The Ugly Truth About Genius

Genius is the beautiful product -- the curves, shiny chrome, thrum of 310 horses under the hood, and other self-evident sexiness in a new Ford Mustang, for example.

Underneath all that, holding it together, is preparation: countless hours of wind-tunnel testing, engineering, problem solving, and other toil. It's ugly, invisible, and essential -- the foundation.

The genius of Thomas Edison -- the light bulb, phonograph, motion picture camera, carbon paper, storage battery -- was evident in his products.

Beneath that, you don't see his preparation -- that he studied year-round with his mother after quitting school at age 8 ... read every book in the Detroit Public Library from age 15 ("I didn't read a few books. I read the library.") ... worked 18 hours a day ... or that he neglected food, friends, bathing, and bill-paying in favor of inventing.

You can hear the genius of Mozart's music. But you don't see his preparation -- that he was drilled for long hours on harpsichord, violin, and organ from age 4 ... or that he neglected food, friends, bathing, and bill-paying in favor of composing.

Henry Ford. Douglas MacArthur. Donald Trump. Steve Jobs. Their genius is evident, but their preparation is hidden; you have to dig for it.

Back to Edison. You're familiar with his quote: "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Well, genius can be easy to miss, too ...

We may see the beautiful product and stop there. But don't miss digging for the ugly preparation underneath. You can never duplicate another person's unique products -- their genius -- but you can duplicate their preparation.

Now. If your business is doing at least $100,000 in revenue, my Free Client Cloning Kit can give you a slight edge -- and then some. It's NOT another download. This is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

How to Script Your Own Success

How to Script Your Own Success

Last week, Ohio State beat the living snot out of Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship, 59-0. They did it with a third-string quarterback making his FIRST career start. Ponder that for a moment.

Now ponder this: You can be sure that EVERY SINGLE play on their opening drive was scripted for that QB. See the play list below (read them from bottom up):

By scripted, I mean that each of the plays above were practiced in order, many times during the week, until the new QB and his players knew them cold. This gave them confidence that they could execute them on Saturday night.

Question for your business: Do you practice and script your phone calls? How about the presentations and sales closes that you make to prospects?

If not, pardon my French, but what the hell are you thinking?

Former NFL coach Bill Walsh, a pioneer of scripting the first plays of a game, once told The NY Times: “Scripting is planning; it's contingency planning. The fewer decisions to be made during the game, the better. You don't want to live by your instincts.” In the same story, Lindy Infante, former coach for the Indianapolis Colts, said: “We do not script here because we get into the game and get the feel and try to adjust.” Bill Walsh is in the NFL Hall of Fame. Lindy Infante is not.

Here's an example from my own experience: I was speaking to a prospect for my resume service years ago who sounded ready to buy ... until he uttered those fateful words: "I want to think about it."

I had heard that before. (You, too?) But, because I had heard that one -- and answered it -- before, I looked down at my phone script, which I had practiced before, and replied: "Two heads are better than one. Why don't we think about it right now?"

It turned out that he was concerned about price. I told him about my payment plans and money-back guarantee. He was sold, right there on the phone, and gave me his credit card number.

Now. I guarantee you he would have never called me back after "thinking about it." He would have been poorly served by choosing one of my inferior competitors or trying to fix his problem alone. And I would have been out one sale. Sales scripts pay you back. Big time.

Here's a note I got recently from a client in my Marketing Multipliers Club (thanks, Kathleen!), whom I worked with to develop a sales script:

 "Thanks to your outstanding sales coaching I snagged a reluctant Angie's List member. When I mentioned we do not charge diagnostic fees and just get to work, she was amazed. She then had ammo to ask competitors and found out our originally higher price was a real bargain ... even when compared to service providers within a mile of her house!"

To create your own sales scripts, start writing down anything you've ever said to a prospect that closed a sale.

Then, keep adding to your scripts as you develop new answers to tough questions. Practice your answers before making a sales call or whenever you have free time.

Key: When you write down and practice your words that sell, you'll have a script you can follow for higher profits.

Simple? Yes. Profitable? Yes. That’s what makes scripts a Marketing Multiplier -- a small action or simple tool the delivers BIG profits for your business.

Now. If your business is doing at least $100,000 in revenue, my Free Client Cloning Kit can give you a slight edge -- and then some. It's NOT another download. This is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

New Marketing Training for Consultants, Coaches, and Service Professionals

Do you own a business or sell a service?

If so, this is for you ...

Announcing a FREE Webcast: "Marketing Multipliers: 3 Secrets to More Leads, More Sales, and More Profits"

Here's the deal: You couldn't attend my in-person "Marketing Multipliers" session here in the Twin Cities. And that's too bad.

Because the people who came had comments like these ...

 

"I just attended Kevin's one-hour workshop and I got more great ideas I've never thought of before -- and frankly, I've read every book there is out there -- and I can use them right away. These are brain-dead simple to execute, and I can't wait to get started!" - Dan Janal, PR Leads

  

 

 

"I enjoyed it a great deal. Really nice, tangible things -- I've already got a list of things to do by the end of the day. A great session!" - Jim Reid, Bottom Line Business Advisors




But I'm doing a Live Video version of the training and you can watch it FREE at your desk.

No replay is planned, so please clear just 45 minutes on your schedule for this. You'll be glad you did! 

Learn more and save your spot here.

Move fast -- the first 25 to sign up get 3 Surprise Gifts after the Webcast.

Go here to register Free Now

Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): What's the Big Picture?

If you're a consultant, coach, or service professional and you face commoditization, you MUST do something to stand out in your market.

You probably knew that.

The solution? A USP.

First popularized in 1961 by Rosser Reaves in his book, Reality In Advertising (out of print), USP is short for Unique Selling Proposition, it's your answer to this question: “Why should I buy only from you, at the price you’re asking, now?”

You probably knew that, too.

But I'll bet you didn't know that early USPs were doubly powerful, because they were visual as well as written.

Why? So busy housewives wouldn’t forget the product between then time they saw it on TV at night and went shopping the next day.

Below are two powerful USPs that combine words and pictures (both created by Reaves):

See how visually involving and convincing these graphics are? They're screen caps from TV commercials that ran in the 1960s.


Now, here are 3 modern examples of visual USPs:

Plenty of blenders claim to be fast, convenient, powerful, etc. But only one -- Blendtec blenders -- proves their claims visually like this, with a fun YouTube channel. That's a USP.

Plenty of sushi restaurants claim to offer yummy authentic food that will delight you. But only one -- Ebisu Sushi, in Vancouver, BC -- proves their claims visually like this, with a wall of these unique customer photos. That's a USP.

Plenty of marketing tools claim to make selling easy for you. But only one -- The Selling CardTM -- proves its claims visually like this, by showing you a sales letter masquerading as a business card.

Key question: How can you make your USP visual and well as verbal? That makes it doubly powerful, and can make your business doubly profitable.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make it to that event? My free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

The Death of Free Consultations and Ezines

Do you sell consulting, coaching, or professional services?

If so, you probably offer a free consultation and/or a free ezine on your web site.

One word: STOP. As in, "Stop doing that. Now."

Here's why. Google your competitors. Look at their websites. Look at what they're offering. See any patterns?

If you're like 90% of the consultants, coaches, or service professionals I talk to, your competitors are all offering a Free Consultation, a Free subscription to Advice/Tips/Ezine -- or both. And you're probably doing the same thing.

Guess what?

When you and your competitors all offer the same "get acquainted" options, your prospects can't tell you apart. They will shop around for the lowest price, just as they do with other commodities, like gasoline. And you'll find yourself on a fast track to oblivion.

Instead, do two things: Give your free consultation a different name. Then, offer something besides a free ezine. 

1) Rename your Free Consultation

There are 1,001 other ways to say "Free Consultation." Renaming examples:

• Free Options Review
• Complimentary "Know Your Options" Review
• Free "Know Your Options" Conversation
• Complimentary Property Savings Analysis
• Complimentary Revenue Outline
• No-Cost Project Game Plan
• No-Charge Benefit Snapshot
• No-Cost Risk Assessment

2) Rename and repackage your Free Advice/Tips/Ezine

There are 1,001 other ways to attract leads besides a "Free Ezine." Renaming examples:

• Free Client Cloning Kit
• Monthly Tipsheet
• Money-Saving Cheat Sheet
• Profit Blueprint
• Opportunity Blueprint
• Profit Recovery Kit
• Free Strategic Organizer
• Hidden Money Finder

But don't stop at the name. Repackage your information and deliver it differently. Consider any or all of these delivery mechanisms:

• Print and mail in an envelope, tube, or box
• Video series on YouTube
• Audio series on iTunes
• Printed book
• Printed booklet
• Printed white paper
• Teleseminar series
• Webinar series

Just as a small change to the rudder can change the course of a ship by thousands of miles, these two small changes to your marketing can change the course of your business by thousands -- or millions -- of dollars.

So, stop offering Free Consultations and Free Advice/Tips/Ezine. Rename and repackage what you do.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here
Can't make it to that event? My free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

How to Make Your Business Remarkable

Want clients for life? People who buy from your business again and refer others?

One way to get them is to make your business remarkable, so that clients literally remark about you to their friends.

And if you want a simple way to become remarkable -- and create clients for life -- try this: If you sell a service, give away a product; if you sell a product, give away a service. Examples:

Service --> Product

1. Give clients an unexpected PRODUCT with the service, like a cookie, book, or gift card. Example: The maid who puts a mint on your pillow after making up your room is remarkable
2. Mail them a printed monthly newsletter. Don't have time to write one? Mail a copy of a helpful article, with a 5-word sticky note: "Saw this, thought of you." (If you don't have time for that, you don't have a business -- you have a hobby.)
3. Mail a "Quick Start Guide" or a "What to Expect" report after the first order

Product --> Service

1. Give clients an unexpected SERVICE with the product, like coaching or answering questions. Example: The web site that gives you free express shipping with your product is remarkable
2. Call to thank clients after every order, and ask what their #1 question is going forward. Answer that question (and listen for upsell and referral signals)
3. Refer clients to other vendors who can fill their needs for products/services you don't provide (which makes you a center of influence -- and makes you remarkable)

None of this is rocket surgery, by the way. You don't need 1,000 Facebook likes or a $30,000 web site overhaul to make it work. Just a little creative thinking. Thinking -- that's a remarkable feat which, by itself, can make your business remarkable.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make it to the training? My free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

The Upsell: Key to Higher Profits and Satisfaction

What is an upsell?

Short answer: Free money. Because a certain percentage of your clients want to buy more and almost all of them can buy more. The only question is, are you willing to sell it to them?

Academic answer: Asking people to buy more during or after the sale. Also called a bump or a cross-sell.

Upsell example: Tim, a photographer in St. Paul, Minnesota, added $4,000 in extra revenue in 6 months -- on track for $8,000 extra each year -- without working any harder.

How?

He added an upsell to his wedding photo packages. In addition to low and a medium, he now offers a premium-priced package to clients. He starts every presentation with “Here’s the best package,” and then works down. No hard selling required (Tim is very laid-back).

Results: More than 20% of his clients sell themselves. And Tim will bank an extra $8,000 from the same amount of work this year -- enough to fully fund his IRA and take his family on an exquisite vacation or two, with no extra work.

Moral: If you don't have an upsell, you are leaving money on the table.

But this is NOT about greed and you are NOT an evil 1% wannabe for offering an upsell. No.

When you offer more to buyers who already have their credit card out, you deliver two benefits to them:

1) better results (by delivering more of what they need, such as faster download speeds for Internet access) and

2) better feelings (because many people want to spend more to feel good about themselves -- otherwise, we would all drive a $12,780 Nissan Versaa, the cheapest new car in America).

When you offer a high-quality upsell to clients, you help them and you help yourself. Win-win.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make it to the training? My free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

Direct Mail for Solopreneurs: Postcard Example

One reason you need to include direct mail in your marketing mix as a solopreneur: Most of the trends I see for email marketing are negative.

Of course, email marketing should always have a place in your toolbox. But don't put all your eggs in that email toolbox (to mangle a metaphor). Just because it's efficient to push "send" and zap out a message at no cost to 5 ... 500 ... or 5,000 names, doesn't mean it's also effective.

Let's put it another way: How would you send your mother a birthday card, by email or real mail? How about your spouse -- would you send him/her an anniversary card by email or real mail?

I thought so.

Treat your prospects and clients the same as any other VIP in your life. When the message really matters, send it by real mail (in addition to email, phone, in person, video, etc.).

Now, if you're like most solopreneurs, you've got a big objection in mind when it comes to direct mail: Cost. And the time it takes to mail stuff. Okay, that's two objections.

Well, I get that. Time and money are the two constraints on much of your growth as a solopreneur.

So here's an easy answer to both those objections to using direct mail: Postcards. They're cheap and fast to deploy.

You print and mail them for less than 50 cents with a service like Click2Mail. Or spend a bit more and do them yourself.

Like the UGLY postcard I wrote and mailed below, from a hotel room in Dallas ...

It helped cement a sale for $7,500 to a busy prospect who had ignored two emails from me the week before. Sure, it's butt-ugly and my handwriting is awful. But the message was 100% personalized and relevant to this prospect.

He got the postcard on Monday and signed up 24 hours later.

Now. Big caveat: No small ugly postcard -- or big beautiful postcard -- is enough to make a sale for $7,500 (or even $75) in 99 cases out of 100. But a postcard can be that one tap of the hammer that splits a big rock.

As a solopreneur, you have a family and/or a livelihood to support every morning you turn on the lights and fire up your computer. You're doing a serious job and you need serious tools.

Direct mail is a serious tool. And postcards are seriously simple. That makes postcards, done right, what I call a Marketing Multiplier -- a simple tool that delivers big profits.

There's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting for you now. Try them Free here.

Direct Mail Demystified for Solopreneurs

Much of my work as a copywriter and marketing adviser is for mid-sized businesses in the $2-20 million range.

And a lot of that work is direct mail: lead-generation pieces and sales letters to acquire new clients.

But there's a BIG place in my heart for the solopreneur -- the one-man band or one-woman army who fights every day to earn a good living to support their family.

Maybe it's because I've been a solopreneur myself for 16 years. I understand solopreneurs, I empathize with solopreneur marketing problems, and I want to see them do better.

So it kills me to see so many solopreneurs buy into the myth that direct mail is too expensive or complicated to grow their business. Nonsense.

