The One Guaranteed Way To Get Traffic To Your Business (Nah, Not Really!)

The One Guaranteed Way To Get Traffic To Your Business (Nah, Not Really!)

How do you get traffic?

It’s an impossible question to answer. There are reasons why.

Reason 1: Your situation is not mine.
Reason 2: Technology changes all the time.
Reason 3: If you’re on a wave, you ride to the shore faster.

Reason 1: Your situation is not mine

Anyone who tells you that they have a fool proof way to get traffic is just making an ass out of you. Because there are ten million ways to get traffic. And before this line is completed, there will probably be ten million and twenty ways. And no matter what I tell you, it will not apply to you. But let me try anyway.

Let me tell you that the best way to get really qualified traffic is to do presentations. So I’m saying this: Do what a friend of mine does. Get on a plane for 200 days a year and speak at events back to back, and you’ll get traffic.

Or do what Marketingprofs and MarketingSherpa did when they started. They cross-promoted their lists. Or do what Red Bull did. They sent out Red Bull cans by the dozen to the coolest groups in the university (everyone wants to do what the cool ones are doing).

You’re getting the point, aren’t you?

You are looking for some cut and dried way to get traffic. And there isn’t a way. Instead there are ten million and forty seven ways (yes, it just got updated) to get traffic.

And you have to choose the top ten ways that would possibly work for you. And out of these top ten, about one or two will drive 80-95% of your traffic. And of course, you’ll get lucky and some people will find you or hear of you. There’s always that luck element. But there is no way. And the reason why there is no way is because of technology.

Reason 2: Technology always evolves

Jay Abraham was a cutting edge marketer in the year 1995. Then the Internet waltzed through the door. Jay didn’t know much about the Internet. Someone else got to wear the crown.

Microsoft dominated the world of computers and they still do. But that edge is being taken away. Not one of us could have foreseen getting customers through Linked In or blogs or Facebook or some other media. And because technology keeps moving on, you have to waltz out of the door and into the street with it.

So if you were able to get people to sign up in droves (we got 1500 people to sign up for our teleconferences back in the year 2004), you probably get 30 people signing up today.

Things change.

Our list has grown ten fold over the year 2004, but the demands on your customer’s attention has grown as well. So let’s just take a simple example.

In the year 2009, we had about 1500 people opt in to get free goodies for the Article Writing Course. In the year 2011, it was fewer than 700. Now that doesn’t make sense.

Our list has grown. What also doesn’t make sense was that with 1500 people on the list, it would take us 4-6 weeks to fill up the course. It now takes us as little as 177 minutes. And sometimes fewer than 60 minutes.

And while strictly speaking this wasn’t a change in technology, it could be. In the year 2009 or 2008 or 2006, you would not be able to run video on your website. You would not have podcasts. And you would not have had this or that.

And that would give the customers fewer chances to get to know you

At least 10-15 of a batch of 20 signed up solely because we met them in a live workshop in Washington DC and Vancouver, Canada. That may not have happened if the price of the tickets weren’t as cheap as they are now. So changing times and technology plays a huge role in getting customers. And that’s not counting being on the wave. So what’s the wave?

Reason 3: Riding the Wave

iTunes was new, along came a podcast called Coffee Break Spanish. This was a Scottish guy, Mark Pentleton, teaching Spanish with a Scottish accent. No one had heard of Coffee Break before. But there was a podcast wave. People had new iPods and new iPhones and were travelling (yes, with discounted air fares) and so they wanted to learn Spanish. And where better to look than on iTunes?

Coffee Break Spanish rocketed to 30,000,000 subscribers.

That was a while ago. They may have doubled since then, I don’t know. But to say that iTunes was the saviour is to sell Coffee Break Spanish short. They worked their butts off to get people to sign up. They got people to cast votes on various podcast sites. They managed to get PR and get on radio shows (my memory is a bit fuzzy here) and the juggernaut started rolling.

Lynda.com was just a site.

Heck it wasn’t a site. Lynda Weinmann published tech how-to books. When they started out, video was impossible. Then the Internet changed. Video changed. And today they have a few million hits every month. All by magic, of course. Not really.

Lynda advertises on Facebook. They go to schools and universities and offer them special prices. They partner with Adobe.com and Adobe promotes a lot of the videos that in turn show how Adobe’s products are best used. They get a ton of traffic and they do a ton of things to get that traffic.

The same applies to any wave.

If you got onto the blog wave in 2005, you could have tens of thousands of visitors. If you got onto the Facebook wave, possibly the same would apply.

In the year 2002, you could be reasonably average and get a few thousand subscribers.

I know this because our stuff was average back then. I’d just switched from a career in cartooning to marketing. I didn’t know much, didn’t write quite as well and finding our subscribe button on the page was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But a few thousand subscribers signed up. But that’s the wave. If you’re there when it breaks, you ride it and you’re first to the shore. If you’re still wondering what to do and which way to get traffic, you’ve missed the wave and will keep missing them forever.

So is there one way to get traffic?

No there isn’t.
There never has been.
There are ten million ways. And next week there will most certainly be a lot more. You just have to start somewhere. So where do you start?

Make a list of seven methods you’d feel comfortable doing.

Make a further list of about three methods that would put you outside your comfort zone. Then work those methods. The methods that put you outside your comfort zone will take more effort, but it will give you an advantage. Everyone else will be trying to do what’s easy and safe. And you’ll be doing something different.

Just like we get on a plane from New Zealand and fly half way across the world to do a two-day workshop. It’s a lot outside our comfort zone. It’s a lot to cross time zones, work out a presentation, answer twenty thousand questions in a week or two. It takes a month of preparation and a month of recovery. But it’s what we do. And it’s one of the sources of traffic.

Not your source of traffic.

Our source.
Go ahead. Find your own.
Start today!

How did you generate traffic to your website recently? Share your traffic generation idea here.

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1) Are you losing tons of potential business because you don’t know  how the brain works?
Read how The Brain Audit can help you…

2) NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline.
So what’s the remaining 20% that causes customers to buy? Find out more

3) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’?
Learn how the core elements of outlining can save you from the misery of writing your next article.

4) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion?
Learn how to create drama and curiosity and help improve your web page conversion with visuals.

5 Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients?
Put some sanity into your design, even though you are not a designer?

6) Chaos Planning
Year after year you sit down and create a list of things you want to achieve. Then suddenly it’s February, and you’ve not really moved ahead as you’d expected.
Learn Why Most Planning Fails: And The Critical Importance of Chaos in Planning.

NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action?

Next Step: To get more Psychological Tactics
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Why The Wrong Uniqueness Fails Quickly (And Why The Right Uniqueness Is Built On A “DNA”)

The biggest problem with most companies is that they are afraid of their uniqueness becoming obsolete. You have your uniqueness one day, and they it is gone. So how do you stop that from happening?

Let’s take an example

Let’s suppose you’re a teleconference company. And you say that your equipment is so darned good that a conference is like being  in the ‘room next door’.

Now what does that mean?

Surely it means that your equipment is the latest and the greatest. But that can quickly become obsolete, right? It’s easy enough for other companies to do the same. And pretty darned soon everyone has the very same equipment. And boof, your uniqueness is shot to hell.

Oh no it isn’t! Not if your uniqueness is part of your DNA.

So how do we prevent our uniqueness from becoming obsolete? And what’s a DNA anyway?

Introducing the Uniqueness Mastery (FREE) Course
In case you missed the announcement, for the last three weeks we have been giving away a lot of goodies absolutely free.
Goodie 1: Learn how to create your Uniqueness. Find out the biggest mistakes
and how to avoid them.
Goodie 2: What Good Is Uniqueness If A Competitor Can Easily Copy It?

Goodie 3: Brand Positioning: Why The Right Uniqueness Is Built On A “DNA”

So how do you access your goodies?
Find out more at this link

Warm regards from the land of the long white cloud (and the long weekend)

-Sean
P.S. These goodies are being offered for a short time. So get them while the page is still live.

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Understanding Plots and Sub-Plots When Writing Salesletters

Understanding Plots and Sub-Plots When Writing Salesletters

Imagine you’re having a discussion with a hyperactive, talkative teenager.
And the conversation goes like this…

“We went to the mall, and like, there was this fire in the mall. And we went from there to the cinema, but we didn’t have any money and anyway the popcorn machine was broken, and so we didn’t really want to go to the movies without popcorn. But right after that we went to have some pizza and there was this creepy guy outside the store. But listen to this—because that’s not the best part. The best part is the Sylvie dumped Josh, and like, they ran into each other in the street…”

When we, like, write copy for our website, we like, sound a lot like that teenager

What we tend to do is go all over the place with our copy. First of course, we’ll try to stuff in about five concepts in our headline. Then we’ll try and fill in a whole bunch of sub-heads that we want to drive home.

And then our first paragraph tries to cover all the possible points. And like that teenager, we have the entire story in our heads, but nothing quite gets across to the client. And that’s because you’re trying to cover way too many points too quickly.

And as you’ve worked it out for yourself, this bounce and jumping around is exhausting for the reader or listener, and hence is a big mistake.

So let’s see how this mistake unfolds when we write copy by examining an actual piece of copy.

Headline: Are You Fed Up With Unprofessional Contractors …
Body text:
That don’t call you back or even show up?
Are you done with contractors that lack the ability to communicate in a timely manner?
Or run away from problems that crop up during and after a project?
Are you over dealing with the hacks of the world?
Have you enough of sitting home babysitting people that are you uncomfortable with?

So what’s wrong with that sequence?

Technically, nothing. The headline is perfect. It gets my attention without too much of a fuss. But then I go to read and I get between three-five main plots and no sub-plots. And how do we know they’re main plots? Because we can list them out and see for ourselves. They all want to take centre stage.

Main plot 1: Don’t call you back or even show up
Main plot 2: Lack the ability to communicate in a timely manner
Main plot 3: Run away from problems that crop up during and after a project
Main plot 4: The so-called professional is nothing but a hack.
Main plot 5: Discomfort. Having to babysit people that are you uncomfortable with

Just like that teenager’s story, it’s possible for us to jump from one to the other, without so much as pausing for breath. So now that we know we’re creating bounce, how do we get rid of this bounce? And how do we still use all of the point we want to cover on our web page?

Here’s how you do it.

Just like a movie, you have a main plot. And you have sub-plots. So what’s your main plot? It’s the client’s most pressing problem. That’s obvious, isn’t it? You’d want to get the client’s attention by driving home the biggest, scariest, buggiest problem, wouldn’t you? And here’s how we go about it.

Headline: Write your headline. Let it cover ONE big problem (that big, buggy problem)
Body text 1: Drive home the problems involved with that ONE point.
Body text 2: Drive home the consequences of that ONE point.
Body text 3: Drive home the solution to that ONE problem.
Move to the next point.

So how does this look when we put the teenager’s story in this format?

Headline: We went to the mall and there was a fire.
Body text 1: What happened next (at the mall)
Body text 2: Then what were the consequences?
Body text 3: How did we escape the fire?

With the teenager, she’d complete one story, and move to the next. And the next. But you may have made your point with a single story. So what do you do with the rest of the stuff that you so badly want to get across? You bring it up later. Let’s see how. But first let’s get back to our example.

Headline: Are You Fed Up With Unprofessional Contractors …
Body text: That don’t call you back or even show up?
Body text 1: What’s the problem with not calling back or showing up?
Body text 2: What are the consequences? Describe the emotion that the client feels, in detail.
Body text 3: What’s the best way to avoid such a desperate scenario?

And then you present your service

Body text 4: Presenting XYZ contracting company.
Body text 5: Drive home the point of calling back. How you do it. When you show up. How you follow up.

Notice we haven’t gone to Point 2 yet. And yes, I know, you’re itching to drive home that point

But notice something? The customer doesn’t care about your itch. They’re locked in to what you’re saying. You’re the first person they’ve met who isn’t like that teenager, jumping from story to story.

The customer’s biggest problem is ‘unprofessional contractors that don’t call back or show up’ and you’re doing just that. The customer wants to know more about that story in detail, before they’re ready to move to the next story.

So once you present your company and why you bring the ONE solution, you can now move on to the next story.

Except you don’t have to tell the next story in as much detail. You can now roll out the remaining stories in slightly less detail in a feature/benefit format that looks like this:

Feature 1: Benefit 1. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and more blahdee blah, blahdoo, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and more blahdee blah, blahdoo, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and more blahdee blah, blahdoo, blah, blah, blah.

Feature 2: Benefit 1. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and more blahdee blah, blahdoo, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and more blahdee blah, blahdoo, blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah and more blahdee blah, blahdoo, blah, blah, blah.

And so on with Feature 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8—and so on. And add benefits to every one of those features

You can have as many as 8-10 paragraphs rich with details of the problem and the solutions you bring to the customer. And having locked into the main problem and seeing how you bring that solution, the customer will happily trundle through the rest of the points, and get more convinced by the minute about your expertise and professionalism.

In short what you have is a main plot. And you drive home that main plot.

And then later, pull in the sub-plots, but without the same level of intensity as the main. Just remember that you can pick any plot to be the main plot. (e.g. ‘Sylvie dumping Josh’ has more drama than ‘no popcorn at the cinema.’ And then re-tell your story on the sales page.

ONE plot at a time  :)

Do you have a question on ‘Understand Plots and Sub-Plots when Writing Salesletters? Ask it here.

Next Step
“There are marketing books and there are marketing books – I bet there are not many you have read many times over?”

The Brain Audit really teaches you the art of persuasion because it gives an insight into how people’s brains work. I have used the principles in writing WebPages, writing articles, making presentations, networking, negotiating and even writing submissions for a judge!

But the best bit about the Brain Audit is that it actually works.The principles are easy to understand.

Would I recommend it to people serious about getting on in business? Absolutely.

mikes

Michael Smyth, approachablelawyer, Auckland
Judge for yourself —The Brain Audit: Why Customers Buy And Why They Don’t

“I was wary of signing up and paying for a forum or another membership site“

“If you suspect that your business could be bringing in a lot more revenue but you don’t have a clue how to make that happen without hype or hassle, 5000bc is a must-have resource.

I honestly didn’t see what 5000bc could offer me that I couldn’t get from Sean’s books. Besides, how could a bunch of people – most of whom are not business experts – help me build my business?

I joined anyway because the price was right and I wanted the information that came with the premium membership. ;-)

The information and support I received from Sean and my fellow “cavers” about a single Web page was directly responsible for selling $10,000 worth of books in less than two weeks.

Unlike many Web communities, 5000bc members are active and to the point. Sean keeps adding content that drills down to specific problems in business and then shows you how to solve them.

Try it. You won’t regret it.”

5000bc: Small Business Marketing Memembership| Molly Gordon testimonial
Molly Gordon, Master Certified Coach
Shaboom Inc, USA

Judge for yourself—How 5000bc can make your business succeed.

Products: Under $50
NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline.
So what’s the remaining 20% that causes customers to buy? Find out more

1) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’?
Learn how the core elements of outlining can save you from the misery of writing your next article.

2) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion?
Learn how to create drama and curiosity and help improve your web page conversion with visuals.

3) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients?
Put some sanity into your design, even though you are not a designer?

4) Chaos Planning
Year after year you sit down and create a list of things you want to achieve. Then suddenly it’s March, and you’ve not really moved ahead as you’d expected.
Learn Why Most Planning Fails: And The Critical Importance of Chaos in Planning.

5) Nothing bugs you more than a painful client.
A client who hassles you at every step of the way. Learn how to use the power of the ‘six critical questions’ to get incredible testimonials—and attract clients that make every day an absolute joy.

NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action?

Next Step: To get more Psychological Tactics
Subscribe: : Get Updates via RSS | Get Updates via Email


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Reminder for the Uniqueness Mastery (FREE) Course—But first a case study!

If you haven’t been to sign up for the free uniqueness course yet, then you should. And here’s just one reason why. Read this case study and judge for yourself.

Hey Sean

When you first sent through the link for these videos, I dropped everything to watch them.
(Dropping everything to watch 45 minutes of video is not something I ordinarily do.)

There’s at least a negotiation with myself before I do a time consuming thing like that. Oddly enough! Not this time. As I’m watching I’m noticing my unusual behaviour and thinking that Sean did such a great job of preselling with his build up email sequence. I can’t believe I’m sitting down like a salivating dog who has to eat this bone before doing anything else! Great lesson right there).

I then watched the three videos and took notes. So that turned out to be over an hour all up. Then about 90 minutes later I sat down and thought! You know what?

Let’s run the process and follow your steps and see what happens.

Three and half pages, 45 paragraphs and less than an hour later, I ended up with a 2 word uniqueness statement and a 32 word uniqueness description.

Sean, I was S. T. U. N. N. E. D.

Stunned that I actually got one. That it was entirely unexpected (by my conscious mind). Stunned that it felt congruent. That it felt like wheels. Stunned that it felt momentous. That it felt like motion. Stunned that some blockage had been surgically removed.

At that point I was ** too stunned ** to leave a comment. So I have sat on it since then.

Actually I am now noticing that the second word, the noun is firm and settled. And I am still thinking about the first word, the verb. I’m on my 3rd verb so far. And so far the 3rd and 1st choices are the best two so far.

Amazing how closely this process makes you look at two words.

And how the choice you make determines the direction and tone of one’s uniqueness. And all else that flows from there. Now that I am more used to the uniqueness statement and description, and the stun effect is reducing, I can actually post this comment now.

When this new product and its uniqueness launches I’ll let you know. Sean, props and gratitude for your guidance, all the way from Grey Lynn.

Taura Eruera
Auckland, New Zealand

So there you have it. You actually have a live case study. So go to:
Uniqueness Mastery and fill in that form that will give you access to these amazing bonuses. And once you get them, drop everything and watch/read them right away! You will be gobsmacked! :)

Sean D'Souza

Warm regards,
s-
P.S. Here is the link again Uniqueness Mastery


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Why I Gave Up Video (And Why I’m Back)

I didn’t give up video. I just got busy.
You know how it is, right? You want to do something and then you make this grand list. Then you do a bit of it. And you do some more. And some more. And you get results. And then you do a spectacularly stupid thing.

You give up.

Why? No one knows for sure.
It’s not like video took me more time. In fact, the first time I tried to make a video  (I say ‘try’ because I didn’t complete the video) it took me five hundred and eight hours.

A couple of hours of shooting. Five hundred hours of wondering how lousy I’d look and sound on video. And the remaining six hours of fiddly stuff with the right location, video software etc.

And yet a month or two later, we were shooting eight videos in an hour

My wife, Renuka would set up the camera. We’d switch on the lights. And I’d speak. No teleprompter, no reading from notes, nothing. Just speak as though I was speaking to a client.

And no, I didn’t start out that way. I needed the notes. I bought several teleprompters. Then I just got sick of the whole process and decided to shoot whatever I possibly could in an hour.

And it was ONE take. No second take. The less I focused on getting it right vs. getting it done, the more videos got done. But it was killing me to script, shoot, edit, put titles, keywords and upload the darned thing.

Bah! It was maddening!

So I hatched a devious plan

I contacted some kids at school and one of them showed up, keen to edit video. Now he had standing instructions. He had to show up and never call. If he called, I might say something like, “Let’s skip this week”.

But if I knew he was going to show up anyway, I had to do the video. This kid was free for a few hours on Saturday. I’d shoot on Friday evening. One hour. Eight videos. Back to back. Then I’d need a beer or two.

But something happened along the way

I can’t remember the details. But I just gave up. The kid stopped showing up. Maybe we went on vacation. Maybe something else happened. The point is irrelevant. I just stopped.

And that’s what we all do. We stop. And we have to be re-booted once again.

So towards the end of last year, I did the reboot. I contacted a film school and asked if their alumni were keen to earn some money. Three eager beavers showed up. Two dropped out, for some weird reason. One stayed. And he’s good!

And that’s a lesson in itself

Trying to do the scripting, shooting, editing, rendering, uploading is a pain in the you-know-where. You may start off all nice and cheery, but projects come in the way, chaos drops in for a beer and then all hell breaks loose. You definitely need to get some help. Kids all around you know how to use video cameras and all tend to have access to a computer.

And they will spend the time editing, if not shooting for you. I prefer to have the person shoot and edit, and that is the best way going forward. That way you, the talent, can do the prep work, get time to actually comb your hair and then do the shoot in one go.

Or two. Or five. But at least once it’s done, it’s done.

And so in two weeks, we’ve shot seventeen videos

Not in two weeks. In two hours, just spread over two weeks.

I know, I know. It sounds intimidating, but it’s only intimidating for the first five hundred and eight hours. After that you get used to the camera, just like you get used to looking at yourself in the mirror.

And while those seventeen videos were the live videos, I got back into making screencasts as well.

Now screencasts are tough

They’re tough if you want to do a good job. Because there’s no live movement, you have to create the movement. So a 30-minute video may have as many as 250 slides and about 300 specific animation points.

That’s not counting the audio recording time (which I do separately) and the graphics. And the layout. And the storyboard. And another half a dozen things. In short, it’s a big production. And often people make screencasts because they’re afraid of facing the screen.

Well don’t let me stop you from making 250 slides

But if you’re looking to save time, live action is better. It’s quicker. It’s easy to trash and start again. You may not like your voice and you may not like your face on video, but you’ll get over it sooner or later.

Probably later, but there will be a time (and get this) when you will actually like your voice. No, I’m not kidding. Then people have to shut you up.

The final reason for making screencasts is because you have something that needs to be demonstrated, rather than spoken.
Of course the final reason is just that you’re a sucker for punishment—which I am.

So why did I start making video again?

Well, I don’t know about you, but if there’s a page of pretty pictures to see, or if there’s text on this page, I still click on the video. I will head to an Apple.com page in all its glory and pretty pictures and bingo—it’s the video I want to see.

Well-made video is quicker and more tidy than reading a whole page of stuff. But let’s say you’re not me. Let’s say for instance you are the one who reads the pretty words and loves the pictures. Well, then there’s a good chance you have a client like me.

A client who wants videos. And so you may not be a video-watching person yourself, but your client loves video. And so you do what’s needed.

So I buckled down and made the video.

I made live videos.
I made screencasts.
And I’m going to make videos for our sales pages as well. Because I know they work. I’ve seen them work on painful people like me, who don’t want to read or see pretty pictures. And while it’s not always fun to get the script, the topics and do all that speaking etc., it’s now a lot of fun to see the finished product. It’s nice. It’s effective.

And more importantly, it doesn’t take five hundred and eight hours any more.

Phew!

P.S. If you’re considering video, and especially if you’re considering screencasts, you will want to look at Black Belt Presentations. It really, really helps.

Do you have a similar story to share? Post it here.

Next Step
“There are marketing books and there are marketing books – I bet there are not many you have read many times over?”

The Brain Audit really teaches you the art of persuasion because it gives an insight into how people’s brains work. I have used the principles in writing WebPages, writing articles, making presentations, networking, negotiating and even writing submissions for a judge!

But the best bit about the Brain Audit is that it actually works.The principles are easy to understand.

Would I recommend it to people serious about getting on in business? Absolutely.

mikes

Michael Smyth, approachablelawyer, Auckland
Judge for yourself —The Brain Audit: Why Customers Buy And Why They Don’t

“I was wary of signing up and paying for a forum or another membership site“

“If you suspect that your business could be bringing in a lot more revenue but you don’t have a clue how to make that happen without hype or hassle, 5000bc is a must-have resource.

I honestly didn’t see what 5000bc could offer me that I couldn’t get from Sean’s books. Besides, how could a bunch of people – most of whom are not business experts – help me build my business?

I joined anyway because the price was right and I wanted the information that came with the premium membership. ;-)

The information and support I received from Sean and my fellow “cavers” about a single Web page was directly responsible for selling $10,000 worth of books in less than two weeks.

Unlike many Web communities, 5000bc members are active and to the point. Sean keeps adding content that drills down to specific problems in business and then shows you how to solve them.

Try it. You won’t regret it.”

5000bc: Small Business Marketing Memembership| Molly Gordon testimonial
Molly Gordon, Master Certified Coach
Shaboom Inc, USA

Judge for yourself—How 5000bc can make your business succeed.

Products: Under $50
NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline.
So what’s the remaining 20% that causes customers to buy? Find out more

1) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’?
Learn how the core elements of outlining can save you from the misery of writing your next article.

2) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion?
Learn how to create drama and curiosity and help improve your web page conversion with visuals.

3) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients?
Put some sanity into your design, even though you are not a designer?

4) Chaos Planning
Year after year you sit down and create a list of things you want to achieve. Then suddenly it’s March, and you’ve not really moved ahead as you’d expected.
Learn Why Most Planning Fails: And The Critical Importance of Chaos in Planning.

5) Nothing bugs you more than a painful client.
A client who hassles you at every step of the way. Learn how to use the power of the ‘six critical questions’ to get incredible testimonials—and attract clients that make every day an absolute joy.

NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action?

Next Step: To get more Psychological Tactics
Subscribe: : Get Updates via RSS | Get Updates via Email


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Free!: How To Create Your Uniqueness Series (Yup, it’s here!)

Positioning: Uniqueness Mastery Workshop

Have you heard about Domino’s Pizza?
What about FedEx?
And how about the uniqueness of Volvo?

So yeah, these companies found their uniqueness.
But what about you? Why can’t you find or create your own uniqueness?
Why does the uniqueness of your products and  services play hide and seek with you?

And is there a way to end this hide and seek?

And more importantly, is it free?
Oooh yes it is!

So as promised here’s your uniqueness series that starts on Jan 10th (3pm Eastern). You get videos, articles, cartoons—and pretty much anything else I can think of.

And you get it absolutely free!

So where do you find all these goodies? And what’s the catch?
Find out more at: Free Uniqueness Goodies

You’ll just love what you see!

Warm regards from a psycho-summer (yup, that’s our summer so far).

Sean D'Souza: Positioning Strategy Workshop

Sean
P.S. Yes, you guessed right. There’s also a live workshop. And yes, you can read about the details when you fill in the form at the page above.


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Let’s Just Get To The Bottom Of This Hill, Mr.Frodo

Working_Smarter_View_From_T

Imagine thirty thousand menacing obstacles in your path to success.

You’re dehydrated. Hungry as hell. And wobbling like a drunk on too much Guinness. Your eyes hurt, your head throbs and your will is all but broken. You’re not even sure you want to go on.

You feel like Frodo.

As in the character Frodo, in the final episode of the ‘Lord of the Rings-The Return of the King.’

Terror and dismay gleam from Frodo’s big, expressive blue eyes. In the distance, he can see his goal. But it seems to him like he’ll never get there. He turns to Sam and says in a defeated tone, “Sam, it’s the Eye,” referring to the eye of Sauron – the enemy he must destroy.

And Sam turns to Frodo in a soft, encouraging voice and says, “Let’s just get to the bottom of this hill, Mr.Frodo.”

Let’s just get to the bottom of this hill, Mr.Frodo.

I spoke at the World Internet Summit in Sydney, Australia, a few years ago. And I saw about two hundred and fifty Frodos in the audience.

Confused. Weary. Inundated with dozens of tactics and strategies about the Internet, their eyes stared into nothingness. Frozen stiff at the task of having to build an Internet business from scratch, almost all of them seemed to have a cross too heavy to bear.

And they didn’t exactly have Sam to egg them on.

I said to them, like I say to you. “Let’s just get to the bottom of this hill, Mr.Frodo.” Then we’ll do the next hill, and the next and the next, till we get to our destination.

You’re bound to be struggling. I struggled at Yoga class. I’m a first-class doofus. Five minutes after we start the class, I wonder when it’s all going to end. I look at the ‘human pretzels’ twisting and turning to the left and right of me, and I can’t ever see myself being so flexible. And I despair.

But I’ve got my own personal Sam. I simply say to myself:”Let’s just get to the bottom of this hill, Mr.Frodo”

And hurrah, yippeee yahooey, I actually made it past
Yoga session No.2. :)

Share your ‘Frodo Story’ here.

Next Step: Links you should visit

1) How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move  an audience to action? Find out more…

2) Are serious about getting your business to the next level in 2012? Have a look at 5000bc. http://www.psychotactics.com/5000bc

Products: Under $50
NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline.
So what’s the remaining 20% that causes customers to buy? Find out more

1) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’?
Learn how the core elements of outlining can save you from the misery of writing your next article.

2) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion?
Learn how to create drama and curiosity and help improve your web page conversion with visuals.

3) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients?
Put some sanity into your design, even though you are not a designer?

4) Chaos Planning
Year after year you sit down and create a list of things you want to achieve. Then suddenly it’s January 2012, and you’ve not really moved ahead as you’d expected!
Learn Why Most Planning Fails: And The Critical Importance of Chaos in Planning.

5) Nothing bugs you more than a painful client.
A client who hassles you at every step of the way. Learn how to use the power of the ‘six critical questions’ to get incredible testimonials—and attract clients that make every day an absolute joy.

NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action?

Next Step: To get more Psychological Tactics
Subscribe: : Get Updates via RSS | Get Updates via Email


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Final Announcement: Opening Waiting List for 5000bc

Small Business Membership Site

I just wanted you to know that 5000bc is now at  the point where we have to restrict entry. However from  25-27 Dec, 2011 you can join 5000bc without having to endlessly wait in the wings. But the wall will only be down for three days.

That means that after Dec 27th 2011, you will not be able to simply register and join. And will have to go on a waiting list. And only a limited number will be able to join every month.

So why the waiting list?

1) The activity in 5000bc Forum (the Cave) is incredible.
2) The content is (did we say incredible already?) incredible.
3) There are products that non-members pay for, and 5000bc members get complimentary.
4) There are action groups that are unlike any other (you actually complete long-delayed work projects).

So why is the activity incredible?

Think of it this way: Imagine you asked a question. And you needed the answer to that question. e.g. How to create Strategic Alliances. In 5000bc, you have two options. You find detailed articles that tell you how to go about things. Or if the articles don’t exist, I write them for you (Try finding that kind of service online). And the activity speaks for itself.

In Dec 2011 we had  1745 posts in the last two weeks.
In Nov 2011 we had  2355 posts in the month.
In June 2011 we had 1512 posts in one month.

What does all this activity mean?

Are we adding more members all the time? Quite the opposite. We’re restricting membership and our members are actually using up tons of resources to grow their business (when was the last time you actually used up any of the info-overload stuff you get these days?)

And they’re using it in away that allows those who are serious (yes, we don’t care about people who just want to be “inspired”) to really get things done. The activity means that customers are asking questions–and getting replies from me and the rest of the members, leading to a rich, helpful environment.

But what if too much activity is not your cup of “chai”

If on the other hand all this activity scares you then be assured that we have private mastermind groups. 5000bc attracts both introverts and extroverts.

And introverts get drained with too many people. In 5000bc we’ve created systems that will allow you to be part of a smaller group while still having access to the content (or the big group) whenever you choose.

You’ll get immense support.

You’ll get reports that non-members pay for. And you’ll get access to courses that are not available to non-members.

Plus you’ll be part of a community that you’ve always wished for. Of course all the explicit details are on the sales page. But you’ll only get entry to 5000bc for the next four weeks. After that it’s closed. And you go on the waiting list.

If you don’t want to be shut out, have a look today
http://www.5000bc.com

You won’t regret it. :)

Special Christmas Offer: Psychotactics

Warm regards,
s-

Motto of 5000bc: Be kind, Be Helpful or Begone
P.S. Dec 27th, 2011 is the last date. But if we get too many sign-ups before that date the waiting list may begin before that date arrives. No we’re not kidding. We want to ensure the best for our clients, and this is one of the ways we can pay attention to a group that’s interested in their own future.
http://www.5000bc.com


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Special Christmas Day Offer Worth $158

Brain Audit Santa Offer: Psychotactics

You must be a bit of an email-aholic to check email on
Christmas day. :) (Yes, yes, I know everyone doesn’t celebrate
Christmas). Anyway, there’s no reason why you can’t have some
ho, ho, ho cheer!

It’s a special Christmas day offer for the Brain Audit
If you buy the Brain Audit Premium on the 25th, 26th or 27th
December, 2011 you’ll get the Brain Audit Version 3.2 and you’ll
also get a bonus set of Goodies on ‘How To Create Headlines: Part
1 + Part 2 (worth $158) absolutely free.

The link
http://www.psychotactics.com/dec25

Christmas Special Psychotactics

Sean
P.S. This offer is valid only till 27th Dec, 2011 so make sure you
don’t miss it!


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4 Critical Reasons Why Photos Need Captions (Especially On Sales Pages)

Sales Pages 4 Critical Reasons Why Photos Need Captions

Imagine you put a photo of a client on your sales page

Just the photo.
No name of the client.
No designation.
No clue as to what industry that client is in, or where they come from.
Heck, would anyone even know that person was a client?

And yet the moment you put in the details, it’s like a fog has lifted.

Suddenly there’s no room for confusion, no weird guessing or conjecture. The caption has done its job. And done it well. And yet, we don’t use captions as much as we should. Many websites failed to pick up the subtle, yet critical power of the caption. And it’s plainly silly to be lazy and not put a caption below your photo or illustration—and especially on a sales page.

And here are four important reasons.

Reason No 1: Without captions, readers will come to their own conclusion

Let’s say you have a photo on the page. It makes perfect sense to you why that photo exists. But the reader may get the wrong idea. The job of the caption is to yank the reader from whatever they’re thinking about, and gets them to specifically read what you want them to read.

Without the caption the reader may take a look at the photo and come to their own conclusion—which may be erroneous and even counterproductive to what you want them to read.

The only way you can control the situation is to slide in the caption. That way there’s zero-misinterpretation. Your reader sees the picture—then reads the caption. And all is well!

But that’s only one reason. Let’s check out Reason 2.

Reason No.2: Captions give you three ways to educate and create curiosity

When you’re getting a point across in a caption, you can use three strategies. You can use just a problem. Or just a solution. Or a combination of a problem and solution. And every one of these methods immediately creates curiosity and/or education.

Let’s examine three situations with three types of captions:

1) Solution-only caption: (Product name) gives you clear guidelines that enable you to see for yourself what’s missing and what’s working in your sales copy.
2) Problem-only caption: How do you know if your website message is working as well as it should? How can you know in advance that your presentation will wake up your audience?
3) Combination of Problem-solution based caption: How do you know if your website message is working as well as it should? How can you know in advance that your presentation will wake up your audience? (Product name) gives you clear guidelines that enable you to see for yourself what’s missing and what’s working in your sales copy.

See how all three types of captions work to educate and create curiosity? Well, let’s go and look at the curiosity bit a little more with Reason 3.

Reason 3: Captions are a handbrake

We’re used to seeing pictures and quickly scrolling by. But the moment there’s a caption we’re compelled to read the content under the caption. This is because we want to be sure we’ve got the correct idea. This is why having photos and illustrations on a web page or sales page is very important, because it keeps the reader from zooming madly from the start to the end.

Instead the photo gets the reader’s attention and the caption makes sure to keep that attention. And while creating this handbrake momentum of stop-go-stop, captions are doing one of the most valuable tasks of all: They’re acting as mini-sales messages.

Reason 4: How captions create mini-sales messages

When you run a problem-solution scenario in your caption, you’re effectively doing what every good headline does. Every outstanding headline should be designed to get your attention and the caption is nothing but a headline under a photo. If properly done, a caption gets the reader to be more curious and to investigate even deeper into the product or service.

A solution-only caption may not create the same level of curiosity, but it will still get the reader to get a much better understanding of the product or service.

But does every photo or illustration need to have a caption?

Ideally, yes. No matter which newspaper or magazine you pick up, you’ll find captions abound everywhere. There are exceptions of course, but those exceptions are kinda are rare. Almost every photo wants the power of the caption to drive the point home, and yet website owners miss out on its awesome potential to slow down, educate, create curiosity and drive home a mini-sales message.

Photo. Caption.
Photo. Caption.
Yet another photo. Yet another caption.
That’s the way your web page should be.

Are you using Photo Captions on your Sales Page? Tell us how using photo captions have helped your sales page. Post it here.

Next Step
“There are marketing books and there are marketing books – I bet there are not many you have read many times over?”

The Brain Audit really teaches you the art of persuasion because it gives an insight into how people’s brains work. I have used the principles in writing WebPages, writing articles, making presentations, networking, negotiating and even writing submissions for a judge!

But the best bit about the Brain Audit is that it actually works.The principles are easy to understand.

Would I recommend it to people serious about getting on in business? Absolutely.

mikes

Michael Smyth, approachablelawyer, Auckland
Judge for yourself —The Brain Audit: Why Customers Buy And Why They Don’t

“I was wary of signing up and paying for a forum or another membership site“

“If you suspect that your business could be bringing in a lot more revenue but you don’t have a clue how to make that happen without hype or hassle, 5000bc is a must-have resource.

I honestly didn’t see what 5000bc could offer me that I couldn’t get from Sean’s books. Besides, how could a bunch of people – most of whom are not business experts – help me build my business?

I joined anyway because the price was right and I wanted the information that came with the premium membership. ;-)

The information and support I received from Sean and my fellow “cavers” about a single Web page was directly responsible for selling $10,000 worth of books in less than two weeks.

Unlike many Web communities, 5000bc members are active and to the point. Sean keeps adding content that drills down to specific problems in business and then shows you how to solve them.

Try it. You won’t regret it.”

5000bc: Small Business Marketing Memembership| Molly Gordon testimonial
Molly Gordon, Master Certified Coach
Shaboom Inc, USA

Judge for yourself—How 5000bc can make your business succeed.

Products: Under $50
NEW! You already know that 80% of a sales letter depends on your headline.
So what’s the remaining 20% that causes customers to buy? Find out more

1) Do You Often Hit A Wall Called ‘Writers Block’?
Learn how the core elements of outlining can save you from the misery of writing your next article.

2) Do you know that visuals immediately improve your sales conversion?
Learn how to create drama and curiosity and help improve your web page conversion with visuals.

3) Do your websites, brochures, presentations, etc… confuse your clients?
Put some sanity into your design, even though you are not a designer?

4) Chaos Planning
Year after year you sit down and create a list of things you want to achieve. Then suddenly it’s March, and you’ve not really moved ahead as you’d expected.
Learn Why Most Planning Fails: And The Critical Importance of Chaos in Planning.

5) Nothing bugs you more than a painful client.
A client who hassles you at every step of the way. Learn how to use the power of the ‘six critical questions’ to get incredible testimonials—and attract clients that make every day an absolute joy.

NEW PRODUCT! Black Belt Presentations: How do you create presentations that enthrall, hold and move an audience to action?

Next Step: To get more Psychological Tactics
Subscribe: : Get Updates via RSS | Get Updates via Email


{ 1 comment }

Free!: Goodies on ‘How To Create a Powerful and Amazing Uniqueness (USP) for your business ‘

December 18, 2011

“Stand out from the competition,” they say. “Create uniqueness”, they say. “Be different”, they say. There’s just one problem. It’s all conceptual. There’s not one book, one course online or offline that takes on the factor of uniqueness and shows you how to get to your uniqueness step-by-step. Until now, that is. Because you can [...]

Read the full article →

Precise Client Attraction: And Why the Framing of the Problem Matters

December 13, 2011

I was at the doctor’s clinic one day for a routine check. “You have to lose about 10 pounds,” he said. “Not that you have any health problem, but you’re kinda on the borderline. And if you lose weight and eat well, you won’t have to take medication for a long, long time.” Do you [...]

Read the full article →

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