Ben Settle

Piggy-backing off yesterday’s email…

(About only selling “Email Players” as a physical newsletter, and not a digital pdf or whatever), “Email Players” subscriber Tim Mitchum chimes in…

I was just talking with my wife last night as I was reading your “physical newsletter”, telling her how last year I canceled a much less expensive newsletter because they switched to digital. At that point I stopped actually consuming it.  

A little side note:  

I have noticed three things specifically that have changed about the way I do business since joining Email Players. 

1) Profits have more than doubled

2) I include a buy link in every email when answering a prospects questions (why not pitch there also?)

3) I have implemented pre purchase question limit.  If you ask 3 questions then you are not allowed to buy.  I have found that asking more than 2 questions is simply looking for the reason why it “wont work”, and someone with this mentality will always find it.  

How about that?

Not too many testimonials give actual content and value these days… but Tim pulled it off (I found his 3 question limit particularly brilliant, and will be implementing…)

More:

I’ve written about this a lot on my blog.

There are so many reasons why I believe in selling a premium priced product physically and not digitally.

One reason is, ironically, because so many people are preferring digital.

Lemme ‘splain…

Let’s say your market primarily buys only digital.

(Kindle, pdf eBooks, membership sites, etc.)

And, they do this because they hate the clutter, it’s a pain in the ass when moving (it is), and they don’t want a room full of info products and books, or to have to bother selling everything on eBay or giving it away (which is also a pain in the ass dragging all those books, binders, DVD’s, etc everywhere).

So, they go “all digital.”

But, your bad self comes along and refuses to sell digital.

But, you also have a high quality product that really does work and really does solve whatever problems (or grant whatever desires) your market wants.

i.e. people are gonna buy it anyway.

Well, guess what stands out on the book shelf?

(What very well may be the ONLY book on the shelf… impossible to ignore.)

Guess which product is far more likely to be consumed?

Guess which is likely to have more… *impact*?

Not only impact from it being a tangible thing in their hands, but from the intense dopamine rush they get when it arrives by mail (compared to the weak dopamine drip they get when they get to click a link to a pdf… ooh…)

Reminds me of a story Paul Hartunian once told.

Paul is da man when it comes to getting media publicity.

And, he’s a big fan of FAXing press releases.

While everyone else is using email, Internet sites, etc, he is shooting his press releases out by FAX. And, one time, a reporter called him up to interview him. And, during the call, the reporter said something about how reporters prefer emailed press releases.

Yes, even though the reporter just responded to Paul’s FAX.

(And probably has a thousand unopened email releases in his inbox.)

Goes back to the basics, my little droogie:

Ignore what people say.

Observeth what they DO.

Follow that tidy piece of advice and there will be peace.

Subscribe to “Email Players” here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Your King & Master,

Ben Settle

Comes irrelevant feedback about “Email Players” being a physical product, instead of digital:

How disappointing.

For someone so ahead of their time……..you are doing some pretty retro stuff.

Wonder how much money you are leaving on the table for not wanting to get out of your comfort zone and move onto digital currency and digital products.

Yo!

When you decide to step up your game, let me know.

I’ll still think about joining.

but until then, Ill just keep enjoying the free tips you give in your emails.

Thanks and I wish you nothing but success with your old school mailing methods.

Ahh yes.

Nothing like the sweet smell of assumption — drifting off the keyboard like the steam that wafts off my dog’s early morning poop in the brisk air.

Sooooo many foolish assumptions.

Let us tick them off one-by-one…

Assumption #1:

Comfort zone.

Considering I also sell digital products (across multiple markets), including a 1-click upsell after someone subscribes to “Email Players”, he placed his foot squarely in his mouth with that one.

What else can I say?

Except, maybe, this is why instead he should have *asked*:

“Ben, why not digital?”

He would have learned exactly why I make it physical (I’ve written about this extensively on my blog), and, even more importantly, the results of doing so.

Assumption #2:

Leaving money on the table.

Clearly he’s never seen my stick rates.

(And didn’t bother to, you know, *ask*.)

Or, others’ physical continuity vs digital stick rates.

(The ones who do physical products right, at least.)

Or, the results of what happened when I first launched and made several “exceptions” for various subscribers. (HINT: With just one exception, every. single. one. of the people I sent it to digitally turned out to be the biggest pain in the ass customers, wasted a lot of my time, constantly complained, and didn’t value the info much less use it…)

Assumption #3:

Old school mailing methods.

He implies they don’t “work” as well.

Which is amusing.

Assumption #4:

Thinking about joining.

I’ll save him the trouble:

Already blacklisted his email, name, and IP address.

Why?

Because I’ve noticed (from selling this product for almost 4 years now) that people who don’t ask questions before making assumptions like this, are terrible leads for any of my products — especially “Email Players” — and not the kind of customers I want. The fact he thinks the old school stuff (especially physical products) is somehow ineffective *alone* makes him a terrible prospect for anything I sell. He’s much better off getting an epic ninja legendary rockstar WSO or buying from the latest goo-roo launch.

We’ll both be happier…

So anyway, moral of the story?

The old adage:

“assuming makes an ass out of you and me”

… is incorrect.

It only makes an ass out of you, not me.

So don’t do it.

“Email Players” subscription info here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I saw an ironic meme on Facebook last week.

Basically it is a message from a student to the US government. It says the German government gives you free college tuition. The Finland government welcomes anyone in the world to get any level of education at no charge. The Danish government will not only let you in college free, but give you $900/month for living expenses for 6 years. Then, it says in America you get loans at 10x the interest rate we charge banks. If you don’t pay they’ll garnish your paycheck. If you declare bankruptcy, you still owe. And, textbooks aren’t even included.

Then, of course, it ends with education is a “human right.”

Is all that true?

Let’s assume it is.

My question to the eager beaver millennial who probably wrote it is, if a college education is so important to you… and if you think it’s too expensive in the US, there are obviously plenty of colleges in other countries who will let you attend free. Why not move to Germany? Or Finland? If you *really* believe your precious college edu-ma-cation is going to be worth so much, it makes zero financial sense for you to remain in America.

Maybe I’m missing something.

But, it sounds way cheaper to:

1. Pack up and move abroad (including changing citizenship)
2. Live off your favorite government’s teet
3. Even bring family with you

… than attend a US University.

After all, I hear tell it’s roughly $9,139 per year tuition to attend a *public* university.

(Even more for out-of-state or private tuition.)

That’s $36,556 in four years.

Plus, that’s not even including text books (which are more expensive than a lot of high ticket info products…), housing, food, transportation, and other fees. In fact, according to a site that tracks this, combined it’s an average of…

$23,331.00 per year.

That’s $93,324.00 for 4 years!

(Not even including the interest on any loans…)

And, since your college edu-ma-cation is so valuable and so One-Ring-of-Power-precious, surely you will have no problem finding yourself a high paying job, no?

I mean, isn’t that what degrees do?

Help get you high paying jobs?

So what are you waiting for?

A Republican to take office so you have an excuse to leave?

go, Go, GO!

According to the meme, Germany, Finland, the Danish government… they want to take the tired, the poor, and the edu-ma-cation-starved yutes.

You’re wasting your life in the US.

And, you’re wasting money, too.

Why pay for it when you can get it free abroad?

Why pay almost $100k on college staying in America when you can get free college and, in at least one case (again, according to the meme), get $900 bones per month free!

Don’t give me your excuses about not leaving family, etc.

Take your family with you.

It’ll be way cheaper.

Hey, they can ALL get free college!

Yes, I know you love your country.

But you can love it from a distance.

If college is your ultimate goal and is a human right, and your kids MUST HAVE IT too… then why in the world would you stick around the evil overpriced US? It’s not like anything is gonna change around here any time soon, after all. Time’s passing whether you go or not — why not go now? Why wait? Why pay $90k+ when you can save that money and get your education free? Airfare, moving expenses, paperwork… that’ll barely dent the $90k+ you’ll be saving and is a pittance compared to what you’ll be making once you have that golden-like degree. And since other countries are so much better to their people, you should have no problem getting a job or all the government assistance you need while your strong, independent self gets that priceless degree.

Wait a minute…

What???

You still don’t want to leave?

Really?

Even after seeing how it’s cheaper to leave? Our education system has obviously let you down then.

Okay, fine.

Then let your uncle elBenbo give you another option:

Start a business online.

No degree required.

Plus, you can do it in 4 easy steps:

1. Find a market with an urgent pain

2. Create (or find, as an affiliate or licensee) a product that solves that problem

3. Start building a list

4. Mail it daily

5. Join the “Email Players” newsletter when it makes financial sense to do so. (Unlike the countries above I don’t provide education free. Get your house in order first. I want people with a proven offer and a list — even if a small list — I can help ratchet sales up with using my system)

My way is pretty inexpensive, too.

And, you don’t even have to leave the country.

When you’re ready, go here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Once upon a time my ex-copywriting apprentice (before she knew better) got peeved at my website. Specifically, she noticed the left hand sidebar has no testimonials from any females, and wanted to know what is up with that?

Her theory was it’s 1 of 3 reasons:

A) women cannot write a review as titillating as a man’s review

B) women hate me and hence the reviews go unpublished

C) women have no place on the left side bar — cuz I’m “sexist”

My answer?

“C”, of course.

(To which I got the reply, “there is no hope for you…”)

Okay.

Relax, ladies.

I know how some of y’awl take everything I say literally.

(Context, baby, context…)

No, the REAL reason is…

I reserve that all-coveted left hand sidebar for leaders, giants and superstars in the bid’niz. Like Gary Bencivenga (universally acknowledged as the greatest living copywriter)… Bob Bly (called “America’s top copywriter” by McGraw Hill, and bestselling author of over 75 books)… Ken McCarthy (one of the original “founding fathers” of Internet marketing — one of the reasons any of us are even selling online at all)… Richard Armstrong (one of the single most in demand “A list” direct mail copywriters on the planet, whose ads you probably get all the time in the mail without even realizing it)… David Garfinkel (the World’s Greatest Copywriting Coach — with the clientele and mile long list of superstar copywriting students to back that claim up)… as well as direct marketing superstars Russell Brunson… Brian Kurtz… Daegan Smith… Mark Ford… (people who have, quite literally, shaken the foundations of the direct marketing world both online and offline)… and so on, and so forth.

So, where are the dames?

The female leaders in the biz?

I don’t know.

Maybe they don’t (gasp!) like me.

Or, maybe they simply don’t (double gasp!!) read my stuff.

Or, maybe, just maybe… they *want* to send me a testimonial, but are afraid to for some reason…

Fact is, it doesn’t really matter.

My market is mostly men.

And so, that’s who I sell to.

(And, thus, whose testimonials have the most impact.)

OK, that’s it for today.

For advanced email training, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

P.S. By the way, a little FYI for chicks reading this:

I do have lots of female testimonials, but they are posted either on my testimonials page, or I published them as their own blog posts/emails when they sent them in. That means I dedicated a WHOLE email and blog post to each woman, where my entire list saw their testimonial and their name, etc.

(i.e. free plug for them each time.)

Now who’s the sexist?

Hmm?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Now get back in the kitchen and make me a sammich…

On this week’s “Ben Settle Show”, Producer Jonathan and I argue, fight, and insult each other over such important topics as:

• Why the law of reciprocity is bull crap.

• Why a man should never buy a girl dinner on a first date.

• Why men should avoid self-described feminists on dating sites like the zombie apocalypse plague. (Yes, even if you are a male who wears a “this is what a feminist looks like” t-shirt, you should still avoid them. Here’s why…)

• The one time it makes sense to give away a ton of free content.

• Why moving the free line attracts so many low class jackass customers.

• Why it’s foolish to try to sell to everyone in your market.

• Why nobody benefits from a “good will email.”

• What to say at the opt in that will (1) make your list more likely to buy (2) turn away freebie seekers and (3) virtually eliminate complaints that you’re selling too much.

• And on and on and on we go…

Download this bad-boy here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

Last December I was forwarded a rather amusing article.

It was about this low class jackass chick bragging about how she used guys she met via an online dating site to get free meals. In fact, the headline is about how she paid off her subscription via free meals the schlubs she dated paid for. And the article goes into detail as to how this delicate flower of innocence pulled it off.

What’s this go to do with bid’niz?

On the surface, nothing.

But, underneath it has *everything* to do with it.

Especially if you are someone who believes in the “moving the free line” concept pushed by various goo-roos and gurus over the past several years. And, Producer Jonathan and I discuss it on tomorrow’s “Ben Settle Show” podcast.

It’ll be up in the morning.

Watch for my signal…

In the meantime, you can listen to past episodes here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/antipreneur

Ben Settle

“Want to know how deer act, ask the hunter not the deer”

– Dante Nero
Comedian

In which the question is asked…

“what do you think of asking your list how often to be mailed. I see gurus doing this sometimes but you mail every day without asking. Have you seen what I am talking about?”

Why, yes, I have.

And, I disagree with it.

In fact, I’ve written about this in the past already.

And while I can’t speak for anyone else, I can tell you that if I asked my list how often they wanted to be mailed (especially at the opt in) they would most likely say less than daily. (Some of my diehard readers want more, but the majority would say, “2-3 times per week would suffice”).

But you know what?

I’d be nutzo to listen to them.

Why?

Because the more I mail (especially when I mail 2 times per day) the more sales I make (by FAR, it ain’t even close).

It all goes back to the hunter-deer phenomenon.

If you want to learn how to bag a deer, who do you ask:

The deer?

Or the hunter?

If you’d say the deer, then go ahead and survey your list on how often they want to be mailed. Let them tell you how NOT to hunt them in a world where every marketer is chasing them, and they just want a breather from it all, and are trying to cut down on inbox clutter and sales pitches plaguing their every move (retargeting ads, facebook pitches, self serving tweets, email blasts, direct mail, TV commercials, and the list goes on…)

Me?

I learned a long time ago to ignore the deer.

Yes, the hunter studies the deer.

But, he does not take the deer’s advice on how to hunt it.

(It’s not unlike when guys foolishly ask women how to attract and get more dates instead of asking the handful of guys who demonstrably have no problem getting dates — the advice is almost always 180 degrees opposite. But, I digress…)

Anyway, the deer want to buy.

But, they don’t want to be sold to.

And when you “get” that, it all falls into place.

Enter the Oceans 4 Mastermind.

Everyone in the room is a hunter.

And if you want to learn from us (not just my partners Andre Chaperon, Ryan Levesque, and Jack Born — but the other 7, 8, & 9 figure earning marketers in the room, as we bat around ideas, data, experiences, test results, and real-world solutions to cranking out the most profitable marketing possible) then this could be your last chance.

We simply don’t know if there’ll be another Oceans 4.

But, I do know this:

We’re going after this as if it IS the last.

It’s gonna be fun, profitable, and life changing. (There hasn’t been a single mastermind where every one of us — clients and hosts alike — didn’t walk out of there on fire with new goals, game plans, ideas to test, and plans for ratcheting up sales.)

If you want in, time’s short.

It’s in Vegas May 16-17th, and costs $5k.

Obviously, it ain’t cheap.

Nor is it for the weak-minded.

(Prepare to be humbled, we all are.)

But, we’re practically full now.

Reply back to this email if you’re interested in coming.

Ben Settle

And I mean “for real” free.

Not “buy this $10k product and you can get in as a bonus” or any kind of deal like that.

I’m talking about a seat at the table.

And, without paying us a single dime.

How?

Well, it’s like we did for Doberman Dan Gallapoo last year. What happened was, we thought it’d be kool-and-the-gang to get some more energy in the room from someone with no dog in the race — who just wants to be there to learn and absorb everything — and make this offer:

Bring a guest who DOES pay the full $5k and you’re in.

