As I promised a few days ago, I’ve finally put together one of my gigantic graphics package for you to download as my gift to you.

No strings attached.

Simply watch the video below for how to use the handwritten text in your salesletter, and use the link below the video to download it while I still have it available.

At almost half a gig in size, it’s a large file, but well worth it. You can never have too many salesletter graphics, because you never know when just the right one will come in handy and help to advance the sale.

The download is for personal use only, but if you want a private label rights (PLR) license, you can get one from the link below that for the price of a fast food value meal.

Note that the PLR purchase link gives you the license. You do not need to re-download the entire package.

Get all the details in this short video, then grab your copy while they last:

Click Here to Download the Graphics Package – Part 1 (191 MB)

Click Here to Download the Graphics Package – Part 2 (25 MB)

Click Here to Download the Graphics Package – Part 3 (190 MB)

Click Here to Obtain a PLR license for just $7

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A couple years back I got to spend some time with copywriting legend Ted Nicholas in a day-long copywriting workshop.

Ted gave a lot of insight into many of the ads he has written over the years, and it’s easy to see why his copy has generated more than $4.9 BILLION for himself and his clients, including Nightingale-Conant, Agora, Marriott Corporation, Dearborn Financial Publishing, and Fischer Publishing, to name a few.

While Ted covered a lot of the basics important to the foundation of successful copywriting, he also touched upon a few oft-misunderstood concepts, such as the hidden benefit, which isn’t obtained by reviewing the product.

Instead, he asked us to challenge ourselves with the following question: “If I had unlimited God-like powers and could grant my prospect the biggest benefit I could imagine, what would it be?”

Ted also shared many of his offline copywriting strategies with us, and I ultimately found my mind spinning with ideas to test online (a certain type of lift letter, for one).

Ted also stayed for the duration of the seminar over the weekend as an attendee and speaker, and I was lucky to get some one-on-one time with him on a few occasions. That time was well-spent and packed with a million-dollar education. Just one idea he shared with me was worth fifty times the cost of the seminar to me.

I want to tell you about one little gem in particular that we discussed, as it may help your business as well.

I had been talking to a potential client, who wanted to expand his market reach and have sales copy written in other languages besides English. He was exploring the option of retaining a copywriter who could write copy in these foreign languages.

Well, I knew Ted had many of his sales letters translated into other languages, and I asked him about the necessity of writing copy from scratch in a foreign language. What Ted suggested (and what he has done) was to have the control letter translated, rather than writing a new one. But the translation should be done by someone who understands marketing (i.e. NOT a foreign language professor or standard translator).

You see, as long as the market remains the same, the underlying emotional hot buttons are also the same, whether you are talking to Americans, Germans, Hispanics, etc., etc.

In other words, a person from Brazil usually has the same wants and desires as someone from the Netherlands.

Are you starting to see some potential here?

Simply by having your website copy translated into multiple languages, you are extending your reach dramatically. Or, alternatively, if you are thinking about entering the Latino market, for example, it may be easier than you think, especially if you have customer support people who already speak Spanish.

And by having multiple versions of your sales letter online in different languages, it increases the likelihood that prospects from those countries will find your sales letter in a search engine. These are prospects that you wouldn’t have attracted before.

Ted also showed us a variety of envelope teaser copy split tests, successful ads, and of course I picked up his huge 700+ page swipe file.

Ted’s story of success is an inspiration to me and many other entrepreneurs out there.

In fact, when Ted first went into business he was in debt to the tune of $96,000, and the future looked bleak. He soon realized that the tiny cashflow coming into his small business was falling far short of what he really needed to survive in the long-term.

But then he came up with a novel idea. Leveraging the small reserve of cash he had left, Ted came up with a genius master plan to remake his business and attract paying customers in droves.

As a result, today Ted is without question a tremendous role model of entrepreneurial success. He’s a highly sought-after international speaker and marketing consultant, a well-read author, and one of the most highest paid and successful copywriters in the world.

I recently learned that Ted sat down for a mind-blowing 99 minutes of “marketing legend reveals all” information-packed interview.

In it, Ted revealed his mindset and some rather clever marketing strategies behind some of his most successful campaigns. I’m constantly amazed by how much he is a walking spigot of sales ideas and tactics.

You can get all the details on Ted’s interview and download it here.

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The contest I held for a couple free seats to my Interactive Coaching Class officially ended yesterday at 8 PM EST.

There were many very good entries, and choosing the two winners was NOT an easy task.

The main criteria I was looking for (which I didn’t necessarily reveal…on purpose) was:

1. I wanted to gauge how serious each person was about taking action and following through. There were a limited number of seats up for grabs, and a lot of contest entries. I didn’t want either winner to look at this as a “free” opportunity, thus minimizing the value.
2. I wanted to choose people who recognized the opportunity here, and I wanted to see what they planned to do once they were successful. How would it change their life? How would they help others?
3. I wanted to give the opportunity for a couple people who fit the above criteria, but couldn’t afford the entry investment of the course, a chance to participate. While it’s true everyone had an equal chance of winning (based on their answers to the two questions I asked) whether or not they already registered for the class (I removed all names and other identifying information when we reviewed the entries), I was kind of rooting for the “underdog” in the back of my mind.

Actually, I figured we’d hopefully end up with one person who already registered as a winner, and another who did not due to financial constraints. I was pleasantly surprised that we ended up with two folks who could not afford the tuition.

Because of that, there’s going to be a third winner. One who already registered for the class. I want to be fair.

However, this third winner will be a separate contest. I’m going to choose that individual after the class begins (out of the registered folks who entered this contest) when I get to see who’s taking action and completing the assignments, and who’s goofing off. Not that I really expect anyone to goof off, but you know what I mean.

This was an EXTREMELY difficult contest to judge (I had others helping me out, and everything was blind). There were many good comments that fit the criteria I specified above all too well.

It’s just that… some resonated a little more with my judges.

So without further fanfare, the two winners are…

Linda and Connie.

Linda and Connie, you’ll have to contact me with your email address so I can get you in the class, which begins tomorrow. Simply open up a support ticket here, and I’ll get your starter materials and welcome package sent right out to you.

As for everyone else who entered, I really appreciate it! As I said, it was very difficult to choose the winners, but for those of you who already registered, there’ll be one more chance to win ahead.

For those of you who didn’t register and who entered the contest, I have something special for you. It may not be entry into the class (unfortunately I can’t accommodate EVERYONE, because there is one-on-one coaching involved), but I think you’ll get a lot of value out of it. Just open up a ticket here as well to claim it. Be sure to specify that you didn’t win. (Class participants will get this automatically, so you don’t need to do anything).

Again, many thanks for participating in this contest, which I hope was at least a fun and eye-opening experience. There’ll be others in the future for other events, so don’t worry that you missed the boat or anything!

Warm Regards,

John

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Very sad news indeed. If you haven’t heard, it’s true. Gary Halbert passed away peacefully in his sleep on Easter Sunday.

While I never had the pleasure of personally meeting Gary, he’s had a tremendous influence on me and my marketing education.

If it wasn’t for Gary, I wouldn’t have written my first direct mail letter and sold my first mail order product 15 years ago.

My condolences go out to his family and friends, and to you, if you knew him well.

If you haven’t already one so, I invite you to share your insights and thoughts about Gary at Michel Fortin’s Copywriter’s Board, where a thread has been started about Gary.

Life really is too short.

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As we move through life, we encounter many opportunities to make a difference. Having been thrown some life-changing curve balls as of late, I thought I would share with you some life lessons that I received several years ago from a friend of mine. They are already making a difference for me, my mindset, and overall outlook on life. I hope they present an opportunity for you to stop and think for a moment about what are the most important things in your life.

You see, recently I suffered a few setbacks (we all do sooner or later), and I became more determined than ever to bring my business to the next level. I worked even harder, longer, but in the process stopped doing the very things that meant the most to me.

I started thinking about why I became an entrepreneur. It wasn’t just about being self-sufficient or making lots of money. No, the real reason was the financial freedom it could offer so that I can spend more time with my family, friends, and doing the things that are most important to me.

I finally realized that I didn’t need lots of money to spend more time with my wife and my family. I could do that right now.

This one difference in my mindset has completely changed me for the better. Now it’s not just about profits and the bottom line anymore. Sure, they’re important, because we have to eat and pay the bills. But by taking the time to look around and really take notice of everything (things that have been there all along), I feel as if I am seeing them for the first time. It’s quite an exciting time for me. My only regret is that I didn’t “get” this earlier.

But no matter. I have the rest of my life ahead of me now. And now I’d like to pass along some interesting lessons.

As I’ve said, a friend sent these to me several years ago. In fact, it was early 2001. And they sat around, just waiting for me to read them again more than 5 years later.

These are not my stories. Nevertheless, I can imagine myself in these situations. Would “the old me” have done the right thing? I don’t know. I only know how I would handle them now.

• First Important Lesson

  During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one:

  “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”

  Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

  “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘hello’.”

  I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned that her name was Dorothy.

• Second Important Lesson – Pickup in the Rain

  One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry but wrote down his address and thanked him.

  Seven days went by, and a knock came on the man’s door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read:

  “Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband’s bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others.”

  Sincerely,
  Mrs. Nat King Cole

• Third Important Lesson- Remember Those Who Serve

  In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

  “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked.

  “Fifty cents,” replied the waitress.

  The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

  “Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired.

  By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

  “Thirty-five cents,” she brusquely replied.

  The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said.

  The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn’t have the sundae because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

• Fourth Important Lesson – The Obstacle in Our Path

  In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king’s wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

  Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

  The peasant learned what many of us never understand: Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

• Fifth Important Lesson – Giving When it Counts

  Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes, I’ll do it if it will save her.”

  As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks.

  Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I start to die right away?”

  Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. You see, after all, understanding and attitude, are everything.

Have your own story to share? I’d love to hear about it.

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