I’m sure you’ve seen those ads that grab your attention and have
you ready to pull out your wallet or credit card. They are making
you an offer you can’t refuse.

Don’t you wish your ads were that persuasive?

Are the marketers who wrote these ads natural born writers, or is
there a formula that you can learn?

Writing to persuade is a skill that can be learned, like any other
skill. It’s just a matter of breaking down the process into four
simple steps.

Step # 1.

The first step in writing your killer sales letter is to identify
your target market.

This seems simple enough, but how many marketers do it?

When reading some of the ads I get in my inbox, I have to wonder.

I don’t want to burst your bubble, but the truth is, not everyone on
the planet is a prospect. Concentrate on those who are.

Before you begin your ad campaign identify your target audience.

Step # 2.

Once you’ve identified your target market, determine what their
major problems are.

* Do they need more money?

* Do they need to save time?

* Are they interested in improving their health?

Sit down and determine every problem that your prospects have and
decide how your product or service can help solve their problems.

There are no shortage of problems, but there is a shortage of
problem solvers. Start becoming a problem solver and you’ll always
be in demand.

OK, you’ve identified your market, you’ve determined what problems
they have, now you’re ready for the next step.

Step # 3.

The third step in writing your killer copy is to let your prospects
know that there is a solution to their problem. Not only is there a
solution to their problem, but you have the solution.

Remember these three magic words, “I can help.”

Identifying the problem is not enough. You have to show the reader
that there is a solution and you have it.

Tell them every benefit they will get when they order your product,
or take advantage of your service.

Let them know you can help them

* Make more money

* Save time

* Improve their health.

Step # 4.

The final step in creating killer ad copy is getting the prospect to
take action.

Identifying your market, determining their problems and letting them
know you have the solution, is not enough.

You have to make them act.

You have to create a sense of urgency.

There are many ways you can do this.

You can offer a special discount for fast action.

You can offer special fast action bonuses.

Ask for the order.

Let them know they don’t have to put up with their problems another
day.

You can solve them right now.

These four steps are a basic outline to get you started.

Start studying the sales letters you read and break them down into
the four basic steps.

Determine how effective the writer was in covering the bases.

Make notes on how you could improve on the sales letter.

Learning to write persuasive copy is a life – long venture.

When you’re writing your next sales letter, remember the four step
formula.

1. Identify your market

2. Identify their problem

3. Let them know how you can solve their problem

4. Ask for the order

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi

Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

Marketers come online and they’re in such a hurry to make money,
they neglect one of the most essential ingredients to success.

They don’t take the time to put together their battle plan. They
know where they want to go, but they never sit down and map out how
they’re going to get there.

They’re like ships without a crew. They’re tossed to and fro and
have no idea why.

If you’re serious about your business, you need a plan.

Your business should be planned like a well thought out battle. If
you haven’t got your plan in place you’ll suffer casualties.

You won’t suffer loss of life, but you will suffer losses of:

* Money

* Time

* Opportunity

Just as the well honed warrior prepares for all possible
occurrences, you must be prepared to last through the slow times,
and be just as prepared to capitalize on the times when it appears
you can do no wrong.

The first step on your march to the flag is to decide who you are.
In the immortal words of Shakespeare, “In brief sir, study that
which you most affect”.

Know your strengths and know your weaknesses. You’ll never be truly
successful until you’ve first made an inventory of your-self. You
can study all the “How-To’s” and you may even make money, but to be
truly be successful you must have your “Why-To’s” in place.

Once you’ve decided who you are and listed your strengths and
weaknesses, the next step is to determine how much money you have
for your war chest.

Only use money you can afford to lose. As any professional trader or
championship gambler will tell you, “Scared money never wins!”

Don’t mortgage your house or max-out your credit cards because
you’ve got the million dollar sure-fire winner.

You’ll be so busy worrying, you won’t be able to think clearly.

Take money you won’t miss and test-test-test. Your thinking will be
much clearer and when your testing finally hits on a winning formula
you’ll be ready to capitalize.

When you’ve got your winning formula, you should pyramid your
profits to expand your business. A minimum of 50% of your profits
should go back into your business in the first 6 months.

If you’re only using money you can live comfortably without, you
should place 100% back into marketing, you’ll have plenty of time to
enjoy the fruits of your labors!

The final step in your battle plan is to keep a log book.

Just as generals study battles from the past and chess players study
strategies from the old masters, you must begin your own manual.

Don’t rely on your memory!!

In your manual keep every advertising campaign you’ve waged. Be as
detailed as possible. List what has worked and what hasn’t.

Key your ads to determine where your profits are coming from.

Test media used, actual ads and sells letters, etc. Sculpt your
business. If your business is based on profits, the best way to
insure profits is the same way you’d carve an elephant out of
granite.

“Remove everything that’s not an elephant!”

In your business remove everything that isn’t profitable.

Be ruthless with that chisel.

Don’t marry any method of promotion, or any one opportunity.

If you do you’ll spend time chasing losses, instead of accumulating
profits.

Put some thought and effort into your plan and you’ll be a step
ahead of the competition.

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi

Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

Have you spent hours on end trying your best to make money on the
internet and ended up empty handed? Trust me you’re not alone.

I’ve been there myself.

After running into a brick wall for years, I’ve finally found what
works for me.

If I were starting today and could choose one method to promote my
business and to brand myself, it would be writing and submitting
articles.

Why?

** It’s Free promotion

** It’s extremely viral

** It brands you fast

** Most marketers won’t do it

Your articles are actually more than just free promotion, they’re
free promotion on steroids.

Think about it?

What’s the main feature of the average ezine? The featured article.
Get featured in an ezine and you’re the spotlight of that issue.

Get featured in multiple ezines every week and readers will be
saying, I see this name everywhere.

You’re branding yourself fast and it hasn’t cost you a dime.

Once you start getting your name recognized, the articles will start
taking on a life of their own. Have a few webmasters pick them up
and you’re name recognition (brand) keeps spreading.

It’s truly amazing what article writing can do. After you’ve been
doing it long enough, readers will get the feeling they know you.

There’s not much chance of that happening from running an ad. An ad
is just one of many and gives no clue as to who you are.

The fourth reason I gave for writing articles was, “Most marketers
won’t do it.”

If you’re serious about your business and branding yourself, there
is one thing you should realize. You have to start thinking out of
the box.

Become a contrarian. Learn what everybody is doing, and then start
doing what they are not.

You’re a unique individual and you don’t have to follow the herd.
Birds of a feather may flock together, but the brave eagle flies
alone.

Get in the habit of writing and submitting articles and hopefully,
the next article I read will be yours.

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi

Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

Many marketers have compared the art of marketing to the art of
war. Some of the names used by marketers for their systems bears
this out.

Don’t think so?

What do these programs bring to mind?

* Guerilla Marketing
* The Warriors
* Stealth Marketing

Looking at those names you know these guys mean business. So what
separates these successful marketers from the 95% who fail?

They’re not smarter than the average marketer, but they do market
slightly different.

The vast majority of marketers are going to battle with a shot gun.
They have no clear cut target. They are closing their eyes, pulling
the trigger and hoping they hit something.

They may occasionally hit something, but sooner or latter they’re
going to run out of ammunition. Unless they are extremely lucky,
their advertising budget will be spent with little or no sales to
show for their efforts.

The top marketers on the other hand, think like a sniper. They know
that they may only get one chance to close the sale. They take
careful aim and make every shot count.

They know their target.

So what do these snipers do?

The most important element in their arsenal is their targeted list.
They are masters of building and working their list.

By targeting their market they place the odds in their favor.

By making every shot count they have enough reserve funds to turn
around a losing offer and make it into a winner.

If you truly want to succeed, learn the difference between a
suspect, a prospect and a customer.

Put away that shot gun and make every shot count.

Start targeting your advertising campaigns and remember, “One shot,
one kill!”

Do that and you’ll avoid being the next casualty.

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi

Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

Imagine if you never had to sell again and opportunities just
fell into your lap.

Does this sound impossible?

Does it sound like a daydream?

Well it’s not.

Not if you’re a problem solver.

Whether you offer products or services, there’s one thing we all
have in common.

We’re all in the problem solving business.

Think about it.

Once the word spreads that you’re a problem solver, prospects will
beat a path to your door.

Why?

Everyone on this earth has problems.

Once you’ve developed a reputation for problem solving, you’ll never
be idle.

There are more people with problems than you could help in ten
lifetimes.

What’s the quickest way to develop a reputation as a problem solver?

Writing articles.

Once I started writing articles, everything changed.

I went from an unknown, unprofitable marketer, to an expert problem
solver.

Guess what?

You can too.

Once you’ve launched your article virus, you won’t have to look for
opportunity, it will come to you.

Join me in the problem solving business and you’ll never look back.

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi

Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

The sage Zenrin once said “If you wish to know the road up the
mountain, ask the person who goes back and forth on it.”

Sound advice, but are you following it?

If you’re like most people, probably not. So who’s advice do you
listen to?

** Your next door neighbor

** Your barber or hairdresser

** Your mechanic

The list is endless. You get excited about starting your own
business and the doom and gloom crowd takes pleasure in stomping on
your dreams.

