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Wow…yesterday was quite a ride. 6 months of work for me and my group were about to face up to our marching orders: best seller or bust.
So, it’s 8 AM and the first sales start trickling in, placing us somewhere in the remote badlands of #800,000 in Amazon.com Sales Rank system. We get to wait a full hour before our next update, but the war has only begun.
At 8:15 AM, the first barrage of emails are let loose upon our large “pre-launch” lists, informing all that today is “THE DAY!” Facebook statuses are updating, Twitter-holics are tweeting, and MySpacers are posting. It’s an all-out attack.
By 8:55, we’re huddled around my computer as if we were at Lord Amazon’s altar, waiting to be judged on the last hour’s sacrifices.
And so began the next 60-minute crucible.
Another wave of email artillery was called in, and cell phones were burning up from calls to our best agents in the field. Email inboxes were burgeoning with buyer praises and things were looking good.
But the 10 AM litmus test was just around the corner…
The page refreshes and that’s what we see. We have to knock off at least 1,872 opponents before we can say we’ve triumphed.
Round 3 was kicked off with our joint venture partners working their lists with another email campaign and our West Coast forces were beginning to appear in the fray.
Sales were flying in at hundreds per hour at this point, but nobody knew how strong Amazon’s Sales Rank’s defenses were. How many blows would it take to breach their walls?
#612. The air is becoming rarefied as we ascend Mount Amazon and we expect rugged terrain ahead. Reaching the summit is deviously hard, I was told. Many make the highlands, but only the best prepared can scale the treacherous peaks.
Yet another surge of emails, instant messages, texts, tweets, and phone calls go out, and confirmed orders are continuing to flood in. And then the silence before the 12 PM storm. What would it bring?
Okay, we’re pretty excited at this point. “Only a measly 148 spots to go!” we think. Well, we were about to learn why Amazon’s Sales Rank system is a deeply respected warrior.
We would soon learn if the 2 months of marketing, list building, interest-building, and partner-hunting was going to give us enough fuel to continue defying the list gravity…
At 12:40, we get word that several buyers happen to own large email lists of their own and they’ve decided to promote the book to them. A loud “hurrah” rings out, and the next update is just around the corner…
The page updates and we nervously look at each other. Either our sprint was slowing to a jog, or we were learning about Amazon’s fabled oasis mirage that so many succumb to. This much was obvious: the final 100 spots weren’t going to be easy.
We took a lunch break and rushed back for the next update…
60 spots in one hour! We were back on track! Our Self-Help ranking is forever lost because my screenshot cut it out.
Best seller status was so close! 31 measly spots and our little experiment would be a success! Our final round of emails went out to thousands and the West Coast orders were now flooding in. We were sure that 3 PM would be “THE MOMENT.”
#@*(^%^%$!!!! 104!?
We’re literally at the doorstep of the Inner Sanctum, battering ram in hands. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Were we going to break in or would we have to break down and beg? 4 PM would be the deciding moment.
4 PM and we’ve made the BEST SELLER LIST! A cry of joy erupts. An email immediately goes out to our lists and our partner’s lists to inform them of the great news and urge anyone who hasn’t gotten a chance to pick up a copy and find out what the buzz is all about!
Sales continue strong and we continue to drive forward. How deep can we push into the belly of the beast?
How far will our dog and pony show take us?
In the distance we see Amazon’s demi-gods on their thrones–Dan Brown, J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer–and we stare longingly. Could we ever hope to step foot in those gilded halls?
Sales were still coming in, but our tank was getting low.
Alas, the roller-coaster ride was about to end. We knew we should cherish our time in the exclusive Citadel of Best Sellers because all good things must come to an end.
At 7 PM, we finally felt the resistance as we fell back to #81. It was our first step backwards, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was a little disappointed. The little guy can always dream, right?
But there was a silver lining…
That’s us in the #2 spot for Hot New Releases in Self-Help!
And just like that, the day was over and we learned a lot from our first tangle with Amazon. The book was officially a best seller and we’re already planning our next assault.
Next time, it’s #1 best seller or bust…
What do you think should be the beginning of education?
Think about it for a second. What should be taught before anything else?
While you’re contemplating that, I want to take us back to ancient Greece to learn from one of Socrates’ students, the great Antisthenes.
Antisthenes (445 – 365 BCE), was a Greek philosopher and a pupil of Socrates. He was a man known for his considerable powers of wit and it was said that his works filled ten volumes, but of these, only fragments remain. Later writers regarded him as the founder of Cynic philosophy.
Antisthenes, like his mentor Socrates, believed strongly in the power of words and considered a profound understanding of language as the foundation of knowledge.
“The investigation of the meaning of words is the beginning of education.”
– Antisthenes
That’s about as clear as one can state it, isn’t it? It still blows my mind to think that these powerful secrets to knowledge, wisdom and success have been around for THOUSANDS of years yet very few people understand them today.
