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  • kelly 9:44 pm on January 27, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: open rate,   

    hey there,

    Wouldn't it be nice to have an expert team of researchers and writers at your command, writing for you promotional emails and blog posts that get traffic and sales…AT NO COST?

    Read more about this below, after these brief messages…

    A contributor sent us the following test result

    Hi guys,

    Over a period of 6 months, a group of 5000+ people from an IM freebie list was sent emails with various subject lines every 2 days.

    The following had the highest open rate

    You Will Love This… (20% on average) How I (Insert Benefit) In Record

    Time… (17% on average) Seven Deadly [blank] Mistakes (16% on average) Discover the 'Insider' Strategies That… (13% on average) Should you go and use these emails yourself to get sales?

    Nahhh…

    The Open Rate is used in email marketing to measure the read-rate of promotional messages. Commonly, marketers use the open-rate to pinpoint the pool of people likely to buy from their messages.

    But this is complicated and unnecessary in my humble (but correct) opinion.

    What most marketers don't realise is that open-rate is calculated by including a transparent image in HTML emails. This sends a 'request' back to the email server when the message is opened so it can count their opening of the message.

    Unfortunately, this is a rather inaccurate metric.

    Some email programs do not support HTML tags, so the tracking image is never requested, even when the message is opened.

    Worse…

    Email software usually disables images in emails by default to counter this exact tracking method. After all, it's a common strategy used by spammers to determine if a stolen email is valid.

    So tracking opens

    this way is a silly and sure way to get your promo messages marked as spam, and never delivered!

    All the same, the above subject lines may do well for our contributor.

    But be careful about using other people's tests blindly, because there are other factors unrelated to the subject line which influence your open rate.

    For example, if your subscribers joined your mailing list for the wrong reasons, they may not open any of your messages anyway.

    Or if the readers become accustomed to receiving rubbish blatant sales pitches from your Email address, they are already trained not to open your messages, regardless of your subject.

    All the same, email is by far the BEST way to convert your email subscribers into customers who pay you money EVERY time you send an email.

    And the more frequently you email (regardless of the subject you use)…

    …you exponentially and drastically improve you chances of selling.

    So what's a better way to turn even a small mailing list into a cash-cow?

    Easy…

    Send out one quality email every day with a call to action to buy…

    That's it.

    But writing quality

    daily emails can be time-consuming.

    We do it though, for several different mailing lists and it only takes FIVE minutes a day.

    How?

    We have a highly skilled research team who grab for us the most winning subject lines, the most controversial topics, and all the information we need to write messages that get read…

    Researchers summarise everything for me and then i quickly and easily piece their summaries together into an email for each list.

    It takes literally FIVE minutes of my time, and i can afford to do it several times a day.

    Want to do the same thing?

    Then i have some exciting news for you…

    Very soon we'll be offering our subscribers access to our Research and Writing team for FREE.

    You will be able to get them to produce emails that put money in your bank account EVERY time you hit the 'Send' button.

    Best part is, we do it for you, with NO up-front costs.

    You only pay a small percentage of each sale. Meaning you only pay if our emails are effective at putting money in your bank account.

    Sound good?

    The bad news…

    This service is still in development.

    Tags: ,
     

  • kelly 4:02 pm on January 24, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    so a reader wrote in asking us if we had any advice on the best websites to find freelance work as a copywriter.

    an interesting question…

    …a very debatable subject actually…

    couple nights ago, i had coffee at the Hyatt with a friend who owns a big brand business here in Jordan.

    and amongst our small-talk, the topic of landing big local clients came up.

    now i know there's a bunch of ways people think they can achieve this using online marketing and SEO….but nothing beats straight up relationship-building and word of mouth referrals.

    my

    friend truly understands the value of business relationships…he had some interesting views i thought worth sharing with you.

    you might be tempted to think you want to build up a reputation first, so you're willing to work for clients who'll pay peanuts at eLance, oDesk, Fiverr, and what have you…

    but truly, that's a silly method.

    the only reputation you'll build is with small-time clients no one has ever heard of. And you'll break your back doing it for cents/word.

    big businesses like to do business with reputable service providers who have a track-record and lots of good reviews from other businesses they trust.

    they also have deep pockets, and you'll get plenty of repeat work from them…IF you do a good job.

    in other words, you'll get paid WELL even if they're your first client. i know, this because i've tried it.

    My very first ever client paid me well over $200,000!

    Bad news though…

    Writing is NOT easy…

    It's a high-skill job. but, on the other hand, copywriting makes your clients much money.

    so don't sell your self short.

    Don't deal with

    clients who want the lowest price. They have little interest in quality…and if you want a reputation in the market you want to get it for the QUALITY of your work. not for the cheapness of it.

    Start by setting up your own website and put up a portfolio.

    Once a recommendation is made for your services, big clients want to know they're dealing with a professional who will deliver excellent marketing, that works, and can deliver on time.

    And then take my friend's advice…

    Build reputation by finding the big marketing and copywriting firms that already do work for the sharks in the market.

    Then offer to do freelance writing for the COPYWRITING FIRM. Even if you do it cheap…the reputation with them is worth big bucks.

    After all, even though you are not being hired by the big client directly, you can claim that you have done work for them.

    Furthermore, it's easier to land a freelance gig with a marketing firm that does business with big clients than it is to get the big client themselves to hire you. They're always looking for good quality employees and contractors they can subcontract to…for a low

    price.

    And so by borrowing their reputation, you can now showcase your talents.

    Brand your work so the end client knows YOU as the writer.

    And then on your portfolio website you can claim to have worked for big clients even though you were only a sub-contracted writer.

    That's it. Easy isn't it?

    Oh, one more thing…

    Whether you write for a living or you market you own business, creating high quality emails, sales presentations, and videos will ALWAYS require well-researched information at the core.

    It makes the difference between quality writing and crappy writing. we've hired very low-paid copywriters and still got excellent work from them just because WE provided all the research.

    Getting that information is the most time-consuming part of the writing equation.

    Piecing it together to write best-selling presentations, is the easy part. Anyone can do it.

    They even summarise the research they collect (and give you the source so you can refer back to the origin).

    All you need to do is compile it together the way you see fit into best-selling presentations and emails.

