Marketing in tough times...
Over the past month we've heard a great deal about the impact of the credit crunch on UK business. So what can we do about it?
This month's issue has at least some of the answers.
US marketing guru Alexandria Brown gives her views on the lessons to be learned from TV advertising: why, and how, it works and how you can use the same principles in your own marketing.
Ari Galper concludes his eye-opening tips on cold calling with another startling piece of advice - why you shouldn't try to close a sale at the end of the call...
And Bernadette Doyle invites you to choose between a front page story in a national newspaper and a permission based list of 1,000 people. (So which would you choose?)
Read on and find out more…
Katherine Saltmarsh: training the trainer
Katherine Saltmarsh has 23 years’ experience as a financial services industry professional, followed by 12 years’ experience as a freelance consultant. She now operates as a limited company. Katherine is a writer and designer of training materials and is experienced in train the trainer, coaching and facilitating.
Katherine is a qualified NLP Practitioner and has qualifications in a variety of other areas, such as psychometric testing, adult career guidance, counselling and post-traumatic stress counselling, as well as being a qualified LCA Life Coach and a member of UKCLC.
During her financial services career, Katherine recruited, selected, trained, managed, developed and motivated her sales team, with impressive results. She introduced staff to new training and competency procedures in feedback and motivational interview skills. She is also experienced in coaching interview skills and self-marketing skills, as well as life coaching with both business and personal clients with no links to the insurance industry.
This extensive experience informs the training she provides in the following areas: train the trainer, sales process, skills and technical induction training.
Like to know more? Then call P-tek now on 08448 011 733 or send us an e-mail.
 Alexandria Brown: Seven marketing lessons we can learn from TV infomercials
I hate to share this, but I love watching infomercials. And I’ve ordered more than once from them! Everything from cosmetics to a cell phone accessory.
When pressed, my friends admit the same. If you sniff around most people’s homes, you’ll find something ordered from an infomercial, whether it’s the Ronco Rotisserie or Victoria Principal’s skincare.
You may think of these often annoying programmes as ‘trash TV’, but think again. Did you realise that they use many of the exact same strategies that we should?
Now, I don’t mean you need to scream at your customers or flash ‘$19.95’ in blinking digits on your website! Those are gimmicks. But what most people don’t realise is that many of the strategies that sell the kitchen doohickey gadget are the same ones that can also sell your products and programmes.
Here are seven of my favourites:
1 They grab your attention. Infomercials air on the most challenging medium there is out there: television. You’re just a second away from your prospect clicking their remote to the next channel. So they do their best to get your attention right away and KEEP it for as long as possible.
That’s why infomercials give bold statements and emphasise how this doohickey will change your life. You should do this too – stop beating around the bush and make it clear to your prospects how your products and services will change their lives!
2 They give tons of real-life testimonials. You’ll see that TV infomercials have evolved greatly since years ago. It used to be one or two people talking to a camera for the entire time. These days, most typical 30-minute spots are over 80% customer testimonials! And that’s for good reason... they are the hands-down BEST way to gain instant credibility.
A great example is for one of those home exercise machines. I noticed years ago they just showed the super-ripped guy using it on the infomercial. Now they show that guy PLUS dozens of before-and-after testimonials from real-life guys with beer bellies and real jobs who used the product with success. That was a great move on their part because, c’mon, we never really believed that super-ripped guy looked like that from using it just 30 minutes, three times a week!
3 They use personalities. The most successful infomercials now use celebrity guest hosts. They know this gets people’s attention more than practically anything out there. Pro Activ uses Jessica Simpson. Youthful Essence (a skincare product I love) uses Susan Lucci. Even NutriSystem is now using Dan Marino in their commercials to target men.
You can do the same in your marketing. You can either hire a star or, even better, make yourself the celebrity... by sharing stories, being personal and having fun with your market.
4 They give an irresistible offer. It’s rare these days to see an infomercial asking for you to pay for something in full. You’ll mostly see things like ‘three payments of $19.95’ or ‘four payments of $39.95’. Why? Cash-crunched Americans are always more concerned about cash flow than the total price. They’ll even happily pay much MORE in the end in order to gain a lower monthly payment!
