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All Forum Posts by: Scott W. Cook

Scott W. Cook has started 6 posts and replied 12 times.

Post: REI Marketing tip #941.2 - The 7 Deadly Bullets

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

Have you ever heard of the 7 deadly sins? Well, religious feelings aside, these are essentially the 7 strongest motivators behind all human bahavior, and 7 powerful keys to persuasion... which as we all know is the key to getting what you want in life and business.

So as a little hopefully helpful tip for your marketing, why not try this approach to your bullets... the 7 deadly bullets. Basically, the best bulleted lists are those which give benefits, make promises and solve problems. So you can use the 7 deadly sins as a basis for writing good persuasive bullets in your REI marketing.

here's a quick sample... not my absolute best effort, but hey... that's what I charge for :)

* Lust - That lifelong dream is right at your fingertips - call today and savor the satisfaction of home ownership tomorrow!

* Gluttony - Nothing's better than being financially flush, call me today and stuff your pockets with cold hard cash within 7 days!

* Greed - The housing market is sky high - jump on your chance to cash in and load up your bank account...

* Sloth - Weighted down with endless home projects? Drop the hammer and pick up the phone to turn your sweat into fast cash.

* Wrath - Kiss the landlord goodbye! Own your first home and make yourself rich for once!

* Envy - Tired of watching your neighbors cash in on this record high housing boom? Call now and find out how much cash you're sitting on

* Pride - You work too hard to pay somebody else's mortgage - Low down payment and easy terms gets you into your own home in as little as 1 week!

Has anyone used this technique? Would love to hear your thoughts. Happy investing.

Post: How much should you invest to get investors?

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

Hello investors,

Having worked with several syndicators, I've seen quite a bit of work being done to create a list of potential financial backers. I've seen this done for apartment investors as well as flippers, wholesalers and even single family home buyers.

For example, I've helped Adams investor Group raise capital in the eight figures over the past few years to acquire several awesome deals in the Atlanta area. I've worked with another investor based in South Florida to do the same as well as a major flipper located in Baltimore, just to name a few.

so what do they all have in common? What powerful secret do they all use to get so many cash investors? Well my writing skills of course! :) Beyond that, though, they're willing to do some heavy lifting in order to make this happen.

The one common denominator that I've seen in working with these folks is that they're willing to invest some of their money and time into sharing a great deal of their hard earned knowledge. They're willing to give first before receiving - they've done this in a variety of ways, from writing a series of email messages to full length books to short but power-packed whitepapers on their subjects. I've collaborated on all of these, including 3 courses on flipping and wholesaling!

And I can tell you that these materials are the real deal. They're very in depth and accurate and you could even argue that they give away our secrets, right? yet there are two types of investors in this world:

Those who want to be the boots on the ground and find, assemble and manage deals...

...and those who want to let these folks use their money to do the hard work for them.

Nothing wrong with either point of view, for sure. Anybody who's ever used OPM will certainly appreciate the second variety of investor, or limited partner. yet as with everything in life, there is a cost. You want a big fish, then you have to use big bait as they say.

Thus, some of the most successful syndicators are also those who know and utilize the marketing secret of giving first and then getting. or the law of atraction... the law of reciprocity... even Pereto's 80/20 rule.

It may seem wierd at first to give away your knowledge and even invest in a professional to help create that lead generating piece, yet I can point you to quite a few fellow members on this site who would agree that this investment in time, money and of self has created massive returns and continues to do so.

So what are your thoughts and experiences? Have you had success by investing in shared information? Have you considered it but haven't done so yet? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Post: 1 simple method proven to boost your response rate

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

Well, Jerryll, I'm a copywriter - persuasion is my primary job. It's basically selling through writing, and it's an ongoing study in human psychology.

As you mentioned, lead generation is just one part - it's still up to us to sell when that phone rings or that email dings :)

Post: 1 simple method proven to boost your response rate

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

Interesting - didn't expect a war over a point which wasn't even part of the post :)

This concept is about calling for action, regardless of marketing methods. Jerryll's SEO approach is obviously working, which is great - yet this was more about the concept of persuasion in it's general form. Credibility is yet another topic, and an important one - because without it, nobody will heed your call to action anyway.

But that's a topic for another post, I think. How about you guys?

Post: 1 simple method proven to boost your response rate

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

I was talking to a new client last week, and she was telling me about the conversion rate she was getting on a landing page her and her team had created for their business. The reason we were talking was because she wanted me to improve it for her.

"We're getting good traffic from our Facebook ads," She said, They come to a lead generation squeeze page where they put in their name and email and get a free report. That's converting pretty well... but from there to the actual sales page, we're losing them."

So I went through the funnel myself... the ads were good, and that was born out by her CTR (click through rate). The squeeze page was compelling and I think the free report, which was a 6 page whitepaper analyzing the amount of money being lost through improper dental billing practices, was of interest to her prospects.

Then I took a look at her email sequence and even the final sales page. they were ok, but all lacking one vital ingredient...

The call to action or CTA!

For many folks, sales is a 4 letter word. I think that comes from the stereotypical picture we have of the pushy and obnoxious salesman who just won't take no for an answer... or maybe the sort of "snake oil" approach that many internet marketers take. More hype than substance.

But sales isn't a dirty word. It's how we all make money and how many of us find out about things we want and need. And the fact is that if you want somebody to do something for you... you have to ask them!

Even more than that, you have to tell them what to do and how to do it. Fail to do that and you'll be amazed at how poorly your marketing functions.

Is this true in real estate investing? Most definitely. Some of the best direct mail pieces, for instance, are simple such as:

The market is hot, prices have never been higher - I've got cash and I'm ready to buy - so call me now for a free estimate: XXXXX.

not particularly suave or clever. Just straight to the point and above all, this message tells the reader exactly what to do and why to do it.

One more little note, although this post is hardly the entire word on this subject... not only should you have a clear CTA, you can improve it simply by adding a benefit to the call. For instance, look at these two CTA's:

Sell your house today - Call me now at XXX.

I can make you a solid offer in just 15 minutes on the phone - so find out how easy it is to turn that headache property into cold hard cash - call now at: XXX

Both of these messages say the same thing. yet the second makes the benefit to the seller clear. There are actually 2 benefits here... it's easy, it's fast and you get paid... okay 3 benefits :)

So the next time you're putting together a marketing piece... ask for exactly what you want and how you want it. You'll be amazed at the results. My client, for example, has gone from a .05% conversion rate on her sales page to over 5% just from this single adjustment alone.

How about you guys? Share some of your best CTA's. I'll bet there are some good ones out there!

Happy investing!

Post: A powerful tip for direct mail

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

Good points, May - as I said, those were just examples.  This is really a very big topic.  There's so much to share, it could, and has, easily become a book :)

Post: Try this proven persuasion technique in your REI business

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

Whether any of us like it or not, we're all sales people. I know that for some, that's a bit of a hard pill to swallow. Sales has gotten a bad rap over the years, mainly because of that particular kind of sales person who believes that if they're bulldog enough, you'll simply cave in and pay them.

We've all met that person, right? A pushy car salesman, a guy practically threatening you to buy his time share or a ravenous sales clerk who just won't leave you alone until you let her sell you something sparkley!

However, as investors, we certainly can't deny that we're sales people. On top of that, as a copywriter, my primary day job is to sell things for my clients - be it products, services or ideas. So I guess I'm a double salesman! Don't hold it against me, okay?

As you probably already realize, you're selling every time you work in your REI business. Sometimes it's obvious - selling a property or pitching a syndicate. On the other hand, sometimes you're selling and don't even realize it.

When you're talking to a seller about buying their home to flip or wholesale, you're selling... when you're interviewing a potential tenant, you're selling... really, anytime you're "buying" you're still selling, am I right?

With that being said, then, I'd like to share a little tip that I've learned through experience both as an entrepreneur and copywriter. A tip that's so simple yet so powerful, those who master it command remarkable powers of persuasion and profits.

And that tip is this: It's all about them.

This one simple concept could really become an entire seminar, or a book for that matter. In fact, if you've ever read Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" then you know that this concept lies at the very core of this most powerful tome.

For now, though, I just want to explain that when talking to a prospective anybody, never forget that this person is primarily concerned with themselves. Not to be too harsh, but they don't care about you. It's their thoughts, feelings, desires and pain that motivates them... and the person who can empathize and see things from the prospect's perspective is the one who will win the deal.

One of the biggest parts of my job is reworking copy that's been written already. This might be a website, a sales letter, a brochure or even a book written by anyone from a real estate investor to an IT company even to sales training coaches! And the reason for it is that so much of what I see is what I like to call "I" focused rather than "you" focused. Let me give you an example:

We strive to provide our clients with top quality cloud services. With our 10 years of experience and our 3 awards from the council of who gives a crap, we're recognized as the #1 provider in all of... yadda, yadda, yadda.

Now how about this version:

As you grow and expand to profit in a global market, your ability to access and manage data and financial information remotely and at any time day or night gives your organization the edge it needs to take its rightful place as an industry leader. We understand what you need and how to support your efforts and when you choose to work with us, we leverage more than a decade of cloud software development experience to ensure that all of your needs are not just met, but exceeded. We're pleased and humbled by our 3 awards and believe that you'll be proud to have us as an integral part of your team.

See the difference? In the first case, this company couldn't say enough good things... about itself. But where do you come in? Do they care about your company and needs? Maybe... but they certainly didn't seem interested in anything but talking about them.

On the other hand, the second example is almost entirely about you. your needs, your goals, your pain points. The cloud provider lets you know they feel confident they can help, but because they've earned that through hard work and by really taking the time to understand you.

Now imagine this same aproach when talking to a prospect in your REI business. Whether its a hard money lender, a seller, a buyer or a potential set of partners.

What do they want? What's their pain? What are they afraid of? What interests them and drives them? How can you help?

I know that most folks who read this will say, "Well, duh, Scott..." but if this one little way of looking at things helps even a single investor, then it was worth the hundreds of hours it took to compose this post hahaha.

Let me know what you think. Share some stories of how you used empathy in your investing. I have no doubt that we'd all get far more out of those anecdotes than my little post here. Thanks for reading.

Post: A powerful tip for direct mail

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

Thanks for the feedback, McKinley.

Post: A powerful tip for direct mail

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

As all investors know, there is a lot of power in direct mail. you can find unlisted deals, connect with absentee owners and contact potential sellers for flips in a highly effective way.

As a professional copywriter who's worked with many investors, I thought I'd share a little insight into direct mail and how to make it more effective. No doubt there are hundreds or thousands of BP investors who already know this trick and can probably attest to it and add to what I'm saying, yet I think this bears sharing...

There are actually quite a few tips for effective response rates when it comes to direct mail. However, I'd like to share this one simple trick. This post was actually inspired by another I saw recently where a gentleman was asking about follow ups in letter writing campaigns.

Direct mail is most effective when there are multiple touches. A minimum of 3 has been statistically proven over and over again and across many verticals. What combination of pieces you use is of course up to you, but here is one possible scenario:

- An initial touch using a post card with a simple message

- A white letter of no more than 2 pages wherein you explain how you can help the recipient with your unique set of skills.

- A final touch, this one could be another post card, a short yellow letter or a 1 page white letter.

The idea is to provide a simple initial message, expand on that message and then reinforce the urgency of the message. Naturally, you could expand on this and do 4, 5 or even 6 contacts. This should increase your response rate, yet you also have to balance the costs involved against the ROI.

That being said, though, 3 should be your minimum. When it comes to unsolicited mail, people are very complacent. They may only skim the first message if at all, which is why #2 is important. It reminds them and expands on what you're offering. The final message should therefore be a bit more agressive.

In all of these, a clear call to action (CTA) is absolutely necessary. If you want somebody to do something - then ask them and be specific! There's nothing wrong with asking them to call, email or write you. Remember, if you don't lead them to the water, what chance do you have of them taking a drink?

I hope this was of some use and I'd love to hear your feedback.

Post: Successful first time BRRRR!

Scott W. CookPosted
  • Saint Petersburg, FL
  • Posts 12
  • Votes 6

Awesome job,Paul - a real win win win!