Finally, a gift from Starbucks.

If you were awake, then you noticed last week I did not send out too many e-mails. A few folks were wondering if anything happened to me, and the answer is “No.” I am, in fact, very alive and well and full of piss and vinegar.

I was simply slammed with work and had lots to get done before leaving for a long weekend away on vacation, which I am now back from, and VERY well-rested.

Before I get started today, I have a couple of announcements to make -- and they may irritate some folks reading this. First, if you are a regular reader of this e-zine and do nothing else but read this e-zine, what you’re really getting out of it -- and frankly, out of your business -- is far less than what you can, and what you probably should be getting.

You see, reality is... the amount of energy you put into something, is directly tied to the amount of investment you’re making to get that information. So while I’m not saying you shouldn’t listen to the sage advice I have to offer about marketing, business, and sometimes even life in general -- if that’s ALL your doing, you are leaving munney, and unfulfilled ambition on the table.

With that said, at a MINIMUM, you should be reading my offline newsletter, which is called Seductive Selling. Here’s a comment I received last month about it: “OK, I have been reading your newsletters for last 4 months and have also read 6 back issues. I have subscribed to (someone else’s) newsletter for the last 4 years and I am amazed that you surpass his material, which is darn good.

I think the best part of your entire newsletter is your rewrites of bad marketing. I can clearly see your teaching points about triggering emotional buy buttons and writing copy that kicks butt. And it makes sense because you put your money where you mouth is and show us what you got. This gives you a lot of credibility in my book and really drives home your teaching points in the newsletter.

Please keep doing this. In my opinion the rewrites are worth 7 or 8 times more than any other section. And the rest of the newsletter is still terrific.

I also appreciate that you go out and find good and bad marketing yourself by just doing your normal activities of life. This has helped me become more aware of marketing in magazines, newspapers, driving down the street, or whatever I happen to be doing. This definitely is a good thing. Also you break down these pieces in a lot more detail than (so and so’s) newsletter, which really helps anchor your message better in my mind. I still love (so and so’s) newsletter, but you really hone in on the “how” of writing better copy and I really appreciate that.

In terms of what could be improved??? I struggle with this since you are exceeding my expectations of value already. Whenever this rare event occurs in my life, I tend to cross my fingers and hope it continues. Why criticize? Best regards, David Lowrey - Tampa, Florida”

So now listen up -- if what David has to say makes you realize you’ve been completely missing out, then get on board NOW and test-drive my newsletter yourself pp FRE.E, and with NO commitment, right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

This month’s issue is being mailed out today, and it’s literally packed so thick with information, you’re going to have to squint, just to read it all -- and I kid you not.

And now, let me tell you what else is going on. I’ll tell you about my mini-vacation starting tomorrow, but for today, let me tell you about the only good thing Starbucks has ever done for me.

First, you have to understand I hate Starbucks. Not because they are capitalist pigs -- I respect them for that -- but I hate them because I’m a bit of a coffee connoisseur, and Starbucks coffee simply sucks. Starbucks coffee tastes like good coffee left out in the rain for a month, then you add dirt and boil it up again -- and voila, that’s what Starbucks coffee tastes like.

Nevertheless, I DO go there every once-in-a-while, just to sit and get away for an hour or so with my wife. It’s a reasonably nice atmosphere, and I can sit outside and smoke a cigar while we catch up on things with each other.

Last week, I ordered a latte there (it’s about THE only thing I can stomach in the place) and they handed me a paper cup with an absolutely perfect quote written on it. It was called, “The Way I See It.” By Anna Nalick, a songwriter out of California whose song “Breathe” was played on the Grey’s Anatomy television show a while ago. Anyway, Anna said this:

“A valuable lesson I’ve learned from making music is to never let anyone intimidate me. Every student, celebrity, CEO and math teacher in the world has experienced love, loneliness, fear and embarrassment at some point. To understand this is to level an often very lopsided playing field.”

Now why should this be important to you, besides that it’s a true statement?

Any ideas?

Yes? No? Huh?

It’s important because when you want to sell someone something, you should never let anyone intimidate you. ALL your prospects, regardless of what they do and how much cashola they may have, are nothing more than people -- just like you. They’ve all been burned before... hurt by lovers and spouses... excited when they ride a rollercoaster... and humbled by the innocence of a small child.

If you can understand this and step up to the plate, then you really do get to level an otherwise somewhat lopsided playing field. And I don’t know about you, but give me a level playing field, and I’ll win every time.

And so this brings me right to the second announcement. If you understand that your ability to sell is ONLY as good as your ability to push your prospect’s emotional buy-buttons -- whether your prospect is a student, celebrity, CEO or math teacher -- then you want to get your hands on my Seductive Selling System literally right now, because tomorrow’s Seductive Selling Coaching Call is all about helping you communicate more effectively.

Tomorrow’s call shows you "How To Unleash Your Imagination And Get Your Creative Juices
Flowing... So You Can Sell More... And Write More Persuasively!"

If you order the System within the next 24 hours, you’ll be sent the information you need to get on the call and participate and ask questions, and you can do this right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive

Now go sell something, Craig

P.S. Discover how I DESTROYED the competition by creating a sales piece that pulled a 42.7% response rate, and a 218-to-1 return on the first shot at http://www.kingofcopy.com/leads

===
If you enjoyed this, feel free to pass it on to a few of your friends and business associates. Or, simply have them subscribe themselves! Send them over to http://www.kingofcopy.com

To iPhone... or NOT to iPhone, THAT is the question.

Your decision to make almost EVERY purchase you will ever make for the rest of your life, is going to be based on some sort of an emotional reason.

You may or may not justify your purchase later on with some sort of logical reasons, to validate your decision, but make no mistake about it, emotion rules here, baby.

So for instance, unless you’ve been living underneath a rock, then you’ve no doubt about the iPhone -- Apple’s “Mac” of cell phones, that runs on AT&T’s (crappy) service.

If you didn’t know it already, Apple did a great job ramping this thing up in an advanced marketing campaign that’s allowed them to laugh all the way to the bank, in just the first 60 days alone.

Well over a million phones have already been sold, and at $600 bucks a pop -- you do the math -- but the numbers on this thing are HUGE.

Let’s take a brief look at just TWO of the emotional buy-buttons Apple successfully pushed to get people like me (We’ve got two of them.) to order.

For starters, the device pushed the “NEW” emotional buy-button, big-time. Since the dawning of time, humans have always wanted the newest gadgets, the latest technology and fashions, and the most cutting-edge performance -- especially here in America.

Now you want to be careful here, because if you’re going to call something new, you’d better make SURE it’s new. If you’re lying -- or even if you’re stretching the truth on this, all you’re going to do is piss people off, VERY quickly -- so don’t screw around here. MAKE it new if you’re going to call it new.

With the iPhone, almost EVERY single aspect of it’s operation, AND it’s look, is new, so they certainly delivered on this one.

Now another buy-button that was pushed was “vanity.” And vanity can be used many different ways, but in this particular case, due to the (perceived) limited early availability of the iPhone... the high price of it (more than double what most cell phones cost)... and the sleek packaging of it -- the box it came in was more like a small vault than anything else -- Apple was very successful at giving you elite status by owning one.

Notice here, that low prices, and wide-spread availability had nothing to do with the success of this product. This was a high-end vanity sale all the way. (Pay close attention to this.)

Why did I buy these phones?

Actually it was none of these reasons, but I do spill the beans about what happened and why I was FORCED to get them, in this month’s Offline Seductive Selling Newsletter, which you can test-drive for FREE, but ONLY for TWO more days, and only right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

Now go sell something, Craig

P.S. And if you want the FULL scoop about pushing your prospects emotional buy-buttons, then check out my Seductive Selling System. It comes with a 185-page manual called “47 Ways To Push Your Prospects Emotional Buy-Buttons And Laugh All The Way To The Bank!” and you can get it NOW at http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive

98.6% Ain’t Gonna Get You Anywhere

We all know that speaking in specific terms -- especially when you’re trying to sell something -- gives you more credibility, but most people don’t understand why.

See, amateurs think I’m referring to being specific as in saying “98.6%” as opposed to saying 98%... or by saying something like “Did you know most people spend 95% of their total lifetime health care costs, in the last 5 years of their life?” (Completely true, by the way.)

But I’m not talking about THAT kind of specific.

I’m talking about being specific to get your prospects emotionally involved, by stimulating one or more of their five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, taste, or feeling.

See, when you can be specific and stimulate your prospects five senses, that’s when you make the emotional connection in your sale, and in your relationship, and THIS is what triggers a sale.

For instance, here’s something I wrote from a piece I did recently that outpulled the existing control by over 50% (that’s not bad, is it?):

“Not to mention, the crushing impact things like divorce... disability... job loss... or legal problems, has on your personal finances! How can you EVER get ahead when it’s so CRAZY out there?”

In this particular case, I’m hitting the prospect (who is in trouble financially) over the head with one specific crushing blow after another. Don’t you think this is getting them involved at an emotional level?

Of course it is. BIG TIME.

This is what I mean by using specifics. Not saying “98.6%.”

Specific numbers won’t close your deal. Specific emotional buy-button pushing will.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Scratch And Dent Sale: I now have FIVE Seductive Selling Systems left where there were some subtle assembly mistakes made, that are in slightly less than “perfect” condition. Sometimes pages got bent... sometimes covers got a little scruffy... and other times the spiral binder around a booklet isn’t perfectly aligned.

The normal price for the system is $997, but if you act fast enough to get your hands on one of these seven systems, you will get it at a $200 dollar discount -- for only $797.

You still get the guarantees on the system, AND you can still take our EZ 3-payment plan if you’d like -- in exchange, all you have to do is put up with a few scratches here and there. That’s the ONLY difference.

Here’s what you need to do:

First, go to http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive to see what you’re getting, but do NOT place your order there. Instead, go to http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive/scratchanddent/fastaction.html and place your order here.

Again, there are ONLY 5 Systems left here, and I think I’ve been consistent enough in my communication so that you know, when I say “only five left” -- I MEAN “only five left.” So scarf them up while you can and get yours NOW: http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive/scratchanddent/fastaction.html

Here’s a current testimonial I received about the system, and there are loads more at http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive

“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.”

Christian Godefroy, Seitzerland - Christian is an OUTSTANDING marketer, who worked side-by-side with Eugene Schwartz, author of Breakthrough Advertising, and who has sold over $300 MILLION Dollars worth of goods and services himself

So get your System at the special Scratch And Dent Sale price, and save $200 NOW: http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive/scratchanddent/fastaction.html

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.P.S. This is the first time in over 18 months I have had a sale like this -- don’t bank on it happening... ever again!

http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive/scratchanddent/fastaction.html

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

Are All Astronauts Jilted Lovers?

I don't read the papers a lot, but I did see the news about the astronaut who wanted to kill another woman who was sleeping or supposedly sleeping with her lover.

A psychologist was being interviewed about this and said the nutty astronaut -- meaning, the gal who wanted to snuff out the "other" female astronaut -- probably had some underlying "unresolved issues."

Gosh, this guys parents must be thrilled he was able to come up with some swift mental detective work like that, no?

Apparently Lisa Nowak, the jilted lover astronaut, drove 900 miles from Houston to Orlando while wearing diapers, presumably so she wouldn't have to stop and go potty.

I wonder if she bought her diapers in Costco?

When my kids were little we bought their diapers at Costco because they were so darn cheap. When you have two kids that are only 20 months apart, diapers is a HUGE item on your budget.
The other revealing thing the psychologists involved here said, is that "when people are under extreme pressure, they can often snap."

Again, those docs are brilliant, aren't they?

Look, reality is, the deeper an emotional reaction that occurs, the more motivated someone is, and the greater lengths they will go to, in their "reaction" to this emotional trigger.

This is NO different when it comes to selling, which is why the very FIRST thing you should do when it comes to your marketing, is go through your "Checklist Of EmotionalTriggers" like the one inside The Seductive Selling System -http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive - and figure out which of your prospects emotional buy-buttons you're going to need to push, to get them to take your desired action.

Perhaps its "greed"... perhaps it's "fear"... or perhaps, as in this case, it's "envy." Each of these can be very powerful in their own right. It's up to YOU to decide how to use them moving forward.

Or not.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. What do handcuffs and giving your prospects a good experience have in common? Simple, check it out for yourself on page 4 of this month's Seductive Selling Newsletter. Only 7 days left to get it, and then it's gone forever! Test-drive it FREE, right here:http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

P.P.S. Archives of last weeks radio show are posted for you to download and listen to, right here:http://www.kingofcopy.com/radio

Why Prospects Believe... And Why They Don’t

Sheesh, I just spent the last 3 days freezing my buns off just outside of Washington, D.C., and Lord knows it made me yearn to be back in my lake-house in sunny Tampa.

You know, there are only three reasons why someone won’t buy something from you, and that’s it.

One, they simply aren’t interested.

This means, for whatever reason, you either got a bad mailing list, or if you’re selling online, the people on your list are there for the entertainment or spectator value, and not because they have any interest in what you sell.

Two, your prices are too high, and this is really a whole other conversation we’re not going to have right now, outside of me saying this is usually not the case, presuming you have a good list.

And lastly, your prospects may not trust you. You may have no credibility with them, or... you simply may not be believable.

Here are a few ways to increase your believability.

One, use LOADS of testimonials. Don’t make ‘em up, don’t “assume” what your prospects want to know, just find out what made them happy and ask your happy customers to discuss that aspect of your product or service.

Two, don’t exaggerate. Most of the time you are FAR better off being conservative than not. For instance, if you’re trying to help someone improve their golf score, you don’t need to tell them they’ll shave 13 strokes off their game in 15 days or less. Clipping two or three strokes off your game in 30 days, would generally be something most golfers would LOVE, and as long as you’re being genuine in your tone and your testimonials support this, this is a VERY realistic claim.

And three, tell the truth and support your claims with facts, statistics, and “reasons why.” Claims are much more believable when you explain what’s behind them. Just the same way your kids ask you “why” and won’t stop until you answer them, your prospects have the same sense of curiosity that needs to be satisfied.

In fact, curiosity is one of THE strongest emotional buy-buttons, and I cover it THOROUGHLY in my Seductive Selling System. If you haven’t gotten your hands on this system yet, then do so NOW, because this month’s Coaching Call is on Posturing and Positioning -- something you MUST know if you want to control your business relationships, charge top-dollar and be in demand. You can get The Seductive Selling System right here: http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. This is the MOST controversial Seductive Selling issue
ever! Plus you'll get eye-opening insights on positioning
and posturing, making offers, and how to use your copy to get your
prospects involved. Check it out here and take a free testdrive: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl