Issue 10: Unleashing the creative monster within.

Greetings member,

In this issue we "take a walk on the creative side" and ask how it is that success invariably arrives at the feet of those who least expect it:

- Applying creative accounting to website marketing.
- Dare to be different and a little zany.
- Why success visits at the strangest hour.

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APPLYING CREATIVE ACCOUNTING TO WEBSITE MARKETING.

Ever bought a business only to find that the real figures didn't quite stack up to the rosy picture painted? Result being an inflated price paid for some creative accounting employed by the vendor.
Listen, it happens all the time so you're no orphan there.

The key is to learn from the experience and move on. If you look around closely you'll notice people's creative licence or liberties abound everywhere.

Thinly veiled lies they are not as they usually have elements of truth behind them that are simply embellished or exaggerated.

What they are, however, are creatively designed perceptions that cater for anticipated desires. The flippant amongst us would describe it as marketing - simply a means to an end.

Not an easy talent to develop, that's why the top advertising executives get paid a king's ransom. But a good start is to recognise that behind all good marketing is a created perception.

A blatant example in our industry are the countless "pie in the sky" promises designed to fulfill most people's dreams. Before you say you'd never fall for any of those scam sites (and maybe with a good accountant not overpay for a business either), I should remind you that the seeds for creative perception are often planted sublimely.

How do many websites grow so quickly? The answer depends on many variables but at the core of the expansion process is most definately the created perception that the site is bigger or more successful than it really is. This one factor alone pre-empts further growth and success until one day the perception and reality merge into one.

Watch for "impressions created" whenever you next view any form of advertising - it's these that determine our choices rather than verifiable facts! Master these perception techniques and be master of your own destiny.

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DARE TO BE DIFFERENT AND A LITTLE ZANY.

Making money is a serious business but it doesn't have to be.
What type of emails are you most likely to read and pass on? If you're like most people, the emails will likely be humorous or entertaining.

Many of the most frequented sites today are zany, quirky, or provide social commentary to recent events usually of an amusing or controversial nature.

Take a risk and become virally motivated. You won't please everyone if it's in bad taste or too controversial but it will travel the distance through those who are not offended.

Don't be a fence sitter or reactive to other's ideas. Be brave, brash, and proactive. Get out there, think of a game, joke, social commentary, whatever, and get yourself noticed. It can be a lot easier than you think and certainly less time consuming than attaining expert author status in any article directory.

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WHY SUCCESS VISITS AT THE STRANGEST HOUR.

What's that I hear you say? You're still waiting! Therein lies the problem. It doesn't come to those who wait - however patiently. But forget about it for a while and you just may be pleasantly surprised.

The old adage "Failure to plan is a plan for failure" holds true but does not infer that "Successful planning is a plan for success".

That's because you can't plan for success. What you can do and no more is to plot a path that points you in the right direction.

What usually happens is that hard work and perseverance attain small achievements allowing new goals to be set and attained in steady incremental stages. Then, almost out of the blue, success will find you without you possibly even realising it.

Like the golf pro says, try to drive the ball 100m and you'll likely strike it twice as far. Aiming to smash your drive 300m (or as hard as you can) will almost certainly result in a mishit.

So it is with success. Set your goals realistically and you will achieve success through sustained effort. Set them too high through impatience or expectation and you will surely fail. Expectation is the detour that leads you away from the path to success.

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