MLS Direct Marketing
Dear Reader,
This is gonna be fun!
I am going to do something a little crazy here and lay bare… how I believe anyone can follow what Im about to reveal… to write a very good web site sales message for their own information product.
Lets get after it
Okay, heres the basic “template” we will be following to create your sales message:
Headline(s)
Salutation
Opening
Star
Story
Solution
Bullets
Testimonials
Guarantee
Offer
Close
How To Order
P.S.(s)
Alrighty, for me to make this real, I need to choose a product to create a sales message for.
Hmm. Lets see, yes
here we go
how about if I just reach up and pull down a book from my bookshelf at random.
Cool. Here we go
Ive chosen, How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling by the late Frank Bettger (by the way heres what Dale Carnegie said of this book: The most helpful and inspiring book on salesmanship that I have ever read. – I couldnt agree more).
Anyhow, lets get down to business.
First, youre gonna need a headline. By the way, you may be interested to know that the exact same headline of the book was used in space ads to successfully sell that book. So
if you are selling a book or info product that already has a great title you can simply use that title as the headline in your web site sales message.
But
Im assuming that for the vast majority of you reading this youll need to get your thinking cap on and come up with your own headline. So, lets see if I cant help you out here.
How about I dream up another headline to sell How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling.
Okay, first Im going to add a pre-heading that creates intrigue. Then Im going to create a human interest heading with a negative adjective that also zeros-in on the major benefit the of the book. Finally, Ill finish it off with a sub-heading that brings it home to the reader.
How about like this
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Why do STAR sales people the world-over rave about
and swear by this remarkable, life-changing book?
“How A Dejected 29-Year-Old Loser Salesman Accidentally Stumbled Upon The Sales Secrets That Swamped His Bank Account
And Made Him Enough Money To Buy A Seven-Million-Dollar Country Estate!”
No Matter What You Sell
No Matter How Lousy You Are
No Matter How Dejected You Feel
You Are About To Discover How To Sell More, More Often, To More People Than You Ever Previously Imagined Possible!
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How do you like that?
Okay, next you want to let the visitor to your site know that they are dealing with a real human being
and not just another faceless web site. So, let `em know who you are. Just like this:
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From: Joe Schmoe
Monday, 8.37 a.m.
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That wasnt too hard was it?
Next the salutation, and the all-important opening first sentence. Here, Im going to use a very simple, yet very powerful opening that will seldom let you down. Its called the “if/then” opening. Youll see why:
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Dear Friend,
If you are interested in becoming a star salesman and enjoy the kind of income and lifestyle you previously only dreamed about, then this is going to be the most exciting message youll ever read!
Here is why:
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Now, Im going to let you in on one of the oldest concepts ever developed by master marketers.
It also happens to be one the most profitable!
And, its called The Three S Formula
or
to be more precise, the Star, Story and Solution formula.
Here is where you let your star take center stage and where you weave a story of woe shared by your target audience
then when youve got them crying out for an answer to their problem you very elegantly present the solution: Your info-product!
Dont worry, its not as hard as it sounds. In fact, Im going to break it all down and show you how to string it together right here in these pages.
But first, just in case youre thinking to yourself something along the lines of `Well that sounds great, but I havent got a star
Im just a regular guy or gal trying to make a buck. Dont worry.
Your star doesnt have to be a major celebrity. No. You can take center stage and make yourself the star! Why not?
Maybe your info-product shows people how you discovered a way to lose weight, gain muscle, make more money, catch bigger fish, make gourmet food, buy cheaper holidays, travel first class for second class prices
whatever!
Remember, its your show!
Okay, here goes as we introduce the star of the show (by the way, notice that I have also used the star in the main headline. The dejected, loser salesman who suddenly turns it all around):
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In 1947 a man named Frank Bettger wrote an amazing, easy-to-read gem of a book called, How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling.
Why is that important to you?
Well, heres what its all about:
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Alright, here we can easily answer the question in the readers mind by telling a story that weaves a tale of woe that is shared by the target audience. Something like this:
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Frank began his career as a pro baseball player but was forced to give up his career as a baseball player after a freak injury to his arm.
Thats when Frank became a life-insurance salesman. Trouble was
He Couldnt Sell His Way Out Of A Paper Bag!
A dismal failure at selling, Frank finally concluded that he was never cut out to be a salesman. And so, he began answering want ads for a job as a shipping clerk.
But
Frank realized that no matter what work he tried, he would have to overcome a strange fear-complex that was consuming his life and dragging him down at every turn.
Thats when he plucked up the courage to join one of Dale Carnegies courses in public speaking. And, unknown to Frank at the time, this decision proved to be
The Turning Point For The Rest Of His Life!
Something unusual happened the first night Frank attended that public speaking course. Something that set into power mysterious forces
forces that grabbed hold of Frank from the depths of despair and failure
and catapulted him into
“Sales Heaven”!
Suddenly, Frank had the magic touch. He discovered how to sell to just about every kind of person
without any bully tactics or hard sell closing techniques. Soon Frank was the top salesman in his industry. Everyone wanted to know his secret!
How did he do it?
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Again, see how Im setting up the solution simply by answering the question at the forefront of the readers mind. Heres how I present the solution:
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Well, fortunately later in life, Frank teamed up with Dale Carnegie and they were soon delivering sold out lectures on selling all across the United States of America.
Frank, eagerly told packed out audiences how virtually overnight he went from being a dejected loser to becoming a jaw-dropping success in sales.
Unfortunately, you will never be able to attend one of those lectures to find out the magic behind Frank Bettgers success in selling.
But, all is not lost.
You see, Frank put all his powerful sales secrets into his masterful book, How I Raised Myself From Failure To A Success In Selling. A book that has been hailed as the Bible of Selling, and the secret behind every star salesperson!
Truly, the book is simply amazing!
If youve hit rock bottom in your selling career… if you just dont seem to be cut out for selling
and youre thinking of packing it in
all is not lost. Even if youve never sold anything in your life, youll soon be a star salesman with this book as your secret weapon. And trust me, you wont want to let go of it for anybody
especially not your colleagues!
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Next, Im going to go right into the bullets. First, with a short introductory sentence and the bullets that Ive taken right out of the table of contents of the book (with some sparse editing):
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Anyway, here is just a small sample of the proven master sales secrets that youll be let in on as Frank Bettger reveals all from a lifetime of “in the trenches” selling:
How one idea multiplied my income and happiness! (p.9)
This idea put me back into selling after I had quit! (p.16)
One thing I did that helped me destroy the biggest enemy I ever had to face! (p.21)
The only way I could get myself organized! (p.31)
How I learned the most important secret of salesmanship! (p.33)
How I made a $250,000 sale in 15 minutes! (p.45)
Analysis of the basic principles used in making the sale! (p.52)
How asking questions increased the effectiveness of my sales interviews! (p.58)
How I learned to find the most important reason why a man should buy! (p.63)
The most important word I have found in selling! (p.66)
How I find the hidden objection! (p.69)
The forgotten art that is magic in selling! (p.76)
How I found this infallible way to gain a mans confidence! (p.94)
How to always look your best! (p.99)
An idea I learned from Lincoln that helped me make friends! (p.100)
How I became more welcome everywhere I went! (p.108)
How I easily learned to remember names and faces! (p.112)
The biggest reason why salespeople lose business! (p.120)
The interview that taught me how to overcome my fear of approaching big men! (p.128)
How to make the sale before the sale! (p.129)
The secret of making appointments! (p.137)
How I learned to outsmart secretaries and switchboard operators! (p.145)
An idea that helped me get into the “major leagues”! (p.148)
How to let the customer help you make the sale! (p.152)
How I find new customers and make old ones enthusiastic boosters! (p.155)
Seven rules I use in closing the sale! (p.165)
An amazing closing technique I learned from a master salesman! (p.174)
Benjamin Franklins secret of success and what it did for me! (p.186)
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Those will do. I could write much better bullets that would really tease the reader, but, like I said, those will do for our example.
Next, are the testimonials and a short introduction. Note: I dont have any testimonials for this book, so Ive made some up for illustration purposes. (DONT EVER do this on your web site. Its illegal.).
Okay, here goes:
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Wow!
Pretty amazing “sales ammunition”, dont you agree?
But please, dont just take my word for it. Here are just a few of the real life success stories Ive received from other people who were smart enough to get themselves a personal copy of, How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling:
“Ive been in selling since I was in short trousers. Thought to myself, `You cant teach this grizzly old salesman any new tricks. Boy, was I wrong. After reading this book and immediately applying just a couple things I learnt, Ive had my best month selling condos in over 15 years. The scary thing is, this is supposed to be the `off season!” – (Bob Jones, Real Estate Agent, Santa Fa, California).
“Ive bought a ton of books on selling
all promising theyd show me how to make it in sales. None of them ever seemed to work for me and I was about to quit sales for good last month after struggling to make the rent. So to say I was skeptical when I stumbled upon Frank Bettgers book on your site is something of an understatement. But I was intrigued by his story and thought what the heck. Well I cant believe Im sitting here writing this but for the first time in my sales career Ive finally `cracked the code. Im already on target this month to triple any other months sales!” – (Mary Bly – Chicago).
“You might be surprised to hear that Im not in sales, well not in the `conventional sense. Im a junior high-school teacher with a class of 31 rowdy and raucous little darlings. Well, Im writing to let you know that I recently applied a sales technique printed on page 67 of `How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling and joy be to the gods, Ive `sold the class on turning in papers with an average grade of B+. The highest Ive ever managed to get out of them before is an average of C-. That is very impressive!” – (Kay Adams, Junior High School Teacher, New Jersey, NY).
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Okay, moving along
Here Im going to introduce the guarantee to take away any risk in the readers mind:
===============================================================
Those are just a few of the testimonials Ive dug out of my filing cabinet that is full to bursting with literally thousands of thank you letters from thrilled customers of, here goes:
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Wow!
Pretty amazing “sales ammunition”, dont you agree?
But please, dont just take my word for it. Here are just a few of the real life success stories Ive received from other people who were smart enough to get themselves a personal copy of, How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling:
“Ive been in selling since I was in short trousers. Thought to myself, `You cant teach this grizzly old salesman any new tricks. Boy, was I wrong. After reading this book and immediately applying just a couple things I learnt, Ive had my best month selling condos in over 15 years. The scary thing is, this is supposed to be the `off season!” – (Bob Jones, Real Estate Agent, Santa Fa, California).
“Ive bought a ton of books on selling
all promising theyd show me how to make it in sales. None of them ever seemed to work for me and I was about to quit sales for good last month after struggling to make the rent. So to say I was skeptical when I stumbled upon Frank Bettgers book on your site is something of an understatement. But I was intrigued by his story and thought what the heck. Well I cant believe Im sitting here writing this but for the first time in my sales career Ive finally `cracked the code. Im already on target this month to triple any other months sales!” – (Mary Bly – Chicago).
“You might be surprised to hear that Im not in sales, well not in the `conventional sense. Im a junior high-school teacher with a class of 31 rowdy and raucous little darlings. Well, Im writing to let you know that I recently applied a sales technique printed on page 67 of `How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling and joy be to the gods, Ive `sold the class on turning in papers with an average grade of B+. The highest Ive ever managed to get out of them before is an average of C-. That is very impressive!” – (Kay Adams, Junior High School Teacher, New Jersey, NY).
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Okay, moving along
Here Im going to introduce the guarantee to take away any risk in the readers mind:
===============================================================
Those are just a few of the testimonials Ive dug out of my filing cabinet that is full to bursting with literally thousands of thank you letters from thrilled customers of, How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling.
But of course, I realize no amount of reading about other peoples success stories will convince you as much as having experienced your own success story. Thats why I insist that you try the book out for yourself totally risk-free, because it comes with a
Love It Or Shove It
90 Day `Money-Back Guarantee!
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Next, the offer and the all important close:
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Heres the deal:
The price of the book is normally $15.95, but for a limited trial period only I am offering it to you for only $9.95.
Im likely to up the price to the normal selling price of $15.95 at any moment. So
Dont Delay A Second Longer!
Order your copy of this amazing book right now, completely at my risk for only $9.95 (before its too late). Read it and try it out for yourself for a full 90 days without risk. And, if you are not more than thrilled with the information for any reason (or no reason at all) I insist that you ask for your money back. Therell be no questions
and well still be friends!
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Next, tell the reader how easy it is to order and exactly what they can expect to happen. Take away any confusion lingering in their mind:
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Heres How To Order
Simply click on the `link below to be taken to my totally secure online order page. There, you will be asked for your name, address, email address and bank card details. Follow the download instructions and the book `How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling will be downloaded onto your computer as a PDF document in just a few minutes for you to read.
Order Now By Clicking On This Link.
Sincerely,
{Signature}
Joe Schmoe
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Now, finally comes the P.S.(s which as you may already know are the second most read component of your web site sales message
and
can boost your sales by up to 30%!:
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P.S. Remember, any moment now Im going to bump the price back up to $15.95. Dont delay a second longer. Act now by clicking on the link above for the discounted price of only $9.95 while youve still got the chance!
P.S.S. Again, you are completely covered by my 90 day risk free money-back guarantee. There is simply no way you can lose!
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Well, thats an example of a “meat and potatoes” sales message for a web site selling an info product.
Follow that “template” and you stand a good chance of writing a web site sales message for your info product that will make you some sales.
Thank you for reading along with me, and I sincerely hope the information in this article has been helpful to you.
Warmly,
Michael Silk.
The Worlds #1 Info-Marketing Copywriter.
