Finally, we are off to Waco.  During the 1/2 hour drive, I review my Appreciation Marketing presentation that I will give at a local networking lunch this Thursday.  I also compose an affiliate email for our affiliates to use as they promote this Thursday’s webinar.  We arrive in Waco and the entire team eats dinner together and spent the night before the matches.

Since Hunter’s match is not until 11:30am, I awake and read my Bible.  Steve & Hunter are still asleep, so I set up a few affiliate accounts.  I also send the affiliates sample emails & tweets/fb messages.  Respond to some team members emails to help them get their Send Out Cards business off the ground & running.

Breakfast at the hotel.  When we return to the room, I research our upcoming trip to Armand Live in Orlando.  Hunter decided to go with us so we are staying an extra day in Orlando to do something fun.  I find that we can fly out on Tuesday for a cheaper price, and we’ll have Monday for fun in Orlando.

Time for the tennis match.  We pack up our bags and head to the courts.  We enjoyed watching Hunter play.  After the match, we eat lunch with his friends’ families.  We have a couple of hours until the girls matches, so we head to Starbucks.  We might as well take advantage of an extra hour to get some work done.

Here in Starbucks I order several business books from Amazon that have been on my wish list.  They’ll be delivered in 2 days with my Prime Free Shipping.  We have a half hour until the matches.  So, I’ll be outlining Thursday’s webinar so I can write emails 2 & 3.  Better quit writing this entry and finish my work.

Why am I sharing this?

When you use your time wisely and stay focused, you can get lots of work done in short time periods.  Whether those those time periods are on the road traveling with your family or in between homeschool sessions or during your kids’ naps, you must set your priorities.

Keep a list of 5 things you must get done each day. If you list more than 5 you won’t get any of them done.  When you have a 1/2 hour, pull up your list and work on the first task until it is done.  That’s what I did yesterday morning and this morning.  All I have left on my list is to write emails 2 & 3 today.  Then, my day will have been successful.

What 5 things will you get done today?

But you can’t really create an effective strategic plan until you know “where you want to be” …until you know what success should look like.

Your vision statement is NOT what’s wrong with life as you currently know it. It’s what your business/lifestyle is going to look like when you successfully arrive at where you’re going …and when things are working really, really well.

It’s about writing out something that gets you excited, makes you want to go to work each morning and work through the inevitable challenges that will come up en route to an INSPIRING long-term outcome.

We covered this in great detail in the Fast Start webinar found in our new “Knock It Out Of The Park in 2011!” program.

But in order to be effective, a vision statement include certain things… 1) It must be inspiring 2) It must be written down 3) It must be shared with others

I have my best ideas when I wake up and last week, I woke up and remembered that I had written a vision several years ago. I had completely forgotten about this vision since “visioning” was not a priority like it is now..

Never the less, it had all 3 characteristics of a good vision statement. It was inspiring – encompassing how I would integrate my work, family and ministry. It was written down – I actually wrote the vision as the preface in my book, “A Father’s Stew”. And I had shared it with the hundreds of people who bought my book!

And here’s the cool thing …almost everything has come to pass just as I had written it down 8 years ago! This visioning stuff really works!

If you want to see what I wrote, just scroll down to the bottom of this post.

Also, if you want to see our BEST strategy of 2010 – the one that has added thousands of email subscribers to our list – and got Big Players in our niche to co-create a product with us and then turn around and promote that product to their HUGE email lists – then you need to watch the encore presentation of “Our Best Strategy of 2010!” http://www.familyebiz.com/best_strategy2/

This is not a replay link. We are doing an encore presentation tomorrow night at 9pm Eastern. That’s Tuesday, December 21 at 9pm Eastern. Make sure you register here: http://www.familyebiz.com/best_strategy2/

Before 2011 starts, write down your vision statement. Then create a strategic plan that will implement the vision you just created.

Blessings,

Stephen and Kerry Beck

From the preface of “A Father’s Stew”…

The Bible states that without a vision, the people perish. I have a dream, a vision if you will. In my dream, I wake up excited to start another day at work. Surely, you must be dreaming you say! No, I am excited because I know that this work is the very work that God has called me to do.

My wife is my right hand in this work and I know that God could not have given me anyone better suited to this task. My children are involved in my work and it proves to be a tremendous training ground for them. For my daughters, as they submit to me and follow my leadership, I am able to train them to be godly wives and mothers someday. For my son, I am able to teach him to obey God and one day, lead a family of his own. Younger men are also involved in my work and working side by side gives me the opportunity to teach them to apply God’s Word with wisdom and understanding in their daily affairs. My wife ministers to younger women as well, teaching them to honor their husbands and love their children in a godly manner.

My children see these young men and women grow and are encouraged to one day disciple younger believers on their own. The younger men and women see my children and realize that the Bible is true and a godly family can be achieved. My work blesses my family and my ministry. My family helps me in my work and provides concrete examples for my ministry. My ministry provides helpers for my work and motivation for my family.  For you see, work, family and ministry are all ingredients to a stew. A stew that is described in Phil 4:18 as a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.

What do you want to be doing in 2011?

- What tasks do you like doing the most?
- What tasks would you rather someone else do?
- Do you enjoy coaching people one-on-one or group coaching?

Who do you want to be working with?

- Do you want to work with your spouse or partner?
- Do you want to involve your children?
- Is there a friend or colleague you want to work more closely
with?

Where do you want to be working?

- Do you want to work from home?
- Do you want to work from a beach house?
- Do you want to work in Costa Rica?

These are just a few of the questions you need to answer in order to “know where you are going” with your business in 2011.

And we are going to cover this in detail in our FAST START webinar on Tuesday, December 14 at 9pm Eastern. We will also cover your “I Am” statements and your strategic plan to make your vision statement into a reality.

Why would YOU attend our Fast Start webinar?
The money I spent with you was by far the bet money I’ve ever invested in any educational program.  Your format and the email templates made it all possible and they really work!  With any luck I’ll generte at least $20K from this!
Dan Baumann, Chief Experts.com

ps.  He actually made $27,604.00 after using my strategies.

But you can only attend this FAST START webinar if you are a part of our “Knocking It Out Of The Park” program. What is our “Knocking It Out Of The Park” program?

A program designed especially for small business owners and online entrepreneurs who want to reach more people, have more impact and make more money, and are ready to KNOCK IT OUT OF THE PARK in 2011!

You’ll discover my clear, PROVEN, business building strategies which teach you EXACTLY how to double, triple or even quadruple your business and have more time off. (we’ve done it, and we know you can too!)

Whether you’re a newbie at this or an experienced marketer, you’ll discover strategies and tips designed to help you stop trading time for money, stop being the ‘bottleneck’ in your business, and make more money while working LESS. All you need to do is follow our step by step system to see these results in YOUR business.

—————————————————————–
Want to know what  our “Knocking It Out Of The Park” program includes?
—————————————————————–

* Fast Start Webinar on December 14! (Retail $297)
We will work on visioning and strategic planning for your business

* “Knock It Out Of The Park” Live Webinar Class (Retail $1997)
A strategy that will:
- build your email list (even if you don’t have one yet)
- create a product (again, even if you don’t have one)
- generate an income from the product sales
- get BIG TIME PLAYERS in your niche to help you create the product and even PROMOTE the product for you!
- solidify relationships so that BIG TIME PLAYERS in your niche will work with you again
- a plan in place for “WHAT’S NEXT” for the new subscribers you just added

* 12 Monthly Master Classes with me and the mentors, coaches and experts that have helped me build my business (Retail $997)

* Our MasterMind membership for 1 YEAR (Retail $1164)
- 12 Private Call-In’s
- 12 CD Recordings of every monthly MasterClass shipped to your door
- Private online archives of the monthly Master Classes
- 12 Monthly Newsletters shipped to your door
- 12 Action Guides shipped to your door

* Stephen’s Million Dollar Rolodex (Retail $297)

* Ticket to our Live 3-Day Texas Marketer Round Up (Retail $1997)

That’s a TOTAL VALUE  of $6,749.00!

But you only pay 4 payments of $297! But hurry, the 4 payment option DISAPPEARS this Saturday, December 11! Here’s the link:

www.FamilyEbiz.com/homerun

To read more about it, go to the link below. And make sure you do it sooner rather than later — the 4-pay option ends this Saturday (not to mention there are limited spots left for my FAST START Webinar)!

Here’s that link again:

www.FamilyEbiz.com/homerun

Blessings,

Stephen and Kerry Beck

P.S. Make sure to check out the bonuses here right away

www.FamilyEbiz.com/homerun

In addition to the A to Z training you get in my MasterClass series, if you register early, you’ll also get one complimentary ticket to my upcoming 3-day live training “Texas Marketer Round Up” as a bonus (a $1,997 value)! Grab your seat now while seats are still available and you can still take advantage of the 4-pay option.

.

In fact, I’m planning a little reward for myself when I get home
if I sell well. I’ll tell you what it is and you’ll laugh. I plan
to get a haircut with shampoo. I haven’t done that in years.
Seriously, I can never bring myself to pay 20 extra bucks for a
shampoo, even though I can easily afford it.

But this time is different. It is a reward for meeting a professional goal. It may sound small …and it may seem kinda “girlie”, but the thought of warm water running through my hair sounds kinda cool!

If you have a goal, building your list may be your ticket to achieving that goal. Go check out my List Building Super Heroes – free list building interviews with 17 of the TOP List Building experts …did I mention it was totally free?

http://www.ListBuildingSuperHeroes.com/interviews

So, if you’re at Dan Kennedy’s Info Summit, come up and say “hi”.
Hopefully, I’ll get that haircut with shampoo after all!

Stephen Beck

WATCH THE VIDEO: http://budurl.com/7ListBuildingTips
(You may see a security warning – just click “yes”)

I also wanted to share with you my “101 Ways To Build Your List!” Its a PACKED with list building tips that ANYONE can use – beginner or grizzled veteran! Here’s just a sampling of some of the things included in this course:

Tip #21 — Consider The 3-to-1 Formula
A popular formula that some of the top marketers use is sending 3 relationship
building e-mails to every 1 sales e-mail. This is especially important in the
beginning stages, and will set the tone…

Tip #29 — Show Your Readers That You Care
By simply empathizing with them and showing that you know exactly what they are
going through, you will appear as more trustworthy. It should be easy for you to
do as you are an expert in the topic and…

Tip #34 — Create Special Offers
- Offer Resale Rights or PLR rights to your own product …only to your list.
- Bundle up other people’s Resale Rights products into a package and offer it at a steal.
- Offer personal coaching only to your list members. Want to know how?…

Tip #48 — Participate in Giveaways
There are many niches where marketers hold giveaway events. This is pretty much a
one-stop shop where people in your niche can grab free offers that they are
interested in. People will sign up for your list in return for getting your free
product. Putting your opt-in box on one of these…

Tip #61 — Exchange Newsletter “Plugs”
Another thing you can do with JV partners is agree to mention each other in your
respective newsletters…

I hope this gives you an indication of the GOLDEN NUGGETS found in this course!

———————————————————
But, I’m only leaving the video online until this Friday.
AFTER FRIDAY, THE VIDEO COMES DOWN AND THE OFFER GOES AWAY!
———————————————————

Watch the video RIGHT NOW! http://budurl.com/7ListBuildingTips

Stephen Beck

In fact, here are the results:

Very Interested | Topic
69.5%             How to build a massive list and profit from it
65.0%             101 ways to increase your email subscriber list
70.0%             Promoting your blog in just 30-minutes per day

Plus, when I asked you to enter in the box which topic you wanted most…an overwhelming majority of you entered “list building”!

With these results in mind, I have created a video on why you need to build a list AND 7 unique tips for building your list.

Here’s that video:
http://budurl.com/7ListBuildingTips
(Because of where I’m hosting the video, you will see a security warning – just click “yes”)

Let me be honest.

These are hard times. Harder than I have ever seen them in my life time (and I survived the oil bust in Houston in the 80′s!) And the temptation is to sit and wait it out. Don’t take on anything new. See what happens in the next few months.

Well here is my prediction. The stock market is fundamentally broke with
all the government bail outs and tampering. It is not a free market anymore. Real Estate will take years to recover. And social security may not be around in 15 years – look at Greece, France and England!

Even pension funds are not safe from bureaucratic meddling!

Building a list is a safety valve for you and your family. It is an escape hatch where you can weather economic storms that blow through and uproot everything in their path.

Building a list gives you the ability to build a brand, attract like-minded people and then find products to meet the needs of your subscribers. AND BUILDING A LIST IS SO INEXPENSIVE!

In a nut shell, building a list is cheap insurance against a terrible economy. An email subscriber list gives you protection against forces beyond your control.

So please watch my video: http://budurl.com/7ListBuildingTips

But, I’m only leaving the video online until this Friday. AFTER FRIDAY, THE VIDEO COMES DOWN!

I also have an incredible offer right below the video which will DISAPPEAR on Friday as well. All I can say is …the price is right for these economic times!

Watch the video RIGHT NOW!

Stephen Beck

PS…Want a hedge fund against these economic times? Build a herd! http://budurl.com/7ListBuildingTips

1. A great product that everyone wants

2. A big email list

I would choose #2 EVERY TIME!

You see, with a big list, you have people to offer a great product to. I have seen this again and again. People have a really good product, but they have no one to sell it to and they don’t know how to get the word out. And after they have given up, someone else with a big list offers a similar product and really cleans up!

A big list also allows you to offer more than one product. In fact, having a big list allows you to offer as many products as your list wants. And the products can be yours or someone else’s that you get a commission from. Now that’s the ability to generate cash at will!

And finally, a big list gives you LEVERAGE! Other people with big lists want to work with you because you can reciprocate. They know that if THEY promote your product, you are also in the position to promote theirs when the time comes. Very powerful!

In fact, I feel so strongly about building a list that I have created a video, especially for YOU, that has 7 UNIQUE tips for building your list. It’s only about 7 minutes long, but I think you’ll get a lot out of it! Watch the video at the link below:

http://budurl.com/7ListBuildingTips
(Because of where I’m hosting the video, you will see a security warning – just click “yes”)

But, I’m only leaving the video online until this Friday. AFTER FRIDAY, THE VIDEO COMES DOWN!

I also have an incredible offer right below the video which will DISAPPEAR on Friday as well. All I can say is …the price is right for these economic times!

In fact, tomorrow, I’m going to address “doing business online in these troubled times”. Look for my email tomorrow, but until then, check out my video on the 7 UNIQUE tips for  building your list!

Watch the video RIGHT NOW: http://budurl.com/7ListBuildingTips

Talk to you tomorrow,

Stephen Beck

PS… post a comment about the video below!

#1 – Trust Your Gut

In the past few months, I took some bad advice for the direction of my company. I saw the financial reward and tried to take on some projects that were not my highest strengths. My gut said to pass, but I took on the projects anyway.

Sometimes it is a fine line between stretching your comfort zone and going against your gut. Stretching feels good afterwards, but going against your gut finds you second-guessing your decisions – not a good place to be.

#2 – Be Transparent With Your List

I am very comfortable teaching my subscriber list strategies and techniques, but I’m not real comfortable sharing my emotions. But people want to know that you are real. That you struggle to see the future, choose the right products and struggle to see past your blind spots.

I plan on sharing more with you guys about how I navigate through murky business waters – especially in this economy.

#3 – Business Development Is Your Highest Priority

I have built a high six-figure income through relationships with other list builders in my niche. And somehow I got away from that. And my income started to suffer.

If you are not constantly subscribing new people to your list, your business will dry up and blow away. I have redoubled my efforts to find new list owners to do reciprocal webinars, teleseminar and launches with.

#4 – Don’t Forget Your Funnel

I know about upsells. I know about downsells. So, why am I not including them with every product I sell? Beats me! I am now actively adding upsells to every product I recommend. And you should too.

#5 – Pay Attention To Warning Signs

When something doesn’t look right, stop and evaluate. Even if it is something like a mission trip or a ministry opportunity. I have been roped into two “ministry opportunities” this year that didn’t turn
out to be as advertised.

I should have heeded the warning signs and kindly, but firmly disengaged myself when I had the chance. But I felt trapped and committed. And I ended up wasting a lot of time, energy and money. Very frustrating because it takes time from the truly important things!

Don’t let people manipulate you into their own agenda – even people in the ministry. Life is too short.

Conclusion

I have a lot to be thankful for. My business has grown and has caused me to grow along with it. Sometimes it feels like I’m on a bucking bronco with nothing to hold on to. But I just remember a line from the movie, Lonesome Dove, when Gus McCrae reflects on his life: “Woodrow, it’s been quite a party, ain’t it!”

Please leave a comment if you feel led…

You can watch the movie line in the clip below:

And to be honest, I’m very surprised.

I know most “gurus” and teachers on the internet won’t tell you
if they have low numbers of people registering for a webinar, but
I thought that you would jump all over this one – the chance to
ask any question about online business. I was wrong.

Somehow I must have communicated poorly.

So let me start over and tell you what this is …and what this
isn’t.

Tonight’s webinar is a chance to ask ANYTHING you want about
online business. Even if you don’t have an online business yet,
it would be good for you to call in and listen – the questions
might just trigger a question in your mind.

I will even answer questions like, given a chance to do it all
again, how would you start an internet business differently.

http://www.FamilyEbiz.com/QA/ (You can register at this link)

Tonight’s webinar is not some hard sell on a workshop or product.
I will give you a link to my “Question A Day” coaching page, but
that’s it. 95% of the webinar will be devoted to you and your
questions.

But maybe there’s something deeper.

I have been evaluating my business a lot lately. I know that
starting an online business is tough. I know that doing it
without help is next to impossible for some people. So I have
created some venues to be more accessible to my students and
subscribers. More on that later.

So, why don’t you join me for the “Ask Me Anything You Want About
Online Business” Webinar. I don’t have all the answers. Not by a
long shot. But hopefully I can answer most of your questions and
point you in the right direction for the answers I don’t know.

http://www.FamilyEbiz.com/QA/

Warmly,

Stephen Beck

PS…Sorry I have miscommunicated so poorly about this webinar. I
know your time is valuable and I want to help you succeed in any
way I can.

http://www.FamilyEbiz.com/QA/

They say that the economy doesn’t affect an online business. That
it doesn’t matter if people see their mutual fund tanking …or
their retirement fund taking massive hits …or they’re afraid of
losing their job. That people will go on blindly buying
information products even in the midst of such uncertainty.

But the economy DOES matter. And it DOES affect everyone and
everything. And no, online businesses are NOT IMMUNE from the
negative effects of a slow and sluggish economy.

To paraphrase Clinton campaign strategist James Carville: “It’s
the economy, stupid!”

If the “Gurus” were honest with you, they would tell you that…

- Attendance at live seminars and workshops is WAY down this
year. People are unwilling to spend the money to travel.

- Refunds are WAY up this year. People are rummaging through
their book shelves looking for products they can return. Even
courses they bought 2 years ago!

- Overall sales are down due to people holding on to their money
and adopting a “wait and see” attitude. They are no longer buying
every product that hits their email inbox!

So when “Gurus” tell you that nothing has changed. That it’s
still just as easy to make money on the Internet. Don’t believe
them.

So what’s the good news?

People are more discerning these days. They are no longer
looking for the super-hyped product that promises a fast buck
with no effort whatsoever on the part of the purchaser. They
aren’t buying the “push a button and get rich” software you see
every week.

They are looking for something real. They are looking for
quality.

Yes, it is harder to sell products online right now. But the
economy is forcing the “quick buck” artists out of business. It’s
no longer worth their time to create junk products if people
aren’t snapping them up every week.

So…

If people are buying quality, then those who sell quality
information products have a better chance of being heard because
the rough economy is driving out the scam artists. Like a hard
rain washing all of the trash off the streets and into the
gutter.

Your job as a marketer will get easier because you won’t have
to shout at the top of your lungs just to be heard! Hard
circumstances and rough economic times have a way of weeding out
the weak and the sub-standard.

Just thank God that the American government doesn’t have a
bail-out system for bad information marketers like it did for bad
banks, weak insurance companies and non-competitive airlines!

So a little rough patch is a GOOD thing! Are you ready to
capitalize on it? Are you ready to step up and seize the moment?

If you have ever thought of making money online, now is the time.
BEFORE everyone and his brother has it figured out and saturates
the market. And AFTER the last little shake-up we’ve just had
that weeds out a lot of your competition!

So, yes the economy makes it harder run an online business
…right now! But there will be a day very soon, when those who
persevere and work hard will see unbelievable fruit for their
efforts!

Create quality content, learn your marketing lessons well and
keep contacting potential joint venture partners …that’s the
recipe for success in these hard times.

Blessings,

Stephen Beck

PS… Agree? Disagree? Post a comment below…