Dear Martin,

Martin, after more than 4 years of getting your emails, reading about the successes your consultants are getting, and scouring the Internet looking for something – ANYTHING – that would help justify my not getting involved with your consulting program, I finally gave up… I QUIT!

That’s right, I threw in the towel. I had simply had enough and I was fed up!

Everything you had been telling me made sense all along. But I’m what you might call a “hard nut to crack.” I’m one of those guys who has to study every little detail of just about everything I do until I can’t find ANY reason not to move ahead.

I know it sounds crazy, but that’s just the way I am – super analytical – to a fault. That quality has saved me a lot of frustration, heartache and money over the years, but I don’t mind telling you – when it comes to not getting involved with your training it’s cost me a literal fortune.

I was pretty secure in my employment. I made pretty good money – not great, but pretty good – for the education I have (B.S. degree). I’m married and have 4 children, and I was skeptical, scared and apprehensive.

How could I leave a well-paying job, benefits, retirement plan and a guaranteed income to embark on a completely new career – totally unrelated to anything I had ever done in the past. I mean, I had no previous business experience. I’d never been in business for myself. What could I possibly tell someone who had been operating their own business for 5, 10, or even 20 or more years? What kind of credibility would I have?

What if they asked me questions that I couldn’t answer? What if they could “see through” me? And what if they asked me for the names of other businesses that I have worked with, and being brand new in this career I didn’t have any? What would I do? How would I overcome those situations?

Isn’t it natural that I would be concerned?

Like I mentioned, I’d been following you for about 4 years and you and I, along with Chad in your office, have had several discussions. I have to say in all honesty that you are one of the most understanding and patient persons I have ever met. You (or Chad) didn’t push me and you didn’t make me feel inferior or somehow inadequate in anyway. You let me run my own race at my own pace; you let me make up my own mind in my own time.

You were always there for me giving me new and helpful information, answering all my questions, encouraging me and putting up with me asking the same questions over and over. And I so admire and appreciate that and express my thanks to you.

Remember at the beginning of this letter how I told you that I QUIT? Well, I did. And here’s what I quit doing:

I quit looking at what isn’t and began focusing on what could be.
I quit thinking about my so-called “security” with my employer and realized that the only real security anyone has is what they, themselves, can bring to the market. I have no control over my employer’s business and if it fails, the “security” they were providing me is no longer. But if I have a valuable and need skill that others need and want and I know how to market it, I’ll have all the security I could want.
I quit over analyzing things. We’ll I still take a good look at things just so I don’t get too far out of line, but I am now making much better decisions and doing it much faster – and it shows dramatically in my income.
I quit giving advice for free. You see, I’ve been watching you for so long that I have a lot of your material memorized. And I’ve been able to help friends by giving away the advice and information I’ve “borrowed” (or is it more proper to say “stolen”?) from you. But I was doing it for free. Crazy me… I could have been getting paid for this all along!
I quit worrying about how I was going to pay the bills, give my kids higher educations and fun my retirement.
I quit living paycheck to paycheck and planning my life around my work, and started fitting my work into the lifestyle I wanted for me and my family. (By the way, your time management system that showed me how to work 3 to 4 days a week and still make well into the six figures is killer!)
I quit listening to my friends and family who all told me I was crazy; I was a dreamer; and there’s no way I could be a “consultant” to other businesses. Funny how this now reminds me of the old advertisement, “They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano – But When I Started To Play…” Let me tell you, they’re not laughing now.
I quit worrying about how I was going to get paying clients.
I quit worrying about what I would say to a client to establish trust, credibility and believability. The best things I have to do that? The book you authored for me, the audio business card and the Competitive Intelligence Report. These things set me apart as an expert right off the bat and I’ve got immediate credibility.
I quit worrying about how I would help a business owner with tons more experience in their business, turn their business from a money-loser into a highly profitable business that is no longer struggling for survival, but is actually controlling and dominating the marketplace.
I quit worrying about what you would think of me if I called you for some more “free” advice, and you knowing I wasn’t going to join you. (As I look back on it now, it was pretty gutsy on my part, and I’m a little embarrassed about it!)
I quit worrying about how I was going to take my wife on that trip that she always wanted to go on – just the two of us – because we couldn’t afford to get someone to watch the kids.
And I finally quit putting myself down in my own mind as someone who just couldn’t do it. Sure others are using your system and making a lot of money and seeming to enjoy their lives, but what about me? There’s no way I could do that. What foolish nonsense. Surely, if others can do it so can I!

Well, there’s a lot of other things I’ve quit doing but there’s not enough time to go into all of them. What I will tell you is that there are a lot of things that I AM doing now that I never thought I could or would be doing.

I’m now 54 years old, I’ve quit my job and I have two kids in high school – one about to graduate. My income requirements are higher than they’ve ever been, and I’m working less that I’ve ever done before.

Instead of a 45 minute commute to work every day and the same (or worse) on the way home, I now “commute” to a spare bedroom in my home. Instead of big dry cleaning bills for my suits and white shirts, I now wear shorts or jeans most days. Of course, when I visit a client or prospect I’ll dress up some, but that’s not an everyday thing.

I’ve changed the insurance rating on my car to pleasure/under 30 miles to work, which saves me on insurance costs. And my fuel costs, maintenance, depreciation and wear and tear are also reduced.

If I feel like taking my wife to lunch and spending an hour and a half, that’s no problem. No time clock to punch or supervisor to look at my empty desk and wonder where I am. I’m home when the kids get home and have time (and the energy) to go to the kids’ ball games and piano recitals. No more “stuck in traffic and miss the first half of the game” stuff for me.

Now let me get to the “good stuff”. My income.

On my previous job – remember the one with the 45 minute commute in the morning and the same in the evening? The one with the supervisor looking over my shoulder? The one with the so-called “security”? Remember the benefits, 401k, medical, dental, paid vacations (2 weeks a year)? Remember THAT job?

Well, the company is on the ropes with this economy and not doing well. Some of my co-workers have been what the company calls “downsized” – really, they’ve been terminated, laid off, let go – or better stated, fired. Now they’re out trying to find someone else to pay them.

Know what their potential employers are looking for? Someone to pay THEM. The only way a business can hire someone and pay them is if the person they hire makes the business enough money to justify their hiring. All these people who are out of work are looking for a paycheck. Instead, they should be looking for a way to add value to a business so the business would crawl over broken glass to bring them onboard.

And that’s exactly what you taught me how to do. Now my security is assured, I’m confident in my ability to provide value for my clients, I know how to communicate that to my prospects and clients, and my income and lifestyle reflects that.

I’ve never been happier, felt better, or had more fun. And I just want you to know how much I appreciate all you’ve done for me, the influence you have had on me, and the change you have made to my family’s and my life.

Remember how I said my analytical nature cost me a literal fortune? Here’s what I meant. My previous job paid me $70,000 per year. In my first year as a consultant I made $116,000, and this year I’m on target for $250,000 – and I’m working an average of about 30 hours a week. (I put in around 40 hours a week in my first year.)

If I subtract $70,000 (from my previous job) from $116,000 (my first year consulting income), I brought home an additional $46,000. I know $116,000 isn’t as much as some of the others are hitting in their first year, but it’s pretty good – especially when it means $46,000 MORE than I previously made, I’m only working 30 hours and no longer have to commute 90+ minutes a day.

My projections for this year? Off the charts (at least for me)! $250,.000 is triple what I was making just two years ago. Now my kids’ education is secured, I can pay off my home, afford to drive better vehicles, and sock away funds for my retirement. And I can take Wendy on those trips we’ve always talked about.

Here’s the “fortune” I said my procrastination and analytical nature cost me: An additional $46,000 times the 4 years it took me to make a decision to join you cost me $164,000! But what if I hit the $250,000 mark in my second year back then? I shudder to think about what I’ve lost. But no looking back now. There’s too much to look forward to.

Once again, Martin, thank you for all your help, your support, and just being there when I needed you.

You have my permission to use this letter (please remove my name) with anyone who may be in the same position I was in for nearly 4 years while trying to decide whether or not becoming a consultant was right for me.