All of those motivational plaques you see on the
walls of corporate offices tell us we should soar
like an eagle.

But I reckon we should all start quacking like
eagles instead.

What do I mean by that?

Over the years, I’ve met with hundreds of business
owners. And it’s very unusual to meet someone who
is willing to break the mould (the ones who do are
usually quite wealthy) – most prefer to copy what
everyone else in their industry is doing.

They are afraid to break away from their industry’s
“pack of ducks” for fear they will look silly. So
they all quack like ducks because…

They are scared of putting a compelling headline on
top of their advertisement.

They are scared of writing a long copy advertisement

They are scared of trying a bundle of different
strategies instead of just following along like a
flock of ducks as all their competitors do.

That’s why getting together with people in your
industry at meetings and events isn’t always the best
use of your time. You always end up going over the
same strategies because in most cases, almost everyone
is doing the same thing.

(Idea: what would happen if you got together with
the leading entrepreneurs from different fields and
exchanged ideas? Wouldn’t that be more productive?
Could you find a unique new strategy which would
work for you. Trust me, your business isn’t really
that different – you’re all selling to human beings
with the same needs, wants and desires!)

In a nutshell, they are scared of doing new things. Many
years ago, when I was about 18 I picked up a book from
a bookshop in Melbourne called “Jonathon Livingston
Seagull.” It was a lovely story about a REBEL seagull
who dared to step outside the mould and live his life
to the fullest.

Rather than scavenging from the beach and just focusing
on survival, he decided he wanted to explore the world and
see all the wonders it had to offer. He was rejected by his
clan and labelled an outcast. But from memory, he ended up
being a big hero and a leader.

It’s a great book if you ever get the chance to read
it. Anyway, I don’t think any business owner is a natural
eagle. At the end of the day, we all start out as ducks.

Most of us are scared out of our mind of making a mistake… breaking the mould and doing something different.

So when it comes to advertising, we ask everyone’s opinion
about which ad is the best. And that’s a BIG MISTAKE
because everyone will tell you the ad they like is the
one with the shortest copy that looks the prettiest.

But that’s not true. In fact, in one of Peter Sun’s books,
he gives an example of two advertisements. Almost everyone –
I think it was over 80% picked the ad which ended up
receiving 2 calls versus the one which resulted in 11 jobs
in the same time period. And the ads were right next to
each other in the phone directory.

So DARE TO BE THE DUCK in your industry who breaks the
mould, “quacks like an eagle” and does something
different. You can start by getting your hands on my
More Customers Made Easy program
available at:

http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com

Quack like an eagle, apply what you learn and eventually
(just like Jonathon Livingston Seagull) you could end up
being the leader in your industry too.

Scott Bywater

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing
it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will
be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up knowing it must outwit
and outrun (at least) the slowest gazelle or it will
starve to death.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.

When the sun comes up, you’d better start running.

It’s not a pretty vision, but that little saying pretty
much sums up the world of business, doesn’t it?

Thousands of businesses in Australia die every year. And
with the state of the current economy, the bloodbath is
sure to continue.

But in my experience most people don’t start the day
running. They get up… shower… shave and prepare for
their day which is fine. But the first thing they do
when they get to work is CHECK THEIR EMAIL.

And that’s a big no-no in my books. Why? Simply because
you start the day by answering to everyone elses demands
rather than focusing on what you need to do to grow your business.

Checking your email is not really important. And in 9 cases
out of 10 it’s not urgent. Truth is, in the first 15 minutes
you start work, it’s critical you take control of your day.

Otherwise you end up getting caught up and letting the day
run you. Other people’s needs become more important than
your own.

Here’s what I try to do every morning. I am by no means
perfect, but I am getting closer to living by these rules:

1.A quick meditation and visualisation of my goals

2.Plan out my day, prioritising the top 6 things in order

3.Get to work

And only after I’ve done a couple of hours of work do I
resort to clicking that send/receive button on my email
to see what the rest of the world wants.

In short, I start my day running.  I start my day focusing
on the most important priorities which will get me from
where I am to where I want to go. That’s how you become
the metaphorical lion who catches the gazelle (goals).

I remember back when I was an employee (before I used to
affirm to myself on a daily basis “I will never, ever,
ever, ever, ever, ever, ever work for somebody else again –
and I never have since”) I knew these sales guys who used
to get to work half an hour late, have a coffee and a chat
for half an hour and then get to work.

I didn’t dislike them, but if I was their boss I would
have fired them. Because at the end of the day, they were
lazy gazelles who the lion would eventually eat for lunch.

That’s one way of starting the day slow and it requires
enforcing the habit of discipline.

But there’s another way of losing the game… even if you
wake up at 4:30am and don’t start running until 8pm.

I know a guy who does this. Works three jobs. Doesn’t see
his kids all that much. And doesn’t earn a heck of a lot
of money.

Why? Because he doesn’t have the right tools. He hasn’t
taken the time to fill his mind with the sort of education
which turns to gold.

You see, a doctor can earn far more than a tradesperson
because he has filled his mind with the right information.

And the same applies to the world of business – a business
person with the right tools can get twelve hours out of an
eight hour day and make more money than someone who works
from dawn to dusk, by simply furnishing himself with the
right education and tools.

“Survival of the fittest” used to be based on physical
strength. Today it is based on personal discipline combined
with getting the leverage you require through specialised knowledge. And you can get that specialised knowledge you
need to get more customers and be the gazelle who outruns
the lion (recession) by clicking here

All for now,

Scott Bywater

Last night I watched Australia show South Africa who was
BOSS in the 20 / 20 cricket match at the Gabba.

I like to rub this in because I received a number of
‘tongue in cheek’ comments from some of the South
African members of my list following my previous email.

And it seems as if we have finally ironed out who is
REALLY the best team

But seriously – there was one comment I heard from
Shane Warne at the end of the match when they were
discussing the strategy of the 20 /20 game.

He’s done a study of the game and concluded the
following – the team that attacks in the field… the
team that attacks with the bat… the team that has an
attacking attitude all over is the team that
normally wins.

And that’s where the South African’s failed themselves
in that match… in my opinion anyway. They played it
safe and took too long to get started.

But this isn’t just a cricket problem… this is a problem
people have in business… in life… and all over…
THEY PLAY IT SAFE with thinking like this -

I won’t spend the money to send out these letters because
it may not work. I won’t buy that new course because I
want to keep my money safe. The economy is tough you
know. Let’s wait off a little. Let’s play it safe.

Of course, there is a time for playing it safe – which
Shane Warne touched on. Heck, if you lose a few wickets
early on you might pull back a little.

But here’s the problem as I see it – a business owner
plays it safe, doesn’t try new things, follows the
Jones’s within their industry and this causes their
business to fall into a lull… whereby they get into
a situation where they play it even safer. It’s a
downward spiral.

I was a huge cricket fan when I was a kid, and my
cousin, Sean,  once wrote in my autograph book “Scott,
it’s just not cricket.” I still haven’t worked out what
he meant by that, but the truth is many of the principles
which apply to 20 / 20 cricket also apply to business.

And it’s my experience those business owners who are
constantly on the attack… attacking opportunities like
a tiger on a mission… are the winners. They are the type
of people who build million dollar companies… enjoy
luxury holidays and can afford all the good things life
has to offer.

But make sure you attack with the right weapons at your
disposal. You’ll certainly increase your odds if you have
a gun in your hand when the bear in the forest comes
charging towards you with a hungry look in his eyes.

And you’ll have far more success if you use proven weapons
to get new customers too – such as those you’ll find at http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com

All for now,

Scott Bywater

P.S. One last thing, I’m sending this  out “as I’ve
written it” – without editing. If there’s any typos, I’ll
let them go for now… after all copywriting is primarily
about selling, not spelling, contrary to the regular emails
I get every month about one word or the other I’ve spelt
wrong. Got to get onto writing a killer ad for my wealthy
clients who are attacking this tough economy with a knife
the size of Crocodile Dundee’s!