Got this email last week from Jay Harper of Red Apple Lipstick. How many marketing insights can you glean from his bathtub story? The three best answers win a free copy of Niche Celebrity GOLD which is worth $299:
I just finally finished your celebrity niche book.
I finished it it in my bathtub at 4:30 in the afternoon, thanks to you.
I know you get a thousand emails but how many of them for a naked guy in his bathtub, seriously hoping he doesn’t drop his iPad??.
Oh and juggling a beer.
I wanted to tell you about a silly little success today. Your book talks a lot about osmosis, and I agree. Watching carefully is more powerful than note taking.
Well it’s been a year and some change since I stated red apple right? Because I paid attention to you, I have a list of about 6000 ladies. Most of them love me, but some hate me, but they love to email me and tell me how much they hate me, and I love that.
I moved the list over to infusion soft, I then promptly misprinted 720 glosses that cost me almost nothing to make. Easy way to test a lower price point right?
Well THIS time, I made them preregister to get a good deal on my “screwup” Of my list, 350 or so registered and I tagged them in infusion. I didn’t even show them a photo of the items.
I lined the thing today, everyone’s off of work and its payday, and I cranked out a heavy monthly newsletter shortly followed by a private mail to the 350 that had raised their hand on the glosses.
40% off right? And man, PayPal blew up. I moved almost every gloss in 3 hours… To ONLY 350 ladies!!! We’re not talking Facebook, twitter, nuttin, just a quick mail to 350.
The discount was steep, but the play was simple. My wife and I stood here astounded as a steady 4 grand rolled in, over the span of 3 hours (after expenses) … Thats 1.5 what she made at her J O B, Talk about 955.
Another couple k rolled In through the afternoon.
Is 4k a huge deal? Well it is and it isn’t, isn’t it? It fully demonstrates the power of a community, and it demonstrates the 80/20 rule, and it validates writing with balls. What if my big list was 80000?
But if it weren’t for you… I would be clueless to all of this, and in a lot of areas, I still am.
Loved the book, and while writing this, another 300 – scratch that – 400 – scratch , i keep editing , 475 bucks came in, and I just wanted to say thanks.
From my jacuzzi,
Jay Harper
Sent from my iPad
Then, 3 days later he sent me this:
Final count, $10,895.54
Do you notice how DIFFERENT Jay’s approach to selling lipstick is, compared to… pretty much everybody? Makeup counter at Macy’s, other direct marketers.
What do you learn just from his story?
The 3 best answers get a free copy of my Niche Celebrity GOLD course ($299 value). Post your comments below.
Perry Marshall
P.S. “Results not typical” and all that. Yada yada.
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About the Author
Perry Marshall has launched two revolutions in sales and marketing. In Pay-Per-Click advertising, he pioneered best practices and wrote the world's best selling book on Google advertising. And he's driven the 80/20 Principle deeper than any other author, creating a new movement in business.
He is referenced across the Internet and by Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, INC and Forbes Magazine.
148 Comments on “How to make $10,000 per hour with a beer in your bathtub”
Marketing Insights
1) Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction
2) Ignore industry norms
3) Build and cultivate your list
A great share Perry ,
1- he took action from info he learned.
2- he sells a product ladies already want
3- he niched his product line
3.5 available only to those that pre-registered
3.75 created wonderful anticipation
4- tells a great story
5- sells his customers MORE of what they already want
6- limited the supply for sale of the screw up
created a “system” for sales and followed it, rinse repeat
7- launched the sale – off work day , pay day that is
8- uses new tools – infusion to work “for him”
9-failed forward and still made money
10-Included his #1 honey in his success article !
10.5- shared what he learned , just like a great teacher enjoys doing . So other business folks can grow their lives.
Thank you for sharing Perry ,
BSavage
Hey Jay/ Perry
Nice story and outcome.
I reckon the kernel of truth at the centre of all this is … BOUNDARIES.
The edge that distils creativity, action and magic.
* The offer had a boundary (i.e. ONLY X number lipsticks for a limited time)
* Jay had a boundary (I need to shift these and fast, to make the pain of my mistake go-away)
* The email list had boundaries (only ladies interested in lipsticks, and then those tagged based on their actions)
* The email had a boundary (no image included)
Setting boundaries (or having them set for you) always leads to better results. History shows this:
… walled European towns that embody a distilled vibrant experience and built environment … VS … the Los Angeles sprawl
… short meetings that drive to an outcome … VS … never-ending talk-fests
… clear expectations defined for my 3 rambunctious boys … VS … the chaos that ensues without em :)
Gotta dash. I’ve set myself 10minutes to post here.
Things to do :)
Mick
Hi Perry, really enjoyed hearing about this guy. The first thing I see is have a list, even a small one allowed this guy to print off almost $11,000 in one day.
Second I love how he embraces his hater’s. If you are going to be in any business you have to have thick skin but he seems to enjoy dealing with them.
Sending out glossy’s was great, gives the big business feel, was cheap and apparently had the desired effect.
And finally I like how he set his campaign up for the actual sale on a day everyone would be off work.
Well, I’m pretty new to Planet Perry so reading Jay’s email felt a little like reading French poetry by looking each word up in my French/English dictionary. I’m sure I missed a lot.
But here’s the big lesson at my level . . . it isn’t just one particular thing that we have to get right, but the way it all works together that will make the magic happen:
Learn my own voice, grow a happy (or even cranky) list of real people, use good email tools, study principles like 80/20 and scarcity, take action, watch and learn from the Planet Perry Pros.
While a jacuzzi and beer sounds good, this email is the final straw–I’m going to hit the unsubscribe button and get to work.
I mean hit the unsubscribe button on all the other voices I’ve been listening to, not Perry Marshall. Ooops.
I learnt that people already know what they want, your main job is to encourage them to buy….from you.
Jay used his target audience to sell something to them for a good deal. It was a mistake on the label which a major retailer would not sell. Instead he gave a good deal for a limited time and profited from it.
1 – It’s possible to write compelling monthly newsletters about lip gloss.
2 – Your business will be in a different place 3 months from now if the find crucial/unique parts of your business that currently seem about as interesting as lip gloss and learn to write a compelling monthly newsletters about them.
3 – The commitment of your tribe can be measured by how vilely those outside it oppose you.
4 – Targeted, personal emails from your real email account can have 100x the juice of an autoresponder.
5 – People tend to think something is a big deal if you treat it like a big deal (pre-registration).
6 – $4K is a big deal
7 – Fire Sales are an eternally valid justification for price drops.
8 – Nailing the fundamental need / emotional end benefit of your market covers most any sin.
9 – PayPal doesn’t have a hand crank. Success comes from pushing objects off shelves – kinetic energy, not labor. It usually takes a good chunk of labor to figure out which object and exactly how to push it, but once it’s falling, you can sit back with your wife and watch PayPal blow up all on its own.
Great insight Nick!
Some very valuable lessons here. My takeaways:
1. Just do it. Even if you make a mistake – learn from that mistake.
2. Building your trust among your community is crucial.
3. You are not Macy’s. This is your advantage.
Stop taking showers.
Start drinking beer.
5 Short Words Describe Exactly What You Can Learn From This Interesting Story..
Listen to Perry and Implement!
The clue is in one small paragraph:
Well THIS time, I made them preregister to get a good deal on my “screwup” Of my list, 350 or so registered and I tagged them in infusion. I didn’t even show them a photo of the items.
1) He didn’t make the same mistake twice – the fact that he made a mistake implies he took action which the majority never do for fear of making a mistake.
2) Pre-registering qualified the movers instantly.
3) Tagging them in Infusionsoft segments them so he follows up with the hand raisers differently.
4) Not showing them a photo messed with their heads – a little psychology goes a long way :)
5) Little hinges swing BIG doors when you take even the slightest action.
Cheryl, that’s a great view of things! The pre-registration was a fun experiment for two reasons.
1) It actually Primed the pump full of water first, and allowed me to honestly give my very best deal to those wonderful ladies.
2) I didn’t have to nuisance my whole list repeatedly.. this is something I picked up by osmosis from watching Perry.
Exactly, Jay :) You’re rocking what Infusionsoft used to call the Perfect Customer Lifecycle!! And what Perry always teaches…talking to the right customers at the right time instead of screaming out obnoxiously to anyone within earshot. Great stuff!
OH and the misprint on the bottle really was a legitimate goof. =)
Jay: “I just finally finished your celebrity niche book”.
Insight:
Keep reading and learning from others. You’ll never come up with every marketing idea yourself.
Jay: “Because I paid attention to you, I have a list of about 6000 ladies. Most of them love me, but some hate me, but they love to email me and tell me how much they hate me, and I love that”.
Insight:
You’ll never please everybody. Don’t sweat the hate mail and negativity of your doubters and critics. Instead have fun with it. Don’t let it discourage you or prevent you from taking action out of fear of being rejected.
Jay: “I moved the list over to infusion soft, I then promptly misprinted 720 glosses that cost me almost nothing to make. Easy way to test a lower price point right?”
Insight:
You can turn a mistake (whether done intentionally or not) into an opportunity to sell more stuff to your customers.
Jay: “Well THIS time, I made them preregister to get a good deal on my “screwup” Of my list, 350 or so registered and I tagged them in infusion. I didn’t even show them a photo of the items”.
Insight:
Your existing mailing list has great potential for additional revenue without having to pay to advertise. Opt-ins can help you see who the most responsive people are on your list (for certain offers). Your sales pitch can be a lot more low-key and personal when dealing with your list. This makes you seem more like a real person or a friend.
Jay: “I lined the thing today, everyone’s off of work and its payday, and I cranked out a heavy monthly newsletter shortly followed by a private mail to the 350 that had raised their hand on the glosses.”
Insight:
Using email, you can control the exact timing of a promotion or roll-out. This is powerful for many reasons (ex: using a scarcity approach, first 50 who respond approach, etc).
Jay: “40% off right? And man, PayPal blew up. I moved almost every gloss in 3 hours… To ONLY 350 ladies!!! We’re not talking Facebook, twitter, nuttin, just a quick mail to 350”.
Insight:
Email can work super fast and you can get a ton of sales if your message is going to the “right” people (with the right offer). Highly targeted lists can be a lot more effective than blasting your message out to the masses via paid advertising. This is a great way to test out different offers.
Jay: “The discount was steep, but the play was simple. My wife and I stood here astounded as a steady 4 grand rolled in, over the span of 3 hours (after expenses) … Thats 1.5 what she made at her J O B, Talk about 955”.
Insight:
Bold offers stand out and get people to respond. Email can be a lot easier (and cheaper) to market with than other forms of advertising. Using the leverage of your list blows away working 9 to 5 (trading in your hours for a handful of dimes)!
Jay: “Loved the book, and while writing this, another 300 – scratch that – 400 – scratch , i keep editing , 475 bucks came in, and I just wanted to say thanks”.
Insight:
Just one pre-screened (opt-in) email can pays huge dividends!
I need to read this book :)
Stay in the bathtub – 24/7
I learned:
Differentiate yourself from others in the marketplace. This may likely be as EASY as being yourself (what a unique concept!) Admit that you made a mistake, be transparent to your customers, and let your customers benefit from your mistake – a WIN-WIN.
Too many businesses are stuffy and formal – try being different by simply being yourself!
Steve
1. MAKE A LIST and segment it by offering them an ethical bribe! (the discount)
2. Sell to people that RAISE THEIR HAND! (opted in)
3. Don’t be afraid to MAKE A BOLD CLAIM and stand out from the crowd when you write and mail your list!!! people LOVE a polarizing or entertaining figure, period! (stand out)
4. This is unspoken, but infusionsoft is THE software to use as you grow your business. (Systematize and automate your process)
Perry, I haven’t made 10K taking a bath, but I work a ton less than before and make more money by buying and USING and IMPLEMENTING your programs. I have purchased at least a half dozen, including your platinum marketing program WAY back in 2005 or 2006. :) ALL of it has been invaluable. Cheers!
I think a million dollar tip is found in this line:
“Your book talks a lot about osmosis, and I agree. Watching carefully is more powerful than note taking.”
They say your income is the average of your 5 closest friends..or something like that.
It could hold true that your marketing education, could be in part a direct reflection of the top 5 experts you are “around” and whose information you consume.
Also, “watching carefully” requires a different mindset. An active mindset. Just reading something or consuming a course can be very passive learning…if you let it.
If you set out to study and analyze other successful marketers, you can essentially “get the program for free” to some extent.
A lot of work. Absolutely! However there is a huge difference in climbing the mountain yourself to meet with the Guru, versus whipping out your AMEX to be flown up there by helicopter.
I learnt that certain ways to segment a list is way more effective and can bring in huge results in terms of profits. So yes, strategic list segmentation with an eye on the 20-80 fformular does get results. And huge ones at that.
How Valuable Is Email?
One $10,000 An Hour Lesson This Junk Removal Owner Learned From Reading One Perry Marshal Email!
After coming back from three estimates this morning I decided to have a quick lunch an Panero bread and checks some emails. One reason I went to Panero bread because I didn’t pay my Verizon bill and couldn’t get online at my home office.
After eating lunch I checked my emails and Perry’s email was one of the first ones that caught my eye. The headline said, “The 3 best answers win a $299 prize!” I love to win prizes and learn from Perry, so a chance to win a $299 Perry Marshal, Product is something I couldn’t pass up.
I read through the email and these are “The Seven Most Important Points I Got That Will Help Me Make A Ton Of Money!”
Here’s the seven points
Number one: Jay was at home at 4;30 in the afternoon taking a bath drinking a beer (Doing something he loved) he was being eccentric with his time.
Number two: Jay used a compelling headline and unusually story to get Perry’s attention in the first place.
Number three: Jay has a list of 6000 people because he’s been implementing what he’s learning from the right coach. (Make sure your work with the right coach/ mentor)
Number four: Jay used the right tool to test a lower price point. (Right tools and testing is one key to success)
Number five: Jay made his target audience register for the screw up he made (Found out who would raise their hand)
Number six: Jay did the mailing on a day he knew his target would be most responsive (Jay knew when his target market was home/ surfing the web or email/ not at work)
Number Seven: Jay’s email demonstrates that the 80/20 principle even when you have a following still works. (350 people registered is about %17.5 of 6000 customers on his list
These are my takeaways.
PS I also learned that learning from the right person even in email training is powerful if you glean the right nuggets and implement them into your business.
I loooooove this story!
Though, I feel a little weird looking for insights from a guy sitting naked in his rub-a-dub-tub.
Least I’m typing in my jammies, gosh! :)
So…
This little story is really PACKED with insights. Obviously, Jay “hot tub profits” Harper has a very responsive, but tiny list.
That alone is a BIG insight. The big brands out their with huge lists are getting killed by guys like Jay, because he cares, he “likes” getting comments and feedback from his readers. He gets them.
He’s like the Oprah of the lipstick world…
He’s constantly showing up in his peep-ettes inbox, he’s entertaining, and he cares. Mucho Awesome-Sauce.
He’s also a mini celebrity in his industry, and from what I take here, he learned a lot from your course. Niche Celebrity Gold.
As a celebrity, you will have haters. No doubt about it. And, I think that’s awesome.
Odds are, my dad is not going to EVER listen Eminem music.
But Eminem doesn’t care. He’s authentic, and certain people are attracted to that. That’s his audience. By having a few haters, you give your true fans a way to defend you and your brand. It strengthens your little tribe.
I actually just read this quote this morning:
“He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away.” -Raymond Hull
Trying to please everyone is suicide.
What I like about what Jay is doing here, is that these ladies seem to “love to hate” him.
