Hi Readers,
I am feeling pretty cocky today. I am an "over the top" Oregon Ducks fan. After a very shaky start in last night's Holiday Bowl, they revved it up in the 2nd half and beat Oklahoma State going away, 42 to 31. Go Ducks!
Our No BS Mastermind group kicks off in Phoenix next week. I am really excited about it. We have a great group of entrepreneurs who are planning on using the power of the Mastermind to have their best year ever in 2009. We meet for a full day each month throughout 2009.
My wife, Carol's, birthday is tomorrow, New Year's Day. Happy Birthday, Hon! We have no big plans for New Year. Tonight will be a "stay at home night" with a few cocktails. Tomorrow, we will spend a little time at the park with our grand kids and then have dinner at our house our daughter, Amy, and the grand kids. Her husband, Tim, an avid hunter, is off pig hunting. No! I'm serious!
I have just added a new Glazer-Kennedy educational product to my list of offerings for 2009. It is the "Jumbo Results Marketing" series. There 10 separate home study courses in this group. I have previewed them all and they are excellent. In the next day or two there will be a tab on my website for "Jumbo Results Marketing".
As we go into 2009, we all must realize that we are truly in a new economy. Things will never be the same, so except it. It is more important than ever before to market your business and yourself.
If you need help figuring out what to do, call me. I have a few consulting slots open to those who qualify.
All the best to all of you in 2009.
Chuck Trautman
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
The Bowl Season and the Economy
Hello Readers,
The best part of the week after Christmas is the college bowl games. I used to like pro football far more than the college game. In the last 10 years or so I have come to like the college game better. I think it is because they run so many more offensive plays during the game.
The bowl season is the reward to the kids for the hard work they put in during the regular season. A lot of people think there are way too many bowl games. I think the "new economy" will cause a correction in the amount of bowl games that are financially sustainable. I do not like to see a team that is 6 and 6 (think Notre Dame) rewarded with a bowl game. A few less games will weed out a few teams not worthy of a post season game.
Who knows though, maybe the federal government will step up and bail the financially weak bowl games out, too. I read this morning that some major retailers are asking for bailout money. Unbelievable!
We need to rise up and tell our elected officials, NO! Enough is Enough! If major retailers get tax dollars it is a crime against small business everywhere. If a few more major retailers go down, small business would be poised to pick up the slack. Did small, locally owned banks get bailout money? I think not.
In fact the bailout is poorly conceived, poorly planned, and poorly executed. The last people we should ever want looking after our money is our elected officials. I know we elected them to do so, but look at their track record. The old cliche about past behavior predicting future behavior certainly applies here.
Look, they gave the banks money, a huge tax break (the ability to write off the bad debts of the failed institutions they acquire), and then put no strings on the money. By the way the bad debts they write off were already written down in the purchase price. You talk about a future windfall.
That's right. The tax dollars they are getting are being used to strengthen their balance sheets and as a war chest for future acquisitions. The cash is NOT being loaned out to put money in circulation throughout the country.
Think about it. That's why I like the bowl season. It gets my mind off the ineptitude for a few hours.
Until next time,
Chuck Trautman
The best part of the week after Christmas is the college bowl games. I used to like pro football far more than the college game. In the last 10 years or so I have come to like the college game better. I think it is because they run so many more offensive plays during the game.
The bowl season is the reward to the kids for the hard work they put in during the regular season. A lot of people think there are way too many bowl games. I think the "new economy" will cause a correction in the amount of bowl games that are financially sustainable. I do not like to see a team that is 6 and 6 (think Notre Dame) rewarded with a bowl game. A few less games will weed out a few teams not worthy of a post season game.
Who knows though, maybe the federal government will step up and bail the financially weak bowl games out, too. I read this morning that some major retailers are asking for bailout money. Unbelievable!
We need to rise up and tell our elected officials, NO! Enough is Enough! If major retailers get tax dollars it is a crime against small business everywhere. If a few more major retailers go down, small business would be poised to pick up the slack. Did small, locally owned banks get bailout money? I think not.
In fact the bailout is poorly conceived, poorly planned, and poorly executed. The last people we should ever want looking after our money is our elected officials. I know we elected them to do so, but look at their track record. The old cliche about past behavior predicting future behavior certainly applies here.
Look, they gave the banks money, a huge tax break (the ability to write off the bad debts of the failed institutions they acquire), and then put no strings on the money. By the way the bad debts they write off were already written down in the purchase price. You talk about a future windfall.
That's right. The tax dollars they are getting are being used to strengthen their balance sheets and as a war chest for future acquisitions. The cash is NOT being loaned out to put money in circulation throughout the country.
Think about it. That's why I like the bowl season. It gets my mind off the ineptitude for a few hours.
