Do It Like the Big Dawgs!
Today we’ll take a look at how the kings of industry wine, dine and otherwise cajole
prospects.
Most of successful professionals use a series of information based ads that build
emotion and a call to action. These are much more effective than a standard company
branding advertisements. The same principles that go into putting together a high
impact (and, often, high priced) ad campaign can be adapted to fit your needs with
similar results.
Here are some ways to put together and execute a professional, effective ad campaign:
1. Put together a short report that’ll you’ll automatically send to prospects when
they contact you. This should include a short description of your business and
what you specialize in. Don’t forget to include case studies, samples or other
proof of your success.
2. Develop value-oriented yellow page ads.
3. Consider newsletters as a way of educating and informing customers about your
industry and services offered.
4. Offer a free seminar, webinar or other lecture to build awareness of your
business, but make sure you make the information pertinent to your target
market and find speakers who are respected and known in the industry.
5. Buy an existing business, introduce better marketing and grow this new business
faster than a “from scratch” business.
6. Always test different versions of your ads to find the most effective ones.
7. Use direct mail marketing to grow your business.
8. Put together a database of previous customers and send them new information.
9. Offer incentives such as frequent purchasing benefits, loyalty programs, referral
programs or others.
10. Approach large firms who may need your services and negotiate a deal to be
their exclusive expert in your field.
11. Offer a 24-hour information line with a regularly updated recorded message.
Make this available to all past and future customers/clients.
12. Donate time or materials to local charities to show support in your area.
13. Offer public clinics for the general public to come along and discuss what they
need that’s free and approachable.
14. Organize seminars your customers/clients can pay to attend by putting together
a high-perception value package.
15. Approach local newspaper by offering to write a weekly column about your area
of expertise. Don’t ask for money, just a byline and bio.
16. Develop a weekend or other destination seminar for customers/clients, not only
does this give you an action-packed weekend with the most important people, it
gives them a tax-deductible business adventure.
17. Take a good seminar and turn it into written form as a home study, member site
program, audio or video program.
18. Approach large companies and offer to give seminars to their employees,
investors or management.
19. Be proactive with your marketing plan.
20. Barter for your marketing. Offer products or services in lieu of payment.
21. Be willing to bring in new clients, even if at an initial loss because it will likely pay
off later.
22. Regulate your marketing budget to maximize the potential income from them to
hit the next year and try to push back advertising costs for the next year to offset
your expenses.
23. Make offers to target markets or target market businesses to pay them for
referrals or shared databases.
24. Offer loaner products to replace equipment that’s be repaired or refurbished.
25. Give away something free to everyone who brings in a print version of your
advertisement. This is a great way to see which ads are giving you the most bang
for your buck.
26. Continually consider what new products/services you can offer to current
customers/clients.
27. Develop a mail order division of your company.
28. Offer a proposition to your competitors to trade customers/clients you were
both unsuccessful in selling to.
29. Use different marketing tactics as an excuse to attract new customers/clients
with new offers and goodies.
30. Offer a “you-choose-the-price” program. This is especially good for product you
just can’t seem to sell.
So, there are 30 great ways to market to other professional and businesses. Some other
great ways to get your name out there for little or no cost are:
* Get involved you in your community-volunteer, donate to local events, etc.
* Join your local Chamber of Commerce and attend the networking and other
activities throughout the year.
* Join a local, state or regional professional associates for further networking
opportunities.
* Become a board member of a local organization.
Advertising should never be your only method of marketing, there are a myriad of ways
to get your name out there in a way that feels personal to potential customers/clients.
“Effective advertising…must be used to get your name out to the public. If your name is
not familiar to people, they will not come to you.” Jay Abraham
If you’re not sure where you start with your marketing plan or how to reach out to your
local community, competitors, customers/clients and others who could influence your
business in a highly positive way, try our GUIDED TOUR to experience the tools and
resources we have to boost your business to the next level and beyond.
Telemarketing is NOT the Anti-Christ
Today you’ll learn how to use direct mail marketing and, yes, telemarketing to your full
advantage. I know, the word “telemarketing” might as well be four letters, but there is a
way to help customers feel like they are getting personal attention and keep them from
blocking your number!
With the success direct mail marketing has had and the availability of computers, these
can be used as a powerful marketing tool for your success. Telemarketing is best for
high priced, high margin products/services.
Here are the key steps to putting together a highly effective direct mail marketing
program:
1. List all benefits customers will get from the purchase of your products and
services.
2. Pick the single most powerful benefit out of that list.
3. Build an attention-getting headline around that benefit. Remember to use
emotion-fulfill the desire to be young, wealthy, desired, popular or successful.
4. Develop a sales letter using the headline you created to grab attention, provide
information and motivate customers to act.
5. Put together supplementary items, such as a brochure, order form, reply
envelope or note that encourages them to read the letter.
6. Rent or purchase a mailing list.
7. Compare cost of mailing vs. cost per order.
8. Continue to test and refine your direct mail marketing plan.
You can see how direct mail marketing can help you find a local or even country-wide
target market to send letters or postcards to and draw in new clientele and customers.
Fine-tuning your marketing campaign will bring better results and therefore lower the
overall cost of the campaign.
To be successful in telemarketing you need to:
* Put together a plan, so you know exactly what you want to accomplish during
the call.
* Develop a list of topics to discuss and the questions you want to present around
these topics.
* Input verbiage checking to see if you are calling at a good time.
* Include enough questions to keep the conversation interesting, but not too many
to sound like you are interrogating.
* Start with broad questions and narrow your focus as the conversation continues.
* Offer feedback to show them you are paying attention and appreciate their time.
* Don’t insult their intelligence or manipulate them.
* Listen first, talk second.
* Be relaxed and conversational.
Telemarketing doesn’t have to be the trauma it’s made out to be. You can put together
an honest, personal and effective telemarketing campaign that is endearing, informative
and gets the job done. Think of how you would want to be treated on a marketing call.
Ask your friends and family what they hate most about the telemarketing calls they get
and work hard to craft your plan in a better way.
“When selling by telephone, you have approximately thirty seconds to convince the
customer to listen to you. You need an opening statement that captures their attention,
conveys who you are, what you want and why the prospect should listen.” Jay Abraham
It’s easy to see how direct mail marketing and telemarketing can positively affect your
business by bringing in new customers and increasing the level of awareness about your
products, services and company branding. Our GUIDED TOUR offers the resources and
tools you need to work through these processes and put together the best marketing
plan you can.