Ben Settle

Remember that “blasphemous” email I sent the other day?

The one where I said value, content, copy and teaching are not “king” when selling online? How they are ALL very important. But how they are not necessarily the moolah-making panaceas everyone thinks?

Well, that email prompted quite a few responses.

And along with the responses, some (good) guesses at what IS king.

For example, one astute subscriber said “action” is king.

Is action king?

I don’t know about that.

Action is MEGA important, no doubt. But… it’s like saying if I flap my arms enough I’ll eventually fly. I mean, you have to take the right KIND of action.

Lots of “arm flappers” are befuddled at why they aren’t making bank.

Another person said establishing trust was king.

Hey, I’m ALL about establishing trust.

It’s one of my favorite ways to sell.

But it’s still not king.

After all, there are many people who you probably trust online but have never bought from, eh? Because, while it’s an awesome (underused) sales tool, trust ain’t king when selling online.

Finally, another smart subscriber said knowing your market is king.

I admit… I used to think so, too.

After all, he (or she) who knows their market best “wins”, yeah?

While that’s true, at the same time, there are millions (literally) of marketers who know their markets like the back of their hand who still aren’t making significant scratch.

Reason why is because knowing your market isn’t (IMHO) king.

Look, y’all get an “A” for effort on this.

These are ALL important (even vital) components.

But NONE of them are king.

Frankly, the real king isn’t obvious.

In fact, it doesn’t even LOOK like a king or like it even belongs in the “deck” at all. And yet, playing this card often means you can make oodles of sales whether anyone likes you or not, trusts you or not, or if you even know how to sell or not.

Very powerful stuff, to say the least.

Anyway, you can get the scoop in The Street Smart Email System at:

Ben Settle

This email MIGHT make a few people angry.

In fact, I bet some will shake their fists at me while reading it.

Or maybe even barrage me with emails saying how “wrong” I am.

Why?

Because I’m going to dispel 4 big myths about what’s “king” when selling online. Myths that are spreading like wildfire (especially in social media). And (IMHO) are hurting peoples’ incomes.

Ready?

1. Myth #1: Value Is King

Bzzzt!

True, value is important. And we should deliver loads of it.

But is it “king”?

If it is, then it must be hiding amongst the peasants.

Because there are millions of people delivering value on the Internet right now who are dirt broke. I know I spent many years delivering value with very little to show for it. And if value is “king”, all the hyper value providers would be rich beyond their wildest dreams.

But most aren’t.

In fact, many are struggling and wondering why.

2. Myth #2: Content Is King

Ditto with #1.

There are lots of people working like mules putting out massive amounts of valuable content each day who STILL haven’t made any moolah. If content was the end-all-be-all, then all of these people would be raking in the dough.

But they’re not.

Because again, while content IS important, it’s not king.

3. Myth #3: Copy Is King

No matter what the chest-beating copywriters say… copy is NOT king.

In fact, as “for real” marketing genius Mike Winnicki (one of those “under-the-radar” marketing experts) said when I interviewed him for my Copywriting Grab Bag book, copywriting is much lower on the totem pole of importance.

Like under your list, offer and positioning for starters.

4. Myth #4: Teaching Is King

Is it?

We pay teachers almost nothing in our society.

If teaching was this magical money-making skill, then great teachers would all be fabulously wealthy, no? I know some mega talented teachers online who couldn’t make a sale if their lives depended on it.

Yes, teaching is hugely important.

It can do wonders for your credibility and positioning.

But it’s not even close to being king.

OK, so if the above aren’t “king”, what is?

Unfortunately, I’m NOT going to reveal this secret for free.

It’s just too valuable.

But it applies to almost ANY kind of online selling you do — emails, sales letters, social media (twitter, facebook, etc), blogs, articles, podcasts, videos, the whole kitten-kaboodle.

I only reveal it in a special report I recently wrote.

However, this report is not for sale for any price.

You can ONLY get it free with your purchase of my new Crackerjack Selling Secrets book.

Details at:

Ben Settle

P.S. UPDATE: The above report is no longer available with Crackerjack Selling Secrets. It is now a part of The Street Smart Email Course, and can only be gotten by purchasing that now.

Do you buy lots of marketing books and info products?

If so, then this email could both SAVE and MAKE you some dough.

Maybe even LOTS of dough.

Here’s why:

Unlike 99% of my marketing friends… I’m NOT a big fan of buying a gazillion dollars worth of books and info products.

Frankly, I will, on average, buy (maybe) 2 or 3 per year.

And even that’s a lot for me in most cases.

In fact, do you want to know something interesting?

In 2008 I consumed only 3 products total — a DVD course, a CD course and a short paperback book. Yet, my income was higher in 2008 than any other year I’ve been in business. And this year, I’ve already beat last year’s results despite having only consumed 2 products so far (both of which are part of last year’s 3, and not even “new”).

