Ben Settle

Once upon a time I had a long chat with my favorite copy chief Kevin Rogers.

And, he said something interesting about my podcast.

He says he listens to it on Sundays while walking his dog and his favorite episodes are the “Email Players Rules” episodes. These “Email Players Rules” are basically maxims, principles, and guidelines by which I do business and live life by. Some I had to figure out on my own, some I’ve learned from studying or observing others, and many I learned the hard way (i.e. pain — physical, emotional, and psychological).

Anyway, we’ve done 49 of them so far.

And, tomorrow we do another 7.

While you’re waiting, check out our episode archives here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

I’ve been noticing a disturbing trend lately — even amongst some of my “Email Players” subscribers.

(Who should know better).

And that trend is…

Not selling in every email.

Why is this disturbing?

Because, for one thing, in most (not all — there are exceptions to this, but generally speaking…) cases if you don’t plug a product or service in your emails (or something that will directly and clearly lead to the sale of one of your products or services), you just completely wasted your time writing the email.

And secondly:

There are people who think they are being “nice guys” by not selling.

They’re not.

They’re being complete and utter douche bags.

Listen, I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again:

(And I’ll KEEP saying this forever…)

If you have something to sell that can benefit peoples’ lives, then it’s your moral and ethical duty to let them at least know about its existence in every email.

Frankly, it’s selfish NOT to let them know.

After all…

People are going to spend money on something if they have a problem they want to fix… so isn’t it better they buy your righteous product or service rather than your inferior competition’s?

How does it help either of you to keep your product a secret?

Moral of the story?

Sell your list something.

Every day.

And, do it without apology or regret.

Only then a douche bag won’t you be…

For the “how to’s” of writing emails, check out the “Email Players” newsletter. Each month I take you by the hand and whisper in your ear all kinds ways (I am always learning and experimenting with in my own businesses) to write emails people enjoy reading and buying from.

Here’s where to subscribe:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

There was a time when my self esteem couldn’t handle this.

But, last weekend I got this email from an (admitted) drunk website reader. I left his name out because I don’t believe in punishing good behavior. And, yes, drunk emailing me a testimonial counts as good behavior.

Truth serum and all that…

Anyway, behold:

Hey Ben, I just came from my friend’s Birthday party. To be honest I m drunk. I don’t even know how I am typing correctly. I guess it’s auto correction on my smartphone. Well the real reason I am writing this email is that I am very grateful for your emails. I mean I learnef a lot of things by your emails. There are only few copywriters in this world that are keeping the art of persuasion alive.

Ah yes… props.

Drunk, sober, or butchered spelling… elBenbo takes his props where he can get ‘em.

And you know what?

You should, too.

It astonishes me how few people utilize testimonials in their emails.

Especially dramatic ones.

(Like someone who’s intoxicated giving you a testimonial.)

Anyway, a beverage for thought.

For more ways to flip emails into sales, go ye here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

“Chicks dig me, because I rarely wear underwear and when I do it’s usually something unusual”

– John Winger
“Stripes”

Fun times…

I got a long email Sunday night from someone giving me unsolicited advice. I won’t bore you with all the details. But, other than needing to “flip” my religious views (his exact words), he also said, and I quote:

“I love your emails. But go easy on people. You scare some of the ladies off who really need your help.”

Awww.

A white knight to the rescue.

If you’re a chick on my list you can rest easy tonight knowing he’s on the job and has your back protecting you from my wicked wiles.

More:

I won’t say this is by “design.”

But, some of my happiest and most successful “Email Players” subscribers are chicks. They don’t even bother wasting their time complaining when ol’ elBenbo’s brash personality gives his politically incorrect opinions raw, and without sugar-coating.

Take subscriber Christi Johnson, for example.

She’s recently decided she’s had enough and is mailing daily.

Soon, I predict she’ll find clients come to her.

(Instead of her going to them).

Or “L”

She requested I not reveal her full name.

(She’s humble like that.)

But, I will say, she uses nothing but a daily email using my methods to pack webinars and triple her revenue from a year ago, and clock in at just shy of 6-figures a month.

Or Teresa Mozejko.

Her “Email Players”-refined skills landed her the coveted Ben Settle announcer babe position on my podcast, and this month will be writing ongoing daily emails to that list.

(NOTE to the white knights: If you think *I’m* mean, wait’ll you see her emails…)

So anyway, that’s that.

If I “scare” other chicks off, good.

This isn’t the Mickey Mouse Hour or, even The View.

Nor is “Email Players” for the timid or easily offended.

It’s for people who want to use email to double — even triple (or more) — their sales by writing emails people love to read and buy from.

Is that you?

Good, you might qualify.

If not?

Don’t waste your time or mine.

Go get your goo-roo ninja product dopamine drip somewhere else.

(Plenty of such products to choose from.)

More info on “Email Players” here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

There’s been a fat disturbance in the Force.

Jim Yaghi sent me this last week:

(He runs my AdWords campaigns)

“you and me bro, a freakin force to be reckoned with! i’ve never seen anyone convert anything anywhere like these numbers. I’m talking about your optin rate bro, it’s off the CHAIN. there were times when you were doing 1/3 clicks to leads. Your ads have been seen in the last 30 days, over half a million times (615,000). Of those, the last 3 days they were seen 165,879 times. And we’ve barely scratched the surface. it’s a small campaign with only a handful of ad variations.”

(NOTE: My sales were higher than they’d ever been during those 30 days, too.)

Sigh.

Just more proof elBenbo has been a durned fool NOT using paid traffic years ago…

More:

I’ll be adding Twitter ads to the mix soon, as well as PPV (both managed by the esteemed Shane Hunter? — if you haven’t hired Shane to create traffic for you, wtf is wrong with you? His Facebook ad skills *alone* will put you on top).

And, after that, YouTube ads.

And, after that, who knows?

But, the point here is this:

I’ll be updating Email Players subscribers on things I learn next year from these paid traffic adventures. Including lessons you can use in your own campaigns, people to hire (like Shane and Jim) to do it for you, and ad writing tips.

Speaking of which:

Jim shared a doozy of an adwords writing tip with me the other day.

It’s the exact opposite of what everyone else does on AdWords but it’s a huge part of why my ads are converting so well and why my opt ins are going up so fast.

Unfortunately, I don’t think he wants me telling anyone about it.

(Nor do I blame him)

But, *if* I get his permission you can bet your sweet, hairy arse it’ll be shared in an upcoming issue.

(Oh c’mon, you love to be teased like this, admit it…)

In the meantime?

For hardcore monthly email training, high tail it on over to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

The 8 best email marketing resources I ever done learned from

This week’s podcast is all about my favorite email resources (free and paid) that can put many more rupees in your hot little piggy bank, including:

• The “grand puba” of alllllllll email marketing trainings. (And it’s not even authored by Yours Truly — shocking!)

• The 3 marketing teachers who I owe practically all my success to.

• An email course by AWAI that every email marketer should get. (It’s not one of the 7 best resources, but it has one component that makes it more than worth it.)

• The exact course (not an email, marketing, or copywriting course) that taught me how to write tight, pithy copy. (It got to the point where I can’t even write ezine articles anymore without adding fluff — the reason why is, I can “say” more in 100 words than most people can in 500, and so can’t make the minimum word requirements without layering my articles with filler. If you want to learn how to write “air tight” emails — or any other kind of writing — get this course and then thank me later…)

• The best free resource I’ve ever used to learn the art and craft of writing emails people love to read and buy from.

• What to study to write emails that get even your haters wanting to buy from you.

• The best sitcom to watch if you want to write emails people look forward to reading each day.

• Which blogs to read if you want a world class education about email marketing (and best part is… it’s free).

• The best person I’ve ever studied for how to win arguments and change peoples’ minds with persuasion.

• The marketing teacher whose emails I can’t stand… but whose books, newsletters, and writings every single email marketer should be reading and studying.

• A free email training Producer Jonathan used to go from making less than $1k per month with email to over $1k per week (and has gone on to make many more thousands per month since).

• And a ho’ bunch mo’…

Download this exciting new episode here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Warning:

The following will gross out the mush cookies, sob sisters, and basically anyone with a weak stomach or who hates watching violent movies or reading violent books, etc.

You have been warned…

Still there?

My but you’re a trooper.

