You have, no doubt, heard the advice from marketing experts to get testimonials from your satisfied customers. And, like a good student of marketing, you know you should use these testimonials in your ads and sales letters to increase consumer confidence in your company.

But what about when you're just starting out? What if your product hasn't been sold yet? How do you get customer testimonials before you even get customers?

Sure you could give people your product to sample in exchange for their endorsement. But I've got another idea you might like to try.

Find books, articles and news stories that have been written about your industry. Then quote what industry leaders and experts are saying in your marketing materials.

For example, let's say you've invented a new child's toy. Your toy is special because it is educational as well as fun. Now find a passage you can quote from, let's say the National Toy Council that says educational toys are better for children. Find as many quotes as you possibly can that seem to support your product.

When you use these quotes from experts in your field, you get the added benefit of their implied endorsement. Be careful, however, not to suggest that these experts have actually tried and recommend your product. That could quickly get you slapped with a big, fat lawsuit.

When I wrote my manual "How To Start Your Own Home-Based Coupon Book Business," I quoted The Entrepreneur's Ultimate Start-Up Directory. In that book, author James Stephenson stated "Community coupon books are hot, and starting a business that designs and produces coupon books is a sensational new business endeavor to set in motion."

I also found other marketing experts like Dan Kennedy and Kevin Nunley who indicated that coupon advertising is highly effective and profitable. I used their quotes in my sales letters and still do.

Of course, once your business takes off you WILL solicit testimonials from your satisfied customers.

But until you've hit the big time, use the quotes of industry experts to make it appear like you have.

Tags: internet marketing tips, niche marketing, Jonathan Hook, affiliate marketing, article marketing

Has this happened to you?

You're in the process of selling your widgets to a prospect. You've turned features into benefits. You've given him an amazing demonstration. You've attempted several closing techniques.

Overall, you've done such a marvelous job of proving the value of your widget, that you're convinced he's ready to sign on the dotted line.

Suddenly, he hits you with: "What's the catch?"

Most people have been taught to believe that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Sometimes, you can oversell to the point where your prospect thinks there has to be a catch.

Your response to this question can be critical. If you say, "There's NO catch," your prospect will, nevertheless, assume you must be hiding something.

So what is the best way to handle this situation?

First, be prepared for it. Don't get caught with your pants down. Hesitation or stunned silence will lose you the sale every time.

You may even want to provoke the subject before your customer does with the question, "You're probably wondering what the catch is, right?"

Then, give your customer a catch that is true yet meaningless to him.

The best way for me to illustrate what I mean is through an example from my own personal experience.

Years ago, I worked for a promotional company that sold coupon books to golfers by phone. The golfer who purchased a book would receive six rounds of golf for the price of one. The deal definitely sounded too good to be true.

My closing technique went something like this:

ME: "Now, I bet you're wondering what the catch is, right Bob?"

BOB: (Laughs) "Yes, I am."

ME: "Well, you're right. There IS one catch."

BOB: "I knew it." (Bob tenses, preparing for the worst.)

ME: "The catch is that the golf course owner requests that you call in

advance to book your tee-off time. But you probably do that anyway,

don't you?"

BOB: "Usually I do, yeah. That's it?"

ME: "That's it, Bob."

Bob: "Sounds great."

ME: "Great! So how many books would you like, one or two?"

See how I've given Bob a catch to earn his trust - but I've made it a catch he can live with!

Try this technique yourself the next time you're faced with the "too good to be true" scenario.

Find a small catch about your product - create one if you have to. Just make sure it's a catch that your prospect doesn't care about. You'll gain credibility in his eyes and close a lot more sales in the long run.

Tags: website optimization, niche marketing, Jonathan Hook, affiliate marketing, internet marketing tips

I coined the term "P.O.W.E.R. Marketing" to describe five steps you must take when crafting any ad or sales letter.

P.O.W.E.R. is an acronym for: Provoke a Problem, Offer a Solution, Win Trust, Evoke Emotion, and Remove Risk.

Many small business owners forget some of these steps when they create their marketing materials. But the most successful sales letters contain ALL of these elements.

Let's look at each step of the P.O.W.E.R. Marketing System:

1/ PROVOKE A PROBLEM:

Your ad should begin by stoking the fire under a problem your prospect

identifies closely with. This is often done in the headline, the sub-head

and the first few paragraphs of the body copy.

An example might be the famous mail-order ad that asks, "Do You Make

These Mistakes In English?" The goal is to stop your reader in his tracks

and make him want to read more.

2/ OFFER A SOLUTION:

If you write your ad correctly, the solution to your prospect's problem

should be YOUR product or service. But many ad writers remember the

"solution" but forget the "offer" part.

You need a solid offer so your prospect knows what he's getting. Your

offer should include your product, the price (which may include a

discount with an expiry date), payment terms and even bonuses.

Bonuses are especially effective if offered for a limited time only.

Spend a lot of time creating your offer. Make it irresistible. Your offer will

make or break your campaign. And it's the most essential part of the

P.O.W.E.R. Marketing System.

3/ WIN TRUST:

When your prospect reads your ad or sales letter, he is often doubting

what you say. He knows you are trying to sell him something. He's been

burned before by other, unscrupulous marketers. Why should he believe

YOU are any different?

So remember to present your credentials. State your years and level of

experience. Quote the results of tests performed on your product. Show

photos of your product in action. All will enhance your credibility.

But the best way to win your prospects' trust is through the use of

testimonials. You've read statements from customers that began, "I was

skeptical at first. But then I tried XYZ brand." Your prospect will believe

a testimonial over YOU because he perceives that the customer is

someone like him.

As soon as you can, start collecting testimonials from satisfied

customers. Most are happy to oblige. (And while you're at it, ask for

referrals too.)

4/ EVOKE EMOTION:

People buy things based on emotion not logic. They may realize buying

your product would be a smart move. But you must get them excited to

get them to take that step.

To get your prospect excited, speak in terms of benefits, not features. A

feature is a specific characteristic of your product. A benefit is what your

customer will get from that feature.

An example? The lighted keypad on a cell phone is a feature. The

benefit? No more fumbling in the dark to answer a call or dial a number.

When describing your product, make sure you always translate each

feature into its corresponding benefit to the consumer.

5/ REMOVE RISK:

To really explode your sales, you need to remove all risk from your

prospect. To do this, develop a strong guarantee and promote it heavily.

It's not good enough to simply state "Guaranteed" at the end of your

offer. In fact, the more specific you make your guarantee, the more

powerful and effective it becomes.

Here's the guarantee I use for my "How To Start Your Own Home-Based

Coupon Book Business" manual:

"Try my manual for 60 days FREE.

If you're not completely convinced

that this business is the one you've

been waiting for - send it back

for a FULL REFUND. NO QUESTIONS ASKED."

For my "Coupon Book Business Builder's Tool Kit," I offer a ONE-FULL-

YEAR Unconditional Guarantee.

Some marketers even offer double or triple your money back.

Don't be afraid to make a strong guarantee. Sure a few dishonest

people will take advantage of you. But your increase in sales will far

out-weigh your losses.

Remember to use these five steps in all your marketing messages. Employ the P.O.W.E.R. Marketing System and watch your sales sky-rocket.

Tags: internet marketing tips, Jonathan Hook, article marketing, affiliate marketing, internet marketing

Everything these days cost money, there is no way around. So the best way to build a relationship with people, to get people informed of your product or informed of your service is to simply give stuff away for free. Every body loves free items, would you hate it if you got a free gift from a company? The answer to your own question is no, no you will not hate it. Usually by getting a free gift from a company, you will be a fan of the company. So you will be more informed about what the company has to offer than you would if you did not get the free item.

So what you need to do is start small, start with maybe a gift that is about five dollars or maybe even ten dollars, and start doing give away's. This is a great way to drive traffic to your website or blog, because people will keep checking to see if they won or not. Then at the same time, while they are checking back at your website or blog, they are becoming more and more informed of the products or services that you are offering.

The great thing about give aways, is that the person that received the gift will not forget you. Gas is a huge subject at this time our lives, so let's talk about gas as an example. Let's say that I owned a gas station and there was a gas station across the street. We both cost the same, but we want more customers. Let's say that we give away free gas to five lucky customers. Do you think the next time they need gas they will go to you, or to the gas station across the street? Chances are they are going to come back to you because they cared about your services a lot.

So when you are offering your free services and products, you are attracting future customers. Really, that is what you are doing. You will be surprised at how many people will want your services or products, only because you gave away some free gifts. They know that you care about your customers, and that you are not doing it just for the money. You really are, but this will show that you also care about your clients or customers.

There you have it, now you know what the power of free gifts and free services can do for you. Here is a little homework assignment for you, when you see that somebody is doing a give away, I want you to follow up on them. Follow up how their services and see how they are doing now. I would say that about most of the time they have increased their sales, and they have new clients. Word of mouth goes around, and chances are that the people that won the products or services are telling their friends and family about it. This is resulting in more people using your services and products. The gift or service that was given away will be covered really quickly by the new clients.

Tags: Jonathan Hook, affiliate marketing, article marketing, niche marketing, internet marketing tips

"S.A.F.E. Selling" is a phrase I coined to help new and veteran sales professionals understand a sales situation from the customer's side of the table.

S.A.F.E. is an acronym for: Skepticism, Apathy, Fear and Egotism.

These four words sum up the four major emotions a prospect is struggling with during your sales presentation. You as the sales person must deal with each one of these emotions before you can close the sale.

Here are some brief examples of what your prospect is thinking and feeling as you present your product:

S = Skepticism ("It won't work!" - "I don't believe you!". . .)

A = Apathy ("I don't need it right now!" - "I can't afford it!". . .)

F = Fear ("What if I don't like it?" - "Will you rip me off?". . .)

E = Egotism ("My problem is different!" - "It won't work for me!". . .)

Your prospect will experience some or all of these emotions during the course of your presentation.

How do you find out which ones he is feeling and when? Through the use of effective probing.

But ultimately, your pitch should flow naturally so as to answer your prospect's concerns as they are raised in his mind. Then, you can interject periodically with a trial close to make sure your prospect is satisfied.

Remember too, that advertising is merely salesmanship in print. Don't think for a moment that your ads and sales letters aren't required to heed this advice simply because no face-to-face presentation takes place.

In fact, advertising has an even tougher job. Sometimes, (and especially on the Internet) your sales letter must do the complete selling job. And that includes handling objections.

You must know your product. But more importantly, you must know your prospect.

Then, and only then, can you use "S.A.F.E. Selling" techniques to make your prospect feel SAFE enough to become your customer.

Tags: affiliate marketing, Jonathan Hook, article marketing, internet marketing, internet marketing tips

What is the most powerful four-letter word in your marketing vocabulary?

I'll give you a hint: it starts with "F."

Not THAT four-letter word, silly? This one won't get you thrown out of church on Sunday morning.

It's "FREE!"

Nothing pulls orders better or gets response faster than giving something away FREE. Here are 8 ways to use it in your ads:

1/ FREE DETAILS! This is popular with mail-order dealers. They use

small, inexpensive classified ads to uncover interested prospects. Then,

they send a detailed information package to everyone that responds.

2/ FREE DELIVERY! Commonly used by furniture stores and pizza places.

3/ BUY-ONE-GET-ONE-FREE! An excellent way to earn big profits fast.

4/ FREE TRIAL SIZE! Give away a smaller version of your product to

entice customers to try the full size.

5/ FREE FOR 30 DAYS! Let people use your product without charge for a

limited time. Bill them only when they decide to keep it.

6/ FAST SERVICE OR IT'S FREE! Some restaurants offer lunch in 10

minutes or you don't have to pay.

7/ FREE! NO PURCHASE NECESSARY! This is often reserved for

contests or sweepstakes.

8/ YOU'RE SATISFIED OR IT'S FREE! Use a powerful, money-back

guarantee to remove the risk from your customer.

Use the word "FREE" in your advertising whenever possible. Make it bold and colourful so it really stands out. Nothing gets attention - or response like this four-letter word.

NOTE: If you have more creative ways to use the word "FREE" in your marketing materials, e-mail them to me at

mailto:randy@randyruggles.com . I'll reprint the best ideas in a future article along with your name and Web site address.

Tags: affiliate marketing, niche marketing, website optimization, article marketing, Jonathan Hook