Monkeys, Sticks, and the True Nature of Insight
Posted on 08. May, 2012 by Glenn Livingston, Ph.D. in Blog, consulting, conversion, Copywriting, Emotional Marketing, Hyper Responsive Marketing, Information Marketing, Inspiration, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
Are monkeys really capable of “insight?”
And what the heck does this have to do with making more profit in YOUR business anyway?
Listen and learn my friends 
VIDEO: The Opposite of Glenn
Posted on 06. May, 2012 by Glenn Livingston, Ph.D. in Blog, consulting, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
So, in case you were wondering what it’s like to coach with Glenn, the best way I could describe it is the POLAR OPPOSITE OF THIS VIDEO:
See…
Even though I’m a psychologist by training…
And even though there are certainly elements of business coaching which require helping people overcome mindset and relationship issues…
The truth is that the vast majority of my coaching work is focused on solving business problems.
Not that I don’t value relationship coaching…
I actually kind of miss doing it in many respects. (I got a lot of “stories inside me” during those years… and it was amazing to me how many ways there were of solving life’s problems that you’d NEVER think of if you didn’t spend time speaking intimately with dozens of people every day)
But that’s simply not what I do now.
I help people build businesses, plain and simple.
Of course I’m kind, considerate, reasonably funny, and it’s not unheard of for me to spend a few minutes on the phone and/or Skype with my clients helping them with personal issues…
But let’s face it, you’re not following me here as a psychologist, you’re following me as a marketer.
And I’m a damn good one at that!
Anyway, I’ve decided to open the coaching program for a little while because I really like the people (and business opportunities) it’s brought into my life.
So if you’ve been thinking about it, well, then I just “really want to make that space in the universe for you”
Dr. G
WARNING: Analysis Paralysis Man – Watch Out!
Posted on 17. Apr, 2012 by Glenn Livingston, Ph.D. in Blog, consulting, conversion, Decision Making, Information Marketing, Inspiration, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
Yesterday we started talking about the kinds of ”traffic demons” people become vulnerable when they don’t understand the essence of converting visitors into customers. Because when you just don’t know what makes a site sell, you’re extremely susceptible to thinking all you need is more traffic (or cheaper traffic). And this is how evil creatures like seo scorpions, ppc piranhas, and social media snakes are able to make a good living.
Unfortunately there are many more internet demons you’ll face if you don’t know the 5 simple underlying principles of conversion. So today, let’s face off against…
Villian: Analysis Paralysis Man
Evil Motto: “I’ve never met a problem more data couldn’t solve. (Give me some money and I’ll be happy to waste weeks generating countless charts, graphs, and tables which will lead to an ever expanding list of questions, which of course will require more data to solve, etc.)”
Solution: Listen, I (Glenn) love data more than the next guy. In fact, I spent a semester supervising graduate students at Yeshiva University on the ”multivariate analysis of human behavior” via computer models. But when it comes to internet sales you’ve REALLY got to be careful. Because the ability to scientifically measure internet activity can create a dangerous vortex which sucks you into a paralyzing maze of meaningless numbers.
What you want are BIG SIMPLE TESTS with PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS. Tests that focus on the fundamental elements of conversion. What are they? (1) The way you describe the problem you solve; (2) the unique selling proposition you make; (3) the amount of proof you provide (and the way you present it); (4) the specific offer you make, and; (5) the type of scarcity or reason to act now you’re using.
Screw the fancy analytics, heat maps, live-chats, uber-complex multivariate analyses, etc. UNLESS they’re designed to support a big simple test with a very clear and meaningful hypothesis. At least until until you’ve exhausted conversion bumps from testing the fundamental elements.
Read that again (I just saved you a good year of wasted time and/or money to pay for data gathering and analysis experts!)
Listen, you can clear away SO much confusion–and easily defeat a myriad of evil internet villains–if you just master a few simple principles. And now you can watch me do it LIVE on site after site. (Get started as of the time of this post for less than $5)
Onwards and Upwards My Fine Marketing Friends!
