AT LAST!! - The New Dreamcatcher Travelogue Online Events Calendar for The Tourist Trade!!!

Looking for something to do on your travels?

Do you want to avoid the crowds or spending hours on the web trying to find something to do?

Our Dreamcatcher Travelogue Online Event Calendars with the inclusion of blogs and video’s, will tell you what is going on anywhere across the USA. 

Dreamcatcher Online Event Calendars has launched the first of a collection of “Dreamcatcher Travelogue Calendars” to add to our already existing and growing online event calendars.

The Dreamcatcher Travelogue Calendars are stunning and exciting calendars for the tourist trade.  They highlight and display events at all the places you will want to visit and enjoy.  We have incorporated  advertisements, articles, video’s and photos on the Dreamcatcher Travelogue Blogs for each and every beautiful state and/or area, including notes and descriptions of attractions and events in each area.

The Dreamcatcher Travelogue Online Events Calendar will incorporate all the tourism districts as part of the total USA experience where you’ll learn about the different festivals and celebrations that take place across the USA. These events are a great way to enhance and fully experience your holidays! 

Contact Claudia duPreez for full information at claudia@dcmrktng.com and also visit our website at: www.dreamcatchercalendars.com - If you join the Dreamcatcher Calendar Club  it will enable you to RSVP all events, book a limo or rent a car.  You can view, organize, and recieve email notifications regarding your chosen events. Optional features include the the ability to add your own events to the calendar… for FREE!

About Dreamcatcher Marketing and Dreamcatcher Online Event Calendars:

Dreamcatcher Marketing is dedicated to creating wonderful experiences for our customers and specializes in unique and creative marketing solutions that  assist each  individual business to expand the exposure to their specific target audience – everything from promotional products, internet marketing, mixers and special events.

 As part of Dreamcatcher Marketing’s ongoing commitment to continually add features of value to the business as well as the media and event industry, DREAMCATCHER CALENDARS are proud to be the first and only Hybrid-Interactive advertising online calendar… providing businesses, associations and entrepreneurs the opportunity to reach a global audience by placing their advertising and events in the most exciting interactive platform on the internet today…utilizing a combination of banner advertising, event listings, blogging and video through a host of custom calendars that provide information from music to travel to Real Estate and more.

 Because the calendars are integrated and linked together, the exposure for its members, advertisers and sponsors will be tremendous and will grow as more people become aware of this exciting new marketing platform.

When you advertise on the Dreamcatcher Calendar….  Your banner ad will appear on the Dreamcatcher Calendar of your choice and membership to the Banners or calendar section of the Dreamcatcher Online Calendars will include the following advantages:                                                   You become part of the Dreamcatcher Marketing and Dreamcatcher Calendar E-Newsletter and blog * Calendars will be displayed on Dreamcatcher Calendars and be linked to Dreamcatcher Marketing and all participating advertisers’ websites *  Members can add/edit their own event/show schedules on the calendar *  Each event will be linked to a pop-up window with the full event/show details that can be printed (this can be the flyer brought in to get selected discounts on door prices, products etc.) * Events can be added personally to visitor’s Outlook Calendar, Apple iCalender, Mozilla Sunbird Calendar and any other calendar with .ics or .vcs support * List events to alert others and generate publicity * Each event will have an RSVP connection where they can RSVP online for your events/shows * RSS Feed available to notify clients of all new events listed * MP3’s can be linked to your site on the pop-up window * Limo and car rental services appear on each pop-up window for visitors to book when visiting the events * Members can do their own changes on their Account area (i.e. change passwords etc.) * Everyone will be able to view your events at a glance *  With the easy use of a button, events can be repeated on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis * Printer friendly pages can be generatied showing daily, weekly, or monthly events.

Are you ready to enjoy these benefits and utilize the expertise of our experienced and proven marketing team….. or would you like to create your own Custom Branded Calendar?  Contact us NOW!

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Be Part Of the Exciting World Of Travel - Start Your Own Online Travel Agency Today!!

Dreamcatcher Travelogue and YTB brings you the perfect opportunity to transform your life by combining the powerful information handling capability of the Internet with the world’s most dynamic product – travel - and the personal touch of independent, home based business people. YTB has joined these three trends together in a flawless combination. By utilizing our simple strategies and proven techniques we can show you how to leverage your time to generate a residual income 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The elements of honesty, morality, and “being in the right place at the right time” are all in place today at YTB - and we plan to revolutionize the travel industry. Come join us as we change the way the world travels!

Your Business

The YTB companies offer two unique and powerful opportunities, that of referring travel agent or “RTA” and that of independent marketing representative or “REP”. The travel agent opportunity has an initial fee under $500 and a monthly license fee of $49.95. There is no fee or travel agency purchase required to be a REP. You may choose to participate in one or both opportunities.

What is a YTB Independent Marketing Representative?

A person who has signed an Independent Marketing Representative agreement with YourTravelBiz.com is called a Representative.

(We will use the term “Rep” from now on). Reps may sell online Travel Agencies, enroll RTAs, and sponsor other Reps. Reps earn commission on personal online Travel Agency sales. Reps do not receive travel credentials and cannot sell travel.

What is a YTB Travel Network Referring Travel Agent?

A Referring Travel Agent (RTA) is a person who has purchased an online Travel Agency in an agreement with YTB Travel Network of Illinois and pays the $49.95 monthly license fee for a personalized online travel website and its “Back Office”. (We will use the term “RTA” from now on). RTAs refer people to their website (online Travel Agency) to book travel and earn commissions on travel booked through their personalized site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT http://www.ytb.com/dctravelogue NOW!

Information about YTB International, Inc

Current Operations
YTB International, Inc. provides Internet-based travel booking services for travel agencies and home-based independent representatives in the United States, Puerto Rico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada. It operates through three subsidiaries: YourTravelBiz.com, Inc., YTB Travel Network, Inc., and REZconnect Technologies, Inc.

The three distinct, wholly-owned subsidiary divisions operate as follows:

YourTravelBiz.com, Inc. (and subsidiaries)
YourTravelBiz.com, Inc. (“YTB Marketing”) conducts business through recruitment, enrollment, training, and support of its sales force. There are currently approximately 341,305 (as of 3/31/08) independent contractors, known as Independent Marketing Representatives (each, an “IMR”), who are responsible for selling on-line travel agencies to RTAs, most of whom work from their homes. IMRs are compensated via a multilevel marketing commission structure. An IMR might utilize a number of methods for attracting new RTAs, including the use of informational meetings and events, newspaper advertising, and one-on-one meetings with individuals seeking a home-based business enterprise.

YTB Marketing was created to market travel agency websites to RTAs in a referral marketing program that incentivizes IMRs to sell on-line travel agencies. RTAs are also independent contractors and are provided with training materials and onsite training at various locations throughout the United States. YTB Marketing charges an initial license fee of $449.95 plus $49.95 per month, on a month-to-month basis, for RTAs to own and operate an online travel site, and YTB Travel (as defined below) can also earn additional transactional compensation from travel purchased off each website.

YTB Travel Network, Inc. (and its subsidiaries)
YTB Travel Network, Inc. (together with its subsidiary YTB Travel Network of Illinois, Inc., collectively, “YTB Travel”) business is comprised of arrangements to sell airline tickets, cruise packages and other services, plus travel sales, from the approximately 138,814 (as of 3/31/08) RTAs’ web sites which it hosts. YTB Travel handles travel processing, document distribution and travel commission payments, including tracking transactions for each of the sites. RTAs are schooled through travel training courses. This training is accomplished through a combination of company conference calls, e-training modules and hands-on certification seminars.

REZconnect Technologies, Inc.
REZconnect Technologies, Inc. (“Technologies”) includes a “brick and mortar” travel franchise system and provides YTB technology software and services to the travel industry. Technologies builds reservation systems using proprietary applications for suppliers within the travel industry. Technologies sells and services travel stores within the travel industry and includes RezCity.com, an online city guide and travel store. Technologies operates under the following brands: Travel Network, Global Travel Network and Travel Network/Vacation Central. The Technologies’ consumer driven websites provide strong content and booking ability, with over 60 booking engines incorporated into any one site, covering all aspects of the travel industry.

Ronny•C Photography - dedicated professional photography services

Ronny•C Photography is dedicated to providing quality professional photography services. Whether it be for modeling, product shots, pictures of your favorite pet, your wedding or any other event, you can count on them to provide stunning images.  As a husband and wife team you get the benefit of two sets of eyes looking out for your best interests. This is great during modeling shoots when you need everything to be just right. During events you get the benefit of a second camera at no extra charge. More angles means more shots and a better chance at capturing those special moments.  They provide top-notch digital equipment, lenses and lighting. Shoots can be done in their studio, or on location. After the shooting is done they bring each shot in for digital post production to make every great shot even better.

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How to Generate a Never-Ending Avalanche of Super-Qualified Leads Who are Looking to Buy Exactly What You Are Selling

Two-thirds of these sales are generated through a two-step process. The first step is to collect a qualified lead. The second step is to deliver your sales pitch.  Maybe you will deliver your sales pitch with a follow-up sales letter.  Or maybe you will deliver your sales pitch with a personal spoken sales presentation – either over the phone, or in person. That will depend on the type of product your are selling. The point is, you want to collect your qualified leads as cheaply as you possibly can.

But before I launch into how you do that, let me note that lead generation programs generally will not work well for low-priced items with small profit margins,  such as magazine subscriptions – because the economics don’t work out.  But if your profit margin on the product you are selling is $100 or more, a two-step or multi-step sales process is usually best . . . because once the item you are selling crosses this price threshold, you’re going to lose most of your impulse buyers. Plus, your bigger profit margin means you can now afford a multi-step, drip, drip, drip marketing approach. Okay, so let’s cover first the classic way this has been done in direct marketing for decades – even before we had the internet and before we had computers.  

What you did – and what you can still do very profitably right now – is run a little ad that says something like this:

Get Your Free Book

Faith & Freedom:

The Christian Roots of American Liberty -  Just Call 1-000-000-0000 - This 354-page book documents the strong Christian faith of America’s founding fathers. More than that, this book proves that the source of America’s heritage of liberty is the Bible and Christian theology.  This book refutes the myth promoted by the ACLU that Christianity is the enemy of freedom and proves that Christianity is the source of our civil liberties

This ad also had a little photo of my book.  And notice that the word “Free” was in red.  This was small ad — about 3 1/2 inches by 2 inches.  Nothing at all fancy about it. I ran this little ad in Christian magazines and publications.  And I built a very large mailing list this way.  In fact, I used this list to help me build the Christian Coalition in the 1990s . . . which grew into one of the most powerful political organizations of that decade, raising $27 million dollars a year.  Plus . . . I used (and continue to use) this list to market all kinds of books, products and causes that are of  intense interest to Christians.  This list has generated tens of millions of dollars over the last 15 years or so.

Now . . . let’s check on the economics on what a lead generated this way can be worth.  Let’s say it costs me $500 to run the ad.  I then would receive 1,000 requests for the book.  So it cost me about 50 cents a lead, factoring in just the cost of the ad.  But I had some other costs as well.  I did not use a toll-free number, so I did not have that cost.  But, once the volume of calls got too heavy, I paid a service bureau $1.50 to capture the name, address and contact information.  It also cost me $3.50 to fulfill on the request . . . because there was the cost of the printing the book, the book-rate postage, envelope and cover note.  So the cost of generating the lead was $5.50. 

But . . . look at all the ways I can use this lead.  I can market all kinds of similar products to this name.  I sold, for example, a video series on America’s Christian heritage for $97.  With follow up sales letters, I was able to persuade about 20% of these names to buy this video series.  I was able to build a big part of the 2,000,000-member Christian Coalition with these names.  I was able to rent these names to other Christian organizations and businesses about once a week.  In all, I calculated the one-year value of each of these names to be about $50.

 In other words, I would pay $5.50 for the lead.  And on average this lead would return $50 in profit to me during the course of the next 12 months.  And, over time, each of these names would return on average about $100 in profit to me.  So that’s a pretty good way to invest $5.50.  $5.50 turns into $50 in 12 months . . . and $100 eventually.  Probably a lot more than that.  But I stopped calculating.  That’s a whole lot better return than I ever got by investing in a stock.  Mutual fund managers boast when they can return 15% a year on their investments. So that’s the classic way lead generation programs work in direct marketing.  And, by the way, this still works just as well today.

Now . . . think about this. Suppose you use this exact same approach, but you remove the $3.50 it costs to fulfill on the book . . . because you fulfill the book electronically over the internet.Instead of delivering a printed book by way of snail mail, you deliver it in the form of an ebook over the internet. So now, instead of your lead costing $5.50, your lead costs only $2.00 – the cost of the ad plus the cost of capturing the name over the phone.  But now, let’s say you eliminate the cost of the phone answering service and instead send your lead to a landing page on the internet that you have built specifically for this purpose.  So now, instead of a lead costing you $5.50 each – a lead costs you 50 cents each.  Now – even at $5.50, these leads are extraordinarily profitable.  But at 50 cents a lead . . . well, you can do the math.  Your lead is now just one-tenth the cost it used to be in the old days, before we had the internet.  Can you see why online marketing is so lucrative and frankly, so easy?

Now, the one cost you really can’t get away from is the advertising.  You have to pay for that – whether it’s with print ads, or online advertising, or with direct mail . . . or with sweat equity delivering fliers door-to-door or or doing PR campaigns to generate free media coverage, or whatever.  But the point is, you’ll have to pay for advertising one way or the other to generate your leads – either with cash or with sweat equity.  But once you’ve figured out how to capture the names, addresses and contact information of your qualified leads cost-effectively (just like I described), you now have a near limitless resource for future profit.   You now have a business that can grow almost infinitely.

Now this is essential.  You need to keep offering your qualified leads products that are very similar to whatever the free product was that brought them in to start with.  Okay, now let’s go back to my little ad that offered my book for free – FAITH & FREEDOM: The Christian Roots of American Liberty.  Let’s look at what it is that made these leads work for just about any Christian product or cause that I wanted to sell to these leads.  Specifically, let’s look at what we know about people who answer an ad like this:

1)     We know these names are committed Christians because I am running this ad only in publications that are read by committed Christians.

2)     I know that they are responsive to direct marketing offers because they have just answered my direct marketing offer.

3)     I know that this is a new name.  Remember, your strongest names are always your most recent names – those who have responded to an offer recently.

4)     I know they have bought something through the mail because that’s how Christian magazine subscriptions are sold.  They are sold by direct mail.

5)     I know they wanted my book because they just went to the trouble of picking up the phone and ordering it, or they just spent time to go to a computer and landing page and have filled out the information.

6)     I know that their address and contact information is accurate because they want to receive my book.

In other words, these are just about the most qualified leads you can get if you are selling information products aimed at Christians. And it turns out these names were also great for building the membership list of the Christian Coalition . . . and for many other conservative and Christian organizations as well.  Plus, I never need to pay to rent a list.  Renting a list, remember, can be pretty hazardous.  Unless you have a lot of experience, it’s very difficult to really know what it is you are renting.  You can get burned by renting lists if you’re not an expert.  So this method of building your list of super-qualified leads is just about the safest system for building your list known to man.  And it’s pretty simple and easy, as you can see.  In fact, I don’t think life gets a whole lot simpler and easier than this.  Okay, so how do you start out if you don’t have a big advertising budget – which most of us don’t when we are first starting out?  And what businesses might this work well for.  Well, let’s say you are an attorney, or an accountant, or a realtor, or a dentist.  Let’s say you put an ad in the Yellow Pages where all your competitors are running their ads.  By the way, one of the best ways to figure out where to run your ad is to find out where your competitors are running their ads.

You then run your ad there. This allows you not to have to re-invent the wheel. Your competitors are running ads in those places because their ads are probably working. So now your market research is basically done.  For the purpose of this illustration, we’ll say you are going to run your ad in the Yellow Pages – right where all your competitors are running their ads. But your ad is not going to look like an ad that’s run by your competitors.  And your ad is not going to look like all those high-design ads that are produced by ad agencies.  Those ads do not work very well. 

Your ad is going to say something like this.

 The Nine Most Common Costly Mistakes

People Make When Hiring An Attorney

 Call 1-000-000-0000

To get your FREE special report

Or get your special report online by going to:

www.xyzxyz.com

And you can have your report right now.

 And that’s it.

 Now you know the following things for certain about people who answer an ad like this:

 1)    They are actively interested in finding a lawyer.

2)     They probably need to find a lawyer right now.

3)     You now know how to reach this person.

 You can now get on the phone with this person and start a conversation.  You can also put this person on your list to receive your monthly newsletter – which will be packed full of useful information on how to avoid costly legal problems.  Now . . . your ad will be even more effective if it zeros in more precisely on exactly what it is your searcher is looking for.  Most people are not just looking for just any lawyer, they are trying to solve a particular legal problem.  So if you are a divorce lawyer, and if you only want to hear from people who need a divorce lawyer, then the headline of your ad should say . . .

The Nine Most Common Costly Mistakes

People Make When Hiring a Divorce Attorney

Something like that.

By the way, your competitors are going to hate you for running ads like this because they will interpret these ads as criticizing them.  But who cares?  An ad like this will pull at least five times better than all the other ads for attorneys you see around it in the Yellow Pages.  

If you’re a realtor, the headline on your ad would be . . .

The Nine Most Common Costly Mistakes People Make When Hiring a Realtor

And you should test this headline against . . .

The Nine Most Common Costly Mistakes People Make When Buying a House

     Call 1-000-000-0000 To get your FREE special report.. Or get your special report online by going to: www.xyzxyz.com And you can have your report right now.

The reason you’ll want to test these two headlines is that “people by results, not features.”  They don’t by drills, they buy the holes that drills make.  So, yes, people do look for realtors, but only because they want to buy or sell a house.  Notice that there are really only two things that matter in these ads:  1) the attention-getting headline and 2) the offer of the Free report.   “Free” is just about the most powerful word in advertising and marketing.  If people are looking for the information you are offering, free is the right price for everyone.  That’s how you build your list of super-qualified leads.  Now, keep in mind  that some products and services are “need it now” products and services.  Others are not.  If someone is looking in the Yellow Pages for a lawyer, or a plumber, or a dentist, they need it or want it now.  People look in the Yellow Pages for services they need or want now.  So if you are a “need it now” businesses, you must be set up to follow up instantly with your lead with a phone call and with email.  And have a letter ready to mail that day.

And, as always, be sure to add your leads to your printed monthly newsletter list that arrives by postal mail – the cheapest, most cost-effective and most productive marketing you will ever do.

To Your Success in Business and Happiness in Life,

Ben Hart - Your 21st Century Marketing Coach . . .because everyone (even Tiger Woods) needs a coach

www.MarketingRocketFuel.com

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17 Website Design Mistakes That Kill Your Sales - Part two

By Ben Hart

I have assembled here a checklist of 17 mistakes to avoid when designing your website if your primary goal is to make money with your website.

 

Mistake #9 – Frames

 

Don’t use frames in your website.  Search engines don’t like them. They also increase the time it takes for your site to load.  Pages using frames often can’t be printed. Not all browsers support frames – especially the older versions of browsers.  If you reader likes an article they read in a frame, they often can’t book mark it.

 

Mistake #10 – “Mystery Meat” Navigation

 

This term, I believe, was coined by Vincent Flanders who runs a good site on website design provocatively called www.webpagesthatsuck.com.

The term “mystery meat” refers to processed meat (i.e. hotdogs, baloney and school cafeteria meat) where you have no idea what’s really in the meat.  Flanders is referring to navigation buttons on websites that don’t tell you where they will take you. 

Mystery meat is also produced by links that don’t explain what they are until your mouse rolls over them.  Website designers love these rollover links because they look cool.  But they create frustration for the site visitor.  Make it easy for visitors to know instantly what your site is about and where the link s will take them.

Imagine if you could not read a road sign until you got out of your car and kicked it.  Then the instruction would flash into view. Navigation links should be like road signs, telling your reader exactly what will happen if she clicks on the link.

 

Mistake #11 – Navigation Buttons in Odd Locations

 

This is another favorite trick of site designers trying to show how artsy they are.  They put navigation buttons in strange locations – behind balloons, floating around in the air, or sideways so you have to twist your head to read them. 

 

This is like putting the Table of Contents somewhere in the middle of the book or maybe inside the dust jacket instead of at the front of the book where you expect to find the Table of Contents.  Put the main site navigation buttons where you’d expect to find them – either along the top of the page (preferred) or down the left side of the page. 

 

Mistake #12 – Confusing Navigation Structure

 

Don’t require your visitor to have to figure out how to get around your site, like a puzzle to be solved.  Have a simple, clear navigation structure.

It’s frustrating for visitors not to easily be able to find what they are looking for on your site, or to know exactly where they are going when they hit a link.  The visitor then gets lost in your site and can’t figure out how to get back to the original starting point.  Imagine if a grocery store had no rhyme or reason to how it organized its products – just put products on the shelves randomly.  Lots of sites are organized like that. Actually, it’s lack of organization. 

Too many links on your home page also creates a “mystery meat” effect by confusing your visitor.  Have no more than eight buttons on the index of your home page. Fewer than eight is better.

 

Mistake #13 - Music

Unless you are a band selling a song, having music start playing automatically when your visitor reaches your home page is a very bad idea.  It’s cheesy and screams “high school. A kid must have designed this site.”  Plus people have their own tastes in music – most of them different than yours. Having music play on the home page of your site might be just about the fastest way to cause the majority of your visitors to hit the exit button as fast as they can.

 

Mistake #14 – “This site requires [browser name] version x or higher.”

 

Imagine if you have a TV that’s not configured for High Definition and every channel you turned to required High Definition TVs.  I don’t watch much TV, so that’s what my TV is like.  Don’t require your visitors to have the latest, greatest, most up-to-date browser.  Your site should be designed for your low-tech visitors.  Not everyone keeps up to speed with the latest. 

 

As I write these words, nearly half of America still uses dial-up for the Internet connection.  Not everyone lives on the Internet.  They use the Internet to send and read email, check sports scores and do a little research sometimes.  Make your site accessible to them.

 

Mistake #15 – Too much Java Script

 

About 10 percent of people do not enable Java Script on their computers.  So you should design your website so that it can be read and enjoyed by these people.

 

Now, you might need some Java Script on your site for sign-up forms and other interactive features. But use Java Script sparingly.  Search engines don’t like to see too much Java Script. 

 

Java Script is sometimes used by crooks to hijack information in browsers and other dastardly purposes. Java script is also used for pop-up ads, to change the appearance of scroll bars, to create rollover navigation (“mystery meat” navigation) and other annoyances. JavaScript is a very powerful tool.  Judicious use of it can enhance the appearance and usability of your site. Use it poorly and you’ll annoy your visitors and the search engines.  If you are running a Google AdWords campaign, a Java Script pop-up ad on your site can cause Google to disable your Google ad  campaign.

 

Mistake #16 - Absolute Font Sizes

 

Do not set your font sizes with absolute values (i.e. 12pt, 15px, etc). Instead, use the relative sizing that HTML supports: +1, -1, etc. or small, x-small, etc. in CSS. Doing this will allow the user to increase or decrease the size at which the text appears in their browser. Users who have poor vision or high-resolution screens will thank you for it.

 

Mistake #17 – Making it too difficult to buy

 

Make it as easy to buy from you as possible.  Sites often require too much information from the buyer.  And filling out the order form is a multi-click process.  The first page you provide your name and email address.  The next page you provide your address.  The next page you provide your credit card information.  The process takes too danged long.  There’s too much friction.

 

Half the people who are trying to buy abandon the process half way through.  It’s just too danged difficult.  People shop on the Internet primarily because it’s convenient.

 

Always strive to reduce friction to buying.  Amazon’s one-click purchase system is one of the best at this.  Amazon founder Jeff Bezos says the one-click purchase system Amazon pioneered is one of the secrets to Amazon’s success. Make buying super-easy and super-simple.

 

You can also choose various levels of credit card verification.  You can require an exact match of your buyers name, address and phone number, a CVS number, plus throw in another verification code or two.  Or you can require just credit card number and expiration date.  That’s all I require – a credit card number and an expiration date.

 

Because I choose the lowest level of verification (just card number and verification date) I pay a higher transaction fee (about 1.5% higher) than if I required all the other possible verification steps.  But I cut way down on my shopping cart abandonment rate.  I get more sales.  I have yet to have anyone claim fraudulent use of their credit card.  My gut tells me all the panic over identify theft is overblown — just like the Y2K scare never materialized, and most other scare mongering. 

 

Now, I realize my sites are pretty ugly.  They are not going to win any “design awards” — which go to the prettiest sites.  I’m no graphic artist.  But my sites do generate $87,000 in sales per month for me.  So they do a good job of selling.

 

Still . . . as I review my list of 17 mistakes, I see indeed that my sites have some of these problems.  I can see that I need to retool.  Mostly I need to simplify.  Always strive to simplify your site.

 www.MarketingRocketFuel.com

Seventeen reasons people buy - Part Two

By Ben Hart

The #1 reason people buy

 

In the previous section (Part One) I list 17 motives fueling the desire of people to buy something. But almost all of these can be recast and placed under one motive.

 

The most powerful motive of all is fear.

People are very insecure about their place in life. Are people searching for love, or are they more afraid of ending up alone?  Stopping something bad from happening is always a more powerful motivator than causing something good to happen. I exercise not so I can look like Mr. Universe, but because I fear looking like Jabba the Hut. I want to make more money not so I can buy more things, but mostly to guard against going broke.

I use Rogaine because I fear losing all my hair. I’ve lost most of my hair anyway, and I don’t think the stuff works. But I fear what might happen if I stop using it, so I keep buying the junk. I think I’ll just shave my head and rid myself of that concern once and for all.

Desire for power is a subset of fear. So is anger. People are angry because they are not in control. Short people (i.e. Hitler, Stalin, Napoleon, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot) seem more interested in power than tall people (Thomas Jefferson, George Washington). People want power and get angry mostly because they are insecure—which is a variation of the fear motive.

Your sales letters will perform far better if you talk about, or imply, all the bad things that will happen to your reader if he fails to answer your letter. If you receive a letter from the IRS or an attorney, you are very likely to open it—far more likely than a letter from Bloomingdales.

People fear the IRS, fear lawsuits, fear getting older, fear dying, fear failing, fear loneliness, fear nature, fear getting sick, fear God, fear going to Hell, fear being left behind or left out, and fear being fired. They fear not keeping up with the Joneses, fear not amounting to anything in life, fear for their kids, fear not being understood, fear other people, fear walking down the street, and just generally fear life. Woody Allen built a career on making movies about people’s fears, insecurities, and neuroses.

The news media sells almost nothing but fear, because news organizations know that fear sells.

Rarely do we hear a positive news story. Mostly we hear stories about disasters, crimes, wars, typhoons, disease. People contribute to causes mostly because they want to stop something bad from happening.

How does the car salesman stop you from walking out of the showroom?

 “Another guy also loved this car and says he’ll be back later today with his down payment. If you don’t buy it now, this car will be gone this evening.”

Or . . . 

      “This deal I’m offering you expires at the end of the month, which is today. We’re actually losing money on this price. We’re only offering this price today so we can meet our sales quota for the month because if we meet our quota, we get a bonus from GM.”

 I’m sure you’ve heard these or similar pitches before.

The salesman is using fear (your fear of losing out) as a way to persuade you to make an immediate decision.

People buy not so much to gain something, but because they fear losing something important if they don’t buy.

Key Elements of a Good Headline

 1) Grabs Attention

2) Creates Intrigue

3) Makes a Huge Promise

4) Irresistible Offer

5) Specific

 

126 Headlines That Have Generated Billions of Dollars in Sales

INSTRUCTIONS: Just pattern your headlines after these greatest-ever headlines and watch your sales zoom skyward.

 How I Improved My Memory In One Evening  

 How To Win Friends And Influence People

 Corns Gone in Five Days, Or Money Back

 1,000 Songs in Your Pocket

 HEADON: Apply It Directly To Your Forehead

 They Laughed When I Sat Down At The Piano — But When I Started To Play!

 The Secret Of Making People Like You

 To People Who Want To Write — But Can’t Get Started

 How A “Fool Stunt” Made Me A Star Salesman

 Does Your Child Ever Embarrass You?

 Do You Make These Mistakes In English?

 The 13 Biggest Mistakes You Could Make As The Parent Of A Teen

 Never Accept A Real Estate Contract That Contains These 5 Words

 A  Little Mistake That Cost A Farmer $3,000 A Year

 How Much Is ‘Worker Tension’ Costing Your Company?

 5 Ways Even Good Lawyers Steal From Clients

 The Child Who Won The Hearts Of All

 The #1 Most Common Goof In Buying A House

 Six Types Of Investors:

 Which Group Are You In? 

 What The Eye Surgeons Don’t Want You To Know

 Can You Spot These 7 Common Decorating Sins?

 The 10 Habits That Keep People Poor And The 12 That Can Make You Rich 

 How To Avoid A Speeding Ticket Without Slowing Down

 One Place Setting Free For Every Three You Buy!

 Free Book:

 Tells You Twelve Secrets Of Better Lawn Care         

 Five Familiar Skin Troubles:

 Which Do You Want To Overcome?

 What Everybody Ought To Know About This Stock And Bond Business       

 A Challenge To Women Who Would Never Dream Of Serving Margarine       

 A Dozen Dirty Tricks Of New Car Dealers. Some Are Totally Undetectable — Unless You  Know What To Look For

 The Biggest Problems You’ll Have With Most Plumbers…

 And How __________ Overcomes Them All.  

 Nobody Should Be Allowed To Have Anything To Do With Advertising Until They’ve Read  This Book At Least 7 Times

 Major Diet Plans: Which Ones Actually Work…And Which Ones Are Guaranteed To Torture You, Cost A Fortune, And Leave You Fatter

 I Was Shocked And Embarrassed When I Found Out That Home Remodeling Was Labeled America’s #1 Most Complained-About Industry

 Free Comprehensive Real Estate Property Survey Allows You To Compare & Price Out Every Single Possible Available Site… Without Talking To A Broker     

 Should An Experienced Traveler Like You Fly With A New Airline Like Us?  

 Three Fairy Tales You’ll Hear From Brokers… Even Honest Ones

 How I Made A Fortune With A ‘Fool Idea’

 How Often Do You Hear Yourself Saying: ‘No, I Haven’t Read It: I’ve Been Meaning To!’

 Four Quick Questions Will Reveal A Chiropractor’s Operating Philosophy. Ask Them, And Save

 Do You Really Want The Lowest Bidding Temp Agency To Provide Employees For Your Million Dollar Project?

 Whose Fault Is It When Children Disobey?

 Six Closely Guarded Secrets Of The Diamond Industry… Revealed At Last

 How To Do Your Christmas Shopping In 5 Minutes

 Free To High School Teachers–$6 To Others    

 Who Ever Heard Of A Woman Losing Weight — And Enjoying Delicious Meals At The Same Time?       

 It’s A Shame For You Not To Make Good Money — When These Men Do It So Easily

 What Nobody Ever Tells You About _______________.

 Profits That Lie Hidden In Your Farm

 Do You Have These Symptoms Of Nerve Exhaustion?

 Men Who ‘Know It All’ Are Not Invited To Read This Page

 Is The Life Of A Child Worth $1 To You?

 For The Woman Who Is Older Than She Looks

 To Men Who Want To Quit Work Someday

 The Best Color To Paint Your House For Faster Sale

 If Your Pharmacist Goofs, You Could Be Dead.

 How To Protect Yourself–Takes Just 3 Seconds    

 7 Fast Ways To Stop A Headache…Without Drugs

 Pierced By 301 Nails….Retains Full Air Pressure

 Why Some People Almost Always Make Money In The Stock Market

 The Average Hospital Bill Has $600 In Phony Charges.

 Take These 10 Defensive Measures, And You’ll Save Way More Than $600   

 5 Overlooked Deductions For Salaried Executives

 The Most Common Tax Mistake (You’re Probably Making It Now)       

 Discover The Fortune That Lies Hidden In Your Salary

 Mess Up Your Tax Return? Here’s 4 Excuses That Work With The IRS …

 And 3 That Don’t

 The 4 Grim Facts Of Life About Lawsuits:

 Don’t Go Into Business Until You Memorize Them

 Do You Do Any Of These Ten Embarrassing Things?

 What To Do For Aging Parents: 4 Options That Beat The Socks Off A Nursing Home … Or Having Them Move In With You

 Hands That Look Lovelier In 24 Hours — Or Your Money Back

 Play Guitar In 7 Days Or Your Money Back

 Thousands Now Play Who Never Thought They Could

 The Crimes We Commit Against Our Stomachs

 Little Leaks That Keep Men Poor   

 Here’s A Quick Way To Break Up A Cold

 Former Barber Earns $8,000 In Four Months As Real Estate Specialist

 If You Were Given $200,000 To Spend, Isn’t This The Kind Of ___________ You Would Build?       

 Last Friday…Was I Scared! My Boss Almost Fired Me!

 Speed On The Internet: Two Questions That Other Providers Hope You’ll Never Ask Them

 When Doctors ‘Feel Rotten’ This Is What They Do

 Own A Gold Mastercard? A Premier Visa? Not After You Read This, You Won’t!

 ”I Lost My Bulges…And Saved Money, Too”

 Save Money By Knowing How Supermarkets Trick You Into Buying Higher Priced Items 

 Where You Can Go In A Good Used Car

 Check The Kind Of Body You Want

 Doctors: Put An Easy $341,450 In Your Pocket Every 12 Months… Without Doing Anything More Than You’re Doing Right Now

 Imagine Me…Holding An Audience Spellbound For 30 Minutes

 If You’re Planning On Spending $2,500 On A Diamond Engagement Ring, I’ll Send You Home With Either A Ring Worth $4,100, Or $1,000 Cash Still In Your Pocket

 The Big Hairy Secret That Big-Name Brokerage Houses Don’t Want You To Know About Their Mutual Fund Selection Process (Hint: They Don’t Have A Process)        

 76 Reasons Why It Would Have Paid You To Answer Our Ad A Few Months Ago

 Money-Saving Bargains From America’s Diamond Discount House

 Are You Ever Tongue-Tied At A Party?

 How A New Discovery Made A Plain Girl Beautiful

 A Building Flaw That Can Cost You $10,000 In Resale Value If You Buy From The Wrong Builder.    

 You Can Laugh At Money Worries — If You Follow This Simple Plan

 You’ve Got The Ugliest Kids I’ve Ever Seen In My Life (That’s What They’ll Say If You Get Caught Using The Wrong Photographer)

 Here’s A Quick Way To Break Up A Cold

 Innovative Wall Building System Makes Homes “Fly Off The Shelf”

 How Often Do You Hear Yourself Saying: “No, I Haven’t Read It: I’ve Been Meaning To!”

 Protect Yourself From Being Burned By IT Candidates Who Over-Represent Their Skill Level

 If You’re Renting A Home Or Apartment With A Payment As Little As $550, You Can Qualify For A Brand New Home In Just 6 To 18 Months    

 Advice To Wives Whose Husbands Don’t Save Money — By A Wife

 How Much Should You Pay For A Good Pair Of Binoculars?

 Double Your Reading Speed In 16 Minutes

 How To Cram Eight Hours Of Classroom Computer Training Into One Easy 75-Minute Session…At Your Home Or Office

 Today…Add $10,000 To Your Estate — For The Price Of A New Hat

 Doctors Prove 2 Out Of 3 Women Can Have More Beautiful Skin In 14 Days

 How Much Is “Worker Tension” Costing Your Company?

 Who Ever Heard Of A Woman Losing Weight — And Enjoying 3 Delicious Meals At The Same Time?

 The Man With The “Grasshopper Mind”

 Thousands Have This Priceless Gift — But Never Discover It!

 The Cost Of Producing Quality Corporate Videos Has Fallen By 64% Over The Last Five Years… But Most Video Production Companies Are Still Clinging To And Charging 1992 Prices        

 No More Backbreaking Garden Chores For Me — Yet Ours Is Now The Show-Place Of The Neighborhood!

 161 New Ways To A Man’s Heart — In This Fascinating Book For Cooks

 How to Survive An IRS Audit If You’ve Been A Sloppy Record-Keeper

 $80,000 In Prizes! Help Us Find The Name For These New Kitchens

 Are They Being Promoted Right Over Your Head?

 Guaranteed To Go Through Ice, Mud Or Snow — Or We Pay The Tow!

 A Wonderful Two Years’ Trip At Full Pay —

 But Only Men With Imagination Can Take It

 Now! Own Florida Land This Easy Way…$10 Down And $10 A Month

 Right And Wrong Farming Methods —

 And Little Pointers That Will Increase Your Profits

 There’s Another Woman Waiting For Every Man —

 And She’s Too Smart To Have “Morning Mouth”

 How to Stop Your Divorce

 Greatest Gold-Mine Of Easy “Things-To-Make” Ever Crammed Into One Big Book

 Something You Probably Didn’t Know About Rolex Watches

 It Seems Incredible That You Can Offer These Signed Original Etchings -For Only $5 Each

 How A New Kind Of Clay Improved My Complexion In 30 Minutes

 How to Make Yourself Lawsuit-Proof

 9 Red Flags That Can Trigger An IRS Audit!!

Enjoy!

www.MarketingRocketFuel.com 

Dare to Delegate Success Expert - Sherri Durbin

Infusion Gallery offers “- “The Great American Peep Show”

 “

“The Great American Peep Show”

mixed media art
by
Marah Brown Rohovit

 

OPENING RECEPTION
May 8th 6-9 p.m.
ALSO FEATURING ART BY:
Vincent Huizinga, Dan Mc Cabe,  Sal Panasci, Avo, Chris Saul, Shane Booth, Paula Tymchuk, Anne Scheid, Juliana Harris, Robert Weibel, Joan K.Sharma, Linda Koch, Trude Mc Dermott, Donnalee Dunne  

   

INFUSION GALLERY
IS LOCATED AT
719 SOUTH SPRING STREET
LOS ANGELES 90014FOR MORE INFO:
INFUSION GALLERY

To view more events or to add you show visit - www.dreamcatchercalendars.com  About Infusion

Infusion Gallery is the brainchild of artist/curator Dover Abrams and his wife/artist/gallery coordinator Jill.

After single-handedly creating an art scene in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District with their successful operation of the Lankershim Art Gallery for five-and-a-half years, they now have set their sights high, making the plunge into a 3,000 square-foot gallery located on Los Angeles’ Gallery Row.

They plan to be very active by helping to make L.A.’s downtown art scene an international destination.

 

719 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, California 90014
213.683.8827   +   info@infusiongallery.com   +   www.infusiongallery.com   +   HOURS: Wed.-Sat., 12-6 p.m.