Rembrandt’s Blog

Last week, you heard the first part of my interview with Robert Kiyosaki, investor, entrepreneur and author of The New York Times, international bestselling book, “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” with 26 books in the Rich Dad series. Here is the continuation of our interview which appeared on StartupNation:

What main pieces of advice do you have for entrepreneurs and new investors today?

I would say always be humble and be hungry and learn. Listen more than you speak.

What tips do you have for building long-term relationships with the people who can help a business and investments grow?

You have to be a great leader. It’s something I’m learning. I never stop learning to be a leader. I can’t say I am a great leader. I desire. I strive. I improve my leadership skills.

There’s a great book called “The Starfish and the Spider,” and it’s a great book on leadership. It’s a very simple read. They’re two different leadership styles. In other words, you cut the spider’s head off, the whole animal dies. You can cut a starfish up in a thousand pieces and get a thousand starfish. That’s the difference. I am a starship style. I am not a spider style. It’s a great book on leadership, and I’m consistent in my leadership.

Looking back over the years, is there anything you would have done differently to be more successful today?

I don’t regret anything I’ve done because everything I’ve done has been a learning experience. I never stop learning. I make mistakes constantly. Today, with the economy as hard as it is, I would just say a tough economy means I have to get smarter. That’s all it means. I don’t judge it as good or bad.

Other than being on “Oprah,” what marketing and promotional activities have been successful for you?

Every product I design has a viral component to it. In other words, I don’t have formal sales people working for me or my company. So if a product is viral, and that means if someone recommends your book to someone else, it was designed into the book and my board game.

In other words, I have people teaching people or people selling for me. And in today’s over-cluttered, over-communicated world, the person you’re going to listen to the most is a friend who says, “Hey, I read a great book, or here’s a great product I recommend.” It is the most powerful form of marketing there is. It’s also the oldest form of marketing there is.

Who are some other people that you look up to and have guided your career along the years?

Well, I have partners who I respect tremendously. I only do business with people I respect. You look at all of our company, and my advisors are real advisors. They are not financial planners. They are not celebrities. They are people hitting the trenches every single day.

Another thing too, I don’t have to know anything. I just have to know who knows. The reason I say that is I’m coming out with a new book called “The Conspiracy of the Rich” which is a Web book, and it’s for free.

Well, why am I doing this? Because I know it’s going to make me money. I don’t have to be the smartest person on Earth. I just have to know who is smart, who has ethics, who has integrity and who shares the same values I do.

What is your top advice for the entrepreneurs out there, and people who just have a good business idea, who are afraid to move forward?

I will say it again. Have them read the book “Before You Quit Your Job.” You’ve got to take advice from people who’ve done what you want to do. The point is, if you’re going to be successful at anything in life, you’ve got to spend time with people who practice what they preach. If you’re afraid, you’re probably hanging out with other cowards.

So in this economy, if we’re going into a depression, you better have Plan B ready to go. Don’t hope the economy is going to come back. Don’t hope Obama is going to save you…because they’re not. They can’t. You’ve got to save yourself. This is not a time to be afraid. This is a time to be brave. This is a time to become smarter. Not to become Chicken Little with the sky falling. And if you can do that, you’ll be an entrepreneur. If you can’t do that, you’re finished. This is the time to learn.

I think everyone sees the professional business side of you. Maybe you’d like to share some of the things you like to do in your free time?

Well, I hate to say this. Business is my game. It’s more than a hobby to me. It’s my life. And I’ve always surrounded myself with the best people…my greatest pleasure in life is hanging out with really smart people who are part of business and business teams.

What I cannot stand is illegal, immoral and unethical acts. I’m ripped to shreds constantly in the blogs. And I just have to be true to me. I know my accountants and my attorney wouldn’t be around me if I was a crook. Do you see what I’m saying? If you’re a crook accountant, you’ll hang out with a crook business leader.

Is there anything else you would like to share that we haven’t touched on that may help some of the entrepreneurs out there?

You are the company you keep. And if you improve, then the people around you will improve. It’s a very easy measurement. And what that comes up to is instead of trying to change the world, just change yourself.

And Robert ended the interview with a quote from one of his favorites, Henry Ford. “Thinking is the hardest work there is, that’s why so few people engage in it.”

Thanks for your great interview Robert! And for more information on Robert, his books and products, and valuable tips to be more successful, please visit his website at www.richdad.com.

And as always, if you need some new strategies to bring in sales fast, feel free to contact me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. Thanks!

Everyone seems to have a newsletter. Why?

Do they know something you don’t?

Newsletters are great marketing tools for small businesses. And if you don’t have one, you may be missing out on a valuable opportunity. After all, newsletters offer a simple and cost-effective way to provide value to both current and new customers.

Think it’s a waste of time? Here are three reasons to start a newsletter now:

1. Build a loyal following.

By sending out personalized, monthly newsletters, you can give customers important information to help them solve their problems. And if you provide tips and insights they can actually use, customers will begin to see you as a credible and valuable source of information.

Over time, they will tell their friends about you, and you’ll start to build relationships and a loyal following. Rather than just being a “cold” business selling products and services, you become a personal source of information and a valued expert with solutions to share.

And wouldn’t you rather do business with a real person who cares about your needs than a stranger who is just trying to sell you the latest gadget?

Plus, your newsletter-registration database becomes your sales list. You own it so that means you can use it to upsell current customers. And you can present special offers to turn newsletter-registrants into regular customers.

2. Increase communication “touch-points” quickly and easily.

When people sign up for your newsletter, they are giving you permission to contact them. And once they “opt-in,” you can send them a free eReport, an e-mail auto-responder-sequence, blog-entry notices, articles, surveys, and more. Just be sure to let them know what they will be receiving in advance, and keep their information private.

And the great thing about this is that you can write the materials once, and then send out the information automatically. Services like AWeber^™, www.aweber.com, Emma^™, www.myemma.com, Constant Contact^™, www.constantcontact.com, and others will take care of everything for you!

You can create your newsletter-registration form for your Web site, write personalized messages with simple templates, schedule distribution dates and times, and test various headlines, search-engine-optimization keywords and more. These systems even take care of spam and opt-out processes. All you do is write the copy and monitor results!

With today’s technology, it’s easy and affordable to create a newsletter process and communicate with customers. In fact, many services cost less than $20.00 per month to start.

3. Compete.

With a unique newsletter, you offer something different specific to your customers. You can sell your products and services directly to your opt-in list by providing value, news, expertise, feedback, and more.

With this communication process, you build a list of loyal followers and new customers who want to hear from you and how you can help them. Sharing your specific messages and discovering what your customers really want can give you a huge edge over the competition.

And just think… if your competitors currently have a newsletter, and you don’t, they are already stealing your potential sales! Ugh!

What are You Waiting For?

Newsletters offer a simple and cost-effective way to bring in new leads, market your products and services and get ahead of the competition by developing your own, opt-in list of customers.

And with today’s services, it’s easy to start the newsletter process and see results fast… so with this in mind, isn’t it time to take advantage of this valuable, marketing tool?

What’s that? You don’t have time to write your SEO copy for the newsletter and the e-mail auto-responders, articles, eReports, and more? No worries. Please write to me here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com, and I’ll help you get started!

Do you think of social media first when it comes to word-of-mouth-marketing?

Well, before you start tweeting, posting photos on Facebook and adding videos to YouTube, tell your story to the media.

After all, if your business is featured in a major news-story on radio, television, print, or online, you can build buzz while obtaining third-party credibility you simply can’t purchase.

With this in mind, here are a few activities to consider prior to posting your news via social media:

• Research specific media members.

Who will be interested in your story and reach your target market?

• Figure out a unique story angle for each press member.

Do you have a client “before-and-after” story to share?

How do your products and services relate to a current trend, holiday or industry event?

Think of a specific story idea for each media member on your list.

•  Pick up the phone.

Contact the media members on your list and pitch your story. You have nothing to lose and some free publicity to gain!

•  Write a press release.

Take your story idea and create a press release. Optimize it for the search engines with the appropriate keywords, or hire a freelance, SEO expert to do this for you.

Post your release on free, press-release sites, http://www.rembrandtwrites.com/FreePressReleasePostingSites.htm, and industry sites or use a press-release distribution service like PRWeb, www.prweb.com, or PR Newswire, www.prnewswire.com.

Also, post the release on your site, and give it a specific website address. And if you haven’t set up Google Analytics to monitor your site activity, you’ll want to do this right away at http://www.google.com/analytics/.

• Use social media.

Once you’ve pitched your story to the press and posted it online, then tell the world about your news using social media. You can provide a link to the specific website address you created for your press release and monitor the results.

Social media is a great way to build word-of-mouth, but don’t forget about public relations in the process. After all, with a simple call or press release, you may garner a feature story that catapults your business to the top of the news fast!

Do you need help with your SEO copywriting, public relations and social media activities? Please let me know here or at www.rembrandtwrites.com. I’m here to help!