POSTS JOHN REESE

POST 1

The Single Biggest Marketing Mistake Online

Page | 1
By John Reese of MarketingSecrets.com

I have been marketing online since 1990. Long before the Web came about. I have been actively marketing
on the Internet as we know it today since 1994.

Yes, I'm an Internet Marketing old geezer.

I have pretty much tried it all and seen it all online when it comes to marketing tactics.

Certainly, there are new strategies and tactics being thought of and tested everyday, and that's why I
continue to buy new ebooks and teaching products from others because you can never know it all -- no
matter how successful you are.

But the single biggest mistake I see online, and have seen for many years, regardless of the strategy being
used, is one simple thing...

POOR TRACKING!

People often ask me...

"John, is there any ONE thing that you can attribute your online success to?"

The answer is simple... TRACKING.

I am a tracking FREAK. I track everything. And I mean EVERYTHING.

As my good friend Jonathan Mizel likes to say...

"As online marketers we are not in the 'marketing' business we are in the MATH BUSINESS."

If you want to know the difference between success and failure online it comes down to one thing.
If you want to know the difference in making 10 dollars online or $10,000, it comes down to one thing.

If you want to know if your hard work is not going to waste, its comes down to one thing.

Page | 2
TRACKING.

I like to joke that the secret to being successful in Internet Marketing is this really complex "formula."

Then I go on to explain this exact formula...

When we do things online, such as our marketing tests, site changes, place ads, buy clicks, do a JV,
whatever, one of TWO things happen EVERY TIME.

Yes, only one of two things happen.

1. THEY MAKE US MONEY 2. THEY LOSE US MONEY

Amazing rocket science isn't it?

The fact of the matter is Internet Marketing is EASY. It's an absolute JOKE to make money when you have
the basic fundamentals down, and that you TRACK your efforts.

The tracking results will tell you what works and what doesn't. Then it's EASY...

YOU KEEP DOING WHAT WORKS AND STOP DOING WHAT DOESN'T!

In order to be extremely successful online you must learn to track everything. You must learn the value of
tracking and get used to doing it.

You make a change to a headline on your site you must track it.

You test a different price you must track it.

You use a different description on your Web Site to get people to opt-in to your list you must track it -- not
just the percentage of people that opted in, but also the QUALITY of the people that opted in. I.e. Are they
buying or taking the necessary ACTION you want for them to take AFTER they have opted in?
Page | 3
The biggest tracking mistake people make is lumping all of their TRAFFIC SOURCES together when trying
to determine their conversion rates.

In other words, when someone is trying to figure out how many people are buying or taking a specific
action when they visit a site, they are taking their total traffic numbers and doing the math based on the
total number of buyers (or whatever the desired action was.)

BZZZZZZ THANKS FOR PLAYING.

Major mistake. Huge. Yet marketers are doing it everyday. And ironically, it's being done by some people
that are making a lot of money!

I know, because many of these people are friends of mine and I've given them a hard time about it. We
laugh about it, but they know it's true and they are working hard to become better "trackers" as I hope you
will too.

(Don't worry I'm almost done with this article and will stop rambling in a moment.)

The problem with not tracking traffic sources (such as individual pay-per-click keywords, link partners,
search engine listings, JV links, affiliate links, etc.) is this...

YOU CANNOT ACCURATELY DETERMINE WHAT IS *WORKING* WHEN YOU TEST.

For example, if you run PPC campaigns for multiple keywords (and if you track them properly) you will
find that some keywords generate great conversion rates and sales.

Others will create sometimes NOTHING.

In fact, many will be losers. I.e. they don't turn a profit. Yet many PPC advertisers will continue to just lump
all their PPC traffic together, and as long as they are making more than they are spending they consider it
a "Victory."
Page | 4
DUMB.

Tracking allows you to MAXIMIZE your efforts. It allows you to SQUEEZE every last penny of profit our of
your marketing.

The other major pitfall with lumping all of your traffic sources together is when you go to make changes --
such as testing prices, or different headlines, or new bonus offers, or another guarantee, or anything else.

If your traffic fluctuates on a given day from a given traffic source (which it WILL) your results will always
be SKEWED.

Your conversion rates for a specific test may in fact be HIGHER for that given day. OH JOY!

But, guess what? If the traffic to your site happened to fluctuate so more of it happened to come that day
from a source that typically converts higher than the rest of your traffic, it's very possible that your "test"
may have...

DECREASED YOUR CONVERSION.

That's right, DECREASED! But you'd never know it because looking at your overall traffic stats "appears"
as if your average daily conversion rate increased.

So what do you end up doing? You KEEP that test because you think it is making you more money.

99.999% of online marketers are making this mistake. And people wonder why it can be difficult to make
money online.

Reason #1: Poor Tracking

We'll touch more on this topic in the near future. I strongly believe it's the single most importance element
of Internet Marketing success.

I know for a fact I would not have made 10% of what I have been blessed to have made from marketing Page | 5
online if I wasn't a tracking freak.

I am going to teach YOU how to become a tracking freak for your business. It's the ONLY thing that
matters when marketing online -- because it tells us what works and what doesn't. There is no guesswork.

-----------------------------------------

John Reese is an Internet Marketing pioneer that has been actively marketing online since 1990. John has
sold millions of dollars worth of products and services online and his network of Web Sites have received
over 1.4 BILLION Web Site visitors since their inception. You can learn more about John, his home study
courses, and subscribe to his free ezine by visiting:

http://www.marketingsecrets.com

(c)2003 MarketingSecrets.com. All rights reserved.

POST 2

DOUBLE Your Profits Now!

Page | 6
By John Reese of MarketingSecrets.com

I just thought I would share a little "wisdom" with you that I learned the "hard" way over the past 12 years of
running online businesses. Hopefully, some of you will be able to benefit right away from what took me
YEARS to figure out and finally DO. It was the major difference in finally finding big success online.

1. Have many Internet projects you are working on? Have many ideas you are developing that you want to
make money with?

YOU'RE IN DEEP DOO-DOO AND YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IT.

One of the hardest lessons I had to learn was that working on several projects at the same time was literally
the KISS OF DEATH for my online ventures. I was under the impression that if I could create TEN little
online ventures that could each make a measily $2,000/month, then when the day came that they were all
online I'd be making $20K/month.

Take it from me, that will NEVER happen.

I once had over 20 projects being developed at the same time. I even had a TEAM of employees at that time
to do it. It still FAILED.

FOCUS. THAT'S THE SECRET TO MAX PROFITS.

Just as you cannot make a million dollars without making just ONE DOLLAR first (there's no other way
around that order) you really can't succeed online unless you work and FOCUS on just ONE PROJECT and
work on it until it's profitable. Then and only then should you work on Project #2.
It's too easy for entrepreneurs like us to surf around the Internet and see opportunity everywhere. It's too
easy to come up with yet another new "plan" to create yet another little venture -- often sidetracking us
from our original project.
Page | 7
So stop working on multiple projects at the sametime -- at least not until you have ONE project making you
enough money that you can sitback and relax and "play around" with a 2nd and 3rd and 4th project. Until
you create just ONE project that is able to support your lifestyle you have no reason to be working on other
projects. YES, many people will disagree with me, but it's a FACT.

The way to succeed online is to FOCUS. It's better to do one thing "great" than to do many things "fair". If
your primary project is just not growing to the size you want it to to support your lifestyle, then you should
probably focus on another project instead. Pick another market. Do some research. Don't be afraid to try
something else.

DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR PROJECTS.

If you give them an honest effort and they prove not to be as profitable as you want, don't be afraid to
DUMP THEM. Online ventures are very inexpensive to start. Don't be afraid to bail out on a failing project
and start another to focus on.

You'll make a lot more money by making one project as best as you possibly can. Instead of spending your
time trying to get another project going, work on GROWING your original project -- go out and get more
affiliates or test more advertising campaigns. THEN work on creating a backend product that compliments
your initial product/service.

MILK YOUR MARKET.

Work on making your original project as big as possible. When you can't do anymore, THEN considering
starting a second project.

2. Make Lists And Prioritize Based On One Thing -- PROFITS.

You should do "brain dumps" often. Pour everything in your head onto paper. Get everything off your
mind. We all get a gazillion ideas everytime we surf around. Don't clog your mind with these ideas, write
them down.
Page | 8
THEN RELAX AND STOP DWELLING ON THEM.

You don't need to let these ideas encompass your thoughts -- they are safe on paper or in a computer file
you've created to note them.

Make a list of "tasks" you need to work on for your business. Write down every conceivable thing you'd like
to accomplish. Then prioritize this list from top to bottom based on what will you make you the most
money or have the biggest impact on your bottom line.

It's funny how we often will spend a lot of time on tasks that don't necessarily bring in new profits for us.
So work on those things that will most directly affect your bottom line FIRST -- then work on the rest of the
list.

Also work with a better PRODUCTIVITY "BALANCE". Plan to work 3-4 hours a day working only on some
tasks on your list. As Internet entrepreneurs it's too easy to surf this site and other sites and
PROCRASTINATE. The Information Age makes it too easy to procrastinate -- because we can NEVER know
everything there is to find online, so we can surf INDEFINITELY.

Kill your web browser for a few hours a day if you don't need it to accomplish the work you need to do. Surf
only when you've accomplished your day's tasks. Same with email. Close your email client if you don't need
it.

(AND HERE COMES A "BIGGIE")

3. STOP TRYING TO COME UP WITH THE NEXT "BIG THING". LET OTHER PEOPLE *SHOW YOU*
WHAT'S MAKING MONEY.
For many years of my life as an entrepreneur I was trying to come up with the next "Big Idea". I was always
trying to innovate. I was always trying to invent something. I finally realized that it's much easier to make
money THE LAZY WAY.
Page | 9
Let other people do all the hard work for you. Let other people figure out what people want to buy. Then
you can DIFFERENTIATE yourself and offer something similar to the same market. No, don't copy off of
people. But create a product that compliments a popular product/service. Not only have you created
something to offer to that same "hot" market, you have also created something that makes for the perfect
JV for that original person that "showed you" the market.

Online, you can find out ANYTHING about any business. Do some research and check out other successful
people online. Notice what kind of ad copy they use. Subscribe to their ezines or autoresponder series. See
what they send you -- realize WHY. Buy your competitors' products. See what they sell you on the backend.
Figure out HOW they are making money.

THEN EMULATE SUCCESS.

Stop trying to do things the HARD WAY. Keep an eye on people that have already figured it out.

OBSERVE ADVERTISING

Check out the keywords for your market. Notice the companies that are bidding for your keywords. Keep
an eye on these listings for at least a couple of weeks. The companies that remain at the top are most likely
MAKING MONEY with that advertising or they wouldn't keep paying for it (unless it's some Fortune 500
company just wasting money). Go to their site and see WHAT they are selling. How much they are selling
their product for. What autoresponder series they might be using. What their offer is. Buy their product.
Figure out their backend.

Do a little RESEARCH and you can find out the exact "blueprint" for success in any market.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...

4. Be proactive.

If you want more subscribers, go get them. If you want to bring more traffic to your site, go find some
partners that can send it to you. If you want more email subscribers, create more ways for people to opt-in Page | 10
and take more advantage of the traffic you already have.

Don't sit back and "hope" your business grows, MAKE IT GROW. No matter what your goals are, you CAN
make them happen if you TAKE ACTION to make it happen.

This is your year to do it. Make it happen.

POST 3

Don't Waste Precious Online Real Estate

Page | 11
By John Reese of MarketingSecrets.com

I'd be willing to bet that right now, right this second, you are wasting precious online real estate.

In other words, you are not taking advantage of every "place" in your online marketing that you could be
using to make you money.

The biggest one many people (including myself) often overlook:

The "Thank You" page.

Do you realize the "Thank You" page (the page you display after someone submits an opt-in form or even
an order form) is some of the most RESPONSIVE real estate on your site?

You should be using your "Thank You" pages to promote some of your other products, other opt-in lists, or
affiliate products.

One of the easiest ways to INSTANTLY make more money is to use an opt-in "Thank You" page to simply
say:

"Thank you for subscribing. You will receive your first issue very soon."

Then under that text you can say, "We Highly Recommend This Product..."

Then you can list information about an affiliate product that is related to your market. This is an easy way
to send traffic to an affiliate link so you can earn some additional income that you didn't already have. I.e.
FREE MONEY. :-)
You can do the same thing for your ORDER FORM "Thank You" pages. Thank the customer for their order
and recommend they check out a related product. In fact, this real estate on your site will be the most
responsive of all for other offers.
Page | 12
After all, that web site visitor just became the most qualified prospect of all -- A PAYING CUSTOMER.

You know, most marketers are AFRAID to send additional offers to their customers. But why?

Well, the thinking is simple...

"I don't want to piss them off by trying to 'pitch' them other products."

We have all thought this way. *I* am guilty of this myself. But you know what? We all need to GET OVER
IT.

Everyone needs to realize something -- people buy MULTIPLE PRODUCTS when they are interested in
something. So why shouldn't *YOU* get paid when they do?

When is the last time you went to the bookstore to buy a book or magazine on an interest that you had and
you left the store with only ONE COPY of something?

That's right, you probably bought more than one on almost every occasion you can think of. Customers are
the same way. So don't be afraid to send offers to your customers.

This is a FACT: the more offers you send to your customers, the more money you will make.

Start displaying related offers on your order form "Thank You" pages and you'll instantly boost your
income.

I did this recently on ONE of my sites and it added an additional $3,500/month in net income. I simply
took an order form "Thank You" page that had only said, "Thank you for your order." (and some other
minor stuff) and added a promotion for a "Recommended" product. This was an affiliate product that I
earned a commission on when my customers visited the link and then made a purchase.
Here's something else for you to understand...

When people are ordering from you, their TRUST and RESPECT for you is at an all-time high. If you
"recommend" another product for them to buy at this time (right after they placed an order with you), not Page | 13
only will they trust your recommendation (by the way, make sure it's a solid product you are
recommending) but they are also still in the "buying mood" and will be more likely to buy something else at
that moment.

After making this minor modification to one of my own "Thank You" pages, I am now making this
additional income day after day. All I did was make use of some precious online real estate that I was
overlooking -- i.e. WASTING.

So take a closer look at your web site and marketing process and find places that you are not effectively
using to promote your other products or affiliate products.

I'd be willing to bet that there's some "unused" online real estate you can go take advantage of right now
that would allow you to INSTANTLY make more money from the same traffic you are already receiving.

So what are you waiting for? Stop reading this email and go put up an offer on that unused space. Yes,
NOW.
POST 4

More Wasted Online Real Estate

Page | 14
By John Reese of MarketingSecrets.com

In a very recent newsletter (two days ago) I wrote to tell you about maximizing the income from your web
sites by making sure you use every available piece of "online real estate".

It's time to tell you about another "place" that you can use right now to make more profit from the traffic
you are already receiving.

Unless you've been living under an Internet Marketing rock, you've integrated email into your marketing.
You have an opt-in list, send emails to your customers, send automated messages -- such as email receipts
when someone orders a product from you, etc.

Email messages that you already send to prospects and customers on a regular basis are GOLDMINES for
producing additional profit.

Here's how...

It's simple. At the top of many of these emails you can simply add a little text "box" that has a small ad
promoting another list, one of your other products, or an affiliate product.

That's right, you can put an AD in many of the emails you already send as a part of your business.

Just create a little box and say, "Today's Sponsor" and create a little ezine-like sponsor ad.

That's all there is to it. You'll INSTANTLY produce more opt-ins for other lists you want to promote, sales of
your other products, or affiliate commissions.

Here are some specific types of emails that you can easily ad this "sponsor ad" to:
- "Thank You" emails. Such as confirmation emails you send to all the people that subscribe to your ezine
or opt-in list.

- Email receipts. If you aren't already sending an email receipt everytime someone orders from you, you Page | 15
need to. This is the perfect place to promote something else.

- "Unsubscribe" emails. Do you send an email to confirm that someone has been unsubscribed after their
request? Why not use that email to hit them with one last offer as they are "on their way out"? :-)

You don't always have to use a blatant "sponsor ad" type of ad. You can also include creative endorsements.
Here's an example...

Let's say you have an ezine about copywriting. In the email you send to new subscribers to confirm their
subscription request you could include something like this...

"Thank you for subscribing to the 'Copywriting Tips' ezine. You will be receiving your next issue very soon.
In the meantime, if you're interested in studying some copywriting techniques, I highly recommend you
grab a copy of Yanik Silver's 'Web Copy Secrets' ."

It's just that easy! This is a very powerful and effective technique especially for ezine subscription
confirmation emails. People subscribe to ezines to learn more about a specific topic. This is the perfect
opportunity to give them some "recommended reading" resources -- i.e. affiliate links. :-)

My good friend, Stephen Pierce, is a fantastic marketer that uses the "Recommended Reading" technique
really well anytime he promotes affiliate products. This technique works just as well in emails as it does on
web pages.

If you don't yet have a copy of Stephen's incredibly popular ebook, "The Whole Truth", you can get your
own copy here: http://www.the-whole-truth.com
POST 5

Highlights Of My First Seminar Presentation

Page | 16
By John Reese of MarketingSecrets.com

I have really enjoyed helping other entrepreneurs, and I will continue to teach people how to succeed online
-- which is why I started MarketingSecrets.com.

Here are a few things that I recently shared in my first ever formal seminar presentation:

1. All of your marketing online must be designed for IDIOTS.

A lot of people laughed when I showed them a slide saying how the "secret" demographic for Internet
Marketing success was that 98% of people online were idiots. But it's the truth.

In order to achive maximum RESULTS you must design your marketing so a complete idiot will know
EXACTLY what you want them to do.

Don't create pages with a bunch of OPTIONS for people to take. Give people 1 or 2 options. Period. The
more options, links, buttons, etc. you give people, the more likely you are to not have prospects take the
desired actions you want them to take.

Internet Marketing success (just like Direct Marketing) is all about one thing -- RESULTS. Nothing else
matters.

So your task is to get your prospects to do what you want them to -- click a certain link, download a
particular file, or get them to submit a form -- like an optin form, or an order form, or a survey.

But in order to get the MAXIMUM number of prospects to take that "call to action" that you want them to
take, you must make it BRAIN DEAD SIMPLE. If you do, you'll get more people opt-ing in. And, oh yeah,
you'll also get more orders.
Now I know what you're thinking...

"John, this is common sense."

Page | 17
Yes, it is. But you know what? 99% of marketers online are currently using marketing that's too
complicated.

They are also trying to use too much GUESSWORK to run their businesses. Which leads me to something
else I shared...

2. The *Real* Internet Profit Formula is this:

Part 1: YES or NO Part 2: MORE or LESS

That's it. Game. Set. Match. That's the entire formula for Internet Marketing success.

I know you probably want to be told it's some other "magical" formula that's more complicated, but it's not.
That's *THE* actual formula to make as much money online as you want.

Here's how it works...

Every "call to action" you want a prospect to take (such as clicking a link, downloading a file, or submitting
a form) must be tracked. The result of that tracking everytime will be YES or NO. "X" number of people did
take that call to action, and the rest did not.

If you take the total number of unique "YES" calls to action, and you divide them by the total number of
unique visitors to the web page where the call to action was you get a CONVERSION RATIO.

For example, if 100 people visit a web page where you have an opt-in form, and 10 people opt-in, your
"conversion ratio" for that opt-in form is 10% (10/100).

Got it?

Then here's Part 2 of the process...

Now you create a slightly modified version of the web page where that opt-in form is (maybe you giveaway
a different bonus if people opt-in, or call your ezine something else as a test, or use different colors on the
page, etc.) and you run a SPLIT-TEST.
Page | 18
A split-test is simply where you will take your web site traffic and equally distribute them to two different
web pages -- like the two opt-in pages, in this example. One is your original page, the second is the slightly
modified version. It's basically like sending "every other" visitor to the other page. (I'll explain HOW to do
all of this in a moment.)

You will track the results on each of these pages separately. When the results are in, and you calculate the
"conversion ratio" for each, you will have a WINNER.

One of the pages will create MORE results ("YES"s) and the other page will create LESS.

You simply now start using the page that created MORE and you'll want to now test another version in a
split-test against that version. You want to constantly try to improve upon your results.

The more you improve, the more money you make. It's just that simple.

I will teach you about some other testing methods in the near future, but for now you should have at least a
basic grasp on why it's so important.

Ok, so HOW do you implement this?

Well, to be perfectly honest with you, there isn't a 100% "perfect" service that I can "highly" recommend you
use -- because the existing ones have some problems that keep them from being 100% accurate.

But for now, using "something" is better than nothing. I recommend checking out "Clickalyzer" at:
http://www.clickalyzer.com
You can use this service to start tracking the results of calls to action. You simply paste a little bit of code on
the page where the call to action is, and then some other code on the "thank you" page of that call to action
(or whatever page you serve next to people after they take the action).
Page | 19
This code simply creates a hidden "counter" that you can then take those numbers and do the math on to
figure out your conversion ratios -- as I described above.

I'm not sure if Clickalyzer will allow you to run split tests or not -- I haven't used their service in ages. It
didn't when I had tried it.

If that's the case, you should check out Marty Foley's "Split Test Gold" script at:
http://profitinfo.com/catalog/v4/

Marty is a great marketer. I have known Marty for years. He has some other great stuff you might want to
check out on his main site: http://www.profitinfo.com

I, personally, use my own proprietary technology (that I had programmed for my own use) to do my testing
and tracking. What I use is quite a bit more powerful than what's currently available for marketers to use.

However, I *will* be allowing others to use my testing and tracking "system" very soon! I've had many of my
Internet marketing friends BEG ME to come out with a service with it, so I am *finally* going to do it.

I will be launching this new service very soon. It will allow you to EASILY track, test, and improve on all of
your marketing results automatically.

I will email you as soon as it's ready to go.

I honestly believe that "Testing and Tracking" is 90% of the equation for making money online. I can't
stress how important it is.

And on another note about testing and tracking, here's a BOMBSHELL I dropped during my
presentation...
3. Header graphics almost always HURT conversion rates!

This was a big shocker to the crowd.

Page | 20
I discovered this myself after testing some different things. (I test stuff like mad.)

I finally decided to run a true split test with one of my sites to see how a version WITHOUT the header
graphic would do against the original version. Almost all marketers online are using pretty header
graphics across the top of their direct marketing "mini sites" -- myself included! I just "assumed" someone
had originally TESTED it and found it to produce more sales than just having a sales letter with no
graphic.

I was wrong -- and so are thousands of other people that are using header graphics on their sites right now.

RESULT: The version without the header graphic produced 37% MORE SALES!

Yes, 37% more sales. That's a HUGE difference. In fact, I was kicking myself for not having tested this
before. I can't imagine (I don't want to think about it) how much money I lost because I had a site designed
like other people's mini sites.

But maybe this was a FLUKE? Maybe this was just the case with *MY* site. Maybe my header graphic was
too ugly, or too distracting, or the filesize was too big? Maybe it only made a difference in MY case.

So I picked up the phone and gave my close friend Stephen Pierce a call. I ask Stephen to do me a favor and
run a test for about a week -- I knew that he was getting tons of traffic to his "Whole Truth" site everyday
and would be able to get conclusive results of a test very quickly.

Stephen agreed and began running a test of the same version of his site but without a header graphic.

RESULT: The version without the header graphic produced 50% MORE SALES!

50 PERCENT!
Do you think Stephen was HAPPY about this? :-)

This one simple change is going to produce THOUSANDS of dollars in sales (each month) that he would
not have been making. Page | 21

You can see his current site at: http://www.the-whole-truth.com

This is the POWER of testing and tracking.

BUT I STILL WASN'T TOTALLY CONVINCED...

I still wasn't 100% sure that the "No Header" test was conclusive. I wanted MORE PROOF.

So I called my buddy Armand Morin on the phone. As you may know, Armand actually sells a popular
product called, "Header Generator"! This great product produces beautiful graphic headers for people to
use on their sites.

As you can imagine, Armand wasn't totally excited to hear the news I shared with him about my test and
Stephen's test. But you know what? Armand's response was the same response of any great marketer...

"I need to test it right now!"

Even Armand understands that it's not about ego and that it's all about RESULTS. He just wants to use
whatever will make him the most money!

So Armand ran a split-test with a header version against a no header version. He had just released a new
product, "FlashPal Generator" (www.flashpalgenerator.com) and decided to test it on this site.

RESULT: The version without the header graphic produced...

Are you ready for this?

400% MORE SALES.

Yep, FOUR HUNDRED PERCENT!

Now, this "No Header" vs. "Header" design issue may not be the same for all sites. There might be some
sites that look more professional with a header and that allows them to sell more than maybe a version Page | 22
without a graphic header. Our tests consistently showed the version with no header graphic produced
more sales, but as with anything TEST IT YOURSELF and go by YOUR RESULTS.

Don't just take my word for it. Test it and see what works best with your site. It's just possible that your site
may sell better WITH a graphic header.

The "reason" behind why the no header version outproduces the header version is probably because the
HEADLINE (showing the primary BENEFITS) is pushed farther down on the page and people may not
even get a chance to read it before they decided to leave.

Some people will only spend 10 seconds on your site before leaving and if they see that header first, that
may be all they check out before making the decision to leave.

If people read the headline and get sucked into the copy, they are more likely to continue reading the sales
letter -- and thus more likely to BUY.

You know, there's a reason that sales letters that sold MILLIONS of dollars worth or products and services
for YEARS in direct mail didn't have a big graphic "strip" across the top like a graphic header. I'm sure
with the millions of sales letters that were tested someone tried it and it didn't work as well.

There's a lot we can learn from Direct Marketing masters. Even, though, the Internet is INTERACTIVE,
many of the 50 year old + techniques still work today online.
POST 6

Great! So Now Your Web Site *Sounds* Like Crap

Page | 23
By John Reese of MarketingSecrets.com

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've noticed that Armand Morin's AudioGenerator service is
taking the industry by storm.

It's not just because it allows you to add audio to your web pages. Heck, there are some much cheaper ways
to do that. It's because he's made it brain-dead-simple to do it. You call a phone number, record your
message, and get code you paste to your site.

Whamo! You've got audio on your site.

For people that don't want to mess with all the techie stuff involved with adding audio to web pages, his
service has made it really simple...

http://www.marketingsecrets.com/audio.html

BUT THERE'S A MAJOR PROBLEM NOW...

Everyone is rushing to add audio to their sites. They are recording all kinds of little messages that their web
site visitors can listen to. I've seen some crazy stuff already.

But here's a REALITY CHECK.

Most of it sucks.

Not many people have taken the time to THINK about the audio they are going to put on their sites. People
think you can just put any audio on the site and it will instantly increase sales.

Umm... no.
Audio CAN be very powerful for your marketing. It CAN increase your sales.

But it can also HURT your business if used incorrectly. That's right, it can LOSE you business.

Page | 24
Don't just think because you add audio to your site that you will start making more money. Unfortunately,
it doesn't work that way.

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

If you add ANY audio to your site, you need to split-test the old version of your site and the new version
with the audio (regardless of what the first version of your audio script sounds like.)

Unless you split-test your site you won't know which version pulls better. You won't be able to tell if the
audio version FLOPPED. And believe me, I know for a fact that some sites that have added audio are
probably producing MUCH WORSE since they added it.

So the first thing to keep in mind is you need to split-test this just like ANY other change you'd make to
your marketing.

The results will tell you if it improved your marketing or made it worse. That's the beauty of direct
marketing. The results speak for themselves. It's all about Yes or No -- the "Maybe's" don't pay the rent.

CAREFULLY SCRIPT AND PLAN YOUR AUDIO *BEFORE* YOU RECORD IT.

Before you go to record that audio file that you will add to your site, you need to take some time and think
about what you are going to say.

Your audio should contain BENEFITS of whatever it is you are marketing. The same rules apply with
copywriting.

Ideally, your audio should contain something that the rest of your copy doesn't. Certainly, you can restate
some of the same benefits and points in your copy, but ideally if you add some additional info it will make
it worth the prospect's time to listen to it.
TEST. TEST. TEST.

And just like everything else, test until it hurts. Test different audio recordings. See how your prospects
react for each one. See which ones have a more positive effect on your sales. Page | 25

I hope to write more about the use of audio in your marketing in a future newsletter. There are many
techniques I have discovered that are very powerful. Stay tuned.
POST 7

How *Crap* Can Dramatically Boost Your Profits!

Page | 26
By John Reese of MarketingSecrets.com

You're about to discover something that I honestly believe can CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

This is a concept that drives my marketing. This concept continues to make me a small fortune. Today I
want to share this concept with you.

"Crap can make you rich."

Don't laugh. Let me explain.

The beautiful thing about marketing online is that we can achieve RESULTS for anything LIGHTNING
FAST.

We can put up some Google AdWords, drive some traffic, and starting getting results in a matter of
MINUTES.

I can essentially write a sales letter, include an opt-in form, and create a little infoproduct to sell, all in less
than ONE HOUR and have it getting results.

Okay, so the product may completely STINK. i.e. it's CRAP. The sales letter may be nothing but CRAP too.
And even if someone DOES order, they'll be getting that product which is CRAP and most likely will
request a refund. Heck, after all, I only spent an hour on the entire thing.

But none of that matters. The GOLD is not in the crap itself, the gold is in the RESULTS.

Everything in marketing has a "Cause and Effect" -- everything.

If you put up the WORST CRAP EVER right now on a web site, something WILL happen. And those results
are what eventually drives a few hundred dollars a month in profit, and eventually produces several
thousand dollars a month, and can eventually create a small fortune.
Page | 27
Okay, so maybe your conversion rate will initially be 1 out of 1,000. That's okay. With enough data that 1 out
of 1,000 will become a solid average and that site will CONSISTENTLY produce 1 sale out of 1,000 visitors.

Hey, welcome to a CRAP conversion rate. :-)

Hehe, but seriously...

The point is this. There is tremendous value in a 1 out of 1,000 visitor conversion rate -- no matter what the
price of the product is. No matter what the offer is. Why? Because it's GUARANTEED that you can
IMPROVE upon it. You can make it better. You CAN get MORE people to buy.

All you have to do is improve your marketing. Test small changes. Try a few little tweaks. Improve it little by
little.

Get better and better RESULTS.

Here is something I want you to engrave deep into your brain...

You will NEVER, that's right, NEVER, launch a site or any marketing that will be even 10% of "perfect".
You're never going to launch a site that starts pulling a 10% conversion ratio, let alone 100%.

(And before you email me and tell me that a site you launched pulled a 10%+ conversion rate, I'm not
talking about the results of a strong endorsement someone did for you. I'm talking about an AVERAGE
conversion rate from ALL the traffic sources you point at your site.)

So why are you spending SO MUCH TIME to get that latest project launched? What the heck are you
waiting for?
Know this... everyday that goes by without you launching your latest project is a day that you could be
using to test and IMPROVE upon what that project produces.

Yes, that means make you more money. Page | 28

Your project will never be perfect. You could have always made it better. You could have always done this or
done that.

WRITE THIS DOWN...

"The biggest piece of crap ever created and launched online makes more money than an almost-perfect
project that was never launched."

Is my point getting through to you?

The biggest mistake we entrepreneurs make is trying to make our little projects PERFECT before we are
willing to launch them and see what they will do.

This can be the "kiss of death" for our businesses. Because until we launch projects we don't get any
RESULTS.

What you need to realize is that RESULTS are the biggest ASSET to your online business. Even the CRAPPY
RESULTS.

Because the results are what tells us what is working and what isn't. And believe me, I've probably made
MORE MONEY from the results I discovered about things that weren't working, so don't just think it's all
about what works.

So learn to produce projects on an ACCELERATED launch schedule. Just get the sucker to the quickest
version that will allow you to launch it and start getting ANY results at all. Then spend your time
IMPROVING on the results.
Let's face it. Many of our projects FLOP. It just happens. People just won't buy enough of something to
make it profitable. So we must move on and work on another project. Get it out there and see if that one
starts making money. Repeating the process again and again.
Page | 29
But think about what I just said and realize something. If you KNOW the reality that many of your projects
will fail, why the heck are you taking so long to find out?

It's probably the same reason *I've* often delayed things... FEAR.

I'm AFRAID to see my "baby", my special project, fail. But since we've already come to realize that the
reality of business is that some projects WILL FAIL, we just need to GET OVER IT.

Put that CRAP together and launch it! Unpolished. Unperfected. Ugly. Yes, I say let the crap fly! (no, not
that crap.)

So get your projects launched absolutely, without a doubt, as quickly as possible. Get SOME results. Any
results. THEN work on improving whatever those results are to increase your profits.

If you are planning on doing JVs with people for your new product, or rolling out an affiliate program for
it, the "JOHN REESE CRAP METHOD" (as I will call it) still definitely works.

Here's how you use it...

You put together your web site and product as quickly as possible. Go jump on Google and buy some
AdWords traffic to point at the site. Start tracking the results -- no matter what they are. Make changes
and TEST them. Continuously work to improve the results of the site.

When you're able to get the site to a satisfactory conversion level, then and only then proceed with putting
together JV deals and really rolling out the product.

You know, the biggest kiss of death for an online marketer can be to launch a product with JV partners
WITHOUT having first tested and improved a site's conversion. Do you think your JV partners are going to
promote your next project if the initial one completely FLOPS and doesn't make them any money?
Absolutely not.

SO USE THE "JOHN REESE CRAP METHOD" AND PROFIT! Page | 30

1. Create and launch crap. 2. Test that crap. 3. Improve that crap. 4. Make money with crap that eventually
becomes non-crap.

Seriously. Don't laugh. This process works. Again and again. It has made me rich.

Learn it. Live it. Love it. Let crap make YOU rich.
POST 8

The 'Game' Is Changing, Are You?

Page | 31
By John Reese of MarketingSecrets.com

It's happening. Again.

The Internet marketing 'game' is rapidly changing... again.

Email marketing is under attack like never before...

Pending legislation. Spam filters. Email overload.

Internet users' inboxes are full. They are loaded with junk and they are tired of the hassle. Opt-in rates are
on the decline -- and they will continue to fall.

So the cries are coming from many Internet marketing circles...

"Email marketing is dying -- it's only a matter of time."

That's right. Many people see Email marketing dying completely. Many marketers are already positioning
themselves to do business without it.

Why are they preparing to do without it? Because it's just going to be too much of a hassle to get people to
opt-in. And if that's not enough, it's going to be such a hassle to get around spam laws, filters, and other
nuisances.

Well...

Do you want to know what *I'm* planning on doing?

I'M PREPARING TO MAKE MORE MONEY THAN EVER FROM EMAIL MARKETING.

That's right. I'm planning to make more money than I already do with Email marketing.
(And I have some single lists that are generating 6-figures a year in profit -- automatically. And that's just
their affiliate income; it has nothing do with my product sales.)

As more and more marketers RUN AND HIDE from Email marketing, I am positioning myself to CASH IN Page | 32
like never before...

And I'm suggesting you do the same.

But first, where are many marketers running "TO"?

As an alternative to Email marketing, many of them are running to start BLOGS.

If you haven't heard of it yet, "blogging" is basically like keeping an interactive diary on a web site. It's
another way to publish information on the Internet.

Blogs ARE a good marketing vehicle. In fact, there are many people that are profiting quite nicely by
running a blog.

My friend, Jason Cain, is one of these people. Jason is a diehard "blogger" and he has a fantastic marketing-
related blog at:

http://www.goldblogger.com

You should check it out. He writes a lot of great stuff and it's fun to read the "comments" that some of the
readers post on the blog's site.

Jason also has a great course that teaches people how to profit from running a blog, and you can check that
out at:

http://www.goldblogging.com

But let's get something straight! Blogs are *NOT* going to replace Email marketing. It's not gonna happen.
I do think blogs ARE a great publishing tool for increased exposure and can improve someone's marketing,
but Email marketing still has many major advantages.

Without going into a long tirade about why Email marketing is the ultimate marketing tool, I'll just put it Page | 33
like this...

If your marketing message can be delivered to the same place that a personal note from Grandma is, it's
more effective than any alternative. I'll just leave it at that.

So again, blogs aren't going to replace Email marketing, but they are a great *additional* marketing tool to
use. Heck, I'll probably end up with a little blog for MarketingSecrets.com sometime soon. Anything that
brings you more exposure (i.e. more prospects) is a "good" thing.

But back to Email marketing...

As it becomes harder and harder to use Email marketing it represents a fantastic opportunity for
marketers willing to put in the extra WORK.

Gee, what a novel approach. The more WORK you do, the more money you make.

If you haven't figured it out yet, the people making the big bucks online are some of the hardest working
folks around.

That "work" usually translates into DIFFERENTIATION. Being different from other marketers and
competitors to separate themselves from all the "noise" online.

But most people aren't willing to do the extra work, and so those that are end up making more money as a
result.

Email marketing is going to be the exact same way.

Aside from having to comply with legislation (i.e. most likely using double opt-in methods and keeping
detailed records of all subscriptions) and getting around spam filters, the biggest challenge will be getting
the opt-in.
Page | 34
Opt-in rates have been on a steady decline and it's no surprise as to why. People are just overloaded with
email. In order to get someone to opt-in to YOUR list, it's going to come down to the OFFER -- the
backbone of selling.

The Opt-in itself has evolved a lot in the past 14 years that I've been marketing online. You used to be able
to put up a simple form that just said, "Get my newsletter" with no other description and people would opt-
in by the truckload.

It's not that easy anymore -- and it's only going to get worse.

So how do you adapt? It's easy...

SELL THE OPT-IN.

Now I don't mean "sell" as in charge money for it. I mean "sell" in relation to salesmanship and marketing.
You need to make your opt-in a compelling OFFER.

It's going to become so hard to get people to freely opt-in to your list or autoresponder course that you will
really have to WORK to get them to do it.

But before I go any further, I will say this. THE WORK WILL REALLY PAY OFF. Mark my words.
Marketers that ARE able to successfully continue using Email marketing will CLEAN UP in the near future
and beyond.

(Because most marketers will stop using Email marketing because of all the work involved.)

So What's The Best Way To Get An Opt-In?

It's simple. It's called a SALES LETTER.

And, YES, I'm being serious.

Now, this sales letter doesn't have to be very long, but all the powerful elements of a typical sales letter need
to be there: Page | 35

1. A compelling benefit-driven headline. 2. Some descriptive text. 3. Intriguing bullets. 4. Testimonials. 5. An

implied value. 6. A "bribe" or gift for taking the call to action. (Opting in.)

Now all of this seems like a lot of work. And it is, initially. But once you create this page it will work by itself.

Again and again and again.

This page only has to be a couple scrollable pages in length. You can create a very short version of this that
will be very effective.

So you will have a benefit-drive headline that is related to WHAT THE HECK THEY WILL GET OUT OF
joining your list.

Then you will briefly describe why they should get it and also use several bullets to illustrate this.

You should use a few testimonials from other happy subscribers.

You need to give it an implied value. You can do this by saying, "This course is a $97 value."

Then the most important part of all -- A BRIBE. Offer a free bonus gift if they opt-in right now.

You might be reading this thinking I'm off my rocker. I can assure you, I'm not. In fact, I've been using this
exact opt-in model with several of my projects (non-marketing related) for nearly two years now. This *IS*
the future of the opt-in. Mark my words.

And here's some else...

You'll also find, like I have, that the more 'effort' it takes your prospect to opt-in (such as reading a little
sales letter) the more RESPONSIVE they will be to offers from you. It's a FACT and I have several years of
data to back it up. But the reason for this is simple -- they are more qualified by the time they join your list.
Page | 36
Here's How You Should Be Positioning Your Marketing...

Right now you are probably using pop-up or pop-over boxes to capture opt-ins -- whether on entry or on
exit. You might also be using a little opt-in form mixed in with content on some of your web pages.
CONTINUE to use them to collect opt-ins. Keep using them until the opt-in rate drops so badly that it isn't
worth wasting that precious online real estate on your site.

But while you continue using these methods, and looking into the future, you NEED to also setup a
SEPARATE PAGE for each opt-in list you're building using the "mini sales letter" model I have described
above.

On all your opt-in boxes that you are currently using you can have links such as "Click here to learn
more..." or "Click here to learn how to get a $197 gift today..." etc. etc. And those links will go to this new
sales letter opt-in page -- because that page WILL "close" (i.e.get them to opt-in) some people that would
not have joined from the small opt-in form you are currently using.

Here's another tip. Register a domain name specifically for your list. When you send messages to your list,
your "From" address, unsub URLs, and everything else mentioned in those emails will promote this
domain name. If a subscriber ever wonders what list they are on or why, they can always go to that domain
name. And what will they find when they get there? The mini sales letter that sold them the opt-in. This
will reinforce their decision to KEEP their subscription.

So don't run and hide from all the Email marketing challenges that are appearing. EMBRACE THEM AND
PROFIT.
POST 9

Climbing Mount Profit (Starting From The Top)

Page | 37
By John Reese of MarketingSecrets.com

I have been an entrepreneur for most of my life. I started my journey as an entrepreneur at age 11.
Ironically, it was running a BBS (bulletin board system) with a computer, a 300 baud modem, and a phone
line in 1981.

(BBSs essentially became the Internet that we know today.)

It would take me nearly 15 long years of being an entrepreneur before I would really make much money.
And by that I mean more than $6,500 in a single YEAR which didn't happen until almost 15 years later.

I have made every mistake in the book and invented several new ones when it comes to being an
entrepreneur.

I was in nearly $100,000 of debt by age 22 -- mainly from trying every business possible.

I practically ruined my health by age 25 and it almost killed me.

(I ended up in the emergency room with a body that was so overworked and stressed that it was trying to
shutdown.)

BUT... I eventually turned things around. Through hard work, faith, and perseverance. But I won't kid you,
it wasn't easy.

I did finally start to make a good income. I was finally able to get out of that mountain of debt. And then
the best thing of all happened -- I was able to learn how to GROW my business.

I was eventually able to make more money in a single month than the entire amount of debt that I had
racked up by age 22.
But I was only able to start having success when I learned to grasp a powerful concept that I am about to
teach you. I honestly believe that this one concept can change your life, because it changed mine.

No matter what stage you are at with your business, whether you are just getting started and dream of Page | 38
leaving your real job, or whether you are already making good money online, I have an absolutely critical
question to ask you...

WHAT THE HECK DO YOU WANT?

Reread that question. Then reread it again. Take your time.

I ask you, "What the heck do you want?"

Since we're talking primarily about business, I am relating this question to HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU
WANT?

Seriously, how much?

When people used to ask me this question, I used to have a simple answer... "Millions!"

And even, though, that honestly WAS what I wanted, that wasn't the "right" answer.

The right answer is something SPECIFIC. It doesn't matter how big the amount is, it matters how specific
the figure is. In other words, $5,000,000 if that's what I really wanted.

But that first "big" figure should be more of your "ultimate dream" and not what you will settle for to be
happy and live the lifestyle you'd be perfectly happy with. Take it from me, when I ended up making a lot of
money, I quickly realized I didn't need anywhere close to a large amount to basically do and buy anything I
wanted.

So you need to also answer this question...

HOW MUCH WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY?

And don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to tell you to abandon your dreams of some huge amount of
money. You can still grow your business and work towards that, and it certainly can still happen. That's
not what this is about. This is about something much more powerful.
Page | 39
So you need to decide on a figure that will make you happy. Such as an annual income that will allow you
to live the life you want without having a real job if you still have a job. Or that next level of lifestyle if you
already work for yourself.

Whatever it is you really want, you need to be SPECIFIC about that dollar amount. For me, when I was in
debt up to my nostrils, I eventually set that want at $40,000/year for income. I figured if I could just earn
$40,000/year I could live a modest life, not be overly depressed about money, and "eventually" pay off my
debt.

Setting that goal for me changed my life. Within less than 90 days of setting that realistic and achievable
goal, I accomplished it.

Now how on earth did that happen when I spent YEARS trying to make money and was going literally
nowhere?

It's simple.

I learned to climb what I call "Mount Profit" starting from the top.

I wrote down $40,000. I then worked the numbers BACKWARDS to figure out how much I would have to
earn per month and then per day in order to achieve that figure. Then I figured out how much my product
would have to cost and how many people I would have to sell it to. (Or whatever my business model was.)

It was EASY. It was very simple MATH. There was no more guesswork. There were no more mysteries. I
knew exactly what I had to do to get what I WANTED. So I got to work and got it. And it happened very
quickly because I had FOCUS on what I had to do.
I believe the #1 problem that entrepreneurs have is that they have no FOCUS on what they really WANT.
They simply think, "I want to make a lot of money."

Well, I've got news for you, if you think that way, you're DOOMED and you might not even realize it yet. Page | 40
NO ONE just goes out and makes some mysterious amount of money from their efforts.

And no one makes a million without making one dollar first. Write that down.

In order to accomplish whatever amount it is that you want, you must have a specific dollar figure in mind.
You must then work the "math" and process backwards to create a plan to accomplish that goal.

You must work that process back to the smallest incremental action step of your path to achieve what you
want.

Have you ever heard...

"The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."

Well, business is the same way. The journey to a million dollars, or even $100,000/year, must begin with a
single dollar.

In order to accomplish that single dollar, you must put a 'system' in place to earn that dollar. But if I told
you all you had to do is earn one dollar to be incredibly rich, you'd quickly and easily figure out how to do
it.

Do you realize that if you can figure out how to make $1 of profit that you are 90% of the way to making
$100,000/year and beyond? All you have to do is REPEAT the process of what it took to make that $1 of
profit. It's called scalability.

Did you know that Mount Everest is exactly 29,035 feet high?

Well, you might not know that, but I can guarantee you that anyone that attempts to climb Mount Everest
knows that. And they know that before they take one tiny step up the mountain.
That 29,035 feet must be the dollar amount that you want to earn. You must have a very SPECIFIC amount
in mind for the next financial goal you wish to accomplish. And set that goal as a realistic figure so it is
easily reached. You can always revise your goals as you go. That's why I stated earlier that the ultimate
Page | 41
lifestyle you want is a lot cheaper than you realize.

So stop falling into the trap that you are just "working as hard as you can" and however much money you
make will be the result.

I am trying to tell you... THAT'S THE KISS OF DEATH.

That's the best way to keep from making money, if any.

You need to learn to THINK of everything you want backwards. Reverse engineer what you want. Visualize
what you want and "see" what the path is to get back to where you are now.

Then start walking down the path towards what you want. And do it one small step at a time. Because the
only way to get from here to there is many small steps. There is no other way, so why waste your time doing
anything else.

With Internet Marketing, it at all starts with one Web Site visitor. Then one opt-in subscriber. Then finally
one order. Not 100 orders, not 10,000 subscribers, not 1,000,000 visitors. ONE of each.

So stop making all of this HARDER than it really is. Start getting ONE MORE of each of everything you
want and then SCALE that to achieve your SPECIFIC goals.

You CAN climb your "Mount Profit" no matter how high it is for you. But remember to plan your climb by
knowing EXACTLY how high that mountain is before you start your climb. You stand a much better
chance of reaching the top if you aren't just climbing in the dark.