Be An Expert With Write A Book Program

THE WRITE-A-BOOK PROGRAM: HOW TO POSITION YOURSELF AS AN EXPERT BY WRITING A BOOK

by Randy Peyser

Want to be perceived as being a top expert in your field? Writing a book is one of the quickest ways to solidify your reputation, gain credibility in the eyes of your potential clients, and make yourself stand out above your competition. Having a book will help you attract more clients, extend your visibility and build your brand. Your book can help you obtain media exposure, attract JV partners, and seamlessly get new prospects into your pipeline.

You can use your book for back of the room sales when you are speaking, at trade shows, or whenever you want to establish your presence as an expert.

In the Write-A-Book Program, you will learn how to:

Easily overcome objections to: "I don't know how to write or where to begin."
Choose from 4 different formats that make it easy to write a successful book
Compose a compelling title and back cover text "sell copy"
Use your book to upsell your more expensive services and products
Complete your book when everything else in your life demands attention.
Distinguish between your publishing options and choose one that is right for you.
Publicize your finished book online to a huge audience, and more!

"Listening to Randy Peyser is like having a book-minded Guardian Angel take you by the hand and lead you to the promised land of being a published writer. She's smart, well-connected, and passionately knowledgeable about the book business. She makes you believe you can do it; we know it'll be a lot easier with her help!" - Mary Reynolds Thompson, CPCC

Yes, you can write a book!

Introductory Price: $149
Purchase: The Write-A-Book Program!

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Copyright © 1999-2008 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. SUBSCRIBE.

Sales Lesson Learned From Radio

Today, I was listening to my local public radio show. While listening, I realized they were off their "regular" programming for a pledge drive. I listened to their requests for money, and realized that these guys are MASTERS of SALES COPY! I'm not kidding. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if their phones were ringing off the hook. Here's the sales lesson I think anyone paying attention could have learned from them:

Sales Lessons Learned From Radio:

Lesson #1: Ask for the business (but don't specify how much).

When you ask for a donation, don't ask for a specific amount. They weren't asking for $500 per person. They were offering suggestions of $50, 20, 5, 500 - whatever people were comfortable with. What they were going for was a NUMBER of DONATIONS. All they wanted was 1,600 donations. I suppose they already ran the math on average contribution, and knew they'd reach their goal if they had more donations than normal. So, rather than end the drive at, say, 1,500 donations, they'll end it at 1,600. Not a bad idea, huh? Ask for the business, just make sure you don't try to direct which plan people buy or how much money they give you. They know what their form or proposal said. They'll make the best choice given their situation if you've led them to buy properly.

Lesson #2: Two Magic Words: CALL NOW (or BUY NOW).

These guys knew how to sell. Rather than say "call us when you're ready", they said these TWO magic words: "CALL NOW." Ah. Nice. See, they knew that if you didn't call now, you may not ever. They were looking for the instant conversion. Why not go for the money? If you're going to go for the money, the best time is almost always to go for it NOW, while the buyer is in front of you!

Lesson #3: Three more magic words: SIMPLE AND EASY.

Then, rather than say, you'll be on hold for 3 minutes, then we're going to ask you for a bunch of information, no, instead, they said these TWO MAGIC WORDS: Call now. they said THREE MORE magic words: It's SIMPLE AND EASY. I just love that phrase. SIMPLE AND EASY is a phrase that simply sells. Nobody wants anything complicated. No matter what you're selling, you always ought to use this phrase: our service is simple and easy.

Lesson #4: Instruct HOW to BUY.

What follows SIMPLE and EASY? Ask for the order. For example: It's SIMPLE and EASY to PLEDGE. Just dial 1-888-555-5555 and make your pledge now. They could just as easily have said "Just click this form. Just put your name here..." etc. Demonstrate that it truly IS simple and easy to buy, and the prospect will likely do it.

Lesson #5: Use FEAR OF LOSS as a motivator.

They threatened the fear of loss. Instead of saying "we know you love this show so please support it", which would sound like a beggar, they said, "If you enjoy Democracy Now, you need to act now to keep this show on the air. Your pledge is what brings this show to you every weekday at this time." See, they threatened the end of the show if the listener didn't pledge. It's a fear tactic. How would you feel to lose your favorite show? Probably pretty bad, right? They probably knew this. Their copy writer also probably knew "fear of loss" is one of the biggest motivators.

Lesson #6: Use HOPE FOR GAIN as the other motivator.

Next, they offered a GIFT. I couldn't have written a better idea in there at this point, myself. Gifts usually represent a "HOPE FOR GAIN" to the prospect. For example, a sweepstakes, grand prize, special discount if they call now, etc.; these are all hope for gain tactics. Frankly, if you want to win customers, offer a gift. After all, you can't just go around threatening the fear of loss without giving a chance to win MORE back by doing what you suggest. Thus, offer the HOPE FOR GAIN in the form of a gift. People will almost always sign up for a gift. Here's how they positioned it: "If keeping Democracy Now on their air isn't enough for you, then pledge over certain thresholds and we'll include a gift as a way to thank you for doing the right thing with your pledge. At $50, we'll include a boxed set of CDs.. at $150, we'll include the wine package from ABC Winery (can't remember the winery name), and at $500, we'll include tickets to the Symphony, the wine package, and the CD's - all for simply supporting a show you want to listen to and pledging like you'd probably do anyway, and best continuing to enjoy Democracy Now."

Lesson #7: They EXPRESSED GRATITUDE.

They THANKED THE LISTENER. How many times do we forget to thank the buyer? Make sure you don't make that mistake. I tend to send thank you's to every person who buys a product or service from me. I just think it's good form. George H. W. Bush sent "thank you" notes all through his career. Sometimes, he sent as many as 500 "thank you" letters a month. Do you think it helped him succeed? Whether you agree with his politics or not, you can't fault his sales follow-up strategy of saying "thank you". My Dad still has a letter from his son on his refridgerator. Clearly, it worked for Dad, who bragged that he got a "letter from the President" later that week. Expressing an attitude of gratitude is likely to help our sales "lift-off" to higher success.

Lesson #8: Follow-up the VERBAL with WRITTEN and gain UPSELL opportunity.

While we're at it, you ought to say thank you often - when you're in front of the client, and after the fact, through email and the mail. If you're not grateful for their business, your competition might be. But say you're grateful through a written letter. Of the first three jobs offered to me after college, every single one of them said they hired me in part "because you were the best who followed up with me with your letters and phone calls." Yes, say "Thank You" and follow-up your sale. Do it often, too. So, follow-up the VERBAL thank you with a WRITTEN thank you which might also set-up a future referral or additional sell. The best time to sell someone something is when they just bought, so they could also offer me a letter in the mail thanking me for purchasing, and offering a bonus gift if I included three referrals of friends who might pledge, or something else like that.

So, that's the lesson learned from the radio station. It gave me a reminder of what to say in some copy I'm working on right now. In addition, it reminded me to send a "thank you" letter to one of my recent clients. If you're stuck selling, try paying attention next time you hear people asking for money or selling something. After all, you just might learn something new that you can use in your bag of sales tricks.

Happy selling.
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Copyright © 1999-2008 by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved.

Build A Great Brand, Part I

"Reach out and touch someone."


What do you think of when you hear that?


I just came across an article posted at A List Apart that I loved so much I had to share some key insights. It was about The Greatest Copy Shot Ever Written. Another word for Copy Shot is SLOGAN. And how many great brands are associated by their even GREATER slogans? I'd argue that almost ALL great brands have a great slogan.


Can you think of the brand when you hear these slogans?


"I am stuck on...xxxxxxx... and xxxxxxx's stuck on me."
"It's the real thing."
"You're in good hands."
"It's the xxxxx touch."
"Betcha can’t eat just one."
"We've got your butt covered."


"Good to the last drop."

Are you trying to come up with a great slogan? Want some guidelines to help you do it better?

Think of some of the best slogans you've ever heard:

You're in good hands with Allstate. (Allstate)
Just do it. (Nike)

Betcha can't eat just one... (Lays)

Don't leave home without it. (American Express)
Reach out and touch someone. (AT&T)
What are the components of these copy shots that make them great?


Well, this article digs through it, and comes up with the most declarative list of guidelines that make it clear, at least to me, what component strategies ought to be followed when developing a slogan:


Choice of style:


1. Use either clear and concise.
OR
2. Use frivolous and witty (as long as it is clearly related).


All great copy shots should:

1. Be five words in length.
2. Not mention the brand name.
3. Be declarative.
4. Be grammatically complete.
5. Be otherwise standard.
5. Contain alliteration, metaphor, or rhyme.

Other ideas for copy shots that I found really interesting, include:


1. Repetition/parallelism—aggressive, straight-to-the-point, memorable, symmetrical
2. Metaphor/wordplay/polysemy—clever, mysterious, potentially irritating
3. Coinage—playful, obscure, silly, original
4. Rhetorical question—personal, inclusive, informal, potentially too marketing-ish

Want more ideas about slogans and copy shots?


Find them at the article about The Best Copy Shot Ever Written by Nick Padmore. It's worth the read, and I believe will help any marketer improve their ideas on ways to build their brand.


Also, there's a really fun (and potentially useful) tool here at Slogan Generator:

http://www.sloganizer.net/en/


This is a free site that I use to help me brainstorm slogans. Or, you can hire me, and I'll help you dig into your slogan with even more tools and techniques like this and create the perfect slogan for your brand.
__________________________________

Copyright © 2008 by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, improve interactive marketing, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939.

Say It Better Than Others: SUBSCRIBE to ARRiiVE's Blog.

The #1 Best Sales Copy Of All Time

I've been studying sales copy in order to improve sales at my websites and through sales letters for clients in my sales training programs and sales consulting services.

Have you wondered what it takes to write good copy?

Well, as it turns out, there's a method to the madness. That's right: you don't have to sound like a salesperson to write good copy. In fact, I found the trick to write good copy is much like telling a good story:

Twenty years ago, two business majors graduated from college. They both went to the same school. They both were about the same height, and roughly the same intelligence. Wind the clock forward twenty years later and these two graduates are now working professionals, only one is a Manager at a company; the other, the company President. What's the difference?

We'd all like to know what sets these two people apart. After all, they're both men in their early forties, both are married with two kids, and both of them enjoy playing a round of golf on the weekend.

What's the difference?

Why did one professional rise to Manager, while the other ended up running the joint?

Well, that's where the copy comes into play. You may notice, this copy sets up a story... you're on a journey, you're interested in what could possibly have set these two people in different directions, even though they seemingly had the same aspirations, education, intelligence, and background. There is no reason to think one would end up any better off than the other; yet, that is exactly what happens.

It's the same with good copy: the site with good copy outsells the site with poor copy. I'm helping people write better copy and improve their scripts all the time. And, you'd be shocked how FEW have taken the time to master this important skill of writing powerful copy. I'm not sure it is because they are lazy procrastinators, get blocked, or because they fail to make the effort; more rather, I think it is because they simply don't know how to do it.

How Do I Do It?

Knowing this, I decided to set off on a search for good copy. I've been studying the top copy writers I can find. I even searched out the #1 best sales copy of all time, a letter inviting subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal. This search led me to all types of copy, some amazingly simple and brilliantly crafted, other copy quite funny, and some, well, let's just say it needed a round file. The search for the best copy of all time produced a wide array of information that could be broken down into three steps. In doing so, I determined the following three rules are critical to writing your own copy:

1. Find other copy in your industry, selling a product as similar or exactly the same as what you are selling.

2. Determine which stacks of copy (or sites) are successful (Google PR, Alexa, Subscriptions, Sales Volume, etc.) and which ones suck (again, same criteria).

3. Swipe your copy from those stacks of copy and rewrite with your own story, in your own words, as closely as you can without plagiarizing the original best copy.

There is an art to writing good copy, just as there is an art to writing good content on a website. If you're going to improve your business, it is probably beneficial for you to learn both skills. After all, the person who has the greatest mastery of his or her native tongue rises to the top of their profession, almost without fail. Writing good copy and good content is akin to mastering your tongue.

What sets the best apart from the rest?

If you are in sales or managing an organization, and wondering what sets the best apart from the rest, look no further than copy: in my history of selling and managing, I've found that 98% of success can be found from the person who held the linguistic golden keys to the verbal skills safe of language success: the person who can write great copy.

This is why a script is so important in prospecting, selling process, and closing deals. If you haven't scripted out successful salespeople, and followed them around to see what they're doing to write all that business, then you're either arrogant or a fool. Either way, you're blowing it!

You can do it, too!

Oh, and before I leave, I want to share that I'm including some of my top tips in writing good copy for prospecting in my newest program, "Cold To Gold: Modern Methods to Overcome Fear, Get In and Build Long-lasting Successful Business Relationships" I'm offering these tips, along with valuable techniques to (a) get more phone calls returned, (b) get more emails opened and clicked-through, and (c) get more appointments. These are based upon real selling situations I've faced throughout my career.

I'm probably crazy to share this mountain of information used to close deal after deal in my own past selling successes, but I figure why not help others succeed the way I did? How many successful salespeople stopped to tell you their secrets of how they got the critical appointments that won them millions in business? I've had a few who blessed me along the path of my own journey, and feel the need to pay it forward to help you, too. I'm also sharing how to get more sales in less time. Because, if you ask me, if you begin the right way, you're more likely to end the right way: with the customer shaking your hand, thrilled to be doing business with you. And, when that happens, it takes less time, fewer calls, and less sweat to succeed.

I know I can't guarantee the success that you might have, as you might only apply part of what I teach, or you might augment it with other things you've learned. But I can promise you that you will like what you've learned, you will find it both entertaining and informative, and you will find my sincere desire to continually add to the program subscription. My personal guarantee is if you don't find the information in the program sufficient to contribute to your success, simply cancel the subscription and I will refund to you 100% of the money you've paid me: no questions asked (although feedback IS appreciated).

So, before I change my mind and start offering this program for the $2,500 minimum I charge for in-person training, you might want to give it a visit and see how this program might benefit you. I'm grateful for your visit.

One last thing: I found the copy from that ad that beat the #1 ad of all time at this site:
http://www.maldecker.com/images/wsj_letter.pdf. Check it out and see if it doesn't compel you to want to act on their letter. If you feel you're not ready to write copy like this, yourself, well, there are always copywriters who can help you out. Thanks for stopping by and come back soon to learn more about ways to boost your success. I'll be writing more on the #1 best sales copy of all time in the future, along with providing more useful suggestions to help you master your success in your own journey.
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Post by Scott Andrews, CEO of ARRiiVE Business Solutions.

ARRiiVE Business Solutions helps executives improve sales, launch products and services, and build dynamic, cross-functional collaborative teams. For more information, contact info (at)ARRiiVE (dot) com or call us at 1 (805) 459-6939. Copyright © 2007 by ARRiiVE Business Solutions. All Rights Reserved. Part of this article is referring an article by Mal Decker, published in the Wall Street Journal. No infringement intended.

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