Become a Sales Superhero with Terry Dean of My Marketing Coach
Episode 043: Show Notes
Today on the podcast, we have Terry Dean of Mymarketingcoach.com. Terry considers himself one of the grandfathers of internet marketing, and he even referred to himself as a dinosaur! But one thing is for sure, this guy knows his stuff! Terry started out as a pizza delivery driver for Little Caesar’s making $8 an hour and transitioned into online marketing in 1996. This guy generated over $96,000 from one email in front of a live studio audience. Talk about crazy!
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In today’s episode Terry shares some great tips on how to get emails opened more frequently, how to sell to your email list even if it is teeny tiny, and how to get people on your list quickly. He has some really cool tricks for turning those subscribers into buyers within 24 hours and two really awesome formulas to help you grow your sales pages, your landing pages, and even the format of your emails. Terry also goes over what he calls “the superhero method”. For all you nerds out there, you are really going to get a kick out of this one. We can’t wait for you to dive into this episode, so get comfy and let’s get started.
Making $96,000 from Sending One Email
Terry made an astounding $96,000 by sending one email to his list. He was asked by a promoter from a conference if he could send out an email in front of a live audience to demonstrate how this could generate sales. Terry writes his emails by taking a very personable, authentic approach. He always makes sure to connect with what’s going on in his life so that his subscribers can start to form that connection with him. This way, they become a part of his life and the little stories about it, so much so that he doesn’t even have to sell in the end. Very rarely does Terry mention more than just barely what the offer is in the email. In fact, the emails are all about personal connection.
Prepping Your Email Content In Advance
Most of the time, Terry’s emails are written at least a few days in advance from when they are sent. He likes to sit down and write a few at a time. A lot of times you can almost predict what is going to be happening in your life, making it is easy to write about it in advance while maintaining that personal touch. When it comes to online marketing, we have to do a lot of different stuff and at times, it can seem like nothing is happening. Then one day, you hit the momentum and all of a sudden, you just hit the stride and everything starts happening all at once. This is exactly what makes people think that you had an overnight success.
Building Up Your Email List from Scratch
When Terry first started with online marketing, there was no such thing as Facebook groups. All he had at the time was CompuServe. To build up his list he would join groups and forums to connect with others, answer questions, and start helping people solve specific problems. Once he made the connection, those people would head over to his website where they would be offered a freebie gift to join the list. A lot of times the best free gifts are strategy or process cheat sheets if you’re in the information business. If you’re in a product business, Terry suggests giving a 10% coupon off.
Turning Subscribers into Buyers in 24 Hours
Converting your list of subscribers into buyers can often feel overly “salesly” and gross. However, Terry suggests that the sales part be left to your sales page and anything you offer your list should be content-based and value driven. For example, you can send any new opt-in a piece of content that really helps them through a specific problem. The value provided within this content should set an example of what they can expect when purchasing from you. After they have been given this freebie, link them to your sales page where the actual selling can begin. This way your email list continues to remain a place where connections are built, and sales are left to where they are actually expected. Focusing on the soft sale is key.
Toughen Up and Get Ready to Put Yourself Out There
A lot of people are really hesitant about putting their faces up on the internet. Regardless of whether it is through video or simply an email newsletter, it can sometimes be scary to be vulnerable in front of your audience. Terry’s best advice is simply that you have to toughen up! Putting yourself out there opens you up for both positive and negative feedback. For Terry, his clients that show the best conversion rates all use video in some form or other. Now we are not saying that you HAVE to be on video, but perhaps you can use a product view instead. Either way, the results are in; using multimedia forms of content is a lot more effective in the end and definitely helps establish that human connection to further strengthen the relationship.
The Golden Glove Formula for Boosting Conversions on Your Landing Page
When it comes to having a successful landing page, Terry has established the Golden Glove principles. The first is to identify who you are selling to, specifically, and what problem you are going to solve. The second piece is unique promise; what is it that you are offering, what is the benefit, and how does that different than what the competition is offering? Next, there should be overwhelming proof. Provide proof upfront that you product or service works, and do not hide it over on the testimonials page. The next part is the irresistible offer; what is it that they are actually getting when they buy? The offer is the most important thing on the landing page. Then the final piece is the reason to act now. Why should they act now? Make sure to give a call to action with a limited time to get the deal.
Quote This
If you try to sell to everyone, you end up selling to no one in particular.
—Terry Dean
Highlights
Hear the story of how Terry made $96,000 from sending one email, and how that really worked. [0:03:27.0]
Learn how to pre-plan your email content for marketing growth momentum, without losing the personal connection. [0:08:57.8]
Discover Terry’s tips on how to get subscribers on your email list to begin with. [0:11:04.3]
Find out how Terry turns his subscribers into buyers within 24 hours. [0:13:27.0]
Understand what it takes to put yourself out there and get past the fears and insecurities. [0:20:28.2]
Learn about the golden glove principles for boosting conversion rates on your landing pages. [0:27:19.3]
#TalkStrategyToMe [0:47:24.5]
Sit down and go through the Golden Glove principles: desperate problem, unique promise, overwhelming proof, irresistible offer, and a reason to act now.
Write each one out on a sheet of paper.
Turn on an audio and talk about your offer.
Write about it in your unique voice — NOT like a copywriter, and not salesy.
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Terry Dean
My Marketing Coach
Terry Dean went from delivering pizzas for $8 an hour to creating a full-time income online in 1996. He has been called one of the grandfathers of Internet marketing and was one of the first online marketers to demonstrate the power of email, generating $96,250 from one email to his list in front of a live audience.
In the past 20 years, he has personally helped thousands of clients set-up profitable Internet Lifestyles in hundreds of different markets through both his private and group coaching programs. He helps small business entrepreneurs attract high-quality clients, spot conversion cracks on their websites, and earn a big income even from small email lists. His motto is Earn More, Work Less, and Enjoy Life!
KEY TOPICS
Making $96,000 through email marketing, Pre-planning your email content, Growing your email list, Converting subscribers into buyers, Putting yourself out there, Boosting conversions on your landing page, Discovering your online persona
