Possibility number 6: We could mail our promotion to a list of wealthy people who have purchased by mail, a product similar to ours -- several times

Possibility number 7: We could mail our promotion to a list of wealthy people who have purchased by mail, a product similar to ours -- several times, and who have paid big money for what they bought.

Possibility number 8: We could mail our promotion to a list of wealthy people who have purchased by mail, a product similar to ours -- and who have done so repeatedly -- and who have paid big money for what they purchased -- and who have very recently made such a purchase.

Possibility number 9: We could mail our promotion to the list of people who have all the characteristics of possibility number eight and which are friendly list broker tells us is working like crazy for other mailers with promotions similar to ours.

Possibility number 10: There is one group of people who will respond better than all the other groups. Can you guess who this list will be? The best list of all is your own customer list. All other things being equal your own customers should respond far better than any other list you can get. Of course there is one caveat. They must be satisfied customers!

You've certainly heard the expression about give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. But teach them to fish and you feed him for life. Well, people today are busier than ever and they don't want to learn how to fish. They'd rather have their fish grilled and served to them on their plate ready to eat with a little mango chutney on the side.

It's all about the relationship you create. Actually, more accurately, it's all about the perceived relationship that your customers, and potential customers, feel they have with you. It's about communicating in a way and a unique style all your own that bonds and endears you with your database on a real human level.

Once people trust you, they will buy from you, and not just once. No. They will buy your products, services, ideas, and endorsements again and again and again so long as you don't do anything to break that bond.

Do not propose before you get the first date.

Contrary to mainstream thinking, cutesy slogans, stuffed animals, sock puppets, Chihuahua dogs, or any of the other funny things do not constitute systemized salesmanship! All those things are the equivalent of the adolescent boy going right up to the homecoming queen that he's never met before and saying let's go do my car and do it -- chances are he ain't going to get the result he was hoping for.

One of the biggest traps people get stuck in that creates Dole, sale less marketing, if they think they have to sell everyone and appeal to everyone with everything they say. So, they dilute the message in trying to make it appeal to everyone by speaking in large generalities that have no real meaning or sales bite to them.

Pick one person who is your ideal prospect and pretend you're speaking directly to just that one person. It's just the two of you, just you guys having a private, confidential conversation. See, you want them to bond with you and feel a connection with you as a person, as opposed to a company.

Each prospect, each person, has got to feel that you are talking straight to them one-on-one me to you.

Now here's an important distinction that you must understand. Before you can take them where you want them to go, you must first meet them where they are. Therefore the common ground you meet them on is theirs, not yours. See, the shortcut to bonding is meeting them where they're at, bond with them where they're at. Talk to them on their level and then you have the opportunity to direct them. In hypnosis, it's called pacing and picking up the pace. You match up with them and walk in the same direction they are walking and at the same pace they are walking. Then you have the opportunity to change the direction slightly and speed up or slow down the pace. See the correlation, you first have to meet them where they are in order to take them to where you want them to go.

Although when you are speaking in person, you can adapt to the individual immediately, you can't talk to massive numbers of people. You are limited by how many people, you can sit down with and how many times you can give your presentation face-to-face. You can talk to only so many people in a day, in a week, in a month, and in a year. With an automated system, you can touch more people in a day than you could in an entire year of face-to-face contact. So, you're giving up some immediate ability to bond in exchange for the long-term effects, and I think you'll find that an automated system greatly outweighs the in person approach, where you've got to do the manual labor, you've got to do the physical work.

A powerful phrase: I can't promise you anything.

People get tired of what they do have and start to aspire to the things that they don't have, and therefore is kind of the circle that goes back into what you can't have you want. It's an insatiable need that makes the economy go round.

When you are happy with what is, you're naturally a tease. But the funny thing is, when you're truly unhappy with where you are it opens the door for you to strive for more and really see those dreams come true in stead of getting depressed. When empty wishes aren't granted. See, when you aren't happy with what is in the moment, the chances are, you are in a negative desperate state of mind. That means that usually our judgment is controlled by fear -- avoiding the pain of the present circumstances -- instead of making decisions out of your vision for what you want to happen.

A lot of people look at money and say, when I make XXX amount of money then I'll be happy. The problem is that money, possessions, status in life, relationships, and so on, can't make you happy. Those are all things outside of yourself, while happiness comes from within. I can hear you now, you are probably arguing with me "yada yada yada, I've heard that all before." That's easy for you to say -- you're already rich.

Well, I can tell you this: as soon as you have some money, it will be very exciting, and you will experience what I'm talking about firsthand. For me, it took about two years to come down off that high and realize that, hey, you know, this has been great and I've enjoyed it. But this isn't what drives me anymore. Now I do what feeds me spiritually, what feeds my personality, what gets me going with excitement that doing the project itself gets me ripping back the bed covers, raring to go because I'm so amped up about it. That's what drives me these days, not the money. The money does come -- and usually in much bigger amounts -- but, believe it or not it is a byproduct of that mindset, not the end in and of itself.

If I tell them, they doubt me. If they tell me, it's a fact.

To not service and sell to a customer multiple times in the future is to leave 80% to 90% of the profits on the table.

By giving people the recognition that they deserve, you're now automatically creating more of a relationship and more bonding. If you keep this in mind and tap it -- along with the other techniques we are discussing here -- the bonding process becomes a snap. It's a killer relationship builder: recognition.

Make sure you really congratulate people sincerely from the heart. Thank them. Be sure to tell them how much you appreciate them. They are important to you. I'm not talking about mere flattery. No, I mean recognizing them from a very genuine place of sincere gratitude so they get just how important they are to you personally.

After all, everybody in your database is critically important and does mean something to you. They are your assets. They allow you to achieve your goals and dreams -- to live where you want to live, to drive what you want to drive. Let them know that you know that and are appreciative of it, and something very interesting happens. You're delivering major value to them just by recognizing them. It's about value for value exchange. It's not about them just giving you money. It's not about you sucking them dry. You're giving them value. You're giving them what they need. You're giving them that feeling of specialness. Feeding this desire inside them to be recognized is one of the most value building things you can do for your people.

There is no price tag that can be put on making people feel respected, recognized, and special. Giving people psychological income or psychological value is often perceived as having a much higher value than hard value items.

Note: if you are getting a certain type of client or customer that you don't advertise to directly, focus all of your energy on getting more of those types of customers if they are profitable.

Sit down and brainstorm a list of places that your perfect clients would hang out at.

Find out where the thirsty crowd is and go to them. Give them a sample and over deliver. Sell them a package of multiple sessions.

Whenever you get someone to take a desired action, you are making a sale. You are selling your idea to someone in exchange for something.

Find centers of influence. You can find centers of influence by contacting friends involved in network marketing, research and websites via search engines, browsing through magazines, subscribing to pertinent e-zines, and other sources, where experts in your subject area are featured. Ask them if they would be interested in a joint venture: they provide a bonus of interest to people buying your product, which helps them expand their names list, and in exchange they agreed to send the promotional offer to their list helping sell your product.

Use pictures and sounds to take over your readers minds. Suck them in. You are telling a story but selling at the same time. This is a great technique and is a lot smoother than saying, buy my DVD.

One catch to my process was that in order to receive a free e-book, people had the first e-mail me their wish list of things they wanted to see in the next release of my product. So not only do they get a free e-book, but they also get to tell me exactly what they would like my products to do. People love to have a sense of belonging, and knowing that something they recommended would be added to my product gives them that needed sense.

Seek a common problem and offer a solution. Survey customers to find out what they want more of, less of, and so on. Offer them a second glass for free, which gives them something to talk about.

If you try to build a list of the wrong way, even a large list will not be very valuable. This is because the very core of the value in the list is the relationship between you and your subscriber and the only reason subscribers stay on your list is if there is value in it for them to do so.

Marketing is about being completely honest and ethical in your search for the perfect fit between you and the prospect, even if it means turning down a project.

Wouldn't you like prospects to beg you, please work with me? When you approach your business with the mindset of service and ethics -- and combine that with powerful marketing strategies that position you as the best solution to your prospect's problem -- that's exactly what will happen.

At a speech in 1999 Lester Wunderman explains that before the Internet, salespeople had a prospect list and were chasing the customers. With the Internet, the prospect list has changed hands. Now customers are coming after the salespeople. He said that Intel marketers and salespeople recognize this fundamental shift, business as usual will be tough sledding.

It's not about the salespeople chasing the customers; it's about figuring out what the customers are looking for and putting it in front of them!

Read The Great Formula by Mark Joyner