Category: Copywriting

Customer Creation Concept #7 - Weave Your Story...

There are a couple of myths that fly around in the brain box of the non-marketer.  “Build it and they will come” and “Build a better mouse trap and the world will beat a path to your door.”

Both of these myths are deadly to business.  They cause a lot of frustration and inevitable loss of a lot of great products and services in the world. 

Products and services DO NOT sell themselves. 

There is a constant dialogue in your prospect’s head.  Some of it takes place by your voice coming through their ears.  Some of it takes place in the voice of their mind.

Your “story” about your product or service must weave into the “story” taking place in your prospect’s head if you are going to create a customer.  When the story of your product or service (benefits, features, usability, testimonials) becomes part of their story you will create a customer.

Creation of customers is ACTIVE.  So, get to it…

Customer Creation Concept #6 - Emotion Sparks Action

Before any customer is created, your prospect must feel some emotion.  Emotion is the precursor of action.  No action is ever taken without some emotion proceeding it.

Emotion is the fuel…

Joy, sorrow, anger, fear, surprise, disgust, guilt, shame, pride, envy, and emotion #1, LOVE are all at the source of every customer creation.

If you want your prospect to take action, study emotion and make it the core of your marketing.

Customer Creation Concept #5 - Fight the Yawn

Customer creation is an ongoing, day-by-day, step-by-step, multiple action process.  Sounds like it can get a bit tedious.

YAAWWN!

It can never stop if you are going to be a successful marketer.  Differences are made over time, not in a single ad or direct mail piece.  That’s just the way it is.

YAAWWNNNN!!

The yawn is the enemy.  It is contagious.  Look around your industry and you will see it has taken over most of everything that everyone is doing.  The yawn even nibbles away at your margins.  The only way to market with a yawn is to have a low, everyday price.

You have to defeat it in yourself and in your prospect.  Curse the yawn with something different, imaginative, outstanding in the eyes of your prospect.

Put a charge in your prospect.  That charge will make a magnetic attraction.  When the prospect feels something you will create a customer.

It’s time for you to wake up and smell the coffee!  It’s perking up profits.

Customer Creation Concept #4 - The Trust/Risk Scale

There is a trust-risk scale in the mind of your prospect.  Trust must exist in greater quantity than risk if you are going to create a customer.

Trust is a belief your prospect or customer has about you or your company.  That belief has to be greater than the belief they have about losing in the relationship with you.

Trust cannot be built.  It can only be earned.  It is granted to you by your customers based on the value you offer.

Offer value, earn trust, offer more value, earn more trust.  Put prospects on a risk diet.  The scale will tip in favor of customer creation.

The Long or Short of It

Hang around marketing circles for very long and you’ll eventually run into the debate about long copy versus short copy in advertising.  Old school direct marketers will say that long copy works best every time. 

Every time?  Seems a little too definite in a multiple variable world if you ask me.

I believe it all boils down to communicating for results.  If your message is too short to complete the communication, the results will not be realized.  If your message is so long that it confuses the communication, the results will not be realized.

Enough said?  That is my point.

My Rose Colored Capitalist Glasses?

Bob Bly poses an interesting question on his blog. 

is the e-zine publisher obligated to disclose to the reader that he is an affiliate for the product and will receive a cut of the sale?

My answer is, no.

First and foremost, we live in a system of capitalism.  I expect people to get compensated for their work.  An e-zine publisher is no different.  If value is offered to the market, the e-zine publisher should be compensated.

With that being said, I assume that the e-zine publisher is making a responsible recommendation.  If that responsibility is taken lightly by the publisher, the power of future recommendations will diminish quickly.

Some may say that is a pollyannish view of the way the world really works. 

But, to paraphrase Emerson, “value added to the market will be value received by the e-zine publisher.”

It’s the Law of Compensation and it buys my rose colored glasses.

The Romance of Marketing

When you break down the marketing process you’ll find there is a real romance to it.

Think about it…

First you have to grab the attention of your prospect.  If you say something meaningful she will listen to what you have to say about yourself.

