What\u2019s the first thing you should do when you launch a business or want to jumpstart sales?<\/p>\n
If your answer was, \u201cGet attention,\u201d you\u2019re on the right track. The question is how are you going to do it?<\/p>\n
How can you get the phone ringing and get a flood of people to contact you and buy from you \u2014 especially if you don\u2019t want to spend a fortune on advertising, mailing or search engine optimization?<\/p>\n
A few years ago I answered a phone call from Mike, who had just visited my web site for the first time and was ready to sign up as a client.<\/p>\n
Let me repeat that. I\u2019d never spoken to Mike before and he\u2019d been to my website for the first time just a few minutes before he called, but he was ready to pay thousands of dollars to start working with me.<\/p>\n
We talked for 15 minutes and he signed on to have me help his company generate more leads with their web site and grow their travel certificate business. Over the next six months he became one of my biggest clients and we worked together for five years. I helped his company make millions of dollars and in turn, I made hundreds of thousands.<\/p>\n
What got Mike\u2019s attention and so quickly convinced him that I could help him?<\/p>\n
<\/strong><\/p>\n A free ebook. <\/strong><\/p>\n Mike saw my free offer for the 7 Steps to Attract More Clients<\/em> within a few seconds of clicking to the home page of my website. He entered his email address to receive the book and get on the mailing list for my weekly newsletter. He downloaded and read my 7 Steps<\/em> ebook, and a few minutes later called to hire me.<\/p>\n My marketing cost was zero. My profit? Huge!<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve got a web site, you\u2019ve got an opportunity to easily generate a tremendous amount of new business \u2014 and it\u2019s practically free.<\/p>\n David Meerman Scott has had his free ebooks downloaded over a half million times, and everyone from online marketers to dentists have successfully used free ebooks to dramatically grow their business.<\/p>\n \n Remember that the entrepreneur or the company that gets the most business is the one that does the best job of getting attention and clarifying the value they provide. That\u2019s what your free ebook will do for you.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve used this simple strategy to build a list of over 47,000 qualified prospects for free.<\/p>\n Could you use a list of over 47,000 people who know and trust you and think of you when they need help?<\/p>\n Every business owner can benefit from having a big list of prospects, which is why I\u2019m going to show you the simple steps to take to create your own profit-generating, free ebook.<\/p>\n How can you be sure your ebook will attract all the clients you want? How can you get tens of thousands of people to download it?<\/p>\n Write the book according to the simple formula below.<\/p>\n \n 1. <\/em><\/strong>Pick a Benefit-Rich Title<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n One of the primary purposes of giving away your book is to motivate as many qualified prospects as possible to fill in your sign-up or opt-in form on your website and give you their contact information. The simple secret to getting tons of people to do this is to use the title to define the benefits<\/strong> you offer<\/strong>. Give people a solid reason to give you their name and email address.<\/p>\n Names like this don\u2019t work:<\/p>\n \u201cStrategies to Better Business Processes\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSmall Business Accounting 101\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow to Brush Your Teeth\u201d<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n Boring \u2014 they sound like textbooks. And you haven\u2019t told your prospects what they\u2019re going to gain by reading your ebook.<\/p>\n Names like this do work:<\/p>\n \u201c5 Unknown But Perfectly Legal Ways to Cut Your Taxes\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDream or Nightmare: Four Must Do\u2019s Before Starting A Small Business\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHealthy Mouth, Healthy Sex\u201d<\/p>\n The latter title is the name dentist Melanie Smith used for her ebook. Needless to say, she got prospects\u2019 attention and in 12 months increased her net income from $150,000 to over a million dollars a year.<\/p>\n Wondering how you\u2019re going to come up with a title?<\/p>\n Start by identifying the key words that your target market is likely to use to search for your products and services. Then identify and list words that describe the benefits your business offers or creates for customers.<\/p>\n Which of the titles below would you download?<\/p>\n \u201cBasic Accounting Principles For Small Business Owners\u201d<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n \u201cDream or Nightmare: Four Must Do\u2019s Before Starting A Small Business\u201d<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Action A.<\/strong> List three possible titles for your free ebook.<\/p>\n 1. ______________________________________________ 2. Define the Problems You Solve and the Solutions You Provide<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Another purpose of your ebook is to establish you as the go-to expert, the person who has special insight in your field. Your competitors may know as much as you do, but do a better job of communicating your expertise and you\u2019ll gain a huge competitive advantage.<\/p>\n Start by describing the most important problems you solve for clients, and the key concepts of your most people in your target market should know but probably aren\u2019t using.<\/p>\n For example: If you were a financial advisor, you\u2019d want your prospects and clients to understand the concept of portfolio diversification.<\/p>\n This is the basic idea that the best way to manage risk and maximize return on investments is to diversify your portfolio between small cap stocks, large cap stocks, U.S.-based funds and international funds, bonds, commodities like gold, and of course, treasuries.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a simple concept that every investor can appreciate, few fully utilize and, in order to actually execute it, they\u2019ll need your financial services. When you share this simple idea, you\u2019re demonstrating your expertise, and educating your prospects.<\/p>\n Each concept you share should be fundamental. Write about the things that resonate with your target audience. Once they understand it, they\u2019ll want to buy your products and services to implement your solution.<\/p>\n You\u2019re not trying to be sneaky, just simply helping people with good common sense advice (an uncommon commodity) and in doing so creating a perception of need for your products and services<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The simple secret to identifying the core topics for your free ebook is that it\u2019s about helping not selling<\/span>. And I know for most people who are struggling to attract new clients, the selling mode is usually what they are thinking about. Don\u2019t make this mistake.<\/p>\n Focus on helping and more people will want your products and services.<\/p>\n David Meerman Scott wrote one whole ebook on the single concept of Viral Marketing. The dentist Melanie Smith focused her ebook, \u2018Healthy Mouth \u2013 Health Sex\u2019 on oral health.<\/p>\n See her table of contents below.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Action B.<\/strong> List the 1-5 most important and helpful ideas you can share with prospects and clients.<\/p>\n 1. ______________________________________________ 3.<\/em><\/strong> Lead with a Story<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n If I wanted to interest you in using referrals, I could write several paragraphs about why it\u2019s important for the growth of your small business.<\/p>\n Or I could tell you the story of how my client Kris from Chattanooga, Tennessee was almost bankrupt at the end of 2007. An experienced video producer, his business was about to fold and he\u2019d already had to lay off all his employees. He knew his work was good and the market was out there, and he asked me to help him save his business and his livelihood.<\/p>\n Using the simple referral strategy I showed him, Kris added over 30 new clients in six weeks. He stuck with this successful strategy and went from struggling at the beginning of the year, to turning 2008 into his most profitable year ever. <\/em><\/p>\n Which are you more likely to remember?<\/p>\n The argument about why having a referral strategy is important, or the story about Kris\u2019s fantastic rebound?\u00a0 Stories grab people\u2019s attention, paint pictures in their minds, and are memorable.<\/p>\n Tell stories.\u00a0 Illustrate the problems you solve and how you solve them. That\u2019s what David Meerman Scott does on the first page of his free ebook Viral Marketing.<\/p>\n David used a real life example to illustrate the key problem and the solution. There are two simple steps to telling a story:<\/p>\n 1. Define the problem or opportunity that existed.<\/p>\n 2. Use a story to illustrate the solution.<\/p>\n Where do you find great stories to use in your ebook? Depending on what services or products you are selling, your stories could be about business problems, personal problems or situations that allow you to make your point. Pull stories from:<\/p>\n \u2022 \u00a0 Your own experience (my quirky dad has provided many I\u2019ve used).<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 Your clients (every day my clients tell me stories that illustrate business problems and solutions).<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0\u00a0 The news (that\u2019s where David found the story he used in Viral Marketing).<\/p>\n Action C.<\/strong> Write 1-2 sentences outlining a couple of stories you could use to make your primary point, and grab your readers\u2019 attention so<\/p>\n they stick with you and understand the key concept or ideas you\u2019re sharing.<\/p>\n 1. ___________________________________________<\/p>\n 2. ___________________________________________<\/p>\n 4. Include Your Calls to Action<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n You\u2019ve set the stage by clarifying the problem and sharing ideas, solutions and\/or strategies, and in so doing established yourself as the go-to expert. Now let your audience \u2014 your prospects \u2014 know who you are and how you can help them.<\/p>\n At this point they\u2019re much more likely to pay attention. That\u2019s what people do when you entertain them and give them something for free. They reciprocate by giving you their attention and responding to your questions or suggestions.<\/p>\n What types of calls to actions should you include?<\/p>\n You could include a full-blown sales pitch for your products or services, but that would undermine the whole helping tone of your ebook. Instead you\u2019ll generate the most interest with the following two strategies.<\/p>\n a. At the end of each section of your free ebook, include a question that picks up on the problem and solution you\u2019ve just detailed.<\/p>\n For example: Imagine you\u2019re a financial advisor and you\u2019ve just told a story about how one of your clients diversified his portfolio in 2008 and made money in the stock market while everyone else lost 30% of their assets.<\/p>\n That got your prospects\u2019 attention, so ask them a question to get them thinking and urge them to act. It could go something like this:<\/p>\n \u201cReady to discover how you can protect your portfolio and make money in any market? Call George for a 30 minute consultation.\u201d<\/p>\n Use questions at key points in your free ebook to prompt prospects to contact you to get help. They won\u2019t feel like they\u2019re being sold and are more likely to follow through and contact you.<\/p>\n Action D.<\/strong> List 2 to 4 questions you can use to motivate prospects to contact you.<\/p>\n 1. ______________________________________________<\/p>\n 2. ______________________________________________<\/p>\n 3. ______________________________________________<\/p>\n 4. ______________________________________________<\/p>\n Quick Tips<\/em><\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0 Include a bio page at the end that is personal and engaging. Tell your readers enough about you so that they see how experienced and professional you are, but also that you\u2019re an interesting person who has a lot in common with them. Include a professionally taken photo if you\u2019ve got one.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0When you\u2019ve finished writing, hire an editor. Even if you\u2019ve written books that have hit the bestseller list, an editor will improve your ebook so that it\u2019s clear, concise and compelling.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Hire the best graphic designer you can. Your ebook is meant to portray you as the expert that you are. You don\u2019t want the cover and layout to look amateurish. Image is everything with your ebook. Hire a professional to create something you\u2019ll be proud of. The AIGA at www.aiga.org<\/a> is a good source for designers and illustrators.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0When the ebook is done, let everyone know. Send out an email to your list, to bloggers, to your twitter followers, etc.<\/p>\n \u2022\u00a0Add an opt-in box to the homepage of your website, top right or top center, and include a link to your download page.<\/p>\n Ready to create your free ebook?<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019re talking about a 15 to 20-page book \u2014 with a lot of white space and possibly illustrations. That\u2019s somewhere in the neighborhood of three to four thousand words. Or think of it as a 25-minute conversation with a prospect. I know you can do that.<\/p>\n \n Make a commitment to get your free ebook done. Create a schedule, set a completion date and block out the time in your weekly calendar to finish your ebook and make it available on your web site.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to repeat a statement I made earlier; remember that the entrepreneur or the company that gets the most business is the one that does the best job of getting attention and clarifying the value they provide. That\u2019s what your free ebook will do for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Discover the four steps to creating your free ebook.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[18],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marketingforsuccess.com\/ic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How A Free ebook Can Help You<\/h4>\n
The Proven, Free ebook Formula For Attracting Buyers<\/h4>\n
\n2. ______________________________________________
\n3. ______________________________________________ <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\n2. ______________________________________________
\n3. ______________________________________________
\n4. ______________________________________________
\n5. ______________________________________________<\/p>\nOne Last Step<\/h4>\n