Feb
10

Step one in lead generation and follow up

We ALL need a fresh supply of leads coming into our business.

Million dollar lobster report - great lead magnet

This is my million dollar lobster report... a fantastic lead generator (if you haven't read the report, click the image to get it)

Yet, it can be one of the most difficult things you can do.

They can be expensive… difficult to find (quality ones anyhow)…and converting a lead to a buyer is not always simple.

Step #1 in the process is outlined here today, and the follow up steps will come next week.

Enjoy…

Rule #1 Must Have A Good Headline – and possibly a different font as the rest of the ad

All Bold – NOT ALL CAPS – which is difficult to read

Your ad must visually stand out from other ads (look at the ads in the section you’ll be advertising in and make yours look and sound different)

Either an attention getting headline – or a benefit based headline (WARNING! STOP! IF YOU ARE ABOUT TO…  or the Fastest and Easiest Way To Lose Weight- For FREE… or… How To Win
Friends and Win Friends and Influence People)

Rule #2 You must address the readers – not yourself

Use “normal people talk” not “advertising” talk – make it sound like a conversation you would say to a prospect the first time you try to get their attention

Again, you must contrast with others in the section – talk like one of them

Write your ad as if you are talking to one person only.  Most ads are written as if they are talking to a group (use words like you and yours – actually count the use of you and your versus I and we – there should be less than 5% of the use of I , me or we)

When people are looking at ads – they are typically interested in buying – so always remember you’re talking with people who already have a burning desire for your offer

Rule #3 Make Your Display Advertisement As Long As It Needs To Be

There is a false belief that you must keep your ad as short as possible (again – false advice from people who have never been accountable for the results they get from their advertising.  The more you tell the more you sell has always been true – and it always will be)

Always be addressing the benefits of what you provide to them – not the features. List out everything about you, your business, your product or service – then ask “so what?” – do you answer that? Do you tell them what it means to them?  What is in it for them to read your ad and to call or come by your business?

Rule #4 Find a way to leave them with an emotion after reading your ad

Create a picture in their mind of their new lifestyle – using your product or service – enjoying the benefits – thinking how glad they are that they used your service or bought your product

BY FAR - the biggest mistake made – you MUST have call to action (most people miss this one. ask for them to take action – request your report – get their free coupon – book a free consultation – make it a limited time offer – or limited quantity – or a single day of the week)

Step #2 to come…

Troy

PS: Your ability to weave a good story into your marketing has never been more important than now. People are buying experiences more than products and services right now… and stories help them see that the experience of buying from you is DIFFERENT.  Which is what they want.

Your competitors probably suck at telling stories, so here is a very powerful tool to put you ahead of them quickly.

It helped one company go from $500 a month in online sales to $15,000 a month… with the addition of a one-page story on their website.

You can do that too with the Story Selling Home Study Coaching program http://www.storysellingtips.com. It is ready and is an
incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your backstories…

…where your real money will be made. http://www.storysellingtips.com

Feb
03

Makes the postman blush (and grown men cry)

 

Hope you are having a GREAT week!

Nothing has helped me more from a therapeutic and marketing standpoint than writing daily emails.

I know it may seem like work…

…but nothing good every comes without some work.

And it isn’t hard work at all.

In fact… there are so many INCREDIBLE examples to share with you, its more difficult deciding what to share.

Today, 2 fine, fine examples of great marketing ideas.

First… the blushing postman.

Look how she starts this video for Panty by Post

Panty by Post

Great marketing ideas galore here!

 

…with a story about one of her great loves… the French… and French Panties.

Not only is the video simply divine (simple, and selling)., it grabs your attention and would compel you to watch (man or woman).

These days anyone and everyone with a simply little handheld HD camera can do this (even me!).

Then add in some of the great editing software out there these days and voila… you have a video to use on Youtube, on your blog, on your site, on Facebook shares… and so on, and so on.

The second thing I LOVE about this video is the unusual membership piece. You have hopefully read my Million Dollar Lobster report (if not – here is the direct download link  http://www.milliondollarlobster.com/MillionDollarLobster.pdf).

Unusual membership programs like this are powerful ways to draw attention, publicity and experience buyers.

A membership is an experience.

It is something you get to interact with on an ongoing basis.

Vs a one-time purchase.

Is there any way at all you can take frequently bought items and turn them into a membership concept?

I have seen near everything sold via membership…

…panties, shows, jewelry, honey, steaks, baked goods, fresh goods, lobsters, shoes, dive-bar tshirts, kids gifts, art and paintings, travel, cars, motorcycles, boats, to name a small sample of what is now available.

Can YOU be the first in your city, or industry, that brings out a membership program?

Think it through – it’d be awesome to inspire you to create this.

The second example for today you may have already seen on Facebook.

Budweiser NAILED IT with this viral video.

What a beautiful idea and concept here.

…and Bud is winning over more fans than EVER with this.

It evokes emotion… and may even bring a tear to your eye.

If you have ever felt like you love and activity so much, but know you will never be in the big leagues (due to age, skill level, whatever) then this video will get that emotion factor revved up.

I LOVE my martial arts.  Been doing it for 12 years or so off an on, the past 6 years in Tae Kwon Do (training for second degree Black Belt right now)… but I know that my age and size are a factor in competition.  Maybe it is more fear than anything, but I haven’t been in one with my TKD.  There is a chance coming up this summer… we will see.

But I GET this video.

I would love to be in a competition and feel like a superstar (despite not being close to one).

THAT is the feel Bud gets going with this video.

…and it does 2 things I want to point out: It shares some intimate emotions with their prospects and clients, and it shows them doing something that gives back to the community.

Both of which you and I could be doing.

My blog post this week talks about emotion and the powerful force behind it in your marketing… you should read it if you haven’t.
http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/the-true-power-of-raw-emotions-in-your-writing/

Anyhow, hope you have a GREAT day/week/weekend.

Troy

PS: The Story Selling Home Study Coaching program http://www.storysellingtips.com is ready and is an incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your backstories… where your real money will be made.

 

Jan
17

Thick skinned marketing approaches

Yet again, I truly do wonder why I bother doing what I do.

The strangest phenomenon in my business is client resistance to trying something, anything, new.

For 10 years now I have been selling products online, writing copy for myself and for others, and have built up a solid reputation.

…I’m not perfect and have messed up along the way.

But I have stuck to my ground on using direct response copy and marketing…to avoid promoting the scam artists online…to avoid preaching the get-rich-overnight-bs…and to always test small and roll out big.

There were many distractions along the way that I could have followed, or recommended…

…but I didn’t.

And I CANNOT FIGURE FOR THE LIFE OF ME, why people would hire a copywriter or marketing consultant for help…and COMPLETELY ignore the help given.

It happens all the time.

“Well that’s not the way we do it”

“I’m not comfortable trying it that way”

“It is just too far off from what we are used to doing”

…the excuses are varied.

Marketing and copywriting fears erased here daily

Press the delete button on your marketing and copywriting fears and try something new for a change!

But the problem is the same: thin skin.

I personally am willing to try all kinds of new approaches in my marketing – because I have seen time and time again the breakthroughs that happen there (I just test a weird approach with some Facebook ads the other day on one of my own products and found a wickedly good response).

I also understand that most marketing and copy tests fail.

It’s a fact of life!

Ask any marketing or copy veteran who’s been doing this for a decade or more.

More tests fail than succeed.

But the ones that succeed do so in a big way and MORE than make up for the failures.

…failure IS how you discover success.

So don’t be yet another one of those thin-skinned-entrepreneurs.

Thicken your skin real quick now, ok?

The best way is through testing new approaches and failing.

Try all kinds of things to see what works and doesn’t.

Accept that you WILL get complaints along the way (hint: that’s because you are actually communicating with prospects and clients… you never got complaints before because they NEVER heard from you!)

And when you hire a marketer or copywriter, test out their approaches before cutting them down.

One of those approaches just might dig you out of that massive hole you put yourself in by not communicating with your clients.

Try it… you might like seeing your sales grow faster than ever before.

Ok?

Troy

PS: The quickest way to get thick skin while trying all kinds of new approaches is with my 2012 Cash Flow Calendar http://www.cashflowcalendars.com

Packed with daily, weekly, and monthly marketing ideas – crammed with copy-and-paste postcards, letters, emails and sales campaigns you can send to your own list. This is a gem for those who want to succeed in a BIG way this year.

Try it… you might like it.

Nov
30

4 Ways To Position Your Business and Improve Your Profits

Fellow Business Builder,

Here’s something for you to dig deep into this week.

Whenever I start working with a new client, we put a significant amount of our time into the positioning of them in the market place.  We want to make sure they know where they stand in the buyers eyes, and what makes them the one and only choice in a competitive situation.

It isn’t simple.

Most entrepreneurs want to be everything to everyone… but we all know that strategy is doomed to fail.

So what does work?

How do you reposition yourself in the market?

How do you find the ‘thing’ that puts you heads and tails above the others?

Here are 4 strategies that may help you get clear:

1. Pick on the competition… blatantly! This is the exact strategy that Avis took when they wanted to go head to head against Hertz.  The whole “we’re #2. We try harder.” Approach worked like wildfire for Avis.

They turned their competitors main advantage (being #1) into a David vs. Goliath approach.  And people ate it up.

This approach works just as well today, maybe even better, than it did then.

People mistrust big corporations more.  They want specialized attention. They like dealing direct with the owner(s).  They like the tlc they can get from the smaller guys… so give it to them.

Don’t try and hide from the competition… make the competitions so-called ‘advantages’ into a disadvantage. 

 

2. Big benefit.  Is there one thing you can do or provide that makes the entire investment in your product or service seem miniscule?

If you look at the big picture… is there one thing about your product or services that justifies the price every single time?  Compared to your competition?  Or are they saying the same thing?

There is almost always something there for you; it just takes some digging on your part.

One of my clients in the adventure business mentioned quietly one of his ‘hobbies’ that he loves.  He then went on to tell me that: no where else in the world can you do this, it really is possible (most people think it is only done in the movies), people have paid him BIG dollars to tag along side him for this, and that it only happens once a year.

Can we say ca-ching?

Major opportunity there that we can use as his big benefit.  Being a part of his other program can guarantee you a spot in this… and there is no other way possible to get the chance to do it… other than join.

There is a major benefit to joining him, if you are the right type of person who is wealthy and passionate about getting a serious adrenaline rush.  And there are lots of those out there that would LOVE to do this with him.

 

3. Your buyers.  Who are they and what makes them, specifically, different than other buyers?  Going back to standard customer research… you must know your buyers better than anyone else does.

You need to know: what they think about, what they worry about, what foods they eat (and hate), what their drink of choice is, what books they read (and how often), what movies they watch, what hobbies they have, what their biggest dreams are, and what their grandest desires are. 

Not an easy task.

But imagine what power you hold when you do!

Going back to the 80/20 rule… how does it apply to your buyers?  Your top 20% of buyers… what do you know about them?

How can you find more of just that 20%?  What about the 20% of those 20%?

What makes them different?  You can redesign an entire business around the strategy of selling to a VERY specific business.  And you should!

This is an easy way to grow your profits rapidly, while making your marketing much more targeted and focus on a very specific person (which makes it much easier to find the marketing media to reach them)

 

4. Picking on the problem. I have another client who is a traditional MD, but she has changed her focus to the more natural ways to help the body inside and out.

Her biggest pet peeve right now?

Flu vaccinations.  We are right in the middle of the immunization drive to get everyone and their dog into the doctors for a flu shot.  People are panicking about the N1H1 hype.

And she is PO’d.

Did you know that flu shots use formaldehyde?  The exact same ingredient that is used to preserve DEAD BODIES?

Yup, little Johnny there is getting a flu shot and injected with embalming fluid at the same time.

Not quite what you thought would be in the flu vaccine?

Well it is.

And when my client makes a stand against the traditional medical establishment and the ridiculous things they do, claiming it is for your ‘health’, people pay attention.

People are mortified when they realize how little they know about these shots the medical authorities are putting in your body. They have assumed, until now, that the medical community was acting in their best interest.

Once their eyes are open to the real problem, the real underlying issue that no one else is talking about… my doctor client has their attention.

She is seeing record sales this year (in a private clinic… much rarer in Canada than the US).

There is good reason why: she picked on the real problem (lack of real education about the traditional medical ‘cures’), and is guiding her clients and prospects to a much more educated and intelligent way of deciding who is injecting what into your baby girls blood.

These are 4 simple strategies that might get you thinking.

 Pick one – and find some ways to make it fit your business.

The economy is sluggish in most parts… but the signs are picking up and people are spending more.

Are you preparing yourself to tap into it?

Or are you hoping and praying that when people start buying again, they are waiting with credit cards in hand to buy from your same old pitch you have always used?

Maybe it’s time to invest some brain power on a new strategy for the remaining months in 09 and to kick start 2010?

Don’t wait… get busy!

I would love to hear your ideas.

Thanks again.

To your success,

Troy White

 

PS: I have a VERY unique and powerful done-for-you marketing system that is ready.

If you have ever struggled getting enough consistent marketing materials in front of your clients and prospects, this is definitely for you.

If you have ever thought "these marketing ideas are great...but I just don't have enough time to get it all done"... this is exactly what you need.

If you want to make a BIG impact this Christmas and heading into the New Years, and think the idea of a done-for-you marketing campaign sounds ideal to you.... this is for you.

The best part? 

The price.

Less than the price of 2 mocha-frappo-caffeinated-choc-covered mega drinks!

Don't let the price fool you though...

...this has never been done before this way.

I write the copy.

You send it to your leads and prospects.

Full details we can discuss if you are serious.

Reply back to this or go to
http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/contact/
and fill out the form.

If you have been reading my newsletters for any length of time
(almost at my 10 year anniversary)... you know I don't hype things up.  

This is the real deal and can attract you much better clients and
repeat sales.  But you need to be serious about working with me.  

Let me know.

 

 

Sep
21

How Grandpa’s $1,000 bar tab increased prospects by 300%

Who are YOU bribing to get as a customer?

Ethical bribes, but still a bribe.

The hypsters out there will tell you that you don’t need to incent people to buy… they will just be attracted by your positive energy or incredible products and will whip out their credit cards for the pleasure to do business with you.

Realists will show you proof that plan is a sure-fire way to failure.

There was a great article I just read in the Huffington Post about a home owner who got FED UP with their realtor lack of results. Most realtors have that hope, wish and meditate on a sale until it happens BS. That’s why 97% of realtors out there make less than the waitress at your local diner.

…which is exactly the type of realtor this home owner was stuck with.

Since JUNE(!) they have had 3 showings of their home.

Less than one a month. Yikes – that is not how you sell a house.

So instead of listening to the renegade-realtor-who-does-things-oh-so-different, they took things into their own hands.

Right across the street was “Grandpas Bar & Grill” – a favorite watering hole for the neighborhood minglers.

And Grandpas place would be a friendly place to eat and drink for anyone who bought this house for sale.

The frustrated home owner had a brilliant insight and offered out of her own pocket a $1,000 bar tab at Grandpas!

Flipping brilliant.

Did it work?

A 300% increase in showings since her new promotion hit the street!

So it worked – not their wonderfully brilliant realtor just has to do half what they are paid to do…close the deal.

“We live in a place where restaurants and bars come within walking distance so we thought this was a way to cross-promote the neighborhood and our homes.”

How does this relate to you?

I hope you can see where I am going with this… if not, you need more help than I can provide :o )

Here are the lessons to be learned:

* Wishing and praying won’t build your business – YOU have to build your business.

* Look for complimentary businesses, products and services you can bundle in with your own products or services.

* Think outside of the basement here – how often have you seen something like this in your city? I doubt if you have ever seen a $1000 bar tab with home purchase offer before. Why not? It makes sense! Or a $1,000 restaurant gift. Or a $1,0000 maid service. Or a $1,000 credit towards movers. When you are selling a home worth a few hundred thousand dollars, a grand out of your own pocket isn’t going to kill you, or the deal. If you are selling a product or service worth $200 – a $50 gift certificate is worth it (especially when you factor in repeat business from the client once you get them into your marketing funnel – right?)

* The economy is still sluggish and people are not spending like they used to – so you had better think up some very innovative ways to get them to notice you, over the hundreds/thousands of others trying to get inside their wallets also.

* Many realtors are clueless when it comes to marketing your home – so pick and choose wisely. See if you can find one who has at least studied SOME direct marketing. It won’t be easy to find (I’ve looked)…but snag one if you find one.

This was a great example of an average everyday homeowner who got fed up with dismal results and took it into their own hands.

Not only have they tripled their prospects…

…the got MASSIVE media attention from this (Huffington Post, NBC Chicago, Sun Times, to name a few). That alone is worth a fortune for both the home owner and for Grandpa’s bar!

Last – she got over the hoping and praying phase that her realtor would perform for her – and she took ACTION to do it herself.

This is a very recent story, so we will have to wait and see how effective it is… but with 300% more prospects to talk to, odds are VERY good someone will buy soon (and they will have a hell of a good story to tell their friends and family about this home they bought which was in all these newspapers!)

Now get busy.

Troy

PS: We are just getting ready to launch the new and improved Cash Flow Calendar for 2012 – 15 months of done-for-you, pre-written marketing campaigns, and a TON of money making tools that you haven’t seen here before.

Watch for it.

In the meantime, there are a number of solutions here to help you grow your sales if they are slow http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/on-line-store/

Sep
07

The sad truth about marketing

You know it as well as I do…

…we both wish there WAS some kind of magic button we could push and your business would triple in profitability and your workload be cut in half.

After all, it seems to be promised in all the emails popping up these days.

Just the other day an email came up saying I could OWN Googles top search engine spot with a $27 software tool… sweeeeet!

But then I woke up from the spam nightmare and realized that there is no such thing… anyone claiming to have a ‘magic solution’ it is full of bull.

Those of us who love to stay in reality know that growing a business is something that demands your constant attention…

…if you aren’t paying attention to it… your competitors will with their own.

I LOVE OFFLINE MARKETING, as you may know.

I think it is an incredible opportunity for astute entrepreneurs who understand the importance of leveraging one media off another.

Like using online marketing to generate real physical addresses for yoru prospects and clients.

Or using offline marketing to generate leads online, or to drive them to specific pages on your site.

One client of mine is LOVING what we do with Google Adwords these days… and we have taken our print ad budget – turned it into a Google budget, and used the leftover dollars to send print newsletters to those on our database (prospects and clients).

The best part?

We eliminated his print ads in favor of Google as we are driving FAR more highly targeted leads on Google every month for the same amount as a single ad in a top magazine. Thousands of targeted buyers coming to our site for the same price as a single ad!

But… did you note we didn’t QUIT using print?

We actually ramped it up – in different areas.

And it is kicking some serious patooty!

Which is why you MUST be on the call with Dan Lok.

Dan has taken his offline marketing tools, applied them online, and figured out some stellar ways to grow sales quickly, in any online or offline business.

For example… salons.

Dan is a master at using his online marketing skills to grow brick and mortar businesses.

Dan is a master at using his offline marketing skills to make his online businesses THRIVE.

And he is sharing all in this one-time, never-to-be-repeated webinar.

Don’t miss this one:

Date: Thursday, September 8, 2011
Time: 5 p.m. Pacific. (6pm Mtn. 8 pm EST).
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/651755038

Here’s a short-list of what will be covered on this 75-90 minute
webinar:

* The fastest, simplest way to start making money on the
Internet. Period.

* How to create a business that makes money for you 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year!

* How to ‘fire your employer’! No more clocking in or out and no
limit to the amount of income you can rake in.

* An amazingly simple strategy to make money without having your
own ‘list’ of customers or prospects

* How to stop trading time for money and start earning a 6-figure
‘Passive’ income within 12 months.

* 2 big mistakes many new Internet Marketers make that you must
to avoid at all costs. (Hint: Making these 2 mistakes can waste
thousands of dollars and years of your time!)

Be on this call for 90 minutes worth of practical information that any and every business owner should be using in today’s marketing quagmire.

It won’t be repeated.

See you Thur night.

Troy

PS: Quick, bolt on over to https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/651755038 and get yourself signed up!

Date: Thursday, September 8, 2011
Time: 5 p.m. Pacific. (6pm Mtn. 8 pm EST).