There are plenty of great actors and actresses in Hollywood. But do you think there’s a reason why a small handful of them get paid a ton of dollars per movie while so many others starve, and barely make a living.

I have got no doubt some of them would be equal in their skills and ability as the Hollywood A list if given the chance.

But despite this fact… despite their incredible ability… they end up being paid peanuts.

Why?

Because while they have ability… they don’t have VISIBILITY.

And since nobody knows who they are, they don’t hold value in Hollywood.

Interesting, isn’t it?

And it’s the same in the business world.

Same goes is you’re an accountant… a beauty therapist… a hairdresser… a face painter… a retailer… it really doesn’t matter.

Of course, you need to have both.

If you have the visibility and then your product or service sucks once someone puts you to the test, then you’ll quickly develop a bad reputation which will fast-track your demise.

But don’t think ability is the be all and end all.

Don’t think the answer to your success is to build a better mousetrap.

Because the truth is, learning how to get visibility for that mousetrap is the key to your success.

But the problem is, visibility is usually expensive.

Gettting ads in the newspaper… getting to the top of the search engines… getting into google adwords… getting publicity… sending out faxes… it all costs money. And lots of it when you do it via conventional methods.

But when you understand the underground strategies that are revealed in http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com you’ll realise it doesn’t need to cost a fortune to go from where you are to where you want to be.

Isn’t it time you get paid what you deserve for your the skills and ability you’ve developed over the years?

Get visible now.

I’m not sure if you’ve been following Australian Idol this year, but if you get the chance, then do it.

Why?

Because there’s an interesting lesson in the way they are approaching things which you could apply to your business.

They are telling stories about their contestants.

That’s right.

I was watching it last week (my wife absolutely loves the show) and  noticed that I was automatically connecting with the participants  and really feeling for them.

Why?

Because I understood their background… where they came from… what made them the person they are… what challenges they had
been through.

And that caused me to have compassion. That helped me to see them as a human being. That helped me to feel for them.

But in the corporate world barely anybody does this.

They try to represent themselves as the ‘perfect’ company.

The company with no blemishes.

Everything is great. We’ve been in business for however many years and everything is just howdy doody wonderful.

I’m wonderful. My family’s wonderful. Everyone in my company’s  wonderful.

It’s just one big fake smile.

And often there is no personality.

Well, you and I both can see through that veneer.

And we all know that we respond better to people who are real… authentic… and who don’t try to hide the person they really are.

I should know.

For years, I never revealed much about myself.

Kept it all a secret.

But then I started to understand that it was okay to open up and actually be myself.

Copywriting has helped me with that.

Writing these emails has helped me with that.

And at the end of the day, people buy from you when they trust you… when they like you… and the best way to have people trust you is  to show them who you really are.

So how can you apply this to your business…

1. Share stories in your ads and sales letters. Tell people who you are… why you are so passionate… what got you into your industry… etc.

2. Be real with people in face to face selling situation. Share your true self… your blemishes as well as your positives.

Not only will it help you get more customers – it will help you – as it has for me – have a more connected and fulfilling life as well.

Today’s email is about gambling.

Because business is a gamble at the end of the day, isn’t it?

When we begin our entrepreneurial journey, we are relying on our own skill and ability. And we often place our money, time and energy on the line with the intention of getting a higher return than we have invested.

But here’s what tends to happen as we go along.

We might bet big at the beginning.

Even if that bet isn’t a lot by someone elses standards, it might be big by your standards when you are starting up.

And then we have a few wins… we win a few clients… and our business gets up and running.

But here’s what happens once we get a few runs on the board.

We start to get scared to take risks.

Why?

Because we’ll do more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure.

Same as people will do more to save $1000 than they will to gain $1000.

So we stop taking risks.

We build our business up to a stage where it’s earning us a decent income and then we rest on our laurels.

That sucks. And it holds us back.

For instance, I spoke with a woman the other day who wanted to grow a big business… had a great idea… but was scared to  spend money on strategy and good copywriting.

I’ve met other people who have a fantastic money making system (i.e. for every $1 they spend on advertising, they are getting $5
back) which they just need to roll out.

But they don’t.

And I myself have been guilty of not taking more risks to grow…grow… grow.

This all came to me when I was reading a book by Keith McFarland the other day called The Breakthrough Company.

And I saw a quote by Frederick Wilcox which stated:

“Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first base.”

And that’s oh so true.

Then I started to think of everyone I have worked with who is ultra successful.

And do you know what they all had in common?

They were risk takers.

They would spend the money on a full page advertisement.

And by doing so, they actually became a safer company.

You see, when you play it safe, it’s very hard to get ahead.

But when you take a risk and it comes off then you have an exponential advantage when you take your next risk.

For instance, let’s say you make a decision to put up a web site and get some killer copy done for it.

And it starts to work… you start to make money… and then you are safer than you were before.

So then you take another risk of investing more money on promoting that web site to drive more traffic.

You are leveraging off the risk you took before and getting an exponential advantage.

Of course, this goes against conventional wisdom.

We’ve all been told -

play it safe

don’t go out in the rain or you might catch a cold

be careful of strangers

etc. etc.

Of course, that’s great advice from a parent trying to keep their child safe. But terrible advice for running a business.

Of course, your risks need to be calculated. And you must have a good sense they are going to pay off.

And the best way to take calculated risks is to make sure you have done your research and have the right information at hand to ensure you get
the results you’re after.

For instance…

If you’re going to run an advertising campaign, make sure you find out how to write great ads and measure them by getting your hands on
http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/cashflow

And if you’re looking to get more new customers, make sure you get educated about the most cost effective and proven ways to do it first by getting
your hands on http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com

And then bite the bullet and do it.