Index: src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/DefaultLifecycleExecutor.java
===================================================================
--- src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/DefaultLifecycleExecutor.java	(revision 592325)
+++ src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/DefaultLifecycleExecutor.java	(working copy)
@@ -128,7 +128,25 @@
 
         if ( goals.isEmpty() )
         {
-            throw new NoGoalsSpecifiedException( "You must specify at least one goal. Try 'install'" );
+            StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer( 1024 );
+            buffer.append( "\n\n" );
+            buffer.append( "You must specify at least one goal or lifecycle phase to perform build steps.\n" );
+            buffer.append( "The following list illustrates some commonly used build commands:\n\n" );
+            buffer.append( "  mvn clean\n" );
+            buffer.append( "    Deletes any build output (e.g. class files or JARs).\n" );
+            buffer.append( "  mvn test\n" );
+            buffer.append( "    Runs the unit tests for the project.\n" );
+            buffer.append( "  mvn install\n" );
+            buffer.append( "    Copies the project artifacts into your local repository.\n" );
+            buffer.append( "  mvn deploy\n" );
+            buffer.append( "    Copies the project artifacts into the remote repository.\n" );
+            buffer.append( "  mvn site\n" );
+            buffer.append( "    Creates project documentation (e.g. reports or Javadoc).\n\n" );
+            buffer.append( "Please see\n" );
+            buffer.append( "http://maven.apache.org/guides/introduction/introduction-to-the-lifecycle.html\n" );
+            buffer.append( "for a complete description of available lifecycle phases.\n\n" );
+            buffer.append( "Use \"mvn -?\" to show general usage information about Maven's command line.\n\n" );
+            throw new NoGoalsSpecifiedException( buffer.toString() );
         }
 
         List taskSegments = segmentTaskListByAggregationNeeds(