What to do when a love-affair is over?

People will do anything to save a marriage except love each other. To save a romance there is a clear solution – do the things you did that sparked the romance. Just ask Clyde if he wants to take Shirley to the dance. “Naw, she already married me.” For many men the last dance they ever dance is at their wedding. The conquest has been made.

Such is the case with business. In romance we called the overt acts of patronage, dating. In business we call it marketing.

So when a business – any business of any type – finds clients are no longer responding the business has a couple of choices:

1. Be satisfied with where you are and trim your budget accordingly, awaiting a better day. It’s kind of a bunker mentality. Hunkering down and weathering the storm. That presupposes your competitors are doing the same. But, if they’re busy inventing and getting creative in how they attract new clients, when you finally awaken from your stupor, they’re so far ahead of you in creating business that you are now the dinosaur.

2. Close the business. Maybe you’re in the wrong profession, wrong business or have lost your desire or edge. Then time to close it down and try something else. Nothing wrong with that if you’ve lost the fire in your belly for this adventure. And if you’re a buggy whip maker and Henry Ford just drove by in his Model T then you can either find a sucker to buy your company or figure out a new market for buggy whips or sell off the assets and close it down.

3. Redeploy your assets. Do things better. Be smarter in how you attract customers and keep them. If you still have the passion, get going, but get going different from what you’re doing. If your advertising hasn’t been working, don’t do more of the same non-productive ads, try a new approach. It is a common sin in business for businesses under siege to hunker down and cut, and the first thing they cut is the sales and marketing force. Does that make any sense? Yes, if you are working in the “1. Be Satisfied” category. When business slows down NOW is the time to ramp up the marketing and advertising. Now is the time to get smart about it. Now is the time to try cost effective ads that attract customers.

One might ask, “Maybe it’s not my ad, maybe it is the magazine or other medium that I’ve been advertising.” Maybe. Examine the magazine for how they’ve been doing. For one magazine I consult with, Classical Singer, advertisers sometimes stop advertising because they’re not getting results. 

On many occasions I’ve had a chance to discuss the person’s advertising with them and it is very clear why they’re getting few results. Their advertising fails to address the needs of their customers or presents it in such a way as to make the reading of their ad not worth the time.

Here is one tell-tale sign of an ad that has little chance of working:

The ad is all about the advertiser and not the customer. Remember, your business must be about “them”, not “you.” Check out your headline. Does it say something like:

Manhattan School of Art complete with the neat logo and picture of the director

We have the best school of art in the world. Our teachers are prestigious and wonderful.

That ad is all about Manhattan and nothing about the customer. It says nothing about what is in it for the customer; nothing about how the product will make the life of the customer any better.

Change that one element and you’ll begin to notice a difference. 80% of the ads in Classical Singer make this mistake. Many are beautiful to look: a vision for the eyes but a famine for the soul.

People are inwardly begging to be led but they care about themselves, not you. No one cares who you are or what your product is, only what it will do for them. If you don’t OVERTLY and immediately address that, you have little chance of getting business.

To put some spark into your love affair with your customer, start talking about what they need and want. Your logo means nothing. Branding is not your problem. Bury the logo at the bottom. Put dramatic ways that will help your customer at the top. Once they get excited about how their life can be enhanced, they’ll dig deep to find out who can help them.

Don’t stop advertising in a magazine where other people are getting great results. Instead, follow some expert advice and start creating advertisements that speak to your customer, not to the art department.

Free -- turning the bad to good

FREE -- good for selling things, bad for paying your bills.

When I advise singers, I stress that they should never again sing for free. And they don't have to in order to make a living from their talent.

To folks of other skills and business the same advise applies. Don't give away your services. Ever.

Now, let me contradict that or at least set up the paradox.

In every business transaction one person has value that is traded to the other person for their value. When both parties get the value they want, a deal is made.

If a singer is asked to sing at a concert and the deal is, "we'll be staging the event and have many expenses so we can't afford to pay you so we hope you'll donate your performance," don't let the conversation end there.

Most singers figure if they don't accept the free job the organizer will just get someone else so they cower and accept.

Your position of advantage is lost but doesn't need to be.

Instead, when someone asks you to do something for free, listen and understand what they're asking and understand what their assets are. Then consider:
1. They asked you so that is a great compliment. They wanted you. Work that.
2. Their event has great value because people are trading their value to come to the event. They value the event and sacrifice their free time to come and in many cases are paying for their tickets.
3. Now is your greatest time of leverage and you must use it.

First, say, "I'd love to help you out and pleased you think so much of my talent that you would ask me above so many other singers." You are establishing your value.

Next, say, "Normally the market rate is at least $2,000 for such a performance but I understand your financial difficulties and would be happy to help you." You establish the value, again, for you, and set a dollar roof that they now must think about. You've also let them know that by asking for free they are saying they are not competent in their financial dealings. Be gentle, but make the reality point just a bit.

Now, come in for the opportunity and say, "Your audience must be some special people." Let them tout their abilities to attract people. Let them brag on what good people they know. Establish the value of the audience and you further increase your value for you are being asked to stand before them.

Then say, "I'd like to thank them personally for coming." Then proposed one or two of the following:
1. In all literature that goes out before or after the event a gracious note be included from you thanking people for coming and endorsing the event or cause or whatever. Your name and picture need to be reinforced in the consumer's mind.
2. Ask for the email addresses (that's the cheapest, but, mailing labels can be acceptable or something like unto them) of everyone that has been invited so you can send them a personal note after the event. They have a list of people that they've invited. You're asking that by you sharing, they'll share. Most organization will cooperate. Some will give you the list. Others will agree to print what you need at their expense and include it in their mailings. However it turns out, begin by asking for the entire list. You may get it.
3. Tell the organizer you'd like to offer all of their audience members a special price on your product (your book, your CD or DVD, your whatever), and offer that for each sale made you'll donate to the cause or give to the company. Give them a self interest in your advantage. They'll be far more likely to give if they're going to get.
4. Something else that you need.

At the very least make sure you get all of whatever you work out put into an email that you send to the organizer that states what the arrangement are going to be. Make it a Letter of Understanding and ask them to "if my understanding is consistent with yours please reply to this email that you agree."

Be sure to include in the letter a request that the organizers, on their letterhead will give you a stirring endorsement and positive evaluation of your abilities and contribution.

And yes, you will likely need to write that letter of recommendation. You send it as a sample. Some will use that to help them get around to writing their own, but in many, many cases they'll take the words you write and use them for their letter.

I recently had our sales agents and engineers meet with some of the world's largest corporations who are considering buying our transmission when the development finishes. In the end I had the agents ask each corporation to give us a Letter of Intent to do business. We wrote the letter and the agents gave it to them as a "sample of what we'd like." Sure enough, some used the letter almost word for word and others used it to see that what we were asking wasn't unreasonable and recrafted the letter in their own words. Either way we got great letters from huge companies positively commenting on our product and stating their desire to attain the product. That had a wonderful affect on our investors, our staff and future customers who are competitors of the people we met with.

What about those who brush you aside and won't give you anything? There are a very small number of people like that. To them I say, "Let me get this straight. You want me to give up my time and talent as a value to you but you're not willing to help me out in any significant way in return?" Most of the hard noses will reconsider. For those who don't, these are the words you must absolutely say..."No thank you." Walk away and don't look back. Literally. These kinds of people aren't worth dealing with. It will be a bad experience for you.

In the end, you must not sing or work for free. You must always receive significant value. It doesn't have to be money. In the examples above while money was not exchanged, you did get a list of names and rifle-shot exposure that would have cost you far more than the fee would have been.

If you've followed the other advise I've given in my books, you'll parlay those names into far more income because you now have a great many new people/customers to add to your house list so at your next concert or event or product launch you'll have people to invite who know you, have sales from your product, and have quotes or endorsements to add to your website and other promotional materials.

All because you refuse to do things for free.

How many words should an advertisement contain?

How many words should an advertisement contain?

When I throw that question out to groups, I hear some interesting first responses:
Groups of people hoping to create their first ads say: I never read long letters or ads with lots of words.

Groups of experienced marketers who really haven’t written an ad themselves, but have approved many say: That will depend on the media, the space available, and blah, blah, blah.

Groups of copywriters say: The longer the better. The more you write the more they bite.

To the amateurs I say: Be a little more humble. Just because you don’t think you’d respond, you have, in all likelihood, bought something after getting 700 words or more. Chances are, a short ad didn’t persuade you to buy.

To the marketing executives I say: Be a lot more humble. The space available is a function of your ability to sell. It also avoids the basic question.

To the copywriters I say: No. Nonsensical. You’re missing the point.

The point is to make a sale.

If you have limited space then you must have such a powerful message that it compels the potential buyers to seek information some place else. The remaining words of the sales pitch will be delivered there. One of the most successful ads ever, and the silliest, was in a classified ad in a New York City newspaper. It just said, “Send $1" and gave the address. Dollar bills flowed in. The kooks at the post office or some government bureau purported to protect people from themselves deemed it a con and shut the guy down, taking his money (and they put it in the government coffers as if it was better used or safer there). The space demanded he get pithy and he did. But the action required an address where the curious dupe thought he’d get more information on something bigger. On a less silly front, the lawn sign read, “I’ll pay cash for your home” and gave a phone number. Was the sale made? Nope. But the first person who tried that, supposedly in St. Louis, got swamped with phone calls. The ad worked – it achieved its objective.

Remember, the purpose of the headline is to drive the reader to the next sentence or action. The headline length can be a few words or many words. One headline I wrote was “When is a diet pill worth $135 a bottle... when it works.” That headline has been used over and over since I wrote it in the early 2000s. It’s a little long. I’ve used headlines twice that long. But, one of my most successful headlines was “We Don’t Sell Fish.” It had enough of a curiosity factor to make people want to read the next sentence. They did and we followed that with benefit after benefit for people to attend a one week course that cost them $3,000. Hundreds came.

That next sentence after the headline might be uttered over the phone, in an email, a twitter, a website or into the store where the rest of the advertisement takes place.

The length of the ad is strictly based upon its purpose. And you should only use enough words to accomplish that purpose. Not a word more or less.

Sometimes it takes many words. Remember, advertising is simply salesmanship in print (or on a another medium).

Determine your purpose and write as many words as it takes to close the sale. Don’t limit yourself when writing to the physical constraints of the ad space or cost. You’ll edit later. Get the message out there in a free flowing logical progression first. Don’t be constrained by what others will think either. Someone will always be there to utter the foolish words, “that’s too long.” No. It’s either effective or ineffective.

Steps to creating an Advertisement that Works

PS. After writing this I wondered if, when you read the blog, you might question whether or not this applies to what you're doing. It does. At least it applies in all of the ads I've created in the following areas: 1)non-profit fund raising; 2) construction and real estate development, US or abroad; 3)consumer goods like books, pearls, investment grade numismatics and philately, flags; 4)concerts, recital, stage productions, voice studios, compositions; 5)Internet and computer products; 6)educational courses (live, taped, printed); 7)franchises; 8)billion $ transmission project--currently nearing completion; 9) international tours; and 10) health and diet products. I left stuff out. But, in all of these, the following steps to creating an advertisement apply:

Now for the blog...
You have a new product or service. How do you get and keep clients?
1. Firmly establish in your mind the ideal customer’s profile.

2. Find one of those ideal customers and speak with them, face to face, about what you do. See what “turns them on.” Listen. Ask questions about what they would like. What would compel them to come to you for this service. What bothers them about the last product like yours they tried? What are the final results they want from you? Listen, ask, listen, ask and listen some more. Never tell them what they need or disagree with their expectations.

3. In a quiet, tranquil place and time, write that person a letter. Begin by saying, “You want _____ ... and you want ______ . Your goal is _____. You like ______ and love ______ and desire to have ______. Here is how I can help you get what you want...____________... Tell me if you think I can help you. Please call me (write or email me or let me come by and talk to you) so I can better understand if I can be of assistance to you.

4. Put this letter aside and repeat step 2 and then step 3. Repeat this process several times. If you have a sales force, get them to do the same thing.

5. Once you’ve repeated this enough, you should be ready to sit down and examine the letters and see what benefits to the customers keep coming up, and which come up with the most passion from your customers. You’ve now found the universal desires. You’ve discovered that no one wants your product, they only want what your product does for them. You may have also discovered how you must change your product to fit what the customer needs it to do for them. Change your product so it now fits the universal demands from people. They have to buy it because it is exactly what they want.

6. Armed with this marketing intelligence report, you’re ready to ask for the sale. Write it down in a letter. Write to ONE person. Think of just that one client. Begin as you did in step 3. Begin at the beginning – with the greatest benefit they have demanded. Then go to the next until you’ve gotten them so excited with what you are doing for them. Notice we don’t begin by talking about YOU, but about THEM. And we keep focusing on THEM until they are so enraptured they’re demanding to know who going to provide all of this for them and how they can get your product.
Notice price is not part of the discussion. It will come, but don’t be too anxious to discuss that. Establish the VALUE over and over. At some point price will be mentioned. The less of a feature the price is the better. It should be a natural conclusion that is accepted as a matter of course. If they’re hung up on price, you haven’t established the value or the overwhelming benefits. People will afford what they want. Value is about what they want. They will then trade value for value.

7. Once you’ve written – and I mean written, not spoken, or discussed or thought about – this logical letter that gets them emotional and demanding to have your product, NOW you can begin to think about what vehicle would best carry your message. Today you have many choices: face to face discussion is usually the most effective. Telephone is next. Emails and letters follow. Space ads in “affinity” publications where you rifle-shot your pitch are next. At the bottom, last resort are broadcast media or general advertising. It’s the least expensive per sale.

Making Your Advertising Work

Advertising is a pain. We see so many advertisements everyday that the thought of adding to the congestion and information overload is nauseating. But, if no one knows you have something to benefit them, then you'll stay where you are -- business wise.

The trick is to somehow make advertising that doesn't look, feel or seem like advertising. That's counter-intuitive because of all the ads we see and figure we've got to be like them. But no one wants to be sold something. They want what you have and you just need to let them know how you can benefit them. Keep it simple.

It's not easy. So... I've decided to do something about this malaise you might find yourself in. I'm going to help you write your ad. Help you apply the principles.

Bring your ads to my office on Wednesday, June 9, at 6 PM. I'll have some food there so we won't starve. Bring a magazine that you like and we'll look at their ads and see which ones would be appropriate for you to emulate. I'll have some of my associates there who know how to write great ads and together we'll make an ad that will get you the business you need.

Just call my office at 801-228-1510 and ask for David Sefcik. He'll give you directions. I have to pay my guys so there will be a small fee. David will help you with that as well.

In preparation, begin making a thorough list of every way you or your product can help someone else. Even the most trivial sounding benefit might be used. This is all about letting someone get what they want and make their life better. In turn, you get what you want. Put them first.

See you there.