“Why don’t you sell products from the platform?” my fellow speakers ask me all the time. “You are leaving money on the table.”

My original answer — that I just don’t like it personally and find it unseemly — didn’t convince them.

“There is nothing wrong with selling from the platform,” these speakers responded.

They pointed out that many conferences don’t pay the speakers a fee or even cover their expenses.

So as a result, they, as speakers, have a “right” to pitch their products. “It’s how we make our money and get compensated for our time.”

“How could you object to selling?” they ask me. “You are a copywriter. It is your job to sell.”

But here’s the problem….

If I write a hard-sell e-mail, and you are not interested, you can delete it in less than a second with a mouse click.

If I write a hard-sell direct mail sales letter, you can tear it up and throw it in the trash — in less than 5 seconds.

But when a speaker sells products from the platform, I can’t escape! I am in the seminar room. If I got up and walked out, it would seem incredibly rude.

So I am forced to listen as the speaker drones on and on about his “big package” which is worth $68,458, normally sells for $14,997, but if I buy within the next hour is only $2,777.

As for the argument that the speaker is unpaid by the seminar promoter, how is that my problem or my concern?

I paid hundreds or thousands of dollars for my seat at that seminar. Shouldn’t the platform time be devoted 100% to educating me, not 80% to educating me and 20% to selling me more stuff?

I am least offended by the sales pitch when, proceeding it, the speaker has delivered genuine value and real content, without holding back.

I am most offended when the entire presentation is clearly crafted not to educate me, but to tease the audience and maximize orders for the big package the speaker is selling.

How about you? Are you offended or turned off when a speaker begins to transition into his sales pitch, which he delivers on your time?

Or do you cheerfully accept it as a standard operating procedure in the seminar business today?

I?ve never been happy with who I am.

In fact, I feel quite guilty about it.

Let me explain?.

I?m a bookworm ? a bibliophile ? a ?bookaholic.?

I am most content and fulfilled when I am sitting alone in my office, clicking away at the keyboard — writing copy for my clients or my own Internet marketing business ? or articles and books for my publishers.

When I get home from a typical 12-hour day at the PC, I want nothing more than to sit on the couch — and read a book.

I don?t play sports ? or watch it on TV. No golf ? no tennis ? no bridge.

I don?t garden ? or do handyman stuff around the house ? or have any discernible hobby ? other than reading.

I love my kids, and enjoy spending time with my family ? but I never voluntarily socialize with friends or relatives unless my wife pushes me to do so.

It seems to me that this makes me a narrow, limited person ? hence the guilt and shame.

?It?s not that I don?t like people,? writes NPR?s book critic Maureen Corrigan. ?It?s just that when I?m in the company of others ? even my nearest and dearest ? there always comes a moment when I?d rather be reading a book.?

As a bookaholic, I?ve developed another trait many consider odd: my preference for bad weather.

Gray, cold, rainy days make me happy.

While warm, cloudless days with sunshine make me depressed.

Why?

Because when it?s cold and gray, I can stay inside ? and read or write.

But when it?s a nice day, I?m expected to participate in outdoor activities that I enjoy far less.

?My favorite kind of day is a cold, dreary, gusty, sleety day, when I can sit at my typewriter or word processor in peace and security,? wrote the late Isaac Asimov.

?A perfect day fills me with the nameless dread (usually fulfilled) that Robyn [Asimov?s daughter] will come to me, clapping her little hands in excitement, and say, ?Let?s take a walk in the park. I want to go to the zoo.?

?Of course, I go, because I love her, but I tell you I leave my heart behind, stuck in the typewriter keys.?

At this point in my life, I?ve spent over half a century feeling guilty over who I am ? a prolific workaholic writer — what I like, and what I want to do: spend my life with words, information, and ideas.

Have you, like me, ever felt that you were letting people down by not being the type of person you think others expect you to be?

Well, I?m going to suggest that you join me now ? and together, we let go of our guilt.

Let?s embrace who we are, rather than reject it.

In the original ?Nutty Professor? movie, Jerry Lewis says: ?If you don?t love yourself, how do you expect others to??

?Be a real person,? advises my friend, Internet marketing guru Fred Gleeck. ?People are sick of phonies. Be who you really are and don’t worry if some people don’t like you. For those who don’t, there are plenty who will LOVE you for being yourself.?

Listen: I don?t know why I am so addicted to books and the printed word.

I just can?t help it. Nothing comes close to engaging my admittedly limited intellect the way writing does.

But now, I don?t care ? or feel bad about it ? any more.

That?s the way I am, and after 50 years of living, now I am at peace with it.

I hope you can be at peace with who — and what — you are, as well.

Because ? to quote Vince Vaughn in ?Dodgeball? ? you?re perfect just the way you are.

Let’s say you could become an expert in only ONE marketing discipline. Which of the following would you pick — and why? Which would serve you best either as a business owner, Internet marketer, or marketing professional?

A–Search engine marketing.
B–Online video.
C–Viral marketing.
D–Copywriting.
E–Graphic design.
F–Flash.
G–HTML.
H–Computer programming.
I–Social media.
J–Metrics and analytics.
K–Branding.
L–PR.
M–Direct marketing.
N–Planning and strategy.
O–Other (please specify).

As I see it, there are 6 factors responsible for any individual?s success or lack thereof, especially in business and wealth building.

They are:

>> Aptitude ? some people gravitate towards activities that make money (e.g., they are interested in investing or business) ? while others are naturally attracted to fields that are less lucrative (e.g., poetry, pottery).

>> Hard work ? some people are willing to put in grueling hours to achieve great wealth and material abundance. Others are not willing to sacrifice their hours for dollars, and would rather spend their time in other ways, from playing golf to going camping with their kids.

>> Luck ? no matter how much of a technical genius or savvy businessman Bill Gates is, a lot of his success was largely the result of being in the right place at the right time.

>> Perseverance ? many rich and successful people got that way simply because they persisted vs. the vast majority who give up at the first roadblock or failure.

>> Brains ? being smart ? either in the classic I.Q. smart or street smarts ? is a decided advantage. And despite what our Constitution says, not all of us are born equal in this regard.

>> Talent ? no matter how much I want it or how much I train, there is no chance on Earth of me becoming the next American Idol ? or even runner-up.

All of these factors obviously have a great effect on the course of your life. But of these, I believe aptitude is the most important ? and unfortunately, the one least under our control. I mean: you like what you like.

You read about those guys on Wall Street with their million-dollar bonuses. And maybe you turn green with envy. But in your mind you know — and say to yourself — ?Hey, that ain?t for me.?

The comforting old saying motivational speakers love to spout is that ?if you pursue your passion, the money will come.? Sadly, this often isn?t true.

My friend SB pursued his passion as a poet for over 40 years. He had dozens of his poems published in magazines. But he is neither rich nor famous ? although I believe (but don?t know for certain) that SB is pretty happy.

So, how can you find more success, peace, and happiness in your life? You have to make a decision. The decision is whether to pursue your passion and enjoy it and be at peace with that path in life ? even if you never make much money doing it.

Or, you can decide that your primary goal is money; i.e., You want to be rich, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen ? reasoning that once you are rich, then you can afford to indulge in your passions.

Which path have you chosen — and why?

Want to get into information marketing, but are intimidated by the idea of having to create a product?

Start small, with a product that does not require you to do any research or writing.

The quickest and easiest product to start with is to produce a 1-hour audio CD.

Depending on the topic, you can sell your single CD for $29 to $49 ? occasionally more.

Here are the steps?.

1–Select a topic.

What topic? More about that in a minute.

2–Make a list of questions your buyer is likely to have about the subject.

3–Find a subject matter expert who is willing to be interviewed by you and answer your questions.

4?Interview your expert for about an hour over a conference line. You ask the questions, and the expert answers.

5–Sell the audio as a CD, downloadable MP3, or transcript.

What will it cost to produce your first information product this way?

About an hour of your time, and none of your money ? since you can set up a conference line for the recording here for free:

www.freeConferenceCall.com

?What topic should I choose for my information product?? I can hear you asking.

That?s a good question.

I assume your goal is to generate thousands of dollars a week in passive income.

And you plan to make this money by selling your information products online.

The trick is NOT to write copy that somehow convinces the prospect to buy a product he doesn?t need.

It?s to create information products that deliver the desirable benefits your online prospects want, need, are starving for, and cannot live without.

The easiest information products to sell online: those that either make or save the buyer money.

Almost as good: information products that save the buyer time or aggravation.

Popular topics include: how to make major consumer purchases (e.g., buy a used car) … solve a problem (e.g., beat a speeding ticket) … or make money with a home business (e.g., become a home inspector).

I received 2 different mailings, promoting 2 different options trading systems, from 2 different companies. The headlines were:

Mailing A–Why Most Trading Systems Don’t Work … and Never Will.

Mailing B–Profit from the Only Market Timing System That Has NEVER Failed — and Never Will.

Which do you think works best, and why?

No one expects bad things ? and by bad, I mean catastrophically bad ? to happen to them.

Yet terrible tragedies happen to people who didn?t expect them every day of the year.

You can?t take a vaccine to immunize yourself against ill fortune.

But you can prepare for disasters before they happen.

That way, when they strike, you ? and your family ? will survive ? with the minimum hardship possible.

In particular, here are 5 things I think you should do now to protect yourself against future problems and headaches:

1. Become financially secure.

Money can protect you against many disasters, and make many others easier to bear.

How much wealth should you strive to accumulate?

I recommend a goal of $2 million in liquid assets.

Reason: $2 million invested at 10% annual return produces an income of $200,000.

If a catastrophic illness or other crisis prevents you from working, you can just live off your investments.

And if your business fails or your career derails, you likewise can live off your investment income.

2. Buy life insurance.

Until you accumulate the $2 million, you need to leave an estate big enough to ensure a comfortable life for your family ? preferably, without forcing your spouse to sell the house and make the kids move.

Although a $2 million estate would be ideal, your spouse can probably get by nicely even with a million dollars in term life insurance on you.

Tip: buy this life insurance while you are young, before you have a serious illness.

Should you get sick, and then decide to get life insurance, the cost will be prohibitive.

3. Buy health insurance.

More than 46 millions Americans do not have health insurance.

They are gambling their family?s entire financial future.

One serious illness can quickly wipe out your life savings.

Get health insurance now. If you can?t afford a private policy, join a group that offers discount coverage to members.

Tip: buy your insurance first. Then select doctors from the HMO?s list of approved physicians.

That way, your doctor visits are covered by your plan, greatly reducing your health care costs.

4. Create sources of passive income.

What happens if you injure your back ? or get a debilitating illness ? and can?t work?

Disability payments are often limited.

A better idea is to start creating sources of passive income now ? sources that make money for you without you working.

One idea: investment real estate ? rental properties.

Another: start an Internet marketing business that generates thousands of dollars in weekly revenues without any activity on your part.

Here?s a Web site where I discuss how you can make a six-figure passive income online with your own Internet marketing business:

www.theinternetmarketingretirementplan.com

5. Live for the moment.

This may seem contrary to the idea of ?prepare for the future.?

But it?s really not.

When I was young, my father did not earn a high income, and constantly worried about money.

Yet my mother ?forced? him to take at least one nice week-long vacation a year.

By some standards, these were far from ?luxury? vacations ? although they were very nice — but the cost certainly made him nervous.

Eventually, my father became ill from a cancer that would cause his death at a too-early age.

But by then, both he and my mother had a lifetime of great memories from their travels all over the globe with family and friends.

Had he waited until retirement, they wouldn?t have shared those memories ? because he died before he was able to quit working.

There are several companies selling programs that teach you how to make a little extra money in your spare time by participating in market research surveys or focus groups. I sell such a product myself: www.marketresearchwealth.com

One of these companies sent me an e-mail promoting their program. The subject line read: “Get Paid to Evaluate Products.”

The “get paid” part sounds good. But “evaluate products”? Is that something you are dying to try? I thought not.

We get good results marketing our program online. The e-mail subject lines we use are “Get Paid to Give Your Opinion” and “Make $125 an Hour Giving Your Opinion.”

I think “give your opinion” is stronger than “evaluate products,” because most of us love to give our opinions — on just about anything. And in my subject line, you now get paid handsomely to do it.

My “Get Paid to Give Your Opinion” is an example of a swipe file in action: I borrowed it from an ad Richard Armstrong wrote to sell a book on how to get comped at casinos. His headline:

“Get Paid to Gamble”