Creating Your Site’s Personality to Turbo-Charge Sales
Issue #2309
- WEALTHY: A quick introduction to technical analysis (Rick Pendergraft)
- HEALTHY: How your diet can keep your body strong (Craig Ballantyne)
- WISE: Mae West on personality
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- Be honest - is your website boring? (Yanik Silver)
- 6 ways to avoid medical problems while traveling (Jason Holland)
- It’s Good to Know… about self-repairing material
- Add "winsome" to your vocabulary
Revealed: Probably the Biggest Red Herring in History!
While the world’s been stock watching (and losing!), the elite quietly play a different game with different rules…
Feeling cheated and disillusioned by the stock market? Sure, you may have made a good trade here… but then lost on another. The people dutifully pour their hard-earned cash into investment banks to put into the stock market for them… and those investment banks gladly oblige, for a fat fee… which they invest somewhere else! I’m no conspiracy theorist, but in my opinion the stock market is really a diversion for the masses… a distraction from where the BIG and consistent money is made… in the world’s money mountain. And when I say "Money Mountain," I speak quite literally… the BIGGEST mountain of money on the planet. Click here to read more…
Learning About Charts
The value investor argues that fundamental analysis is better. The trader argues that technical analysis is better. Which way is a novice investor to turn?
In the long run, the fundamentals may be better. But when it comes to short-term trading, I base most of my decisions on technical analysis, and then use sentiment analysis as a secondary driver.
If you are not familiar with technical analysis, the chart below is a good learning tool.
This is a chart of the FXI, the iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 fund, an ETF designed to be a barometer for the Chinese stock market. China has been a hot topic for investors for several years now, and with the tremendous upswing in the FXI, you can see why. However, as you can also see, the FXI has been declining over the past four months. This downswing has caused a downward-sloped trend line to form, which runs counter to the upward-sloped long-term trend line.
So what do you do with a chart like this? You wait. Wait to see which way the stock breaks before making a move. When two opposing forces converge, the pressure on the stock tends to build. Once the stock moves outside of one of those trend lines, it tends to result in a huge move in the direction of the break.
[Ed. Note: Rick Pendergraft is a professional trader and market analyst. Rick teaches investors how to read chart patterns and how to take advantage of them in his new K.I.S.S. trading program. This program is a great way to earn and learn at the same time. Learn more here.]
"Personality is the glitter that sends your little gleam across the footlights and the orchestra pit into that big black space where the audience is."
Mae West
Creating Your Site’s Personality to Turbo-Charge Sales
By Yanik Silver
Most people’s websites are B-O-R-I-N-G! I’m talking zzzzzzzzz city! That’s no way to distinguish yourself in a competitive market. If you want people to remember your site and keep coming back to it again and again, it has to project a unique personality.
Two of my favorite examples: Demotivation.com and Despair.com. These sites are entertaining, against the grain - and loaded with personality.
For instance, Despair.com sells some of my favorite prints. And they are hilarious! For example, a print of the Great Pyramids has a caption that reads: "Achievement: You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labor."
Check out the site yourself for more. When you do, you’ll immediately notice that the same irreverent attitude runs through the whole thing - even to the way the buttons are labeled on the navigation bar. There’s a button for "spin," where you can view and sign up for audio and video podcasts. And instead of "customer service," there’s a button for "disservice."
Your website’s personality has to be plugged into every nook and cranny - and extend to your communications with customers and prospects. Here’s an excerpt from the way Despair.com does it with their order confirmation:
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Thank you for your recent order from Despair Inc. I’d like to personally welcome you to our growing body of Dissatisfied Customers(tm), but to do so might evidence some actual concern for service and protocol. This might then lead to customer satisfaction, which would defeat the purpose altogether. That is why you have received this generic, form-generated email, written by some nameless lackey in our marketing department. Having established that any pretense of consideration for *your* needs would be counter-productive to our raison d’etre at Despair Inc., let us now ponder a subject of greater interest to those among us who are worthy of both of our collective attentions - that person being me. […] If any of the information shown below is inaccurate, please notify us immediately using our new Troubled Ticketing system. We will rectify your error immediately, and on some occasions, without snickering. It is the least we can do, which, as a matter of policy, is the most we can do. |
I love it!
