Career-Changing Takeaways… And Murphy’s Law

Have you heard of Denny Hatch? He wrote ‘Million Dollar Mailing$’.

And now Denny’s come out with a new book. I won’t bore you with what I think of it (judging by the excerpts, it’s pretty fantastic).

Here, check out a little of what’s inside the book:

(Can’t wait? Visit Denny ‘s site here www.dennyhatch.com)

1. Advertising

“Advertising is, actually, a simple phenomenon in terms of economics. It is merely a substitute for a personal sales force — an extension, if you will, of the merchant who cries aloud his wares.” —Rosser Reeves
………………
“Advertising is salesmanship in print.” —John E. Kennedy
………………
Here’s the secret of successful advertising: interrupting what’s going on in the front of a prospect’s brain with headline, graphics, copy and action that seize upon a lurking fear or desire and exploiting it.
………………
“It is easier to write passably effective sonnets than one effective advertisement.” —Aldous Huxley

“Every man is constantly holding a mental conversation with himself, and the burden of that conversation is himself — his interests, his loved ones his business, his advancement.” —Robert Collier
………………
These self- conversations are frequently interrupted: a baby crying, a kitchen timer going off, a dog barking, someone at the front door, a fire engine going by, a piece of direct mail or catalog, a TV infomercial or a
telemarketing call.

If the marketing effort is dull … if it does not interrupt and keep on interrupting… the interruption is interrupted … and we resume the conversation with ourselves. The marketer has lost money. If you can capture the prospect’s attention, it is imperative to hold it. Once the proposition is laid aside, chances are very high no action will be taken.
………………
“Advertising is the greatest art form of the 20th century.” —Marshall McLuhan

If your mailing piece or ad sends responders to your website, create a special URL that takes them to a page directly relating to the message that they have just seen. Many marketers simply list the generic home page, whereupon responders are consigned to roaming around Landing Page Limbo, and you have lost the order, donation or inquiry.

When was the last time you took a critical look at your home page/ landing page? Does that dog hunt? Or have so many people screwed around with it that it has become Landing Page Limbo?

Do your email promotions have a viral marketing option (e.g., “Please forward to a friend or colleague who may be interested in this opportunity.”)?

Do you have an action device where it’s obvious how to reply? Is it easy to reach a real person at your shop — either by email or phone? If not, why not?

38. Employee, Being One

“Become indispensable — take on jobs other people don’t want to do.” —Ivanka Trump
………………
“According to a 2009 Proofpoint study of 220 leaders at American companies with over 1,000 employees, 38 percent employ staff to read or otherwise analyze the content of outgoing email, compared to 29 percent  last year.

Why the big increase in surveillance? 34 percent said their businesses had been affected by the exposure of sensitive or embarrassing information, up from 23 percent in 2008.” —The Daily Stat, Harvard Business Publishing
………………
Emails are forever. Even though you have deleted or trashed an email, it lives — somewhere in your own  computer and/or in the company server and/or out in the Internet.

“‘Companies that do use email to notify employees that they’ve been laid off or fired “do it because it’s easy,’ said Frank Kenna, president and CEO of Marlin. ‘It’s not the right way to handle it,’ he said, especially for situations where a worker is being fired.” —Marianne Kolbasuk McGee
………………
Getting fired is never easy, even if you see it coming. But when a dismissal borders on insulting, it becomes the stuff of legends. —Sarah E. Needleman

46. Humor in Advertising

“Is your copy funny or cute? (Avoid humor at all costs.)” —Milt Pierce
………………
“For the Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine’s newsletter, Your Dog, I wrote a letter from the dean of the veterinary school emphasizing the credentials and expertise of their canine authorities. Then I added a second lift note — from a dog! — explaining why dogs hate the newsletter. (It makes their owners too knowledgeable, and teaches owners how to break dogs’ bad habits!)

Humor is usually risky, but in this case, proved highly effective. It added significantly to the strength of this control.” —Barbara Harrison

Note: Barbara Harrison used humor in a peripheral element — the lift note. It wasn’t the main piece of the effort.
………………
But cleverness and humor, traditionally, have no place in direct marketing. If the reader says, “My, isn’t this clever” or “Oh, how funny!” the thread of the argument is lost and so is the sale.

“Don’t use humor.” —Craig Huey

“Don’t be cute. Your advertisement can entertain a million readers — and not sell one of them.” —Andrew J. Byrne

“Your job is to sell, not entertain.” —Jack Maxson

• Be careful about cutting people, which are the most important assets. They can help you through tough times; they know your history. If you lose people now, when things pick up, you’ll have to hire new people and train them, which will impact productivity.

• Survival comes first.
………………
“People use the word ‘guru,’ because the word ‘charlatan’ is so hard to spell.” —Peter Drucker
………………
“Be a people person. Answer your own phone. Wander around the ballpark. Be at the gate to say good night to people.” —Bill Veeck
………………
“You’ll never have to apologize for giving people some fun.” —Bill Veeck, who sent 3-foot-7 stunt man Eddie Gaedel to pinch hit for the Cleveland Browns in 1951

62. Marketing

“Always underpromise and overdeliver.” —Marilyn Black
………………
“Marketing is only as good as the supporting infrastructure.”
—Dick Benson
………………
Creating a product or service is easy. It’s the marketing that’s difficult, time-consuming and expensive.

Put another way: It’s easy to make a football. Getting it into the end zone is tough.

With any new business — or existing business — start with the customer and work backwards from there.
————————————————————————————–
For more about Denny Hatch visit his site
here www.dennyhatch.com
————————————————————————————–

73. Murphy’s Law

According to numerous websites, Edwards Air Force Base was the site of the birth of Murphy’s Law. (“If anything can go wrong, it will.”)

In 1949, Capt. Edward A. Murphy was a project engineer who discovered a transducer wrongly wired. He said of the technician who was responsible for the goof, “If there is any way to do it wrong, he’ll find it.”

Murphy’s comment was noted, and he became world famous. Other laws:

• Nothing is as easy as it looks.
• Everything takes longer than you think.
• Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
• If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.
• Corollary: If there is a worse time for something to go wrong, it will happen then.
• If anything simply cannot go wrong, it will anyway.
• If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.
• Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.
• If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.
• Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
• Mother Nature is a bitch. 
• It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
• Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
• Every solution breeds new problems.

………………
“Corollary to Murphy’s Law: Everything takes twice as long as you think it will take — and then double that. Everything costs twice as much as you think it will cost — and then double that.” —Irvin Borowsky

Before taking such action, think through every possible scenario and potential collateral damage.
………………
“Very often the art of public relations is the art of private relations.” —Albert Lasker

85. Public Speaking

“PowerPoint makes us stupid.” —Gen. James N. Mattis

“Power corrupts. PowerPoint corrupts absolutely.” —Edward Tufte

Many (inept) speakers use PowerPoint badly. They fill the screen with small type that can be read only by people sitting in the front row, and they proceed to read their speech off the screen.

A read speech is a dead speech.

If you do use PowerPoint, limit the amount of text on the screen, and make it large enough for those in the last row to read.

Obey the 10-20-30 Rule of PowerPoint: no more than 10 slides, no more than 20 minutes and no type smaller than 30 point.
………………
People come to a presentation to listen and take notes, not to read along with the speaker.
………………
President Obama uses the invisible glass Teleprompter system on the right and left side of the podium, so eye contact with the audience can be maintained while the speech is being read. I am not sure if he has a printed speech on the podium as a back-up, but most likely he does.

President George W. Bush and members of his administration were “Of my two ‘handicaps’ being female put more obstacles in my path than being black.” —Shirley Chisholm

“Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” —Eleanor Roosevelt

“I have learned over the years that when one’s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear.” —Rosa Parks
………………
“I do the very best I can to look upon life with optimism and hope and looking forward to a better day, but I don’t think there is anything such as complete happiness. It pains me that there is still a lot of Klan activity and racism. I think when you say you’re happy, you have everything that you need and everything that you want, and nothing more to wish for. I haven’t reached that stage yet.” —Rosa Parks

99. Writing

Below are Ted Nicholas’ four rules I follow when I start to prepare copy.

1. Clear your mind. For some persons, this might mean lying down for a few minutes before going to work. For others, it could mean jumping in the pool or jogging around a track. Frolic, spend time with someone you love or go dancing. Do whatever comes naturally to you in order to have a clear mind for creative purposes.

2. Never write when you’re tired. You’re not going to try to drive or operate machinery when you’re tired. 

3. Never write when you’re busy. If there are other demands pressing on you, tend to them first. I don’t think anyone can write well when they are watching the clock. Don’t try to write if you have appointments later in the day or errands to run.

4. Don’t write in bits and pieces. Once you’ve turned on your creative energy, you need to keep it flowing. I don’t stop until I complete a draft. I try not to stop even for meals.

Want to know more?

Go here and check it out.

That’s not an affiliate link. Denny books are excellent and I just wanted to give him the publicity he deserves.
Go get it. You’ll like it.

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

About Making Money

I recently went through a very bad spell with my health. I honestly thought I was going to die.

This went on for about two or three weeks and, when I finally got over it, I sat down and thought about the reasons.

I was going to write a long rambling post about why I thought I got to that stage, but then I saw this article. It was written by Bruce Barton in the 1920s.

What stuck me are the lines I've highlighted, and realised this is what's been happening to me... or rather... not happening. I was ruining my health in the pursuit of my business.

Take a look and see if it rings any bells. Let me know what you think, and how it affects you, in the comments.

About Making Money

It is easy to be hypocritical on the subject of money.

We have formed a habit of pretending publicly to despise money, while actually working our heads off to get more of it.

We make speeches to young men advising them to "seek the higher good," and hurry straightway to our offices to make up for lost time.

Let us have done with such hypocrisy.

We are all out to make money; nor is there anything reprehensible in that fact.

Wise old Sam Johnson said: "There are few occupations in which men can be more harmlessly employed than in making money."

It is not "money" that is the "root of all evil," as we often misquote, but "the love of money."

How much of yourself are you willing to sell for money?

The answer to that question is none of my business. It is a personal question - a question for you to ask yourself.

But if you are the sort of person I think you are, your answer to it will be something like this : There are some things I am not willing to sell for money.

I will not sell my health.

Not for all the money in the world will I die twenty years before my time, as Harriman did; nor spend my old age drinking hot water,
like John D. Rockefeller.

I will not sell my home.

I will forget my business when I leave my office.

My home shall be a place of rest and high thinking and peace not a mere annex to my factory or office, where the talk is of nothing but gains and loss.

I will not sell my honor.

I will not engage in any business, no matter what the profit, that does not contribute something to the happiness and progress of the
world.

King Midas, in a fit of covetousness, prayed that everything he touched might turn to gold.

And his prayer was granted.

The food he was lifting to his mouth turned to gold. His wife, if he had touched her, would have turned to gold.

There are too many King Midases loose in the world.

They do not have the Midas touch: they have the Midas look: They see nothing but money.

A beautiful garden to them is merely something that "must have cost a thousand dollars."

They look on their homes and they see, not a home, but an expense of so much a month.

They look on their wives, and figure how much less it cost them to live when they lived alone.

The universe, to them, is a balancesheet: their minds are adding-machines: their hearts beat in tune with the ticker.

God pity them the men with the Midas look!

Get money but stop once in a while to figure what it is costing you to get it.

No man gets it without giving something in return.

The wise man gives his labor and ability.

The fool gives his life.




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

Is CRM Right For You? A 15-Minute Quiz

Do you believe in magic?

Marketers tend to. They are suckers for miracle cures - and here's why.

We all know our customers are lazy. That's why the words "quick" and "easy" always increase readership of any headline.

Show them how they can do something - lose weight, learn a language - with less effort, and you probably have a winning proposition.

You must package it well, though - preferably with an impressive name.

So it's not listening to and repeating words and phrases; it's "programmed learning". That makes you feel you're doing something important, doesn't it?

And guess what? Marketers are just as lazy as customers - hardly surprising, as they are customers every day. Most (as I learned from asking them to define it in many countries) are is too lazy to even learn what marketing is - let alone what "direct marketing" means.

Anyhow, that word "direct" ... doesn't it sound distressingly close to direct mail? And we all know what that means, don't we? Junk. Ugh. That certainly doesn't sound very flattering, does it?

CRM sounds much better. People love it. Though I cannot for the life of me see how it differs from what I've always done.

Mind you, it took me about nine years to get any good at what I do, whereas a few years ago Oracle's ads said: "Start today and have global customer relationship management in 19 days."

Sounds a lot better than hard work, doesn't it? Mr. Super CRM would whiz into their office and take care of everything for them! No wonder it took off.

Many firms started CRM divisions before even knowing what the heck it really was - or meant to their business.

No wonder that a few years after it first came into fashion, the US magazine Advertising Age reported that over 70% of firms who tried it said it didn't work.

I shall discuss why in a moment, with some good, practical advice you can act on from somebody who has specialised in this field.

In the meantime, here's a little reminder that miracles only happen in the movies.



The word 'loyalty' is often used about CRM. But as a former chairman of Marks & Spencer observed, "Customers are not loyal nor should they be. We have to earn their loyalty every day".

His firm forgot that and it nearly ruined them.

Sober people know the obvious: nobody sane wants a relationship with their bank or supermarket. They have enough trouble getting on with their families. And a "programme" won't cure any dodgy relationship.

But the intelligent use of data does pay. Here is a good example. Ocado sent my partner Marta this, based on things she had bought before.



CRM schemes fail above all because your business lives or dies on its attitude to customers. And a quick fix doesn't change attitudes.

So here is check list for you. It was put together by my associate Peter Hardingham, who has worked with me on and off for 20 years, and revised by me because I interfere with everything that leaves this office.

Is CRM right for you? A 15-minute quiz

Step 1

Unless you have answered these four questions, there is absolutely NO point in boarding the good ship CRM.

• Do you really know what your customers want?


• Do you know what they think you promise them? Are they the same things?


• Can you clearly identify these desires and beliefs, before and after they have become customers?


• How will you find out? Do so before anything else!

Step 2

Set realistic expectations, and deliver what you promise or you can end up worse off than if you never started.

• Can you deliver what your customers want - and, just as important, what they think you promise?


• If not, what can you deliver now, and in the future?


• If it is in the future, how quickly? And how will you keep them happy in the interim?

Step 3

A customer in the dark is an angry customer. A customer in the know can end up buying more.

• At what points in the purchase process will you tell your customers what they want to know


• About their order?


• To reassure them?

Step 4

• Can you identify the points from step 3 in every customer transaction?


• Are you sure your IT team can deliver?


• If you have retail outlets, can the staff get this information - quickly and easily?

Step 5

Many firms still have separate databases for customer and transactional information If your marketing database can't access both, you're in trouble.

• Can you record what happens at all every point in the transaction?


• On a database all those who may need to know can access?

The moment of truth.

Did you answer the first 5 steps mostly 'yes'? If so, you stand a chance of CRM working for you. If you said mostly 'no', stop right now and get it right.

If you're talking to CRM consultants politely ask them to leave. Their time is expensive, and you'll lose your shirt.

Step 6 - start the ball rolling

• Tell your customers what you plan to do


• Manage their expectations


• Involve, motivate and train all your


• Make sure everyone - particularly retail staff - gets the same respect

Step 7 - attend to detail

Remind yourself what you've promised, and deliver it. Often, essential processes are not part of firms' structures. They don't appreciate what skills and structures you need.

• If this is an incentivised scheme, how will points, miles or other benefits be allocated, captured, and communicated to the customer?


• How will redemptions be handled?

Step 8

Most customers won't tell you they are unhappy. They tell their friends - and walk away.

• Set up a monitoring process in your company


• Make sure you identify any weak links that appear in the chain

Step 9

• Ask your customers how they think you're doing


• Loyalty can improve just by making it easy for them to tell you what they think


• Allow your customers to suggest improvements. It's the best research you'll ever get

Step 10 - it doesn't stop

Don't imagine this is something you just "put in place".

• Keep listening to your customers


• Keep learning from your customers


• Keep refining your system


• Keep training and re-training your people

When should you refer to these questions?

When your IT director says, "We've got this wonderful CRM software..."

When the board says, "That's a brave move you're making there, this CRM stuff..."

Just take out this quiz, and re-read it. You'll know more than many CRM consultants. You might even keep your job.

If that interested you, you might find half an hour with Peter worth your while. I sent him along to three clients a while ago, and all wanted to know more. One - a travel destination - had him on a plane within a week.

Best,
Drayton
www.directmarketingcourse.com
www.commonsensedirectmarketing.com

Excuses... Excuses... Excuses...

I could come up with plenty of reasons why I haven't been posting to my blog.

However, only one is of any significance - I've been working.

The thing is, I like blogging. I like researching and finding new things to write about.

Most of all, I like to write about things I have to dig up. Things no one else writes about - probably - because it takes 'detective' work. Hence the name 'The Marketing Sleuth'.

I've been working on a project for a very high profile marketer and I've learned so much from him. He just happens to be one of the best marketers and copywriters of the last 50+ years.

But I've missed writing to my blog.

And so, I've decided I'm going to come back and give you more articles on a regular basis.

You may wonder why I decided to write a post explaining my reasons for not keeping my blog updated. Well, the reason is a post by Melinda Brennan on copyblogger called 6 Online Marketing Mistakes that Will Kill Your Business.

I really just wanted to clarify, to myself, that it's not one of those reasons keeping me away.

Go and check out the post. It's an eye-opener for anyone who makes excuses about why they don't succeed.

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

How The Richest Guy In "Information & Education" Did It

Would you believe that there's a guy who has made himself billions selling information and education... that you've probably NEVER heard of?

Go watch this free video to see how he did it (and how
you can ride the same trend that he's riding to create
income for yourself):

http://gurublueprint-go.directanddigitalmarketing.com/

You'll also learn a time when money can NEVER be
made - and how to make sure you avoid the mistake
of trying when it's literally impossible.

As you've probably seen, most of the big money that's
being made online right now by "regular people" who
are working from home in the "Information Products" and
coaching business.

In this video, you'll learn why this is, how the trends are
changing, and what to do NOW so you can capitalize
on what's coming (and why home-based businesses
have a higher chance of success than businesses that
are NOT run from home).

You'll also learn why so many more people are heading
for tough financial times because they aren't creating
their own online "Information Businesses."

This video is taught by a guy who has sold a hundred

MILLION dollars worth of Information Products, by the

way.

Here's the link again, watch this video NOW if you want
to take full financial advantage of this little-known
information:

http://gurublueprint-go.directanddigitalmarketing.com/

This video will only be online for another couple of days,
so watch it right now.

Best,
Rezbi

How to Become a Successful Self-Publisher

Today's topic is about two little-known action tips that will help you succeed in the world's most ideal business.

I know there is huge worldwide interest in what constitutes an ideal business.

How?

When I first wrote about this subject in my news-letter in the early nineties, I received more feedback on it than any other topic.

What constitutes the ideal business?

1. Enjoys low overhead.

2. Products can be sold throughout the world.

3. Is portable—can easily be moved and operated
anywhere in the world.

4. Requires little capital or major investment in
equipment.

5. Enjoys high profit margins.

6. Has minimal labor requirements.  Can be
operated with few or no employees.

7. Can be operated from home.

8. Is relatively free of government regulation and
control.

9. Is highly respected in the business community.

10. Sells on a cash basis instead of offering
extended credit.

11. Competitors cannot duplicate.  Creation of
product is legally protected.

12. Is fun for you while satisfying your intellectual
needs.

13. Helps make the world a better place.

Self-publishing best meets the above criteria
for the ideal business.

Tip: Publishing unique, helpful information can
be an unbeatable marketing tool. Further in this
issue I'll show you how to use it successfully
for any business.

Let's briefly look at what self-publishers and
conventional publishers typically do when they
decide to market a book or special report.

1. The book is written, taking up to two years
of effort. Little or no thought is given to the
marketing process.

2. The title is decided by some editor often over
lunch in less than 20 minutes.

3. The book is published. Absolutely nothing
happens. This has been called "the calm before
the calm."

The book never sells out its first printing. (This
is the fate of more than 96% of all books published.
Is it any wonder!)

Here are the two most important actions I always
take.  I recommend both as an indispensable part
of your action plan.

1. Write an ad to sell the book before a single word
is written.

Tip: The result is the eventual book will have the
best chance to do what it should--serve the readers'
self-interest. (Most books are incredibly dull and
boring and are an ego trip for the author.)

Plus, of course, you can use the ad to market
the book.

More than 90% of your time as a self-publisher must
be spent on marketing. For my book HOW TO
FORM YOUR OWN CORPORATION WITHOUT
A LAWYER FOR UNDER $75, I've written more
than 120,000 words of advertising copy.  The book
has just 32,000 words in it. Sales are nearly
2,000,000 copies to date.  The reason for all the
success is not the book itself, but all the marketing.

As Tom Watson, the late founder of IBM, said so
well, "Nothing happens until a sale is made."

2. Create a great book title. A book title is actually
a headline for the book. It's crucially important.
When I create a book title, I write a huge number of
potential titles.  For my books HOW TO PUBLISH
A BOOK AND SELL A MILLION COPIES,
MAGIC WORDS THAT BRING YOU RICHES,
and HOW TO TURN WORDS INTO MONEY,
I wrote over 120 titles for each before choosing the
final one for each of these best sellers.

Best-selling authors like Harvey Mackay, author of
"Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive"
and "Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His
Shirt," invest about $60,000 in fees for an expert to
create each title for their books. They know how
important it is.

Tip: Here is a business-building blockbuster.
Regardless of the business in which you are engaged,
whether you market online or offline, you can use
books and special reports as free bonuses to build
your sales.  Here are some examples of businesses
and the type of material they could publish that could
dramatically boost their business.

Real Estate Developer:
"Seven Easy, Low-Cost Tips Which Will
Increase The Value of Your Property"

Plumber:
"How to Stop Leaking Faucets Yourself
in Less Than 60 Seconds"

Architect:
"How to Build The Beautiful Home
of Your Dreams Below Budget"

Restaurant:
"How to Prepare Ten Terrific Gourmet
Meals in Less Than 20 Minutes"

Vitamin Distributor:
"Maximum Health Secrets
On a Minimum Budget"

Tip: Your information should be written in such a way
that it is (A) immediately useful to the reader, and
(B) you do not directly benefit in any way.

What you are seeking is a special feeling of
reciprocation on the part of the reader: "I got so
much out of this special report, when I think
about possibly availing myself of your type
of product or service, I will think about you first."

The result in increased sales will delight and
astonish you.

Stay tuned for more tips on self-publishing
success.

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/

How To Turn Your Ideas Into High-Priced Information Products

Have you heard of Eben Pagan? or David DeAngelo? That's a trick question, because he's the same guy.

Eben Pagan, or rather David DeAngelo, is the mastermind behind the Double Your Dating site. An Information Product business he has grown to almost $30 Million in sales - starting out at his computer in his bedroom...

http://gurublueprint.directanddigitalmarketing.com/

At the end, he walks you through an exercise to target and identify the knowledge YOU have that you can turn into an "Information Product" to sell online (and if you own an Info business already, it will give you a new mindset that will really take your success to the next level).

There's also a free PDF download of the exercise for you to print out - which is cool.

In the video, you're going to learn:

• How a simple eBook that was written in a few weeks became an "empire" of almost $30 Million in sales - with a business that's run FROM HOME


• Important new insider trends in the Information Industry that you NEED TO KNOW if you want to succeed


• The mistake that most Information Marketers make that prevents their products from succeeding


• The key mindset shift that allows you to identify market and product opportunities... where there are buyers who NEED to buy Information Products - but don't have products to buy

And again, you'll get a free PDF "Blueprint" exercise (and step-by-step guidance through it) to target the knowledge you ALREADY HAVE that you can turn into an Information Product (or Coaching) that you can sell for high prices online.

This is a SUPER-high value honest view into an online money-making machine that will blow your mind.

Just opt-in to watch the video. No obligation, and you don't have to buy anything (in fact, there's nothing for sale on the website). Go check it out now:

http://gurublueprint.directanddigitalmarketing.com/

Best,
Rezbi

Sales Tip...Choose Bonus Gifts Carefully

It was almost impossible to find direct marketing mentors when I started in business. Therefore, much of my education was by necessity trial and error. One of the many marketing blunders early on in my career was this.

A book I published through my company,
Enterprise Publishing, that was written by a
prominent lawyer was my first big flop. Of
course, I had lots of remaining copies in the
warehouse. And this was after I had tried several
different copy approaches to sell it.

So, I came up with what I thought was a brilliant
idea. I would beef up and enhance the offer of a
very successful $70 book I was then marketing.
How? By simply adding a free copy of the failed
$25 book. My assumption was overall sales
would be even stronger than without the free gift.
Of course, I wrote some sales copy.

Much to my amazement, sales not only didn't go
up. They went down by more than 33%!

Tip: The important marketing lesson is this. If
you can't sell it, you can't give it away
successfully either. If people won't buy it when
offered in an appealing way, they don't want it,
free or not. Period.

Lesson learned: With any failed product, after
you have gone back to the drawing board and
exhausted every creative approach you can think
of and it still doesn't sell, get rid of it. Write it
off. Burn it or toss it if you have to. Just
don't try to sell it, or try to use it as a free
bonus gift. You will waste lots of time and
money.

I was again reminded of this important marketing
principle above just recently.

A big client of mine who is highly successful
catalog marketer asked me to take a look at three
recent covers of his catalogs (I write all the copy
for this entrepreneur, but I haven't always chosen
his free bonus gifts which are featured on the
cover).

He informed me that sales response was down on
these particular catalogs and asked me to please
take a look and comment as to what may be the
reason.

When I looked at the covers, everything looked
really good. The headline and subheadline copy
(which I wrote) as well as the photos were well
done graphically.

But there was one glaring problem that popped
out to me. The free bonus gifts featured on the
cover complete with photos were not at all
appealing. Therefore, there was little or no
added inducement to order from that particular
catalog. (Actually, a company employee in the
marketing department purchased the three free
gifts because she was offered a special low price
by the supplier. It's easy to see how the decision
to choose them was made.)

Tip: To do its proper job of increasing sales,
what counts is not your cost of a free bonus gift.
The key is that it must be appealing enough to
your customers to induce an order, especially
from "fence sitters."

I'm sure with better selection of bonus gifts
(that I have now been asked to approve before
use) my client's future catalog sales will
undoubtedly be much more successful.

Tip: To increase sales on any offer, add the
incentive of free gifts. Everyone likes free
gifts. I've never seen any offer that didn't get
a more successful response when the inducement
of appealing free bonuses was added. In fact,
many offers today online and offline will not
succeed or even cover front-end costs without
them.

By all means use free bonus gifts. But choose
them carefully. They can be terrific sales
builders. I've seen sales double on a previously
successful offer simply by adding hot bonuses.

As always, here's to your greater success, which
is always in the margin.

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/

Facebook Marketing: Leverage Social Media to Grow Your Business (Paperback)

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

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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

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/

Be All You Can Be - Read

I just carried out an interview with Drayton Bird (more on that soon) where I asked him his recommendations for books and authors to study.

One thing Drayton said is that you should not restrict your reading to only business books. You should also read for leisure. (I won't go too much into this as it's all on the interview.)

However, very soon afterwards I received an email from Ken McCarthy of the System Seminar.

In this email he said something which really resonated with me, and should with you, too, if you intend doing well in your business: Be all you can be. Read.

He points to a post on his blog entitled: Ten classic direct marketing books, where he lists his ten best books on the subject.


This was fantastic news to me as I'm always on the lookout for more material to sink my teeth into (if I was a vampire I'd be biting into books rather than necks).

Here's his list:

1. My Life in Advertising – Claude Hopkins
2. Tested Advertising Methods – John Caples (Fourth edition or earlier)
3. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling – Frank Bettger
4. Scientific Advertising – Claude Hopkins
5. How to Write a Good Advertisement – Victor Schwab
6. My First Sixty Years in Advertising – Maxwell Sackheim
7. Secrets of Successful Direct Mail – Richard Benson
8. Breakthrough Advertising – Eugene Schwartz
9. The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier
10. Common Sense Direct and Digital Marketing – Drayton Bird

That's a good list.  I already have seven of them.

However, I think he missed one: How to write sales letters that sell by Drayton Bird which, in my opinion, is even better than The Robert Collier Letter Book.

Going too far, did you say?

Woah, give me a break and check it out yourself before getting the whip out.

Anyway, that is quite a comprehensive list and one you'd do well to take note of.

http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/thesystemseminar/

Be All You Can Be - Read

I just carried out an interview with Drayton Bird (more on that soon) where I asked him his recommendations for books and authors to study.

One thing Drayton said is that you should not restrict your reading to only business books. You should also read for leisure. (I won't go too much into this as it's all on the interview.)

However, very soon afterwards I received an email from Ken McCarthy of the System Seminar.

In this email he said something which really resonated with me, and should with you, too, if you intend doing well in your business: Be all you can be. Read.

He points to a post on his blog entitled: Ten classic direct marketing books, where he lists his ten best books on the subject.


This was fantastic news to me as I'm always on the lookout for more material to sink my teeth into (if I was a vampire I'd be biting into books rather than necks).

Here's his list:

1. My Life in Advertising – Claude Hopkins
2. Tested Advertising Methods – John Caples (Fourth edition or earlier)
3. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling – Frank Bettger
4. Scientific Advertising – Claude Hopkins
5. How to Write a Good Advertisement – Victor Schwab
6. My First Sixty Years in Advertising – Maxwell Sackheim
7. Secrets of Successful Direct Mail – Richard Benson
8. Breakthrough Advertising – Eugene Schwartz
9. The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier
10. Common Sense Direct and Digital Marketing – Drayton Bird

That's a good list.  I already have seven of them.

However, I think he missed one: How to write sales letters that sell by Drayton Bird which, in my opinion, is even better than The Robert Collier Letter Book.

Going too far, did you say?

Woah, give me a break and check it out yourself before getting the whip out.

Anyway, that is quite a comprehensive list and one you'd do well to take note of.

http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/thesystemseminar/

Be All You Can Be - Read

I just carried out an interview with Drayton Bird (more on that soon) where I asked him his recommendations for books and authors to study.

One thing Drayton said is that you should not restrict your reading to only business books. You should also read for leisure. (I won't go too much into this as it's all on the interview.)

However, very soon afterwards I received an email from Ken McCarthy of the System Seminar.

In this email he said something which really resonated with me, and should with you, too, if you intend doing well in your business: Be all you can be. Read.

He points to a post on his blog entitled: Ten classic direct marketing books, where he lists his ten best books on the subject.


This was fantastic news to me as I'm always on the lookout for more material to sink my teeth into (if I was a vampire I'd be biting into books rather than necks).

Here's his list:

1. My Life in Advertising – Claude Hopkins
2. Tested Advertising Methods – John Caples (Fourth edition or earlier)
3. How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling – Frank Bettger
4. Scientific Advertising – Claude Hopkins
5. How to Write a Good Advertisement – Victor Schwab
6. My First Sixty Years in Advertising – Maxwell Sackheim
7. Secrets of Successful Direct Mail – Richard Benson
8. Breakthrough Advertising – Eugene Schwartz
9. The Robert Collier Letter Book – Robert Collier
10. Common Sense Direct and Digital Marketing – Drayton Bird

That's a good list.  I already have seven of them.

However, I think he missed one: How to write sales letters that sell by Drayton Bird which, in my opinion, is even better than The Robert Collier Letter Book.

Going too far, did you say?

Woah, give me a break and check it out yourself before getting the whip out.

Anyway, that is quite a comprehensive list and one you'd do well to take note of.

http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/thesystemseminar/

Where To Get Ideas From

Some time ago I went to see a client who asked me where I get the ideas for these effusions from.

All sorts of places is the answer, but the question stimulated me to write Where to get ideas.

I love history, so I'll start with Vincenzo Lunardi, a Neapolitan who in 1784 was the first person in England to ascend in a balloon. They say 200,000 people watched him, including King George III through a telescope from St. James's Palace.

Afterwards the intrepid balloonist wrote to the King describing it all. Besides a dog, a cat and a pigeon, which escaped - the pigeon, I mean - he took a leg of chicken and a bottle of wine, admirable chap. Here is a splendid picture.



The bottle of wine reminds me of an old film I saw of David Ogilvy talking about how to get ideas. He said a bottle - then corrected himself - half a bottle of good claret helped. Since I know a bottle was more about his mark, I suspect he edited the truth so as not to drive young writers and art directors to drink before their time.

I do not entirely recommend booze as the high road to inspiration, but it can be. I once drafted a mailing to get legacies for Save the Children when distinctly squiffy. It worked well for many years.

I was completely potted when I wrote perhaps my best mailing. Professor Derek Holder, founder of the Institute of Direct Marketing, had come to show me a letter inviting potential sponsors to the launch of his new venture at the Barbican.

With the refreshing candour a truckload of wine confers, I said it was lousy because it was too impersonal, but I would revise it. Gathering my addled wits, I dictated something which my then PA, Daphne, transcribed. I edited it, and off he went into the late afternoon sunshine. I didn't hear from him until he asked if I was coming to the event. There was a full house. The letter got over 70% response. Derek never looked back.

I don't know what happened to that letter - I wish I had kept it. But I always feel pleased to have contributed, despite my unsteady condition, to one of the most beneficial things direct marketing has seen.

One good source of ideas is called getting on with it. There is such a temptation to look at that accusing blank screen or sheet of paper and go and do something else. But the mere act of writing gets you going.

• Trollope used to get up every morning very early - I think at 5:30 - and write for 3 hours before going to his job at the Post Office.


• Richard Strauss used to be shown to his study by his domineering wife with the admonition. "Richard, go and compose."


• Sheridan had not written the last act of "The Rivals" on the Friday before it was due to open. They locked him in a room with paper, ink and bottles of port until he did so.

But as I said, the demon drink is neither the ideal nor the only way to get ideas. Many people find exercise helps. I have had many of my better thoughts when riding my bike or walking my dog when I had one. Beethoven also enjoyed long walks. Mozart liked to play billiards.

Some years ago a French businessman lamented the growing practice in France of taking showers rather than baths, which he believed better for getting ideas. Victor Ross, former chairman of The Reader's Digest, Europe, responsible for some of the most effective direct marketing innovations, has a theory about this.

He says these methods encourage the circulation of the blood to the brain. Another example he gives is shaving. Many people report having had good ideas when shaving.

In the film I mentioned, David Ogilvy, with one of his wonderfully frank and old-fashioned turns of phrase, said that things sometimes came to him when "at stool". That's a form of exercise, too. Come to think of it, it's also where I was when I had the idea for this. I guess you could call it straining for ideas.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 42 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.

The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.

Don't Treat Your Customer Like This

A friend of mine, Roger Millington, is one of the funniest and most able copywriters I know.

So I will let him introduce this idea in his inimitable fashion: don't treat the customer like a ****.

You can fill in the asterisks to suit yourself. They probably stand for "clot" or "fool".

What is really a shame is when a firm which has always treated customers well stops doing so.

Since 1993 I have shown in seminars an excellent example of a thank-you letter from Viking Direct to my old PA, Denise.

However, before she moved to greener pastures she showed me three more letters from Viking that arrived at once, all addressing her as Valued Customer.

This phrase in fact means precisely the opposite of what it says.

It means "even though you've been buying things from us for fifteen years we can't be bothered to make a note of your name."

Don't use the phrase, whatever you do.

A much better example of this sort of folly came from Jack Barclay who wrote to me a while ago. Click here to see their letter - it raises a number of interesting questions:

1) Can't they be bothered to write personally to somebody who has squandered countless thousands on their wretched vehicles?*

2) Can't they be bothered to find out what I drive. (I don't drive at all actually - my wife does) - especially bearing in my mind that they seem to think I am a member of their family?

3) Just as a matter of interest when they wrote I had a flat 100 yards away from their offices and my wife was perfectly able to tell you the name of their service manager - and a quite a few other members of their staff.

The great American merchant Julius Rosenwald who built up Sears, Roebuck and Co to be the world's biggest retailer said his ambition was to stand on both sides of the counter at once.

This is hard to do, but at the very least I recommend the following three part helpful hint which I first coined for a talk at American Express in New York some years ago:

1) Respect your customer

2) Stay close to your customer

3) Use your imagination

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 22 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.

The Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.

How Much Are Your Customers Worth?

Let's talk about money today.

Specifically, what your marketing costs - and what you get in exchange.

And let's talk about the meaning of words - because the way we describe things to an extent determines what we do.

Thus, if you talk about junk mail, you're more likely to produce it.

But first, a little joke provoked by the torrent of e-mails I got in reply to my foolish offer of a video. which I then had to make. AAAAARGH!


"That's another fine mess you've got me in."

I apologise if you're familiar with what follows - but I find that many aren't; and of those who are, a surprising number don't act upon its important implications.

Some people talk about marketing "spend". Others talk about marketing "investment".

You'll probably agree that those who see it as spend are more likely to make it one of the first things they cut down on when times are hard. Those who see it as investment are less likely to do so.

Well it is an investment - and a wise one. Firms that spend more on marketing are on average more profitable than firms that don't.

What's more, firms that keep spending when times are hard tend to emerge even stronger than before - for a simple reason: they have a greater "share of voice" when an industry is spending less as a whole.

Of course, many firms may talk about marketing as an investment - but not mean it. They wish to sound as though they're thinking intelligently about it, but they don't really mean it.

In fact most firms manage their marketing to suit their internal needs, which is crazy. Because they should just think in terms of the real commodity in business, which is not actually money, but people.

Take the subject of what you lay out and what you get.

How do people work it out? In many ways.

A firm might take a percentage of turnover or overhead as the right marketing budget.

Many, though are led by expediency. Recognise any of the following?

	"We need more sales volume; let's spend more money."
	"We have to send more profit to the US. Spend less on marketing".
	"Last year we had a good year. Put up the budgets!" - or vice versa.
	Our new CEO wants to change the world. Increase marketing spend."
	Five years later, "Our big-mouthed CEO hasn't changed the world. How can we get better figures? Slash marketing budgets."

Professional direct marketers (many are not, unfortunately) think first about what they are really investing in.

It is not advertising or direct mail: it is gaining and keeping customers.

Remember, the currency of your business is customers - and act accordingly.

So the big marketing question is, "how much is customer worth to you?"

If you've been in business for a while you can measure how long customers stay with you, and how much profit they provide in that time.

Then you discount the sum to determine what you can afford to recruit and retain a customer, allowing for a profit.

It is true that some sales are not repetitive, but in those cases you can often, if not always, cross-sell other things.

The importance of customer value came home to a client who sold what they call an fmcg (fast moving consumer goods) product here - and packaged goods in the U.S.

He asked me, "If the gross margin on one sale is 80 pence, how can I afford to send out direct mail at 100 pence a time?"

I asked him if he knew the average value of a customer over time - not just one sale. He said he'd never given it a thought.

And I said, "You can easily afford it if you know your average customer buys 200 packs a year and stays with you for five years - and you think not about making an immediate sale, but making and keeping a customer".

He became my largest client.

The same principle applies if you work out how many cars you can sell a customer over a lifetime. You can afford a series of very expensive direct communications - DVDs, books, lavish mailing packs and so forth.

But it all starts by thinking in terms not of expenditure, but return on investment, and taking a lot of trouble to try and assess what a customer is worth.

Best,
Drayton

P.S.  This is number 34 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 Drayton Bird Blog – please do not visit if you are easily offended.

Unreleased PAID Report ... Yours Free (Next 48 Hours Only)

This is a rare opportunity to get a "real" PAID report at
zero charge to you.  (This isn't one of those deals where
someone is giving something away that never was to be
sold in the first place, but they pretend it was.)

Jimmy D. Brown is about to shut down his Small Reports
Zone site permanently.  He's "retiring" ALL of his current
products and services, beginning with this site.

As he was making preparations to shut the site down, he
realized that there were several small reports that Nicole
and he had planned on adding to the site but never got
around to doing it.

In fact, Nicole had a download page and the files prepped for
one great report entitled, "The Ultimate Free Traffic Model".
It was originally part of one of Jimmy's larger products and
they had extracted it to sell on the site for $15 along with
the other reports.

While he easily COULD have sold hundreds (really thousands)
of copies of the report this week as part of his retirement,
he decided to give away complimentary copies of this paid
report.

No charge.  No lists to join.  For real no charge.

Here is the original download page that Nicole setup...
http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/ultimate_free_traffic.html

Download your copy today.  When he shuts down the site on
Friday, this freebie will be gone too.  No reason why you
shouldn't at least get a copy of it before it's gone.

*** AND DON'T FORGET ***

SOLD OUT

This offer below is no longer available.
Grab the FREE report, above, while the link is still live.

This Friday is THE last day to purchase any of his small
reports from http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/srzone.html.
Friday at 10PM Central time he will be shutting the site
down and no longer accepting any new orders.

They are all on sale for only $10 each!

http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/srzone.html

NOTE:  My recommendation is that you at LEAST get a copy of his
65-page "operations manual", Homepreneur Habits. If you spend only
$10 all year, this is the best value you'll find anywhere. Period.

The rest of them are pretty darn good too. :-)
http://directanddigitalmarketing.com/srzone.html

Grab the complimentary copy of the unreleased paid report.  And
order copies of anything else you want.  They'll all be gone
Friday night.

The Least Understood Success Concept

The missing word in all the discussions I've ever
seen about success is - honor.

Yet, honor is a basic principle which underlies all
success.

For instance:

To be a successful human being you must first
honor yourself. You can't honor anything or anyone
without the deepest respect and honor of yourself.

To succeed as a human being, you must also honor
your loved ones. Your friends and your family.

As an entrepreneur it's crucial to honor your
employees, suppliers, and your customers.

In fact, honor plays a significant role in all
your actions.

As with all great things in life, it occurs in
very simple ways.

Here are some examples of the role of honor:

* You honor and keep your word to those with
whom you interact

This means your dealings with all humans is based
on honor

* You honor your product or service, and make
sure it is at least 10 times better than your
advertising promises

It's not always an easy path. But the rewards for
living a life of honor are huge

How?

Your inner feelings of self-worth and self-esteem
will rise to a whole new level

* Your growing reputation will help you attract the
most outstanding people in all the important areas
of your life

* Your business will attract customers who respect
you at the very highest level and become raving
fans for life

* You'll become a magnet which will enable you to
attract any amount of financing you'll ever need or
want

* You'll enjoy your relationship with children and
grandchildren who will respect and honor you

* Most importantly, you'll attract the most
desirable and appealing romantic partner you could
ever want

Now let me ask you this.

Do you feel the foregoing benefits are worth the
discipline involved in living a life of honor?

If you honestly feel the answer is yes and act
accordingly, you will determine any level of success
you choose in business. And in 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/