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Showing posts with label ENTREPRENEURS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ENTREPRENEURS. Show all posts
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Friday, 19 July 2013
I Need Your Help, Please!
I’ve been writing to you for some time now. I’ve tried to give you the benefit of my
entrepreneurial counseling, and have touched on many topics. We’ve had articles
on customer service, positioning yourself in your niche, marketing,
advertising, giving your customer what they want, and even some tips for you
about the Internet. I hope you found
them helpful and interesting.
The time has now come for me to find out what MY readercustomers
want, or rather what you as my reader wants.
I may not be a well of unlimited information, although I think I come
close, but I AM FREE! What better deal could you get?
What I need to know from my readers is what has you stumped
in your business? What do you want to
learn more about? What problems do you
have that could be alleviated if you only knew how to solve them?
In other words, what I’m trying to do is to make this column
work for you. Give you the information
that will help you in your business. The
only way I can do this, is if I know what you want from this column.
In order for me to help you, I need you to help me. For this purpose I’ve set up a very special
page for my readers on the Internet at: www.earnerspot11.blogspot.in
There you will find a short form to fill out, this shouldn’t
take you more than a few minutes, and hopefully we can turn this column into a
helpful tool by working together.
You’ve heard me say, more than once, in order to be
successful you have to know what your target market wants – not just what
you’re offering. This is the point where
I must live by my words. I want my
readers to look forward to reading my column because they know it is going to
help them in their business.
If you think about it for a minute, you’ll see that this is
a “win-win” situation for both of us.
For you because you’ll have a source for solving some of your business
problems which in turn will increase your profits. For me, because I’ll know what you need and
are looking for from this column.
I enjoy helping fellow entrepreneurs to become successful,
and up until now I’ve been using the “shotgun” approach. By that I mean that I’ve covered subjects
that were helpful to any business person and of general interest. Well, now it’s time for me to trade in my
shotgun for a laser pistol.
I want to be of help to you in your endeavor by zeroing in
on subjects that you want covered but don’t have the time to research on your
own. After all, you’ve got to work at
earning a living from your business and don’t have the luxury of time to do
your own research. That’s where my
column comes into the picture – let my fingers do the walking for you.
5 Tips For Identity Theft Protection
This is that time of year when we all start getting those emails that
want to purloin our secret codes and passwords.
You know the ones that have subject lines like: “Your Account Is About
To Be Closed,” “There’s A Block On Your Account,” “Could You Help Me Claim My
Funds,” or my all-time favorite “Congratulations – You’ve Won The UK Lottery.”
This is the time of year when we are all shopping for gifts for family
or customers, and the last thing we need is for our bank or credit cards
account to be hindered. That is exactly
what these “cyber grifters” are counting on, and unfortunately some of us are
tempted to follow the instructions sent to investigate.
First and foremost, DON’T FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE EMAIL! If you think there might be a problem, access
the account in question as you normally do on your PC and not with the link
supplied in the phony email.
I’ve had some very authentic looking email supposedly from banks, that
even went so far as to copy the colors of the bank logo and stationery
style. But, don’t fall for the
scam. In fact, don’t even open the
email, because many are just set to loose a virus program on your computer by
being opened. Simply forward the
suspicious email to the “spoof email” address supplied by your bank, or credit
card company.
Nearly 10 million Americans fell prey to identity theft last year,
costing businesses and individuals billions of dollars. Here are some other tips to help you:
- Understand debit card dangers: Greater liability than credit cards. When it comes to fraud, debit cards carry much greater personal liability than credit cards, depending on how quickly you report the loss of the card. If you fail to report unauthorized use within 60 days of receiving your bank statements, you could lose all the money in the account and be held responsible for the amount of money that has been tapped from your line of credit.
- Rethink check writing: That little slip of paper has way too much information. Some experts advise against check writing because it gives away your address, bank account number, signature and license number to complete strangers. On top of that, there’s no federal legislation to limit your liability for forged checks (each state has its own set of rules). Experts advise that you look into automating your bill paying.
- Secure your mail: Your mailbox is a goldmine of information. Between bank statement, bills, and all those pre-approved credit card offers, your mailbox is loaded with personal data which identity thieves can use to easily apply for a credit card in your name. Unless you diligently check your credit report, you may never even know about it. One way to avoid this is to have your mailbox under lock and key, but most of us in Santa Clarita have our mailboxes at the curb in front of our house and the postman frowns on carrying dozens and dozens of keys around. The other solution is to have a rented mailbox, or to foil “dumpster-diving” thieves by buying a shredder and destroy documents before discarding.
