Warriors: Please Accept This As A Token Of Appreciation From Internet Marketing's Humble 'Master Of Eye Candy'
Friday, June 29, 2007
Welcome, Fellow Warriors:It's great to be me. Today, for example, I get to share with you the news that my cartoon series from the 1970s has been found!
The studio for years made the claim it had been lost to "celluloid rot." Because the claim seemed reasonable, I never questioned it. But . . . boy, did I miss that cartoon!
I could hardly believe the news when Hollywood called last week to tell me the cartoon reels had been found! Not only that, they were in pristine shape.
The explanation was that the reels had been mislabeled "The Beatles" and placed in the wrong vault.
No matter. I'm thrilled! And this is why I called fellow Warrior Karl Warren immediately after hearing the news, asking him if he could take a cell from one of the reels and fashion it into a header for my Blog and websites.
Karl was excited to accept this job -- but he had a little problem.
"I'd love to do it," he said. "But I have responsibilities to other clients. If you're able to wait a few days . . ."
Gotta love Karl Warren, always thinking about his clients.
Even an A-Lister like me can't bump my way to the front of the Warrior line. (I have to admit that I do enjoy my celebrity; sometimes people will move heaven and earth to do things for me. At one time I had my own table at Elaine's in New York; I still have my own suite at the Flamingo Hilton in Las Vegas.)
"Karl," I said. "I've been waiting 30 years to see my cartoon again. Another few days won't hurt."
"Good," Karl replied. He then told me he could think of 86 separate uses for Duct Tape without even exercising his brain.
I don't know precisely why he told me this, but I have no doubt it's true. That's Karl. He's a regulation eCoverNinja, to be sure.
Karl, you did a great job with my cartoon. You have my sincere thanks.
While I'm talking about my Warrior friends, I'd like to say a word or two about Lee McIntyre:
Lee McIntyre is good. Man, is he good at leveraging the power of eBay. I'll most likely buy every WSO he ever offers.
Talented and polite without fawning; that's what Lee InIntyre is.
OK, that's enough on these topics. I mean, for now . . .
It has become customary at the Warrior Forum to "give back" to the community on the occasion of a milestone post.
Today marks my 400th post. That's why I'm providing a free download. You don't even have to join my list to get it.
I'm going to keep this link live throughout the day. (It's Friday, June 29th, 2007; I'll disable the link later.)
Earlier I sponsored another giveaway for a milestone post. I kept the link open for only four hours and ended up sending a number of links by hand to people who happened not to be in the forum that day. I hope to avoid that this time by keeping the link open longer -- not days and days, but longer.
Included in the download pack is a copy of "No Two Fingerprints Alike: Curing the Internet Marketing Identity Crisis."
It is a superb report on branding from the experts at the Net Intelligence Agency. I wrote the Introduction for this report.
Also included in the download is a copy of "Do Google Checkout Got Game?" I wrote this report under a pen name.
You may find it of value for two reasons: Google Checkout is expanding its reach across the globe, positioning itself as a PayPal rival. You'll need to know more about Checkout simply because it is an option to receive online payments.
Google Checkout is available in the United States, and recently became available in the United Kingdom. Those are two large markets. Google is expected to extend its reach across Europe and other parts of the world in the coming months.
So, anyhow, hope you didn't mind me waxing a little about my fondness for the Warrior Forum.
It's true -- undeniably so -- that I enjoy my celebrity. But I also enjoy the general lack of fawning directed at me at the forum; it tells me that you're taking me seriously, something I wondered about when I adjusted my marketing focus to include more IM and less TV.
Thanks, Warriors.
Patrick Pretty's 400th Post Warrior Giveaway.
Your Friend,
Patrick Pretty
P.S. I didn't want to say anything about this to Karl, but I can think of 87 separate uses for Duct Tape without exercising my brain. (Not a whole lot, I mean.)
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 7:38 AM,
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How To Build A Brand In Internet Marketing
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Building a memorable brand name is vital to Internet Marketing success. Strangely, however, very few marketers spend time cultivating a brand name. Many marketers have no branding strategy at all.Lack of knowledge about branding is one reason why so many programs are here one day and gone the next. Many websites and products are creations of the moment, classic flavors of the day. It's incredible to contemplate how many websites and sales domains end up having no staying power at all.
