"How to Develop Above Average Advertising"
Just look at the advertising that's out there. It may be in prestigious magazines, high circulation newspapers, county wide radio or country-wide TV. But if it's ineffective advertising you wont get your sales.
I've looked at specialist SME magazines, like "EN" or "Talking Business" or "Mind YOur Own Business" and cut out the adverts in there thinking to write to the business owners to suggest some things that would help them produce Ads that work.
But I held back.
Do you know why?
The simple reason is that people settle. They settle for what they're getting. Yet they could get much more. Say the advert gets them 10 leads and 1 sale. Lets say that makes the ad break-even. They justify it by saying they're getting exposure.
Who wants exposure. You want sales don't you?
Wouldn't you prefer to run an Ad that get 15 leads and converts 2 or 30 leads and converts 5 to customers?
Unless you look seriously at how you're producing and running Ads you're not making the most of the money you're sinking into them.
Anyway. This blog really helps the busy business owner start to get to grips with writing Ads that work. It'll pay you to read it and apply some of the suggestions it gives.
Plus I'd recommend signing up to The Achiever's Edge (I'm an affiliate so make a commission on it but that's not the reason to sign-up!). The reason is that Peter Thompson who runs it interviews some really great people on it and "The Wizard of Ads" is one of them. I'm not exactly sure when the interview is due to be 'aired' but it's a good one (actually it's split over 2 months). But the Achiever's Edge is actually very useful for marketing and sales generally as it's on a CD so you get to fill the dead time commuting with useful information for your business. Even my 11 year old has enjoyed listening to some of the interviews we've heard over the years!
I've also written an article that explains more about branding and direct response advertising. To get a copy just leave me a comment and I'll send you a copy.
If you advertise just be aware that unless you use direct response advertising you're letting your money pour down the drains.
Scott has been wearing a name tag none-stop for almost 5 years.
Great going.
He also used to work for one of the hotels that's always touted as a world leader for customer service - the Ritz-Carlton. So he knows about customer service.
I've been on his email list for a while and I really like his approach to making sure you're approachable.
After all you want your staff to feel that they can come and talk to you. Surely you want your customers to talk to you too? You know telling you what they want and allowing you to resolve their issues for them?
In particular Scott's article on th 9th September gives some great hints for those of us that network, under the helpful word "Here"!
The first thing to say is ... I hate flash.
Trying to get into the humorcafe site was orrible because of flash, yuk.
That said I loved the section titled "Keys To Business Success" on the blog.
It goes into what you should be doing to make it look as though you're working really hard.
I think I can include a few more...
1) Lets imagine you're at the drinks machine simply standing staring at the rubber plant next to it. Picture one of your execs starting to walk near you. Immediately adopt a seriously thoughful expression so they think you've just popped out of your chair to think through a seriously knotty problem.
2) When you're in your car switch your mobile to immediate answer so that it seems as though you're on calls all the way through your journey.
3) When you go to lunch take a manual with you and leave it open at an appropriately complex page, preferably with ridiculously complicated diagrams. Then if an exec wanders past look intently and say "aha" and they'll think you've worked so hard you've invented the cure for the common cold.
4) Interestingly I saw this one demonstrated: Prop your head in your hand, make sure your writing hand has a pen it it. Then go to sleep. From a distance and in fact quite close by it looks as though you're working. Particularly if you've a slight tremor as the pen moves like you're writing. Someone showed me a gentleman doing this and we stood right behind him and then looked right into his face and there he was fast asleep! We'd actually been talking quite loud directly behind him too. Talk about dedication.
The first thing to say is ... I hate flash.
Trying to get into the humorcafe site was orrible because of flash, yuk.
That said I loved the section titled "Keys To Business Success" on the blog.
It goes into what you should be doing to make it look as though you're working really hard.
I think I can include a few more...
1) Lets imagine you're at the drinks machine simply standing staring at the rubber plant next to it. Picture one of your execs starting to walk near you. Immediately adopt a seriously thoughful expression so they think you've just popped out of your chair to think through a seriously knotty problem.
2) When you're in your car switch your mobile to immediate answer so that it seems as though you're on calls all the way through your journey.
3) When you go to lunch take a manual with you and leave it open at an appropriately complex page, preferably with ridiculously complicated diagrams. Then if an exec wanders past look intently and say "aha" and they'll think you've worked so hard you've invented the cure for the common cold.
4) Interestingly I saw this one demonstrated: Prop your head in your hand, make sure your writing hand has a pen it it. Then go to sleep. From a distance and in fact quite close by it looks as though you're working. Particularly if you've a slight tremor as the pen moves like you're writing. Someone showed me a gentleman doing this and we stood right behind him and then looked right into his face and there he was fast asleep! We'd actually been talking quite loud directly behind him too. Talk about dedication.
As a top achiever you know you've got to use your whole life effectively.
The article I've written on my other blog applies even more to achievers.
You pack so much into your life you need to make sure that it's all appropriate stuff.
I've got a HP IPAQ for my diary, taking notes and reviewing email on the move.
But I use a notebook and pen for notes because I know that's more effective than using the IPAQ.
It's a choice you've got to take it.
That's one of the reasons I started using Achievers Edge because I knew it would enable me to find more effective ways of working, of getting business and of being entertained too!
Has it?
Well when I started getting it (7 years ago) my earnings were around £24,000. In my last job before starting my business (19 months ago) my earnings had leapt to £68,000 plus £3,000 in benefits. And I'm still getting it now and it's still helping!
Try out Achievers Edge for yourself and let me know what you think.
For those who've read this blog before you'll probably know that I rate Gary Halbert as one of the world's best copywriters.
He writes an ad-hoc newsletter that he used to charge megabucks for but which he now gives away free.
His site contains letters for the past few years.
His Boron letters are brilliant and merit close attention if you feel you want to write your own copy one day.
But the reason I've highlighted his letter today is that I'm completely gobsmacked about what he has to say about the one organisation that should be getting our donations for Hurricane Katrina relief.
See his letter to be as amazed as I was.
I'm particularly impressed as this organisation is usually the butt of a lot of jokes.
Go check it out - I know you'll be amazed too
The interviews that Peter does with his guests on Achievers Edge are very illuminating.
One of the bonus interviews that you get for your £1.00 is with the Direct Marketing legend Ted Nicholas.
Ted Nicholas on Headlines: "The Ultimate Tax Shelter" headline sold 200,000 copies of Ted's book. He also says that testing is key. Because without testing you don't know what pulls best.
About Brochures: Don't have 'me messages' in a prominent place on letters and brochure.
Talking Benefits: need to lead with the best benefits and Ted gives the real reason why we buy! He also explains his 'ice cream cone' method of helping customers to buy from him.
At last.
I discovered exactly what I'd done wrong during my upload for the quick page of information web site at www.topachiever.co.uk
So the site is now up.
I'm currently seeing whether anyone will come across iit before sending messages to the Search engines about it.
Take a look it's at www.topachiever.co.uk let me know what you think.
maybe you'd like to know the reason I started this blog?
After all it's Peter Thomson who runs the Achiever's Edge series.
The reason is that Peter's series has helped me improve my career and business. I've been so impressed that I've told everyone I know - including those I coach too.
The Achievers Edge
I've been a member of a club called the Achiever's Edge. It's an audio series that has been around for 7 years. Well before the podding craze started.
For those who don't know it's a business audio series that's available on CD and has it's own members sites with yet more goodies.
I started with it 7 years ago and each month since then I've received it through the post.
What does it do?
It provides me with tips and techniques on sales growth, marketing, interviews with famous people. Including Sir John Harvey Jones, Richard Bandler (co-founder of NLP) and one of my favourite marketing people Ted Nicholas.
I'm setting up this blog so that I can comment on some of the stuff that comes through each month.
Also at the moment if you go to Achievers Edge web site you can sign up and gets lots of goodies for just £1.
Goodies include several interview downloads. The interviews are with Richard Bandler, Ted Nicholas and Robert Cialdini.
Go take a look and I'll be updating the blog with a post about the audios as we go along.
If you have any comments about the stuff you get let me know.
