I received a letter from The Syndicate over the weekend. And you wouldn’t believe what was inside that envelope…
Three pieces of paper. One powerful message.
But first, you have to watch this video:
So you may be wondering why I posted this video of Alec Baldwin from Glengarry Glen Ross…
Well, I receive hundreds of emails a day from budding marketers looking for a JV. For the most part the average email reads something like this:
“Hey Peng Joon, I’m launching this new product and would appreciate if you’d help me out. Promote my stuff plz bro. Thanks”
Insert link.
And that’s it.
Now I’m all about helping out others succeed. But you’ve got to help yourself first before expecting help from others.
AIDA
Attention. Interest. Desire. Action.
It works every time. For anything. Whether you’re writing a sales page for a multi-million dollar launch or convincing your girlfriend that watching 300: Rise of an Empire is a more romantic way to spend the evening together than at her parents’ place.
And this has never been clearer than in the world of affiliate marketing.
The daily barrage of emails I receive from marketers trying their luck in getting me to promote their stuff is a great example of NOT using AIDA. But that envelope…
A: That is how you get Attention
Over the weekend I received mail. Physical mail. Already my senses are a little more awake. A big brown envelop over the standard issue white gets my attention further. And the fact that the address is handwritten rather than printed piques my interest.
But what really gets my attention is the forwarding address. The Syndicate. When The Syndicate sends you mail, you open it. My spider senses are tingling.
Once I open the envelop, I’m immediately brought to the next step of the AIDA formula…
I: My Interest is hooked
There’s a $1 note attached to the top of the letter. Who doesn’t like free money? As I read on, this line pops out:
“This letter might actually lead to me giving YOU money!”
A promise of more free money? Excellent stuff.
So he’s pitching to me. Asking me to help him with a launch. Inviting me to promote his new product. It’s nothing new; I’ve been asked many times before. But his approach… And that brings us to:
D: Decision making time
He provides proof that he’s been promoting my offers and sending traffic for me. Now if there’s one thing you take away from this post it’s this: If you ever want to approach someone for a JV, always promote for them first before asking them to promote for you.
The law of reciprocity is huge.
People will be more inclined to help if they know you’ve helped them before. I’m not saying it’s a given, but at the very least it gets your foot in the door.
Then to sum it all up…
A: His call to Action
I’m provided with his personal contact details, a review copy of the product with a username and password, as well as test results and product details.
There are so many things in this proposal that I’m impressed with. The fact that he found my home address shows resourcefulness. The fact that he took the time to write me an actual letter rather than shooting me an email shows assertiveness.
And the whole package is just super original.
So here are the two main takeaways:
- In the noisy world of affiliate marketing, you have to stand out
- AIDA. Always. Works.
