Morning NHB,

You know…

…Lately, I'm in a copywriting kind of mood.

It has something to do with the seasons, like winter. It's cold and crispy, and a hot cup of coffee contrasts with the weather. It fights to break through the resistance of the cold…

…Much like the words do when we put them down in a sales process, they contrast, fight, and resist being ignored.

And yet the thought that often comes to me as I write copy is that if we have to push against something to get through, then something is resisting it.

So, instead of fighting with the resistance, why not work with it.

Why not join it, enable it, and convert it to our side, because after all…

…The real conversion in a sales process isn't converting someone to something; it's about converting that resistance on our side, so the only thing left to do is to automatically convert themselves.

A bit of akido if you will.

There are many techniques for doing this, but one of the most powerful ones you can employ as a copywriter is the concept of mentally binding someone.

Once the mind is mentally bound to a thought, opposing it would mean opposing itself, and we both know that they'll oppose you, me, the world, ideas, thoughts, and concepts, but…never their own, how could they? A mind does not go against itself.

To understand this on a deeper level, I wrote a post some time ago called "negative admittance", where I mentioned how every offer forces them to admit something negative about themselves.

So, say you're selling a weight loss offer. Well, for someone to buy it, they have to first admit that they have weight to lose and that they're either out of shape or fat, hence why we minimize the level of negative admittance the conversion rates go up quite a bit.

Instead of having to lose 300 pounds, "they only has to lose 5-10 pounds", and if they want to lose more, they can just extend it; how much is up to them.

See that? Now, they're not overweight and don't feel that bad. Compare that to someone telling them they can lose 50-100 lbs. On the surface, it makes sense because if one can quickly lose 50-100 lbs, then surely they can lose 5-10; it'd be nothing. And while true, it doesn't work that way, the subconscious mind will push back, hence the concept of negative admittance.

This works in everything, if they have to make a bunch of money, it implies they don't have money. If they don't have a girlfriend, they must admit they are not wanted or good enough to have a girlfriend to buy.

I discovered this concept while running a men's dating offer some years ago, where they would not buy because the male ego is often very fragile, and we were breaking it in close. Once we removed the negative admittance, it started converting.

You can also look up my post on the "double spend problem," a quantifiable version of this.

Now, as there is negative admittance, there is the opposite, positive admittance, mentally binding the thought.

Once you mentally bind a thought, they cannot go against it as it will force them to go against themselves, causing the only option to go through, which is to buy or take whatever action you want.

The way it works, somewhere in the copy, usually near the close…

…All you have to do is start feeding the ego what it wants, which is to be better, smarter, and stronger than anyone else — so it can protect itself based on the four motivating traits of survival, reproduction, safety/security, and status.

We first start out with a positive, followed by a negative.

We feed it all these traits at once, and the way we do it is to simply start flatting it via language that goes something like this:

"You've seen ___, you've seen example after example of ______, and you know how ______ works, you saw others ______ and you know that ______…

…Every top-level copywriter is measured by one thing and one thing only: their ability to generate sales through their copy….

…And that's why every good copywriter hired these days can do everything, and that's close…

…But the best of the best also know how to use mental binds in their closing copy, so the prospect has no choice but to move forward; otherwise, they have no choice…

…And you also know that if a copywriter can't close sales, they're nothing more than a content writer because without being able to sell, your copy is nothing more than mere content.

So this is a quick and easy example of a mental bind for copywriters.

I'll break it down for you, at first we focus on the evidence and pull in imagery into the mind so we can establish the strength of our argument and position, hence the "You've seen____" line.

Then we start saying what EVERY (absolute statement) good copywriter can do these days, which is close, but the BEST use mental binds (which is this post), then we go into the negative if you can't close, then it's not copy, it's mere content.

Now, that is the STRUCTURE to give you an IDEA of what it looks like, and as always, you should take that structure and expand it / work it, and make it work for you.

I've used these binds in countless offers, but the most notable one was a parenting offer where we used it in the upsell that absolutely crushed and 3x'd the conversion rate.

Here's what I did: I used the structure of good parent bad parent. In essence, it went something like this:

• You’re not a good parent if you don’t hit upgrade.

• But if you do hit upgrade, then you’re a good parent

So only good parents upgrade, bad parents don't. I can't share the word-for-word copy due to respecting the privacy of the offer, but in a sense, it went something like this:

"And the parents who don't truly deeply care of love their children don't tend to __, or __ or ____ because they ___ which puts their kids a distant second to their priorities…

…Whereas good parents prioritize their kids, make them #1 and always look for ways to better their kid's lives, and that's why all good parents end up upgrading to ______, because ________"

That's not the copy as is, but it's the structure of it.

Damn, that one hit…after reading it, if you didn't buy it, you'd feel like the worst parent ever, but when you did, it made you feel like the best parent in the world.

That's the power of mental binds in copy.

This can be used in any copy format, including VSLs, TSLs, Webinars, Book-a-call offers, Emails, ads, etc…

…Once it clicks, it clicks, and you'll start using it everywhere.

Now that you've seen how it works, you've seen examples and know that it worked for others and that it's going to work for you…

…You're smart enough to start using them otherwise you wouldn't have read this far.

See what I did there? A mini-mental bind .

They're subtle but powerful, so start using them and watch your conversations increase.

All the best,

Alen Sultanic

P.S. Here's a link to the NHB FB Group Post about this.

Morning,

Let's talk about money.

Specifically, the part in an offer where you ask for it and how to go about price framing that makes it seem like they're paying a lot less than they really are because, after all, the game of marketing is a game of perceptions.

Typically speaking, all things being equal, the higher the price, the lower the conversion rate.

So, while a $5 offer can convert at, say, 10%, a $27 offer will be at 5%, and a $100 offer will be at 1%.

The more we ask them to pay, the less they pay.

This obviously kills conversions, which ain't good for binnis.

So what do we do? Well, you can spend a whole lot of time doing all sorts of wrestling with them in the close, from WWE to Greko Roman to Olympic Wrestling, you should do all of it...

...But at the end of the day, that price point will make you tap the fuck out and prevent you from hitting higher conversion points.

The reason is that with psychological economics, simply put, the $100 is a lot more valuable than $5 because they can buy, and thus, $100 has a lot more trade-offs; the more trade-offs off, the lower the conversion rate. Plus, there's this other thing about replacement money, meaning how fast can they replace that money, which puts us into the realm of disposable income.

Anyway, so the higher the price, the lower the conversion rate, yet the higher the price, the higher the AOV contribution (average order contribution).

The conundrum of sorts.

So, how do we increase the price while keeping the perception of the cost low?

You simply change the price frame.

Here's how I do it.

Say an offer is $100.

So instead of you saying, it's $100, "what's it worth it to you?" type of deal.

You simply look at the delivery mechanism and say it's for 4 weeks. It can be a 4-week "thing", "take 4 weeks", or whatever.

Well, shit, now it's $25 a week for 4 weeks.

The mind sees $25, not $100, and thus is pegged down at $25.

In their minds, they're spending $25, not $100.

Now, we've changed the price of the frame.

Say you have a bottle of supplements, it's 100 pills, and $100, well now it's just $1 per dose.

So on and so forth.

Break it down, and break down the resistance of the price.

Every transaction needs a justification, a story, and an explanation to itself as to why it's a good idea.

The thing is, they'll rarely do this on their own, and thus, you have to create that story they tell
themselves and thus give them the ammo to create that justification.

And price framing is one of those ways.

Now of course, be ethical and compliant here and somewhere on the page, disclose the TOTAL price, and it'll be fine.

Have a good one,

Alen

P.S. Here's the link to the post about all this in the NHB FB group.

Morning,

I've wanted to write this email for a few years now, but I always hesitated as what I'm about to share with you can be used for the best of intentions and at the worst of intentions.

It will give you the power to do a lot of good in the world and yet, at the same time, become the darkest of dark lords.

This was one of the first things I taught in Fast Forward 3 or so years ago and then in NHB+ a year ago.

And we've had people bring back completely dead emails, offers, ads using this...

Most went on to use it for good in the game and make millions and it breaks my heart to say that we had a few rotten apples become massive dark lords (who made 10s of millions) from learning how all this works, who I kicked out of Fast Forward as soon as I saw the course of their development, hence my hesitation to write this for some years now.

The temptation of the dark side of the game can be far too great, hence why I rarely share this level of stuff in public, because you never know where it will end up.

So all that I ask you is to use it for good and not to take advantage of others using your newfound powers that I'm giving you.

They say you can't create desire and that you can only channel it.

They're wrong.

Because they don't know how desire works in the mind, and once you know how and why it works, it becomes very easy to create desire, but not in a way you think, not directly, but rather indirectly.

In order to create desire, we must know what desire is in the first place.

For us to desire something, it must mean that we are missing something.

This is why, externally, desire manifests as needs and wants.

Why does anyone buy anything if not for a need or a want? Hence, the value of desire for us as marketers.

We are aware of what we want and what we need.

The reason we are aware is because this is external, or one can say conscious or at a level of awareness.

When something is in our conscious mind and we become aware of it, there is a reflection of this, and hence why we can see it. It's akin to looking at a mirror, we can recognize it.

This recognition, if dwelled on long enough and put into motion and associated with our future self, becomes expectation, and expectation is the seed of all emotions, good and bad.

Now, as desire is reflected outside as a need and want, what is inside, and what is the seed of desire to give life to desire in the first place? What creates it?

If we want and need something, then by default, we LACK something.

Therefore, in order to have desire in the first place, one must LACK beforehand.

And while we can't DIRECTLY create desire, we can indirectly create it by directly focusing on lack.

The more they lack, the more desire, the more they want and need it and the more they buy it.

See how that works?

So once it can create lack, sprinkle a bit of emotion around it, and that seed will quickly grow into desire.

And just like that, boom, magic, now we can create desire.

Now, the question becomes, how the hell do you create lack? Where does THAT come from?

Well, it's simple because most desire is memetic in nature, which means to look at what others have, have done, achieved, etc., and thus we compare.

The ego, the surface level of the mind, learns first through DIFFERENCE and THEN SIMILARITIES.

This nature of learning through difference is where it compares all the time.

Hence, the expression "comparison is a thief of joy", because creates that lack, which in turn creates desire.

So, all we have to do is simply compare and contrast in our copy and show them what's been done, how it's been done, what's possible, and all that fun stuff, and then, not only SHOW them, but also PROVE to them how they LACK that something and hence they are not what they want to be.

And now, the mind, once you layer in the four core drivers that I spoke of before, survival, reproduction, safety/security and status and how this comparison relates to that and it's done, within a few minutes, sometimes within a few hours or a few days, desire will emerge.

This thing they lack then has to be directly connected to what you sell and then they will now DESIRE whatever it is that you sell.

This was one of the first thing I taught in Fast Forward 3 or so years ago and then in NHB+ a year ago.

And we've had people bring back completely dead emails, offers, ads using this...

...and others 3-5x their conversion rates once they started pushing the lack mechanism as outlined above, which created desire.

You can use this to not only create desire but to also amplify it beyond comprehension.

Use this for good, use it to help people and use it to better the world.

More to come, and more than you can imagine.

Oh, and one more thing, what the good people of in NHB+ / FF are doing is taking this concept and using ChatGPT and other A.I. tools to really dig into the various lacks based on age, demo, location, and situation to know where to focus on it.

Once you play with that, you'll be transported to a whole other universe where the magic is real.

Have an great weekend,

Alen

P.S. Soon, I'm going to show you things that are incomprehensible to the best of the best copywriters, marketers, and gurus.

P.P.S. It goes without saying, like and comment here if you have any questions of me so I can help you understand this and implement it.

As I sit here having coffee on my $10,000 Emmy sofa (I have two other couches that are 15k and 18k, one in my music room and another in the movie room on the 3rd floor)...

...Looking at the $8,500 Eames lounge chair in my living room that's next to a $2,500 Noguchi coffee table and a $1,200 Eames LCW side chair, surrounded by even more expensive art and handmade tapestries on walls.

My whole house is practically a showroom from Design Within Reach. 

When I bought it, I went there and bought the whole store, mostly because I watched Mad Men and decided I wanted a modern vibe, because I thought Don Draper was the coolest dude in advertising.

So $300,000 in furniture later, I got exactly what I wanted.

I laugh as I realize how absolutely ridiculous it all is, almost as ridiculous as me even telling you about this in this email, and yet I do so to illustrate a point.

I never talk about material things because, honestly, it's not something I care to "flex" as it's fuck all, but I do enjoy having having a lot of it.

And yet, despite making millions of dollars it wasn't always so as you'll see further down in this email.

Most of us come into the game because we have a desire to make money, and if you saw the email I sent the day about where desire comes from, it comes from lack.

We think that we're all lacking skills to make money, but what we're all lacking is the right mental ingredients that allow us to get and apply those skills in the first place to make money.

This is why on every NHB+ call, I spend a good 30-60 minutes on mindset.

Mindset, mindset, mindset...

...We have the single best track record of wins in this industry, no one comes close and no one is as consistent with them.

Show me any other place that has guys hitting $150,000+ days.

We have guys and girls hitting $100k months, Bas just crossed over a million on his weight loss offer, Scott hit $2m+ last year, Tony did too, the list goes on and on, they're all in the NHB FB group for you to see, and countless others who ask me NOT to share due to people wanting to copy them. 

Why? We do have the best marketing training bar none, but we also have the best mindset training bar none.

I don't talk about the mindset stuff often, but it's the difference that makes the difference.

You can have the fastest car in the world, designed by the top engineers, with 1,000+ horsepower, but if you have one foot on the gas and the other on the break, you won't get anywhere.

So as I'm about to turn this email list you're on into an official NHB newsletter, I'm going to write deeply as I speak deeply on those NHB+ and FF calls.

It won't be short-quick-to-the-point as it was.

It'll be more background, the setup, the context, the flow in, the setting the stage.

I'll sell you on the concept before I tell you the concept. Just like I'm doing now. 

So now that you're sold, I want to share with you something that has fucked me and held me back in the game more than I care to admit.

Oh yes and the newsletter will have the words such as "fucked me", because that is verbal drama, the seasoning for the thoughts, and for the story at hand.

When you don't have money, you operate on needs. When you have plenty of money, you operate on wants.

We only need so much and yet want much more.

There is a point where you cross over from not having much money to having enough, then more than enough.

In this cross-over, we encounter a struggle that keeps us stuck and prevents us from further growing, and that is the idea of "I want it", BUT..."I don't need it".

This want vs. need is what keeps most stuck because when we operate on needs, then we are operating on enough and no more, yet when we operate on wants, we operate on much more.

The need is based on enough, the want is based on so much more.

The universe will give us everything, and yet here we are telling ourselves, "I don't need it", which translates to "I am not worthy of it", or "I'm not good enough", or..."more money will not come so I better save what I got".

This is where the stories we tell ourselves and others emerge from, the internal conflict, the story of struggle.

These stories explain our behavior, justify our actions, keep us looking at it, and ignore what's truly possible for us.

This is a dark, heavy form of scarcity thinking.

And as they say, what we think about, we become, and yet most of us don't know how our minds work nor what we think about it.

This pattern created a cycle of up and down for me for many years. Make millions, spend millions, back and forth, back and forth. Go up, come crashing down, get bruised up, only to get up and do it again, over and over. It became predictable as the sun rose up.

I spoke scarcity into existence, and I always got more scarcity.

You can't break a pattern unless you can recognize it, and once I recognized it, I broke it by realizing that for most of human history, we operated on needs, but if you look around, these days, we largely live in a world of wants...

...And once you have plenty of money, it's ok to operate on WANTS, because, guess what? More money will always come.

Plus, you can go buy and get what you want, and if later you decide you no longer want it, then you can sell it and keep the experience.

Only once I was able to break the pattern above could I go to not only making millions but also keeping them and investing them to the point where I can live the life of top 1% off of my passive income, where I can stare at the wall all day and do nothing.

This is the reason you never see me selling, pitching or offering anything to you in any of my content. I just flow.

Because, it's one thing to be able to make millions of dollars, but a whole other thing to keep the millions and yet another to be able to invest them so you wake up every day and your money making you money.

This above wisdom is what separates your belief system from making, keeping, and investing.

So I could have told myself, "I don't need a $10,000 sofa", "I don't need a $8,500 lounge chair I never use", and so on and so forth.

I could have told myself, just go get something cheaper, less, because "I don't REALLY need it".

And you know, that would have been the right thing to do, but you know what else? It doesn't matter because we live in a world of wants, and it's ok to have wants.

What we want makes us feel good, and the reason it makes us feel good is because it tells us we're worthy, we're more than enough, we deserve it.

Don't keep yourself from wanting and getting things; more money will always come as it always has.

If more money didn't always come, you wouldn't have made it this far, would you?

The faster you recognize this in you, the faster you're going to get to where you want to go financially.

Have a great Sunday,

Alen

P.S. If you're wondering where my wants for insanely expensive furniture came from and why I'll spend more on it than guys will spend on supercars is because when we came to America in 1994 as war refugees from Mostar Bosnia, we came here with $50 our names. Me, my dad, and my mom, three of us and $50 to our name...

...And because we had nothing, we got our furniture from the trash that people threw away, cheap, old broken down furniture.

At that time, we didn't speak any english, and we arrived in a strange land with $50. We had no choice but to operate on needs, we couldn't have our wants.

So I told myself, one day, I'm going to have one of the homes in the city with the best of everything and I have it. Not because I needed it, but because I wanted it.

It's ok to have wants, after all, they print trillions of dollars make stuff non-stop, and if not for you, then who else? For all of us.

P.P.S. As always, here's a link to the FB group post about this.

Morning NHB,

You know…

…Lately, I'm in a copywriting kind of mood.

It has something to do with the seasons, like winter. It's cold and crispy, and a hot cup of coffee contrasts with the weather. It fights to break through the resistance of the cold…

…Much like the words do when we put them down in a sales process, they contrast, fight, and resist being ignored.

And yet the thought that often comes to me as I write copy is that if we have to push against something to get through, then something is resisting it.

So, instead of fighting with the resistance, why not work with it.

Why not join it, enable it, and convert it to our side, because after all…

…The real conversion in a sales process isn't converting someone to something; it's about converting that resistance on our side, so the only thing left to do is to automatically convert themselves.

A bit of akido if you will.

There are many techniques for doing this, but one of the most powerful ones you can employ as a copywriter is the concept of mentally binding someone.

Once the mind is mentally bound to a thought, opposing it would mean opposing itself, and we both know that they'll oppose you, me, the world, ideas, thoughts, and concepts, but…never their own, how could they? A mind does not go against itself.

To understand this on a deeper level, I wrote a post some time ago called "negative admittance", where I mentioned how every offer forces them to admit something negative about themselves.

So, say you're selling a weight loss offer. Well, for someone to buy it, they have to first admit that they have weight to lose and that they're either out of shape or fat, hence why we minimize the level of negative admittance the conversion rates go up quite a bit.

Instead of having to lose 300 pounds, "they only has to lose 5-10 pounds", and if they want to lose more, they can just extend it; how much is up to them.

See that? Now, they're not overweight and don't feel that bad. Compare that to someone telling them they can lose 50-100 lbs. On the surface, it makes sense because if one can quickly lose 50-100 lbs, then surely they can lose 5-10; it'd be nothing. And while true, it doesn't work that way, the subconscious mind will push back, hence the concept of negative admittance.

This works in everything, if they have to make a bunch of money, it implies they don't have money. If they don't have a girlfriend, they must admit they are not wanted or good enough to have a girlfriend to buy.

I discovered this concept while running a men's dating offer some years ago, where they would not buy because the male ego is often very fragile, and we were breaking it in close. Once we removed the negative admittance, it started converting.

You can also look up my post on the "double spend problem," a quantifiable version of this.

Now, as there is negative admittance, there is the opposite, positive admittance, mentally binding the thought.

Once you mentally bind a thought, they cannot go against it as it will force them to go against themselves, causing the only option to go through, which is to buy or take whatever action you want.

The way it works, somewhere in the copy, usually near the close…

…All you have to do is start feeding the ego what it wants, which is to be better, smarter, and stronger than anyone else — so it can protect itself based on the four motivating traits of survival, reproduction, safety/security, and status.

We first start out with a positive, followed by a negative.

We feed it all these traits at once, and the way we do it is to simply start flatting it via language that goes something like this:

"You've seen ___, you've seen example after example of ______, and you know how ______ works, you saw others ______ and you know that ______…

…Every top-level copywriter is measured by one thing and one thing only: their ability to generate sales through their copy….

…And that's why every good copywriter hired these days can do everything, and that's close…

…But the best of the best also know how to use mental binds in their closing copy, so the prospect has no choice but to move forward; otherwise, they have no choice…

…And you also know that if a copywriter can't close sales, they're nothing more than a content writer because without being able to sell, your copy is nothing more than mere content.

So this is a quick and easy example of a mental bind for copywriters.

I'll break it down for you, at first we focus on the evidence and pull in imagery into the mind so we can establish the strength of our argument and position, hence the "You've seen____" line.

Then we start saying what EVERY (absolute statement) good copywriter can do these days, which is close, but the BEST use mental binds (which is this post), then we go into the negative if you can't close, then it's not copy, it's mere content.

Now, that is the STRUCTURE to give you an IDEA of what it looks like, and as always, you should take that structure and expand it / work it, and make it work for you.

I've used these binds in countless offers, but the most notable one was a parenting offer where we used it in the upsell that absolutely crushed and 3x'd the conversion rate.

Here's what I did: I used the structure of good parent bad parent. In essence, it went something like this:

• You’re not a good parent if you don’t hit upgrade.

• But if you do hit upgrade, then you’re a good parent

So only good parents upgrade, bad parents don't. I can't share the word-for-word copy due to respecting the privacy of the offer, but in a sense, it went something like this:

"And the parents who don't truly deeply care of love their children don't tend to __, or __ or ____ because they ___ which puts their kids a distant second to their priorities…

…Whereas good parents prioritize their kids, make them #1 and always look for ways to better their kid's lives, and that's why all good parents end up upgrading to ______, because ________"

That's not the copy as is, but it's the structure of it.

Damn, that one hit…after reading it, if you didn't buy it, you'd feel like the worst parent ever, but when you did, it made you feel like the best parent in the world.

That's the power of mental binds in copy.

This can be used in any copy format, including VSLs, TSLs, Webinars, Book-a-call offers, Emails, ads, etc…

…Once it clicks, it clicks, and you'll start using it everywhere.

Now that you've seen how it works, you've seen examples and know that it worked for others and that it's going to work for you…

…You're smart enough to start using them otherwise you wouldn't have read this far.

See what I did there? A mini-mental bind .

They're subtle but powerful, so start using them and watch your conversations increase.

All the best,

Alen Sultanic

P.S. Here's a link to the NHB FB Group Post about this.

Morning,

Let's talk about money.

Specifically, the part in an offer where you ask for it and how to go about price framing that makes it seem like they're paying a lot less than they really are because, after all, the game of marketing is a game of perceptions.

Typically speaking, all things being equal, the higher the price, the lower the conversion rate.

So, while a $5 offer can convert at, say, 10%, a $27 offer will be at 5%, and a $100 offer will be at 1%.

The more we ask them to pay, the less they pay.

This obviously kills conversions, which ain't good for binnis.

So what do we do? Well, you can spend a whole lot of time doing all sorts of wrestling with them in the close, from WWE to Greko Roman to Olympic Wrestling, you should do all of it...

...But at the end of the day, that price point will make you tap the fuck out and prevent you from hitting higher conversion points.

The reason is that with psychological economics, simply put, the $100 is a lot more valuable than $5 because they can buy, and thus, $100 has a lot more trade-offs; the more trade-offs off, the lower the conversion rate. Plus, there's this other thing about replacement money, meaning how fast can they replace that money, which puts us into the realm of disposable income.

Anyway, so the higher the price, the lower the conversion rate, yet the higher the price, the higher the AOV contribution (average order contribution).

The conundrum of sorts.

So, how do we increase the price while keeping the perception of the cost low?

You simply change the price frame.

Here's how I do it.

Say an offer is $100.

So instead of you saying, it's $100, "what's it worth it to you?" type of deal.

You simply look at the delivery mechanism and say it's for 4 weeks. It can be a 4-week "thing", "take 4 weeks", or whatever.

Well, shit, now it's $25 a week for 4 weeks.

The mind sees $25, not $100, and thus is pegged down at $25.

In their minds, they're spending $25, not $100.

Now, we've changed the price of the frame.

Say you have a bottle of supplements, it's 100 pills, and $100, well now it's just $1 per dose.

So on and so forth.

Break it down, and break down the resistance of the price.

Every transaction needs a justification, a story, and an explanation to itself as to why it's a good idea.

The thing is, they'll rarely do this on their own, and thus, you have to create that story they tell
themselves and thus give them the ammo to create that justification.

And price framing is one of those ways.

Now of course, be ethical and compliant here and somewhere on the page, disclose the TOTAL price, and it'll be fine.

Have a good one,

Alen

P.S. Here's the link to the post about all this in the NHB FB group.

Morning,

I've wanted to write this email for a few years now, but I always hesitated as what I'm about to share with you can be used for the best of intentions and at the worst of intentions.

It will give you the power to do a lot of good in the world and yet, at the same time, become the darkest of dark lords.

This was one of the first things I taught in Fast Forward 3 or so years ago and then in NHB+ a year ago.

And we've had people bring back completely dead emails, offers, ads using this...

Most went on to use it for good in the game and make millions and it breaks my heart to say that we had a few rotten apples become massive dark lords (who made 10s of millions) from learning how all this works, who I kicked out of Fast Forward as soon as I saw the course of their development, hence my hesitation to write this for some years now.

The temptation of the dark side of the game can be far too great, hence why I rarely share this level of stuff in public, because you never know where it will end up.

So all that I ask you is to use it for good and not to take advantage of others using your newfound powers that I'm giving you.

They say you can't create desire and that you can only channel it.

They're wrong.

Because they don't know how desire works in the mind, and once you know how and why it works, it becomes very easy to create desire, but not in a way you think, not directly, but rather indirectly.

In order to create desire, we must know what desire is in the first place.

For us to desire something, it must mean that we are missing something.

This is why, externally, desire manifests as needs and wants.

Why does anyone buy anything if not for a need or a want? Hence, the value of desire for us as marketers.

We are aware of what we want and what we need.

The reason we are aware is because this is external, or one can say conscious or at a level of awareness.

When something is in our conscious mind and we become aware of it, there is a reflection of this, and hence why we can see it. It's akin to looking at a mirror, we can recognize it.

This recognition, if dwelled on long enough and put into motion and associated with our future self, becomes expectation, and expectation is the seed of all emotions, good and bad.

Now, as desire is reflected outside as a need and want, what is inside, and what is the seed of desire to give life to desire in the first place? What creates it?

If we want and need something, then by default, we LACK something.

Therefore, in order to have desire in the first place, one must LACK beforehand.

And while we can't DIRECTLY create desire, we can indirectly create it by directly focusing on lack.

The more they lack, the more desire, the more they want and need it and the more they buy it.

See how that works?

So once it can create lack, sprinkle a bit of emotion around it, and that seed will quickly grow into desire.

And just like that, boom, magic, now we can create desire.

Now, the question becomes, how the hell do you create lack? Where does THAT come from?

Well, it's simple because most desire is memetic in nature, which means to look at what others have, have done, achieved, etc., and thus we compare.

The ego, the surface level of the mind, learns first through DIFFERENCE and THEN SIMILARITIES.

This nature of learning through difference is where it compares all the time.

Hence, the expression "comparison is a thief of joy", because creates that lack, which in turn creates desire.

So, all we have to do is simply compare and contrast in our copy and show them what's been done, how it's been done, what's possible, and all that fun stuff, and then, not only SHOW them, but also PROVE to them how they LACK that something and hence they are not what they want to be.

And now, the mind, once you layer in the four core drivers that I spoke of before, survival, reproduction, safety/security and status and how this comparison relates to that and it's done, within a few minutes, sometimes within a few hours or a few days, desire will emerge.

This thing they lack then has to be directly connected to what you sell and then they will now DESIRE whatever it is that you sell.

This was one of the first thing I taught in Fast Forward 3 or so years ago and then in NHB+ a year ago.

And we've had people bring back completely dead emails, offers, ads using this...

...and others 3-5x their conversion rates once they started pushing the lack mechanism as outlined above, which created desire.

You can use this to not only create desire but to also amplify it beyond comprehension.

Use this for good, use it to help people and use it to better the world.

More to come, and more than you can imagine.

Oh, and one more thing, what the good people of in NHB+ / FF are doing is taking this concept and using ChatGPT and other A.I. tools to really dig into the various lacks based on age, demo, location, and situation to know where to focus on it.

Once you play with that, you'll be transported to a whole other universe where the magic is real.

Have an great weekend,

Alen

P.S. Soon, I'm going to show you things that are incomprehensible to the best of the best copywriters, marketers, and gurus.

P.P.S. It goes without saying, like and comment here if you have any questions of me so I can help you understand this and implement it.

As I sit here having coffee on my $10,000 Emmy sofa (I have two other couches that are 15k and 18k, one in my music room and another in the movie room on the 3rd floor)...

...Looking at the $8,500 Eames lounge chair in my living room that's next to a $2,500 Noguchi coffee table and a $1,200 Eames LCW side chair, surrounded by even more expensive art and handmade tapestries on walls.

My whole house is practically a showroom from Design Within Reach. 

When I bought it, I went there and bought the whole store, mostly because I watched Mad Men and decided I wanted a modern vibe, because I thought Don Draper was the coolest dude in advertising.

So $300,000 in furniture later, I got exactly what I wanted.

I laugh as I realize how absolutely ridiculous it all is, almost as ridiculous as me even telling you about this in this email, and yet I do so to illustrate a point.

I never talk about material things because, honestly, it's not something I care to "flex" as it's fuck all, but I do enjoy having having a lot of it.

And yet, despite making millions of dollars it wasn't always so as you'll see further down in this email.

Most of us come into the game because we have a desire to make money, and if you saw the email I sent the day about where desire comes from, it comes from lack.

We think that we're all lacking skills to make money, but what we're all lacking is the right mental ingredients that allow us to get and apply those skills in the first place to make money.

This is why on every NHB+ call, I spend a good 30-60 minutes on mindset.

Mindset, mindset, mindset...

...We have the single best track record of wins in this industry, no one comes close and no one is as consistent with them.

Show me any other place that has guys hitting $150,000+ days.

We have guys and girls hitting $100k months, Bas just crossed over a million on his weight loss offer, Scott hit $2m+ last year, Tony did too, the list goes on and on, they're all in the NHB FB group for you to see, and countless others who ask me NOT to share due to people wanting to copy them. 

Why? We do have the best marketing training bar none, but we also have the best mindset training bar none.

I don't talk about the mindset stuff often, but it's the difference that makes the difference.

You can have the fastest car in the world, designed by the top engineers, with 1,000+ horsepower, but if you have one foot on the gas and the other on the break, you won't get anywhere.

So as I'm about to turn this email list you're on into an official NHB newsletter, I'm going to write deeply as I speak deeply on those NHB+ and FF calls.

It won't be short-quick-to-the-point as it was.

It'll be more background, the setup, the context, the flow in, the setting the stage.

I'll sell you on the concept before I tell you the concept. Just like I'm doing now. 

So now that you're sold, I want to share with you something that has fucked me and held me back in the game more than I care to admit.

Oh yes and the newsletter will have the words such as "fucked me", because that is verbal drama, the seasoning for the thoughts, and for the story at hand.

When you don't have money, you operate on needs. When you have plenty of money, you operate on wants.

We only need so much and yet want much more.

There is a point where you cross over from not having much money to having enough, then more than enough.

In this cross-over, we encounter a struggle that keeps us stuck and prevents us from further growing, and that is the idea of "I want it", BUT..."I don't need it".

This want vs. need is what keeps most stuck because when we operate on needs, then we are operating on enough and no more, yet when we operate on wants, we operate on much more.

The need is based on enough, the want is based on so much more.

The universe will give us everything, and yet here we are telling ourselves, "I don't need it", which translates to "I am not worthy of it", or "I'm not good enough", or..."more money will not come so I better save what I got".

This is where the stories we tell ourselves and others emerge from, the internal conflict, the story of struggle.

These stories explain our behavior, justify our actions, keep us looking at it, and ignore what's truly possible for us.

This is a dark, heavy form of scarcity thinking.

And as they say, what we think about, we become, and yet most of us don't know how our minds work nor what we think about it.

This pattern created a cycle of up and down for me for many years. Make millions, spend millions, back and forth, back and forth. Go up, come crashing down, get bruised up, only to get up and do it again, over and over. It became predictable as the sun rose up.

I spoke scarcity into existence, and I always got more scarcity.

You can't break a pattern unless you can recognize it, and once I recognized it, I broke it by realizing that for most of human history, we operated on needs, but if you look around, these days, we largely live in a world of wants...

...And once you have plenty of money, it's ok to operate on WANTS, because, guess what? More money will always come.

Plus, you can go buy and get what you want, and if later you decide you no longer want it, then you can sell it and keep the experience.

Only once I was able to break the pattern above could I go to not only making millions but also keeping them and investing them to the point where I can live the life of top 1% off of my passive income, where I can stare at the wall all day and do nothing.

This is the reason you never see me selling, pitching or offering anything to you in any of my content. I just flow.

Because, it's one thing to be able to make millions of dollars, but a whole other thing to keep the millions and yet another to be able to invest them so you wake up every day and your money making you money.

This above wisdom is what separates your belief system from making, keeping, and investing.

So I could have told myself, "I don't need a $10,000 sofa", "I don't need a $8,500 lounge chair I never use", and so on and so forth.

I could have told myself, just go get something cheaper, less, because "I don't REALLY need it".

And you know, that would have been the right thing to do, but you know what else? It doesn't matter because we live in a world of wants, and it's ok to have wants.

What we want makes us feel good, and the reason it makes us feel good is because it tells us we're worthy, we're more than enough, we deserve it.

Don't keep yourself from wanting and getting things; more money will always come as it always has.

If more money didn't always come, you wouldn't have made it this far, would you?

The faster you recognize this in you, the faster you're going to get to where you want to go financially.

Have a great Sunday,

Alen

P.S. If you're wondering where my wants for insanely expensive furniture came from and why I'll spend more on it than guys will spend on supercars is because when we came to America in 1994 as war refugees from Mostar Bosnia, we came here with $50 our names. Me, my dad, and my mom, three of us and $50 to our name...

...And because we had nothing, we got our furniture from the trash that people threw away, cheap, old broken down furniture.

At that time, we didn't speak any english, and we arrived in a strange land with $50. We had no choice but to operate on needs, we couldn't have our wants.

So I told myself, one day, I'm going to have one of the homes in the city with the best of everything and I have it. Not because I needed it, but because I wanted it.

It's ok to have wants, after all, they print trillions of dollars make stuff non-stop, and if not for you, then who else? For all of us.

P.P.S. As always, here's a link to the FB group post about this.

Morning NHB,

You know…

…Lately, I'm in a copywriting kind of mood.

It has something to do with the seasons, like winter. It's cold and crispy, and a hot cup of coffee contrasts with the weather. It fights to break through the resistance of the cold…

…Much like the words do when we put them down in a sales process, they contrast, fight, and resist being ignored.

And yet the thought that often comes to me as I write copy is that if we have to push against something to get through, then something is resisting it.

So, instead of fighting with the resistance, why not work with it.

Why not join it, enable it, and convert it to our side, because after all…

…The real conversion in a sales process isn't converting someone to something; it's about converting that resistance on our side, so the only thing left to do is to automatically convert themselves.

A bit of akido if you will.

There are many techniques for doing this, but one of the most powerful ones you can employ as a copywriter is the concept of mentally binding someone.

Once the mind is mentally bound to a thought, opposing it would mean opposing itself, and we both know that they'll oppose you, me, the world, ideas, thoughts, and concepts, but…never their own, how could they? A mind does not go against itself.

To understand this on a deeper level, I wrote a post some time ago called "negative admittance", where I mentioned how every offer forces them to admit something negative about themselves.

So, say you're selling a weight loss offer. Well, for someone to buy it, they have to first admit that they have weight to lose and that they're either out of shape or fat, hence why we minimize the level of negative admittance the conversion rates go up quite a bit.

Instead of having to lose 300 pounds, "they only has to lose 5-10 pounds", and if they want to lose more, they can just extend it; how much is up to them.

See that? Now, they're not overweight and don't feel that bad. Compare that to someone telling them they can lose 50-100 lbs. On the surface, it makes sense because if one can quickly lose 50-100 lbs, then surely they can lose 5-10; it'd be nothing. And while true, it doesn't work that way, the subconscious mind will push back, hence the concept of negative admittance.

This works in everything, if they have to make a bunch of money, it implies they don't have money. If they don't have a girlfriend, they must admit they are not wanted or good enough to have a girlfriend to buy.

I discovered this concept while running a men's dating offer some years ago, where they would not buy because the male ego is often very fragile, and we were breaking it in close. Once we removed the negative admittance, it started converting.

You can also look up my post on the "double spend problem," a quantifiable version of this.

Now, as there is negative admittance, there is the opposite, positive admittance, mentally binding the thought.

Once you mentally bind a thought, they cannot go against it as it will force them to go against themselves, causing the only option to go through, which is to buy or take whatever action you want.

The way it works, somewhere in the copy, usually near the close…

…All you have to do is start feeding the ego what it wants, which is to be better, smarter, and stronger than anyone else — so it can protect itself based on the four motivating traits of survival, reproduction, safety/security, and status.

We first start out with a positive, followed by a negative.

We feed it all these traits at once, and the way we do it is to simply start flatting it via language that goes something like this:

"You've seen ___, you've seen example after example of ______, and you know how ______ works, you saw others ______ and you know that ______…

…Every top-level copywriter is measured by one thing and one thing only: their ability to generate sales through their copy….

…And that's why every good copywriter hired these days can do everything, and that's close…

…But the best of the best also know how to use mental binds in their closing copy, so the prospect has no choice but to move forward; otherwise, they have no choice…

…And you also know that if a copywriter can't close sales, they're nothing more than a content writer because without being able to sell, your copy is nothing more than mere content.

So this is a quick and easy example of a mental bind for copywriters.

I'll break it down for you, at first we focus on the evidence and pull in imagery into the mind so we can establish the strength of our argument and position, hence the "You've seen____" line.

Then we start saying what EVERY (absolute statement) good copywriter can do these days, which is close, but the BEST use mental binds (which is this post), then we go into the negative if you can't close, then it's not copy, it's mere content.

Now, that is the STRUCTURE to give you an IDEA of what it looks like, and as always, you should take that structure and expand it / work it, and make it work for you.

I've used these binds in countless offers, but the most notable one was a parenting offer where we used it in the upsell that absolutely crushed and 3x'd the conversion rate.

Here's what I did: I used the structure of good parent bad parent. In essence, it went something like this:

• You’re not a good parent if you don’t hit upgrade.

• But if you do hit upgrade, then you’re a good parent

So only good parents upgrade, bad parents don't. I can't share the word-for-word copy due to respecting the privacy of the offer, but in a sense, it went something like this:

"And the parents who don't truly deeply care of love their children don't tend to __, or __ or ____ because they ___ which puts their kids a distant second to their priorities…

…Whereas good parents prioritize their kids, make them #1 and always look for ways to better their kid's lives, and that's why all good parents end up upgrading to ______, because ________"

That's not the copy as is, but it's the structure of it.

Damn, that one hit…after reading it, if you didn't buy it, you'd feel like the worst parent ever, but when you did, it made you feel like the best parent in the world.

That's the power of mental binds in copy.

This can be used in any copy format, including VSLs, TSLs, Webinars, Book-a-call offers, Emails, ads, etc…

…Once it clicks, it clicks, and you'll start using it everywhere.

Now that you've seen how it works, you've seen examples and know that it worked for others and that it's going to work for you…

…You're smart enough to start using them otherwise you wouldn't have read this far.

See what I did there? A mini-mental bind .

They're subtle but powerful, so start using them and watch your conversations increase.

All the best,

Alen Sultanic

P.S. Here's a link to the NHB FB Group Post about this.

Morning,

Let's talk about money.

Specifically, the part in an offer where you ask for it and how to go about price framing that makes it seem like they're paying a lot less than they really are because, after all, the game of marketing is a game of perceptions.

Typically speaking, all things being equal, the higher the price, the lower the conversion rate.

So, while a $5 offer can convert at, say, 10%, a $27 offer will be at 5%, and a $100 offer will be at 1%.

The more we ask them to pay, the less they pay.

This obviously kills conversions, which ain't good for binnis.

So what do we do? Well, you can spend a whole lot of time doing all sorts of wrestling with them in the close, from WWE to Greko Roman to Olympic Wrestling, you should do all of it...

...But at the end of the day, that price point will make you tap the fuck out and prevent you from hitting higher conversion points.

The reason is that with psychological economics, simply put, the $100 is a lot more valuable than $5 because they can buy, and thus, $100 has a lot more trade-offs; the more trade-offs off, the lower the conversion rate. Plus, there's this other thing about replacement money, meaning how fast can they replace that money, which puts us into the realm of disposable income.

Anyway, so the higher the price, the lower the conversion rate, yet the higher the price, the higher the AOV contribution (average order contribution).

The conundrum of sorts.

So, how do we increase the price while keeping the perception of the cost low?

You simply change the price frame.

Here's how I do it.

Say an offer is $100.

So instead of you saying, it's $100, "what's it worth it to you?" type of deal.

You simply look at the delivery mechanism and say it's for 4 weeks. It can be a 4-week "thing", "take 4 weeks", or whatever.

Well, shit, now it's $25 a week for 4 weeks.

The mind sees $25, not $100, and thus is pegged down at $25.

In their minds, they're spending $25, not $100.

Now, we've changed the price of the frame.

Say you have a bottle of supplements, it's 100 pills, and $100, well now it's just $1 per dose.

So on and so forth.

Break it down, and break down the resistance of the price.

Every transaction needs a justification, a story, and an explanation to itself as to why it's a good idea.

The thing is, they'll rarely do this on their own, and thus, you have to create that story they tell
themselves and thus give them the ammo to create that justification.

And price framing is one of those ways.

Now of course, be ethical and compliant here and somewhere on the page, disclose the TOTAL price, and it'll be fine.

Have a good one,

Alen

P.S. Here's the link to the post about all this in the NHB FB group.

Morning,

I've wanted to write this email for a few years now, but I always hesitated as what I'm about to share with you can be used for the best of intentions and at the worst of intentions.

It will give you the power to do a lot of good in the world and yet, at the same time, become the darkest of dark lords.

This was one of the first things I taught in Fast Forward 3 or so years ago and then in NHB+ a year ago.

And we've had people bring back completely dead emails, offers, ads using this...

Most went on to use it for good in the game and make millions and it breaks my heart to say that we had a few rotten apples become massive dark lords (who made 10s of millions) from learning how all this works, who I kicked out of Fast Forward as soon as I saw the course of their development, hence my hesitation to write this for some years now.

The temptation of the dark side of the game can be far too great, hence why I rarely share this level of stuff in public, because you never know where it will end up.

So all that I ask you is to use it for good and not to take advantage of others using your newfound powers that I'm giving you.

They say you can't create desire and that you can only channel it.

They're wrong.

Because they don't know how desire works in the mind, and once you know how and why it works, it becomes very easy to create desire, but not in a way you think, not directly, but rather indirectly.

In order to create desire, we must know what desire is in the first place.

For us to desire something, it must mean that we are missing something.

This is why, externally, desire manifests as needs and wants.

Why does anyone buy anything if not for a need or a want? Hence, the value of desire for us as marketers.

We are aware of what we want and what we need.

The reason we are aware is because this is external, or one can say conscious or at a level of awareness.

When something is in our conscious mind and we become aware of it, there is a reflection of this, and hence why we can see it. It's akin to looking at a mirror, we can recognize it.

This recognition, if dwelled on long enough and put into motion and associated with our future self, becomes expectation, and expectation is the seed of all emotions, good and bad.

Now, as desire is reflected outside as a need and want, what is inside, and what is the seed of desire to give life to desire in the first place? What creates it?

If we want and need something, then by default, we LACK something.

Therefore, in order to have desire in the first place, one must LACK beforehand.

And while we can't DIRECTLY create desire, we can indirectly create it by directly focusing on lack.

The more they lack, the more desire, the more they want and need it and the more they buy it.

See how that works?

So once it can create lack, sprinkle a bit of emotion around it, and that seed will quickly grow into desire.

And just like that, boom, magic, now we can create desire.

Now, the question becomes, how the hell do you create lack? Where does THAT come from?

Well, it's simple because most desire is memetic in nature, which means to look at what others have, have done, achieved, etc., and thus we compare.

The ego, the surface level of the mind, learns first through DIFFERENCE and THEN SIMILARITIES.

This nature of learning through difference is where it compares all the time.

Hence, the expression "comparison is a thief of joy", because creates that lack, which in turn creates desire.

So, all we have to do is simply compare and contrast in our copy and show them what's been done, how it's been done, what's possible, and all that fun stuff, and then, not only SHOW them, but also PROVE to them how they LACK that something and hence they are not what they want to be.

And now, the mind, once you layer in the four core drivers that I spoke of before, survival, reproduction, safety/security and status and how this comparison relates to that and it's done, within a few minutes, sometimes within a few hours or a few days, desire will emerge.

This thing they lack then has to be directly connected to what you sell and then they will now DESIRE whatever it is that you sell.

This was one of the first thing I taught in Fast Forward 3 or so years ago and then in NHB+ a year ago.

And we've had people bring back completely dead emails, offers, ads using this...

...and others 3-5x their conversion rates once they started pushing the lack mechanism as outlined above, which created desire.

You can use this to not only create desire but to also amplify it beyond comprehension.

Use this for good, use it to help people and use it to better the world.

More to come, and more than you can imagine.

Oh, and one more thing, what the good people of in NHB+ / FF are doing is taking this concept and using ChatGPT and other A.I. tools to really dig into the various lacks based on age, demo, location, and situation to know where to focus on it.

Once you play with that, you'll be transported to a whole other universe where the magic is real.

Have an great weekend,

Alen

P.S. Soon, I'm going to show you things that are incomprehensible to the best of the best copywriters, marketers, and gurus.

P.P.S. It goes without saying, like and comment here if you have any questions of me so I can help you understand this and implement it.

As I sit here having coffee on my $10,000 Emmy sofa (I have two other couches that are 15k and 18k, one in my music room and another in the movie room on the 3rd floor)...

...Looking at the $8,500 Eames lounge chair in my living room that's next to a $2,500 Noguchi coffee table and a $1,200 Eames LCW side chair, surrounded by even more expensive art and handmade tapestries on walls.

My whole house is practically a showroom from Design Within Reach. 

When I bought it, I went there and bought the whole store, mostly because I watched Mad Men and decided I wanted a modern vibe, because I thought Don Draper was the coolest dude in advertising.

So $300,000 in furniture later, I got exactly what I wanted.

I laugh as I realize how absolutely ridiculous it all is, almost as ridiculous as me even telling you about this in this email, and yet I do so to illustrate a point.

I never talk about material things because, honestly, it's not something I care to "flex" as it's fuck all, but I do enjoy having having a lot of it.

And yet, despite making millions of dollars it wasn't always so as you'll see further down in this email.

Most of us come into the game because we have a desire to make money, and if you saw the email I sent the day about where desire comes from, it comes from lack.

We think that we're all lacking skills to make money, but what we're all lacking is the right mental ingredients that allow us to get and apply those skills in the first place to make money.

This is why on every NHB+ call, I spend a good 30-60 minutes on mindset.

Mindset, mindset, mindset...

...We have the single best track record of wins in this industry, no one comes close and no one is as consistent with them.

Show me any other place that has guys hitting $150,000+ days.

We have guys and girls hitting $100k months, Bas just crossed over a million on his weight loss offer, Scott hit $2m+ last year, Tony did too, the list goes on and on, they're all in the NHB FB group for you to see, and countless others who ask me NOT to share due to people wanting to copy them. 

Why? We do have the best marketing training bar none, but we also have the best mindset training bar none.

I don't talk about the mindset stuff often, but it's the difference that makes the difference.

You can have the fastest car in the world, designed by the top engineers, with 1,000+ horsepower, but if you have one foot on the gas and the other on the break, you won't get anywhere.

So as I'm about to turn this email list you're on into an official NHB newsletter, I'm going to write deeply as I speak deeply on those NHB+ and FF calls.

It won't be short-quick-to-the-point as it was.

It'll be more background, the setup, the context, the flow in, the setting the stage.

I'll sell you on the concept before I tell you the concept. Just like I'm doing now. 

So now that you're sold, I want to share with you something that has fucked me and held me back in the game more than I care to admit.

Oh yes and the newsletter will have the words such as "fucked me", because that is verbal drama, the seasoning for the thoughts, and for the story at hand.

When you don't have money, you operate on needs. When you have plenty of money, you operate on wants.

We only need so much and yet want much more.

There is a point where you cross over from not having much money to having enough, then more than enough.

In this cross-over, we encounter a struggle that keeps us stuck and prevents us from further growing, and that is the idea of "I want it", BUT..."I don't need it".

This want vs. need is what keeps most stuck because when we operate on needs, then we are operating on enough and no more, yet when we operate on wants, we operate on much more.

The need is based on enough, the want is based on so much more.

The universe will give us everything, and yet here we are telling ourselves, "I don't need it", which translates to "I am not worthy of it", or "I'm not good enough", or..."more money will not come so I better save what I got".

This is where the stories we tell ourselves and others emerge from, the internal conflict, the story of struggle.

These stories explain our behavior, justify our actions, keep us looking at it, and ignore what's truly possible for us.

This is a dark, heavy form of scarcity thinking.

And as they say, what we think about, we become, and yet most of us don't know how our minds work nor what we think about it.

This pattern created a cycle of up and down for me for many years. Make millions, spend millions, back and forth, back and forth. Go up, come crashing down, get bruised up, only to get up and do it again, over and over. It became predictable as the sun rose up.

I spoke scarcity into existence, and I always got more scarcity.

You can't break a pattern unless you can recognize it, and once I recognized it, I broke it by realizing that for most of human history, we operated on needs, but if you look around, these days, we largely live in a world of wants...

...And once you have plenty of money, it's ok to operate on WANTS, because, guess what? More money will always come.

Plus, you can go buy and get what you want, and if later you decide you no longer want it, then you can sell it and keep the experience.

Only once I was able to break the pattern above could I go to not only making millions but also keeping them and investing them to the point where I can live the life of top 1% off of my passive income, where I can stare at the wall all day and do nothing.

This is the reason you never see me selling, pitching or offering anything to you in any of my content. I just flow.

Because, it's one thing to be able to make millions of dollars, but a whole other thing to keep the millions and yet another to be able to invest them so you wake up every day and your money making you money.

This above wisdom is what separates your belief system from making, keeping, and investing.

So I could have told myself, "I don't need a $10,000 sofa", "I don't need a $8,500 lounge chair I never use", and so on and so forth.

I could have told myself, just go get something cheaper, less, because "I don't REALLY need it".

And you know, that would have been the right thing to do, but you know what else? It doesn't matter because we live in a world of wants, and it's ok to have wants.

What we want makes us feel good, and the reason it makes us feel good is because it tells us we're worthy, we're more than enough, we deserve it.

Don't keep yourself from wanting and getting things; more money will always come as it always has.

If more money didn't always come, you wouldn't have made it this far, would you?

The faster you recognize this in you, the faster you're going to get to where you want to go financially.

Have a great Sunday,

Alen

P.S. If you're wondering where my wants for insanely expensive furniture came from and why I'll spend more on it than guys will spend on supercars is because when we came to America in 1994 as war refugees from Mostar Bosnia, we came here with $50 our names. Me, my dad, and my mom, three of us and $50 to our name...

...And because we had nothing, we got our furniture from the trash that people threw away, cheap, old broken down furniture.

At that time, we didn't speak any english, and we arrived in a strange land with $50. We had no choice but to operate on needs, we couldn't have our wants.

So I told myself, one day, I'm going to have one of the homes in the city with the best of everything and I have it. Not because I needed it, but because I wanted it.

It's ok to have wants, after all, they print trillions of dollars make stuff non-stop, and if not for you, then who else? For all of us.

P.P.S. As always, here's a link to the FB group post about this.

Morning NHB,

You know…

…Lately, I'm in a copywriting kind of mood.

It has something to do with the seasons, like winter. It's cold and crispy, and a hot cup of coffee contrasts with the weather. It fights to break through the resistance of the cold…

…Much like the words do when we put them down in a sales process, they contrast, fight, and resist being ignored.

And yet the thought that often comes to me as I write copy is that if we have to push against something to get through, then something is resisting it.

So, instead of fighting with the resistance, why not work with it.

Why not join it, enable it, and convert it to our side, because after all…

…The real conversion in a sales process isn't converting someone to something; it's about converting that resistance on our side, so the only thing left to do is to automatically convert themselves.

A bit of akido if you will.

There are many techniques for doing this, but one of the most powerful ones you can employ as a copywriter is the concept of mentally binding someone.

Once the mind is mentally bound to a thought, opposing it would mean opposing itself, and we both know that they'll oppose you, me, the world, ideas, thoughts, and concepts, but…never their own, how could they? A mind does not go against itself.

To understand this on a deeper level, I wrote a post some time ago called "negative admittance", where I mentioned how every offer forces them to admit something negative about themselves.

So, say you're selling a weight loss offer. Well, for someone to buy it, they have to first admit that they have weight to lose and that they're either out of shape or fat, hence why we minimize the level of negative admittance the conversion rates go up quite a bit.

Instead of having to lose 300 pounds, "they only has to lose 5-10 pounds", and if they want to lose more, they can just extend it; how much is up to them.

See that? Now, they're not overweight and don't feel that bad. Compare that to someone telling them they can lose 50-100 lbs. On the surface, it makes sense because if one can quickly lose 50-100 lbs, then surely they can lose 5-10; it'd be nothing. And while true, it doesn't work that way, the subconscious mind will push back, hence the concept of negative admittance.

This works in everything, if they have to make a bunch of money, it implies they don't have money. If they don't have a girlfriend, they must admit they are not wanted or good enough to have a girlfriend to buy.

I discovered this concept while running a men's dating offer some years ago, where they would not buy because the male ego is often very fragile, and we were breaking it in close. Once we removed the negative admittance, it started converting.

You can also look up my post on the "double spend problem," a quantifiable version of this.

Now, as there is negative admittance, there is the opposite, positive admittance, mentally binding the thought.

Once you mentally bind a thought, they cannot go against it as it will force them to go against themselves, causing the only option to go through, which is to buy or take whatever action you want.

The way it works, somewhere in the copy, usually near the close…

…All you have to do is start feeding the ego what it wants, which is to be better, smarter, and stronger than anyone else — so it can protect itself based on the four motivating traits of survival, reproduction, safety/security, and status.

We first start out with a positive, followed by a negative.

We feed it all these traits at once, and the way we do it is to simply start flatting it via language that goes something like this:

"You've seen ___, you've seen example after example of ______, and you know how ______ works, you saw others ______ and you know that ______…

…Every top-level copywriter is measured by one thing and one thing only: their ability to generate sales through their copy….

…And that's why every good copywriter hired these days can do everything, and that's close…

…But the best of the best also know how to use mental binds in their closing copy, so the prospect has no choice but to move forward; otherwise, they have no choice…

…And you also know that if a copywriter can't close sales, they're nothing more than a content writer because without being able to sell, your copy is nothing more than mere content.

So this is a quick and easy example of a mental bind for copywriters.

I'll break it down for you, at first we focus on the evidence and pull in imagery into the mind so we can establish the strength of our argument and position, hence the "You've seen____" line.

Then we start saying what EVERY (absolute statement) good copywriter can do these days, which is close, but the BEST use mental binds (which is this post), then we go into the negative if you can't close, then it's not copy, it's mere content.

Now, that is the STRUCTURE to give you an IDEA of what it looks like, and as always, you should take that structure and expand it / work it, and make it work for you.

I've used these binds in countless offers, but the most notable one was a parenting offer where we used it in the upsell that absolutely crushed and 3x'd the conversion rate.

Here's what I did: I used the structure of good parent bad parent. In essence, it went something like this:

• You’re not a good parent if you don’t hit upgrade.

• But if you do hit upgrade, then you’re a good parent

So only good parents upgrade, bad parents don't. I can't share the word-for-word copy due to respecting the privacy of the offer, but in a sense, it went something like this:

"And the parents who don't truly deeply care of love their children don't tend to __, or __ or ____ because they ___ which puts their kids a distant second to their priorities…

…Whereas good parents prioritize their kids, make them #1 and always look for ways to better their kid's lives, and that's why all good parents end up upgrading to ______, because ________"

That's not the copy as is, but it's the structure of it.

Damn, that one hit…after reading it, if you didn't buy it, you'd feel like the worst parent ever, but when you did, it made you feel like the best parent in the world.

That's the power of mental binds in copy.

This can be used in any copy format, including VSLs, TSLs, Webinars, Book-a-call offers, Emails, ads, etc…

…Once it clicks, it clicks, and you'll start using it everywhere.

Now that you've seen how it works, you've seen examples and know that it worked for others and that it's going to work for you…

…You're smart enough to start using them otherwise you wouldn't have read this far.

See what I did there? A mini-mental bind .

They're subtle but powerful, so start using them and watch your conversations increase.

All the best,

Alen Sultanic

P.S. Here's a link to the NHB FB Group Post about this.

Morning,

Let's talk about money.

Specifically, the part in an offer where you ask for it and how to go about price framing that makes it seem like they're paying a lot less than they really are because, after all, the game of marketing is a game of perceptions.

Typically speaking, all things being equal, the higher the price, the lower the conversion rate.

So, while a $5 offer can convert at, say, 10%, a $27 offer will be at 5%, and a $100 offer will be at 1%.

The more we ask them to pay, the less they pay.

This obviously kills conversions, which ain't good for binnis.

So what do we do? Well, you can spend a whole lot of time doing all sorts of wrestling with them in the close, from WWE to Greko Roman to Olympic Wrestling, you should do all of it...

...But at the end of the day, that price point will make you tap the fuck out and prevent you from hitting higher conversion points.

The reason is that with psychological economics, simply put, the $100 is a lot more valuable than $5 because they can buy, and thus, $100 has a lot more trade-offs; the more trade-offs off, the lower the conversion rate. Plus, there's this other thing about replacement money, meaning how fast can they replace that money, which puts us into the realm of disposable income.

Anyway, so the higher the price, the lower the conversion rate, yet the higher the price, the higher the AOV contribution (average order contribution).

The conundrum of sorts.

So, how do we increase the price while keeping the perception of the cost low?

You simply change the price frame.

Here's how I do it.

Say an offer is $100.

So instead of you saying, it's $100, "what's it worth it to you?" type of deal.

You simply look at the delivery mechanism and say it's for 4 weeks. It can be a 4-week "thing", "take 4 weeks", or whatever.

Well, shit, now it's $25 a week for 4 weeks.

The mind sees $25, not $100, and thus is pegged down at $25.

In their minds, they're spending $25, not $100.

Now, we've changed the price of the frame.

Say you have a bottle of supplements, it's 100 pills, and $100, well now it's just $1 per dose.

So on and so forth.

Break it down, and break down the resistance of the price.

Every transaction needs a justification, a story, and an explanation to itself as to why it's a good idea.

The thing is, they'll rarely do this on their own, and thus, you have to create that story they tell
themselves and thus give them the ammo to create that justification.

And price framing is one of those ways.

Now of course, be ethical and compliant here and somewhere on the page, disclose the TOTAL price, and it'll be fine.

Have a good one,

Alen

P.S. Here's the link to the post about all this in the NHB FB group.

Morning,

I've wanted to write this email for a few years now, but I always hesitated as what I'm about to share with you can be used for the best of intentions and at the worst of intentions.

It will give you the power to do a lot of good in the world and yet, at the same time, become the darkest of dark lords.

This was one of the first things I taught in Fast Forward 3 or so years ago and then in NHB+ a year ago.

And we've had people bring back completely dead emails, offers, ads using this...

Most went on to use it for good in the game and make millions and it breaks my heart to say that we had a few rotten apples become massive dark lords (who made 10s of millions) from learning how all this works, who I kicked out of Fast Forward as soon as I saw the course of their development, hence my hesitation to write this for some years now.

The temptation of the dark side of the game can be far too great, hence why I rarely share this level of stuff in public, because you never know where it will end up.

So all that I ask you is to use it for good and not to take advantage of others using your newfound powers that I'm giving you.

They say you can't create desire and that you can only channel it.

They're wrong.

Because they don't know how desire works in the mind, and once you know how and why it works, it becomes very easy to create desire, but not in a way you think, not directly, but rather indirectly.

In order to create desire, we must know what desire is in the first place.

For us to desire something, it must mean that we are missing something.

This is why, externally, desire manifests as needs and wants.

Why does anyone buy anything if not for a need or a want? Hence, the value of desire for us as marketers.

We are aware of what we want and what we need.

The reason we are aware is because this is external, or one can say conscious or at a level of awareness.

When something is in our conscious mind and we become aware of it, there is a reflection of this, and hence why we can see it. It's akin to looking at a mirror, we can recognize it.

This recognition, if dwelled on long enough and put into motion and associated with our future self, becomes expectation, and expectation is the seed of all emotions, good and bad.

Now, as desire is reflected outside as a need and want, what is inside, and what is the seed of desire to give life to desire in the first place? What creates it?

If we want and need something, then by default, we LACK something.

Therefore, in order to have desire in the first place, one must LACK beforehand.

And while we can't DIRECTLY create desire, we can indirectly create it by directly focusing on lack.

The more they lack, the more desire, the more they want and need it and the more they buy it.

See how that works?

So once it can create lack, sprinkle a bit of emotion around it, and that seed will quickly grow into desire.

And just like that, boom, magic, now we can create desire.

Now, the question becomes, how the hell do you create lack? Where does THAT come from?

Well, it's simple because most desire is memetic in nature, which means to look at what others have, have done, achieved, etc., and thus we compare.

The ego, the surface level of the mind, learns first through DIFFERENCE and THEN SIMILARITIES.

This nature of learning through difference is where it compares all the time.

Hence, the expression "comparison is a thief of joy", because creates that lack, which in turn creates desire.

So, all we have to do is simply compare and contrast in our copy and show them what's been done, how it's been done, what's possible, and all that fun stuff, and then, not only SHOW them, but also PROVE to them how they LACK that something and hence they are not what they want to be.

And now, the mind, once you layer in the four core drivers that I spoke of before, survival, reproduction, safety/security and status and how this comparison relates to that and it's done, within a few minutes, sometimes within a few hours or a few days, desire will emerge.

This thing they lack then has to be directly connected to what you sell and then they will now DESIRE whatever it is that you sell.

This was one of the first thing I taught in Fast Forward 3 or so years ago and then in NHB+ a year ago.

And we've had people bring back completely dead emails, offers, ads using this...

...and others 3-5x their conversion rates once they started pushing the lack mechanism as outlined above, which created desire.

You can use this to not only create desire but to also amplify it beyond comprehension.

Use this for good, use it to help people and use it to better the world.

More to come, and more than you can imagine.

Oh, and one more thing, what the good people of in NHB+ / FF are doing is taking this concept and using ChatGPT and other A.I. tools to really dig into the various lacks based on age, demo, location, and situation to know where to focus on it.

Once you play with that, you'll be transported to a whole other universe where the magic is real.

Have an great weekend,

Alen

P.S. Soon, I'm going to show you things that are incomprehensible to the best of the best copywriters, marketers, and gurus.

P.P.S. It goes without saying, like and comment here if you have any questions of me so I can help you understand this and implement it.

As I sit here having coffee on my $10,000 Emmy sofa (I have two other couches that are 15k and 18k, one in my music room and another in the movie room on the 3rd floor)...

...Looking at the $8,500 Eames lounge chair in my living room that's next to a $2,500 Noguchi coffee table and a $1,200 Eames LCW side chair, surrounded by even more expensive art and handmade tapestries on walls.

My whole house is practically a showroom from Design Within Reach. 

When I bought it, I went there and bought the whole store, mostly because I watched Mad Men and decided I wanted a modern vibe, because I thought Don Draper was the coolest dude in advertising.

So $300,000 in furniture later, I got exactly what I wanted.

I laugh as I realize how absolutely ridiculous it all is, almost as ridiculous as me even telling you about this in this email, and yet I do so to illustrate a point.

I never talk about material things because, honestly, it's not something I care to "flex" as it's fuck all, but I do enjoy having having a lot of it.

And yet, despite making millions of dollars it wasn't always so as you'll see further down in this email.

Most of us come into the game because we have a desire to make money, and if you saw the email I sent the day about where desire comes from, it comes from lack.

We think that we're all lacking skills to make money, but what we're all lacking is the right mental ingredients that allow us to get and apply those skills in the first place to make money.

This is why on every NHB+ call, I spend a good 30-60 minutes on mindset.

Mindset, mindset, mindset...

...We have the single best track record of wins in this industry, no one comes close and no one is as consistent with them.

Show me any other place that has guys hitting $150,000+ days.

We have guys and girls hitting $100k months, Bas just crossed over a million on his weight loss offer, Scott hit $2m+ last year, Tony did too, the list goes on and on, they're all in the NHB FB group for you to see, and countless others who ask me NOT to share due to people wanting to copy them. 

Why? We do have the best marketing training bar none, but we also have the best mindset training bar none.

I don't talk about the mindset stuff often, but it's the difference that makes the difference.

You can have the fastest car in the world, designed by the top engineers, with 1,000+ horsepower, but if you have one foot on the gas and the other on the break, you won't get anywhere.

So as I'm about to turn this email list you're on into an official NHB newsletter, I'm going to write deeply as I speak deeply on those NHB+ and FF calls.

It won't be short-quick-to-the-point as it was.

It'll be more background, the setup, the context, the flow in, the setting the stage.

I'll sell you on the concept before I tell you the concept. Just like I'm doing now. 

So now that you're sold, I want to share with you something that has fucked me and held me back in the game more than I care to admit.

Oh yes and the newsletter will have the words such as "fucked me", because that is verbal drama, the seasoning for the thoughts, and for the story at hand.

When you don't have money, you operate on needs. When you have plenty of money, you operate on wants.

We only need so much and yet want much more.

There is a point where you cross over from not having much money to having enough, then more than enough.

In this cross-over, we encounter a struggle that keeps us stuck and prevents us from further growing, and that is the idea of "I want it", BUT..."I don't need it".

This want vs. need is what keeps most stuck because when we operate on needs, then we are operating on enough and no more, yet when we operate on wants, we operate on much more.

The need is based on enough, the want is based on so much more.

The universe will give us everything, and yet here we are telling ourselves, "I don't need it", which translates to "I am not worthy of it", or "I'm not good enough", or..."more money will not come so I better save what I got".

This is where the stories we tell ourselves and others emerge from, the internal conflict, the story of struggle.

These stories explain our behavior, justify our actions, keep us looking at it, and ignore what's truly possible for us.

This is a dark, heavy form of scarcity thinking.

And as they say, what we think about, we become, and yet most of us don't know how our minds work nor what we think about it.

This pattern created a cycle of up and down for me for many years. Make millions, spend millions, back and forth, back and forth. Go up, come crashing down, get bruised up, only to get up and do it again, over and over. It became predictable as the sun rose up.

I spoke scarcity into existence, and I always got more scarcity.

You can't break a pattern unless you can recognize it, and once I recognized it, I broke it by realizing that for most of human history, we operated on needs, but if you look around, these days, we largely live in a world of wants...

...And once you have plenty of money, it's ok to operate on WANTS, because, guess what? More money will always come.

Plus, you can go buy and get what you want, and if later you decide you no longer want it, then you can sell it and keep the experience.

Only once I was able to break the pattern above could I go to not only making millions but also keeping them and investing them to the point where I can live the life of top 1% off of my passive income, where I can stare at the wall all day and do nothing.

This is the reason you never see me selling, pitching or offering anything to you in any of my content. I just flow.

Because, it's one thing to be able to make millions of dollars, but a whole other thing to keep the millions and yet another to be able to invest them so you wake up every day and your money making you money.

This above wisdom is what separates your belief system from making, keeping, and investing.

So I could have told myself, "I don't need a $10,000 sofa", "I don't need a $8,500 lounge chair I never use", and so on and so forth.

I could have told myself, just go get something cheaper, less, because "I don't REALLY need it".

And you know, that would have been the right thing to do, but you know what else? It doesn't matter because we live in a world of wants, and it's ok to have wants.

What we want makes us feel good, and the reason it makes us feel good is because it tells us we're worthy, we're more than enough, we deserve it.

Don't keep yourself from wanting and getting things; more money will always come as it always has.

If more money didn't always come, you wouldn't have made it this far, would you?

The faster you recognize this in you, the faster you're going to get to where you want to go financially.

Have a great Sunday,

Alen

P.S. If you're wondering where my wants for insanely expensive furniture came from and why I'll spend more on it than guys will spend on supercars is because when we came to America in 1994 as war refugees from Mostar Bosnia, we came here with $50 our names. Me, my dad, and my mom, three of us and $50 to our name...

...And because we had nothing, we got our furniture from the trash that people threw away, cheap, old broken down furniture.

At that time, we didn't speak any english, and we arrived in a strange land with $50. We had no choice but to operate on needs, we couldn't have our wants.

So I told myself, one day, I'm going to have one of the homes in the city with the best of everything and I have it. Not because I needed it, but because I wanted it.

It's ok to have wants, after all, they print trillions of dollars make stuff non-stop, and if not for you, then who else? For all of us.

P.P.S. As always, here's a link to the FB group post about this.