Okay, let’s hit it:

One of my favorite scenes in my first novel “Zombie Cop” (book 1 of my “Enoch Wars” series — book 3 will be published very soon) is when a woman starts mouthing off to the zombie cop about her “rights” and the zombie cop (who was 12 feet tall or something by then) tells her the only right she has is the right to remain silent — and then proceeds to bite her head off in one chomp.

Heh.

I don’t know why I get such a kick out of that scene.

But, I do.

Which brings me to the point:

My novels are quite brutal and violent. They are not “happy” monster stories. They are stories packed with evil characters, who do very evil things, in a very evil world. They are not “nice” books. And they are full of “naughty” language — the way people and monsters alike think inside their minds in the spiritually dark Illinois town the books revolve around.

And you know what else?

They tend to be either loved or hated by those who read them.

They are very polarizing.

Especially since I shamelessly use monsters to show just how monstrous I think human beings can be to one another.

It’s not just violence and derangement for no reason.

There is often a statement on the current human condition being made amidst the carnage.

(Kinda like the old Bugs Bunny cartoons, which did the same, but with politics).

Anyway, I realize probably you couldn’t care less.

After all, if you subscribe to this list you didn’t subscribe to hear about my novels — you subscribed to learn about business, marketing, persuasion, email marketing, copywriting, etc.

Well, guess what?

I just taught you a lesson in all these things.

(Between the lines.)

Did you catch the lesson…

Again, the 3rd novel is set to be published soon.

(Probably this month.)

To get caught up on the storyline, check out the first two novels (you can read the first chapters of both books free on Amazon) here:

www.EnochWars.com

Ben Settle

We got lots of persuasion lovin’ on today’s Ben Settle Show podcast.

Including:

• The dirt simple persuasion formula used by one of the single best “A List” copywriters in the game today. (It’s so friggin’ simple, most people scoff.)

•  The only website designer and coder I’ve ever hired who (1) knows what he’s doing with direct response marketing and (2) isn’t a complete flake.

• 3 “boring” things the highest level people in marketing do.

• How to create life long buyers by toning down your ads.

• The best kind of products to sell if you want a raving customer fan base who buys from you over and over… even (in some cases) without seeing an ad or sales letter or email pitch.

• The wine snob secret to getting the attention of the best kind of customers if you sell high quality (and high priced) products and services.

• A little-talked about reason why a lot of people should not use video sales letters or “trip wire” offers or host a podcast.

• The single most boring (and also the single most important) persuasion “secret” ever invented. (And, since so few people focus on this, if you do, you can clean up and make more sales than anyone else in your market long term.)

• The “mom test” every single non-sociopathic marketer can use to double sales and create lifetime customers.

• And lots more…

We packed a boat load of info into this bad-boy.

Download it today and profit from it by tonight:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Bestselling author & master sales closer Ryan Stewman grits his teeth and begrudgingly submits to elBenbo’s wicked ways:

Just wanted to say “it’s weird how shit works out”

I don’t really know [Ben’s ex-copywriting apprentice] that well but she mentioned Ben Settle in passing in one of our conversations. She said he told her “not to get involved with my project because she was already spread too thin”

Usually that kind of shit pisses someone off. Not me, I wanted to check out the dude who had the forthright to tell someone to finish what they started before taking something else on.

So I searched for him here. Read a few posts, found his email list and signed up for it.

Within two days I signed up for the email players club and wasn’t even sure what it was, I just wanted to learn in some form from Ben. He seemed (and is) like a badass writer.

A week or so later this email players book shows up at my house. I was totally not expecting a program called “email players” to actually be a physical product lol.

So I took my son Jax to baseball practice and grabbed the EP spiral to read it while at practice.

I was blown away. It was shit that was super simple, yet often overlooked by people like us due to the necisicitjy of complexity.

Ben, I suggest you raise your prices, you’re way undercharging for this stuff. Thank you for the insight and new boost of energy to infuse in my business.

It’s ironic he mentioned raising prices.

In the November “Email Players” issue (which goes to print tomorrow) I hand you an email (you can use as-is) designed to give any business a quick cash flow surge by doing just that.

I simply don’t know how to make it any easier for you than this.

But there’s no time for dilly-dally.

Today is the deadline to subscribe and get this issue in time.

Here’s the magic link:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle