Please give me your opinion, and your advice …
By Daniel Levis | February 8, 2010
Turn up your speakers and watch this short video for a preview of the training I’ve got planned for you this month. Then give me your opinion of it. And also your advice about what training I should be putting together for you in March …
Please alert your social media friends if you think they can benefit.
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5 Bold Marketing Predictions for 2010
By Daniel Levis | December 30, 2009
It’s that time of year again – time to dust off the old crystal ball and make some predictions for the coming New Year.
None of these forecasts are to be considered business advice, mind you.
Neither the author, his heirs, or assigns take one iota of responsibility for any business outcomes that may result from decisions based on the following conclusions – for entertainment purposes only.
The Economy Will
Continue to Suck
Oh sure, there will be fits and starts of consumer hope and optimism in 2010, perhaps even a glimmer of renewed economic growth. But the economy is inherently sick, and will therefore remain fundamentally fragile.
Since taking office, the current administration in Washington has done nothing to uproot the endemic cancer of profligate government spending that gave rise to the ongoing economic crisis. Indeed the opposite …
Instead of stopping the printing presses and letting the economy crash and stabilize, the presses are now running full tilt – non-stop – pumping funny money into the economy to prop up corporate basket cases and fund bread and circuses that make the American public increasingly dependent on big government.
The bailouts and handouts are creating debts and deficits so incomprehensible that nobody is even talking about them anymore.
A recent New York Times article reports food stamp use at record highs and climbing every month. One in eight Americans are now swiping inconspicuous plastic “nutritional aid” cards at grocery counters for staples like milk, bread, and cheese in blighted cities and in suburbs pocked with foreclosure signs.
That’s more than 36 MILLION Americans now dependent on a program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme. Instead of being alarmed by this shameful fact, the Obama administration is actually proud of it.
According to Under-Secretary of Agriculture, Kevin Concannon, “I think the response of the program has been tremendous. But we’re mindful that there are another 15, 16 million who could benefit.”
Washington is engineering an economy perpetually perched on the brink of disaster. And breeding a weak, unmotivated workforce addicted to government handouts.
A recent article in The Business Insider reported brisk Black Monday video game sales driven largely by the unemployed seeking to pass the time and keep their spirits up while waiting to get back to work. Oy Vey!
I’ve got news for them. The only way these people are going back to work is by getting off their duffs and becoming self-employed.
What this means is robust growth in the business opportunity and marketing information fields in 2010. And a business environment that continues to reward ruthless cost control and accountability.
The Over-40 Crowd Will Begin
Hanging up on Social Media
Consumer attention over the last few years has become hopelessly fragmented. The novelty of social media has seduced the typical PC user into having five to 10 “applications” blinking and beeping simultaneously on their desktop.
Teenagers might get a thrill from the incessant chatter, but any adult with half-a-brain will eventually realize that it’s a total waste of their time and energy having this many things constantly vying momentarily for their attention.
Flitting from one disconnected thought to another without giving yourself time to form a reasoned opinion about anything means you’re just a sucker for the next mind-sucking-meme that comes along.
I mean think about it … with hundreds of random tidbits of information relentlessly assailing you from the Twit stream and other social networks, what possible sense or use can you make of any of it?
Serious people are clueing in to the fact that plugging into all these “channels” is totally unproductive. And they’re getting tired of the increasingly vacuous and irrelevant content that’s polluting the social networks – much of it nothing more than really bad marketing.
Watch for the beginnings of an underground rebellion in 2010, and the emergence of a thoughtful and discerning minority demanding more meaningful modes of social interaction and expression.
Private Social Networks Will
Spring up to Fill the Void
Savvy marketers will create and develop their own private social networks and communities of interest where they can promote and proselytize their own products and services and those of their business partners.
These networks will revolve around good old-fashioned content. People will be attracted to them because they fulfill a defined purpose and connect them with others with like-interests.
And marketers who provide the highest perceived value in terms of content and community will enjoy the highest e-mail open rates, conversion rates, retention, and lifetime customer value.
Virtues like transparency, interactivity, and social esprit de corps will also be key success factors.
Marketers who foster and facilitate any-to-any dialogue throughout the buyer/seller community and create opportunities for recognition and fellowship within the communities they create will thrive in this emerging new world of legitimized social media marketing.
Online Video Will
Finally Go Mainstream
$100 Flip cameras, cheap screen capture and video editing software and inexpensive high capacity server platforms like Amazon S3 are slowly bringing online video mainstream.
This trend will accelerate in 2010 as more and more marketers capitalize on the full spectrum communication available through video. It is by far the most effective medium for seizing attention and making a subliminal connection with your target audience.
Within seconds you can captivate your viewers, gain rapport, and endear trust with online video. It will become the killer app for selling low-ticket items in one sitting.
It will also become an increasingly important weapon for selling higher ticket items that require repeated exposure and graduated commitment to complete the sale. When integrated intelligently with text and audio, you can effectively target auditory, visual, and even kinesthetic learning styles with equal aplomb.
If you’re selling high-ticket items, you’ll be using video to seize attention, build trust, and demonstrate your products … text to cement commitment … and audio to ear-bud along with your prospects and reinforce your sales message while they drive, walk, exercise and so on.
As video becomes commonplace in your marketing, it will make sense to develop content creation processes that simultaneously lay down all three types of media. These multiple modes of media can then be distributed sequentially to your target audience.
The True Global Village
Begins to Take Shape in 2010
In the information marketing world, especially, forward-thinking entrepreneurs can operate from anywhere in the world.
As more and more budding entrepreneurs in developing countries with strong English speaking cultures (Singapore, The Philippines, and India spring immediately to mind, and there are others) plug into Western markets and begin generating wealth, they in turn become consumers to other information marketers in North America and the rest of the world.
The entire market becomes larger as a result of the borderless commerce made possible by the free flow of information on the Internet. We will see this happening more and more in 2010 and beyond.
Entrepreneurial talent in developing countries will gradually begin the transition from providing services to providing information to becoming information consumers themselves as income disparity gradually shrinks between the developed and developing world.
Of course, only time will tell if I’m right as rain or just plain all wet about any of these five predictions.
If I’ve inspired some thought and maybe even a few bones of contention with this article I’ll be happy. Feel free to disagree, agree, or expand and expound upon any of my forecasts for 2010 in the comment box below.
Until next time, Good Selling!
This article was first published in The Total Package. To sign-up to receive your own FREE subscription to The Total Package and claim four FREE money making e-books go to www.makepeacetotalpackage.com
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The Book That Changed Your Life …
By Daniel Levis | December 18, 2009
For all of us, there was a pivotal book that came along at just the right time in our lives …
It changed the way we thought in such a profound way that it literally altered our destiny and lead us to levels of success that would have been unthinkable otherwise.
I found mine when I was just 13 years old …
On the bookshelf at my Grandfather’s house was a little book about 5″ x 3″ …a quick read, about 60 pages of sparse type. For some reason the ideas in this little book resonated with me and made me see the world differently.
I still have this book today, and I make a point of pulling it out and reading it from cover to cover every year around this time. And each year it reinvigorates my resolve for ever greater levels of self-knowledge and achievement.
Here are just a few of the things it’s taught me:
- The one thing I can control with absolute certainty are the thoughts I think, and that is enough …
- I am the shaper of my own destiny by virtue of the thoughts I choose and encourage …
- Through thought I mold the condition of my character. And through character I am the shaper of my environment and the captain of my destiny …
- I am where I am that I may learn and that I may grow …
- I am not a product of my circumstances. My circumstances are a product of me …
- Suffering is always the result of wrong thought in some direction …
- He who has conquered doubt and fear has conquered failure …
- Until thought is linked with purpose, there can be no intelligent accomplishment — only petty worries, fears, troubles, and self-pityings …
- And many more pearls of wisdom to live by …
The author expressed these simple thoughts with profound eloquence, and they first came to me at a time when I needed them badly. I can’t imagine where my life would have led me had I not been influenced by his words.
His name is James Allen, and the book is called As a Man Thinketh — published in 1902.
For anyone honestly searching for the keys to lasting success and prosperity, this little book is still as relevant and useful today as it was when it was first published.
Download your own personal copy here, but first, tell me about the book that most influenced your life, and why. Perhaps I’ll read it over the holidays.
Just type your thoughts in the comments box below.
Topics: Uncategorized | 70 Comments »
What if Every Day Was Thanksgiving?
By Daniel Levis | November 26, 2009
Imagine if every day was Thanksgiving, and gratitude was your permanent state of mind.
What would it mean?
I submit it would mean greater levels of wealth, health, and happiness all around.
Here’s why …
To be thankful for something means by definition we appreciate its value. We see the good in that thing. Conversely to be discontented with something means we see the bad and the useless in that thing, and discount its value.
But as the Bard of Avon wrote, “Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” These 10 little words are much more than a clever little bit of iambic pentameter. They hold the keys to the kingdom, because the mind attracts that which it thinks about most.
Thoughts are things. An idea held in the mind consistently can’t help but manifest itself in the life of the thinker.
Is this the result of some kind of metaphysical magic? I prefer to think of it in more mundane terms …
John Smith and Jim Brown both get downsized out of their jobs at the same mid-western manufacturing company.
John is indignant about it. It’s just not fair, he reasons, and although he hated his job anyway, he is very discontented with being unemployed. Fear of remaining so consumes his mind. Opportunities for advancement are all around him, but he can’t see them, because his mental antenna is attuned to joblessness.
Jim Brown on the other hand, sees unemployment as nothing more than an opportunity to spend some time looking for a better way to make a living. Because that’s what he’s looking for it, he soon finds it.
Success at anything in life isn’t really much more complicated than that. It’s just mental discipline: training your mind to be appreciative of the things you have and using them as stepping-stones to getting more of what you want. Everything happens for a reason, good, bad, or indifferent. Regardless, it’s your job to find value in the situation and use it to your advantage.
The power of your mind to think independently
is your greatest gift …
Isn’t it time you threw off the negative social conditioning that’s fooled you into accepting other people’s fears, anxieties, limitations and negative attitudes as your own?
Very few people have the wakefulness to do it. Instead, they sleepwalk through life, complaining about their circumstances, thinking about what they don’t want, and looking for someone to blame. And they’re miserable and unproductive as a result.
The only thing any of us has total power over is the meaning we ascribe to our life experience. Yet how frequently we fail to use that power. Instead we fume, fuss and worry about outcomes we can’t control.
Let me tell you a story that illustrates how powerful the human mind is at filtering experience …
Victor Frankl was a Viennese neurologist and psychiatrist. During WW2 he found himself on a train to Auschwitz, one of the infamous Nazi concentration camps where 6 million people were burned alive in gas ovens.
Upon arrival, he was one of the 5% who were spared immediate execution. These “lucky” individuals were taken aside and made ready for Nazi work camps in the German interior. Frankl was stripped naked, shaved from head to toe, and the number 119,104 (his new identity) was tattooed on his body.
The following dawn, just before leaving for the camp, he watched his best friend floating up to heaven in a cloud of smoke. Frankl’s wife, whom he’d been separated from earlier in the melee, was also incinerated. Luckily for him, he only found out after the war.
Conditions were so deplorable in the camps that prisoners usually lived for only a few months …
Imagine yourself going through what Frankl did:
- Having to dig trenches through the frozen topsoil in bitter sub-zero winds wearing nothing but filthy rags and ill-fitting wet shoes … hand-me-downs torn from the corpses of prisoners already succumbed …
- Subsisting on a cup of watery gruel, 5 ounces of bread and the occasional slice of poor quality sausage or cheese each day as your body slowly but surely devours itself …
The suffering of the dying and the dead became so commonplace they soon failed to move Frankl, and he joined his fellow prisoners in a kind of emotional death. Disgust, horror, and pity were no longer possible.
What possible “spin” could you put on something like that? How could you possibly look on the bright side of such an experience, where such little hope exists … and where so little possibility of pleasure or escape from pain is possible – save death?
In Frankl’s own words: “The prisoner who had lost faith in the future – his future – was doomed. Without his belief in the future, he lost his spiritual hold: he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay.
Usually this happened quite suddenly, in the form of a crisis, the symptoms of which were familiar to the experienced camp inmates.
It began with the prisoner refusing one morning to get dressed and washed or to go out on the parade grounds. No entreaties, no blow, no threats had any effect. He just lay there, hardly moving. He simply gave up. There he remained, lying in his own excreta, and nothing bothered him anymore.”
How Frankl Survived …
Frankl avoided this fate by finding meaning in his experiences. He imagined himself standing at the podium of a warm and well-lit lecture room, addressing an appreciative audience seated in comfortably upholstered chairs. He was giving a lecture on the psychology of the concentration camp.
He used the power of his mind to become an objective observer, watching the proceedings from the remote viewpoint of science – as though they had already happened.
He, and his troubles, became an interesting psycho scientific study. Using this “frame” he survived for three long years while hundreds of prisoners – one by one – gave up and died all around him in abject misery.
Now I ask you, if Frankl could turn them lemons into lemonade, what about you? Do you think you can find a way to be grateful for all of the crap in your life? Do you think you might be able to turn it your advantage?
After the war, Victor Frankl spent 9 days writing the narrative that outlined his findings, and published the book, “Man’s Search For Meaning”. This little one-sitting book has been published in 19 languages, and is now in its 73rd English printing, having sold almost two and a half million copies in English alone.
Frankl’s experiences in the Nazi death camps laid the foundation for a whole new branch of psychotherapy that he developed upon his release called Logotherapy. This bold new approach has helped millions of people to lead more meaningful and rewarding lives.
In short, the premise behind logotherapy is this: Where traditional psychotherapy focuses on the past, attempting to dredge up repressed memories that are causing the patient suffering, and attempting to resolve them, logotherapy encourages the patient to focus on the meaning of their future life.
Frankl believed man’s search for meaning is his strongest motivation, exceeding all other instinctual and ego-based drives. The big reframe that saved his life was the realization that it doesn’t really matter what we expect from life. What matters is what life expects from us … and that when man finds that it is in his destiny to suffer, he will have to accept his suffering as his task, and be grateful in his ability to find meaning in it.
Victor Frankl died in 1997, at the ripe old age of 92.
Is there a marketing lesson here?
In fact there is. Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs, on which most marketing motivational theory is based, takes a bottom up approach. It says that our motivations are the result of ascension from physiological needs … to safety needs … to love and belonging needs … to self esteem needs … and finally to self-actualization needs.
Maslow’s central premise is that human need moves in an orderly procession up the hierarchy. Until a person’s physiological needs (such things as food, water, sleep, the avoidance of pain etc) are met, he or she will be unmotivated to pursue safety needs (order, structure, freedom from fear and anxiety etc.), and even less so for belonging needs (affectionate relationships, friends, social contact) and so on up the hierarchy.
Likewise, once a lower need is largely met, the next one up automatically becomes a dominant motivational force in the person’s life. Obviously, there is some truth in this.
But Frankl’s theory turns the model on its head. He says that man’s primary motivational force is a search for meaning, which corresponds to the self-actualization needs at the very top of Maslow’s pyramid.
Frankl even goes on to say that there exists in society today an existential vacuum – a widespread and growing emptiness in people’s lives, characterized by boredom, and a deep longing to derive more meaning from both work and leisure.
These self-actualization needs are largely overlooked and untapped by most advertisers, because it’s assumed that only a small portion of the population can be motivated by them.
Frankl’s research indicates the contrary may be true. After studying his book, I decided to test self-actualization appeals in my sales copy. Results are preliminary, and astonishingly positive.
Have a safe, happy, and meaningful Thanksgiving.
This article was first published in The Total Package. To sign-up to receive your own FREE subscription to The Total Package and claim four FREE money making e-books go to www.makepeacetotalpackage.com
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Transform Your Web Presence into a Precision-Crafted Perpetual Money Machine
By Daniel Levis | August 28, 2008
Now that you’ve watched the video overview of my 5R Web Conversion System, please help me to make the next release as valuable to you as humanly possible.
Give me your comments about the video, and tell me which of the following areas you need most help with to take your online conversion numbers to the next level.
Right Audience – Do you need to step back and re-evaluate your target audience? Are they really the people you should be targeting? How much more could you sell if you could crawl inside the skulls of your perfect prospects to find out what they really want?
Right Message – Are you aiming your sales message squarely at the sweet spot of desire? Do you need practical tools and training to identify and activate the emotional triggers that will inspire your specific audience to massive action?
Right Person - What are your biggest positioning challenges? Do you need to build stronger authority… establish more trust… and create a closer personal connection with your target audience?
Right Time – Are you sequencing your sales message properly, harmonizing it with the dominant emotions and beliefs of your target audience? Could you be doing a better job of preparing your prospects to believe your biggest claims before you present them?
Right Way - Is your copy dull and unfocused? Do you wish you could get your sales message across with greater clarity and persuasive punch?
Unload with your toughest challenge in the comment box below. If you’re not already on my list, be sure to fill out the sign up box to the upper right so I can notify you when more training becomes available.
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WIN a copy of TERRY DEAN’S massive Internet Lifestyle Retirement System – No Purchase Necessary!
By Daniel Levis | June 19, 2008
I sure hope you’re as excited about attending the upcoming teleseminar training class with Terry Dean as I am. Terry is an online marketing legend.
