Ben Settle

“Ben, if I subscribe to ‘Email Players’ do I get all the back issues free?”

If I had a penny every time someone asked this question, I’d be a filthy “hog nasty” rich mo’ fo.

Answer:

No.

Back issues are not free.

They never have been free.

They never will be.

They cost the same price everyone who was subscribed at the time they were published paid. And, only current subscribers can buy them (via a catalog that comes with each issue.)

Moral of the story?

Don’t subscribe just for “the free stuff.”

You’ll just waste your money & time.

More:

Believe it or not, paying for valuable info is GOOD.

You should want to pay for things.

You’ll make FAR more $$.

Why?

Well, because when you have skin in the game, you’re more likely to use whatever you bought. That’s why I prefer paying. Even when offered free stuff I usually insist on paying.

Loco?

Not at all.

It’s smart.

And, only smart marketers “get” why.

Next “Email Players” issue goes to the printer in a couple days.

Subscribe here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

In this week’s “Ben Settle Show” episode we offend everyone with the name “Stu” (not on purpose, though), and talk about:

• What to tell people who threaten to opt out of your list.

• My “10 emails” secret to killing it during special sales.

• The old Southern Baptist preacher psychology to effectively helping your customers, clients, students, and anyone else whose lives you want to improve.

• The difference between buyers and customers.

• The single most effective (and simple) way to rake in 2, 3, 4 or more times more profits from your special sales, product launches, or events.

• Why plagiarizing copy, products, emails, etc attracts so many low class buyers and problem customers.

• What all the A-list copywriters I’ve talked to do that hardly anyone else does when writing their ads. (Nothing “ninja” or “rock star” about this — which is probably why so few people ever want to hear about it.)

• My criteria for if I’ll sell a product as an affiliate or not.

• How to attract lots of JV partners.

• A 3-second mindset “tweak” to make yourself non-needy.

• And a ho’ bunch mo’…

Download it here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/itunes

Ben Settle

Tomorrow’s “Ben Settle Show” podcast episode is about badass marketers vs sad ass marketers.

Haven’t checked it out yet?

Still on the fence?

Okay, then here are 22 different comments about the show:

“So much content in each episode my head hurts”
– Corbin11

“witty…pulls no punches…super cool”
– NL Jolie

“Where else can I learn how to get more copywriting clients and win
more arguments with my wife all in one place?”
– Allendell

“To be honest, this podcast may be more valuable than his
newsletter”
– Bob Hiler

“weekly dish of e-mail marketing advice with a side order of
attitude”
– Marcus Sortijas

“this podcast is something I instinctively mention in everyday
conversation among friends, business liaisons, family members”
– JodiJodi

“Just keeps getting better and better!”
– Angelr2d2

“You either love him or hate him, but either way you HAVE to
listen… it’s THAT good!”
– Bob Clarke

“you will walk away smarter after every episode”
– Henry Makunda

“not laughably phony like many internet marketing charlatans out
there”
– Ron Simon

“The ‘Incredible Hulk’ of entrepreneurship, sales and marketing”
– Carlos Torres

“this show is a guilty pleasure”
– Luke Avedon

“spurn his advice at your peril”
– Patrick Will

“Funny and educational”
– Ryan Healy

“Hysterical with VALUE”
– The-Bluesman

“Although some of the things he says can be a bit offensive, i
can’t deny how valuable his content is!”
– Pedraza777

“the most unique podcast out there”
– Greg Perry

“Edgy, controversial, and always thought-provoking”
– Ray Edwards

“Ben’s not for everyone, just those with their heads screwed on
straight”
– JRirving

“He gets right to the meat of the subject and I learn something new
every week”
– JuicingRadio

“Your consistency is something we can all take a cue from”
– giuliochrisw

“Funny as hell”
– PodcastingFan

Anyway, we got a new one for you tomorrow.

And, almost 40 episodes in the can.

Check ’em out here:

www.BenSettleShow.com/itunes

Ben Settle

I’ve always been kind of a Facebook prick.

By that I mean, slow to accept people’s friend requests (unless I know them)… quick to unfriend people at the slightest whiff of nonsense (inane political rants… posts that are nothing but a big image with some flowery lame quote on it… adding me to a facebook group without my permission… inviting me to like a page when I don’t know the person or the business it belongs to… inviting me to events I have no interest in… and the list goes on).

Any excuse to unfriend someone will do.

Sometimes, I randomly unfriend people just for kicks.

And, I always wish the people who drama queen on there about how they are going to unfriend people (for whatever reason — not enough interaction, too self promotional, etc) would start with me.

Seriously.

They’d be doing us both a favor.

Then there’s the jackanape friend requests.

Like, the people with no picture.

Or, have a logo as their picture.

Or, chicks who are too hot to be living in my town.

(Who knew there were all these hot chicks in The Burgle — oh, wait, that’s because they are fake flakebook identity thieves…)

Anyway, it’s amusing sometimes.

But, mostly, a time suck.

That said…

It astonishes me how many people on there would be great email marketers if only they stopped bowing at the alter of social media and, you know, sent emails to their list.

There aren’t a lot of them.

But, they’re there.

And, it’s a shame they don’t get email.

In the October “Email Players” issue I show you an example of one of these people… how they are probably leaving all kinds of money on the table… and, how you can take what they’re doing on fruitcake book and apply it to your emails.

But time is short, babycakes.

She goes to the printer Tuesday.

After that… too late.

Subscribe here in time:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I see this mistake over and over and over…

Even from supposedly “seasoned” marketers who claim to be making millions of smackeroos (and they gots the fake photoshopped bank statement images to prove it!).

And yet, it’s guaranteed to destroy your sales.

What mistake doth I speak of?

Doing “one shot” emails.

(i.e. only mailing an offer once, then moving on…)

Lemme ‘splain why:

Last July I wrote some emails to sell Ryan Levesque’s Survey Funnel product as an affiliate. I don’t do a lot of JV’s — but Ryan’s info is top notch, I’ve seen it myself and I know first hand how effective his info is.

So I happily mailed for it.

But, it wasn’t a one shot email.

It was an entire WEEK of emails.

Each of which built on the momentum of the others.

The result?

According to Ryan:

“Prior to Ben promoting the highest conversion rate (sales vs. webinar registrants) was 21.6%. Ben blew that number out of the freakin’ water with a 28.6% conversion rate (32% better) – and 50% of those sales came on the LAST DAY when Ben sent not one… not two… but THREE emails to his list. (Heresy!) So in other words – all that stuff Ben teaches about mailing OFTEN…. mailing MORE than you might think is prudent… and using a TONE that might make you feel uncomfortable? It works. I’ve seen the numbers first hand. Ben generated over $20,685 in affiliate sales for me using what he teaches – and he did those numbers in a single weekend! The man knows what he’s talking about – and more importantly, he practices what he preaches.”

Not too shabby if I do say so myself.

Especially considering I don’t teach sales funnel info.

(Like some of his other guru affiliates do.)

BUT… realize this:

If I’d only pumped out ONE email (like many chumps doing affiliate marketing) and stopped, my response would have been FAR less.

What’s the moral of the story?

Mail hard.

Mail often.

And, go for the gold, baby cakes.

Also, make sure you get your bootay on the “Email Players” subscriber list lickety split. The next issue goes to the printer Tuesday, and I not only show you exactly what I did to sell Ryan’s product, but I also hand you the email sequence for you to study, model and adapt (not plagiarize) for your own offers.

It just don’t get much easier than that.

“Email Players” subscribers are fortunate indeed.

To subscribe in time, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

P.S. One subscriber sent me a testimonial over the weekend about how he mailed a list of 300 names and sold enough of his membership site subscriptions to be worth over £100k (he’s from across the pond) a year.

Try getting those numbers riding the goo-roo carousel.

Here’s where to subscribe:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Lots of affiliate marketers on my list.

And whenever they ask my advice about how to use email to win at affiliate marketing, here’s what I tell ’em to do:

You gotta go “Indiana Jones” on the competition.

Ever see the movie “Raiders Of The Lost Ark”?

Remember that scene where Indie is running through the crowd with whip in hand… and that swordsman pops up doing a bunch of fancy moves challenging Indie to a duel (whip vs sword)?

But instead…

Indie simply pulls out his gun and shoots the guy dead?

No “duel” necessary?

That’s how you do affiliate marketing.

In other words, don’t try to out-muscle your competition if they have more “celebrity” juice, better marketplace positioning, better ads, etc.

Don’t bring a whip to a sword duel.

Bring a GUN, baby.

And that gun is… email.

You have to realize with email, if you do it right (and almost nobody does it right), you have no competition. At least, not to the people on your list. All the goo-roos and other big shot affiliates may have bigger swords and fancier moves.

But with email you have a gun.

Use it and you’ll win without breaking a sweat.

And that’s where “Email Players” comes in.

Specifically, the next issue.

I explain EXACTLY how to win with email as an affiliate.

