Q & A - A Fools Paradise

Here are a couple of questions that have recently crossed my desk.

Q:

Craig, why would anyone in his right mind use direct mail when you can use the internet to get business? Plus, sending out e-mails and using Google adwords is a lot cheaper than postage, printing, envelopes, etc.

A:

Most of the people who ask me questions like this have either never mailed a sales letter or a postcard in their entire life, or they’ve mailed “one” and it didn’t work, or... they foolishly believe the internet is like a casino that only pays out.

I’ve got news for you -- casinos that only pay out don’t exist in reality, and they don’t exist online either.

Here’s how business works: The amount of money you make, is generally directly proportional to the amount of effort you invest, and the amount of money you invest as well.

Often times you look at what you have, instead of what you’re missing -- after all, this is easy to do -- and sometimes painful, so why would you want to do this?

Well, the answer is, because usually, it what you don’t know that’s killing you -- and what you don’t know that can make you or break you.

For instance, MOST businesses will find better quality buyers offline. And when I say businesses, I mean entrepreneurs who aren’t looking to do a hit and run on you. I mean entrepreneurs who are concerned with growing a full-fledged business with CONSTANT ebbs and flows, (hopefully more of the ins than the outs, of course), that produce long-term customers with long-term value.

Why?

Because a HUGE percentage of the population online are dreamers searching for something that doesn’t exist. They think getting “Fre.e” information will somehow give them inside secrets that make them a bundle of cash, and they mistake the time they spend “reading” information, for time spent actually “taking action” on the information they read.

And if you think about it -- when’s the last time you got anything for fre.e that did something for you?

“Never” is the unilateral answer, across the board.

Even Napoleon Hill once said “information isn’t power” -- only information used WISELY is power.

And in fact, I’ll go one step further. Information not used at all, is more a waste of your time than anything else.

Now don’t get me wrong -- there are just as many people who are dreamers offline, as there are online. However, offline, you can get access to lists and run space ads for people who are buyers, whereas online, you have a harder time getting access to this information, unless you are doing some sort of joint venture -- and the results of these are NEVER promised either.

Not to mention, but some people simply aren’t searching for information online, or some industries have a difficult time finding buyers online. For instance, if you sell to small, independent excavation companies, I’m not sure you will do ANY business at all online.

So, the bottom line here is, don’t look at your marketing as an expense -- look at it as an investment, and measure your Return On this Investment, the same way you’d measure your return on any investment.

Q:

Craig, how come you are always pitching your Seductive Selling Newsletter and your Seductive Selling Marketing system? Don’t you have any other products to offer?

A:

That’s actually a very good question. First, I do have other products, and you can find them here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/products

But the truth is, the newsletter is the bedrock of ANY business, and my newsletter -- along with the audio Success CD Interview you get -- is by FAR, the strongest, most incisive and most entertaining (who else has headlines like “Now At Last, Anal Bleaching”... and this month’s headline, “What Is Peter North’s Secret?”) direct marketing newsletter out there. We get few cancellations and many many e-mails each week FILLED with praise.

Here -- take this one for instance. This just came in the other day: “Craig, no need to reply ..this is just an fyi to you. In the process of going thru your newsletter and reading a bit of your story and the financial hardships you went thru .. specifically a lightbulb went off inside my head when you commented on doing well with financial planning but your heart not being into it ..

You took a step back to do what you love and in the end things worked out rather well… it was nice to hear that story… I am going thru a similar dilemma now

You also let us know how much and hard you work .. so often the gurus make us feel guilty because they pitch the lifestyle business.. sitting on the beach ..just collecting your coins…and yet we have too many beautiful days that we make the conscious decision to stay inside and work because we are committed to our goals… (especially in florida)

Also dealing with so called friends and family that make fun of you (indirectly) cause they just don’t understand that level of commitment and intention…most of them have a better chance of understanding the theory of relativity..

most of us know the fallacy of the lifestyle pitch .. sometimes it’s good to know that there are others in the trenches with bullets barely missing the scalp ….. mud in their faces… who fight each day to get one step close to our own nirvana… despite everyone elses lack of understanding

so kudos to you for letting us know that there are others fighting the same battles…

now go sell something!” Chris Chico - Hollywood, Florida

Here’s another one: “Just finished your interview with The Loan Officer King Brian Sacks, and I have to say Kudos man. Fantastic, No B.S. information that will pay for the cost of your monthly newsletter many - many- many times over. Pure gold if you listen and extract the gems from this one. Thanks again and keep them coming...” Terry Wygal - Houston, Texas

And this one came in a few weeks ago. Greg’s in Poland right now making his next movie: “We just signed a distribution agreement for worldwide TV, DVD, and internet rights with a company who I think will do a really good job for us. Our last distributor was awful.

At least indirectly, I can thank you for this new deal, as ideas on marketing have been circulating in my head nonstop since signing up for your newsletter, and I am sure it helped my thought process during contract negotiation. Thought you'd like to know. Hope all is well with you.” Greg Bennick - Seattle, Washington

The bottom line is, my newsletter takes a fair amount of my time and I also happen to be one busy dude.

But... here’s some good news: After I get back from my trip to Europe at the end of July, I will be releasing two more products. One about headlines and one about marketing and copywriting. I will have teleseminars or webinars for each of them and as usual, they will be up to my typical ass-kicking standards.

That’s enough for today and hopefully I’ve answered one of your questions.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. only TWO DAYS LEFT! To get your hands on this month’s newsletter where I reveal the financial desperation I was going through just before things broke WIDE open for me. Chances are outstanding you have either been there, or are there now -- test-drive it fre.e and get TWO fre.e copywriting critiques just for trying: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

Men are from mars, and women are from...

Men are from mars, and women are from... apparently a place less valuable than Mars. Here, check this out:

According to the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation, college educated women earn 19% less than college educated men, 1 year after graduation. This, in spite of the fact that these women typically have higher GPA’s (3.16 versus 3.06) than these same men.

But it gets even worse -- ten years down the road, the pay gap widens. At this point, women are earning 31% less than men, and even the women who never take time off to have children, are STILL earning 23% less than men.

But here’s where you really need to look into things and see who’s doing the talking here. I’m not sure the AAUWEF are telling you the whole story -- and frankly, I’m not sure any of this even matters, since no one’s holding a gun to anyone’s head, and we are all completely free to choose who we want to work for... how much we’ll accept... and what we want to do.

Nevertheless... now check THIS out:

Men are more likely than women to be supervisors, and obviously a supervisor presumably earns more than the people he or she supervises.

Men also tend to work more hours per week, and this will usually earn you a few shekels more.

And the industry with the most amounts of women in CEO positions is not-for-profit, and as anyone knows, not-for-profit is also synonymous with “not a lot of money.” Healthcare comes in next, followed by legal services. Both of these professions, too, don’t pay their administrative positions as much as other sectors.

The point of this is NOT to belabor any kind of gender differences that exist, or to figure out the moral implications of the story. The point is to show you the research you need, to present whatever argument you need to make -- on an objective level -- to sell whatever it is you are trying to sell, is most likely out there somewhere. All you need to do is do a little digging and you will no doubt, find it.

Just ask the pharmaceutical companies. I do believe they know quite a bit about this kind of stuff.

If you want to see a real-life example of what I mean by research being able to support your market -- even if what you are selling doesn’t even EXIST -- then make SURE you take a look at pages 4 and 5 (and Examples 4A and 4B) in this month’s Seductive Selling Newsletter. I’ll show you an example of a sales letter I wrote back in 2003 for the late Gary Halbert, and the crazy but REAL research I did to find the sales “hook” in it. It’s NOT for conservative people to look at, since it deals with a product of an adult nature, but the marketing lessons you will discover will be VERY insightful. If you don’t already subscribe to Seductive Selling, then test-drive it for fre.e and get $1,391 worth of bonus gifts -- including FRE.E copywriting and TWO fre.e marketing critiques -- right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. It was Bullwinkle who said, “I think the blood is rushing to my antlers.”

No one knew.

It’s the most important thing to know.

I’ve been studying a lot of old ads lately for a project I’m going to start working on soon, and it’s amazing how easy it is to get bogged down in complicated selling formulas when you really don’t need to.

A lot of your positioning and how well something is going to sell, is completely based on the simplest things you say.

Usually, complicated things make people stop and pause, but instead of stopping and pausing to try and understand what’s going on, they stop and pause because there’s been a disconnect. The words and music just aren’t matching and when this happens, “poof” -- whatever you were trying to do goes away like a puff of smoke.

For example, here’s a headline of an ad I came across. I wouldn’t be interested in ordering this book because the subject matter isn’t relevant to anything I’m interested in, but what a brilliant and useful headline:

“The most important book on creating wealth since Think And Grow Rich!”

There are so many ways you can use this, but let’s look at just a few of them:

For starters, you can say almost ANYTHING is “The most important”... you fill in the blanks.

As an example, if you are pitching fishing gear, you can easily say “The most important breakthrough in catching fish, since the fishing rod!”

Or... if you are a divorce lawyer, you can say “Inside... the most important thing to know if you are going through a divorce!”

That’s pretty compelling, isn’t it?

Now you’d better have something good to say after this, or else you’re dead meat, but... that’s another subject entirely.

The other VERY clever thing about that ad (which was for a book about Multi-Levvel Selling, by Randy Gage) was that by making a reference to Napoleon Hill’s “Think And Grow Rich,” it uses Think And Grow Rich as a standard frame of reference -- almost like an implied endorsement.

So now let’s take a look at how you can use THIS strategy in your business:

Plumbing: “The most important discovery since the floating turd!”

No, I was just kidding on that one -- I wanted to see if you were paying attention.

How about this instead:

“The most important plumbing breakthrough since the snake!” (A snake is the very long spindly thing plumbers use to unclog your toilet. It can go literally dozens of feet up into your system. One time I’d recently moved into a home -- back in 1993 -- and the plumber went 100 feet into my system to unblock our toilets. He found eggshells, lobster claws -- you name it, it was in there.)

Or what about this, if you are selling fuel additives:

“The most important breakthrough since lead-free gas!”

This makes your base of comparison HUGE, with virtually no effort on your part.

Again, I will emphasize that you’d better be able to deliver on this, otherwise you’re toast, and don’t EVER lie, but I’m sure you can figure out the difference between right and wrong.

Now if you’ve every wanted to figure out how long it takes to become a Millionaire -- and I don’t mean that hypothetically -- then you’ll want to check out this month’s issue of my offline Seductive Selling newsletter. I have an extensive article that genuinely addresses this question, and also does a fair amount of soul-bearing as well.

Test-drive it for fre.e and get $1,391 worth of bonus gifts -- including FRE.E copywriting and marketing critiques -- right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Who said, “I think the blood is rushing to my antlers.”? Bet you don’t know.

Again, make sure you check out that article about becoming a millionaire, right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

14 Common Mistakes: Which One Of Them Are You Making Right NOW?

On yesterday’s Seductive Selling Coaching Call, we talked about how to use offline newsletters to make a bundle, and in many many cases, launch an entire empire. (You need to look no further than the example I make of myself, in this month’s Offline Seductive Selling Newsletter - http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl )

One of the HUGE mistakes people make in NOT publishing a newsletter, is that they wait to do it. And the reason they are waiting is because they feel they aren’t “something” enough.

You may feel you aren’t experienced enough... wealthy enough... smart enough... wise enough... have paid enough dues... or if you’re writing in a hobbyist or fitness arena, perhaps you think you’re not the most recognized... not strong enough... not big enough... not the fastest cyclist... whatever.

The point is, it doesn’t matter. No one really cares about that stuff, and no one’s even going to ask you about that, any more than the bank is going to ask or even cares how much your net worth is, before they deposit your check.

See where I’m going with this?

You see, only YOU have the power to make the decision (or not) about when and how you should do things. There is no “expert fairy” who is going to come waltzing through the front doors of your office and anoint you as the expert, letting you know you are “ready” to move forward with a new venture.

The wand is in your hands baby, and it’s up to you to use it or not.

If your standard of measurement is to be “the best,” and you are waiting for this to happen, then you will also never move forward, because reality is, there will ALWAYS be someone stronger than you in the gym... someone wealthier... someone better looking... more experienced... and so on.

Setting the bar unrealistically high ISN’T something that you shoot for. Doing the best you can -- NOW -- is a more realistic goal. Otherwise, you just will not move forward, because reality is, even 6 months from now, you’re going to be better at whatever you do, than you are now.

So by this standard, you can’t ever DO anything.

Make sense?

Here are a few of the other things we discussed on the “How To Use A Monthly Newsletter To Make A Bundle” call:

• Why your Newsletter Is The ULTIMATE Communication Tool, and the strongest sales force you can have!
• 7 Reasons why most people don’t write newsletters! (Now THIS is a hard dose of reality!)
• How to figure out who you are writing your newsletter to, and why this is so important. (Do NOT screw this one up!)
• 6 ways to use your newsletter to make a bundle of cash, and how to leverage each of them -- Yikes!
• How to figure out what to write about -- whether you have an existing group of people to sell to now... or not!
• The most CRITICAL component of your topic selection that allows you to charge more for your newsletter, and separates you from the rest of the pack!
• The 14 Most Common Mistakes People Make When It Comes To Writing Newsletters: Which One Of Them Are You Making Right NOW?
• How To Know If Your Newsletter Will Sell... Or Not? (Pretty important, no?)
• And lastly... How To Actually WRITE Your Newsletter, And How To Get A Years Worth Of Content For Your Newsletter, Assembled In The Next 60 Days!

You can get your copy of this call, along with the transcript of the call, when you order The Seductive Selling System, but only if you order before the month is up. After this, all bets are off and this goes “up in smoke” if you will.

Get your hands on the system NOW at http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive

And like everything else in life, YOU get to decide what to do with it... and how far... it will take you!

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. The Seductive Selling System comes with more risk-free guarantees than Paris Hilton apparently has, so hop on this thing... NOW: http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive

Why I Love The U.K.

England has been very very good to me.

I have a number of friends and clients there, and of course, my wife is also from England.

But here’s yet another reason why you gotta love the U.K. -- the government is so “open-minded.”

For example, in 2004 and 2005, the UK National Health Service paid for elective surgery on 800 women who wanted the size of their labia reduced. They all wanted “designer” you-know-whats, and the government decided to fund the genitoplasty procedure necessary to get it.

The government does this even though the risk from surgery includes loss of sensitivity, and even though benefits are “unclear.” Talk about not meddling with your life -- this is excellent.

And people think social medicine doesn’t work.

Clearly, they just aren’t informed.

And... they should really get a better handle on the benefits of this procedure by asking the patients “Why?”

What’s your take on this?

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Ever wonder how often you should follow up with your prospects and clients? Check it out for yourself by uncovering... "22 Ways To Completely Eliminate ALL Your Marketing Headaches... Right NOW!" at http://kingofcopy.com/22ways

What Paris Hilton Knows... That You Don’t

If you live here in America, practically a moment doesn’t go by where on some news or entertainment gossip show, they aren’t covering Paris Hilton.

Right now, every night you have literally DOZENS of shows covering Paris and whether or not she is going to get out of jail, and the myriad of (meaningless) circumstances around this.

There are so many excellent marketing lessons here about pop culture... the fickle American temprament... and our willingness to forgive.

But what’s also very instructional, and what I want to talk about today, is “visibility.”

You see, a good chunk of your popularity and recognition, will come from you being “visible” to your marketplace.

And whether this visibility comes in the form of an e-mail... your physical presence at trade shows... or because you are constantly arriving in your prospects home or office mailbox... frankly, it doesn’t really matter.

Because being seen adds an aura of success and popularity to you, which you simply can NOT create any other way.

Yes, talking about how wonderful you may be, and having others talk about how wonderful you are, is definitely important, but... “Being There” adds another unique dimension to your success, that is simply irreplaceable.

Paris Hilton knows this, and that’s why she’s been able to cultivate a buzz... and a fairly large following -- and command large fees just to “be seen” at parties. Especially considering she isn’t known for, or have any particular talent or specialty skills.

You may dislike Paris, or you may love her. But once she gets out of jail, she’ll continue laughing... all the way to the bank.

Be seen... or be invisible. The choice is yours.

On page 1 and Example 1 of this month’s Seductive Selling newsletter, I’ll show you a SPECIFIC live example of how to get seen in the mail. In fact, this piece literally went to the TOP of my mail pile. Test-drive this newsletter fre.e, AND get a ton of bonus gifts to boot: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Kick fear right on its ASS, NOW!: http://www.kingofcopy.com/science

Happy Anniversary

Today is my 13th wedding anniversary, and soon we will be leaving for a long weekend out of town, for our anniversary, and then for Father’s Day (which I may talk about tomorrow).

Here are a few items related to anniversaries and relationships:

I love the U.K. I have a number of clients over there, as well as folks in both of my coaching programs and my mastermind group. And of course, the love of my life is from England, so... the UK has been darn good to this Bronx boy.

But here’s something that’s going on over in England which is definitely “different.”

Apparently, dogs are now a part of many weddings -- in some cases serving the role of “best man.” Pet London is a store in London, England, that outfits dogs for weddings in grand style. The owner, Melody Lewis, can dress a dog in a tuxedo or a lovely silk and lace bridesmaid dress.

In 2005, the company sold 700 dog tuxedos. In 2006, she sold over 500 bridesmaid dresses for dogs. And this stuff isn’t cheap!

Outfits for one-day dog wear can cost in excess of $1,000 U.S. Dollars.

Church of England priests have also given authority to include dogs in wedding ceremonies, specifically as ring bearers.

(Note to all women: If your future husband has a dog at your wedding, in the role as his best man, consider yourself warned that he MAY... have relationship issues that will rear their ugly head later on.)

Here’s some other relationship information that’s interesting: An online survey of 1,001 married adults, taken by Insight Express for Reader’s Digest earlier this year, asked what the three most important factors for a successful marriage are, and here are the results:

Trust - 63%

This one isn’t surprising, but it IS surprising only 63% of the people surveyed feel trust is one of the most important ingredients for a successful marriage. Sheesh, you can’t have ANY kind of relationship without trust.

I think the number came in so low here because some folks are just so resigned to the fact that “trust” simply doesn’t exist.

Or, they are simply ignorant or dumb.

Time Spent Together - 52%

This is VERY important, and it’s also the most challenging part of having a good relationship, especially when you’re an entrepreneur. What I do, is actually put down on my calendar the time I’ve carved out for Anne and I to hang out. If I schedule it like an appointment in my calendar, this way, nothing else can take its place because it’s set in stone, like a business appointment or something.

Try that, and tell me if it works as effectively for you.

Two categories came in tied at 30% each -- Compatibility and Resolving Differences

Yes, compatibility is HUGE. Some folks are more compatible under the “opposites attract” theory, but that was a BIG no-go for me in my first marriage. Anne and I have quite a lot in common, and for us this works very well. We will generally reach the same conclusion about things. Others will obviously differ.

Being a strong personality, resolving differences didn’t come easy for me, but I worked VERY hard at it in the beginning of our relationship because it was important for me. I knew when I married Anne I wanted to stay with her forever and so I learned how to compromise.

Not that I’m perfect at it... and not that I do it without some prodding once-in-a-while, but... it’s made me a better person overall and I’ve learned to compromise outside of our relationship, in business, and with my children as well.

There are certain things I won’t compromise on, but you don’t really have to deal with stuff like that too often.

Besides, if you have teenagers and don’t learn to compromise, you will surely soon be dead of a stroke or something.

So that’s my story and I’m sticking to it, and most important, I want to wish the love of my life Anne a wonderful day, and thank her for putting up with me.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. On page 5 of this month’s Seductive Selling Newsletter, which goes in the mail next week, you’ll find what promises to be the MOST shocking copy you are ever likely to see. Test-drive it fre.e here at http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

The Second Selling Lesson At The Sponge Docks

Yesterday I told you a little story about what happened when I was over in Tarpon Springs this past weekend. Just in case you missed it, let me review a little bit here. First I’ll tell you what happened in quotes, and then I’ll answer the actual question afterwards, O.K.?:

“We were in this store called 5 Fish, chatting with the owner, a man named David Gauchman. David’s a very nice fellow, and owns 3 retail stores in the area. We didn’t talk too much personal stuff, but I got the idea that he was nobody’s fool, and he was also a hard worker. (If you’re in the area, stop in and tell him I say “Hey” -- he really is a hell of a nice guy.)

This store sells primarily “Life Is Good” merchandise -- and he had QUITE a selection. And seeing as how I was there with my wife and two of our kids -- I didn’t get out cheap.

Something happened there, that was VERY instructional about selling. A woman was having a hard time deciding between two shirts. David overheard her conversation, and promptly pointed out to this woman that ONE of the shirts she was holding in her hands, was his most popular seller.

I can tell you now, I’d been listening to this woman, and she was no dummy either, and yet -- she IMMEDIATELY grabbed that “most popular” shirt -- and added that one to the top of her “buy” pile.

Why did she do that?

The answer is simple: It just goes to show you the power of using a few VERY compelling buy-buttons: Testimonials, Conformity, And Acceptance. And see, there was no big long sales pitch here, and frankly, I don’t even think David Gauchman was doing this intentionally to “sell” the shirt. He was just helping her decide which shirt to buy. It was clear she was going to buy one, regardless.

Each of these buy-buttons is discussed in DETAIL in my Seductive Selling System, which you can get right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive -- and you’ll find specific examples of HOW and WHEN to use these buy-buttons, so you can best figure out how to apply them to your own business.

And now here’s something else I want you to think about -- and send in your comments about this one too: What else could David have told this woman (just as simply) that would have made her buy this shirt just as instantly as she did when he told her it was his best-selling shirt?

Let me know and I’ll answer this question tomorrow.”

First off, let me just tell you that pushing all these emotional buy-buttons works on ANYONE, regardless of how much they know about marketing -- myself included. I’m just AWARE of what’s going on -- not immune to it, by any means.

Anyway, the woman in the story was my wife, Anne, and even though she’s FULLY aware of all of these selling tricks -- just like me... and just like everyone else -- this doesn’t make her immune to their effects.

We received a few interesting answers to yesterday’s question:

Offline Newsletter Subscriber Dustin Matthews said, “I would have liked David to entice her into buying both shirts. Buy one and get 25% or 50% off the next one. She was going to buy at least one and wouldn't have jeopardized the sale by giving her an irresistible up sale. He lost out on additional revenue!”

This is a good answer, but it has a few downsides to it. If he makes an offer like this that’s not a “stated” offer posted in the store, for example, for everyone to see... then he’s showing neediness. He then exposes himself to further negotiations.

Plus, and this is something you didn’t know -- I already had a boatload of stuff sitting in front of his register.

Remember, in business, and in life in general, whenever you permit something in ANY relationship, it’s assumed you have made this conduct permissive forever, and that it applies across the board.

Also, the answer I was looking for was more of an emotional trigger here, but this is not a bad suggestion at all.

Ryan Harris sent this in: “He could have told her that people who buy one of the two shirts report that the shirt makes them look 10 pounds slimmer/lighter, 10 years younger, etc. -Not the answer you are looking for though.”

Nope. Good try, but that’s not it, either.

So let me tell you exactly what he could have said. He also could have pointed to one of the shirts and said, “This is the last one of those we have, and I do not know if we’ll be getting any more of them in.”

Had he said this, BAM! Same thing would have happened -- just like lightening striking a tree, the demand for that particular shirt automatically shoots sky-high.

Why?

Because “only one left,” is the ULTIMATE scarcity, and as you hopefully know, scarcity -- limiting whatever it is you’re selling, is a VERY important way of attracting business.

Again, all these buy-buttons are covered in my Seductive Selling System, and you can get your hands on it right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive

And “HEY!” -- it ain’t called “Seductive” for nothing.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. This month’s Seductive Selling Newsletter is SO hot, it may very well be damn-near illegal! Do NOT check it out if you are sensitive or if you are offended by the adult industry! Otherwise, test-drive it for free at http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

The Selling Lesson At The Sponge Docks

About 25 miles due west of where I live, there’s a small gulf-side town called Tarpon Springs. There are a few things you’ll notice when you first enter this sleepy laid-back town, which is literally right on the gulf -- besides the balmy sea breezes blowing across you -- even when the temperature is in the high 90’s, and the humidity is so thick you can cut it with a knife.

For starters, most of the people walking around this tourist town do NOT speak English. They are either tourists speaking French, Japanese, Tennessee, or something else I don’t understand or recognize, or... they are residents speaking Greek.

Tarpon Springs has the largest population of Greeks in America -- even more than Astoria, Queens.

In fact, nearly all the restaurants there serve Greek food as well (We ate at Plaka’s and had Gyro’s and Greek salads -- absolutely fabulous.), and all the tourist stores sell sea sponges of all shapes and sizes, and for all uses. Years ago, Greek divers used to dive for sponges right offshore, but Red Tide wiped out most of the sponge industry there, back in the 1940’s.

Now, the town just celebrates the history of the sponge industry, and is a LOVELY place to visit on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

Anyway, we were in this store called 5 Fish, chatting with the owner, a man named David Gauchman. David’s a very nice fellow, and owns 3 retail stores in the area. We didn’t talk too much personal stuff, but I got the idea that he was nobody’s fool, and he was also a hard worker. (If you’re in the area, stop in and tell him I say “Hey” -- he really is a hell of a nice guy.)

This store sells primarily “Life Is Good” merchandise -- and he had QUITE a selection. And seeing as how I was there with my wife and two of our kids -- I didn’t get out cheap.

Something happened there, that was VERY instructional about selling. A woman was having a hard time deciding between two shirts. David overheard her conversation, and promptly pointed out to this woman that ONE of the shirts she was holding in her hands, was his most popular seller.

I can tell you now, I’d been listening to this woman, and she was no dummy either, and yet -- she IMMEDIATELY grabbed that “most popular” shirt -- and added that one to the top of her “buy” pile.

Why did she do that?

The answer is simple: It just goes to show you the power of using a few VERY compelling buy-buttons: Testimonials, Conformity, And Acceptance. And see, there was no big long sales pitch here, and frankly, I don’t even think David Gauchman was doing this intentionally to “sell” the shirt. He was just helping her decide which shirt to buy. It was clear she was going to buy one, regardless.

Each of these buy-buttons is discussed in DETAIL in my Seductive Selling System, which you can get right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive -- and you’ll find specific examples of HOW and WHEN to use these buy-buttons, so you can best figure out how to apply them to your own business.

And now here’s something else I want you to think about -- and send in your comments about this one too: What else could David have told this woman (just as simply) that would have made her buy this shirt just as instantly as she did when he told her it was his best-selling shirt?

Let me know and I’ll answer this question tomorrow.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. This month’s Seductive Selling Newsletter is SO hot, it may very well be damn-near illegal! Check it out and test-drive it for fre.e at http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

When Less... Is More: The Cinderella Principle

When I was a financial planner back in the 1990’s, I was like every other independent entrepreneur -- desperate for any new business I could find.

But there again, at the same time, I was frustrated because I had so many tire-kickers and looky-loos to deal with. Meaning, I had to weed through a lot of people who really weren’t truly interested in becoming customers of mine, to get to the few who were.

This is like being Cinderella, and most people feel this is O.K. -- it’s just “accepted” that in order to find your prince, you’re going to have to kiss a lot of frogs along the way.

Well, that may be true when it comes to dating and marriage, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be true at ALL when it comes to business.

If... you’re smart.

You see, one of the biggest myths about marketing is that you want to use it to attract as many people as possible. This is simply not true.

What you really want to do is attract the most QUALIFIED people possible, and the best way of doing this is to DISQUALIFY the one’s you don’t want responding to you, right up-front.

So you’ll want to put a number of different dis-qualifying statements in your ads. For example:

Don’t Even THINK About Reading This Message Unless You’re Willing To Pay More Money, For Better Quality ___

That one’s gonna weed out all the cheapskates.

“If you are a highly paid executive earning between $250,000 and $500,000 dollars, and you are sick and tired of dealing with incompetent advisors who are more concerned about lining their pockets with your hard-earned cash, than actually helping you achieve financial freedom, then this is the most exciting and important message you will ever read!”

That one’s gonna weed out people who are broke and indecisive.

“Attention: Lahaina Homeowners!”

And this last one’s going to weed out renters and other people who don’t live in Lahaina (which is a beautiful ocean-side tourist town in Maui -- they even have a Hard Rock Café there).

So you see, who you attract is totally up to you.

All you need to do, is... attract... who... you want.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Remember, after this weekend, the monthly coaching calls in my Seductive Selling System, go up to $197 dollars, from their current $97, so get in now at http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive

Important News: Price Hike

In 2000, I participated in a monthly tele-coaching program that cost me $397 a month.

I say “cost” -- because it really WAS a cost, not an investment. Although I got a few bits and pieces out of the program, the call was basically a platform for speakers to come on the phone and pitch something new every month.

Not what you envision when you think about a “coaching” program, now is it?

For the last year, I’ve been running a coaching program only for the people who own the Seductive Selling System, and frankly, I haven’t been sipping my own kool-aid here when it comes to pricing -- not by a LONG-SHOT.

The program costs $97 bucks a month, and there is NO pitching on it at all. You simply get me, for an hour, going over a variety of VERY critical topics related to marketing. The calls take place on the third Tuesday of the month, at 2pm Eastern time, and then you get a CD of the call, along with the transcript, mailed to your home.

You also get to participate on the call, e-mail questions in for me to answer, and then, at the end of the meeting, I take questions related to whatever topics we’ve just discussed.

Now granted, I’m not working on your business directly, but that’s not what this is about. It’s about you getting a SLEW of strategies, insights and techniques to use, laid out for you in a VERY practical and simple format, spoken by me, in plain-old English, and you get to ask me specific follow-up questions regarding specific applications and use of these techniques in your business.

For example, this month we’ll be covering a VERY complicated topic: How To Write A Monthly Newsletter Subscription, and here are just a few of the prior topics we’ve covered:

• Everything You MUST Know About Lead-Generation: How To Consistently Flood Your Bank Account With An Onslaught Of Fresh New Leads (a 2-part call)
• Unconventional But Highly-Effective Sources Of Media To Sell With! (last month)
• Positioning And Posturing: How To Get MAXIMUM Leverage, Control, And Dollars Out Of Your Customers!
• Overcoming Obstacles And Achieving Success In 2007!
• Opening Lines: The Right Way... And The Wrong Way... To Engage Your Prospects!
• And many many more just like this.

Well, a VERY successful business-owner, Brian Sacks -- who sold one of his businesses last year and now gets a big fat six-figure check for it every month -- was kind enough to confide in me he felt I was ripping myself off -- that these calls are SEVERELY under-priced. I thought about what he said (he’s also a subscriber on the calls), and I thought about the program I participated in back in 2000, and you know what?

He’s... 100% right!

So as of next Monday, anyone who orders the Seductive Selling System, will be paying $197 to be included in this monthly coaching program. That means you have a few days left to get your hands on this system, and keep the existing coaching call price of $97 bucks.

And let me tell you something: if you aren’t getting literally thousands, if not TENS of thousands of dollars worth of information on each call, then something’s wrong here. I have MANY VERY successful entrepreneurs who participate in this program, and they are CONSTANTLY e-mailing and faxing my office nothing but accolades.

Here, listen to these I recently received:

Sean Greeley, from Durham, North Carolina, recently sent my office this e-mail:

“Just finished your SS system, and now going back through it again. I'm learning a ton, and appreciate all the value you continue to put out. Calls and newsletter are of course awesome as well. RESULTS: My copy is improving rapidly and I'm able to crank out long copy sales letters with much more speed and precision each time... and close em'!

So, your work continues to have a great impact on my growth and development. And I want to thank you tremendously for that. Best, Sean”

And this one came in a while ago, from Christian Godefroy, an OUTSTANDING marketer, who worked side-by-side with Eugene Schwartz, author of Breakthrough Advertising. Christian lives in Switzerland mostly, but he has homes literally all over the world, including Portugal and France. Here’s what Christian had to say:

“Energy. Drive. Empowerment. That's your main asset.

Let's take a huge company, with thousands of employees. They lose money.

The CEO is changed, and in 6 month's time, they EARN money. In 2 year's time, they lead their market. You have seen this story several times. How is this possible? How ONE human being, out of a thousand, can change the destiny of such a huge business?

Because he knows how to instill energy, drive, motivation, belief, enthusiasm, hope, VISION to others. So if a reader has a choice to choose a mentor, a guru, a motivator, he has no choice. YOU are the best. I don't know why. I feel that with my guts.

Spending one hour with Gene Schwartz could get me energized a few months. I still have the imprint of his mind in my mind several years later.

You have the same thing, and you can go even further. You should sell that too to your readers:

“If after reading my material, you don't feel the URGE to write good copy, to sell huge amount of products, to bank tons of money... if you don't feel in your arteries a new energy flowing, if your heart is not beating faster, if your eyes are not brighter, send your material for a full refund." etc.”

That’s about as nice a comment as ANYONE has ever given me, and this, coming from a man who’s sold well in excess of $300 Millyun worth of goods and services, is very flattering.

But that’s just TWO comments. For more, go to http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive and then order the Seductive Selling System, NOW, before the price of the monthly coaching calls goes up on Sunday night.

If you have any questions, you may call my office and leave a DETAILED message and speak with my assistant Anne, but come this Sunday night, the monthly call price goes up for ALL new Seductive Selling coaching group members.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Again, go to http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive and get your hands on the LAST marketing system you’ll EVER need.

If you can’t beat ‘em, become a cop.

Here’s an unusual marketing strategy that often works. I say unusual, because it’s actually a positioning technique that, on the surface, looks like an ethical consumer service, but make no mistake -- it’s a positioning technique.

It’s almost a way of saying, “If I can’t beat, ‘em... then let me police ‘em.”

Let’s say you’re trying to out-do your competition and you’re in a field that’s as crowded as a New York Subway during rush hour. And also let’s say that when it comes down to it, there really ISN’T anything much different between you and all those other strap-hangars smothering in each other’s sweat and aroma.

What’s a business to do?

Well, here’s one way to skin this cat: You set up a “policing” group or association that oversees everyone else in your industry, and you position the association, AND you (as the top dog who happens to run a company that also belongs to this association) as an overseer of everyone else. A champion of the marketplace’s ethical morals -- the honest gatekeeper of an entire industry, if you will.

A modern-day Robin Hood, you can even say.

If you think good and hard about this technique, you can definitely use many different variations of it as well, in different applications and situations.

Now appreciate you’re not going to build something like this overnight -- but there again... like Confucius said, “A journey of a thousand miles, begins with one single step.”

And if my memory serves me right, he said that right after his other famous line, “He who eats jelly beans... farts in Technicolor.”

Or something like that.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Kick fear STRAIGHT on it’s ass, right NOW!: http://www.kingofcopy.com/science

What The Pirates Knew, In Spite Of Themselves

About two weeks ago I went to see the Pirates Of The Caribbean on opening night. My whole family has really enjoyed these movies, and the spirit of adventure they bring. The stories are very compelling and really get you involved (even when they make NO sense at all).

Not to mention, the incredible special effects, and the curiosity about Johnny Depp’s character, Jack Sparrow. (Of course, I think my sons like it because of Keira Knightly, but hey -- that doesn’t make them bad people, now does it?)

As you know, pirates are criminals. And as you also probably know, most criminals aren’t too smart. And without giving away the movie’s conclusion, in case you haven’t seen it yet -- in spite of NOT being too smart, in the end, the pirates are smart enough to know ONE thing that ultimately changes their destiny.

You see, they are smart enough to know that “Nobody... is as smart... as everybody.”

It’s true. As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to get caught up in a trap where since you’re always relying on yourself to “get through things,” but in reality, there’s no way on earth you, me or anyone else, can ever be as smart as all of us together. It’s called “synergy,” and the sum of the parts here, really is greater than the whole.

This is why the people in my Mastermind Group - http://www.kingofcopy.com/maverickmarketer - are seeing tremendous successes, and it’s why no business can ever really prosper without employees and support.

Always keep that in mind when you’re struggling to make a decision or to get over an obstacle you feel is in your way: Nobody... is as smart... as everybody.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Look for an important announcement from me in the next day or so, and in the meanwhile, check out all the kings offerings here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/products