salesletters

I'm going to date this article.  But whether you liked, hated or were indifferent
about Michael Jackson as a person, you just about had to love his song
Billy Jean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-cHBv7UpA

The reason I used that title is what I have to write about today is very
important. So I wanted to make certain I got your attention.  

See, just as Michael Jackson built his marketing and sales machine
on the back of that song, even so you can build your marketing and
sales machine on the back of 15 sub-systems.

Your sales letter is part of a bigger, overall ecosystem.  And you can't
have really potent sales letters until you understand the larger
ecosystem.

A system is a sequential series of steps that results in an outcome.
You can think of it like an assembly line machine and at the end is
a product that is sold successfully.

Just like Michael's Billy Jean CD's that set all kinds of sales records.
So without further ado, here are the steps in your marketing machine.

If you're NEW to this Game of selling online, then keep reading my ezines
and you'll learn more about all these steps.  They aren't as many as it
seems.

You can actually assemble one of these complete machines in under
a week -- or even faster -- once you get all your systems in place.

At first, you just want to make sure you have all 15 elements in place.
Then you want to start spending time every day working on 1 of the
15 elements, testing and tracking.

You do NOT need your own product to use these 15 steps and I'll
explain why later on.

I want to ask you one thing:

Before I give you these steps, will you COMMIT to working a little bit
each day to ONE of them?

If you will, then say out loud:  "I commit to working on one of these 15
steps daily."  If you say that out loud, it'll register in your brain.  Now,
write it down.

As PROOF of how potent my strategies are, yesterday I had a chat
with my long term friend Simon from Getresponse.com.

Here's a snippet from the Skype:

i owe a lot to u

Simon
7/10/09 8:41 PM

u don't even realize

Simon
7/10/09 8:41 PM

but there would be no GR

Simon
7/10/09 8:41 PM

if not for AF
marlon
7/10/09 8:41 PM

ur 2 kind
Simon
7/10/09 8:41 PM

no bro
7/10/09 8:41 PM
 

it's the truth

Simon
7/10/09 8:42 PM

and i want you to say it out loud
7/10/09 8:42 PM
 

you inspired me
7/10/09 8:42 PM
 

and I owe you eternally
7/10/09 8:42 PM
 

that's the truth
marlon
7/10/09 8:42 PM

thanks
Simon
7/10/09 8:42 PM

i'll never forget that

OK, let's go....

1.  Traffic sources

Eyeballs on your website are your lifeblood.  So you gotta get traffic.
Last week I did the most incredible interview with Sean Mize who built
a whole traffic machine ONLY around writing articles and submitting
them to ONE directory.

So that's a traffic source.  I spent time explaining to him how to add on
affiliate programs as another traffic source.  Because you always want to
turn every customer into an affiliate.

It's a no brainer.  Anyway, Sean originally tested and tried many traffic
sources, and that's how he ended up with article marketing as his #1.
If you have almost NO money to spend, this is for you.

If you snag my Cash Like Clockwork System today, I'm throwing in the
very in-depth interview with Sean.  He almost regrets sharing so MUCH.
It's his whole machine broken down.

Anyway, you gotta test different traffic sources and start with ONE that works
for you.  And the you work it up, down, sideways and every which way but
loose.

This is what I do with my traffic source which is affiliate programs and you
can see my handiwork at getyourprofits.com.  I've been teaching and preaching
affiliate programs for traffic since 2001 in "Gimme My Money Now."

The other day at the bookstore I ran into one of my customers.  He told me the
reason I was about the only person he followed was because of the consistency
of what I teach.

2.  Freebie offered

What is the BAIT you offer to get someone to bite your hook which is your
subscriber form on your squeeze page?  I'll talk about squeeze pages in
just a second.

But you need a freebie.   I taught this back in 1999 in Amazing Formula.
And it's Evergreen.  Still works.

You can see one of mine at designdashboard.com/top10

Try different freebies, titles and offers until ONE works!

Here is the freebie Sean Mize has:
http://www.TurboProfits.com/tracking/go.php?c=7_7_09mize

By the way, Sean told me the other day that Amazing Formula was the one
product that had a huge influence on his career early on.

3.  Tools that offer freebie

Try banner ads, ezine solo mailings, thank you page graphics you give to
affiliates and so forth.  Test and track until you find a few that work for you.

To get people ON your email list, you have to give them a big carrot to
subscribe. This is your freebie.

