Every now and then I see a redundant conversation between marketers arguing what matters most…
- Is it traffic?
- Is it copywriting?
- Is it a product (your own or affiliates)?
- Is it list building?
… then they pick one and try to justify it with their own circular logic.
Some jump on the bandwagon, some don’t. Then they proceed to out-logicify eachother.
Frankly, it’s embarassing.
Fact is, all 4 of them matter.
And there’s a whole lot of in-betweens that need figuring out if you really want to “make it” online.
You could even outsource it – but the caveat is, there’s so many different elements to put together that it’s difficult to know who to trust to do what.
Solution?
Learn how to do it yourself, then build your business from the ground up. Or give me a few grand and I’ll give you some pointers 
But if that’s not an option, where should you start?
You need something to sell. But if you want to sell something, you must know what people NEED.
That’s where research comes in…
… let me give you a hint that might save you a LOT of trouble in the future.
Make sure whatever you’re selling, is a SOLUTION to a PROBLEM.
… and NOT a PREVENTION (take this to heart – seriously).
Let me make this clear if you’re still unsure of what I mean.
I got this example off one of the marketers I look up to, Jason Fladlien – but let’s say you were selling 2 products.
One of them, is about how to fill your life with 10 times more happiness.
The other, is a product on how to cure depression.
Which one do you think will sell more?
Obviously, the product about curing depression would be a far more profitable venture – why?
Because you’re targeting a NEED, not a WANT.
Read this golden nugget quote from the legend of copywriting, Gary Halbert.
Whatever. In any case, after my students are finished telling me what advantages they would most like to have, I usually say to them something like this: “O.K., I’ll give you every single advantage you have asked for. I, myself, only want one advantage and, if you will give it to me, I will (when it comes to selling burgers) whip the pants off all of you!”
“What advantage do you want?” they ask.
“The only advantage I want,” I reply…
“Is…
A Starving Crowd!”Think about it. When it comes to direct marketing, the most profitable habit you can cultivate is the habit of constantly being on the lookout for groups of people (markets) who have demonstrated that they are starving (or, at least hungry) for some particular product or service.
The man was a genius.
And I suggest you head over to thegaryhalbertletter.com and get familiar with his work if you’re not already.
Anyway, that’s all for today’s lesson.
Once you’ve picked a “starving” crowd with a PROBLEM, it’s time to figure out how to solve it… with your product.
Next lesson in a few days… sign up to the list to get informed when it’s ready.
To your success,
Dean Jackson
P.S. I’m still figuring out what would be a cool giveaway to get people to join – the information should be enough but people love to count the “quantity” over “quality” (and entertainment)… so if there’s no giveaway product there yet, join anyway and I’ll shoot a mail when there is
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