I made a lifestyle decision not long ago and I’m finally blogging about it. I didn’t want to blog about it while I still had paying clients on the books but everything is cleared up and good to go now.

The bottom line is I’ve restructured my entire consulting business. It became very time consuming and I’ve made the decision to only keep a few clients and get rid of the rest. You can read how I’ll be doing business from now on here on my services page.

I still love helping people, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t want to work more than 10-15 hours a week. And those hours will be spent on my own businesses or with the top business people I’ll continue to work with who don’t require babysitting.

Thanks for understanding.

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I hope 1ShoppingCart pays attention to this blog post because this fix is so easy to make.  I’ve already called them about this problem and there’s still no fix. Why? I have no idea.

Here’s the deal… When people use the E-Check function in 1SC there needs to be a simple text change.

Click on the attachment below, do you see the problem?

The problem is that the wording is confusing for the consumer. Marketers may not think so but customers do think so. Why in the world would you ask someone to enter a “Transit Number” in the box but call it a “Bank Routing Number” as the example?

This is usability 101 and will cost you money if you use 1SC.

I just started using 1SC so I have no connections over there. But if anybody reading this blog post does have some pull over there, please bring this to their attention.

Thanks!

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I’m amazed at how unproductive people are. In fact, the problem is so terrible that I feel the need to reveal my biggest secret—the secret that makes me so productive.

But before I tell you how I’m able to get so much accomplished, we must first understand why people are unproductive in the first place. Here are the five biggest things I see….

1. Unproductive people constantly blame other people. Almost all unproductive people are experts at rationalizing their destructive behaviors.

2. Unproductive people are perfectly fine being broke. Give them some weed and a Budweiser and you’ve just made their day.

3. Unproductive people try to do 10 things at once, whereas productive people do one thing at a time. When they finish the one thing they were doing, they calmly move on to the next thing.

4. Unproductive people are generally negative people who surround themselves with other negative people. This makes them feel better about themselves. I’ve forgotten who said it, but someone said that you’re the average of your five closest friends. If you pay attention to the negative, unproductive person, I’m positive you’ll find that quote to hold true.

5. Unproductive people don’t read. They don’t read because they already think they’re smart and know everything they need to know. That’s why when you talk to these people, you want to cut your wrists after two minutes.

So let’s get into how to become a productive person.

First things first…. Don’t do any of the things I just mentioned. Second, you must set dates with yourself. It’s really that easy. If you don’t set dates, you’re screwed.

Here’s what I mean…

If you don’t tell yourself what to do, your daily circumstances will determine your schedule. To get this right, you must be ruthless with your time, schedule, and activities. You must also understand that most people are bored and want to rape every bit of your time to “hang out.” There’s nothing wrong with “hanging out,” but this must be planned. If you have time to just “hang out” without planning it, you’re not working hard enough.

Protecting your time and being a beast about planning your day and sticking to it is critical if you want to reach any amount of freedom. Here’s an average day for me:

1. Wake up and read for one hour.
2. Eat a healthy breakfast.
3. Workout.
4. Check e-mail, sales statistics, etc.
5. Study marketing, advertising, and business for two hours via books, courses, etc.
6. Implementation – Setup tests, create traffic strategies, and build businesses.
7. Write for one hour.
8. I also give myself 30 minutes to one hour to think. My best ideas and breakthroughs come during this time.

I’m finished by 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. When I’ve finished working/improving myself, I’ll think about the next day and what I want to get done. I never allow what happens during the day to affect my plans.

I tell my customer service team that unless someone has died or my kids have something terribly wrong—and I really mean this—then it’s not important. They simply take all messages and send an email to me at 5:00 p.m.

Everything, even death if you think about it, can wait until 5:00 p.m. The fact that I was bothered and my concentration was broken really didn’t affect the bad news; I just know the information earlier. Big deal.

So that’s my secret. I set strict deadlines for myself. I tell my day how it will act because I don’t deal with distractions; therefore, I’m in charge of my day and productivity. And I guard my time like a mother guards her infant.

