Have you read “The Ultimate Sales Machine” by Chet Holmes ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

ultimate sames machine chet holmesI read “The Ultimate Sales Machine” by Chet Holmes after a client recommended it. Have you read it?

For instance, I learnt that only 10% of people will proactively learn and enjoy doing so? 90% will only do so when they have to as part of their job. That is what sorts the best from the rest.

A main theme throughout the book is the need for “Pig headed determination” to bring about change. And the same I see with HighLevel clients – the ones with pig-headed determination to “work their HighLevel system” have the greatest success.

“The Dream 100 Concept” is one of the major strategies outlined first by Chet Homes in The Ultimate Sales Machine. A super-powerful strategy. I was just watching Youtube video from Russell Brunson on how he uses the Top 100 strategy, well worth a watch  https://youtu.be/DqeTvepQvgg?si=ze4otMxQyrlzKi5Chttps://youtu.be/nol9a1LIbcY

It is the best business book I have read in ages and certainly resonates with “HighLevel thinking”.

I would definitely recommend it to HighLevel users as this could transform your sales process. Here is an article I wrote about how to use HighLevel to implement the Dream 100 strategy.

Here is the Amazon link (Note I do not earn commission) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Sales-Machin…/…/1591841607

If you are a HighLevel user then I can show you how to build a Dream 100 Workflows to enable you to easily co-ordinate an integrated follow-up campaign containing not only emails but direct mail, telephone, text and social media. To learn more simply schedule a Discovery call.

ultimate sales machine

Fix broken links on your website and improve your SEO

fix broken linksIf you are following the They Ask, You Answer methodology and creating content on your website then inevitably you will be including links to other pages and external websites.

When these links become broken then apart from giving your website visitors a negative and frustrating experience it is also noticed by the Google spiders when they index your site. And so can adversely affect your SEO rankings.

How do links become broken? The main reasons. When you added the link you made a typo mistake. But more commonly the external website you linked to may have been deleted or the URL changed or the website has simply been taken down.

This tip I got from Nick Fenmore Collins at Website Success. To fix broken links use a free tool like Broken Link Check to search out all those hard to find broken links, and then you can fix them.

As an example, my website/blog now has over 750 pages and I have never before checked for broken links and found 60 broken links!! So this will keep my busy updating pages and fixing broken links.

404 broken link Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

The Eric the Ferret Email – a crafty email that re-engages prospects who have “gone dark”

Use the Eric the Ferret email to re-engage with prospects who have “gone dark” and fail to respond to your emails and phone calls.

Every time I deploy this crafty email from The Entrepreneurs Circle it makes me smile – because it works.

Each time I send it to a prospect who is failing to respond to my emails or phone calls it works  – because it stands out in the inbox, it’s engaging and makes the prospect smile, so they cannot fail to respond one way or the other.

*******************************************************
*******************************************************

Hi ~Contact.FirstName~,

It feels like you’re ignoring me *gasp*. But hey – maybe I’m just paranoid 🙂

I’ve tried to talk to you about <<PRODUCT/SERVICE>> for a while now, but alas…
…we’ve not connected.

Are you ignoring me? Or are you just playing hard to get 😉

I really don’t want to pester you if you’re not interested…

…so just hit reply with a simple “No” if you want me to never contact you again.

I’ll delete you from my emails, my contacts, my WhatsApp, pull down that portrait of you hanging above my fireplace and return the 12ft sculpture of your head to the sculpture shop (I’ll probably lose my deposit, but that’s ok…).

Of course, I’d rather we spoke – so to try and charm you into submission I’ve attached a picture of an adorable ferret.

His name is Eric. Eric the Ferret.

And if you think he’s cool, just wait till you speak to me! 😀

If there’s ANY interest at all in <<SERVICE>> – just hit reply and let me know.

Reply with: “Ok, the ferret got me – let’s talk”
And I’ll work around your (no doubt very very busy) diary.

I hope we’ll speak soon, but anxiously await your rejection too… Speak soon!

<<NAME>>
Head of Last Ditch Attempts To Get In Touch With <<FIRST NAME>>

P.S – here’s Eric:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*******************************************************

As an Entrepreneurs Circle member, you can access all the copy and instructions on how to use this powerful email from the Entrepreneurs Circle Vault. If you are not a member, then do not worry, take up the free 1-month trial membership and you can access the documentation to enable you to set up this winning campaign.

 

entrepreneurs circle free membership

 

FREE BONUS FOR KEAP  /INFUSIONSOFT USERS

If you use Keap / Infusionsoft (and are an EC member) then I have created a campaign template to enable this email to be easily imported into your app. To get this campaign installed for free please schedule a Discovery Call with me and have your EC membership details handy.

alligator email ec

The Top 24 Marketing Copywriting Angles for Marketers

Entrepreneurs Circle Certified Coach

marketing copywriting anglesWhen creating marketing and advertisement copy there are 24 marketing copywriting angles you can take…

1 New
The most popular messaging. People are attracted to the new and shiny, so definitely test this out if it is something new but don’t lie about it

2 Save Money
Who doesn’t love to get a deal and save money?

3 Save Time
We each only have so many hours in a day. Everyone loves a shortcut.

4 Dog Whistle
This is exactly what sounds like it. You should call out a keyword, phrase, image or message that will resonate with your ideal audience and they will “prick up their ears” and listen to your message.

5 Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)
This is a common one. Basically, you are playing on the fear that they will miss out if they don’t take action.

6 News Hijack
Piggyback what is going on in the news, especially if it is news related to your industry. Steer clear of the usual contentious issues – religion, politics etc

7 Better Mousetrap
Similar flavour to the New angle, however, everybody’s always looking for a better way to do something.

8 Us versus Them
Here you’re highlighting a common enemy. Basically, you are saying we’re a group and we don’t like these other people.

9 Social Proof
Which is showing other people who are using your product or service. It shows that the reader is making the right choice because others are doing the same. Safety in numbers.

10 Shout
You are actually shouting to just a generic trait that they have so small business owners literally all in CAPITALS.

11 Bandwagon
The bandwagon angle is, hey, everybody else is doing it, you probably want to do it too.

12 How to [GOOD THING] without [BAD THING]
e.g. How to paint with water colours without hours of practice. This is a classic in copywriting and marketing and works tremendously as a headline, article or Facebook Ad. Think about your audience, what they want to achieve (good thing) and the common fears or objections they have (bad thing) and get going!
13 The Truth About [THING]
e.g. The truth about water colour paints…
A great way to pique curiosity in the reader.. anyone who’s a little interested in the subject matter will dive in and read on to discover the truth!
14 What to do if [X]
e.g. What to do if you have water colour paints, but no water! A great way to give value first, show that you know what you’re talking about and build trust right from the get-go.
15 The Great [X] Hoax
e.q. The Great Water Colour Paint Hoax. People LOVE conspiracy theories, hoaxes and secrets – and you can find a way to write about them you can guarantee you’ll get the eyeballs and attention you want from people. If you’re stuck thinking about what your great hoax is think of common misconceptions, things your competitors say that isn’t true or any inside industry secrets that the public would love to know…
16 The Open Letter
e.g. An Open Letter to ALL Water Colour Artists. This is a surprisingly effective way to write ads, in particular Facebook Ads. If you have your targeting bang on so that the person reading your ad fits in the pool of people you’re addressing your letter to, you’ll be surprised at just how engaging it is.
17 Declaration of WAR!
e.g. I’m declaring WAR on water color paints! A little bit extreme, but this is a fantastic way to get noticed and build trust. Fight against a common enemy – for example I might declare war against ‘get-rich-quick gurus’ – and my audience it would love it – because they hate them too!
18 EXPOSED!
e.g. EXPOSED! The truth about water colours…
People absolutely love seeing things exposed(!). This is great for ads but also follow up emails.
19 The Emotional Story
e.g. I remember the look in my daughters eyes when, with a flourish, she added the finishing touches to her first masterpiece..  We are brought up from childhood to love stories, and an emotional
story that pulls on the heart strings IS a great way to draw people in, get their attention, get them to know you, build your relationship and make them more likely to do the thing you want them to do.
20 The Breakthrough
e.g. BREAKING NEWS! New water color technique…
Something new, exciting and interesting that will help your prospects and bring them closer towards you.
21 MAD AS HELL!
e.g. I took one look at his water colours and was mad as hell…   An amazing hook. The key is to find something sensible to get mad about! This normally works best if you’re mad at what you’ve seen a customer or prospect doing because of what someone else has told them (e.g. they’ve been clicking Boost on Facebook!).
22 What You Don’t Know
e.g. The one thing you should NEVER do when using water colours…    Curiosity. Gets them every time and as an expert in what you do, this should be a nice easy once to pick apart the key and common mistakes you see people making.
23 WRONG
e.g. Everything you’ve been taught about water colours is DEAD WRONG! Go against the grain, blow their minds and draw them closer to you by showing you know what you’re talking about!
24 Confirmation of Existing Fear
e.g. Here’s why your water colours aren’t looking as good as you hoped…  Chances are your prospects already have fears, concerns or pre-conceived objections around what you do or just the industry that you’re in. This angle uses that and twists it into our favour. Confirm their fears but then help them overcome and provide the solution they’re looking for.
Take your pick and try them out. You’ll never need to start from a blank page ever again!

Is your marketing effective? Check out my post on the Entrepreneurs Circle Business Inspector audit that enables you to assess your current marketing.

The Alligator Email – a crafty email that re-engages prospects who have “gone dark”

alligator email entrepreneurs circle

alligator email

Use The Alligator email to re-engage with prospects who have “gone dark” and fail to respond to your emails and phone calls.

Every time I deploy this crafty email from The Entrepreneurs Circle it makes me smile – because it works.

Each time I send it to a prospect who is failing to respond to my emails or phone calls it works  – because it stands out in the inbox, it’s engaging and makes the prospect smile, so they cannot fail to respond one way or the other.

 

**************************************

 

Hi FirstName,

I’ve been trying to get in touch for a while now about [insert what ever service/ product you sell] but can’t seem to get through to you…

I figured either you’ve been eaten by alligators or you’re just plain swamped.

If you have been eaten by alligators, my deepest sympathy goes out to your family members.

If you’re still alive however, one of the following is more likely to have happened.
I hate to keep pestering you, so please pick one response and let me know what our next step should be.

A – Yes, I’ve been eaten by alligators. Please send flowers.

B – No, I haven’t been eaten by alligators, but you may wish I had been, because I have decided I have no interest in [insert what ever service/ product you sell]. Sorry, you’re sunk (thanks for your frank honesty. I can handle it.)

C – Yes, I’m still interested I’ve just been busy – get in touch and let’s talk.

I’d really appreciate it if you could just ping me a quick reply with either A, B, C to let me know where you stand!

Thanks in advance,

**************************************

As an Entrepreneurs Circle member, you can access all the copy and instructions on how to use this powerful email from the Entrepreneurs Circle Vault. If you are not a member, then do not worry, take up the free 1-month trial membership and you can access the documentation to enable you to set up this winning campaign.

 

entrepreneurs circle free membership

 

FREE BONUS FOR KEAP  /INFUSIONSOFT USERS

If you use Keap / Infusionsoft (and are an EC member) then I have created a campaign template to enable this email to be easily imported into your app. To get this campaign installed for free please schedule a Discovery Call with me and have your EC membership details handy.

alligator email ec

Making Websites Win by Karl Banks & Ben Jesson – founders of Conversion Rate Experts ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

making websites win

making websites win conversion rate experts

If you are looking to get the most sales from your website then you need to read this book, Making Websites Win from Conversion Rate Experts. It is full of actionable learnings on how to go about scientifically optimising not just your website but all aspects of your business.

I am grateful to Nigel Botterill from The Entrepreneurs Circle for recommending that I read this book.

The amazing thing about this book is that you can get it for free, (but if you buy the book then the proceeds go to charity). So you can download a copy to your e-reader, or as a PDF and, I have never seen this before, they have even created a free podcast for the entire book! Just search for the podcast Maling Websites Win – how cool is that!

 

Here a few nuggets I took from this book.

Page 65. From the outset, you need to set up your website so it is easy to test new ideas. The authors give an example where it took a client 2 weeks of web design time to put a few words in italics. If it takes too much effort to get stuff done then it will never happen. Be sure to have your website set up so that it can easily be tweaked – that is one of the reasons WordPress has become so popular to host websites – it’s easy to learn how to use and update, and even if you are too busy or not techie enough there are a bucketload of agencies and freelancers who can help you. It’s a case of working scientifically – test small changes and a cumulative effect can be extraordinary.

 

Page 102. Ask customers who just bought this question – “What nearly stopped you buying from us today”

Why ask this?

  1. You put this question to customers – if you ask those who do not buy then you get a mixed bunch with many that are not qualified to become customers. Customers by definition are qualified so you will get better feedback.
  2. A customer has been through the whole buying process, so they know what they are talking about. Those who do not buy have dropped out at various points in the sales process and so cannot give you reliable feedback.

 

Page 162. Ask salespeople to record on video how they sell your product and overcome objections. Then get the video transcribed by a tool like Otter.ai.  This copy can then guide you in creating compelling copy on your web and landing pages.

 

Page 164. Here I learned about “Memory Buffers” and how to write better copy. When reading we only have the capacity to take in 15 or so words at a time and then they are interpreted. And then we read the next 15 words and so on. And after a series of buffers we need a rest and so our understanding of the text starts to fade. And this is why you need to keep sentences short and cut out unnecessary words. I am just scratching the surface here, but I found this part of the book fascinating and it has given me plenty to consider when next copywriting.

 

In Section 4 of the book, Page 323 the authors take us through a real-life case study where they helped grow a client’s business by over 470%. Points that struck me – they improved a mobile landing page by 78% and the length of the page increased by about 4 times to 2.5m in length! And the conversion principles outlined apply to the whole business, not just websites and online marketing. We are given an example where the activation rate of a children’s bank card was increased by 11% by writing (direct mail) not just to the parent, but the child too. Then they harnesed “pester power” to have the parents activate the card for the children.

This is a book I would recommend to all marketers and it’s a no-brainer because you can read or listen to the whole book for free.

To download the book go to www.conversion-rate-experts.com and to listen to the podcast version search for Making Websites Win in your favourite podcast player.

Our TOP 10 email subject lines.

top ten email subject lines

While it’s true that email is in steady decline as a marketing media – it still plays an important part, especially with regards to follow-up.

Getting your emails delivered is half the battle – which is why you have to pay attention to your deliverability rates when using a CRM.

But what you really want (more than anything else) is to get your email read. And that all starts with the subject lines.

So I thought I’d share with you the Top 10 email subject lines from the past 12 months.

Here are the Entrepreneurs Circle top 10 email subject lines, they are:

top ten email subject lines
There you have it. Lots of lessons in there if you’re paying attention. None of these subject lines summarises the content or state the bleeding obvious. They all caused a lot of people to want to
read the rest of the email. Some of them are intriguing. Some evoke a bit of emotion: both good and bad. And that’s exactly what you want to cause in your audience – if you want to get your
emails read.

Feel free to swipe, modify and try these – because your emails are not getting read as much as they could or should be are they. And more reads equals more clicks. More clicks equal more sales.
And more sales equals more profit.

Over to you…

Check out the EC Marketing System Foundation Block 1 – how to assess the quality of your marketing.

 

The 12 Marketing Copywriting Angles

Entrepreneurs Circle Certified Coach

marketing copywriting anglesWhen creating marketing and advertisement copy there are 12 marketing copywriting angles you can take…

New
The most popular messaging. People are attracted to the new and shiny, so definitely test this out if it is something new but don’t lie about it.

Save Money
Who doesn’t love to get a deal and save money?

Save Time
We each only have so many hours in a day. Everyone loves a shortcut.

Dog Whistle
This is exactly what sounds like it. You should call out a keyword, phrase, image or message that will resonate with your ideal audience and they will “prick up their ears” and listen to your message.

Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)
This is a common one. Basically, you are playing on the fear that they will miss out if they don’t take action.

News Hijack
Piggyback what is going on in the news, especially if it is news related to your industry. Steer clear of the usual contentious issues – religion, politics etc

Better Mousetrap
Similar flavour to the New angle, however, everybody’s always looking for a better way to do something.

Us versus Them
Here you’re highlighting a common enemy. Basically, you are saying we’re a group and we don’t like these other people.

Social Proof
Which is showing other people who are using your product or service. It shows that the reader is making the right choice because others are doing the same. Safety in numbers.

Shout
You are actually shouting to just a generic trait that they have so small business owners literally all in CAPITALS.

Bandwagon
The bandwagon angle is, hey, everybody else is doing it, you probably want to do it too.

 

Is your marketing effective? Check out my post on the Entrepreneurs Circle Business Inspector audit that enables you to assess your current marketing.

Answer the Phone!!! – Foundation Block 11- Entrepreneurs Marketing System

highlevel voice ai inbound demo

One of the foundations of the Entrepreneurs marketing system has always been simple. Answer the blinking phone.

It sounds obvious, yet it remains one of the biggest points of failure in small and growing businesses. It is amazing how many potential customers ring a business, hear it ring out, leave a message, or are diverted to voicemail. In that moment, momentum is lost.

Sales data and experience across many industries show that you have a golden 10 minutes to respond to a new enquiry. If a call or voicemail is not handled within that window, the chances of converting that enquiry into a sale drop off dramatically. After an hour, the odds are significantly lower. After a day, they are often close to zero.

Even when a message is left, many businesses do not have a clear system or assigned responsibility for returning calls quickly. Staff are busy, messages are missed, or callbacks happen hours later. By then, the prospect has often spoken to someone else who answered the phone first.

Historically, the solution was to use an external call answering service. There are many excellent providers who can professionally answer calls, take messages, and pass them back to your team. For years, that was the most practical option available and in many cases it still works well.

Today, this problem is effectively solved.

With AI-powered call handling, businesses can now respond instantly, every time, and well within that critical 10-minute window. MarketerM8, built on the HighLevel platform, includes Voice AI that acts like a trained receptionist. It answers calls 24/7, understands the caller’s intent, asks the right questions, books appointments, captures details, and logs everything directly into your CRM.

This removes the risk entirely. No missed calls. No delayed callbacks. No reliance on someone remembering to follow up. Every enquiry is handled immediately and consistently, and automated follow-up can take over where needed.

If you want to see how this works in practice, the best way is to experience it yourself.

highlevel voice ai inbound demo

 

Would you like to learn more? Book a Discovery call with Julian and see “behind the curtain” how MarketerM8 and HighLevel VoiceAI can be configured to handle real inbound enquiries from the first ring onwards for your business.

Here is the complete list of 11 Foundation Blocks of the Entrepreneurs Marketing System:-

=> Marketing Asset Review – Foundation Block 1
=> Re-marketing & Pixel Tracking – Foundation Block 2
=> Google My Business – Foundation Block 3
=> Follow Up Process – Foundation Block 4
=> Price Review – Foundation Block 5
=> Systemised Collection of Reviews – Foundation Block 6
=> Marketing Calendar – Foundation Block 7
=> Knowledge Centre – Foundation Block 8
=> Neighbourhood Cards – Foundation Block 9
=> LinkedIn – Foundation Block 10
=> Answer the Phone – Foundation Block 11

 

>> Download the full guide <<Answer the phone

 

 

 

 

If you would like to learn more about the 11 Foundations then I offer a free 1hr Discovery Call.

LinkedIn – Foundation Block 10 – Entrepreneurs Marketing System

Linkedin

At the very least get your Linkedin profile set up and that of your business too, so that prospects can find you easily on LinkedIn. And do a review every 6 months to keep these current and up to date. Here is a useful resource on this subject, www.julianmills.co.uk/linkedin-profile.

Here is the complete list of 11 Foundation Blocks of the Entrepreneurs Marketing System:-

=> Re-marketing & Pixel Tracking – Foundation Block 2
=> Google My Business – Foundation Block 3
=> Follow Up Process – Foundation Block 4
=> Price Review – Foundation Block 5
=> Systemised Collection of Reviews – Foundation Block 6
=> Marketing Calendar – Foundation Block 7
=> Knowledge Centre – Foundation Block 8
=> Neighbourhood Cards – Foundation Block 9
=> LinkedIn – Foundation Block 10
=> Answer the Phone – Foundation Block 11

 

>> Download the full guide <<

Linkedin

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you would like to learn more about the 11 Foundations then I offer a free 1hr Discovery Call.