My Best Business Advice - a selection of articles

No one can deny that sales closing techniques are absolutely vital in face-to-face selling. But often, people ask me if they can apply my powerful closing techniques to online marketing. My answer is an unequivocal, "Yes!"

Of course, there are some closing techniques that are more applicable to the Web than others -- but I'll show you magical closing secrets that can dramatically increase your web sales, and rapidly increase your online income. This works best on direct response websites - i.e., those that focus on getting an immediate response in the form of an order or lead.

Before we get started, I must emphasize that much of the sale is made in the presentation. The close is largely determined by how well you've presented the product to the prospect. Your objective, then, is to take the prospect smoothly past the point of closing, making it easy for him or her to come to a buying decision. You can accomplish this with the strategic use of questions.

The All-Important Opening Question

When you're selling online, you don't have the benefit of interacting with your prospect the way you would in face-to-face selling. Therefore, the first thing you say in your web copy has to be something that breaks preoccupation, grabs attention, and points to the result or benefit of the your product.

At any given moment, your prospect's mind is preoccupied with dozens of things. Therefore, a well-crafted question will cause the prospect's thinking to be directed to what you have to say.

Your opening question must be aimed at something that is relevant and important, and at something that your prospect needs or wants. What do sales managers, for instance, sit around and think about all day long? Increasing sales! Therefore, if your target market consists of sales managers, here's an example of a question you can use as a headline or as the first part of your copy: "How would you like to see a method that would enable you to increase your sales by 20% to 30% over the next 12 months?"

When you ask such a question, the first thing that pops into the mind of the prospect should be, "What is it?" - whereupon you've captured his or her attention, and you can then begin to articulate how your product or service can solve the need posed by the question.

Plan your opening question carefully. If your opening question fails to break your prospect's preoccupation and grab his attention, he will click away before giving you the opportunity to present your product or service.

Questions That Keep Them Involved

Questions are equally vital during the presentation, i.e., in the body of your web copy, for clearly explaining how your product or service solves your prospect's problem in an easy, fast, or cost-effective way.

Therefore, install questions within your sales copy that capture attention. Keep your prospect involved, and keep his mind from wandering off in a different direction by using intriguing questions that grab his lapels and jerk him toward you. For the length of time that it takes a prospect to answer a question in his mind, you have his total attention. The prospect is drawn more and more into the sales process as your questioning proceeds. If your questions are logical, orderly and sequential, you can lead the prospect forward toward the inevitable conclusion to purchase your product or service.

Tip: Never say something if you can ask it instead! Think of how you can phrase your key selling points as questions. The person who asks questions has control!

Closing Questions that Presume the Sale

Just as questions are important at the beginning and the body of your web copy, they are even more vital at the end in gaining a commitment to action.

The key to asking a closing question is confident expectation. You must skillfully craft your question to convey that you confidently expect the prospect to say, "Yes" or to agree to the sale.

For example, you can pose the following question in your web copy: "When would you like to start using to multiply your profits?" In other words, you don't ask if they want to buy your product, but when. This way, you're asking for the sale expectantly, and the more confidently you expect to sell, the more likely it is that you will sell.

Tip: In crafting your closing question, include the benefit that your prospect will get from your product.

When you ask a compelling closing question, you diffuse the tension that normally creeps up on your prospect at the "moment of truth." A prospect's tension leads to the hesitance that kills so many sales - both online and offline.

To be truly persuasive in the selling process, learn to use questions judiciously throughout your web copy. Instead of trying to overwhelm your prospects with reasons and rationales for doing what you want them to do, ask strategic questions instead. When you take the time to plan the wording of your questions, your prospect will become more interested in your product -- and consequently, you will make more sales.

 

There are so many elements that play a very important part in every ad, sales letter, brochure or any piece of business communication that you write. And one of the most important elements is the headline.

The headline of your piece will either makes your reader so excited they'll want to read the rest of your ad, letter etc. or it will make them switch off completely.

Here are some tips to help you do that.

1. Flag down your reader

If your product or service appeals to a select group of people, a great way of grabbing their attention is to flag your reader down. People like belonging, They like identifying themselves with select groups so by flagging that interest group in your headline, you've instantly attracted the attention of your target group.

2. Promise your reader a benefit

Some of the most successful headlines convey something unique about a business.

Are you the only business in your field that does something that the others don't do like offering something for free or giving extra service and so on.

What do you do that your competition doesn't?

Do you go through a 43-point checklist with your customer to make sure you are doing a good job?

Do you use a revolutionary process that saves your client time, money and does a better job?

Have you studied for 20 years with the world expert in your field? (If you have, certainly include it in the headline but you must show how this expertise will benefit your reader).

If you do something that makes you stand head and shoulders above your competition, use it in your headline. Likewise, if you're offering your clients something truly outstanding, mention it in your headline.

3. Use the word 'you'

The most important word in the English language when it comes to advertising is the word 'you'. It helps your reader relate to what you say. It helps them involve themselves in your selling message. This factor comes back to the fact that most people are 'me, me, me'. If you can talk 'you, you, you', you've got their attention.

Read any personal development book and you know that the key to get someone to like you is to talk about them, show an interest in them and praise them.

If you can't use the word 'you' in your headline, you can imply it by using the word 'how to' which has a similar effect because it still involves the reader.

4. What size should the text in your headline be?

The size of your text is very important. If you use a small typeface it will disappear into your body copy and won't stand out. Make sure the typeface is 4 to 8 times the size of the body text and takes up about 20 - 25% of your ad space.

5. Use an exclamation mark

The simple act of putting an exclamation mark at the end of your headline makes people feel that the statement is dramatic so there's more of a chance they'll read further.

6. Put your headline in quotation marks

Putting your headline in quotation marks makes people feel that it is a quote so they're more likely to read on.

7. Mention your offer in your headline

Giving your reader a compelling reason to respond, makes you stand out from your competitors and fast tracks sales. If you have a powerful offer in your advertising piece, in some cases, it's best to mention it in your headline.

Here are some examples of headlines promoting offers:

FREE booklet reveals the non surgical secrets this 60 year old grandmother uses to look just 40.

FREE seminar shows you how to end your $100,000 home mortgage in 4.7 years.

Buy xx get Y FREE

Buy this xxx and we'll give you xxx FREE

Yours FREE xxxx

FREE meal

FREE seminar shows you how to ...

$193 leather bound bible for just $29.95

$180 off car stereos if you buy before Jan. 26

8. Mention results

When your product delivers proven results, tell the world in the headline of your ad. The statement must be strong. It must be believable. It must be specific, and, it must be proven. If you can guarantee the results, incorporate your guarantee in the headline

 

Note: You'll find a lot of overlap between it. But, most other categorization out there, if you look carefully.

1. Reward

Example:

"If You Order Your "Business-In-A-Box" By The Date Stamped In Red On The "Registration Form", You'll Get These FREE BONUSES Worth $1,469.00!"

2. Punishment

Example:

"The last product we offered reprint rights to sold-out quickly. And we had to turn away a lot of disappointed people. Don't let this happen to you."

3. Positive Expertise

You talk to your prospect as an authority on the subject.

"If you are serious about success and want to make money with direct mail, you must get this course."

4. Negative Expertise

Again, you talk as an authority.

"If you can't take it from here and make a ton of money -- you are beyond all hope."

5. Flattery

Example:

"You're receiving this newsletter because you were smart enough to ask for a subscription."

6. Gifting, Pre-giving

Example:

"I want to offer you a gift if you listen to me for 5 minutes."

7. Debt

Calling in past favors.

Example:

"After all the gifts I gave you, this time you should believe me and take up my offer."

8. Aversive Stimulation

This is a 'carrot or stick' technique.

Example:

"I'm putting advertisement in your newsletter if you continue using my free service. When you upgrade to paid service, I'll remove the advertisement."

9. Moral Appeal

This tactic involves finding moral common ground. Then use the moral commitments of a person to comply.

Example:

"You believe this service is illegal, don't you? You don't believe my service is illegal, do you? Then you ought to use mine. It's the right thing to do."

10. Positive Self-feeling

Example:

"If you sign up our membership today, you'll feel better about yourself because you'll know that you're improving every day."

11. Negative Self-feeling

Example:

"If you don't return it to him and apologize, you'll find it hard to live with yourself."

12. Positive Altercasting

Example:

"Smart people tend to sign up my program for the year in advance, because that's how they can get the best weekly rate."

13. Negative Altercasting

Example:

"You're not like those bad sports that whine and complain when they lose a game."

14. Altruism

This is a common do-me-a-favor tactic.

Example:

"I really need to sell away the extra stocks right away, can you help me out?"

15. Positive Esteem of Others

Example:

"People respect a man who owns a Mercedes."

16. Negative Esteem of Others

Example:

"You don't want people thinking you're a loser, do you?"

 

Have you noticed people pretending to listen? They nod their head and murmur, "a-huh" but the truth is they are not paying much attention to what you are saying!

I recommend being very careful about describing what it is you do too soon or in too much detail. Why? Because: It's Not About You, It's About Them. When you make 'it about them', you are only talking for a sentence or two, and then asking another question.

My rule of thumb is this: you are either ASKING a question or SUMMARIZING what the person just said.

Being asked to describe what you do on a first meeting is a trap! Do not fall into it. The person asking you may seem like they really want to know more. But their curiosity will quickly be extinguished if you talk for more than two sentences!

If you want to talk a bit about what you do, ask permission first. Simply ask, "May I spend a minute describing how my service works?" You are likely to receive not only a yes answer but the person's full attention. Permission always builds trust, rapport and respect.

If you do receive permission, keep what you say to just two sentences. Practice saying in a nutshell what it is you do, using benefit-oriented language. If you are describing how your career coaching service works without adding on the result the person gets from hiring you, then you are violating their trust! Most entrepreneurs I talk with spend too much time describing how their service works and not enough time stating the result to the client in hiring them.

Creating Action This Week: Practice the rule of thumb by either asking a question or summarizing what the person said. Do this with two different people each day and notice the responses you get. Did it leave people curious and refreshed from talking with you? Did they think you were a good listener? What did you have to do to remind yourself to ask more questions?

Now it's your turn!

 

FACT: Selling is the only profession wherein your potential earnings are beyond what 95% of the world's population could ever earn -- but only if you know how to close the sale.

Selling is a wonderful profession. But oftentimes, because it is difficult to become successful in sales, it is also considered one of the toughest professions in the world.

As a salesperson, you need to be thankful that making the sale is so difficult, because if it were easy, the field would be flooded with amateurs -- and the amount of money you could earn would be greatly reduced. Your job is to find ways to make the sales process easier so that you can become one of the highest paid people in your field -- if not the world.

The Major Challenge in Selling

Closing the sale is perhaps the most stressful and challenging part of the sales process. This is where the rubber meets the proverbial road.

Hi, I'm Brian Tracy -- and there are secrets I know that can unlock the real firepower that lies dormant in your very own selling skills -- and these secrets will change the course of your sales career forever. I’m going to reveal 3 closing secrets that can easily triple your sales in the next 90 days.

You may have heard about my high-powered sales seminars attended by approximately 400,000 men and women each year in 23 countries -- or perhaps you have come across one of my 16 best-selling books or 300 learning programs.

The 3 killer secrets that I'm about to reveal are key excerpts from courses I've taught to salespeople all over the world. Many of the sales professionals who have learned these secrets have gone on to become the biggest money-makers in the sales industry. If you master these lessons, and practice them faithfully, I guarantee that you will be far ahead of the pack.

Killer Closing Secret #1: The Preference Close

The first technique is the Alternative Close -- also called the Preference Close. It is based on the fact that people like to have choices. They don't like to be given what may sound like an ultimatum to either buy it or not buy it.

To apply this technique, you simply structure your close by saying, "Which of these would you prefer, A or B?"

With the alternative close, whichever one your prospect customer selects, you would make a sale either way. You should always try to give the customer two choices. Even if you are selling a single product, you can give him two choices with regard to payment or delivery, for instance.

For example, "Would you like this delivered to your office or to your home address?" "Will that be MasterCard or Visa?" "Would you like the ATM 26 or the ATM 30?" And so on.

Killer Closing Secret #2: The Secondary Close

The second closing technique is the Secondary Close. This is extremely popular. It is a way of helping your customer make a big decision by having him make a small decision that assumes the big decision. Instead of asking the customer to go ahead with the product or service, you ask a question about a peripheral detail, the acceptance of which means that he has decided to buy the larger product.

For example, you could ask, "Would you want this shipped in a wooden crate, or would cardboard be all right?" "Would you like us to include the drapes and rods in the offer?" "Did you want the standard rims or would you like the customized racing rims on your car?"

In each case, if your prospect agrees to or chooses the smaller item, he has indirectly said, "Yes" to the entire offering. People often find it easier to agree to small details than they do to making a larger commitment. That's why this is sometimes called the Incremental Close, where you obtain commitment bit by bit to the entire offer.

Killer Closing Secret #3: The Authorization Close

The third closing technique is the Authorization Close, which is often used to conclude multimillion-dollar transactions.

Here's how it works:

At the end of the sales conversation, you simply ask if the prospect has any questions or concerns that haven't been covered. If the prospect has no further questions or concerns, you take out the contract, open it up to the signature page, place a check mark where the prospect has to sign, and push it over to him saying, "Well then, if you will just authorize this, we'll get started on it right away."

The word "authorize" is better than the word "sign" because it is less threatening. A check mark is better than an X. Offering to "get started right away" is better than sitting there hoping for the best.

However you do it, be prepared to ask for the order in whichever way seems appropriate at the moment.

 

In this article, I would like to talk about the three "well-known but often ignored" secrets for creating a successful product.

These secrets are still valid in real world as they are online.

The main mistake most entrepreneurs do is to create a product and then they work hard trying to sell it.

Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

SECRET NO. 1 Always create a product ONLY if there is a market for it!

How can you find out if there is a request for your product?

Quite simple, read the forums, search them for terms like "I wish there was a thing that..." "Can anyone help me do..." "What's the best way to..." etc.

I'm sure you understand. All you have to do is to create a product that will fill that want.

Secondly, you can search the web, using terms related to your product. If there is competition that looks like is doing well, then there is a market for your product. Just make it better than the one of your competitor and you're on your way to riches.

Thirdly, you can see how many people search for terms related to your product using Overture's suggestion tool located at: Click Here!

SECRET NO. 2 Never try to sell something to people that don't have the money to buy it. Always create products that appeal to people with money.

This is a great mistake most people make. They try to sell high priced products to people that cannot afford them.

SECRET NO. 3 Always create a product that you would love to buy. Put yourself into your buyer pants and think about how would you like to be sold.

Create products that you'll want to buy; sell like you would like to be sold to; and, in generally do things the way you would like the things to be done to you.

 

If you're re-building an engine, doing your taxes or baking a cake, you follow a set process and everything happens in a certain order. It's the same with advertising.

Great copywriting is about knowing who your prospect is, what they need, what they REALLY want and how your product will give it to them ... specifically, specifically, specifically.

Like any piece of written material your ad should have a title, a beginning, a middle and an end.

You have a split second to grab their attention and hold it. That's what the headline is for - to arouse their curiosity, get their attention, lure them with exciting, very specific benefits and get them hooked enough to want to spend time reading your ad.

The next most important part of your copy is the opening. It needs to be as punchy and attention grabbing as the headline. It needs to be powerful enough to make your reader want to read on. The minute your copy becomes boring or braggish, your reader will switch off. The key is to make each paragraph exciting enough to make your reader want to read on to the next paragraph.

Make each paragraph flow onto the next and identify more and more benefits that specifically relate to your prospect.

And finally, the ending must have a climax and then a specific ending where you ask for the order.

Here are some specific tips that help you do that:

1. Know your objectives.

How many enquiries do you want? How many sales do you want? Can you sell directly off the page or do you need a 2 step approach?

2. Remember advertising is salesmanship in print and remember that the more you tell, the more you sell.

3. Always ensure your promotional efforts are measurable so you know exactly how much "bang" you're getting for your buck.

4. Remember, specifics sell. For instance, 49 is more believable than 50.

5. Use a headline that flags your reader down based on who they are or what their interests are:

eg. "Doctors ... Here's a " or "Garden lovers ... "

6. Identify with their problem or need.

eg. "There's no doubt about it. Being in business is tough. Burning the midnight oil etc.etc.

