Ben Settle

In this magic 92nd podcast episode Producer Jonathan and I get down ’n dirty about when and why you should (and when and why you shouldn’t) track email opens rates.

We also rap about:

• Why tracking email opens for most people is about as useful as tracking website “hits” (which is an acronym for “how idiots track success”).

• Why the silly myth that more opens automatically equals more sales is harder to kill than a vampire. (To make sure this myth dies, Producer Jonathan and I decided to stake, behead, and stuff this myth’s mouth with garlic just to be sure its dead.)

• Why computer scientists and engineers laugh at the idea of “scientifically” testing emails.

• An “inconvenient truth” about just how unreliable email open rates are that recently came to light int the news about Apple Computer.

• Why even spammers who get obscenely high opens still get few sales.

• The 4 times when you SHOULD definitely test open rates.

• A secret way of using open rates to come up with super profitable product titles.

• What to check if your open rates suddenly drop out of the blue.

• A little-known way to use open rates to wipe out spam complaints. (I learned this from a guy who has a 2 million+ list, if you’re really worried about spam complaints do this and watch them drop like a politician’s pants at a brothel.)

• The single best way to (1) reduce spam complaints to near nothing and (2) get people actually *thanking* you for sending them pitches by email.

• What producer Jonathan tracks in his emails that is far more important than opens, clicks, and, yes, even sales. (If you do this your sales will go up anyway.)

Anyway, a merry time was had by all.

Download your open rate-love here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Since I hate crowds, hate traveling, and hate spending time away from my dog and my (new) secret lair on the Oregon coast… I don’t go to a whole lot of events.

But, I do leave here at times for speaking and coaching gigs.

(Oceans 4 Mastermind, etc)

Anyway, a couple months ago I put up a page with the details and locations of any future speaking/training gigs in case you want to sally forth and attend said event(s).

I just updated it today with my next appearance (AWAI’s Web Intensive) here:

www.BenSettle.com/blog/elbenbos-schedule

Ben Settle

Noticing a trend happening more and more.

And that trend is, people are prematurely replying without reading or edu-macating themselves on what they’re replying to, or purposely warping facts around to the point where it’s just impossible to take them seriously (as if they’re just looking for attention).

It’s always happened.

(And will happen to you if you use my system, you can bank on it.)

But, I’ve been noticing it getting especially bad over the past year or so.

Example:

In my private flakebook group, one of my subscribers started a discussion about how a particular bullet point (“The surprising “water” miracle that could make your blood REPEL cancer cells and shrink tumors down to nothing”) he had read from an Agora ad was unethical.

I disagreed and defended the bullet.

(I think it’s brilliant, for a variety of reasons).

Then, to take it a step further, I talked about how thoroughly Agora and other big mailer copywriters research these things. They have to, not only do they have internal lawyers, but from what the great A list copywriter Jim Punkre told Daniel Levis in an interview once, sometimes copywriters can be held liable for claims, too. And Chase Revel, founder of Entrepreneur Magazine, once got nailed for making a 100% true and documented claim in his ad — even with a solid “no fault” clause in his contract. Anyway, to illustrate how much research goes into these ads, I told the story about how when Brian Kurtz was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he said the first person he went to for advice on various options, etc was copywriter Parris Lampropoulos.

Why?

Because Parris had researched that topic (for all the direct mail packages he’s written over the years on the subject) better than any doctor Brian knew (well, I will take a chance and assume that’s the case, otherwise why wouldn’t he have went to whoever knew more…)

So what happens?

A response that says my assertion that Parris is the guy to turn to over a DOCTOR (he even capitalized doctor, so he must have been serious) specializing in cancer is absurd.

Ooh.

Guess I should have not said that.

Except, for one little problem:

I didn’t say it.

Nor did I “assert” (or even suggest) people should go to Parris over their doctor. The subject was copywriters and research, not who someone should go to for medical advice. I simply told the story to illustrate how thoroughly copywriters at that level research their topics, and how one man thought so highly of a particular copywriter, he asked for his advice first.

Anyway, the point?

More and more people are either just skimming and then prematurely replying or they’re just being trolls.

And you know what?

If you’re going to say anything the mainstream (in any industry) doesn’t like (in an email, blog post, video, social media comment, etc), you can expect it to happen to you, too.

Maybe not today.

Maybe not tomorrow.

But it will happen and is just a matter of time, my little fledgling.

So be ready.

Be prepared.

And, don’t be shy about calling trolls or premature repliers out.

(Which, as you can see, makes for great email “fodder” anyway.)

Yes, those are not-a-DOCTOR elBenbo’s orders.

One last thing:

If you’re going to subscribe to my “Email Players” newsletter, make sure you read, carefully, the ad for it before subscribing. It’s astonishing how many people subscribe without realizing (1) it’s a print (paper and ink) publication not digital (2) it ships the first week of each month (3) the back issues are not free and (4) they are not really qualified to be subscribing at all, even if they can afford it.

Anyway, that’s it for today.

To read (carefully) more about “Email Players” go here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I’m entrails deep into recording a comprehensive “how to” copywriting product — based on my simple 5-step method I’ve used to write my most profitable ads, including one ad that’s still running unbeaten by any other copywriter for 8 years now in a super competitive niche.

And, I want to do a Q&A segment.

Any copywriting question is game.

I don’t care if you just fell off the copywriting turnip truck and want to know what a headline is… or if you’ve been at this for over a decade and just want to learn a new trick or two you don’t already know.

As a “carrot” to get you to ask an intelligent question:

(There are no dumb answers, only dumb questions)

If I use your question in the Q&A I’ll give you free access to the product.

How’s that for fair?

What?

It’s not fair enough?

Okay, what about, if I use your question in the Q&A I not only give you free access to the product (which I am leaning towards pricing at $795-ish)… but I also give you a free back issue of “Email Players” (mailed to your doorstep at my expense) to boot?

Say what?

That’s *still* not enough?

I can’t believe what I’m hearing.

Okay you greedy little bugger… what about, if I use your question in the Q&A I not only give you free access to the product… but I also give you a free back issue of “Email Players”… and I also give you a free copy of the Agora tape (Agora tapes are 3 trainings I did for $200 million publisher Agora Financial last year) about email marketing?

All good?

OK then, now for the catch(es):

1. You can only ask one question and I’m only going to answer a handful in the product (so make it a good one, think about it, word it carefully, and be 100% clear — I’ll be ignoring long rambling questions that don’t get to the point)

2. You have 24 hours from now (12:00 pm pacific time) to get me your question to qualify

3. If more than one person asks the same (or similar) question, I’m going to go with whoever asks it first (so I suggest you ask it right away)

4. There are no “do overs” — you can’t ask a question then, 10 minutes later, say, “I meant to ask this other question…”

5. To submit your question simply reply to this email

Okay that’s it, ye olde clock is ticking.

You have less than 24 hours.

Deadline is tomorrow, Thursday, at 12:00 pm pacific time.

(California time).

Good luck…

Ben Settle

Here’s a little ditty we can all learn from:

When I moved out of The Burgle and back to the coast in Bandon a couple weeks ago, I had the car packed up as much as possible. And, that entire day I kept noticing my car doors wouldn’t lock. I’d push the button to lock them, then they’d suddenly unlock on their own again. The only way I could lock them was by using my car’s remote to lock them. Later that day, after I moved all my business stuff into my downtown Bandon office, my dad and step mom came to say hi (they live in the same town). They wanted a ride back home, so I told ‘em to hop in, and I moved my backpack and a couple other things in the trunk to make room.

Then, I noticed my trunk wouldn’t close.

I’d slam it shut and it’d unlatch itself.

Over and over.

It was driving me nutzo.

First the car wouldn’t lock then the trunk wouldn’t close.

Was there an electrical problem in the car?

