Questions? Feedback? powered by Olark live chat software
Oct 13 2004
posted by

Is Your Copy Fluffy?

One of the greatest ways to check if your content
or sales letter will be effective is to count the
number of adjectives and then compare that with the
number of verbs.

Just remember, verbs sell…adjectives fluff or worse.

I was reminded of this in a recent story from Alex Mandossian,
an unrelenting Internet Marketing self-promoter.

“The Ten Commandments, handed down to the prophet
Moses by God in 1800 BC, are the most famous lines of
persuasive copy in world history.” He goes on to note
that only 10% of the words in the Ten Commandments are
adjectives.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Referral Marketing
Oct 10 2004
posted by

Have You Sold Your Internal Customers?

You can make the sale. You know your core message. You know your
target market inside out, right?

But, if you have even one employee then you’ve got another sales job
to do. Everyone in your organization must also be sold on the dream
you have. Everyone who answers the phone, walks the sales floor,
attends that Chamber event, or follows-up on a sales lead in your
company’s name must be sold first.

Let’s start to think of your employees and strategic partners or as
internal prospects. What have you done to really light their fire
about what your company does, about how it is different, about
the unique value you can bring to a service relationship?Continue Reading

Filed Under: Marketing Plans
Oct 8 2004
posted by

Get Out of the Cocoon

Yesterday I had a nice chat with Dr. Ivan Misner. Misner
is the CEO and founder of BNI or Business Network
International.

And, the “Networking Guru” according to Entrepreneur
magazine.

You can listen to myinterview with Dr Misner.

What you’ve never heard of them? You really do need
to get out more. Listen to what Misner’s invention
accomplished last year.

Last year alone, BNI generated over 2.8 million referrals
resulting in over $1.2 billion dollars worth of business
for its members.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Referral Marketing
Oct 7 2004
posted by

A Non-Profit Goes Out and Turns the Referral Tables

In my Referral Flood program one of the referral strategies
that I recommend involves partnering with a charitable
organization and promoting that charities’ mission as a
referral strategy.

Maybe something as simple as – “Buy today and we will
donate 10% of the proceeds to XYZ charity.”

H3O4 in Phoenix took this idea and turned the tables.

They have actively gone out and taken this strategy to
area businesses and shown them how to use Referral
Marketing. It’s such an innovative approach that I think
every non-profit in America could use the strategy.

Continue Reading

Filed Under: Referral Marketing
Oct 4 2004
posted by

Know, Like, and Trust – You need them all to make the sale

Too many small business owners focus most of their attention on single event lead generation promotions.

The most effective lead generation comes from the careful combination of many tactics, but I have found that no lead generation strategy is complete until it weaves the use of advertising (know), public relations (like), and referrals (trust) around a unified message or brand.

It is the momentum and cumulative impact of presenting your message in each of these arenas that eventually allows you to cut through the clutter and become the provider of choice to a market.

Each area is equally important to your overall success and each area must receive the attention needed to let your market know you are serious about earning their business.

So, how does your current lead generation system measure up?

Filed Under: Duct Tape Marketing, Lead Generation, Marketing Strategy, Referral Marketing, Web Marketing Tagged With: , ,
Oct 2 2004
posted by

As a Selling Skill Listening Is Overrated

I know the overwhelming majority of sales books out there
extol the virtues of listening. And, I guess there is a time and
place for that, but here’s my theory.

You know who makes a great client for you. You have a
core message that presents your value. You can explain the
benefits of doing business with your firm…and, you don’t
need to business with everyone.

Why not go out there and tell the world, or your very narrow
target market, what you have to offer, how you plan to deliver
it, the results they can expect, their responsibility in the
relationship and, oh woo doggie, how much it costs.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Lead Generation
Sep 30 2004
posted by

Creating Customer Evangelists Requires a Major Mind Shift

Today on Duct Tape Radio I interviewed Ben McConnell, co-author
of the fabulous book Creating Customer Evangelists, and, while
reading the book in preparation for my interview, I had my first
aha moment when I came across a quote from Guy Kawasaki.

“Sales is rooted in what’s good for me. Evangelism is rooted in
what’s good for you.”

For years I’ve been teaching that the only radio station that our
prospects tune into is WIFM (What in it for me) but what if I
began to build evangelism into my way of thinking. What if
my entire goal was to create a cause for which clients were
willing to drag people to. What if I really could begin to get
clients to think, “what’s good for John?”

Okay, now my head hurts. More on this later I think.

Listen in to my interview with Ben

Filed Under: Referral Marketing
Sep 29 2004
posted by

Shopped Yourself Lately?

One the best ways to understand the experience that your
clients or potential clients have with your firm is to become
a client.

Your goal here is to attempt to see your business as the
world does.

In order to do that I suggest you try this exercise first.

Go visit a business that you have never been to before
and, as you do this, make note of all the things that your
brain and your senses are taking in.

Register all the sites, smells, sounds and feelings you
are going through.Continue Reading

Filed Under: Marketing Materials