You are trying to persuade someone to do something. He is resistant. You suspect it is because he has misgivings he prefers not to talk about. You don’t want to upset or offend him, but you do want to get his okay. What do you do? (more…)
You are trying to persuade someone to do something. He is resistant. You suspect it is because he has misgivings he prefers not to talk about. You don’t want to upset or offend him, but you do want to get his okay. What do you do? (more…)
A “swipe” file is a collection of promotions — mailed by successful marketers — that you have saved.
“A good swipe file is better than a college education,” says my old direct-marketing “professor,” master copywriter Milt Pierce.
There are pretty much only two kinds of prospects in a marketer’s universe: (1) casual copy scanners, and (2) inveterate readers.
Hand a sales letter to a dozen people, and you’ll see what I mean. Some of them — the inveterate readers — will read the headline and every page of the copy.
A few months ago, I thought I’d found a great new partner to promote one of my sideline businesses: The International Sketch Comedy Championships. Through a friend, I was introduced to a former “A list” actor. He’d had starring roles in some big hits 20 years ago. And I was sure his clout could help take the event to the next level.
On Black Monday, in October 1987, the market plunged over 500 points. It happened because the big trading companies weren’t able to shut down their computerized trading programs. And it could happen again. But thanks to much more powerful computers, it would be far worse. (more…)
On any given day, I go down to my cave at 7:00 a.m. and do not emerge until 6:00 p.m. When I do, my wife goes through a litany of everything she accomplished in that time. Then she asks: “And what did you do all day?”
My answer: “Nine pages.” (more…)
Testimonials add credibility and proof to your promotional copy — which is why no marketing campaign should ever go out without a slew of ‘em.
But often your customers, although ebullient about your product or service, aren’t able to express their enthusiasm very well in writing. So what do you do?
Clayton Makepeace has a strategy that his largest client has used to bring in $2.5 million in sales in 24 hours. And it generated $16 million in sales in a single month.
Though it’s not a traditional sales process or marketing campaign, direct-response marketing is at its heart. And it leverages the best parts of the Web — what Clayton calls the Internet’s “5 Golden Advantages”:
So you’re starting your Internet business. The first step is to make your website shiny and pretty (by spending a lot of time and/or money on it). And then build product pages and a shopping cart. And then drive visitors to your site with search engine optimization and pay-per-click ads. And then sit back and watch the orders roll in.
Right?
What do you really need to start building a life-changing amount of wealth?
Your 401(k) ain’t gonna do it. Neither is your day job.
The 200 aspiring Internet entrepreneurs at Bootcamp know. It was the subject of Michael Masterson’s keynote speech: The Special Theory of Automatic Wealth.
ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp started last night. And for those of you who couldn’t make it, we’ll be publishing breaking news throughout this week from the conference.
Writing those Bootcamp dispatches will be Jason Holland, ETR’s Managing Editor. He’ll be playing the part of roving reporter. (His first dispatch is below.)
I believe there is a direct relationship between hard work and success. Those who work harder achieve more. And that applies equally to individuals, families, ethnic groups, and nations.
Yes, talent helps. But talent is not something we can choose. It is given to us, as are so many other “advantages”: the kind of family we are born into, the color of our skin, and even our native intelligence.
LW, a friend and colleague, is a master of good hiring. His first hire — an entry-level marketing assistant — bloomed into a world-class marketing pro who is already running his company for him. The two of them hired another superb employee who helped them double their sales in one year. Now, the staff consists of four people, and they are doing as much business as it would normally take eight people to do.
It takes time and effort to hire good people, but it’s well worth it. Here are the four most important things I’ve learned:
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People like to feel superior. As a marketer, understanding this universal desire can help you do an awful lot of selling.
By appealing to your prospects’ pride, you can persuade them to pay more — sometimes much more — than what you could get by appealing to any other emotion.
Let’s talk watches.
For $10, you can buy a handsome digital sports watch that will outperform and outlast virtually any luxury watch made. When these watches were first introduced (over 20 years ago), they were so good and cheap that everyone predicted the demise of the analog timepiece.
Well, it didn’t happen. The new technology revolutionized the watch industry and changed the market forever. But analog watches survived. In fact, according to one estimate, sales of $1,000-plus watches have more than doubled since the 1970s and continue to grow every year.
It’s Not Simply a Matter of Dollars and Cents
Why do people pay thousands for watches when a $29 one works just as well and looks great? (By the way, have you taken an objective look at some of the fancier Rolexes lately? Tack-eeee. Piagets? Like a muscleman in a tutu.) I like the look of the expensive watch I bought in Paris, but I’ve had to have it repaired twice in two years. And boy did they charge me for that!
It’s not reliability. It’s not durability. It’s not precision. And it’s not beauty. So what does all that extra money buy?
In a word, prestige. Slap on an Ebel or a Cartier and you have instant credibility with the fashion police. Thrust out a Rolex-clad wrist and you announce to all those around you, “I have arrived.”
You need not say a word. What could be better than that?
The idea that price equates to quality is a myth. But price does relate to value. In the case of luxury goods, that value is prestige.
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In all forms of expression, summarizing is lethal. But that’s what many copywriters do. At the end of a sales letter, they methodically recount all the important points they just made. What happens is that the energy of the copy is dissipated, the blood drained off.
A much better approach is to take a single strong element of the sales argument and present it in detail. This has a much greater emotional impact on the reader. And it often conveys some of the rest of the whole — even without talking about it.
(more…)
Today, I tell you why, when it comes to luxury items, price doesn’t mean quality to buyers. It means something more intangible. And I show you how to apply that secret to your marketing.
I also discuss what you should and shouldn’t be buying “on credit,” the rise of organic junk food, and a marketing trap that is all too easy to fall into.
Here’s what’s on tap for the rest of the week…
Rich Schefren, who is appearing at ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp, lays down the four stages of learning. Before truly mastering any skill, you must go through these steps.
AWAI’s John Wood shows you how to meet powerful people in your industry. A simple “Hi, how are you?” could change your career and life.
Comedian, copywriter, and professional speaker Peter Fogel explains why self-confidence is not necessary to be a great public speaker. You just have to pretend you have it.
And finally, success mentor Brian Tracy explains the Law of Indirect Efforts. The quickest way to raise your self-esteem, says Brian, is to focus on making others feel good about themselves first.
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KJ, like many of my subscribers these days, wants to get into Internet marketing. But she feels frustrated and unable to move forward.
“Where should I begin?” KJ asked in her e-mail. “What was your tipping point to online success?”
My answer: “The tipping point in Internet marketing success is to stop reading about it and stop talking about it and actually start DOING it.” (more…)
In most businesses, the 80/20 rule applies to just about everything — including the question “Which customers contribute most to our bottom line?”
There is a good chance that about 20 percent of your customers are responsible for more than 80 percent of your profits. (more…)
Our sales were hurting. Every one of our distributors was selling three to five times more of our competitor’s cheaper, inferior air ionizers than ours.
It seemed that consumers decided at the shelf that all ionizers are pretty much the same. So why should they spend 67 percent more on ours? (more…)
When writing or reviewing long marketing copy, you’ve got to get to the point where you find yourself thinking, “Yes! This is good! This is really, really good!”
I call it the Eureka Moment. (more…)
Products — the most successful products — meet urgent needs and solve important problems.
But what solves today’s problem won’t necessarily solve tomorrow’s. We must constantly refine and reinvent to make our products “new.” (more…)
MaryEllen and I were sitting in my office the other day, discussing our upcoming joint speech at ETR’s Info-Marketing Bootcamp.
We talked about how smart it is for a business to host conferences. As we say in our book Changing the Channel, it can teach you a great deal about your customers that you can’t get from surveys or marketing statistics. It is a must, in fact, for any business that “wants to know its customers on a face-to-face basis.” (more…)
I’ve been starting businesses for 30 years. And after taking a look at those that failed right away, those that lingered and then failed, those that puttered along, and those that soared, I have come to the conclusion that to be successful, you need a “ready-fire-aim” approach. (more…)
As a teenager, I had the impulses of a junkyard dog. If someone looked at me the “wrong” way, I started barking. This resulted in many scraps — most of them with bigger and more skillful fighters. I managed to “win” a great many of them, however, because I was able to tap into something inside me that fueled my aggression. (more…)
As I explain in today’s essay, you can learn a lot about wealth building and success from your average junkie. Don’t believe me? Some of these guys make as much as $900 a day. What’s your typical payday? (more…)
If you want to increase profits, trim low-profit-margin items from your product line.
They are probably eating up limited and valuable resources that could be better used elsewhere. (more…)
In marketing copy, “need to know” info is the facts your prospect has to hear to help him make the decision to buy your product.
But it’s often the “want to know” info that has more pulling power. By that I’m talking about things your prospect has an emotional interest in. (more…)
There are dozens of tricks you can learn about business writing and, in particular, about writing a good memo. Here’s the one that I believe is the most important: Before you begin to write, ask yourself, “What is the single most important idea I want my reader to walk away with?” (more…)
A contentious issue among language enthusiasts is the use of the split infinitive. Before reviewing the arguments of the two sides, let’s look at a few examples: (more…)
“I don’t have your attitude,” Jeff said to me. “I just don’t have the mindset of someone who can make a lot of money.”
“Do you want to make a lot of money?” I asked him.
“That’s the sad thing,” he said, smiling wryly. “I do.” (more…)