     

  • kelly 4:01 pm on January 23, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    Last night I dreamed we were making a vid about Mayan history. As you may know, Mayan history consists of a long chain of until they all ran out of magnets to propel their cars, etc.

    So all the kings had trollfaces shopped in. One episode in Mayan supremacy was illustrated thus

    King X and King Y were frenemies. King Y was stronger and had infiltrated Kingdom X with all sorts of spies, plants, and sleeper agents. King X sort of knew about

    this, but didn't have much he could do about the problem without inviting open aggression. So he invited King Y to share a festival in Kingdom X. In the meantime, expecting to pay a heavy host tribute, he spared no expense.

    Meanwhile King Y planned to stage his insurrection during the visit.

    So King X supervised the construction of an exquisite jaguar crown. Because King X was sort of pinheaded, he normally wore a small hat. But he ordered this crown to be made slightly roomier in back. This was so he could fit a pressure pad inside the crown. He also had two thick ropy rubber bands placed inside the jaguar mandible halves so that they were held in maximum tension, unless the pressure pad was pushed up. Then the jaws would snap shut, not top-to-bottom, but side-to-side, crushing the windpipe of the wearer.

    And he made it the most lavish, exquisite piece of regalia ever seen.

    And wore it every day, being very careful to slip it over his narrow little flat head so that a brisk wind might pull it off again.

    So when the appointed festival came, King Y, as predicted, rolled into town with a huge retinue, leeched the countryside dry, ate, drank, and whored his way to the royal complex, and immediately upon seeing the Jaguar crown, knew he must have it. So after a few nights of watching King X parade this lovely artifact around in front of him, naturally he had to own it. The courtiers in the know provided a convincing amount of resistance to the idea. But no, as King X knew all along, King Y would insist on owning it, and in the gray wee hours of the third morning of the festival, a courier presented the crown to King Y for his morning dressing. 'Quick, sire, be seen in this beauty before King X changes his mind.' And the courier disappeared.

    King Y

    made great pains to memorize exactly the appearance of the Jaguar Crown, for he wanted to assure himself that this is the same one King X wore, and not a copy. It must be the only Jaguar crown; he would not share the honor with anyone else. Satisfied, he pulled it onto his large, broad head.

    When King Y did not appear at breakfast, his planted spies and 'loyal' courtiers made haste to his guest chambers, where they found him dead as a doornail, sprawled over a polished silver mirror.

    With the creme de la creme of Kingdom Y society trapped inside his walls, King X finished the gala with a round of show trials, executions, and sacrifices.

    'Problemas?'

    And then the rest of the dream dissolved into me and a friend rummaging around in a box of seashells at work while in the background, a TV segment aired about black Jews, featuring Dennis Rodman.

     

  • kelly 11:25 pm on January 18, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    heya,

    let's begin with traffic…

    seems that's what's on every web marketer's mind and their ONLY concern. and it drives me crazy because it really isn't as big a deal as people make it out to be.

    here's what i mean…

    if i handed you $10,000 dollars today, how much traffic could you get with it?

    Enough?

    ok, ok…i get it.

    You don't have $10,000 laying around. And i'm certainly not going to hand you that kind of money, sorry. but if you had it, hypothetically, would you be able to make a killing by the end of the month?

    probably not!

    and that's

    why you're not willing to take out a loan, get a second mortgage, or sell your stuff to dump that kind of money on traffic.

    So traffic is still a problem for you. Not the case, for us, however. I'll tell you why in a second…

    …YOUR PROBLEM IS FEAR…

    You are understandably worried that even after putting in that kind of cash, you'll not be able to make it back.

    so how can we change your mind and solve your traffic woes forever?

    Very simply…

    You want a guarantee that once that traffic hits your website, you will make back your investment in sales.

    Let's explore…

    If you sell a $20 product, (which althought is an easy-to-sell price-point), you will need 500 customers just to break even. The chances of you getting that many customers are slim.

    So the first problem you have right now, is your product-range is not high-enough value to get 500 customers so you can make back such a large investment any time soon.

    But what if we could help you sell a $1,000 product instead? How many customers do you need to break even?

    10. That's it!

    Your odds are SIGNIFICANTLY improved!

    What if you sold a $10,000 product?

    You only need 1 customer to break even.

    See the pattern?

    This is exactly why you need one or more products worth over $1,000 in your arsenal.

    Then you can pay for ALL the advertising you want, make your investment back, and get paid big dividends. Next month, you'd be ready to spend $10,000 all over again with ZERO fear.

    But, still. You're understandably nervous.

    Why?

    Because you do NOT have a process that is guaranteed to SELL.

    What if, in addition to $10,000, i also gave you an expert salesman who was experienced in making high-end sales. Do you think you could make $1,000 daily?

    Surely the answer is a big fat YES!

    While we can't give you a $10,000 grant, YaghiLabs WILL help you come up with a product AND give you the expert salesman.

    When you partner with us as our client, we will put together an expertly-built CUSTOM selling process for you.

    Partnering with YaghiLabs means WE invest the skills and resources of SEVERAL sales and marketing professional who have made $10,000 and $20,000 sales per customer … with their words alone.

    Writers who understand emotional evocation.

    Sales experts who have a deep understanding of human psychology.

    Researchers who are trained to dig up every piece

    of information about what your target audience want so you can offer it to them knowing they will WANT what you sell.

    Programmers and Designers who have managed large Television campaigns for Fortune 500 companies.

    Traffic experts who have made MILLIONS for their clients and themselves.

    Every one of these people become YOUR staff when we choose to work with you.

    If i told you all of those people will be on your side, working for you, marketing and selling for you -handling every aspect of your sales and advertising…without you ever having to learn these things…or gamble on your own limited skill-set while experimenting all alone…

    Would you be able to, HYPOTHETICALLY, cough up $10,000 to dump into advertising?

    I guarantee you, with this simple business formula, ALL your traffic troubles will be over forever.

    You will never need to think about Google and what they want again.

    You will never need to waste another cent on training products or experimenting with paid traffic.

    You will never need to build another back-link.

    And all of this, we're willing to do for you, if you make us your business partners. That's all we ask.

     

  • kelly 9:54 pm on January 17, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    Ever heard Brian Tracy's sales training? It's 

    Ever heard Brian Tracy's sales training? It's REMARKABLE.

    I was DESPERATE for money in those days.

    Driving around Sydney in my little white Nissan Pulsar with Twin 12' subwoofers and 5.2 surround sound, i used to terrorise the streets listening

    to the Psychology of Selling on repeat.

    My bank account was so overdrawn that i would sometimes go to a sales presentation and the car would actually run out of gas and i'd have to WALK to my big deal business presentation.

    It was HUMILIATING.

    I must have listened to those CDs over 100 times. Each time there was a new nugget of information to learn on closing big sales.

    Eventually, as I applied everything I learned and experimented with live prospects, i started closing SEVERAL $2,600 sales a

    day. It didn't take long, i'm a fast learner ;)

    I remember staying out from 10am till 2am every day making presentation after presentation until it worked. It was GRUESOME, exhausting work. I HATED it with all my heart.

    But it all paid off in the end.

    That difficult year turned me into a FABULOUS salesman.

    At the end of the year, I was recruited by one of the top Internet Marketing firms as an in-house consultant and my income doubled every month until i was making as much as 20,000 monthly.

    Living

    in Jordan at the time, the cost of living was lowwwww…i strutted around like a KING.

    The next year, I became the #1 affiliate generating in two programs. 95% of sales activity came from me for just one of those two companies.

    One of the best lessons i took away was the DEPTH OF THE SALE. And both my clients were masters in getting it. One product launch would get them an extra $750,000 in 'additional' sales.

    It's a bit of a lost art online though.

    Tags:
     

  • kelly 9:53 pm on January 16, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    'there's no market for that product'. 

    'there's no market for that product'.

    makes me laugh when i hear so-called 'expert' marketers say that.

    Apple made a mutli-billion dollar EMPIRE selling stuff people don't

    need. They are currently the largest company in the world. Apple SCOFF at 'need'.

    Because pros make people WANT what they sell.

    YOU innovate, and tell the market what you have is AMAZING and they have to have it. Straight up!

    Businesses that made billions did it by creating their own MARKET.

    Need is manufactured.

    We have absolute power and control over it. The market is

    our slave! they buy what we tell them.

    But NOT all needs are created equal…

    Smart businesses innovate products that have longevity – ones that make customers want to keep buying, month in, month out.

    Think of the electric company. How much do you and all your neighbours pay them each month?

    Electric companies earn BILLIONS a year selling power – but who needed power in the

    early 1800's?

    it took a nerdy little scientist working out of his home to change all that.

    After 10,000 experiments, Thomas Alva Edisson invented the light-bulb.

    Suddenly, EVERYONE in the world had to have power. A multi-trillion dollar industry was created around the world from one little invention.

    Similarly, we are not bound by the current needs of the market.

    Tags: , ,
     

  • kelly 9:53 pm on January 15, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    so a reader wrote in asking us if we had any advice on the best websites to find freelance work as a copywriter.

    an interesting question…

    …a very debatable subject actually…

    couple nights ago, i had coffee at the Hyatt with a friend who owns a big brand business here in Jordan.

    and amongst our small-talk, the topic of landing big local clients came up.

    now i know there's a bunch of ways people think they can achieve this using online marketing and SEO….but nothing beats straight up relationship-building and

    word of mouth referrals.

    my friend truly understands the value of business relationships…he had some interesting views i thought worth sharing with you.

    you might be tempted to think you want to build up a reputation first, so you're willing to work for clients who'll pay peanuts at eLance, oDesk, Fiverr, and what have you…

    but truly, that's a silly method.

    the only reputation you'll build is with small-time clients no one has ever heard of. And you'll break your back doing it for cents/word.

    big businesses like to do business with reputable service providers who have a track-record and lots of good reviews from other businesses they trust.

    they also have deep pockets, and you'll get plenty of repeat work from them…IF you do a good job.

    in other words, you'll get paid WELL even if they're your first client. i know, this because i've tried it.

    My very first ever client paid me well over $200,000!

    Bad news though…

    Writing is NOT easy…

    It's a high-skill job. but, on the other hand, copywriting

    makes your clients much money.

    so don't sell your self short.

    Don't deal with clients who want the lowest price. They have little interest in quality…and if you want a reputation in the market you want to get it for the QUALITY of your work. not for the cheapness of it.

    Start by setting up your own website and put up a portfolio.

    Once a recommendation is made for your services, big clients want to know they're dealing with a professional who will deliver excellent marketing, that works, and can deliver on time.

    And then take my friend's advice…

    Build reputation by finding the big marketing and copywriting firms that already do work for the sharks in the market.

    Then offer to do freelance writing for the COPYWRITING FIRM. Even if you do it cheap…the reputation with them is worth big bucks.

    After all, even though you are not being hired by the big client directly, you can claim that you have done work for them.

    Furthermore, it's easier to land a freelance gig with a marketing firm that does business with big clients than it

    is to get the big client themselves to hire you. They're always looking for good quality employees and contractors they can subcontract to…for a low price.

    And so by borrowing their reputation, you can now showcase your talents.

    Brand your work so the end client knows YOU as the writer.

    And then on your portfolio website you can claim to have worked for big clients even though you were only a sub-contracted writer.

    That's it. Easy isn't it?

    Oh, one more thing…

    Whether you write for a living or you market you own business, creating high quality emails, sales presentations, and videos will ALWAYS require well-researched information at the core.

    It makes the difference between quality writing and crappy writing. we've hired very low-paid copywriters and still got excellent work from them just because WE provided all the research.

    Getting that information is the most time-consuming part of the writing equation.

    Piecing it together to write best-selling presentations, is the easy part. Anyone can do it.

     

  • kelly 9:52 pm on January 14, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Experienced advice for lost 

    Q&A Experienced advice for lost graduate students in Economics Ariel Rubinstein Happy Hour, NYU, October 28th, 2011

    Q1. I am desperate. I don't have any ideas for my dissertation. What should I do? Let me start with what you should not do. Do not attend too many seminars in your own field. Otherwise you may simply end up adding a comment to the existing literature, which is mostly made up of comments on previous comments which were themselves only marginal comments. If you want a good idea, look at the world around you or take courses in other disciplines. Some of the papers in my own dissertation (like my 1979 paper on a principal-agent problem with moral hazard and an infinite horizon) were thought of while daydreaming in some law courses I took.

    Q2. I tried my office at home, I tried the library, I tried the cubicle in the department. I can't find a place to be inspired in. Where can I get beyond just answering e-mails

    and really think? First, let me introduce you to the International University of Cafes. For many of us, this is the best place to focus on the one thing you really need to do during your PhD. studies, that is, to 'think'. Many universities try to go international but they cant compete with cafes which are located in every corner of the world. Entrance is almost free, especially in America where refills usually dont cost anything. Even better, volunteer for reserve duty in the Israeli army. These have been my most fruitful periods of research. 24 hours of time to think, no worries, excellent food, isolation from the rest of the world — an ideal situation to get some real work done. In fact, I typed the first draft of my 1982 paper on bargaining on the typewriter in the office of the battalion commander in Metulla (on the border between Israel and Lebanon). I truly believe that academic productivity would improve if all of us would do 21 days of reserve duty every year. By the way, based on my experience when I was your age, I can say that there are other circumstances that I can recommend for inspiration. But since this advice would not be considered Politically Correct these days, I will refrain from providing more details.

    Q3. What do you recommend wearing to a job interview? No question, I am the right person to answer this question. I have never given a lecture with a jacket and tie. I would argue that wearing jeans and a t-shirt is your dominant strategy: If you are a good student, then a department that will not give you a job because of your 'sloppy' appearance does not deserve to have you. If you are mediocre, then there are many other candidates like you and dressing casually is the only way for you to get noticed. Q4. Should I be worried about giving a catastrophic job interview? Yes but listen to my story: I have never participated in the conventional job market.

    However, in 1979, when I was about to complete my dissertation at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, some of the professors there tried to help me out by introducing me to American professors who happened to be visiting Israel. One of then was Franklin Fisher, an MIT senior professor, a former editor of Econometrica, a major figure in the profession at the time. Eytan Sheshinki organized a Chanukah candle lighting event and invited me to meet Fisher an hour before the other guests arrived. I was sitting with Fisher at a coffee table in the corner of the living room. For half an hour I summarized for him 8 papers that I had at the time. Fisher listened patiently. Then, he asked me if I wanted to hear about MIT. I really didnt and wanted to get out of this rather stressful situation as soon as possible, but I couldnt refuse. So, I said 'yes' and Fisher said: 'In MIT we teach and we teach in English…' Q5. I have already written 30 pages. I have repeated myself several times and my proofs are much longer than necessary. I have added uncertainty wherever I could and I have moved from a discrete case to Banach spaces. My adviser still says I hardly even have enough for a note. How long should my paper be? If you don't have a good idea, then keep going. Don't stop at less than 60 single-spaced pages. Nobody will read your paper in any case so at least you have a chance to publish the paper in QJE or Econometrica. If you have a really good idea, my advice is to limit yourself to 15 double-spaced pages. I have not seen any paper in Economics which deserved more than that and yours is no exception. It is true that papers in Economics are long, but then almost all of then are deathly boring. Who can read a 50-page Econometica paper and remain sane? So make your contribution to the world by writing short papers — focus on new ideas, shorten proofs to the bare minimum (yes, that is possible!), avoid stupid extensions

    and write elegantly!

    Q6. My paper has just been rejected. What should I do? I have a lot of experience with the mental state you must be in, so I have three pieces of advice: a) Don't read the referee reports. They are likely to depress you. Even if they are potentially useful, you are not in a state of mind to enjoy them. b) Find comfort with my motto: 'A paper that has not been rejected should not be published.' But beware of the faulty logic in assuming that 'every paper that has been rejected should be published.' c) If the report was really idiotic, do a service to the profession by following my example and posting it on your website. In 2000, I received a report from a very sharp editor of a 'local Cambridge journal'. My paper criticized hyperbolic discounting, which was becoming increasingly popular at the time. The editor wrote: 'There are certainly many smart things in the piece but… this seems like a critique of the current approach which is right in many ways, but critiques … of existing research are best fit to more specialized outlets'. My posting of the letter was more significant than the paper itself…

    Q7. Is it a good time to become an economist? Absolutely. Economics has never been in a worse state. This is unfortunate for humanity but fortunate for you.

    Q8. Finally, do you have anything serious to say? Sure, everything I have said here is very serious. But let me add a final comment: Remember that you are one of the most privileged people on earth. Society has given you a wonderful opportunity. You are supposed to do whatever you want, to think about new ideas, to express your views freely, to do things in the way that you choose and on top you will be rewarded nicely. These privileges should not be taken for granted. We are extremely lucky — we owe something in return

    Tags: , ,
     

  • kelly 9:51 pm on January 13, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Experienced advice for lost 

    Q&A Experienced advice for lost graduate students in Economics Ariel Rubinstein Happy Hour, NYU, October 28th, 2011

    Q1. I am desperate. I don't have any ideas for my dissertation. What should I do? Let me start with what you should not do. Do not attend too many seminars in your own field. Otherwise you may simply end up adding a comment to the existing literature, which is mostly made up of comments on previous comments which were themselves only marginal comments. If you want a good idea, look at the world around you or take courses in other disciplines. Some of the papers in my own dissertation (like my 1979 paper on a principal-agent problem with moral hazard and an infinite horizon) were thought of while daydreaming in some law courses I took.

    Q2. I tried my office at home, I tried the library, I tried the cubicle in the department. I can't find a place to be inspired in. Where can I get beyond just answering e-mails

    and really think? First, let me introduce you to the International University of Cafes. For many of us, this is the best place to focus on the one thing you really need to do during your PhD. studies, that is, to 'think'. Many universities try to go international but they cant compete with cafes which are located in every corner of the world. Entrance is almost free, especially in America where refills usually dont cost anything. Even better, volunteer for reserve duty in the Israeli army. These have been my most fruitful periods of research. 24 hours of time to think, no worries, excellent food, isolation from the rest of the world — an ideal situation to get some real work done. In fact, I typed the first draft of my 1982 paper on bargaining on the typewriter in the office of the battalion commander in Metulla (on the border between Israel and Lebanon). I truly believe that academic productivity would improve if all of us would do 21 days of reserve duty every year. By the way, based on my experience when I was your age, I can say that there are other circumstances that I can recommend for inspiration. But since this advice would not be considered Politically Correct these days, I will refrain from providing more details.

    Q3. What do you recommend wearing to a job interview? No question, I am the right person to answer this question. I have never given a lecture with a jacket and tie. I would argue that wearing jeans and a t-shirt is your dominant strategy: If you are a good student, then a department that will not give you a job because of your 'sloppy' appearance does not deserve to have you. If you are mediocre, then there are many other candidates like you and dressing casually is the only way for you to get noticed. Q4. Should I be worried about giving a catastrophic job interview? Yes but listen to my story: I have never participated in the conventional job market.

    However, in 1979, when I was about to complete my dissertation at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, some of the professors there tried to help me out by introducing me to American professors who happened to be visiting Israel. One of then was Franklin Fisher, an MIT senior professor, a former editor of Econometrica, a major figure in the profession at the time. Eytan Sheshinki organized a Chanukah candle lighting event and invited me to meet Fisher an hour before the other guests arrived. I was sitting with Fisher at a coffee table in the corner of the living room. For half an hour I summarized for him 8 papers that I had at the time. Fisher listened patiently. Then, he asked me if I wanted to hear about MIT. I really didnt and wanted to get out of this rather stressful situation as soon as possible, but I couldnt refuse. So, I said 'yes' and Fisher said: 'In MIT we teach and we teach in English…' Q5. I have already written 30 pages. I have repeated myself several times and my proofs are much longer than necessary. I have added uncertainty wherever I could and I have moved from a discrete case to Banach spaces. My adviser still says I hardly even have enough for a note. How long should my paper be? If you don't have a good idea, then keep going. Don't stop at less than 60 single-spaced pages. Nobody will read your paper in any case so at least you have a chance to publish the paper in QJE or Econometrica. If you have a really good idea, my advice is to limit yourself to 15 double-spaced pages. I have not seen any paper in Economics which deserved more than that and yours is no exception. It is true that papers in Economics are long, but then almost all of then are deathly boring. Who can read a 50-page Econometica paper and remain sane? So make your contribution to the world by writing short papers — focus on new ideas, shorten proofs to the bare minimum (yes, that is possible!), avoid stupid extensions

    and write elegantly!

    Q6. My paper has just been rejected. What should I do? I have a lot of experience with the mental state you must be in, so I have three pieces of advice: a) Don't read the referee reports. They are likely to depress you. Even if they are potentially useful, you are not in a state of mind to enjoy them. b) Find comfort with my motto: 'A paper that has not been rejected should not be published.' But beware of the faulty logic in assuming that 'every paper that has been rejected should be published.' c) If the report was really idiotic, do a service to the profession by following my example and posting it on your website. In 2000, I received a report from a very sharp editor of a 'local Cambridge journal'. My paper criticized hyperbolic discounting, which was becoming increasingly popular at the time. The editor wrote: 'There are certainly many smart things in the piece but… this seems like a critique of the current approach which is right in many ways, but critiques … of existing research are best fit to more specialized outlets'. My posting of the letter was more significant than the paper itself…

    Q7. Is it a good time to become an economist? Absolutely. Economics has never been in a worse state. This is unfortunate for humanity but fortunate for you.

    Q8. Finally, do you have anything serious to say? Sure, everything I have said here is very serious. But let me add a final comment: Remember that you are one of the most privileged people on earth. Society has given you a wonderful opportunity. You are supposed to do whatever you want, to think about new ideas, to express your views freely, to do things in the way that you choose and on top you will be rewarded nicely. These privileges should not be taken for granted. We are extremely lucky — we owe something in return

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  • kelly 9:51 pm on January 12, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , ,   

    Video presentations are being hailed as the second coming for salesmanship online. and it pisses me off.

    When i see a video on a landing or sales page, i close the page.

    Do you?

    Particularly when you see there's 52 minutes left on a video's playtime, intended to get you to opt-in.

    I've seen some supposed 'top internet marketers' pay for traffic to a landing page that runs for nearly an hour just to get an optin.

    Paid traffic optins should be fluid – if a person has to watch for nearly an HOUR just to find out nothing is revealed until they submit their email, it pisses them off

    What the hell is the marketer

    thinking? An optin doesn't require that much of a sell.

    Worse…

    The video is in HD format and takes yonks to buffer. It keeps pausing every few seconds which is seriously no way to sell!

    A business partner i once had would say, 'Well if they can't afford a decent internet connection, they're probably not good buyers anyway.'

    Errmm….NO!

    He was just a shitty, inconsiderate marketer justifying his inability to work his retard-proof Apple.

    What a dumb notion!

    Many very good customers live in rural areas where they still use dial-up or slow satellite connections because the technology is not yet available for ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY!

    I know this from experience.

    We once held an Internet Marketing event in Kansas (bad idea numero uno!)…we learned the hard way that we couldn't pay enough to get a speed upgrade. We were humiliated with a crippled internet connection the entire weekend.

    Here are a few good rules of thumb for video presentations, just a small sample of many more secrets we know about video presentations that get HUGE sales …

    - A sales video should not exceed 10 minutes in length. =====================================

    If you need more than ten minutes to describe your product, then either you're a really

    crappy long-winded salesperson, or you have a product that's too complex to sell online alone.

    - A sales video should not exceed 100 MB in size. ===================================

    Sure HD looks better, but full motion HD video is extremely taxing on people's bandwidth. And in many areas, customers have bandwidth caps and overage charges when they exceed them.

    So watching your annoying sales pitch costs money. Money you should be collecting in sales instead of letting the customer pay to their Internet Service Provider!

    - Screencasts with minimal graphics and colours are faster to load than full-motion video. =================================

    Make sure your video can buffer in real-time otherwise it will keep stopping every few seconds. Nothing can be more annoying to a buying prospect.

    - Don't make your videos autoplay ======================== Be considerate. Sure autoplaying videos FORCE the prospect to pay attention, but come on! Some people are trying to access your website at work and the last thing they need is some blaring video starting at full volume in the office.

    - Allow people to pause and skip parts of the video they find boring ==================================

    Yeah, ideally you'd like prospects to watch your video in its entirety, but at least

    give them the option to stop if they need to take a pee-break.

    Better yet, offer a way to SCAN your sales presentation – a text-alternative is a great idea.

    Remember, being considerate is key to getting sales.

    - Allow the prospect to buy for the ENTIRE duration of the video ==================================

    A top internet marketer actually tried to suggest that he got higher conversions by forcing people to watch the entire video before they could see the buy button.

    Why?

    So he could hide his over-priced product's price. Idiot!

    What the heck is so scary about telling people the cost out-right?

    I do it all the time and it has never harmed sales. If anything, it ensures that anyone who views my sales presentations doesn't waste my time and theirs only to find out they can't afford my products.

    Guarantee you this was NEVER tested by said Top Marketer.

    There are many more techniques for getting your video viewed in full. Psychological, emotional methods that we've experimented extensively with.

    …Methods we borrowed from viral videos that make your products irresistible to buy.

    We've used them to generate sales as high as $2,000 per customer without flinching.

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  • kelly 9:50 pm on January 11, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    look as far as autoresponder solutions, i cannot claim to be an expert. But i do have some very valuable experience to share.

    In my earliest days of owning a business online, i picked an autoresponder solution arbitrarily based on some recommendations -

    1shoppingcart was the name and it was ok.

    problem was, after a few broadcasts, i noticed the deliverability of my promotional messages declined over time.

    another big marketer who tested several solutions decreed iContact as the second coming. so i migrated a 2,000-some contact list over to iContact and continued mailing uninterrupted.

    soon after switching to iContact, everyone started saying aweber had the best deliverability. i considered changing autoresponders again,

    but decided not to because aWeber have some strange conditions about importing contacts.

    basically, you have to ask your current list of contacts to 'confirm' joining the new mailing system.

    effectively, half the list will never confirm and there goes half your business asset.

    A mailing list is no joke.

    I recently gave up a 30,000-some subscriber list to an ex-business partner and lost a multi-million dollar income source.

    The list continues to make my ex-partner tens of thousands of dollars per broadcast!

    Make no mistake about it, your mailing list, no matter how tiny is your MOST VALUABLE asset in online business.

    Anyway, after spending several tens of thousand of dollars building my blog list on iContact it seemed a bad idea to switch again.

    iContact's deliverability was fine.

    unfortunately, it was after years of marketing to that list when i realised the odd limitations of iContact.

    They only allow you to send 6 emails a month to the list-size package you buy.

    anything extra is billed at $25/broadcast!

    It gets pretty expensive when you're sending daily emails – 24 over the limit is $600/month in overage charges.

    seemed hardly worth it to continue with iContact.

    solution?

    i mailed out a new campaign to my iContact list where they needed to optin for a cool bribe. that new optin joined the most active subscribers on aWeber.

    Now, i maintain TWO lists – one on aWeber and one on iContact as a result. Paying

    two separate subscriptions. But i only send 6 emails a month to iContact and mail daily to aWeber.

    After doing all these migrations and incurring all the costs, i'd like to pass onto you a few critical lessons.

    First of all, you must always favour deliverability over everything else.

    aWeber has superior deliverability.

    They are annoying at times, because you can't move subscribers to a different list within your aweber account – unless you're ok with asking for a second confirmation. Which you should avoid anyway.

    but it's a small price to pay to make sure your messages get into the inbox of your prospects.

    after all, you make money ONLY when subscribers can read your sales and promo messages. if they're hitting their spam box instead of the inbox, the messages aren't read and you make nothing.

    Secondly, keep expansion in mind.

    If you are actively building your business, you have to know that your list will increase in size over time.

    Is it expensive to upgrade?

    Is it inconvenient?

    Will you lose subscribers?

    Good questions to ask early on.

    Better to make a good choice in the beginning when you have little to lose – than to have to switch halfway through.

    Again, aWeber is superior to iContact as far as scalability.

    You are able to maintain a list of upto 10,000 subscribers at the most basic package size, without paying overage charges. Better yet, you can email as frequently as you wish.

    iContact may

    be cheaper to begin with, because they offer several small subscriber size packages. And they may seem a good idea if you only have a tiny list.

    But as your list grows, you have to take into account that you'll need to upgrade your package and pay much more than aWeber.

    Worse…

    if you want to email more frequently than 6 times a month, you'll need to upgrade to a bigger package too.

    Between me and you, 6 emails a month is buggerall.

    You can't really sell anything worth a crap with 6 follow-ups a month.

    So again, the most scalable contact management solution ifound has been aWeber.

    Question…

    What do you do if you're already stuck in another autoresponder?

    Not all is lost.

    Stick with it until it becomes absolutely necessary to change.

    When you do change to a new autoresponder, make sure you make a life-time choice.

    Oh one more thing –

    a lot of people think it might be better to self-host your autoresponder.

    i disagree.

    i've done this before, and getting past the spam filters is a full-time job in itself.

    aWeber take care of this for you and it's included in their basic $29/month package. They maintain excellent relations with ISPs so that all your mail is delivered to the inbox of major email providers.

    Having an online marketing business is riddled with difficult service purchases just like this.

    it can be extremely costly to make the wrong choice.

     

  • kelly 9:50 pm on January 10, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    FREEMAIL это лучший способ отправлять и получать электронную

    почту легко!

    Взрыв Чао мат

    Я тестирую услуг Google перевод. Они, кажется, довольно хорошо до сих пор. Я не русский

    человек говорил так что я не знаю, если это работает правильно.

    О русском, растущий язык восток. Китайская

    девушка моя девушка моя растущая потребность. Это будущее вы смотрите.

     

  • kelly 9:49 pm on January 9, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    this is sort of interesting to me. 

    this is sort of interesting

    to me. I think it's best interpreted by

    the watcher, but this just struck me as

    funny.

     

  • kelly 9:48 pm on January 8, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    You'll Ignore Conventional Marketers – Once You 

    You'll Ignore Conventional Marketers – Once You See These Ugly Facts

    Because i will quickly show you the lies behind the advice they dish out – and why it's doing damage to online business and income freedom –

    If this doesn't disturb you, I don't know what will…

    So you've chosen a product. And you want to sell it.

    Send traffic to their squeeze page, publishers say, and Earn — Value. Positioning. Personal branding. Altering perception. All techniques that fill all sales promotions.

    Nonsense!

    People don't buy because of exaggerations or even truth. They do not buy because of a comprehensive benefits list. And they certainly do not buy because your bullets are riddled with

    curious, fictional, hype.

    Hey, i've tried it all.

    I've sent traffic to lame-o squeeze pages…sexy pages, even. Pages that are supposed to convert at untold 40%+ rates. I've promoted products whose publishers claimed you can have a sale within 5 clicks.

    Sorry to tell you…they are lying. Try to reproduce their results for yourself.

    The only truth is…They need us to pay for, and send, as much traffic as possible… to make up for their incompetence at converting even hyper-buyers into customers, at our expense.

    One popular system, i promoted for, took $15,000 in ad spending from my pocket. And of the thousands of leads i sent them, they converted just 5 into customers. Three refunded within the month.

    On the other hand, those same leads bought a $2,000 package from me that i passively offered on my website.

    It's preposterous! Their offer cost $7,500 per customer. A CHILD could have got more customers from a pool of thousands who indicated initial interest…to buy their $1 trial.

    Know what's sad?

    They actually have 4,000+ misguided affiliates – who pay $60/month to use their pathetic system. Cycled and kept around with hype and the occasional fluke testimonial.

    So, what?…

    Should you create your own marketing and ignore their systems?

    No. It's not enough. Even if you create your own landing pages, follow-up, and sales letters, you still can't get people

    to buy.

    The advice you've been given by these self-appointed experts is wrong.

    People don't buy because of the benefits and word-smithing.

    Benefits are merely supporting evidence customers can use to justify their purchase to themselves.

    The REAL reason they buy is because of how you make them FEEL.

    So should you go out and write 'feel-good' copy. Make loose interpretations of the truth? Juggle your numbers, just like the gooroo's do, so that you can claim results people will perceive to be profound? Give them false hopes? Tell them your product will do what it cannot?

    Errmm…again, no!

    Please give me a minute to tell you a little story…

    The other day i was driving through the streets of Jordan, and it occurred to me that drivers seemed to honk their car-horns a lot less than they did 15 years ago when i visited on holiday from Oman.

    I mean, if i remember correctly, drivers just honked for kicks. Every few seconds, they'd hit the horn to remind themselves they were driving.

    Now-a-days, it seemed they only honk when someone is in the way.

    But is this true?

    Not really…It's just that when i was a kid, i came from a different environment. Where people were polite and rarely honked at each other.

    But since then, i've spent enough time in jordan that i forgot. I forgot polite driving environments. Honking drivers became NORM for me.

    Another example…

    Years

    ago, i would visit my grandparents' home in Jordan on holiday. And i noticed that the house was much smaller than i remembered it.

    I had been raised by my grandparents, in that same home, when i was only four years old.

    Had the house SHRUNK?

    Probably not. But III grew.

    And in my memory, the house was a lot bigger when i was small.

    Memory is like that. The truth doesn't change, but our perspective of it does.

    Our minds LIE to us, making us feel a way that fits our world view. WE believe only in our current world view…but it's funny because that is constantly updating with every experience, and we don't realise it.

    So to make sales regularly and effortlessly, we only need to alter people's memory…by giving them an experience every day. They'll only remember how they felt when they were pitched our products.

    For customers, purchasing, is an experience. From the moment they land on our website the first time, until the moment they purchase and use our products.

    We must take them on a guided adventure. A roller-coaster of emotions.

    Do that, and people will buy from you without question.

    The prospective customer's emotions will create a fiction of its own in their mind. Unaided. We do not need to lie or exaggerate to sell. We only need to give an experience no body else has given them before — and stick to the truth while doing it.

     

  • kelly 9:48 pm on January 7, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , ,   

    Hi Friend,

    People tend to read your ads and sales letters in 2 different ways

    1. Word For Word 2. Skim through it and see if anything catches their eye

    Which is the exact reason why you should incorporate at least 2 sub-headlines per page.

    You see, many people will skim through your ad or sales

    letter because they may be short on time. But if something catches their eye, it will hook them back into your pitch.

    So how do you generate sub-headlines?

    Can you remember my suggestion in an earlier issue to write 30-50 headlines? Well, of course as a result of this, you can only choose 1 headline.

    However, you'll find you have created a bundle of other ones you can use as sub-headlines.

    Nothing will help you understand this like an example. So let me give you one:

    Recently, I created a sales letter for one of my clients.

    Here's the opening line (before the headline): Discover the fortune

    that lies hidden in your salary…

    Here's the headline: 'Here's A Quick And Easy Way To Get Started On YOUR Road To Real Estate Riches…'

    And here are some of the sub-headlines:

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  • kelly 9:48 pm on January 6, 2012 Permalink | Reply  

    'Off With Their Heads' 

    'Off With Their Heads'

    That's what the media has been saying about the more experienced guys in the Australian cricket team…

    Clarke… Ponting… Hussey…

    Not anymore.

    I was at the chemist yesterday getting these little vitamin organisers (I am going through an 'organisation' stage in my life ;-) when I looked at the TV and saw Clarke was on 300+ and Hussey was on 100+…

    Then found out later when I looked at the paper that Ponting made 100+ as well.

    The point of

    this email is not to talk about cricket (although I love the game ;-) it's to talk about the importance of belief…

    Even if everyone else doubts you.

    I am listening to an Eminem song as I am writing this and he's talking about the days when he was 'booed of stage' – now he's a huge celebrity.

    So

    let me ask you…

    Who's doubting you right now?

    Let me also ask you…

    Who cares?

    Plenty of people doubted these guys…

    They answered these doubters with actions… with results.

    The best way I know to get great results is to model something which is already working.

     

  • kelly 9:47 pm on January 5, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    This is one of those situations where a picture really

    does say 1000 words. Obviously this is probably biased to western liberal democracies, or at least places where

    men have access to internet and or magazine pornography.

    I wonder if there are a group of men who legitimately

    really never do look at pornography, and if there is a common thread among them.

