Carol Bentley

Many business people are good at putting pressure on themselves to succeed and beating themselves up when it doesn’t all go quite to plan. I know I am pretty good at doing that to myself

In spite of the fact I absolutely love what I do.

Then, whilst browsing the Internet I saw. . .

“One day as I was venting to a friend about a job I despised, she interrupted and grandly proclaimed, ‘I hereby give you permission to quit your job and do what you truly want!’I had to laugh. Her words made me realize that the only thing keeping me stuck was that I hadn’t given myself permission to do otherwise.”

. . .that was the start of the blog post that caught my attention; enough to share with you.

You see, as well as sometimes being a little too hard on ourselves, I wondered how often do we do the opposite and shy away from success. Or avoid doing something because we feel silly about it; are scared of the consequences or nervous about what other people may think?

This post expanded on the idea of giving yourself permission to do or be something different; to - maybe - get outside your comfort zone and experiment.

And I thought… how about applying it to our business and career aspirations?

After all - if you own a business - why shouldn’t you give yourself permission to fail and learn by your mistakes; to relax and enjoy what you are creating and, ultimately, be outrageously successful?

You can read the original post here:http://mentalmosaic.com/blog

~ Carol Bentley

P.S. And how about giving yourself permission to relax and enjoy your family and friend’s company this weekend?

technorati tags: inspirational

How much do your customers or clients value you and what you do for them? Do they really appreciate all the trouble you take to deliver the best possible service or product?

I saw this letter, talking about the ‘Charlie the Plumber’ test, in an email sent through a Yahoo group I’m a member of. And although it is written to copywriters I think the essence of the letter and how you accept business is applicable to other companies, whether you are providing a service or a product.

It talks about choosing who you are prepared to do business with. Now I know a lot of business people believe they can’t be choosy about who they deal with; they need all the sales they can get!

The only way to get out of this situation is to make sure you position yourself - as Charlie has - as the ‘go to expert’ who is selective about who you will do business with; someone who doesn’t work with just anyone who might want to buy.

Here’s the letter, in it’s entirety, reprinted with permission from Doug D’Anna.

Dear Friend,

Last week, I was pitched three jobs by three different companies and I turned them all down. I don’t say this to be smug or arrogant; they simply didn’t pass my three-rule test.

And I can tell you this with all honesty, they weren’t right for you either, as I’ll explain in a moment.

So why did I turn down these three new assignments?

Because none of them passed my Charlie the Plumber test!

What, exactly, is my Charlie the Plumber test?

Frankly, it’s a simple test that every potential client I meet must past or I won’t work with that person. I named this test after none other than own plumber, whom I affectionately refer to as Charlie the Plumber.

Charlie, by the way, is a great guy who has been doing work for me for nearly 10 years. He’s an honest guy who charges an honest price for his work and whom I trust 100%. He never overcharges, never tries to sells you something you don’t need, and always bends over backward for me.

What I love most about Charlie (other than that he’s a big talker like me) is the fact that he not only treats me like royalty but also has come to a point in his life where he picks his clients.

You see, unlike most plumbers, who have full Yellow Page ads that scream discount, Charlie doesn’t advertise. He works by referral only, and he’s very choosy about whom he takes on.

As a client, I feel blessed that I have Charlie working for me!

Are Your Clients Lucky to Have You Working for Them?

If not, maybe it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Because having clients who value you for your knowledge and your experience is where you want to be.

And if you don’t start picking your clients on that basis now, you could find yourself working with a demanding group of unappreciative people who see you only as a vendor at a price and not as the business builder that you are.

That’s why before you accept any new work, I highly suggest that you put your prospects through my Charlie the Plumber test.

My Three Rules for Picking Clients Who Will Pay You What You’re Worth

1. Got to Have Fun.

As I learned from Charlie, life’s too short to work with a bunch of demanding jerks. You want to work with people who love their work and love life. When you find these people, as I have, you’ll get up every day inspired to do your best to meet deadlines and exceed expectations, because you’re having too much of a good time to do otherwise.