If you want to increase productivity, I suggest that you do same.

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Most people I know think when you use autoplay videos on your website it makes the visitor mad and encourages them to leave your site.

Well after much testing I’m finally convinced autoplay is the way to go. At least in my niche. I’ve done extensive split testing over the last 12 months on autoplay vs. no autoplay. Autoplay has won 6 out 6 extensive testing rounds.

I’ll show you 2 of my latest tests here:

 
“Original” is the autoplay version. And “Combination 1 - Variation 1″ is the no-autoplay version. So what’s the big takeaway here?

The big takeaway here is to never assume anything in your marketing. You simply can’t take opinion as the final word in today’s competitive online marketplace. You must get out in the trenches and run tests, create new ads, and constantly be doing and creating new “stuff”.

Opinions are like… well you know the rest. Happy testing!

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I want to explain my mindset as far as tracking online advertising is concerned. So many people overcomplicate this issue. They think there’s some “secret” formula. Well, there’s not.

People make millions of dollars simply by sticking to this little system. This is not complicated. Just follow my simple system and you’ll be golden.

I’m assuming that you already know how to find website owners to promote for you, so let me share what most people do.

Most people simply send the owner’s email list to a standard link on their webpage, and try to sell them whatever it is they sell. It’s not good, but that’s the basic system for most people.

Here’s the right way to set up your promotions.

1. Contact the website owner with your joint venture proposal. I personally always offer a 50/50 split of sales minus shipping costs. I recommend that you do the same.

2. Stress to the website owner that there’s absolutely no risk for him. All he needs to do is simply press “Send.”

3. Always set up a special URL for the website owner. If everyone knows the owner by name, and his name is John, you could simply have it this way: www.yourwebsitename.com/John. Make sure to always personalize your link for the list owner.

4. Take the link you’ve just created and cloak it with Adtrackz. It will look something like this: www.yourwebsitename.com/Johns-Friends. That will obviously redirect to /John. You’ll want to know exactly how many people have clicked on the link in the email that was sent. Don’t count on your internal analytics program to track this information for you. This is too critical.

5. On the actual landing page, which is www.yourwebsitename.com/John, make sure to address his specific list in the headline. For example, say something like… “Special Offer Available Only to Friends of John!”

6. Create a new ID for the product in your cart that is specifically set up just for John. So if you’re selling lawn mowers, make sure to have the description say, “Lawn Mower Special – John.” This also reinforces the idea to the person who’s checking out in the shopping cart that it’s truly a special deal that’s not available to anyone else. Believe me. He will scour the entire website price checking, double checking that he is getting the best deal possible.

7. Create a backend offer just for buyers from John’s list. Offer another special on the backend. You can either keep 100% of the profits or let John in on it. It’s up to you.

8. Go through your sales letter, and look for places to personalize the letter so the visitor really feels special. Anywhere you can use John’s name or bring up that the deal is just for John’s list, do it. And always leave the original price very visible. The reason you’ll want to do that is because it gives you a reason to mark it out and put the “special” price next to it to reinforce the special offer.

There you have it. It’s so easy. By following this simple 8-step system, your next promo will go smoothly, and you can track exactly how many clicks and exactly how many sales came from those clicks.

A lot of people who have big lists think they’re sitting on gold. The sad reality is that most of them have no clue how to nurture the relationship with their list. This makes for a non-responsive list. I’ve seen it time and time again. Someone has a 30,000 or 50,000-person list, but if you actually track the CTR you can’t even get 2,000 clicks. It’s sad.

So make sure to track everything from start to finish, and you can’t lose.

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Most entrepreneurs take the easy way out. Everybody I know who has significant freedom, money, and time takes the easy way out…always.

Today I want to encourage you to keep taking the easy way out any way possible. If anyone tries to tell you anything different, they are probably not where you want to be.

I’ve NEVER told any of my clients or students not to take the easy way out. If there is an easy way, take it!

Most people, even myself, have been constantly accused of being lazy. Lazy to the average person means taking the easy way out. The average person will always tell you to work hard and grind it out, to not take the easy way out, and to be tough.

I think they are completely wrong and here’s why…

If you’re smart, you will ALWAYS find a way to make something easier. I know I did. With every new situation I enter, I’m constantly looking for new ways to get the same task done faster and with less effort. Unfortunately, for children, they are taught that taking the easy way out is a bad thing.

That statement can kill the creativity of a child. And unless children decide to unlearn those terrible things by reading, learning, and finding people who don’t believe that way of thinking, they’ll live their entire lives thinking they have to work hard.

That’s why you have adults who still talk the same mess they learned as children. They either…

1. Actually believe it
2. Think it

And that sucks for them.

The bottom line is to always be looking for better and smarter ways to do things. To the average person it will SEEM like you’re lazy. The intelligent person, however, will recognize your genius.

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Have you ever bought a 10K watch? 100K car? Maybe you have. Maybe you haven’t. It’s really a personal decision. Would I spend this much money on stuff if I wanted it? Of course I would!

If you’re reading my blog, there’s a very good chance you’re already a 2%er or are striving to be one. If you are a 2%er you’ll get this concept. If you’re not, you probably won’t.

I’m writing this blog post to give you permission to do whatever in the world you want with the money you’ve earned. You deserve it.

When I got married about five years ago, I spent close to $17,000 on my wife’s ring, including the main ring and the two side rings. I don’t say this to brag, I know people who make that investment in a wedding ring look like a Burger King meal. But the point of me mentioning that is you wouldn’t believe how many people called me “crazy” or how many people said, “Dang, Rick! That’s too much, man. Are you sure you want to do that?”

As you can see, this is scarcity thinking at its best. It’s a thought process that is fixed on “lack” instead of abundance.

If there is anyone in your life who makes ignorant statements like the ones you see above, find any way possible to delete these people from your life. If you can’t delete them totally, at least do your best to minimize them. It’s critical to becoming a 2%er.

If it’s family, I recommend keeping the relationship to holidays and family events. Even family can end up poisoning your mindset to the point where you start questioning your decisions. Don’t allow it to get there.

The story I just told you is only a fraction of what I’ve had to deal with in terms of scarcity mindset in people. I’m positive you’ve dealt with the same.

What saddens me is that most people have no idea that they’re being infected with other people’s scarcity thinking… They’re so used to it that they don’t even notice it.

The only way to truly realize if you’re choosing 2%ers as friends is to find a mentor. When most people join my E-Mail Coaching, they come with a terrible mindset. Sometimes it can take up to six months of consistent work to change a polluted mind that took a lifetime to create. Some people “get it” quickly; others need more work. It really depends on how much trash has been deposited in their brain.

How do you know if you’re around people who are content staying a 98%er and are most likely depositing sewage in your mind? It’s quite simple. All you have to do is listen to what they say. Here’s the difference between what losers say vs. what 2%er’s say….

The 98%er – “I can’t afford it.”
The 2%er – “I’ll create it.”

The 98%er – “I don’t know if I can do it.”
The 2%er – “I’ll find a way to make it happen.”

The 98%er – “I live for the weekends.”
The 2%er – “I live every day of my life exactly how I want, fulfilled and happy!”

The 98%er – “I can’t leave my job. It has great benefits.”
The 2%er – “I’ll develop a plan to leave my job within two years so I can do what I was designed to do.”

The 98%er – “He’s only cheated on me twice, and that was a long time ago.”
The 2%er – “He’s a cheatin’ bastard and I’m gone. Peace.”

The 98%er – “I can’t.”
The 2%er – “I will.”

The 98%er – “It’s tough out there. The economy is bad.”
The 2%er – “The economy doesn’t determine my success.”

That’s just a very small dose of the differences you’ll see in mindset between 2%ers and 98%ers.

