Day 28 - A Cool Time-Saver

Not to go totally "techno geek" on you, but I absolutely love my Evernote.

If you don't know what it is, here's the CEO giving a super brief explanation:

In short, it's my online clip file of everything from web pages and articles to meeting notes and thanks to my iPhone - even offline magazine articles.

I've been using it for a while and literally have over 1,000 different easily searchable notes on my Evernote.

But, the reason why I brought it up today is that I'm all excited because I just found out that since Evernote can search by text that's IN A GRAPHIC, I can quickly take an iPhone snapshot of business cards that I receive and easily find the one I'm looking for later. Here's a demo of how it works:



Clearly, some cool online tools add to your time on the computer. Evernote has saved me tons of hours and helped me easily organize my information.
It's worth checking out (and, NO, I'm not an affiliate or anything). They have a free level and premium level for a whopping $5/month.
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About This Chart: For those who haven't been following, I created this daily chart for the purpose of communicating and tracking some of my more important goals - publicly. You can read about it in THIS EARLIER POST.

Kudos to Sprint

It's not often that I compliment big companies on their advertising, but I have to give Kudos to Sprint. In my opinion, their new campaign for its Instinct phone is nothing short of brilliant. First check it out and then I'll let you know why I believe it will be successful.

Pretty funny huh? It manages to successfully deliver on the AIDA formula:

1) It grabs ATTENTION whether viewed online or on TV.

2) For those with iPhone envy, it develops INTEREST by showing the screen of the phone with similar touch type controls.

3) By using an "edgy" style and fun, hip tie-in to the internet and social media, it creates DESIRE in those looking for an iPhone alternative other than the Blackberry.

4) AND, will wonders never cease? An actual call to ACTION in a mass media television commercial? Be still my heart!

Seriously, I'm an iPhone guy so they have no chance at my business. However, there are tons of people out there who are on a Sprint contract that want an iPhone-like solution. There are also a ton of people who won't get an iPhone even if they secretly want to - just because they don't identify with the brand. This approach and message will resonate with both these groups and increase overall awareness of and acceptance of this phone in the market - so people who buy the Instinct will gain the social status of having one of the latest and greatest phones.

And, of course, their integration of offline and online advertising with new media and social networking is an unbelievably powerful combination. The only thing that would make it better in my mind is to set up a video station with Flip recorders at every Sprint store so that someone who buys an Instinct can immediately record their own "blatant product placement" or testimonial commercials and upload to YouTube on the spot.

That's it for now.

Be Blessed,

Thom

How Brilliant Are You?

If you know me at all by now, you know that I am very passionate
about information and tools that can help improve our businesses and lives.

I get particularly excited by resources that not only contain
solid, proven principles, but also a real action plan for how
to apply the information and experience the benefits.

So, I absolutely had to let you know about a great new book
that a my friend, Simon T. Bailey just came out with, titled
"Release Your Brilliance: The 4 Steps to Transforming Your
Life and Revealing Your Genius to the World."

Simon says, “Each of us is born brilliant. Then we spend
the rest of our lives having our brilliance buried by
people, circumstances, and experiences. Eventually, we
forget that we ever had genius and special talents, and our
brilliance is locked away in a vault deep within. So we
settle for who we are, instead of striving for who we were
meant to be.” Powerful stuff!

What I really love is that this book – complete with interactive
tools, personal assessments and more – actually guides
you on a path to overcoming setbacks, finding purpose, and
unlocking the potential that resides within you.

To celebrate the book launch and encourage you to buy
copies TODAY, Simon has set up a special page where you can
order the book at a discount and receive a TON of free bonus
gifts. As usual, I don't make a dime on this. I'm just
committed to referring you to great resources!

To check out the book and his offer, go to
http://www.ReleaseYourBrillianceBook.com

All The Best,
Thom

A Marketing Tactic To Be Aware Of

As I promised yesterday, now I'm going to tell you about the new secret weapon I'm using for getting videos onto the 30 top video sites on the web - in all of about 10 minutes!

It's called Traffic Geyser and it's simple, but really cool. In short, it eliminates having to manually go to each video site on the net, remember my passcodes, manually input submission forms and then upload my video to each (which, depending on the size of the video and internet connection speed, can be anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour per site). Now, I can upload my new video once onto the Traffic Geyser system, complete a single submission form and hit "send." The system takes it from there and submits it to all the sites automatically.

In order to prepare the first time, I did have to get registered with each of the sites and input the username and password for each on the Traffic Geyser system. Once that was done, however, it now takes me just about 15-20 minutes to submit to all 30! That's a cool thing. There are even some tools on the system that I don't use, but that are still pretty neat... like for those that aren't video savvy, Traffic Geyser has a built in video creator that enables you to take an audio and upload some graphics to create a video file that can be posted.

So, what do video postings do for business? Well, lets just say that typically, I would not have submitted to THAT many video sites - probably just sticking with the big 5. And, I certainly wouldn't have taken the time to submit all at once. So, imagine my surprise when I use Traffic Geyser the very first time and wind up crashing our server because of the flood of traffic that it caused! Now, crashing a server is NOT a good thing. But, lesson learned ... it IS good to know how to create that kind of traffic. Also, the search engine ranking on the sites I've used it for is rising pretty quickly due to the additional backlinks that it's generating.

Now, as with ALL tactics, this WILL come to an end - or at least change significantly. As more and more people start to post their advertising videos on these sites, it will become like the old ezine article submitters, when ezine publishers had to eventually make it a more controlled and personalized submission process to avoid the spam that was resulting. At the point when video websites like Google Video and all the others start to block submissions from services like Traffic Geyser, either the service itself will evolve or there will be something completely new out there.

Yet another reason to not get so wrapped up in tactics. They change too rapidly and their effectiveness comes and goes with their popularization. Instead, if you want to be the best and most successful entrepreneur you can be, focus on the overall skills and principles you need - the ones I mentioned in my post here on Tuesday of this week. THEN, hire and partner with the tacticians you need who will keep up to date on the latest, greatest tools. That's the difference between working on your business and in your business! That's why we created The Success Mechanics Extreme Business Makeovers Seminar and we're bringing in the experts like Fran Tarkenton, Bob Proctor and Stephanie Frank - to teach you how to get to that point where your business is totally working for you... instead of you working for it!

All The Best,
Thom

Ordinary Tools Can Deliver Extraordinary Results!

A review of Simpleology

Have you ever noticed that in our quest to get better results in our lives, we often look to external tools or solutions, rather than to the internal or existing tools that we already possess?

Whenever I visit a public golf course or tennis court, I'm reminded of this fact. It is there that I will often witness great feats of skill and prowess, performed using the most rudimentary of tools – an old, tattered set of clubs or racket, most likely acquired at a garage sale. This vision of their performance never ceases to inspire me, as I see, firsthand, how these true "weekend warriors" run circles around those of us who, perhaps, have put "looking the part" and equipping ourselves with the latest gadget or gizmo above developing our skills.

So, why do I mention this? Well, for 2 reasons actually. First, I think it helps to be reminded that it's more important for us to master the tools we have, rather than immediately seek new tools to be the "magic bullet" of improvement in our lives. (for instance ... a $1,000 9-iron may help Tiger Woods gain that extra edge, but it sure isn't going to help me if I'm not using my $50 9-iron with excellence.)

Secondly, a colleague of mine, Mark Joyner, has released a system which he calls Simpleology, which he is making available to participants for fr*e. He describes it as "the simple science of getting what you want." And, while it is brand new and innovative, its real power is in its simple and systematic focus on helping us develop the most powerful tool we already possess – OURSELVES!

Now, I have to preface the remainder of my comments by saying that Mark introduced me to this system almost 8 months ago now, but I have yet to make any public comments about it one way or another. Here's why – it has always been my policy, that I don't endorse or promote any book, product or service, unless I have examined it myself – even when I know, like and trust its creator. Why? Simply because my credibility is too important to me. So, I can honestly tell you, I've put Simpleology to the test. In fact, I'm now going through it for the third time in order to get even more out of it!

With that, I'll give my quick thoughts on the Simpleology system and let you know how you can check it out for yourself.

So, what exactly is Simpleology? I guess the best way I can describe it is as an online, multi-media success coach that literally leads you through a "paint by numbers" system for developing the skills and habits you need to make big changes in your life and get the things you've always desired.

It's format is that of a subscriber-based web site that includes powerful audios, videos, an ebook and worksheets that lead you, one simple step at a time, to the fulfillment of your short and long-term goals. Through this innovative format, Simpleology students are able to spend just 15 minutes a day reviewing the materials and participating in the simple exercises. And, even though the process and tool is short and simple, the results are nothing short of astounding. To a "maximizer" type like myself, this sort of time and concept leverage is unbelievably cool!

Is there anything earth-shatteringly new in Simpleology? No … and, then again, Yes. Frankly, for those who've been personal development buffs for any length of time, I've got to say that you're probably not going to hear anything that totally takes you by surprise. However, the format itself is so innovative and powerful that some basic principles that I already knew in my heart and mind were made real for me. I experienced the concepts firsthand. And, because of the strong self-accountability component of Simpleology, for the first time, I actually acted on and applied principles and strategies that I've known for years. Not only am I more charged up than I've been in years, but I've also got a definite plan and success track that I'm on to break through to new levels of effectiveness.

So, in my opinion, will Simpleology work for you? Nope! (Actually, this was a trick question.) Remember, this isn't some fancy $1,000 golf club. It's simply a guide and coach that will help you to use the greatest tools and resources that you already possess. So, it won't work for you, unless you work at it.

My advice … check it out for yourself. After all, Mark has been nice enough to make the full system available for fr*e, with no catches or anything. (Between you and me, Mark is a "sharp cookie" that employs what I call a ProfitFunnel System. He knows that as you get hooked on the successes that you develop through the Simpleology 101 System, you'll want more of his systems to help you go further in other areas. Eventually, he'll get me using and paying for his "$1,000 golf club." But, then again, I don't mind that at all, since by then he'll have me swinging like Tiger Woods!) ;-)

So, if you're interested, sign up for the Simpleology 101 system and give it the effort you deserve. I'd love to receive feedback on how you're able to make it work for you!