Rich Schefren Business Acceleration Program Review 1

Just before Christmas in December 2007, Rich Schefren and his company Strategic Profits launched the Business Acceleration Program to a hungry crowd of Internet marketing entrepreneurs.

It was a terrific example of building up awareness and creating attention by providing thought provoking information and items from the Strategic Profit blog were regularly featured here. As always I believe there is a lot to learn from seeing how the top professionals market themselves.

In particular the free report, The Attention Age Doctrine Part 2 was a major success as it focused on the problems of creating attention in today's busy, busy world where we are overwhelmed with information and sales messages.

As the report indicates, you could take the Paris Hilton approach - it earns her a lot of money - or you may have more self respect.

The Attention Age Doctrine is well worth reading because it will make you think about the issues of how you gain attention in a world increasing dominated by the Web 2.0 technologies. However surprise, surprise it is a selling tool for the Business Acceleration Program.

What Is The Business Acceleration Program?

You can read the sales letter here but I will give you my version that takes away all the spin and marketing hype.

There are seven parts to it:

1. DVDs, CDs and a book of transcripts of the Main Event conference from July 2007.
    
2. New material in DVD and CD form to cover Advanced Learning.
    
3. Productivity software for faster audio listening (this is nifty) and faster reading (I haven't managed to install my copy yet but I haven't really given it much of a go).
    
4. Six mentoring calls with the featured experts.
    
5. A seven part social media webinar course.
    
6. A chance to discover your working strengths with a chance to take the Kolbe A test and see the explanatory videos. (Highly recommended even if you don't buy into the full Business Acceleration Program hype - see my Strengths Mastery review or go straight to the sales letter.)
    
7. Extra goodies if you are prepared to pay the price in full in one go. There is a money back guarantee so if you've got the cash, you can take this option. It is what I did because I am a Jay Abraham addict and this gets me the updated copy of the famous Mr X book for free (see my review of the original Jay Abraham Mr X book)

There is too much hype in the sales letter for my liking but in this series of reviews, I will help you to decide whether the Business Acceleration program is worth your hard earned cash.

It may seem slow progress but I am rather overwhelmed at the moment with these development programs.

Packaging

"You can't judge a book by its cover" as I point out in my review of the Mr X book mentioned above but this packaging is striking in a very neat black box. It did take some time to work out how to get into it but it looks good on the bookshelf.

Inside are a series of packs of the different sets of CDs and DVDs in a high quality presentation form. This is the best presented home study kit I have seen.

The Main Event Part 1

So far I have listened to the first eight CDs of the Main Event conference from July 2007 so I am still six months behind the people who attended. Before I forget the next Strategic Profits conference called New Beginnings is later in February at Disney World Florida.

Both are "no pitch" sessions but inevitably when a consultant is talking about his expertise, there is an implicit "I can help you" pitch. Ask me to talk about "The Eight Pillars of Business Prosperity" which is my own approach and I will share some of the secrets but it is still a promotional talk (for more details see my Business Profitability lens on Squidoo).

CD 1 - Tom McCarthy opens the conference in great style and has given me a few ideas for my small mastermind group sessions before introducing Rich Schefren.

At this stage Rich is between his Attention Age Doctrine part 1 (the problems) and part 2 (a  resume of the problems and some of the solutions) and is clearly aware that he has struck a chord with people.

Gaining and keeping attention is a problem and this is the start of maven marketing.

CD 2 - David Kolbe moves my understanding of the Kolbe Index forward. This is a great tool and I regard it as the missing link between goals and priorities through to personal action and delegation.

If you find yourself doing things that you don't enjoy and are not very good at but feel guilty about delegating or outsourcing because you think you should be able to do everything, take the Strengths Mastery Advantage.

You can then justify to your own mind's satisfaction why you must delegate/outsource to concentrate on your strengths. This service is available outside of the Business Acceleration Program -see the SMA sales letter or visit the Kolbe website.

CD 3 - Scott Martineau of Infusion explains the benefits of motion sensor marketing, an automated system that responds to the way your customers act. It does sound really neat as you can set up a complete automated customer relationship management system to respond to the way your individual customers are behaving.

This adaptability to customers buying habits is something that Rich Schefren has stressed in his Business Growth System coaching program (see the BGS sales letter or my Business Growth System review) and is a must for serious Internet entrepreneurs.

I had a quick browse at the Infusion website and it looks very interesting but I haven't tried it myself. I have noticed that Rich Schefren and various other "top of the tree" Internet / direct marketers (John Carlton, Dan Kennedy, Joe Polish, Zig Ziglar) do use Infusion so it seems reasonable to assume that it is the best around.

I intend to study it more closely. My own Internet business doesn't justify it at the moment but it could make a major impact on Internet based clients.

CD 4 & 5 - Les Hewitt, co-author of "The Power Of Focus" with the Chicken Soup guys Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen and the idea has developed into a series of books for different types of people. I have bought the first book but it is currently in my "not yet read" pile.

This is about the power of training your mind to focus on what you want with clarity, purpose and commitment.

The problem is that you will have heard variations of the Power of Focus message before. Just about every self help specialist and coach talks about the importance of goals but do you do it?

From memory Les said that surveys show that only 3% of people produce proper goals but on average they earn 10 times as much as the 97% who don't.

I know that there is something in goal setting and it is essential to have an overall purpose and know where you are going and commit to making it happen.

You can find out more about Les and The Power of Focus by taking a look at the Power of Focus website.

CD 6 Janet Switzer, this is my favourite session so far and the information is great as Janet explains how to turn your expertise into 52 super-lucrative profit centres (sorry about my spelling, it is in the middle of the Atlantic as I alternate between UK and US spellings but with 50% North American readership and 25% UK and being British myself I am trying (and failing?) to keep everyone happy.

