New shortened seminar
by Coert Coetzee

The philanthropist who sponsored 80% of our seminar fees in May helped almost 600 people to attend the seminar. Although that means a lot of people were helped, there were also a whole lot more who weren't. We are being flooded by people wanting to know when the next big sponsorship is going to be. They don't want to book for an unsponsored seminar because they don't want to pay the full price of R3,750. But it's impossible to get a sponsor every month, so if some people are only going to attend the seminar when there's a sponsor, they're going to have to wait a very long time. Treoc management have discussed this problem and decided not to accept sponsorships for the seminar fees again. So the sponsorship for July 2009, which reduces seminar fees to R950, is definitely going to be the last fee sponsorship. From now on normal seminar prices will apply. Sponsorships will instead be used for advertising, charity and so on.

But we are not blind to the problems that people are currently experiencing with the recession, and so we've thought long and hard about an alternative to the sponsored seminars. We've had a look at the files full of feedback that we've received at the seminars over the years. Out of approximately 15,000 people who have attended our seminars, only four didn't enjoy them at all. So we can take it as fact that our seminars are very popular; but over the years we've also had a whole lot of feedback from people saying that it's too much information to process in one go.

In addition to that, over the years we've received thousands of requests from people who would like to use our services without attending the seminar. Usually, the reason given for this is either that they already have all the knowledge, or that the seminar fee is too high.

Let's start by addressing the first reason, where people say that they "already have all the knowledge". This is the biggest misconception ever. All the financial planners, estate agents, accountants and attorneys who have attended the seminar since 2003 have said, without exception, that the principles, methods and procedures they learnt at the seminar were things they didn't know before. People who don't understand our methods before using our services cause our staff an enormous additional work burden, because everything has to be explained over and over. After attending the seminar you will understand, for example, exactly why we use the double trust, and what gearing and refinancing are, and why we only buy a certain type of property. Seminar attendance as prerequisite can therefore not be changed.

The second reason that people give for not wanting to attend the seminar is "the seminar fee is too high". And yet thousands of people have written in their feedback to us that the fee is outstanding value for money. People who know the value of the seminar would easily pay R10,000 per person for it. I've received offers like this for private seminars in the past! So people who know what to expect have no problem with the fee, but those who don't know feel that it's too much. We have a 100% money-back guarantee, but people forget about that and instead wait for a sponsorship. The Treoc management team and I discussed it and I think we've found the solution for all these problems. The ideal solution would be to permanently lower the seminar price, but the costs that the company has to carry make that impossible. The only way we can make it work is to make the seminar shorter. The costs would then be considerably lower. However, it would mean that the information would also be reduced... unless we were able to provide the information in some other way. We've now worked it all out, and the result is a shorter, cheaper seminar, but with the same information as before. Here's how it's going to work:

At the new 5-hour seminar, running from 08h00 to 13h00, we will deal with only the main principles of the Treoc Way. After the seminar you'll be in a position to start your own investment business with knowledge and confidence, and to use our service providers if you like. Please note that the use of our service providers is not obligatory.

Those modules from the full-day seminar that are not dealt with at the new seminar will be presented on a continual basis at our offices, as a series of free evening lectures for Platinum members. Members can attend these regular lectures whenever it suits them. For example, if you want to refinance your properties after a year, then you'll first go and attend the refinancing lecture to refresh your memory.

I'd now like to introduce you to our new seminar, which will be starting in August. Click on your language of choice for full detail on the new seminar: Afrikaans or English.

Happy House Hunting!

Good News!

FNB have notified us that with immediate effect they will consider approving loans up to a maximum loan to value of 95% in cases where the purchase price of the property is smaller than R1.5m. Their previous maximum ltv in this category of purchase price was 90%.

Treoc TV - Free money for studies

In our latest episode Coert interviews Ian Deyzel. It probably comes as no surprise that Ian is also an active property investor, as are all our directors and most of our employees. In this episode, Ian tells us how he is making provision for his daughters' study fees with a study trust and property. It beats any education policy hands down any day!

Click here and watch the episode on "Free money for studies".

The show performs!

Within 24 hours our first video had already drawn more than 400 viewers. If we look at the stats of other videos on the internet, Treoc TV's achievement is definitely exceptional.

We are going to try and release an episode each week. We are still experimenting quite a bit with the concept at the moment, both on the technical side and with regard to the content. Internet television is still in its infancy and the technology is very limited. It wouldn't make any economic sense to put together expensive professional productions, and in any case that wouldn't make much difference to quality. We are fortunate in that Coert's daughter Bianca, who is very skilled in the technical department, is managing the production. So production costs are very low.

Irrespective of the technological limitations, we wanted to create a product that wouldn't look like something overdone and pre-rehearsed. So our productions are always going to look as though they were made on the spur of the moment. We don't use studios, but instead film the episodes in offices, building sites or any place where there is a conversation to be had. We also don't use pre-written and rehearsed scripts or text. We decide on a broad topic, and then we start to talk about it and allow the conversation to take its own direction. This is what makes it fresh and real. This is reality at its best.

One problem with Internet TV is that viewing sometimes goes faster than the time it takes for the clip to download. The playback then gets stuck and waits for another little piece to download before it carries on - and then quickly gets stuck again. This process keeps on repeating itself, and it's very frustrating. The busier the internet, the more difficult uninterrupted viewing becomes. Bear in mind that when it's 4pm in the afternoon here, it's 8am in America. When that giant goes onto the internet downloading gets slower, and then it's advisable to make use of the following tip:

As soon as the video starts to play, pause it and let it load. Do something else while it loads. It will only take a minute or two. As soon as it's fully or even partly loaded (when the play bar is almost or completely red) press play, and you can watch without any interruptions.

If you have any questions or need help on downloading or viewing, SUBSCRIBE to TreocTV and send us a message.

July Seminar Sponsorship

By now you've probably realised that the July seminars, which are the last of the old format, are the last chance to get the complete information. This is the seminar that has already created thousands of millionaires. Don't miss this chance, because the sponsored price of R950 for a full-day seminar will never be seen again!

In August we will be starting with the shortened seminar, at a group price of R1,300 per person.

Seminar Dates:

3 July 2009	Johannesburg
13 July 2009	Pretoria
23 July 2009	Cape Town

Further introduction to the Treoc Business Coaching team
By Marina Short - CEO TREOC Business Academy

TBA is extremely passionate about helping small business owners succeed! Our entire organisation is driven by the following corporate culture through which we serve our four stake-holders (clients, employees, share-holders and vendors):

Mission

Global prosperity through entrepreneurial development

Vision

To become the world leader in educating small businesses

Product Philosophy

All of our programmes and products are developed specifically for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. We conduct extensive research on each topic by interviewing experts that are already successful and follow a rigorous product development process that adheres to strict quality guidelines.

Over the coming months and years TBA will be developing a number of different group coaching programmes, audio-visual products, multi-day events and summits and seminars. By offering different education formats we empower our clients with many different education format options.

People Philosophy

TBA aims at being an employer of choice through creating a stimulating and demanding work environment where employees are recognised and remunerated for great work done! We look for people who share similar values to us that are inspired by our mission and our cause and equally committed to making a difference to our clients.

We invest heavily in training, technology and systems to ensure efficiency and maximum performance. This way we are able to achieve consistent results with fewer people, which in turn allow us to keep our top-quality programmes reasonably priced and affordable.

This week, we introduce you to our second coach - Nico van der Merwe, a well-known face in Cape Town.

Nico van der Merwe -TREOC Business Coach After completing his studies in structural engineering, Nico spent the first year working for a boss. This was also the last year he spent working for a boss. Ever since then he has been an entrepreneur, with his involvement ranging from running a one-man operation to being a director in a few companies. Not all of his ventures have been successful, but the most important thing to him is that when he fails, he fails forward. Nico continually achieves his goals, as he keeps on educating himself in the university of life and looking out for new challenges and opportunities. Given his passion for life and his belief in helping people achieve their goals, becoming a TREOC Business Coach was a natural thing for him to do. In 2004 Nico began building a property portfolio according to the TREOC Way. A while ago he sold all his business interests and became a full-time property investor.

We would also like to share a bit of insight from Nico...

Be an Optimistic Entrepreneur
By Nico van der Merwe

Any seasoned businessman will tell a new entrepreneur that he has to have optimism, and bucket loads of it!

A pessimistic entrepreneur just doesn't ring true, somehow.

As you start out on the path of an entrepreneur, you will find that you are full of optimism; if you weren't, you would not be taking the steps that you are. A healthy dose of optimism is essential in order to counter all the prophets of doom out there.

You know all the standard lines by now:
Do you honestly think you can make a living doing that?
What will happen if your idea fails?
How are you going to keep on top of your bills?

If all entrepreneurs listened to the doubters of this world, nothing would have been discovered or invented, and no businesses would ever be opened.

If you aspire to be an entrepreneur, then optimism is one quality you must have. It will give you the motivation to persist during the darkest days.

BUT be careful not to tip the scales too far. Being an optimist doesn't necessarily equate to business success. By "tipping the scales too far", I mean someone who can see no danger, someone who cannot see any downsides, and someone with no skepticism or suspicion.

In order to run a successful business, you must have a balance of optimism and pessimism. If you see yourself as the eternal optimist, find someone who will look for the flaws in your plan; ask a negative thinker for his comments! This is the only way you will see flaws that you would otherwise be blind to.

One word of warning, though: don't get dragged into a discussion about the points that are raised. Entering into a debate or defending your idea will quickly end what is an important conversation. Listen and acknowledge, and then move on to thinking about and taking action on the issues that have been raised.

Remember, keep the scales in balance and don't let them dampen your optimism!

For more information on Treoc Business Coaching, please contact Marina Short on 012 991 1075 or at marinas@treoc.com.

Die Wêreld Agter Ons Wêreld

Dink julle dit is moontlik om in die toekoms te sien? Soos byvoorbeeld wat die rentekoerse gaan maak. Of wat op die aandelebeurs gaan gebeur.

Dr Nols de Bruin, een van ons lede het 'n uitstekende artikel geskryf oor die wetenskap van Afstandpersepsie.

As jy belangstel in die krag van die brein moet jy nie hierdie week se artikel op Lightminded mis nie.

The Treoc Holiday Apartment

The Treoc Group has a luxury apartment in the Strand, near Somerset West, that is usually used by our directors from other provinces when they visit the Treoc Head Office in Cape Town. Since it's frequently under-utilised, the directors have decided to heed the many requests from staff and members and make it available to all Treocians.

This three-bedroom apartment in the Cap d'Azur building, located on the main beach, or Golden Mile as it is known, is close to the Boland winelands and offers a fantastic view of False Bay. The unit is available at the following rates:

Silver and Gold members

Low season (1 May - 30 Nov)	R500 per day
Mid-season (16 Jan - 30 April)	R750 per day
Peak season (1 Dec - 15 January)	R1 100 per day

Platinum members, Treoc staff and directors

Low season (1 May - 30 Nov)	R350 per day
Mid-season (16 Jan - 30 April)	R525 per day
Peak season (1 Dec - 15 January)	R770 per day

Please note: These rates are valid for a minimum stay of three days. For shorter stays the Silver rates will apply for everyone.

For bookings and more information, contact Tina Freimuth at Treoc Holdings on 021 851 2730.