Five Lazy Ways You Can Advance Liberty, page 1

Great... Absolutely fabulous darlings...

It's not dumb. It's smart," said Beverly. "Better than that, it's lazy."

"Lazy is better than smart?" I asked.

"Absolutely! I'll tell you why if you take me out for dinner tonight. Do we have a deal?"

Me and my big mouth. That's what I get for criticizing what she was doing. I agreed, took her to dinner, and learned five lazy ways to make more money -- and advance liberty.

Beverly was a real estate saleswoman. It was the early 1980s -- and she had been selling houses for only 14 months. She consistently earned over $10,000 a month -- three times what most seasoned professionals were pulling down. She didn't make her commissions from one or two big sales. Her home sales were regular, reliable, and rewarding. Month in and month out.

What was she doing that I called "dumb"?

Paying her monthly bills -- and including her business cards with the payments.

That's why I told her, "You're wasting your time. The people processing your bills are going to throw away your business cards. Nobody's going to call you. It's a dumb thing to do."

That's why I ended up paying for dinner -- and learning something incredibly valuable.

Here's what she told me.

"Number One. Every month, I pay my bills by check. Electricity, gas, water, telephone, Visa, MasterCard, car payment, and rent. I donate $20 a month to four charities I want to help," said Beverly. "Every month, I include two of my business cards -- one for the person who opens my envelope, another for a family member or friend. My business cards cost two cents each -- and it takes a few seconds to pop them in each envelope with my check."

"What happened? Did you luck into a sale -- and convince yourself to keep doing it?" I asked.

"I've already earned over $30,000 this year from this and four other quick and easy things," she said. "Five lazy ways -- that take me less than three minutes a week -- and I get paid and extra $30,000. Every year. Does that sound lucky -- or smart?"

"What else are you doing?" I asked.

"Number two. Whenever I spend money with a small business, I hand them two business cards, and say `One for you and one for a friend. If you have any questions about buying or selling a home -- even if you're just thinking about it -- I can get your questions answered... with no obligation. Just phone me. Okay?'

"I do this when I drop off or pick up my dry cleaning, get my hair done, see my chiropractor, visit my dentist or doctor, go to my video rental store, or take my cats to the vet. If there's a receptionist and a professional, I give each of them my card. No pressure. No rejection. Warm, easy, and simple.

"Number three. Whenever I go out for a meal or a drink, I give the waitress two of my business cards with the tip. One for them and one for a friend. Once again, I simply offer to answer any questions. Waitresses are usually friendly, so if they hear another waitress or co-worker or customer mention buying or selling a house, they often give the second card to that person -- and suggest that he call me to get his questions answered.

"Number four. Every time I mail a thank-you note, a birthday card, or a Christmas card, I include two of my business cards.

"Number five. Whenever I drive past a public library, I go in, find the real estate and mortgage books, and slide my business cards inside each one of them. My tax dollars are helping to fund the library. Why not let them earn me enough to get back my tax dollars?

"$30,000 extra every year," she said. "Just from five lazy ways and three minutes each week. Was that worth dinner -- or a lot more?"

"A lot more," I said.

"Good... because you're taking me dancing," she smiled. Then she gave our dinner waiter two of her business cards with my tip -- and invited him to call.

How would you like to make the same impact with libertarianism?

You can. Starting this week.

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