Right Brain Time Managment

If you are a Right Brain person, you are creative, like an artist. It's important for you to complete each task you start. The problem is this, completing things is not your strong suit.

There are four stages of the creative process:

Stage 1: Germination is the seed of thought that begins the process.
Stage 2: Gathering is where you accumulate the resources you'll need.
Stage 3: Implementation is where you out your thoughts and resources into action.
Stage 4: Completion is acknowledgeing your accomplishments and moving to the next process.

Most Right Brain people spend time on the first three stages and forget stage four. By doing this it depletes our energy to go onto the next project or task. Without completion, there is no momentum. Is it any wonder people feel drained, frustrated and tired? Without completion, it becomes harder and harder to accomplish things, so many people give up.

Just joking about about collecting donations...

Hi Wayne

You say your just joking about about collecting donations to fight your case but why not see an opertunity in adversity. Put a great package together you'll probally get your best sales ever and even pay the fine

It's been done before!

warm regards conny

The Tablet PC Review

Being the busy business man I am, and being constantly on the move, owning and operating a laptop computer has become a necessity. The freedom that this offers me is great, yet still maintaining the power of the regular desktop PC. Keeping up to date with the latest advances and products is a challenge all on its own, with the rapid evolution of technology.

I was presented with a helpful website, Tablet PC Reviews, that offers all the latest information on tablet PCs, regarding product reviews, discussion forums, as well as a Tablet PC database and coupons section.

There is nothong worse than purchasing a great looking lappy, only to discover right before an important meeting or event that there is a major problem, or the reasons you purchased in the first place, cannot be acheived on said machine.

The website also runs a current rankings list of the top selling laptops currently on the market. Tablet PC Reviews offers informed and accurate reviews on a huge array of type name devices, including HP, Fujitsu, Panasonic and Sony to name a few. Each has a dedicated section in the forum, and encourages you to add your thoughts on the product. The forum can also deal with technical issues, both hardware and software, concerning specific devices. On top of all this information, the website also contains a database, full of manufacturers and the PCs that they produce.

So when thinking of purchasing a Laptop PC, make a smart and informed choice, based on extensive reviews and personal experiences. Give Tablet PC Review a go.

shocked and disappointed

Hey Wayne

I thought you had these guys sussed and would "win". So am shocked and disappointed for you

Is there any chance of an appeal or is this too costly ?

Onwards and upwards!

Frank

The Four Ds

There are four (and only four) actions you can take with any task.

Do it...
Delegate it...
Delay it...
Drop it...

Take each task and just D.O.I.T. - Delegate it, Own it, Incubate it, or Toss it. The hardest is dropping it. Just ask yourself, "What's the worst thing that could happen if I toss it away?" Anything that is important will come back, so don't worry. You can even keep colour coded files for each of your Do, Delegate, Delay items - and of course my favourite file, the waste basket, for the drop it items.

Push Through Resistance with Persistence
Here are some simple exercises that will help you power through procrastination.

1. Set a timer for five minutes and devote yourself fully to being present to the task. When you hear the "ding", stop and go on to something else.
   
2. Call a coach. You can always get moral encouragement and new ideas from others, even when your stuck.
   
3. Continue to focus on the end results, the "why." Let the "how" come up from your visualisations.

Great Slackers in History

Albert Einstein.
Einstein held a job in the Swiss Patent Office for seven years. His responsibilities consisted of evaluating patent applications for such everyday devices as cameras and typewriters. The job was not demanding, and Albert knew how to "stick it to the man." He wrote at least five papers on Brownian motion while employed at the patent office, mostly on work time. Although these early works were not directly related to relativity, they laid the foundations for is later works.

Karl Marx.
What most people don't know about Marx, the originator of Communism, is that he was a lazy freeloader who never held a real job. He read a lot, though, and had a lifestyle remarkably similar to the perpetual grad students of today. Karl was able to get away from this because he had a wealthy benefactor, Freidrich Engels, the owner of several English textile mills. Though lauded in our times as a great socialist thinker, Engles never applied any of his ideas about labour reform to his own factories, and Marx never pushed him. Why? Because Karl needed his allowance. In fact, most of the corresondence between these two politcal giants can be boiled down to this: "Please send the money now."

The absurdity of the situation

Hi Wayne

Well I was at a film shoot all day friday so didnt hear about your case result until late in the day.

I can't help but wonder at the absurdity of the situation as I sit here and delete 450 spam emails that have arrived in my inbox since late yesterday,

How they can justify their position when they have done absolutely nothing about the massive volumes of spam that come in to the country from overseas
is beyond me - then again the legal system in this country is quite often lacking and has little to do with wrong and right I have found. It all appears to be semantics.

If I'm getting 450 in a day what is being sent out??

I can't help feel that like me with our strata hassles, your lawyer has been unable to explain the position in global terms well enough for the judge to understand.

I'm sure this is another one of life's hurdles that gets thrown out from time to time......

You have my support

Mark Whitehouse

Nutritional Health Help

Being as busy as I am, its difficult to find the time to get down to the shops to buy the necessities, let alone specialty stores and chemists for specific needs. As I usually do not consume the most vitamin friendly diet, I try and take dietary suppliments when I can.

Trying to find a more time conscious way of purchasing these products, I came upon N101 Nutrition, a website that offers the online purchase of these products in a safe and secure manner. apart from being able to search through N101s diverse brand listing, you can also search by product catagory or Health Condition. Especially handy if you are not quite sure what product would be best suited for your problem.

Upon finding your product, there is an extensive list of information, including ingredients and suppliments that many websites do not offer. Don't be fooled into thinking this is just a vitamin site however, as it is also full of sports and beauty products as well. The prices are extremely competitive, and discounted products are available if ordering in bulk, or you are a frequent buyer as you accumlate points, redeemable for their rewards program. Best of all, the information is all accurate, and is being constantly updated.

The shopping system is simple, using the shopping cart system, and offering comprehensive shipping tracking and return policies.

On a whim, I did a quick search for a multi-vitamin product I was after, and found it straight away, and for a price which after shipping, actually works out cheaper than what I usually pay. A website worth investigating for worry health products.

I love reading your Maverick Spirit

Hi Wayne,

Congratulations on having such a peaceful response to this very public action. I commend you. I was especially moved to read the warmth of support in the emails at the end of this and I concur with the writer who says if there's anyone capable of turning this around it's you. I loved your response to the reporters that it didn't serve anyone for you to comment. You've done all the commenting that needs to be done. ACCC have made an scapegoat of you. What a shame we still get inundated with real spam on anatrim, viagra, imitation rolex etc ad nauseum.

I love reading your Maverick Spirit and have missed it recently. It doesn't matter if it's occasional, so long as it doesn't stop. Your depth of experience in business shows you understand this is yet another hiccup along the way. You are truly an inspiration and role model.

Please continue being so and good luck with however you handle the fine.

Marlene Rattigan
Kidz-Fiz-Biz

Free Publicity Takes Work

The Message

1. Make Your Message simple and clear, and stay focused whether it is a press release, a pitch letter or a pitch call. If it is a press release, make the news value of your information obvious. It is better to send a press release every month on one subject, than to put everything into one release. The editor who gets that release won't know what "the news" is.
   
   Since one of the main purposes of public relations is to increase image and awareness for your company and its products, it is important to keep yourself in the news through a consistent press release schedule.
   
   
2. Highlight what is unique about your product, service, or company compared to the competition. Pitch your information in context of the trends and developments within your market or industry. Understand the issues and hot buttons in your market or industry.

Shame on them

Sorry to hear of your misfortune with the bureaucrats. keep up that positive spirit the system and all its bureaucrats should be on its knees begging for your support not treating you like a common criminal shame shame on them.

Steve Binciano

Stuck for Children Gifts?

I've got a little nephew with a birthday coming up soon, and as is the norm this time of year, I have absolutely no idea what to get him. However I think I might be onto a winner this time, as I came across this website in my travels, promoting the latest Elmo from Sesame Street toy, TMX Elmo.

Sounding somewhat like a cyborg from the Terminator movies, this is probably not far from the truth. This little toy has very clever robotics built into it, so that when Elmo is pressed on either his belly, chin or toes, he falls to the floor in a fit of laughter, giggling and kicking his legs in hysteria. He rolls back onto his feet ready to go again.

There are three different patterns he follows when tickled, each time pleading to be tickled more. The product comes in a neat case, and is pretty much ready to go. It's worth looking for little kids, and is available pretty much everywhere.

You did promise me lunch

Hi Wayne,

Are you serious, do you have to pay $5.5mill?

Are you in Sydney soon?

You did promise me lunch, remember (smile)

Best wishes,
Helen

Close the Sale...

