Recycle Your Headlines!
October 29, 2009
I’m on my way back from a program in Las Vegas (I mean literally on my way back – I’m on Delta Flight 1088, on approach to Atlanta) and we had great keynote and breakout sessions with about 200 people from the college bookstore profession.
People who attended both sessions got both our high-level marketing strategies and the nuts-and-bolts” details of exactly what needs to be included in an effective marketing message. And one of the most important of these is the Killer Headline.
The purpose of the headline is to get the prospect to read the next line – nothing more. Of course crafting an effective headline is kind of an art form. There are many ways people do this, including sitting down and writing 100 headlines before even starting to work on the body copy.
But I’ve found that the easiest way to get a great headline is to look at what people have done successfully in the past, and use that as a starting point for creating my own. And I shared exactly that strategy with the people in my session this morning.
For example, I showed them a web page from the “Magnificent Menopause” site that offered a free report entitled, Exposed: Five Menopause Myths! Then I instantly read the very same headline out loud, substituting “bookstore” for “menopause”: Exposed: Five Bookstore Myths! …and watched as half the audience madly scribbled that headline down to use in their own marketing.
And you can do that with any of the “classic” headlines: They All Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano…Until I started to Play! becomes They All Laughed When I told Them I Actually Saved Money at the College Bookstore…Until I Showed Them the Receipt!
The real message here is that you don’t have to start from scratch and reinvent the wheel every time you sit down to write an ad or sales letter. There are lots of resources available – including our own Business Self-Defense™ 90-Day Success Program – that can give you a library of samples to draw on.
Marketing is difficult enough to begin with – why not take advantage of all the resources you have available to you?
Disney Obsession?
October 29, 2009
Prospective customers can be broken down based on three broad categories: demographics, psychographics, and subcultures.
Briefly, demographics refer to characteristics which are easy to observe or determine: age, gender, race, education, location, etc. Psychographics point to more subjective areas including personality, interests, hobbies, and attitudes. Subcultures come into play when psychographics take on a dominant role in the person’s everyday life. Examples might include vegans, bikers, endurance athletes and “Trekkies.”
Let’s look at an example of how you could use knowledge of these characteristics to your marketing advantage.
We have some friends who probably wouldn’t object to describing them as “Disney fanatics.” They have original animation cells hanging on their walls; they own lots of Disney paraphernalia; and they go on Disney cruises for their vacations.
And they’re not alone – there’s a whole subculture of people who have been Disney fans from a very young age (another important lesson we’ll address another time). But if you knew who these people were and had something to sell to them, you could use Disney references, Disney gifts, and Disney stories as a component of your sales letters.
Because when you speak the language of your prospects you connect better with them, build rapport more quickly, and get better results.
Sure it takes a bit of effort to do this successfully, but your list is your greatest asset, and taking full advantage of your unique and intimate knowledge of it is your best marketing weapon.
What Does This Button Do?
October 29, 2009
Sales person uses his expertise and knowledge of his product line to help swing a sale from a competitor.
With the development and rapid deployment of e-commerce, it has become easier and easier to use the Internet to research, price, and purchase almost anything. So there has to be a compelling reason to spend a bit more and purchase an item at a store when you can buy an identical item online and pay less. Employee product expertise is a good reason.
Several years ago we were shopping for a video camera. Our old VHS camcorder was beginning to show its age and was very large and bulky when compared to the current models.
At the time, there were two major electronics stores where you might go to buy a video camera: Circuit City and Best Buy.
Armed with our requirements and a list of questions, we went to the first store and were instantly greeted by a salesperson. He asked us a few questions about what we were looking for and how we were going to use the camera. He answered all of our questions, but what was impressive was that he knew each and every feature of the nearly two dozen cameras on display.
He was able to recommend a camera that he felt would meet our needs and was within our budget. I told him that we were going to go and check the other store and that we would let him know what we decided in any case.
When we went to the second store, it was another situation entirely. We stood around the video camera section with “lost puppy dog” faces looking for someone to help us. No luck. We looked in some of the adjacent sections: CDs, personal audio, televisions, still no luck. Then, over in major appliances, we caught sight of a warm body.
“Can you help us over in video cameras?” we asked. “I’ll try,” was the salesperson’s halfhearted answer. What followed was a conversation that I still can’t believe even when I think of it all these years later.
Us: What is the difference between VHS-C and 8mm?
Him: They’re different formats.
Us: What is the difference between 8mm and Hi-8?
Him: One’s higher than the other.
Us: What is the difference between optical zoom and digital zoom?
Him: One’s optical and the other’s digital.
I swear this was exactly what he said! Which store did we buy the camera from? The first one, of course. Now, I won’t say here which store gave us the better service, but when I tell this story in our Customer Service training programs, most people know right away which store we selected, and you probably do too.
The factor that distinguished the first store from the second was the dedication on the part of the sales staff to learn the product line. The salesperson learned, remembered, and was able to communicate the features and benefits of over 20 different cameras. This kind of expertise is valuable to the customer in any situation as well as to the company.
An employee who knows the product will do a much better job matching the customer’s needs with the items available. And this will frequently result in higher sales volumes and higher customer satisfaction.
How often have you gone in a store to buy a washer, for example, thinking that it only needed to get your socks white again. However, when you started analyzing the features with a knowledgeable employee, you realized that you really would like that timer at the end of the cycle and the extra temperature booster sensor.
Suddenly, you realize you’re buying a washer that is $100 more than the one you looked at with the competitor, but that’s okay because you realize you’ve gotten what you wanted and then some.
If There’s One Thing
October 27, 2009
Taking breaks during your workday is important, but you should be mindful of the impression you make on your customers.
With layoffs, increasing workloads, and greater responsibility, work can become tiring fairly quickly. Taking regular time off from work, whether in the form of a vacation or a ten-minute coffee break, can make a big difference in your overall attitude. But you still need to be aware of your behavior, particularly when you are around customers.
A few weeks ago I was in the middle of a very busy day of running errands and wasn’t going to be anywhere near home during the day. I had a two-for-one coupon for one of the major fast-food restaurants and stopped in to get some lunch.
I ordered two sandwiches and the clerk rang up the order. When I handed him the coupon, though, he studied it for a moment and then got a concerned look on his face. I watched him as he looked back and forth between the coupon and a laminated sheet that contained all of the current promotional offers. Apparently, my coupon was not on the list.
He walked to the back of the store, presumably to ask his manager how to enter the coupon. The manager answered, in an angry voice loud enough for all of us to hear, “If there’s one thing that makes me angry, it’s being interrupted when I’m eating!”
The manager came up to the counter, clearly annoyed, typed a code into the register, and stormed off to the back room to finish his lunch. The clerk just shrugged his shoulders and gave me an apologetic look. I asked him if his boss usually behaved this way, and he said that what I just saw happens often.
When you are in a customer environment, you always have to be aware of your behavior and your actions, and how the customer may perceive them. So the next time a customer issue interferes with your lunch, try to remember that it’s the customer that helps pay for your meal in the first place.
Take a Marketing Shower!
October 23, 2009
I always say that great marketing examples are all around…if you pay attention, and hotel showers are no exception.
I was getting ready for a program I was doing that morning and happened to notice something odd about the shampoo: instead of being completely round like these small bottles are, it was round most of the way…with a flat part on the back. This prevented it from rolling off the little shelf in the shower as usually is the case.
Then I noticed that the shower seemed a bit larger than the usual hotel shower. The reason? The shower curtain, instead of being straight had a “bowed” curtain rod, that pushed the top of the actual curtain farther out, making the shower seem larger.
Both of these were very clever design modifications that make the customer’s experience better. This is the kind of thinking you should employ in your own business, and, just in case you’re in need of more examples, you’re in luck: this kind of creativity isn’t limited to hotel bathrooms!
In the post-9/11 era, when airlines started cutting back and downsizing, planes became more crowded as the number of flights was slashed, creating a severe lack of space in the overhead storage bins.
Most airlines started strictly enforcing carry-on limits, but a few smart ones did something different: they reconfigured the overhead bins so standard carry-on “rollaboards” would fit lengthwise instead of having to be put in sideways.
And in keeping with our theme of asking the right questions, here’s one you should ask yourself:
What can you do to enhance the customer experience in every part of your business?
It doesn’t take a lot of effort to consider this, and the long-term results can be incredible. Plus, people genuinely appreciate it when you try to make their lives easier.
Good Question!
October 23, 2009
People spend a great deal of time, money, and effort trying to find “answers” to the questions that are keeping them awake at night. But that’s not necessarily the best way to get results.
As you know, if you’ve been reading this newsletter for at least four months, we belong to a high-level marketing group that meets three times a year in Baltimore. One of the highlights of the two days we spend there is the open Q&A session that takes place on the evening of the first night.
And, after being in this group for three years now, I’ve noticed something interesting: the best questions get the best answers. It’s a pattern I’ve seen repeated time and time again in a variety of situations.
People who think out their questions and send them to me in advance of our monthly Gold Coaching webinars, teleseminars, and one-on-one coaching calls, solicit better – and more useful – information from these sessions than people who are more or less unprepared.
One of our key success principles is that if you don’t ask the right questions then the answers are meaningless. Make sure you’re asking the right questions of your customers, your staff…and yourself.
Come On Down
October 22, 2009
Johnny Olson, announcer of The Price is Right, is a great example of how to truly enjoy your work and how to motivate others.
Getting a group of people excited and motivated can be an extremely difficult thing to do, especially on those days when it’s difficult just getting yourself excited about going to work.
There was one man who was a master of motivation, the legendary Johnny Olson who was the original announcer for the TV game show The Price Is Right.
Johnny was involved in broadcasting from its inception, hosting radio and television programs throughout the formative years of these two broadcast media. But he is best remembered for his work announcing the shows and warming up the studio audience for the popular Goodson-Todman game shows of the 60s and 70s. Those of you who are old enough will remember his enthusiastic trademark lines:
“Let’s all play ‘What’s My Line!’” “Get ready to match the stars!” and, of course “Come on down! ”
Before each show, he would enter the studio dancing to a classic Motown song, hand out various prizes, and have the audience in a frenzy – standing and clapping within minutes. He won over the crowd instantly so that the audience would be wildly cheering before the show even started.
Once the show began, Johnny continued to demonstrate his expertise. He meticulously prepared for every show by studying the names of the contestants, and by reading and re-reading the descriptions of each prize to be awarded on the show. He would mark up the copy with notes on tone, inflection, pitch, and speed.
Johnny Olson embedded all the components of excellence – dedication, preparation, and enthusiasm throughout his 60-year career in broadcasting. He was able to perform at the highest levels of his chosen field because he truly loved his work.
Are you excited about the work you do? Do you spread this excitement to others with whom you work? Take a look at how you face work each day, find the parts of your job that you particularly like, and then “come on down” to work with a great attitude that will make you and your team even more successful.
The Right Place at the Right Time
October 20, 2009
Despite the turmoil and complications that seem to surround us at times, there are occasions when things fall exactly into place. Learn about a time when this actually saved someone’s life.
Just when you think things are spinning out of control and it seems like there is no order in the universe, a series of events can occur where things just seem to fall into place exactly right.
Several weeks ago, we learned that a colleague of one of our friends had been in a terrible airplane crash in a private jet which he had been flying. He survived the crash, but was in intensive care, in very serious condition.
When we checked in a few days later to see how he was doing, we got a more complete picture of what had happened.
It seemed that the plane went down in a lake, and the pilot was trapped inside the cockpit. A passerby happened to see the crash and dove in to try and free the pilot before he drowned. He swam down the first time, but was unable to find him. He went down a second time, but still had no luck. On the third attempt, he returned with the pilot who was barely alive.
Clearly, you would have to be a strong swimmer to do something like this, and as it turned out, this passerby was a retired Navy SEAL. It gets even more amazing. He had terminal cancer and was supposed to have died six months prior to the crash.
A week later, the pilot was awake in his hospital bed, making phone calls, and on the road to recovery.
The sequence of events that occurred that day was incredible. A plane crashes in a lake where a retired Navy SEAL just happens to be walking and who was not expected to live this long.
It certainly makes you stop and think about what you are doing with your life, and about the impact you can have on other people. Maybe you won’t be the one to jump into a lake to save someone’s life, but each one of us touches many lives in the course of a day. Are you doing what you can to make the most of each opportunity?
Just Point Your Finger
October 15, 2009
As you look at the complicated areas in your work and in your life, try to remember that you don’t have to do everything yourself. It’s not a sign of weakness to rely on others for help, but rather a sign of strength and maturity.
Being a successful leader doesn’t mean that you have to know everything or know how to do everything. It does, however, require that you have a high-level knowledge of your field of expertise and the ability to coordinate the efforts of others.
A few weeks ago, I took some time to participate in the final walkthrough of our new home and spent several hours going through each room with our construction superintendent, Ken. Aside from the usual collection of cosmetic items and a few other minor problems, the house looked great.
After we finished the walkthrough, we spent a few minutes talking with Ken about the other houses he was working on, about projects he had worked on in the past, and about his background in construction.
We suspected that he must have had extensive experience in one of the construction trades, or perhaps, several. And while he did have broad experience and a good general knowledge, he never actually worked full time as a plumber, a framer, or an electrician.
A bit puzzled about this, we asked him, politely, of course, how he got to be a construction superintendent without having worked in one of the trades. His answer was quite interesting. He extended his index finger, pointed it in the air, and said, “Because I have this finger and I can point. My father told me when I was younger that this was the most important finger that I had!”
“I just have to look at the construction schedule, see what’s next on the list, “point” at the appropriate sub-contractor, and give him the green light to get started.”
“This finger works just as well when a problem or two appears. I don’t have to know how to frame a house; I only need to point at a warped board and tell my framer, ‘This needs to be replaced.’ I don’t need to be able to pour a concrete slab; I just need to point at the footprints in the cement and say, ‘This needs to be fixed.’”
“But doesn’t it get a bit overwhelming having to keep track of so many different projects at the same time?” we asked.
“No,” he answered, “We have a group of sub-contractors who do excellent work. My job is to coordinate everyone’s effort, and make sure that any problems are identified and corrected as soon as they are discovered.”
In other words, to effectively manage a construction project he didn’t need to be able to perform every single job on the construction site. He only needed a broad knowledge of each task, a general overview of the project, and the ability to identify problems and get them fixed to his satisfaction.
This strategy was evidenced by the fact that the house looked great. He had already marked several items that required attention and some were so minor that we wouldn’t even have noticed them. And this was also the case during our frame-walk several months ago when we inspected the house right before the walls were installed.
As you look at the complicated areas in your work and in your life, try to remember that you don’t have to do everything yourself. It’s not a sign of weakness to rely on others for help, but rather a sign of strength and maturity.
The next time you find yourself overwhelmed by the weight of all you have to do, point your index finger in the direction of the people around you (or in your case a simple request might do) and utilize all the resources that are available to you.
Go Away and Come Back Tomorrow!
October 15, 2009
You may recognize that line from The Wizard of Oz, when the wizard tries to send Dorothy away after she’s killed the wicked witch. But the line also has some relevance in our marketing…
We recently returned from a great trip to California. We visited some close friends from college who live in San Jose, and then headed north and spent about five days doing one of our favorite things: drinking wine, and, more specifically, finding new wineries – preferably small, family-owned, off-the beaten path places you wouldn’t even hear about unless you knew what you were looking for.
Our old favorites are RustRidge (which has a great little B&B where we stayed), and Nichelini (the oldest continually run family-owned winery in Napa valley).
On this trip, we were fortunate enough to add four new wineries to our list: David Bruce and Testarossa in the Santa Cruz area, Summit Lake in the hills above Napa Valley, and De La Montanya in Sonoma Valley. All of these are worthy of a visit if you’re in the area – tell them I sent you!
And, although it didn’t make the list, one winery took “first place” for marketing: Joseph Phelps. This one had been recommended by some friends who had just returned from a similar “wine-hunting” trip, and they said that the views, in particular, were outstanding.
We knew we needed an appointment, but we happened to be driving right by the place, so we stopped in to take a look. We really did need to have an appointment, so they couldn’t do the full tasting with us, but they did two things that are worthy of mention here.
First, they pulled out the schedule for the next day to see what might be available. Second, they gave us a coupon for a free tasting (normally $20). And third, they asked if we’d like to take a glass of wine to sit out on the terrace and enjoy the view.
Booking the appointment, a “bounce-back” coupon, and “try before you buy” – all in about 30 seconds. Well done! And while the wines were good, they weren’t quite what we like to drink, and, having already enjoyed the view (which was spectacular, by the way) we decided not to come back the next day.
Still, there are valuable lessons here, and remember – great marketing examples are all around. You can find them anywhere – even while drinking wine in California – if you’re paying attention.
