Ben Settle

Got asked an interesting sales question recently.

The guy who asked it is trying to land a potentially very lucrative client (he’s in the marketing coaching business) but can’t seem to close the deal. He’s tried everything he can think of — calling the client, sending stuff through the mail, stopping buy (as well as using all the popular sales “tips and tricks” from the best-selling books) but is getting nowhere fast.

He doesn’t want to lose this one, though.

As it could mean MEGA green stuff in his piggy bank.

My advice?

Put the phone down and watch Seinfeld, instead.

Specifically, the episode where George is obsessed when Jerry’s girlfriend doesn’t like him, and so tries extra hard to get her to like him, which only makes her hate him even more.

Why watch this?

Because it perfectly illustrates the power of indifference.

And of what happens when you slobber all over someone to get their attention. (Such as when George says, “Jerry… this woman hates me so much I’m starting to like her…She just dislikes me so much… It’s irresistable.”)

That happens all the time in business.

ALL the time.

People want the sale so bad, they drive the customer away and obsess over why they said no.

Why does this happen?

It’s the law of the jungle:

When you hunt something down, the hunted prey tends to get scared and run away (his survival depends on it, after all). And so the advice to him was nothing more than:

Ease up.

Quit hovering over the would-be client.

And don’t act so needy.

Otherwise you’ll scare the customer away.

And end up with nothing.

Ben Settle

P.S. Best way to be “indifferent” like this (so you can attract instead of repel) is to simply know how to sell. That’s it. Doesn’t matter if you’re a copywriter, a coach, consultant, an MLM distributor or direct marketer — learn to sell and you simply won’t come off as eager or make the blunders that turn customers away like this.

You can learn 101 different ways to sell over yonder at:

We’re long overdo for some Q&A.

Let’s roll…

QUESTION: When is the best time to send emails?

BEN: That’s like asking how many licks it takes to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop. (If that snarky Mr. Owl couldn’t figure it out, what makes you think I can?) Seriously though, every list, market, and emailer is different. Anyone who tells you there’s one overall “best time” for everyone is either lying or selling something (or both).

Personally, I don’t sweat it either way.

I just focus on:

1. Getting emails out regularly
2. Building a relationship with my list

The rest takes care of itself.

QUESTION: Do you use NLP in your sales copy?

BEN: Maybe, I dunno. Daniel Levis recently said I do on a mastermind call. But it’s not conscious. I focus on knowing my market and excelling at these 5 things: Headline, lead, story, bullets, close — the subject (ironically) of the current crop of Crypto Marketing Newsletter issues.

QUESTION: Will you take a quick look at my ad?

BEN: Time to nip this question in the bud…

It’s $995.00 (paid up front) to do copywriting critiques. Sometimes people think I’m being a jerk or snob or whatever about this. But if I “took a quick look” at everyone’s ad I’d never get anything done.

For free critiques, sally forth to ye olde copywriting forums.

QUESTION: How do I join your beer level copywriters team?

BEN: First, you must own my Copywriting Grab Bag book. Even then, there are no guarantees. But that gets your name sent over to the copywriter doing the deal (if you request it).

QUESTION: Do you have an email swipe file I can download?

BEN: My Street Smart Email System will include TONS of email samples (including subject lines, body copy and even emails launching a new product).

Other than that, just read through my blog posts.

Or opt-in to the lists at:

QUESTION: Are long scrolling sales letters really dead?

BEN: I’ve been hearing a lot about that lately.

All I can say is that’s not been my experience, although adding pages just for the sake of it is completely loco.

But that’s why we test.

Right?

Ben Settle

Well, it’s official.

I’m insane.

Or at least within farting distance of insanity.

And before you laugh, just know YOU are probably insane, too — especially if you’re a long time reader of my emails.

I ain’t just “whistlin’ dixie” here, either.

Check this out:

Recently, I saw an article about a study saying the line between genius and insanity is “wafer thin”, and that the ability to make bizarre and unusual associations is often possessed by both the insane and so-called “creative geniuses.”

Interesting, isn’t it?

Now, I don’t claim to be a genius by any means.

Not even close.

So please don’t misunderstand.

That word “genius” gets way overused — and applies more to the likes of Mozart, Shakespeare and Edison, than to fanboy copywriters with a love of popular entertainment and bad jokes.

But, I do make LOTS of bizarre associations.

Especially in my daily emails and ads.

It’s my “mark”, so to speak.

The thing I do that few other marketers either know how to do or are too “professional” to do. In fact, in my upcoming Street Smart Email System I spend time on this very subject (complete with examples).

But I don’t do it just because it’s fun.

I do it because it’s profitable.

It keeps people interested.

And it sticks out in the inbox like an honest man in Washington, DC when surrounded by goo-roo emails beating their chests about their latest launch or sale.

And you know what?

You can write “insanely” profitable emails, too.

Just grab your straightjacket and wiggle on over to my email marketing “asylum” at:

Be sure to jump on the nofication list.

Launch day customers get a crazy big discount.

Ben Settle

Ever hear of “HAARP”?

It means “High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program”.

And it’s got many uses, too — both good and… not so good.

One of the not-so-good uses would be as “voice to skull technology”, where these high frequency radio signals can “implant” voices in your head — talking to you, giving you suggestions, etc.

(Sounds almost like a goo-roo product claim…)

Anyway, can it really do that?

I have no clue.

But apparently, this is where the “tinfoil hat” thing (that conspiracy theorists are always teased about) came from. It’s thought that putting metal around your head blocks these signals, so the “voices” can’t violate your mind.

So why bring this up?

Because, in a way, your customers have “tinfoil hats” on, too.

Here’s what I mean:

Chances are, your market has gotten so many daily persuasion messages “beaming” at them for so long… that they’ve put up a mental shield blocking out your (and everyone else’s) marketing “signals.”

And who can blame them?

I mean, think about it:

The average person is hit with THOUSANDS of persuasive messages each day — via TV, radio, billboards, bosses, the news, websites, emails, the list goes on.

It can drive you batty.

So how do you penetrate those tinfoil hats?

It’s easy.

Put away the sneaky “tips & tricks”, mind control techniques and other gimmicks… and simply establish a relationship with your list.

That’s it.

It’s really that simple.

Just being that one person they look forward to hearing from (where it’s not a chore, but a pleasure to hear from you) is like poking a secret hole in those tinfoil hats only YOU know about, so you can get your message through almost any time you want.

No need for any black hat tips & tricks.

Just establish a relationship with your market.

Be a useful and valuable friend (instead of a vulture).

And then show them what ya got.

Do that and you don’t really have “competition.”

Ben Settle

P.S. Email is probably the best way to establish a relationship with your market like this. To start being that one person who gets read (while everyone else’s messages are zapped) check out the coming Street-Smart Email System:

It should be ready in a few weeks (give or take).

And launch day customers get it at HUGE discount…

So I got a new TV show to tell you about.

This one was recommended to me by my friend Greg Perry and it’s called simply… Dexter. Now, I’ve come VERY late to this game (just started watching the first season on DVD), but this show is a marketer’s playground.

Why?

Mostly due to the many insights it gives into human behavior.

Here’s what I mean:

The show is about a sociopath (actually a psychopath — a sociopath with the an uncontrollable urge to kill people) who is a forensics/blood splatter analyst by day for the police, but who hunts down and murders other psychopaths and serial killers the cops don’t catch at night.

So he “channels” his urge to kill into the bad guys.

A crazy weird (but fun) show.

Anyway, it’s told from Dexter the serial killer’s perspective, so he is always talking about how he has to fake having emotions, and caring about people & his relationships with others, and being like everyone else, etc. (Sociopaths lack the wiring to “care” about anyone.) And then there are also flashbacks about when he was a kid, where his dad tries to instill right and wrong in him (even though he doesn’t necessarily understand it) so he has that lifeline of moral lessons to clutch onto.

So why is it a marketer’s playground, exactly?

Because throughout each episode, Dexter has many insightful non-partial, non-biased (and unemotional) observations about how us “regular” folk behave.

Including how we communicate.

Ways we act in different situations.

And how we deal with various problems.

All very sharp “arrows” for ye olde marketing quiver.

Anyway, that’s it for today.

I’ll see you Dexters later.

Ben Settle

P.S. My Street-Smart Email System is getting closer to completion. The audio is mostly transcribed so what’s next is editing the transcripts into book form, then send to the printer, get the proof and then… it’ll be for sale.

Launch day customers get a fat discount.

To hop on the notification list so you don’t miss out, go to:

How’s this for mega awesome coolness:

Last Friday one of my buddies sent me a big box of Omaha Steaks in the mail. The guy who sent them is Rich Bryda, who is not only an article marketing genius (you can hear how he created a $70k per year business JUST with articles as his source of traffic when you subscribe to The Crypto Marketing Newsletter as a bonus that comes with your subscription), but I think he may have stumbled onto an extremely profitable idea for all of us.

How so?

Well, after the steaks arrived, I got to thinking.

We often hear about all the gimmicks for getting attention when going after a new client or customer or even JV partner.

Like, for example, attaching a coin to a direct mail letter.

Or sending a letter by FedEx.

Or maybe sending a message via telegram.

All very good ideas.

And all virtually guaranteed to get attention.

But how cool would it be to send a potential client or JV partner a big ol’ fatty box of steaks? Something they can eat and enjoy with their families (is there any doubt at least part of the topic of dinnertime conversation would be the person who sent them all the free food?)

Wouldn’t that make someone notice you?

And… probably at least hear you out?

You’re darn tootin’ it would.

It doesn’t guarantee anything (there ARE no guarantees when trying to get a client or a JV partner), but it’d be impossible to ignore.

And of course, it doesn’t have to be steaks.

It could be any kind of food they may like.

You see, the reason behind this is everyone loves the person at work who brings the food.

Remember:

Food + business = money in the bank.

Anyway, just something to chew on.

Until next time, I gots some eating to do…

Ben Settle

Ever hear that freaky quote about reading?

I don’t know how true it is, exactly.

But apparently, something like 42% of college graduates never read another book after college. In other words, many of the people society holds up as the “educated” ones never crack open another book after leaving school.

There are many reasons for this.

Laziness is one.

Illiteracy is another (some people go clean through college without ever learning to read).

But a BIG reason is probably neurological.

Ken McCarthy (who studied neuroscience at Princeton) told me while interviewing him for The Copywriting Grab Bag it’s very hard for most people to read. (And that neurologists still don’t even fully know we can even do it!)

Freaky.

But kind of a pity, too.

Especially with all the great books out there.

Take, for example, the 8 books below.

These are sort of “underrated” books you probably won’t see in the usual marketing “echo chambers” and forums.

Two of them are almost impossible to find.

Many aren’t even “business” books.

And one is actually a comic book.

But all are extremely valuable to us marketers — as they contain everything from business and marketing lessons… to storytelling examples… to ways to reel in lagging attention spans… and even instructions on how to sell to multiple different age groups and professions.

And who knows?

You might even have some fun reading them…

1. “The System Club Letters” -by Ken McCarthy

2. “26 Instant Marketing Ideas To Build Your Network Marketing Business” -by Tom “Big Al” Schreiter (written to MLM’ers, but the info can be applied to ANY business)

3. “Ten Greatest Sales Persons” -by Robert Shook

4. “The Dark Knight Returns” -by Frank Miller (even got a whole chapter dedicated to it in The Copywriting Grab Bag)

5. “How To Argue And Win Every Time” -by Gerry Spence

6. “The Game” -by Neil Strauss (perfectly illustrates the dangers of copy-catting goo-roos)

7. “Psychological Nudity” -by Michael Savage

8. “Gary Halbert’s Guide To The Core Secrets And Desires Of Different Groups Of People And How To Exploit Those Secrets And Desires To Make Yourself A Lot Of Money” -by Gary Halbert

Diverse list of books, isn’t it?

And I simply can’t recommend them enough.

Go ye forth and profit from ’em.

Ben Settle

Ever see “A Nightmare on Elm Street?”

I haven’t seen the new one yet.

But the original basically went like this:

A child murderer (Freddy Krueger) is burned to death by all the neighborhood parents, and then comes back to finish his evil by murdering those parents’ teenaged kids in their dreams. And so, to avoid being killed in their dreams, they desperately try staying awake lest they fall asleep and get scragged by Freddy.

Well, guess what?

We kinda-sorta got this in “real life”, too.

You see, lots of people today (specifically the people referred to by the media talking heads as “Main Street”) have their own “Freddy Kruegers” attacking them and keeping them awake at night, almost paralyzed with fear and frustration. Like bill collectors, bankers, politicians, “trigger-happy” tax collectors, bureaucrats, back-stabbing co-workers, bullying bosses, etc.

Anyway, in many cases, nobody really cares about them.

Nobody’s in their “corner”, so to speak.

And you know what?

That opens a HUGE opportunity for you.

Because when you genuinely care about your customers (and demonstrate it) YOU automatically become that person in their corner.

The one they trust.

And the ONLY choice to BUY from.

It doesn’t take much, either.

Usually, it’s just asking a few questions.

In fact, The Nerd Girl just went through this.

She was having trouble getting our QuickBooks software to sync up with our bank account, and went through one idiot after another on both the QuickBooks and bank side.

Nobody — not even “supervisors” — were any help.

Nobody seemed to care, either.

They just went through the motions — constantly shunting her over to someone else who knew even LESS than the last person. Until finally (hours later), a low ranking bank teller solved the problem by asking The Nerd Girl a few questions and getting the bank’s IT guy on it.

Problem solved.

It’s hard to forget people like that bank teller — people who take the time to listen and help.

And it’s the same with you, too.

Give good service and show you care.

And when it’s time to buy… you’ll be remembered, too.

Probably the easiest way to sell ever invented.

Ben Settle

P.S. For dozens more easy ways to sell, and that make you the ONLY one to buy from, check out:

Ever talk to a catfish bait copywriter?

These are copywriters (usually newbies who know just enough to be dangerous to themselves) who have taken a course or read a book and all the sudden think they’re “the man.”

They use LOTS of attitude.

And they love doling out the “tough talk.”

Usually, they are copying their favorite goo-roo’s words, phrases, attitude, tonality, etc. (People who can actually back up their bragging).

And as a result, they end up being like catfish bait:

They “smell” good to all the bottom feeders and scavengers who think it’s “cool” (but who have no resources to hire them)… but stink to high heaven to everyone else.

I feel kind of bad for them, actually.

They usually MEAN well.

But they’re sabotaging themselves.

So here’s some advice for catfish bait copywriters reading this:

1. Drop The Attitude

If you can’t back up your mouth with results yet, don’t fake like you have any results. People can smell catfish bait a mile away — especially in today’s skeptical market place.

2. Be Yourself

Not a grainy xerox of someone else.

3. Be Likeable

Instead of acting like the obnoxious wannabe everyone feels the urge to slap upside the head… tone down the tough talk and be a human being.

It’s not hard when you give it a try.

4. Finally… Realize It’s NOT About You

Or your “killer keyboard” or whatever.

It’s about serving people, understanding their pain, and demonstrating you’re the one to get the job done (and not a tough guy Fonzi personality or whatever).

Hey, it’s not rocket science.

(I know… I used to BE a catfish bait copywriter once.)

But it’s very important and not always clear if you’ve never done deep market research before. In fact, this is why the next Crypto Marketing Newsletter contains a 2 page (quick to read and implement) bonus report showing you how to do to just that:

Research your market to find out what they REALLY want.

What their most PAINFUL problems are.

And EXACTLY what you need to do to persuade them your product (or service) is the solution to those problems.

No trumped up attitude required.

Anyway, this issue goes to print in about 10 days.

You can subscribe at:

Ben Settle