Last week I recorded a CD entitled, “Everything
in Life is a Mental Picture.”
It may be a tough concept to swallow – at first –
until you think about it.
Take “wealth” – for example.
Can you bring it to me. Can you put it in my hand.
How about debt.
Same answer.
Both wealth and debt are nothing but mental images –
yet people react to them as if they are very real.
When some people picture wealth they are happy and
filled with energy. Others feel jealous and resentful.
When many people picture debt, they get uptight, angry,
depressed – and usually stop breathing.
But not everyone is that way. I remember a conversation I
had with one of my MasterMind members, Kevin, a few
years back.
“I’m $55,000.00 in debt,” he cried.
“Sooooo.” I replied.
My reply shook him from head to toe. How could I be so
heartless. How could I hear about someone’s debt and
only have a one-word reply.
Well, in contrast, if I was talking to you and you said you
were worth a hundred millyun smackeroos, I’d probably
say nothing more than, “Oh yeah.”
That would be it.
Why the terse responses. Because how much you have – or
how much you think you’re buried under – is nothing
compared to the images in your mind. And when I’m
talking to someone I’m observing the “person” just as
much as the words coming out of his mouth. I’m taking
note of the feeling I get from the person when he or she
says something.
The feeling tells me MORE than the word – because everyone
has different meanings – or different mental pictures for the
same word.
And so it is with words like “muney, marketing and selling.”
Start a conversation today involving these words and you’ll
quickly attrct and/or repel others.
It’s a funny thing to observe. So many people say with their
mouths that they want more muney – but the feeling they
have about it is negative. So how can they attract it.
Same goes with selling or marketing. How you react to these
two words says much about you.
A couple years ago when I gave a talk to a group of 300
copywriters, I told them that they were “salespeople.”
Oh, the shudders that went through the audience.
This told me they had the idea that they aren’t salespeople,
that they’re creative people – or that they’re artistes, or
some such thing.
When I think of selling I do not think that you cannot be
creative or artistic. All three go hand in hand. But many
people cannot join all three mental pictures in their
heads. And so it goes – plenty of starving artistes out
there. Those would be artists who don’t know how to
sell or market – or who are naive enough to think that
stuff “sells itself.”
Since when.
I had a ceramic artist for a girl friend back in the late 1980’s.
First time I took a look at her studio I asked her what she was
doing to increase her sales. She said, “I believe that art sells
itself.”
I accompanied her to an art show. No one was buying – but a
lot of people were looking. One 40ish lady was fondly gazing
at a piece hanging on the wall. I was clearing my throat loudly
to signal my girl friend to get off her duff and make the sale.
She walked over to the lady and said, “Do you have any questions.”
The lady recoiled, said no and walked out.
She was put on the defensive. Can’t blame her. Twas a terrible
thing to ask a prospective customer.
For whatever reason, though, five minutes later she returned.
Once again, she was looking at the same piece. Even though I
didn’t work for my girl friend, I felt compelled to help her make
a sale. So I slowly walked over to where the woman was standing.
I looked at the piece and admired it along with her. Then I said,
“That sure is a nice piece, isn’t it.”
“Yessss.” she gushed.
“Tell me, what do you like most about it.”
“I’m just thinking about how it would look in my bedroom.”
I walked closer to the piece, lifted it off the rack and said, “Let
me get it wrapped up for you.”
As I did this she pulled out her credit card and handed it to me.
El girl friend was in shocko.
Now, what I have just described was not “selling” in the negative
sense of the mental picture so many people have in mind. It was
not high pressure. It was engaging and fun for BOTH of us. I
HELPED the prospect make the decision she wanted to make but
was afraid of making.
I also understood “art doesn’t sell itself” – and that selling is
an art form.
The best salespeople are NOT pushy. They operate in what
Dr. Maltz called a Zero Resistance environment. They do
everything they can to remove resistance. Walking up to a
prospect and saying, “May I help you” or “Do you have any
questions” creates resistance because prospects don’t want
to admit they’re looking to buy something or that they need
help.
On the Internet the same concepts apply, albeit in a different
way. In order to succeed online you must be the salesperson
who is helping people make decisions they deep down WANT
to make.
You set up systems that remove resistance. You do things that
gain the trust and rapport of those who visit your website or
look at your offerings.
And then, once that trust is established, you let the prospect
know you have something that can and will improve his
life.
That’s what I do each day with my emails. I give you something
of value. Something that inspires you or gives you fuel for your
day. And while you’re thinking about – possibly even raving about
what I wrote – there’s a gentle prod going on inside your sub-
conscious mind leading you closer and closer to making a
buying decision.
Then one day you get a message that strikes a chord deep inside
your soul – and you say, “Okay, you got me.”
And when that happens, it’s a great moment for both of us.
Now let me ask you, what room or shelf in your mind would you
like to store my knowledge and experience about making a fortune
on the Internet.
If there’s still room on one of your walls – if you still have the hunger
and inner urging to live a better life – then come see me in Tampa
this October.
We’re down to less than 10 seats left. Would love to see your pen
moving on a pad, writing ideas like crazy – like all my other students.
You can go to http://www.knockoutmarketing.com to register.
Best,
Matthew Furey
P.S. By the way, if you want that CD I talked about, the one entitled,
“Everything in Life is a Mental Picture” – then stay tuned. I’ll tell you
how you can get it in a day or two.