The 80/20 Hiring Funnel: How To Sift The Cream From The Crap

Mel,   A few years back, I needed to fill a couple of roles on my team: an affiliate manager to herd the unruly mob of Planet Perry referral partners, and a "content czar" to manage all the blog posts, emails, newsletters and courses I was putting out.   And I did NOT want to find myself buried under a pile of unqualified applicants.   80/20 hiring says:   - Put your money where your mouth is   - Judge people not by what they say but by what they do   - Use simple, black-and-white criteria to separate the cream from the crap   Here's how I put those principles to work...   Step 1: I established a $25.00 application fee to apply for the job.   This modest fee REALLY offended a lot of people.   But you know what? It spared us a ton of headaches by weeding out the time-wasters and yahoos.   Had I not charged the fee, I would have ended up with 150 applications instead of the 30 we got.   80% of those 120 extra apps would have been garbage. The additional good ones would not have been exemplary; but the mountain of apps would have made the whole hiring process take 5 times as long.   When you can find a shortcut that will buy you 5X speed, take it.   (I imagine that it's probably illegal to charge an application fee for an actual employee-type job. There are other ways to force them to spend money to jump through a hoop. Even something as simple as requiring them to mail a letter or package will eliminate a LOT of time wasters.)   Step 2: I put the applicants through their paces.   In America, most companies hire people based on what they say.   When I hire people—or choose independent contractors—I want to see what they've done, and what they can do.   I eliminated half of the applicants based on what they said and had done, and for the rest, gave an assignment:   "Take this pile of raw material (MP3's, PDF's, etc.), mash it up and make me a product." And if the product was good I would sell it and I would judge the applicants based on the market success of the product they created.   Here's how my 80/20 hiring funnel worked:   - Between the two openings, I got about 30 applications. Only one was substandard.   - Of the content czar contestants who made it to round 2 and were given the assignment, only two failed to complete it – the rest delivered a finished product and a sales letter before the deadline.   - Of those who had been eliminated during the first pass, two begged for a chance to stay in the running and submit a product anyway. I admired their tenacity and decided to let them give it a whirl.   Most business owners who've ever selected people would be astounded that I got an 100% delivery rate on that assignment.   John Paul Mendocha likes to say, "Sales isn't a convincing process, it's a disqualification process."   So it is with hiring: You're out, you're out, you're out. You're in. You're out...   Rack that shotgun, baby.   I use a variation of this process just about every time I hire a contractor. It's how I've build a team of top-shelf people who know how to hustle—and more importantly, know how to follow through on their commitments.   And lately, the first place I turn to when I need to fill a role on my team is Marketers 24/7.   Marketers 24/7 is 80/20 hiring in action. Why?   Because every single consultant and contractor you find there has already "put their money where their mouth is" by ponying up for Mastermind Club.   So I know that when I make a "help wanted" post there, I won't get flooded with unqualified applicants—and the ones I do get are serious contenders.   Ready to try 80/20 hiring in your biz?   Start here.   Carpe Diem,   Perry Marshall     ***NOTE: This email address isn't monitored! If you need help, please email:   support@perrymarshall.com     Free Video We manage our emails with Infusion. This Guide and Video explain my secret marketing sauce. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below: Opt-Out of Email Communications   Perry S. Marshall & Assoc 159 N. Marion Street #295 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 United States (312) 386-7459   Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Today! Display Network Q & A (Free Live Presentation)

Display Network Q&A with Mike Rhodes TODAY April 7, 5PM Eastern Register Here     Mel,   Google is nervous.    And they want to make your cash register ring more often. They want to deliver more orders to your inbox every day. They want to make your shopping cart hum again.    Why?    Because Facebook has knocked them off as the sexy, young, hip star of the online marketing world.   And Google has decided to fight back.   And that’s great news for you if you're paying attention.    Because while everyone has been rushing over to Facebook, Google has been quietly adding sexy, new features to the Display Network.    Features 99% of marketers are not using. Features that are delivering anywhere from 3 to 30 times better ROI than the old methods.    More traffic, more conversions, more money in your pocket.    In fact, after Mike Rhodes's Display Network presentation the other day, I lunged for my phone and got my AdWords guy on the line...    "Start doing this, this and this TODAY!"   Google has aggressively bumped up the sophistication of Display Network's targeting to keep up with Zuck and the gang.  And it's getting scary good. They're getting really sharp about knowing who is going to convert for you. Who's going to buy and when and where. It's darned near Orwellian.    But that's great news for you if you're paying attention.    If you need heaps of cheap, but high-converting traffic...and you've written off Display Network in the past, you need to take another look.    Click here to sign up for Display Expert Series coaching with Mike Rhodes.   Click here to sign up for today's free Q&A Session.    Carpe diem,   Perry Marshall                   ***NOTE: This email address isn't monitored! If you need help, please email:   support@perrymarshall.com     Free Video We manage our emails with Infusion. This Guide and Video explain my secret marketing sauce. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below: Opt-Out of Email Communications   Perry S. Marshall & Assoc 159 N. Marion Street #295 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 United States (312) 386-7459   Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Advice for the MLM Warrior

Mel, The Multi Level Marketing industry is alive and well. Most of it is being done on the Internet and teleseminars instead of hotel rooms and living rooms, but it's still being done. And I sometimes have consultations with people who are doing MLM. Last fall I had a gal in my coaching program who was selling nutritional supplements online, buying Google ads and selling products retail. It didn't take her long to discover that the click prices have risen to a point where a person running a retail MLM business can't make a profit just acquiring a customer. MLM can teach you a lot of valuable selling skills. Heck, I cut my teeth in MLM. What it doesn't teach you is that "duplication in marketing is always bad". Here's what I mean... http://www.perrymarshall.com/renaissance/mlm.htm Perry Marshall **NOTE: Please do not reply directly to this email. Instead, visit http://perrymarshall.com/support with any questions or concerns.  Opt-Out of Email Communications

Perry S. Marshall & Assoc
159 N. Marion Street #295
Oak Park, Illinois 60301
United States
(312) 386-7459

You're registered for "Marketing Acceleration Session With Perry Marshall"

Mel,   You're registered for our upcoming training:   Marketing Acceleration Session With Perry Marshall   GoToWebinar will send you a confirmation email, and reminders leading up to the session, including the link you'll click to join the webinar.   Here's the schedule summary...   Date: Wednesday, April 6 Time: 5pm ET (4pm Central/2pm Pacific/10pm London GMT/April 7 @ 7am Sydney AEDT) Webinar ID: 114-881-611   If you have any trouble with the email link to join the webinar, just go to JoinWebinar.com and enter the Webinar ID listed above. To your success,   Customer Service Team  Perry S. Marshall & Associates   FAQ Question: How long will the webinar run?  Answer: About 60 minutes. Question: Will there be a replay?  Answer: Yes, and we'll notify you as soon as the replay is available.       ***NOTE: This email address isn't monitored! If you need help, please email: support@perrymarshall.com     Free Video We manage our emails with Infusion. This Guide and Video explain my secret marketing sauce. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below: Update subscriber options   Perry S. Marshall & Assoc 159 N. Marion Street #295 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 United States (312) 386-7459   Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

How to Increase Your Income a Bare Minimum of $25K (TODAY)

Free Marketing Acceleration Session  With Perry Marshall TODAY, April 6, 5PM Eastern ONE-CLICK REGISTER HERE   Mel,   Today I’m delivering my Marketing Acceleration Session at 5PM Eastern.  Here’s what’s on the table…    • Insights for surviving PPC 2.0.  • A way for you to increase your income by a bare minimum of $25,000.00 in the next six months. If I’m wrong, I pay you $2,000.00.   Who should tune in?   • Anyone making more than $100,000 per year online or…   • Anyone spending more than $5000 per month on PPC… • Anyone consulting with businesses that do one of the above.  • Anyone who has considered Bobsled Run or 4-Man Intensive in the past.    Is that you?   Register Here with One Click.   Perry Marshall     ***NOTE: This email address isn't monitored! If you need help, please email:   support@perrymarshall.com     Free Video We manage our emails with Infusion. This Guide and Video explain my secret marketing sauce. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below:  Opt-Out of Email Communications   Perry S. Marshall & Assoc 159 N. Marion Street #295 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 United States (312) 386-7459   Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Display Expert Series (Starts Thursday)

Display Expert Series with Mike Rhodes Starts Thursday, April 7, 6PM Eastern GET THE DETAILS HERE   Mel,   I remember reading somewhere that the strategy for “We Are the World,” the star-studded charity song written back in the ‘80s, was “get people to hear about it 3 times from 3 different sources in 30 days.”   And PPC advertising is like that today. Except, instead of 3 times from 3 sources in 30 days, you need something like 30 times from 3 sources in 30 days!   You need your audience to think, “Wow, this guy is EVERYWHERE!”    (This will be a central teaching tenant of PPC 2.0 in Planet Perry for the foreseeable future. We went into it in detail in Maze 2.0 and Right Side Wipeout.)    It’s an essential survival strategy.   You must be…or APPEAR to be…everywhere!   And the thing I love most about the Display Network is, when you have a product that’s a fit (and many products do fit!), Google’s capacity to scale your traffic UP is almost frightening.    On the search network, there’s no such thing as “going viral.” But on the Display Network, Google is scanning the terrain for opportunities to show your ads on more and more and more sites.   You must tame the beast – but when you do, lemme tell you, when you hit that “viral” curve on Google Display Network, it’s a tremendous experience.    Your ads are EVERYWHERE.   This achieves huge amounts of traffic, yes, but here’s why Display Network is a fast path to TOTAL MARKET DOMINATION:   * The impact is titanic, because your overall sales are proportional to conversion rate to the power of 3!    2X CONVERSION = 8X SALES.   That’s because 2X conversion allows you to bid twice as much. 2X bid price = 4X traffic. 4X traffic with 2X conversion = 8X sales. This is how you dominate your market.   * It stimulates a flow of new customers that fuels and funds your other product lines, back end sales and long-term flourishing   * This also achieves legitimate branding in an affordable, niche-appropriate way   * 8X sales = 8X faster testing which means even greater gains in the future.   Like I said, search is linear. Display is exponential! How you perform on the Display Network is what really separates the men from the boys.   And if you haven’t given the Display Network a good hard look in the last 6 months, you’re asleep at the wheel!   So Mike Rhodes is kicking off his 5-Module Display Expert Series  Thursday.    If you follow Mike’s advice and don’t improve your display network results by 30%, you get your money back.     Get all the details here.     Perry Marshall           ***NOTE: This email address isn't monitored! If you need help, please email:   support@perrymarshall.com     Free Video We manage our emails with Infusion. This Guide and Video explain my secret marketing sauce. If you'd like to opt-out of emails for this course, click here. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below:  Opt-Out of Email Communications   Perry S. Marshall & Assoc 159 N. Marion Street #295 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 United States (312) 386-7459   Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Last Call! Display Network Secrets (Free Live Presentation)

Display Network Traffic Secrets for “PPC 2.0” Mike Rhodes & Perry Marshall Free Live Presentation, TODAY, 5PM Eastern REGISTER HERE   Mel,   We’re about to get rolling with “Display Network Secrets” Mike Rhodes.    Here’s some of what Mike will reveal today…   • How he uses behavioral targeting to find vast new sources of traffic • Why remarketing is only part of the story…unless you know the full story, you’ll blow your budget on poor traffic • The dirty little remarketing secret that most “experts” forget to tell you • Easy tricks for avoiding wasted clicks and paying the Display Network stupidity tax • One simple script that automatically saves you cash on every campaign you'll ever run • How to use the power of remarketing to improve your existing search campaigns • How to leverage the new Display Network analytics for cheaper, higher-quality traffic   If you haven’t given the Display Network a good hard look in the last 6 months, you’re asleep at the wheel!   Wake up and join us for the free, live presentation TODAY at 5PM Eastern.    REGISTER HERE   Perry Marshall   PS: You will be automatically registered for the live presentation and the free Q&A session on Thursday, April 7, 5PM Eastern.         ***NOTE: This email address isn't monitored! If you need help, please email:   support@perrymarshall.com     Free Video We manage our emails with Infusion. This Guide and Video explain my secret marketing sauce. If you'd like to opt-out of emails for this course, click here. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below:  Opt-Out of Email Communications   Perry S. Marshall & Assoc 159 N. Marion Street #295 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 United States (312) 386-7459   Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

The "High Road Hack" For Believable Copy

Mel,   The marketing culture has this strange quirk...   For some reason a lot of marketers don't feel legitimate until they've said something ILLEGITIMATE.   Like they always have to make something up, or stretch the truth, or come up with some kind of gimmick.   Well I'm here to say, the best gimmick is NO gimmick at all.   Here's one of my favorite copywriting "hacks" of all time:   When you tell the truth, it makes everything you say more believable!   (Imagine that.)   There's a hidden benefit in taking the high road, to tackling the real problems instead of the imaginary ones, to selling real solutions instead of handy fantasies.   The point is that usually the best reason to give a customer is simply the real, actual reason.   Some of my members run IT service companies and they give away a free 1-hour visit, system audit, or on-site consultation. It's really important to give the customer a good reason why you're doing this.   Let's talk about some reasons you could offer for giving away this consultation for free.   Here are some WRONG ways to do this:   Why do I do this for free? Because I have so little business, I'm desperate and willing to do anything just to bend your ear for an hour. (That's a little too truthful.)   Why do I do this for free? Because I'm on a personal mission to stamp out viruses and I'm willing to do anything I can to protect you from intruders. (Nobody's in business for some purely philanthropic reason, all customers know that.)   Why do I do this for free? Because it's really just the first hour that's free, but I'm going to stay for three more and stick you with a big bill. (Look, they need to **want** you there for hours two through four!)   This attempt from a letter I critiqued is a bit better:   Why do I do this for free? Because the vast majority of businesses who take advantage of our assessment do business with us!   Not bad, and it's certainly true, but a reason that involves the customer's self interest would be much better:   Why would I do $110 of checks and security audits for free? Because the odds are 10:1 that you've got lethal viruses lurking in your computers, undetected, right this moment... "back doors" that are giving hackers easy access to private information like bank and credit card numbers. Security cracks that will allow dishonest people to steal your identity and wreak havoc in your business.   In one brief hour I will identify these problems and make them vanish.  It's the best way I know to prove my value to you, without you risking a penny.   If I do a good job for you, next time you have a problem you'll know who to call, right? It's good for both of us. And I promise not to twist your arm or stay for two more hours and send you a big bill. Unless you ask me to stay longer, in which case my rates are competitive and the results are completely guaranteed. You'll never pay me to fix the same problem twice.   So please, don't set this letter aside–-pick up the phone right now and call me at 555-1234 and we'll schedule a time to protect your information from prying eyes.   What's good about the "reason why" above?   It clearly states the reason they need the audit, not why you need to do it.   The letter scares them a bit, as it should.   It emphasizes how quick and easy the cure is going to be, and it explains a very logical and persuasive reason why you would give away $110 worth of service.   The guarantee ("never pay me to fix the same problem twice") is embedded in there, and the call to action is very clear and simple.   There's nothing smarmy or slippery or deceptive about this. It just states the plain facts.   When a person reads this, he doesn't detect a hidden agenda. The cards are all out on the table.   The customer still feels like he's in control.   A straightforward tone like this builds trust and respect in your prospect's mind—and trust and respect are the building blocks of a rock-solid customer relationship.   Carpe Diem,   Perry Marshall                       ***NOTE: This email address isn't monitored! If you need help, please email:   support@perrymarshall.com     Free Video We manage our emails with Infusion. This Guide and Video explain my secret marketing sauce. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below: Opt-Out of Email Communications   Perry S. Marshall & Assoc 159 N. Marion Street #295 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 United States (312) 386-7459   Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Finding Your “Magic Bullet” for PPC 2.0 (Free Live Presentation)

Free Marketing Acceleration Session  With Perry Marshall Wednesday, April 6, 5PM Eastern ONE-CLICK REGISTER HERE   Mel,   In my last message I told you about the not-so-secret lesson from Google’s Right Side Wipeout.    Free traffic goes bye-bye.    Every marketer relying on organic or “free” results took a rolled up newspaper slap to the nose and was told “back down” one step.    And one more top paid spot was added.    Google owns the real estate. They decide who gets it.   So they gave the good property to the ones writing checks to get it.   And I predict the same will happen with Facebook.   How many of your “fans” see your free, un-boosted posts?   I’ve seen numbers ranging from 10 to 16%.   Whatever the number is, I predict it will be cut in half in the next 2 years.   Probably sooner.    If free works, they’ll find a way to make you pay for it.   The savviest marketers know how to BUY advertising real estate better than their competitors.   Squatters will always get evicted eventually.   And there’s another secret to surviving and thriving in PPC 2.0.   Something that has nothing…and everything…to do with traffic.    And I’ve created a “look over my shoulder” program around it.    I’m so confident it will keep you ahead of the curve that I’m offering a “Money back PLUS $2,000.00” guarantee if you try it out.    I’ll talk about all this on Wednesday.    Register Here with One Click.   Perry Marshall     ***NOTE: This email address isn't monitored! If you need help, please email:   support@perrymarshall.com     Free Video We manage our emails with Infusion. This Guide and Video explain my secret marketing sauce. If you no longer wish to receive our emails, click the link below:  Opt-Out of Email Communications   Perry S. Marshall & Assoc 159 N. Marion Street #295 Oak Park, Illinois 60301 United States (312) 386-7459   Having trouble viewing this email? Click here