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Posts Tagged ‘Bret Thomson’

 

Eye-Opening Story (Censored for MA+)

July 25th, 2013 |

Eye-Opening Story (Censored for MA+)

 

perception shutterstock_96798037

Warning: if you share this story with your kids, you might want to water it down even more than I have here…

 

It’s a true story about identical twin boys.

They were interviewed later in life because something didn’t make sense.

You see, despite living in EXACTLY the same house growing up, one twin ended up in jail, while the other became hugely successful.

Let me wind it back to the start.

The twin boys were born into a very abusive and turbulent household.

Both parents were raging alcoholics. Drug taking was almost a daily ritual.

Their father was in and out of jail and frequently beat up the mother in front of the twins.

Sadly, as the boys grew older, they too became victim of regular beatings…. Often resulting in them missing out long periods of school… until their bruises faded.

While most kids their age enjoyed a family dinner, maybe a little bit of TV, even a bedtime story after being tucked-in-snug by loving parents…

… The twins had a different experience growing up.

On any given night they’d hide in their bedroom, often starving, as loud drunken parties raged through till the early hours of morning…

… Their home was a regular base for drug-fest gatherings… frequented by dangerous and soul-less criminal types (and abusive situations)… that any normal parent would never want their kids exposed to.

Let’s press the fast forward button.

The twins are in their early thirties.

On of the twins is in jail from armed robbery with a stretch of criminal charges to do with drugs, theft, violence and the like.

The other twin has a hugely profitable business, a loving wife and healthy family, contributes to the community, and by all measures, lives a successful happy life.

A journalist was fascinated about how two identical twins, living in the same environment, could turn out so majorly different.

So he thought he’d interview both twins.

The main question he asked was this…

“Why did you turn out the way you did?”

To his amazement, both twins responded with exactly the same answer.

They both answered…

“What do you expect, look at my father”

– – –

Wow.

– – –

Perception.

Lesson for you is…

YOUR inner interpretation of events will dictate your actions… and ultimately shape your life.

(That’s a writer-downer)

How does this translate in business?

Are you moaning that you’re not busy enough?

Do you think it’s hard to find clients and customers?

Are you comparing yourself to your competitors?

What are you doing about it?

Do your actions spawn from a perception of struggle… or burst out of excitement and hope?

The difference is blatantly obvious in your results.

Okay, let’s just say I took you on as a client to help you with your marketing…

You see… I’d bring more to the table than just amazing copywriting… or a breakthrough BIG idea for you…

First, you and I would spend time making sure the vision and goal for your project was set HIGH.

To the point where, just thinking about it, we’d both feel pumped-up and excited about the hitting the goal outta the park.

That’s the only way I work these days.

Enthusiasm about hitting a clear target gives LIFE to a project… an ENERGY that maximises quality, focus and results.

My team know this. That’s how we treat all our projects.

The last gig we worked on we surpassed the goal by 20% and pulled in over 600 registrations for a seminar that others doubted would even work.

Most successful campaign in their company’s history…

Slam-dunk baby.

Here’s your take-away…

YOUR inner interpretation of events will dictate your actions in business too… and ultimately shape your success.

So lift your perception about what’s possible… Inject enthusiasm into your marketing… and enjoy the ride!

Think big. Be different.

Bret Thomson.

P.S. If you want to suit-up and work with me and my marketing team for your next project, here’s what to do… Go to this page now, leave your details and let’s chat

And feel free to share this post or leave a comment below for me to respond personally 🙂

 

Horrible Timing…

July 24th, 2013 |

Horrible Timing…

A short lesson of life, motivation and success PLUS a solution to leap-frog dismal marketing results…

toilet roll shutterstock_62752723

Before I dive in, I want you to take note of something.

I could’ve easily used the headline: Good Timing…

And you know what?

The open rate of this post would have been drastically
lower.

Why? Because, us humanoids are more attracted to drama.

(That’s a keeper)

End of that lesson – Now to my main point…

Timing.

I didn’t start listening to my Dad’s financial advice till my thirties.

Why?

Timing.

I had to make enough colossal mistakes first UNTIL I was ready. And it wasn’t till then that things took off.

Another example…

‘Bout 7 years ago I forked out a thousand bucks on electric guitars for my twin boys.

And despite my encouragement… They played them for about 2 weeks (max)… never to be touched again…

… Gathering dust and often buried under dirty clothes…

7 years on… one of my boys got motivated to play. He now gets weekly lessons and yes, he SHREDS on the guitar.

(Urban definition of Shred: To play so amazingly fast on the guitar you almost destroy the strings)

What changed?

Timing.

Last example…

A client approached me to write copy for his business.

He balked at my price.

I told him, “Bad sales copy is more expensive“.

(Let that last sentence sink in a bit)

No matter. We happily parted on good terms.

2 years later… after he endured a long stretch of below average sales … he contacted me again.

I gave him my new price (significantly higher since last time).

He accepted.

And after my team and I worked our magic, he doubled his response, conversions and sales…

… Making him a cool $450,000 profit.

The difference?

Timing.

It’s true you know… bad sales copy is more expensive in the long run.

Sure, you might save a splash of dollars on the front end… but boy will it cost you oceans of profits every day after.

Don’t let bad experiences be your compass in life.

If you needed heart surgery, would you give it to an unexperienced doctor with the lowest quote?

Same goes with your business.

Great sales copy and marketing is the heart of your success.

It has little to do with your product.

Too common a story is that of a superior product being convincingly outsold
by an average product with better marketing.

Sad but true. I don’t make the rules.

Your success can follow the trails of disaster – or can be bought forward
by intelligent thinking.

If the timing is right for you to take your business to nose-bleed heights, then
here’s the intelligent thing to do.

Follow the link below to my “Project Success” page to see if you qualify for my
team to write copy for your business.

Yes Bret, I’d love your team to boost response and sales for my business

This is where you submit an enquiry for my A-team of copywriters and
webmasters to work on your copywriting and marketing.

We have space for 2 or 3 projects over the next month or two, so jump in
quick and we can chat over Skype about how we can help your biz.

Think big. Be different.

Bret Thomson

P.S. Best warn you first… we don’t take on every project – only the ones we
know we can hit out of the park! Yep, we pick our fights well.

Go here to find out how we can take your business to new heights

When It’s Okay To SUCK At Writing!

June 18th, 2013 |

When It’s Okay To SUCK At Writing!

Sobering (and profitable) advice to sell more of your goods… even if you failed English at school

Writing picThis’ll be a relief for you…

Because I often speak from stage to complete newbies about copywriting, I have to remind myself to first teach the basics.

So this quick lesson is a reminder (to us both) about one steadfast principle to master before you dive too deep into the copywriting ocean.

And that is…

You don’t have to be a wordsmith to be a great copywriter – you just have to know the psychology of your prospect.

Takes the pressure off a bit, doesn’t it?

Let me pack this out a bit more…

Most people are “institutionalized” to use BIG words when they speak and write.

Why? Well, I guess it’s a stroke of ego to make them sound less thtupid and more smarterer.

Whatever the case, great copywriters don’t play that game.

We get paid to simplify things.

We take a concept or idea and dumb it down. We simplify it so it’s easy to read and digest for the reader.

You know it’s funny to see the journey of a new copywriter.

The more they learn at the start, the more they waffle on with unnecessary babble before they get to the meat.

You can pretty much slice 30%-40% (or more) of gibberish that was only there to entertain their own copywriting ego.

Might sound harsh, but I was the same.

Lesson for you…

Brevity is key. Well, make that, brevity with emotion is key.

Keep your words short. Too many syllables will trip up your reader. If they trip over your words, they’ll start skim reading.

You don’t want that. Remember, the more they read the more they buy.

Also…

I try to keep my sentences 7 words long. (Not including the tiny words like, “a, I, it, in, if, is, on, and so on). Easy to digest.

Same rule with paragraphs. Keep ‘em short. One or two sentences… occasionally three.

For the most part, people hate reading.

It’s been estimated that the comprehension rate of most adults is equivalent to a 13 year old.

So dumb it down and keep it simple cos the more they read the more they buy.

Look, they’re a few surface-level-tips to help you convert more sales from your copywriting.

To go deeper, grab your copy of my book “Client Rush”

It’s a simple read, crammed full with hundreds of marketing breakthroughs for attracting more clients fast.

You’ll be a better marketer for reading it…

Till next time

Think big. Be different.

Bret Thomson

P.S. If you prefer, you can grab the kindle version too. There’s a small yellow link under the main buttons.

