Ben Settle

So I visited Chicago this week.

And I learned it’s called “the Windy City” not because of the wind and biting cold or whatever, but because of the hot air blown around by the politicians the sheeple of the city have historically elected.

Makes sense, too.

After all, it’s where our teleprompter-toting president lived.

Oh, c’mon!

You know that’s funny…

Anyway, on to bid’niz:

While walking the frigid streets of Chicago, I observed a few beggars doing their thing collecting lots of change and dollars on the fly from pedestrians. And, believe it or not, these beggars got me to thinking about you (ha) and my other website readers.

No, I don’t think you’re a bum.

(Sheesh.)

But, a lot of people complain to me how they’d looooooove to subscribe to “Email Players”… but just can’t afford it.

They say if ONLY it was cheaper they’d be in!

I hereby call BS on that.

The price is NOT the issue.

I don’t care how broke someone is, either.

In fact, if someone REALLY wants in, they could easily pay double what I charge for the newsletter with plenty of cash left over.

How do I know?

Because think about this:

“Email Players” costs $97 per month.

Maybe at a glance that seems high.

(It’s supposed to — I want serious people, not wannabes.)

But, if you do the math, it’s actually pretty cheap:

Just $3.23 per day.

Most people piss that away on girly sugar coffees before noon.

Even the Chicago BEGGARS can afford $3.23 per day.

The point?

It’s not about the price.

It’s about priorities.

Hey, makes no difference to me what you do. My subscribers and I are kicking bootay all over the place with or without you. But I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t point this out.

Speaking of which…

The next issue goes to the printer after tomorrow.

I rap a bit about list building this time.

No super ninja tricks, though.

If you want nonsense like that, go elsewhere.

Just solid, proven tactics that work.

(If implemented, of course…)

To get it in time, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I’ll say the almighty headline isn’t necessarily that important and someone will write me in a near hysterical state quoting Caples or Ogilvy or Dan Kennedy or whoever, to “prove” their case.

Well, I don’t roll that way.

I look at results.

Real life examples.

And, specifically, current experiences.

Case in point:

Couple days ago “Email Players” — www.EmailPlayers.com — subscriber Carl Juneau sent me an email about how he split tested a video sales letter with and without a headline.

He was emailing his offer for a week straight.

And, here’s what he said…

My results at the end of the week are:

Version A (standard): 4.78%
Version B (no headline): 4.52%

So what happened?

What happened is people who saw no headline sales letter ended up buying anyway. Why? Because I kept emailing them about the offer, I think.

Conclusion 2: if you email a lot, a no-headline (crappy) sales letter sells just as much as a standard (good) sales letter. 

Amazing isn’t it?

Sho’ nuff’.

But I’m not surprised.

I’ve had several experiences where even changing entire formats (i.e. text vs video) using my system yielded little or no difference in response.

Anyway, the message is clear here.

There are no “rules.”

I don’t care what some now-dead marketer said 100 years ago (all of who’d probably be rolling in their graves reading these results) or what your favorite Internet marketing goo-roo says today.

Where there’s an email, there’s a way, baby.

Especially with my system.

I teach it in “Email Players”.

I show you emails that are working.

Strategies I’m using.

And, how I make more sales using email.

More than enough to pay for your monthly subscription assuming you apply the info and have a responsive list and proven offer. (See the upcoming December issue for ideas on how to build your list…)

Think you’re ready to subscribe?

You sure?

Well okay then!

Go ye here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Good question:

“Ben I’m new to copywriting and email and was wondering about your opinion of the copywriting section of Warrior Forum should new people like me read it? Thanks!!!”

Only for as long as you can afford to lose.

Here’s what I mean:

I’ve lurked on there before.

Sometimes to see what the copywriting “echo chamber” says.

Sometimes from boredom.

And sometimes for entertainment.

True, there are some savvy people on there.

But, there are also some not-so-savvy people on there.

And if you don’t know the difference between the two, you could end up blindly following some bad advice that’ll cost you sales and set you back with grinding failures that could’ve been prevented had you ignored the nonsensical advice.

Personally, I see WF more as entertainment.

Sometimes it’s even like a soap opera when the trolls are afoot.

With pissing matches.

Goo-roo parroting.

And, yes, drama queening.

Kinda like “Warrior forum 90210”.

But again, there ARE some smart characters on there.

So I wouldn’t say totally avoid it.

Just take all advice with a grain of pepper.

Anyway, so that’s that.

Whatever you decide, if you want to play with the adultz instead of just rubbing shoulders with noobs at the Warrior Forum, check out the “Email Players” newsletter.

The next issue yaps about list building.

Including some really simple (free) ways to get fast results.

Here’s where to subscribe:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Here’s a great question that rolled in…

“Ben, does your method for doing emails work for consumer markets as well as it does for business-to-business markets? Thanks.”

Survey says…

Yeppers.

I don’t do anything different.

Actually, that’s not 100% true.

I do spend more time writing to this particular list, since y’all have higher standards and certain expectations than other markets I write to.

After all, lots of actual writers on this list.

Lots of bloggers, too.

And, of course, copywriters.

So I put more time in these emails — roughly 15-20 minutes a pop.

Other markets are MUCH faster.

Take the weight loss market.

I banged those out in as little as 4-8 minutes.

(I once timed it.)

Plus, I didn’t even do a second draft.

It was just sit, type, send.

(Spelling and grammar errors left in tact.)

And in another market I sell in with email (a male health niche) I rarely spent more than 8-10 minutes on each of the 94 emails sitting in the auto-responder.

Hey, I’m all about SPEED, baby cakes.

Like Dan Kennedy says…

“Money is attracted to speed.”

If you know what you’re doing, you probably won’t make many more (or any more) sales spending 70 minutes on an email than if you spent 7 minutes on it.

So to answer the question:

I don’t do much different.

But I do spend a bit more time on this list.

Anyway, if you want to learn how to write emails quickly and consistently like this, check out the “Email Players” newsletter and apply the teachings.

It ain’t rocket science.

(If it wasn’t SIMPLE, I wouldn’t bother doing it…)

But, there are some moving parts.

Here’s where to go next:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I hardly ever shop at Wal-Mart.

And, when I do, it’s usually online.

Why?

Is it because I hate Wal-Mart?

Think the products are shoddy?

Take the side of cry baby small businesses who whine about Wal-Mart taking customers away (because they are too lazy to learn even the most BASIC of sales, marketing and merchandising skills)?

No… my reasoning is much more snooty.

I don’t like Wal-Mart because it oozes “cheap.”

I ain’t just talking about prices, either.

Frankly, I like a good deal as much as anyone.

What I’m talking about is the mentality it caters to — where everything is about cheap, cheap, cheap. Like, for example, the vultures who camped outside their friendly neighborhood Wal-Fart stores yesterday at the expense of enjoying it with their families just to get a good deal.

Ugh.

Just not my bag, I guess.

Anyway, that’s my opinion.

Am I saying you should stay away from Wal-Fart?

Not get their great deals?

And avoid it like the plague?

No, no… nothing like that.

Just consider this a public service announcement.

Cheapness is a disease that can have seriously negative effects on entrepreneurs who adapt the Wal-Mart mentality to their own businesses. (By selling things based on price, only consuming free stuff online, only buying cheap $7 eBooks that are full of nothing but hot air and affiliate links, etc.)

Hey, hate me all you want for saying this.

But cheap is ALWAYS more expensive.

And few ever get rich by being cheap.

Except maybe for Wal-Mart.

Anyhoo.

One thing that’s not cheap is “Email Players”.

It’s quite pricey, actually.

And there are lots of reasons for that.

One of which is I don’t cater to cheap people.

I’d rather cater to players.

Investors.

And, yes, REAL business people.

(Not wannabe spectators).

If you think you got right stuff, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Every now and then I make a mistake.

Not very often, mind you.

And, to be blunt, it happens so infrequently that, when it does happen (me making a mistake), statistically it’s as if it never happened at all.

Still, I did make one a couple hours ago in today’s email.

And that’s when I said:

“‘Email Players’ back issues are available to subscribers only.”

Apparently, a few eager beavers automatically thought I meant back issues are free to subscribers. That even though everyone else paid for those back issues, just because they are a new subscriber they are somehow entitled to them for free because, by thunder, that’s the way all their favorite goo-roos do it.

(i.e. give away stuff others paid for free to new customers).

Well, that’s not how it works.

In this case, “available” does not mean “free.”

And, if this wasn’t the Internet where everyone wants everything free and now and with a smile… this wouldn’t even be necessary to explain. Luckily, the majority of my website subscribers know this already. But, since it is the Internet, and since so many Internet marketers are not really entrepreneurs (and think more like Wal-Mart shoppers than business owners), I’ll clarify:

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.

That’s what I meant by “available to subscribers only.”

Moral of the story?

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

You’ll just waste your time.

(And mine.)

Hey, believe it or not paying for valuable info is GOOD.

You should want to pay for things.

You’ll make FAR more $$.

Why?

Well, I once wrote a blog post about it here:

www.BenSettle.com/blog/cheap-is-the-new-expensive

Alrighty then.

Back to business.

More fun tomorrow…

Ben Settle

Talk about a badass.

I recently asked one of my “Email Players” subscribers from Down Under (one of Australia’s top copywriters, and a cool cat to boot) about how he was doing. And he replied with this awesome inspirational email (name removed by request, for reasons that’ll be obvious in a second). An email that shows how someone can use “Email Players” to not only make a ton of the green stuff under some crazy conditions, but get other, uhm, “benefits”, from it too…

Thanks man.

To be honest, my girl and I have been battling some full-on health stuff. So we had to fly abroad for some radical treatment that they couldn’t do in Oz.

But you know what buddy?

Cos of the bad health, I went thru a ‘slump’ and even started doubting my own awesomeness.

Productivity dived.

Completely.

But yesterday i picked up Email Players issue #15 [NOTE: the “Tao Of Steve” issue, back issues available for sale to subscribers only – BEN] while hooked up to an IV in Mexico. Read it front to back. Some parts twice.

You reminded me to:

– Grow some Balls
– Be Excellent
– Entertain
– Add personality
– Be funny, witty and unpredictable.
– And don’t be a pussy when telling to buy

Perfect antidote mate. Thank you.

In about 30mins I whipped up this email/post (attached)

I reckon this little puppy will pull in around $10K.

Bare minimum.

Will let you know how it goes.

Can’t thank you enough Ben.

Cheers legend.

Hey…

If a man strapped to a hospital bed 1,000+ miles from home hooked up to an IV can make $10k from an email… well… kinda puts things in perspective, doesn’t it?

I’m often amazed by my subscribers.

Some are the biggest bad asses I’ve ever known.

Guyz (and galz) who inspire the hellz out of me.

Anyway, next issue mails soon.

Got some great list building info in it.

Specifically:

How to grow your list with your existing traffic.

Great for newbies and pros alike.

Subscribe here while you can:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Last year, on a Copyblogger podcast I was described as being like the cranky old “black sheep” uncle in the corner telling the kids what a crock social media is.

It was actually pretty funny.

All good jokes are based on truth, after all.

And, let’s face it:

He’s right.

I don’t drink the social media kool-aid.

Frankly, I hardly ever waste time on FaceBook. I have a Google+ account but barely ever log in. And besides Twitter (which I find entertaining and fun, and somewhat useful for business purposes) I basically avoid social media like the zombie apocalypse plague.

Still, that doesn’t mean it’s totally useless.

Or that you can’t make $$ with it.

For example…

Here are some ways I’ve used and/or observed for increasing sales (short term and long term) with social media:

• Finding JV partners

• Connecting with businesses

• Getting new customers to tell people about your website (like Amazon does — after you purchase they have links to social media so you can tell all your friends how wonderful they are that they let you buy something from them…)

• Market research (hear what people complain about)

• Seeing what your competition is up to

• Advertising (i.e. FaceBook PPC)

• Ruthlessly sabotaging your competition by spamming their wall with how much they suck (just kidding… wanted to see if you were awake…)

Anyway, there are more than that.

So even I admit it’s not ALL bad.

But compared to email, it’s a joke.

I take great pride in all the people I’ve “converted” from being diehard social media evangelists to being diehard email evangelists.

Do email right and it’s way more fun.

Way more convenient.

And… way more profitable.

Give a shot at:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Lists shmists.

While back, this dude online was bragging about how big his list is. He said it was over 100k people and was droning on and on and on about how great his list is, how much they love him and want to shower him with money every time he graced their presence with an offer.

That is, until he was asked the magic question:

“How well does your list convert?”

“….”

Turns out not to well.

Over 100k subscribers and he makes maybe a half dozen sales of a cheap ebook and other assorted products per day.

Whoop-dee doo.

Not exactly overwhelming is it?

And that’s the point:

It ain’t about how big your list is.

It’s how responsive it is and how well you sell to it.

Frankly, having a big list of low quality prospects is like a golfer who can launch a 400 yard tee shot that lands in the parking lot on some poor duffer’s windshield hundreds of yards away from the target. If you can’t hit the target (or even the golf course!) who cares how far it goes?

And so it is with email lists.

Yes, grow your list.

But focus on having a responsive list, not a big one.

Size may matter in some things.

But not lists, OK?

So don’t worry about it.

Of course, if you’re serious about converting your emails into sales, then make sure you check out the next”Email Players” newsletter.

Why?

Two reasons:

1.) It’s got the usual tips for increasing sales

2.) It’s also got some great ways to build your list (“meat & potato” ways — nothing complicated) using your EXISTING traffic.

Good stuff.

Especially if you want a bigger list.

Check it out at:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle