Make it a Deal

I'll be honest, I'm cheap, or to be politically correct I am conservative. With that being said I am always looking for a deal. Here's some criteria to earn my business (plus the other thousands of potential customer you could have:

• Make it an incredible offer. I will only try you and leave my current provider if it is an unbelievable deal. And yes, you as the owner may not make much money on this, however it is now your job to show the new customer how great you are!




• I got an oil change coupon for $8 off an oil change, big deal, is my oil change still going to be$45? Show me how much it was and now show the incredible deal.




• Same thing with %percentages. Consumers don't know/don't care about percentages. Don't use them, show the price, customers know price.
  
  


• Referral Programs - If you want me to put my name on the line for you, make sure you give me something that is worth that risk.




• Rewards program- if you don't have one, get one ASAP. Everyone wants to feel appreciated and think about it if you have a card that you buy 4 oil changes and then you get one free, where do you think they will go? Remember make it a great reward!

Remember, the time to show you are family owned, a great place, and trustworthy is after you have them in the store..... the key is to get them in the store..... with a great offer!

Read this, this guy is smarter than your or I..... or maybe just me

Here is a copy of what I recieved from:

http://www.firedrummarketing.com/public_message_view.jsp?s=5lrizmg0xd

A Testimonial Ad Writes Itself

Not long ago I met with an electrical contractor in a midwestern town. The company had been advertising on television for a couple of months and hadn't seen any results. They were running a testimonial spot, featuring an actual customer. Because I don't have permission from the station or the client, I'm disguising the name of the contractor. Otherwise, here's the customer testimonial, word for word: "I had an electrical issue that needed repair, so I called MyTown Electric. My great experience started right away. What really impressed me was that even though it was a Saturday, my appointment was set up for the same day, at no additional charge. The technician even wore shoe covers to protect my floors, which was a really nice touch. He fixed my issue right away, and I couldn't have been happier. When it comes to customer service, MyTown Electric really stands out."

This is an example of what Bill Glazer, in Creating Copy That Sells, calls a "meaningless testimonial." There is nothing in this story that communicates the problem that this customer was having, how the technician solved the problem, or why this particular electric company is the best one to call. In fact, the only reason you would know that this was an actual customer is that a graphic under her face said, "Monica -- actual customer."

Glazer says that to be effective, a testimonial must do one of two things:

1. Relay an outcome. In the case of the electrician above, this could have been, "My power went out Saturday morrning, and there was no way I could wait until Monday to get it fixed. The first electrician I called told me they couldn't get to me over the weekend. So I called MyTown Electric. The technician was there in an hour, found some faulty wiring behind the wall, and got things running in time for me to have guests over that afternoon. All for no extra charge!"

2. Overcome an objection. "I thought you had to pay an arm and a leg to get an electrician on the weekend -- if you could get one at all. So when my power went out on a Saturday afternoon, I braced myself for the worst. But when I called MyTown Electric, they were at my house within an hour. They fixed some faulty wiring behind the wall and had me up and running in time to make dinner. And there was no extra charge for the Saturday call!" Here's an outcome-based testimonial that isn't currently in a commercial -- but it could be: A woman I know recently replaced the windows in her 1920's-era home in my hometown of Portland. A couple of days after the installation, I happened to be in her office when the owner of the window company called to see how she liked them. Here's what she said: "Yesterday was garbage-pickup day in our neighborhood... and the garbage truck didn't wake me up. My bedroom faces the street, and that's the first time in 16 years that I've been able to sleep past 6am on a Wednesday!" She had bought the windows to make the house warmer, but she'd gotten another benefit she hadn't even considered -- a decent night's sleep. This is one testimonial that practically wrote itself. All you'd have to do is bring a crew to her home and have her tell the story while the camera rolled. If you're considering a testimonial campaign, look for stories like that one -- stories that relay an outcome, overcome an objection, or both.

Boost New Media Effectiveness With.. Old Media

I recently received a pitch from Google, inviting me to try their new Adwords Express program. The pitch began like this:
"Did you know that 58% of Americans search online to learn about products and services they're thinking about buying? Wouldn't you love your business's message in front of the people who are searching the web for what you're selling, right when they're searching for it?" How did Google deliver this message to me? A banner on one of my favorite marketing web sites? Nope.

A text ad on Google when I searched for "advertising"? Wrong again. I found it in my mailbox. Not my email box... my actual mailbox. In a paper envelope, delivered to my by the United States Postal Service. It looked like this: Google, the new-media goliath whose GMail program is one of the nails in the Postal Service coffin... uses old-fashioned snail mail to reach out to new clients. Google used an actual printer to put ink on paper, stuffed it in an envelope, and had someone deliver it to my office. Marketing guru Dan Kennedy, who also received a letter from Google, had this to say: "Even the company that dominates online advertising is unable to rely on online advertising to get its new customers... And by the way, they didn't just mail a simple postcard and tell folks to go online to get te sales letter or watch a video or whatever; they enclosed a 2-page piece laying out their full sales presentation." Here's another example of "new media" companies using "old media" to bring in customers: a recent one-hour episode of the ABC-TV show Castle had commercials for: The iPad 2MicrosoftDroid Razr smartphoneNook TabletAtt Wireless/iPhoneKindle Fire TabletAmazon, maker of the Kindle Fire, has millions of email addresses on file, along with an enormous amount of information on the purchasing habits of each customer. They can, and do, push the Fire every time someone logs onto http://www.amazon.com/. They can, and do, email their customers to promote the Fire. The marginal cost to Amazon of either of those approaches is close to zero. In addition, they have lots of other inexpensive online and mobile ways to target customers. And yet, as holiday purchasing decisions were being made, Amazon opened its virtual checkbook and wrote a nice fat check for a commercial on... The ABC Television Network. The same ABC Network that brought us Howard Cosell, Harry Reasoner, and The Courtship of Eddie's Father. So did Apple, Microsoft, and AT & T Wireless. Maybe they know something.....

Honesty is the Best Policy

I watched a lot of Leave it to Beaver and Bonanza growing up with my dad. Two things that came out of watching those shows were 1. I had my first crush on June Cleaver and 2 Honesty is the best policy!

My dad always referenced the term "I'd rather hear bad news from you than the teacher/principal/neighbor. Gosh that is so true, even in the business world.

Too often we find out our advertising partners run something wrong, didn't run it or made a mistake by someone telling us or us having to find out ourselves.

Even worse, everyone has a million excuses. As we all know and come to appreciate: If someone simply says "it was my fault and I am sorry" wow that means a lot. Simply because it is the truth and you don't hear it anymore!

Long story short, if you screwed up, admit it right away, take ownership, apologize, and fix it. That simple.

Thanks to Ben Cartwright, Haas, The Beaver, my dad, and June Cleaver for the correct advice!

Boo from Boone

Wow, where to start? Well let me give you a re-cap of the last10 months or so.

So I became a father, which has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. On May 7th of this year my wife Nicole gave birth to Boone Wells Edens. Our lives have been better every day with him in it. The pic above is a recent picture from him in his Halloween costume.

Also in March of this year I was able to open my own marketing company named Hard Knox Marketing. I have a handful of clients who trust me with their marketing decisions. I absolutely love it. I deal with Marketing all day, rather than paperwork, sales, and a little marketing in my past TV sales jobs. Also with the new company I am able to stay at home 2 days a week with Boone and we do everything from watching cartoons to sending out emails together...It is great!

Now that I am back to a normal schedule I am going to continue to write. One thing that continues to get me upset is the lack of Customer Service in all industries. Going forward this will be a theme for me.

Thanks for your patience and continuing to listen to this old man blabber about marketing.

PS. I need you to like me.... on facebook, search Hard Knox Marketing

My 15 minutes are over... As seen on Good Morning America!

So if I haven't told you yet I was famous for a little while. My co-worker and I were featured on a segment during Good Morning America.

Here is a link to the video
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/work-spouse-real-spouse-12959290

I did enjoy my 15 minutes while they lasted!

Marketing Vs. Advertising

Do you think in Marketing Terms, or simply in Advertising terms?
You should be looking at your Marketing. Advertising is simply a part of your marketing plan. Let's look at an example.
You buy a TV commercial (Advertising) However the creative in that ad is based on your overall marketing plan. Then that person calls you, how do you answer the phone call (marketing/customer service) How is their business routed through your sales process (marketing/customer service) all the points of contact during the buying cycle (marketing) how your salesperson talks to them and about what (marketing/sales). So they just bought from you, how do you thank them? (marketing/follow up)
So advertising gets them in the door and a great marketing plan gets them to be your long term customer and refer others!
That is why I have decided to open a Marketing Firm called Hard Knox Marketing starting March 15th. www.hardknoxmarketing.comMy goal with my clients will be to look at their overall marketing plan to ensure all points of contact with a customer is consistent with their overall plan. Feel free to contact me at hardknoxmarketing@gmail.com or via phone at 920.265.2255 This is not a solicitation, it's just that I am very excited about the opportunity to help others strengthen their business!

What's my name?

OK, it's a small thing to some people however it's a big deal to me! I go to local bank and usually use the drive through. Well about a month after I have been going there they said hi to me, more importantly they said Hello Andrew. Wow they know my name! Seriously they know my name. I realize that is the way banks used to be, but it's definitely different to get a hello with my name! I can go to a different branch in another part of town, but i purposely go to the bank that remember my name now.
Just think if you could remember the names of all your clients, or at least the top spenders, and say hi to them by name. It makes a difference to me and i am sure it would make a difference to your customers.

Your Plan: Remember the name of one of your current customers. Oh yeah, call them by their first name, much more personal. And how about a buisness owner telling me " I realize you have a lot of options out there, and sometimes cheaper options, I just want to let you know we appreciate your buisness" May sound cheesy, but it's honest and I gaurantee you will remember it and maybe give them the benefit of the doubt when competing on price!

No Update is an update

So lets say I am applying for a mortgage. As you know it's not always a great process, however there are times where you are waiting for numbers to come back in or something very important.

Well, it gets close to the end of the day and you have not heard back from anyone, so you call to find out what is going on. They tell you well nothing has happened.

This is super important to me, but just another transaction to them. How easy and nice would it have been for them to call me back and simply say "There is no update and we will keep you posted". Wow, 4 seconds, but a world of difference to me, the customer.

Your Job: If you are in the service or sales buisness and you are working with someone on a multi-day project, give them daily updates, yes even if there is no update. Remember this is probably more important to the other person. Plus it gives you another point of contact with your customer. Also, please don't email, call them like a real person, don't send them an email like a robot!

One call a day will make the difference!

When is the last time you got a thank you call from someone you did business with?
If you have recently I am sure you remember it, because it was ABNORMAL and pleasant.

Make this a new goal for your business: Make one, yes just one follow up call or thank you call to a customer. Here is what the goal of the call should be: First thank them for the business and tell them you appreciate it. Secondly, don't sell them anything, ask them what they liked about the experience and what they would do differently if they owned the business. It's a great way to find out what you can improve!

Everyone says Word of Mouth is the best form of advertising, this is a great way to create your own Word of Mouth Advertising. And what does it cost you? Don't be lazy, just do it daily, and it will work!
Think about it, after one year, you have over 300 people you contacted! More than likely they will have a better opinion of your business. Plus it's another point of contact with them, and you just created your own POSITIVE WORD OF MOUTH!

Your Advertising working hard

There are 6 stacks of these in the building!
I'm not bashing the Yellow Pages, just know that circulation, readership, and people using them are 3 very different numbers!

Americans Watched More TV Than Ever in 2010

January 3, 2011

It’s hard to imagine that, in an age when more people than ever are going to their computers, tablets, and smart phones for entertainment, television viewership would be at an all-time high. But new Nielsen data says that’s the case.

According to the nation's leading advertising research firm, the average American watched about 34 hours of broadcast network and basic cable programming every seven days in 2010—that's a 1-percent jump from the year prior and just six-hours short of a full-time workweek. Fox remained the most beloved station to the ever-lucrative 18-to-49 demographic, and eight of the 10 top telecasts were football games.

Of course, The Simpsons and the NFL have for decades been major draws in the United States media market. Far more interesting—and far more telling about how America is changing—is the remarkable rise of Univision, the nation’s biggest Spanish-language channel.

For the year [Univision] averaged a 1.5 rating among 18- to 49-year-olds and 3.7 million total viewers. On an otherwise quiet Monday last week, the finale of one of its telenovelas, “Soy Tu Dueña,” or “I’m Your Owner,” averaged four million viewers in that demographic, beating all the English-language networks for the night.

When it came to cable news melodrama, for the first time in its history, left-leaning MSNBC beat CNN amongst all demographics, with the latter channel losing 34 percent of its total viewers.

Probably owing to the fact that it's the only station of its kind (read: conservative) in the cable news arena, Fox News remained the undisputed king of the news networks.

Keep it Simple Stupid (The KISS Lesson)

Did you know…
8 out of 10 people read a headline, and not one word more.
Is that enough?

Only if the phone rings…online orders increase…you make more money.

Is the headline that all-powerful? Yes! Think of your own reading behavior: How often do you read a headline…and not one word more?

Here’s 1 trick to crafting a keep ‘em reading header:
Deliver a complete message – in 15 words or less.

6 ways to make it happen:

1. Write a mini sentence, complete with subject, verb, object.

2. Use vibrant nouns and verbs, skip adjectives, adverbs and lowly modifiers.

3. Engage our senses, write so we can see, taste, feel, hear and smell.

4. Build a sense of urgency. Push our “now or never” button.

5. State the benefit – how we’ll feel better, get a problem solved – if we take action now.

6. Skip “and” “a” “the” — we’ll still know what you mean.

What’s the job of a headline?
To get you to read the first sentence.
That’s it, there’s no punch line, because it’s not a joke: If you don’t write a good headline, no one will read your first sentence. If you can’t get them to read your first sentence, you’re not going to sell your product.