Daniellt Kennedy, recognised as one of America's leading sales trainers, shares with us her 7 best ways to Close a Sale...

1. Prepare well in advance, and you'll close effortlessly. Create a pre-close questionnaire, including as many questions as you can think of that the prospect may ask. For example; is your product as good a value as the competition's? Be sure you can back up your reply in a way that doesn't knock the competition, but exhibits impressive knowledge of both the competitors product and your own.



2. Assume closing the sale is good for both you and the customer. As the closing process unfolds, a feeling should materialise of "there is no turning back. I have created so much desire in the customer, it would be cruel to stop now."
   
   
3. Create opportunities for prospects to disclose objections. Say: "Is this price out of the ballpark?" The more prospects trust you, the more likely they are going to confess their true objections. Until they confess, you cannot close the sale.
   
   
4. Team close. Your past satisfied customers are more than happy to help you clinch the sale. Tell the prospect: "Don't just take my word for it. You deserve to hear it straight from teh source - a current customer. Give them a call this morning."
   
   
5. Create urgency. Caution: Don't play games. When you tell a prosect you have people waiting in the wings to buy, you better be telling the truth.

Ninemsn article dropped down

Yes ... and I'll be interested to see what you have planned, as no doubt you have.

That was a very well written Spirit. I guess this will be the real test as to who your real friends are.

I have no doubt your inbox will overflow this week - 99% positive. Interesting how quick the ninemsn article dropped down the ranks over the weekend - I could not find anything till late last night.

As always, if there is anything I can do, just call.

Regards
Mark Henry

Keep sending me emails

Hi Wayne

It appears it is more important to receive emails about Viagra, Dodgey Share trading and Penis enlargement
Than to receive encourangement and business ideas from Business Seminars

Please keep sending me emails

David Swanborough

Negotiating Over Lunch

There is an art to winning at the business lunch table. Here are some tips.

Its a well worn phrase... "There's no such thing as free lunch". People are either after information, business or both. Certainly they are looking for an advantage for them.

Never go to lunch without a preconceived plan. If you do, it becomes a social occasion where somebody else may be able to "work you". If invited by others, pre-think the reasons from their perspective and rehearse some comments that will allow you to put any contentious issues on "ice" for later evaluation.

If at all possible, be in a position to control the time frame, the restaurant, the table site, the speed at which the meals will be brought, the alcohol consumption. This will generally mean having to pay the bill.

Plan the luncheon in advance, make your guest / s feel comfortable by taking their "whims and fancies" into consideration. If they don't necessarily agree with you, find ways of nullifying your disadvantage. For example, if your business guest is a heavy drinker, arrange for the waiter to bring intermittent non-alcoholic drinks without fuss or fanfare. If you require special meals, arrange in advance.

Watch seating arrangments... make sure you are not in a glare or other distraction... ensure you can address all parties without having to swivel in your chair. In this way you can always read the body language of the others. Speaking of body language, be conscious of the signals you are sending out. If possible, it's best to have "one on one" lunches. This eliminates the possibility of the other party lapsing into "office talk" or worse, frustrating your purpose by agreeing amongst themselves.

When it comes to talking business, a winning strategy is to play your cards slowly. Let them see your position card by card... the trick is to get them to talk (and for you to listen). The ultimate goal is for them to study your proposal step by step and arrive at your most favorable conclusion by themselves... almost as if it was their idea. In this way they feel more committed.

Interperse the conversation with social issues on the fringe of your relationship... prehaps people known to both of you... issues peripheral to your industry. Certainly talk "sport" for a period of time but never lose sight of your objective. Get them to talk about themselves, their business, their goals and aspirations.

Take a note pad for jotting down important issues... make sure you have your business cards and product brochures if necessary.

After the luncheon, immediately "pen" a letter of appreciation and make diary notes on the outcome of the meeting including dates for future deadlines..

Couldn’t believe it

Couldn’t believe it when I saw it in the paper about the fine. I love getting the Maverick Spirit – always uplifting and like to be informed about what seminars etc are on offer even if I cant always go. Compare this to the hundreds of ads for Viagra that are getting worse and waste so much time, I am stunned.

Keep the faith,

Carol Robertson

83 messagesand only 6 were genuine

Hi Wayne [ i hope this gets thru to you ]

Dissapointed to see you in the news, particularly when i opened my email monday morning & had 83 messagesand only 6 were genuine - the rest were REAL SPAM. bogus jobs, medicines, imitation watches and dodgy stocks - same companies 2 -3 times a day every day.

Your company sent out once a month and had free info in it. The law is an ass. If the govt was seriuos it would crack down on them.

Good luck for the future to you and your staff.

Rob Fowler

Where do they get off?

Dear Wayne,

I am shocked, and dissappointed at the news of your court result last Friday. I do not understand where they get off and then where do you go with that sort of blow? Apart from moral support I would like to offer any my appreciation for the work that you have been doing and if there is any other support that would make a difference.. let me know.

Jane Deery
Story Bridge Hotel

Good Ideas Bear Repeating

Why do so many advertisers pull ads just as they're beginning to work? Or mail a direct marketing marketing package only once? Most prospects have to be exposed to your message - not necessarily in the same medium - multiple times before they're likely to respond to it.

Here's a rundown of my current thinking on repetition and frequency in marketing communications.

Media researchers have long held three exposures to be the "effective frequency" for an advertising message to sink in. But depending on your "reach" - the percent of the audience actually exposed - you clearly have to run an ad or broadcast spot much more than three times to have any effect.

The author of Guerilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson, writes that your average prospect must be exposed to various forms of your marketing 9 times before becoming a customer. And because his rule of thumb is that you miss your prospect two out of three times, it takes 27 attempts to acheive those nine exposures.

Industrial advertisers in business publications are better off choosing frequency over ad size and colour when their objective is to generate inquiries or direct sales. When image or positioning is the objective, size and colour are better investments.

In direct mail, a repeat mailing to the same list within 30 days will pull 40 to 50 percent of the first mailing. Everything takes time. Be patient, persistant and consistent for best results.

The Conditions of Existence

Wayne,

Thank you for your communication this morning. I don’t understand why you have been prosecuted. I attended one of your seminars some time ago and I assumed this is why I was on your list.

Good luck with your “fight back” campaign.

I am a devout admirer of Tom Cruise. I have been a Scientologist for many years and have seen the press try to destroy truth and goodness without success. Tom has the guts to stand up, speak out and endure. Although they do not know it yet, mankind owes a great debt to Mr. Hubbard and to Tom Cruise.

I suggest you get hold of a little book by Mr. Hubbard called, “The Conditions of Existence”. It tells you what to do when things are not going right in your life. It is practical and does not involve legal solutions but the use of your own considerable abilities. You can contact your local Church of Scientology and buy it. It costs less than $10 and will totally change your life. You can use the data in business as well. It is important to apply it exactly!

All the best with your fight for justice, and thank you for your positive energy.

Glenys

Vale: Murray FERSTAT

One of my great supporters and mentor of 30 years, Murray Ferstat passed away recently after fighting illness for a long time.

Thanks Murray for some great times and challeneges

Wayne Mansfield

GINORMOUS fine

Wayne,

I was appalled to read of the court action and GINORMOUS fine for YOU being 'nailed' as a spammer !!

Bloody hell.. the spam mail I get..all pernicious and degrading are UNTOUCHABLE .. yet YOU cop the brief !

YOU and YOUR MAILS offer business the means of continuing education....SPAM OFFER CONTINUOUS nothing!!

IT IS A WRONG VERDICT and I hope you are to appeal?

Gerry Benjamin, General Manager
Food Machinery International Pty Ltd

Making the big time

Wow Wayne. You certainly have made the big time.

I remember Robert Kiyosaki said if you were going to steal steal big -make it worthwhile. Well if you're going to get fined maybe you should have taken the Jackpot and gone for the $120mill. What's a few zero's between friends.
Didn't someone say sometimes our greatest disappointments turn out to be our greatest opportunities. Well what a sensational opportunity it will be!!
You really need to focus on that quote of William Arthur Ward.
Good luck Wayne.

Wayne your emails for me are great. Your course was great. Thanks for sharing so much. I hope it continues. No matter what please keep us informed. I can't begin to imagine how you and your family have been feeling but for what it's worth my thoughts are with you

Kevin Bolt

THEY SHOULD BE CONGRATULATING YOU

Hye Wayne ..

I don't know if you actually sent 74 million emails in a year [as I read] however if they were all in the same vein as the Maverick or Spirit THEY SHOULD BE CONGRATULATING YOU.. NOT PUNISHING YOU..

I always had the option of 'opting out' if I didn't want to receive the emails .. as did everyone else.. so who did you offend ??

Rather than pay the fine.. offer to run courses for individuals that could use the help.. young offenders.. prison inmates.. and the like ??

At least that way the money goes to a good cause.. and thousands of people would benefit in a positive way.

Chin up ..
Allan Fox

What's a delete key for anyway

Wayne, the news of the ridiculous fine was an absolute shock to us at R Finance. To think that someone that chooses to change lives for the better is so severely penalized whilst criminals are enjoying the high life at the races is extremely frustrating for all of us!

If any one person can turn this obstacle into an opportunity, it will no doubt be you and your fantastic team. Don’t worry about the press, the story only made a small column in the Melbourne papers (also a few pages in)! You may have only had one supporter in court, but you have thousands across the country.

Most of us will feel bad and want to offer some help, and the fact is we CAN! I will for one ensure that R Finance will continue to support you through our offices in Newcastle, Sydney and Melbourne by attending all the seminars you conduct so passionately and successfully, whilst again renewing our Gold Memberships, and I will encourage all those in business to do the same.

This is our opportunity to thank you for the success you and your team have helped us achieve over the past few years. Please continue to send the Maverick and anything else you think will benefit us any time you wish. I suggest your next seminar be based on how to use a computer, especially highlighting the benefits of a delete key!!!

This may be of some benefit to all those negative sour people with nothing better or positive to do with their time. Keep up the great work you and your entire team do, and we all look forward to seeing you very soon.

Nazar Karabidian, Managing Director
R-Finance Pty Ltd

Time to be true to yourself

Don’t let em get you down. Those poor bastards with nothing better to do than sit around having meetings about how they can weigh the world down with more red tape bullshit. Frig em.

I suppose Wayne it is now time for you to live what you have preached and keep up the fight. You will win it. Be sure.

Peter Green, Director Business Development
Table Matters

With friends like this... life is amazing!

Heh Wayne,

If U need a to KEEP your SPIRITS UP buddy .. U know where I am! Always a Cognac ready n waiting! Don't sweat it, it's only money ..

So, now that you are a trimmer U... and the bank balance might be lacking a tad (only a short term blip knowing your a powerhouse of brilliant ideas & suave sophistication)... I can always take U shopping at the numerous Op shops for that unique new outfit and funky shoes! Hell.. I'll even buy em 4 you!

Brightest blessings Wayne
Karin Kann

Seminars that are supervalue for money

Dear Wayne,

Well isn't it amazing what the byraucrats of the world will spend time and money (they call it ressources) on. It reminds me of this sentence: "In todays world citizens are treated like criminals, and criminals are treated like they are victims". You and I are proud and honest citizens but our government and state government treats us like criminals. Why? Because an honest man is always an easy vitim.

When I think of all the trash and spam mail that is circulating around the world and on the web I am astounded that Australia is even considering spending time on an honest man and your so called unsolicited email. Your emails and newsletters ARE NOT spam or trash they are honest and informing and a smart way to sell your seminars. Seminars that are supervalue for money. On top of that a lot of smart info and wisdom is emailed via your newsletters.

Take a deep breath and continue on your mission to educate business people. A task the government is doing very little about.

I suppose they like the tax dollars that small, medium and big business are generating. The fact that 80% of these businesses are closing within 5 years due to lack of knowledge, education, capital and experience doesn't seem to worry the government much. There is always another new "idiot" they can tax back to the stoneage.

Finally I would like to say to you that you shall not hide from the press. You haven't done anything wrong since your actions at the time was done honestly and openly and with the knowledge you possesed at the time of your actions.

All research shows that being in the focus of the press will bring you more success.

Bad news is often good news in the eyes of the public, viewrs and readers.
But prepare what you would like to say to the journalist(s) and to the readers before you call the news and media for an interview. Tell them about your vision for businesses and your seminars. Tell them why you believe so much in email marketing etc. Turn it to your advantage and you will get more people on your seminars than you ever have experienced before.

Even if the journalist(s) that writes about you is doing it from a negative point of view it is still promotion of you and your business.
Remember that Australians love the underdog. The little man that stands to loose his business and his living because the big red tape bureaucratic goverment want's 5,5 million dollars from him. Why? Because he send some unsolicited emails to x-amount of leads. BIG crime mate?

Many australians and many business owners will give you their sympathy and support.
So call the press tomorrow and offer them exclusive interviews. State/country and TV level. That is my best advice! Turn it to your advantage!

Edith Piaff - the french singer - tried everything in her life. From prostitution to world fame. She said - If you have a "fault" - use it! See use your situation to the best. YOU can and you will be rewarded for it!


All the best

Michael Nielsen
Perth WA

Another story for that book...

Hi Wayne,

Wow....the story of your business achievements in overcoming this will be be even more impressive now.

Rise above
Glenda Gray

An easy Scapegoat...

G'day Wayne,

I was disappointed that you were found guilty of disseminating good spam whilst the other disseminators of shit spam will still get to continue to clog my inbox.
It seems to me that you were a very convenient and "all too easy to nail" scapegoat.
Good luck with any appeal on the size of your fines.

Eddie White

The Straw Man - Brisbane

Press On!

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.

Talent will not
Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.

Genius will not
Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not
The world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination together are omnipotent.

Cheers,

Leonard Clampett
Brisbane

Encouragement from The Philipines

Hi Wayne,

Just a quick note of encouragement.

The fine is as ridiculous as you say, especially when you compare this to the slap on the wrist I see 'real' criminals getting in the Oz news.

One of your traits I admire the most has always been your ability to bounce back from adversity. Sure, you get smacked and dazed for a day or so, then it seems you wake up in the morning afresh and just re-start with the enthusiasm of a first day in a new project.

(This time you don't even seem to the have the few days hiatus!)

I'm absolutely sure this decision won't change a thing in the planning and execution of growing your business further.

Steve Wroblewski

Words of Support

Hi Wayne,

Congratulations on the finallisation on lawsuit. We are so happy for you that, after 4 years, you can finally get over it.

Wishing you all the best from today on. Looking forward to do more business with you.

Bee

Hi Wayne,

We heard the news and not only I am shocked, also feel for you for being a victim of bureaucracy.

For a small business like yours the financial cost would be a huge blow.

Please let me know if I can be of any help.

William

Hi Wayne
I was appalled to hear on the news recently that you (or your company)have been fined 5.5 million dollars for sending out eMails.

I just want you to know that I enjoy receiving all your communications, and if I did not want to receive them, I have a bounce button and a delete button on my computer which allows me to select what mail I wish to keep receiving.

I do hope that you can find a way through the mine field at the moment and that you do not have to pay the fine.

When only the Best will do

Yours Sincerely
Cliff

Wayne
Sorry to hear about your fine. Keep the chin up.

Alexander

Hi Wayne,

We haven’t met but we are kindred spirits. Years ago I worked with Tom Hopkins and later with SMI for 3 or 4 years, wonderful experiences. I have been a Maverick Spirit subscriber for some time and love what you do, after all “it’s what you learn AFTER you think you know it all that really matters”.

Sorry to hear about the challenge you have with the “system” at the moment, I hope you come thru it OK and keep up the good work.


Phillip

G’day Wayne
Thanks for the Spirit.

Maya

Wayne,

Just writing to you after reading the article on ninemsn about the finding against your company and you as a Director for "spam mail".

I am 41years young, have my own business, in good debt ,(like others, mortgage, business borrowing etc) and a beautiful wife & children. I am blessed and grateful for what I have.

To put it short, I guess for the last 12 months I have been marking time in life, feeling every day like what is this all about, why am I doing this, is that light at the end of the tunnel or an oncoming train etc etc etc.

Then sure enough there is a Maverick Sprirt mail, I open it and read it (shhhhh ! don't tell my ISP or some over zealous govt dept)
and then something in those words of encouragement, wisdom or just honesty seems to make a difference to me, sometimes minor, sometimes signifigant. What is ironic though is some of your Maverick Spirit letters make me feel like Jim Carey in the Truman Show as the article talks about many things I have been through that minute, day or the last few weeks.

I guess some of your next mails should be titled "continue to enjoy being a free spirit in a hypocritical world"...

I have not met ,nor may I ever meet you but here is an extract I have taken from one of your news letters on the 5th April 2006

"A great friend said to me a few years ago, "Wayne, you know all this stuff you talk about in seminars... do you believe it works??"

My reply was an empathic "Yes!! Of course I do..."

I guess all I'm trying to say is that from where I sit, I could not think of a person more capable of turning this setback around than you.

