The Truth shall Set you FREE

Have you ever asked the salesperson "If it were your money what would you get?"

I have and I usually get what they would get, as they are the expert.

How about a commercial that speaks that same way....

Have you ever regretted buying something just because it was so cheap??? I think we all have!

At Acme Patios we are not the cheapest, if you want the cheapest I will give you the number to a guy who can do it real cheap.

However, if you want a quality job at a fair price we are the builder for you.

You'll be happy you spent the extra $20 bucks, we guarantee it!

Isn't that better than: Sale this weekend only, quantities limited, Sale, Don't miss the biggest event, free financing, Free vacation with every purchase, and all the other gimmicks....

However that is just my two cents...

8 tracks, Datsun, Bell bottoms, Yellow Pages

I meet with a lot of local business owners every week.

One of my main questions is always:

What advertising is working the best?

I often hear, TV, radio, some direct mail, and of course word of mouth.

Next question is always is there any advertising that you don't think is bringing you positive ROI?

The answer is always yellow pages

The reason is because of the Internet and more importantly Google! Many of my clients have pulled completely out of the yellow pages and have not had any adverse effects on new clients!

I'm not hear to bash any media....however the proof is in this question:

When is the last time you used the Yellow Pages???? When is the last time you googled something?

Will you Marry Me.....Please?

I got married last year, so i am going to try and relate my Marketing philosophy to my marriage.


If me and my wife were to get into an argument over something, would we simply divorce, or would we learn from the experience?

We would learn from the experience and be that much stronger/better going forward.

This is just like your advertising. After you shop the market for the best vehicle, pick one and stay commited to it. Nothing works 100% of the time all the time. The longer you stay committed to your advertising, the better it works! However, don't fire your advertising because you didn't get rich after the first month.
My advice: Look at all your options, choose the best and most efficient medium, stay married for one full year, learn as you go, keep changing things to ensure positive ROI.

If you do this, you will put yourself apart from your competition, as they are trying one thing, then the next, then the next. Plant seeds and keep watering them!

Keep it Simple Stupid (The KISS Lesson)

Keep It Simple

It's Good Enough For McDonald's

This came from a collegue (Phil Bernstein) of mine in another market. It drives home the point KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) People/potential customers can absorb one message only at a time!

McDonald's is best known, of course, for their food. But for those in my industry, they are known as one of the most sophisticated marketing companies on the planet. They have spent an enormous amount of money and time researching consumer behavior, and they are very, very good at getting a customer to walk into a store.

McDonald's has a lot to talk about:

Egg McMuffin
Big Mac
Quarter Pounder
Filet-o-Fish
Chicken McNuggets
The Happy Meal

But you never see a commercial that pitches the Egg McMuffin, the Bic Mac, the Quarter Pounder, the Filet-of-Fish, Chicken McNuggets, and the Happy Meal. A McDonald's commercial goes like this.

One product, and a very simple offer -- two sandwiches for $3.00. Easy to understand, and easy to act on.

If that approach is good enough for McDonald's...

Speak like a Friend

When is the last time you told a friend that "ACME
Furniture is having their biggest sale of the year with
sofas originally 599, now only 299 and don't forget NO
interest, yes no interest for 3 years, come in today, sale ends Monday, you don't want to miss this huge inventory reduction sale, SAVE Thousands!!!!"

People don't relate to that (sorry car dealerships).

Customers relate to the way they are "accustomed" to talking with someone. Think about talking with your neighbor, how would you tell them about a great opportunity? That is how your commercial should sound!

A little unrelated, but I would like someone to have enough guts to run a commercial like this:
At ACME home Repair we are not the cheapest, but just like your grandfather used to say "you get what you pay for". ACME home repair promises to give you the best product/service at the best price we can. If your looking for cheap service, that's just what your gonna get. If you want the best quality to work at an honest repair, Call us today, and we GUARANTEE you will be happy with the results!

Would you relate to that? Will you weed out some of the clients you don't want anyway?
Just my two cents! Call me and I will show you how to write a commercial that will get you the results you are looking for.

You paid for it, say what you want

It's your dime, say something!

In marketing, you can't please everyone, so don't even try.

Make bold statements that you can back up.

In TV you have 30 seconds to tell the potential customer why they should spend their money with you.

Will some people argue that you are "the best value in town", of course they will!

Let them argue. How about the hundreds of people shopping this week for your product or service looking for the best value, you just gave them a good reason to shop you.

What you should take from this: It's your money, make it count, be bold, and break through the "clutter"

Be a Farmer

Take this example:

You recently bought some farm land and for the last 6 months you tilled the soil, fertilized the soil, planted seeds, and watered during the entire growing process.

When it came time to harvest the crop, your results weren't as great as you had hoped for.

So do you sell the land? Or do you learn from this year and make next years harvest even better?

Hopefully you learn from this year and make next year's that much better from the work you have already done.

Why you care: I see many business owners throw away all their equity because they did not get instantly rich from a advertising promotion. I recommend, learn from this experience and continue to "grow the seeds you have already planted"

Please note: Just like you can't grow corn in a parking lot, you can't expect to grow new business if you are using the wrong media with the wrong strategy..... Call me and I'll show you how to become a profitable farmer!