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From the desk of Roy Furr, October 9th, 2008
Good sales approaches are rooted in psychology. Specifically, the psychology of the buyer.
Not, “How can we manipulate them to make them buy?”
But, “How can we map our sales process to our customer’s buying process?”
If you get this right, the sales process is simplified. You don’t have to work hard. And the customer doesn’t feel like they’ve been “sold to.” (A huge taboo for today’s savvy consumer.)
So…
Here’s an inside look into your customer’s mind, as they buy from you (or your competitor)…
And how you can map your sales process to your customer’s buying process… and…
Make more sales with less effort!
Step 1 of the buying process: Recognizing the need/want. Neither you or I will be happy about buying something (or even shopping for it) until we know we either need or want it. Neither will our customers. So, if your customer doesn’t know they need or want what you’re offering, the first step is to inform them of the benefits of what you offer. (Or, better yet, find a hungry mob who needs/wants what you’re offering and is ready to pay for it.) Then, once they’ve decided for themselves that this is a need/want they have, they can move into…
Step 2 of the buying process: Getting motivated to buy. Getting motivated to buy happens before buying happens. It’s when you hop in your car to go to the store. It’s when you actually start reading most of the copy in that long sales letter or advertisement. It’s when you look for the order form. But getting motivated doesn’t mean you’ll buy. It just means you’re going to start taking action leading toward the sale, which leads to…
Step 3 of the buying process: The “Do It” Decision. Now you’re in the store, item in hand, heading for the cash register. You’re filling out the order form. You’re calling the sales line. But you haven’t ordered yet. And a sale is a fickle thing. So getting here is no guarantee the sale will be closed, unless things proceed to…
Step 4 of the buying process: The Convincer. Even once you’ve made the “Do It” decision, you haven’t bought yet. You’re just trying the purchase on for size. You’re seeing if it fits you. If it does, the sale is made. If the purchase doesn’t fit you — even though you’ve already made a decision — you could easily back out. Even a mind that’s made up can be changed. But once you’ve been convinced, the sale is final as long as everything happens correctly in…
Step 5 of the buying process: Reassurance. So you recognized a need/want. You became motivated to shop. You found the right product. You convinced yourself (and others may have helped) that this is the right product for you. The decision is final. Maybe. As long as you can be reassured it was the right decision. At this point you may have already bought the item. But… The store does have a return policy. The mail order company does have a 60 day guarantee. So you have to know it was the right decision. You can be reassured by yourself. You can be reassured by the sales person. You can be reassured by your spouse, your friends, your family. But you have to be reassured or the sale isn’t final. Once you are reassured though, the sale is a done deal. You’ve concluded your buying process. The business has completed their sales process. And everything is good.
An important point to consider here is that cash can change hands at any point in this cycle. But the sale isn’t final until the customer has gone through the entire buying process.
And in any selling/buying situation any one of the steps may bleed into the next, or happen so quickly you think it got skipped. Not true. This process happens in every process where someone has to “buy into” an idea, or ownership.
It’s worth paying attention to. It’s worth knowing. It’s worth trying for yourself by integrating into your sales process. And then when you see the results you can send me a thank you card, reassured that this was the right strategy for you.
To your success,
Roy
Posted in Copywriting, Marketing, Persuasion, Sales | No Comments »
From the desk of Roy Furr, October 9th, 2008
From “Ten things Google has found to be true:”
3. Fast is better than slow
In search especially, people want what they want and they want it now. Google is constantly working to break their own speed records by giving users their search results even a fraction of a fraction of a second faster.
They tested networked PCs vs. powerhouse servers and found they could serve search results faster with the networked PCs. So they use networked PCs.
The old search algorithms were being pushed to their limits, so search couldn’t work any faster (or so said others). So Google re-wrote their search algorithms.
They’ve shaved every bit and byte and computer decision away until they’ve become a lean, mean, search-serving machine. And arguably the fastest search engine on the planet.
But how does this apply to your business?
First — how fast do customers get product after they order it?
I recently was given the choice between a couple places to buy a book and my deciding factor was based on shipping time. One gave a free upgrade to priority shipping, while the other shipped ground when you paid for ground.
