Ben Settle

Couple hours from where I live is a rather unusual house.

I won’t say it’s “haunted.”

(I don’t believe in ghosts.)

But methinks there’s some bad mojo going on there.

And it’s given the nerd girl and me an extremely… uneasy… vibe whenever we’ve driven past it. (It’s one of those places where you can almost feel the hairs on your arms bristle when you get near it.)

But you know what?

We’ve got freaky places like that online, too.

I’m talking about marketing so blatantly manipulative and dishonest (usually targeted at newbies) one can get a bad vibe from it without knowing anything about the product, the website owner or even the market.

Just reading for a few seconds is all it takes.

It’s truly freaky how easy it is for some people to lie, con, cheat and steal from unsuspecting (often gullible) people like that.

As if it’s “the thing to do” now.

But guess what?

These “haunted” sales letters open up a HUGE opportunity, too — especially for anyone who’s willing to put away the fancy tricks and tips… and go the opposite way.

For example…

We’re pretty much at the point where just having an ad that doesn’t scream “sales job!” ALONE flings you past the rest of the bleating herd of goo-roo fanboys.

Using “candor” is extremely profitable, too.

Frankly, just treating your prospects like thinking people (instead of cattle) can make you stand out like a fart in study hall.

Hey, go ahead and try it.

See for yourself.

Put away the marketing “mind tricks” and nonsense… and use simple, “meat and potatoes” principles, instead. (The kind used by history’s most persuasive marketers, salesmen, politicians, lawyers, negotiators, etc).

There’s 101 of them in “Crackerjack Selling Secrets”:

And I think once you use them, you’ll find selling FAR easier.

Or, at the very least, you won’t freak anyone out…

Ben Settle

Last year we went through 3 accountants.

Why?

It is it because the nerd girl and I are sloppy with the books?

Or maybe careless?

Or, perhaps pain in the butt clients?

No, nothing like that.

The reason is because we were being cheap.

You see, we figured we needed a service more sophisticated than H&R Block… but didn’t think we needed anyone particularly bright or expensive.

I mean, numbers are numbers, right?

And with today’s software it’s not rocket science.

Or so we thought, at least.

And several months of unanswered phone calls from one accountant (can you believe that?), bad advice and other misadventures (too numerous to go into here)… we finally came to our senses, stopped being cheap, and sally forthed to hire an Enrolled Agent.

What’s an Enrolled Agent?

EA’s are specially trained accountants by the IRS.

They know the tax laws like the back of their hands. They know what’s legal and what’s not. And they know how the bureaucratic “game” is played.

Of course, our EA isn’t necessarily “cheap.”

But he’s WELL worth the extra investment.

Especially when it comes to saving time and energy.

Anyway, here’s the point:

It doesn’t matter if it’s an accountant, a lawyer, coach, copywriter, advisor, website coder, designer, doctor, vet or even someone to mow your lawn…

When it’s “mission critical” don’t scrimp.

Scrimping might seem like a good idea at first.

But, as the old saying goes: You get what you pay for.

Or, as a not-necessarily-wise man once said:

“Scrimps are wimps.”

Ben Settle

P.S. BTW, this is not a cheap shot (no pun) of people who simply cannot afford something. That’s certainly no crime. What I’m talking about is the dangers of being “cheap.”

There’s a BIG difference.

If you want to start attracting and selling to people who are buyers of quality instead of scavengers of cheap, check out:

OK, one more rant on testing.

I know I’m beating this subject to death this week.

But this tip’s especially important:

Testing CRAZY stuff.

And by that I mean, testing things that completely and utterly shatter all the popular marketing, selling and copywriting “rules” set down by the old marketing masters — like John Caples, Claude Hopkins, David Ogilvy, Gary Halbert, Eugene Schwartz, Robert Collier, Bruce Barton… and the list goes on.

All GREAT marketers.

And us whipper-snappers today owe them BIG time.

I mean, these guys paved the trail for us. And many of the best books, eBooks, courses, etc quote these guys chapter by chapter and verse by verse.

But you know what?

Letting yourself be enslaved to their “rules” is no good.

Yes, they make great guidelines.

And yes, it’s good to master the fundamentals.

But eventually, it’s time to break those rules and start testing crazy ideas everyone else would never think to. Take, for example, Gary Halbert’s coat of arms sales letter.

It’s arguably the most mailed sales letter in history.

And yet…

• There’s no (gasp!) headline.

• It’s not long copy.

• It wasn’t even targeted (they pulled names from the phone book!)

Three MAJOR rules ignored.

And yet, that bad-boy mailed to hundreds of millions of people.

Anyway, the point?

All the big marketing rules are mucho important.

But they’re kinda like the Biblical sabbath day.

There’s a story in the Bible where the disciples were collecting corn on the sabbath (when people were supposed to rest and not do any work) and the Pharisees start pointing the finger asking how they should be allowed to do such a thing.

Jesus’s answer?

“The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath”

And that idea applies DIRECTLY to marketing, too.

The old time rules are great and have made FORTUNES for people.

But don’t be enslaved to them.

In fact, every now and then… ruthlessly break them.

You just never know what you’ll find.

Ben Settle

P.S. For dozens of ideas (including some that are a bit on the “crazy” side) you can test in your ads and sales letters (including ideas from some of the world’s highest paid copywriters), check out:

After yesterday’s email about testing, I got to thinking.

It’s really a shame when people see a goo-roo quoting their latest test results, and then immediately treat those results like gospel, as if that’s the new “rule” for everyone’s product and market.

This can absolutely destroy sales and tank a business.

It’s like my recent food allergy test.

For the last 6 months I was POSITIVE I was allergic to eggs. There was no question about it, and really, I considered the allergy test a mere formality.

A trifle nuisance.

After all, I was such a smart guy, I already knew the results.

Well, guess what?

Turns out I’m NOT allergic to eggs.

Not even a little.

Instead, I’m allergic to something else I never would have suspected in a million years of being allergic to. A food that was causing me considerable discomfort because of my ignorance — and that I’d happily eaten the entire time I swore off eggs due to my being so sure I was allergic to them.

Can you believe that?

Well, most marketers do the exact same thing.

They assume something’s working when it isn’t… or that something’s hurting their ads when it isn’t.

The result is ads that die slow deaths.

Or (at the very least) don’t pull even close to their potential.

I’m not sure who coined this phrase, but it’s true:

“It’s a mess to guess.”

Ben Settle

P.S. The Copywriting Grab Bag has all kinds of ideas to test in your ads and sales letters.

In fact, here’s what a couple “hardcore” testers have said:

“My first read through I pulled out between 6 to 10 new things to take and test in my own sales letters online. And it’s on the shelf for another read through again coming up soon.”

-Terry Dean
TerryDean.org

“I absolutely love The Copywriting Grab Bag and it’s already making me money. Just the other day I wrote an article using ‘precaution copy’ as recommended on page 106 and it helped me sell quite a few extra copies of one of my new products.”

-Roger Haeske
RogerHaeske.com

You can nab “The Copywriting Grab Bag” here:

Check out this question that came in:

“Ben, why don’t you ever show us test results? Would love to see some split tests can you show us any?”

That’s the million penny question, ain’t it?

So why won’t I get on the stick and show you the goods?

Why am I “holding out”?

Well, for one thing, I’m not about to share confidential information from client tests. Would you want someone blabbing about your test results to potential competitors?

And secondly, they probably wouldn’t help you, anyway.

In fact, they may even hurt you.

Why?

Because I’ve seen many test results.

And you know what I’ve discovered?

In many cases, what applies to one market/product/business doesn’t directly apply to another. What works (for example) in the self defense market could get you killed in the dog market, the golf market or in probably any female-dominated market.

One person’s winner is sometimes another’s bomb.

I’ve seen it time and time again.

One dude swears on his mother’s grave using only video (no text) is the 8th wonder of conversion… only for someone to blindly only use video too (without even bothering to test) and lose his shirt.

Same with everything else, too:

Physical vs digital products… long copy vs short copy… HTML vs plain text… morning vs evening emails… long headlines vs short headlines… and the list goes on.

There’s no one size fits all.

Every product is unique.

Every market is unique.

And every market/product/timing relationship is unique.

That’s why, if I HAD to make a sale or be beheaded… and was given the choice to look at some goo-roo’s test results or use proven persuasion principles (based on sound psychological laws instead of “tips and tricks”), well, I know what I’m studying.

And it ain’t gonna be the goo-roo’s tests.

Especially if they’re in a different market altogether.

So anyway, I’m not against testing by any means.

I think you should test.

But do it based on knowledge of YOUR market and product.

And not on someone else’s.

Ben Settle

P.S. For lots more ideas to test that have worked for all kinds of different markets and products (and are used by some of the world’s highest paid copywriters) check out:

Been getting questions about testing, lately.

Usually, they ask me which headline color works best… what font pulls the most orders… where to put the product photo graphic… and so on, and so forth.

You know what I tell ’em?

I think they’re wasting their time.

Hey, it can’t hurt to test those things.

But it’s usually much more profitable to put your energy into what I call the “gross” sales letter components… instead of the “fine” components.

What does that mean?

Well, let’s take martial arts as an example.

Most martial arts involve “fine” motor movements — like reverse punches, head kicks, wrist locks, arm bars, hip throws, etc. These may work in a classroom… but can get you seriously hurt (maybe even killed) in a REAL attack with some drooling rapist or cold-blooded psychopath in an empty parking garage.

Why?

Because these moves are too complex.

They’re almost impossible to pull off when you’re shaking from a white-hot adrenaline dump and can’t even unlock your car much less execute a spinning high kick.

Just ain’t happening.

So you know what the smart fighters do?

They use “gross” motor movements, instead.

These are movements you can do without thinking — like throwing a hard elbow into someone’s soft eye or kneeing them in the ballz.

You know… the “dirty” stuff.

Same with sales letters, too.

Frankly, when “doing battle” in your market… your chances of wiping the floor with your competition are FAR greater testing and honing in on the gross moving parts of your ad (like your headline, lead, story, close, offer, etc)… instead of geeking around with the fine parts (like headline colors, fonts, etc).

The green stuff’s in the GROSS moving parts.

Not in the fine.

And you know what?

This is EXACTLY the kind of info I’m teaching (in depth) in the next several Crypto Marketing Newsletter issues. When you graduate my “dojo”, you’ll know how to make your competition eat the pavement no matter how tough their ads are now.

But you can’t dawdle.

The next issue goes to the printer Friday.

Grab your subscription here…

Ben Settle

So we went on a little road trip couple weeks ago.

It was nothing exotic — just a trip to our doctor and dentist who’re 3 hours away. (Hey, good healthcare is rare out here in the “sticks.”)

Anyway, much of the drive is through “bigfoot country.”

No… we didn’t see BF.

BUT… we did see another “monster” even FREAKIER.

Here’s what I mean:

When we got to town, we decided to grab a slice of pizza from a popular pizza joint. A place everyone raves about, gets great reviews and that’s a “household name” in the area. So we hopped into the Settle-mobile, and sped off to get some. Except… what should have been a two minute jaunt down the street, turned into a 30 minute goose chase… since we couldn’t FIND the place.

You see… it had no sign.

Can you believe that?

It was extremely frustrating, too.

Frankly, after about 20 minutes I was ready to abandon the chase until, by sheer accident, we stumbled into it.

Ironic, isn’t it?

This is supposedly the BEST pizza joint in the area.

Yet they didn’t even have a sign.

Freaky.

I wonder how much moolah they’ve lost from that?

How many said “screw it!” and went elsewhere?

How many WOULD have bought if they saw the sign?

It’s just like an ad without a headline (or with a WEAK headline) — even if you have the best product, a world-class sales letter and hundreds of glowing testimonials singing your praises… if nobody SEES or notices (if the headline’s lame)… it’s all for naught.

No sale for you.

The battle truly is won or lost at the headline.

No ifs, ands or buts about it.

And that’s why the next issue of The Crypto Marketing Newsletter is ALL about headlines. Including how to get DEEP into your prospect’s psychology and bang out headlines that let you blow right past your competitors (even those with better “copywriting.”)

This ain’t just a bunch of headlines to swipe, either.

This is the MENTAL side of copywriting.

The part you can’t get from templates or swipe files.

Anyway, this issue goes to the printer Friday.

Go here to subscribe, while there’s time…

Ben Settle

This may sound weird.

Maybe even… (gasp!) dorky.

But many of my best ads have not been for the most souped-up products with the kung-fu grip and gazillion free bonuses. Or for products with the best track records. Or even the ones with the most credibility.

Instead… they’re simply products created by “fanboys.”

What’s that?

Well, according to my dictionary, a “fanboy” is:

“an obsessive male fan
(usually of movies, comic
books, or science fiction).”

But this applies to OTHER areas of life, too.

Like, for example, “marketing fanboys.”

(BTW, the female equivalent is “marketing nerd girls”).

I mean no disrespect here, either.

I’m a marketing fanboy myself.

We’re the kind of people who eat, sleep and breathe our businesses 25/8 — 367.5 days per year. And who’ll drive you batty on long car trips because we simply can’t NOT talk about business. (Including pushing the automatic door lock button on the car when passengers attempt to “escape” while we extol the virtues of our next breakthrough…)

But you know what?

Writing ads for marketing fanboys (whether for yourself or for a client) gives you a HUGE advantage.

How?

For one thing, the ad’s virtually written for you.

Just turn on the recorder and let them talk.

Or, get someone to interview you, if writing your own ads. (You probably know lots of cool stuff you’ll never think about unless someone digs it out.)

And secondly, they got personality.

Personalities people in their markets are often irresistibly attracted to because they share their passion.

But, what if you’re not a marketing fanboy?

What then?

Start selling products you ARE a fanboy (or nerd girl) for.

Hey, snark all you want.

But if you’re not a fanboy for your product or service, then maybe you’re selling the wrong thing.

Just something to think about.

Ben Settle

P.S. The next Crypto Marketing Newsletter is the first in a series of 5 issues showing you exactly — from point “A” to Zebra — how I write sales letters that compete (and win) in some of the most overheated markets on the Internet (golf, self defense, supplements, etc).

I’ve not released much of this info anywhere else.

(Not even in my copywriting book).

So this is “it” — my entire process on a plate.

You can subscribe at:

So I saw “Kick Ass” last night.

What an adrenaline rush!

You simply haven’t lived until you’ve seen an 11-year old girl single-handedly take down the mafia while cussing like a sailor (that remark’s gonna get me in trouble, isn’t it?)

But don’t worry.

I didn’t let all the mindless geeky, fanboy carnage keep me from observing the all-important marketing lesson in the movie:

The power of media publicity.

Here’s what I mean:

The movie is about a teenager who wonders why nobody has yet taken up a cape and mask and stood up for the weak, helpless and victimized.

So he decides to do it himself.

Now, I don’t want to give away too much here.

But after getting beat up a LOT (it ain’t pretty)… he eventually ends up doing something truly brave, which gets the attention of the mass media (including the news and late night talk shows).

He then becomes an overnight sensation.

With thousands of adoring fans, an endless string of wannabes copying him, and even a hit put on him by the mafia!

And you know what?

This can sometimes happen in business, too, when using publicity.

I’m not talking about Internet PR, necessarily.

That’s great for backlinks and SEO, etc.

I’m talking about REAL publicity — getting on “for real” radio shows, TV shows or in magazines and newspapers. Doing this makes you an instant celebrity. Frankly, you can be a total newbie now… but the second you appear on a radio show or pop up in the papers you become an expert in everyone’s minds.

Doesn’t matter how many degrees you have, either.

Nobody will care.

Once you’re in the media you’re “it.”

This is the kind of credibility you can’t pay for.

Ironically, you can only get it free… by using publicity.

Anyway, just something to chew on, true believer.

Until next time…

Ben Settle

P.S. For more about using the media, check out the private Yahoo group set up for paying Crypto Marketing Newsletter subscribers. It contains a ton of sample press releases and ideas I’ve used (it’s not theory) to get lots of PR.

You can subscribe today at: