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So you want to do what you love + make ze MONEY, eh?

*lights cigar, slaps waitress on ass, sips gin*

Me too, cupcake.

So far my plan for making $97,000 in 2011 is coming along as evah so smoothly–as smooth as the black patent leather platform pumps I donned last night.  (Minus the scuffing from when I tripped and nearly fell flat on my face, of course. Don’t tell.)

But making money in this game can be real tough if you don’t know how to play it.  People are a funny breed, especially when it comes to the dollah, dollah bills, ya’ll.

You’re very likely working your head off, yet feel like you’re not getting anywhere. (Am I right?) You’re out there pounding the pavement, so to speak, day in and day out, and you’re wondering why on earth you haven’t seen any results yet. (I’m so right.)  You’re investing all of your time! and! energy! and you feel like hardly anyone notices. (Was I right or what?)

And worst of all, you’re broke. Ouch.  Nothing but flecks of lint and a rumpled piece of Wrigley’s in those pants pockets. And maybe an old tube of Cover Girl lipstick from the early 2000′s.

But fortunately, I know why you’re struggling so much. I know the real reason why you’re broke.

You wanna know why you don’t have the money you need?  It’s real simple:

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It’s because no one’s giving you any.

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That’s right; it’s because no one’s giving you any. That’s kind of how you get money, you know. I don’t mean to say that you aren’t earning it, because you absolutely are.  You and I both know you’re working your tail off.

But.

Just because you’re earning it, doesn’t mean you’re actually getting what you deserve. And until you know how to play the game the right way, no one’s going to give you anything.

And that, friends, is a problem, unless you’re into milking cows, sleeping on beds of pine needles, and never shaving your legs again. (Please, oh please don’t be into that.)

And so it begs the question:  Why isn’t anyone giving you their money?

Here are some possible answers:

1.  Their money is locked away in a safe in a cave at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and the only person that can retrieve it is George Clooney.  Unfortunately, he’s on vacation.

2.  They’ve donated it all to Japan.

3.  Their 2011 resolution was to spend all of their disposable income on dump trucks full of goat cheese.  (Can you blame them?)

4.  They’ve been successful in that resolution.

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Clearly none of those are the real reason at all, and clearly I just like to make you read ridiculous lists of nonsense, as I laugh in a corner somewhere with an evil grin on my face. Muah ah.

The real reason why people aren’t giving you their money is far less entertaining, and involves no strikingly good looking celebrities. (Unfortunately.)

The real reason is this:  It’s because people are scared out of their damn minds.

Here’s the deal:

If people aren’t buying from you, it doesn’t (necessarily) mean that you suck.  Most often, what it means is that THEY’RE TERRIFIED YOU WILL TAKE THEIR MONEY AND SCREW THEM.

It isn’t that they don’t have the money (they do).

It isn’t that they don’t have the time (they do).

It isn’t that they don’t like the idea of what you’re selling (they do.)

Rather, when they don’t whip out their credit card, it’s because they’re deathly afraid that you’re going to screw them. Like I said, people are a funny breed.  Not only are we stingy with our money, but we’re also highly egotistical, and frankly, we don’t want to look stupid.

They’re thinking:

What if the product/service isn’t worth what I’m paying, and I end up feeling stupid?

What if the product/service doesn’t actually address my needs, and I end up feeling stupid?

What if I don’t actually need this, and I just think I do, and I end up feeling stupid?

What if the product/service will be too hard for me to implement, and I end up feeling stupid?

What if Vin Diesel busts open my front door and sees that I’m wearing granny panties, and I end up feeling stupid?

All very valid concerns, indeed.

But these are the exact reasons why no one is giving you any money + you’re stressed out of your mind wondering if you can really pull this whole business thing off.

The key?

You’ve got to sooooooth their concerns.  Shhh, shhh, there, there now.  You’ve got to quiet those bad boys down.  You know–give ‘em a fresh one and show ‘em who’s boss.

A lot of this has to do with copywriting.  A good copywriter (at your service, dah-ling) will know how to turn that frown upside down by addressing those objections, as they’re called, in a natural way that helps sell a product/service. (We’ll talk about this in more detail another time.)

And that’s true.

But…there’s more.  If you really want to start making the money you deserve, it goes waaaayyyy beyond effective copywriting.

You’ve got to enter…the zone.

That’s right.  You heard me.

THE ZONE.

(Note:  I keep really wanting to make a reference to Meet the Parents and the “Circle of Trust.”  I will refrain.  No need to thank me.)

So what the hell is the zone?

The zone is all about trust.  It’s the friend zone, if you will.  (Likely the only time you’ll ever want to be placed in this category.)

You can sooth concerns–and ease the fear of looking stupid–by becoming a TRUSTED SOURCE.  You’re probably sick of that phrase, if you’ve hung out on the internet for any length of time, but it’s true; when you sooth concerns and ease the fear of looking stupid, your. sales. will. go. through. the. roof. and. you. can. go. buy. a. new. convertible. the. end.

When people like and trust you, there’s a lot less of a chance they’re wondering if you’re going to rip them off.  And when they don’t have to worry about that, it’s far more likely that they’ll be willing to buy from you, instead of the other guy.  And then–look ma!–you`ve got cash in your pocket.  Because someone trusted you enough to give it to you.

So, how do you become a trusted source?

Well, think of real life situations when you meet new people.  At what point do you begin to actually trust someone?  Usually it comes with:

• Continued Interaction – you see them time and time again
• Genuity – you can tell they’re for real
• Sharing – you mutually exchange personal stories
• Identifying – you feel like this person really gets you
• Giving – you dedicate your time, money, or emotional resources and vice versa

And believe it or not, the very same rules apply to the web, because the web isn’t just made up of creepy little web bots; it’s made up of HUMAN BEINGS.  And even though we’re communicating via a different medium, that doesn’t change how we–human beings–operate. (Yet, anyway.)

So let’s see how some of these things can translate onto the web:

Continued Interaction —–>  Steady blog posting, getting engaged in comments sections, keeping the conversation going on Twitter, being available to respond to your audience.  Repeat exposure, baby.

Genuity—–>  Displaying photos of yourself, being upfront about your intentions, truly wanting to help your audience, and then doing what it takes to accomplish that.

Sharing —–>  Weaving personal stories into your message, discussing your failures as well as your successes, opening yourself to criticism, explaining the WHY behind a product or service, and not just the WHAT, freely giving away valuable knowledge that you think will benefit others.

Identifying —–>  Getting ultra specific on who you are, and who you’re there to help (and making it known), and again–telling personal stories so others can relate to you, and, hence, gain a sense of trust.

Just like you wouldn’t be able to walk up to a stranger on the street and say, “Hi! Buy my product and/or service!  I promise you’ll love it! BUY NOW, BUY NOW, BUY NOW!”……you can’t do that to an audience that doesn’t know you, either.

They’ve gotta trust you first.

You’ve both gotta be in THE ZONE.

THEN you can work on getting the copywriting down to address their product-related concerns.  (e.g. Does this eBook make me look fat?)

THEN you can start making ze money.

THEN you, too, can light imaginary cigars, slap imaginary asses, and sip on imaginary gin.

I highly recommend it.

After all, it’s way more fun than imaginary scenarios involving beds of pine needles, and never shaving again.

Then again, maybe that’s just me.

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Interested in learning how you, too, can start making the bucks this year as an online entrepreneur?  Check out my program 97 in ’11, a weekly e-course delivered straight to your inbox designed to teach you the strategy (and execution) you need to build a profitable business online.

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If you liked that jazz. . .check out some of these:

• The Art of (Online) Seduction (And Why You Need It To Make Money)
• The 67 Emotions of Online Success: My Story
• You Don’t Need a Job – You Need Guts

Tags: copywriting tricks for bloggers, effective copywriting for the web, information product sales page, make money online, overcoming sales objections