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Public Lead - 9694881 - Looking for a female voice for an audibook
9694881
I have several articles/reports that I want to record to audio in audio book format.
The reports are from 4 pages to 60 pages in length and I have attached a smaller sample report as an example.
I need to know what the example report would cost and also get an idea of what shorter and longer recordings would cost based on your rate structure.
Thanks!
Jun 23, 2006 16:51:19 (GMT -05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) Jun 26, 2006 00:00:00 (GMT -05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) No (click here to learn more about
)
Closed
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81
0 direct invitation(s) have been sent by the voice seeker resulting in 0 audition(s) and/or proposal(s) so far.
The reports are from 4 pages to 60 pages in length and I have attached a smaller sample report as an example.
I need to know what the example report would cost and also get an idea of what shorter and longer recordings would cost based on your rate structure.
Thanks!
Jun 23, 2006 16:51:19 (GMT -05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) Jun 26, 2006 00:00:00 (GMT -05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) No (click here to learn more about
)
Closed
81
81
0 direct invitation(s) have been sent by the voice seeker resulting in 0 audition(s) and/or proposal(s) so far.
Project Parameters
None
Fixed - USD USD 100 - 249
Promos
English - North American
Not defined
Young Adult Male OR Middle Age Male
Not defined
There are no special pre-, post-, or production requirements for this project.
Not defined
Not defined
No
Not defined
Script Details
Yes
SCRIPT PROVIDED FOR REFERENCE PRICE//
Legal Notices
While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, neither the
Author nor the Publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation
of the subject matter herein.
This publication is not intended for use as a source of legal or accounting advice. The Publisher
wants to stress that the information contained herein may be subject to varying state and/or local
laws or regulations. All users are advised to retain competent counsel to determine what state and/or
local laws or regulations may apply to the user’s particular situation or application of this
information.
The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes complete and total responsibility for the use of
these materials and information. The Author and Publisher assume no responsibility or liability
whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials, or the application or nonapplication
of the information contained herein. We do not guarantee any results you may or may
not experience as a result of following the recommendations or suggestions contained herein. You
must test everything for yourself.
Any perceived slights of specific people or organizations is unintentional.
Four Hot Marketing Strategies
That Can Flood Your Business
With Customers, No Matter
What Condition The
Economy Is In
The bottom line of all businesses is to make a profit. That’s
why a business exists in the first place. It sounds nice for someone
to say that the reason they’re in business is to help other people, or
to provide some needed service, but in the end the real bottom line
is that the business owner wants and needs to realize a profit on his
or her investment.
Profits are what drive businesses and allow them to provide
more goods and services, create more jobs and expand the
economy. Profits are what allow the philanthropist to continue
giving and providing relief and humanitarian service to others.
There are many factors that affect profits, not the least of which
is customers purchasing goods and services provided by the
business. Without customers making purchases, there simply
would not be a business.
If a business expects to remain in business for any length of
time, or to grow, the business owner must master the skill of
getting customers to do business with them.
That includes new customers… those with whom they have
never done business before; current or existing customers… those who patronize the business regularly; and past customers…those
who have done business before, but may have taken their business
elsewhere.
The process of getting people to do business with you is called
“marketing.” Unfortunately for many businesses, this process, as
critical as it is to the success of the business, is one of the tools
business owner’s least understand.
Marketing… effective marketing… the kind that produces
inquiries about your offer, adds customers and increases your
profits, is not just a matter of placing a couple of ads in the
newspaper or sending out some mailings.
And it’s not creating a beautiful brochure that describes the
company, the president and the products and services offered by
your business.
Results-producing marketing… the kind you want for your
business… is a combined and coordinated effort of a number of
factors.
But what about the economy? Doesn’t that have something to
do with how a business approaches marketing?
It certainly does, there’s no question about it. The economy,
and how it’s performing, does have a real impact on businesses and
how they should approach their marketing efforts. And here’s
where a lot of businesses get in trouble.
When the economy is down, most businesses stop, or
drastically slow down their marketing efforts.
Then, without new customers coming on board, existing
customers making repeat or additional purchases, and past
customers returning, the company’s business drops off even
further.
Fewer customers making purchases automatically translates
into less profits. Less profits, of course, means less available funds for marketing, and before you know it, a vicious cycle develops
with a downward trend.
When times are tough, is not the time to cut back on your
marketing efforts. Sure other businesses do it. But people still have
the need or the want for your products and services.
So, when other businesses are cutting back, that’s the ideal
time for you to forge ahead, and increase your marketing efforts.
It’s the one time you will have the least competition for your
customer’s attention.
On the other hand, when times are good… when the economy
is booming, good marketing… effective marketing, can blow the
socks off your competition.
Why?
Because your competition doesn’t understand the difference
between the marketing they’ve always used, and high-impact
marketing that’s accountable and that produces results. And if they
keep on doing the kind of marketing they’ve always done, and you
move on to more effective types of marketing, they don’t stand a
chance.
Marketing can consist of many forms. Some involve money,
some involve personnel and some involve a certain commitment of
time. Some work well in good economic times, and others work
better in a down economy.
Here are four good, useable marketing efforts that work well in
any economic climate. These strategies can be put to work in your
business today, and help move your business forward regardless of
the economy or your available financial resources.
Marketing Strategy #1
“Do what you do so well, that when others see you do
it, they want to see you do it again, and will
bring others to see you do it.”
That quote comes from Walt Disney. It was the strategy he
used for marketing Disneyland, and he said it could apply to any
business, regardless of what that business sold or offered.
Broken down to its individual components, it means this:
“Do what you do….” That’s what you do… not what anyone
else does. It’s important that you do the things you (or your
business) does the best. While it’s okay to emulate other successful
businesses and copy some of the traits that made them successful,
you should adopt those traits, add your own personality and adapt
them to your business.
Do what you do… “so well….” That means excellence…not
mediocrity. If you’re going to do something in business, do it with
excellence. No longer is it possible to maintain…long-term, a
competitive advantage because of your product or the price you
charge. We live in a “me-too” world, where your customers can
buy the same or very similar products to what you offer from any
number of other suppliers for the same or less money. You must do
what you do very well.
“…when others see you do it….” “Others” means your
customers…the people who buy your products and/or services.
When they see you do what you do (or buy what you sell, or deal
with your company)… they,“…want to see you do it again….” We call that, “repeat
business.” Your offer was so good, or the way you dealt with your
customers was so unique, that they want to come back for more…
to see you do it again. Not only that, but they will…
“…bring others to see you do it.” That’s called “referral
business.” When your customers like what you do and bring others
to experience it, that business costs you nothing in hard marketing
costs. It’s a result of word-of-mouth. It’s a personal endorsement
of your products or services from a satisfied user. That’s the
sincerest form of flattery, and the best form of advertising you can
get.
You’re not trying to “meet” your customer’s expectations…
you want to “exceed” them… to give them more than what they
expected. Similar products and services can all be expected to
perform in similar fashion. But when it comes to the attention, care
and service we receive, we all have our perceptions of what “good”
means.
Keep in your mind a balance scale. On one side of the scale
mentally put the dollar amount you charge for your products and
services.
On the other side of the scale, your service. Make sure that the
“service” of the scale always outweighs the “price” side. Be sure
you always give more service than the customer perceives they
should be getting from their transaction with you.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself that will help you
determine how well you’re doing:
• Do I offer the best quality product or service I possibly
can?
• What can I do to improve it?
• What is the best benefit to my customers that each of my
products or services have to offer?
• How can I better convey that to my customers?
• What can I offer my customer above and beyond the
product or service they purchased?
• Do my customers trust the advice and suggestions they get
from my staff, and do they feel comfortable dealing with
us?
• Why should they do business with my establishment
instead of any and all options they have, including doing
nothing?
• Would I purchase this product or service if I were in the
market for it?
• Would I purchase it from my company if I didn’t own, or
work for the company?
• Would I feel comfortable referring my friends, relatives
and associates to this company?
The answers to these questions can help you determine where
you need to make changes that will benefit both you and your
customers, and add substantially to your bottom line.
Marketing Strategy #2
Use the testimonials of other satisfied customers
to help presell your prospects.
Testimonials are one of the most powerful tools any business
owner can use, but also one of the most under-utilized.
Testimonials are not limited to any one type of advertising or
promotional media. Television ads, radio announcements,
newspaper layouts and infomercials all make use of testimonials.
Often, celebrities are used to promote certain products,
especially when national or large-scale exposure is involved, but
that’s not always necessary.
Your own clients are some of the best sources of endorsement
you could possibly want. Especially if they are known to those you
are marketing to, or if they have something else in common…
perhaps they live in the same town, have similar businesses, belong
to the same organization or association, etc.
There are really only three reasons people don’t buy from
you.
1. They have no use for your product or service.
2. They can’t afford your product or service.
3. You haven’t developed the level of trust, credibility, and
believability they need in you to do business with you.
There’s not much you can do if a prospect can’t use or pay for
your services. But there is a lot you can do to help wipe away the underlying layers of skepticism they bring to the relationship and
establish the trust level they need to say “Okay” to your offer.
People don’t like to be the first to do anything… especially if it
involves parting with their hard-earned money. And, they don’t
like to be manipulated. The sales world is full of hype and
promotion, and oftentimes, false and misleading promotion.
If your customer or prospect can see that others have done
what they are being asked to do, or that others are currently doing
it, they tend to feel more safe, and will be more likely to
participate. But you first have to relieve any nervousness they may
have of being “taken.”
Testimonials are not difficult to get. One of the most effective
ways is to send users of your products or services a questionnaire
or evaluation form that asks for their feedback on how they’ve
benefited from using the product or service.
The questions should be in “open-ended” form, and ask for
them to write their feelings about their experience with your
product or the service they received from you, and not just for
“yes” or “no” answers.
Another effective method is to call your clients on the
telephone and record the conversation (with their permission, of
course).
Then you can transcribe the parts you want to use, and send a
copy to them for their approval and authorization.
Often, after a brief warm up conversation, people will forget
the tape is running, open up and give you all kinds of good,
useable information that can be edited for use as a testimonial.
Using testimonials is one of the most effective ways you can
eliminate fear, increase the believability and credibility of your
offer, and add to the number of sales or inquiries to your
advertisements or promotions. Whatever you do, don’t overlook
this important and valuable tool!
Marketing Strategy #3
Build a database of current, past and prospective
customers and keep in touch on a regular basis.
Who are your current customers? Do you know? How do you
know? Do you have a record that shows who they are, what
products or services they regularly purchase, what their last
purchase was, when it was, and how often they make purchases
from you?
How do you know that the person you consider to be a
“current” customer isn’t, in fact, a “past” customer? When was the
last time he or she bought from you? Have they sent any referrals
to you lately? If so, who? If not, why not? Have they taken their
business down the street to a competitor? If so, to whom? And
why?
What about your prospective customers? Do you know who
they are? Have you developed an “Ideal Customer Profile” that
accurately describes who your best customers are so you’ll know
whom to target with your marketing efforts? Do you have a list of
them? Do you know how to reach them? Are you reaching them on
a regular basis?
The answers to these questions can give you valuable
information that can blast your business to never before dreamed
of heights.
By knowing exactly whom you have dealt with in the past, who
you currently deal with, and who you would like to deal with in the future can dramatically change your business, your profits and
your bottom line.
If you’re not currently using a computer to keep track of these
and other categories of customers, you should be. This database
can be the starting point of unbelievable profits!
Targeting your marketing efforts to the right people can make
or break your entire advertising or marketing campaign. And if
you’re a small business, you can’t afford to have that happen too
many times. It’ll drive you right out of business!
Keeping in touch with your customers…past, current and
prospective, is one of the best marketing tools you can employ. It
doesn’t have to be “hard-sell.” It can be as simple as any of the
following examples:
• Send birthday cards to your clients.
• Send postcards on the anniversary date of their first
purchase with you.
• Send a questionnaire asking for their evaluation of the
product or service they purchased, or feedback on how it
could be made better.
• Send an informational newsletter on a regular basis.
• Involve your customers in a contest or promotion…
perhaps a referral generating promotion.
• Sponsor client luncheons with guest speakers that address
subjects of interest to your clients. Have them bring a
friend.
• Send announcements of “preferred customer” sales or
events by special invitation. Include an invitation for
someone who is not one of your current customers.
Make your current customers feel special.
Make your past customers feel missed And make your prospective customers feel wanted.
Use your internal database to keep in touch with these groups of
customers. Let them all know how much you care, and how much
you appreciate their business, and this will take your business to
new levels faster than nearly any other method you can think of.
Marketing Strategy #4
Make all of your advertising efforts
“Direct-Response.”
Nearly every advertisement or promotion you see today is
what’s known as “institutional” or “image” advertising. That is, the
ads promote the image of a particular product, service or
institution.
Now, here’s a cold hard fact: People… your customers…
couldn’t care less about you or your image, your company or its
image, your sales quotas, or whether or not you’ll be in business
this time next month. Not, at least, until you show them how your
product or service can benefit them.
Image advertising may be okay for very large organizations
that just want to create or maintain name recognition in the
marketplace, but if you own a small or mid-size business, you most
likely can’t afford that luxury. You have to make every dollar you
spend on promotions count.
The best way to do that is with “direct-response” advertising.
This kind of advertising focuses on the customer or prospect, and
shows them how to solve their problems with your products or
services.
Direct-response advertising is designed to get your customers
or prospects to become emotionally involved and to take a certain
action… such as, call for more information, send in a response
card or make a direct purchase. With institutional ads, you have no way of knowing how
effective your ads are because you have no way of measuring how
many people respond to them.
So, you have no way of calculating the actual cost of the ad.
That’s not good.
On the other hand, because direct-response ads require a person
to take a specific action, they have an automatic built-in method of
measurement, and you can measure whether or not it is profitable
to run that ad again, or if it needs to be changed to be more
effective.
Direct-response ads can be integrated effectively into the
marketing efforts of nearly any business, and can take the form of
mail order, newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and telemarketing.
Each of the components of a direct-response ad can be
measured and tested separately so you can determine which
combination of headline, opening statement, body copy, offer,
guarantee, etc. works best.
Here are three simple, but not conclusive guidelines that can
help you get the most from your direct-response ads:
• Create an attention-getting, emotional-based, benefitoriented
headline.
• Start small and test each component separately. Only
increase the size of the ad gradually as you determine
which combinations work the best.
• Offer a free gift for responding. Make sure the offer has a
highly perceived value to the reader, listener or viewer.
Consider things such as special reports, free tapes,
booklets, introductory seminars or initial consultations.
Remember that the only reason you ever run an ad… any type
of ad, is to evoke an immediate and qualified response from your
customers or prospects.
You want and need this feedback, and you need it now, not six
months from now. How else are you going to know if you should
continue running this particular ad, or if you should change some
component of it?
You’re in business to make a profit, not just to tell others about
your wonderful products. Your ads have to work. They must work.
They must produce results that can be translated into dollars.
That’s the entire reason you run them. That’s the entire reason
you’re in business.
Change your advertising efforts from a cost into an
investment… a profitable investment with a measurable return, by
changing all your advertising and promotional efforts to directresponse.
It can ad significantly to your bottom line, and will be
one of the best moves you can make.
Conclusion
Effective marketing doesn’t have to be difficult to be
productive. But it must be done. If you fail to market, or if you
market ineffectively, you can’t expect to remain in business very
long, let alone grow your business.
With the tremendous increases in technology, and labor and
materials availability, more and more businesses are finding it
difficult to maintain any type of competitive advantage based only
on their products or prices. For your business to prosper and grow,
you need to aggressively engage in effective marketing practices.
If the products and services you offer to your customers and
prospects are really worthy of their hard-earned money… if they
really will provide a benefit to them… then you, as a business
owner, owe it to yourself, your employees, your suppliers and your
customers to learn as much as you can about the marketing
strategies that work in today’s competitive business environment.
You then have an obligation to see that as many people as
possible take advantage of the wonderful benefits your products
and services can provide for them.
And, you have an obligation to do it as cost-effectively as
possible so more people can afford them and so your business can
remain in business to serve even more people.
Now you’ve learned four strategies that can be implemented
immediately and help you get on the road to making your business
more successful and profitable.
Study them. Tailor them to fit your operation. Then apply
them. They won’t do you or anyone else any good unless you put
them to work.
Finally, learn all you can about results-producing, leadgeneration
marketing. Become a student. Apply the concepts and
strategies to your business, and watch it grow!
If, for some reason you don’t have the time or desire to learn
the latest marketing techniques, don’t just drop the ball. Your
business and your customers are too important.
Make sure you find a qualified consultant that can help you
analyze your business, decide which strategies will work best for
you, then set in motion a systematic plan that will help you
skyrocket your business to the next level.
These four strategies will start you on your way. Apply them
in your business, and your competition won’t stand a chance! Four Hot Marketing Strategies
That Can Flood Your Business
With Customers, No Matter
What Condition The
Economy Is In
The bottom line of all businesses is to make a profit. That’s
why a business exists in the first place. It sounds nice for someone
to say that the reason they’re in business is to help other people, or
to provide some needed service, but in the end the real bottom line
is that the business owner wants and needs to realize a profit on his
or her investment.
Profits are what drive businesses and allow them to provide
more goods and services, create more jobs and expand the
economy. Profits are what allow the philanthropist to continue
giving and providing relief and humanitarian service to others.
There are many factors that affect profits, not the least of which
is customers purchasing goods and services provided by the
business. Without customers making purchases, there simply
would not be a business.
Legal Notices
While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, neither the
Author nor the Publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation
of the subject matter herein.
This publication is not intended for use as a source of legal or accounting advice. The Publisher
wants to stress that the information contained herein may be subject to varying state and/or local
laws or regulations. All users are advised to retain competent counsel to determine what state and/or
local laws or regulations may apply to the user’s particular situation or application of this
information.
The purchaser or reader of this publication assumes complete and total responsibility for the use of
these materials and information. The Author and Publisher assume no responsibility or liability
whatsoever on the behalf of any purchaser or reader of these materials, or the application or nonapplication
of the information contained herein. We do not guarantee any results you may or may
not experience as a result of following the recommendations or suggestions contained herein. You
must test everything for yourself.
Any perceived slights of specific people or organizations is unintentional.
Four Hot Marketing Strategies
That Can Flood Your Business
With Customers, No Matter
What Condition The
Economy Is In
The bottom line of all businesses is to make a profit. That’s
why a business exists in the first place. It sounds nice for someone
to say that the reason they’re in business is to help other people, or
to provide some needed service, but in the end the real bottom line
is that the business owner wants and needs to realize a profit on his
or her investment.
Profits are what drive businesses and allow them to provide
more goods and services, create more jobs and expand the
economy. Profits are what allow the philanthropist to continue
giving and providing relief and humanitarian service to others.
There are many factors that affect profits, not the least of which
is customers purchasing goods and services provided by the
business. Without customers making purchases, there simply
would not be a business.
If a business expects to remain in business for any length of
time, or to grow, the business owner must master the skill of
getting customers to do business with them.
That includes new customers… those with whom they have
never done business before; current or existing customers… those who patronize the business regularly; and past customers…those
who have done business before, but may have taken their business
elsewhere.
The process of getting people to do business with you is called
“marketing.” Unfortunately for many businesses, this process, as
critical as it is to the success of the business, is one of the tools
business owner’s least understand.
Marketing… effective marketing… the kind that produces
inquiries about your offer, adds customers and increases your
profits, is not just a matter of placing a couple of ads in the
newspaper or sending out some mailings.
And it’s not creating a beautiful brochure that describes the
company, the president and the products and services offered by
your business.
Results-producing marketing… the kind you want for your
business… is a combined and coordinated effort of a number of
factors.
But what about the economy? Doesn’t that have something to
do with how a business approaches marketing?
It certainly does, there’s no question about it. The economy,
and how it’s performing, does have a real impact on businesses and
how they should approach their marketing efforts. And here’s
where a lot of businesses get in trouble.
When the economy is down, most businesses stop, or
drastically slow down their marketing efforts.
Then, without new customers coming on board, existing
customers making repeat or additional purchases, and past
customers returning, the company’s business drops off even
further.
Fewer customers making purchases automatically translates
into less profits. Less profits, of course, means less available funds for marketing, and before you know it, a vicious cycle develops
with a downward trend.
When times are tough, is not the time to cut back on your
marketing efforts. Sure other businesses do it. But people still have
the need or the want for your products and services.
So, when other businesses are cutting back, that’s the ideal
time for you to forge ahead, and increase your marketing efforts.
It’s the one time you will have the least competition for your
customer’s attention.
On the other hand, when times are good… when the economy
is booming, good marketing… effective marketing, can blow the
socks off your competition.
Why?
Because your competition doesn’t understand the difference
between the marketing they’ve always used, and high-impact
marketing that’s accountable and that produces results. And if they
keep on doing the kind of marketing they’ve always done, and you
move on to more effective types of marketing, they don’t stand a
chance.
Marketing can consist of many forms. Some involve money,
some involve personnel and some involve a certain commitment of
time. Some work well in good economic times, and others work
better in a down economy.
Here are four good, useable marketing efforts that work well in
any economic climate. These strategies can be put to work in your
business today, and help move your business forward regardless of
the economy or your available financial resources.
Marketing Strategy #1
“Do what you do so well, that when others see you do
it, they want to see you do it again, and will
bring others to see you do it.”
That quote comes from Walt Disney. It was the strategy he
used for marketing Disneyland, and he said it could apply to any
business, regardless of what that business sold or offered.
Broken down to its individual components, it means this:
“Do what you do….” That’s what you do… not what anyone
else does. It’s important that you do the things you (or your
business) does the best. While it’s okay to emulate other successful
businesses and copy some of the traits that made them successful,
you should adopt those traits, add your own personality and adapt
them to your business.
Do what you do… “so well….” That means excellence…not
mediocrity. If you’re going to do something in business, do it with
excellence. No longer is it possible to maintain…long-term, a
competitive advantage because of your product or the price you
charge. We live in a “me-too” world, where your customers can
buy the same or very similar products to what you offer from any
number of other suppliers for the same or less money. You must do
what you do very well.
“…when others see you do it….” “Others” means your
customers…the people who buy your products and/or services.
When they see you do what you do (or buy what you sell, or deal
with your company)… they,“…want to see you do it again….” We call that, “repeat
business.” Your offer was so good, or the way you dealt with your
customers was so unique, that they want to come back for more…
to see you do it again. Not only that, but they will…
“…bring others to see you do it.” That’s called “referral
business.” When your customers like what you do and bring others
to experience it, that business costs you nothing in hard marketing
costs. It’s a result of word-of-mouth. It’s a personal endorsement
of your products or services from a satisfied user. That’s the
sincerest form of flattery, and the best form of advertising you can
get.
You’re not trying to “meet” your customer’s expectations…
you want to “exceed” them… to give them more than what they
expected. Similar products and services can all be expected to
perform in similar fashion. But when it comes to the attention, care
and service we receive, we all have our perceptions of what “good”
means.
Keep in your mind a balance scale. On one side of the scale
mentally put the dollar amount you charge for your products and
services.
On the other side of the scale, your service. Make sure that the
“service” of the scale always outweighs the “price” side. Be sure
you always give more service than the customer perceives they
should be getting from their transaction with you.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself that will help you
determine how well you’re doing:
• Do I offer the best quality product or service I possibly
can?
• What can I do to improve it?
• What is the best benefit to my customers that each of my
products or services have to offer?
• How can I better convey that to my customers?
• What can I offer my customer above and beyond the
product or service they purchased?
• Do my customers trust the advice and suggestions they get
from my staff, and do they feel comfortable dealing with
us?
• Why should they do business with my establishment
instead of any and all options they have, including doing
nothing?
• Would I purchase this product or service if I were in the
market for it?
• Would I purchase it from my company if I didn’t own, or
work for the company?
• Would I feel comfortable referring my friends, relatives
and associates to this company?
The answers to these questions can help you determine where
you need to make changes that will benefit both you and your
customers, and add substantially to your bottom line.
Marketing Strategy #2
Use the testimonials of other satisfied customers
to help presell your prospects.
Testimonials are one of the most powerful tools any business
owner can use, but also one of the most under-utilized.
Testimonials are not limited to any one type of advertising or
promotional media. Television ads, radio announcements,
newspaper layouts and infomercials all make use of testimonials.
Often, celebrities are used to promote certain products,
especially when national or large-scale exposure is involved, but
that’s not always necessary.
Your own clients are some of the best sources of endorsement
you could possibly want. Especially if they are known to those you
are marketing to, or if they have something else in common…
perhaps they live in the same town, have similar businesses, belong
to the same organization or association, etc.
There are really only three reasons people don’t buy from
you.
1. They have no use for your product or service.
2. They can’t afford your product or service.
3. You haven’t developed the level of trust, credibility, and
believability they need in you to do business with you.
There’s not much you can do if a prospect can’t use or pay for
your services. But there is a lot you can do to help wipe away the underlying layers of skepticism they bring to the relationship and
establish the trust level they need to say “Okay” to your offer.
People don’t like to be the first to do anything… especially if it
involves parting with their hard-earned money. And, they don’t
like to be manipulated. The sales world is full of hype and
promotion, and oftentimes, false and misleading promotion.
If your customer or prospect can see that others have done
what they are being asked to do, or that others are currently doing
it, they tend to feel more safe, and will be more likely to
participate. But you first have to relieve any nervousness they may
have of being “taken.”
Testimonials are not difficult to get. One of the most effective
ways is to send users of your products or services a questionnaire
or evaluation form that asks for their feedback on how they’ve
benefited from using the product or service.
The questions should be in “open-ended” form, and ask for
them to write their feelings about their experience with your
product or the service they received from you, and not just for
“yes” or “no” answers.
Another effective method is to call your clients on the
telephone and record the conversation (with their permission, of
course).
Then you can transcribe the parts you want to use, and send a
copy to them for their approval and authorization.
Often, after a brief warm up conversation, people will forget
the tape is running, open up and give you all kinds of good,
useable information that can be edited for use as a testimonial.
Using testimonials is one of the most effective ways you can
eliminate fear, increase the believability and credibility of your
offer, and add to the number of sales or inquiries to your
advertisements or promotions. Whatever you do, don’t overlook
this important and valuable tool!
Marketing Strategy #3
Build a database of current, past and prospective
customers and keep in touch on a regular basis.
Who are your current customers? Do you know? How do you
know? Do you have a record that shows who they are, what
products or services they regularly purchase, what their last
purchase was, when it was, and how often they make purchases
from you?
How do you know that the person you consider to be a
“current” customer isn’t, in fact, a “past” customer? When was the
last time he or she bought from you? Have they sent any referrals
to you lately? If so, who? If not, why not? Have they taken their
business down the street to a competitor? If so, to whom? And
why?
What about your prospective customers? Do you know who
they are? Have you developed an “Ideal Customer Profile” that
accurately describes who your best customers are so you’ll know
whom to target with your marketing efforts? Do you have a list of
them? Do you know how to reach them? Are you reaching them on
a regular basis?
The answers to these questions can give you valuable
information that can blast your business to never before dreamed
of heights.
By knowing exactly whom you have dealt with in the past, who
you currently deal with, and who you would like to deal with in the future can dramatically change your business, your profits and
your bottom line.
If you’re not currently using a computer to keep track of these
and other categories of customers, you should be. This database
can be the starting point of unbelievable profits!
Targeting your marketing efforts to the right people can make
or break your entire advertising or marketing campaign. And if
you’re a small business, you can’t afford to have that happen too
many times. It’ll drive you right out of business!
Keeping in touch with your customers…past, current and
prospective, is one of the best marketing tools you can employ. It
doesn’t have to be “hard-sell.” It can be as simple as any of the
following examples:
• Send birthday cards to your clients.
• Send postcards on the anniversary date of their first
purchase with you.
• Send a questionnaire asking for their evaluation of the
product or service they purchased, or feedback on how it
could be made better.
• Send an informational newsletter on a regular basis.
• Involve your customers in a contest or promotion…
perhaps a referral generating promotion.
• Sponsor client luncheons with guest speakers that address
subjects of interest to your clients. Have them bring a
friend.
• Send announcements of “preferred customer” sales or
events by special invitation. Include an invitation for
someone who is not one of your current customers.
Make your current customers feel special.
Make your past customers feel missed And make your prospective customers feel wanted.
Use your internal database to keep in touch with these groups of
customers. Let them all know how much you care, and how much
you appreciate their business, and this will take your business to
new levels faster than nearly any other method you can think of.
Marketing Strategy #4
Make all of your advertising efforts
“Direct-Response.”
Nearly every advertisement or promotion you see today is
what’s known as “institutional” or “image” advertising. That is, the
ads promote the image of a particular product, service or
institution.
Now, here’s a cold hard fact: People… your customers…
couldn’t care less about you or your image, your company or its
image, your sales quotas, or whether or not you’ll be in business
this time next month. Not, at least, until you show them how your
product or service can benefit them.
Image advertising may be okay for very large organizations
that just want to create or maintain name recognition in the
marketplace, but if you own a small or mid-size business, you most
likely can’t afford that luxury. You have to make every dollar you
spend on promotions count.
The best way to do that is with “direct-response” advertising.
This kind of advertising focuses on the customer or prospect, and
shows them how to solve their problems with your products or
services.
Direct-response advertising is designed to get your customers
or prospects to become emotionally involved and to take a certain
action… such as, call for more information, send in a response
card or make a direct purchase. With institutional ads, you have no way of knowing how
effective your ads are because you have no way of measuring how
many people respond to them.
So, you have no way of calculating the actual cost of the ad.
That’s not good.
On the other hand, because direct-response ads require a person
to take a specific action, they have an automatic built-in method of
measurement, and you can measure whether or not it is profitable
to run that ad again, or if it needs to be changed to be more
effective.
Direct-response ads can be integrated effectively into the
marketing efforts of nearly any business, and can take the form of
mail order, newspapers, magazines, radio, TV and telemarketing.
Each of the components of a direct-response ad can be
measured and tested separately so you can determine which
combination of headline, opening statement, body copy, offer,
guarantee, etc. works best.
Here are three simple, but not conclusive guidelines that can
help you get the most from your direct-response ads:
• Create an attention-getting, emotional-based, benefitoriented
headline.
• Start small and test each component separately. Only
increase the size of the ad gradually as you determine
which combinations work the best.
• Offer a free gift for responding. Make sure the offer has a
highly perceived value to the reader, listener or viewer.
Consider things such as special reports, free tapes,
booklets, introductory seminars or initial consultations.
Remember that the only reason you ever run an ad… any type
of ad, is to evoke an immediate and qualified response from your
customers or prospects.
You want and need this feedback, and you need it now, not six
months from now. How else are you going to know if you should
continue running this particular ad, or if you should change some
component of it?
You’re in business to make a profit, not just to tell others about
your wonderful products. Your ads have to work. They must work.
They must produce results that can be translated into dollars.
That’s the entire reason you run them. That’s the entire reason
you’re in business.
Change your advertising efforts from a cost into an
investment… a profitable investment with a measurable return, by
changing all your advertising and promotional efforts to directresponse.
It can ad significantly to your bottom line, and will be
one of the best moves you can make.
Conclusion
Effective marketing doesn’t have to be difficult to be
productive. But it must be done. If you fail to market, or if you
market ineffectively, you can’t expect to remain in business very
long, let alone grow your business.
With the tremendous increases in technology, and labor and
materials availability, more and more businesses are finding it
difficult to maintain any type of competitive advantage based only
on their products or prices. For your business to prosper and grow,
you need to aggressively engage in effective marketing practices.
If the products and services you offer to your customers and
prospects are really worthy of their hard-earned money… if they
really will provide a benefit to them… then you, as a business
owner, owe it to yourself, your employees, your suppliers and your
customers to learn as much as you can about the marketing
strategies that work in today’s competitive business environment.
You then have an obligation to see that as many people as
possible take advantage of the wonderful benefits your products
and services can provide for them.
And, you have an obligation to do it as cost-effectively as
possible so more people can afford them and so your business can
remain in business to serve even more people.
Now you’ve learned four strategies that can be implemented
immediately and help you get on the road to making your business
more successful and profitable.
Study them. Tailor them to fit your operation. Then apply
them. They won’t do you or anyone else any good unless you put
them to work.
Finally, learn all you can about results-producing, leadgeneration
marketing. Become a student. Apply the concepts and
strategies to your business, and watch it grow!
If, for some reason you don’t have the time or desire to learn
the latest marketing techniques, don’t just drop the ball. Your
business and your customers are too important.
Make sure you find a qualified consultant that can help you
analyze your business, decide which strategies will work best for
you, then set in motion a systematic plan that will help you
skyrocket your business to the next level.
These four strategies will start you on your way. Apply them
in your business, and your competition won’t stand a chance! Four Hot Marketing Strategies
That Can Flood Your Business
With Customers, No Matter
What Condition The
Economy Is In
The bottom line of all businesses is to make a profit. That’s
why a business exists in the first place. It sounds nice for someone
to say that the reason they’re in business is to help other people, or
to provide some needed service, but in the end the real bottom line
is that the business owner wants and needs to realize a profit on his
or her investment.
Profits are what drive businesses and allow them to provide
more goods and services, create more jobs and expand the
economy. Profits are what allow the philanthropist to continue
giving and providing relief and humanitarian service to others.
There are many factors that affect profits, not the least of which
is customers purchasing goods and services provided by the
business. Without customers making purchases, there simply
would not be a business.
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