How do you write a good headline?
First, know your target market: Who they are, what their problem is, how you can help.

Second, write the headline first…and write as many as you can. Why?

1. It helps you clarify the gist of your offer

2. Creative headlines take time to evolve

3. You’ll spend less time writing your article

4. The extra headlines can be great ideas for future content (be sure to save them!)

3 headline styles that work best

1. A numbered list – 10 Tips to Financial Security – is descriptive and the benefit to the reader is clear.

2. A question – Is your partner leading a double life? – captures the imagination, because it hits a common fear: After the Tiger Woods scandal, NBC news reported that many marriages hit the rocks when wives (mostly) began suspecting their husbands of cheating. Choose a question that feeds on the “need to know” hook.

3. How to – We strive for mastery. Tell us how to cook, clean, build, drive, walk…and we’ll keep reading.

Remember, you only have a few seconds to capture attention. Write a powerful headline, and you’ve taken the first step towards your next sale.

The Best Day to send an Email Campaign

I have found that the only legitimate way to find out what the best day is for your business is to conduct an A/B split test of your own. By taking a "control" email and testing it against other days, you'll be able to test your way into a good sense of the best day to send out your emails.

So the question is, "That's fine, but where do I start? Aren't there a few days of the week that work better than others and can't I start by testing those?"

Well, yes, there are some days that work better than others and you could start by testing those days. With that in mind, here's how I broke out that information:

Monday
Positive: Office work has not filled inboxes yet
Negative: Consumers are in “work mode” and won’t be focused on non-work tasks
Best Practice: Send emails late Monday morning, after consumers have cleaned the weekend spam from their inboxes

Tuesday
Positive: People have organized their week, and can find personal time for emails
Negative: Emails poised for a weekend response may be too early
Best Practice: Use Tuesday for emails that request action during the workweek

Wednesday/Thursday
Positive: Consumers are planning their weekends and gearing up for personal time
Negative: Time during the workweek is running short, and requested action may be pushed back to the following week, or even forgotten about
Best Practice: Focus leisure and weekend notifications during these key weekend planning days

Friday
Positive: Studies indicate fewer total emails sent compared to the rest of the week, increasing visibility among the myriad of other messages
Negative: Consumers hurry to leave the office early, and may not take time to view non-work related emails
Best Practice: Send emails early in the day to give consumers more time to take action. An unopened email from Friday will sort to the bottom of an inbox on Monday, and is often discarded

Weekends
Positive: People check emails on weekends, too, so weekends may have untapped potential
Negative: A weekend email may seem overly-intrusive to some people
Best Practice: If possible, try to avoid Sundays and focus on Saturdays, which may have a better response rate

And always have an offer in your email, always!
Plus if you do a "Click and Print Coupon" make sure you make the actual print coupon black and white. People are more likely to print a B&W coupon (save on ink!)

Sell the Hole, not the Drill Bit.

Well...I love tools and love to talk about marketing so this will work out great!
1000 people go to the hardware store everyday to buy a 1/4" drill bit, however they DO NOT want to 1/4" drill bit, they want a 1/4" hole.

Nobody wants a hearing aid, people want to enjoy spending time with their family.
Nobody wants a new furnace, people want to have their children warm in their home.
Are you selling the hole, or the bit? Remember in Sales 101, the acronym FAB....meaning Feature, Advantage, and Benefit. Always remember to advertise the benefit to your customer.
Break down what you are promoting into the Feature, the Advantage of that, and then the end benefit to the customer!

I however need the drill bits, the saw, the router, the hammer, the wood, the screwdriver, and every other tool! Just ask my wife, she will tell you I "think" I need every tool! (I love you Nicole)

Test

Don't label me - Don't Pigeon hole your advertising

I talk with a lot of business owners who are "snooty". They think their customer wouldn't watch that program. Example, I have a boat guy who says I can only advertise on fishing programs or sportscenter cause that is where they guys are.
As a reminder you can target your audience not only through the program your in, but more importantly what your commercial says. Do you think I could attract a boat owner in Judge Judy by saying something like this: "Do you have a boat, Do you have a boat problem, if so call ACME boat repair" That is how you use the creative of the commercial to target your message. I won't even get into the people who say they can only advertise on HGTV for people who want to remodel..... this makes me cringe for so many reasons......
Last point, how do you label me, who's customer am I, am i your market? I am a 31 year old male, watch judge Judy, watch evening news, married, like tools, have a boat, own a honda, own a buick, own a diesel truck, have a pregnant wife, thinking about cribs now, like to read, like to ride bikes, have a motorcycle license, hate to mow lawn, like to hike, hate poor service, like to write, and not originally from TN. So who's target market do i fall into???? A lot of them!
Not sure i had point to this....oh yeah, don't pigeon hole your advertising because you are "too good" to talk to someone else....