Keep well, stay sane in a complicated world

Darryl

Press Release Friday October 27th, 2006

Press Release Friday October 27th, 2006

Court Decision - ACMA v Clarity1 and Wayne Mansfield

Whilst disappointed in the outcome of the Federal Court decision today and the imposition of the considerable fines on Clarity1 and myself, I am encouraged by the comments made by Justice Nicholson in his reasons for the quantum of the fine.

In the notes attaching to his Judge Nicholsons Judgement, he comments about the fines being so large as to being meaningless in regard to "commercial reality."

Obviously I will consider my options including the possibility of an appeal on the amount of the fines but we have, personally and as a business, moved on and no longer are involved in any activities that the decision refers to.

Wayne Mansfield

memories about beach cruisers...

I still remember the first day that I learned to ride a Beach cruisers bicycle liek it was yesterday. My first one was a old green Schwinn Bicycle with Ape Hanger Handlebars and a beach cruiser seat. It was a dark greeen and I always kept a Jack of Diamonds tucked neatly between the spokes.

I have learned to how to ride for a long time, it was fun time. Finally, the eventful day came. The day was shiny and bright and although it was a weekend there were few cars about in the neighborhood. No sonner had my friend said get her a switch than I had jumped on that beach cruisers and was riding like the wind.

Now admittedly I only went two houses up to the corner when I crashed but something miraculous had happened. I crashed and hadn't died.

From that day forward my beach cruiser became my best friend. I rode that beach cruiser through rain, I rode that beach cruiser through rain, I rode that beach curiser in heat and I rode that beach cruiser everytime I heard my name being called...

Visiting all Five Disney Parks

If you've ever been to Disneyland and suffered through the "It's a Small World" sing-along, you know what it feels like to really want to strangle someone.

Multiply this experience five times and you will begin to understand what a group of Australians managed to accomplish recently.

Members of the Down Under Disneyana Club each forked out $4,661 for a round-the-world tour of all five Disney parks. The month long trip passed through Anaheim (site of the original Disneyland), Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, and Orlando.

Man, that's a whole lot of Mickey!

Apparently fun was had by all and no strangulations were reported.

I'm not sure the same could have been said had I been on the trip.

Greater way of calling

I have got a good friend who is in America, we talk to each other quite often. At the very begining we used ICQ, AOL and/or MSN some kinds of instant messeaenger, and I found it is more fun than writing email. After a while, the ICQ and MSN start their new service on on line talk, which you can talk through the software. So become even convenient, because it really save you the time of typing especially if you typeing not that fast...

Yesterday I received a call when I was working, and come from my friend, and he call me through the computer, he said he use Vonage VoIP service, and now he even change his home phone with Vonage VoIP, with that, he not only can call inside the nations but also can call overseas - just pay a local call rate. How nice that sounds!

After his call I found this news

"The Canadian real estate market continues to be hot, and many Canadians are switching to Voage home phone service to make their moving experience more bearable."

Good Ideas Bear Repeating

Why do so many advertisers pull ads just as they're beginning to work? Or mail a direct marketing package only once? Most prospects have to be exposed to your message - not necesarily in the same medium - multiple times before they're likely to respond to it.

Here's a rundown of current thinking on repetition and frequency in marketing communnications:

Media researchers have long held three exposures to be the "effective frequency" for an advertising message to sink in. But depending on your "reach" - the percent of the audience actually exposed - you clearly have to run an ad or broadcast spot much more than three times to have an effect.

The author of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson, writes that your average prospect must be exposed to various forms of your marketing 9 times before becomming a customer. And because his rule of thumb is that you miss your prospect two out of three times, it takes 27 attempts to achieve those nine exposures.

Industrial advertisers in business publications are better off choosing frequency over ad size and colour when their objective is to generate inquiries or direct sales. When image or positioning is the objective, size and colour are better investments.

In direct mail, a repaet mailing system to the same list within 30 days will pull 40 to 50 percent of the first mailing. Everything takes time. Be patient, persistent and consistent for best results.

Combating Change

Everybody these days talks about "change" ...everything is changing, business methods are changing, the economy is changing.

Here's a winning philosophy to keep in mind when you decide to change things at work. It was first published in "Dun's Review" way back in 1957... but it is still as relevant as ever... alas, change never made changes!

• Change is more acceptable when it is understood than when it is not.
  
• Change is more acceptable when it does not threaten security than when it does.


• Change is more acceptable whenthose affected have helped to create it than when it has been externally imposed.


• Change is more acceptable when it results from an application of previously established impersonal principles than when it is dictated by personal order.


• Change is more acceptable when it follows a series of successful changes than when it follows a series of of failures.


• Change is more acceptable when it is inaugurated after prior change has been assimilated than when it is inaugurated during the confusion of other major change.


• Change is more accepted if it had been planned than if it is experimental.


• Change is more acceptable to people new on the job than to people old on the job.


• Change is more acceptable to those who share benefits of change than those who do not.
  
• Change is more acceptable if the organisation has been trained to plan for improvement than it is if the organisation is accustomed to static procedures.

"People forget how fast you did a job - but they remember how well you did it"
Howard W. Newton

London - the place I want to go

I have a friend who just came back from London for a holiday. He said to me London is a greater place to be...

I want to go to Euro. for long long time, but haven't got any chance to go yet. I am also very interested in London, from the knowledge I know it is a city with long long histroy, and lots of attrctions needed to see. So I ask my friend and he gave me some suggestion on London tourist attractions...

The National Gallery
This is a "must" place to go. The Gallery diplays western paintings from about 1260 and includes works by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and Van Gogh.

British Airways London Eye
it dominates the South Bank of the River Thames. Fittingly sponsored by British Airways, they Eye's 30-minute 'flights' offer a breathtaking, bird's-eye view of the capital. And to do it in style, book your own private capsule, which affords you exclusive check-in, priority boarding and a range of divine refreshments, such as champagne cocktails and canapes.

Buckingham Palace
At any one time, there is a gaggle of tourists standing at the gates of 'Buck House', cameras at the ready, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Queen.

Also my friend said to me, the traditional British food is not as bad as we imagine... He found a place where specialised in meat and fish named 'Simpson's' is just fantastic, and the palce has been serving traditional food since 1828

There are too many places to go and see, so the best way is find sometime and get rid of tird work and everything, bring some friends with you together, discover your self...

Get Out of That Rut

Oscar Wild said;
"Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative."

So stop getting up at 6:05, get up at 5:06
Walk a mile at dawn
Find a new way to work
Switch chores with your spouse next Saturday
Buy a wok
Study wildflowers
Stay out alone all night
Read to the blind
Start counting brown eyed blondes or blonds
Subscribe to an out-of-town paper
Canoe at midnight
Don't write to your local M.P. - Take a whole scout troop to see him
Learn to speak Italian
Teach some kid the thing you do best
Listen to two hours of uninterrupted Mozart
Take aerobic dancing

Leap out of that rut, saviour life. Remember we only pass this way once!

Decide to Stand Rather Than Sit

According to a study conducted by the University of Southern California, decision making is easier and about 20% faster when standing as opposed to sitting.

A general observation was: respondants were prone to action when they stood. A possible explanation was: the heart rate increases by 10 beats per minute when standing and this may stimulate the brain to work faster.

When faced with a difficult issue at work, stand and walk around periodically to ensure the cardiovascular system is operating at a level to stimulate the brain. Take deep breaths to increase the oxygen intake.

"Staying Well" Newsletter, Des Moines.

Accurate Thinking Nuggets

"Ask people advice but decide for yourself"
- Ukranian proverb

"He who finds fault wants to buy."
"The wise man never says 'I did not think'."
- Spanish Proverb

"If you must take chances, take those that lean your way."
"Deliberate with caution, but act with decision; and yield with graciousness, or oppose with firmness."
- Coulton

"No one deceives us more than our own thoughts."
- Silesian proverb

"Mill makers lead the water whither they will, Fletchers bend the arrows, Carpenters shape the logs, but wise men fashion themselves."
- Buddhism proverb

An eCommerce Security Solution

Now here is something that is a serious must for any business large or small that deals with online transactions. Over $3 billion a year is lost due to online fraud. Given the sheer volume of it, there is a chance that if you are conducting business online, this could be happening to you too. A way to prevent this? I came across a website called preCharge, which can end this fraud for your business.

preCharge works by directing your customers transaction to their secure server. The server then scans the transaction details against 180 different filters to determine if the transaction details are fraudulant. If the details come through clean, the transaction is then bounced back to your business, and can then be processed. If it turns up fraudulant, the transaction can be cancelled, and the details reported, saving you lost revenue.

I don't think it matters what type of business you are involved in, this is a great defence against a growing problem, and well worth investing your time in.

Play Cash Pays Off

Money can only motivate so much before other tangible demotivators come into play... tax tax, self worth, other priorities...

In our work with large sales teams selling house insulation, we instigated a Gorilla Dollar Program to compensate for the fact that once the sales team started to earn more than $1,500 a week, the tax and hours became demotivators... why earn more if the taxman gets half!

The problem for our client is that they had to make every post a winner during the summer in Perth. On some days our client was getting 90 enquiries for insulation. The sales team were earning so much, that 30 or 40 leads went begging each very hot day.

By encouraging fun, team competition and team building with Funny Money... we called it Gorilla Dollars, we were able to have every call answered with a visit and the extra business helped out client increase market share by 12%.

Gorilla Dollars were rewarded for appointments kept, multiple sales, first sale of the day, ... as many excuses as we could think up. We produced Gorilla Dollar Bills and built a a money wall... each award of Gorilla Dollars was recorded and the Gorilla Dollar was added to the wall. After a month, nearly 1,000 Gorilla endorsed bills were taped to the wall.

At our awards evening, Gorilla Dollars were exchanged for Scratch and Match tickets, mystery filghts, prizes, cinema tickets, meal vouchers... the promotion was cost effective and produced spectacular results...

A Great Option For Comedy Fans

You might associate the name National Lampoons with the iconic comedy movies with Chevy Chase and the Griswolds. More recently however, the group has embarked on discover comedy movies that are big on the laughs, but didn't make to the cinema, not earning the exposure that they deserved.

The National Lampoon's DVD Club provides these movies once a month to its members, and offers these movies cheaply, allowing members to purchase this movie at the cost of a rental.

The DVD Club is currently offering anyone with an email address the opportunity to receive a free DVD, so that they can try out this service for themselves. Occompanying this are some great testimonials of people who are currently using the service, all heaping on praise on the comedy selection.

There are some absolute gems available, and I seriously (pardon the pun) recommend you check these out!

Success Thoughts...

Prehaps its easier to ask me what I think makes a successful business. If there is one word I would use - and I don't see enough of it in either personal life or business life - it's thoroughness. Thoroughness and the ability to communicate are probably the two most important qualities people can have when running a business. You cannot take anything for granted.

A Cocktail Sensation!

The new flavor of the month in terms of cocktails at the moment is the Cuban Mojito. Traditionally made up of five ingrediants, the Mojito is a combination of mint, rum, powdered sugar, lime juice, and club soda. The combination of the mint and lime, as well as the sweetness of the sugar, are designed to mask the kick of the rum.

The word Mojito is likened to a location. It's sitting in the shade of a palm on a beach, digging your toes into the sand, whilst fanning yourself with your Panama hat.

Today I came across a new Mojito Gift Set, that includes all the tools and recipes you need to create the perfect Mojito. The set includes 4 tall glasses (the only way to have a Mojito served in!) as well as the muddler used to mix the drink. As well as this, the kit contains recipes and tips on the preparation of Mojitos.

Harvey MacKay Quickies

It's not your last good idea
If you've got one good idea, there's a pretty good indication that you can come up with another. I've done it - especially when I thought someone had stolen my idea. And so can you. You've got to have more than one good idea. Once is not enough.

There is no such thing as bad memory

You can remember anything... if you're interested in it. Nobody expects you to always remember the names of everyone you meet in business. Write down the details of your customers and include them on your database system or contact manager... and look them up immediately before your next visit. You will fast become known as someone with a great memory.

Who Says You Are Good?

One of the most misunderstood aspects of marketing is the power of referral. Following a close second is the testimonial story... a real life examplen of what happens when someone uses your product or service.. in their words!

I highly recommend the use of a newletter to existing and prospective clients. Have the newsletter written 'Third Person'. That means you write it as a story about you and not as your opinion of what is happening.

I ahve included an example of The W Factor newsletter we developed for I.R. Watson and associates, a Project Management Consultancy. Ian Watson had been out of the public practice whilst being employed on Perth's major office development, the QV1 complex, and he wanted to let people know that he was back in the consulting business.

We developed an A4 Newsletter to be delivered by fax... it talked about what Ian had been doing and what type of work he was skilled at. The editor said all these nice things (actually Ian told me how good he was, and I wrote it as third person!) about Ian and using Fax Marketing we sent out 350 across the world.

The faxes went to Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Kual Lumper, Indonesia, Japan, Los Angeles... cost... change from $350.00
The reseults: Major contracts exceeding $35,000,000 resulted. Ian's business grew from a 2 people practice to 8 in just 18 months.
Another Maverick Technique...

Ask satisfied clients to say nice things about you and include them in your material. The biggest problem is getting your client to commit words to paper.. not that they don't want to, but they don't know what to say.

Here is the quick and easy way to get the job done.. Phone them and say you want to use their name and comments in your next promotion, and you have written out what you want them to say and you will fax it over. We find most times they say, "Read it to me now... I am happy with that!" then you're in business.

Now the last thing... When you use the testimonial include their phone number so people can ring. We do, and our best salespeople are satisfied clients. It also makes our clients happy that we acknowledge them publicly.

Discovery, The New Search Engine

Recently I stumbled across a new blog running by the name of The Fish. It is a blog developed by a guy called Mark E Seremet. He has created this blog for people who are entrepreneurs, web addicts business people etc. and discusses the his unfolding project, Repliqa, a Discovery search engine that will apparently reshape the users interaction with the internet. Mark was the founder of Paragon Software, and co-founder of Take-Two (most reknowed for the Grand Theft Auto series of games), so his background experience is exceptional.

This blog is an excellent place for information on Discovery search engines, Mark's business travels and ventures, and he even sometimes gives away free stuff just for reading his blog!

The majority of this blog is based around his recent company, Repliqa, which essentially is making it easier for people to find and source information that intertests them, without the need to spend hours every day locating it in the traditional sense. There is a video clip in one of Mark's recent posts that is a presentation discussing the function of Repliqa and how it differs from traditional searches. It's very interesting and gives you some idea of what it is he's trying to achieve.

The Fish

EXPOSE YOURSELF TO ART

From my files of "Only in America" comes this beauty, courtesy of the great newsletter: THIS IS TRUE.

A 5th grade class at Fisher Elementary School in Frisco, Texas, got a rare treat: a field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art. Art teacher Sydney McGee, a 28-year veteran, got parental permission slips and discussed with museum staff what she wanted the kids to see.

But after they got back, Principal Nancy Lawson reprimanded McGee because one of the students caught sight of a nude statue during the visit, and the student's parent complained.

Due to the "hostility" she experienced after the incident, McGee asked to be transferred to another school, but school administrators and the local school board refused that request. Instead, McGee has been suspended with pay until her contract runs out, and then she will be fired.

District Superintendent Rick Reedy backs the action. "You have to start somewhere when you've seen things you don't believe are in the best interest of the students," he said. (Dallas Morning News) ...

Right, like electing a new school board, and hiring a new superintendent and principal.

Travelling Glenwood Springs

Most recently I was viewing travel destinations and came across a beautiful town nestled in the Colorado Rocky Mounatins, Glenwood Springs. The town is located 40 miles north and west of Aspen, and is right on the California Zepher rail line with the Colorado river running next to the tracks.

Glenwood Springs is home to Fairy Cave / Glenwood Caverns and Bridal Falls as well as their famous Glenwood Spring Pool as well as the verious hiking and montain trails and abundance of wildlife.

The town itself has a long and interesting history. Its unique location at the confluence of the Colorado River and the Roaring Fork River as well gaining a stop on the railroad, historically made it a center of commerce in the area.

The city has seen numerous famous visitors including President Teddy Roosevelt who spent an entire summer vacation living out of the historic Hotel Colorado. Doc Holliday, a wild west legend from the O.K. Coral gunfight, spent the final months of his life in Glenwood Springs and is buried in the town's original cemetery.

This is a magnificent area of the world that boasts amazing scenery and landmarks, and the area is also featured in the feature film, Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
To find out more about this beautiful part of the world, visit the Glenwood Springs blogsite, for more information on places to stay, things to do

Realities Behind the "Soy Revolution"

Recently, as part of my on going efforts to eat healthy, I tried soy based ice-cream. Apart from tasting "rubbery" it didn't taste too good either. So, when I saw an article by Dr Al Sears on the dangers of soy, I thought I would share it with you.

In the January 2006 issue of the journal Circulation, the American Heart Association announced that soy has little effect on cholesterol and is unlikely to prevent heart disease.1

This doesn't mean that all types of soy are unhealthy. But it proves that soy isn't the "miracle food" the FDA and the food industry would have you believe.

Soy-based products are everywhere. And that's a problem. You may not realize it, but soy crops up in unexpected places. It's in your fridge and cupboard – from ice cream and yogurt to pasta and cereal. Not to mention the frying oil used in fast food.

