Why am I talking about SEO on a “Conversion Blog’?

What many of my readers may be surprised to find out about me is that the whole “Conversion Doctor” brand, represents only a small fraction of my online income.

I spend 90% of my time actually DOING this stuff and only 10% of my time TEACHING it (as you can tell by the few times I’ve posted in the last 6 months.)

So because I sell real-world products in real-world markets, unlike many of the other so-called “guru’s” who have never made a dime selling anything other than “how to make money online” products, I’ve actually had to get good at driving REAL traffic.

(The dirty secret about many “guru’s” is that the ONLY traffic source they have or know how to build is 100% dependent on big, multi-JV partner launches.)

Because of this, I’ve continually stayed on the cutting edge of what works and what doesn’t work to keep my niche market sites, and “feeder sites” at the top of Google.

So after all my work, research and testing into SEO tactics, strategies and principles what is my #1 consideration when trying to get a page ranked high on the search engines?

The first step is simple…

Verify that the keyword phrase you are targeting actually CONVERTS visitors into buyers!

A number one ranking for the most popular keyword in the world won’t make you a single dime if you can’t convert the traffic into buyers (or at least ad clicks.)

So how can you test your keywords for their conversion potential before investing your time trying to rank for them in the organic search results?

Simple… Pay Per Click (PPC)!

Before you ever spend time optimizing your page and building links for a particular keyword, you need to test your SEO with PPC!

To do this, just setup a few Adwords campaigns targeting around 50 keywords total.

Use the “conversion tracking” tool in your Adwords account to identify which keywords are driving conversions.

And then after gathering a few days (or a few weeks) of data, it will be obvious to you which keywords are worth spending your time doing the SEO work to rank for, and which ones would be a waste of time.

Taking just this one simple step will save you a ton of time and headaches, and multiply your return on investment from your SEO effort ten-fold!

Happy Testing!

Related posts:

1. How One Word Or Even One Letter Can Boost Conversion Rates By Over 400%!
2. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) What Is It and How Do You Do It?
3. Copywriting is NOT the most important skill for online success. Heresy?

A friend of mine recently posted a powerful, inspiring video.

(Nothing for sale… Just good ‘ol inspiration!)

But before you watch it…

I want to share a powerful, true story. I hope it inspires you, brightens the remainder of your day, then illuminates the rest of your holiday season.

It’s the story of a young man, Rick Hoyt, born in 1971. Rick’s suffering started at birth. Lack of oxygen left him a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Even though his parents were encouraged by experts to institutionalize him, they refused.

Trust me, this story gets better.

Rick couldn’t walk or speak, but his eyes would follow them around the room. They knew they were “reaching” him. They were determined he would someday communicate with them. It was years before a group of engineers from Tufts University built a computer that allowed Rick to do just that!

His first words were “Go Bruins” (Boston was in the Stanley Cup that year). This should have given them a clue of the fierce competitive spirit flowing in their child, but nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.

When Rick turned 15 he told his dad, Dick, he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick, having never attempted anything like that in his life, couldn’t find a way to say no, so he simply said ok.

He pushed Rick in his wheelchair, finishing all 5 miles, coming in next to last, which Dick expected. What he wasn’t prepared to hear were the words, “Dad, when I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.” Is it hard to believe this was all the “leverage” this daring and dedicated dad needed to dig deeper?

Over 1,000 races later, including 85 marathons, duathlons and triathlons (six of them being Ironman competitions), “Team Hoyt,” as they are affectionately called by the masses, are still competing and inspiring the world with their tireless courage and undaunted dedication.

The level of gratitude and unconditional love Rick has for his father’s commitment was evident when he was once asked what the one thing he would give his father would be. “The thing I’d like most is for my dad to sit in the chair, so I could push him for once.”

The greatest gifts you give aren’t valued by the amount of money you paid, nor is it measured by how long it took you to give. It certainly isn’t up to the recipient to reflect it’s value.

No, the greatest gift you give is determined by the amount of joy and fun YOU have while giving it.

Please watch this powerful video showcasing Team Hoyt and other people you might recognize, reminding us all of the power of one random act of kindness.

In your darkest hour you can shine, but why wait for the lights to dim so you can glow? Help spread the word by sharing this email and video with people who need a little inspiration.

In gratitude for you,

Eric

p.s. For once, there is nothing to for you to DO but watch and smile, so if you can spare 1 or 2 more minutes check out this video!

Related posts:

1. My free conversion rate boosting webinar replay comes down in just a couple of days.
2. Learn from me WITHOUT buying?
3. Matt Bacak Retires! (Is Matt Bacak a quitter?!)

IMPORTANT FREE CONVERSION BOOSTING TIPS CONTAINED! (READ EVERY WORD!)

Yesterday I announced that I was opening up 2 new spots in my Private Platinum Coaching group and I sent an email to a small, handpicked part of my email list.

Here is the video I recorded:
http://www.ConversionDoctor.com/videos/double-sales/

Now I’m not giving you the link to the video today because I want you to join my Platinum group. The spots will probably already be filled by the time you watch the video. (I know 1 of them is gone already…)

But the reason I want you to watch the video is to help you understand the POWER of making what I call an “IQ Test” offer.

The key to high conversion rates is NOT great copy, it’s NOT testing, it’s NOT targeted traffic, it’s NOT making people “know, like, and trust” you…

Yes, all of those things are important and have their place, but at the end of the day, the biggest factor in your conversion rates will be making a killer “IQ Test Offer” to a very specific and well defined “Target Customer”.

Because I am continually researching my target market, testing offers, and working to gain a DEEP level, intimate under-standing of what my “perfect clients” want and respond to, I am able to target my offers with laser precision.

