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INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
8 THE LAWS OF LIFE & BUSINESS SUCCESS
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Your Path to Millions
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Strategies for Getting More Prospects and Closing More Sales Are You Ready to Play ‘The Infinite Game’? Paying Employees Hourly? Why You Need Paylocity A Marketing Lesson From Taylor Swift Brand Loyalty Can Get You Through Hard Times
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THAT ARE EVEN TRUE DURING A PANDEMIC!
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I was driving my three little boys to school today, and Jeremiah, my 11-year-old, asked me, “Dad, would you rather be sad 100% of the time or be scared 100% of the time?” I told him I’d rather be sad because sad people can pretend to be happy part of the time, but being scared or fearful is an emotion that has the ability to paralyze most, even when they know what they’re scared of isn’t logical. Sometimes I get clarity on a subject I’ve been working on improving in my life when it feels like I am making very little progress. All of a sudden, I have a breakthrough that changes everything around me. I chalk it up to a variety of experiences and information converging when I’m searching for the solution to a problem. One of the issues I’ve been working through in 2020 wasn’t a planned issue. But with the state of the world, there is a ton of fear, negativity,
March and April. I was walking store to store in downtown Boise this past weekend with a buddy doing some shopping, and to my surprise, many stores were still closed due to COVID-19. I’m not here to get into a political debate about the pandemic, but most places have reopened in Boise at this point. I can understand having fear on some level in March, April, May, and even June about what may or may not happen with the economy and your job or business. There was so much unknown, and fear was bound to set in for many. But here we are heading into the last quarter of 2020, and so many are still struggling with fear and are still worried about what life and the future holds. Over time, I’ve learned eight laws of life and business, and I feel that much of the fear stems from
lies, and sadness everywhere you turn. Many will remember 2020 as a cursed year filled with negativity and problems. At a minimum, we have all seen social media posts or heard others around us say that 2020 is the worst year ever. Most of us have uttered something to that extent at one point or another, and I’m guilty of that for sure. Of course, 2020 hasn’t been a walk in the park for most. For me, business was difficult early on in the pandemic, but most of my struggles for 2020 have been from a personal standpoint. The truth is that this is a different year, and surely not the year anyone expected. Regardless of how it is going for you, we’re all in the same boat, even if we’re in different parts of the boat. As we reach the fourth quarter, I’m seeing that many people still haven’t moved past the issues and fears from
Continued on Page 2 ...
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... CONTINUED FROM COVER issues in these eight areas. Once you stop fighting against them and instead use your knowledge and understanding of them and of how the world works to your advantage, you will find more peace, growth, and prosperity in the long term. Here are the eight laws for life and business success that I’ve discovered over the years. 1. Neither life nor business is fair. 2. Make plans and have goals, but know that things will not always go according to plan and you won’t achieve all of your goals. 3. Everything changes. Everything will end. Don’t fool yourself by thinking otherwise. 4. There will be hard times. Be prepared for them, plan for the worst, and if you get knocked down, don’t give up — fight back. If you do that, good times are just around the corner. 5. The only person you can depend on 100% of the time is yourself. That may be good, bad, or indifferent. The good news is that it is 100% up to you which way it goes. 6. You have to constantly stay in front of the curve. You need to always be ready to out-think, out- work, and out-hustle everyone and anything life throws at you. 7. People will disappoint you, people will betray you, and they will not always be loving and loyal all of the time. The same is true for your behavior toward others. 8. Think accurately: facts and logic, not emotions and reactions. Reacting emotionally is never smart. Most things in life and business don’t require an instant response. You may
“Once you stop fighting against them and instead use your knowledge and understanding of them and of how the world works to your advantage, YOU WILL FIND MORE PEACE, GROWTH, AND PROSPERITY IN THE LONG TERM.”
