Recently I organised Mastermind Lunch with some 'big players' in the Australian info-marketing industry.

I'm talking about the 'crème de la crème' -  the top 3% of business owners in that industry in revenue and profits.

All my guests got the 'red carpet' treatment.

Champagne on arrival…. 5 star dining…. our own exclusive private room.

However, what was most thrilling was the quality of the info shared.

It was the sort of knowledge that can only come from the practical experience of creating $10's of millions in sales a year.

Obviously I can't share the nitty gritty of what was shared….because 99% was highly confidential.

But here's a little juicy tip I can share… and if you act on this one little tip…it will propel your business forward in leaps and bounds.

It's as inevitable as death and taxes!

3 words.

You ready for it?

Always…Be….Marketing.

Each one of these million dollar business owners is obsessed with marketing.

They study it…they read about it.. perhaps they dream about it.

They recite conversion stats like a devout priest recites scriptures! 

Why?

Because in any business that's where the money is.

That's why many of these marketers are my clients….and they pay me the big bucks.

Because although I am dysfunctional at many things…

heck I tried to iron recently and broke the ironing board…

I am 'kick-ass' at marketing….

Here's a big tip: It's not just about 'marketing in general'…and taking a 'scatter gun' approach.

That's better than nothing, but you want to be more strategic.

Here's where the big money is.

Create an automated sales conversion funnel that converts qualified leads into clients 24/7.

This means you get qualified traffic/or leads….and educate them in a systematic way about your product or service…so that a certain percentage of them become customers.

An effective 'conversion funnel' is one of the most valuable assets any business can have.  

That's because not only will you make more money, it also…

•  Makes your business more valuable should you wish to sell it  
• Gives you peace of mind because you're not worrying about where the next client is going to come from
• Allows you to plan  ahead because you've got revenue consistency in your business

Oh it's a beautiful thing.

So if you don't have one…start  creating your own Automated Sales Conversion Funnel today because there's very few more important things you can do in your business. 

If you want examples of a proven conversion funnel that you can ethically 'model' then let me know.

Because I'll be releasing a product soon that shows you how to do it step-by-step with lots of proven examples.

To stay in the loop just post a comment in the box below saying 'keep me posted John'.

To Your Success,

John 

Based on over $15 Million of Documented Sales

If I was lying on my death bed – not too soon I hope! (I’m only 30), to continue on my legacy I would feel compelled to share my email product launch secrets with my daughter – she’s only 8 months old so I really hope it's not too soon! – and here’s what I would say….

But.., before I reveal 3 of my best secrets in this area… let me just clarify what I mean by a product launch.

You may have seen the internet marketing gurus do these – they send out a few ‘launch assets’ via email (videos, special reports, maybe some free software) then they build up scarcity and social proof…then they launch their product with a time limited deadline.

Then you – if you do it right – make a lot of money and get a lot of new customers.  In my experience this is one of the fastest ways to create 100’s of sales….build engagement with a list…. and become known as a leader in your niche.

I’ve done a lot of these product launches in various different markets with varying degrees of success. Some have flat out flopped!  Most haven’t.

My best product launches have made from $650,000 to well over $1 Million (these incorporated online and offline marketing).  And I’ve done them in niches as varied as property investing…to health supplements….to internet marketing.

They flat out work… so if you’re a marketing consultant or copywriter, they should be a tool in your arsenal…and if you’re a business owner, this is a great way to create new customers or activate existing ones.

So here are 3 of my best secrets to make sure you make a stack of cash in your product launch:

1.    It all starts with killer content. It’s not enough just to send out any old videos or special reports to your list and then launch your program and expect to make a million bucks.   If it doesn’t ‘wow’ people it’s not going to get them to buy.

You’ve got to find content that’s fresh…can be put into action quickly…and really demonstrates that you stand head and shoulders above your competition.

For example, in a product launch that created $650,000 in sales in the real estate education niche, we shot a video of a client who had M.S.

She had used my client’s property education to become financially free – before she was unable to work anymore and avoid having to survive on the pittance the government gives you.

So she shared her story and the 3 biggest property tips she’d learnt from my client that others could use on video.

(Incidentally, at the end she said, ‘I’ve got a message for everyone’ and I thought she’d say something sentimental like ‘believe in yourself – you can do it’.

But what she said was ‘If I can do it; I am in a wheel chair, what your excuse? So if I don’t see you in the real estate mentoring course, I am going to come over and slap ya’) Classic!

2.   The next part is to speak to the white hot core of your market’s emotional needs and desires.

A great way to make sure you do this is the old survey trick.

Just say to your list ‘What’s your single biggest problem in _____________area? Please give me your answer and be as descriptive as you like’.  This is a question loosely paraphrased from a testing genius Glenn Livingstone and it works a treat.

People will let loose and tell you their life story!

And you don’t even need to use survey monkey or another survey tool to set this up.

Just tell folks to reply to the email you send, and you’ll give them a free CD or something for their troubles.

But here’s the little twist that makes this more powerful.

Take the weight loss niche for example. Ok, so those folks want to lose weight – we know that. That’s the white core, sure. They want to be slim, look good, and not feel bad for being overweight.

But, it’s not enough to just to speak to that because you’re going to sound just like everyone else. So you need to come up with a new fresh spin on it in your messaging.  For example…

Burn 6 Kilos a Week with this New 5 Minute Metabolism “Speed Up” Trick

Speeds up your Fat Burning Metabolism by 38% in just 5 minutes a day without cutting out carbs….drinking bland ‘gloop’ shakes… depriving yourself of everything tasty….or even putting yourself through Gym torture sessions. Proven in 50 landmark studies.

I just wrote this on the fly and to be honest, this isn’t even a market I work in (I work in the property and share market niches) but it gives you a sense of a fresh new line to take in a very saturated market.

(Actually, if I could find a product that had 50 land mark studies and actually sped up your metabolism in 5 minutes a day I would write copy for it. That would be a blockbuster!) Incidentally, I would lead in this copy by doing an ‘Us vs Them’ against all the solutions they’ve tried because in a very saturated market like weight loss (excuse the pun!), ‘Us vs Them’ is usually your best angle.

So in your product launch – or any direct response copy – come up with a FRESH new angle to take on solving their biggest problems and desire.

(Yes, that means 7 Steps to Losing Weight’ is probably not going to cut it – at least it’s not going to make you rich any time soon. Why because it’s BORRRING. We’ve seen it all before).

3.   Utilise, the power of LIVE Events in your online product launch – webinars, teleseminars etc.

Let’s face it…when you can get people onto a live webinar share your best content…create strong emotional us versus them themes… …answer their biggest objections…let them know you’re a real person…then close strongly at the end with your offer…you’ve got a very high chance of converting folks into new client!

And the best part is…nowadays you can DO IT ONCE…and get paid forever.

In our current, online launches – with the help of Marketing Guru and Tech Super Star Greg Cassar, we are doing pre-recorded webinars that start automatically at the time of the webinar. So we can sit back and watch the sales came in…without the stress of getting everything right on the night.

And really, with the pressure involved – and the chance that something technical can go wrong on the live call – this is a much smarter way to do things.

Once the webinar is done, and the product launch content is created you can set it up so that the funnel works automatically, turning leads into clients 24/7 sort of like an automated cashmachine. (I know, I know that sounds like internet marketing hype – but its true this time, it really is possible).

So there, you have it; 3 product launch secrets based on well over $3 million in documented product launch sales.  If I die, pass this onto my daughter so she can continue my legacy (when she learns to write copy in a few years!)

“No one – I repeat no one – will get you a lower return with higher risk than us” (Anon)

How is your company positioned in the market? How is the spokesperson for your company positioned?

This is a crucial question, because once you OWN a position in the market that is highly attractive to your market…

• You will ATTRACT more customers…

• Your customers will PAY you more …

• Your customers will BOND with you more closely…

And best of all…

• Your customers will be less likely to JUMP SHIP to your competitors companies.  In short…

You’ve gone from being a commodity to hot property.

The important thing is to find a ‘positioning’ you can OWN that:

1. Is unique.

1. Your target market is attracted to.

There’s no point in being known as the ‘low return, high risk’ guy in the financial markets industry.

“No one, I repeat, no one, will get you a lower return, with higher risk than us”.

You may as well specialise in selling U.S Mortgage bonds to the world market for a premium.

It’s not going to go well!

One good way to work out your position is to dig deep into the biggest problem that keeps your customers awake at night. And then create a ‘positioning statement’ solving that problem.

For example, direct response legend Clayton Makepeace helped position Martin Weiss at Money and Markets as the ‘Safety’ guy with a track record for telling you to sell  before the markets caved in.

This ‘Safety’ positioning was developed after investors had been kicked around the by the ‘tech wreck’ and other financial catastrophes.

They wanted someone they could trust. So this new positioning allowed Martin Weiss’s newsletter to become the biggest investment newsletter in the world with 100,000’s of subscribers.

Oprah’s created an empire by positioning herself as emphatic, ‘the one listens.’

While obviously Gordon Ramsay has positioned himself as the ‘psychopath’ of the kitchen  -has its own appeal to a section of the ‘foodie’ market.

The morale of the story?

Create a positioning statement your target market will go flock to like little chicks to mother hen…because you offer them unique advantages that they desperately crave – that none of your competitors do.

“Timid Salesmen have Skinny Kids”.

Doesn’t this title make you nostalgic for the days of fast talking ‘foot in door’ insurance salesman from Midwest America – with big cheesy smiles – that have memorised “101 Super Closing Techniques,”

It doesn’t? Me neither. The truth is NO ONE – sado masochists excluded- likes to be sold to like that.

What we really want when making a purchase decision is:

1. A solution to the problem keeping us up at night

2. Proof that it will work and that it’s the best option for us (i.e. that it will work quicker, faster, better than other solutions)

Assuming your product or service solves at least someone’s problem then let’s move to the next part of the equation – PROOF.

Proof is what has people sign on the dotted line. As the world’s living greatest copywriter Gary Bencivenga said:

“Without belief no one buys”.

I spend a lot of time with ‘Master Salespeople’ and here’s what I’ve noticed. They don’t focus on fancy closing techniques.

No, no, no.

They focus on providing layers upon layer of compelling proof.

For example they provide testimonials, case studies, statistics, endorsements, demonstrations, credible reasons ‘why’ something works or is a good idea, clinic studies etc, until you almost have no choice but to believe what they’re saying is true.

And, of course direct response marketing is ‘salesmanship multiplied’.

So whether you’re writing for a website, a sales video, a brochure or a direct mail piece I suggest you do the same – focus on proof and watch your sales skyrocket.

Happy selling,

John

P.S I sell a product revealing the secrets of why 3 of the hottest selling products on the internet sell so well.

If you want to be better at selling your products or services don’t just buy this – study it with religious fervour!

Check it out here: http://conversionmasters.com.au/hottestsellingproducts/

I was writing telemarketing follow up scripts for a Conference held last weekend when I had an ‘epiphany’.

It came through reading Chet Holmes brilliant book ‘The Ultimate Sales Machine’.

Chet is big on the difference between playing a‘tactical’ game vs. a ‘strategic game’.

Strategy is the ‘master plan’ – tactics is the implementation of that plan.

I looked at my Telemarketing script and saw that it was purely tactical.

There were lots of elegant touches but it basically boiled down to:

“Thanks for coming – do you want to do any of the training programs we offer”

I thought about it strategically and realised the best approach was to present the invitation in the context of the attendees training and development.

I pointed out in the script that our most successful students have all had some sort of continuous training program.

Then it was natural to ask: So what sort of ongoing training program do you have because we want you to win in you goals? This of course led naturally into a sales conversation.

In this way the call goes from being an “unwanted interruption” to a call supporting them in getting the results they want.

My good friend Dale Beaumont says: “1 hour working on your business is worth 9 hours working in it”. So true.

And thinking about your marketing…your systems…your staff…etc. strategically has got to rank very high in that 1 hour.

Believe it or not, a good copywriter or marketing consultant can double your business profits in a year.

I’ve done it before as some of my clients can tell you.

However NOT all copywriters and marketing consultants are equal. Some are brilliant – some are lame ducks.

The question is: How do you find the alchemist that turns words into gold for your business?

Simple: Ask them these 7 questions here…

The 7 Questions to Ask a Copywriter or Marketing Consultant before Hiring Them

1. Do you have a track record of proven financial results for your clients?

Look for testimonials or references from businesses like yours that verify their track record.

2. Do you combine copywriting skills with the more important skill of strategy?

It is often said copy is king.  In that case, strategy is the King of kings.

Say you have two pieces of copy. The first may actually be better written and break even.  The second may take a small loss at the outset but out performs the first piece because of the overall strategy around it.

If the weaker copy leads prospects through a multi-step conversion funnel that allows for repeat sales it may return 4-5 times its cost and create a viable business.  Whereas, the stronger copy goes nowhere because it is just breaking even.

3. Have you studied the masters of direct response advertising?

What is their reaction to the names of legends such as Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy, Gary Bencivenga, Clayton Makepeace, Ted Nicholas, or Dan Kennedy?  If you get nothing but a blank stare then you are probably not talking to someone who can accelerate your business profits.

4. Do you perform ongoing split tests to constantly improve results – or do you rely on guesswork?

Good strategy for a constantly growing business is a commitment to consistent split testing.  According to direct response marketing legend, Clayton Makepeace, if you get…

… 10% more leads and

… 10% more conversions and

… 10% more frequency of sales and

… 10% higher dollar value and

… have your customers stay with you 10% longer and

… come out with 10% more products

… then you’ll usually double your business within a year.

Therefore, split testing gives you a dependable path to sky rocketing your profits by making tiny yet consistent improvements.

5. Do you want to work in partnership with my business?  (ie. On a retainer plus performance basis)

You don’t need people who are only interested in an up front fee and then leave you to clean up any mess they’ve created.

Any person you hire has to go through a learning curve to get up to speed on your business, products, current clients, target markets, and objectives.  You are constantly starting from square one if you hire a new writer for every project.

The best option is to hire a writer interested in partnering with you.  You’ll save time and money with a copywriter that knows your business intimately and has a financial interest in the results.

Look for people who want an up front fee and a percentage of the results.  This also allows you to hedge your investment since you are paying for results not just a one time fee.

6. Do you place a high value on research?

Research is the foundation of great copy.  The best copywriters will learn your product, your customers, and your market inside out.

Of course, this takes time.  Are you willing to allow your copywriter to invest the necessary time needed to research and then create your killer copy?

If you’re getting cheap quotes form writers then they are probably skimping on the foundational research. Therefore, the results they produce will probably be less effective.

7.  Do you have a proven system for evaluating copy based on Billions of dollars in scientific split testing?

Today’s most profitable businesses run on systems.  For instance, restaurants, air traffic, and high tech manufacturing use systems to insure consistent quality. They don’t take chances.  Proven systems allow them to deliver dependable results even with employee turnover.

Likewise, you are better off working with people that have reliable systems already in place to produce repeatable results.

Your Next Best Steps…

Use these 7 critical questions the next time you are evaluating a copywriter or marketing consultant.

I use them in my own business and suggest them to you in order to maximize your return on investment.

Great copy is a business asset.  It’s a 24-hour salesman that can make you sales for life.

If you would like to improve your copy or strategy without spending thousands of dollars on a professional copywriter or marketing consultant then be sure to check out my D.I.Y copy resource…

“The Hottest Selling Products on the Internet

And the Copy Behind Them”

This resource package normally retails for $97 but is currently selling for half at only $47.  Check it out here:

www.conversionmasters.com.au/hottestsellingproducts

Steve Brossman Interviews John Anderson on Product Launches

]]> http://conversionmasters.com.au/steve-brossman-interviews-john-anderson-on-product-launches/feed/ 0 http://conversionmasters.com.au/effective-marketing-strategy/ http://conversionmasters.com.au/effective-marketing-strategy/#comments Tue, 23 Nov 2010 03:35:05 +0000 John http://conversionmasters.com.au/?p=634

Offline?…Online…Social Media?…Email?….Direct Mail?….Telemarketing?

Which of these is going to produce the biggest R.O.I for your business?

Through recent successful campaigns I’ve found a combination of all of them together – at the same time- works best.

Consider the horrific example of Blitzkrieg during the Second World War.

The Wermacht was able to invade most of Europe through a “unified multiple” strategy.

Troops…were accompanied by tanks….with aircraft above in one focussed force. This focussed attack by multiple forces meant even bigger armies such as that of France sadly crumbled in its path.

Likewise in marketing when you combine – for example – email, direct mail and telemarketing your response soars.

Why? Because you get noticed and stand out.

You get multiple chances to present your unique selling points and get heard.

This is so important because we live in a fragmented market place. Your biggest enemy is the ‘blizzard’ of information your prospect is stuck in. Your biggest challenge is getting them to read your marketing piece out of the other 3000 a day they’re bombarded with.

That’s why in designing a sales funnel for a client at the moment I am incorporating direct mail…telephone…email…social media…and possibly even a mobile phone APP.

In this way, we’ll definitely get the attention of our database and make maximum return.

And a bonus, it makes us less reliant on one medium. Which is important because if circumstances to make a medium unviable then we’re still fine.

My friend and teacher Gary Bencivenga is a direct response copywriter acknowledged by leading A-list copywriters and direct marketing companies as ‘the best of the best’.

This is because he has consistently produced more sales than any other copywriter he’s ever been tested against.

Here’s what he says about the state of marketing today:

“Almost all copywriters and marketers today are using the same old-fashioned techniques. But the world has changed, and the consumers you’re trying to influence have grown increasingly immune to these conventional headlines and approaches…..This is why most direct marketers are seeing their response rates decline every year”

My way of putting this is we live in a ‘Blizzard Economy’. Our potential customers are lost in the ‘blizzard’ of the 3000 or more marketing messages we send them each day.  

