A few weeks ago I read an article that listed some of the salaries of the Dallas Mavericks. As I’ve confessed before, I’m not an NBA guy. So, the numbers were shocking to me. I knew the elite NBA guys made enormous money, but I had no idea that no-name guys were making such fortunes. I’m naive.
Next season here’s a short list of salaries of some Dallas Mavericks:
Jason Kidd - in excess of $21 million Dirk Nowitzki - in excess of $18 million (if I’m Dirk, I’m unhappy Josh Howard - almost $10 million (that’ll buy lots of pot and birthday parties) Erik Dampier - almost $10 million Jason Terry - over $9 million Eddie Jones - $2 million Didier Ilunga-Mbenga - almost $2 million
Today, sports talk radio is buzzing about the firing of coach Avery Johnson and the idiocy of Josh Howard. Rightfully so, after the New Orleans Hornets shamed the Mavericks into an early off-season golf tournament. But that’s not my point. Money is my point.
Did you know that the Dallas Mavericks paid Shawn Bradley $5.2 million this season? He was waived by the Mavericks in October 2005.
He’s got to have the best job in America. $5.2 million for doing absolutely nothing. He’s a player who was never worth the money. But when you’re 7 feet tall and able to walk upright - NBA teams pay you big money. I’m just a foot too short.
Steve Ott is the Dallas Stars player in the picture above (#29 with his mouth agape). Stu Barnes is the other player. Stu makes $900,000 a year. Both are well worth the money. Today, Ott (nicknamed, “Otter”) signed a 2-year deal that will pay him $1.35 million next year and $1.5 million the following year. Chump change compared to NBA contracts, but still good money. And he’ll earn every penny of it by being a player who makes a positive difference for his team, the Dallas Stars. If anything, Steve Ott’s money is unreasonably low - but only slightly. He’s only 25. His next contract will likely be higher if his career continues to advance as it has.
Brad Richards is the highest paid Star earning $7.8 million each year. Goalie Marty Turco makes $5.7 million a year. Mike Modano and Brenden Morrow each earn over $4 million a year. Goes to show you how vast the difference is between NBA contracts and NHL contracts. Kids, if you have a choice between hockey and basketball - play basketball. It pays much better. And you don’t have to know how to ice skate.
These contracts seem ridiculous - and they are. An ABC News story reports on what people earn. An actress who plays a detective on TV earns $7 million. A real detective in Georgia earns $40,000 annually. The average American earns about $37,000 according to the story.
I love sports. I love the NHL. So, I think Steve Ott, Stu Barnes and most of the other players are well-worth the money. Brad Richards has proven to be a great addition to the Stars, but no - I don’t think he’s worth the money. He is the fortunate recepient of a big contract that goes with being the MVP of the playoffs a few years ago when his team - the Tampa Bay Lightning - won the Stanley Cup. He’s still a young guy, but he’s smart enough to know that his next contract won’t likely be as large.
For years I’ve long thought the back-up quarterback on an NFL team has the best paying gig in all of sports. His body doesn’t take a beating. He earns a big contract - assuming he’s in the #2 spot directly behind the starter. And his career can last, and last, and last. But, he’s worth it because his team needs the insurance of having a capable person direct the team if the starter should be injured or unable to play.
Professional athletes aren’t paid unreasonable money only because they can do something most others can’t. They’re paid unreasonable money because people will pay to be entertained. And they’ll pay big money to have their $37,000 a year life entertained. The professional athlete - and other entertainers - can earn big, unreasonable amounts of money because their are millions of $37,000 a year people (and some who earn much more) willing to support their team, sport, TV show, movie, concert, recordings, or whatever other diversion they provide.
Avery Johnson, coach of the Dallas Mavericks, is thought to be on thin ice with owner Mark Cuban. Avery has a habit of being given technical fouls during games. T’d up may have a different meaning for Avery in this off-season though. “T” stands for technical foul normally. However, “T” stand for TERMINATED now. Will it happen? Should it happen? I don’t know.
The Mavericks are on the brink of elimination to the New Orleans Hornets. The entire city of Dallas smells defeat. The team appears to have quit. If they have any fight left in them, they’re hiding it quite well.
Avery is from New Orleans. The Mavs are down 3 games to 1. Game 4 is tomorrow night in New Orleans. At least Avery will be home when his team is eliminated.
The media - and others who claim to understand the sport - feel that the window closed fast on Dallas following their meltdown against the Miami Heat a few years back. Their opportunity to compete for a league championship may now be long past. It goes to show you that teams don’t often get the opportunity to compete for championships. When they do, they’d better take every advantage of it.
For somebody like me - who knows so little of the sport - it seems that this roster is not built for a championship run. But even so, the coach is probably at risk of being unemployed this summer.
I don’t particularly enjoy listening to Avery. His voice alone would annoy me if I were a player. But he surely knows his stuff. I hear he’s power hungry and controlling. I don’t know if he is or not. And I don’t know if another coach can have success with these same players. I do know Cuban will have an easier time T’ing up Avery Johnson than he would in T’ing up any of the players who are signed to multi-million dollar contracts.