How did this happen?

After FDA approval, the food industry jumped on the soy bandwagon in a big way. By 2004, 80 percent of all vegetables oils were derived from soy, and nearly all processed foods now contain some form of it.

Here are 3 surprising facts you may not know about soy:

1: Soy and Indigestion The problems start with the soybean itself. In raw form, it's poisonous to the human body. In fact, eating raw soy can cause stomachaches, nausea, cramping, and gas.

Other soy ingredients prevent the body from absorbing essential minerals. Ironically, soy also makes it more difficult for the body to digest protein, the very thing soy was supposed to provide as an alternative to meat protein.

2: Soy and Hormonal Imbalance Even more serious, soybeans contain substances called "isoflavones" that mimic estrogen, the female hormone. Eating enough soy can disrupt a woman's menstrual cycle. One researcher calculated that, based on body weight, feeding your baby exclusively on soy formula is like giving it five birth control pills a day!

3: Soy, Gout, and Thyroid Problems As if that weren't enough, there's a chemical in soy that can cause gout and thyroid enlargement. Eating as little as 45 grams of soy products a day can cause thyroid malfunction within 3 months in healthy adult men and women.

And there is more on Dr Al Sears website...

The Riskmaster

Here's a great little song for the business go-getter in all of us. The title is 'TheRiskmaster' and is available at theriskmaster.com. It is an upbeat little song that sings about the risk taker businessman, who takes risks to advance himself further in the business world. It sings about the hardships of his life, and how through taking these risks, he ultimately achieves his vision of riches, only to be downcast by everyone, thinking that someone this rich must have cheated and lied.

A great song for those going through similar times.

Stress Reduction Technique

Laughter is a great antidote for stress... and silly quiz show answers can make us laugh.

Here is a way to get the laughter flowing and stress GONE...

Go read the funny family fortunes answers. Always works. Guaranteed.

Even if you've seen then a hundred times before.

Humour is one of the greatest devices for reducing stress. It gets your brain thinking and working in a different way. Most people will feel quite different, and notice a change in 'mindset' after doing this.

Here are a few of those funnies:

Contestants from the ITV (UK) Family Fortunes game-show are asked to guess the most popular answers to questions posed in a survey. Some of these 'Family Misfortunes' answers are actually very witty and not as daft as they are often made out to be.

A way of toasting someone: "Over a fire.."

A Boy's name beginning with the letter J: "Gerald.."

An instrument you can play while walking in the street: "A cello.."

A type of oil: "Sewing-machine oil.."

A word beginning with Z: "Xylophone.."

A slang word for a girl: "Slag.."

An animal with horns: "A bee..."

A medieval weapon: "Hand-grenade.."

Something made of wool: "A sheep.."

Something a bridegroom might wear: "A dress.."

Someone you wouldn't expect to see in a strip club: "Animals.."

An animal with a long tail: "A rabbit.."

Something a train-spotter would have in his pocket: "A magnifying glass.."

Something you put out for the birds: "Worms.."

A way to prevent snoring: "Put a pillow over his face.."

A word used to describe a very hot day: "A very hot day.."

Website Hosting Information

Have you every hosted a website on what you thought was a good host site, only to relise that when you viewed it later, the server was down or incredibly slow?
www.realmetrics.com offers its users a means to first examine these hosts, and determine in unbiased terms the uptime, CPU speeds and reliabilty (among a host of other tests), and statistically provides this to you, in order to make an informed decision.

The way Real Metrics differs from other such sites, is that they offer you objective, data driven metrics, and not opinions. The results therefore are that you see the real performance, and not some convulated scenario that benefits the company.

I have used this site a view times when creating new websites for clients, and it is an invaluable tool in determining the best option for them, that caters to their needs and their budget.

Squeezing 48 hours into a day

How often do you find yourself wishing there were 48 hours in a day? Do you find that your to-do list is frequently left untouched? Managing time effectively is one of the key challenges for a successful entrepreneur.

Break it up: Break up your large tasks into small and manageable ones. Start by estimating the effort needed to accomplish a particular job. Write out a sequence of activities that are needed in order to complete it, along with an estimate of how long each will take. Now take them on one at a time, and periodically monitor how much time you’re actually taking, compared to the plan. This is a very important part of time management, and with practice you’ll be able to get it right!

Prioritize your work: List out all the tasks you must carry out to achieve your goal and put them in order of importance. This enables you to tackle the most important and beneficial jobs first. If there are too many high priority jobs, you’ll either have to rearrange your schedule or delegate some of the work. This helps you focus on doing things that are really critical.

The 80:20 rule says that 80% of unfocused effort generates only 20% of results and the remaining 80% of results are achieved with only 20% of the effort!

Plan the unplanned: Things rarely turn out the way we intend them to. Time management teaches you to keep aside some time for those inevitable crises. Often not budgeting for those extra hours might itself create a crisis!

Tools For Website Maintenance

I found a useful website application today that is great for the on-going maintenance of a website, and that will ask the question, IsMySiteUp?

The site is designed to monitor your website, and if a failure is detected, will notify you immediately via SMS of email. The site is also designed to provide you with reports that can be sent daily, weekly or monthly and supports a wide variety of internet protocols in use by most websites. The site will also provide comprehensive report statistics on the websites operating time. The site is clean and simple to use, and can be set up in no time.

A very handy tool for those that rely on internet customers, and cannot afford to lose them through downtime.

Fascinating Facts - Seoul

From the pen of Martin Avis in his Kick Start Daily - http://www.kickstartdaily.com

After the Olympic Games, most people around the world haveheard of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. But how manypeople know that 'Seoul' in the Korean language, simply means 'Capital'.

You do now.

PS: Looking for a great newsletter sign up for Martins!

Quality Wines Available

A new website for lovers of fine wine is now available.
JJ Buckley Fine Wines, is a website dedicated to the sale and auctioning of fine wines from all over the world.

The website is quite comprehensive, allowing the options of searching for a specific wine, displaying wines by class, (ie: reds, whites, champagne etc.), display by country, display by variety, and lastly by price.

The site uses the internet to source its products, offering a more stremline distribution process, and thus reducing the cost to the consumer. This means that quality wines normally found in the pricier wine shops, can be purchased at a much cheaper rate.

The range is very extensive offering wine from 11 countries, and in 35 different varieties and vintages. For the price and availability, this place is definately worth the visit for the serious wine enthuisiest.

Failing Goals - LACK OF PRECISION

Sometimes we fail in achieving our goals... and there are a number of pitfalls that we often get trapped in... one is Lack of Precision!

Let’s first take a look at one of the top pitfalls of traditional goal-setting … and how the new turbo-charged techniques can ignite your most ambitious goals into high velocity results.

Vagueness is deadly in any business, especially in the area of goal-setting. Vague goals create vague, if any,results. When you write your goals in specific, precise language,your subconscious mind, which is the part of you that actualizes your goals, gets busy in the “how” and drives all its energies toward accomplishing your goals.

“I want to earn more money” or“I want my employees to be more productive” is like speaking greek to the subconscious mind. It doesn’t know how to interpret what you want. Instead, a more precise goal is stated as: “I want to earn $100,000” or “I want my employees to get out their reports by 3pm daily.” That goal is precise, specific and measurable. Now the subconscious mind will go to work and keep you focused, until you get to that end result.

Custom USB Thumb Drives

Like most people these days, I have
moved on from the days of floppy
disks as a means of data storage, and own a USB Thumb Drive. Prices these days are dirt cheap, and the storage available for them is getting crazy, up to 4GB!

For something a little different in the field of storage, I came across a website that offers Custom Thumb Drives, which offers your choice of 5 flashy (pardon the pun) colours, and a choice of your own custom laser engraving. The case is a solid aluminium shell and is USB 2.0 and 1.1 compatable for fast transfer speeds. The drive choices are available in 512mb, 1GB, 2GB and a huge 4GB. The prices are cheap too with a very impressive shipping service.

Now to the laser engraving. Currently available free of charge, you can type in 3 lines of text with up to 16 characters per line, and if the MyDrive Lost and Found is selected at the checkout, your drive is engraved with a unique number, that if found by someone, can visit the Pexagon website, enter the number and receive a reward. Pexagon arranges to pick the drive up, and it is delivered to you free of charge!

It is a unique service, for a smart and functional product.
more here...

The Pursuit of Luck

When you read anything by Tom Peters you come away challenged. Tom's latest challenge - orginally posed in Liberation Management written in 1992.

Innovation is a low-odds business—and luck sure helps. (It’s jolly well helped me!) If you believe that success does owe a lot to luck, and that luck in turn owes a lot to getting in the way of unexpected opportunities, you need not throw up your hands in despair. There are strategies you can pursue to get a little nuttiness into your life, and perhaps, then, egg on good luck. (By contrast, if you believe that orderly plans and getting up an hour earlier are the answer, then by all means arise before the rooster and start planning.)

Want to get lucky? Try following these 13(!) strategies:

1. At-bats. More times at the plate, more hits.
2. Try it. Cut the baloney and get on with something.
3. Ready. Fire. Aim. (Instead of Ready. Aim. Aim. Aim. ...)
4. “If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly.”— G.K. Chesterton. You’ve gotta start somewhere.
5. Read odd stuff. Look anywhere for ideas.
6. Visit odd places. Want to “see” speed? Visit CNN.
7. Make odd friends.
8. Hire odd people. Boring folks, boring ideas.
9. Cultivate odd hobbies. Raise orchids. Race yaks.
10. Work with odd partners.
11. Ask dumb questions. “How come computer commands all come from keyboards?”
Somebody asked that one first; hence, the mouse.
12. Empower. The more folks feel they’re running their own show, the more at-bats, etc.
13. Train without limits. Pick up the tab for training unrelated to work—keep everyone
engaged, period.

"Fear less, hope more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Hate less, love more; And all good things are yours."

Swedish Proverb

Secrets From Japan

The Japenese, faced with the rising value of the Yen, have been investigating new ways to maintain profit. They have found three major problems hindering a return to profit.

These key problems were identified as:

• too much variety
• too much flexibility
• too much customer satisfaction

They found that less choice is better than more, and some other very interesting ideas that challenge what is generally accepted as modern thinking.

If major Japanese companies are right, and consumers buy their cheaper but profitable products, Australian companies need to prepare to change fast.

Here is an example of what the Japanese have found and what they are doing about it.

• Product Design. Reversing previous trends, it is not what you put into the product, but what can one take out of it. Simplicity cuts costs and saves time. Product design can account for as much as 80% of total production time. The new Honda Civic is an excellent example of how, by reducing little used features, previously developed parts, and American expertise, the current model is 20% cheaper in real terms than it was 2 years ago.
• Product Range. By giving the customer less rather than more variety, a company can reduce stock levels, production runs and other wasteful tasks and give the customer lower prices. McDonalds are using these techniques to offer burgers cheaper than 5 years ago with huge increases in sales volumes.
• Decision Making. Against all Japanese tradition of collective decision making, companies are equipping lone employees with access to high-tech information systems and authority to act, so that decisions are made quicker than ever before. This brings products and services to the market faster and cheaper.

VoIP and its furture

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is simply the transmission of voice traffic over IP-based networks.

Because of the cost advantages to consumers voer traditional telephone networks, VoIP has become popular largely.

VoIP calls could be placed across the Internet. Most Internet connections are charged using a flat monthly fee structure. Do you remember in 2005 autumn, suddenly, everybody is talking about VoIP. Why? I don't think there may any greater reason than the sudden success of a freeware VoIP chat program called Skype.

Using Skype as an example, it now offers the ability for its users to call regular phone numbers from their PCs, a feature known as SkypeOut. Skype also offers a voice mail service and can route incoming calls to a certain phone number right to a user's desktop PC.

You've probably seen ads for companies like Vonage and Packet8. These services promise ultra-cheap vocie calling service via your broadban internet connection. Some of them offer extremely cheap price, why? Their secret weapon is VoIP. Because VoIP telecommunication isn't regulated the way traditional phone line, so the providers could offer drastically lower calling rates.

So what's next for VoIP? VoIP-enabled cell phones will soon be ready for action. Just imagine driving to somewhere, receiving a call on your cell phone from your friend, and then continuing that call on the Wi-Fi netowrks as you walk into the front office. All without any interruption to your call-in-progress.

To learn more, you can visit voip.

Wisdom - LBJ

"Yesterday is not ours to recover,
but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose."

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973)

Boost Your Business

The gift called asking has been around for a long, long time. In fact, one of life's fundamental truths states, ask and you shall receive. Kids are masters at using this gift but we adults seem to lose our ability to ask. We come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons to avoid any possibility of rejection. Yet the world responds to those who ask. If you are not moving closer to what you want in sales (or in life), you probably aren't doing enough asking. Here are 7 asking strategies you should be implementing into your business to boost your bottom line: (and remember - all these strategies can be used in others of your life as well)

Asking Strategy #1 - Ask For InformationTo win potential new clients, you first need to know what their current challenges are, what they want to accomplish and how they plan to do it. Only then can you proceed to demonstrate the advantages of your unique product or service. Ask questions starting with the words, who, why, what, where, when and how to obtain the information you need. Only when you truly understand and appreciate the needs of a prospect can you offer a solution.

Asking Strategy # 2 - Ask For Business Here's an amazing statistic: After doing a complete presentation about the benefits of their product or service, more than 60 percent of the timesalespeople never ask for the order! That's a bad habit, and one that could ultimately put you out of business.
Always ask a closing question to secure the business. Don't waffle, talk around it, or worse, wait for your prospect to ask you. You have read good suggestions for these questions, like "Would you like to give it a try?' The point is, just ask.

Asking Strategy #3 - Ask For Written Endorsements Well-written, results-oriented testimonials from highly respected people are powerful for future sales. They solidify the quality of your work and leverage you as a person who has integrity, is trustworthy and who gets the job done on time. Yet most people in sales don't do this. That gives you a great opportunity to jump ahead of your competition. All you need to do is ask. When is the best time? Right after you have provided excellent service, completed a major project under budget, gone the extra mile to help out, or any other time you've made your customer really happy.
Simply ask if your customer would be willing to give you a testimonial about the value of your product or service, plus any other helpful comments.

Asking Strategy #4 - Ask For Top-Quality Referrals Just about everyone in business knows the importance of referrals. It's the easiest, least-expensive way of ensuring your growth and success in the marketplace. In our experience, however, only one out of ten companies has a system for gathering referrals.
Your core clients will gladly give you referrals because you treat them so well. So why not ask all of them for referrals? It's a habit that will dramatically increase your income. Like any other habit, the more you do it the easier it becomes.


Asking Strategy #5 - Ask For More Business Salespeople lose thousands of dollars in sales every year because they have nothing more to offer after the initial sale. Look for other products or services you can provide your customers. Devise a system that tells you when your clients will require more of your products. The simplest way is to ask your customers when you should contact them to reorder. It's often easier to sell your existing clients more than to go looking for new ones.

Asking Strategy #6 - Ask To Renegotiate Regular business activities include negotiation. Many salespeople get stuck because they lack skills in negotiation. It's another form of asking that can save a lot of time and money. All sorts of contracts can be renegotiated in your own personal life like changing your mortgage terms and rate. As long as you negotiate ethically and in the spirit of win-win, you can enjoy a lot of flexibility. Nothing is ever cast in store.

Asking Strategy #7 - Ask For Feedback This is an important component of asking that is often overlooked. How do you really know if your product or service is meeting the needs of your customer? Ask them, "How are we doing? What can we do to improve our service to you? Tell us what you like about our products and what you don't like. " Set up regular customer surveys that ask good questions and tough questions. It's a way to fine-tune your business.

Introducing the Barbie Drug!

As part of my endless quest to provide my loyal readership with new scientific advancements, what would you say to a hormone that tans, improves libido and helps you lose weight? Crazy, maybe in the future? Not so! The hormone I refer to is called Melanotan II, and is a substance that stimulates the bodies skin cells to produce melanin, the skins tanning pigment.

The hormone was originally developed as a means of preventing the high rates of skin cancer common in the world. Inital experimenting creating a hormone, but that had a very small half-life in the body. So scientists went back to the drawing board, and enventaully created a hormone that was 1000 times more potent that what naturally occurs in the human body. After this the obvious cosmetic effects were realised, and the product went into commercial production.

For those interested, there is actually a site that sells this as a viable cosmetic treatment. Melanocorp has been associated with this product since its final testing and research stage. They have worked closely with products actual users, and provide intimate details for lab reports, as well as backing by US lab reports for human consumption. Speaking from someone who just got seriously sunburnt on Monday, its an option worth exploring for a no fuss tanning method.

Whooops! An Expensive Mistake.

Satellite-handlers at Baikonur accidentally dropped the MetOp-A weather satellite, according to reports dated Saturday. This is a seriously expensive piece of hardware, not only in terms of the materials and hardware in its construction, but also the strict timetable that the team is operating on to meet the launch deadline.
How much (if any) damage the satellite suffered is still unknown and tests are on-going. For the sake of the engineers involved, lets hope all's well!

A similar incident occured in 2003 when a similarly instrumented weather satellite was dropped at Lockheed Martin.

The History of Video Phones

As you and I well know, the popularity in video phones has skyrocketed of late, since the technology was introduced a short while ago. Although still in its infancy, the technology clearly has wide-spread implications on peoples ability to multitask on the go and complete increasingly complex tasks on their own mobile phone.

Today I came across an interesting articles that discsses the history and possibly future of video phones, and there implication in both the media and the average persons everyday life. The articele also branches out into other related news stories, which further explore the technology and how it is being used in the media. Its fairly in depth and worth a look.

Sony Launches Battery Recall

In the wake of the recent Powerbook recall, it seems that Sony is having similar problems of their own. Today the Consumer Product Safety Commission confirmed that Sony is planning to launch a massive battery recall, following large-scale recalls of Sony batteries from Dell and Apple.

Yep theres nothing like firing up the laptop in the morning, only to have it spontaneously combust right in front of you!

Link to the report at CNET

KVM2USB

Finally, a simple and affordable answer to every network administrator's biggest annoyance: finding and lugging around "crash carts" with monitor, keyboard and mouse to administer servers and other headless machines. Epiphan Systems' KVM2USB product is a compact device that conveys the VGA stream from any host computer to a laptop, while emulating the laptop's keyboard and mouse outputs.



Think of it as a truly portable crash cart. Now, all you need to take with you on administrative site visits is your laptop, KVM2USB (roughly the size of a box of paperclips) and the accompanying cable.

KVM2USB works with virtually any computerized machine or embedded system, including:

Windows, Macintosh, Unix computers and servers
Medical devices, scientific and lab equipment
ATM machines
Slot machines and VLTs

The product provides a simple, lightweight and rapid means of conveying VGA images from host machines to a laptop and simulating the laptop's keyboard and mouse outputs. This allows administrators and technicians to quickly and easily connect to and administer headless machines without hassles.

As a compact external device, KVM2USB is easy to use and to transport. About the size of a box of paperclips, it is easily plugged in and requires no additional power, so you don't have to locate a spare electrical outlet onsite.

The product ships complete with all required hardware and cabling. Software development kits are also available for specialized applications.

KVM2USB Technical Specifications

Not so simple

Books are good 'We will simply disappear': Coliseum Books closing again

NEW YORK (AP) -- The embattled Coliseum Books is set to close its doors for the second time in five years, and a co-owner of the independent bookseller says this exit is expected to be permanent.

"I believe we will simply disappear," founder George Leibson said Monday of the bookstore, which has served the city for about 30 years. "The book business has changed a great deal."

The famed store closed its doors at the corner of 57th Street and Broadway in 2002, some 28 years after opening. After it reopened 15 blocks to the south in 2003, the aisles filled with browsers - but sales were disappointing, and Coliseum filed for bankruptcy last week, Leibson said.

"People's spending habits have changed," Leibson said. "They can pick up their books at the Costco or the discount chain in the suburbs where they live."

"How could we ever compete with Amazon.com?" he asked.

I'm sorry, but this is bullshit. Strand has two locations going strong. Shakespeare and Company has a nice location across from Hunter College. The real problem is that the store's location is blocks from three Barnes and Nobles. If they had moved below 14th St, they would have been more likely to stay around. They're in an odd location .

Wisdom - Starwars Director

"You have to find something that you love enough
to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles
and break through the brick walls
that are always going to be placed in front of you."

George Lucas (1944 - )

Polished Wood PC

Here's something a little different I came across. Suissa Computers hand-builds PC's out of polished woods and plastics in shapes that are completely unlike the traditional PC design.

You've got to wonder about the practicality and useability of such a design, and how it mitigates the discharge of static electricity. However the design is very cool and wouldn't look out of place in an office!

Terrorism Fears Gone Too Far??

A 32-year old man was booted from his flight out of Seattle because he was overheard speaking a non-English language -- Tamil -- on his mobile phone while he waited in line, and again on the aircraft before takeoff. The language is widely spoken around the world, primarily in India, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. Snip from news report: "[The passenger] told officials that he would not speak in a foreign language on his cell phone at an airport in the future."

Don't know about you but this is just crazy. First the whole liquid explosives saga not allowing any type of hand luggage on flights, and now not being able to speak in a native language. Anti terrorism at it's best.

The Great Trivia Blog

I was browsing my articles through bloglines and clicked on a blogsite known as Aviva Trivia Blog. This sounded interesting, and I thought I would have a look. As you well know through my other blogs, that I enjoy trivia and random facts. Trivia Blog seems to think the same, and is jam packed with trivia related articles that encompass anything and everything.

An example of some of my recent reads include fact about Killa Bees, Weird Jobs, Useless shaving facts, and facts about inventions in history. Again the range of trivia is very broad, something interesting to learn every day!

This blog, like a few others I know, is great as a first read in the morning, as there is some really entertaining articles, as well as things that make you sit back in disbelief. It is truely an interesting read, and well worth bookmarking for the future.
Trivia blog can be found here.

NASA Mars Rover reaches "Victoria Crater"

For those of you keenly observing the Mars rover mission, take note. The Mars rover Opportunity reached the rim of "Victoria Crater," on the Meridiani Planum region of the red planet, on the rover's 951st Martian day (Sept. 26, 2006).

During the drive, the rover captured these shots, that clearly show the crater, and from what I have read, is actually bigger than scientists predicted. I still find it incredible that this rover is still running after this many days, and that fact that shots like these can be clearly taken from so far away!

VGA Recorder Pro

VGA Recorder Pro provides a simple, innovative means for users to simultaneously record VGA, Video and Audio Signals into a single .avi file.

Unlike VCR-based solutions, VGA Recorder Pro captures 100% of the native image quality from any VGA signal source, and can synchronously combine the VGA signal with video and audio sources. VGA Recorder Pro can record all three signal sources at the same time and switch seamlessly between multiple VGA signals without interrupting the video and/or audio recording.

It is invaluable for recording presentations, conferences, training, monitoring and surveillance, as well as user interaction with computers and other VGA devices.

VGA Recorder PRO is simple to use. It is an external standalone device configurable through its easy to use web interface. The VGA Recorder Pro is available as a desktop unit, a 4U rack mount chassis or a portable laptop.

In addition, when combined with other Epiphan Systems products VGA Record can:

Print VGA/RGB images (with VGA Printer)
Record remote meetings, web-based training, technical support and demos (with VGA2WEB or any collaboration software)
Because VGA Recorder Pro is an external device, users do not need to open their computers to install it.



VGA Recorder PRO. Technical Specifications.

The Eagles win AFL Grand Final by one point

On the weekend, the AFL Grand Final was played, with the West Coast Eagles beating the Sydney Swans by one point!

This was a grand final even more nail-biting than their thriller last year, with the Eagles reversing the result to hold on this time to win 12.13 (85) to 12.12 (84). This is West Coast's third premiership, following its flags in 1992 and '94.

The Swans, who won last year's decider by four points, reduced the margin to one point three times during the last quarter but only led at the very start of the game when they opened the scoring with a rushed behind. It is the first one-point grand final since St Kilda won its only premiership, at the expense of Collingwood, in 1966, and the fourth in history.

The redeveloped MCG held 97,431 fans, the biggest grand final crowd since 1997. The atmosphere was amazing, really emphasizing the size of the spectacle, with masses of supporters from both sides.

Sydney was trailling by seven points 17 minutes into the final term when Swan Adam Schneider snapped a goal to make the margin just one point. The two sides then went goal-for-goal for the rest of the match, with Adam Hunter kicking the Eagles' last goal to put them seven points up.
Nick Malceski's scored goal at 26 minutes again made the margin one point and was the last score of the match.

Amazingly, the two sides now have an 11-game run of alternate winners, with the last five games being decided by a combined total of 12 points! The Eagles almost secured the game during the third term, when Quinten Lynch's third goal gave them a 25-point lead.
Andrew Embley had a set shot from in front shortly after, but his kick went wide and Ben Cousins also kicked a behind to take the lead to 27. A goal to either Embley or Cousins could well have killed the Swans, but they kept coming.

Sydney was nervous and made too many errors and the Eagles often made them pay for their mistakes. Eagles midfielder Andrew Embley won the Norm Smith Medal as best afield for his 26 disposals, six marks and two goals. Quinten Lynch kicked three goals for West Coast, while Nick Davis and Michael O'Loughlin kicked three apiece for the Swans.

Watching from home this was a huge game, and an absolutely crazy final 8 minutes. For all the Swans supporters out there, well fought, and for all the Eagles fans like myself, congratulations on a huge win!