What???

Is this some kind of fluke?

Didn’t I get the “memo” from the goo-roos telling me how I must buy thousands of smackeroos worth of info-products each year?

I must have been sick that day, I guess.

Because to me, it just don’t make no sense to go through a good product one time. Especially if you drop $100, $500, $1,000, etc on it.

IMHO, it’s better to consume the good ones 10x’s (at LEAST).

Not only do you get a DEEP understanding of the subject, but you also get tons of new ideas, solutions, and lots and lots of “fodder” for your ads, products, articles, blog posts, emails, etc.

Now, let me be crystal clear about something:

I’m NOT saying people who read tons of books are “wrong.”

I’m just saying it doesn’t work for me.

So by all means, do whatever works for YOU. You know yourself and your learning style better than anyone. And my way may NOT be the best for you.

But I will say this:

If you want to learn a subject (sales, copywriting, marketing, whatever) at a far deeper level than your competition, try it my “10x’s way” and see what happens.

Yes, it sounds redundant.

Yes, it sounds boring.

And yes, it sounds like overkill.

But if you’re passionate about the subject, it’s actually fun.

And I bet you make many more smackeroonies as a result.

Ben Settle

P.S. BTW, two products I’d suggest consuming 10x’s (and yes, I AM shamelessly biased with this) are The Copywriting Grab Bag and Crackerjack Selling Secrets.

Today’s subject line should wake some people up, eh?

And while I don’t have any juicy gossip or scandal to share, I DO have an email marketing tip about language (yes, even “dirty” language) that, if you follow it, will likely make your emails FAR more responsive and profitable.

Anyway, here’s the low-down:

This past weekend I got a (rather amusing) email from a lady who was offended by one of my recent email tips.

In this case a single word bothered her.

The word?

“Suck”

(From my last email: Why Most Sales Pitches Suck)

It gave her heartburn because (and I swear I’m NOT making this up) she said it’s offensive to the gay community. And that it’s an ugly, dirty “bash” word that she is surprised hasn’t been banned from public use yet.

Wowzers!

Whatever the case, she’s obviously welcome to her opinion.

And, in a lot of ways, I’m GLAD she said something.

Why?

Because it makes for an important email marketing lesson.

IMHO, when writing emails, you have an ethical, professional and… yes… MORAL duty to be yourself — “warts” and all.

I’m talking about showing the real YOU.

The guy or gal who is NOT perfect.

Who is not always “politically correct.”

And who has a view point uniquely YOURS, communicated in the exact same way you would say it were you talking to someone face to face.

Now before anyone gets any funny ideas…

I’m NOT saying to go crazy cussing and swearing.

For one thing, the spam filters will zap your emails. And for another, it could have some pretty nasty unintended consequences. (My own standard is never to say something I wouldn’t say to my grandma. But that’s just my opinion.)

But this isn’t just about language.

It’s also about being genuine.

About showing the REAL you by writing just like you talk — with YOUR particular colloquialisms, quirks, mannerisms and personality.

And if someone’s offended?

Hey, that’s their problem.

You’re not in business to not offend people, are you?

I hope not. Because if your marketing isn’t turning OFF those who aren’t your ideal customers, then chances are you’re not turning ON those who are.

So if you offend somebody, then too bad for them.

They can delete your email or leave your list.

While everyone else will respect you all the more.

Ben Settle

P.S. For more advanced email marketing tips that don’t suck, check out “The Copywriting Grab Bag” (especially the Terry Dean interview in Appendix Eight) over at:

I don’t know about you…

But usually, when I go to buy something of a significant price tag, the sales presentation just really, really bites.

And it ain’t just me, either. Everyone I’ve asked about this says the same:

It really IS hard to find good help these days.

Question is, why?

Well, I think I know at least one reason.

And I suspect if everyone who sells for a living (whether in person, on the phone, in an ad, retail, whatever) stopped doing it… they’d not only sell more, but have customers that are FAR happier.

What is this “thing” of which I speaketh?

Using PRESSURE.

Let me ‘splain:

Let’s pretend you’re out buying a car (always fun, eh?)

So you go to the the first dealer and it’s the same old jazz:

Some slob comes running out with a half eaten donut in one hand and a styrofoam cup of coffee in the other, and immediately recites you his “shady salesmen’s book” chapter and chapter and verse by verse.

He tells you how great each car is.

How this car just got in and the low price won’t last long.

How that car is one his own daughter wants to buy.

How you came at just the right time because they never had THIS many cool cars to choose from before and aren’t you lucky?

And on and on it goes… lies flowing so easily and naturally from his lips it’s spooky.

