Featuring Ben Settle -- Email fanatic and scrappy entrepreneur

I was ASTONISHED last night.

Just astonished.

Frankly, I had to slap myself to make sure it was for real.

Why?

Because I saw something (with my own two eyes) that I wasn’t sure actually existed. Yes, I’ve HEARD of it. People often tell “legends” about it. But like a unicorn or leprachaun, I just have never seen this thing before.

What am I talking about?

Unwavering customer service.

Yes, it DOES exist.

Here’s what happened:

I’m gearing up to do a direct mail campaign (yep, good ol’ paper and ink stuffed in an envelope with a stamp stuck on it). And I want to drop it in the mail the day after Labor Day next week.

So I set everything up with the printer.

Then, I noticed I may have to make some last minute changes.

As in, the very day it’s to be mailed, I may have to add some names to my mailing list, have some extra copies of the mailing printed, stuffed and ready to go.

Now, let’s face it:

For some places this is a problem.

Heck, I KNOW a couple printers I’ve used would’ve balked, but not the dude who does my printing (www.SelbyMarketing.com)

You know what he said?

He said (and I quote):

“We will always take care of you somehow”

How many times do you hear THAT anymore?

I don’t think I ever have.

It’s as RARE as hens teeth.

And that which is rare is most VALUED, gets the most attention and almost always gets the most sales.

Something to think about.

Especially in these dire financial times.

Ben Settle

P.S. OK, so I’m re-releasing Street-Smart Email tomorrow. Early bird customers get a sweet $200 off the price (it IS an expensive course, and not for anyone but the most serious marketers who take action).

To be notified when it’s ready, go ye to:

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Today’s email is short on words, but long on depth.

Checky:

Recently my friend Ray Edwards started a private newsletter for friends and clients and he generously sent me the first issue. It was EXTRMELY good, too.

And also quite inspiring.

There’s actually a lot of great success stuff in it.

But what stood out (like a glowing thumb) was this:

“…as entrepreneurs, we (you and I) are the only thing that will ‘fix’ the ‘economy’.”

Very true, Ray.

Very true indeed.

Unfortunately, people keep thinking Obama or a new Republican CONgress or some other super politician with a cape and tights is going to save the day.

They won’t.

Heck, they CAN’T.

They don’t actually produce anything.

All they do is redistribute and regulate (i.e. strangulate).

Which is why if you’re an entrepreneur (or if you sell anything for a living, in any way, shape or form) then YOU are actually doing far more for the economy than any politician ever can.

So keep selling.

Keep serving people.

And keep solving peoples’ problems.

Just because you don’t always see or feel it, doesn’t mean you aren’t making your mark on the world.

Fact is you ARE making a difference.

Even if it’s just one sale at a time.

Ben Settle

P.S. One of the best (and easiest) ways to sell even in a bad economy is with frequent emails (if done correctly, at least). My Street-Smart Email system is going back online in a few days, and early birds get a couple hundred bucks off.

To make sure you’re notified, go here:

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Last week Ryan Healy wrote a funny blog post.

It was about the power of the word “secrets” and how it was used in the opening montages of both the show “He Man” and the show “She Ra” (complete with YouTube clips — gotta love those old Gen X cartoons!)

Anyway, I watched He-Man every day as a kid.

And I especially got a kick out of “Orko.”

Orko was a dimensionally-displaced magician dude who was always floating around casting spells that seemed to backfire (and usually in a way nobody expects and that’d get him in trouble…)

Well, you know what?

We got some of that online, too.

No, I’m not talking about dorky little magicians floating around.

I speaketh of people using sales “tricks” that backfire.

Example?

A while back I remember reading a copywriter’s site who claimed he was trained in NLP or hypnosis (something like that). So I started reading his ad and he kept repeating the same words over and over and over in the ad.

It was like he actually thought he could “hypnotize” you.

And it was REALLY weird.

Now, he probably thought he was being “clever.”

Maybe even “cool.”

But it was just extreme lameness.

And I’d be shocked if any serious client looking for a solid copywriter would be able to keep a straight face while reading it (much less hire the poor shmuck who wrote it). It was just too silly and blatantly manipulative to take seriously.

And that’s kinda the “moral” of the story.

Forget the tricks.

Like Orko’s spells, sales tricks rarely ever work.

And, in fact, just backfire.

Ben Settle

P.S. The next Crypto Marketing Newsletter issue goes to the printer in a couple days. It’s all about closing sales in your ads (including an extremely persuasive way almost nobody ever talks about).

No goo-roo tricks or nonsense.

Just solid ways to close the deal and get the sale.

Very simple.

And very profitable, too.

To get it just float on over to…

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It’s amusing when people say you “must” have testimonials.

You hear it all the time from goo-roos, especially.

But you know what?

In many cases, testimonials are the weakest way to prove something. For one thing, they’re easily faked. And for another, they’re easily faked! (Which can make people skeptical of ALL other testimonials and endorsements.)

Plus, they don’t always help, anyway.

In fact, in some cases, they can HURT your response.

Case in point:

I was recently chatting with the guy who does all the testing for one of the businesses I write ads for. He’s been testing the living you-know-what out of sales pages lately and he was telling me how, in one test, response went UP when he removed the testimonials.

Interesting, eh?

Now, does this mean testimonials are all bad?

That you shouldn’t use them?

And that I’m telling you to avoid them?

Hellz no!

By all means use ‘em if you have ‘em!

But don’t RELY on them.

And if you do use them, test them.

Otherwise, all that glowing praise could be hurting you.

You just never know…

Ben Settle

P.S. Since we’re rapping about testimonials…

Below are a stack I’ve gotten for my Crypto Marketing Newsletter over the past few months:

Without question the value that Ben puts into each monthly
newsletter is worth many times the subscription price. Shoot, the
bonuses that came with the subscription are worth the subscription
price. Then there is the crypto discussion group that as a
subscriber you have access to. Ben regularly puts more information
and ideas into the discussion group. If you have a question, within
short order Ben has a reply. Plus you get some great feedback from
other members of the group. Off hand, I do not know another
copywriter/internet marketer of Ben’s caliber that gives such free
access. I just hope none my competitors subscribe. Which is the
highest recommendation I can give.

- John R. Deck
DirectMarketResults.com

I just finished reading your May & June issue. I subscribe to a
fair amount of newsletters but yours is always moved to the top of
the stack. It’s the first one I read. It’s one of the best
marketing newsletters I’ve read since the Gary Halbert Letter.

- Dan Gallapoo
DobermanDan.com

“I have signed up for Ben’s Crypo Marketing membership after being
introduced to him by a friend. Now being with him only two months,
it was the BEST recommendation that I could have received. Ben has
an incredible way of telling a story that keeps you interested in
reading. If you are crazy enough to pass him up on his unbelievably
low cost Cyrpo Marketing, then you are literally lighting your
money on fire and watching it burn up in front of you.

- Jason Froehlich
renegadefitnessresults.com

I am greatly enjoying your newsletter! I wish it came out more
often. As soon as I see the package, I rip it open before I even
make it back to my house. Thanks again

- Amy Hainz

I’m a marketing consultant, and I like to have a nice big grab bag
of proven, principle-based, ideas for increasing response for my
clients. I shared one of his PR ideas with a client recently, and
had a really fun mastermind session on how and where we could work
the idea into his business. Like with anything we’ll have to test
it, but I think it’s going to be a great lead generator for my
customer. And the whole thing just reinforced the relationship
with my customer and keeps me positioned as the goto guy. As a
marketing consultant, Ben & the ideas he shares in the Crypto
newsletter just plain make me look good.

- Glen McNeil

Crypto Marketing gives me new ideas each month that I can actually
implement because it doesn’t bog me down with TMI. Also, the
private “back room” of the Crypto Yahoo group doesn’t have the
noise and chest-thumping of the public marketing forums. Ben
himself is low key, likes to over-deliver, and doesn’t pass himself
off as a goo-roo.

-Anita Ashland,
AnitaAshland.com

Ben, I loved your newsletter I got in the mail. I’ll be ranking you
#1 out of everyone. Whatever you do, please don’t sellout to the
“goo-roos” and stay unique like you are. Good job man!

-Ricky Breslin
RickyBreslin.com

As a pro copywriter, I get lots of products, newsletters, and
coaching programs for free. Usually from clients or people who WANT
to be clients (and who are trying to “butter me up”). The number of
things I actually PAY for is pretty low. If I’m going to cough up
actual dough, I have to be convinced the product is VERY valuable
— especially if I’m paying for it month after month. I’m happy to
pay the full retail price for Crypto Marketing — because it’s
good. Very good. ’nuff said.”

- Ray Edwards
RayEdwards.com

Wow Ben! You’re really over delivering here. Honestly, the bonuses
alone are worth more than the last two products I purchased put
together. Anybody who doesn’t buy today, is a dork.

- Courtney James Houde

You can subscribe to The Crypto Marketing Newsletter at:

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I’ve made MANY mistakes in selling.

Not just online… but offline, too. In fact, I don’t think it’s truly possible to get really good at selling online until you’ve made a lot of mistakes selling offline.

Take for example, my MLM days.

I was a really excited distributor!

Oh yeah, baby!

I was sold on all the products… thoroughly indoctrinated with the company propaganda… and could recite the tapes and company “kool aid” chapter by chapter and verse by verse.

And yet, I BOMBED selling.

Yes, even though I had the enthusiasm.

Even though I had the product knowledge.

And even though I was a persistent little cuss.

You see, my problem was my mouth.

I never shut up!

I just blabbed on and on and on and on. Sometimes someone might even have been ready to sign up, credit card in hand, and I’d end up talking them out of it!

I just wouldn’t shut the &$^%! up!

Man times I could literally see the enthusiasm (and life) drain from some poor guy’s face with my every word.

Then… fast forward a couple years later.

I started selling online via writing sales letters.

I figured that’d take care of my “chatter box” problem.

BZZZT!

That only made it WORSE.

Instead of not shutting up and getting to the point verbally… I was being too long winded with my written words.

Ugh.

I still shutter at those 25+ page monstrosities.

Anyway, my point is this:

If you want to be better at selling (online or off)… shut up!

Be a man (or lady) of as few words as you need to get the job done.

Anything more just sabotages yourself.

And puts your would-be customers to sleep.

Ben Settle

P.S. Probably the worst place you can be too chatty in your ads is in the close. I can’t tell you how many sales I used to lose because I was too long-winded in my closes.

Well, guess ye what?

The next Crypto Marketing Newsletter issue is all about the all-important close — including real life examples (you can swipe) of how to do it quickly, efficiently and in the most profitable way possible.

It goes to print next week.

So if you want in on time, subscribe here today:

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