“Nature gives all, without reservation, and loses nothing;
man or woman, grasping all, loses everything.”
- The Path to Prosperity, James Allen

It’s a paradox of life that “givers get”: when you’re willing to share with others, you make yourself attractive to even more positive experiences. This can take different forms: giving a free talk to a networking group, creating a free report or article that you can give to clients, offering your services to a charity, or even being a mentor. There are infinite number of ways that you can give value to others!

The amazing thing about sharing is that it opens your awareness up to new & exciting opportunities. In order to share anything, you need to understand how to create value for other people: ‘sharing’ something of no value isn’t really ‘sharing’ at all, is it?  When you are willing to give away something of value – something that the people you share it with find useful or practical – you’ll find yourself becoming more attractive to those people.  If you’re able to consistently share information that you know others will find valuable, then you’ll start growing a network of loyal followers & supporters.

Having a positive attitude to sharing encourages thinking abundantly: if you believe that you will always have ‘enough’ & that there are no limits to amount of love, knowledge & trust you can accumulate, you will begin to share quite easily because you have faith that you will never be left with nothing.  More importantly, being open & enthusiastic to sharing with other people encourages everyone – even people you’ve never met before – to  support you & share with you too.

Sharing creates the need to reciprocate: your supporters will want to engage you in dialogue, will want to find out more about you & will eagerly maintain communication because they find value in your relationship.  Ideally, you want to end up in a position where your supporters are willing to tell their network about you so that you can leverage your content to their family, friends & colleagues.  It is inevitable that when you have a large enough database of friends & fans that are eager to recommend you & your company, that you will be able to generate a sustainable income as an authority of your subject.

In essence, this is a big part of what ‘Marketing Magic’ is all about!

Think about this: An authority is considered to be the ‘go to’ person if you wish to find out more in their field of expertise. Authorities are asked to present at networking functions, called for interviews, are able to get lots of free publicity & are generally the highest paid people in their industry. If you write a book, you’ll be called an “author” because you’re considered to be the authority of that subject: and what is writing a book other than sharing your insights, knowledge & opinions with the world?

If you’ve ever watched a magician, juggler or street-performer do a show, you’ll see how effortlessly & easily crowds are attracted to this person.  By sharing a unique skill or talent with public – giving it away with no obligation to the audience – a street-performer or busker can earn money in his hat. The audience will be particularly responsive if they see something unique or ‘dangerous’ : they recognise the talent & dedication it takes to perform that skill & that performer almost always ends up with a hat full of money. If the audience perceives that what they’ve experienced is a demonstration of a particularly unique skill or ability, they’ll reciprocate not only with applause & money, but they’ll want to tell others what they have experienced.

If you want to create REAL magic in your business – attract customers effortlessly, retain them for life, increase profits, achieve your goals & have more fun – you’ll want to unleash your “Inner Marketing Magician”. You’ll want to discover that part of you that is unique & special – the part that is most attractive to your customers – & find ways of sharing your knowledge, experience, views & opinions with the world.  No matter how to choose to share, by collecting & giving away value you will attract the business & customers you desire.

The world wants to find out how you do your ‘magic’ – isn’t it time you shared it with us?

Contemplations:

• What do I have of value that I can afford to give away?
• What would my network love to learn from my experience, knowledge & insights?
• What contribution can I make to society by being open to giving away something that I don’t need, or something that I have an unlimited supply of (such as skills or education)?

Recommended reading:

• “Idea Tithing”, an online article by Mark Victor Hansen

Have you ever wanted to wave a magic wand & create sales almost effortlessly?

I have a free ebook, “How To Make More Sales Using  The Secrets Of Magic” that I would love to give you simply for registering as a free Web Visitor at http://www.marketingmagic.co.za.

It was an EOX! We chatted about ARTS & things that made ANSWER.

EOX = Eye Opening eXperience
ARTS = Any Rubbish That Sells
ANSWER = Absolutely No Sense Whatso Ev R.

Peter subscribes to Comedianism – a religion designed to convert knowledge into guessedge i.e. to subvert everything sacred & proven in order to see the funny side of everything & discover new places, products & movies.  I, of course, believe in “Magic Moments” – those times when we sit back & experience something so remarkable & new that we need to say “Wow!”.  Breakfast with Peter was definitely one of those moments.

Peter Greenwall, author of the soon-to-be-Best-Selling-book, ‘Logical Stupidity‘, has over 20 years of local & international experience writing original music & creating seminars for both the entertainment & corporate market.  And not just any old events either: he was both the composer & musical director for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003, he has an extensive list of previous clients, & a wealth of experience. But Peter has no formal qualification in ‘making stuff up’ – which is why he actually qualifies to write a book about ‘making stuff up’.

If you’re looking for new ideas & solutions, the ‘Logical Stupidity’ method is a great way to ‘make stuff up’ & find your natural innovation & creativity skills. But you will also find that Peter has a incredible talent to spark new ideas that clearly demonstrates his ability to use his formula to its maximum potential.  It was this ability, together with his ANOID (new disorder: Absolutely Nowhere as a result of an Overactive Imagination Disorder), that turned a ‘musical seminar’ entitled “FLOPSTAR” into a over 700-page book that includes lyrics, music, sketches, scenes, product ideas & who knows what else.  Even after reading the ‘20% Free eBook‘ version of ‘Logical Stupidity’, I am in awe of his skills as a keen observer of the world, talented humorist & maverick-thinker.

Now I literally have a pile of 8 books on my bedside table that I want to read within the next month; I hate reading eBooks on a computer monitor.  However, the format of ‘Logical Stupidity’ is surprisingly reader friendly & I found myself captivated, laughing, thinking & sharing within minutes of starting to read it.  It offers an extremely high VIRFTI (Value In Return For Time Invested), since it not only offers you an inspiring & funny perspective on the creation process, but Peter even shares some fantastic nuggets!

Included in the commercial e-book are:

• For Business: 269 innovative products
• For Showbiz: 61 songs, 80 short songs for you to finish, 451 comedy sketches, 300 stand-up shticks, 43 TV show pitches, 31 movie pitches, 602 cartoons, photo’s & illustrations
• 25 legislations to combat the latest offensive trends
• 18 new disorders to tap into and use as inspiration
• 217 inspiration devices that were directly responsible for all of the above

Peter has decided to release all of the above value-adding items with a Creative Commons-type licence: in essence, you may use any of his concepts, as long as you give him full credit (& part of the profit, if you plan to sell it).  So whether you want to sell one of his brilliant concepts (‘The Batterari™ – a battery powered, ego friendly, hybrid sports car’), or wish to act out one of his sketch scripts on video (which can be uploaded & considered an audition to his soon-to-be-made movie), or just use his profound new Acrobuzzanyms in your everyday language – you can do so with Peter’s blessing.

Here’s just 1 example of Peter’s advice:

Observational Innovation: the practice of turning punch lines into taglines
i.e. observations into innovative products.

With observational humour, the comedy comes from reflecting reality –

e.g. have you tried dating online? Ever notice how all 3 pictures of your fantasy partner look nothing like the one you meet?

That’s your OOPS: Observation Of Pure Stupidity – i.e. you are reflecting reality.

With observation innovation you go one step further and actually change reality by doing something about your observation – you invent a product that solves the problem:

Introducing FutureFoto™ – what your Internet date will actually look like.

Turns out that the difference between humour and innovation is simply a matter of functionality: does the joke product work?

If it does, your punch line becomes a product that will make you laugh all the way to the bank.

• Peter is available for Full Cabaret Seminars (yes, the full song & dance show!), Business Presentations & Corporate Coaching.

• Purchase the full version of ‘Logical Stupidity’ here OR get your free “20%” eBook version here!

• Are you interested in using ‘The looniversal formula for innovation’ for inspiration & self-help? Click here!

• Are you interested in using the sketches, scripts, songs, music or acronyms for your own presentation? Showbiz talent click here!

• Are you interested in using Peter’s ideas & concepts for your company or business? Click here!

Here’s a demonstration of Peter’s presentation:

(If this does not display, watch here)

As a member, I will now be meeting regularly with other local professional speakers, to learn from their experience, knowledge & skills. Since I’ll be one of the youngest members, I plan to listen with both ears!  I’m really looking forward to developing my skills so that in the future I will be recognised nationally as a speaker who delivers thought-provoking, enthusiastic & entertaining performances that meet & exceed my audience’s expectations.

One aspect of becoming a member of PSASA is committing to the organisation’s Code of Ethics.  It says on the PSASA website : “By doing so, the members give notice that they recognize the vital need to reserve and encourage fair and equitable practices among all who are engaged in the profession of speaking.”  It’s great to know that I now belong to a group of people who have agreed to such high standards & values.

Through PSASA, I have now also become a member the International Federation of Professional Speakers (IFPS) which offers great benefits, including being eligible to attend conventions hosted by affiliated Speakers Associations around the world.

SPECIAL BONUS:
I also found a free resource section on the website, where you can find valuable articles, such as:

• Curse of the USP (Ian Rheeder)
• How to be a good conversationalist (Clive Simpkins)
• Immature Leaders Go Off Like Milk (Estienne de Beer)
• The day you start to believe your own PR… (Miles Crisp)
• and lots more!

Wow … I can’t wait to learn from these amazing people; you can look forward to my presentations becoming even better in the future.

If you have, are you experiencing confusion & frustration in selecting trustworthy & professional service suppliers? Searching through the Yellow Pages, or browsing around on Google; it just takes aaaaaages to trawl through all that useless information.

Wouldn’t it be great if you had one event resource book that you page through – a resource that had, say, different categories like entertainment, or catering, or event venues – so that you could find a service partner to help you make that function extra-special?

Now imagine a high-quality publication that only lists South Africa’s best event specialists, professional ‘party people’ who are passionate about assisting you to make your life easier …

That’s difficult to imagine, but thanks to Trade Edge, it’s not only possible but also available!

The “SA Special Events Industry Guide 2008” is to-date the very best supplier guide I’ve seen, both in the quality of the advertisers & the print-quality itself. It’s jam-packed with the information you need, yet small enough to fit on your desk, beside the telephone.

Of course, Perform! Marketing Solutions are also listed for my corporate event specialist entertainment services that will make your next company function more fun, more personal & completely unforgettable – guaranteed! (See our advert on page 98)

The “SA Special Events Industry Guide” lists over 60 company profiles in the categories of :

• venues & destinations,
• travel & recreation,
• marketing & décor,
• audio-visual, sound & technology
• corporate entertainment & team-building,
• catering & hospitality, &
• support services & event management

listed by a helpful category & alphabetical index, complete with service information, high-quality photographs & contact details.

The advertisers include:

• Peermont Hotels, Casinos & Resorts
• Coachman Luxury Bus Hire
• 3D Design Exhibition Stands
• Oasys Event Infrastructure
• Stageworks Stage & Prop Design
• Conference Speakers International (CSI)
• Drum Zone Interactive Drumming
• Five Seasons Music for booking bands, singers & musicians
• Liquidchefs bars & barmen
• and even Supreme Laundry, for bulk laundry & dry cleaning requirements

For so much value, it’s almost unbelievable that you can get this valuable resource for as little as R114,00 (incl VAT)! You’ll save that much money in telephone calls alone!

To get your copy of “SA Events Industry Guide 2008″, or to subscribe to this annual publication, call them on +27 11 807 1822 or click here for full contact details.

Ps. Speak to Juan for excellent service & let him know I sent you …

Our UNIQUE special offer for YOU friend!

If you would like a FREE copy of the “SA Special Events Industry Guide 2008″, worth R 114,00 , then click here now! ALL GONE

There are only 10 5 copies left ALL GONE , so you need to act fast. All postage is included (sorry, this offer is limited to South African postal addresses only).

View the individual photos, with explanation captions,
on my Facebook Photo Gallery.

Thanks to Bruce for asking me to show his audience how to ‘Make Money By Magic’, & everyone who came to thank me afterwards. What a great weekend …

“Have you ever noticed that there is a pattern to the way you earn, invest and spend your money?

Do you ever get to the end of the month and there is no money left? Perhaps you earn inconsistently. Perhaps you make unwise investments. Perhaps you always manage to spend it all.

These limiting money patterns stem from your Wealth Blueprint – your unconscious set of beliefs around money. It is these beliefs that determine your financial success or failure. If you are not creating as much wealth as you would like to, it is most certainly because your Wealth Blueprint is not set for success.

International speaker and success trainer, Bruce Muzik, is back to to lead his Wealth Blueprint seminar again. He teaches people how to find your ‘path of least resistance to wealth’ and create a Wealth Blueprint that puts your success on autopilot.”

He’s giving away a free video called THE TWO PILLARS OF WEALTH at http://www.designer-life.com/wealthblueprint/ . I highly recommend that you watch and learn from this value packed video. Bruce really does know his stuff.

UPDATE: 10 September 2008

Bruce was judged as runner-up to Dr John Demartini in the prestigious XL Results Foundation eXtrordinary Lives Awards 2008!

Well done Bruce, thank you for flying the South African flag high!

During a recent sales pitch that I had been hired to write & present for helloWorld, I offered each person in the audience a copy of my first book, “”, as a gift. One of the people in the audience was Meryl, who came to introduce herself afterwards & ask me questions. Of course, it was a pleasure to tell her the book she received was a gift from me!

Two days later, I received a “thank you” email from Meryl, telling me how much value she received from “Customers For Life” – with an added surprise. You see, what I didn’t know, is that Meryl is a freelance editor who regularly works for a very large & respected publishing company. Attached to her email was a list of spelling & grammar corrections in the first 3 chapters (she really has ‘eagle eyes’) that I had missed in the 3 months of proof reading that I had personally done. What an awesome ‘WOW’ surprise; she had given her time & knowledge to me without expecting anything in return. I immediately ‘phone her up & thanked her for the unexpected but valuable service – and hired her on the spot to edit & proof my entire book. Thanks to Meryl, “Customers For Life” is now even better than before.

Last night, my wife & I went for dinner at a local restaurant. I parked my car in a nearby parking garage (rather safe than sorry, even if it does cost more) & we had a wonderful evening. When we got back to the car about 2 hours later, I stopped dead as I was about to open my door – something was definitely different. That’s when I had another ‘WOW’ experience; my car was shining brilliantly. The security guard, who obviously wasn’t very busy, had washed & polished my car while we’d been eating.

I’ve been so busy travelling, I just didn’t have the time to wash my car – in fact, it was on my To-Do list for the next day. I’m sure if the guard had asked me before I left the car if he could wash it, I would have said “Yes, please!”. But he didn’t, and he didn’t even ask to be paid when I returned: he just stood there, smile on his face, as I was standing there in shock. It was only when I asked him if he was responsible, that he admitted it. I gave him a BIG tip; much, much more than I would have if he had asked before I left. His eagerness to solve my problem, without any expectation of a reward, resulted in some extra cash & a very happy customer.

These 2 experiences have reminded me of an important lesson that I’ve learnt & teach to other business owners – “Givers Get”. The more you give abundantly, without any expectation for reward or recognition, but purely because you feel it’s important to solve a problem or fulfil a need, the more you receive abundantly. This can seem counter-intuitive sometimes; we think, “If I keep giving away, I’ll have nothing for myself”, but as these two examples prove, the more you give, the greater reward you receive.

I’m working hard to find opportunities to give you more than you expected, so that you not only receive more value from us, but also because it’s fulfilling for me to hear how surprised you are – THAT is my reward!