To Those I’m Thankful For

When I rewrote my to-do list a couple of days ago, I wrote: “12. Write a thank-you post.”

This is that post.

My success as a copywriter has not been an individual journey. I’ve been supported by dozens of people all along the way. And I want to take a moment to thank them.

God - For directing my life and loving me through it all.

You, Dear Reader - Without you, I wouldn’t have a reason to write.

My Clients - Thank you for trusting me to write copy that produces results.

John Anghelache - For being a great business partner and an amazing thinker.

Ben Settle - For your endless generosity, interview skillz, and being an all-around great guy.

Ray Edwards - For knowing pretty much everything about Internet marketing, and being willing to share it. I think we learn more from you than you do from us!

Daniel Levis - For adding a unique (new) dynamic to our Mastermind Group. I’ve never met any copywriter who could use “comeuppance” in a sales letter.

Michel Fortin - For supporting me in my blogging efforts and promoting my ebook. (You rock, Michel!)

Terry Dean - For promoting my blog and being a great model of how to really build an Internet business.

Keith Goodrum - For being the first guy to submit an action plan. (Had a great time in New York with you and Becky!)

Stephen Dean - For interviewing me and promoting my blog. I love your creativity and innovation in the copywriting field.

John C. A. Manley - For your perseverance and your willingness to be human. Your stories are always so inspirational.

Regular commenters/readers here on this blog: Tony Funderburk, John Deck, Chris Jolma, Jim Sansi, Perry Droast, Cathy Goodwin, Brian Ochsner, Kevin Dawson, Jeff Hendrickson, James Ranka, Mark Pocock, Tom Brownsword, Joseph Ratliff, Shel Horowitz, Ian Brodie, Jeremy Reeves, Kyle Tully, Louis Burns, Kingsley Tagbo, Paul Hambrick, Nadin Rath, D.K. Fynn, John Thomas, Fred Black, Robert Lehrer, Caleb Osborne, Colin Y. J. Chung, John Patten, Anita Ashland, Farhad Khurshed, John at Net Marketing Chaos, J.K. Swopes, Codrut Turcanu, Robert Lehrer, Diana Cacy, Rebecca Dean, Dr. Michael Beck, Darrel Hawes, Lisa J. Lehr, Michael Roach, A.J. in Canada, Richard Jarman, Ed Anderson, and Note Taking Nerd (who leaves the most in-depth comments I’ve ever seen).

Without you (and still others I haven’t listed here), I wouldn’t be where I am today. So thank YOU!

And make 2009 a great year. :-)

-Ryan M. Healy

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Mastering Adwords

When I first got started in Internet marketing, my first assignment was to learn how to use Google Adwords. This was way back in June 2002, soon after Adwords was first introduced.

At the time, there was no “definitive” source I could turn to. Everybody was just experimenting to see what worked and what didn’t.

Honestly, back then you didn’t have to be that good to turn a profit. There were very few competitors, and most folks didn’t know what they were doing anyway.

How times have changed!

I’ve personally noticed that even in the last couple years, the number of people bidding on major keywords has skyrocketed. It’s not uncommon to have 50+ different competitors all bidding on similar keywords.

Which Is Why It’s So Important to Know What You’re Doing.

If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could drop $1,000 or more at the blink of an eye… and literally have nothing to show for it.

If you do know what you’re doing, you can generate new leads and customers at profit. And you can do it over and over again for as long as you want.

Here’s a screen shot from my email inbox showing six new copywriting leads I’ve generated since December 10, 2008.

During this period of time, I’ve spent $79.05 in clicks. If I divide my total cost by number of leads, I get a cost per lead of $13.18.

Which isn’t bad considering that if even one of these leads hires me (and one has already said he will), I will make back my investment in clicks many times over.

My first real Adwords training came in the form of watching Perry Marshall present at The System Seminar in San Francisco, California. Of all the presentations I watched, I remembered (and applied) more from his presentation than anybody else’s.

(Although Gary Halbert’s was equally memorable… and much more colorful, as you might imagine.)

Anyhow, since then, I’ve developed my Adwords knowledge by continuing to experiment, as well as using Perry Marshall’s Definitive Guide to Adwords. I bought it about a year ago and have printed it, marked it up, and applied the strategies with good success.

Well, I didn’t actually buy the guide. I became one of Perry’s Rennaissance members… and got the Definitive Guide to Adwords as a bonus gift.

The reason I did it this way is because the guide costs $49. But becoming a Rennaissance member only costs $29.95 — and you get the guide free.

The way I saw it, it was worth getting the guide for $29.95 and giving Perry’s Rennaissance Club a try.

Now, Perry Has Sweetened the Deal Even More.

If you’ll try out his monthly Rennaissance Club for $29.95, he’ll give you The NEW Definitive Guide to Adwords… PLUS four bonus interviews with Adwords experts, including Glenn Livingston, Richard Stokes, Shelley Ellis, and Ken Jurina of Epiar (The Negative Keyword Company).

All told, Perry’s giving away a package of information worth $600. And it will cost you only $29.95 to get it.

But you have to act quickly because Perry is pulling down this offer after Wednesday, December 31.

==> https://m171.infusionsoft.com/go/default/rhealy/ <—–Free Adwords Cheat Sheet Here

I’m Sweetening the Deal, Too.

If you order through my affiliate link below before midnight on Wednesday, December 31, I’ll throw in a free Special Report on how to write Adwords ads that get clicked and produce results.

I’m writing this Special Report as we speak. I’ve never created anything like this, and I’m not sure whether or not it will be available in the future.

All you have to do to get it is order through the link below by Wednesday, December 31 — and send me an email at rhealy [at] gmail [dot] com. Put “Adwords Report” in the subject line so I know to send you the Special Report when it’s done. (I expect to finish the Special Report before the end of the week.)

I strongly endorse Perry’s Adwords training material. It’s helped me grow my business considerably these last couple of years. And it can do the same for you.

==> https://m171.infusionsoft.com/go/expert/rhealy/ <—–Free Adwords Cheat Sheet Here

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Don’t forget… this offer expires at midnight on New Year’s Eve. (Wed, Dec 31, 2008)

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Why We Celebrate December 25

First of all, I want to thank you for being a loyal reader… and wish you a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. It’s a good time to be alive.

Secondly, I’d like to depart from our “regular programming” to talk about the birth of Jesus.

Did you know Jesus was NOT born on December 25?

You might wonder then, why do we celebrate December 25?

To answer this question, I’ve reprinted a portion of a book chapter from Secrets of Time by Stephen Jones below. He does a great job of explaining. The excerpt is from Chapter 9, and it starts here:

Astrological Events and Celebrations of 3-2 B.C.

From May 19, 3 B.C., to December 25, 2 B.C., a series of highly significant astrological events was observed in the heavens, which had a big impact on the Romans. We know this for sure, because modern astronomers have calculated these events with great precision. They are as follows, as given by Dr. Martin on page 66 of his book, The Star That Astonished the World and used by permission from the Griffith Observatory.

Planetary Conjunctions, 19 May, 3 B.C., to 25 December, 2 B.C.

Date
19 May, 3 B.C.
12 June, 3 B.C.
12 Aug., 3 B.C.
31 Aug., 3 B.C.
14 Sept., 3 B.C.
17 Feb., 2 B.C.
8 May, 2 B.C.
17 June, 2 B.C.
26 Aug., 2 B.C.
25 Dec., 2 B.C.
Conjunction
Mercury-Saturn
Venus-Saturn
Venus-Jupiter
Mercury-Venus
Jupiter-Regulus
Jupiter-Regulus
Jupiter-Regulus
Jupiter-Venus
Mars-Jupiter
Jupiter stationary over Bethlehem, as viewed from Jerusalem

From this table of planetary conjunctions, we can see that there were many significant astrological events occurring in the 18 months from May of 3 B.C. to December of 2 B.C. While we, as Christians, may not hold these as significant, the important thing to note is that the Romans took them very seriously, and these things gave them a heightened sense of optimism that the world was entering a great era of peace and prosperity. Augustus was viewed as the Messiah of the Roman world who had brought in this Golden Age. All of this must have had some influence upon the Senate when they passed the bill declaring Augustus to be “Father of the Country” in February of 2 B.C.

But who would have ever thought that these same astrological conjunctions would bring Magi from the east naively inquiring about the newborn King! This triggered a reaction from Herod that closely resembled the events surrounding Augustus’ own birth. On page 6 of Dr. Martin’s book, he quotes from Jack Lindsay’s Origins of Astrology,

According to Julius Marathus, a personal confidant of Augustus Caesar, the Roman Senate in the year 63 B.C. ordered all boy babies to be killed who were born in that year because prophetic dreams and astrological signs suggested that a “King of the Romans” was to be born.

In reconstructing the events during this time, we can see the very real possibility that the Magi followed the planet Jupiter as it tracked westward until it appeared to remain stationary over Bethlehem on December 25, 2 B.C. While this was not the date of Jesus’ birth, it appears very likely that this was the date the Magi arrived bearing their gifts to the young King.

The first significant planetary conjunction listed above occurred on May 19, 3 B.C. It was a conjunction between Mercury and Saturn. Mercury was known as the messenger of the gods. John the Baptist was also known as “the messenger” (Mal. 3:1). In fact, the name Malachi means “messenger,” and this is the primary theme of his book. Is it not probable that this sign in the heavens occurred at the time the angel announced to Zacharias that he was to have a son who would minister in the spirit and power of Elias?

The Magi were experts in astrological interpretations and would have viewed these things as signs. These signs motivated them to make the long trip west to the land of Judea, knowing that the Messianic King had been born. There is little doubt that these Magi knew the prophecies of Daniel, who, centuries earlier, had been the head of that religious order for about 70 years (Dan. 2:48). We have no way of knowing how much of the truth had been corrupted by the time of Christ’s birth, but we do know that the Magi arrived at the right time and were led by God to the One they sought. That should speak for itself.

In contemplating the significance of the conjunctions of Jupiter (see the table on the previous page), there is much that we can say. Jupiter was considered to be the Planet of the Messiah. The Hebrew name for Jupiter was sedeq, or “righteousness.” It is often spelled “Zadok.” It is connected to the Order of Melchi-sedec (Heb. 5:10), of which Jesus is the Chief Priest. And so the Messiah was connected to signs in Jupiter, or sedeq.

The Hebrews considered Jupiter to be the planet associated with and governing Jerusalem, although the Romans considered it to be the planet of Rome. However, the Magi did not go to Rome, but to Jerusalem, as they followed Jupiter westward. Isaiah 1:26 calls Jerusalem “the city of sedeq.” This can be translated either as “the city of righteousness” or as “the city of Jupiter.” The Magi thus followed Jupiter to the city of Jupiter-Jerusalem. In the nearby town of Bethlehem, they found the Messiah, the High Priest of the Order of Melchi-sedec.

Even as Jupiter was considered to be the planet of the Messiah, so also was Regulus considered to be the star of the Messiah. Regulus is located between the feet of the constellation Leo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. This star is the “sceptre” and the “lawgiver” referred to in Genesis 49:9-10,

Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, thou art gone up; he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be.

When Jupiter and Regulus had three conjunctions in the constellation of Leo between September, 3 B.C., and May, 2 B.C., the Magi could not have missed the significance. In fact, the path of Jupiter actually formed a loop, or halo, directly above Regulus, as though the King’s Planet was “crowning” the King’s Star. On June 17, 2 B.C., it culminated in one of the most spectacular conjunctions ever seen. Jupiter and Venus came so close together that they appeared to merge as a single star (.01 degree of separation).

Immediately after these three conjunctions, Jupiter began moving westward across the sky. Perhaps knowing that the great celestial show was over, the Magi must have begun making preparations to “follow the star” to Jerusalem. It would have been about a four-month trip, since that is how long it took Ezra to make the same journey from Babylon (Ezra 7:6-9).

If the final conjunction occurred on June 17, then perhaps by the first part of July it would have been apparent that Jupiter was going to continue moving westward, and the Magi would have begun making preparations for the trip. If they left the end of August, they would have arrived toward the end of December. Jesus would have been born on September 29, while they were already on the road.

The first thing the Magi did upon arriving in Jerusalem was to inquire of the locals to learn where the King had been born (Matt. 2:1-2). Little did they know that they were walking into a hornet’s nest. Two weeks earlier Matthias, the high priest, and rabbi also named Matthias had incited some young students to tear down Rome’s golden eagle from the Temple wall. Herod went into a state of rage, not only at the affront, but also because he was becoming very ill and paranoid as he approached the age of 70. The students had committed treason, and Herod was very angry. Then, to make matters worse, the Magi arrived in the middle of the investigation, inquiring where the new King had been born!

Herod’s spies told him of the mysterious strangers, and so he called them in for an interview. Herod specifically inquired as to the time of the star’s appearance (Matt. 2:7). Their answer is not recorded, unfortunately, but we may presume that they told him about all the astrological signs for the past 19 months. Herod was upset, and Matthew tells us Herod “was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matt. 2:3).

Since astrology is not a precise science, interpretations always vary, even among those who take stock in it. It would be difficult to tell if the King had been born at the beginning of the heavenly conjunctions or many months later. To a paranoid king with no scruples against killing potential rivals, it would have been natural to simply kill all the children that had been born in Bethlehem in the past two years.

When the Magi left the palace, they probably looked into the sky and — using their measuring instruments — discovered that Jupiter had not moved from its position the previous night. It hovered toward the south of Jerusalem in the direction of Bethlehem, as if to confirm the word of the prophet Micah which they had learned from the chief priests (Matt. 2:4-6).

Herod sent the Magi to Bethlehem to find the King they sought (Matt. 2:8). Matthew certainly would have told us if they had found Jesus in another city, after Herod had told them to go to Bethlehem. Thus, it appears that they arrived on December 25, 2 B.C., to present the Messiah with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This appears to be the origin of the tradition of giving gifts on December 25th, although this was not the time of Jesus’ actual birth. And so, Matthew does not call Jesus an infant, but a young child, when the Magi arrived.

The Gospel writers use two different terms for the baby Jesus in telling the stories surrounding his birth. The Greek words used to describe Him are brephos and paidion. When the shepherds came to Jesus the same night that He was born, Luke says He was a brephos, an infant “babe” (Luke 2:16). But three months later the Magi came and found a paidion, a young child (Matt. 2:9). Many have argued that the difference between these two words is the difference between an infant and a toddler. This, along with the fact that Herod ordered all the children of Bethlehem who were two years old or less to be killed, leads people to believe that Jesus was about two years old when the Magi arrived. However, we should be careful not to try to read too much into these words.

The shepherds, after seeing Jesus, told everyone about the paidion that they had seen (Luke 2:16). But this does not necessarily mean that Jesus was a two-year-old toddler. When Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, Luke describes Him at that time as a paidion (Luke 2:21). It is therefore apparent that the Greek word paidion could be used to describe a baby who was just eight days old.

The point is, let’s not insist that the Magi came to a toddler, just because he is said at that time to be a paidion. I believe that Jesus was three months old when the Magi arrived. He was no longer in the stable, of course, for we read in Matthew 2:11 that they found Him in a “house” in Bethlehem. It is also unlikely that Jesus’ parents would have remained in Bethlehem — even in a house — for two years after his birth. The most likely explanation is that Jesus was born in a stable, where the shepherds found him that same night. Perhaps the next day, after the testimony of the shepherds, someone opened up a house for them to stay in while Mary rested and recovered from her labor of childbirth. They ended up staying longer than anticipated for whatever reason, and then finally after three months had passed, the Magi arrived with their gifts on December 25th. That night, one or all of the Magi were warned in a dream to return home by another way (Matt. 2:12), and God also warned Joseph in a dream to go to Egypt (Matt. 2:13). At this point the family left Bethlehem.

Jesus had been born on the evening of the Feast of Trumpets, which in 2 B.C. fell on September 29. Precisely three months later, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Egypt, the “house (nation) of Pharaoh.” This was done to fulfill the prophetic pattern of Moses’ birth.

******

Here ends the excerpt from Stephen Jones’s book. If you’d like to read the full chapter about Jesus’ birth, you can do so here.

On a side note, assuming Jesus was born on Sep 29, 2 B.C., he would have also been conceived on or around December 25 of the previous year. Yet another “timing coincidence” for why we celebrate on Christmas.

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Perry Marshall’s Hiring Process

On December 13, Perry Marshall announced he was looking for help. More specifically, he announced he was looking for an Affiliate Manager and Content Czar.

I was late to the party, but nevertheless enjoyed observing Perry’s process.

Get this: To apply for either position, Perry required a $25 application fee.

As you can imagine, some people loved it… and others hated it.

Personally, I think it’s brilliant. Here’s why…

Back when I worked at Sonlight, I was put in charge of hiring a marketing guy to join me on the marketing team. I posted an ad on Monster.com and was immediately deluged with 120+ job applications.

And that was in a good job market!

I was totally overwhelmed. Not only did I have to keep up with my regular responsibilities, I had to wade through scores of applications, most of which were as boring as watching ice melt. Not to mention, many of them were completely off target.

Looking back, I would have preferred to get 10 or 20 really great (interesting) resumes instead of 120+ mediocre (boring) ones.

And I think Perry feels the same way. Hence the $25 application fee.

The small fee automatically eliminates all the job applicants who aren’t fully committed to being part of Perry’s team. So neither he nor his staff has to deal with tire kickers and time wasters.

That said, some people strongly objected to the application fee. And they posted their opinions publicly for everybody to read. (Although it appears some of them may have been deleted since last week.)

In response to the negative feedback, Perry created a quick video and posted it on his blog. It’s definitely worth taking 15 minutes to watch it. It’s packed with content, and there’s nothing for sale.

  • Find out why Perry says, “The Internet doesn’t know there’s a recession.”
  • Discover how Google can boost their revenue at will — and why you should “sleep with one eye open.” (I’ve read a lot about PPC, but had never heard this before.)
  • Ever wondered why you shouldn’t listen to mainstream media? Perry tells you why.

Check out the video here…

==> “Those who bite the hand that feeds them, lick the boot that kicks them.”

Enjoy!

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. To address the concern that an applicant might not be selected, both of Perry’s job postings said this:

I will also make recommendations about the top contenders with other customers and online marketers. Thus if you’ve got the ’stuff’ for a task like this, don’t hesitate to put the information together. It’s good use of your time. If you’re really good, the least you’ll get out of this is some great publicity.

I found this to be an extremely compelling reason to apply. Wouldn’t you pay $25 to get Perry’s attention? I would…

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Go Down with the Ship in Style

When the Titanic was finally finished being built, it was the largest passenger steamship of its time.

It was a site to behold, having been designed to be both functional and beautiful. (The fourth smoke stack was merely an ornament to make the ship look more impressive.)

Some of the wealthiest citizens of the early 20th Century eagerly bought tickets for the maiden voyage.

Of course, we all know how that story ended. When the Titanic sank in 1915, a full 68% of the passengers were greeted by watery graves.

Incredibly, despite the urgency of the situation, some of the lifeboats were deployed even though they were half full.

Why?

Nobody Believed the Ship Could Sink!

Passengers really believed the Titanic was invincible. Even trade journals of the day had said the ship was “practically unsinkable.”

Unfortunately, it seems the same kind of disbelief is now happening in the U.S. Except this time the ship is the economy.

For months, Americans couldn’t admit the economy was in trouble. They believed the U.S. was “too big to fail.”

Then the big bankruptcies started happening. IndyMac, Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual,etc.

Now, Citigroup may be next in line whether they get “bailed out” or not.

Nevertheless, many people continue to believe that the recovery is “just around the corner.”

My take is different:

The economy is in BIG trouble. And if you want to survive, you need to be proactive — and

Get on a Lifeboat Now

But here’s the problem:

The U.S. is the “keystone” of the world economy. If it goes down, it will bring down the rest of the world with it. So there may be no advantage to “jumping ship” and moving to another country.

Furthermore, since an economic collapse of this magnitude has never before happened in history, it’s hard to know for sure how to prepare.

Maybe you should stock up on some essentials: food, clothing, etc.

Or maybe you should sell your house, find a rental, and ride out the storm.

Or maybe you should swap your dollars for gold and silver.

Who knows.

Until we have the benefit of hindsight, it’s all speculation.

And while chances are you’ll survive this collapse with your life, your currency (U.S. or otherwise) may not be so lucky — no matter what “lifeboat” you choose to preserve it.

Which is why a better strategy seems to be to

Play with All Your Heart Until the Curtain Drops

Did you know some of the most famous people who died when the Titanic sank were the eight band members who continued to perform until the ship sank?

As people slowly realized the inevitability of their situation, some got on lifeboats; some panicked; still others became reconciled with fate and patiently awaited their deaths.

These band members were of the latter group. They calmly sat on the deck of the Titanic. And rather than “rearrange the deck chairs,” they played their songs as long as time permitted.

Of course, all eight band members died. But not without leaving their unforgettable mark on history.

In many ways, I believe one of the best strategies for surviving the coming economic storm is to merely practice your craft as best you know how — and play with all your heart — until the curtain drops.

And when the curtain rises again, you may still be standing and ready to take your bow.

-Ryan M. Healy

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Business Tools

Last week, I started having problems with my WiFi router. It started blocking my client’s sites — and only his sites.

It was selective filtering. Really weird.

So I began investigating to try to figure out the problem. Spent hours testing my laptop and my wife’s laptop, plugging into the cable modem vs. using the router, etc.

When I couldn’t figure out the problem, I ended up sitting on a pillow with my back against a wall plugged directly into the router. I spent a few days like that, suffering numbness in various body parts from the awkward sitting position.

Some business tools — like a WiFi router to connect to the Internet — are priceless. And we take them for granted until something goes wrong.

Finally, I took a trip down to Best Buy last night and purchased a new Linksys router. Plugged it in and it worked like a charm.

Man, I’ve never felt so relieved that it worked!

After experiencing so much pain and frustration last week, I’m thrilled. It’s the power of contrast.

When it comes to the tools that keep your business running, don’t skimp on quality. And be quick to replace broken tools — instead of drawing out the process like I did.

I wish I had buckled down and bought the new router last week…

-Ryan M. Healy

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Quantum Improvements

Today’s news reports that the Nintendo Wii outsold the Microsoft Xbox 360 by three to one in November 2008. That is a HUGE margin.

Why do I bring this up?

Because much of the time we focus on incremental improvements, what the Japanese call kaizen.

The discipline of making incremental improvements is critical to business success. Sometimes it makes the difference between being a market leader and an “also ran.”

But every once in a while it is necessary to make a quantum improvement.

Yes, it’s risky.

Yes, it’s worth it.

Quantum improvements are game changers. They change the way consumers think.

For instance, here are some game changers from the past few years:

  • Toyota Prius
  • Nintendo Wii
  • Apple iPhone

Is there a quantum improvement that can be made in your business? Why not give it a try and see what happens?

-Ryan M. Healy

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Ripped Off… Again

Last night I received a piece of official looking mail. At first, I suspected it might be a solicitation disguised as government mail.

Turns out I was wrong.

It was a bankruptcy notice.

After carefully scrutinizing three pages of paperwork, I finally located the name of the business in question: it is (was) one of my clients.

I received the bankruptcy notice because I still have two invoices outstanding with this client and can file a claim if I choose.

Obviously, the news came as a shock since I finished my last project for them about 5 or 6 weeks ago.

And they had already paid me for four previous projects I had done for them this year. So I had no reason to worry about getting paid — or so I thought.

In this economy, anything is possible… including your client going bankrupt.

Now, more than ever before, it is important to get paid up front. Even with clients who have been reliable in the past, it may still be a good rule to follow.

-Ryan M. Healy

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Why Recessions Are Good

Whenever there is a recession, it’s actually a good thing for many businesses.

That’s because all the “wannabe” service providers go belly up, leaving more business for everybody else.

The serious players usually see growth instead of contraction. That’s because:

  • The real estate agent who sells four or five homes a year for friends and family chooses to do something else, leaving her clients to more successful agents.
  • The part-time mortgage broker finds something better to do with his time — and sends his clients to more established brokers.
  • The copywriter who’s just “trying out this copywriting thing” decides it’s not for him — so he kills his Adwords campaign and gets a job.

This happens every time there’s a recession. All the halfway serious service providers voluntarily exit the market, leaving that much more business for the folks who stay.

Once again, consistency — and staying power — win the day.

-Ryan M. Healy

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Always Give a Reason

Whenever you discount a product or hold a sale, always give a reason for why you are doing it.

I was reminded of this just the other day while getting family photos at Sears. They had a flier laying out on one of the side tables. On the front page, it said:

CRAZIEST DEAL EVER

Oops! Someone forgot to turn off the Paint Machine when they went on break! Now we have a surplus of Pacific Blue Kenmore Washers and Dryers — loaded with great features. Over 3,000 pairs to sell — it’s our craziest deal ever!

Buy a Dryer, Get a Washer FREE

While this copy could definitely be improved, I was impressed that a big company would even go this far to provide a reason for the sale.

The lazy way to do it would have been to merely run the sale: Buy one, get one free. They took it one step farther by turning a negative situation (too many blue washers and dryers) into a humorous story and a believable reason for a sale.

Did someone really forget to turn off the paint machine? Probably not. But it’s a fun story. We can imagine it’s true. And it’s far better than the other story: That is, nobody wants blue appliances.

Are you overstocked? Or do you simply want a quick cash infusion? Then hold a sale and give a reason why you’re discounting your product or service. Works like magic, I tell ya.

-Ryan M. Healy

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