is going to finish out. We can’t control much, so instead of focusing on areas that you can’t and never will influence, focus on what you can do right now to make sure you have a strong finish to 2020 and are positioned to have an amazing 2021. –Shaun
want to react and take action, but in almost all situations, you will make a mistake if you respond and react to something emotionally. Slow down, take a breath, take a day or two if needed, and then respond. These eight laws of life and business are how you get ahead. They are the road map to making millions, being happy, and living a full life. They may seem simple, but I’ve found that most people don’t do the basics, which is why they don’t win. It’s not because they’re missing some secret of life and business that every other rich person is guarding jealously. It is easier for our egos to accept that we’re not as successful as we had hoped to be at this stage in our lives if it is someone else’s fault, but that would be inaccurate thinking and a violation of law number eight. As complicated as our world is, as different as 2020 has been, life, business, success, and happiness still boil down to doing the foundational things right — not to shiny objects or closely guarded secrets that only a few know. That stuff is all just hype to get you to open your pocketbook and spend money. Ultimately, 2020 will finish out how it
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YOUR PATH TO MILLIONS BUSINESS HOW-TO WITH FOCUS, FUNDAMENTALS, AND MATH
Last night, I got a text from a woman I know who lives in town, and she had a business structure question. I was texting with her about it and then decided it really needed a call. I answered her question about the structure and then asked more about her new venture. She rattled off some info about making six-figure sales to hospitals, etc., and after she was done, I asked what happened to her social media company. She told me she still had it and it was going well. She then told me about the two other companies she was working on. After she was done, I asked if her goal was to be poor. Of course, she said no and told me about how these businesses were all going to be amazing and make her tons of money. Toward the end of our call, I told her she wasn’t going to be successful if she kept doing what she was doing. Of course, she was confused and asked why I’d say that. I told her she was spread too thin and there was no way she could put effort into four different businesses and expect to ever see good results. She was basically playing the business lottery, starting or working with a number of different businesses and hoping one would strike gold and make her rich. Personally, I’ve found there isn’t much luck in the business world unless you make it yourself.
I then asked again about her social media company, as that was the company she’d had the longest, and asked what her average customer spent along with a few other questions. With all the facts in hand, I asked how long it would take her to create the marketing and sales systems to get 20 new customers month in and month out. She told me if she worked at it full time, it would take her 60–90 days. I then did the math for her and showed her if she’d focus on getting just 20 new customers a month for just her social media business, within 12 months she’d have profits of $500,000 per year according to her numbers. If you read my cover article, you’ll know that accurate thinking is one
of the laws of business growth, and this idea of multitasking, having 12 different businesses, and jumping from opportunity to opportunity is crazy. Focusing and working on the fundamentals of business, and using math, are what win the day. Of course, the math for everyone’s business is different, so make sure you don’t simply read this article and move on. Take your income or revenue goals and work backward. How many new customers do you need each month to get to that goal? Subtract the average number of new customers you already get per month and ask yourself what needs to happen to get X number of new customers each month so you can hit those goals. If you want to get really advanced, look at what you can do to decrease customer churn and increase upsells. This will lower the total number of new customers needed and is often simpler to do than create new customer acquisition campaigns. –Shaun
“PERSONALLY, I’VE FOUND THERE ISN’T MUCH LUCK IN THE BUSINESS WORLD UNLESS YOU MAKE IT YOURSELF.”
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CLIENT SUCCESS
MARKETING HOW-TO STRATEGIES FOR GETTING PROSPECTS AND CLOS
“I can’t believe it. [My] newsletter gets better and better. Pure AWESOMENESS. I feel like [my team] gets how I would like to communicate. “The response I get from clients and business partners is phenomenal. I know there is no one in my business doing this. “It is a great relationship builder. I went to see one of my longtime clients this week. She was able to tell me things about my family that we put in previous editions. I could tell she felt more connected with me. “Thank you for making me look SOOO polished!” -Duane Hamilton Hamilton Insurance Group “These guys do an amazing job. Over and over again, they have gone above and beyond all of my expectations. They really do care about their clients and consistently do amazing work. I would highly recommend them.” -Joe Miller Joe Miller Law
OUR BOOKSHELF
THE GAME THAT NEV SIMON SINEK BROADENS Y
When you started your business, you didn’t have an end point in mind. You didn’t set out to accomplish a few big goals just to call it quits. You started with the intention of your business lasting indefinitely. You wanted to create something and to see it grow.
In “The Infinite Game,” author Simon Sinek refers to businesses as “unending” games. In business, players change (employees come and go), rules change (goals and priorities are updated), and the business lasts as long as it needs to. Sinek compares this to “finite games,” like sports or board games, which have clear rules, players, and an end. But it’s not the games themselves he’s interested in. It’s the mindset that goes along with them. Over the years, Sinek has noticed that a lot of business leaders tend to have a more “finite game” way of thinking, which is
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G MORE SING MORE SALES
There are dozens of ways to market and get new customers, but what is really working right now? The funny thing is that likely, all of the marketing strategies you can list or think of will work on some level for some businesses. I’ll share which strategies are working right now, but I’m not going to cover the tactics. One of the major issues I see when people are marketing is that they ask the wrong questions, like, “How do I make Facebook marketing work?” or ”How can I get an automated direct mail campaign working?” Those are not the right questions because they only focus on the medium. It doesn’t matter which media you use. What you really should care about is what
message you’re sending, how you’re connecting with your customer, and what media will allow you to profitably acquire customers for whatever your product or service is. And don’t just choose to use the cool, shiny new thing. This is often done solely for vanity or purely out of ignorance. We’ve pushed too far toward a glossy, corporate image that makes everyone think all businesses are big even if they’re actually a one- person show, running out of a desk in a basement. What’s working now is being real, being human, and connecting. Think about the time we live in right now. We are all isolated on some level,
surely more than normal. We lack the entertainment options we normally have. We are a divided nation, or so the media tells us. Every day, we hear about Republican versus Democrat, red states versus blue states, rich versus poor, face masks versus no face masks, people who know Carol Baskin killed her husband versus people who are wrong. So much division. That begs the question: If this is what we’re being fed all day every day, how does this affect your marketing strategy? You can approach it in any number of ways. You can go with the masses, stake a claim on one of the divides, and push. Continued on Page 6 ...
VER ENDS YOUR HORIZONS IN ‘THE INFINITE GAME’
Have You Heard the Good News?
similar to in-the-box thinking. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s limiting. It stifles innovation, keeps big-picture goals just out of reach, and can lead to frustration among management and team members. Sinek pulls examples from the real world — things he’s witnessed firsthand, including his most well- known example: Microsoft (where leaders exemplify finite thinking) versus Apple (where leaders exemplify infinite thinking). When contrasting finite and infinite thinkers, one thing is immediately clear: Those who have an “infinite mindset” are more adaptable. As Sinek points out, finite thinkers want to “win” (as is the typical goal
of any game). But since there is no “winning” in business, at least not in the traditional sense, this focus creates a limiting environment. Infinite thinkers are focused on how to achieve success. This might mean they’re focused on making better products or delivering better service. In short, they create a healthier environment for the business to grow and thrive, without the barriers of an arbitrary endpoint. Ultimately, “The Infinite Game,” is an examination of mindset. Sinek’s goal is to help you change your way of thinking so you can be a more adaptable leader, both to your team and the business as a whole.
Colossians 1:27 — “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Hebrews 10:23 — “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” Jeremiah 29:11 — “'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”
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MARKETING HOW-TO CONTINUED ...
3. Hope People want 2021 to be better, and they want things to go back to normal. They want hope for a better tomorrow. Give it to them. Be positive and show them how to make their lives better and how to grow personally and professionally. 4. Quality Information People don’t want useful but incomplete information; they want something that helps them. They want answers to questions. Too many people are offering no value to prospects but expecting them to take all the risks. That just doesn’t work. If prospects feel like you care, if they know you can help them, if you make them laugh and connect with them, then you will get more customers and close more sales. It may seem simple, but so few do it. Be the exception, not the rule. Go right when everyone else is going left. This is where success is found.
In my opinion, unless your product or services specifically help one of the above groups, I think that is a very bad strategy. You will get lost in the noise, and it’s unlikely that all of your prospects and customers will agree with you. The second and more powerful strategy would be to give your customers and prospects what they're missing right now and really want. In my opinion, most people are missing a number of things, none of which are divisive. 1. Personal Connection This is super powerful. People want to build relationships and work with real people, not fake, glossy, stuffy, and boring ones. They want to live vicariously through you. They want to know you and connect. They want to help small businesses. The personal connection is more powerful than ever — if you can get readership. 2. Entertainment With the lockdown in varying stages around the country, people are bored. They want entertainment, and they want to learn something new or interesting.
–Shaun
RESOURCE OF THE MONTH PAYING EMPLOYEES HOURLY?
Get the Best Payroll and HR Tool for Your Business
With massive changes that have come as swiftly as the pandemic, you want a payroll and HR tool that is accurate, agile, and competitive. One that is constantly learning to adapt to the new needs of its users. You want a one-stop shop for employees and management alike to track pay, paid time off, benefits, and more. And you especially want it to work effortlessly whether your workplace is remote, on location, or a hybrid. That’s what Paylocity does, and it does it very well. It can be challenging for software HR services to keep up with the times, but Paylocity rises to the challenge. Its payroll processing is streamlined yet customizable, which is a major timesaver. The check calculator feature, while a little less intuitive than other features, is also accessible to both
administrators and employees. This useful tool is one that not many other programs provide. Your employees will have complete transparency to help them understand the breakdown of their pay. It’s easy for them to update their personal or tax information at any time, and they can also pull up charts that are easy to read and numbers that describe the breakdown of taxes and deductions, whether it’s per check or year to date (YTD). Paylocity scales easily to fit businesses of different sizes, and today, the company helps over 20,000 clients worldwide. Its unique features can even boost your workplace morale and culture. Do you want to give a shoutout to a coworker? It has a feature for that! With its user-friendly interface, anyone can learn to navigate the site quickly and access the information they’re looking for. While it can serve your business no matter what your pay structure is, it’s expertly designed for companies with a majority of hourly employees. It’s made our jobs at The Newsletter Pro way easier, even during our workplace transitions during the pandemic. Paylocity is a powerful, easy tool that will help your business run smoothly at all times.
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A MARKETING LESSON FROM TAYLOR SWIFT MARKETING TIP
What 3 Albums Can Teach You About Reaching More Clients
Pro, for example, we specialize in print newsletters. That’s just one product, but we’ve broadened its appeal by customizing the newsletters for different niches. Law, dentistry, physical therapy, home services — each category has its own unique content and strategy to appeal to a particular demographic. You can also use this successful approach within your company’s newsletter. Maybe you currently mail your newsletter only to existing clients. That’s like putting out a single album, or focusing on a single genre. With a few tweaks, you can create a second newsletter optimized to a different audience, like leads or past clients you’d like to reactivate. The options are endless! Next time you need marketing inspiration, throw on a Taylor Swift track. It just might remind you that broadening your audience is easier than you think.
This summer, Taylor Swift’s song “Epiphany” reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart. If you listen to the radio, you’ve probably heard the track. It’s an orchestral, atmospheric, and haunting tribute to soldiers and front-line workers. Most of all, it’s different from anything Swift has released in the past. But why should that matter to you? Well, it matters because songs like “Epiphany” show that Taylor Swift is a chameleon — a skill that has helped her build a $360 million brand. Over the last 10 years, Swift has had hits on the country, pop, and rock charts. It’s hard to know whether her artistic evolution is a natural progression or a marketing strategy. But what is clear is that her last three albums — “Reputation,” “Lover,” and “Folklore” — can teach us all a thing or two about acquiring
new fans (or, as they’re known to most entrepreneurs, clients). Each album has a different theme and sound. “Reputation,” released in 2017, was theatrical and intense, packed with synth-pop and dance-pop tracks. 2019’s “Lover” was also a pop album, but leaned toward light, fun, Disney- style songs. “Folklore,” which came out this summer and featured “Epiphany,” among other hits, is meditative and restrained by comparison. Die-hard Swift fans probably bought all three albums, but the albums are different enough that for some people, it’s likely only one of the three struck a chord. That means that with each new album, Swift reached a new target audience and broadened her appeal. You can use this tactic in your own marketing. Here at The Newsletter
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BUSINESS PROFILE
How Panera and Taco Bell Are Beating the Odds The basic human necessity for food will never go away. People need to eat no matter how tough life gets. And yet, the restaurant industry was one of the hardest hit when the COVID-19 pandemic began. That’s because when consumers need to tighten their purse strings, frivolous spending on eating out or getting take-out is one of the first things to go. So how, then, have chains like Panera, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Chipotle, and others managed to not only survive during Taco Bell rolled out their latest rewards program in July, and it generated so much buzz that both their website and app crashed when the program first launched. This sort of pent-up demand shows that even in the midst of a crisis, loyalty finds a way. Their program offers users secret menu items and other perks THE TRUE POWER OF LOYALTY
their ability to continue reaching out effectively is only growing. For businesses that aren’t big name brands with hundreds of locations, what good can a loyalty program do? It’s all about fundamentals. Any business owner knows how much harder and more expensive it is to acquire a new customer than it is to keep a current one. A loyalty program— or any type of loyalty perk or offer — helps keep the customers you already have. And according to Forbes, in good times, 25% of customers are responsible for 50% of sales. So focusing on that segment of your customer base is actually cheaper for your business and has a bigger impact on the top and bottom line. Catering to these customers also means that your business is truly letting the customer influence their own journey while using your business, and that’s better for everyone involved: It creates more revenue for the business and more satisfaction for the customer. If any business wants to outlive the tough times we’re in — or possibly even thrive through them — they’ve got to focus on the customers with the most potential to stay loyal. Providing them with something that will keep them coming back in good times or bad may seem
that nonmembers can’t get without providing basic sign-up information in the app. Even though they had to give a little on their end, customers still scrambled to be a part of the program. If you generate loyalty that provides extra value, customers are willing to come back and keep spending. But creating loyalty programs offers a lot more perks than just generating revenue. Customers who sign up for a loyalty program give those businesses information that can be turned into useful data. This data helps businesses learn about their customers by giving insights into what they like, what they don’t, and what their patterns are. It can show them who their most valuable customers are. This information is exactly what companies need to adjust their brands accordingly in order to stay both popular and cost-efficient. But it’s not all about points and perks. The pandemic has revealed that customers have higher expectations these days. Loyalty has first and foremost become about experience and personalization. Taco Bell continues to master this by not only offering food perks but also messaging their members about new products, safety, and business insights. And with more customers ordering digitally,
this difficult time but also thrive? By banking on the loyalty of their customers to carry them through. Customers become loyal to a brand when they feel that brand makes a point to offer products and services that they not only enjoy but feel excited or even privileged to purchase. These “feel good” benefits are what keep customers coming back to readily spend their money, and for chains like Panera and Taco Bell, the best way to offer those benefits is through a loyalty program. Panera’s coffee subscription program launched shortly before the pandemic, which quickly went on to nearly halt most breakfast food purchases. And yet, this hasn’t stopped people from signing up for Panera’s program in droves. That subscription program is now 40 million strong, and Panera credits its loyalty program for generating such massive interest. Panera’s CEO has stated that these loyalty members purchase from the brand 6 to 10 more times than nonmembers and generate reliable recurring revenue.
like it has a lot of upfront costs, but
that loyalty will pay for itself, and then some.
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