You’ll attract in your life what you focus most on so if you hear crap coming out of the mouths of those 98%ers closest to you, find better company. Focus on abundance, not scarcity. You’ll be greatly rewarded.

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Taylor Mali answers this question perfectly. I believe teaching is what winners do.  I highly encourage you to share the knowledge you have. It’s no fun if you keep it all to yourself.

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Do you ever blame everyone but yourself for the problems in your life? If so, stop! Only losers do that. And if you’re reading my blog there’s a good chance you’re striving to be what I call a 2%er—one of the small percentage of people who actually GET what I’m about to tell you.

Listen, the moment I decided never to blame anybody else for my problems, my life got better, much better. And it happened just as suddenly as I made that decision. I simply decided to own every choice I made from that day forward.

You can change your life, too, just by making the decision to be accountable for everything…starting today. Your failures. Your successes. I mean everything.

And, if someone else is trying to suck out every last bit of your passion and inject subtle negativity into your life, stop it right now. They will kill everything you’ve worked hard for. If you’re making excuses for all your problems, you need to jumpstart your winning attitude right now.

First, be honest with yourself. Are you a winner or a whiner? The only way to make positive changes in your life is to acknowledge what’s real.

Here are five ways you can distinguish a loser from a 2%er.

1. Losers say the word “maybe” more than “yes.” This allows losers to create loopholes to back out of any formal agreement or commitment to anyone.

2. Losers talk more than they listen. For every insecure person I know, the common denominator is that he or she talks much more than they listen.

3. Losers use the word “but” after anything positive and normally follow that with a negative statement. This is common with losers. Just when something positive or uplifting comes out of their mouths, it’s followed up with a negative statement that devalues the breakthrough that could have happened if they would have truly believed the value of following their hearts.

4. Losers never take personal responsibility for anything. It’s normally someone else’s fault for whatever goes wrong in their lives. This is the most common trait I see in losers. Believe me, in my eight years in the Air Force I worked with more whiners, blamers, and complainers than you could possibly imagine.

I think that’s why most entrepreneurs need to exit their jobs quickly. It’s so draining to work in negative environments with negative people. It takes so much self-talk on the drive home to get your mind back to a winner’s perspective that it becomes hard to even show up at the job anymore.

5. Losers are great liars. It’s so hard to catch them blatantly but you just feel it. Sometimes you won’t even be able to tell this person apart from a winner for a year or two. That’s because they don’t often have the first four traits I mentioned beforehand. And losers are so good at telling little lies that they actually believe their own stories. I’ve been duped before. These people are tricky, so you really have to pay attention.

Now, let me wrap this up by clarifying the two types of losers you’re likely to come into contact with in your life.

The first type doesn’t know he’s a loser yet. Maybe he has crappy parents, crappy friends, etc. Of course, you can’t choose your parents but you can choose your friends. But that’s beside the point. The point is that this person needs YOUR help. He can succeed with a mentor or a friend who cares about him and guides him. To be honest, 99% of the time this person just needs some encouragement and love to thrive.

The real problem is the second type of loser. These people simply don’t care. They know they make stupid decisions. They know they make excuses. They do things like blame the “economy” because they’re broke, blame their bosses because they don’t get paid well, etc. These people just don’t care.

The sad part is that they’ll most likely be a loser for the rest of their lives because they’ll never take personal responsibility for anything. Since they’ll never recognize their true potential, all we can do is pray for them because God their only hope.

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I had no clue I was in another book until today.  I got an e-mail from a real estate broker trying to jumpstart a new information product business and he mentioned he saw me in Yanik Silver’s new book called “Moonlighting on the Internet“.

Click below to see the write up on page 229…

I’ve bought some of Yanik’s stuff and he does know what he’s talking about.  I consider him a real marketer and student of the game. Looks like I’m going to have to pick up his new book at Amazon as I haven’t had a chance to read it yet.

To learn more about Yanik, definately check out his blog. He just had a chance to meet Richard Branson and has been doing some really cool stuff lately.

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