Issue #2526
- WEALTHY: Add an extra comma to your bank account with this sales trigger (Yanik Silver)
- HEALTHY: Why you should bulk up on B6 (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: Bob Bly on value
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- A new kind of passport (Lori Allen)
- Are you sure they said it? (Don Hauptman)
- It’s Fun to Know… what’s better than cashmere?
- Add "verisimilitude" to your vocabulary
== Highly Recommended ==
A Former Blueblood Elitist Switches Sides – and Reveals All
I’m about to reveal a startling secret to you.
My doing this is going to really anger a lot of people.
These people are angry because they don’t think that you are the right “kind” to have this information.
You see, the people I’m talking about are what I call “blueblood elitists.” They are the Wall Street insiders who make truckloads of cash no matter what the market is doing.
I used to be one of them.
But, with all of the crazy things that are happening in the markets now…hard working people…with retirement funds…families…and kids to send to college…watching their dreams vaporize…I decided I couldn’t keep quiet any longer!
I’ve switched sides and I’m revealing it all. I’m going to let you in on the secrets that will allow you to make a fortune…no matter which way the market is going.
I can only allow a limited number of people into my inner circle. If you are ready to stop being on the outside looking in, get the full story now.
"The shorter the supply of something, the more it is valued. That’s why gold has a much higher price than copper, even though copper has many more practical uses."
Bob Bly
The "Hidden" Hot Button to Getting More Prospects to Say YES!
By Yanik Silver
If you have not read Robert Cialdini’s monumental work, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – grab it now! One of the major psychological triggers he explains is the principle of "scarcity," and how it affects a person’s decision to make a purchase. The principle is based on the fact that human beings have been hard-wired to want what is going away. And far more people are motivated by the thought of potential loss than potential gain.
If you get this principle right, you’ll be astonished by the sales results. A lot of marketers think they understand it, but that’s not the case. There’s more to it than simply saying "x number of units will be sold" OR "limited-time opportunity" or "buy before midnight tonight."
Many buying decisions are made in response to an emotional trigger. So whenever you buy something, it’s always a good idea to step back and see if you can figure out what the emotional trigger was that motivated you to do it. Because if something works on you, there’s a good chance it will work on your customers, too.
Scarcity is one of the emotional triggers that works on me.
For instance, my first sports car was a Honda S2000. When it came out in 2000, the car was impossible to get. My local dealer had an allotment of two or three of them for the year. Only 5,000 were made, and about 2,000 of those came to the U.S. I searched all over the country, looking for the rare color combination I wanted (silver with a red interior). I found my S2000 about 800 miles away in upstate New York, and drove it all the way down to our place in Maryland in the pouring rain.
Here’s an example of an ad that applies the principle of scarcity in a way that’s believable. It’s from Porthos.com, a company I buy a fair amount of wine from.
By mentioning that less than 300 cases were produced, the ad telegraphs exclusivity, rarity, and scarcity without being over the top. Also, if you trust the company’s recommendations (and I do), you believe that this wine will most likely hit $100+ cult status. And notice this at the bottom of the ad: "NO SALES TO RETAILERS." Yet another scarcity trigger.
Porthos does an excellent job of using scarcity to sell to their market. Most wine collectors are considered to be affluent and sophisticated consumers. As you can see, you can use this psychological trigger in a way that does not insult your customers’ intelligence.
Let me give you a few more examples…
The Enzo is Ferrari’s $600,000+ supercar, named in honor of Enzo Ferrari, the company’s founder. They produced exactly 399 cars. That’s it. Ferrari collectors know that when Ferrari tells them a car is a limited edition, it really is.
Only a privileged few can own a Ferarri, and not only because of the high price. Ferrari makes potential buyers apply to buy one of their limited-edition cars, placing restrictions on what may and may not be done with it. They enforce those restrictions by threatening to withdraw perks like factory tours and the chance to buy future Ferraris. I was talking to the owner of an Enzo at a car show in New York, and he told me you had to have been a registered owner of three other Ferraris to qualify for the privilege of applying for an Enzo.
You see a lot of special editions created for collectible and high-end merchandise like pens, cigars, and spirits. For example, I found the following pen on a website that keeps track of all their sold-out editions as proof that what they’re selling really is scarce:
I think verisimilitude – the appearance of truth – is the key to making scarcity work for your business. E-books don’t have it. You can say you’ll sell only 500 copies of your e-book, but there’s no "appearance of truth" in that. An e-book is just bits and bytes, so why would it be truly limited? I’ve seen some marketers use scarcity ploys that had me wondering if they really expected their customers to believe what they were saying. If your customers question your credibility… you’re done for.
To avoid falling into that trap, my advice is to combine scarcity with another one of the psychological triggers Robert Cialdini talks about in Influence: giving people a "reason why" your offer is limited.
[Ed. Note: As master Internet marketer Yanik Silver (www.MaverickBusinessInsider.com) says, scarcity is a powerful motivator when you're trying to get prospective customers to buy. I saw him at ETR's Bootcamp, and I'll tell you, his info blew me and the crowd away.
For more sales tactics from Yanik - and from nearly a dozen other world-class Internet marketers - pick up a copy of ETR's 2008 Information Marketing Bootcamp DVD Library. With their advice, you could learn how to make $1 million or more with your own Internet business in 2009. Get all the details here.]
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== Highly Recommended ==
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Reader Feedback: "I was overwhelmed by the incredible talents and real genius qualities of the speakers and the faculty at ETR’s Bootcamp."
"Please extend my sincere thanks to your entire group for a very dynamic and lively conference at the Marriott. I was overwhelmed by the incredible talents and real genius qualities of the speakers and the faculty at ETR’s Bootcamp.
"I thought all the geniuses were in Science and Medicine. After the conference, my narrow focus has expanded to the mind-boggling aspects of Internet Marketing.
"Alex Mandossian blew my mind with his ability to ‘connect’ with everyone, express a genuine, sincere interest, maintain a high level of energy, and share an incredibly genius entrance into the world of Internet Marketing. His extraordinary talent is enhanced by his ‘down to earth’ sentiments and personality.
"Brian Edmondson, another genius talent, impressed me with a purity of intent that is hard to find among the ‘Gurus.’ (My daughters are both married. I wish I had another one for him!)
"I don’t mean to single out these two speakers. They were all excellent and did everything possible to deliver accurate and usable information. I thoroughly enjoyed them all."
Constance Alfano-Weigand, MD, CCN, ND
Medical Consultant for Nutritional Medicine
www.mypocketMD.com/nextstep
[Ed. Note: What was your favorite part of ETR's 2008 Info Marketing Bootcamp? Let us know at AskETR@ETRFeedback.com.
Didn't make it to Bootcamp this year? Discover dozens of techniques for winning over your customers - and making tons of sales - with ETR's 2008 Info Marketing Bootcamp "Take Home Edition" DVD Library.]
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Another B Vitamin That Fights Colon Cancer
By Kelley Herring
You recently learned about the power of folate to help reduce your risk of colon cancer. Now here’s another B vitamin to add to your cancer-fighting arsenal: vitamin B6.
A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention found that vitamin B6 – from both dietary and supplemental sources – is associated with a significant decrease in the risk of colorectal cancer. In fact, the researchers found a reverse relationship between vitamin B6 intake and the risk of colorectal cancer – as vitamin B6 intake increases, cancer risk decreases. What’s more, participants in the study who got the most vitamin B6 were about 20 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancer.
Boost your intake of vitamin B6 deliciously by enjoying wild salmon, Pacific halibut, free-range poultry (including chicken, turkey, and Cornish game hens), garbanzo beans, naturally raised pork, grass-fed beef, and pistachios.
[Ed. Note: Making your life - and the foods you eat - healthier doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. You can find recipes for plenty of wholesome, healthful meals - plus get the latest breakthroughs in health and fitness - in ETR's natural health newsletter. Sign up for free right here.
Survive the holidays with nutrition expert Kelley Herring's brand-new recipe e-books, Guilt-Free Desserts and Healthy Holiday Hors d'Oeuvres. You'll find 60+ healthy recipes you can easily make at home.]
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Travel Slimmer… With the Passport Card
By Lori Allen
If you travel a lot by car or by sea between the U.S. and the Caribbean, Bermuda, Mexico, or Canada, now you might be able to leave your passport at home. Because you can apply to the U.S. Department of State for a wallet-sized Passport Card.
The Department of State started issuing the smaller cards in July. You can’t use them for air travel or for travel to any countries outside the above list… but in every other way, the cards act just like a full passport.
You can apply for a card as a renewal to your passport, or apply for both at the same time. Get more details on the Department of State website.
[Ed. Note: Stay up-to-date with the latest travel tools, tricks, and tips by signing up for The Right Way to Travel FREE e-letter from AWAI's Travel Division. Sign up here.]
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The Language Perfectionist: You May Misquote Me
By Don Hauptman
Recently, both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times published letters from readers citing the same familiar expression. Unfortunately, both readers – and the editors of these two distinguished newspapers – got it wrong.
The Times letter offered this version: "It’s not what you don’t know that hurts you. It’s what you know that just ain’t so." The writer credited Satchel Paige. In fact, this witticism was crafted by Josh Billings in 1874 – three decades before Paige was born. ("The trouble with people is not that they don’t know, but that they know so much that ain’t so.")
This is surely one of the most frequently misquoted and misattributed aphorisms. I have a file of clips with numerous variations. Among those erroneously credited are Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and Artemus Ward.
The irony is perfect. Because so many people are mistakenly certain that they have it right, the quotation proves its own point!
The words "As so-and-so said…" are often a prelude to an error. Examples:
- "There’s a sucker born every minute." P.T. Barnum? He never said it. Some historians credit Joseph Bessimer, a late 19th century con man, while others attribute it to David Hannum, a showman who was a rival of Barnum.
- "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." Though commonly attributed to Voltaire, and consistent with his beliefs, this stirring declaration has never been found in his writings. The myth arose from an ambiguous and misinterpreted passage in a biography.
- "If I have seen farther, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." This was a popular expression five centuries before Isaac Newton said it.
- A particularly fertile area for these errors is technology predictions. "Everything that can be invented has been invented" wasn’t uttered by a 19th-century patent commissioner. IBM founder Thomas Watson didn’t forecast "a worldwide market for maybe five computers." And Bill Gates never scoffed that "640K ought to be enough for anybody."
Don’t fall for these quotation myths, or others like them, and don’t repeat them in your writing, presentations, or conversation. Two reliable books that set the record straight are The Quote Verifier
by Ralph Keyes and They Never Said It by Paul F. Boller, Jr. and John George. Be especially careful online. Numerous reference sites routinely misquote and misattribute. One you can trust is quotation guru Mardy Grothe’s: www.drmardy.com.
[Ed Note: For more than three decades, Don Hauptman was an award-winning independent direct-response copywriter and creative consultant. He is author of The Versatile Freelancer, an e-book recently published by AWAI that shows writers and other creative professionals how to diversify their careers into speaking, consulting, training, and critiquing.]
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It’s Fun to Know: Scratchy Cashmere Sweaters?
Move over cashmere. When it comes to cuddly sweaters, those made from the wool of the vicuna, a llama-like animal native to Peru, have you beat. The extreme fineness of the individual wool fibers (nearly half the size of cashmere fibers) is what gives vicuna such a soft texture. In fact, those who have worn vicuna sweaters say cashmere is rough in comparison.
The fur of the vicuna has been made into garments since Incan times. High fashion designers started using it in the early 1990s. The luxury comes at a price, however. A vicuna sweater (dry clean only, please) will run you nearly $5,000.
(Source: National Geographic)
== Highly Recommended ==
Billionaires Are NOT Born – They’re Made
You might be thinking, “It takes money to make money.”
And that the only way to become filthy rich is to be born into it.
But you’d be dead wrong.
Four men climbed their way up the billionaire ladder. One was a factory worker… another began as a file clerk… and two others toiled as a grocer and a shop assistant.
They never based making their fortune on "luck" or connections.
Nor did they have "daddy’s money" to bank roll them.
And yet, they all went from zeros to heroes.
Now, you can crack the very same “wealth code” that put them on the path to massive wealth.
Word to the Wise: Verisimilitude
"Verisimilitude" (ver-uh-suh-MIL-uh-tood) – from the Latin for "truth" – is the quality of seeming to be real or true.
Example (as used by Yanik Silver today): "I think verisimilitude – the appearance of truth – is the key to making scarcity work for your business."
[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
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