Month: June 2014

Today on the news, the famous footballer Diego Maradona put on the whiney, following an incident during a recent world cup match.

Some player named Suarez bit an opponent on the shoulder. One of many incidents of personal violence and aggression Suarez has displayed over the years.

He’s now been suspended from several matches, and Maradona responds: “It’s too harsh, why not send him straight to Guantanamo Bay?”

Yeah, indeed. Poor, poor Suarez. Being suspended like that, just for, you know, biting someone.

It’s unfair. Boo, hoo hoo.

Geeeez, people…

Suarez, from the clips I’ve seen, is a real asshole. He’ll launch himself while running, and land, ankle first, right on top of another player’s ankle. Hard, with his full weight.

In slow motion, you can literally see the other’s joint bend and wrench and stretch.

That guy will be out of play for the rest of the season.

Suarez goes for the kill, he’s out there to do damage.

And, he does it.

He doesn’t completely get away with it because he does get suspended, but he does achieve taking out another, probably very strong, player.

Somebody, not sure if it was FIFA, apparently said: “Yeah, well this is football”.

Funny that.

I always thought football was a game.

Then I learned that no, football is business.

This week though, I learned that apparently, football is war.

He thinks he can get away with it, and to a degree, he can. He probably doesn’t mind the consequences, since he keeps creating them for himself.

But just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.

Point in case:

One of my readers – the photographer I wrote about last week.

Following the free consulting call in which she tentatively said: “Want to work with you”.

I thought about it, and made her a massive, rock-solid, tons-of-extra-value offer.

It’s a package I know for a fact will help her.

I also know, from her emails over the months and from the call, that’s she’s pretty damn ready for some solid ‘Jimmying-up’ at the hands of a certain Stellar.

She’s ready to launch – someone just needs to guide her finger to the big red button.

From a sales point of view, she would technically be considered something like ‘sold, but she doesn’t know it yet’.

In other words, I could simply use some sales strategies, she’d get off the fence, and we’d start working together.

I’m not the best salesman in the world, but this sale would really be a cinch.

But just because I can, does that mean I should?

It would help her business.

It would allow her to leave behind commercial photography and quick smart get into making what she has always wanted.

And get paid for it.

It would also bring me money, which is never bad.

(I’ve got some BIG plans I need to raise cash for. That ‘no more girlfriends for me, my life now has a mission’ bit from last month? That’ll cost at least $60.000 to completion, and possibly as much as four or five years. But I’m telling you just as a teaser, it’s a story for another day).

On topic: Mrs. X wants to leap, she’s ready for it, equiped, networked, qualified.

She herself has said as much, without realising it.

She also said, literally, that she hopes to soon take me up on my offer.

With luck, I could possibly make that happen before this day is out. Who knows.

But should I?

Would that ‘little push’ of mine really help her?

If I’m true to my own rule that relationships (and sales and marketing too, therefore), really start with listening, then I need to listen to her.

And I’m hearing ‘Not yet’, and for a number of no-BS reasons.

Do I push?

Do I wait?

Neither.

I’m going to go back to her email and ask her one simple question.

With the answer to that, it’s up to her to decide.

Because no matter how much I believe in the value and effectiveness of my work, I don’t prosyletise, I don’t preach (aside from preaching email marketing as the best and funnest way to get sales), and I don’t ‘convert’ – not in that way. I’m just not that kinda girl.

If someone is ready, I’ll help them over the hump.

If they’re not ready – they get to take the time they need.

And ultimately it’s up to them to decide whether they’re ready or not.

That’s what I call ethics in sales.

That said, I’ll show up every just to suggest and tell her (and you): “Hey, if today’s the right day, I’m here when you want to start.”

A strategy that I recommend you use as well.

Anyway, LEAP issue 2 is going to the printer’s next week.

In case you’ve missed out on issue 1: Do NOT let this one slip by.

It’s going to show you a very simple, step by step action plan for getting your first 30 subscribers – a minimum viable list.

If you’ve already got a list, the steps will help you get even more people on it.

But, it also comes with a bonus action plan: “How to earn this $79 back before the month is out”

Follow the steps, and you’ll more than likely recoup the cost of your first month a few times over.

It’s called a no-brainer.

And this is called a sunny day, so Ima leap onto my bike and motor down to the beach for a quick swim, before I go back to building your first leap to sales for you.

http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/

Cheers,

Martin

Daniel Pink wrote a book called ‘To sell is human’.

Quite how I see things, and it’s a view I can totally recommend.

Not so that everything becomes ‘a business’ – there are things that are free and should stay free.

When I lived in Seattle, way back when, my girlfriend made a beautiful notebook for me, of luxury paper and hand bound in leather.

Her mother saw it and instantly said: “That’s great, you should make a product out of it and sell it!”

It felt seedy, that something so lovingly crafted had to instantly be commercialised.

But if you really think about it, ‘Everybody is always selling something’.

And that’s a quote from Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Treasure Island.

And he’s right: At this moment, I’m trying to sell you on reading the next line.

When you talk to your kids, you’re selling them on cleaning up their room.

When someone is arguing with you, you’re trying to sell her on calming down and having a normal, unheated conversation.

Not convinced?

Alright then: call it an exchange: Everything is always an exchange. Values, ideas, attention, products, opinions – you give one thing, you get another back.

You try to persuade a person to simply listen – right there you’re ‘selling’ your opinion. The price they pay is a bit of attention.

I like Dan Pink. He’s got real clear views on things. Common sense, but smart.

So I wrote him an email:

“Dan, I love your podcast Office Hours. I have one question:

“If you’d have only one shot at it, what’s the one thing you’d tell a person to get them to accept sales as a part of life?”

He writes back:

“Consider the alternative…”

I’ll leave you to ponder that one today.

When you’re done, and you’ve come to terms with this fundamental aspect of being human, and you’re ready to start selling more in ethical and effective ways, here’s where you can make the leap: http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/

Cheers,

Martin

There are things in life that are free, that come to you without any cost.

The rising sun, a smile, someone’s hand on your shoulder…

The world is rife with free goodness.

Other things though, you can only get them at a price.

A relationship – that’s only going to work if you both commit, and if each sacrifces some things in return for others. It’s the price you pay to be with that person.

Good food – either you pay for it, or you grow it, which costs time, fertilizer and water.

Sales, your own niche in the marketplace – that also comes at a price. Nobody would expect that putting up a website will magically bring you customers. A site is only a tool, part of a larger package of tools.

And you gotta work those tools: SEO, copy, networking, social media… if you don’t ‘pay’ with time (and/or money) to make them work, they won’t work and won’t get you sales.

Which is why I created LEAP: it’s one of those tools that if you grab it and start working with it, it’ll get you more sales.

But for some reason, some of my readers – the people I had in mind when I started LEAP – haven’t yet… actually taken the leap.

So that tells me that the value of the thing isn’t clear enough yet.

And that’s why LEAP issue #2 is going to earn itself back for you.

You just add water, it’ll make its own sauce.

Here’s why:

LEAP #1 gave you the mindset and tools that enable you to run a healthy business with your copy, your art or your design, issue 2 is going to give you hands-on instructions to actually build the first asset a business needs: a list.

Because without a list, even a small list, you have no business.

So now I’m going to show you how to get your first 30 subscribers within the first month.

But, subscribers are only that – what matters is that some of those subscribers also buy from you.

Which is why LEAP #2 will come with a free bonus cheat sheet:

What to do so you’ll make at least $80 within the first month.

See, I believe people need this stuff. It works.

I’ve seen it work for myself and others.

But I can also understand that you want to see it work for yourself, before you decide to buy.

Which is a bit complicated: You can’t taste an apple before you eat it.

And buying a newsletter (even if it’s an investment cheaper than a coffee a day) should be done because you trust it’ll work – not because you’re taking a leap of faith.

I’m not selling a leap of faith – what I have on offer is a leap forward.

To more sales.

So I’ll show you how to get those sales – at least $80 worth.

I can’t guarantee or promise you’ll get them.

But some pretty dramatic stuff would have to happen for it not to work.

Read the newsletter, grab the cheat sheet, make a plan, put it into action.

You’ll see the results.

Start here –> http://martinstellar.com/leap-to-more-sales/

Cheers,

Martin

Not that I’m here to judge anyone, mind you.

What those guys do is their business and I don’t want to opine.

But HOW they do it – that’s something I have an opinion about.

In terms of strategy and effectiveness of their efforts… they made a big mistake.

Not very ethical either.

Here’s what happened:

A friend told me yesterday that she was approached at the airport by a few mormons, wanting to talk to her.

She’s friendly, but definitely not the type to take an interest.

So she thanked them for their efforts, and went on to catch her flight.

They took no offence and went about their business.

A normal day at the airport, no harm done, nobody upset.

Or so it seemed.

Because when she got home and unpacked, she found that one of the two proselytisers had slipped a business card into her pocket.

You know, just so that in case she’d change her mind, she’d have a way to get in touch.

Now, I think that’s pretty outrageous.

A person’s pocket is his or her own domain, and nobody has the right to put anything into it without permission.

I know why they did it: they consider it their mission to ‘save as many souls’ as possible.

Whatever that means.

So if a person says ‘no’ today, they just might wake up tomorrow and say ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’.

From their point of view, it makes sense, and the ‘holiness’ of their mission justifies their actions, in their mind.

And if it had been without talking first – say in a crowded lobby, you surreptitiously slip a card into someone’s pocket, it might have been different. Still not something I consider correct, but hey.

But after she said ‘no’, and indicated she’s just not interested?

No. Permission revoked. Leave her alone.

Now, aside from the ethical considerations, it’s also incredibly bad practice!

Those guys think that they might yet ‘save’ the wandering soul, but in fact they achieve exactly the opposite:

Instead of leaving her with the notion that she had talked to someone who truly cared for her well-being, she’s left with the memory of a person who seemed nice enough, but who didn’t respect her opinion or message.

I don’t know, Josef. If that’s how you market your wares, you ain’t gonna sell much of that stuff.

Permission marketing. Respecting people since the beginning of times.

Seriously though: Why on earth would you insist on selling something to people who don’t want it?

All it does is create adversity – which means that they’re not liking you much, and how is anyone going to buy from someone they on’t like?

Feelings, emotions. That’s what makes people make decisions.

Negative emotions don’t lead to a sale. Or a conversion, for that matter – religious or business-wise.

Not that I’ve ever tried – I loathe preaching (except for these daily sermons on psychology and people-based marketing), and the only converting I’ve ever done was after the monastery, on landing pages.

Offering a person something that you think might help them is good.

Ignoring their individuality and ramming your message down their throat is… whatever. Dumb people. Not interesting.

You and I, we don’t work like that.

We say: “Here, this helps. Consider getting it, if you like. Thank you for your time.”

Like so:

I got this newsletter thingamabob which substantially helps you grow your business so as to get you more sales. I think it’ll help you. If you want it, you can get it here –> http://martinstellar.com/leapfrog-your-business/

If not? Then that’s fine – your choice.

No hard feelings, no sly tactics, no manipulation and no business cards slipped into your pocket. No matter how much I believe you need this – all I can do is present my case and leave you to decide for yourself what’s best.

Cheers,

Martin