Cruise Ship

I recently went to a seminar on a cruise ship. It was the first time for me to be on a cruise ship.

I found the Carnival cruise ship business model to very interesting. It’s relatively cheap to book a cruise. Like $100 a day and that includes food. But, I didn’t realize how many upsells they would have. As soon as you get on the ship you are upsold an alcoholic drink. I saw many people seek out these drinks as soon as they stepped on to the deck. So all alchololic drinks are extra. Not surprised. Later that night the hallways filled up with professional photographer with fake backdrops. There were lines to get your photo taken in front of fake scenery around the world. I was baffled why this was fun, but there were lines of people waiting to have their picture taken. Having the picture taken is completely free. Getting a print of it is not. Yet another upsell.

Then of course is the onshore excursions. There was a lengthy list of them you could do when we stopped in Mexico. Not a surprise except for the prices. USA prices for an outing in Mexico seemed odd. They also have art auctions which I didn’t get a chance to see. I saw the art and wasn’t impressed, but maybe I’ve been the Louvre once too many times.

And of course onboard gambling.

And it’s a ship, you can’t get off and do something else. It’s a captured audience.

The cruise ship business is the perfect marketing funnel. I’m impressed.

Written by EagleChris


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I recently went on a trip to San Diego. My wonderful girlfriend was a speaker at a law of attraction cruise ship seminar and I went to help sell her new book “Already Rich“.

When I travel I use almost the same setup as when I’m home. This greatly helps in getting things done while on the road.

I use my laptop primarily, I’m currently on Windows but eyeing a Mac. I love web applications as I can share data with people and the data isn’t even on my computer. So on this trip and everyday I use Gmail, Google Docs, and Google Reader. I also did some work while in San Diego and I use Freshbooks to track time and invoices. I got some new clients while on the trip and used Highrise to record them in my contact management system. I store my passwords securely in keepass. I use JungleDisk to keep some of the files I need but won’t fit on my computers harddrive. Plus I use Mozy to create backups of what is on my computer. I use Skype to receive calls and to call out. Works anywhere that I can get on the Internet. Makes life easy. I forward Skype to my mobile if I’m traveling. I set it to forward after 10 seconds. Then on my mobile I have Google Voice handling the voice mail and it sends me a text message of the voice mail translation.

Now getting wifi while traveling can be interesting. Some people have a mobile phone hookup to their computer to get online. I always find wifi, free wifi is Wefi. It maps the nearest places to you of known wifi. Pretty handy.

If you are like me and have a big iTunes library of music you have to put it on an external hard drive as it won’t fit on your laptop’s hard drive. If you use Hamachi and a home computer you can still have your home network drive that has your music on it show up on your laptop while traveling. You can use iTunes just like at home, however syching your iPod can take several hours instead of a couple of minutes. If I’m traveling for longer than a week or two I set this up otherwise I just go with my iPod nano and wait to synch it when I get home.

P.S. See my personal post about my trip.

Written by EagleChris


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I really do hate voice mail. Someone calls you while you’re on the phone or bathroom (hint, don’t answer the phone while in the bathroom, it’s disgusting) and they leave a voice mail. Now I have to call my voice mail and listen to a way too long recording and then they don’t leave their phone number.

It’s enough to make me not want to check voice mail and just call the number back and ask what they wanted. It’s quicker.

Well, now I’m liking voice mail again because of Google Voice. Google Voice can take over your mobile phone voice mail system which is an increadible good thing because it will transcribe the voice mail and send it to you via email and/or text message to your phone. I love being productive and this GTD (Getting Things Done) productivity tip has saved me a lot of time.

This has been helpful when people just leave me a message informing of status and don’t need a return call. I can see it on my email and delete the message 5 seconds later. This saves a lot of time and it’s so convientant.

I love voice mail now and don’t mind if people go to voice mail and leave a message anymore. It saves me a ton of time.

Google Voice is free. You can get a Google Voice phone number and/or just have it take over your mobile phone voice mail system. Check it out.

Written by EagleChris


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It’s frustrating when people don’t respond to your voice mail or email. Over the years I’ve worked with many people that don’t respond. And for many years I didn’t understand them.

People that don’t respond to your communications are of three types typically:

1.  They have too many problems themselves that they don’t have time, don’t check their voice mail or email. They are barely together and are barely surviving. Probably not someone you want to do business with.

I know one guy that lives in his office suite, doesn’t answer his phone for weeks at a time and is rather proud of having his voice mail system full so people can’t even leave a voice mail. And his email? He goes in every couple of months and deletes everything. Not really worth any time pursuing business with him, complete waste of time.

2. Then there is the group I call unprofessional. They see your email but don’t read it or read it and don’t respond. They are not interested and instead of replying back just telling you that, they just ignore you. When in person or over the phone and you ask a question they won’t answer.

They will change the subject or if pinned down simply just not talk. I’ve seen this a number of times. I’m not a big fan of this style of negotiating. It’s so unprofessional and business doesn’t work with unprofessional people.

I was renegotiating a contract with a client a number of years ago in person. I asked a simple question about the agreed on installment payment and he wouldn’t answer and wouldn’t look at me. After 30 minutes of one of the weirdest conversations I’ve ever had, I left. I tried to renegotiate for two more months with him and didn’t succeed.

That is when I realized why. Why would I want to do business with these types of people. So I learned that no response answers simply mean NO. It maybe no I’m too busy or I have too much going on in my life or it could be hell no. You may never know since they are not communicating. But, does it matter it’s not going to work out in business.

3. A new type for me is the outwardly professional that is successful but has no help to check their voice mail or email so they simply don’t. They have horrible service and will even have people complain on social media about it but they are successful and ignore them. They can easily afford help but they don’t. They also have the opinion that not responding ever or for weeks is cool.

