uninformed America. He knew we had the
resources, once we had the facts and the desire to change the deplorable situation. We thank him
for summoning the moral power of outrage and the best within us.

* He had the grit and determination to stay on course, continuing his research and institution‐
building skills. He, as Robert Frost wrote, knew he had "miles to go and promises to keep." We
thank him for continuing, long after others, secure in their fame, would have stopped, literally up to
the day he died.

I recall Dr. Butler as quiet, courteous, informed of course, always informed, but never pushy or
arrogant, truly a gentle man. And ALWAYS fierce in his advocacy for the aging.

As you become one of them, you, like me, should be grateful for what he did to make your senior
years as comfortable and productive as possible.



What Your Local School is NOT Teaching Your Children that
You Must to Ensure their Lifetime Success.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Have you considered lately just what your local school is ‐‐ or more importantly ‐‐ is not teaching
your children? Probably not. Like most parents, you take the matter on faith; hoping they're
teaching what your children most need to get ahead.

Unfortunately, in at least 4 key areas, your children are learning little or nothing of what they
absolutely must know to get ahead and lead profitable, productive lives.

#1 Local schools don't teach necessary interview and job skills, leaving your children vulnerable
particularly in tight job markets.

Here are just some of the items on which the school is letting you down:

* how to write a resume and cover letter * how to look for and find available jobs * how to follow up
with prospective employers * how to dress for the interview * how to handle themselves during
interviews.

Obviously obtaining employment is crucial. Sadly, your school is letting you down.

#2 Your school is not delivering detailed information on financial affairs.

Mastery of basic information about money, debt, investments, etc is crucial. However, here's what
your school isn't teaching:

* how to open a bank account * how to use checks, including how to balance a check book * what a
home mortgage is and how to get and keep one * how to do a home budget * understanding and
benefiting from pensions * understanding mutual funds and other financial investments * how to
complete a tax form.

We live in a "capitalist" culture, but the overwhelming majority of our citizens are clueless about
how to benefit from it, because our schools teach nothing about it.

#3 How to be a good citizen. Your school isn't telling, leaving this to "catch as catch can" with
disastrous results.

Election after election takes place with 40%, or more, of citizens failing to vote. No wonder. Here's
just some of what our schools don't teach:

* what is a citizen? What are his/her rights and responsibilities * what is the Constitution? What is
the Bill of Rights? * how to register to vote * how to read a ballot * how to understand referenda
and other citizen initiatives * how to vote.



We decry low voter turn‐out and participation yet fail to teach what is necessary for a healthy
democracy.

#4 Basic human relations skills

Have you looked at your children lately? Have you actually listened to them?

EVERY civilization prior to ours was painstaking in teaching young people successfully how to
interact with other people. They realized that such skills were absolutely crucial for a successful
marriage and life generally. Instead of this sensible system, we let matters take their course with
predictable results. Here's just some of what our schools don't teach:

* how to greet strangers and make them feel comfortable * how to look people in the eyes * how to
handle a basic conversation * the meaning of courtesy and how to deliver it * how to express
appreciation * how to reciprocate.

Get the picture? Without your school's interest or support, your children are left at sea with no
assistance or insight whatsoever about necessary questions of human relations. Boorish and self‐
defeating behaviors are therefore inevitable.

Since The Schools Are Unable or Unwilling To Assist, These Things Are YOUR Responsibility

It is clear that leaving matters to your school is a bad mistake. Public educators are unable or
unwilling to teach these matters. Thus, if you want the best for your children YOU must become
their recognized, organized "life skills" teacher.

Don't treat this matter casually or lightly. It is far too important for that.

* Think what your children must know but are not getting in school. * Schedule regular meeting
with your children. * Be clear on what you want them to know. * Encourage active participation and
discussion. * Invite their friends to participate.

It is not the fault of the children that they are being short‐ changed in schools. Don't compound the
problem by short‐changing them at home. Start today. You'll be glad you did, and your children will
reward you by maturing into better people, with suitable appreciation for all you did!

P.S. If your school district teaches at least some of these things, be glad.... then ask them to
implement the rest!



How to Turn Your Child into a GUARANTEED Millionaire

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Do you love your children?

Would you do anything to ensure their life‐long well‐being?

Of course, you say!

Then, why aren't you instructing them in how to get RICH?

The plain fact is, the overwhelming majority of parents have a "que sera sera" approach to the
crucial business of training their children in GUARANTEED wealth building. This is a HUGE error.
Instructing your children in how to get rich has at least as much or an even greater pay‐off than any
immunization, sports mastery, or school degree. Yet you're currently not doing anything about it!

That needs to change at once.

1) Start as early as age 5.

Becoming a GUARANTEED millionaire is as much a function of time as anything else. Thus, the
earlier you get started instilling good wealth‐building habits, the better. Five is an excellent place to
start! Kids already older than five? Don't give up on that account! Just because you can't start at the
ideal time doesn't mean you shouldn't start at all.

2) Make wealth‐building a game.

Growing a fortune means developing good habits. But just because they're good doesn't mean they
have to be dull or onerous. Set aside time each week for the "Let's make Bobby rich" game. Make
getting rich light, fun, and a great opportunity to get to know your child better.

3) Explain the mission

Even 5 year olds understand that living well has lots of advantages. More of this, more of that. Your
job is to show them how good financial habits deliver the goodies ‐‐ for life.

4) Open the pot with a couple of bucks

To start your child's financial education and the good wealth‐building habits of a lifetime, start off
by putting just $5 in the pot. Make it clear that this number will be steadily augmented as the child
helps around the house: 10 cents for making the bed... an extra quarter for walking the dog. It's
essential that the child's desire for "more" be whetted as soon as possible and that you incentivize
as much as possible.



Never just give an allowance. Earning is necessary in the real world... and the sooner your children
understand this, the better!

5) Put the money in the bank

As soon as possible, open a bank account in your child's name. Call the bank to ascertain the
minimum for this all‐important first account. Then go to the bank.

Make this trip an event. Dress up. Explain you're talking your darling to a VERY important place.
Make sure to say these people are helpful and want to be your friend and help you achieve a better
life.

Note: call ahead to see who will be available to see you. Explain what you're doing. Bankers are
human, too (really!) and can get into the spirit of this enterprise. After all, you're bringing future
customers!

More: if you have several children, make sure to bring the others with you. These visits are good for
refining manners and getting live account updates.

6) Switch from bank savings accounts to no‐load mutual funds as soon as you have the minimum in
your account.

No load mutual funds (with automatic dividend and income reinvestment) are a better way to grow
capital than mere savings accounts. Before switching, talk to your banker about what he may have
available. ALWAYS take your children with you when these discussions occur. The more familiar
they are with what's happening with their money, the better.

7) Don't stop your meetings and don't touch the capital!

We have a useful expression here in frugal New England: "Start as you mean to go on." What that
means is, make time for this all‐important financial education. Don't stop because you miss a week,
or even a month. That's what they say in diet classes... and the same is true here. Remember, what
you're doing is essential for your child's well‐being.

One More Thing

In so far as humanly possible, DON'T touch your child's capital, even for college. A college education
is NOT the objective. Being rich is. That means regarding your capital as sacred.

Follow these steps, and you'll have the satisfaction of seeing your child rich, a bona fide millionaire.
Guaranteed! Uncork the champagne. You've earned it. Your children are lucky to have such
excellent parents!



Chapter 03: Religious Faith



A Good Bishop has Stepped Down

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

The news came the other day from Concord, New Hampshire where a good and decent man
announced his early departure as Anglican bishop of this picturesque New England diocese.

What he said in his usual low‐key, quiet way was moving: he would step down as bishop in January,
2013 after nearly a decade in that post, 7 years before he had to by Anglican rules.

Then the reason: "The fact is," he said, "the last seven years have taken their toll on me, my family,
and you."

"Death threats and the now worldwide controversy surrounding your election of me as bishop," he
told the annual convention of his diocese " have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my
beloved husband, Mark, who has faithfully stood by me every minute of the last seven years."

So what was Gene Robinson's' crime? He wished to serve and had the skills. He wished to give. He
wanted to take on a job many would eschew as too much work for too little pay. He wanted to help
and tend his flock... he wanted to uplift the lonely and the suffering. He wanted to praise God and
His works.

And, not least, he wanted to love one man body and soul, to find fulfillment and happiness in his
personal life.

The good people of New Hampshire, wise and pleased to have such a pastor at their service, elected
him in convocation. Robinson, with the full support of his congregation, became bishop. But
because his conception of man embraced eros, not just agape... great schism threatened.

Ironically, the church Robinson served was created by schism. Both schisms came about because of
marriage. King Henry VIII's break from Rome happened because he wished to thrust aside his
barren wife for the winsome Anne Boleyn. Robinson opened a great divide because he wanted to
stand by his man and be an excellent bishop. The king wanted divorce; Robinson wanted marriage.
They both got schism.

Meanwhile, the man took up his crozier and his mission, doing the job he did so well. The people of
New Hampshire, the people who knew him best and who had chosen him were happy. He had been
honest with them; they would be true in turn to him.

The story should have ended there, with Bishop Robinson fulfilling his duties and at last, when he
had served his term, retiring full of years and honors.

But the story did not end there. It began.



Because the bishop loved a man and honestly said so, hard upon his election followed the death
threats, the fulminations, the moral superiorities and posturings, the taunts and comments ranging
from the mean spirited to the criminal. All because a good man, with great gifts and the desire to
use them for the general good, chose to love a different way.

Bishop Robinson wore a bulletproof vest to his consecration.

In such a situation, where the people of New Hampshire had chosen and were happy with their
selection, Bishop Robinson, now clearly a man of history, might have expected the support and
assistance of the leader of the worldwide Anglican congregation, Rowan Williams, Archbishop of
Canterbury.

However, his grace the Archbishop, caught between the unyielding who demanded Robinson's
episcopal cross as the price of staying part of the Anglican church and Robinson, who simply
wanted to marry and get on with his job of service, the Archbishop, I say, caved.

Instead of welcoming Bishop Robinson to the once‐in‐ a‐decade Lambeth Palace Conference, along
with all his episcopal brethren, the Archbishop told Robinson to stay away. Thus, the Archbishop
chose political expediency over truth and right, thereby erasing in an instant in this act of moral
cowardice his own legitimacy.

Gene Robinson had thanks to the continuing support of the good people who elected him, the right
to a different response, a better support from the archbishop. However, Rowan chose the ostrich
way to solve the problem... pulling the covers over his head and wishing the good bishop of New
Hampshire and his inconvenient dilemma would simply go away.

Not from this archbishop support for a man of God and of the people, a man duly elected and
consecrated. Pontius Pilot like, he washed his hands of his brother‐in‐ Christ and got on with his
ignoble work of pacifying Anglican bigots worldwide.

Bishop Gene, spurned at the highest reaches of his church, by leaders who would not lead, carried
on. However, this fight, now terribly important and symbolic to each side, took its sad toll on the
man. One day he rose in church and admitted the unceasing pressures had caused him to escape
into alcoholism. The people of New Hampshire understood and welcomed him again after he had
taken the cure and solved the problem. All the while the invective against this man of God and
goodness rose and became a cyclone of bitterness.

At last it became just too much. The man who had brought peace to so many asked for peace for
himself and the man he loves.

Thus in Concord, New Hampshire, Bishop Gene Robinson, looking tired and worn, told his
congregation that he would end his tumultuous career early... and so deprive them all of years of
service, of giving, and the quiet dignity and effectiveness that marked his tenure.



Members of the congregation, as they listened to the unadorned words that people of the Granite
State could so well understand, felt the tears rise. They were thinking of the bishop and his fight;
they were thinking of what they had wrought by elevating him as their pastor; they were thinking
of the Church, of their Saviour and of God. And so they wept...

.... and remembered.

The Rev. Rodney Hudgen, associate rector at Trinity Church, Copley Square, Boston, recalled a
sermon he had heard Robinson deliver in Ohio in 2006. It was in response to a question of how to
respond to those persecuting gay clergy. Robinson's message was clear and forthright: "Love them
anyway!"

Hudgen was bowled over, "It was like the Holy Spirit had crashed into the room, and I was changed
forever." Just as so many have been transformed by Bishop Gene and his empowering message of
love and life.

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I
will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:12) For Bishop Robinson,
Pastor Gene, you have truly done your Master's work, and it is good. Rejoice, for few have done as
much as you to help so many.



Not the Pope We Wanted... Brussels' Archbishop Andre Leonard Clearly Indicates
Why Benedict XVI is in Trouble

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

As protests go, it was short and undeniably sweet: a man ran up the central aisle of Brussels' main
cathedral and shoved a cherry pie in the face of Archbishop Andre Leonard, a man seemingly tailor‐
made by history and Catholicism to roil and divide. Appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop
Leonard's in‐your‐face pastry clearly indicated that he was adding to the hapless Benedict's already
at‐risk pontificate instead of helping out, as he was supposed to.

And the pope had no one to blame but himself.

Archbishop Leonard is smiling.. but the well‐ living, comfortable Belgians are not.

It's easy to see why the archbishop is enjoying himself. At 70, an age when other men contemplate
their gardens and the dinner menu, Archbishop Leonard is a man of destiny. Striding through an
airport the other day, his grace was dogged by paparazzi and protestors... the cynosure of every eye,
the darling of Rome and other intractables. His deeply self‐satisfied smile could not be mistaken. He
was where he was meant to be defending (in) fallibility, injustice, and the deeply troubled Church of
Rome, whose saviour he could imagine becoming.

It was the perfect formula for maximum unhappiness and division... and his grace was nothing if not
the man to savor every divisive moment of this unexpected opportunity.

And the pope had no one to blame but himself.

The pope's policy has been this: remove liberals, like retired Cardinal Godfried Danneels, beloved of
the dwindling believers, and replace them with hard‐liners, driven by an ardent desire to bring back
the good old days of Pius XII and the undoubted majesty of Torquemada and the ardent joys of the
long lamented, so satisfying Spanish Inquisition. Ah, yes, those good old, good old days.

The pope laid his hands upon the exultant Leonard, whom he had plucked from well‐warranted
obscurity in January, 2010 from a picturesque Belgian citadel town. Exultant, indeed, because he
thought his rising days were long over.

But the Holy Father needs loyalists to do his bidding, and there is no one more loyal than a washed
out party man who is summoned to a higher fate by a leader who desperately needs such troops...
and has all the loaves and fishes to reward those who serve ‐‐ and obey.

The archbishop returned to Brussels and its over 30 years of progressive theological thought and
an unceasing attempt to reconcile the Church of Rome with the satisfied, live‐ and‐let‐live people of
Belgian... and he returned with a determined vengeance. He would root out the heresies of the
Belgians with vigor, determination and the joys of complete and total submission by the erring (no
longer) faithful.



His grace lost not a minute in announcing his red‐blooded views... and his determination that the
Belgian faithful must submit today, tomorrow, forever.

Pow! AIDS is a form of "justice" for homosexuals. They deserve what they get.

Pow! Retired pedophile priests must go UNpunished for their transgressions, ending their years of
abuse in prayer and protected from further review and action.

Pow! Women who undergo abortion will be greeted in the afterlife by the heart‐rending screams of
their murdered children "Momma! Momma!"

The archbishop, like so many hard‐liners, has a gift for the trenchant, chilling, hell‐ conjuring
phrase... and he uses this gift lavishly.

The hapless Vicar of Rome sent this man of stern views and complete self satisfaction to the
Belgians of all people, cosmopolitan, sophisticated, laissez faire, tolerant.... and now appalled by this
archbishop's distinctly unBelgian views.

Two of the 10 bishops of Belgium have publicly challenged Archbishop Leonard's views; he is their
superior in the hierarchy but they have distanced themselves from him notwithstanding.

M. Yves Leterme, Belgium's prime minister and a Catholic, has been resolute in his condemnation of
the archbishop, who no doubt is not surprised by the protests of the easy‐living miscreants, for all
they may be a prime minister. Let them howl, so long as they submit.

Bert Claerhout, editor of Church and Life, a Catholic weekly, reports he's been inundated with fierce
letters of complaint from readers, awakened from their good living lethargy by a determined man
who quite clearly believes everything he says and is equally determined that you believe it, too ‐‐or
else.

Then there is the matter of the cherry pie which in its simple, gastronomic way made such a tasty
impression on a nation which insists upon the proper preparation and delivery of its fine cuisine.
For such a people, such a pie, presented and delivered properly was most apropos.

And then this: even Archbishop Leonard's spokesman resigned, saying he could no longer morally
defend his slash‐and‐burn employer. Ouch. Juergen Mettepenningen called the archbishop a "loose
cannon who thinks everybody else is wrong."

All this the pope brought on himself and must continue to do if he maintains his flawed policies
which have only the aging intransigents to draw on to defend them. In short, this is a pontificate in
deep, profound trouble which every word from the fiery archbishop and his ilk intensifies. As the
Church of Rome removes itself from the people, the people will firmly and irrevocably remove
themselves from the Church of Rome.

A sense of doom surrounds the Bishop of Rome and his stewardship of the Vatican. These are the
words that come to mind about this beleaguered, increasingly unhappy Holy Father: misguided,
flat‐footed, slow to understand, slower to address. He is a man whose pontificate was bound to be



difficult, following John Paul II for whom the adoring faithful filled St. Peter's Square shouting
"Santo! Subito!" But it didn't have be this difficult, this unsatisfactory, this unhappy.

However, Benedict XVI selected doctrinal purity over universal inclusiveness; he chose to look
backwards... when we all, whether Catholic or not, wanted him to look ahead and plot the way to
bring us all demonstrably closer to universal harmony and peace.

The strident partizan Archbishop Leonard is the merest detail, easy to return to the obscurity from
whence he came at the pope's merest motion. But the pope himself? He is the unhappy man... the
man who called upon to improve the future, gave us nothing more than patches on the past. And he
did it to himself.



Chapter 05: How to Live a Charmed Life



Why I Shall NEVER Retire! A Declaration of Independence

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

I am at the age (64 on 02/16/11) when I am asked one particular question over and over again:
"When do you plan to retire?" My resolute answer delivered con brio surprises my questioners: "I
shall NEVER retire!"

Because they ALWAYS want to know why... I have decided to write this, a latter‐day Declaration of
Independence, to provide a ready means of response for myself and all the other people worldwide
who are thrilled by what they do and the life they have fashioned and have absolutely no desire to
change things, no matter what.

J'y suis, J'y reste.

It was le Marechal McMahon at the siege of Sebastopol in 1855 who memorably barked out this
trenchant phrase which loosely translates into "I am here and here I shall remain!" It's the way
those of us feel who are adamant about either retaining our present position or engaging in other
constructive work instead of retiring.

You see, we know a secret that the vast horde of the retired either does not know or came to
understand too late: work invigorates, energizes, and exercises facilities which otherwise quickly
enervate and deteriorate. In other words, productive, meaningful work is essential to staying
young, alive, and alert. So, let's review all the reasons why retirement as generally practiced and
understood is one of the worst things you can ever do to yourself.

1) Retirement rots the brain.

If you have work you like, one reason you fancy it is because you have meaningful questions to
answer, challenges to face, and labor to do. Work, as Sigmund Freud well understood, is crucial to
the well‐lived life. Take away work which engages your full attention, experience, and expertise,
and you have removed a critical factor of your well‐being. Formless leisure can never replace the
knowledge that you are engaged in something worth doing.

2) Retirement leads to physical deterioration.

Take a good,close look at the next person aged 65 or older who passes your way. The ones engaged
in significant, constructive labor (the only kind of work any of us should ever do) have an aura
radiating energy and purpose. They are "with it". Lights! Camera! Action!

The presentation of our laborless peers is very, very different. Having nothing better to do than
contemplate physical infirmities and eternity, they are often peevish, selfish, with vistas narrowing,
hope evaporating. In such circumstances, it is easy to see why physical problems and limitations
abound.



3) Retirement slashes your income and lifestyle.

As every study grimly shows, the average person hasn't put away nearly enough money to sustain
at retirement their current lifestyle, much less do the extra things (world cruise, anyone?) you
desire. Do you want to make do with less? I certainly don't. Why face the conclusion of life
scrimping, having to count every penny and cut back... and back... and back? It's demeaning and
demoralizing. What's more it's completely unnecessary... if you keep satisfying labor in your life.

4) Retirement renders a lifetime of experience and expertise superfluous, useless.

The day you leave your present employ, you are at the top of your professional game. You know the
most, can do the most, can create the most, and solve the most. You are a person of knowledge,
wisdom, and insight. Wow!

Walk out that door... cut the ties with what you have done before and your skill level and all you can
do with it starts to deteriorate at once... each day diminishing your knowledge and skills. You are
now walking away from everything you have aimed at and achieved for so many years. Does this
make any sense at all?

5) Retirement reduces respect, deference, and awe.

Are you good at what you do? Have you worked a lifetime to perfect your skills, to be and do better
than others in your field? Are you a master of your craft, with the respect, deference and even awe
that that generates? Will you like doing with less and less of this, as the relevancy of what you know
and can do inevitably diminishes; as you move farther and farther away from the peak of your
skills?

When was the last time you watched a retired person at any event in your field? They were no
doubt greeted politely, even enthusiastically. But the conversation quickly moved on to today's
questions, today's challenges... and as it did so the retired person, no matter how supreme he had
been before, became inevitably de trop. Remember when this happened to former star Norma
Desmond when she returned to Paramount Studios in "Sunset Boulevard"? It was, in the truest
sense of the word... pathetic. Is this what you really want, to be forgotten... but not gone?

6) Retirement reduces your ability to help others.

The best careers are always about the good you do to others. Retire and that important ability
declines day by day, painfully, inevitably.

Have people benefited from what you know and can do? Has the need for this knowledge and skill
abated in any way? Or is it as robust as ever? If the latter, then why (except for purely selfish
reasons) would you ever want to stop helping? Stop improving? Stop transforming and
enlightening? It makes utterly no sense... no sense at all.

How a wily German prince , long dead, is influencing your life.



Prince Otto von Bismarck was probably the most important statesman of the 19th century,
conniving as he did at the unification of Germany. But perhaps his even more important (and
invidious) legacy is the fact that he determined the age of retirement for much of the world. This
determination is having a very definite and pronounced influence on... you!

Prince Bismarck, first Chancellor of the Imperial Reich, wanted to dish the fast‐growing German
Socialists, alarming people with a very different national vision than his own. Old‐age pensions
provided him with the means of seeming benevolent to folks whose votes he wanted, without
costing much.

German statisticians (then as now superb at their craft) made it clear to him that most people
would never live to 65 and that that, therefore, was a most admirable date to pledge pensions. And
so a sacred cow was born, with Prince Bismarck's raucous laugh reverberating through the years,
keeping millions enthralled to one of the most cynical of men and his very cynical policy: promise
what you will never have to give.

Today, you are young at 65... act like it!

Today's 65 year olds are completely different from those of over a century ago. For one thing, we
are alive. For another, we are healthier, more fit, more active.... and thus in no particular practical
need of retirement or the trickle that is Social Security.

It's time, therefore, to take a new view of retirement; to see it for what it is, not the solution to but
the enemy of our well being. Join me: say no to retirement. It'll be the very best decision you have
ever made and will put you in the company of sovereigns and pontiffs, none of whom ever retire
either!



Have You Become Elderly (without even knowing)?

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Fact: one in 6,000 people lives to be at least 100.

Who are these people?

A new study by a team of scientists headed by Dr. Thomas Perls, director, New England Centenarian
Study at Boston Medical Center offers new insights which are worth noting.

Using cutting‐edge genomics techniques on a group of 1,055 people born at the turn of the last
century, researchers have identified a genetic signature for longevity. In other words, they have a
good grasp of who will live a long time...and who won't.

However, for those of you who want to drop into the local pharmacy and take a quick test for how
long you've got, the scientists are most cautious: the subject, they say, is "bewilderingly complex";
(in the way of clever scientists seeking further grants) much more study is needed before practical
results can be drawn and the insurance companies step in with new policies. Translation: don't
expect practical benefits any time soon. So...

I'll Help Science Out

Science may be cautious... but I'm not. I'll share a few observations that make it clear who is getting
elderly and who isn't.

Here's the real question: why are some people clearly "elderly" at 40... while others are look like
they bathe in the Fountain of Youth, chipper and "with it" at 97? The key is attitude and the way you
approach the business of living.

Backward looking? Makes you older!

The elderly of years and attitude look back. They are denizens of what has gone before. They cannot
think of the future... because they are immersed in the past, the past (they insist) that is always
better than the present and which of necessity puts the (alarming) future to shame.

Have you lost your capacity for wonder, joy, excitement?

Young‐minded folks have not. We (for I include myself in this ebullient band) remain capable of
awe and delight. We do not think everything of note has been... we are confirmed in our belief that
"the best is yet to be."

You spend your time griping, groaning, grumping.

Listen to the elderly of any age. Life is just a bowl of cherry ‐‐ pits, the cherries themselves being
long gone. The elderly of mind and body cannot let an opportunity go by without a complaint. Job of



the Bible seems a wild‐ eyes optimist compared to these folks. It is painful, so very painful, to sit and
listen for you already know the refrain: everything is bad, everyone is bad, and on and on.

To the elderly there is only one subject: health, or rather the lack of it

Sit around with anyone of an elderly disposition for any length of time with a pencil and paper.
Write down the subjects discussed: 100% of them will focus on health. What's bad now is sure to be
worse tomorrow. What little hope there may be is sure soon to be gone. It's all withered roses and
despair.

WHOA!

That's not how the youthful‐minded see things. For them the glass is definitely half full, even if
there are aches and pains in places never known before. Such people have health sufficient for
growth, learning, and new vistas. Dwindling health is not the first order of business. Vibrant living
is.

The capacity for earthly love endures

The elderly are waiting for God and eternity. The young‐at‐heart (be they 103 or more) have more
constructive ways to use their time: meaningful work and comforting love.

The elderly retire, moan, and carp at their mates.

Those who are youthful of mind and outlook, continue to work, not just for financial necessity but
because they wish to grow and serve. They can still adore, admire, cherish and be glad for it.

The youthful of outlook, remain open to life and sharing... no matter what the calendar says.

Which Camp Are You In?

Let's be very clear: to get old in years does not necessarily mean getting old in mind. The goal is to
be rich in years but not elderly in outlook. Instead make it a point today, this very day, to "face the
music and dance."

Add something new to your repertoire, eschew something that retards you.

You see, right up to and including your last day on Spaceship Earth, you retain the power of choice.
That ensures you need never be "elderly", no matter how old you become!



Don't Ask for An Apology. Offer One Instead. A Lesson in Forgiveness.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

You can easily imagine Professor Anita Hill's bafflement when she played back the messages on her
answering machine the other day. That's when she heard this gem purportedly left by Mrs. Virginia
Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas:

"Good morning, Anita Hill, it’s Ginny Thomas," said the voice. "I just wanted to reach across the
airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology
sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some
thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did. OK, have
a good day."

Unsurprisingly, Hill thought it was a crank call, a prank. As such she alerted the Brandeis University
campus police to the matter. But Virginia Thomas quickly confirmed that she indeed had placed the
call.

Hill's unsurprising reaction:

"Even if it wasn't a prank, it was in no way conciliatory for her to begin with the presumption that I
did something wrong in 1991. I simply testified to the truth of my experience . For her to say
otherwise is not extending an olive branch, it's accusatory."

Hill continued. "I don't apologize. I have no intention of apologizing, and I stand by my testimony in
1991."

Immediately there was a nationwide buzz about why, now, after 19 long years, Thomas had
reopened what could only have been the most painful chapter in the lives of Clarence and Virginia
Thomas and Anita Hill.

Some thought that Thomas, a well‐known Washington lobbyist, wanted publicity for her firm.
Surely, extending a supposed olive branch (generating massive publicity) could only burnish her
credentials. Others laughingly suggested that with Christmas approaching Ginny was trying to help
out her husband by delivering Anita Hill's apology on a silver platter. That should have garnered
quite a gift. Others, of a more cynical disposition, thought that Mrs. Thomas was trying to divert
attention from Washington chatter about possible conflict of interest with hubby Clarence.

And there were even those who opined that Ginny Hill had this call bottled up inside for years; after
all she was the 1 member of the triangle who had never had the chance to say her piece and one day
just burst... and made the call.

However you slice it, though, the result made clear that hell will freeze over before the parties
engage in even the barest greeting, much less an apology that would damn the person making it as
one of history's great liars. So, don't expect that apology anytime soon.

Own up to your errors. Don't ask others to own up to theirs.



The hardest words in the English language to utter are "I am sorry. I was wrong." They are also the
most necessary.

All of us, even the most perfect, are guilty of inflicting pain and sorrow; of being careless of hurtful
language; of lashing out when we should have been comforting... of lying about things we clearly
knew... and every other sin in the calendar.

When we do these things, we have two quite different courses of action to pursue.

1) we can say and do nothing.

2) or, we can attempt the more difficult course... the course of apologizing without any idea of
personal benefit.

Most people, of course, take the first course. It is, after all, the easier. But to grow and gain serenity,
you must take the latter.

Who have you injured? Keep a list.

In Mozart's masterpiece "Don Giovanni", his servant Leporello keeps a list (called, in the opera, a
"catalog") of his master's romantic conquests. His duet with one of his master's victims is one of the
glories of music. Leporello, however, keeps this list out of pride and duty; you must draw up yours
out of humility.

Select a time and a place where you can be alone with your thoughts and your purpose: to draw up
a private list, for you and you alone, of sins venial and cardinal. Privacy and honesty are a must.

A superb time to do this is before the ending of any year; say about Thanksgiving time. Your first
task is to create the list. Your second is to get a mailing address (preferably) or (less good) an email
address.

These matters should NEVER be addressed in a telephone call. There both parties are likely to be
nervous, awkward, saying too much or too little. The reason the Roman Emperor Augustus wrote
letters to his wife, the Lady Livia, was so that both could say concisely and clearly what they wanted
to say, without the burden of physical presence intruding. It's an admirable insight.

Write the letters by hand

In our rushed society, so often alone amidst so many ways of communicating, so clueless on how to
engage with people we care about... a written letter says volumes about the importance with which
you regard this matter. It is significant, and so a hand‐written letter is a must. Too, you must have
personal stationery... yet another indication that you regard this matter as significant.

Keep your note short and sweet



The purpose of this message is not to remind your correspondent of an unhappy incident; it is to
ask forgiveness.... so that both parties may shuck off a burden from the past and move on, the better
for it.

It is to acknowledge the pain you have caused, no matter that it may have been inadvertent, and to
ask for the most meaningful thing any human being can render: their understanding, their empathy,
their forgiveness, and, perhaps, another (belated) chance.

Dig deep into yourself as you write this note. This is the best of you, and you are rendering a great
gift which you have every reason to savor and cherish, for it is a gift long in the making.

Note: if you are doing this great deed of yours before Christmas arrange to drop these messages in
the post, to arrive as close to December 25 as possible. These messages after all require the right
time and place to be read... and that is the best time of all.

Now what about you, Virginia Thomas?

Virginia Thomas, take note. I have written these instructions for you. The phone call you made was
not only ill‐advised; it was selfish. You wanted what you were not prepared to give: an apology. As a
result, what you did was unconscionable; to stir up poisonous embers without the slightest chance
of lessoning the massive burden of events. For that, use what I have suggested and ask for the
forgiveness you were not prepared to offer. That is the right thing to do.



Flower Power. You Never Need a Special Reason to Use it. Now Will Do Just Fine

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

I was at the grocery store the other day; you know, the Shaw's Market at Porter Square, Cambridge.
My helper Aime Joseph was doing his usual efficient job of unloading the groceries onto the
conveyor belt. I was holding the flowers so they wouldn't get crushed.

A tired looking lady was at the cash register, a woman of a certain age. She never looked up to catch
my eye... but when ringing up the flowers she brightened: "Someone's lucky today," she said.

And without missing a beat, I said: "You!", whereupon I took a fervent red rose from the bouquet
and handed it to a now very surprised, rather embarrassed but thoroughly delighted, lady.

Flower power, a little bit of greenery, some blazing color, had done their work again. And they'll
work as well for you, too.

Flower from the Latin flos, from the Old French flour

According to my ever useful dictionary, flower means "A blooming plant." It also means, and this I
think more useful, "The brightest, finest, choicest part, period, or specimen of anything." Thus,
when you give flowers, you give "the brightest, finest."

Flowers transform the mundane into the memorable.

We are living through difficult times. Millions are afflicted by a punk economy, by unemployment
and job loss, by house foreclosures and pension shrinkage. If Charles Dickens were alive today, he
could well and truly write, "These are the worst of times". He might well leave off the other half of
his famous line, "These are the best of times" as being manifestly untrue.

However, we, the living, must do the best we can... and flowers undeniably help.

Don't wait for a "special" occasion.... call up the power of flowers now.

I am always amused when on such holidays as Valentine's Day and Christmas, I see the long lines at
the florist shoppes. It is good, of course, that they are there; any time is a time that flowers brighten.
But these are folks (usually male) who haven't quite glimpsed the power of the unexpected flower.
They are there, in that never‐ending line, to cover themselves, lest they be accused of forgetfulness
and insensitivity!



Rather, I applaud the person who, quite clear on flower power, delivers flowers today simply
because it is today, no further reason being needed. I think I saw such a person the other day
walking down Massachusetts Avenue in my neighborhood. A bit sheepish, he held his bouquet high,
a mixture of pride and embarrassment. I was hopeful there was no other reason for those flowers
except to say "because you're you..."

Know thy florists

Personally, I make it a point to know and try all the florists in my neighborhood. I like to see their
very different approaches to the business of brightening the world.

At Trader Joe's, for instance, there is always an eye‐catching variety which in the Trader Joe's
tradition is limited... but always good value. It is a pity they are rather inconveniently located for my
visits.

Tommy at the Montrose Spa added flowers to his convenience store line about a year or so ago.
They are not his priority and as such he lets them sit too long, petals and leaves falling off,
woebegone and in need of caring homes quickly. But Tommy waits too long to bring the price down
and so there are always moribund flowers in the corner, sad, their powers diminishing by the
moment.

There are two florists in Harvard Square, both conveniently located. However, I don't patronize
them unless it's an emergency. The folks at Brattle Street Florist always seem too rushed to help. I
like to have a good look‐see... and always appreciate the considered opinion of the proprietor. I also
like to know when the roses came in, to be sure I am getting them at their prime. I'm a stickler for
freshness.

John at Petali, handy in Forbes Plaza, tells me what I need to know, but he never quite focuses and
though he waves to me on days when he bicycles past my house, I sense he is distracted, with other
things on his mind. I feel like going into his shop and buying flowers for... him. He would smile then.

Then there's the Central Square Florist. I never go there in person. (Central Square is another world
for me. Denizens call it "between the brains", because Harvard is one subway stop further on and
MIT is one subway stop before.) But I have ordered so regularly over time they sent me a special
"frequent flower" card. I keep it in my wallet, but always forget to use it. However, they seem to
know me when I call... and perhaps they give me a discount since I am a member of their club. I
never ask.

This brings us back to the flowers from Shaw's Market. They always seem a tad brash, bold. But
they are handy, reasonably priced, and employees are happy, when I ask, to give me extra plant
food, which I never hesitate to thank them for and take, sometimes forgetting to use it after all.

Don't forget the card



Flowers, despite the power of plant food, do die in due course, despite my many ministrations. But
the card that accompanies them can last forever.

After my mother died, I found amongst her many effects; a few of the cards she found meaningful,
from long‐ago events. Often she had taped or stapled one of the flowers from that bouquet to the
card. In her copper‐plate hand she annotated the back of the card... which touched and reminded
me how much I missed her. Even long‐dead flowers and their cards can do that. This is why I shall
never stop buying flowers and giving them to the people I care about... or even total strangers who
seem to need them and always smile at the gift.

Sold! What You Need to Know about International Fine Art and Objet d'art Auctions

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Right now thanks to the growing presence of worldwide auction houses online, the world is for sale.
If you're a committed (even obsessed) treasure hunter like me, you want to know as much as
possible about how to acquire as much as possible of the highest quality you can afford. This report
will help.

1) Don't be intimidated by the art auction market. The people employed therein will greet you with
open arms as soon as you indicate you are a serious collector... or hope to become one.

Personally, I started where you are probably positioned today. I wanted to connect with major
international and regional auction houses but was afraid they might be exclusive and
condescending. You certainly have nothing to worry about in that department. From the very first
minute I trod on the red carpet at Sotheby's London (one of the grandest places on earth) I have
been the recipient of graciousness, constant help, masterful insights, and (on days I failed to achieve
my goal) friendly commiseration. Show that you are a budding collector, and you enter the rarified
world of olde money, hot‐shot billionaires, defunct aristocrats, and a host of bright people who have
been waiting for you to make the party complete. Dress accordingly.

2) Gradually establish contacts with all the auction houses worldwide that sell what you're
interested in collecting.

Remember, the world is now your (on sale) oyster. Like all serious collectors, you want to know
not just what's for sale at the auction houses nearest you. You want to know (and be connected
with) every auction house everywhere on earth that makes the items available in which you're
interested. This seems a tall order (I confess), but Rome wasn't built in a day ‐‐ and your collection
and worldwide contacts won't be either.

3) Start at the grandest of dames, Sothebys and Christies.

These two names stand above all others. Thus, start your special journey there. You can easily find
their ever‐changing websites and should do so at once. (A word of advice: I have never found their



websites particularly easy to navigate. Don't let that stand in your way. Responsible techs take
note.)

These websites are (aside from some navigational unfriendliness) pure delight. Control yourself to
avoid hyperventilation... and an unsettling feeling that you are already overwhelmed.

At first, you may be tempted to gorge by following all auctions. Avoid this temptation. Collectors
specialize, at least in part to avoid feeling swamped. Over time (and taking that time is essential)
you will pick a period or style... and thereafter make your principal focus mastering these auctions.
In other words, you will select a style like Empire or a collectible item like 18th century English
silver. Make this choice as soon as you feel comfortable in your new role as budding connoisseur.

4) Introduce yourself to the experts in your field(s) by phone or email.

Of course, you would like to meet and know all the experts in your fields at the major (or regionally
significant) auction houses. But a personal meeting with each is unlikely to occur, given the fact
they are posted worldwide. Thus, email or telephone experts. Introduce yourself. Be brief, be
friendly, be focused. These people are very important in your quest for the very best....and you will
over time make friends, not just professional contacts. Believe me, they will be glad to meet you,
too, and to help you mature from an episodic grazer into a meaningful, knowledgeable collector.

5) Develop a list of conservators.

Face it. The overwhelming majority of antique art and artifacts on the market at any given time
needs (often major) renovations. Prepare yourself. Smart collectors work hard to develop the
necessary contacts, understanding that good conservators make good collections. How do you find
such people? Almost always by referral.

All auction houses maintain lists of suitable, recommended conservators for all collection
categories. For instance, if you are collecting Old Master paintings, any good auction house will be
able to recommend suitable conservators. They have vetted these people and always want to know
your experiences with them. No one wants to recommend someone mediocre.

Now hear this: once you have found conservators who turn your wounded acquisitions into the
cynosure of every eye, cherish them. Such conservators are absolutely essential to the development
of what I call the "Wow factor!", the unmistakable look that causes your visitors' jaws to drop. This
all‐ important look comes about by saving the maximum amount of the original object and using the
conservators' sophisticated talents and skills to solve problems so that no one ever knows they ever
existed.

6) Have credit lines available for immediate use

A few months ago, my long‐time painting conservator, London‐based Simon Gillespie called me
with important intelligence: there was for sale in London not one but a pair of 18th century floral
still lives by German master August Wilhelm Sievert. Because they featured the tulips (and more
particularly the parrot tulips) that I desired, he drew them to my particular attention.



"When is the sale?", I asked. "In 60 minutes," he responded, having just come from the show room.
"They are just what you've been seeking for so long." The next hour was pure chaos, as I reviewed
condition reports, talked to the auction house, booked my phone bid, etc. Exhausted, I was ready
just in time... and now this marvelous pair graces the wall before me as I write, resplendent, life like
for all their ancient provenance. They are here, however, only because I had financing readily
available for just such eventualities and was ready to move fast to acquire what I wanted! Take
note... and plan accordingly.

7) Collecting is a marathon, not a sprint.

Inexperienced collectors make one mistake above all others: they don't know the vital importance
of bidding limits... and of all the expenses which accompany acquisition.

Over and over again in auctions, I have seen otherwise intelligent people break the cardinal rule of
auction bidding: to bid without previously established limit. As a result they acquire items at
exorbitant cost, items from which they will never get their money back should they decide to sell,
which may well happen as their "eye" matures and spendable resources wax fat and ample. This is
a very serious mistake.

Remember, when you acquire an item you acquire the buyer's premium (usually between 15‐20%
of hammer price), the cost of shipping to your conservator, your conservator's fee, relevant taxes
both in the place of acquisition and your locale, shipping insurance, shipping costs to you (including
custom agent), movers to bring the goods to you and position them, insurance in situ chez vous,
etc. It all adds up... and it adds up fast. Forewarned, however, is forearmed.

Now get started

You are about to embark, with the help of these suggestions, on the voyage of a lifetime, an activity
replete with joy, victory, mayhem, frustration, and, as you contemplate the beautiful items you have
acquired, pure, unadulterated satisfaction and bliss. I congratulate you. I know the thrills (as well as
the pitfalls and irritation) of this journey. However you know as well as I do, a thing of beauty is a
joy forever... especially after you have acquired it and so positioned it that you see it before you
each and every satisfying day.



Chapter 06: Mastering Your Finances



Do you REALLY Want to be Rich?

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

One day years ago when I was having dinner with her in New York City, the celebrated entertainer
Pearl Bailey told me in her inimitable way: "I've been rich. And I've been poor. Rich is better!"
Welaughed... and the conversation went on, but the comment reverberated: "Rich IS better!"

EVERYBODY wants to be rich, of course; that's a given.. However, being rich is not a condition; it's a
process that each and every wealthy person must master. If not, this is what happens: "A fool and
his money are soon parted." That will never do.

"The rich are different than you and me."

The writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wanted so very desperately to be rich, knew whereof he spoke.
It's not just that they have money. It’s that they know how to use it for maximum comfort and
convenience. You probably don't.

The average un‐rich person thinks that being rich is like a fairy tale; once you're rich you simply live
happily ever after. Nothing could be further from the truth. The business of being rich takes
constant work, dedication, knowledge, and professional assistance. Being rich is a job, and like all
jobs there are those who can do it successfully and there are those who cannot.

Rich people have help. You don't.

The "silver fork" novels of the early 19th century deal endlessly with "the servant problem." It's
easy to see why. When you have the means, you want the help; but this help needs constant
management.

Do you know how to select, manage and maintain

* house cleaners * chauffeur * cook * people to run your errands * and those to take care of clothes
and personal effects?

Rich people have the luxury of being waited on. However, such assistance comes at a price. People
who serve you have substantial access... and they can use this access for good or will. There is an old
saying: "No man is a hero to his valet." As a wealthy person, you will want an enhanced level of
service... but will you be ready for the diminished privacy this brings?

You must have financial representatives and ensure they produce for you

Money cannot simply be earned and left to itself; its increase must be your constant objective and
goal. That's why each and every rich person on earth has one or (more likely) more financial
representatives. It is only in fairy tales where "the king is in the counting house...." In real life, that's
where his "people" hang out... preparing reports showing escalating wealth or grounds for concern.



Rich people understand that money, properly handled, begets more money. Thus, selecting and
working with smart people who can take your fortune and increase is key.

Who have you got advising you these days and are they proving by tangible results that they are
worthy of assisting you grasp and maintain the lifestyle you truly want?

These representatives must deal with

* your current income requirements

* tax issues

* estate issues.

Because of their pivotal importance in your life, you must be prepared not just to select them, but
oversee and manage them too. This is one of the crucial aspects of your new life as a rich person. It's
not all champagne and yachts, you see, and only the uninitiated are so naive to think so.

Prepare for the exigent, the wheedling and those who feel you should support them because YOU
are rich!

People without means have the enduring belief that the rich are here for their benefit, with the
result that rich people find themselves the focus of constant, annoying wheedling by the down‐at‐
heel.

Count on it: your riches will draw forth a legion of beggars, distant family, long‐ago friends... and
never‐ending solicitations from endless "worthy" causes and organizations. Be prepared to learn
how to hear with attention but refuse without regret.

Last Words

Being rich will change you in ways subtle and substantial.

* You will not have to dream. Instead, you can plan.

* You will have at your disposal the most important thing in life: choice

* You will know deference, an enchanting thing the poorer never receive.

What's more, as compound interest, time, and financial growth work for you, you will surely know
the best is yet to be!



Insider Tips for Paying Bills

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

We ALL have them... and lots more than we like. But what most folks DON'T have is an ongoing
strategy for paying them for maximum advantage.

So today... smart‐money recommendations for paying and managing BILLS!

1) Create a list of all your bills.

List who you pay, when the bills are due, and whether there are penalties for late payment.
Managing your bills starts by having the facts at your fingertips.

2) Flush with cash?

If you are able to pay a bill, DON'T want until the end (or beginning) of the month to pay it. Instead,
pay it the very day you receive it. Anticipate that there will be one day when you can't pay early and
prepare for it by ultra prompt payment now. Show the person you owe, you are most responsible
by paying early whenever you can. You're building a good image for yourself ‐‐ and future leverage
and help when you need it.

3) Can't Pay ALL Your Bills? Decide which ones to defer.

It's essential that you KNOW which bills sock you with late payment penalties and which ones don't.
Late credit card payments, for instance, can be VERY costly. Electric and gas bills ordinarily carry no
penalties.

Note: when you can't pay any given bill is the time you'll be grateful you established a history of
paying early!

4) Severe Cash Problems? Seize The Initiative.

Most people hide when they owe money. This isn't smart. If you know you're going to be unable to
pay all of a bill in a timely fashion (it happens to everyone), then seize the initiative. Pick up the
phone, call the person/business owed, and fess up.

Say when the bill is owed, how much you can pay now... and when you plan to pay the balance. Put
this in writing if necessary.

Be advised: don't expect the person you speak to to jump for joy when you inform them payment
will be late. However, there IS likely to be some comment that recognizes you are being responsible,
unlike most of the people who owe them money!

5) Now Pay When You Say You'll Pay



Having informed your creditor about when you'll pay, now pay on the dot (or before, if able). This is
the moment you'll build credibility... which is something you can certainly use in future!

6) Disputed Bill? Take IMMEDIATE Action!

Did you open a bill today that made you gasp for breath? Too much? Riddled with error? Here's
how to handle this situation:

DON'T pick up the phone right away and swear a blue streak at some hapless employee. Instead,
take a deep breath, sit down and write the facts, and nothing but the facts.

Then call and find out the particulars of the person responsible for assisting you. Get name, title,
address, phone and fax.

Write a letter that contains FACTS ONLY, not one unwise line of the "you people..." variety. That
undercuts your case and credibility. Let this message chill overnight, or until you are confident it is
purely fact without invective. Then mail (or better yet, fax) it. Ask for a confirmation of receipt.

Now let the matter sit until you hear from your creditor. This usually buys you extra time. When
they respond, see if they have admitted any of your claims/arguments. If so, always thank them,
while remaining firm on the rest. Handle ALL points in writing. This gives you maximum control.
Continue this process until you've got as much as you think likely.

Note: was anyone particularly helpful in sorting this matter out? Send a thank‐you note with kind
and lavish praise. After all, you may want their help again!



Thinking About Raiding Your 401(k)? In a Word, DON'T!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Need money for college tuition? To stave off eviction or foreclosure? To buy a home? If so, you may
look longingly at the funds currently residing in your 401(k) program. These funds are needed, you
reckon, and are near, so temptingly near. Should you use them now... or hold off?

The best advice is look, but don't touch. Leave them alone... let them get on with the job of securing
your comfortable future.

Unfortunately millions of people will disregard this advice.

Record early withdrawals

According to Fidelity Investments of Boston, Massachusetts, one of the world's largest retirement
plan administrators, 62,000 plan participants took out so‐called hardship withdrawals in the
second quarter of 2010, up from 45,000 in the previous quarter. To make a hardship withdrawal,
people must demonstrate an immediate and heavy financial need.

What's more, the number of people taking loans from their 401(k) is at a 10‐year high, again
according to Fidelity. Of the over 11 million people with retirement funds analyzed by Fidelity, 22
percent had loans outstanding. These numbers are consistent across the retirement plan industry
and indicate a whole lotta raidin' going on.

"It's the economy, stupid!"

Why all the retirement plan withdrawals and loans? In former President Bill Clinton's famous
phrase: "It's the economy, stupid!" People are doing it because they have to... not because they want
to. Right? Right?

Not so fast!

The truth is, people need money, see money in their retirement accounts, and tap it without
thinking too long or deeply about what they're doing... and the long‐term implications for their
golden years comfort and security.

Now hear this: before you raid retirement accounts, do everything ‐‐ and I do mean EVERYTHING ‐‐
to avoid doing so. Robbing Peter to pay Paul may be easy... but you won't like the results when
you're aged and really need the money.



Rule 1: Don't touch your retirement money.

If you're lucky you get old. If you're luckier you get old without financial worries. In short, you get a
stretch of truly golden years. But to make this happen, you'll need the money. That's why you
cannot afford to raid your retirement accounts. They are there for an inviolable purpose and must
be treated accordingly.

So, what's a money‐needing person to do?

Start looking at, really perceiving and minutely scrutinizing your current financial situation.

* Hold a family meeting. Be clear that everyone in the family understands the situation and the job
at hand: minimize expenses, maximize savings, save the retirement accounts.

* slash credit cards. Keep one, scissor the rest.

* defer purchases. Make do with what you’ve got.

* make sure that every family member who is old enough to have a job, has one. Teen‐agers should
be at the mall all right.... but with a job!

* clean out basements, garages, attics. Give the stuff away to get charitable donations... or have a
garage sale!

Remember, the goal is to maximize cash, minimize and rigidly control spending... and keep your
mitts off the retirement funds.

When you still need more. Borrow against your retirement account. Don't cash in.

If you have honestly made the effort to maximize cash and control spending and it still isn't enough,
move on to this stage and borrow.

Take this step only after due deliberation and sober reflection because it can put you on a very
slippery slope. The key is whether you will be able to pay back any loan within the time permitted
by the retirement plan company.

Be honest with yourself. Be very honest!

If you are clear about your ability to pay back the loan, then proceed accordingly. But don't deceive
yourself. What you are doing may be necessary, but it is only desirable when compared to your
other, even less desirable options. Like this one...



Consider bankruptcy

These days there is hardly any stigma (if any) when you go bankrupt. It's a straight forward
business decision. One reason for considering it is that all retirement fund assets are protected by
law when you do so. Thus, protecting retirement funds becomes one important factor in the
decision to use bankruptcy. This is exactly the reverse of what most people do. They use retirement
funds to stave off bankruptcy, when they should do just the opposite!

Still need money? Really need money?

You've now reached the point where tapping those retirement funds may be an option, regrettable
though it is. Hold your nose and proceed. Do this because you must; do this because you have run
out of other alternatives. Every dollar you remove may be necessary, but it is not desirable. But at
least by following the recommendations in this article you retain the greatest number of dollars in
your plan. For that your older self years ahead will thank you and be grateful that you were as
conservative as possible in this difficult situation. Amen!

Pension Tips for the SelfEmployed

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

"Hello, I'm from the government. I'm here to help you." Ordinarily, these words have a chilling effect
on the self‐employed, knowing as we do just how ironic they can be. However, every once in a while
they are true and advantageous. This is the case with the tax‐deferred pension options the U.S.
government makes available to the self‐employed, people like you and me.

1) Do YOU have a pension plan? It's crazy not to!

The sad fact is, a MAJORITY of the self‐ employed don't have a pension plan. Survey after survey
documents the fact that millions of people ‐‐ each of whom wants to get old (it beats the alternative)
‐‐ are NOT using their business and the pension guidelines to arrange for a comfortable retirement.
This is madness.

Don't wait another minute to do the necessary. Call your accountant today and listen carefully as he
presents your pension options. Make sure you take notes and question him liberally until you really
understand what you can do.

2) Be clear on how much you can invest in your tax‐deferred pension account.

Your accountant should give you a precise figure to invest. Keep it close at hand. Knowing this
figure, and doing what's necessary to achieve it are both crucial to your long‐term comfort and
security.

3) Know the next pension deposit deadline.



Ideally, you should deposit the full pension amount at the time you file your federal taxes. If not,
your accountant should give you the date (generally six months after you've paid your taxes) that
you can still pay into your pension plan. This date is VERY important

4) Once you know the figure you can deposit into your pension plan, make achieving it your #1 goal.

Say you are authorized to deposit $5,000 into your tax‐deferred plan. Say you have until September
1 to do so.

First, you want to deposit this amount in your pension plan just as early as possible. Today if
possible. Why? Because you want to put time to work for you. All things being equal, it's better to
make your pension payment on April 15 rather than September 15. It gives the funds just that much
longer to grow. This makes a great difference over time.

5) Treat your pension payments like a bill, your #1 bill.

Most people pay into their pension accounts after they've paid all their other bills, when there may
or may not be anything left. This is a mistake.

If you are unable to pay‐off your pension balance at tax filing time and must make (say) monthly
payments, then ensure you make these payments the very first thing each month, before you've
depleted your available cash.

6) Cash windfall? Think pension!

Made a big sale? Had a bit of luck? Got some extra cash? Think PENSION!

Remember, deposit into your tax‐deferred pension account as SOON as you can, and if a bit of extra
cash comes your way pay off what you "owe" your pension account.

7) Pay your pension fund in advance whenever possible.

Had a good year? Made some extra money? Already paid the maximum into your pension account?
Then deposit some more! The future is, by definition, murky and uncertain. That's why if you can
deposit more, you should. Take any extra funds you can spare and make an early deposit into your
pension fund. When a rainy day comes, you'll be glad you did!

8) Look but don't touch!

When that rainy day comes and you need extra cash, you may think longingly about the funds in
your tax‐deferred pension account. DON'T!

You must regard your pension funds as sacrosanct, not to be touched until commanded to do so by
the federal regulations governing access and withdrawal. If you withdraw them now, you will
ordinarily pay a hefty penalty. What's more you lose the benefits of time... and jeopardize the
comfort and security of your golden years. Find another way to get the funds you need. Don't dip
into this till.



Conclusion

We all hope to get old, but to get old without security and comfort is to be in a most unenviable
situation. Use your business ‐‐ and the tax‐deferred pension options provided by government ‐‐, to
ensure your old age is as ample as you deserve and desire.

Stock Market Jitters Making You Miserable?
Here's What You Need to do in the Face of Present and Future Turbulence!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

The Greek chorus of financial doom and gloom is out in force these days. Major stock market
indexes are in the red for the year and prominent investors warnings make headlines worldwide.

Former Harvard University endowment chief Mohamed El‐Erian calls painfully modest returns the
"new normal" and predicts at least two years of lackluster stock gains. Jeremy Grantham, a Boston
investment manager renowned for his pessimism, predicts "seven lean years," a scenario that
sounds almost Biblical.

Even U.S. Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke, shocked lawmakers in July when he declared the
financial outlook "unusually uncertain."

So, what's the average investor to do when the chief economic poobahs of the land have gone
Chicken Little with a vengeance?

I humbly submit the following advice to calm you down and keep your wealth development and
investments on track.

1) Chill, calm down, think clearly.

The celebrated 19th century banker J.P. Morgan when asked his prediction about the stock market
responded that "it will vary." The same is true today. Thus, the first essential in confronting
economic uncertainty and confusion is to remain calm. The overwhelming majority of financial
prognosticators are predicting lower growth and lower returns, NOT a breath‐taking crash.

2) Are you really worse off?

It is important to understand that any losses you have sustained in the stock market are not
realized until you sell. So, do you really need to sell the stock just now?

The best advice (though difficult in times of financial turbulence) is "buy and hold." Unless you truly
need the money for something you cannot put off (like medical expenses or college tuition), leave
the money where it is and learn to leave it alone. Moreover, don't spend every waking hour
checking stock prices online. "Let it be", while you get on with the overall business of improving
your economic situation.



3) Cut your expenses.

Most of us are fairly casual about our expenses. The money comes, the money goes; we're never
quite sure where and how. Particularly during periods of economic uncertainty where millions of
jobs are at risk, this is a lousy way to handle our money.

It's time for a general review of your expenses and minute scrutiny of all outflow. You must know
(not just think you know) where the money goes. Not just for yourself, but for every member of the
family.

The best way to do this is to call a family meeting (mandatory attendance) and lay out the facts.
Review all the numbers. See where cuts and savings can be made.

4) Institute the "Do I really need this?" rule.

The plain fact is, most of us can get along nicely spending a lot less than we do. The "Do I really need
this?" rule will help. Apply it liberally to each and every potential purchase... no matter how small.
Remember, gaining control of ALL your purchases is vital to your financial well‐being and wealth.

5) Cut up your credit cards.

It was recently reported that Matt Amorello, former head of Boston's "Big Dig" (the largest
construction project in history) ran up huge 6‐figure personal credit card debt on an income of
$200,000. Here was a guy who really needed to cut up his credit cards as a matter of urgent
priority.

You do, too.

Far too many people have far too many credits cards. This is fatal. Thus, sit down at the kitchen
table and start the painful process of destroying all but one of them.

If you're like most people, you'll offer ready rationalizations about why you need to keep more than
one. Don't give in to spending temptation. Apply your scissors with a will!

6) Clear out your attic and get the tax deductions.

ALL of us have a ton of stuff in the garage, basement, and attic we no longer need. Friend, this
mountain of things isn't making you any money... unless you donate and take the charitable
donation.

Face it, you've been meaning to tackle this problem anyway, right? Do it now! As regards charitable
donations, too many people wait until the end of the year when they have too little time to really
take on this task. The earlier you do this in the year, the better! And ALWAYS make sure you get a
receipt for everything you give.

7) Keep investing



Despite its often jaw‐dropping ups and downs, the stock market remains the best place for long‐
term financial growth. Thus, you must keep investing even when it takes nerves of steel to do so.
Like now.

Review the major mutual fund companies (all of which invest substantially in financial intelligence).
Contact a representative. Select a day of the month when funds can be automatically withdrawn
from your checking account then invest consistently, no matter what. This is called "dollar cost
averaging" and means you will invest when stocks are high... and invest when they are low.
Consistency, discipline... and time produce the gains.

8) Make sure your kids participate in what you do.

If you really care about your children's welfare, you'll make a decided effort to involve them as you
implement the steps above. Children often get spooked by bad economic news and need
reassurance ‐‐ and good explanations about what's happening and what the family is doing to cope.
The worst thing you can do is to be secretive about what's happening and what you're doing. You
may think this is protecting your children... but they don't need protection. They need instruction
and clear explanations. That's the best way for a family to confront and prosper from all the
financial gyrations present and future!



What You MUST Do to Develop Assets.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

What's your asset position like? If you're like most people you're getting older but you're not
getting any richer. This is because you don't have an asset development plan in place. The money
comes in, the money goes out... but your asset position doesn’t improve.

WHOA!

If that's you, this article couldn't come at a better time. Read it and reap!

1) Are you spending money... or are you using money to improve your life?

The average person gets money from a job, then uses this money to cover basic necessities and the
occasional luxury. To develop assets you must see your position with new eyes, determined not just
to spend money but use it to create assets. Money, you see, is nothing more than a commodity
whose value is constantly shifting, thereby giving you the opportunity to grow assets daily. Here's
what you can do to get into this exciting game:

2) Start by writing down and reviewing all expenses

Face it, when was the last time you actually wrote a list of all your ongoing expenses, then
scrutinized each and every one to see where economies and improvements could be made?

BINGO!

Admit it, you've gone for months, maybe even years without systematically reviewing what you
spend and how to improve your situation. But let's be frank: asset development starts with a clear
and unblinking view of your current financial position. You MUST know what you spend and where
cuts can be made.

3) Cut up your credit cards

Money is a commodity. And like all commodities it has a cost. Chances are the most expensive
money you're buying is the interest charges on your credit card, 18% being commonplace. This is
madness!

If you're using multiple credit cards and thereby incurring multiple credit card bills, your first task
is to get rid of all cards but one.

Stop using these extra cards TODAY; then taking the savings you made from the review of your
expenses, take what you saved and apply it to paying off the balance of at least one card. Continue
to do this monthly until ALL credit card balances are a thing of the past.

4) Save daily



When you're just beginning to create assets, the development of good saving habits is crucial.
Decide just how much you can save each month. Make the amount challenging, but not
overwhelming. The amount should be reachable, not daunting.

Say you've selected $300 as your target monthly savings goal. Then put aside $10 daily. Open a
passbook savings account at your bank; deposit $75 weekly. Doing this just once a month is NOT
recommended; it's too easy to "forget" or skip, rationalizing that you can make it up tomorrow.
Unfortunately, "tomorrow" never comes!

5) Empty your pockets, save it all

One very easy way to save is to empty the contents of you pocket or purse every few days... and put
the money away.

If you're like most people, each year hundreds of dollars end up in purse or pocket. Treat these not
as "change" but as the raw material for a successful saving plan.

6) Involve your family

One of the major reasons why most people fail to achieve their asset objectives is because they
don't have support.

Right from the get‐go, involve your family. Call a family meeting. Explain that in order to develop
assets, you intend to review the family budget, including all expenses and all purchases from every
family member, starting now; that you'll be looking for ways to save. And that to make this work,
you will ask for and indeed require the support of EVERY family member. NO purchase is to be
made by anyone until it is considered, reviewed and approved.

Believe me, it may take some "tough love" to get the full approval and working support of all, but
it's worth it!

7) Get a financial advisor ASAP

Rich people, people with assets, have a financial advisor and you need one, too.

Even when you're emptying your pockets for spare change, you should be planning for the day
when you need and have multiple advisors. Towards that end, start by doing the following:

i) ask your family and friends who provides them with professional investment advice

ii) ask your banker what options she has for you

iii) do an online search for "no load mutual funds". Giants like Vanguard, Fidelity, etc. provide solid
advice and no‐fee mutual funds. Talk to the representatives of at least two such funds.

Start today



No matter how poor your financial habits have been, no matter how self‐destructive, you can turn
things around. But you must start TODAY. The thousand mile journey starts with a single step. Get a
pair of scissors, cut up your credit cards, empty your pockets, create a budget and review your
expenses. It's all good... and all represents progress. Right now you're working for money, but by
following these steps money will start working for you. You'll see!

How to Get Your Business Profitably Through the
Economic Uncertainty and Confusion Around Us

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

It doesn't take a Wall Street prognosticator to tell us things are difficult on Main Street. Small
businesses nation‐ and worldwide are experiencing tough times that just won't quit. Pessimists run
rampant... and business people ponder their (often painful) options.

There's an old New England expression for such a situation. Mariners say, "Batten down the
hatches. Get ready for rough weather!" This saying has helped generations of hardy fishermen get
through even the most difficult circumstances, emerging intact when the storm eventually ends, fit
and trim.

Let's put this long‐established saying to work for your business, so that you emerge stronger than
ever from the economic challenges you're facing now:

1) Tough times mean tough decisions.

During good times when funds are plentiful and there's no immediate necessity to review the
situation, many matters are postponed and put off. This strategy doesn't work in bad times... when
decisions postponed are like so many barnacles on your hull, a drag on your speed and
maneuverability.

The first thing you should do in difficult times is be honest with yourself about your business. Make
a list (and don't stint) of all the decisions you're been putting off, all the matters which must be
addressed, and the hard decisions you must make. The most important thing in difficult times is
seeing things as they are and making often hard decisions which the bounty of good times allowed
you to put off.

2) Review ALL your expenses.

"Cash is king" in bad times. Have you done what is necessary to maximize it? This means reviewing
every expense and asking: "Do we really need this? Is this absolutely necessary? Can we get along
without some or even all of this?"

The plain truth is, it's probably been a good long time since you've sat down and scrutinized each
and every expense to determine what can be cut or abandoned, to the benefit of your cash position.

3) Review and upgrade your product line.



When was the last time you took a good, close look at what you're selling? Since the last blue moon?

As with your expenses, so with your product line. Look at each and every item with stark clarity.
Does it make you money... or is it a drag on your time and profits?

Turn lemons into lemonade: discard products that aren't making you money and make a concerted
effort to add new products which, in your professional opinion, are hot.

Too, systematically contact your suppliers and ask them what's selling well these days; use their
expertise to bulk up your product line and profits. It's time to tap into what others are doing and
benefit accordingly.

4) Review and upgrade your offers.

The purpose of offers is to get people to buy more and faster, in other words to maximize the
amount of money in your hand and the speed with which you get it.

If you want your customers to buy more and buy sooner in difficult times, you must become the
master of offers. This means, first, reviewing the offers you currently make; then listing all the ways
you can improve them. Then, once you are certain your offers are stellar, start using them with a
will.

Now hear this: offers either produce immediate results... or they don't. Winning offers product fast
results. If they don't, go back to the drawing board at once and improve what you've got. Offers
don't "mature" like fine wines. They either work at once... or they NEVER work at all. Act
accordingly.

5) Use the phone.

For many people, the advent of email obscured the significance of the telephone. MISTAKE! When
you want to make a sale, use the phone.

Email is terrific for sending information promptly and thoroughly to your customers. However,
email is not effective for closing sales. For that, the telephone is unrivalled.

Draw up a telephone call list. This list should include existing customers (who need incentives to
buy more), past customers who have not purchased lately, and new customers who haven't yet
bought.

Calls should be made only on days you want to make money. This means every day! No exceptions!

6) Improve your follow‐up.

Good times foster bad habits. Bad times must do the reverse! That's why you must use the
telephone (as well as email) to follow up, follow up, follow up. The game here goes to the business
which implements a rigorous system of customer follow‐up.



Thus, call a customer.

If the customer isn't available, leave a detailed message.

Then promptly follow‐up and call again.

Let the customer know you are efficient, customer‐ centered and ready, willing, and able to assist.

7) When customers buy, make them an immediate offer to buy more!

Remember, the key to making money in bad times is good offers. One essential is making such an
offer when your customer has purchased.

Remember, people who have purchased are candidates for another, immediate purchase so long as
the offer is sufficiently motivating. Make sure yours are... by constant experimentation and endless
searching through offers made by others, not merely your competitors either.

This, Too, Shall Pass

Bad times, like the good times we remember so fondly, shall pass. But, if you've worked smart
through these times, you will have planted the seeds for the next season of milk and honey and
survived to reap all the benefits. Your bon voyage is assured.



Chapter 07: Mastering Internet Marketing



Achtung! Internet Readers BEWARE!
People are Deliberately Misleading You Online. Here's why...

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Psst........ Michelle Obama is a lesbian who brings adolescent girls to the White House and Camp
David!

Hillary Rodham Clinton seduced Tom Cruise at her private chalet in Russian River, California! Bill
Clinton is never invited there!

President Obama has moved over $4 billion of your taxpayer dollars to Switzerland where he has a
secret bank account!

Hot "news" like this can be found any hour of the day online... as one "insider" story after another,
each more scintillating, titillating, and scurrilous than the last catches fire online and captures your
attention.

Problem is, every single one of these "hot insider facts" is not only wrong, but is deliberately
invented (like the ones above) to suit the purposefully invidious and always selfish and self‐serving
purposes of the poster.

The question is: why are so many people all over the world perverting the Internet by posting
deliberately erroneous, always hurtful, and completely false "information"?

Let's take a look...

Maladjusted kids with too much time and Internet savvy

Did you ever make a prank telephone call when you were in grammar school? I did... and I suspect
most of you did too. Now, however, the pranks are not directed at one person, but at millions. And
the Internet is so configured that one maladjusted kid sitting in his basement in Kalamazoo can
(within minutes) prank the whole world. To pimple‐faced Johnny who's a wash‐out with the chicks,
this is a thrill that just won't quit. Unfortunately, the viruses he invents and disseminates, the
misinformation he circulates are very real and cause, as he wanted, maximum dislocation and harm.
He's the man!

With malice towards all and charity towards none (pace Abe Lincoln)

We live in the era of the empowered haters where daily people as psychotic as Hitler and as
malevolent as Stalin take center stage. These people are hooligans on speed. Shunned themselves,
they are determined that the successful of the world shall answer to them....or else. In the "real"
world, such creatures have limited influence even if they turn into uni bombers, stalkers, and those
who (with cunning and skill) reduce their own pain by inflicting it on the great of the land... or
merely on an unfortunate soul who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now the
socially inept and clinically dangerous have scope for their inadequacies.



For such people the Internet is a dream come true.... because now, without leaving their homes,
they can hurt, really hurt, brutally hurt people who have neither heard of them... nor offered so
much as an offending word. The empowered hooligan doesn't care... to hurt is his objective and if he
determines to hurt... he has no need whatsoever to justify the heinous act. He hurts, therefore he is.

Misinformation as pay back

Got into an argument with your brother‐in‐law lately? Got cut off on the turn pike and wrote down
the license plate number? Chastised by your boss in front of your colleagues (never mind that he
was right). Got blown off by the waitress you made a pass at? You want pay‐back, and you want it
NOW!

Voila! The Internet's at hand. Post! Publish! Hurt them... feel vindicated, powerful, happy. Such
commentary, posted by the vengeful daily, floods the Internet. These comments are invariably
abusive, misspelled...and anonymous. You want to hurt the boss all right... you want to show that
girl to be sure... but hold the name with the mayo. Cut them down to size... but never, ever tell them
who you actually are. Hurt and hide, the coward's formula through history.

"Expose” your competitors by riding in on your white horse

This is a biggie. In business? Got successful competitors? In a hurry for success? Then use the
Internet to besmirch your competitors. Make up "confidential" information about them. Pose as the
readers' friend... let them in on the "secret" about your competition. What matter that every word
you post is made up.... when YOU can benefit from the lie. Paint with broad strokes: use innuendo,
suggestion, go for the big lie. Poor as you are, hiding behind email and anonymity, you have license
to prevaricate.

This format is used regularly by people in a hurry, by the corner cutters, the self‐appointed "truth
tellers", and by people with an axe to grind. They know that online they can not only appear to be
virtuous but ride to the top of the search engines on the coat tails of their well‐known competitors.
Such messages are a magnet for the gullible and the credulous, for people whose "business" is to
manipulate the lazy and uniformed from whom they conjure money without compunction ‐‐ and
then disappear, the privilege of the harlot throughout the ages.

Bait and switch

Back in the good old days of mail order there was a famous ad that ran

SEX

Now that I've got your attention, let me tell you about our terrific air conditioners.

A variety of this ad is launched daily on the net which is why ads like the one with Hillary Clinton
above are created. Sex, as every marketer knows, sells. And the more licentious and lubricious the
better, no matter than the message is false from start to end.

Reader Beware!



Today you will be the recipient of online lies, smut, and vulgarity. That is why today you must be
chary and cautious about what you choose to believe and the judgments you make.

* Ask yourself whether what you are reading is likely. If the claim is outrageous and exaggerated, it
is unlikely to be true.

* Is the claim signed? Is someone willing to take responsibility? If not, it is hearsay and rumor in
which case who is benefiting from it?

* Has the person attacked been given the chance to respond... or is the claim advanced by one
person who attacks... but will not let his victim respond? Fairness is never in the repertoire of the
irresponsible.

* Is there a clear beneficiary for what is being written? Is this person assailing because they will
benefit thereby? Below the surface of seeming honesty, there is always avarice.

* If the claim is attributed, does that person have anything to lose? Established persons and
institutions are responsible at least in part because they have much to lose by being irresponsible.
Those with nothing to lose can make the most irresponsible claims with impunity... and so they do.
That they do is a sure sign of their insignificance and unaccountability.

Consider the source

When I was growing up in Illinois in the 'forties, my father had an expression: "Consider the
source." When some comment or rumor reached us, he'd say these words. I now think of them often
as I, like you, receive the filth and lies deliberately disseminated by those who may be Internet
savvy but are bankrupt in all other ways. My advice to you is to ignore, beware, and in all cases
consider who is benefiting from the lies, misrepresentations, and fabrications before us. When they
cannot touch us, the perpetrators shrivel and die, fulminating still but powerless and pathetic.

Publish, and be damned! What the first Duke of Wellington Can Teach You About
Handling Unwelcome Printed Comments and Criticism.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Have you been the recipient of unwelcome or even scurrilous printed comment and criticism? Face
it. It's a very irritating thing. You're human. It hurts. Visions of legal recourse, even mafia‐style
revenge, dance in your head. You have been damaged. They'll be hell to pay.

WHOA!

Before rushing ahead, pause and consider the case of Harriet Wilson and the celebrated Duke of
Wellington, victor of Waterloo.

Harriet Wilson (1786‐1845) was a Regency courtesan. She was beautiful and knew how to use her
charms to maximum advantage. The Prince Regent (later King George IV) headed an A‐list of



beguiled English gentlemen, including four future prime ministers. The Duke of Wellington
appeared prominently on this list.

Alas! Even the most dazzling get old... and charms which were over powering diminish.So it
happened with Harriet Wilson. Harriet, however, understood that "kiss and tell" had its
advantages. So, enterprising woman that she was, she hired a ghost writer and began to spin tales
of the gentlemen she had known, such tales to be included in memoirs which remain in print to this
day.

As the chapters were finished, Harriet, ever resourceful, sent them not just to her publisher but to
the gentlemen featured therein. Included, almost as an afterthought, was a number in pounds
sterling. In other words, Harriet's price for NOT publishing and embarrassing the gentleman and his
(sure‐to‐be‐shocked) family.

When the Iron Duke received his chapter and "request", he, a man of sterner disposition than most,
penned a line which put Harriet in her place: "Publish, and be damned!" She did... and no doubt she
was!

How you should handle unwelcome comments and criticism

1) "Never complain, never explain."

The human animal is often an unthinking animal. People have always said the unwise, made hurtful
comments without proof, thought the worst and published it. Nothing new under the sun here.
Then enter e‐mail and the Internet. Now the nasty, the haters, the merely gossipy and garrulous
have the means to run amuck.

Should you find yourself the object of hurtful comments and criticism, on line or off, count to 10 and
cool off. The worst time to do anything is when you're hurt and angry. Here Henry Ford II can help
with his famous comment listed above. Edward VII's famous lines can also sooth, lines he
prominently posted in a mistress' boudoir: "They say. What say they. Let them say."

2) Have you really been damaged, or just your pride hurt?

The truth is, while people generally are quite prepared to believe the worst about any one (Mother
Theresa herself was not immune), their interest in you and whatever they've read that you've done
is brief and generally unimportant. They have, after all, bigger fish to fry: the details of their own
enthralling lives. Beyond this, so much negative information pours forth daily, that even the most
assiduous just plain haven't got the time to mull over the nastiness to which you've been subjected.

Thus, ask yourself: has the comment, no matter how negative, actually damaged you, or has it just
hurt your pride? Have you been the victim of unsubstantiated comments and criticism (which mean
little or nothing), or are the allegations so stated and presented to damage you?

On the Internet, for instance, negative comments are common place. That's bad. The good news,
however, for those criticized is that such comments are usually anonymous and unproven, hence
toothless.



Such being the case, NO response is appropriate. Let the comment or criticism die a natural death
without increasing the number of people knowing about it by responding with even a single word.
This is hard advice to follow since it leaves the false accuser unscathed.... but it is nonetheless what
you should do: absolutely nothing.

3) You have been materially damaged

Ok, so more than your ego has been damaged. You feel you need to take action.

By all means schedule an appointment with your lawyer. What he'll want to know specifically is
how you've been damaged, what the dollar amount of this damage may be, and whether the
defendant has resources.

The lawyer (and be quite clear that your lawyer is right for the job) will be hard‐headed and direct,
focusing the discussion not just on chances of winning... but the financial situation of the attacker.
Plain and simple: can he pay for the harm inflicted?

The truth is, many of those posting nasty‐grams online are judgement proof. In plain language they
are dirt poor and thereby immune from action. Professional haters and dirt dishers, they know this,
and it provides one of the few sources of happiness in their shabby lives.

If the lawyer comes to the conclusion that you are better off to grin and bear it, no matter how
hurtful the comments, accept this advice. It's to your benefit.

4) Console yourself by considering the company you now keep

EVERY great figure of history has been subject to hurtful comment and nasty criticism: Jesus, Joan
of Arc, Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln... they have all been hammered by
the haters, the mental defectives, the small, the insignificant, the merely crude and vulgar. Now you
are amongst their exalted number. You are among the saints who will go marching in!

Remember this: whatever hurtful people may say or publish about you today, you can disprove
merely by continuing to be the good person you are. "This, too, shall pass." The Duke of
Wellington's reputation, for one, was not tainted by Harriet Wilson's attempt to black mail... but
that attempt has permanently tainted Ms. Wilson and made it clear to all the world what kind of
person she was.

Now adhere to the old Irish saying, "Living well is the best revenge" and enjoy yourself while your
attackers writhe because you have seen the value of ignoring them completely and enjoying
yourself instead! Viva!



10 Tips for Writing Business Communications that Get Results!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Face it. If you're like most people having to write is... worse than getting a root canal.

You're not good at it... you know you're not good. You hate sitting down to write... even though you
have things that need to be written... and need to be written NOW!

It's not a pretty picture.

Cheer up. I'm about to solve your writing problems forever with a handy check‐list you can print
and keep readily at hand to be consulted each time the situation calls for something written by you.

1) Be clear on what you want to say... what you need the recipient to read.

A major reason writing is so difficult for so many people is because they have not considered the
objective BEFORE writing a word. WRONG. Good business writing is based on stating a clear
objective, like this:

I want my customer Linda to order her Venetian blinds today for installation 30 days from now.

Knowing where you're going... and what you want to achieve... makes getting there a whole lot
easier.

2) Be clear on what the customer gets.

The person you are writing to ‐‐ your customer ‐‐ is the most important person on this planet at this
moment.

Your job in writing to her is to ensure that she understands EXACTLY what she is getting from you...
and exactly what you want her to do and HOW you want her to do it.

ALL business communications that work are based on just 4 vital words:

YOU GET BENEFIT NOW.

Before you write a single word write down each and every benefit the customer is getting from you.
Start each of these benefits with the words

YOU GET... and make what they get clear, compelling, and motivating.

3) Make an offer and make sure that offer is meaningful.

As I write the economy is punk, anaemic and anything other than robust. So what? That just means
that in order to motivate your customer, you must improve your offer, adding another scoop to the
ice cream cone you are offering.



Craft this offer before using it. Make sure that what you're offering is valuable... and that you
present it in such a way that it jumps off the page and seizes the recipient's brain, thereby inducing
that "I've got to get this" feeling that ensures success and money in YOUR pocket.

Offers are everything... when you're making a grand one, say so in no uncertain terms.

4) Keep what you write short and sweet. People hate reading only slightly less than they hate
writing!

Dwight Eisenhower, who after all was a military man, required his cabinet secretaries to present
their policy recommendations in memoranda not more than 1 page. The president's point was
simple: if you're clear on your objective, one page is sufficient to get your point across.

5) NEVER use text language in a business communication.

Text language is sloppy language; it's also language that can easily be misunderstood. The essence
of business writing is enabling your customer to get the gist, the essential point promptly and
easily. Text message s are often confusing and unclear, the exact opposite of what you want: just
because people get it fast, doesn't mean they get it accurately!

6) Make sure you give your customers crystal‐clear instructions on what to do and how to do it.

Before asking a customer to follow your instructions... follow them yourself. You might find the
results instructive.

The sad truth is, far too many instructions for customers have never been tried by the people
providing these instructions. As a result, they are muddled, confusing, incomplete, and unclear.
Ouch! That's why you must try them before you send them. Do that now!

7) Make it clear how to get in touch with you.

As humans we have created a network of communications which enables us to connect instantly
with people worldwide. Problem is, we're less dazzling about providing the necessary instructions
enabling us to profitably use this network.

Be different! Give your customers the complete and essential communications information required
to connect with you... and make these details clear and easy to follow.

This information should include, but is not limited to:

* telephone * fax * cell phone * e‐mail, etc.

8) Review your communication before sending it.

Receiving as I do dozens of business communications daily, I can assure you that if proof reading is
not dead, it most assuredly is on the critical list. People nowadays claim to be so "busy" that they



beg your indulgence for sending communications that would embarrass a schoolboy, sloppy,
sloppy, sloppy in the extreme.

That's why you must never forget this: people, fairly or not, evaluate your ability to handle a project
by not only how quickly you deliver your words... but by the accuracy with which you present them.
In short, presenting properly is an important ingredient in whether the customer decides to do
business with you at all. That's why the most important writing you will EVER do is ...re‐writing!

9) "It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing."

Now for the acid test. Does it move?

The less experience you have had in writing prose that both informs and moves people to action,
the more important is this step: reading what you've written before sending.

A word of caution: this stage can be painful, very painful indeed if what you've written is full of
grammatical and other errors; if it's turgid, sluggish, like walking through a bog. Yes, it can be
painful indeed.

Remember, you can only advance if YOU deal with such problems before you inflict them on your
customers! So read what you've written and be glad to correct before your unfortunate customers
wince at the same words (and errors).

What you're looking for is not only accuracy but a lilting cadence, clear, agile, pleasant to hear,
irresistible to read. It takes time to create... but it pays off for a lifetime.

10) Say it with conviction and sincerity

One more thing, an absolutely essential thing: make sure that what you write is sincere, honest, and
based on strong convictions. If not, what you write can never be truly convincing because it has not
convinced you.

To write without belief is to create something which, at heart, is hollow and lifeless. It cannot work
with others, because it has not worked with you.

Thus, before you even think of writing, make certain you believe in what you're writing. Feeling and
injecting this confidence into what you write is the best way to get and hold the attention of all
customers. After all, they value and require want sincerity, truth, candor, too. They want to know
that you stand behind the words you're sending. If you present your message in such a way, you are
well on your way not merely to writing a persuasive communication but to establishing and
cementing that all‐important lifelong relationship with your customer. Congratulations! Your
writing has come a long, long way!



Developing and Profiting From Your Golden House EMail List

Do you own a business with walk‐in traffic? Then you're sitting on a gold mine
of mammoth proportions. All you have to do is gather customer names and email
addresses... then get organized so you can contact ‐‐ and profit from ‐‐ your
hot list on a regular basis.

1) Start collecting customer data at once

As I have pointed out for years, "the list is the business...and the business
is the list." Start building this all‐important list TODAY.

Make it a point to ask ALL your customers for name, address, phone and e‐mail
address. If you have employees, make sure they realize the importance of the
list. Show them how to request this information from all customers, thus:

"Mr. Smith, would you like to receive e‐mails from us with tremendous discount
offers? Just fill out this brief form or give me your card with e‐mail address."

Add this information to your list at the end of every day. Be consistent!

2) Start brainstorming hot offers today.

For your special "alert" list to work, you must present scintillating offers.
Start collecting them now.

Open a computer file and enter all your sales offers, always concentrating on
what made money. Squeezing the most dollars from your list is a direct function
of making offers that get your customers to stop in their tracks and head your
way!

Don't hesitate to "swipe" offers from other media sources. Your offer need not
be original to you. It just has to pull.

3) Develop a format.

Start with the subject line. It should read something like this: ANOTHER great
offer from (your name). Expires 5 p.m. today... so don't delay!"

Then entice!

"Just in... the most delicious golden pears you've ever tasted. Prepare to
pamper yourself... but act NOW. We only have a few! Drop by now.. and indulge
yourself!"

4) Unless you ship as part of your current business routine, make sure
recipients understand this is an in‐store offer only.



You have twin goals here: first, you do NOT want to increase your work load by
starting a shipping department; second, you want to increase your in‐store
traffic and resulting sales that come when customers drop in.

5) E‐mail your offer at a regular time

Your goal, remember, is to increase in‐store traffic and sales. Thus, e‐mail
your bulletin about 1 hour before you're open. That way you'll have customers
at the door right away... just what you want.

6) E‐mail your list at least once a week.

E‐mailing regularly is key to your success. Select a day for your e‐mail
special offer and adhere to it religiously.

But don't hesitate to e‐mail two or even three times a week if you are
announcing great offers and value. Value and great offers determine how often
you should contact your list. Customers will be glad you contacted them... if
the value warrants.

7) Track the offers that work... and the ones that don't.

Over time you'll develop a cornucopia of proven money‐makers which you can
profit from while merely copying, pasting and updating. In short fast, easy
money, just the kind you like!

7) Have fun with your list ‐‐ and your customers

Business is about relationships. About knowing your customers and them knowing
you. Use your "alert" list to do both.

Have in‐house drawings... and announce the winners.

Compliment a customer on a stunning outfit... or a stunning smile.

Share a joke, a quip, a thoughtful line.

It's your personal messenger... have fun with it while you're making sale after
sale.



YOUR Money Is In THEIR Pocket. What You Have To Do to Get It Out.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

I've taught marketing for more years than I care to remember. The biggest challenge is getting
students to understand how marketing works. What is it? Why do you need it? How do you get the
biggest return?

To answer these questions, I came up with a simple image that works wonders: YOUR money is in
THEIR pocket. Do you want it to stay there... or do you want to get the funds into YOUR pocket?

Bingo!

Light bulbs start going on around the class room as one student after another "gets it."

Of course they want to get their money out of that pocket. We're ALL clear on that. The discussion
then shifts to how to get it out... and how to do it FAAAST!

The Pivotal Role of the Offer

"Try this," I say to the class: walk up to someone on the street and ask them for $50. Will you get it?
Unlikely. Instead be prepared for dirty looks and worse. "Asking," I say, "ain't getting." The students
nod their heads knowingly. They've been there... done that.

"Ok," I say. You guys get this. Then why don't these folks, at which I show them one marketing
communication after another (Yellow Pages ad, brochure, direct mail letter, etc.) where supposedly
savvy business people spent good money doing nothing more than saying "Here we are, here's what
we have."

"That," I say "is not marketing. It's just telling... not selling." If you want to make MONEY... YOU must
motivate people to part with the bucks.

Offers Get People to Move

What gets people to buy is offers, offers, and more offers... saying, in effect, I'm prepared to give you

* this

* and this

* and this

IF and ONLY IF you take action now to get what I'm selling.

"What," I ask the class, "is more likely to get you to respond: just saying here I am, here's what I do."
OR saying



"I'll give you one hour free for every three hours of my service you book."

All knowing, the students say "people will act faster if you give them MORE." Now it's my turn to
nod sagely. "Bingo," sez I.

Brain storm offers all the time... because you will need an offer EVERY day you want to empty
prospects' pockets and move that money

I ask the students what days they want to profit in their businesses. They look quizzical: "Well,
EVERY day," they say.

Another "Bingo" from me.

"So, if you want to make money EVERY day... then when do you need to make offers?"

ANOTHER "Aha!" moment for my budding marketing masters. The idea is beginning to sink in that
EVERY day you want to move money from your prospects' pockets is a day you must make offers.

"Make offers," I say, "every day you want to make money." And I write "Money means daily offers"
on the chalk board.

Open a "Swipe File"

Where can you find marketing intelligence, great offers that produce the bucks? In the marketing
communications of people who live or die by marketing. And where do you find these? Everywhere!

If you want to move money from other people's pockets into yours, start collecting and studying
marketing communications. Open a "swipe file," and pop in marketing communications that work.
Make this a daily endeavor. When you see ads that work for others, adapt the copy for your
profitable use.

Don't Stop!

Marketing is like breathing. Stop doing it and you die. Finish any day by selecting the offer you'll use
tomorrow. Start each day by reviewing how well yesterday's offer pulled. Note these results for
future reference; winning ads should be repeated; ads that wilted must die.

One more thing: see marketing as a great game, a game that takes everything you've got. Embrace
it! Enjoy it! If you don't, your money will stay in THEIR pocket and that's just not acceptable!



How To Write Website and Article Content That Sells

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

It was Bill Gates, the sage with prophetic talents and the deepest of pockets, who said it first:
Content is king." Per usual billionaire Bill was right.

Problem is, he omitted the directions on how to produce the site and article content you need so
much. Humbly, I rectify his omission.

Here then are the necessary steps for producing web site and article copy that sells.

1) Know thy audience.

The purpose of creating site content is to build relationships and loyalty with your designated
populations... and produce content that gets them to RETURN and RESPOND.

Are you, therefore, clear on just who you are producing content for?

Say you are running an insurance agency and want to insure more business from people with
large and valuable art and artifact collections. Before you write word 1 of content, you must know
and WRITE DOWN a description of the kinds of people you want to attract. Every word you write
thereafter, all the content you produce is for ‐‐ them!

2) Write content that brings you business

In this report, I am showing you how to write site content that sells. For details on how to write the
great American novel, you must seek other counsel.

Thus, your next step towards producing site content that sells is to brainstorm subjects and to
craft the all‐important title.

Again, consider the insurance agent aiming for lucrative antique collection accounts. He needs a
title like this: "7 things you need to know about insuring your antiques and collections."
Alternatively, try this

"7 things you don't know about insuring your antiques that make you vulnerable."

Or, "5 things you can do right now to decrease the cost of your antiques insurance."

Note: a title like this peeks reader interest... the public designated for this content wants to
know, is desperate to know, just where there may be holes, flaws, and omissions in their policies.
Your
content (and your title) play to their need to know, including fears and anxieties which motivate
prompt response to you.

3) Brainstorm subjects to be included in your article or site content



The most cogent content is brainstormed and outlined before a single word is written. First, and
most importantly, sit down at your desk and write down the topics you want (and your reader must
have) in this content.

Personally, I take one 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet and (in my execrable hand writing) detail all the key
points about the subject at hand.

Then, having brainstormed all, I arrange these points in logical order, thus: first do this, then this,
then this, etc.

Brainstorm and point prioritizing are key to successful content.

Note: for best results, you should have no fewer than 5 points in any individual article or not more
than 10. The content may appear skimpy and inadequate if you have too few points while having
more than 10 over burdens your reader (and future customer), causing him to postpone reading ‐‐
and response!

4) Now write.

You are now ready to write the content, for you have considered your audience and what they need
to know(and will most thank you for); you have brainstormedthe subjects to be included and
arranged them in the proper order. Yes, you are ready to write.

Sit yourself down in your writing place (you do have one, don't you), a place where you can write
undisturbed, inviolate to the crafting of superb content

Go there now. Determine your writing schedule. You should be able to produce draft site content in
2‐4
hours, depending on how experienced a writer you are. Always set a date and time for the
conclusion of Draft 1. Never leave it open‐ended. Things without deadlines are things less likely to
be done.

Note: Remember, what you are writing now must be a conversation between you and your
reader (who is, let's be clear, your future customer, too.) The content must, therefore, be written
accordingly. The word "you" (meaning you, the reader) must predominate. You must not write for
an amorphous audience of the unknown. You must write instead to and for the chief benefit of each
individual reader... just as if the reader was sitting beside you and you were explaining one thing
after another of importance to her. This is vital.

5) Read, review, revise your content.

Now hear this: the best writing is re‐writing. Thus, when you have finished Draft 1, let it sit
overnight. It is the rare, experienced, polished writer who can write such content, review such
content, and post the finished product all in a day. Some may disagree, but I remain convinced time
and patience are necessary ingredients in the very best content.



When ready, read your content aloud. No sentence should be more than one breath. If your
sentences are turgid and flow slowly, awkward, break them into shorter lines, easier to read. Your
tempo should be allegro, not andante.

6) Revise, revise, revise.

Having finished your first revisions, it is time for... more revisions. As much time should be spent on
revising your content as writing it in the first place. This, then, should be your schedule:

Day 1, write the content. On this same day, do the first revisions.

Day 2, after letting the content sit overnight, awake early (personally I do this between 5‐7 am
because that is when my schedule is clear and I have the fewest interruptions. In other words, I
can focus.) Then do at least one more content revision.

3) On Day 3, do a final content review. There should be few, if any, changes at this point.
Your content should be word perfect, light, graceful, moving; content that will impact the
reader, because it impacts you!

7) The Resource Box

Now add the crucial Resource Box and About the Author details. Having written content that helps
your reader and future customer, it is now manifestly appropriate to include something that helps
you...
and that is precisely what the Resource Box and About the Author sections do. Treat them
accordingly.

Be sure to include all the means you wish customers to use to get in touch with you, including email,
URL, telephone, cell phone, etc. Believe me, the useful content you have given them will inspire
response. Depend on it.

Exult. You deserve it!

You have now done a useful thing. Your content is now available for use on blogs, ezines, site
postings, et al. Take a moment to congratulate yourself. You deserve it.

You have taken what you know and can do and transformed it into a focused means of generating
new customers and really helping them. You may be a tad fatigued by your effort; that's natural. But
what you've written can live for years and help thousands. And that's a true cause for jubilation.



The Great Secret of Business Success: The MORE You GIVE AWAY, the Richer You Get!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Want to use your business to get rich? Of course you do! Then why aren't you giving away more?

Counter intuitive though this thought may appear, it contains the key truth of business success: the
more you GIVE AWAY, the richer you get!

How much did you give away yesterday? How much the day before?

Right this minute, with the worldwide economy in the doldrums and likely to remain so for some
time, millions of business owners are scratching their heads for ideas on how to spur crucial sales.
All sorts of ideas, from the daft to the expensive, are being advanced.

Yet the solution to getting more sales is plain: Don't just sell your customers something, dazzle
them with everything you will give them in addition to the actual product or service they pay for.

Focus the customer on an absolutely stunning offer

Look at everything you sold in the last few days. Were your customers buying products... or were
they motivated by offers packed with additional benefits, benefits you were giving away as
inducements to motivate faster sales?

In other words, did you make sales because you gave away one thing after another, which made
purchasing the items in question an absolute no‐brainer?

Start by brain storming what you can give away

Most businesses have NEVER made a systematic effort to determine just what they can give away to
induce more sales faster. This, however, is key and must be done at once.

Go through every single product and service you offer. What can you give away:

* more of the product or service * free delivery * free shipping * discount coupons for future sales *
a special limited time offer * service and support

Get the picture? Before you can fashion high‐octane offers, you must develop a list of EVERYTHING
you've got and can give away to motivate more present and future sales.

Study other people's offers and give‐aways

The great thing about being in business is that paying attention to what other businesses are doing
(and not just competitors either) can benefit you every single day. Thus, wherever you go, review
what companies are doing to get your business; can you use or adapt them to your business
success?



Develop a "give‐away" mentality.

Business, you have been told, is all about closing sales, in other words about "working" the
customer. If you buy into this point of view, you're in for a lifetime of drudgery and hard work.
STOP IT!

Instead, consider yourself in the business of crafting spectacular bonus offers that enable you to
make sales the very easiest way: by so exciting customers about the freebies and great offers they
get that they'll do anything to get them! Doesn't this sound a whole lot easier and more fun that
"closing sales"?

Start today, review today, improve today

Right now you're probably still trying to get your head around the concept that the more you give
away the richer you'll get. Fair enough. But don't wait because of that to get started.

Today is the perfect day to start... as well as the perfect day to review what occurred AND to make
improvements (like giving away even more).

You see, as long as your objective is maximizing your wealth... you're in the business of increasing
the amount you give away and enhancing customer motivation. And if wealth is your goal, you must
do what it takes to become a world‐class expert in giving away, giving away, giving away. Because
that is the sure‐fire way to get wealthy.



Chapter 08: Mastering Home Business



Here's How You Get Success From the Very FIRST DAY of Your HomeBased Business.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Thinking about starting a home‐based business? Millions of people are. This could be the smartest
thing you've done.... or the most stupid. It all depends on how you approach the matter.

FACT: The failure rate for home‐based businesses is astronomical

FACT: Many of those starting home‐based businesses do so not because they want to run a business
at home, but rather because they want to be home and out of an office.

FACT: Too many people launching home‐based businesses have done so with inadequate planning
and consideration, with the result that they're simply another failure statistic waiting to happen.

Don't let this happen to you! Start planning your home‐ based business at least one‐year in advance
of your launch date

Because you're most vulnerable to failure in the early days of your home‐based business, do what
it takes to maximize early profit and success. This means rigorous, hard‐headed planning... the very
thing too many home‐based business owners eschew.

1) Do a budget

How much money will you need to work at home? This is where a good, honest budget comes in.

You must factor in your salary, your health insurance (don't stint here), and all the usual costs of
running any business. This is the moment for hard‐headed realism. Towards this end, once you've
finished your budget, multiply it by an additional 30%, this being a fund to cover all unforeseen and
miscellaneous expenses. ONLY those who are realistic about all the costs of running a business
stand any chance of success.

2) Look at what you intend to sell. How many units of this must you sell to cover your financial
requirements?

Again, you must be entirely realistic here as you contemplate the number of sales you must make to
profit.

3) Start diversifying at once

Successful businesses develop product lines; that is, they don't just sell one thing or another. They
may start with a single product, of course, but as soon as possible they begin to add additional
products to their repertoire, products which enable them to make multiple sales to their customers
and develop a reliable, income‐producing following.



4) Develop your prospect lists

As I have frequently said, "Your list is the business; the business is your list." Thus, you must start
developing your all‐important customer list right from the get‐go... and you must NEVER stop
developing it until the day you retire.

At this point you are well advised to consult a technician who can assist you in the set up and easy
accessing of your list. It is money well spent since you will be working with this list every single day
you're in business.

5) Work on your offers

What differentiates successful home‐businesses from the also‐rans? In a single word, "offers."
Successful businesses make it a point to review offers from other companies (particularly
competitors)... and improve them to facilitate more and faster sales.

Note: The whole point of making offers is to get people to respond faster than they would then if
just the product or service was being sold alone. Towards this end you may well, in the first days of
your home‐based enterprise, make offers you may never make again. Remember, you are at your
most vulnerable in your earliest days; prepare, then, to make (quite literally) "one‐time only offers"
during this period, in order to bring in much needed cash. There is nothing wrong about doing this
to get off to a successful, cash‐plenty start. But don't give away the ranch for too long!

6) Make arrangements with suppliers

If you are selling other people's products (and you probably will be doing at least some of this),
start working with your suppliers as soon as possible. Gather all the information you need about
them, including order details, contact names, email address, phone, fax, shipping requirements, etc.
Make it a point to introduce yourself to supplier contacts and develop good business relations.
These people are part of the essential network helping you get rich. Treat them accordingly.

Start a year in advance, preferably while you are still employed elsewhere

I said it above... but this important advice bears repeating here. Rigorous planning starting 365 days
before you open your doors (when you still have a job) is the key to ensuring an opening day with
orders and profits.

Last Words

There's no reason under the sun why your home‐based business cannot become the vehicle that
makes you a millionaire. There are plenty. Why aren't there even more? Because too many home‐
based entrepreneurs didn't follow the steps above... thereby torpedoing their own success. YOU,
however, know what to do. Begin today. You've got a profitable home‐business in your future!



The Fine Art of Business Followup

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

If you are using your business to get rich (the objective of the smartest entrepreneurs), you'll
devour this article. Why? Because follow‐up is what differentiates those who get rich... from those
who just barely scrape by. In short, the stakes couldn't be higher.

Face it, people ‐‐ and every single one of your customers ‐‐ need follow‐up

Consider this. You've been in contact with a customer. You have explained the benefits of what
you're selling and made a motivating offer.

The customer has expressed an interest and asked for time to consider. To you, it seems that the
order is in the bag, with nothing left to do beyond banking the profits.

Thus, you sit back, relax... and keeping waiting for... the order that never comes.

What went wrong? Lack of follow‐up is what went wrong. And until you become the master of
essential customer follow‐up, you'll leave deal after deal on the table and allow loss after
debilitating loss.

1) Make sure you have all the customer information you need for follow‐up

Do you have an organized, inviolate procedure for collecting customer data, including name, street
address, phone number(s) (including land line and cell phone), and e‐mail address?

Business people who have mastered the art of follow‐up first made sure they have all the details
needed to make this follow‐up possible.

2) Review your business to determine just when follow‐up is necessary and will be most effective.

Every business is different. The follow‐up calendar for one may not be most effective for another.
That's why you must review what you do, to determine on follow‐up procedures with maximum
effectiveness.

What you need to determine is how long to give the customer before following up. It's a fine point.
You must give the customer enough time to consider what you have provided... yet not too much so
that the customer loses focus and forgets.

3) First follow‐up call: make sure customer has received what you want her to have

Sending material by email? Whenever possible, call within the hour to confirm receipt. Remember,
sending e‐mail and receiving e‐mail are two separate things!



Sending material by post? For folks who are local, call 48‐72 hours following mailing; for those who
are out‐of‐town check with the post office to see how long receipt should take. Then add 48 hours
to this time for follow‐up.

4) What happens when you have difficulty reaching the customer when you follow‐up?

First, if there is no answer when you call, make sure you ask the customer to respond to your
message. Always leave all the details the customer needs to respond; never assume the customer
has them or that they are readily at hand.

Leave such a detailed message twice in the first week; then once a week for the next 3 weeks. (If
there is still no customer response by that time, put in a tickler file to call and email again in 30
days.)

When you reach the customer, be sure to ask for the sale. Never assume that you will get it. Work
for it; after all, YOU are getting the profit.

If the customer declines your offer, ask why. Most often, particularly in times of economic
confusion, people take longer to make decisions, even if the benefits are clear and substantial. Your
job is to find out why the customer has declined or postponed a decision... and to both improve the
offer whenever possible... or, at the very least, ask when the customer expects to be able to proceed,
in which case further follow‐up is necessary.

Last Words

Make this your rule: don't initiate any customer contact unless you are fully prepared to follow it
up. Remind yourself that customer follow‐up is what makes you the money. Follow‐up will
distinguish you in your customer's mind as a person of energy, enthusiasm, motivation, and good
habits. Which is just how you want them to see you.

Warning! You may be one of MILLIONS of People Leaving
Money on the Table Because You Won't Work the Phone!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Have you looked at the economic news lately? The so‐called recovery is still weak as a new born
kitten. People are still being thrown out of jobs. Home foreclosures continue. Financial and social
instability blanket the land.

Yet you who says you're in business...

You who tells me you want to squeeze every single cent from your business, won't pick up the
phone to talk to prospects and so are leaving big bucks on the table.

Is that crazy or what?

Now hear this: e‐mail did NOT replace the telephone as a crucial business money‐maker



Listen to some people, and you'd think the telephone became obsolete when e‐mail was invented.
"Oh, I never phone anyone anymore. I e‐mail them!"

If you're one of the silly ones singing this tune, you need to stop, look, and listen to the vital
information I'm about to deliver: as far as connecting, working with and developing long‐term
relationships with customers is concerned nothing beats your Alexander Graham Bell.

E‐mail is spectacular... but it NEVER can or will replace the way phones enable you to communicate
directly with your prospects and DO BUSINESS! In plain English, the phone is a money machine. You
must learn to use it as such.

1) Review your current use of the phone

Do you make it a point to telephone your prospects, introduce yourself, ascertain what you can do
to assist them, follow up with all you prospects to make the sale, and (a little while later) make sure
they're happy with what they've purchased?

If you are remiss in some or all of these vital categories, it's time to make changes in your use of the
phone... or continue to leave dollars on the table.

2) Do you end each day drawing up a phone list for the next business day?

The key to maximizing phone potential and profit is planning; knowing who you want to connect
with on the morrow... and having whatever you need to do so readily at hand.

Create a computer file for each business day. This file should contain

* name of prospect

* prospect phone(s)

* prospect fax and, yes, email

* what prospect is interested in

* then space for a record of all contacts, including what the prospect said and what you promised to
do (and then did).

Review tomorrow's phone list BEFORE leaving for the day. That way it will be fresh in your mind
when you start calling tomorrow.

3) Call your easiest prospect first

We're human. We all function better when we get off to a good start. In business, this means calling
your easiest prospect first, the prospect you know and have a good relationship with. They'll be



glad to hear from you; they'll be happy to place that kick‐off order. When that order is in , the
success of your day is ensured!

4) Be clear on the objective for each call.

Because the telephone is used both personally and for business, it's easy to lose track of why you're
calling folks. Personal telephone habits spill over into business time. That's fatal to your bottom
line.

Before you call each prospect, review just why you are calling. It is NOT just to say hi and chat. It is
either to start a new business relationship, foster an existing one and, above all else, get the sale!

5) Keep good notes

The average telephone business user is casual (and hence ineffectual) to a degree. Sometimes they
take notes on their prospects calls; sometimes they don't. This catch‐as‐catch‐can approach to the
telephone is not good enough... for you. YOU know the importance of good notes. The time to enter
them into your computer file is the MINUTE your phone conversation ends. Indeed, if you have your
computer screen in front of you while speaking to your prospects, enter your notes as you go.

6) No answer? Call back. No answer? Call back again.

Over the years, I have been consistently astonished at the high level of self‐delusion that permeates
the business community about incomplete calls; that is calls which do not result in direct
conversation with your prospect.

Any call you place, including calls where you just leave your prospect a message, must be regarded
as incomplete calls; that is, calls which must be made and made again until completion (that is
direct customer contact) takes place.

7) Regard your customers as assets who need the time and considered attention of any other asset

If you are one of the legion of business people who don't call prospects, a major change in attitude
(and procedure) is necessary. From this moment on, think of each prospect as an asset for your
business and as one of a string of assets from which you derive wealth.

Would you take a corporate bond and abandon it in a taxi?

Would you leave the deed to your house on a picnic table in the park?

Of course not!

Then don't be cavalier with your customers and efficiently calling and following up. They are
ASSETS, and they must be treated accordingly. One phone call at a time. Starting today.



Rules to Blog by For Blog Publishers and Readers

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Maybe HE likes all the hubbub.

But will you?

The calm of my Cambridge, Massachusetts neighborhood was punctuated the other day by student
protestors outside Harvard University's Science Center. There 1960's wannabees chanted "Harvard,
Harvard, shame on you, honoring a racist fool."

The cause of this mayhem was Professor Martin Peretz and his latest blog post on his The New
Republic website: "But, frankly Muslim life is cheap, most notably to Muslims." It was more than
enough to stir up a reaction from the politically correct, who live to chant and picket.

They shouted... they taunted... they heckled... and HE, owner of The New Republic, the subject of so
much fuss, got valuable, eye‐catching full‐page publicity in The Boston Globe, New England's
paper of record.

Bingo!

One of America's most experienced provocateurs had succeeded, yet again, in using his blog to get
even more publicity for his "take no prisoners" opinions.

Martin Peretz' blog had done its work and done it well.

Will yours? It most assuredly will... if you understand the true purpose of a blog, run it accordingly,
and learn to be a responsible blog publisher and blog reader. Here are recommendations to assist
you.

Blogs MUST be honest.

The purpose of a blog is to give ANYONE ANYWHERE in the world, whatever creed, class, station,
nationality, or political position, the opportunity to be heard on any subject whatsoever.

Thus, your task as a blogger is to open yourself up... to tell the truth, straightforwardly, honestly,
bluntly. The blog is, first and foremost, about you, its publisher and focus. To write anything other
than the whole truth, so help you God, is to demean the medium ‐‐ and yourself.

If you are new to blogging, you'll find this kind of openness difficult, challenging. Most people grow
up
adept at masking their true opinions. For fear of what the listener may say or do, we moderate and
water down the way we really feel and what we say.

That will never do on a blog where truth is called for at all times.



Now, you may think you are a straightforward, honest person but blogging will show you soon
enough that you, like all social beings, are considerably more adept at masking how we feel, our
true views, rather than telling them.

In the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", for instance, there is an incident that makes this point lucidly,
succinctly. Atticus Finch is walking with his children past Miss DuBois' home. She is a notorious
termagant and scold. Does he say that to her? Certainly not. He lifts his hat cordially, saying "Good
afternoon, Miss DuBois. You look pretty as a picture." Scout, his young daughter, says just loud
enough "You notice he don't say a picture of what." Miss DuBois just catches a few words and
wants to know what the impish Scout has said... but Atticus Finch is a wise man, a gentleman and
knows the value of good relations, over the strict, unyielding truth. He lifts his hat again and moves
his children along. Most of us would do the same.

But bloggers cannot. Bloggers must opt for candor, honesty at all times.

The more honest YOU are, the more reactions you will get. Take Professor Peretz, for example.
Given that he is an experienced blogger, I take him at his word, when he writes his latest anti‐
Muslim diatribe.

Others, who feel differently, will abhor and detest what he has written... and propose such sanctions
as having a speaking engagement at Harvard cancelled. But this is wrong.

Voltaire, that very clever fellow, said it best:

"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it."

Unfortunately, sanctimonious members of the Academy (usually the least intelligent on campus)
have forgotten their true calling: facilitating free speech, not suffocating and penalizing it. Blogs,
then, do the work academicians should do (the reason they are given tenure to do), but are now too
often emasculated, self‐protecting and lazy to do.

Thus, when you write, the objective is always to achieve Harvard's ultra clear motto: "Veritas", the
pure and always unsimple truth.

Write regularly, consistently.

One of the major problems with most blogs is that they are not regularly produced. Remember,
whatever else a blog may be it is also and always the story of your life. It is a window into your
thoughts and occupations. Blogs must therefore be regularly undertaken. Don't start it.... unless you
mean to do it.

Write regularly and consistently, being always aware that the first day you do not feel like writing
your blog is the very day you must be sure to write it... or risk the ending of your blog altogether.

The more honest you are, the more and stronger reader reaction you should expect.

When Professor Peretz posted his incendiary opinions about Moslims (a subject on which he writes



often), I suspect he knew that tea cups in Cambridge and beyond would be rattled. What's more,
being a true provocateur,he probably relishes the instant, insistent responses of those he has
provoked. He might not like being followed through Harvard Yard by hecklers... but he cannot truly
have been awfully surprised by such a response. Relish, rather than alarm, was most probably his
reaction.

You, too, need to reach this level of reaction and response as you achieve greater candor and
honesty in your bog. Because as my grandfather used to say, some damned idiot is sure to protest;
the stronger the opinions rendered, the stronger the response from those disagreeing. (He would
have been a great blogger, grandfather Walt would have been.)

Prepare for the reaction... expect it... ignore it.

Blogging is one of the jewels of the Internet... treat it with care and consideration.

Millions and millions of folks have come and gone on this planet without leaving even a foot print in
the dust. To our chagrin and detriment, we do not know them in any way at all. But blogging has
changed all that, not merely for the potent and celebrated... but even unto the lowest among us. At
last they have a place for their opinions...not matter how alarming, uninformed, and (to the rest of
us) silly they may be. And this is a very good thing... for our job is to cherish the bloggers,
protecting and defending them, even at their most reprehensible and loathsome. And that includes
you, too, Professor Peretz, as you sit in comfort and security here in Cambridge, spewing
venom. I defend to the death your right to say it... and blog it worldwide. Defending you, I have done
the right thing, while taking joy from the fact that every hostile word you blog drives down the
certified circulation figures of your moribund rag, The New Republic. In the end the marketplace,
not censorship, will determine your fate. So blog on....

Beware of Any 'Business' that Relies on Recruiting Family and Friends for Your Success!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

It all sounded so good.

Incredible earnings potential!

Work at home!

Big profits in your spare time!

Yours, all yours, if you only recruit a few family members and friends... who would then recruit a
few family members and friends... who would then recruit a few family members and friends.

Easy! Get started today! Just pay a monthly fee and stockpile a few "they sell themselves""
products... and all those eye‐popping benefits (and the money you so need) would be yours.

Unfortunately... it all went wrong, so terribly wrong and in such a short time, too.



No money!

No snug business producing guaranteed extra income!

And family members and friends angry at you for involving and misleading them, with collateral
damage for years to come.

What went wrong?

"Warm marketing" is the culprit!

Consider any company you know from major household brand names to local "mom and pop"
operations. Do these companies reply on their family and friends to prosper? Certainly not. In fact,
the question is absurd. These enterprises, every one of these enterprises, relies on the quality of
their goods and customer service ‐‐ and their own never‐ending marketing efforts ‐‐ to attract
people to their stores and develop long‐term relationships. If you asked such business owners if
they were relying on their family and friends to get by, they'd dismiss the notion in a minute as
ludicrous.

And so should you!

Why "warm marketing" doesn't work

Warm marketing is based on the proposition that people know people and that by everyone doing a
little bit of presentation and recruitment, everyone benefits. Nice idea.

Unfortunately, it has as many holes as swiss cheese.

The premise of "warm marketing" is that people will buy whatever you're selling because they
know you, and you ask them. By contrast, in real businesses people buy not because of their
personal connection, but because of their need for the product, the eye‐catching selection of what
you have available, and the particular motivating offer you're making. Selling to their parents and
best friends is most assuredly NOT the basis of their success!!!

So, who benefits from "warm marketing" then?

The parent company ‐‐ and no one else.

Does the opportunity charge you a fee for joining and/or a monthly "membership" fee. Bingo!
They're making money off you.... even if you never make a penny.

Does the opportunity require that you buy a certain amount of product every month? Bingo!
They're making money off of you ... even if you never make a penny.

Does the opportunity require that you maintain a certain level of sales to get paid? Bingo! They're
making money off of you ... even if you never make a penny.



Let's be very clear: their objective is to make a profit for the company. Whether you make one or
not is never their concern.

What companies relying on "warm marketing" never offer

ALL businesses, warm or otherwise, need a steady flow of prospect leads. Regular companies
master the art of lead generation early... or they go out of business fast.

Warm marketing companies don't spend a nickle instructing you on marketing mastery. No need!
Instead, they just hand you a prospect script and tell you to call all your family and friends ASAP,
since that's the sure‐fire way to success.

WRONG!

Real companies that have dealer programs bend over backwards to accommodate your need for
prospects and to help you educate and close these prospects.

The better the company, the more focused they are on your success, the more you can expect them
to provide, such as

* a training program that shows you how to generate and work with your prospects

* multiple lead‐generating services

* ad copy that works

* proven prospect scripts

* company‐provided incentives to stimulate prospect identification and action

* company provided live and recorded presentations for prospects, delivering key information and
answering queries.

Real companies don't say "recruit grandma and all will be well." Instead, they focus on providing
you with EVERYTHING you need to generate and close leads, including (and this is absolutely vital)
the hot new automatic recruitment software which only cutting‐edge companies make a point of
offering.



This exciting, money‐making software enables you to generate

* unlimited

* guaranteed

* targeted

* specific

* unique

traffic to your website... and to do it AUTOMATICALLY and for FREE!

Related software delivers the Number One position in every search engine on earth... including
Google, Yahoo, Bing, Alexa, etc. again AUTOMATICALLY and FREE! (I bet you didn't know you could
do this in under 5 minutes, automatically. And for FREE, if the company gives you this amazing
software!)

Real companies are happy to give this to you free because they know that traffic is king and that
your success (and theirs) is dependent on it.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the outmoded companies advocating "warm marketing" remain in
the dark ages.... snagging you with a system that seems easy but is the worst imaginable, not least
because it leaves you with a trail of strained and broken relationships with family and friends you
have irritated and angered.

To avoid this and all the other pitfalls of this notoriously inefficient and ineffectual marketing
system, just remember Nancy Reagan's famous line: "Just say no." It will save you a world of grief,
frustration, and a lifetime of bitter, recriminatory comments from family and former friends. It will
also enable you to continue your search to find the best opportunities... those which eschew "warm
marketing" altogether, and rightly so!



Is it a Scam? Here's How You'll Know!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Hundreds of thousands of folks worldwide have been bilked by Internet scams to the tune of
millions of dollars.

Now hear this: not one of these people had to lose a single penny. EVERY scam under the sun can
easily be identified.... and hence avoided. Here are the signs of clear and present danger:

1) Scams prosper by telling people they can get rich without work.

Here's a dead give away! Real businesses can and should make their offers as good as possible,
always maximizing advantages while minimizing what you must do to achieve results. But scams
cross the line, touting success without effort. Here's where the old saying comes in, "If it seems too
good to be true... it isn't!" Your mother told you this, and your mother was right.

2) Scams never feature how long they've been in business. Why? Because they aim to arrive,
defraud the maximum amount as quickly as possible... then pick up silently and leave.

Real businesses are proud of the number of years they've been helping people. You'll find this
information prominently displayed. They want you to know they've been here... and plan to remain
here. Scams don't.

3) Scams are not accredited by The Better Business Bureau or other professional associations.

Real businesses understand that people may have hesitations or doubts about doing business with
a new, untested company. They, therefore, make it a point to earn professional designations which
give their new customers peace of mind.

The Better Business Bureau, for instance, the world's best known consumer protection and
consumer advocacy organization, has a business accreditation program. After such extensive "due
diligence", you can bet the business will proudly display their seal of accreditation. Scams don't,
because scams can't.

4) Scams do not incorporate where they are subject to legal regulations and scrutiny.

Ask a scamster just where his business is incorporated and who regulates it. Answer will come
there none.

Legitimate businesses are willing to submit to government oversight and review. While every
business person under the sun bemoans the extra work this entails and the inevitable "red tape," in
fact they welcome government oversight and review since it tells the public they are real and
reputable. Scams are neither, so they don't bother to incorporate.

5) Scams don't sell real products. In actual fact, what they sell is greed.



Talk to any business person in the land about their products and services and they'll happily burble
on for hour after factual hour. Not so scamsters.

A scam has no product or service. It doesn't sell anything worth having; it's all about tapping into
and controlling you through your own potent avarice.

Real businesses are ecstatic to talk about what they can do for you, the beneficial details. Scams
don't dare tell you what they're all about, so they tap deep into your own greed and use that to
blind you to what they really do!

6) Scams don't provide real name, real address, real phone numbers, etc.

Real businesses, legitimate businesses are here today, here tomorrow. They live or die by treating
old customers well so they return... and motivating new customers to come and visit. This means
providing these customers with necessary contact information.

Scams are different. Go to their website. Can you easily get address, phone, etc? No. In fact it's just
about impossible to get any genuine contact details. Remember, scams don't want you to know who
they are, where they are located, how to contact them. Quite the contrary.

7) Scams don't tell you the names of the principals and their credentials

Remember, scams profit by dazzling you with riches without work. Such mundane details as the
names and credentials of the principals ‐‐ always trumpeted in real businesses ‐‐ are never
provided.

Scamsters, remember, count on you being so excited about your imminent prosperity that you
won't notice you have no information about the people at this enterprise who are responsible for
providing its benefits.

Last Words

There have been scams as long as there have been humans. The Internet, however, has empowered
scamsters as never before. Luckily for you, every scam in the world can be easily detected. You
simply must control the avarice that makes scams so attractive... and apply the common sense
admonitions found here.



Chapter 09: Business Best Practices



The 4 MOST Important Words in Business Success

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

There is a secret to success in marketing and business and that success in contained in just 4
words...

YOU

GET

BENEFIT

NOW!

They are the Philosopher's Stone delivering one sale after another... and profit even in the worst of
times.

YOU!

One of the worst mistakes you can make in business is to create marketing communications that
speak to no one in particular. WRONG! Successful marketing is about talking to and never deviating
from a focus on the EXACT person you are determined to motivate.

KNOW THY CUSTOMER... and ALWAYS speak directly to her.

For example, if you were selling any gizmo your ad copy should NEVER begin with the name of your
business. That's about YOU. Instead it should focus on the person who has the ability to make or
break you: the all‐important customer!

Have you considered the person you are speaking to? Have you visualized this person? Is he in your
mind as you create EVERY marketing communication?

If you write marketing communications ‐‐ ANY marketing communications ‐‐ that focus on YOU, you
will squander the opportunity to motivate action from "you, the customer." That is fatal.

GET

The whole of business is about a transfer of assets... about the person who offers and the person
who accepts that offer.

Successful marketers remind themselves, over and over again, every single day that their success is
completely centered on what the customer gets, NEVER on what you, the business owner, get.

Thus, when you sit down to create an offer you need to remind yourself: I can only be successful to
the extent that my customer is heaped high with "you gets".



Visualize this process as an ice‐cream cone. See yourself building an offer by adding one scoop after
another. The more you add, the faster you can induce customer action... so add liberally.

BENEFIT

And just what are you adding?

BENEFITS!

The average business owner is so immersed in the mundane and prosaic details of running her
business (what, another form from the government to complete!) that she loses sight of the purpose
of it all: improving the life of your customer.

What does a customer want? Benefits!

Why does the customer come to you? To get those benefits!

Why does the customer give you her hard‐ earned money? Because you have made the strongest
case that YOU have the benefits to confer!

Do you have a benefit file for EVERYTHING you want to sell? Probably not. You probably know
what's in this thing... but have probably never systematically written down just what the customer
gets from you when he uses it.

MISTAKE!

Take the time to brain storm each and every benefit your customer gets.

You get........this.

And you get........ this.

You also get this.

Get the picture?

Benefits motivate. More benefits motivate faster.

NOW!

There is only one time in marketing... and that time is NOW!

There is no past... there is no future.

There is only this particular moment!



Your TOTAL focus must be on motivating the prospect to act NOW. Have you offered enough to
make this happen? When you make an offer you know. Either people are leaping to get it... or they
are not. Bad offers NEVER get better over time, unlike a fine wine. Either they work AT ONCE... or
they NEVER work. Your job is to experiment with your offers so that they generate response after
immediate response!

Last Words

Serious about business success? Want as much as possible?

Then start out EVERY day by reciting the "You get benefit now" mantra. The more it becomes part
of the fiber of your business life, the more successful you will become. Guaranteed.

What You Want Your Customers to Say Over and Over Again.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Have you ever consciously considered just what you want your customers to say to you? Probably
not. Yet the exercise is important. The clearer you are about what you want your customers to say
to you... the more likely you will do what is necessary to hear it.

1) 'Thanks for getting back to me so fast!'

When was the last time you heard this? When was the last time you deserved to hear it?

The plain fact is, too many businesses these slothful days don't have fast customer response as a
priority. If they respond to the customer promptly, fine; if they don't respond to the customer
promptly, no problem. It doesn't seem to faze them either way. WRONG! It matters! Customers use
your response time as an indication of whether you are customer‐centered, or not. Buying decisions
and long‐term relationships are thereby determined. Prompt response is good... prompter response
is even better. Remember, if you're not hearing compliments from your customer about what you
do... it's quite clearly because you don't deserve to!

2) 'Your staff was so helpful and pro‐active!'

When was the last time you needed some help at a particular establishment ‐‐ and didn't get it? To
tell the truth, it happens to all of us all the time, right? We either can't find a staffer. Or wait while
that staffer finishes text‐messaging his lady love. Or, even worse, we get a staffer who doesn't know
his job or what he has available. You know what I'm talking about because it happens to all of us all
the time.

Instead of leaving this important matter to sort itself out, be clear on what you want your
customers to say to you ‐‐ each and EVERY customer, mind ‐‐ and do what's necessary to hear it
over and over again!

3) 'Thanks for working with me!'



Start from this proposition: if you want long‐term customer relationships, working with your
customers cannot be something episodic and casual; it must be the essence of what you do and
what your business is all about.

Like it or not (and you'd better like it), all customers are not the same; they all do not have the same
situations. People who thrive in business, customer‐centered people, understand there is no cookie‐
cutter approach to customers. Approaching them that way is just like one of Cinderella's sisters
stuffing her foot into the glass slipper. It ain't gonna happen!

Customers need you to see their situation not as a problem to be solved, but as an opportunity
demanding sense and sensibility. Do that and you will have earned their business, now and later.
Fail to do that and you will deserve a customer's ultimate punishment: 'I'll take my business to
someone who values it.' Ouch.

4) 'What a great offer! I'll take it.'

Haven't heard this lately? Then you're not making offers which are good enough... or frequent
enough. As such, you're leaving money on the table.

To be in business is to be in the business of making offers, lots of offers, constant offers, daily offers;
to understand that a day that goes by without a motivating offer is a money‐making day gone
forever and ever.

Is that the kind of business person you are? Casual? Neglectful? Lazy?

Yikes!

If you want people to compliment offers (and put money in your pocket), do what's necessary...
today!

5) 'You didn't have to do that! I really appreciate it!'

Okay, customers can be a drag. They can be and often are rude, demanding, insistent, egotistically
out of control and a total nuisance to boot. Yep, that sounds like customers we know.

They are also crucial to your business, profits, and your wealth and comfort.

The plain fact is, customers can and often do need extra help. They may need you to go the extra
mile or two. To do this is often inconvenient for you. That's absolutely true but also absolutely
irrelevant. The customer needs... you must help. If you don't, you have set the limits of your
business, your profits, and your growth.

6) 'I thought service like that was gone forever!'

In olden days some of us are still young enough to remember, there was a thing called customer
service. It was embodied by a young man at a filling station who hopped to it when you pulled in,



filled the tank, cleaned your wind shield, checked the pressure in your tires... and did it all with a
bona fide all‐American smile that wouldn't quit.

Where has this lad and all he represented gone?

If you aim for success and for customers to sing your praises, we'de better find him (or her) in your
establishment!

Think about the service you have enjoyed from others. What made it good? What made it
memorable? What made it obsolete in so many businesses, (perhaps including yours)... until now.

To offer 'wow' service is a decision. It is something you choose to do, or not. If it isn't present in a
business, it's because that business decided to get by doing less. If everybody offers mediocre,
entirely forgettable service it doesn't matter very much. But the minute a get‐ahead business
person does more that person gets a terrific advantage. Now that you've considered the matter, that
person better be YOU!

Is Your Business REALLY Customer Centered?

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Ok, we all know that getting and keeping customers is the lifeblood of any business. I mean, we do
all know this, right? Then you've got to treat these essential beings with all the care and
consideration they need and require.

So, why don't you?

Here are some of the bone head things any customer can easily experience from businesses like
yours on any given day:

1) Telephone calls that aren't returned

This is a constant lamentation from customers: "Why can't I get my calls returned?"

The plain fact is, most businesses are supremely careless about returning calls. Indeed, we seem to
have reached the point where the returned call is the exception, not the rule.

This means that businesses are actually willing to throw business away and antagonize customers,
rather than implement and adhere to a "calls must be returned promptly" policy. Incredible!

Don't let this be you. Make it a point to return ALL calls every day before you leave, earlier if
possible. And do the same for all e‐mail messages, too.

2) Keep customers up‐to‐date on their business



What customers (rightly) resent is being kept in the dark about their affairs. They expect, and are
right to expect, that people they employ are empathetic. This means keeping customers fully up‐to‐
date on what is happening with their account.

Either a phone call or an e‐mail message can do nicely. The important thing is ensuring you give the
customer a clear and detailed report, focusing on what that customer wants to know to be kept fully
informed and anxiety free.

3) Do what you say you're going to do

When you were courting your customer, making a pitch for their business, you made promises. Are
you keeping them, now that you got the business?

Customers rightly complain that there is a gap between what was promised and what is delivered.
Solving this problem is not so very difficult. Keep a clear list of what you promised, and check off
these items as you do them. Be sure to inform the customer, so there is no confusion. "I promised
this; I have done this." That's the thing!

4) Provide easy customer support

If you provide a service requiring customer support, make it clear what you provide and when you
supply it. Customers rightly complain when promised support is not available, and they have to
chase you to get assistance. This very quickly goes stale and results in deteriorating relations.

Again, be clear on the support you provide... then deliver exactly what you said you would!

5) Don't gossip or chat in front of waiting customers

This one gets customers hot under the collar real fast.

The plain, unvarnished truth is that far too many business people regard customers as either a)
invisible or b) pesky distractions from the thrilling task of keeping their co‐workers current on the
vicissitudes of their roller‐coaster life.

Unless your object is to make customers see red, STOP the chatter, now and for evermore.

6) Stick to business

Just yesterday I called a local business to get details on a possible purchase and instead of focused,
professional service... I got an earful about the life and times of an unstoppable loquacious business
owner.

WHOA!

On the whole customers do not need to have either a current report on your health issues past,
present and future, or the ins and outs of your business for the last quarter century, or so.



The K.I.S.S. principle applies here: Keep it simple, Sam. Don't overwhelm the customer with your
personal trivia. It is a real turn‐off for most.

6) Say thank‐you for the business, and smile when you say it.

Quite simply, you cannot thank a customer enough for her business. Further, you cannot smile
enough as you look that customer in the eye while delivering heartfelt words of appreciation.

Thank‐you's must NEVER be perfunctory. They must be warm, sincere, radiant and frequent.
Remember, the customer ALWAYS knows when they're genuine and bestows future business
accordingly!

What to Do When Your Customer Says No!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

It's sad, but it's going to happen to you today: a prospect is going to say no to your offer. That,
however, is NOT important. What is, is knowing what to do when it happens. That's what separates
the men from the boys; the business people who will profit from those who won't!

1) Prepare for the decline

People who succeed in business do not expect every single prospect to purchase what they're
selling immediately, effortlessly. No way!

Instead, they anticipate that while some will buy, many will not. Their job is to anticipate those
declines and to prepare in advance what to do when they get them.

2) Write down every potential objection you will hear. Then answer them.

The worst possible way to handle an objection is spontaneously, on the fly. To render the best reply,
you must consider the best reply, crafting, improving it as you go.

Face it: some people are going to decline your offer. You should be prepared to respond
immediately when it happens. This means brainstorming all possible objections... and coming up
with the best, most telling responses. Your use of these responses must be swift and sure. There's
no time for improvisation when your sale hangs in the balance!

3) Ask customers why they've declined your offer.

Successful business people, people who get rich from business, are never daunted by hearing "No!"
from a customer. They see this response, however adamant, as nothing but a milestone on the way
to making that sale.

Successful marketers know that any "no" means "tell me more", not "go away, get lost."



4) Ask why

The first step upon hearing the customer decline your offer... is to ask why.

Treat "why" as an essential tool in making the sale. The minute your prospect starts telling you
why... you are on your way to a certain sale because the very act of answering this question means
the prospect is willing to work with you to reverse the very answer they've just given you! Thus
asking "why" is essential to getting to yes.

5) Listen carefully

While your customer is explaining why she declined your offer, LISTEN. The natural tendency is to
barge ahead, overwhelming the customer. This is a mistake. Instead, ask the customer why she
declined; then give her the time and courtesy to listen to her response without any interruption
whatsoever.

6) Make sure the customer understands your original offer.

By asking the customer why she has declined your offer, you may discover that she doesn't really
understand what you are offering. If she doesn't, present the offer again, making sure the customer
understands absolutely everything you are offering and its substantial value and utility.

7) When your initial offer is not enough

If you have presented your offer clearly... if you feel the customer understands it but is still not
willing to bite, it's time to IMPROVE YOUR OFFER!

Now hear this: before you ask a single customer for a sale, you must brainstorm every single thing
you can offer prospects to induce them to buy.

You must NEVER try to improvise an offer when you are speaking to a customer. Instead, you
should have at your finger tips the extra goodies you can offer a customer, goodies that will make
the sale without breaking the bank!

"Ms. Prospect, I see you want to get our widget... and I want you to have it. I'm going to improve my
original offer to make sure you get it! Let me show you what you can get if you purchase today!"

8) When money ‐‐ or lack thereof ‐‐is the problem

Be prepared to hear from customers over and over again that money is the problem. This may or
may not be true. Your job is to be prepared either way.

Ask your customers if they would purchase your product if they had the money. If they say yes, then
your job becomes improving the offer until the customer understands it would be foolish not to
buy. Improving the offer may well induce the customer to 'fess up and buy... or risk losing the
terrific offer you have made. Improve the offer and in a minute or two people who have just told



you they're broke will magically "find" the funds. With improved offers, this happens time after
time!

Note: make it clear to your prospect exactly what this improved offer contains. Also, be sure the
customer understands that this is a limited‐time offer and that it cannot and will not be repeated.
Make sure the customers understands; this is essential in ensuring acceptance of this offer!

9) When lack of money really is the problem

Of course, some people ‐‐ particularly in our difficult economic days ‐‐ really are broke. They need a
different approach. For this situation, too, you should have planned in advance. Can you offer

* improved payment terms * readily available credit resources (like those at www.paypal.com) *
details on how to secure a pre‐paid credit card, etc.

In short are you ready to be helpful when your interested, but cash challenged, customer is ready to
act? That's mandatory... if you want this sale!

Turning a no into a yes is what determines your business success!

Let me be blunt: you cannot achieve maximum business success and the profits that go with it
unless and until you can turn no into yes. Therefore, mastering the steps in this article is essential
to your maximum well being.

Thus, start today. Never let a prospect go until you have exhausted every approach to securing his
business. Treat this as a great game, a game constantly testing your skills and ingenuity; one with
the greatest possible benefits to both your customer and yourself. For you, hearing the word no
only focuses and concentrates your efforts. After all, YOU are prepared for this moment. You know
what to do and when to it. You are more determined to make this sale than the prospect is to
decline it. As a result, this is not just a sale you will wish for; it is a sale you will get!



5 Things You Should Do When Your Customer Buys

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

You SAY you want more business and the money that comes thereby. But unless you do these 5
things, you're just whistling "Dixie".

1) Smile & Say Thank You

Do a little survey. For the next few days, take a look at how you're treated in the various stores you
patronize. When you buy do you get a radiant smile from the check‐out clerk and a warm thank‐
you? Or is the action meagre and perfunctory; or even absent altogether? The warmth of the thank
you, the brilliance of the smile are indicators of just how much you value this customer and desire
his business.

P.S. Whenever possible, use the customer's name. "Thanks so much for your business, Mrs. Smythe.
We do it appreciate it you know!" And be SURE to make eye contact. This is essential.

2) Hand the customer a bonus coupon.

ALL businesses live or die by repeat customer business. That's why you need to give each customer
a bonus coupon.

First, make the bonus a valuable one, nothing cheap and insubstantial for your vital customers,
please.

Second, make sure the bonus coupon has an expiration date. Remember, offers work because they
are meaningful in value... and because they expire.

Third, hand this valuable gift to the customer and deliver with a smile!

3) Offer to carry the customer's purchase to her car.

Want to make an especially good impression... the kind the customer will convey to her social
circle?

Then carry her purchase to her car!

This courtesy may not always be possible; you may be the only one in the store, for instance. Very
well. But don't throw the baby out with the bath water. If you cannot always offer this special
courtesy, do not for that reason never offer it.

And, remember, in offering this special benefit, don't stint on the accompanying smile... or
customer's name.



4) E‐mail the customer a thank you and bonus offer.

What should be awaiting your valuable customer when he gets home? A terrific bonus offer e‐
mailed at once!

Speed here is everything. That offer should be e‐mailed right away. The speed with which you send
this bonus offer will be a clear indication to the customer of how much you value her business.

You're able to achieve this result if and only if you have created one or (even better) more offers
before you need them!

It goes without saying that you must have the customer's e‐mail address. You do request it from
every customer, don't you? Semper paratus is not just a motto for Boy Scouts.

5) If your product runs out, make sure to e‐mail the customer when you've estimated he will need
more. THAT is your moment to appear supremely customer‐centered... and put more money in your
pocket, too.

Say the average customer uses up this product in 60 days.

E‐mail a bonus offer 30 days before renewal is necessary... then 15 days... and 7 days. Make SURE
you include a special offer with every e‐mail and make sure this offer has a clear expiration date:
like 5 days from e‐mailing.

Last Words

As every smart business person knows, your success (and comfort) derive mainly from one source:
your customers. Right now you SAY this... but you may not run your business properly to derive
maximum profit from customers. This article should help. Read it! Print it! Live it! You will start
seeing the pay‐off at once!



Trader Joe's cofounder Theo Albrecht Dead at 88.
His Golden Formula Lives on to Help YOU Profit!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Try, if you can, to imagine Germany in 1945, particularly the industrial Ruhr basin. It was, as a
result of relentless Allied bombings, pulverized, a scene of complete chaos and confusion. A less
likely locale for the birthplace of one of Europe's greatest fortunes could hardly be imagined.
However, ex‐German soldiers Karl and Theo Albrecht made it so. Just how they did not only makes
for riveting reading... but presents you with one insight after another that will help you bring their
golden touch to your business.

Aldi, co‐owner of Trader Joe's, triumphed by delivering no‐frills but super‐cheap retail offers.

The formula worked like this: Aldi (Trader Joe's parent company) "concentrated on the basics: a
limited selection of goods for daily needs."

Aldi carries a limited selection of fastest‐selling, nonperishable consumer items, a strategy that
allowed them to increase order volume, cut handling costs and waste, and buy their goods cheap ‐‐
savings immediately passed on to the delighted consumer.

The formula delivered one golden result after another. Immediately following World War II, the
brothers took over the single grocery store owned by their parents. By 1950, they were running 13
stores. Five years later they had expanded throughout the Ruhr. Rapid Pan‐European and U.S.
growth (as Trader Joe's) followed.... as did the multi‐billion dollar fortune shared by the brothers.

A closer look inside Trader Joe’s success formula

1) Limited Choice

Unlike today's giant supermarkets where are, say, 50 different spaghetti sauces, at Trader Joe's you
find just a couple. You want spaghetti sauce... you get (excellent) spaghetti sauce... just not every
one in creation.

2) "Different" brands you may not have seen before.

Trader Joe leaves the well‐known national brands we all know to the "big guys." Instead it
specializes in brands you probably didn't know (before becoming a Trader Joe's regular) and won't
see on television.

3) Simple, simple, simple

Trader Joe stores are smaller than the giant supermarkets. It's easy to get the lay of the land and, in
a jiffy, see where everything lives. By contrast, mega stores can leave you breathless and feeling like
an explorer.



4) Fresh (flowers), fresh (bakery) and the best priced wine around (but, as always), limited to a few
suppliers

Per the formula, you get the goodies you want... at prices you'll enthusiastically embrace... but (get
the picture?) you won't get choice. You rely on the buyers at Trader Joe's to wrestle for good prices
on good things on your behalf. Because they succeed, you quickly learn to let them do what they do
so well. Who needs 50 spaghetti sauces anyway?

5) (Reasonable) service but (characteristically) not lavish

Need help? You may expect (because of the relatively bare bones operation) to whistle for it, or go
without. In my experience, the service at Trader Joe's is about the same as in the giant
supermarkets. Particularly in the (awesomely priced) wine department, knowledgeable folk are at
hand. (Or, is this just a function of the help at my local neighborhood Trader Joe's in Cambridge,
Massachusetts?) In any case, no complaints here.

6) Quirky customer communications

I read the Trader Joe's newsletter for months before I ever visited. The copy (and being a
professional copywriter I notice) was quirky, interesting, and so well written you could almost taste
the never generally available specials they touted. It was one of the few newsletters I read
religiously. And, of course, it worked: I went, I sampled, I was hooked.

7) Value, always value

At Trader Joe's, success all rests on value, value, value. You look at the price not with apprehension
about impending "sticker‐shock" but with gratitude. "Yeah, I can afford that!" And you do. As you
carry your purchases to your car, you say a little prayer to keep Trader Joe's in the neighborhood...
and smile inwardly at how much you got for so little. You are a clever shopper, aren't you?

And the late Mr. Theo Albrecht?

We must tip our hat to the dearly departed Theo Albrecht, magic merchandiser in the grand
tradition, departed July 24, 2010. Unfortunately little is known of Mr. Theo or his elder brother. In
fact, so averse were they from publicity that hardly a photograph is known. Let me venture to
speculate a guess about this: they wanted your attention to be 100% on Aldi and its child, Trader
Joe's. On your next purchase and not their latest profits. Bless him. I hope he finds an eternity of
that unsurpassable Trader Joe's key lime tart... or whatever (rock‐bottom priced) delicacy he
fancies. He deserves it!



What is Absolutely Crucial for Your Business Success? Joy, That's What!
You Either Have It, or You've Had It.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

What would you say about a business owner who said these kinds of things about his occupation?

You say your job is like "mopping the floor" and "cleaning up the mess."

You complain that what you do is "confining" and "frustrating".

You moan and groan that "nothing beats a day where I can make an escape, I break out."

You whine about how difficult your challenges are because "I'll be honest with you. This is really
hard."

What would your opinion be of such a person and his chances for success? Would you want to be
around this person, to emulate that negativity? Would you want your children to grow up ready,
willing and able at the drop of a hat to ladle out such lamentations and self pity by the bucket, like
the man who spouted these telling, quoted words?

That man is the President of the United States, Barrack Obama, the pampered resident of 1600
Pennsylvania Ave. The man with the biggest, most important job in the world... a man whose
golden prize offers immeasurable possibilities for transforming lives... but seems to give him no joy
at all.

Seen a photo of the president lately? His lips are pursed, brow furrowed and intent, the body
language contained, controlled, the famous "don't touch me" quality, smiles cool, fleeting, and
unbelievable. Is it any surprise his presidential ratings have dropped like a stone? We all want to
like him... but it's becoming increasingly difficult because he doesn't seem to want to like us... "the
people" he is there to serve, inspire, motivate, and enhance.

Do you approach your business looking like you were weaned on a pickle?

It was the irrepressible Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of a president, married to a speaker of
the U.S. House of Representatives, who nailed Calvin Coolidge forever more, declaring he looked
like a man weaned on a pickle. Coolidge, too, was the master of frosty distances and the laconic.
Again, it was just so hard to like him!

Is that you? Do you bring everything to the table except the one thing that trumps all the others:
joy! Then you are hurting your business, your fortune, and to a certitude, yourself.

Start with Robert Burns, perceive yourself

In his celebrated poem "To a louse" , Burns writes of a young woman coming to the kirk
inappropriately dressed to kill, preening and posturing, little sensing she is also showing off a louse,



lazily trespassing her over‐combed locks. This sight, and Burns' poetic talents, turn this incident
into stunning insight:

"O would some Power the gift to give us To see ourselves as others see us! It would from many a
blunder free us, And foolish notion:"

The first thing to do is review yourself "warts and all", to see yourself as others see you. Is there a
business person in the world who actually wants to be a person putting off others, the very people
whose respect and admiration he should be doing everything to garner and maintain?

Evolving into a person whose joy is manifest in all aspects of her job means undertaking a self‐
scrutiny which must be honest, candid, stark, and unyielding. After all, you may well find one
painful trait after another and must be ready to see them as in a spotlight.

Walk yourself through a day in your life

Your model here is Frank Capra's ever relevant classic film "It's A Wonderful Life", where a man is
forced to see himself as he is and see how many lives he has touched. It's a good beginning for your
own self tour.

Start with your smile

A smile doesn't mean all is well. It is not some cosmetic to mask reality. Rather, it is a statement
that, whatever else is going on, bad, even catastrophic, you intend to be a beacon of welcome,
someone striving to lighten the load for others, not to contribute to it by your gloomy visage and
off‐putting demeanor. In others words, you intend to make a heartfelt difference, one smile at a
time. Each smile is a sign of possibilities, unlike a frown, scowl or evident disapproval which is a
door shut and locked in the face of all who unhappily come across you.

