| Money and Business Newsletter for Raja
Publisher: David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com In This Issue:
-- Recommended Resource of the Day: Start Your Own 6-Figure Coaching Business
-- Inspirational Money and Business Quote: Harvey Firestone
-- Article: The Difference Between "Need" and "Want" - By Craig Nathanson
-- Article: Ecommerce Marketing Tip: 5 Strategies For Writing Titles That Get Your Emails Opened - By Lisa Suttora
-- Subscription and Contact Information
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** Recommended Resource of the Day **
-------------------------------------------------- * How To Start Your Own 6-Figure Coaching Business *
Want to make 6 figures helping other people live better, more successful lives?
Want to get ALL the benefits of that "ideal" home-based business (your hours, your rules, amazing income)... and an incredible feeling of self-worth?
#1 best-selling author Mike Litman built his $8 million coaching business from scratch living the ultimate lifestyle. And he wants to show you exactly how it's done.
Go here now:
http://www.launchmycoachingbusiness.com/GetStartedRightNow.html
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** Inspirational Money and Business Quote **
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Capital isn't so important in business. Experience isn't so important. You can get both these things. What is important is ideas. If you have ideas, you have the main asset you need, and there isn't any limit to what you can do with your business and your life.
- Harvey Firestone
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** Article: The Difference Between "Need" and "Want" - By Craig Nathanson **
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Let's face it: Most people spend way too much money on things they don't really need. The more money we make, the more we tend to spend. This endless cycle of materialism has led many people to confuse the word "need" with the word "want." As in, "we need a big-screen TV for our new home theater." Or, "I need a new pair of shoes to go with my new outfit." If you want to achieve your vocational passion, where every day you jump out of bed and can't wait to go to work, then you need to re-order your priorities. Stay away from the purely material. The pursuit of material success often is the root cause of burnout at midlife. In fact, a recent study at the University of California at Berkeley found that people primarily motivated by the love of their work grow dissatisfied as they begin to make more money.
The first step to breaking free from the materialism trap is to understand the difference between "need" and "want." We need food, clothing, shelter, reliable transportation, education, enrichment, and the technology necessary to do our work. Also, we need the occasional small indulgence to treat our children and ourselves. We do not need 500 cable TV channels, brand new luxury cars, 5,000-square-foot homes in exclusive neighborhoods, lavish ski vacations, and smart phones that do everything but think for us. There is nothing wrong with wanting these things. But understand that these things do not make us happy, in and of themselves. And, they are often links in the chains that bind us to jobs we despise. Often, those who make a leap to vocational passion end up making more money over the long term. But in the short term, income usually declines. It may even go away for a period of time. Typically, the first two years of a career change -- in particular, one motivated purely by vocational passion -- are financially difficult. Major lifestyle and attitude adjustments are critical to making the money last while you pursue your dream. The amazing thing is that once you learn to live on less, it becomes a habit. The peace of mind that comes from relying less on materialism to define success usually leads to a greater and deeper happiness. Getting Real About Money So. Now we understand that pursuing vocational passion requires a major adjustment in our attitude toward money and material comfort. The next step is getting down to the details. What does it take to transform yourself and your family from a unit that consumes as much as it earns to one that respects money and makes it last? The trick is to look at all expenses, both big and small. Leave no stone unturned. No savings is too small, and no category of spending should be free from scrutiny. Those looking to leave a job to pursue a vocational passion face two core issues: raising enough money to fund a career change, and changing spending patterns to make the money last. Raising the money can be a tremendous challenge, depending on your financial resources. Savings, bonds, securities, IRAs, home equity, jewelry, valuables, and family resources are all avenues for raising capital to sustain your family during this transition. Consider these options to cut down your burn rate. Some will seem dramatic. But if you have decided that your only chance at happiness is to pursue a vocational dream, small measures won't cut it. • If you live in a "McMansion," consider selling it. You could use the proceeds to buy a smaller house in a less expensive neighborhood. That would leave you with no mortgage or a much smaller "nut" to make each month. Whatever the size of your home, you can go a step further and use 100% of the proceeds of a home sale as working cash for the transition, then rent a house instead. Seeking the advice of a tax attorney or a financial planner may be wise, particularly when you are selling your home or using it as security on a loan. But, do not let these advisers sway you from your core decisions. They are there only to give you advice on the smartest way to pursue the path you have chosen. • Consider part-time or project-based work in the field you are moving out of to supplement your income during the transition. Also, look generally to part-time work as a way to slow your burn rate. Ask each eligible member of your family to contribute toward supporting the household. • Evaluate your home, car, and health insurance costs. Are you over-insured? Can you raise your deductibles? This often can reduce premiums significantly. Also, health insurance rates for small businesses, even those with one or two employees, are often more favorable than individual policies. • Take a look at what you drive. Is it a "badge" brand imported car? Is it a "suburban assault vehicle?" There are many presentable, economical cars with good long-term reliability that can be purchased used. Sell your status symbol and buy one of these other cars instead. You will save on car payments, gas and insurance. You will be better off the minute you stop trying to impress people with what you drive. • Let your children fund a little more of their own college education. Student loans are not a lifelong burden, and in fact many successful people have paid for their education this way. So can your children. They will still love you. • Sweat the small stuff. Look at every element of your daily spending and ask whether it is necessary. Do you have features on your phone service that you never use? How many videos do you rent every week? (They are free at the local library, by the way.) How important are those premium cable channels? How many pizzas did you order last month? How much do you spend every day on designer coffee, soft drinks, and fast food? How much do you spend on dinners at nice restaurants? Take a look at what's in your grocery cart. How much of it is snack food or impulse buys that are both bad for you and a waste of money? If you still need a reason to quit smoking, the $5-plus per pack you are spending ought to finally get you to give up that habit. Is your home well insulated, or does money in the form of energy fly out the window? Do you turn out the lights when you leave a room? How much do you waste each year on late fees for credit cards or overdue videos? How necessary is each short trip you take in the car? Can you combine trips, or make small, local errands on foot or on your bike, (which saves money and burns calories)? Make the effort to evaluate everything you do. You'll be amazed by the amount of money you can save. ** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article, go here.
About the Author:
Craig Nathanson, The Vocational Coach, is the author of "P Is For Perfect: Your Perfect Vocational Day," by Book Coach Press. He publishes the free monthly e-zine, "Vocational Passion in Mid-life." Craig believes the world works a little better when we do the work we love. He helps those in mid-life carry this out. Visit his online community at http://www.thevocationalcoach.com.
* How To Start Your Own 6-Figure Coaching Business *
Want to make 6 figures helping other people live better, more successful lives?
Want to get ALL the benefits of that "ideal" home-based business (your hours, your rules, amazing income)... and an incredible feeling of self-worth?
#1 best-selling author Mike Litman built his $8 million coaching business from scratch living the ultimate lifestyle. And he wants to show you exactly how it's done.
Go here now:
http://www.launchmycoachingbusiness.com/GetStartedRightNow.html
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** Article: Ecommerce Marketing Tip: 5 Strategies For Writing Titles That Get Your Emails Opened - By Lisa Suttora **
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Email marketing is one of the BEST tools that you can use to grow your business on eBay, Amazon and beyond. Sending out newsletters, sales and promotions to your customers is one of the best ways to sell more products more often. However, there's an important KEY to successful email marketing that most people overlook, and that is... The TITLE of Your Email In fact the way you title your email is SO important, the success of your email marketing campaign depends on it. Why an Email Title is Important In your eBay listings your 55 character listing title is the "map" that helps searchers find your listings in eBay's search engines. With email marketing, your title serves one primary purpose...To get your email OPENED! Because an email that's not opened will never be read. And an email that's not opened will be the target of the delete key. Therefore it's key to write an email title that will get your email opened and read. The payoff for you? A great email title and newsletter will bring you more customer sales! Motivating People to Open Your Emails Most sellers tend to send out emails with fairly generic email titles. For example: eBay Seller Email: Save money! Shop my eBay Store for great deals New in my store Check this out! Winter Clearance Sale And while there's nothing inherently wrong with these email titles, there's also nothing engaging about them either. They are all fairly generic email subject titles. You certainly can intermix generic titles into your email campaign, but use them as the exception not the rule. You might think that writing an intriguing email title requires a lot of work. Not so! With the knowledge you're about to gain in the next section (and a little help from a tried and true writers tool )you'll be writing effective emails titles in no time! 5 Strategies for Writing Titles that Get Your Emails Opened Next we're going to look at 5 different strategies you can use to get those emails opened!
These 5 kinds of email titles will engage your reader and inspire them to OPEN your email! 1. Target your email title to your customers' interests. The more specific the better. If you're sending an email in which you want to promote your vintage lace linens, rather than using a generic email title such as "Check Out Our New Linens" create a more specific title such as "Introducing Our One of a Kind Vintage Lace Linens." Generic title: Check Out Our New Linens Targeted title: Introducing Our One of a Kind Vintage Lace Linens As you can see, the 2nd title targets a very specific audience and arouses curiosity about the new, unique linens you've just brought in stock. Which brings us to our second strategy... 2. Arouse Curiosity. People are naturally curious. And we like having our curiosity peaked! An email title that peaks your reader's curiosity is likely to get opened. For example... The owner of a pet products store could write an email newsletter with a title of..."The Top 3 Things Every Poodle Owner Must Possess..." A seller who wants to promote flat irons (for your hair) in their email marketing newsletter might write..."How to Turn Your Unruly Hair into a Sleek and Shiny Mane." By using an element of curiosity in your email title people will want to click on your emails and see what's inside! Note: Do NOT make your curiosity emails SPAMMY or MISLEADING. Curiosity alone with no substance will turn people off. If you are going to use an element of curiosity in your title, make sure you follow through on your promise and deliver the "goods" within the email content. If you are promoting "The Top 3 Things Every Poodle Owner Must Possess..." - your email must follow through and share those top 3 things with your customer. Misleading email titles are even worse. "Loose 150 lbs in 30 days" is simply untrue and will cause your readers to immediately delete your email. 3. Use Urgency. No one wants to miss the big "it". That one thing they wished they'd known about. Email titles that convey urgency will ensure that your customers at least give your email a quick glance! (Once they're reading you can grab them with your copy!) Your email title can contain an element of scarcity. For example: "It ends tonight at midnight!" "Only 4 vases left." "20% off for the next 24 hours." As with curiosity emails, urgency emails must follow through. If you're promoting a sale that ends at midnight, it MUST end at midnight. Using a sense of urgency in your emails but not backing it up by doing what you say you're going to do will cause your customers not to trust you. And that will kill all chances of your prospect ever reading an email (or buying from you) again. But if you DO have limited quantities of a product or the sale IS ending in 24 hours - writing an email title with a sense of urgency is a great way to promote it! Note: Fostering a relationship with your customers that is built on trust is the best thing you can do to build a successful business! As the old saying goes "You must walk the talk." 4. Tell a story. We all love stories. It's part of human nature. Creating an email title that is a lead-in to a story can be very intriguing to your buyers. For example: "I Found These Beautiful Crystal Vases for You in Maine" "The History Behind Our Hand Crafted Wall Clocks" "Why 9 Out of 10 Customers Prefer Our New Steamer" Then in your email continue on with the story that you started. Emphasize the human connection. Your customers want to buy from a person, not from a nameless, faceless eBay store or website. 5. Have fun. A little fun and humor in your email title can go a long way. Have fun! Be creative. This past holiday season I received an email with a title that read... "A Sale So Hot Even Santa Stopped to Shop!" I opened this email immediately! When you look at these headlines with a fresh "eye" you'll see that most headlines today are variations of existing headlines. Go here to get more tips for marketing your online business and reach more customers today. ** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article, go here.
About the Author:
Lisa Suttora is the Founder/CEO of http://www.WhatDoISell.com - one of only 3 eBay Certified Providers in the categories of eBay education/consulting and product sourcing.
* How To Start Your Own 6-Figure Coaching Business *
Want to make 6 figures helping other people live better, more successful lives?
Want to get ALL the benefits of that "ideal" home-based business (your hours, your rules, amazing income)... and an incredible feeling of self-worth?
#1 best-selling author Mike Litman built his $8 million coaching business from scratch living the ultimate lifestyle. And he wants to show you exactly how it's done.
Go here now:
http://www.launchmycoachingbusiness.com/GetStartedRightNow.html | 
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