Some people make everything they do a write
off.
Many factors are changing the real
estate industry. The downwards
pressure on commission, the widespread consolidation of brokerages, the encroachment of lenders and insurance companies
into the front end of the real estate transaction, Realtors
no longer have the only key to
the MLs, .the increasing
incidence of mega-agents . . these factors and more have
shifted the ground beneath your feet.
On website or mail advertising (listing or selling)full-time real estate agent/broker and would appreciate the opportunity to
talk with you about your goals.
Some of the services we offer to help you SELL your home include:
URGENCY- The
Psychology Of Urgency: Make Them Want It Now!
Tired of hearing "I'll think it over and get back to you."and other excuses? Looking for a more successful way to get others to
take immediate action? Simple persuasion
tactics can be used to motivate people and elicit a certain
response from them- creation
of a sense of urgency- building this
feeling and using it as a means of persuading your prospects.
The Psychology of Limited Resources People want what they can't have. Human beings find more value in things
that they have a hard time obtaining.
When you tell someone that they can't have something, they want it
more. Have you ever
found yourself interested in something and then discovered that someone else may be considering buying
it first? The
item becomes even more valuable to you. You are more motivated to get it
which is an important point for sales and marketing purposes.
Car salesmen let us know or someone else is getting the contract
written as you speak or trying to get it financed right now. Newspaper and television ads constantly
remind us that the "sale ends soon," and that "time is
running out."
Retail stores put
"sold" tags on merchandise that they have a hard time selling
because customers , become more interested
in buying the item. Infomercials place a ticking clock at the end
of the advertisements. They say, "Order before the clock runs out
and you will also receive a free set of knives."
Getting Immediate Results
When I became so busy that I had to start turning customers
away I was able to charge what I am worth. When
they felt that I was inaccessible, they became anxious and assigned more value to my
service and wanted me all the more.. This sense of urgency was really advantageous to my business.
real estate
training on line.~ Oklahoma .
People are taking serious advantage of these
offers. ABN AMRO has now closed $30 billion with its “One
Fee” program. GM and Di-Tech have closed $60 billion in
flat fee loans. So, obviously people care about getting an
honest quote. Congress should get the message that people
want truth in lending
Smart realtors know that there can be abundance for
all and they strive to be the best they can be without boundaries. They know that creativity is unlimited. That
the
application of creativity to everyday needs is the basis
of providing value, which in turn creates wealth. They
live in balance. Their life is a life devoted to living
and sharing abundance through service that allows them
to give their unique gifts--for the benefit of
themselves, their families, their communities and the
world. none
of us exists in isolation. Greed is
the belief that there is not enough for everyone, so
you’d better grab yours now.
websites they suggest http://www.oneminutemillionaire.com/resources/
http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2004/04/fsbo.html
Proven ways to skip the agents
Success didn't come by
happenstance.
Take
just one area and become the best, take an area where no one was specializing or had more than 20 percent of the market
such as downtown condos.
In order to grow his farm area, gives service he
describes as "above and beyond what people expect." I don't just list and sell homes,I
create a dream for my clients. I change their
financial destiny."
Martinez has a nine-person staff—two buyer assistants, one broker, a listing
assistant, three escrow assistants, an office manager, and a part-time
bookkeeper. "My job is to prospect for more clients, write contracts, and
handle negotiations." Three simple rules for success: Hire great people,
focus on your strengths, and care about your customers. Homes will sell themselves if you
market them properly. STAGING!! The main thing that
sets you apart is customer service." communicating with and educating clients
and customers is the most rewarding aspect of her job. saw an uptick in condominium demand—and set about tackling a
market that, up to that time, was pretty limited. "There wasn't a lot of
condo building when I started," he says. "Now it makes up 40 percent
of all construction in Seattle." Delegating and organizing
have helped Debbie Schrader, owner of RE/MAX Excels
in Geneva, Ill., do what she does best: rustle up sales.
Aggressively advertising your successes (your accomplishments). "It's not
enough to just advertise yourself or your business. "When
I was the No. 1 seller in the area for my company, I put that in an ad. When I
was 58th in the world at my company or selling on average one house every 1.6
days, that information went into an ad." Get testimonials from
clients... a very easy way to do
this...called an exit survey. Clients want to fill this out. Know
the sellers Not all prospects respond to the same type of presentation. After talking
with the sellers and observing their surroundings, you may decide to pull
out all the stops and use every piece of technology at your disposal … or
you may want to keep all your gadgets in their cases. Some sellers want
every last sales statistic, while others want only to know how quickly you
can sell the house and for what price. You must come prepared for all types
of sellers and be flexible enough to accommodate them. Don’t
neglect the basics Your listing presentation is more than the information you present and
the questions you ask and answer. It includes your demeanor, your
appearance, and other business basics. You can make a good first impression
with the following tips:
Put
the focus where it belongs Don’t
make the mistake of thinking a listing presentation is about you. The
presentation is about how to sell the home for the highest price in the
shortest amount of time. If you demonstrate that you know how to do that
better than anyone else, the sellers will select you as their agent. Name
their price After
presenting your competitive market analysis and discussing how the
sellers’ property fits into the current market, explain the importance of
choosing a price. You can give sellers a range within which you think the
property will sell. Then explain the relationship between price and time on
market. If possible, use recent examples from your market to show how long
homes took to sell versus how close the purchase price was to the listing
price. You
can also use the following bit of information, which comes from a 1995 NAR
report: Houses purchased within 1% of their listing price sold in four weeks
or less; houses that sold wit
Last is the close! They want to be with someone who
is in control so be in control. Please understand that, statistically, until you start
to work on your business, nothing will change - zero improvement. Go to courthouse and get list of
marriages- will give age and address.
divorce records?? They might be selling. College grads out of paper, engagements and marriages
out of paper, Circle of influence-
Teach kids about reason to keep credit clean What your
parents didn't tell you FICO
Webster Students, not the rich how to pay off early-saving you money
Use postcards as opposed to some other
marketing tool, such as advertising in my local newspaper?"
Don't stop advertising in the paper, if that has worked for you in the
past. But if you're like that business owner described at the beginning of this
article, you don't have a lot of money to spend on advertising experiments. With
this thought in mind, let's look at the Top
10 Advantages of Using Postcards:
1. Postcard marketing is affordable,
even for the smallest of businesses.
2. When you're marketing with postcards,
your competition doesn't know it. But they'll sure know it if you're
advertising in the newspaper!
3. It's easy to track your results.
Your card can tell recipients to bring the card into your store for a special
discount. Or it can ask them to use a special ordering code when purchasing from
your website.
4. Postcards are versatile. In a single mailing, you can seek
business from prospective customers, and solicit repeat business from existing
customers. Better yet, a postcard isn't just something to send through
the mail. You can use postcards as oversized business cards, hang tags for your
products and mini-information sheets.
5. Your postcards can "brand" you and your business in ways that
most marketing materials cannot. If you start and stick to a regular postcard
mailing program, you and your business will gain quite a reputation, perhaps
even a little notoriety.
6. Testing an offer with postcards is easy. Just send your card to a small
group of people and see how many of them respond. If you're satisfied with the
results, then roll out a bigger mailing!
7. Postcards don't waste people's time—they don't even have to open an
envelope to read your message.
8. Postcards don't take up a lot of space. Your customers can carry them in
their pockets, or carry them in their pocketbooks, for that matter. Hey, some of
them might even create a postcard display on their refrigerator door!
9. Postcards are inexpensive to print.
10. Postcards are easy to redeem. If you're asking your customers to bring
your postcard into your store for a special discount, all they have to do is
show up with the card.
You could include a special tracking code with each card mailing. Just ask
recipients to enter that code into the order form on your website, or give it to
the operator when they place a telephone order.
The idea behind "Bring this card for a discount!" or "Use this
code and get an additional 10% off on your order!" is to give people an
incentive to do business with you.
Two Keys to Postcard Marketing Success
I've found that there are two keys to postcard marketing success:
1. Being persistent. I send 10-12
postcards to my mailing list each year. I'm also pretty diligent when it
comes to staying in touch with key clients and prospects between postcard
mailings. Over the long run, this effort does pay off.
2. Planning the mailing before doing it. This topic merits some in-depth
coverage.
The
Top 10 Ways to Make Your The best web
sites for professional services business are "Marketing Hubs"
that enable you to leverage all your marketing efforts. It's not really hard,
but it does take a fair amount of work. Here's the top 10 things you need to do. 1Web site
clear, concise and complete.
communicate
about exactly how you help your clients. You need more than a few bullet
points and pretty graphics. First focus on solid, in-depth content and then
create a site that's easy to navigate. Get help with your site design, unless
you're willing to spend hundreds of hours in getting it right. Forget about all
the fancy bells and whistles. Make it look nice but let your visitors get to the
meat quickly and easily. 2. Use headlines on
your web pages that promise benefits. Don't
just put "Services" on your services page but "Strategies to
Increase Profits" or whatever your key benefit is. Make the content
on your site easy to read. Use the standard size font and use bold text at the
beginning of paragraphs. Sub-heads in an alternate color also draw the eye and
make your pages easier to read than solid black text. At the bottom of each
page, lead your reader to the next logical page on the site. Don't just let them
hang, wondering where to go next. Make it informative, easy and
fun to visit your site. 3. Design your site to
lead the visitor to your "Most Wanted Response." Make it very
clear that you have services to offer and make it very easy for them to take the
next step to learn about those services. Your most wanted response might be a
qualified prospect calling you to do business with you, the next might be an
inquiry about your services by email and the third may be a sign-up for your
email newsletter. In other words, know what action you want people to take and
design your site so that action happens more often. 4. Promote your site
through as many off-line mediums as you can afford.
web address on all your printed materials, in
your yellow page ad, on handouts for talks and at the bottom of articles you
write. Send people to your site for reports and articles. Talk about your site
when you give a presentation. After a networking event, send those you met an
email pointing to a valuable article on your site. Tell your clients to send
those they refer to your site first. Put almost 100% of your marketing effort on
getting people to your site. People that know more about you are much more
likely to contact you and do business with you. 5. Make sure you are
listed in the top search engines. Even though your main business will come
from you directing people to your site, in time, people will start to find you
on the web if you list yourself on Alta Vista, Excite, Lycos, InfoSeek, Web
Crawler, Northern Light, Lycos, Hot Bot, MSN Search, Direct Hit, Global Search
and, of course Yahoo. Re-list at least once a quarter. Also look around
for industry specific directories will send the right type of prospects to your site. 6. Put key words on
your site so you're easier to find. The most important place to put keywords
is in your "title tag," next are in your "meta tags" and
also in the body of your page. Put in words and groups of words that people are
likely to use to find you. If your name is BizTech Solutions, that doesn't do
you much good as nobody will use that as a key word. However "Business
Technical Solutions" will probably work better. Look up other similar sites
and see what key words they're using by checking View>Page Source in Netscape
or View>Source in Explorer. 7. Put
your email address in your email signature. Make sure to "hot-link"
your URL so that just by clicking, they will go right to your site. And
add a reason for visiting your site: "Visit our web site for cutting edge
management ideas." If you belong to an industry specific mailing list,
every time you send an email, everyone on the list sees your signature. When you
send a comment or answer a question on this list you can also point to your
site: "I have an article on my site that goes into this in detail."
and then provide a hot link. 8. Establish an email
newsletter. will become the number one way of promoting your site and your
services. First, sign up everyone you know and launch your "Ezine"
with as many people as possible. Grow your email list by having a simple sign-up
form on your website. Automate your sign-up and list maintenances by using a
listserver such as DataBack (they have great service and are very affordable).
Make it a priority to work at increasing the size of your Ezine list. With more
people on your list, you will have more visits to your site. 9. Use the Ezine to
establish value and credibility and generate new business. Your Ezine should
contain interesting, informative articles that prove you know your stuff. Don't
overcrowd it with a lot of superfluous fluff and dozens of links. At the end of
the Ezine, simply point people to your site to learn about various services. 10. Use your Ezine list
to promote specific services. If you give people good solid content once a
month, your subscribers usually won't mind if you tell them about a service once
in awhile. One way to do this is to send an email pointing to a new article on
your site. Then that article points to a service that addresses the issues
raised in the article. Think soft-sell and multi-step for marketing your
services using your web site as a "one-stop marketing hub." Focus
on your prospect and their needs . Fancy, cutesy, and non-compelling frivolity is another sin of much
of today's advertising From brochures to flyers, and sales letters to advertisements, your
marketing message should let your prospects know that you are concerned ONLY
WITH WHAT THEY WANT! Anything about you should always come last. Your clients,
should always
come first. Any marketing documents you create should start out by focusing on
the prospects' wants. Every sentence should show that you understand the
prospects' wants. test any portion of their marketing, and then
compare the test results. They "place all their bets" on arbitrary,
prejudiced decisions and conjecture. . First, we don't have the ability or the control to prejudge and
decide for ourselves what the marketplace really wants, what is the maximum fair
price the market will pay to get it, what kind of package they'll be most
receptive to, or what approach will be best accepted. It's not our right to make
arbitrary decisions concerning what our customers and prospects want. It's our
obligation to test and then let the market tell us what they really desire as
they "vote with their pocketbooks" the only kind of vote
that counts in marketing ...because it's totally "honest"). When you
test, you effectively "make up the ballots" and "set the
stage" for your prospects and customers to give you their unbiased votes.
It's important to test prices (one price against another), headlines (one
headline against another), guarantees, ad concepts and offers, plus where (and
when) you place your ads and offers, but these are the
most important aspects to test (and they'll have the most impact on your
responses... and on the increases you'll see in your "bottom line").
proven true
time and time again). When you test the above aspects (always one at a time and
with a small but representative segment of your market) and then carefully
record and analyze your results, you'll almost always discover that one of your
test prices, headlines, guarantees, etc. always seems to "outpull" all
the others in your test by a substantial margin. Think about what this means to
your profit potential...now with the same amount of effort and expense as before
you can begin using this same approach to more of your market and enjoy a
multiplication of your previous results. (But do exercise caution at this point
and gradually expand to include the rest of your market ...small tests need to
be verified with larger tests before you decide to "roll-out" to
everyone). When you systematically test in this way you "leverage"
your marketing and begin to demand (and get) maximum performance from every
marketing "dollar" and amount of time spent. What if your salespeople
out in the field average 8 or 12 or 16 calls a day...? to experiment and discover the outstanding sales pitch or special
offer that gets you twice or three times as many sales per call and/or increases
your average order by a significant amount (yet requires little or no extra time
or expense to make the sale). To quickly begin enjoying dramatic increases in
your sales and profits, you've only to start a program of systematic testing.
Begin tomorrow! You could, for instance, start to test with your sales staff.
Have them try alternate sales "pitches" and experiment with different
"bumps" and special offers made at the point of sale. Devise alternate
follow-up offers and construct different reduced-price "packages" for
them to sell. Then analyze and review the results of each test and track the
results. After your tests show one marketing approach is "out-pulling"
all the others by 25%-50%-75% or more then have a few others in your staff begin
to use this same approach. As the results continue to justify it... rapidly
progress to having all your sales staff do it. One at a time...begin to
systematically test all your sales variables. Pay careful attention to any
significant change (either positive or negative). Close observation of these
changes will help you to do what is right for you, and you'll dramatically begin
to increase your "bottom line" like never before. At this point you
may be tempted to "rest on your laurels", but (if you want to truly
maximize your marketing), you'll keep going and find out just how you can
"be all that you can be" (as the Army recruiter would say). Through
testing and analyzing your results, you'll have established your
"controls". Now comes the fun as you try to "beat" the
controls (using them as your profit base you can continue to experiment to
develop better and better ones). The definition of a control as applied to
marketing is any approach which you've established through your testing as the
very best performer. It's consistently proven itself to give you the highest
profits and you can rely upon it to provide you with a substantial income. It's
your "bread and butter" approach. You'll keep it in use to produce a
reliable income while you're continuing your testing in some segment of your
market and working to better it. Those serious about maximizing their marketing
results will first establish reliable controls and then hold onto each control
while they continue to test. When a test proves itself as being more profitable
than the current control, it then replaces that control, and the procedure
continues. If this seems like a lot of work... consider...as controls get better
and better, profits move higher and higher. One of the variables you'll want to
test early-on is prices. When you begin to systematically test prices you'll be
astounded at some of the totally unexpected results you'll see. You might expect
a lower price to always out-pull a higher price on the same
item...but..."it ain't necessarily so" and the margin between what
different prices will yield can be enormous. $19 has outpulled $25 by
300%. $195 has outpulled $245 by huge margins. $295 has outpulled $195 on
certain offers, which netted a cool $100 more per sale! It's really conjecture
to speculate as to why one price would produce a better return than another. It
could be because of a multitude of reasons, perception of value created in the
mind of the buyer being a very important one. Some in marketing theorize there
are various price points beyond which it's not wise to cross, but every
situation can yield different results, so never assume you've established the
right price until you test several (and even then remember your best price is
only your control and another may come along later and prove even better).
Here's some more ideas on what you'll want to test... any
media, test different headlines, different hot-button emphasis, different
approaches. Some people react best toward a negative approach, some a positive
approach...discover which approach is best for your market. Test different
packages, different rationales, and different special bonus offers you've
tacked-on to your basic offer. In addition to any free bonus offers you make,
you might also want to test some bonus items for which there is a small extra
cost, because...that small extra can prove to be very profitable for you in many
instances. Test different directives to the reader or listener or viewer on how
to respond (experiment with advising what actions for them to take). In
newspapers, magazines, etc., test positioning (if the editor will allow it).
Generally tests have proven for a small ad the best place for it is in the upper
right-hand corner of the page (and, of course, the front or back cover of any
section is even more desirable). Try to avoid having your ad appear below the
fold in a newspaper (and especially avoid having it below the fold on the
left-hand side unless your ad is on the inside cover sheet of a section...even
then, above the fold is the place you usually want to be). In radio and
TV...test where your commercials run. Now, these are the questions you'll be
seeking to answer as you analyze your various test results for each separate
control: 1) what has been the average cost-per-prospect to get you a prospect?
2) what has been the average cost to turn a prospect into a customer? 3) what
has been the average amount of sale each prospect has returned? 4) what has been
the conversion rate from prospect to customer? 5) what has been the average
profit-per-sale? After you've computed and compared number five...the average
profit-per-sale, you'll know which approach to keep as your current control (and
the one you'll want to continue to use until a better approach beats it). The
suggested top three testing order is: 1) Headline 2) Price 3) Offer You must
have a strong headline always! Your headline is your "ad" for the ad.
If people are not drawn into the copy by a strong, compelling headline, then
you'll have wasted your effort. A headline is not just there to attract
attention to itself. It must talk in terms of a benefit to your prospects along
with a promised solution to a problem and thereby convince the prospects it's
well worth their time to look at (or listen to) the rest of your promotion.
Begin tomorrow and start a systematic testing program. It will make you a
"marketing genius". Determine Specifically Who Your Market Is And What
Their Wants And Needs Are. Ninety percent of the businesses out there
rarely make the attempt to determine who their market is, and what their
market's desires, needs, wants, and passions are. This is a grave mistake. The
successful marketers can tell you precisely who they're marketing to, and what
their prospects and customers want in a product or service. They can tell you
the age of their best prospect, who this person is, where this person is,
educational and income levels and other critical information. You must know who,
then you can find out the "why". Why does your customer buy from you?
What do your customers want or need most in the products or services you offer?
You need to probe and discover what the "why" is so that you can focus
your marketing efforts to show your prospects you can meet the "why"
in the most satisfactory fashion. Think about it...How can you expect to
adequately fill someone's needs if you never take the time to get involved and
understand them? Yet few companies ever bother to seek to meet their customers'
needs. Companies that are a success with their marketing understand their
customers' needs and attempt to satisfy those needs better than the competition.
If you want to own your market, find out what your customers real wants are.
Discover their desires. Search out their passions and needs. Once you have this
information you will be armed to corner your market. Capture Your Customers & Prospects Names And Addresses. Of all the marketing
mistakes to make, I feel that this has caused the loss of hundreds of thousands
of dollars every month more than any other. Yet it is by far the simplest
mistake to correct! Why a company would spend hundreds and thousands of dollars
to get a customer in the door and them let them walk out without getting their
name and address and any other information from them is beyond me 90% of the businesses in America don't ever bother to keep track of
their loyal customers, let alone any prospects! Your mailing list, or customer
database is your biggest source of lifetime profits! Here's why you should keep
track of every customer and every prospect: 1) According to Fortune Magazine, it
costs 5 times as much to generate a new customer than to resell an existing
customer. Existing customers are almost as good as money in the bank! 2) Your
existing customers already trust you and know you. They've bought from you and (have had a positive experience with you. Sales resistance is low. 3)
They know you'll deliver on your promises, because you've delivered before with
energy and promptness. All you need to do is develop a systematic
way of keeping track of them, and asking them to buy from you more often.
Computer databases are easy to come by, and more affordable than ever. If you
don't want to bother with computers, that's OK. Just make-up and hand-write on a
customer index card, that has your customer's name, address, and phone number on
it. A simple 3 X 5 card would do nicely. You should also include vital
information like: what they've bought in the past, what they'd like to buy from
you, etc. A list like this or to developing a profitable, long-term
relationship. Do you see how valuable this list becomes? When I consult with a
business, one of the first things I do is ask if they have a customer list. If
they do, then I know I can increase sales dramatically in just a few short
weeks. To make a list profitable, recent studies show that you should contact
them once every 21 days. A minimum of once a month. Here are some ideas for
staying in touch: 1) Sponsor some kind of information-based event. A workshop,
seminar, luncheon with guest speaker, etc. Anything that would be of interest to
your customers and prospects. 2) Send a postcard announcing a private sale with
special discounts or added services exclusively for your loyal customers. 3) If
you work with businesses, send them information that will help them become more
successful (for example, a copy of this report) along with a personal
note..."I thought you might benefit from this". This report is under
Copyright but as long as you give it away FREE (and include ALL of it with your
gift), you may feel free to copy and distribute the file and/or file printout to
anyone you choose. 4) Send a postcard with problem-solving tips on it for easy,
quick reference. By collecting the names, addresses and phone numbers of your
customers and prospects, you will be in a position to increase the profits
earned from each customer anywhere from 35-200%. >>> Sell Your Customers Something Else On The "Back End".
Your hottest prospect is someone that has just bought from you. This is your
best opportunity for another immediate sell. The key to successfully doing this
is having products that offer solutions to problems that your prospects have.
Related problems and related solutions equals increased opportunity for sales.
How simple it would be for the cashiers at the local discount store to suggest
another product that may help solve the customers' problem. All they have to do
is notice how related the products are that the customer is currently buying,
and be knowledgeable enough about what the store has to offer to be able to
suggest another product that could help the customers' problem become solved.
The buyers that just bought from you offer you a prime opportunity to sell
again. Your products must be good, however, and you must prove to them that your
"back-end" product will also solve their problem. Here again we are
talking about knowing your prospects wants and desires. Your job isn't over once
you've sold your customers their first product. You and your people should
constantly be striving to ascertain what problems your prospects have, and then
be creative in developing and proposing the appropriate solution to it. If you
are focusing on what your customers want, and are offering them another solution
to a related problem, they will not resist as you try to "up-sell"
them. They'll be grateful for your desire to solve their problems. Just
remember: your customers are never "hotter" than when they first
order. Immediately acknowledge their first purchase and tell them how
appreciative you are. And then, offer them something else so they'll have the
chance to solve more of their problems and to spend even more money with you!
You should look for logical product or service extensions to offer your
customers. Using the back-end will turn one-shot sales into repeat customers.
Amazingly, few businesses try to sell their current or previous customers
anything again. The really smart marketers do it constantly.
Make Doing Business With You Convenient, Easy, Appealing, And You're Not Ready
To Sell When Your Prospects Are Ready To Buy. Most businesses almost make it
difficult for a prospect or customer to buy from them. Most businesses do
business from 9 to 5. That's fine. BUT, you must be prepared to do business when
your prospects are ready to do business. With technologies that are now
available, there's no excuse for a business not to have a 24 hour phone service
center. Even a simple answering machine can work wonders in this area if
utilized as a marketing and sales tool. You must be fanatical about servicing
your customers and causing positive impact on your prospects. You must focus on
their needs consistently. Think of how you want to be treated when you do
business with someone. I mean...really think how you'd like to be treated. Then,
treat your customers in that way. Most businesses never "walk a mile in
their prospects' moccasins". Why else would they make doing business with
them so difficult? If someone walks into your store, how well prepared are the
sales clerks to help them? Have you spent the time and prepared special dialogs,
questions, and little booklets full of advice for your people to ask or offer to
customers? When a customer or prospect calls your company and first talks to
your switchboard operator, is your operator able to give them what they ask for
(and more) in a cheerful and compelling manner? Are you and your people willing
to answer questions and provide truly helpful and informative advice in a
friendly way (even when it may not result in an immediate sale)? Is it easy for
your customers and prospects to find your business... and can they easily find
things once they're in your store? Do you consistently keep customers updated on
the status of their orders, or back orders? These are questions that you must
answer on a regular basis so that you can keep on top of the flaws your
prospects and customers see every time they do business with you. By making it
easy, appealing, and convenient to do business with you, you'll attract more
customers, more customers will consistently return to your business, and you'll
get more referrals. You Are
Persistent And Willing To "Stick It Out" Until You've Contacted Your
Prospects Enough Times To Warrant Dropping Them, Constantly Testing And Trying
New Approaches Until You Find The Hot Button That Sells. Too many businesses
rely entirely too much on the hoped success of one advertisement or one direct
mailing. Marketing success is not an event ...it is a process. Processes take
time. Therefore you should never put your faith in one ad, one mailing campaign,
or one TV spot. You must commit to
connecting with your prospects a minimum of 7 times in 18 months. If you are not
willing to pay that price, then you shouldn't even start to promote to those
prospects. You need to decide that you are willing to connect with your
prospects time and time again and hit them with the same benefit packed points
over and over again - from every conceivable angle - in a determined attempt to
motivate your prospects to take action! Remember that any single marketing event
will not ordinarily produce outstanding results, not now-a-days anyway. It used
to be true that a person could make a fortune off of one ad, one promotion. But
today, it's just not going to happen very often, and you should NEVER plan on
it. You must know precisely who you are marketing to, what their desires are,
and you must resolve to connect with them again and again and again, until they
either prove that they are not a prospect, or until they see that you have the
best solution for their pressing problems. Marketing requires persistency to say
the least. You must work at it on a daily basis. Some days will be downright
discouraging for you. But, you cannot give up. If you have done your homework,
and you realize that you have the solution to your prospects' problems, if you
have focused precisely on your target, then you must not let discouragement get
in your way. It can keep you from succeeding. If your prospects are not
responding, then you need to refine your approach. You need to refine who you
are trying to connect with. You may need to approach them from several different
angles to find the approach that works the best...indeed, you will need to test
constantly, always trying to improve your "take". In short, you must
persist so that your prospects never have the opportunity to forget who you are,
and what you can do for them. Realize, the only ways to discover your prospects'
"hot-buttons" are to test and to test continually. You can't afford
the luxury of prejudging what your marketplace wants, what the best price is,
the best pulling headline, the best selling "package-offer", or the
best approach. As a marketer, you have the obligation to find out from your
market what they really want through testing...one marketing approach against
another, one ad concept against another, one headline against another, one TV or
radio commercial against another, one price against another, and the list goes
on and on! Testing is an ongoing process. You should always be trying to
"out do" your best results...because you never know when results are
at their best! The point is that you cannot guess what your market will buy. It
is something to be discovered... You must demand maximum return from every
marketing dollar you spend. Testing is what tells you where to demand more.
Remember, an ad costs you the same amount of space, production time, or air time
whether it produces 10 prospects, 100 prospects or 1,000 prospects. It only
makes sense that you should test different ad approaches to maximize your
investment. You must not sleep at night until you know you're getting better
results than last week. Testing takes persistence. It will pay-off big if you do
it. As I mentioned earlier, marketing is NEVER an event, it is always a process.
Keep this in mind when you consider selling
something to your
market. Marketing Plan To Guide Your Business To Financial Success. On dozens of
occasions I consult with businesses and discover the morbid fact that 90% are
flying by the seat of their pants, with no direction for tomorrow, no idea how
much they're going to make in the next 365 days, and no written plan
whatsoever. ...Let me say this as strongly as I can... Your business will
never succeed on any type of a large scale unless you commit to writing a plan
that guides you to success. This is a fact that all too many businesses will
never accept, to their own demise. If you don't have a marketing plan, you'll
never reach any truly substantial objectives. If you're without a plan. grab a
piece of paper and pencil right now, and let me help you get off to a good
start. Your plan must include the following: Mind you, these are
the bare bones basics that you need in your plan. With this information alone,
you'll probably perform head and shoulders above your competition. If you want
to take the plan further, make sure you include precise deadlines for each
step. Then take each of these steps and break them down into the action steps
that you can take on a daily basis to reach your monthly and yearly goals. The
key words here are "daily basis". Marketing should be a daily
activity for you, like eating and drinking. It's not a difficult thing to draw
up a simple marketing plan like this. I think the problem is that most
companies feel like they have to have graphs and charts and demographic
specifications and all of this other mumbo-jumbo that just confuses people.
That stuff is NOT going to motivate you or help you follow a path to success.
Realize the power of this simple, easy to do marketing plan. It's so easy! And
it will bring you success! Without a specific marketing plan ON PAPER, you
cannot expect your business to have massive successes. Yes, you do need to put
it on paper. Why? On paper you have focus. If you keep your ideas in your
mind, you'll lose focus on your objectives. Believe me I know, I've made that
mistake before. Get your plan on paper. Even though it's on paper, doesn't
mean you can't change it. Be flexible. Understand that as your business grows
and succeeds, you'll want to update your marketing plan. I re-evaluate my plan
on a weekly basis. I ask myself: Know
How To Write Or Produce Persuasive Marketing Documents
That Get Your Prospects To Buy NOW, Or To Get Your Customers To Buy Again. If
your car was having a problem, and you knew NOTHING about cars, (except where
to put the gas in) would you open the hood and try to fix it? NO! Why then, do
so many businesses try to write their own advertisements, their own brochures,
their own flyers, and other marketing communication when they don't know how
to do it? It doesn't make sense. If you don't know what you are doing then you
shouldn't be doing it, or else you'll mess things up worse than they were
before! The real problem comes, however, when someone thinks they know what
they're doing when in fact, their efforts are usually self-centered and
unfocused on the needs and wants of their prospects and customers. Larger
companies have entire design and marketing departments that do nothing but put
together and create their marketing documents. Though, in my opinion, most of
these "Madison Avenue Types" do terribly wasteful, institutional
advertising...I feel that everyone can always learn how to communicate better
with their prospects. No one has all the answers, but I do believe that a
company is better off to hire an outside consultant to come in and do the job
right. Maybe I only feel this way because my associate and I are such
consultants, but...I think it's better because the consultant can look at
things (usually) from a prospect's point of view easier than an
"insider" from the company can. Because the majority of companies
don't know how to put together a persuasive marketing piece, most marketing
documents: Mistake #10:
Determine What It Is About You
That Makes Your Prospects/Clients/Customers Want To Buy From You Because They
Can't Get What You're Offering Anywhere Else. (Establishing Your Unique
Selling Proposition...Very Very important to you!) What advantage is
there for your prospects or customers to do business with you? What makes you
unique? Your unique selling
proposition (USP) is the unique advantage you hold out in all of your
marketing, advertising, and sales efforts. It's something that a customer
usually can't get anywhere else. It's the very foundation of your
business-customer relations, and it's essence should be ingrained in
everything your business does. To create an effective USP (unique selling
proposition) you must first answer the question..."what specific market
niche do I want for my company". It's almost always a mistake for small
to medium sized businesses to try to be "all things" to their
customers and prospects. The business which has carved out (and
"owns") their own segment of the market is the business best able to
thrive and prosper. Does your company sell only the highest grade products in
the industry? Make that a large part of your USP. Is your company able to sell
your products at the lowest prices. Maybe that should be your USP. But be
careful with this USP (those who "live by the sword" can "die
by the sword"). It's better to at least augment this USP with something
else your customers or prospects want and can only get from you (you never
know when a "Superstore" is going to suddenly decide to open its
doors to your market). Can your company sustain 24-hour, 7-days-a-week service
(including holidays) for your customers. That would be a great USP (customers
would love this...and who could compete)? If this is an impossible task for
you, perhaps some modification would work which wouldn't overly tax your
resources (but will be much better than what your competition could or would
provide). Is your company able to respond exceptionally quickly to your
customers and prospects? If you could guarantee a response time of days when
your competitors are taking weeks and hours when your competitors are taking
days, that's another USP worth "its weight in gold" to you (and one
you should be "shouting from the rooftops")! Perhaps you have the
wherewithal to be able to maintain a full stock at all times and can guarantee
your customers and prospects will never have to wait or have their orders
placed on "backorder". Use that in your USP. Maybe your business
carries the most complete stock of any competitor and you're able to satisfy
almost any request (especially for the smaller items which are difficult to
find). Tell that story and make it your USP. Most companies are
"me-too" companies. They look just like everyone else. They sell
like everyone else. They carry the same products as everyone else. They
develop nothing to make them unique that creates a desire in the prospect to
have that special uniqueness. Too many companies are just out there to sell.
You need to commit to becoming a company that's dedicated to solving a
client's problem. In fact, a well articulated declaration of your company's
dedication to solving your customer's problems could be your USP! The USP can
carve you out a market so quick you won't believe it! So, figure out what your
USP is and start promoting its benefits to your customers and prospects today!
> Change is difficult.
Change can be tough. When you try to be different, do things differently, or
make waves, people get uncomfortable. U. Don't try to overhaul your business
if you are making a lot of these mistakes. Instead, after you've read these
ideas, pick out JUST ONE that you need to work on the most. Focus your energy
on changing just one at a time. Put up notes to remind you of key concepts.
Re-read this report over and over again. Whatever you do, decide to make the
changes that'll better your business along. Once you think you've got the
first change down, determine your next step. Decide what you want to change
next. Focus on it...and change. The toughest thing about change is when it
involves other people. They're in a comfort zone that they've gotten used to.
Now you're gonna come along and suggest change. Motivating your people to
change will be the toughest part. But don't give up. Be strong. Be the example
of a successful marketer. With or without your people, you can make your
business a success. The easiest (and usually the very best) way to come up
with a great headline is to sit down and read a large number of highly
successful headlines, and then let your mind run free to innovate and meld
together hybrids. The idea isn't to steal someone else's words, but to develop
your own sense of what elements make the most profitable headlines -- (realize
because your headline is in reality the "ad" for your ad, all of the
headlines you use are critical to your marketing success. Did you know it's
been proven...if the bodycopy is "good", it's possible to increase
ad response by up to twenty-one times simply by changing the headline and
nothing else? (that's 2100% potential improvement!!!). How can you know which
ad headlines have been the really profitable winners and are worthy of your
study (and which have been real "dogs" and certainly not what you
want for your ads)? It's a good question to ponder, because many times the
best "looking" ads don't yield anywhere near the best results
("award-winning" ads can be BIG losers). In her Forward to "The
300 Best Headlines Ever Written", 38 Ways to Use FREE, the Most Powerful Word in Any Language. Secrets of Envelope Teaser Copy Which Can Double Your Response. If
you send out a sales letter and it doesn't get opened, you have no
chance -- zero -- to get a response. There is no possible way. Or make a
sale. Ted reveals his amazing techniques that practically compel
the receiver to open the envelope. 33 Secrets of Successful Sales Letters Best Headlines Ever Written. It's impossible to prepare great
advertising copy without "killer" headlines. Ted Nicholas has put
together a selection of the best headlines ever written. Before you write
a word of copy, you can preferably use this invaluable collection of proven
winners to stimulate your own copy.
Benefit statements start like this…
"Enjoy…" Hypnotic words and phrases-
You might be
thinking...
http://www.charlesbarnes.com/homestudy/pre/pre01self.asp
Broker http://www.charlesbarnes.com/homestudy/broker/index.htm
Online real estate
In
response to so many of the predatory lenders out there
charging extra fees :
Clark has been incensed regarding the unethical
behavior of banks over the past few years. Under current
federal law, banks and mortgage lenders can offer a quote on
a mortgage loan called a good faith estimate. But when you
get to the closing table, they change the prices and rip you
off. And it’s all legal. The Department of Housing and
Urban Development had created new rules that require that a
lender tell you the truth. If a lender told you your closing
costs would be $1,200, he or she could not charge you more
than that amount, plus 10 percent for errors. But the
industry squealed like pigs about having to tell people the
truth, and the feds backed down. Only a few big mortgage
lenders now offer people honest quotes.
http://www.multiplestreamsofincome.com/articles/sevensecrets.htm
another for Real estate pros
http://homebuying.about.com/library/bl/bl_prosmap.htm
8 universal and irrefutable
principles
#1 - Prospects Do NOT
Want to Be Sold. Prospects Absolutely Will NOT Hear What
You're Saying
Unless You Tell Them What THEY Want to Know. What is in it for them.
#6 - The ONLY Way to
Transform Your
JOB Into a BUSINESS is to Work ON Your Business
Rather Than IN it.
If All You Ever Do is "Do, Do, Do", You'll
Never Gain the
Perspective of How to DO BETTER.
#7 - The ONLY Way to
Avoid Trading Your Time For Money is to Understand and Use the
Concept of
Leverage. Leverage Is The Power To Maximize
Your Results With
The Least Amount Of Energy, Time, Money And Risk.
#8 - Without a System,
You Will
Reinvent the Wheel Every time. Effective Systems
Will Save You
Time and Money, and Help You Achieve Consistent And
Predictable
Results.
Developing a business plan, marketing strategy,
pricing strategy, a profit and loss comparison each year, figured on
what
advertising was or was not working.
Tax benefits for home ownership
Top
100 Producers in Real Estate and how they do it
If you choose such a housing niche, research first. "Check
the turnover rates for the area and pick a location with a manageable size but
not smaller than 750–1,000 houses or units. You can always expand later,. "Select an area you're comfortable with and believe in,
where the valuations aren't going downward. Then learn everything about the
area. Chose your niche, stick to it. "Some sales associates spread
themselves too thin. It's better to give business away than to work on a sale in
an area you don't know," he says.
"When I started, I did everything in person,""I brought
contracts to customers personally, even if I had to fly to their home
city."
He continues his specialized service today by resolving customer issues before
his promised deadlines: "I overdeliver. If I tell
them I'll give them something tomorrow, I try to get it done today."
use every free moment to stir up business
throughout his farm area, which he estimates has almost tripled since 1979.
He
makes about 100 calls a day. return all listing
calls right away
As to her own financial destiny, last year Martinez closed 312 transactions for
a volume of nearly $153 million. The key, is maximizing transactions.
In addition to handling both sides of many of her sales, she deals extensively
with investors.
turn sellers into buyers," call my past clients and say,
'Guess what—you have x amount of dollars in equity sitting in your home. Why
not put it to work by buying some income-producing property?' "
One listing can quickly lead to three or four
other sales. "I do a lot of analyzing of what my customers have and what
they can do with it. "In many ways, I'm closer to being a
financial consultant than a salesperson."
The overwhelming majority of her business is based on
referrals: "Without exception, I prospect every day
from 10 a.m. to noon. From 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., I call past clients and ask for
leads. From 11 a.m. to noon, I call the leads."
Her goal is five new listings a week. She also
prospects for buyers, though not first-time buyers. "I don't have time for
that," she says.
Martinez traces her success to two things. The first is a
belief in goal setting. The other is her faith. She is a member of North
Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara and is also funding the construction of a
new commons building for a nearby religious college. "I believe everything
I have and everything I do—even the clients I have—are the result of putting
God first in my life," she says. "I believe in miracles."—
Applying the Golden Rule, will help you develop the Midas touch
Hit on a real success formula. But she
freely admits she hasn't done it alone. Her husband, is her partner,
handling the marketing and business operations. Together the two have crafted a
finely tuned support system.
Her team includes 10 full-time assistants (eight licensed), who
are managed by Robert. The assistants specialize
in specific areas, such as business, contracts, advertising, listing, and
communications. However, each is knowledgeable
enough to step in for a coworker without missing a beat.
Winning listings comes down to capitalizing
quickly on opportunities when they arise as the
staff can turn around
a market analysis and other research material in a matter of hours. If she
receives a call from a potential client in the morning, she can schedule a
listing appointment for the afternoon and carry out other appointments while her
staff prepares her presentation.
"I don't spend much time in the office," she says. "Ninety-five
percent of my time is spent with clients, showing homes, or networking
with other practitioners."
Specifically, her day involves creating marketing plans, analyzing marketing
situations, problem solving, and tending to the emotional needs of the parties.
Besides knowing your market, set goals. "What's
important when you're setting your goals is to compare how many houses you've
sold with how many you've listed,. "Having a larger
area to farm doesn't mean you'll have a higher number of sales."
In hindsight, the condo market's growth might seem inevitable—a by-product of
traffic congestion, high rents, and growth management initiatives, Gottlieb
says. However, spotting the trend in its infancy
and cultivating condo builders as repeat customers have been key factors in his
success. "Builders don't want to change subcontractors
constantly—they want to find a system that works and keep using it," he
says.
—organized,
reliable, and attentive to detail. He provides weekly sales
demographic reports to builders and carves out time each day to spend with
builder clients.
In addition to the on-site salespeople, Gottlieb
has three assistants, who help him with contract administration
and marketing. He spends most mornings meeting with builder
clients and goes on-site at each builder's project about every other week. In
between, he's developing marketing plans, providing market research for
builders, and assisting in product planning and land acquisition strategies. His
afternoons are less structured, he says, giving him time to address unexpected
events, such as market shifts, that can shake builders' confidence.
Strives for balance, usually
maintaining a 40-hour workweek. The quality of your
work and the effectiveness of your system are what's important, he says, not
your hours.—Chris Leporini
And in 2000 she rustled up quite a few: 243 closed transaction sides for a
volume of $62 million.
Schrader has worked in real estate sales for 23 years in the
Geneva area, about 40 miles west of Chicago, selling homes ranging from $150,000
to $1.5 million. She says she delegates work every day to
her three assistants so that she can check out listings and make important calls
to existing and prospective customers.
"We talk about what happened the previous night that they need to know
about," "I look at the checklist to see what I can delegate
and what fires can be put out only by me."
Schrader's listing manager gets information from
customers, gives them feedback, helps execute price reductions, and coordinates
showings. Schrader's closing manager works with
attorneys to make sure all the financial papers are in order for clients.
Schrader's third assistant is her husband, John,
who entered the real estate business in 1994 and does accounting and computer
work.
"People should hire assistants as soon as, or even before,
they can really afford them, "After
I hired assistants, my sales really took off."
In fact, Schrader estimates that her income went up by more than $50,000. Realizing
the benefit of a team, she opened her own office in 1997 based on the
teamwork idea.
Schrader has one other piece of advice: "Always
try to learn more about the business. Learning keeps you focused on becoming a
better sales associate, which makes you feel more capable of dealing with the
ups and downs of real estate sales."
28 IDEAS TO INCREASE YOUR
SALES & PROFIT
by Joe and Maria
Gracia
Growing your business doesn't have to be difficult or expensive. These simple,
cost-effective ideas are designed to help you increase your sales and profit,
without draining your budget.
1. FOCUS ON HELPING, INSTEAD OF SELLING- You shouldn't be trying to force people into purchasing your product or
service. You should find people who want your product or service and then
focus on offering any helpful information to them so that they can make an
informed decision. What is in it for them? They need a compelling reason to do
business with you.
2. TARGET- If you're trying to target everybody, then chances are, you're not targeting
anybody. For example, if you're selling something that homeowners would want,
as opposed to renters, then target homeowners. State
your target clearly in all of your marketing materials. Select your target
market so you can focus your marketing efforts and be more efficient.
3. STOP SPENDING MONEY ON
INEFFECTIVE MARKETING- One great way to save money is to stop wasting it on marketing and advertising
that isn't producing for you. Don't forget to track the number of responses
you are getting from whatever method you use. If you're not reaching your
goals, then your strategy needs to be revised. Test it. Try direct response
advertisng.
4. NETWORK- Networking is a great way to get your message out to a large number of people,
for free. Since each person knows about 250 other people, you can spread the
word about your business pretty quickly. Go to your local Chamber of Commerce
meetings. Shake hands at business functions. Exchange business cards with
associates you see in stores, churches and community events. Homeowners
association or be a speaker somewhere. HS parents or college
5. SET GOALS AND DEADLINES- Collect your thoughts for a moment or two, and set goals and deadlines. These
are vital to your business success. State your goals as specific numbers.
(e.g. 10 new accounts, 11% increase in sales, etc.)
6. FOCUS ON BENEFITS NOT ON
FEATURES What is in it for them?-Spend your time focusing on how your prospects will benefit if they purchase
your product or service. For example, if you're selling central air
conditioning units, don't sell the power of the unit. Sell
the benefit of comfort. Selling insurance? Don't sell the coverage
amount. Sell the benefit of security.
7. WRITE TIPS ARTICLES-Newspapers and other publications are always looking for helpful tips articles
that would be of benefit to their readers. Submit simple, problem/solution
type articles related to your product or service. State the problem, and then
share some insightful tips that can help to solve the problem. Always include
information at the end of your articles so that people will know how to
contact you to receive more information about your services.
8. BE PERSISTENT-Persistence is power when it comes to increasing your sales and profit. Far
too many firms fail because they don't follow-up long enough to produce
results. Most sales are made after the seventh or eighth contact--the sale is
rarely made after just one contact.
9. SUBMIT PRESS RELEASES -
Press releases are a very cost-effective way to get your message out to many
people . . . for free. Submit your press releases to a wide variety of
publications for immediate release. Keep in mind that the newspapers will
usually only print releases that are of interest to their readers, rather than
of a selling nature.
10. OFFER TO BE A SPEAKER-Business and civic organizations are always looking for speakers for their
meetings and get togethers. Make yourself available by contacting these groups
and offering to talk about your area of expertise.
11. GIVE A FREE DEMONSTRATION -If possible, give free demonstrations of your product or service to those that
might be interested. Follow-up with these prospects in a timely manner to
attempt sales conversion.
12. DISTRIBUTE SAMPLES-If possible, get samples into the hands of people who may be potential
customers. People like to try before they buy.
13. DISTRIBUTE INFORMATIVE
LITERATURE-
Make sure that you get your product benefits, features and ideas into the
hands of your prospects. If people don't know what you have, how can they make
a decision to purchase it?
14. USE THE TELEPHONE-The telephone can be one of your most effective, and least expensive, sales
tools. Call people who you would like to do business with. Ask for a few
minutes of their time so you can show them how your services can help them
save time, cut costs, increase sales, etc.
15. GENERATE REFERRALS-Referrals are a great way to generate new business. Don't just wait for people
to refer you. Proactively ask for referrals from existing customers,
acquaintances, family and friends. Don't forget to graciously thank anybody
who refers your business to someone.
16. HAVE FUN-Frustration and stress will slow you down. You will succeed far better when
you're doing something that you love.
17. TALK TO YOUR CUSTOMERS ABOUT
THEM AND THEIR NEEDS-Most company publications, ads, letters and sales literature are filled with
words, photographs and information that do nothing more than toot the
company's horn. Talk about your customers needs instead. Rather than using the
words, "I," "me," "my," use "you" and
"your."
18. DEVELOP CUSTOMER-ORIENTED
RELATIONSHIPS-Take an interest in your prospects and customers. Send them helpful articles
that you think would interest them. If you know of an event that your prospect
or customer will be celebrating, such as an anniversary or birthday, send them
a card or small gift. They will appreciate your generosity and will think of
you when they need your service, or if they know someone else who may need
your service.
19. TELL YOUR PROSPECTS AND
CUSTOMERS WHAT TO DO-Getting your message into the marketplace is important, but getting
prospects/customers to respond is the real test. Tell your prospects exactly
what you want them to do next (e.g. call for your free brochure, drop your
reply card in the mail, etc.)
20. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF TESTIMONIALS-Whenever an existing or potential customer says something positive about your
company, ask them if you could use their statement in your marketing
materials. Your company's credibility will increase with the use of
testimonials from happy customers. Exit surveys or testimonials
21. MAKE IT EASY FOR PEOPLE TO DO
BUSINESS WITH YOU-Your customer is not going to work for you. You have to work for them. Do
anything you can to make doing business with your company easy and a pleasure.
(See #16)
22. CONTENT FIRST, FORM SECOND-When developing your sales materials and literature, spend less time worrying
about the graphics and colors, and more time working on the content -- what's
in it for your customers. As long as your message is enticing, black ink on
white paper could work just as effectively as expensive four-color materials.
23. GIVE TO GET-There's an old saying, "You can get everything you want, by helping
enough people get what they want." Listen carefully to your prospects and
customers so you'll know exactly what they want and be generous in your
offers. That way you'll be sure to reap the maximum rewards.
24. LEARN A NEW TECHNIQUE EVERY DAY-Read, go to seminars, listen to audio tapes. Continuously improving your sales
and marketing skills will help you to increase your sales and profits.
25. ASSOCIATE WITH POSITIVE,
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE-Talking to and learning from people who are always striving for and meeting
their goals, will help you commit to and achieve your own objectives.
26. BELIEVE IN THE PRODUCT OR
SERVICE YOU SELL-If you don't believe in the quality and benefits of your product and service,
your prospects won't either. Present the benefits of your product/service with
confidence and enthusiasm.
27. FOCUS ON THE LIFETIME VALUE OF
YOUR CUSTOMERS-Don't focus on generating one-time customers. Build a relationship so that a
prospect becomes a repeat, lifetime customer.
28. LEARN FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS
EXPERIENCE -Marketing is an important skill based on both knowledge and experience. The
fastest way to gain that knowledge is to find someone who knows what works and
has done it successfully. Ask about his or her specific experience in
generating marketing results, as well as references, or testimonials.
Reasonably priced marketing materials, like books, courses, workbooks,
newsletters, audio cassettes, etc. can be excellent resources, that allow you
to learn and apply effective marketing systems at your own pace.
Web Site a Marketing Hub
However, a less considered but equally important factor is
your viewing audience. Disregarding your audience results in the
problem of "selling air conditioners to Eskimos." It
just doesn't generate much interest. A reader who has no
interest in your advertising material is not part of a qualified
audience" and is not a potential customer.
Classified ads placed in the appropriate section for your
product will naturally draw a qualified audience of potential
customers. Ad placement within the section is the single most
important factor determining whether or not your ad is seen
within the section. Secondly, the content of your ad will
determine which (and if) potential customers do in fact actually
read your ad. When placing classified ads on the web some rules
of thumb are:
1) Choose classifieds that have the largest number of
ads because, this is generally a good indicator of how much
reader traffic there will be for your classified.
2) Determine how the ads are ranked or sorted within
the sections and attempt to be listed at or near the top.
Develop reader stopping ad content.
DESIGNING AN AWESOME CLASSIFIED
The four essential ingredients of an awesome classified are:
ATTENTION - INTEREST - DESIRE -
ACTION
If your ad is missing any of these it is not an AWESOME Ad!
ATTENTION: You must first
get the readers attention. Picture him scanning the section of
the classified page in which your ad is listed. For him or her
it is much like which ride at the amusement park to take next.
Something about your ad must grab their attention, to directs
their focus toward your product.
Since classified ads usually lack graphics, it then comes down
to something about the words you use, or about the way you use
them. Some web advertisers seem to think that if you use lots of
!!! (exclamation marks)or *** (asterisks) or maybe MAKE IT ALL
CAPS that this will draw their attention. The problem here is
that:
Everyone knows it's glitter and meant to get your attention.
This may often interfere with the readers ability to take your
words seriously. Subconsciously he may even expect your ad to be
some kind of gimmick. Right or wrong, stereotype or not, my
advise is let your words speak for themselves and steer clear of
such tactics. We will discuss guidelines for choosing the right
words later.
INTEREST: The ad must have
appeal. This is a good place to state the benefits or some
attractive features of your product. Knowing the demographics of
your readers or the category section your ad is placed in, helps
in nderstanding their interests. What benefits of your product
or service is most likely to appeal to this group? Develop a
mental picture of some of the customers who would come from this
demographic group, and will buy your product. What kinds of jobs
do they have, cars do they drive... are they young, old, single,
married...
Having a mental picture of your audience is important when you
want to understand their interests and know what benefits of
your product you should spotlight.
DESIRE: But appealing to
their interest is not enough. The ad must then "further
stimulate your reader." While interest can generally be
obtained by the practical properties of your product, desire
needs sparking by a more emotional reaction. Is there something
about your product that will make them feel good, excited,
confident, secure, hoperul or powerful? Think about what other
emotions your product can ignite. Does your product appeal to a
particular sense. Can the reader taste, hear, smell, see or hear
your product. Realize that most actions which we take are
sparked by desire and most desire is stimulated by feelings. We
don't really desire money.
We desire the feelings that we think money will bring us,
whether they be happy, secure, or powerful. Yet, the word
"money" may trigger the desire that triggers the
feelings which we value and want to experience.
ACTION: If your reader
does not take action, then you are dead in the water. How do you
get your reader to act? Believe it or not this is the simplest
step. Simply use a directive. Psychologists tell us that when
given a directive (unless obviously harmful) our first instinct
is to comply. Turn to the person in the seat next to you, and in
a slightly commanding voice say, "give me your pen for a
minute"... chances are they will, and usually, without
question, for no other reason than "you told them to."
Don't say... "will you give me your pen for a minute"
because now they have to think, and if they have to think they
may refuse. In your ad simply say: "call this number
now", "email me for details", "go to our
website" etc. If the first three ingredients (attention,
interest, and desire) have been well done, and the reader is a
qualified customer.... they will most likely take the action you
direct them to take.
>WHAT TYPE OF AD SHOULD YOU USE
There are three ad types:
Qualified - Partially Qualified - and Blind
The qualified ad is specific and includes more detail about
the product you are selling. Some products lend themselves to
qualified ad content better than others. Hair pieces for men is
an example. If your product is particularly "person
dependent" use this type. Qualified ads will receive the
least response but more of the responses which are received will
result in sales.
The partially qualified ad offers a special benefit, such as
money or self- improvement. The readers have some idea of what
you are offering, but don't know the specifics. If they are
interested and desire your product they will follow your
directive and send for more info. If you know where a partially
qualified ad response comes from, you may be able to tailor your
response to increase the percent of resulting sales.
Blind ads offer only a few details, they are short, and bring
in the largest response. However, blind ads produce the lowest
percentage of actual orders per reponse, they are often answered
just out of curiosity.
ADDING WORD POWER TO YOUR CLASSIFIED AD
Some words are more powerful than others. Saying, your ad must
"spark your readers interest," is more powerful than
saying, your ad must "get the readers attention." Why?
because by using "spark," you can see something
igniting within the reader, flaming their interst, and sense
they are feeling some excitement. Yes, getting them to have
feelings about your words is what you want to accomplish. It is
the feelings that are attached to the words that give them
power. Look at the list of words below and see if you can
recognize the feelings behind the words, that give them power.
If you are haveing trouble finding power words to use in your
ad, it is probably because you are conce trating to hard on what
words you want to use instead of what sorts of feelings you want
the reader to feel. Decide on the feelings first and then
experiment with the words that best convey them.
Researchers at Yale University say that the twelve most
POWERFUL words in the English language are:1. DISCOVER 2. EASY
3. GUARANTEE 4. HEALTH
5. LOVE
6. MONEY 7. NEW 8. PROVEN 9. RESULTS 10 SAFETY 11. SAVE 12. YOU 13. FREE - ( I just had to add this one in ! )The above list contains the type of attention getting words
that you should try to include in your classified advertising ad
title. Scan a bunch of classifieds (as many as necessary),
picking out other such words from the title of the ads that
attracted your attention. Do this until you have a list of about
50 words. Try to pick out the individual words and not the
phrases. Phrases will come later. Keep this list at hand when
you are designing your classified ad. Glance at the list
occasionally while writing down possible titles for your ad. The
title is the most important part of the ad. You may need to
spend 90 percent of the time it takes to design your ad, just on
the title alone.
Now write down every word that you can possibly think of which
describes a particular feature or benefit of your product. What
do you always tell the customer about your product? Benefits -
benefits -benefits! Features - features- features!
Verbs and adjectives are great. Verbs because they show action
and adjectives because they are descriptive. Active and
descriptive words tend to have more enertia and cause us to
react with feelings.
Now let's put it all together and create a simple classified
car ad.
Want a Dependable Used Car that Looks Fantastic and Drives
Great? 1994 Olds Cutlass - low mileage - automatic transmission
- radio plays CD's -- tinted glass - factory air - great gas
mileage - So "cherry" people will stare with envy when
you drive by - Call today 555-5555 ask for Joe.
Well, this one I did quickly. Maybe you can make it better.
Anyway, now review the ad. Does the title grab the reader's
attention. Does the ad offer features or benefits of interest to
car buyers? Is some emotional desire created to further
stimulate the reader? Does the ad direct the reader's action?
Now go to it! Create your own awesome classified keeping the
above thoughts in mind. Review your ad and check to see that all
the important ingredients of a good ad are present. Find a
classifieds site on the web with plenty of ads in a category
related to your product. Get your ad listed first if you can.
And wait for the response. "If you are not getting
responses, then either change the title of the ad, change the
wording, or Advertise in more locations!
Take advantage of…"
"Stop missing…"
Reduce unwanted…"
Cut down on…"
If you're like me...
eyebrow raising
first rate
untouchable
I know you're
skeptical...
mint condition
hard hitting
legitimate
I'll personally
guarantee
only (no.) made
mind rocking
serious bids only
never been released
outrageous
limited edition
What if I told you...
authentic
revenue enhancing
shameless pleasure
This fact is verified
by...
autographed
sought after
star studded
I'm sure you heard.
hand made
breakneck speed
unbeatable offer
How anyone can...
free shipping
rare opportunity
collector's item
I have a confession
to make..
rare opportunity
Use these "proven" order pullers in your
ads! These words create Excitement, Curiosity , Motivation , and
above all Action !
When your writing your ad, be sure to refer to this list. Don't
just "blow through it"... look at it... think about it.
Think to yourself how you can incoporate these headlines, and
words into your own ad. Remember to test different headlines, and
be sure to measure your results. Keep fine tuning and testing to
maximize your results. Your ad is your lifeline to success !