Ben Settle

I just saw this funny cartoon…

It showed a man in a grocery store checkout line looking clueless and asking the cashier, “How does this work? I’ve recently retired from Congress and I’m not quite sure how to pay for things with my own money.”

HA!

Ain’t that the troof.

Hey, I mostly avoid politics in these emails.

But we’re in an election year in the US.

And so it’s unavoidable.

Nah, I’m not gonna get partisan.

Just the opposite.

I want you to NOT vote at all!

(Or, write in someone competent.)

And don’t bother giving me that dorky banality:

“If you don’t vote you have no right to complain!”

Makes no sense whatsoever.

The ONLY people with no right to complain are those who voted for the winning candidate.

Duh.

So what’s this got to do with email?

Lots!

For one, the ability to think for yourself (and not fall for the, “this is the most importantest election EVER!” BS, especially since you don’t even have a real choice — except between which poison will kill you faster).

Thinking is mandatory in emails.

To think through your position.

Think through your offer.

And think through your words.

Another thing:

Pay attention to political emails.

One thing these politicians DO do right is email. They don’t try to persuade everyone. They talk ONLY to their hardcore followers — that “white hot center” of the market.

That’s exactly who to sell to.

The PASSIONATE part of your market.

Do it right and you’ll pull “independents” over the fence via your arguments and enthusiasm.

So 2 big email lessons.

Who’d have thunk it?

Learning something from politicians…

For more advanced email training:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Got a lot of feedback from Tuesday’s email.

Remember that?

The one about socialmediapaths?

And it’s good to know I’m not the only one who sees how idiotic it is to track your online success by how many FaceBook “likes” or Twitter followers or blog commenters you have.

Know what that kind of thinking reminds me of?

The 1990’s and early 2000’s.

Back then people would ignore sales and instead drone on and on about website “hits.”

Those were the days, weren’t day?

Gary Halbert had a good bit for that:

“HITS = how idiots track success”

(Gotta love that one…)

And so it is with people tracking their success with things like FaceBook “likes” or whatever.

Actually, now that I think about it…

Maybe those things aren’t all useless.

After all:

I hear a million FaceBook “likes” and a token will still get you on the subway.

Anyway, that’s it for today.

Gotta get running along.

The April “Email Players” goes to print Monday.

To subscribe, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I recently had an epiphany.

I was talking to a friend who is a wiz at getting traffic, and was telling him how sometimes I wish I’d started out in this business learning about traffic generation first, and copywriting/emails/conversions second.

He said I was crazy.

(Well, maybe not his exact words.)

His opinion is just the opposite.

He says a lot of his clients and customers are trying to start off by being good at traffic and it’s not making them any money because they don’t know how to convert that traffic.

The analogy he used is:

It’s like building a house.

You don’t start with the walls, and roof, and rooms, etc.

You start with the foundation.

You could have the greatest “built” house in the world, but without a solid foundation it will blow over with a good stiff wind.

And so it is online.

A million visitors does you no good if you can’t convert them.

You need that foundation, first.

That foundation being conversion.

(i.e. copywriting, email, etc).

You can always buy traffic when ready.

But buying conversion is often very expensive (good copywriters aren’t cheap…) and there are no guarantees with them. And if I’d started off being a traffic guy, I would have been like a dog chasing a car — even if I caught it (i.e. got lots of traffic) I would not have known what to do with it!

Anyway, it was an interesting revelation.

What about you?

Want to learn how to convert traffic?

Then I suggest mastering email.

It’s not very hard.

And, it often yields quick results.

It’s what “Email Players” is all about.

Subscribe at:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

It’s nutzo on a stick.

But people actually get mad (even stark raving angry!) with me sometimes when I even so much as suggest social media is not a very good platform for most people to spend a lot of your time (as far as producing sales goes).

Sometimes, I look up these seethers.

I’ll read a few of their articles.

Watch some of their videos.

And even read what they say on social media.

In almost every case…

They are out there touting the biggest lie there is:

That social media is the most powerful way to market your business, you NEED to be using it, and that other forms of marketing (like, oh, email, for example) are dead in the water…

Yada yada yada.

Do they really believe this idiocy?

Or are they just selling social media?

Makes you wonder.

If they believe it, then they be drinking some mighty powerful kool-aid. If they don’t really believe it (but are just saying this nonsense because they’re selling it) then they’re no better than the other sociopaths out there online willing to lie, cheat and steal just to make a quick buck.

(i.e. “Socialmediapaths”?)

Whatever.

Just something I’ve noticed.

Do with this info what you will.

But if you want a time-tested way to make sales, make sure you send regular emails out.

It’s quick.

It’s powerful.

And it’s been working for almost 20 years.

For ongoing guidance, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Harsh subject line, ain’t it?

Maybe it even makes me sound like a total “a-hole”?

I suppose it does.

But don’t worry — the truth is, I rarely ever ignore emails. Even when there’s 200+ piled up in my inbox (a typical morning), I read ALL subscriber comments.

Except… when meeting the criteria below.

Yes, dear one, it’s true.

There are some emails I delete on sight.

And, in some cases, manually unsubscribe the sender!

(To put them out of my misery…)

Why would I do this?

Well, here are a few reasons:

• Questions/comments that are not clear or make no sense

• Sending me a form email with a JV pitch (Ugh)

• Mindless negativity

• Not getting to the point

• Writing in one giant paragraph (too hard to read)

• Whining about getting too many emails (I’m always amused by people who sign up for DAILY email tips and then complain about getting daily emails. Duh…)

Anyway, these are just a few reasons.

And you know what?

Now that I think about it, some of the above are not only my criteria for deleting or ignoring emails — they’re your prospects‘ reasons for doing it, too.

Just something to think about.

But fear ye not, Batman.

Your boy Settle has a solution to this:

In the April “Email Players” issue (which goes to print very soon), I’m showing you 5 ways to create irresistible curiosity in your emails.

The kind of emails people can’t ignore.

Cheerfully want to open.

And, even have a hard time resisting buying from…

But time is short, amigo.

Subscribe in time here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

So I read an interesting article last month.

It was in Dan Kennedy’s newsletter.

And, it was by a guy named Dr. Charley Martin — about what he calls “plop theory.” Basically it was about the effects of creating “ripples” when you throw a rock across water. And when you apply that idea to marketing… the more you keep “plopping” messages at your market, the more those plops build up into waves that penetrate your industry and position you in the cat bird’s seat.

He didn’t explain it precisely that way.

But I totally agree with the good doctor!

And this is EXACTLY what daily emails do.

Each is another “plop” on your marketing.

Reminding them of you.

Your business.

And your offer.

They put so much RAW power and energy behind your business that (even if you don’t see the effects right away…) it makes it almost impossible for you to fail long term.

But wait!

Lest I be accused of hype…

I said “almost”, babycakes.

As my favorite golf instructor says…

“You can’t turn chicken crap into chicken salad.”

And if you don’t know what you’re doing, lobbing emails every day at your list could actually work AGAINST you.

You have to know what you’re doing.

Otherwise, you’ll be ignored.

Deleted.

Maybe even reported as a spammer…

The solution?

That’s why I created “Email Players”.

And in the next issue, I’m showing you some very cool ways (based on what I’ve learned from one of the world’s top sales trainers) to use the power of curiosity to create lots of “waves” in your market.

Big, POUNDING waves.

The kind that get you noticed.

Paid attention to.

And, yes… bought from.

Here’s where to subscribe:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

P.S. Speaking of making waves…

“Email Players” subscriber Bob Conroy recently told me about a 40 day email campaign he’s doing using my methods.

A 40-day campaign!

Dang!

That’s impressive by anyone’s standards.

But, you know what’s even MORE impressive?

Just TESTING my methods has so far generated over $152k in sales… which he said is $137k more than their usual once or twice a month email campaigns (his goal is $200k now).

Wild, eh?

Don’t get me wrong.

I LOVE testimonials like that.

But, at the same time, they make me feel so underpaid…

Anyway, here’s where to subscribe:

www.EmailPlayers.com

A big topic right now is video vs text.

It’s almost like a monster movie how people debate who wins in a fight between the two: Which one works better… who’s the best video goo-roo… should I test a video and then when they click away have text show up… and on and on it goes.

Yada yada yada…

My opinion?

If video turns you on then use it.

Have a party.

Spend all the time and money you want on it.

On the other hand, if you’re more of a Dan Kennedy “money is attracted to speed” kinda person (like I am) who’s more interested in getting the message-to-market match right BEFORE obsessing over what media you use… then here’s my advice:

Don’t worry about it.

Just get something up (video or text) and start emailing your list.

Frankly, I’m less and less concerned about sales pages.

Email almost makes them obsolete, anyway.

This might not be the case for everyone.

But here’s an example:

I used to spend a lot of time testing my various sales pages (big sweeping changes, not “whispers”) but as I started developing my email system, it all became a big fat exercise in futitily.

No winner ever emerged.

The emails did all the selling.

Even on special sales I noticed this.

I’d send them to a sales letter vs just an order form.

No difference whatsoever.

Anyway, just something to think about.

Do whatever you want with this info.

But, do something…

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I hear it all the time:

“Ben, I’d subscribe to your ‘Email Players’ newsletter, but it’s too expensive…”

Hey, it IS pricey.

No doubt about it.

But, price is relative.

One man’s expensive is another’s bargain basement deal.

For example…

Here’s a testimonial I got Friday:

I’m seriously enjoying your stuff and think it is worth a lot more than you charge! I have used your tips in one of the recent series to create partnership opportunities with two people with over 100k subscribers and they will both be blasting my stuff to their list at least two times. Anyone not subscribing to Email Players is missing a lot, and I guess we’re the ones that will end up eating their lunch…lol!

– Bamidele Onibalusi

See?

Price is relative.

In my humble (but ALWAYS accurate) opinion… email is the easiest vehicle for making sales online you can use (assuming you have a responsive list to mail to…)

It’s only “expensive” if you don’t implement.

So anyway, that’s that.

Subscription info at:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

You may find this a tad… disturbing.

(Or maybe not…)

But for the longest time, I’ve thought about how, when I die and join the “choir invisible”, I want to be buried in a secret, booby trapped crypt — with its location found only via a secret map that promises gold, diamonds and jewels. But, when someone actually finds and opens my coffin, instead of finding any loot, all that happens is my maggoty, grinning skeleton sits up & cackles at them (kinda like the “Crypto Keeper”…)

Oh yeah!

That’s what I’m talking about!

I know… that’s just weird.

(Even by MY standards…)

But there’s a reason I’m telling you this.

You see, that kind of “Crypt Keeper marketing” — where the sales process is fun and exciting and effective, but the product is a stinky, rotten corpse of a let down — is very common online.

I see it ALL the time.

My customers often tell me stories about it.

And then newbies come along, see it making sales, and exhume (oops, I mean EXHORT):

“That’s what works? Then that’s what I’m doing!”

No, it doesn’t work, babycakes.

Not. even. close.

Superb marketing nabs lots of front end sales.

But the REAL loot is made on the back end.

And all it takes is one grinning, cackling skeleton popping up on them when they open that pdf to completely turn them off — putrified and disgusted by the stench, never to return for sale #2 (much less sales #3, #4, etc).

Just something to think about.

I know I’m preaching to the choir.

But as the Crypt Keeper would probably say…

I’d hate to see any of MY readers murder their sales.

That’s it for today.

Here’s where to go next:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle