What We've Been Trying to Get Across...

Something to give you pause for reflection- td PS: Yes, I know not all the "facts" are accurate, but the stuff about the internet is.. pretty interesting.

I guess by CHANGE, Barack Meant The Stuff in Your Pockets...

Same old socialist posturing, different day. This is sooooooooooo wrong.

Webinar Updates

from Tammy:


Thanks to the hundreds who attended the recent INSURANCE MAVERICKS webinar on January 22nd. Here is the link to the recording for those of you who missed the live version.
http://tinyurl.com/cuupz5

Join the Mavericks again on FEBRUARY 17th for:
Fire Your Lead Salesman: Real, Live Agents Talk About How They've Created Their OWN LEAD TSUNAMI!

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/223845788

NEW! February 10, 2009: Join the "106 Million Dollar Man", Bill Broich and his colleague Joe Rych as they talk about their new turnkey lead generation for annuity producers. HINT: It involves radio and it could be just what some of you need to end your seminar and direct mail blues.

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/232003996.

February 24, 2009 (Tuesday) Marketer extraordinaire DAVID FREY returns to give us a full overview of the automated marketing system he uses every day to reach out to his clients, prospects, and friends so that he is always in contact and always on their minds. If you have been wondering whether Send Out Cards will work for you as either a business tool or secondary income source, you won't want to miss DAVID FREY.
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/231469824

Also: Don't Forget about the INSURANCE MAVERICKS LIVE television program every Wednesday at 10AM Pacific, Noon Central, and 1PM Eastern. Go here to see it or to see past editions: https://ironfist.infusionsoft.com/go/MavLive/grouchy/

Reality...What A Concept

by Craig Garber
King of Copy.Com




No one wants to do business with some nameless, faceless
corporation.

Everyone wants to feel "some" kind of a connection to
whoever they're working with, even if it's a perceived
connection and not a real one.

Right?

Bottom line is people want to do business with real people.

But almost as important, did you know that making whatever
you're selling real, has a similar impact?

It's true. If you can somehow draw people into your message
by having them visualize themselves using your product,
you're well on your way to making a sale.

Joe Sugarman used to do things like this when he sold
electronic products.

He might say something like, "Pick up this new phone. Feel
how snug and secure it sits right in the palm of your hand.
Run your fingers over all the buttons on the phone and
feel how easy it is to dial all the numbers you want,
quickly and easily. No more rotary dialing that takes
forever, or wrist cramps that linger for hours on end,
after your call."

And you can do this for anything. Let's take something
totally mundane, for instance, like commercial property
insurance. How do you draw people into this, for goodness
sakes?

The answer is simple, check this out: "Last week, George
Icell's life was destroyed.

You see, George owned Icell's
Warehousing for the last 35 years. Every weekday George
came into the office at 5am, and left at 6pm, like
clockwork, never missing even one day of work during that
time, except for the two weeks he took off for his
Honeymoon back in 1974.

Sadly though, last week George's building was burned to a
crisp. And because he hadn't updated his insurance
coverage in ages... after 35 years of business, Icell's
Warehousing will not be reopening.

George's life will never be the same."

See, there are loads of ways to get your customers and
clients involved in what you're selling. The key is to
stimulate as many senses as you possibly can -- sight,
touch, feeling, smell -- whatever makes sense.

And if you can kick in an emotional component on top of this
(in this case, sadness and regret over the loss), then
you've got it made.

Don't forget this. It's not talked about very often, but
Lord knows it sure should be.

Now go sell something,
Craig Garber

P.S. One of my members actually sent in a video about their
experience with my Seductive Selling Newsletter. You'll
even see how he highlighted all the important points in
this particular issue!

And now at last, you can test-drive
it, for free. Just scroll down about two pages and listen
to what Brian Edmondson has to say on his video at :
http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

The Pundit School on the Daily Show- Featuring Jess Todtfeld

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Pundit School

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

The Payoff for Those Who "Get It"

Matthew Sapaula-Advisor
and Media Celebrity


by Tammy de Leeuw
Editor in Chief
"The Grouchy Marketing Lady"

SINCE the beginning of this blog, nearly two years ago, I have been urging all of you in the financial services profession to INVEST in yourselves, to avoid looking for quick fixes and easy solutions, and to build a solid marketing foundation that will serve you now and in the future.

Every once in a while, someone GETS IT. And the results are more than spectacular.

Chicago's MATTHEW SAPAULA is one of the ones who gets it. Not only does he have one of the best-looking, most content-rich advisor websites I have ever seen (http://www.matthewsapaula.com/) he has mastered Web 2.0 in a a big way, using his Facebook account to market himself in a classy, subtle, but effective way.

Matthew has also been extremely successful in achieving the Holy Grail of free lead generation-getting himself recognized as a local expert. This has resulted in him having been interviewed on major television and radio programs.

I am hoping to bring Matthew on for a special webinar very soon.

In the meantime, add him to your Facebook friends so you can see what good a little PR can do.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1425039729&v=app_2392950137

Lead Generation Ideas Part2: Webinar on January 22

How to Create A Lead Generation Machine That Never Stops and Have A Prosperous 2009 More Great Strategies From The Mavericks (no products- just good information!) Join us for a Webinar on January 22 Want to keep that appointment book full? Then you need to learn all you can about what is working NOW to generate leads. The Men of Mavericks return with an ALL CONTENT no pitch webinar designed to show you even more REAL WORLD, proven and tested ways for agents and advisors to keep attracting the kinds of clients they want and need. Grouchy and the Mavs believe that building a lead machine in tough times requires you to re-think and adjust your marketing to reflect what's in your prospects' HEADS RIGHT NOW. Let them... and GROUCHY show you HOW in this one hour info-packed webcast. ATTENDEES get a copy of the newsletter template AND a couple of Grouchy's Gifts- just for being there! (You never walk away empty-handed OR empty-headed from a Grouchy event!) Sign up now.. profit later. Title: How to Create A Lead Generation Machine That Never Stops and Have A Prosperous 2009 Date: Thursday, January 22, 2009 Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM PST, NOON Central, 1PM Eastern After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar. System Requirements PC-based attendees Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista Macintosh®-based attendees Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/496657866

More Time Off=Better Production

by Bill Cates
Referral Coach International

Our December 30 issue of The Referral Minute received more feedback than any previous issue - and it wasn't even about referrals!

It was about the concept that time off to rejuvenate yourself should not be our reward for good, hard, creative work - but that it is the prerequisite for good, hard, creative work.

One of our readers asked me to elaborate on some of the things I do to increase my production while taking more time off.

While I'm clearly not the master of this yet, I do have a few ideas that might get you thinking. Then, you can turn the thinking into acting.

Here a short list of things that one can do to try to take more time off - without creating backlogs of work and/or holding up people from their own work. It's up to you to sincerely evaluate each item. Most of us discount our options and what we can achieve in this area.

We are run by our own limiting beliefs that dictate our actions. Sometimes it takes someone else to look at our personal situation and help us examine our beliefs about our time, etc. Here are a few things you might take a look at:

• Delegation - Can you delegate more than you do now? Why not? Is there just no person to delegate to or do you not trust the people you have in place? If the latter, maybe you need to change your staff or help them get more training.
  
  You can beging by talking to your staff about your goal to create more rejuvination time and discuss why that's good for the practice and what their role can be in helping you accomplish that goal.




• Focus - This is a big one. Most people don't take the time to get clear on their priorities and goals. They seem to take every good idea that comes along and try to accomplish it. Or, they don't want to miss an opportunity. One option is to create a mission statement for each year. For instance, for me, 2009 is all about selling more of our new video training program. We'll continue to do other things, of course, but this is our top priority. One thing I need to do to fulfill this mission is to hire a salesperson. I also have some sub-goals for the year as well. Every idea, project, etc., that comes my way gets evaluated with the statement "Will this help us achieve our goals or distract us from our goals?" Sometimes the answer is quite easy. Yield not into temptation.




• Train Others to Be More Self Sufficient - You know the old saying, "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." This same statement applies to our staff and others whom we support. We often do too much to help them, when they could be figuring out the answers themselves. Pay attention to when you are doing something that - if you took a little bit of time to educate them - they could do more on their own and need you less in the future.



• Start Small - You don't, all of a sudden, have to start taking every Friday off as I've done in the past (and trying to get back to). Maybe you can take a half day every Friday afternoon. I block every Friday off for the entire year. My staff knows not to schedule anything for me on those days without talking to me first. Sometimes I work on these days, but usually only a half day. Sometimes I actually take the day off. Two of my staff members work four 10-hour days and almost never work on Friday. They love it.

http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?af=803298

How To Use Pictures to Increase The Effectiveness of Your Marketing

by Craig Garber

King of Copy.Com

There should only be one, over-riding reason why you're doing anything in your marketing.

Know what that reason is?

Of course! To increase the response rates of your sales promotions!

Because that leads to...

Making Yourself A Nice Little Boat-Load Of Cash!

Today I'm going to let you in on a little-known secret about how to use "pictures" in your sales promotions, the right way... and the wrong way...

so you can start turbo-charging your existing promotions, immediately!

First of all, if you're using pictures -- whether in newspaper or magazine display ads... online... or in sales letters make sure, no matter what, you're using real-live photographs and not drawings.

People "bond" better to other people, not to "drawings of other people".

Think of any picture of a little infant you may have seen. You can't help but smile, right?

The truth is, you wouldn't have had that same reaction if you were thinking about a "drawing" of an infant now, would you?

Second, if you're going to be using photographs of your goods or services, show your products or services actually "being used".

See, assuming the people who want your products are reading your ads in the first place... action-shots draw your prospects "into" your sales messages, making your prospects visualize themselves using your product.

For example: Most of the time, when people are selling swimming pools, they show you a beautiful empty pool surrounded by an immaculately clean deck.

But wouldn't you be a lot more likely to picture yourself drifting lazily on the surface of your pool, with a cool drink in your hand... the sun beating down on you from up above... beads of sweat pouring over your eyebrows and dripping onto the edges of your sunglasses...

if you saw a picture of someone doing that exact same thing in that photo of the swimming pool you were looking at?

And don't you think you're a lot more inclined to buy a pool if you can actually see yourself in that pool relaxing, right now?

Here, try something: I want you to close your eyes right now and totally immerse your thoughts with nothing else but that picture of yourself relaxing in your pool... without a care in the world.

Your kids are having fun close by (and not fighting with each other for a change)... your partner's on their way in, wading over to you with a fresh cold icy drink... and there's not a cloud in the sky.

O.K... Now... Snap out of it!

How did you feel?

Refreshing, right?

So you understand then, you want your prospects visualizing themselves using your products, so they start getting involved with your product in their own minds.

This brings them much closer to buying your products.

Here's an example of what can happen when you use pictures of your product in use, in your marketing. First, go to this website and look for the picture of the couple using the wine-cabinet, about a third of the way down the page.

I had my client use this exact same photo offline, using this web copy as a long-form sales letter.

Want to know how the sales letter did?

O.K., I'll tell you: We sent out 40 letters to a cold list, at an average cost of $2.25 for each letter: it was a $1.38 each for the printing, 83 cents for the postage on each letter, and another 4 cents for the envelope.

The first mailing, my client got 10 orders worth $20,970 Dollars, and since your second and third mailings will usually give you at least the same number of orders your first mailing produced...

we're expecting another $21,000 Dollars worth of business from this mailing.

Not bad, hey?

There was one tragic thing, though. The painful part of this was...

He didn't have 400 names instead of only 40!

So remember:

If you're going to use pictures, use photographs... and nothing else.

If you're going to show a photo of your goods and services, show your product or service actually being used.

And lastly, I didn't tell you this before, but I'm going to tell you now:

Always put captions underneath your photos. People tend to look at photos with captions, and then read the caption itself, but many times, photos without captions get ignored.

Why?

It has to do with your early programming from way back in elementary school when you were trained to read using textbooks, and then later on, newspapers.

All the photos always had descriptive captions underneath them, didn't they?

And think back... what was the first thing you did when you saw a photo with a caption?

Chances are, you looked at the photo and then you read the caption.

Well... just like bakery bread-slicing machines... some things never change.

What's going to happen is, your prospects will be doing the exact same thing when they're reading your sales promotions: First they'll look at your photos, and then they'll read the captions underneath.

Good pictures always lift your response rates. Start using them the right way, immediately... and you'll guarantee this.

Here's something else I bet you'll find unusual: Did you know, studies show men actually prefer seeing pictures of men using your product, and women actually prefer seeing pictures of women using your products? Yes, it's true!

Craig Garber is a top copywriter and lead generation expert based in Florida. His Seductive Selling Newsletter is the most read newsletter of its kind in the world. You can get a special offer on Seductive Selling at : https://kingofcopy.infusionsoft.com/go/SSNL/tdeleeuw/.

The King of Copy's Secrets of "Seductive" Sales

editor's note: "The King of Copy", Craig Garber is one of the world's leading authorities on lead generation, both offline and online, and is a master of writing highly effective ad copy. A former CPA and insurance agent, Garber teaches financial services industry professionals and other small business owners, the ins and outs of building a more prosperous business.

by Craig Garber


Seductive Selling Strategy #1: Attract, don't pursue. Most entrepreneurs are so desperate to find new prospects, they chase down almost anyone with a pulse, who might want to do business with them.

Instead, they need to change their positioning, so they're "attracting"business, not chasing it down. Pretend you're fishing -- when you cast out the right bait, you bring in BUCKETS of fish, but with the wrong bait, you come home empty-handed and frustrated. And what's the best bait to use? Keep reading, you'll find out in just a moment.

Seductive Selling Strategy #2: STOP trying to "convince" prospects they need what you're selling. Let's face it, the convincing business stinks! Making someone "want" to buy something, is like making someone "want" to date you -- it's not natural! But tapping into the existing wants and desires of a marketplace is. You want to find prospects who already want to buy what you're selling, right now, and then simply show them why they should buy from YOU, as opposed to your competition.

This eliminates needless "convincing," because these folks already want to buy. Do this, and you've got it made.

Seductive Selling Strategy #3:

Don't try to appeal to your prospect's sense of intellect in your marketing. Instead, appeal to what's inside their hearts -- what makes them "tick." You see, people make buying
decisions based on emotions, and nothing else. And pushing the right emotional "buy-buttons" gets you invited to the party. THIS is the best "bait" for you to use! Don't try and sell 'em a drink -- get 'em thirsty instead.

Seductive Selling Strategy #4: Contrary to what most people think, when it comes to marketing, it's not all about you! Telling people how great you are, how long you've been in business, or how long you've been in a certain location, only gets you ignored. After all, how do any of these things create value for prospects? But focusing on how you can benefit your
prospects -- this is the unspoken secret ultra-rich entrepreneurs use, to create net worth. Ignore this important strategy, and prospects will ignore you.

Seductive Selling Strategy #5: And lastly, know what you're really selling, and then sell the sizzle, not the steak. Sell the warm sun, white sandy beaches, and the beautiful ocean breeze, not the 9-hour plane flight wedged in cramped seats, sitting next to people with rotten breath and B.O. Paint a picture they want to see.

"Look, selling isn't easy, that's for sure," says Garber. "But by following these basic marketing principles, entrepreneurs attract the kinds of customers and clients they want to work with, and eliminate the tire-kickers and looky-loos who really aren't serious about buying. And for
most entrepreneurs, this is enough to get them fired up and excited about their business once again."

Try Craig's entertaining and informative newsletter for free by clicking HERE.