Been talking to lots of experts over the past few months.

No… not ex-spurts.

Experts.

Those rare types of people (especially online) who sally forth and actually walk the walk, instead of just talk the talk. And one of these experts is an article marketing genius I interviewed to create a bonus for subscribers to my soon-to-be-released offline print newsletter (more on that in a couple weeks).

Anyway, one of the things we discussed was speed.

He and I are both big believers of the Dan Kennedy quote:

And one of the secrets the article guy above taught in this interview is a way to write a dozen or so ezine articles per DAY in about 8-10 minutes each.

In other words — FAST.

He said because he wrote his articles fast (and didn’t necessarily get them “perfect”) he knocked out 1100 articles in about 8 months. And those 1100 articles turned into a $70k per year self sustaining (i.e. “auto pilot”) business. He hasn’t even written a single article in about a year now, and yet his business keeps growing without him touching it due to the SEO, back links, traffic, etc, from those articles.

Pretty sweet gig, isn’t it?

And it’s all from speed.

And by not sitting around “pondering” every detail.

By the way, this is NOT a lecture.

I’m as guilty of pondering and perfectionism as anyone.

In fact, by taking my sweet time launching The Copywriting Grab Bag and Crackerjack Selling Secrets last year, I probably left at LEAST an extra $10-20k on the table.

Maybe even more.

(Not my proudest accomplishment, let me tell ya.)

Anyway, here’s the point:

If you got something to do, do it and do it FAST.

This isn’t a license to make crappy products and create weak marketing campaigns or anything.

But waiting around accomplishes nothing except maybe stealing money from yourself.

Ben Settle

Lately, I’ve been hard at work on a supplement ad.

Totally new territory for me, though.

I’m more of an info product kinda copywriter and not liking these strangling rules I have to follow to make this ad FDA, FTC and probably even KGB compliant.

Bah!

It reminds me of what I call the “spider incident.”

Back when I lived in humid “swamp land” Illinois, we had just sprayed the hell out of the apartment and thought we were “safe” from any spiders and other critters.

But guess what?

That very night, around 3 am, a big ol fatty spider dropped right onto my bare chest and started scurrying down towards my belly.

I instinctively came awake and flung it off me.

Tanna woke up.

“What’s wrong?”

“A f*%*$! spider just landed on my chest!”

She flipped the light on and yep, there it was — hunched on top of the thin sheet she had over her legs (apparently, I flung it right on her — sorry baby!)

I STILL get the creeps thinking about that.

Anyway, all these gummint boogeymen are like that spider.

Even if you think you’ve “sprayed” your business with bureaucrat-repellant… even if you think your marketing is “hounds tooth” clean… and even if the lawyers knight your operation “compliant”… it really doesn’t matter.

If the mafia wants to make an example out of you, they will.

And there ain’t nothing you can do about it.

What’s that?

You aren’t worried because you’re a freelancer and have a “no fault” contract with your clients?

I wouldn’t get too comfy.

Chase Revel (founder of Entrepreneur Magazine and freelance copywriter) got nailed for making a 100% true and documented claim in his ad — even with a solid “no fault” clause in his contract

Yikes.

Something to think about when going to bed tonight

Ben Settle

P.S. Just because you break the law every time you turn your computer on doesn’t mean you can’t try and stay off the goon radar.

For example, The Affiliate Trump Card includes an interview with Ray Edwards that reveals something he does (when selling as an affiliate) that can not only keep you off the “grid”, but can increase your sales, to boot.

It can be good to know this kind of stuff…

Heard my 2nd favorite Christmas song last night.

My #1 favorite is the dogs barking “Jingle Bells.”

But this 2nd favorite song I heard is “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer.” And while listening to it, something occurred to me about grandmas and marketing.

Here’s what I mean:

Thankfully, I still have both my grandmas.

And weird as it sounds, they often help me create my books and products.

How?

Well, if you listen to certain goo-roos out there, you may be tempted to think the best way to generate income on the Internet is by slapping some crappy product together and then “throwing” it up — whether it’s any good or not.

I dunno, methinks there’s a better way.

By all means, create products fast (the faster the better).

But one thing I like to do is the “grandma test”:

If the product I’m selling isn’t good enough where I’d want my own grandma (assuming she had the problem my product solves) to have it, then it’s not good enough to sell to the public, either.

And you want to know something?

This simple test can serve you very well not only for making happy customers… but also for making happy customers that look forward to buying your NEXT product.

And, in many cases, before you even create it.

You can learn more about creating products at:

Ben Settle

P.S. Don’t forget, I’m going to be interviewing top direct response copywriter Scott Haines by email soon.

If you have any questions you’d like to ask, send them here.

I’m gonna get medieval on you today.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about info-publishing.

Not only how to create extremely high quality (and high ticket) info products… but how to create them really FAST.

As in 24 hours or less fast.

Because if there’s one cool thing about all this technology right now, it’s that you can make a product today and literally sell it online tomorrow.

Would you like to be able to do this?

Then let me ask you a question:

Remember King Arthur and the Knights of the round table?

According to some legends, whenever “Arty” had a problem that needed solving, and didn’t know where to turn (I guess maybe when Merlin was too busy or on vacation) he would turn to his trusty knights. And they’d gather around King Arthur’s “round table” and, one by one, take a whack at the problem with their solutions.

By the time everyone was done, the king had his answer.

And guess what?

You can do the same thing to create your products:

If you want to create a valuable product that sells like hot cakes really fast, just gather a panel of experts in your niche on a teleconference (your cyber “round table”) and have them each answer a series of questions about whatever problem it is your market wants solved.

Everyone answers each question.

And, when you’ve gone around the table with all the questions, you got yourself a hot little info product you can (depending on the market) charge a premium for.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Hey, it IS simple.

Maybe not necessarily easy.

But definitely simple.

And if you want some exact “how to’s” to guide you along, check out this free 80 minute training I did with audio marketing “maestro” Michael Senoff:

Ben Settle

P.S. Also, don’t forget, I’m interviewing copywriting superstar Scott Haines soon. If you’d like to submit a question for me to ask him, shoot me an email by clicking here.

Today’s email might very well have zero interest for you.

After all, there’s no real tip in it.

Just a “housekeeping” item I wanted to share about why I killed the original Crackerjack Selling CD Club and am soon offering the book as a stand-alone product.

So why did I do it?

Why, after 6 months of build up, sweat and blood (not to mention a successful launch that did almost twice as well as expected)… did I bring it crashing down after just one month?

Here are a few of the reasons:

1. The Book

Seems many more people than I anticipated wanted “Crackerjack Selling Secrets” without having to join the Crackerjack Selling CD Club.

And I just didn’t think it through very well, at the time.

So I’m soon releasing the book as a stand alone product — along with what was the first lesson in The Crackerjack Selling CD Club (called “The King Of Selling Online”) as a bonus.

Plus, on launch day, I’m knocking $20 off the price.

2. Lack Of Time And Enjoyment

I completely misjudged this part.

The process of doing audio interviews, editing, transcribing, setting it all up, making sure everything was right (I don’t believe in just “slapping” these things together), coordinating interviews, etc was just too time consuming to do it the justice it really deserves month after month.

I like doing audio interviews once in a while.

But every month?

Not so much.

And eventually, it would have shown.

So that’s another reason I nipped it in the “bud.”

3. Print Newsletter

I’m instead cooking up something else.

Something my gut told me to do in the first place:

An offline print newsletter.

It’ll be way less expensive than The Crackerjack Selling CD Club, much more in line with my strengths, and a lot more intimate and personal.

Kind of like my daily emails on STEROIDS.

Besides writing about all things marketing, selling, copywriting, persuasion, etc, I’ll also include critiques of subscribers’ ads, emails, press releases, marketing plans… and at times toss in some free (or discounted) products, expert interviews, and even live tele-seminars just for kicks.

I’ll have more details in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, if you want to get Crackerjack Selling Secrets (without having to join any monthly continuity programs), it’s on the way.

Probably before the end of this week.

Ben Settle

Yesterday I did my first product “launch”.

It was pretty low-key compared to most.

And I’m sure I broke 100 different launch “rules” along the way.

But the conversion was MUCH higher than I expected. And the experience taught me quite a few lessons about launches.

Here are a few that stick out:

1. Credit card processors are flaky — expect glitches.

This might explain the reasoning behind reason #3 below…

2. It’s better to have too many copies of your product at the fulfillment house… than not enough (see #5).

Looking back, I would have ordered double the amount of books from the printer and fulfillment house. And then any unsold could have been part of a second discount special that is less generous than the original, but still worthwhile for anyone on the fence to order.

3. People LOVE PayPal.

I was shocked to notice WELL over half the orders were PayPal. I know some people think PayPal is the devil. But not using it is like leaving money on the table.

Especially since it’s a nice backup in case of CC glitches. (See #1 above.)

4. Most people really are good and decent.

Even if they are frustrated due to things like credit card glitches, missing deadlines, or other ordering issues.

(I guess my boy Dale Carnegie was right!)

5. If you give value to your list, you have a silent section of “fans”.

Many of who have been waiting a LONG time to buy something from you. I was surprised by how many people took the time to let me know this little detail, too.

6. I’m NOT the only mega procrastinator in the world.

Judging by the flood of last minute orders… I’m part of a very BIG majority!

Next time, I’ll think of a way to use this to mine (and my customers’) advantage.

7. Many people seem to almost despise digital products.

I was stunned by all the people who were so happy to be getting a real, physical book in their hands — instead of electronic “bytes” on their computer.

Just something to consider:

If you sell digital stuff, you might be leaving moolah on the table.

Anyway, I now have a whole new respect for launches.

And if you do any launches — even small ones like mine — I hope you can use some of the above lessons.

And speaking of launches…

I hardly ever participate in other people’s launches.

But Ewen Chia is launching a book (physical, paper and ink) he wrote about affiliate marketing today.

If you are interested in affiliate marketing, I think you will find it quite valuable — especially for the price.

I have known Ewen for a few years now. He’s taught me a LOT on the subject.

And for less than $13 you can’t go wrong.

There are two ways to check it out:

1. You can use my blatant affiliate link:

www.internetwealth.com/go.php?offer=vantagenet&pid=5

2. You can use a direct link:

www.internetmillionaires.com

Either way, I highly encourage getting it.

Ewen’s back-end strategy will likely be a powerful marketing lesson in and of itself.

Ben Settle

One of the sites I read each and every day (like clockwork) is a comic book movie site called: www.ComicBookMovie.com

Today they posted an interview with Hugh Jackman — who played “Wolverine” in the X-Men movies, and is shooting the upcoming Wolverine movie now.

Anyway, in this interview Hugh talks about his criteria for choosing a movie role — which just happens to be a PERFECT guide to choosing a product to sell.

Here’s what he said:

“There are two conditions for me doing any more: One is will anybody want to see it, and the second is: Will I still have the passion for it?”

And there we have it.

Two questions each and every one of us should ask before trying to sell a product:

Will anyone want it, and will you have a passion for it?

If you answer “no” — or even “I think so…” — to either question, then you may want to seriously consider selling something else.

Why?

Because if nobody wants your product, you won’t sell it.

And if you don’t have a passion for it, then even if it does sell, you’ll probably end up despising it.

I know… because I actually made this mistake last year myself.

Anyway, just something to think about.

P.S. On another note… I recently added one of those “MyBlogLog” dealy-bops on my site below.
If you were to join my community and add me as a friend I’d really appreciate it. All you have to do is click on the link that says, “Ad Me To This Site’s Community” and follow the simple instructions.

P.P.S. Hey! I almost forgot: I have a couple new MP3 interviews in the “hopper” I’ll be posting soon. Both contain a TON of valuable information you can actually use, and not just listen to, nod and file away.

To be notified when they’re live, make sure you’re on my blog “alerts” list in the upper right hand corner of this page — where it says “Free Copywriting Newsletter”.

A few months ago I had a huge “ah ha!” moment about selling.

I was talking with Michael Senoff about the $1,497 “How To Buy A Business” product he was selling that I wrote the ad for, and how we were getting sales without driving a lot of traffic to the site.

Now, as the copywriter I’d LOVE to take credit for all the sales.

But I’m not that naive.

Copy alone only gets you so far.

Especially with a high ticket product like that.

No, in this case, it was the copy plus something else we did.

Something simple and easy… that I’m betting you can apply to anything you sell, too.

What was the “secret” we were using?

Audio.

In fact, I remember Michael getting emails from customers who listened to the audio interviews he did with the product author multiple times before buying.

They pulled the interviews off iTunes, or burned the MP3’s to a CD from Michael’s site… and then listened to them when driving to work, or while exercising, or when fiddling around with something in the office.

Eventually, something “clicked”, they’d take another look at the sales letter, and buy.

That, my friend, is the raw power of audio.

And it’s also why I believe audio interviews are some of the best “auto-responders” around.

I mean, think about it:

If you produce a decent audio interview — that gives lots of good information someone can really use — people will many times listen to it over and over again.

And each time they listen to it, you reinforce the value of your information… strengthen your bond with that prospect… and re-ignite his desire to buy.

Many times a sale is made.

Sometimes even dozens of sales — with thousands of dollars in additional profits.

Here’s a “real life” example:

A few years ago I used to have long commutes to the job I was at.

And during those commutes I would many times listen to Dan Kennedy’s “Magnetic Marketing” tape (where he gave a demonstration of his system at a Peter Lowe event) over and over again.

And each time I listened to it I “re-sold” myself on Dan Kennedy, his product and his offer.

Eventually I just HAD to buy it.

Even though I couldn’t really afford it… and even though I had never actually read a “sales letter” for it.

But guess what?

It didn’t stop there.

Because soon after I bought his newsletter. Then a bunch of his books. Then some of his info products, etc.

I’ve actually lost track of all the Dan Kennedy stuff I’ve bought since.

And all those extra sales stemmed from his simple audio lesson on tape.

Which brings me back to my point:

When you produce a decent audio interview or recording that’s packed with real value (and is NOT just a sales pitch) — and that demonstrates your knowledge and experience — you’ll add a whole new “layer” of persuasion to anything you sell.

In fact, if you do it right, it can dramatically increase the conversion of ALL your marketing.

And position your business in a way plain text can’t touch with a ten foot pole.

Try it yourself and see.

I bet you’ll see a pleasant “bump” in your sales.

For more information on creating simple audio interviews that sell, check out the interview I did with Michael Senoff a few weeks ago below. Michael has done hundreds of audio interviews selling everything from $5,000+ information products… to anti-counterfeit writing pens… to entire businesses.

And you can easily use his methods to sell whatever you have, too.

You can grab the interview in streaming audio, MP3 or written transcript below:

Part #1 (41:10):

• Download The MP3 Audio
• Read The Transcript
• Listen In Streaming Audio (Below)
  

  Get Flash to see this player.

Below is an audio interview with my friend Michael Senoff about his high-ticket info product creation secrets.

As you’ll see, with Michael’s methods you don’t need to be an “expert” at anything.

You don’t need any fancy speaking or editing skills.

And you certainly don’t need a lot of money or resources.

Michael has created over 200 info products over the past few years alone.

And in this exclusive interview he shows you how to do the exact same thing — even if you’re just starting out, and know nothing about the subject now.

You can listen to this fascinating interview in MP3 or streaming audio below:

Part #1 (41:10):

• Download The MP3 Audio
• Read The Transcript
• Listen In Streaming Audio (Below)
  

  Get Flash to see this player.

By the way…

Michael’s giving an extremely generous discount to my subscribers on his product creation course.

You can’t get this offer anywhere else (not even Michael’s own subscribers get this good a deal!)

And it may not be around long.

So be sure to check it out today at: