Become a business star

Succeeding in business is easier than you think.
One secret is: Do what other successful people do.
Each week I share such success secrets on video.
You can watch them on www.ProfitabilityChannel.com
Put this address in your browser and it will take you there.
Click on Library at the top and scroll down to Video Email
Click on one of the Essential Entrepreneur lines.
Up will come a 2-minute video of one of my tips.
This is free. That’s right. F-R-E-E.
It's hard tro beat a price like that.
Ruth King has archived some really great video.
Not all of it is free but it’s very inexpensive.
A year’s subscription is only $97.
That's a deal she's offering this month only.
That’s less than $2 a week for money-making ideas.
You couldn't take a 3-hour college course for $97.
It’s like a graduate course. Attend when you like.
Is this a sales pitch? You bet it is.
What do I get out of it?
The satisfaction of helping you in your business.
That's all. So give it a try.
If you like my free videos, you might subscribe.
There's a lot of other cool stuff, too.
Try it. You'll like it.

Can you manage the universe?

I’m off to Atlanta this morning for an interview with Ruth King.
We’ll talk about newsletters as a business-building strategy.
Watch it at 10 a.m.today on ProfitabilityChannel.com
We’ll also tape 17 weekly Business Tips of the Week.
You can see them each Monday on her Internet channel.
Ruth offered me this opportunity more than a year ago,
It has great value to help entrepreneurs. Of course, I said yes.
Not all opportunities do. Analyze each one for value.
Blog reader Bob Bobber passed along this important point.
Bob teaches executives to get more from their time.
Some requests for your time present genuine opportunities.
Some don’t. Analyze them. Ask yourself:
1. Does it have to be done now?
2. Can someone else do it?
3. What happens if I don’t do it?
I would add: Will it help those I want to help?
Many highly-motivated people tend to become martyrs.
They think it is their responsibility to take on everything.
Does your job description read: "Manager of the Universe"?
Mine doesn’t either. Let someone else manage the universe.
You may already have enough on your plate.
You have your great purpose in life to take care of.
Please leave a comment by clicking on comment below.
For 7 Tips to Manage Time, email me at JerryBellune.com

How to make your network work

Welcome to my Thursday morning Marketing Blog.
You may not believe it but you have at least 250 acquaintances.
These are people you know and who know you.
Your network is larger than you suspect.
Some will be clients, some prospects, some sources for referrals.
There are more than 5,000 names on my list.
I know people who have five times that number.
Creating your 250-name list will take time.
List everyone you know who might do business with you.
Also list those who won’t but could be a source of referrals.
Some places to look for names for your prospect list:
Your active clients, address book and Christmas card list.
Church and club directories. Chamber of commerce members.
High school and college friends. The Yellow pages.
Keep a small notebook with you to jot down their names.
Build an "A" list of your clients and hot prospects.
These are the folks who are hot for what you got.
Your "B" list will include those who can refer you to prospects.
What are you going to do with this list?
We’ll talk about that next week. But go ahead and get started.
This is a key strategy in my book, "How to Peel a Green Banana".
Ruth King and I will be talking about this book at 10 a.m. Friday.
Watch the 30-minute interview at www.ProfitabilityChannel.com
You’ll learn how to peel a green banana and other cool stuff.
Want a free trial subscription to my Advertising & Marketing Letter?
Email me at JerryBellune@yahoo.com

Think like an owner

One of our sales people complained the other day about my sales.
Can you believe that? She complained about my sales.
I had breakfast with her account and helped him buy from her.
She had been trying to see him for days without success.
Of course, she got the commission. So why should she complain?
I got to see him, she said, because I own our newspaper.
He was willing to see me because of that? Not on your life.
As a fellow business owner, we have a lot in common.
We speak the same language. We think alike.
I simply explained what was in it for him. He made the buy.
My advice to her? Think like an owner. It makes a difference.
She should know this. She owns two businesses of her own.
She is a true entrepreneur. She has a passion for it.
She can think like an owner. And you need to, too.
Somebody else may sign your paycheck but it’s your business.
Whatever you do, think like an owner because you are.
Your attitude makes the difference in success or failure.
Too many people let others run their lives. Big mistake.
You’re in charge. Don’t let anyone take that away from you.
Make the tough decisions. Take action. Succeed in life.
Ruth King talks with me about this in our TV interview.
You can watch our 30-minute interview by clicking here.

Make a success of your business

It doesn’t much matter who signs your paycheck.
If you’re working, you’re working for yourself.
That’s the entrepreneurial spirit that drives our economy.
During Ruth King’s interview with me Friday, we talked about this.
Business should be fun. Selling should be, too.
Selling drives our businesses and produces our profits.
One of my mentors liked to ask rookies the purpose of a newspaper.
They would offer some idealistic platitude in response.
No, he would say, our purpose is to make a profit.
Newspapers are businesses, too. Without profits, no newspapers.
His words were prophetic. Many newspapers aren’t profitable.
That’s true of other media. Broadcast and cable suffer, too.
Their sales and market share are swooning.
In our interview, Ruth and I talked about 30+ business strategies.
These include strategies to generate and track sales and revenue.
Without that, none of us will be profitable or survive.
One of my big goals is to help us all survive in this economy.
We can show you what to do but doing it is up to YOU.
To watch the interview, just click here.
It will be one of the most productive 30 minutes of your week.

Managing our most valuable resource

What would you say is your most valuable resource?
If you run a business, you might say your customers.
They are inside ones (employees) and outside ones (clients).
What if you have no employees or clients?
You might say your spouse, kids, home, job and bank account.
All these are important assets. But they aren’t the most valuable.
Time is. It's the great equalizer. It levels the playing field.
Whether rich or poor, we all have the same 24 hours a day.
None of us can buy even an extra five minutes.
What’s most important is how we manage this valuable asset.
Time management really means self-management.
Any idea how much time you waste every day?
If you did, it would frighten you.
Our sales staff tracks the time they spend selling each day.
Their goal is to increase that selling time every week.
They count only when they are talking with a client or prospect.
Drive time, paper work, getting coffee don’t count.
My new book, "Selling by the Numbers", teaches you to track yours.
Ruth King will talk with me about the book at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Go to http://www.profitabilitychannel.com/schedule_network.php.
Scroll down the Channel Schedule to the link in the calendar.
You can watch it on your desktop or your laptop.
It’s only 30 minutes. You will learn about our success systems.
You can’t beat the price. Absolutely free. It will change your life.
By the way, the book is available now. Just click here.

The secrets of success

Too many of us think of success as a destination. It isn’t.
Success is a journey. A pursuit. A passion to excel.
Success at anything is only temporary. A fleeting joy.
We’re only as good as today’s successes. Not yesterday’s.
Those who succeed repeatedly and often develop systems.
Their systems are based on what works for them.
We have studied success in business, sales, sports and life.
We have field tested their tactics. We found what works for us.
If you do that, learning from masters, you will succeed, too.
You’ll measure success in high productivity. Peak performance.
I’ve pulled together 17 of these success strategies in a new book.
"Selling by the Numbers" tells you how to succeed.
It shows you what we have taught others to help them succeed.
Ruth King will talk with me about this book at 10 a.m. Friday.
Write it in your appointment book. 10 a.m. Friday.
Ruth’s Business Book Club at www.ProfitabilityChannel.com
It’s only 30 minutes but you will learn about our success systems.
You can’t beat the price. It’s absolutely free.
Invest 30 minutes of your time with us. It will change your life.
The book will be available on our web site later this week.
Be patient with our Internet Marketing Director Jim Howard.
He’s working hard on it right now. See you Friday.

Finding your life’s great purpose

Last time we talked about how geniuses solved problems.
Today we’ll talk about finding your great purpose in life.
Our Higher Power put each of us in this life for a great purpose.
But this came with no instructions, hints or guidelines.
We have to figure out for ourselves what our great purpose is.
We have clues. What are we good at? What do we enjoy doing?
What natural talents do we possess? Which ones can we develop?
Which subjects come easily? Which ones don’t?
Over the next few days, we’re going to explore this subject.
We’ll give you questions. Your answers will guide you.
Your purpose may seem a mystery now. But it does not have to be.
We all have a purpose. Don’t be one of those who never find it.
Finding and achieving your great purpose leads to an exciting life.
You will feel enriched beyond riches, wealthy beyond dreams.
In achieving your purpose, you will feel fulfilled and satisfied.
As Rick Warren wrote, your life will become purpose-driven.
Next time we will talk about the eight important areas of life.
For more about great purposes, see my interview with Ruth King.
To watch and listen to the video, just click here.

Never give in

Last time we talked about dealing with wishy-washy people.
Today we’ll talk about winning against the odds.
Former star quarterback Joe Montana was in town the other day.
While he was here to speak to a hospital event, he spoke with us.
For non-sports fans, Joe’s teams won four NFL Super Bowls.
Joe was voted Most Valuable Player in three of those games.
Joe had a cool head and a sure hand with a football.
He was a precision passer with great receivers.
His teams won at Notre Dame and the San Francisco 49ers.
Joe never gave in. He came into games with his team far behind.
In NFL games, Joe engineered 31 come-from-behind victories.
That was in the toughest, most bruising league in pro sports.
How many times have you felt it was too late to do anything?
Have you thrown up your hands or just written it off?
Winston Churchill rallied his country with "Never give in" messages.
That was in the darkest days of WWII with daily German bombings.
It takes steel in the spine and great resolve to keep going.
Don’t let life and adversity grind you down. Stick to your mission.
For more on mission control, click here.

Just a reminder
Tune in tomorrow at 10 a.m. on the Internet.
Ruth King will talk with me about my new profit-building book.
Watch us on http://www.profitabilitychannel.com/
For a unique holiday gift for someone you love, click here.

Cut to the chase

Last time we talked about building profit in a down economy.
Today we’ll discuss cutting to the chase with wishy-washy people.
Ever tried to close an agreement with wishy-washy people?
They won’t make up their minds. They can’t make decisions.
Warren Greshes, in "The Best Damn Sales Book Ever", suggests:
When they equivocate on making a decision, be direct.
Ask: "Do we have a deal, yes or no?"
Then shut up and wait for them to speak.
Warren spent 10 years selling in New York’s garment center.
That’s a tough place to sell. Warren succeeded at selling.
He succeeded for many reasons. One was, he could be direct.
He didn’t listen to other salesmen tell him it couldn’t be done.
He cut to the chase. He asked: "Do we have a deal, yes or no?"
If the answer was no, he walked away. Waste no more time.
Time is one of his most valuable assets. It’s one of yours, too.
For more on time and asset management, click here.
Just a reminder: Tune in Friday at 10 a.m. on the Internet.
Ruth King will talk with me about my new book.
It’s entitled "Accelerate Your Profit Builders".
Watch us on www.ProfitabilityChannel.com
For a unique holiday gift for someone you love, click here.

Building profit in a down economy

Last time we talked about protecting your most valuable assets.
Today we’ll discuss what you can do in our sinking economy.
I hesitate to call it a recession because I don’t know that it is.
Economists have predicted 14 of our last three recessions.
Rather than sing the blues, you can do something about it.
Based on our annual surveys, we have collected 79 strategies.
All of them are designed to build sales and revenues.
Here’s one from my book "Accelerate Your Profit Builders".
It’s from Florida publisher and entrepreneur Bob Bobber.
Bob only does business with people who do business with him.
It may be the guy who cuts his grass or his office supplier.
He lets them know that's his policy and he sticks with it.
If they are not a client. he does no business with them.
This is not a barter. Bob pays his bill. They pay theirs.
How many people do you do business with like this?
How many do you buy from who don’t reciprocate?
Think about it. There’s business to be had. Just ask for it.
For more strategies, tune in Friday, Nov. 21, at 10 a.m. EST.
Our West Coast friends can watch at 7 a.m. at breakfast.
Ruth King will be talking with me about my new profits book.
Watch us on www.ProfitabilityChannel.com on your computer.
For a unique holiday gift for someone you love, click here.

Do newspapers have a future?

