Do You Have to Be Aggressive to Make Sales?

Do You Have to Be Aggressive to Make Sales?

by: Ari Galper

A few weeks ago I was onsite at a company that had hired me to train their sales team on how to stop using traditional selling and start using the Unlock The Game™ sales approach.

After one coaching session, one member of the sales team came up to me and said, กAri, your approach makes complete sense but Iกm afraid Iกll lose sales if I stop being aggressive and start being passive!ก

Whenever I hear a comment like that, I want to scream, because it means that the person just doesn’t yet understand that removing pressure from the sales process doesn’t mean being passive!

But…I didn’t scream. I took a deep breath and then explained that Unlock The Game™ is the reverse of passive.

Rather, itกs an active attempt to create pressurefree conversations with prospects.

However, to do that we must eliminate behaviors and language that prospects can perceive as กaggressive.ก

We all know what these are continual email and voicemail กfollowupsก in which salespeople try to pin down the status of a potential deal is one common example.

The problem is that prospects react to aggressive, or perhaps we should say กoveraggressiveก sales behaviors by withdrawing and evading us.

We could say that Unlock The Game™ actually takes the กmiddle groundก between passive and aggressive by being authentically unassuming, yet effective and that this is the most stressfree and effective way to sell.

What do I mean?

I mean that you have to shift away from assuming that every prospect is a fit for your solution.

Itกs sort of like the legal concept of กbeing innocent until proven guilty.ก

We can’t afford to make any assumptions about กfitก until our conversation with the prospect indicates that weกve mutually arrived at that conclusion.

The aggressiveness that turns off prospects sets in when you assume, every time you pick up the phone, that you have a solution for them.

Your tone of voice and language gives them that message long before theyกve even had a chance to agree that they have a problem you might be able to help them solve.

But if you can manage to find that middle ground of not assuming anything while also communicating in a lowkey, unassuming manner, youกll discover a whole new effectiveness you could never have imagined.

Can prospects sense when you’re assuming too much?

Sure they can because most of us have been conditioned to present or talk about our solution as a way to engage prospects so theyกll reveal their problems to us.

But that logic is completely flawed, because when you launch into your solution to someone who doesn’t trust you yet, all you do is allow them to pigeonhole you as a stereotyped กsalesperson.ก

So how do you make this concept of being unassuming but effective a reality?

First, learn to start conversations by focusing 100 percent on generating discussions around prospectsก problems, rather than pitching your solution the second you hear an opening.

Second, learn to begin those conversations by converting the benefits of your solution into problems that your solution can solve.

Third, after you and your prospects have identified a problem or problems, you can then engage in a discussion about whether fixing those problems is a priority.

Itกs only at that point that prospects have finally given you implicit permission to share your solution with them.

Jumping in with solutions prematurely will only land you back in the trap of being perceived as กaggressive.ก

About The Author

With a Masters Degree in Instructional Design and over a decade of experience creating breakthrough sales strategies for global companies such as UPS and QUALCOMM, Ari Galper discovered the missing link that people who sell have been seeking for years.

His profound discovery of shifting oneกs mindset to a place of complete integrity, based on new words and phrases grounded in sincerity, has earned him distinction as the worldกs leading authority on how to build trust in the world of selling.

Leading companies such as Gateway, Clear Channel Communications, Brother International and Fidelity National Mortgage have called on Ari to keep them on the leading edge of sales performance. Visit http://www.unlockthegame.com to get his free sales training lessons.

This article was posted on December 19, 2004

by Ari Galper

Web Site Marketing Techniques Rated

Web Site Marketing Techniques Rated

by: Sky Maya

There are many ways to market your web site, both online and offline. Which ones are worth it? This article will rate several popular methods on a scale of 110, with 10 being the absolute most effective, and 1 being worthless.

High search engine rankings rate: 710, depending on which search engines you list your site in and how your siteกs listing is presented. When choosing search engines to list in, choose from the most popular ones, and remember itกs totally possible to get a free listing in a paid search engine. I wrote an ebook explaining how to accomplish this. Forget listing your site in กfreeforallก links pages, they are never visited by targeted traffic. Carefully word the copy for your siteกs listing, or search engine listings are worthless. Check out my ebook for more information on search engine optimization and marketing. This method does create namerecognition, which could be valuable in future marketing efforts.

Search engine sponsor links rate: 610, depending again on how your listing is presented and what search engines you are listed in. Once again opt for the most popular search engines. Some search engines have sponsor links on the righthand side of the page instead of the top; this is a very effective placement. Some search engines have effective topofthepage sponsor links that are very obviously separated from the regular search results. Make sure to use targeted keywords. This method does create namerecognition, which could be valuable in future marketing efforts.

Direct mail rate: 19, depending on the method used and who it is sent to. Postcards are much more effective than envelopes, because you are able to immediately catch the readerกs attention. Readers are too used to seeing advertisments in the form of envelope mailings, so only use postcards. Send your direct mail to targeted consumers, not just random people. This method does create namerecognition, which could be valuable in future marketing efforts.

Television commercials rate: 510, depending on where and what time the commercial is aired. If you are advertising your web site with a television commercial, be sure to include your web address in text large enough to be visible by someone sitting 20 or so feet away from the television set. Leave it on the screen long enough so viewers may write it down or type it into the address bar if they are also online. This is most effective during prime time, when most people are likely to be online. Few will actually take the time to write down your address unless they have a deep interest in your products/services. This method does create namerecognition, which could be valuable in future marketing efforts.

Printing your company name, product/service line, and web site address on coffee mugs, pens, pencils, etc. rate: 15, very ineffective at marketing your products/services, but leaves a good impression with your existing customers, you never know when that extra coffee mug will come in handy.

Good business ethics, high product/service quality, excellent customer service rate: 10, positive wordofmouth is very effective marketing. Keep your existing customers happy, and in return they will excitedly recommend your company to others.

About The Author

Sky Maya is the author of Best SEO Tactics an excellent guide to optimizing your web site for high search engine rankings using proper and ethical tactics. Proven techniques! Buy it today and watch your site traffic explode!

This article may be reprinted freely as long as this resource box with all active hyperlinks remain intact.

[email protected]

This article was posted on July 11, 2003

by Sky Maya

Five Proven Ways To Increase Internet Sales

Five Proven Ways To Increase Internet Sales

by: Dan Ames

There are hundreds of ways that you can promote your online business or website, some more effective than others. These five proven methods will help you to generate traffic to your site and also to generate income into your wallet.

1. One thing that appeals to everyone is ขfree.ข If it is free people will take it. Think of the samples of cheese given away at grocery stores. Do you really want a small piece of cheese? Of course not! But you take it simply because it is free and someone is nice enough to offer it to you. The same principle applies with information or services offered from your website. You can send out free newsletters or offer a free trail period. One popular thing that is being given away now are free credit reports or free PC scans. These freebies are what we in the marketing field like to call teasers. After running the free credit report or PC scan we alert the customer if there is something found on their credit record or PC and then offer to show them what it is or repair the problem for a price. This can be an effective way to get information to your potential customers, create sales or to generate traffic to your site.

2. Your website contains information about a service or product that you are very knowledgeable about. You can use this knowledge to generate traffic to your site by writing articles in your area of expertise and having them published in an ezine or an article information site. The most effective way to use these articles is to write them for free and ask in return that the publisher allow you to include a byline. A byline is a very short summary of the author, their credentials and their website. Your byline is a way that readers will come to know you as an expert on the topic and will in turn come to trust your site as a source of credible information.

3. Some search engines will allow a website to purchase their ranking. This is an excellent Internet marketing technique in that it is effective and inexpensive. In the payperclick programs, website are only billed for those who actually visit the page, unlike banner ads which may be seen by millions but only used by a few. When using the payperclick program you are asked to choose keywords and when those are entered your site will appear and if the surfer chooses to view your site, you are billed for that click. Many payperclick programs will offer other benefits as well, such as updated lists of commonly used keywords.

4. You should remember that others are in the same boat as you. You can choose to network with those who have similar marketing ideas. When networking you will be able to share links and refer customers to each other. You should always be very cautious when choosing a networking partner as everything that you recommend is a reflection of yourself or your product and therefore, you should be certain that your networking partner is a reputable source of information.

5. Simply because your website is online, doesn’t mean that all your advertising should be. Advertise in newspapers, TV, the radio or you can even send out a press release to get your information to thousands of people all over the country.

About The Author

Dan Ames can help YOU start your own profitable business on the Internet within the next 24 hours… To learn more, visit: http://www.RealTimeInternetIncome.com/pips.html

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 29

by Dan Ames

Six Ways To Create a KeywordRich Domain Name

Six Ways To Create a KeywordRich Domain Name

by: Syd Johnson

An effective domain name can help to brand your site. It can also communicate to your customers the types of products you sell online. An easy to remember domain that describes your services should be the goal of every site owner. Here are some techniques that you can use to create the best domain name for your company.

Describe your products or services

One way to come up with an effective domain name is to describe your product or services. Write down every word or phrase that comes to mind when you think of your product or service. The easiest way is to keep writing for two to five minutes without stopping. It’s a creative writing technique that can yield a huge cache of keywords that you can plug into any registration application until you find a domain name that fits. This technique is effective, quick and free.

English has a large vocabulary list

The English language has one of the largest vocabulary lists in the world. If you can’t find a way to describe a product or service, take a break, come back in a few minutes and try again. Try to see how many different ways you can say the same thing. You already have access to the vocabulary list and ideally you will know your product or service better than anyone else. Pretend that you’re describing it to a friend and in a few minutes you will have a long list of words that you can use as your domain name.

Most short words are taken

Yes, many of the shorter words such as ขmenข, ขwomenข and ขbookข are taken. In today’s marketplace, you can’t rely on such generic terms to bring in traffic. An effective, memorable domain name must go beyond being a novelty to being an asset that helps customers remember your site and your product. Try putting two or three words together. This will make it easier for them to come back to your site and make a purchase.

Brainstorm your way to a great domain name

Brainstorming is the only way to get a good domain name. Whether you write, use a name generation software, a dictionary or try random words, it’s your creative approach that will give you quality results in less time.

Here are 4 easy domain name generation ideas:

Write about the product(s) that you plan to sell

Write about the topic or theme of your site

Write about the type of customers you want to visit your site

Start with one word descriptions and then add secondary words until your get an effective word or phrase that you register as your domain name.

Check out your competitor’s websites.

Are they using words that fall into a specific category like product names, rhyming words, or names of cities? These can all give you clues about what types of words and descriptions that make the best domain names for your type of service. It can also give you some clues into what works best with customers and search engines. In this case, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, you just tweak it a bit to get better results.

You’ll also have words for your Search Engine Marketing Campaign

The cool thing about this technique is that it will also help you to generate a list of words that you can use later on as part of your search engine optimization campaign. Whether you plan to do this on your own or through a PayPerClick service, you will be ahead of the game with a long list of keywords to choose from.

About The Author

Syd Johnson is the Executive Editor of RapidLingo.com, Financial Solutions Website. You can see more articles at http://www.rapidlingo.com.

This article may be freely distributed as long as the authorกs bio is included with an active link to http://www.rapidlingo.com.

This article was posted on October 28, 2004

by Syd Johnson

5 Effective Ways to Promote Your Website For Free

5 Effective Ways to Promote Your Website For Free Online

by: Ben Chapi

1. Generate Targeted Traffic from Online Discussion Forums.

Online discussion forums provide an excellent way to promote your website without paying any money. Nowadays, you don’t even have to lurk around before you begin to post. Just browse the messages and you can start posting. There are basically three different ways to participate. You can ask questions, respond to requests for help or just post any useful information that fits with the general topic of that discussion forum. To promote your site in online discussion forums, all you have to do is enter your website address or ad in your signature line at the bottom of each message. Every time you post or respond to questions your ad will be displayed. If you post good content, people who read your threads will also check out your website. This is an excellent way to drive targeted traffic to your website at no cost to you. You can take this type of site promotion a step further by identifying the active members in each forum and contacting them for joint venture arrangements.

2. Write Articles or Free reports for other webmasters to publish.

Another effective way to promote your website is to write articles or free reports for ezine publishers and webmasters to use. If you write good content, your articles will be published and many readers who like your article will go on to visit your website. You can also write simple research based articles and allow others to publish these freely on their websites. The traffic from these free articles will come from your byline. The ‘byline’ is the short paragraph that goes at the bottom of each article and describes who the author is and what they do. The good thing about writing this type of content is that it establishes you as the expert and therefore increases the chances of people visiting your website and signing up for whatever you’re offering.

3. Do Joint Ventures with List owners and Webmasters.

If done correctly, joint venture marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote a product or service. A Joint venture can take many forms but it’s generally an agreement for some kind of partnership between one or more parties working together to their mutual benefit. It allows you to leverage highly targeted lists or traffic with no risk. Joint ventures are excellent for new product or service announcements because they allow you to reach a wide customer base very quickly.

4. Leverage the power of your email Signature.

One of the quickest and effective ways to start driving traffic to your website at no extra cost is to add your ad or website address to your email signature. This way, every time you send an email, you’ll be advertising your website. You can take this a step further by asking your friends and associates to put your website address in their email signature. Most people don’t use their email signature facility in their email program so you can easily get 10 or more people to agree to do this. If you and your 10 friends each send out 10 emails per day, that’s 110 exposures of your ad every day without any extra effort on your part.

5. Exchange Links with Other Webmasters.

This is another effective strategy for generating targeted traffic to your website for free. It involves contacting other webmasters for a possible link exchange partnership. All you have to do is locate websites that are related to yours but that are not in direct competition and contact the webmaster to swap links. There are various free ebooks and articles available online on this topic.

About The Author

© Copyright. Ben Chapi owns Venister Home business and Affiliate Program Classifieds at http://www.venister.org/. He is also webmaster for http://www.bestdebtconsolidationloan.co.uk/ and http://www.homeequityloan.org.uk/

This article was posted on December 11, 2003

by Ben Chapi

An Often Overlooked Strategy for Getting Your Foot

An Often Overlooked Strategy for Getting Your Foot in the Door

by: Kathleen Gage

Most companies are constantly seeking efficient and cost effective marketing and promotions strategies. It’s likely they are also seeking strategies to increase sales through obtaining key information. Regardless of the industry, almost everyone has heard or read arguments saying sales and marketing are separate, while at other times hearing and reading they are interconnected.

The fact is that you have to market your product or business in order to find prospects to sell to. On the other hand, your level of professionalism as a salesperson will directly impact your marketing message. Simply put, everything you do is a part of your marketing. Without effective marketing many people won’t know what you are selling. The two go hand in hand.

In the process of selling you must be able to address the question most prospects will ask: ขWhat can you do for me?ข This question can be answered by the content of your marketing material as well as your responses while meeting with a client.

While you can tell your prospects and customers how absolutely wonderful you are and all you can do for them, an even more effective strategy is for someone else to ขblow your horn.ข A customer who is willing to answer that question for your prospect oftentimes adds to your effectiveness and credibility in the sales process.

One of the best ways to do this is with written customer testimonials. Testimonials can be very effective in positioning your product or service and may give that extra little push when a potential client is trying to decide on whether or not they will be doing business with you.

The easiest way to get a testimonial is to do a great job. The second easiest way is to ask for it. When a customer or client tells you how happy they are with what you have done ask them if they would be willing to put that in a letter.

It is a good idea to have a cross section of testimonials you can use in your sales and marketing process. This way, regardless of your clients’ situation, you have a testimonial that will address their needs.

Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Asking for a testimonial is not arrogant or egotistical. When you go above and beyond, most people are willing to let others know how much they appreciate you or your product.

A short time ago my most recent book was released. Myself and my coauthors have enjoyed increased daily sales with 101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door. Although many people are telling us how fun, creative and useful the book is, I knew if we could get testimonials from readers we would be able to use them in our marketing and promotions efforts.

I sent an email out to a few dozen folks who had purchased the book asking for written feedback. Within minutes I began receiving testimonials. Here two of the dozens I received:

ขI was pleasantly surprised reading 101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door. I was so impressed that I am requiring my sales staff to read it and we are getting together to discuss how we can implement some of these ideas into our marketing campaigns. Great job!ข

Michele Michalewicz, CTP, President, Western Leisure, Inc.

ข101 Ways to Get Your Foot in the Door was full of great ideas to separate sales people from the ordinary. This is a must have book for those that want to be remembered and stand apart from the ordinary sales person or marketing company. This book has been referred back to often and will be a permanent addition to our business library. Thank you for putting these ideas into a book.ข

Craig Watkins, Owner, Premium Exteriors and Coatings of Utah

www.WhyKeepPainting.com

What Craig and Michele have said is a greater testament to a potential buyer than me telling them how great the book is. And notice what it is doing for them… their testimony is added visibility for their company. A win/win situation.

Although testimonials are great to use, keep in mind that they do not replace the simple act of asking potential clients for the business. Testimonials are simply another key aspect of an effective success strategy.

Copyright © 2004 by Kathleen Gage

Web address: www.kathleengage.com

Publishing Guidelines: You may publish my article in your newsletter, on your website or in your print publication provided you include the resource box at the end. Notification would be appreciated but is not required.

About The Author

If you are in any form of sales and are tired of cold calling visit www.101waystogetyourfootinthedoor.com to receive fr*ee tips on getting your foot in the door and staying ahead of the competition. Author Kathleen Gage is a business advisor, keynote speaker and trainer who helps others increase revenues and decrease costs by gaining dominance and visibility within their market.

[email protected]

This article was posted on January 31

by Kathleen Gage

Tradeshow Booth Cures Living Color

Tradeshow Booth Cures Living Color

by: Patty Stripes

Feng Shui is the Ancient Chinese practice of configuring home or work environments to promote health, happiness, and prosperity. By utilizing elements such as light and color, Feng Shui Masters used their skill to promote the flow of กchiก, or vital energy , to protect and enhance the prosperity of the Imperial Dynasties. Widely practiced today, Feng Shui theory focuses on methods to manage the flow of energy and with skillful application, can effectively lead people into your booth.

Johnny Cash had his allblack attire, Christo had the saffrondraped กgatesก in Central Park. Were they embracing Feng Shui color principles? Perhaps not consciously, but both men instinctively knew the incredible impact that color has on our mood and our perceptions. Retailers and marketing professionals embrace color as one of their most effective tools. Psychologists have suggested that color impression can account for 60% of the acceptance or rejection of a product or service. Clearly, color is an important กweaponก in the Feng Shui arsenal. Master this key element of Feng Shui theory, and youกll have people flooding into your booth.

Color can both soothe and stimulate and the two reactions are not mutually exclusive. Itกs possible to excite your customer mentally while keeping him still enough physically to listen to you! A high energy presentation can be an effective tool, but itกs not to your benefit if your customer is too jazzed to pay attention to your sales pitch. Balance plays a big part in any Feng Shui application, and this is especially true when it comes to color.

Strong yang (masculine energy) colors such as red, orange, yellow or gold can be used to stimulate energy. Bright, rich color both pleases our eyes and excites our brains while yin (feminine energy) colors like green and blue promote a feeling of wellbeing. A combination of yin and yang hues is the most desirable but limit your predominant colors to three or less. Signage is an effective way of combining the two try using light, yincolored letters on a dark, yangcolored background. The contrast will make the lettering appear larger and viewers will find it easier to read.

If you are attempting to breathe new life into an existing trade show booth, nothing yields more bang for the buck than a fresh coat of paint. Even if you opt to stick with the same color scheme, a fresh coat without marks or nicks is more reflective and conducive to energy flow. If you do decide to go with a new color scheme, make sure it enhances the mood you want to set. Use red and yellow to evoke excitement and optimism and black to convey authority. Green and blue, colors found in nature are soothing and serene.

Careful consideration of color theory will go a long way towards conveying your message, even if (God forbid!) no one is in your booth. Combine this with the lighting strategies discussed in our other article and youกll be well on your way to a successful show. But there are still a few tricks up the ancient mastersก sleeves and the next article in our series will demystify them.

About The Author

Patty Stripes is an editor for http://www.thetradeshowbooth.com/, an online resource where she has posted various articles including http://www.thetradeshowbooth.com/tradeshowdisplayexhibits.html.

This article was posted on August 06

by Patty Stripes

How To Write SuperEffective Ads and Sales Letters

How To Write SuperEffective Ads and Sales Letters!

by: Dean Phillips

‘the more things change, the more they stay the sameก. That saying couldn’t be more true, especially when it comes to writing ads and sales letters.

The same things that worked fifty years ago, continue to work today. Yes, times and technology has changed, but people haven’t. At least, not the way we react to an effective advertisement.

When writing an ad or sales letter, there are two critical points you must NEVER, EVER forget:

1. Most people don’t make a buying decision based on logic. They make a buying decision based on their emotions.

2. People don’t want to feel like they’re being coerced or pushed into anything. They want to feel like they arrived at a buying decision completely of their own free will.

Go back and read point number two again. Thatกs a very fine line. But you MUST learn the distinction, if you want to master the art of writing effective sales material.

Actually, writing effective sales material is quite simple, really. In fact, Iกm going to teach you all of the basics in this article today. And if you consistently apply those basics, youกll see your income skyrocket!

Hereกs the key: You MUST write every single ad and sales letter using the following classic AIDA formula:

A=ATTENTION

I=INTEREST

D=DESIRE

A=ACTION

Letกs break down each letter, so that you can understand the full import of the formula:

A=ATTENTION: The very first thing your ad or sales letter must do is get your prospects attention. The very best way to do that is with an effective headline.

So, whatกs an effective headline? An effective headline is any headline that answers this question: กWhatกs in it for meก? Thatกs all your prospects really cares about. Whatกs in it for them? Hereกs an uptothesecond example of an effective headline: กHow To Write SuperEffective Ads and Sales Lettersก!

So, what makes the title of this article an effective headline? Two things: First of all, I answered the กWhatกs in it for meก question. Secondly, the headline made you read this article.

And that my friend is the whole point! You want prospects to read your sales material!

Now, we come to the second letter in the aforementioned AIDA formula: I=กINTERESTก. After you get your prospects attention, you want to get them กINTERESTEDก in your product or service. You do that by immediately telling them what your headline promises. You don’t waste their time with a bunch of fluff and garbage that nobody but you cares about.

Tell them what they want to know, starting with the very first paragraph, and continue to tell them, right through to the very last paragraph. If you keep them interested, theyกll keep reading, right to the very end.

Next comes the third letter letter in the formula: D=กDESIREก. You have to make your prospects กDESIREก your product or service. And the way to do that is with benefits, benefits and more benefits!

Remember, just keep telling them what your headline promised. Also, tell them what they stands to gain by purchasing your product or service. More importantly, tell them what they stand to lose, if they doesn’t purchase.

Push their emotional กhot buttonsก, by using magic selling words like, new, save, amazing, free, guaranteed, security, norisk, look younger, feel better, etc!

Now we come to the last letter in the formula, but certainly not the least: A=กACTIONก. You want to close your ad or sales letter with a call to action! In other words, ask them for the order. Itกs important to ask for the order at least three times, preferably six or more.

Here are a few examples of effective closes:

1. กJust click on the button below to order NOW, RiskFreeก!

2. ‘to get your FREE website, Order NOWก!

3. กDon’t waste another minute! Order NOWก!

Something else thatกs very effective is to include a post script (P.S.) at the end of your ad or sales letter. Your postscript should include an enticement of some sort, to get your prospects to order NOW. You should also use the postscript as a final call to กACTIONก!

Hereกs an example of an effective postscript:

P.S. กDon’t forget, if your order within the next ten days, youกll also receive a personalized calculator mouse pad FREE, with your companyกs name embossed in gold lettering! Order NOWก!

You can also use a post script to tie everything together, by summarizing your most important benefits.

Another reason that you should use a postscript is strictly elementary. Studies have shown that most people, when reading an ad or sales letter will read the headline and then immediately zoom right down to the bottom of the page to check out the price and see if your offer is anything that theyกd be interested in.

Anyway, thatกs it. Thatกs กHow To Write SuperEffective Ads and Sales Lettersก!

Follow the formula faithfully and it will rarely let you down.

And remember, when writing your ads and sales letters, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep in mind that one question we all want to know: กWhatกs in it for meก?

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: [email protected].

Make Money Online! Internet marketing expert, Dean Phillips will help you make money online, starting today…Guaranteed! For details just visit my website.

Website: http://www.letsmakemoney.net

This article was posted on September 30, 2004

by Dean Phillips

Want More Sales? Write A Barry Bonds Sales Letter

Want More Sales? Write A Barry Bonds Sales Letter

by: Dean Phillips

Iกm not a baseball fan. Never have been. In fact, I hate the sport. However, I am a Barry Bonds fan. Hereกs why: Barry Bonds possesses the exact same intangibles every great sales letter possesses. Heกs loyal, consistent, powerful, and hits a ton of home runs, year after year after year! Those are all things that great sales letters do and have done from the very beginning.

And believe it or not, of all the aforementioned intangibles, the number one intangible is loyalty. All great sales letters remain loyal to one of the oldest of all copywriting basics: the AIDA formula!

You MUST write every single sales letter using the following classic AIDA formula. If you are loyal to the formula, the consistency, power and home runs will follow. Thatกs a proven fact. Hereกs the formula:

A=ATTENTION I=INTEREST D=DESIRE A=ACTION

Letกs break down each letter, so that you can understand the full import of the formula:

A=ATTENTION: The very first thing your sales letter must do is get your prospects attention. The best way to do that is with an effective headline.

So, whatกs an effective headline? An effective headline is any headline that answers this question: กWhatกs in it for me?ก Thatกs all your prospects really care about. Whatกs in it for them? Hereกs an uptothesecond example of an effective headline: กWant More Sales? Write A Barry Bond Sales Letter.ก

So, what makes the title of this article an effective headline? Three things: First of all, I answered the กWhatกs in it for meก questionwhich in this case would be more sales. Secondly, I brilliantly interjected the curiosity factor. I made you wonder what a Barry Bonds sales letter is. And last but not least, the headline made you read this article.

And that my friend is the whole point! You want prospects to read your sales letter!

Now, we come to the second letter in the aforementioned AIDA formula: I=กINTEREST.ก After you get your prospects attention, you want to get them กINTERESTEDก in your product or service. You do that by immediately telling them what your headline promises. You don’t waste their time with a bunch of fluff and garbage that nobody but you cares about.

Tell them what they want to know, starting with the very first paragraph, and continue to tell them, right through to the very last paragraph. If you keep them interested, theyกll keep reading, right to the very endjust like you’re doing now with this article.

Next comes the third letter letter in the formula: D=กDESIRE.ก You have to make your prospects กDESIREก your product or service. And the way to do that is with benefits, benefits and more benefits!

Remember, just keep telling them what your headline promised. Also, tell them what they stand to gain by purchasing your product or service. More importantly, tell them what they stand to lose, if they don’t purchase.

Push their emotional กhot buttonsก, by using magic selling words like, new, save, amazing, free, guaranteed, security, norisk, look younger, feel better, etc!

Finally, we come to the last letter in the formula, but certainly not the least: A=กACTION.ก You want to close your sales letter with a call to action! In other words, ask them for the order. Itกs important to ask for the order at least six or more times.

Here are a few examples of effective closes:

กJust click on the button below to order NOWRiskFree!ก

‘to get your FREE web siteOrder NOW!ก

กLimited time offer! Order NOW!ก

Something else thatกs very effective is to include a post script (P.S.) at the end of your sales letter. Your postscript should include an enticement of some sort, to get your prospects to order NOW. You should also use the postscript as a final call to กACTION!ก

Hereกs an example of an effective postscript:

P.S. If you order within the next 7 days, youกll also receive a personalized calculator mouse pad absolutely FREE, with your companyกs name embossed in gold lettering! Order NOW!ก

You can also use a post script to tie everything together, by summarizing your most important benefits.

Another reason that you should use a postscript is strictly elementary. Studies have shown that most people, when reading a sales letter will read the headline and then immediately zoom right down to the bottom of the page to check out the price, and see if your offer is anything that theyกd be interested in.

WARNING: Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the AIDA formula. Itกs been proven over time. Itกs powerful, and it works. In fact, the power is in its simplicity.

Also, when writing a sales letter, there are two critical points you must NEVER, EVER forget:

Most people don’t make a buying decision based on logic. They make a buying decision based on their emotions. They justify their decision with logic, after the fact.

People don’t want to feel like they’re being coerced or pushed into anything. They want to feel like they arrived at a buying decision completely of their own free will.

Go back and read those two points again. Obviously, thatกs a very fine line to walk. But you MUST learn the distinction, if you want to master the art of writing effective sales letters.

In closing, follow the AIDA formula faithfully and it will rarely let you down.

And remember, when writing your sales letters, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS answer that one question we all want to know: กWhatกs in it for me?ก

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: [email protected]

Visit his website at: http://www.letsmakemoney.net

This article was posted on October 23, 2004

by Dean Phillips

Five Proven Methods for Internet Marketing Success

Five Proven Methods for Internet Marketing Success

by: Carl Hoffman

There are hundreds of ways that you can promote your online business or website, some more effective than others. These five proven methods will help you to generate traffic to your site and also to generate income into your wallet.

1. One thing that appeals to everyone is ขfree.ข If it is free people will take it. Think of the samples of cheese given away at grocery stores. Do you really want a small piece of cheese? Of course not! But you take it simply because it is free and someone is nice enough to offer it to you. The same principle applies with information or services offered from your website. You can send out free newsletters or offer a free trail period. One popular thing that is being given away now are free credit reports or free PC scans. These freebies are what we in the marketing field like to call teasers. After running the free credit report or PC scan we alert the customer if there is something found on their credit record or PC and then offer to show them what it is or repair the problem for a price. This can be an effective way to get information to your potential customers, create sales or to generate traffic to your site.

2. Your website contains information about a service or product that you are very knowledgeable about. You can use this knowledge to generate traffic to your site by writing articles in your area of expertise and having them published in an ezine or an article information site. The most effective way to use these articles is to write them for free and ask in return that the publisher allow you to include a byline. A byline is a very short summary of the author, their credentials and their website. Your byline is a way that readers will come to know you as an expert on the topic and will in turn come to trust your site as a source of credible information.

3. Some search engines will allow a website to purchase their ranking. This is an excellent Internet marketing technique in that it is effective and inexpensive. In the payperclick programs, website are only billed for those who actually visit the page, unlike banner ads which may be seen by millions but only used by a few. When using the payperclick program you are asked to choose keywords and when those are entered your site will appear and if the surfer chooses to view your site, you are billed for that click. Many payperclick programs will offer other benefits as well, such as updated lists of commonly used keywords.

4. You should remember that others are in the same boat as you. You can choose to network with those who have similar marketing ideas. When networking you will be able to share links and refer customers to each other. You should always be very cautious when choosing a networking partner as everything that you recommend is a reflection of yourself or your product and therefore, you should be certain that your networking partner is a reputable source of information.

5. Simply because your website is online, doesn’t mean that all your advertising should be. Advertise in newspapers, TV, the radio or you can even send out a press release to get your information to thousands of people all over the country.

About The Author

Carl Hoffman

Fourteen years of experience in sales and marketing and owner of various websites promoting and selling tangible and intangible products. Carl Hoffman can help you start your own business within 24 hours. To learn more visit: http://CEHoffman.com/pips/html.

This article was posted on August 27

by Carl Hoffman

Ezines Are Effective In Advertising Your Online Bu

Ezines Are Effective In Advertising Your Online Business?

by: Alan Cheng

กEzines are the most cost effective way to advertise your business opportunityก. Iกm sure you’ve heard that phrase many times if you’ve been marketing on the internet for a while. But is that a myth or a fact?

An Internet Marketer once advertised that he can guarantee $1,000 profit for the user within weeks if he used the techniques outlined in his ebook.

And the secret of the ebook advertise in Ezines using $2,000 and you are guaranteed success unless your product is useless. Well I didn’t try it at the time because I couldn’t find $2,000 lying about in the house or in my bank account. However, it does show the belief people have with Ezines.

There are 3 types of ads in Ezines:

Classified Ads

These are small ads which you can find at the bottom of newsletters. There is limited space in these ads therefore your ads have to be eyecatching. Classified Ads in ezines are cheap and sometimes free due to its limited space and location which is at the end of the ezine.

Sponsor Ads

These ads are placed at the top of the newsletter and sometimes in the middle. Some ezines have more than one sponsor ads. Sponsor ads are more expensive than Classified ads and can contain more words so your ad can be more descriptive. Sponsor ads are more effective than Classified Ads as their position in the newsletter is better.

Solo Ads

Solo ads is the most effective way out of the three type of ads for generating response.

Solo ads fills up a whole email which only contains your advertisement. The newsletter is sent on your behalf to its subscribers. Thus your ad will have the biggest exposure. Solo ads are more expensive than Sponsor ads but more effective.

กGreat. Super. Fantastic. So whatกs your advice Alan?ก My advice is advertising in Ezines do work. And they work very well. Some people don’t think so because after placing some ads and seeing very little or no response they think they have proven that Ezine advertising is a lie used by Ezines Publishers.

Well I can tell you now that they are getting poor responses because they have not followed the rules for advertising successfully in Ezines.

Rules in Advertising in Ezines Successfully

1. If you can, save money and advertise using Solo ads. They have the best chances of being read by the subscribers and they have no other ads distracting or competing against.

2. Work on your subject line. Even with Solo Ads, people will not open your email if the subject is of no interest to them. Subjects which promises massive fortunes in a few days will get deleted with second thoughts.

3. Work on your Content. After the subscribers open your email, your next task is to try and get them to read the content. So make damn sure your content is interesting and enticing enough for them to take some action. Believe the saying ขContent is Kingข.

4. When you’re advertising other peoples’ products using affiliate programs do not send the visitors to the product’s website. I think people are crazy when they do this. The reason is that you are sending traffic to other peoples websites and if they won’t buy you’ve lost that lead for good.

Therefore the aim of you ad is to capture their email address so that you can advertise to them again and again. If they don’t buy product A then you can advertise Product B to them. Now don’t you think that makes more sense?

5. Advertise in well known Ezines and which are related to the topic you are advertising. Advertising stock recommendations to Golf enthusiasts will surely give you a terrible response rate.

6. For Classified ads, make sure you are advertising in large numbers such as 100,000. Not many people read Classified ads and you will be listed among other ads as well. However, you might get lucky if your headline is attractive enough.

To end this article I’m going to share a secret with you on what I think is the best and cheapest way to advertise in Ezines. That is to write your own articles and ask the Ezine Publishers if they are interested in sending out your articles in an issue of their newsletter.

Now let’s think about this for a moment. Your own article is published in ezines and placed on their websites. People who write articles are given more respect and are trusted more. Plus your articles will stay on some websites for years which also means that it will generate traffic for years. The traffic is generated with a resource box you can put at the bottom of your article. You can put your URL here and also write a little bit of background about yourself.

You are creating a name for yourself on the internet scene and you are also generating leads which you can email your recommendations to. There is no cost for you when Publishers decide to include your article so the only cost coming out of you is the time needed to write the article.

In my opinion, writing articles for ezines is the most effective way to advertise using ezines. Not to mention it’s cheap and will generate traffic even after many months.

If you want to know which ezines to advertise in, the cost, number of subscribers and what services are available that can help you in publish your articles, please send an email to my autoresponder at mailto:[email protected]

About The Author

Alan Cheng, is the owner of http://www.onlinemoneymachine.com the membership site to help beginners setup a profit generating online business. With all the right tools to setup your website and advertise effectively. You can contact Alan at mailto:[email protected].

This article was posted on November 25, 2004

by Alan Cheng

How to Breathe New Life into Your Advertising Camp

How to Breathe New Life into Your Advertising Campaign

by: Karin Peavy

If you haven’t made many sales or perhaps none at all, don’t be discouraged. Use this 10point checklist to breathe new life into your advertising campaigns and improve your response rate.

>>

Remind people they are ordering through a secure server. Tell them you won’t sell or share their email address and that all their information will be kept confidential.

>>

Your advertisement should outline benefits and not just features. In addition, your adกs headline should attract your target audience. You should also list testimonials or guarantees.

Here are two free resources you can use to learn how to write effective ads and headlines.

5,000 Hypnotic Words and Phrases

http://www.incomewaterway.com/freebook

Copywriting ECourse

http://www.redhotcopy.com/downloads.htm

>>

People usually don’t purchase the first time they visit. The more times they visit your site, the greater the chance they will buy. The most effective way to get people to return to your site is to give them a free subscription to your ezine. You can accomplish this by posting a sign up form or guestbook on your website. You could also list free and low cost resources on your website and update them regularly. Ask visitors to bookmark your site and visit again and again to discover newly added items.

>>

People will feel more comfortable if they know who they are buying from. Publish a section called กAbout Usก (or กAbout Meก if you’re a sole proprietor) on your web site. Include your business history, profile of employees, contact information etc. Hereกs an example of my own กAbout Meก page.

http://www.incomewaterway.com/aboutme

>>

Accept credit cards, checks, money orders, and other forms of electronic payments such as PayPal, ClickBank, etc. Take orders by phone, email, website, fax, mail, etc.

>>

You need your own domain. To find if a name is already taken and to register your own domain name go here:

http://www.godaddy.com

Make sure your website is easy to navigate through. If you site has dozens of pages, consider including a site map.

Websites are most effective when the material all relates to one theme including the graphics.

Hereกs where you can find out how to download a free ebook that will help you design effective web pages:

[email protected]

>>

When you use free stuff to lure people to your website include it below your ad copy or on another web page. If you list the freebie above your ad they may never look to see what you’re selling.

>>

You won’t sell steaks to a vegetarian. You want visitors that are interested specifically in what you offer. Consider surveying your existing customers to see what made them decide to buy from you. This information will help you improve your target marketing and advertising.

If you don’t yet have a customer base, use ezine advertising to begin building one. Find ezines that cater to an audience interested in your marketing area. For instance, if your product relates to humor find publishers that distribute humor ezines. Hereกs one of the fastest ways to find the right ezines.

http://www.incomewaterway.com/ezines

>>

Every experienced marketer knows you must work at constantly improving various aspects of your business…especially your ad copy since itกs the lifeblood of your business. This is how you get the word out. So, you must be willing to try different headlines and revise ad copy if necessary.

Use an ad tracker for your advertising campaigns to measure how many clickthroughs you receive for a particular ad.

>>

Many people are interested in your product but they put off buying it till later and eventually forget about it. Entice them to buy now with a freebie or discount and include a deadline date when the offer ends.

If your business is at a standstill, it doesn’t have to be. Use these 10 techniques to breathe new life into your marketing efforts.

About The Author

Karin Peavy has marketed online for three years. Her goal is to help others zero in on exactly whatกs needed for web success. In response to this goal she created http://www.incomewaterway.com, home to some of the webกs best marketing resources including free articles and ecourses. Karin also publishes a free weekly enewsletter that provides product reviews, income opportunities and marketing tips. Free gift with every subscription: http://www.incomewaterway.com/FreeTips.

You may use this article in your electronic publication or on your website as long as you do not alter the article in any way. You must also include my bio in its entirety.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 15, 2004

by Karin Peavy