At last, for a generation that’s materially ambitious yet financially clueless comes I Will Teach You To Be Rich, Ramit Sethi’s 6-week personal finance program for 20-to-35-year-olds. A completely practical approach delivered with a nonjudgmental style that makes readers want to do what Sethi says, it is based around the four pillars of personal finance— banking, saving, budgeting, and investing—and the wealth-building ideas of personal entrepreneurship.

Learn More about Ramit Sethi’s Book I Will Teach You To Be Rich

The speaker’s manner suggested that it was quite an achievement. But, it has been done by many, so everyone craned their necks and looked at the man in puzzlement.

“… and he’s totally blind.” There was a burst of applause. When that finally quieted, the speaker said, “I’m sure that many of us are wondering how you got into the top third in sales achievement with your handicap.”

“Wait a minute,” the blind man replied, “I don’t have a handicap, I have an advantage over every other salesperson in my field. I have never seen a product I’ve sold, so I have to close through my prospect’s eyes. What I do is what all of you sighted people could do. You’d serve your clients better, and make more money if you did.”

This is so true! You must see the benefits, the features and the limitations of your product or service from the buyer’s viewpoint. You must weigh them on their scale of values, not your own. Once you are able to do that, you will be able to concentrate on your job of serving them. You will be able to empathize with their situation, their specific needs and radiate the confidence that you can help them.

There are certain signs you will begin to notice when they are ready to go ahead with your product or service.
1.When they change the pace of your discussion — either by slowing it down or speeding it up.

2.When they start asking more questions about the product or service.

3.When they become more relaxed and less businesslike.

4.When they favor your test close. This would be a question about installation or start up of service that they answer without hesitation or when they give you an objection.
Now that you know they’re ready, where do you close? Anywhere. If you are in their office, your showroom, your car, or even a restaurant, if they’re ready, put your pen to paper. For many people there is a certain excitement about executing a decision, right now. Most of us feel joy and relief at having the mental strain behind us. We now see only the benefits of having the product or service already working for us. Don’t spoil that mood for your customers by insisting on getting back to the office, or somewhere where you’re comfortable to start writing up the agreement. You’ll be taking the risk of having them cool off about their decision. To use an old cliche, “Strike while the iron is hot!”

Be aware that your buyer may be the kind of person who needs to be sitting at a desk or conference table to finalize any paperwork on a purchase. If they are, you should understand any hesitation and suggest that you get into a more appropriate setting before you begin putting things on paper. If you press that kind of person, they may quickly have second thoughts about the investment.

If buyers show hesitation once you’ve begun your closing sequence, you need to relax them and let the pressure off before continuing. Begin by apologizing to them for rushing things. Tell them that you get excited when you think about all the benefits they’ll be receiving, and that you may have gotten a bit overzealous. Watch them closely here and when they begin to relax, summarize the benefits they already agreed to, using questions.
- “I know there are still a lot of questions in your mind, but this model is the size you wanted, isn’t it?”

- “And the delivery date we discussed is okay, am I right?”

- “Our service agreement meets your company’s needs, doesn’t it?”
Once you’ve covered all the minor agreements, ask a lead-in question and try another close. A lead-in question would be something like, “I know I covered that list of items rather quickly, but those are the things we’ve discussed so far, and we have agreed on them, haven’t we?”

If they still show hesitation, I suggest you move on to the “Similar Situation” Close. The “Similar Situation” close is one in which you tell them about another client who had needs much like theirs. They hesitated at first, but finally agreed to go ahead with the investment and today they are so happy they did. They realized all the benefits you had discussed in your presentation and a few others they hadn’t thought of previous to making their decision.

After each transaction make notes on the situation and the resolution of each client’s challenges. This way, you’ll have a large inventory of similar situations you can draw from when a new client shows hesitation. Once they see that you’ve helped someone in the same type of situation before, it’ll build their confidence in your ability to do the same for them.

Once they understand that your main interest is in serving their needs, not your own pocketbook, they’ll relax and let you see exactly what they see through their eyes.

Our school system has been designed as an environment to enlighten young minds, to replace ignorance with understanding and thereby improve the quality of life. Our educational system has obviously been successful in many areas. However, it has woefully neglected one important subject, “How to Earn Money.” You can earn a doctorate degree in economics and have little or no knowledge of how to earn money. A lack of understanding in this area is the cause of numerous unwanted and unnecessary problems, since money is the medium of exchange that is used worldwide for other people’s products and services.

There has always been a small, select group, approximately 3% of our population, who clearly understand that prosperity consciousness is the primary cause of wealth and their prosperity consciousness, like ignorance, is also passed down from one generation to the next.

Let’s look at “money.” What is it? Money is a reward you receive for the service you render. The more valuable the service, the greater the reward. Thinking of ways we can be of greater service will not only help us earn more money, it will also enable us to grow intellectually and spiritually.

Money Is An Idea:
The paper you fold and place in your purse or pocket is not money. It is paper with ink on it. It represents money, but it is not money. Money is an idea. The earning of money has nothing to do with the paper stuff. It has to do with consciousness.

I am aware there are books that instruct you on how to manipulate the market, stocks and people… they might even help you get money. But, let me caution you… when there is no spiritual growth… there is no spiritual strength… there is no lasting happiness… and, there is no real or lasting wealth.

To accumulate wealth, a person must become very comfortable with the idea of money. That may sound strange, however most people are not comfortable with the idea of money, which is why they do not have any. The cause of poverty is poverty consciousness. A poverty consciousness will cause a person to see, hear, smell, think and feel… lack and limitation.

The late Mike Todd said, “Being broke is a temporary situation. Being poor is a mental state.”

He was correct. There are wealthy people who lose every cent they have through a series of mistakes in judgment… but that does not make them poor. They will have it all back in a short time because of their prosperity consciousness.

If you have any question in your mind regarding your level of consciousness with respect to money, be very honest with yourself and look at your results. Study the patterns in your life.

If you want to improve your financial position in life, focus your attention on creating a higher level of prosperity consciousness. Begin by preparing a powerful, positive affirmation and fuel it with emotion. When you do this, you are depositing this creative energy in the treasury of your sub-conscious mind. And, by repeating this process over and over and over again every day, it will begin to alter your conditioning and mentally move you in the direction you want to go. Write it out, read it, feel it, and let it take hold of your mind.

How much money do you want? Saying you want more is not good enough. Five dollars is more. How much more? Decide on a figure. Be specific. You will not seriously want more money than you are capable of earning… however, you would be wise to remember, you must earn it.

There Are Three Income Earning Strategies:
Trading time for money – By far the worst of the three income earning strategies, it is employed by approximately 96% of our population – doctors, lawyers, accountants, laborers, etc. There is an inherent problem with this strategy – saturation. You run out of time. If a person accumulates any degree of wealth employing this strategy, it will be at the expense of a life. They compromise on the car they drive, the house they live in, the clothes they choose and the vacations they take. They rarely, if ever, get what they want.

Investing money to earn money – This strategy is used by approximately 3% of the population. The number is small for the obvious reason – very few people have any money to invest. Many people who effectively employ this strategy follow the advice of a trusted, knowledgeable advisor.

Leveraging yourself to earn money – This is where you multiply your time through the efforts of others by setting up Multiple Sources of Income (MSI). This is, without question, the very best way to increase your income. Make a decision to have many sources of income; it’s the strategy that wealthy people have used dating clear back to the ancient Babylonians. Unfortunately, this strategy is only used by approximately 1% of our population, yet that 1% earns approximately 96% of all the money that is earned! You are only a decision away from membership.

Once you determine how much money you want to earn, write it down on a sheet of paper in large figures. Look at the number with the dollar sign beside it and tell yourself over and over again:

That Amount of Money is an Effect:

It Represents a Reward that I Want to Receive.

What Service Can I Render that Would be Deserving of that Reward?

You can take the total figure and divide it into multiple parts. Each part would represent a source of income. Each source of income represents a separate reward that you would receive for a service you would render.

Work on one source of income at a time; each one can become an exciting part of your life. What you are actually doing is thinking of different ways you can be of service to others.

Think of how you can do whatever you do – more effectively.
Think of how you can improve the quality and quantity of service you render.
Think of how you can help people in a greater way.

Money is the ultimate servant. The more you earn, the more you can help others.

Many people just muddle through life. They don’t read informational material, they don’t even pay attention when they WATCH television. If you ask them what they are watching, they mumblemouth, “Nothin’, I’m just lookin’.”

What are your goals for your career? For your relationships? For your spiritual life? Develop a schedule for the next month, the next six months, the next year, five years and ten years. Write it all out.

Let’s take one of the most common goals: You want to make more money. If that is your goal, then take some practical steps toward realizing it.

First, determine specifically how much money you want to make. Then, double that amount and make THAT your goal. Even if you don’t reach the higher amount, you will probably still find yourself making more than your original goal.

Second, decide the amount of energy you are willing to expend to reach your goal. How many hours are you willing to work a day? How many jobs are you willing to hold down? What sort of work are you willing to do?

A third step in this process is to develop a practical plan of action and get started immediately. Chart out where you want to be in relation to your goal in the next month, six months, one year, five years and ten years. Get started today. Go apply for that second job NOW! Go enroll in that career training program NOW! Ask for that raise NOW!

And finally, make sure that you have all of this written down so that you can review it every morning and every night and envision yourself taking these steps, DOING THEM and SUCCEEDING!

Todays society places tremendous significance on physical appearance, material possessions and money. From a very young age, we are programmed to want more and more, and often place greater importance on things, rather than people and relationships. Jim Tuman illustrates how to get back in touch with the true essence of life through real-life stories that will touch your heart and soul. He shows people of all ages how to cut through the barriers to create more loving, caring relationships with the most important people in their lives. He also teaches how to be more compassionate and open-minded with people who are different. With Jims intense style and captivating presence, kids and adults alike will thoroughly enjoy this program.

Jim Tuman is an internationally known sociologist, educator, and motivator who has spoken to over 2 million kids in more than 2,000 schools worldwide. He inspires young people to examine their motives, goals, and feelings, and shows them how to make meaningful decisions about their futures. As a media personality, Jim Tuman has been featured on ABC, NBC, and CBS National News, the Today Show, and the Oprah Winfrey Show. In addition, he has been written about in USA Today, Business Week, The Chicago Sun Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The Detroit Free Press, and The New York Times. He is a legend in the youth improvement arena, and continues to change the world.

Financial freedom comes to the person who saves ten percent or more of his income throughout his lifetime.

One of the smartest things that you can ever do for yourself is to develop the habit of saving part of your salary, every single paycheck. Individuals, families and even societies are stable and prosperous to the degree to which they have high savings rates. Savings today are what guarantee the security and the possibilities of tomorrow.

Start With Yourself

The first corollary of the Law of Saving comes from the book The Richest Man in Babylon by George Classon. It is to “Pay yourself first.”

Begin today to save ten percent of your earnings, off the top, and never touch it. This is your fund for long-term financial accumulation and you never use it for any other reason except to assure your financial future.

Develop New Habits Regarding Money

The remarkable thing is that when you pay yourself first, and force yourself to live on the other ninety percent, you will soon become accustomed to it. You are a creature of habit. When you regularly put away ten percent of your earnings, you soon become comfortable living on the other ninety percent. Many people start by saving ten percent of their income and then graduate to saving fifteen percent, twenty percent, and even more. And their financial lives change dramatically as a result. So will yours.

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Take Every Advantage

The second corollary of the Law of Saving says, “Take advantage of tax deferred savings and investment plans.” Because of high and even multiple tax rates, money that is saved or invested without being taxed accumulates at a rate of 30% to 40% faster than money that is subject to taxation. Self-made millionaires, according to Dr Thomas Stanley’s book The Millionaire Next Door, are almost obsessive about accumulating their funds in assets such as real estate, self owned businesses and equities that increase in value without triggering tax liabilities.

Invest in company pension and retirement plans, 401(k) plans, IRA’s, Keough Plans, Roth IRA’s, Education Investment Accounts, stock option programs and whatever else has been approved by the IRS for long term financial accumulation. Make every dollar count!

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to apply this law immediately:

First, begin today to put away ten percent of your earnings. Set up a special account for this purpose and treat your contributions to this account with the same respect that you do your rent or mortgage payments each month.

Second, become a lifelong student of money. Read the best books, take courses and subscribe to the most helpful magazines. Know what you are doing so you can always make intelligent decisions when you invest your funds.