Business Development Advice

 Writing Your Million Dollar Sales Letter

“Writing Your Million Dollar Sales Letter” is step 4 in Nitro Blueprint System and this is where you start crafting the copy which is going to make you your fortune.

You will remember from steps 2 Planning Your Business Strategy and Creating Your Offers and Step 3 Creating Your Front End Product that you have been focused on what it is that your target niche market is looking for.

In Step 4, you develop your sales letter to explain to your prospective customers why they should buy your solution to their problems and why your offer is credible.

Copywriting Is Fascinating

Copywriting is both an art and a science which I find fascinating and I recommend that you start paying more attention to the direct mail and sales letter style websites that you encounter.

There is an old advertising acronym - AIDA - which stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action.

Start studying the letters and see how they capture your attention with a benefit focused headline. Then work your way down, all the way through to the call to take action.

See if you can identify why some copywriting is good and subtly influences you while other copywriting is poor. It either doesn’t move you at all or comes over brash and arrogant. The ingredients are right but the cake isn’t mixed properly.

The Old Advice - Write Out A Great Sales Letter By Hand

If you study copywriting you will read this advice a lot.

Just take a letter you like (perhaps Nitro’s own sales letter) and start writing it out by hand. This way you feel the words and you can get into the copywriting mood much more effectively than just reading the letter or trying to analyse it.

Yes it takes time and you may be best to choose your sales letter carefully based on length as some can be 30, 40 or even 50 pages long.

Nitro’s 11 Part Formula of a Successful Sales Letter

The Nitro Blueprint System handbook has a really nice section based on the components of a successful sales letter which I hope they don’t mind me repeating in headings:

1. Headline
    
2. Opening Section
    
3. Establish Credibility
    
4. Providing the Solution
    
5. Bullet Points
    
6. Testimonials
    
7. Bonuses
    
8. Price Of Your Product
    
9. Your Guarantee
    
10. Call to Action
     
11. Formatting Your Sales Letter

Can you see the way that the AIDA factors are being brought in?

In the following steps if you buy the Nitro Blueprint System, you will be creating your website with the sales letter as the central page and then testing it.

To find out more see Nitro Blueprint System

Kevin Wilke of Nitro Marketing has announced that the Nitro Blueprint System has increased price on 1 April 2008.

It seems some stupid blogger told him that the product was too cheap and that the price almost stopped him from buying.

I think it was me.

The price is going up from the “bargain of the century” price to “still a great bargain” $497.

Sorry For My Slow Progress

If you are attracted to the Nitro Blueprint System but you have been waiting for me to finish my reviews before buying then I do apologise. I have been going much slower than I expected through the system.

Most importantly I have read ahead and I am very impressed with what I have seen from Kevin and his team at Nitro Marketing.

My business on here is reviewing and promoting business development products but there have been too many Internet marketing launches going on at the same time.

Let me put this $497 into perspective.

The new Product Launch Formula will be $1997.

StomperNet SMARTS program was $1,397.

Rich Schefren’s Business Acceleration Program launched at $1,997 and has now increased to just under the $5k which is close to his Business Growth System coaching program.

Eben Pagan’s Guru Mastermind launch this week was at a high price. I haven’t really been watching it because of the time pressures but it was at a price beyond my “let’s just give it ago”. I also missed out on the Frank Kern Mass Control launch because of the time factor.

These Internet marketing programs are expensive but for the right people the Nitro Blueprint System stands up to any of them from what I have seen.

You get a detailed action program which walks you through every step. You get extra videos and help on the active forum. There is a “done for you” option on the resources if you don’t have the time for certain aspects of your business launch.

So who are the right people for the Nitro Blueprint System?

Effectively it is for people who want to have an Internet information marketing business.

If you have tangible products you can touch and feel or you have a service business then the information product creation sections in the Nitro Blueprint System are not as relevant.

BUT

1. You can still learn a lot about putting together an Internet business and at this price, the tips on creating your website, blogging, generating traffic, copywriting and many of the other things are well worth the purchase price.
2. Information marketing is a great way to generate leads for any kind of business. Everyone is time pressured but wants to “be in the know” when making decisions. So if you have a kitchen fitting business, you could create and sell “The 17 Unmissable Tips For Making Sure You Have The Kitchen Of Your Dreams.” The same logic applies to virtually any kind of business and even covers routine purchases.

The Bottom Line

See the Nitro sales letter or videos to help you to decide whether you should buy. Remember you are still protected by the Nitro guarantee.

Pricing Update August 2008

I have checked the current price of the Nitro Blueprint System and it is back below $300.

Nitro Marketing are sophisticated marketers and offer a series of optional backend offers so I suspect that after testing, they must have found that Nitro customers were spending less with them following the price increase.

The Nitro Blueprint System is well worth the $497 there were charging but it may have scared away some of the very new Internet Marketers and sent them into the clutches of products that are not as good or as comprehensive as the Blueprint System.

Jeff Walker has finally released details of his Product Launch Formula 2.0.

This is a short coaching program to teach you how to launch your new product or service and the impression is that it will be very intensive.

When Is The Product Launch Formula Launched?

It is launched on 27 March 2008 at 2:00 pm Eastern Standard Time and Jeff is only talking about it being available for just 24 hours.

In fact he is saying that based on all the interest he is seeing it could be sold out in a much shorter time period than that.

This is make your mind up time.

I would hope that if Jeff enjoys the coaching program, he will do it several times a year so that if you can’t make this one, you can take advantage of the next.

But he hasn’t said that.

The original Product Launch Formula was a home study kit - a buy any time, do any time solution but again there is no mention yet of a similar solution being made available.

One final question has been answered.

How much will the Product Launch Formula cost?

According to the Q&A video, the initial price for immediate payment will be $1,997 so some people may find that much cash difficult to find in one go because they are maxed out on their credit cards. He did mention that there would be a three instalment payment scheme but that will cost more.

Conclusion

It has been fascinating to watch Jeff step by step in this launch process and what started slowly is now really building quickly.

I want the Product Launch Formula.

I just have to decide if I can find the time is my already very hectic schedule to fit it in and do it real justice.

I ignored Frank Kern’s Mass Control launch because I don’t have the time.

I ignored Eben Pagan’s Guru Mastermind course because I just don’t have the time.

I think I will have to make the time for the Product Launch Formula.

I am currently experimenting with the idea of having certain affiliate links embedded in free reports that I provide which hopefully will be passed around to other people and will help increase my affiliate income.

In today’s email from famous copywriter Carl Galetti, he introduced me to Viral Ebook Explosion which Jeff Dedrick has created.

The idea is simple.

The more free reports out there with your affiliate links in them, then the more chance you have of earning money for doing nothing.

Best of all, the Viral Ebook Explosion is currently free although you will meet a couple of interesting upsells on the way through.

The Ebooks are already written and just waiting for you to add your affiliate codes to.

I tried it with Derek Gehl’s “Six Steps You Need To Follow To Guarantee The Success Of Your Online Business” since I am on his email list anyway and received a 64 page ebook with my links embedded.

This is neat and is well worth trying if:

a) You want to give away free information content but you don’t have time to write it

b) You want to make a bit of extra money from affiliate sales. Don’t expect it to be enough to give up your day job but it could pay for some of life’s little luxuries.

Jeff Walker has just released two videos which outline his Product Launch Formula Blueprint.

Video 1 of the Product Launch Blueprint gives you an explanation of how Jeff stumbled into his Product Launch Formula from an email list of just 19 people.

In Video 2 he shows you the mindmaps for some of the product launch formula models.

See the Product Launch Blueprint

It looks like tough times are ahead but if you want to recession proof your business Guerrilla Marketing can bring you two solutions:

Guerrilla Marketing Main Event

This is an intensive eight week program with Jay Conrad Levinson, Mitch Meyerson and six Guerrilla Marketing Coaches.

I worked with Mitch Meyerson on the Guerrilla Marketing Coaching program and it was a great experience so I am sure that this program will be a great benefit to anyone wanting to prepare their business in case of recession.

Guerrilla Marketing Main Event

Guerrilla Marketing During Tough Times

Some years ago Jay Conrad Levinson wrote the book “Guerrilla Marketing During Tough Times” which is available as an E-Book.

Guerrilla Marketing During Tough Times

Remember the old saying “proper preparation prevents particularly poor performance.”

Hopefully it won’t be needed but I am not optimistic about the economies in the UK, USA and Europe.

I also highly recommend the Guerrilla Marketing Association which has an amazing amount of free resources and a 30 day free trial to encourage you to give it a try.

I am fascinated by the art of great copy and the way it unconsciously persuades a prospect to buy.

Possibly the best copywriter in the world is John Carlton and I was introduced to his thoughts through Rich Schefren’s Business Growth System coaching program where John is extensively featured in the marketing module.

He very rarely holds events to teach people how to write copy but he is about to release his Copywriting Sweatshop 2 DVD set on March 21, 2008.

As part of the launch you can get some free tips from a master copywriting by:

1. Watching the videos and then sign up to receive news of more freebies.
    
2. Signing up to his 7 day email course

I’ve done both.

Great copywriting is often the difference between OK performance and good performance. Or to put it personally, the difference between driving around in a four year old car or a brand spanking new car which is the envy of your neighbours.

Just think about it.

If you market by email or direct mail, it is the copywriting which may move your response rates from 0.5% to 2%. That’s a four times increase in your sales.

If you market on the Internet, it is the copywriting which determines whether the reader bounces on your page and bounces straight off or stays around and reads what you have to say. But then the visitor doesn’t just read, they click through to your order page.

Isn’t it about time that you knew more about copywriting?

“But what if I end up buying the program?”

Great, can you think of any better proof that John’s ideas work?

Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula 2.0 pre-launch rolls on with another 75 minutes of video.

This time we have three Internet marketing legends talking together:

1. Jeff Walker
    
2. Frank Kern
    
3. Eben Pagan - Get Altitude

How to get people to read your copy is just one of the topics these three discuss along with how to work with joint venture partners and create an instant.

Sounds fascinating doesn’t it so click over to the latest Product Launch Formula video and surrender your email address to get the full seventy plus minutes.

You know you want to, so just click over to the video.

It is very informal and unless you like the look of Frank Kern’s legs, I would download it as an mp3 and listen to it rather than sit glued to your computer screen.

I have now completed my first exposure to the CDs and DVDs of the Main Event conference from July 2007 included as a major element of Rich Schefren & Strategic Profits Business Acceleration Program.

Included In This Review

The final four sessions of the conference from:

1. Jeff Walker of Product Launch Formula fame
    
2. MaryEllen Tribby of Early To Rise (Agora) 
    
3. Mike Filsaime - Butterfly Marketing and the Seven Figure Code
    
4. Rich Schefren wrap up session with final closing remarks by Tom McCarthy

I have made the point before that this was a “no pitch” event but it is inevitable that in a 60 to 90 minute presentation, your appetite is whetted to learn more.

Jeff Walker & the Product Launch Formula

Jeff seems like a really nice chap and he was introduced as being responsible for possibly the most important marketing concept.

The Product Launch Formula has been a major success, both behind the million dollar Internet marketing launches and many much smaller launches of real world products.

As it happens Jeff Walker is currently launching the Product Launch Formula 2.0, the new improved version updated for the lessons learnt from the last two and a half years. Take a look at the first video. I recommend that you sign up as it certainly makes it easier to watch the second video.

Jeff’s presentation at the conference was quite low key. He told a few stories about some of the launches he has been involved in (including that Mike Filsaime went live with his launch with a sales letter that said “insert bullets here” because the server was so busy, he couldn’t FTP the full sales letter) and explain the thinking behind the Product Launch Formula.

If you listen, you will certainly see that Jeff Walker is strongly influenced by Robert Cialdini’s work on influence and persuasion but the Product Launch Formula is much more than that.

A launch is an event with the build up, the launch and then the post launch activities to continue generating revenue.

This is the session I have listened to most frequently so far, partly because it is interesting (and having seen several major Internet marketing launches recently, you suddenly understand why they did what they did) and partly because I have wanted to become more familiar with the Product Launch Formula as I help to promote version 2.0.

MaryEllen Tribby - Early To Rise

MaryEllen Tribby gave a talk on direct marketing as the CEO and publisher of the Early To Rise newsletter.

In the 15 months she has been there she has seen it grow from $5m to $20m a year so she clearly knows what she is doing.

In some ways you could say that this was standard material as she contrasted direct marketing to brand marketing and then went through the important direct marketing terms and concepts.

However this is an area where I believe that you can always get better and it pays to listen to people who are successful.

What blew me away was that there was a long question and answer session between MaryEllen and the audience and I couldn’t believe how open she was prepared to be.

It was fascinating to learn how a big Internet marketing company works even though the Early To Rise newsletter makes little impact to me. It certainly connects with a large number of people so I must make time to study the techniques.

Mike Filsaime - Butterfly Marketing and the 7 Figure Code

Before I watched the video I had always viewed Mike Filsaime with a certain level of scepticism.

Not because I have anything against him but I think he was the first high profile Internet marketer I was exposed to.

I now know how intensively some of them can market but when I was young, innocent and naive, email after email offering me one revolutionary product after another made me resist his messages.

For some reason I didn’t unsubscribe (perhaps thinking that when I had the time to go through all the emails there could be some nuggets) so I just routed the emails to a separate folder.

So I came into this presentation wary of what I was about to hear.

Mike Filsaime split his presentation into two:

1. Viral marketing
    
2. A walk through of his 7 Figure Code launch

This is high intensity content as he explained the issues involved with creating a marketing virus and in particular twelve factors required to create buzz - the desire for other people to want to get involved and pass on your message.

Mike Filsaime then went on to explain how you put together your viral campaign by using ideas like the tell a friend script and incentivising a person to want to pass on your message.

I am certainly attracted to the idea of viral campaigns. It is much better for a friend to say to you “have a look at this, it is great” than a marketer sending message after message out waving the red flag trying to attract your attention.

In the second part of the presentation he focused on the 7 Figure Code launch which followed Jeff Walker’s Product Launch Formula.

I have no idea whether he was paid by Jeff but if he wasn’t he should have been because it was fascinating to see the inside story of a big Internet launch and has made me keener to know more about the Product Launch Formula.

I have also revised my opinion of Mike Filsaime since he made a good impression on me and I have bought the Butterfly Marketing Manuscript but not yet read/reviewed it.

 
  Save
  Your Online Business

I know it’s cheesy but I couldn’t resist.Rich Schefren & the Attention Age DoctrineIn the wrap up session Rich Schefren returned to the issues of the Attention Age where the problems were covered in his first Attention Age Doctrine which was later updated to include some of the solutions.

You can get a free copy of the Attention Age Doctrine.

There is some unnecessary hype in there but I do recommend that you read it. 

The report made me think about the problems of marketing in a world overwhelmed with interruption marketing messages and customers learning to tune out everything they don’t want to know about. 

This is an important issue and is one of the driving forces for my customer focused entrepreneur initiative.

Attention is in short supply and people will only give attention to people who treat it carefully. In some ways this harks back to my early experience of Mike Filsaime when I felt overwhelmed with messages that hadn’t made a connection.

Summary

I still have a long way to go in my review of the entire Business Acceleration Program but I can say that the July 2007 Rich Schefren conference was excellent.

In February 2008, the New Beginnings conference was held and I am looking forward to receiving my DVDs of the presentations. You may be interested in taking a look at the Dream Team Home Study Program.

The price will increase, so if you are tempted, you may want to grab your copy now.

As for whether I will recommend people buy the Business Acceleration Program, I haven’t reached a conclusion.

I have the personal productivity training to go through yet which is supposed to make a big difference to my ability to process and retain information so I am looking forward to that.

There are also a series of follow up coaching calls but Rich Schefren and his friends have fallen behind schedule on that and there are various payment in full bonuses which have not yet materialised.

I am a believer and a fan of Rich Schefren and seem to be buying everything he issues but at the moment I am concerned about the price hike on the Business Acceleration Program but you can read the sales letter here.

Perhaps this is mid-course blues but after overloading us with time consuming activities in the early weeks, democratically agreeing to have a one week break (I voted for two weeks), I am not getting all the benefits I had hoped.

The week on video largely passed me buy although I can certainly understand why Traffic Geyser is highly recommended.

I like the idea of video and StomperNet used it to great effect with the SMARTS launch and the Go Natural 2.0 series of videos which should be starting again soon, but I don’t really see it succeeding that well in the business advice market.

Rich Schefren did some pretty neat feeds from the New Beginnings conference which he put on his blog.

Jeff Walker seems to be doing better with the first video for his Product Launch Formula 2.0 but there seems little about business videos which are viral. I guess that they are just not entertaining or original enough.

John Cleese did a great series of training videos with Video Arts which used humour to show management fallibilities in the seventies and eighties. These were excellent although very expensive but we do need to find a way to make these business videos entertaining at a number of different levels.

One problem with the SMARTs course is the old chestnut of having to catering for people at different levels of knowledge so some training has been slow, even for someone as inexperienced in the social media as me. I do accept though that much of the social media success is built on layers so if the foundations are weak, everything you build on top will be weaker than it should be.

Don’t get me wrong. There are some very good sections in the SMARTS course and some of the content of week six had me leaping into action.

I like the way StomperNet seek customer opinion and the program is changing but my feelings are that this is too intensive for the short duration of the course.

At the moment, the benefits are mixed.

Traffic on my main Business Coaching blog has been down in February where I had hoped it would increase. This is partly caused by the time allocation issue as my time has been spent watching the videos and building my Squidoo lens rather than delivering extra content on the blog.

Several of the Squidoo pages are very successful, consistently getting 5 to 15 hits per day and on the Product Launch Formula, my page achieved over 50 hits one day when it was number 1 in Google.

Hopefully my interest in producing videos will increase when I have finished Andy Jenkins (co-founder of StomperNet) bonus guide to producing videos. He has many years of experience in producing videos and the Going Natural 2.0 videos were superb.

You can see for yourself here.

Going Natural 2.0 - Video # 1 - Double Traffic

Week 7 is about blogging so that should be interesting.