I enjoyed this interview very much, and even though I've heard Jeff speak many times, I took away some tips that have made me many thousands of dollars in profit since then.



I raise this subject because I want to remind you that I'm absolutely certain that ANYONE that reads each issue and listens to the audio interviews will have at least one full sheet of action points they can apply in their own business EVERY MONTH, regardless of whether they're currently selling on eBay or not. BUT The Key of course is, TAKING ACTION!

This newsletter was never meant to be about eBay exclusively. It's about MARKETING! Yes, the area that I most commonly apply the techniques to is eBay, but eBay is just a tool. It's not the be all and end all of any business, it's just a tool.

Anyway, back to Jeff. ONE tip that Jeff gave was to scan USA Today, or your national newspaper every day. It takes about 15-20 minutes. Why did he say to do this?

? You'll discover the very latest hot topics that people are talking about

? You'll see ads that companies have spent a LOT of money on (and that you can ?borrow' elements from)

? You'll see firsthand what subjects a large percentage of the population are being influenced on (a national newspaper has substantial influence)

Let's get into some specific examples. In the exhibits pages you can see three clippings from just two issues of USA Today. Exhibit A was a full page ad. Now, you don't need to be a brain surgeon to figure out that a full page ad in a publication like this costs A LOT of money. Ridiculous amounts of money. So they deserve our attention. This particular ad uses PROVEN direct response techniques, and it's a SUPERB model to follow for an eBay listing using my H3 system, for lead generation. In this example, they use a free report called ?The 8 Biggest Mistakes Investors Make (And How to Avoid Them!)' to HOOK people who are interested in investing.

Once someone has requested and read the report, and they view you as a trusted advisor, it's EASY to sell them what you really want to sell them. In this case, it's portfolio management. Now look at this is usually done - the conventional approach is to place an ad for portfolio management. The response will be low, low low. Why? Because people HATE being sold to. You MUST turn your marketing efforts from pitching to helping. Help first, THEN offer your paid solutions once you've gained the rapport and trust of the prospect.

Now, I'm deadly serious when I say this ad can be used as a model for your business.

It has all the components you can use to create an eBay listing that hooks potential customers. There's a powerful, interest arousing headline that calls out to the right target audience, there's a compelling, irresistible offer of a valuable report, there's fear of loss, agitating a problem, and I could go on and on. Basically, the reader is left with the feeling that they've gotta' read this report.

The headline is perfect for just about any business:

?The 8 Biggest Mistakes___________Make

(And How to Avoid Them!)?

Simply fill in the blank with your industry, follow the pattern of he sales letter in the ad, create a 10-12 page PDF report with clear instructions of ?what to do next' at the end, and voila, you can hook customers on eBay for what you REALLY want to sell them on the back end.

Exhibit B contains yet another sales page that confirms the effectiveness of the concept. It's remarkably similar in style to the previous example, and trumps it in a couple of ways. There's multiple ways to respond, AND it includes testimonials. Notice that although this is still a lead generator, hook, they're charging $49.95 for it, no doubt to get customers who realize the value of the information.

Lastly, I've just about got enough space to mention Exhibit C. These clippings are from two editions of USA Today. They're a front page feature called ?snapshots', but they're really surveys. From the first one about ?pets and the net' I learned that reptile owners NEED information products and that they'll buy them online. Ready made business for you. Read the blurb on the exhibit page for my prediction about this idea?