Many of you don’t do Yellow Page advertising anymore, but for those of you that do, here’s what I suggest.

When someone is looking in the yellow pages, they are actually ready to buy, so your ad has got to jump out at them, and then have them contact you instead of all of the other so-so ads that are listed.

I often hear many business owners grumble about the high cost of Yellow Pages advertising, but those who insist it costs them anything are simply foolish.

For 70% to 80% of all business, you have to work at Not making a profit from Yellow Pages advertising. In most of the businesses I created, Yellow Page advertising wasn’t useful. But for the others it was a Gold Mine. For most businesses, Yellow Pages Advertising will work.

The reasons many Yellow Pages ads do not pay off for their advertisers are very simple and common. All you have to do is look and you will know what I mean. They can be summed up as not having a direct response ad at all.

-They don’t have a headline to grab the reader
-There aren’t any reasons to choose you verses the other advertisers.
-No offer
-They look just like all the rest of them.

Here’s just one example

FREE Special Report Reveals What the Real Estate Industry Never Tells you About.
“How you can get top dollars When Selling Your Home in Today’s Slow Market!”

Call 1-800, 000-0000 Extension 11 for Free Special Report and Recorded Message.

It will jump out at the person looking for your specific product. If you do advertise in the Yellow Pages, change it to the above and let us know the results you get.

Technorati Tags: acquire customers, acquiring customers, acquiring leads, ad testing, ad writing, Advertising, attract clients, attract customers, attracting leads, Attracting More Clients, attracting prospects, boost sales

Probably 99.9 times out of 100 prospects, will not spend the time to read your unsolicited ad or direct mail piece.

The reason is that you are “interrupting their lives.” The simple act of having an ad or sales letter before a prospect will bring them to the proverbial “fork in the Road” and forces them to make a decision to either read on or not read your message.

Every time their eye moves from one word to the next, from one sentence to the next sentence, from one paragraph to the next, they reach yet another fork in the road. Now they have to decide whether they are going to keep reading the ad or not.

What makes your prospect make the wrong decision and drop your ad into the nearest trash bin?

Unsuitability: Your prospect already has what you are offering and quickly decides your product is of no interest to them.

Boredom: Most of the time ads are very boring so they stop reading it.

Disbelief: Your claims are too exaggerated or even dishonest and they figure that they can’t trust anything you say. So always tell the truth.

Exhaustion: Your ad is so difficult to read and impossible to follow, that they simply give up on reading any more.

Interruption: This is probably the number one reason a prospect stops reading your offer. Something just happened to take their attention away from reading. They now will deal with the immediate crisis instead of continuing to read your offer.

I’m sure you can come up with more items but this should give you a start. Let us know why you stop reading an ad or sales piece.

Technorati Tags: acquire customers, acquiring customers, acquiring leads, ad copy, ad story, ad testing, ad writing, Advertising, alex mandossian, all marketers are liars, attract clients, attract customers, attracting leads, attracting prospects, creating customers, customer acquisition, magazine ads, promoting your business

Here are two lessons I want to share with you. 

I recently got back home after being away for three months.  In opening the mail I noticed a flyer from a jewelry store.  I don’t know if you are familiar with the Pandora line of bracelets and charms, but the line is designed to keep you coming back over and over again every time a special occasion occurs in your life.

The problem was that the sale was the week before I returned.  When I called to see if they would make an exception, the sales woman said, “No problem, we will still honor the sale.”

Here’s what the flyer stated.  “You are invited to our Pandora Event.  Come into the store and choose from our large selection of Pandora jewelry’s charms, necklaces, and bracelets.  Get a FREE Pandora Lobster Claw Bracelet with every $75.00 Pandora Purchase.”

So I went with my wife. The sales woman stated that we could upgrade to any of the other bracelets, of course at a higher price.  I won’t go into the one we chose, but then we purchased what they call spacers, and of course a few charms to make it look good.  I spent a total of over $5,000. 

Now here’s the kicker and the great part about this lesson.  Remember the sales message said,” Get a Free Pandora Lobster Claw Bracelet with every $75.00 Purchase?  That’s 66 bracelets. 

All of a sudden it dawned on me….I now can give a bracelet to a lot of people.  For those that I’m always purchasing something during the year, it now gives me an opportunity to purchase a charm or charms for those persons on their special occasions. 

When I asked the owner of the store about the bracelets, he stated that the company Pandora gives the bracelets to them for free. 

Anyway, I now proceeded to spend more money.  How? Because I upgraded 4 bracelets for my granddaughters, and of course had to purchase spacers and a charm for the first occasion.  Just because they gave me the additional 66 bracelets, I spent an additional $3,000.  No I didn’t upgrade the bracelet to a gold one, but the silver one looked real nice also. 

So the first lesson is the obvious one of….give something VALUBALE away for free! “Free” can be your ticket to huge sales. 

Here’s the second lesson I want to share with you….make it easy to recreate your successful sales.
 
Unfortunately, I had to give them this idea. They should have come up with it first….

 I asked them if they had a data base of their customers and they said “Yes” they did.  I asked them to record my granddaughter’s birthdates, my wife’s birth date, and also my two daughter’s birthdates, to remind me that I needed to come in to purchase another charm for this special day.

This not only made it easy for me to come back in and purchase these charms; it also made it easy for them to recreate similar types of purchases from me in the future.

If any of you have daughters and grandchildren, you know they have at least 3 to 4 special events happening each year.  Regarding my wife Barbara, she has special events all of the time. 

In my book, “ How to Get Customers to Call, Buy and Beg for More,” I go into an entire chapter on how to double your business in one year and the concept is often referred to as “The Bump.” It’s all about creating ways to get your customers to continually come back and purchase from you over and over again. 

You can let your imagination run amok and determine how much they just made in profit, plus how much more they will make in the future. 

Would you like to have similar kinds of sales results?

Let me know if you can implement this concept, or if you have already done so.  This is so powerful that I would like your comments about it. 

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There is a lot of power in Coupons.  Notice how Groupon has become a huge phenomenon within the last year. Currently, it is planning an IPO at a valuation of $15 to $25 billion. This is a coupon issuer folks; not a high tech innovator.

It has merely taken a thing of value (coupons) and combined it with the Internet to better reach potential customers and bring them to offline (though not exclusively) retailers and businesses.

The power of coupons cannot be ignored.

Retailers and service business owners should understand the power of coupons.  Consumers clip ‘em and use ‘em.  Coupon usage in America is huge, so you might as well participate and create such a system if it fits your enterprise.

Incidentally, when you offer a coupon, it is usually best to put a big, thick coupon border around the coupon, or for that matter around the entire ad, so that there is no confusion.

I have found that a thick border beats out a thin one and the dotted coupon border beats out other borders.  I’ve had my consulting clients test this over and over and it works all the time. 

For one of my clients, I created a promotion, to expand their customers’ usage—to get regular, retail customers who were buying and using only a few items, to try additional ones and to redeem “store-brand” coupons for like products. It always created lots of sales and lasting usage expansion.

Here’s the concept and idea.  If you are a retailer or operate a service business, accept your competitors’ coupons.  This puts all their advertising to work for you. 

If it is possible and you can afford it, DOUBLE, the value of the competitors’ coupons that you redeem. They will be redeeming your competitors’ coupons that they paid a lot of money to advertise, with your company. 

You have to create that system and educate your customers/clients that it is available.

Let me know what you think about this. And if you are having difficulty, let me know and I will try to guide you in this process.

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For many retail and service businesses, Val-Pak and Money Mailers are what they use consistently and what I will call “basic” advertising media.  And they should be.  Their success is because they are “low cost and have a high readership since they go to so many people.

 I’ve read that over 80% of the recipients open and browse through the mailings, probably because everybody knows there will be coupons inside that they will use.  Because it gets opened is the reason it is so successful.

This media can work for odd businesses also and should be tested by a wider variety of businesses that don’t currently think about using it. 

There is also a nationwide card deck that goes “business-to-business.  I have found this works best when you have a multi-step process of follow up, which could include follow-up phone calls to the businesses.

Here comes the interesting part.  I believe that all businesses should do their own shared-cost, co-op mailings.

A dentist, chiropractor, dermatologist, optometrist, podiatrist, etc., are logical co-op candidates.  All of the stores in a shopping center, carpet cleaners, gardeners and plumbers, just to name a few more, are candidates for co-op mailings.

I’ve always believed and suggested to everyone that all merchants can have a much greater impact by working together rather than individually. 

And guess what?  When the big “Giant” comes into town, the small merchants often either prosper together or hang separately.  By banding together, they can survive the onslaught of the large companies. 

If any of you have used Val-Pak or Money Mailers, let us know your results.  Remember, most of the time the inserted piece was put together by the salesperson and isn’t responsive. When I receive them and open them, I’m in awe as to how much money is wasted. 

Can you imagine if your piece was direct-responsive, with more than 80% of them being opened, the results you would get and how many new customers/clients you would have coming through your door?

All you have to do is create a short report.  You can say, call (your number) for a free report that reveals (whatever) before you buy from anyone.

Just one example…

 If you are in the carpet cleaning business you can say the following: “Call (your number) for a free report that reveals the 3 questions you should ask before you hire a carpet cleaner.”

I’m sure you get the general idea. 

Again, If you use Val-Pak or Money Mailers, let us know your results.

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It always surprises me that most companies never put themselves in their customers’ or prospects’ position.   I say this because I see so many companies that make doing business with them so hard.

For example, if someone calls your company and a telephone operator is their first contact, can that operator make a compelling response to the prospect or customer’s request?

When people come into your place of business, how well versed are your sales clerks?  How much time have you spent in preparing dialogues, questions, and advice for your people to use in interacting with your customers?

How easy is it to find things in your place of business?

How much do you take your customers and prospects for granted? 

By merely stepping outside your office and pretending like you are a prospect or customer, you should see a lot of the flaws in your operation.  Like the TV program, “Undercover Boss.”

Remember that once they are taken care of and remedied, you can dramatically improve your current and repeat business potential.

You should make sure that your place of business is inviting, informative, non-threatening, easy, educational and fun to do business with.  When this happens you will leave your competition in the dust.

Here’s a list of to do’s:

1. Educate your customers. You cannot educate too much.

2. Inform them.  Let them know what you are up to.

3. Make calling or coming in to your business desirable.

4. Make ordering easy.

5. Over deliver in your service.

I’ve always said, “Inspect what you expect.”   I always called my own offices to make sure the phones were answered the way I wanted them to be answered.  Have you done the same?

Have you called your own restaurant to make reservations and listened to the way your staff answered the phone and responded to you?  Try it sometimes. 

When you make the corrections you will see a remarkable difference in the growth of your business.

Let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: customer experience, customer loyalty, Customer Retention, customer satisfaction, customer service, loyal customers, retaining customers, Undercover Boss

A couple months ago, I needed to replace a window that broke during a windstorm.  I saw an ad in the local newspaper.  I noticed it offered a free report, so I decided to contact them instead of going into the yellow pages.

I got the report and frankly it was well written and informational.  I was looking forward to doing business with them.  I waited two weeks and left a message.  Nothing! No follow up.  Almost four weeks went by and still nothing.

Unbelievable!  How is this possible?

Someone sent me a report, so the company had my contact information.  Yet no one followed up.  Even when a prospective customer called 2 weeks later, no one responded.

I can’t understand why a company would invest whatever amount of money they spent for that ad, only to let prospects fall through the cracks. 

Following-up is one of the most important things I stress to any business I consult with.  When you promise something you have to follow up to make sure it was done.

When someone raises their hand and identifies themselves as having an interest in doing business with your company, it is just plain dumb to make only one attempt at selling to that person.

Since very few businesses do a decent job with follow-up, your competitive edge is huge when you do it.

Examine your follow up process and make sure leads and prospects are not falling through the cracks.

Let me know what you think.

Technorati Tags: acquiring leads, attracting leads, attracting prospects, customer acquisition, Customer Conversion, customer follow up, lead conversion, lead follow up, lead generation, prospect conversion, prospect follow up

Each of us has a customer that had such a wonderful experience in doing business with us that they rave to others about that experience. 

This should be capitalized on and used to promote your business.

Remember Victor Kiam?  He was enormously successful for quite awhile with his commercials for Remington.  This was his statement.  “I was so impressed with this shaver that I bought the company.”

These kinds of ads take great advantage of the fact that what your customers say about you is much more powerful than what you say about yourself.

The first thing you should do is to locate the customer that can be your spokesperson and create a project around them.   Then show it on TV and all of the local media. 

Subway sandwiches did this very successfully when they started running the Jared Fogle (The Subway Guy) commercials.  Those commercials ran for more than 5 years.   

Obviously, Subway felt that Jared’s story was influencing their upswing in sales; otherwise, they would not have run the commercials for that length of time.

The truth is that you and I are not likely to hit a home run like Subway did with Jared.  But if we purposefully pursue having our clients/customers experience extraordinary results like Jared did, we’d be way ahead in our game.

Think of all the benefits that will flow to you and your clients as you pursue a goal like this…the enormous positive side results.

And who knows, maybe you too will hit a homerun.

How can you use this as a strategy for building your business? 

Technorati Tags: building a business, customer, customer experience, grow business, growing a business, market strategy, marketing strategy, promote your business

I spent almost 5 hours trick or treating with my grandchildren.  It wasn’t house to house like it was years ago.  Today it was a section of three local towns that had almost 10 blocks of stores. 

I bet in the three towns that I took my grandchildren, there were at least 100 businesses in each of the towns that missed the opportunity to capitalize on this holiday season. 

There were hundreds and hundreds of children with parents walking up and down the blocks. 

Here are two examples of opportunities these businesses missed…

The first opportunity…missed business.  Three out of four storefronts were closed and never took advantage of the opportunity to generate customers or business from the crowds that were walking up and down the streets.

The second opportunity…none of the businesses, except two, handed out any flyers.

Here are some examples of what they could have done.  

Children’s shoe stores could have handed out a flyer announcing a magician and face painting event for next week.

Beauty salons could have handed out a flyer for a free haircut this coming week.

Restaurants could have handed out a 50% discount card for the coming week on their slow nights. 

Dress shops could have handed out a flyer announcing a fashion show this coming week, where champagne and snacks would be given.

Any way, you get the idea of what could have been done. 

Out of over 300 businesses, only two did something out of the ordinary.  One handed out a 10% coupon on their next visit and the other store a 35% coupon for shopping in the coming week if they spent over $50.00.  Big deal.

This holiday, like every holiday, should be viewed with the idea that there is opportunity to create a prospect and/or a new customer.  Events such as the three I attended with my grandchildren were missed opportunities for their owners. 

We, as grandparents, and my daughter were standing around while the children trick or treated.   We could have been engaged in a conversation by someone who worked for the business.  He or she could have helped us understand how it would benefit us to try them out.  They could have possibly gained a customer.

There are probably many other things you can think of to capitalize on holidays.  Let’s hear some ideas from all of you. 

Happy Halloween.

Technorati Tags: halloween marketing, halloween marketing opportunity, halloween's marketing opportunities, holiday marketing, holiday marketing opportunities, holiday marketing opportunity, holiday selling opportunities, holiday selling opportunity

Close to 90% of the businesses I consult with never precisely determine the needs, desires, or the requirements of the people to whom they are trying to sell.

Few companies seek to meet their customers’ needs. How can you expect to fill someone’s needs and desires, if you never take the time to understand them? 

The companies that understand their customers’ needs, desires, and attempt to satisfy them always end up with all of the business.  Have you noticed this?

You can end up with all the business too—only if you will take the time to learn what your customers’ needs and desires are.

Let’s go into this in greater detail.

To persuade someone to favor you with their business, you normally have to offer to satisfy some need or desire.  Here are just some possible needs people would like fulfilled: 

• Convenience

• Lasts longer

• Looks better

• Better quality

• Saves time

• Performs better

• Saves you money

• Makes life less difficult

• Etc .

I can go on and on, but you get the idea. 

Ask yourself this question: “What do your customers want or need most in the product or service you offer?”

Do they want the top of the line product or service? Or, do they want highly personalized service, attention, advice and/or instruction?

Do they want the convenience of knowing they can go down the block and get if from you, or the knowledge that your company stocks or offers more items, sizes, or products than any other company?

Perhaps they want to acquire the kind of goods or services you sell at the lowest price. Or maybe price isn’t what they are after.  They might want the best guarantee or service to support the sale.

I don’t know what needs or desires your potential customer seeks more than anything else, but that customer does want fulfillment of some definitive need or a combination of needs.

Start by realizing that no one can be all things to all people.  You will dilute your image when you try to do that.

To begin with, you must determine which needs you can fill, consistent with who you are, and what your business is.

Then confirm by asking your clients, prospects, and customers.  Have your salespeople do the same. 

Let your customers tell you which specific needs they most want fulfilled and then determine which of these needs you can actually fulfill.

Remember this though.  Don’t do this in silence or behind the scenes.  Make sure your customers and prospects learn that your business listened and that you finally did something to satisfy the fulfilled needs of your customers.  You must educate and point out that your company is fulfilling those needs for your customers.

Once you determine precisely what your customers’ needs and desires are, you must commit to fulfilling them.

If you determine that service is the critical element, offer the best service, the fastest service, the most skilled service people, the most knowledgeable staff, etc.

If you promise the lowest price, keep that promise. Integrity requires that you keep your promises.  If you don’t genuinely fulfill the needs and desires you say you will, your customers will soon abandon you.

Above all, just ask your customers what their needs and desires are.  Their answers could result in a million dollars worth of business for you.

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