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> News of the day < Success: The Right Skills Attitude is incredibly important as you consider the topic of success. But even the most enthusiastic and overtly positive individual selling appliances, for example, will fall short of his/her goal of success if s/he isn’t educated about what is being sold and obtains the right skills. |
Success: Moving Past Fear
There are times when simply thinking positively won’t move you past your fear and anxiety. There are times when simply plodding it out is the thing you must do.
The Evangelical speaker Joyce Meyer says, “If you’re afraid to do it, just DO IT AFRAID.” No one will blame you for being fearful—what you will be blamed for is letting that fear immobilize you. So no matter what it takes, keep moving.
Fear is much like a quagmire—it slurps at our feet and if we stand still long enough, it begins to suck us down. It’s hard to get out of, but it is possible.
If you’re stuck in fear as you shoot for success, there are several ways out:
- First, consider the source. Where did the fear come from? Have you been dwelling on the difficulties instead of the opportunities? Have you been listening to those who are cynics and pessimists, instead of coaching yourself with positive words and people? If so, MOVE ON. GET AWAY from people and situations that drag you down.
- Second, take your checklist and note what you HAVE accomplished. Look at your list of goals and the baby steps you’re taking to get there, and on a separate sheet of paper (or a separate document in your computer), begin to list everything you have accomplished. This will begin to empower you to move on and leave the fear behind.
- Third, take stock of your talents and skills. Fear often tells us that we “don’t have what it takes…” Show fear as the liar it is: list your skills, all your positive attributes. Then look at the problem again, after you have a new appreciation for your God-given talents and abilities.
- Fourth, don’t underestimate the power of prayer. Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, there is an amazing power that comes from releasing your fear to a God Who loves you and is looking out for you. Don’t bottle the fear up—let it go. You don’t need it anyhow!
- Finally, remember this acronym when facing fear:
o F= False
o E= Evidence
o A=Appearing
o R=Real
For that’s really what fear is—it is an unrealistic look (false look) at something and attempting to make you believe it (appearing to be real).
Once you know these things, you’ll be able to move past your fear and on to the next step you need to be successful!
Success: Overcoming Anxiety
Anxiety is the result of either a) not believing you can achieve your goals successfully or b) having a fear of not achieving your goals. Either can stop you in your tracks when it comes to being successful.
Worrying is not anxiety, but it can accompany being anxious. Ultimately, what anxiety does as well is distracts you from your stated goal.
You must plot your course for success. If you have your goals well-defined and your “insurance policies” in place (such as friends who can encourage you, experts in your chosen field who can guide you, etc.), anxiety and worry don’t have much room to take root. If you are a negative person, however, you can give birth to these twins without much effort.
If you don’t believe in your goals or don’t believe you can achieve them, your attitude will determine your level of success. And that’s where worry and anxiety come in to roost.
Your first step in overcoming anxiety is to make sure you have your goals written down—or at least, entered in a PDA where you can easily retrieve them and view them regularly. If you can see your goals and the small steps you’ll take to achieve them (and have a check-mark system to chart your progress), pull it out and read over it when you begin to feel anxious.
The second step is to correct your attitude. If you dwell in the “I can’t” and “I’ll never,” you’re right—you can’t and you’ll never. Instead, you need to dismiss those thoughts and consider what you have already accomplished and what next goal your series of baby steps will achieve. We go back to the truth “attitude is everything.”
Henry Ford famously said, “Either you think you can or you think you can’t. Either way, you’re right.” On this point, I think he was correct. As an inventor, he had the opportunity to dwell on all the times his Quadricycle prototypes failed. Instead, he moved on, learning from the failures and mistakes. He didn’t let a bad prototype stand in his way of succeeding. He overcame any anxiety and worry with positive attitude and a gritty determination.
The final step to overcoming anxiety is to have those around you who can encourage you. We talked about this when discussing setting your goals and making sure that you have the appropriate support system around you. Anxiety and worry rarely come to a party of more than one—they like to torment individuals. Two or three people have the benefit of seeing different angles of a challenge and being positive about the outcome. So if you find yourself worrying or anxious, tap your support system. Don’t do it at 3:00 in the morning (your support system won’t be very supportive at that hour!), but do it as soon as it’s practical. You’ll thank yourself and continue on towards your goal.
Success: Setting Goals
“Genius” has been described as the “ability to focus on one thing at a time.” Many people who are “geniuses” are so not only because they have a high intellect, but because they are a gift of being able to focus on the objective or goal at hand.
This same focus must come in to play when determining what your goals are in relation to success. You need to learn to work towards one major objective and juggle a few short- and mid-range goals at the same time.
One way to determine what your direction is (and ultimately your goals are) is to do a check-up. I suggest listing 7 categories: Financial; Career, Family, Personal, Spiritual, Mental, & Physical. Rank your goals in these categories and how you’re doing. This will illustrate to you where you are and where you’d like to be and exactly how balanced you are as you move about your process.
o Set goals that are smart. Big goals must be broken down in to manageable pieces. Don’t set more than 4 goals to work on during a single day. Seek divine guidance and direction on each goal.
o Then identify what the pay-off is when you achieve your goal. Nebulous rewards don’t motivate people to achieve much.
o List the obstacles that stand between you and your goals. If you’re not aware of potential problems, you’ll be side-tracked when they arise and lose sight of your objective.
o Have someone in your corner who can dispense counsel & guidance.
o Think about who can help you achieve your goal. Identify friends who can be encouragers and who can help keep you motivated and on-track.
o List the skills and knowledge required to attain your goal
o Develop a plan of action to achieve your goal
o Set a deadline for achievement. It’s hard to achieve something that has no ending date.