These types I believe have no excuse for acting this way. I once asked a big Internet Marketer about a joint venture deal and he responded in minutes himself that he didn’t have time to consider it. I respected that. Some other successful people but not nearly as big just don’t answer.  Even in person if you ask they’ll say yes but they don’t mean it and once they are not physically in front of you it’s impossible to get in touch with them as they go back to their protected bubble at home. These type of Internet Marketers need to get professional quick or they will go out of business. The days of not caring about your clients on the Internet are over and people will not tolerate it anymore.

Now a few times I’ve meet someone a year or two later and they would tell me why they didn’t respond. Many of those times it was because they just were stressed out and couldn’t handle anymore at that time. Some have even become clients. So never give up on people but don’t waste too much time pursuing these types of people.

So my rule is to followup three times with people. On the third try I tell them this is my last time that I’ll be leaving them a message. I then will contact them a few months later once and trickle on them occasionally. It could be months or years before they recover from their stresses to think straight or they can afford to do business with you. Don’t put so much pressure on them that they hate you. Be nice and respect their no response and move on.

Thankfully most people are not like these people. Most people are upfront and frank about things which makes doing business much easier. Just understand the no response types and move forward with the people that want to do business with you.

Written by EagleChris


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In order to be successful in business you have to be willing to be hurt. If you avoid doing anything to get hurt you will not be successful at all.

So you’re going to get hurt. It’s going to happen. The point is to not dwell on it but to learn from it.

Years ago I was blamed for stealing. I tried and tried to find the problem I was accused of but couldn’t. I would have apologized and fixed it if I could find it. I lost the client over it and the accuser did too.  The accuser doesn’t like me and my feelings were hurt. I moved on. You can’t please everyone all the time.

I’ve also had joint ventures where I did most of my work up front and my partners barely did anything and then called it quits or just stops communicating or answering questions. I was hurt, life moves on. You learn from it.

Takeaways:

1. Be nice and point out the problem. A vast majority of people would gladly correct the problem. Stick to your guns if you know you are right. Admit wrong doing if you have made a mistake. It’s always best.
2. If they are not taking the situation seriously then make then understand the seriousness of the it.
3. Keep any single client to only 10% or less of your business so if they start demanding things that are unreasonable you can easily fire them and not be financially dependent on them.
4. Fix things quickly instead of slowly. Problems dragged out never end well. Better to cut the deal and move on.
5. Recover your costs from ex-partner and outsource the handling of it so it doesn’t take any of your energy

I hope you get hurt in the future. Not because I want you to have pain but because I know you will be growing and having successes.

P.S. All current partners, please don’t infer anything from this. This was based on past deals.

Written by EagleChris


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I’m having a webinar next Wednesday (14th October) at 9pm EST on the Top 10 Ways to Use Facebook to Promote your Business.

• How to setup your profile
• Privacy setting for your Small Business
• How to stop other businesses promoting their business on your profile page
• Group or Fan page – benefits of each
• How to share your events on Facebook
• Joining groups
• Having conversations with people on Facebook via email and chat
• How to not spam people on Facebook
• Facebook Applications you need installed

There are only so many tickets to this special online event. So grab your ticket now.

P.S. There is a very small fee $2.99 to attend and only so many tickets. This is pure content and I’m not plugging anything.

Written by EagleChris


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I heard a growing trend is for people to retire to college towns where they can volunteer and keep learning new things.  Good idea.

That’s the thing with retirement is for most life gets really boring which leads to an early death.

My experience seeing my parents and grandparents approaching or in retirement and my recent experience with my Uncle committing suicide has formed my retirements plans.

But it is not really retirement. I don’t believe in retirement at all.

Let me explain.

My plans are to work on what I’m passionate about and slowly over time add charity work to it. Then over the years increase the percentage of time I spend on charity work. My predecessor and business systems slowly take more time from me on business to compensation.

You add the charity work by funding causes you love or volunteering your time. And you only do it once you are stable and are able to afford to do it.  Just paying the bills is not stable. You must be doing very well really before contributing to charities. Because you have to take care of yourself first before you can help others. I know some people are going to disagree with this.

I never get to a point where charity work takes up all my time. I’ll always be involved in my business.

With this system you are never bored. You are involved and you contribute to society over many many years.

You’ll avoid the having something to do one day and then nothing the next. So many people retire utterly bored just waiting to die. Life is worth enjoying. If you are not enjoying it then you are not being creative enough, you’re not being passionate about what you do. Change that and this system will create a legacy that will live on forever.

It’s a simple system which is why I know it works.

Richard Branson is doing this. With Virgin Unite he even let’s other via a social network get involved in charity work. A brilliant idea. Over the years his kids will get more and more responsibility in Virgin and Richard will do more and more charity work.

Written by EagleChris


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View from my hotel room

I’m a big fan of celebrating life.  I love to work hard but I also love to party.

I’m in Sedona Arizona for my cousin LaDonna’s wedding.  She’s marrying a Greek-American. A lot of his family still live in Greece.

We’re having our own version of the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. I’m so happy for LaDonna because she meet the love of her life and he’s Greek.  The Greeks know how to celebrate life. The best restaurants to go to around the world are Greek. I’ve partied and eaten too at Greek Restaurants in Edinburgh, Paris, Renees, Austin, Phoenix, Pananama City Panama and who knows where else.

Be Greek.  Celebrate life.  Enjoy it. Your business will be more profitable, you’ll be happier and the people around you will join you in having a fantastic life.

I would like to thank my love Nan Akasha for helping me see that life is a wonderful adventure again. We’ve been together three and a half years and it has been truly wonderful. Let’s party our asses off this weekend honey.

Written by EagleChris


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