Wednesday, March 21, 2007

An Answered Question

Liquid Life Solutions is feeling left out.

The last post was a birthday greeting from a bunch of us at The Community sending Ben Mack best wishes. Really. Hardly fits with the regular posting schedule recommended by the blogging community.

This is an attempt at redemption. Easing my troubled mind and getting that warm and fuzzy feeling is my goal. It's all about me (excuse me while I wipe a tear from my eye).

Most of the focus the last few months has been on Podcasting at Think Two Products Ahead and throwing a couple of episodes at the Liquid Life Success Show .

One question keeps coming up about Podcasting; "Mark, what's a Podcast?"

An answer is provided here. Watch and learn (click on the arrow one time to activate and click on the arrow again to play). Thank you Ninja.

Ask A Ninja: Special Delivery #1
"What is Podcasting?"



Does that answer your question? No? Watch it again and if you still don't get it, please go Get Forgiven . Please. I want to feel good.

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Think Two Products Ahead by Ben Mack


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Ben, one of the members of the Third Win Group, Heather Lynn Jergens, created a birthday greeting for you.

Yes, this is a project that was cloaked in secrecy and hidden from view. (Better than the wait staff gathering around you in a restaurant and singing Happy Birthday? Maybe.)

As the best selling author of Think Two Products Ahead you bring your expertise and knowledge into all of our lives and businesses and we are better for it.

As Ben Mack, you give us all an example of caring and sharing from your heart and soul. And you my friend, have soul in abundance. This world (and others) benefit from your presence on the planet. Keep touching all those you meet and know that we love you for moving us to think.

Shhhhhhhhh... can you hear iT? The Universe is smiling. (always)

Peace.

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Fire Eating is Strictly Prohibited

If one insists on eating fire, one must expect to lose an eyebrow every once in a while. Courage Ben.

Game On.

Ben Mack the author of Think Two Products Ahead: Secrets the Big Advertising Agencies Don't Want You to Know and How to Use Them for Bigger Profits is risking an eyebrow.

Tellman Knudson bet Mr. Mack that Ben could not "viralize" a video Ben produced and get a measly 2000 views by Sunday, January 28. If Ben succeeds, he keeps both his eyebrows. If Ben loses, Tellman gets to shave off one of Ben's eyebrows.

Does Tellman play to win? Yes. If you Google "Tellman Knudson", notice how many results you see. Two years ago there were virtually none.

Does Tellman take risks? Yes. Look at that Google results number again. Those results do not show up if you're not willing to accept risk. Learn to swim.

It's time to cast your entrepreneurial vote. What? You thought I was going to vote for you? Think again my friend. The choice is always yours.

I'm going to ask for you help in a minute and many of you are going to try and stop Ben because you want to see him be humiliated. Ben admires you for that.

About 3% of the population will take action.

When you take action you are in the top 3%.

97% of you will make the choice to choose not to make a choice.

Please never allow your proper sensibilities to get into my kids and my grand kids drinking water. Let your kids drink it while you pepper up at 10, 2 and 4 and stay blind to why you do.

I respect lemmings making a choice far more than all the sheep who wait to be sheared and keep coming back for more.

This is all about potable water. You do get that don't you?

Vote now by going to Save Ben's Eyebrow .

Go to Shave Ben's Eyebrow if you want to humiliate Ben.

Save it or Shave it. (insert Final Jeopardy music here.)

After you choose, go here to Be Forgiven .

Make your choice and share by posting on your blog and commenting on all the other blogs you can find with any reference to "Ben Mack" or "Think Two Products Ahead" (Google "Ben Mack" in quotes and "Think Two Products Ahead" in quotes to find places to comment).

Oh...
I'm a RHINO, he's a RHINO, she's a RHINO...
We're all RHINOS.
Wouldn't you like to be a RHINO too!

Sunday, January 7, 2007

Liquid Life Authent-O-Cast 1


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Living up to my promise, here's the first episode of Liquid Life Authent-O-Cast. Couldn't help the cheesy title. Maybe that's part of me? Time will tell. Authenticity is explored but my gut says it's still BS right now. Better. But still not authentic.

Thanks to Ben Mack for a spark of inspiration as I listened on December 23 to the last act of the first of three, three act plays. I felt joy and bliss on that call.

My result didn't involve the police knocking on my door like his did though. Give a listen to Courage Mom and the love fest shared on Ben's event. Can you feel it?

Find out more about Ben Mack and reserve your copy of Think Two Products Ahead by joining the growing family of readers at ThinkTwoProductsAhead.com and visiting our blog community.