Before you listen to them, ask yourself one question. Have they been
where you want to go?

Probably not.

So who’s advice should you listen to? The men and women who’ve
traveled the mountain.

One man who traveled the mountain and amassed a fortune in the
process, was J. Paul Getty.

In his autobiography Getty lists rules for creating wealth.

What do you think was Mr. Getty’s number one rule for getting rich?

You must have your own business. He didn’t say get a good job.

The same skills you use to make money for your boss, could be better
applied to creating wealth for you.

There’s an old cartoon that brings the point home even clearer.

A father is asking his son, “Wow, wouldn’t you love to be a football
player and make all that money?”

The little boy smiles and says, “Daddy, I’d rather be the guy that
can afford to pay the whole team.”

The next time you’re excited, keep your own council and remember the
words of Ben Franklin.

“Keep Thy Shop and Thy Shop Will Keep Thee.”

Dare to dream. Be your own boss.

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi

Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

Are you overwhelmed by all the advice on the Internet about
running a successful small business?

The sheer volume of information is overwhelming and often the
“experts” disagree.

Every so often my business will experience a slow down.

This week was one of those weeks. I could easily blame the holiday
or the normal summer vacation period, but that wouldn’t solve my
problem.

I needed to step back and rethink my business plan.

The response for most online business owners is to pick their
favorite “guru” or “gurus” and start studying their advice.

That works well for a lot of marketers, but sometimes I like to
think outside the box. There are some time tested ideas that are
universal and will work if applied to any situation.

I studied Ben Franklin’s simple system for self- improvement. The
system may be simple to develop, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to
follow.

In his autobiography Franklin talks about his need to constantly
monitor himself. Old habits are hard to break.

Although Franklin used this system to reshape his personality, it
can just as easily be applied to improving your skills as an online
entrepreneur.

If you’re looking for a quick fix, this isn’t for you.

Here’s a step by step plan for becoming a more successful
entrepreneur.

1. The first step is to pick the 13 areas of your skills that need
the most work.

Step back and take a look at your business and find 13 skills that
would improve your performance.

2. Put the 13 skills you’ve listed in order of importance.

Label them from 1 to 13.

3. Decide to spend one week working on each skill. Spend time every
day for a week working on improving one area of your business.

For example if you chose writing better ads as an area needing
improvement, spend a week working on your ad writing skills.

4. After you’ve spent a week working on your number problem, move to
problem number 2.

5. After 13 weeks go back and work on number one again.

Follow through on each skill for another 13 weeks.

6. By the end of one year you’ve spent four weeks improving each
roadblock to your success.

At the end of a year re-evaluate your business and determine which
skills still need to be worked on and which ones you’ve mastered.

I know this seems like a lot of work. It’s taking time away from
making your first million.

Well I have to let you in on a little secret. Making a go of your
online business isn’t easy and if you’re not willing to work at it,
you’ll spend your time asking:

Is anyone really making money online?

Well there are small businesses making money online, but they’ve
done their homework and honed their skills.

If you’re truly serious about making money on the Internet, this
plan is as good a place to start as any.

Don’t rely on luck. You’ll find the harder you work, the luckier
you’ll get.

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi

Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

Good old Archimedes said it best, “Give me a place to stand and
I’ll move the Earth”.

Powerful statement.

He was talking about the lever, but there are all types of levers.

We live in a society that’s lost sight of how everything is
connected. We look at the trunk and mistake it for the elephant.

But if we just open our mind’s eye and look at our world with a more
open view, we can see how “Give me a place to stand”, relates to
succeeding at every endeavor we put our hands to.

Want to leave the rat race and succeed in your own business?

Find a place to stand.

Pick your vehicle.

I see marketers struggling over

* What really sells online?

* What is the best product to promote?

Forget about it.

1. Pick your place to stand.

2. Plant your feet.

3. Take your lever and move the Earth.

Your place to stand is any product or service that fits you. Stop
wasting your time on the internal debate.

Are you ready to assure your success?

If you answered yes, here goes.

1. Find a product or service that excites you, gets your adrenaline
pumping and makes your blood flow.

2. Make a decision.

The difference between winning and losing can be seen in how you
make decisions.

Those that succeed reach decisions promptly and stick with them come
hello there or high water.

Those who never succeed reach decisions slowly. They run for the
hills the first time they have a set back.

3. Plant your feet and keep plugging until you’ve reached your goal.

It’s that simple, but simple doesn’t make it easy.

You can succeed at anything.

I know you can.

Wishing You Success,
John Colanzi

Copyright (c) John Colanzi.

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