| Here's a question I've wrestled with for years: When it comes to success, is loyalty a good thing or a bad thing? There are those who advocate a "me-first" approach. Loyalty, they argue, is a sentimental attachment that winners cannot afford. When people are no longer useful to you, get rid of them. Success is determined in no small part by the quality of the people who surround you. I've argued in past ETR essays that when it comes to the key people in your career, good is not good enough. But does that mean you should dump a loyal employee or vendor the moment you find someone better? In a word, no. When you mistreat a longtime supporter, you create a lifelong enemy. Populate your world with enemies, and you assure yourself (and your career) an untimely death. More to the point, loyalty is a two-way street. Develop a reputation for "using" people, and you will find yourself used when you least expect it. So how do you avoid the terrible choice of keeping someone who's been with you for years or bringing in someone "better"? The best thing you can do -- by far -- is to hire (and partner with) only great people to begin with. You must also provide your key people with the information, technology, and direction they need to be excellent. Finally, recognize that loyalty doesn't mean you must do what others think you should do for them. Someone might expect to be your business manager someday. But that doesn't mean you have to put him in that position. Don't make promises you can't keep. Don't suggest benefits you can't provide. Hire and partner with excellent people. Teach them. Listen to them. Do that and you will help your loyal employees grow. They will recognize the value you've given them and be grateful to you for it. If something out of your control happens and you have to let them go, they will be better able to get a good job because of what they've learned from you. -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- Build It and They Will Come... and Other Myths - A fancy website has zero bearing on how much money you make online. In fact, you could lose money! Internet Money Club Director Brian Edmondson knows a better way. And it uses one of the simplest Internet tools: e-mail. Find out more here...
"Curiosity is as much the parent of attention, as attention is of memory." Richard Whately There are pretty much only two kinds of prospects in a marketer's universe: (1) casual copy scanners, and (2) inveterate readers. Hand a sales letter to a dozen people, and you'll see what I mean. Some of them -- the inveterate readers -- will read the headline and every page of the copy. The rest -- the scanners -- will quickly flip through, reading only the heads and subheads. Before the invention of sidebars, we rarely gave scanners much that would draw their eyes into our sales letters. But sidebars turned scanners into readers. And because only readers respond to an offer, they dramatically increased our chances of making the sale. My point -- and I do have one -- is... Great sidebars turn scanners into readers -- AND responders. Notice I said "great sidebars." Unfortunately, a lot of the sidebars I see are not great. They look like what they are: afterthoughts. Or, worse, "leftovers" from an earlier draft. Instead of sleepwalking through your sidebars, try writing your running copy first. Then read each paragraph, thinking, "What kind of sidebar could I use to drive this point home in the most powerful manner possible?" Do that and, suddenly, every sidebar becomes more focused. So does your entire sales message. Then, after you've written a sidebar, ask yourself, "How can I make sure this is not a dead end? What can I do to help this sidebar drive the reader back into the copy? Or, better yet, to my order device?" Most of the promotions I see would probably pull 10 percent to 30 percent better if the writer had followed this advice. 20 Kinds of Sidebars and How to Use Them That said, let's take a look at the kinds of sidebars that give you the best chances of turning scanners into readers... Readership Sidebars are designed to sell the prospect on reading your text. They generally fall into one of three categories... - Tables of contents: A listing of the valuable information revealed inside the promotion enlists the prospect's self-interest.
- Pull-quotes: These boxes put an intriguing proposition... or a compelling benefit... up in lights. I often include a photo of the ersatz author of the piece for added attention-getting power.
- Teasers and page-turners: Inserted at the bottom of a right-hand page, these little gems "sell" the reader on turning the page by hinting at the valuable information on the next spread.
Biography Sidebars are really a kind of a "credibility device." They're used to eliminate any doubt that the titular author of the piece knows what he's talking about. They attempt to lift your expert -- and, therefore, your sales message -- head and shoulders above the competition. They often take the form of a... - Curriculum vitae: A true biography of the expert -- his education, accomplishments, awards, books, and so on.
- Case history: A narrative of an experience the expert has had that demonstrates his wisdom, experience, and/or prestige in his industry.
Proof Element Sidebars are used to present facts, figures, and other evidence that prove the truth of statements made in your text. I use them in three ways... - To document the enormity of the problem or opportunity: When I'm trying to evoke concern over heart disease, for example, I might include a chart showing how many Americans will suffer a heart attack this year.
