Ultimate Work At Home Dads &#187; direct response marketing

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Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and marketing-success coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and direct-response marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, and Facebook applications. Visit his blog at http://bit.ly/24eYTO to learn more about his successes.

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Fallacies of Marketing

056 The Invisible Touch – The Blue Fox Revisited

052 The Invisible Touch – What's Too Much In A Name?

Charlie Seymour Jr — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:04:49 +0000

The Second Key: Brand

Harry Beckwith and I will disagree on this one (but I have a feeling it's because I'm thinking about the entrepreneur who uses direct response marketing and not the large company with advertising dollars to burn).

Do you remember what IBM stands for? Sure: International Business Machines… but the company IBM stands for MUCH more than that these days.

How about Apple: that USED to be Apple Computer but when the iPod and all the other "i" products hit the marketing, taking out the "Computer" part of the name made a lot of sense.

How about FedEx – Sure, that was Federal Express: "When it absolutely, positively has to get there overnight." That phrase MADE that company!

How about PCS?

OK… so that one is unfair: that is The Players Club of Swarthmore. They have now added Theater to the end (because some people thought they might be playing cards instead of producing stage shows) so it's either The Players Club of Swarthmore Theater OR PCSTheater (or PCSTheater.org).

For you see, PCS doesn't have the millions of dollars in advertising to build the brand the way Apple, FedEx, and IBM have done.

Small companies never do.

So while keeping a company name short and memorable is nice, sometimes it can work against you when people have NO idea what the name means!

Here's another one that I worked for: Jackson-Cross Company. In Philadelphia, PA USA, that was the name of a large commercial real estate firm. People forgot about Mr. Jackson and Mr. Cross, they just knew those of us who were successful in sales, leasing, management, appraisal – so WE were the company they thought about. Outside the region, the name meant little or nothing. But again, this firm didn't have millions to spend on institutional advertising.

So take this one lesson away – Give your company a name and then build up what the name MEANS. If the words themselves can mean something about what you do: GREAT. If not, know you have some work ahead of you!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

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Fallacies of Marketing

052 The Invisible Touch – What's Too Much In A Name?

049 The Invisible Touch – Ordinary Name, Ordinary Company

Charlie Seymour Jr — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:12:52 +0000

The Second Key: Brand

Take the Sunday newspaper in your area, open to the real estate section, hold it at arm's length, and squint just a bit so the page blurs.

What do you see?

Everything looks exactly the same, right? NOTHING stands out.

We need to stand out. What we DO needs to be different, the way we approach our marketing needs to be different, and our company name need to be different.

OK… I can hear you now: what about IBM or Dell… THOSE names aren't different, extraordinary, unusual.

You're right: but they have millions of dollars in institutional advertising to throw at the public to get their name known.

Don't let your company name be CONFUSING or funny or childish… but set yourself apart from others.

Think what it takes to set you apart, to get people to notice you, to get them to remember your name.

Then hold it out at arms length to be sure it's different, interesting, catchy.

"You can't tell a book by its cover," people often say… and that's because that's EXACTLY what people do!

Be sure YOUR cover attracts people and keeps them paying attention to you.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

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Fallacies of Marketing

049 The Invisible Touch – Ordinary Name, Ordinary Company

044 The Invisible Touch – The Birth of One-Asset Companies

Charlie Seymour Jr — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:13:12 +0000

The Second Key: Brand

Above all materials in your company, Harry Beckwith argues that your Brand IS your company.

Without a quality brand, something that people can recognize, hold onto, feel the value right along with you, you have nothing.

He calls your company a One-Asset Company: your Brand is the asset.

And while I agree with that as far as it goes, and agree that people that work in our companies really are our most valuable asset, we also have to remember the one most-valuable-results asset: your clients and customers.

When you hear me say that what's most important is your LIST, that is what I mean.

All those people who have raised their hand to say they MIGHT be interested in what you and AND all those who have purchased from you: THAT'S where the real value is in your company when you finally decide to move on and sell the company.