Forward Equity will make you Rich!

A long time ago my career started in Green Bay at the the ABC affiliate WBAY. Now I may be a little biased, however we always taught our clients that Success comes through consistent advertising. Meaning your message and branding statement stays consistent, and the look and feel of your commercials are consistent.
I have not worked in that market in over 6 years however I was back in WI a month ago and here are two great examples of two clients staying consistent:
The first is http://www.senzigs.com/ There commercial came on and I immediately remembered who they were and to top it off, they have the same end to their commemoration, cheesy or not, Wisconsin's Furniture Giant!
The second is Lenz Truck Center. http://lenzauto.com/ There commercial came on and right away I knew who they were and what they stood for. They sell trucks and SUV's and that is it! The found a niche and owned it. This is a good example of a great saying: There are Riches in Niches.... Do you have a niche, can you be known for something and become rich at it? Think about it...Lenz Truck center will lose the 4 door sedan sale, however if anyone within a 100 miles of them thinks about buying a truck, Lenz Truck center is #1 on their shopping radar for any truck buyer.

What you should take from this: It really is not a "Sales Pitch" Advertising is just like investing, pick a good plan and be consistent, it will pay off!

I'm Pregnant.....eerrr...We are Pregnant!

Yes, it's true my wife and I are pregnant with our first child.....How does this relate to you?
I am now in a different target market, baby stuff and the million things that go with it. Over the last 30 years I had no interest in baby stuff however I did see the commercials and the constant advertising, even though I didn't care about it.

Now.....the advertisers that were consistent in their marketing through those years built a little folder in my head for "Baby stuff" Those advertisers did the right thing by selling the today customer and planting a seed in the mind of the "tomorrow customer" through consistency.

Lesson for the day: Be consistent....it's not just a "sales pitch" advertising is an investment and the longer and more consistent you are...the richer you become...

Are you selling only the today customer and forgetting the tomorrow customer???

1-800-Keep-Up-With-the-Times

Their are vanity plates (you may have one), there are also vanity phone numbers. They are catchy and help people remember your number when they need it.
Did you know that with the new Smart Phones you can not easily do this.
If your number is 555-TIME most smart phones are not like the typical phone key pad as they are designed like a computer keyboard. If you are really smart and somewhat techie you can figure it out....however most of your potential clients will only get aggravated by trying to figure it out..... So what is a smart business owner like you to do???
Create a vanity or "Sticky" web address...no not the name of your business, that is boring and won't work as well....
Let's say you are a landscaper/hardscaper, the website you promote and people remember won't be www.acmelandscaper.com.... it should be something that speaks to what people want and speaks to your creative in your message... something like www.backyardmakeover.com www.outdoorvacation.com
You can still keep your existing website address, however you should go to www.godaddy.com and buy a Sticky website address for $10 and you can simply link your new Sticky website right to your current site (Ask your IT guy if you don't know) Remember...choose a web address that is based on the benefit of your product/service

You Want Bad News....

So the waiter comes to your table and says "is everything good" you automatically say yes, thanks! That is not what the chef wants to hear.

Nobody likes to say the food is bad because that is being rude....However if you have bad food, it could be that you are one of many that have had that same bad meal and will not come back, or worse tell others how bad it was.

As a business owner you want to find out the things that you did not do well. Questions like: what could be better, what wasn't a 10, what does my competitor do better, why would you not come back, if this was your place what would you do different.....getting answers to questions like this is much better than trying to boost your ego by all your customers doing the normal and saying things are good!

Tracking your advertising: When someone asks you to fill out a form about "what brought you into the store", do you take 100% effort??? Also if they asked you that same question, do you tell them "well, two years ago i saw a billboard, then i heard your radio spot about 15 months ago, then i saw you in the church bulletin, then i saw a commercial for you a few months ago, then i went to google and searched you and then i called you..... think about it, all your past and current marketing brands you then gets you in their mental "category" for your services, then when they are in the market for your services all the past marketing gets you a good chance at their business. Judge your marketing by the cash register, not someone saying "I'm here because your advertising was so strong it persuaded me to spend my heard earned money with you!"
Think about it: Nobody likes to say advertising worked on them...we are all too strong to have someone else influence us....right???