As you consider your goals, ask yourself the following questions:
- Is this really my goal?
- Is this morally right and fair to everyone involved?
- Will it take me closer to my long-range goal?
- Can I commit myself to start and reach this objective?
- Can I see myself attaining this goal?
You should answer yes to each of these questions. If not, re-evaluate!
And then give each goal a final test of the “basic wants” in life:
- Will it make me happier?
- Will it make me healthier?
- Will it make me more prosperous?
- Will it increase my security?
- Will it help me make more friends?
- Will it give me peace of mind?
- Will it improve my family (and other) relationships?
- Will it increase my hope for the future?
If you can’t answer yes to each of these questions, re-evaluate your goal.
Success: Takin’ Care of Business
If you’re hearing the song that Bachman-Turner-Overdrive made famous in the 60s, that’s exactly what I want! I’m not talking about “business” in a strictly financial sense, but “business” with the idea that whatever you’re shooting for success-wise, you complete your tasks.
Once you have a course plotted for success, there are going to be a million things that will vie for your attention and time. It’s not that these things haven’t been there before now, and it’s not even that the world is plotting against you succeeding. It’s just that now you have a focus and you’ll begin to notice things that seem like they shouldn’t be on your radar screen.
It doesn’t mean that you don’t do the little pesky things that are buzzing and want to be taken care of (especially if it relates to your job), just that you must not let those things pull you off-track.
So how do you stay on-task? The best way I’ve found, bar none, is to keep a log of tasks that must be accomplished as you move towards your goal. Remember to break the big tasks in to a series of small ones and to give yourself a reward-system as you do it. I use check-marks; others use stickers (sounds silly, but if it works for you, who cares?), still others use tangible rewards as they accomplish “x” number of small or large tasks.
Whatever motivates you is your key—keep it simple and keep it attainable. If the carrot is too far out in front of the horse, the horse will give up. If it’s just close enough to smell and see but just out of reach, that horse will keep moving towards the incentive.
Let’s say your goal is to lose 60 pounds. That’s quite a chunk of weight and can take a long time to accomplish. Let’s also say that you need a new wardrobe. Should you wait until all the weight is gone to buy those new clothes? Probably not—your current closet full of clothes will look awfully loose and ill-fitting if you do.
But let’s talk about small, incremental rewards that help move you towards your goal. If you lose 10 pounds, your current clothes won’t look baggy on you, but you will notice a difference in your waistband that might bother you. Don’t chuck the pants or go buy a new pair—take the current ones to a seamstress or tailor to be taken in.
It’s a small reward and saves you the money of buying new pants that you will continue to shrink out of. It also keeps you motivated. For the next 5 or 10 pounds, think about some new cosmetics or a new hairstyle—small things that will make you feel better, inside and out.
Takin’ care of business and staying on task. Now that’s the way to chart yourself to success!
Success: The Right Mental Attitude
You must develop the right mental attitude on your road to success. Without being overly simplistic, think of “The Little Train Who Could.” Instead of having an “I Can’t” attitude, replace it with an “I Can!” attitude.
A positive outlook is necessary to see change coming, to be able to work with the change, and to make the most of whatever change comes down the pike in your life. If you expect change (but not from a vending machine!), you’ll be in a better position to accept it and make the most of it.
A fabulous book regarding change and positive attitude is “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson, MD.
In order to gain right thinking (being positive), you must decide to look at the bright side of life. Instead of seeing the cloud, see the silver lining in the cloud. Instead of seeing downsizing as a horrible thing that will plummet you in to bankruptcy and homelessness, consider it an opportunity to look for a better job and a chance to try new skills and career paths that you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to try before. Don’t be pollyannaish, but do consider all sides of a situation before you adopt a negative perspective.
In order to maintain a positive outlook, you must also be realistic. For example, if you’ve gained 30 pounds in the last 3 years, it would be highly unrealistic to expect to drop those 30 pounds in 3 weeks. If you take an honest and realistic assessment of your skills and goals, you’re much more likely to find success in whatever field or career best suits you.
Maintain a cautious optimism as you seek success, not be blindly optimistic about every situation. There are some situations in which positive thinking cannot overcome the situation you’re faced with.
Consider Tom Brady, quarterback for the New England Patriots; he’s a man who’s in excellent shape. But if he decided to trade in his helmet and pads for ballet toe shoes, he likely wouldn’t make it, despite his physique. Blind optimism also puts you at the mercy of con men and charlatans—your optimism must be tempered by context and relevance.
No matter what your abilities are (and they are fabulous!), using them realistically will get you much farther than not. Your right thinking, paired with your abilities, put you on a course for success—no matter what field you’re in!
Success: The Right Philosophy
Why does it always come back to the ageless truths? Mostly because that which is truth is ageless and truth doesn’t change with the wind. “The Right Philosophy” can be defined by any number of phrases, but it always comes back to the “golden rule.” It’s re-phrased, but the essence is the same:
You can have whatever you want in life if you will just help others get what it is that they want.
This isn’t some pie-in-the-sky-feel-good theory, this is practical and will be strongly linked to your success, no matter what field you’re in. It shows that all aspects of success—business, personal, etc.—are linked together and will all have an impact on your financial success.
Everyone largely wants the same things in life; to be happy, healthy, to have at least some amount of prosperity, to be secure and have friends, to have a happy family life, to have peace, and to have hope.
Abraham Maslow called it the Hierarchy of Needs: our physiological needs are met, then we move on to the need for safety, then to the need for love, then on to the need for esteem, and finally what he called “self-actualization.” Fancy words to say that we all need the same things (the basic needs met) before we can achieve success, however it is that we define success.
No matter what your religious beliefs are, the golden rule is inherent in each religion; each just uses different words. The philosophy that you need to care for others (the “do unto others”) as you want to be cared for yourself (“as you would have others do unto you”) is at the heart of my phrase above—you will find success when you consider the needs of others as not only achievable, but something with which you can help.
When you do this, you not only set yourself to be assisted as you face needs in the future, but you also show others (and yourself!) that your own ambition hasn’t blinded you.
Remember: success doesn’t happen in the vacuum of work only. It’s something that touches every aspect of your life and the right philosophy will help get you there!
Success: Attitude –Positive!
In his book The Winning Attitude, John C. Maxwell, noted author and speaker tells us that attitude is:
Your attitude, or your willingness to think positively, affects many people—from your family to the stranger you smile at in the grocery store. An optimist will see opportunity in difficulties, while a pessimist will see difficulty in opportunities.
You must choose which you will focus on: if you choose poorly, you will doom yourself to never achieving your goals and being successful. Count on that.
So how do you begin to think positively if you’re a natural pessimist? I don’t really believe there ARE natural pessimists, just people who have been taught how to consider the darkest side of every cloud.
You cannot change the fact that a problem exists, but you can do a lot to determine what opportunity is within that problem. Begin to see that problems are a fact of life and that your job is to find a way over, around, under, or through them—as quickly as possible. When you’re upbeat and consider how quickly a problem will be behind you, it’s easy to be optimistic.
Cynicism is another killer when it comes to attitude. It’s a cousin of pessimism—it considers everything suspect and everyone as having an ulterior motive. It never looks at someone handing you a piece of candy just to be nice, it always considers that there is a reason you’re being handed the candy and the motivation of the person who’s giving it.
Cynicism comes from having unrealistic expectations. Many people expect great and wonderful things to happen to them with little-to-no work on their parts. They expect things to fall from the sky in to their laps. When it doesn’t happen as they expect, they become suspicious of others who have achieved success and ultimately, cynical.
You must harness the power of your thoughts and words when setting your course for success. Use positive affirmations daily: remind yourself that a stumbling block is temporary and that you will overcome it; admit to yourself that you are courageous and able to move on when others cannot; agree with your vision for your life and your goals.
As you discipline yourself to do this, you will find optimism and positive thinking chasing you down the street. And who couldn’t use these two friends when we’re aiming for success?
Success: Character and Integrity
Without character, the puzzle of achieving success falls apart. It is most important of all pieces to life’s puzzle. Without character, you can make money. But it will be worthless to you and to those around you. Look out in the world today: drug dealers and con artists have money—but they lack character.
If you go to all the work of achieving success, you don’t want to mar it with a lack of character that will make people pity you as you age and become less than you were intended to be.
Character equals integrity. Integrity is doing the right thing all the time, even when no one else is watching. You don’t have anything to fear when your integrity is in tact, because you have nothing to hide. You experience no guilt and no fear. And without those two traveling companions, it’s much easier to climb higher and farther, faster!
What does this mean in a practical sense? It means that you will put the right philosophy (the golden rule) in to practice in all that you do. You will not step on someone else to climb the corporate ladder; you will not stack bodies in order to reach the CEO position that you desire. You will treat people with respect, honesty, and trust. You will behave towards others how you want (and expect) them to behave towards you.
You will be the model of “doing the right thing” in your office, even if it isn’t appreciated or understood. Chances are very good that if you’re the only one doing the right thing, you won’t last where you are, but you will find something better where your integrity is appreciated and applauded.
Character realizes that the most important things in life are not office- or work-based. They are family and a sense of responsibility to that family. Character will not sacrifice your family on the altar of “I’ve got to finish this project,” nor will it tell you children, “Maybe next time, hon,” when asked to play catch.
Your character will shine through as you put your family before your work, as you purposefully schedule time with them (and then keep those appointments you put in your planner), as you “date” your spouse and remember why it is you got married in the first place, and as you set an example that your spouse and children can be proud of.
The most important thing to remember as you consider character is that your children will grow up to be just like you. John Maxwell once said, “We teach what we know; we reproduce who we are.” So as a person who is full of integrity and character, you will reproduce those same traits in your children as you climb towards success in your life. And isn’t that really what it’s all about, anyhow?
Success: What it Is & Isn’t
Success is defined in different ways by different people, but let’s talk about what most people agree “success” looks like.
• Success Is: knowing you did a good job during your day and had positive interactions with other people
• Success Is: looking forward to going home to your family and sharing yourself with them
• Success Is: knowing you have enough funds to pay this month’s bills and the bills that will arise in the future
• Success Is: knowing that your spiritual life is in order and that you have somewhere to turn when you hit a bump in the road
• Success Is: having hobbies that you enjoy and having the time to work at them
· Success Isn’t: putting your work ahead of your career
· Success Isn’t: running home and then hiding from your family because you’ve “had a hard day”
· Success Isn’t: having all the money in the world and then trying to figure out how to amass even more
· Success Isn’t: going to a worship service and creating your “to-do” list during it
· Success Isn’t: burning the candle at both ends, never having time to play or relax
In short, success is not always monetarily-related; you aren’t deemed “un-successful” if you don’t earn a six-figure salary. Success is more than moving up a corporate ladder and it touches more than just your career. It affects your marriage and family, your home life (finances, etc.), your spiritual life, and more.
Being successful is a balancing act. One isn’t considered successful in life if s/he climbs the corporate ladder but has a home- or family-life that is in shambles. One isn’t considered “successful” if s/he earns plenty of money to retire on, anticipating spending that retirement with family, only to find that his/her children are gone and disinterested in any family relationships by the time retirement is possible.
So is there one formula to be successful? I think there is, and the components are: positive thinking, the right skill set, the right philosophy, having direction, and having character. All of these things make up a formula for success, and each of these things, if left out of the formula, will cause an individual to lack success in life.
Learn how to think “success”so that you are successful at whatever you choose to do.
Success: Having Direction
Let’s say you’ve got your attitude correct, the right skill set honed, and the right philosophy. Great! You’re on your way – somewhere. If you don’t have the right direction planned out, you’ll simply wander aimlessly.
You don’t attempt even the smallest of construction jobs without a plan, and yet many people work in a field they just happened to “fall in to” because someone suggested it, or a friend was doing it, or even worse—they didn’t have anything else to do.
Wandering through your career can be just as deadly as wandering through a desert without a compass and canteen—in both places, you can die a slow death of thirst and exhaustion.
You must know where you want to go in order to set a direction for your life and career. You’ve probably heard the adage, “No one plans to fail, but they do fail to plan.” So determine where it is that you want to go (i.e., what you want to do) and set a course for it.
I recommend doing something you love. Not something that you can tolerate or achieve a reasonable pension from after 30 years of work (do pensions even exist anymore?), but something you are truly passionate about.
If it’s music, think about how you are gifted in that area. Do you sing? Would your singing chip paint off a house? Do you have an ear for pitch and tune? Do you play an instrument? Consider the field of professional golf for a moment. Do you love to golf? Would you be willing to commit days, weeks, months, and years to bettering your game to the point when you could hit the pro-circuit?
Do you have a means to support yourself (and your family) while you work on your dream job? Would you be happy and content doing whatever you chose—for the rest of your days, if need be? These are all questions you should ask yourself as you try to set the direction for your life, and ultimately, for your success.
Now that you know where you want to go, you must plan and prepare for your destination. As you plan and prepare, it’s fair to expect that you will achieve that goal—expectations play a large role in success, no matter what the field. If you plan well and are committed to the work involved, then and only then, can you expect to achieve the desired results in your life.
Success: Increasing Creativity
As you ponder your goal and determine the best course to achieve it, you will need some creative ways of thinking and facing challenges that will arise. The most creative-thinkers out there will encourage you to think outside your box and to consider even the wildest of ideas.
One way to do this is to “Wild Mind Brainstorm.” Wild-Mind is done by having a piece of paper and writing down EVERY idea that occurs to you about the situation you’re facing. Do NOT evaluate your ideas—just write them down. Do NOT consider something “ too silly” or “too dumb” to write down—just write it down!
Evaluate your ideas in a few days, but not when you’re writing them down. Consider these ideas much like a newborn baby. You must cradle that baby and hold it lovingly and help it grow to a responsible adult. The same goes for your new ideas. You might find that one idea you would consider to be the “silliest” turns out to be your key for unlocking the door you’re facing.
Remember the guy who came up with the idea for Post-It Notes? The adhesive was discovered long before they found a use for it—and the person who said, “Let’s make some note pads that are small and can be easily removed,” was laughed at. But now—do you even see ONE office without Post-Its around? I have at least 6 pads of Post-Its in my desk drawer alone. There’s one in the kitchen, and one in the car.
Another way to increase your creativity is to be around others who are creative. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so people can improve each other.” If you hobnob with those who are known for creativity, it will wear off on you. And you will find new ways of looking at things and thinking about situations, as well.
You can find audio-books and speeches that will stir up your creative juices as well. Professional speakers and those who have “been there, done that” often hit the speaking-circuit and can pump fresh ideas and life in your goal and the ways you attain those goals.
I prefer removing myself from the goal-achieving mode and moving to a truly creative outlet—the arts. You may not consider yourself artsy or think you have any ability in this realm, but it’s worth taking a lump of clay (or Play-Doh) and working with it.
You may find, as I do, that when I’m working on a hobby that I truly love, I free up a portion of my brain that was engaged in my problem-solving. When that happens, I typically find a potential solution to my dilemma. Artistic creativity often sparks other forms of creative-thinking, as it engages a different area of the brain than what we’re used to using. Pick up a paintbrush, a pencil, arrange some flowers, or begin a needlework project. You may find in colour and artistry you have a new lease on what you’re doing!