Yes, there is a “catch”:

Only the person who pays gets an actual hot seat, and has their business analyzed, sales letters and offers put under a microscope, funnels torn down and rebuilt, etc.

But, don’t let that hold you back.

Doberman Dan got as much value as anyone.

In fact, here’s what he told us:

I attended the Ocean’s Four mastermind in Miami and left with my noggin SPINNING with all kinds of proven breakthrough ideas. These dudes attract the sharpest of the sharp marketers. It’s just about impossible to NOT pick up moneymaking ideas simply by being in the room. If you’re a real ‘doer’, you can’t go wrong by attending this event. Even if they charged TRIPLE it would still be a screaming bargain compared to your potential return on investment.

It’s funny he mentioned charging triple.

That’s what people are telling us we SHOULD be charging.

(People who actually run masterminds of their own who hear about our unique set up.)

But, it’s $5k for now.

That is, if you jump on this in time.

So to recap:

If you bring someone who does pay the full $5k fee, we let you in free (you just don’t get a hot seat).

If you want in, reply to this email immediately.

Time is short.

More tomorrow…

Ben Settle

P.S. The dates for this next one are May 16-17 in Vegas.

My, but that’s an arrogant bastard kinda statement, ain’t it?

Well, here’s why I say it:

Yes, there’s the world class clients we’ve attracted.

($200 million Agora – which has showed to every one, Tao Of Badass-one of the top businesses on Clickbank, Russell Brunson one of the savviest marketing minds I ever done met, a New York Time bestselling author, one of the world’s top marketers for PGA Tour Players, the list goes on…)

Yes, there’s the financial benefits.

(Adding major $$ to your sales sometimes with just a few tweaks.)

And, yes, there’s the hot seats & “talking shop.”

(You will likely get a ton more value from the OTHER peoples’ hot seats and rapping about bid’niz when you eat, drink and make-merry after the event — that is very common at our masterminds).

But, there’s one other thing, too.

Something far more profitable for the lucky few we allow to attend.

I’m yapping about something my Oceans 4 Mastermind partner (and “Email Players” subscriber) Ryan Levesque wrote to his list recently. It explains why we’ve been inspiring copy-cats, and why one guru tried to “infiltrate” us last time (we basically laughed at his lame sales pitch on letting him attend for free, which sounded more like something you’d read on the Warrior Forum than from a trained professional…)

By the way… People sometimes ask me, “What’s the difference between YOUR mastermind and some of the other ones out there?”

Well, a couple things.

First, this is a REAL mastermind.

We keep this thing SMALL and elite for a reason.

Everybody gets a LOT of personalized attention.

Both from US…

And from the rest of the group.

(Because the event builds such a tight-knit group, your fellow attendees will become some of your most valuable business contacts for years to come.)

Why is small so important?

Well, put it this way:

If you see someone pitching you a mastermind and there are 25, 50, 150 people part of that mastermind?

That’s not a mastermind.

That’s a f*cking conference.

There’s a difference.

And you should know what you’re signing up for.

That’s number one.

Number two…

One of the things we do that NO other mastermind does…

Is me and boys, dig deep into your business BEFORE we all get together in person.

We look at your funnels.

We dig into your emails.

We rip apart your sales letters.

We secret shop you.

And the REASON why we do this is so we can hit the ground running when we get to your hot seat.

We don’t waste time asking stupid questions about what you do.

We know.

Because we’ve completely dissected your business.

All our questions are answered BEFORE you show up.

Which means, you get nothing but pure unadulterated value at the event itself – with detailed, step-by-step, actionable advice…

The cost is $5k, that gets you a seat at the table and a hot seat. You can bring a guest with you free, too. You can also refer someone and, if they pay the $5k, you get in free (but only the person who pays gets a hot seat).

If this sounds like your cup of brew then best hop to it.

Knees to chest, babycakes.

We’re getting down to the last few spots left.

Reply back to this email if interested.

Ben Settle