Andrew Jecklin, gotashotofinnerfuel.com , left a comment on this blog and shared a video he created. This short film is a promotion for his interview with Ben Mack.

Take a look and listen to what a fellow blogger is doing right now by clicking here . Watch more than once because it's that important if you're an entrepreneur in any sense of the word.

Thanks Andrew for the comment and sharing your work. Very cool.

You all are invited to come on over and find out more about the first shameless self promoting, capitalist loving, revenue generating marketing group formed under the Liquid Life Solutions name. Visit the Third Win Group and leave a comment or question.

Call 206-666-4565 to leave a comment or question. Conversation is always appreciated.

E-mail is accepted and appreciated at: liquidlifesolutions@yahoo.com

Thank you for listening.

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

A Confession...

is in order.

At The Liquid Life Success Show the post said there will be something new here... on January 1, 2007.

An audio of "authentic" me is proving to be hard to capture.

Please do not attempt this at home. I'm hearing a "tell all" type disclosure isn't a good idea until I succeed. And it's the kiss of death if you're already a success.

Is "tell all" and "authentic" even the same language?

Let me see, let me see... somewhere around here I know there's a forgiveness tool.

Stay tuned.

More very soon with sound.

(Don't listen to that producer guy over at The Liquid Life Success Show , he doesn't know what he's talking about.)

Monday, December 18, 2006

Open Call With Ben Mack

Part 1


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Part 2


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To download and save the call from the RSS feed (same content in a much smaller file) please use this link: PodCast.LiveOffice.com .

This is the complete unedited conversation from an open call for Liquid Life Solutions that started as Episode 7 for The Liquid Life Success Show .

After the call was finished, I realized the content was more important for this blog and alligned perfectly with one of the directions Liquid Life Solutions is intended to go. Thank you Ben.

Episode 7 scheduled for the Success Show will post on Tuesday, December 19th as planned on the show blog .

Enjoy the conversation with Ben.

Want to know more about Ben? Google "Howard Campbell" for fun or if you prefer, here's a couple of places to look and listen for more...

AuthorsBusinessPlan.com

MySpace.com/HowardCampbell

Sharing is encouraged. One never knows where any path may lead!

Where is the Third Win?

More from Ben in case you're thirsty...

But first a pop quiz.

How many asterisks are there at the end of Ben's e-mail?

Send your answer to liquidlifesolutions@yahoo.com

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

Ben Mack to Me 8:41 AM

My dear Mark, you have endured the flames of my wicked words and have hung with me while I've fought my demons. Of course you may stay on and witness this theatrical performance.

I am sorry if I have trespassed your comfort zone.

I see a Rhino in you that I want to help charge. Forgive me for calling you a name, but what I mean by Rhino is strength, cunning and determination. Rhinos can charge 40 miles per hour, which is like 300 kilometers per hour...joking.

I see these emails as a stage. I offended many people.

Many readers contend that they didn't ask for my help in releasing their inner Rhino and for them I wish them well, but I need a herd of Rhinos and I'm bound to see the potential Rhino in every contact I make. Others corrected my grammar when I discussed the death of a friend. Either way, I'm glad to see your passions.

What is this all about? Mark Horn had this question and he interviews me here:
www.liquidlifesolutions.blogspot.com


My explanation in text...

Who: You, me and EVERY HUMAN ON EARTH

What: Entrepreneurial solutions to drinkable water
(incited by an ARG, Alternate Reality Game please see ARGN.com )

When: Now

Where: Spaceship Earth

Why: Because the current systems and power structures haven't made this a priority

WIIFY: Empowerment tools and a sense of purpose: I'll teach you magic, you use as you see fit.

As a 12 year-old, I spent three days interviewing the late, great R. Buckminster Fuller, the guy who coined the word Synergy and brought geodesic ideas to the world.

Bucky was a fan of money as a tool, as am I.

I'm a capitalist. What other form of economy allows a person to leverage their common sense for great rewards? More than any economic system I've seen, capitalism allows for the individual to stand on his own merits.

One is still pushed or pulled by social advantages and political influence, but your own merits contribute more than any alternative systems I've seen. Money, connections, and charisma open doors, but it's your character and wits that take you to the top.

Knowledge is the application of character and intelligence. Character is the greater part of knowledge--I'm guessing that the angry advertising account planner that recently called me a communist can't define her terms.

Bucky, among others like Bobbie DePorter, taught me how to learn quickly and see patterns in what others saw as chaos. Perhaps my mom sending me to EST when I was eight had something to do with this also.


"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." --Arthur C. Clarke, "Profiles of The Future", 1961 (Clarke's third law)

I've seen things others don't. I'm not patting myself on the back, that's just the way the world has occurred to me. I've always felt different. It wasn't until I got into online marketing that I started to feel not-crazy.

Feeling good is new to me. Entrepreneurs treat seriously tools which I had only imagined before being invited into this conversation.

If my tools have trespassed your sense of dignity, I'm sorry for you. But, I'm playing a very high-stakes game and I need people who can live above their emotions, who can show up and be productive even when they don't feel well and to find these people I'm thinning my heard --> This is an intentional use of a homonym.

I'm creating a play, a theatrical performance. I need players who can see the structure of the drama through the meaning of the words and I know of no better way to find my heard.

However, I am mindful that you are likely to only play with me if you can see what's in it for you...

Here's an interesting tool you may have never noticed before...
Have you ever used Google Video and searched for "Video News Release" it is like finding news that isn't news... then watching these Video News Releases interacted with as if they are real and live looks entirely different. For me, it feels like I'm watching a David Copperfield special from the '80s, but most people don't see what I see.

Giving entrepreneurs access to the same marketing tools of LARGE CORPORATIONS is my goal. I'm standing on the shoulders of giants, in this case Jay Conrad Levinson who invited me to co-author Guerrilla Branding with him. We didn't get that book published. I kept reworking the ideas and eventually I birthed THINK TWO PRODUCTS AHEAD.

THANK YOU JAY CONRAD LEVINSON.

I'm a tool maker. I'll teach you whatever tool
you want to know
that I have a modicum of proficiency. And some I am just learning, like email marketing.

Craig Perrine is a far better teacher of email marketing than me.

Presently, I'm doing 5 things
(also known as TOO MANY things):
1) Awaiting notice from Stanford's CAPTology conference if Dr. Jain's and my paper has been accepted for their conference on sustainability and Computers As Persuasion Technology where we TELL ACADEMIA they shouldn't ignore the work of entrepreneurs

2) Trying to get PAID by RPI.edu for the work I did for them

3) Using a marketing tool called an ALTERNATE REALITY GAME, also known as immersive gaming

4) Selling my house in Tampa

5) Creating a buzz so when I ask for help promoting my book in January more people will know who I am

Did you know that academia refers to Search Engine Optimization as a tool for spam? This isn't friendly. Academia helps create the rules of Internet marketing. I'd like entrepreneurs to be better represented in their conversations.


Mark Joyner is the man I owe the biggest debt of gratitude. In 2001 he tried to teach me about entrepreneurial tools. I was resistant. I objected. I was kidding myself that I was happy making $180k with groovy titles and expense accounts.

Beyond my gain, I am grateful for Mark Joyner crafting Unifying Social Dynamics, Mark Joyner Construct Zero
http://www.markjoyner.name/logs/mj_constructs0.php

The academic paper below was inspired by the Mark Joyner Constructs. The language may be clunky...but that's academia for you.

Before I share with you the Stanford article Dr. Jain and I have submitted to represent a perspective from two online marketers, I'd like to share with you a poem a friend wrote:


Now i wasn't raised at gunpoint

And i've read too many books
to distract me from the mirror
when unhappy with my looks

And i ain't got proper diction
for the makings of a thug

Though i grew up in the ghetto
And my niggers all sold drugs,

And though that may validate
me

For a spot on mtv

And give me all the airplay
that my bank account would need,

I was hoping to invest in
a lesson that i learned

I thought this fool had
jumped me

Just because it was my turn.

I went to an open space
because i knew he wouldn't do it

If somebody there could see him

Or somebody else might prove it,

And maybe in your eyes It may seem i got punked

Because i walked in their own path

And then went and changed my route.

But that open-ness exposed me
to a truth i couldn't find
in the clenched fists of my ego

Or the confines of my mind
Or the hip-ness of my
swagger,

Or the swagger of my step,

the scowl of my grimace,
or the mean-ness of my rap.

Because we represent a truth son,

That changes by the hour,
And when you open to it,
for nobility is power,

in that shifting form you'll find a truth that doesn't change

And that truth is living proof of the fact that god is strange...
Talk to strangers

When the family fails and friends led you astray

And buddah laughs and jesus weeps and turns
out god is gay. As angels in disguise love can come in many
forms, the hallways of your projects or the fat girl in
your dorm, and when you finally take the time to see what
they're about perhaps you find they're lonely or their
wisdom trips you out.

Maybe you'll find the cycles
end

Right back where you began,
But come this time around
you'll have someone to hold your hand,

Who prays for you
Who is there for you
Who sends you love and
light

Exposes you to parts of you
that you once tried
to fight

And come this time around
you choose to walk
a different path
you'll embrace what you turned away
and cry at what you laughed,
because that's the only
way

We're going to make it through this storm

Where ignorance is common sense
and senseless is the norm.

In fact we're high above the truth
and that you never
touch,

And stolen goods are overpriced
and freedom costs too much,
and no-one seems to recognize the
symbols come to life

The bitten apple on the screen
and jesus had a wife,
and she was his messiah

Like that stranger may be yours,
who holds a subtle knife
that carves through worlds
like magic doors, and that's what i've been looking for

The bridge from then to now,
just watching b.e.t like what the fuck son,
this is foul but that's where boston represents
this fear that we live in

The world is not a flat screen
I ain't trying to fit in.

But this ain't for the
underground

This here is for the sun.

A seed a stranger gave to me
and planted on my tongue.
and when i look at you,
I know i'm not the only one

As a great
Man once said,
there's nothing more powerful..

than an idea who's time

has come


Captology & the Art of Selling Online
HOW INTERNET ENTREPRENEURS USE CAPTOLOGY & PERSUASION TO CREATE SUSTAINABILITY
BY
BEN MACK & DR. RACHNA JAIN

Abstract: Performed effectively, online sales and marketing relies on a tightly woven interplay between captology and persuasion. In this arena, computers and computer aided technology shift from being passive recipients of human behavior to active creators of human change. This paper will examine how, through use of captological models of recursivity and character-based narratives as well as Blair Warren's model of One Sentence persuasion, Internet millionaires successfully create sustainability for themselves and their customers.

Keywords: captology, persuasion, computers, computer aided technology, Internet sales, Internet marketing, Internet millionaires

Introduction:
In the simplest form, captology is the study of the interaction between computers and people, focusing on the ways that computers catalyze and sustain change in human behavior, experience, and perception. Initially, computers were viewed as nothing more than passive recipients of human behavior, waiting to be acted upon by omnipotent masters. This reference point is changing. Now, captology redefines computers and computer aided technology from being passive recipients of human behavior to active creators of human change.

Captology and persuasion:
Captology may provide the firmest path to balancing the world's hegemonic influence yet conceived, as it disseminates a vocabulary that illuminates persuasion to a broader audience. In the wake of this expansion, we will see major ripples in our social infrastructure, forever changing the role of the dominant elite. Instead of focusing on short term, one-time visions, the dominant elite may become a kinder, gentler world force, more focused on sustainability. This emphasis on sustainability will help ease the transition into a new phase of evolution, marked by even greater adoption of computer technology.
In the recent past, simply discussing good for all mankind could have been labeled as Communistic or Socialistic, or any other label which would diminish or eliminate financial and kindred support. Instead, this is a unique time, as there is a growing support for using technology for mass good. Examples of this may be events like online petitions which garner support (and funding) to save the world's rainforests. Or companies that donate money to breast cancer research after website visitors click on certain homepage links. Or institutions offering online learning programs, bringing educational achievement (and its subsequent increase in pay rate) to people who might not otherwise be able to pursue higher level degrees. There are many other examples, all part of a growing trend towards using online persuasion and computer technology to advance financial, social, and environmental agendas, both for the greater individual and the greater common good.
As society increasingly embraces computers to serve more and more function, it is worthwhile to discuss the role of computers in persuasive technology. Even more worthy of consideration is how computers aided persuasive technology can be leveraged to assist global sustainability. Positive future possibilities are discussed in Human Computer Interaction and Utopian Studies conferences. Detailing positive steps to these ends is important. Captology helps contemporize and focus the field of persuasion.
Persuasive '07 gives voice and forum to a discussion of persuasion while broadening the base of those studying persuasive technologies, especially those using these technologies to help humanity. Historically, persuasion has generally only been studied by those who sought to make more money or control more people. For example, in the 1980's, a total of eight books on persuasion and influence were published and available to general public. By 2006, however, Amazon.com (the largest online distributor of books) lists 28 published books on the topics of persuasion and influence. Clearly, the interest in persuasion and influence is a popular topic, with growing readership. Persuasion is a more popular topic than ever before.
Persuasion is being taught through home computers via the Internet. Micro sites like The Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab's www.Captology.tv and Blair Warren's www.BlairWarren.com shed revelatory light on persuasive technology through their teachings. Easy access to their insights breeds a more media-literate user. Captology.tv simplifies and easily demonstrates many academic constructs, such as the role of character-based narratives or recursivity in specific persuasive technology. In a less formal way, BlairWarren.com details tactics of applied persuasion. For instance, within his One-Sentence-Persuasion Blair states: "People will follow you anywhere to the extent you encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears and help them throw rocks at their enemies."

Application of Warren's one sentence model of persuasion to Internet marketing
In recognition of this "one-sentence" encapsulation of persuasion, this paper will focus on how using the five elements of persuasion (encouraging their dreams, justifying their failures, allaying their fears, confirming their suspicions, and helping them throw rocks at their enemies) is a model used daily by online entrepreneurs as they sell techniques and information for building businesses on the Internet.
In the sphere of Internet marketing, many people want to make a living online, but few actually succeed. The ones who are successful are, essentially, masters of online persuasion. These online persuasion masters are proficient at harnessing Warren's model to convince web visitors to buy. It is not uncommon for Internet marketing products to cost in the range of $997 or more. Therefore, it takes a certain amount of persuasive ability to induce people to part with this kind of money on a very frequent basis. Given that many successful online businesses are based on repeat sales to a loyal following of customers, it requires an even greater finesse to convince the same group of people to purchase over and over again.
These online persuasion gurus are very skilled at combining the five persuasive elements in their sales letters and business models, for maximum personal benefit. Presumably, they are also concerned with the success and benefit to the purchaser, as they continue to increase their focus and offers related to online teaching, training, and skills building for the products being sold.
In the past, consumers would buy a product and have to learn how to use, install, or implement it completely on their own. The master online persuaders move technology and persuasion one step further, by using online learning environments, web-based conferencing, and telephone based conferencing, and immediate availability of information, to allow greater and greater access to their customers 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days a year.
This further cements the cycle of sustainability, as the business owner continues to provide resources the buyer wants, as the buyer wishes to access them, so that both may reach their goals. The medium for this delivery is technology and computers, as most online entrepreneurs have not met the vast majority of their customers or clients directly. Yet these entrepreneurs are able to build extremely profitable, independent businesses and almost evangelical type followings, primarily by persuasion.
Independent is a key distinction above, because organizational structures look different without oversight. Oversight and gate keeping are inherent in sponsored environments. An independently wealthy person may not have to conform to successful practices of sponsored environments, nor do they need to create behaviors that lead to sustainable finances. Financially successful entrepreneurs are free of many institutional gatekeepers, and their methods have yielded systems that are, at least in the foreseeable future, sustainable. In order to create their sustainability, many of these business people have proven proficiency in utilizing technology persuasively. They were applied scientists who split test many elements of their websites. Often, the wider and more long-distanced their anticipatory strategy, the more successful they have become.
In 2005, John Reese had the first entrepreneurial million-dollar day, where a sole-practitioner launched a new product and persuaded enough folks to buy that the revenue generated on that day exceeded one-million-dollars. While Mr. Reese was the first one to achieve this goal, he is not the only. Since 2005, several solo-entrepreneurs have succeeded in recreating his success, in ever growing numbers. While it may be tempting to classify these instances as rare, the truth is, these situations can be replicated again and again because they implement the same model: A tightly interwoven methodology of persuasion and technology. Using computers, entrepreneurs like John Reese have been able to attract prospects, convince them to buy, and convince them to keep on buying.
The techniques of Blair Warren's "One Sentence Persuasion" have been honed to razor precision by this special group of online persuaders. This is very evident in the use of computers and computer aided technology to drive the sales cycle and electrify the sales process underlying these online million dollar launch days. The rest of this paper will examine each of these elements in greater detail.
The link between captology and persuasion is very evident in the realm of online sales and marketing. Computers drive visitors to visit certain websites, and persuasion keeps them there. It is difficult to quantify the host of forces which move a visitor to seek information online.

Captology principles direct success of online persuasion
It is easier, though, to determine the depth and breadth of persuasion that begins from the moment he views the screen. From the precise placement of colors, text, and images, to the page formatting, navigation, and continuous admonitions to "Buy Now", the average web visitor will not resist the powerful effects of online persuasion. Online persuasion can occur with very limited intentions, focused just on enticing the visitor to read the headline.
Once the visitor has read past the headline and the opening paragraph, and if he keeps reading, the techniques of Blair Warren's persuasive model are activated, almost exactly as defined.
The most effective Internet sales processes begin with information related to encouraging dreams. Phrases such as "How would you like to make millions of dollars while sitting home in your pajamas?" or "I made $100,000 in six days, and you can too" seek to build a framework for the reader in which he, too, may reach his financial goals, and retire wealthy in just six days (or less). Whether or not the reader truly can attain this type of financial freedom is not yet tested, but again, the first paragraph is only designed to entice the reader to read further.
As the reader continues, he is then offered suggestions for how he might justify his failure to make money so far. Phrases like, "It's not your fault that you haven't made any money" or "Nobody told you what you were missing" or "Don't blame yourself, it's the system, not you" are all examples of the types of phrasing used to justify failure. Reading this, the visitor is likely comforted, and, perhaps, feels understood. This encourages him to read further.
The third element of the sales letter focuses on allaying fears, and often includes language like "Don't worry, this won't be hard." Or "You can do this in just three hours per day." Or "It's so easy even my five year old could do it." Each of these phrases seek to allay the reader's unspoken fears that he may not be smart enough or wise enough to be successful. Allaying of fears also seeks, subtly, to encourage dreams, as it promotes the vision of what can be achieved if one were not hampered by flaws or limitations.
The fourth element of the effective sales letter focuses on confirmation of suspicion. At this stage, the letter begins to move the reader more quickly to the purchasing the decision. The tone of the letter begins to shift from emotional overtone to more practical ones, and further builds on the allayment of fears. For example, statements like, "You've always known you are willing to work hard for the right opportunity" or "You know the other guy isn't smarter than you, so why should he be making more money" or "There is nothing keeping you from being successful, no matter what you have tried or failed at before." Again, this stage in the process begins to appeal to the reader's more intellectual or practical side, and forces him to balance his emotions and intellect. Very often, if the emotional experience has been adequately addressed, the reader will be very likely to adopt the desired intellectual stance. If the reader feels the sales letter is written 'just for him' (ade
quately encompasses the emotional range of his personal experience), he is more likely to believe whatever confirmation or proof is presented because he desires his intellectual experience to be congruent with his emotional one. In the online selling process, it is at this stage that the Internet marketer will present physical data or social proof to support his claims. The successful Internet marketer knows that once the reader is emotionally engaged, it is easier to capture his intellect as well.
By capitalizing on the Blair Warren model, the Internet entrepreneur has efficiently led his prospect down an ever narrowing pathway towards the ultimate goal: purchase of the product or service being offered. Just prior to this, though, the final element of the Warren model is carefully presented.
No profitable sales letter would be complete without a focus on helping the reader throw rocks at his enemies. Again, using a skillful blend of emotion and reason, the Internet marketer quickly cycles the reader back through the stages of persuasion, further cementing his beliefs. After this, the Internet marketer provides an emotional release for the reader, by offering phrases like, "Just imagine. You'll never have to work for that mean boss again." Or "You can finally prove that you were right to have an online business, and you can laugh all the way to the bank..." which, in some form, are a means for helping the reader throw rocks at his enemies. No more will the reader suffer in silence. Instead, he will create success and then be able to right all the wrongs which were done to him. The Internet marketer will be the reader's companion and ally in helping the reader throw rocks at those who doubted him. The Warren model of persuasion practically guarantees the sale.

Sustainability created by the sale
After the sale is made, the Internet marketer benefits from this in terms of revenue, but, also, perhaps, in his capacity to support and sustain projects which are important to him, and may have benefits to the community at large. Many Internet marketers donate a portion of their earnings to various charities and groups which are focused on improving the conditions of the sick or impoverished. For the reader who buys the Internet marketer's product, perhaps sustainability is created for the reader when he learns and applies the information from the product which was purchased.
Aside from these obvious forms of sustainability, there are other forces of sustainability at play. The most successful Internet marketers focus on repeat sales to the same group of customers, with the idea that making the first sale is the most difficult one, and successive sales are easier to make from there. So, in a sense, each customer represents a certain amount of lifetime value (and lifetime revenue) to the Internet marketer, who focuses on methods for sustaining the relationship so that additional products or services may be purchased in the future. The interplay between computers and online persuasion is also efficiently demonstrated by the computer aided processes after the sale is made. The process generally occurs as follows:
After the product is purchased, the customer receives a letter of thanks, which serve to reinforce the buyer's decision ("you made a great choice by investing in our product today") This represents an obvious manner in which computers are active creators of human experience. For most buyers, receiving this message (even when they know it was sent by a computer) reinforces their (emotional) buying choice and convinces them (intellectually) that they made the right decision. By computer technology, Internet entrepreneurs are able to congratulate their customer's wisdom of purchase, when, in fact, the Internet entrepreneur may be on vacation. The immediacy of real time encouragement and feedback is one of the ways in which captology and persuasion are tightly linked. A second demonstration of this linkage is when digital bonuses (such as e-books and audio recordings) are immediately delivered to the buyer just after purchase. From a psychological perspective, delivery of these
goods (which have no true fixed cost) further reinforces the customer's choice to buy: increasing the likelihood that he will purchase another product in the future; cementing the cycle of sustainability.
Aside from these elements, online sales and marketing also make use of the captology principles of recursivity and character based narratives to build and sustain interest. This principle is explicated by Jeff Walker, the so called "product launch guru" who was responsible for the very successful product launches by Reese and others. Jeff Walker's construct is based on the information marketer telling their story of how they first started making money at a specialized skill, itself often a form of computer-aided persuasive technology. The revelations and explanations typically take place over seven days, giving the target audience optimal time to come to know the information marketer. Upon careful examination, this product launch construct is very similar to the lessons presented at Captology.tv/ node/159.
Walker's construct details an optimal cadence, quantity of events and various subjects required to launch a successful new product. Recursivity is employed through the character based narrative of how this new product leverages previous skills to make possible what had previously been inaccessible. These concepts work very well, as Jeff Walker's model has been responsible for selling millions of dollars of products and services over the past five years. He utilized his own formula to create a very successful launch of his own, and continues to employ computer aided technology to deliver training, teaching, and services to his customers.
In 2006, using Warren's model and leveraging Walker's formula, Mike Long had the first entrepreneurial ten-million-dollar day. Whether these constructs will create forces of peace or the next generations of Orwellian pigs who become our new Farmer Jones is yet to be seen, but ignoring the strength of these entrepreneurial tools is denying captology the possibility of engaging hegemonic forces from a position of strength and a decent chance of our bright and creative friends. The question is, in what ways is might it be okay to employ the most persuasive tools and techniques or does the use of these tools lead to a psychology of totalism?

Summary
The principles of online persuasion and captology are used widely in the daily processes of Internet sales and marketing. The most successful Internet entrepreneurs have learned that using the Warren model of encouragement of dreams, justification of failures, allayment of fears, confirmation of suspicions, and throwing of rocks at their enemies is the fastest and easiest method for creating personal wealth and financial freedom. Financial success on the Internet would not be possible without the use of computers and computer aided technology. Computers convey traffic to websites, take orders, capture important visitor information, and follow up after the sale. Without them, the whole process of Internet marketing and selling would cease to function. This would mean personal loss to the Internet entrepreneur. It may also mean loss of accessible and much needed information for those seeking it. While there are many forms of persuasion in our daily life, perhaps only on the Int
ernet do we see such a tightly orchestrated interplay of computers, technology, and persuasion. Each focused on changing human behavior, one person at a time.
(end of pg 4; REFERENCES available 1/23 online by Googling "Captology & Online Selling")


Thank you for your considerations.

Sincerely,

Ben Mack


"A crime against theatre is a crime against humanity."
-- Constantine Stanislavski

P.S...
I am pretty good at writing reviews on Amazon...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471778230?ie=UTF8&tag=authorsbusine-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0471778230

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

Sustainable business growth, March 7, 2006

Reviewer: Ben Mack (Nacirema) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

"This is more valuable than any textbook I've read. I received an early version of The Great Formula to review...The book is broken down into two sections...the first section begins with a quick review of The irresistible Offer (TIO) and how TIO works into a business plan, and more importantly, how the business plan can leverage The irresistible Offer.

"Here's where Mark has cracked the formula...you see, TIO is about making a sale while The Great Formula is about sustainably growing your business. Your most expensive proposition is acquiring a new customer. Now, how do you nurture this relationship to create a life-long customer? Mark is asking us to think two products ahead...to think about not a sale but an ongoing relationship with a customer.

"The second section of the book, the smaller section, is on case studies from users of TIO. This is greatly useful...I get to see tactics and thinking of how to transform a tactic into a strategy. Of how a single sale consistently became 4 sales for one retailer.

"I wish all my clients read this book. I would be able to build on this premise with ease. You aren't looking to make one sale...You want to make a lifetime of sales. I see this book as a practical tool kit for a dirty word in marketing...branding. I know, more money has been wasted in the name of branding than just about any other ego driven rationale, but there is something in that concept of branding...building sustainable profitable relationships with your customer...selling them. Then sell them again. THIS IS BRANDING when done well, because you are developing a RELATIONSHIP with each customer.

"Selling is getting the resistance out of the way...Branding is about nurturing that inclination to buy. What happened to ABC? Always be closing...hey, if you have closed this sale why aren't you working on closing the next sale? Now...sometimes the best way to close the next sale is to properly say thank you for this sale. In an attention economy, getting somebody's attention is the first step to a sale...that's TIO, and it works best when you can identify a thirsty audience.

"The case studies detail how readers find their thirsty audiences. When you know you have a thirsty customer, offer them a second glass. This might seem basic, and it is, but I find this strategy under-utilized.

"If you are in marketing you need to be selling...sell! Now, be smart about your selling efforts. The great formula is not about selling harder, it is about selling smarter."

http://wu.sauceruney.com/tre/MAGIC/Joseph-Matheny_Ted-Ciuba_Magic-Teleseminar.mp3


The Bucky Virus is real.

http://frequency23.net/component/option,com_zoom/Itemid,125/page,view/catid,5/key,23/hit,1/





I see these emails as a stage. I offended many people. I just wonder how a silly little email can make them feel so much and yet they aren't compelled to take bigger actions about the state of the world around them.

I was in the mountains of Vermont on this fine December day, sitting on a natural green lawn where 12 years ago there were eight feet of snow. It may be an inconvenient truth, but the world's changing, and keeping the humanity through rapid change will be an accomplishment. I hope you're on my team.

That's why I wrote Think Two Products Ahead, to give the state of the art messaging tools to us independents. You are my biggest hope.

Buckminster Fuller rattled off a whole list of ways Spaceship Earth was in trouble. I asked him how he was optimistic. He said that we just don't know how things will turn out. We just dont. period.

It is good to know what is knowable, what is not knowable and what is meaningless.

Bucky what on to say that by being optimistic he was more likely to inspire others to find a workable solution...so logically it only made sense to be optimistic.

Besides, it just feels better.





This helped me find happiness.





Of course it helped to have the amazing support of Dave Lakhani and David Garfinkel, both amazing men. I hope you use their tools for good.




Please post your comments to
MySpace.com/HowardCampbell




3535 Peachtree Rd. N.E. #520-200
Atlanta, Georgia
30326
US

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

How many? liquidlifesolutions@yahoo.com

Friday, December 15, 2006

A Quick Glance Over the Shoulder

Been 2 weeks since The Liquid Life Success Show started and about 9 days since the last post here. Yes. I'm finding the show taking a lot of available business time right now but the last 2 weeks have been a blast.

Executive Producing is a tough job, but hey someone has to do it. Right?

Anyway, I'm 14 days ahead on the curve and today is the broadcast launch of the You Are The Expert interview series featuring special guests, Debora McLaughlin and Juanita Bellavance of Audacious Enterprises. Thank you both for adding value and being my first business life success interview!

May I extend a warm welcome to anyone reading this blog or listening to the show because of the kind words Juanita and Debora have shared with you. Make yourselves comfortable and come back often.

Creating is so much fun it's easy to get side-tracked and hatch a bunch of other ideas... How about the Liquid Life Blues Lounge? Sounds good to me!

Back to business first though. On the marketing landscape, something I'll be involved in for Liquid Life Solutions is at least 1 business/social network community.

Ideas?

There are a couple of places presenting opportunities I feel comfortable with and I believe this is something to do right now. Opinion, ideas and suggestions are appreciated on this blog, on the 24/7 message line 206.666.4565 or e-mail at the address mentioned in the interview.

Authoring my book is taking an "unknown" path. Remember in the last post I mentioned Ben Mack? Well last week Ben sent Mark Joyner's Simpleology Live Learning Event (or maybe just Mark Joyner) into a tail spin with CAPTOLOGY, bots and ethics. Truly an entertaining experience. Pure artistic integrity. Or pure something.

Turns out Ben has a book being released in late January all about his expertise in direct response branding that's a perfect fit for authoring a book. Turns out too, there are a few free e-versions of the book floating around.

Anyone with a copy of the e-book open for a "Think Two Ahead" writers discussion group? If so lets talk. If not, I'll talk to myself about it later.

More later right here on this blog...

More posts, more often and thanks for the conversation.(New mantra.)

Mark