Was something amiss?

I didn’t know — but I slowly drove back with the trunk ajar.

The next morning I decide to Google it.

I looked up my car’s exact make and model and typed in “trunk won’t close.”

Well, it turns out elBenbo’s car is smarter than he is.

The reason it wouldn’t lock was because you can’t lock my car if the keys are inside. And, my extra remote was inside my backpack in the back seat. And, later, when I tossed the backpack in the trunk, it was in there, and you can’t close the trunk, either, if the keys are inside.

Doh!

Anyway, the point of all this?

It reminds me of a quote from the book “Obvious Adams”:

“The solution, when found, will be obvious.”

And, guess what?

In the November “Email Players” issue I show you a very “obvious” way (that hardly anyone does anymore, in fact I rarely see anyone doing it) to create near instant cash flow for your business using one little email.

(Yes, I even hand you a template for that, too, to make it even easier.)

Anyway, subscribe here in time to get it while you can:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

True story:

I know a girl who always ends up with these guys that she always describes as “douche bags.” At the same time, I’ve seen her go through a parade of good, decent guys who want a good girl and want to treat a girl right and all that.

i.e. they’re into chivalry and think it still works.

But, she always finds something wrong with these good guys.

Something small, and pointless and, in many cases, something her douche bag boyfriends have or do too.

In other words:

She spurns the chivalrous guys and chases the knaves.

If you asked her, she’d say she’s an innocent victim.

But, the reality is, she’s a willing victim.

And, you know what else?

This happens even more in the business world.

And today’s “Ben Settle Show” goes into great detail on how to tell if someone (or even yourself) is truly an innocent victim (hardly anyone is) or just a willing victim looking for sympathy for their bad decisions. This info is extremely profitable and peace-of-mind-generating to people who know it — as we know how to identify (and repel) the willing victims from buying from us, wasting our time, or poisoning our mindset.

Anyway, I rap about this in detail on today’s show.

Download ye it here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

For your reading amusement:

A few years ago I was talking to a chick I was (briefly) interested in dating and got a kick out of something she said that perfectly illustrates a marketing principle few people understand anymore. And, those who understand it still routinely forget it (such as when they put their customers and clients on a pedestal).

Anyway, what did said chick say?

Simply this:

She was nattering on about how she wouldn’t date one of her guy friends because (and I quote) she “didn’t want to ruin the friendship.”

Then, a little later (in the same conversation) she said:

“I’d like to marry my soul mate and *best friend* some day.”

Dames.

But, what’re ya gonna do?

It’s just how they is.

Now, here’s the thing:

I have noticed the exact same phenomenon with people who say they can’t buy something because it costs (whatever amount), then turn around and buy the same kind of product at a more expensive price from someone else.

The point?

There are several, actually.

But the main one is, don’t go by what people say they want.

Go by what they *demonstrate* they want.

In that chick’s case, she probably just wasn’t attracted to her guy friend and didn’t want to hurt his feelings saying so. And, thus, her rationalization hamster kicked up a “nicer” way of rejecting him she could also buy into and not feel badly about.

As for people who claim not to be able to buy due to price:

They’re most likely lying, too.

(Either to you, themselves, or both of you).

Nobody buys on price.

And, in the upcoming November “Email Players” issue I prove it and show you how to exploit (ethically, of course) this bizarre little quirk of price shopper nature to create near-instant cash flow whenever you desire.

But she goes to print in just two short weeks.

So if you want in on time, go here while you can:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Comes the bingo question:

Hey Ben,

Got it yesterday and your freedymfest talk was really great. You make it simple and easy to do it. I have one question, how do you built an authority that get your subscibers to sign up for your $97 newsletter?

A good question.

The not-so-short answer is, it took:

• 13.5 years (literally) of giving everything I got to my business before being ready to successfully launch the newsletter

• Thousands of hours of learning/failing/experimenting to get a deep (not just a wide) grasp of my subject

• Specializing (instead of generalizing)

• Developing a distinct personality not based on anyone else (it amuses me how some people now directly copy me, my website, and especially my vernacular/slang/words/attitude, etc — they all miss the point, and are simply shooting their profits in the pinky toe, making a pittance of what they could be)

• Spending over a decade developing a tight bond with my list by not selling them crap and understanding what they really want (and not going by what they *say* they want)

• Strategically positioning myself in the market place

• Understanding (not just reading a book about it or social media post about it) how personal branding really works

• Cutting my teeth on and being grounded in offline, old school direct response (Hint: if you are getting the basics from any self-described “Internet marketers” you could be setting yourself back years, if not decades — to be safe, go old school, study people who were doing this direct marketing thang pre-Internet when it wasn’t dirt cheap to test — like Dan Kennedy, Jay Abraham, John Carlton, Gary Halbert, Gene Schwartz, Gary Bencivenga, Claude Hopkins, John Caples, Ken McCarthy, Maxwell Sackheim (who?), Bruce Barton (what?), Clayton Makepeace, Paul Hartunian, Robert Collier, Brian Kurtz, Joe Sugarman, Ted Nicholas, Bob Bly, David Garfinkel, Doug D’Anna, David Deutsch, Michael Masterson, Matt Furey… and so on. Many of my email breakthroughs have come from great offline direct marketers/copywriters like them — not purely online/email marketers)

And that’s just for starters.

Notice there is not a single “ninja” tactic or person in the above list?

It’s all based on hard work, patience, and learning your craft deep, not just wide. (Rare virtues today that have gone the way of the typewriter and #2 pencil…)

More:

People get caught up in the “$97” per month.

As if that’s some magical number.

Some continuity should actually be very cheap.

For example, in the golf business we are soon re-launching, we will likely have an upsell continuity that’s less than the price of Netflix each month. It ain’t about “oh I need to do $97 per month!”, it’s about what makes sense for your product and market and overall strategy/goals.

A fun fact:

Some people have continuity that should be much MORE than $97. But, they are simply copying me (and a few even admit it) and stoopidly snatching mediocrity from the jaws of success.

On the other hand:

Others struggle to charge that much and are always wondering why, because they are blindly copying what they *think* my pricing and marketing strategy is. I stress “think” because you can’t reverse engineer me, even if you think you can.

Here’s something for the reverse engineers to think about:

Long ago I learned (from the great Matt Furey who would amusingly admit to doing this many times in his free daily emails when promoting his seminars, etc) the power of purposely doing things “wrong” just to screw with the wannabes and throw the copy-cat losers off balance who can’t formulate a thought without raiding their swipe file or aping someone else’s personality. Frankly, even if you are one of my “Email Players” subscribers, I will never reveal the stuff I do wrong on purpose. (Nor do I teach them stuff I do wrong on purpose, either, so don’t worry about that if you’re a subscriber).

Why?

It goes back to a story Matt Furey once told about the cat and the tiger.

How the cat taught the tiger everything the tiger knew, then the prideful tiger turned on the cat trying to kill it, but the cat never taught the tiger how to climb trees. So when the tiger attacked, the cat easily escaped, laughing at the fact he taught the tiger everything the tiger knows, but did not teach the tiger everything he knows.

By the way:

I’ve done a couple things purposely “wrong” in this email.

Things that, if you did them, are guaranteed to hurt your sales.

(And will hurt mine today, too — but that’s okay, I got no problem sacrificing a few short term sales for long term superior positioning.)

So anyway, that’s that.

Oh, and speaking of old school marketing:

The upcoming November “Email Players” newsletter contains a truly old school (that’s been around for probably thousands of years) non-secret (but so few people do it, it might as well be a secret) way to instantly infuse any business with immediate and potentially huge cash flow.

(Regardless of what you sell or how you sell it.)

In fact, want to know something?

If you have a proven offer and a big and responsive enough list, doing this ONE thing ONE time could pay for several years of your “Email Players” subscription.

Of course, you have to be a subscriber first.

And, so, if you want in, go ye here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Following is the kind of info I usually only share in my “Email Players” newsletter.

But, time is of the essence.

And, I want to make a point.

You see, for the past two years (until I moved back to the blessed coast just last week…) I lived in Roseburg, OR (What I have not-so-affectionately dubbed “The Burgle”) which you’ve likely seen on the TV recently.

If not, the tl;dr version is:

A murderer shot and killed a bunch of people in the local community college, Obama rushed out there to exploit the situation for his idiotic anti-gun agenda, and, during his visit, the media descended upon to the town to interview and show all the straw man “THEY TOOK OUR JERBS!” crazies mindlessly (and probably drunkenly) spouting nonsense, while purposely passing up interviewing the thousands of regular, thinking folks there.

Such is the media’s agenda.

Anyway, here’s the point:

My friend and “Email Players” subscriber Trevor Mauch has tirelessly worked to make the town an entrepreneurial beacon for tech companies and other businesses. He even sold elBenbo on moving there a couple years ago from the blessed coast (such is Trevor’s persuasion skills).

And, well, let’s just say this incidence hasn’t exactly helped his cause.

Or has it?

It’s my contention that with all the media focus on the The Burgle, and all the chaos and negativity directed at it, Trevor and the other people who are there trying to grow the business community have a small (very small) window to make the skeleton dance and *use* all this negative energy to sell thousands of people actively looking to relocate from ridiculously anti-business states like California (for example) in droves.

What?

You don’t know what making the skeleton dance means?

It’s a term from George Bernard Shaw, where he said:

“If you can’t hide the family skeleton you might as well make it dance.”

Sales trainer and speaker Barry Maher took that and turned it into an entire sales philosophy (it’s quite brilliant) where you find the flaws in your product or service and not just admit them… but turn them into reasons to buy.

Example:

My friend Peter Van Zijl.

He owns a great company that sells apparel to military vets, cops, firefighters, and other patriotic types. And, when I got to talking to him a few months ago, he said one of the “flaws” in his model is it takes his factory several weeks sometimes to deliver a shirt or hat or whatever… when they can get other similar products in 2 days via Amazon, etc.

My advice?

Strap on some parachute pants and velcro high top shoes… and and make that skeleton break dance.

A moon walk, back spin, or the centipede will do.

In this case, I said to tell his customers:

(paraphrased)

“listen, it takes us weeks to get you your shirt because we don’t use cheap materials from China with child labor and we hand craft each garment just for you. We hand inspect everything that goes out the door. We’re not going to send you — America’s heroes and inspiration — anything but the best, highest quality material and product. When we send you your product it won’t fall apart at the seems in 3 months, it’ll last forever. You’ll be able to pass it on to your kids and grand kids…”

And so on and so forth.

By doing this, the long wait is not only not a problem, it’s a badge of honor.

And so it is when you make the skeleton dance.

Okay, back to The Burgle:

There are few places in America with less going for it in the media.

Innocent people were just killed.

The media painted its citizens as mouth-breathing psychopaths.

And, it’s probably the last place any serious business owner wants to move his operation and raise his kids in.

That is, until elBenbo’s marketing plan (below) has been implemented.

Here is my advice to my droogie Trevor and others in the Burgle who want to grow the area and attract the best and brightest companies.

Ready?

Okay, here goes:

1. Run a FULL page ad in the LA Times or whatever the biggest California media publication is read by the kind of entrepreneurs you want to attract

2. In that ad use the headline:

“Why Roseburg Oregon
Is The Safest And Most Profitable
City In America
For Overtaxed and Over-regulated
California Companies”

(That’s kind of crude, you get the gist)

3. In the first part of the ad come clean about Roseburg.

The shootings. The high crime (I don’t call it the Burgle for nothing). The meth problem (my place got burgled by some meth addicts last month to the tune of $50k worth of valuables, and at least one local pawn shop actually has a sign that say, “No Tweakers!”). The 11%+ unemployment. The crazy mouth breathers who were interviewed by the media recently. And the list goes on.

