Ben Settle

Earlier this year I wrote an email with the subject line:

“Why Email Players is like a period”

Where I made an admittedly crude analogy about the monthly timing of “Email Players”.

I expected a bit o’ mush cookie feedback.

(Some people still don’t think periods, farts, or tampons exist).

And, I admitted as such in the email.

Anyway, “Email Players” subscriber Jon McCulloch replied back with something that was just brilliant about the kind of attitude to show people who try to tell you how to run your business (when what you’re doing is working). Specifically, it was a link to a sound file from the Howard Stern Show. And, it demonstrates the exact attitude I have towards people who offer me dumb unsolicited advice, who complain I don’t treat my list like a democracy (it’s not, it’s a dictatorship), who whine I send too many emails (like when I promoted the Titans DVD’s a few weeks ago sending 17 emails over 4 days… easily the single most profitable promo I’d ever done), and so on.

And guess what?

I loved that clip so much I transcribed it.

And, I include it in the June “Email Players” issue.

(For your reading pleasure.)

Deadline to get in on the June issue is Friday.

Chop! Chop!

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

A subscriber gots to know:

Ben, I have to know if you get freaked out when writing controversial emails? You must have a thick skin! Doesn’t the feedback get nasty and angry? Does it freak you out sending emails like that?

Yeah I used to get nervous.

And it can definitely be hair-raising.

But now it’s just pure fun.

I even have a sort of “secret romance” with controversy.

And, get a thrill from the feedback.

It’s like the movie “True Romance”.

Easily one of my all-time favorite flicks.

There’s a scene where a mobster (ironically played by Mr. Soprano himself — James Gandolfini) explains to the character he’s about to whack how it feels to kill someone. The first time was hardest — he puked the first time. The second time was also rough, with the same feeling, but it was better this time — more “diluted.”

Now?

He does it just to watch the expression change.

Freaky, eh?

But it’s similar to how being controversial in emails is.

The first few times put my stomach in knots.

No doubt about it.

It was nerve-wracking pushing “send.”

But each time it got easier.

And easier…

And easier…

Until now, I do it just to read the amusing replies from people who are obviously way too wound up for their own good.

Anyway, it’s not for the “thin skinned.”

But it can be extremely profitable.

If you want to write emails like this, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Behold the persuasion power of storytelling:

So I was hanging out at a local wine tasting room Sunday here in The Burgle (my all-time favorite Oregon winery, btw, called “TesoAria”), when I got to talking to the guy doing the pours about the movie “Sideways”. It’s a pretty cool movie (even if you hate wine) about a couple middle aged dudes who take a week long trip through California’s wine country.

Anyway, they are about to meet some chicks at a restaurant.

But, before they go in, one of the guys says:

If anyone orders Merlot, I’m leaving. I am NOT drinking any fucking Merlot!

Believe it or not…

This ONE line in an indie movie with a $12 million budget…

Killed Merlot wine sales!

And I mean, just killed them.

It gave Merlot a terrible stigma.

Made people think it sucks.

And, sales dropped everywhere.

Yes, even in other states.

Example:

The guy at the winery I was hanging at said even in Oregon at their winery, Merlot sales plummeted. But, when they changed the name to something else (didn’t call it it Merlot), sales went back up.

The point?

There are several.

Like, wine snobs are idiots and followers.

Test changing your product’s name if sales die off.

But, most importantly…

The power of stories.

Humans are “hard wired” to be persuaded by stories.

And they can work either for or against you.

So tread carefully…

To learn my email methodology, go here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

A reader doesn’t dig it:

Ben I disagree with what you say ‘DON’T PUT CUSTOMERS ON A PEDESTAL’. that is an irresponsible position to take. I love my clients and they are the people who provide my income. be careful what you say those customers may just turn on you if you don’t put them on a pedestal!

No, they won’t, sweetie.

Just the opposite, in fact.

Here’s the way I see it:

(And I’m right)

If you put someone (anyone — clients, customers, friends, etc) up on a pedestal, then guess what?

They can ONLY look down on you.

That’s what happens when you put something on a pedestal.

It’s *above* you.

It cannot possible look up to you.

It must look down on you.

And, so it is with people, too.

Put your customers and clients on a pedestal — and you will automatically behave in such a way where they eventually lose respect for you — either quickly, or over time.

I’ve seen it happen over and over.

(Hellz, it happened to me in my whipper-snapper days.)

More:

You’ll also not do what’s in their best interest.

Specifically, I mean marketing to them with the kind of “tough love” they need and expect from you.

So no, I don’t put ’em on pedestals.

And, I don’t recommend you do either.

