"Testing everything you do with your online business - and tracking the results - is the only way to keep on top of what you're doing right and what you need to improve."

- Derek Gehl

"What Are We 'Split-Testing' Today?"

By Alex Mandossian

I ask myself the same five-word question at the beginning of each day... and I've asked it repeatedly ever since December 2004: "What are we 'split-testing' today?" One of the things I'm certain of is that this has unlocked the secret passageway to accelerated business growth, wealth, and success.

I encourage you to ask yourself (and your team) the same question. Ask it at the beginning of each day, and then sit back, relax, and watch what happens.

Magically, this powerful declaration almost instantly puts you (and your team members) into a market-centered mindset. It puts you in the marketing driver's seat to capture more profits - faster, better, and easier.

In my own business, this question has helped me achieve accelerated growth month after month, without the stress and worry that accompanies marketing guesswork.

What can split-testing do for you?

Split-testing is the best way to find out which marketing efforts are working best... and which aren't working at all. You merely choose an element you want to test - a headline, for instance - and test one version against another. Whichever version best helps you achieve your marketing goals - collecting names for your e-mail list, making sales, etc. - is the winner, the one you run with. (Of course, we are always testing new variables against the original winners.)

The more split-tests you do, the more chances you have to increase your profits.

Below are eight single-variable split-tests I've conducted during the past few years - and the results of each test. You should consider trying these split-tests for your own business. The results you get could accelerate your sales and profits for the rest of your professional life!

Split-Test #1: Inbound Phone Order Script

"Call now. Operators are standing by..." (Loser)
"Call now. If the line is busy, keep calling..." (WINNER)

Split-Test #2: Online Order Button Copy

"Add To Cart >>" (WINNER)
"Buy Now!" or "Order Now>>" (Losers)

Split-Test #3: Free Shipping & Handling Pitch

"Free shipping and handling..." (Loser)
"We pay for your shipping and handling charges..." (WINNER)

Split-Test #4: 2nd Product Free

"Get 2 for the price of 1..." (Loser)
"Buy 1 and your 2nd one is free..." (WINNER)

Split-Test #5: Online Audio & Video Testimonials

Testimonials WITHOUT "Case Study" story (Loser)
Testimonials WITH "Case Study" story (WINNER)

Split-Test #6: Auto-Responder Follow-Up E-Mails

7 daily e-mail reminders in 7 days (WINNER)
7 weekly e-mail reminders in 7 weeks (Loser)

Split-Test #7: Special Existing Customer Offer

One-Time Buyer Sublist - sending the offer to subscribers who have made only one purchase from us (Loser)

Multi-Buyer Sublist - sending the offer to subscribers who have made at least two purchases from us (WINNER)

Split-Test #8: "Good-Better-Best" Price Test

The traditional pricing method:
Good = $X, Better = $Y, Best (Good+Better) = $Z (Loser)

The decoy pricing method:
Good = $X, Better = $Y, Best (Good+Better) = $Y (WINNER)

Try some of the split-tests I revealed above. Or create your own single-variable tests. They will teach you a LOT about your marketing. And the results can ensure that you will maximize your marketing efforts and make the biggest possible profits.

Keep in mind that outside variables can significantly impact your split-test results. When I say "outside variables," I'm talking about things like business-to-business lists vs. business-to-consumer lists... the time of year (not to mention the state of the economy!)... whether your sales package is conveyed through audio or video... and many others.

You can have the same offer, product, and price and your split-tests may differ when these outside variables come into play.

Remember This: For each split-test you do, your decisions should always be governed by your results.

If you decide not to put split-testing into your daily marketing ritual, here's the typical downward spiral you can expect just before your business goes on life support...

No split-tests leads to no results. No results leads to no growth. No growth leads to no innovation. No innovation leads to no market relevance. No market relevance leads to no business.

Game over. Thanks for playing

"In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king," said Desiderius Erasmus. No truer words have ever been spoken in the context of marketing today. Each of your split-tests gives you 20/20 vision with both eyes wide open.

What NOT to Split-Test: Split-testing, like any other important marketing activity, will cost you some time and money. Duh! So it doesn't make sense to test whispers. In other words, split-test "screaming" variables. It's not worth split-testing price points of $199.95 vs. $199.98, for example, or font formats of Garamond vs. Times Roman.

To paraphrase marketing legend Ted Nicholas, "The Holy Grail of direct marketing is the single-variable split-test." By split-testing, you'll never again have to chase down winning offers... winning offers will chase you down!

2 Fountains of Youth

By Craig Ballantyne

Life extension is one of the most popular research topics in the world right now. You might have heard what scientists have learned about calorie restriction, for example. Many studies have found that if you cut calories from an animal's diet, they can live longer. This works with mice, monkeys, and even household pets.

But does it work for humans?

Researchers at the University of Florida's Institute on Aging recently investigated the possibility that calorie restriction could help extend the human lifespan. In this study, human subjects either decreased their dietary intake by 20 percent less than needed to maintain their weight, or they increased their energy expenditure by 20 percent through exercise. (The subjects needed a lot of discipline, because this went on for more than a year.)

The researchers found that both diet and exercise helped reduce oxidative damage to the subjects' DNA. And they expected that this would have a positive effect on lifespan.

What does this mean for you? It means that you might not have to starve yourself to live longer. Both diet and exercise appear to have the same beneficial effect on the aging process.

Of course, the best thing to do - for both life extension and weight control - is to combine diet and exercise for a double-whammy. Not only will you lose pounds, you could also add years.

It's Good to Know: Pareidolia and the Auto Industry

Have you ever seen "the man in the moon"? How about clouds shaped like trees or mermaids or bears? When you see vague forms as specific images, you're experiencing a phenomenon known as "pareidolia."

Because people tend to view the front of cars as face-like, researchers are using pareidolia to come up with more appealing designs. Surprisingly, they've found that people seem to prefer cars with angry faces - especially cars that have features associated with power, like the BMW 5 series.

(Source: livescience.com)

Word to the Wise: Officious

"Officious" (uh-FISH-us) - from the Latin for "a sense of duty" - is another way of saying "meddlesome."

Example (as used by Ken Follett in Code to Zero): "The guy was an officious twerp, but Luke and Pete were vagrants, and a railroad employee had the right to throw them out."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2492, 10-21-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.