Well done for the info and advice. Its excellent reading

Steve Blumenfeld

It has occurred to me that when 9% of the people are unemployed, that means 91% are! Let's look on and focus on the bright side. Times are tough, sure. But they aren't impossible.

Thanks for being a “Ray” of sunshine.

Anyway, thanks again – it's on my desktop now and will be on a CD in the next 10 minutes

Jeremy Reeves
http://www.controlbeatingcopy.com

When I was a radio DJ (and a young one, at that) I used to play Earl's 5 minute radio show each morning for our radio listeners. It was delivered to us on vinyl! And that's also where I first heard of Conwell's story.

By the way, you can get Earl's ground-breaking “Strangest Secret” (which has nothing to do with that mystical New Age clap-trap video) for free from one of my clients' websites. Just visit Mark Victor Hansen and sign up for his email newsletter (worth reading) and you get the MP3 of Earl Nightingale's “Strangest Secret” recording as a gift.

Keep on taking action!

And you are always paying attention to what your readers want from you: Cash From Scratch is just one example. Thanks for showing us “how it's done”!

Look what happened for you — you took some action and got your first “pingback”. Excellent example. Thanks Marte!

-Ray

Thanks for this article.

Going by the opening I feel it's easier to just give up and blame everything and everyone else when things go bad. Except the guy in the mirror.

I think most of us need a kick up the back side to actually DO something instead of complaining.

Well you got me there. I don't think that I have ever heard anyone on-line talk about customer service. And that's what this is, plain and simple.
I think that most peoples preoccupation is with making the dollar. And very little thought is given to the customer after the purchase.
People always talk a lot about follow up e-mails, but that's only to promote more sales.

Excellent post ray. Hopefully people will take note, I certainly will be.

Have a good day Alan

Thanks for your sound advice. You're so right – it's time to take ACTION. As individuals we don't have much influence over the global economy but we can take charge of our own lives.

I was listening to a presentation by Loral Langemeier this weekend during which she said:

“In this economy there is nothing more important than making extra money.”

For many this will mean stepping out of their comfort zone but this is essential if you want to thrive during these challenging economic times. And those who do go beyond survival and indeed thrive will be those who are most flexible and most adaptable.

You mentioned “Acres of Diamonds” by Russell Conwell – great story! If anyone hasn't read this as yet, you can download a copy from the link below:

Acres of Diamonds

I look forward to reading your other Small Business Profit Boosters.

For the first time in 9 YEARS my Toyota dealership called me tonight to remind me that my car was due for service. I nearly fell off my chair.

They've never even sent a postcard to remind me that my car needed an oil change.

Heck, last time they didn't even put the little window cling with the mileage reminder on my windshield.

The sales will come to those who go the extra mile to make their customer feel cared about…

Always a pleasure to be reminded of that lesson

Jeremy Reeves
http://www.controlbeatingcopy.com

Great Post.

All too frequently everyone today is talking about how bad the economy is and how worried they are about what will happen. Very rarely have I heard how they plan to deal with it.

This is the first time I have heard Russell Conwell's acres of diamonds tale applied to past customers. How truly appropriate.

It's amazing how many people don't keep in touch with their past customers.

I have been in the mortgage business for 10 years and have sent simple one page newsletters to all of my past clients almost on a monthly basis ever since I started.

I regularly get comments from many letting me know how much they enjoy my letters.

Thanks for the opportunity to voice our opinions here on your blog.
The economy for online marketers is always better when the general economy is poor, as long as we are out there genuinely trying to help others better their situations.
Like many others have done before and others are still doing now, I'm still weeding through all of the non-genuine hype-type gurus to find my own path to success in this age of info world we are in.
I try to find the positive aspects from all the different philosophies out there and apply it to my life and attitude. Life for instance; in a teleseminar today with Alex Mandossian and Tellman Knutson when they spoke of telling yourself “I CAN DO THIS” rather than the other voice in us that keeps saying “I can't do this”. In reference to all the learning and work that I need to do to be successful online from now on I will forever hear “I CAN DO THIS” in a loud resounding confident voice and hear the other voice that says “I can't do this” in a wispy little high pitched voice.
To sum up I'm now looking forward to the new year with great expectations and a new confidence that my success is eminent and the economy of the rest of the world will not effect me and my family anymore. I still need more training and a true mentor to help me along, but I believe I'm on the right path.
If we all try to help others and give back to our communities I believe we can improve this economy one little piece at a time.

Kind of like this example: http://www.thedoverpro.com/texas.htm

Then go to various blogs and websites like this one and post links to it to get traffic.

Seem to work tpretty well for me.

Thanks for all the great advice in your emails and your blogs.

Thanks!

I come from a lifetime of successful marketing —B to B and direct sales and can happily qualify your comment about clients / customers —- When one sells a business the Turnover is the pivotal feature — termed as Good Will — which is generated by the customer base!! So are customers valuable or not ? !! Roll up sleeves and “mine the diamonds”— no digging involved —- customers are alluvial !!
From my observations of I / M ( I qualify as a Newbie) there appears to be a gaggle of “cowboys” ridin' this range applying your tastefully expressed “3 F's” principle. Some probably know no better.
There's a timeless classic written by Paulo Coehlo titled “The Alchemist” which fittingly illustrates your “Diamonds” analogy —a delightful read.
I'll be watching your blog as I start out on my I /M endeavor.

There are many people who have taken a hit in their finances (our superannuation – Australian pensions) are worth a lot less now but we aren't relying on that!

We are still earning money (business, the US stock market to name a few) and we are writing a new finance course to teach people to earn more while working less.

You are so right that people need a good attitude – and that's something any of us can choose to have.

What a great post. Following up with old customers is something that we should all be doing. I know that I am guilty of not this. I have a list of former members in my membership site that I am going to contact next week and try to get them to reactivate their memberships.

Thanks again and I look forward to your next post

I agree 100% on following up. Prior to my online business, I had an offline business and always had success on following up with my clients. Even if no sale was involved, it helped me maintain a good reputation in my field and led to more word-of-mouth advertisement which sometimes resulted in additional sales. Now I need to continue that tradition with my online business activities.

Your words of encouragement inspire me to do the same for my list – so I think I will post some positives of my own on my blog. Thanks for the great post Ray – and keep them coming.

Andy

I wrote about this on my marketing blog today and it's the first time I've had “pingbacks.” (I'm so non-techie I had to call my kid and ask him what that meant!)

We're ready for positive thought, so keep it coming!

I agree with your post. it really strikes a cord with me. I use to be in the hospitality industry and it was a surprise to us to go back to an old client, even ones we had not called in years. They were happy that you remembered them and felt important to you. It was just a conversation but it got us business we never expected. I will be listening to your tips hoping I am not leaving any diamonds behind.

Thanks.

Thanks for starting this series. We need to get in a better frame of mind because what we focus on and think about is what happens. Focusing on the negative will only make matters worse for us individually as well as a community. So keep your thoughts coming.