Can Your Company Be a Star? Find Out Today

Can Your Business Be a Star? Take the Simple, 10-Questions Quiz www.StarPrinciple.com     Mel,   "In ancient Rome, there was a poem about a dog who found two bones He licked the one, he licked the other He went in circles 'til he dropped dead."      -Devo, "Freedom of Choice" As near as I can tell, the poem was Greek and it was about a donkey and two bales of hay, but Devo is forgiven for using poetic license. The point is, to the hungry dog, both options looked equally appealing. And he died of indecision. To entrepreneurs like you, the many possible paths for improving your business can also look equally appealing.   But they're not.   In fact, some improvements will result in only incremental or temporary bumps to revenue and profit.   Some will result in negative returns. The time you spend implementing them will outweigh the meager, and sometimes non-existent returns. But finally, some improvements can take your company from good to great to even "supernova" if your company is positioned correctly...and you know which improvements to make first. Is your company positioned for greatness? Is your company poised for supernova growth? Richard Koch has a process for identifying company's capable of greatness and even supernova growth. He calls it The Star Principle (and you can use his method to evaluate YOUR company, for free, here). Richard is best known for his book The 80/20 Principle which sold millions of copies. But Richard's wealth as an investor consultant far outweighs his success as an author. In 1991 Richard started taking equity consulting positions in small companies. Over 22 years, he applied 80/20 and the Star Principle. He focused on sixteen select firms.   Not 160. 16.   Eight hit pay dirt, for a batting average of 50%. This raised his net worth to nearly a quarter billion dollars. Venture Capitalists are normally happy to succeed with 10% of their investments (success = 10X ROI) and get little or nothing on the other 90%.   Richard has done five times better without staff, working 1-2 hours a day. His only employees are two personal assistants, one for his business and the other for personal property.   Q: Why does Richard bat 50% when the smartest MBAs in the world bat 10%?   A: Star Principle. If you'd like to know how your company rates according to Richard's Star Principle (at no charge to you),just click here to answer 10 simple questions about your business.   And better yet, if you'd like to know which "bone" has the most meat on it, which improvements you need to make FIRST to take your company from mediocre...to great...to maybe even supernova...get the $9 report, as well.   Take the Free Star Principle Test Here. Carpe Diem, Perry Marshall   ***NOTE: Please do not reply directly to this email, instead go to http://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

"Why Can't I Get a Man?" Part 2

Building Your Trust-Based Marketing Machine Webinar, Tuesday, April 29, 5PM Eastern REGISTER HERE   Mel, Yesterday I told you a story about John Paul Mendocha. In case you missed it, here's a quick recap: When John was a sales rep one of his clients was a 30-something single woman. One night, she was complaining about how she couldn’t get a man. John said to her, “You really are a good gal, so cut the booze and drop a few pounds and you’ll have NO problem snagging your man.” And she so deeply resented John's blunt honesty that she stormed out of the restaurant... and she refused to ever do business with John's company again. Here's the thing: John had the best of intentions. He wasn't being intentionally rude.  I know John well.  He's a great guy.  But when you present him with a problem, he immediately sees THE angle and he wastes no time getting right to the meat of the matter. Want a "sales" problem fixed? John can tell you how to fix it faster than just about anyone I know. Sometimes John's blunt, sharp, take-action-now approach is EXACTLY what you need. But sometimes, like in the dinner with his client/friend, it's the opposite of what you need. How would Ari Galper have handled that situation? Knowing what I know of Ari, here's how it would have gone down... First, he would have told her how amazing, attractive, intelligent and awesome she was and how she didn't need a man to "complete" her. Then, he would have asked, "What KIND of man are you looking for?"   Next, he would have let her talk about her Prince Charming, let her dream, and paint a vivid picture in her mind of her perfect dude.   Then, he would have asked her,  "What would your life be like once you find Prince Charming?"   Next, he probably would have asked, "What do you think guys like Prince Charming are looking for in a woman?"   Finally, he would have said something like "What steps do you think you should take to become more like the kind of woman your Prince Charming is looking for?" And all along he would be carefully choosing exactly the right words. Building trust. Gently guiding her through to the "sale". See where I'm going? With Ari'strust-building approach, John's client would have probably come to the same conclusions John came to...but she would have thought SHE came to them...she would trust the the process through which she came to those conclusions...and therefore be more likely to follow through on those conclusions. Both John's and Ari's methods are invaluable and effective...it's a matter of context. And there are contexts in YOUR sales machine where you're doing a Mendocha when you should be doing a Galper.  Places where you're putting the pedal to the metal when you should be gently tugging them through the funnel step by step. Places where you're focused on fixing their problem fast when you should be focused on simply building trust. There are steps in your sales process where you're using trust-busting words (sometimes it's a matter of ONE, SINGLE word)...and when they hear THAT word, they're pushing back their chair, tossing their napkin on the table and storming out of the restaurant. Never to do business with you. Ari can sniff out these trust-killing words like a bloodhound. Ari has an uncanny ability to find and eliminate sales-stealing words and replace them with words that build trust and pull in dollars. And in Ari's new program, he's going to find and fix your trust-killing words. This how your emails are going to get more opens and click throughs. This is how your web pages are going to get more opt ins. This is how your videos are going to make more sales. Demonstrably, measurably. In black and white. You are going to understand what was broken, and what got fixed. You, your staff and your sales process, will become trust-building marketing machines. You CAN build machines that build trust. I've done it for years using Autoresponder "mazes". And you can find out how to turn your business into a trust-based marketing machine on a live Q&A webinar Tuesday, April 29th at 5pm Eastern. Find out more about Ari's system HERE. Perry Marshall       ***NOTE: Please do not reply directly to this email, instead go to http://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

Your Trust-Based Marketing Machine: Webinar Tuesday, 5pm Eastern

Building Your Trust-Based Marketing Machine Webinar, Tuesday, April 29, 5PM Eastern REGISTER HERE   Mel,   When John Paul Mendocha was a sales rep one of his clients was a 30-something single woman. She and John had a nice friendship and they were having dinner one night and she was complaining about how she couldn't get a man. He said to her, “You really are a good gal, so cut the booze and drop a few pounds and you'll have NO problem snagging your man.” Her jaw dropped. This was NOT what she wanted to hear. In fact she so deeply resented it that she stormed out of the restaurant... and she refused to ever do business with John's company again, even after John's sales manager offered to fire him. John had shattered the pane of glass, and after that, all the nice-nice in the world could never fix it. It only takes one wrong word to DESTROY a relationship. That one word could be 100% honest.  That one word could be well-meaning. That one word could be from the nicest guy in the world.   Doesn't matter. If it's the WRONG word at the WRONG time...exit trust.   Almost every marketer in the world has these "trigger" words somewhere in their sales message that are destroying trust, destroying relationships. Those words are hiding in plain sight. They're in your emails, they're on your web pages, they're in your videos. And they're killing trust. Once trust is shattered, you can never put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Ari Galper sniffs out trust-killing words like a bloodhound. He has an uncanny ability to find and eliminate conversion-stealing words and replace them with words that build trust and cause sales to materialize. Nobody knows how to transform your sales process into a trust-based marketing machine better than Ari. In Ari's Q&A session, he's going to find and fix trust-killing, glass-breaking words. That is how your emails are going to get more opens and click throughs. That is how your web pages are going to get more opt ins. That's how your videos will make more sales. Demonstrably, measurably. In black and white. You will understand what was broken, and what got fixed. Even if and when you talk to people on the phone or in person, you are going to know what words to use and what words to avoid. They will be ingrained in your mind, etched in your imagination. You will not forget what are the wrong words to say and write, and what are the right words. You, your staff and your sales process, become trust-building marketing machines. Machines that build trust? Sounds paradoxical but that's what Planet Perry is all about. Find out how to turn your business into a trust-based marketing machine on a live Q&A webinar Tuesday, April 29th at 5pm Eastern. REGISTER HERE Perry Marshall         ***NOTE: Please do not reply directly to this email, instead go to http://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

Sales Lessons from a Shamed Priest?

Magic Words that Build Trust Case Study "Proof" Webinar Thursday, April 24, 5PM Eastern REGISTER HERE   Mel,   I’ll never forget an article I spied on the front page of the Chicago Tribune several years ago. In Milwaukee, just two hours north of here, a Catholic Priest perpetrated sexual abuse. And got caught. The newspaper reported that instead of dodging, ducking, weaving and avoiding, he stood in front of his congregation and confessed all of it. He offered no excuses, made no attempt to defend himself. He confessed he had utterly failed, had irreparably harmed young people in his care, and acknowledged that he deserved the worst of punishments. The silence in the room was palpable. What came next was jarring and unexpected: His parishioners embraced him with open arms. Please understand, it wasn’t because they approved of what he did. Not in the slightest. Rather it’s because when he laid his weapons down, they could safely lay theirs down as well. They committed to walking the hard road with him. I can only imagine what happened next. No doubt it was messy and complicated. But one thing’s for sure: Neither side had to even start that silly game of denial and cover-up. All was in the open, everyone knew the score. Then and only then was it even possible for authentic trust to be built. Prior to that date, no true trust had ever existed. This was the very first day of real trust that any of them had ever experienced together in decades. Reading that newspaper story, my heart was moved that day by the transparency and courage of this man, risking getting impaled. Can you imagine standing there, fearing the angry mob, a hail of bullets? It would be so much easier to just kick the can a little further down the road. I was also impressed by those who listened to him, moved with compassion instead of ferocity and judgment. I knew this was the only way he or anyone was ever going to come out of this healthy on the other side. Think of the kids that man hurt, who were now adults. He wasn’t hiding from them either! I sat there and said to myself, “I can’t believe I’m reading this story, let alone in a secular newspaper.” That story carved a lesson for me in stone. That lesson has stuck with me ever since: When you’re walking into a situation where everyone expects you to show up in your gladiator suit and fight them to the bitter end: Go in naked. Drop your defenses and let the truth speak for itself. I have long advised copywriters and marketers: “You never have to make anything up, ever. Why? Because truth is stranger than fiction. If you need an interesting story, just dig for the truth.” Ari Galper is the only sales guru I know who teaches such radical truth-telling.   Ari's methods and philosophies are downright shocking when viewed in the light of traditional sales methods which tell you, "cover up the negative, put on a happy face, smile and dial, always be closing (even before you know if what you're selling is right for the prospect), just get the sale and deal with the fallout later."   Ari's methods ask the radical question: Can the TRUTH actually close more sales than techniques and tricks and cover ups? Today at 5pm Eastern, Ari is going to interview 3 or 4 of his clients...and prove that it can. Truth is stranger...and, yes, even more profitable...than fiction. REGISTER HERE Carpe Diem, Perry Marshall     ***NOTE: Please do not reply directly to this email, instead go to http://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

Proof that Honesty Can Close a Sale?

Magic Words that Build Trust Case Study "Proof" Webinar Thursday, April 24, 5PM Eastern REGISTER HERE   Mel,   One time, very early in my business, back when every last dollar was precious, a guy called me on the phone. He was ready to spend $1000 on my Lead Generation system. He mentioned he was in real estate. I said, "Since you're in real estate, there are other systems you should buy that would be better for you than mine." Silence on the other end of the phone line. Finally he says: "I'm offering you a thousand bucks and you're turning it down?" "Yes. Because it's not the best thing for you or your situation." He was floored. He stammered: "Well, if there ever is something you sell that's a match for me, I will certainly give you the business." A permanent bond of trust had been formed. I do seem to recall that this guy came and bought stuff later. I'm not really sure. What I do know is, I STILL feel good about that decision to this day. It's a decision I'm proud of. Great sales careers are built on such decisions. "Normal" sales techniques and sales managers would have scorned me for walking away from that sale. That same "normal" mentality is probably killing YOUR sales and YOUR connection with your customers. And you don't even know it. Because most sales people, most marketers, are "living in The Matrix." They don't realize most of what they think is real is really an illusion. Do you have the nagging feeling that you and your sales team are not converting as many leads, phone calls and face-to-face meetings to sales as you should be? Do "Hot Leads" give you the cold shoulder? Does it feel like something’s wrong but you can't quite pinpoint what it is? Well, on Tuesday, Ari Galper showed a select few of us exactly why we feel that way. And he showed us how he completely reorients his clients' sales mindset to build trust, abandon the ineffective, "normal" sales methods we've been taught for ages, and close more sales...sales we can feel good about. And tomorrow he's going to prove his methods work with real, live clients.  It's one thing to talk about building trust and promising that you "never have to pitch again". It's quite another to trot out the proof.   REGISTER HERE Carpe Diem, Perry Marshall     ***NOTE: Please do not reply directly to this email, instead go to http://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

Pulling a Freight Train with a Strand of Thread

Magic Words that Build Trust Free Webinar Series with Ari Galper Tuesday, April 22, 5pm Eastern REGISTER HERE   Mel,   About 8 years ago, I attended a live event where Ari Galper presented his Chat Wise program.  This is back when live chat on websites was a pretty novel concept.  And after showing us all how cool Chat Wise was,  Ari did something I'll never forget.  He demonstrated how HE used it.   Right there. Live. He pulled up his website and projected it on the big screen for all of us to see and waited for a good prospect to come along. Eventually, Ari spotted a visitor who had clicked on 5 or 6 pages, qualifying him for a ping from Ari.  So, Ari opened the chatbox and asked a very gentle question.   The guy responded with his own question.  Ari gave a gentle answer. And then Ari asked a "salt the oats" or "rack the shotgun" question. Strategic questions, perfectly phrased, to elicit information about the visitor's real reason for coming to the site. Without spooking him. Then Ari backed off. This went on for a while.  No pitching.  Zero hard sell. Not even a "trial close." Eventually the guy pinged Ari back. Asked Ari a question.  Ari answered and did the same thing he did before.  More salt. More rack the shotgun. But gently. Again zero pressure. After about 45 minutes of this gentle tugging...Cha-ching!  The guy hit "add to cart" and entered his credit card information. Cue the applause sign. It was magical.  The way Ari chose exactly the right words. Asked exactly the right questions. Building trust. Qualifying. Never giving in to the temptation to go for the sale. It was like pulling a freight train with a thin strand of thread.  One false tug and the thread would have snapped. The guy would have hit the almighty "X" and probably been gone for good. One of the most masterful sales performances I've ever witnessed. And, of course, it wasn't live chat that was the secret. It was Ari's mindset. Ari's magic words. Ari's perfectly crafted trust-building phrases, questions and answers.  And that magic works in ANY sales environment.  Especially in face-to-face and phone sales.   Do you have the nagging feeling that your phone sales calls, your in-person consultations are breaking down way more often than they should? Is that thin thread tearing too often and resulting in far too many high quality in bound leads going unconverted? If your company relies on phone sales or in-person consults, join us today at 5pm Eastern for Magic Words that Build Trust and Close the Sale.   REGISTER HERE     ***NOTE: Please do not reply directly to this email, instead go to http://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

Magic Words that Build Trust: Webinar Tues, Apr. 22 5PM Eastern

Why You're Not Closing More Phone, Face-to-Face, and Even Online Sales Free Webinar Series, Starts April 22, 5PM Eastern REGISTER HERE   Mel,   Back in my Amway "pink Kool-Aid" days, I remember meeting a prospect at Perkin's or Denny's or one of those coffee-and-pancakes places that are just one step above McDonald's.    This guy, I honestly don't even remember his name, was one of hundreds of "coffee meetings" I plowed through. I barely remember what he looked like. But I do remember 2 things.  One, he wasn't interested in Amway.  And two, he told me about a business idea he was thinking of firing up.  He had big plans for starting his own recording studio. And he had some really good ideas. Ideas that you wouldn't want to tell just anybody. Ideas that an unscrupulous character could steal and run with and make his own. About 15 minutes into his spiel, I stopped him. "Why are you telling ME this?  How do you know you can trust me?" I don't even remember what his answer was. Something vague like "Oh, you just seem like a guy who wouldn't steal". But looking back, I think I know the real reason he revealed all his business secrets and dreams to me: because I had listened to him talk for an hour. Period. He trusted me because I was a good listener. And I was. But I was NOT a savvy sales person. Because although I tried to show him how my business opportunity fit with his dreams and desires and hopes and fears for the future...I was still trying to jam a square peg into a round hole. It was still a pitch. It still felt like me vs. him. And that old flop sweat still flowed when it came time to go for the close. So, of course, he exited my life never to return. And I probably chalked it up to "Oh well, he's just one more NO that gets me closer to the next YES". Many of us internet marketers got into online businesses to reduce the messiness and unpredictability of direct sales (face-to-face or on the phone). Oh, how we celebrated when we realized "Wow, we can set up these little online mazes...PPC ad, landing page, autoresponder emails...and the customer will chase US!" How much easier it will be to close a lead who calls me! Rather than one I'm chasing and pitching and annoying and hammering and pestering! THE MYTH OF THE INBOUND LEAD What most of us discovered, however, is that the "smoking hot inbound lead" was not all it was cracked up to be. And as customers become more and more internet savvy, those leads are becoming less and less "closeable".   Sure, you know they are interested, they're "warm", but simple pitching and proving competence isn't enough.  Conversion numbers don't seem much higher than those old "coffee meetings". The siren song of "Oh well, it's just a numbers game, gotta take the NOs to get to the YESes" has made a strong comeback. Why is that? Because all we've done is taken that same tired sales game and cobbled an automated sequence onto the front of it. The phone or face-to-face pitch is the same as it ever was.  Still high-pressure, still antagonistic, still rote, still cookie-cutter. The customer is still a "number". So they don't open up. They don't tell you their secret desires like the guy in Perkins' so many years ago. Zero trust. On Tuesday, April 22nd, Ari Galper, the World's #1 Authority On Trust-Based Selling and Founder & CEO of Unlock The Game®, will be joining us to debunk the "Myth of the Inbound Lead" and show you the principles behind how he completely re-engineers his clients' face-to-face or on-the-phone sales calls to... Establish trust and get prospects to reveal their real desires and fears Quickly disqualify the ones who need to be disqualified, FAST Discern their real objections so you or your sales people don't go chasing rabbits Why the sale is lost or won at the beginning of the call, not the end. How to drop the false, antagonistic, and robotic sales mindset and sell naturally, as the real you Ari's principles are counter-intuitive, they may take you a while to wrap your head around.  But when you do, your entire sales MINDSET will shift. You'll never see sales the same way again. If you or your team rely on phone sales or face-to-face sales, this is for you. REGISTER HERE.     ***NOTE: Please do not reply directly to this email, instead go to http://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