7. Hint at a solution.

eg. "Now there's an easy way to ..."

8. Explain how you're going to solve their problem.

eg. "At xyz company we have a widget that does this that and the other so you ..."

9. Show them proof by giving specific results, mentioning testimonials and mentioning a guarantee. This dissolves skepticism and therefore lowers the barriers to doing business with you.

10. Articulate your "point of difference" ... what sets you apart from your competitors. Shout it from the rooftops.

Eg. delivered in 30 minutes or it's FREE.

11. Offer free information, such as an information pack or catalogue. Describe that free information and why it is so useful.

12. Give it an interesting title, such as '56 ways to increase your wealth using just $56'.

13. Tell them to act by making an offer and stressing urgency. Simply ask them to ring, fax, or write to post an order. Make it a limited offer.

eg. "Offer ends April 4, 2001 so call now".

14. Include your address in the last paragraph of copy, beneath your logo, and in your response device, in and easy to read font.

15. Include a toll-free number in extra large type in your ad.

Use a coupon or response device, it increases responses by 25% to 100%.

16.Give plenty of room for readers to fill out the coupon details and give it a headline like "Yes, I'd like to learn how to cut my mortgage interest bill in half."

17. Give lots of options in your response device. These may include getting a report, a free consultation, a phone call from a salesperson etc.

18. Put a dashed or cut along the dotted line border on an ad less than ¼ page. It gives a coupon-like appearance and makes people cut it out and keep it. You can even say "cut out this ad and send it to us for more information."

19. A reply paid device can double your responses because it makes it that much easier for people to respond.

20. Put in a reference number to make testing and measuring easier. Have the reader made aware they should quote the reference number when they call.

21. The layout must be (first and foremost) easy to read. "Serif" (Times New Roman) typefaces are easier to read than "sans serif" (Arial).

22.Look at the ads that have worked best for you to see if you can distinguish a common theme in them

 

Looking to improve your marketing efforts? No matter what marketing weapons you choose to use to promote your business, products, or service, the most effective marketing campaigns all have common characteristics....

1. PROFITABILITY

The best marketing campaigns sell your product/service... at a profit! These campaigns always make more money than they cost and always motivate people to buy what you're offering.

2. LONGEVITY

Effective marketing is marketing with staying power. It can be used for months, weeks, and years. It maintains its selling power and appeal over long periods.

3. ATTITUDE

Great marketing stands out from the mass of other messages by showcasing attitude: That of your company, your product,your customers.

4. SUBSTANTIVE

Power marketing puts substance ahead of style, emphasizing the real benefits of your goods or services without having to rely on chicanery, obfuscation, or gimmickry.

5. CUSTOMER-FOCUSED

Marketing that works is marketing that connects with the customer and focuses on their needs and interests, not the advertiser's. It engages them by talking to them, instead of about you.

6. SOLUTION-ORIENTED

To that end, effective marketing helps consumers understand how their problems or issues can be solved using your services. As Jay Conrad Levinson says, "People don't care about marketing." They care about their lives, not your business.

7. PERMISSION-BASED

Again: people aren't interested in marketing. This is particularly true as the number of marketing messages we are exposed to increases exponentially. Interruption-based marketing (e.g., "pop-up" browser screens, SPAM) is NOT effective in the long run. Modern-day marketing involves getting customers' consent to market to them. It emphasizes creating a relationship with consumers.

8. TAILORED

The best marketing recognizes the different strengths of various medium (t.v., radio, internet, magazines, etc.) and is specifically crafted for delivery VIA those medium.

9. CLEAR

Great marketing is clear, concise, and easy to understand.

10. IMAGINATION

The most effective marketing shows flare and imagination but always with the goal showcasing your product and getting people to buy.

Use this short list as a guide to evaluating your new marketing programs, especially if they seem not to be effective... Look to see if there's a characteristic that's missing or needs to be enhanced. Doing so could be just the thing to make your marketing stand out and sell!

 

Each of the following Ten Marketing Tips is based on a highly effective, but often overlooked, marketing tactic. How many are you using? How many have you overlooked?

Tip 1: Insulate yourself against the impact of change by increasing the number of products and services you offer ...and by using a variety of different marketing methods. Only a small portion of your total business will be affected if the sales of one product declines or the response to one marketing method drops.

Tip 2: Customers are prospects too. Stay in contact with them. Find or develop other products or services you can offer them. It's easier to make a sale to a previous customer than to someone who never bought from you.

Tip 3: Avoid making any claim that sounds exaggerated ...even if it is true. A bold claim creates doubt in your prospect's mind and jeopardizes the sale. Reduce any bold claims to a more believable level.

Tip 4: Express numerical claims as odd numbers with fractions or decimals. For example, "Our clients save 17.7 percent" sounds more believable than "Our clients save 20 percent" ...even if 20 percent is the accurate number.

Tip 5: To create an absolutely irresistible offer, combine a special discount price and a set of valuable bonuses in the same offer.

Tip 6: Develop a series of 4 or 5 different special offers. Use them one at a time with an expiration deadline. When one offer expires, replace it with the next offer and a new deadline. Continuously recycle through the same series of offers. This enables you to keep using special offers to generate sales without taking time to develop new ones.

Tip 7: If you're attracting many prospects who really don't have (or can't get) the money to buy your product or service ...you need to change your market. Target a market where prospects have an intense desire for the benefits produced by your product or service - AND the money to buy it.

Tip 8: Set yourself apart from competitors by offering an exclusive benefit your competitors cannot copy ...or one they're not willing to copy. One business owner I know includes his personal phone number on every order. His competitors don't - and they are not likely to start making themselves that accessible to customers.

Tip 9: Advertising copy produces the biggest response when each reader can believe the message was written specifically for him or her. As you write any sales message, visualize you're writing to one person instead of to a large group of people. This will help you write in a less formal and more personal style.

Tip 10: Most sales are not made on the first contact. Develop a method to capture and save the names and contact information of prospects who don't buy from you. Follow up periodically. A little gentle coaching will eventually convert many of them into buyers.

Each of these 10 marketing tips implements a simple but highly effective marketing tactic. Take action now to apply those you overlooked. You'll be surprised by how much business it produces for you.

 

"There Is No Point Going Anywhere If People Don't Remember You Were There"

Networking is indispensable these days, but if you go to business events and no one remembers you afterward, you've wasted your time. Such contacts only work if you make yourself memorable.

Happily, this does not mean you have to arrive on a pogo stick or be loud and boisterous. Here are some strategies that let you walk into a room with quiet self-assurance, confident that people will enjoy meeting you and recall you afterwards.

Arrive looking your best. If you are having a busy day before going to a business meeting, keep a change of clothes in your office or car so you can walk in unwrinkled.

"Work" your name tag. We're all more likely to retain information that we see and hear at the same time, so wear your name tag up on your shoulder. That way, people can read it as they hear you say your name. Some women put their name tags down on their handbags or in the most amazing places. Put it where people aren't afraid to look!

Develop a distinctive "signature." Men can wear ties that people will comment on. An investment banker I know wears a money tie. In business groups, I stand out because I wear a hat. When people are asked, "Do you know Patricia Fripp?" the usual reply is, "Yes, she's the one who always wears hats." Of course, if hats suddenly become mandatory fashion, I'd go bareheaded to get noticed.

Develop an unforgettable greeting. When you introduce yourself, don't just say your name and your job title. Instead, start by describing what you do for people. A financial planner says, "I help rich people sleep at night." One of my responses is, "I make conventions and sales meetings more exciting." Almost invariably, my new friend has to ask, "How do you do that?" Immediately I get to market myself: "You know how companies have meetings that are supposed to be stimulating, but they're usually dull and boring? Well, I present practical ideas in an entertaining way so people stay awake, have a good time and get the company's message. My name is Patricia Fripp, and I'm a professional speaker." People remember the vivid pictures you create in their minds more than the words you say.

Overcome any shyness. If you feel uncomfortable at organized events, volunteer to be a greeter. You stand there with a label that says "Greeter" next to your name tag, and you have a specific job. "How do you do? I'm Chris Carter. Nice to meet you. Name tags are here. Food is there. How do you do? I'm Chris Carter. Nice to meet you." Soon you start feeling like the host of a party. You've broken the ice with lots of people, so it will be easier to approach and talk to them later. Look for opportunities to be helpful at such events. I attended a Leukemia Society charity lunch and fashion show which was a funs raiser for a friend. My goal was to be emcee. They had never thought of having one, but I offered some suggestions and I was dressed for the part, offered to do it. My friend and her husband, experts at fund-raising events loved their idea!! I was highly visible, always feel more comfortable with a 'job' at any event, and my friends looked like heroes.

Greet everyone. Don't ignore people you recognize if you've forgotten their name. Smile and ask a provocative question like "What is the most exciting thing that's happened to you since we met?" "What is your biggest recent success?" or "What are you most looking forward to?" And never feel afraid to say, "The last time we met, we had such a great conversation. Will you remind me what your name is?" My friend Susan RoAne tells people, "Forgive me for forgetting your name. Since I passed forty, it's hard to remember my own."

Follow up. Always send a note or brochure the next day to the people you have met. Keep their cards, and make notes of what you said in case you meet them at another event.

These are all positive, pleasant, easy ways to be memorable. Get the most out of your networking time and energy by making yourself worth remembering!

 

Here are 7 well known, highly effective marketing tactics many small business owners overlook when developing their marketing program. How many have you overlooked?

1. Be Unique

The best way to beat your competition is to promote a distinct advantage your customers cannot get from a competitor. This is often called your USP (short for Unique Selling Proposition). If you don't already have a distinct advantage, create one. Add something to your business you're not already doing. One network marketer I know doubled her sign up ratio by providing free sales leads to her new distributors for their first 4 months.

2. Use Testimonials

Collect and use testimonials. Testimonials from satisfied customers are similar to referrals. Both provide your prospect with evidence that your product or service produced results for other customers just like them. I've performed many tests using the same messages with and without testimonials. Those with testimonials always increased sales, often by as much as 65% or more.

Don't wait for satisfied customers to volunteer a testimonial. Instead, follow up with some customers soon after completing a transaction. Ask what they liked best about your product, service or business opportunity. You'll get many flattering compliments. Ask for permission to use them in your promotions.

3. Make An Upselling Offer

Upselling is a proven technique you can use to get more money at the point of sale. Customers will never be more receptive to an attractive offer from you than when they're paying you money. Offer your customers or clients the option to upgrade to a better product or service at a special price. Or, offer the option of adding a related item to the sale for a special combination price. Many will accept your offer. An upselling offer can increase your average sale by 30 percent or more without creating any advertising expense.

4. Trivialize Your Price

Demonstrate a low cost for your product or service by breaking down the price to its lowest time increment. "$325 per year" frightens many customers away. "Enjoy all of this for less than 90 cents a day" attracts them to the low cost.

5. Stress Benefits Before Features

A feature is what something is. A benefit is what it does. For example, my favorite donuts are now delivered in a re-sealable box. That's a feature. The donuts stay fresh for a week after I first open the box. That's the benefit. Promote the benefits of your product or service before you promote the features of it. People never buy something to get a feature. They always buy to get the benefit produced by the feature.

6. Focus On The Headline

Always include a headline with your ad, sales letter or web page. Include your biggest benefit in the headline to grab your prospect's attention. Otherwise, many prospective customers won't read your promotional material. When you develop a new promotion, test different headlines to find the most effective one BEFORE you test anything else. After you find the headline that attracts the most readers you can test to find the most motivating copy for them to read.

7. Make An Offer

Never advertise without including an offer. An irresistible offer is the number one reason why people buy something. To substantially increase the response to your advertising, substantially improve your offer. Many small businesses advertise without including an offer. This is a costly mistake because it doesn't provide a reason for prospective customers to respond. The best way to get a big response from your advertising is to make an offer your prospects can't refuse.

Are you using all 7 of these tactics in your promotions? If not, revise your marketing program to include those you've overlooked. You'll immediately enjoy a big increase in your sales and profits without increasing your expenses.

Related Articles:

Communicating Value
Effective sales professionals know the importance of communicating value. Budgets are tighter. Business customers are being asked to do more with less. Decisions are increasingly less on WHERE to spend the money and more on WHY we need to spend the money.

How to Promote Your Business with Seminars: 9 Expert Tips
The single best thing about using seminars to promote your business is: people pay to be prospects. Any business, regardless of size, can be promoted effectively with seminars.

Blow The Competition Away With Viral Marketing
Viral marketing is essentially a marketing strategy that grows the marketing message at an exponential rate without any effort on behalf of the marketer.

Entrepreneurial Traits that Drive Sales
Frequently overlooked and hidden deep within our marketing tool box is the ultimate marketing vehicle for your business – you! Many small business owners are so busy figuring out how to increase sales and revenue they forget to grow themselves as business owners.

 

Have you ever been lucky enough to receive those nice letters from collection agencies? In addition to being persistent on the phone, collection agents are known to be terribly effective when their efforts are combined with a series of letters that seem to be as equally relentless.

First, you get a letter with the typical request to "govern yourself accordingly." If you don't respond, a second letter appearing in the form of a "reminder" is sent to you a few weeks later. And, if you happen to be as persistent as the agency, you would then get a third letter with that big, red (and somewhat intimidating) "Final Notice!" stamped in the upper right-hand corner.

Sequential direct mail has been as profitable an endeavor for entrepreneurs as it has been for collection agencies. And the reason is that a sequence of letters, particularly at least three of them delivered to a same recipient, not only increases the response rate but also multiplies it exponentially. Aside from increased sales, the per capita cost savings is also considerable.

Let's Do The Three-Step

Even though I've first heard of this technique from marketing guru Dan Kennedy at a Toronto convention in 1996 ("Success '96"), I still didn't believe in its effectiveness until I actually used it in my own practice. Tested in one of my client's businesses, our first mailing conducted to approximately 7,000 recipients generated a response rate that was about 1%. It's not much but typical for most one-time direct mail campaigns -- no big "hurrah" there.

However, the surprise came when the rate shot up to about 7% following the second mailing and over 3% after the third, which were targeted to the exact same market. With all three mailings totaling 11%, the overall response was a tenfold improvement over what could have been a single mailing (with only a threefold increase in direct expenses).

The first letter had a special time-sensitive offer and an invitation to enter a draw. The second letter, which was mailed out 15 days after the first one, had a "sorry we missed you" and "we're concerned" flavor to it. It went on to offer several additional incentives in order to help nudge unresponsive recipients into action (a backend product worth only a few dollars).

Thirty days after the initial mailing, the third letter boldly stated "this is your last chance" and "deadline around the corner" right at the top -- similar to the collection agent's "final warning" stamp. The content of the letter reinforced the urgency and, along with an extra incentive, emphasized the negative outcome that would result if the recipient chose to remain idle.

Increased Perceived Value

In essence, I have found and personally experienced that three if not more mailings to a same target market is often more profitable than a single one. If you want to take a look at the numbers, you will see that, while you may have doubled or tripled your direct mail marketing expenditures, you will likely triple the results of all three separate mailings… Combined!

By the way, the prize drawn in the previous campaign was for one of the services offered by my client -- priced at about $1,500. Shortly after the draw, we decided on a fourth mailing to all those who did not respond and offered a discount on the very same service. It said "Congratulations! You've won the second prize -- a $250 rebate on [service]." As a result, the response rate had finally risen to a total of 16% (and sales still kept trickling in way after).

The mailing was indeed a success. But the power of such a process lies in the fact that people who receive a second and third mailing tend to conclude that the offer is more valuable. If you can, transform your next direct mail marketing campaign into a sequence of offers to a same market and you will see a substantial improvement over one-time mailings.

Follow-Up Letters

When an estimate, a special offer or a sales information package has been issued, the process that normally follows is probably more important than the deadline and the reinforcements combined. It's the follow-up.

However, follow-ups are not limited to a single letter. As you may likely know, statistics prove that most sales occur in the follow-up process. In fact, following up is also an art. You need to do so in a timely, consistent, and compelling manner. For example, if you received an inquiry, conducted a sales presentation, gave a product demonstration, or provided an estimate for a service you offer, like a blacksmith you need to "hit the iron while it's hot."

The 10-10-10 Technique

It is a fact that consistent follow-up gets results. And if done at preset times, follow-ups will dramatically increase your sales since some people need to see your offer more than once. Utilizing the combined power of the "thank you" letter and the three-step direct mail sequence described earlier, you can conduct what I call the "10-10-10" technique (although it can be 15, 20, or 30, all depending on your industry or the type of product you sell).

For starters, you'll need to develop your follow-up messages. Your first follow-up letter, within the first 10 days following the initial presentation or meeting, may say something to the effect of "Thank you [for the time we spent together or for your interest in ABC Corporation]." Realize that gratitude goes a long way. And while it may simply be an act of appreciation on your part, it helps to keep your company or product fresh in the prospect's mind.

Your next follow-up message, sent within 10 days after the first letter (or in other words within 20 days after the initial contact) should restate the benefits of your offer as well as stress its deadline. It could list the potential uses for your product or service, and include several additional testimonials from other clients. More important, your letter should give your prospect the ability to focus on the important points, such as with the use of bullets, keywords and action words, quotes and reviews, and benefit-rich paragraph headers.

For your last follow-up message, sent within the final block of 10 days (in between 20-30 days following the initial presentation), you should create a sense of urgency in your prospect's mind. Remember the collection agent's final notice? In this case, remind them that their estimate (or your special, time-limited offer) is about to expire. Make them an even more special offer in order to give them an additional reason to order and to order now.

A Little Nudge is All it Takes

Creating a sense of urgency can be done in many ways. For example, by adding an additional time-sensitive bonus to your offer (one that will now expire quickly since the deadline is even closer), you will give your message weight and nudge unresponsive prospects into action.

This incentive could be many things, such as free delivery, a complementary service, an additional item, a coupon for another product, or an extended guarantee. It could even be a more affordable alternative to the initial offer. But you'll need to look at your product or service and see how you can make your offer more palatable and thus stimulate response.

Finally, if after all three letters your prospect has not responded, you could still send a fourth, fifth, and final letter in order to obtain some useful information. Within 10 days after the offer's expiration, your additional follow-up letter could simply ask why they haven't ordered. Try to get them to respond -- turn the back of the follow-up letter into a survey they can fill out, or include a small notice telling them that you will call in order to gather their feedback.

It's unlikely that people will order from you after all three letters (depending on your product or industry) since 90% of buying decisions, in my experience, are made within those first 30 days. But feedback is precious. It could help you to modify and refine your follow-up letters, your offer, as well as your product or service so that future prospects will indeed order from you. Incomplete sales are wonderful opportunities to gather important marketing intelligence.

Nevertheless, both timing and timeliness are vital. You want your prospects to have more information quickly since they are probably shopping around -- again, "while the iron is hot" in other words. In each of your follow-up letters, tell them why they need to take action soon. Don't just remind them of the deadline. Give them a sincere, logical, and justifiable explanation. As Jim Rohn once said, "Without a sense of urgency desire loses its value."

Whether it's fluctuating prices, a pilot promotion, a quantity-bound offer, or whatever, make sure your explanation is logical and makes sense, and is not a mere cannned attempt at only-trying-to-make-a-quick-sale kind of response. Nevertheless, don't annoy your prospect with too much at once -- make sure your letters are spaced at least 5-10 days apart.

The moral? Be relentless like a collection agency. Send at least three letters instead of one in order to get more mileage out of your campaign. Use the 10-10-10 technique after you've provided an estimate -- or even after someone has requested information about your offer. Remember that the bulk of most sales are usually made in the follow-up phase.

 

Small companies and independent consultants rarely have marketing at the top of their list of priorities. In fact, it often isn't even on the list. Yet our experience has shown us that consistent, well-executed marketing can help any size business increase profits and withstand downturns or changes in market conditions. Effective marketing increases awareness of your offerings, leading to new customers and more business from existing customers.

How does a small business or independent consultant with limited resources and time manage a marketing effort? The answer is twofold: planning and perseverance. Think Before You Market You decide to start a marketing campaign, perhaps with a new brochure, an advertisement, a newsletter, or even a Web site. What's the first thing you do? If your answer is sit down at the computer and start to write, think again. Even seasoned marketing professionals often plunge into creating content and design-they know their business and the technology and mistakenly think that all that's left is writing it down clearly. But without planning, campaign messages won't capture customers' attention.

You're investing time and money creating and executing your campaign. Planning will help you ensure you get a return on that investment. In fact, we tell our clients that 80% of successful marketing occurs at the planning stage. This doesn't mean producing an entire marketing plan like you might see in a large organization. It does mean following six steps that will help you develop targeted messages for your campaign.

1) Identify the target market and profile the customer

2) Define the problem from the customer's point of view

3) Define the benefits of your product or service

4) Build the message and plan the campaign

5) Select the media and execute

6) Evaluate and repeat

Step 1: Identify the target market

A target market is a group of people or businesses with a similar compelling need and the resources to do something about it. The compelling need is the key factor in identifying the target market. Business buyers need to justify their purchases in terms of reduced costs, faster time to market, improved quality, or increased market share. The first step in creating your message is to identify which of these goals is driving your customers and to determine what stands in the way of them meeting this goal. As you identify the target market, pay particular attention to those people who have the authority to sign the contract. You may have convinced an entire department that they need your service, but if you haven't convinced the decision maker who controls the budget, you won't get the contract.

Step 2: Define the problem from the customer's point of view.

This is the most crucial step in the entire process, and one that even experienced marketers will often overlook. If you can articulate the issues that your customers have to contend with, you will gain instant attention and credibility. Have you seen the IBM ad where a meeting has been conferred to discuss a company's e-commerce Web site being down? The chair of the meeting asks everyone for a status report, and everyone mentions a different vendor who is passing the buck. The chair asks who is in charge of making sure every-thing works together. The response? "That would be you." The ad ends with a close-up of the chair, looking horrified. Why is this ad effective? First, it makes its target audience ask "what if" about a scenario that they may, eventually, have to face. Second, it's targeted directly at the person in charge-a person who does not want to be in the same position as the woman at this meeting.

Step 3: Define the benefits of your product or service.

Steps 1 and 2 have helped you define the problem. Now, how do you help your customer solve it? All too often, technical marketing materials focus on the features of the product, leaving it to customers to translate the features into benefits. No wonder so many marketing materials wind up in the wastebasket, unread. To go from feature to benefit, go back to the customer problem defined in step 2 and describe how your product or service helps the customer solve it. To see the difference between features and benefits, let's look at some examples from consumer products:

Product Automobile

Problem After my wife drives our car, I have to readjust the seat, the steering wheel and all the mirrors

Feature Dual Memory Settings -

Benefit The driver's seat, steering wheel and mirrors adjust to you. Set them once, and a click resets your seat whenever it is changed

Product VCR Problem The clock on my VCR is never right. I forget to reset it for daylight savings time, and I miss programs I wanted to record.

Feature Auto Setup

Benefit This VCR sets its own clock, giving you one less thing to worry about.

Product Camera Problem By the time I focus, my child has moved. I either don't get the picture, or it is blurry.

Feature Auto Focus . Benefit Perfect pictures, every time.

Notice how much more compelling the benefit statements are. In each case, they appeal directly to the customers and describe how the product will make their lives better. "Auto Focus" is a cool sounding feature, but "Perfect Pictures" are what I want.

Step 4: Build your message

Once you have defined the benefits, the hard work is done. Now, you can sharpen the message. Focus on the benefits that you have defined and keep the message simple and clear.

Step 5: Select the media and execute

Advertisements, brochures, Web sites, newsletters, direct mail, and email can all be valuable places to deliver your message. The one you choose depends on the message you want to convey, how frequently the message changes, your budget, and the nature of the target market. The medium you choose should be the one that will reach your target most effectively.

Step 6: Evaluate and repeat

Many small companies look at marketing as a one-time event. They do an ad, send out a brochure, create a newsletter, or build a Web site. Then they stop, response or no response. Our experience has shown that effective marketing is a continuous process, analogous to dollar cost averaging in investing. A small, consistent effort will be far more effective over time than a much larger campaign done once and forgotten.

Well-planned and executed marketing campaigns can help any size business to increase sales and profits. Effective marketing requires that you do your homework and maintain a consistent effort, but the results are worth it.

 

Hello fellow dpers, we know we aren't supposed to be talking bad, but I have one big, big, complaint. And the people that I am complaining about know who they are. I have been flamed for putting secrets out for free and good information out. That took a long time to compile. I don't understand why people cannot take the information for what it is, advice. If you choose not to follow it, its your prerogative. But please dont flame us because you look at our post count, think we are new, and don't know what we are saying. We have spent many years in market research. And me personally has spent many more years in promotion. I like, most of the men of my age, have had to change with the times. The old school methods work the same on the computer as they did on the phone. And for all of you newbies out there, and even the old timers, we have posted some pretty informative posts. I hope they help ya'll make more money, or at least, make you better salesmen. Good luck with the information we have posted tonight, it was quite exhausting. But we do want to hear your comments on how well we have done, or how bad. But just griping at us about people talking about this subject before, is just the same as people standing around at a watercooler, gossiping about repeats of sex and the city. And you standing there complaining about it, just because you dont like it. Its going to happen anyways, you can't control it. So either help or just don't comment. We would really appreciate it. I hope everybody benefits from what we do here. Thanks for you time

 

really its almost the same just appeal to your audiences need for ur product...pm me an ill try to move this kind of info to a blog friendly article .

 

Which posts you are talking about? Who flamed you and where?

 

it was about starting a online and offline business....he said..Well,talking is easier than doing.
You need to have all the required paper work and license before starting any business.
And its always better to work for other people first before own and business due to lack of experience....i know im new herebut im40 and have been a salesman for a while he made it sound like i was stupid...what he hit me up about is the first thing u should know before getting in this form....its common sense to know u have to have dba and a tax id....not that anyone talks about on that tread....his comments were unhelpful in my opinion. And from the amounts of postings he has had, it seems that he has just been running up his post count because in a year and a half, he has posted over 11000 posts. I sit infront of the computer all day and will not get that many posts in that time frame, because, I am writing long articles that are informative. So unless i am mistaken (which i really could be) hes just flaming people and posting just to run his count up. We are here to help and we hope that everyone reads and benefits from our posts. That is one of the main things we do, market research. So our information is good and correct, to the best of our knowledge, please feel free to review our stuff and let us know if it is good information or not. Because without feedback, which is constructive, we will never become the best we can be.

 

If you think you were flamed for nothing you can contact a Mod about this. Here is the list of mods who are ready to help always http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showgroups.php. But you need to provide them the your thread URL.

 

oh, I dont want to be the kid who tattles to the teacher, but here are the threads:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=1438377
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=1437942

Look, we may just be tired and grouchy, but his posts were neither helpful nor constructive criticism. But right now, I write this as I am on my way to bed, this is an hour later than I usually go to sleep and maybe I am taking it too personally. So if you guys who read this post, think I am overreacting, please let me know. I just think everybody who posts should have some sort of question or answer that is helpful unless it is in the just talking forum. Which we are in now. So guys, please let me know if I am being unreasonable, because I am tired and grouchy, and I could be wrong.

 

thank you indeed, it's remind me again.