Ben Settle

After my 3 droogies and I promoted Ray Higdon’s “3-Minute Expert” product, and piled on more bonuses than probably anyone in that industry had ever seen before, some people have been asking around flakebook if all them bonuses is a good idea.

A few whipper-snappers even asked if it’s “ethical” or not.

The answer:

It depends on your list.

By that I mean, there are losers (and it takes a special kind of low class jackass to do this) who will buy just to get the bonuses and then refund the product. This is always done deliberately, too, despite all the rationalization hamster-spinning the refunders engage in.

If you have a lot of them in your market, probably not a good idea.

(Not a good idea to sell to that market at all.)

Otherwise?

It’s a great way to sell.

Selling the premium(s) is how a lot of direct mail and other direct marketing ads have sold oodles more of their wares for decades.

It’s not unethical at all.

It’s just smart marketing.

Which brings me to the point:

IMH(BA)O, the problem isn’t the tactic.

It’s Internet marketers.

Hardly any have a solid education in direct response.

Most have learned from someone who’s only sold online, ignore the old school masters, and have about as deep a knowledge of direct marketing history as the armchair scientists putting up Willy Wonka memes on Flakebook have of science.

So anyway, that’s my opinion.

Love it, leave it, or live it.

I care not either way.

Now for the important stuff:

Earlier this year, I fired up the TV and watched the magnificent “Batman: The Dark Knight” with the intention of pulling out a bunch of emails from the movie to send to my list over time. But, I ultimately decided not to use them for myself. Instead, I took these 10 emails, turned them into “templates” of sorts (although mostly geared towards business to business, they could be adapted to anything), decided to make them 100% copyright free, and include them in the July “Email Players” issue as a bonus.

Subscribers can use these emails however you want.

Even word-for-word, if’n the Spirit moves you.

All without paying me anything.

Totally copyright free.

But, only “Email Players” subscribers get them.

And, only in the July issue.

Subscribe here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Today’s “Ben Settle Show” shows you how to tell the difference between the wheat and the tares online, including:

• Why you can’t trust people who cry publicly. (Unless they do this one thing we talk about on the show.)

• The #1 most powerful (and profitable) attribute a business person and marketer can have… and why people who have this trait should be watched like hawks before giving them your time, money, or even your contact information. (HINT: Many a serial killer has this trait…)

• The best kind of testimonials you can have in your copy. (And why people who have these testimonials can’t be automatically trusted.)

• Why you can sometimes trust people with bad reviews more than you can trust people with good reviews.

• A secret way of turning negative Amazon reviews into more sales. (This technique can sometimes even get people to retract their 1-star troll reviews and re-write them as 4 or 5 star reviews.)

• A sneaky trick bad people use to get you to trust them.

• How to make almost 100% sure you never get screwed over by unethical business people.

• What sociopathic proof is… and why even otherwise-smart marketers fall for their lies and sell crappy products to their lists for unethical marketers.

• Why my BS antenna goes up whenever I see someone always in pictures on Facebook with lots of gurus.

• How to “read between the lines” when someone tries to dazzle you with their so-called test stats.

• When looking at other peoples’ test data can get you killed in marketing.

• What to “inject” into your ads to make them 10x’s more credible, believable, and profitable.

• A secret about a lot of “successful” people that, if everyone knew it, would probably shut thousands of businesses down overnight.

• How being a rat can be profitable (or be used to steal your profits).

• Why you can’t even trust people who ooze credibility and honesty.

• And the goo-roo band marches forth…

Download your anti-trust lovin’ here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Want to hear something weird?

About 4 years ago I was publishing a print newsletter called “The Crypto Marketing Newsletter” and, one day, I sent a free issue of it to my entire buyers list. Not just the newsletter subscribers, but anyone who bought anything from me whose snail mail address I had in my grubby little hands. Anyway, even though this particular issue was free, one person sent the issue back unopened (stuffed in another envelope) with a note saying “don’t charge my card, I’m not a subscriber…”

Does his skepticism of my free gift sound a bit extreme?