In a financial package, I might use this kind of sidebar to document a claim that 80 percent of all mutual funds don't keep up with the S&P 500. Or I might use a table listing the advisor's most profitable trades. Or maybe a line chart showing soaring global demand for oil and plummeting supplies. - To demonstrate the wisdom of the expert's approach: This kind of sidebar might be a chart or graph comparing the profits the expert has earned to another indicator -- the S&P 500, for example. Or, it might compare the blood pressure of people who take a particular supplement with those who don't.
Benefit Sidebars are really just like ads within your ad. Each one draws out one of the compelling benefits the product offers. More important, each one is presented in a way that connects with the prospect's feelings about: - Avoiding or resolving a problem: With this approach, I typically put my prospect's negative feelings about the subject at hand into words... validate how he feels... and empathize with him. Then I show him how my product will resolve those feelings.
- Easing a fear: "Fear relief" sidebars appear around the middle of my sales message -- after I've done everything I can to bring every concern or frustration my prospect has about the subject at hand bubbling to the surface. Once I've done that, I use these sidebars to show him how my product will free him from those negative emotions.
- Fulfilling a strong, long-held personal desire: If my main theme is a positive one -- focused on one or more benefits that will bring tremendous value to my prospect's life -- I use these "fulfillment" sidebars to prove that my product will, indeed, deliver.
Credibility Sidebars are invaluable tools for convincing your prospect that your expert's view (no matter how radical) is valued by other experts, and that your product will produce the promised benefit. - Customer testimonials: These can take the form of straight testimonials or narrative testimonials. They can appear singly to add impact to a spread or be clumped together. I like to do both.
- Expert testimonials: Praise from peers and other experts whose names are known -- or whose titles are impressive and/or connect them with respected institutions -- establish the authority and credibility of your expert.
- Media mentions and appearances: These demonstrate that your expert is important enough to have been noticed, quoted, or invited to appear on major media outlets. At best, they'll say something about him that reads like an endorsement. But the simple fact that he regularly appears on CNBC or "Nightline" or is quoted in The Wall Street Journal makes him worth listening to.
Sales-Closing Sidebars generally appear in the final third of the sales message. They are designed to remove the final roadblocks between the prospect and your response device. I use seven of these kinds of sidebars in just about every promotion I write... - Pull-quotes: To allow the author to look the prospect in the eye and deliver a compelling benefit or horrifying alternative and ask for the sale.
- Premium ads: To ramp up the perceived value of the free gifts the prospect will receive. Usually, these ads are a series of bullets on the most valuable information in each premium.
- Product ads: To fully lay out the value the product will bring to the prospect's life. These are typically written in much the same way as a premium ad.
- Value sidebars: To demonstrate how mind-blowingly cheap the product is relative to other things the prospect buys. These sidebars are designed to make not ordering feel like the dumbest thing he could possibly do.
- Risk relief sidebars: "Risk relief" is just a fancy-schmancy way of saying "guarantee." But I make my guarantees go beyond simply saying, "If you hate it, I'll refund your money." I use my guarantees to reiterate the benefits I'm promising... to have my expert sign a contract with the prospect, promising that he'll deliver... and to demonstrate his "money-where-his-mouth-is" confidence that the product will perform as advertised.
- Contact devices: Actually, these should appear on every spread and contain a toll-free number the prospect can call to order. I also like to break them out in sidebars to drive my prospect to my response device or to his telephone.
- Action devices: Often imbedded in other sidebars, they urge the prospect to order now -- either by calling a toll-free number or turning to the order form.
Lots to think about! Now, here's your assignment: Grab a pile of promotions and plop down on the sofa. Look at each sidebar and ask yourself, "Why did the writer include this? What kind of sidebar is it? What does it accomplish? Does it focus his main theme or serve to diffuse it?" More important, read the running copy and ask yourself, "What other kinds of proof element, credibility, and other sidebars could have done a better job of making the sale?" By the time you're done, you'll be twice the copywriter or marketer you are now. [Ed. Note: Ready for more tips from the master? At ETR's Info-Marketing Bootcamp, Clayton Makepeace joined a dozen other experts in Internet marketing, social media, and business building. If you couldn't make it to see their presentations in person, you can still benefit from the secrets they revealed from the stage. We recorded every single minute of Bootcamp on video. And those recordings are available for order now.] -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- The Greatest Dirty Little Secret of the Internet To make money as an entrepreneur, you've got to constantly scour the earth for high-quality, in-demand products. You could create new ones. But that can be expensive. Time-consuming. And after all the work... you might wind up with nothing. But a few of the Internet's top marketers have found a way around this problem. They don't spend time (or money) on products that may or may not sell. Instead, they pluck moneymakers from a reserve of pre-made products and sales promotions. A martial arts expert from Florida has turned this strategy into a small fortune. He estimates that one "pre-made product" made over $20,000 in one month... Another has gone on to pull in over $332,250. Discover how he found these moneymakers... And learn how you could use this secret to make anywhere from a few hundred bucks a month to a few hundred thousand bucks a year right here.
A few months ago, I thought I'd found a great new partner to promote one of my sideline businesses: The International Sketch Comedy Championships. Through a friend, I was introduced to a former "A list" actor. He'd had starring roles in some big hits 20 years ago. And I was sure his clout could help take the event to the next level. Unfortunately and probably not uncommon in Hollywood, he bailed. Nevertheless, I was sure my idea to find a partner with industry "mojo" was sound. So I advertised on a website for the entertainment business. Sure enough, I got a response from someone who owns a large comedy talent agency. He has many relationships with television networks and folks in the business. Our interests were a good fit. So I have a new partner. He has the connections to make my event bigger and better. And, most important, more profitable. If you need a partner for a specific industry, a trade publication or website can be a great place to find them. There are trade publications and websites for almost every industry and niche. Many of them offer some form of classified advertising. In my case, the posting was free. But if there is a charge, it will usually be minimal. [Ed. Note: Paul Lawrence is the publisher of the "Street Smart Business" program. It's packed with dozens and dozens of ideas to help the small businessperson succeed. For more info click right here. -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- You Need To Read Dr. Lundell's Alarming Bulletin Immediately, Because... Dropping Your Cholesterol Levels Will NOT Lower
Your Risk of Heart Disease, Heart Attack, or Strokes! Dr. Dwight Lundell says, "In my career as a cardiac surgeon, I've performed over 5,000 heart surgeries. Most of these could have been easily prevented had the patients been given the right information." YOU Can Prevent and Cure Heart Disease AND Reverse Damage That's Been Done Without Statin Medication!! Click here to learn more.
What To Do When Your Boss Is Looking Over Your Shoulder
By Michael Masterson
Second-guessers -- bosses who delegate authority and then take some of it back -- are a very odious sort. Most management books advise you to confront them. In some cases, that may be necessary. But in most cases I've witnessed, second-guessing is a response to a real problem. So before you accost your bossy boss and set him straight, make sure his worries are groundless. Next time you feel you've been questioned or criticized unfairly, calm down and take a deep breath. Repeat after me: "I am not perfect. It is possible for me to be wrong in this case. If I am wrong in this case, it doesn't mean I am human waste." Once you are comfortable with the idea that you may be wrong, try to figure out why your boss thinks you are. What, exactly, happened that shouldn't have? What didn't happen that should have? Did you have all the resources you needed? Did you follow sensible procedures? If you had to do it again, from scratch, how could you do it to produce the desired outcome? You need to ask yourself these questions -- and you should also ask a trusted friend or colleague for input. Once you understand what went wrong and how it could have been right, set up a meeting with your boss. Admit your mistakes. Tell him what you're doing to avoid the same missteps in the future. And ask him for his suggestions. I can't imagine any good boss not being impressed with that. If he doesn't respond positively, then he's the problem, not you. Look for another job.
Latest News
"Just what I needed to hear." "I just wanted to say thanks for some great content in the ETR newsletters. I find something useful in just about everyone of them. "Michael's lead article prompted me to respond today. A number of times, he's shared some really useful tips for dealing with difficult people and situations. And they've been just what I needed to hear, like this one was today. "Many thanks." Stuart May Torquay, Devon, U.K -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ----------------------------------------------------- Ready to Impress Your Boss? - You've just read about one way to handle a second-guessing boss. Wanna know the best way to avoid such a situation altogether? Know more than he does about business and marketing. Just read Michael Masterson's book, Ready, Fire, Aim, cover to cover.
Today's Words That Work: Inveterate Inveterate (in-VET-ur-it) -- from the Latin for "chronic" or "long standing" -- means habitual or firmly established. Example (as used by Clayton Makepeace today): "There are pretty much only two kinds of prospects in a marketer's universe: (1) casual copy scanners, and (2) inveterate readers."
We want your feedback! Let us know your thoughts on today's issue. Email us at: AskETR@ETRFeedback.com | 
No comments:
Post a Comment