2. Got to Make Money.

Let’s face it, copywriting is hard work. So there has to be an upside to bleeding all over the page. That upside in our society is known as money. Why bust your butt if the person only wants to pay you peanuts? No — you want to work with people who are fun and who will pay you what you are worth and then some.

3. Got to Be Appreciated.

Believe it or not, this is actually my first rule. I never work for people who are looking for just another copywriter. If the first question they ask is what do I charge, then it is clear to me that they are looking for another copywriter and not for the special something that I bring to the table.

Anyone who wants to hire me has to want me, Doug D’Anna, and have me working on his or her behalf. I say this not to be smug or arrogant, but only to drive home the point that you, too, are a unique individual worthy of the same appreciation.

When you think about it, why would you ever want to work for someone who doesn’t appreciate you?

My Fourth Rule

4. Got to Learn Something.

Over the years, I have found that only half of my successes came from me. The other half came directly from the fine group of publishers, product managers, and business owners that I worked with–individuals whose knowledge was superior to my own and whom I could learn from.

That’s why after a new client passes my first three hurdles, I always put them to this fourth and crucial test - especially when I have two or three projects to choose from at any one time.

You’ll be surprised to know that I’ve chosen projects with far less immediate financial potential, simply because I would be working with an A-list marketer who could take my skills to the next level.

This fourth rule has not only allowed me to work with the top direct marketing talent in the country but also has resulted in much greater financial success as well.

Please Make Them Your Rules Too

When I started the A-list in 2007, I did it with one goal in mind: to bring you the NO BS, wealth-creating copywriting knowledge and marketing strategies you’ve been looking for.

Specifically, the knowledge to create more powerful, effective, and lucrative advertisements, e-mails, and Web pages that could multiply your income exponentially - and without spending a dime.

These rules have worked for me. That’s why I want you to make them your rules as well. I guarantee that if you follow them, you’ll find yourself working with people who not only value and appreciate your knowledge and talent but just as important - pay you for it.

All good wishes for a successful and healthy 2008,

Doug D’Anna

PS If you haven’t yet joined the A-list, go to http://www.dougdanna.com/joinmyalist.html and you’ll receive my best ideas on building your business in 2008 without a bunch of sales pitches or spam.

Doug has also generously offered a free copy of his 7 Proven Profit Triggers for Email Copywriters

Remember, you can position yourself or your company so you can be selective about who you work with. Simply demonstrate your expertise in articles, reports, presentations, audio programmes - oh, and of course - books.

And when you do refuse to do business with someone, for whatever reason, remember it can be done courteously.  And if you can point them in the direction of a company that is a better fit for them, then they are still going to feel happy about their relationship with you.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business tips marketing Doug D’Anna

You wouldn’t expect the layout of your letterhead to cost you extra every time you send a sales letter to your prospects or customers, would you? But it can.

I was talking with Phil Hutchinson, Managing Director of 1Vision, whose direct mailing services I frequently use for my clients’ and my own mailshots. We were discussing some of the mistakes people make with their sales letters and specifically the problems they create for themselves when they don’t think to ask his advice before preparing their direct mailing material.

Even something as simple as the layout design of a letterhead can have a significant impact on the costs of a mailshot.

A bad design loses money…

How so?

Because when bulk mail outs are sent (and when I say ‘bulk’ it can be any quantity between 500 and 500,000 or more with Phil’s services) you can enjoy a welcome saving on postage costs. But only if your packages comply with certain standards.

And that’s where a letterhead design can create problems - as happened for one company.

You see, a vast number of letters sent to businesses use window envelopes. And Phil explained that postal companies are able to offer discounts because they use OCR (optical character recognition) systems to automate and speed up the sorting process.

But in order to do this it is crucial that nothing appears through the envelope’s window, other than the recipient address. Showing any additional, unrelated text or graphics can cause the letters to be rejected, which means you lose your postage discount. That could be an expensive £300 or more loss on a mailshot of 15,000 items. Imagine the cost for larger numbers!!

Even if you’ve not yet reached these larger mailshot numbers, there are other important marketing reasons for keeping that address area as clean as possible.

An ‘Aha!’ moment

As Phil and I chatted I realised this was just one of the crucial aspects that need considering when you are creating your mailing campaign. Phil has a deep well of knowledge when it comes to direct mailing. And it occurred to me drawing on that knowledge could have immeasurable benefits for you.

So I’m going to twist Phil’s arm and get him to spill the beans. I intend to draw these professional secrets out of him and share them with you. Each gem I weasel out of him will give you extra, powerful knowledge you can use to make your mailings even more successful. (By the way, we will be discussing specifics for the UK postal services but the vast majority of the topics we touch on apply to mailings in other countries too).

The telephone interview will be recorded and posted on this blog sometime in the future.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: direct mail marketing business tips

If the thought of writing a whole business book is something you just can’t see yourself doing, but you want the kudos of being a published author then there is a way you can start on a smaller scale.

Your published book can contain as few as 20 pages; the important thing is to make the content useful to the reader. One way to do that is to produce a tips booklet.

What to include in and how to write your tips booklet

The good news is you probably already have all the material you need to create your tips booklet. Here’s a few things to keep in mind…

Structure your tips booklet as a series of useful hints and advice in an easy to read format.

Keep your tips interesting; not a boring ‘you should do this or you should do that‘ type of monologue. Do this by writing in active language - you’ll discover exactly how in a moment.

4 Easy Steps…

1] Gather all the questions you’ve been asked about your products or services and the answers you’ve given. How many of them are generic? Which ones are questions that would be asked of anyone in your line of business?

2] Turn each answer into an action statement that introduces a topic you can give expert advice on. Do this by starting your sentence with a verb. Here are some examples:

(i) Realise it’s the process not the price (taken from 117 Handy Haggling Hints published by Derek Arden)

(ii) Avoid backache when driving - take a break every 20 minutes

(iii) Write about benefits and results, not features, in your sales letters

(iv) Listen carefully to what your prospect is saying when you meet

(v) Consider the cost savings when you use…

(vi) Plan your business strategy to gain the highest success

3] Follow each introductory sentence with a more detailed explanation; it could be just one paragraph or more if needed.

4] Choose a compelling title for your booklet that appeals to your prospect (it’s the same process as creating a headline for your sales letter).

Once you’ve got the content organised you can get your manuscript ready for printing.

Tips Booklet Format

Ideally your tips booklet should be small enough for your reader to carry with him/her in a pocket or handbag. Most tips booklets are 21cm x 10 cm, which fits neatly into a DL envelope and makes it a perfect size for sending out in the post.

Alternatively you could create an A6 size booklet (half of A5). Talk to your printer to find out which size is the most economical for printing.

Start off with a brief introduction to what the booklet is about. If your tips fall into different categories you might want to include a table of contents listing the categories.

Number your tips.

Show the first few words; the action sentence, in bold so it stands out.

At the back of the booklet include information on how your reader can get more copies of the booklet.

If you publish a series of booklets list your other titles in the series.

Your new marketing tool

Your intention is to use this booklet as a marketing tool. You can sell it on your website for visitors who come across your site through search engines or other incoming links.

Or you can give it away to targeted prospects. Like a book, it is far more powerful than a business card and, because it contains valuable information, it won’t be thrown away.

It achieves two benefits for you:

• It demonstrates your expertise.
• It keeps your name fresh in your prospect / customer’s mind.

So, make sure you include a page at the back with details of what you offer, your contact information and an invitation to use it.

You can also show your contact details on the back cover.

OK - what’s the name of your tips booklet? Do let me know.. it’s your first step towards publishing a book!

~ Carol Bentley

P.S. If you’ve already created an informative report or have a set of Q&A pages or handouts, you have the foundation of your tips booklet. All you need to do is rewrite it in the style I’ve described in this post.

technorati tags: tips booklets marketing business author

For many businesses referrals generate a significant amount of new contacts. And businesses that actively seek out recommendations usually gain a higher benefit than those who just leave it to chance.

Think about it - even if you have provided the greatest service or product your happy customer may not think about telling other people or giving you information about other business people who are looking for what you offer. And it’s not because he doesn’t want to help you. . . it is purely because he is busy and it doesn’t occur to him.

That’s why it is up to you to have a structured, almost automated, referral generation system in your business.

When to ask?

The best time to ask for recommendations is when your customer has just experienced your product, or service. If you have a quality-check follow-through during which you make sure your customer got exactly (or perhaps more) than he was expecting then asking him who else is looking for the same good result is a natural step.

If you send out products you can include referral cards for your customer to complete and send back.

Offering an incentive

Depending upon your business it may be appropriate to offer an incentive - or as I prefer to think of it - a ‘Thank You’ gift. I’m sure you’ve seen companies who offer gift vouchers to you and to the person you recommend or a discount on future purchases.

Personally, I prefer to give a ‘Thank You’ gift that is linked with the service or product I supply - rather than something that is not related to my business and, therefore, may not be of interest to my customer or contact.

For example, if you decide to invite 3 people you know to visit this blog (using the link in the right hand panel) I show my appreciation of your support by gifting you an MP3 audio recording.

In the MP3 audio gift I describe some of the techniques high-performing direct response copywriters use to craft irresistible sales letters so they enjoy the highest profitable mailing possible.

It reveals:

• 4 Sales Letter Writing Rules That Persuade People to Buy
• How Answering This Critical Question Turns A Mediocre Sales Letter Into A Results-Generating Dynamo
• 8 Design Secrets To Compel Your Prospect To Continue Reading
• How Powerful Headlines Gain Massive Sales Increases: 10 Proven Examples for You to Adopt

As you can see the recording is closely connected with my products and services; writing for business sales and marketing.

Automating your gift

Now I’m sure you’ve already realised that delivering my gift is automated. With the web page being open 24/7 it is completely impractical for me to respond personally whenever a visitor decides to recommend this website. And besides, if you make a recommendation you want to get your promised gift of appreciation straight away, don’t you? How to automate?

You have a huge choice of tools you can use to automate delivery of electronic gifts like this. It can be rather bewildering which is the best option for you. I looked at quite a few before deciding upon the tool I use: TAF Pro (Tell A Friend Pro).

I chose it because of the easy implementation and facilities it gave me - including checking that the email address is entered correctly; you know how easy it is to mistype an email address especially the more obscure ones (my brother’s is xzavyaw@ - you can’t get more obscure than that!)

Stunning Service

What I hadn’t realised when I bought the product was that in addition to all the features (I’ve only used a third of them so far) there was also stunning service from the vendor, Paul Galloway. And I do mean stunning!

Let me explain. I bought the product last July to use on another website. About 3 or 4 days after I downloaded the program (and successfully followed the set up instructions) I got a phone call from the US. It was Paul Galloway.

He said “I’m going on holiday in a couple of days and I just wanted to be sure you were OK with the TAF Pro program before I left. Have you got any questions you need answering?”

Now that is service.

And on top of that… the service continues.

One of my blog visitors contacted me a few days ago to say that a couple of emails (which were valid) were being rejected by the TAF form. So I popped an email over to Paul asking if he had any ideas why that might be happening. He tested the email addresses on his internal system and came back to me with suggestions within a couple of hours. That’s impressive bearing in mind he is in a time zone that is at least 5 hours behind us.

So what’s my conclusion from all this?

1. Create a formal system for getting referrals & recommendations.
2. Decide when is the best time to ask for referrals and don’t let the opportunity slip.
3. Consider giving Thank You gifts or incentives to encourage recommendations.
4. Automate your gift delivery wherever possible - especially if you have a web site you want people to visit.
5. Choose the delivery tool carefully; ease of use, reliability and support when there is a problem is vital.

Do you have referral systems that work well for you? Are you willing to share? Use the comments link below to tell me and my other visitors about it . When you add your comment your name has a live link to the website address you enter. You never know, if what you share is valuable you may get some new visitors

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: business tips marketing TAF Pro

Have you got your birthday celebration gift I posted on Friday? Remember the gift expires today at 12p.m. GMT.

You’ll need the password that was in Friday’s notification email to open the gift post.

~ Carol Bentley

In my post on 21st December I said I’d let you know what I’m currently developing - and why. . .

How do you actually do what many marketing experts tell us is the most powerful action you can take? It can seem like an insurmountable challenge. But having done it I can assure you it is not as daunting as it may seem. But of course, it is a lot easier when you know exactly what to do as well as the how.

What am I talking about? Writing and publishing a book. As I’ve said in a previous post being a published author positions you as an authority on the subject; an expert.

I am currently discussing a joint book venture with a close friend and colleague. We plan to start preparing the book content towards the end of January. The project will include writing, preparing the manuscript for publishing, getting it out to bookstores and on-line stores, like Amazon, and all the marketing that needs to go into getting the book known.

So why should you be interested? Because as we go through the project I will be creating a video record of exactly how it is all done. My intention is to have an extremely easy to follow step-by-step instructional video programme that anyone can use.

During the project development I’ll be sharing gems on this blog which, if you’ve thought about writing a book, will guide you through the process.

And I may be asking for your help because I will be looking for beta-testers before launching the programme as a live product.

In fact, if you have thought about it but have not done anything to get your book written and published. Or you’d like to write a book but you are not sure how to go about it, you could get some starting tips straight away.

Simply tell me what’s preventing you from doing it.

What questions would you like answered?

What advice can I give that will help you get started?

How can I help you show your target market that you are the go-to expert in your field?

Use the comments link below this post or the blog contact form in the right-hand panel to let me know.

~ Carol Bentley

P.S. No, I’m not working today - I wrote and published this post in advance because I said I’d let you know today what I’m developing - but I’m out enjoying my day. Have a good weekend - speak to you on Monday.

technorati tags: writing a book business books marketing copywriting

When you are planning your future goals for your business how much notice do you take of last year’s achievements and disappointments?

Many people concentrate on what they are going to do without fully considering the experiences they have already had. I know I’ve been guilty of that over the years, even though I’m continuously building on what I’ve already produced.

But this post at Rich Schefren’s blog made me stop and think. He describes how to analyse your experiences, good and bad; how to learn from them and - more importantly - decide what action you’re going to take so you benefit from those lessons.

Tie that in with my post on setting goals 2008 and beyond and you have a powerful system for improving your business - and personal - success.

Take a look - even if you already do this in your business and life - Rich’s explanation is worth reading.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: goal setting new year resolutions business planning

Just a quick reminder that the deadline for entries for the Cialdini book and Advertising Secrets audio CD competition closes tomorrow, 4th January.

Check the original post at my post How persuasive are you.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: persuasion Cialdini copywriting

Just how positive are you about your success or failure - in life or business? Have you noticed the way people think seems to support the outcome they experience?

So tell me, are you a ‘the glass is half-full’ or ‘the glass is half-empty’ type of person? And does it really matter?

For many years experts have encouraged us to ‘think positively’ in order to be successful. But some people find that far more difficult to do than others. And thinking about it, I realised that the worriers in this world; the people who get stressed; the people who agonise over what’s happening when things don’t go quite to plan are often those who have a ‘glass half-empty’ approach.

So why have I brought this up? I’ll tell you.

I recently received an ezine with an article that gave a very interesting - and quite different view - of positive thinking. In fact it started off by saying ‘Positive Thinking Does Not Work‘.

Have you had people say that to you? Maybe that’s the experience you’ve had.

The author went on to say:

“And, not only does positive thinking NOT cause transformation but it could actually be a root cause of people living life in a vicious cycle.”

Now that caught my eye because I’m one of those positive, ‘glass half-full’ people and this seemed to be heresy!

But I’m also open minded and, after reading the remainder of the article, I concluded it not only makes sense, it is also an insightful explanation for anyone who has tried positive thinking with disappointing results.

It might be just the refreshing start you need for the New Year and, even if it isn’t, it certainly helps to understand why positive thinking doesn’t work for some people.

You can read the full article at Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work

My best wishes to you for a prosperous 2008 and good luck with all you aim to achieve this year and beyond.

~ Carol Bentley

technorati tags: positive thinking inspirational thoughts