Robert Plank

Reading time: 2 - 2 minutes

On almost all of my web sites, I use the same paper looking sales letter template.

On all of my paid membership sites, I use the exact same WordPress theme.

Why the Heck Do I Do That?

Because the layout really doesn't matter.  Which would you buy from, a fancy looking sales letter with no text, or a plain looking sales letter WITH text?  Exactly.

On top of that, I've tested this and I know people who have tested this... the "plain looking" web sites convert better.

Is it because most designs have giant logos that distract people?  Who knows.... all I know is the plain template converts.

So when I launch a new product or write a new sales letter, I don't even worry about the design.

I worry about some stuff like the headline, a TINY logo, and a bunch of other stuff... but the mini-site design, not an issue.

What Decision Can You Remove Today?

What's one thing you can make it so you'll NEVER have to think about it again?

Is it what autoresponder to use?  What shopping cart?  What download page template or sales letter template?  Or even something simple like the name of your next product?

Remove something today so you NEVER have to think about it again. That's how you'll get more stuff finished!

You'll find more about this in Time Management on Crack, when I talk about how you need to be "desperate to reduce clutter"...

Remember: start less, finish more!  Darn, I should trademark that...

Reading time: 3 - 5 minutes

If you have been inside any of my training courses you probably see the phrase "I am done" showing up a lot in the comments, especially in the "Challenge" posts.

Whenever you teach somebody something, it is in both your best interests that they go ahead and complete that task - isn't it?  It is one thing to get people to PROMISE to complete something; but it is just as important that they come back and tell you when that has been finished.

And that is why, when I offer membership challenges, I always tell people to come back and post "I am done" in the comments. That way I can easily do a search and figure out who has finished and who hasn't.

So How Do You Know That You Are Done?

And how do you make sure that you finish as many things as possible?  First off, only focus on one project at a time.  You might have to change your thinking.  I know that for a long time I had many different projects going. When I was finished High School, I was taking AP Tests, going to school, working on a long-term programming project, creating products of my own, and writing my own books.  I had about five or six projects going on at the same time - and I had to switch gears so often that I hardly got anything done!

If I had spent just one week finishing the book I was working on, I wouldn't have to think about it ever again.  If I had then turned my efforts to finishing the script I was working on, the program, I'd be done!  If I then focused all my effort on the large project, I'd be done!

So don't leave things unfinished because you underestimate how much effort it takes to switch between tasks.

Also, set a deadline for everything you do. You know yourself; you know how long something is going to take you based on how focused you are on it.  If you have to record a set of five videos, and you know you can only record one video a day, it will take you exactly five days - and that becomes your deadline.

It is important, though, to have not just a DATE-based deadline, but a TIME-based deadline as well. Don't say something is going to be finished "next week"; tell me it is going to be finished "next week, Wednesday, at exactly 4.30pm."

And to make sure that you HIT your headlines, keep what you have shippable, so that you can be done at any time.  This means that when you are recording that video course, if you can get away with only having three videos, and that is Version 1 of your course; and Version 2 contains five videos, then you can meet that deadline without having to stress about it.  You could launch the product with just three videos instead of five, if you had to.

And finally...

Don't Tell People Everything You Know!

Look at the way Apple launches new items versus the way Microsoft does: Microsoft announces things years in advance and always misses their deadline; while Apple keeps their new stuff secret until it is perfected and it's ready to go.

You don't have to announce every single thing you are going to launch because you might not end up launching all of them - and then you appear to be unreliable and a joke!

Those are the ways you are going to get more stuff accomplished in less time:  By only having one project at a time and finishing what you start; having a time-based deadline; keeping it shippable - and don't announce everything you know.

What is your best productivity tip to get your tasks finished? Leave me a comment below telling me right now.

Reading time: < 1 minute

What is wrong?  Why is it that you keep checking your phone for text messages?

Why is it that you keep opening up TweetDeck, checking your email, surfing on forums - and not writing as many articles, getting as much traffic, as many joint ventures, or making as many products as you would like?

There are four categories for this.  And I hope after you have identified which category YOU are in, you will take the next steps and get yourself out of that hole. Read More »

Reading time: 1 - 2 minutes

As you know, Apple recently launched the iPad... $150 million dollar launch on their part.  Luckily, I don't have an iPad and I'm happy not having it. Who needs wifi-only anyway, I'll wait a couple years for the third generation with 3G, USB and a camera for video conferencing.

Update: It looks like Lance Tamashiro bought me a 64 GB iPad 3G so now I have no choice but to use an iPad... oh well there are worse problems in life.  In the meantime, check out the apps I use on my smartphone..

Keep reading to the end because I want to know what YOU use on your smartphone as well, even if it's not an iPhone. Read More »

Reading time: 1 - 2 minutes

Are you ever middle of helping someone and suddenly it hits you... and you think, "I can't help you anymore?"

That's what happens when I come across someone who is in "demo mode."

Maybe you do this or you've come across someone who does this every now and then.  These are people who always setup web sites called "Test Web Site." Or blogs called "Demo Blog."  Or membership sites called "Temp Membership Site."

Come on man... tests are for students, demos are for little battery-powered keyboards and temps are for offices.  I honestly want you to make an actual product, an actual membership site, and an actual blog.

Lance and I talked about this in one of our private coaching calls but I think a lot of you can benefit from this advice as well... Read More »

Reading time: < 1 minute

This is something I was thinking about presenting at my next live seminar...

But I'll share it with you here anyway!

It's something that most people who teach "productivity" leave out, and I see marketers FORGETTING this over and over again, even though they should know better.

This is "supposed" to be a programming concept but when I worked with other programmers, almost none of them knew about this, let alone implemented it...

It's Keeping Your Stuff SHIPPABLE!

I'll explain.  Think about the order you see items (as a buyer) in a "fully optimized" sales letter... Read More »

Reading time: 1 - 2 minutes

I just came back from the 2nd Warrior Event in Raleigh, North Carolina where I was a speaker.

Speaking of webinars and seminars, remember the "Which Test Won" game we played on the webinar a few days ago?  I showed you how:

• What converts BETTER than a squeeze page giving a free gift?  One of my $7 reports selling almost the exact same thing!
• Removing three words from a headline TRIPLED conversion rates -- an EXTRA $625 from every 500-something clicks
• Adding a small logo to another sales letter boosted conversions from 1.99% to 3.57% -- an EXTRA $846 from every 1000 clicks

When you split test you make those small tweaks.  But if you don't even have a product of your own, or a sales letter, then it's impossible to split test those pay raises!

Here's Something Crazy...

When I was on stage at the warrior event, I asked this question...

Read More »