One of my favorite scenes from \u201cThe Two Towers\u201d movie is when the Riders of Rohan slaughter an orc party, and then put one of the orc heads on display to frighten off the other orcs in the area.<\/p>\n
It was an early inspiration for what I teach in my \u201cCopy Troll\u201d book.<\/p>\n
But, it\u2019s also useful for frightening off people who should not be buying what I offer. By displaying their antics, it scares these other \u201corc\u201d customers off, and lets the ideal customers I want know it\u2019s safe to enter my lush green lands.<\/p>\n
Case in point:<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve read my last few days\u2019 emails, and want to see a perfect example of someone who is a magnificent example of:<\/p>\n
1. A new product junkie\u2026<\/p>\n
2. A hyper \u201cS\u201d personality\u2026<\/p>\n
3. A small thinker in info-marketing\u2026<\/p>\n
Look no further than a bloke who I broke my own rule (proving even I have to keep any tendency to be \u201cnice\u201d in check\u2026) with, and let resubscribe to get the April \u201cEmail Players\u201d issue last month.<\/p>\n
Predictably, he gave the same sob sister story others do to be allowed back.<\/p>\n
And, also predictably, he did not like the April issue.<\/p>\n
The reason?<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was 6 pages of adverts and 10 pages telling me what not to do. I just expected more – I don’t think I benefited from the issue so I’m sorry to say that I can’t continue.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Despite his fuzzy math \u2014 there was 17 pages of content, more content than the usual 16 pages, and only 4 pages of advertising – it’s been quite useful.<\/p>\n
Why?<\/p>\n
Two main reasons:<\/p>\n
1. Amusement<\/p>\n
An info-marketer complaining about seeing (oh noes!) ads that can be studied in an info product is rather like a direct mail writer complaining about seeing direct mail in his mailbox.<\/p>\n
It borders on marketing insanity.<\/p>\n
But, it\u2019s an *amusing* kind of insanity.<\/p>\n
Like when the Joker told the story about the two escaped mental patients on a roof top.<\/p>\n
And the one with a flashlight says:<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll shine this light across to the other roof and you walk on it to get to the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the other one says:<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think I\u2019m CRAZY? You\u2019ll turn it off when I\u2019m half way across!\u201d<\/p>\n
2. A head to display<\/p>\n
Even better… it gave me a perfect orc head to display, to keep the rest of the new product junkie orcs away from even thinking something like \u201cEmail Players\u201d might be a good idea to invest in.<\/p>\n
So if you think like the guy above, consider this email the proverbial orc head staring at you:<\/p>\n
Save your money, Chuckles.<\/p>\n
I promise you will be better off.<\/p>\n
And this is especially true in the paid newsletter henceforth \u2014 where there will be lots MORE ads, to the tune of, eventually, if the demand is there, as many as 7 full pages of ads combined (even more than the new product junkie above’s mythical 6 pages in the April issue) \u2014 embedded within and as loose leaf inserts. Ads that a small thinking new product junkies will no-doubt be horrified by:<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m paying for this – how dare he include these ads!”<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
… even as they get up-sold on everything else they pay far more for in life \u2014 from pricey restaurants, to hospital visits, to new cars, to warranties, to an extra shot of sugar in their coffee, to even buying domain names.<\/p>\n
But forward-thinking types?<\/p>\n
They will see those ads as the bonus \u201cback door swipe file\u201d it is.<\/p>\n
Complete with special offers nobody else outside Email Players are privy to\u2026 and, even if they don\u2019t buy from them or have any interest in them, are worth studying.<\/p>\n
More reasons for the orcs to scurry back to their caves:<\/p>\n
The future of \u201cEmail Players\u201d will also be far more akin to the kind of deeper thinking info found in the April issue \u2014 which, I even predicted in the first email I used to promote it in late March, would be the kind of info small thinkers would hate, flee, and be warded off by… while bigger thinking types would love, embrace, and profit like crazy from.<\/p>\n
Take, for example, one of Australia\u2019s top copywriters & marketing consultants Pete Godfrey.<\/p>\n
Right after he read that issue (which you can no longer get) he hunted me down on Skype and said:<\/p>\n
\u201cBen you legend! Still loving the newsletter mate\u2026 please\u2026keep publishing.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And Blas Carrasco, who said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI just finished reading this month’s issue and let me say\u2026 For me, it’s the best one yet and I know I’ll lose sleep over it because I have a zillion-frackin things whirling around my noggin now. This issue has come at a perfect time as I’m currently working through a sales page for a product I created.Thanks for a badass newsletter and an insomnia filled night.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And Ross O\u2019Lochlainn, who said:<\/p>\n
\u201cBen… a quick note to say your latest issue\u2026has been a mind blower. I’ve been thinking about what you said in this issue. A LOT.\u201d [Note: his comment was almost a page long, but it has lots of \u201cspoilers\u201d for that issue, so I omitted\u2026]<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And Steve Jolly, who said:<\/p>\n
\u201cBest issue in my 4 years of EP. Thank you!\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And, as far as the (gasp!) paid ads I am going to be testing more of inside go\u2026 the founding father of internet marketing as we all know it \u2014 Ken McCarthy – said this after I told him the secret inspiration and motivations I have behind testing them:<\/p>\n
\u201cBrilliant aspiration on so many levels.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
HINT:<\/p>\n
It ain\u2019t just about money \u2014 I make little money in the short term doing these ads, especially compared to when I stuck a single, long form sales letter for one of my own offers in the envelope each month\u2026<\/p>\n
Bottom line:<\/p>\n
These guys are playing chess and getting cerebral with their businesses, while the new product junkies drool on the carpet while shooting marbles and singing along with Barney the Dinosaur on tv. And, it\u2019s my goal that this email serves as a warning displayed \u201chead\u201d to these marble-shooters to save their money, save their time, and save their energy… and keep playing in the business equivalent of the bin of sticky balls at Chuck E. Cheeses where they will be more comfortable.<\/p>\n
Because, as I show over and over and over\u2026 they have no place amongst the EPOTH.<\/p>\n
(i.e. the Email Players of the Horde)<\/p>\n
But, there is always the possibility of hope, for those few orcs with the desire to change their wicked ways.<\/p>\n
I say \u201cpossiblity\u201d because it\u2019s all up to you.<\/p>\n
I can show you my version of the 12-step program.<\/p>\n
But you have to follow it, endure the withdrawals for when you crave something new instead of implementing what you have, and change the way you think long term, and make it a part of your \u201cbusiness lifestyle\u201d \u2014 and not just a one-time quick fix for your latest new product craving.<\/p>\n
And lest someone head to social media to say how \u201cmean\u201d I am:<\/p>\n
The Riders of Rohan didn\u2019t particularly *like* slaughtering orcs & displaying their heads.<\/p>\n
But, it was necessary.<\/p>\n
Not just for the safety of their lands.<\/p>\n
But, also, for the safety of the rest of the orcs, too.<\/p>\n
And so it is when I write emails to ward off the new product junkies, freebie-seekers, and shallow-thinkers wandering the goo-roo casino. They are probably far better off downloading another free eBook or mindlessly reacting to their social media feeds than hanging around here being pitched every day.<\/p>\n
Marbles, after all, are cheap.<\/p>\n
But learning from, buying, and implementing my newsletter ain\u2019t\u2026<\/p>\n
For anyone still reading this long email who is interested in \u201cEmail Players\u201d…<\/p>\n
The deadline to get the May issue is Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Here is the link:<\/p>\n