    Tags:
     

  • kelly 9:47 pm on January 4, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    This is one of those situations where a picture really

    does say 1000 words. Obviously this is probably biased to western liberal democracies, or at least places where

    men have access to internet and or magazine pornography.

    I wonder if there are a group of men who legitimately

    really never do look at pornography, and if there is a common thread among them.

    Tags:
     

  • kelly 9:43 pm on December 27, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: super saver shipping   

    I was worried to buy this generator after I was reading all the other evaluations… for nothing. It turned out to be a great buy!

    Super fast shipping from Amazon – in less than 48 hours in front of my door with super saver shipping (free).

    No problem about transport damage – the generator was packed in a heavy and strong box, sitting in a item shaped styrophom

    casing – safe….

    Unpacked, manual consulted, gas and oil filled (super easy), and cranked.

    Started at the first stroke! Run for a few seconds rough, then right away very smooth.

    I was primarily surprised about the low noise level. It has a low dump sounding and smooth running noise, even on my closed in balcony. I hardly could hear the noise when I just closed the balcony door. Incredible!

    The worksmenship looks trustworthy and I believe the generator will hold up – just listening to the smooth engine sound to realize that this engine will hold up some milage.

    The fill in lid comes with measuring cap to get the right amount of oil to the gasoline and everything looks like well thought out and easy to handle. Easy

    for anyone, technical touched or with to left hands super easy and simple.

    The instructions are clear and fast understandable – it took about five minutes to get to the start up.

    Again, amazing is the low noise level. The mufler does its job, and the strong rubber feet take 100% care of any vibration.

    I obviously can not tell if this generator lives for many years in service of construction sites – I live in a hurricane area and need the back up in case we are again for a long period out of electricity (two years ago for two weeks). I am confident that this generator will do a superior job for that purpose. He produces enough power to run a regular fritch to keep things from spoiling, runs a large TV, and charges

    my computer system, besides providing light. It appears that the frequenz modulation is alright too because I had no problems with electronic equipment.

    It also has a 12 Volt hook up and even clamps for battery charging are supplied. Nevertheless, there is only one single receptacle – means you will need a multiple T to hook up more lines. I would also certainly recommend to use a multiple plug in like you use for electronic or computer equipment to avoid damage due to voltage fluctuations – just in case…

    Simple to use – good quality – dependable – highly recommendable!

    (I am writing all this, because I was lost reading all the other evaluations and like to help making the right decissions)

    Tags:
     

  • kelly 9:43 pm on December 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Bone density, bone density test, calcium citrate, calcium supplements, , Low bone density,   

    Kamau Austin 

    Written by Kamau Austin We spend a lot of time and energy thinking of ways to reduce our weight but we need to think about the bones that form the basic structure of the very same body. Bone density is an important factor in helping us stay young and on our toes. Bone density needs to be checked as we age and if found low, adequate measures need to be taken to improve it. There is a danger of low bone density among some people in the following categories- * People with low body weight * Those who have not been engaging in adequate physical activity * Heavy drinkers and smokers * People who have a lower intake of calcium and also have a family history of osteoporosis

    * Women with irregular menstrual cycles * People with a family history of fractures and they themselves have had fractures, especially of the hip * Those who have a history in scoliosis * Users of medications such as anti-seizure medicines What is bone density? Bone density is the mineralization of the bones. The bone density test is not at all painful and takes about 8 to 10 minutes. It involves administering extremely low dose of radiation from which it can be determined the density of the bones. What will the test tell me? The test results will tell you the results of your bone density value as compared with people in the same age group sex and ethnic backgrounds etc. It will also alert to the possibility of detecting any future changes in your levels. Low bone density, if it persists can make a person prone to fractures and at the same time reduce the general mobility in the person considerably. How can I protect myse lf? There are some basic methods of protecting yourself and also methods of correction, if your bones are deficient. Your health care professional may recommend doing weight-bearing exercises and extra vitamin D while avoiding energy sapping activities such as smoking and drinking. A very helpful way of helping your bones is through yoga, which is an excellent form of exercise. You should however consult your

    doctor first before you begin yoga or any exercise program. Yoga asanas or poses are a scientifically proven way of improving your bone strength. This is because yoga regulates the supply of hormones to all parts of the body. Bone density depends upon several factors, some of which are- activity, age, nutrient intake, genetics, hormones, medication etc. The nutrient supplement of calcium alone cannot simply increase your bone density as is the popular misconception. Weight training needs to be undertaken to ensure a healthy middle age and old age as bone density is at its peak in the 20s but starts declining thereafter. Women are more prone to low bone density and osteoporosis owing to small bone structures and lightweight bones. Not only women, but men too can keep osteoporosis at bay or fight it if they know which exercises are to be done and how. Apart from weight bearing activities osteoporosis can also be avoided by strength training which includes activities such as water activities, weight machines and resistance bands. You need an adequate combination of all the methods suggested here in order to successfully attack issues of bone density. As far as calcium supplements are concerned there are a variety of them available in the market, which you need to choose according to your body needs. There are primarily three types of supplements – calcium

    carbonate, calcium citrate and calcium citrate malate. The best supplement to improve bone density is calcium citrate malate. It is beneficial because research has proved that especially in the case of post menopausal women it reduces bone loss by 70% as compared to diet without calcium supplementation. A supplement that we have heard promotes bone density is Osteozynetm. Osteozynetm can be found at http://www.bodestore.com and through Amazon. The makers of Osteozynetm tells us that it contains an extensive list of ingredients formulated to provide maximum bone health and fight bone loss at any age. Take care of your bones and they will provide you with the support you need for your entire life.

    Copyright c 2006-2010 DBA AdPro Media Sales, All Rights Reserved

    Kamau Austin is a health and fitness enthusiast and advocate. He writes on a regular basis on timeless health and fitness tips at the Fit After Forty Blog. See more useful health and fitness news and tips at http://www.healthandfitnessvitality.com/blogs/fitnessblog.htm This article is for general information purposes only. Before under taking any exercise or treatment program always first check first with your doctor and health professionals. Read More Articles From Kamau Austin: http://thephantomwriters.com/recent/author/kamau-austin.html

    Tags: , , ,
     

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