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Long Copy Versus Short Copy Face-Off

May 19

Posted by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero in Planning, The Marketing Dept | 1 Comment

In this corner we have the reigning champ “long copy”. And in this corner we have the apparent crowd favorite “short copy”. (Feel free to insert a high-pitched whine as you read each objection.)

Objection Number One:
It’s Darn TOO Long!
The funny thing is when I got my first long copywriting assignment I secretly snickered too. I didn’t see any reason for it to go on and on for pages. (Of course I didn’t know anything about marketing at the time either – I just knew what I didn’t like.) But, hey, if that’s what the client wanted, I would deliver. So I had to learn the style and cadence of long copy. I studied it extensively. I read whatever I could get my hands on by the masters. I read other people’s long copy. I collected my junk mail.

In the end I turned out a 15 page letter that hit every objection and flowed like the letters I had studied. That letter launched my copywriting career. Even though I was a novice at the time, my letter actually out-pulled every copywriting guru my client had previously hired. If fact, that letter made him A LOT of money…and allowed me to finally leave my corporate job and work from home with my two sons again!

Objection Number Two:
It Won’t Keep My Interest!
As Mike Fortin postulates, “People object to reading copy because: a) they are not targeted and b) the copy is boring. Length is the excuse because it’s a common currency. Boring is subjective. Long is objective. When copy starts to bore you, you naturally are inclined to say it’s too long. It’s too long because of the fact that it started to drag, causing the reader to lose interest.” www.successdoctor.com

And Dan Kennedy weighs in, “The person who says ‘I would never read all that copy’ makes the mistake of thinking they are the customer. And they’re not. We are never our own customers. There’s a thing in copywriting I teach called ‘message-to-market match’. It is this: when your message is matched to a target market that has a high level of interest in it, not only does responsiveness go up but readership goes up, too.

The whole issue of interest goes up.
The truth about long copy is that, first of all, there’s abundant, legitimate, statistical research, that’s split-testing research, to indicate that virtually without exception, long copy outperforms short copy. There’s some significant research has been done that indicate that readership falls off dramatically at 300 words but does not again drop off until 3,000 words.” www.dankennedy.com

Objection Number Three:
It Should Be Broken Up Over Several Pages!
Funny enough clicking around through several pages is a BIG TURN OFF to Internet users. In fact a web usability study from User Interface Engineering (www.uie.com) noted people prefer longer copy on fewer pages! That’s right. Users would prefer to scroll down one long page versus hopping around to find their information.

They write:
1. “Our research shows that fewer, longer pages may be the best approach for users. In the trade-off between hiding content below the fold or spreading it across several pages, users have greater success when the content is on a single page.”
2. “Increasing the levels of information, similar to adding sections to an outline, also seemed to help users.”
3. “Users may tell us they hate scrolling, but their actions show something else. Most users readily scrolled through pages, usually without comment.”

But most of all I agree with Mike Fortin’s assessment of keeping copy together on one page – It’s all MENTAL! He writes,
“Clicking to another page causes what psychologists call ‘cognitive dissonance.’ (Also known as ‘buyer’s remorse’ or having ‘2nd thoughts.’)
The idea is that, by clicking to another page while one is engaged in the reading process of sales copy forces readers to think twice, as it causes a brief, mental dissassociation or distraction, which interrupts the flow, momentum and intensity of the sales pitch.”
We have short attention spans. So asking a prospect to take even a split second to click to another page may be all it takes for him/her to shift gears and be gone forever. The goal is to keep your prospect in a sort of trance of subtle persuasion. Which is why the copy must also be INTERESTING. As Gary Halbert says, “Copy can never be too long. Only too boring!” www.thegaryhalbertletter.com

Objection Number Four:
A Single Column of Long Copy Is So 20th Century!
Why restrict yourself when today’s website could actually look like a digital version of a glossy magazine or a newspaper? (In fact, take a gander at many a corporate site and you’ll recognize the touch of “high tech graphic artistry” with little regard to salesmanship.)

Well, according to the Poytner Institute’s Eyetrack Study held each year, www.poynterextra.org/eyetrack2004/main.htm, there are a few problems with steering away from the traditional single column.
“Eyetrack III results showed that the standard one-column format performed better in terms of number of eye fixations — in other words, people viewed more. However, bear in mind that habit may have affected this outcome. Since most people are accustomed to one-column Web articles, the surprise of seeing three-column type might have affected their eye behavior.

What about photos on article pages? It might surprise you that our test subjects typically looked at text elements before their eyes landed on an accompanying photo, just like on homepages. As noted earlier, the reverse behavior (photos first) occurred in previous print eyetracking studies”

Objection Number Five:
I NEVER Read Long Copy!
Say what you will but the outcomes beg to differ. Marketing Experiments has built their business on testing “every conceivable marketing method on the Internet”. www.marketingexperiments.com Here are the results of a long copy/short copy study:

“In the first test, we sent traffic to two landing pages using Google AdWords. The first page was the home page, which contained short copy describing the product. The second page was similar, but featured a much longer article about the product. Both pages prompted visitors to click through to the order page, from which point they would be taken to the shopping cart.

Our initial results were gathered after a five-day period:
Test 1 – Short Copy
——————————-
Clicks = 810
Cost = $94.29
CPC = $0.10
Revenue = $271.75
ROI = -14%
Conversion = 0.37%
——————————-
Test 1 – Long Copy
——————————-
Clicks = 1,163
Cost = $135.61
CPC = $0.10
Revenue = $547.50
ROI = +21%
Conversion = 0.52%
——————————-
In our initial micro-test, long copy outperformed short copy by 40.54%. Click-through traffic sent to the short copy page was unprofitable (-14% ROI), while traffic sent to the long copy page produced an ROI of 21%.
In this first micro-test, it appears that the long copy page performed much better than the short copy page. However, a five-day period is not enough to account for statistical fluctuations that may skew our real results. So we continued to test.

We maintained the same test, expanded our keyword bidding slightly, and gathered additional results over the subsequent five days:
Test 2 – Short Copy
——————————-
Clicks = 1,700
Cost = $258.62
CPC = $0.15
Revenue = $295.75
ROI = -66%
Conversion = 0.18%
——————————-

Test 2 – Long Copy
——————————-
Clicks = 1,440
Cost = $218.83
CPC = $0.15
Revenue = $1,094.15
ROI = +50%
Conversion = 0.69%
——————————-
Again, long copy outperformed short copy, this time by an even greater factor of nearly four to one. Our ROI was a dismal -66% for the short copy page and a very respectable 50% for the long copy page.

And…
In general, long copy offers the following advantages:
1. Your visitors will have most of their questions answered and will have less anxiety about ordering from you.
2. Long copy can reduce customer service by qualifying your customers to a greater degree.
3. Long copy with bolded or emphasized points can allow some of your visitors to skim, while others more interested in specifics can find all the information they want. In this sense, long copy gives visitors more options.
4. Long (and interesting) keyword-rich copy often performs well in natural search engines.
Even more…

The long vs. short debate often overlooks the most important factor when it comes to website copy: quality. High-quality short copy will outperform poorly written long copy every time. The best possible copy should be developed and tested before you even begin to worry about the long vs. short debate.

Utilize an A-B split test. This will ensure that other factors (such as time, traffic source, and so on) do not skew your results.
Here are a few software solutions that will enable you to run A-B split tests:

And finally…
Copy should be long enough to do its job effectively, and not a word longer. Long copy for the sake of long copy is not to your benefit. Always keep in mind the primary goal of your website’s copy (to sell your product or service, to solicit subscriptions, etc.).

Utilize bullets and/or numbered lists where appropriate. These make it easier for visitors to digest your information and prevent your pages from becoming one long block of gray.

Utilize testimonials. Praise from your satisfied customers is much more effective than self-praise.
While our initial Long Copy vs. Short Copy micro-tests returned results clearly in favor of long copy, true optimization of your own website’s copy will only come through your own testing. However, the guidelines above should give you a good place to start. We will continue to revise our own testing and share our results.”

So there you have the long copy story from independent sources. You can continue to fight it, but the truth is LONG COPY WORKS. If it didn’t it would not be used to the degree it is.

The 7 Critical Steps You Must Take Before Writing a Single Word of Copy!

May 11

Posted by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero in Excellence!, Planning, Starting out in business, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 1 Comment

Okay, you know you have your product (or service) in front of you. Now it’s time to get the word out with an attention-grabbing sales letter. But where do you begin? Whether you hire someone to write your copy, pass it off to a staff member or learn to write it yourself, you need this checklist.

What Steps to Take Before Writing Your Sales Letter
One of the biggest misconceptions new clients have when they come to me is I can whip out a sales letter in a few days. Wrong, wrong and wrong. A lot of preparation goes into writing copy. I spend on average 50% – 70% of my time PREPARING to write copy. If you don’t do your homework, the chances go up exponentially that your copy will fall flat on its face. Use this simple checklist to get you prepared for writing your own sales copy.

¨      Use the product or service yourself. I wouldn’t dream of writing copy about something I had never experienced. (If it’s your product, you may want to let someone else test it, then interview her about her experience). It’s one of the fastest ways to get a complete understanding of its strengths and weaknesses.

¨      Research your target market thoroughly. If you know anything about the way I help others write their own copy, you know about the “tarket” concept. Basically it goes like this. Segment your market down by age, income, marital status, etc. Then write out a detailed description of ONE PERSON in your target market – your “tarket”. When you write, speak only to that person.

¨      Spy on the competitors. Make yourself a customer to your competition. Then study how they handle marketing and customer service from A to Z. Sign up for their ezines, study their websites, collect their direct marketing campaigns. Learn to think like they do. Soon the differences between your company and theirs begin to reveal themselves. Your unique selling position pops its head out!

¨      Anticipate objections by writing out the FAQs ahead of time.  Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think like she does. What questions come up for her that would stop her from buying? Expect those frequently asked questions to come up and address them in your copy.

¨      Identify the features and benefits. We already know people buy more on emotion than logic. So have a list of what your product or service does (features) and how each feature makes your customer’s life better (benefits). The more you can stimulate an emotional response in your client with benefits, the deeper the connection goes.

¨      Collect compelling stories from the client. Nothing pulls us in psychologically more than a good story. Humans are a storytelling society. It’s in our genes. So give them what. Get the reader entrance by your copy with a hard hitting short story.  Then connect it back to what you’re selling.

¨      Gather testimonials from happy customers. How often do you read a testimonial about how badly this product stunk? Not very often. Testimonials are designed to increase credibility. To put a face on people who have had success with your product. How it made them richer, happier, thinner. Let them speak for you. Your trust quotient goes way up!

If you follow each of these steps thoroughly BEFORE you sit down in front of a blank screen, you have all the elements you need for a successful sales letter. I know. I know. Putting the pieces to the puzzle together can be easier said than done. But no matter what your skill level is at today for writing copy, we all start from these same basic steps.

5 Hot Spots to Tweak for Higher Conversion Rates

May 8

Posted by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero in The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 1 Comment

All successful marketers know the sale comes from the words or the copy. While the traditional definition of copy is “salesmanship in print” I actually take a broader approach. Copy is used in ALL your promotional sales and marketing material. That means any place there are words about your business there is copy.

So it’s EVERYWHERE. Some people will drop loads of cash on website design or graphics, but baulk at learning the one skill that’s a veritable silver bullet when it comes to boosting income fast – tweaking the copy. Don’t make that mistake. Your business is too important.

Here are 5 targeted hot spots any entrepreneur can tweak copy to start raking in the green.

HOME PAGE WEBSITE COPY

Your home page or index page is the most important one on your site for two reasons. First, it’s your welcome mat. It explains what the visitor is going to find on your site. Hopefully there’s enough information to entice him to stick around and check out other pages on your site. Second, the home page carries the most weight with the search engines. Good copy can attract search engines while strategically sprinkling keywords and keyword phrases around that get your message across.

Things to tweak:

  • Headline
  • Opt in form for ezine, etc.
  • Privacy policy on opt in
  • Add audio

SALES LETTERS
A good sales letter is at the center of most successful marketing campaigns. I call sales letters the “mother of all marketing” because they have all the elements you need for effective promotion. You can chunk it up to use it for descriptions about your product on the back cover, in ads, in mailings…the possibilities are endless. But you have to walk a fine line between over-the-top hype and grabbing a prospect’s attention. There’s a definite art to writing a successful sales letter, but it’s not ‘rocket surgery’, as I like to say. (I’m famous for unknowingly mixing my metaphors.) There is a specific pattern you’ll notice if your study other sales letters – which I recommend you do.

Things to tweak:

  • Headlines
  • Subheadlines
  • Opening
  • Price
  • Bonuses
  • Call to Action
  • P.S.

ARTICLES

When people see your name enough times they come to recognize it (can you say, free advertising?) Best of all, you become known as an expert in your field. Post articles on your website and watch your search engine rankings improve. Just be sure to indicate your name and contact information must stay on any forwarded material. In general, people are pretty cooperative if you just ask. (Psst! I found a cool resource that writes basic articles for you for about $12! www.justarticles.com Personally I don’t use them for my ezine but they can give you a head start on your library.)

Things to tweak:

  • Titles of articles
  • Length
  • Update shirttails (about the author)

EBOOKS

Ebooks (or “electronic” books) are completely downloadable files usually created in a format that’s difficult to copy like PDF. And they are fast becoming the new standard for printing. Microsoft projects that within five years, over 50% of all new books will be in ebook format. They are a great way to make some passive income. Spend some time brainstorming your idea. Check online bookstores like Amazon.com to see what’s in the marketplace already. If you want some help James Roche, the Info Product Guy, www.infoproductguy.com is uncanny at yanking the product right out of you.

Things to tweak:

  • Titles
  • Subtitles
  • Back cover copy
  • About the author

EZINES

One of the best ways to stay in contact with your clients is through an ezine or “electronic magazine,” like this one. These are newsletters emailed out on a regular basis with valuable information people want to read. You can also announce new products, contests and specials. As long as you provide something of value, people allow you to market to them. But beware. The minute your ezine becomes nothing more than one long ad, you’ll lose subscribers by the boatload. Need help getting started? My gal pal, Alex andria Brown , the Ezine Queen can tutor you through the process.

Things to tweak:

  • Put content at top
  • Don’t overwhelm with ads
  • Add stories and observations
  • Provide useful tips

Remember, never stop improving your copy. Little tweaks go a loooong way when it comes to increasing pr0fits.

Who Reviews Your Performance as Business Owner?

May 8

Posted by Jenny Stilwell in Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Operations Dept, The Sales Dept | 1 Comment

No-one. How is your performance measured then? By the performance of your business. If you don’t measure this, no-one else will. It’s all up to you.

A review of your business will identify any areas which are working really well, and any which may require you to take action. As we’ve seen from recent corporate examples such as HIH and One-Tel, being informed about the real health of your business is critical.

If your business is robust, and healthy, you can be assured that you’re doing the right things and performing very well.

What are your ultimate goals for your business? Sell out? Franchise? Establish licensees? Take it to an IPO? Bring in other partners? Whatever your goal, the business must be healthy. You will gain more enjoyment from it, more profit, and have more fun working on it. After all, isn’t that why we’re all in business?

Ask Yourself the Important Questions

What are some of the questions to consider before you assess the overall performance or health of your business?
 What is it worth without you in it?
 How well does it function without you there?
 What is it worth today?
 What would you like it to be worth at some point in the future (short, medium or long term)?
 How long do you plan to run it day to day?
 Do you plan to sell it one day?
 Have you maximised its value?
 How can you make the business run better without you needing to be there all the time?

These questions are the starting point. Then you need to look into your business and make assessments on what needs to be done to get you to your future goals. Changes may be needed, extra attention may be required in some areas, or it may be running perfectly well as it is. There is only one way to assess how healthy your business is.

Run a Health Check on Your Business

This is where a health check comes in. You need to uncover the real status of operations and performance in all key areas:
 Finance
 Sales
 Marketing and promotion
 People
 Products and services
 Customers
 Processes and systems/Production
 Planning and goal setting

Table A

Sales Poor Satisfactory Needs Work Good
Sales revenue        
Sales tools        
Sales team use of time        
Lead generation        
Pipeline building        
Forecasting accuracy        
New customer acquisition        
Relationship building        

For each area, draw up a form with a simple checklist (Table A), rating each area as ‘poor’, ‘satisfactory’, ‘needs work’ or ‘good’. Using the above example, record your rating for each aspect which has been defined for the sales area. You should be able to see the most frequently scored rating, and make an overall assessment of the sales area.

How Do You Rate?

In conjunction with this assessment process, it is always a very valuable exercise to survey your staff/customers/suppliers as appropriate. They ARE your business and you need to know how you are performing, from their perspective. It isn’t necessary to conduct these surveys too often, but they are a useful benchmarking tool to use from time to time.

When you’ve been through all of the broad functions of the business (such as sales, finance, etc.), give each area an overall rating. Again, draw up a simple chart with performance rating across the top, the operational area along the left axis (sales, finance, people, etc.), and tick your ratings in the right columns (Table B).

If an area were generally in pretty good shape, and scored mostly ‘Good’ ratings, but one or two aspects rated a lower score such as ‘Poor’ or ‘Satisfactory’, it would be worth your while to address those under-performing areas now, before they affect all the good parts of the business or area that are working well. As they say, “Prevention is better than cure.”

Table B: Health Summary

Categories Poor Satisfactory Needs Work Good Summary
Finance          
Sales          
Marketing and Promotion          
People          
Products and Services          
Customers          
Processes/Production          
Planning and Goal Setting          

You’ll then be able to see at a glance what the overall health of your business is, and take the appropriate course of action:
 No action required (big tick for your performance, or maybe you haven’t been completely honest in your evaluation…)
 Identify priority areas which require attention
 Decide what action needs to be taken
 Implement improvements
 Review progress in 1, 3, 6, 12 months time as appropriate

The outcome of this process will tell you:
• The strategy required – which will focus you
• What you then have to do – which will improve your operations
• What you need to measure in the follow up review – with results as the outcome
• It will have measured your performance as the manager of the business
• Finally, if you are under-performing in any areas of your business, it will help you to make changes which result in improved performance next time around

Monitor the Vital Signs

The most important indicators that you must constantly watch and attend to are:
• Cashflow and available funds
• Sales, and plenty in the pipeline
• Overheads kept low – don’t let them creep up
• Know where you’re going (have a plan)
• Put systems and procedures in place as you go (so you can delegate as the business grows).

5 Critical Mistakes Most Consultants and Coaches Make

May 5

Posted by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero in Leadership, People!, Personal Development, Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 4 Comments

Think you have what it takes to be an consultant or a coach? I wasn’t so sure I knew when I first started in 1999. All I knew was I desperately wanted to work from home to raise my two sons after my divorce. It took a lot of trial and error to get to the stable and profitable business I am running now in 2007. There are some things I learned along the way I wish I knew much earlier in the game.One thing I learned is that writing is a very small part of being a successful entrepreneur. Don’t get me wrong. You DO need to know how to write. But your success depends largely on your savvy as a businessperson. How do I know? Because I’ve played it from both sides of the street. And I didn’t begin to enjoy success until I started doing some very distinct things in my business.

Please let me share with you some of the mistakes I made starting out so you can avoid those pitfalls yourself…and catapult to success much faster than it took me.

Mistake #1: Don’t attract new clients
When I first started out in 1999 I had exactly one client. He kept me very busy…for awhile. Then, without warning, he suddenly shifted his business to 100% offline and began using a copywriter with more experience in that area. I floundered for 10 months before I got back on my feet again from that blow.

Solution: NEVER stop marketing yourself. Even if you have a full practice, don’t stop getting the word out. Write articles and press releases. Do interviews whenever possible. Start an ezine and/or a blog so your name is always out there. Don’t get caught flat-footed.

Mistake #2: Don’t effectively manage your clients
At first I was so grateful to have any clients I let them call all the shots – regardless of what was in my best interest. It took me a long time to realize every client is not a match for me. Sometimes they were unreasonable in deadlines. Other times they would call me at all hours…including 6 a.m. and even on the weekends. (Until I learned to communicate better there were even a few clients I had to fire!) Bottom line is you can never have enough communication.

Solution: Have the client fill out a detailed questionnaire to open up lines of communication or have a long phone interview (which you record). Get a feel for his or her expectations. Add an extra cushion to your deadline. If possible, get a gatekeeper (assistant) to set up schedule so you can focus on what you do best – writing.

Mistake #3: Poor time management
Eager to please, I often did not give myself enough lead time for an assignment. I’d say, “I’ll do it!” before I looked at the reality of my schedule. So I’d have to pull all nighters or miss important family events. I was incredibly stressed and not a lot of fun to be around.

Solution: Schedule your daily schedule BEFORE you go to bed at night. Turn off email until you’ve made some headway with your copy. And use a kitchen timer to work in increments of 35 minutes (studies show after that frame your mind craves distraction). When the ding goes off, get up, stretch and clear your head.

Mistake #4: Not getting paid enough
Face it…in your business you do a lot more work than most people realize. You have to do deep research in your industry, around your competition, and with your own target market. You have to attract leads. Then you have to write powerful copy that crawls inside the head of the prospect and leads them to a specific action. You should get paid what you are really worth – no exceptions.

Solution: Value yourself enough to get paid what you’re worth.

Mistake #5: Don’t invest in yourself
I have read the classic “Think and Grow Rich” 16 times. Every time I read it, I learn something new. I have watched the motivational movie “The Secret” 6 times to date. I go to seminars (even when I’ve heard the speakers before). Because I learn something new every time. I have a huge marketing library of books, binders, home study courses, CDs, DVDs, MP3s and I listen to them over and over. Again, every time I take in material, whether it’s new or old, I learn something new.

Successful people in all walks of life invest in themselves. It’s one of the keys that separates them from the less successful. (Trust me, at times it hurt to part with the massive amounts of cash I’ve laid out for this education. But the payoff happens every time. Just do it.)

Solution: If you’re looking to attract more money into your business, start by investing in yourself. Think LONG TERM. As the old adage says, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”

Five Surprising Benefits of Waterless Tattoos.

Apr 29

Posted by Michael Crooks in Risk Management, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

The car ride was library-quiet despite having a 10 year-old daughter and an 8 year-old son in the back seat. The peaceful respite from the calamity that usually takes place behind me should have been my clue that something was up. But I was enjoying the rare serenity to the point that I was actually lost in my thoughts — until this strange “popping air” sound elbowed its way to the forefront of my consciousness.

Turns out the “popping air” sound was the two of them spitting on a temporary tattoo and themselves and my upholstery in an attempt to apply a water type temporary tattoo. The police officer — to whom I first related this story by way of explaining a series of questionable lane changes I made during my discovery of the happenings in the back seat — agreed with me that perhaps we need to rethink this whole temporary tattoo thing.

The event caused me to look deeper into a new promotional product just introduced at the time called waterless tattoos. My research over the next several months brought to light five distinct benefits of waterless tattoos over the conventional temporary tattoo (CTT) that required water to apply.

Sanitary
By and large, I believe eliminating the need for kids to spit on each other is the single biggest benefit of waterless tattoos. Germs and bacteria in saliva can spread all kinds of diseases from the common cold and the flu to Tuberculosis and Meningitis. Waterless tattoos are heat-activated thus eliminating the need for water — or in the absence of a clean water supply – spit.

Less Mess
Because there’s no water involved, waterless tattoos are less messy. This is a great benefit especially when you have little kids at an indoor event. You don’t have to worry about spills or water on the carpet.

Less Planning
In order to effectively use CTT’s during a promotional event, you must plan for water. With waterless tattoos, water is one less thing for which you need to plan.

Cold Weather Comfort
Application comfort in cold weather is another benefit of the waterless tattoos. Here in Michigan, there’s a nip in the air during football season. It was at one of my son’s games on a chilly Saturday in November, I watched a mom apply a CTT on her kids with a wet paper towel. The cold sorta took the fun out of it for the kids. With waterless tattoos, children enjoy the warmth of mommy or daddy’s warm hand pressed against their cheek.

Positive Image
An important benefit of waterless tattoos for corporate promotions involves corporate identification policies. Because of the way CCT’s are applied, the image and words appears backwards prior to being applied. Waterless tattoos on the other hand, make a better presentation because everything — company logo, picture or wording is right-reading, right from the start. That also makes it easier to proof the artwork. What you see is what you get.

One thing to be mindful of with waterless tattoos regards the fact that they are heat-activated. Storage in direct sunlight, near a high-heat source such as a radiator or in a sun-soaked car is discouraged. When stored at high temperatures the tattoo may adhere itself to the cover sheet. For that reason, storage in a cool place in an airtight container is recommended. If the tattoos will sit around at an outdoor event or in a car prior to distribution, keeping them in an insulated lunch sack or small cooler will preserve their integrity.

I remember as a kid, my friends and I would do just about anything, including behave, for a sticker. Today, temporary tattoos are the stickers of the 2000′s. Kids love ‘em. But as adults, we must recognize that kids will be kids. And as marketers of our brands, companys and events, we need to make appropriate promotional product choices for their sake … and our image.

3 Tragic Mistakes of Green Marketing

Apr 28

Posted by Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero in Innovation and Creativity, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

When I say “green” I am talking about the environmentally conscious consumer, also called “Cultural Creatives” or the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) market which includes about 50 million people. If you are trying to reach them, ya gotta go green. They are all about a better lifestyle for the planet over the long haul. They are interested in the environment, personal development, health, alternative therapies, and a sustainable economy. This growing market is relatively untapped. But like Marie Antoinette many marketers rush in and lose their heads. While there are many errors committed make when trying to reach that sector, these are the three worst mistakes made.

Mistake #1: Dull, boring headlines.
It’s hard to keep awake long enough to read the copy in those boring magazines and websites. Headlines like: “Make an impression and you can change the world” “Healthy. Happy. For Real” or “A Natural Partnership”…yawn.
Look – The job of the headline is to cut through the clutter and grab your attention. We are exposed to more advertising in one day than our grandparents use to get in an entire year. You’ve got your work cut out for you if you want to address anybody, and it starts with the headline. Stick with the tried and true attention-grabbing formulas. (Need help? Check out this cool software at www.redhotcopy.com/instantheadlines.com)

Mistake #2: Ignoring long copy.
I know you like to “think” the LOHAS market is just too smart for all that long copy. After all they are made up of wealthy CEOs and soccer moms. Don’t be ridiculous. They are a very educated segment of the population which means they make informed decisions. Just like anybody, when it comes down to making a buying decision, LOHAS want all the facts. Long copy continues to prevail because it WORKS. Now long copy for the sake of being long is plain stupid. You want copy that overcomes objections, makes a solid case, and answers all the questions in the prospect’s mind.

Mistake #3: Not capitalizing on celebrity endorsement.
Ed Begley Jr. is a fixture in Studio City where I live. He has been known to ride his bike to work way before it was cool to look at alternative fuel options. Now he has launched his own environmentally safe cleaning products called Begley’s Best. Ed’s endorsement means something. If you tie a celebrity to a green product, it means instant credibility so you have a much better chance of succeeding in the LOHAS market.
Remember, you can market to the green folks, using many of the same marketing principles you would use for the regular Joe. Come from an authentic position and be respectful. Soon they’ll be showing you the green.

Creating A Value-Focused Company

Apr 10

Posted by Jenny Stilwell in Excellence!, Innovation and Creativity, Planning, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

Our primary focus is to work with our clients to grow the value of their businesses. It is the value of the business which ultimately delivers wealth and returns to business owners and shareholders.

From a business valuation perspective, there are a number of factors which will influence the value of your business, some of those being:

  • Earnings track record – that is, the ability to deliver sustained financial performance
  • Industry growth
  • Competitive marketplace & your share of the market
  • Customer value, acquisition and retention
  • Product/service attractiveness
  • Ease of operation of your business – inbuilt procedures and systems
  • People – employees, owners, managers
  • Location
  • Assets

It will be far easier to start focusing on those influencers of business value now, than further down the track when you are thinking of selling your business, or a share of it to an investor.

Outside of the financial drivers, there are 3 key drivers of business value which can have pretty much an 80/20 impact on the value of your business. That is, if you focus on these drivers they will create 80% of the value in your business, and the other factors will take care of the remaining 20%.

The 3 drivers which will really build the value of your company are:

  1. Real growth potential
  2. A team that delivers
  3. An enduring competitive advantage

If you take the 80/20 approach again, you will get 80% of your results if you focus on a few key components of each of these value drivers:

Real Growth Potential
The creation of real market growth potential can come when you:

  • Get in early to a growing market
    eg: mortgage choice brokers
  • Take market share from incumbent suppliers
    eg: B2B (Dell), B2C (Pepsi)
  • Duplicate your business model
    eg: Franchise, license, new markets
  • Find & own a niche
    eg: Apple Mac – schools, designers, iPods
  • Develop demonstrable growth paths for customers/clients
    eg: Banks – cards, savings accounts, business accounts, mortgages, loans, overdrafts, second cards, etc etc.
  • Expand your market (scope)
  • Market diversification (eg: alcoholic drinks into soft drinks)

A team that delivers

  • A team that delivers is one that can execute the business strategy and take the company closer to its vision.
  • There are many models of leadership, team empowerment and motivation, and creating high performance teams.
  • The 3C model is one which advocates that leaders need to Challenge their team, build Confidence, and Coach them.
  • Building a Culture which attracts the right sort of people to your organisation is also important.
  • Attracting, inspiring, challenging and mentoring also have their roots in the vision a company has for its future, its purpose and its values.

These are all fundamental foundations in building a team that can deliver results and build value into the organisation.

An enduring competitive advantage

  • Common references are to ‘sustainable’ competitive advantage, but you can’t ‘set and forget’ your competitive advantage. In order for your market competitiveness to endure, it needs to be based on innovation, adherence to the discipline of adding value to customers, and understanding market dynamics.
  • Some of the ways to create exciting growth potential, outlined above, also result in enduring competitive advantage. Think of the most enduring competitive advantage example of all: McDonalds.

Focus on how to create real growth potential for your organisation, how to build a team that delivers, and how to create an enduring competitive advantage, and you will have created a highly competitive value-focused company.

Sell More Online By Offering a Big Fat BONUS!

Apr 5

Posted by Alexandria Brown in The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

I don’t know about you, but I secretly love watching infomercials. I enjoy dissecting how they sell, how they get people excited, how they entice people to take action now and pick up the phone and order something they completely don’t need!

As you know, these programs always offer a huge bonus or multiple bonuses for people who buy. Often the bonus is worth even more than the featured product itself. You know what I mean… they’re selling you a little vegetable chopper, but they also throw in a blender, toaster, and coffeemaker!

Why do they do this? Because it makes the offer completely irresistible. The prospect thinks, “Jeez, I’d be crazy not to buy this right now!”

The same strategy works extremely well online too. Using BONUSES is also a great way to add more value to your program or package, enabling you to raise your price point. And you don’t have to spend any money creating your bonus products if you don’t want to.

Here are 7 ideas to get you started offering a bonus ASAP:

1. Special Report
Think of some information that relates to what you’re offering that would be very helpful for the customer. Exciting titles with numbers are shown to work best, like “31 Easy and Fast Ways to Get More Clients” or “5 Mistakes Most Families Make When Choosing a Puppy.” Write it in Microsoft Word, format it so it looks nice, and then use Adobe Acrobat to save it as a PDF file for easy downloading. (Be sure to promote your business and website in there too – remember it may get passed around.)

2. Resource List
Compile a list of your personally recommended resources, websites, books, and vendors that are related to your product or service. You can set this up as a PDF file as well, or create a password-protected area of your website that customers and clients can access. Example: One bonus that comes with my Boost Business With Your Own Ezine system is the “Ezine Queen Private Resource Library.” It’s simply a select collection of links to websites and tools that can help my customers grow their lists and run their online businesses.

3. Checklist
Are there any checklists that would be a good tie-in to what you offer? That help people do what you’re teaching them to do, better or easier? Example: I have a program called “Insider Secrets to Making Money With Teleseminars,” and one of the bonuses is the checklist that I myself use when I plan any teleseminar event! My customers love it because it makes it super easy for them.

4. Collection of Articles
Hopefully you write articles or tips on a regular basis for your own ezine or newsletter, and you may even have them posted at your website as well. Why not package your favorites into a PDF document and title it your “Top 10″ or “Best of” collection?

5. Action Guide
Look at the principles, strategies, and tactics you teach in your program, and put together a separate guide to help the user do assignments, stay on track, and document her progress. (Some marketing experts say calling it an “action guide” or “success journal” is better than “workbook,” because “work” can subconsciously deter people.)

6. Audio Class
Record a 60-minute audio introduction or orientation to your program. If you already offer a free introductory teleclass or do live speeches, you can simply record that. Offer it online as an MP3 download, or even better, let people listen right from the website. (You can see exactly how I set mine up here.)

7. Consultation With You
A consultation is a great bonus to offer, for several reasons. First, it lets you get to know your customers better and hear the questions they ask and issues they face. This will help you further improve your products and services to offer what they want. Second, it’s a great opportunity to upsell these folks to a higher-priced program at the end of the call. For example, if they enjoyed the advice you provided on the call, they may be interested in your six-month coaching program. Don’t fear that everyone who buys your product will actually take advantage of your free consultation – they won’t. When I got started, I offered a free 30-minute consultation to all purchasers of my Boost Business… system. I estimate that less than 20% of the people who bought it actually scheduled a call with me.

Digital or Physical?

I’m a big fan of digital bonuses because they cost nothing to create and there’s no packaging or shipping involved. But of course you can also go with physical bonuses, especially if you’re already shipping the main product to the customer anyway. My Boost Business… system is a physical package that we ship, so we add in a 2-CD program that teaches people how to get more sales from their ezine. It’s simply a recording of a great teleseminar I did about two years ago.

If you’re offering printed material as a bonus, don’t go crazy spending a ton of money making it look great. “Good” is okay! A simple report that you have printed and bound cheaply at a copy shop is fine. Remember that people are paying you for the information you provide.

What’s most important is the cover — even if you only produce a digital report or audio product, having a graphic of it will help increase your response and make you look more professional. I use and recommend Killer Covers.

Give Your Bottom Line a Bonus This Month

So get YOUR bonuses in gear! Make a note of how your sales have been so far, and then add some bonuses and watch the numbers rise.

Promotional Marketing: Choosing The Right Type Of Product

Apr 4

Posted by Michael Crooks in Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

As marketers and businesses seek to promote themselves, their products or events, they need to think through the promotional products they use in their promotions. While they need to consider the positives, they also must explore possible negatives. A product that may seem like a sure-fire hit may actually turn into a public relations problem. Take Temporary Tattoos for example.

It’s no secret that kids love temporary tattoos. They’re the “stickers” of the 2000’s. And on the face of it, temporary tattoos and kids are a perfect match. In a retail setting, give the kids a couple temporary tattoos to keep them busy and you can effectively have a conversation with the parents. At festivals and other public events, if you hand out temporary tattoos to the kids, it’s like having 100’s of little billboards running around with your logo on their forehead, cheeks and hands.

The downside is, most temporary tattoos require water to apply. That’s not a problem when there’s a supply of clean water handy. But when kids don’t have access to water, they use the next best thing … their spit. Therein lies a health concern.

Germs and bacteria in saliva can spread all kinds of diseases from the common cold and the flu to Tuberculosis and Meningitis. While one solution is to take away the temporary tattoos … an alternative is Waterless Temporary Tattoos.

Because they don’t require water to apply, waterless temporary tattoos eliminate the need for kids to use their saliva when there’s no water available. That greatly reduces the spread of saliva-related germs and the mess commonly associated with applying temporary tattoos.

Because of their sanitary issues and ease of use, waterless tattoos are quickly finding a following within such organizations as the March of Dimes (MOD). A Michigan MOD chapter began using them for their walkathon in the fall of ’06. Word quickly spread within the organization. Currently, the MOD uses waterless temporary tattoos in 12 states.

Another example of a fun product with potential for calamity is flying plastic disks (FPD). Many companies manufacture or otherwise offer FPD’s for the promotional market. On the face of it, most people see little harm in throwing the disk back and forth with a friend or perhaps teaching your dog to make spectacular catches in mid-air. The problem is, not all plastic flying disks are the same.

Many of the most inexpensive are made of plastic that can splinter when broken. If, as a promotional item, the FPD’s are intended for children or the pet market, physical harm can come to a child who falls and breaks a FPD or to a dog that breaks one while biting it.

On the other end of the spectrum, the more expensive flying disks are made of a more pliable plastic that may tear and become deformed through rugged use — but will not break and splinter.

One way to avoid possible problems is to test samples of products you are considering for use in your promotional marketing campaigns. Role play with the product, use it, play with it and attempt to uncover the negatives. Can the product be used in a way other than its intended purpose?

Several years ago a popular kids fast food chain changed the design of their coffee stirrers after it was discovered that drug addicts were using the spoon-like stirrers … to snort cocaine. Not exactly the publicity the company wanted.

Probably the best way to avoid problems is to consult a local promotional marketing or advertising specialties professional. These knowledgeable people can provide valuable insight and steer you toward products that will serve your best interests.

When the purchase is based solely on price or without proper thought … the results can be undesirable at best. However, with a little guidance, thought and sampling … products such as temporary tattoos and flying plastic disks can be used safely and effectively to promote your company or event.

You’ve Got… Complaints! How to Turn Disgruntled Customers Into Raving Fans

Mar 20

Posted by Alexandria Brown in The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

Did you know that marketing isn’t only about getting your clients or customers? It’s also about KEEPING them, and keeping them happy. That’s a big key to growing your business, because not only will those customers themselves keep coming back to you for more, but they’ll send their friends and colleagues as well.

Studies done by the American Management Association show that your average HAPPY customer will tell three people about her experience with you. But your average unhappy customer will spread the negative word about you to 11 other people!

I’m sure you’ve done this yourself. I sure have! In fact, I can name three companies right now that I will “never” do business with again, simply because of the way they handled my complaints. (Sometimes all I wanted was for someone to say, “I’m sorry this happened, Ms. Brown!”)

A System Is Your Solution

If there are any complaints you receive on a regular basis, you should be addressing them by putting systems into place to avoid those problems from happening in the first place. There’s no way your business can grow with those landmines in your path.

But even after you do, remember that you are human, and so are your customers, so things will go wrong from time to time. And customers will write or call you to complain. So let’s give you a system to handle these situations graciously, with integrity, and turn them around for the best!

After doing some research, I’ve found that most all the recommended protocols for taking care of complaining customers basically follow this 5-step process.

1. Validate the customer’s feelings. Simply acknowledge that she’s irritated. Example: “I can understand you are upset.”

2. Assure her you’ll take care of her. Let her know something will be done. Example: “I’m here to help you with this.”

3. Make a “sad-glad” statement. This helps the customer realize you care. Example: “I’m sorry you experienced a problem. And I’m glad you told me about it!”

4. Ask the customer what will make HER happy. Don’t let this scare you! Customer service experts say that most often the upset customer will ask for “less” than what you would have offered yourself. Example: “How can we make this better?” or “How can we make this up to you?”

5. Acknowledge that you’ll do what she wants, or make a counter offer. (But always try to just give her what she wants! In the end, it will save you time and headaches, and avoid any bad word spreading about you.) Example: “I want to keep you as a customer, and we’re going to honor your request.” Or, “We can’t do that per our agreement, but we can… [counter offer here].”

I’d also throw in a little something else for her trouble. For example, perhaps free shipping or a bonus gift.

Adjust to Fit, and Review With Your Team

Of course you should adjust this process to fit your particular business. I suggest you take a few minutes to write up a script based on these steps, and then review it with your assistant or anyone else in your business who is in contact with your clients and customers. Make any necessary changes, and then distribute it to your team and agree that everyone will follow it.

Have your team keep a log of each complaint that comes in, what it’s about, and how it’s handled. Then have a monthly meeting to review and suggest improvements.

Up Your Sales With Testimonials!

Mar 6

Posted by Alexandria Brown in The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

When a prospect is deciding to hire you, register for your program, or buy your product online, you aren’t there in person to help convince them you’re “for real.” That means you have to go the extra mile by building credibility, so your web visitor immediately can trust you!

One of the easiest and most effective ways to do this – and increase your sales by leaps and bounds – is to feature TESTIMONIALS from your clients and customers. Testimonials may seem like a given, but many people completely forget to use them in their marketing.

You can never have too many testimonials. In fact, if you enjoy watching TV infomercials like I do, you’ve probably noticed a typical 30 minute spot is over 80% testimonials! And that’s for good reason… they are the hands-down BEST way to gain instant credibility. So rack ‘em up, and put them everywhere!

Here are 3 ways to make sure your testimonials sell FOR you…

1. Ask for RESULTS-ORIENTED Testimonials

The most effective testimonials are results oriented. That is, they share actual results your clients or customers have gotten. Also include numbers, dollar amounts, and/or percentages to get your prospect’s attention and dramatically increase your response.

Lame testimonial: “Alexandria Brown’s Online Success Blueprint course is a great guide to online marketing.”

Awesome testimonial (and a real one, too!): “Thanks to the Powerful, Simple Strategies I Learned From Alexandria Brown’s Online Success Blueprint, I Made $60,000 in TWO DAYS. I Will Easily Quadruple My Income in 2006. Thank you!”

2. Include Full Information on the Client or Customer

Have you ever seen shifty ads in the back of magazines with testimonials like this? “These super magic pills melted away 300 pounds of my extra weight overnight!” – E.B. in Wichita, Kansas.

Yah, right! I’m sure “E.B.” is a real person and that’s a real testimonial. Hmmm…

The more information you provide about your clients and customers, the more believable your testimonials are. Include full name, occupation or company name, city and state they’re from, web address (if applicable), and a PHOTO. (Even a crappy photo, if that’s all they have. It’s important to make them REAL to your reader.) You can see samples of how I did this here.

3. Use Audio (or Video) Testimonials for Even Better Results

Audio and video also add a TON of credibility to your testimonials, because your prospects actually hear and/or see the client or customer delivering the testimonial!

Audio is a snap to set up on your web pages using a great tool call Audio Generator. Have your customers/clients call their hotline and leave a voicemail testimonial. Then you just copy and paste the code onto your website! You can see samples of how I did this here.

I’m also venturing into video testimonials using Instant Video Generator.

Bug, Then Beg. And If All Else Fails… Bribe!

If you have trouble getting testimonials from your clients or customers whom you KNOW have had great experiences working with you or using your products, don’t get mad at them. You just have to bug them. It’s rare you’ll receive a testimonial unsolicited.

First, contact clients/customers whom you know have gotten great results thanks to you. Ask them if they can write up a short testimonial outlining their experience. They’ll probably say “yes” but will forget to follow up or take a long time.

I then usually offer to write something up for them based on what they’ve shared with me, which I’ll email to them for approval. Every time I’ve offered this, they are relieved and say “great!” And 99% of the time they are delighted with what I sent them.

As a last resort, and if you’re dealing with clients/customers whom you may not know as well, I suggest offering an “ethical” bribe to encourage them. For example, have a contest and the people whose testimonials are chosen for your web page get a free prize or product. Gets them off their butts and works every time!

How to Get Started With Direct Mail

Mar 4

Posted by Alexandria Brown in Planning, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept | 4 Comments

I admit that for some time I was resistant to doing any marketing via old fashioned snail mail. After all, email is FREE (at least for the time being). Why pay to print and mail anything at all? I mean, I’m the Ezine Queen – not the direct mail queen! And I was already making hundreds of thousands of dollars a year using the Internet.

Well, I can tell you I’ve changed my tune based on several mailings I’ve done over the past year. A test of sending out few simple postcards and one sales letter mailing helped me exponentially increase my response to two of my programs over the last several months. I’m now SOLD!

If you aren’t collecting any physical addresses right now from your clients, customers, and ezine subscribers, please get started now. Because not only will offline marketing supplement your online efforts immensely, but email deliverability gets trickier and trickier to maintain.

Email can (and will) change in the future. How, I can’t tell you. But the good old U.S. Postal Service will be around for a long, long time just the way it is. (And if YOU want your business to be around a long, long time, you’d better start getting those addresses now!)

Best of all, direct mail marketing will supplement your online efforts for even better results. It’s a no-brainer, folks. Time to get with it.

So, if you’re ready to venture into direct mail, here are a few dos and don’ts I’d like to share with you before you get started…

1. DON’T blow your whole budget on one mailing!

Imagine Nissan coming out with a new car and running ONE single television ad spot, never to be repeated. Ludicrous, yes? But many small business owners somehow think one mailing will do the trick. The biggest mistake most new marketers make when venturing into direct mail is doing ONE mailing, and judging the response solely from that. You should plan a campaign that involves at least three steps, and five to seven for best results. (If you want to keep it super simple, you can just mail the same darn thing repeatedly!)

2. DON’T do an expensive mailing your first-time out, even if you can afford it.

Why? I learned this the hard way when I did an exciting, pricey mailing without first realizing how many undeliverable addresses there were on my list. Remember that some people mistakenly mistype their addresses into your system, and people often move, sometimes with no forwarding address. I recommend doing an inexpensive mailing such as a postcard first time around in order to help weed out the undeliverables on your list! (Remember to include your return address so you’ll get these back.)

3. DON’T overlook how important your copy is in order to get attention and get response.

The great thing about mailing a postcard is the recipient reads what you have to say right then and there. If you send something in an envelope, it has to get opened first. That’s why master marketers recommend printing a headline or teaser on the outside of any mailing that’s done in an envelope. Example: “Look inside to learn 5 ways you can increase your sales by next week!” I say just do a postcard to keep it simple (and less expensive than doing an envelope mailing).

4. DO keep your graphics simple and attention-getting.

Don’t go crazy paying some designer thousands of dollars to create a mailing for you, when you can keep things simple and get just as good – if not better – results. I used to pay an artist beaucoup bucks on a regular basis to make everything I sent out looked picture perfect. Once I stopped that and started focusing more on the message, I started making (and keeping)a LOT more money. Remember it’s WORDS that sell, and the job of graphics is to get attention and support your message.

5. DO give them a reason to take action NOW (and not wait until later).

Include a deadline or expiration date on your offer, even if it’s for something free, or emphasize there are a limited amount of spots/products left. Of course this will all depend on what you’re offering, but you get the idea! You don’t want to risk the recipient putting your postcard or letter in the “get to later” pile (which never gets touched).

6. DO track your mailings carefully so you can judge your return-on-investment.

If you are driving people to a website to opt-in or buy something, make sure you give them a separate and simple URL (web address) that is ONLY for the purpose of this mailing. You don’t have to create a new website or anything, just make sure you can track it. For example, I bought BlueprintWorkshopPostcard.com and then had that redirect to a tracking link I set up using the easy ad tracker program in my shopping cart system. This way I could tell exactly how many people typed in that URL, AND also how many people also actually registered for the workshop from the postcard! (VERY valuable information.)

7. DO work with a vendor who can make this all EASY for you.

I tried several different companies this past year, and now I only work with and recommend TWO. For full-color postcard design, printing, and mailing, I use Modern Postcard. (They did all my postcards for the Online Success Blueprint Workshop, including design, printing, and mailing, with quick turnaround too!) For mailings with goodies (called “premiums”) inside them and more creative stuff, I use my friend Mitch Carson at Impact Products. He’s the consultant I pull in when I truly want to make a BIG impact in the mail!

Words that get noticed

Feb 27

Posted by Robert Gerrish in Negotiation, People!, Planning, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 2 Comments

As regular readers will know, in my coaching and speaking business I put considerable emphasis on who is an ‘ideal client’ for me.
It’s only by recognising who that person is and being certain that the services I have to offer are relevant and needed that I’m able to tailor my marketing messages and actions.

Soloists who don’t know precisely who they want to target invariably waste time and money promoting dumbed-down offerings to audiences that aren’t listening anyway.

A good example is a web designer I met last week who basically told me he’d help anyone who’d pay his fees. Well, whoopee!

I just Googled ‘web designer, australia’ and came up with 4.5 million responses, which suggests a relatively crowded and competitive marketplace, wouldn’t you say?

If we’re going to stand out and get noticed we have to speak to, and connect with, individuals. Simply contributing more noise to the cacophony that already exists isn’t good enough.

So what’s your key message and who do you want to hear it?

Should You Market to Pleasure … Or Pain?”

Feb 12

Posted by Alexandria Brown in People!, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

One day a few months ago, I emptied my mailbox after being away for several days.

Because I give regularly to charities, I seem to be on the mailing lists of every organization in the world. So there were plenty of solicitations to sort through.

Usually I toss most of the envelopes I receive, the ones with generic messages on them like “help us today” or “give to save the… [insert 'children', 'animals', or 'forests' here]“.

But one envelope caught my eye. It was an unusual beige color, it had a picture of a cute little dog on it, and it said in bold letters, “Don’t let what happened to Coco happen again.”

Because I was curious who Coco was and what happened to him, I opened the envelope.

The letter told a true story of animal abuse so horrific that I burst into tears for that poor little dog. It ended by explaining how I could help prevent this from happening to other animals by donating to their organization.

I can tell you I never whipped out my checkbook so fast in my life.

But why this time?

Why had I ignored all the other mailings that simply asked for my help?

Because this one made me FEEL.

It told me a shocking true story. It struck a deep nerve in me that brought out my rage regarding this topic. Suddenly it was personal, because it touched on my pain.

You see, all marketing plays on either pleasure or pain.

It seems to me that most marketing plays on pleasure. For example, cosmetic companies show women how gorgeous and young we could look if we only used their products. Car companies show us how sexy and powerful we’d feel if we buy that sports car we can’t afford. And beer companies convince men that they’ll magically attract gorgeous females if they only drink a certain beverage.

But…

Sometimes “Pain” Works Better

Some businesses will do BETTER by marketing to people’s pain. For example, a TV commercial for a financial planning service shows a couple arguing over money while their children listen from the other room, looking scared. An acne medication ad shows a teenage girl staying home from the prom, crying because she’s got a few pimples.

And if you think about it, most of us don’t take action on things until we feel pain. For example, a friend of mine didn’t take control of his finances until he was nearly bankrupt. And a couple I know didn’t hire a marriage counselor until they were ready to split for good. My sister didn’t look for a better job until she couldn’t stand the one she was in anymore.

So, follow along with me here…

Are your prospects more likely to actually buy your product or hire you based on wanting pleasure … or to move AWAY from their pain?

For example, a dating coach may have more success in her marketing with statements like, “Are you sick and tired of sitting home lonely on Friday nights? Attracting the wrong men for you again and again? The clock is ticking – have you met Mr. Right yet?”

The idea is to touch on people’s pain, then show them that you’re the solution.

Another example is an auto repair shop that marketed a free report, “10 Ways Not to Get Ripped-Off Next Time You Get Your Car Fixed”. Not only did that touch on most folks’ fear of getting ripped off, but it also positioned them as an authority on the subject!

For those of us who are naturally positive people, marketing to others’ pain may seem initially uncomfortable. But you’re doing them a favor! By helping them realize what’s wrong in their lives, their businesses, or the world, you’re also showing them how they can fix it. You’re actually helping them “see the light”.

Marketing to people’s pain can make for dramatic results when done right.

What State of Mind Are YOUR Prospects In?

Think about your target market right now. What state of mind are they in when they are considering hiring you or buying your product? Are they more likely to take action to gain pleasure? Or to make the pain they’re in go away?

If the answer is different than what you’ve been doing, try changing the angle of your marketing for a while.

You may find that a little pain is the best thing that ever happened to your business.

Procrastination Marketing — It Works!

Feb 5

Posted by Alexandria Brown in Innovation and Creativity, Planning, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

I’m guessing that right now there are several marketing tasks you’ve been putting off. Perhaps it’s revamping your website. Or sending out your first e-zine. Or getting listed in the search engines. Or putting together a media kit.

So why haven’t you done it?

Believe me, this is a battle I fight with myself too. But you know what I realized?

Procrastination is NOT evil!

Instead of seeing procrastination as a terrible thing, I now see it as a tool that helps me learn how I work best.

In fact, I’ve arrived at six different reasons why we all seem to procrastinate. Here they are, along with what you can learn from (and do for) each.

Reason 1: You are procrastinating because you don’t enjoy the entire task or job.

Solution: One of my life coaches told me several years ago that if I didn’t like doing something, I should “delete it, delegate it, or automate it.” What a great way to look at things! I’m a big fan of ONLY doing tasks I enjoy or am good at. The rest I outsource to people who are good at it and/or enjoy it.

Reason 2: You are procrastinating because you don’t enjoy a PART of the entire task or job.

Solution: If you’re putting off a whole project just because there’s one part you don’t want to do, figure out how you can get away without doing that part. Again, delete it, delegate it, or automate it.

Reason 3: You are procrastinating because you don’t know how to handle the task or job.

Solution: The answer will not drop in your lap. Get help — a consultant to teach you how, a book or home study course to show you how, or even better, outsource it to someone who can just do it for you.

Reason 4: You are procrastinating because you simply can’t find the time.

Solution: Schedule future time to do it, or get rid of other tasks to create the time you need. If you still can’t do this, then you need to find someone to do it for you.

Reason 5: You are procrastinating because you feel stuck.

Solution: You may just need to get momentum going. Give yourself permission to do just one small part of the project only. Or do the easiest part first. (That’s how I started writing my entire home study course.) This usually creates momentum, and you end up doing a lot more than you intended to!

Reason 6: You are procrastinating because you don’t really want to do what you thought you should do.

Solution: This means you may have the wrong objective or strategy in the first place! Is this something you really want to do, or do you just think you SHOULD do it? Or is it an old goal that doesn’t fit you or your business anymore? Your answer may surprise you. Let the goal go for awhile and see what happens. : )

Start Paying Attention!

Once you start paying attention to which activities you put off regularly, you’ll know sooner when to be stricter with yourself or find help to get those tasks accomplished in a more timely manner.

So take a minute and make your list right now of what marketing tasks you’ve been putting off! Don’t beat yourself up about it, just make a note and figure out how to get them done.

Should You Offer a Money-Back Guarantee?

Jan 30

Posted by Alexandria Brown in Planning, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 17 Comments

Many new business owners ask me, “Should I offer a money-back guarantee? I know it will help sales, but the risk really scares me.” I offer guarantees on everything I sell, but that doesn’t mean you should too. Here are some factors to consider and some ideas to get you started.

The Pros:

A guarantee puts your prospect at ease, giving her no reason NOT to buy or NOT to work with you. After all, if you don’t stand behind your product or service 100%, what are you doing in business?

This is especially true if you’re selling products via the Internet. People at your website don’t have the chance to meet you in person and see that you’re legitimate, so it’s your job to give them complete confidence in buying from you.

The Cons:

With some service-based businesses such as consulting, it may be hard to guarantee your work or your results. (Especially if your clients’ cooperation is required to ensure their success.)

Also, a few turkeys may capitalize on your generosity. For example, my “Boost Business With Your Own E-zine” system was originally an e-book when I launched it a few years ago. It would not be unusual to see a person purchase it, download it, and request a refund 2 minutes later. Obviously they hadn’t even read it yet and they just wanted to get it for free.

But in my experience with Internet info-products, the amount of sales you GAIN from offering a guarantee dramatically outweighs the risk.

Types of Guarantees You Can Offer

Money-Back Guarantee: You promise to give your customer her money back if the product does not work, or if she’s not happy with your products or services.

Satisfaction Guarantee: Pretty much the same thing as the money-back guarantee.

Price-Protection Guarantee: This can mean either locking in a price forever, such as with services that are billed on a recurring basis, or guaranteeing that you have the lowest price anywhere for that particular service or product.

On-time Guarantee: If your clients are always concerned about getting your service or product on time, this is a good one for you.

And these are just a few ideas!

Should You Make it Easy, or Hard?

Some business owners make their customers jump through hoops to get their money back. While I understand not wanting to make it TOO easy to get an instant refund, there are risks. If you make it really hard, your customers may just skip dealing with you and go direct to their credit card company.

I had to do this last year with a company whose seminar I signed up for. After registering for their event, I was scheduled to speak that same week across the country, so there was no way I could attend. My assistant called their office multiple times, but we kept getting the runaround. Finally, after three weeks, I just called my credit card company. They took care of the matter promptly once we filled out a simple form.

This process is called a “chargeback”, which can reflect negatively on the vendor’s merchant account standing as well as result in penalty fees for the vendor. So obviously, as a vendor, you want to avoid chargebacks by making the refund process easy for your customers.

Should There Be a Time Limit?

Setting a time limit is up to you. Common ones are 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, a year, or a lifetime. Some studies show the longer the guarantee, the less returns you’ll get. Why? Customers are more likely to mark their calendar regarding a shorter guarantee. With a longer guarantee, they don’t feel pressured, so many of them forget about it.

Here’s Some Wording You Can Use

Here are some effective phrases that are often used with guarantees:

* unconditional
* no-risk
* risk-free trial
* no hassle
* hassle-free
* cancel at any time
* double your money back
* 0rder now, decide later
* 0rder today, make up your mind anytime
* no questions asked

In fact, feel free to copy the guarantee I have on my own sales page for my “Boost Business With Your Own E-zine” system at http://www.ezinequeen.com/tutorial/. I won’t mind at all!

Get with the latest internet marketing tool for 2007

Jan 27

Posted by Debbie Carr in Innovation and Creativity, People!, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

There are more than 50 million websites on this planet and this number is growing rapidly each day – by the millions.  I know myself I have 2 websites and in the process of building number 3.  You are probably familiar with the terms, blog, my space, and u-tube. Even my 11 year old knows how to build her own My Space website. 

So how do you keep one step ahead and offer something entirely different with your website?  Video Email! 

Recently I discovered the benefits of a very easy system to use.  Within 3 days, and with no experience at all, I had created video streaming for my website and was producing emails with video embedded in them – not as an attachment. It is quick to download and in its own customised template.

The ezine I publish, Coyote’s Featured Article is one of my most successful marketing tools.  Producing a regular publication like this keeps you in constant contact with your clients and prospects.  Now Coyote’s Featured Article is one step ahead of the other millions of ezines – it has video streaming embedded in it as well.

Am I right in guessing that you are thinking it must be ‘too techo’ or hard or way too expensive? Believe me it’s as simple as using Word – if not easier. 

As a result of the personalised video messages I have been creating, other businesses have asked me to produce a video email for them (another source of income thank you very much).

“OK Debbie, what are the benefits?” You ask. 

Personalised Video Message

You can send your clients or prospects a video email, in a customised template that includes embedded links to your website and webpages.  Doing this brings the ‘emotion’ into it.  For example if you are trying to sell something, and let’s face it, we are all salespeople – then you bring in emotion and you are building a relationship.  The recipient gets to ‘know’ you.  Every good salesperson knows that selling is about building relationships and emotion.

For example, you can even make a mini advertisement.  Say you own a restaurant.  By using your video camera, you can showcase the restaurant, the food, the menu and even the staff.  You could even send out video email of the  Chef’s latest specials or the Chef in action!  You could produce a video email of the Chef preparing one of his favourite dishes and have the instructions typed on template that the video is embedded in! 

In my business, the professional speaking industry, I am soon to produce a Monday morning motivational video, quoting some inspirational thoughts for the week. 

Video Teleconference

Many of you will have joined a teleconference at some time or another. Now, with video email you can set up video teleseminars on the internet and charge people to join in as guests.  Or just run them as a promotion for your business as a value added. Another example, with regards to my own business, is that I will be setting up video teleseminars to have some of my professional speakers do a live keynote on the internet – again charging people to enter the conference.  Or create online video training seminars. The guests do not need a webcam by the way, they will just watch the teleconference from their computer.

Video Conference Rooms

The days of only the big corporations being able to afford video conference rooms are over!  Move over boys for the small business!  I use the video conference rooms to chat and meet with my colleagues all over the world. In fact, the UK and I are in constant video communication.

Video Ezine

As mentioned before, sending out an ezine is a popular marketing tool but I see many very poor publications.  The number one rule is to give the recipient something useful - not a hard sell of your product or services.  The next rule is to use the ezine to build a friendship with your reader – as if they know you personally.  Now, with the latest technology you can really make it personal, with a happy, witty video stream embedded in the ezine. 

To learn more about video email message . Click Here

The 16 Most Persuasive Words in the English Langauge

Jan 24

Posted by Wayne Berry in People!, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 24 Comments

Advertisers have known for years that certain words have great psychological impact on us. These words evoke deep feelings, bring back memories and often motivate us to look at things in totally new ways. Often the result is that we decide to try something we have never tried before.

Some of the most successful sales people I know use these same words to add power to their presentations.

Here they are…

THE TOP 16 PERSUASIVE WORDS

1. Discover

This word evokes a feeling of opportunity, and suggests a better life. When you tell your clients that they will discover something, you will evoke the same feelings in them. eg. “Once you own this, you’ll discover just how easy life can be.”

2. Easy

Everyone wants more simplicity and the ability to do things more easily. If your product or service can make something easier for your prospect, use the word frequently and tell them how you can achieve this for them. It’s a word that relaxes, removes apprehension, and something everyone wants more of in their life.

3. Good

Good is not a high-powered word and that’s the secret of its success. It evokes stability and security. Consider the phrases, “As good as gold” or “As good as mother used to make” or “The good old days”. If some thing is good about your product or service, or it’s good for your prospect, use the word and explain how it’s good for them.

4. Save

Everyone likes to save. They like to save time, save money, save trouble, save hassles etc. It’s a powerful word. If you can save your client something, use this word during your conversations and presentations and demonstrate how you can achieve this. Sometimes saving money can be even better than making money.

5. Guaranteed

One of the greatest fears most people have is the fear of making a mistake or taking a risk. If you can guarantee the results you are presenting, tell your prospect this. It removes the risk and removes the fear. Putting it in writing is even better.

Many companies today know the value of offering a money back guarantee. In marketing circles it’s called “Risk Reversal” and buyers love it. Providing a Money Back Guarantee can double or treble the response of a direct marketing campaign.

If you can provide such a guarantee and you are not yet doing it, do it! We have provided just such a guarantee on our seminars, audio cassettes and books for more than 20 years now. Do unscrupulous people ever try take advantage of us? Yes sometimes a few do. However I’m convinced that the percentage of extra people who buy from us, because they feel safe as a result of our guarantee, far exceeds the minuscule percentage of people who try to steal from us.

6. Proven

People don’t like the idea of being a “crash-test-dummy” for somebody’s new idea or product. If your product or service is proven, use that word.

Better still, show them proof that it’s a proven product or can produce proven results. Collect testimonial letters from your existing clients and show them to new clients. If there are figures or photographs that you can use to show that something is proven, get them and use them.

7. Money

You knew it would eventually come up didn’t you? There is no doubt about it, money is a big motivator. Few people feel they have enough, and most people want more of it. If your product or service can save or make your prospect more money, tell them how it does this. If you can calculate how just much extra money can be made or saved over the life of the product, tell your prospect what this is.

This is called “cost justification”. Compare the amount of money they will invest to have the product, with how much extra it will make or save them. In this way you’ll be showing your prospect that your product will pay for itself, and then go on returning extra money on what they initially invested.

8. Safe

Safety is important to everyone. Whether it’s a safe decision, investment etc; or a product that is safe to use or provides extra safety for it’s owner, we feel secure and “safe” when we hear that word.

If we feel something is safe, we feel we can trust the product, service, person or company. It’s a powerful word.

9. New

If it’s new it must be better. At least that’s the psychological link that most Australians make. We love new things and we like to be on the cutting edge of new technology and new ideas. We are “Early Adopters” and one of the best examples of this has been the way Australians embraced the introduction of Cell Phones here in the 1980′s. I believe we are number one or number two in the world when it comes to the percentage of Cell Phones in use, compared with the adult population of Australia.

Almost everyone has one and every year a high percentage of users trade up to the newest version and replace perfectly good phones. So if what you have is new, you can be fairly safe in stressing this with your clients who in most cases will equate it with being better and able to give them advantages over their current situation.

10. Results

Bottom line results is the name of the game. If you have a product or service that can produce measurable, tangible results then make sure you talk in terms of these results with your prospects. Be prepared to prove your claims though.

11. Own

As a general rule most people don’t like to buy but they do like to own. Buying means making a decision and most people don’t like to make decisions, even small ones.

There is also an element of risk in most people’s minds associated with buying. However, owning something is an entirely different matter.

We love owning and enjoying the benefits of having things. So speak to your prospects about what it will be like when they own your product or service, rather than when they buy your product or service. Thoughts of owning rather than buying, transports your prospect into the future where they will associate your product or service with feelings of pleasure and of being safe.

12. Free

Advertisers really understand how this one presses our psychological buttons don’t they. We’ve all heard that there is no such thing as a free lunch, yet we can’t help being attracted to the notion that one day, some day, maybe today we will get something for nothing.

So when you structure your offer, consider including certain “extras” free. They will generally be perceived as “extra value” and a pleasant surprise. Another variation of free is …

13. Freedom

Freedom is something we all value highly. People die in the name of freedom. It’s a word we’ve been condition to desire.

Does your product or service provide freedom in some way?

Freedom to use one’s time more efficiently or to do the things we’d prefer to do. Freedom from boredom, drudgery, repetitive tasks. Freedom to enjoy life, time with our loved ones etc.

Freedom of choice. If you can deliver freedom to your prospect, use the word. It’s counts for a lot.

14. Health

To say our society is becoming health conscious is an understatement. The health industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world today. Vitamins, health drinks, health resorts, health clubs (used to be called gymnasiums) etc are all the rage. If your product or service delivers a healthier life style in some way, tell your prospect how it will do this.


15. Best

Best is one of those “absolute” words that grabs attention. If something is the best, then it’s a one off. Nothing is as good. It stands out from the rest. It’s the best and everyone likes a winner. Advertisers have conditioned us for years to believe that “we deserve the best”. “Nothing but the best will do!” and Tina Turner has had us chanting at the football…”You’re simply the best!”

If your product or service is the best, then tell your prospect what makes it the best and be prepared to back up your claim with the facts and with the evidence.

We’ve also been conditioned to know that “the best costs a little more… but it worth it”. Ask a BMW owner why they don’t drive an Australian or Japanese made motor vehicle. They’ll tell you that BMW is the best. Is that true? Not necessarily, is it?

16. Investment

I guess you’ve heard this one before. When discussing the price with your prospect, don’t call it the price, call it the “investment”.

People don’t want to pay the price, but they are happy to make an investment. The word “investment” has a psychological link to a pay back over and beyond the amount of money involved.

Talk about the “return on investment” that your product or service will provide. Explain it as a business proposition with a handsome payback on the initial investment. Work out the figures and present them to your prospect.

Well there you have them, all 16 Power Persuasion words.

Anyway until we speak again…

Have a great week this week. Make it a great week!

3 Lessons I Learned From Having My First Sale

Jan 24

Posted by Alexandria Brown in The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

From past years of experience in selling information products online, I knew that December sales are generally always slow. So this year I decided to try something different – have a sale.

I was always nervous in the past about having a sale. Would it diminish the value on my information in people’s minds? Would it turn off my 15,000 subscribers? Would the short-term cash flow be worth the risk? I didn’t want any of my readers to start associating my website with Wal-Mart, having sales every other week, prices going up and down.

But something told me to try it… just once. Nothing could go wrong; it was just an experiment. So on Monday, Dec. 13, I sent out a special announcement to my e-zine list that said, “I’ve never done this before, but this week only, I’m giving 50% 0FF all of these eight great audio programs I’ve produced over the past 18 months. This is my gift to you, to thank you for being a Straight Shooter subscriber. Which ones do YOU want to grab today at 50% 0ff?”

I then listed all my audio programs’ catchy titles, each linked to its own sales page.

That one mailing resulted in over 94 sales, and most of the orders were for multiple products.

My regular ezine issue came out that Thursday, and I mentioned the sale in that as well. That resulted in another 31 sales.

But here’s the biggie…

When Friday morning arrived, I wasn’t sure whether to send out one more email or not. I was concerned it would be too much and my subscribers may be ticked off. The sale ended at midnight, and I’d already sent two notices about it – should I send out one more reminder? My rational mind said no, these folks are aware of the deadline. But my instincts told me yes. So I did. One more solo mailing, very similar to the original, but with a big reminder that the sale expired at midnight Eastern (NY) time.

The result? An additional 116 sales JUST from that last reminder email! These are sales I would have never gotten unless I sent out that one last reminder. Unbelievable! And you wouldn’t believe all the orders coming in just before the stroke of midnight. (I was thinking, “What are all these folks doing home on the Internet on a Friday night?” And then I remembered that *I* was sitting home on the Internet on a Friday night. : ))

I grossed over $11,000 from this event alone. (Not a bad experiment, yes?) Plus I gave many of my readers a chance to sample my audio information products at a lower price than usual. Ideally they’ll realize how good my stuff is and purchase my higher priced products.

So here are three lessons I learned from this whole experience:

1. Don’t be afraid to have a sale. But don’t have them frequently, and have a REASON for the sale. For example, my reason was to thank my subscribers for staying on my list throughout 2004.

2. Don’t be afraid to send out a few reminders. The key is to not overdo it. In the beginning, do less than you think your list will tolerate. As you get to know your readership and their preferences, and get them used to receiving more emails from you with special announcements, you can increase your mailings. (But remember, the reason my readers love to hear from me when I have something special to offer is because I give them so much great content every week, and I don’t overload them with promotions.)

3. If you set any type of deadline, be prepared to get the most orders close to the deadline. I was surprised that I gave people five full days to take advantage of the sale, but many people didn’t take action until the last minute – orders were piling in right up until midnight, and people were begging me to let them “slide in” after! Be strict with your deadlines though, or no one will take them seriously in the future.

Many of my internet marketing guru friends tell me not to share numbers with my readers, but I wanted to share them with you for a few reasons. One, to show you that this is very possible, and two, to show you that I have nothing to hide. I’ll always share my secrets for success with you — there’s plenty of money to go around for all of us.

Now, go plan your next sale!

Verbal Legibility: The Secret To Understandable Messages

Jan 23

Posted by Michael Crooks in Excellence!, People!, Personal Development, Starting out in business, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Operations Dept, The Sales Dept | 1 Comment

After my third attempt to de-code the phone number from my voice mail … I gave up. Seems Frank Janson … Johnson …  Jorson or something like that from some company in Mauzoula or Missouri wants me to call him back. His number is 269-6 something, four, 36 or maybe it’s 3 zero then 6, 8 then something. Whatever! Point is, I’m not calling him back. And if he ever does get a hold of me, I’ll be less than enthusiastic about dealing with him since he’s already wasted my time and caused me a fair amount of frustration by leaving a message I can’t understand. He has what I call a “Verbal Legibility” factor of zero.

Where I come from, the whole point of leaving a phone number is so people can call you back. But too often, the person leaving the message is too bored, tired, lazy or busy to put a cohesive, understandable sentence together. Or they try to be cute with the way they say 55 triple 4 oh 2. Is that 50 then 5 or is it 55? And by the way, it’s a zero not an “oh”.

It seems silly to tell people to speak clearly and slowly. But an enormous number of people talk way too fast, way to soft, talk “mush-mouthed” or combine 2 or more of these traits to create a message they themselves couldn’t possibly understand. So yes, while it seems silly … I’ll do it anyway. “At the tone, PLEASE, speak clearly and slowly.”

As far as the number goes, here’s a tip I use. While you’re saying your number — write it … neatly.  Say your number NO FASTER than you can write it. Then repeat it. If you have no writing utensil, pretend to write it in the air.

Another tip, leave your phone number at the beginning of the message. In the event your target doesn’t get your number the first time they hear it, they don’t have to listen back through your whole boring message to get it.

How’s your verbal legibility when leaving messages? Record yourself some day when you’re busy returning phone calls. Listen to yourself … you just might learn something.

How to Cope With Your Critics

Dec 12

Posted by Alexandria Brown in People!, Personal Development, Risk Management, The Board Room, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

Every week I publish my ezine, I get almost instantaneous feedback. Most of the time it’s wonderful comments like “Thank you for all you do, Ali!” and “I really appreciated this article. It gave me tips I could really use on that subject.” Or “Great teleseminar you’re offering – it’s just what I need to learn right now!” These emails make me all warm and fuzzy inside.

But I want to level with you that publishing isn’t all peaches and cream. In fact, here are a few excerpts of emails I’ve gotten over the past few weeks:

“Your promotions have gotten too snake oily for me.” (From a woman who complained I was hiding the price of one of my teleseminars on the sales page, when in fact it was listed three times.)

“I’m sad to see you’ve gone the way of the high falutin’ Internet marketers…. At least I can look myself in the mirror every day.” (From someone who apparently did not like to see me become so successful.)

“I’m sorry you want to leave your poor friends behind.” (Responding to my urging my readers to surround themselves with people who are as successful and wealthy as they want to be.)

“Your logo is terrible — it looks like two b00bs and a crown!” (From a disgruntled designer who was upset I recommended some low-cost sources for fast logos.)

And, about a recent teleseminar I gave: “I’d avoid prolonged giggling at things that just aren’t funny.” (Here’s a tip folks… I laugh at stuff I think is funny!)

And there are more!

For example, I took a recent survey of my list and got an amazing 1800+ responses. But at least 5 people wrote me upset that every question required an answer in order to get the free report that was the thank-you gift.

Got Critics? You’re Not Alone

Now, hear me out: I’m not writing this article just to bitch and moan. I’m writing this to let YOU know that if you get complaints like these, you’re surely not alone.

I learned fast and hard that the higher you climb your mountain of success, the easier a target you become for the people down below.

As the saying goes, “You can please some people all of the time, and you can please all people some of the time, but you can’t please all people all of the time!”

Whether you’re an ezine publisher, author, speaker, information marketer, coach, or consultant… you WILL be criticized. The more popular you get, the bigger your list gets, the more “out there” you are, the more criticism you’ll receive.

Don’t Take It Personally

Between you and me, some of these emails have brought me to tears. If I’m feeling the effects, I hop in my Beetle convertible, and take a long drive up the Pacific Coast Highway. It clears my head and reminds me why I chose to do what I do – because I LOVE sharing, teaching, and inspiring. Being the Ezine Queen earns me a great living while I help others at the same time. (And I’m sure that’s the same reason you do what you do, too!)

I used to think it was all me, but after talking with several of my colleagues who also publish ezines, they get the same type of emails all the time! And of course we remind each other not to “take anything personally”.

Honestly, I still have trouble with that one. Maybe I’m the sensitve type, but I always feel an “ouch” when someone takes an obvious jab that is not simply a suggestion or constructive criticism. Then I breathe deeply, and tell myself that the offending person may be having a terrible day, or their pet turtle just died, and it really has nothing to do with me.

Here’s What to Do

What I HAVE learned is that if any of these critics get nasty with you, don’t sink to their level. Remember that as a publisher you’re also in the business of customer service. I typically handle it via one of these three methods:

a) respond calmly and acknowledge their point (some people just want to be heard)
b) disregard or delete their message (if their comments are so inappropriate or hurtful that I can’t answer back calmly)
c) remove them from my list (if they are obviously just trying to make me feel bad)

Through these petty annoyances, remember the big picture of why you started your e-zine or your current venture. It was likely to gain credibility and “expert” status while increasing your marketing reach and revenues. Your professional reputation is always on the line.

You may want to lash back, but in the long run, it ALWAYS pays to take the high road.

Encourage Useful Comments and Feedback!

Don’t forget to welcome constructive criticism with open arms! I’ve gotten many great ideas from my readers’ suggestions and comments, and I hope they keep coming in.

Just remember that Queens have feelings too. : )

Filling Your Marketing Funnel

Dec 1

Posted by Alexandria Brown in Innovation and Creativity, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

A client of mine, whom I’ll call “Mary,” is a financial planner. She’d had a Web site for a few years that pretty much served as an online brochure for her. When Mary came to me, she was looking for other ways to generate income besides working directly with clients.

During our first conversation I introduced her to the MARKETING FUNNEL. If you picture a funnel, you know it’s wide and open at the top, and tiny and narrow at the bottom. At the top of the funnel is where you want to get as MANY prospects in as possible. At the bottom of the funnel is your HIGHEST PRICED service or product. And in the middle are in-between levels of services/products and prices.

So as you go down the funnel, the products are priced higher and higher, and the idea is to keep people flowing down from the top to the bottom.

First, Get Them IN the Funnel

Offering something for FREE is the ideal way to get tons of people into your funnel. Most people collect prospects by giving away something free, such as a report, an e-zine, or a teleclass. When people sign up for these goodies, you get their names and e-mail addresses, allowing you to contact them again.

At the top of Mary’s funnel was her e-zine. And at the bottom was her pricey one-on-one services. But there was nothing in the middle of her funnel.

I see this often with many solo professionals, such as coaches and consultants. There’s either free or high-fee. This is the reason many of them have so much trouble converting prospects — people usually aren’t ready to make that big jump from $0 to several thousand dollars!

So I helped Mary brainstorm several information products (“info-products”) she could quickly create and begin to sell.

Info-Products Are Your Solution

By packaging your knowledge into info-products, you give your prospects the chance to “sample” you at a lower price, filling the middle of your funnel. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

* Books
* E-Books
* Special Reports
* Manuals
* Workbooks
* Journals
* Audio (downloads, CDs, or cassettes)
* Video (downloads, DVDs, or VHS tapes)
* Home Study Courses or Tutorials (usually a mix of media)

Even better, selling these products on your Web site gives you passive income. That is, it’s money coming in automatically. It didn’t require your working X hours for Y dollars. Sales can come in 24/7, even while you’re sleeping! (For help in getting started, see my program “How to Create, Sell, and Profit from E-books and Special Reports“.)

And don’t forget about teleclasses or teleseminars, delivered over the phone, or even Webinars, taught over the Internet. These require your direct involvement, but allow you to teach many people at once. These formats allow you to make much more money per hour, and they give your prospects access to you for a lower fee than hiring you one-on-one. (For help in getting started, see my program “Insider Secrets to Making Money With Teleseminars“.)

Here’s an example of my own product funnel:

TOP OF FUNNEL:
free e-zine
free teleclass

MIDDLE OF FUNNEL:
teleseminar ($47)
home study system ($197)
telebootcamp ($497)

BOTTOM OF FUNNEL:
one-on-one coaching/consulting ($350/hour)

Now, your funnel may look entirely different. For example, here’s what Mary’s funnel now looks like:

TOP OF FUNNEL:
free e-zine

MIDDLE OF FUNNEL:
workbook ($29)
teleseminar ($49)
2-CD audio program ($69)
4-week tele-course ($149)
2-day live workshop ($599)

BOTTOM OF FUNNEL:
one-on-one services ($250/hour)
personal mentoring ($6,000/year)

Take a few minutes right now and sketch out YOUR funnel. See where the holes are, and start thinking about what products you can add to make it easier for your prospects to sample your expertise and buy from you.

Does Your Marketing Have “Skanky Scrunchie Syndrome”?

Nov 30

Posted by Alexandria Brown in People!, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

A few years ago I spoke at a large marketing conference in Atlanta, Georgia. One woman approached my display table to ask a few questions. Honestly she was so attractive it was intimidating. Tall with a pretty face, understated jewelry, a blue designer suit with beautiful shoes and a high-end bag. She looked like she’d just stepped out of a catalog. I thought to myself, “How polished! This woman really puts out a winning image. She must do very well with her business.”

Then, as she turned to walk away, I spotted it…

The scrunchie.

Her silky, shiny hair was pulled back by a dingy white scrunchie that looked in desperate need of a washing, if not discarding. It was a truly skanky scrunchie.

Everything positive this woman had projected was immediately tarnished by this negligent afterthought.

Now, of course I assumed the poor woman must have been traveling and forgotten her good scrunchie, and that’s all she had in her bag.

So a few months later I’m at another marketing conference here in Los Angeles, standing at my booth after speaking on the main stage. And up she walks again to say hi, looking fabulous as before. We have another great conversation, and as she turns away, there it is … AGAIN.

The skanky scrunchie!

I realized then that she had no idea it had a negative effect in any way. She must have thought that no one would notice. Or that since the rest of her outfit was so polished that it wouldn’t matter.

Wrong.

My point is not to ridicule this woman’s choice of accessories. My point is how one piece of a “package” can ruin the entire presentation. Another example is seeing a beautifully dressed man (I just love a man in a sharp suit and tie) with shabby shoes. There goes the sale!

I eventually realized I had a few “skanky scrunchies” of my own, when it came to how I packaged my products. While I’d upgraded most of my marketing materials to my slick new look, there were a few product packages remaining that looked like I’d created them myself using clip art. (That’s because I had!) I wasn’t proud to ship them to people. I wasn’t proud to display them at my seminars. In fact, I avoided showing them to anyone at all, which of course meant no one could buy them.

My good friend Kim Castle of WhyBrandU.com says that your marketing materials should “make you tingle” when you look at them. Like your business card for example. I’d say almost half of all people who hand me their business card make some type of excuse for it. “Oh this is just a temporary card for now.” “This is my old logo on here.” “Sorry this isn’t updated yet.” Kim calls this “business card shame.” I love that!

I’ve realized over the last year that if I want to BE a million-dollar business, I’d better start LOOKING like one (and acting like one, for that matter). And that attitude and those actions are paying off immensely.

So take about 30 minutes this week and inventory all your marketing materials. I mean ALL of them. Your website, business cards, brochures, product packaging, even forms — anything that your prospects or clients and customers see. (And even the things only you and your staff see.)

Do they all look consistent and professional? Or do some of them look like your kid designed it or it was thrown together quickly?

If any give you shame, they’re your skanky scrunchies. Write them down on a piece of paper, and then write down what you’re going to do about them, and when.

Resolve to fix them yourself or outsource the design and production to get them revised ASAP. I guarantee you’ll thank yourself once you do! You’ll not only be more proud to give out and sell your materials, you’ll see your business rise as well.

© 2004-2005 Alexandria K. Brown

Networking, Virtually!

Nov 25

Posted by Tory Favro in Innovation and Creativity, People!, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

As business owners we know that it’s important to get to know others, both suppliers and potential customers are on the need to know list. We go to functions, do mail outs and other marketing activities, join business clubs and go to early morning breakfasts to network and listen to others speak. It’s time consuming and can take up massive amounts of an already overloaded day, leaving us on occasion feeling a little bit dull and uninspired toward what we do as we don’t always feel that we are getting the true benefits of the time that we are spending on this activity.

A craze that is picking up a lot of steam is V-Networking or Virtual Networking, that is; using the Internet to get to meet new people who might be interested in using our products or services, or simply getting to know us better. One site that has been quite instrumental in achieving this is MySpace (http://www.myspace.com). Set up in the United States by Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe, the site is now making overtures to the Australian marketplace.

Well that’s well and good I hear you say, but what is the point?

MySpace is about making friends. You set up a page about you or your business on the site (it is free), this is called a profile. Others can view this public profile (let’s call it advertisement in our case!) and if they like your message, they will ask to become your “friend”. Over time most users will get a lot of friends on their lists for one reason or another and this is when MySpace really shines.

You see, by allowing others to become your “friends”, and you becoming theirs, you now have permission to hit those people with bulletins and news items. There is a control panel built into your profile that allows you to post bulletins and news about anything you like. The titles to these posts will allow all your friends to see them and if you make up a compelling enough title, you are sure to get some readers. In essence it’s free advertising to a group of people who have already shown an interest in what you have to say by checking out your profile and either asking to be your friend, or approving your friend request to them. Always the best group of people to market to are the ones who are already warm to your message!

Although it does make reference to Australia and contains Australian advertising, the site is still hosted in the United States and you should be aware that the privacy laws that bind this site are still under the govern of the USA. It really doesn’t make much difference, but is a point worth making.

I would say that currently MySpace is definitely aimed at youth culture and for business to take a fun look at networking within it. There are many businesses that run almost exclusively from MySpace and the worldwide exposure that it gives them. It has been a launching point for many bands, with the ability to listen to tracks or download music for free legally.
Have a look at MySpace and do some searching on there. There is a good chance that you will find a group that suits your own interests, whether they are personal or business related, see what others have to say and get networking! You might just be surprised at who you make friends with!

Till next time,

Tory

Whatchya Waiting For? Appoint Yourself the Expert!

Nov 24

Posted by Alexandria Brown in Personal Development, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

There’s one marketing condition I see over and over with my clients, and it’s called “but-I’m-not-an-expert-itis”. These people are afraid to play bigger because they think it’s not their time yet. (The important words there being “they think”.) They’re waiting for something to happen – a degree, a certification, a blessing from the gods in their industry, a recognitional nod from their respected peers.

Please listen carefully: This attitude will kill your business and take years off your life! It’s VERY important to position yourself from the get-go as an expert in what you do.

Why do you want to be seen as an expert? Experts are more respected, get media attention, can market more easily and inexpensively, get paid more, and receive less price resistance (meaning people are happier to pay what you ask).

So, instead of waiting for someone to invite you to the top of the mountain, I urge you to simply “leap frog” your way over everyone else at the bottom.

Hear me loud and clear: You do not need anybody’s permission to believe you’re the best at what you do and share that fact! In fact, here are a few points I make to my clients if they are expressing doubt about their “qualifications” to sell information, programs, or services and charge well for them.

In the eyes of your prospects, clients, customers, and the media, you’re seen as an expert if…

1. You Know More About Your Topic Than Your Target Market Does

When I first created my Boost Business With Your Own Ezine system, I wouldn’t say I was an expert on ezines by far. But by studying the topic in depth to create my own ezine, I’d weeded through all the junky information to get to the good stuff, and I wanted to share it.

You’ll find you can make quite a good living just teaching people how to get started in something. (You don’t have to be the end-all wizard of the topic.)

2. You’ve Done What You’re Teaching Others to Do

One client of mine, whom I’ll call “Pat”, teaches real estate investing. She wanted to create a high priced mentorship program of her own, but was nervous about it. She didn’t feel right charging a lot of money for her personal time and advice, which meant deep down she wasn’t confident in what she was teaching.

I asked her, “Did you make a million dollars investing in real estate?” She said yes. “Then just show them what you did,” I replied. “Are you confident in that?” Her answer was a resounding “YES!” Once she realized she’d simply be teaching what she herself had already done, it eliminated her nervousness, made her sales much easier, and she was comfortable charging a hefty (and well deserved) fee.

3. You’ve Been Quoted on Your Topic in the Media

Sometimes the cart comes before the horse, and a brush with the media IS what makes you seen as an expert. A cosmetic surgeon friend of mine was recently a guest on a Los Angeles television show, and he now proudly promotes that fact in his ads, brochures, and office displays.

When I was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal on the subject of small business email marketing, you can be sure I added that to my bio as soon as I got off the phone!

4. You’ve Written a Book or Articles on the Subject

Nothing says “expert” like writing a book or by getting your name “out there” via articles. When you put a pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and simply share what you know, no matter how simple the information seems to you, people instantly view you as an authority figure. All you have to do is put yourself out there.

A friend of mine recently chose a financial planner based on the fact that he was a published author. “After all, he wrote the book on it!” she said. In her eyes, that sealed the deal, and she was happy to pay more for his services without question.

5. You SAY You Are the Expert!

I dubbed myself “The Ezine Queen” several years ago, simply because it had a ring to it. I had no idea at the time how much that would help me get famous and be remembered.

Did you know that Muhammad Ali became known as “The Greatest” because Ali himself said it? Yep — he just kept saying it, and then eventually so did the media!

So if you have a good moniker in mind, go for it.

The Bottom Line… It’s up to YOU.

Remember this: Your prospects, clients, and customers will virtually always accept the positioning that YOU choose for yourself and present to others.

So, whatchya waiting for? : )

© 2005 Alexandria K. Brown

Communicating to the Masses Who Want to Hear Your Message – Introducing Podcasting.

Nov 24

Posted by Tory Favro in Innovation and Creativity, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept | 1 Comment

Having and maintaining a constant flow of communication with our clients and customers is essential in this day and age of technology and increased competition. Often we find that there is information that we know will benefit them, but simply due to pressing demands on our time, we sometimes don’t get around to talking to our customers as much as we would like. What if there was a way to do this that our customers could access our message as often as they liked, and at times of their choosing? Well, there is and this is what I am covering today.

Podcasting (a term coined by the popularity of the Apple iPod music player) is a growing type of communication used by both business and individuals to reach out to a larger, often international audience. Podcasts are often in MP3 format (an audio file – although video is now becoming popular too), and they can be subscribed to so that you never miss an episode, or simply downloaded so that you can listen to a program that interests you. Now you can choose the content that you want, to listen to when you want, where you want.

There are many programs that can subscribe to, and play Podcasts, but the best known would be Apple’s iTunes. This program works on both Windows computers and also Apple computers, and will allow you to listen to Podcasts on your computer or transfer them to your iPod if you like. One thing I would like to stress here is that you DO NOT need to have an Apple iPod to use iTunes or listen to podcasts. To download the iTunes Software (it’s free), go to http://www.apple.com.au/itunes and follow the prompts.

With broadband in Australia increasing, some people are now also using Podcasts to put video commercials and printed information onto consumer’s computers. These people are ideal to promote yourself to, as they have essentially given their permission to receive your material by having subscribed to the Podcast, thereby indicating that they have an interest in what you have to offer.

Podcasting can open the world up to your business, the results can be absolutley amazing! If you want to hear an example of a podcast, you can find our show on the website at http://www.think2design.com and simply follow the Podcast link.

Who would Podcasting benefit? Almost anyone with a service or product to sell it would seem. Podcasts range from variety shows, music programs, through to your traditional Podcasts about business, marketing, your choices are endless. Great for the end user and an absolutely fantastic business resource for the producer. Everyone wins, which after all, is what it’s all about.

PS: Further to this article, if you believe you have a story or profession of interest and would like to be interviewed for the show please do not hesitate to contact me. I am more than capable of recording the show regardless of where in the world you live so please do not let distance put you off. Our show is aimed at entertaining and educating business people so interviewees should be aware of this.

Are you marketing or educating?

Nov 21

Posted by Robert Gerrish in Innovation and Creativity, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

If you’re forever hearing great things said about your work, yet not seeing these translate into sales and revenue, it could just be because you’ve fallen into the innovator trap.The innovator trap is where we can end up if we confuse educating with marketing. Going out and telling the world about something completely new and revolutionary certainly stands a good chance of generating interest, but not necessarily any sales.

Certainly innovation can work as a marketing tool, but generally only with an audience who already know and trust you. I’m not suggesting that we only market in the mainstream with existing contacts, but we need to be aware of what works and what doesn’t and if necessary make some changes.

Often the changes involve little more than a slight dilution of our proposition – evolution can sell easier than revolution, at the outset. Once effective marketing gives us a foot in the door, we can guide our prospects and customers toward a brave new world.

Let’s look at an example. In fact it’s a real one from a conversation I had a while ago:

David had developed a product that revolutionises the way corporations store and access electronic information. In other countries similar systems were slowly being embraced and put to extremely good use. In his home market, however, things were trailing a little behind.

David was being invited to talk at numerous conferences and expositions, there was much interest. The joint was jumping. Well, it undoubtedly felt like that for a while, but when I caught up with him it was getting a bit tiring.

Sure there was a lot of interest, but not enough sales. David was educating and doing a great job of it. His family meanwhile were getting fed up with beans on toast.

So what would you do? Keep bashing away? Go into greater debt maybe? Put the house on the line?

After speaking for a while, we came up with this solution for David:

1. Look much more closely at what’s been learned

  • Take time to do some research – had he been educating or marketing?
  • Ask the tough questions and be ready for straight answers.
  • Talk to some of the people who invented the wheel in those other more advanced markets – What lessons had he perhaps missed?

2. Get clear on the options

  • How long could/should he give to your current path?
  • If he made a shift, what would or could that be?
  • Are there any real signs that the market is changing?

3. Think more like a marketeer and less like an innovator

  • If David looked at his revolutionary product as top-of-the-range, what’s a possible ‘entry level’ product? Something to get a foot in the door.
  • How could he modify his language to talk in terms that satisfy a current need, rather than focussing on a future ‘maybe-want’?

As soloists it’s fine to use innovation to get noticed, but it’s important we have products or services that our customers want to buy NOW. Little by little we can up-sell and do more of what we really want.

8 Things You MUST Know Before Hiring a Copywriter

Nov 10

Posted by Alexandria Brown in Risk Management, The Marketing Dept | 1 Comment

If you’re considering hiring copywriting help for your next brochure, Web site, or marketing project. Congratulations! You should get great results if you hire a pro to do it right.

Many business owners and marketing professionals have valid concerns about letting an outsider develop their content. After all — it’s your business, you know it best, and your image is critical. However, you’re wrapped up in your business every day. A good copywriter can see your business in a new light, draw out the key benefits of your products and services, and communicate that excitement to your clients and prospects.

Working with a writer isn’t a complicated ordeal, however it will benefit you tremendously to become familiar with how the relationship typically works and ways to help the process move along smoothly. So, here are my top 8 tips on how to choose and work with a copywriter:

1. Understand what you’re trying to accomplish.

A crucial factor in streamlining the writing process is determining the principal points you need to communicate — *before* you bring in a writer. Who is your target audience? What is your message? What is unique about your business? In what tone do you want to speak to your reader? What response do you ideally want the reader to make? Having this information agreed upon before you get a writer involved will save you unnecessary copy revisions and keep your costs down.

2. Have a realistic schedule.

Yes, you’ve heard this all your life, but haste makes waste. Avoid hastily hiring a copywriter and dumping a rush job on her. Not only will you not have time to thoroughly check her experience and references, but, no matter how wonderfully talented she is, her first draft will not be ‘fully cooked.’ Most copywriters need time to let words and ideas simmer.

Most writers will request several WEEKS to develop your copy, so set a realistic schedule to give the creative process ample time. Count on going through one or two revisions as your writer refines the piece’s angle and conveys the key benefits of what you’re promoting.

3. Make sure the writer has written for the medium you want.

Let’s say you need someone to re-energize the copy on your Web site. A freelancer who has only written magazine articles won’t likely have the skills to create content for a dynamic Web site. She’s probably not proficient at breaking-up copy into easily digestible bits, integrating hyperlinks that entice your users to take action, and keeping your end-user in mind to plan a friendly, easily-navigable site. She may be able to learn how, but you’ll be paying for her slow ramp-up speed. Take time instead to find the right person — it will save you many headaches down the road.

4. Experience within your industry isn’t always necessary.

‘So you’ve never written for a _______ company before?’ I’ve heard many prospects say. Don’t worry. A writer’s ability to write well for the medium is more important than her having prior experience in your industry.

Many writers are true generalists and write just as well for an edgy new media start-up as they do for a giant hospital network. They’re very proficient at diving into your business, learning it inside and out, and churning out great prose to entice your target market. Now of course, if you’re producing a technically oriented business-to-business Web site or marketing piece, you may want to hire a writer with experience in both your project’s medium and your industry. If you find a good one, hold on tightly. You’ve struck gold!

5. Ask for references, and contact them.

All writers can show you samples of well-written material, but how do you know if they’ll work to understand your communication needs, meet deadlines, and act professionally in front of clients? Any great copywriter should have an ample list of references that she can share with you. Be sure to contact at least two of them, and ask them about the writer’s weaknesses as well as her strengths.

6. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for.

It amazes me how businesspeople will drop thousands of dollars on Web or print design and hesitate to spend half as much on great copy. Pictures and design enhance your message, but jeez folks …the writing IS your message!

Good copywriting does not come cheaply — you’ll find writers who charge anywhere from $50 – $150 per hour and up. You’ll pay more for an experienced writer, one with a particular specialty, or one who’s also a proficient editor. (Many writers are also great editors, but not all writers are editors, and vice versa.)

7. Work on more than a handshake.

True writing pros will give you an agreement they’ve drawn up for you. However, you’ll occasionally find yourself having to draft an agreement for the project. This doesn’t have to be complex — a simple letter that you both sign should do fine. Be sure to include the project size, number of revisions included, timetable, and agreed fee (this can be a flat fee or hourly rate).

And don’t forget to ask what’s *not* included. For example, many writers charge extra for in-person meetings, research time, and weekend or rush work. You should also expect to pay an upfront retainer. Most writers charge one-third to one-half of the total project fee upfront, and many won’t begin your project until they have the signed agreement and check in hand. And if you have sensitive or proprietary information, don’t hesitate to have your writer sign a non-disclosure agreement.

8. Give your writer background info at the start.

It often happens that a writer is hired for a large project, and the first thing she’s asked to do is come in and interview all the principals of the company. After several days of interviews, the writer is then handed the company’s brochures, annual report, and marketing plan.

If this background info had been given up front, the client could have saved hours of time and money! At the beginning of your project, pass on any and all previous brochures or sales kits, direct mail, Web site URLs, annual reports, research results, or business or marketing plans.

Where to find a great copywriter?

Of course, the best place to start is always from a referral. I can tell you that I’ve personally hired and/or worked with Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero and Michel Fortin. Both are well known in the industry for producing proven copy that gets results.

A great place to find other copywriters is http://www.elance.com/, where you list your project specifications, and freelancers actually try to underbid each other to win it!

© 2001-2005 Alexandria K. Brown

How to ask questions so your prospects will sell themselves…

Nov 9

Posted by Wayne Berry in The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

The dual purpose of asking questionsMost sales people have some understanding of asking questions to reveal their client’s needs, but most have no understanding of the other equally important reason for asking questions.

Why you’ve got to “disturb” your prospect before you offer a solution

The second purpose of asking questions is to disturb our prospect about their current situation and turn indifference into a desperate need to come up with a better way or a solution to their problem. I spoke about this in the last volume of TOP GUN® Sales Tips.

Such is the power of using carefully chosen questions.

They create a real desire in the client’s mind to take some action NOW to solve the problem. The sequence of the questions is important too. People buy for emotional reasons and “disturbing questions” will turn an indifferent prospect into a red hot buyer who is saying “SO WHAT SHOULD I DO?”

Why selling themselves is better than you selling them

You see if you ask the right questions, your prospect will start to tell you what they need, why they need it and what is important to them. They will begin to describe features and benefits of the solution you have in mind for them. When these benefits are coming from their mouth rather than yours, then they must be true. This is a much more persuasive way of selling, and it avoids any hint of “high-presssure” selling.

During these workshops I’ll be helping participants to develop their own customised set and sequence of disturbing / needs revealing questions, and showing how this system has worked for thousands of Top Gun Graduates who sell everything from investments, computers, cars, insurance, real estate, etc. It works regardless of what you sell.

Relationship / Consultative Selling strategies are the key to sustained success in selling

Questions are the hallmark of today’s true Consultative / Relationship Sales Person. What I call the “5th Generation” Sales Professional who builds a high level of trust and an on-going relationship with their clients, who then will NOT buy from a Generation 1, 2, 3 or 4 Sales Person and who will send their friends to you, their “Friend In The Business”.

If you’d like to be sure that you are in the top 10% of sales achievers in Australia today, who are 5th Generation Sales Professionals, you might like to consider attending this next TOP GUN® Sales Mastery Workshop where I’ll be explaining in detail about “5th Generation Selling” and teaching this vital skill of asking questions and using relationship selling strategies.

Have a great week. Make it a great week!

How To Make The Most Of Corporate Training

Nov 5

Posted by Debbie Carr in Excellence!, Human Resource Management, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, The Board Room, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

Corporate training is an investment, not an expense, but how do you choose an appropriate trainer? Firstly, establish what skills are lacking in the company.
Choosing the right type of training program can be a daunting task. If you haven’t researched the needs of your people, don’t waste your budget on training; make sure it is necessary.

Time management, for example, is a popular subject and great if your employees are not utilising their time correctly, but it is not appropriate if staff are driving your clients away due to sub-standard customer service. It is far better to engage a training specialist in this field.

Staff retention is a major concern for many companies. Keeping staff motivated and happy should be a high priority. The amount of money invested in recruiting and training is phenomenal so don’t let it go down the drain. Ensure your employees have the skills to balance their home and work life, have access to inspirational speakers and rewarded with fun team building activities.

Many companies do not understand that customer service should be a major part of their marketing. Consider this yourself  – how many advertisements did you see today and how many can you actually recall? Not many I’m sure but I bet if I asked you to recall a bad customer service experience you could tell me exactly what happened and who the company was and you are probably not shy about speaking about it to others either. Here is another scenario, your corporation probably spends months in planning an advertising campaign and thousands of dollars. Yet, when it’s time for a senior executive to speak at a media interview or present at a conference can they really keep the attention of the audience? Maybe presentation skills or executive coaching needs to be considered.

It is important to carefully assess the areas of your business that can be improved and why employees are struggling in those functions. Once you have established your training objectives, choose a reputable specialist in that field. The easiest way to do this is to use a bureau. The bureau has already done the research and knows which speaker or trainer can really deliver results.

The results can pay for the training many times over. Many companies are amazed at the increase in revenue and production after having brought in a training specialist. One of our speakers at Coyote Management International has a testimonial that reads “virtually all our mobile sales force have not only achieved their targets, but they have exceeded these targets, some by as much as 200%”.

The return on investment can be astonishing
It is essential to follow up after the training and evaluate the results. This will not only show you how effective the training was, but can then help identify other areas that may need to be assessed.

Effective but Fun
Training should be an enjoyable experience for the participants and incorporate some fun and activities.

Some professional speakers are also experts in training and often just one keynote can make a real impact. The better the presentation and impact, the more it will inspire the participants to action. Some keynote speakers also offer follow-up online courses.

Being heard amid the noise

Oct 26

Posted by Robert Gerrish in The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | No Comments

In the busy, noisy world of solo business it can be a challenge to be heard and get noticed. One thing is for sure – it’s far better to be heard well by one person than ignored by thousands.Our solo ventures stand the best chance of growing by word of mouth when those around us really understand what we do and are able to talk easily about our work to others. Too often this simply is not the case. Our messages frequently suffer from being too complex or, at the other end of the spectrum, too general.

To help get further into this topic, let me share an analogy.

Some years ago I went on a self-defence course. The instructor talked to us about what to do if we were set upon in the street by a mugger.

“There’s no point in simply screaming out for help” he told us, because as he explained, the natural tendency of others is either to not get involved, or to assume that someone else will do the helping.

Instead we were told to, in effect, ‘appoint’ a passer-by to help. Here’s what was suggested:

Instead of a ‘general’ message he told us to ‘get specific’.

His example was: “Hey you, in the green shirt with the brown briefcase, help me!”

By doing this – by explicitly assigning someone to the task – it was far more likely that help would be given. Of course it would! If you were the person in the green shirt are you going to walk by? Of course not. At the very least you’d turn to someone nearby and enrol that person to your cause.

And this is precisely what we need to do in our solo businesses. We need to tailor our messages to specific people if we are to be truly heard.

Let’s look at this applied more directly to business. Picture an accountant who does basic tax accounting. Chances are you can think of three of four soloists who do precisely that. No doubt each does a good job, but not much is standing out here is it?

Imagine instead an accountant who spoke in terms of ’helping professional service firms pay less tax and retain more profits’.

Compelling language along these lines stands much more chance of being heard, remembered and passed on.

So how do we go about finding the right words? The answer is: Listen to your clients. Ask them what they really get as an outcome of your work and start to talk in these terms.

Use straightforward, clear language and keep it brief. Don’t get all knotted up in processes. People are looking for solutions, it’s how referrals are generated.

There’ll be plenty of time later to talk processes. For now, concentrate on being heard amid the noise.

Welcome to our Landscape

Oct 21

Posted by Steve Gray in Innovation and Creativity, People!, Starting out in business, The Board Room, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Operations Dept | 1 Comment

Hi everyone,

If you are here to check out the web site GREAT! If you are a business professional and write articles, blogs etc, or want to, then this is where your opportunity rocks!
We want to build this web resource to be world class, with great depth and a multitude of solutions for all people in business large and small.

If you want to be part of our contribution team then drop us a line and tell us, show us what you’ve got that will be of value to our readers. Remember the resource is a free one (probably a great place to be discovered!) and therefore we are not aiming to pay for any contributions, however links and correct attibution to the writer is our hallmark!
Cheers!

From the free business tips team.

Got a Card on You?

Oct 21

Posted by Tory Favro in Starting out in business, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 2 Comments

Have them, carry them, never run out. Business cards are a physical reminder to others that you have had contact with them. Business cards should also contain all your contact details. This may sound extremely obvious, but it never ceases to amaze me when I run into clients or people wanting advice, who essentially have an incomplete business card.

Here are some key details to always have on your business card.

Do:

Have your business logo somewhere prominent on the card
Have your name in an easy to read location
Have your job description or title
Have your phone number
Have your fax number
Have your mobile phone number

and finally, never ever overlook having

Your email address & your business’ web address

Do Not:

Have single sided business cards; once a plain card is up the wrong way, it becomes a blank piece of paper, otherwise known as a scrap that will ultimately be written on and thrown out. Make sure that your card is eye catching on both sides and is clearly a resource to those who you wish to deal with. If your card is as comprehensive as possible, then people will hold onto it.

Do not have blank cards where your staff can write their names. It is unprofessional, looks bad to the customer and is also detrimental to the morale of the staff who are giving them out.

It’s simple; your staff are assets, either they have cards or they do not, don’t have blank business cards with a space to write their names. It merely reinforces a number of key points to both the staff and the customer.

1. To the customer it says that they are not dealing with a decision maker
2. To the staff it says that they are dispensable.

Do not EVER, EVER, EVER put a line through details on your card and hand write the new ones. This is one of the worst mistakes that businesses make when trying to save a dollar after some of their details have changed. Put those old cards straight into the bin and get some new ones made up with the new details.

A talking point……

A neat thing that you can do is have multiple styles of cards. As long as your logo is intact across all design elements, it is a great point of interest to your customers and associates to have these different cards. It leaves them wondering what you are going to do next and even sets your card up to be a collectable of sorts. We launched 3 business cards within one year and the feedback was tremendous. I would often go to see a client and they would have all three cards lined up in their card holder. When I asked why it was simply that the client thought that they looked great. The upside of this is that now I occupy a whole side of one page in their card wallet.

Now ask yourself, what would you prefer…….to be a scrap or something worth holding onto? The answer is obvious, isn’t it?

Till Next Time,

Tory

The Ill Mannered Corporate World

Oct 21

Posted by Debbie Carr in Excellence!, Human Resource Management, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, The Board Room, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept | 1 Comment

Has the world changed so drastically that manners are no longer considered necessary? Is a thank you or a quick acknowledgement of an email too hard to do in our busy and stressed out working lives?
How can we change this poor culture and start treating each other with some common courtesy and respect again?
 

Here are a few suggestions that spring to mind.

  • Yes your email can be so overbearing that it is easy to quickly look at it and then decide to go back to it later. Don’t do it! Deal, Delegate or Dump it! If someone needs an acknowledgement hit the reply button and send it. If it’s SPAM dump it, if you have to go back to it, remind yourself in your calendar and file it in a personal folder.
  • If someone sends you a gift in the mail  acknowledge them with a quick email or better still a phone call.
  • Remember you are not  so important that you can’t offer your fellow human being a quick answer, acknowledgment or thank you.
  • Your organization should strive to have happy, helpful and have courteous employees. Returning phone calls and emails is just plain good manners. The voice-mail was invented to take messages for you when you were away from your desk.  It seems these days it’s a tool to help staff avoid speaking to their customers.
  • Always give excellent customer service, and then give that little bit extra.
  • Send cards by mail, yes I mean the old fashioned way with a postage stamp. Thank you cards or just a postcard is a novelty these days and stands out.
  • Take a colleague out for coffee if they have done something to help you, or do it to cheer them up if they are having a bad day.
  • Try and smile to at least 5 strangers every time you walk down the street.
  • Bring some laughter and fun into the office, creating a fun environment is contagious.
  • Always be on time for appointments.
  • Smile and be happy when you are on the phone, it really does make a big difference
  • If you say you are going to be somewhere, be there! Unless you have a genuine excuse do not let people down at the last minute.

All it takes is just a few tiny changes in attitude to make our working days much happier and productive.

Tradeshow Tactics: Cash In On Fun

Oct 16

Posted by Michael Crooks in Excellence!, Innovation and Creativity, People!, Starting out in business, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 10 Comments

My client was dumbfounded. The answer wasn’t complicated, costly or hard to do. The question was, “How do I effectively engage people at the tradeshow?”

“All you gotta do,” I said, “is invite people to take a sheet of your letterhead, make a paper airplane and see if they can fly it into the open window of one of your units.”

My client was a Recreational Vehicle (RV) dealer selling motor homes, travel trailers and 5th wheels to the upscale camping crowd. She was spending a wad on tradeshows but wasn’t getting the results she wanted. So I went to an RV show and had a look around.

Talk about BORING! Every booth was staffed with polite people standing outside their RV’s smiling and saying, “Hi. Howyado’in” to everyone that passed by. RVing is supposed to be exciting and fun. But not one dealer at that show had a mechanism by which to break the boredom, arrest and engage attendees.

I went back and told my client, “You gotta give these people something fun to do. Something that captures the spirit of RVing.”
That’s when I shared the paper airplane concept with her. “If they get the airplane through the window,” I explained, “then they have to go inside to retrieve it and receive their prize. You’ve got ‘em where you want ‘em — INSIDE THE UNIT!”
Too often, tradeshow exhibitors believe that handing some cheap do-dad to everyone who walks by their booth is effectively promoting their business. Key words in that sentence are, “everyone who walks by.” The whole point of a tradeshow is to find qualified prospects. That means you have to find out who is interested in your product or service AND can afford it. You can’t do that if everyone is walking by.

Here’s how I engage people at tradeshows. I use a water globe game where you attempt to get a golf Read the rest of this entry »

Branding, it’s the little things…..

Oct 15

Posted by Bren Ryan in Excellence!, Starting out in business, The Board Room, The Customer Service Dept, The Marketing Dept, The Operations Dept, The Sales Dept | 5 Comments

What’s so hard about branding?

I think it’s the little things that are hard sometimes. Well, at least it seems to me the little things can be the easiest to get wrong.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Day I Learned to Start Saying ‘No’

Oct 5

Posted by Alexandria Brown in Personal Development, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept | No Comments

It was the fall of 1998 when I had just started my first business as a marketing communications writer. Most of my clients hired me for newsletters, brochures, and sales materials, but I would get the occasional request for something different. At the time I was too naive to consider saying “no” to any project that didn’t fit me perfectly.

A perfect example of this was when a colleague named Chip asked if I could write a short script for a customer service training video. “Wow,” I said. “Video! That sounds like fun. Sure thing. I’ll take it on!”

Big mistake.

Sure, at first it seemed exciting. But after I got into it, I was miserable. Not only did I spend three times as many hours as I’d planned JUST on figuring out what they wanted, but I honestly didn’t know what I was doing. I’d never written a video script in my life! I thought it would be simple, but it was a whole other world.

This thing not only sucked up all my time, taking me away from my best clients, but it also drained my energy and my confidence. I felt sick every time I looked at that project folder. I lost sleep worrying that I wasn’t doing a good job on it, and worst of all, my fears were confirmed…

One day Chip left a message on my answering machine that MORE major revisions were needed. Then, it sounded like he hung up the phone, because there was a soft click. But then I heard him start to talk about me with his partner (obviously unaware that his speaker-phone was still on).

At first I stopped the message from playing, because I knew I was not supposed to be privy to this conversation. But I wanted to know the truth, so I listened. My heart sank as I heard things like, “This writer doesn’t know what she’s doing on this… we should have hired a real video writer… I feel bad she’s trying so hard, but this isn’t getting better.”

I got so ANGRY!

Not at Chip, but at myself.

Here I was… an award-winning writer for marketing communications. Marketing communications! That means marketing materials. NOT training videos!

So why had I taken on that project?

My good friend Melanie Strick, “The Entrepreneur’s Success Coach”, calls this “bright, shiny object syndrome”, and it happens to many entrepreneurs. You see, we love ideas! We enjoy moving from idea to idea, and it’s easy to get distracted by something that seems new and exciting.

Especially when you start experiencing success, it’s as if every opportunity in the world starts falling in your lap. You have to become a master of saying “no”. That was very hard for me.

But by sticking with what you KNOW you are good at, you are always confident and calm in your work. You know how to market yourself, and you know who you’re marketing to!

I’ve become so clear now at what I’m amazing at, what I offer, who I’m marketing to, and how I want my life to look like, that any business or life decision is crystal clear. I know exactly what to say “no” to.

(And they say for every “no” you give, a better “yes” comes along!)

So today, make a list of what you are good at, what you’re confident in doing, what you want to do, and who you do it for. And then practice saying, “No!” to anything else.

You’ll find that your marketing and your business will magically become easier, more enjoyable, and more successful!

© 2005 Alexandria K. Brown

Exceptional excellence

Oct 4

Posted by Steve Gray in Excellence!, Human Resource Management, Innovation and Creativity, Leadership, People!, Personal Development, Risk Management, Starting out in business, The Board Room, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 3 Comments

There are so many average businesses, so why are the excellent ones few and far between?

If you start out to do something, do you start with excellence in mind or mediocrity? I guess the answer is excellence, after all why would you want to create an average thing, where is the logic in that?

So go for excellent marketing, excellent management, excellent products and services, excellent staff, excellent premises…

Then make it exceptional! (and don’t give me a line about having nothing to aim for if its already excellent!)

Excel at excellence… (What is there to lose, there’s plenty to gain!)

“You Want To Put My Logo WHERE?!”

Oct 2

Posted by Michael Crooks in Innovation and Creativity, Starting out in business, The Marketing Dept, The Sales Dept | 2 Comments

I should have known better to say what I said, seeing how the caller was from an accounting firm. I merely suggested she put the firm’s logo on the back of a baseball cap. Her silence caused the sort of anticipation you experience when someone keeps blowing up a balloon until it pops. The words came slowly at first … finally she blurted, “You … you want to put my logo WHERE?!”

Trying to regain control of the conversation I asked, “Claudia, why is your firm’s sign out front?”

She replied, “What?  Well, because that’s where everyone will see it.”

“Right. And if everyone could see your sign out back, you’d put it there too, right? “ I asked.

“Of course,” she replied.

“Well,” I said. “When your employees are sitting in the stands at the baseball game, or standing in line for a hot dog or to use the restroom — everyone behind them will be looking at the back of their head. Would you like all those people to see your logo?”

“Hmmmmmmmmmmm.”

Placement of your logo on promotional marketing items, such as baseball hats, should be given as much thought as is given to selection of the item itself. For sake of this article, lets assume you’ve chosen an appropriate item for your event or promotion. And, your primary goal is to broaden your name id.  Now, let’s give the same serious thought to logo placement. Consider the following: how will the product be used, where will it be used, venue, day or evening event, indoor or outdoor, will people be sitting or standing?

With ball caps worn to a sporting event, most want to put the logo on the front. But if you want to maximize the advertising potential of a cap, put the logo on the back as well.

Folding, portable chairs are another place people commonly misplace the logo. Why put the logo on the front of the chair, where it is covered up when the chair is in use? Better to put the logo on the backside of the chair where everyone behind the user can see your logo.

What about pencils and pens? If you thnk about it,  you’ll ensure that the imprint is as near the eraser end as possible. This way, your logo remains to be seen  … even after multiple sharpenings. Same goes for pens but for a different reason. People hold a pen towards the bottom. If your logo is imprinted toward the bottom it will be covered up when the item is used properly. Fat lot of good that does you.

With mugs, ask yourself, “Who do I want to see my logo? The person drinking? The person sitting across from the person drinking? Both? Pick up a mug and drink from it paying careful attention to what you see. Imagine your logo or message on the INSIDE lip of the mug. How about the bottom inside of the mug. And remember the bottom outside of the mug too. All these areas are imprintable with your logo. You need merely decide who you want to see your logo and how much you can afford to invest in a mug.

Say you want to have your name seen at the beach. “Hey! How about beach towels?”, someone yells. Beach towels are an ok idea, except for the fact that when people lay on them they’ll cover up your logo. And while some people may leave your towel stretched out while they take a dip or play beach volley ball, many will scrunch the towel up to keep sand off of it …. and use their beach blanket anyway. So a beach blanket may be a great idea. But again, when in use, your logo is covered up.

A better idea for the beach may be a cooler. Here again, most people will want the logo on the lid of the cooler. That’s fine and dandy … if you pretty much want your logo to be seen only by the owner of the cooler and then only when they’re darn near right on top of it getting in it. Better, is to put the logo on the front and/or back of the cooler. This way your logo can be seen by most who walk by the cooler and from a greater distance.

As far as the accounting firm? After some thought, Claudia put the logo on the front AND back of the hat and had a successful ballpark outing. She said that once at the ballpark, the back of the hat made perfect sense.

My next article will delve into how role-playing and a little research can pay big dividends regarding logo placement and promotional product election. Until then remember:  big or small, put your sign (logo) where people will see it.
©Michael Crooks 2006

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