From:
South of Jewfish Creek

Monday, 8:30 a.m.

April 29, 1991

Dear Friend & Subscriber,

      Back to basics.

      Because of my GHA network, I now do quite a lot of speaking before "civilians" or, as they are sometimes known, "the general public." During these talks, it's important for me to remember these people are not "tuned-in" (as you are) to the world of direct response, measured-results marketing. Therefore, I must be very careful to give them a grounding in the "basics" before I attempt to teach them how to multiply their money-making efforts.

      And you know what? All this reminds me how I sometimes forget or overlook the basics. Probably, at one time or another, you do too. So... what I'm going to do here is take a page or two to remind both of us what it is we must understand before we can sally forth and carve out our fortunes. Here then, are the initial points I try to make every time I address a group of "non-tuned-in" civilians:

1.   ALL MONEY IS MADE BY SOMEBODY SELLING SOMETHING TO SOMEBODY ELSE!

      A model sells her beauty. A factory worker sells his time and his minimum skills. A test pilot sells his courage and expertise. Even a ditch digger is selling something: His labor. The point is... you don't have a choice about whether or not you want to be a salesperson, you already are one. Maybe, you're not what is generally regarded as a pure salesman (i.e., someone who sells encyclopedias door-to-door or cars at an auto dealership) but, you absolutely do make your living by selling something. Again... all money is made by somebody selling something to somebody else.

      And... since this is true...

2.   THE MOST IMPORTANT DECISION YOU WILL EVER MAKE AS FAR AS YOUR CAREER IS CONCERNED IS... WHAT IT IS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO SELL!

      Nearly everybody gets this part wrong. People go into real estate because they hear that's where the money is. Or they go into computers for the same reason. In the movie "The Graduate," someone whispered the word "plastics" in Dustin Hoffman's ear because, they believed "that's where the money is." This kind of thinking is dangerously wrong. This is far too important a decision to be made by analysis. You should never go into something merely because you heard "that's where the money is." No... the only correct way to deal with this decision is...

3.   SELL SOMETHING YOU LOVE!

      Money should be a "by-product" of enthusiasm. If you get into something just for money, there's a good chance you won't make any. And even if you do, so what? So what if you make a million bucks a week if you hate getting out of bed, hate your work, feel indifferent to your product or service and, in general, you are unmotivated, unalive and... bored?

      Look, life is difficult. And business life is doubly difficult. On your road to success, you're going to be dogged by envy, scoffed at for daring to be a dreamer, trivialized by those with less courage, pestered by bureaucrats, etc. In fact, in today's America, I defy you to get out of bed, use the bathroom, get dressed, eat breakfast and go start your car without running afoul of at least a half dozen laws and regulations.

      By the way, I've just discovered a brand new way to break the law. I've recently been informed by the THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION it is illegal for any business in Florida to use the word "college" or "university" in the name of their company. Therefore, it is against the law for us to call ourselves the "Key West College of Millionaires."

      Ain't that something? I wonder if a group of politicians could get away with forming an organization called "The College of Incredibly Stupid Lawmakers"?

      Forgive me, I digress. The point I'm trying to make is, business life is incredibly difficult even under the best of circumstances and when you add this to toiling at something you find boring... you've got a combination that almost guarantees burn out.

You Need To Be "Turned-On"

To Carry On!

      Something that goes along with this idea is you should be selling something you respect. Experts all over the U.S. are always telling people they should improve their image. Not me. What I teach is you should improve your SUBSTANCE!

      Sell the best product. Give the best service. Go the extra mile. The extra 10 miles. The extra thousand miles. It pays off and... in more ways than money.

      You should have a good image but only because... that image is an accurate reflection of your outstanding substance.

      OK, if selling is the source of all money, then...

4.   SALESMANSHIP MULTIPLIED IS THE SOURCE OF ALL BIG MONEY!

      You can make good money selling. But, there's a limit. There are only so many hours in a day and, if you limit yourself to one-on-one selling, you'll never really hit the jackpot. To make truly serious money, you've got to use RCS ("Remote Control Selling") so you can get your sales message before huge numbers of people all at the same time.

      I look at my sales message as my "payload" and I look at direct mail, TV shows, newspapers and magazine ads, etc. as the "vehicles" I use to deliver that payload.

      Anyway, after I have explained the foregoing concepts to my neophyte audiences, I then go on to ground them in the basics of how to properly use the different "vehicles" that can be used to "deliver" a high-powered sales pitch. I also go into (a little) about how to create a "sales-pitch-in-print" by capturing their enthusiasm on audiotape and then having it transcribed.

      However, one thing I seldom talk about is how to find a product if you don't already have one. And you know, it's surprising to me how many people need help in this area. I've always taken the position that selling is the hard part to get right and there are so many products available it should be easy for anyone to get an item.

      But, of course, nothing is easy if you don't know how to do it so... the rest of this letter will be devoted to how to find something to sell if you don't have something already.

      And all I can hope is the majority of you who already are set in this area will maybe find an idea here you can add to (or use to enhance) your existing product line. So... cut me a little slack here, will you?

      OK, the first thing I need to restate here is, if you don't already have a product, you should seriously (and I mean seriously) consider "manufacturing" one out of paper and ink. I've written step-by-step instructions on how to go about doing this in the 12/5/87 issue of this newsletter which is also reproduced in SECTION #2 of my book, How To Make Maximum Money In Minimum Time.

      So, step one, if you haven't done it already, is to read that 12/5/87 issue.

      Now, here are some other ideas to help you find a product or service:

Read The Articles In Your Local Newspaper Carefully!

      Look for articles about inventors who've come up with new gizmos and entrepreneurs who are offering new services. Most of these people, after their initial enthusiasm has cooled, will find themselves with inventory they can't get rid of. That's because they don't understand MARKETING like you do. Sometimes, what you can do in these situations is, you can pick up the exclusive rights to sell these products or services without laying out a dime.

      Always remember this: There are far more products and services that need your marketing expertise than there are people like you (there are very few people who really understand marketing) who are looking for something to sell. Because of this, there's absolutely no need for you to endure a manufacturer, an inventor, an importer or anyone else who has an "attitude" about how "lucky" you should feel to be given the privilege of selling tons of his product. Always remember...

It Is Marketing Expertise That

Is In Short Supply, Not Widgets!

      But... this issue is about finding the widgets so, let's get on with it.

Read Your Local Newspaper Classifieds!

      Check out "legal notices," "fictitious names," "announcements," "entertainment," "personals," "business services," "professional services," "auctions," "articles for sale," "musical instruments," and... and... aw nuts, just read the entire classified section for a few days and you'll unearth an incredible amount of marketable goods and services.

Read The Yellow Page Ads!

      Read them from "A" to "Z". You'll get ideas, leads, "aha" experiences and... an incredible education. I bet 99.9% of all Americans have never even skimmed the entire yellow page section of their local phone book and... when you do it... I bet it sets your brain ablaze.

      Lotsa stuff in there you'll have never expected!

Read Trade Magazines!

      Your local library will probably have the "SRDS" (Standard Rate & Data Services) book and several other directories that list trade magazines. Study the ones that interest you and you'll find a plethora of new products just begging for someone to give them a marketing plunge.

      IMPORTANT NOTE: During all of this research, keep in mind how much better off you'll be if you have a product that is proprietary. Also, keep in mind, many times you can give a "twist" to an existing product and thereby create an entirely new product that will be proprietary.

Visit Trade Shows!

      Call the Chamber of Commerce in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Denver, etc. and get their lists of what trade shows those cities will be hosting. Then, pick out the ones that interest you and attend them. Don't worry if they are technically "closed-to-the-public." Spend some "chump change" on a suitable DBA, some letterheads and business cards and I'm confident you'll gain entry wherever you please.

Check Out Foreign Publications!

      Look under "Consulates & Other Foreign Government Representatives" and you'll find listings like "COLUMBIAN GOVERNMENT TRADE BUREAU-PROEXPO" (hmn, wonder what kinda stuff they've got for export to the U.S.?) and phone number after phone number of people who will be happy to tell you about publications like Made in Europe, Made in Spain, The Hong Kong Enterprise, etc.

Read The Wall Street Journal!

      Especially the classifieds. You'll find all kinds of neat stuff that could be a cinch for you to market.

Haunt Your Local Bookstores!

      If I didn't have something to sell already, this would be the very first place I'd start looking. I'd keep my eyes open for hot selling non-fiction books I could condense into fast reading reports and market (probably via direct mail) to the millions of people who are hungry for this kind of "how to" info.

Subscribe To Towers Club, USA Newsletter!

      Published by my friend, Jerry Buchanan, it's the best all-'round source I've ever found for highly saleable "paper and ink" products and product ideas. Tell Jerry I sent ya. His number is (206) 572-3084.

Visit Your Local K-Mart!

      I'm not kidding. Just because something is sold in stores doesn't mean it can't be sold via direct marketing. There are plenty of "crossover" items you can "twist," "enhance," "combine," or simply sell as they are through various combinations of direct response media.

Be On The Lookout For "Problems"!

      No problem finding problems, is there? The media makes us aware of them with distressing regularity. But maybe you should start looking at them as OPPORTUNITIES! Long lines because of automobile smog inspections? Hmn, maybe we can sell a solution to that hassle?

      Senior citizens getting ripped off by Social Security? Hmn, maybe we could sell a book on How To Collect Social Security At Any Age? Ah forget it, that wouldn't work.

      People tired of just being a digit in somebody's computer? Maybe we could sell them a brief history of their surname and show them what the first family crest ever recorded with that surname looks like?

      Oh forget it; another stupid idea.

      OK, lemme think. I wonder if anybody'd like to have a key chain with the license number of their car on it?

      Nope. Nope. That's been tried by some charity years ago. Wouldn't work again. Nope, forget it.

      Let's see, how about dog tags for... dogs? Customized by breed with the owner's name and phone number? Nah, people in America don't care that much about their pets. It'd never work.

      Hey, I hear there's lots of lonely guys out there. I wonder? How about a report customized for each city like "How And Where To Pick Up Girls In L.A."?

      Another stupid idea.

      I hear some churches are trying to raise money. Probably just a rumor. But, if it were true... maybe the pastor would let us make an endorsed mailing to his congregation offering rare pages from one of the few remaining Gutenberg Bibles.

      Sounds weak. Don't bother.

      Ah shoot boys and girls, we're having trouble here, aren't we? Maybe we should just... maybe?... we uh... hey...

Let's Advertise For

Something To Sell!

      Want your brain to catch on fire? If so, run the following ad in the Wall Street Journal and the business section of your local newspaper:

 

Still stuck? Hmn? How'd you like to promote me? For enough loot (and we can split) I'll talk before almost any group. Especially if it helps me promote my GHA network.

	Sincerely,
	Gary C. Halbert A "Hot Product All By Himself"

P.S.      If you want to come to my June seminar in California... DO... NOT... DELAY... SIGNING... UP...!

Copyright © 2002 Gary C. Halbert.  All Rights Reserved.