There's ONE tool that hands down is better than any others and in another
ezine or an Ateam call, I'll go into it. It's a whole ezine issue or two in and
of itself.

4.  Squeeze page

See my page at designdashboard.com/top10

Here is Sean Mize's squeeze page that converts 40% of visitors into
subscribers from article traffic:

http://www.TurboProfits.com/tracking/go.php?c=7_7_09mize

You need to split test different squeeze pages.  Split testing means that you
test one version vs. another.  The program to use for this is:

http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer

It makes setting up a split test a piece of cake.

5.  Tracking links for clicks, subscribers and sales

You will notice my above link that uses the turboprofits.com domain. That is a
special tracking link.  Automateyourwebsite.com has tracking links built in.

Whatever program you use, you need a way to track your clicks, subscribe rate
and sales.  Theoretically, you can do it with Google Analytics but I've never had
great success using it for tracking.

My friend Simon has a program I've used a lot called Hypertracker.

6.  Thank you page

So people go to your squeeze page. They type in their name and email. What is
the NEXT page they go to and what's on it?

You need to split test this a lot.   What you put on this page is EXTREMELY
important.

7.  Confirmation email

The email that you send out asking people to click the link to CONFIRM that they
want to receive email from you is also extremely important.

Most autoresponder programs let you try different wording and create CUSTOM
confirmation emails. This is what you want.  Customize the wording.

8.  Post confirmation page

After they click that link, what page do they go to?  Since everyone who subscribes
to your lists will go to this page, it's a very, very important page.  

This is a "money" page.

You want to test different price points here.  

9.  Welcome email

What email do you send them AFTER they subscribe?  Again, this email is very
critical.  You need to try different ones.

I could write a whole ezine issue or do a whole session just on that welcome
email.  You set the tone for the whole subscriber relationship in this email.

10.  Email 2

After someone JUST joins your list, what is the second email they get after your
welcome email?  You need to try different emails and see what gets the biggest
bang for you.

11.  Sales pages

When you send out emails, you'll send people to posts on your blog and to sales
letters.  Whether you use videos, audio or sales letters, you need to try different
things and track the results.

One of the critical methods I use here is the "Johnson box" strategy.  I talk in
other ezines about the use of the Johnson box.  

I think that your countdown deadline script is vital. I'm right now testing a number
of scripts and I'll probably talk about which one won in a future ezine issue.

You will hardly see any marketers using Johnson boxes.  The reason I use them is
because of my "old school" past in direct mail.  All the Johnny come lately's don't
have the benefit of old school experience.

12. Order page

When people click to order, what's on that page?  For example, does your page have
a video guarantee?  Mine doesn't -- yet.  But I will be testing it and I expect it to work.

13. Upsell 1

After they order product one, you offer something additional.  This is called an upsell.
"Do you want fries with that order?"  That's what an upsell is.

Do you start at a high or low price point?  Do you pitch something like a membership
site that is continuity or recurring billing?  Do you use a sales letter, video or audio?

14. Upsell 2

You normally have a second upsell AFTER the first one.

15. Downsell

If they don't buy upsell 1 and 2, you downsell to something cheaper.

I've laid out all 15 steps.  Will you do a small favor for me now?  Will you tell 2 people
about this ezine issue?  Just 2.

I'm posting it on my blog at marlonsnews.com.

Also, I'm thinking about doing a webinar where we walk through all these 15 steps.
I can't think of anything more critical in your business than these steps.

Now, if you don't have your own products, you don't control the order page or the
upsells.  But you CAN load up a few upsells in your autoresponder and send them
out in the days following the order.

That's it for the 15 steps.  Hit me back on my blog at Marlonsnews.com.

And if I decide to do this webinar, I hope you'll join me.

See, no one else does SYSTEMS thinking about marketing like this.  Not really.
You have people who say they do.   But they teach really general, generic systems.
Which are all well and good.

But you have to chunk down into sub systems and sub systems of sub systems.
My Systems approach to marketing is very powerful.

No one really does it.  It's all about the gimmick of the day.

This is why I'm dubbed as the King of Step-By-Step marketing.  Because in my
Dashboards and products, and even in my ezine here, I chunk down into
sub systems.

http://www.squidoo.com/xml/syndicate_lens/salesletter

How I Went From a Beaten Up, Broken Down, Smoke Bomb Car and 1:30 Second Microwave Corn Dogs To World Travel & The Internet Lifestyle -- All Starting With The Ability to Write
A Decent Sales Letter

If you're struggling to make ends meet, or you're new to the game
of Internet marketing, or things are going good but you want them
to go better, then my story might be of value to you.

In fact, I'm almost sure it will.

Things are good now. My affiliate list has 30,000 folks on it. But when
I started it had none.

I've spoken all over the world in Kaui, Gold Coast Australia, Wembely arena
in London where rock stars perform, Bermuda, and all over the U.S. from
Seattle, San Francisco, San Diego, LA, to Houston, Dallas, St. Louis,
Chicago, Nashville, Philadelphia, Miami, New York, Boston, Raleigh,
and other cities.

I've been selling $20,000, $30,000, $40,000 and $50,000 a month for
longer than I can remember, which would 1998 -- and before.

Unlike Johnny-Come-Lately's, my formula has stood the test of time.

But when I first started, my hands shook so much, I could barely put the
transparencies on the projector I used at the time.

Fact is, I remember when I first read that ad in a magazine. It was about
some dude in Ohio who had a method of escaping the rat race by
assembling "systems." So I sent in my dough and waited.

That ugly blue book turned me onto a whole new world called
"direct response marketing." And what the old-timers called
"mail order."

I started buying everything I could afford. I just had to know more about
this thing where you'd sell products for a living instead of selling your own
time. That sounded like a good thing to me.

I bought all kinds of junk. And I do mean junk. Some of it was really
useless. But I knew I was digging through the coal to find the diamonds.
And if you don't go through the coal, you never find the diamonds.

Schemes, plans, ideas, systems, reports, books. I had 'em all. One thing
I learned from all that was the difference between a good information
product and a bad one.

I didn't tell anyone what I was doing. But I kept doing it and being
persistent. I didn't quit like a lot of people do because I had this desire
and visions.

You didn't have the Internet when I first started learning to do this stuff.
The game was you'd run these little ads in ad sheets or magazines offering
a report. People would write in and then you'd send them your sales letter.

Nowadays, you can do that in 30 minutes using Google Adwords. Back
then, I'd run my little ad and wait 2 or 3 months for it to come out. I'd
spend all the change I had trying to print up and mail stuff.

A few orders would come back but never enough to even pay for the
printing! The learning curve back then creeped along like a turtle.
Nowadays, you can learn what I did in years of effort in 6 months if
you make the decision to do it.

I chased a lot of dead ends and had a lot of things that didn't work out.
If you've ever ran ads or tried "methods" or "formulas" that didn't work for
you, then maybe you can related to the disappointment and frustration
I felt. The only difference between me and those who never got anywhere
is I didn't give up.

I just KNEW I could do it.

Those times tested my patience. And pocketbook. I remember when I
worked as a freelance writer in the daytime and did telemarketing,
timeshare sales and other stuff at night trying to make ends meet while I
learned the business.

Back then, you didn't have all the great information products to cut your
learning curve like you have today. You know, I had maybe 4 or 5 good books
to learn from. That was about it.

So it was all trial-and-error learning. And I think going through all that pain is
what motivated me later on to lend a helping hand to others who felt some of
the same things I did.

My Buick car had engine problems. I'd look back behind as I drove to see if
smoke came out the tailpipe or not. I never knew for sure.

Not until one day somehow I got a date with a model. A real one. How, I don't
know because I was really tall and thinner than an ironing board. I had to put
skis on so I didn't get washed down the shower drain.

Anyway, we went to this nice place where they had valet parking. When I got out
the valet guys were literally laughing at the smoke bellowing out my tail pipe.

But then....

The rider's side door opened. And this 6 foot tall model with beautiful hair
got out. They didn't laugh anymore.

I doubt I tipped valet because I couldn't afford to spit in those days. I
remember making $7,500 one year and eating minute thirty second
microwave corn dogs and living off the $1.97 burger, fries, coke drive through
on Greenville Avenue in Dallas, Texas.

Later, I'd make $7500 in a day -- and more. But not back then...

It wasn't all bad. I had a female friend named Kelli. We'd swing by late
night at the Taco Cabana and get nachos. That was all either of us could
afford.

Out of desperation, I took this job working deep nights. I'd go to work at
11 p.m. and get off at 7:30 in the morning. I did that for 3 years. I think I lost
half my hair then due to the stress of the job.

I got really sick at that job and developed asthma. I paid a price to get
where I am today....

I made enough money I could fork over $5,000 for advanced marketing
training.

And when I mixed that in with all the other stuff I'd been reading, studying and
learning about -- a BREAKTHROUGH happened.

I call it stumbling across "The Amazing Formula That Sells Products Like Crazy."

Something just clicked in my head. I can't explain it. All of a sudden I got it.
That was after YEARS of NOT getting it. YEARS of running ads that didn't
work or mucking around with things.

I mean, I once put 30,000 miles on my car in 6 months trying to sell insurance
and only sold 1 homeowners policy on a wood frame house my company didn't
want to insure.

So if you're not great at sales or something, I understand. Boy, do I understand.

What I found at, though, is that if you keep at it, sooner or later something clicks.
Or it did for me.

I started getting paid to write letters for clients. I won't go through the whole story
here. But things started turning around. At first, slowly....

Then....like a GUSHER.

When you "get it" and success happens, it can happen really, really quickly.
Success is when preparedness meets opportunity.

Like one time I took a vacation to Hong Kong and Thailand, came home and I
had a $5,000 consulting check waiting for me. And I hadn't even asked for it.
The guy just sent it.

I got paid $7500 to $10,000+ to write sales letters for clients.

I got invited to teach my sales formula at seminars.

When success happens, it happens quickly. If you've done all your groundwork
and preparation. But a lot of people get impatient. They want it all today without
paying the price of preparation and learning the basics.

I understand that.

The good news is can happen 10X or 20X faster today than it happened for me.

I felt like an evangelist on the mission. I'd been at the bottom of the barrel and
below in marketing. And I knew what it was like to be there. And what it was
like to be at the top.

I had a MISSION to teach people the secrets that work. The things that REALLY
make the difference. And to cut through the noise, eliminate 50% to 80% of
the learning curve -- and get people on the path to success as quickly as
possible.

I boiled the sales process online down into a 12-step sales letter formula. I taught it at over
120 seminars where people paid $3,000 to be there. Later, my "Push Button Letters"
software codified that formula into a fill-in-the-blanks" process.

All of that culminated when I penned my smash hit "The Amazing Formula That
Sells Products Like Crazy."

It has hundreds of testimonials from around the world. I followed it up with the
action plan to implement it called "Gimme My Money Now."

And then there's a whole string of step-by-step Dashboards, which is what inspired
my title as the King of Step-By-Step Online Marketing training.

But I'm going to confess something here.

I'd bank a lot more dough if I wanted to work crazy hours, weeks or months like some
other famous Internet marketers do.

My goal always was lifestyle. I'd rather live a comfortable life on a 1 hour workday
than be "rich" on a 12-hour workday.

I don't drive the fanciest car, live in the biggest home, or sport the most exotic watch.
But I could if I wanted.

Then again, my workday consists of hanging out at Starbucks, mucking around a little
on my laptop and calling it good.

So this is my story.

If you'd enjoy making your living on your laptop at Starbucks or wherever it is you
like to go, and you realize that the work is upfront learning things but once you
"get it" you have the greatest lifestyle in the world, then I recommend this business.

Truth be told, 80% or 90% of the people who buy products in this industry probably don't
make that much.

Why? Most try a thing or two, it doesn't pan out and they go onto other things.

Nothing wrong with that. I'm here and I exist for those who are truth seekers. Those
like me who won't take no for an answer. Those who realize you gotta dig through coal
to find the diamonds.

My mission is to help the 10 percenters who really have the desire to get behind the
curtains and see how the magic really happens.

My mission is to share the true gospel of Internet marketing without the hype or fluff.

My mission is to help the guy or gal who has some of the same pain that I felt and help
them get beyond that to a new world of understanding and a new lifestyle.

I'm NOT here for the guy or gal who wants to buy one or two products and all of a
sudden be hauling down 6 figures.

That isn't reality. And it isn't how the game is played.

I'm here to help the person who understands this is a business. And all business
involves risk of gain or loss. You may or may not make it.

There are no guarantees in business or life.

I can't guarantee you'll wake up in the morning.

But I can guarantee to share the secrets that led me to go from a beaten up, broken
down smoke bomb car and a diet of minute thirty second corn dogs to a wonderful
lifestyle, world travel and a business I can run on my laptop in 30 minutes or an hour
a day at Starbucks (most days)

For more info, check out my sales letter secrets Squidoo Lens.