It’s amazing what a little personalization can do to increase sales…

Quick example: You go into a store looking to buy something. A salesperson helps you, but you leave without making a purchase. You go back a week later, and the salesperson greets you by calling you by name.

How do you feel? Maybe respected, appreciated and memorable? And do you want to do business with someone who cares enough to remember your name? Of course.

When Coca-Cola introduced Coke bottles personalized with people’s names, sales jumped 2%. Now I know 2% might not sound like much, but to a company as big as Coke, it’s huge.

Personalization – when used properly – can double your conversions. Here are 10 ideas on how to personalize not just words, but actual images – and how you might use these ideas in your own business…

1: Inactive Customers or Subscribers:

Re-engage with customers and even subscribers who are no longer active.

For example, for customers who haven’t made a purchase in 90 days, or subscribers who haven’t clicked a link in a month, send them a photo of you in front of a whiteboard looking sad.

The whiteboard has a simple mathematical equation with your business name, minus their name and a frowny face, like this:

Your Business Name

–  Your customer’s name

☹

2: New Customers and Subscribers:

Create life-long customers and communities by taking the time to welcome someone when they join you. For example, you might send them a picture of you holding a sign that says, “Welcome Paul!”

3: Product Sales:

When your customers buy a product that you are shipping out, keep them engaged by sending them an email with a picture of their package. This keeps them excited and tells them it’s on the way.

Bonus: Get a clear shot of the address label, and it will help them to confirm their shipping address before it’s too late.

4: Webinar Attendance:

Get people to show up for your webinars by sending them a personalized reminder email in the form of a photo of a handwritten note, or of you standing next to a whiteboard with the written words, “Are you coming to the webinar, Joan?”

This will capture their attention, be far more memorable and do more to get them on the webinar than the standard email that webinar services send out as reminders.

5: Cart Abandonment:

Send out a photo of an empty box with their name on it, such as, “Order for Bob Smith.”

This emphasizes the sense of loss in not ordering, and will get some of your customers to come back and finalize their purchase.

6: Text Messages:

If you use text messages for following up with customers, how about adding an image of a newspaper that features their name and the reason for the follow up?

It’s guaranteed that you’ll have their attention.

7: Customer Anniversaries:

Send out a personalized image that contains congratulations on their anniversary – perhaps the anniversary of purchasing a product, subscribing to your list, joining your membership site, etc.

You’ll make them feel special and important.

8: Upsells:

This is a brilliant idea that can put serious money in your pocket almost immediately – send out an image letting your customer know they forgot something.

It might be a picture of the upsell they didn’t take, along with words such as, “You forgot something John! (It’s our best offer).

9: Certificates:

Do you offer any kind of courses or online training?

Send out personalized and official looking certificates of completion with their name, the training level achieved, the date, signatures and seal.

10: Online Order Confirmation:

When someone places an order, send them a photo of you and your team with a sign that welcomes them by name. It might say something like, “Welcome to the family, Aaron.” Make sure everyone in the photo looks especially happy.

Now then, you might be saying: “Sure, this is all well and good and I can see how it will help me to retain customers and make more sales, but who has time to do all this?”

Good question. The answer is, you do – if you get PicSnippets.

PicSnippets creates personalized images for marketing, sales and customer follow-up. You can create your PicSnippet and use it on nearly any platform such as Infusionsoft, ClickFunnels, Shopify, ManyChat, Klaviyo, FixYourFUnnel and more.

Put personalization to work in your business and get ready for your customer engagement and sales to reach new all-time highs!

I know a guy who lives in a remote part of Oregon.

He’s got a long scraggly beard, dresses in jeans and flannel shirts, and drives a new car.

By day he fishes and hikes.

By night he visits with his friends in the bar, or kicks back and watches TV.

He takes several long vacations each year.

He hires someone to do his yard work and maintain his house.

He never works – because he doesn’t have to.

And he’s lived like this since the 70’s.

Did he inherit a lot of money? Win the lottery? Rob a bank?

Nope. He grew up poor, never went to college, and hasn’t worked since he was 22.

What he did do was write a hit song. Just one.

And that song continues to pay him residuals to this day.

He did something once, and is still getting paid for it all these decades later.

So there you have it. Just write a hit song performed by a very famous person, and you are set for life.

What’s that? You don’t write songs?

Okay, then you might try the online marketing version of this residual game.

It’s called make a ‘sale once, get paid for months or maybe even years.’

Of course we’re talking about residual programs, and there are two basic ways you can profit: Promote someone else’s program, or create your own.

If you’re promoting someone else’s residual program, you’ve got several benefits.

• You never have to create membership content or maintain and update the software as a service
• You never have to worry about customer service concerning the program
• You don’t have to create the sales page, the membership site and so forth.
• All you do is send traffic and profit. That’s it.

Pretty sweet deal, right?

And don’t be fooled by the first month’s commission, either.

For example, let’s say you’re trying to decide between promoting Program A and Program B. Both programs are converting at the same rate.

Program A pays out $50 one time on a $100 sale.

Program B pays out $15 each month on a $30 sale.

Members of Program B tend to stick for a long time, because the product is something they need for their business. In fact, the average customer retention rate is 7.2 months, which is fantastic.

With Program A, you make $50. But with Program B, you make $108.

As you can see, if possible you want to find out how long the average customer ‘sticks’ to the program.

Software as a service tends to retain people for longer periods of time, assuming the software does what it’s supposed to. Hosting is a great example of this, because once people set up their website with a host, they tend to stick with that same host for years or for as long as there is no problem.

However, there are many information oriented membership programs that also retain members for a good long time as well.

To find residual programs you might want to promote, you can begin by Googling, “affiliate residual programs.” You’ll find lists full of them – more than you can ever promote yourself.

But having your own program can be even better, if you’re willing to put in the work.

• You can have affiliates promote it for you, making hundreds and even thousands of sales you would never get on your own
• You can make a lot more money – a LOT more money
• You can build a stable of affiliates who like and trust you, and will promote future programs for you.

But…

You have to create the program. And make no mistake, there is work involved.

If you’re selling software as a service, then you need to have the software developed, tested, tweaked and hopefully glitch free when you launch.

If you’re selling informational memberships, you’ll need to create a membership site and add content to it on a very regular basis.

And in either case you’ll need to deal with customer service, building the sites, writing the sales letters and so forth.

That said, it’s not as difficult as it sounds.

For your first membership site, I recommend you keep it simple. Find a target market that is eager for great information on their topic.

Then create a newsletter targeted to this market. Write the sales letter and newsletter as though you are speaking to just one person. Keep the price low – so low that it’s a no-brainer.

See? Not so hard after all.

If you’re going to do the work of bringing customers to a sales page, why not get paid for it over and over again?

Imagine this: One year from now you are earning money from not one, but twelve different residual programs.

Month after month you get checks for work you did six months or even a year ago.

How great will that feel?

If that feeling excites you, get to work and go make it happen!

Your customers are bombarded daily by the same types of offers – so how can you stand apart from the crowd?

Let’s take the online marketing niche as an example: Everyone is proclaiming to have THE product that will enable ANYONE to make a million dollars this year, or more.

Prospects are confused because there are simply too many choices. What they need is some relief from the continuous barrage of similar looking offers.

Here you come, offering not to sell them the latest greatest program, but instead help them to solve the problem they have right now.

What is their immediate problem? It’s not making a million dollars this year. But it is learning how to make enough money to quit the job they hate.

You offer a Facebook group that is aimed at replacing their salaries and allowing them to quit their job.

Finally, they found someone who is meeting them where they are, instead of tying to call them to the top of Mt. Everest. Because let’s face it, when you’re not making a dime online, making a million bucks seem about as likely as scaling Everest with no prior training.

Instead of being one of many gurus, you position yourself as the guy next door who works on cars and does gardening, and also happens to have a thriving internet business. Sure, you’ll teach them what you know over a few cups of coffee and some good conversation.

Now who wouldn’t jump at that?

There’s two elements at play here:

First, you’re breaking down that sky-high goal into something people truly believe they can achieve.

Become an Olympian athlete? Not likely. Lose 20 pounds and feel and look better? Yes!

Date the hottest models on the planet? No honest man is going to believe that. But be able to get dates with the nice women they meet through their work or hobbies? Now that they believe.

Second is your own positioning. Instead of being THE Diet Expert or THE Dating God or THE Internet Marketing Guru, you are a normal, everyday person.

Think about who you are – stay at home mom? Nutritionist? Astronomer? Astrologist? Doctor? Airplane mechanic? Crafter? Gardener? Cat lover? Write down the things you like the most about yourself.

Now how can you incorporate that into your chosen niche? You might be the cat lady who teaches diet and nutrition, or the shade tree mechanic who also teaches bodybuilding. Or maybe the prolific gardener who also teaches online marketing.

Whatever the case, use your own life to differentiate yourself from the crowd.

By doing these two things – starting with goals your audience believes they can achieve and being a person they can relate to – you’ll stand apart from any competition.

Your message will become crystal clear and people who need your message will flock to you. You’ll also be much more memorable as the ‘sky writing physical trainer’ than any of the other thousands of people teaching physical training online.

And there’s another benefit as well.

People will believe you because you come across as human. You show your mistakes, and you talk a little bit about yourself.

What you don’t show is ridiculous claims, Lamborghinis, mansions and yachts parked on tropical beaches.

We talk about targeting the right people for your product, but just how valuable is it to know your audience?

Here’s a quick case study of a deodorant that became a top seller through nothing more than pinpoint targeting of its customers:

In Brandwashed: Tricks Companies use to Manipulate Our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy, we learn how Axe Deodorant took over their market through targeting.

Unilever executive David Cousino tells us that Unilever first analyzed the potential male deodorant user by breaking men down into six profiles:

• The Predator — He takes advantage of drunk girls, and lies about his job and where he lives
• Natural Talent — Athletic, smart, and confident. He doesn’t need to lie to score
• Marriage Material — Humble and respectful, he’s the sort of guy you want to bring home to Mom and Dad
• Always the Friend — He always hits that glass ceiling
• The Insecure Novice — He has absolutely no clue what he’s doing, and things get awkward fast — the geeks and nerds
• The Enthusiastic Novice — He has absolutely no clue what he’s doing, but he’s outgoing and tries valiantly anyway

Based on these six profiles, they chose to target the ‘Insecure Novice,’ since these are the guys who need the most help in getting women.

And frankly, this is the target market that could most easily be persuaded into buying a product – ANY product – that could potentially help them get over their nerdiness and get the woman. Or women. Lots of women.

The next step was to create the ads. Research showed that the ultimate male fantasy isn’t to have just one woman at a time – it’s to be irresistible to several sexy women at once. (Seriously, did they really need research to determine this?)

That’s why the TV ads proclaim that if you use Axe Deodorant, you will get the chicks. ALL the chicks.

The result?

Axe came out of nowhere to be the #1 male antiperspirant / deodorant brand.

Notice they weren’t targeting EVERY man. They didn’t target married men, old men, men who could already get women on their own and so forth. They targeted ONE demographic – men in their 20’s and 30’s who were nerdy and had trouble getting women.

But in the process, they had a great deal of crossover into the other groups as well.

This is an added benefit of targeting that most marketers don’t realize. They think in order to get the biggest share of the market, they must target everyone.

But when you target everyone, you tend to get almost no one. Paradoxically, when you target one specific group, you tend to get customers from all the other groups as well.

One side note: In this case, Axe’s marketing worked almost TOO well. High school kids were completely dousing themselves in Axe, thinking they would get every girl in class to fall all over them.

Instead, school districts complained of kids reeking of the cologne-like smell.

How could Axe have fixed this? Perhaps by cautioning its users that because of the power of Axe, a normal amount was actually more effective than going full coverage.

Instead, Axe backpedaled a bit from their original campaign, and sales declined.

Which is another lesson – when you find a target market that works for your product – or better still, you target your product to the right market – don’t change what’s working.

Here’s what you can do:

• Make a list of potential target markets for your next product.
• From that list, choose the market – or demographic – you want to target.
• Create a profile of ONE person in that market – this is your ideal customer.
• Tailor your product and your message to that one person.
• Dance around your office as you see the sales come flooding into your in box.

Stop targeting everyone and start targeting your ideal customer. Once you do, it will become clear how you should market, where you’ll find your customers, and how to get them on board. And yes, your sales will almost certainly increase.

Nearly every day someone approaches me about doing a joint venture because as you know, joint ventures are a marvelous way to get your product in front of a lot of people.

Better yet, getting your joint venture partner’s recommendation can significantly increase both sales and sign ups onto your own list. But that’s the good news – the bad news is anyone with a list gets approached day in and day out by numerous JV seekers, and the vast majority of those requests are either ignored or rejected.

So how can you be the one who receives the coveted “yes” answer next time you approach someone for a joint venture?

Here are 4 techniques that I’ve found work especially well…

First, make your initial contact all about the joint venture partner and NOT about you. Instead of telling them what’s in it for you, tell them what’s in it for them. I don’t know how many times I’ve received emails that go something like this: “I need you to promote my new product to your list because then I can make sales and add people to my own list. Oh yes, and I’ll pay you 50% commission.”

Whoopee. Can you imagine the excitement a list owner feels when receiving an email like this? There’s a reason this type of email doesn’t even get a response. Look, everyone is tuned into that same radio station you’ve heard so much about, WIIFM: What’s In It For Me? A list owner can get 50% in commissions anytime and anywhere without having to do a joint venture.

This is why it is imperative that you stand apart from the crowd and offer the list owner something far more valuable than 50% on sales. Think for a moment – what is it that you’re really good at? Is it writing articles? Building squeeze pages? Writing sales copy? Social Marketing? Whatever it is, offer your potential JV partner your service in exchange for promoting your product, along with a good commission.

For example, if you’re good at writing articles, offer to write a dozen or more on the topics of their choice and pay them 50 -70% commission on sales. Now this is an offer that is likely to get their attention. Sure it’s going to take you some extra time, but so what? You’ll be making sales, building your list, and most importantly, forging a relationship with your new JV partner.

Second, consider giving away all of your commission on the front end product. If your product converts well and sells for a good price, this will get the attention of many list owners. You’ll capture their attention even faster if you also pay immediate commissions or set it up so that commissions are paid straight into their PayPal account.

Why would you give away all of your commissions? You’re not. First of all, you’re building your list with buyers, and buyers are wonderful indeed when it comes to promoting other products in the future. In fact, it’s been estimated that one buyer on your list is worth as many as 35 freebie seekers in terms of future revenue. Second, by placing a one time offer in the sales sequence you can also make money up front. You can either keep 100% of the commissions on the OTO, or split the commissions with your partner.

Third, treat your JV Partner like someone more important than an affiliate. Set up a deal in which several JV Partners and yourself contribute products into one big product package, and then launch the package just as you would a product. Divide the commissions accordingly and everyone wins because everyone promotes to their own lists, ensuring there is plenty of exposure to the offer. Plus, each participant grows their own list full of new purchasers of the event.

Another possibility – work together to create a new product. This doesn’t have to mean the two of you sit down in a room together and hammer out the product. Rather, each of you would complete certain portions of it on your own as a collaboration. For example, you might write the intro, they write the outline, you fill the outline in, you create the video and they write the sales letter (just an example, it will differ wildly for everyone.) You can even do a collaboration with 3 or more JV Partners. Just think – the more partners involved, the more lists you can promote your new product to.

Fourth, warm up your potential JV Partner before you pop the JV question. Instead of immediately asking them for a JV, ask them for an interview instead. Or ask if you can promote their latest product, or ask if you can write an article about them for your blog, etc. In other words, see what you can do to help them first. If you are sincere about this, the law of reciprocity will kick in, and sooner or later they’ll want to repay the favor. That’s why when you ask them down the road to promote your high quality product, they probably won’t even hesitate to say yes.

Okay, But What Do I Write in My JV Proposal?

That first email to a potential JV Partner is scary, isn’t it? What should you say? What shouldn’t you say? Will they reply? Will they think you’re some schmuck hayseed from the sticks?

First of all, don’t worry about getting rejected. Everyone gets rejected now and then, and online it’s usually a simple matter of being ignored. If this happens, realize that they may not have seen your email and send it to them again. Be nice, be respectful, and be persistent. After all, you’ve got nothing to lose by asking.

But there are ways to greatly increase your chances of getting that JV by simply doing the right things in your email. What I recommend…

1. Be personal, warm and friendly. Imagine you’re writing to your mother or father – you’d go out of your way to be polite.
2. Reference something recent they’ve done. Maybe it’s their latest product or blog post – mention something about it so they know you’ve actually read the post or purchased the product.
3. Play to their ego. Praise the post, product or whatever it is that you’re mentioning. NOTE: Praise it in a direct, specific and honest way. Don’t just say, “Great post, man!” Instead, say something like, “Thanks so much for the video creation tips – I’m going to follow your advice because I’ve learned first hand that your methods work.” A general compliment works too if you’ve been reading their content for awhile and can say so.
4. Get to the point. Don’t write 3 pages on your personal history of Internet Marketing. Get to the crux of your communication, which is your proposal.
5. Propose your plan. Again, don’t waffle and don’t digress. Get to the point and let them know what you’re suggesting.
6. Be an authority. This isn’t the time to brag or boast, but it is the time to let them know that you’re experienced. JV Partners aren’t looking to hold your hand, they’re looking to do deals that put new buyers and new money in their pocket.
7. If you’ve got proof, use it. For example, if you’re proposing a collaboration on a traffic product and you’re good at getting traffic, show them a link to a few screenshots of your traffic. You’re putting their mind at ease that you know what you’re doing.
8. Outline the deal without a lot of detail. If you’re proposing they keep 100% on the front end and 50% of the back end, say so. Don’t tell them which hosting company you use or what hours you work.
9. Ask. Ask them for feedback, to do the deal, whatever. Close with a call to action so that it’s super clear the next move is theirs and you’re looking for a response. Again, you’re not dictating – you’re simply being professional in a warm, friendly manner.

Send and wait for a response. Don’t expect them to fall all over themselves in gratitude that you wrote. If the answer comes back negative, write back and tell them thank you very much for considering it, and you look forward to an opportunity to perhaps work with them in the future. Don’t rant or rave or get nasty – the last thing you want to do is slam the door on future opportunities.

If the answer comes back as anything other than a no, then odds are it can develop into a definite yes, but only IF you don’t fumble the ball. The typical response you get back is going to be for more information. Provide it and answer any questions they give you. Keep in mind that the things they are likely looking for in a potential JV Partner are…

• Confidence and professionalism. Do you know what you’re doing? Are you capable?
• Experience. What is your experience as related to the topic of this JV? What are you bringing to the table?
• Trustworthy and reliable. Will you do what you say? Can they trust you?

As to what a JV Partner is looking for in the JV itself…

• No huge time commitments. Big commitments are scary and stressful, small ones are much less so. Don’t ask them to write a 300 page ebook for your JV – it isn’t going to happen.
• Enhanced reputation. Is this a quality product that provides lots of value? Or are you looking for the quick buck?
• More buyers for their own list. If you can bring buyers to the table, you’ve got a powerful motivation for them to participate.
• Money. Of course this is often (but not always) a motivator – how much money might they make in relation to the time invested? However, don’t assume this is their primary motivation. A good marketer knows that growing their list of buyers provides far more income on a long term basis than making quick money today. And no decent marketer wants to make a quick buck if it risks their reputation with their list.

Next you will iron out the details, go above and beyond the expectation of your partner every chance you get and run the best Joint Venture you possibly can. Hopefully it is a great success. And no matter the outcome, there is still one more step to take before you’re done, and that is to thank your JV Partner in a memorable manner. Why? Because many marketers do several JV’s a month, and if you’re not memorable, they may not say yes the next time you ask. Do a little research, find out what they like, and then send it to them. Does he like cigars? Is she partial to good coffee? It doesn’t have to be expensive because it’s not about the money, it’s about saying THANK YOU!!!

Believe me, I still remember a JV Partner I worked with 5 years ago who sent me a very nice gift in the mail. And even though we’ve since lost touch, were he to contact me today for another JV, I would almost certainly say yes. And for him (and for you), that’s like money in the bank.

There was once a very sexy commercial on television with the line, “If you want to capture someone’s attention, whisper.” Of course it showed a beautiful woman whispering into a man’s ear – and it was also false advertising. Can you guess why?

Because it wasn’t the whispering that was capturing attention – it was the pretty lady. Why is it that sex will capture attention every time, and what (surprisingly) works just as well as sex at pasting your prospect’s eyeballs to your website? Here’s what I’ve learned:

Humans have 3 brains in one – the analytical, thinking brain; the emotional brain; and the primitive, reptilian brain. It’s that primitive brain that cares about one thing – survival. Its job is to constantly monitor the environment for 3 things: Anything it can eat, anything it can have sex with, and anything that will hurt or kill it. That’s it. It’s a non-stop monitoring system for survival of the individual and the species, and because it’s simple, it’s also brain dead easy to capture its attention.

