Hypothetical situation… You’re a real estate agent. You knock on the door of a house with a sign that says “For Sale By The Owner.” A lady answers the door. You begin to speak, but after a few seconds she cuts you off… “Just a minute. Let me ask you a question. Do you sell real estate? Just answer “yes” or “no.” “Yes,” you say rather sheepishly. She continues… “I’m just not interested. I’m going to tell you the same thing I told the last two people who came by here selling real estate. I’m going to sell this house myself. I planted every bush, every shrub, every tree in this yard and I’m not going to give you thousands of dollars for selling my house when I know a lot more about the house than you will ever know. Furthermore, I don’t want to hear any more about it.” She slams the door in your face. Dejected you say to yourself… “Poor little me. Nobody likes me!” Instead of making more calls you decide to go to a coffee shop and mull things over. After two coffees, you go back to the office and do some administration work. It’s Wednesday after all, you can start selling again on Monday when you’re more organized. In other words, you procrastinate. The above example is from the late Zig Ziglar’s book “Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the Sale.” When it comes to procrastination, Ziglar mincing no words says that “ninety-eight percent of the people who procrastinate have image problems.” Ziglar’s example really hits home with me, because back many moons ago when I was selling steak and seafood door to door, one nasty scowl from a receptionist could immobilize me for the rest of the day. I had a “less-than-perfect” self-image. I considered being a steak and seafood salesman somewhere between an inchworm and a three-toed sloth on the evolution scale. Instead of telling myself, I was there to provide them with some wonderful food that will make their evenings with loved ones more special, I saw myself as someone who was infringing on their space. Have you ever felt that way when looking for new prospects for your business? Ziglar says that in his real estate example, someone with a good self-image would have said, “It’s not me who has the problem, it’s the lady who has the problem” and then continued on with their journey to find their next prospect. Successful people control their reactions, they don’t let their reactions control them. So how do you give your self-image a boost? Ziglar suggests taking a good public speaking course and becoming an expert in your chosen profession. And always be...

In his book Pushing to the Front, American spiritual author Orison Swett Marden tells a significant story… A French military soldier on horseback had a message for political leader Napoleon. He delivered it with such haste that before he could actually hand the message over to Napoleon his horse dropped dead. Napoleon dictated his response to the messenger and then ordered him to take his horse and deliver it as fast as possible. The messenger looked at Napoleon’s magnificent horse and said… “Nay General, but this horse is too gorgeous, too magnificent for a soldier.” Napoleon replied, “Nothing is too good or too magnificent for a French soldier.” Marden then points out the world is full of people like the poor French soldier. People who think that what others have is too good for them. They believe they can’t expect to have as good of things in life as others who are “more favored.” Without even realizing it, they weaken themselves through self-deprecation and timidity. Consequently, they do not claim, expect, or demand enough of or for themselves. Marden surmises that most people are educated to think that it is not intended for them to be the best there is in the world. That the best is reserved only for the fortunate few. Instead of doing great things with their lives, they do small things. British novelist Marie Corelli echoes what Marden says… “If we choose to be no more than clods of clay, then we shall be used as clods of clay for braver feet to tread on.” The bottom line is if you consistently think that you are a weak, ineffective person then that is what you will become or remain. On the other hand, if you believe yourself to be a self-reliant, positive, effective, worthy, and optimistic person then that is what you will become or remain. Marden writes that one must “set the mind toward the thing you would accomplish so resolutely, so definitely, and with such vigorous determination, and put so much grit into your resolution, that nothing on earth can turn you from your purpose until you obtain it.“ Even a racehorse, he says, cannot win a prize if he has no confidence in himself. “The reason why so many men fail is that they do not commit themselves with a determination to win at any cost. They do not have the superb confidence in themselves which never looks back; which burns all bridges behind it,” he adds. You must carry with you an air of victory. You must radiate assurance. And, in turn, impart to others that they too can do anything they attempt. Marden says that if he could give the...

As documented in his book Unlimited Power, after attending a seminar in the early to mid-eighties, motivational expert Anthony Robbins went for a midnight stroll around Boston’s Copley Square. As he was soaking in the sights, he noticed a man wobbling back and forth coming his way. The man reeked of alcohol…hadn’t shaved…and looked as though he’d been sleeping in the streets for weeks. As the man got closer, he said to Robbins… “Mister, can you loan me a quarter?” Robbins’ first reaction was that he didn’t want to reward this man’s behavior by giving him money.  His second reaction was that he didn’t want the man to suffer either. So he figured he’d try to teach the man a lesson. “A quarter?  That’s what you want, a quarter?” Robbins said. “Just a quarter,” the man replied. So Robbins reached into his pocket, pulled out a quarter and said… “Life will pay any price you ask of it.” Perplexed by this, the man staggered away into the night. As Robbins watched him fade into the moonlight, he reflected on the differences between those who succeed and those who fail. What was the difference between the unshaven man down on his luck and Robbins? Why did Robbins have such a great life where he could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted, with whomever he wanted, and as much as he wanted… …and why did the man he’d just met have such a terrible life – sleeping in ditches and begging for quarters? Was God smiling on him and, for whatever reason, had forgotten the other man? Highly unlikely. Was he given superior resources and advantages throughout his life? Probably not. Robbins himself was once down on his luck (although he never drank as much alcohol or had to resort to living on the street.) Robbins concluded that at least part of the answer was in what he had said to the man… Life will pay you whatever you ask it for. Ask for a quarter and you’ll get a quarter. Ask for happiness and success and you’ll get happiness and success. Robbins is convinced that if you manage your states and behaviors, you can change anything you want to in your life. And if you learn what to ask of life, you can be sure to get it. Makes sense right?...

Your goal is to… Connect on an emotional level with your prospects and customers; Create a strong, long-term relationship with them based on trust and integrity; and Boost your online revenue and profits. That’s what I can provide for you. As I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, the internet is full of overblown promises and empty hype. It’s not the type of marketing that creates long-term business success. To be successful online and build up a consistent stream of income your prospects and customers have to trust you. You need to portray your product or service with accuracy and integrity and in a way that conveys both the benefits and the deeper benefits your prospect will experience from it. The type of message that quickly makes your prospects say to themselves… “This sounds exactly like what I need.” That’s what I will do for you. But don’t take my word for it. Here is what Nick Usborne, one of the top web experts working today, says about me: “John Wood writes copy the way I believe it should be written.  He writes strong sales copy, but without any hype. He drives action, without pushing or shoving the reader. His copy is seamless, without trickery — and it’s immensely effective. I know this to be true because he has written sales copy for me that has brought in tens of thousands of dollars in revenues.” If you need promotional emails or an autoresponder email series that grabs the reader’s attention and drives them to your sales offer, let’s talk. As a student of Jay White’s Autoresponder Apprentice program, the American Writers and Artists (AWAI) Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting, and their Masters’ Program, I have finely-tuned skills and experience writing emails, sales letters, and web pages.  I write documents that grab your prospects’ attention, keep them reading — and then persuade them to perform the action you desire. I specialize in health and nutrition and Internet marketing.  I’m open to promoting any product or service that in some way improves people’s lives. To see some samples of my work, click here. If you’d like to chat about marketing strategy and how I can help your business meet your revenue goals, please contact me by clicking here....