Yesterday we talked about learning from our experiences.
Today we’ll talk about something close to many of our hearts:
What lies ahead for newspapers and the publishing industry?
As you’re reading this, my wife and I will be in Atlanta.
I’ll talk with Ruth King on the ProfitabilityChannel.com at 10 a.m.
Then we will meet for the weekend with other consultants.
These include some familiar names you will recognize:
Ed Henninger, Ken Blum, Bob Bobber and Kevin Slimp.
We will discuss the future of newspapers in print and online.
I’ll share our insights with you in next week’s blog.
My take on newspapers’ future? It’s simple and optimistic.
The obituaries are premature. Community newspapers are robust.
They fill a need for local news and information like nothing else.
They tell about your taxes. What your local officials are up to.
About the education your children get. The safety of your town.
Who scored the winning points in the local high school game.
Who was born, got married or died. What’s on at the movies.
We don’t try to cover the world. We cover what we do best.
We should not try to be all things to all people. That’s suicidal.
Local news and sports is our franchise. Our reason for existence.
We should strive to do it better than anyone else ever could.
I hope you have time to watch Ruth and me. To do it, click here.

Learning from life’s experiences

Yesterday we talked about your goals creating your life’s vision.
I know you’ve already listed your top 20 life goals.
Today we’ll talk about learning from the lessons of your life.
Our friend Michael Aun learned about life’s lessons at age 11.
His grandfather, Eli Mack, was the mayor of our small town.
He gave Michael a book for his birthday. The pages were blank.
"It’s worthless," Michael said. "It doesn’t have anything in it."
His grandfather was patient. He gave Michael this advice:
"It’s what you will put in it that will make it valuable."
That fueled Michael’s lifelong passion for keeping a daily journal.
He calls it his love notes to his great great grandchildren.
He will never see them but the notes are his legacy to them.
His grandfather urged Michael to list 500 goals for his life.
His grandfather would go through the newspaper with him.
They would read about something the President had done.
His grandfather asked if he wanted to be President.
Michael decided against the presidency but listed 510 goals.
At last count he has achieved 487 of those life goals.
How’s your list? Are you checking off what you’ve achieved?
A reminder: Ruth King will interview me Friday at 10 a.m.
We’ll talk about my new "Terminate Your Profit Killers" book.
To watch, go to www.JerryBellune.com. It shows you what to do.
For more about goals, vision and purpose, click here.

How your goals create your vision

Yesterday we talked about setting your life’s goals.
I trust you’ve already listed your top 20 life goals.
If not, do that right after you finish reading today’s blog.
Keep them in a notebook and add to them as they come to you.
Believe me, they will come to you. It is providential.
Today we’ll talk about your goals creating your life’s vision.
Permit me to share a personal story about mine.
I wrote "Your Life’s Great Purpose" to help you find your purpose.
I wanted you to find it in eight key areas of your life.
The three most important are faith, family and community.
The others are career, financial, body, mind and just for fun.
I thought that was the book’s true great purpose. I was wrong.
God gave me a challenge: Sell books to wipe out illiteracy.
42 million Americans can’t read. We need to correct that.
Millions can’t enjoy reading the way you and I enjoy it.
My goal was to sell 2 million books, to raise $20 million for literacy.
I heard Jack Canfield talk about selling 1 million books in a day.
God was telling me through Jack that my goal was too small.
I raised it to 20 million books to raise $200 million for literacy.
Think about it. What’s your big goal, your great purpose in life?
Write it down. Commit to achieving it. Believe you can do it.
Share it with those you love. Enlist their support.
Let them share your purpose and your belief to make it work.
That’s one of the biggest challenges of your life. You can do it.
Email me your purpose. I’ll do whatever I can to help you.
A reminder: Ruth King will interview me Friday at 10 a.m.
We’ll talk about my new "Terminate Your Profit Killers" book.
To watch, go to www.JerryBellune.com. It shows you what to do.
For more about goals, vision and purpose, click here.

Success Secret: History's greatest motivator

Yesterday we talked about the greatest success secret.
Can you guess what's history's greatest motivator?
It’s living with a direction and a purpose.
I explain this in detail in "Your Life’s Great Purpose".
I’m concerned by what is happening to our young people.
The lure of drugs, gangs, sex and violence is powerful.
They think these four are cool.
I started writing about making hard choices.
I wanted all people to make smart choices.
I had made my own share of poor choices.
But I learned from them and become stronger.
My eLetter was about turning dreams into goals.
About planning your life in eight major areas.
Spiritual. Mental. Physical. Family.
Community. Financial. Career. Fun.
People began to tell others about the eLetters.
Our subscribers rose to 3,000 plus and growing.
We've turned the eLetters into a motivational book.
Ruth King has interviewed me about this book.
You can watch the interview on the Profitability Channel.
Just click here.
Tomorrow we’ll talk more about motivation. See you then.

TGIF: Cooking with curry

Years ago, my father found a recipe for Shrimp a la Indie.
To a man from rural south Georgia, it sounded exotic.
In South Carolina, the ingredients were hard to find.
It called for chutney, curry powder and Garam masala.
He had to special order many ingredients.
His kids turned up their noses. It wasn’t fried chicken.
But the aroma was tantalizing. We tasted it. Delicious.
That was the only time he ever prepared it.
I’ve tried to find that recipe ever since. No luck.
If you have the recipe, please email it to me.
We love Indian food. Some is elaborate and time-consuming.
Here’s a quick curry recipe you can try this weekend.
It takes almost no time at all.

Easy Chicken Curry (for 4)
3-4 lb. frying chicken
4 gloves garlic
1 teaspoon Garam masala
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup apple sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 pint warm milk
1 cup cooked rice
Roast chicken. Saute garlic, spices, sugar and curry powder. Add remaining ingredients. Stir. Carve roasted chicken. Serve on a bed of rice. Serve sauce on side. Enjoy.

Today you can watch my interview with Ruth King.
To view the interview click here.
If you need to, you can watch it over the weekend.
We discuss my new book "Your Life’s Great Purpose".
Next week we’ll share more success tips.See you then.

Making difficult choices in life

It’s hard to overcome addictions.
Too much coffee, tobacco or other substances.
I know. It took me years to give up cigarettes.
Disciplining yourself is demanding.
To become successful, you must have discipline.
Successful people make hard choices.
Unsuccessful people don’t.
Successful people choose good habits.
They keep fit and healthy.
Eat properly. Get adequate rest.
Make plans and hold themselves accountable.
Good habits demand self discipline.
Bad habits only ask self-indulgence.
Bad habits are easy to acquire, hard to live with.
Bad habits lead to addiction. Job loss. Divorce. Jail.
Good habits are hard to acquire, easy to live with.
Good habits lead to success. Fulfilled dreams.
A richer life. More fun. Loving families.
For more on this, click here.
Scroll down to #33, Making Hard Choices.

Tomorrow you can watch my interview with Ruth King.
Click here to view it. If you need to, you can watch it over the weekend.
We discuss my new book "Your Life’s Great Purpose".
Tomorrow we’ll talk about cooking with curry.
See you then.

Finding balance in our lives

Do you often feel overwhelmed with responsibilities?
Is there never enough time for everything?
Wouldn’t it be a relief to put some balance into your life?
My wife and I have had problems with that.
She put her journalistic career on hold to raise our children.
I was proud of her for making this decision.
We believed this was the best way to help our children.
They would face many poor influences outside our home.
It put pressure on me to earn enough to offset lost income.
As a result, I made some poor choices of my own.
I worked long hours. I left her alone to rasie our children.
That was not a balanced life.
I should have been able to make more time for them.
A friend of ours says the secret is setting priorities.
Jane Willis says she goes where she is most needed.
Where are you most needed?
What will you have have to change to meet that need?
Are you willing to make the sacrifice?
How can you get the most important things done?
Can you leave the rest until tomorrow?
For more on this, click here.
Scroll down to #43, Finding Time to Balance Your Life.

Also watch for Ruth King’s interview with me Friday.
Click here to view. We discuss my new book "Your Life’s Great Purpose".
Tomorrow we’ll talk about making better choices.