One reason some people have a hard time taking Internet Marketing seriously is because quick-buck artists establish a domain, build some buzz, bleed the "opportunity" for all it's worth and quickly move on.
In some ways, it's the electronic equivalent of the traveling flim-flam man of yesteryear; instead of traveling from town to town in search of new pockets to pick, however, the electronic hucksters travel from domain to domain. Their legacy is meaningless, except in the sense they provide lessons on what not to do.
Want to have staying power? Want to establish a legacy?
Branding is where to start. The best marketers understand this; they devote themselves to building a brand -- even if it's not necessarily their own.
Let's say, for example, that two people have an interest in making money from home. Let's further say that both of these people Google "making money online" simultaneously.
Now let's say both click on the exact same search result, an Affiliate program., and both are offered the exact same free web page to promote the program.
How much of a chance does either of them have to make money? They're both given the same ubiquitous sales page; the only thing different about them is the Affiliate number.
Neither marketer has any online experience. Neither has any customers.
But let's say one of the marketers understands that it's folly to use the same sales page that thousands of other affiliates are using. Let's say he or she studies the program, makes notes on the benefits and decides to make a sales page that looks like no other page in the program.
That's the beginning of branding, the first light-bulb moment, the moment when a marketer begins to "get it."
The best affiliates brand themselves; the best program owners -- what most marketers aspire to be one day -- brand themselves and the program.
Branding is what you do to set yourself apart from the competition; it's as vital to what you do as having an account at a payment processor such as PayPal.
Want to succeed online? Build a brand. Cultivate it. Share it with the world. Establish your stamp. Leave a legacy of excellence.
I am pleased to announce that I am the only Internet Marketer in the world authorized to provide you the branding Fingerprint Kit from the Net Intelligence Agency at a price this low.
Branding, friends. Branding.
Click here to start building your brand today.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 7:57 PM,
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PayPal Problems: A Roadmap For Internet Marketers Seeking To Build Long-Term Relationships Of Trust
UPDATE: July 20:You can get the PayPal report here. Use it to help build your list.
Get "Seller Beware: How To Avoid PayPal's Lethals Game Of 'Pin The Tail On The Internet Marketing Donkey.'"
PayPal: It can make you or break you. In very short order I am going to begin distributing free the seminal report on problems with PayPal and how to head off trouble with PayPal at the pass.
Two days ago I posted about this report: "Seller Beware: How To Avoid PayPal's Lethal Game Of 'Pin The Tail On The Internet Marketing Donkey.'"
If you'd like to review that post, you can do so here.
This morning I read the final proof copy of the report before its release.
I am not at liberty to disclose its contents. You understand that, right?
What I can say is that the report is brilliant. The prose is penetratingly lucid. Common sense drips from the pages.
It is not an attack against PayPal; it is not written by a crackpot with an ax to grind. It is not Black Hat.
"Seller Beware: How To Avoid PayPal's Lethal Game Of 'Pin The Tail On The Internet Marketing Donkey'" is rational, measured, thoughtful and thought-provoking.
You'll benefit by reading it.
If you use the $7 Secrets scripts or have contemplated using the scripts, you will find the timing of this report to be perfect.
Whether you use the scripts or not, you'll gain by reading this report.
Labels: PayPal information for Internet Marketers, PayPal report
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 9:16 AM,
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'Simple Sales Copy' Gives You A Powerful Tool
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
A guy learns a lot when he becomes his own brand name at the age of 5. Today I'm going to share some of my knowledge about branding and copywriting with you.But before I do that, I'd like to ask if you've noticed something different about this page.
Could it be . . . the "cartoon" image of me?
Hey, glad you noticed! Your old friend Patrick Pretty is one Happy Camper today; I'd thought those cartoon images had been lost for the ages.
At least that's what I'd been told.
I loved doing my Saturday morning cartoon! It gave me a chance to visit you in your living rooms each week. It also resulted in truckloads of fan mail; I read each and every one of your letters.
Today feels like Saturday morning all over again. Take a moment to remember where you were back then. Please know that I'm grateful you invited me into your homes.
Now I'll talk about my new offer; it's called "Simple Sales Copy."
"Simple Sales Copy" is a software program that will help beginners and intermediate marketers become better copywriters.
Essentially it's a desktop warehouse of powerful copyrighting phrases to help marketers improve conversion rates.
Don't get me wrong: There is no magic formula to becoming a top-notch copywriter.
But there are certain phrases, certain words, certain presentation methods that Internet Marketers need to know about.
"Simple Sales Copy" can give you the edge you need to write better headlines, decks, subheads and more.
The system employs a copy-and-paste feature. Users who struggle with copywriting and are looking for ways to become a better copywriter can benefit from "Simple Sales Copy."
I tested this product last night. Today I composed a sales page, a page that tells a story and includes a bonus.
It's a bonus that will open your eyes to a world of branding possibilities in your Internet Marketing life.
Also on the sales page is an action plan I suggest beginners and intermediate marketers follow.
Learn more about "Simple Sales Copy."
One of the worst things you can do with "Simple Sales Copy" is use it as a crutch.
One of the best things you can do is see it precisely for what it is: a tool to make you a better copywriter.
If you follow the action plan, think about what you're trying to accomplish and use "Simple Sales Copy" to help you get your brain where it needs to be, you'll emerge a better copywriter.
The Bonus ain't half-bad, either.
Learn more about "Simple Sales Copy."
Have a good day, Friend. Man, I'm so glad my cartoon images were not lost for the ages.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 2:30 PM,
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Coming Here Very Soon: How To Avoid PayPal's Lethal Game Of 'Pin The Tail On The Internet Marketing Donkey'
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
July 20 UPDATE: The excellent report by John Counsel on how to protect your PayPal account is now available:Get it here free. It's a great report on problems Internet marketers may have with PayPal.
I'm a Big Star, to be sure. One of the things being a Big Star gets you is the best table at a fine restaurant.
You don't even have to wait in line.
Another thing it gets you is access before anyone else to the best information products on the Internet.
That's the case with this upcoming report on PayPal:
"Seller Beware: How To Avoid PayPal's Lethal Game Of 'Pin The Tail On The Internet Marketing Donkey.'"
I can't say much else right now. But if you look here in the coming hours and days, you'll find a way to get the Pay Pal report.
Establishing a good relationship with PayPal is vital to your Internet Marketing success.
PayPal sometimes restricts accounts; Pay Pal sometimes suspends accounts.
Sometimes it's for a good reason; sometimes it makes no sense at all.
You need to know why this happens.
That's what I can say for now. You will not want to miss this eye-opening report.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 6:58 AM,
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My Early Report On Viralets
Thursday, June 21, 2007
I mentioned a couple of days ago that I was testing Viralets, a new service designed to spread the word about websites and give them a viral traffic boost. Viralets uses a Tell-A-Friend form to trigger the virality.
Truth is, I've always had reservations about Tell-A-Friend forms. It's possible to abuse them.
Tell-A-Friend forms can trigger huge viral growth. Google, for instance, used the method to help build its Gmail base.
But some people abuse Tell-A-Friend forms, entering names of people who wouldn't be remotely interested in the product or bogus information just to receive a free product.
May I ask a courtesy? Please don't use my Viralets page to enter names of people who won't like or benefit from my products. Please do enter names of people who'd receive a boost in their marketing life by using my products.
Here's my page at Viralets:
http://viralets.com/110/PatrickPretty
Google indexed my Viralets page within 24 hours. More than 170 people visited it yesterday. I started a Squidoo Lens on it this morning.
Here's what I can say for certain right now: There is a lot of buzz about Viralets; Google appears to index the pages quickly; Viralets provides an online WYSIWYG editor to help you make web pages to advertise giveaways.
It's a decent editor, permitting you to add images, several different fonts and colors, and a decent degree of layout manipulation. You can change the background color of your ad, for example.
You ad will appear in the Viralets shell, but it won't look like every other Viralets ad if you use the tools provided.
Viralets also provides instructions on how to set up a giveaway. The basic idea is a value-for-value exchange: I'll give you this product in exchange for three names of friends who'd be interested in the offer.
But here's where you'll have to do some thinking.
When I initially set up my Viralets page, I provided a direct download link for Easy Mapper, a tool to build Google and Yahoo sitemaps quickly and easily and upload them to your server.
Easy Mapper is cool. My weblogs show that a number of people took advantage of the download.
But I didn't get to add the customers to my list because of the direct link. They received the download and moved on.
Don't get me wrong: I'm glad they got Easy Mapper. It helps them, and it helps me because my remarkably handsome face will appear in their web browser every time they use the software.
My initial strategy was to offer Easy Mapper on the first page of my Viralets offer, then place a second free item on the second page of my Viralets site. Customers could advance to the second page only if they provided three names.
No one advanced to the second page.
When I realized people were getting the download for the first page and not advancing to the second page, I took out the direct download link for Easy Mapper and added a short autoresponder form.
Customers still would get Easy Mapper free, but now they would have to go through the autoresponder to receive the link via email.
This made it more of a value-for-value deal. Customers would get a free product. In exchange, I'd get their name.
If they returned to the Viralets site and provided three names of friends, they'd be routed automatically to the second page to get the second free download.
I don't have enough data to determine if the tweaks I made will result in gathering more names in exchange for a free copy of Easy Mapper.
My plan is to give it a couple of more days and then do some more tweaking if I'm not getting the desired results.
One option is to remove Easy Mapper and replace it with "half" of a product -- for example, I could post half of a free report on the first Viralets page and instruct customers they'd have to provide three names to claim the balance of the report. It would be a download link on the second page of my Viralets site.
I'll have to do some heavy thinking before implementing that approach. The trouble, as I see it, is that it has an element of trickery in it. And I hate it when marketers try to trick me.
I wouldn't have appreciated it if my mother had given me a car with only two wheels when I was a teenager, teasing me with a set of instructions on how to get the other two wheels.
Well, come to think of it, this is a no-brainer after all.
What I'm going to do is edit my page at Viralets once again to include the direct download link for Easy Mapper; I'll leave in the form because I'll get some names that way -- maybe not a lot of names, but some names.
Viralets does create traffic. I'll work it out so everybody -- myself included -- gets the best deal possible within the constraints of the system.
That's what my mother would have done: She never would have given me a car with only two wheels.
Labels: Tell A Friend Scripts, Viralets
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 9:00 AM,
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Why Your Old Friend Patrick Pretty Is Smiling Big Today
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Going through life wearing what "Delicate Vanity" magazine dubbed the "patented Patrick Pretty smile" has not always been the easiest thing. Helena Guth-Matson, the writer who described my smile in the pages of "Delicate Vanity," called me "the Master of Eye Candy" in the same article.
This was in 1977; I was 18 at the time and have been "the Master of Eye Candy," the owner of the "patented Patrick Pretty smile," ever since.
It might seem like a cliche, but I always wanted to be known for my mind. It's pretty easy to get a vacant feeling inside when people define you by your looks, not what's in your brain and heart.
For many years I felt as though I was "playing" myself, rather than just being myself. Trust me when I tell you that's no way to live.
As many of you know, I went public with my pain on this very issue earlier this year.
I did it for two reasons: First, as I noted above, playing yourself instead of being yourself is not a good thing.
Equally important, I didn't want to feel like a phony in my Internet Marketing career. Many (not all) of the smiles you saw me wearing on magazine covers or on TV were fake. I'd become a specialist at smiling on cue, regardless of how I felt on the inside at the time.
Let me assure you that the smile I'm wearing today is genuine.
One of the reasons is that people are starting to pay attention to my mind; they're honestly able to see beyond my good looks now. That means a lot to me.
Traffic to my Internet Marketing Blog has surged; I'm getting visitors from Warrior Forum, the best IM site on the planet. And I'm getting visitors from Jonathan Leger's 7dollarforum.
I'm also getting visitors from Squidoo, MySpace, MyBlogLog, Technorati and Viralets -- lots of places, really.
One of my Internet Marketing tips was featured today on DailyMarketingAce.
It's thrilling to know that marketers care about what I have to say. I did a radio interview last week, and the interviewer asked me questions about IM. He had non-IM questions, too. But the important thing is that people have stopped treating me as though I'm just another pretty face.
Almost all of you know that I called my IM download the "Not Just Another Pretty Face" pack because I wanted to be taken seriously.
In recent weeks I've been asked to write Introductions for important eBooks. Along the way a few veteran marketers have asked me for input on their websites and products.
That makes me feel good. In some ways I feel more alive than I've ever felt.
These are very happy times for your old friend Patrick Pretty.
And I thank you for making it possible.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 3:44 PM,
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Viralets: A New Internet Marketing Opportunity
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
I am testing a new product called "Viralets." It's a way to spread the word about your Internet Marketing Offer using a built-in WYSIWYG editor to create ads and a special "Tell-A-Friend" feature to help publicize your site.
I'm giving away two products free as part of my Viralets test.
http://www.viralets.com/110/PatrickPretty
So, take a minute and visit the site if you'd like to get these products free. Both of them will help your marketing efforts.
My initial impression of Viralet is that it's fun to use. The back office is easy to navigate, and the technology is cool.
I like cool things -- especially ones that permit me to be creative.
Branding often is about creativity. And if you don't take it seriously, you're very likely not earning as much as you could online.
Viralets? Gotta love the name. Viral is a very good word in IM.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 7:30 AM,
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The Internet Marketing Advantages Of Becoming Recognized
Sunday, June 17, 2007
My cap slipped off my head yesterday at Oakmont and was trampled by a few hundred golf fans scurrying to get a closer view of Tiger Woods.
I'd enjoyed being anonymous during the first three days of the U.S. Open; I put on my "cap and sunglasses" disguise and largely hid in plain sight. But when the cap came off -- and when I took off my sunglasses to see if I could spot it -- well, it took only seconds for somebody to yell, "Hey, it's Patrick Pretty!"
I have to admit that I like it when somebody yells, "Hey, it's Patrick Pretty."
It's nice to be recognized.
And that's my Blog message for today:
Internet Marketing is about becoming recognized. It's about plenty of other things, too. But most of those things happen only after you become recognized.
It is true that being anonymous can serve a particular need -- I wanted to watch golf and enjoy some privacy while at Oakmont, for example. I used the cap and sunglasses to help pull that off.
But caps and sunglasses don't work well in Internet Marketing, where the premium is on recognition.
If you're having trouble carving out your IM niche, considering asking yourself if it's because you're wearing a cap and sunglasses.
Most of the billions of business pages indexed on the web are from people who are wearing caps and sunglasses and don't even know it.
Templated sales pages -- the self-replicating pages distributed to thousands of marketers who sell Affiliate products -- are mostly just caps and sunglasses, things that keep you anonymous.
Becoming an authority on the Affiliate products, using your own voice and signature to sell them, is one of the best things you can do to become recognized.
Make tomorrow the day somebody yells your name when the cap slips off.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 10:47 AM,
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Are You Trying To Do Too Much And Taking Yourself Out Of The Game?
Thursday, June 14, 2007
I watched part of the U.S. Open from the grounds at Oakmont today. It's a challenging course, to say the least.Funny, but I spent some time wondering about Internet Marketing today even as I observed the best players in the world striking their golf balls.
What I learned from Tiger Woods is that you can't win the Championship on a Thursday.
But you darned sure can lose it.
Tiger played well, finishing at 1 over par. But he struggled on the Back Nine, carding some bogeys.
Regardless, Tiger kept within his game plan. He shot to the fat part of the green, taking birdie out of play, because he knew that par was better than bogey. Some players trailing the lead by a few shots would have aimed for the pin.
Many of these players would have made bogey or worse, because there is great danger in trying to make up too much ground at once. Champions know this. Experience has taught them this.
And therein is the tie to IM:
Are you trying to win the Championship on a Thursday? Or are you keeping yourself in the game by practicing patience?
The greatest rewards come to those who are patient. And the greatest disappointments are reserved for those who shoot for the flag when the best play is to the middle of the green.
This is not to say you never should shoot for the flag. Winning requires you to think like a champion.
But one of the biggest parts of becoming a champion is putting yourself in position to win -- and you can't do that if you shoot yourself out of the tournament on Thursday.
If you aren't getting the returns you desire out of IM, consider asking yourself if you're like a golfer who goes for too much too soon, playing himself out of the tournament when he should be exercising the patience to win.
Golf and IM have a lot in common: One of the biggest things is that the game ends on Thursday for players who lack the vision and discipline to see themselves holding the trophy on Sunday.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 2:11 PM,
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What The 'Gurus' Won't Tell You
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
I'm about to go out and play 18 holes; tomorrow I'll be spending some time as a spectator at Oakmont. The U.S. Open soon will get under way. This morning I spent some time at Warrior Forum reading a post about how the so-called Internet Marketing "gurus" are taxing the patience of their customers by mailing them far too often, "tag-teaming" with other "gurus" to institutionalize the abuse and treating customers like commodities, rather than human beings.
People are getting increasingly worked up about this approach and a new term to describe their disillusionment has been coined:
"List Fatigue."
Boy, if ever there was a short phrase to describe a complex problem, "List Fatigue" would be, well, at the top of the list.
I feel fortunate to be able to offer our customers an eReport that speaks compellingly about the issue of guruhood.
"What The 'Gurus' Won't Tell You" is a thought-provoking report my my friend John Counsel, owner of the The Profit Clinic.
John describes "gurus" as marketers who use "manipulative selling techniques" and "institutionalized insincerity" to appeal to your emotion and disable your reason.
One of the most important points John Counsel makes in this report is that there is a difference between true "innovators" and flavor-of-the-moment "imitators" -- those who have corrupted the business model.
Indeed, the word "guru" almost has become an obscenity.
Friends, "What The 'Gurus' Won't Tell You" is available in our "Not Just Another Pretty Face" download pack.
It is a good, solid report that will cause you to think and add value to your marketing life.
I'm proud to offer it through my download pack here:
Well, I have to sign off for now. Seems my staff has to find another place for me to stay tonight, considering the greeting I got this morning from Room Service.
Turns out it wasn't Room Service at all; it was Edith Flanigan, the psychologist who began stalking me earlier this year.
In case you missed it, I had to seek a Restraining Order against Dr. Flanigan, who visited PatrickPretty.com and paid for 67 separate downloads of my "Not Just Another Pretty Face" pack.
Such things are an occupational hazard when you've been on the map as long as I have.
Sort of par for the course -- not that I'd trade my experiences and my relationship with my loyal fans for anything in the world.
Labels: What The Gurus Won't Tell You
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 11:37 AM,
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My Email Exchange With A Gracious Fan
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
You might imagine that I get a lot of questions about my personal life, my career as a poster boy and commercial spokesman, and my life as an Internet marketer.
Normally Crawford/Brinkley Worldwide Models fields these questions for me. But I answer some of them myself because that's just the way I am. Besides, fans and my Internet Marketing customers like to know that there's some substance behind the legend, that I'm not just another pretty face, that I actually have a brain that works.
I thought I'd use my blog today to answer a specific question that finds its way into my inbox frequently. What you're about to read is my actual email exchange with a fan:
Patrick, I have to admit that I'm really curious about this. Why in the world do you prefer Buffet-Style food? When I think about 'Poster Model,' 'Buffet' is not the first thing that pops into my head. The first thing is 'Starving Waif' -- they're all so skinny. They all look so under-nourished. But your body is rock solid. -- Glenda, Rancho Mirage, CA.
PP: Glenda, thanks for writing. I'm quite familiar with Rancho Mirage, having played golf at the Thunderbird Country Club, Mission Hills County Club and Desert Island Golf & Country Club. I understand a street in Rancho Mirage recently was named after Dean Martin, who would have celebrated his 90th birthday on June 7.
He was one of my Mom's favorites, a man of remarkable talent.
On the subject of buffets, I prefer them because that's how my Mom ran things back home in Siverly, Pennsylvania. She prepared the food with great love and set it out in serving bowls on the kitchen table.
We'd each take a serving and walk to the table in the dining room. We actually talked at the dinner table, unlike the situation you see in many homes today.
My brother Joe -- all the Prettys are so proud of him -- carried on this tradition by opening his own Buffet-Style Restaurant. So, when I think 'Buffet,' I think of home. If you like Buffet food, you're never too far from home.
GLENDA: Now that you've explained it, it makes perfect sense. 'Buffet' means 'Home,' all those beautiful thoughts of family. I have to tell you that this is amazing. It really does make sense when you think about it.
PP: We've been talking about Family Values for more than 40 years, Glenda. That's why we've been so upset about those Tabloid headlines. They're lies, plain and simple. I was never in Rehab; I don't even drink. And I wasn't in Paris with Paris.
GLENDA: I never believe the Tabloids; I'm with you, Patrick Pretty.
P.P: And I am with you, Glenda. Thanks for writing.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 5:59 AM,
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Why 'The Master Of Eye Candy' Uses Plain Talk On His Sales Page
Monday, June 11, 2007
I love to mix with my fans, of course. But I also need some time away just to be me. From an emotional standpoint, I became a lot healthier when I learned to accept my gifts, especially the gift of beauty.
Sure, I'm famous for my smile. But I also have a brain. Have you noticed that old Patrick Pretty knows a thing or two about writing?
One thing I do in the privacy of my countryside estate is think about ways to make Internet Marketing better.
Well, one way is to not to become a participant in a race to the bottom. There is a lot of snake oil out there -- outrageous promises of earnings, ridiculous, over-the-top hype.
I'm also a consumer of IM products; I need things to run my business. That's why I bought "Content Box Generator" and "Easy Mapper" and included them in my "Not Just Another Pretty Face" download with six other products.
These tools are useful; they help Internet Marketers succeed. There's absolutely nothing sexy about them, which is why my sales copy doesn't try to sex them up.
Know what else? Your world won't end if you don't buy them. I knew that going in, which is why there was no reason to hype them up. They're good products; they add convenience and utility to your IM life. But they are a means to an end, not the end itself.
The same is true about the infoproducts in my download. They are good, solid, important products that can help you. But they're not sexy.
My core belief after 40 years in this business is that my fans, my customers are smart people. Why insult them with breathless prose on my sales page? They can see through that.
This brings me to the subject I really want to talk about today: process.
Last week I read a sales pitch from a man who promised me $40,000 a month for following a simple plan. Just do this, and you can expect this result.
Because the offer was made in an open forum, members began to ask questions. The most important one, of course, was on the issue of proof.
Can you prove to me this works?
Well, the man had no proof; he admitted he hadn't even tested his own "system." Then he went on to acknowledge, under pressure, that he was having cash-flow problems and released his product to get some money coming in.
Plenty of people in IM have cash-flow problems. One of the reasons new marketers enter the trade is because they want to find ways to end their financial problems.
There is nothing wrong with that. What's wrong is when marketers fabricate a result and try to foist it off on an audience of people who need IM to make a difference in their lives.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 8:18 AM,
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How To Lower Your Internet Marketing Handicap
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Many of you know that I wrote the Introduction for "No Two Fingerprints Alike: Curing the Internet Marketing Identity Crisis."
It's a superb Black paper from the branding experts at the Net Intelligence Agency.
Hey, I'm a busy guy. But I made the time to write a few words for NIA about branding because I became my own brand name at the age of 5. It was a process of osmosis for me, the accumulation of thoughts that leaked into my brain slowly over time and taught me the importance of establishing my own unique signature.
There's no need for you to learn branding my osmosis. Read the Black Paper. Read it again. Absorb the message and take action immediately. It will help whether you create your own products, sell affiliate products or do both.
Here's a link from which you can get the Black Paper free for a limited time:
I released the Black Paper on the Warrior Forum yesterday; I received some very nice comments and only a small amount of fawning.
In many ways, yesterday was a perfect day; I played 18 holes of golf, carding four birdies on my way to posting a 71, one under par. It could have been better; I hit the pin on the fly on a 288-yard Par 3 -- yes, there's one of those at Oakmont -- but the ball kicked violently left.
Bogey for Patrick Pretty.
But 71 ain't bad on a Championship course.
When I got back to my hotel suite, I took some time to visit the Warrior Forum and composed the post about the Black Paper. I felt good because this paper is really good. It inspires people who read it to stop being part of the background noise and start putting their stamp on the world of IM.
I am proud to offer this paper. Some very well-known marketers are reading it even as we speak.
Make today the day you start building your signature, start putting your stamp on the business world.
Some of you probably think it's strange that a famous person with a busy life hangs out at Warrior Forum and the forum at 7dollarforum.com.
Hey, I know the realities of my life: I can't stop at the forums every day, for instance. But I do try to visit a few times a week to read and to share a few thoughts.
I suggest you visit some forums yourself if you're not doing so already. You'll learn about what to do.
And you'll also learn about what not to do.
One thing you probably should think about not doing is spending so much time worrying about the lack of traffic to your website.
Traffic takes care of itself if you give your customers a good reason to stop by. Simply offering something for sale very often is not a good enough reason for customers to reward you with their business.
Read the Black Paper. Read it again. You'll feel something inside of you changing. Remember that feeling and act on it.
Sometimes your shot goes straight at the pin; sometimes it hits the pin and drops in the hole or an inch or two away, and sometimes it bounces wildly left or right and results in a bogey.
Sometimes you hit a crappy shot an still end up with a birdie, the result I got on the 667-yard Par 5 yesterday with the aid of a sprinkler head.
Learn from your bogeys; acknowledge that some of the birdies are accidental, and always, always use branding to improve your game and lower your handicap.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 11:49 AM,
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Have You Passed The Bread Today?
Friday, June 8, 2007
It's hard for a Big Star, a Household Name, to admit he's nervous. But I was nervous when I entered the studio to record an interview and talk about my "Not Just Another Pretty Face" download pack for Internet Marketers.
You'll be able to listen to the interview in a week or so. And there's also a transcript of it.
Funny. I've been on thousands of magazine covers and have appeared on television hundreds of times. And yet my stomach was in a knot when I walked into the studio.
Most of you know by now that I've led an interesting life; I've sat in on recording sessions with Elvis and have passed the bread and olive oil to the Queen of England -- at her own dinner table.
"Would you care for more bread," Your Majesty?" I asked, respectfully.
Just a hint of a blush appeared on her face. "I'd be pleased," she said. "Thank you."
It was 1977; I was 18. I met the Queen and Elvis that year, the year the Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee, the year Elvis died.
Heady stuff for a kid.
My handlers told me later that asking the Queen if she wanted more bread might not have been the best thing to do. The Queen, they speculated, was mortified.
I don't think she was put off at all. Perhaps a bit surprised at the informality, perhaps surprised enough to get a hint of a blush, but definitely not embarrassed.
And the reason she wasn't embarrassed was because she'd done some reading about how my mother ran our household back home in Siverly, Pennsylvania. She knew, for example, that Mom taught us to be respectful.
Asking the Queen if she wanted more bread was an act of respect. The Queen understood this. I've received 20 letters from her over the years. She never once mentioned the "bread incident."
That's what the Tabloids called it: the "bread incident," as though an act of respect had escalated international tensions, as though America would never recover from this stain on its reputation.
The Tabloids almost never get it right, and this is why I was nervous as I entered the studio to record the interview about the "Not Just Another Pretty Face" Download.
As I walked alongside the building, I noticed a small crowd was gathering. This was not unusual -- after all, I am Patrick Pretty. My fans like to be with me, and I like to be with them.
What was unusual was that I caught a glimpse of Dr. Edith Flanigan. You can learn more about my history with her here.
It's a quick download of a Zip file. You'll learn some things by reading it; perhaps it will cause you to remember some things you've forgotten about me.
In any event, the interview went well. I'll let you know when it will become available online.
Wish I had more time to write today, but I have to close for now.
May I leave you with a piece of advice?
Don't be afraid to pass the bread; don't believe anybody who says that passing the bread is not a good thing.
Patrick
P.S. More and more people are joining my mailing list. Please do so here.
posted by Patrick Pretty @ 7:19 AM,
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