Success: It’s All About Relationships
Once you know the formula to success, it’s time to consider different avenues in which that formula should be put in to action. The main one you’ll find in every area of your life is relationships.
Why relationships? Because we are human beings, designed to interact with other human beings. This, by default, entails relationships. And also by default, if you don’t have appropriate skills to manage your relationships, you will fail miserably at whatever success you’re aiming for.
The first relationship you must consider is the one you have with yourself. If you don’t like yourself, chances are great you will project that dislike to others and your lack of self-appreciation will not propel you to success in any given field. The higher your integrity is, the more you will like yourself. The more you like yourself, the better your relationships will be with others—from the inside out.
Your family relationship is the next thing to examine. The most successful Harvard Business graduates (class of 1949, by percentages) had several things in common:
- They had wives who supported their work and endeavors; women who were intelligent and able to share ideas and be a sounding board
- They built their personal, family, and business lives on a foundation of integrity
Family relationships are extremely important as you consider your path to success. If you fail here, you will not succeed elsewhere—we’ve already covered that in depth.
Business relationships follow closely behind family relationships. They play a major role in the security and productivity of every individual involved in them, as well as the success and growth of the company.
You must also learn to manage your frustration as you deal with relationships. Because we are all human, we all have problem-areas and “sticking points” that will irritate and inflame others. If you can manage your frustration and turn a bad situation with an individual in to something you can learn from and make profitable, you will be that much farther ahead on your road to success.
Consider also, that the next person you meet is important. He or she might look like someone who cannot help you in your field, but then again, looks are deceiving. You never know when the person you assist might be able to assist you or report back to your boss what a great job you’re doing!
Summing up this section, you should be able to see how healthy family relationships, a willingness to go above & beyond at work, and an ability to consider the next person as important can have a monumental effect on your path to success. We cannot do it alone, and that mere fact means we must deal appropriately with people and relationships!
When you create a WMV movie using Windows Movie Maker, Windows Media Encoder or any of the dozens of video editing apps supporting WMV, you have a number of options for sharing your video. The widest audience is obviously online. Windows Movie Maker includes a rather deceptive Save to the Web option, which really means, "save to Web if you have an account with Neptune Mediashare." You don't need to use Neptune or the Save to the Web option to in Windows Movie Maker to share your videos online.
There are two primary ways to share a WMV file online: direct download or streaming playback. A third option would be to offer the video as an RSS subscription, which is loosely related to direct downloads and gets covered in another article. When you offer a direct download, users click on a link to the video file and either view the video in their desktop Windows Media Player or save it to their hard drive. To stream a Windows Media video file, you need to embed the Windows Media Player in the page where you post the video. This requires some specific HTML code included in the page or blog post where the video is linked.
There are some potential headaches to this method, like support for browsers like Firefox and Safari. Mac users don't have Windows Media Player installed by default and Safari issues a nasty warning message with no link to the resolution on Macs without Windows Media Player. Internet Explorer handles embedded Windows Media files nicely, which is to be expected since it's also a Microsoft product. For broad compatibility with all browsers, it's best to stick with the version 6.4 embedded player (which has nothing to do with the version of desktop player the user might have installed).
There are certain things every embedded Windows Media Player needs to function properly, along with a long list of optional parameters. Each embedded player instance on your Web page needs the object definition to clarify which version of the Windows Media Player will be called. This is identified by both the CLSID reference and the CODEBASE definition. For the 6.4 version of the embedded player, an will look like this (the width and height may be different depending on your actual movie size):
<object id="MediaPlayer" width=320 height=286 classid="CLSID:22D6f312-B0F6-11D0-94AB-0080C74C7E95" standby="Loading Windows Media Player components..." type="application/x-oleobject" codebase="http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/mplayer/en/nsmp2inf.cab#Version=6,4,7,1112">
The one required parameter is the location of your movie, which is defined using the "filename" parameter:
<param name="filename" value="http://yourdomain/yourmovie.wmv">
Some optional parameters include showing the Windows Media Player controls and whether the movie will start automatically. If you use the Showcontrols parameter, keep in mind your movie height needs to be 46 pixels bigger than the movie so your file doesn't get scrunched. A movie with a height of 240 would need to have a height reference of 286 to display accurately.
<param name="Showcontrols" value="True">
<param name="autoStart" value="True">
The final part of the implementation is the embed statement which includes the application you are embedding and a link to your video file like this:
<embed type="application/x-mplayer2" src="http://media.pmcmovies.com/SixtiesLove.wmv" name="MediaPlayer" width=320 height=240></embed>
The finished code looks like the example below, which you can copy for your own site and simply replace the links to your movie file where appropriate and adjust the necessary height settings.
<object id="MediaPlayer" width=320 height=286 classid="CLSID:22D6f312-B0F6-11D0-94AB-0080C74C7E95" standby="Loading Windows Media Player components..." type="application/x-oleobject" codebase="http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/mplayer/en/nsmp2inf.cab#Version=6,4,7,1112">
<param name="filename" value="http://yourdomain/yourmovie.wmv">
<param name="Showcontrols" value="True">
<param name="autoStart" value="True">
<embed type="application/x-mplayer2" src="http://media.pmcmovies.com/SixtiesLove.wmv" name="MediaPlayer" width=320 height=240></embed>
</object>
If you own a content-based websites, you should turn every webpage possible into subscriber snatching devices for you. The good news is that not only is this method extra effective, it is just as extra effortless when it comes to applying the concept.
Since visitors can come and leave without remembering your website in the future (which is very likely to happen), you can still follow up with your visitors easily by seeking their permission to opt into your mailing list through your web pages – on autopilot!
You can create a pop up window to appear after your visitor attempts to close the window or leaves your website, asking for your visitor’s name and email address so that you can follow up with him or her in the near future via subscribing to your mailing list for free.
This way, you can convert a big portion of your visitors into subscribers, giving you a chance to follow up with them on other offers you may have in the future.
Alternatively, you can insert an opt-in form within the spaces of your web pages. This method is effective, especially if you are afraid of Internet users who have pop up killers installed in their web browsers, set to block any pop up windows.
Turning every webpage you own into subscriber snatching devices with little effort can be responsible for huge subscriber-pulling results, and is a smart tips for smart businesses.
1. Engage the customer. For example, social media is a hot trend. Try posting your products on sites that encourage customer or peer reviews. Social media add an element of impartiality and are increasingly looked to as reliable sources of information.
2. Integrate off-line and online campaigns. Look for ways to use off-line media to drive traffic to a website with specialized landing pages that tell a deeper story. Use print and TV ads to start the customer education process and direct potential buyers online to learn more and take the next steps in the purchase process.
3. Move off-line dollars online. Online advertising now offers a strong alternative to some traditional media, such as print yellow pages. Consider moving some of your traditional directory advertising dollars into online directories and search engines. The vast majority of Americans research their products online before making purchases, so a paid search campaign is an ideal way to make sure you turn up at the top of search results.
4. Follow your customer. Alternative out-of-home advertising opportunities let you place your message wherever your customers go. Look in your area for places to PLACE your name. Little League, Hiking Trails, Corner Car Lots. The key to using these new opportunities effectively is to place your message where it will appear in the proper context and reach your potential customers when they are in the right frame of mind.
The new year comes full of high-return marketing opportunities. By closely watching the hottest trends, you can make smart choices that let you step ahead of your slower-moving competitors.
You’re really getting tired of the 9 to 5 “rat race” and are thinking about chucking it for your own business. All your friends keep telling you that you could do for yourself just what you’re doing now for your boss. Why shouldn’t you profit from your ideas instead of him?
You keep thinking about it because you know that you’ll never be financially where you want to be with a weekly paycheck, but what business would you start?
Before you pack in that weekly paycheck, this is the time to evaluate yourself and your future and it takes some real, down to heart honesty. You want to change your life for the better, so let’s start.
Did you know that you have the potential to do and be anything you want? People have different perceptions of the ideal life, and it ranges from obtaining financial freedom to as simple as owning a new pair of sneakers. Unfortunately, many fail to reach their aspirations because they can’t get a solid, clear picture in their mind of what they want.
Take the next few days and embark on a fact-finding journey that will be a life-changing experience. Get a pad and pencil and start with this first step:
STEP 1 - KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT – Be specific in your passions, then focus all your efforts on that particular desire.
Those who always change their minds and those who give up easily when the going gets tough will never get anywhere. If you’re a bit confused and aren’t sure what you really want in life answer these questions:
Write down all your possible answers to the above questions. Write down everything, no matter how silly or unimportant it seems. Put all your desires on paper that answers any of the above questions.
When that’s done, go back and circle five to seven items that interest you the most. Then evaluate and choose with your heart, not your mind, the one and only thing worthy to spend all your time and resources on and that brings out the best in you.
Now you may wind up with something like, “I want to play quarterback for the RAMS.” If you’re over 20 I’d say that isn’t too viable a choice, but you could do something related to football or sports. How about starting a sports publication? Or perhaps a sporting goods retail business, sports memorabilia business, or even a gym could be the answer. You can always read books and surf the net to help you in your search.
The most important thing to remember, no matter how “pie in the sky” it seems, is to USE YOUR HEART. Others may disagree with you, but you should be firm with what you really want. Others may offer comments or advice, but the final decision is always yours to make. You should concentrate on what you want, not what others want.
Remember you only get one shot at living your life. There are no replays and you don’t get to do it over. You may not do it right, but at least you’re doing it. Too many lives have been lived in quiet desperation waiting until – until they had saved a nest egg, until the children are out of school, until I retire, and they depart this life before “until” ever arrives.
Don’t go to sleep tonight without making a decision on WHAT YOU REALLY WANT IN LIFE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
Then spend a few days evaluating how to make it possible and make a living at it. Begin living every day as if it were the last day you had – never leaving anything to be done next week, next month, or next year.
There will always be bills, things will always break down eventually and need replacing, there may be storms and earthquakes and repairs – but there will only be one life for you to live. It can’t be put on “hold”!
The final outcome of your efforts may be in the future, but you’re living each day by taking steps toward that outcome.
DISTRIBUTE 81/2 X 11" CIRCULARS
Co-op Mailing (short for co-operative) means that two or more businesses share in the cost and distribution of a direct mail campaign. It's kind of like having you and another non-competing business split the cost of printing, assembling and mailing an advertising flyer to a shared (same) marketbase.
Co-op dealing is very beneficial (and usually safe) for everyone involved. One example of co-op dealing in mail order is to send your 8 1/2x11 camera-ready circular to a co-op printer and they'll print your ad on one side,their ad on the back side and ship them back to you for a low cost of around $10 per 1,000. You get your printing almost free and the other dealer getshis or her flyers mailed on the back of yours free.
But what do you do with them when they are mailed back to you? If you're newto mail order it's doubtful you have a mailing list to distribute them to.Plus, postage costs alone would run you about $290.00 first-class. At thisrate it would have been cheaper to send the camera-ready to a tabloid oradsheet publisher rather than by a co-op. But don't despair.Simply have the printer ship your copies to a co-op circular mailer insteadof sending them to you. A couple good circular mailers we recommend are BMGServices, PO Box 429, Johnson KS 67855 (your cost is only 1c for 8 1/2x11pre-printed circular) or Thorn Gifts, 1807 Stillwater #5, St Paul MN 55119
(your cost is only 5c for each 8 1/2x11 pre-printed circular.) Why thedifference in price? BMG mails by bulk rate and Thorn mails by first-class.Either method is effective and sure beats paying 29c each.In addition, you benefit from the mailing list of the circular mailer. Ifthis particular mailer sells a mailing list, having them do a 1,000 or 5,000"test" mailing for you would be a way to test their names. You should get afew responses from a mailing of this size but it all depends on "what" you are offering and the "price" you are offering it for. It's very difficult to sell any item for more than $50 on a 8 1/2x11" circular. For items costingmore than $50, you need to use the two-step approach. In other words, use the 8 1/2x11" circular to generate inquiries and follow-up with the complete sales materials that constitute the higher price the customer may decide to pay.
Another idea is that you could contact a dealer with products and services not conflicting with your own and ask them to co-op mail for you. In thisdeal, you would pay for the 2-sided printing (with the mailer's ad on back of yours) and he/she would mail them for you free of charge. It works! Another way to co-op deal in mail order is by co-op advertising. HighMountain Advertiser and Popular Advertiser are both long running co-op publications. You place your ad the first time through a dealer and all future ads are 50% less. Then you have the option of mailing pre-printed copies with your name in the publisher's block as an authorized dealer.When other people order advertising, they will send their orders to you. You keep 50% of the money and send the rest (along with the order) back tothe publisher. This way, you can have your 8 1/2x11 circulars printed andmailed in a publication at a 50% savings. Coal Publishing, 27 South 4th Avenue, Highland Park NJ 08904 also offers co-op advertising in their "Small Business Keeps America Growing" tabloid.
For the low cost of $35 per tabloid-size page, you can have your 8 1/2x11"circular along with four 2-inch ads printed and mailed to a whopping 5,000circulation. All you are responsible for is the mailing of 200 of them.Any beginner can handle mailing 50 per week to a mailing list or to theirown customers. Besides, no one can offer you a 5,000 honest circulation forthis price. This is a real money-saver!
If you market the direct mail method, it's a good idea to send a goodcircular you plan to keep around for awhile to a mail order printer andhave 1,000 printed on 1 side. Then, you can use the back of 100 or so for testing purposes of other circulars. Run down to the copy shop and run the circulars through the copier by printing on the back side. Only run 100 or less and send them to the best names you can find. If they pull orders, you may have a winner and can have 1,000 printed. Nothing is more annoying than being stuck with 1,000 circulars with something you want to mail on one side and something outdated on the back.
NOTICE: Rates and prices shown here were current at the time of writing.
Call for quotes.
Regardless of what you're trying to sell, you really can't sell it without "talking" with your prospective buyer. An in attempting to sell anything on the Internet, the sales letter you send out is when and how you talk to your prospect.
All winning sales letters "talk" to the prospect by creating an image in the mind of the reader. They set "the scene" by appealing to a desire or need; and then they flow smoothly into the "visionary" part of the sales pitch by describing in detail how "wonderful" life will be and, how "good" the prospect is going to feel after he's purchased your product. This is the "body or guts" of a sales letter.
Overall, a winning sales letter follows a time-tested and proven formula:
1) Get their attention
2) Get them interested in what you can do for them
3) Make them desire the benefits of your product so badly their mouth begins to water
4) Demand action from them - tell them to click the right button or send for whatever it is you're selling without delay - any procrastination on his part might cause him to lose out.
This is called the "AIDA" formula (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) - it works.
On your website, your sales page should be the length of what it would be
if were doing a mailing, or longer if you're using bullets to emphasize benefits to build the desire. Of course on the Internet you don't have to worry about letterhead stationery or the cost of postage, which is a considerable savings. If, however, you want to also do a mailing campaign then the following would apply. The sales letters in mailings that pull in the most sales are almost always two pages with 1 1/2 spaces between lines. For really big ticket items, they'll run at least four pages. - on an 11 by 17 sheet of paper folded in half. If your sales letter is only two pages in length, there's nothing wrong with running it on the front and back of one sheet of 8 1/2 by 11 paper. However, your sales letter should always be on letterhead paper - your letterhead printed, and including your logo and business motto if you have one.
Regardless of the length of your sales letter, it should do one thing, and that's sell, and sell hard! If you intend to close the sale, you've got to do it with your sales letter. You should never be "wishy-washy" with your sales letter. You do the actual selling and the closing of that sale with your sales letter - any brochure or circular you send along with in your mailing will just reinforce what you say in the sales letter.