You can do the same. Offer a payment plan for your products, courses, workshops, and coaching. You’ll be AMAZED at the increased response and it’s easy to do with marketing-savvy shopping cart systems.
5 They give a strong call-to-action NOW. These folks know that as soon as you change the channel, you’re going to forget about their product. So they make it very urgent that you pick up the phone and call them now or visit their website and order. They usually say something like, ‘If you call in the next ten minutes, you also get...’ and they list a few great bonuses.
This isn’t just specific to TV. Everyone would rather put off ANY decision these days, we’re all so busy and overwhelmed! So you need to give people a good REASON to act now, whether it’s a discount that expires, a payment plan that expires, a limited number of products or seats, a special bonus... you get the idea.
6 They sell on continuity. What’s ‘continuity’? It’s when you make ONE sale that results in multiple charges over and over. For example, because my friends have been raving about I D Bare Minerals natural makeup, I recently ordered a kit from their infomercial. Now, every two months, I receive a fresh supply in the mail and my card is charged again. I love it because I don’t have to remember to reorder. They love it because they only had to make ONE sale, and how they’ve got me as a customer forever until I cancel!
Hear me now... continuity will change your life! Consider how you can use this principle in your business. Could you convert some of your current offerings into a monthly membership? Or, instead of doing one-shot teleseminars, create an ongoing monthly programme? (I did this with my Marketing & Motivation Mastermind.)
7 They repeat themselves. And repeat themselves. And repeat themselves again! Smart marketers know it takes an average of NINE TIMES for someone to see/hear your message BEFORE they will even consider purchasing! That goes for you too. So many of my clients complain that advertising doesn’t work when they only ran one ad ONCE. Or published ONE newsletter and it didn’t get them results.
Remember, it’s the ongoing exposure and repetition that breeds familiarity and trust with your prospects! And that leads to more sales than you’ve ever imagined.
© 2007 Alexandria Brown International Inc
Online entrepreneur Alexandria K Brown publishes the award-winning Highlights on Marketing & Success weekly e-zine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.alexandriabrown.com.
Like to know more? Then call P-tek now on 08448 011 733 or send us an e-mail.
Ways to success from Ari Galper: Avoid trying to ‘close’
 Let’s say you’ve called a lead and it’s going well. You’re sharing a natural dialogue and there seems to be a good level of interest. Now the call is coming to an end, but your mind is starting to race because you’ve been trained that, when someone shows interest, you should go for the ‘close.’ The problem is, trying to ‘close’ someone after only one conversation risks ruining the relationship you’ve been working so hard to build.
So, what should you do instead? Simply ask them, ‘Where would you like to go from here?’
Share with them that you don’t believe in the old approach of trying to ‘close’ people and be sure to let them know they’ll never feel any pressure from you at any stage of your communication together. Then sit back and watch the magic happen!
Next month, Ari on how an overheard conversation got him thinking deeply about the reasons for marketing success.
For more information, contact Ari Galper on 020 8150 6147 or by e-mail. His website is another good source.
Hold the front page!
 Here’s a little marketing quiz for you. Imagine you are being offered two marketing opportunities.
Option 1 is the chance of a positive front-page news story on a national newspaper that will be read by millions of people first thing tomorrow morning.
Option 2 is permission to communicate on an ongoing basis with 1,000 people who know, like and trust you.
Which would you choose?
I hope you said (especially if you’ve been receiving this newsletter for a while) the list of 1,000 people. I know that’s what I would choose. But why?
Whilst at a first glance the chance to have your business seen by millions may appear to be the better opportunity, it has a few strikes against it when compared with the list.
The first point is relevance. An audience of millions may sound impressive, but how many of them are really potential prospects for your business? More to the point, how many of them are actively looking right now?
The second point is timing. A one-time blast of your marketing message is only likely to get results with the people who have an immediate need for what you are offering. What about the people who are interested but, for whatever reason, not ready to buy your service right now? Unless you have a system in place for capturing the details and following up with the ‘interested, but not right now’ group, you’ve just missed a huge opportunity.
The third point is trust and credibility. Whilst the endorsement of a national newspaper will lend you some weight, there will still be people who hesitate to act. It takes time to cultivate a relationship with those people that culminates with them handing over their hard-earned cash.
‘Getting known’ is important – but it’s not enough to guarantee your success. Or, to put it another way, fame does not necessarily equal fortune. Whilst ‘getting known’ will be one element of your overall business success, it’s important to be known by the right people. By that, I mean people who are a good match for the product or service that you offer or have access and credibility with groups of people who do.
And even then, being known by the right people isn’t enough. If you want that relationship to translate into sales revenue and profit, those people also need to understand what you offer and trust you enough that they are willing to take you up on it. In short, whilst the newspaper coverage is a one-time opportunity that may or may not generate business, an ongoing relationship with 1,000 people who know, like and trust you is the foundation of a successful business. Serve them well and not only will they become buyers – but repeat buyers and raving fans who will recommend you to others.
Want to launch a new product or service? Think how much easier it will be when you have a ready-made group of responsive prospects to offer it to. A list is like an insurance policy for your business.
When I work with clients who need to generate cash windfalls for their business, the first questions I ask are, ‘What sort of list do you have? How many prospects? How many clients and customers?’ That’s because a strong offer made to a list of people who have some experience of you will always yield better results than trying to go out and find and sell to new prospects.
If you’re asking yourself, ‘where’s the business going to come from this month?’, you really haven’t yet tapped into the power of cultivating a list. Start TODAY. Collect up records of past clients and prospects, and put them into a database. (I like ACT!) People who have some previous experience of you are ALWAYS more likely to but than people you contact ‘cold’. Is there some offer you could make TODAY to generate business or interest? Then do it! Next, brainstorm what you could do on an ongoing basis to maintain and cultivate a relationship with your list.
HINT: it’s better to send something little and often, than one major mailing four times a year.
© Bernadette Doyle, 2007
Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at the Client Magnets website.
Motivation in the Workplace – one-day training course
Motivation is a vital part of business life. Without effective motivation skills, it is difficult to inspire others to follow our strategies, overcome difficulties or take responsibility for driving things forward.
This course helps participants to acquire a talent for the art of motivation by looking at people’s different needs, practising recognition and responsibility for each other’s motivation, and offering tools and tips that help us motivate ourselves and others in the long term. For further details about the course, please visit here [LINK TO www.essex.ac.uk/bmt/Courses/Motivntheworkplace.htm]
Audience: This highly interactive one-day course would benefit those who are managing directors, leaders and/or line managers of people; those who are required to motivate themselves or others as part of their job, or who want to develop their career or business, or who recognise the value of developing their people skills as part of their personal development.
Place: Colchester Campus, University of Essex.
Date: 23 May 2008, 10 am–4.30 pm.
Price: £150, including a light buffet lunch and refreshments.
Book: To book a place and find out more here or send an e-mail for further information.
Other short courses available
Essex has a great range of short courses on offer during May 2008 that can help improve your business skills and help you achieve your goals:
• Visionary and Strategic Leadership – 22 May 2008 (only two places left).
• Promoting your Business – 22 May 2008.
Audience: Busy people in small and medium-sized companies and other organisations in the East of England region who want short, sharp one-day training that will help improve business and personal performance.
Place: Constable Building, Colchester Campus, University of Essex.
Duration: 10 am–4.30 pm.
Prices: From £150, including a light buffet lunch and refreshments.
Book: To book a place and find out more go here or send an e-mail for further information.
Taking it further
Did you find something useful in this newsletter? If so, why not forward it to a friend, and let them sign up for their own copy?
If anything in this newsletter is of interest to you or if you want any further information about P-tek Development Solutions Ltd and what we could do for you, please call us now on 08448 011 733 or fax us on 07092 029439.
Alternatively, you can e-mail us or visit our website. We'd be delighted to hear from you!
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