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Chances are you've heard me say "the truth will set you free but upset you at first". From my experience that’s definitely the case.

Like when I tell somebody that their "baby is ugly", their business is a dog, it often doesn’t go down that well.

It’s little wonder after all what parent likes to think their "baby is ugly"?

Sadly, it’s the same with business owners. They get "had up" emotionally where their business is concerned. And "when emotion goes up, intelligence goes down".

Heck, even some of my best clients, I aggravated the daylights out of when we first met.

Of course, we laugh about it today but it wasn’t funny at the time.

Usually, the level of pain someone is in, is the thing that makes them change. Generally speaking, there is nothing I can do to make them change, other than play fair and give them my best stuff.

All this in the hope that they are the RIGHT person at the RIGHT time with the RIGHT information.

All this leads me to the point of this blog. What I’m going to reveal here will be enormously hard for some people to swallow.

Here it goes anyway…

WARNING and a DISCLAIMER! This blog is not written on the pretence of helping everyone. It’s written specifically for the business owner and entrepreneur who is particularly interested in building a profitable business.

And frankly, why else would you be in business?

In a world of economic uncertainty and insecurity, where cash flow shrivels, pain and anxiety prevail, it’s never been more important for the business owner and entrepreneur to become ruthless and tough minded when managing their business for profit.

Some of you will find parts of this blog hard to swallow. But if you do, suck it up any way. It’ll introduce you to a new and better model for creating wealth in these tough times that seem to not want to end.

Read on to discover more…

Recently, I was out with a bunch of old friends having a feed, reminiscing and talking about old times. Then the accusation and great conflict came up, that I was a workaholic who would never retire.

It was said with some intent on the basis that there’s something wrong with the way I live my life. Anyway, as I approach very quickly the ripe old age of 61, those comments caused me to reflect on my take on all of this.

Read on to discover more…

Welcome to 2013! Fortunately, I am not superstitious so the number doesn't trouble me. You see I've never made a cent by accident and I don't know any incredibly wealthy person who has.

Success has little or nothing to do with good or bad luck in my opinion.

Mostly if you follow successful people around you will find they work for it. Although, for them it's often not work. In other words, they've been able to blur the line between work and play and that's what I do.

Bottom line, there are practical reasons for success that go way beyond good or bad luck.

So let's do our best here to swing the pendulum in your favour in 2013. I'm going to start with revealing a secret that I figured out at the tender age of 22 that made me very very rich, the good news is, it's just as applicable today, 39 years later.

In fact, it's made many of my clients, who were prepared to pay attention, very very rich also.

Read on to discover this shocking secret that's made me a lot of money.

Carrying on from our Direct Mail Secrets, here’s another one.

The List will Make or Break your Direct Mail Project

Sad but true. By list here I mean, whoever receives your direct mail piece. You see, the receptivity of the recipient to your mailing has more to do with the Success or Failure of your mailing than the quality of the marketing itself.

Its all about the LIST and the LIST SELECTION. So read on to discover what the very best Lists are to mail to and how to maximise your dollar return and minimise your spend.

I am not sure if you are aware, but Zig Ziglar passed away yesterday after a bout of pneumonia. And the passing of this great man should not go unrecognized. Certainly simply for the reason he’s played in my success and may be then yours.

Surprisingly enough, a Zig Ziglar Sales Seminar in Perth in about 1973, if my memory serves me well, was the first ever seminar I attended. At that time, I was a 21 year old sales rep for ACI Crown Corning. And it was the “done” thing at that time for the Corporate suites and sales guy to get along and see Zig.

Crown Corning may have even paid for me to attend with the sales managers and the sales folk of the time. Anyway, there was, I think, 5000 people there although don’t hold me to it. I’ve consumed a bit of red wine since then and unlike red wine my memory doesn’t improve over time.

I was inspired by a bunch of the things Zig said that day and I am still inspired by them today and I think it is timely that I bring one of them to your attention here under the circumstances of his passing.

Read on to discover how Zig inspired me...

Now I could bury this secret of all secrets in the copy or I could just spill the beans right now. Let's try the latter…

It may sound simplistic but by clearly defining and clearly understanding your ideal "Who" is the most important part of the game. You could easily call it a niche. You see treating your market as a giant mass of human meat is a losing economic model. You will work harder, spend more and make less money choosing that road.

