Benefit-Laden Titles For Your Products

Master copywriter and copywriting instructor, Ray L. Edwards, talks about alternative, benefit-laden, ways of saying the same thing in copy.

What's With All The Guru Bashing?

There's a shed load of guru bashing on the internet with no end in sight. And it seems to be getting worse.

To be honest, I've even gotten swept along with it once or twice?

Why is it we love to bash the gurus? Because it's in people's nature to want others to fail.

Don't get me wrong, not everyone is like that.

Personally, while I may get swept into a little bashing myself once in a while, I do it because it is a little fun... isn't it?

However, I love it when people succeed. And when they do, I go out and get their product to see how they succeeded.

Of course, there was a time when I'd get the product and let it sit on the shelf, 'looking pretty'.

Not any more. I make use of everything I get. And it's showing in my work and business.

But I digress, yet again.

Okay, I'll just say it, like me or hate me for it...

Dudes... leave the gurus alone!

All they're doing is finding out what people want, and giving it to them. If you could make money doing the same, chances are you would.

They are giving you something you want, the way you want it and in the packaging you want it in. Now it's up to you to make use of it.

If you don't, and you feel you've wasted your money - and you want someone to blame - look in the mirror.

I've got quite a few packages sitting on my shelves, but I use them.

In fact, as I look at them now, here's a few of what I have:

1. Dotcomsecrets - Russell Brunson


2. The 7 figure code - Mike Filsaime


3. Mass control - Frank Kern


4. The copywriter protege program - Carl Galletti


5. Stomping the search engines - Stompernet


6. License to steal - John Carlton


7. Stomper - Stompernet


8. Internet marketing protege program - Terry Dean

Those are just a few of what I have.

I also have a ton of books and a load more audio and video courses. And I make use of them all the time. Even if it's to just dip into them for reference.

Have they been of any use to me? You bet they have. But it's only because I make use of them.

Every single book and course I have has served its purpose. But it's been up to me to make use of them to ensure the purposed is served.

Would they have been any use if I just left them on the shelves without making use of them. Heck no.

Would that have been the gurus' fault? It seems a lot of people like to think so.

Do I think it's been money well spent on all those courses? I wouldn't be sitting here writing this article if I didn't learn what to do and how to do it otherwise.

And yes, I like watching Fank Kern strutting his stuff on stage, cursing and blinding his way through his talks. I don't know about you, but I quite like the idea of being enterained while I'm learning, something Frank - and Drayton Bird - do very well. If I wanted boring lectures I'd go to university.

And yes, I like watching Mike Filsaime talking about Butterfly Marketing in his care sales-mansy way. If we all hate car sales-men so much, how come there's so many cars on the road?

And yes, I like watching Russell Brunson talking about his attempt to go to the Olympics to wrestle for his country. Want to know why? I'm a martial arts instructor myself and I enjoy things like that.

And I like watching John Carlton go into his story selling mode - my father was the same. He had a story for everything - not that he was a salesman.

(I have to say, John could have picked up a few things about copywriting from my father, as could plenty of others. I wish I had taken much more notice of what he used to say. These guys have no idea what life experience is compared him.)

I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

Best,

Rezbi

Marketing Management (Hardcover)

The American edition of Marketing Management is the world's leading marketing text because its content and organization consistently reflect changes in marketing theory and practice . This new European Edition of Marketing Management has been inspired by the American edition and explores the challenges facing European marketing practitioners, with all the case studies and exercises newly re-written for European students. 




From the Back Cover

Praise for th (more...)

Best Garden Decor

Make Sure That Before Anything Is Created, Database People Talk To Creative People

A little later I have a free offer for you, but first ...

Years ago I used to talk about what I call the "Nod Factor", which is essential in your messages.

I came up with this because most selling messages get one of three reactions.

• The first (and most common) is total indifference, because the message is irrelevant, stupid or meaningless, such as "T-mobile - stick together". This gets at best a puzzled "Uh?"


• The second, almost as common, occurs when the message is boastful drivel - like "The future is bright. The future is orange" - and almost all car advertising. This gets an irritated "Oh, come on."


• The third is what you should aim for. In it you say something the reader simply cannot disagree with. This gets the nod. And it is the beginning of successful persuasion.

Once you've got someone to agree to one thing you can then say something else hard to disagree with - and so on until you ask for a reply.

Having agreed to everything else, why should they say "no"?

The late Peter Drucker said many years ago:

"The perfect advertisement is one of which the reader can say, 'This is for me, and me alone'."

That means it gets the nod. And mass advertising simply cannot be that personal and relevant, which helps explain why direct marketing - online or off - has overtaken it.

More particularly, it helps explain why the database is so important.

I always refer to the magic crossroads, which for me is that point where what you want to say meets what you know about your prospect or customer. But first, here's some terror for you.

Harvey McKay said in his book Swim with the sharks without being eaten alive: "Something you know about your customer may be more important than anything you know about your product".

So even if you say something dull and unimaginative like "As an accountant" when writing to accountants you will get them reading.

As a matter of fact I have seen exactly those words increase response by 200% in a mailing to sell business loans.

Well that seems very simple doesn't it? Just use database knowledge intelligently.

But I noticed long ago that the chief objective of any organisation with more than one department is to make it hard to do anything intelligent.

In marketing one way this is done is by making sure the people who create the messages talk as little as possible to the people who manage the database.

So today's helpful idea is - make sure that before anything is created, database people talk to creative people.

I mentioned a little freebie at the start. It's a list of 11 database desiderata put together by the person I consider the best practical database expert in this country.

He's worked with everyone from American Express to Coca Cola - and I've collaborated with him many times over the years.

What I like about him is that he focuses quite simply on one thing: how to turn your data into money.

Just right click here to download it.

Unlike most stuff about databases which is pretentious and needlessly obscure, it's easy to understand.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 4 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbirdcommonsense.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

Marketing Genius (Hardcover)

Review

"...a good roundup of important marketing theory with some great case studies...." (Brand Strategy, April 2006) "...truly inspiring book..." (Brand Strategy, June 2006) "...exceptional writer..."  (bubblewrap, June 2006) "...fascinating read..." (Irish Enterpreneur, June 2006) "...spot on..."  (Simon Wakeman Journal, June 2006)  "...a good roundup of important marketing theory with some great case studies...." (Brand Strategy, April 2006) "...t (more...)

Do Your Sales Messages Do What A Salesman Would Do?

This is a blinding glimpse of the obvious - yet completely ignored by most marketers. But unlike the first, it comes with a special offer you might find even more helpful.

More on that in a moment, because first I'd like you to join me you on a journey back in time.

If you study advertising - and I imagine you do, or how can you improve? - you will notice that most is very bad. A good example from people who should know better ran a while ago on the London Underground. It was a poster from the Advertising Standards Authority which read:

"We're here to make advertising better. Not to make better advertising. (Sorry.)"

This is what I call "creative masturbation" - produced entirely to please the writer, with no discernible purpose whatever. It does absolutely nothing to satisfy the question in every reader's mind: "What's in it for me?"

But what do they mean by "better" advertising? More original? More "creative" - which for many means the same thing? Or with more "impact" - whatever that means?

Did you say, "yes" to one or more of the above? If you trust the real giants of the industry, they are all wrong.

To explain why, let me take you to a modest office above a bar in Chicago 103 years ago. There the first good definition of advertising emerged. Even now many marketers - even very big ones - don't know it; but those who do have a priceless advantage.

Until then many vague phrases were used to describe advertising and how to do it. Most famous was the motto of A.J. Ayer, then the leading US agency. They said to get good advertising you must "Keep everlastingly at it". True; but not very helpful.

The office above the bar belonged to Lord & Thomas, a small firm destined to enjoy enormous success as a result of that evening. The intellectual curiosity of a young man who had just started running the firm had led him to seek a clear definition of his profession.

He was Albert Lasker, and he went on to make more money from advertising than anyone else, before or since. He realised that the way you define what you do determines what you do.

What built some of the world's biggest brands

On that night I mentioned a man in the bar below. He sent him up his card with a note saying: "I know you want to know what advertising is. I have the answer. Send back the card, and I will come and tell you".

So Lasker sent the card back, and a few minutes later a tall, striking moustachioed ex-Canadian Mountie called John E. Kennedy entered. He said to Lasker: "Advertising is salesmanship in print". Remembering that media now encompass not just print, but radio, the cinema, TV and the internet, that definition still stands.

Lasker hired Kennedy, and Lord & Thomas set out to spread the gospel of salesmanship in print. Before the end of World War 1 they were the world's largest advertising agency, which they remained until Lasker - who worked so hard he had regular nervous breakdowns - was away from the office for a while, and J. Walter Thompson overtook them.

Bad advertising is advertising which doesn't sell (and an amazing amount doesn't) or is aimed at satisfying the egos of those who create or run it - the clients - more than making sales.

In fact most creative people are more interested in awards than sales. That's not my opinion - just plain fact from research. They are keener on building their names than your sales.

So if you ever wonder why your stuff doesn't work, that's a good place to start: you're not reading from the same hymn sheet.

If it doesn't sell it isn't creative

Another early advertising titan, Claude Hopkins, succeeded Kennedy at Lord & Thomas. He put it this way: "Instead of sales, they seek applause".

Hopkins may have been the most able copywriter ever. He launched such famous brands as Quaker Puffed Wheat, Pepsodent and Chevrolet and his copy took a previously little known brand of beer, Schlitz, and quickly made it America's biggest seller.

He was so talented that Lasker hired him at the then un-heard of salary of...

I correspond with a lot of US internet experts. They operate in the newest, fastest growing medium. Yet strangely enough they all know and have learned from a book first published in 1924. Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins is the shortest and, still, probably the best book on the subject ever written. The shortest Chapter is called Just Salesmanship. If you read it you will know more about this business than most of the people in it. If you act on its lessons, I guarantee you will get better results. In his introduction to the book, David Ogilvy says that nobody should have anything to do with this business until he has read the book 7 times. Would you like it? Just insert you name and email address in the box on top right to download it.

$185,000 a year - when the dollar was worth 8 times more than now, and tax was almost nil.

Another legendary adman, Raymond Rubicam, noted, "The only purpose of advertising is to sell. It has no other justification worth mentioning". If you assume "sell" means to persuade anyone to do or believe something, it's hard to better that.

Bill Bernbach, named Adman of the 20th Century in Advertising Age, said, "All this talk of creativity has me worried. I fear lest in seeking the creativity we lose the sell".

What about originality? Well, Mozart - pretty creative, I think you will agree - said, "I never tried to be original in my life." And David Ogilvy said "Originality is the greatest sin in the advertiser's lexicon."

David practiced what he preached, too: he stole the line from his brother-in-law, Rosser Reeves, who invented the USP - Unique Selling Proposition.

At this point I bet you're wondering what my second helpful idea is. I've implied it but not said it. It is this. If you want your messages to work, just ask this simple question: Do they do what a salesman would do?

After all, if you could afford to, you would send the best salesmen you have round to every prospect. All other media are just substitutes for the real, live thing.

When we get a new client, if they use salespeople we usually get one to give us a live sales pitch. Then we try and replicate this in other media. The person who delivers that pitch gets his or her bread and butter from it. Nothing could be more powerful.

In the first three months of this year one of our clients enjoyed a 30% increase in sales - at a time when their chief competitors are either in the doldrums or actually losing money.

I would love to say this is all because of us, but of course there are many other factors. However, most of their leads come from two pieces - direct mail and door-drops. They were based almost entirely on a 2 hour pitch one of their top salesmen gave us - of course, without knowing we were not genuine prospects.

By the way, I am just amazed at how few marketers read books. They are like the man I mentioned in my last piece - too busy fighting alligators to drain the swamp.

The swamp is in fact the swamp of ignorance.

Why spend years learning by trial and error when a weekend with one good book can put you miles ahead? If you'd like any suggestions, let me know.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 52 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbirdcommonsense.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

Kotler on Marketing: How to create, win, and dominate markets (Paperback)

Amazon.co.uk Review

If you had to chose one person who more than any other has contributed to the literature on marketing, it would have to be Philip Kotler. This is the 15th book in a glittering academic and writing career that started in the early sixties and includes Marketing Management, voted by the Financial Times as one of the 50 best business books ever. More than any other individual, Kotler is responsible for making the "marketing paradigm" (the idea that you prospe (more...)

A Tiny Change Can Triple Response

To my mind, one of the most interesting aspects of
any form of direct marketing is this: How small
changes can make such a huge difference in
response. Especially in headlines and subheadlines.

For example, a client reports adding a single letter
to a headline tripled response to an offer.

The first headline read:

Put More Cash Into Your Pocket

The new headline is:

Puts More Cash Into Your Pocket

The addition of the letter "s" to the word "put"
made a 300% difference. This is not a misprint!

Notice the addition of a single letter changes the
meaning of the word and implies an easier solution.

If this is not enough to convince any skeptic that
small changes, even a single letter, can make a
huge difference, I don't know what is.

Here are other examples whereby a single word or
phrase has made an enormous difference in
response.

First headline:

Learn the Secrets of Millionaire Copywriters

New headline:

Discover the Secrets of Millionaire Copywriters

This new headline more than doubled response.
This is undoubtedly because the word "learn"
suggests lots of hard work.

Another example.

First headline (on order form):

ORDER FORM

Second headline:

FREE TRIAL REQUEST

This is another 200 plus percent increase. Reason?
Consumers do not respond well to the word
"ORDER". While it's an extremely negative word,
the majority of marketers still overuse it.

The word "order" suggests spending money, which
no one likes.

Plus, no one likes to fill out forms. Not even
accountants!

Do you, dear reader, feel able to choose which of
two competing headlines is the winner and
produced the highest response based on actual sales
results?

** The Success Margin challenge **

I'll present three headlines which were tested
against each other. The body copy was the same in
each instance. The results varied significantly. The
winner produced sales increases of 145% to 212%
and 254% respectively.

Here they are:

1. (a) The Ultimate Tax Shelter
(b) Tax Shelter for all Incomes

2. (a) How to be a Successful Consultant
(b) What Makes a Consultant Successful?

3. (a) Do You Suffer Joint Pain?
(b) Do Your Joints Feel Like They Are on Fire?

Success Margin subscribers who choose all three
correctly will receive a special gift.

Dedicated to helping you constantly improve
response.

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

Internet Marketing: How to Get a Website That Works for Your Business (Paperback)

Book Description

A strategic approach to setting up a website and successfully promoting a business and its products and services on the internet.






Seventy per cent of UK businesses have a website. But 90 per cent of those websites don't fulfil the expectations of their business owners and don't provide the services their customers are seeking. Nigel T Packer guides business owners and managers through the maze of getting a successful website. He explains th (more...)

Why Marketing Is Like Teenage Sex

"You know what marketing is like? It's like teenage sex. Everyone says they're doing it. Not many are. The ones that do, do it very badly..."

In October 2008 I went to my first ever seminar.

It was Ken McCarthy's System Intensive which he'd brought over to the U.K. for the first time.

I remember before Ken brought the System Intensive here I kept chasing him about it. I'm not saying it's because of me he finally acquiesced, but I like to think it is.

There is one thing I do know I definitely had a hand in, however, and that was to introduce Ken McCarthy and Drayton Bird to each other.

As a result of that introduction, Ken asked Drayton to speak at this seminar.

Now picture this:

I never wanted to go to any seminars because I always figured they'd be a waste of time and money.

With Ken's being the exception at the time.

Now I had the opportunity to attend his System Intensive, and meet my marketing mentor (he didn't know he was at the time) for the first time.

You see, I'd studied Drayton's work for the past couple of decades and never thought I'd get to meet him.

But here I was, communicating with him almost daily, via email, and introducing him to the pioneer of internet marketing.

And meeting both in person.

Anyway, after that long intro. I hope I haven't put you to sleep, because the best is in the videos.

This is the seminar I was at. Check them out and get a small taste of why he's been called "one of the top 50 individuals who’ve shaped today’s marketing"

Oh, and he's a really funny guy. You'll see what I mean.

Once you've finished watching them, zoom over to http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/draytonbirdcommonsense/ and get a load more free videos and articles

Best,
Rezbi

Headline Shortcuts (Part X) - How To/Guaranteed

By now, dear reader, one factor should be crystal
clear to you.

Without a strong, powerful, interesting, attention
getting, curiosity provoking headline you just don't
have a viable selling proposition.

Without leading with a killer headline, your direct
appeal for a sale simply will not work no matter
how good the body copy is.

That's why I've created a variety of headline types
for my own use. And if you've been paying
attention, for yours as well.

Today I'm going to cover a variation of what I
covered in the last Success Margin. I call this:

How To/Guaranteed

Here are some examples of this technique in action:

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How to Overcome Stage Fright in
One Hour - 100% Guaranteed!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How to Write Your Own Book in Two
Weeks or Less - 100% Guaranteed!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How to Safely Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days
Or You Get Your Money Back!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How to Instantly Triple Sales in Your
Business By Using Just 8 Magic Words -
Guaranteed!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

How to Write Subheads That Are So
Powerful Many Prospects Will Order
Without Reading a Single Word of the
Body Copy - Guaranteed!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The formula for the How To/Guaranteed excellent
headline technique is:

How to (get the ultimate benefit) quickly and
easily - 100% Guaranteed.

Try this headline approach and see for yourself
how effective it is. I'll bet I hear about lots
of subscriber success stories using this headline
system.

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

Drayton Bird Reveals: Secrets To Setting Up A Successful Business

In 1957 Drayton Bird’s situation was bleak.

He was making £7.00 a week editing a small trade journal.

Even in those dear, dead days when cigarettes cost the equivalent of 10p a packet this would not support a wife and child – even in the two-up two-down cottage with outside lavatory they lived in.

He had to do something.

At the time, Drayton was much taken by a smooth aristocratic friend who worked in advertising.

He seemed to be making pots of money without too much effort and advised Drayton to become a copywriter.

It took six months using all his reserves of servile flattery to find a willing employer.

Drayton had three qualities to offer, apart from desperation.

One - He was brought up in a northern pub with a widely varied clientele. Encountering very different kinds of people after they have had a few drinks is splendid education for life.

One minute he might be serving a pint of best mild in the vaults to Alec, whose party turn was describing how his wife had gone out one day for a loaf of bread and never returned.

The next he would be listening to a mottle-faced cotton magnate in the American Bar lamenting the Socialist government’s determination to part him from all he possessed.

Two - He could write.

You may consider this essential for the job he sought, but this is not apparent to many would-be copywriters.

An alarming number cannot spell, punctuate or write long sentences – let alone tangle with such niceties as ‘it’s’ versus ‘its’, ‘compliment’ as opposed to ‘complement’ and so on.

Three - He had read every book on advertising in Manchester Public Library – there were three – and enrolled in an evening course on the subject.

You may also see these preparations as obvious, but not all agree: when Drayton finally entered the industry, he discovered few of his colleagues had taken the trouble to study the subject, or were even clear about the purpose of advertising.

It has now been over 50 years since Drayton entered advertising.

Zoom forward over 50 years, Drayton has been named one of the top 50 individuals who've shaped today's marketing. And David Ogilvy said he "knows more about direct marketing than anyone in the world."

A few days ago, I managed to coax Drayton away from his busy schedule for an interview, just for you.

And in this interview he reveals, for the first time, almost everything you need to do to set up a successful business.

He goes into as much details as he possibly can, given the short time available for the interview. (It runs for just over 50 minutes).

He  mentions the need to study what others are doing: The successful and the unsuccessful ones. As he says, "We learn as much from the way in which people have failed as we do from the way in which people have succeeded".

However, before you go onto listen to the main interview, here’s a couple of questions Drayton answered in a little more detail via email. Read this first and then go onto the audio portion.

This is all meat.

Rezbi:

The bottom dropped out of the economy, but it's now picking up again.  Your business went bust. All your clients' businesses also went bust,  so you can't even write copy for them.

You have nothing except what's between your head, and the only way you can get back into business is via the web -- an online business.

You can use any means at your disposal, but you only have £200 to do it with. You can create your  own product, or sell as an affiliate, or any other way you can think of based on the resources you have.

What would you do?

Drayton:

I would do the things I did in pretty much the same situation.

1. When I saw the internet was going to be huge - and that I was seen as a dinosaur - I built a website offering lots of free information about marketing. All that costs is a knowledge of Wordpress  - not money - and a knowledge of marketing. Again, freely available.


2. I sent out an e-mail to a list of marketing people offering helpful marketing ideas, free. I think I could offer those today without any list on the social sites. Costs you nothing.


3. I thus built a list -  as you could, free. Then I offered to write copy for the people on the list.

I have done a few other things, but none cost any money

Rezbi:

Similar question to the first, except now you've been asked for advice.

The questioner is a 20 something graduate who left University with a degree, but no education. He's been struggling to find work with no luck, so has decided to go into business.

Trouble is, he's only got £200, but he can use any means, online or offline. And he's got a year in which to get his business going and achieving some level of sustainable income.

He's willing to do whatever it takes, including studying further to first get the required knowledge, and then starting the business.  Or even side-by-side.

What advice would you give him?

Drayton:

1.   The best time you will ever spend is not in trying to get going in business. It is in study.
2.   It's easy to give in to despair. Don't. Learn. This gives you an incalculable advantage. Most people know too little.
3.   Settle on something that really interests you. Most people don't give enough thought to this
4.   Be willing to give up a lot to pursue it. Few people make enough sacrifices.
5.   Don't just sit around thinking about it - most people just dream. Do it.
6.   I would study:

a.   New businesses that are doing well (not old successful ones)
b.   How to write better -- few people can do that at all well
c.   How to sell face to face (get a job doing it)
d.   How people are selling online

7.   If I saw a business that was doing everything right, offer to work for a month free.

Sorry this is a bit vague -- but the question is utterly impossible.

The best advice I can give is, don't give up. I had a minor nervous breakdown when trying to get my first job in London

That’s just a taster. The rest of the interview is even better and I’m sure you’re going to love it. Personally, I haven’t heard Drayton go into this depth in any other interview, with anyone else.

Incidentally, this interview is so good, I was initially going to sell for $47.00. It's that good.

However, in keeping with the spirit of this blog, and my desire to educate you without laying on you the burden of cost I decided, at the last moment, to give it to you for nothing.

Just press play and enjoy:

http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/downloads/audio/DraytonInterview-2010-03-30.mp3

Once you’ve finished listening to that, go and sign up to get his 101 helpful marketing ideas - they're free: www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com.

Drayton has laid on a whole host of videos and articles for absolutely no cost. I guarantee will you receive a world-class education in marketing and it will cost you nothing.

I have learned so much from them, and I know you will, too.

So go ahead and sign up. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.

Best,
Rezbi
www.directmarketingcourse.com
www.hotbuttoncopywriting.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com

Marketing: Concepts and Strategies (Paperback)

Throughout the 1980's Bill Pride and OC Ferrell's text led the way in the USA, with full colour design and cutting edge supplements for tutors. In the UK and Europe, tutors mainly used Kotler's or McCarthy's books. In 1991 Warwick-based Sally Dibb and Lyndon Simkin joined forces with Bill Pride and O.C. Ferrell to produce the first European edition of "Marketing: Concepts and Strategies". This trail-blazing Euro-text proved hugely popular with tutors and students, prompting riva (more...)

How NOT To Choose An Agency

Once upon a time I used to bang out 6 or 7 articles a month for sundry marketing magazines around the world. Terrifying, eh?

Someone once asked me how I managed to find things to write about. "No problem," I replied. "I just have to flick through any marketing publication and I'm bound to find something absurd or stupid to comment on."

This came back to me when the other day I read with some amusement how a man who worked for me years ago had chosen a new agency for his big account.

Here's what made me laugh.

1. The whole process took over six months.


2. It was a "five-way pitch".


3. The agency he chose was staffed entirely by people he had worked with before.
   

Dr. Johnson said of sex that "the expense is damnable, the position is ridiculous, and the pleasure fleeting."

This came to mind when considering this pitch, with three other thoughts.

First I wondered on what the criteria the agency was selected. It was hard to tell from what I read. It seemed that the winners had "the right mix of planning and creative skills" - and I should hope so.

I was at least glad that the usual reason - "personal chemistry" - didn't creep in; after all, if you've worked with people already that should be no problem.

I also wondered: how did the people feel in the agencies that weren't stuffed with this chap's pals?

(By the way, don't go running away with the idea that this is one of those sad sour grapes pieces - we work for this firm's chief competitors, so my interest is purely professional).

The third thing I wondered was: how did this tortuous process affect what was going on in terms of marketing?

Just imagine all the meetings, the jargon-crammed documents written and read, the time spent seeing and discussing all the initial list of likely agencies before winnowing them down to a short list.

Then think of all the interminable presentations - which merge into one big blur of smiling faces and powerpoint shows, believe me. I imagine, too, that the people who tell you which agencies to see got their time and money.

What might all this money, time and energy have produced if devoted to marketing? Think about it.

And in the end, what has happened? An agency has been chosen on the basis of people knowing each other and an idea that sounds plausible enough to make them all think or hope will work.

STOP THE INSANITY

The one thing I'll wager did not happen is the one thing that should have. The one thing - and the only thing - that matters.

It is insane to choose an agency for any other reason than results in a business where you live or die on them - which this one does.

For a lot less, and a lot quicker the client could have asked a few agencies to create some material to test - and paid them, too. By now he would have an agency - and something that worked.

But what will actually happen?

There will be another few months spent while they do all this with the chosen agency - without doing the intelligent thing - testing their work against others.

I hope (though not too earnestly) it works out for them all - because if not, the pleasure will indeed be fleeting - just like the tenure of the average marketing director.

And I have just explained the chief reason why. What's more, what I'm talking about can be adapted to any kind of marketing, not just the direct kind.

An old friend of mine once worked for Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon. I asked him what Revson was like to work for.

"He was a nightmare" said my friend. "But I'll tell you one thing. He tested everything - even the price."

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 53 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbirdcommonsense.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

The 22 Immutable Laws Of Marketing (Paperback)

Al Ries and Jack Trout, two of the world's most successful marketing strategists, call upon over 40 years of marketing experise to identify the definitive rules that govern the world of marketing. Combining a wide-ranging historical overview with a keen eye for the future, the authors bring to light 22 superlative tools and innovative techniques for the international marketplace. The authors examine marketing campaigns that have succeeded and others that have failed, why good id (more...)

What's The Difference Between A Good Advert And A Bad One?

I was in London last week, visiting my mum.

While lounging around and watching a little TeeVee (I don't have one at home), I couldn't help but criticise the vast majority of what's supposed to pass for advertising.

My younger brother, a lawyer and much more intellingent than I could hope to be, couldn't understand why.

You see, like too many people, my brothers have the notion that if an advert looks good and wins awards, then it's a success.

So I asked my brother one simple question...

"Assume you've just paid an agency to create an ad for you. It's looks good; it entertains its audience; and it even wins awards. But... it fails to get you any sales. You make no money from it.  Basically, that agency has just used your money to improve its own profile. How would you feel?"

He replied he wouldn't be too pleased.

Then I asked him if he understood the difference between a good ad and a bad one. And he replied he did.

A good ad is one which makes money for the advertiser.  A bad ad is one which doesn't.

End of story.

How To Win Back The Customer You (Nearly) Lost

Did you get a chance to read my last post? If not I'd suggest taking a slight detour and checking it out. Otherwise this post might not make much sense.

Just make sure to come back here after to see what happened. Here's the link to that post: How To Lose A Customer… Fast.

Go ahead, I'll wait...

Hey, you're back. Good.

Onward.

Earlier this morning, at around 10am, I went to drop the car off, and give them a piece of my mind.

Here's what happened:

Matt wasn't there so I spoke with a guy called Nawasad (Nawi) Irshad. As it turned out, he's the branch manager but I didn't know that until near the end.

I didn't complain initally as I figured I'd do a little reconnaisance work and get my facts right first.

I asked Nawi how much the rental should have been for the previous week. He explained that, while the rate was a little higher, it shouldn't have been that much higher.

Plus the fact there was a promo going on which Matt didn't take into account.

He also said the price of the petrol, which showed £1.39 a litre was not the price I was charged. Basically, they need to change the way the price is printed on the contract as it's misleading.

Nawi couldn't explain why Matt booked me in for eight days when it should have been for seven, but he said he would speak with him about it.

That really left the most annoying complaint: The hard sell tactics on the insurance.

While prices could be explained away as human error, this could not.

Nawi said Matt was new and he needed to be trained further... and... to his credit, Nawi did not place the blame solely on Matt. He said as Matt's manager, he was responsible for his training, and he would ensure he gets it so this type of thing never happens again.

Anyway, without going into too much more detail for fear of boring you to sleep, here's what happened finally...

After I explained everything I asked Nawi, straight, what he was going to do to remedy the situation.

His reply?

"What would you like me to do?"

Good one.

I told him I just wanted what I should have got when I took the car last week. And I wasn't happy about the price of the petrol as I felt there wasn't as much in the tank as at first seemed.

So he said he would waive the petrol money (£7), adjust the price of the rental with the promo price which brought it down from £153 to £115.

Then he gave me an additional 10% discount on that price, which brought it down to just over £103. And, he said I would get a 15% discount on my next rental.

I wasn't looking for all that, but Nawi insisted as he felt I should not have had to go through all that hassle. That was a nice touch.

Now, here's another little thing I quite liked...

When I first went in and Nawi began checking my details on the computer, he received a phone call.

It was for me.

As you can imagine, I was little taken aback as I don't usually get people calling me at an Enterprise Rent-A-Car office. Especially a few minutes after I'd just walked in.

It was someone called Dave Meanwell. It turns out he's the City Manager for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. I'm assuming it means he's the manager for either Blackburn and the surrounding towns, or for Lancashire. Maybe he can shed some light on that one.

What surprised me even more was when he mentioned he'd read my blog post and was concerned I should have been treated so badly.

Why was I surprised?

Because I hadn't even promoted that post yet.

But then, I figured, if I was running a service business that size, I would monitor the internet for such things.

And then, having found such a serious article, I would monitor my computer system to see when my customer comes into the branch.

And then I would call him as soon as he's there.

I'm guessing that's exactly what Dave Meanwell did.

He apologised profusely and asked if there's anything he could do to resolve the situation.

Now, I'm all for giving everyone a chance to make up for mistakes, so I told him I'd like to give the local guys a chance. If there were still any issues after, I'd let him know.

After telling me how I could get in touch with him, he hung up and I carried on speaking with Nawi, who was a little lost as to what was going on. Until I explained.

Anyway, once the problem was sorted, later in the afternoon I received another call from Dave Meanwell asking if everything was dealt with to my satisfaction.

After I said it was, he asked if there was anything further he could do.

That was a nice little touch - overdelivering after it was all sorted.

He asked me, as did Nawi, if I would consider going back to them. I said yes. They dealth with the situation as well as I wanted, and more, so why wouldn't I go back to them?

After all, I thought my first experience, with Suzanne and Dmitri, was a good one. Why let one mistake ruin it?

Would I recommend Enterprise Rent-A-Car to you?

Absolutely. They're still better than a lot of others out there.

A little leasson here: On page 65 of Drayton Bird's book Commonsense Direct And Digital Marketing he explains why you should make it easier for your customers to complain about your products or service, and how you can use the process to get positive feedback.

Drayton mentions that research shows:

'...a customer who has complained and been satisfied is more loyal than if they had never complained in the first place.'

So it seems in this case.

I could have just let it go, and stopped using Enterprise Rent-A-Car, as I'm sure others might have done.

However, by complaining, I've ensured Enterprise Rent-A-Car remedy the existing problems so they don't happen again.

And, in the process, I've given them a little publicity.

How have I given them publicity?

Well, you're reading this, aren't you?

http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/2504/how-to-lose-a-customer-fast/

How To Lose A Customer... Fast

Last year, October 2009, I hired a car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Blackburn, Lancashire, in North West England.

It was a very pleasant experience.

Dmitri initially served me, booking my car for me. The exact car I wanted, no questions asked.

Then Suzanne took over.

Suzanne was the manager and, like Dmitri, she was very pleasant.

The way they both treated me I felt I'd known them for some time. And I was very happy with the service.

Which is why I went back to Enterprise Rent-A-Car last week when I decided to go down to London.

And, much as I hate criticising companies in public, I was not very happy this time around.

You see, Dmitri and Suzanne are no longer there. Dmitri apparently left the company four months ago, and Suzanne has moved to a different branch.

So this time I was dealt with by a guy called Matt.

From the first moment I got on the phone to book a car, Matt only seemed interested in upgraded my booking to a more expensive model than I wanted.

I politely told him I wasn't interested.

This was a week before I was due to pick the car up.

On the day I picked up the car, April 1, Matt picked me up to take me to the branch.

On the way he yet again tried to persuade me to upgrade. I again politely declined.

Once we got to the shop, he tried again. This time he tried a different approach. Instead of asking if I wanted a different model, he asked if I'd like a bigger engine size.

It meant exactly the same thing to me.

Why?

Because it was exactly the same.

It was always upgrading to a more expensive model, but no insentive for me to do so.

Then, as we walked into the shop I heard him say to someone else (I assumed he was the manager) that he had tried to get me to upgrade, but no joy.

He did all the paper work and then we went outside to inspect the car for any existing damage.

And this is where he really began to get on my nerves.

He pointed out every little thing and tried to make out issues bigger than they were.

He started off small by pointing to all the little stone chips to the car and how they were not a problem as it happens.

Then he told me if a stone chipped the windscreen, they'd have to change the whole thing as the chip could lead to a full crack.  For which I would be liable.

He then mentioned the stone chips again, mentioning they're no problem.

But, if there was something like a long scratch to the rear bumper, as an example, the whole bumper would need to be changed, and that would cost $250.00 plus £50.00 for loss of earnings while it was being repaired.

And for that I would again be liable.

But here's the clincher: He said I would be charged the full excess of £600.00 until the work was done, and then I would get back the difference.

However, if I did not want to be liable for the excess, all I needed to do was take out... wait for it... excess cover insurance at around £9.00 per day (it was a little more but I forget how much).

I declined.

So, like the true car salesman, he immediately said I could have eight days' cover for five days' premium.  Meaning, all I had to do was pay for five days, and I would get cover for eight days.

So what if I agreed to the inital offer for eight days? He would have just taken my money.

By this stage I was already getting really pissed of at his hard-sell tactics, and that certainly did not make things any better.

But wait, I missed something.

Rewind to his offer of five days of insurance for eight days.

It didn't click at the time as he said it so matter-of-factly.

You see, I wanted the car from April 1 to April 8.

Lets count 1>2>3>4>5>6>7>8.

From 1 to 8 is... ta daaaa... 7 days (seven, just in case).

And he smoothly booked in eight days.  Even before we went out to inspect the car.

Was that a mistake on his part?

As far as I'm concerned, I told him exactly how long I wanted the car for and when I was taking it back.

Anything extra costs me, not him.

How did I find out?

Two days before I was due to get back from London, I decided to stay another day. So I called up the office and asked another guy, Abdul, if he can extend my booking so I return it on Friday.

His reply was... surprise, surprise... it was already booked to come back on Friday, not Thursday.

Not happy.

I mean, I was glad I got it for another day, but I prefer that I get it because I wanted it.  Not because the salesman decided to give me an extra day -- at my expense.

There's more.

Before I took the car, old Matty insisted that I use up any excess petrol that was already in the tank as it wasn't worth it to them -- Enterprise Rent-A-Car -- if I give it back with the same amount in there.

I couldn't see what that had to do with me.  After all, I'm the customer and as far as I'm concerned, I want what's best for me. I'm the one who's paying them.

Anyway, he said I'd get a discounted rate for the petrol that was already in there.  So I didn't argue too much. He said I'd be charged £8.00 as the tank was 1/8 full. I pointed out it was less than that.

So he said he'd make it £7.00.

I wasn't happy, but I was already late and was getting very fed up with his constant yapping.

(My kids asked me why it took so long when I got back. I told them the saleman couldn't stop talking.)

However, when I took the car to the filling station and filled it up, I realised that, not only was there a lot less than 1/8 in the tank, but the cost for that amount would be about £5.00 at the very most.

How did I know that?

Because the tank's capacity was less than £50.00.

I was getting really sore, but I just wanted to get going as we were already more than two hours late getting out.

Forward to today: The day I've come back home.

It is now coming up to 2am on April 9 in the UK.

We arrived back a few hours ago, and I decided to look through the contract again.

Guess what?

The guy charged me £153.41 for eight days. But the website says it should be £130.75.

What?

Okay, I'm asking the manager about this in the morning.

Another thing I'm asking the manager is this: Matt told me I'd get the remaining petrol at a discounted price.

Since last week, petrol hasn't been above £1.20 per litre... anywhere.  In fact, I heard today that is a record increase.

However, on the contract it says: Fuel charge £1.39/Litre.

Would you say that's discounted?

Here's the marketing lesson from this story. But first a question - who is the easiest and most cost-effective person to sell to?

1. An existing customer who is happy with your product or service?  Or,


2. Someone who's never heard of you, or has never bought from you?

If you're as intelligent as I think you are, you will surely have picked number one.

Rather than explain why that is through theory, let's go back to the beginning of my story.

Before I rented a car from them the first time around, Enterprise had to let me know they existed. They had to advertise.

And even then, it was not certain whether or not I'd go with them or another. And I did check out a few others. But I liked them better.

I liked their approach over the telephone better than any others I'd spoken to. And I certainly liked them better in person.

Do you see that? I didn't rent the car, I bought the people. Heck, I could have got the same car, at the same price, almost anywhere else. I felt like they were old friends.

And what's more, they were interested in what I wanted.

And I liked the service so much, they didn't even have to canvass me again. I chose to do business there this time around. I went to them without even bothering to look at any others.

Unfortunately for the new guys in Enterprise, it's even easier to lose a customer by behaving the way Matt has.

Whereas Suzanne and Dmitri saw me as a person, Matt only saw me as his meal ticket.  His commission.  At least that's the impression I got.

And, to be honest, it's difficult for me to believe he is in it alone. The guy above him is responsible for him. (I hope I'm wrong).

In the morning, when I take the car back, I'm going to show him this post and then they can decide whether or not to turn this around into something positive or leave it as it is.

Either way, their head office is going to see it.

It's up to them if they want their head office to see them in a good light or bad.

And, as you already know, there's you... and a few thousand other readers of this blog who will soon get to know one of the two sides of Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Blackburn, Lancashire.

Either way, I'll let you know soon.

(Update: See this post How To Win Back The Customer You (Nearly) Lost)

Don't Sell The Steak, Sell The Sizzle

What we mean by the “sizzle” is the BIGGEST selling
point in your proposition - the MAIN reasons why your
prospects will want to buy. The sizzling of the steak
starts the sale more than the cow ever did, though the cow is, of
course, very necessary!

Hidden in everything you sell, whether a tangible or an intangible,
are “sizzles.” Find them and use them to start the sale. Then, after
desire is established in the prospect’s thinking, you can bring in the
necessary technical points.

The good waiter realizes he must sell the bubbles - not the
champagne. The grocery clerk sells the pucker - not the pickles, the
whiff - not the coffee. It’s the tang in the cheese that sells it! The
insurance man sells PROTECTION, not cost per week. Only the
butcher sells the cow and not the sizzle, yet even he knows that the
promise of the sizzle brings him more sales of his better cuts.

- Elmer Wheeler, from chapter one of Tested Sentences That Sell.

Does Sex Sell?

Well... what do you think?

There's something else I'm testing here I'll tell you about in a future post.

Principles of Marketing: AND MyMarketingLab (Paperback)

Suitable for undergraduate Principles of Marketing courses, this classic textbook has provided many generations of marketing students with an exceptional introduction to marketing, written by one of the masters.With global examples and completely up-to-date with the latest marketing techniques, Principles of Marketing looks at the major decisions that marketing managers face in their efforts to balance an organisation’s objectives and resources against needs and opportunities (more...)

Garden Decor

Who Wants To Hear About You?

What I am about to suggest to you is so basic I'm almost ashamed. But it's utterly essential - and too often ignored.

What's more, checking on it may do you more immediate good than all sorts of grander things like strategy and positioning.

Forgive me if you think it's beneath you - but I hope it isn't.

***

Here's a question for you.

What's the most powerful word in selling communications?

Would you say "free"?

I used to - but I suspect it's not, really. I think it is "you" - and derivations, like "yours" and "your".

Here's why.

1. You are what you're interested in most of all - sad but true.

2. The more time you use "you" words in your messages, the more they get read.

3. Conversely, the more you use "we" words - like us, our and ours - the less interested people are.

Marketing is like real life. In real life don't you hate people who boast and talk about themselves? In real life don't you prefer people who talk to you about your interests? Same in selling.

So, even if this sounds a bit basic, go through your messages - in whatever medium - and do a "me/you" count.

If the "you" words don't outgun the "me" words two to one - change things.

I just looked at the welcome page of one leading marketer. In less than 150 words - there was not one "you" word". But there were seventeen selfish "we" words, starting with that old friend "About us".

"Drayton," you may ask, "How can such trivia be important?"

Well, people often compare marketing to war - and use similar words, like "strategy", "territory", "conquest", "attrition" and so on. So here's some advice for you from a famous general.

Towards the end of his life, the Duke of Wellington was asked to what he owed his victories. "Attention to detail," he replied.

Pay attention to this little detail. Count how many times your messages talk about your customers - and how much they're about you. And get the balance right.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 11 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

—————————————–

Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com

Click here to get 101 free helpful marketing ideas. Marketers from all over the world think they’re a pot of gold.

You know that old line "By popular request" - usually followed by a lie?

Well for a change, here's a genuine example.

Many of you have asked me to carry on with these ideas and not finish on the next one - so, as I said last week, I shall.

And I'd really like your advice, Ghulam - but first, here's Jean Cocteau, who once began a speech by saying:

"I have said this many times before, but nobody listened, so I will say it again."



Well, I thought that this was a good time to mention three of the things I've covered in this series - then give you my helpful idea No 50. First, let me tell you what the three most opened ideas were.

They were:

No 2, which offered a PDF of Claude Hopkins book Scientific Advertising.

No 1, which suggested you take 5 minutes a day to think up reasons to talk to your prospects and customers.

No 17, which offered creative work at half-price to the first five people who replied.

Did you notice that two of the three featured incentives, reinforcing the truth in the old phrase "What's in it for me"? That's especially interesting as the other was the very first, which I guess people would naturally open more keenly than later ones.

But the very first one was about something I consider so important that I'm going to repeat it. And it was about the need to do things rather than sit around thinking about them.

In that piece I told a true story of two firms we did some work for. After we wrote a mailing for one, they took 6 months to do nothing except have meetings. Who knows, maybe they're still yacking away.

The other gets on with things. I've seen them get mailings out in under a week. They are the leaders in the field. The others, the slothful one, are big - but they won't stay that way.

People waffle on about the "entrepreneur" society.

They idolise people like Richard Branson - with whom I had some contact, with a few lessons I'll talk about in another piece.

But they don't act like Richard Branson.

Most people prefer talking rather than doing. And the bigger the firm, the more they talk and the less they do.

I think this is because nobody can be fired for something that never happened. That's why most businesses don't improve. It's also why most people are employees, not employers.

If you do one significant thing better each year you have a fair chance of outdoing your competitors. If you do two, you almost certainly will. If you do three, you'll wipe the floor with them.

So here is a cartoon I use sometimes in seminars just to remind you of that fact.



I use the Three Blind Mice from the nursery rhyme to emphasise what I just said.

You don't have to be a genius to beat the competition. You have to act.

I have no idea which three of the suggestions I've sent so far made the deepest impression on you. But please do me a favour. Take them and act on them.

And tomorrow...

PLEASE TAKE 3 MINUTES TO ADVISE ME

Many ideas have been suggested to me in the last ten weeks. I'd like to know which interest you. Tomorrow, I'll ask what you think.

Thank you - I have had so many thank you messages and kind comments, I've been genuinely astonished. I appreciate every one of them.

Headline Shortcuts Part IX - How To (Blank)

By now, hopefully, you are absolutely convinced
that the headline by far is the most important
element in your copy.

Once you come up with a great headline, the rest
of the copy is relatively easy. You simply expand
upon and prove the headline promise.

As a long-suffering reader, you will recall I've
written ad nauseam that without a powerful
headline your copy will simply not work at all.

Today I'll discuss the headline formula I use the
most. Why? Because of its unparalleled and
successful track record.

I call this formula:

How To (Blank)

Here are some examples of successful headlines:

* * * * * * * * * *

How to Solve All Your Money Problems Forever!

* * * * * * * * * *

How to Make $87,000 Per Year as a Magazine
Writer!

* * * * * * * * * *

How to Easily Get All the Credit You Could Ever
Want!

* * * * * * * * * *

How to Increase Your Profit in Any Economic
Climate

* * * * * * * * *

How to Triple Sales to Your Existing Customers

* * * * * * * * *

How to Fight Cancer and Win

* * * * * * * * *

How to Form Your Own Corporation Without a
Lawyer for Under $75

* * * * * * * * *

You may recognize the last three headlines above,
which serve as ad headlines as well as book titles.

Please note: A book title is really the headline
for a book. Unless a book title is at least as good
as a headline in an ad, the book will almost always
be a dismal failure.

One of the reasons that 95% of the time books do
not even sell out their first printing is most book
titles are completely ineffective.

Indeed I have turned several failed books into best
sellers just by changing the title. This includes two
of my own.

According to Books in Print, right now there are
over 7,000 book titles in America that start off with
the words "How To." Reason? You guessed it. They
work!

Nothing engages and involves the reader as well as
the words "How To."

The "How To" fill-in-the-blank formula is
amazingly simple. And it will get you on your way
to writing fantastic headlines.

The "How To" headline formula is this: How To (Get,
Have, Acquire, Own, Profit From, etc.) the (Biggest
Benefit Your Product Delivers)

Just take any or all of the samples I've provided and
adapt them for your own use.

Fill in the blanks with appropriate descriptions,
expressions, action words or benefits that apply to
you.

Once you taste success with this amazing headline
formula, please share it with me and your fellow
subscribers. You will also be unleashing the
incredible power of the Law of Reciprocity in your
life.

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

—————

“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
MARGIN, the Internet’s most valuable success and
marketing e-zine. For a complimentary
subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly (New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs,) (Paperback)

Review

"This is the first to explain the options in a way I find non–tech growth company executives can understand" (GulfNews.com, April 8th 2009)






For marketers, The New Rules of Marketing and PR shows you how to leverage the potential that Web–based communication offers your business. Finally, you can speak directly to customers and buyers, establishing a personal link with the people who make your business work. This one–of–a–kind guide includes (more...)

Creativity and Accountability In Advertising

In case you've never heard of Lester Wunderman, he's the advertising genius who first coined the term 'Direct Marketing'.

In this video Wunderman talks about 'accountable creativity'.

Headline Shortcuts Part VIII - "If...Then"

Recently I've been stressing the absolutely critical
importance of powerful headlines in all your copy.

Here is another Ted Nicholas headlines secret. I call
this headline style (number 8 out of 11 headline
types):

"If...Then"

Here are some examples.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If You Are Fed Up With Advertising Copy
That Doesn't Bring in Profitable Sales,
We Offer Proven, Results-Oriented Copywriters
and Guarantee Our Results!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
If You're Tired of Your Old Sofa and
Thinking of a Change, We Offer a Superb
Selection, Helpful Design Consultants and a
Comfortable Shopping Experience - At The Best
Possible Prices!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If Your Car is a Wreck and You'd Love to Own a
Cream Puff, This Free Report Will Show You a
Guaranteed Way to Get the Best Price, and How to
Avoid Getting Stuck With a Lemon!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If You're Looking for One Convenient Source For
All Your Business Needs, We Provide a Huge
Selection of Office Supplies, a Fully Equipped Print
Shop - Even a Postal Outlet Right on the Premises
...Plus Ridiculously Low Prices Every Day!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If You'd Like to Dump Your Present Romantic
Partner, This Confidential Free Report Will Reveal
How to Do it Humanely While Exploring the Best
Source of Single Men on the Planet - All at a
Reasonable Guaranteed Price!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here is the formula of how the "If...Then"
approach can be turned into a fill-in-the-blank
system.

If You're (describe the prospect's biggest want) We
Offer (Benefit #1) (Benefit #2) (Benefit #3)...
AND (bonus benefit)

When you begin achieving huge sales breakthroughs
with this valuable technique, please let me know
about it.

I'd love to feature your success story and perhaps
provide you helpful publicity as well on these
pages.

Your correspondent,
Ted Nicholas

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“This article appears courtesy of THE SUCCESS
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subscription, visit http://www.tednicholas.com/

Guerrilla Marketing (Paperback)

First published in 1983, Jay Levinson's Guerrilla Marketing has become a classic in the field of business, revolutionising marketing for small businesses all over the world and creating a new way to understand market share and how to gain it. It also launched a veritable Guerrilla Marketing industry, including dozens of future Guerrilla books, CDs and speaker events. In this completely updated and expanded fourth edition of Levinson's first Guerrilla Marketing book, his take-no- (more...)

For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing

Just kidding - but you'll see why in a minute.

Recently, after scrupulous research over many months, my partner Marta decided to buy a new flat screen TV, which she did through Amazon.

They use Parcelforce - "proud winners of Business in The Community's Healthy Workplaces Award 2006", who also seem rather excited because "Hitwise have recognised our online developments this year".

It's good to know they're all slaving away in such a splendid environment and such hot stuff on-line, though I wonder what exactly "on-line developments" are.

It was their touching attention to things that don't really matter to their customers that prompted my heading. Because if you want to talk to them there is even a text phone number for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

But what if, like Marta, you want to get a TV set delivered?

What if they're so useless they can't tell you even vaguely when it is likely to arrive - just any time between 8:00 am and 6 p.m. on a certain day?

And what if they couldn't even get the day right - so you spend 10 hours waiting - and it still hasn't arrived?

Then, what if the much-praised on-line developments tell you it's just arrived at 7:34 pm - which you know is a lie because you and two other people are looking out of the window?

And what if after you (eventually) get a reply from somebody on the phone - during a call you're paying for - which confirms that they do indeed only deliver - or in this case fail to deliver - between 8 and 6?

What then?

Well, you hang around the next morning till it does arrive.

Then you get an e-mail saying "Thank you for using our website" - with an apology, kind regards and of course details of the deaf phone number I mentioned, signed by an "Internet Advisor".

Hey, guess what, Parcelforce? I don't want internet advice. There are plenty of people like BT Broadband screwing me around on-line already, and they need no help from you.

I want you to deliver things. That's all you have to do. That's why Amazon (mistakenly, it seems) use you.

I'd like to sue the useless layabouts for taking Marta away from what she does extremely well and gets paid for - write copy.

But instead I'll just mention, for the second time in this series, the book below.



This book suggests you should try and do a proper job before you do anything else - or blether on about your irrelevant awards and your pleasant environment. How hard is that to understand?

Oddly enough many years ago Parcelforce were clients of mine, but they were then called Post Office Parcels.

They changed their name and spent a lot of time, money and executive angst over their new image. I used to wonder whether they should have invested it in doing a better job.

Now I have no doubt.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 48 of Drayton Bird’s 101 free helpful marketing ideas.  You can sign up on the link below for the rest.

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Website: www.draytonbird.com / www.eadim.com

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