Guess which one I chose…
That’s right — the one that delivered my book faster.
Look for ways to deliver your product faster — even, I’d argue, if it cuts slightly into your profits. It will build customer loyalty and increase the lifetime value of your customer.
Maybe all it takes is adding an overnight delivery option, that the customer can optionally pay for. The customers that want instant gratification will pay for this premium and be happy about it.
Some service businesses may have trouble figuring out exactly how to do this.
But think of this. Some auto mechanics offer an “oil change while you wait” vs. you having to drop off your car in the morning and pick it up at lunch or at the end of the day. Some even change your oil without you having to get out of your car. Which is more convenient? If the price is the same, which do you choose?
If you’re providing business consulting services, maybe you offer an on-site intensive session early in your relationship with a client. That way, you can give them actionable strategies they can start applying right away, while you go back to your office to develop a more thorough plan for their business.
Just use a little creativity and look at ways you can give the client or customer the gratification they need sooner.
It’s worth every ounce of effort.
Posted in Business, Entrepreneurship, Google Website Optimizer, Marketing, Philosophy of Google, Website Design | No Comments »
From the desk of Roy Furr, October 7th, 2008
I don’t know if you’re familiar with Seth Godin yet. He’s not necessarily who I’d go to if I have something very specific that I need done, like writing a sales letter. But when it comes to an overarching strategy for your business, he has one piece of input that will help you slaughter your competition.
“Be remarkable.”
Do what you do so well, that everyone will want to talk about you. They’ll talk about you to their business associates. They’ll talk about you to their friends. They’ll talk about you over lunch. They’ll talk about you in that “filler” conversation before and after meetings. They’ll talk. And talk. And talk.
Being remarkable — doing things in a way that people want to make remarks about what you’re doing — is what creates word of mouth. And that’s free advertising. Powerful free advertising. Because usually the person who is talking about you has built-in credibility with whoever they’re remarking about you to. This is a credibility you’ll never have through your advertising. And one of the only ways I’ve ever found to leverage this credibility is through doing exactly what Seth recommends — be remarkable.
Taking it one step further, I’d recommend you become Irrationally Committed to being remarkable.
Learn to recognize when you’re wrong… but when you’re right stick it out longer than anyone else has the guts (or irrationality) to do. Often that extra few days — or weeks, months, or even years — is the extra time that means the difference between another failure and a smashing success. It took years for Amazon.com to become profitable. Now if something’s available on Amazon I will often buy it there before I’ll buy it from anywhere else. That’s because Jeff Bezos and crew were irrationally committed to creating the Amazon machine.
There’s an endless stream of stories of entrepreneurs who came up with a remarkable product that fit a specific need (a need backed up by a teeming mob of hungry buyers)… and then they irrationally committed themselves to making that idea successful… and then most struggled through hard times long before they got their business in the black… until one day — after all their resources (emotional, financial, otherwise) were exhausted, they crossed the line… and now they run incredibly successful companies and lead their industry.
It’s not an exact formula for success. At the tactical level it gives you nothing. But as something to inform your entrepreneurial strategy — becoming irrationally committed to being remarkable can pay off in spades.
Posted in Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing | 3 Comments »
From the desk of Roy Furr, October 5th, 2008
I was talking to a friend recently who told me that there are only four steps a business needs to take if they want to be successful in today’s business climate.
It seemed like a bold claim. But as he went through them, it made a lot of sense.
Here are the steps he said you need to take to be successful today:
- Create a plan for your business. Include where you want to be in one year, three years, and five years. Make sure you include how you’re going to continue to find out what customers want and are willing to pay for, and how you’re going to bring it to them. Also, include a specific marketing plan for the different approaches you’re going to implement. Include both how to get new customers, and how to get the most value out of the customers you already have.
- Set up tracking systems to know how you’re doing. If you want to lose weight, a good strategy must include weighing yourself regularly. If you want to increase profits, you need to keep tabs on the cash coming in and going out of your business. Make sure you’re tracking the results of your marketing, and only running that which is profitable. Make sure you’re hitting your sales goals.
- Get ready for some changes. Breakthroughs require — almost by definition — new ways of thinking and new ways of doing things. Change can be difficult, but when it gets you closer to the success you dream of, you need to be ready to embrace it. And finally…
- If you can’t do this on your own, get someone to help. It can be a consultant or a new partner or employee. But it needs to be someone who can help you implement your plan, track the results, and accomplish your goals. Nobody makes great accomplishments without a great team, so you should recognize even as you bring in outside help that this is bringing you closer to your goals.
My friend said that if any business is willing to follow through on each of these four steps, they can be successful in even today’s business climate.
What do you think?
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From the desk of Roy Furr, October 2nd, 2008
Do you know the selling power of stories?
Here’s my personal experience — buying a used car.
When I was in college, I’d just totaled my previous car (icy Christmas Eve night and a huge snow pile blocking my view as I tried to cross a busy street). And I was out shopping for a new car.
I’d looked at a few options, but then I came on this pristine condition ‘78 Chevy Nomad van… with the U-shaped couch in the back that converted into a bed… yeah, I suppose that says something about me in college!
So I’m talking to the car dealer about it, and he could have just told me it was a good condition, single-owner vehicle.
But no…
He told me how it was owned by a trucker/Harley-Davidson fanatic who was in pain just to get rid of it. (After 20+ years his wife was making him get ditch it for a mini-van, of all things!)
And here’s how he loved that van.
He only used it 2 times a year. Once a year to drive with motorcycles in tow up to Sturgis, and once a year to drive with motorcycles in tow down to Daytona.
Every other day of the year, he kept it in an enclosed garage.
No wonder it had survived 20+ years in Nebraska with minimal rust!
No wonder it looked so damn good!
But that wasn’t all…
Whenever that van needed any work, he wouldn’t take it to some hack mechanic to get it fixed. As a long-haul trucker and Harley dude he knew how to work on vehicles. And he took care of all the maintenance — he kept it running smooth like the day they first took it home.
…
Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it. A lot better than good condition, single-owner vehicle.
Because… it had a story.
…
I bought that van. I loved that van. I no longer have the van. But I still remember its story (plus a few others I added to it — but that’s for another time).
How can you use story to multiply the selling power of your sales and marketing?
To your success,
- R
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From the desk of Roy Furr, September 26th, 2008
If you’re in Marketing or Advertising and you’re always looking for ways to promote your business, you should probably get good at this simple and effective way to get Free Advertising for your business.
Marketing Super-Guru Jay Abraham once said:
“If I had to start all over again, I’d get really good at ______.”
He was referring to this way to get Free Advertising for your business.
A colleague of mine was just telling me a story of a gym he helped get this type of Free Advertising. They’d been running other advertising, but only got 2 phone calls in 12 days. Once they were able to get in on some of this Free Advertising, they got 65 calls within 2 days and fully booked the class they were recruiting students for.
This Free Advertising is powerful — it floods you with results.
So what is it?
PR — Public Relations. Getting yourself in the newspaper, in magazines, on the radio, on talk shows, in highly-read blogs, in any media outlet where they’ll talk about your product in the editorial presentation.
Does regular advertising work? Sure, when it’s done well. (And I can show you how to do it well, including one secret that gets your advertising read as often as editorial.)
But the exciting thing about PR is one little spark can start a wildfire of coverage for your business. You’ll be deluged with inquiries and orders. (What do you think it’s worth for a company to get their product featured on Oprah?) And you don’t pay a dime.
What smart business man or business woman wouldn’t want that?
To your success,
Roy
P.S. — Want a steady stream of PR opportunities delivered to your inbox daily — for free? Check out this service: http://www.helpareporter.com. I subscribe — and so should you.
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From the desk of Roy Furr, September 3rd, 2008
I’ve been getting big into LinkedIn recently. And now I’ve created a group. It’s called Oregon Marketers Group, and it’s a way for marketers (particularly those interested in or practicing Direct Response) to connect.
Here’s a link:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=734447
If you’re in Oregon and into marketing (Direct Response or otherwise) I encourage you to join. It’s free. And as it grows I see quite a few opportunities developing.
Here’s the complete description of the group on LinkedIn:
This group is a way for marketing and advertising professionals in Oregon to connect. It can be used to share information and insights, plan meetings, and find seminar attendees — even to find new clients and build business partnerships. Although no attendees will be excluded, the bias will be toward direct response marketing, advertising, and sales. Other interests include direct mail, copywriting, internet marketing, database marketing, and other proven business development techniques. The area covered by this group includes the Willamette Valley, Eugene, Springfield, Portland, Salem, Bend, Albany, Corvallis, Roseburg, Medford, Ashland, Coos Bay, Florence, and Newport and surrounding areas.
Go here to join:
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=734447
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From the desk of Roy Furr, August 18th, 2008
This is a business blog, and I usually talk about business. But not today. (Of course, it all loops back around to marketing.)
There are many ways to measure success and happiness in life.
Many ways other than how much money you earn or how much stuff you have. All these areas — good health, being socially engaged, growing spiritually, and also living in comfort and security — are important to do well in.
Take an integral approach — work on all areas, going for regular, incremental improvement. This all-around, “cross training” type of approach will get you further in each area than if you attacked each area one by one. And you’ll be happier.
In this vein, I’ll let you know…
I hit the gym somewhere between two and four times a week.
Right now I’m doing mostly body weight exercises grouped into super sets, followed by interval training. (Go to http://www.turbulencetraining.com to learn more about this approach.)
And this morning, I added something on top of that.
I found a really cool website that if you’re interested in feeling a little more fit and getting a great sense of accomplishment, you’ll want to check out. And best of all, it’s free.
It’s called “one hundred push ups” and it’s at http://www.hundredpushups.com.
It’s a program to take you… from where you’re at… to being able to do 100 push ups — in 6 weeks.
It won’t be easy (real change never is). But it’s a system that has worked before, and will work again — if you can follow the instructions. And stick to it.
But you do really care about being healthier, more fit, and more successful. Right?
And one way to do that is to set yourself to a task, and see it through. All the better if it involves some physical exertion, and pushing yourself beyond your boundaries.
You can prove to yourself that you’re capable of great things. Even if it’s something you haven’t done before.
Then your new found ability to do great things can transfer into other areas of your life. Like your business.
You don’t have to do “one hundred push ups.”
Not today. Not ever. But I do challenge you to think about where you’re at right now. And where you want to be.
And seriously consider whether doing something like “one hundred push ups” can take you from where you are now, to where you want to be.
And now a quick 180 degrees… to talk about marketing for a second.
http://www.hundredpushups.com is a great example of a micro site.
Micro sites can have many purposes.
This one looks like it’s mostly to make money off ad revenue (I don’t know for sure, I can just guess — I don’t know nor am I affiliated with the owner of the site).
Other micro sites can draw targeted traffic, prime it for the sale, and then drive it to your e-commerce website.
Or they can be purely informational — maybe with a “sponsored by” banner that builds good will toward your company.
No matter what you do for a micro site, be sure it’s incredibly focused on one specific topic.
And that first it’s helpful — long before it asks for any information or action on the part of your visitor. Giving away content like this can do wonders for long term profitability.
So even if you’re not going to go for the “one hundred push ups” mark, check out the website http://www.hundredpushups.com to learn what a micro site is and what it can do.
To your success (in all areas of your life!),
Roy
P.S. — I’m already pretty fit so I’m on the most advanced track of the “one hundred push ups” program. I’ll let you know how my “training” goes as I work through it.
The cool thing about that though is it doesn’t require you to be fit to start — you just have to start! It can take you from barely being able to eke out a couple push ups to being a push up superstar
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From the desk of Roy Furr, August 16th, 2008
From “Ten things Google has found to be true:”
2. It’s best to do one thing really, really well
As a business owner or internet marketer, when you think of Google you may have 5 or 10 of their different services run through your mind (Google Apps, AdWords, Analytics, Website Optimizer, Google Products/Google Base, etc.). But if you approach the general public, ask 100 people what Google is, and every answer will revolve around “Search.”
Since Google incorporated on September 7, 1998, they’ve been working to perfect search. (Even before that, too.)
They’ve put the best and brightest minds in computing on solving the search issue, to get more relevant results, faster. And even to this day, they’re changing how sites show up in the search results, to continue optimizing this process (remember “optimization” above?!).
They don’t rest on their laurels, even now that they’re completely dominating the search engine market (in terms of percent of searches conducted on their engine vs. competitors). They’re always working to make their search better.
By being the best at that, they can then introduce new, surrounding products into the marketplace. Products that provide a different type of value to the same users that come to their search engine every day.
They have instant credibility with these new products, because they’ve become known as such a behemoth in the search engine market. (And they know as long as they continue to apply their continuous optimization philosophy in these other fields — WITHOUT losing sight of their core mission of search — they’ll dominate there, too.)
So ask yourself — “What is the one thing my company (or I) does really, really well?”
And then — “What are we doing to become known in the marketplace for that one thing?”
And finally — “What can we do to increase the focus on that one thing in our communications, advertising, and media coverage, even if it means spending less time focusing on our additional products or services?”
It sounds counter-intuitive. But you can take Google as proof that it works.
Posted in Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Philosophy of Google, Website Design | No Comments »
From the desk of Roy Furr, August 9th, 2008
Have you ever wondered what the big difference is between advertising copywriters who write highly-effective ad after highly-effective ad, and those that can’t?
I obsess about these things — always trying to hone my craft.
From the language used… To the structure of persuasive communication… To design and formatting… I’m always looking for proven strategies and tactics to increase the response to my advertising.
And something dawned on me a few months back — something that you don’t find in most (if any) books and courses on copywriting and advertising.
The X-Factor Secret
to creating killer advertising
In fact, as soon as I discovered this “X-Factor Secret” A-List copywriters use to create bigger winners, more often, I wanted to shout it from the rooftops — or at least create an information product that would show you how to use this simple (but often overlooked) method to boost the response from your advertisements.
I may still write that product — but I’m going to reveal a huge chunk of the secret right here, and show you where you can get even more information on this unique skill for a mere pittance. (And without slaving over books trying to discover “hidden knowledge” that very few teachers of copywriting want to — or even know to — bring to the forefront.)
You see — before client projects and the wonderful busyness of summer made this project a temporary non-starter — I’d created a name for this unique skill…
“Method Copywriting”
I don’t know how much you know about “Method Acting” but a quick Wikipedia description of it may help:
Method acting is an acting technique in which actors try to replicate real life emotional conditions under which the character operates, in an effort to create a life-like, realistic performance. This is contrasted with a more abstracted, less involved style of acting in which the actor himself or herself remains an outside observer of the character he or she is portraying…
“The Method” was first popularized by the Group Theatre in New York City in the 1930s, and subsequently advanced by Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio in the 1940s and 50s. It was derived from Stanislavski’s ’system’, created by Konstantin Stanislavski, who pioneered similar ideas in his quest for “theatrical truth.” …
Strasberg’s students included many of America’s most famous actors of the latter half of the 20th century, including Montgomery Clift, Meryl Streep, Vic Morrow, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, James Dean, Dustin Hoffman, Marilyn Monroe, Jane Fonda, and many others.
In Stanislavski’s ’system’ the actor analyzes deeply the motivations and emotions of the character in order to personify him or her with psychological realism and emotional authenticity. Using the Method, an actor recalls emotions or reactions from his or her own life and uses them to identify with the character being portrayed.
These methods for getting inside the head of the character being portrayed lead to some of the most convincing, moving, and exciting portrayals in theater and film.
If only…
If only these methods could be applied to marketing and advertising — to write copy that leads to truckloads of checks being dropped off after you write and send out your ads.
Now you can make a bundle
using these methods
in your advertising
What I discovered — and later proved through using it in my advertising — was that if you intentionally and methodically put yourself inside the head of your prospect before you write your advertisement, you can sell to them more effectively.
Duh! … But how?
It’s actually more simple than you may think.
Before I tell you exactly how to do it, I want to point you to a book I found (after I’d convinced myself my idea was completely original) that investigates how some of the world’s top direct response geniuses use the “Method” to get inside the heads of their customers (before they even write a single word of copy) and get incredible response.
This exciting — vastly overlooked — book even breaks down ads and shows how this technique has been applied to create a number of different multi-million dollar businesses. It has 15 examples of companies that did this right and succeeded — and 3 that did it wrong with much less success.
The book that will make you
rethink your marketing
The book? It’s called Method Marketing by Denny Hatch — of “Target Marketing Magazine,” “Who’s Mailing What?,” and Million Dollar Mailing$ fame.
Hatch has a unique perspective into the industry — his company gets and looks at hundreds of pieces of direct mail every day. He has insight into how long a company keeps running a tracked, coded mailing (which is a good indicator of what’s profitable). He knows when companies are testing different mailings for a product or service. He analyzes what techniques the companies are using.
And he knows who knows direct mail, based on the longevity of their sales pitches, and of their company.
He’s used this knowledge — as well as the connections it’s fostered — to do case studies on a number of different direct response companies. A lot like Harvard’s “Case Method.”
It tells you what companies have done right and wrong, and lets you look at the results. You have a lot to learn about the way direct mail works, from looking inside these businesses. And from looking inside Hatch’s head.
The 7 Motivators that
Make Prospects Buy
(and how to use them to
create profitable advertising)
In Hatch’s research, he found 7 factors prospects continually use in their buying decisions. These factors were originally identified by direct marketing greats Bob Hacker and Axel Andersson — Hatch takes it to the next level and shows how some of the world’s best direct marketers have created a foundation for their company based on selling using one or two of these factors.
You can find similar success by identifying which of these factors influence your prospect’s decision making process — then getting into that state of mind through drawing on your past experiences — and writing a sales message targeted to that dominant factor.
The 7 “Method Marketing” buying factors are:
- Fear
- Greed
- Anger
- Guilt
- Exclusivity
- Flattery
- Salvation
Hatch gives an example (pages 11-12) of how each can be used:
The product I am marketing is a book club for very young children. The person who will be reading my copy is the parent of a very young child. If I were that parent, what would make me respond to this offer? What are my concerns? What are my fears? What is it about this offer that would represent salvation in terms of bringing up my child?
What would I respond to most eagerly — a terrific free premium or a great product? Guru Axel Andersson has said, “If you want to dramatically increase your response, dramatically improve your offer.”
Is the premium I am offering the best I can come up with? If one premium works well, won’t two work better?
At the same time, is the offer too good? Will it result in a lot of orders from tire kickers who have no intention of paying — those mail order shoppers consultant Bob Doscher disdainfully refers to as “premium bandits?”
What do I put on the envelope?
What is my lead for the letter?
- Is it flattery (”Because you are a smart parent…”)?
- Is it greed (”Yours Free when you respond…”)?
- Is it exclusivity (”This offer is limited to a very few truly caring parents…”)?
- Is it guilt (”If you don’t help your child acquire good reading skills, you will be party to a failure — in school and in life…”)?
- Is it salvation (”Now, be guaranteed your child will surge to the head of the class because reading is the key to success, and with your free books, your child will start to love reading…”)?
- Is it anger (”Will your child be one of those left to fall through the cracks in terms of reading skills because school systems have too many bureaucrats and not enough teachers…”)?
- Is it fear (”If your child fails to become a good reader, it can mean larger failures later on — in high school, in college, in life; will a failed child be able to take care of you in your old age?”)?
Go through this process. Figure out how these factors affect your prospect’s decision making process (some immensely, some not at all) then use that to create more effective marketing messages.
Do it right, and you’re getting about as close to reading your customer’s mind as possible. And your advertising will work like magic.
What about you? Do you use a process like this when you write your advertising — or any other communications? How has it worked for you? Weigh in below.
And if you’d like Hatch’s book — it’s been in and out of print recently, but you can go to his site at http://www.MethodMarketing.com for more information (including at least one free chapter you can read online).
Posted in Copywriting, Marketing, Persuasion | 5 Comments »
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