NEW: Live Conversion Webinars 2x/mo with Glenn.
Watch me fix conversion holes in site after site.
Get started as of the time of this post for only $5
PPC Piranha(tm), SEO Scorpion(tm), Social Media Snake(tm)
and Analysis Paralysis Man(tm) are trademarks of Psy Tech Inc.
PPS – New “Done For You” Marketing Opportunities from Glenn…
(1) Let Us Get You More Compelling Proof
(2) The Weirdest Opportunity in the World (listen to the audio)
CHEAT SHEET: Supercharge Your Testimonials
Posted on 15. Apr, 2012 by Glenn Livingston, Ph.D. in Blog, consulting, conversion, Copywriting, Information Marketing, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
This is a CHEAT SHEET I made for you to go along with the ”testimonials that sell” MP3 and transcript.
What you might not know about my darling wife is that a good part of her consulting for Fortune 500 companies over the past 20 years has involved casting and spokesperson research for television commercials for big brands (like Excedrin, etc). She’s really developed an ear for what sells, but more importantly a PROCESS for interviewing customers to bring their testimonials to life, elicit every last benefit they derived from your product, and get them to EMOTE while describing their results.
This is information you won’t find elsewhere… I hope you enjoy it!
(NOTE: Sharon has a done for you testimonial service if you don’t wish to do this yourself)
PS – You can now join me in LIVE conversion webinars 2x/mo. Click here to see the ridiculous introductory pricing .
Testimonials That Sell (Transcript)
Posted on 14. Apr, 2012 by Glenn Livingston, Ph.D. in Blog, consulting, conversion, Copywriting, Inspiration, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing
Testimonials Done For You Service with Dr. Sharon Livingston
The other day I posted a popular MP3 about generating testimonials that sell. You can still grab that interview with my darling wife Dr. Sharon Livingston here (testimonials that sell MP3)
Today I wanted to get you the “Testimonials That Sell Transcript“.
But MORE IMPORTANTLY, I wanted to be sure you had a chance to see the new LIVE “Make Them Buy” WEBINARS 2x/mo. offering I introduced on Thursday…
I’ll be providing live attention to help dramatically increase your sales!
Let me ask you a question…
How much would it be worth to double (or even triple) response on your existing traffic?…
- Where else could you expand your advertising if your value per visitor were twice what it is now?
- Which SEO service could you afford?
- How much more could you outsource?
- How much more FUN would it be to run your business if you radically re-engineered the economics?
The truth is, EVERYTHING opens up when you’re the best at turning visitors into dollars in your market.
Traffic techniques are an illusion… conversion is THE magnet which tilts everything in the market in your favor.
Now, I don’t mean to make it sound easier than it is (I’m always the voice of reality, aren’t I?)…
But I HAVE spent the last two years studying conversion principles to complement and supercharge everything I knew how to do with research…
And I now find now I can often help people bump their sites in MUCH less time than it used to take.
More importantly, I ENJOY it.
It’s very gratifying to see people succeed…
To know I’ve (in many cases quickly) changed their lives.
Of course, I can’t promise you a rose garden…
But I’m quite dedicated…
And because I know people are struggling, and a lot of you have asked for a way to get more LIVE contact with me, I’ve decided to conduct bi-weekly group-mentoring at an extremely low rate (you’ll be shocked). Of course, I’m NO saint, and I’ve got some selfish reasons for doing this now too. (You can read them all on the site.)
But the net-net is, at least as of the time of this posting, you can get your questions answered LIVE for less than a $5 Starbucks Card
Onwards and Upwards,
Dr. G
Live Attention | Testimonials That Sell Service | Weird Opportunity MP3 | New Coaching Options
Want to Maximize Your WordPress Website Fortin-Style?
Posted on 21. Jun, 2011 by Michel Fortin in Blog, cms, consulting, critique, feedback, interest, introduction, marketer, News, price, product, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, Success Chef, theme, Traffic, training, WordPress
Many people have asked me for this, and now I’m seriously thinking about doing it. (Yes, I hear you, Mike Sigers.) I’m thinking of offering a WordPress training course.
No, not a basics course and not something too advanced. And not any old training course teaching stuff you would expect to find for free online.
But a “Fortinized” WordPress training. A “how-did-he-do-that” course that shows you how, exactly, I tweak, optimize, modify, and monetize my WordPress websites.
Let’s just call it FortinPress.com for now. 
It’s been on my mind for the last two years now. I was supposed to put one together with another marketer, but it never materialize for a number of reasons — being extremely busy being one of them.
I want to gauge your level of interest on this. I want to see if you would be interested. So here’s what I envision, what will be included, and the price point…
The course itself will be delivered over 4-5 weeks through a series of webinars.
I prefer live webinars because you get to see me do it, in front of you, live. I share my desktop with you, and you get to see what I do, how I do it, as I do it. You also get to see the innerworkings of my websites, warts and all, and any snags that appear, which is a perfect learning environment.
Here’s the tentative course synopsis:
1. Introduction and Examples
In this session, I will go over WordPress, how I specifically use it, how I turn it into a content management system (CMS), how I use it on my clients’ sites, and more. I will also give you a sneak peek at the admin areas and the tools I use.
2. Themes and Styles
I will go over theme tweaking, styles, and graphics — from making basic layout changes to more advanced modifications. When people ask, “Michel, how did you do this or that on this theme?” This session will answer that question.
3. Plugins and Functions
This session will focus on plugins — the plugins I use or recommend, and how to set them up. Not all plugins are usable out of the box. Some need tweaking. I will show how I set them up and offer a downloadable Excel spreadsheet of all my plugins and where to get them.
4. Tools and Shortcuts
In this session, I will go through some of my tricks and external (non-WP) tools I use to speed it all up. I will show you how I use Firebug, SEO tools, page speed tools, cheatsheets, social media integration, cross-browser tweaking, etc.
5. Money and Traffic
I’m thinking this may be something a lot people will love to know, and that’s how I monetize, market, and drive targeted traffic to my WordPress website. Without PPC or advertising. I will talk about list-building, content strategy, and social media integration.
6. Open Q&A Session
The final session will be an open question-and-answer session. This is where I will answer any and all of your questions related to the course content. If it takes an hour, I’ll take an hour. If it takes three, three it is. I want to take all the time needed to answer all your questions.
Bonuses
Not sure about this one, but I think a free trial to a one-month Success Chef University might be a good bonus. This is not going to be some forced continuity thing. If you like the free trial, you will need to re-subscribe to keep it going. Just sayin’.
Success Chef also includes the weekly Wednesday night classes and the derivative products, like List Whisperer, Marketing ESP, the Copy Doctor, etc.
Upsell
I do plan on offering an upsell. The reason I’m doing it is not entirely because I want to maximize sales, although that is obviously one of the reasons. But more important, I feel like this is one upsell people will actually ask for and buy.
What is it? It’s a private, one-on-one session with me.
This is an opportunity where the student can book a time with me, and I go through their website, theme, and plugins, and perhaps even web copy and strategy.
In it, I will review their setup, answer individual questions, and provide actionable recommendations. Perhaps even fix a thing or two while on the call, and implement a few tweaks right on the spot (within reason, of course).
Again, this is a tentative list. It might change, especially based on your feedback. All these sessions will be recorded and available online in a password-protected area.
The price point will increase once the sessions have been delivered and uploaded. I want to offer a lower price point before and while I deliver the course as a special introductory price.
My thinking is $297 is more than a fair price. I looked at other courses of this type, and $297 is actually on par or less than most.
The upsell will be $997 (total) for both the course and the full, one-on-one session. Considering that I charge $1,000 for critique consulting, and a minimum of $3,000 for any copy project, I think this price point is more than fair.
Now, you don’t have to choose the upsell.
You can buy just the main course for $297.
I only want to make the one-on-one session available to those who need more hand-holding and individualized attention.
But if you have a website right now, and you’re wondering how to tweak it but don’t know how, and if you prefer to save the hassle and expense — Mike Sigers said he was charged $2,500 to modify just one page! — this will certainly be a bargain.
So let me know your thoughts.
To answer a few of your questions in advance, let’s say I’m looking at next week as the launch, and the course will be delivered throughout July. Probably in the afternoons.
(However, if you choose the upsell, the one-on-one session can be booked at any time based on any openings on my schedule.)
All the sessions will be recorded and you will have access to the recordings. You can share your private session (if you choose the upsell) with a freelancer, partner, staff member, or designer, if you wish them to implement some of the things I recommend.
(Keep in mind, I will do a few tweaks for you, and do it live. This is only if the changes you need fall beyond the scope of our time together.)
Standing by and listening…
Want to Maximize Your WordPress Website Fortin-Style? originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.
Going Undercover is Quite Revealing
Posted on 05. May, 2011 by Michel Fortin in answer, attitude, Blog, consulting, customer, helpdesk, Influence, interview, Opinions, people, problem, respect, Small Business Internet Marketing, Small Business Marketing, success, support, workaholics4hire
Sometimes, I answer helpdesks to help in special cases or on more technical issues. But when I do, I do it anonymously as our support staff works as a team.
(It’s the way my wife’s company works. It allows us to work interchangeably, such as replacing each other on vacations or providing collaborative input, without any interruptions.)
However, when I do, something interesting happens.
Some clients treat me like crap. They patronize me and show contempt towards me. They are terrible to deal with, not because of their request but because of their attitude.
They range from the miserable, “the-world-owes-me,” insatiable ingrate who sends tickets in rapidfire succession for every little itch they need to scratch, to the uppity, snarky snob who expects others to bow in the mere presence of their support ticket.
Now, don’t get me wrong.
I’m not talking about someone who’s genuinely pissed off because of some frustrating problem they need help on, but later becomes appreciative when their problem is solved. (I do sympathize with them when stuff like this happens. I’ve been there!)
No, I’m talking about people who lambaste subordinates just because… they can.
It is utterly amazing to me to see how clients treat me when they don’t know it’s me — the same person they revere, are friends with, and pay $500-$1,000 an hour for consulting.
Worse still, it’s terrible to see how people are downright condescending toward others in seemingly menial positions. It’s also surprising because I would have never expected it from some of them. They’re the kindest people I’ve met.
To quote Lynette Chandler who shared a similar story with me on Facebook:
“I was floored… I’ll never view her the same way again.”
Indeed.
The sad part is, many of these clients were people I’ve met at seminars, were friends of mine, and were supposedly some of my biggest fans. Needless to say, it also made me realize what my wife and her staff had to put up with for 15 years.
(Hats off to you, and you know who you are! )
Here’s the interesting thing about this.
How many do you think are like that?
10% (i.e., 90% are good and 10% are bad)?
20% (or 20-80)?
How about 30-70?
Nope. This happens in about 50% of cases. Yes, 50%! Close to half of all tickets come from clients who treat me horribly and browbeat me just because of the position I’m in.
Maybe it’s because they think I’m a woman? Or an Indian? Or a teenager? Or someone who just started in an entry-level position? In all of these cases, it doesn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter! And it would be downright insulting if any of these were true.
(I’m confident I’d embarrass the daylights out of them if they ever found out it was me!)
In addition to the show Undercover Boss, this also reminds me of an article I read once about a CEO who typically conducts job interviews at restaurants, just to see how the job candidate treats the wait staff — which greatly influences their decision to hire them.
It’s a great social experiment, that’s for sure. It’s also going to make me think twice when I’m the customer, on the other side, dealing with a cashier, nurse, order taker, wait person, counterperson, clerk, or whomever is serving me at that time.
Sure, I still expect them to do their jobs. After all, I’m the customer and I’m paying for it.
But they deserve to be treated the same way I expect to be treated…
… With respect.
Going Undercover is Quite Revealing originally appeared on The Michel Fortin Blog. Please visit to subscribe to it, or Tweet This.
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