For more on my fiendish email ways, go here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

This special “Ben Settle Show” podcast episode reveals my advice to an aspiring novelist on how to get started writing a novel, and some tricks for making it go smoothly.

Specifically, we rap about:

• An unusual way to use the number 7 to plot your novels (learned from the book “A Clockwork Orange”).

• The exact “templates” I use while structuring my stories.

• How my novel “Zombie Cop” was influenced by the TV show “24”. (And how to use your favorite TV shows to pace your novels in a way people like to read.)

• Dean Koontz’s secret to having your readers’ imaginations do most of the “heavy lifting” for you while writing your novels. (This one tip alone made it 10x’s easier to begin writing and finish my novels.)

• How to bang out your first draft — fast. (I learned this from studying comic book artists, and it took a lot of the pressure off.)

• The exact time you should to stop writing to create the best, most interesting stories. (This advice is just as important for writing emails, too.)

• The two best screen writers to study to learn dialogue. (All these guys’ movies and TV shows have great examples of how to write dialogue.)

• An easy and simple way to make almost any character (even dull and boring characters) more interesting.

• Two authors to study that are masters at writing in the first person. (If’n you want to write in the first person, of course.)

• Why one of my favorite novels has no real plot. (And the lessons you can learn from it for your own novels.)

• My favorite resources for learning how to write fiction.

• And so on, and so forth…

Even if you have no desire to write fiction, a lot of this can be used in your emails, ads, and other marketing pieces.

Come get your writing love here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Finished the 1st draft of my 3rd novel on Thursday, called:

“Demon Crossfire”

(Part 3 of my 7-part “Enoch Wars” series).

It took 14 days to write.

And, I reckon it’ll take about 2.5 months to edit.

(After I let it “cool” for a couple months).

Anyway, a not long ago, a friend asked me about writing a novel. Like most people, he knows there’s a novel in him, and he wanted some guidance on various areas of the process.

Some fast tips include:

• Writing to entertain yourself first

• Not getting bogged down writing bloated descriptions (which I find boring) or trying to impress anyone with words 99% of the US population can’t even pronounce anyway

• Using a treadmill desk to boost your creativity, and have more energy to write for longer without fatigue or brain fog

• Writing drunk, and editing sober

I best ‘splain this last part…

I’m not talking *literally* drunk here.

I’m talking ZERO inhibitions when writing.

Get as obnoxious as you want.

As crude as you want.

And, yes, as disturbing as you want.

For example, my first novel has a scene where a cop turned into a zombie and ate his two 9 year old twin daughters — which was totally unplanned and extremely disturbing to write.

(Have another glass of wine, Ben…)

But, that’s how it goes.

You hold no thought back.

Care not what your mush cookie facebook friends will think, or what your mom will think, or even what your preacher will think.

They don’t exist when you’re writing.

Only YOU exist.

In your own world.

And you do everything at your pleasure.

And when it’s time to edit?

Then you sober up. Make sure it’s what you want the public to see. And make it appropriate for your market.

Anyway, those are a few tips.

But, tomorrow I reveal more on “The Ben Settle Show”.

If you want to write a novel, but are having trouble getting started, I think you’ll find it mucho helpful (I don’t claim to be a great novelist, but I’m pretty good at getting started, and getting started is more than most people will ever do…)

Watch for my signal tomorrow, Commissioner.

In the meantime?

Download previous episodes here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

In my humble (but accurate) opinion…

One of the big problems for entrepreneurs haunting social media sites (as well as forums, blog comments, etc) is wasting time countering accusations, passive-aggressive attacks, and cheap shots the trolls who have nothing better to do like to make on people.

I see it on flakebook all the time.

Entire THREADS of mindless debate.

Someone says something about someone, and suddenly Flakebook 90210 starts a new season, with dozens (even hundreds) of comments.

Nobody actually “winning.”

Nobody actually changing any minds.

Nobody actually valuing their time.

Hey, I get it.

It can be like acid in your veins when some troll spouts a lie or dumb opinion about something you say or write or whatever. But, it’s a waste of time wrestling with pigs. You both end up dirty and the pigs like it, yo?

I got a much better way for ya, babycakes.

Are the flakebook trolls accusing you of something?

Feel the need to defend your honor?

Want to spell out how a naysayer was wrong about something they said about you in a forum?

Don’t take the fight to them.

Bring the fight to you.

To your cage.

And, in front of YOUR audience.

(Not theirs.)

How?

With email, babycakes.

I do this ALL the time.

Whenever one of the trolls says something stoopid (or outright lies) about something I teach or takes a cheap shot (it happens) or haunts one of my amazon book reviews… I use a secret way to “flip” their attacks into sales for my products.

Nowadays I practically look forward to inane attacks.

Why?

Because I profit from ’em.

And guess what?

You can, too.

Just as easily.

And, with just as good results.

Learn my system here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Let’s have an informal little “contest.”

Which of these 3 headlines do you think did best:

1. “How To Get Rich Slowly”

2. “Can India Stop China”

3. “5687 Ira Road, Bath, Ohio 44210”

The advertising critics would say:

These all suck! There’s no benefit! Who wants to get rich slowly? Who cares if India stops China! A mailing address? Are you f–ing kidding me, Ben???

And (as usual) the advertising critics would be wrong.

Here’s why:

The first headline was written by Gary Bencivenga. (Universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest living copywriter.) And, he had to fight tooth and nail to get the client to run it.

But, guess what?

When it ran, it absolutely CRUSHED it in sales.

Same with the second headline.

It was for a control written by Doug D’Anna.

(One of the top direct mail copywriters on the planet.)

And the third one?

Just a mailing address?

Well, I don’t know if that was really the “headline” because, you see, there was no real headline. Just a return address at the top right corner. But, it was on the “most mailed” sales letter in human history written by the late “grand puba” of marketing himself — Gary Halbert.

Yes, it’s true, my little droogie.

The most mailed sales letter in history lacked a “killer” headline.

Or, even a headline at all.

(BTW, some say the famous Wall Street Journal control ad mailed to more people, but it just so happens that letter lacked a headline, too…)

Anyway, what’s the point?

Where’s this coming from?

Why bring this up?

Because some dude once sent me an email saying the headline selling the “Email Players” newsletter (and I quote) “sucks balls”, without bothering to gather the facts about how it’s been working.

And, methinks a few hints are in order:

Hint #1: It’s been doing just fine for almost 4 years

Hint #2: It has to do with market awareness & who I’m targeting

Hint #3: Emails ARE the new headlines (which I will explain more about in a future “Email Players” issue — for now, I will say that when I discovered this, it changed the entire game for me and shot my sales through the roof)

I could go on.

But, I think you get the point.

And, hopefully so do the advertising critics.

Subscribe to “Email Players” here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Ah, yes, the money question:

You don’t usually throw numbers in your emails… If everybody knows that this makes people tick… Why is that? Why don’t you just throw some numbers about your business like everybody else does? What’s the real reason behind it?

Here are 3 (heh) reasons why I don’t do numbers:

1. Publicly Counting Money Is Insane

I’ve written about this before.

Short version:

If some sue-happy shark of a lawyer (or, worse, attorney general) is swimming around looking for lunch, what better “chum” is there than the latest guru blabbing about all the smackeroos he makes in his advertising?

Just don’t make no sense to me.

More:

It also invites the wrong people into your life — and, I will add, the wrong kinds of customers (i.e. short term opportunity-minded customers as opposed to long term investor-minded customers.)

But it’s not just the opportunity seekers.

Or the lawyers & bureaucrats.

Or society’s leeches…

But also, garden variety sociopaths, criminals, ID thieves, etc.

Why encourage ’em?

2. My Numbers Are Irrelevant To You

But what about conversion rates, someone may ask?

Well, think about this:

My conversion rates and numbers are 100% (how’s that for a stat?) irrelevant to anyone but me. I mean, what are you gonna do with the info exactly? Do you sell to my list? Do you have my exact offer? Do you have my positioning? My exact ads? My emails? My 10+ years of blog posts indexed by Google? My connections? My relationship with my list? The social proof I use?

No?

Then what good do they do you?

The only conversion rates that matter are yours.

Not mine.

Or, anyone else’s for that matter.

Finally:

3. I Do Include Numbers…

They’re just not MY numbers.

Instead, I post others’ numbers who have used my methods.

Like that time when I quoted Russell Brunson who said he was closing $50k in business in 2 hours from one email using my style. Or Kelly Tanguay who told me just using the free tips (not even the paid stuff) I give away doubled sales for her boss, resulting in over $50k in extra unexpected dollars from a single mailing. Or Doc Carney who has added tens of thousands of buckaroos to his clients’ sales using my methods, not to mention thousand per month to his own pocket. Or Jonathan Rivera who told me he did $28,800 in new business in one month with a list of less than 40 people using my secrets (and continues to kick bootykus month in, and month out using my methodology…)

Obviously, I do this for proof & credibility.

But, really, even their numbers don’t mean jack to you.

Or me.

Or, anyone else but them.

(There are so many variables involved — product price, positioning, list quality, the market they are in, list size, etc).

Do you get the point?

Yes?

Good.

In that case, that’s a wrap for today.

More titillation here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle