When I hit chapter 16 titled, Complacency Equals Death, I drew a parallel as to why many people are often seeing lackluster results with their marketing efforts. They either expect one form of lead generation to do all the work or they often subscribe to the ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it’ school of marketing. It’s time for a stern wake up call to realize the market place has changed immensely the last 12-months. The ‘same old, same old way’ of doing business, and in particular marketing, is not going to cut it.
Here are three helpful tips to help insure that your marketing doesn’t become stale, predictable, boring and deadly to your businesses bottom line.
#1. Use multiple media. It’s a foolish assumption to think that your customers are exactly the same. Many respond to different forms of media based on preference and ease. Some will look at your eletter, others won’t. Some customers respond best to email, while others rarely respond to it. Some read direct mail, while others set it off to the side after a quick glance. Some go online for news, while others still read the newspaper. With the continued fragmentation of media and shortened attention spans (Twitter anyone?) you must use a mix of online and offline marketing messages to get your customer or prospects fleeting time and attention.
I recently received an email from a gal who heads a local non-profit chastising me for advocating the use of post card mailings. The short version of her email was that I was way off base to suggest that people use direct mail as a part of their marketing mix. She then went on to state that they dropped their direct mail and are up 40% in large part because they use only email marketing. Great for her, but here’s the danger and foolishness in her thinking:
I can bet you the biggest steak in Texas that many, many people aren’t reading her emails or eletter. She’s not getting 100% open rates. While things may look good initially, I worry for her. The old adage ‘penny wise, pound foolish’ is exactly what she’s subscribing to with her rationale, and sadly many businesses and non-profits are doing the same thing.
I have many of my direct clients as well as my own company doing more direct mailings than ever. Why? They work. When done properly, we can own the mailbox when competitors are either skipping it all together or doing poorly written and untargeted, sloppy mailings.
#2. Test your headlines. Again, the headline is an ad for your ad. Most marketing messages miss this critical step. If you only have 1-3 seconds to get Mind Capture, then you must use a well written headline! It’s that simple. No complex formula, just direct marketing 101 at its best. You should be testing headlines in your email messages, online copy and direct mail pieces to see not only what’s grabbing people, but more importantly what you can do to bump up response rates. To help make this easier, I have a special FREE report that thousands of people have requested and used titled, 350 of the Best headlines Ever Written. Simply drop me an email (tony@mindcapturegorup.com) with the Subject Line: 350 Report.
#3. Focus more on referrals. A well qualified referral from a happy customer has an 80-90% chance of becoming a new client of they like you and have a need for what you offer. You can’t touch these types of response rates. So the question is: are referrals a daily part of your marketing efforts and plan? We’ve covered referrals in great detail in past blog posts so here’s a quick recap of a few ways to get more:
*Ask for them *Network with the best prospects *Have referral driven contests with existing customers *Add a referral section area to your order forms *Use client websites to identify key people your customers work with currently that you’d like an ‘introduction’ to if possible
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( 3 / 1819 )Back when I sold telecom services in the late 1990’s we knew a lot about our top prospects and the best ways to reach them. Target marketing by select industries, revenues, locations and how many services they used was critical to know so we could hone in on the best opportunities. However, the single most important aspect in getting the sales process in motion was knowing the date when their telecom service contract was set to expire. Without knowing this information and closely tracking the calendar, in many instances years ahead in the future, many a rep would miss out on potential deals. This is where we thrived. We had to get very good at detailed and timely follow up with prospects otherwise we’d risk missing the narrow window of time to win the business.
In a tight economy which we find ourselves in today, you’d think that most salespeople and businesses would be fine tuning their follow up skills with not only their existing clients but especially with interested prospects. I can tell you that unfortunately this is not the case. Regardless of the industry, product, service, industry, big ticket item to small purchases, I’m stunned at how little businesses follow up with prospects and even customers. They’re missing a fortune because the follow up is rarely done or non-existent.
Here are some amazing statistics related to sales that should inspire you to crank up your follow up efforts and systems within your business:
48% of sales people never follow up with a prospect
25% of sales people make a second contact and stop
12% of sales people only make three contacts and stop
Only 10% of sales people make more than three contacts
Now here’s the case for following up with prospects:
2% of sales are made on the first contact
3% of sales are made on the second contact
5% of sales are made on the third contact
10% of sales are made on the fourth contact
80% of sales are made on the fifth to twelfth contact
Ask yourself a question, how much do you follow up referrals and prospects? I’m certain that many of you can improve on the number of contacts you make. I’m a big believer in systems to help automate the follow up process so you stay in touch with prospects who didn’t convert immediately but still have a high chance of converting down the road if you stay in touch with them.
I recommend you print off this blog post and highlight the statistics in yellow and place it in your planner or near your computer as a constant visual that follow up is where the fortune is made.
I’d like to share with you three essential follow up tools to help you stand out, stay in touch and swing more sales to your business.
#1. Use an eletter. Email is free. The problem is that most businesses rarely capture data, and when they do, even fewer do consistent follow up. One of the simplest, cost effective and smartest ways to stay in touch with customers, key prospects, and referral partners is to create and use an eletter in your marketing efforts. If it’s done consistently, you’ll have an incredibly powerful database built up that you can communicate with on a regular basis. We use Constant Contact for simplicity and cost and it has been wonderful. We shoot to get an eletter our every two-weeks and it always generates interest, business and comments each time we send it out.
A couple of tips for your eletter: One, make sure it has useful and relevant information and not just sales pitches. If it’s always a pitch, people will begin to tune it out or opt-out in large numbers. Also, make it brief, add pictures, and make it fun if possible. People are buried in information and the eletter should contain a few short sections that people can browse and choose which are of interest and which areas are not.
Remember that for each month that goes by without some form of communication to existing customers and prospects, that 10% of top-of-mind awareness for your company disappears. People are buried with choices, media, and aggressive competitive offers trying to lure them away from your business. In addition, your competition is attempting to persuade their customers to resist your marketing efforts. It’s a continual game of offense and defense that all businesses play.
#2. Postcard mailings. With more and more people getting cheap with their marketing, most are cutting back on their direct mailings. This is a huge mistake. The USPS recently reported that mail volume was down by 20% at the end of the first quarter in 2009 versus the same time in 2008. I’m actually delighted. Not for the USPS, but for myself and my clients. This simply means less competition with this powerful medium. Many people are taking the path of least resistance and foolishly cutting mail way back or entirely out of their marketing budgets.
A great balance of budget and direct mail is to use postcard mailings with both key customers and prospects. If done properly, they’re a great way to inform, cross promote and connect with people on a more personal basis. Many of you know that I’m a huge fan and user of Send Out Cards. Here’s why: I can quickly send out custom cards combining the Internet and the mailbox with stunning impact and results. We’ve gotten several clients and thousands of dollars in new business as a result of the service.
Tony note: If you’d like two send a few FREE cards on my dime, send me an email at: tony@mindcapturegroup.com with the subject line, “Gift Account”. I'll let you send out a couple of free cards via a powerful service I use and highly recommend called Send Out Cards.
#3. Special Events. A special client appreciation event is a very smart marketing strategy to engage, educate, update and thank top customers, referral partners and key prospects. People love to network, have fun and learn more. It’s also a great way to meet prospects in a fun, relaxed setting where your best customers are speaking highly of what you’ve done to help or improve their life.
To get you thinking and jog your creativity into action, here are a few events I’ve seen businesses use with great effectiveness:
*A local law office hosts an annual barbeque party by invitation only with hundreds of people showing up year after year
*Two mortgage brokers partner with a local nursery, send out postcards to their database for a free flower in the spring and a free pumpkin giveaway in October and have hundreds of people show up at each event
*A local financial advisor hosts a client appreciation luncheon with a guest speaker on a timely topic and fills a room with his best clients and several prospects invited as special guests
*A local restaurant has a one-week, “roll-back the menu” promotion by using 1976 prices for select dinners to celebrate their anniversary and every one of their locations is packed to the rafters with existing and new customers taking advantage of the deal
While some of these may seem simple and easy, and I can tell you that’s also the danger in down playing their effectiveness. I’m often accused by some of my peers for teaching basic marketing principles and frankly I’m ok with that. Many businesses and non-profits I meet in my live trainings, who get my eletter, read my blog posts or who purchase my books and resources often have limited resources in the areas of marketing dollars, staff, and time. This is my target market.
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( 3 / 1799 )My friend, Randy Dean, recently wrote a great new book all about better managing your e-mail, and he is launching it on Amazon.com TODAY. It is a book so many of us need -- it is called Taming the E-mail Beast: 45 Key Strategies for Better Managing Your Email Overload -- and, as you can tell by the title, it is all about getting control of your e-mail account and activities. It really covers everything that may be ailing you in your e-mail activities and management - learn more at http://www.TamingEmailBook.com.
I had the pleasure to write the foreword to this book a few months ago when Randy sent me an advance preview copy to review and weigh in on. I'm trying to help Randy hit #1 on Amazon in a few categories today, by telling you about his book -- you can learn much more at http://www.TamingEmailBook.com. Notice he has some pretty amazing bonuses lined up for this launch -- you can literally get thousands of dollars of professional development materials for the price of one book. Randy even asked me to contribute a bonus to this effort - you'll see my bonus in the list.
If your e-mail is bugging you, get a copy today. And if you know anyone that has some e-mail issues, please drop them a quick note or have them hit this blog so they can learn about the book too. Thanks a ton!
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( 3 / 1836 )I recently read a great article in the Detroit Free Press regarding late night talk show TV legend Jay Leno titled Working Class Hero by pop culture writer Julie Hinds. The article was prompted by the announcement that Jay would be doing two free shows in April at the Palace of Auburn Hills for unemployed metro Detroiters.
After I read the interview I was glad to see that one of Hollywood’s well known personalities hadn’t forgotten his roots and was grateful for others and his own abilities. I’d like to weigh in and share with you a few things that Jay Leno’s success can teach all of us in today’s sped up and often impersonal digital world.
Persistence pays off. Leno’s rise to fame was built on hard work and endless years spent toiling in comedy clubs and showing up time and time again to practice his craft. He performed stand up anywhere and everywhere ranging from strip clubs to small comedy clubs in often dangerous or run down parts of town in many a city. Known for his relentless work ethic, many a person today could learn from his drive and passion to get better at his craft.
Overnight success is extremely rare and usually packed and hyped up on TV talent shows where the one-in-a-million person auditions and becomes a 15-minute YouTube sensation. They hit the spotlight quickly and rarely stay in the limelight for the long haul. I’ve met many talented people in my life, and I’m sure you can recall a few in your own life, who’ve squandered their gifts by being lazy, having bad associations, or weren’t willing to put in the necessary time and discipline to master their talents at a world class level. I’ve also seen those with much lesser talent initially, work their tails off, shake off the critics, and like Leno has done, rise to stunning heights that would easily knock other mere mortals quickly out of the game.
Being authentic. Leno’s upbringing in a middle class family in Massachusetts obviously impacted Leno. He had a good old fashioned normal upbringing. No trauma, no horror stories, no abusive parent to blame or hold a grudge against. A solid family that lead by example. As he’s risen up the ladder of success Leno’s resisted what I call the ‘entourage mentality’ that many celebs embrace which often puts up a wall between themselves and everyday people including the fans who’ve made them a fortune.
When I had the chance to meet and hear Gene Simmons from the rock group KISS ® speak last year the same common thread as Leno was how accessible and friendly Simmons was to people he encountered from all walks of life in restaurants, walking through the hotel and at the event. He took pictures, signed autographs, and engaged in relaxed conversation with stranger after stranger, myself included, which was quite amazing. During his speech at the conference he mentioned why he still engages fans with respect and how foolish it is for other celebs to not be thankful and supportive to those who’ve made them wealthy and famous. How refreshing and instructive for everyone to hear.
Solid work ethic. It’s stunning to me how spoiled and lazy many people have gotten these days. When you travel a lot, you meet and talk to lots of people, and notice certain patterns that appear. Here’s my beef: If it’s such a bad recession out there how can millions of people still afford to own homes, three TV’s, two PC’s, $300 iPods, the two cars in their driveways and still find time to eat out several times a week? I want you to stop and think about that question for a second. To give you some historical perspective, our grandparents who went through a real recession, would shake their heads in disbelief at how spoiled most people have become these days. In addition, the entitlement and bailout mentality running rampant in our federal, state, and local governments would certainly make their blood boil.
It’s my opinion, a lot of this recession is a big, media intensified ratings game designed to instill fear and doubt within the economy and prolong the time it will take us to recover. Yes, a few industries are in dire straits, and many knew the day of reckoning would come. Hello GM, what have you been doing the last 30-years as competition picked off huge chunks of market share?
Why were so many people the last few years in the hardest hit sectors not upgrading their skills or diversifying their income when times were better? If you ask almost anyone under age 30 about jobs and the economy, they’ll tell you that job security is an ancient and outdated practice in the age of the Internet and global competition. Sadly, too many people were and are still stuck in the land of denial on this point and refuse to see reality.
Understand that if you’re reading this newsletter you don’t fall into this category of denial and constant complaining outlined above and here’s why. You believe in self-improvement and investing in yourself. There are so many more people that should be reading this newsletter, and listening to the wisdom shared with our expert interviews, but the laundry list of excuses I hear as to why they can’t or won’t cough up a measly $20 a month to subscribe would astound you. These are often the same folks who spend several hundreds of dollars a month in entertainment but can’t afford to invest in the most important thing they have which is their own mind!
Having an upbeat attitude and subscribing to this newsletter separates you from the many masses of society who are waiting around, and complaining while at the same time not able to compute or figure out why opportunity fails to show up in their lives. It doesn’t work that way in spite of what the media says, relatives and even co-workers might have you believe. While it may not be sexy or glamorous, a positive attitude, applied knowledge, and hustle are the essential ingredients to a life of significance and success for yourself and those you love and care the most about.
Lifelong learning is essential. Leno and his team of writers are masters at staying updated on trends and humor. Living off of old monologue and jokes would be the kiss of death for the Tonight Show. In such an intensely competitive industry as TV and entertainment, the best ideas and marketer’s win. The ratings and ad dollars don’t lie. It’s that simple. Leno has to stay at the top of his game five nights a week, week in and week out, or risk losing his audience to hungrier, funnier, and more relevant competition.
That’s how each of must approach our chosen industries and professions. Information is doubling every 12-months. This is why it’s called the ‘Information Age’. The world is awakening and people are sharing new information and ideas on a continual basis. No one person can know everything in an industry or profession. It’s simply impossible. On the other hand, claiming ignorance and not staying up on trends and new information is a certain path to being left behind in the global economy. In an age of great choice delivered via the power of the web, customers expect and demand competent service providers to improve their life or situation or they’ll find someone else who will provide it for them.
Giving back is good for business. Some people get mad when I talk about this because it’s brutally honest. Let me explain. When we donate time, talents or services to others, we obviously want to give back, no question. It’s also common that by serving others an often unexpected byproduct is that we’re also rewarded for our kindness and contribution. It’s not often immediate or even measurable. What I’m talking about is goodwill.
Leno’s free shows have generated a ton of great publicity and goodwill for Leno and as a byproduct for his employer NBC. The network pays him for his talents and brand equity based on profits he produces with his show. The positive PR for his giving back is extremely powerful and a huge value add that NBC is well aware of. Having played the publicity game for many years in the telecom and advertising industries, and now as a bestselling author and speaker, I can tell you that helping others and leveraging the media to spread the word is essential.
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( 3 / 1507 )In the last blog we discussed the first two ways to reflect, renew and recharge your mind. Here are the other three strategies:
#3. Be flexible and remember that when you make a mistake that no one will likely remember it a year from now except you. This is a tough strategy to follow. It’s far too easy for people to relive their negative experiences over and over in their head when they know deep down they should let go of it and move on with their life. We all make mistakes. I make tons of them but I do my best to learn the lesson it’s trying to teach, so I can quickly get back in the game of the present moment. Sadly, there are millions of people walking around each day on the planet letting past experiences hold them mentally hostage when they could and should be free.
To give you some perspective, think about the past challenges you’ve faced and the success stories or positive new changes that have been a result of going through them. I call this flipping your frustration into fascination and it’s a wonderful exercise to help you maintain a flexible and healthy perspective when confronting life’s challenges.
#4. Always give the audience your very best regardless of what they think about you. This may sound cocky or arrogant but let me quickly explain. We can’t control others. No matter how much people wish this were true it’s simply impossible. This is why it’s essential that you have strong faith, goals and be persistent when chasing your goals and dreams.
You’ll be amazed at how many people will not see eye-to-eye or roll out the welcome wagon for you. This shouldn’t bring you down, but rather serve to inspire and fire you up even more. I’ve been told and still hear the word “no” each and every day. Some of the deals I don’t win make me shake my head in disbelief, while others I win surprise me sometimes even more.
In life and in business no one wins all the time and I fully expect that what I offer isn’t a fit for everyone. That’s fine because I know where I’m heading and the people I intend to positively impact in my life. I never take rejection personally and neither should you.
For example, I learned many years ago that when I’m hired to speak before a group or association that as soon as I open my mouth from the stage and utter my first word, I immediately have a few people that disengage, don’t like my style and stop listening. It used to bother me greatly but I had to stay focused and learn to get over it quickly. I can’t worry about these people, but on the other hand I can stay focused on bringing the best message possible to those who are really listening to what I’m saying. I recommend you focus on your fans and followers, not your critics. Why embolden and permit the critic to slow you down?
#5. Laugh at yourself. I was at a local Toastmaster’s Christmas party a few years back where I witnessed a wise and amazing woman, by the name of Judy Johnson end her speech with the wonderful quote, “Laughter is a momentary holiday.” It was such sage advice, that I wrote it down and make it a daily habit to take a few holiday’s each and every day. It troubles me how serious people are these days.
Life moves quickly and with each passing birthday, school year with our kids and wedding anniversary I take stock of where my life has gone. It’s too easy to get worked up over what we don’t have and miss what we should be grateful and smile about. We know the world has challenges. It always has and always will. To be able to laugh at yourself is a great way to take what Judy described as “a momentary holiday” when you’re going through the ups and downs of each passing hour, day and year.
Right now in a time of great economic change many well intentioned people are crushing their talents, drive, ideas and energy by acting as if everything they do is life or death. Sorry to rain on your parade, but very few of us are working each day to cure cancer or save the planet like Superman. Slow down, lighten up a little and laugh each day. You’ll not only feel better, but so will others around you. Plus it doesn’t cost you anything. That observation alone should put a smile on many people’s faces 
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