Madoff – Madoff’s 6 Powerful Sales Persuaders

In the wreckage that was Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, a lot of people and charities that have fallen victim to what looks like the largest investment scam in history.

That said; there are lessons to be learned here for any business owner and sales professional. Let’s take a broad brush look at the techniques Mr. Madoff used to get people into his web of lies and deceit. Here are:

Madoff’s 6 Powerful Sales Persuaders

1. Celebrity–Madoff actually served as one of the Chairman of NASDAQ. He was a well known investor recognized throughout the Wall Street community. He was a board member of several high profile organizations and charities. Mr. Madoff parlayed that celebrity to become the undisputed expert in his field. The result–no cold calling from representatives of his firm. To get an idea of how bullet proof celebrity can be; one guy, Harry Markopolos, complained to the government in 1999 and 2005 it was a Ponzi scheme and was ignored!
2. Targeted the Rich–They had the money he needed to keep his Ponzi scheme running. In a good economy money flows from this class of customer. In a bad economy the rich feel any economic downturn last and least. The key for all of us–target people with money: The affluent and successful business owners.
3. Communication–Madoff Investment Securities LLC never missed a statement date, always kept their marks/investors informed and let the world know what they were up to. But, his communications with federal and state governments were cloudy and vague. In the former everything they did was a smoke screen but, still managed to build trust and confidence. All the news was always positive too. Lesson–communicate well, often and keep it positive.
4. Take Away Selling–Madoff Investment Securities LLC actually turned people away from being investors. Lucky them, but imagine being rich and then being told you’re not rich enough for us. Take away selling goes right to the most volatile spot in human nature–the desire to be part of the group. Excluding people created the desire for more people to want to get in on the action. Does it work? Take a look again at the list of who’s who out all their money.
5. Membership–This goes hand and hand with the take away. Nothing is so motivating as to become a member in a group with so many prestigious members. Add enough hoops and conditions to keep it exclusive and people moved heaven and earth to be involved. The firm even had people who acted as scouts and gatekeepers to ensure the line to get in was always full. The other affect was to have someone on the inside that could bring you in.
6. Affinity–Mr. Madoff is a Jew, many of his clients are Jewish and the charities he served and duped are Jewish. That’s an affinity group–his instant common ground to quickly establish rapport. Other Jews were Mr. Madoff’s target market. He was one of them, understood them and parlayed that position for his targeted sales efforts. All affinity groups share a lot of the same traits, are a great resource for referrals and allow you to exploit the benefits of membership and a shared identity.

The power to sell is the most important skill to your business. Like all power it must be used wisely. For the business owner or sales professional, the power is best used to stop or prospects pain on enrich their lives.

How you use that power is completely up to you. Choose well and prosper.

Tim Hayes is principal of Timothy Hayes Copywriting/Consulting. His practice provides marketing communications, direct response programs and consulting for B2B and B2C organizations. With over 23 years face to face selling and marketing experience you get an unfair advantage in all your marketing communications. Tim offers direct response marketing consulting through his Half and Full Day with Tim program. To get full details on the complete services for Timothy Hayes Copywriting/Consulting visit http://www.thayescopywriting.com. Tim can be reached by email at tim@thayescopywriting.com

Better Business Decisions Through Feng Shui

Could Feng Shui have saved investors from losing billions to Bernard Madoff? Yes!

In Madoff’s office, a Classical Feng Shui practitioner would have been able to see absolute indications of “secrets”. A series of numerical calculations could literally have seen the future: this was a man with secrets who could not be trusted with money.

How can Classical Feng Shui reveal what’s coming? This science uses numbers to analyze how the unseen energies of a place are interacting with the visiting planetary influences. The numbers that result from the calculations can then be translated: a certain combination of numbers, for instance, might reveal an unfavorable environment for partnership coupled with an indication of secrets. The relations between these numerical combinations and real-world outcomes has been revealed – and proven – over more than 5,000 years that Feng Shui has been practiced.

Thus, when authentic Feng Shui is performed correctly, it can be used to predict and forecast what is going to take place in a location. For instance, a consultation might reveal that a particular building was charged with unseen energies that could lead to high expenses, revenue shortfalls, a hostile takeover, etc. When such inauspicious energies are found, Feng Shui can also be used to minimize the potential negative outcomes.

Here are three examples of how Feng Shui “number power” can work for your business:

1. Early-warning on problems developing inside a business. One of my clients was looking to buy a small retail business. In using Classical Feng Shui, I looked at the location of the business and the date on which it was started by the present owner. I saw strong indications that there were “secrets” going on in the business and advised my client to get the books checked. He said an initial audit had already shown that the books were fine. Because the energetic pattern so clearly indicated dishonesty and something hidden, I strongly urged him to get a second opinion — and thankfully he did. The second audit revealed that the buyer of this business would inherit a $200,000 IRS debt which was buried in the sales contract. Once the client learned of this, he immediately dropped his plans to purchase the business, saving himself from a financial di
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saster.

The future of a business – or investments — can also be revealed by looking at the home of the business owner or investor. In the case of the Madoff scam, the energies in the homes of every investor who lost money through Madoff’s firm would have indicated a HUGE money loss.

That’s why it’s prudent to have an authentic Feng Shui practitioner conduct an annual assessment of both your home and business. By staying alert to potential dangers — or beneficial energies — you work with rather than against the energies shaping your fortunes.

2. Insights into relationship and partnerships. You can be the absolute best in the business, but making the wrong choices about everyone from vendors to partners can handicap your success. A perfect example is John McCain and his vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin. Now we all know that Sarah made some major media mistakes, and many political analysts even said that her inexperience was one of the reasons McCain lost the election. Yes, all that is certainly true from a wordly view. However, when you look at the numbers between the two, what you see is eerie: The numbers in Sarah Palin’s natal chart clearly showed that she would cause McCain defeat. He probably selected her to win women voters. If, instead, he’d had an authentic Feng Shui consultant “run the numbers,” he might have weighed his options and chosen a running mate with more power to support his success.

I’ll also give you a personal example of how those numbers make a difference: A while ago, I needed to retain an attorney. I got referrals from friends and colleagues and weighed each attorney’s relevant expertise. In making my final decision, however, I compared each attorney’s numbers to my own birthdate and the timing. The numbers told me exactly which attorney would give me the highest success. I chose that attorney. Though my case seemed to present a number of challenges, she handled my case with amazing success — the ruling went so completely my way that I was in awe of what happens when you work with the right energetic partner!

3. Choosing the right dates for proposals, deals and other major endeavors. Just as the planetary influences at the time of your birth establish your personal horoscope, the planetary influences on the day you start a particular venture establish your business and financial horoscope. For instance, if you buy stock on a day when there is money luck in your chart, you’ll make money. If luck is missing that day, I guarantee you won’t make money. If a daytrader were to review all the dates on which he bought stock in a given month, he would find that stocks with the biggest rates of return were all picked on 4 to 5 certain days within that month when the planets were aligned in his favor. The same applies to opening up a bank account on a particular date. I know westerners may find this silly, but in Asia, people will not schedule major business actions without checking whether the date is auspicious for that particular type of action. Remember, however, that a date that is auspicious for one person may not be auspicious for another person — the personal horoscopes must be considered in conjunction with the business horoscope.

Suppose, for example, that you want to incorporate your new business. Choosing an auspicious date is critical because it becomes the birthdate of your business. Through Feng Shui, you can look ahead and find a date that is marked for you with money-making potential. I had a client whose business simply limped along despite all the hard work she poured into it. After analyzing her incorporation date, I suggested she close the old corporation and reincorporate on a new date. Within less than 6 weeks of reincorporating on a date that had strong money-luck potential, her business started booming like she had never experienced before. She wasn’t working harder — but her business horoscope was now working with her rather than against her.

Consider date-selection Feng Shui be
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fore you open bank accounts, submit business proposals, buy cars, or make any major purchase. Note, too, that date selection can make a difference in your personal life, particularly if you are selecting a wedding date or preparing to undergo in vitro fertilization.

(c) 2009 Rupal Mehta Turner

By: Rupal Mehta Turner

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Feng Shui and Vaastu Expert Rupal Mehta Turner publishes “The Prosperity Report,” a biweekly ezine that reveals Feng Shui and Vaastu secrets for a thriving business and personal life. If you’re ready to improve your finances, health and relationships by using the forces in your environment, get your FR*EE tips now at www.ClassicalFengshui.com

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