January 31, 2005
Throw away your brochures ... and SELL!
Product brochures can work against you. If you have them at all, they need to be specifically designed as a SELLING piece, not a "corporate trumpet". And they need to be given out very judiciously.
Sometimes it's better not to have them at all. Brochures encourage undesirable behavior in prospective customers!
For a start, they encourage "brochure collecting" ... the prospective customer collects brochures until they have a drawer full of yours and your competitors'. Brochures encourage delaying the decision ... because now there's all this confusing reading matter to wade through. And they encourage your prospect to spend LESS time with you because they feel they now have "all the information" to make a decision.
The reality is ... you can often far more nobly serve your client by NOT giving them a brochure.
Use Magnets to Sell
Carl Millen sent me some interesting samples of his fridge magnets, accompanied by a letter with the rather ambitious claim, "The most cost effective way to keep your phone number in front of your prospects for weeks, months or years!"
You know, when I look at MY fridge at home, I think he has a point. If the nature of your business is such that you can't tell WHEN in the next six months or more your prospect is going to buy, this is one good way of being in there with a chance.
I particularly like the one for the medical center, which not only has a phone number, but details of hours. And I like the one sent to me some time back by Peter Smith for his pharmacy. It has a true HEADLINE... "Do you know enough about your medicine? ... If not, ask Peter Smith". It has a topical shape, details of hours, how to find him, and notice of prescription deliveries.
Try them - they're a great way to keep your USP in front of prospects so they remember to call you when the need arises.
Getting Endorsements From Others
How do you get someone externally to endorse you? One of four ways:
1. You agree to reciprocate and endorse them;
2. You offer them a rental fee for their list;
3. You offer to trade your products or service to them for the right to mail their list one time;
4. You give them a percentage of the business emanating from it.
Here are some effective, workable examples of techniques for securing referrals:
- Write satisfied customers a letter telling them you are about to make a major marketing effort for new clients, but before you go to the mass market you'd like them to have first chance to tell their friends or associates.
- Offer inducements to customers for bringing in referrals.
- Offer special incentives to their friends on their first purchase.
- Offer to perform a free service or consultation for any referral prospect.
- Give a clinic, seminar, or training session for your customers and one or two guests.
- Offer free service for one month or one quarter to anyone your satisfied customer refers to you as a "gift" from that customer. That way your customer gets the credit. But make sure they are qualified prospects.
Make certain you reconvey to your customers the essence of your Unique Selling Proposition, and explain how that USP has benefited them in the past how it will benefit them in the future, and, finally, how it can benefit the person they refer.
The purpose of referral solicitations is to secure new customers, but what if you only get a small number of referrals? After reading your referral solicitation letter, your existing customers should feel great about the USP benefits they've received and will continue to receive. That alone makes it worth doing.
How to Capture Customer Names
Capturing customer names is very simple, but most businesses simply don't ask for them. All your client's salespeople or clerks have to do is say, "And what's your name? What's your address? What's your city?" Ninety-nine percent of the customers will reveal it if they are simply asked. Just act like that's standard operating procedure. Have everyone at every point of purchase - your client's staff, clerks, whomever - do that. Or, if it's too busy for them to ask, have the customer fill out the sales slip while the sale is being rung-up. Just have the salespeople hand it to them.
Be sure to have salespeople take the time to delineate and indicate vertically and specifically what subject matter, products or services the customer is buying and the kind of price points sought. What they were interested in. If that's impossible, get their phone number from the charge card.
Every charge card today, almost, has gone to where businesses make you put your phone number on the charge slip. I bet none of the operating merchants in retail businesses ever capture those. If you are trying to build a list from past charge slip copies you can contact different services that translate the phone number to an address. You can use a Criss-Cross directory if the number is local. You can go to an outside service if it's not. You can use the Internet. You could have a contest where customers register. You could use a guest book that customers can sign (be sure to say please print).
I believe, as you know, in direct response that everything should pay its way. But the truth of the matter is just keeping your client's name in front of people gives him such an advantage over his competitors who don't. It's unbelievable. Once you know your client has a working database, it's simple. Sit down, write a letter and punch three buttons on the computer.
6 Keys To Developing Your USP
Developing your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is critical to achieving marketing success. It tells prospects why they should buy from you. But more importantly, it positions you above the crowd, makes more sales, creates a vastly bigger client base, and results in vastly superior profits.
Here are 6 key areas you have to clarify to generate an effective USP:
1. Just what it IS you do, that the others don't. Note: It need not NECESSARILY be superior to what they do ... just different and relevant. If it's better, great. But market shares have been won by "projecting" a difference ... even a perceived difference. I don't me3an by that, misrepresentation. Just, repositioning your image away from the crowd.
2. Be VERY clear on what it is they WANT, and work out the best way, the most appealing way, to give it to them.
3. TELL your customers and prospects what you're doing for them that's special ... and WHY it is good for them. For example ... a neater clean cut appearance that makes you feel good to live in a your home surrounded by a nice lawn, a healthier lawn because of the advice and problem monitoring freely given, and the action taken ..All up, an incredible attention to detail...
4. In a successful business, your customer feels the most important person in your life at that moment --- that THEY are the reason for your being in business ... your success. Discover how to communicate that.
5. Be prepared to absolutely GUARANTEE everything you do. You'd even go out and replace turf if you damaged it while mowing... Or you'd jump out of bed at three in the morning to solve an equipment problem if you had to ... and not charge penalty rates. (Those occasions are possibly so rare, you'll probably never miss a wink-but the extra business you'll get from your offer! ... ).
... And finally, a powerful force. Work out every way possible to "go the extra mile" in putting together your offer of service...
6. Come up with as many EXTRA services and unique touches as you can, and build them into your package.
We did this exercise with a client just recently ... in a business not unlike a lawn mowing service ... and came up with a veritable "powerhouse" of extras ... a shopping list of offers. NOT just discounts ... but little bonus offers that can be built in for virtually no cost. When you think about it, there are many things YOU have access to at little real cost to you, that are valuable to the prospect. The advertising we've done for our "real life" project, soon to be launched, is SO tantalizing, SO valuable, so DIFFERENT, SO logical (not overselling, just welcome bonuses), and so relevant, the competition are in for a shock. And that's just stage one...
Are your INVOICES inviting BAD DEBTS?
In tight economic times, the bad debts rate goes on the increase. Clearly, it is a time to be extra vigilant about getting money in quickly. Statistics show that the longer a debt is outstanding, the LESS likelihood you have of even getting it.
Take a look at your INVOICE format. Is it working AGAINST collecting debts? What I'm getting at is this... look at the "Due" and "Overdue" boxes. Do they have "30 DAYS" "60 DAYS" "90 DAYS" "Over 90" actually printed on invoices. Maybe this practice is a hangover from when cash flow wasn't such an issue. But in today's climate, it is surely advertising the fact that the company expects the debtor to hold out payment.
Also, companies are often reluctant to ask for ealy payment for fear the debtor will shop elsewhere. If this is the case, you are perhaps better off leaving them to the opposition!
A simple "This amount is due NOW. Your prompt payment is sincerely appreciated", followed up with very friendly payments outstanding letters can put a whole new complexion on cash flow. It won't move the hard core slow payers, but who needs them?