It's not your computer nor reams of copy paper nor MP3 downloadables nor PDF books: If you lost all of that (knock on wood) but still had your customer/client/patient list, you could be up and running in a very short time.

While your business is your brand and you must consistently protect it, the value is in your LIST.

Remember both!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

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Fallacies of Marketing

043 The Invisible Touch – The Birth of One-Asset Companies

042 The Invisible Touch – The Wizard's Just A Little Old Man

Charlie Seymour Jr — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:11:59 +0000

The Second Key: Brand

Larger than life with smoke, mirrors, an image projected high above the crowd, The Wizard in the land of Oz created a false brand with the spin of the finest "handler" possible. And so did Bernie Madoff as he was bilking billions from individuals and large corporate and nonprofit funds.

And unfortunately, that's what lots of people think Branding is.

Creating a false image to show people what you WANT them to see.

But no – in fact you need to LIVE your brand for it to take off and serve you well.

Take Volvo and its brand of (somewhat boxy) safe cars.

State Farm Insurance and its "Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm Is There."

Take Apple and the fun that goes on in its stores and its image of innovation.

If people know you and your business, they already have an image in their mind about you: and THAT is your brand, like it or not.

So get out there, live your brand, live the image you want people to see, understand that HOW you do things and WHAT you do are vital to the image people retain of you and share with others.

Be true to it, honest with it, and transparent so people can see that it is real.

And THAT is a horse of a different color – the true brand that is YOU!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

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Fallacies of Marketing

042 The Invisible Touch – The Wizard's Just A Little Old Man

034 The Invisible Touch – But What About Walmart?

Charlie Seymour Jr — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:12:31 +0000

The First Key: Price

If you've read the posts leading to this one, I've already "spilled the beans" about Walmart.

Sam Walton and his heirs for generations have enjoy being the low-price alternative.

Walmart stores open and small stores close – some out of fear, some because they approach everything they do as a "commodity," and some because they were only "hanging on" with a few loyal customers who now finally abandon them for the big box store.

Though we all know Walmart now, what ever happened to:

Sears is struggling without a well-defined image; Kmart has been on the ropes for years; Target seems to be flourishing, but if it reduces itself to the "low-price seller (and cellar)" it too may go the way the others have gone.

And so might Walmart.

Seriously: ten years ago would you have predicted Sears's plight? Do you know that that really tall building in Chicago is NO LONGER the Sears Tower?

Having the lowest price is a death knell. Avoid it at all costs.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

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Let Me Learn About The Affiliate Program These Two Have So I Can Earn Some Money – I'll Click Here!

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Fallacies of Marketing

034 The Invisible Touch – But What About Walmart?

Marketing Lessons By Charles Seymour Jr – The Universe Model

Charlie Seymour Jr — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:45:37 +0000

Your own website is at the center but Facebook is VERY important!

People ask me HOW I do WHAT I do when it comes to Social Media Marketing, Online Marketing, Direct Response Marketing, Video Marketing and Email Marketing, and how I advise my consulting clients.

Here is a short video to show what I call the Universe Model of Marketing:

Surrounding the Sun are Planets that point into the Sun (like Facebook, Facebook Pages, Hubpages, YouTube, Forums, Other People's Websites.

And pointing to the Planets from even further away are the stars (and in this analogy, these are Twitter, Article Marketing, and Bookmarking Sites, to name a few)

Watch this short video as I show you WHAT and HOW I do my marketing!

Now YOU Can Learn How To Use Facebook MUCH Better!

Facebook is becoming more and more important. If you want to learn how I do what I do (and even more!), you should look at these free videos and pdf files presented by Robert Grant and Ian David Chapman. These two really Get It… and they're helping LOTS of people already (as their materials will show you).

If you want to tell other people about this (and make some money from your efforts), click here:

If you aren't interested in making money but you want to use Facebook better in your marketing, click here:

Charlie, Please Show Me How To Use Facebook Better Through Robert's and Ian's Materials – I'll Click Here To Learn:

Now's your chance – I can't guarantee this material will be available past the end of this week, so go take a look right now.

