Jan
25

The curious case of the “bespoke brief”

Another bizarre email request came through my blog today.

I wanted to share with you the email I got, and the unusual lessons that are inside.

First, I get lots of requests through my blog contact page.

Some of them are for helping with marketing campaigns, others are asking for money, some are joint venture requests, and then other times….I get this kind of nonsense.

“I hope you are well. {NOTE: no personalization – shows a lack of real effort or research on who actually writes for the site.  It would take about 2.3 seconds at the most to figure out my name}
After reading your blog, I think you may be interested in a project I run that would be great for your site.

{NOTE: if they truly read my blog, they should have put something in here to prove that they did, and didn’t just hire someone to do this en masse}

We are looking for partners that we can place a page of our high quality editorial content with, in which the article will be written directly to a bespoke brief produced by you. In exchange we would like to place a link back to one of our blue chips client’s sites.

{NOTE: ‘Bespoke brief’?  Who talks like that?  I sure as hell don’t! Nor would I EVER recommend you do.  I had to think about what it actually meant…and any time you ask someone to get out a dictionary to decipher your message, they are done…toast…vamoose…later gator.  Never try and impress people with your creative use of big words.  It doesn’t impress anyone}

{NOTE: So they want to put one of their clients content pieces on my site, with my endorsement, and a link back to their client’s sites?  Wow! I am so excited!!!  What an amazing opportunity for me.  I am such a lucky guy and this is the opportunity of a lifetime for me! What am I waiting for…this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. YEESH.  That is the best they can do, is it?  There is truly NOTHING in it for me with their offer. Put crap up on MY site with a link back to some other person’s site…how enticing.  How about I write my own content and link back to MY products, services, or recommended resources? Go figure.}

We endeavour to produce the highest quality content for our partner sites. I can assure you that all of our clients are recognised corporate brands, so the quality of your site will not be affected by the link within it.I’m sure you receive many e-mails similar to this, offering services at the lower end of the quality spectrum. {company name} Limited have worked on a high end proposition, we are content providers not spammy link builders. Please visit www.{removed for privacy}.com so you can get more of a feel for who we are and what we do.

{NOTES: Yes I do get lots of this nonsense…thanks for thinking of me.  Yours is no better and actually may be worse.  Now go away please.}

If you are interested in partnering with us, or have any questions regarding this opportunity, please do not hesitate to contact me.

{NOTE: Can’t wait!}

I look forward to hearing from you.Kindest Regards

…….

Maybe these guys have a great business doing this, I have no idea. The approach they took with this email SUCKED though.  I can’t think of a more useless piece of trash.

Always remember when soliciting new business….the potential customer you are contacting has 2 very important questions they quickly want an answer to:

1) “What’s in it for me?”  This email never once answered that question.  Yet it is the most important one of all.   Put some serious thought into the answer to this when writing emails or approaching prospects.  If you don’t address this – expect them to dismiss your ‘wonderful offer’ much like I have here.

2) “So what?”   Each and every line in your email request (or letter, or postcard, etc) should answer the question.  Put content on my site? So what?  I write my own.  A link back to their site?  So what?  I don’t want to promote some moron I don’t know, trust, or like.

Put some thought into your emails and prospecting efforts.

Please!

Don’t let your email request get caught in a review like this one!

Answer those 2 questions and you will get a much more friendly response than this :O)

Troy

Jan
16

Are you making this mistake in your email marketing?

Are you making this mistake in emails?

This appeared in my inbox this morning and there was something important to note.

First, never heard of the person sending the email, nor the company.

So… the second paragraph in the letter is a blatant lie.

See for yourself:


This is Mia Henderson. I hope this note finds you well I’m not a big fan of getting phone calls unannounced so I try not to do it myself. I know you place tremendous value on your time, so I’ve included a high level overview of what we do.

We understand your capabilities in Corporate Development, Corporate Finance, Globalization, Growth, Information Technology, Innovation, Marketing and sales, Operations, Organization, and Strategy.

But the question here is have you made your presence and are you successful in reaching out to the decision makers at the right time

We are a growing database provider specializing in business list solutions and data enhancement. We have a comprehensive business database of 42 million+ B2B and B2C records. Our lists can be used for Multi-Channel Marketing – email campaign, tele-marketing, fax marketing and direct mailing. The list would be for your perpetual use with no restriction on the number of usage.

Some notes on this:

* To say they understand every nuance of my business like they do in paragraph 2 is absolute BS! They know absolutely nothing about me or my business – why lie?

vs. this section which I wrote for a client (and I have used this type of approach with numerous different industries and gotten good results from cold lists)…

“…Very frankly, my letter to you has the sole purpose of opening up your options for running your business. In a challenging economy, we all need to be willing to keep our eyes and ears open to new opportunities that can improve efficiencies and add on additional profit streams to our existing marketing model.

I don’t know if you’re happy or royally aggravated with your present business cash flow as it is today. I’m working in the dark. And, of course, again – why should you care?”

{NOTE: I don’t lie and pretend I know everything about them like the email I got – important lesson, admit you aren’t the be all and end all. You DON’T know everything. Nor do I. No one does. Admit your shortcomings and offer a solution to fix that}

* This quote: “But the question here is have you made your presence and are you successful in reaching out to the decision makers at the right time”

“have you made your presence…” – huh? That makes no sense to me there. My presence where? In the market? In my home town? In Canada? I have no idea what in the heck this is supposed to mean.

Think your writing through to make sure words being used are the best choice. We all make mistakes and let some of these things slip through (I know I do). But please be careful with these things.

{Read your emails through one sentence at a time – even going backwards from the bottom up, one sentence at a time. Does each sentence make complete sense? Does it stand on its own? Is it even necessary?}

* The close. Very important to consider the first action you are asking them to take. People are bombarded with pitches, so yours had better be a good one.

Here’s theirs…

“Please send me the following details so we can provide counts and a sample file for your review at no cost.
Target Criteria:
Industry:
Title:
Geography:
Look forward to hearing from you soon.”

Not exactly wowing me with their pitch.

This one works for me and my clients though…

“PS: Remember, a Keg Gift card, just a phone call away.

PPS: Not sure if you use an iphone or iPod, maybe your spouse or kids do. Even if you won’t make the time to give us a trial run, just do me the favor of some reply to my letter. Drop a note to me in the mail, or email me at < <<>>. I really want to know what you think about my letter, and maybe some feedback on how I can be of best use to your company. Any response at all, and I’ll send you an iTunes gift card to use for yourself, or to pass on to your friends or family.

Let me know at 403-xxx.xxxx”

{NOTE: 2 offers in there. One for a $25 gift card at a good steak house – theirs just for having a conversation over the phone. At the initial contact part of email marketing, all you want to do is break down that reply-resistance barrier. Get them to initiate contact with you after reading your email. THEN you at least have a small connection with them.

Second ethical bribe… just reply back to the email and get an iTunes gift card. Why not? An email reply isn’t as good as a phone call, but at least they took time out of their day to give you feedback on your letter. That could be the first step to a long term relationship.

One last lesson on this…

…GET THICK SKIN!

FAST!

If you are going into the email marketing world with thin skin and are easily offended, look out. You will get complaints, nasty ones.

Suck it up and move on.

I get those from people who signed up to be on my list years ago. People who have received tons of great marketing advice through my ezine.

They have a bad day and they feel it is in their right to be mean and nasty.

I remove them from the database before they have a chance.

The funny thing is…

…those who complain loudest have NEVER bought a thing from me. I look and see while removing them. 9.9 times out of 10, they have never spent a dime with me.

Who needs their BS?

I don’t.

Nor should you.

Think through your email communications properly… this one I got this morning didn’t.

Troy

Dec
02

Biker babes and bad-ass story success

I’m a big fan of Sons of Anarchy.

Hadn’t even heard of it until recently, when a friend gave me seasons 1 through 3 on dvd.

Spellbound and a major time vampire.

Sons of Anarchy has turned out to be one of the best series I have ever seen with some of the most powerful, emotion wrenching storylines I’ve experienced.

The best part is that they use some of the same principles I unexpected have been teaching through my emails and in my Story Selling Coaching calls.

A very basic tool that keeps your prospects interested in hearing from you.

…one that grows your business by leaps and bounds over the years if you use it.

Guess what it is?

If you guessed a fantastic story line (something everyone, yes… you too, can create in their marketing), you are correct.

But there is something else other than the main story line that keeps people craving more and addicted to the characters.

Cliffhangers.

Everywhere.

The amazing writers behind this series are masters at creating tension through cliffhangers.

“Will Jax kill him?”

“Will she tell SAMCRO the one thing that will rip the entire club apart at the seams?”

“Will the Doctor be able to save her career… or be subjected to years as a ‘biker-babe’?”

Each episode leaves more unanswered questions in the viewers mind.

Unbelievably addictive…

…and I am not much for watching a lot of tv.

Get this though:

5.8 million viewers per episode

Highest-rated basic cable drama in the US

Emmy nominated

2011 Golden Globe Winner (Katey Sagal… THE best character I think… and a big surprise Peg Bundy could end up to be such an amazing actress. She was also nominated for numerous other acting awards for her role)

 

…much of it through the incredible use of hooks and cliffhangers.

Something you should be working on in your marketing campaigns.

It’s works like gangbusters and isn’t that hard to do when you practice it a wee bit.

I’ve used it for myself and for many different clients over the years.

 …and the clients and prospects LOVE IT.

A great story, mixed into your marketing and personality-driven communication with your clients/prospects… sprinkled with a dash of cliffhanger and BAM, you have a winning campaign.

One they will want more of.

One they will continue to open, read, and act on.

And you know what?

I’m teaching this in the January Story Selling Coaching Club. (and every Story Selling Coaching member gets free access to ALL future classes and new content).

This January I will be showing new examples of cliffhangers and incredible marketing-based story selling campaigns.

But you need to get signed up now.

Plus, you automatically get entered into the 31k club that automatically starts helping you improve your writing over the next 31 days…even before we start the Coaching program in January.

To find out the full details and to reserve yourself a spot, go to:

http://www.storysellingtips.com

 

Troy White

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.

 

 

Aug
31

He’s old and crotchety… but FULL of exceptional marketing advice

Drayton Bird is old and crotchety… he’s always quick to tell you that.

He’s prolific in marketing and ad copy.

He’s one of the greatest direct marketing minds in the world.

He has written ads for nearly every industry out there… and his results
have been stellar.

He has a fantastic sense of humour (as you will see on this free audio
I am about to share – I laughed the entire 74 minutes while talking to him –
and STILL managed to write down 4 pages of notes from this genius).

He also shares freely, as you can see on the audio I have for you here:
http://www.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/drayton/draytonbird.mp3

He ALSO is offering a fantastic opportunity to sit at his side and watch
him show you how to build a bigger business, how to write better copy,
and how to leverage his 50+ years of direct marketing experience into a
marketing breakthrough.

The only downside to the event he is hosting?

…It is in London.

And for some people, it may not be an option. I am scheduled to speak in Edmonton
at the same time (with some of the Dragon’s Den stars, I am proud to say).
So I may have to miss it – but am trying to shuffle speaking slots as well.

If you want to learn from one of the greatest marketing minds in the world
(according to many of the legends like David Ogilvy), then have a look at
what he has going – http://www.directmarketingmentor.com

“Success leaves clues” and Drayton Bird has left 50+ YEARS of direct
marketing success clues here for you today – both in the interview
and hopefully you can join him in London in October.

To your success.

Troy

PS: I have been traveling quite a bit this summer and have some fun
and informative articles coming soon. Watch for the Amish Marketing
Secrets email and some wacky ideas for your fall promotions, which
you can get fired up starting September 15th with the Story Selling
Coaching Club http://www.storysellingtips.com

Jun
10

Fictional or real characters in your marketing?

I have been asked a few times about using fictional characters in story telling and marketing.

The question is: “When you create a fictional character, is it unethical? Or is it a good idea?”

Which is a GREAT question.

Story telling and marketing are ALL about capturing peoples attention and imagination.

And characters are what do that for you.

Sometimes you are better off using yourself as the main character in your marketing
(for ex. I have often spoken about Saddleback Leather and the Million Dollar Lobster story –
both use real characters based on the owners of the company)

But there also times when fictional characters can do some incredible things to boost
your customer loyalty and following.

This article shares success stories from both real and fictional characters…

…along with some important questions to ask yourself in figuring out how best to do
your own story design.

http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/when-harry-met-tommy-2/

Enjoy,

Troy

PS: I broke my blog this week so it isn’t showing up properly. Lesson learned – STOP trying
to be the tech guy too, Troy! Should have left it to the designers – but I was in a rush and
it cost me.

There is another related article there you should have a look at as well
http://www.blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/marketing-lessons-from-the-master-master-yu-that-is/

PPS: Have you picked up a copy of the Small Display Ads report? http://www.smalldisplayads.com - a
great way to generate and convert quality leads and buyers.