And also hand you the exact sequence of emails I used (for study and modeling, not plagiarizing, ye goo-roo fanboys beware) I wrote in July that kicked gluteus bootyus selling a product as an affiliate that did so well it not only beat out all the gurus promoting the same product, but shocked the product owner with how high the conversion rate was.

But time is short.

This issue goes to the printer next week.

No time for dilly-dally.

If you want in, go here today:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

No doubt affiliates are seething.

“What’s this case AGAINST affiliate marketing nonsense?”

Hey, like it or lump it, affiliate marketing can be extremely profitable, but in most cases it PALES in comparison to selling your own products.

Some reasons why include:

1. List building

You get a short term sale/commission, but the publisher gets all the long term benefits of having another buyer (not just a lead) on their list.

Goodie for the publisher.

Not so goodie for you…

2. Less money

You can make a 50% (or whatever) commission selling someone else’s product, or 100% commission selling your own. Yes, I know some publishers pay 100% commissions, but see reason #1 again.

3. Cookies

Think about this:

Someone gets your email on their smart phone or iPad and opts in. Unless they buy from that same device (and correct me if I’m wrong…) you won’t get the credit for the sale.

This happens a lot.

People opt in with phone/tablet, buy on computer.

Phooey.

4. No guarantee of getting paid

Publishers are notorious for not paying. Of course, this is is not a problem with clickbank, etc. But something to consider…

5. Sales tax nexus

I’m no tax guru.

But all the nexus laws here in the US of Bureaucrats is making it less attractive for publishers to let affiliates sell their products at all. At this rate, we may even see affiliate marketing go the way of neon text and tracking “hits” as a measure of online success.

So might as well sell your own stuff, too.

Anyway, let’s face it.

You and I both know hardcore affiliate marketers reading this email are rolling their eyes and think I’m nutzo.

But it’s all about good, better, best.

With selling affiliate offers being good.

And your own offers being best.

So at the very LEAST sharpen your email fangs to a gleaming sharp edge. In the next “Email Players” issue I give some tips on emails and affiliate marketing.

Including plenty of email examples.

And, a real life “case study” of a recent affiliate campaign.

(One where I blew away all the gurus competing against me — despite my less known brand, smaller list, and “unorthodox” email techniques.)

Hey, a merry time was had by all.

And it’s all ‘splained in the October issue.

Subscribe in time to get it here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

A while back I got sucked into a stupid debate.

I should have seen it coming.

As the blue flame special with too much time on his hands was telegraphing his intent to want to debate like an inexperienced boxer telegraphs a punch. In this case, he had read an email I wrote about how a client’s FTC lawyer told him (when I was writing an ad selling health supplements) “Imagine a big pharma exec with the FTC in his hip pocket reading this ad and he thinks your competition”.

It was really annoying, too.

Took all the fun out of writing those ads.

(We couldn’t make anything even resembling a claim.)

Anyway, back to the debate guy.

He starts asking questions that sounded innocent… but really he was trying to set me up to debate him, waste my time, and get whatever drama queenery inside him out of his system.

He didn’t really win any arguments.

(He sounded kind of like a crackpot, actually.)

But, he did waste my time.

Which means, yeah, he is an idiot.

But, I was the even BIGGER idiot.

After all, I let myself get sucked in to the pointless debate and wasted some time as a result.

(Time is money for me, what about you?)

Why am I telling you this?

Because:

I have since learned of a way to *profit* from these igits who want to mindlessly waste your time debating, arguing, and ranting about things you say in your emails or even if it’s a customer arguing with you about something.

I wish I could say I invented it.

It’s ingenious.

But, I heard it from someone else.

Anyway, want to know what it is?

Then make sure you get your hot little hands on the upcoming October “Email Players” issue.

She goes to the printer soon.

Get your lovin’ here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

In this anti-professional “Ben Settle Show” episode, Producer Jonathan and I natter on about:

• The one time it’s okay to kiss ass.

• Why being a “time whore” is basically like robbing yourself.

• How Dan Kennedy forces people to value his time (I once heard him say he only talks to people who are 80% “sold” on him before talking to them, here’s how he does it).

• How to make more sales by NOT letting people buy.

• How to deal with serial refunders (the blue flame specials who buy and refund ebooks over and over…)

• The dangers of imitating your favorite gurus.

• How to be successful if you have a repulsive personality.

• Dr. Atkins’ secret to being wildly successful even if everyone thinks you’re full of crap about whatever you teach.

• A warning to clients who screw copywriters over.

• Clients I forbid my copywriting apprentice to work for.

• And mucho more…

Giddy-up on over here to download it:

www.BenSettleShow.com/itunes

Ben Settle