So I’m going to tie up my discussion of clarity today. We’ve spent the last couple issues on it and hopefully it has made some impact on your life and your business.

If you’re a Founders Club or BGS member reading this, you already know that. I’ve stressed the need repeatedly in a number or Founders Club reports I’ve written for you.

We touched on it in the Blueprint Report which helps you get clear about who your prospects are, what they want, who you are, what you want and then helps you build a business to bridge the two.

The Core Concept Report is all about getting clarity on that one message that helps you get what you want and helps get your prospects to become clients, to get what they want. The one message, the one sentence, that boils it all down.

The Core Myth is about getting clarity on the best way to transmit that core concept.

All these things fit together and it’s all about developing clarity so you can be more effective.

The Most Important Level Of Clarity

So clarity is one of the most important aspects or insights any person can have. And it doesn’t have to be about your business. Whether you’re a business owner, or you work 9 to 5… Whether you’re a student or a professional in the workforce… Whether you’re an artist, a bus driver, a plumber, a college professor…

The most important clarity you can get is about you.

So what about you?

What about clarity of who you are?… What you’re all about?… What it is you want?… And how you’re going to get it?

How much clarity do you have?

If we were to boil it down into more psychological types of phrases or definitions, we’d talk about how clear are you about your purpose, your mission in life, your spiritual beliefs, etc.

How clear are you about your identity, who you are and what you’re all about. How clear are you about your beliefs and your values, which values are most important to you, which beliefs you hold most sacred.

How clear are you about the skills that you bring to the table in your business and what the benefits are of those skills for others? How clear are you right now about the behaviors that are both helping you and hurting you.

The Most Important Benefit of Having Clarity

You see, the great clarity you have about these elements, the easier it is for you to be authentic.

Because, when you think about it, how can you be authentic if you’re not clear on who you are?

You can’t be authentic unless you’re clear about who you are. And that’s important. Because if you’re going to do video marketing or you’re going to do report writing or any of the type of cerebral type of marketing that ultimately requires you to get your prospects to make some kind of shift, authenticity in yourself helps make that a lot easier.

That’s an area where clarity greatly increases your ability.

And then of course we’ve talked numerous times about clarity about your market; about who your prospects really are and when you’re creating a video or message, any kind of marketing message whatsoever, the clarity about what it is you want them to think, what it is you want them to feel, what is it that you want them ultimately to do.

Do You Have Clarity?

The metaphor that, from my perspective, sums up whether or not you are operating from a position of clarity is – right now, do you feel more like a lion ready to pounce, just waiting cues you know you need to move forward… OR….are you more like a deer caught in the headlights uncertain, unfocused, confused, worried, afraid of what’s going to happen. Struggling without the clarity of exactly what you need and the exact steps that you need to take.

There are so many quotes about how you’re more powerful than you realize. You’re more powerful than you know. And that’s true when you’re operating with a sense of clarity.

So I wanted to share that clarity with you. How to get the clarity of what you want, clarity of where you currently stand, clarity on anything that is integral to your life. Clarity is a performance enhancer.

It is an igniter of more progress. It’s an accelerator of progress. Because ultimately you’ll know what you need and where you need to go next.

In today’s message I’ll share with you a single shift that can have you making more and working less. How? By shifting your positioning. In other words, how you are seen by your market place. At brunch this past weekend with Dan Kennedy and Michael Masterson, Dan said this: “It’s better to be paid for who you are, rather than what you do.” In other words…

Positioning Trumps The Product!

And if you truly “get it,” you realize how profound this really is.

You see, odds are that right now your positioning was not established strategically. In this video I’ll give your two questions that’ll set you on the right path to determining your ideal positioning (the one that gets prospects eager to spend their money with you) and make it crystal clear what you’ll need to do to achieve it.

So, what are you waiting for? Watch the video, answer the questions, and radically improve your…

Positioning

To higher profits

Rich Schefren

Today’s  post comes courtesy of Brian Johnson, COO of Strategic Profits, golf enthusiast and single-digit handicapper.

So when is it ok to piss-off your customers?

I can hear all of you now; “What do you mean? the customer is King!” or “The customer is always right”. Well, I have an answer for that in a moment.

As I am writing this, I am sitting in the Phoenix airport just a day after playing golf at the TPC (Tournament Players Club) in Scottsdale Arizona. And, I am reflecting on a run-in I had with staff there while I was playing…

Before I start, understand that this is a course that any great golfer would love to play. They sometimes charge over $350.00 per round to play and it is part of the club that the PGA professional golfers own. In fact, this is one of the PGA tour stops (Tiger Woods had a hole-in-one here a few years ago).

So, picture this; for weeks now I have been all excited to fly out here to play this course. I have been talking to everyone about going. I get here, check into the hotel, pay hundreds of dollars for my cart and greens fee, buy my TPC hat and all proud to wear it, buy brand new fresh balls new glove, get some drinks, head to the driving range, meet my friends that I am playing with, and get all jacked up to tee off in 15 minutes. AAAHHHHHHH

“We now invite Mr. Brian Johnson and guests to the first tee”… comes over the loud speakers while we are getting warmed up on the driving range.   All excited I say “let’s go guys, time to have some fun” We jump on the carts and speed up to the first tee where the starter is awaiting for us. He greets us and gives us some background on the day and welcomes us to the first tee. Things are great. The weather is beautiful. I am hanging with good friends, and we shake hands and say have a good time guys. The day begins.

Jon Walker tees off and puts it in the middle, Aaron from InfusionSoft hits a great one in the faraway and I put one on the left side. And we are off…

We get no further than the third tee where we were met by a ranger waiting for us. In a militant voice he says; “OK guys, you need to move it along, there are two holes in front of you and you have to rush through and catch up.”

WOW. What the heck just happened?

I was no longer excited, and the guests I was with were just as mystified as I was. The day was going well so I simply responded with an friendly; “OK, no problem” and we do our best to keep things going.

As a side note, we are all avid golfers and no slouches. We were only a 3-some and playing at a pretty quick speed. If you know golf, you know that you want to be courteous to people behind you and not hold them up. However there was not anyone behind us, we were not holding anyone up AND there was space in-between the group in front of us when we started to play in the first place.

It was just their “rule” that you should play at the speed that they (the non customer) feels you should play. It’s a lot like going to a fine restaurant and placing your order. Then they bring your appetizers and then immediately 5 minutes later bring you the main course. Then 5 minutes later come to you and say “Listen you can’t be here all night and we need the table for someone else, you should be able to eat in 15 minutes” How irate would you be?

Fast forward to two holes later. We now have gone through each hole putting without even taking the flag stick out of the hole, did not get a drink when the snack cart came around so we could try to catch up (which during summer in Arizona is not the best idea), ran back and forth to the cart and made up some time while we DID NOT enjoy the golf.

So we get to the tee at the 6th hole and the same ranger is there and says “let’s go guys, you need to hustle” at which point I was at a boiling point and said to him “Listen, we are not holding anyone up, no one has complained about us and there was already space between us when we started” His response was; “If you don’t like it you will be missing golf and I will move you into position where I think you should be”.

My response (in a manner that is unlike my collected self) was “@%#! THIS!” I just spent hundreds of dollars to play here, traveled across the country and have been looking forward to this for a while. Needless to say, I did not enjoy any more of the day and my opinion of the place went in the tank. I can’t even remember most of the golf I played. I felt violated, ripped off, scorned, and totally deflated. The guests I was with were even more upset than I was.

This Ranger does not know me at all, my golf experience or golf etiquette and still he is dismissing me? That’s crazy and customers should never be treated like that.

Right?

Ok, on the flip side I put my business founder hat on. I am thinking that they do this with the intention of taking care of all customers and not just one. Should they piss off one client in the spirit of keeping the other clients happy? Keep in mind we were NOT a hindrance to anyone and the Ranger was “Just following the rules put in place for all customers.” You have to have some rules or policies in place to handle situations where some clients will hurt others.

Right?

I can say that even here at Strategic Profits I am very protective of our company and anyone trying to take advantage (in my view) will have a hard time with me. Notice I said “in my view?” The client might not feel that way. But if I break the rules for one client it might snowball into many clients and now I have hurt the company as a whole, which in turn hurts all clients.

Right?

So the big question is; if the customer is always right… are they always right for YOUR company? This is a question that Spike Humer at Jay Abraham’s office brought up to me when I was telling him this story, and one that I want you to think about today.

It’s truly an interesting dilemma that company owners and founders need to deal with on a consistent basis. What you do, how you handle or not handle or how effective you resolve issues like this can make or break the company you founded.

I am interested in hearing what you would do if you were the owner, manager or founder of this golf club. Please post a comment and let me know. I will tell you what we would have done after we hear from you. Also, I look forward to us helping you with more of these types of issues so that you can avoid costly pitfalls in your company’s future success.

Post a comment, and let us know how YOU feel about this.

To Higher Profits,

Brian Johnson

Imagine the scene…

…if 12 of the top internet marketing gurus stripped down to bare all.

Yikes!

Somehow I don’t think the internet marketing world would ever be the same again.

Fortunately, they all kept their clothes on… but bared it all during a rare, one-of-a-kind Teleseminar about how they each overcame their biggest business hurdle, obstacle or constraint and have since gone on to make millions online.

And, if you’re up for it, I want to invite you to listen-in to a one-time replay of this killer Teleseminar this Thursday night.

This is an ULTRA-RARE opportunity for you to learn from the struggles and frustrations of some of the biggest names in internet marketing.

And, even more important: it’s an opportunity for you to learn exactly what they each did to break-free from their constraint and overcome their obstacle… so you can follow in their footsteps in your own business.

Please keep in mind:

This is NOT your typical Teleseminar about traffic, conversions, PPC, CPA, or anything else like that.

I simply got 12 of the top online marketers on the phone and asked them 4 simple, yet profound questions:

QUESTION #1: What was your biggest constraint to your business?

QUESTION #2: How did you overcome that?

QUESTION #3: What was the quantifiable results of your solution?

QUESTION #4: What did you take away from it?

And, I think you’ll find, the answers they shared are some of the most profound content you’ll hear anywhere about REALLY being successful online.

If there’s anything you’re struggling with right now in your business, this Teleseminar should be a must for you.

When you’re done listening to this rare Teleseminar, you’ll understand how the top internet marketers were able to find and overcome their big obstacle, roadblock, or constraint – so you can do the same for yourself!

Click Here To Get Your Spot For The Replay

Okay, time to come clean…

It’s been rumored all over the internet, I’ve been teasing you about it for a while, and I’ve even let it slip in a few emails and blog posts.

But what you’re hearing is true–there’s a new report on the way.

Watch this video and see if it whets your appetite…

Now, I must tell you: this report is very unique from the others…

Because the previous reports only took me a few weeks, maybe a month at most to put together. All the info was upstairs–I just had to spill it out on paper.

But this one was totally the opposite. In fact, it’s been coming together, slowly but surely, for almost a year now.

See, I started noticing certain things about our business…certain “rules” that used to apply but don’t anymore.

And with each discovery, I would tuck it away in the back of my head, thinking “That’s something I need to change in my business right away and tell my blog readers about.”

But then something interesting happened. To put it into disc jockey lingo, “the hits just kept on comin’.”

As I went on, more and more discrepancies started popping up…significant differences in how things used to work and how they work now.

And we’re not talking about subtle changes. We’re talking MAJOR shifts in business building strategy.

These are died-in-the-wool principles and standards that are still revered as age-old gospel today…but in reality, aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

So as the “back of my head” began to get a little overcrowded, I began jotting them down into my notes.

And before I knew it, I had the makings of a KILLER report.

Now, I knew I had to get all this down as quickly as possible in order to get the word out to thousands of entrepreneurs who were still following the old paths.

And to be honest, there was no way to get it done around the office. Too many distractions.

So I got away from it all–and I mean GOT AWAY–jetting to the remote wilderness of the Canadian North.

I spent the next 3 weeks with no phone line, no internet, and nothing to lure me from my task at hand.

And when I finally returned to Delray Beach (tired, unshaven, and resembling Grizzly Adams), I was completely tapped out mentally–but BURSTING at the seams to show everyone what I had on my laptop.

Right now, I’m still putting the final tweaks and edits on this baby (first draft came in at 380 pages but the final report will be slimed down to the best parts…talk about your mother of all brain dumps).

And the best part is, you’ll be the first to see it.

That’s correct–when I unleash this report on the world, everyone on my lists will be the first in line to get their hands on a copy.

I’ll send out an email with a link to the download page.

So if you’re NOT on one of my lists (and why aren’t you?) and you want to be among the first to see what all the fuss is about, then go here NOW and sign up immediately.

Because what’s inside my newest free offering is unlike anything you’ve seen before. And it very well could mean the difference between success and failure for your business.

Don’t mean to scare you, but it’s true. In fact, some of these discoveries scared ME. Because I was buying into this baloney just like everyone else.

But I immediately put some processes in place to eliminate what was holding me back from doubling or even tripling my bottom line. And I began to move forward on the cusp of the most exciting trends to hit our marketplace since the web was born.

And it’s already paying off in a BIG way (more on that later).

So stay tuned…because pretty soon, things are going to get REALLY interesting around here.

Consider yourself warned. 😉

To Higher Profits,

Rich

P.S. As you’ll see in the video above, the report is only the tip of the iceberg…

In September, we’re going to change the way you do business online (and offline for that matter) with a system that’s going to blow everything else out of the water.

It’s true–everything you’ve learned so far, all the dusty old tactics and tired, beaten-to-death methods are history.

It’s a whole new world out there…one brimming with tremendous opportunity for unprecedented wealth, success, and freedom…and you’re going to be among the first to capitalize on it.

I can’t wait until you see what I’ve got for you. In the meantime, want to speculate?

Because you can in the comments below. Tell me what you think is inside this breakthrough new system, and I’ll give you the hot-warm-cold signs.

Go ahead–tell me what you’re thinking!

The Attention Age Doctrine ready!

Well, to say the last few weeks have been crazy is an understatement. It’s all worth it though because the response is already overwhelming. I’m confident it will be the most important document you read all year.

As I type this blog post, I am being told by the office that our servers are already being over taxed with people downloading my latest document “The Attention Age Doctrine.” Sorry, thought we were all set… we even upgraded all or services for this release because we knew it was going to overshadow the original manifesto.

As your read my advisory, you’ll see that I have included a chance to win PERSONAL advice with several marketing legends. It’s a great chance to show off your marketing chops. You’ll have chance to win cash… and a chance to show off your marketing skill. Plus, who knows what that could do for your business!

All the details are in the Doctrine.

I now need to take a break so I can wrap up the finishing touches on my live seminar we’re doing in two weeks here in South Florida. I’ll be unveiling the strategies I’ve developed to help online business owners to profit from our new Attention-Deficit society.

Now it’s time you got down to some serious reading.

I really want you to get the most from The Doctrine, so print it out, grab a cold drink and your trusty highlighter and make yourself comfortable.

Then get ready for the ride of your life.

And please share your thoughts after reading “The Attention Age Doctrine” by posting your comments here:

To Higher Profits,
Rich Schefren

P.S. If you haven’t registered for Jay Abraham’s conversation with me this weekend, you better do it now. It’s filling up fast.
To register go to: http://www.strategicprofits.com/jayprivate

Hey Guys,

I have a quick favor to ask of you.

But before we get into that I just want to point out that, in the last 24 hours alone, roughly 6,231 people have watched my latest video, “Startup To Freedom”. I seems as though people are starting to send the video to their friends and family.

So not only could you learn a lot from the video, but you could also look at it as a lesson in viral marketing! Cool.

Now since my inbox has been flooded with questions and comments about momentum, I want to try and answer them the best they can. But before I do that, I want you to submit a question to my blog so that I can have a clear picture of the common obstacles that are preventing people from gaining momentum.

Here is the question I’d like you to answer:

Q:What is the biggest obstacle that is preventing you from gaining the momentum you need to bring your business to the next level?

Submit your answer on this post…

And yes this means you!

It will only take 30 seconds, and it will help you identify the constraint that is preventing you from growing your business.

Then, later on this week, I’ll be releasing something that will address the common obstacles you’re facing. I already have some ideas, based on the feedback so far, but I’m very interested in hearing from you.

I’m looking forward to your feedback.

To Higher Profits,
Rich Schefren

Last night I got lucky. No, it’s not what you think (remember I am happily married) – here’s what happened- I was in San Francisco yesterday preparing for my upcoming client seminar Feb 10+11.

Anyway, I took the red-eye flight from San Francisco to Atlanta cause I am speaking this weekend at Jim Edwards’ seminar here in Atlanta.

Well, I am not much for sleeping on planes – it’s actually one of the best places for me to get work done because I am strapped in and the only other alternative to sitting and working is going to the bathroom.

Back to how I got lucky.

The person sitting next to me was a successful entrepreneur whose name you’d recognize if you read even half the number of business books I do. So I introduced myself, and to my surprise he actually knew my name and had read the manifesto. (Apparently it’s been passed around in a lot of circles outside of internet marketing which is why we still have over 100 people a day opting in to get a copy!)

We passionately shared our insights about small business, big business and where an entrepreneur fits into the process. We agreed on many things – but there was one especially important point he told me about, that he’d figured out after his second success, which I didn’t realize it until my third success.

That’s what I want to share with you today.

He said he knew he was really an entrepreneur when he started his second business – when his aspirations were to one day be the Senior Vice President in charge of acquisitions. When I pressed him to clarify what he meant – he told me that all the excitement for him comes during the startup phase and that he hates having to create all the structures and processes needed to build and grow the business. So, by his second business he decided he wouldn’t do that all himself and instead he would get the business going and then bring in the right CEO, President, and people to work it — until the business grew so successful that he only served one small role in the company — the one that was once just an idea in his head to head up acquisitions.

I was struck by how similar our experiences were because I had a similar shift when I started Strategic Profits. I knew my current role, in the content creation side and coaching successful entrepreneurs, was what I wanted to do the most and that the day to day operations, marketing, etc., would be handled by my superstar team. And it’s happened…

If you are a real entrepreneur this should sound very appealing to you. You get to do more of what you want as you build and grow. Plus, as my company continues to grow and I see our profits climbing, I also notice that my calendar is getting lighter and lighter. The company that my ideas gave birth to is now grown up enough to take care of itself without me shouldering the bulk of the day to day load – actually it has already started to take care of me.

And this gives me tremendous freedom. Which is the whole reason I am entrepreneur in the first place – to create and be free.

Two weeks ago I was reminded of how important freedom and fun are to me. Yanik Silver, Mike Filsaime, and yours truly went on a special flight called a Zero-G flight. It’s an incredible experience where you get to feel true weightlessness.

After the experience, Mike Filsaime and I were talking about how much fun we had and how important it is to make time for fun. We also promised each other we would make sure to plan a few extra fun experiences for 2007.

Think for a second. When was the last time you really had fun? Not just a giggle, but when you had a big stupid smile stretched across your face and you were laughing and feeling like you did when you were just a kid playing?

If it’s been over a month – then you’ve got to ask yourself: Why am I working so hard? What position do I aspire to have in my company? And what could I put on my ‘to do’ list that would be incredibly fun?

I’ve got more to share with you about what I was doing in San Francisco and the plane ride but I’ve got to run right now. Check back on Monday.

To Higher Profits
Rich

Hey Guys,

I hope you’re doing well!

And I hope you’re implementing some (or hopefully MANY) ideas from my recent reports.

Now as you probably know by now, the launch was NOT what I expected.

As usual, I’m writing something up that I think you’ll find very interesting (which you can then turn into business profit).

I don’t want to go into detail here, but what I’m about to reveal will be something that you’ve never heard from a well know marketing personality.

It’s all about analyzing what works and what doesn’t.

And facing the current reality can be one of the biggest challenges that any business owner can have.

So for now, please review the Internet Business Manifesto, The Missing Chapter, and The Final Chapter.

If you study these documents carefully, especially the sections on planning and strategy, then you may be able to discern what’s coming. 😉

To Higher Profits,
Rich Schefren

P.S. The main lesson in this post is that there are probably things in your business that you’re not “owning up to”. These might be problems or issues that you just don’t want to face. They must be addressed. Your profits will thank you for doing so.

Hey Guys,

I’ve got some GREAT news. In just a few days, I’ll be releasing “The Final Chapter” of the Internet Business Manifesto trilogy.

I’m ABSOLUTELY convinced that this third and final installment is my BEST work to date. I’ve been showing off the ROUGH draft to some of my inner circle friends and they all think I’m NUTS
to be releasing it for free.

But, like I said before, I’m NOT going to leave anyone out in the cold, even if you couldn’t afford my exclusive coaching.

Now I’d like you to take a minute and think about what has changed in your business since you read the original Manifesto and the Missing Chapter.

It will reveal some DEEP insights into your personal approach to business, and what you need to CHANGE in order to be successful.

So leave a comment on this thread and let me know how things are progressing for you. It will be a good exercise for you, because it will force you to closely analyze your progress over the last three months. It will also help me tailor the remainder of the upcoming “Final Chapter” to address your most pressing issues.

Warm Regards,
Rich Schefren