Do you welcome your customers... or merely (and inadequately) acknowledge them?

Watch yourself as you perform your daily customer contacts. Are you easing the way for others
with a manner congenial and forthcoming? Even the great French King Louis XIV, master of the
greatest of kingdoms, used always to doff his bonnet with celerity and style to EVERY woman he
encountered, be she serving wench or marquise.

Count the moans, groans, whines and all the renditions of "poor little me" in a single day

As is clear from his quoted remarks above, President Obama, is a man with an unflattering tendency
to invite folks to feel sorry for him. Him! President of these United States! Him! Waited on
everywhere he goes... with access to the world... flattered... consulted... revered... deferred to. Rich,
powerful, caressed, cosseted to a degree we can only imagine... yet wanting us to feel sorry for
"poor little me", whose job is so hard, so demanding, so limiting. Come on!

Your customers want what we want from our chief executives: the power of potential; a feeling that
here, right in front of us, we have a person of care, empathy, concern, and sincere interest; a person
who enthuses us about the road to come, difficult yes, challenging to be sure, but replete with



possibilities for all. Is that how you approach your customers, as a person of possibilities, an
empowerer, for whom the glass is always half full, not discouragingly half empty? With whom do
you think your customers want to do business?

Joy the sine qua non

It takes many things to be a business success, conjuring sales and profits wherever you go; products
of value, excellent personnel, offers that cause folks to pause in their tracks. ALL are necessary. But
no single factor is as important as the joy you bring to your job, because that joy will inspire all and
ensure success. Joy enables and empowers. It attracts and motivates. It takes the difficult and
transforms it into the wished for future. It is your gift to the world... and to yourself.

Note: was anyone particularly helpful in sorting this matter out? Send a thank‐you note with kind
and lavish praise. After all, you may want their help again!

Recognizing and Celebrating Your Company's Unsung Heroes

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Right now in your company there are "unsung heroes" whose quiet dedication and, yes, devotion
are keeping you in business. These are the people who

* don't complain * are present for work on time * gladly help out as necessary * are selfless and
always focused on the good of the business and its employees.

Every business has such people.

Every business relies on them.

Unfortunately, these fortunate businesses often take such jewels for granted. That will never do.

1) Identify the "unsung heroes" of your company.

The better you know your employees, the easier selecting your "unsung heroes" will be. When you
come to think about it, you'll know right away who has done much for you and is deserving of
special recognition.

2) Have a classy recognition event.

Bringing in a couple of pizzas and saying some nice words about the employee/s in question may be
ok for ordinary "thanks", but when an "unsung hero" is being celebrated that is most assuredly not
good enough.

3) Say it with silver



For hundreds of years, important occasions have been celebrated by the presentation of silver
objects. Why? Because silver represents value, permanence, and something splendid to show family
and friends.

Such objects must ALWAYS be sterling (not plate) and must ALWAYS feature a celebratory
inscription:

"For (name) for exemplary service since (date). From your friends and colleagues at (name of
company.) (date of presentation.)

4) Include a check

Whenever possible, you should also present your "unsung hero" with a check for at least $1000.
Remember, you are recognizing one of the keys to your success. Reward this valuable person
accordingly.

5) Hold a recognition event

Remember, for the person you are honoring, whatever you do will quite probably be unique in her
life. Thus, if you do the thing, do the thing right. This means holding some kind of recognition event.
In our busy times, luncheons are recommended.

Have it at a local restaurant with a function room. Make sure to get your hero's name on the
facility's calendar of events .

6) Invite your hero's family and friends

Again, remember that this event will quite probably be unique in your hero's life. Thus, make it a
point to invite family and friends to attend. Let them see in what regard you hold the honoree.

7) Get the day declared in her honor

Every public official from the President of the United States down has the ability to help you
recognize your "unsung hero." How?

At least 30 days before the event send a letter to

* the governor of your state, or
* the mayor of your town, or
* your state representative or state senator.

All of them have resplendent certificates readily available into which they can insert wording
provided by you. If you ask them to attend your event to present the certificate themselves, they
may well do so! This provides an extra level of importance.



Note: if the service of your "unsung hero" has been particularly noteworthy, do not hesitate to write
the president. You may well get a telegram or letter or, even, (it happens) a phone call from the
president himself... and that would surely make your event notable!

8) Take lots of pictures. Post them on your website.

This is the moment for all shutterbugs. The more pictures you take, the better. Post them
prominently on your website.

9) Deliver heartfelt, gracious, sincere remarks. Don't stint on the compliments.

Talk from the heart about this person and what she has done. Remember, she has been one of the
reasons for your success. Now is the moment to say so with grace, felicity and warmth. Be sure to
record your words and give these, too, to your star.)

Last Words

We all mean to take the time and trouble to publicly thank and honor the good folks who keep our
company going. But life has a way of getting away from us. That's why you need to make honoring
your heroes a matter of priority and importance. They have served you well. Now do what is called
for to recognize them for all their services. It is right and proper.

Why Your Company Must Have a Designated Nudge

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Did you know your company has a open position which needs to be filled at once? The absence of
this person is costing you money every single day. That's why you cannot wait another minute to fill
this vital post.

To help understand what this position is all about, let's start at the dictionary:

Nudge (nuj) v. nudged, nudging. v. t. To touch or push gently as with the elbow, in order to attract
attention, convey a meaning, etc. v.i. To give a nudge. n. The act of nudging; a gentle push as with
the elbow. Norw. nugga, push.

Frankly, I think the original Norwegian ("nugga") has it right: push. The nudge is your company's
designated representative to push employees and associates for more and faster results.

Why you need a nudge

Let's face it, you're human. You try to set goals. You try to reach them in the time provided. You try
to do more and better, right?

But somehow you fall behind, miss deadlines, bobble opportunities, trip and crash when you
should be sprinting ahead. Isn't that about the size of it?



Which is why you need a designated nudge.

In a nutshell the job of the nudge is to

* check progress on existing projects and objectives

* ask how you are getting on with what needs to be done

* remind you what needs to be done and when
it must be done

* offer incentives for achievement

* make it clear what happens when achievement is not forthcoming

And, in general, spur, motivate, challenge, chide ‐‐ and push.

The nudge must be organized, efficient, focused, indefatigable, with a thick skin

Only a person of the utmost efficiency, clarity and organization can be a nudge. After all, a nudge
who falters and fails is hardly going to make a success of the position, much less deliver the benefits
you have every right to expect.

Beyond such skills, the nudge must be a person who, above all, has a thick skin and who doesn't
take things personally.

Nudges are often regarded as people butting in where they are not wanted... perfectionists in an
imperfect world... annoying, interfering, pests; in short not the most welcome of creatures.

That's why two things are absolutely necessary for the successful nudge: a thick skin and immunity
for whatever they say.

The necessity for immunity

A nudge by definition pushes other employees... and must therefore be protected from the
comments and reactions of all employees.

Consider this typical situation:

Nudge: Mary, as you know your monthly sales figures are a little off. What are you planning to do to
get back on track?

I guarantee you that Mary is not likely to be very happy when the nudge drops by with this
message. However, that is the nudge's job: to get Mary back on track ASAP, to enable both Mary and
the company to achieve their clearly understood goals.



Mary may well be inclined to respond with a "get out of here. I am fully capable of handling this
matter myself" comment.

But she cannot and must not.

The nudge's job is to remind Mary of what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, what Mary is
doing to achieve the objective, and to give Mary all appropriate help and directions, right up to and
including warnings and admonitions.

The nudge is constantly in motion and may appear anywhere, at any time.

By definition, a nudge cannot be a stationary object; the nudge must constantly be

* connecting with employees
* reviewing their progress
* making suggestions
* focusing employees
* recommending what must be done and
when it must be done.

The nudge must be supremely well organized and must have a clear daily "to do" list.

This means

* knowing who must be contacted today

* calling and emailing such people (including follow‐up e‐mails after all meetings).

* re‐focusing employees, tweaking, adjusting,
reminding.

The nudge is a creature in constant motion...

* prodding Joe

* complimenting Neal

* chiding Sally

being clear on what each needs to achieve... and working with each and all to achieve those
objectives.

Start today

There isn't a company on this earth which wouldn't be better off having a designated nudge on staff.
That's why you must start today.



* Review the nudge candidates you have. Who is best equipped to contact each and every employee
and representative to improve results?

* The nudge must be in constant communication with employees AND with management.

* The nudge's conduct and mode of operation must be reviewed at regular intervals. Remember
your Lord Acton: "power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." You must ensure that your
nudge doesn't develop arrogance and "big head" problems, which can easily occur without periodic
intervention and oversight.

Review the nudge's results

A nudge who understands and is good at this job is a godsend to any company. After all, nudges are
clear on what is likely to deliver better results:

* allowing employees to go their own ways without regular oversight and reminding, or

* having to report progress (or lack of same) to a designated representative whose task is
to get people to produce more in a designated period of time?

Obvious, isn't it?

And so we come back to the original Norwegian word "nugga", meaning push. The nudge is your
company's secret weapon, who by simply showing up and pushing
and prodding employees will achieve better results day after
day.

Cherish nudges, for they are a source of endless benefits to you and your organization. Far too
many employees are slow, slothful, disorganized, inefficient. Apply the magic of the nudge to the
solution of these problems and deficiencies. The results will most assuredly please you!



How to Stay Focused and Make Money on Days You DON'T Feel Like It!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Did you lay in bed this morning unwilling, unable to get up? Did every fibre of your body demand
more time in the sack? Was it a struggle to open an eye... and get up?

Sure enough, if today wasn't like this, some of your many tomorrows will be. You need to be
prepared for such inevitabilities... because they can and will occur and can and will sabotage your
ability to make money. Here are some suggestions that'll help you rise and shine... suggestions I use
myself when getting up and getting going are most decidedly NOT my first priority!

1) Create a "to do" list before you go to bed.

The key to making tomorrow organized, efficient, and profitable is what you do today. Make it a
rule before you retire for the night to draw up a clear, clean, specific "to do" list. Write it, read it
over, put it next to the bed... then turn off the lights.

While you're sleeping your subconscious mind will be busily at work helping you organize and
implement the items on your list. Even when your body is screaming for more sleep and all the
creature comforts it can get, the brain ‐‐ and your crucial "to do" list ‐‐ will be helping you get up
and at 'em.

2) Take a cold shower.

The British empire, the largest the world has ever known, was practically built on a cascade of frigid
water. Its young men, pillars of the imperium, were shipped off to prep schools and immediately
subjected to the jarring temperatures which will work for you as well as it worked for them. Don't
stand there and debate.... turn up the cold tap and plunge! You're about to be invigorated,
rejuvenated, primed to run your empire.

3) Do some exercise.

Are you huddling in a corner of your kitchen, hands gripping a cup of joe, comfy in your bunny
slippers? Whoa! This isn't helping getting your act together. You need some brisk, bracing exercise...
the kind guaranteed to send vital oxygen to that all‐ important brain.

Put the steaming liquid down and kick up your heels... or quick‐step around your back yard or up
and down your street. With every step your brain will exult. The key isn't coffee... it's oxygen. Move
bristly and infuse it where it must go for maximum good.

4) Give yourself an easy, immediate success.

Don't feel like doing anything? Then give yourself an easy, immediate success. This should, of
course, have been indicated on your "to do" list. Before you go to bed be sure to post on your list an
easy thing, a thing that will start today's sequence of successes. Once begun, as we say in New
England, is half done.



What could this "easy" thing be?

It could be calling a long‐time customer to get a nice re‐order or following up with a new customer
to whom you've already sent a proposal and quote.

One success engenders another. Even a small success is sufficient. Start successful, remain
successful. It all begins when you least feel like it.

5) Put on your head phones and engage with some stirring music.

Still need help getting into gear? Go to the play list on your computer and choose something
rousing. What? You don't have such a play list? Start it today. I can assure you, you are going to need
it. Here are some of my sure‐fire upbeat selections, guaranteed to get you going:
Wake up Little Suzie by the Everly Brothers (most appropriate, don't you think?)

Think by Aretha Franklin.

Natalie Cole's version of Pink Cadillac, and

J.P. Rameau's always motivating Tambourins I‐II from Dardanus.

Your list may well be different from mine; the important thing is to have a list you can access at
once. Turn up the sound... and move your body. Your uplifting selections are moving you towards
another successful day.

6) Visualize what you'll get when you turn this day into a success.

All too often we work without conceptualizing why. We work today because we worked yesterday.
This is not nearly good enough.

Remind yourself just why you're working and what special thing today's successes will help create.

In my case, for instance, I have a pile of auction catalogs stacked high next to my computer. I
motivate myself on days when such motivation is needed by looking at the things I want from
auctions coming up quickly. Getting myself focused and together is a precondition for maximum
acquisition. Visualize success; then do what's necessary to achieve it.

7) Still not alert and moving? Then take the day off formally and properly.

Like most people these days, you are working more and longer than either your parents or
grandparents. We are the most leisure‐challenged generation ever.

The plain fact is, you may be unable to get up and resolutely face the day because you're just worn
out. If so, take the day off... sleep in, sleep properly, sleep, relax and goof off without guilt. You'll be
the better tomorrow if you take what is necessary and do not regard it as an indulgence but
physical need. Enjoy!



What to Do Before You Leave Your Office That Ensures Business Tomorrow!

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Bushed? Had a long day? On your way out the door for a little liquid refreshment and some R & R?

Not so fast! You've got tomorrow's business to think about today and some crucial tasks to perform
before you leave. Whether you do them and how you do them determines just how successful
tomorrow will be.

1) Report to customers with pressing concerns

Like everyone in business, you have certain high‐ranking customers... certain high maintenance
customers... and those who are both. Before you leave today, call and bring them up‐to‐date on their
affairs.

Can't reach them right away? Leave a detailed message. Make it as positive and soothing as you can.
Make it clear that you are on their case doing your best.

2) Try to connect with that elusive prospect yet again.

Have you been trying to reach that will‐of‐the‐wisp prospect? Try again right now. Successful
people work longer and harder than the average. Show this prospect just how enthusiastic and
interested you are. Call them again now; e‐mail if you fail to connect by phone. People like to work
with eager beavers. This extra effort on your part indicates you are one of the best.

3) Send an e‐mail that will generate leads and sales.

An excellent time to e‐mail your prospects is on your way out the door. Why? Because it'll produce
for you while you're doing other things.

Want to return in the morning to a handful of prospect leads and sales? E‐mailing before you leave
will deliver... especially if you make a particularly good offer for immediate response.

4) Update your telephone answering machine message.

Most people never think of their answering machine message as a marketing communication... but
it is. Keep yours up‐to‐date with a spiffiIng offer... an offer that gets the prospect to stop in his
tracks, listen... and call to hear it again and respond.

Whatever you've got that prospects will see, listen and respond to is marketing... and thus needs
your focused consideration and an offer that motivates.



5) Mend a fence

Everybody has one business (or personal) relationship that could be sunnier. Don't leave your
office today until you've e‐mailed a friendly message that mends a fence. Make it short, sweet,
upbeat. Don't rehash the past; make your message forward looking and, above all, positive. Do this
even if you're the aggrieved party. Secure the future by graciousness now.

6) Revive a languishing proposal

Every proposal that one makes in business isn't going to secure a positive response. Some will wilt.
Use the time before you leave to see whether you can revive at least one.

Make this note short, positive.... forward looking. Ask whether there has been any further update
since you were last in touch. Suggest a meeting, in person or on the phone. In short, let the person
you're contacting understand that you are ready, willing and able to help them out!

One More Thing: Look in the mirror and SMILE!

Ok, you're a little more tired than you were... but what matters that compared to the successful day
you've had... and the even more successful day you've positioned for tomorrow?

In short, smile. You're a go‐getter, someone smart in the ways of business and human relations.
When you return tomorrow after such an ending today, you'll see just how much that means
towards your bottom line. Ole!



Chapter 10: Current Events Worthy of Comment



On The Tragedy of Tyler Clementi and What You Can Do to
Turn it into a Better Internet for Us All.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

The words come easily about a thoughtless incident engineered by unthinking adolescents

appalling egregious selfish stupid malicious.

The facts have flashed around the world.

A freshman at Rutgers University, Tyler Clementi, literally just days into his first term, had an
encounter with another student, a male student.

His peeping tom roommates, one male, one female, had the bright idea of posting live feed of the
tryst on the net for the titillation and second‐hand jollies of a world that can't seem to get enough
of the intrusive and lascivious, no matter how invasive the source.

All this was bad enough, thoroughly, unequivocally wrong.

But worse was quick to come.

A young man in a new, strange environment learning what had been done, faced in his mind a
future replete with embarrassing confessions at home, taunts from bigoted classmates, ridicule and
recriminations for what was no more than a private act of consensual love at a great liberal
institution.

Tyler, literally helpless, saw only one way to cope, and so at the very dawn of adult life he took that
life, by leaping into eternity from the George Washington Bridge, a premature statistic with
stillborn potential.

Not the net but its misusers at fault

For those who dislike and mistrust the Internet, the Clementi case has been a godsend. Now here is
an opportunity to lambast and to deprecate the Internet as a hotbed of lying, prevarication,
deception, malice aforethought, and unfathomable immorality. These vociferous folk say the
Internet must be hobbled, controlled, contained, regulated and eviscerated of its almost satanic
power for mayhem and evil.

But such critics are wrong.

The Internet is neither good nor bad; it is only what the minds of men have made it.

As such we must look into ourselves to find solutions to a problem that threatens to engulf and
destroy the great institution the Internet has become.



The solution starts with you, and it starts today from your computer. Here is what must be done by
all of us, without a moment's delay, lest we tarry too long and lose this race for the soul of the
Internet.

1) Never post anonymous comments about anyone. If you have something to say, have the courage
of your convictions, not the dutch courage of anonymity. Yes, anonymity has its benefits, but these
are dwarfed by the hurtful and malicious comments which are bold only because unclaimed by
their perpetrators.

2) Tell owners of sites publishing anonymous comments that what they are doing is reprehensible,
dishonorable, cowardly and injudicious. One such comment from just one person may cause a
shrug from the site owners and publishers. But one comment launches the forces of outraged
morality which have ignored, evaded, and winked too long at these abuses.

3) Boycott sites which publish and condone the malice and pain of anonymous comments. Boycott
advertisers on such sites. And tell them you are doing so. Money talks, especially when it walks.

4) Use the majesty of fair play to rout those who present and sustain the dedicated, premeditated
evil of anonymous commentary. Post a comment whenever you see anonymity used for
destruction. Remind readers that the one attacked has not been asked for rebuttal and fair
response.

5) Be honest in describing acts of anonymous commentary, films, video, etc which set out to hurt
and malign. These are not "pranks" (as the Rudgers perpetrators claim); they are deliberate acts of
hate, violence, and vicious destruction and must be regarded and dealt with accordingly.

6) Don't regard the publication and posting of intimate personal business as anything other than a
clear violation of an individual's essential right to privacy. You must be quite clear on this!

7) Assume that the people publishing anonymous comments have an axe to grind, a personal
motive behind their remarks, an arriere pensee they wish to be perceived as delivering the truth,
while in reality cloaking their own objectives behind the shield of anonymity. This allows them to
lie, cloak, run, hide, deceive and avoid any responsibility whatsoever while the gullible and
credulous are manipulated.

8) See if the site publishing the hurtful anonymous commentary has a listed owner, address, phone,
e‐mail etc.; someone in a responsible position who can remove comments clearly designed to
agitate, calumniate, and besmirch ‐‐ or is the site impervious and inhospitable to the need for
accuracy and fairness.

Above all, recognize this: all that must happen for evil to prevail is for men of good will and
progressive outlook to do nothing. The time is here for these good people, including you, to use
your powers for goodness, before a handful of malicious, hateful, mean‐ spirited people of
unrelenting negativity and disguised motive cause the Internet to stumble and fall, brought down
by a bacillus which can and must be eradicated now.



This all comes too late of course for Tyler Clementi, young, confused, who died alone and who might
have left no footprint here at all. But this lad gone too soon is instead a source for cosmic change of
the utmost importance to the myriad activities and communications of mankind universal on the
Information Highway. His death, tragic as it is, does have meaning for he has helped cleanse the
Internet of a great evil. Sleep well, young Tyler for we shall not forget you, victim of malice,
inspiration for reform. You have done your work and it is good.

An Open Letter to President Obama
We Electors of These United States Have Spoken. Here's What We Said

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Dear Mr. President:

The people of the United States have spoken... with a message that must have been gall and
wormwood for you. Because you see, sir, these elections ‐‐ endless, expensive, full of expletives
undeleted and charges of every kind and variety... were all about just one person... and that person
is YOU.

You must feel today as Abraham Lincoln felt when once handed his lunch by the voters: It hurt too
much to laugh, he said, but he was too big to cry.

(By the way, another Illinois politician named Adlai Stevenson used this memorable line, when he
too got sucker punched by the voters and was denied the White House, twice. It seems Prairie
politicians should keep these words handy, to be used when their own native wit fails.)

Unlike Stevenson, however, you remain in the Oval Office for at least two more years. And, of
course, you want to stay there beyond that as well. That's why I'm sending this letter... so you will
understand why you went at your inauguration from a man revered by millions who thought you
could walk on water, to a man whose head is now barely above water, dog paddling like crazy to
stay afloat. First, for the good of America, second for your own "legacy" you must hear and heed
what we just said via the ballot box... and you must seize this moment of humiliation,
embarrassment and profound chagrin to turn these bitter fruits into fuel for greatness.

Let's review how you got to this place and what you must do about it.

1) Your presidency has been more Harvard than Chicago.

On the opening day of the Kennedy presidency, revered New England poet Robert Frost told the
new chief executive this memorable truth: "Be more Irish than Harvard. Poetry and power is the
formula for another Augustan Age. Don't be afraid of power." Good, shrewd, succinct, New England
advice. Take it.

I am writing to you today right across from the Harvard Law School and its Law Review. You
worked hard to get both... but to save your presidency (and propitiate an angry nation) you must
now be more IIlinois and Chicago than Cambridge. Cambridge is a magic place, a civilized place... a
place which draws the best and the brightest from all directions. But Cambridge is a bad model to



govern from because we here produce elitists... and you need kick boxers and jujitsu masters.

Yes, you can turn a neat phrase... but the moment for neat phrases is gone. You must, in brief and
again, be more Chicago than Harvard... and this essential transformation must start at once. Your
presidency, sir, and the improvement of America depends upon it.

2) You tried to do too much, too soon... and ended up "jack of all trades master of none."

Sir, we all know people who make promises they can't keep. It all sounds so good when you hear
them... but when you promise, then leave project after project unfinished, you merely engender the
very cynicism about politicians and government you say you abhor; you become your own worst
enemy.

What the country wanted from you was jobs. Put Americans to work, sir, with real jobs and we can
astonish the world with our range of skills and a "can‐do" attitude that still defines us. Yes, we need
health care. Yes, we need better schools... and all the rest of those good ideas we all want. But, first
and foremost, we need jobs.... and when you selected other priorities you showed us all that you
just didn't get it; that you were more Harvard than Chicago. Because, sir, in Illinois (from whence I
hail myself) they get it: jobs, jobs, jobs. You didn't like Richard J. Daly very much, but he kept his
ears open and knew that a man without a job is a desperate man, a hurting man, a man without
hope.

You should have commandeered the Roosevelt Room in the White House and turned it into your
personal command post... where the total focus was on jobs, jobs, jobs. For you see, sir, we are now
in a world war for the protection of our way of life... and that way is based on putting Americans to
work in ways meaningful and timely.

Americans would have cheered you to the echo if you established such a command post and had
overseen the execution of a Manhattan Project for employment. If you stayed with it daily... and let
America see you at this work you would have had the hopes and prayers... and unconquerable skills
of a great nation at your side, as well as the rightly earned gratitude and reverence of millions.

