Do you want to know the most important lesson I teach my Consulting Tycoon students?

It’s a lesson that — once understood — instantly increases the respect you get, the quality of clients you work with, and the prices you charge.

The funny thing is, the lesson has nothing specifically to do with the consulting business. In fact, it applies to everyone in ALL types of businesses.

And I believe it’s one of those “secrets” that explains why some people become super-successful very quickly, while others struggle for years and still don’t get anywhere.

It’s simply this…

YOU are the only person who is going to appoint yourself “expert” status.

No one else is going to tell you you’re good enough, or smart enough, or qualified enough to do what you want to do.

Sounds like a simple idea, and kinda obvious — but you’re fighting years of conditioning (mostly from the school system & your typical corporate structure) that has taught you someone else will tell you when you’re ready… when you’re good enough.

Believe me, when you get this — I mean really “get it” — your confidence will soar and you’ll be amazed at how quickly good things start happening.

Anyway, I’m flat out developing new training materials for my CT members, so I’ll leave you with a guest article (one of my personal favorites) from my friend Daniel Levis that perfectly illustrates the point:

The Magic of Self-Appointment

“A man should learn to detect and watch for that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the luster of the firmament of bards and sages” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dear Web Business-Builder,

From a young age, we are appointed.

Appointed by our parents … old enough to stay home alone. Appointed by our institutions … educated enough to enter the full-time work force. Appointed by our employers … responsible enough for promotion.

Important question: Have you become mentally conditioned by all this external appointment?

Have you given your power to someone or something outside of yourself?

Could this be the invisible Great Wall of China that’s blocking you from rocketing toward your goals and reaching your full potential?

For most of us, to one degree or another, the answer is “yes.” Take a look at this note I received from one of my subscribers:

“I have a few questions re: your material …

1. Is this set up as a correspondence study course or is it just ideas to use for implementation?  Does the material guide you on how to write good, strong copy?  Is there anyone who critiques you on your assignments?  Or is it all up to one’s own imagination and assumptions?
2. How does your material compare to the American Writers and Artists Institute – six-figure copywriting?  Or to the Institute of Copywritng course?  Or to any other course out there … ?
3. Is it possible to become a successful copywriter without prior experience in finance or marketing?  Without a college degree in journalism, finance, marketing …?
4. Do your materials also include how to improve one’s writing skills, language usage …?

“I’m very much interested in the field of copywriting.  I believe I have a flair with words as well as a good way of expression.  However, I’ve done extensive research online as well as perused the copywriting opportunities available, and I keep coming to the same conclusion.

“It seems the only way to truly succeed in the copywriting field is to have an accredited history in finance, journalism, or/and marketing as well as experience in the aforementioned fields.  Being familiar with Web design and computer graphics doesn’t seem to hurt either.  Many accomplished copywriters have refuted the idea of being able to master copywriting and succeed in the field by simply taking a copywriting course whether online or by correspondence (which doesn’t even seem to be what you’re offering).

“Therefore I question you, as well as other courses, which claim that after completing your/their material one can become a successful copywriter and earn …

“How can you distort reality just in order to sell your product or promote your course?  How can you convince people of unbelievable, unattainable goals?  Is this another marketing gimmick?  Since you guys are the masters of copywriting, perhaps you’re pulling the wool over the consumer’s eyes and convincing them of twisted truths … all for your benefit.  UNLESS … perhaps you can convince me otherwise.”

If it weren’t for the rather cheeky last paragraph, I might have sent this woman a constructive response. As it was, I simply replied: “Thanks for writing. With all due respect, I don’t think this is for you.” Who needs customers like this?

I can only imagine what kind of “research” could have possibly led her to these erroneous conclusions. I mean honestly, “an accredited history in finance, journalism, and/or marketing as well as experience in the aforementioned fields.” I can’t think of more onerous liability, can you? Where do these self-defeating delusions come from?

