* Highly
Recommended *
How
to Write a Winning Sales Letter
Is
it possible to go from a blank sheet of paper to a completed
sales letter in 48 hours? There's a good chance ... if
you use what's called the Filet of Soul technique.
You
start with the most successful promotion that your company
(or your competitor) is running for a similar product. No,
you don't steal the copy - you "filet" it, cutting
down to it's backbone ... the "architecture" that
makes it work.
Analyze
the copy, section by section. What emotions does it evoke?
How does each paragraph make you feel? Write it all down ...
and that's it. You now have a rough outline for your own successful
sales letter!
I
discovered this technique in the "75 Secrets for Writing
Winning Copy" report included with ETR's
Direct Marketing University program. I keep
it on my desk, right next to my computer, so it’s always
handy whenever I need a fresh shot of inspiration.
-
Charlie Byrne
"Instruction
ends in the schoolroom, but education ends only with life."
-
Frederick W. Robertson
Make
$250,000+ a Year ... With Your Video Camera
By
Paul Lawrence
When
my two partners and I agreed to pursue the venture, we thought
of it as almost a hobby. We all enjoyed combat sports and thought
it would be cool to sell related videos. And, if we made a
few extra dollars by doing it ... even better.
Fast-forward
a few years and the enterprise we started is anything but a
hobby. For the employs 10 people. people who now own it, it's
a very serious business that nets over $250,000 a year and
But
what I find really incredible about this story is that we started
this business with only a few hundred dollars.
For
the first videos we produced, we just rented the lowest-level
broadcast-quality camera for $50. And we hired a service to
do some simple edits for about $100 more. After that, we placed
some small ads and created a website. The rest, as they say,
is history.
Naturally,
if you're financially able to purchase all the equipment, it
makes the whole thing more convenient. Still, I recommend producing
a video or two first. Then, once you've got some cash coming
in, go ahead and buy a video camera, a computer, and the appropriate
software. You should be able to get everything you need for
about $6,000.
There
is an almost unlimited opportunity to produce videos, because
there's a demand for them in just about every area of interest.
Since my experience with that first partnership, I've created
and produced a variety of other videos that have all been extremely
profitable. (By the way, I eventually sold my share for a nice
profit.)
Some
of the best kinds to produce are instructional videos. Because
people are buying information - not special effects or top-notch
acting - your production doesn't have to be perfectly polished.
It shouldn't look like you shot it in your garage with a camcorder,
but it doesn't have to look like a broadcast television show
or blockbuster Hollywood movie.
You
may already have the technical know-how to create your own
instructional video, and you may even feel comfortable being
on camera yourself. If not, no problem. All you have to do
is hire people who have the skills or knowledge you lack.
In
one instance, I became acquainted with a fitness instructor
who had developed an awesome technique for stretching the back
that really helped me. And because so many people suffer from
back pain, I figured there might be a market for her system.
So I hired her to host an instructional videotape that I produced.
The
results were nothing short of fantastic. I made a $5,000 profit
within days of putting the video up for sale. And I did it
without having any personal expertise in videography.
And
I'm definitely not the only one who's been able to turn instructional
videos into a profitable business. KH came across a man who,
in his 60s, was in better shape than most 20-year-olds. His
muscles were toned and he had amazing energy and vigor. The
man agreed to turn his personal exercise regimen into an instructional
video (with KH as the producer) - and within 30 days of shooting
it, KH had made a $10,000 profit. The best part is that KH
had started with a mere $250 investment.
If
you have your own area of expertise that you can transform
into an instructional video, so much the better.
As
I've mentioned several times in ETR, I taught ballroom dancing
for years. And I've earned a nice stream of income from an
instructional dance video I created during that time. Because
I featured my own skills in the video, my investment was even
smaller than it would have been had I needed to hire an outside
expert.
One
of the best things about creating and selling videos is that
they can provide a continuing income stream. Once you've made
the video, all you have to do is fill orders. And if you have
a topic that continues to interest people - and you continue
to market it - the video can sell forever.
Here's
how to get started with your first "how-to" video:
1. Choose
a subject.
2. Either
plan to be in the video yourself or hire a qualified expert.
3. Rent
or buy the camera and editing equipment.
4. Shoot
and edit.
5. Using
the direct-marketing techniques you read about in ETR all
the time, sell the video to your target customer.
Producing
and marketing your own videos is not only exciting and fun,
it can also be very lucrative. Plus, this is a business where
you can quickly get your foot in the door with a very small
outlay of capital. Just take an inventory of subjects you know
already or find interesting ... and you could be a video producer
in a matter of weeks.
[Ed.
Note: Paul Lawrence is a produced screenwriter, direct-mail
copywriter, and business author. He is also the creator of
the Quick
and Easy Microbusiness System, ETR's program
for starting a business for under $100.
Learn
more of Paul's video-business secrets HERE]
* Highly
Recommended *
“I
stumbled my way into a limitless source of cash - that was
virtually un-tapped!”
Real
estate investors are often surprised to find that mortgage
brokers, hard-money lenders and the typical “creative
financing” techniques used are actually the hard way
to go about financing their residential and commercial deals.
The
fact is, there’s a much easier way. It
doesn’t require good credit or employment history - you
can get cold-hard cash fast so you don’t lose
deals, you don’t have to make monthly payments, and you
can actually get some of your profits when you buy instead
of having to wait until the sale.
I’m
sharing the secrets of this inexhaustible cash-source with
a limited number of ETR readers - sign
up now to be included.
Justin
Ford
Editor, Main Street Millionaire
Dear
Michael Masterson: "The idea of cold-calling to build
a business has me intrigued."
I
enjoy ETR every morning. In Message
#1844, you featured a quote by Bruce Buffer
in which he attributes a lot of his success to his background
in telemarketing. He said:
"I'm
not a telemarketer per se now, but so much of my business involves
calling people up - sometimes strangers - and making deals.
In fact, my day is not complete until I close a deal. I live
for the excitement.
"I
can cover more ground in six hours than three people without
my experience can cover in one day. Cold calls are essential
to any sales business ... and we are in a sales business. Rejection
doesn't bother me for more than a second - and then I'm on
to the next call. I figure the no's I get only bring me closer
to a yes."
The
idea of cold-calling to build a business has me intrigued.
I know from selling law marketing services that it works. However,
Bob Bly recommends never cold-calling. He suggests taking a
back-door style of approach to getting clients. Bob advises
setting yourself up as an "authority" rather than
directly soliciting business.
I'd
like to know where you stand on that issue. What do you think
about the merits of incorporating cold-calling vs. setting
yourself up as an authority to gain new clients?
Thank
you for your time. I enjoy your writing.
-
Lynn Roberts
Overland Park, KS
Dear
Lynn,
I
don't have a fixed position on cold-calling, and it would take
me two full days to explain why. But let me make a few short
statements that, though they may seem scattered, have a good
deal to do with your question:
- Good
business is based on equitable exchanges.
- Equitable
exchanges in commerce are commercial ones.
- To
begin a commercial relationship, the customer/client must
be sold - not just sold on the individual product/service,
but on the company/person behind it.
- Making
that first sale is tough work.
- You
can do it in pieces or all at once, but doing it at once
is much tougher.
- Because
it is tough, some people use force, which is always ruinous
to equitable relationships.
- If
you stick with persuasion, any process can work.
If
that doesn't help you decide how to go about building your
business, let me say this:
There
isn't anything intrinsically wrong with cold-calling, but in
trying to do two things at once (locating a target list of
prospects and converting them to clients) in a short period
of time (the few minutes you can keep their attention), you
are often inclined to use bad tactics ... like bullying and
deception.
Building
a business based on bullying and/or deception is like building
a tower on quicksand. You will be able to see your construction
go vertical, but it will sink as fast as it rises.
If
that still doesn't help, there's one final thing I can say:
I have always been open to the idea of cold-calling in theory
and have tried it several times in my career. But it hasn't
worked for me - so far, at least.
-
Michael Masterson
Your
Body Is a Machine ... an Intelligent One
By
Jon Herring
Two
years ago, I was almost 25 pounds over my ideal weight. At
the time, I was generally eating a healthy diet, but I was
consuming too many sweet and starchy foods. To lose weight,
I changed my diet to one high in protein, rich in healthy fats,
and low in carbohydrates. I do eat carbohydrates, of course,
but I try to stick to those that are low on the glycemic index.
Soon
after I started this diet, the fat began to disappear. Two
months later, despite eating more frequently and eating more
calories, I'd lost the extra weight and put on muscle.
I'm
telling you this as background for the response I gave to a
question from ETR reader Joanne M. She wrote in after reading
an article by Dr. Sears titled "Reach
for Walnuts." In it, he said, "Best
of all, [walnuts] score a perfect zero on the glycemic index,
meaning you can eat as many as you like and never get fat." This
statement prompted Joanne to say:
"Wow,
I can't believe I just read this - and from a DOCTOR!!!!
Here's what 10 seconds of research told me:
-
1 cup of walnuts is over 700 calories
- 3,500 calories = 1 pound
"You
do the math. If I eat 1 cup of walnuts/day Monday to Friday,
and DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING ELSE in my diet, I will put on
an extra 4 or so pounds a month."
I
understand the physics of energy consumed vs. energy expended,
but from my own experience with weight gain and weight loss,
I knew there was something else at work. I asked Dr. Sears
about it, and here is what he told me:
"Your
body has the choice to use extra calories in any way it sees
fit. Extra calories does not necessarily mean extra fat. That
may be what science believes, but it doesn't take into consideration
a real person living a real life in a changing environment.
I've had female patients who eat only 800 calories a day yet
struggle with obesity. I've had bodybuilder patients who eat
6,000 calories a day and have 3 percent body fat.
Insulin
regulates fat production and storage. With a glycemic index
of 0, walnuts will never trigger an insulin response. Therefore,
your chances of triggering fat production from eating walnuts
are slim to none. If you ate an extra 3,500 calories a week
and those calories came from rice cakes, which have a very
high glycemic index, that would be a different story. You would
most certainly see weight gain.
Scientists
see the body as a machine that has no choices. So, to them,
extra calories means extra fat. My experience has shown me
that the body itself is a sentient system, with its own intelligence,
able to make decisions and responses based on the environment."
Dr.
Sears ended by advising Joanne to take the challenge and eat
a cup of walnuts every day!
Worth
Quoting: David Ogilvy on Cutting Your Losses
"Most
marketers spend too much time worrying about how to revive
products which are in trouble, and too little time worrying
about how to make successful products even more successful.
It is the mark of a brave man to admit defeat, cut his loss,
and move on.
"Concentrate
your time, your brains, and your advertising money on your successes.
Back your winners, and abandon your losers."
(Source: Ogilvy
on Advertising)
* Highly
Recommended *
Do
You Know the Secret to Building Wealth From Your Living Room
Sofa?
With
your own Information Marketing business, you can...
- Profit
from your passion, hobby or area of expertise...
- Enjoy
huge profit margins!
On
top of that, Information Marketing is an area that’s
growing by nearly 10% a year... and is headed for the TRILLION
dollar mark. Learn
more about this HUGE opportunity today before
the price goes up at 5PM on Wednesday…
-
Patrick Coffey
Word
to the Wise: Vapid
Something
that's "vapid" (VAP-id or VAY-pid) - from the Latin
for spiritless/spoiled/flat - is dull.
Example
(as used by Anatole Broyard in The New York Times): "One
year he was writing vapid and sentimental mediocrities, and
the next he was turning out one of the best poems of our century."
