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.
Friday, September 26, 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014
11 Marketing Nuggets from The Titans of Direct Response
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| 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
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
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.
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
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
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.
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.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
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
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
Thursday, September 18, 2014
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:
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.
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.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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
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):
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
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:
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.
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
- "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.
Monday, September 8, 2014
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:
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:
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.
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.
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
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.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
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:
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.
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.
Monday, September 1, 2014
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.
Want examples? Here you go ...
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.
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%
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.
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