I understand that the “buyer” of my particular brand of HIGHLY advanced conversion, copywriting, testing, sales psychology, millionaire mindset and business strategy mentoring is already a smart and successful action taker.

It’s not some newbie, forum junkie, or ebook addict.

People without their own products and semi-successful businesses do not need help with conversion, and strategy. They need to get off their butts and actually take some action.

As you watch the video, pay attention to some of the things I do in it to segment my viewers and focus in on the EXACT target person I am making this offer directly to.

There are several things I say in the video to INTENTIONALLY weed out people who are not qualified for my offer. I actually WANT to turn them off and make them stop watching.

Why do I do this?

Simple. By “rejecting” people who do not fit my “target client profile” for my Platinum Group, the video actually becomes MORE appealing to those smart, successful few who I am trying to communicate with.

98% of viewers will say, “this is not for me”, but the 2% I am trying to speak to (already successful online marketers and fellow millionaires) will feel like I am talking DIRECTLY to them, on a 1-on-1 personal level.

Watch the video and take notes on how I do this. Do not discount the power of this technique, because if you can learn from me, how to do this, the effectiveness of your marketing (and the quality of your clients/customers) will take a MAJOR leap forward.

The second thing I want you to pay attention to is how I craft and structure the offer itself.

This is critical…

As you’ll see in the video, I am making an offer that is so over-the-top powerful, and delivers so much value, that my target client will realize the only way they will lose is by NOT taking me up on the offer.

At its core, my offer is essentially this:

Join my Private Platinum Coaching Group, and I’ll double your online sales in the next 12 months or I’ll work with you for free for an additional 12 months.

They get 2 full day on site consultations with me, extensive 1-on-1 phone and email access, development of a detailed, step-by-step plan and strategy to double their sales (by focusing on increasing BOTH targeted traffic and conversion) and much, much more.

For the right person, (if they understand it) this is an offer that they would be stupid to pass up. (Hence why I call this an “IQ Test Offer”.)

In the offer, I am basically “selling money at a discount”.

What I mean by that is…

Let’s say somebody has an online business and they are doing $100,000.00 per year in sales. If they really understand the power of my offer (taking them from $100k to $200k in under 12 months), then it is a no-brainer decision to jump on the offer.

The only thing someone in that position has to lose is an additional $100k per year in sales. Even if I charged them $50,000 to be in my Platinum Group (and it’s NOT that expensive), they STILL would be throwing money away if they didn’t join.

Thus, the “selling money at a discount” part!

But again, if somebody is not an action taker or doesn’t already have a successful business, then “doubling sales” is meaningless to them. (Double “zero” is still “zero”!)

So as you’ll see when you watch the video, even the structure of the offer itself is designed to weed out those who are not qualified.

http://www.ConversionDoctor.com/videos/double-sales/

I’m not asking you to join my Platinum Group today. The last spot will fill with or without you.

But I am asking you to watch the video, take notes on the STRUCTURE of the offer and try and learn from some of the subtle (and not so subtle) things I do in the video to make it such an effective selling tool.

And then, don’t just file the note away and ignore them. Actually TAKE ACTION on what you learn in the video.

Apply these techniques to your own business and own market, to create your own “IQ Test” offers.

I can promise you, that when you do, when you make an offer to your target client that they understand they would be stupid to pass up on, then your sales and profitability will SKYROCKET!

Watch (and study) the video NOW and TAKE ACTION, you’ll be glad you did!

http://www.ConversionDoctor.com/videos/double-sales/

Happy viewing!

Eric

Related posts:

1. How To Double Your Online Sales (Even in a “Bad” Economy…)
2. My #1 Conversion Boosting Secret Revealed… (Free!)
3. Can I come to your home or office and record a testimonial?

Twitter Testing

Continuous testing is the key factor that differentiates wildly successful online businesses and marketers, from the rest of the pack.

There is just no better way to gain a devastating long term advantage over your competition.

And as someone who has been running online split and multivariate tests (over 7,000 total) on my own sites and my clients sites for over a decade now, I was not surprised to discover that Twitter was running a few tests of their own.

And they are running their tests on an element of their site that I’ve identified time and time again as one of the items that can give a significant boost to conversion rates, and that element is their Submit Button.

As you can see from the screenshots below, Twitter is testing the wording on their button:

The words you use on your submit, order and add to cart buttons can play a major role in the response rates you get.

The absolute WORST thing you can have a button say is, “Submit”. Yuck!

By just testing different words on your own buttons, you can often see 20% to 35% boosts in the number of people who will click on your buttons.

The folks over at Twitter are also doing several things on this submit button that have been proven effective by my own testing…

First, they are using a big submit button.

I’ve found that for the main buttons and calls to action on your site, SIZE MATTERS! And usually (in most of my tests) the bigger, the better.

Second, the button is ORANGE in color. While the color orange does not always increase click thru rates, and win in ALL split tests (your target audience plays a role in the color psychology of what works best on your particular site), orange is an eye-gravity attracting color that does boost response rates in about 65% to 75% of my tests.

Also, you’ll notice that for buttons with only 2 words, they capitalize each letter. (“Join Today”, “Sign Up”)

However, for button copy with more than 2 words they are using sentence case, only capitalizing the first word. (“Give it a try”, “Let me in”, “Get started now”.)

While the capitalization of your button text may sound like a minor element, in my testing I’ve found that about 80% of the time, NOT capitalizing each word in 3+ word buttons can improve conversion rates slightly.

Additionally, you’ll notice a small arrow symbol “>” at the end of each button.

This is also something I’ve tested, that can give a slight boost to conversions in most cases because it implies a bit of visual, forward momentum deeper into the process.

And finally, you can see in the image below that they are using both Primary and Secondary Link Feedback on their button.

