Seven years ago, I started working with a new client that is in the health business. You may even remember some of the story I told in the past… as I sold more saunas for them when it was 90 degrees outside, than when it was 20 degrees!

Just this week, I was talking to a business associate and this experience with the saunas came back and reminded me of an important lesson.

When they first came to me, they were just getting started and were unsure of how best to market and sell these infrared saunas.

Their initial reaction was to create some “beautiful” advertisements showing pretty people rolling around on the grass having a jolly old good time.

To the graphic designer they had hired, this was the way you make money selling saunas in magazines and newspapers.

To the new entrepreneurs, it was a really “professional” way to portray themselves.

They honestly thought this would make them millions running the kind of advertisements that you and I KNOW don’t work.

Heck, that’s what everyone else does – it MUST work …

Right?

Wrong.

I knew that was the worst thing they could do – so I got busy.

Infrared saunas were new on the scene.

The company they represented was the world’s largest manufacturer of infrared.

And I smelled a story…

I dug deep and started reading everything and anything I could find on infrared.  What it was (it’s a form of heat your body naturally gives off, and absorbs from the sun), how it works, and why you would want to use infrared heat in a sauna, versus rocks or steam.

It was utterly fascinating all the health benefits I found associated with infrared… and the word needed to get out there.

So I put together a sales letter for them, and a special report to build the value to the prospects and buyers.

The title I gave it… “Sweat Secrets of the Happy and Healthy” How you can sweat out almost any
health problem, concern or condition… in your own home… easily, quickly, safely and most importantly …
Effectively!

Discover the 5,350 year old secret of using sweat to cure any health ill.

It then goes into the story that I thought would work best with the target audience that would read this information. I am not posting this for review and critique, this was written many years ago, and I would have done it differently now, but that is not the point that matters to you…

Dear health seeking friend,

Thank you so much for requesting this report … it may just be the most important information you read this year.

Why?

It has the power to change your entire future … through better health … a much stronger immune system … and helping you rid your body from all those toxins that are hiding within you.

The first time I ever heard about far infrared saunas I asked “so what?”

I mean I grew up with a sauna in our basement. I remember it like it was yesterday. That incredibly intoxicating cedar smell, the heat, the sweat, the relaxation.

So what?

All saunas are the same thing as infrared. Right?

Wrong! Very wrong.

Soon, I discovered why far infrared is different… very different… even life changing… I met Ron Easton (the
president of Contagious Health) in December 2002 and heard his story. And that changed my life. He was diagnosed with cancer of the throat and heavy metal toxicity in his blood.

The conventional cancer treatment scared him more than the disease itself.

So he went on his own. Changing his lifestyle, eating better, reading every possible book on the subject, natural cures and success stories.

Then he discovered the research on far infrared. It sounded incredible.

Millions of people used it… successfully.

Research studies… lots of them.

And success stories… reams of them.

With all types of health problems… treated and alleviated.

When Ron first started using sweat as a treatment, he can only describe the results by the following:

“After an hour of heavy sweating, I would get up from the white towel I was sitting on and there was a black outline of where I was sitting! ”

This… was the toxins being forced out of his body.

When he first saw this… it hit home… hard.

Think about the questions that would and should be going through your own mind if this was you… “Just how many toxins are in my body? How many of these toxins can I sweat out? What can I do to keep those toxins out of my body.”

Think about it… the repercussions… no chemicals, no prescriptions – sweat was doing an amazing job of cleaning me up.

The report goes on for 22 pages walking them through the facts about infrared saunas, the health benefits, and, of course, how they could get their own infrared sauna delivered to their house.

Now, here is the reason for today’s article…

That simple little special report STILL generates sales – 7 years later!

It is hidden away on my one main website, but the search engines know where it is. Just last week I had another phone call about these saunas – from someone who was wanting to put down their
$6,500 to have one delivered to their house.

That simple little special report has been personally responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in sauna sales – and I have not been working with them for 4 of those 5 years now.

Imagine if the owners of that business actually had a clue and actually USED the report like it could be used…

Scary.

But, their loss can be your gain.

I have written many special reports over the years and am fully convinced anyone can use these to improve response and compel people to buy.

Subjects written:

- Power equipment
- Custom playsets
- Amish furniture
- Network marketing
- Business training
- Lead generation
- Chlorine removal
- Waste removal
- Massage
- Real Estate developments
- Fractional real estate projects
- Health supplements

Your business can leverage special reports and white papers.

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I am doing a full out call tomorrow on Special Reports
with Graham McGregor on creating them.

If you are interested:
Thursday, March 10th
1:00 (pm) PST, 2:00 MST, 3:00 CST, 4:00 EST.

(760) 569-6000
Access Code: 235097#
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You can improve your lead generation result using this type of information product, and you can definitely improve your conversions using this as well.

So, how do you start using white papers and special reports?

First thing’s first – aim to make it good enough to sell.

The report you do should contain enough good information that people would be willing to pay for the information on its own.

You should give them some powerful facts, advice, insider tips and advanced how- to information that would make them willing to share your report with others.

The second thing you need to do is dig deep and find out what they want most…

Look back on all the questions they ask you before buying. Write down all the objections they have when they first heard of your offer. This is the best time you can start conducting customer interviews, surveys, questionnaires, etc. You should be taking them to lunch – or having events that get them all in a room so
you can ask them what is missing, or what they would like to see from you.

You need to do the grunt work first, in order to give them a powerful report that can make you a bundle.

Third… the title of the report… If it’s good enough to sell, it needs a powerful headline that sells the content inside. I won’t go through how to create headlines here, throughout all the past editions of The Total
Package there are ample lessons for you there to get going.

But I will share this…

5 Profitable Special Report Title Formulas

1) How to __(insert benefit one)___ and ___(insert benefit two)___

How to Win Friends and Influence People

2) How To _____ and Simplify Your _________

How To Drop 5 Strokes and Simplify Your Golf Swing

3) ___ Quick Tips for Busy ________: Here’s What You Need To Know About _____

26 Quick Tips for Busy Sales Professionals: Here’s what you need to know to eliminate cold calls and double your productivity

4) _________: # Advanced Ways to ______

Web Video Fiascos: 47 Advanced Ways To Save Your Reputation Using Online Video

5) ___ Steps To Effective ______

18 Steps To Effective E- mail Management

Again, this is a start to your creation process.

I would recommend you create a few different titles and test them against each other to find out which ones pull better with your target market.

Try pay per clicks for testing, or classified ads (run your report title and a phone number in an appropriate paper, magazine or publication – online and offline).

You can and should be testing them on your squeeze pages as well.

Offer 2 or 3 different pages – each with a different report title.

When you get 50% more people asking for report title B over A, you know you have a winner.

Next… the content of the report…

Remember, you have to try and accomplish 2 things in your report – make the report good enough to sell – and make it good enough to buy from.

You have to hit them hard with everything you know about them, their deepest fears and concerns, and show them that there is not only an answer to their biggest problem, but the answer can be solved right here and now.

It’s a lot to ask of a little report or booklet, but very feasible.

Share with them:

* before and after photos and stories
* case studies
* testimonials
* hot trends they may be interested in
* reviews of books
* scientific data
* industry information
* biggest success stories
* courses
* newspaper clippings or headlines
* or other information out there that leads to the logical path they would take in order to make an educated buy decision

Remember … your content needs to lead them to the most important goal of the report – get them to BUY!

Make your research and content side of the report compelling… but do not give them everything. Tease them with a real solution – and make sure they see what is possible when they do solve their problem.

Build them up to the point when they are ready, willing, and able to call you up (or visit your website) to order.

Right then and there.

In the Sweat Secrets report, I detail the saunas, the free bonuses I included with orders (delivery, installation, and books on improving your health through saunas and infrared).

Plus I gave a fixed phone # and e- mail address for them to get moving right now.

And it worked, and still continues to work (7 years later), selling $6,500 saunas from a FREE Special Report.

It will work for you too.

SIDE NOTE: If you typically deal with longer sales cycles (B to B is common), have your first report “sell them” on asking for your second report.

In other words, let your reports take care of 75% of the sales process.

The reports can do the leg work you were doing in the past of pre- qualifying, answering questions and objections, education, and uncovering additional concerns and needs.

(Offer them multiple books – each one covers a different area of concern. Whatever ones they request will tell you where their greatest area of need is right now.)

Please let me know your thoughts, and if you have any further topics on this you would like to see discussed.

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I am doing a full out call tomorrow on Special Reports
with Graham McGregor on creating them.

If you are interested:
Thursday, March 10th
1:00 (pm) PST, 2:00 MST, 3:00 CST, 4:00 EST.

(760) 569-6000
Access Code: 235097#
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To your success,

Troy White

PS: This was originally written for Clayton Makepeace’s Total Package at www.smallbusinessmastery.com

PPS: This is a sample of the type of tutorials you find inside The Business Mastery Course at
http://www.thebusinessmastery.com – as well – on the main page, you will find an 11 minute video
(half way down) that shows you an inside look at the type of videos you can expect.