Read on to discover how to define your ideal "Who"...

It's true. You’ve really got under my skin of late because of this one thing. Like a stone in your shoe. Or an itch which won’t go away.

Let me explain...

This is a special Rant. It comes to you from Nashville, Tennessee in the US. I'm here to present at the GKIC Info Summit with Dan Kennedy.

Beautiful city, Nashville. About 1.5 million people so it’s not too crowded and the hotel we're at has 2,800 rooms and is nothing short of spectacular.

Also, the Fall (autumn) is in full swing and the countryside is awash with many colours as the trees get set for the winter.

I’m alone in my room at the moment. My travelling companions are off doing their own thing... Ian Marsh is working in his room. General Manager Adam Webb and Copywriter Steve Plummer have taken a trip downtown to sample the live music scene.

So I’ve had time to contemplate.

And yes, you’re bugging the heck out of me because...

Almost universally I'm seeing WEAK, LAME, UNINSPIRING offers in the copy I've been critiquing.

Read on as I unravel what appears to be the obvious but usually overlooked, about offer construction...

As promised, I am going to continue with the 19 Direct Mail Secrets that I promised in the last Rant.

Probably the biggest secret of all is...

Direct Mail Secret #4 – That Direct Marketing and Direct Mail WORKS and if it Didn’t Work for you, you did Something WRONG.

In fact, when executed correctly, it’s better than any other marketing that you can do...

This might sound like I’m stating the obvious, well I am definitely not...

Remember those stats from Pitney Bows I revealed previously? Here they are again:

• 72% of small businesses rarely ever use direct mail
• Over 70% of the 28% who do use direct mail rate it as the most profitable advertising and marketing they do
• This tells you exactly what you need to do to have a massive advantage over 72% of your competitors

I remember years ago when Andrew and Darryl Grant were sitting in my “Business School” when I had just 22 paying members, today of course, there are hundreds and hundreds.

Anyway, at that “Business School” in front of 22 people, I revealed an Internet opportunity that the Grants have turned into a multi-million dollar business.

In fact, a passive income annually in excess of a million dollars, not to mention the multimillion dollar business they created, embracing whole heartily, Direct Response Marketing, largely learnt from me.

Here‘s the thing...

Darryl admits to having completely replaced her negative thinking and language about my style of marketing with positive thinking and language. If Andrew and Darryl hadn’t, I doubt quite simply, whether it would be possible for them to be where they are today financially.

After all, the other 20 people in the room did nothing with what I revealed that day, hats off to Andrew and Darryl.

And guess what, they are still members and still paying me money to this day because they are serious students and that is what you should be until the day you die.

So don’t let your own biased opinions or poor execution where Direct Marketing and Direct Mail is concerned, keep you away from a pile of money.

There’s number 4, Read on to discover more Direct Mail Secrets...

Recently, I may recall I wrote a blog about Direct Mail and it obviously hit a nerve. Heaps of people after reading it contacted me to say, and these are my words not theirs, "Direct Mail, or if you prefer Direct Marketing Rules".

I went to great lengths to point out exactly why Direct Mail Rules. If you would like to read that blog again, here are the details:
http://www.malemery.com/blog/277/unpopular-and-unfashionabl e-truth-revealed/

It is an indisputable fact that...

The Ability to put Words Together in a Sequence and an Order
that Compels People to Part with their Money is the Highest
Paying Job on the Planet.

Heck, one of my clients recently sent me a one page fax that went to 5,514 non buyers that produced $162,363.54 all for a cost of about $1,250. That was July 10th last year.

So he sent another similar fax in August, this time to 5,734 prospects, this time it bought in $155,466.09. Again it cost about $1,250 to send.

So he did it again in November, each time with a slight variation. This time it went to 5,011 prospects and it bought in $154,602.57. Again it cost about $1,250 to send.

If you know anything that gives you that sort of return on investment (ROI), we all want to know about it.

Hopefully I have sparked your interest in Direct Mail and Direct Marketing, because over the next few weeks I am going to reveal “19 Direct Mail Secrets to Maximum Profits in Today’s Chaotic New Economy”.

Read on to discover Secret #1