Consider this: when the Great Fire of London took place in 1666, King Charles II was advised to flee
the city and save his royal skin. But Charles Stuart, king for all that, made a better choice: he went
into the heart of burning London and helped move the water buckets. He was burnt and singed like
his fellow Londoners. In the process he was raised to a greater dignity... the dignity of a man.
Uunsurprisingly he was the most successful Stuart of them all... because he engaged with his
subjects, including the mundane, prosaic, and dangerous.

3) Show us what you believe in.

Sir, you are a lawyer, superbly trained as such at that esteemed institution across the street. But
lawyers, with their "have gun, will travel" approach to life are not a good model for the remainder
of your at‐risk presidency. You need core beliefs. Your party senses and Republicans charge that
you are a man who believes in little beyond your all‐consuming drive for yourself. Very well. You



are ambitious and have, in British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli's notable phrase, climbed to
the top of the "greasy pole." That's the beginning of your career, not the end.

Now tell us that you believe and what you will stake your presidency on. We hope it will be jobs and
the revitalization of America. Diminished, buffeted though your president is, you can turn it all
around by focusing all on your hurting countrymen. Your great moments are yet to come if you will
commit, focus, live for them... and bring us safely through this unabated storm.

We have spoken, sir, we electors of these United States. Our message is not ambiguous. It needs no
Harvard academician to decipher, though they may say otherwise. It needs one man, supremely
placed for good, to use all his powers, all his considerable gifts to enhance America. Your
countrymen have shown you and dramatically so just how strongly they feel about the wrongful
moves and misdirections of your first two years. Listen to them for in this cacophony of restive
voices lies the majesty of the people. You have been disengaged from them. Now reconnect and
resurrect your presidency. Do this and you will come to see the chastisement of today as the best
thing that could have happened to you... and America. Do this and we will in due course bless you
for rising up like the Phoenix and winning back our trust, love, and admiration. All other courses
you pursue at your peril... and ours.

Thoughts on the Royal Wedding of Prince William and
His Beautiful Commoner Kate Middleton

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

After 8 years of dating, canoodling, breaking up, making up, breaking up the on‐again‐off‐again
relationship of Prince William of Wales and long tressed Kate is officially on.

The airwaves of the planet dutiful report the expected congratulations. Her Majesty and Prince
Philip are "absolutely delighted for them both". Prince Charles is "thrilled". And no doubt they are,
for it's time for the next generation of royals to get on with their important work. There is much to
do.

Amongst the royals monarchy is referred to as "the firm"; they say they "live above the shop."
Exactly so. It's time for the next proprietor and his spouse to start doing what they're supposed to
do:

bring Britain together.

help the tribe of those battening on the monarchy sell their trinkets and reap their profits.

provide us promptly with an equally photogenic man child ... and then promptly, another. "The
heir... and the spare."

And above all else do what's necessary for an endless stream of gossip, titillation and, best of all,
scandal.



Yes, this handsome couple has much to do... and has already begun to do it.

Hidden Winners and Losers

The game of monarchy is a game of musical chairs, or more accurately, chair. For there is just one
chair, the throne of England; one's place in the pecking order is determined by one's relationship to
this throne.

As all perspicacious royal watchers have known for years, the fate of a thousand year old institution
was planted squarely at the feet of just one person, Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales. He
was, almost from the moment of conception, the white hope of a family which had lost its glamour,
its allure... and it's way.

Father Prince Charles... a not so gay divorcee with the tendency for odd, awkward remarks and
organic vegetables. His cynical marriage to a woman he didn't love whilst carrying on with the
woman he did set the stage for the long, painful , glaringly public fall from grace.

Uncle Prince Andrew of York, a once beguiling, handsome tease of a younger brother who married
a trollop and lived to pay the price, now disillusioned and fat to boot.

Aunt Princess Ann, Princess Royal who chose the handsomest man on the block to marry... only to
discover, in the divorce courts, that a marriage needs more than a shared interest in making
quadrupeds jump a fence.

This supremely privileged crew despite every advantage managed to accrue between them not one
notable achievement, although they have (it's true) kept the scurrilous tabloids of England over
busy with talk of their high and (abysmally) low jinks.

These shop worn royals, their sometime lovers and spouses, have all had their day. Now they will
all be regally pushed off the stage by the handsomest couple on earth. That is Job 1, and that couple
is at it now.

Managing the Ghost

In the best tradition of royal tales, there is a ghost at this feast, an insistent ghost, the groom's
turbulent mother, Princess Diana. Now her unsettled spirit can be well and truly laid to rest, with
love and honor, her sons will see to it.

Diana alive was a nightmare for the Windsors. What would she do? What inappropriate man would
gain her heart... then sell it to the tabloids in the shabbiest most cynical way? They cringed daily
wondering when the other slipper would drop for this out‐of‐control Cinderella.

Her death, of course, too soon, was tragic. But it was also a huge relief. Now they can safety lay this
ghost to honored rest. This healing process began when Wills gave and Kate displayed Diana's
engagement ring on her finger.



Royal hustlers

What do royals do? They put a regal face on the real business of Britain: selling. Britain grants these
folks an anachronistic lifestyle of unparalleled munificence; the catch is they must earn it by
hustling things British. In Kate, they have found the perfect corporate wife. She is stunningly
attractive, bright, educated, savvy, and (above all else) agreeable to being shaped into the winning
marketer the dynasty requires. The cost for maintaining her in the style to which she'll soon be
accustomed is frankly a pittance compared to the tangible financial benefits to be reaped.

Her marriage alone will pump an extra billion or two into the fragile British economy. Well might
the Cabinet shout "hear, hear" upon learning the news. The combination of Wills and Kate is a
fantastic money machine that no mere president can ever rival.

Intrusive questions we will soon have answered

So far the questions the newly affianced royal couple have been asked have been polite, cordial,
asking for little, eliciting less. But all this is about to change. Both Wills and Kate have a price on
their heads, and this price (with the showing of the haunted engagement ring) has escalated
radically.

This is now the situation. This regal couple have friends, pals, classmates, acquaintances, servants
and retainers, any one of whom might know the answers to questions the world is impatient to
know:

when how how often where in what way.

These folks are only human. They have bills. They need money. And so, soon, the betrayals will
begin, media mogul Rupert Murdoch, fueled by his persistent dynastic hatred and disdain, will see
to that.

These people even now, Judas‐like, are mulling over their options: should they betray and prosper?
Or let the opportunity of a lifetime pass them by. It's drama in the grand tradition. And it is sure to
come.

Thus, with the brilliant ring given, the opening phase of this deeply fascinating story begins. We
shall not have to wait very long for the next chapter to develop, even so we are acutely impatient to
have it.



Abdicate? Not a Chance. Here's Why Charles will Reign When His Time Comes.

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

The engagement of Prince William of Wales and the comely commoner Kate Middleton has caused a
long simmering question to flare up again. Will Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, stand down in favor
of the lovely couple?

Those who advocate such an unprecedented event base their case on the following points:

* Charles is uninspiring, eccentric, even odd.

* Charles will be "too old" at his accession to have a meaningful, effective reign.

* By his caddish treatment of his wife, Diana, Princess of Wales, he forfeited the affection and
respect of the nation... and should therefore lose the throne.

* His son William and his winsome Kate are young, popular, already national icons. As a result, it
makes more sense for them to reign... than the shop‐worn Charles and his frumpish Duchess
Camilla.

What do the people think?

An October, 2010 poll of 2,012 adults by ComRes shows support for changing the order of
succession. 25 percent of those polled say that Charles should make way for Wills and Kate. The
younger the respondent, the more that person is likely to support such a change.

Let's take a look at all the "reasons" advanced for altering the line of succession for the world's most
prestigious monarchy.

* Charles in uninspiring. True. Mention the Prince of Wales' name and the likely response will be
tepid, at best. But this is hardly reason for revoking his right to reign. In World War I, Charles great
grand father King George V was pilloried by H.G. Wells as "alien and uninspiring." George when he
heard the comment was outaged: "I may be uninspiring," he said. "But I'm damned if I'm alien." His
reign was successful (unlike those of the principal dynasties of Europe), and he lived long enough to
see himself as respected, admired, even loved. Britain will never pull the rug on Charles because he
lacks charisma.

* Too old. This, too, won't fly. Right now the queen is 84 years old. Her mother, Queen Elizabeth, the
Queen Mother, lived to 101. She could live as long, or longer. Each second reduces the reign of
Charles III.. But that is irrelevant.

He's prepared his entire life to be king and if he rules for just 5 minutes or less... he'll reign for
those. There is no provision in the Constitution to remove the sovereign merely because of his age...
and the righteous uproar from senior citizens would be mind boggling if a man were removed from
his job because of age alone. Remember, centenarians are the fastest growing segment of the



population... and they know how to make themselves heard. Charles will NEVER lose the throne
because of his age alone, never.

Charles the cad doesn't deserve to reign. Here the ghost of Diana, Princess of Wales appears,
accusing Charles of every crime in the calendar. For betraying his young wife, and for a frump at
that, he deserves to pay the ultimate price, losing the throne. More rubbish.

Sovereigns are not chosen because they have (or have not) remained faithful to their marriage
vows. If this were the case, there would be precious few sovereigns.... or presidents of republics
either. Bedroom morality has no place in the succession of kings, randy or otherwise. And it should
have no place here either, whatever fanatical partizans of Diana, Princess of Wales may say. They
have it in for the hapless Charles... and always will have. By his duplicitous treatment of Diana, he
certainly forfeited the affection and respect of a great nation... but he did not forfeit his long‐
recognized right to the throne. His right to that is secure.

Charles is not as popular as the winsome two‐some. True... but, again, beside the point.. Advancing
princes is not determined "American‐Idol" like by the voting masses. It is a matter of established
custom, rights, and the little matter of the Constitution. Charles has done nothing to forfeit his
rights. Unimaginative, odd, eccentric, true... but hard‐wording, dutiful, loyal... and patient.

Why abdication is unthinkable

Now hear this:

The queen will NEVER abdicate. The most conservative of all the Windsors, her majesty will fight
tooth and nail for Charles to be king. She is a woman who has lived for the dynasty... and fought for
its ever dwindling rights and privileges. Support for another over Charles is unthinkable, not
merely because he is her first‐born son... but because he is Prince of Wales, the recognized and
acknowledged heir.

So, it comes down to this:

Charles will NEVER be removed from the succession; there is no reason or party sufficient to urge
or persuade. He will never willingly give up his right to the throne, even for a reign of months, or
even weeks. He cannot, for such an act diminishes the monarchy to which he had dedicated his life.

What's more can anyone, anyone at all, imagine Prince Wills and his newly minted princess
broaching the topic with his father, the long‐patient prince? Unthinkable. For Prince Wills to
ascend the whole royal establishment would have to concur... starting with a father who never
could or would agree.

Like it or not... in the fullness of time Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, that high and mighty princess,
will by her passing transfer the throne to his gracious majesty King Charles III.... and he, in his time,
will do the same to King William V.

Now for a radical prediction: Charles will reign. Camilla will become, in due course, queen consort.
Their reign, very likely short, will be diligent, respectable, even popular. For you see, it is in the



interest of all to have it so. Charles and Camilla cannot want it otherwise; they will work hard for
this result.. The nation he has served responsibly owes it to him, if not to her, to deliver this result.
What's more it will be better for their royal highnesses Wills and Kate to succeed to a well‐ run,
respected institution than one marred by controversy and in tatters.

God save the Queen! God save them all! And may they all reign happy if not glorious.

Reflections on the US National Debt. Will We Do What It Takes to Shrink It?

By Dr. Jeffrey Lant

So, President Obama's bipartisan deficit commission headed by former Wyoming Senator Alan K.
Simpson (R) and former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine B. Bowles (D) has issued its preliminary
report.

It is a stark, sobering document. It says, in glaringly specific ways, that we as a nation have blithely
spent too much too long, unconcerned like Mad Magazine's Alfred E. Newman: "What me worry/"

Well, we have partied and now wake up to a colossal headache of global proportions. Now what?

President Obama, understanding that Congress needs help with this hot potato, early on in his term
issued an Executive Order on the matter. Per this order, a panel of 18 members was created; 12 are
members of Congress. Six are private citizens of impeccable pedigree. Fourteen of these
commissioners must agree before the panel can send any recommendations to Congress, which
they must do shortly.

What the commissioners recommend... so far

The commissioners were given a breath taking charge by the president: either recommend $4
trillion dollars in budget cuts and savings and/or raise that sum in tax revenues. Everything was on
the table; nothing was sacrosanct and inviolable. In short, "deal with it, boys and girls, for the good
of the nation!"

The commissioners, selected for a gravely serious purpose, took the matter seriously, and have
produced a serious document... the more so since others both within the Congress and out continue
to play "gotcha politics" on the matter. Not so the commissioners. They set about their vital work
with a will that promises to be sadly lacking in a Congress which will ultimately decide on what to
do. Here is the heart of what they reported.

Item: deep cuts in domestic and military spending

Item: gradual 15‐cents‐per‐gallon increase in the federal gasoline tax

Item: limiting or eliminating popular tax breaks (including the home mortgage deduction) in return
for lower rates.

Item: benefit cuts and an increased retirement age for Social Security.



It is all sensible, logical, necessary and desirable. It is also DOA because only the commissioners
have the will to make changes... and they don't have the power to save a penny or increase tax
revenues Thus, under the heading "Fools rush in where angels fear to trend", here are my thoughts
and recommendations. Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea, take note.

1) We live in supremely selfish times where no one is willing to give up anything. "Ask not what you
can do for your country. Ask what your country can do for you."

I start from the proposition that making the necessary changes to the budget will arouse the wrath
of Americans nationwide, whatever Tea Party budget‐ balancing tenets they espouse. Everyone
entering into this necessary budget shrinking debate should expect two certain things: up front
high‐blown patriotic rhetoric about sacrifices willingly made ; behind the scenes bare knuckle
fighting of the crudest variety to protect the haves... no matter how grossly illogical and piggish
their benefits.

2) Tackle Social Security first. It is the easiest to rehabilitate.

It is time someone told the American people, who treat tampering with Social Security as the third
rail in politics (touch it and die), the truth. The entitled, immovable age of 65 is the cynical legacy of
Europe's most successful politician, Prince Otto von Bismarck. He's the man who engineered the
unification of Germany. Looking for a way to undermine the burgeoning late 19th century Socialist
movement (very strong in Germany) he asked actuaries to find a number where most men would
be dead and only vote‐less women left. Pensions would begin then. Otto and his conservatives get
the credit... but have to pay little! Actuaries said age 65 would do the trick... and so it has remained.

Since Bismarck's day, however, there have been huge improvements in health and longevity,
thereby making the number 65 less an "entitlement" than a fantastic gift from the government for
many years, to the detriment of succeeding (and rightly concerned) generations who foot the bill.

Note: Congress should bite this bullet early and deep. Whereas the president's commissioners want
to raise the age by gradual stages to year 69, instead make the magic number go to 71 for those in
reasonable health who can work. It's the right thing.

3) Make each member of the Congress take a pledge to eschew "gotcha politics" on this matter. In
our brutally tit for blood‐letting tat Congress to say A (like "you voted to slash military spending")
immediately fuels the opposition to return (B) a blow of equal or greater intensity (like "you voted
to gut all domestic spending programs"). This gets us nowhere and fuels national rage about "do
nothing" congresses.

Members of Congress raise money to clobber each other. That's what they do. They've been doing it
since Minute 1 of the new republic. Now some aspiring statesman should, in the name of getting to
yes with this budget imbroglio, say "basta!" and ask all members, on both sides of the aisle, to join
him and appreciably move towards the solution we must have. Make working together politically
attractive and a "must"; do this and the politically pusillanimous who constitute the core of the
Congress will rush to embrace it.



4) Urge the president to spend his (admittedly diminished) political capital to solve this problem ‐‐
even at the risk of losing a second term.

Americans love big men who focus on big things which benefit the nation in big ways. Let our now
wounded president do this and secure a truly significant and majestic legacy.

President Obama could rise to the occasion and say, "The issue of securing a balanced, lean, fair
budget and with it the sound future of the nation is so important, I intend to make it my Number 1
priority. It is crucial that America get this benefit, and if it costs me my second term, so be it. It is the
right thing to do." (P.S. Not only would this be statesmanship in the grand manner, but this
wounded man would sail to a second term and a legacy of substance and real worth.)

5) Explain to America what is at stake. Then sell it to the nation.

John F. Kennedy's father, Joseph Kennedy, was a marketing man. He stayed behind the scenes,
raised money and gave sharp, sensible advice. Before the crucial Wisconsin primary in 1960, he told
his son Jack that they would sell him "like soap flakes." They did... he romped in the primary.... and
got a crucial boost on the road to the presidency.

President Obama et al need to do the same thing now. Hire the best marketing brains on earth...
brainstorm every benefit. Then go out and sell it to the nation. This matter of the budget is not the
most difficult problem this country has ever faced; it's entirely solvable. What is necessary is to
enlighten Americans, enlist their support and show them what to do. Then lock the Congress in a
room and tell them to cut deals until the deed is done. And because cutting deals is what they do
best, in due course the thing will be done. Then spread the credit, take the White House
photographs... and start the next spending spree. For that is the American way!



What is Worldprofit?
I love leveraged business models and I have used them to build my brand, grow my list and drive
traffic to my websites. I recently identified May 29, 2008 as the date I first discovered viral
marketing when I was introduced to the company Worldprofit. I had joined Worldprofit as a trail
member at the suggestion of my friend and marketer Connie Clark and spent about a
month dabbling with the system. I do not recall why I didn’t chose to continue as a member
of Worldprofit and can only recall that I was deeply involved in an offline marketing effort to build
a traditional MLM company and was likely stretched too thin or so I must have thought.
Recently I became intrigued by Worldprofit as I am continually looking for resources and tools to
further grow what has now become a full‐time online business. So, I decided to take another look
and I was a little surprised by what I found.
I invested a few days observing one of the most unique aspects of Worldprofit, which is their 24/7
live business center where monitors help close the prospects of the members. I had this playing in
the background in an attempt to get a feel for how things are going at Worldprofit. I was impressed
and decided to really do my homework and consider adding it in my business funnel.
First, I dug into the more credible Internet Forums:
#1. Scam.com
I was surprised that there was very little information on this site which is a “complaint magnet and
there is usually pages and pages of reviews on companies by disgruntled customers. The primary
thread I found was from 2008 and the feedback was mixed but mostly positive. There was the
typical “I tried this for one month and didn’t make any money,” which of course was a self‐fulfilled
situation ‐it is unrealistic to expect any business to “make money” in the first month.
The following thread is a fair representation of what I have found and is of particular interest as Dr.
Jeffery Lant the CEO of World Profit posted in the the thread more than once – interesting reading.
Here is a thread on the topic: Any body heard of Worldprofit
#2. Ripoff Report.com
I could only find one entry – almost unheard of for nearly 16 year old company. The posting was
from 2005 and is no longer of relevant as the $9.95 boot‐camp program no longer exist. One
notable point is that Ms. Sandi Hunter one of the owners of World Profit actually responded to the
posting and provided both clarification of the program in question and offered a direct phone
number in the posting.
Here is a thread on the topic: Worldprofit Millionaire Bootcamp



#3. IM Report Card.com
I really like IM Report card as it is a fairly new Internet Business site and I find most of the
information there to be very useful. Whenever I consider purchasing a product, training course or
business system – I visit IM Report Card to see if anything has been posted there.
I found a review and a comment thread and although there were both very positive as well as
negative comments, I found that the comments added by individuals who had actually
joined Worldprofit and given it more than a couple of months of “real effort” were very good.
Here is a thread on the topic: Worldprofit Review
Second, I researched Worldprofit’s reputation with the Better Business Bureau:
I was able to confirm that Worldprofit has an A‐ rating with the Better Business Bureauas an
“Accredited Business” which was issued on November 2000 and remains in good standing with a
small number of complaints over the past 36 months as noted in the report (see the link below for
full details).
It is important to note that I did not take the BBB reference at face value and was able to confirm
that this was not a paid rating, which some organizations to provide. This accreditation was granted
based on the actual review of the businesses which carry their seal.
Here is a direct link the the Better Business Bureau: Worldprofit BBB Accreditation
Here is a link that explains how the code of ethics: BBB Code of Business Practices
Being completely satisfied with the results of more that a dozen hours of focused due diligence and
observation of Worldprofit’s Live Business Center, I decided to re‐enroll in the program and
So, I decided to enroll in Worldprofit and make it a central part of my business funnel on May 17th
– exactly two years after my first exposure – I guess I was a little slow on this one.
Here are the key points that have lead me to a logical decision:
1. Worldprofit is a sixteen year old company with an exceptional track record and very few valid
complaints.
2. Worldprofit has maintained accreditation with the Better Business Bureau since November
2000.
3. Worldprofit ’s founders are all recognized and respected leaders in the Internet Marketing
Community


The W
Wit, Wisdom
m, and Sage Business Ad
dvice of Dr. Jeffrey Lantt

4. Worldprofit’s “Milllionaire Bo
ootcamp” is aa great fast sttart resourcee for new maarketers and
experiencced marketers alike. The bootcamp provides new w members to o begin makinng money as
quickly as possible.
5. Worldprofit has 24
4/7 live mon
nitors that heelp the memb
bers close sales, so it is a leveraged
business..
6. Worldprofit provides thousand ds of dollars in software and web‐bassed services tto drive trafffic
and increease search results in all o
of the major search enginnes.
7. Worldprofit provides turnkey websites, lan nding pages, ads and trafffic systems tthat solve maany
of the “stiicking pointss” that cause people to fail online. I kn
now how to lleverage thesse resources,, so
this will aallow me to h
help more peeople make m money onlinee.
8. Worldprofit has pllaced the enttire 10,000 p
plus ClickBannk product liibrary on my y site along w
with
pre‐writtten marketin
ng campaignss and producct sales letterrs that I can m
market at thee push of a bu
utton
(this is neew).
9. Worldprofit has a supportive ccommunity aand I have en
njoyed meetin
ng a numberr of their top
producerrs who are seerious markeeters.
10. Worldprofit prov
vides a uniqu
ue mentor‐sh
hip opportun nity as Dr. Jefffrey Lant,Geeorge Kosch
h,
di Hunter are all experien
and Sand nced marketters and are h
highly accesssible to the m
members of the
communiity.
I plan to p
post regularlly on my jourrney to impleement the W
Worldprofit mmodel into myy business. A
As
always, I will be comppletely transpparent aboutt what is worrking for me within the b
business and what
I am doinng to get resu
ults.
I can sharre with you tthat as I write this post, I have graduaated from thee “Millionairre Bootcamp p,”
driven traaffic to my W
Worldprofit ssite and mad de enough sales to be ranked #11 for the month
among all Worldproffit dealers. So o, I guess I am
m off to a reaally good starrt after my fiirst week. Th
he
good newws for you is tthat everything I have do one to achievve will 100% duplicate for anyone wh ho
follows th
he training, d
does the worrk and is patient to allow the system tto work. You u must have aa
strong deesire and worrk ethic to acchieve successs online or y your results will be limiteed in any
program..
If you wa p for a Free Associate account:
ant a closer look sign up
50,000 G
Guaranteed V
Visitors
I am heree to help you succeed!

164 © 2010 and Beyyond James Holmmes by Permissio on of Dr. Jeffreyy Lant All Rights R
Reserved
Read Morre Articles by Drr. Jeffrey Lant: h
http://www.My yWorldprofit.co om

The Wit Wisdom Sage Business Advice DR Jeffrey Lant

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

The Wit Wisdom Sage Business Advice DR Jeffrey Lant

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

The Wit, Wisdom, and Sage Business Advice of Dr.

Want to Start Driving Traffic Using Dr. Lant’s System Today?

I had no iidea how con nfusing onlin ne marketing could be, peerhaps you haave found th his to be true as

Вам также может понравиться