Welcome to the ABDO Program – More Attention, More Meetings, More Clients
On this page, you'll find the assignments, templates, and recordings for this program.
The purpose of this program is to help you get more attention, meetings, and clients with attention-based direct outreach emails. So look out! This program will do damage to your habitual avoidance of getting out there and connecting with new prospective clients. It will rock your marketing world.
For more in-depth information on writing emails and other good marketing stuff, you'll find it in my first Email Marketing Program.
ABDO Templates
Templates and Documents
This is my original manual with extensive artcicles and instructions on marketing for self-employed professionals. Use it as a reference guide.
Step One - Program Preparation Work
Post Info Here
Step Two - Formulation
Write an Executive Summary about your services.
Good marketing materials should start with an “Executive Summary” that gives a clear overview of what your business is about.
Overview on Writing an Executive Summary
Samples of Executive Summaries:
Sample Executive Summary Heart of Business
Alastair Dyrburgh Executive Summary
Kevin McGourty Executive Summary
Philippa Kennealy Executive Summary
Neal Zimmerman Executive Summary
Step Three - Affiation and Connections
You can't email to anyone without a list. This document tells you how to come up with a list of prospects to send emails to.
Step Four - Getting Attention with Your Marketing Strategies
Writing Emails for Category 1 Prospects
This is how to write that email outreach to Category 1 prospects. This is where the juice is. Master this and you'll be meeting with qualified prospects left and right, eager to hear what you have to say.
How to Succeed at Your Marketing Campaign
This is the step-by-step approach to planning your direct outreach campaign. This includes your outreach plan and pre-selling conversation.
Marketing Action Planning Form
I cover the basic plan in the document above this, but this can be used for more complex plans. Use this form to map out your marketing strategy, whatever it is. The samples are on the first pages. The blank form is on the final pages.
How to Play the Marketing Game and Win (coming soon)
How to Have Fun With Your Emails (2)
This little article will give you some inside secrets on how to make your emails fun with the most common and powerful humor tool in the world – The Reverse. Gasp!
Step Five - Having Pre-Selling Conversations
Once someone responds to your Category 1, 2 or 3 emails, you want to set up a short follow-up call. The purpose of this call is to set up a selling conversation or what I call a Strategy Session. This short but brilliant document explains how to do that. Note that much of this is covered in the above document, "How to Succeed at Your Marketing Campaign." But it adds a few things. Study both!
Step Six - Educating Your Prospects About Your Services
Your Program or Service Sales Letter
Bob Sherlock Sales Letter
More samples here soon.
Before you conduct a Strategy Session, you want to provide some written materials about your business and services. This gives you a step-by-step process for writing an online sales letter about your programs or services that your prospect will read before they meet you for a Strategy Session.
For more on marketing writing, go here: Marketing Currency from Fast Track Program
Step Seven - Selling Conversations or Strategy Sessions
Conducting the Selling Conversation - Strategy Sessions (Word.doc)
Now that you have a hot prospect ready to meet with you in a Strategy Session, you can't wing it. This conversation has a structure, certain questions you ask in a certain order, all the way to asking them to work with you. This includes a complete sample selling conversation and a step-by-step outline. It's amazingly effective. And it contains no sleazy manipulation. Yuck, who wants that?
ABDO Mindset
Marketing Mindset
You might say there are two big things that contribute to marketing success. One is learning, practicing and implementing various marketing strategies. When you master certain marekting stratgies, you attract more clients. It's as simple (and as difficult) as that.
The second thing is mastering your Mindset. And in fact, it may be more important thant marketing Strategies. How you think and feel about marketing will have a grat impact on the actions you take to implement your strategies. A bad marketing mindset can completely undermine your marketing success. A great marketing mindset can dramatically accelerate your success.
Below are a series of articles I wrote for The Fearless Marketer that focus on ways to shift your Marketing Mindset. I encourage you to read them all. They just may speak to you and give you some valuable insights and tools to discover the most powerful mindsets for you.
Stories You Tell Yourself About Marketing
Navigating the Rapids of Your Mind
How Wise People Deal With Disappointment
The Fearless Landing
Fearlessness is About Being, Not Doing
How to Successfully Meet the Three Biggest Marketing Challenges
How to Get Beyond Paralysis by Analysis
How to Go ALL IN on Your Marketing
Working Your Business From the Zone of Genius
For GOD’s Sake, Just Try Something New!
How to Multiply Your Creative Energy
ABDO Assignments
Program Sessions and Assignments
Here are the much resisted but ridiculously important assignments you'll be slaving over during the program. No one has mortaly perished doing these assignments, but there's always a first time. Tread with caution tempered with reckless abandon.
Session Dates
April 10, 24, May 8, 22, June 12, 26
July 10, 24, August 14, 28, September 11, 25
October 9, 23, November 6, 20, December 4, 18
Zoom Connection and Meeting Details
All sessions will be on zoom at this link: https://zoom.us/j/2121681264
All sessions will start at the dot of 12 noon Pacific. (1 Mntn, 2 Cntrl, 3 Estrn, 8 UK, 9 EU) - However, please be on the call 5 mins early so we can start on time.
If you are unable to be on a session, please send me an email and let me know. Otherwise, I will think you've been hit by a bus.
Pre-program assignment
Read this document: How to Make Your Emails Funny
Write a funny email asking someone or something to do something. Keep it short and simple. It could be asking a prospective client for a meeting or it could be requesting your dog to poop outside. It doesn't matter. The whole point is to get some practice in making a request in a humorous way.
a) the opening will set the context of the connection and use some humor.
b) the middle part will make the request. A little humor as well.
c) the call-to-action is asking to set a time for the meeting or for taking the action. Again, humor helps.
Refer to Document #1 under the Templates tab to help you with this.
Send the email to Robert: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
1. First Session Assignment
Read these two documents:
Write Your Category 1 Email and Follow Up Call
Then write your first Category 1 Email and craft your phone script for the follow-up call.
Then send them to me by email. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Then I'll get back to you and set up your first individual coaching session where we'll work on your follow-up call.
If I don't get your assignment, we will not meet. So get it to me as soon as possible. First come, first served.
2. Second Session Assignment
Between now and the next session write and send a minimum of 5 emails to Category 1 prospects.
Start working on your program or service sales letter. Due by Session #4.
Your Program or Service Sales Letter
3. Third Session Assignment
Put you attention on completing your services sales letter, (see above)
If you are up to it, work on your Cateogry 2 or 3 emails.
4. Fourth Session Assignment
Continue to work on your services sales letter. See Bob Sherlock's letter as a template
ABDO Recordings
Program Session Recordings
Here are the astoundingly informative and mildly entertaining program recordings. The latest are listed at the top. The earliest at the bottom.
Session 15 - October 23
Video - Watch it here
Replacement session - October 17 (from Group 2)
Video - Watch it here
Sessions 13 & 14 - Sept 26, Oct 9
No recordings (Zoom problems)
Session 12 - Sept 11
Video - Watch it here
Session 11 - August 28
No recording
Session 10 - August 14
Video - Watch it here
Session 9 - August 7
Video - Watch it here
Session 8 - July 23
Video - Watch it here
Session 7 - July 10
No Video
Download the Report on LinkedIn
Session 6 - June 27
Video - Click to Watch
Session 5 - June12, 2019
Video: Click to Watch
Session 4 - May 22, 2019
Video: Click to Watch A - Click to Watch B
Session 3 - May 8, 2019
Video: Click to watch
Session 2 - April 24, 2019
Video: Click to watch
Session 1 - April 10, 2019
Video: Click to watch
ABDO Blog Articles
Blog Articles about Attention-Based Direct Outreach
These are articles that have recently appeared on my blog. How they got there is anyone's guess. However, amazingly, they give various perspectives and ideas about ABDO Marketing - how to reach out to prospects and turn them into clients. Read and learn.
What Marketing Strategy is the Best for You?
The Story of the Drunk Marketing Letter
Marketing Writing From My Dog's Perspective
How to Renew Old Clients with Funny Emails
How to Dramatically Increase Email Response
Direct Outreach: A Strategy That Works
The Simple, Consistent Way to Get More Appointments
5 Tips for Learning to Love Direct Outreach
ABDO Resources
ABDO Resources
This page contains some nifty resources that you may find useful - across a wide spectrum. I'll often mention these on the group sessions. If you can't find something I mention, just find your way to this page and you'll magically find the links I mentioned.
Instructional and Informational Videos
Video interview with Jon Buchan on his funny email approach
Interview with Jon Buchan - YouTube
Yet another video with John Buchan on his funny email marketing approach
Interview with Jon Buchan - YouTube
Video on how to use Snov.io to scoop names and emails from the internet and LinkedIn
Video on Snov.io (this will download to your computer as a Quicktime movie) About an hour long.
Other Jon Buchan Resources
The Original Jon Buchan Email Letter - This email got a ton of responses and meetings with big companies. Adapt it and use it.
John Buchan's Charm Offensive Facebook page - See ways people are using funny emails.
Jon Buchan's post in Reddit - about his approach to writing funny emails
Jon Buchan's Charm Offensive Subreddit - More examples of humor in marketing and advertising
Other links to using humor in your emails
how to use humor in emails - (Google search) Check out ALL of them on that page.
6 Funny, Unconventional, and Highly Effective Sales Email Templates Real Salespeople Use
25 Comical Subject Lines + Tips for Funny Writing
Other Articles on Email Marketing
This is an in-depth exploration into sending prospecting emails. Good stuff. You can use these ideas and also add some humor to your emails as the same time.
What to do when people don't get back to you. - A Hubspot Article
Email Programs and other Applications
Lemlist - This is a program you can use to send out cold emails (see below for set up)
Aweber - This is the email list-building program I've been using for almost 20 years. For your opt-in email list.
Mail Chimp - This is one of the most popular email list programs out there. Similar to AWeber, different structure. Also for opt-in email lists.
Cold Email Resources
Copyspace Video - on how to set up a Lemlist Campaign
Where to get your data for cold outreach - a video by Copyspace
How to avoid being blacklisted - a video by Copyspace
Boost your response with follow-up emails - a video by Copyspace
Strategies to get more sales meetings - a video by Copyspace
LinkedIn Marketing
Video with Ted Prodromou and Mewlonie Dodardo - This is a great interview about connecting with people on LinkedIn.
Other Stuff
The Dull Men's Club - Facebook Group - A never-ending source for droll humor. Join, visit and steal ideas.
Ted Talk on the Power of Laughing at Ourselves - On Tom Fishburne's website, Marketoonist.
The Funniest Ted Talks - A selection of 13 talks that incorporate humor
Getting Unstuck
It's not unusual to get stuck when you're learning someting new. All kinds of thoughts, beliefs, and feelings get triggered when we are trying something that is unfamiliar or that reminds us of something that was difficult, embarassing, fearful, or confusing. How do you get past all of that garbage?
This is a video by my friend Salvador Poe that points to your essential self, that which is beyond fear, doubt, confusion, stuggle. It's about an hour long, but it really gets to the heart of what it takes to identify yourself with something that is beyond your limitations, fears, and doubts.
ABDO Ways I Can Help
Ways I Can Help You In The Program
Of course, the primary thing I can help with is giving you hands-on strategies and tactics for attention-based direct outreach through fun and engaging emails that get attention, meetings, and clients.
And if that's not enough...
I'll have lots of templates and documents that you can study to help you write better, more engaging emails and documents. And have more fun doing so. And live to tell the tale.
• I'll give you personal help with your emails.
• I'll point you towards useful resources.
• I'll keep you pressing on when it seems the darkest and most hopeless.
• I'll feed you homemade chicken soup.
If you want, I'll also give you feedback on written materials, your website, etc. Let me know what you want feedback on and, in many cases, I'll do a quick video giving you feedback. Cool, huh?
So, use me. OK? I want to feel used. But not abused.
Cheers, Robert
