The guy standing on a soap box at the entrance to a carnival sideshow was called a “pitchman”. He’s the guy that reeled in leads and prospects with one-liner’s. He’s the guy that quickly converted them into paying customers with fantastic, unbelievable promises of excitement and intrigue.
In a 1959 Twilight Zone episode called “One For The Angels”, Mr. Lewis J. Bookman, pitchman, makes a deal with Mr. Death. He can stay alive just long enough to make his “pitch of a lifetime”.
Your online business, your ability to monetize your blog… will stay alive only as long as your pitch allows. If you’re not delivering your own “pitch of a lifetime” on your blog, it could mean the death of your internet marketing goals.
Mr. Bookman’s Pitch
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you will feast your eyes on probably the most exciting invention since atomic energy, a simulated silk, so fabulously conceived as to mystify even the ancient Chinese silk manufacturers. An almost unbelievable attention to detail. Witness, if you will, a demonstration of tensile strength. Feel that, if you will sir. Unbelievable, isn’t it? As strong as steel, yet as fragile and delicate as Shantuang Silk. Picture if you will, three hundred years of backbreaking research and labor to develop this, the absolute ultimate in thread. And what would you expect to pay for this fabulous, I say fabulous, incredible amazing development of the tailor’s art? Would you pay thirty dollars a spool? Twenty five? Twenty? Ten? Well very well you might, sir, if you were trying to purchase this in stores. But this fantastic thread is not in stores. It is smuggled in by Oriental birds especially trained for ocean travel, each carrying a minute quantity in a small satchel underneath their ruby throats. It takes eight hundred thirty two crossings to supply enough thread to go around one spool. And tonight, at my special get-acquainted introductory mid July Hot Summer Sale, I offer you this fabulous thread, not at twenty dollars a spool, not at ten, not at five, but at the ridiculously low price of twenty five cents a spool!”
What’s Your Pitch?
Your Opt-in Offer is where you make your pitch.
This is your chance to let your readers know that you have some amazing, free, highly valuable information to share with them. All they need to do is “opt in” – that is, type in their name and email address to get your offer.
Now, this offer is made with a few printed words and/or a short, one or two minute video. That’s not a lot of words and time to make a pitch of a lifetime.
So don’t waste a single word. Make every word drip of value and intrigue.
Make your offer unique. Make it something people can’t find ANYWHERE except by opting in to your offer.
That doesn’t mean you need to have a unique product, but it must be so intricately woven into your personal brand that your readers won’t want to buy it from anyone but you.
A Pitch For The Angels
And, oh, by the way. Mr. Bookman’s “pitch of a lifetime” was not any product or item he so eloquently hawked. It was, in the end just this:
“An item never before offered in this or any other country. One guaranteed live human man servant.
Me! Lewis J. Bookman! The first model of its kind. He comes to you with an absolute guarantee all parts interchangeable, with a certificate of four years serviceability. He eats little, he sleeps little. He rests only occasionally, and there he is at your elbow, at your beck and call whenever needed.
I challenge any other store, wholesale house or industry to even come close to matching what I offer you here…”
And, of course, nobody can match this offer, because, there is only one brand of Lewis J. Bookman.
And, of course, there’s only one of you, too. So go out and brand yourself and make your own pitch of a lifetime.
Mr. Bookman’s pitch was so effective that even Mr. Death was taken in, cheated though he was by what had actually served up as a “pitch for the angels”… a pitch so compelling that Mr. Death forgot to take the life of a little girl who lay dying, and so, had to settle for Mr. Bookman.
Now, go out and have some fun with your own pitch. It’s time to get creative in capturing leads and prospects from your Opt-in offer. Make your very own… your totally unique pitch of a lifetime and watch people scramble to get onto your list of adoring (or at least very curious) followers.
I’d love to hear how you designed your pitch, or what issues you might be facing trying to create or tweek one.
David you’re too much! What a great post. Eskimos beware David’s coming to sell you Ice Cubes. I have go and digest this fine morsel and work to apply it to my Blog. Thanks Buddy, your are the best.
.-= Nelson´s last blog ..Promptings =-.
Good to see you, Nelson. I’m glad you learned a lot from your visit!
P.S. I’ve arranged to give you a 10% discount on ice for the whole month of December! Only because I like you.
David,
making deals already!? LOL Look out, Nelson is not your typical mark.
Seriously, I really enjoyed your article. It shifted my mind around about an area that I have been skirting for some time. Your down-to-earth explanations have given me the boost I needed.
Thanks for sharing your ideas on optins.
Val
.-= Val Wilcox´s last blog ..The Unexamined Life is Not Worth Living =-.
Glad you enjoyed it, Val. I love working with people who “get it” like you and so many others out here. Let’s keep it kickin’.
Very interesting how the universe speaks. I was changing the wording of my opt in offering just a few hours ago and need finish it. I always wondered why nobody reaches and gets creative with the wording on their opt ins. I am not one for dull words. Thanks for this post. I enjoyed reading it.
Hey, Nicole. Nice to have you out here.
The words are so critical. You’ve only got a split second to convert someone from a browser to a prospect.
Do you best, then consider changing it at regular intervals so you can test one version against another. Then go with the better one, of course, and test again. And again!!
Good luck, Nicole! This is so much fun, isn’t it?
David,
This post is speaking loud and clear to me! Thanks for shaking me up, I kind of put that opt-in issue on the back burner – it’s time for me to take action.. now!
Great post… loved the image and I enjoyed the way you created personal relevancy from one of my fav twilight zone episodes
Dena
Glad to help you get on the right track, Dena.
I often find relevancy in Twilight Zone episodes. Rod Serling is one of my inspirational heroes! He was quite the genius.
Hey David, once again, such a great post. This is indeed a great advice for my optin page. I have been planning on what to place and thanks to you for your advice. This is such a great joy for me to read your post.
.-= Jon Alfredsson´s last blog ..Cool Productivity Tool Keeps You Organized =-.
Thanks for stopping by, Jon.
As with everything, once we deliver what we think is the perfect pitch, we must TEST TEST TEST to see what in fact is most effective.
David… you struck GOLD with that one!
That, in itself , was the PERFECT pitch… for creating a “pitch.” I was intrigued right from the outset. I could visualize The TWZ and “see” it playing, despite never having seen the episode!
You had me… “hook, line and sinker” with that one, David. I thoroughly enjoyed it… that was a masterful presentation!
Thanks
.-= Chris McCargar´s last blog ..Put Your Data In The Cloud =-.
Glad you liked it, Chris.
We often think that business advice must come from business resources. But it really gets down to the psychology of the deal. And that kind of insight can come from literature, art, philosophy… anywhere that human interactions come under scrutiny.
I get so fed up with pitches that I just wrote a post more or less castigating the pitchmen. So the phrase “best pitch ever” got my attention! The glory of the optin pitch is that people have come to hear it. It is not, then, unwanted. In fact, at that point the person who has come to the optin point really wants to hear your offer, in clear and frank terms. Ahhh – the right thing said at the right time to the right person!
That’s such a great point, Richard.
The opt-in pitch is really quite unique from what we typically think of as a “pitch” in that it is made to those who have already indicated their attraction to our personal brand. They have come to us via “attraction marketing” strategies, and are therefore a much more qualified prospect than a casual passerby.
Thanks for the visit, and the valuable contribution to the discussion, Richard!
David, having attended many “salesy” meetings and networking events where you get 15 seconds to say who you are so people will be interested. I always was intrigued with this way of networking.. it felt a bit too forced.. However, i did learn the point.. Short time to capture the interest in the first impression. Now I just believe, those who are seeking the services I offer and of like mind, will naturally be interested. It’s about trying to be something less and just BEING who I am! Love it! Great post!
.-= Lisa Molina´s last blog ..3 Steps to Success as an Entrepreneur – Lead Generation =-.
Hey David, great post on the optin-box! I had never thought of it from this prospective? Now I need to go rethink mine. Where did you get the great picture? Douglas
.-= Douglas Richardson´s last blog ..Lauren’s 4H Barrel Run! =-.
Re-thinking is always good! It keeps us on top of game.
Thanks for the visit, Doug, and btw, the picture is from “pixmac.com”. Give it a try!
Hello
I really enjoyed reading the post!
We are making a new optin box, so these tips come just in time, we have one chance and if we do not get quick attention, we will have lost all the work, so it was very good to read this post.
Thanks
Raisa
.-= Raisa Garrido´s last blog ..¿Programación Neurolinguística y Negocios =-.
Glad it helped you out, Raisa. I’d love to hear how you make out with your new opt-in!
Hi David,
I remember that show very well – but then I really loved the entire Twilight Zone series. Very thoughtful and creative article. It is a bit magical isn’t it – coming up with just the right words and leverage to cause our readers to become followers. It’s what makes this business so challenging, and so darn much fun!
Marquita Herald´s last [type] ..Making a Difference- Tunes 4 the Troops