Good copy is absolutely critical if you want your website to perform well. But, of equal importance is your navigation structure.

Look at it this way. You could have the best, most highly targeted message with content that sparks your prospects’ desire to learn more buy. Yet, if you don’t give them the tools they need to move forward, you’ll never succeed in generating that lead or making that sale.

Take a look at your current site pages. Make sure every one of them provides seamless directions on how to move forward.

Start by offering links at the end of each page, especially if the page is long and your site visitor no longer sees your top-navigation by the time he or she gets to the end of the page.

Also, make sure each link you provide is relevant to the page that’s just been read. For example, if the page details your services, the next step is to give your readers a way to get in touch with you. Meaning, link them to your contact page. Same thing goes for a product-info page. Link prospects over to a sales page.

The concept of site navigation is a lot like giving a visitor directions to places within your city. If you’re dealing with a history buff, you’d direct them to museums and historical sites. If you’re dealing with a sports fan, you’d let them know how to get to the big arenas.

A little foresight when it comes to navigation goes a long way in turning visitors to customers.

*by John Forde, whose free weekly e-Letter, “The Copywriter’s Roundtable” is definitely worth subscribing to.

Sid and Harry run a tailor shop in New York City.

If you can picture it, Sid is the salesman working the floor, while Harry works over the inventory in the back.

A customer comes in.

“Excuse me sir,” he says to Sid, “how much for this suit?

“Let me ask Harry,” says Sid. “Hey Harry, how much for the black three-button suit?”

“For that beautiful suit?” shouts Harry from the back, “$42.”

Sid, hand cupped to his ear, looks confused for just a second. Then he turns to the customer and say, “Harry says this one is $22.”

The customer, eager to capitalize on the ‘mistake,’ plunks down his money and make a quick exit with his new purchase.

Now, I don’t know if Sid can really hear well or not. There’s even a good chance — let’s say “high likelihood” — that Sid and Harry meant to sell the suit for $22 all along.

But you get the idea.

The story comes our way from master copywriter and multi-millionaire businessman, Michael Masterson, who credits it in turn to persuasion expert Robert Cialdini.

Simply put, Sid’s story demonstrates the “law of contrasts” at work. The law of contrasts is where you underscore the greatness of a product, and offer, something… by comparing it to something else.

In Sid’s case, the $22 price of the suit sure seemed like a deal when compared to the $42 it seemed SUPPOSED to cost.

Suddenly, without really offering a discount or changing any of the details of the original offer… the contrast with a higher price alone makes $22 seem like a great bargain.

Now, of course, Sid and Harry’s story is an old one (who would wear a $22 suit today?). But consider, in the next offer you write, is there a way you could make the simple power of contrasts work for you?

In my experience, testimonials almost always enhance a promo package… except… when they don’t. What might make for a
bad time to use a testimonial?

Most often, when the testimonial itself just plain stinks.

For instance…

When it’s emotionally unsatisfying and vague:
“I found your book very useful.”

When it’s too gushy:
“I love your book! It’s the best one I’ve ever read! The exclamation point on my keyboard is stuck!!!”

When it’s too polished or pretentious:
“We delight in your intrepid and yet profitable handling of territory so treacherous as options investing.”

When you’ve used stock photos instead of real ones:
(Rule of thumb: Most of your customers probably do NOT have bleached teeth or airbrushed faces. And most of them do not wear t-shirts that have been pressed and dry-cleaned before the photo shoot either.)

When they’re a legal risk or just plain fake:
“I’ve secretly used this investment newsletter to pick stocks for years. I’d be working at McDonald’s without it.” – Warren Buffet, Omaha.

Or when the customer seems too embarrassed to sign it:
“I like your stuff, really I do. – Anonymous”

We could go on finding many ways testimonials won’t do what you want them to do. But how about how to make sure you get good testimonials and use the properly?

Here’s a truism based on experience:

Good products, first and foremost, are the better your chances of getting good testimonials. But even then, you need to identify the person on the team that’s got enough passion for the product to cull and archive a strong testimonial file. This could be the product manager, but more likely, they’re getting their best stuff from the front lines. That is, from the people who deal most directly with the customers.

Don’t be afraid to ask customer service if you can look at their letters or if they’ve seen something good. Often the good stuff is buried in letters asking support questions.

If the company is going to do surveys, make sure they leave room for open-ended questions at the end. And if they’ve done surveys already, look for ones where you can follow up to get enthusiastic customers to elaborate. A day of phone calls to buyers can pay off with testimonials you’ll use for years.

If the company corresponds via emails or an online customer forum (and who doesn’t these days?), ask if it’s okay to follow up with buyers electronically. Or better, ask the product manager to follow up, since replies to their requests might sound more natural (customers have a tendency to fancy-up their praise when they find out it’s going to go in a sales letter.)

Bottom line: There’s no way to get good testimonials without applying a little elbow-grease and a little creative harvesting.

That said, copywriting legend John Caples had a tip. Try running a testimonial-gathering contest. Caples liked to give customers a chance to fill in the following line:

“Finish this sentence in 25 words or less: I like (name of product) because…”

And in return, he would offer every participant a small prize.

Here’s another great idea, based on an insight from friend Michael Masterson, over at www.earltytorise.com: “Ask them what their life was like before they got your product… what their life is like now… and, specifically, how your product helped them make that change.”

Good ideas, don’t you think?

*by John Forde, whose free weekly e-Letter, “The Copywriter’s Roundtable” is definitely worth subscribing to.

NOW is the best time to launch a new business venture — especially if it has to do with Internet marketing.

Do you have an idea for a publication or product that can be sold online? Then jump on it. Too many people wait to master their knowledge, which means they never move forward.

Here’s the reality: There will always be more to learn and more to do. But, if you don’t take that first step, you’ll never get a shot at taking the second one. Or the third one.

My advice? Use this three-part strategy to get yourself launched.

1. Define your product. Write up a nice summary that highlights all the features and benefits of the thing you want to sell.
2. Define your ideal market. Make a list of the type of customers who are most likely to buy your product. Where do they hang out? How will you find them?
3. Decide how you’ll get them to buy your product. You’ve got a ton of options here, but the only one really worth talking about is online marketing. Whether you’re a service provider who runs a local operation or an information marketer who can reach out to people across the globe, having a terrific online presence will make it possible for you to be seen.

Plus, an online presence gives you instant credibility and accessibility. In the world of sales, that’s pretty much a win-win combo.