There was a moment in it that sliced through my heart.

It didn’t come from the legendary movie actor himself, though.

It came from Brando’s Apocalypse Now co-star, Frederic Forrest. He said this about Brando:

“I never had any scenes with him. He killed me twice — in Missouri Breaks he shot me out of the outhouse, and in Apocalypse Now he cut my head off. But I never got to have a scene with him. I regret that. But God Almighty, I wish I had had enough nerve to meet him… to know him. But I was too in awe.”

What struck me was the true sense of regret Forrest put behind these words. You could tell it pains him to this day.

Have you ever been in a similar situation… where you wanted to take action, but didn’t?

Perhaps, like Forrest, you wanted to introduce yourself to someone, but let the moment slip by.

Your story might not be as dramatic as missing the chance to hang out with Marlon Brando, but it’s no less important.

Perhaps you were at a social event and spotted a local business hero. But when you started to walk over to introduce yourself, your feet acted like they were nailed to the floor. You remained frozen in place and silent — leaving you to always wonder what might have been…

In the marketing world, it would be like having an opportunity to have a conversation with an industry icon — the likes of Michael Masterson, Bob Bly, Bill Bonner, or Herschell Gordon Lewis (to mention only a few) — and not taking advantage of it.

In a minute, I’ll give you some tips on how to make a good impression on someone you admire and respect. Doing a few relatively simple things can have a big impact on your life. Because on top of the thrill of meeting that person, you may end up with some “glicken.” (If you’re not familiar with the word “glicken,” it’s an unexpected bonus.)

Meeting the Man Who Wrote the Book

That’s what happened to Pam Foster.

Pam, a member of American Writers & Artists Inc. (AWAI), is a copywriter. But before she even thought of becoming a copywriter, she worked for L.L. Bean. And they just happened to have a copy of Bob Bly’s The Copywriter’s Handbook.

Reading it is what got her interested in copywriting. That’s when she signed up with AWAI. And once she did, she found the name “Bob Bly” popping up quite often.

You see, Bob is the author of more than 70 books on copywriting and marketing. He’s been paid millions of dollars in fees, royalties, and advances from more than 100 publishers, editors, and corporate clients. With more than 25 years of experience, he’s received numerous awards and has been recognized as one of the top people in the industry.

So when Pam spotted Bob at AWAI’s 2005 Copywriting Bootcamp, she knew it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She walked over and introduced herself.

The result?

“We’ve since become friends and colleagues,” Pam says. “He refers work to me and has been an affiliate for my Internet book. He’s a great person to know, and I never would have met him had I not gotten up the nerve to introduce myself to him.”

The Power of One Little Conversation

This past May at AWAI’s Writer’s Retreat, Toni Rockis started up a conversation with AWAI Co-Founder Paul Hollingshead.

Toni, a grant writer, told Paul that there was a need for a program to educate people on the ins and outs of submitting grants. And she suggested that offering a grant-writing program would be a great opportunity for AWAI.

Paul talked to Katie Yeakle, AWAI’s Executive Director, about it. And the very next day, they asked Toni to write up a program outline. (They’re moving forward with the project as I type this.)

What made Toni’s meeting with Paul so successful was that she planned it in advance. She knew he would be at the Writer’s Retreat. And she thought out what she would say to him and how she would introduce her idea.

Like Toni, you can “prepare” to meet the person you want to introduce yourself to. Doing this accomplishes two things:

1. It calms your nerves. You’ll be rehearsed and confident — with no fear of sounding silly or saying the wrong thing.

2. It exponentially increases your chances of getting “glicken.” You’ll know the best way to introduce your ideas, since you’ll have thought about it long and hard.

What Pam and Toni have in common is that they had the courage to take action.

And they got to meet their “Marlon Brando.”

If there’s a “Marlon Brando” in your life, I encourage you to take action.

Here’s how to make that all-important first impression…

• Walk up to your “Marlon Brando” confidently. Smile! No one wants to meet a grump.

• Introduce yourself and tell him what you do. Make eye contact.

• Compliment him on his work or tell him how much something he’s written or said has helped you. Don’t make it overly flattering or you could come off as insincere.

Let the conversation evolve from there.

• Use his name during the conversation. A person’s name is music to his ears.

• Be a good listener. Give him your full attention. Focus on and react to what he says.

• Have some questions in your back pocket. This will help move the conversation along (and avoid those awful silent gaps). If, for example, he’s an author, ask if you can expect to see another book from him soon. If you’re a newbie in his area of expertise, ask what advice he would give to someone just starting out.

• Be mindful of his time, and don’t over-stay your visit. When it feels right, say something like “I know you must be busy, so I’ll let you go. It was great meeting you.”

Right about now, you’re probably thinking, “Easier said than done.” Most things are. But you might just be surprised by how easy this will be. Most successful people are very friendly and will be happy to talk to you. (Provided you aren’t overbearing or bumptious.)

Remember, you don’t have to be witty or come off as intellectually brilliant. You just have to be genuine and honest.

Take the initiative and, like Pam and Toni, you’ll never have to think “What if…?”

[Ed. Note: If you're interested in pursuing a copywriting career, you might want to check out AWAI's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. It contains hundreds of copywriting techniques, as well as a step-by-step "how-to" guide. Learn how to make $100,000 a year (or more!) right here.]

—————————————-Highly Recommended ————————————

Why You Don’t Need To Be an Author to Have a Bestselling Book

A Florida martial arts expert “found” a dusty old book. Then he turned it into estimated sales of over $20,000 in one month. With another book, he’s pulled in over $332,250.

A 30-something Internet marketer used the same formula to dig up his own bestseller. The little-known art book he found made $19,453 in just 3 weeks.

These books weren’t first editions. They weren’t famous. They weren’t wildly popular. Best of all? These hidden treasure troves don’t have to cost you a penny.

You could unearth the next bestseller. Find out how right here.

The Great Depression was still taking a heavy toll. Prices and profits were low… international trade was down by two-thirds… millions stood in line for jobs that didn’t exist.

But not everyone was suffering.

A young man by the name of Elmer Wheeler was paid $5,000 for coming up with nine simple words.

You see, at the time, Texaco was looking to sell more motor oil to their customers. Too many people, without giving it a second thought, said “No” when a service station attendant asked “Check your oil today?”

Wheeler suggested replacing “Check your oil today?” with “Is your oil at the proper level today, sir?”

Now asking something like “Is your oil at the proper level today, sir?” would seem to be just good horse sense. A line so simple you’d think most gas station owners would naturally come up with it — but few did.

Which is why Texaco paid Wheeler $5,000 for it… a small fortune back then.

They got their money’s worth and more. In one week, Texaco attendants got under 250,000 more hoods.

Another Wheeler triumph came when he was asked by the president of Barbasol to help them sell more shaving cream.

The slogan they had tried was “How Would You Like to Save Six Minutes Shaving?”

Wheeler suggested: “Use Barbasol. Just spread it on. Shave it off. Nothing else required!”

When they tested it, they found it increased sales by 102 percent.

A light bulb went off in Wheeler’s head, and he came up with another suggestion: “How would you like to slash your shaving time in half?”

That one increased sales by another 300 percent.

Over the years, Wheeler tested 105,000 selling statements for 5,000 products. He eliminated 100,000 of them.

Here’s how he summed up the philosophy behind what he called “Tested Selling”…

“Don’t think so much about what you want to say as about what the prospect wants to hear — then the response you will get will more often be the one you are aiming for.”

Great advice.

• Wheelerpoint #1. “Don’t sell the steak — sell the sizzle.”

This just might be the most famous piece of sales advice ever. So what does it mean? Sell benefits and deeper benefits. Your prospect could care less about the product itself. Wheeler wrote: “The sizzle has sold more steaks than the cow ever has, although the cow is, of course, mighty important.”

• Wheelerpoint #2. “Don’t write — telegraph!”

Back in Wheeler’s day, telegraphs were a popular way for people to send messages. But they were charged by the word. So, to keep the price down, they had to choose their words wisely. By saying “Don’t write — telegraph,” Wheeler meant “Make every word count.” He often said that the first 10 words of your sales copy are more important than the next 10,000, and you have only 10 short seconds to catch your prospect’s attention with them.

• Wheelerpoint #3. “Say it with flowers.”

This simply means that it’s not enough to make a statement to your prospect, you have to prove it. In other words, you say “I love you,” and then you prove it by sending flowers. (Of course, you have to be sincere and do it convincingly.

• Wheelerpoint #4. “Don’t ask if — ask which.“

Meaning, always give your prospect a choice between something and something … never between something and nothing. For Abraham and Straus, for example, Wheeler worked out a way for their soda fountains to sell more eggs. Instead of asking “Would you like an egg with that?” the clerk would ask “One egg or two eggs?” while holding an egg in each hand. The result? Seven out of 10 customers added at least one egg to their order.

I’d like to add my two cents to this one…

I’m continually surprised by how many waiters and waitresses don’t use this gentle sales technique. Most ask if you’ll be having wine with dinner. Few say, “Will you be having white wine or red wine with dinner tonight?”

One more example from Wheeler:

He noticed that when a customer at the soda fountain requested a cola and was asked whether they wanted “small” or “large,” most chose “small.” He wondered what would happen if the clerk, instead, just said “Large one?” When they put it to the test, they found that seven out of 10 people said “Yes.” This simple idea could have a dramatic effect on a fast-food restaurant’s bottom line. If they sell 500 drinks a day and the difference between a small and a large is 50 cents, converting 70 percent of their drink orders to “large” translates into an additional $175 per day. Over a year, that’s an increase of $63,875!

• Wheelerpoint #5. “Watch your bark!”

This one came out of Wheeler’s love of dogs — and how much you can tell about how dogs feel by the way they wag their tails and the sound of their barks. By saying “Watch your bark!” Wheeler’s reminding us that it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. For marketers, that means keeping the tone of their sales copy conversational and engaging.

I’ve printed out these five Wheelerpoints and taped them next to my computer. They’re as meaningful for all of us in the “persuasion business” today as they were when Elmer came up with them 60+ years ago.

[Ed. Note: For hundreds of marketing techniques and a step-by-step guide to become a master copywriter, check out AWAI's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. Learn how to make $100,000 a year (or more!) right here.]

———————————————-Highly Recommended —————————————————

90% of the Billionaires Living in America Weren’t Born Rich - They became rich because they had the “Billionaire Mindset.” So says Bob Cox. A gifted success mentor, he had the rare privilege of working with four of the richest men in the world. If you want to learn how billionaires really think, just listen to Bob…

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More wealth, health, and wisdom from Masterson…

Thrift shops are thriving as the economy sags. The National Association of Retail and Thrift Shops reports that 63.1 percent of its members had increased sales in the first quarter.

That, of course, means fewer shoppers for regular retailers. Even discount stores like TJ Maxx are hurting. Super-luxury stores — the kind that sell $5,000 suits and dresses — might survive the slowdown because their customers are so wealthy. But most retailers, and especially those in the middle of the price ladder (like The Gap, Banana Republic, and J. Crew), will continue to suffer.

My crystal ball is forecasting dismal economic weather for as far as it can see: three to five years out. If I were thinking about getting into the retail business, I’d postpone my plans. Now is not the time.

If you are determined to test a retail idea, test it by selling at flea markets. Flea markets are not prestigious. But they can give you a good indication of whether there is any interest in your product and, if so, how you should package and price it.

The best thing about flea markets is that you can rent stalls on a daily or weekly basis. Lease obligations are the ball and chain of the retail industry. At times like this, you want to be able to unlock that ball and chain quickly.

In his book Persuasive Presentations for Business, Bob Bly tells a great story about winning over a disinterested audience. His challenge was to give a corporate seminar on Effective Technical Writing. The people who came were engineers who didn’t care about writing. He could tell that by the expressions on their faces when he walked into the room.

He asked the engineers how many of them were there voluntarily. The way he put it was, “How many of you were sent here against your will?”

All hands went up. But the question provoked a good laugh.

Then he asked how many thought that writing was “important.” Almost no hands went up. “I could see them exchanging glances,” he says. “They were vaguely embarrassed about this.”

Then he asked how many were looking forward to the class. Again, only a few hands went up.

“Okay,” he said to them. “You were forced to be here. You don’t think writing is important. And you aren’t interested in the class I’m about to teach. Well, wouldn’t you really love to be me right about now?”

The entire group burst into “authentic, good-natured laughter.”

“By acknowledging the audience’s feeling and attitudes,” Bly says, “I was able to win them over to my side and create empathy. This is in sharp contrast to so many other trainers and speakers they hear who act as if what they are saying is the most important thing in the universe, even though to the trainees, clearly it is not.”

Many types of bacteria make you sick. But there are plenty you couldn’t survive without. Your intestine is home to many of these “good” bacteria, says Total Health Breakthroughs’ Melanie Segala.

They help digest food, support immune cells, kill toxins, produce vitamins, and make the fatty acids that are a source of fuel for intestinal cells. Without them, your gut lining would die. And you’d be susceptible to Celiac disease and other disorders.

Melanie recommends taking a probiotic supplement to make sure your intestinal bacteria stay healthy. This is especially important if you take antibiotics. Antibiotics kill the good bacteria along with the bad.

Skip probiotic yogurts. Most have sugar added. Stick with supplements that contain billions of cultures. And make sure they contain human strains. These can survive your stomach acids. They are the best for your intestines too.

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“One of the most informative newsletters.”

“I haven’t been compelled to write until now. I LOVED your short piece on saving money (since it corresponds with my beliefs, of course!). We are in this mess by spending money we don’t have. Period. So spending more money that we don’t have just continues the house of cards this economy is founded on.

“Anyway, your newsletter is one of the most informative of all the newsletters I subscribe to, if not THE most informative.

“Thank you.”

M.W.

———————————————- Highly Recommended —————————————————

$2.3 Trillion Floats by You Every Year… - Billions of dollars every month… millions every week… go right by you through your phone, TV, computer, and mailbox. The problem is those dollars are invisible. There is a $2.3 trillion industry all around us. You’ve seen its products and ads. But you probably couldn’t put a name to it. The profit opportunities for people just like you are enormous and easy to tap into. If you know how to get your “foot in the door.”

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James Webb Young dropped out of school and started working for a book publisher. He was 12 years old.

By the time he turned 22, he was advertising manager. In 1912, he joined the prestigious advertising agency J. Walter Thompson. And he quickly became known as an “idea man.”

In 1917, Young became vice president of the agency. In 1919, he wrote one of his most famous ads. It was for the deodorant Odorono, and ran in the Ladies’ Home Journal. At the time, women found any mention of underarm odor to be in bad taste. Cleverly avoiding the word “armpit,” his headline grabbed attention with “Within the Curve of a Woman’s Arm.” But then readers were hit with this: “Persons troubled with perspiration odor seldom can detect it themselves.” Outraged, more than 200 women canceled their subscriptions to the magazine. Despite the controversy, sales of Odorono went up 112 percent.

Young believed the secret to coming up with great ideas was to use a method similar to the one Henry Ford used to produce cars. And in 1940 — at the height of his career as an advertising legend — he laid out his five-step method in a small book titled A Technique for Producing Ideas.

For marketers, it’s a secret so powerful that mastering it can mean the difference between success and failure. Consistently come up with ordinary ideas and you’ll make an ordinary income. If you work for somebody else, you’ll be easy to replace. If you’re a freelancer, you may starve. Consistently come up with great ideas and everyone will want you to work for them.

As motivational author Robert Collier once said, “A single idea, the sudden flash of a thought may be worth a million dollars.”

It was worth multiple-millions to Jack Smith and Sabeer Bhatia. In 1995, while working on starting their own business, they worried that their bosses might see the e-mails they were sending to each other. That’s when they hit on the idea for a Web-based e-mail system that could be accessed anonymously. As a result of that idea, Hotmail was launched on July 4, 1996. And they sold it to Microsoft less than two years later (on Sabeer’s 29th birthday) for $400 million.

Mark Zuckerberg got the idea for Facebook from his days at Phillips Exeter Academy. Like most colleges and prep schools, they had a long-standing tradition of publishing an annual student directory complete with headshots. Today, Facebook is valued at over a billion dollars. (At its peak, it was estimated to be worth $15 billion.)

Merv Griffin’s wife came up with the idea for one of his most successful ventures. They were flying from New York to Duluth one day back in 1964. Griffin was mulling over game show ideas when his wife noted that there had been no successful “question and answer” shows since the quiz show scandals. Then she said, “Why not do a switch, and give the answers to the contestant and let them come up with the question?” With that one twist of an idea, the hit show Jeopardy! was born. 

These examples illustrate the principle behind James Webb Young’s five-step technique for generating ideas: “An idea is nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.”

With that in mind, let’s take a look at how to apply the process to your marketing efforts … 

Step 1. Gather the raw material. 

In Young’s words, “In advertising an idea comes from a new combination of specific knowledge about products and people with general knowledge of life and events.” 

So before you even attempt to come up with an idea, assemble as much information as possible about your prospect, your market, and your product. Approach this systematically. Dig deep. Find all you can.

Young offered two suggestions to help you get the most out of the gathering stage.

• Grab a supply of 3 x 5 index cards and write down specific information as you gather it. One item per card. Organize the cards by subject. This will bring order to what you’re doing and reveal any gaps in your knowledge.
• Log general information in a scrapbook or file. By general information, he meant newspaper articles, magazine articles, etc. that are related in some way to what you’re selling.

Step 2. Chew and digest the raw material.

Take all the information you’ve gathered and go over it “with the tentacles of your mind.”

Specifically, Young said …

• Take a fact. Turn it several different ways.
• Bring two facts together. See if they fit.
• Try to find a relationship between facts.

Out of this, tentative or partial ideas will come to you. No matter how crazy or incomplete they are — write them down. (Use the 3 x 5 cards.)

Even if you think you’ve exhausted the possibilities, keep going. Your mind will get a second wind. Eventually, you’ll run out of insights. Everything will be jumbled up in your head.

That’s when you stop.

***

The Secret “Three-Step Strategy” to Internet Riches

You’ll want to read and reread the “three-step strategy” to Internet Riches very, very carefully… for it holds the secret to Internet riches beyond your wildest dreams.

I’m dead serious.

A warning before you check it out – it sounds almost too simple. But don’t let its simplicity fool you.

This strategy is so incredibly powerful… and will save you so much time, money, and energy… that you will be absolutely astonished at how much progress you’ll make when you follow it.

What’s more, it’ll place you right on the fast track to making money from your own new website almost immediately.

Get this “three-step strategy” to Internet Riches right here.

***

Step 3. Turn the process over to your subconscious.

Forget everything you’ve done so far … and do something completely different. Listen to music. Go to a movie. Go golfing. Go shopping. Play tennis. Anything that will take your mind off the task of generating ideas.

Young isn’t the only one who has advocated this approach.

According to Dr. Maxwell Maltz, author of Psycho-Cybernetics, when people try to solve a problem through conscious thought, they become anxious and fearful of the results. That brings the creative process to a screeching halt. It’s a lot easier, said Maltz, if you let go of the problem and let your subconscious mind take over.

Master copywriter Gary Bencivenga explains it this way: 

“You’re effortlessly teaching your mind what’s going to be happening. Your subconscious mind … is a goal-striving mechanism. When you give your subconscious a target that you want to hit, it will pull into itself and eventually share with your conscious mind all kinds of resources that you never knew you had within you to make that happen.”

Step 4. Let the idea hit you.

An idea will come to you when you least expect it. It might be when you’re half awake in the morning. It might be in the middle of the night. You might be brushing your teeth, driving to work, or standing in line at the coffee shop.
“This is the way ideas come,” said Young. “After you have stopped straining for them and have passed through a period of rest and relaxation from the search.”

Step 5. Test, edit, refine, and polish the idea.

Now it’s reality-check time. The idea will almost certainly need a little “tweaking” before you can build a marketing campaign around it. What kind of tweaking? The best way to find out is to run it by people you trust and ask for feedback.

That’s it. Five simple steps for generating an endless stream of ideas.

Try it. If you get the results Young predicted, you’ll have mastered one of the most important skills for success as a marketer.

P.S. Producing winning ideas is just one element of the American Writers & Artists Inc.  Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting.  In this program — which I’ve taken myself — Michael Masterson and dozens of other master copywriters reveal the secrets of effective advertising copy. Even if you’re not a writer, you can learn to write moneymaking sales letters (and more) with their step-by-step guidance.

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Receive A $75,000 “Jackpot” From The Government
Recently discovered “glitch” enables U.S. citizens to “get paid” for improving your own home (or buying a new one!). Read more…

More from Masterson…

Our Country’s Only Hope

I’ve told you before that I mostly got out of stock investing last year — before the market crashed.

I might look a bit closer into re-entering the market some time this year. But my primary investments will remain small businesses and real estate.

It will be entrepreneurs like me — true wealth creators who give people jobs and pay taxes — who will drive economic recovery. Government accounting tricks won’t work.

If you don’t yet have your own business, now is the best time you will ever have to start one. Why? Because the Internet provides a growing market, and new businesses are bolstered in growing markets.

The advantage of Internet marketing won’t last long. Every month, hundreds — no, thousands — of companies are joining the game. Ninety-five percent of them won’t succeed because they don’t understand what makes Internet marketing work. But you do — or you can learn — by reading ETR, investing in one of our Internet marketing programs, and, most of all, by attending our annual Bootcamp this November.

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Learn to Manage Risk Like the Pros 
You can’t take the risk out of investing – it’s just part of the game. But you can take away the fear that leads to so many bad decisions – and lost profits. Charles Newcastle’s four-step “profit removal” system can take the fear out of the equation and help your investments soar. Read more…

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Better Than the Dog That Bit You

Next time you wake up with a crushing hangover, don’t reach for aspirin. Eat asparagus instead!

That comes from a study in the Journal of Food Science. The researchers showed that extracts from asparagus alleviated hangover. They also protected liver cells from the toxic assault of alcohol.

In fact, the asparagus reduced damage to cells by a whopping 70 percent. It also helped two key enzymes metabolize alcohol twice as fast.

“To get the best from asparagus,” Total Health Breakthroughs Editor Melanie Segala tells me, “you should eat the stalks and leaves.”

I’ve got asparagus in my refrigerator right now. And a friend’s birthday party coming up this weekend. Hmmm …

***

“If a picture truly is worth a thousand words, we’re about to make a hell of a lot of money!”
The multi-billion dollar “home shopping” industry got its start on cable access as a low-budget public access “scheme” run by three guys in Central Florida. Before they had even made their first dollar their success was a sure thing because they had the “Billionaire Mindset”. Read more…

That just might be the most famous piece of sales advice ever. And, as a marketer, knowing the real meaning behind those words can transform your company’s sales copy – and your bottom line.

I often wondered who came up with such a great line. Until about a week ago, I still didn’t know…

I was reading Joe Vitale’s latest book, Buying Trances. In it, he mentions Elmer Wheeler as the originator of the idea.

Who’s Elmer Wheeler? Born in 1904, Mr. Wheeler was well known as one of the pioneers of persuasion.

In Buying Trances, Joe tells the story of how Texaco was looking to sell more oil to their customers. Too many people, without giving it a second thought, said "no" when a service station attendant asked "Check your oil today?" Wheeler suggested replacing the question with "Is your oil at the proper level today, sir?"

Now asking something like "Is your oil at the proper level today, sir?" would seem to be just common sense. A line so simple you’d think most gas station owners would naturally come up with it – but few did.

Which is why Texaco paid Wheeler $5,000 for those nine words… a small fortune in the depression-riddled 1930s.

They got their money’s worth and more. In one week, Texaco attendants got under 250,000 more hoods.

Another Wheeler sales triumph came when he was asked by the president of Barbasol to help them sell more shaving cream.

The first slogan they tried was "How would you like to save six minutes shaving?" Wheeler instructed their salespeople to then say "Use Barbasol. Just spread it on. Shave it off. Nothing else required!"

When they tested it, they found it increased sales by 102 percent.

A light bulb went off in Wheeler’s head, and he changed the slogan to "How would you like to slash your shaving time in half?"

That adjustment increased sales by another 300 percent.

Over the years, Wheeler tested 105,000 selling statements for 5,000 products. He eliminated 100,000 of them.

He summed up the philosophy behind what he called "Tested Selling" by saying…

"Don’t think so much about what you want to say as about what the prospect wants to hear – then the response you will get will more often be the one you are aiming for."

Great advice.

In his book Testing Sentences That Sell, Wheeler laid out his five "Wheelerpoints":

Wheelerpoint #1. "Don’t sell the steak – sell the sizzle." It’s one of the first things a new marketer or copywriter learns. Sell benefits and deeper benefits. Your prospect could care less about the product.

Wheelerpoint #2. "Don’t write – telegraph!" Back in Wheeler’s day, telegraphs were a popular way for people to send messages. But you were charged by the word. So, to keep the price down, you had to choose your words wisely. By saying "Don’t write – telegraph," Wheeler meant "Make every word count." He often said "Your first 10 words are more important than the next 10,000"… and "You have only 10 short seconds to catch your prospect’s attention."

Wheelerpoint #3. "Say it with flowers." This simply means that it’s not enough to make a statement to your prospect. You have to prove it. In other words, say "I love you," and then prove it by sending flowers. (Of course, you have to be sincere and do it convincingly.)

Wheelerpoint #4. "Don’t ask if – ask which." Meaning, always give your prospect a choice between something and something… never between something and nothing. For Abraham and Straus, Wheeler worked out a way for their soda fountains to sell more eggs. Instead of asking "Would you like an egg with that?" the clerk would ask "One egg or two eggs?" while holding an egg in each hand. The result? Seven out of 10 customers added at least one egg to their order.

I’d like to add my two cents to this one…

I’m continually surprised by how many waiters and waitresses don’t use this gentle sales technique. Most ask if you’ll be having wine with dinner. Few say "Will you be having white wine or red wine with dinner tonight?"

And one more example from Wheeler for this point:

He noticed that when a customer at the soda fountain requested a cola and was asked whether they wanted "small" or "large," most chose "small." He wondered what would happen if the clerk, instead, just said "Large one?" When they put it to the test, they found that seven out of 10 people said "Yes." This simple idea could have a dramatic impact on a fast-food restaurant’s bottom line. If they sell 500 drinks a day and the difference between a small and a large is 50 cents, converting 70 percent of their drink orders to large translates into an additional $175 per day. Over a year, that’s an increase of $63,875!

Wheelerpoint #5. "Watch your bark!" This one came out of Wheeler’s love of dogs – and how much you can tell about how a dog feels by the way they wag their tails and the sound of their barks. So by saying "Watch your bark!" Wheeler’s reminding us that it’s not just what you say, but how you say it. For copywriters, that means keeping the tone of your copy conversational and engaging.

I’ve printed out these five Wheelerpoints and taped them up next to my computer. They’re as meaningful for all of us in the "persuasion business" today as they were when Elmer came up with them 60+ years ago.

Wheeler wrote many books during his life. They are hard to find, however you can access his Testing Sentences That Sell, free of charge, online at stoneruniversity.com/TestedSentences/index.html.

[Ed. Note: Classic sales and marketing techniques are classic for a reason - they work! Quickly master the secrets of one advertising legend and command top-dollar from companies eager to beat a path to your door. Learn more here.

And for hundreds of copywriting techniques and a step-by-step guide to become a master copywriter in your own right, check out AWAI's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. Learn how to make $100,000 a year (or more!) right here.]

In fact, he’s listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as "the world’s greatest salesman."

To become the world’s greatest salesperson, he used what is perhaps the most underused lead-generation technique in the world. Yet it’s probably the most effective way of getting new business that there is. It gives a salesperson instant credibility with a prospective customer – making the prospect more likely to buy.

The idea came to Girard while he was attending a funeral.

Before I tell you what it is, let’s take a look at some of the most notable selling statistics from Girard’s 14-year (1963 to 1977) car-selling career (courtesy of Tom Sant’s book The Giants of Sales, in which Girard is profiled)…

• In total, he sold more than 13,000 vehicles. That’s an average of six cars per day.
• On his best day, he sold 18 vehicles.
• His best month, he sold 174.
• In his best year, he sold 1,425.
• By himself, Joe Girard has sold more cars than 95 percent of all dealers in North America.
• To make his feat even more incredible, he sold them at retail – one vehicle at a time.

Amazing. Especially when you consider that when he first applied for a job as a car salesman, no one would hire him. At the time, he was in debt and struggling to keep his family fed.

The sales manager who finally hired him at first said "No," explaining that if he hired Girard his other salespeople wouldn’t like it because their share of walk-in traffic would be reduced. It was only when Girard said he wasn’t interested in the walk-in traffic – he would generate his own leads – that he was hired.

He quickly found that selling without access to the dealership’s walk-in traffic was more difficult than he had hoped it would be.

The first thing he did was grab a phonebook and started calling people randomly. He made some headway, but it was tough slogging.

The Funeral That Changed His Approach to Sales

It was around this time that he attended that funeral. It was a Catholic funeral. Mass cards were given out to all those in attendance.

Girard asked the funeral director how he knew how many mass cards to have printed up for each funeral.

The funeral director told Girard that the number of people attending a funeral always seems to average out to 250. So that’s how many he prints up each time.

Soon after that, Girard sold a car to a Protestant funeral director. When he asked how many people typically attend a Protestant funeral, he got the same reply: "About 250."

When he attended a wedding, he asked the minister the same question. The answer was about 250 on the bride’s side and 250 on the groom’s side.

Joe Girard’s "Law of 250"

It was then that Girard came up with what he called the "Law of 250."

The basic principle is that most people have about 250 people in their lives who would show up at their funeral or wedding. There are exceptions, of course. Some have more, some have less. But the average seems to be 250.

So how did he use this information?

First off, he realized that if he did a crummy job of selling a car to somebody, he could potentially lose 250 more customers.

But, more important – if he did a great job, he could gain 250 more customers.

So Girard reasoned that if he consistently built strong relationships with his customers and treated them fairly, it would make his job a lot easier in the long run.

So he set his sights on getting referrals. How did he go about it?

Here are the three main ways…

• First, within a few weeks of selling a car to someone, he would call them up and ask how the car was running. If things were going well, he’d ask for a referral. If they weren’t, he’d fix the problem – then ask for a referral.

• He kept a file listing personal information about each customer – such as the names of their children, what they did for a living, their birthdays, their kids’ birthdays, etc. He’d use that information to personalize his conversations with them. He sincerely cared about people, and made them feel so special they couldn’t wait to recommend him to a friend or relative.

• Every month, year after year, Girard would send a greeting card to every customer on his list. Inside would be a simple message. He knew they’d need a new car one day, and he wanted to keep himself top of mind. He was careful not to include anything that might sound like a sales pitch. Just an anecdote, a new idea, a news story, a book review, a birthday greeting, or a tip he knew they’d be interested in. (Eventually this task became so big, he had to hire someone to do it for him.)

Girard’s dedication to keeping in touch with his customers instilled in them a psychological obligation to do business with him. His customers would never even dream of buying a car from someone else.

Girard has often said he doesn’t believe in hard work. That what he does believe in is working smart. And no one approached selling cars any smarter than Joe Girard did.

No matter what product or service you sell, if you don’t have a referral and repeat-business strategy in place, you’re working too hard.

Here are a few referral-related tactics you can start using tomorrow:

1. Go the extra mile for your customers and prospects.

Do things that will make you stand out from the pack. If you see an article that you feel may interest one of them, mail it (or e-mail it, but sending something in the mail tends to have a greater impact). A good way to find appropriate articles is to set up a Google News Alert for topics you feel would interest your customers. If you think a story is relevant, send them the link.

2. Make sure your customers know about every service you provide.

If you sell Product A to someone, make sure they also know you carry Products B, C, and D. The more solutions your customers know you provide, the more likely it is that they’ll know someone who will benefit from getting a call from you.

3. Establish relationships with people who sell complementary products or services.

For example, if you sell boats, contact the local marina and introduce yourself. Tell them you’ll be referring your customers to them, and make them aware that you’d be open to any referrals from them.

4. Ask for a referral.

If you don’t ask, chances are you’ll never get a referral. Customers usually don’t volunteer them on their own. When the time seems right, say something like "Do you know anyone else I might be able to help out?"

5. Always thank your customers for their referrals.

Obviously, say "Thank you." But then take it one step further. Send a thank you note or a small gift. It could lead to another referral.

6. Keep your customers informed.

Let your customers know what happened when you called the person they referred you to. Offer to keep them in the loop as things progress.

Develop and follow through on a referral and repeat-business strategy and, like Joe Girard, you’ll make more sales… and have an easier time doing it.

[Ed. Note: Anyone can become a selling superstar - it's not a talent you're born with. Discover hundreds of sales secrets from master copywriters like Michael Masterson, Paul Hollingshead, and Don Mahoney with the AWAI Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. Get the details here.

And for weekly tips on how to connect with your customers, sign up for AWAI's free newsletter, The Golden Thread.]