The “Primary Link Feedback” is the cursor ARROW changing into a pointing FINGER, when the mouse hovers over the button. This is a web standard (that unfortunately not all web designers follow on all buttons) that I’ve tested to increase button click-thru rates.

The “Secondary Link Feedback” is more subtle, but if you look closely it is there. The orange color of the button, and the text on the button both get slightly darker when the mouse hovers over the button, further indicating that the button is a clickable element.

Again, this type of Secondary Link Feedback has tested well for me in the past.

If you want to run your own test rounds on your submit button, check out these blog post below where I show you the actual results of many of my own submit button testing:

What in the Heck is “Secondary Link Feedback”?! (And how can it help you sell more?)

Submit Button Usability Split Test Results: Size DOES Matter!

Want People to Take an Action on Your Site? POINT It Out!

The ULTIMATE Submit Button REVEALED! Putting all the Pieces Together…

Related posts:

1. Submit Button Usability Split Test Results: Size DOES Matter!
2. What in the Heck is “Secondary Link Feedback”?! (And how can it help you sell more?)
3. The ULTIMATE Submit Button REVEALED! Putting all the Pieces Together…

With over 5 years of content posted to my blog, new readers who want to increase their website’s conversion rates often get lost or miss out on some of my best conversion rate boosting content.

So to help you increase your online conversion rates quickly I’ve listed some of my most popular conversion rate increasing tips, videos and blog posts below!

1. My #1 Conversion Boosting Secret Revealed… (Free!)

2. Discover The 19 Critical Elements of a Winning Sales Letter! (FREE Video…)

3. How to Boost Conversion Rates at 1ShoppingCart by up to 20% in Under 60 Seconds!

4. Do Coupon Codes INCREASE Checkout Abandonment?

5. We Hate Spam (and our optin rate) As Much As You Do…

6. Do THIS before you write ANY copy! (And you’ll make WAY more money…)

7. How To Double Your Online Sales (Even in a “Bad” Economy…)

8. Squeeze Page Review Video

9. Squeeze Page Conversion: FREE Video Shows How to Get a 75%+ Optin Rate!

10. Rapid and Easy Product Creation Video Tutorial

11. Improving Conversion Rates With the Power of Your MIND?!

12. Why Having a “Good” Conversion Rate Could Hurt You!

13. Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) What Is It and How Do You Do It?

14. Leading eCommerce Consultant Admits You Should Only Listen to One Real Expert! (And it’s not him”…)

15. What a C.I.A. Black Ops Officer Taught Me About Copywriting

16. The Shocking Reason Why Cheating Your Affiliates Costs YOU Money!

17. If you have something to SELL, Usability testing is NOT enough…

18. Usability Split Test Results: Link Appearance Matters More Than You Think…

19. Checkout page split test results… (Product descriptions matter!)

20. What in the Heck is “Secondary Link Feedback”?! (And how can it help you sell more?)

21. Submit Button Usability Split Test Results: Size DOES Matter!

22. Give Your Guarantees TEETH and Eat Filet Mignon More Often…

23. Does the Hacker Safe Logo Help or Hurt Conversion Rates? (Test results revealed…)

24. Taking the Hacker Safe Conversion Boost to the Next Level…

25. Who in the Heck Reads Privacy Policies? (Surprising Answer: Buyers!)

26. To Build Trust Online You Must FIRST Be Trustworthy!

27. Want People to Take an Action on Your Site? POINT It Out!

28. Do Pictures of Women Convert Better Than Pictures of Men?

29. The ULTIMATE Submit Button REVEALED! Putting all the Pieces Together…

I hope these 29 posts, articles and videos will help you Increase Conversion Rates on your website. If you invest the time applying what I share above, you’ll find that Increasing Online Conversion Rates will be a breeze!

Happy Testing!

PS – Leave a comment below and let me know which of the posts above you find most valuable, and what kinds of posts you want to see more of!

Related posts:

1. The Conversion Doctor’s Blog Is “Not Helpful”?
2. Link to Free “Conversion Rate Optimization” Webinar Recording (only for a limited time…)
3. Can Listening To One 52 Minute Interview Boost Your Conversion Rates?

I just recorded you a free video (nothing for sale) that shares the #1 secret to achieving high conversion rates.

(I’m talking double digit, 10%+ conversion rates!)

And no, the “secret” is not:

- Great Headlines
- Good Copywriting
- Having a Great Product
- Using Video
- Building Trust
- Some Special Button
- Targeted Traffic
- Or Even Testing!

Watch the full video and discover the #1 secret here:

Happy viewing!

PS – Actually it’s NOT really a “secret”, but since 98% of marketers are too lazy to do it the right way, it may as well be secret!

Watch the video right now!

Related posts:

1. My free conversion rate boosting webinar replay comes down in just a couple of days.
2. Link to Free “Conversion Rate Optimization” Webinar Recording (only for a limited time…)
3. Squeeze Page Conversion: FREE Video Shows How to Get a 75%+ Optin Rate!

Okay…

I know this has nothing to do with marketing. But hey… It’s my blog!

My dad shared this video with me and we both teared up a bit when we watched it together in my office.

Even if you are not a pilot, this video is still cool to watch. Particularly if any of your family members served in WWII.

Happy Viewing!

Related posts:

1. Squeeze Page Conversion: FREE Video Shows How to Get a 75%+ Optin Rate!
2. New Video Posted: Is the “Bad Economy” hurting conversion rates?
3. Rapid and Easy Product Creation Video Tutorial

Okay… I’ll warn you up front, this post LOOOOONG and is going to piss some people off! I’ll be touching on the “big 3”, Money, Politics, and even Religion!

But I’m fine with that, because the people it’s going to piss off are not in my target market anyway!

And the people that are NOT pissed off by this post may very well have their lives changed if they really take its message to heart.

