Want to Build a 6-Figure Beauty Business from the comfort of your sofa? Then my course is designed for YOU! 

"Beauty" includes a WIDE range of products from the not so obvious non-perishable foods and crafts to the more obvious hair, makeup, fashion, health & fitness.  

Learn more about The Money Spot Program.

Want to Build a 6-Figure Beauty Business from the comfort of your sofa? Then my course is designed for YOU! 

"Beauty" includes a WIDE range of products from the not so obvious non-perishable foods and crafts to the more obvious hair, makeup, fashion, health & fitness.  

Learn more about The Money Spot Program.

Want to Build a 6-Figure Beauty Business from the comfort of your sofa? Then my course is designed for YOU! 

"Beauty" includes a WIDE range of products from the not so obvious non-perishable foods and crafts to the more obvious hair, makeup, fashion, health & fitness.  

Learn more about The Money Spot Program.

Want to Build a 6-Figure Beauty Business from the comfort of your sofa? Then my course is designed for YOU! 

"Beauty" includes a WIDE range of products from the not so obvious non-perishable foods and crafts to the more obvious hair, makeup, fashion, health & fitness.  

Learn more about The Money Spot Program.

Rating: 5/5

A very enjoyable read - this book was really about getting a better deal for yourself without being a "salesperson". I like Oren's idea of frames and I like his description of how Walmart's frame super collider will beta beat the best alpha!

Oren's tips to become a frame supermaster - and by the way you will have to by the book to get what all this means:

 1.     Look out for beta traps that seek to control you.
 2.     Practice beta trap avoidance.
 3.     Identify and label frames that come at you:

• Power frames
• Time frames (time limits to get a deal)
• Prizes frames (when someone offers themselves as a prize in a deal)
• Analyst frames (data and analytics)
• Intrigue frames (deals that keep you hanging by making you curious)
• Moral authority frames

 4.     Initiate frame collisions
 5.     Enact small acts of defiance with a soft touch so as not to ignite a cro response.
 6.     Don't force frame control, it should be fun.
 7.     Work with frame masters to get better

Remember that local star power is "situational status" and is hence transferable to anyone that seizes that moment. Global power is fixed. A little more detail on Oren Klaff's Pitch Anything framework:

Rating: 5/5

A thoroughly good read. Timeless. Practical.

The 7 Habits according to Mr Covey are:
INDEPENDENCE
     1. Be proactive - things don't just happen
     2. Begin with the end in mind
     3. Put first things first

INTERDEPENDENCE
     4. Think win-win
     5. Seek first to understand then to be understood
     6. Synergize

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
     7. Sharpen the saw

I liked the phrase, "The person who doesn't read is no better off than the person who can't read"

I also liked the story about the squirrel, duck, eagle & rabbit. They were all forced to take part in a relay that involved running, swimming, climbing up a tree and climbing down one. In the case of the duck, it swam fabulously but was very below average in other subjects so the teacher forced it to stop swimming and focus on the subjects it wasn't good at.

All the running caused the duck to develop calluses leading to a decline in its swimming ability but a slight improvement elsewhere.

I was inspired by what I thought was the moral of the story: society/school forces mediocrity; focus on what you are good at if you want to be truly amazing!

Sadly, Mr Covey died in 2012, I really would have loved to meet him.

Rating: 4/5

An interesting read.  I purchased this book after seeing his YouTube interview with Marie Forleo. Jonah Berger talks about how things that go viral abide by some or all the below STEPPS.

He's a fairly young guy, early 30s (32/33), but is doing extremely well. Being a lecturer doesn't hurt either as I assume he got his adoring students to review his book on Amazon thereby achieving over 200 reviews in a very short time-frame. I wish him every success.

The STEPPS

Social currency: we share things that make us look good
Triggers: we share things because a memory has been triggered at an appropriate time
Emotion: we share things that make us laugh, feel happy or very concerned
Public: things that are built to show are built to grow, e.g. Movember
Practical value: we share news that can be used
Stories: we share good stories.

I totally feel inspired by Jonah Berger's CV (read it and weep!), the guy must be working around the clock!

Rating: 5/5

I read this book after it was directly recommended to me by Roger Dooley. This was one of three books he recommended to me after I asked him for any book as good as his Brainfluence. 

The first two books were rather boring but this book completely met with my expectations. It's well researched and gives great insight into human behaviour.

Some useful tips included:

• Most people don't know what they want until they see it in context. Everything is relative
• Faced with three options most people go for the middle one
• Decoy marketing works because it gives the decider a basis for comparison
• Anchors have an enduring effect
• Social norms (e.g. doing favours, kindness) are distorted when you try to combine them with market forces (e.g. monetary incentives)
• Decisions made in a "cold" state (e.g. when not aroused) are always much more rational than decisions made in a "hot state" (i.e. when one is in a state of arousal)
• Losses are given much more weight than gains. 
• Even virtual or imagined ownership causes us to value something more and to desire it more
• There is an opportunity cost to "keeping options open". It's not productive to keep moving between activities
• Expectations - good and bad - tend to be self-fulfilling and they shape stereotypes
• The placebo effect is alive and well!
• People lie when given the chance but not as much as possible.

• Bundling products reduces the pain of purchasing
  
• Credit is a pain killer
  
• Money images increase selfish behaviour. You're less likely to help others or to ask for help
  
• You spend more if you see 12 rather than 12.00 or $12 or even twelve dollars
  
• Be careful where you drop your "anchor" price
  
• Price precisely, e.g. 14.95 is better than 15.00
  
• Use decoy marketing. E.g. as discussed in Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
  
• Don't provide too many choices. Sales are reduced due to "paralysis of analysis". Brands like Proctor & Gamble and Unilever have increased revenues by reducing the number of products that they make
  
• Have a brand "smell"
  
• Have a brand "sound"
  
• Consistency is key in branding, be consistent
  
• Best brands are "passion" brands. Those brands that create near-evangelical fans
  
• People have an inherent inclination to build an association with certain groups; they then create their social identity partly based on this group identity
  
• Find an enemy. E.g. Mac (cool) vs. PC (uncool, stiff upper-lipped business man)
  
• Use paper for emotion. Print media elicits more emotion and a longer memory imprint
  
• Use vivid images in print
  
• Heavier paper creates better impact
  
• Simple fonts are more likely to lead to a commitment except if you are trying to sell something, e.g. at an upmarket restaurant
  
• Boost recall with disfluent fonts. E.g. have your tag line in a crazy cool font. If you overuse disfluent fonts customers won't bother reading the copy at all
  
• Baby pictures tug at the eye
  
• Use a baby gaze to direct attention where you want it in an ad
  
• Photos of women led to men committing to borrow at an interest rate that was 4.5% higher in RSA!
  
• Men make impulse decision when they are aroused
  
• Dilated pupils attract men
  
• Use photos where empathy is needed, e.g. if you're a charity
  
• Loyalty reduces ad expense. Create loyal customer
  
• To get employee loyalty ask: "What would your life be like if the company hadn't been created?"
  
• Offer loyalty rewards
  
• Mobile targeting can help to create loyalty
  
• Rats and goal-setting. You run faster when the goal is nearer!
  
• Fairness. If people are easily able to voice grievances your brand will be deemed fairer, e.g. felons that had more face time with their lawyer viewed that lawyer as being more fair
  
• Quality contact time counts
  
• Tell your customers to trust you. This will boost your trust score in many areas
  
• Show trust to get trust
  
• Schmooze first, bargain later
  
• Touch is important. A full, firm handshake with eye contact and an up-down shake will score you a lot of points (especially if you are a woman)
  
• SELL TO THE RIGHT EAR (I wish the study had tested whether being right vs. left handed influences this)
  
• Smiles help sales. Scientifically shown to be the case even where a buyer is completely unconscious of it
  
• Demonstrate confidence
  
• If you want to ask for a big/multiple favour, ask for a small favour first. E.g. if you're doing a survey, ask people for the time first and then ask about the survey. E.g. first ask for water or a coffee, a small donation, a trial sample of a bit of time
  
• Hire articulate sales people. They understand customers better and are better able to read emotions
  
• Flattery will get you everywhere
  
• Serve prospects warm drinks
  
• Tempt customers with an indulgent treat. Those that say yes are more likely to keep indulging! But don't give too much. Just a morsel.
  
• Don't allow a customer to multitask if you want their attention
  
• Use motion to grab attention in videos or in person
  
• The bigger the motion, the more attention you will get
  
• Throw in unexpected stuff, e.g. images and words like NEW
  
• Don't chat too much. LISTEN
  
• Seat a prospect in a soft chair
  
• Use mirrors to encourage honesty
  
• Control altitude, change attitude. If you have a survey table at the top of an escalator you will get a better response than if you're located at the bottom! People will be more "giving" of their time
  
• Reciprocity. The bigger the gift, the bigger you get back. Have a "God Father" list and call on those favors
  
• Make it personal. E.g. using one child in a charity advert will work better than a group of children
  
• Framing. Show a large number in the sales process to make the expense seem trivial
  
• Write good copy
  
• Have a simple yet catchy slogan
  
• Product names influence sales. A muffin is still a cake but you're more willing to have a muffin for breakfast than you are cake!
  
• Use real numbers for impact. 2 out of 100 people died sounds a lot worse than 2%
  
• Show negative results as a % and positive numbers as numerals. E.g. 9 out of 10 people positively reviewed our product sounds better than 90%. It "personalises" the result.
  
• Tap into the power of FREE
  
• Enhance copy with clever adjectives. NEW is a great word.
  
• Tell a vivid story
  
• Use story testimonials
  
• Text beats richer media when it tells a story
  
• Use text effectively in videos
  
• Don't allow negative sentiment to continue; if a customer is upset find some way to appease them
  
• Give buyers a simple reason to buy your complex product. Benefits over features.
  
• Allow for different types of decision makers. Some people want KEY BENEFITS others want all the FEATURES. Provide both. But if you must have one, benefits rule.
  
• People like new and novel information. Capture and intrigue people with a departure from the familiar
  
• We all have a WANT and SHOULD self within. If you're selling wants (e.g. chocolate) make sure they are immediately available. If you're selling shoulds (e.g. education) offer advance purchase discounts and payment plans. I realise now that the CFA uses this thinking!
  
• Couch a product in utilitarian terms to capture tightwads (e.g. pain relief and money saving), they are less likely to buy if hedonistic terms are used
  
• Tightwads love discounts, deals, product bundles etc. You need to reduce their pain points, i.e. they should not have to keep paying. Appeal to needs. Use words cleverly, e.g. a small $5 is better than a $5 charge
  
• Provide credit options. They enable the purchase and/or spread the pain
  
• Offer instant gratification
  
• Upsell. 15-20% will go for it. E.g. Do you want large fries with that? (the classic upsell) or do you want an extended warranty?
  
• In a giveaway the magnitude of the prize is all that matters!
  
• Personalise! People love the sweet sound of their own name
  
• Expectations become reality. However, be realistic, don't mis-sell!
  
• Create positive feeling with a small surprise that is delivered at the same time as brand awareness. E.g. include a free accessory in a package; when giving samples mention the brand!
  
• Visual altruism is a form of conspicuous consumption
  
• Men and women think differently
  
• Copy for men: simple, direct. Women: contextual, abstract is okay
  
• Peacock effect. Appeal to men's desire to flaunt their wealth, power and authority
  
• When primed with pictures of attractive women, men become more shortermistic and want instant gratification
  
• Products that elicit disgust (e.g. menstrual products) contaminate the perception of other items: watch your pairings!
  
• Clear packaging can give the impression that the contents are contaminated, especially if sold in a dark, dingy place such as a service station
  
• Respond positively and promptly to dissatisfaction and negative reviews. Studies show this can convert the person into a repeat buyer or cause them to delete or update bad reviews. ALWAYS APOLOGIZE
  
• If you're rude the customer will want to punish you in some way! For instance, doctors with poor bedside manner get more lawsuits
  
• Touch and ownership. Encouraging people to touch an item and imagine owning it can convert them into buyers, e.g. test drives or people that stop you to try out their hand lotion. Online, ask people to imagine ownership. 
  
• Easy isn't always best. Cognitive dissonance
• Actions speak louder than words
• Credibility, e.g. as testimonials, is more important than claims. I tell people this when they are writing CV and cover letters all the time
• Sell to emotions rather than logic
• First impressions DO count and they stick
• Use the golden mean or Fibonacci series
• Use more than just text on your website to engage. Images, audio and video are good.
• Test reciprocity. Some research suggests more people will volunteer info to you AFTER you've given them a freebie, rather than before
• Scarcity can be a selling point especially for veblen goods
• When you sell to older people keep the message SIMPLE and UNCLUTTERED
• The lower right corner is the worst place for a logo - lower middle is best
• Humanise computer interaction

OVERALL: BUY. Some of my notes may make sense to you but you'll definitely make sense of all of them once you've read the book.

Rating: 5/5

This is another timeless business classic. I have been wanting to read this book for years and I am so glad I eventuality got to it!

I mostly listened to this audiobook when I was driving so my notes are sketchy, not nearly as comprehensive as usual. That said, here are some useful takeaways:

On fate. "I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul." I love that line because it puts responsibility on the individual - not your parents, the Government, siblings or friends. As much as a support unit is important, understanding that you can control where your life goes inspires me to work harder.

On desire. "Desire is the starting point of all achievement." Who can argue with that. What you visualise in your head, you can execute. No one thinks like you and only you can fulfill your vision or goal.

"You don't just need an ordinary desire to succeed and progress but a keen, pulsating, definite desire."

On visualisation. "Believe as though your desire is already a reality." This helps you to accomplish it. "Any subconscious thought which is repeatedly passed on to the mind is ultimately accepted by it... Faith is the only known antidote for failure."

On making sacrifices. "You and you alone must decide whether the effort required to achieve the reward you desire is worth it." Think about that one.

On worry. "Reach a blanket conclusion that nothing which life has to offer is worth the price of worry. With this decision comes poise and peace of mind." This suggestion was very important for me right now because I have been worrying far too much.

On troubles. "Don't expect troubles because they have a habit of not disappointing." I love that!

I liked Schwab's anti-greed principle. He believed that if you make a product cheap (steel in his case) more uses will be found for it leading to an ever-expanding market. That's profound.

A couple of verses I enjoyed: