It’s about an uber-organized career thief who fences his loot on eBay using the persona of a middle-aged shopaholic named Barbara.

“Barbara’s” listings are highly descriptive, full of benefits, and loaded with personality – just the style we teach in The Insider Secrets to Selling on eBay…

… “Nice MESSENGER bag from IL BISONTE. BLACK LEATHER bag in very excellent condition. Another bag that I just had to have, much to my husband Gerry’s chagrin — and I did use it for a while — but not for very long and the bag is in very excellent condition. I haven’t used it for a long time and it is time for it to move on to someone who will use it and enjoy it. A bag like this will never go out of style and IL BISONTE just continues to make beautiful and practical handbags, as I’m sure you already know. It opens with a zipper across the top of the bag and there is a nice zipper compartment inside… “

Who could resist?

Matthew Dicks says the character’s eBay alter-ego is an homage to his mother-in-law: “My mother-in-law… is an eBay PowerSeller and the techniques and listings described in the book all come straight from her.”

Well, she’s got the salescopy down cold, so it’s no wonder she’s a PowerSeller!

Something Missing is a funny character study of a good guy who does bad stuff… but very, very well.

(By the way, even though we like the book, that doesn’t mean we encourage anybody to unload stolen goods on eBay. Just so we’re straight…

Got any other examples of fictional characters who illustrate smart marketing concepts (eBay or otherwise)? Tell us!

In the online world, you don’t have a real-live salesperson to greet your visitors, relate to them, and then sell them on the benefits of your product.

Instead, the WORDS on your site must perform this key role.

They have to speak in a language your customers understand, and be able to understand exactly what your customers want — then convince them your product is exactly what they’re looking for!

In order to convert your visitors into paying customers, your salescopy must include the following 10 "must-have" ingredients…

#1: Your unique selling proposition

Your "USP" is the unique sales angle you use to make your product stand out from the competition.

For example Domino’s Pizza used to guarantee "30-minute delivery or it’s free!" They didn’t even TRY to sell you on the quality of their pizza, because they guaranteed fresh, hot pizza at your door in 30 minutes or you didn’t pay.

And that made them stand out from all the other pizza joints in town!

You need to come up with your own "USP" that tells visitors what makes YOUR business special, what it is you offer that isn’t available anywhere else online.

Then you need to emphasize that USP in your salescopy!

#2: Language that speaks to your target audience

You need to speak to your visitors in language they understand and relate to.

You wouldn’t use the same kind of language to talk to a group of surfers as you would to a boardroom full of stock brokers… and neither should your website.

What common phrases and expressions do your visitors use? Those are the words you need to have on your site.

#3: An attention-grabbing headline

Internet surfers are busy people… they only spend a few seconds on a website before they decide whether to stick around longer or move on to the next site.

That’s why you need to have a boldly formatted headline that jumps off the page and hits your visitors right between the eyes, and tells them exactly how your website is going to help them.

… Just how important is your headline?

Well, studies show that a simple headline change can increase sales by 1700% — or more!

#4: Proof you’re a credible business

Internet users are a skeptical crowd… They’re constantly on the lookout for bogus information, false claims, and online scams.

Plus, there’s a lot of competition out there… So not only do you need to let your visitors know you’re reliable… you also need to assure them you’re the best person for the job!

You do this by providing your credentials and explaining what makes you an "expert" in your field, and by including customer testimonials from people who have used your product with great results.

Testimonials are so effective that they can EASILY increase your sales by more than 250%!

#5: Benefits, benefits, benefits!

Killer salescopy doesn’t focus on the features of your product or service — what it does, how it operates, or what it looks like….

… It focuses on how the user will benefit from these features.
This is a subtle difference that people regularly miss when writing their salescopy, and it’s a mistake that costs them countless sales.
A FEATURE is one of the components or functions of your product or service. (For example, your dishwasher’s "Water Saver" function reduces water use.)

A BENEFIT is something your product or service will do for your buyer to somehow offer a solution to a problem. (For example, but reducing your water use, your dishwasher’s "Water Saver" function will SAVE YOU MONEY!)

Emphasizing benefits is the number one most overlooked rule of copywriting…

… So by learning how to effectively communicate the real benefits of your product, you will have a huge edge on many of your competitors!

#6: An iron-clad guarantee

These days, shoppers have been trained to be incredibly skeptical… They’ve been hardened by experience to doubt nearly any advertising they see or hear.

We’ve all been burned before… and every time it happens, it becomes harder for us to trust anyone.

By offering a 100%, no-hassles, no-questions-asked, money-back guarantee, you will ease your customer’s worries and encourage them to feel confident placing an order with you.

#7: Free bonus items to create added value

When you create a blockbuster package packed with FREE bonus items that clearly exceed the value of what you’re asking your customers to pay, you can easily double or triple your sales!

However, when you’re deciding what to offer as a free bonus, there are two basic rules that you should follow:

Rule 1: Make sure that your "bonus" is of value to your target market.

Rule 2: Choose something that is related to your product or service, or something that will enhance your product or service in some way.

By adding quality free bonus items to your offer, you pile on so much value, the customer can hardly believe that they’re getting everything in your package at such a reasonable price!

#8: A sense of urgency to encourage immediate sales

Okay, so your readers are compelled by your copy… they are intrigued by your benefits… they’ve been drawn through your salescopy and they’re almost ready to make a buying decision.

… Now you need to give them a reason why they absolutely MUST buy right away!

You can create urgency in a number of different ways:

Limit the time for which your offer is available — "Available for the next FIVE DAYS ONLY!"

Limit the quantity of products or services you can offer — "Available only to the first 250 people to order!"

Include a discount for a limited time or on a limited quantity of products.

Include bonus items for a limited time or on a limited quantity of products.

By creating a sense of urgency, you can prompt readers to take immediate action and go through with their purchase. This is a guaranteed way to add a significant boost to your bottom line!

#9: A strong call to action that gets your visitors to BUY

You’ve grabbed your visitors’ attention with your compelling headline… established your credibility… presented your offer… and included all the other essential copy elements we’ve just described…

… So your visitors are SURE to buy now, right?

Wrong! This is the moment when you have to spell it out for them as clearly and blatantly as you possibly can. And that means you need to…

Ask for the order! Ask for the order! And then ask for the order again!

Here are a few examples of simple, but direct, ways of asking for the order:
"Just click HERE to order NOW — Risk-free!"

"To order your copy today, along with your 5 FREE bonuses, click here now!"

"Click here now to take advantage of this limited time offer!"

Without this direct approach to asking your customers for the order, they won’t be given that final "nudge" they need to pull out their credit card and start purchasing!

rong>#10: Your contact information

Once you’ve asked for the order, it’s extremely important that you make it easy for your customers to contact you!

Include this information right on your main homepage. Give them a number of different ways to order your product or service — such as a secure online order form, by phone, or with mail/fax order forms.

Also include your email address and phone number, so your customers can get in touch with you right away if they have any questions they want to ask.

This may seem like an obvious part of your sales process — but it’s shocking how often it’s overlooked!

… So those are the 10 "must-have" copy ingredients that every website must have, in order to convert the maximum number of visitors into customers.

Follow this proven recipe for success, and you’re guaranteed to see a gigantic boost in your sales!

John Carlton on Features VS Benefits:

www.MarketingRebel.com