Learn how YOU can use Facebook to explode your marketing's growth!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog – I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting. Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog – Click HERE To See More!

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Charlie Seymour Jr is an entrepreneurial evangelist and marketing-success coach helping individuals and companies (up to $100MM) explode their success through online and direct-response marketing. He specializes in blogging, podcasting, photography, video, and Facebook applications. Visit his blog at Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog to learn more about his successes.

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Marketing Lessons By Charles Seymour Jr – The Universe Model

Marketing The Arts – Young People's Theatre Workshop

Charlie Seymour Jr — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:13:41 +0000

Theatre Fun For Young People From Grade School Through High School

Young People's Theatre Workshop, located outside of Philadelphia, PA USA, is a place where kids can learn, have fun, and meet their new best friends. Theatre, games, fun, music, excitement: it's all here under the guiding experience of loving and talented faculty.

YPTW is about learning about theatre while learning about ourselves. Children involved in theatre learn to use their imaginations, to celebrate differences, to reach out to an audience and to one another, and to gain self-confidence through taking risks. And the classes they take in the fall and spring and the fully-stage productions in the Winter (through 8th grade) and Spring (through 12 grade) prepare them for more theater activities AND (we feel confident) for life: many of the skills they learn (team work, self-expression, projection, speaking on their feet, etc) will serve them well throughout their lives.

Many of the YPTW staff members are certified teachers who spend Monday to Friday with children yet they all recognize that their time spent with these students is somehow different.

They get to watch these children grow over a period of years. Many students start with YPTW in grade school and stay through high school. Some even come back to teach or help backstage after graduation.

But even if a student's visit to YPTW is short, they will leave with a greater knowledge and appreciation of the theatre arts and perhaps of themselves.

And then see the top of my blog by clicking HERE! See how I approach my passions with this website.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

See The Full Series Of Videos For Into The Woods By Clicking Here:
Marketing The Arts – The Players Club of Swarthmore Presents
Into The Woods

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Marketing The Arts – Young People's Theatre Workshop

018 The Invisible Touch – The Fallacy of Bundling

Charlie Seymour Jr — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:15:12 +0000

Fallacies of Marketing

The distinction of what Bundling is needs to be clear here:

What I Do: When making proposals to consulting clients, I focus on Facebook (profile and Pages), WordPress, Twitter, video and video syndication sites, Hubpages, satellite blogs, bookmarking, article sites, and more. When I work as a photographer, I focus on the event photography (like a wedding, bar mitzvah, or family portrait), individually printed images, images on CD, etc.

What I Do NOT Do: I don't offer photography with my consulting, video with my photography, etc.

Bundling the way Harry Beckwith presents it here means don't become integrated across business lines (like a bank with an insurance company) and then offer both services: your staff won't know how to sell both, their past practices will keep them from being successful, and your clients will look to specialists in each area, rather than settling for a generalist.

For us entrepreneurs, this isn't such a big deal because we know to specialize and to stay focused. Some larger businesses seem to fall into the "bigger is better" trap, and then get themselves in trouble.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
Blogging, Podcasting, Consulting

The Invisible Touch – A Marketing Blog Series By Charles Seymour Jr
For The Index, Click Here!

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Fallacies of Marketing

018 The Invisible Touch – The Fallacy of Bundling

Icons and Slogans – Advertising Week Walk Of Fame Announced For 2009 – Vote For Your Favorite

Charlie Seymour Jr — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 19:27:27 +0000

You can still learn from institutional advertisers and still be a direct-response marketer

You've seen them, you love them (or hate them), and you recognize them because MILLIONS of dollars have been spent burning them into your brains.

Now, Advertising Week, the newspaper for institutional advertising, announces its 2009 Advertising Week Walk of Fame Candidates for Icons and Slogans.

Previous winners in the Icons Category include:

Geico Gecko, Juan Valdez, Colonel Sanders, Kool-Aid Man

Aflac Duck, M&M's Mr. Peanut, the Pillsbury Doughboy, and Tony the Tiger

Previous winners in the Slogan Category include:

"The few. The proud. The Marines." US Marine Corps

"We deliver for you." US Postal Service

"What can brown do for you?" UPS

"Imagination at work." GE

"When you care enough to send the very best." Hallmark

"Don't mess with Texas" State of Texas Dept of Transportation

"When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight." FedEx

"A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste" – United Negro College Fund

"Can You Hear Me Now" – Verizon

"Melts in your mouth, not in your hands." M&M's

"Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don't." Almond Joy, Mounds

"Where's the beef?" Wendy's

2009 Candidates Announced – Icons

Smokey Bear – US Forest Service

Vlasic Stork – Pinnacle Foods Group

Mr. Mucus – Mucinex

Snap, Crackle, Pop – Kellogg Co., Morning Food Division

Maytag Repairman – Whirlpool Corp, Maytag Home Appliances

MSN Butterfly

Subway Jared – Subway Corp

McGruff the Crime Dog – National Crime Prevention Council

Roaming Gnome – Travelocity

Test Man – Verizon Wireless

Michelin Man – Michelin North America

Ronald McDonald – McDonald's Corp

Toucan Sam – Kellogg Co

Budweiser Clydesdales – Anheuser-Busch Cos

Crash Test Dummies – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Keebler Elves – Kellogg Co.

Burger King – Burger King Corp.

Doublemint Twins – Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co.

Little Debbie – McKee Foods

AOL Running Man – AOL

California Raisins – California Raisin Advisory Board

Fruit of the Loom Guys – Fruit of the Loom

Big Boy – Big Boy Restaurants International

Captain Morgan – Diageo

Jolly Green Giant – General Mills

2009 Candidates Announced – Slogans

"Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there." State Farm

"Only you can prevent forest fires." US Forest Service

"Priceless." MasterCard

"Six Flags! More flags! More fun!" Six Flags

"Take a bite out of crime" National Crime Prevention Council

"These guys are good." PGA Tour

"Think outside the bun." Taco Bell

"This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs." Partnership for a Drug-Free America

"Time to make the donuts." Dunkin' Donuts

"Virginia is for lovers." Virginia State Tourism Office

"What happens here, stays here." Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority

"Have it your way." Burger King

"I love New York." New York State Dept of Economic Development

"I want my MTV." MTV

"Ideas for life." Panasonic

"If you see something, say something." New York Metropolitan Transit Authority

"I'm lovin' it." McDonald's

"Intel inside." Intel

"It's in the game." Electronic Arts

"All the news that's fit to print." The New York Times

"Because you're worth it." L'Oreal

"Friends don't let friends drive drunk." US Dept of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

"Give a hoot. Don't pollute." US Forest Service

"Got Milk?" California Milk Processor Board

What Can You Learn From These?

You don't have millions to spend on institutional advertising, so why do I even bring these up to you?

Because they're memorable (well, most of them are: "These guys are good" could apply to anything and "Ideas for life" really doesn't set the world on fire). Those you recognized immediately have worked. Those you recognized and knew what the PRODUCT or SERVICE was worked WELL. And those you knew the product, service, AND who sponsored it work VERY well.

Keep that in mind when building your own slogans or graphics to work with your materials.

Don't confuse SLOGANS with Unique Selling Propositions: "Time to make the donuts," "Think outside the bun," and "Virginia is for lovers" are NOT USPs. "When it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight" IS. "Melts in your mouth, not in your hands" is close.

Many people confuse coming up with a tagline or slogan as their whole "reason for being." It's not. You still need a powerful reason for existing… and perhaps a tagline/slogan can help get your message across quickly and easily.

Oh, and one more thing: repetition really DOES work! YOU get tired of your own materials MUCH faster than your prospects, clients, and customers do… so keep with it for a while: changing your look, statements, logos, slogans too quickly leave a prospect confused, and a "Confused Mind Always Says NO!"

By The Way… if you want to vote, go here: Advertising Week Walk of Fame Voting – Click Here!

To learn more, stay in touch with my blog – I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting. Charlie Seymour Jr's Blog – Click HERE To See More!

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.

VIDEO_020 Bill GlazerInPhilly.flv

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Icons and Slogans – Advertising Week Walk Of Fame Announced For 2009 – Vote For Your Favorite

Marketing Lessons – Contest: Help Bill Glazer Find Number 5 Of His Outrageously Effective Marketing Principals

Charlie Seymour Jr — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 21:07:27 +0000

Glazer-Kennedy Insiders Circle President Bill Glazer Visits Philadelphia, PA USA

Bill Glazer, one of the most celebrated direct response marketers in the world, visited the GKIC-Philly Chapter on September 9, 2009 to present his 10 Outrageously Effective Marketing Principals and share signed copies of his new book, Outrageous Advertising That's Outrageously Successful.

He spoke before a jammed crowd at a monthly meeting but this time the crowd swelled way past the group's normal meeting space at West Chester University's Business Campus and had to relocate to a ball room of a local country club.

But There Was A Problem With Bill's Presentation

Bill is known for his outrageous advertising… like when he was photographed in a straitjacket to emphasize that people thought he was CRAZY for offering so much for such a low price.

Or the time he was behind bars because you'd swear he was doing something illegal to keep his prices so low.

Or the time he was on a donkey and asked which one was the bigger ass (the animal for carrying Bill or Bill for offering such value at such a low cost).

But while his Recession-Busting presentation was superb, his math left something to be desired.

It wasn't so much a case of false advertising; it was a case of "Oops, how did that happen?"

Taking Notes For This Blog Post, I Discovered Bill's Mistake

Anyone who knows me (and all of you who come to this website) know(s) what a student I am of Bill Glazer and his business partner, the legendary Dan Kennedy.

(Did you ever hear the story that I was the drinking game when out for dinner with my family one night? Every time I'd say "marketing" or "Dan Kennedy," my family members took a drink. It took me 5 or 6 times before I realized what was happening… and that was all before dinner was served! Sometimes my family thinks I need a 12-Step Program to get me away from marketing!)

Bill Glazer signs his books for his fans

I listen to Bill at least once a month on a CD he sends to me. I read the monthly Gold Newsletter that is delivered to my door. I've read all of Dan's books (well, he's always writing them, so perhaps I missed one!). I've attended seminars where both have spoken. I live, eat, breathe, and dream about marketing.

I even gave the answer at last night's overflowing, crowded meeting when Bill asked about the most difficult part of creating a photograph with him dressed like Superman (answer: finding a phone booth – Superman would have NO place to change his clothes these days because phone booths are a thing of the past and a thing of museums. And that's where Bill found one – in a museum).

Help Bill Find Number Five

So… what was the mistake? Bill left out Principal #5 from his list.

"Where's number five," I asked as Bill advanced his Powerpoint presentation from four to six.

He backed up the presentation, and advanced it. Sure enough: NO number FIVE!

"I've given this presentation before and you're the first one to notice that I skipped number five," he said. Hey, Bill can admit when something's gone wrong and it wasn't earth-shattering… but we DID come for TEN and he only delivered NINE!

So I had a thought!

Let's help Bill find NUMBER FIVE!

Here's his list so you know what he presented last night (with my comments in parentheses after each title):

10 Outrageously Effective Marketing Principals

Your marketing piece isn't worth a damn if it doesn't get opened and read.

2. The Headline is the MOST Important part of your advertising material. (And forget your name at the top – it means no more to your prospect than if I wrote "Joe's Bar And Grill" at the top of one of MY pieces – Grab their attention and draw them in!)

3. Testimonials – what other people say about you is at least 10 times more believable than what you say about yourself. (I always tell clients to come up with at least TEN things they want said about themselves and then get their customers to say that about them. Too many people omit testimonials… and they are THAT important.)

4. Copy – What you write is Salesmanship in Print. Your Goal is to SELL something. (Forget white space – last time I looked it hadn't sold ANYTHING – it's what you WRITE or what you SAY (in a video) that sells and since YOU can't be there 24/7 the way your marketing materials can, you have to be sure you put it all out there for others to understand what you are offering.

5. (Oops… where IS this one?)

6. Deadlines: No Deadline, No Offer. Bill likes 2 weeks from the date of receiving the mailing as the LONGEST deadline – he REALLY likes 4 days. (Have you ever seen a coupon where the expiration date is in the fine print like the company giving it out was ashamed to say they have a deadline by which it must be used? THAT'S WHAT DRIVES THE DEAL! Put a significant deadline on ALL your marketing materials, make it compelling, and then TELL people!)

7. Photographs – Use photos and graphics to help you sell more easily. (If I told you in a marketing piece that Bill Glazer was crazy for his rock-bottom prices you might understand it. BUT… put a photograph with Bill in a straitjacket and now you REALLY think he's crazy!)

8. Premiums will typically increase response by up to 30%. (Premiums, freemiums, giveaways to increase the VALUE of what you are selling really increases the desire people have to purchase from you. Did you ever see the free calculator being given away with a newspaper subscription? Or how about a free copy of last year's Swim Suit Edition to get you to subscribe to Sports Illustrated? THOSE are premiums.)

9. Sequence – Follow up at least 3 times in order to double response. (People who send ONE letter, ONE email, ONE anything are leaving Big Bucks on the table. If something is worth marketing, it's worth creating a SERIES of pieces, phone calls, post cards, etc – some of us have 14, 17, or even more steps in our sales campaigns to be sure to get all those who are inclined to purchase to get out their credit card and send us some money.)

10. And his Big Secret: Use S & D Marketing. (Find what works in one industry and adapt it to work for you. The wheel has already been invented – now adapt it to work for you!)

Enter The Contest Now! Nine Is Good – TEN Is Better

OK… there was his list – WHAT is missing?

You decide.

And let's make this fun.

Write in the Comment Space below what YOU think Bill left off his list.

The Grand Prize Winner, as judged by me, will receive a free copy of Bill's new book (it costs $19.95 but the information is priceless!), Outrageous Advertising That's Outrageously Successful, as a gift from me simply because you gave the best answer. (As they say: no purchase required!)

Deadline To Enter: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 2:37 PM EDT

I've gotten to talk with Bill over the past few years. He's a great guy, has lots of terrific ideas, is a charmer, and dresses really well (must be a hold-over from this days in Menswear when he owned two of the best producing retail stores in Baltimore, MD USA).

Let's help Bill complete his list.

The FIRST PERSON to come up with the "best answer" (before the September 15, 2009 deadline) will win (OK… I had to say that in case two or more people say basically the same thing here!)

What do the REST of the people leaving comments get? The recognition from everyone who sees this post that YOU are really knowledgeable about marketing. The chance to show your web address. A chance to show your Twitter user name.

Go ahead and put your website address below your name when you leave a comment… also your Twitter user name – BUT… just know that any comment with 3 or more links won't show up here because my system is set up to close that down. (And keep your language clean too… I'd hate for my former Sunday School Teacher to read anything I wouldn't write myself.)

Now's Your Chance But Time Is Running Out! Leave A Comment NOW!

Enter now. Come back with another idea if something comes to you. But do it NOW so you will be eligible to win Bill's book and show the world what a great marketer you are.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: Do this now! You will NEVER come back to do it later (no matter what your brain tells you) and then you'll miss out on getting a free copy of Bill's terrific book and letting everyone know how smart you are in marketing. Deadline is Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 2:37 PM EDT (1:37 PM Central, 12:37 PM Mountain, 11:37 AM Pacific, and lord only knows what time in the rest of the world!). Leave us your thought about what Bill missed as Number Five and we'll let the world see what your through is. Who Knows: you might just get a new client from this AND people may follow you on Twitter!

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Marketing Lessons – Contest: Help Bill Glazer Find Number 5 Of His Outrageously Effective Marketing Principals

Marketing Lessons – Turkey and Havarti at Borders

Charlie Seymour Jr — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:43:47 +0000

Learn From Those Around You And Your Business Will Improve

There's a part of the brain that's called the Reticular Cortex. Here's how it work:

Do you know when you buy a new car and then you start to see the same car all over the roads? Did other people just buy the same car OR were they always there but you didn't notice them until you started to focus on them?

Right – the latter.

So… when you start to look for marketing lessons, you'll find them all around you.

And not those institutional ads you see many companies wasting their money on. I'm talking about direct response marketing ideas that you can use to make you some money.

Each week I go to Borders Books and Music near where I live (it's in Springfield, PA USA) (Read About My Borders Books and Music Here In My Piece Borders – Your Office Away From Home!) for what I call DPS Time – Dreaming, Planning, Scheming Time when I can work ON my businesses and not IN them. We spend so much time DOING but we need to spend more time thinking through what we want to do with them.

Recently I saw a marketing lesson I want to share. They are all around us if we will look.

At my local Borders recently there was a young woman (I'd say college age, comfortably dressed) walking away from the Seattle's Best counter with her drink and sandwich.

In the line waiting to order was a somewhat older woman: smartly pressed black pants over slow heeled boots, attractive blouse mostly covered by a black suit jacket, modest jewelry, nice red nail polish on well-groomed nails, and her hair looked like she just came from the salon.

Here was the interchange as the younger woman walked back to her table and stack of text books and laptop:

"Wow, what is that? It sure smells good," said the businesswoman.

"It's turkey and havarti. It's really good," replied the other woman.

"I'm really hungry – I think I'll get one."

That was it. Three lines. How many marketing lessons do you see there?

Let me suggest these:

1. We Sell What We Show. Having the sandwich right there (and in the display case) made it easy for each woman to purchase it.
2. Use As Many Senses As You Can. Notice the SMELL was one of the reasons the businesswoman wanted the sandwich, not just the appetizing appearance.
3. Price Wasn't A Factor. The businesswoman had made up her mind she wanted the sandwich before even asking for the price. She never asked the price (ok… so I didn't tell you that part) but even so, she had made up her mind when speaking with the younger woman.
4. Let others do the selling for you by using Testimonials. Even if the person behind the counter had said the exact same thing, the impact would not have been as great. Testimonials are KING (well, perhaps QUEEN in this case!).

Here are some other lessons that took place AFTER that exchange. And since I'm always coaching the people behind the counter I paid particular attention to find out what would happen next.

When the order for the sandwich was placed, here's what was said:

5. "Would you like a drink with that?" Ahhhh, the upsell… straight from the McDonald's Handbook ("Would you like fries with that?")
6. And pay attention here: just as the order was being rung up, the person behind the counter asked, "Would you like a cookie to take with you on the road?" You see, the sale had been made. What would one more small decision be? If the hungry businesswoman had been asked all these questions up front, she might have been overwhelmed, and we all should know that "a confused mind always says NO," so it's great that the person behind the counter waited. "Sure, that's fine."
7. Notice that the question about the cookie wasn't "would you like something else" or even worse (which is what I hear most of the time at other places), "Is that all." WHAT? Is the sales person tired? Does the sales person want to get rid of me? Isn't the salesperson there to find out "what I want and help me get it," so why do I hear "is that all" ever? But even "what else may I get you" isn't as good as a specific suggestion. Sure, it's still a close-end question, but at least this way the buyer has some idea of what the options are, rather than the very vague, "is there something else?"
8. And notice that NONE of this was institutional advertising. No "make them feel good" about what is going on. No "Frogs Drinking Beer" advertising (that's a phrase I've coined – Go here and click the audio player to learn more. Read About Frogs Drinking Beer Marketing Here!).

So… what else do YOU see going on here? Leave me a comment with the lessons YOU see here, ok?

To learn more, stay in touch here with my blog – I'll keep you informed so that YOU won't have to do the heavy lifting.

Best,

Charlie Seymour Jr
A Work At Home Dad since 1983, succeeding in this economy

PS: You can find me here:

PPS: Do you have trouble writing? Turn Your Words Into Gold – Go Here To Learn More! NOW is the time to start.