The same principles my bigger clients use to rake in 6 and 7 figures with direct mail can ABSOLUTELY work for smaller businesses. In fact, done right, direct mail can deliver clients on demand for almost any solopreneur -- whether you sell a product, a service, or your consulting.

First, some unsettling facts about email ...

One in seven commercial emails never makes it to the recipient. Worse, at least 30% of those 85% emails that get delivered ... are deleted unread. And all current trends for the effectiveness of email are negative (sources: Return Path and The Freedman Company).

By contrast, direct mail is one of the most effective ways to acquire new clients. Perhaps because it's so much easier to stand out in a mailbox compared to an email inbox (or Twitter feed, or Facebook news feed).

"You can send targeted, relevant direct mail to anyone with a mailing address. People generally trust direct mail, know how to respond to a direct mail offer, and don't need the  technological savvy required by e-mail or social media platforms. These are the major reasons direct mail works," according to Clif McDougall, VP of Business Development, Com-Pak Services.

Finally, "direct mail is 10 to 30 times more effective than e-mail," according to The Direct Marketing Association. In a study, 34 out of 1,000 customers responded to direct mail, while just one out of 1,000 responded to an e-mail.

In the next few posts, I'll share with you examples of direct-mail that's working right now for solopreneurs.

But for today, ask yourself 3 questions:

1) Do you honestly wish you got more email or less?

2) Do you think your prospects want more email or less?

3) If you're leaving direct mail out of your marketing mix, how much money do you think you're leaving on the table?

Meanwhile, dp you own a business?

Want more clients?

If so, there's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting for you now. Try them Free here.

11 Marketing Nuggets from The Titans of Direct Response

Titans assembled, left to right: Brian Kurtz, Ryan Lee, Parris Lampropoulos, Mike Fishman, Fred Catona, Arthur Johnson, Eric Betuel, David Deutsch, Jay Abraham, Ken McArthy, Joe Sugarman

Do you love marketing? You should, if you own or manage a business. Otherwise, you’ll run out of clients.

Do you love direct-response marketing? You should, if you want to track and improve your marketing. Otherwise, you’ll run out of money.

... Still with me?

Good!

Then you’ll understand why I was thrilled to attend “The Titans of Direct Response” event hosted by Brian Kurtz and Boardroom Publications.

Imagine a Mount Rushmore of marketing legends with 11 heads ... that suddenly started talking ... for two days straight. That reeks of hyperbole, sure. It’s also true.

Anyway, you can read their bios here, but let’s get to it -- here are 11 nuggets of marketing wisdom I learned at "The Titans of Direct Response" ...

1) Dan Kennedy: There are only really two kinds of copy: product information and emotional manipulation. Wage everything on emotional manipulation; this sells way more than facts. Example: To sell a cat toy, don’t talk about the toy. Talk about how neglected and bored the cat is while you’re away at work. The toy will pretty much sell itself.

2) Ken McArthy: The System Formula for any website is this: traffic plus conversion equals profits. You need to obsess over these simple elements. And remember that it’s not a web site -- it’s a sales system.

3) Perry Marshall: The best unique selling proposition (USP) won’t need a copywriter; it’s not about stringing words together. Ordinary people will discover and share a USP with each other -- it’s baked into the product or service.

4) David Deutsch: Here’s a test of how good your sales letter or promotion is. When people see it they should say “Wow!” and want to show someone.

5) Parris Lampropoulos: Novelty creates dopamine. By telling people something new, you are generating dopamine and your copy is literally addictive.

6) Eric Betuel: To get new ideas and see winning examples of salesmanship, look at videos on Kickstarter.

7) Gary Bencivenga: Your self-image (as described in the book Psycho Cybernetics) is the key to achieving any goal and living a life without limits. If you believe strongly in the image you have in your mind, you won’t need will power to hit a goal. As a copywriter, his self-image was “Gary Bencivenga the Control Beater.” This became his operating system. It motivated him all the time. Ideas began to pop up everywhere, even when he wasn’t working on projects. This philosophy vastly out-performed everything else for him.

8) Brian Kurtz: Contribution is better than networking. Think first about how you can help others and be willing to give 100%, expecting zero in return. This is real contribution and it’s made him millions.

9) Joe Sugarman: Every problem has an opportunity within it so great that it dwarfs the problem. Example: He had an empty page in his catalog, which he had to scramble to fill with another product. That product was a strange pair of sunglasses, given to him by a friend, that had been used by NASA --  BluBlockers, now a multi-million dollar brand.

10) Greg Renker: What does it really take to break through barriers and grow exponentially? Two things have helped: one, his Mastermind group (which includes Jay Abraham and others at a high level); two, plowing profits back into the company and taking more risks.

11) Jay Abraham: Any problem for you is an opportunity for somebody else. Example: A motorcycle maker in Japan needed money to expand. They found a lawnmower maker in Malaysia with a second shift they weren’t using, who agreed to make motorcycles in their factory. Result: Both sides made $10 million on the deal.

There you have it. Eleven marketing nuggets from more than 100 that I collected over two days one weekend in September.

Which nugget can you use first?

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Marketing Synergy: 1 + 1 = 6?

Synergy is what happens when the sum is greater than the parts.

Examples ...

• flour + water + yeast + heat = bread
• John + Paul + George + Ringo = The Beatles
• Email + Direct Mail = 6 ... as in it's possible to get 6 times more response using email and direct mail together, rather than separately.

That last example is Marketing Synergy.

Let me explain ...

Last year, the Canadian division of Staples did an experiment. To one group of people, they sent an email promotion. To a second group, they sent email plus a direct-mail letter.

The results?

The response rate was 6 times higher from people who got a direct mail piece and an email, compared to those who got only email, according to the study, done by Canada Post.

There are two valuable lessons here:

1) Multiple marketing methods can produce synergy. By combining email and direct mail ... or phone and email ... or phone, email, and direct mail ... you get MORE results than using one method by itself.

2) If a big bureaucratic company like Staples can produce 6x higher results with their marketing, imagine the results you can enjoy, if you're a small, agile, smart business owner?

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

You? 10x Profits and Growth?

Think back to a time when you made only 10% of your current income.

It might have been in college or high school.

Why did you make only 10% of what you do now? Were you a loser/slacker/dunderhead?

No.

You were simply less valuable in the marketplace. You earned 90% less because you delivered 90% less value. Today you deliver 10 times more value, so you earn 10 times more money.

What made the difference?

Perhaps your skills are 10 times more valuable. You want from fry cook ($5.00 an hour) to software developer ($50.00 an hour), for example. Or maybe the average amount you saved your clients on taxes increased from $500 to $5,000. You are more valuable.

Or maybe you reach 10 times more people. You went from cutting grass (5 lawns a day) to owning a landscaping business with 10 employees (50 lawns a day). Or perhaps your list of prospects increased from 100 to 1,000. You are reaching more people.

So, increasing your income by 10 times is not only possible, but you've done it at least once before. Maybe several times.

Now fast forward to the future. Imagine yourself earning 10 times more than today. Are you 10 times more valuable? Are you helping 10 times more people? Both?

Here's an example from my own business ...

My client Ryan, a real estate investor from California. By making phone calls and meeting with home sellers in person, he and his business partner had a nice little business going.

After the departure of his partner who did the sales, Ryan faced a potential loss in income ... hours spent banging the phones to sell his service ... loads of frustration. In a word, problems.

But I solved those problems for Ryan.

