Millions of Americans were glued to their TVs like painted macaroni to a paper plate lat week. The harrowing (non-)journey of a six-year-old boy, and the reality show family that set him up, was probably the highest-rated program on television.  This is a great example of what passes these days for high drama in the US.

So what did we learn as Internet Marketers?

I’m not going to belabor the obvious point of NOT putting your children at risk or under stress to promote your product/site/show.

What I am going to belabor is the need to avoid hoaxes and hucksters…

There have been a lot of changes in the IM world in the past year. Criminal charges, corporate infighting, rumors of affiliates not getting paid for sales, and many other tales of caution have popped up.

You HAVE been paying attention haven’t you?

Especially important is knowing with whom you are partnering on a project. Keep in mind that success can sometimes be fatal. History is littered with those who have fallen prey to the greed of their most trusted companions.

As Ronald Reagan used to say… “Trust, but verify”

My business has been growing, but slowly…

This is partly by design. Would I take over-night success? Sure… I’d give it a shot.

But I am not, by nature, one who trusts easily. I’m that guy who, once he has decided to buy a big-ticket item, then waits for a few months before actually making the purchase… just in case he’s wrong about something.

I have used the same method when deciding what paths to take concerning promotion, and which marketers to work with.

I have only endorsed one product… and it was one that I had actually seen all the way through. Many marketers want affiliates to review and promote a product, but never give enough information to do so ethically.

I know, I know… I can always buy the product.

But money is still, unfortunately, an issue right now. Besides… what if I buy a $997 product that isn’t worth $97? I file for, and hopefully get, a refund. Then I try a $497 course… and once again… amateur nite at the Apollo. So I get another refund. And again, and again, until I find just the right product.

I develop a reputation for being a “serial refunder” and no one will want to work with me. Hardly an effective strategy for building a business.

What do I do instead?

I look for JV opportunities with:

1. Marketers who already have a good reputation
2. Marketers who are willing to show their product, at least in large part, before the pre-launch
3. Marketers who use accepted payment channels (Clickbank, Commission Junction)
4. Products that deliver what they promise

The first two are an either/or, but preferably both, proposition. If I know the track record of an established marketer, and it’s positive, I am more comfortable dealing with them. If I don’t really know their past history, I need to see the product before I know whether I’m willing to get involved.

The third one is NON-negotiable. I don’t care who you are, I want an impartial go-between. If I promote a Clickbank product, I know that after CB gets their cut, I’m getting mine. By doing so, I avoid the potential of a marketer who “screws the pooch” on his promotion and has no money left over to pay affiliates.

The fourth item, is also non-negotiable. If it seems to good to be true… well… you know the rest.

I once tested a product that promised to help me master affiliate marketing with CB. Three weeks into the program, all they had done was show the very basics of signing up for CB, and then promoted a product they wanted me to buy so they could make commissions. Needless to say… I got a refund on it!

So thank you Balloon Boy and the Heene family for reminding us that no one, no matter how compelling a story they tell, can be trusted for very long. I will sleep better tonight knowing that my vigilance will not go unrewarded, and that while growing slowly, at least my business is being built ethically.

Science of the Sale Update

The second video in my Science of the Sale series is finished. Clocking in at just under 25 minutes it is substantially shorter than the first video.

I have also decided to make it the first video to be submitted using Traffic Geyser, so I’ll let you know how that works out. If it goes well… THEN I’ll put up an affiliate link… but I can’t promote what I haven’t tested.

The video is being posted as “Pique Technique – Science of the Sale” or just “Pique Technique” in case you’d like to do Google searches to see my results.

Talk soon!

Peace,

Finally I have something up and available! It’s only the first video… and it’s quite raw… but it’s done and open to the public!

I have already started the second video… this time the video is about the pique technique since the new FTC regulations are having a huge impact on this persuasion method.

If you haven’t already signed up on my SOTS JV list, then jump over to http://www.ScienceOfTheSale.com and get on it. For a limited time, all signups through the website will get full access to the videos as they are done.

Once about half of the videos are complete, I will be changing the rules… since the closer I am to having a saleable product, the less I’m going to want to give away. Simple math!

So pop over to http://www.ScienceOfTheSale.com and check out the first video… it’s longer than the average video will be, but it covers 3 related propaganda techniques.

When you’ve watched it… come back here and let me know what you think!

Peace,

Bear with me… this will be a long one!

On Sunday I am watching football (of the American variety) and am scanning the program guide for all the channels that give me information and updates about games I can’t watch (like my beloved 49ers) and I notice that Sports Soup is on.

If you’re not familiar with Sports Soup, it’s part of a larger collection of “Soup” shows that take humorous clips and then make comments about them. The flagship show, The Soup (formerly Talk Soup), is usually very funny although I don’t watch any of the programs they make fun of.

Sports Soup then is based around sports clips. Unfortunately there usually aren’t that many humorous things that happen in sport on a weekly basis… plus the host, Matt Iseman, just isn’t that funny…

But what’s my point?

My point is… Who would watch a show loosely based on sports when there are actual sports being broadcast live?

In other words, why talk about something when you can actually be doing it?

And that brought me to what I’ve been learning from Alex Jeffreys and Rich Schefren, which is how to organize a successful business. I’ve been on calls with them, reading their reports, and thinking a lot about getting organized. But I wasn’t actually doing it.

So I’ve now spent the past few days really putting down on paper…

• my company’s mission statement (which still needs work)
• the breakdown of what needs to be done and what can be done by others
• what it is that I want to do each day
• where I want to go with my business, and
• how I plan to get there

Which brings me to the Game Reset:

I spent most of the month of September feeling quite ill. I had whatever virus was going around. It all started with chills, and was then followed by chest congestion which lasted weeks. During that time, I had little ability to control random fits of coughing. Needless to say, I couldn’t very well record videos or voiceovers with such fits. This has left me very far behind on my Science of the Sale video series.

Two months ago I declared that SOTS would go live on October 13th… RESET!

One of the things Alex Jeffreys keeps drilling into my head is the need to be public with your goals in order to keep yourself honest (which originally prompted the October 13th declaration). He even has his students posting our 90-Day Goals in the private forum.

So what does all of this mean to you?

It means that I am going to put myself on the line again, and give away the very product I planned to sell…

And here’s how…

If you are familiar with Russell Brunson and his “micro-continuity” concept then you know that in the Micro-C plan is to provide a product over time (12 weeks, 16 weeks, 12 months) while collecting a monthly subscription fee.

Well I’m going to do that one better…

Presenting… Science of the Sale Micro-C for Free!!

Yep! I need to get this product done and you are going to help me!

By signing up to receive my report Secret Selling: Psychology and the Art of the Sale I am going to enroll you in my free micro-continuity program.

The first video (though it may lack some polish) will be sent out to all subscribers on October 13th. Then every Tuesday I’ll send a video until the whole thing is done! (There will be 16-20 videos in all.)

Once the whole program is complete I’ll add some bells and whistles, get a professionally written sales page, hopefully get some testimonials from you guys, and sell that puppy! Of course, you then will know whether or not you wish to promote the product to your list, because you will have seen it ALL!

I know, I know… I’m probably crazy… but I already knew that!

OK… you know what? This post is long enough… I had more I wanted to share with you, but I’ll save that for another day.

I do want to mention one thing quickly that I’ll be delving into later in the week. The Federal Trade Commission just handed down a ruling this week that requires bloggers to disclose any payments or other remuneration they receive for reviewing a product or service.

In other words… review sites MUST have full disclosure… so if you have a review site set up to promote affiliate products either take it down or add the disclosures (which will no doubt limit the effectiveness of many reviews).

Talk to you VERY soon!

Peace,

Well I have two full days under my belt in my first ever JV Giveaway. I gotta tell ya… Alex knew what he was talking about. Finally I have noticeable increase in the size of my mailing list!

Here are two screenshots from the first two days so you can see my vast improvement…

Now I actually have a list that I can build relationships with… and FINALLY start my business in earnest! Man, this is fun… and I’ve already signed up for another giveaway starting September 1st… so keep in touch… bigger things are coming.

Well… now I’m off to start the relationship-building with my new list…

I’ll keep you updated on my successes and failures in that department as well!

Until next time…

Peace,

On the brainstorming call with Alex Jeffreys Monday night he really made it clear how important it is to set yourself a deadline. By doing so, you commit yourself to the goal. And by doing it publicly, like I am about to do, only adds to the motivation.

Once it’s out there, it’s out there…

So here goes…

Science of the Sale goes LIVE on October 13th, 2009!

What does this mean to you? That depends…

How you could help/benefit:

• Form a joint venture with me and help me get this thing on the market and making money for us both
• Give me some advice on what you would like to see in the SOTS videos
• Offer your services (even paid services) to help me with my weaknesses
  • Social media marketing (I don’t have the time… I have to make videos)
  • Final video production… I’m better as talent than production
  • Sales copy and squeeze page help… once again, time… gotta make videos!

Alex made it clear that time is a factor when he is deciding what product launches to support, so this is more than 60 days in advance… so you have time to watch my progress and decide how involved you want to be. Sign up here to get the videos in their raw form as they are completed…

By getting in early, you will see the development of the product and be well-versed in it. As a result, you will be able to create real reviews of the product for your subscribers and readers, instead of trying to piece together a review based on a sales page.

To repeat…

Science of the Sale goes LIVE on October 13th, 2009…

Sign up now to be a part of the marketing revolution.

OK… so if you know anything about me, you know that I LOVE doing scientific research. And I want to use my websites to do some of this testing. But I need some help in my latest effort.

I need someone who knows enough coding to help me build an “exit pop” that has several clickable choices.

The Theory:

The concept is a compliance technique known as Dump-and-Chase. The concept is fairly simple, but I’ll go back two steps to be sure we are on the same page. After all, you can benefit from this idea as well.

When a visitor comes to a website, they may interact with your site and enter information or buy products. On the other hand, they may poke around for a few minutes and then leave. That’s no good for you is it?

In psychology terms, when you are attempting to gain compliance to a request, there are two types of NO:

• Rebuff –> This is a “No” without any reasoning. Just “No.”
• Obstacle –> This is a “No” but with a reason. “It’s too expensive.”

So the concept of Dump-and-Chase is to turn a rebuff, for which there is no defense, into an obstacle, which can be overcome.

See the idea?

What I am trying to do is to set up an “exit pop” or “exit hover” that will ASK the viewer why they are leaving. I would give 4 or 5 options, from “Just not interested” to “Not sure I can trust you” and a few others.

The idea then is that the viewer now has two options…

1. Click “exit” and make the second screen disappear… in which case nothing has changed… they were leaving anyway.
2. Answer the “Why Are You Leaving?” question… thereby turning a rebuff into an obstacle.

When the viewer selects an obstacle, the pop screen will take the viewer to a new page that quickly addresses the obstacle. By doing this, I hope to grab a few more sign-ups on my squeeze page.

So anyway… if you are a quality coder that wants to help… leave me a comment!

If you want to take this idea and try it yourself… let me know how it works with a comment…

Either way… I look forward to working with you!

Peace,

Alan

Have you ever wondered about those sales pages that promise $32,792.17 in sales or profits? Why not $30,000 or $32K or something else easier to read? There’s a method to the madness. Specifically, it’s called the pique technique.

One area of research in the field of Social Psychology is the study of persuasion. John Cacioppo and Richard Petty theorized that there are two routes that one can take when trying to persuade another person. They suggested that there was a direct (”central”) route to persuasion and an indirect (”peripheral”) route, and it was the indirect route that they were most intrigued by.

The direct route uses facts and arguments to change a person’s opinion, or attitude. When a salesman tells you that his product will last longer than the other product, or is less expensive, that is using the “direct approach.” Any good salesman is going to hit you with facts and figures to distract you from his true aim.

Have you ever had a salesman use an annoying sales pitch, and then say something like, “I hate having to say that, but that’s what the company wants!” or something similar? What the salesman is trying to do is disassociate himself from the “powers-that-be” and show himself as a “common man.” By doing so, the salesman hopes to make you like him and associate with him. Once you’ve become an acquaintance of his, the salesman knows he has you on the hook. That is an example of an indirect approach to sales. Cacioppo and Petty’s studies suggested to them that this method is vastly superior to the direct approach to sales.

Which brings us to the “pique technique.” This concept was developed in a study involving public interactions with the homeless. You know the story. A homeless person asks for some spare change for food, or a woman needs “a couple dollars” for gas. What do you do when this happens? The vast majority of Americans either look away, or make a quick excuse before hustling off.

The study, published in 1994 by Anthony Pratkanis, showed that when a seemingly homeless person asked passers-by for “37 cents” a great many of them stopped and rummaged in their pockets for some loose change. In fact, 60% more often than when they were asked for “a quarter.” This was a fascinating breakthrough. It was then tested over and over. What scientists learned is that when we are given a specific number, we tend to believe more in the number. While “a couple of bucks” could buy gas or drugs, we assume that “$1.73″ will accomplish the specific task for which we are told it is intended.

    ”Excuse me, but I am 73 cents short of a Big Mac. Could you help me?”
    ”Excuse me, I ran out of gas back there and could use a couple bucks. Can you help me?”

Which person is more likely to get your charity?

But has either of them given any real PROOF of their intentions? No. The “couple bucks” person really could be out of gas, and the “73 cents” person may be just short of a pint of whiskey. You don’t know, but you are led to believe that you do by the “pique technique.” Your interest was piqued by the odd, specific number, and the indirect route to persuasion began.

Now are you seeing why you can make $32,792.17 in your first month? With a number like that, it MUST be true, or so you are to believe. Most folks will quickly assume that the seller must have accomplished this task, otherwise he wouldn’t say it. Just by reading that number, the salesman has already made you believe something. Once has convinced you of one thing, the next beliefs come easier.

After engaging the pique technique to get you looking at the sales page, the writer can begin the task of converting your interest into action. As the sales letter progresses, many more persuasion techniques will be used, including:

• “plain folks”
• “glittering generalities”
• “commitment and consistency”
• “reciprocity”
• “liking”
• “scarcity”
• and of course… “testimonial”

 Each technique has a time and a place where it is most effective. The pique technique is an attention grabber, so is frequently used as a headline, title, forum post title, or twitter post. The purpose is to pull the viewer over the edge into the slippery slope of your sales funnel.

Next time, I’ll cover reciprocity which actually dovetails perfectly with what Alex is teaching anyway. Until then, please let me know how I can improve the information I strive to give you. Any sales psychology questions, ideas, or suggestions are greatly appreciated!