And it’s not our fault, to be honest. We aren’t taught it in school. It’s never talked about in the news. Few books have been written on the subject. It’s almost a lost technology of the mind.
The heart of the matter is this: how are we to learn things when we can’t even understand the words with which the concepts are communicated?
The fact is you’re either putting the power to work for you or it’s working against you. That might sound a bit harsh but it’s the truth. The real mystery is how DO you wield this power effectively? Well, fortunately there is a very precise method of doing this. All the heavy lifting has been done for you. Everything has been worked out.
Don’t believe me? Grab the first three chapters FREE and check it out for yourself!
Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889 – 1951) was an Austrian-British philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language.
Two of is his most famous works, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus and Philosophical Investigations are often listed among the top five most important books in twentieth-century philosophy.
Wittgenstein was keenly aware of the power of words and their role in expanding his mind and abilities. Check out the following quote…
“The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for.”
– Ludwig Wittgenstein
Think about that for a second because it is quite a profound statement. The limits of your language are the limits of your mind…all you know is what you have words for…
According to Wittgenstein, we can use the power of words to expand our minds and knowledge endlessly, your mind and knowledge would have no limits; you could expand endlessly.
Sounds pretty incredible, doesn’t it? It is, and you can achieve it if you have the right knowledge and tools. And that’s what you’ll find in The Power of Words: the simplest, most practical method out there to unlock your true potential of intelligence, ability and competence.
The Power of Words: Unlock Your Ability to Learn and Do Anything is launching in only a few weeks (July 21st) and the excitement is building. I have a couple surprises up my sleeve, but you’ll have to wait for them.
In the meantime, let’s travel back to ancient Rome and learn from one of its most influential speakers…
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Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BC – 43 BC) was a Roman philosopher, lawyer, political theorist and constitutionalist. Cicero is widely considered one of Rome’s greatest speakers; he introduced the Romans to the chief schools of Greek philosophy and also created a Latin philosophical vocabulary, distinguishing himself as a linguist, translator, and philosopher.
Cicero, famous for his ability to communicate and persuade, knew well of the power of words and had an incredible ability to put this power to work for him. Here’s how he put it…
“Words for a distinguished style are impossible without having produced and shaped the thoughts, and no thought can shine clearly without the enlightening power of words.”
-Cicero
That quote may seem a bit confusing at first, so let me help. Let’s start with the meaning of a word: “distinguished” means “successful, authoritative and deserving great respect.” I think it’s safe to say that these are qualities we would all like to have. And if you are to follow Cicero’s advice, how can you achieve that?
Well, you must first produce and shape the thoughts that lead to your success, authority and respect. What kind of thoughts would lead you to effective action that will make you successful and respected as an expert?
Just think about it for a second because it applies to every area of your life.
I’m sure you thought of something, and I want to make a bold statement here, but I can back it up with rock-solid proof.
The real secret to achieving your dreams is harnessing the power of words in those areas you want to excel in.
You’ll learn exactly how to do this in The Power of Words, which will be available on July 21st. There’s an entire step-by-step system that you can start using on day one and get results…
Sincerely,
The Power of Words Team
The Power of Words: Unlock Your Ability to Learn and Do Anything is already receiving some great praise. Check it out…
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“Good communication is the key to building a successful business and words are the key to good communication. Sean gets it right in ‘The Power of Words.’”
Richard Haddrill, CEO of Bally Technologies
“If you invest the short time it takes to read, understand and apply the basic principles in this book, there is little doubt you will be a much bigger success than you otherwise would have been. There truly is POWER in words…”
Doug Dohring, Founder of NeoPets.com
“You must read The Power of Words! You need to get it if you want to control your future and take advantage of the KNOWLEDGE available to all of us. Your future success is only limited to the amount of action you take, and the amount of action you take is only limited to how secure you are in what you understand.
“I recommend this simple and easy to read book by Sean Clouden. I use the content everyday to make decisions and take action.”
Grant Cardone, CEO of Cardone Training Technologies
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If you’ve read your free chapters, you already know that the power of words has been understood and used for thousands of years, but you may not know that modern science has confirmed it too.
Studies have shown…
But what’s the most effective way to apply this information?
“Vocabulary building” exercises aren’t enough. Not only are they boring (let’s be honest), they’re too general and simplistic. A real SYSTEM of learning is needed and it must fully address these vital discoveries.
Well, that’s the subject of the book and by the end, you’ll be armed with a simple, proven yet powerful system that allows you to tap into the power of words and use it to excel in any area of your life.
Some of the greatest geniuses in history–people like Socrates, Aristotle, Confucius, Plato, Einstein and Franklin—showed us the way. All we have to do is follow it.
Sincerely,
Sean Clouden
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