There are certain people I pick on a lot. They know I do it because I love them. And so… they give me a hard time back in return, and they love that. They love to hate me! Lol…
What a nice lesson in bonding with your audience.
When Jays competition are zigging, he’s zagging. His celebrity has made his competition irrelevant. He’s the face to his marketplace.
He’s not afraid to stand out. To be different.
That usually takes cahones, venturing out into the unknown. But, if each of us takes a lesson away here, by looking at out own industries, and doing the exact opposite, then we will win every time.
I’m off to take a bath and see if I can work some of this hot tub magic myself. : )
Great article and thanks for sharing it Perry!
Brandon
good takeaway!
And further, at the end of the day, I truly treat my list like the wonderful, golden, perfect women that they are. I put my money where my mouth is and over-deliver to them like nobodies business. I truly treat them well for hearing me out. Even so far as snail mailing surprise gifts and what not.
Thanks for all the awesome comments!!
~ I suck at marketing.
~ I will learn by mistakes.
~ Nobody loves or hates me.
~ That’s like lukewarm beer in a lukewarm tub.
~ Barf!
~ Be hot or cold.
The Rites of Spring live eternally in the seductive meadow of our feelings. The fireworks of the pen are like a lover’s kiss; we feel seen by the deep connection of a soul mate.
Does this mean you love Perry Marshall? ;) Actually, your language is florid, rich and deep like fertile soil that grows abundant food for thought.
This You Tube video has got to be you, where you recommend that your family watch the movie “Zeitgeist: Moving Forward.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reIUM-5vqhQ
Here’s the original 2007 movie, “Zeitgeist.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTbIu8Zeqp0
Opportunity favors the prepared mind.
Very nice example of successful marketing!
What are my takeaways from this?
The positioning of the brand: This probably took you a few years to achieve, but it has been successful – The brand created is now powerful. Because to get a discount on a brand like Calvin Klein is great, not so much Walmart. You are Calvin Klein! Higher perceived value – you have made your case(overtime) and they are buying into it.
Reverse psychology – you “did not even show picture”. You were so confident in the value of this deal, that you are not even “trying too hard” to sell it, “if you want it, take it, if not, no worries”
personalization- You know what they like, they appreciate quality, and it’s why you sent the email to a only select few on the list, a hint of flattery too.
The context is important on how often are these big discounts made? If they are unusual,they will have big impact, but if the special offers are a dime dozen , they will lose that impact. They must be used sparingly
Genuine reason for sale! There was a misprint on the lipstick. Timing was good for discretionary purchase too, payday and holiday!
Lesson learned:
Never treat your customers as one in the same. Not one size fits all. Within your customer base there are many subcultures that will respond to offers attractive to them. A single customer can also be part of many subcultures. The marketing challenge is to understand, identify, and cater to their needs, wants, and desires.
1. The importance of having a list
2. Don’t try to appeal to everyone, don’t be afraid of being controversial.
3. Motion beats meditation, he actually DID something
4. Learned Perry is a genius
Lessons:
1 – Polarize prospects with glee
2 – Partition (Segment) subscribers for precision
3 – Price-test products with impunity
and the ultimate lesson
4 – Pay careful attention to Perry
Sabrina
Tons of lessons in this email.
1. Start with a unique and interesting story. If we can get you to keep reading we can get anyone to keep reading.
2. You’ve got to have a list. Period.
3. The more refined (niche specific) your list is the better – every person he sent his offer to had already raised their hand as being interested by getting on his list.
4. Haters are great for business. If everybody likes you you’re boring.
5. Scarcity = success. Limited time offers get people to opt-in.
6. If you set your business up with well thought out systems you can make money from anywhere with relatively little effort (the effort is in the systems, not in the selling).
Great article. Thanks for sharing.
1) Great marketers are masters at observing the
obvious (Women viciously shop price
on necessities) AND, . . . . EVERYONE loves unique
stories.
2) “Email is the Holy Grail. Period!” – Perry
Marshall (i.e. 80% of your business comes from 20%
of your list)
3) Close on minor points – preregistering to take
advantage of YOUR “mistake” is brilliant
4) Test, Test, Test
5) Hold contests and give valuable information as
prizes to build your list – see #2 above!
Might I offer a slight derivation of Ms. Frizzle’s
famous words? “(Heck, if you’re going to
intentionally) {take chances, make mistakes, (and)
get messy}, (you might as well make some money while
you’re at ‘it!)”
Gomynin
1- Even people who hate you are important and you must nurture and listen to them as carefully as the ones who hate you
2- “I then promptly misprinted 720 glosses” … don’t want to think that he did this by design so I’ll go to the next # and assume that it was an accident (aka lemon)
3- Make lemon into lemonade…. easy to do when you have a responsive and carefully nurtured list
4- Segment, tag and separate your list so you don’t piss them off by selling them what you have already sold them etc. i.e. respect your list by using technology within your A/R
5- Time your mailing with money days… e.g. Payday, or maybe tax refund time
6- 95/5 80/20 (350/6000) i.e. Pareto principle at work
7- Don’t just read Perry’s (or any book) in the bath tub, APPLY WHAT YOU READ and see if it works for you
1) an exclusive access list holds great profit potential.
2)turn lemons into lemonade by creating a special offer on your “goof”.
3)Build a great list of passionate members and contact them often with offers that compel them to buy.
Some powerful words in Jay’s email are “because I paid attention to you.”
Don’t underestimate the value of the right coach / mentor / guide in your chosen field. Someone who’s been there, done that. Who gets results, the best in the field. Who equips you to confidently handle hard times and situations. Especially when you’re on your own, and nobody to ask, like a holiday when everyone is off work.
With an relaxed attitude like Jay, it’s easier to see the opportunities to turn lemons into lemonade. Win/win is you give a deal, but the customer must also pre-register to your list.
Like cars, businesses crash. You can crash a bunch of cars until the law and your budget run out. Or you can crash one, and learn from your mistakes.
Or better, you can avoid the preventable ones, like driver error, driver loses control, driver doesn’t pay attention, driver is so danged stressed, driver has a cocky know-it-all attitude, driver has a bunch of bad habits, driver didn’t get good training in the first place, driver falls asleep at the wheel.
If your business is in the ditch, or heading there, take a good hard look at who’s driving. Do you know your destination? Do you use a map? Do you get directions?
When sudden road hazards occur, whose voice do you listen to? The crowd? Friends? Your parents? A driver-ed teacher?
Well actually, you don’t have time to listen. You’re faced with a split-second decision.
So really, the voice you listen to, is the voice you’re already driving by. Your habits, your muscle memory, based on who you decided to listen to – and have already put into practice – is what’ll drive your business through the hazard zone.
How you come out on the other side – or how you handle consequences – that’s up to you.
4/3/2013 1:57 PM EDT
There are so many wise words in your post, Paul (#67, 11:43 am). For example:
“If your business is in the ditch, or heading there, take a good hard look at who’s driving. (etc.)”
“When sudden road hazards occur, whose voice do you listen to? (etc.)”
“… you don’t have time to listen. You’re faced with a split-second decision.
“So really, the voice you listen to, is the voice you’re already driving by.”
I found myself relating this to my responses to emergency life situations that are not necessarily business-related. Your words really struck deep.
1) Great marketers are masters at observing the
obvious (Women viciously shop price on
necessities) AND, . . . . EVERYONE loves unique
stories.
2) “Email is the Holy Grail. Period!” – Perry
Marshall (i.e. 80% of your business comes from
20% of your list)
3) Close on minor points – preregistering to take
advantage of YOUR “mistake” is brilliant
4) Test, Test, Test
5) Hold contests and give valuable information as
prizes to build your list – see #2 above!
In summary, might I offer a slight derivation of Ms. Frizzle’s famous words? “(Heck, if you’re going to intentionally) {take chances, make mistakes, (and) get messy}, (you might as well make some money while you’re at ‘it!)”
Gomynin
Lots of cool lessons in Jay’s story.
1. Steep discounts — like Jay’s 40% — grab attention and motivate people to buy. (And though it cuts into an entrepreneur’s margin, there’s still plenty left when using internet marketing, and the loss in margin becomes less important with a much higher volume of sales.)
2. Don’t panic when you make a mistake, especially with easily modified internet marketing. Use the correction opportunity to sit back, reflect, and think… how can you now increase customer connection, develop a more targeted list, make more profit, and provide value to customers?
3. Giving away free stuff of value — like a monthly newsletter — creates loyalty, connection, and increases a willingness to buy. Personal e-mails do the same, and are VERY inexpensive to do. AND you get to know who these rabid fans are for for future promotions.
4. Use a proven template for success like Ultimate Guide to Google AdWords or Niche Celebrity Gold instead of trying to figure out everything yourself.
5. Taking a strong stand can make people love or hate you, but either way, they’ll have a stronger connection with you than wishy-washy people inundated with bland marketing messages by your competitors. And the strong connection will more likely translate to $$.
6. Time customer communications to arrive when people are off work, as they’ll be more likely to read, appreciate, respond, and buy.
7. Having some sort of automated mailing, selling, and response system like infusionsoft is critical. Without one, if you get a lot of orders, you may not be able to fulfill and quickly respond to customers, and you could lose future sales from those folks.
8. Instead of targeting mass markets like Macy’s does and trying to rope in potential customers who are within earshot of your expensive display counter, have an on-line presence and micro-target a segment, such as Gluten Free Lipstick.
9. Building a mailing list of people who have expressed interest in your product or story is key — much more effective than big e-mail blasts to a purchased mailing list or placing Google ad with no follow-up.
10. Crafting marketing strategies in non-traditional business places while consuming non-traditional business drinks can spur creativity, and help make connections you might not make in a strictly “business environment.”
Capitalize on perceived vulnerabilities. Incentivize your audience to act now. Create your own opportunities. Convert prospects to customers though opt-in; by having them ask you instead of the other way around. Craft an interesting story of your success and share it at the right place.
1.) got them to optin into in email database
2.) created a persona that creates a strong positive or negative attachment, which is really code for engaging his list
3.) has a newsletter
I think the lesson here is take action. People don’t take action because of fear – probably fear of making a mistake or not being perfect or what people think. They equate making a mistake to being a failure rather than an opportunity. The lesson here is that if you take action and even if you make a mistake, you can still benefit so why not just take action.
1. Focus on building a list of focused and interested people rather than just building a list for numbers sake
2. Build a relationship by sending emails that seem personal, educate and repeat benefits of product
3. Offer product choices and special deals to make people feel special
PS Could we see the actual email that was sent out? Great website he has.
I learned that:
If you email Perry while you are naked, he write a blog about it and forward it to his list…
Who’ll take my bet?
I bet Perry and team take this list of people who commented and run a fire sale on Niche Celebrity Gold or use the list to offer even something better.
Most who commented are interested in the bait: Niche Celebrity Gold.
Well, there’s a lot of great stuff in his “silly” little email. ($10k ain’t silly.)
1. PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS like timing of sending emails…sending on a payday surely increased sales.
2. TURN MISTAKES INTO PROFITS … don’t be afraid to be bold. In this case, 720 people got low price quotes, and it turned into 10k worth of positive!
3. ASK for their info (pre-register)… and build your list. (Then go to Infusionsoft!)
4. FOLLOW UP with “private” emails, especially after a monthly newsletter type of blast. Your private clients will appreciate the special attention.
5. DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS, NOT CLIENTS… when you build friendships with your Clients, you build a following, not just a customer.
6. THINK ALL THE TIME…even in the bathtub!
Thanks for sharing this email … loved it!
I learned: business can be FUN.
Also, there is room in almost any industry for a wily, contrarion marketer to make her mark.
Eric
There are many ways to pre-qualify people and sometimes making them jump through hoops, albeit minimal ones, is a good way to see who’s interested, which is of course, list segmentation. And when you find those people who are willing to raise their hands, you make sure you record (or tag) them for the future.
We also saw the effect of targeting a group of responsives, as every email list (considering it was gathered legitimately) has people who are willing to buy eventually or willing to buy now, if you send the right message at the right time.
It so happens that payday is as good a time as any, and from this, I also picked up the idea of considering some of the factors outside of your business that can affect sales. For commodity products, a simple thing like being first in line to get a crack at that discretionary income can make a big difference.
As an aside, he mentioned that his discount was steep. I could only assume that he and his wife were still happy because they made a profit, in spite of the discount. It goes to show you how a well run internet-based business with lesser overheads and a strong marketing plan can still play.
The first thing I noticed; Some women are never happy – unless they are complaining.
“I have a list of about 6000 ladies. Most of them love me, but some hate me, but they love to email me and tell me how much they hate me …”
“… and I love that.” to quote JH.
The second thing I noticed; we business folks see these things differently.
Love and Hate are not measurable metrics … but conversion from a list … that is. So love the haters … as long as the metrics are positive.
Cheers,
R
4/3/2013 12:00 PM EDT A shark (a person on your finely-tuned targeted direct email list) …
is irresistibly drawn to chow down (click “BUY” in your shopping cart) …
on the item you intentionally “screwed up” (the bloody bait you mangled and threw out there) …
because it has sensed an easy victim (a “distressed seller,” same as in real estate) …
by comparing the smaller amount of water in the water-to-blood ratio of the blood-tainted trail leading straight to the “distressed victim” (the “distressed sale” price in your carefully-crafted “sales funnel:” 60% water vs. 40% “blood loss”) …
to the maximally higher amount of water in the “normal” watery environment surrounding the victim (the “normal” selling price you have trained your potential customers to expect: 100% “water” vs. 0% “blood”).
It’s a fundamental law on The Planet That Eats, and it works every time, because it exploits the most primitive feeding instincts of our animal (bird, fish) nature.
BONUS LESSON (gleaned just from Jay Harper’s title, “How to make $10,000 per hour with a beer in your bathtub”):
If you’re stupid enough to drink beer while relaxing in your bathtub as $10,000 per hour rolls into your PayPal account, your survivors will be able to buy you a state-of-the-art coffin that costs far more than a mere jacuzzi; fly in friends, neighbors, casual acquaintances and even select strangers from around the world; and throw a huge catered party for themselves after dancing at your funeral.
So, an intelligent plan proves evolution? Seriously? You might want to have a peek at Perry’s other site: http://www.cosmicfingerprints.com/
What does this have to do with the price of rice in China?
Suggestion: Think more about life than death. The humor here got lost in the murk.
4/3/2013 1:20 PM EDT
Thanks, Steve Lincoln, I appreciate your reminder that life is more important to focus on than death … which is why my Bonus Lesson focused more on how to stay alive than on how to risk stupidly dying! ;)
4/3/2013 1:07 PM EDT
Oops. I meant to type “fly in friends, FAMILY,” NOT “fly in friends, neighbors, …”.
Perry, at the end of the day information, tactics, and even strategies, in and of themselves, are worthless.
True, in this story Jay wields all 3 with great success, but it’s not the individual parts that I’m seeing.
I’m seeing the whole.
It’s not about Red Apple Lipstick.
Or even Perry’s book.
It’s about Jay:
Who he is, and more importantly, who he’s becoming.
Bottom line, if you want to make $10 grand an hour, you gotta become a $10 grand an hour type of guy.
Congrats Jay!
Keep up the good work!!
Never be afraid of taking risks in the bathtub! :)
Great story – chock full of great lessons, such as:
1) The money is in the list.
2) The nichier you are, the more passionate your list members.
3) Take action. Even mistakes can become spectacular successes.
4) InfusionSoft marketing automation rules.
5) Offer pre-registration is a useful list segmentation tool.
6) Multiple touches increase conversion odds.
7) The power you’re imbued with living on Planet Perry.
8) The money is in the list. (bears repeating)
Cheers!