How? Two ways ...

1) We made him more valuable. We improved his phone sales pitch to push certain hot buttons that made people eager to sell their homes.

2) We helped him reach more people. We turned his phone sales pitch (one-to-one selling) into a sales letter (one-to-many selling), AND we found new lists of people to mail to, AND we're mailing those people more often.

So, more value reaching more people.

Results?

We put $250,000 of cash and equity into Ryan's pipeline in 7 days. Nearly $700,000 in 12 months. At this pace, he will enjoy 10 times more profits in less than 2-3 years.

This is life-changing stuff. And it's possible for you, me, Ryan -- anyone.

Just ask yourself two questions: 1) How can I make myself 10 times more valuable?
2) How can I reach 10 times more people?

You've done it before. You can do it again. Why not start today? 

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can make it to that event? My free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

How Less Work Equals More Money

Ever read a book, watch a video, or attend a seminar ... come away with a long, exciting list of things to do ... and end up doing NONE of it?

You're not alone.

But here's how one insurance agency in Texas found a simple solution to that problem -- a solution worth millions. And it can work for you, too, no matter what your business is ...

Here's the story: I was just at the BGI Marketing Systems Super Conference, in Dallas. It's the event where the best insurance agency owners in America go to get better.

Louis, a top producing sales rep for two Allstate offices in Texas, told me that his team came to their first BGI event a few years ago, took a long list of money-making ideas back to the office, tried to do all of them ... and did none of them.

Reason? Their to-do list was too long and intimidating to start work on.

So they did something different.

After their next event, they took another long-list of great ideas back to the office. But this time, they implemented just one item. After putting one idea to work, they went on to the next one. And the next one. One by one, step by step.

The results?

Louis and his team went from worrying about how to pay their bills to being on track to do $3 million in premium this year. With a ton of profits left over, and non-stop growth on the horizon.

Your Takeaway: Ideas mean nothing without implementation. But you won't implement if your to-do list is a mile long. It's like trying to climb a mountain in one step -- impossible and demoralizing.

So take a look at your notes from that last seminar, video, or book. Pick just one idea, and do that one thing. After that, do the next thing. You'll get more done and make more money, with less stress and apparent effort.

You can't do everything, but you can always do one thing. And that can change everything.

Meanwhile, if you own a business, there's a box of 11 Marketing Multipliers waiting to be shipped to you. You can try it Free. Click here now

Screw Price Quotes and Proposals Part 3: The Delivery

In the last two posts, I've explained why you should never send another price quote or proposal.

I've showed you how to give your Un-Proposal a unique name and how to fill it with compelling content.

Now for the final, often-overlooked piece of the puzzle: The Delivery.

Fact: The most persuasive selling message in the world won’t mean anything if it’s not read with interest by the person you’re selling to. And, yet, if you send your Un-Proposal by email, it likely won’t get read or read with any interest.

Prove this for yourself. How many unread messages are clogging up your email in-box this very second? What’s that little number in red say on your smart phone -- 10 emails? 25? 50? How many emails do you actually print and read carefully? How many do you just download and ... forget?

Now, flip the script. If your prospects get your carefully written Un-Proposals by email, they almost certainly WON'T read and respond as much you want. There's simply too much competition for time and attention in their email in-box.

Fortunately, there’s a solution: Get real. Print and send a hard copy of your Un-Proposal.

Think: Is it fair to expect anyone to write you a check for thousands of dollars based on an email? Even if you’ve met or spoken to them at length, do you want to trust your next sale to email only?

A printed Un-Proposal creates a lasting impact that's not possible with email. Research by The UK's Royal Mail and Bangor University found that physical materials, like documents you can hold, "triggered greater emotional processing."

The study, Using Neuroscience to Understand the Role of Direct Mail, found that "tangible materials actually leave a deeper footprint in the brain."

To quote the study at length:

This research strongly suggests that greater emotional processing is facilitated by the physical material than by the virtual. The “real” experience that the physical media provides means it’s better at becoming part of memory.

It generates more emotion, which should help to develop more positive brand associations. The real experience is also internalized, which means the materials have a more personal effect, and therefore should aid motivation.

Get that? A printed Un-Proposal that your prospects can hold generates more emotion, has a more personal effect, and aids motivation. Bing, bang, boom. Try that with email.

Okay, you should print your Un-Proposal, but how to deliver it? 

FedEx.

Sure, you could deliver it by U.S. Mail, but it might get lumped in with all the other bills, solicitations, and junk. It might even get tossed in the trash by an over-zealous gatekeeper.

However, nobody ignores a FedEx Letter. There’s a 100% chance it will get delivered, opened, and read. Yes, you pay more for FedEx, but when you do, you’re buying 100% of your prospect’s attention and ensuring they will read your Un-Proposal -- with interest. That's a bargain. And you simply cannot do that with email.

But, nearly all of your competitors will send their ordinary price quotes or proposals by email. And compared to you, they will look ... ordinary. Good news for you, no?

That wraps up this 3-part series on naming, writing, and delivering an Un-Proposal that helps you sell more of your product or service. Let me know what you think!

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

Screw Price Quotes and Proposals Part 2: The Contents

Last time, I explained why you should never send another price quote or sales proposal. I talked about giving your Un-Proposal a name that's unique to you.

Today, let's talk about the second piece of the puzzle: The contents of your Un-Proposal.

Back in the 1990s, I used to write resumes and cover letters for friends, family, and later clients. And I set off an accidental revolution in job hunting by asking a “silly” question: What would happen if cover letters were written like sales letters?

A lot, as it turned out.

Most cover letters are like pornography: You’ll know it when you see it -- fast. But, unlike pornography, most cover letters are incredibly dull. Stilted language, few/no benefits, and a weak closing. In a word, BORING.

And, because you can’t bore people into hiring you, most cover letters are ineffective.

So I did something different. I wrote cover letters that were really sales letters: a strong opening, compelling benefits, a clear call to action, testimonials -- even a P.S. at the end.

As you can imagine, a lot of people found jobs very, very fast with my cover letters.

Now. What does this mean for you and your Un-Proposal?

This: Most price quotes and sales proposals are like most cover letters: Stilted language, few/no benefits, and a weak closing.

So, the contents of your Un-Proposal should resemble a sales letter, with all or most of these elements: strong opening, compelling benefits, a clear call to action, testimonials -- even a P.S. at the end.

Here’s an example of a strong opening, taken from one of my own Un-Proposals, that will get the attention of any prospect (and which got an order for me within days):

Frank,

Thanks again for chatting by phone today about your goals! Looking at all you’ve done already, I can help you sell more of your services from www.ABC.com.

Based on my notes from our conversation, here’s what I think you said:

• You’ve been in business for 15 years and do great work for clients, yet new business development remains a challenge for you
• You have a mailing list of about 8,000 names and physical addresses, and an email list of about 3,000 names -- both of which are valuable assets
• The busy prospects you are trying to reach are inundated with sales messages every day, so you need something powerful to cut through that clutter
• At between $150.00/month and $250.00/month, each new client brings you $1,800.00 to $3,000.00 a year, and they stay with you indefinitely

Please let me know if I missed anything!

Now, here’s an outline of my recommended project option, the timeline, the investment, and your guarantee ...

There’s a lot going on in those opening paragraphs, but here’s what’s key: By including the prospect’s own words, taken from my notes of our phone call, I prove that I was listening. This is huge. He’s nodding his head in agreement at every bullet point. He’s starting to trust me. He’s now more likely to buy from me. And he did.

This is copywriting 101, by the way.

It’s the kind of psychology that goes into every sales letter I write for clients. But this kind of “salesmanship in print” is missing from nearly every price quote or sales proposal I’ve ever seen. By including compelling sales copy in your Un-Proposal, however, you’ll instantly separate yourself from the competition and close more sales.

Next time, in the final installment, I’ll tell you how to boost response to your Un-Proposal into the stratosphere by delivering it differently to prospects.

Meanwhile, if you want more clients, my free Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

Screw Price Quotes. Screw Proposals. Send This

You may sign up new clients and customers face-to-face or by phone. If so, terrific.

But, more likely, your prospects will ask you for a written proposal or price quote, to compare to other vendors.’ Understand this: When anyone asks for a proposal, they’re asking you to help them comparison shop you. They’re asking you to commoditize yourself.

Screw that.

Never send another proposal or price quote again.

Instead, send an Un-Proposal. I’ve done it for years. The Un-Proposal lets you can bypass the tyranny of commoditization and sets your business apart. In a bag full of apples, you’re a pineapple.

The Un-Proposal has 3 key elements:

1. Name
2. Contents
3. Delivery

Today, let’s look at 1: the Name of your Un-Proposal.

What’s in a name? In sales and marketing, a lot ...

Like first impressions, for example.

If a prospect asks for a proposal and you send one, you’re instantly lumped in with the other vendors they're considering. You’ve made it easy for your prospect to compare and hard for you to stand out, other than by having the lowest price. Not good.

However, if a prospect asks for a proposal and you send a Project Blueprint, Game Plan, or Opportunity Outline, well, you can’t be lumped in with anyone. You’ve made it hard for your prospect to compare and easy for you to stand out in a way that has nothing to do with price. That’s good.

So, just as you should give your free consultation a unique name, give one to your (former) proposal or price quote, too.

Here are a few examples to get you started:

• Project Blueprint
• Opportunity Outline
• Profit Game Plan
• Benefit Snapshot
• Savings Summary

Now, which of these statements would you feel more powerful saying to a prospect?

• "I sent you a proposal. What do you think?"
• "I sent you a Profit Game Plan. What do you think?"

Do you think you might feel more confident and less like a commodity if you sent a Profit Game Plan?

I think you need to some brainstorming to create a name for your own Un-Proposal, that's what I think.

Next time, I'll show you how to create the contents for your Un-Proposal -- and close more sales, faster.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

Speak Your Own Language, Write Your Own Check

What's the easiest way to stand out in any market?

Be known.

You can be known as the biggest, fastest, or best at what you do. That’s a great way to stand out.

But here’s another way to avoid comparisons and sidestep the competition: Speak your own language.

Examples:

• Countless restaurants sell hamburgers, but only one sells a Big Mac. McDonald’s speaks their own language, which also includes Happy Meals, Quarter Pounders, etc.
• There are countless colas on earth, but only one Uncola. 7-Up speaks its own language.
• There are countless motivational speakers, but only one irritational speaker, Larry Winget. He speaks his own language.

So, if you find yourself one of countless businesses, consultants, or service professionals -- and you want to stand out -- speak your own language.

Start small, but powerfully, with just one phrase: a new name for the free sample you offer to prospective clients. Because “Free Consultation” is about as powerful as hamburger, cola, or motivational speaker -- not much.

To create a new name and speak your own language, you could offer a:

• Free Skull Session
• Complimentary Brainstorm
• Free Game Plan
• No-Cost Cash Flow Conversation

Call it what you will, just call it anything but a free consultation. Otherwise, you’re saying what everybody else is saying, which makes it look like you’re selling what everybody else is selling. There’s a word for that sort of thing: commodity.

If your product or service is seen as a commodity, prospective buyers will compare you to other commodities. You will have to compete on price. And your life will suck.

Life is too short to suck.

Spend the time and effort to create a unique name for your free sample. Speaking your own language is one of the easiest ways to differentiate your business. And write your own check.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

Time: The Priceless Ingredient

"Your time is the one finite resource you have as an entrepreneur," says Strategic Coach founder, Dan Sullivan. "Get control of it, and you can use it as a tool to produce all the results you want in every area of your life."

The opposite is true: If you can't control your time, you can't produce the results you want in life.

You already know that email is a tremendous time suck. And that you can get a lot more done when you do all your email in only 45 minutes a day or hide the email icon on your smart phone.

But what about the web? It sucks, too. Time, that is.

You've done it, I've done it, we've all done it. You sit down at the computer, you swear you're going to work ...

... next thing you know, it's time for dinner.

You've posted "work-related" updates on Facebook, browsed "work-related" trends on Twitter, read those "work-related" blogs, ego-surfed your name on Google (work-related, natch), and looked up at all your high-school crushes on LinkedIn.

What you haven't done is actual work.

There's a limitless number of web sites that can suck the time (and life) out of your working day: YouTube, ESPN, Facebook, Twitter ... news sites, political blogs ... etc.

Do this: Block those web sites. Otherwise, they will block your progress and erode your paycheck by burning your time -- the priceless ingredient in success.

Four months ago, I blocked Facebook on my work computer. Also blocked dozens of time-wasting web sites that used to eat up 2-3 hours of time every day. Since then, my productivity has soared. I get more done in less time, and I can always check Facebook on my iPad (after dinner).

As my marketing mentor, Dan Kennedy, says: "Your time must be your own. You dictate who, when and how and how much of it others get. Anything less is either slavery or anarchy."

For a list of handy productivity and web-site blocking tools, click here.

FYI, I use and recommend (and don't get paid by) OpenDNS.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

Strategic Happiness

Why do you work and market and sell so hard?

One reason, I'm sure: To earn the money it takes to live the life you want.

And why do you want to live that life?

To be happy, I'm sure. You work hard now to be happy later.

Well, why wait?

Not only can you be happy now, before you grow your business, but being happy now can help grow your business. It's a virtuous, money-making, happiness-inducing circle.

"Whatever goal you want to reach, you can reach it 10 times faster if you are happy," writes success coach Steve Chandler in, 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself. "In my sales training and consulting, I notice that happy sales people sell at least twice as much as unhappy sales people. Most people think that the successful sales people are happy because they are selling more and making more money. Not true. They are selling more and making more money because they are happy."

In his book, The Happiness Advantage, Harvard researcher Shawn Achor analyzes research conducted over 10 years and finds that happy people increase their sales by 37 percent and productivity by 31 percent.

Get that?

Sales-making, productive people are happy FIRST; more profitable and productive SECOND.

Again, why wait for the money to make you happy? Happiness can make you money.

There are many ways to get happy. But the more I study the subject, the more one word keeps popping up: gratitude. Gratitude can prime the pump of happiness and get it flowing in your life. Research backs this up. Grateful people tend to be happier, according to Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California-Davis.

And gratitude can be created on demand, according to Emmons. "In a series of studies, my colleagues and I have helped people systematically cultivate gratitude, usually by keeping a gratitude journal in which they regularly record the things for which they’re grateful," writes Emmons.

Let's modify that idea for our purposes and create a marketing gratitude journal. Write down 5 recent "wins" in your marketing for which you're grateful.

Examples of marketing gratitude:

• "I'm grateful that A.B. bought a product after getting my sales letter last week."
• "I'm grateful that G.R. called after getting my new business card. I'll meet him Thursday to pitch a project."
• "I'm grateful that J.L. retained me after responding to my advertorial."
• "I'm grateful that H.H. hired me after a referral from my wife!"
• "I'm grateful that D.S. hired me after getting my sales letter."

Writing out 5 marketing "wins" gives you two big benefits:

1) It makes you grateful, which can make you happier, more productive, and more profitable. We've seen that.

2) By reliving past success, you're visualizing success. You're mentally "practicing" behavior that made you money before, which makes it easier to make money again.

Win-win.

Why not try it? Jot down 5 things about your marketing that you're grateful for, in your Google Calendar, on a Post-It Note, wherever. If it feels good today, do it again tomorrow.

Proactively creating happiness NOW can make you more productive and profitable LATER. Call it Strategic Happiness. Call it anything you want. Just try it and see for yourself.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

More Media Means More Money

Whatever you're doing to grow your business, you can do it better by doing it via more media.

By distributing your best sales message in more ways, you appeal to the communications styles of more people -- and sell more stuff.

• If you sell in person or by phone, you can distribute your sales message via direct mail, email, video, email, etc.
• If you sell by email or web pages, add direct mail, seminars, video, etc. to your mix
• If you sell by direct mail, add email, seminars, video, etc.

Want examples? Here you go ...

• Phone + Mail: For a real estate investor, I turned his best phone sales message into a series of letters and postcards... and netted him $770,000 in profits (and counting)

• In Person + Print Ad: For an insurance agent, I turned his in-person sales message into a newspaper insert (FSI) ... and increased his net profits 670% 

• In Person + Mail: For a chain of pet stores, I turned their best employee's sales message into a sales letter... and delivered a 23.02% response and an ROI of 683%

• In Person + Email: For a business coach, I turned his in-person sales message into a series of emails to promote a webinar ... and helped deliver $115,000 in 24 hours

• Text + Video: For a consultant's landing page, I turned the written copy into an added video ... and conversion rates nearly doubled, from 25% to more than 40%

Note: Research shows that your tone of voice and body language -- NOT your words -- can account for up to 93% of communications, depending on the topic. So, if you add a new medium to your marketing mix, consider doing a video. This is supported by research from Mashable, showing that adding video content to your web site can increase conversions by 86% and sales by 44%.

Task: Find your best sales message -- that thing you're doing or saying that brings in the most sales and profits. Then, distribute it via one new medium. Then add another. And another.

Rinse. Repeat. Profit.
 

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

How to Explode Your Direct-Mail Response by 108%

Want a higher response from your sales letters -- up to 108% higher?

Try a sticky note.

Social scientist Randy Garner ran a study in which he sent out surveys to people, with a request to complete them.

The survey was mailed in one of 3 ways:

1. with a handwritten sticky note requesting completion of the survey, attached to a cover letter;
2. with a similar handwritten message on the cover letter itself; or 
3. with a cover letter only -- no handwritten message

The little yellow square packed a big persuasive punch: More than 75% of people who got the survey with the sticky note request filled it out and returned it ... while only 48% of the second group and 36% of the third group did so.

That difference is huge -- 108% higher response for a letter with a sticky note compared to a letter without one. More than double.

Garner suggests that people recognize the extra effort and personal touch required to add a sticky note, and that they feel a need to reciprocate by agreeing to the request.

As I’m sure you know from the classic book, Influence by Robert Cialdini, reciprocity is the social glue that helps bind people together in cooperative relationships. As this study shows, a simple sticky note can trigger reciprocity -- and increase response.

Bottom line: Little sticky notes swing big doors ... and an ounce of personalized effort is worth a pound of persuasion.

The above is adapted from the article, “How to Make Your Influence Stickier,” by Bob Adams, and is based on the book "Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to be Persuasive" by Robert Cialdini, Noah Goldstein, and Steve Martin.

Now.

How can you use this idea in your marketing? What’s the next letter you plan to mail that could be improved by adding a sticky note? Please let me know -- leave a comment below.

Update: A few days after writing this post, I got this letter in the mail from Xfinity/Comcast ...

They send hundreds of thousands of mail pieces each week. And they're testing the sticky note to see if it boosts response. You might want to try it, too.

Meanwhile, do you own a business? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Training Session. Grab your spot here


Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

How to Prime Your Marketing Pump: Give Away to Get Back

I was struck by a story in Grow Rich With Peace of Mind, one of Napoleon Hill's excellent, but lesser-known books.

It's about the curious incident of an insurance man who became rich after first giving away 90% of his working hours.

How's that possible? Here's how, from pages 78-79:

One of my distinguished students, Edward Choate of the New England Life Insurance Company of Los Angeles, decided to help his government sell War Bonds during World War II. He devoted 80 per cent of his time to this effort for which he received no direct compensation.

In addition, he gave 10 per cent of his time to counseling and training other life insurance men, his direct competitors. For this he neither asked nor received compensation. He used the remaining 10 percent of his time to sell life insurance on his own account.

One might think that a man who gave away 90 per cent of his working hours would ruin his business. Let us see. A life insurance man is considered to do pretty well if he writes $1,000,000 worth of insurance in a year. During the first three months of one war year, Edward Choate wrote more than $1,500,000 worth. Most of this was written in his own office, on the lives of men who sought him out and asked him to accept their applications. They were men who remembered him in connection with the services he rendered while he was giving away 90% of his time.

In giving of his time, Mr. Choate never hinted that he wanted anything in return. Yet such is the Law of Compensation that a return is inevitable. You may wish to look at it this way: every time you share your blessings with another, you become his creditor. Eventually, the debt is paid. Somehow, debts have to be paid.

This story intrigued me, as it may you. But is it really possible to give away 90% of your time and still earn a living? I don't know, because I've never tried. But I have given away 10% of my time and/or money for years. And I can tell you it really works.

Here's an example: A couple of cancelled projects left me with unexpected free time. So I decided to donate about 10% of my time next week to 3 good people in my network of friends and clients -- I'll be writing several letters and direct-mail pieces for them.

After telling each of these 3 people that I'd be doing work for them gratis, here's what happened:

• I was offered a free video email blast to a list of prime prospects for my copywriting (a joint venture made in heaven)

• I was offered an introduction to a multi-million dollar prospective client for my copywriting (they have desire and money to pay me)

• I was offered introductions to 2 executive who influence marketing decisions for dozens of my ideal clients (a networking goldmine)

... and then things really got weird:

• A lukewarm prospect suddenly emailed to say, "The check is in the mail"

• An ideal prospect who had "gone dark" for 2 weeks emailed to say, "Let's talk next week."

You get the idea. There's a bunch of new business and revenue in my pipeline that wasn't there 24 hours before I "primed the pump" by giving away just 10% of my time for one work week.

Now, make no mistake, I'm not counting any of these chickens until they're hatched. You can't put promises or introductions in the bank. And there is MUCH more to my marketing than giving away my services -- I mail 100-300 sales letters a week to generate leads, on top of all the referrals and add-on projects I generate from clients, the blogging, public speaking, article writing, etc. 

This is NOT another Pollyanna plea for you to "give something back." Please. If you're in business and you pay taxes, you already give back.

What this is about is the simple idea that, by helping others, you help yourself.

You can call it, "reap what you sow," or "get what you give" or even as Jesus said in Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you ... For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return."

Whatever you call it, you've probably heard of it. But have you tried it?

If business is slow, one of the fastest ways to boost your sales is to boost your ego. Because sales is just like dating -- desperation is NOT an aphrodisiac. And a sure way to feel better about yourself is to help somebody else feel better, by giving them of your time and skills.

Try a literal tithing of your time this week -- donate just 10%. You'll put unseen forces into motion that enrich others as well as yourself. The more you give, the more comes back to you. I promise you'll be richer for it.

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

3 Words to Boost Your Referrals up to 900%

900% more referrals?

It's true.

You see, my client, Allstate Hall-of-Fame Agent and President of BGI Marketing Systems, Bill Gough, knows a thing or two about referrals.

He's won every possible award at Allstate. He's brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in premium for over 2,133 different insurance agencies.

He's spent 30 years and close to $910,000 on tracking results, testing, and learning.

Over the years, Bill has found ways to take referrals from 4% to nearly 40% of his new business. That's a 900% increase. Not bad.

And here's some hard-won advice I learned from Bill: A referral system starts with a referral culture.

When somebody calls your business, always ask, "Who referred you?" When you ask assumptively this way, the caller thinks that referrals are normal and expected in your business ... and that you must be doing something right to be earning them.

Extra benefit: Every time you or one of your employees asks, "Who referred you?" it strengthens your referral mindset ... which leads to more referrals. It's a virtuous circle that repeats over and over.

Your referral culture, and the tremendous gains in new business you can expect, all begin with 3 words: "Who referred you?"

Meanwhile, are you an entrepreneur with clients, not customers? Are you doing at least $200,000 in revenue, and want to do better? If so ...

... I can show you more "profit hacks" like the ones you just read in this article. Get them in my next Free Video Training Session. It's for $200k entrepreneurs ONLY, please.

Grab your spot here

Can't make that event? My FREE Client Cloning Kit can help. It's not some cheapo download -- this is a real business-building kit you can hold in your hands. Grab yours now, while you can.

The Selling Card

Dan Kennedy's No B.S. Marketing Newsletter calls it ...

"The Business Card That Increases Sales, Gets You Referrals On The Spot and Never Gets Thrown Away"

I’m here to tell you about a new kind of business card I created for myself about 15 months ago ...

It’s changed everything for me. And it might change everything for you, too.

Honestly, you can’t even call this thing a business card, although it’s the same size as one. And it’s made of paper. But the similarities end there.

Take a look and see for yourself. Here’s the front of my card …

And here’s the back, with a “payload” inside ...

I call it The Selling Card^TM.

It may look like a business card, but it's actually a sales letter in disguise.

And for every 10 of these “secret sales letters” that I hand out, between 2 and 5 people will immediately start a conversation with me that produces either a hot lead or a sale.

That’s a response rate of 20% to 50%. By comparison, millions of dollars are made by sales letters with a response rate of 1-2%.

Does your business card work that hard for you?

Secret Sales Weapon? Get Real …

I know the term secret weapon is overused, but please suspend your skepticism for a minute while I tell you how and why the Selling Card is indeed my Secret Sales Weapon -- and it might be for you, too.

It all started Sunday morning, June 15, 2014, in the lobby of the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in Cleveland …

… I was at an exclusive $3,000-per-ticket seminar put on by Dan Kennedy, and a strange thing happened as I waited for the airport shuttle.

I struck up a conversation with Mark, a wealthy business owner. The guy lives in a gated community in Florida where everybody has an airplane hangar instead of a garage. The people who live there are all pilots who own airplanes.

As you can imagine, this is guy is no dummy when it comes to making money in business.

So I was shocked after I handed him the kooky little Selling Card I’ve been using myself for 14 months. He absolutely loved it. And he started quizzing me like Sherlock Holmes, asking tons of questions: What is this thing? How does it work? What results are you getting?

Even after we got to the airport, Mark was still buzzing about my Selling Card. We got past the TSA, we’re walking down to the gate, and he’s still quizzing me.

Now to be honest, I’ve had lots of compliments before about my card. But something clicked this time. I started thinking that maybe Mark might not be the only one who would be interested and want to learn about this.

The fact that you’ve read this far proves that you’re at least a little interested, too.

And that’s when I realized The Strangest Sales Secret …

Why Hand Out Business Cards
When You Can Hand Out
Sales Letters In Disguise?

Think about it: What’s a sales letter anyway? A sales message on paper. Why not take it a step further and put your sales message on a card? That’s what a Selling Card is.

I mean, where’s the law that says your business card has to be name, rank, and serial number? Or that your card can’t deliver a “payload” inside, just like an envelope?

A Selling Card does.

We’re all “blind” to business cards. They are not new. They are not exciting. They do not and cannot sell by themselves.

As a result, every time you hand out an ordinary business card, you’re missing a golden opportunity to turn a suspect into a prospect … and a prospect into a buyer.

But a Selling Card is different.

A Selling Card … sells. Because it delivers your best sales message for you -- just like a sales letter -- every time you hand it out.

It puts you in a position of strength because your prospect is holding your card, actively involved in it, and impressed with you.

A key secret: The Selling Card has a payload inside, with elements that prove you know what you’re talking, about no matter what you’re selling. And because your prospects’ hands are engaged with the contents of your Selling Card, they’re more likely to engage with you -- and buy from you.

It’s all based on ...

The $750-Million Secret
Of Publishers Clearing House

You’ve heard of Publishers Clearing House, the giant company that sells magazine subscriptions by mail. And you’ve probably received their sales letters, which look like this …

… with all the stickers, scratch-off cards, and other involvement devices inside, like these:

So ... why include all that stuff inside a sales letter?

Because busy hands increase response.

The more time you invest in a sales letter -- picking up the items that fall out, tearing little stamps and pasting them onto an order card, scratching off tickets -- the more likely you are to respond.

Because Publishers Clearing House is a direct-response marketing company that tests every element of every sales letter, they know exactly what they’re doing. And they’re doing more than $750 million in annual revenue mailing sales letters with involvement devices.

Now.

Does your ordinary business card create busy hands?

Of course not. It cannot. It’s just a flat piece of paper.

That’s why I designed the Selling Card in the form of an envelope, which delivers a payload of involvement devices inside ... which creates busy hands ... which increases your response.

But the “payload” is just one element. Over the past 14 months of trial and error, I’ve identified ...

3 “Secret Ingredients” That
Go Into Every Selling Card

1) Right Design

Remember, this is an actual envelope with something inside. Should the design resemble an envelope with a stamp or something else? Have you created a size that matches other business cards so it fits into your prospect’s wallet or pocket? These are all important considerations.

2) Right Payload

Should your payload be money? If so, should it be U.S. money or foreign currency? Or something else entirely, like a tiny brochure, a list of five of seven tips, a coupon or a picture?

3) Right Call to Action

What do you want readers to do when they open the Selling Card? Should they call you? Should they schedule a meeting online? If that’s too intimidating, should they email you? Should they do something else? What can you offer to boost response? These are all parts of an effective call to action that you need to consider.

So, as you can see, there’s a lot going on behind the curtain when it comes to how you create and distribute your Selling Card.

On top of that, here are 8 money-making advantages you get only from The Selling Card:

1) It becomes your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) because your Selling Card changes the rules of the game and is 100% unique to you (if you’ve ever struggled to stand out from the crowd in any industry -- insurance, real estate, financial services, industrial sales, health and fitness, professional services, network marketing -- this solves that problem for you instantly!)
 

2) It delivers your best sales message every time you meet a prospect, because it’s really a sales letter in disguise (and you don’t need to be a writer to make this work -- the writing is all done for you!)
 

3) It creates busy hands, which increases response to you and your message (unlike ordinary business cards, which get a quick glance at best)
 

4) It starts selling conversations with prospects on your terms, because you are the center of attention (it won’t make you the most interesting person in the world, but it can make you the most interesting person in the conversation!)
 

5) It delivers the right message to every prospect, because the payload inside can be customized in minutes before any business meeting, networking event, conference, etc. (try that with an ordinary business card)
 

6) It boosts your ego and your enthusiasm, because you are proud to hand this out (all of which boosts your results)
 

7) It doubles as a power-packed mini brochure, when left on a table (I do this all the time at meetings and events!)
 

8) It fits in any wallet, because it’s the same size as a standard business card (so it won't get tossed out)
  

Okay, that’s all well and good, but this is not for everyone. In fact, it may not be for you ...

Here Are 2 Reasons Why
You Might Say No To This Idea

1) You may think, “This won’t work for me. I can’t use a business card that’s so different.”

My response is this: The truly successful people in any industry are the ones breaking the rules of that industry. Whether it’s Apple with a smartphone that’s really a computer ... Uber with taxis that are really cars driven by ordinary people ... or you with a Selling Card that’s really a sales letter in disguise.

If you’re ever wondering what to do in business, just do the opposite of what the majority are doing. Because the majority are always struggling. The majority are a herd. And nobody in a herd can ever get ahead because they’re all clumped together.

2) You may think, “It’s too expensive to give away money with a Selling Card.”

Yes, it can be expensive to give away money in your Selling Card -- like the money you’re giving away every time your business card is ignored because it looks like every other business card. That can be expensive.

When your business card says, in effect, “You can buy this stuff from anyone and I’m anyone,” that can be expensive, too.

By the way, you don’t have to give away money with your Selling Card! There are unlimited options on what you can include in the payload inside.

Is The Selling Card
Right For You? That Depends …

Question: If a Selling Card brings you just one more sale this month, what’s that worth to you? How about 12 more sales this year -- what’s that worth to you?

An extra $1,200? $5,000? $12,000? More?

Whatever that number, if a handful of extra sales this year are worth more than $1,200 to you, The Selling Card is something you absolutely need in your toolkit.

Now, if this sounds like a good idea to you, and you want to make sure this good idea doesn’t die on the vine like so many others have before …

... you can get your own Selling Card in about 14 days, along with $1,295.00 in Free Bonuses.

It’s called …

The Selling Card Profit System

It’s a simple process that gives you a Selling Card -- one that's 100% unique to YOU -- in about 14 days.

It's as easy as 1-2-3 ...

1) You join me for a live interview by phone. It’s a 30-minute phone call, during which you talk and I write ...

2) Then, I send your information off to the only printer I know who can do Selling Cards (there's a ton of special folding and gluing required). We print your custom information on the front and the inside ...

3) Finally, you get 100 custom Selling Cards by mail (you can always order more later)

That’s it! You can be starting more conversations and closing more sales in about 14 days.

But that’s not all. You also get ...

2 FREE Bonuses Worth $1,245.00

FREE Bonus #1: Selling Card Script Training ($250 value)

You must fully understand how the Selling Card works and what words to say before handing it out to prospects. Otherwise, like trying to perform surgery without training, you’ll end up committing malpractice instead. When you take action and enroll today, you’ll get personal training from me in the scripting and delivery secrets you need to make the Selling Card work for you.

FREE Bonus #2: The Paper Email Blueprint ($995 value)  

This blueprint is based on the same service I currently charge $995 for. It’s a new twist on direct mail that cuts through the clutter and has nearly the same impact as a FedEx letter, for the price of a 49-cent stamp. I've used this simple 1-page tool to get:

• high-value prospects to call me back (including the publisher of a newsletter with 1.5 million readers)
• help from promotional partners (including a busy editor who called me and then featured 2 of my articles in her magazine)
• a sales meeting with a Fortune 500 VP
• responses from incredibly hard-to-reach people, like Seth Godin

The Paper Email Blueprint is NOT about mailing thank you notes or postcards. You do NOT send out cards, there are NO pictures or lumpy items inside. It’s just a powerful little tool that works like crazy to bring you more business. And it’s yours FREE, when you enroll today.

When you add it all up, these 2 FREE Bonuses are a value of at least $1,245.00.

How Much Does This Cost?

When you consider that my typical copywriting project starts at $3,995 and tops out at $30,000, you’re getting my writing help for pennies on the dollar. Plus you get $1,295 in 3 Free Bonuses on top of that. And all you need is just ONE new client and your new Selling Card, available for a limited time at only $795 $395, pays for itself.

Of course, you’re protected by...

My Notorious FULL-YEAR, 100%
Unconditional Money-Back Guarantee

Your Risk-Free Guarantee – You must get more clients more easily and love your Selling Card. If you don’t love it, for any reason or no reason during the 365 days after purchase, just let me know. You’ll get a prompt, full refund and you keep all your Selling Cards and all your free bonuses as my gift. No questions asked and no hassles. Good for one full year.

So, don’t decide today. Just give this a shot and try your own Selling Card for a full year.

I mean, how much are 12 new clients or customers worth to you? $1,200? $12,000? $36,000?

That’s the bare-bones minimum payback you can expect from your Selling Card, when you start giving it to prospects and becoming the center of attention at industry events and meetings.

It’s a card you’re proud to hand out ... it lets you leapfrog to the top of the ladder thanks to all the attention you get ... and it’s a money-making asset that’s yours forever.

You can’t lose, thanks to my very public money-back guarantee, which is how I’ve done business since 1994 -- twenty years! I have NO unhappy clients and I’m not about to start with you.

Here’s What To Do Now:

Please take action on this today. Since the GKIC "No B.S. Marketing Newsletter" featured this with a 4-page spread in their August 2014 issue, I've been flooded with requests about The Selling Card ...

... and when demand increases, so will the price. It will NEVER go down, only up. 

Why not take advantage of this introductory offer now, while there's time?

All the best,

Kevin Donlin

Marketing Strategist + Copywriter

2 FREE Bonuses For Ordering Immediately

P.S.  If you want to stop selling the hard way -- and turn your ordinary business card into a goose that lays golden eggs -- you owe it to yourself and your family to try The Selling Card.

If you’re struggling to stand out from the crowd in any industry -- insurance, real estate, financial services, industrial sales, health and fitness, professional services -- The Selling Card replaces your ordinary business card and solves that problem for you, instantly.

You can't make a mistake, thanks to my outrageous money-back guarantee. If you don’t love your results, you get your money back -- and keep your FREE gifts worth $1,245.00.

But I need to hear from you today ...

... because I’m not a writing factory. I’m just a one-man army. It takes time away from my $5,000 and $7,000 projects to create Selling Cards for only $395 ... and as demand increases, so will the price. 

You risk nothing. Take action now, before someone nudges you out.

2 FREE Bonuses For Ordering Immediately