ETR: Are You Being Clear?

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Issue No. 2995 - $1.00	Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Are You Being Clear? By Jason Holland Have you spelled out exactly how your customers can order your products? And have you made ordering a no-brainer? All too many marketers fail miserably with those two essential elements of their sales messages, says veteran copywriter and marketing strategist Drayton Bird in his essay today. And that's hurting sales. But, he says, make a few simple changes and you can turn things around almost instantly. --------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended-------------------------------------------------- What Are You Thinking of Right Now? Are you upset about some perceived slight by a coworker? Annoyed by the e-mail you just got from your mother-in-law? (She's visiting next week... ugh!) Dreading this afternoon's staff meeting? (You just know you'll get stuck with extra work.) If this sounds familiar... if negative thoughts -- one after another -- fill your day... you're not alone. As success mentor Dr. Srikumar Rao notes, this kind of "mental chatter" fills most people's days. It also prevents them from being happy and reaching their true, full potential. But Dr. Rao has perfected a technique to banish this distraction from your mind and allow you to focus on what's important. And you find out what it is during a FREE teleconference hosted by Dr. Rao on Thursday, March 25. Find out more here... "If you are not moving closer to what you want in sales (or in life), you probably aren't doing enough asking." Jack Canfield A Highly Profitable, Laughably Simple Lesson From the Great Depression By Drayton Bird I have a daughter in Montclair, New Jersey -- hometown of the inimitable Yogi Berra. As a result, I have made a bit of a study of his remarks, and one of my favorites is, "You can observe a lot just by looking." Well, one thing I have observed a lot is the disinclination of most marketers to look at the past -- and see what they can learn from it. They just don't study enough. Coincidentally, a client recently asked if I had any good examples of direct marketing during a recession. I was stumped for a moment, because wise marketers do the same things in any economy: They avoid trying to be "creative" like the plague; don't settle for the first idea they have; test everything -- and, for God's sake, do everything they possibly can to get that response. That last point is so important -- and so often ignored. When I look at copy -- which I do every day -- I am struck by how weak the calls to action are, especially when I consider how much difference even tiny changes can make. For instance: When I worked briefly with the astonishing Gene Schwartz, I learned that writing "tear out this coupon" instead of "cut out this coupon" made a significant difference to response. When I learned about catalogue marketing, I discovered that if you put ordering details on every page, sales went up. When I wrote my first insurance mailings, tests showed that doubling the size of the order form boosted sales 25 percent. And one of the first things I learned about TV direct response was that the longer the phone number is on the screen, the higher the response. I just looked in my files and found the following -- the end of a leaflet. It dates back to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Now that final paragraph really is a call to action. You can tell that whoever wrote it really wanted people to reply. The business promoted by that leaflet was successful for many years. And if you read the copy, you can see that it is in a field that's very popular now on the Internet -- making money by selling stuff. Lessons From Salesmanship Somebody once asked me what qualities I look for in a copywriter. Besides an ability to write, a deep interest in people, and insatiable curiosity, I said that I look for "a burning desire to take money off people." In 1970, I sent a salesman up to Birmingham in England to sell a product worth £5,000. (That would be $150,000 today.) He was incredibly disorganized. But he got the sale because he was never afraid to ask for the order. The great advertising man Fairfax Cone -- one of the founders of Foote, Cone & Belding -- once observed, "Advertising is what you do when you can't be there in person." It is easy to forget, when you write copy, that you are merely acting as a substitute for a live salesperson. If you could afford it, you would send the finest salesperson you have to do the job for you. So you must constantly ask yourself, when reviewing copy, "Is this how a great salesperson would do it?" How to Go for the Sale If you want to make a sale, you must: Remind people what they get when you ask for the order. Put a value on what they get. ("You could pay more for a lunch for two.") Remind them what they will miss if they don't reply. Emphasize the deadline or the limited numbers. (I've seen that boost response 50 percent.) Use a P.S. on the sales letter, as that is the part that most people will remember. Here are some of the ways I like to end my copy: "Why not make this the very next thing you do?" "Why not reply the minute you finish reading this?" "It's so easy to put things off, isn't it? Why not reply now?" "Why not order now, while this is fresh in your mind?" I always try to ask for the sale at least three times at the end. And if I'm working with long copy, I ask early on too. (That gets people who are keen to buy right away.) And then I keep asking at intervals. How Many Ways Can You Sell People on Replying? Now, here is an instructive little exercise for you. Read through the last section of copy in the leaflet example I gave above. Here it is: "Let nothing, absolutely nothing, interfere with immediate action. A change for the better justifies no delay. Don't watch others make money which you can make. Be up and doing now. Some other time may be too late. Place your order and application this very minute. Take the action now that means more money next week, independence next year." Now count the number of reasons it gives for acting. I got eight. Did you? That gives you some idea how hard you have to fight for business in tough times. (Remember, that leaflet was written during the Great Depression.) The moment of truth comes when you ask for the order. Believe me, few things cost less or make more difference than doing that as though your life depends on it -- because it may. [Ed. Note: Veteran copywriter and direct-marketing strategist Drayton Bird has worked with American Express, Ford, Microsoft, Visa, Procter & Gamble, and scores of other clients during his five-decade career, which included a stint as international vice-chairman and creative director with Ogilvy & Mather.  In 2003, he was named by the Chartered Institute of Marketing as one of 50 living individuals who have shaped today's marketing. Ready for more marketing insights from Drayton Bird? For 101 ideas, free case studies, and articles on direct-marketing topics like the one you just read, and a 28-day free trial of Drayton's Commonsense Marketing Series, go here.] -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ---------------------------------------------------- Get Michael Masterson's Bestselling Book, Ready, Fire, Aim… for Free Ready, Fire, Aim is considered a business-building bible by countless readers of this New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week bestseller. "If you're thinking about starting a business don't, until you've finished reading this book – it will save you thousands of dollars and years of time and effort," says Scott Martineau, Founder and CEO of ConsciousOne.com. And Brent Jones, founder of Affinity Lifestyles, says, "I am going to grow my company to over $100 million! Now, I know I can do it, I have a clear roadmap." Ready, Fire, Aim contains the secret blueprint that Michael used to craft not one… but TWO $100 million+ business empires…  And now this breakthrough business tome is available totally free to readers of Early to Rise… Find out more here. "Extremely useful." "Today's issue is great! Every issue is good, but Michael's 'early to bed, early to rise' section really resonated with me. "And Dr. Rao's 'mental chatter' article is extremely useful. "Thanks for all your good work, ETR!" Shelby Beckett --------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended -------------------------------------------------- The Greatest Thing About The Great Wall Along a quiet stretch of the Great Wall of China sits what is potentially the greatest silver discovery ever. If estimates hold true, the haul could exceed 30 billion ounces of silver with a total value over $500 billion. And a small North American mining company is working alongside the Chinese government to bring that silver to market. The company's stock prices could increase by at least 4,000% once the full value of the find is determined. And you can get involved now by reading the special report we have prepared. Today's Words That Work: Insatiable Insatiable (in-SAY-shuh-bul) -- from the Latin for "not to fill" -- means incapable of being satisfied or appeased. Example (as used by Drayton Bird today): "Somebody once asked me what qualities I look for in a copywriter. Besides an ability to write, a deep interest in people, and insatiable curiosity, I said that I look for 'a burning desire to take money off people.'" We want your feedback! Let us know your thoughts on today's issue. Email us at: AskETR@ETRFeedback.com
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