Simply use images or word pictures that bring thoughts of sex, food or danger and your prospect cannot immediately look away. Yes, it’s that simple. If you have a picture of an accident on your site, people will stop and look. They HAVE to. It’s no different than when they’re driving by a car accident: They’re unable to keep themselves from slowing down and looking to see the danger. That’s also why so many movie scenes involve chases, danger and violence – Hollywood knows you simply cannot flip the channel when it’s catering to your primitive brain.

Next time you want to rivet your reader to your sales page, see if you can add in some sexy elements, or some food, or even a sense of danger. They won’t know why they can’t tear their eyes away, nor will they care. They will, however, think their intense interest in your page must have something to do with the contents, and thus they will be more inclined to linger and possibly take the action you desire. Become irresistible to your readers – try catering to their primitive brain as well as their emotional and analytical brains and see what happens.

No worries – this is completely honest and ethical, and it’s a great way to begin sending free traffic to your new website.

Diverting traffic from other websites is one of the easiest methods of gaining free traffic. Ideally, you’ll want to “steal” this traffic from high traffic websites, because the more traffic your target sites get, the more traffic you can siphon off and send to your own site.

1. Look for high traffic forums and blogs that are directly related to your own niche. Ideally you want forums and blogs that have high traffic and also allow you to place a link to your website in every post you make, either in your signature file or in a clickable link.

Now then, you want to make as many intelligent posts as possible – thereby sharing your link several times or more – and do it in as little time as possible. The goal here is not to spend all day making forum posts, but rather to get in, make your posts and get out so that you have time to take care of other tasks related to your business.

Set a timer and search for specific posts that you can quickly reply to. For example, if your topic is SEO, search out the SEO threads rather than trying to answer a thread on content creation. You want to give short, concise, intelligent and helpful answers.

2. When your timer goes off, don’t close the forums. Instead, reset the timer because this time you’re going to create your own posts on these same forums. Search the forum for a thread that was super popular a few months ago, and start a new thread on a similar topic, only with your personal spin on it. This should get the posts responses piling up fast and furious, and will give your signature file plenty of views.

Be sure to check back on the threads you started at least once per day to answer some of the responses you received. If you continue posting daily in forums and on popular blogs, you should get a steady stream of people visiting your site. And while they may not be coming in droves, the ones that do show up are highly targeted and ripe for adding to your email list. Be sure to capture as many of them as you can by offering great content and a juicy reward for joining your list.

3. BONUS: If your niche is non-marketing related, find active posters on blogs and ask them to place your link in their signature file for a month for a fee – perhaps $25. They’re already posting, so it’s no extra effort for them and it’s great targeted traffic for you.

4. ADVANCED: Hire someone to post for you. If you outsource to the Philippines, for example, you can get someone to post on forums and blogs for you every day at a very reasonable rate. Not only does this free up your time, but because this is all they do, they can make far more posts than you ever could. One note: Until you are fully confident in their abilities, do not let them start forum threads in your name.

There you have it…

4 ways to “steal traffic”, and grow your online business; all without breaking the bank! 😉

So you’ve got a fantastic looking squeeze page that still isn’t converting worth a darn – now what? Sometimes doing the opposite of what everyone else on the Internet is telling you to do really pays off, especially when it comes to capturing email addresses.

Split test these and see if your subscribe rates don’t increase dramatically…

Forget the name. There was a time – a long time ago – when inserting a person’s name in an email increased the open rate. Those days are all but gone.

Worse yet, asking for their name decreases your response rate nearly every time. The only time to ask for their name is when they BUY from you – not when you’re merely asking them to subscribe to your list. So remove that box from your opt-in form, along with any other box besides their email address. The easier you make it for them to subscribe, and the less information you ask for, the higher your conversions are likely to be.

Remove the spam sentence. You know that great little sentence you have beneath the opt-in box that says you hate spam and will never ever ever ever share their info with anyone? Remove it completely. Don’t change it, don’t tweak it – just strip it right out of there. Repeated testing shows that having it there actually decreases your sign-up rate. Ironic, since it was originally intended to increase it by providing a sense of security.

Besides – if you ever want to sell your website and associated lists, you won’t be able to if you’ve told them you will never share their info. So you’re shooting your future prosperity in the foot while reducing your current sign-ups, all because you were doing what every other marketer on the planet is doing.

Tell them who you are. First, people hesitate to sign onto a list unless they have some idea of WHO is behind the list. They want to know not only what they get for joining your list, but also who you are – so tell them your name, use a photo of your face, or do something that makes it clear you are in fact a real live person.

Second, by having your identity on your squeeze page you will drastically reduce the number of people who check their email an hour or two later and wonder who in the world you are and why you’re sending them mail. The more memorable an impression you make on the squeeze page, the more likely they are to remember you when they read their email. This in turn decreases the likelihood they will cry “SPAM!” and increases the likelihood they will open your email and actually read it. Remember, when people check their email they look at the “from” line first. Be memorable and your email will enjoy a much warmer reception.

Try split testing these three changes on your squeeze page and see what happens – I suspect your sign-ups will increase by several percent.

Scott Anthony of the Harvard Business Review did a piece on “3 Ways to Prioritize a Long List of Ideas, which you can read here…

It’s all about how to choose what it is that you should do next, which product to run with, which decision to make and so forth. Of course it’s written with large companies in mind, but the essence applies just as well to the Online Marketer. For example…

When choosing which product to create next, don’t always trust what people say they will do.

Rather, trust what they do. When I survey my readers to find out what they want to buy next, I also take into consideration that they may not know their own minds.

For example, if you ask someone what they want to eat tomorrow, they’re likely to say they want something healthy like a salad. But when tomorrow comes, more often than not they will order the pizza or pasta instead. It’s not that they weren’t telling you the truth; it’s just that people tend to think about the future in one way and act in the present in a different way. They’re certain tomorrow is the day they buckle down and do their work, or go on a diet, or begin exercising. Today? Let’s watch TV and eat chocolate cake.

So when you survey your customers asking what they want to buy, realize that what they say isn’t necessarily so.

Limit studying and planning. Prioritize action.

If all you’re doing is studying and planning so that you can make the right decision, then you’re not acting. And without action, there can be no reward. As Anthony states, visualize success and then figure out what you need to do to get there. For example, if you visualize your next success as selling a thousand copies of your new training program, figure out what you need to do to make it happen, and then do it. If you get stuck on the planning, you’ll never get anywhere.

Look for ideas and solutions outside of the box.

Whatever your niche of choice might be, don’t confine your explorations and learning to just your niche. Explore other avenues outside of your realm to see how they solve problems and how that might be applicable to your niche. Becoming myopic to your own area of expertise to the exclusion of all others can mean you’re missing out on stellar ideas to increase your bottom line.

Here’s a simple example: Angie has her own line of make-up products targeted to women over 50 that she sells exclusively online, and she’s been struggling with lead generation. The other day she received her order of vitamins from a well known health company with millions of customers, and it hit her: What if she asked this company to place a postcard promoting her website in every box that contained one or more products designed exclusively for this target market?

Most online marketers would never even think of this – yet it’s an excellent way to get her website in front of her exact target market. And all it will cost her is the printing, since the health company is taking a percentage of sales as her affiliate rather than a flat fee for inserting the postcards.

Sometimes we find ourselves bogged down while trying to decide what to do next or how to do it – when really all we need are simple systems to keep us moving, and our business growing.

If you’re using Paypal to take payments, here’s a neat little trick to increase your sales…

When someone adds your product to the shopping cart, it takes them to the Paypal checkout page. The problem is, some people will back out of the purchase at this point. However, what most marketers don’t seem to know is that Paypal allows you to place a banner at the top of this checkout page. Moreover, what you choose to place in this banner can reduce shopping cart abandonment by allaying your customer’s fear.

For example, recently when I purchased a product I saw a banner at the top of the Paypal checkout page that actually asked me to visit another website to sign up for a different product launch! This is obviously NOT the way to use this banner space.

Instead, do what I saw one enterprising entrepreneur do the other day – create a simple banner with a short TESTIMONIAL in it for the product they are about to purchase.

It can be something as brief as:

I Can’t Believe This is Available for Such a Low Price.

– Customer Name

or

ABC Product Saved Me $xxxx in Just The First 3 Months.

– Customer Name

Be sure to use quotes and the person’s full name – and if applicable, their company name. This provides third party validation that the buyer is in fact making a smart decision by purchasing your offer, and thus reduce your Paypal shopping cart abandonment rate.

Of course, this same tip can be applied to any shopping cart or online checkout experience really. Using social proof to reinforce your buyers confidence just before checkout will boost your sales.

Now just make sure you are giving your customers experiences WORTH writing you glowing reviews and testimonials for and you’ll be all set!