Barf.

Then… you go to another dealer that’s completely different.

Instead of the usual shtick… the sales guy says:

“Look, I don’t know if we have the right car for you. I’ll do everything I can to help. But if at any time you don’t think we have what you need, will you do me a favor and just let me know? That way we don’t waste any of your time…”

Now, in this case, which salesman will you TRUST more?

Which one do you think has YOUR best interest at heart?

Which one are you more likely to BUY from?

Anyway, ’nuff said.

Pressure sucks.

Remove it, and watch your sales almost go up automatically.

Ben Settle

P.S. For the easiest and most reliable way of removing pressure, that gets people wanting to buy from you (and ONLY you)… see chapter 6 of Crackerjack Selling Secrets.

One guy told me he used this secret to make a small, quick change to his website and his sales shot up from $180 a day to over $1600.

Not too shabby, eh?

And all from just this ONE change.

However, you cannot buy this book anywhere else for any price. I was originally going to sell it on amazon for $97 but decided not to. So you can ONLY get it by joining my coming continuity program deal… and you can only get it (ironically) free:

I admit it, I’m a geek.

No, seriously, it’s true.

For example…

One of the first sites I read each day is a comic book movie fan site. I get much of my inspiration for my ads (power words, unique phrases, story ideas etc) from comics and RPG’s I played as a kid. And I’m prone to seeing certain movies (like Star Trek, Star Wars, Spiderman, Batman, Lord Of The Rings, Terminator, etc) multiple times.

So calling me a geek is truly an understatement.

BUT… being a geek has its advantages, too.

Especially in copywriting.

Take for example, an incident that happened to me last year.

I was reading one of my favorite comic book movie websites at the time. Going through the week’s stories and getting my “geek fix” for the day.

When, I see something that really intrigued me.

I don’t remember exactly what it was. I think it was a link to an article about an upcoming movie or something stupid like that.

Whatever it was, one thing is sure:

It shot my geek antenna up like a pop tart out of a toaster.

So I scroll down, click the link thinking I’m getting some juicy movie details when… I’m shunted to some dorky (even by MY standards) Rick Astely video on YouTube.

Turns out I got rickrolled.

This is basically where you put a link on a web page or in an email that promises something really cool, so people eagerly click it, only to send them to this extremely lame Rick Astely (thus “rickrolled”) 1980’s music video.

And you know what?

This sort of thing happens ALL the time in advertising, too.

One infamous example is the headline: “SEX!”

But the body of the ad has nothing to do with sex. It’s about life insurance or some other subject as dry and dead as a horse’s skull in the desert.

Anyway, it was a great “wake up call” about what NOT to do.

I mean, let’s face it:

Sometimes it might be tempting to make a promise in a link that gets oodles of attention, but that doesn’t describe your ad, blog post, article, etc at all.

It’s one thing to rickroll people on comic book fan sites.

But rickrolling your market will KILL your response and credibility.

Anyway, for more geeky comic book inspired copywriting secrets, put on your cape and tights and fly on over to:

Ben Settle

Ever since Monday the number “1” has been on my mind.

Why?

Because most the day I was without any long distance phone service or Internet access.

Not sure what happened, exactly.

And I have to admit, I got a TON of work done. In fact, I’ve even seriously been thinking of doing a periodic “Internet fast” now. My productivity was off the freaking charts.

But what sucked is it happened at the WORST possible time.

I was literally right in the middle of sending out an email for another business I’ve been partnering with when the Internet pooped out. This was NOT good as there was a lot of moolah on the line.

Murphy’s Law strikes again!

But you know what?

It’s completely my own fault because I’ve foolishly taken my eye off that evil #1.

Here’s what I mean:

Few years back, I heard Dan Kennedy say something that changed a lot about how I look at my business and the vagaries of life.

He basically said “one” is the most dangerous number in business.

In other words…

Relying on ONE way of getting leads, ONE way of contacting your leads, ONE piece of software, ONE service provider, ONE source of income, etc.

Doing so leaves you vulnerable — and basically naked.

Because if that one thing is ever taken away… you’re screwed.

Just ask all those marketers who relied ONLY on fax broadcast and cold tele-marketing when they were all but outlawed in the U.S.

Or the people who were caught with their pants down from ONLY using AdWords during that nasty “Google Slap” a few years back.

Or someone who loses a job that’s their ONLY income source.

It ain’t pretty having the rug yanked out from under you like that.

And Monday I was made painfully aware of the fact I’ve been too reliant on certain technologies. That I may have to do the unthinkable and get a new mobile phone (I don’t even remember where my old one is, I never use it). And that I should probably put some serious thought into getting a second Internet connection — even if it’s local dial up.

Ugh.

I thought technology was supposed to make life easier?

Anyway, if you rely on any one thing in your business, think twice.

You could be setting yourself up for some serious chaos. Especially in THIS kooky day and age where laws, technology and circumstances change like underwear.

So to paraphrase the famous “Three Dog Night” song:

Avoid it like the plague and you’ll be better off.

Ben Settle

P.S. Another thing you don’t want to rely on “one” of is sales and marketing strategies. You can learn 101 easy & ethical sales secrets that have been proven to work for thousands of years at:

Got kind of a weird sales tip for you today.

In fact, it may even stink a bit.

But if you sell a product or a service of any kind (especially if you sell in person or over the phone) I think you’ll find it very helpful.

Anyway, here’s the story:

Last week, I was walking Zoe (my dog) down by the beach like I do every night when, a couple hundred feet away we see this big ol’ fatty skunk.

Now usually, this is no big deal. I mean it’s not like it could spray us from that far away.

But there was something different about this skunk.

For one thing, he wasn’t scared of us like most skunks.

In fact, the little stink-bag came TOWARDS us with his tail up — as if he wanted to spray us with his stink-shooter. (Which would actually make my dog happy. After all, one person’s stink is another dog’s perfume…)

Anyway, it totally reminded me of Pepe Le Pew.

Remember him from those old Bugs Bunny cartoons?

Pepe was the skunk who was always speaking charming words to the ladies, wanting to kiss and hug and romance them… but, due to his horrendous odor, would chase them away, despite his charm and loving intentions.

In fact, the MORE he pursued the ladies… the FASTER they’d run.

And we see a lot of that in sales and marketing, too, don’t we?

Where marketers are trying to “romance” people with charm, well-rehearsed scripts and by saying all the “right” things… but one look and we see how they stink to high heaven.

The “stink” can take any number of forms, too.

For example…

It could be neediness (this is often the case).

It could be the arrogance of the salesman or marketer (we have a bit of that in the Internet marketing world, don’t we?)

Or it could even just be the prospect’s fear of the unknown if the marketer’s new to business and doesn’t know how to remove that objection before it becomes an issue. (This plagued me BIG TIME early on.)

Anyway, here’s the point:

If you’re having trouble making sales, and can’t figure out why (since you’re doing everything “right”) you may be spraying some kind of “odor” that’s making people run away.

And you’re #1 job is to figure out what that stink is.

Otherwise, if you don’t find it, then your sales will continue to tank. And when that happens, it’s like what Pepe Le Pew’s pal Porky Pig says…

Th-th-th-that’s all folks!

Ben Settle

P.S. Want to make sure your sales and marketing pitches smell like roses instead of a spray-happy skunk?

Then check out the 101 strategies over at:

Got this great question about getting clients using sales letters.

Here goes…

QUESTION: Ben, I notice your copywriting services page isn’t a long copy sales letter like other copywriters. Most of the ones I’ve seen are long copy sales letters but yours is pretty short. I am curious why you do that?

BEN: That’s an excellent question.

The reason why is because I don’t waste time trying to convince anyone of why they “need” copywriting.

IMHO, that would make zero sense.

At least, if you value your time.

And if you want to make life much easier on yourself — by ONLY dealing with people ALREADY hot to hire you, instead of trying to “convince” strangers you’re the last action hero of copywriting.

That’s kinda what makes the Internet so cool.

It sifts, sorts and qualifies people for you.

For example:

If after reading my daily tips or my free eBook at www.CopywritingGrabBag.com, listening to my podcasts, and talking with my clients (whose names are right on the page)… someone still isn’t convinced I’m the guy for the job, then they SHOULD go with someone else.

At that point they ain’t prospects… they’re suspects.

And they probably SHOULD go with someone who they do feel comfortable with. (Hey, I’m not everyone’s cup of tea).

Contrarian?

Maybe.

But I must be doing something right — as I can’t even keep up with new client inquiries and refer them to someone else right now anyway.

And it’s NOT because I’m some brilliant genius.

I’m not even close, believe me.

I simply understand how to sell.

And I understand that, at the stage where someone is already looking for a copywriter (and this goes for any service business – coaching, designing, consulting, whatever), they aren’t looking for the benefits of copywriting.

They’re looking for someone they can trust.

So I’m all about building trust, not showering them with benefits (I don’t think I have even one benefit on the page).

A concept that’s like “sacrilege” to most copywriters.

Anyway, just my 2 cents.

I won’t say my way is the ONLY way (it’s not).

But it works pretty dang well for me.

And if you give it a try (regardless of what service you sell), you just may find it works for you, too.

Ben Settle

P.S. If you want a more in-depth lesson on the concept of selling and building trust over pummeling prospects with benefits, check out the interview with A-List copywriter Doug D’Anna at: