Blog Topic: Selling

Are you overwhelmed with all the steps there are to growing  your business successfully? Or, maybe you’re struggling for the motivation to implement the marketing tips and strategies you already know.  Bottom line, many people could benefit from a boost.

That’s why I put together some time-tested and proven tips and strategies designed to give you a big boost in growing your business.  I think you’ll find a lot of value from the quick-read ideas presented in “Profit-Rich Marketing: Proven Strategies to Help You Grow Your Business,” which are designed for easy implementation.

When it comes to growing your business or launching a new product, trade and consumer shows can be the most effective and fastest way to gain industry insight, capture new prospect leads, and network.

You can learn more in three days by going to a trade show than you can in 3 months, or even years, of just searching.  The key is selecting the right show to get the best bang for your buck…

90 Ways to Attract Customers with Magnetic Copy

90 Ways to Grab hold of Your Customers’ Emotions and Move them to Take Immediate Action

90 ways to Relate to your Customers so Well You Freak Them Out

90 ways to Seduce Prospective Customers and Get them to Go On a Second Date

90 ways to Use Emotional Charm to Sweep Customers Off Their Feet

90 ways to Break Down the Wall Between You and Your Prospective Customers

90 Ways to Slay the Emotional Dragon and Win the Heart of Your Customers

90 Ways to Hook Your Prospective Customers Using Emotions as Bait

Clients are always asking me, “How do you get customers to buy more?”

My answer:
You must connect with them on an emotional level. People make purchases based on their emotions, and once you have created an emotional bond with a customer you increase chances of getting repeat purchases from that person. If you tell a prospect your product or service will make her so attractive that nobody – man or woman – who passes by will be able to stop themselves from staring at her in awe and amazement (or with eyes full of envy) you will turn that prospect into a customer. Then, if you deliver enough added value to that customer, she will come back again and again and will become a loyal customer who will even refer her friends to you.

Is your B.S. getting in the way of your marketing success?

Think about your role in the marketing process?

Are you an Executive, Marketing Director, Entrepreneur, business owner, or sales person? … Regardless, “The Profit Rich Marketing Show” will help you increase your sales and profits!

Here are some Keys get you on track.

Increase Sales with Internet Marketing Speaker Ford Saeks

It was 8:00 o’clock on a Thursday morning. I arrived at my office to find my email in-box filled with orders worth over $70,000 dollars…  It was a great way to start my day!

What if I told you there was an easy way to dramatically help you increase your sales without spending a dime… you’d be interested, right? Of course. And better yet, what if it was easy to implement?

An often overlooked opportunity to promote your business is sitting right in front of you on your desk. It’s your telephone. I’m not talking about how you use your phone to reach or greet your customers, but rather how you use it to market to potential customers who are calling you.

What do your customers hear when they’re put on hold?

Neither you nor your prospects get anything of value when your customers are left listening to music… and having them listen to a radio station isn’t much better. Chances are they’re not even hearing music, just commercials. Worse still, they may end up hearing a commercial for a competitor! Putting callers on hold and leaving them in complete silence can leave them thinking they’ve been disconnected and they’ll hang up.

If you’re not using your “music-on-hold” system to promote your business, you’re missing out on significant relationship-building opportunities.

Maybe in the past you played with the idea of having a custom “on-hold” message, but figured it’d be too hard to set up or too expensive, but these days nothing could be further from the truth!

There is a vast selection of top-quality “on-hold” message systems available for businesses of all sizes and budgets. You can compare features and prices at just about any major brick-and-mortar electronics store, as well as on dozens of “music-on-hold” websites.

The custom options for “on-hold” messages can be summed up in two words—variety and affordability. There are “bare bones” setups starting around $50, all the way up to multi-line, multi-message units designed for larger companies.

If you’re a mom-and-pop-size business, then an entry-level single-line, music-on-hold unit may be enough for you. These can be used by anyone wanting to provide music or custom messages to callers placed on hold. Just plug in your phone line from the wall, your single-line telephone, and a sound source (CD player, MP3 player, computer sound card). To place callers on hold, just push a button; to remove hold, push button again. It’s that simple.

Digital “on-hold” players are great because you don’t have to worry about wear and tear on your tape-recorded message—it’s stored on a digital memory chip. It will sound exactly the same even after a year or more of playing to your callers. And again, many units let you use your own audio source like a CD player, an MP3 player, or your computer. And if there’s a power outage, most digital units automatically reload when power is restored.

Some equipment for “on-hold” systems you can purchase, others you lease under contract. Be careful leasing though, as with some companies you may end up paying much more for that player over time than it’s actually worth. Costs vary with the systems and your requirements. Some “on-hold” companies have subscriptions that require a monthly payment (even if you only update your message once a year); others let you purchase a one-time program with nothing more to buy. Word to the wise… do your research.

Technology options aside, the most important part of your “on-hold” system is the message.

I’m sure you already know this, but just as a reminder, content is king, so it’s important that you craft an informative, benefit-driven marketing message for your “on-hold” audio. Messages should be about 10 to 30 seconds long and mention the benefits/solutions your business provides.

I recommend recording a loop of two or three different “messages,” each separated by music. This way you’ll have a variety of messages for callers to hear, reducing the chances of them always hearing the same recording.

Make sure your recordings are fast-paced, to the point, and dynamic (like a real conversation and not a robot reading from a script!). Other points to keep in mind include:

• Assure prospects that a representative will be with them as soon as possible.
• Every message should end with a quick statement of appreciation for the customer’s call.
• Change your messages periodically. If you offer special promotions and sales that change frequently, you’ll need to update often. Change your “on-hold” message at least once a year.

There are hundreds of “music-on-hold” companies online that for a fee can sell you the equipment, help you write your script, provide the voiceover talent and help you find the right music too. You can visit their websites and listen to samples of “on-hold” messages to get an idea of what you need.

There will always be times when you have to put a customer on hold, but there’s no reason why it can’t be a win-win situation for you and your prospect. If they’ve got to be on hold, don’t waste their time playing music or commercials for other businesses.
Whether you go the “do-it-yourself” route or pay a professional service to create your messages, the important thing to understand is that you definitely need a custom “music-on-hold” system as part of your relationship-building and marketing program.

If you’re still not convinced, let me leave you with this: one recent telephone marketing survey showed that custom “on-hold” message systems can increase sales by as much as 26%.

Wouldn’t a double-digit sales increase make your day?  If you want to hear the Prime Concepts Group on hold marketing message just call us.  Of course, it’s our goal to make sure that you aren’t on hold very long, if at all, in the first place, but when you are, you get helpful information that makes the time on hold speed by…

What do you think?  Post your comments below.

In part one of this article I posed the question, “Can anyone write great copy?” I get asked that all the time, and I always say the same thing:

Yes. Most people already know how to do it!

That’s because most people already know how to tell stories… and storytelling is was great copywriting does. The reality is that if you can talk, you can write great copy. In part two, we continue our journey into the psychology and copywriting strategies that are used by the pros to generate millions of dollars in sales. We’ll explore more of the secrets that will help you craft compelling copy. One of the most critical – if not the most critical – elements you must master to be a great copywriter is the headline. Did you know that on average, five times as many people will read a headline as read the content of your copy? Unless your headline sells your product or service you may have wasted 90% of your money!

Why? Because it doesn’t matter how great your offer is, how compelling the body copy is, or what a bargain your price is. If you have a lousy headline, no one will read further to discover the other stuff. The headline also sets the tone of the copy, and puts the reader in a certain mindset before she even begins to read.

Let’s suppose your headline is something like:

How Badly is Your Lawyer Ripping You Off?

The reader is likely approaching the copy with an expectation of finding out something her lawyer doesn’t want her to know, with an expectation of uncovering ways that she can save some money.

So assuming your product can address these issues, your prospect is already predisposed to your offer before she’s read the first sentence! And that’s a pretty strong position to be in.

Your job is to grab your prospect’s attention. Anyone who is not a prospect isn’t important to your copy. For example, let’s say you are selling some kind of insurance for motorcycles. A good headline for you might be something as simple as:

ATTENTION MOTORCYCLE OWNERS!

Naturally anyone that doesn’t own a motorcycle will likely skip your ad. So what? You aren’t writing for everyone – you’re writing for qualified prospects.

Headlines and subheads help you get the prospect’s attention. They entice to into reading the rest of the message. This is more important today than any other time in advertising history because prospects have never been so distracted before, so bombarded with information, and so overwhelmed with stimuli.

There are probably as many different permutations of headlines as there are copywriters. But I believe that they can be grouped into some major categories. Each of these types serves its own purpose, depending on the product, service, concept or idea you are promoting.

You will likely find a type that you gravitate to, and it works well for you. That’s fine; you are naturally going with your strength. But be open to using other types occasionally, as the situation calls for them.

Types of Headlines

The Question Headline: Do You Make These Mistakes in English?

The News Headline: Amazing New Medical Breakthrough for Fat Loss

The Benefit Headline: Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days!

The Scare or Fear of Loss Headline: Act Now or Miss this Chance Forever!

The Intrigue Headline: Can You Pass the Prosperity Test?

The Testimonial Headline: “My Hair Started Growing Back in two Weeks!”

Headlines are not the only assault weapon in your arsenal of attention-grabbing actions. Subheads allow you to expand what you’re doing with your headline. You can bring in other elements, or simply continue what you started with the headline. Here’s a couple examples using some of our earlier headlines, but adding a subhead this time around:

Lose 30 Pounds in 30 Days
Wear your new bikini next month!

Can You Pass the Prosperity Test?
Or are you destined to remain poor your whole life?

This next technique comes from my colleague and master copywriter, Bob Bly, to help you Rate and improve your Headlines using the 4U’s.

Please write down the words: Urgent    Unique    Ultra-Specific    Useful.

Then write these two headlines: “Free Ezine Subscription”

Leave a couple spaces… then write: “Get Targeted Traffic And Higher Sales …In Less Than 27 Days”

Now, using a scale of 1 through 4, with 1 being the weakest and 4 being the strongest, rate each headline according to the 4U’s.

“Free Ezine Subscription”
Is this headline Urgent? On a scale of 1-4? Nope. I give it a “1.”
Is it Unique? Hardly… another “1.”
Is it Ultra-Specific? Maybe a “2″ because you know it’s free and
an ezine, but what is it about? Probably a “1″ or “2.”
Is it Useful? Score another “1.” It’s not useful because you don’t
even know what it’s about.
The total score for this headline is only a 4 or 5 out of a possible
16. Not very good.

Repeat the process on the other headline…

“Get Targeted Traffic and Higher Sales… in Less Than
27 Days.
Is this headline Urgent?
Is it Unique?
Is it Ultra-Specific?
Is it Useful?

Sure it’d be great if all of your headlines scored 16, but it’s not about having all 4U’s in all categories. Use them to help improve your headlines and you’ll get better results.

Practice writing headlines using the six different types of headlines. Add subheads if you’re feeling especially creative!

Then look at your current marketing materials and website. Review your headlines and go rate them using the 4U’s. They don’t have to score all 4U’s, but this method will help you see were you can improve your headlines.

Easing Prospects into Your Body Copy

You need headlines that make the prospect read your subhead. And you need a subhead that makes them want to read your opening paragraph. And you need an opening paragraph that makes them want to read the next paragraph and the next. Every paragraph has the same function; to pull the reader through to the next one.

For most copywriters, the opening of a sales letter or ad is the hardest part. Once they get into the flow of the copy, they do fine. Many copywriters take a few paragraphs getting “warmed up.”

Unfortunately, those few paragraphs are likely to be the ones that drive away a large percentage of prospects.

No matter what medium you’re working in, your prospects are busy, skeptical, and distracted. Many open your sales letters over the trash. They scan a page in a magazine or newspaper before they commit to reading it. Their fingers are on their computer mouse ready to click or on the TV remote, just waiting to punch a button.

You don’t have time to warm up. You’ve only got a few seconds to grab them by the collar, throw them up against the wall, and shout, “This is important to YOU! Pay attention now!”

So that has to happen first with your headline – and then in your copy lead-in.

What’s the best way to cut right to the chase, and grab the prospect without meandering around, warming up?

I learned this secret from legendary copywriter and my business partner Randy Gage. You’ll want to start with one of his six body copy lead-in templates. Use any one of them, and you are immediately into the copy narrative. Once there, the copy will flow naturally. All are effective; it’s simply a case of deciding which one is appropriate for the offer that you are making.

Randy’s surefire body copy lead-in templates are:

• The Burning Question(s)
• The Invitation
• The “Behind the Scenes” Story
• The “YOU” approach
• The Take-Away

Here are some examples:

The Burning Question(s): “First, two questions, if I may…”
You can use one or more questions… but no more that three in most cases.

The Invitation: “You’re invited to be one of the first in your area to receive…”

The “Behind the Scenes” Story: “It was 8:00 on a Thursday morning. I arrived at my office to find…” or “Well it happened again. I proposed a marketing strategy to a new client who told me it wouldn’t work.”

The “You” Approach: “Executives like you are a very special breed. You’re the kind of person that…”

The Take-Away: “Odds are that you don’t even qualify for the offer I’m about to make. But on the slight chance that you do…”

So let’s review. First, if you’ve ever told a story to your friends or family, you have the makings of a great copywriter. Use these simple techniques to help paint a mental pictures of the joy the prospect will get by purchasing your product, or the hardship he’ll continue to endure without it.

You have a system now for writing effective headlines, subheads and lead-in body copy templates. Use the 4U’s to rate and improve your headlines too.

You don’t have to have a degree in English to be a copywriting pro! Practice, evaluate, and keep on practicing! You’ll know you’re copy is working when your prospects convert to customers.

Can anyone write great copy?

I get asked that all the time and always tell the person the same thing: Yes. Chances are you already know how to do it!

That’s because you already know how to tell stories, and great copywriters are great storytellers. The key is that you just have to learn the proper structure, and “unlearn” all the stuff your elementary and high school teachers taught you about writing.

If you ever made up a story for your children, you’re a copywriter. If you’ve ever gathered with friends as a teenager and told ghost stories, you can write copy. Great copywriters simply paint visual pictures of events. Events that happened in the past, events that may happen in the future, or events that won’t ever happen – unless you buy their product.

You either paint the picture of the joy the prospect will get using your product, or you paint the picture of the hardship he will continue to endure without it.

Why?

Because people love stories. No one is interested in dry facts and statistics about your product, but they’ll be captivated by copy that tells them how your product will impact their life. And the more emotion that you bring into that story, the more compelling it will be to your prospect.

The reality is, if you can talk, you can write great copy.

Your job as a copywriter is to get into your prospect’s head and learn intimately what is causing him a headache. Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes and find out what is keeping him awake at night. Then, if your product or service can help him – tell him that in no uncertain terms.

A plain, rational ad with all the logical reasons why your prospect should buy may not be enough. You’re going to need to break through the clutter of other marketing messages; the clutter in your prospect’s mind and his possible denial and apathy.

That requires copy with emotion – usually charged, and sometimes confrontational.

Master copywriters tend to be curious about life. They read a great deal, like to travel, have a variety of interests, find other people interesting, and they are very good listeners.

To be a great marketing copywriter understand that you should write like you talk - not in formal, perfect English, but in a clear, conversational style of writing.

There is no “right” way to write copy. The only real outcome you are looking for is “effective” copy. By that I mean copy that leads the prospect to buy your product or service. The more you write copy – the better you will get at it. As long as you practice your skills will improve!

A Few Copywriting Basics

You must become an expert on your product and service before you can attempt to write about it. You need to know your customers. Who are they? How to they behave? How to they buy? Make a list of the questions that you think the prospect has about your products/services. Write to one specific person in your target market.

Identify the inherent emotion in the situation. Is it fear, success or something else? Make a benefits list of your product or service so you’ll know how to capture attention.

In addition to these tips, here are 15 basic guidelines that develop these ideas a bit deeper. These are just guidelines. In part two of this article I’ll cover writing interesting headlines, subheads and body copy, but for now, get familiar with these steps.

15 Copywriting Tips

1. Benefits come first. Benefits are inherently about the prospect; the things he or she will get if they purchase your product or use your service. When you write about benefits, you’re writing about how the prospect will lose weight, get more energy, re-grow his hair, make money, save money, or find a way to bump off his mother-in-law without getting caught. The most effective copy leads with benefits, and validates with features. Features are the things about your product or service, such as “it has 300 hp,” “it contains 15 special vitamins,” or “open 24 hours.”

2. Validate with features. Benefits are personal and emotional – pride, satisfaction, prestige. Features are facts. A car’s 300-hp engine is a feature, it’s fast acceleration and feeling of exhilaration is the benefit. It’s critical that you understand the difference between benefits and features.

3. Create a compelling offer. Tell the whole story using “word pictures,” metaphors or stories to highlight the prospect’s problem and the solution your product/service provides.

4. Brain dump your first version, then edit later. If you attempt to edit while your being creative you’ll interrupt your flow. Let it all flow out during the creative process, and wait to edit and evaluate it later.

5. Write for ‘scanners’ and ‘readers.’ Use both short paragraphs, paragraph headings and bulleted lists for prospects who scan mailers, and longer, content-filled paragraphs for people who prefer to read your every word. You’ll need both types of copy to get both types of prospects to read your copy.

6. If you make a claim, be prepared to prove it!

7. Use bold, italics and underlining sparingly. The only purpose of the formatting is to help the reader get through the message. Abuse it and it loses its impact and is hard to read.

8. Use “flow devises.” Things like dramatic fragment sentences, split paragraphs at the bottom of the page, etc. keep your prospects reading.

9. Reveal a minor flaw. We did this with an inventory overstock and sold $25,000 in one weekend. When we placed orders for CD sets, there was a mix up on the purchase order and we ordered 1,000 instead of 500. So I wrote a sales letter e-mail on a Friday telling my list that they could benefit from our mistake and buy them at cost if they ordered in the next 24 hours.

10. Ask for the order. Use specific language and action steps to guide the reader to your desired conclusion – the sale.

11. Give an incentive to ‘act now.’ Offer a limited-time lower price, an extra gift or bonus, free shipping, etc. to sweeten the deal for your prospect.

12. Talk in “YOU” terms. Always write copy toward the prospect and their needs. Don’t fall into the “I” or “we” trap.

13. Present benefits before price . Don’t rush to name the price before you’ve told you’re your prospect why your product or service is so terrific. When you do reveal the price, briefly justify it.

14. State your guarantee after price. Guarantees reduce the prospect’s sense of risk, and aren’t used as often as you might fear.

15. Raise questions and provide answers. Think of probable questions your prospects might have, and then provide answers. An example could be “You’re probably thinking… how much does this cost?”

Other Copywriting Strategies to Consider

Give your copy “news” value - don’t be afraid to write it as if it was a newspaper article, a TV Special Report, an advertorial, catalog, magalog or even an infomercial. A great way is to model great copy used in another industry or medium. Just keep yours eyes open and pay attention - million-dollar ideas for copy are all around you!

I know we’ve covered a lot of ground already, so let’s end part one here. Think about what you’ve read and try putting these tips into practice on your next copywriting project. Remember, you’re telling a story… and the more often you tell it, the better you’ll be at it.