Volume IV • Number 3 • March 2016 • $97
MANY’S BLOG:
Getting Paid to Scratch? What A Racket!
Do You Know
WHO Belongs in
Your Future? expert interview with
The Power of
PS
Daven Michaels
Outsourcing for Fun and Profits
March 2016
ABOUT STEVE
About the Publisher, Steve Sipress If you want to grow your business slowly – or just maintain it as is, you’ll have to do that all on your own. But if you want dramatic growth in your income and lifestyle, then Steve’s out-of-the-box and time-tested strategies and tactics could be the keys to your dreams. You can benefit from Steve’s coaching experience and expertise to revolutionize your business – yes, even in this challenging economy – at one of the many in-person entrepreneur events he hosts, OR from the comfort of your own home anywhere in the world. You can also learn basic and advanced direct response marketing strategies and tactics from 150+ hours of video instruction, plus use any or all of Steve’s multi-million-dollar, proven “done-for-you” marketing materials at SSSMarketingUniversity.com. That website has been called The Single Most Powerful Client Attraction Program Available Anywhere, and you could be using it to skyrocket your income anytime you want, 24/7, along with hundreds of other sharp, successful business leaders. If you’re just starting up your new business, you’ll want to take advantage of all of Steve’s training, guidance and resources at NewBusinessAcademy.org. Steve is a successful and award-winning serial entrepreneur, who has created and built nearly a dozen successful companies of his own, and he can help you do the same – more quickly and easily than you’ve ever imagined. In fact, you can immediately use plenty of his simple and powerful strategies and tactics that work especially well in this current frustrating economy. You can discover the basics of Steve’s powerful “The WOW! Strategy™: How To Solve All Of Your Marketing Problems” by watching a short video at www.SteveSipress.com. Steve is a celebrated author, speaker and business coach who has established profitable businesses and helped thousands of ambitious and aggressive business owners, entrepreneurs, executives and sales professionals all around the world. He has written numerous newsletters and articles on sales and marketing for a wide range of publications and has appeared on radio and television, helping millions of people along the way. For over five years, Steve was the #1 “Dan Kennedy Certified No B.S. Business Advisor,” and was Runner-Up out of 25,000 members for 2010 GKIC Marketer Of The Year. If you want the very best, hard-hitting, no-nonsense, caring advice and help you can get, then “Straight-Talk Steve” could be exactly what you and your business need most. Whether you’re a current or future business superstar, Steve can help you get exactly where you want to go as quickly, easily and powerfully as YOU want – with massive results both short-term and long-term.
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www.SteveSipress.com www.SSSMarketingUniversity.com www.NewBusinessAcademy.org www.Facebook.com/SmallBizHelp www.Twitter.com/SteveSipress
When we first started, I was terribly in debt and we were just a few months away from bankruptcy. We started seeing a boost right away in our business, we took what Steve’s given me and we just started implementing and implementing, and it’s just totally transformed my business. Steve has helped me with my laser focus, he helps me implement, he’s taken my business to a whole new level. We went from a half a million dollars to a million dollars in two years. It’s just an incredible experience to know that where you think you’re just dead and things are horrible, to now anything is possible. I can see taking this to a whole new three or four types of businesses -- it’s going to be huge. Steve is all business, he is an unbelievably smart, brilliant man. I can’t say enough about him. Everything he’s told me, I’ve made so much money it doesn’t matter what it costs. They don’t make enough money in this world that somebody could pay me so I would stop listening to Steve. Steve is the exact reason why I have a retirement fund now. It’s probably illegal how much fun I’m having!”
Jon Bockman
Owner, Bockman’s Auto Care Sycamore, Illinois
THE QUICKEST, SUREST, MOST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO BUSINESS SUCCESS (PART I)
March 2016
The Quickest, Surest, Most-Effective Way
to Business Success (Part I) By Steve Sipress
A very sharp, very experienced, very successful, multimillionaire entrepreneur recently asked in one of the Mastermind Groups that I’m in whether we thought that the typical small business owner would understand the concept and benefits of joining a Mastermind Group. The overwhelming response from myself and my fellow group members was a resounding “No.”
A friendly alliance with one or more persons who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose.
That’s why I decided to write this two-part article – to help clear up any misunderstanding, and to give my opinion of what a vibrant, successful Mastermind Group is all about, using as an example my own The WOW! Strategy™ Mastermind Group.
I have run and participated in a number of formal, structured, high-level Mastermind Groups over the years, and have facilitated my own as well, helping dozens of small business owners and entrepreneurs achieve phenomenal, transformative results. The WOW! Strategy™ Mastermind Group is much, much more than simply “a friendly alliance” for the purpose of “encouragement.”
Napoleon Hill is credited with first introducing the concept in his 1925 series of booklets, “The Laws Of Success,” where he wrote about “the power of the master mind,” describing it as:
So exactly what is The WOW! Strategy™ Mastermind Group all about? (or, “How do small business owners and entrepreneurs get results faster than they’ve ever known with the help of me and their peers?”)
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THE QUICKEST, SUREST, MOST-EFFECTIVE WAY TO BUSINESS SUCCESS (PART I)
It’s like five beneficial business-building experiences in one program: 1. Facilitated, accelerated learning and application of The WOW! Strategy™ for marketing and overall business success 2. Friendly accountability and encouragement 3. A Mastermind Group experience: Creative Thinking Multiplied 4. Peer Advisory: “Sounding Boards” 5. Opportunities for co-operative alliances with other sharp businesspeople 1. Facilitated, accelerated learning and application of The WOW! Strategy™ for marketing and overall business success There are several problems with trying to improve your advertising, marketing, sales and business strategies on your own…. • •
• • •
Never finding the time to focus on this Not having a path and a guide…. Floundering with too many disconnected and disorganized ideas Takes too much time to pour through hundreds of books and courses Change is hard; too easy to fall back into comfortable habits Feeling like an “odd duck,” resistance or criticism from others
Those who participate in The WOW! Strategy™ Mastermind Group gain… Forced focus: In-person and online meetings and calls where all cell phones are off, all distractions at bay, a protected time, place and environment with a group of people focused entirely on “what can we do to improve our businesses” An Expert Guide leading all participants along an organized, proven path to progressive, positive improvements
High-Priority Curriculum: A series of mini-lessons and presentations by me and other group members, supported by handouts, examples, and selected reference materials, books, and courses, all condensed, concise, and designed for immediate practical application Coaching: Every top performer uses “coaches,” from Phil Mickelson to Serena Williams to CEO’s and entrepreneurs…to “push” them about change. I am continually educating myself on the latest cutting-edge business-building strategies and tactics by attending events, taking courses, and connecting with other top experts in marketing and business, and I have coached hundreds of high achievers for more than three decades, helping them experience breakthroughs in business, income, and wealth Group Reinforcement: Any time you attempt change in your business, you’re bound to encounter skepticism, resistance, criticism and procrastination from others around you….. Thanks to The WOW! Strategy™ Mastermind Group, there is finally a group of likeminded, progressive business owners successfully applying the same ideas to strengthen the courage of everyone’s convictions and boost their results
Mastermind Group include some of the sharpest business owners and entrepreneurs from all over the world, all working together to take their incomes and lifestyles to new heights. My big, bold Guarantee is that every participant will experience at least ten times their investment at the end of one year in the group, or else I refund double their investment back to them. That is why I am extremely selective about who is allowed to join the group. If you have any interest, you can get more information, see success stories, and apply for membership by going to: www.SteveSipress.com/mastermind After you complete the Questionnaire, we’ll get on the phone and figure out whether or not you would be a good fit for the group. Next month: Part II of this brief overview of what The WOW! Strategy™ Mastermind Group is all about, and why it works so well.
To find out more about Steve Sipress and how he can help you have more fun and make more money with your business, see the Inside Cover Page.
The WOW! Strategy™ Mastermind Group presents an organized system for transforming marketing for any business, designed for immediate, practical and profitable application. It is fun, entertaining, shocking, provocative, bold, exciting, and different than any other business group. My methods, teaching, coaching, guidance, resources, and connections make creating big marketing and money breakthroughs a process that everyone enjoys… that everyone CAN do, regardless of how they feel now about “marketing” or their marketing aptitude. Members of The WOW! Strategy™
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To get new money-making strategies and tips every weekday from Steve and other top business-building experts from around the world, go to:
www.RhinoDaily.com
Steve Sipress The WOW Strategy™ Creator
To find out if you qualify to join The WOW! Strategy™ Mastermind Group, go to:
Jon Bockman Sycamore, IL
“Steve is all business. He is an unbelievably smart, brilliant, brilliant man. I can't say enough about him. Steve has put probably more, I would say, thousands, and thousands, and thousands of dollars... I mean, I probably can't even put a true figure on it, because it keeps coming back, and keeps coming back, just more and more money all the time.”
“One suggestion that Steve gave me, well, without question, put $300,000 more in my bank account. And we are going to be using it forever. This is not a one-time deal. We’re going to be using this idea that Steve helped us with... and we’ll be using it until it doesn't keep working like it is. And so, the value over time could literally be way over even the $300,000 number.”
Mary Forte Bensenville, IL
Keith Lee Seattle, WA
“He's helped me learn how to market my business, and today I can say that we're more successful than we've ever been… I needed to learn how to market the business better to create more revenue, and that's what Steve has helped me with. The financial difference is considerable. We've probably close to doubled our revenues. We're on track now to do another close to $500,000 more than we did last year. So that's awesome. I do owe all of that to Steve.”
expert interview with
Daven Michaels OUTSOURCING for Fun and Profits Steve Sipress: Daven Michaels, what an absolute pleasure it is to have you here on the Rhino Daily Podcast. Daven Michaels: Hey, it’s great to be here, buddy. How are you? Steve: I am doing fantastic, thank you. And you?
Daven: I am awesome. Thanks for having me here. Steve: Great. I had you speak at one of my events, years ago. I’ve always enjoyed your message and what you do for businesses all over the world. I just love what you keep doing with 123Employee. So tell me – for our listeners – isn’t this the world’s largest
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outsourcing business? Daven: Well, actually, I wish it was, Steve. I think, probably, in the entrepreneur space, it certainly is. And when people hear about 123Employee, especially if you’re an entrepreneur – actually, when people think about outsourcing for small businesses – they usually think about 123Employee,
EXPERT INTERVIEW
When people think about outsourcing for small businesses, they usually think about 123Employee, which we’re very blessed that that’s the case, and it’s pretty awesome. which we’re very blessed that that’s the case, and it’s pretty awesome. I think we are a big company, as far as small business standards. There are actually companies out there, that unlike us, they have hundreds and hundreds of employees. There are outsourcing companies out there that have thousands and thousands of employees, and even tens of thousands. So we’re actually kind of small, when it comes to some of the other companies out there, but certainly probably the biggest in the entrepreneur space. Steve: Well, that makes sense to me. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m thinking that whenever I call any kind of customer service, I’m getting over to India or somewhere, where they barely speak English, and they don’t help me at all. But that’s thousands of people, so you’re right: your thing is a heck of a cut above that nonsense. Daven: Yeah, it’s actually interesting. I always say that you can tell the pioneers, because they’re the ones that always have the arrows in their back. And India was sort of one of the early pioneers of outsourcing. But it’s interesting to note today, there are actually more voice-based outsourced agents located in the Philippines than in India, because the Philippines came in and capitalized on that. So today, India is still the biggest place there is for outsourcing, but when it comes to
voice-based agents, there’s actually more in the Philippines, which is where we’re located. Steve: And that’s where all – or almost all – of your virtual assistants are, right? Daven: Yeah, that’s right. We have three centers in the Philippines, several hundred employees, and we do have a small team in India, but that’s just for programming what-haveyou, but otherwise, everything is in the Philippines. And that’s because Filipinos are very westernized, they have a great temperament, they have a very light accent, they’re very eager to please. Really, if you’re listening to this podcast, if you’re thinking about eventually outsourcing some of your business practices, or your marketing, the odds are very, very good that you’ll end up outsourcing to the Philippines. Steve: Well, I think I remember you telling me that one more difference from the Philippines to India is that Filipinos are less entrepreneurialminded. They’re less likely to leave you or steal your stuff and go out on their own, than they might from other countries. Daven: Well, it’s interesting that you say that, Steve, because I remember when I first spoke for you – and by the way, thank you for having me speak to your audience – it was several years ago, when I was just getting started as a speaker, I’ve been self-employed for three decades. Steve: Well, first of all, thank you. The pleasure is all mine. Daven: Well, I was getting started as a speaker back then, I appreciate it. It was actually a big deal to get on a stage, so thank you so much. Back then, when we spoke, that was probably the case, that the Filipinos were not terribly entrepreneurial. But over the last several years, things have
March 2016
actually changed a lot. And the biggest tipping point for that was broadband in all Filipinos’ houses. So now that they have internet, they’ve gotten very entrepreneurial. And as a result, we’ve had to start paying our people more. We’ve also created programs to retain our employees longer. We actually have a new program that we’re launching soon, called “Employed Entrepreneur,” where if an employee stays with us for a year, if they go through an entrepreneurship training that we have through the course of that year, then they can put together a business plan, submit it to us, and if we approve it, we’ll do the micro-financing for that company, to help them out. So, it’s kind of a tradeoff, where we’re going to ask them to at least be with us for a year – and many of our employees have been with us for many years – but at least be with us for a year, and then we’ll take a look at maybe helping them begin their career as an entrepreneur. Steve: How fantastic that is! Speaking as someone who… I love small business owners and entrepreneurs as much or more than anybody on Earth. What a great thing you’re doing! I love that. Daven: Yeah, thank you. I appreciate that. Steve: Also brilliant, because, instead of them leaving you, you’re supporting them. That’s just the smart thing to do. Brilliant! Daven: And if we have a home run, then we both win. Steve: Yes. And you win just because you’re offering it, and you’re helping people like that. Something you just brought up reminded me of an issue I had before I even met you, I had an outsourced assistant in the Philippines, and now that you mention this “broadband in all the homes,”
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EXPERT INTERVIEW
I’m reminded of this time where she was late on a project, and didn’t get it done, and then there was another delay, and then her excuse to me was like, “The internet went down, and I don’t have a car to drive, to get to the café, blah, blah, blah...” And I was like, “What are you doing?”…
We have a new program called “Employed Entrepreneur,” where if an employee stays with us for a year, if they go through an entrepreneurship training that we have through the course of that year, then they can put together a business plan, submit it to us, and if we approve it, we’ll do the micro-financing for that company, to help them out.
Daven: The internet café. Steve: Yeah, the internet café. But what kind of unprofessional… And that’s why your – and I’m not meaning this to be a sales pitch, but it just is. Isn’t that a great benefit of going with an actual company, instead of an individual on their own? Daven: Yeah, absolutely. And this is probably a good time to talk about the options. If you’re thinking about outsourcing, you really have two options: There are freelancers, which are people that work out of their houses, and then there’s managed facilities, like 123Employee. And there’s tradeoffs. So you can certainly find freelancers that sometimes can be specialists, and you will pay less for that. Unfortunately, though, there are some downsides. One is there’s no real accountability, there’s no recourse, if you end up sending money and they don’t deliver. And the internet going out is a pretty regular occurrence. It still happens a lot in the Philippines. Brownouts are daily in many parts of the Philippines. And of course, there’s acts of God – terrible storms and things like that. So the reality is: There’s a lot of unreliability when you’re using freelancers. Whereas, if you use a managed facility like 123Employee, you’re going to pay a little more money, but you don’t have to worry about the power, there’s total redundancy, you don’t have to worry about the internet, you don’t have to worry about the
phone, you don’t have to worry about acts of God and weather. So I believe that when you compare the two… Look, your time is precious. You don’t want to have a halt in your business because of some sort of situation. We believe that the best way to go is using a managed facility. Steve: Well of course you do, because you’re a managed facility! But I’m going to second the notion. And there’s something you left out, although I know you know it well, but it also happened to me, was what if they get sick? What if they go on vacation? It’s so nice to have a company that seamlessly somebody else takes over and does your stuff.
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It’s not like, “Oh, I’m going to be away for a week,” and now what do you do? Because that’s what I did. I found them on an outsourcing website on my own, and you’re right; I cheaply got a slightly lower fee, although come on now, especially compared with the money you make from the work they do, the fee is… Doesn’t matter how much, the fee is ridiculously low. But I did it on my own, and that happened to me once: They were like, “My mother got sick,” or whatever it was. “I’m going away” or something, and then the whole project gets dropped, and I’ve got to retrain a new person. So that’s another benefit of going with somebody who has a manager, who has a team that can continue to work on your stuff.
EXPERT INTERVIEW
If you use a managed facility like 123Employee, you’re going to pay a little more money, but you don’t have to worry about the power, there’s total redundancy, you don’t have to worry about the internet, you don’t have to worry about the phone, you don’t have to worry about acts of God and weather.
Daven: Yeah, absolutely. And with 123Employee, you always get a project manager, somebody who does sort of oversee everything. So there’s total accountability. And also something we didn’t touch on is scalability. I mean let’s face it, business expands and contracts. So if you have freelancers, it can be a challenge to build a team. You could do a virtual team, but there’s so many variables. Whereas, if you have them all under one roof, you can expand. As you need more people, you can do that. If business contracts, you can do the same. And on top of that, all you really have to do is get one good person trained and up and running, and then that person can be your trainer as you expand. And when it comes to training virtual assistants, we always recommend using screen-capture videos like Camtasia, or Quicktime, or Screenflow. Those are great. And once you have those on file, then you have a training program in place. And if you ever do need a new person, then it’s easy to get the new person back up to speed.
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Steve: Well, I like that a lot too, because I also had an issue – you just mentioned – with the ups and downs. I had a freelancer who I was struggling to give enough work to, and then I had another one at a point where she, “Oh, I got a new job” and wanted less hours, and less to do, so then I had to go find somebody else. I just love what you say, where you get a project manager, and the project manager then finds all the different people, and manages them, and makes sure the work’s getting done, and you don’t even have to get involved with the micromanaging.
Daven: It really does. And it’s nice to just have a virtual team. You’re not locked into an office, you don’t have to pay their insurance, or the taxes, or the office space, or the internet, or the telephone. There’s just so many hidden benefits to having a virtual team.
Let’s face it – I had a mentor way back, so I took the habit from him, where he doesn’t call your employees “employees” – he calls them “headaches.” And he said, “Yeah, once you build your company to 30 headaches, you’ve got another plateau...”
A lot of entrepreneurs, as you know – as you must deal with it every day with your prospects and your clients – we tend to be control freaks. And a lot of entrepreneurs can’t get their business growing and scaled, because they want to stay doing everything. Can we help them to at least get started with letting somebody else do something? Can we give them some help with that?
And I’m like, “See? Employees are great for leverage, and scalability, and making money, and you’re employing people – all kinds of good things.” But they also come with a lot of headaches. So I love the fact that getting an outsourced manager of outsourcers takes away a lot of those headaches, doesn’t it?
Steve: Okay. So we talked a lot about the benefits, some of the pitfalls. But I want to get into this… We’re at the end of today’s segment, but I’d love to – tomorrow – get into a lot more of the benefits, like why should somebody outsource?
Daven: That sounds good. Let’s do that tomorrow. To listen to the full interview, go to: www.RhinoDaily.com/podcast
Daven Michaels is the founder of 123Employee, supplying hundreds of virtual assistants to entrepreneurs throughout the world from its headquarters in the Philippines. Daven is the New York Times best-selling author of “Outsource This,” and is recognized as one of the world’s top authorities on how outsourcing can improve the revenue and profits of small businesses, and the lifestyle of small business owners. Get a free outsourcing blueprint, video series and audio CD by going to:
www.RhinoDaily.com/outsource
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March 2016
DO YOU KNOW WHO BELONGS IN YOUR FUTURE?
DO YOU KNOW WHO Belongs in Your Future? By Dan Sullivan
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DO YOU KNOW WHO BELONGS IN YOUR FUTURE?
What you do in life is really a function of who you hang out with. So instead of imagining your future as an abstract set of events and numbers, try thinking of it in terms of relationships: What great things would be possible if everyone you dealt with were positive, motivated, and energizing to be around? Much of our confidence and happiness comes from who we have around us. Conversely, if you’re in relationships with people whose worldviews are filled with thoughts of scarcity, fear, failure, and frustration, they’ll be unhappy about your plans for a bigger future and try to hold you in place. They may have good intentions, attempting to save you from the disappointment of inevitable failure (since they see failure as a tragedy rather than a way to learn and grow), but they’ll limit the amount of freedom you can enjoy. That’s why when I’m talking to entrepreneurs about their future plans, I ask, “Who do you have in your life?” You custom-build your future one relationship at a time, so exercise your freedom to attract and develop only the most creative, supportive, profitable, and satisfying relationships with people who empower your biggest aspirations. This enables you to take bigger risks, knowing
negative people anymore. I’m through with fighting, because I’ve already learned everything I can from that.
You custom-build your future one relationship at a time, so exercise your freedom to attract and develop only the most creative, supportive, profitable, and satisfying relationships with people who empower your biggest aspirations.
This can be your experience too — if it isn’t already — because, as an entrepreneur, you always have the freedom to choose who you have in your life; it’s not forced upon you. The process of choosing begins with determining what your criteria are. Here are mine:
ALERT CURIOUS RESPONSIVE
you’re backed up by a network of committed, talented, future-focused contributors. I live in a dream world. Every day, I’m surrounded by thousands of high achievers who are the most creative, responsible people you could meet — from our team members to our clients. Each year, it takes less and less effort to be successful because of the buoyant quality of these relationships. Because of the way we’ve designed our company, I simply don’t meet
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RESOURCEFUL That’s what I expect from the people around me. By articulating this, I’ve let my team members (and clients too) know exactly how to help me feel supported and motivated and how to do the best work with me. What are your criteria for deciding who belongs in your future? Even though I’ve been talking in terms of the future, that future is created by the decisions you make today — so, work every day to increase your overall freedom of relationship.
Dan Sullivan is founder and president of The Strategic Coach Inc. A visionary, an innovator, and a gifted conceptual thinker, Dan has over 35 years’ experience as a highly regarded speaker, consultant, strategic planner, and coach to entrepreneurial individuals and groups. Dan’s strong belief in and commitment to the power of the entrepreneur is evident in all areas of Strategic Coach® and its successful coaching program, which works to help entrepreneurs reach their full potential in both their business and personal lives. He is author of over 30 publications, including The Great Crossover, The 21st Century Agent, Creative Destruction, and How The Best Get Better®. He is co-author of The Laws of Lifetime Growth and The Advisor Century. Dan is married to Babs Smith, his partner in business and in life. They jointly own and operate The Strategic Coach Inc., with offices in Toronto, Chicago, and the U.K. New workshops are also being held in Los Angeles and Vancouver. Dan and Babs reside in Toronto. To download your free copy of The 80% Approach digital book and audio, and to watch Dan’s presentation of The 80% Progression, go to:
www.StrategicCoach.com
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The Power of P.S. By MaryEllen Tribby
Remember when people wrote letters by hand and sent them through the postal service? I sure do. As a matter of fact, I used to love getting letters from friends I made at summer camp or my favorite aunt and uncle. And I always answered with that same channel of communication – snail mail. If they or I made a mistake while writing, we had to either erase or start over. And if we got through the entire letter and realized that we forgot something, we would simply add a postscript, or P.S., to the end.
TIMES SURE HAVE CHANGED I don’t know about you, but I seldom get or send a handwritten letter in the mail these days. Oh sure, during the holidays, but that is pretty much it. I do however read sales letters online – a lot. I read them because I am always seeking to further my education and enhance my life with great courses, services and products. If you’ve perused any online sales letters lately, you’ve probably seen several that have a P.S. attached to the end. In fact, probably most of them have the postscript. Seems rather odd that a carefully planned sales letter would have an afterthought attached to the end, doesn’t it?
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But most copywriting experts agree that a P.S. is one of the most important parts of any sales letter. And that’s not just a hunch – it has been confirmed over and over through split-testing. It works for large and small companies alike as well as business-to-business and businessto-consumer. The P.S. does not discriminate. And the reason is deceptively simple: just like any real estate, it’s because of its location, location, location. Think about it. Have you ever looked at a sales letter that interested you, but not had the time or energy to read through the entire thing? What do you do?
THE POWER OF P.S.
Since effective copywriting involves working with the reader’s natural tendencies, it doesn’t really make sense to try to keep the reader from skipping to the end of your sales letter. Chances are, you skim through it, or just skip straight to the end to see what is the offer and how much it will cost. And you’re certainly not the only one who does that.
THE DEATH OF THE ATTENTION SPAN The Internet has a way of perpetuating short attention spans, and with so many companies out there competing for users’ attention, they’re usually looking to cut straight to the chase.
Well, the paradoxical truth is it definitely should NOT be an afterthought. In essence, that’s what the term “postscript” means, but that’s not what it should be in a sales letter. It’s got to be something that will grab the reader’s attention and entice him or her to learn more. One tactic that many smart marketers and companies use is creating a sense of urgency. They may mention that the asking price is only good for a limited time, or that the buyer will receive certain bonuses that may not be available later on. Another option is restating the call to action – one more time! It could be opting in for a free report or registering for an online event such as a webinar or Google hangout. This encourages the reader to go back and see what else you have to
HOW TO USE THE P.S. TO YOUR ADVANTAGE So now you know why the P.S. is so important. The next step is deciding what to put in it.
say, or possibly even to go ahead and make the purchase or your desired outcome. Another strategy that is often used is reiterating key benefits of the product. You may have laid them out in the body of the letter already, but by mentioning them again in the P.S., you make sure that the skimmers see them. Done correctly the reader will go back to the body of the letter for the details. A carefully crafted P.S. can keep your visitors on your sales page longer, and ultimately result in greater conversions. Try adding one (or tweaking the one you’ve got) and see if it boosts your sales. P.S. – Postscripts are not only for sales letters. Use them in your content writing as well. You will find it is just enough to boost your reader’s spirits or to get another fan to pass along your advice.
MaryEllen Tribby is the proud Founder and CEO of WorkingMoms Only .com, the world’s leading media company for the empowerment of the working mom. Prior to founding WMO, MaryEllen was the Publisher & CEO of Early to Rise where she was responsible for growing the business from $8 million in sales to $26 million in just 15 months. Before that, she served as President of Weiss Research where she led the company to $67 million in sales from $11 million in just 12 months.
Since effective copywriting involves working with the reader’s natural tendencies, it doesn’t really make sense to try to keep the reader from skipping to the end of your sales letter. It’s much better to put something there that will draw him or her in and make them want to go back and read more. And that is where the P.S. comes in. Make it noticeable and make it remarkable. This will almost guarantee that it will get read.
March 2016
MaryEllen is a highly sought-after business consultant, speaker, and author. Her first book, which she co-authored with Michael Materson, is Changing the Channel: 12 Easy Ways to Make Millions Fr Your Business. It hit #1 on Amazon. com within just 10 hours of its release. If you have been yearning to start a business, but are confused, overwhelmed or scared about the thousands of programs out there, go to:
www.MaryEllenFreeGift.com
www.SteveSipress.com I RHINO MONTHLY
I 11
February 2016
MANNY’S BLOG
Getting Paid to Scratch?
WHAT A RACKET! The recent record-shattering payout in the PowerBall lottery has gotten me started thinking about games of chance in general. According to Wikipedia, the first recorded signs of a lottery are keno slips from the Chinese Han Dynasty. These lotteries supposedly helped finance major government projects like the Great Wall of China. Did you know it’s only a myth that the Great Wall is visible from outer space? Apparently it’s also a myth that Steve and Michele can see my empty water bowl from five feet away. *Sigh* The earliest record of a European lottery offering tickets for sale is the lottery organized by Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. Funds were raised for repairing the City of Rome. As the saying goes in my family, “Rome wasn’t fixed in a day – but Uncle Burt was home in time for his afternoon soaps.” George Washington and other Founding Fathers were involved in lotteries. Benjamin Franklin’s participation had big ramifications for science, because the people he attempted selling tickets to kept telling him, “Go fly a kite!” Ever since the PowerBall milestone, I’ve spent my spare moments daydreaming about what I would do if I won hundreds of millions of dollars:
the moon, but I would grease the palms of the right people at NASA and be the first dog to howl from the moon. I would just have to figure what to do about low-gravity kibble. (“Houston, we have a –delicious—problem.”) I spend an inordinate amount of time burying and digging up important belongings (like bones and lottery tickets). With an extra infusion of cash, I could have the entire back yard done up with Velcro pockets. I feel so embarrassed offering my buddies plain old garden variety room temperature toilet water when they come for a visit. If I won the lottery, I could impress them by laying some pipe to redirect the Old Faithful geyser to the bathroom! Of course not all my wishes would be selfish. I would participate in humanitarian (canine-itarian?) endeavors such as paying for door-to-door pet mani-pedis so cats wouldn’t have to rip up the furniture while sharpening their claws. True, the odds of winning big are astronomically against you. Some folks say you’re more likely to be struck by lightning. Of course that doesn’t faze my cousin, “Cowering” Calvin. He thinks you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than to run into a convenience store or lose a sock in the dryer.
Forget the old-fashioned method of marking your territory! I would expand my real estate holdings and turn the job over to the U.S. Coast Guard. I would even grace the nation with a new catch phrase: “Good buoy. Good buoy.”
(“You monsters under the bed, move over! I know thunder when I hear it! Say, have you guys ever considered a manipedi?”)
My ancestors have spent countless millennia howling at
We’ll have even more fun next month. You can bet on it!
Manny (full name “Emanuel” or “Dog With Us”) is Steve and Michele Sipress’ crazy, rambunctious cocker spaniel. He has a weak leg (despite a mostly-successful back surgery), grey hair, is totally deaf and partially blind. But he still enjoys barking at the mailman and landscapers, pulling dead frogs out of nearby ponds and chasing after his beloved squeaker toy. He loves everyone (even the mailman and landscapers), and everyone loves him.
12 I RHINO MONTHLY I www.SteveSipress.com
PETER’S LAWS
July 2015
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www.SteveSipress.com I RHINO MONTHLY
I 13
RHINO MONTHLY Volume IV Number 3 | March 2016
CONTENTS:
1
The Quickest, Surest, Most-Effective Way to Business Success (Part I) By Steve Sipress
8
Do You Know Who Belongs in Your Future?
www.SteveSipress.com/magazine
10 The Power of P.S. By MaryEllen Tribby
Paid to Scratch? 12 Getting What A Racket! Manny’s Blog
By Dan Sullivan
4 Daven Michaels INTERVIEW WITH
Outsourcing for Fun and Profits
Publisher Steve Sipress Successful Selling Systems, Inc. 20701 N Scottsdale Rd Ste 107-509 Scottsdale AZ 85255 (p) 773-236-8134 (f ) 847-232-1535 Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
w w w.AskSteveSipress.com
Layout & Design Bobbie Miltcheva www.33graffics.com
Publisher’s Notice: Copyright 2016 Successful Selling Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this work beyond that permitted by Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 U.S. Copyright Act without permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Neither the author nor the publisher make any express or implied warranties concerning the legal or ethical appropriateness of any of the marketing documents, materials or instructions in or enclosed with the magazine and/or your use of the same. If in doubt about the appropriateness or legality of any materials or instructions, you should obtain competent guidance, just as you would with any marketing documents, materials or marketing plans you have develop ed or would develop on your own. In the interests of disclosure, we want to b e op en ab out how we may, from time to time, make money from this mag azine. Certain third-party links contained in this magazine may be affiliate links for which we get paid a commission if you buy the product or service through the affiliate link.