A very interesting lady.

Janet Switzer had the opportunity of honing her information marketing skills while working for Jay Abraham (in total 12 years working for or with Jay) so you can be sure that she had the opportunity to become an absolute master at what she does and is partly responsible for turning Jay Abraham into the maven he is today. Since then Janet has worked with the Chicken Soup authors and Rich Schefren said in his opening speech to the conference, he wished he could hire her.

If you are a coach, consultant, author or trainer and you sell original information products I recommend that you pop over to Janet's website and sign up for access to her free reports. I have done. Do it now before you forget.

The big message is why work hard selling a $29 e-book when you could be selling a $999 home study kit or a $9,999 group coaching program. Just try working out some numbers and you will find that the income opportunities get pretty exciting.

Janet has been the first expert to record her mentoring call for the Business Acceleration Program so I have another 90 minutes of advice about putting together and marketing information products.

Look out for my book the Eight Pillars Of Business Prosperity hitting the bookshops in 2010 followed by the home study kit (although Janet had a much more exciting name).

CD 7 & 8 Tom McCarthy is a motivational speaker.

He knows people are sceptical because he tells a story of listening to people making fun of motivational speakers but he is good. In fact Tom is great and works with Olympic gold medal winners and world champions.

A terrific presenter who really does energise you and by focusing on posture issues and habits provides a great contrast to Les Hewitt's mental strength from the Power of Focus.

You can learn more about Tom McCarthy and his motivation, leadership and peak performance coaching.

Conclusion So Far

Impressive but this is early days.

I am only half way through part 1 (8 CDs out of 14)  with Jeff Walker, MaryEllen Tribby and Mike Filsaime and a joint Rich Schefren /Tom McCarthy sessions to come so the Internet marketing quota is going to increase.

The Main Event conference last July looks to have been a belter and was extremely slickly presented. Of course when you spend that much money you do want it to be good.

Just to remind you, the next Strategic Profits Conferences starts on 23 February at Disney World Florida so follow the link if you want to see details of the New Beginnings conference. I had a great email from John Carlton this morning (famous copywriter and one of the event presenters and pre-event workshop leaders) saying that the way it is presented is a bit confusing and recommeding that people sign up for his workshop.

You have the option to add extra events before or after (with the Jay Abraham / Rich Schefren maven making workshop the pick in my eyes).

Crunch Question - Is It Worth The Money?

Too early to say at the moment.

Rich Schefren has been true to what he wrote in the launch sales letter. The price has increased considerably so it lifts the bar much higher for new purchasers compared to the people who got in at the beginning, and especially those with an existing client discount. [You may see this as a bad thing, I see it as a honourable client focused approach and it gives me confidence that I can trust what he says will happen].

Inevitably one problem with a compilation program rather than a dedicated program, like for example the Business Growth System which is a similar price is that it is easy to look down a list and say "I like that but I'm not so keen on that."

You can't pay this much for a program if you only want half of it so I have given you links through to the individual experts.

There is a paradox in business information products and business advice generally. If something is free you won't value it as much as something which you pay top dollar for.

Since success comes from learning new skills, thinking how to apply them, a little planning and committed purposeful action, learning that doesn't translate into action is waste.

If paying a big price galvanises you into successful action, it is worth it.

I wrote yesterday in my Ideas To income article that according to Brian Tracy, on average each one of us has 4 ideas each year that could turn us into millionaires.

If the secrets to success are in a $29 e-book and a $4,999 business development program you have a limited number of options

• you buy but never even read the e-book (after all they are usually at impulse purchase prices) so you wasted your $29.
   
• You read the e-book, agree with the ideas but don't take action, you've wasted your $29 and the time taken to read the e-book.
   
• You read the e-book and it is rubbish, you've wasted $29 and your time.
   
• You read the book, take action and you become a massive success - congratulations, you are a real bargain hunter.
   
• You buy the $4,999 program and don't do anything, the money and time is again wasted.
   
• But if you take action from the $4,999 program which makes you $100,000, $500,000 or even the magic $1 million over the next few years you have still received an absolute bargain.

I don't know where you can find an e-book with all the secrets of the Business Acceleration Program.

You could keep looking (possibly forever).

You could research the Business Acceleration Program as my reviews will develop along with reviews from other bloggers (although I do see some people recommending products that I have tried and it is clear they haven't).

Or you could take a chance with the instalment payments option and the 90 day money back guarantee.

Business Acceleration Program sales letter.

Me?

With the price increase, unless you can commit to studying hard and have the time to put the ideas into action I would recommend that you wait until there is evidence of success. There is no impending event price increase to worry about.

But I do recommend that you:

1. Take the Kolbe/Strengths Mastery Advantage test - this is a small price to pay to help focus your work on your natural strengths. I see it as the missing key between goals / priorities and actions. I can't see any value in delaying. Details here.
    
2. If you listen to audio programs, pick up the FasterAudio program. Again it is a tiny price to pay for saving you potentially a massive amount of time, or if you only speed up learning by 50%, it allows you to learn 50% more. Details here.
    
3. Follow up on any of the individual speakers' products which particularly appeal. The Business Acceleration Program is effectively a taster of the best resources that Rich Schefren and the people at Strategic Profits could find.
    
   If you want to go in deep with any of them to solve particular problems and issues or to take better advantage of any opportunities, I can't see any value in waiting.

Future Reviews

It is intended that future reviews of the Business Acceleration Program will be featured on my Business Development Advice blog but I will be updating this page with links.

To Your Success

Your Profit Coach

Paul Simister

Business coaching for customer focused entrepreneurs