Come clean on all of it.

Leave no damaging admission untouched and highlighted.

And, add as many more in as possible.

4. Then, in the next sentence say:

“And believe it or not, here’s why all these things are a boon to California business owners who want a safe place to raise their families and make more sales in a month than they usually make in a year…”

(Again, crude copy, but ye get ye olde gist)

5. Then go into all the reasons why so many 7 and 8 figure companies, celebrities, and California winery and other business owners have been flocking to The Burgle over the past several years.

For example:

• All the reasons why it’s uniquely set for unprecedented economic growth unlike anything ever seen in rural Oregon history.

• How its unique geographical location will soon force (everything has been set in motion) the town to have (per capita) more entrepreneurs than even Portland.

• How its surge of new wineries and breweries popping up every year are (and have been) drawing business owners from California and around the globe.

• How a number of business groups are being created each year to take advantage of this growth — like Trevor’s “Y.E.S. Group” (Young Entrepreneur Society of Umpqua Valley ), The Loft Project (downtown entrepreneur workspace), the RAIN (Roseburg Angel Investor Group), the Umpqua Business Center, SOWI (Southern Oregon Wine Institute) and several other groups quietly helping usher in this once-in-a-lifetime-unique entrepreneur movement.

• How the city is stealing medical professionals (who see what’s happening and eagerly flock to the Burgle) from around the nation from other parts of the country each week.

• How the local newspaper’s “Money Monday” section on entrepreneurship is gaining statewide attention… attracting thousands of people to the town who want to be a part of this incredible moment in history.

• And, how the city (with all its flaws and blemishes) has created and/or attracted companies to it such as Willowood USA, LLC (Oregon’s 12th fastest growing company and did over $20 million in revenue in its first few years)… Orenco (300+ employees that Designs, builds, sells, installs massive portable septic systems for the US military in Iraq, etc, as well as has contracts for spy equipment, etc)… Solid.com (International player in the cellular industry… headquartered in Silicon Valley but the President of the company lives full-time in Roseburg because he loves it)… Invictus (builds spy drones in Roseburg)… Ingram Books (HUGE company in the mainstream publishing world with a giant facility in town)… Victory Builders (the owner’s home was featured on HGTV’s “Million Dollar Rooms” TV Show)… tmscallcenters (take the calls for Beach Body infomercials like “Insanity”, P90x and lots of other brands you’d recognize — when people order these off TV, they’re talking to people working at a Roseburg based call room)… Umpqua Dairy (dubbed the “Best Dairy In the Country” in 2013)… PureBulk.com (Multi-million dollar online business well known in the fitness supplement world)… Ford Family Foundation (2nd largest private foundation in Oregon. $700mm endowment. Top 100 in asset sizes in the U.S.)… and the list goes on…

The ad should talk about why these companies are there.

Why all these millionaires from California are picking this sleepy little town to raise their families and build their companies.

And, why now is the time to check into it, as any company that gets in before the town hits critical mass is going to clean up just by being there, as has what happened to companies in other similar situations.

6. He should have the full page ad direct people to contact him personally.

And then, as leads come in, Trevor could sell those leads to the local real estate people at a premium and make put some coinage in his pocket at the same time.

7. If this works (and who really knows if it will until tested…) he could put similar full page ads, radio ads, online ads, magazine ads, and maybe even TV ads out there doing the same, paying for themselves (and hopefully making him a profit for his time)…

until…

until…

until…

My boy Trevor has won the Internet.

Anyway, that’s one way to do it.

But, the window of opportunity as the media hype dies down is closing faster than access to Hillary’s private email server.

Awright.

That’s all I got today.

This is the kind of info I sometimes share in the not-so-hallowed pages of the Email Players newsletter.

To see what the fuss is about with it, go here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle