She’s after your money!

That’s what I was told by a guy who was working with me just after I met my wife.

After all, I was quite a catch…

I lived in one of those houses with share bathrooms along with guys on the dole and at least one or two drug addicts.

My tax cheque was the only thing which allowed me to pay my bills and survive through that Xmas.

My car had a big scratch down the side of it which I couldn’t afford to fix.

My clothes were about 3 years old and I clearly hadn’t had a fashion upgrade for some time.

I hardly had a cent to my name.

Obviously, my mate was joking.

And I feel fortunate that I met my wife at a time when I didn’t have much because I know she loves me for me… and not for my money.

I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to be famous and try to work out what people’s real intentions are in befriending you and if they have second agendas.

Perhaps that’s why Hollywood Stars always seem to date each other.

Who knows.

Anyway, that’s not the point of this email. But this is…

Let me ask you a question: Let’s say you were entering Australia for the first time as an immigrant.

Who would you rather be?

The guy who had just managed to inherit a tidy sum from a bank before he left and had $700,000 in the bank… but had no money and limited skill?

Or the guy who had invested the last five years of his life to gain the knowledge to practice as a specialist in this country with highly sought after skills.

Many people would probably say the first guy. But the reality is the first guy’s assets add up to $700,000. And if he doesn’t know how to manage that money, 10 years from now, what’s it going to be worth?

Not much.

How about the second guy.

He’s got the skills to demand a six figure income. He’s got the character traits to improve his skills and ensure they only increase over time.

And the reality is 5 years from now… 10 years from now… 20 years from now… you can almost bet your bottom dollar who’s financial future is looking rosier.

So what’s the most important asset one can possess?

Knowledge.

Why? Because knowledge can be transformed into money in the bank. And unlike money, nobody can ever take it away from you.

And I can’t think of any more important knowledge for a business owner to have than understanding how to get more customers via the strategies you’ll learn at http://www.morecustomersmadeeasy.com

Remember, our greatest asset is between our ears.

There’s a saying in the direct marketing world called ‘hurt and rescue’ which sounds kind of harsh. But I wanted to take a minute and walk you through the process of how it works now.

As in reality, it’s actually hurting people for their own good in most cases.

What most people don’t realize is that we are selling all the time. I have a three year old toddler, who is very excited about going to the Wiggles today and I am in constant negotiation with him to go to sleep, etc.

Now anyone with kids is probably going to face challenges when they come into their teenage years. What’s more, we all love our kids.

So let’s see how the ‘hurt and rescue’ method can be applied to someone you love…

Your child is a teenager and you find some drugs in their school bag.

You say: What’s this?

Your teenager says: It’s nothing. Just some hash. Everyone does it?

You say: What the???

Now you have a few options at this point. You can go off your head, start screaming and ranting like a lunatic and scare the life out of your teenager.

You could let it go.

Or you could strategically apply the ‘hurt and rescue’ approach.

Here’s how I would do it…

I would tell a story about someone who lost their mind as a result of smoking drugs – a real story about drugs being linked to mental illnesses, etc.

I would pull out real stories from newspapers giving percentages of the people getting addicted.

I would go into research mode and find out every single bad thing I could about this drug based on real studies.

And I would basically try to scare the living s**t out of my
teenager.

Why?

To link a greater degree of pain to smoking the drug than the pleasure (sensations, acceptance, etc) he gained from it.

And once I had hurt him, then I would go into rescue mode.

I would find a mentor. I would show him there was a better way which would provide him the same pleasure without drugs.

Can you see why the ‘hurt and rescue’ model is ethical and in the best interest of your customer?

Let’s say you sell tires… point out the danger of not having good tires, get statistics on how many people die each year as a result of not having good tires… scare the life out of your customers. And then rescue them with your solution.

Makes sense?

You bet it does. One of my old friends said he didn’t like the way copywriting used fear to get people to take action, but if it’s real… if it’s going to help save lives… if it’s going to protect your child… if it’s fear used to do good… I have absolutely no problem with it.

I was sitting here doing a meditation this morning, wondering what I would write about today, when I saw a little book on my desk.

I picked it up last year. It was a publication from Zoo Magazine entitled PUB AMMO: 1001 guaranteed useless facts.

However, I am not so sure they are useless.

Let’s open the page and take a look inside at some of the facts…

At weddings in part of North India, groups of women sing abusive songs directed at the family of the groom.

A Tupperware party starts somewhere in the world every 23 seconds

The soft drink 7-Up got its name from the inventor, who had already rejected six other names for the product

In a feeding frenzy, a shark may eat parts of its own body

It is a criminal offense to drive around in a dirty car in Russia

Polar bears are so perfectly insulated against the cold, they actually spend most of the time trying to cool down.

Nine out of 10 people believe Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. Joseph Swan did.

Ok, I am sure you found these ideas interesting.

But how can you use them in your copy to boost sales?

Let me have a crack at a few of them for a few businesses…

A Conflict Management Seminar…

Did you know at weddings in part of North India, groups of women sing abusive songs directed at the family of the groom?

Thankfully, this probably won’t happen at your wedding, but if you’re like many customer service people I know you’ve certainly had your fair share of abuse hurled at you over the years.

And in this letter, I am going to show you how to put a stop to it.

Here’s what it’s all about… etc

A Clothing Shop

Did you know Polar bears are so perfectly insulated against the cold, they actually spend most of the time trying to cool down.

Unfortunately, you’re not going to have the same problem over winter.

However it really doesn’t matter, because with our special winter sale, it’s the next best thing to turning yourself into a polar bear for the next 6 months.

Here’s the deal… etc.

A car cleaning company

Did you know it is a criminal offense to drive around in a dirty car in Russia?

Thankfully, you’re not going to be locked up for driving around without cleaning your car in Australia. But you’ll certainly cause a crime against yourself because when your car is dirty, you are exposed to germs which can cause illnesses within your family. What’s more, it just doesn’t make you feel good to drive around in a dirty car now does it?

Can you see how you can use so called ‘useless facts’ to get your readers attention in virtually any industry.

The reality is it doesn’t matter how good your product is, it’s catching people’s attention so you can get the message across and position your product well.

Think about it: Rightly or wrongly, Thomas Edison got the credit for inventing the lightbulb because he was better at promoting himself and getting the attention of the public.

That made him famous and no doubt made him a fortune.

The message: You need to know how to promote yourself to get the attention of your target market or you’re dead in the water.

Are your current ads, sales letters and web sites achieving this objective? If you’re not sure or just want a second opinion, you might like to check out http://www.scottbywater.com/critique