Increasing Sales With Advanced Copywriting Tactics

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If you’ve read this blog for any time now you probably aren’t believing your eyes. You KNOW I’m an idiot when it comes to graphics. It’s Haaaarrrrrrrd! (In my best whiny valley-girl voice – and yes, I AM dating myself) But no more. Nope. From now on you may bow when you are graced with my presence. From here on out I’m a…

Graphics Guru!

You may kiss my pen.

You don’t believe me do you? Well get a load of this!

See that header baby? check out that course cover. Those are MY doings Pilgrim. Yep. Yep. Yep. Mine. Mine. Mine. All Mine.

So what transformed me?

A program called Ecover Pro

Ecover Pro Demo

I saw this a few weeks ago as I was struggling to get something together for a report I wrote. Yes, the bait piece report to the right which will soon be gone – so if you are not a subscriber yet…

In any case I finally broke down to try it. (First I emailed the seller to see if it would work on my ancient Windows 2000 machine. He assured me it would and it works very well thank you.)

I’m telling you it is just as easy as it was on the demo! I was up and running in minutes. Ron does offer an “upsell” if you want to call it that – it’s lifetime access to his graphics designer. That’s what I used to make my banner and cover. It was very easy to use too. It did take me a while to play with some of the effects but over all it was a snap.

Let’s face it. For ME to put something out that good…

I’ve used some other programs that have better text effects but overall this program is a great value. If you’re a true “graphics guy” you might want to pass this one up, but I don’t think I would even then. Why?

Because once you have the basic flat graphic down it’s very easy to slap that on a nice looking ebook, cd, box… even a membership card.

If nothing else, you should see the demo on the sales page.

Oh, by the way, if you didn’t notice, the sales page for my new Power Testing Profits course which I haven’t even “officially” announced yet – is a special deal – use the coupon code “Save $20″ (between the quotes bloke) to well, save $20. What else? I have limited the number of coupons available so you might want to mosey over there now.

God bless,

Andy

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Warning! Copyrighting heresy straight ahead.

Yes, that’s right. Not only have I become a heretic myself, I urge YOU to do the same! What in melted snowball land am I talking about?

Just got an email from a marketer I know and like. We’ve dealt together in the past – nothing big but every bit of personal contact helps. Anyway, he sent his list an email promoting an item of some interest to me, but that’s not what got my attention. He said “all the marketers” have gone to orange order buttons because they work best in tests. I say BUNK!

That’s right… pardon my language but this is pure crapola. Why?

Because those marketers probably didn’t test YOUR market!

Does that mean orange button won’t work for you? Not at all. What I’m saying is be daring – test it. But don’t stop there…

Test other button colors too. Test different button texts – Try “Download Now!” or “Click here to download” or… something else.

The fact is unless you stretch the envelope you’ll never break out of the box. (How’s that for a mixed metaphor?)

What’s stopping you from testing? Please comment below.

God bless,

Andy

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Security is not really my “thing” but as someone who has been hacked more than once, I’ve learned the hard way. Whenever someone asks about WordPress in particular, I find myself saying the same thing so it just seemed easier to write this article so I can post a link.

If you blog or want to blog, chances are someone recommended WordPress and no wonder… with all the themes and plugins available, it’s a great choice for beginning and veteran bloggers alike. But there is a problem with WordPress that could shut you down before you can blink an eye…

It has to do with security. The popularity of WordPress and it’s Open Source code, combines to offer enticing opportunities for mischief makers who like nothing better than to break in to web sites and wreak havoc.

Part of the problem is with PHP – the underlying programming language for the WordPress script. Bear in mind, I am far from a programming expert, as a matter of fact I’m not a programmer at all. All I know is what I’ve learned from working with scripts for the past several years. What I’ve learned is this:

PHP scripts are among the most popular around. And I’ve had more PHP scripts hacked than any other type. That tells me PHP has some inherent problems. Here’s one I know about…

Many PHP scripts are capable of creating or modifying files and folders. To do this, they require permission from the webmaster. (Often this is you.) These permissions are what control who has access to what files on your site. PHP generally requires global (777) permissions to do what it needs to do. The problem is, global permissions gives anybody permission to create, modify, or even delete that file… even hackers.

While some web hosts have take measures to prevent this – one of which is installing another script called “suEXEC” -

With both of the above problems, there is some controversy. I’ve seen some folks post that the problem runs deeper than this and is due to shared servers (cheap web hosting relies on sharing your server with lots of other sites) and inefficient server management. In other words, your host may not be dealing well with these issues on their end.

Okay, that may be true but I’ve been hacked several times on different hosts and I can tell you it’s ALWAYS the files with a 777 permission that are hacked.

So what do do about all this?

First, be careful about what scripts you install. Whenever possible, I try to opt for cgi scripts (another language – you’ll notice every domain and subdomain has a cgi folder) whenever possible – these have presented less of a problem over the years.

I still install plenty of PHP scripts – especially WordPress blogs. These days, I monitor those installs much more closely. One of the easiest ways is to log on to your account with an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program and look at the “modified” dates of folders and suspect files. Investigate any that look out of place.

How to spot a hacked file:

What I do is simply open the suspect file in a text editor. Most of the time I’ll transfer a copy from my site to a folder I create on my computer (I”ll call it hacked files-August-2010 or something) and then open with wordpad or some other simple text editor.

After you’ve seen a few php files, you’ll soon be able to tell right away but if in doubt, open the original file and compare the two. If it’s hacked they will look different. Usually the inserted code is right at the top.

Can hackers be stopped?

In the real world? No. Not really. Like someone said to me once – locks just keep honest people out. But, just as you can do things to make your house or car less attractive to burglars, you can make changes to your website to encourage hackers to move on to easier pickings.

As I said before, watch those file permissions. Make sure every folder has a file named “index.htm”, “Index.html”, or “index.php” – these are the most common. If your folder has no such file create one. It need not have anything on it. All you want to do is have something for browsers to see – even if it is blank space – if someone stumbles upon your folder. For example:

Let’s say you have an “images” folder on your website. Pretty common. On some hosts if you navigate to http://mysite.com/images/ and it has no index file in place, your browser will list every file in that folder. It may be possible to see more of your file structure too. If the folder contains sensitive files, anyone can look at or download them. My host tells me this is no longer necessary but I do it anyway.

Now about WordPress Security…

I’m not going to go into this because it’s already been done by people much more knowledgeable than I. But I will provide links so you can get this information yourself.

You can find an excellent white paper on WordPress Security here You’ll also find loads of other security information on this site too. It’s well worth a look and a bookmark.

Here is another good post on WordPress Security

There are others but between these two, you should be a lot better off than if you just installed your blog and hoped for the best.

By the way, I don’t always utilize every technique these publications recommend. But there are several I always do – like install the role manager and use it. And change my prefixes. (don’t worry, you’ll soon know what I mean

This article is far from a definitive work on security. But it will get you started in the right direction and the information can help protect you from a lot of heart and headaches.

God bless,

Andy

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Just finished reading an article by another copywriter who believes offering a free consultation shoots up a blazing red flag shouting “Incoming! Sales Pitch!”

Is it true?

Okay she was more subtle than that but my description offers a more precise idea of how I feel about “sales pitches”.

On my Havens Communications web page, as well as on some posts here, I offer a free consultation and I don’t use that as an excuse to “sell” anyone. How can I?

Lets say you downloaded my special report “Luring Prospects with a Bait Piece.” Maybe you like the idea but you are not sure it’s right for you so call me – do you really think I’m going to try to “close” you on the idea of writing up a special report for you on the spot? Heck no!

I don’t know anything about you or your business. It would be foolish of me to try to sell you anything. What I’m going to do is start asking some questions and listen carefully to what you have to say.

By the end of the call, I’ll likely be brimming with ideas about how to build your business. These will range from the starkly ordinary to the wildly exotic. I might make a suggestion or two or probe some more but in the end I am more prone to offer to call you back with an idea or two IF I think I can help. (If I don’t think my services are right for you, I may still offer to call back after I talk to a colleague or two who may be able to help.)

Or if you have a project in mind and want to know what it would cost to do it, I’d gather the information and offer to work up a quote. Then we would agree on when the quote would be delivered. Again, that is IF we decide I’m the right person for your project.

Almost everything I do is on a quotation basis. Before I even begin to work, you know what to expect and how much it will cost. And I never “sell” my quotes. I just don’t. You are always free to accept it or reject it. Of course we can always modify the terms if need be.

So what do you think? Am I missing something? Is there a better way? Feel free to comment below or privately if you prefer. I’d like to know if you are hesitant to take me up on a free consultation because you think you’ll get pitched instead. If you’d like to suggest an alternative, I’d be happy to hear from you.

Regards,

Andy

P.S. Comment below, call or fill out the handy form on the right. As always, my contact form “subscribes” you but there is no “mailing list”. It’s just a way for me to get your info.

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Okay so I used the ellipsis (three dots) because otherwise the ! looks like another “l” and therefore a typo, but I had to. I’m excited. I’ve got Poll…! Kinda.

I gave up trying to get the scripts to work on the blog but I DID get them working on my Havens Communications site. You won’t see it until you go to leave then my Virtual Assistant (Janet) pops to ask you to fill it out.

Give it a whirl.

Andy

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Okay an update is due and here it is…

Friday was a frazzling day. Finally got an answer about my poll script(s). The first one I kinda wasn’t expecting an answer to right away. The vendor lives in Israel so I thought he might be orthodox and not tend to business late Friday (the traditional Jewish Sabbath is sundown Friday to sundown Saturday).

Well I did get a response. I also got a response from a vendor of the other poll software. The vendor is a good guy but the software is indeed junk. Looks good. Great concept but lousy in execution. Too bad.

In both cases though, customer service was actually very good.

The funny thing is even after I got answers to my questions, I decided to abandon the script in favor of another one. After I bought the other script, it dawned on my to post my survey right in the script like above. (okay, it SHOULD appear above, but this sticky plugin doesn’t always work the way I want it too.) Why do I keep bothering with the script?

Well after all is said and done, I kinda like the way the script is set up. What I don’t like is the formatting of the pages it generates. However, I’ve figured out a couple of things so I can work around that.

1) I’m doing my own formatting.

2) I can put my own format in a page, combine this script with another one – the Sales Bot Generator – to create exit polls.

So it may not be a wash after all. I’ll likely offer a package deal with a video when it is all said and done.

God bless,

Andy

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Okay, so I ‘ve  got other names for it, but I try to keep things clean around here.

Now you might get the idea that I’m a whiner.  Well some folks may agree with you.  I don’t often ask for refunds. I don’t complain about every little thing, but when something is supposed to do a certain job and it doesn’t, well, I ask for help. And if I don’t get any help I get ticked off. These past few days have been a trial.

Today, I’ve been playing with some survey stuff. I want to ask folks on various site – including this one – what I can do better. But I don’t want to subscribe to a monthly service for the privilege. So I started poking around for a script. Found one. Reasonable price. Enough documentation to get me up and running. Now let me ask you..

Were you offered a survey when you stopped by here?

If the answer is still “NO” then you see my problem. I’m sure it’s something simple but, well, just TRY to find support!

So while I’m waiting I get to poking around. I find another solution. This one I already own! This one looks really slick. Good enough where I might not mind eating what I paid for the other one. But this one has NO documentation. None. The readme file is some scammy ad. Nice. No support page. Nothing.  So I track down a “contact” page on a file buried in the folder someplace. I tried it.

Okay so sure, it’s Friday afternoon. Nobody wan’s to work except maybe a few dorks like me. I can get that.  What irks me is all the “NO REPLY” emails I get and the hidden nor disabled support pages and the thinny thin thin”knowledge base” files.

Look. I don’t even HAVE a knowledge base. But you can email me and I’ll reply. You can call. I’ll answer. I’ve even answered on a Friday night when I was doing something else. The thing is I try to be accessible.  Even if you submit a support ticket, I get notified and, chances are, you’ll hear directly from me.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I feel better.  What about you? Do you have a “crusty customer service” story?  Add a comment and speak your peace. You don’t have to be mad at me – as a matter of fact, I prefer it that way.

I’ll listen. I’ll respond. I may not be able to help, but maybe we can get together sometime and drown our sorrows in a beverage.

Have a great weekend!

God bless,

Andy

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Regular readers may be wondering what the  heck is going  on. Yeah, yeah, I can get sporadic about posting. Nothing new there. But when I promise something I am KNOWN for delivering. Well, the Case Study Primer is finally complete. Now for the bad news…

I’ve decided not to offer it to new subscribers at this time. For anyone who subscribed to this blog before this post goes live – you’ll get a copy. Anyone else will need to request a copy from me. And at some point I may decide to charge a nominal fee for the report but for now,  it’s free of charge.

Meanwhile I’m working on another report. This one should have preceded the Case Study Primer.

The working title  of my new report is “Luring Prospects with a Bait Piece” but I kinda like “Landing the Big One with Bait Pieces”. Which do you prefer?

This report covers how and when to use a bait piece – like  a Case Study – to add impact your business. Again, if you are a subscriber before the new one comes out you’ll get both the current report “Why People Flee Your Website Like Extras int a Godzilla Movie” and the new report “Luring Prospects with a Bait Piece”. Drop me a line and I’ll send you the Case Study Primer, but only if you ask for it.

God bless

Andy

P.S. Right now I am NOT happy with my choices for an example Case Study for my report so I deleted the example I had in there! Now here’s an opportunity for you. If you think you have a good customer success story waiting to be told, call me (or use the contact for to the right). IF you qualify i.e. have a subject for a suitable case study, I’ll make you a smokin’ deal, if you allow me to feature the finished study in my report. Don’t delay – I only need one but it has to be the right one! Call now.

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If you run in IM (Internet Marketing) circles at all (take that literally or figuratively, it works either way), you’ve probably heard Mike Filsaime is releasing his Butterfly Marketing Script to Open Source.  What’s that all about? Is it genius or stupidity?

Butterfly Marketing was a huge product for Mike.  I can’t tell you all about it. Not because I’m sworn to secrecy but because I never bought it. Lots of folks did though and lots of folks made some good money using it. Lots more never made a dime. But that’s not Mike’s fault.

In any case, I wanted to take a moment to examine what he’s doing NOW with a product that is well past it’s prime.  He’s giving it away. Does that mean it is now worthless? Not at all. As far as I know the system works as well as the day it was launched. So is Mike foolish for giving it away? It’s not the first foolish thing Mike has done. I know that for a fact.

Several years ago Mike was struggling to make a decision – whether to quit his job to pursue IM full time. He was making more in IM than his job paid  but he loved his work. And his job was a pretty good one. He was a sales manager for a large auto dealer and also ran the co-op marketing program for a dealer association. But there was a price.

He was commuting several hours a day on top of working something like 60 hours a week and THEN working in IM in his “spare” time. He asked folks in the Warrior Forum if he should quit his day job. Not being one to hold back my opinion, I sent him an email and cut loose.

I thought he was being foolish and I told him so. My point was not so much that he should quit his day job, though IMHO he should have, but of all the time he was spending working. I know he was married. I wasn’t sure about kids, but come on… there’s more to life than work. Even for me!

Anyway he did quit. We’ve emailed back and forth a few times on different subjects but I daresay he wouldn’t know me from Adam should I call him today.  I say that just so you don’t think I’m putting on airs about “who I know”.  So what about offering his flagship Butterfly Marketing for free?

Not so foolish as far as I’m concerned. As a matter of fact there are some valuable lessons to be learned from this.

Sure, Mike is giving this away free. And yes, it IS valuable, at least to those who will take action. But don’t you think for a minute, Mike will give this to you without an offer. And this is where his genius shines.

After you give Mike your name and email (he has mine 2-3 times over) he’ll add you to a list and send you to a special offer page. There you will have a chance to join his development group and adds a huge bundle of bonus items all for $200. I said “not thanks”. And here’s an obvious twist I’ve never seen before…

Mike takes you to a second page with a reduced price offer. Nothing special here, I HATE marketers hawking a markdown after I refuse full price. But Mike did something I thought was smart…

He cut some item out of the bonus as well as the price cut. Not only that but he also showed you what you  were missing. Genius.  And it makes you wonder why you never thought of doing that. I do it all the time with copywriting quotes.

I never quote a price and then offer a lower price for the  same work. Why should I do that? When I price something, I price it fairly (in my eyes) and offer good value. If I were to offer, say a 10% reduction for the same deal, I might as well say my quote was overpriced. So what do I do?

If you don’t like my price, I offer less for less money. And that is what Mike does here. He sticks by the original value he offered but made something less pricey available for cost conscious marketers. Good stuff.

Now it’s my turn to do something “foolish”.

I’m still not buying. Why?

Because I do not need the distraction of the Butterfly Marketing stuff. My focus right now is on building my copywriting business. To that end I am not even offering a link to the script. I’m sure if you pop Mike’s name and Butterfly Marketing in Google, you’ll find it.

God bless,

Andy

P.S. I’m putting the finishing touches on my Case Study Primer. I wanted to have it done by now but alas, it was not to be.  If you want both the new report and my current one on web site mistakes at no charge, subscribe to my blog alerts now.

P.P.S. And if you need a quote, feel free to contact me, I still have openings on my schedule but you need to allow a minimum of two weeks in advance. Use the contact form to the right or call me directly at 443-254–3703.

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