Follow this link now to grab your copy

Why You Lose Sales Behind Closed Doors

May 21st, 2013 |

Why You Lose Sales Behind Closed Doors

Two cracks to fill so your website doesn’t leak any more potential sales

tightrope shutterstock_111385010 shaded

Picture this…

Picture your ideal prospect…

…Slouching forward on the edge of their black swivel chair.

…carefully sipping their freshly brewed coffee… and checking out YOUR website.

They hover the cursor over your order button, ready to buy.

But something stops them.

A thought…

“It’s probably best I check with the “better-half” before I buy this”

They click off your page with full “intention” to go back and take action tomorrow morning.

Now comes the “Pillow-Talk”

One partner tries their best to convince the other partner why they should make the purchase and do business with you…

The other partner (with zero information about you or your business) throws up the usual objections.

–       That money can be used better elsewhere

–       We should pay more off the credit card first

–       Let’s look at buying it next month, not now

–       The last thing you bought like that was a waste of money

–       And so on…

So what happens?

Pillow talk cost you (another) sale. Gone.

Now let’s see how you could’ve saved it.

Look, there are potentially 101 possible reasons why the sale slipped through your fingers, but here are two BIG takeaways…

1.    Use an emotional story to turn your prospect into a mini-salesperson

Fact: People struggle to remember all the features and benefits of what you’re selling… But they remember a good story.

People enjoy re-telling a story.

You see, statements can be challenged – but stories are believed.

If you armed your prospect with an interesting and memorable story… and one that injects emotion… then you’ve just turned them into a powerful persuader of your cause.

Don’t have a story to tell? Come on… dig deeper… You could weave in a story about your product, a process of what you do, your own story, a customers story. Whatever the case, it’s worth exploring.

To go deeper on this (and how it can work for your business), check out this free content webinar replay right now

2.    Okay, second reason is (and like I said, there are boatloads more) you should add urgency to buy now.

Listen, you could’ve done everything right…

–       Powerful headline

–       Emotive conversational copy

–       Rich with benefits

–       Overcome objections

–       Heavy on proof and trust

–       Take away risk guarantee

In your eyes… your offer might’ve been brimming with compelling reasons to take action… but if there was no urgency to buy right at that time, then you’ve just reduced your chance of getting the sale.

With no urgency… You created “space”.

“Space” for your prospect to think.

Dangerous.

Typically, us humanoids will automatically fill up space with negative.

Don’t bother arguing with me on this… I’m holding the mic… so play along.

If you allow a void, they’ll go gathering. Gathering information to help them decide which way to go.

Friend, from that moment on – it’s out of your control – your influencing power has been stripped from you…

Powerless – you have become.

… And as every passing moment dissolves, your chances diminish.

So how can you fix this?

Can you put a time limit on your offer? Or maybe a special-bonus for the first 15 people to respond, or whatever, you get the idea…

Point is… like it or not… adding scarcity or urgency to your offer pulls on a primal-instinct chord of human behaviour… So use it when you can…

That way… if the situation were to crop us again… then the “Pillow-Talk” would go a lot differently…

They would be telling their partner why they bought… and not asking for permission.

Think big. Be different.

Bret Thomson

P.S. That’s only me scrapping the foam off the top of this thirst-quenching content webinar… For more usable insights to attract more leads, clients, customers and sales…

   Go ahead and check out the webinar replay now while I’ve still got it up

And let know your thoughts below – or even better – share it to your friends 🙂

 

 

 

Strip Searched on Mexico Border

November 20th, 2012 |


Strip Searched on Mexico Border

Hola from Mexico

We’re over here for a few weeks… Lynika and I… on the back end of a trip to Nashville to see the legendary marketers Dan Kennedy and John Carlton in action. Waaaay cool.

But more on that later…

Anyway… On the way to our hotel in Tijuana, Mexico… we were picked up at San Diego airport by a Spanish-speaking driver.

You know… It’s funny trying NOT to stand out like Gringos (tourists), but since my only source of Spanish was from watching “Speedy Gonzales” cartoons as a kid, we kinda stood out like a fluorescent Christmas tree in a cactus farm.

There was a 20-minute drive to the Mexican border, then another 15-minutes to our hotel.

Packed with a mind-load full of shady movie scenes about crossing the Mexico border… I was excitedly curious as to how it would play out.

Couldn’t get any advice from our Mexican driver.

“Notta mucha speaka engalisha”, he said.

“Just little bit”, he muttered, as he lifted his hand to show us a tiny gap between his pointer finger and thumb.

And seeing my Mexican vocabulary ran dry after “Taco, Nachos and Amigo”, we quickly reverted to the world’s universal language mode.

Smile and nod.

So get this…

We drive up to the Mexican border. To paint the picture… imagine these big-ass-wide-berth tollbooths that you drive into.

We get waved to the side and the driver pulls the car up. A couple of Mexican officials, all dressed in black, walk up to our car and tap on the windows.

There’s a steady flow of conversation going on between the driver and these officials.

Are we in trouble?

What’s the hassle?

Have drugs been planted on us for a set up?

What’s going on?

You know… All the usual stuff racing through your brain when approaching Tijuana (notorious as Mexico’s most corrupt city)

They triple check our passports then motion for us to get out of the car.

They take our luggage out and walk us into a building. Our bags go through a big scanner. Kinda like what you see at an airport, but twice as big.

They take Lynika to the side. In broken English, they say,

“I’m going to ask you to press this button. If the button turns green, you can go. If the button turns red, you will both have to be fully searched. Bags and all”.

Seriously? All because of the luck of pressing a button? I’m thinking, “What the hell determines it blinking green or red anyway?

As it turns out… it’s pot luck. 50/50 chance. Totally random.

Green = Go

Red = Full search

Great.

So Lynika steps forward to press “the button”.

We nervously look across at each other. As you can imagine, we’re not really hip to the idea of a strip search. No thanks.

Lynika presses the button.

We wait.

Red or green? Waiting… waiting…

Okay, let’s pause here for a second.

I know what you’re thinking…

I bet you’re secretly hoping for the RED light, aren’t you?

You cruel bastard.

Well guess what?

Luckily, us Aussie gringos got the green light that day, amigo! (Thank god)

But a 50/50 chance of a strip search… well… that’s not the kind of odds I like play’n with. Know what I mean?

Same goes with your marketing. You wanna tilt the scales more in your favour.

So, instead of throwing your website, sales page, video, or promotion up… and leaving it up to chance… “Hoping” for a good response…

There are some things you can do to stack the odds in your favour.

There are plenty of ways to do this. Here’s just one.

A smarter move (for you) is this.

You see hombre, I can change the numbers for you.

In just one sitting… I’ll run my masterful eyes over your marketing piece… and critique it word-by-word, line-by-line.

I’ll hack into it and cut out the lame, drivel and uninspiring fluff… and inject some pulse racing, compelling elements to cause a manic rush of sales.

That’s what I do.

Here’s how it’ll play…

After I grill you about your biz (on Skype)… I’ll start on your copy.

I’ll shoot a screen-capture video of me going through your copy (in real-time) with microscopic detail, like an OCD sales detective.

Next… You and I will hook up on a live follow-up call… just to make sure you’re crystal clear on what changes need to be made… and you’re hip with any strategy suggestions I have for you.

But be warned… you’ve gotta be thick skinned. I kid you not. It’s not for the faint hearted, that’s for sure.

Look, my role isn’t to blow roses your way (unless it’s truly deserved)… and I won’t waste your time sugar coating the facts.

I’ll critique it as if it was my very own piece going to market.

I’ll give your sales copy a much-needed adjustment so you can boogie to the sound of more sales.

Perfect (and an affordable) substitute if you sweat bricks when thinking about paying for an A-class copywriter to write your copy.

Thomson-style critiques are hard-core… but lighter on the pocket for you… my mission is to obliterate any sales obstructions I see… so you can bask in more sales while you sleep.

This is how to make sure the light goes GREEN… So you can cross the border to prosperity.

Either that… or you can leave your marketing up to chance and hope the “sales fairy” sprinkles magic dust your way…

Anyway. I’m here to help. You just gotta ask.

Let me send you more details about this. Shoot us an email at info@BretThomson.com and I’ll reply back with the options.

Think big. Be different.

Bret Thomson

P.S. Best I mention, I don’t take on everyone either. Don’t take offense if I politely knock you back. I just wanna be sure your idea will fly first…

Don’t forget to comment or share below so we know you want more 😉