Issue #2160
- WEALTHY: 8 things you need to understand about making money online (Michael Masterson)
- HEALTHY: The health benefits of a mighty seed (Dr. Ray Sahelian)
- WISE: Mickey Mantle on trying for success
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- 21 ways to get your customers to buy (Clayton Makepeace)
- Get ‘em rolling in the aisles (Peter Fogel)
- It’s Fun to Know… about word origins
- Add "gambol" to your vocabulary
Imagine Knowing of a Casino Where the Dealer Tipped His Hand Before You Made Your Move and Didn’t Care How Many Times You Beat Him.
When would you stop going there?
This is nothing to do with games of chance, but I hope your answer to that question would be a resounding, “NEVER!!” Assuming you’re sane that is… Well, that is a virtually PERFECT analogy of the power of the insider signal!
It’s often said, “The Stock Market is just a big casino”. And it’s true. But the important omission in that statement (to keep the masses out!) is the dealer in this casino tips his hand to the select few… the insiders.
Such powerful knowledge could make YOU very rich indeed… Click here to learn more…
Dear Michael Masterson: "Is it true that I can make money on the Internet?"
"Your article ‘5 Secrets to Doubling Your Money Every 3 Years’ is one of the best and most enlightening that I have read in a long time.
"I am going to retire in about five years. Six months ago, I tried to start up a business as an Internet marketer that I thought would form an excellent passive income and a better return on my retirement. I bought books from various so-called marketing experts, but to date I cannot even upload my own website. I have been inundated with too much information, half of which, now I know, I could have found on the Internet. I paid a couple of hundred bucks for material that is not helpful.
"Complaining to you now will not help me, but answering just one question could change my mind about the so-called Internet marketing gurus: Is it true that I can make money on the Internet – and can I regard the Internet as a business? All the millions of dollars that the gurus promise, are they attainable?"
Amy Davidson
Amy,
The short answer is yes.
The longer answer is yes, if you understand that the Internet is not a magic place where miracles happen… that it’s simply a medium, a place where you can sell your products… that its one big advantage over other media is that once you get a prospect’s name, you don’t have to spend any more money selling to that person… that to create a business, you must start with a product to sell and you must spend 80 percent of your time and money selling that product… that the first product you try will likely fail because you don’t know anything about the market… that you have to be able to afford the time and money to keep trying products and promotions until one succeeds… that after that one product succeeds, you have to sell the hell out of it in order to get some cash flow going, and, more important, to build a substantial list of people you can sell to… that once you build that list of potential customers, you have to change your business into one that can produce and market many products, both front-end and back-end…
And that’s just the beginning.
You are doing the right thing in trying to educate yourself, but you need to focus on coming up with a product that can sell really well to an existing, active, growing market. Do you have that?
If your product is an information product – an e-book, an e-newsletter, a home-study program, etc. – you should try to make it to ETR’s Info Marketing Bootcamp, Making a Fast Fortune on the "Other Side" of the Internet. If it’s not an information product, you should consider ETR’s Direct Marketing Masters Edition, which can teach you how to market anything through direct mail. Either way, you should definitely read my new book, Ready, Fire, Aim, when it comes out in January. It’s a comprehensive review of everything I’ve learned about building a business.
As for getting your website up, you should look into XSitePro, which has a website-development tool that can help you learn how to build a website in just a few hours. This is same tool we showed to the people who attended our recent 5 Days in July Internet Conference in Denver.
- Michael Masterson
[Ed. Note: Have a question for Michael Masterson? Write to him at AskMichael@ETRfeedback.com.]
"Somebody once asked me if I ever went up to the plate trying to hit a homerun. I said, ‘Sure, every time.’"
Mickey Mantle
21 Secrets of Great Sales Copy
Copywriters, marketing professionals, and business owners often ask me, "How do I tell the difference between good sales copy and bad sales copy?" It’s an important question, and getting it right can make the difference between a mediocre response rate and hitting an out-of-the-park homerun.
To start, it helps to understand that consumers almost never buy things because it’s logical. The vast majority of purchases are made because they satisfy an emotional need. So, great sales copy must connect with your prospect’s most powerful emotions – positive or negative – and demonstrate how reading the copy and buying the product will fulfill or assuage those desires or fears.
Your sales message is like a chain designed to meet the reader at the point of his need, and then lead him, step by step, link by link, to the order form. This chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The minute you lose the "tingle factor," the reader gets bored and the chain breaks. Your sales copy is only as strong as its strongest link. The more compelling you make each section of your sales letter, the greater your response and average order will be.
Sales copy has the power to make or break a direct-marketing campaign, a product launch – and a marketer’s career. That said, here are 21 tips to make your copy stronger, your ads more effective, and help you create winning direct-mail and Internet promotions.
1. Be somebody. Putting a friendly and/or highly qualified human face on copy – and speaking in that person’ s voice – will ramp up the impact of your sales messages.
2. Talk to your readers. Avoid "we" and focus on "you." Use the word "you" as often as is humanly possible throughout the text. Remember, your prospect really doesn’t care about you, they care about themselves.
3. Be personal. Pretend you’re talking to a friend. What would you say? What would they say? And what would you say back? Avoid copy like "We want to help you…" in favor of "Here, let me help you…"
4. Identify with your prospect. Tell the reader what you have in common. Let him know that you empathize – that you’ve been there. Anything that puts you on the reader’s level will create a connection that boosts response.
5. Put a face on the enemy too. Why has the reader failed to solve this problem or fulfill this desire? Were the "experts" who gave him advice wrong?
6. Prove every point. Never ask your reader to accept any claim at face value. Always include proof elements, such as study data from respected sources, expert testimonials, user testimonials, or statements that support your position from major publications such as The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times.
7. Don’t fear the occasional obvious statement. Don’t exaggerate or lie, but don’t be afraid to go "over the top" when trying to get, and keep, your reader’s attention.
8. Speak colloquially. Speak to your prospects as they’re used to being spoken to. They’ll appreciate the occasional dangling participle – even if your old English teacher wouldn’t.
9. All jargon is not evil. Jargon can be very effective, especially when the jargon is familiar to the reader. When the jargon is being spoken – sparingly – by an expert, it can demonstrate the expert’s knowledge.
10. Figures of speech are wonderful! Remember, you’re "talking" to an individual. You’d certainly use figures of speech if you were face to face. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a good figure of speech should be worth at least 100. But be careful – don’t overdo it.
11. Use powerful words and phrases, such as "amazing," "bargain," "bonus," "discount," "discovery," "just arrived," "premium," "prestigious," "savings," and (of course) "FREE." Similarly, avoid wimpy words such as "may" and "ought," and phrases like "in my opinion." Write with the courage of your conviction.
12. Squint. As you study the page, ask yourself, "At first glance, does this feel easy-to-read and inviting? Or is it covered with long, dense paragraphs that will discourage the reader?" Look for opportunities to turn a long block of copy into a string of pearls.
13. Go for precision and power. Many experts say you should always use short words, writing as if the prospect is an eighth grader. Don’t do it! Given a choice to use a long word or a shorter one that means the same thing, go with the shorter word. If a longer word – or even a phrase – more precisely conveys your meaning or more effectively invokes the emotion you’re going for, use it.
14. Short sentences rule!
15. Count commas. Commas can be a big red flag that screams run-on sentence. Or that you’ve written an upside-down sentence. Consider… "With only the finest of intentions, Clayton wrote his example." Now try this… "Clayton wrote his example with the finest of intentions." Which is better?
16. Use connecting words at the beginning of paragraphs. In addition to communicating, every paragraph of great copy should also make a sale. It should "sell" the prospect on the idea of reading the next paragraph with words such as "and," "plus," "furthermore," and "what’s more."
17. Look for shortcuts to keep the momentum going. Use contractions – because that’s how people talk.
18. Be specific. Every generality in your text is a landmine. Instead of saying "You’ll save money," tell your prospects how much they’ll save.
19. Consider the question. Some copywriters recommend that you avoid asking a question in the headline or elsewhere in the copy. But how about a question like "What’s wrong with getting richer QUICKER?" More than a question, it is a compelling cry of defiance.
20. When in doubt… cut it out. Often your best lead is buried a few paragraphs down. Moving or deleting the first few paragraphs – even the first page – can get you off to a much faster start. Second drafts are the perfect time to spot needless repetition and condense several paragraphs into one short, punchy one.
21. Break the rules!
[Ed. Note: Clayton Makepeace has spent the last 35 years creating direct-mail, Internet, and print promotions that have sold well over $1 billion worth of products. Plus, as a direct-marketing consultant and copywriter, he's helped four major direct-marketing firms at least quadruple sales and profits to well over $100 million per year each.
Clayton publishes the highly acclaimed e-zine, The Total Package to help business owners and copywriters accelerate their sales and profits. Click here to check it out.]
Wanted: Investors Who Want to Grow Rich the "Lazy" Way
It doesn’t take a lot of time. You don’t need a lot of money to get started. It doesn’t require a lot of work. Best of all, the returns you’ll pocket will shock you (how does 724% sound?).
Get all the facts right now here.
5 Ways to Use Humor in Your Speech or Presentation
By Peter "The Humorator" Fogel
There is no greater feeling than when your speech gets you both laughs and applause. On the other hand, when you get silence or (worse) moans… well, you’d rather sink into the floorboards than go on.
You can be a "good" speaker without using humor. But you can be a more captivating and powerful speaker when you use humor efficiently. Here are five ways to do it.
- Don’t tell jokes. Stand-up comics – like moi – have worked on this skill for decades. If you do tell a joke, don’t set it up as one. Take the joke and rewrite it as a funny story that has a beginning, strong middle, and powerful end. Present it in the first person and always have a personal connection to it.
- Don’t telegraph the joke. Nothing is worse than telling your audience that you’re about to tell them a joke. Don’t start with, "Here’s a funny thing that happened to me today…" Your audience will think, "Uh, pal… I’ll determine if the story is funny." A humorous story should always incorporate the element of surprise with the introduction, delivery, and punchline.
- Tried-and-true is best. Your audience is anticipating that you’re going to open with a joke, so it better be powerful. Don’t test a new joke as your opening. Your joke/story has to be a fail-safe winner. To discover if it is, try it out in the middle of your presentation. If you’ve mined gold, go back and see if you can restructure your speech to allow you to open with it.
- Keep it funny and fresh. Don’t retell a well-known joke that’s been in circulation on the Internet since the Clinton administration. There are, let’s call them "obscure" jokes from yesteryear that can be rewritten into an updated story that suits your needs. But if you use a well-known old joke, you will come off as a second-rate comic to your audience.
- Make it specific to your point. No matter how funny the story is, it’s useless if it’s not pertinent to the important point you are trying to make.
Humor, like a loaded gun, should have a target and be a means to your end. Your best bet in delivering a humorous story is to use a real-life story that shows angst, irony, and a solution to a problem that your audience can relate to. If your audience is laughing, you know they’re listening!
[Ed. Note: Peter Fogel is a copywriter/speaker/author and creator of Peter "The Humorator" Fogel's Guide to Effective Public Speaking. For more information and to sign up for his FREE 7 Days to Effective Public Speaking e-course, go to www.publicspeaklikeapro.com.]
A Cancer Inhibitor With a Little Crunch
I am a big fan of flaxseeds. I really enjoy the crunchy taste. Flaxseeds – which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and lignans (a fiber found in the seed coat) – are helpful for colon health, similar in some ways to psyllium. And new research indicates that they can prevent the spread of some types of cancer.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina took a look at the seed’s role as a food supplement in 161 men who were scheduled to undergo surgery for prostate cancer. Half of the men added 30 grams of flaxseed (about one ounce) to their diets for about 30 days. After the surgery, the researchers looked at the men’s tumor cells to see how quickly the cancer had multiplied. The cancer cells in the flaxseed group were growing about 30 to 40 percent slower than in the control group.
If you want to get the health benefits of flaxseeds, you can add half a teaspoon or a teaspoon of raw flaxseeds to soups and salads. Or you can take a flaxseed oil supplement in the form of one or two softgels a day. You can find flaxseeds and flaxseed oil in health food stores or online.
[Ed. Note: Ray Sahelian, M.D., the author of Mind Boosters, %%track {http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312195842/earlytorise-20} -name {edmen-mind-boosters-book} -group {ETRhealthconcerns}%% is internationally recognized as a moderate voice in the evaluation of natural supplements. Visit Dr. Sahelian's website at www.RaySahelian.com, and read more of his articles about the supplements you should and shouldn't be taking at ETR's FREE natural health e-letter.]
It’s Fun to Know: Word Origins
If you ever wondered why the word "kitty" is used to refer to the pot to which poker players contribute, Willard Espy offers this humorous explanation in Thou Improper, Thou Uncommon Noun:
"[The name] Catherine turned to Kate, and Kate to Kitty. Some Kittys were no better than they should be, and Kitty became one of the many epithets applied to prostitutes. Spirited Johns – not yet lowercased for a prostitute’s customer – used to amuse themselves by tossing coins into the laps of Kittys, as poker players today throw their antes or bets into a kitty in the hope of getting a winning hand. The sequence cannot be proved – no one will talk – but it seems plausible."
You CAN learn to become wealthy!
Success is not encoded in an individual’s DNA and does not transfer from father to son or mother to daughter. It is a process – and learning the process is a major KEY to setting up for success.
Today I’d like to offer you two complimentary reports to help you get started: “How To Get What You Need To Succeed In Life" and "Simple Guidelines for Creating Abundance In Your Life."
There will be many steps you take towards your goals where it will feel like you’re taking two steps forward and one step back. You will have breakthroughs, triumphs, and opportunities to overcome adversity.
But to keep moving forward, you just might need a friendly kick-in-the-pants every once in a while. Here’s how to stay energized towards action and success every day of the year.
- Charlie Byrne
Word to the Wise: Gambol
To "gambol" (GAM-bul) – from the Latin for "leg" – is to playfully skip or leap about.
Example (as used by Barbara Kingsolver in The New York Times): "I’ve been told dolphins like to gambol in the waves in these waters, and that sighting them brings good luck."
[Ed. Note: Become a more persuasive writer and speaker ... build your self-confidence and intellect ... increase your attractiveness to others ... just by spending 10 VERY enjoyable minutes a day with ETR's new Words to the Wise CD Library.]
Michael Masterson
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2007
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