Ben Settle

This is kind of amusing…

Recently I was talking to a friend who has been keeping track of all the so-called “retirements” of certain Internet marketing goo-roos. This is where a goo-roo (with great fanfare and drama) announces their “retirement” with some big sale or whatever and then disappears.

At least, for a while.

Soon, they’re back in action.

It’s amusing because it’s such an obvious gimmick.

Kind of like the big comic book companies (DC and Marvel) who keep “killing” off characters… only to bring them back just to kick start sales.

They did it with Superman back in the 1990’s.

They did it with Captain America last year.

They did it with the Human Torch this year.

Next year, it’ll be some other character.

Just like next year will probably be another IM goo-roo “retirement”… and dramatic return.

And, of course…

The goo-roo fanboys will keep falling for it.

Keep looking for shiny new objects.

And keep struggling.

It’s too bad.

I mean, let’s face it:

It’s not illegal being a naive goo-roo fanboy.

But many clearly abuse the privilege…

Ben Settle

P.S. My but this was negative, wasn’t it?

Hey, if you want 24/7/365 sunshine blown up your skirt, there are plenty of other lists to be on. That’s the beauty of email — it lets you be YOU, warts and all. To learn how to “leverage” emails into consistent sales (even so-called “negative” emails), check out the “Email Players” newsletter at:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Behold…

This is from Email Players subscriber Jonathan Rivera about how doing emails the Settle way allows him to travel the world and still make the green stuff…

Hey Ben,

I just wanted to say, “THANKS!”

It’s almost like you gave me a license to SELL.

I’ve always wanted the location ‘free’ lifestyle, but it always seemed just out of my reach –

Until I “Benned” my email system,

Last week I was making sales while snowboarding with my wife in Colorado!

There’s something so satisfying about sending out an email and KNOWING you’re gonna make some cash

It’s like magic dude – and it’s all thanks to You.

Jonathan

I hear ya!

Most people have no idea, do they, Jonathan?

They sit around buying every Internet marketing and money-making product that comes down the pike, and yet still struggle to make any kind of predictable income on the Internet.

That’s a tragedy!

Anyhoo.

Want to have a “location free” lifestyle like Jonathan?

Then grab your sunblock and go here:

www.EmailPlayers.com

We’ll leave the light on for ya…

Ben Settle

Talk about making. my. day…

Recently someone called me the “Walter White of email.” The reference being to the main character in the brilliant show “Breaking Bad.” I’ve written about BB before — about an underachieving chemistry genius who gets lung cancer, then (to provide for his family) starts creating the purest crystal meth in New Mexico from scratch, gathering the ingredients, cooking it up and selling it.

An absolutely brilliantly written show.

I mean, think about it:

Somehow the writers get you rooting for someone who creates a devastating substance that destroys peoples’ lives.

(As well as their teeth, skin, and brains.)

Yet, te’s the HERO of the story.

The one you want to “win.”

Strange, huh?

Anyway, the reason the guy above called me the Walter White of email is because he said when going through the “Email Players Playbook” (free to Email Players subscribers) I was showing him how to take ordinary “ingredients” (life stories, problems, fears, desires, etc) and turn them into extraordinarily profitable emails.

His point being…

Instead of cooking up drugs, I have you cooking up email.

Ah yes!

I likey that comparison.

And guess what?

I can show you how to do the same.

When you subscribe to “Email Players” I show you exactly how to cook up emails that are just as pure… just as “refined”… and just as profitable to your own bottom line as Walter Whites “wares” are to his.

The next issue mails in a couple weeks.

The subject:

How to be entertaining.

Most people struggle with this.

And, thus, lose out on big $$.

To subscribe in time go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Curious…

Over the last several weeks (if not months) I’ve been getting emails saying, “Hey Ben, your emails are landing in my spam/junk mail folder. Just thought you should know…”

This happens with email.

So really, it’s not that big a deal.

But, what makes my antenna go up is this:

I’ve gone through and checked and, in every case (yes, every. single. one…) it’s from someone with a yahoo email address.

Interesting, isn’t it?

Even more interesting:

A good 99.9% of the time the spam assassin rating on my emails is a big fat goose egg.

(i.e. “0”).

So what’s the solution?

If you want to get all my emails… or any other emails that come from aweber (and realize this stuff always is changing)… I would suggest NOT signing up with a yahoo address.

Use a real email address, instead.

(And keep this in mind if you use aweber, too.)

As far as I know there ain’t much you can do.

It ain’t just an aweber thang.

It’s also a yahoo thang.

(It takes two to tango…)

Anyway, this is yet another reason to (1) make your emails so good people sally forth to look for them if you don’t show up in their inbox and (2) maximize sales from the emails that DO reach the inbox.

Thus the reason for “Email Players.”

It’s a print newsletter dedicated JUST to email.

Yes, it’s pricey.

But IMH(but accurate)O, if you use the info, then making your money back each month should be cake.

If you’re interested, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

And follow the instructions.

See ya on the other side…

Ben Settle

Most emails suck out loud.

(And that’s being nice about it…)

And below are some “red flags” that reliably and accurately reveal whether an email you’re about to send (or already sent) is probably going to do you much good.

There are exceptions, of course.

(No email dogma here.)

But this short “guide” can be worth its weight in gold…

1. It gets you no sales

2. It’s pure sales pitch

3. It’s pure content

4. It’s hard to read (too many $50 words, big block paragraphs, etc)

5. Finally… it’s not FUN to read

People CRAVE fun.

Yet, let’s be honest — most emails are as dry and barren as a horse’s skull in the desert. No “flavor.” No drama. Not even anything interesting in any way, shape or form.

And methinks that’s a tragedy.

The world NEEDS more good emails.

More FUN emails.

Emails that are easy to read, not a chore.

Enter the January “Email Players” issue.

It’s about writing emails that both entertain AND sell.

With lots of examples.

Lots of explanation.

And even, “how to” formulas.

To subscribe, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Here’s an oft-asked question:

“Ben, how come you don’t show us links to your sales letters and opt in pages so we can get on your other lists you have written emails for it would be great if you could share the email love with us. Thanks!”

Where do I begin?

Well, for one thing, there’s conversion rates.

If I tell my list where a squeeze page is, and 1,000+ people go toit… and they are not good prospects to BUY (and are just “marketing spies”)… that screws with stats.

So that’s one reason.

Another reason?

Confidentiality.

If it was a client or if it’s in a business I partner in, I have an ethical duty to keep such information confidential if asked (and I’m always asked).

So, I don’t reveal them.

In fact, I don’t even give hints about them.

The exception being to “Email Players” subscribers.

While I don’t reveal exact URL’s or product names (or any other “incriminating” information like that) I show lots and lots of examples from other campaigns I’ve worked or am still working on.

I just do it sans the product name/URL.

So anyway, that’s that.

Speaking of “Email Players”…

Next issue is ALL about how to be entertaining in emails.

An extremely profitable email skill.

(As Dan Kennedy WISELY says, “People buy more and buy more happily when in good humor.”)

Yet, hardly anyone really gets it.

But this issue contains lots of email examples.

And, I break it down into easy-to-follow formulas.

But there’s no time for dilly-dally.

This baby goes to print soon.

To subscribe, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

I dig Earl Nightingale’s style.

(The dude who co-founded “Nightingale-Contant”).

I don’t drink his kool-aid as much as most people I know, but a LOT of his teachings were spot on. And I’ve used many of them to break through some pretty big obstacles in my bid’niz career.

He had all kinds of cool insights, too.

My favorite was probably this:

(Paraphrased):

“Wherever you find yourself, look around you and see what everyone else is doing. Then, if you do the exact opposite, you’ll probably never make another mistake for as long as you live.”

Ballz yeah!

That’s SO true.

And it applies to marketing, too.

I love it when some goo-roo fanboy who can’t make a sale if his life depended on it (despite buying from all the big old fatty product launches) challenges me on something like mailing daily, etc.

It’s a perfect example of cognitive dissonance.

That’s a $50 term that basically means:

People will KEEP believing (and with even MORE conviction) something even after whatever it is they believed has been thoroughly debunked and disproved.

Think doomsday cults.

They predict the end of the world.

The end doesn’t happen.

So their little minds now scramble to make sense of everything, adjust the “deadline” (ha) and believe it even more.

Hey, a wise man once said:

“The masses are asses.”

Hard to disagree with that, eh?

To get the skinny on email marketing (no theory or guessing — just real, provable information you can test yourself) check out the “Email Players” newsletter.

The next issue is “must reading.”

It’s one of my most profitable teachings ever.

Subscription info at:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

This is kinda funny:

A few days ago I read an article about how that T-Mobile chick and “Flo” (the chick who does all the Progressive commercials) are so highly searched online that a bunch of advertising ex-spurts are saying that PROVES those ads campaigns are successful.

Amusing, isn’t it?

Methinks they should wake up and smell the perfume.

First, the fact people search for info about those women has nothing to do with the success of the advertising.

Only the popularity of the women searched.

Secondly:

There was no mention of sales figures.

So how can they know it was successful or not?

Otherwise, by their reasoning, a business is successful if the voice of the company is popular even if sales tank and it goes bankrupt. Kinda reminds me of something I heard Gary Bencivenga (universally acknowledged as the world’s greatest living copywriter, who has been involved with over a BILLION dollars of tests…) teach in an interview several years ago.

He said:

“You are not the star of the ad. The PRODUCT is.”

Someone send the ad ex-spurts the memo already.

Anyway, there’s a point here somewhere.

And really, I’m preaching to the choir.

You already know this.

But there’s few things more fun than having a hearty laugh at the mainstream advertising world together.

OK, that’s it for today.

Enjoy your weekend.

For advanced email training, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle

Sometimes people think me an email snob.

Here’s what I mean:

They have a question or comment and send me multiple emails, and after a while start to sound like they’re beginning to HULK out… getting very angry and/or distressed about my not emailing them back.

But, there are many reasons I don’t respond.

Like, for example…

1. Time

I simply cannot answer every email.

We rapped about this not long ago when that dude whined about how I didn’t give him a salutation and cordial greeting while answering his question.

(Which I was not even obligated to answer).

But it bears repeating.

For more on this, see:

www.BenSettle.com/blog/why-i-delete-your-emails

2. Message not received

I love email.

But, it’s kind of like being in love with a highly promiscuous woman — you may LOVE her, but you can never fully TRUST her…

And so it is with email delivery.

So when in doubt go here:

www.BenSettle.com/blog/contact

3. Reply not received

In other words…

I did receive your email (this usually applies to customer service, not general questions which I rarely respond to) and emailed you back, but you never got my response probably making you think perhaps I never answered your email in the first place.

Again, try the URL above.

Anyway, bottom line is this:

If you want your emails to be a priority, then you’ll have to be an “Email Players” subscriber. That’s part of the deal — ask me questions whenever you want.

No, I won’t be your pen pal.

And I can’t always answer right away.

But I do personally answer questions.

For more info, go to:

www.EmailPlayers.com

Ben Settle