Are you working efficiently, or not?

Personally, there are days that trying to catch up on email keeps me from getting the right things done first.

For some people, it’s social media that gets in the way…Instead of just updating your Twitter or Facebook, you take some time to peruse everyone else’s.

15 minutes here, and a half hour there, really start to add up.

Let’s say you waste 15 minutes every day of the year…

That equals 5,475 minutes every year that you can’t get back.  For most people, that’s 90 hours or at least 2 full work weeks wasted every year!

Today I have a cool (and more importantly, FREE) resource that AUTOMATICALLY keeps track of what you spend your time on every day.

The resource is called RescueTime .  It is a solution that is going to show you exactly how you are spending your time, and whether the way you spend your time is efficient or not.

Check this out:

In the above screenshot you can see that I am spending far more time being productive today than doing things that are distracting.  But wait, they break it down even better for you:

Here you can see exactly how much time I have spent today on various activities.  As you can see, I have spent a majority of my productive time on Presentation (creating graphics and layouts) and writing. However, I have spent several unproductive minutes in my inbox….

Obviously all of the time I spend in my inbox is not unproductive, but knowing exactly how much time I spend there in comparison to how much time I spend elsewhere helps me to see what areas I need to improve in order to maximize efficiency.

The next time you say, "I just wish I had more time to get this done…" -or- "If I just had two weeks to launch my new business idea…"

Well, maybe you do.  Check out RescueTime.com to find out.

Take care,

Tim Schmidt

Click Here To Comment!

My goal is to get you online talking about what you love, so that you can be making money as soon as possible.

There’s nothing for sale here, there’s no pitch. I’m just going to show you (for FREE) how to create your dream website in less than 4 minutes.

I just created a video to show you how to create a professional website fast and easy, and for WAY less money than I spend at Starbucks in a week.

The only reasons not to watch this video are if you already have a *perfect website* or you are a professional web designer/programmer.  If not, this video is for you!  **Please note, there may or may not be a few interesting editing choices in this video.

In the above video you will discover all of my top recommended sites/resources for getting online fast!

Here are the links you need to Get Your Professional Website Online Today!

(These will all open in new tabs/windows so that you can view them all right now!)

GoDaddy: Click here to save 10% on your next GoDaddy purchase!

HostGator: Click here to check out HostGator!

ThemeForest: Click here to view ThemeForest’s AWESOME selection of WordPress themes!

FileZilla: Click here to go to the FileZilla download page!

Now you have no excuse not to have your own professional website up and running!

Take care!

Tim Schmidt

P.S. If you have any other suggestions, or just want to let me know what you think about this post, Click Here To Leave A Comment

Wow, things have been REALLY busy around here lately! Between BIG changes in my association, hiring/training new employees, putting the finishing touches on a new package (look forward to that!), and spending quality time with the family, this week’s blog post got delayed. Sorry about that!

I want to start out by answering a subscriber question, then I’ll give you an awesome "personal education" resource!

Here’s the question:

Hi Tim,
I’m looking for the best way to market directly to "Internet Marketers". We have a program involving strategies to help self-employed business owners reduce their taxes, especially their 15.3% self-employment tax. Since most Internet Marketers are self-employed, their taxes are about to go up next year and this program will dramatically increase their bottom line. However, we have never done online marketing and are total novices in this area. Any idea how we can quickly penetrate this market?

-Ron

Ron, off the top of my head I can think of a GREAT strategy for you. It requires just a few things:

1. A professional website.
2. A clear demonstration of how much they can save in relation to how much they are paying you for your services.

For instance, if you know the approximate percentage that you can help business owners to save on their taxes given their predicted income, then have a programmer create the code so that you can put something that looks like this on your website:

Whenever people can interact with your website, and you can demonstrate just how much your product is REALLY worth to them, it makes it almost impossible to not buy it!

Now, in order to market to internet marketers…Think about how you can contact them directly, if they aren’t already searching for your product:

By email! Every internet marketer has either a customer service system or their very own email address on their website. Some even have a phone number (which might be better in your case).

Contact them to let them know about the product you’ve created and the average percentage that you will save them on their taxes.

If you told me you were going to save me over $10,000, and you were going to charge me less than $1,000 to do it, I’d likely say yes (as long as you seem like a trustworthy fellow!)

Thanks for the question Ron.

Here’s the lesson:

How you can get people to interact with your product to demonstrate its value BEFORE they buy? Free trials, beta versions, savings calculators, and FREE information-packed reports, ebooks, or videos are all popular options.

===================================

Now, for a cool resource:

In my last post, "Predictions And Success Secrets," I discussed how important your personal education is. I even gave you my top five books for entrepreneurs.

Today I have an AWESOME resource that I just discovered that will help you find the next book that you should read.

The name of the website says it all: www.whatshouldireadnext.com

This service is really easy to use. Simply type in the name and author of a book that you’ve read and really like (if you don’t know one of those two options, the site can typically figure it out for you).

In just a few seconds you can view the recommendations, which are based on other readers’ collections. Prepare to find great books you’ve never heard of before!

If you’re wondering how the owners of this site make money - all of the links for the recommended books are Amazon affiliate links. (Could you monetize a business model like that?)

Take care,

Tim Schmidt

P.S. Click Here To Comment!

Tim Schmidt

P.S. Click Here To Comment!

It’s nearly the end of 2009, which means that it’s a good time to reflect upon what you’ve accomplished and what you’re hoping to accomplish in 2010. My personal reflection got me thinking about everything that I hope to achieve in 2010, and brought me back to the wisdom of a legend…

Recently I wrote a Tribute post for Jim Rohn, who passed away earlier this month.

Jim Rohn was full of wisdom , and one of his most important messages was something that I do every day…I had just forgotten that it was he who advised me to do it. My success has increased dramatically as a result of doing what Jim told me to do, and yours can too. The message is simple:

Set Goals.

You want to be successful and wealthy, but you don’t have a clear view of exactly how much money you want to make, how to achieve that, or where to even begin. You NEED to create your own blueprint for success, and that starts with setting goals

Jim Rohn said, "Success is steady progress toward one’s personal goals." If you really want to have a successful 2010, then decide what are the most important things for you to accomplish. Make a list of everything you want to achieve by 2011…think about health, exercise, relationships, property, travel, investments, savings, salary, profits, etc.

One of Mr. Rohn’s greatest messages is this: "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment."

After you set your 2010 goals, you need to come up with a plan to achieve those goals, and then STICK TO THE PLAN! Reward yourself when you reach your goals, and be hard on yourself when you fall short. Only through self-discipline will you turn your goals into reality.

If you need to invest in your education - do it. If you need help - get it. If you are worried - don’t be! You need to take action, because without doing so you are signing a contract to be stuck right where you are for the rest of your life. Jim Rohn said, "When you know what you want, and want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it."

Mr. Rohn also said, "If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us."

Here’s a quick video of Michael Phelps, who won an astonishing eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics. His message is short, but it is clear that goals played a big role in his phenomenal performance at the Summer Games.

I challenge you to create your own goals for 2010. After you create those goals, write down why you want them, and what you are going to do to achieve them. Then take the necessary actions to actually achieve them and make 2010 your most prosperous year yet!

Merry Christmas!

Tim Schmidt

Click here to comment!

Sometimes we aren’t sure what to do next…

I recently updated my "Ask Tim" form, and was pleasantly surprised at the number of questions I received shortly after doing so.  Today I’m going to answer one of the submitted questions because the lesson is valuable to everyone, no matter what business they are in…Let’s jump right in:

Hi Tim,

I am a freelance artist and I have been trying to find the best way to advertise my work online. I find that a lot of sites don’t let you post pics on them. Can you tell me the best way to promote my art?

Ron.

This is a great question for a number of reasons.  As I know a majority of the viewers of this blog are not freelance artists, I do know that searching for new (and especially FREE) ways of promoting whatever it is that you do online is extremely important.  Whether you are selling art, ebooks, or specialty peanuts, you have to realize that there are a LOT of people who are looking for what you are selling that have NO IDEA that you are selling it.

Here is your best friend for finding new ways to promote whatever it is that you do:

That’s right…Google it!

Let’s say you just created your first ebook called "Fishing Secrets of the Midwest’s Top Anglers." You might want to see where all of the other "fishing tips, secrets, etc." books are selling and how the other authors are doing it, and then just do it better.  Knowing how and where your competition promotes their products is a great place to start for knowing how/where you should promote yours.

For Ron, I Google searched a few phrases such as "promote your art online" and came up with a number of sites that had links to great places to promote art, such as ugallery.com and doubledigitart.com (Hey Ron, check your email for some more awesome resources).

Another way to make it big online is social media.  Social Media can be a great way to promote your product/company for free.  Check out sites like Facebook, Myspace, Flickr, Twitter, Wordpress, Youtube, LinkedIn, etc.  Having a huge online presence starts with getting your name into the hands of people who are interested in you.

Make sure that the people that might stumble into you and your products online actually have the chance to do so.

If you would like to have the chance of having your question answered, please click the "Ask Tim" button at the top of the page.

Have any more suggestions for how to promote your products or your company for free?  Click here to comment!

Take care,

Tim Schmidt

I was very sad to find out that "America’s Foremost Business Philosopher," Jim Rohn, a man whose words have had a great influence on my life, passed away over the weekend…He was a great man, and his words have inspired MANY people.

Here’s the story…

When I was 23 years old I read this book , and it had an amazing influence on my life…

It’s tough to explain just how powerful Jim’s ideas and teaching are, so instead of me trying to explain them, watch this video:

In the eight minutes of that video, I think there’s more valuable information than what’s in most of the books I have read (and I read OFTEN).

Here are my favorite quotes from the video and why:

"Success is not something you pursue…Success is something you attract by becoming an attractive person." You can dream all day of what you would do with extra money, or how you might attain it… but until you do something to actually change who you are, you’ll never actually reach that level of success.

"If you want the things on the high shelf you have to stand on the books you read." If I didn’t invest in my education and continue to invest in my education, then my family simply would not have the ability to live the way we do now. What a poetic way to say, "read more, get smarter, make more money…"

"Your income is directly related to your philosophy, not the economy." It is easy enough to blame the economy for misfortunes…now more than ever.  But some people are more successful now than ever before, and that has everything to do with their attitudes and philosophies and nothing to do with the economy and job opportunities…

Jim Rohn significantly influenced my life.  On behalf of all that you have inspired;  Thank you Mr. Rohn.

Take care,

Tim Schmidt

P.S. Let me know what you think about Jim’s philosophies by clicking here.

The biggest MVA (most valuable asset) mistake is not knowing what your MVA is…

You’ve started getting people interested in you and your product/service…You’ve even collected a bunch of email addresses. Now what?

There are a lot of opinions on what should happen next. A lot of people force their new subscribers/prospects into an unfortunate series of auto-responders. Don’t get me wrong, auto-responders can be GREAT time savers and can bring in a lot of new revenue. They can also make your new prospect dislike you.

You have to realize that getting prospects to give you their email addresses is only a fraction of the battle. The most important thing for you to focus on is what happens AFTER they give you their email addresses…Because Your Most Valuable Asset is your Relationship With Your Prospects/Customers.

In order to tell you what should happen after you get their email addresses, let’s start with what NOT to do:

First and foremost, do not start slamming affiliate promotions down the throats of your new prospects before building a relationship with them. If you do this, your prospects will regret signing up to receive emails from you, and are far more likely to unsubscribe.

Second, DON’T overdo it by sending way too many emails!  People will get annoyed if you fire off too many emails at them!

You REALLY should work on your relationship with your prospects before recommending products for them to buy (including your own).

Focusing on your relationship with your prospects is one of the best things you can do to increase your success. If you build a relationship with someone and they like you and what you give them for free, then it is far more likely that they will purchase from you when you do try to sell them a product.

And by nurturing your pre-sale relationship , your post-sale relationship building process will be a piece of cake. Customers who buy products they like from people they like are more likely to continue buying from the same seller, GUARANTEED.

This concept makes a lot of sense, but is OFTEN overlooked. Allow me to lay it out for you in the simplest of terms:

Give people something really cool in exchange for their email addresses. Then give them more cool stuff for free, causing them to like you. Then sell them ultra cool stuff they’ll like a lot. Continue to make them like you even more. Then sell them more ultra cool stuff, make more money, and be able to afford to go to Starbucks 3 times a day…etc.

Prospects and Customers that REALLY like you are more likely to:
-Buy More Stuff
-Refer and Promote Your Products to Their Friends
-Give Great Reviews/Testimonials
-Not Return Products
-Be Happy

Take care,

Tim Schmidt

Click here to comment on this post!

There is only one asset that is more valuable than obtaining prospects’ email addresses for your list, but you NEED a list in order to attain it…

(Stay tuned for your #1 asset next week)

When it comes to getting your prospects to give you their emailaddresses, you’ll need a couple of KEY ingredients:

1. Customer Resource Management (CRM) System - Like Infusionsoft, Aweber, ConstantContact, iContact, etc.

Your CRM System will be the platform through which you send all of your email communications to your prospects (most CRM providers have A LOT more features than just sending broadcast emails!)

2. Opt-in Form - Whether it’s on your blog, website, or a squeeze page, you need an opt-in form that prospects can fill out and submit.

3. Compelling Reason to Opt In - Lets face facts - you have to give to get. No one is just going to give you their email address without receiving anything in return.  Make sure that whatever you give the prospects when they opt in is so phenomenal that they CAN’T WAIT to see what else you have to offer.

If what you’re giving away doesn’t blow their minds, then why would people choose to buy from you?  Think about it…why do the Asian restaurants in the food court at the mall always give out a sample of tasty chicken or steak on a stick?  The answer is simple: they’re banking on you liking your free sample so much that you’ll come in and purchase the whole meal.  This is EXACTLY what internet marketers do whenever they launch a new product.  They give you a little to get you to buy A LOT.

During launch week for the Tribal Formula, my Entrepreneur List grew from 5,000 to 20,000.  How?  Here’s a link to the squeeze page - TribalFormula.com - (Please note, the yellow box did not exist during launch week).

I gave prospects something EXTREMELY VALUABLE in exchange for their email addresses.

So there it is - some advice regarding your 2nd most valuable asset. What do you think about my choice for an entrepreneur’s 2nd most valuable asset? Please share your thoughts by commenting on this post (click here to comment).

Take care,

Tim Schmidt

P.S. Wondering what your MOST valuable asset is?  Please comment to let me
know what you think! Click here to comment!

P.P.S.  Sorry that the comment link was broken last week!  Here’s a GREAT
comment that I received from Tony:

Hi Tim,
I just read your article and their is some great advice there. I used to work for a professional business speaker and one of his biggest messages was, why are you doing $20 an hour jobs, which stop you from doing the jobs that can generate $200 or $500 an hour. He also said that if you don’t investment time, energy and money in yourself, then you are a poor judge of a good investment!

Yet, I think his greatest advice is the concept of the 1% ideas. Just keep doing things that will improve a system or idea by 1%.

Rather than something that will improve your business by 20% just keep focusing on the 1% ideas.

A 1% ideas is usually cheap and easy to implement, if it doesn’t work, no big deal. It gives you momentum as you complete more and more 1% ideas. On the other hand a 20% idea is a big job, it could be costly if it doesn’t work. You could lose focus in the process.

So the reason I wrote to you was that I was actually going to put this as a comment on your post, but all the links from your comments are broken. So I thought I tell you and also share my thoughts…

Thank you,
Have a great day.

Tony

And for a limited time, Easy Buttons come in two great holiday colors!

NOT! Everything above this line is a LIE!

THIS is the truth…there’s NO SUCH THING as an Easy Button.

You are not going to start a business today and make $50,000 tomorrow.  It just does not work like that.

The true keys to any great entrepreneur’s success are: (in no particular order)

1. Hard Work: This seems too obvious to even be on the list, but some people think they can get by without it.  Hard work goes a LONG way.  Diligently working hard to meet goals and get the project done is #1 on my "keys to success" list for a reason - even if these are in no particular order ;).

2. Smart Work: If you aren’t working smart, you’re wasting your time.  Focus on doing the things that you are best at, and outsource or hire someone to do the things that you shouldn’t be focusing your time on.

3. Productivity: Productivity is more or less a combination of hard work and smart work.  Always be on the look for tools and resources to increase your productivity…Increasing the ROI (return on investment) of your TIME depends upon it.

4. Education : $1.3 Million…That’s roughly the amount of money that I have spent on my personal marketing education.  You don’t need to spend that kind of money to be a successful entrepreneur, but you do need to educate yourself to increase the success of your business.  Are you an expert in your niche?  Are you the best copywriter around?  Can you quickly and easily make a great webpage?  There’s always something more that you can learn - whether regarding your niche or how to market and sell your products.

5. Value: No matter what you are providing, whether its a product or service, the best thing you can do to ensure success is to provide a SERIOUS amount of value…By that I mean if the customer pays $10 for your product or service, they should feel like it is worth at least $100.  You can’t fake real value.  Customers will appreciate you and come back to you if they find value in your product.

6. Love what you do: If you don’t LOVE talking about your niche and the products or services you sell, then why do it at all?  If you’re just in it for pay day, then you are only basing your success on money.  I’d rather make $100,000 a year doing something I LOVE than $1,000,000 a year doing something I DESPISE.

7. Action: Simply put, don’t sit back .  Do you have an idea?  Create criteria for it, Brainstorm options, Select what’s most important to you, and Implement it…. NOW!

Here’s a quote that sits on my desk.  I look at it every day. 

This is my Easy Button:

"Dreams don’t work unless you do."

Think about it…

Take care,

Tim Schmidt