Next, if you have given her something to respond favorably to, she will begin to ask questions in order to understand your true intentions.  If you listen, she will tell you exactly what she is looking for in a relationship.  Prove that you have what she is looking for and you will be able to get closer and closer.  Over time, you will earn her trust.  When she starts trusting you she will listen to your ideas and you can move to a deeper commitment.

Eventually, when you have captured her heart and mind, you will have reached the ultimate marketing goal.  A meaningful, lasting relationship with your prospect.

Nike's Major Moment

What would you do if your logo appeared to litterally “kick” the golf ball in the hole, for one of the most recognized athletes in world, in front of millions of prospects?

That is the question Nike executives are asking themselves this week.

If you haven’t seen one of the most miraculous shots in the history of golf skip on over to Jaffe Juice and take a look at the 30 and 60 second spots Joe Jaffe put together.  While calling these spots an “ad” may be a little far reaching, they do show “the shot.”

So, back to the question.  What to do?  Or, more specifically, how do you leverage the moment?

If I’m at Nike I think I’d realize that time is of the essence.  The further away from the feeling of first seeing “the shot” the prospect gets, the less effective any ad will be.

So here is my copy.  You’ll have to view and hear the footage in the theater of your mind.

Passion (Tiger fist pumping).  Hard work (Tiger practicing at dusk).  Creativity (the shot).

Top them off with a little help from your friends (ball taking the final revolution), and you get one, unforgettable, major moment.

Just Do It.

Buy Nike! (ok, I had to put a bit of direct in there)

That’s the way I would kick off the “Major Moments” campaign.  I’ll be curious to see what Nike decides to do.

Selling Rule No. 1!

People hate to be sold!

In a recent post to his blog, Copywriter Bob Bly asked, “Don’t You Hate It When Salespeople Do This?"

He and his wife walked into a car dealership to shop for a new mini-van and were ambushed by an amatuer pretending to be in sales.  They walked out.

Think about it.  We all love to shop.  We all hate to be sold.  The amatuer Bob and his wife ran into doesn’t understand this simple rule.

Professional salespeople know the difference.  Professionals build a rapport with the prospect by asking questions, listening, and presenting beneficial solutions that answer the questions.  While a professional is selling, the prospect is buying or shopping.  The two mesh together when the prospect trusts the pro.

Knowing “Selling Rule No. 1” is the first step to professional sales.

Customer Creation Basics

“The purpose of business is to create a customer.”
-- Peter Drucker





I remember when I first read that quote. It was 1990 and I had just finished an MBA in Marketing. I remember thinking, “Why did I just spend over $50,000 and I’ve never heard that before?” Isn’t it just about the most obvious statement?

From that day forward it has guided me in the most simple way to building two businesses, selling one for a substantial profit and helping friends and family build their businesses.

Creating customers is your foundation to support an entire business and lifestyle. To do it requires smart, savvy marketing. Marketing that sometimes goes against traditional thinking. Against what an ad rep might tell you or what you might be taught at one of the top 3 business schools.

Here are some ideas that have served me well in creating thousands of customers over the last 15 years.

You’ve heard it before; everything starts with a plan. Each year I sit down in the months of November and December and plan out the coming year. How will I create customers is the question I am always asking.

A plan doesn’t have to be an elaborate, multiple page document with perfect grammar. A plan just gives you a direction to follow.

Included in the plan is a budget for my advertising expenditures for the coming year. Whether you are spending $100 or $100,000 per month, the budget you set is the rudder that keeps your plan from drifting out of control.

Any advertising should always be of the direct response variety. In other words, offer something in the ad to make the phone ring. e.g. - a free first session, a free report, or something of value to get the reader of the ad contact you. Any other type of advertising is a waste of time and financial resources.

Always get the address and phone number of every single person that responds and start building a database of prospects. Eventually you'll be able to work from that database and stay in contact with prospects that were initially interested but never followed through for one reason or another.

Once you get some response you will be able to figure a workable cost per lead and cost per customer. After you have those numbers you can work them into your overall pricing and raise your budget accordingly. This method will lead you to being able to increase your budget annually and grow your business.

So, these are my basic first steps to creating customers every year. Simple steps that I guarantee will put you on the right path to a successful business.

It all boils down to constantly asking yourself, “How can I create a customer today?”