Their eyes meet across a crowded room. He approaches her. The excitement mounts. But suddenly, she is distracted by a friend and he assumes she isn’t interested, so he retreats. On her way past him towards the door, she drops her silk handkerchief. He sweeps it up and rushes after her to hand her the handkerchief and talk with her. Romance blossoms.

Benjamin’s dog, Vicious, is a fluffy, white Toy Pomeranian that wears a powder blue T shirt on his walks around the lake of a sunny afternoon. Benjamin thinks the sun rises and sets on young Vicious and he spends a fortune on high-end dog food. He has even imported a special dog bed for his furry child. Lucy sells insurance. She mails Benjamin a hand addressed letter, offering him a complimentary dog walking and dog sitting session with her client, Paws Here. Benjamin is asked to collect the Gift Certificates at Lucy’s office.

How many times have you had someone call you up, offering to sell you something, without giving you any reason whatsoever to even talk with them? Desperate people do desperate things. We are busy people, inundated with 36,000 advertising messages a day, all vying for our attention. We have to be very selective and sophisticated in our approach if we want someone’s attention. Consider www.Pandora.com – this is the future of effective advertising – giving people more of what they want. Pandora asks what music you like and gives you the option of creating a bank of music you love (and then you might buy some of it from them!)

Give people what they want. Give them a good reason to contact you, listen to you and buy from you. Talk in the interest of the OTHER person because nobody cares what you want. Earn the right. Create massive, unprecedented, differentiated and visible value. We all have thousands of options. Answer the unspoken question, “Why should I listen to you, talk with you, buy from you or even notice you? What makes you so different? How do I know you care about me? How much do you even know about me?” Do your homework, find the Hot Button and customize/ personalize your product or service to fit the needs of your prospect. Hand addressed envelopes, for example, pull much better than printed addresses.

Get personal and get results.

Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com

The less you think you need people, the more you need them. Pride comes before the fall. And sometimes, I feel like the Grim Reaper. I will not tolerate dishonest businesspeople. I have to burn bridges and cut them off from my own business and that of my friends. I know it’s popular for mediocre people to overlook things, turn a blind eye and compromise, but if you’re serious about success you should always remember that compromising with a rattlesnake usually results in a painful death. At any point in time, people are either building trust or destroying it, revealing who they really are by their actions.

This should be a no-brainer, common sense issue, but obviously not for many people. In business, smart people deal with you because they like you and trust you, not because you have a large database, large ego and supposedly large bank account. The only people who are impressed with that are sycophants, losers and desperate people. In honor of the fact that the average IQ on a bell curve is only 100 and that entrepreneurs are not exempt from that startling and sad reality, here is my little lesson in Building Trust 101.

This is how you break down trust and let others peak under your Eagle mask to see a gobbling turkey hiding in there:
Don’t return your calls promptly. Don’t reply to e mails within 9 hours. Put people on hold. Break your promises. Show up late. Deliver late. Make excuses. Don’t shave. Answer your cell phone in business meetings. Insist on meeting near public transport because you can’t afford a car. Be cheap. Be unreliable. Try to sell stuff without creating reciprocity. Offer a computer printed business card. Lie.

Recognize a few past acquaintances there? If it meows, it’s probably not a racehorse.

And now for something completely different, just to cheer you up after that bleak little reminder to set and maintain high standards. There are still some winners out there. Sure, it’s a small percentage and they’re not easy to find, but they’re out there and there is a way to find them! YES. You can build a WINNER MAGNET that will act like Eagle Bait, and this is how you attract those amazing people that restore your faith in mankind and bring them into your life like bees to the proverbial honey. And, before you balk at this radical approach, I can honestly tell you that it works very well for me. Do I have your rapt attention?

OK, enough waiting. Here’s how you can build trust and magnetize winners: BE a winner. Expect and demand the best of yourself and others. Deplore loser behavior. Mercilessly cut losers out of your life. Speak out. Offend the losers. Be politically incorrect. Rattle the cages of the herd. Frighten the socialists and the collectivists. Be more concerned about being respected than being liked. Warriors are not timid or concerned about the enemy’s feelings (and losers ARE your enemies in business) – they act boldly and confidently and they win battles. They are loyal and caring to their troops. You will attract what you are. The turkeys will attack you, but you won’t even notice them because you’ll be so busy working with Eagles.

Here’s a simple illustration of my point from the movie, “Patton”:

Cook: Up bright and early, General? Uh, breakfast?

How do you feel about telesales? Don’t you think, “What an irritation – this salesperson hasn’t earned the right to call me, interrupt me and try to sell me something that I can easily buy from any number of trusted friends if I wanted it?” That’s exactly how I feel about salespeople who call me up and pitch me on their products and services. There is no reason why I should even consider talking to them, let alone do business with them. And yet, that’s how 95% of salespeople operate these days. There is a better way.

Recently, I was interviewed by Heather Vale on her outstanding Success Unwrapped show. She did a wonderful job and she attended my seminar in Toronto last week. She is a Member of the international DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum, and a highly respected businesswoman. When she calls me, how do you think I respond? Very favorably, of course, I want to reciprocate. Right here, she gets exposed to many. She earned the right, impressed me and created massive value for me.

Another Champion is Eric Gilbert-Williams, of www.yourpna.ca , a Member who has contributed significantly to the growth of my business in Ontario. How do think I respond to any requests from Eric?

1. Get introduced to them by someone whom they know, trust and respect.

2. EARN the right – use the Law of Reciprocity to sow before you attempt to reap. Only the brainless and desperate still believe that works.

3. Know the person to whom you are pitching – do your homework. I have been approached by some geniuses who haven’t even taken the time to look at my website before calling me. Then you can push the right buttons and make them an offer they simply can’t refuse.

4. Whatever it is you’re selling, the person you are approaching has dozens of alternatives. Remember that and be prepared to differentiate yourself by adding massive, unprecedented value.

5. DON’T be CHEAP. Be prepared to spend some money to position and package yourself or you will simply reveal your desperation and ignorance. I had someone ask me to call him back so that he could save on the telephone call!

We live in a dichotomous business world – one the one hand, we have the highly sophisticated, slick approach that is often too well packaged to be believable, and then on the other the hand the coffee-stained, computer printed business card of the MLM’er. By using the above principles, you can elevate yourself to a position where you demand and get the positive attention of those you wish to sell to. Join the DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum.

Robin J. Elliott www.DollarMakers.com

We welcome our new Sponsor, the Ottawa Business Journal
Listen to Heather Vale interview Robin J. Elliott: Click here

Long ago, I was traveling along a dark and deserted dirt road at midnight in the Northern Transvaal, South Africa. It was late, I was dog tired and I was taking some waiters from the hotel home. The road was wet and sloped the wrong way on a bend and my old Peugeot 404 rolled into a ditch. Some waiters were thrown out of the car. I was upside down in the car, with my pinkie finger caught in the door. The door was lodged against the side of a ditch and I was trapped. Liquid was running down the windshield and over the electrics on the dashboard. I was convinced it was gasoline and that I was going to be barbequed in short order. I decided to shoot my finger off and searched the glove box for my .38 Special revolver, but it was in the trunk. Eventually, I got free, and we walked until 4am to get to transport. Had I shot my finger off, I would probably have bled to death, according to the doctor who sewed my finger up.

It was a warm, sunny spring day in Vancouver. I went for a long walk along the Coquitlam river, enjoying the beautiful forest and river. Eventually, I was tired and decided to look for a place to cross the river. Although it’s spring, the water is icy cold and about knee deep, and wide. And it flows strongly with slippery, big round stones on the river bed. The further I walked, the more I realized there wasn’t a place to cross. But I kept on walking, until I reached a solid obstruction that was impossible to pass. I had a decision to make; walk all the way back and go the long way around, or cross the river. OR, cross the river and explore the new area I was looking for. I crossed. It was icy but very invigorating.

Often, in life, we’re looking for something and we keep on looking, until we come to a crossroads. One gets tired of banging one’s head, or doors are closed, or we reach a point of decision. Sometimes, as in my stories above, we have no more options. We have to choose route A or route B. That decision will affect the rest of your life. This is a very valuable and important intersection in our lives. When I resigned from my job to start my business 19 years ago, my late friend, Louis, gave me Tony Robbin’s book and he had written on the inside cover, “Congratulations on your Independence Day!”

The best decision is usually not the easiest, safest or most popular. It’s usually hard and a bit risky. But the results are commensurate with your courage, integrity, passion and commitment. Choose the high way. Be brave. You only have one life. Be a hero for YOU. Not for others but for yourself. And your own self respect and dignity.

Robin J. Elliott http://www.dollarmakers.com/

Joint Venture Broker Bootcamp Toronto April 22nd Click here

Joint Venture Seminars with Robin J. Elliott to attend in April:
Ottawa April 22nd - Call Joanne Beehler 1.866.702.8008
Windsor, ON April 24 - Call Jennifer Beale 905.274.1888
London ON April 25 - Call Jennifer Beale 905.274.1888
Toronto April 25 - Call Jennifer Beale 905.274.1888
Buffalo NY April 26 - Call Jennifer Beale 905.274.1888

One of the questions that comes up in every talk, seminar or Bootcamp I deliver, is the following: “I have been feeding people business and leads for ages and I never got paid. How do I change that now, without offending and alienating these people who are my friends?” It‘s a good question. First of all, as a decent, self respecting capitalist and business person, you should get paid. And secondly, we don’t want to distance our business associates.

For years, you’ve been sending and referring business to people that has been worth, perhaps, tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to them. Now, you realize you have left a lot of money on the table unnecessarily. Here’s the best way I have found to turn this situation around with tact and finesse. It works well. First, you identify the people to whom you want to continue sending business on the understanding that you will be fairly and adequately compensated for it. Then, you do some research homework (usually with their competition) to find out what their profit margins are so that your expectations are reasonable regarding the commissions you expect. These commissions could be once-off or an upfront payment with ongoing residual payments on all ensuing sales.

Once you are comfortable with the commissions you expect from referrals in the future, you set up a meeting with the person to whom you wish to continue sending referred business. At the meeting, you have a simple script to follow that won’t upset the person. This is what you say, even if you have never received any referrals from this person: “You know, Bill, I have been having a good look at the Joint Venture opportunities in my business and I read something that really put me on the spot and I have to apologize to you. Up until now, I never offered you any compensation for any business you refer to me. I realize now that that is not fair to you. We all deserve to be paid for what we do, of course, and it was not ethical of me to accept leads from people without offering to pay a fair and reasonable commission. So, from now on, I will pay you 20% (or whatever is right and generous for you) on any business you send me. And of course, you will do the same, right?”

At this point, if he refuses to pay you for future referrals, or if he offers you too little based on your research, don’t argue or fight. Simply agree and never send him business again. Instead, find someone else to refer your business to. Ascertain exactly how much he will pay you, how it will be determined, be specific, for example an exact percentage gross profit or net profit, will there be payments on all ongoing business or not, should he add taxes, at which point will he pay, will he pay weekly or monthly, etc. Confirm this in writing after the meeting. Also include what you will pay him!

This simple system can be worth a small fortune to you. Joint Ventures work. Join the DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum. www.nomoneynorisk.com

You can unlock this vault through Joint Ventures. Whatever it is that you need, be it space, advertising, distribution, a sales team, labor, equipment reputation, a database or anything else, as long as someone else has it, you can get access to it! Most businesses have underutilized resources. Not every resource in every business is fully utilized. I visited my printer the other day to discuss the printing of my new book and I found that he also, at time, has excess capacity or inventory. Could people put more seats into their seminars? Add a few more seats in a restaurant? Do they have inventory that isn’t moving? Idle staff members? Of course they do.

Once we realize that these resources are all available to us, be they seats on aircraft, rooms in hotels or credit, Memberships, cars, printers or time, we have to understand how to access that resource with no cost or risk to us. Once we realize that the Law of Reciprocity works very well when understood, just like gravity, we can simply use that law. We can barter, trade, or simply set up simple Joint Ventures to leverage resources. How big do you think? What do you expect? How confident are you? This will determine how much you can get.

If you ask for a million, you might get it. If you ask for a hundred… You simply have to give the owner or controller of those resources a good reason to share them with you. If he gets what he wants, you can get what you want. Here are some real-life examples from Barternews.com:

1. Peter Pocklington acquired 50% of the Edmonton Oilers from Nelson Skalbania in 1977 in exchange for a Rolls Royce, a 15-carat ring, and a Renoir painting.

2. Continental Airlines traded five terminal gates it had at Los Angeles International to United Airlines for several of their gates at the Newark (NJ) airport.

3. Star Wars creator George Lucas’ company Lucasfilm is quietly negotiating a huge barter deal that will see one company having the toy manufacturing rights to a new series of his upcoming films. Offers reportedly approaching $1 billion are on the table with Lucas getting a sizable equity (ownership) stake in the toy company with which he eventually barters.

Your imagination is your only limitation. Together, we can do amazing things. It’s hard to do it alone, and you don’t have to. ASK. “You have not because you ask not.” Be bold. Find out what the other person wants and trade. Everything you need is readily available and waiting for you!

Join the DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum - Click here for more information.

When an attorney, J. Jamail, was asked to represent Penzoil in court in the late 1980s, he agreed to barter his services for a percentage of the award if he won the case, instead of charging an hourly fee. He won the case again Texaco and when Penzoil was awarded $3 billion, Jamail earned about $420 million.

When we believe in ourselves and our abilities and we think about how we CAN accomplish something, instead of why we can’t, we realize that we don’t have money problems; we have thinking problems. Every resource your business needs is already available to you through someone else, be it legal services, space, advertising, labor, distribution, access, reputation, membership or skills. There is no shortage – there is only abundance. I use a simple illustration in my seminars: I ask the audience to imagine a huge barrel of stinking garbage and rotting meat. I tell them there’s a million dollars at the bottom of the barrel and ask how many would dive into the barrel and climb under the rotting mess to get the money.

My point is this: If you believe the money is there, you will climb into the putrid garbage and duck underneath it and search until you find the prize. But if you don’t believe it’s there, you won’t even try. You won’t pay the price if you don’t believe the award exists. J. Jamail believed in himself, his skills and his client. He was confident and courageous. He created his success. There is a solution for every challenge and that solution is available through another person / business. Joint Ventures enable us to access everything we need and want, and, if we do it right, we can do it with no money or risk. We simply have to have the right mindset.

The reason why most people fail in business, in my opinion, is that (1.) They try to do everything themselves and (2.) They give up to easily. They very soon forget the million dollars at the bottom of the barrel and focus instead on the long hours, frustration, stink and work. A savvy Joint Venture broker might simply find someone with a long stick and agree to pay him a percentage of the prize for fishing the money out of the barrel, while he goes on to look for more opportunities, much like Penzoil did with Mr. Jamail.

It’s not “IF I can do it”, but rather “How can I do it.” IF stands for Instant Failure. Paul J. Meyer encouraged us to “Enter every activity without giving mental recognition to the possibility of defeat.” He told us, “Crystallize your goals. Make a plan for achieving them and set yourself a deadline. Then, with supreme confidence, determination and disregard for obstacles and other people’s criticisms, carry out your plan.” Now THAT’s what I’m talking about! That’s the attitude that will tract winners to you. And, buy working together with optimists and achievers, we can accomplish amazing things. Join the DollarMakers Joint Venture Forum: Click here for more information.

Robin J. Elliott www.NoMoneyNoRisk.com

Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey is an international star and a true cowboy. He is an 18 year old Capuchin Monkey and he is one of the biggest little monkeys in the world. Whiplash has been riding since he was two years old. He travels the United States herding up wild Barbados sheep at rodeos and special events. His riding ability is unmatched and his herding skills unchallenged but Whiplash never misses a chance to show his monkey heritage; as he rides the dog he will pull the saddle from side to side and even hang off to one side mimicking an Indian hideaway.

Recently on the Discovery Channel I saw the sad story of an English couple who had kept their Capuchin monkey pet in a tiny cage in their small apartment for 16 years. Now these two monkeys didn’t have much choice in the course of their lives, but we do. We can build ourselves little cages and shy away from adventure, hiding our light under a bushel, as it were, or we can seek to expand our minds and our lives and create value for millions through our contribution. Sam Walton could have chosen to operate small variety stores, but instead he created Wal-Mart and promoted Capitalism and privatization.

Any time we rely on something or somebody, we lose freedom. Anything or anybody that we believe we need controls us. Ayn Rand defined freedom thus: “To ask for nothing, to expect nothing, to depend on nothing.” We can grow as big as our dreams or stay as small as our fears. We can respond and react, borrow and beg, or we can develop, control, produce and create. We have that choice. You can be the boss or the employee, the slave or the master. But the beginning point is to become the master of your own mind, and to realize that everything you have and everything you are is essentially your own creation.

The great news is that it’s never too late to change. We are always faced with two choices: we can advance or retreat. We can get bigger and stronger by embracing new opportunities and developments or we can shrink from the challenges we face. Have a look at faces of the people carrying placards to prevent a Wal-Mart store from opening in south Vancouver. Do these collectivists look happy, successful, inspired and creative, or are they simply bitter and confused puppets of the local shop keepers? You tell me. When a Wal-Mart opens, these are the same people who buy there!

Freedom is the ability to choose your own destiny and reaction to life, to accept that you are the captain of your own ship and that you do not have to accept the limitations or others. Eagles are free – they are not affected by what others say, do or think. Individualists and creators do not take the lead from second-handers and cult member. They love Robert Frost’s “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood… and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Break free. Insist on your freedom. Have fun. Create a lifestyle and a business that promotes your freedom to create, produce and make your own decisions. Like Whiplash, don’t be a sheep – be a herder instead.

To create financial freedom, visit www.nomoneynorisk.com now.

Robin J. Elliott is an Honored Member of America’s Who’s Who of Outstanding Professionals 2006. He is officially included in the International Who’s Who of Entrepreneurs of 2002 and was nominated as a candidate for inclusion in the 2004-2005 edition of the International Who’s Who of Professionals.

I know many people who offer financial planning and insurance products and services. And there is only one of them to whom I would refer business or joint venture with at this time in time. How did he differentiate himself from all the rest? Is it his vast experience? No – he’s actually quite new in the field. Is it is great success? No – he’s new. Is it because of his qualifications or smart brochures or luxury offices? No. It’s because he has given me a REASON to want to send him business and work with him!

The best and most effective way to induce, persuade and ethically bribe people to mention your name, work with you and refer loads of business to you and the ideal way to differentiate yourself in the market and create top-of-mind awareness, is to create unprecedented, massive reciprocity. Read this sentence again; it could change your life. Joint Ventures are based on reciprocity. It’s very simple. If you are good and kind to me, if you are sincerely interested in helping me achieve my goals and you consistently create value for me, if you go out of your way to assist me and support me, it’s human nature that I will want to find a way to reciprocate.

Let’s look at how this particular financial services individual put himself solidly into my good books and how he has caused me to write this article, which will be read by thousands of people in this ezine and on my Blog, at no cost to him.

His name, by the way, is Wilson Poon. Wilson joined the Dollarmakers Joint Venture Forum and attended our Joint Venture Broker Bootcamp. Every time he attends any event that I speak at or any Members meeting, I receive a “Thank You” e mail immediately. Out of hundreds of people, Wilson Poon is usually the ONLY ONE that does so! It costs him nothing to send that e mail. He started a Mastermind group with some of the other Members and did exceptional work setting it up, simply to create added value for those Members. He is consistently friendly, he’s a good listener, he pays compliments and his humility is built on a firm foundation of great intelligence and integrity. So he creates reciprocity and it pays off.

Using Joint Ventures, you can take this to the next level by offering literally thousands of dollars of real, added value to your products and services, at absolutely no cost to you, using coupons, Gift Certificates and Trade. But always remember one thing: Human nature doesn’t change. What goes around, comes around. You reap what you sow. And because 99% of business owners don’t understand the leverage available to them through Joint Ventures, you can leave your competition bewildered choking in the dust, while you grow your bottom line exponentially with no money and no risk.

Robin J. Elliott www.NoMoneyNoRisk.com
www.DollarMakers.com

After absorbing “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and other books by the amazing Robert Kiyosak and working with many “Business Owners” I realized that most of us are unaware of the requirements for retirement. We tend to fall for the lie that we have to invest a fortune with various characters, usually in the form of “investments” or the purchase of businesses, and get into massive debt, in order to have the hope of retiring one day. Here’s a simple question: If the genius offering you the solution to retirement is steeped in debt and working as a salesperson, what right does he or she have to tell YOU about retirement?

Here’s a very simple formula for retirement: Create increasing, passive / residual income that exceeds the amount you require to live comfortably each month. That doesn’t mean you’re out there selling stuff all day. It doesn’t mean that you need a fortune just to break even every month. Or that if you stop working, you go bankrupt. It doesn’t mean that you lose your savings if your business fails or the stock market crashes. It means you are very secure. It means you have multiple streams of passive income, from different sources / industries, low income requirements and minimal, if any, debt.

Every business should have an exit strategy. We need a specific action plan that will take us where we want to go. If you’re selling time, you’re at risk. If you’re depending on one income source, you’re at risk. If you think that things don’t change or that that the economy doesn’t change, you’re at risk. If all your income is through your business, you’re at risk. All your eggs are in one basket. If you focus on duplication, leverage and diversification, if you reduce risk and overhead while increasing income, you’re on track. And most of all, remember this: It’s not about income – it’s about net, after tax, profit. It’s about the bottom line, not ego.

How long does it take to retire? As long as it takes you to create increasing, passive / residual income from different sources that exceeds the amount you require to live comfortably each month. And of course you want to minimize tax and create a comfortable, growing, financial cushion. You don’t have to accumulate massive savings. (And when you’re asked to invest, ask the salesperson to prove how much they have invested in the same venture.) There are some excellent investment opportunities out there, but they are few and far between. I know of very few.

The system I use is Joint Ventures. Have done for 19 years. I leverage existing resources and hidden assets. I don’t have to own a business to make money from that business, and all my income from JV’s is 100% profit. I carry no risk, leases, licenses, overhead or employees or inventory – I don’t have to – someone else insists on doing that. I can work internationally with no cost or risk. So can you. When you fly to another city, do you buy a jet and learn how to fly it? You can just rent a seat. Joint Ventures is my system of choice. More info? Click here

Audio Books: Joint Ventures for Seniors, Stay-at-Home-Moms, Real Estate Investors and more… Click here

Robin J. Elliott