The Dirk Tietjen Blog

Discover Your Talents ala Brian Tracy

Dirk Tietjen — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:03:08 +0000

I have talked about finding your passions in this Blog before. Here is another great essay which can help finding the right business:

When we do strategic planning for corporations, the first thing we think about is how to increase the company’s rate of return on the equity it has invested in the business. This is done by allocating more resources to areas with higher potential, and taking resources away from those with lower potential. By developing or promoting newer and better products and services, and discontinuing those that are less profitable, the company can channel its efforts in a way that maximizes its returns.

In doing personal strategic planning, the first thing you want to think about is how to maximize your personal “rate of return.” You need to realize that the most valuable thing you bring to your work is your ability to think, to act, and to get results. Your earning ability — which is a function of your education, knowledge, experience, and talents — is your equity. And the way you “invest” it will largely determine the quality and quantity of your material and psychological rewards.

A young man in one of my seminars came up to me and said that he was working as a plumber for a large contracting firm. He made good money, but he was envious of the salespeople in his company who made more money, drove nicer cars, wore nicer clothes, and had much better lifestyles.

He had completed his training, had his journeyman’s certificate, and was at the top of his wage scale. The only way he could earn more money in his current job was by working longer hours. Instead, he wanted to get into sales.

I told him that if he wanted to get into sales, it was up to him to learn how to sell — and then to do everything possible to get his boss to give him the chance to sell the company’s plumbing services. His future was up to him. But he first had to learn how to do the new and higher-paying job.

A little more than a year later, he attended another one of my seminars… and brought me up to date on his situation. He had told his boss that he wanted to get into sales. His boss discouraged him, telling him that plumbers have very little aptitude for the skills involved in selling a service. He then asked his boss what he would have to do to prove to him that he could do it. To make a long story short, his boss helped him learn how to sell the company’s services by recommending that he study manuals and take extra courses on his own time.

And that’s what he did. He bought books and listened to tapes and spent time talking to the company’s salespeople. As a result, he became a full-fledged salesman.

After five months in his new job, he was already earning more than twice as much as he had ever earned as a plumber. But most of all, he was happier.

He was more enthusiastic about his work than he had ever been. He loved selling, and he considered his career change to be one of the best decisions he had ever made.

This is typical of countless stories that have been related to me over the years. In every case, the individual had discovered and developed his or her strengths — and, subsequently, improved the quality of his or her life. You can do the same thing.

Thinking of yourself passively — as being employed and, therefore, subject to the dictates of someone else — can be fatal to your long-term success. In reality, you’re the president of your own personal-services corporation. You’re completely in charge of production, quality control, training and development, marketing, finance, and promotion.

Seeing yourself as self-employed forces you to recognize that you are also self-responsible and self-determining. That everything that happens to you happens because of your conduct and your behavior. You’re in the driver’s seat. You’re behind the steering wheel of your life. It’s up to you to decide how to utilize your talents and abilities in such a way as to bring you the very highest return on the investment of your time and energy.

No one else is going to do it for you. Others can help you, guide you, direct you, channel you, point you in the right direction, and even give you opportunities.

But in the final analysis, you’re the boss. No one else can make the critical decisions that will determine your future and your fortune. To that end, here are four questions that you need to ask yourself on a regular basis:

1. What do I most enjoy doing?

2. How would I describe my ideal job?

3. If I could have any job at all, anywhere, what would it be?

4. If I won a million dollars in the lottery and I had to pick something to work at indefinitely, what would I choose to do?

To uncover your strengths and determine your unique talents and abilities, ask yourself:

What have I been good at in the past?
What things do I do easily that seem to be difficult for other people?
In what areas of work do I seem to get the best results… and derive the most pleasure?

The answers to all of these questions will give you a good idea as to how you might increase your return on the energy you invest.

Then look at your current job, and ask yourself:

Where do I want to be in three to five years?
What kind of work do I want to be doing?
What kind of people do I want to be working with?
What level of responsibility do I desire?
What kind of money do I want to be earning?
What part of the country do I want to be living in?

Look at your work and at your life in general, and ask yourself:

What kind of people do I admire and most want to be like?

Who do I know, or know about, who is doing the kind of work that I want to do and isliving the kind of life that I want to live?

What changes would I have to make in my life to be like that person?

Remember: Whatever anyone has done, someone else can do as well. You’ll never be exactly the same as another person, but you don’t need to be. You can use the successes and achievements of other people as guidelines to help you decide where you want to arrive at the end of your particular journey. But you can be unique and different and successful in your own way.

As a result of your genetic structure, your education, your experiences, your background, your interests and proclivities, you’re a unique and rare combination of talents and abilities. You can be extremely good at something. And it’s your responsibility to find out what that something is.

Whatever you’re doing today, it’s nowhere near what you’re really capable of doing. The key to a happy and prosperous life is for you to regularly evaluate your strengths and weaknesses, to become very good in the areas you most enjoy, and then to throw your whole heart into what you’re doing.

By Brian Tracy

[Ed. Note: Relax and allow positive affirmations to flow through your subconscious mind. Feed your mind the fuel it needs while you rest. This powerful CD includes 10 powerful affirmations with music. You simply let yourself relax as Brian Tracy talks to your subconscious mind. Find out more here.

And for more help setting and achieving the goals that will get you your dream job, check out ETR's Ephiphany Alliance program. With Bob Cox as your mentor, you'll learn the time-management strategies and success techniques you need to accomplish more in one day than most people do in a week. Check out the Epiphany Alliance here.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading, Dirk

Free Online Tools to Make Your Life Easier, Part 1: Web Analytics

Dirk Tietjen — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:03:59 +0000

So you finally got around to starting your website or blog, and you’re on your way to Web stardom. Hopefully, you’ve included some great content that your visitors will find valuable and want to keep coming back for. If you’re smart, you’ve also tried to include content that will attract new visitors. Now, how do you measure the results of all your hard work?

Answer: with Web analytics software. Web analytics software allows you to view information about your website visitors and the way they use your website. With Web analytics, you can find out:

How many visitors your website gets
How people find your website
Which of your online marketing efforts has been the most effective
Which visitors signed up for your newsletter or bought something
Which pages on your website get the most traffic
Where your visitors are located
What your visitors use your search box for
And much, much more.

Once you have all this data, you can use it to create new content, come up with new product ideas, refocus your marketing campaign, and target new customers. The more you know about who is (and isn’t) using your site and how they are using it, the better you can communicate with them. And more communication is your ticket to more sales.

Most of the Web analytics solutions available today will provide you with similar types of information about your visitors and website usage. Some purveyors are Google, Omniture, and Coremetrics. At ETR, we use Google Analytics (google.com/analytics) because it’s powerful, easy, and free.

You don’t have to download a thing. (You go online to get your stats.) And setup can take less than 10 minutes if you’re fairly comfortable with managing your website. If you’re not, your webmaster can help you with an install in no time at all (and it will be worth it!).

Once you’ve completed setup, you’ll be able to go online and get up-to-date statistics about your website anytime. Additionally, you can save time by setting up reports that are automatically e-mailed to you as often as you’d like. Here’s what a sample report from one of our sites.

Regardless of the Web analytics solution you choose, get something going today. Tracking website usage is critical to measuring results, understanding your website visitors, and growing your business.

[Ed. Note: Rick Maggio is ETR's newest Search Engine Marketing Specialist. The Internet is full of useful tools that can save you time... and make you money. But sometimes they can seem more complicated than they are. Setting up an Internet business doesn't have to be difficult or time-consuming. Learn more about how easy it can be here.]

By Rick Maggio

2 your learning success, Dirk

The Ultimate Start-up Guide for Digital Entrepreneurs

Dirk Tietjen — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 14:20:17 +0000

Finding a reliable source of side income is practically a “must do” these days. Of course, you may be daunted by the idea of setting up a business, creating a product line, finding a pool of customers, and marketing your product.

The fact is, you can get by with the bare minimum. (I’ll give you a simple way to come up with blockbuster product ideas in a minute.) And in about 5 minutes, you could have access to an army of salespeople eager to work for you.

I’m talking about selling a digital product on ClickBank. Here’s how to get started.

You can write an e-book or develop another type of digital product (software, tutorials, an e-mail newsletter, or video instruction, for example), post it on ClickBank, and generate residual income for months, years… even a lifetime. (Or as long as ClickBank stays in business!)

In 2001, I developed a digital product that is still generating residual income on ClickBank. I receive a royalty check from ClickBank for this product every month. (And that’s not the only digital marketplace I use.)

With ClickBank, you have access to more than 100,000 affiliates who can sell your product for you. And the best part is IT’S EASY!

If you develop a product that resonates with the market – i.e., people buy it – there’s a good chance ClickBank affiliates will be attracted to it and start selling it to their own subscribers, members, and website visitors.

How do affiliates find your product so they can start selling it? You don’t have to worry about that. ClickBank affiliates are a savvy bunch. The most successful ones are constantly scouring ClickBank for the best and most profitable products.

But that’s not all…

You can “jumpstart” the process by advertising your product in ClickBank, hundreds of other digital marketplaces, or on Google, Yahoo! and MSN (to name a few places).

You see… popular (bestselling) products also “move up in the rankings” on ClickBank.

It should be no surprise that the ClickBank program has one of the lowest attrition rates in the affiliate business. The entrepreneurs who sign up as ClickBank affiliates tend to stick with it. I think the main reason for this is because ClickBank pays their affiliate commissions accurately and on time.

Here’s what a typical ClickBank affiliate payout looks like:

Product – Yahoo Cash 4 Idiots
Sale Price - $77
Affiliate Commission – $40.69 plus 60% commission ($40.20) on back-end product

Another reason the ClickBank affiliate program enjoys such a low attrition rate is because it’s so damn easy to make money with it.

So why not consider developing an e-book or digital product to generate residual income on ClickBank?

The best way to research and/or develop a saleable product is to STEAL IT!

Well… not exactly steal it… but COPY one of the products that’s already being sold successfully on ClickBank. I’m not talking about word for word plagiarism. I’m talking about copying the “Big Idea” of the product and putting your own spin on it.

Search all the ClickBank categories and study the most successful digital products. Order a few of those products, too. This is the best way to save time and start making money, because you won’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can also hang out on the ClickBank blog. You’ll learn about the best strategies and products right from the horses’ mouths (ClickBank staff and Super Affiliates).

As for determining what kind of commission to offer affiliates… again, copy success. What are other publishers and writers offering them to sell similar products? Maybe you could offer more. Or maybe less.

When you work with ClickBank, you’ll be in control of your product and retain a lion’s share of the profits. You can earn residual payments for weeks, months, or years down the road – just by submitting one e-book to the ClickBank Marketplace.

And just imagine what would happen if you submit two e-books – or more!

It’s easy to get started. Simply create an e-book based on your area of expertise. (You may want to do a bit of research first, to discover the types of products people want to buy.) To get a good sense of what’s selling on ClickBank, check out its marketplace – where ClickBank offers all the products it has for sale. You can identify the most popular products by sorting your searches by category. (ClickBank also allows you to sort the results based on other criteria – for instance, the number of affiliates who made money on a particular product in the last 30 days.)

Once you’ve got a digital product to sell, simply visit ClickBank and click “Sell Online.” The instructions for getting started are easy to follow.

By Marc Charles

[Ed. Note: As “King of Business Opportunities” Marc Charles points out, starting a side business doesn’t have to be expensive or even time-consuming. If becoming a digital entrepreneur doesn’t appeal to you, no problem – Marc seeks out easy-to-start side businesses with high profit potential each week in the Liberty Street League.

2 your learning success, Dirk

Want to be a filmmaker? Some quick tipps!

Dirk Tietjen — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:49:00 +0000

No related posts.

Achieve your goals in 2010 with MindMapping

Dirk Tietjen — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:01:54 +0000

Have a Fantastically Fulfilling 2010 and Goal Set!

Goal setting is fundamental to success in any aspect of your life – be it in personal pursuits, health, work or financially. Now that we have arrived at the foothills of a new decade, in the midst of widespread social and economic change, it is the perfect time to reflect on your own situation in life and consider your ambitions and dreams. Now is the time to decide how you WILL make these a reality, and become a more confident, happy and successful individual.
Constructive goal setting using Mind Mapping can help you get back in control of your life in a time when many are having to re-evaluate and adapt in order to stay afloat. It can create the clarity you need to find new direction for the future. By allowing you to explore yourself innermost wishes, Mind Mapping can help you resolve any internal conflicts and establish clearly defined priorities for all areas of your life. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you can focus your time, energy and resources accordingly.

iMindMap is the perfect tool for goal setting. Not only can you create an organic, visual representation of your goals, that stimulates your mind, but you can also enjoy the flexibility of the software – editing, adjusting, and expanding on ideas with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Let’s find out how you can do this!

(1) Brainstorm Your Main Goals
Spend as much time as you need brainstorming your key goals. Use the iMindMap Goal Setting template and base your goals around these main themes:

‘ Career/Business ‘ What aspirations do you have for your career? What could you do to improve your performance? Do you want to change careers? If you are running your own business, how do you want it to progress?
‘ People ‘ How do you want your relationship with your partner to develop? Do you have any aims in relation to being a parent or improving your parenting skills? If single, do you want to find a relationship? Do you want to improve relations with your extended family and friends?
‘ Wealth/Finances ‘ What are your goals regarding your personal finances? How much do you want to earn by a particular stage? Is there anything in particular you want to save for? Do you have any debts to pay off?
‘ Physical/Health ‘ Do you have any goals in regards to your health or fitness? Do you have any aims in terms of weight loss, or a specific physical training programme or sport?
‘ Growth/Personal Development ‘ Are you interested in pursuing any further education or training? What information and skills will you need to achieve other goals? For instance, you may want to learn a language or develop your abilities at public speaking.

2) Make goals SMART
Once you have outlined your goals for 2010, you need to get a little more specific. Ensure that each of your goals follow the SMART guidelines (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based).

It is important to be precise and include dates, times, targets and amounts so that your achievements are measurable. To do this, add the following branches to each goal:

‘ Now ‘ Your current situation in regards to the goal
‘ Target ‘ What exactly do you want to accomplish?
‘ When ‘ Establish a time frame.

(3) Actions
Now you can outline the steps and actions that you will take to achieve your goals. Add a new branch entitled ‘How’.

Break down the tasks that you need to carry out to achieve each goal. If you want to go into further detail, you can set time-frames or milestones for your tasks, allowing you to measure your progress.

(4) ‘To-Do’ Mind Maps
You can also create a daily/weekly ‘To Do’ Mind Map outlining the tasks that need to be done within that timeframe for each goal. This will improve the practicality of your goal setting as you can quickly identify any changing priorities, as well as progress. You can then adjust your main ‘Goals’ Mind Map to reflect these changes, boosting your motivation along the way. What’s more, as Mind Mapping encourages a free flow of ideas and associations, you could end up discovering new, innovative ways to reach your goals.

REMEMBER
Every time you reach a goal, update your Mind Map to show your achievement. You should also review your Mind Map and adjust it to match any changes in your perspective. For instance, if you reached the goal too easily, make your next goal in that area more challenging. However, if the goal took a disheartening amount of time and effort, make the next one a little more attainable.

If you fail to meet any of your goals, do not be discouraged. You can learn from your experience, and feed this knowledge back into your Mind Map. Likewise, if particular goals no longer hold any attraction, then simply remove them from your Mind Map and focus your attention on goals that you are eager to achieve. Your Mind Map should work with you and for you, making the goal setting process more enjoyable and rewarding.

GOOD LUCK! Dirk