I don’t think so.

I can’t even blame the guy.

It’s a “survival mechanism.”

I mean, let’s face it… a lot of people really ARE pulling fast ones and using tricks and shady deals to make an extra buck. And it only gets worse as the economy gets deeper into trouble.

I learned this lesson all over again a few months ago.

We launched a new business in the golf market.

And, lo and behold…

The skepticism was off the charts.

(Even though with our offer there was no possible way they could be scammed or taken, all the risk was on us in every way.)

The point?

Skeptics make up a huge part of just about every market.

Do you know how to sell to them?

No?

Well, in tomorrow’s “Ben Settle Show” podcast I explain (1) why we should ALL be skeptical all the time of everything anyone and everyone says (yes, you should be extra skeptical of me as well) and (2) one thing you can do to cut right through even the most skeptical of skeptics.

It airs tomorrow.

In the meantime?

Download prior episodes here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Website reader John asks:

Thanks for the great information you provide in your daily emails.

Would you please answer a question:

Can everybody become a marketing master like yourself?

In a recent email, your ex-apprentice is asking you questions. Will she be as good as you one day, or are you one of the 1% with natural marketing super-powers?

If the answer is that, say in your ex-apprentice is not a ‘natural’, then just how good can the rest of us get? And is it all about hard work for us?

Obviously, I’m fishing for an answer that says even plebs can get good enough at this to make a decent buck.

Information appreciated,

John

elBenbo, one of the 1% of naturals?

Has marketing super powers?

A “marketing master”?

To quote my boy Johnny Carson:

“Don’t stop, this is America you have the RIGHT to worship!”

Aight.

Here’s the thing:

I don’t know why you think I have some kind of persuasion super power or master marketer status. I don’t. Those attributes apply more to the likes of the late Gary Halbert, Gary Bencivenga, and Jay Abraham, than to fanboy copywriters with a love for writing twisted monster novels so nutzo even my own mother won’t read them.

To answer your question:

You don’t need to be a “natural.”

(Whatever that means.)

You don’t need to be some kind of super marketer.

Frankly, you don’t even need to be clever.

It’s all about hard work and consistency. Pick something to master and work towards it. Every. single. day.

You’ll have frustrations and plateaus.

You’ll wonder if you’ll EVER get good at this.

And, yes, you’ll have failures.

The key is to learn ways to shortcut the process.

In my humble (but always accurate) opinion, this is where learning how to write daily emails using my system and subscribing to my paid newsletter shines like a cop’s flash light into a pulled-over drunk driver’s eyes. (And I’ve posted many testimonials on my blog to prove it.)

Best part:

It’s simple.

Ridiculously simple.

You just have to willing to work hard… Put in the time building your list… And, write & mail that list daily.

No jeenius necessary.

Not super powers needed.

More here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Title: How you’re being played for a sucker

This ultra short (just 8 minutes) “Ben Settle Show” podcast episode, Producer Jonathan and Yours Truly dance with you on the floor of what I call The Goo-roo Casino.

There’s a trick casinos play on people.

A trick where, losers think they’re winning.

And, thus, spend lots more money just to keep losing.

It’s a trick a lot of goo-roos in and even newbies in guru clothing (i.e. people who are brand new to marketing, yet are selling products claiming to work, even though nothing inside the products are proven to have worked for anyone — not even the idiots who created the product).

Is this trick being played on you?

Are you being a sucker?

Find out in today’s podcast at the link below:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

True story:

My ex-copywriting apprentice is an extremely skilled gambler. Virtually every time she goes to the local casino over here by the Burgle, she wins.

Maybe she loses once in a while.

(Very rarely, though.)

But, mostly she wins.

And, many times, wins big.

Frankly, had I realized her roulette and slot machine skills when she was my apprentice, I would have commanded her to drop her silly dream of being a freelance copywriter and be full time gambler.

Anyway, here’s the point:

I’ve talked to her at length about the slot machines.

And, how casinos psychologically manipulate people even when they’re losing into thinking they are winning (whereby they fleece people of far more $$ than they would otherwise).

And guess what?

It’s a trick many a goo-roo uses.

And, chances are, it’s been (and is being) used on you.

Anyway, more about this on my podcast tomorrow.

In the meantime download prior episodes here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

A new(ish) podcast listener writes to Producer Jonathan:

How you doing man?

Just wanted to let you guys know, this podcast is freakin awesome!

I’ve only been introduced to Ben recently and then of course yourself in the last couple of days when I downloaded all the podcasts.

I’m on episode 23 so far and I’m beyond hooked!

I’m going balls out and investing in Ben’s email players today and cannot wait to implement the stuff inside those.

I’m pretty new to marketing, been building my online business for around 12 months after a lot of struggling and shitty shiny objects.

Oh yeah, what I’ve learned just in the last 3 days from the 22 podcasts I’ve listened to is way more than I’ve learned in the time I’ve been online. You should see my notepad, its packed out!

And love the plugs Ben gives to people who without finding this podcast would still be unknown to me such as Doberman Dan, Danny Iny, Trevor Mauch, the list goes on.

Anyway, wanted to say awesome job from you both and another avid, raging listener and loyal follower to add.

Peace!
Thomas

His opinion is correct ^^

By the way:

Last Sunday’s podcast didn’t show on iTunes until later in the day. If you missed it (it was about the so-called “law of reciprocity, and why I think it’s a load of crapikus.)

Here’s the link to that and all the other shows:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Not that you should particularly care…

But on January 1st I made the following 2015 goals:

(publicly, to my list)

• Start investing and sharing what I learn about my investments (winners and losers alike) with my list when it makes sense

• Write my 3rd novel called “Demon Crossfire”

• See more of the ocean than I did last year

• Implement at least 3 paid traffic campaigns to build my BenSettle.com list (most likely AdWords, PPV, and direct mail)

• Travel abroad

• Ramp up the sales in the 3 main JV’s I’m involved in

• And, like 2014 — have more patience and self discipline

Last year by this time I had nearly completed all my goals.

This year?

Not so much.

(About half way there.)

Yes, I’ve started investing (but have not shared anything I’ve learned because, frankly, I have mostly ignored my Ameritrade account, shame on elBenbo…) Yes, I wrote my 3rd novel “Demon Crossfire” (first draft is in the can, will start editing in July and should be published some time in November). And, yes, I’ve started implementing 1 of the 3 paid traffic campaigns, but not all of them yet. (Facebook ads have been a smash hit. And Friday talking to Doberman Dan about helping me with doing some direct mail to get more opt ins to my site. But that still leaves one more to go.)

But the others on the list?

Have not traveled abroad yet.

We’ve hit a few snags in my JV’s which have delayed things, but those will be self-corrected soon enough.

I’ve seen LESS of the ocean, which pisses me off.

(And will be remedied)

And as for more patience and self discipline?

I like to think I have more of it.

But, hard to tell.

So anyway, why should you care about any of this?

I dunno.

But you’ve read this far.

So, that must mean something…

Anyway, I’ll try to make this worth your time.

Here’s a smorgasbord of cheap eBooks I sell:

www.BenSettle.com/kindle

Ben Settle

Well, maybe it’s not *that* comprehensive. But, recently, I posted a new MP3 training on my media page.

I call it:

“How To Write Emails
That Stick Out
Like A Wet Fart
In Study Hall”

It’s packed with valuable info.

And, while it’s not an “A to Z” training (gotta join “Email Players” for that, my little droogie) it includes advanced email and copywriting I teach people normally have to pay for.

Here’s how to listen to it:

1. Go to…

https://bensettle.com/blog/media-interviews

2. Scroll down until you see the titled MP3 above

Bone App-e-teet.

Ben Settle