Joe Girard still holds the record for the “World’s Greatest Salesman,” even though more than three decades have passed since his achievement.

Why does he still hold this record?

It’s simple. Girard was the #1 car and truck salesman in the U.S. for 12 years straight. Between 1963 and 1978, he sold a total of 13,001 vehicles. All of them were sold one-to-one, which means every sale was a direct retail sale. Not one of his sales were fleet sales.

Even more amazing, his single-year record (1973) for number of cars and trucks sold is 1,425. That is an average of 4.57 cars and trucks sold per day, not counting Sundays (1,425 / 312 days).

How Did He Do It?

Girard’s selling approach was fairly simple. In the book Ten Greatest Salespersons by Robert L. Shook, Girard says: “‘I have no big secrets which nobody else has.’ Joe smiles. ‘I simply sell the world’s best product, that’s all. I sell Joe Girard!‘”

Girard knew that customers buy from people they know, like, and trust. So he focused most of his energy on establishing rapport with his customers and becoming likeable. It’s probably safe to say that nobody before or since has executed sincere salesmanship as well as Joe Girard did.

Of course, Girard used a variety of techniques to support his selling strategy, one of which was to send out greeting cards to his customers every single month.

Joe Says “I Like You” 13,000 Times Each Month!

Joe’s customers won’t forget him once they buy a car from him; he won’t let them! Every month throughout the year, they get a letter from him. It arrives in a plain envelope, always a different size or color. “It doesn’t look like that junk mail which is thrown out before it’s even opened,” Joe confides. “And they open it up, and the front of it reads, ‘I LIKE YOU.’ Inside it says, ‘Happy New Year, from Joe Girard’” He sends a card in February wishing customers a “Happy George Washington’s Day.” In March, it’s “Happy St. Patrick’s Day.”

[...]

“D’ya know that I send out over 13,000 cards every month? And everyone of them says, ‘I like you… Have a Happy Fourth of July,’ or ‘I like you… Happy Thanksgiving.’ There’s nothin’ else on the card. Nothin’ but my name. I’m just telling ‘em that I like ‘em.”

Sending out cards like Girard did is a simple way to stay in touch and earn repeat business from customers and clients.

Now, I can’t imagine the logistics of sending out 13,000 cards a month back in the 1970s. Thankfully, doing the same thing today is MUCH easier…

Send Out Hundreds of Cards in Minutes!

With Send Out Cards, once a contact is in your database, you don’t have to think about it anymore. Just assign all your customers or clients to a group called “Customers” or “Clients.”

Then, whenever you want to send a card, simply create a card (takes 5 minutes or less) and send it to the whole group.

You never have to drive to the grocery store for an overpriced greeting card or hand-address an envelope again.

Send Out Cards is super simple.

Super fast.

And super affordable. (Each card is about $1 each, and that includes postage!)

Create Autoresponders with Physical Greeting Cards

Another cool thing about Send Out Cards is that you can create “autoresponders.” Except these autoresponders are not emails, but rather real, physical cards.

So, if you wanted, you could have a 12-month new-customer autoresponder that sends out a predetermined card and message each month for 12 months.

You could set up autoresponders of any length for any type of event in your business: reminders for the next oil change… 30/60/90-day follow-ups from purchase… reminders to attend a webinar or live event… and so forth.

I’ll Pay for You to Send a Card

There’s no better way to get a feel for whether you will like something or not than a real-life demonstration. So if you’re game, I’ll pay for you to send a card to somebody in your life. Could be your spouse, a child, a customer — whomever you want.

Here’s what to do:

Click here to go to the Send Out Cards site. First, watch the 3-minute video. Then try it out by sending a card using my account. Remember, I’m paying for it.

Here’s what you’ll see when you click the link. Click the “Send a Free Card” button after you watch the video.

My Best,

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Every year I try dozens of new WordPress plugins, software programs, services, and business tools. Only a fraction of them live up to my expectations. Send Out Cards is one of the few that’s made the cut, which is why I’ve been using it regularly since 2008.Similar Posts:

• Business Cards in a Pinch
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• Nurture Your Network
• Is It Spam or Is It Something Else?
• How to Get My Print Newsletter for Free

How much time do you spend nurturing the business connections you’ve made?

Chances are, you’re not spending enough.

As a freelance copywriter, I’ve learned that my business connections are some of the most valuable assets I have. My network is at least as important as my copywriting skills.

Daymond John, creator of FUBU clothing and one of the “Sharks” on the TV show Shark Tank says this: “I’ve learned, like with anything else, business is only as good as your connections and your resources.”

The inventors and entrepreneurs who appear on Shark Tank know this, which is why they’ll sometimes accept less favorable terms to get connected with the one Shark they believe will be most beneficial to the success of their product or company.

In the video clip below, Dave, the owner of Clean Bottle, gets two strong offers, one from Robert Herjavec and one from Mark Cuban.

Robert offers $60,000 for 5%, which is what Dave originally asked for. Mark offers $60,000 for 8%.

Based on the numbers alone, Robert’s offer is much more attractive. It is the offer I would have accepted. But ultimately, Dave accepted Mark’s offer because Mark is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Dave placed a high value on Mark’s network of connections in the sports world.

Remember: Business is not a solo enterprise. Many people contribute to the success of a business, not least of which are the people you know.

So nurture your network and treat it like the valuable asset it is.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. One of the ways I nurture my network is by staying in touch via mail.

This is why I use Send Out Cards. It makes staying in touch easy and affordable. I’ve been using it for 3+ years for both personal and business contacts.

I strongly encourage all service providers to use Send Out Cards to nurture and develop their business contacts. Click here to learn more about Send Out Cards.Similar Posts:

• Mark Shurtleff: A Case Study in Political Corruption
• Adsense Blogging Makeover – Complimentary Interview
• I Like You: How Joe Girard Sold Cars
• Business Cards in a Pinch
• How to Shatter Your Productivity Barriers in 2012 – the 80/20 Way

On the one hand, getting testimonials from colleagues and clients can boost your credibility in the market and help you get more business.

On the other hand, giving out testimonials can be risky business.

If you give somebody a testimonial or endorsement after only brief interaction with him, you’re playing with fire. You don’t really know the person in question, and you don’t know what that person may (or may not) do in the future.

Consistency in behavior… longevity in the market… these are the kinds of things that breed trust. This is why I only give testimonials and endorsements to people I’ve known and interacted with for a couple years.

It’s also why I’ve turned down a number of requests for testimonials. It’s just not worth the risk.

I realize it’s easy to get caught up in the “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” world of testimonial swapping, but my advice is… don’t.

If you’ve really done good work, the testimonials and endorsements will come in over time.

No need to rush or hurry things up by whoring yourself out to every marketer who asks for a piece of your credibility in hopes they’ll reciprocate.

Be stingy with testimonials.

Protect your credibility.

Because at the end of the day, it’s all you’ve got.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

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If you’ve ever wanted proof that the guys running boiler rooms are workers of iniquity, look no further than John Paul Raygoza of PushTraffic.

The short version:

• Raygoza and his thugs scammed people in desperate financial straits in amounts ranging from $4,200 to $58,000.

• They manipulated “marks” through false promises of financial gain, then denied refunds.

• They used deceptive means to capture credit card info, then charged credit cards without permission.

• They intentionally targeted and preyed upon the elderly and those with physical and learning disabilities.

It’s apparent that John Paul Raygoza was running a criminal enterprise. That’s why he got slapped with a class action lawsuit accusing his company of racketeering and RICO violations.

Fraud, false advertising, unfair competition, elder abuse, negligence… these are just a few of the items listed in the lawsuit.

“Defrauded, Lied to & Cruelly Manipulated”

Quoting from the lawsuit…

The plaintiffs are a diverse group living on four different continents united by several common factors:

(1) They all sought out a legitimate home based Internet business due to disability, retirement, unemployment or other good reasons;

(2) All were defrauded, lied to, cruelly manipulated, and deceived by defendants who promised massive returns on their investments;

(3) Not a single plaintiff earned a return on their money despite the services that may have been provided by defendants;

(4) Plaintiffs lost well over $600,000, almost all of which was financed by credit card;

(5) Plaintiffs were approached multiple times and resold on the same program often masquerading under various trade names controlled by the same group of defendants;

(6) Defendants utilized strong arm sales tactics and made unauthorized charges on credit cards;

(7) Defendants, even during the pendency of this lawsuit continue to contact plaintiffs in an attempt to sell the same bogus services yet again under yet another program name.

As mentioned above, Raygoza et al targeted people who were especially vulnerable:

Extravagant promises were made to plaintiffs by the Criminal Enterprise’s salesmen including Raygoza, Sipes, Molina, and Denton in order to gain access to their credit card and debit card accounts. Promises varied by individual but all of which falsely promised guaranteed returns on their investment. High pressure sales tactics were utilized and the elderly, ill and unsophisticated plaintiffs were targeted especially.”

A Full-On Money-Sucking Operation

This wasn’t just a boiler room… it was a full-on money-sucking operation designed to string victims along until they’d been sucked dry.

The operation was was quite successful (by monetary standards) for two or three years.

Naturally, Raygoza got drunk on his own “success,” so he decided to host a $4,997 workshop to reveal how he became a millionaire and how others could (allegedly) do the same. He recorded the seminar and sold the DVDs first for $497, then for $147.

Here’s the headline from that seminar/DVD sales letter:

A few sentences later, another equally awful headline/subhead appears:

This second one is actually really funny. I mean, “finally”… I’ve been waiting for months and months and months for Raygoza to break his vow of silence and show me how to make $3 million this year.

Last but not least, Raygoza makes a blatant attempt to convince you that he’s not a professional con man. (FYI: If somebody is working hard to convince you he’s not a con man, he almost certainly is.)

Read the copy above carefully. In case you didn’t notice…

Raygoza Is Actually Revealing His True Character!

He is basically telling you that he’s selling you a “get-rich-quick piece of shit” and that he’s a professional con man who’s out to suck you dry.

You know what they say, “Out of the mouths of con men come the most ridiculous blabberings.” Or something like that.

Anyway, Raygoza lost the lawsuit and, as Salty Droid reports, a $1 million default judgement has been entered against him.

But Raygoza’s bad behavior did not start (nor did it end) with his boiler room scamming.

A History of Criminal Behavior

Raygoza’s racketeering is not his only criminal experience. In fact, he has already been convicted of:

• Battery resulting in serious injury
• Drunk driving

Both of these convictions ought to be enough to cause any normal person pause. Drunk driving is a crime of stupidity, not necessarily malice. But battery resulting in serious injury? That doesn’t happen by accident.

But I guess Raygoza isn’t yet satisfied with the length of his rap sheet. He’s now been charged with the following (serious) crimes:

• Kidnapping with intent to ransom or extort
• False imprisonment
• Robbery
• Witness tampering
• Possession of a gun after being convicted of a felony and/or while addicted to a narcotic drug

I don’t know the story behind all these charges, otherwise I would share it here.

Now, here’s my point, which I’ve been a long time coming around to…

Internet Marketing Is a Cesspool!

You might be tempted to think Raygoza is the exception to the rule, but you’d be wrong.

Raygoza is the rule.

It took me a long time to see this because most of the “gurus” go to great lengths to make sure you never see what goes on behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, ignorance demands a steep price, especially in the Internet marketing space.

That’s why I’ve written this post as well as some others that detail the criminal and unethical activities that happen online.

Get educated. Be skeptical. Always do your due diligence.

It could save you from making some very expensive mistakes.

It might even save your life.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Mike Filsaime heartily endorsed John Paul Raygoza back in December 2008.

In his email, he encouraged his subscribers to buy Raygoza’s “The Truth DVD Series.” Mike claimed, “[Raygoza] doesn’t leave any stones unturned in this DVD course.”

Ironically, the one stone he DID leave unturned was the stone called “truth.”Similar Posts:

• Boiler Room Scams: How They Work
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In my early twenties, I wrote a number of “philosophical fragments.” These thought-fragments were inspired by Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, Blaise Pascal’s Pensées, and Søren Kierkegaard’s Philosphical Fragments.

Fragment #92 I wrote says this:

Creativity thrives under limits, be they natural or imposed.

Since then, I’ve seen this principle at work time and time again.

So it was no surprise when I came across similar sentiments in The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur by Mike Michalowicz.

We Are Innovative When Resources Are Scarce

“It’s awe-inspiring how careful, thoughtful, and innovative we are when our supplies are scarce. But it’s also confounding how quickly we use and abuse our resources when we perceivably have a lot.”

Lack of Money Forces You to Grow the Right Way

“Money covers up problems and weaknesses. Without money, you’ve got to bring your A-game every day. Lack of funds forces you to optimize everywhere and grow the right way.”

Conclusion

Do you lack resources?

Don’t despair.

It may be a big blessing in disguise.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

• Your Lack of Money Is a Money Problem (Or at Least You Think It Is)
• Planning for Obsolescence
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• This May Surprise You, But…
• Product Creation Work Group

So I got this little gem of an email in my inbox this week.

GREETINGS MY NAME IS ANGEL AND I AM THE DIRECTOR OF MEDIA REPRESENTING VISUAL MEDIA IMPACT IN TARRYTOWN, N.Y. I AM EMAILING YOU BECAUSE I SEE POTENTIAL IN YOUR TRAFFICKING DUE TO MY EXPERTISE OF SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZING. I HAVE OVER 10 YEARS EXPERIENCE WITH INTERFACE AND COMPUTER DEVELOPMENT AND WOULD LIKE TO RAISE YOUR CAPILIZATION RATES EXPONENTIALLY VIA- SPIDERS AND CRAWLERS AND OTHER COHERENT MECHANISMS AND STRATEGIC MANNERS WITH PAY-PER-CLICKS AND FULL SERVICE MARKETING MOBILE AND I-PAD XHTML APPLETS VIA-PORTABLE DEVICES. CALL ME ASAP! I NEED TO GIVE YOU A FREE CONSULTATION AND SEE YOUR FISCAL TOLERENCE LEVELS. IF AM AM NOT IN MY OFFICE TALK TO JERRY. I WANT TO FLY OR YOU FLY SO WE CAN GATHER PHOTOGRAPHS AND DEVELOP A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR VIDEOGRAPHY.

P.S- I’M PUTTING YOU ON MY FACEBOOK FOR “FREE!”

Wow. I’ve never had anybody tell me they wanted to “raise [my] capitalization rates exponentially via coherent mechanisms.”

It gets worse.

The email above was also accompanied by a voice message:

After introducing himself, “Angel” says he is “reaching abroad in a manner transcontinentally cuz I wanna network with you and I REALLY like you a lot.” After cumbersomely explaining what he does, he reveals he wants to “see my fiscal tolerance level.”

What begins as an over-the-top compliment is really just a poorly disguised sales pitch.

By the way, wasn’t it just this week that I warned you that flattery often precedes an effort to defraud?

Let’s look at all the red flags in this sales pitch:

• It begins with flattery — flattery from a stranger, no less!

• He wants to see my “fiscal tolerance level.” This phrase is designed to get the recipient to feel prideful (“Why, by Jove, I’m a man of means!”).

• He wants to fly out to see me. Again, another element to make the mark feel important.

• He mentions that he’s “put me on his Facebook for free.” Naturally, this is an effort to make me feel indebted so I will reciprocate by calling him back.

Three parts flattery plus one part reciprocity.

Overall, the pitch is perfectly horrid, even laughable.

But it’s a good example of how con men lead with flattery so you will lower your defenses.

Know the triggers and be on your guard. Not all efforts to defraud are as easy to spot as this one…

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

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• Three Business Models Explained
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Today, many of the world’s largest websites are protesting SOPA and PIPA, two bills that threaten the open and free Web.

Wikipedia is protesting…

Google is protesting…

Reddit is protesting…

Craigslist is protesting…

And these are just a handful of websites fighting against what are ultimately government-led efforts to censor free speech on the Internet.

Please join the fight and make yourself heard.

It takes 30 seconds or less to sign the petition here.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

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For experienced marketers, this may be old news, but the Harvard Business Review found that people who were made to feel special were three times more likely to want to buy a specific item.

How, exactly, was this conclusion reached?

In an experiment that provided participants with an opportunity to buy a discounted coffee mug, those who were told they had been randomly selected to get the discount were 3 times more likely to want to buy than people who believed everyone got the discount. Researchers Jerry M. Burger and David F. Caldwell of Santa Clara University say such “special” opportunities may be appealing because people’s self-esteem is tied to factors that distinguish them from the crowd.

Naturally, prospects are more responsive when they feel special, singled out, part of a distinct group.

This is why so many successful sales pitches appeal to vanity.

Making prospects feel special is just good business. But do not be deceptive and do not cross the line into flattery.

I’ve found that flattery is the mark of a con man and nearly always precedes an effort to defraud.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

• Flattery from a Stranger
• How to Spot a Con Man
• Five on Friday, Issue #5
• Copywriting Critiques: New Special Offer
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The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is dangerous to the Internet.

It is also dangerous to all online businesses and anybody who voices an opinion on the Internet. I’m guessing that includes you.

Here’s a good video that explains what SOPA is all about (hat tip to Salty Droid):

Tens of thousands of people have already spoken out against SOPA.

But now there is a new threat: the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

PIPA is as bad or worse than SOPA.

As I write this, both bills are on the table. Whether one passes or both pass, it will have far-reaching negative impacts on the Internet.

Here are two good editorials about PIPA. I recommend you read both.

• PIPA is the new SOPA

• My Call to Senator Schumer’s Office on PIPA: It’s So Much Worse Than I Thought

In the second article, Amanda Peyton describes what she discovered when she called Senator Schumer’s office (Charles Schumer is one of the co-sponsors of PIPA). She writes:

The first question I asked was “why does the Senator support this legislation?”

The guy on the other end of the phone said: “well, he’s a co-sponsor so he’s not changing his position.”

He must have known why I was calling.

Asked the same question again. This time the reply I got this time was different: “Senator Schumer is in favor of censoring the internet.”

This is the real issue. It is not about piracy. It is about censorship.

The stated reason for the bill is to stop piracy. This is because most people will be in favor of stopping piracy, so this is what is pitched to the public.

But the real reason for the bill is censorship… the ability to control what is said (or not said) on the Internet. Almost nobody in the U.S. will support censoring the Internet, which is why the real reason is kept secret.

I imagine some will find this duplicity surprising, but it’s “business as usual” in D.C.

Politicians do they same thing to drum up support for wars. They tell the public that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction; but what they really want is to preserve the status of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency.

Later the truth comes out that Iraq never had WMD. Of course, by then it is too late.

And so it goes.

If we don’t do our part to stop SOPA and PIPA now, the Internet will never be the same.

With that in mind, please share this post on Facebook and Twitter… and keep hounding your representatives. Thanks.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

• Today We Tell Congress to Shove It
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Here are three business predictions that I’ve been thinking about ever since I read them. I think they are quite prescient and worth your consideration. Perhaps they’ll hit you the same way they hit me.

Made-Me-Think Prediction #1: Search moves to apps
by John Jantsch of DuctTapeMarketing.com

John writes on his blog: “My use of search-engine technology is slowly being replaced by the use of apps that provide me with answers relevant to my personal needs. My guess is that while you may not have taken note, you’re using search engines less and answer engines more.

“This trend highlights the marketers’ need to go beyond SEO and PPC and move deeper into social networks, mobile marketing and app-based local marketplaces.”

Made-Me-Think Prediction #2: Four horsemen: Netflix, Pandora, Spotify and Amazon
by Perry Marshall of PerryMarshall.com

Perry writes on his blog: “The price of books, movies and music is headed towards zero. You’re already seeing 1-day Kindle specials: $20 books are $2.99, 99 cents or even free.

“Amazon will start renting books to you on your Kindle the same way Netflix rents movies.

“At Amazon, books are just a loss leader for selling flat-screen TV’s and Christmas presents. For you, books are a loss leader for selling ______?

“You better decide right now. And if you don’t come up with a loss-leader strategy for your biz… someone else will.”

Made-Me-Think Prediction #3: The downfall of dashboards
by Avinash Kaushik, the Analytics Evangelist at Google

Avinash Kaushik shares on the Market Motive blog: “People in the Analytics world whose primary contribution is to puke data will find themselves with fewer and fewer contracts/jobs. People who provide a list of actions to take, rather than a puke of data in ‘dashboards,’ will find they are richer than they anticipated.”

What do you think? Agree or disagree? Leave a comment and let me know.

-Ryan M. HealySimilar Posts:

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