What Words Sell Best?
Issue #2164
- WEALTHY: The one thing that always trumps fear and greed (Andrew Gordon)
- HEALTHY: ETR loses one Herring and gains another
- WISE: Joseph Conrad on the power of words
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- How the power of words increased one company’s sales by 60% (Bob Bly)
- The best recourse when you’re deeply in debt (Michael Masterson)
- It’s Fun to Know… about the robot code of ethics
- Add "discomfit" to your vocabulary
"I lost my fear, opened my mind and listened and I cannot believe the result."
Hello Bob,
I finished The Billionaire Way about 10 days ago. Now I promise you I did not cheat on this so hear me out.
I started the first two or three days I think and there was a transaction I was involved in that I was not comfortable with but had an emotional attachment to. I sat down one night and crunched the numbers and made some tough decisions, all emotion aside.
Then about two weeks into the program there was the day when we had to exclude our emotions and cut off dead baggage. Wow, I felt like yeah, OK I’m getting this because I just did that.
OK so now I’m tearing along the program, accepting things that I am already doing and working on the things I am not comfortable with. Vigilantly everyday, watching the DVD after the kids were in bed and working my work book.
Two days after I finished the program I saw an opportunity which I could assess very well given my clarity of vision, my assessments of my talents and the work I had accomplished.
It is my joy to tell you that I am founding executive of a new international network marketing company, the likes of which have never been seen and I have already built my team Australia wide within 10 days, using the billionaire way techniques.
I lost my fear, opened my mind and listened and I cannot believe the result. Thank you so much…
Regards,
Kathy
Learn more about The Billionaire Way program today…
Make Long-Term Trends Your Friend
When the S&P 500 dropped five percent in the 30 days leading into mid-August, the two mining plays I recommended to my subscribers dropped over 20 percent - mostly on the fear that global economic growth was slowing. Yet, I had no problem with that. You see, they’re two of the best-performing stocks in the portfolios for my INCOME and Wealth Advantage advisory services. BHP Billiton (BHP) is still up more than 60 percent since the beginning of the year, and my other mining stock, Bucyrus (BUCY, which makes mining equipment) is up 25 percent.
This is all I need to know: While the stock market is in a temporary dip, there are long-term shortages of several minerals that should guarantee fat profits for both companies for years to come. As an investor, you’re always better off acting on the sure long-term trends and ignoring temporary issues stoked by fear or greed.
[Ed. Note: ETR’s Investment Director Andrew Gordon is the author of nearly a dozen books on energy markets, global countertrade practices, and the hot growth sectors of China and Russia. He’s the editor of INCOME, a monthly financial advisory service that uncovers income-generating stocks that promise safety (first and foremost), along with much-higher-than-average profit potential.]
"He who wants to persuade should put his trust not in the right argument, but in the right word. The power of sound has always been greater than the power of sense."
Joseph Conrad
What Words Sell Best?
By Bob Bly
For several years, car manufacturers have been proactively marketing sales of used vehicles with ads touting "certified pre-owned vehicles." These are used cars that have been thoroughly inspected and come with a warranty equivalent to that of a new car (or close to it).
A few weeks ago, I heard a radio commercial for Toyota, which has jumped into this market. But instead of calling their used cars "pre-owned vehicles"… they call them "used cars"!
Now I admire plain-speaking people and honest, forthright language… and "used car" fits that bill better than "pre-owned vehicle." On the other hand, there’s a reason Montblanc sells "writing instruments" - and the reason is, no one wants to pay $100 for a "pen."
So what do you think? Will Toyota’s honesty be rewarded by consumers with more sales? Or are they shooting themselves in the foot by not advertising "pre-owned vehicles"?
I don’t know the answer. No one knows the answer to any marketing question until they test it. But there’s one thing I do know…
The words you choose for your marketing copy can make a big difference in how well it performs.
Or, to put it another way: Semantics sell.
Here’s a great example…
A number of years ago, when Clinton was still in office, I was driving in the D.C. area, where I almost always get lost. As I desperately tried to find K Street, I heard a radio commercial for American Spectator, the conservative magazine. The commercial said that if you called a toll-free number to subscribe, you would get a free premium - a special report titled "Inside the Clinton White House."
I didn’t call, but I am pretty sure that American Spectator, as is typical of magazines, put together this special report by assembling reprints of a few articles they’d done on Clinton during the year.
Listen to the words. "Special report" sounds important and exclusive… like something you’d want to have. And the title - "Inside the Clinton White House" - sounds juicy.
On the other hand, what if the radio commercial had closed with, "So call toll-free today to subscribe… and we’ll give you a bunch of past articles ripped out of old issues of the magazine and stapled together"?
I can’t imagine the phone ringing off the hook for that one.
Another example of the power of words in marketing is the old comic book ad with the headline "Enter the wonderful world of amazing live sea monkeys… open a bowl full of happiness - instant pets!"
The ad pictured a happy underwater family of cute, friendly creatures - a mom, dad, and kids - cavorting outside the family castle… presumably in a fish bowl… as a human youngster and his human parents (who had purchased the sea monkeys) look down in delight.
Well, if you took the bait and mailed in your money, what you got was a plastic vial full of dried brine shrimp eggs… with instructions to hatch them in warm, salty water. When mine hatched, they looked nothing like the handsome sea monkey family in the ad. They were little dots moving around in a bowl of water.
Yes, words have power. And the words you choose for your advertising decide a lot about what people think of you, your company, your product, and your offer… especially whether they want to buy or try it.
No one wants brine shrimp eggs. But "instant pets" and "amazing live sea monkeys"? I’m in!
One last example…
My colleague Gary Hennerberg was called on by a company in Texas that sold mail-order fruitcakes. Fruitcakes weren’t selling like hotcakes (big surprise)… and they needed to boost orders.
Gary asked the bakery what ingredients were used, and, to his surprise, he found that these fruitcakes contained pecans. Not only that, but they were grown locally in Texas, on the banks of a river, where the moisture made them particularly flavorful.
Gary told the company to test a mailing calling the product "native Texas pecan cakes" instead of "fruitcakes." They followed his advice… and fruitcake sales soared by 60 percent
Semantics, I guess. Go figure.
[Ed. Note: Master copywriter and best-selling author Bob Bly is the editor of ETR’s Direct Marketing Masters Edition. a program to help you start your own successful direct-mail business. Sign up for Bob’s free monthly e-zine, The Direct Response Letter, and get more than $100 in free bonuses.]
On October 9, the Most Powerful Force in the Market Begins Again
On October 9, you could be presented with a monumental money-making opportunity as public companies begin to release reams of previously undisclosed information.
The last time this came around, sharp investors had a chance to pocket gains of 149% on Marriott… 217% on Chaparral Steel… 160% on Qualcomm… and 136% in McDonald’s.
No other predictable event results in more price movement than what I have to share with you. Position yourself properly, before October 9, and you could make more money in the next six weeks than most investors make all year.
Dear Michael Masterson: "Would real estate be the quickest way for me to get out of debt?"
"I am $62,000 in medical and credit card debt due to a hip operation. I have been out of work for about year, and can’t make the minimum payments on those obligations. I don’t want to file bankruptcy, because I owe the money, and that just would not be right. I want to invest in real estate, but I don’t know how to get started with no money and no support. I think it would be the quickest way for me to get out of debt.
"Also, I want to sign up for ETR’s mentoring course (the ‘Total Success Achievement Program‘), but I can’t afford $29 per month. Please advise me what to do. I am currently looking for work and trying to find work online that I can do."
Evan Phillips
Dear Evan,
Investing in real estate is not the right option for you. Investing in anything makes no sense. Why? Because you have no money. It sounds like you don’t even have an income.
What you have to do now is create an income - the biggest income you possibly can. When you have done that, then you need to create a second income. To find out how to do it, invest 20 bucks in a copy of Automatic Wealth for Grads, which is a guide to becoming wealthy for people who are just starting out.
Getting out of debt is not something that can happen by magic. It will take lots of hard work. You should hire a CPA to help you. Don’t pay more than $500 for this service. If your CPA can’t come up with a plan that works for you, consider bankruptcy. You can pay back the lenders later when you are wealthy.
The most important thing is work. You must be willing to work 50 to 80 hours a week. Can you do that? If so, then you will be successful. Don’t worry!
- Michael Masterson
[Ed. Note: Michael Masterson is one of the core contributors behind ETR’s new Internet business-building program. If you’re interested in profiting from all the benefits of starting an online business, click here to join our priority notification list.
Have a question for Michael Masterson? Write to him at AskMichael@ETRfeedback.com.]
Reader Feedback: "I have made the commitment to sh** or get off the pot."
"My respect for the honesty found in your writing shot up another notch after reading your response to James Hennis last week. And that respect is not even slightly diminished due to my belief that your statement - ‘If you are motivated to start a business and you have invested time and money toward that goal but you find that you haven’t kept at it after your initial effort, then you should NOT come to Bootcamp‘ - will only increase registrations. I believe that you were sincerely speaking to the best interests of your readers.
"You devoted most of your response to reasons why so many do not take the necessary actions to follow through to become successful entrepreneurs. I can’t speak for everyone, but I would like to share with you why I believe I have fallen into that category. I believe that most of us do not reach our goals because we are simply too afraid to try.
"That, of course, is not a new thought. What I have come to realize, though, is just what it is that I am afraid of. I realized that as long as I didn’t really go after it, I would always have the dream - always have the hope of a different life. And that dream - that hope - had become a lot like a drug.
"I was using the dream to ‘medicate’ myself through a life that was not making me happy. And I was afraid that if I lost the dream I would lose hope that things could be better and be stuck with nothing.
"I believe the main reason that this particular fear is so insidious is because most of us haven’t a clue it exists. With awareness, however, it becomes much more of a choice than simply unconscious sabotage.
"For me, there has never been a more clearly delineated ‘crossroad.’ Almost one year ago, my partner of 15 years, the love of my life, passed away. I tell you this not to make excuses for why I am no further along today than I was when I attended my first AWAI Copywriters’ Bootcamp in 2005, but to help explain how I have come to the point where I am no longer content to merely dream about a different life. Dreams imply that there will always be a tomorrow for them to be able to come true - and that’s just not something you can count on.
"Recognition of the fear is the first step - next comes ‘the plan.’ I think you hit on a key element of a means to encourage that action is taken: accountability. And, so, we finally come to the real reason that I am writing to you today. I have made the commitment to myself to ’sh** or get off the pot.’ I apologize if you think that’s a crude statement, but it just so perfectly describes what I mean. I have registered for not only this year’s Copywriting Bootcamp but also for ETR’s Info Marketing Bootcamp.
"I am going to change my life. I intend to do ‘whatever it takes’ to be successful. And I have taken the first step in holding myself accountable by writing to you. I am not asking anything from you except for permission to update you from time to time on my progress - no response required or expected. In return, I make this pledge: If I don’t move forward, if I am unable to take the necessary actions, I will pack up my AWAI program materials (of which I have a ton) and give them to someone they might really help.
"I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. But, more important, I want to thank you for being so generous with your readers. I believe that you are helping to change the way we define ’success’ - from what was traditionally believed to be something that had to be taken from others to something we work together to achieve."
Karen J. Allen
Sugar Land, TX
[Ed. Note: As we went to press at 5 a.m. this morning, just 4 spots remained for ETR’s Info Marketing Bootcamp. You may still have time to grab one, and then make travel arrangements to meet us in Delray Beach Sunday evening for Michael Masterson’s opening presentation.
If you have any last-minute questions, please call Sharika Kellogg, ETR’s Customer Service Manager, at 800-681-2630.]
ETR Insider Report: The Changing Face of ETR’s Health Column
By Jon Herring
Longtime readers of Early to Rise know that, along with Michael Masterson and Dr. Al Sears, I have been a primary contributor to the advice and information we publish on health, nutrition, and fitness.
I know what it is like to be overweight and unhealthy (I was both at one point) and to make a dramatic transformation. And it has been my honor and privilege to share what I have learned from experience and from many years of study in this field. To all of our readers who have written to me over the years to express appreciation, to share your experience and knowledge, or to point out when I got something wrong… thank you!
I’m writing this to let you know that, in the future, I will be contributing to ETR’s health column only occasionally. I am still employed by this great company, but I will be focusing my time and effort on my other true passion - investments and financial writing.
You’ve probably already noticed some new people writing about health in the pages of Early to Rise. This change has been in the works for some time. Since MaryEllen Tribby took the reins as ETR’s publisher more than a year ago, we have been working to identify partners and editorial contributors whose ideas about what it takes to live an active, age-defying, and disease-free life match up with our own. And I am excited about the contributors we have partnered with so far, including Dr. Tim Reynolds, Shane Ellison, Craig Ballantyne, Dr. Ray Sahelian, Dr. Matthew Anderson, Dr. Douglas Ramm, Anthony Colpo, Dr. Jonny Bowden, Jon Benson… and many more.
Rest assured that with all of these new contributors, you can count on the same adherence to natural modalities and contrarian advice, beholden to no special interests, that you have come to expect in the pages of Early to Rise.
And while I am on the subject of editorial contributors, allow me to introduce you to one who is near and dear to my heart: my new wife Kelley Herring. With a degree in biochemistry and a passion for health and nutrition, Kelley has a wealth of knowledge about how to use food to promote health and protect against disease. She is also the editor-in-chief of the Healing Gourmet book series published by McGraw Hill, including Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol, and Eat to Boost Fertility. You can read her first health article in Early to Rise tomorrow morning.
It’s Fun to Know: The Robot Code of Ethics
In a move that could be straight out of a science fiction novel, the South Korean government is putting together the Robot Ethics Charter, a set of standards for robotics users, programmers, and manufacturers that is meant to protect humans, as well as the robots themselves. These laws include prohibiting robots from harming humans (actively or through inaction), requiring robots to obey human orders (unless they conflict with the first law), and requiring robots to protect themselves (unless this conflicts with the first two laws). It is hoped that the Charter will lay the groundwork for a time when robots are more advanced and become part of daily life, and to head off any social problems that might result.
(Source: National Geographic)
When the CAR gets stuck in a rut you can call AAA - But who do you call when YOU get in a rut?
Feeling like your life has stalled? Wondering where all the excitement has gone? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. All of us get dragged down in a rut now and then.
But you’ll get back out on the highway of life a LOT faster if you have a friendly “towing service” looking out for you 24×7.
So put on your seat belts, rev up those engines… and let’s get going with our motivational kick-in-the-pants program.
- Charlie Byrne
Word to the Wise: Discomfit
To "discomfit" (dis-KUM-fit) - from the Latin for "to make ready" - is to upset, disconcert, or embarrass.
Example (as used by Joyce Carol Oates in Starr Bright Will Be With You Soon): "Starr Bright was used to the attention of strangers and would have been discomfited if no one noticed her, so leggy and glamorous."
[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