TalkBiz News
Issue for July 14, 2012
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Hi, folks...
Thanks to all of you who ordered the video sales letter
product I mentioned last time. It helped Ken out a lot, and I
hope it will help you out, too.
If you missed it, the story is at http://www.keepkenstrong.com
Today's issue will look sort of generic at the start. Don't let
that scare you off. There are some powerful pointers in it. The
stuff that's useful for the more advanced members of the group
is toward the end.
"A Different Reality"
===================
Below is an email I got from Mike Monday, one of our
subscribers. It is reprinted here, unedited, with his
permission.
Hi Paul,
I just wanted to send you a quick email to say a huge
thank you for specifically your Skype freebie - and in
general for what you do.
I have literally just closed the cart on my first ever
product launch. (well, it's more of a coaching program ) -
and the private Skype chat/group/conversation has formed a
major part of it.
I have been fiddling about the peripheries of running a
business based on my knowledge/wisdom for about 18 months,
but partly due to emigrating from UK to Australia, but
probably more truthfully because of my fear - I haven't
actually done what needed to be done.
(ie create a program or product - write a sales letter -
then sell it)
But I have bought the Power Copy, the Hancox Files,
Subscription Mate and read all your emails pretty much
since the beginning of my journey. And it's striking how the
program that I have sold is a combination of lots of the
stuff you have been teaching.
Anyway, I "jumped into the void", wrote a sales letter
and launched it to my list of about 1800 subscribers last
week not knowing if anyone would buy. One of the most scary
things I have done.
During my 5 day launch I had 4 times more people join
than my "best case scenario". And I have more than covered
all my families expenses for 2 months -tax / fees / costs
included.
But more importantly (in a way) I now have a community of
people from all over the world interacting, supporting and
helping each other over with me at the helm.
It's like the "reality" or "world" I lived in last week has
gone and all I can see are opportunities. Incredible.
And I can honestly say that without your encouragement
and guidance none of this would have been possible. So
thank you. I am very happy to count you as a valued mentor
(even though you didn't know it).
Warmest regards,
Mike
Mike is a music coach and creative flow expert. His site is at
http://www.mikemonday.com
....
The point of sharing that with you isn't to brag. There are all
kinds of people who publish information on selling online, and
if Mike didn't get what he needed from me he would have found
someone else to learn from. The point is to show you what he
did right, and the difference that has already made for him.
It didn't hurt that he had a marketable skill. That's not
essential, of course. You can always have products made, or
sell products or services provided by other people. Still, for
those who wonder if what you know is enough, or if you have to
sell marketing-related stuff to make money, there's your
answer.
Mike's product is something that will draw a passionate crowd.
That's a big thing if you want to create a serious group of
loyal customers.
There are two main strategies for customer acquisition online.
The first is to concentrate on a growing base of loyal
customer, and keeping them so happy they want more of what you
offer. That's Mike's route.
The second is to learn to send steady streams of traffic to
offers that convert, and return consistently more revenues than
it cost to get them to your site. Simple math, with profits
being reinvested to increase the traffic, and constant testing
to increase conversions.
You can mix the two, obviously, but they're each done
according to different sets of rules. The key is to know which
you're going for first.
....
The second thing Mike did right was to decide to act, and then
follow through.
I need to warn you at this point that I am not a big fan of the
advice you'll usually see in forums and newsletters on that
bit: "Take massive action."
By itself, that may be the most dangerous business advice
you'll ever see. Taking massive action in the wrong direction
is the fastest way to lose money and motivation. Do it for
long, and you'll become convinced the goal is impossible to
achieve.
You have to consider your plan and your market, and measure
each step, so you know when and what to adjust.
Mike already knew there was a profitable market for his
service. You don't stay in an industry for 17 years without
learning that, and where the big pitfalls and profits are.
If you don't know that about your industry, ask. Study. Watch
what the successful players in the market are already doing,
and who they're offering their products to. That won't get you
all the way, but it will help you tune in to things so you can
test better and faster.
And understand your customers. The market for computer graphic
cards is very different from the market for hand-crafted wooden
lamps that qualify as legitimate art.
Mike knows his market. He was - and to some degree, still is -
one of them. He's teaching what he knows to people who want to
be where he is.
That's a solid formula for success.
....
The last thing he did, which made a huge difference in
reaching the goals he set, was to learn the selling skills
needed to present his offer in a convincing way.
Mike had already been building a list of potential customers.
He offered a number of ways for people to interact with him.
Email subscription, in return for a free book on his topic. A
blog, with an RSS feed. And, he prominently featured his
Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts on his site.
Keep in mind that email subscriptions are NOT the totality of
one's "list." If you want to make a huge change in your
thinking about doing business online, substitute the word
"network" for the word "list" in any planning you do.
Mike's network was extremely focused. They wanted information
on what he was offering, or they would never have stayed at his
site long enough to even see those options. That's how he
managed to beat his "best case" estimates by a factor of four.
It's hard to overstate the importance of having a network of
niche-hungry people who already want what you're going to
offer.
This is the Big Takeaway in that area:
The more your potential customers already want what
you have to offer, the easier it is to give it to them.
At a certain point, it's more a matter of making the offer and
getting out of the way than it is "selling."
Seriously. Sometimes it's just that easy.
....
As an example: A while back, I sent out an article called
"Where's the party?" It was all about features and benefits, a
topic which has been done almost to death by sales trainers.
The real message in that one was to emphasize the experience
the customer wanted when they considered your product, and show
how you'd deliver it.
I got an email from a woman who said, if I recall correctly,
that she had tripled her online sales of gift baskets by adding
that element to her site. She added some focus on the
experience the recipient would have when they got the gift, and
the feeling the sender would have because of that.
That's why they go to her site. They know what they want, and
are actively looking for it. She just lets them know she can
deliver it.
That's what "target marketing" really means. All the
demographic data and other numbers are really just ways to
increase the likelihood that your "target" will be common
enough in the viewing audience that you'll turn a profit on
advertising.
The "target" is not the person.
It's the desire for your product.
Read that again. When you really grasp it, your whole approach
to advertising and selling will change.
....
If you're selling to a broad market, you will have to put more
emphasis on the skills of testing and copywriting. You're
looking for ways to pique an existing interest into an active
desire, and then sell the solution. There's a lot of money in
that if you learn to do it well.
If you're selling specialty items, especially products or
services that are hard to find, it becomes more a matter of
showing the people who already want it that you can deliver.
....
If you're among the folks who haven't gotten started yet,
consider the most interesting comment in Mike's email:
"the 'reality' or 'world' I lived in last week
has gone and all I can see are opportunities."
Changing your reality. That seems like a powerful thing. All it
really boils down to, though, is making a new choice.
Up to you, isn't it?
Paul
PS: These are the links to the products Mike mentioned using:
The Hancox File:
http://talkbiz.com/thehancoxfiles/?e=1
Power Copywriting:
http://talkbiz.com/powercopywriting/?e=1
SubscriptionMate:
http://talkbiz.com/wpmem/?e=1
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