Now you might be thinking that you’d repel some customers with this type of treatment. You’re right. And that’s a good thing. You don’t want to be plain vanilla. Go ahead and polarize your prospects/customers to either love you or hate you. There’s no money to be made in the middle. Look at Howard Stern. Some people absolutely love him and pay Sirius radio a monthly subscription fee just to listen to their "god." And a lot of other people tune in to hear what Howard says… just so they can hate him more.
But okay. Maybe this isn’t your style. Here’s another example of what I’m talking about.
CaliforniaTortilla.com is a local Mexican eatery that’s been expanding like crazy. They used to have two locations back when I included them in my "Million Dollar E-mails" e-book in 2001. Now they’ve blossomed into 20+ locations - in no small part, I think, to the fun personality of the restaurant and its website.
Take a look at this from their "About Us" page:
OUR FUN
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California Tortilla does a good job of bribing you to join their "prestigious" mailing list by offering a FREE taco. If you go to the site, notice the wording for "groovy" promotions and "secret" discounts. And see how their personality shines through in this excerpt from their newsletter:
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Taco Talk 4000 DAYS AND COUNTING! California Tortilla has been open 4000 days. Isn’t that amazing? And while I’m not really sure that that’s any sort of a milestone, it does give me something to write about in Taco Talk - which, if the truth be known, is my sole goal in life. (By my calculation, I’ve written over 600 articles about burritos. And as you so painfully know, there aren’t 600 things to say about burritos. That’s why I make almost everything up.) Anyway, it’s been a great adventure and I’d like to take this opportunity to share with you the highs and lows of those first 4000 days: Day 1: California Tortilla opens. Nobody cares but us — and our relatives who eat for free. Day 56: Bert Weiss from Mix 107.3 eats at California Tortilla. He loudly proclaims he hates the food. I run in the bathroom and cry. Day 57: One of our neighbors suggests we turn the restaurant into a Chinese Buffet. We tell him we think that’s a good idea and then secretly plot his demise. Day 92: Our first review comes out and it’s glowing. Three people read it. Day 217: We buy an automatic tomato slicer. Angels sing in celebration. Day 329: Ray Romano eats at California Tortilla. He tells me about a television show he’s working on called "Everybody Loves Raymond"; I tell him not to get his hopes up. (I wish I were making this up.) Day 492: An employee picks up something off the floor without us asking him to. Day 633: We get napkin holders that are actually the same size as the napkins. Day 756: We open on Sundays. At the exact same moment all our employees become churchgoers. Day 1243: We start serving breakfast. Day 1244: We stop serving breakfast. Day 1702: The police write us a Cease and Desist letter demanding that we remove a customer from the Taco Talk fax list. Back down to 11. |
Pam, who is one of the owners, makes the California Tortilla newsletter personal as well as extremely entertaining. You can tell this is not your typical restaurant or faceless mega-corporation.
On my own sites and in my communications with customers/subscribers, I try hard to keep my personality at the forefront. I talk about my son Zak and my wife Missy and other personal things. Plus, anytime I go on a really great trip, I post some pictures or a video of the experience. (Check out InternetLifestyle.com/blog/ for a recap of where I’ve been lately.)
When customers/subscribers watch my videos or read my blog, they get a sense of who I am (a bit goofy, a bit adventurous). And that makes them feel like they "know" me even if we’ve never met.
If you have trouble coming up with "personality" for your website, here are some tips:
- Be yourself - and don’t be afraid to give people details of your life.
- Don’t try to hide the real you behind a plastic veneer of professionalism.
- Ask yourself how you can demonstrate that you’re the opposite of a big, faceless corporate bureaucracy.
People want to do business with REAL people. So show them you are real, and more sales will be headed your way.
[Ed. Note: Yanik Silver, an expert on creating money-making websites, reveals one of the most profitable "hidden" Internet income opportunities around in the Secrets of Easy Internet Money series. And make sure you check out his new book, Moonlighting on the Internet: 5 World-Class Experts Reveal Proven Ways to Make an Extra Paycheck Online Each Month.]
Three Real Estate Paydays: Cash NOW, Monthly Cash Flow and a BIG Payday Down the Road…
All from the SAME property!
Marko Rubel immigrated to the US from Croatia ten years ago, with little money and NO real estate experience - and was worth millions just 5 short years later from purchasing pre-foreclosures.
You will get the exact formula Marko uses, a formula that earns him over $1 million every year - and how you can do the same - when you attend the Profits in Paradise conference in Orlando this year, hosted by Early to Rise.
And that’s just one of the things you learn when joining us this April. Click here for all the details…
What Older People Must Do to Preserve Their Strength
Most people have not done enough strength training or built enough muscle mass to avoid falls as they get into their late 70s and early 80s. But there’s some good news from Tufts University.
Researchers studied the diets and blood and urine of 384 men and women with an average age of 65. The results showed that a higher intake of foods rich in potassium, such as bananas, oranges, spinach, and tomatoes, may favor the preservation of muscle mass in older people.
The best way to increase strength and muscle mass is with a total-body resistance-training program two to three times per week. But to preserve those hard-earned gains, follow up your workouts with a healthy diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Craig Ballantyne is the creator of the Turbulence Training for Fat Loss system. For a free online source of information, motivation, and social support to help you improve your health, lose weight, and get fit, sign up for ETR's free natural health e-letter.]
Travel Tip: Overseas Medical Care
A midnight walk on the beach of a small Thai village was the perfect ending to my best friend’s first day on the Phi Phi Islands, a tropical archipelago in the Andaman Sea. But he probably should have opted out of the "fresh" pineapple smoothie offered by a beachside vendor before turning in for the night. By 2:00 a.m., he was at the clinic where he’d spend two days with severe food poisoning… and a few thousand dollars.
As my friend found out, getting injured or falling ill while traveling overseas can be more than just an inconvenience. Improper medical care, especially in undeveloped countries, can slow your recovery… and even lead to long-term health problems. Here are few tips to help you avoid this:
- Check with your doctor for advice and vaccinations appropriate to the area you will be visiting.
- Be up to date with your regular vaccinations before your trip.
- Register with the local U.S. Embassy at your destination. You can do this at travel.state.gov.
- Bring all the medication you take regularly, as well as a back-up supply.
- Purchase travel health insurance. The policy you have at home probably won’t cover your medical care overseas (or an expensive evacuation if that becomes necessary).
- Practice basic health and safety: Wear your seatbelt, wash hands thoroughly and often, and wear a helmet while riding a scooter or motorcycle.
(Source: CNN)
It’s Good to Know: Self-Repairing Material
French scientists have created artificial rubber that, when cut in two, can join itself together again. Within an hour of being cut, the rubber’s as good as new. The self-healing is possible because of alterations at the molecular level made by the scientists. Possible applications include self-repairing seals on pipe fittings and children’s toys.
(Source: BBC)
Take Charge of Your Future
You don’t have much spare time… you’re not exactly rolling in the bucks… and you’re no Bill Gates when it comes to technology.
We’ve heard you… and that’s why we asked Marc Charles to be our “advance scout” for profit opportunities that you can run from a kitchen table, your desktop, or out on the road.
They’ve got to be inexpensive and easy to start, without a lot of red tape or technical know-how, and still have great income potential.
There’s a reason they call this guy “The King of Business Opportunities”…why not take a look at what he’s got for you?
- Patrick Coffey
Word to the Wise: Winsome
"Winsome" (WIN-sum) - from the Old English for "joy" - means cheerful or light-hearted.
Example (as used in The New York Times): "Willard R. Espy… had such a winsome way with words, such an elegant ear for rhyme, and such a sure sense of the absurd that he once began a poem with the words ‘I do not roister with an oyster.’"
[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.]
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008