I’ll tell you …

From a young age, powerful forces within society condition you to undervalue who and what you are — so you will look to them for your own self-worth — so you will look to them for validation, power, and permission, through the appointments they bestow on you.

Yes, we have all been hypnotized into believing we are smaller than we really are. Just as a fishbowl keeps goldfish tiny … we have all to one extent or another been fooled into believing our value equals the size of our external appointments.

The question is not: Have you given your power to someone or something outside of yourself? But rather: How can you take it back?

Unlike a goldfish swimming around
oblivious in a tank, you have a choice …

Power is an inside job. You do not need to import it from external sources. All you need do is peel away the lies you’ve been told — and went on to tell yourself — that  are keeping you wading around in the kiddy pool of life.

Realize our school system, government, and industries reward dependency, NOT self-reliance … conformity, NOT innovation … slavery to the status quo, NOT fearless adventure into the unknown.

Aside from the 3Rs, (reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic) what you learn through formalized education is obsolete, outdated knowledge by the time you learn it. Worse, it is designed to prepare you to become a droid in a large vertically-integrated company or institution the likes of which are disintegrating daily.

The result is the inevitable stunting of your initiative, creativity, and capacity for capitalist thinking. Naturally, you fail to appoint yourself captain of the myriad entrepreneurial opportunities around you. And then you wonder why external appointment eludes you.

I hope this hasn’t made you cynical like my subscriber. She sees a band of rebels thumbing their noses at the mainstream, defining their own lives and prosperity on their own terms. And instead of becoming inspired and encouraged by this, she sees it as distorted reality, twisted truth — a marketing gimmick. How sad.

Please don’t limit your life with these kinds of hideous hallucinations. Expand your beliefs to encompass the life you were born for. Emerson said, “Do the thing, and you will have the power.” You don’t need anyone’s permission.

To be a master — ACT LIKE ONE — starting today!

Assuming greatness is not phony. Unworthiness is the imposter.

If you want to accelerate your development, then stop putting off doing for learning. Smear yourself in the fray. Get your teeth kicked in by day on the mean streets, and burn the midnight oil to make the next day better. You don’t need anyone to tell you you’re ready.

I’m convinced most people fail to get what they want out of life because they’re simply afraid to express their talents without external appointment.

They feel unworthy of asking for and accepting money in exchange for those talents without validation from some external authority.

And they fail to take action toward building their livelihood around those talents without external permission.

Instead, they spend their days doing things they don’t care about. They struggle financially. And they wither emotionally. All because they refuse to allow themselves to fearlessly follow their passions RIGHT NOW!

If you look at some of the most successful people in the world, you’ll see they became that way by taking a very different approach.

… Who told Steve Jobs to drop out of college and appoint himself MESSIANIC LEADER OF STONED GOOFBALL COMPUTER GEEKS EVERYWHERE in a crazy war against centralized computing and its overbearing, power hungry priesthood? A war they ultimately won. Had they not, you probably wouldn’t be reading this.

… Who told Andrew Carnegie — the son of a weaver — who started his career changing spools of thread in a cotton mill twelve hours a day for $1.20 a week that he should appoint himself CAPTAIN OF INDUSTRY?

… Who told Abraham Lincoln that with one year of a backwoods Kentucky education (reading, writing, and ciphering to the rule of three) he was qualified enough to be appointed Postmaster, and then Lawyer, and then Congressman, and then President, and then MILITARY COMMANDER IN CHIEF?

Nobody, that’s who, THEY JUST DID IT!

… And the rest is history.

So just do it, man!

Until next time, Good Selling!

Daniel Levis
Editor, The Web Marketing Advisor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE

This article was first published in The Total Package. To sign-up to receive your own FREE subscription to The Total Package and claim four FREE money making e-books go to www.makepeacetotalpackage.com

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Philippe stood at the very edge of the South Tower.

1,368 ft above the sidewalk of Manhattan.

It was August 7, 1974. Shortly after 7:15 am.

The wind carried murmurs of disbelief from the stunned crowd below — would he really do it? Was he crazy? What about his friends and family?

He had been dreaming of this moment for six and a half years. He and his accomplices had been in New York for the last 8 months seriously planning it.

It was now or never.

He took a deep breath…

Then stepped off the edge of the building!

His full name was Philippe Petit.

For the next 45 minutes he walked back and forth on a high-wire between the Twin Towers — with nothing but a 26 ft balancing pole to keep him from plummeting to his death.

His amazing feat would land him on the front page of the New York Daily News and Post.

They would call it the artistic crime of the century.

After the event he was arrested and taken for psychological evaluation. Some people called him crazy. Others said he was a genius.

Either way there are a TON of marketing lessons in his story…

Take a look at a few of the challenges he faced:

• he had to find a way to bypass the WTCs security;
• smuggle the 450-pound steel cable and rigging equipment into the towers;
• pass the wire 140 ft between the two rooftops;
• anchor the wire and tension it to withstand the winds and the swaying of the buildings;
• walk, kneel and even lay on a 3/4 inch wire, going back and forth 8 times between the buildings… and try not to fall a quarter mile to his death!

And he only had a rag-tag crew of co-conspirators to help him — French who didn’t speak English… an Australian and American’s who didn’t speak French… and a stoned musician.

So, how did he do it and what are the marketing lessons?

Let’s break down each challenge:

1. He had to find a way to bypass the WTCs security.

He studied the towers for weeks and made notes on what the office workers wore. He carried out multiple recon missions — posing as a businessman, contractor and French journalist — and knew the best time to undertake his mission.

The marketing lesson: Research. Know your market.

2. Smuggle the 450-pound steel cable and rigging equipment into the towers.

He made notes on the type of clothing the contractors wore, the tools they carried, and the times they came and left. He gathered some friends then befriended an “inside man” and through sheer passion for his mission convinced them to help with the illegal stunt.

The marketing lesson: Show the market you’re just like them. Be passionate about what you do. Relationships matter.

3. Pass the wire 140 ft between the two rooftops.

He tied the 3/4 inch steel cable to a heavy rope, the heavy rope to a lighter rope, the lighter rope to a fishing line… then used a bow and arrow to shoot the line across the 140 ft gap!

The marketing lesson: Start with the solution (fishing line) instead of your product (cable) then gradually move prospects from one to the other.

4. Anchor the wire and tension it to withstand the winds and the swaying of the buildings.

He built a scale model of the building and tested dozens of different solutions.. He tied two secondary cables diagonally to the main cable and secured them both to each tower. Used a large lever to tighten the heavy cable.

The marketing lesson: Testing. Support. Leverage.

5. Walk, kneel and even lay on a 3/4 inch wire, going back and forth 8 times between the buildings… and try not to fall a quarter mile to his death!

He’d been walking high-wires for years (starting just a few feet of the ground) before attempting it at such heights. He even practiced for hours on a scale model (width only!) of the towers.

The marketing lesson: Practice makes perfect. Dream big but master the small things first.

Oh yeah, Philippe was arrested the moment he came down… but his story still has a happy ending.

Not only did escape all charges, be declared completely sane, get a lifetime free pass to the observation deck, get “sexual favors” from a local girl the moment he walked out of the police station, and become a hero to thousands of people…

… he also transformed popular opinion of the Twin Towers, which were though of as an eyesore by many New Yorkers up until that point.

The marketing lesson: Publicity stunts can pay off in many exciting ways!

Talk soon
Kyle

P.S. Philippe’s story is told in a beautifully powerful film, “Man On Wire”, which I highly recommend you check out.

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Ever caught yourself saying this:

“I’ve just got to learn {skill} then I can do {action}”. Something like…

“I’ve just got to learn copywriting then I can create my own product.”

“I’ve just got to learn email marketing then I can start building my list.”

“I’ve just got to watch this training video then I can start building my business the right way.”

Sounds innocent enough, right?

You’ve got to learn the skill before you can use it…

Problem is, there’s always another skill to learn. Always something you don’t know. Always something new and shiny to distract you from your goals.

But guess what?

You don’t need to know any of it to get started right now. In fact, the sooner you get started (no matter how little you know) the sooner you’ll start learning the only way that counts…

First-hand experience.

‘Cause no matter how much you read… how much you study… how many products you buy or seminars you go to… how much you *think* you know… it all means squat until you prove it in the real world.

And more often than not, what you thought to be true ends up being a load of nonsense.

Or it simply doesn’t work in your niche. Or used to work but doesn’t any more.

Which brings me to the ONLY skill you need to master…

… a skill few people understand the power of…

… a skill so simple most people ignore it…

… a skill every successful person I’ve ever met has mastered…

Speed of implementation.

Think about it:

If your only real learning comes from first-hand experience, and the only way to make money is to figure out what works and then execute it, then the person who implements fastest learns the most, executes most effectively, and therefore makes the most money.

Now I’m not saying you don’t have to learn certain skills.

You do. And you will. But you will almost always get BIGGER results faster by running with an idea and improving as you go, rather than trying to learn everything before you even take your first steps.

So if you catch yourself saying stuff like “I’ve just got to…”, “If only…”  — either to yourself or to others –STOP. It’s a good sign you’re procrastinating and avoiding taking action.

Trust in yourself and take action on what YOU know to be true.

Speed of implementation is your greatest weapon.

Talk soon
Kyle

P.S. Today is the last day of my FIRESALE. Frankly I’d rather see you take action on your most pressing business issue than buy now… But if you’ve been eyeing one of my products and are going to implement the strategies I teach you, then go ahead and grab one of the last remaining packages here:

http://www.kyletully.com/imfiresale/

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Just a quick post today.

Yanik Silver posted “34 Rules for Maverick Entrepreneurs” on his blog.

Inspired by his meeting with Richard Branson (on his private island, no less!) they are rules every entrepreneur should live by…

http://www.internetlifestyle.com/blog/?p=341

That’s a Billion dollar business-building education right there.

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If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right. –Henry Ford

On the surface this is a simple statement, but take the idea one step further and it has huge implications for you, your business, and the amount of money you are going to make.

In effect it says what you believe becomes your reality. Think you can do something, you can. Think something is hard, it is. Think something is easy… it is!

Now, we both know just thinking about something doesn’t actually change the task. It still has all the same elements and requires the exact same skills to complete.

But something happens when you believe something… your brain finds a way to make it true. Maybe there’s some deep mystical force at work. Or perhaps it’s because we just hate being wrong. Whatever it is we tend to make the thing true more times than not.

So what do you believe about your goals?

If you are reading this you most likely either have an information marketing business or would like to start one. And you probably have some goals (either written down or in your head) about the kind of success you want to achieve.

But what do you actually think about achieving those goals? Do you say you’d like to be rich but secretly (or not so secretly) believe rich people are jerks? Do you want a business that gives you the freedom to do whatever you like, but believe working hard is the sign of a good person?

Whatever your thoughts, they are affecting (either positively or negatively) your ability to reach your goals.

One of the biggest distinctions I’ve noticed between successful and unsuccessful people is their mindset. Unsuccessful people think things are hard, they believe you must cheat or “get in at the right time” to be successful. And they complain when successful people say things are easy.

Successful people on the other hand just get on with the task. They make it easy by sheer force of will. And they never make excuses or blame others.

So if you don’t seem to be getting any closer to your goals, can’t succeed where others have before you, or sabotage yourself whenever you get close, take a look at what you really believe.

Does reaching those goals — or the things you have to do along the way — mean you have to do or be something that goes against your beliefs? If so you are setting yourself up for failure before you even start.

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