Your headline is the ad for your ad (or your webpage, article, email, etc). It’s what gets your stuff read.

So, how long should your headline be to get your stuff read AND persuade more folks to buy?

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McDonald’s had the right idea when it came to the packaged upsell ("Value meal #1, super-sized, please"). It’s gotten a bit out of control with about 15 different Value Meal options now which does nothing for removing indecision from the buyer. But, I digress…

The packaged purchase is an easy bump due to the value and ease of purchase… but there’s a good way and an even better way to do it.

Take a look at these two examples and tell me which you find more compelling… …continue reading “” »

Quick note, I’m pretty much fully recovered from my bout with pneumonia. The lingering cough attacks are still with me but I’m feeling strong.

So much so, in fact, that last weekend I attended a Sales Dogs training seminar here in Phoenix with Blair Singer. Blair asked me to spend some time talking about USPs and competitive advantages. Luckily no cough or wheezing episodes followed (praise the medicine!).

What did follow was a dandy little workshop that spurred a number of folks to think about their businesses differently. With more clarity.

For some folks, determining their competitive advantages can be tricky and confusing. Especially when words like “service” or “best” or “quality” come in to play. First off, scratch those words - don’t use ‘em. They’re what I call fat words because they have no real substance, no meat.

A quick and easy way to start, though, is with the following method - the Ben Franklin. Watch this video.
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Last winter I took a trip to New York City. It was absolutely freakin’ cold (remember, I’m from Phoenix where a 120F day is not uncommon) but I’m ready to go again (warmer months, please).

There were some great sites to be seen for sure, but I distinctly remember this one fella. He was standing in the middle of the sidewalk, foot traffic swarming around him, and he was just screaming.

Not sure what about, but he was definitely screaming. And no one paid him any mind.

Odd, eh? Unfortunately, this screaming fella and most businesses are more similar then you may think.

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The fact that it happened was a big success. That fact that nothing happened afterwards was a lesson.

This was a client project from last week that I’m opening up for you to get some insight from, and for discussion…

The Challenge:
Activate a cold list (in-house) of about 30,000 single opt-in subscribers and drive them to a $1995 live 2-day event.

Oh, and do this within a few weeks time.

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“Please opt-in with your first name and email address.”

You know what happens next… a series of emails working to build up a relationship so that you feel comfortable enough to purchase the product or service.

This has become standard practice (and rightfully so!) - nurturing prospects to the point of becoming customers. Where the ball is most often dropped is the nurturing of customers into evangelists.

Not many folks take the time to create an autoresponder series for their customers. Considering the fact that getting a customer is possibly the most expensive activity a business has, it’d make sense to nurture the ones you’ve got.

Here’s a surefire strategy…

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A number of my clients are pretty darn smart. They realize that one person can not handle everything. Instead, they have Sally run the sales process, Phil manages all the marketing, and Tim manages all the affiliates.

It’s a great idea and can work well… provided they overcome a major flaw in that model. And here it is…

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So, Mister Marketer stands on his soapbox, megaphone in hand and starts hollering about "consistency" in my marketing.

Excuse me, but I’m consistent. I market all the time. In fact, I spend a lot of money to promote myself every week, thank you.

Ah, says Mister Marketer, there’s Consistency and then there’s consistent. You gotta know the difference…

The message on your marketing collateral, in your ads, what you project into your network via word-of-mouth, your website, what your salesforce speaks, the articles you write… these must all carry the same message or you run the risk of confusing your customer and turning her away.

Consistency is the prevailing theme of all your marketing. It’s the conversation that surrounds you and your business.

There’s a lot of death happening on the internet … long live those who embrace it.

Who and What is buying the farm and Why? More importantly, what it means to you and your business…

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If business is a series of peaks and valleys, then where is your bridge? Pull out your hiking shoes because there’s four major peaks and a few valleys to bridge on the path to creating a customer… nay, an evangelist! (gotta love it when you can use the word "nay") Miss these and you’re in an uphill battle.

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