Ben Settle

We’re finally at the end:

The 7th “Tightwad Marketing” secret.

In a lot of ways, this is probably the eaziest and most practical of them all.

Anyone with a customer list (and a pulse) can make it work.

And once you get the hang of it, you can create “instant cash flow” whenever you want — without raising your prices, finding new customers or even getting a loan.

Anyway, what am I talking about?

This lets you give yourself a pay raise almost at will.

I have seen as much as 30% of old customers (i.e. people who have bought from you once, but who you have not heard from since) be “reactivated” with just one or two well crafted reactivation sales letters.

And the best part is, it’s simple.

REALLY simple.

You basically just contact your dormant (or as I call ’em, “hibernating”) customers who have bought from you in the past (but who you haven’t heard from since), with a generous “can’t refuse” offer.

One so generous you might only break even on it.

I mean, why not?

You don’t have to spend any extra money to get these customers.

They have already expressed interest in you and your stuff before.

And in a lot of cases, all they need is a good “excuse” to buy from you again.

After that (if you nurture them right) they will many times KEEP buying from you for years in the future.

It’s just a great way to jump start your cash flow.

And that’s about it.

This past week you’ve seen 7 cool “tightwad” marketing secrets.

Each is a snap to implement.

And each is designed to put moolah in your pocket quickly, easily and cheaply (usually free).

I hope ya profit handsomely from them.

Ben Settle

P.S. If you want even MORE tightwad marketing secrets, check out the interview at:

P.P.S. Next time… something completely different.

Almost done with the “Tightwad Marketing Secrets” series.

As you’ve seen, these tips are all very eazy to use.

And they really can help you generate (almost) unlimited leads, prospects and sales in 2009 and beyond — while spending little or no money.

So far we’ve covered:

Today’s Tightwad Marketing Secret is a bit more “technical.”

And there are even some people who try to purposely make it confusing.

But it’s really pretty eazy.

And can give you a LOT of quality traffic (and sales).

And that is none other than:

SEO — search engine optimization — is extremely cool (IMHO).

It’s free… requires only a few little “tweaks” to your site… and can attract a TON of new leads, subscribers and customers to your website.

And before you even ask:

You don’t need a bunch of backlinks, articles, forum posts or any of that stuff to get started.

Eventually, you may want that stuff.

But there are many things you can do right NOW (today) on your website — without getting a single backlink — to get some serious “Google love.”

In fact, sometimes you need only make a few little “adjustments” to your site — like linking your pages together properly and strategically using the right keywords — and you can see some BIG TIME search engines jumps.

I know I have.

Not long ago, I went from page 10 or 15 to page 1 for a certain keyword phrase on Google within 3 days (and made something like $400 the SAME day it happened — it was pretty cool).

And that was with just 1 backlink (on a popular ezine site ANYONE can get backlinks from) and making a couple changes on my blog.

No big deal at all.

But here’s the “snag”:

It’s kinda intimidating to know where to begin with SEO.

Some people have practically gone out of their way to make the subject confusing and mysterious. (Usually people selling SEO-related services.)

But you don’t have to worry about that, because I put up a little SEO copywriting “shortcut” for ya.

It’s an interview with a couple aerospace engineers (turned Internet marketers) who have conducted hundreds of scientific SEO tests for theirs and their clients’ websites.

These guys are like “SEO Scientists.”

They test EVERYTHING and act like kids in a candy store discovering new ways to drive traffic, leads and sales to sites almost overnight with SEO

And their stuff is perfect for SEO “newbies” and veterans alike.

Anyway, you can grab it now at:

Ben Settle

P.S. If you want even MORE advanced SEO training — without paying a single penny — check out Ray & Ferny’s (the two SEO Scientists above) training site at:

It’s mostly geared for network marketers.

But ANYONE in Internet marketing (no matter what you sell) can use their stuff to make moolah (and quickly).

Hope you’re ready for “Tightwad Marketing Secret” #5 (of 7).

Because it’s definitely a doozy.

And something you can use TODAY if you really have a fire under you’re arse.

Anyway, here it is:

Tele-seminars are a gold mine for online marketers.

They’re fast, cheap (free in many cases) and let you “connect” with your prospects in a way you cannot duplicate in email, print or on a computer screen.

The concept is pretty straight-forward:

You get on the phone with a group of people about a subject they are interested in. At the end (and throughout the call — subtly) you pitch whatever ya got to sell (or to do something you want them to do).

Your listeners love it because they get valuable information.

And you will love it because you can sell your stuff at the end. PLUS you can use the recording as content on your website, slap it on a CD, or even sell it (quick product creation) — either as a download or with a service like Kunaki.com

And let’s face it:

Getting on the phone and talking about something you’re passionate about is not “rocket science.”

It’s a LOT easier than busting your brain writing copy.

And it can be a LOT more persuasive, too.

I dunno about you, but I’ve bought VERY expensive products based JUST on listening to a tele-seminar — whether there was a written sales pitch or not.

Anyway, I love tele-seminars and I think you will, too.

And to get you started right, I have a free resource for you that goes into some specific strategies on how to “moolah-tize” your own tele-seminars.

Specifically, an audio interview with Internet marketing “Jedi” Ray Edwards.

Ray Edwards routinely uses tele-seminars to generate tens of thousands of dollars for himself and his clients.

And during our interview, he gave away a pretty sweet secret for getting your own tele-seminars up and running almost right away (using free online forums) — without struggle, expense or needing any prior tele-seminar experience.

You can listen to it (or read the transcript) at:

Ben Settle

And by the way, speaking of Ray Edwards…

Ray recently teamed up with Internet marketing “pioneer” Kirt Christensen to create an advanced Internet marketing membership site. And to “bribe” you into giving it a try, they are giving away a PILE of advanced Internet marketing training for just $1.

And the best part is:

Whether you join or not, you can download the several thousand dollars worth of advanced (and proven) Internet marketing videos, tools and training they’ve cooked up for you no matter what.

You can check it out at:

OK, so far we’ve covered 3 of the 7 tightwad marketing secrets:

• Public speaking
• Media publicity
• Breakfast clubs

This 4th is one of my all-time my favorites.

In fact, it’s sorta like the “Mount Olympus” of tightwad marketing secrets.

And that is:

JV’s are EASILY the fastest, quickest and (if you do them right) most profitable way to market your products and services.

Why?

Because they let you “leverage” OTHER peoples’ time, money, resources, customers, personal branding and talents to sell YOUR products and services.

Now, there are probably thousands of ways to do JV’s.

But the one I like best simply goes like this:

You sell your product (or service) to someone else’s customer list and vice versa.

For example:

Let’s say you sell a dog training book.

You find a marketer with a list of 20,000 dog owners.

You go to this dog list dude and make a deal to sell your book to his list of 20k dog owners and split the profits.

You win by selling more books and building your list without spending a single penny.

The list owner dude makes extra moolah without having to do anything but push that “send” button.

And, assuming your book is top notch, he also strengthens the “trust factor” with his list — making them FAR more likely to buy from him again when he recommends a product (thereby putting more moolah in his pocket).

Pretty simple, yeah?

Hey, it IS simple,

But, just because it’s simple, doesn’t mean it’s always easy.

Especially when it comes to setting up these JV’s.

You can’t just say to someone, “Hey! I got this cool super duper product. How about you sell it to your list and I’ll let you keep 50%!”

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

These days, that’ll just get you laughed at.

So how should you contact people about doing JV’s?

Especially if you don’t know a lot of people or are just starting out?

Luckily, there are dozens of really simple ways to do this.

And instead of listing them in this email, I am going to refer you to an interview I recently did with “The Joint Venture Man” himself: David Dutton.

David started his business as a dirt broke college student with no connections, no money and no contacts (just a cell phone) — and now joint ventures with people most of us only read about or see on TV.

Like the legendary marketer Jim Straw, Joe Vitale, David Frey, Willie Crawford and even the stars of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice.”

With David’s unique methods, you don’t need to be in anyone’s “good old boy” club.

You don’t have to beg, plead or bug anyone.

And you don’t need to be “extroverted” or be a good “bs” artist.

All you need are a few (very simple) JV secrets David has discovered, and you can quickly set up profitable joint ventures with almost anyone in your business, niche or industry.

You can listen to this extremely valuable joint venture interview free at:

Ben Settle

P.S. David also has a product about how he connects with marketers with giant lists and influence at:

Ready for “Tightwad Marketing Secret” #3?

Okay then, let’s hit it:

This 3rd one is something a lot of people may have heard of… but almost nobody understands.

And while it mostly applies to local businesses, it’s an extremely cheap (literally the cost of a cup of coffee) way to market.

What am I talking about?

I first heard about this back in my netwerk marketing days.

It was a brilliant idea then, and it’s even MORE brilliant now.

Especially since with the tanking economy, more people may be open to it.

Here’s how it works:

Basically, you contact 5 or 10 (or however many you want) other local businesses in your area — all non-competing, with no two the same kind of business — and ask them to join your business breakfast club.

So, for example, you can have the copywriter, the web designer, the bankruptcy lawyer, the accountant, the mechanic, the roofer, the printer, the bizopp guy etc.

And maybe once per week you meet at the local coffee shop, cafe, bagel place, whatever…

… and just exchange leads.

For instance:

You have Mike the mechanic at the table with Bubba the bizopp guy, and Mike’s friend is afraid of getting laid off and is looking for a way to make moolah in his spare time. So Mike gives his buddy’s contact info to Bubba.

Or, Chester the copywriter might know someone who needs their books done and gives that person’s contact info to Al the accountant.

Or, Luke the lawyer knows someone looking for a good roofer, and gives that person’s contact info to Roland the Roofer.

Or, Paul the printer has clients desperate to start marketing online but don’t know how (there are LOTS of businesses like this in your hometown), and gives Ike the Internet marketing consultant all these clients’ info.

And so on, and so forth.

Anyway, so instead of y’all selling each other… you’re simply exchanging leads.

And when you get a lead, you just contact that person and say:

“You don’t know me, but we have a mutual friend. His name is Al Accountant and he suggested I contact you…”

See how that works?

Not only do you get hot leads ALREADY LOOKING for a business just like yours…

… but they come with a juicy endorsement from someone those leads know.

Very powerful stuff for prospecting and selling.

And works for almost anything you can sell locally.

Ben Settle

P.S. Since yesterday’s post about publicity, a few people have asked if I write press releases, what my fees are, my availability, etc.

If you want the inside scoop on this, simply go to:

No time for dilly-dally today.

Let’s jump right into Tightwad Marketing Secret #2:

PR is, IMHO, the ultimate marketing strategy.

Nothing else even comes close.

Why?

Because media publicity (when done right) will inoculate you — like a vaccine — against the rising tide of consumer skepticism and competing advertising.

And literally make you a “celebrity” overnight.

It’s true.

Once you get on the radio, on the TV or in the newspapers, you automatically become an instant celebrity — with the implied endorsement of the media.

And like it or not… in today’s “celebrity-obsessed” culture, people shower celebrities with WAY more attention, respect and money than they do “experts.”

Plus, here’s another biggie:

Media publicity gives you some extremely powerful “ready made” marketing pieces prepared for you — free.

These take the form of newspaper (or magazine) articles, radio interviews and TV interviews.

And make no mistake about it:

Copies of these articles and interviews are FAR more effective than any “advertising” you can write yourself or hire some hotshot copywriter to do for ya.

Instead of being easily-ignored “sales pitches” — they are informational articles (which happen to sell your products and services if you know how the “game” is played when you talk to reporters).

Plus, think of the power your ad will have when you put media quotes in it.

It’s one thing to read a testimonial from Joe Blow in Jerkwater Heights, IL.

It’s quite another to read a quote from a New York Times reporter.

More:

When you know how to use them, these media pieces are “timeless.”

You can use them forever — and for ANYTHING you sell.

Frankly, it doesn’t even matter if what you’re selling is directly related to your media stories.

Just saying you’ve been featured in USA Today or been on dozens of talk shows gives you an air of credibility and “star power” your competition can’t touch with a 10 foot pole.

Finally… media publicity is cheap.

It only costs a “whopping” 6 cents per fax if you use a service like JBlast.com.

You can send 1,000 press releases for $60!

All it takes is ONE of those 1,000 to give you that coveted “celebrity positioning” in your market.

And (of course) you’ll get lots of sales, traffic and leads, too.

Happens all the time.

And hey, if you’re REALLY a tightwad, and 6 cents is too much, you can use a website like RadioGuestList.com to find online talk shows and contact them by email.

I just did this recently for my dog book, and will soon be on an Internet talk show heard by some 10,000 people.

Think I’ll be able to sell a few books to an audience that big?

Anyway, so that’s Tightwad Marketing Secret #2: Media publicity.

I can’t recommend it enough.

Ben Settle

P.S. There is one little “snag” about publicity:

In order to use it, you MUST know how to write a press release. Trying to get the media to interview you without a press release is like trying to get a job interview without a resume.

It just ain’t gonna happen.

In Appendix 11 of my upcoming Copywriting Grab Bag book, I walk you step by step through writing a press release using an extremely successful press release I wrote as an example — complete with the actual press release itself for you to model.

Anyway, it should be ready within the next 30 days (hopefully).

If you want to be notified when it’s released, go to:

Yesterday I said I’d send you 7 gifts over the next week.

Each “gift” being a way to market your business cheaply and effectively during ’09 and beyond.

Or, what I call “Tightwad Marketing Secrets”.

Here’s numero uno:

Now hold on a second there, partner.

If the mere thought of public speaking gives you the “heebie-jeebies”, I totally understand.

Apparently, more people are afraid of speaking than dying.

Yikes.

Whatever the case, it’s an extremely powerful (and dirt cheap) way to market.

And there are 3 reasons why you should at least **consider** it:

1. The Podium Effect

What’s the podium effect?

The podium effect is a phenomenon where people instantly and automatically respect, trust and believe people who talk at seminars or small workshops.

In other words… you can be a complete “nobody” in your market now but, the second you start speaking, you are suddenly the top dawg.

Almost anything you say is taken as “gospel.”

And (believe it or not) refunds of product you sell during your talk are practically non-existent.

Pretty cool, eh?

2. Instant Product Creation

This is another powerful benefit of speaking:

When you’re done, you got a product.

But, not just any old product.

This is a product with “built-in” proof and credibility.

A product with some TEETH.

It’s true.

When you sell a recorded talk, and you say in your ad copy, “This is a speech I gave at…” all the sudden it has some “oomph!”

It’s not a slapped-together eBook or MP3 made in the safety of some kid’s basement.

No, your product has some friggin’ sex appeal.

It’s different and sexy and unique.

Something everyone is looking for more of.

3. Nobody Else Is Doing It

Let’s face it:

Hardly anyone gives public talks.

Hey, I admit, I’ve yet to do it myself (it’s one of my ’09 goals.)

All of which means, if YOU give a talk… you can be 99% sure none of your competition is reaching your market the same way.

It’s like getting an exclusive full-page ad on page 1 of a high-selling publication.

You get all the prestige and positioning and selling power your “non-speaking” competition can only dream of hiding behind their computers.

And do you know what the real beauty of this is?

It doesn’t have to be hard.

You don’t have to speak in front of thousands of strangers.

You can do it at your local library or bookstore or anywhere comfortable for you.

It can even be as laid back as doing “Q&A” sitting on a stool.

That’s easy, isn’t it?

OK, so that’s Tightwad Marketing Secret #1: Public Speaking

It’s cheap (free in many cases).

And can bring you some truly eazy money.

You can learn more about public speaking in the interview I did with JP Maroney.

JP is a serial business builder, author and public speaker who routinely earns tens of thousands of dollars per speech using a unique method he’s developed over the past several years.

This is (by FAR) the most “underrated” interview on my site.

And in some ways the most valuable, too.

JP shows you things like: Tips for banishing your fear of public speaking… Selling on stage without coming off as a “salesman”… Creating products with your talks… Using public speaking to launch new products or services…

… and a whole lot more.

Anyway, you can grab it (it’s free) today at:

Ben Settle

Well, here we are — on the doorstep of 2009.

But before you open that door, I want to give some advice.

I know you did not ask for this advice.

And so, I certainly won’t be offended if you ignore it.

BUT… I highly encourage you to at least consider it.

Doing so can make you stick out head and shoulders from the crowd in ’09 — especially when the “band aids” on the economy peel off and reveal the gooey, puss-infected wounds underneath.

Anyway, here’s my advice:

Focus on getting customers instead buyers.

I first learned this in a short, $20 book called “The System Letters” by Ken McCarthy.

And it’s one of the single most important business lessons I have ever heard — that radically changed the way I do business.

Why?

What’s the big deal?

Well, think about it this way:

A BUYER is someone who buys ONE time.

He MIGHT buy again some day.

But usually, he buys one time and then moves on to the next bigger and better thing.

A CUSTOMER, on the other hand… makes it a “custom” to buy from you over and over and over.

So instead of a one-time sale, he buys from you multiple times — years into the future.

Plus, many of these extra sales are practically handed to you on a silver platter because of all the trust, and respect and loyalty they have for you.

I call it “selling in advance.”

And it’s by FAR the easiest and most reliable way to sell.

Because even if your sales pitch sucks or you break all the “rules” of copywriting, selling and marketing, it won’t matter.

They aren’t buying the “thing.”

They are buying YOU.

The mere fact YOU are offering it is good enough for them.

It’s the ultimate form of positioning.

And it lets even total “newbies” take market share quickly.

Anyway, I’m no prophet.

Heck, I’m not even a “Miss Cleo.”

But I stand behind this prediction for 2009 and beyond:

The few (and there aren’t many) marketers who go after “customers”… instead of “buyers”… will prosper BIG TIME.

They will have FAR more peace of mind and financial security as the economy explodes and most businesses start running around like be-headed chickens.

And when the dust settles, they’ll still be standing.

So here ya have it.

I’ll see ya in ’09.

Ben Settle

As a comic book geek, my “fanboy” hairs stood up with this news:

Zack Snyder — who directed the brilliant “300” and upcoming “Watchmen” movies — wants to direct the movie version of “The Dark Knight Returns”.

This story is about an older, out-of-shape Batman who comes out of retirement due to rising crime and violence.

It’s psychologically dark, “gritty” and unlike anything at the time.

In fact, it changed the entire comic book industry forever…

… and even saved “Batman” from cancellation.

(Bats wasn’t always as popular as he is today.)

What does this have to do with your copywriting?

This:

In one “scene”, Batman lugs an unconscious gang-banger to a building top — and holds him there face down, looking at the street.

And when the sociopathic killer regains consciousness, all he sees is blackness — as Batman’s hand covers his eyes.

After asking this killer a few questions (and getting nothing back but mindless drivel about his “rights”)…

… Batman removes one finger from the guy’s eyes at a time — until he sees where he’s at (hanging by a thread by Batman’s “weak arm”) and starts telling Batman what he wants to hear.

As Batman says:

“It was tough work carrying 220 pounds of sociopath to the top of Gotham Towers — the highest spot in the city. The scream alone is worth it.”

Anyway, what’s the point?

How in the world can this help you write better ads?

The answer is simple:

Ol’ Bats made the gang-banger an “offer he couldn’t refuse.”

In other words:

Batman would not drop sociopath from 300 feet in the air, if sociopath told Batman what he wanted to hear.

And guess what?

In a way, that’s EXACTLY what great ads do, too.

No… not with threat of violence, you silly.

But by making your offers so “in harmony” with what your customer wants… whether it be to eliminate a pain or gain something they desperately desire (or both)… he almost can’t HELP buying from you.

Even if he didn’t originally want the product you’re selling.

And even if your ad is poorly “written.”

Frankly, if you get your offer right, your customer has no choice but buy.

Which is why more sales are made NOT with brilliant writing…

… but with brilliant OFFERS.

What’s the moral of the story?

Put time — LOTS of time — into your offers.

In fact, if you’re going to swipe something, swipe the kind of dramatic, “ballsy” offers your loudmouth competition is scared to match.

It’s like having a 40 meter head-start in a 100 meter race.

And let’s you “win” without needing to be the best “copywriter.”

Ben Settle

P.S. You can learn 3 powerful ways of creating “can’t refuse” offers (that go WAY beyond lame-o 30 or 90 day guarantees) in chapter 32 of “The Copywriting Grab Bag”:

One of them in particular is especially good, that I learned while while writing ads for a martial arts guru a few years back.

You can get it at a special discount if you’re on the “VIP” notification list at the above link.