Leela Cosgrove

This is very cool …

Being able to read this fast is VERY handy … especially in this age of information overhwhelm …

Generally, your reading speed would be about 250words per minute - this is 600 words per minute …

Look at it like this - a typical business book is around 60,000 words. Which means currently if you want to read it, you’re going to spend around 240 minutes (or 4 hours) reading it … with this, your reading time comes down to around an hour and a half. All of a sudden, you can finish an entire business book on the plane from Sydney to Melbourne.

Some people are skeptical of speed reading - they think that you must have to sacrifice understanding to read that fast.

Let me tell you this is NOT true.

Last year I took a couple of business university subjects through open university, for fun.

I used the speed reading and study techniques that Marc taught me and did the work for TWO subjects in HALF the recommended time for ONE subject.

AND - I got Distinctions in both subjects.

Having the ability to learn in this way not only opens up a whole new world of possibilities - it’s also FUN!

More than you may think!

You know both of these names for one reason - they both created PRODUCTS that allowed them to spread their name and image across the world in a way they could not have possibly managed by only expending their personal efforts.

Whilst I won’t get into my feminist issues about Paris Hilton (and particularly her effect on young girls), as a commercial entity, she is fascinating.

She was no one until she was launched into our lives due to a certain movie. Allegations abound as to whether the movie was, as claimed by the Hilton family, a mistake … or whether it was, in fact, a calculated strategy to launch Paris’ career. I don’t have an opinion on this one way or another - but I am fascinated by clever move after clever move.

Television, movies, perfume, accessories, nightclubs … even an album (although that disappeared very quickly) … Paris isn’t a person - she’s a brand. The kind of brand that most brand-building agencies would KILL to create.

Paris is a business.

Tony Robbins is pretty much the polar opposite of Paris Hilton (… although I would LOVE to see him do an intervention with her!). Deep where she is shallow, on a mission where she is a manifestation of pure capitalism,  charismatic where she is tabula rasa.

However, his worldwide fame also has a lot to do with products … tapes, videos, infomercials, movies … he has placed himself in millions of homes around the world, speaking to people one on one, changing their lives - in a way it would take literally thousands of years to do if he did it all in person …

Creating a product isn’t (just) about making money. It’s about cloning yourself - gaining the ability to travel anywhere and talk to anyone, 24/7/365 - no matter how you feel.

It’s about gaining the ability to spread your word - to develop your mission so that it can spread independent of your time and effort …

As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m a member of the Empowernet Business Mastery Platinum Program run by Dr Marc Dussault.

Gavin Buckett is a fellow member of the program and a real ‘doer’ - I was working on his bio the other day and he’s your quintessential over-achiever - one of those people everyone else gets exhausted just watching.

The reason I’m telling you about Gavin is simply this … he’s in food safety. I KNOW he’s good because he works with some businesses in my local Melbourne area … places I eat at regularly … and I’ve never gotten sick from any of them!

If you’re in the food industry, you need to keep up to date with what Gavin’s doing … if you EAT FOOD - you probably want to keep up with it too!

His latest post is an email from YET ANOTHER Platinum member who changed his purchasing habits due to some information Gavin gave us … he realised the eggs he had been eating may have actually been unsafe … and so switched brands …

Which brand to buy? How do you know if the food you are eating is safe?

You’ll need to read Gavin’s blog to find out …

http://safefoodsolutions.blogspot.com/

By the way, let me know what you think of the headline for this article … it gives me visions of homicidal plates of scrambled eggs running around with knives and shotguns …

Am I the only one who finds that funny?

Probably …

Like so many other kids I had a horrendous time with bullying during Primary School and High School.

This program should be mandatory in EVERY school around the world.

I’ve been getting this question a lot recently, so I’d like to explain it … I’m an Information Product Creation Specialist. What does that mean?

Let’s start by defining ‘Information Product’.

An Information Product is, as the name would suggest, a product made up of information. So, this could be an e-book. Or it could be an audio (or a series of audios), it could be a workbook, it could be a video - any of these could be considered a product … now, the point of an Information Product is NOT to sell. In fact, I recommend to all of my clients that their Information Product be totally devoid of any sell. Don’t mention how great your services are … don’t try and get people to take action. Give them PURE content and trust that if it’s good enough, the right people will seek you out (of course, you can help that along by some clever marketing in other areas).

So, we’ve got this clear, yes?

Here are some great examples of Information Products (NOTE: not MY Information Products, although I’ve assisted on some of them):

• A combination of DVDs, Audio and Workbook in a 10 Day Program
  
• A daily autoresponder program
  
• A rubiks cube???

So, as an Information Product Creation Specialist, it’s my job to sit down with a client and come up with ideas like these … and then create them. I offer a ‘full service’ - i.e. I have the idea and then manage the entire job.

Why use my services?

The links above should be fairly self-explanatory … imagine making money online while you sleep … that’s PRECISELY what the above products do. Take what you already know, put it into a format that other people can use and then become a passive profit stream for your business.

Who uses my services?

Mainly people who are in effort-based businesses and have reached a point where they have decided “enough is enough!”. They don’t want to keep working 80-100 hours every week … but they want to continue to make the same kind of money (or MORE!) that they have been making previously.

Think of your Information Products as clones … imagine if you could have an unlimited number of clones of yourself, going out to clients and solving their problems … while you sat around the pool sipping cocktails … or took your family on vacation.

Not only are the Information Products a profit source in their own right - they will also generate more (and often more highly paid) work for you. An Information Product makes you an instant expert. That makes you more valuable than you are now … so you can cut down your work hours and up your hourly rate, while still having clients knocking down your door and money rolling in.

That’s my job - to free up your most valuable asset, your time - AND to make you money.

In fact, when you put it in perspective, my services are free. Because they are designed to pay for themselves and then take you into the profit zone (I don’t know about you, but that’s SO my favourite zone … ).

I wanted to call it Day 1 … but that would get confusing, so instead let us call it the Day o’ Registration …

We flew into the Gold Coast this morning - got confused about the time change - especially after Monday’s ‘Is Daylight Savings over or not?!?!?’ debarcle.  Some last minute changes with accommodation means that I’m still not sure which room I’m staying in tonight …

The stocktake was much quicker and easier than I’d anticipated - in no small part due to the lovely crew members who assisted … one of my FAVOURITE things about Tony Robbins events are the people. They are just so -happy- and willing to help … everyone is so nice …

Anywho, I am now very tired … which is funny, because I haven’t really done all that much … but planes make me want to go to sleep.

I’m meeting with my product crew for a quick sales training session tomorrow morning at 8am … then we’ll get the products table set up and ready to go by 4pm … in time for a crazy sales day (because all of the attendees get a 10% discount on the first day … ). I expect to be doubly as exhausted tomorrow … but also about a bazillion times more pumped ’cause, you know, it’s Anthony Frickin’ Robbins!

The good old Law of Attraction.

Earlier this year, I decided I wanted to go to Anthony Robbin’s Date with Destiny on the Gold Coast. But I really couldn’t justify taking a week away from my business to do it. So I focused on manifesting being able to go and have it ADD to my business.

Last week, I was offered the position of Product Manager for Date with Destiny 2008. While this means I won’t be there as an official attendee (more like crew) - I will get to be there and to be involved. Very exciting!

I’ve got some awesome ideas for how we’re going to make this the most fun retail experience ever … oh yes … it will be MAD. I like mad. Normal is so … well … normal. Don’t you want to have FUN when you’re buying stuff? The most fun I ever had shopping was, believe it or not, at a butchers. The apprentice butcher was one of the most surreal people I’ve ever met. He would always be saying strange things … once I was a bit tired and was staring off into the distance while waiting for my order.

Apprentice: What are you looking at?

Me: Oh, I’m just staring off into space.

Apprentice: *points towards the sky* - space is up there.

The meat really wasn’t that great … but I kept going back for the experience. I like things that shake people out of their mundane existence and make them think …

Do you have an awesome retail experience you care to share? Leave a comment telling us all about it … I have some great ideas but I’m more than willing to rip off other people’s great ideas too - no sense in reinventing the wheel!

Oh and now that I have my Date with Destiny attendance confirmed - I’m manifesting a photo with Tony. Watch this space for updates (including various photos) from the Gold Coast throughout the week!

So if you’re going to be at Date with Destiny this weekend - come and say hello! I’ll be the manic chick running around collecting more products (because, obviously, we will be selling out …) and pattern interrupting the clients …

What is Linked In? It’s an online networking website for business people - think of it like a professional version of facebook or myspace, where you can network with business people from around the world.

At the time of writing, my network consists of:

1,013 First Level Connections

343,800 Second Level Connections

6, 505, 500 Third Level Connections

Yep - I have access to over 6.5 MILLION people via LinkedIn.

Of course, the first question (annoyingly!) that I often get asked is … ‘Yeah … but how is that going to help you?’. Nay-sayers are frustrating. And, often, poor. Interesting correlation, that one - check it out yourself the next time someone gets pessimistic with you …

Meanwhile, the use of LinkedIn … well, I can’t say TOO much about it right now because it’s the subject of a series of articles I’ve edited for a client … if you want to know HOW to get your contacts up to that level … and what to do with them once you get there … I suggest Linking In to me now and I’ll pass on the information when it becomes available …

http://www.linkedin.com/in/leelacosgrove

But back to the nay-sayers … even WITHOUT thinking exponentially, the uses of Linked In are fairly clear …

1. Linked In allows you to build a network of people in your area. E.G. - I’m an open networker, which means I have a lot of people in my network who I don’t know personally. Recently, I sent out an offer to all of those people in my network who reside in Sydney and Melbourne. I gave them a free copy of my book.

Why?  Ahhhh … why not? I got an email back from practically everyone who downloaded it thanking me for my generosity. That generosity cost me nothing -  but now there are a hundred high-level executives in Sydney who know my name and have read my book.

Tell me, naysayers, do you see the value in that?

2. Linked In allows you to give and receive testimonials. This is a great way to check up on people you are interested in working with (or even hiring - recruiters are some of Linked In’s most active users).

3. Linked In has a job board - which, obviously, is handy if you’re looking for work.

Most importantly, Linked In (and specifically, being an open networker) gives you access to people you could never have met any other way.

How long would it take you to get 1,000 international business contacts into your database in a regular networking way? It’s taken me a couple of months (without actively going out and inviting others) to get there …

What I do next with them … well, like I said - I can’t give away too much about that right now … but Link In to me if you want to find out more!

Due to popular demand, I’m very pleased to announce a Sydney How to Write Your Bestseller Seminar …

“Thanks so much for today it was fantastic. As always you are just so knowledgeable and interesting I could sit there for days… It was so worthwhile spending the day with you, thanks… You inspire me and I don’t say that about many people.”

Amanda Noble

Torts Famous

www.tortsfamous.com.au

Being in small business, you have a wealth of knowledge that would be of amazing benefit to others. This full day seminar will show you how to uncover this knowledge and turn it into a profitable book within 10 weeks, without it interfering with your busy schedule.

The How to Write your Bestseller in 10 Weeks Seminar is the no-nonsense, step-by-step guide to writing the business book that’s been lying hidden inside you for years. The seminar will cover everything you need to know to plan, research, write, edit, publish and leverage your book once it is written.

Over the course of the day, you’ll work on your book and receive feedback. At the end of the day you’ll leave with:

• A concept for your book.
• A completed book outline.
• The first draft of your first chapter, including invaluable feedback.
• A strategic marketing plan to leverage your book once it’s completed.

My name is Leela Cosgrove - author of the Ebook “How to Write your Bestseller in 10 Weeks”. I’m an Information Product Creation Specialist - I ghostwrite books for companies throughout Australia. Having to produce high quality business books in a short amount of time has taught me some of the short cuts, tips and tricks that I will teach to you so that you can save weeks, months, or even years on writing your own book.

But this seminar is not just about writing your book. We’ll spend around half the day focusing on how you can leverage your book, how and who to market it to and how to create bundles for maximum value – leveraging your own products and bundling in products other people will be begging to GIVE you (for FREE!).

In fact, most people say this is the best part of the whole seminar. I keep numbers small (no more than 10 attendees) so that we can all interact. We’ll come up with live ideas for creating more value for your business using your book than you thought possible. We’ll even create live JV partnerships among the attendees. You’ll be amazed how little of ‘Writing your Bestseller’ actually comes down to writing!

I am so confident that I can help you write a great book and make money from it, that I’m offering a 100% money back guarantee*. If you don’t make at least AU$1,000 from your book within a month of it being completed, I’ll fully refund your seminar fee.

With over $800 worth of bonuses and a 100% money back guarantee*, this means that you’ll come out of the seminar more than $1,800 ahead - you can’t lose!

Book Now – Sydney: 20 February 2008

Bonus 1:
Copy of ‘How to Write Your Bestseller in 10 Weeks’ ebook $59.95

Bonus 2:
Program Workbook $97

Bonus 3:
The Dale Beaumont Book “Get Published Secrets” $197

Bonus 4:
Special SURPRISE bonuses $199.95

Bonus 5:
How To Write your Bestseller - 10 week email course $97

Bonus 6:
Follow up, one on one, 1 hour coaching critique phone call. (Limited number of phone calls are available) $150

When: from 9am-5pm

Where: Sydney CBD

Who: This full-day seminar is specifically aimed at business people who have never written a book before but who feel that they could benefit from the pre-emience a book creates. However, it is also suitable for anyone who is interested in writing their first business book.

How Much: The fully-catered, day long seminar, $800 worth of bonuses and a guaranteed AU$1,000 in sales of your book (plus a special surprise bonus worth $295 if you are one of the first 5 people to book) will cost you only $295.

Book Now – Sydney: 20 February 2008

Until we meet in person,

Rock on!

Leela Cosgrove

Book Now – Sydney: 20 February 2008

* To be eligible for the money back guarantee, you must conform to the following three criteria:

1. You must have personally attended the seminar.

2. “A month”, in this context, is to mean a month from the time the book is written, edited and ready for distribution.

3. You must follow all advice outlined in your strategic marketing plan (which you will develop at the seminar). You may do more, but not less than outlined in the marketing plan. Additions to the marketing plan must be lodged with us. A copy of the marketing plan must be lodged with us at the end of the seminar for you to be eligible for the guarantee.

Rowr!

Anyone who knows me or who has read this blog knows that I have two great loves of my life - one is, of course, my most awesome partner - the other is Apple. And Apple’s been part of my life the longer of the two …

No doubt you will have heard about the new MacBook Air - I am in love. Again.

At only 1.36 kg it’s WAY lighter than any laptop before it. Anyone who travels frequently is, no doubt, salivating right now … I love my MacBook to bits - but at 2.27 kgs it can be quite a painful experience lugging it around … from airports to hotels to airports to home to work to home … blech. I mean, I couldn’t go anywhere without it .. but the idea of it being lighter makes my heart sing!

So, how do you make a laptop a kilo lighter? You remove the CD drive, of course!

Now, I used to be a sales person for Apple (can you tell?) back when the second generation IMacs were released - with no floppy disk drive. At the time all you ever heard was “What do you mean I’ll have to buy an external disk drive! Are you crazy?” - and yet, look at computers these days … when was the last time you saw (let alone USED!) a floppy disk?

This is typical, cutting edge Mac theory. They have it right - external media is going the way of the dinosaurs. While you may still use a USB key from time to time, you’re more likely to be sending files via wifi, bluetooth or the internet. And that’s only going to become more prevelant as time goes on. When google finally get around to doing the whole online storage database thing you won’t even need external media as a back up - everything will be done electronically.

It will, however, bring criticism. ESPECIALLY from PC users. I haven’t gone looking at the posts on PC forums but I guarantee they go like this … “$2,500 and it doesn’t even have a CD drive???? Steve Jobs is crazy!”. But then, if they were forward thinkers they’d be Mac users, not PC users.

The only issue I have is the same one that was raised by my sister - right now, I still need a DVD player so that I can transfer my DVD’s onto my IPod touch. Once I’ve done this (and once we get high speed internet access in this country that will make it feasible to download movies directly) - I’ll be straight on to the MacBook Air … until that time I will admire my love from afar … and continue to send her love notes … via Steve Jobs …

Okay, that just crossed the line from poetic to creepy …

http://www.apple.com/au/macbookair/