How to Double Your Sales
March 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Just something quick to think about today.
What’s the quickest way to double your sales?
Here’s my answer:
Stop selling what YOU have to sell, and start selling what people want to BUY.
But that doesn’t mean you have to start selling something different.
Let me explain using an example from my own business: copywriting/marketing consulting.
I’ve never had a client who woke up in the morning and said, “I feel like buying some copy today. Today, I’m going to hire a copywriter.”
Despite this fact, I used to try to sell “copywriting services.”
I don’t do that anymore.
No one cares about those services. Especially business owners.
What do business owners care about? What do they want?
They want more sales, with less effort, less hassle, less risk.
That’s what they want to buy, so that’s what I sell.
I use copywriting and marketing to help deliver that result, but that’s NOT what I sell.
No one wants to buy it 
And as it turns out, it’s a whole lot easier to sell something your market actually wants to buy.
Your clients and customers are already buying something from you. Do you know if you’re selling the same thing they’re actually buying?
If you want to double YOUR sales, how can you reposition what you’re selling and transform it into something your market already WANTS to buy?
That’s a million dollar question.
“You want to fly across the country to see ME?”
March 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Attention Freelance Copywriters…
This is a message I never thought I’d write (in a MILLION years).
Ever since I released my guide about how to become a six-figure copywriter, I’ve gotten a lot of great feedback about it.
Feedback about how my journey has helped other copywriters take a step or two forward on their journey to build a copywriting business.
And as I’ve begun talking with some of my readers on the phone, I’ve gotten requests for more help.
Requests from beginning copywriters who want to jump start their business.
And requests from seasoned copywriters who can’t seem to attract a steady supply of new clients.
Even a request from a copywriter to fly across the country, and pay me for a day of my time to help him grow his business.
That was a first for me. And it caught me a little bit by surprise.
After all, I’m not really one for the spotlight.
But after talking with a few of my mentors, I’ve realized that it is pretty irresponsible of me NOT to try to reach out and help the people who want (and can benefit from) my help to build a copywriting business.
So that’s what I’m going to do. In the end, I’m a teacher. That’s just what I do.
If me standing up and doing my best to help copywriters puts me in the spotlight. Well then, so be it. I’m still gonna be the same person.
So here’s what this is about.
It’s about HOW I’m going to help copywriters build their business.
I really hate the word “coaching,” because the current examples of that are pretty weak in my view.
Many of the “coaching” programs out there are more like “let me take your money and spend time telling you how great I am.”
I’ve been in some of those programs… and they stink. That’s putting it nicely.
And the reason they stink is because you feel like you are a number. And you realize that ultimately, the person you’re paying doesn’t REALLY care about your success. People come, people go. And sometimes, you end up leaving more confused than when you started.
I guess you could call what I’m proposing “UN-coaching.” Perhaps mentoring would be better.
The point is to get YOU on track. On YOUR track. Not to have you learn my “system for getting clients.”
That might work for me. It might not work for you.
This is email only mentoring. You’ll get your own password protected place online for us to communicate. Everything will be archived so you can go back and look anytime you want.
The fee is $400 per month. You pay month-to-month. No commitment.
That means if we work together and help you get ONE client who pays you $4,000, you will have broken even on 10 months of the fee.
I’m not promising to deliver clients to you on a silver platter. I am promising that I will help you learn the very same skills and strategies I use to do that for myself.
And now a few warnings. A short list of things that no one else ever mentioned when I signed up for their mentoring/coaching program.
1. Please don’t sign-up if $400 is a lot of money for you right now. I’ve done that. And I’ve suffered because of the additional pressure that put on me to “work things out.” It’s not worth it. Just wait a bit until $400 won’t create too much of a cash flow problem.
2. Please don’t sign-up if you aren’t going to take action quickly. That will frustrate both of us. You know if that’s you.
3. Please don’t sign-up if you want someone to hold your hand for the next 2 years. I won’t accept your money that long. And if I haven’t given you enough in a few months to truly transform your business, then something is wrong. This isn’t a club, and you won’t get any added bonus for saying you’re in Jason Leister’s mentoring program. The person would probably say “Jason WHO?”
If you are interested, I’m ready to start. Despite what you might think, there is TONS of opportunity out there for you.
That’s not really the challenge. The challenge is more figuring out WHICH opportunities are the RIGHT ones for you.
If you are interested, visit my mentoring page to get all of the information you need.
I’m really offering a combination of 4 things in this program: advice about WHAT to do, accountability to help get those things DONE, inspiration so you never forget what you are REALLY capable of and action steps which is the KEY to everything.
Risk Reversal for Service Businesses?
February 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment
The traditional idea of “risk reversal” as a marketing strategy for a service business has always rubbed me the wrong way.
You hear a lot of marketing gurus talk up a storm about it. And it always sounds so logical and easy when they say it from the stage (usually as part of their pitch).
But when you get back to your office and start trying to put it into practice, it doesn’t seem quite as simple.
At least not for me.
Part of the problem is me of course. And the big “personal accountability” streak I seem to have been afflicted with. Getting up in the morning is a risk. If you can’t handle it, just go back to sleep.
The problem is that “personal accountability” is a bit of a hard sell in the marketplace.
But the bigger challenge is really about how to apply the idea of “risk reversal” when you’re NOT selling a product.
Risk reversal is fairly straightforward if you’re selling widgets. After all, if someone returns a widget, chances are, you can resell that widget.
So while you say that “all the risk is on MY shoulders” when you’re selling a widget… the truth is, the amount of risk you’re accepting is pretty darn small.
But what about when you’re selling services… and doing it in a business where there really ARE no guarantees?
Take my business–marketing consulting and copywriting.
I help my clients leverage the value in their businesses and create higher bottom line profits using some very powerful tools: proven marketing/business strategy and copywriting that actually gets people to take action.
But here’s where I’ve always run into a problem trying to add in the idea of risk reversal.
As a business owner, should I REALLY accept the risk for the success of a project when I do not control all of the factors that are required for that success?
After all, I can’t control whether my client’s product is a good one.
And I certainly don’t control whether my client is marketing a product that someone actually wants.
I used to accept that risk anyway… I put the burden of proof that I could deliver real results squarely on my shoulders.
Risk Reversal 101.
But I eventually realized that was a bit like lying down in the road and giving my client the choice to drive over me or not… based on how the market reacted to his products.
It was painful… and very expensive. Mainly because there was little accountability required on my client’s part to accept a proposal like that.
Think about it:
Do you really want clients and customers to do business with you simply because there is NO risk to them?
Where there is no risk, there is no accountability. There is no “skin in the game.” That’s a problem.
Eventually, I discovered a better way.
Perhaps you can apply this to your business. Here’s what I discovered:
Sometimes, the solution to a problem is to realize that the “Problem” is just a symptom of the REAL problem.
I finally realized that the REAL problem wasn’t the idea of risk reversal at all. It was simply how I was viewing my client/customer.
Let me explain what I mean.
Many businesses view their customers/clients as adversaries. The business owner has to convince the customer/client to buy the product or service in question.
Instead of reversing the risk, which makes the boundary between your business and your prospect even more pronounced, consider this:
Why not get up out of your chair, walk around to your PROSPECT’S side of the table and have a seat right beside him?
I’m speaking figuratively here…
Align your goals with your prospect’s goals and accept shared risk as “partners” for what you’re trying to achieve together.
That’s not a hard sell when your goals are aligned with the goals of your client or customer. When you succeed, they succeed.
For me, that’s why I’ve stopped looking for “clients.” I’ve stopped providing “deliverables…” And I’ve stopped accepting responsibility for things that are beyond my control.
Now what I’m really after are STRATEGIC “PARTNERS.”
Businesses who are looking to create big results and share the risk of getting to those goals.
Sure I still charge a fee for my work, regardless of the outcomes. But that’s because value is being exchanged.
But the majority of my compensation comes when I help my client succeed.
Now there is one problem with this strategy. To get prospects that are savvy enough to see the value in a situation like this, there’s a good chance you’ll need to tweak your marketing systems to generate a higher quality prospect.
I know I did.
If you’re in the service business or offer a service related product somewhere in your business, then give this some thought.
Instead of “reversing the risk,” try “minimizing” the risk and arranging things so you are perceived as a partner of your client, not just a service provider.
And have the courage to stand up and say that you can’t accept responsibility for things that are outside of your control. But you CAN accept shared responsibility for helping your client achieve their goals… as long as you are both rewarded for doing that.
Test Copywriter Catalog Promo Starting to Hit
February 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Just got the first responses from some of the folks on my list that a test promo for Copywriter Catalog is starting to hit mailboxes.
Once I get the results from this, I’ll figure out whether to roll it out or keep testing. I always enjoy that “calm before the storm” when you’re waiting for a mailing to hit. Even if it is just a test mailing.
You can download the whole thing at the link below…
Podcast: Download
So What Do You Do?
February 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment
How many times a month do you get that question?
What do you say?
Do you insert your “elevator speech” and then go on your way? Ever give your elevator speech and just have someone blankly stare at you? (I have.) Like the message had absolutely zero impact…
They’re looking at you like that because your message didn’t have any impact. It left them feeling just like the blank stare they’re sending back to you.
But instead of sitting down and working on your elevator speech, why not throw out your elevator speech and try something different?
Something effective.
Just watch this for some ideas:
A Better Way to Find Freelance Copywriters
February 18, 2008 | Leave a Comment
If you’re like most business owners, you depend on words to sell your services and communicate with your clients.
Sometimes those words “work” and other times they don’t. Sometimes they create results (and sales), and many times they don’t.
And that’s why many business owners get the help of a freelance copywriter. Someone who’s skilled at taking your ideas and communicating them to your market for maximum results.
Up until now, finding a freelance copywriter can be difficult. The big names are booked months (years) in advance and are extremely expensive. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that there are thousands of copywriters out there who can do the job.
And that’s why I created the Copywriter Catalog.
A way for business owners to find the right copywriter, with the right skills, at the right price.
And the best part is, Copywriter Catalog is free for business owners searching for copywriters.
You might think I’m nuts to help other copywriters get clients. After all, freelance copywriting is a large part of my own business. But there’s plenty to go around. And frankly, I’m looking for a very specific type of client.
So click on the link below to take a look:
Find Freelance Copywriters at Copywriter Catalog.
What to Do When You Screw Up
January 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Have you ever screwed up a project with a client or customer? I mean really screwed up?
I know I have.
Well, something happened on Friday that serves as a pretty good example of just how to deal with it. At least I know I learned something.
You might be familiar with the firm 37signals. They’re a web design firm turned application service provider. They create web based software tools that help people run their businesses.
Their flagship product is Basecamp. If you’re working with clients, managing projects and aren’t using it… you’d better check it out. Because your competition probably is using it.
On Friday of this past week, their services went down… all of them. I’ll spare you the technical mumbo jumbo, because it’s not really important. The point is, a million or so people could not access the data they need to run their businesses.
If you’ve ever had your website go down, you have a rough idea about what this would be like.
What usually happens in that instance?
Do you get communication from the provider? No. That’s the one thing that rarely happens.
You do get excuses. And you do get story after story about how your business is appreciated. Funny how they never mention that until there’s a problem.
Well… 37signals is different.
And their actions on Friday proved it.
Because they did something unheard of in the service business.
They stood up. They took full responsibility for what happened. And they offered to work with anyone who felt their financial well-being was harmed during the outage. The buck literally stopped with them. And they did all that even though the problem wasn’t (really) their fault.
AND they communicated. Every few minutes.
Here’s a quick shot of the status screen they posted their updates to every few minutes:
Simple. Clear. To the point.
So is that a smart strategy when you’re dealing with clients or customers? To be honest and take responsibility for the problem?
You bet.
And it’s so rare that you could actually count it as a competitive advantage for your business.
I’ve been told stories about some of the firms I’ve played “clean-up” for. The ones who botched a project and then somehow tried to blame it on the client.
Every one screws up sometimes. (If you never screw up, chances are, you’re not taking enough risks.)
So when a screw up happens, stand up and take responsibility for it.
Sure you might lose the business. But you might gain a whole lot more business when the market hears that you actually took responsibility for the results of your actions.
Making money in the snow…
December 11, 2007 | Leave a Comment
We’ve got about a foot of snow here in Flagstaff.
That’s the view out my window.
And while marketing DVDs are probably NOT the first movie choice of many snowbound folks… they’re at the top of my list.
So I’ve been going through Eben Pagan’s Altitude DVDs the last couple of days.
If you haven’t heard of Eben, he’s the owner of Double Your Dating (www.doubleyourdating.com). He’s making millions (somewhere between 10 and 20 million) of dollars a year dishing out dating advice.
One of the most powerful strategies Eben talks about is how he moves the “free line” in his business. What he means is that he’s always raising the bar on the value he delivers to his prospects before (and regardless of whether) they become customers.
Nowhere is this more useful than whey you’re generating leads.
It used to be that giving away a free widget would be enough to get a lead to stick her head up and say, “I’m your target, add me to your list.”
Well… times are different. The “free line” has been moved FOR you.
Now, everybody and his brother is giving away something for free (most of it less than useful), hoping to generate leads.
If you’re going to create big success, you’ve got to push the free line even farther.
Well beyond your nearest competition.
Most people have hard drives packed with “free information” they’ll never use.
Your prospects don’t need or want more information, they need more results.
So give ‘em what they want.
The next time you have to generate leads, don’t give away free information. Give away something that actually promises a RESULT.
A RESULT means that your prospect will actually achieve something thanks to your offer.
I can guarantee that your competition won’t do this.
They’re scared to.
They’re afraid to “give away the farm.” Their fear is that if they give away too much too soon, they’ll have nothing left to sell.
That simply isn’t how it works. (Just don’t tell your competition.)
In the real world, giving away FREE value makes your prospect think, “Man… if he’s giving this away for free, what am I gonna get when I actually send him money.”
It works. Use it.
And once you start moving your free line, keep it moving. You’ll attract more prospects, better prospects and turn them into customers or clients a whole lot faster than before.
Okay, it’s still snowing… back to the DVDs.
What You Don’t Know Could Be Very Expensive
November 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment
So they say that knowledge is power. Actually, Francis Bacon said that a long time ago.
But he only got it half right. Because there’s something important that he forgot to mention.
It’s a corollary to his phrase that I just discovered last week.
Here it is…
The LACK of knowledge can be VERY expensive.
Here’s what I mean.
I spent most of last week hiding at a workshop up in Spokane WA.
If you’ve ever been there, you know that Spokane is a bit of a dreary place. Kind of wet… kind of gray…
Since I spent four years of my life in Rochester, NY., it really almost felt like home. In a cold, gray, depressing sort of way.
The workshop focused on strategies for using Google AdWords to boost your sales. AdWords are the little paid ads (in boxes) that run down the side of the screen when you search for something in Google.
I’ve been using AdWords for quite some time in my business and with the clients I work with.
In fact, my first client ever came in from one of my Google ads. It’s kind of neat when you can turn a $3.00 advertising investment into a return of about $10,000.
The point is… I’ve spent a lot of money on Google AdWords.
That works for me because the clients that I work with pay me thousands and thousands of dollars per project. So I can afford to pay quite a bit to acquire a lead. I know that I’ll recoup my costs over the lifetime of the work we do together.
But just because you CAN pay a lot for a lead doesn’t mean you should.
So what did I find out last week?
I found out just how expensive the LACK of certain specialized knowledge can be.
I found out that I was wasting a whole lot of my own money on Google AdWords. And I was creating far smaller results than is possible.
So I took just a few of things I learned last week and went to work.
I really only used one or two of the strategies I now have in my arsenal–both for my own use and for the benefit of my clients.
And after only 72 hours of using my new “weapons,” here’s what happened…
In the 3 days since the workshop, my cost per lead has shrunk to 10% of what it was and my conversion rate has increased from 2.13% to 16.13%. Remember, that’s in three days.
So here’s my question to you…
What would happen to YOUR business if you decreased your lead costs by 90% and increased your conversion by a factor of 8?
It’s possible. You just have to know how.
Making Money in Your Sleep (Really)
October 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Today, let’s talk about something that is very important to your future financial well-being:
How You Make Your Money
If you are like most business owners I know, you’re probably working way too hard for what you’re getting.
Of course, you may be making millions of dollars each year, but that’s not really the point.
The point is that there’s a big difference between making a lot of money and making a lot of money with little or no effort.
A lot of people do the former, very few folks are able to manage the latter.
Harvey Brody is one of those people.
Just in case you’ve never heard of Harvey, he’s the marketing genius that trained guys like Jay Abraham.
Harvey’s a graduate of TUOTS…
“The University
of the Streets.”
And when it comes to leveraging value, he really knows what he’s doing.
In particular, his idea of the “Toll-Position” is something that you can apply to your business, in one way or another.
Basically, the “toll-position” means putting yourself smack dab in the middle of a steady flow of value… and collecting a fee as the value goes by.
Like owning the only bridge between two cities… as Harvey puts it.
Here’s an interview with Harvey Brody that is yours for the taking.
You can download your own copy here:
http://www.leistermg.com/downloads/harveybrody.pdf
After you read it, just ask yourself, “What’s MY plan for increasing my profits in less time, with less effort?”
You’ll be surprised at the ideas that pop into your head.