For this reason they’re almost forced to ‘defend themselves’ from being overwhelmed by our advertising! They shake out the advertising inserts in the weekend papers, delete your carefully crafted emails with a trigger happy finger and hang up on telemarketers with wild abandon.

The big question then is as marketers that sell info products and seminars etc.
Is: “How do we be like a ‘light shining through the blizzard’ so we can take people down the path to being our customer?  

The Answer lies in “Chameleon Marketing”…

“Chameleon Marketing” is when we make our marketing messages look like valuable content – so that it doesn’t look like advertising. Readership studies show that when we do this we get up to 500% more readership for our advertising. This directly relates into sales. For example:

• When you disguise direct mail sales letters as a magazine (a ‘magalog’) peppered with valuable, never before revealed, content you will consistently get more sales – up to a 133% or more increase.
• In a “Space Ad” (an ad in a magazine) an advertisement ‘disguised’ as editorial will get up to 4 times the response of one which just looks like another ‘me too’ ad. For example an ad for Merrill Lynch disguised as an editorial got a whopping 10,000 responses to 1 full page ad.
• When marketing online if you design sales pages to look like ‘special reports’ or  “video presentations’  scientific direct response split tests show you can increase sales by as much 300%.

The second crucial element to Chameleon Marketing is to ensure you lead with valuable content in your advertising to engage your potential customer.

In other words in your sales pages, emails, advertisements, WebPages etc. shower them with fresh tips, hints and fascinating useful facts they’ve never heard before.  

This ‘value laden approach’ combined with the awesome power of ‘Chameleon Marketing’ will ensure your potential customer is almost ‘magnetically compelled’ to read and respond to your sales message.

For that reason if you can combine these two powerhouse principles into your advertising then you’re likely to see your sales soar like never before.

To discover more proven strategies like this – and claim your $725,000 Marketing Cheat Sheet – simply enter name and email address in the box to your right to sign up to my newsletter.

Here’s what I’ve discovered about how to write advertising that sells after studying the results of Billions of Dollars of scientific direct response split-tests…and them applying to my clients businesses.

Ready for it? Let’s dive in…

1. Find out what people want and give it to them – Don’t just assume you know what your prospects want – do research. A great place to do this is on the online forums where your target market hangs out.
That’s because people will be honest and candid about what they really think and want on these largely anonymous online forums.

2. Speak to your prospects biggest problems and burning desires – Once you have discovered your prospects’ burning desires and biggest challenges make your marketing centred on proving you can help them solve those problems or fulfil their desires.

3. Proof is what sells in marketing – Focus on proving what you say is true to an increasingly sceptical market place. Banish hype and the excessive use of exclamation marks etc. Remember what David Ogivly said to his male ad executives back in the 1960’s “the customer is not stupid, she’s your wife”. For this reason make a cogent proof laden argument for ‘why’ folks should choose you.

4. Trumpet your Uniqueness – Because we are in such a saturated market where folks receive over 3,000 marketing messages a day it’s important you offer a unique way of solving people’s problems or giving them what they want. Display this uniqueness in your headline.

5. Create easy first steps – Rather than trying to sell your product immediately offer a free report, CD or DVD etc. on a topic of burning interest to your target market. Then once they’re on your database you have a potential customer for life. You’ll find that this will give you a much more profitable business than going ‘straight for the sale’.

6. Create Irresistible Offers – The Godfather of direct response advertising Claude Hopkins said we should make our offers ‘so irresistible that only a maniac could refuse them’. A great way to do this is by adding bonuses or discounts with strictly enforced deadlines. There is nothing like a deadline on an offer to spike response.

7. Practice Chameleon marketing – A great way to make your advertising more effective is to make it look like it’s NOT advertising because people have trained themselves to ignore advertising when they see it. For example, don’t make your display ad look like an ad – make it look like an editorial. You will find that if you take this “chameleon approach” to marketing you will get up to 200% percent higher response

8. Test and measure everything – Business expert Brad Sugars has found just by tracking the results of your sales campaigns you can increase your results by up to 16 percent. The biggest breakthroughs in business come when you test and measure new approaches. Then once you discover what works – milk it for all it’s worth.

Your Next Best Step?…

If you want to discover more about our proven approach to marketing make sure you sign up for the $725, 000 Product Launch Cheat Sheet because you will get regular marketing updates about what’s working now online (and offline) marketing.