It’s an interesting idea. Get your story down in 6 words. Exactly. I’ve not purchased the book (yet), but I do go to the website to check them out periodically.
When I was a journalism student in college I remember going through an Ernest Hemingway phase - who didn’t? There were many true stories of Papa. Even more untrue ones. I had heard that he once wrote a 6 word story, but I could never find out if it was true or not. It should be true.
“For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never Worn.”
I hadn’t thought of that until I was reading the reviews on Amazon about this book and Larry Mark (the guy with 2 first names), one of the reviewers, reminded me. Mr. Hemingway may or may not have written that, but I prefer to think he did.
Alcohol. Fishing. Adventure. Spain. Stories. Death. It’s hard to sum up his life and death in 6 words. It’s hard to sum up anything in 6 words, but some folks do a rather good job of it.
Larry Mark’s favorite from the book is: “Girlfriend is pregnant, my husband said.”
I suffer my own sports-mania. I’ve seen all or parts of every playoff hockey game in this year’s quest for the Stanley Cup. I’m part of an extreme minority - at least, here in Texas. My mood can change depending on the performance of teams that I care about. Last night, I felt badly for Calgary - as they allowed the Sharks to blow them off the ice. I was pulling for the Flames. I felt worse when the Flyers eliminated one of the best - if not THE best - player in the league by knocking off the Washington Capitals. Like many hockey fans, I wanted to see Ovechkin play against Sidney Crosby. Well, it’s not going to happen. Two game sevens that didn’t quite turn out as I had hoped. But my vested interest, as a fan, is in the Dallas Stars. They’re a team I’m familiar with - a team I follow - and a team whose identity is clear to me. It wasn’t always so.
If you’re not a hockey fan, that’s okay. In fact, you don’t have to be a sports fan at all to understand how important identity is. Some teams are like companies, and individuals. They don’t know who they are.
Last night the TV remote barely left my hand. I was watching hockey and switching over to the Dallas Mavericks game, watching them get waxed by the New Orleans Hornets. Earlier in the day I had heard of the Texas Rangers getting their hides tanned soundly by Boston. In Dallas, the Cowboys are almost always in the news. So I began to consider the issue of two professional teams with a reasonably clear identity and two with no identity.
“Who are we?”
I think it’s an important question for people, companies, teams or groups of all sorts. I’ve spent a few years coaching amateur hockey. From pee-wees to college-aged guys. In some cases I was able to pick my team. In other cases, players were assigned to me. No matter, I still gave every team an identity. As the head coach I had a vision of the team that I began to impose at the first practice. Sometimes the identity was slightly altered by what the players could do - or what they could do best. I can honestly say that I never coached a team without any identity. I never have had a team that could not answer clearly, “Who are we?”
I’m puzzled how a team like the Dallas Mavericks or the Texas Rangers can be so lost - when it comes to knowing who they are. These organizations spend millions of dollars and months of preparation to find the athletes they want. They assemble their rosters with great care, and due diligence. How can they not know who they are? Or what they are?
I’m not a basketball expert, but I can see. Jason Kidd seems best when he’s pushing the ball up the court aggressively. That reckless abandon run and gun game seems to suit him, and a few other players, best. But not Dirk. It appears to me that the team has no idea of who they are - or what they’re supposed to be. And they’re now down 2 games to zero in the opening round of the playoffs. They’re on track to be one and done.
Coach Parcells used to say, “You are what you are.” I understood that to mean you can do what you can do and you can’t do what you can’t. I think that is always true. Basic and oversimplified perhaps - but true.
If you’re a professional basketball team that can’t play great defense, and you can’t run ‘n gun and you can’t play an inside game - that’s who you are. If you’re a team that can shoot (and risk going cold like all shooting teams), then that’s who you are. But what if you’re a composite of so many different things that no one thing properly identifies you? Then you’re the Dallas Mavericks. Or Texas Rangers.
It’s easy to see when a team is struggling with, “Who are we?”
The Dallas Stars, on the other hand, are a team that has become more clearly defined as the season has worn on. They struggled slightly at the trade deadline when they brought in a stud centerman, Brad Richards. Word was, they were looking for a scoring winger to hook up with Mike Modano. Something else happened on the way to the playoffs though. According to today’s Dallas Morning News, Mike Modano struggled in March with the changes made to his personal identity as a Dallas Star centerman. But today, he’s got his own identity straight - and so does the team. They just had their first successful round 1 of the playoffs in a few years. I feel good about this team because it’s easy to see - they feel good about themselves by knowing exactly who they are, and what they’re good at.
In spite of early playoff meltdowns, the Dallas Cowboys are coming around to answering more fully the question, “Who are we?” Owner Jerry Jones is as competitive as they come. That’s good for the Cowboys and for Dallas. He’ll do what he must to win. Few people doubt he’ll make a poor choice in Saturday’s NFL draft. The Dallas Cowboys know they have their quarterback, Tony Romo. Like every team they’ve got a few questions in specific areas - but over all, they know who they are, and what they are. They know and believe they are a team on the rise.
The Dallas business community is made up of many companies that have no idea of who they are, or what they are. The objective to make money isn’t enough. How will you do it? Who will people think you are if you don’t know yourself?
Careers work in the same way. Who are you? It doesn’t have to be - nor should it be - entirely defined by what you do. Teacher, architect, lawyer, businessman - those shouldn’t define you entirely. They can make up an element of who you are. But there must be more.
If you’re a teacher, what makes you different from other teachers? What makes you better?
And the bottom line is really a question of uniqueness (a word that I constantly find myself thinking about and using in conversation). What makes you unique - in a good way?
The Texas Rangers are unique in that they’re currently the second from the worst team in Major League Baseball. That’s unique, but it’s not good. The Dallas Mavericks blew a shot at the championship a few years ago by letting the Miami Heat come back and defeat them. That was unique. It was not good though.
The Dallas Cowboys have a unique quarterback, a unique owner, a unique coach and some other unique parts (think Terrell Owens).
The Dallas Stars have a unique group of young defensemen. They have a grittiness, a toughness and a resolve that is unique of good playoff teams. They have a unique goaltender. They have unique co-General Managers (interim co-General Managers at that). They have a unique work ethic typical of other playoff teams. They have a unique mix of veteran players and first year players. They have a unique captain who can score, defend, fight and go to the most dangerous areas of the ice. They have a uniquely pesky player. They have hungry old-timers and starving youngsters. They’ve been described by their coach, their GM’s and the media as a “committee.” They are 28 players (not all of them active or playing) who do things as a team. They know their place. They work hard to contribute to the team’s goal. They know who they are - individually and collectively. And it shows.
I’m terribly bright. I really am. But I’m not a house builder. In fact, there are many things I am NOT. I’m a Dummy about many things. Even so, I’d love to build (not with my own hands, of course) a house. A perfect house - for our lifestyle. I doubt I ever will, but it’s nice to think about.
Where would I build it? It’s an interesting question. Like most, I envision a nice scenic spot. Or a secluded wooded area. Water is part of my perfect vision. I dream about having a house in a spot depicted by either of these pictures below.
I can see it now - the house of my dreams (well, not quite) planted on the spot of my dreams. You see, if I could afford the scenic lot of choice - this is about all I could afford to build on that lot.
I’d be sitting on the front porch with my wife. We’d have a one room cabin with a million dollar view. My dream is interrupted with the reality that such a spot would not be where MY perfect house would be built. For a variety of reasons. Too far from the grocery store. No Braum’s nearby. No Subway. No restaurants. There’s no way my kids would be nearby. It’s a nice thought - in many ways - but terribly impractical.
No, if we met with a professional to plan our perfect house there are some things that would make perfect sense. And I’d throw my head back with laughter (as pictured below) at any suggestion that I had no idea what I was talking about. My wife would laugh hysterically, too. She’s laughing now. At me.
Here are some practical elements that I’d have to seriously consider. Keep in mind, the perfect house for us may not be the perfect house for you. Also, keep in mind that perfection also demands that it be practical. I mean, I could hardly design or build a million dollar house and call it my perfect house. A million dollar mortgage is not my idea of perfection. So, here we go - some worthwhile elements to our perfect house.
How Many Rooms Do You Live In?
I live in only a few rooms. The bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen and the den. I realize other rooms are necessary - like the laundry room. I try to avoid that room, but any perfect house must have rooms beyond those I occupy.
My wife occupies the bedroom, the bathroom, the kitchen, the den, the laundry room, an office and a sewing room. So I’d have to include rooms that suit her, too.
And we have lots of company - so a guest bedroom and a guest bathroom are a must. And once a year, whether we like it or not, we occupy a dining room. But it’s a real waste, so I’d ditch that and make a larger kitchen with a dining area incorporated. I think we’d likely use that space more ourselves, too.
So, we’ll start with the kitchen. It’s the real source of energy (food) for the house anyway. The kitchen would be large and open. In fact, my perfect house would have a kitchen/den/eating area all as one large space divided only by a counter perhaps. Even though we don’t cook often I’d have a gas cooktop. The appliances would be stainless or white because they just look cleaner and neater. The dishwasher would be quiet.
The eating space would comfortably seat 8-10 people. A bay window might be in order. Lots of cabinet space. Lots of counter space. This area would be a congregation area. People would gravitate to this area of the house. This is the hub. Comfortable. Well lit. Spacious. Efficient. And there’d have to be a nice walk-in pantry.
The den would be comfortable for 8-10 people. There’d be sufficient seating for that many. There’d be open space for kids to crawl around. It’d be a room large enough, but not too large. Cozy without being cramped, but not like an auditorium. This space - along with the kitchen - would seem like one big open area that serves to feed and entertain the troops.
I need to do more thought on the den. A professional could help with the best shape and flow for comfortably accommodating 8-10 people. Flat panel television enables some clever configurations. This room would be the home theater space. I don’t believe in a dedicated home theater. I want to live where the entertainment happens. A den is much better for our lifestyle.
Next, the laundry room. Might as well tackle an easy room now. It’d be large enough to have the washer and dryer (duh?) and counter space. A sink would be in this room, too. And a half-bath for when company comes over. It’d be nice to send folks to the laundry room instead of having them traipse all throughout your house in search of a place to pee. And there’d be an area where you could hang clothes - that way clothes can come straight out of the dryer and onto a hanger, if necessary. See, I’ve done some laundry work before!
The laundry room would also have drawers and cabinets for storage. Household tools and all those parts and pieces that exist in every house would be stored here. Lots and lots of storage. And there would be a door - maybe a pocket sliding door - to this room. The dryer vent would go up through the roof to a turbine to get rid of the dryer heat efficiently in the summer. Maybe there’d be some way to capture the heat for winter.
The master bedroom would allow the king size bed to be placed on a number of walls. I get bored with the room layout and would like the option to put the bed on at least two different walls. That means a flat panel TV would need to be viewable (with a killer view) from two different spots, too.
In addition to the bed, a night stand needs to be on each side of the bed. There must be room for a chest of drawers, too - unless we keep the bedroom minimal and put a chest of drawers inside a walk-in closet. I like the minimalist approach myself. So, in the bedroom I’d have the bed, night tables and probably nothing else other than a stand up mirror (to make sure my vampire status remains intact).
Full length windows are a must. Drapery that makes the room dark as midnight, even in the noontime sunlight, is a must. An exterior door to the backyard deck is also required. We’ll get to the outside space later.
Two big walk-in closets would be attached to the master bedroom, or to the master bathroom. Drawers and plenty of open storage - as well as nice closed storage (doors to cover) - would exit here. There’d be room for the entire wardrobe. No more putting away winter clothes in the summer clothes, or storing summer clothes in the winter. There’d be room to properly organize shoes, all hanging clothes and all folded clothes. In each closet would be a full-length mirror and room to dress, including a chair or stool. In her closet would be a built in makeup counter. No muss, no fuss. Close the door and presto! The clutter is contained.
The master bathroom would have his and her sinks. I’d want to think about the best storage ideas, but there’d be plenty of efficient storage. In addition, there’d be one of these showers.
The shower would be large enough to have a small party. Shower heads from every direction would be nice. And a bench would make shaving my legs much easier. It would also have to be easy to keep clean. And high water pressure is a must.
A soaking tub is in order for my wife. I’d let her select what she wants, but I’m very attracted to the tub we see advertised on TV. The one where you open the door, step in, sit down, close the door and then fill it up. This is it.
Of course, when I do take a bath (rarely) - I enjoy stepping into a scolding bath. This design won’t allow that without getting water all over the floor.
The toilet area should be self-contained, well ventilated and have handles on the wall for strength training. A plunger and plenty of toilet paper storage should also be in order. Perhaps an incense holder should be built in, too. Or a high volume air purifier. Sound proof would be nice.
Sewing room. I don’t care. She can design that room. It needs to be large, perhaps the largest room in the house other than the den/kitchen/eating area space. About the size of a 2-car garage should cover it. This room should also incorporate her home office space.
My home office. This is really more of a library than an office. Built in book cases are a must. Floor to ceiling. Along one entire wall. This room doesn’t have to be really big, but something around 15′ x 12′ or larger would be great! I’d want the walls configured so I could put two speakers near corners and set up my stereo system correctly. That means, this room would likely have one correct set up that would have to last, and last.
The room would also have to contain my CD collection. My current thought is to put the CD’s in their jewel boxes in a drawer where the spine showing the title is facing up. The drawers would be large enough to store 4 rows of disks (across) and plenty of them (deep). I’d need storage for at least 3000, but it would have to be expandable. I know CD’s are dying away, in favor of digital downloads. But being the stereo buff that I am - I hate compressed sound on anything other than an iPOD and good headphones. So CD’s are likely to remain in my future as long as they make them.
The room would need a desk set up of some sort to accommodate a Mac laptop or two. A good desktop computer would be nice, too - with a 24″ monitor. I’d actually like dual monitors. Much more efficient. And way cool. In addition, I’d want a flat panel HDTV on one wall. Why not?
The room would have space for one great reading chair - and ottoman (or a great lounger). And a great reading light, too.
Again, plenty of storage for supplies and a printer.
Sound proof would be an excellent addition to this room. Acoustical treatment of the walls and doors would help keep this room isolated. I’d love it.
Great windows, too. And of course, as with all rooms - a ceiling fan is a must.
The guest room would have an attached guest bathroom. It would be on the opposite side of the house as the master bedroom. It would also have its own hot water heater, separate from the master bath. The room would be as nice as any really nice hotel. Simple. Clean. Neat. Comfortable. Homey. There would also be a check-out time posted on the inside of the front door.
The garage would have a novel approach. Cars would actually be able to be parked inside. We’d have a 2-car garage with another self-contained bay - a third door - like our own built-in storage area. That area would be shelved and have cabinets to store whatever we needed to store (neatly). Yard tools and other items would be kept in that 3rd bay. It would have walls and not merely be part of a 3-car garage. It would be a self-contained area. All the floors would painted or have Sport Court type flooring.
I have to think some more about where the dog doors would be located. And where the dogs would sleep. An alcove off the laundry room might work. Like many ideas expressed here, it’s a work in progress. That’s part of the fun.
That’s the conclusion of part 1.
It’s a start. No need for 5 bedrooms or 4 bathrooms. No need for a dining room. Just rooms that would be used every day! Practical. Livable. Perfect. People have all that crap for resale - not because it’s important to their lifestyle.
Part 2 will contain a few more details and the outside. But first, I have to think about it some more. I’m putting on my dream cap right now.
The picture above is taken from a site that will sell you CONFIDENTIAL information on Internet marketing for only $67. I wonder if that’s the owner’s daughter. Poor girl. Guess dad can’t afford good orthodontics. Tell them Buck Naked sent you.
Internet marketers are an intriguing lot. I don’t have personal knowledge of many of them. In fact, I can honestly say I have NO knowledge - real firsthand knowledge - of any of them. I know some names that are presumed to be gurus of Internet marketing. These are the people who write those really long sales letters - either as emails, or as web pages. I wrote a bit about that some days ago.
Today, I got an email from Early To Rise. I admit a fondness for Early To Rise, but I’m not a fan of their email campaigns.
Warning: When I printed out this email it was 7 (seven) pages long. This is cut and pasted “as is” except for font/styling. I’ll gladly forward anybody the real McCoy if they want it.
…………………………..
Hey,
Quick note… if you’ve ever even considered starting an online business, check out the story below.
Something very unusual happened yesterday - and it’s all 100% true and accurate.
- Charlie.
PS: Please do it before 5:00PM this afternoon.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON, APRIL 20, 2008, 3:17PM
ORLANDO, FLORIDA
PROFITS IN PARADISE FINAL INSIDER REPORT (ETR)
Dear Early to Rise Friend,
“Someone call security and have that clown thrown out!”
That was my first thought when I saw the scraggly Florida beach bum sneaking into our “Profits in Paradise” conference room.
But the joke was on me when I realized a moment later that he was our next guest speaker!
And I felt even dumber by the end of his presentation, because by then he and his partner had shown our audience…
How they’d built a $100,000 per month business in under 12 weeks…
What happened when it was all stolen away by a crooked accountant - and then, starting with nothing, they did it again (except faster and 3 times more profitably)…
The exact techniques they used to get over 10,000 orders for $350,000+ in sales in two weeks - and then another $1.6 million over the next 6 months.
The presentation was a two-hour “cliff notes” version of their upcoming $10,000 Mastermind Program.
And judging from the mob scene at the end of their talk, it was a powerful and huge hit with our attendees.
They’ve Unlocked the Door to The Internet’s Hottest Niche
Turns out the fellow I thought was a beach bum was actually a very cool, very kind and down-to-earth guy named Brock Felt. If you ever wanted an “Ordinary Joe Hits It Rich” story, Brock Felt could star as the leading man…
Not long ago Brock was fixing cars and selling phones door-to-door. His future wasn’t looking very bright and so he decided to make a change. Did it work? Well, a few months ago, he sold just ONE of his current businesses for something in the neighborhood of EIGHT figures.
Together Brock and his partner, Buck Rizvi, both regular, ordinary guys, have discovered and refined an easy, reproducible formula for making a very nice chunk of change in one of the Internet’s hottest niches.
Best part is that the more folks get involved in this niche – even marketers – the bigger and faster it grows.
I’ve Got To Tell You Something Pretty Shocking…
There are some very savvy and street-smart marketers at our “Profits in Paradise” event, and I noticed THEIR ears perking up at the stuff Brock and Buck were discussing.
Believe me, you don’t see that happen every day at these events. There was something very special happening here.
In their presentation, Buck and Brock showed our attendees how to reach two objectives:
1) Build what’s almost literally an automatic, unattended cash machine…
2) Set up the business for your “liquidation event” (when you sell it for a huge pay day).
One of their protégés, working part-time, just started a business that in his second month is already bringing in $13K per month.
Another two guys started using their techniques and get this: they hit $627,000 in sales PER MONTH within NINE MONTHS of starting up. Geez Louise, that sounds pretty good to me, don’t you think???
B&B just kept giving value, and value, and more value in their talk, handing out…
The 12 hottest niches within the niche (sometimes the “embarrassing one” yields the best opportunities)…
The 4 P’s of Profitability (Oddly, PAIN is at the top of the list)…
The 4 steps to online success (with real examples you can “steal” from them).
That’s just a small sample of SOME OF THE great stuff Buck and Brock spilled in nearly two intensive hours of training.
Once you learn Buck and Brock’s tips, techniques, and insider secrets you’ll see just how easy it is to set up virtually automatic streams of cash that you can keep for years and years, or sell for a big (maybe even 8 figures!) payday.
So Many Income-Boosting Ideas to Choose From
Hi, Charlie Byrne here, writing from beautiful Orlando, Florida. It’s been an exciting weekend with our stellar line-up of experts covering wealth-building from a numerous different “off-the-radar” angles.
Buck and Brock were incredibly exciting - and that’s just 10% of what we’ve seen this weekend!
It’s too bad you’re not here, but the good news is that we’ve gotten it all down on professionally-recorded DVDs.
This weekend - during the event weekend only - we’re offering them to you at a never-to-be repeated value.
When you bring these recordings into your home, you’ll “be in the company” of a very special group of experts.
First, they are all at the very top of their respective fields… whether it’s real estate, internet business-building, or under-the-radar financial and investing techniques.
And second, they’ve all made a lot of money using the exact strategies they are going to teach you in their presentations.
Their “secrets” are actually proven methods based on years of trial and error and testing in the real world.
Here’s just a taste of what you’ll be receiving on these DVDs…
You’ll learn how to use Marko Rubel’s little-known investment approach to generate over $1 million a year…
Rick Pendergraft will teach you to secure huge returns on stocks without a lot of money or experience…
You’ll discover Jeff Adams’s strategy for setting up automated online systems to find big-time deals – you just cash the checks…
Alex Mandossian will tell you about two different easy-to-learn and very profitable marketing systems…
You’ll learn Scott Martineau’s method for cutting costs and increasing profits by “re-making” existing products…
Andrew Gordon will coach you on how to use the financial markets safely (with low risk and high potential gains) to ensure a very comfortable retirement…
Robert Cox will show you how to apply the secrets of billionaires to achieve your life’s dreams…
You’ll get Jim Fleck’s breakthrough strategies for buying real estate and selling for a handsome profit in just hours…
Dave Lindahl will explain how he generates a massive passive income with an often-overlooked profit-producing technique…
Howie Jacobson will reveal the secrets behind Google Ad Words - the fastest and easiest way to make money online…
And much MUCH more.
And of course as I mentioned above, Buck Rizvi and Brock Felt will show you how to tap into a multi-billion dollar market to create a business you can sell for millions… or pass on to your children.
When you learn these secrets you’ll be well positioned to take your financial future into your own hands.
Are you ready to see your wealth-building potential soar?
Good! Because we have an enviable offer for you today…
Right Now Is the Ideal Time for Action
Now the folks in attendance at “Profits in Paradise” paid a good amount of money to get here. Most of them will likely be spending $1,000 by the time they add in travel and hotel expenses.
But they made a wise investment because it’s going to be worth every cent.
They’ll be able to rub shoulders with all the superstars here, pick up the intangibles that can make the difference between success and huge success, network with all the experts, and make contacts that can last a lifetime - and a fortune as well.
So I’ll lay it out right on the line and be completely open and honest. You probably won’t get ALL the benefits of being here in person when you view these presentations from our wealth-building experts at home.
But I’m absolutely, positively 110 percent stone-cold convinced of this…
If you’ll put in the time and make the effort to use the secrets that you’ll get on these “Wealth-Building Video Encyclopedias” there’s no reason why you can’t wake up a few months from today to find that your bank account has grown by $1,000… $5,000… even $10,000 while you were sleeping.
Dozens of Ultra Profit-Boosters for a
Fraction of Their True Value
If you order before we return to our offices on Tuesday April 22, you’ll get the entire set of DVDs for just $199. That’s no typo, the cost is just $199.
I’m talking about up to 20 hours of powerful wealth-building techniques that could make you a fortune… for a fraction of their true value.
The catch? This offer expires at 5PM Monday April 21. After then, that’s it. The price goes up and will NEVER be lower than right now.
You’ll learn how to secure your financial future through your own online business, real estate, the financial markets, and more. These lessons will hold true, especially in this time of economic uncertainty.
So you’d be crazy not to jump all over this $199 offer right now.
LAST CHANCE
ORDER NOW AND SAVE BEFORE PRICE JUMPS ON MONDAY
Regards,
Charlie Byrne
ETR Associate Publisher
PS: These strategies have been proven to work over and over again, generating one high-powered profit stream after another. The speakers at this conference do it every day, every week, every month, every year. There are none better at it, anywhere. End of story.
PS: After their talk as I left for lunch, I saw Buck and Brock pulling away in a beautiful new black convertible Corvette, just heading out for a Sunday afternoon cruise in sunny Florida… probably headed for the golf course or beach.
They are living the good life for sure. You can find out how they got there with this program.
LAST CHANCE
ORDER NOW AND SAVE BEFORE PRICE JUMPS ON MONDAY
…………………………..
Whew!
Check out Brock Felt’s website. It’s an awesome display of his marketing prowess.
I’m working on my own Internet program. I won’t sell supplements though.
I’ll be Buck Naked. Does it really matter what I’ll sell? My goal will be to generate sales of $500,000 in 3 weeks. I don’t have to generate cash. Just sales. Then I’ll market a series of “how to” programs. I’ll sell those for $199 each and I’ll generate cash for those.
It’ll be a thing of beauty. Naked beauty. But (oh, I’m sorry, “butt) you’d better act soon.
Jerry Lewis was once funny. Stupid, but funny. I’ve seen many of the Lewis and Martin classics. I confess that I’ve never seen this movie, “It’s Only Money.” Here’s a recap of the movie:
Lester March (Jerry) is a 25 year old orphan who operates a radio and television repair shop. Although he prides himself in his work, his heart is really in pursuit of becoming a private eye like his buddy and role model, Pete Flint (Jesse White). In the course of becoming a detective and television repair man, Lester is discovered to be the heir to a fortune. Suddenly Lester is the hunted, as the family fortune is up for grabs. Sight gags galore in the attempts on Lester’s life, and the happy ending as Lester and his bride drive off into the sunset.
Here’s a scene that I found posted on YouTube.
Okay. So it’s probably not terribly funny. Few people find money funny. Even fewer find losing money funny. Especially their own.
I’ve lost my share of money. Sometimes I’ve misplaced it. That’s bad. Worse is losing it by being stupid. It makes you feel like you’ve been kicked in the crotch. That’s how Jerry looks in this photo. I’ve experienced this pose before. Not often, but enough to be ashamed of my foolishness.
It’s only money. You’ll earn more. Hopefully. Even so some lessons in life are expensive. I admit that I’ve trusted people before - only to realize I’ve been duped. I’m not talking about a professional con. I’m talking about a legitimate person with a legitimate enterprise where an investment goes south. It happens.
This economy is not being kind to many of us. People are lamenting the results of their 401K. Stock portfolios look like those cliff divers in Acapulco. Real estate prices are falling. Gas prices are soaring. Economic life sucks. But it’s only money.
Some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned have been expensive. Maybe that’s why they were valuable. They cost me so much! Or maybe that’s why I remember them. I don’t know.
I do know that I’m a cynic. And growing more so by the day. As a young man I remember a teacher telling me I was too young be to so cynical. She was an idiot. I never did trust her.
Today I realize I’ve not been nearly cynical enough. Years of losing various sums to people I trusted have taught me that my teacher was all wet. I wasn’t quite cynical enough. Then, or now.
Trust should never be given. It should be earned. Then tested 3 times (minimum). Then and only then should it be considered. Not given. Just considered. And tested 3 more times - over the course of at least 5 years total. Then, the scope of trust should be no higher than $100. That’s right. Six tests. Five years. One hundred dollars. It’s fair. It’s safe. Remember that equation:
6 tests + 5 years = $100 max.
After all, it’s only money. I’m learning valuable lessons. Earn your money. Invest it as wisely as possible. Never invest it with a friend, or an acquaintance. Never. If you lose your $100 investment after the 5 year testing period - realize that for $100 you got a 5 year education in how not to be foolish. Invest more - and you’ll learn the same lesson. It’ll just cost you more money. As for the loss of time - you’re really not losing anything. It’s not like your working on a slave ship for 5 years. You’re just waiting it out. What you’ll have to battle is the thought that you’re missing out by not investing. It’s a bad thought process that will cost you nothing, but time and money.
You’ll make more money by the things you refuse than the things you accept. Always. Book it. I’m right. I’ve got the tread marks on my back to prove I’m right.
Here’s just a sampling of idiotic things that have cost me money and provided little or no return. This list is not comprehensive. I lack the web space to fully capture my stupidity. However, this list represents a vast sum of money, that if invested in something that would garner a safe, conservative 6-8% annual return - would have earned me about $30,000,000 today.
- Hot rodding a car when I was a teenager (countless thousands)
- Stereo gear (a weakness I’ve long had)
- Books (way too many books)
- Music (what good is the stereo if you have no books)
- Software (countless pieces of software, including ridiculous numbers of updates - to software I bought, but barely use; gotta keep it updated, you know)
- Anything that goes in my garage (anything, including my car)
- Clothes (one suit, two dress shirts, three ties, one pair of dress shoes, two pair of jeans, 5 casual shirts and one pair of athletic shoes - it’s all I need; but I have more because I’m such a clothes horse)
- Toys (I have an awesome $100 laser pointer - I stand outside at night and blind airline pilots with it)
Some investments (it’s really an expense) are worthy of a stiff prison sentence. I should probably be in a prison for life for the stupid things I’ve purchased. And the stupid investments I’ve made.
I’m older now - and slightly wiser. So now my objective is to invest less time and money in foolishness. After all the mistakes I’ve made, I should be well on my way to incredible wisdom having learned too often the hard way. My advice is simple: keep your hands on your wallet and do not invest what you cannot afford to lose.
Better said, don’t invest it if losing it will make you want to commit a crime against the person you gave it to (that includes yourself). Think about it. It’s only money. Prison isn’t worth it. Prevent the crime before it happens.
Herb Tarlek was a TV character. He was the sales manager of a radio station in Cincinnati, WKRP. He was a sad, but funny character. Just look at that coat, tie, shirt combo! How could you see that and not be sad for the moron donning such garb? And that’s how Herb looked every day. Poor Herb. Nobody wants to be Herb.
I read recently that 50% of college graduates will pursue a career in sales. I suspect that’s because some of them don’t have a clue what else they might want to do. I honestly don’t believe it’s by design - for all of them. And I’m a salesperson - at heart. I began selling at a young age and really never left, even though for many years I’ve held corporate type positions. Any way you slice it, I’ve always been in sales. So, I have no aversion to the occupation. But I’m not resentful of the stereotypes. I don’t dress like Herb either.
At last count there were some 26 universities that offered degrees in, or programs focused on selling. Did you know that? Me neither. From Vancouver, Washington to Orlando, Florida you can find colleges that offer various degrees of intense focus on the craft of becoming a professional salesperson.
Some may end up like Herb Tarlek, struggling to make ends meet and doing what they think is stereotypical of successful salespeople. Most will not go that route. At least, that’s my guess. After all, they’ve gone to college and are likely taught better. Hopefully, some have served internships which have trained them in the skills vital to professional selling. Gladly, the days of Herb Tarlek are almost gone. Society simply won’t tolerate them.
Sales can be a profession. Or it can be a stopover to something else. No matter, there will be 1.2 million sales positions filled this year in America. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), the hiring of college graduates increased over 17% in 2007. Clearly, companies are relying more and more on college training for new hires.
But it’s not just students who need to prepare for the art of selling. Companies have some learning to do, too. According to DePaul University research:
• Over 2/3 of companies do not know the cost of hiring new talent
• Interviews run less than 3 hours and are conducted only by 2 people before the hire is made
• Only 43% of companies have formal training and on-board processes
• 25% of companies have a turnover rate greater than 20%
In many ways companies are as clueless as job applicants. I suspect many people enter the sales world feeling, “Anybody can sell.” They’re wrong. As they soon find out. Turnover is high because failure is equally high. By 2010 companies will lose 40% of their current sales force. And the growth rate of replacement populations is declining. Not only will this affect sales jobs, but it will adversely affect sales management. Candidates will move more quickly into sales management jobs because the openings must be filled. Ready or not.
Recruiting is in full-swing. Companies are forming strong relationships with colleges in hopes of luring graduates to their sales team. Aggressive companies are offering signing bonuses and other perks necessary to get recent graduates to consider a job on their sales force.
The DePaul University research found that among 3000 companies - many had little understanding of today’s college graduate. For decades sales has focused on financial incentives. Today’s grads want more. They want meaning. They want to work with peers they find rewarding. They want to be able to see a clear career path. They want constant coaching and feedback so they can learn quicker. Continuous learning is important to them. They are uninterested in being workaholics.
Sales is general. There are many different gigs that are associated with the art of selling. There are new account guys - they’re the rainmakers. They often earn the highest commissions because they have the toughest task, getting new business. There are account reps who call on existing accounts. While they’re compelled to grow business with these accounts, their jobs are more ongoing relationships with accounts that have been in the fold for awhile. There are support people who help out with all those details after the sale. Some may provide technical support and others might do maintenance work to ensure everything runs smoothly for the customer (and the company). And of course, there are various levels of management in each area. The likely top is found in a VP of Sales or a Director of Sales.
One size does not fit all. Some are better suited than others. Some are completely unsuited. The art of selling isn’t for everybody, but for the person who has the skills necessary to engage others in a compelling way it can be among the most lucrative careers on the planet. And those who do it well certainly dress better, talk better and behave better than Herb Tarlek.
A month or so ago I noticed that 
I suffer my own sports-mania. I’ve seen all or parts of every playoff hockey game in this year’s quest for the 
Jerry Lewis was once funny. Stupid, but funny. I’ve seen many of the Lewis and Martin classics. I confess that I’ve never seen this movie, “It’s Only Money.” Here’s a recap of the movie:
I’ve lost my share of money. Sometimes I’ve misplaced it. That’s bad. Worse is losing it by being stupid. It makes you feel like you’ve been kicked in the crotch. That’s how Jerry looks in this photo. I’ve experienced this pose before. Not often, but enough to be ashamed of my foolishness.
