Christian-Business-Central.com

You need not look very far to see I’ve essentially neglected this site. If you were a fly on the wall here, you’d notice I’ve been looking very deeply into my life - especially my professional life. As far as Christian Business Central is concerned, I’m not sure what our Heavenly Father’s plans for this site is right now. When I ask what I’m supposed to be doing, the overwhelming response I get is “write”.

If you didn’t know, I’m a copywriter by trade… or as my wife succinctly says “I write junk mail”.  Okay, it goes deeper than that because I also write stuff like brochures, Google AdWords copy, web content and a whole lot more.

Allow me to step into a telephone booth and I’ll come out wearing a consultant’s hat. (What? You were expecting Superman?) Past clients have found my insight invaluable for finding snags in their sales process or when their message “disconnects” with the audience. The result?

Better sales and a sweeter bottom line.

In any case, I believe part of the changes I’m making in my own life have to do with getting back to writing and consulting with clients… something else I haven’t been doing.

I hope to write more about my own experiences on these pages. And I trust some inspiration will come to explore how we as Christians and in business can have an impact on those around us.

Meanwhile if you are in need of an objective Christian business perspective for your company or your marketing or you need a sales letter, email series, or some other written material, feel free to call me at 443-254-3703.

You can also email me at admin *at* copytactics.com.

God bless,

Andy Havens

By Chip Tarver, Author, First Contact Secrets

Does your head wobble a bit as you watch these SuperStars continually churn out hype-y sales letters about big Joint Venture (JV) deals that look too good to be true?

(A Joint Venture is when two or more people or companies do a business, product, and/or marketing deal together, typically sharing the work and the rewards.)

For lots of people, these sales letters just look too good to be true. Many are … but why?

For most JVs to be successful, you have to have three crucial factors in place. Do you have these? (As we go through these, I suggest that you review your own product or service to see how ‘JV friendly’ it is by applying these three criteria.)

First, your product has to have the “Oh, Wow!” factor so people run for their credit card when they see your product.

Sadly, most products don’t get this reaction - and many products on the Net are just rehashed old products, or not much more than ‘me, too’ copycat renditions …

(The very best products meet a specific need. They solve compelling and relevant problems. To perhaps help you identify the problem your product solves, begin to think in terms of solving problems as the very best method to make sales. How does your product accomplish this?)

Next, you need a fairly big list of at least a few thousand. How big is big? Big is big enough to receive enough exposures to your offer and enough sales to make your efforts pay off.

The ‘average’ person does not have a big list, so if you expect a Conversion Rate (the number of people who buy, divided by the number of people who look at your offer) of 1%, you hope that 1 person out of 100 will buy your product when they see it.

Understand that you typically need many ‘exposures’ to generate significant dollar volume at a 1% CR. And most people don’t have a big responsive list, which is why many CRs hover around 1% (or lower.)

Let’s say that you have 300 people see your offer for a $27.00 ebook. Only 1% buy, (a 1% CR) which is 3 sales x $27.00, which equals $81.00 in gross sales. If your goal is an extra $150.00 a month to begin, you need to double your traffic at your current CR. Then you’ll have 6 sales times $27.00, which equals $162.00 in gross sales. Of course, another more advanced option is to improve your Conversion Rate. But that’s another article for another time …

Third, the Big Guys want to know your Visitor Value (the total dollars you receive divided by the number of visitors.) If you generate $100.00 in sales and have 100 visitors look at your offer, your Visitor Value is $1.00.

Without a visitor value of at least $1.00, many established Big Players have personally told me that they won’t even talk to you about your deal – which is the challenge for everyone wanting to contact Big Guns.

Opinions vary, of course … and some people like a product well enough to market it without knowing the Visitor Value.

OK - now what? What’s the key here?

To be really successful in doing high performance JVs that generate your personal sales goals, you need enough traffic, an awesome product, and you should test the whole process before you ever attempt to do a JV with the Big Players.

That’s why you now see ‘JV Everything’ popping up all over the place. The market is beat up from over-saturation and JV over-exposure. People these days are marketing all sorts of programs as ’shortcuts’ - but you have to take all the steps in the correct order to pull off successful JVs.

People see too many new offers every day. Yawn. Delete.

Everyone piles on tons of freebies, further defining their product as not orth the entry fee they ask. Yawn. Delete.

So where’s the real truth in all of this?

Well, let’s discuss how to begin to develop these successful relationships for yourself. Relationships come before JVs begin …

The real, honest truth is that successful JVs are built entirely on relationships. Not on products. And not on hype-y sales letters. Relationships.

To grow a big list, you need a great relationship with your readers … who know, like, and trust you. To do a JV with anyone you can actually trust … you first have to build a relationship with that person.

To have an awesome product … requires a relationship with the niche market in which your product will be marketed. To have a great product you have to intimately understand your target market and their needs and wants.

To have the numbers to show a potential JV partner … you need to have *everything else* figured out, tested, and working. You do this by doing all these steps in the *correct* order.

And all of this is not at zero cost to you. So, when you see all the goofy offers that promise you the world with no effort on your part - all by next week … RUN!

So what’s the answer for the ‘average’ person?

Begin today to develop the mandatory skills you’ll need to start and nurture great relationships. Here are three hints to get you started immediately:

1. Never tell people how great you or your products are.

2. Offer to do something your partner can’t do for himself.

3. Offer to do something your partner won’t do for herself.

Here are 8 more very important steps to follow after you understand the first three mentioned just above:

1. Only get involved in something for which you feel a true passion. Never do
it for the money.

2. Begin building relationships by getting to know your new ‘target.’ Subscribe
to his or her ezine, study her site, read his articles, look in the search
engines … do your research and do your homework.

3. Make an excellent first contact by always approaching your target to see
what you can offer, not just ‘take.’

4. Go slow. Treat this like a first date with someone you want to know. Don’t
rush it.

5. Never attempt a first contact until you’ve done your homework and have a
well-defined goal for the contact.

6. Use nice manners and common courtesies.

7. Be politely persistent without becoming a pest. Big Players are busy. The
good ones appreciate a gentle reminder - not demanding emails.

8. Master making great first contacts first … because great introductions
open your door to the other steps.

Chip Tarver
<><

Author, “First Contact Secrets: Insider Tips Reveal How to Successfully Connect With the World’s Master Marketers” FirstContactSecrets.com
************************************************************

Chip Tarver knows that you NEVER get a second chance to make a first impression. That’s why he wrote First Contact Secrets. Listen to 43 giants of Internet Marketing tell you how THEY make first contact with people they want to do business with, as well as exactly how YOU can contact Big Players. Model their success, and success will become yours! “Easily over $100,000.00 of pure marketing advice.” Learn more now at FirstContactSecrets.com and be sure to get your informative complimentary eCourse on making excellent first contacts the very first time you try.

by Chip Tarver, Author, First Contact Secrets

As we consider this marketing method, there are two distinct groups: those people who use the telephone too much for the wrong reasons, and those who don’t use their phone enough.

Into which one of these two groups do you fit?

Group One - The Telephone Abusers

Yes - these are the people who call you with all the crummy offers and approaches known to man … the ones who seem to also have the high level skill of calling at the exact wrong time.

Every time …

They are … the dreaded telemarketers. But wait just a minute here. Do you do the same things they do … just preferring a different label for yourself?

Do you spend countless hours cold-calling people trying to get new business? Do you call first thing in the morning before your contact has even had time to enjoy their first cup of hot coffee?

Do you call all the way up till 5:00pm, when most people have already had a long day and aren’t a bit interested in your speech about what you’re selling?

Do you blast people with all the reasons you and your handy product are so great, and why they simply have to have your product to make it in this cold, cruel world?

Remember that you get one chance to make a first impression, so guard that opportunity with your life. Many people are much quicker at remembering someone who irritated them than they are remembering a ‘regular Joe’ (or Josephine.)

If you do that, you’re just a telemarketer of a different color.

And you’ll get the same results …

What to do?

Ten ways to learn to play the game correctly.

Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. 1 Corinthians 3:13
When I first read this verse, my ears perked up. Work! I thought, good material for an article. After all, a man is what a man does.

Then it dawned on me. Paul wasn’t just talking about vocation here. He was talking about life. And “a man is what a man does” still applies.

Starting at the beginning of 1 Corinthians 3 to get the context, Paul is talking about division in the church at Corinth. That’s been the topic of this letter so far. He speaks of the foundation he laid which is Jesus Christ (vs. 11 & 12). From there to verse 15 Paul talks of what is build on that foundation and the consequences of building with worldly things i.e. gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble.

What are you building on the foundation of Jesus Christ? Do you take “time off” from building to earn a living? Or are you building on that foundation all day, every day?

2 Corinthians 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

I think it’s safe to say every means every thought. And as our thoughts go, so should our actions.

If you are in business for yourself, consider Jesus as the “Chairman of the Board”. Run your business as though you had to write a report to Him every night. You’ll be amazed at the difference in your decisions and your attitude.

Likewise, if you work for someone else, remember that any authority granted to them is granted by God. They are ultimately responsible for the decisions they make - right or wrong. This is not a license to do anything illegal or immoral. By all means do your work with integrity, but:

…whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men. Colossians 3:23

Every man’s work will be tried by fire. How will you choose to live each day?

As for me, I want what I build to endure. My life and my walk is far from perfect, but I refuse to use that as an excuse to stop trying.

Yours in Christ,

Andy

If you’ve been here before - thank you for coming back! Please let me know how you like the new look.

For you newcomers, if you haven’t yet, please join us by signing up at the right so God can bless you through this ministry. IF you’re not blessed you can always unsubscribe.

Yes, I said the “M” word. Ministry. And, yes, this is part of a for profit venture and a ministry. How can that be? Read more »

By Chip Tarver, Author, First Contact Secrets

Teleseminars are a hot topic these days, but what are the real secrets to getting value from one, and are they even worth attending? Read more »

Maybe you’ve head the story “Acres of Diamonds” - It’s about a Arabian farmer named Al Hafed. In essence a passing traveler told him about a field riddled with diamonds. Al Hafed sold his farm and
Read more »

While I have faced many challenges in my life and my walk - Alcoholism is not one of them. And yet this devastating problem has touched my own life in many ways.

First let me be blunt. I am not going to entertain any discussion on whether Christians should or should not drink alcohol. I do drink, but what I consume is so little and so rare it’s insignificant.

For example, I can’t remember when I last had more than one alcoholic drink in one day. Yes, there have been times, but these are even more rare than when I drink at all. My point is if there was ever a case for moderation, I would not be it because I don’t drink enough.

That said, my mom worked for many years as a bartender so I grew up around a bar. It wasn’t just a bar either, it was the lowest dive in town. Many of the patrons were addicts. But my exposure to alcoholics didn’t end there.

My foster brother is an alcoholic. So was his natural mother. My closest cousin is an alcoholic along with a good friend whom I sponsored in AA. This is unusual but I went to Alanon meetings in order to do so. One of my early employers was an Alcoholic. It killed him. The list goes on… my sister-in-law, possibly my father-in-law (though he simply quit drinking one day), my mother’s boss - the owner of the bar where she worked, friends, neighbors, you name it. And these are the people I know about.

So even if you don’t have a problem yourself, I’m betting you know someone who does. For you, this may be a relative, an employee, or an associate.

As a business owner, people look up to you for leadership. As a Christian, people expect answers. Today I’m presenting a resource to help you help those afflicted with alcoholism that works.

If you’ve had any experience with Alcoholics Anonymous, you know they stress a belief in a “higher power”. Did you know that in the early days “AA” was a strictly Christian organization?

It was. And it was overwhelmingly more effective. The success rate was better than 90%. Today it is less than 10% effective. Why?

Author DickB believes it is because the program moved away from the it’s biblical foundation to reach a more diverse audience.

I met DickB via a mutual friend. I was immediately impressed with his warmth and his passion for this subject.

Even if alcoholism doesn’t directly affect you, please consider how it affects those around you.

Dick offers some excellent materials to help those in need escape this deadly trap. He also offers a program where you can purchase books to give to those in need. These books are in great demand and have helped hundreds, if not thousands. I highly recommend it.

God bless,

Andy

2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
It’s a promise many, if not all, of us would prefer to do without. We might as well, however, resign ourselves to the inevitable.

Persecution has many faces. It could come from someone who simply decides they don’t like you. Then again some may decide to kill you…possibly not before torture. Much will come from those who criticize you, rightly or wrongly. That criticism may snowball into more aggressive attacks or it may stop there. But it will come, especially when you dedicate your business, as well as your personal life to Christ.

I have met many that complain bitterly about mistreatment by this company or that. None have been more vocal or bitter than when the culprit was a “Christian”.

I say “Christian” because many lay claim to submitting to the Lordship of Christ Jesus but are far from Him. Indeed, there are those that will claim that you or I am not a Christian. But my point here is that it’s possible to falsely claim Christ’s salvation while doing Satan’s work. Unless specifically directed by God to do otherwise, I would tend to leave this type alone. God will take care of them.

It’s also possible for true Christians to do wrong. This is the situation where we need to be most careful. The world (influenced by the Accuser) looks for any imperfection to exploit.

This is why Paul encourages us to “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22.

The accusers will exploit any chink in our armor for all its worth. They will hold the smallest mistake or imperfection up to scrutiny - solid proof as to why all Christians are hypocrites and fools.

But there is one more kind of persecution. Those who did no wrong but are accused anyway. It is this final group that I would prefer we all are in.

What better testimony of our walk than to be falsely accused! Many may rail and cry “unfair!” I say, “bring it on!” After all I must be doing something right if all anybody can do is bring up false accusations.

A word here; the above is somewhat lighthearted. Don’t get me wrong. These false accusations can and will range from mild to very nasty. We could be accused of murder, fraud, even heresy. This is serious stuff but it’s nothing compared to the glory and honor we will receive upon Christ’s return.

My advice is to resign yourself to the fact that persecution is what you can expect when you live for Christ. Keep your eyes focused on Him and your reward will be great. And, as Paul said, avoid even the appearance of evil.

Yours in Christ,

Andy

by Ray L. Edwards

I’ve been a student of the Bible for practically all my life. There is a lot of reason why this book remains the number one best seller year after year. I think that it is the source of ALL wisdom, yes, including successful copywriting!

What do I mean by this? Simply put, every copywriting strategy can be found FIRST in the Bible. This may appear to be a strong statement but I challenge the reader to prove otherwise. As I did the research for my latest ebook “77 Ways to Skyrocket Your Website’s Conversion”, I kept saying to myself “but that’s in the Bible … that’s in the Bible.”

I would like to take a look at 5 adcopy principles and show you that they are as old as the Scriptures. This article is not meant to ‘convert’ you so read with an open mind … ready? Let’s go!

1. Stress benefits not features.

It’s the Garden of Eden. The serpent approaches the woman Eve to get her to take of the forbidden fruit.

Does he rave about the color, taste and texture of the fruit? No, he sells Eve on benefits. “Your eyes will be opened, you will be like God …” (Genesis 3:4). Now that’s a benefit, not a feature at all. And did Eve fall for it? She surely did.

That may seem like a ‘negative’ example - a plain deception. But look at what the book of Revelation promises the “overcomer”. Eternal life, health, recognition, wealth and mansions without mortgages.

2. Use lots of testimonials.

If you have just a cursory knowledge of the Bible you know that the gospels of Matthew, Mark Luke and John make up the first four books of the New Testament. They all cover the same ground and share many common stories. So why would we need four different people saying practically the same thing?

You see they all wanted to tell THEIR story about the Rabbi Jesus Christ. So the writers (all satisfied customers) relate the life-changing encounter they each had - the more testimonies the better.

The entire Bible relates stories of peoples encounter with the supernatural and how it affected their lives. In fact, Jesus related to the disciples after His miraculous resurrection that all the Old Testament was really about Him.

3. “Create a damaging admission and address flaws openly”

That’s the title to chapter 3 of the master copywriter Dan Kennedy’s book “The Ultimate Sales Letter”. He goes on to explain that if you openly admit the drawbacks of your offer then your credibility goes up instantly with the customer. For example, your price may be higher than your competitors so you may say: “If you are looking to save a few bucks then you can find many other companies who will be willing to give you some ‘quick fixes’. But we provide a very thorough and expert service, hence the higher price”.

You are admitting that you are expensive but showing why - the customer gets a superior service.

In the gospels we see many potential disciples who wanted to follow Jesus and he told them openly that it was a sacrificial walk. He told them in no uncertain terms that it involved a “cross”, leaving father and mother behind, even possible death - but you will gain eternal life in the process. Talk about a “damaging admission”.

4. Place a limit on your offer to motivate procrastinators.

This is a very important element of the “call to action” section of any sales letter. Humans are naturally procrastinators. We always put off what should be done now for a ‘later’ that never arrives. That is why the copywriter must show that supplies are limited or the special offer is for a ‘limited time only’.

In many ‘call to action’ sections of the Bible we see the same warning to procrastinators. “Today if you hear my voice do not harden your heart ..” (Hebrews 3:7). In the story of the great flood procrastinators were found outside the ark. Jesus told the story of the covetous farmer who built bigger barns to store his grains not knowing that death would come knocking on his door that very night.

Jesus never sent one of his listeners to go away and think about it. Today … now, was the only time that anyone had. His message was “ACT NOW!”

5. Research your potential customers to know their problems and needs.

Dan Kennedy refers to this as “getting into the customer.” Getting into the head and experiences of the customer -walk in his moccasins.

The whole Christmas story is about Jesus getting into the skin - literally - of the customer. The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus is touched by our feelings and infirmities. He became like one of us so that He may understand “the customer” better. That is why he could speak to the needs of the human heart with such authority because he knows what is in man.

I’ve just briefly looked at 5 copywriting principles but this applies across the board. Whether you accept the Bible as just another book or as inspired writings, there is no denying that the principles are there.

I would love to hear from the reader if he or she would like to challenge me on finding a useful copywriting principle that’s not in the Bible.

Copyright (c) Ray L. Edwards 2003.

(This article may be reprinted with permission by including the resource box in its entirety at the bottom of the article.)

Ray L. Edwards is a freelance copywriter, copywriting coach, Internet marketing consultant and published author. He has made his clients millions of dollars online and can be contacted about his services at http://www.webcopy-writing.com