Over the past 12 years he’s helped literally hundreds of people to experience the Internet lifestyle – enjoying life on their own terms, free to work as much or as little as they like.
What if you could do the same? What if you could completely systematize your online business creating multiple income streams flowing automatically into your bank account month in, month out…
Imagine the freedom!
On this one-time-only call Terry will be pulling some of the most powerful time and money leverage secrets out of his Internet Lifestyle Retirement Course and laying them out on a silver platter for hundreds of Selling to Human Nature members.
If you’re one of them, you could win a FREE copy of the full Internet Lifestyle Retirement course!
Terry’s full training course shows you step-by-step how to build your own internet lifestyle retirement business and INCLUDES the complete systems and tools to automate that business.
This course is HUGE, and sells for $495…
Get it for FREE!
Here’s just a tiny sampling of the “how to” meat you’ll receive in the entire set of 6 full length CDs and 11 DVDs
- How ANYONE can get involved in an information business…even a pizza delivery driver like Terry who was only making $8 an hour before discovering this business
- How to Create Your Own DVD Products and Online Videos
- Secrets of High Conversion Websites
- How to Generate Maximum Traffic Fast
- How to Create Systems That Run Your Business For You
- How to improve your lifestyle and increase your income. Retire young and rich by breaking all the rules. Find out which time honored tradition is probably holding you back
- How to Brand Yourself Online For Massive Profits
- Growing Your Business and List Through Joint Ventures
- 10 Hours Of Audio Footage From Terrys Closed Door Information Marketing Mastery Class
- 15 Hours from Terry’s Information Marketing Bootcamp
- 10 Hours From Terry’s Book Publishing Superconference
- And much, MUCH MORE!
Plus, 41 Business Building Procedures captured on video – look over Terry’s shoulder and see the exact steps he uses to build a lifestyle business with the help of “work for training” interns. Load these videos up on your website and let Terry train your team of interns screen by screen, click by click, amazing!
Here’s just a small sampling of whats covered
- Submitting to Blog Carnivals
- Writing Articles
- Writing Blog Posts
- Basic Keyword Research
- Writing Press Releases
- Participating on Forums
- Commenting on Blogs
- Creating a JV Letter
- Finding JV and Affiliate Partners
- Web 2.0 Social Bookmarking
- MySpace, Delicious, and More
- Copywriting Headlines
- Making Videos
- Uploading Videos
- And Many More!
Plus 24 Video Lessons that mow down the roadblocks to getting an army of hungry affiliates promoting for YOU!
Most affiliates will sign up to your program and do nothing. The reason is simple. They don’t know what to do. Let Terry turn them into a crack mercenary force with these powerful videos that train them to:
- Send Out Effective Emails to Their List About Your Program
- Write Effective Product Reviews
- Build Their Own List
- Write Promotional Articles for You
- Participate And Use Signature Files On the Best Forums
- Start Their Own Promotional Blog
- Create Special Deals to Boost Your Sales
- Offline Promotional Strategies
- How to Create Affiliate Redirects
- Making Videos to Promote You
- And Many More!
PLUS, 30 More Video Procedures For Your Virtual Assistant, so you can finally get out from behind your blasted computer and ENJOY LIFE!
- How to Setup Your Shopping Cart
- How to Secure and Record Interviews
- Easy Steps for Editing Video
- How to Duplicate CDs and DVDs
- Customer Support Systems
- Broadcasting to Your Email List
- Sending Out Thank You Cards
- Publishing a Print Newsletter
- Handling Refunds and Customer Issues
- Protecting Your Downloadable Products
- Running Special Promotions for JV Partners
- And Many More!
Holy Crap Batman! Is that sensational or what? And remember, that’s just a tiny sampling of what you’ll receive. If you want the full story, click here.
Here’s a bold claim: Terry Dean, one of the most admired, respected, and TRUSTED names in online marketing says this package can completely systematize YOUR entire business in 48 hours or less! That is freakin INCREDIBLE!
And the best part is, you could WIN a copy of the entire course. It can all be yours, totally FREE!
Here’s how to win
Just tell us why you need this course in the comment box at the very bottom of this post!
Important Tips: Terry wants to feel hes making a good investment in giving you a FREE copy of his $495 course. Be sure to share your passion. Be specific. Convince us youll actually use the material. Tell us how it will change your life. Show us how youll make a difference in other peoples lives. WE WANT YOU TO SUCCEED!
Now here’s the catch …
The winner (the person with the most convincing submission) will be announced at the teleseminar next Tuesday. You can sign up for the teleseminar here.
If you’re declared the winner, you must contact us immediately to claim your prize. We’ll tell you how to do so on the call. If youre not on the teleseminar, and you dont respond when we call your name, the prize goes to the runner up. If that person is MIA (missing in action), the prize goes to the next runner up, and so on until the prize is awarded.
Remember, there’s no purchase necessary. Its totally free. All you have to do is tell us why you need this course. And be on the call to claim your prize.
Are you ready? Go for it! Tell us your story in the box at the bottom of this page
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Like Handing A Monkey A Loaded Gun …
By Daniel Levis | January 15, 2008
Marketing is really pretty simple.
Just find out what people want, and give it to them. Too simple, right? So simple, few do it… preferring to play blind target practice with their marketing dollars — the financial equivalent to handing a monkey a loaded gun!
Instead of interacting with their prospects to zero in on the sweet spot of desire, these companies hide from them. And end up blowing their brains out on failed marketing campaigns, victims of their own advertising shrapnel …
My prediction?
Those who insist on continuing this monkey marketing — simply aping their competitors without care or thought for the real wants and needs of their prospects — will crash and burn over the next 12 to 18 months… while savvy marketers who understand the importance of applied research leave them in the dust.
Why?
Because in today’s brave new world of copious information supply – far outstripping demand – consumers are naturally gravitating toward businesses who display unusual empathy… who listen to them… and react.
So to set a positive example, I’m doing something highly unusual today.
I’m taking you behind the scenes… dissecting my recent database survey where I asked, “what do you want?” I’m even sharing a little bit of my proprietary data with you …
If you sell information of any kind, you should find this instructive.
Shall we begin?
I surveyed you because I want to add a continuity component to my business. There are clearly those among you willing to pay for priority access to my training on a regular and recurring basis, and this survey is designed to help me to create the most beneficial program possible.
So I asked “how do you learn best?” The responses surprised me. With all of the buzz about multi-media and interactivity I wouldn’t have expected the lowly ebook and printed manual to have scored so highly …
Here are the results:
Next, I wanted to know where on the continuum you are with respect to implementation. No matter what kind of information you happen to be selling, this is an important question.
It gives you clues as to how deep the content you deliver to your subscribers should be. I felt the best way to get to the root of this question was to ask about business revenues. Here are the results:
As you can see there are a lot of new market entrants. This is a very healthy sign. It means the market is growing… and quickly.
Next, I asked, “If you were to subscribe to a paid program of ongoing training and advice, which of the following types of content would you find most valuable?” If you sell information of any kind, again, I think you’ll find these results interesting …
So far, my little survey has given me a feeling for the kind of media you find most useful, and a general sense of the kind of content you want.
Now here’s where I was mining for gold. The next question went free form and asked you to “please describe the training (both the content and the format) that you feel you need most to quickly take your business to the next level in 2008.”
The answers I got to this question (too numerous to show here) go way beyond simply telling me what you want. They hold clues about the way you think about your business, and how you need to be communicated with. Embedded within your comments are words and phrases that will end up in my sales copy.
The next question was “how much would you expect to pay for training such as you just described?” Naturally I’m taking your answers with a grain of salt. I’m not so much trying to fish for a price point, but rather an idea of the relative value you place on different kinds of content and training.
I also wanted to see where else you’d be spending your money in 2008, so I asked, “in which of the following areas will you be investing in 2008?” Out of a long list, more of you said copywriting courses than anything else. Smart!
And I was dying to find out how old you are. Knowing the demographics of the market you’re communicating with matters BIG TIME. Each generation wants different things, has different needs, and thinks differently.
The generation you belong to has shared imprints that color your view of the world. These experiences impact your beliefs and your attitudes.
Based on the below survey results, it’s a safe bet you grew up during the cold war, listening to The Beatles, and watching the original Star Trek on TV.
Some of the emotionally charged events that are seared into your memory are the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968… the Apollo 11 moonwalk in ‘69… the assassination of John Lennon in ‘80… and of course 9/11 in 2001.
And because you experienced those events at a particular stage of life, they impacted your thinking in very specific ways.
That’s why knowing the demographic make up of your database is so important. It allows you to write sales copy that keys in on the specific mindsets that age and experience create.
Finally, I asked you to rate me against other sources of similar information. I asked this question for two reasons. 1) I was fishing for potential testimonials. I got a ton. And 2), I thought there would be a lot of emotionally charged content here that I could use in my promotions. And I was right.
Many of you took this opportunity to rant about our industry’s habit of selling you things while pretending to teach you things.
Actually I have mixed thoughts on this. On the one hand I think it’s silly for someone who wants to learn about marketing to be offended by genuine teaching that doubles as selling. Personally I love to watch or listen to a masterful pitch.
On the other hand, it’s true that far too many internet marketer’s “lessons” are pretty hollow – some all pitch and no teaching – pure fluff. To my thinking, that makes for a lousy pitch. The biggest grand slam home runs teach and sell at the same time, don’t you agree? If you’d like to discuss, post a comment in the form below.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed getting a wee peak under the kimono today. I am a huge believer in market research. In my opinion it is the absolute bedrock of productive copy. The insight you can mine from open ended questions when you take the time to classify and quantify them is truly amazing.
I’m far from an expert. In fact, before preparing my little survey I poured through Glenn Livingston’s market research course, and actually interviewed him. You can listen to the interview for free. Just click here and sign up for it. As soon as you do, you’ll be directed to a page where you’ll be able to download my interview with Glenn for FREE!
And as a special bonus, Glenn will send you other valuable materials on this important subject that he compiled in interviews with Perry Marshall, Jonathan Mizel, David Bullock, and Fred Gleeck. Awesome stuff!
Glenn’s work is utterly incredible.
Not only does he show you step-by-step how to mine insights from an existing database, he shows you how to systematically research new niches to determine how profitable they’ll be… exactly what kinds of products prospects within those niches will go crazy for… and precisely how to communicate with them to get them to buy.
Click on this link, download all of the great market research related content Glenn has prepared for you, listen to my interview, and post any questions you have in the form below. If there are some good ones, I’ll invite Glenn to stop by and join the discussion.
Until next time, Good Selling!
Topics: Uncategorized | 10 Comments »
Confessions Of The $5 Billion Dollar Man …
By Daniel Levis | November 30, 2007
Can You Tell A Break-Even Ad From A Blockbuster?
Ted Nicholas (pictured at left) is one the most successful and revered copywriters and information marketers alive today. His copy, and marketing brainstorms have been directly responsible for more than $5.7 BILLION in sales over the span of his 50 plus year career.
Ted’s remarkable copywriting skill allowed him to turn his first information product, a book called “How To Form Your Own Corporation Without a Lawyer for Under $50″ into one of the best selling business books of all time. He wrote literally hundreds of ads that appeared in national newspapers and magazines to sell the book… split tested dozens of different appeals… and scrupulously tabulated the results.
Since I’ll be interviewing Ted shortly, and digging deep into the story behind one of the most successful of these ads, I thought it would be fun to run a little quiz beforehand …
Below, you’ll find the headline and lead from two ads that Ted used to sell “How To Form Your Own Corporation Without a Lawyer for Under $50″. One of the ads broke even, and the other was a blockbuster money-spinner that made Ted millions. Can you guess the winner just by looking? If you can guess correctly, my assistant Sangeeta will send you a link to the mp3 recording of the live interview I’ll be doing with Ted this coming Thursday.
Are you ready? Go ahead and study the headline and lead from both ads. Then post a comment telling me which one you think was the blockbuster winner, and why. Keep in mind that results were tabulated across a wide variety of general interest business-oriented magazines and newspapers.
Only Way Left For
Little Guy To Get Rich…
Here is the uncensored message my wife
asked me not to write
“I love my wife. And I understand why she wants me to keep my mouth shut. She wants to protect me from the IRS.
But I can’t be quiet any longer. I’m angry. We are really getting jerked around. And I’m tired of it.
The government says one thing. And then does the opposite. Especially Bush. And I even voted for him. One of my biggest mistakes.
First the Feds talk tax cuts. Then they increase taxes. Remember the “read my lips” promise. Who are they kidding?
Average tax payers, you and me, are getting screwed.
The new law doesn’t bother the rich fat cats much. They still have loopholes galore. Let’s face it. They always will.
But recently I ran across a workable angle. It’s cheap. And it’s legal. It’s meant for the rich. But it’s perfect for us little guys. You don’t need any money. And we can get the same breaks the rich get.
I can hardly believe it. Get this. I formed a corporation. Of my own. For peanuts.
It’s my way of fighting back.
Now I have a small one man corporation. I operate out of my apartment. My work? I’m a commercial designer. Brochures, fliers– stuff like that. On my income I didn’t think I could save much. But I’m paying almost zero taxes. And it’s legit. Just like big business does it. I have no guilt. Uncle Sam already gets plenty. Too much from all of us.
One thing the feds didn’t bother much under the new tax laws–corporate tax goodies. Guess they figured right. Burden business too much. Result? No jobs for anybody. Including them. Not to worry. They know better.
From a buddy, I heard about this unusual book. It’s called HOW TO FORM YOUR OWN CORPORATION WITHOUT A LAWYER FOR UNDER $50, by Ted Nicholas. Damnedest book I’ve ever seen. Has the forms right in it. Pages are perforated. You just fill in some blanks, rip ‘em out, and mail them in. A couple of days later you’ve got a corporation. No wonder it’s a best seller. (They tell me over 650.000 copies have been sold.)
OK, so you get the gist of it. Homespun, buddy to buddy. The main appeal is tax savings. The dominant emotion is anger.
How do you think it stacked up against the one below? Same book, same offer. Totally different ad…
DANGER
All Your Personal Assets
Could Be Wiped Out Overnight
There is only one completely safe way to protect your car, home, cash, and other personal assets from business risks
It’s downright scary.
As a self employed individual, your home, car, stocks, and other personal assets are always at risk.
The big fear is that a business disaster, which is beyond anyone’s control, could happen to you. An accident, lawsuit, or financial loss… events which happen every day… could wipe you out.
A major problem is that we live in a ‘litigation-happy’ society. It’s often a dangerous and naive assumption to believe that no one will ever sue you. A law-suit could be filed by a customer, supplier, relative, or disgruntled employee. In fact, there is a strong probability you will be sued in the near future even if you are very careful. You could lose, often on some technical point of law with which you are unfamiliar. If so… boom! Just like that you could lose your business. In addition, your home, cars, cash, stocks, bonds, and other assets could also go down the drain without proper protection.
Fortunately, you personally can avoid this risk. How? Incorporation.
The only way to separate business from personal assets is by forming your own corporation. Almost no amount of insurance can protect you from all kinds of risk like incorporation can. And you can do so even if you’re the only employee. In this way, if the worst happens, you lose only what is invested in the business itself.
Incorporation is also important for the doctor, dentist, or other professional. Unfortunately, many are dissolving their professional corporations because of the new Keogh rules. However, many are unaware of the risks they are taking.
An incorporated physician does not avoid personal liability in conducting his profession, during surgery for example. But he/she does protect personal liability just like any other business person when it comes to debts incurred by the practice, non medically related lawsuit judgements, leases, investments which go sour etc.
But a word of caution. Misinformation about incorporation abounds. If any of your advisors have recommended you not incorporate or dissolve your corporation… whether you have employees or a one-person corporation… you’d be smart to consider the facts. Only then would you be in a position to make an informed decision.
Myth - Keoghs have been…
OK, that should give you the tone and flavor of this one. Here, the dominant emotion is fear. And the ad is selling protection.
Post a comment, and give me your answers to these three burning questions:
-
Which ad is the million dollar ad?
-
What’s your reasoning?
-
What specific copywriting, information marketing, and business related questions would you like me to ask Ted on Thursday, December 6th, at the teleseminar training. Anything goes.
Remember, pick the million dollar ad correctly (the winning ad will be identified on the call), and you get a FREE mp3 recording of the teleseminar. Click here now, and lock in your spot right away. This call will fill up fast. Ted is a legend. To post your opinion on which ad was the winner, and/or a question you’d like me to ask Ted on the call, click on “comments” right here on the very next line. Thanks!
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A Valuable Reward For Your Thoughts
By Daniel Levis | November 10, 2007
Thanks for attending our recent teleseminar on how to grow your customer and prospect lists up to 7 times faster using the 5R system. This post has been specially prepared to collect your feedback.
Please share your biggest AHA moment - the juiciest morsel of moneymaking knowledge you picked up from this particular session – and even more importantly, what you plan to do with it.
Glowing testimonials and constructive criticism are also welcome.
My assistant, Sangeeta, will monitor this post, and email everyone who submits a comment a private link, where you will be able to download How to Attract a Lusty Swarm Of Credit Card Wielding Buyers To Your Website With FREE Publicity, as my special thank you for helping to make these live learning events a huge success!
Post your comments in the below form …
Topics: Uncategorized | 337 Comments »