Joined: 02 Apr 2004 Posts: 90 Location: N. California
Posted: Tue May 25, 2004 7:39 pm Post subject: Please Critique My Site & Sales Letter
Hi Gang!
My site is fairly new (about 4 months) and I've just finished an ebook that I'm trying to sell from it. (Yes, I did follow the SBI C-T-P-M formula, I think!)
I would greatly appreciate your opinions about my site. I tried to provide a lot of useful free content, provide a free e-zine, have a few affiliate links, and just added a sales letter for my e-book. You can find all on the Navigation Bar. I'd especially like to hear feedback about my sales letter, as that's what will hopefully pay for my SBI/Internet Marketing addiction!
Please be brutally honest. I am a newbie so I suspect I made many mistakes, but I have a thick skin and really want to learn from those of you who have been doing this for a while.
The only thing I can say is I wouldn't put the info on the affiliate earning on the sales page. What affiliate in their right mind would promote your book knowing whoever wants to buy it can go to Clickbank and get it 50% off?
Always keep your affiliate program separate from your sales letter if you want good affiliates to promote your products.
Debs _________________ Learn how to turn keyphrases into quality, well-targeted articles your visitors and SE's will love with Gary Antosh's new ebook "Web Content Made Easy!"
Joined: 22 May 2004 Posts: 12 Location: Cleveland, Ohio USA
Posted: Thu May 27, 2004 7:54 pm Post subject:
Hi Bonnie,
I like the overall look & feel of your site very much. Nice job.
OK, now for the critique.
You've asked for comments about your sales letter. The letter itself is good but I believe that if the main purpose of this site is to act as a sales vehicle for your eBook, you should be "asking for the order" much sooner than on page seven of the site.
I visited your site knowing there was a sales letter because you told me so, right? and I had to look for it. IMHO, you should be referring to the sales letter on almost every page of the site but for sure on the first page.
On the first page, you say "If you are well prepared, confident, and do everything right, you'll make a winning impression and obtain your goal." I would add something like "And that's exactly the kind of preparation tips that you'll find in my brand-new eBook "The Job Interview Success System" which is available for the low price of only $24.95. Click here for more information and lock in this discount price which is available only until midnight, Memorial Day, May 31st. After that, it's going back to the regular price of $34.95"
My point is, do not be afraid to ask for the order and ask for it early (more softly than I'm doing, if you wish, but ask for it none-the-less) and often. I've been in sales for over 20 years and almost everything that I've read about selling says that most salespeople are afraid of asking for the sale. This is kind of understandable (but still unacceptable) in a face-to-face selling scenario but online, you don't risk the personal rejection. Ask for the sale in your sales letter, ask for the sale in referring to your sales letter, ask, ask ask!
Next suggestion. Your price of $24.95 is right on target, I think. Don't discount to $12.00 and change. Makes me think that's all your product is worth. Do like the big boys do. Make your "normal" price higher and discount off of it to make your customer realize just what a wonderful bargain they're getting. Don't think to yourself "Oh it's just an eBook, it's not worth $24.95". Instead think "Isn't helping someone land that new job worth $24.95?" If you just absolutely want to discount off of the $24.95 price, take it down to $19.95. Yes, everybody sells for $19.95. Why? Because it's a psychological price break It's not quite a twenty but it's more than a ten-spot.
And again, please bear in mind that these comments are just IMNSHO.
One final suggestion. The title of your book.
I had to look for that as well and I didn't find it until I saw the graphic of your ebook cover (which is a great graphic, btw. What software did you use to create it?) Not only did I have to look for the title, when I found it my first thought was "b-o-r-i-n-g". You need to reach out and grab your customer with your title. "Land That New Job Today!" or "Get That Job Now!" or "You Too Can Get the Job of Your Dreams!". Something that really appeals to my emotions. Something that really makes me want to buy.
Other than these comments, I think your site is fine and the topic of your book seems like it should really be a hot seller given the high unemployment rate these days. Maybe do a little Google AdWords campaign to promeote it?
Joined: 02 Apr 2004 Posts: 30 Location: North Carolina
Posted: Fri May 28, 2004 9:27 pm Post subject:
I Like the title. I like the idea that the job-finding process can be systematized. Anyone can follow a "system" so that makes me feel like I will be successful getting the job if you give me a system that works.
Joined: 02 Apr 2004 Posts: 90 Location: N. California
Posted: Sun May 30, 2004 6:27 pm Post subject:
John, thanks for the comments!
The main purpose of my site when I created it was to provide a lot of free content, and maybe make a little money with the affiliate links. I just recently did the e-book and I know I need to promote it more, exactly as you suggest. Not just on the home page, but throughout my site. (Thanks for that excellent example!) That has been on my "to do" list, and I need to move it up to top priority.
As for the price, I've noticed many e-books now for sale at $47, so I started out with $46.95. Even with the 50% discount, I didn't get a single sale during my first 3 days with Google PPC. I lowered the price to $24.95 and got 3 sales that same day (at the 50% discount, which means they actually only paid $12.97). I want to give my e-zine subscribers the 50% discount. My e-zine announcing this promotion goes out in a couple of days. In the meantime, I don't mind if "non-subscribers" find my page and buy my e-book at the discount. I fully believe my e-book is a great value at the $24.95 price and will not hesitate to bump it up to that price when my "launch celebration/promotion" expires.
My Google PPC campaign was weird. Like I said, no sales until I lowered my price. Then 3 sales in one day. Then zero sales the next day. Then 2 sales the following day. At my discounted price, it wasn't worth it to keep it going (3 sales at $12.97 didn't give me much profit when I was paying $20 per day for the ads). I'll start that up again (and maybe tweak my ads) once my price goes up. In the meantime, I plan to focus on "free" advertising through my own e-zine, sending out articles, participating in forums, trying to get folks with existing lists in the employment niche to promote it for me (for 50% of the profits, of course), and stuff like that there.
The title of my book is intended to get the response that it did with Emily (thanks for the comment, Emily!). I don't want it to sound hypey (is that a word?) or like some marketing guru wrote it. It's a serious, no fluff (but some humor) step-by-step system that makes it easy for anyone to master the complex job interview process.
The e-book cover design, by the way, was done by http://www.bannersandcovers.com
for an incredibly reasonable price of $35... this includes a matching banner, which I didn't use. It takes about 5 days, but the quality and price are great!
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