There's been a great deal of discussion in the past few years regarding just how long a sales letter should be. A lot of people are asking: Will people really take the time to read a long sales letter? The answer is a simple and time-tested yes indeed! Surveys and tests over the years emphatically prove that "longer sales letters" pull even better than the shorter ones, so don't worry about the length of your sales letter - just make sure that it sells your product for you!
The "inside secret" is to make your sales letter so interesting, and "visionary" with the benefits you're offering to the reader, that he can't resist reading it all the way through. You break up the "work" of reading by using short, punchy sentences, underlining important points you're trying to make, with the use of subheadlines, indentations and even the use of a second color, and leaving lots of white space around it. On your website, the sales letter should run down the middle of the page so the viewer doesn't have to keep adjusting the screen to see the whole sentence. This is very distracting and more apt to send that client to another website than losing patience reading a long letter.
Relative to the brochures and circulars you may want to include in your mailing with your sales letter - providing the materials you're enclosing are of the best quality, they will generally reinforce the sale for you. But, if they are of poor quality, look cheap and don't compliment your sales letter, then you shouldn't be using them. Another thing, it will definitely classify you as an independent home worker if you hand-stamp your name/address on these brochures or advertising circulars instead of having them printed.
Whenever possible, and so long as you have really good brochures to send out, have your printer run them through his press and print your name/address - even your telephone number and company logo - on them before you send them out. The thing is, you want your prospect to think of you as his supplier - the company - and not as just another independent entrepreneur. Sure, you can get by with less expense but you'll end up with fewer orders and in the end, less profits.
Another thing that's been bandied about and discussed from every direction for years is whether to use a post office box number or your street address. Personally, I don't like Post Office Boxes in a business address - because it transmits an aura of instability or temporary location. If your business is run from home, get a mail box from a post box vendor that has a street address. Then your address looks like, 1234 Willow Lane, #567, Your Town, and the box number could appear to the reader as a Suite number. However, if you live in a remote area where your address is 7890 Main St., RFD 42, Box 123, Your Town, then you have no choice but to include both your post office box number, AND, your street address on your sales letter. When doing it strictly for your website, put your street address, telephone number, and email address at the bottom of the page. More than likely, the customer will contact you by email, but it conveys dependability if that Internet buyer sees that you're willing to give your address. This kind of open display of your honesty will give you credibility and dispel the thought of you being just another "fly-by-night" mail order company in the mind of your prospect.
Above all else, you've got to include some sort of ordering page or coupon if you're mailing. The coupon has to be as simple and as easy for the prospect to fill out and return to you as you can possible make it. The order page on your website should already be filled out, with perhaps just the shipping left to choice. If your product is an eBook or software to be instantly downloaded, then you don't have any options to be chosen. A great many sales are lost because this order coupon is just too complicated for the would-be buyer to follow. Don't get fancy! Keep it simple, and you'll find your prospects responding with glee.
Should you or shouldn't you include in your mailing a self-addressed reply envelope? There are a lot of variables, as well as, pros and cons to this question. Overall, when you send out a "winning" sales letter to a good mailing list, a return reply envelope will increase your response tremendously.
Tests of late seem to indicate that it isn't that big a deal or difference in responses relative to whether you do or don't pre-stamp the return reply envelope. Again, the decision here will rest primarily on the product you're selling and the mailing list you're using. Our recommendation is that you experiment - try it both ways - with subsequent mailings and decide for yourself from there.
When I saw an issue of Entrepreneur Magazine that had a cover that indicated that entrepreneurs had been surveyed, and results were inside, I thought, finally, small businesses are heard!! Time to hear from us little guys!
I can’t tell you how surprised I was as I began to read the article. Their idea of an “small business” and mine were as different as night and day. I always classified an entrepreneur as someone like the “Mom and Pop” coffee shop around the corner, the family run produce market in town, or the 18 to 24 year old who had come up with a fantastic “gizmo” and was scooped up into a corporation as their newest genius. Let me give you a quote from the article that will clue you into its idea of an “entrepreneur”.
To explain the method used for the survey they state, “Entrepreneur magazine and PricewaterhouseCoopers “Entrepreneurial Challenges Survey” is an annual telephone survey of more than 300 CEOs of privately held, U.S.-based businesses recognized for their sustained, rapid growth. They average $31.5 million in annual revenue with an average of 185 employees, and have an ongoing annual growth rate of more than 23 percent……”
That definitely was not my picture of an entrepreneur. I don’t know too many entrepreneurs who average $31.5 million annually, or employ 185 people. To me, that’s a pretty successful company on its way to being a corporation. We should all be such entrepreneurs!
What tips for small businesses could be gleaned?
At any rate, I continued reading and I must say the information was worth the read, and the business of doing business can apply to those of us who aren’t quite making that $31.5 million per year yet. Here’s what the survey discovered.
What were considered their biggest challenges for 2006?
Now when you stop and think about it, that’s pretty much what most entrepreneurs think about each year. Maybe not to the extent of expanding to foreign markets or launching a spinoff, but to keep your business perking along the road of improvement - all the rest are considered.
The next part of the survey was interesting because entrepreneurs were given a list of several “wild-card” factors that could affect business in 2006. When asked which three would be most harmful to their business, here’s what they said: