Sales Come First

OK folks. Here’s another quick marketing lesson for you.

I wanted to touch on something I talked about a few weeks ago.

Its on the topic of headlines, but goes a bit deeper.

And its about how to get the maximum impact from your sales message.

So, I’m only talking about the first screen of your website or your first page of a sales letter. Because if people aren’t interested in this, then everything that follows is a complete waste of time.

You see, the importance of a strong, attention grabbing attention is well known. But there are often other things you can do on your front page which will make or break your sales message.

You see, you’ve usually only got 3 seconds to get peoples attention.

So you have to do everything you can to make sure you get it!

Of course, that means a really strong headline to grab the reader by the eyeballs and pull them into your sales message.

But there are other things too.

A photo, for example also gets instant credibility and curiosity.

And no photo is complete without a caption. And your caption needs to give people a reason to read your sales message too!

For example, if you’re a physiotherapist, then under your photo, you wouldn’t just say “John Smith, Physiotherapist”.

Its far better to say “John Smith, Eliminating Pain for 25 Years” or “John Smith, Fast, PROVEN Techniques For Getting Rid Of Your Pain…FAST”

Do you have any other photos on your front page?

If you do, here’s a critical question for you.

“Do they grab people’s attention, in relation to your product?”

You don’t want to send out mixed messages. So while your photos should grab attention, they should also grab the attention of the right people.

So, getting back to our physiotherapist example, a photo of somebody happily running through a field might be seen as somebody who’s finally pain free and happy, but it could be somebody who’s just generally happy. Or someone’s who’s made a lot of money, and no longer has to work.

See what I mean? You don’t want people to look at that front page and wonder “What the hell is this all about?”.

Because if they do, you’ve lost them.

A photo of a smiling patient with the physiotherapist would be far better.

Something else that can grab attention is testimonials. A prominent, powerful testimonial is fantastic on a front page.

Why?

Because nothing is more powerful than somebody else’s recommendation.

So try to get at least one powerful testimonial in on your front page, if you can. Depending on the flow of your sales message, it may be too early to introduce testimonials, but do it every time you get the chance!

OK, I’ll wrap this up.

In order to get your readers attention get as many of these elements in as
possible:
•        Powerful headline (compulsory)
•        Photo with a powerful headline
•        Other relevant photographs
•        Testimonials

These things will make sure your message packs a powerful punch which gets noticed in that first crucial 3 seconds.

After all, people see hundreds of sales messages a day.

The question is, have you done enough to make sure they’ll read yours?

Now, since I mentioned testimonials, I might talk about that in coming weeks.

But not next week! Next week, I’m going to discuss how to create an irresistible offer so damned powerful, your prospects would be mad NOT doing business with you.

As always, I appreciate your feedback. If there’s anything YOU’D like to know more about, please feel free to add it as a comment, or email me personally.

All the best

Hugh Thyer

www.salescomefirst.com

I hope some of you got some real help from last weeks post about making a LOT more money in your service business.

I know that it may not have been what you expected, but the reality is…

…it’s often the SIMPLE things that make all the difference.

Anyway, this week I wanted to give you a huge tip that’ll make all the difference when you write any (and I mean ANY) advertisement.

It’s got to do with the writing style you use.

You see, you should write in a conversational style.

Or, to put it simply, you should write like you speak.

You see, when you read, you actually read the words aloud in your mind.

Its true! I bet you’re doing it now, aren’t you.

In fact, you see it most often when you get people who read out loud. That’s just an extreme example of what I’m talking about.

So it makes sense to write as though you’re talking directly to someone. Because, effectively, you are!

A conversation, as if you’re talking directly with someone is the most natural and effective way of communicating. And so, your writing should be exactly the same.

So chuck away your old English text books where you’re told the proper way to construct a sentence. Forget the teachers who told you that you couldn’t have a one word sentence. Rubbish!

And for goodness sake, STOP WRITING AND START TALKING!

The easiest ways to do this? Well, you can record yourself deliver a pitch over the phone. Or you can use my favourite which is to just say out loud what you’d say if you were talking to somebody about your product or service. And as you do, write it out freehand. Don’t worry about your handwriting, and don’t stress if you’re all over the place, writing in between lines, on funny angles or if your writing is virtually unreadable.

Just get it down.

And when you’re done, and you’ve tidied it up, there’s still one more thing to do.

Read it out loud.

Does it sound like something you’d say to someone if they were in front of you? If not, try again.

Did you trip over any words? If so, type in what your mind wanted to say. That’ll help it read more naturally.

Don’t forget, when people read you advertisement, it needs to be a smooth, natural conversation. They shouldn’t get confused about what you’ve said. And they shouldn’t struggle over any sentences.

So forget what they taught you at school about writing. All that matters is what John E. Kennedy said to A.L. Thomas of the Lord and Thomas advertising agency in May, 1905.

He said, advertising is “Salesmanship In Print”. And with these three simple words  the former Canadian Policeman became the highest paid copywriter in the world.

And in the process, he revolutionised advertising forever.

Keep these words at the front of your mind next time you sit down to write your next ad.

Next week, I’ll touch on something I wrote a few weeks ago. Its basically about what happens in the first 3 seconds someone looks at your ad, and why you could be either gaining or losing the sale that fast!

And if you’ve ever run an unsuccessful campaign, this could well answer the question…WHY?

All the best

Hugh Thyer

www.salescomefirst.com

OK. Now as I promised last week, I’m going to tell you how to craft a winning guarantee.

A guarantee is absolutely crucial in any marketing campaign.

Here’s why…

You see, a guarantee is about risk reversal. That is, you take the risk from your prospects shoulders and place it on YOURS.

It means that your potential buyer cannot lose. Either they get the result you promise, or they’re compensated.

So…what have they got to lose by buying your product. Well, nothing really. And that’s why guarantees are so important.

But let me give you the #1 piece of advice for guarantees.

If anybody ever asks for one, you give it to them. Dont argue and dont try to talk them out of it. Dont delay it either. People are always going to ask for refunds. Its part of business. The problem is, complaints and negative publicity can be a disaster for your image. And not only that, complaints to your merchant provider could result in your merchant services being suspended or cancelled all together. And this can make it harder to get facilities again in the future.

But dont forget, the extra sales you’ll make by having one will far outweight the cost of any returns you might have to make.

Now, here’s the funny thing. Most countries legally require you to offer money back to purchasers if the product didn’t meet up to expectations.

So if that’s the case, and you have to refund money anyway, then…

…why not turn it into another opportunity to advance the sale?

The most basic type of guarantee is the satisfaction or money-back guarantee. In other words, if you’re not entirely satisfied with XYZ then I’ll refund your investment in its entirety.

But if you push a little harder, there are all sorts of combinations you can try which will grab attention.

For example, Brett McFall’s Ad Camp DVDs (which I sell) guarantees the purchaser that they’ll make 10 times their investment in 12 months…or they get their money back AND they get $200 for their time.

You see, you have to be confident in what you’re selling, otherwise you’re just selling junk. And if you’re confident, you should keep making your guarantee stronger AND STRONGER until you feel scared. Its not until you’re scared that you’ve created a great guarantee.

Let me give you a couple of examples you can use:

“Your pain will be gone, or your appointment is absolutely free” – good for physiotherapists, chiropractors and masseurs

“I will show you how to save money on your home loan, or I will give you $100 for your trouble”

“I’m so confident that this letter is going to show you how to XYZ. So confident, in fact, that I’ve guaranteed it for $20. That’s right. I guarantee you XYZ from reading this letter, or you let me know and I’ll gladly send you $20 straight away, just to say sorry for wasting your time.”

The general rule of thumb is to make a strong PROMISE, and then tell them if they dont achieve what you promised, then tell them what their compensation will be.

For example, here’s a short guarantee I wrote a client in the last couple of days for an internet marketing seminar:

“Here’s my rock solid, no BS guarantee.

In the next 12 months I guarantee you’ll make £50,000 from your online business, just by following the simple rules I give you.

But if at any time you don’t think you’re going to make £50,000, I WANT YOU TO ASK FOR — AND GET — EVERY SINGLE PENNY BACK.

And you keep every single thing I’ve given you, including all the pre-reading material and the DVDs of the event.
“
…and then I go on to explain how the purchaser either wins by having their own high profit internet business, or they win by getting a great education with heaps of bonus materials for nothing.

There’s another great guarantee called the 30 day hold.

Basically you get the buyer’s payment, whether its credit card, cheque or whatever. But you dont cash the cheque or process the credit until 30 days after the buyer receives the product.

So, they’ve got 30 days free use of the product, and they know if they dont get certain results, then let you know, and they will never be charged.

Also, its a mistake to offer too short a timeframe for your buyer to achieve their results. So, I generally recommend 90 days instead of 30 days, because the buyer who only has 30 days is under pressure to check the product out. And if they rush, and they dont get the results they want, then they’ll feel the pressure to get it back to you ASAP. But if they have 90 days, all that pressure disappears.

You know, a really strong guarantee doesnt mean that people will return products if they dont achieve the results you promise. A lot wont even try. Others will blame themselves. Others again will want to hang on to their product because they know it’ll be valuable to them in the future.

So there you have it. Great advice on creating guarantees. If you stick to what I’ve told you here, you’ll get a massive increase in response. Just dont forget. Taking away the risk from your customer is going to make it far more likely they’ll agree to buying.

Next week I’m going to cover testimonials. These are often under used, but they should never be underestimated. I’ll tell you why in my next post.

Until then, take care

Hugh Thyer

www.salescomefirst.com

Last week I promised you something big for everyone in the service industry.

And that means anyone who sells a service to clients, and includes accountants, mortgage brokers,  chiropractors, IT specialists, masseurs, web developers, financial planners, gardeners etc etc etc.

You get the point. What you’re about to discover covers nearly every business.

Now, if you were expecting some revolutionary, complicated marketing plan then I’m sorry. You’re going to be disappointed.

But…

…if you want something that’s really easy to implement, and will make a massive improvement to your  business then you’re really going to love this.

Now, the secret here is implementation. These two things I’m going to tell you to do are very simple, but will only work if you actually do them!

OK, here goes.

First. When one of your clients refers a new client to you, you MUST thank them. Send them a box of  chocolates with a card which thanks them and lets them know how grateful you are that they consider your service worthy of recommending to other people. Let them know that you really appreciate it, and that the box of chocolates is a small token of your appreciation.

If you don’t want to send chocolates, send something else like flowers or movie tickets.

You see, the trick here is to make people feel appreciated. We all love that!

And once you do this, the referrer will be more active in looking for other people to suggest, just because you’ve made them feel good and appreciated.

So simple, yet so few people actually do it.

I know one person who referred (literally) dozens and dozens of people to somebody’s conveyancing practice. And do you think the conveyancer ever bothered to thank him? Did the conveyancer ever send him a bottle of wine for Christmas, or a card? Did he even call him up, just ONCE to say “Thank You For The Business?”

Nope. And what happened? This guy I know decided not to refer anyone else to him.

Think about how much money could hinge on something so simple!

Second. Start up a monthly newsletter. OK, this takes a little bit more time but is so worthwhile, especially for larger transaction businesses (like mortgage brokers and so on).

No doubt you’re aware that it takes (roughly) 8 times as much time and money to accumulate a new customer than to keep an existing one.

A newsletter lets you continue to showcase your skills and talent. It puts you in front of your customer so often that next time they need your service, you’ll be the ONLY one they think of!

And what does it cost? About $1 a month for an envelope, a stamp and to print it up.

$1! If you make $1,000 per customer or transaction, and you get a customer returning in 3 years time because of your newsletter, you’ll get that $1,000 for the massive cost of…36 bucks! You can’t argue with these economics!

Not only that, but people will be more inclined to use you more often, simply because you get to keep contacting them about your services, while you showcase your abilities.

And newsletters don’t need to be difficult. Just keep them personal and friendly. Put in article on what’s happening in your industry, some tips, a couple of jokes, a couple of client stories and so on. It can be as
little as 2 A4 pages long.

But be careful. Don’t fall into the trap of emailing it out! Email has such a low perceived value compared to snail mail. If its worth doing (and it is) then take a bit more time and send them through the damn mail. The
effect on your customer will be dramatically better.

Anyway, just remember that these tips are only good if you take a bit of time to implement them.

Why not spend an hour a day working ON your business instead of IN your business. Even half an hour is better than nothing. Use that time to implement these ideas, and over time you’ll see more and more work coming your way.

Now, before I finish up, I should mention that I’ve written a Free Report titled “4 Dead Simple Ways To Get A Flood Of New Customers To Your Business, And Have Them Happily Filling Your Wallet With Cash!”

Its available NOW on my website (http://www.salescomefirst.com), so hop on over there and click on the Free Report link.

And if you have any questions, feel free to contact me via my website.

Until next week, take care.

Hugh Thyer
www.salescomefirst.com

PS Next week I’ll reveal a really effective way to write your own sales letter, and exactly why this method you’ll learn works so damn well.

A couple of months ago my wife and I went out for lunch on Lygon St. For those of you who dont know Lygon St, its the Italian restaurant area in Melbourne.

Its one of those streets where everyone’s jumping out at you to talk you into eating in their restaurants. Kind of like Kings Cross in Sydney except you could take your kids there!

Anyway, we were walking along, and we got ‘jumped’ by this lady. And her pitch to get us to eat there had a lot of the key elements you’ll find in any properly written ad, website or sales letter.

For a start, she stepped out right in front of us so we couldnt go around her. This is the HEADLINE, and its purpose is to get your undivided attention.

Then she told us to eat there and try the gnocchi, because her Mum was cooking it in the kitchen. And this was the HOOK, and was told as a STORY.

Then, she invited us to go in and see her. This was PROOF of what she was saying – mind you, we didn’t go and gawk at her mother slaving away in the kitchen.

Then she told us how great the food was, how we’d have the best table etc etc. And here she was building her case. Providing lots of reasons to eat there.

And finally, our first drinks were on the house, which was an IRRESISTABLE OFFER.

And yep, we ate there! And the food was great.

But its really interesting how so many important copywriting elements were in her pitch, and how successful it was.

The restaurant next door with an old Italian guy standing out the front just watching people go past was VERY quiet in comparison.

It just goes to show that its how you sell your product or service that will make your money. If you don’t do this properly, then it doesn’t matter how damned good your product or service is if you can’t convince people to try it.

Here are the key elements you should aim for in any advertisement. Now, its not always possible if you don’t have enough space, like Google AdWords or a small yellow pages ad.

• Headline
• Establish credibility with proof including testimonials
• A compelling case
• A strong guarantee
• An irresistible offer of some sorts
• A thumping great call to action

You know what I reckon I’ll do? I’ll cover these in future posts, so keep an eye out for how to construct these elements in YOUR advertising.

But next week I’ve got something special for you. I’m going to reveal two dead simple ideas for getting any service business more customers…fast.

Implement these ideas and in 6-9 months you’ll notice a huge increase in your workload. And the good news is that they’re so simple to implement, that you’ll wonder why your competitors aren’t doing it too.

Quite frankly, I wonder the same question.

So if you’re in the service industry – and that means all you mortgage brokers on here (I know there’s quite a few of you) then pay attention and keep an eye on your inbox next week.

Warmly

Hugh Thyer

www.salescomefirst.com