So I’ll gladly risk stepping on a few toes, even losing a few readers and subscribers in order to reach and help those that need to hear this message…

That means if you are a whiner, complainer, socialist, atheist, communist, liberal, or anyone else who refuses to take personal responsibility for your own success and wants an employer or some government agency to “take care of you” or give you “job security”, then you had better leave now before I make your blood boil!

Still with me?

Good. Let’s get started…

As someone who has been happily unemployable for nearly a decade now, it breaks my heart when I see so many good, honest and hardworking men and women spending the most productive years of their lives running around like a rat in a cage, working as slaves in soul crushing, dead end jobs.

They work 40 to 60 hours per week or more, day in and day out, for 40+ years and in most cases every single dime they “earn” in their lifetime simply slips through their fingers being paid out to the government, mortgage companies, credit card companies, and for the basic necessities of food, shelter and clothing.

At the end of their working lives, putting in all that time and effort for their employers, government and creditors, 98% find themselves broke with almost nothing to show for an entire lifetime of effort and struggle.

Somewhere along the line the “American Dream” became having a “good job” that pays enough to be able to afford to “buy your own home”.

But guess what?

Most people with those “good jobs” that think they “own their home” are simply slaves and indentured servants who serve their boss, mortgage company and the IRS.

If they are like most “modern slaves”, they foolishly spend and borrow more than their masters pay them and the government allows them to keep.

And even if they THINK they own their home, in reality it’s owned by the bank and government. Their “American Dream” job simply allows them to scrape together a small down payment, and barely qualify for a loan they probably can’t afford, for the privilege of renting their home from the bank!

And even for those of us who don’t have mortgages, at the end of the day we are simply “renting” our homes from the government.

In the country club community in which I live, some of my neighbors pay as much as $24,000 per year or more in property tax on their homes.

So even if they “own” their home free and clear of any mortgage, they still are basically renting it from the government for $2,000 per month. Because even with $2 million in equity in their home, if they stopped paying that $2,000 per month to the government, it wouldn’t take very long for them to discover who REALLY owns their home when the sheriff shows up to kick them out.

I’m sorry but having a “good job” that pays enough to be able to afford to “buy your own home” is NOT the “American Dream”…

It’s a deliberately crafted, cleverly packaged LIE!

Historically the REAL “American Dream” used to be to owning your own business and becoming financially independent, while working for yourself, controlling your own destiny.

Society, the media, politicians, and even misguided parents have brainwashed most people into thinking the formula for success is “go to school, get a good job and work hard.”

While I have nothing against education and hard work (I credit both of those things to my success), what I take issue with is the TYPE of education you get and the VEHICLE in which you invest your “hard work”.

The current educational system is simply a relic of the early 1900’s that is specifically DESIGNED to churn out obedient, mindless, employees.

Most schools are like assembly lines that spit out future factory workers.

And higher education isn’t any better…

Over 98% of college degree programs are geared around specific “employee focused” career paths.

And here is the big dirty secret about college degrees that employers won’t tell you…

(And, trust me. As a business owner and employer, I know this to be 100% true.)

Most employers that require a college degree in the job description (outside of certain “professional degree” areas like law, medicine and engineering) are simply using the degree requirement as a screening tool, as an indicator that a prospective applicant can actually follow through and finish something.

In most cases it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the area of your degree or the “skills” you learn in college, because most employers know that they are going to have to re-train you and re-teach you what you need to know to actually do the job.

That’s because most of what is taught in traditional college classes is pure theory, and it’s being taught by professors who have never actually DONE what it is they are teaching, in the real world.

This is particularly true in most business and marketing curriculums, where you have professors teaching about business and management that have not only never owned and run a successful business, in many cases they started teaching right out of Grad school so they’ve never even WORKED in a successful company.

Or you have marketing professors teaching a bunch of worthless crap about “image advertising”, who have NEVER sold a single product in their lives.

While going to college and getting a degree does have some value, don’t fool yourself into thinking that a “degree” is an “education”.

Real education is ALWAYS self-education.

It comes from studying books, CDs, DVDs, attending seminars and workshops that were written, recorded and taught by people who have actually DONE what they are teaching.

And the BEST education comes from working 1-on-1 with a mentor or coach who has actually achieved what you want to achieve. (Experience is the best teacher, but it doesn’t always have to be YOUR experience.)

The deliberate changing of the “American Dream” from being “owning your own business and becoming financially independent”, to “getting a job and buying a home” is just one example of the way those in the media and government (who have secret agendas) are trying to make people begin believing the EXACT OPPOSITE of the truth is so many areas.

And it’s not just in selling people on becoming slaves to jobs…

The opposite of the truth is being pushed on people in multiple areas of our lives from health care and education, to “environmental issues” and national security.

Of course for those of us of faith, this should come as no surprise.

In Isaiah 5:20 we learn that in the last days, “Good will be called evil and evil good.”

Isaiah 5:20 – “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Of course in one blog post or video I can’t correct ALL the areas where lies are being promoted as truths, and evil is being called good.

But, I can at least try and do a bit of “re-education” on the widespread misconception that “having a job is a good thing”…

The first big lie about jobs that I want to shatter is the myth of “Job Security”. And this is a BIG ONE!

Most people who stay at a job and don’t go out and start their own business say that it’s because they want security. They have bought into the big lie that owning your own business is risky and having a job is safe.

And even banks and lenders buy into and perpetuate this lie.

We’ve all seen the stories of the business owner who goes to his bank to apply for a loan and is turned down because he is “self-employed” and thus (in theory) too risky.

Yet his secretary goes down and applies for the same loan and gets it with no problem because she has a “stable job”.

Guess what bank morons? It’s the EXACT SAME BUSINESS that is paying them both!

If the owner of the business is “too risky” to lend to because his business might go under, then the “safe and stable job” that the secretary has will be gone too.

But in reality the business owner has FAR more security and stability than the secretary.

The reason why is because, IF the business gets into trouble, the business owner has the CONTROL and ability to make changes to improve the situation. The secretary has almost zero control over her future.

And one of the first changes the business owner is probably going to make when things get tight is cutting expenses. Guess what his biggest expense probably is? Payroll!

So the secretary’s “safe job” is one of the first things that is going to go.

Who then has more security, the employee or the employer?

The answer should be obvious…

As the OWNER of the business, you have the one thing few if any employees ever have and that is CONTROL. You have the ability and control to make changes and adjustments to your direction, destination and success.

Security comes from having control over what happens to you. And employees have the least amount of control of anyone.

As an employee, you are simply going along for the ride, at the whim of your employer. Two little words control ALL of your family’s future and financial security. “You’re fired…”

The other area where business owners have far more security than employees is the ability to develop multiple streams of income.

Most people locked into or brainwashed by “employee mentality” think their only way to earn income is by trading time for money.

If an employee wants an additional stream of income, he or she has their spouse get a job or gets an additional job on the side. They simply trade more of their available hours for a few extra dollars.

The only other option for an employee to make more money (unless you are in a commissioned sales position) is to go hat in hand and beg your boss (master) for a raise.

Or worse yet, if you are locked into a union contract, regardless of how hard you work or how much value you add to the company, all you can do is sit around and wait for “seniority” to accrue to get paid more. There is absolutely no possible way for you to EARN more money.

In that type of system, there is zero incentive for hard work and performance, because even if you work three times as hard as the guy or gal next to you, if they have been there longer than you, they earn more money REGARDLESS of the value they contribute.

All you can do is wait, and hope the company doesn’t go out of business or your union doesn’t go on strike and put you out of a job while you are waiting for your “seniority”.

I guess in the union job you can try and work a little “overtime” if it’s available (and the higher seniority guys don’t want it), but again it’s just more “time for money” nonsense.

The big problem with “time for money is… From Donald Trump to a homeless guy on the street, we all are limited to only 24 hours per day. So the number of hours we have to trade for dollars is finite.

Business owners know that money does not come from HOURS it comes from VALUE.

That is all money is… A measure of exchanged VALUE. The more value you give and create, the more money you make. It really is that simple.

So while someone with an employee mindset looks for ways to “work more hours” or perhaps (if they are smart and ambitious) even “earn more per hour”, the person with the “business owner” mindset simply looks for new ways to add and create value.

This could be by developing new products, tapping new markets or starting new businesses.

So while the employee’s financial future is 100% dependent on the health of just 1 business, a smart entrepreneur is continually seeking out, building and creating new areas of value that result in multiple income streams.

Again… Who has more security? The employee with a single job, or a business owner with 10 streams of income?

Having multiple streams of income gives you REAL security. Income security!

At this point I’m beating a dead horse, because if you still believe that you have ANY security staying in a job over starting your own business you are probably beyond hope.

But EVEN IF you had security in a job, what you trade for the (very little) security you get from your job is the worst trade-off of all, and that is your FREEDOM.

“The man who would choose security over freedom deserves neither.” – Thomas Jefferson

For me that was the biggest single benefit to self-employment… Freedom!

The freedom to do what I want, when I want, the way I want, with whom I want.

I wouldn’t trade that freedom for all the cubicles and corner offices in the world.

The other area where business owners have a big advantage over employees is in the arena of taxation.

But unfortunately because the government has brilliantly (in an immoral, controlling, manipulative, evil genius sort of way) set up the system so employees don’t actually SEE how much is really being taken from them, most people working jobs have no idea how deeply the IRS, State and local governments are reaching into their pockets.

To keep the average tax payer in the dark, businesses and employers are required to withhold large chunks of most employees pay and send it to the government directly. Additionally there are countless other taxes, fees employers are required to pay that employees never see, yet significantly reduce the amount the business or company can afford to pay the employee.

Things like unemployment insurance, workers compensation, medicare, taxes on insurance premiums, and an additional 7.65% on top of what you are already paying into Social Security (yes Social Security is ACTUALLY costing you 15.3% of your paycheck!)

But even though you don’t SEE these additional costs your employer has to pay to keep you on the payroll, you better bet he factors all of that into YOUR total cost to the company when you go hat in hand to beg your “master” for a raise!

The government deception of employees goes even deeper, because rather than having to cut a check to pay their taxes, at the end of the year most employees get a “tax refund” that makes them feel all warm and fuzzy.

They never stop to think that all they are getting is their own money back. Money they just lent to the government interest free for an entire year!

But even though the IRS pays you zero interest on the money it owes you, heaven help you if you owe the IRS money! Do you think since you’ve lent them money at zero interest for so many years they will show their appreciation?

Nope. You’re going to get slammed with interest and penalties that would make any loan shark blush…

The media can marginalize and make fun of the folks who attend “Tea Parties” and rallies for smaller government all they want, but if employees actually got paid 100% of what they earn, and then had to cut a check every quarter to pay their “tax bill” like us business owners do, the political landscape in this country would be VASTLY different.

The estimated total tax burden of the infamous “Navigation Acts” that sparked the Boston Tea Party and American Revolution was about 2% of a person’s annual income.

Our founding fathers would roll over in their graves to know that many of the most productive earners in America now have a combined tax burden of over 60%!

Ryan Healy had a great post on his blog a few days ago titled “How Taxes Kill Business”.

But, even with the full out, confiscatory frontal assault on business and wealth under the current administration and congress’s “War on Prosperity”, there are still many tax advantages to being a business owner rather than employee.

The biggest of which is WHEN you are taxed.

Employees are taxed on what they have BEFORE they spend their money, business owners are taxed on what is left AFTER we spend our money.

This is a huge advantage… Of course I’m not an accountant or tax attorney, so you need to consult with a qualified adviser to explain how to structure this properly. But once you really wrap your mind around this advantage, and experience the tax savings you’ll never be able to AFFORD to go back to a “paycheck” again.

Another common and related lie that is keeping people slaves to their jobs is the concept of “benefits”.

People believe that employees are “entitled” to “benefits” from their employer.

Things like health insurance, vacation time, sick days, retirement plans and other “benefits”.

Again, because most employees, like bad chess players, can’t see 2 or 3 moves ahead, for whatever reason they don’t seem to understand that they themselves are actually PAYING for all of these “benefits”. Not their employer!

The cost to the business of all these “entitlements” and “benefits” is actually coming out of what the company could afford to pay the employee.

And in many cases because of all the additional layers of taxation, lawyers, accountants, red tape, paper work, governmental regulation, inefficiency and bureaucracy required to offer these “benefits” it would actually be cheaper and better for the employee if they paid for most of these things out of their own pocket.

Try it! If you work for a small business owner who has the freedom and ability to do it, ask him or her if they would be willing to give you a raise in the amount they are paying for your health care premium or retirement fund management, if you handled your “benefits” on your own.

I can tell you right now most employers would LOVE to be able to give the cost of your benefits directly to you. But in most cases government regulations and laws actually prohibit businesses over a certain size from doing this.

If they give something to one employee, they have to give it to all employees. (Even if the employee doesn’t want it or would prefer the actual money to the “benefit”!)

Of course right now many socialists and others on the left are trying to push for a complete government takeover of the entire health care system.

In true entitlement mentality, they contend that health care is a “right” and like all other “rights” the government should control it.

Of course, this interpretation of the government being the source and giver of our “rights” is 180 degrees opposite of what our founding fathers intended when they created our constitution.

Or country was founded on the belief that our “rights” came to us from God (Yes… They actually said God!) And the constitution was originally designed to LIMIT our government from infringing on, controlling or doling out/taking away our rights.

So again we have an area where things are getting turned upside down, and what is false is being called true and what is evil is being called good.

As I’ve pointed out, as an employee your “health care benefits” are really simply an inefficient deduction from your paycheck just like taxes.

So if the government takes over your health care, increasing taxes to your employer… Guess what? You will still be paying for it all!

But it will just cost you much, much MORE to pay for all the added layers of government bureaucracy, departments, and agencies required to run the “free health care” system.

The end result for employees will be less income, fewer choices, longer wait times, higher taxes, and less job security in exchange for the “benefits” and “entitlements” the government is doling out.

Fortunately, as a business owner you are not locked into picking just the one-size fits all health plan your employer (or Uncle Sam) offers. You can pick and choose from dozens of health plans and pick the one that is right for your family or situation.

Or you can even do the unthinkable, socially irresponsible thing of actually paying CASH for your medical bills! (*gasp!*)

(This one is REALLY going to piss some people off…)

Guess what? Depending on your finances, health of your family and your situation being “uninsured” isn’t the worst thing in the world as politicians and the media would have you believe.

Some people do a very bizarre thing and actually pay MONEY for their medical care. I know it sounds crazy, but stay with me here…

When you actually pay with real money for the medical care your family receives, a strange thing happens. You get a few “benefits” I’ve already talked about in this blog post…

Freedom, choice and control.

You get the freedom to pick and chose the doctor you want to see, you and your doctor (not some accountant or bureaucrat) gets to decide what tests should be run, and what treatment options are best.

(Yes… I know all this stuff about paying actual money for what you receive, and you and your doctor deciding what is best for your health sounds like just plain crazy-talk, but keep reading and the Media, HMO, Socialist Medicine and Medicare brainwashing will start to go away…)

When you pay cash you can even look into alternative treatments and medicine. You can do whatever you want and can afford, because YOU are in control.

There are even a few smart doctors and dentists out there who are so fed up with insurance red tape, slow or partial payments and government bureaucracy that they are changing their practices over to only accepting ACTUAL MONEY from the ACTUAL PATIENTS.

It’s called a cash-only or direct-pay medical practice.

And guess what? Because of all the money and hassle they are saving by refusing to accept or deal with Medicare, HMOs or billing health insurance companies they can actually offer BETTER, more personalized health care at lower costs, while making more profit themselves.

Of course if you are afraid of something major happening like cancer an accident or a heart attack, that costs hundreds of thousands of dollars, you can always do what I’ve done for my family.

You simply get an excellent rated health insurance plan, with a $5 million per person lifetime payout, with a very high ($10,000+) annual deductible, that is linked to a Health Savings Account. The monthly premium for a family on a plan like that is very affordable.

This way, you can get the best of both worlds. You have the freedom and choice to pay cash (tax free from your HSA) for your minor, everyday medical issues, yet you have the “stop loss” coverage if there is ever the need for a major surgery or other issue.

If you are scared of the $10k deductible, all you need to do is add a little extra to your HSA each month until you have the deductible set aside, and then it’s there if you ever need it.

Recently I had the privilege of meeting Les Brown in person. I’ve read all his books, seen him speak multiple times, but never had the chance to actually spend some time with him.

Well one of my favorite “Les” stories (and he has a ton of them), was one he told about what happened when his “Momma” went into the hospital. During the check-in process the issue of insurance and payment came up and the staff began giving them a hard time about who was going to cover his mother’s medical expenses and treatment.

Les told them that he could afford whatever treatment she needed because he had an MBA.

A “Mega Bank Account”!

That’s exactly what I encourage YOU to develop as you build your own business… A Mega Bank Account.

Because with an “MBA”, you can afford all the “benefits” you’ll ever need.

And if you think that sick time and vacations are a “benefit”…

As a business owner, as long as you set up the right systems and procedures for your business to run without your direct involvement, you are free to take as much vacation time or sick days as you want.

And best of all you don’t need ANYONE’S permission to take the time off.

When it comes to your retirement planning, being your own boss has its advantages too…

You can contribute whatever you want (up to the big-brother imposed maximums) to your retirement fund. Or even better, build your business into an asset you can sell for millions when you are ready to retire.

Employees incomes go DOWN when they retire, smart business owner’s incomes often stay the same or even go UP when they retire.

You are in control, and THAT is the ultimate “benefit”!

In addition to security, control, freedom and tax advantages, another massive benefit to self-employment is lifestyle.

We’ve talked about having the freedom to do what you want, when you want, how you want, with who you want, without having to ask for permission. And what that freedom does for you and your lifestyle is incredible.

But another lifestyle benefit you get if you structure your business properly is the ability to not only work WHEN you want, but WHERE you want!

For me that means doing most of my work (actually play) from home. The commute from my bedroom to my office is exactly 29 steps.

On a very rare occasion when traveling, I have the misfortune of finding myself stuck in rush hour traffic (which usually only happens if I’m on my way to the airport to catch a morning flight to go to a speaking engagement or work with a client.)

However, rather than getting frustrated or angry as most people do, I actually find myself expressing gratitude for the decisions I’ve made and the blessings I’ve received that allow me to avoid this daily, frustrating and life stealing ritual so many people engage in twice a day.

But my feelings of gratitude are in sharp contrast to the pity I feel when I look at the faces of the other drivers. The looks of boredom, frustration and despair on the vast majority of their faces tells me they would probably rather be ANYWHERE else at that moment than where they are.

What a sad place to have to live twice a day…

I know this is going to sound harsh, but at the end of the day if you are an employee, you are simply a slave!

Even the word boss itself comes from the Dutch word baas, which means master!

The only reason you have a job is because you are doing the “crap work” your employer doesn’t want to do himself.

As I mentioned earlier, I look at my “work” as play. For me it’s fun. And it’s fun because I’ve structured it that way.

As a business owner, I have a rule that I follow…

If it’s not fun, I never do it more than once!

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t get done. Somebody has to do it, but it sure as heck isn’t going to be me!

The first time I do something I don’t find fun, I put a system, procedure, checklist or person in place to handle the undesirable task in the future.

And most smart business owners do the same thing. The boring, unpleasant, repetitive or just plain “not fun” stuff in any company or business gets handed off to an employee.

And as an employee you’ll ALWAYS get paid less than the value you provide to the company. In fact for your employer to actually make a profit they have to pay you less than your services are worth.

(I know most employees could care less if their boss makes a profit or not but they should!)

You get paid only a fraction of the value you generate, and the owner and shareholders get the rest. (As they should!)

If you get paid MORE than the value you contribute to your employer, it’s only a matter of time before you lose your “safe and secure” job. Either because your employer figures out you are dead weight or the cumulative financial blood loss to the mismanaged business you work for will kill it.

Another way employees are basically slaves is that most “employee mentality” people live paycheck to paycheck. They allow their expenses to expand to match their income, so they typically earn just enough to pay for food, clothing and shelter (and usually borrow to buy more than they can afford.)

This means they spend all their time working to pay food, shelter, clothing, taxes, and debt and have nothing left over. Worse yet they have somebody else telling them what to do and when to do it. (Some employees have to literally ask permission to go to the bathroom!)

And if they DON’T do jump when their boss says jump (or forget to ask “how high”), they get fired.

How is that different than a slave whose master provides food shelter and clothing, then takes the food, shelter and clothing away to punish the slave for not working hard enough?

Sure your boss can’t break out the whip and beat you, but he can cut off your financial air supply and threaten your ability to provide food and shelter for your kids.

Personally as a father if I had the choice of my kids starving and being on the street or taking a beating, I’d say bring on the whip!

Fortunately I’ve made decisions in my life that now give me the choices, freedom and control to prevent ever being placed in that position.

And that is the decision I’m encouraging you to make right now if you haven’t already…

Who do you want to be responsible for your life, your success and your well-being?

The government? A boss? Or yourself?

If you are one of those rare souls who actually enjoy your job… Good for you! But I’d still suggest you figure out a way to get out of it, and continue doing what you love, just do it for yourself.

But if you are an employee who DOESN’T enjoy your job, I urge you even stronger to make this year your FREEDOM YEAR!

Set the goal, pick the date, make your plan, draw a line in the sand…

And stand up and declare your independence!

If you’ve always dreamed of having your freedom and independence, then stop dreaming and start doing!

(If you’ve really got balls, put some mistletoe on your back belt loop, walk into your bosses office and tell ‘em what they can do!)

Take the leap on faith… The net WILL appear!

Use the following declaration or goal statement as your foundation.

My Personal Declaration of Independence:

“I, YOUR NAME HERE hereby declare my freedom and independence from the slavery of a job. It is now FREEDOM DAY, 2010 and I am so happy and grateful now that I have an income from my own business of over $xx,xxx per month giving me the freedom to be my own boss. This or something better.”

Once you’ve written your personal version of this declaration, I challenge you to also post it as a comment on this blog!

(You can leave the income figure out in the blog comment if you’re not comfortable sharing that, but make sure to post your target “freedom day”.)

You will be amazed at the power a PUBLIC “Declaration of Independence” will have to motivate you to achieve your goal by the date you set.

Please… I urge you to actually take action on this. Don’t just read this blog post and get fired up or think “that’s a good idea.

Actually take action right now in this moment. At a minimum write down YOUR version of the declaration above, post it where you will see it multiple times a day, carry a copy of it with you in your purse or wallet, and write it out by hand at least once every day until you are free.

Make the decision right now. A real decision…

You see a real decision is transformational. Once you make a REAL decision, you are permanently and forever changed at a deep level.

The Latin root of the word decision means “to cut off from all alternatives”.

That’s exactly what our Founding Fathers did when they signed their names to our National Declaration of Independence. By publicly signing their names, they knew that the penalty for not winning the Revolutionary War would be death. They truly cut themselves off from any other alternative.

That is what you need to do right now.

Make the commitment to yourself and to your family that before this year (or even this month, week or DAY) is over you will seize the freedom, choices and control working for yourself gives you.

Jobs really are filthy habits. Make the commitment to quit yours cold-turkey right now!

Happy Freedom Day!
Eric Graham

PS – Please share this blog post with as many people as possible, via Twitter, Email, Digg, Facebook, your own blog or any other way you can. You never know if this might be the exact catalysts they need right now to change their life and declare their freedom!

Related posts:

1. Improving Conversion Rates With the Power of Your MIND?!
2. How to Make 2010 Your Best Year Ever!
3. Is The Conversion Doctor M.I.A.?

Since I know you’ve probably got some celebrating to do tonight I’ll try and keep this short.

But I wanted to let you know that due to the EXTREME demand for my time and services, I have no choice but to raise the price of one of my most popular services.

http://www.Web-Site-Evaluations.com/conversion-booster.htm

For the past 8 years I’ve offered my Website Evaluation Service, and over 1,200 smart business owners just like you have dramatically increased their sales and conversion rates by taking me up on the incredible offer.

However, because each of these evaluations takes me many hours of my valuable time (the video portion alone is usually around 4 hours by itself), I simply cannot continue offering the service at such a low price.

So effective Monday (the 4th) my fee for my Conversion Booster Video Website Evaluation Service will go up by an additional $1,000.00.

I absolutely LOVE recording these website evaluations and copy critiques, and I REALLY LOVE watching the massive results my recommendations make in my clients profits, but because the demand for my help seems to be far outstripping my available time, I simply have no choice but to either raise my fee to try and curb the demand or remove the service from the market completely.

There is a bit of good news though…

When you claim you website evaluation today, before the price increase, you will be locked in at the current low investment.

So if you naturally know you need my help, but you’ve been putting it off, then you REALLY need to jump on this offer while you still can.

http://www.Web-Site-Evaluations.com/conversion-booster.htm

But since I naturally do record these evaluations in the order they are received, you of course want to lock in your spot right now! (Otherwise you may be waiting a while until I get to yours in the line.)

So visit the page below now and claim your Conversion Booster Video Website Evaluation today, to save $1,000.00.

http://www.Web-Site-Evaluations.com/conversion-booster.htm

I look forward helping YOU take your website and profits to much higher levels in the New Year!

Eric

P.S. – Give yourself a higher conversion rate for Christmas! (It’s a gift that will keep on giving through out the New Year…)
http://www.Web-Site-Evaluations.com/conversion-booster.htm

Related posts:

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3. Want a FREE Sample of My Video Website Evaluations? Watch This Video…

As I mentioned in one of my latest blog posts, something I try and do at the end of each year is take 3 or 4 days, lock myself up in a hotel and conduct what I call my “goal setting retreat”.

During these sessions, I review the previous 12 months and plan out my business (and life) strategy for the next 12 months.

These periods have often been some of the highest leverage and ROI activities I’ve ever engaged in.

Several of my biggest businesses and jumps in income, and dramatic changes in my lifestyle have come out of these multi-day planning sessions.

One of the key activities in my goal setting retreat is laying out my 12 month plan for each of my businesses and companies.

Having a detailed, month-by-month, year long plan for your business creates a level of focus, direction and momentum that you simply cannot get any other way.

Unfortunately, very few online business owners take the time to create such a plan. Or worse, if they do create a 12 month plan, they don’t effectively follow through with the plan.

(You’re not going to make that mistake. Right?)

An important question to ask yourself during your planning session is, “What can I do to make my clients or customers lives better?”

This is a question that can make a dramatic impact on your business and the products or services you offer.

Too often, business owners simply ask, “How can I make more money?”

Or, “How can I get my existing clients to buy more and buy more often?”

And while these are valuable questions to ask, the answers you get to the question about “making your clients lives better” will almost always give you the answer to “how to make more money” or “how to get clients to buy more”.

The reason why is because, (as I often say) “money is simply a measure of exchanged value”.

The more value you give to others, the more money you will receive as a natural consequence.

It’s actually impossible to deliver more value, and not receive more money.

Now, without getting too spiritual or metaphysical, you won’t always necessarily receive the increase in money from the exact area, client or person you delivered the additional value to, but you will receive the increase for somewhere.

I’ve seen this happen in my own life over and over. You simply cannot deliver more value than you get back in return.

This is one of the reasons that I’m willing to share high quality information and test results so freely on my blog. Many of the videos I post to my blog could actually be paid products. I try to deliver that much value in them.

What I want to happen is for somebody to take some of the free advice I give on my blog, apply it in their own business, and then see such an increase in sales and profits that they naturally want to spend some of that increase in profits hiring me to write copy, run testing or help them take things to an even higher level.

The more I give, the more I receive.

So I highly recommend if you want to make 2010 the best year of your life, you sit down (preferably with a coach, mentor or accountability partner who has already achieved the level of success you want to achieve) and plan out your 12 month strategy.

And as a core part of that strategy, ask yourself “What can I do to make my clients or customers lives better?”

The answer to that question, when put into the framework of a custom developed 12 month plan will absolutely transform your life and make 2010 the most profitable year of your life!

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year!

PS – Earlier today, as I often do, I asked myself, “What can I do to make my clients or customers lives better?”

And the answer I received was the video I’ve posted below:

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