Until next time,
Chuck Trautman
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas Was Yesterday - Let's Crank It Up
Hi Readers,
I always really enjoy Christmas - for about 1 1/2 days. Then it is time to get back to reality. One of my pet peeves is that far too many people go at half speed (or less) from the weekend before Thanksgiving until into the new year.
What a waste in productivity for them personally, their business or employer, and for our country. Sorry, I will try to suppress the rant that I feel coming.
Don't get me wrong. Spending time with friends and relatives is absolutely wonderful. But it does not justify putting life on hold for six weeks!
Carol and I spent about 24 hours with Tim and Amy and two of our grandchildren. They spoiled us with a rib roast cooked on the grille and Tim surprised me by having my favorite Scotch, Johnny Walker Blue Label (it is incredibly smooth), on hand for a Christmas toast.
Tyler is almost 5, so he was really into Christmas. Yes, the family buried him with gifts and I had fun playing with his new toys. That's the great part of being a grandfather!
Now I am back into getting things done. How about you?
Until Next Time,
Chuck Trautman
I always really enjoy Christmas - for about 1 1/2 days. Then it is time to get back to reality. One of my pet peeves is that far too many people go at half speed (or less) from the weekend before Thanksgiving until into the new year.
What a waste in productivity for them personally, their business or employer, and for our country. Sorry, I will try to suppress the rant that I feel coming.
Don't get me wrong. Spending time with friends and relatives is absolutely wonderful. But it does not justify putting life on hold for six weeks!
Carol and I spent about 24 hours with Tim and Amy and two of our grandchildren. They spoiled us with a rib roast cooked on the grille and Tim surprised me by having my favorite Scotch, Johnny Walker Blue Label (it is incredibly smooth), on hand for a Christmas toast.
Tyler is almost 5, so he was really into Christmas. Yes, the family buried him with gifts and I had fun playing with his new toys. That's the great part of being a grandfather!
Now I am back into getting things done. How about you?
Until Next Time,
Chuck Trautman
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Mastermind Groups - A great Way to Gain Speed in Your Business
Hello Readers,
Yesterday, I held a Discovery Mastermind Day for my Glazer-Kennedy No BS group in Phoenix.
Since I was presenting to brilliant group of business people, I did my homework on the
Mastermind concept.
I am sure most of you have read Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich". To refresh your memory, in the early 1900's, Andrew Carnegie, our country's first billionaire, challenged Hill to interview the worlds wealthiest men to see what they had in common. Carnegie did not pay Hill but did get him the proper introductions.
The list of people he interviewed was a "who's who" of American business history. Men like Ford, Firestone, and Edison were on the list.
Hill found 19 common traits the world's wealthiest men had in common. Hill's top five were
Burning Desire, Specialized Knowledge, Be Decisive in Nature, Be Goal Orientated, and most importantly, Belong to a Mastermind Group. In fact Carnegie, Ford, Firestone, and Edison all were in the same Mastermind group.
He reported that a group of 10 men had the mental power, not of 10 minds, but of 100 or more.
My personal mentor, Dan Kennedy, says that the biggest reason for his success and the success of his most prosperous clients is belonging to mastermind groups.
If you are not in one, find one made up of high quality people and raise the bar for yourself and your business.
Until next time,
Chuck Trautman
Yesterday, I held a Discovery Mastermind Day for my Glazer-Kennedy No BS group in Phoenix.
Since I was presenting to brilliant group of business people, I did my homework on the
Mastermind concept.
I am sure most of you have read Napoleon Hill's "Think and Grow Rich". To refresh your memory, in the early 1900's, Andrew Carnegie, our country's first billionaire, challenged Hill to interview the worlds wealthiest men to see what they had in common. Carnegie did not pay Hill but did get him the proper introductions.
The list of people he interviewed was a "who's who" of American business history. Men like Ford, Firestone, and Edison were on the list.
Hill found 19 common traits the world's wealthiest men had in common. Hill's top five were
Burning Desire, Specialized Knowledge, Be Decisive in Nature, Be Goal Orientated, and most importantly, Belong to a Mastermind Group. In fact Carnegie, Ford, Firestone, and Edison all were in the same Mastermind group.
He reported that a group of 10 men had the mental power, not of 10 minds, but of 100 or more.
My personal mentor, Dan Kennedy, says that the biggest reason for his success and the success of his most prosperous clients is belonging to mastermind groups.
If you are not in one, find one made up of high quality people and raise the bar for yourself and your business.
Until next time,
Chuck Trautman
Monday, December 1, 2008
Post Thanksgiving Ramblings
Wow, it is unbelievable to me that I have not made a post since election day! Could I be that depressed over the election? No, not really. We free enterprise, pro business, small government types will suffer from paying more taxes, fees, surcharges, etc, but as always we will find a way to make it.
At any rate I will keep my posting current in the future.
I saw an interesting email from Ben Settle on writing sales copy. He ask if we PEE on our copy.
You might say "how gross", but actually P-E-E is an acronym for Persuade, Engage, & Entertain.
From now on I am going to PEE on all my copy before it goes out so see if it passes the PEE test!
My daughter, Tara, and her family from Tehachapi, CA stayed with us several days over Thanksgiving. Along with my AZ daughter, Amy, and her family we had 10 of us for Thanksgiving dinner. It was great fun. We had not enjoyed the whole group together for Thanksgiving in several years. The grand kids wore us down but not out!
Saturday, Tara, husband Alex, grand daughter Gretta and I hiked the Pinnacle Peak trail. It was very scenic. There were an unbelievable amount of people enjoying the trail. It was amazing how many people were actually running the trail. In some places it is pretty steep and the footing is not that good. Since I jog my hilly neighborhood 4 or 5 times a week, I am quite surprised how sore the calves of my legs still are today.
Since we are supposed to be in the gift buying season and the major retailers are reporting poor sales, I have been keeping a close watch on the ads. No wonder their sales stink - their ads stink! Check it out. They are all the same and very boring.
Here is my blatant shameless pitch for a great gift. Give the gift of education. Go over to www.learnspanishfastandeasy.com and pick up Spanish phrasebook language course for your children or for someone planning a Latin American vacation. Or if you have Hispanic friends or domestic help you can pick up a copy of Aprenda Inglés Rápidido y Fácil (Learn English Fast and Easy). These are priced right at only $79.95.
hasta la próxima vez
Chuck Trautman
At any rate I will keep my posting current in the future.
I saw an interesting email from Ben Settle on writing sales copy. He ask if we PEE on our copy.
You might say "how gross", but actually P-E-E is an acronym for Persuade, Engage, & Entertain.
From now on I am going to PEE on all my copy before it goes out so see if it passes the PEE test!
My daughter, Tara, and her family from Tehachapi, CA stayed with us several days over Thanksgiving. Along with my AZ daughter, Amy, and her family we had 10 of us for Thanksgiving dinner. It was great fun. We had not enjoyed the whole group together for Thanksgiving in several years. The grand kids wore us down but not out!
Saturday, Tara, husband Alex, grand daughter Gretta and I hiked the Pinnacle Peak trail. It was very scenic. There were an unbelievable amount of people enjoying the trail. It was amazing how many people were actually running the trail. In some places it is pretty steep and the footing is not that good. Since I jog my hilly neighborhood 4 or 5 times a week, I am quite surprised how sore the calves of my legs still are today.
Since we are supposed to be in the gift buying season and the major retailers are reporting poor sales, I have been keeping a close watch on the ads. No wonder their sales stink - their ads stink! Check it out. They are all the same and very boring.
Here is my blatant shameless pitch for a great gift. Give the gift of education. Go over to www.learnspanishfastandeasy.com and pick up Spanish phrasebook language course for your children or for someone planning a Latin American vacation. Or if you have Hispanic friends or domestic help you can pick up a copy of Aprenda Inglés Rápidido y Fácil (Learn English Fast and Easy). These are priced right at only $79.95.
hasta la próxima vez
Chuck Trautman
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Take Charge of Your Future
This email from my friend, Brad Hager, is just too good not to share on election day. Brad is the "7 million dollar man" and top money earner at Cyberwize, a MLM nutritional supplement company.
From Brad:
From Brad:
To my American friends,
Wow! It is almost upon us! One of the most defining moments in
And no, I''m not talking about the race for President.
Yes, the election is interesting and historic, but I have to say... NEVER have so many put their futures in the hands of so few.
Both candidates are making incredible promises and it sure does sound interesting in our troubled times. But when the election is over and the race has been decided, here are some questions for you...
Starting Wednesday, November 5th...
- Who''s going to go to work to create your family income?
- Who''s going to pay your bills?
- Who''s going to build your business?
- Who''s going to pay for your children''s education?
- Who''s going to "bail" you out if you''re upside down?
Obama? McCain? Or YOU?
In every life, there are defining moments. How will you respond to this one? Will you be glued to your TV set to watch minute-by-minute coverage, or will you take control of your future and create your own economic stimulus package?
My friends, in addition to voting for the next President of the
Your friend & partner,
Saturday, November 1, 2008
30 Second Commercials
Yesterday I attended a Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting at the Xona Resort Suites. It was a great event!
First of all the staff at the Xona, formerly Resort Suites of Scottsdale, did a terrific job. Besides the customary buffet line of fruit, breads, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs they set up an omelet station.
The omelet station had a little of everything. I had a shrimp omelet with red and green peppers and mushrooms. Delicious!
The format for the event was designed to help everyone with their 30 second commercials and their 7 second answer to "What do you do?"
There were at least 10 tables with 10 to 11 people seated at each table. Each person gave their 30 second commercial and then the rest of the business people at the table gave suggestions on how to improve the elevator speech. Then we worked on the 7 second answer to "What do you do?"
This is a great exercise that everyone should have the opportunity to do. We all tend to tell people what our occupation is, not what we do. Boring! You can just watch the listeners eyes glaze over.
Some pointers for you. Don't waste part of your 30 seconds by saying, "Hi, my name is _ _ _
from _ _ _ company and I do _ _ _. Start out by saying something interesting and attention grabbing. Save your name and company until the end.
You should have the audience coming to you afterward and asking, "How do you do that?"
Are you going on vacation to Mexico or South America this winter? You may want to learn some basic Spanish phrases. Learning a few Spanish phrases will make your trip safer and more enjoyable. Check out www.learnspanishfastandeasy.com
Until next time,
Chuck Trautman
First of all the staff at the Xona, formerly Resort Suites of Scottsdale, did a terrific job. Besides the customary buffet line of fruit, breads, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs they set up an omelet station.
The omelet station had a little of everything. I had a shrimp omelet with red and green peppers and mushrooms. Delicious!
The format for the event was designed to help everyone with their 30 second commercials and their 7 second answer to "What do you do?"
There were at least 10 tables with 10 to 11 people seated at each table. Each person gave their 30 second commercial and then the rest of the business people at the table gave suggestions on how to improve the elevator speech. Then we worked on the 7 second answer to "What do you do?"
This is a great exercise that everyone should have the opportunity to do. We all tend to tell people what our occupation is, not what we do. Boring! You can just watch the listeners eyes glaze over.
Some pointers for you. Don't waste part of your 30 seconds by saying, "Hi, my name is _ _ _
from _ _ _ company and I do _ _ _. Start out by saying something interesting and attention grabbing. Save your name and company until the end.
You should have the audience coming to you afterward and asking, "How do you do that?"
Are you going on vacation to Mexico or South America this winter? You may want to learn some basic Spanish phrases. Learning a few Spanish phrases will make your trip safer and more enjoyable. Check out www.learnspanishfastandeasy.com
Until next time,
Chuck Trautman
Monday, October 20, 2008
Local Politics (without controversy)
On Saturday I "volunteered" to go a picture frame shop with my wife, Carol. She is getting an old Sunset Magazine cover framed for her sister.
Carol had a discount coupon for the Fast Frame shop at Pima Road and Pinnacle Peak Road in north Scottsdale, AZ so we decided to check it out. It turns out the Saturday "staff" was one lady. She was very knowledgeable and professional. It turns out that she was the owner of the shop. No wonder the service was so good!
In our conversation, we began discussing business issues (I tend do do that for fun). It was then that we found out that our frame shop owner is running for Scottsdale city council. Her name is Suzanne Klapp.
It is refreshing to know that a business person is running for public office. We visited about the issues facing Scottsdale and all cities for that matter. She was extremely well informed - far more than I am - on all the issues.
Suzanne Klapp has my vote and support. Having a person with a business head looking out for our tax dollars will be a beautiful thing.
If you live in Scottsdale, be sure a vote for Suzanne Klapp. If you live somewhere else, make it a point to learn about the people running for local offices. It could improve your city and save you money.
Chuck
Carol had a discount coupon for the Fast Frame shop at Pima Road and Pinnacle Peak Road in north Scottsdale, AZ so we decided to check it out. It turns out the Saturday "staff" was one lady. She was very knowledgeable and professional. It turns out that she was the owner of the shop. No wonder the service was so good!
In our conversation, we began discussing business issues (I tend do do that for fun). It was then that we found out that our frame shop owner is running for Scottsdale city council. Her name is Suzanne Klapp.
It is refreshing to know that a business person is running for public office. We visited about the issues facing Scottsdale and all cities for that matter. She was extremely well informed - far more than I am - on all the issues.
Suzanne Klapp has my vote and support. Having a person with a business head looking out for our tax dollars will be a beautiful thing.
If you live in Scottsdale, be sure a vote for Suzanne Klapp. If you live somewhere else, make it a point to learn about the people running for local offices. It could improve your city and save you money.
Chuck
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Welcome Message
Welcome to the No B.S. Phoenix Chapter Blog!
This is blog post #1. We will try to keep your interest by providing a nice mixture of marketing tips, client news, and personal stories.
Stay tuned.
Chuck
This is blog post #1. We will try to keep your interest by providing a nice mixture of marketing tips, client news, and personal stories.
Stay tuned.
Chuck
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