- Go virtual: For shopping online, there are “virtual” card numbers. These are randomly generated credit card numbers that are disposable and that on-line shoppers use once and throw away. It’s linked directly to your real credit card account so purchases show up on your monthly bill. The service is easy to use – and it’s FREE! All you need to do is register with companies offering the virtual card, and they are MBNA, Discover, and Citigroup.
- Create an emergency identity kit: Would you know how to contact your credit card company in an emergency? Create an emergency kit that contains: your account number, expiration date, issuing company name, and emergency contact number for each card you own. While you’re at it, make copies of your driver’s license, social security card, birth certificate and passport and store them in a locked box or file cabinet, or a safe deposit box. I like the safe deposit box best, because this gives you protection in the event of a catastrophe such as fire, earthquake, etc.
This may all seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but
if you’re ever the victim of identity theft – even just once – you’ll realize
that it’s well worth the effort.
Many of us forget that were it not for what we carry
in our wallets or in our purses, we’re all John and Jane Doe’s if we can’t
speak due to injury or are unaccompanied by someone who knows us. How much less stressful is it to know that in
a bank box, no matter where you are, there are items that can verify your
identity. Better to be safe, than sorry!
Are You Building A Wall?
Americans throw away enough paper in a year to build a wall 12 feet
high from New York City to Los Angeles
Despite the hype that computer makers fed us a few years ago, the
computer has NOT decreased the paper used in most offices today. According to the U.S. Conference of Mayors
Clean Your Files Day Program, the average citizen uses 1 ½ pounds of paper per
day. The average office employee uses
10,000 sheets of paper per year according to
the Environmental Defense Fund.
Now that’s just the figures on paper.
What about the ink cartridges and cell phones that are tossed into
landfills each year. No matter how you
slice it, recycling today is big business.
Whether it’s glass, paper, plastic, steel, ink cartridges, computers,
magazines, cardboard boxes, cell phones or another material, recycling products
reduces waste and cost, and saves energy and resources. So why isn’t your business utilizing a
recycling program?
Many small business owners feel overwhelmed when asked about recycling,
but it needn’t be daunting because there are a lot of resources available. Many of them are just an Internet click away. Some that you might look at are:
There may also be businesses nearby you that have “been there and done
that” and may be willing to share advice, strategies, plans, and programs. Why reinvent the wheel when you can duplicate
it?
Here are 18 steps that will help start your recycling program, and help
your business become a good corporate citizen:
- Make the decision to start. Believing that a recycling program is positive and beneficial to the business must exist as the foundation.
- Get “buy-in” from other manage-ment and employees.
- Decide if you need a “designated” recycling coordinator. This could be a volunteer who feels strongly about the subject.
- Find a mentor or model. Find a business similar in size that has a successful program and ask for help.
- Create a program plan. This should include goals and measurable objectives.
- Know what can be recycled – what to collect and what to toss. There are regulations as to what can and cannot be recycled.
- Understand recycling and educate the team. Tell your employees why you want to recycle, why it’s important and what’s expected of each employee.
- Determine a collection method. Decide from the beginning whether recyclables will be commingled or separated by source.
- Make recycling convenient and easy. Don’t skimp on collection bins, for example. If a bin is easier to find than a trash can than your program is bound to work.
- Choose a method for removal. Here in Santa Clarita we’re fortunate to have our own trash companies alert about recycling and willing to assist citizens.
- Establish program guidelines. Keep it simple and foolproof for employees.
- Launch your program and get team “buy in”. Make it fun. Schedule a kick off program, or even a company-wide contest to name the program.
- Implement! Now it’s time to put the program into practice. Purchase and place bins, label recycling areas/bins. Make sure you place signs about what is recyclable and what isn’t in the same vicinity as the collection bins.
- Promote and market your program. Keep the momentum going among your employees. Some companies even offer incentive programs to recognize individuals or departments for their efforts.
- Evaluate the program periodically. Analyze your program’s effectiveness and let team members know the result. How much waste is being saved? Is it reducing costs? Are supply expenses lower?
- Keep it going and build on the program. If you started with just paper, now extend it to plastic/ink cartridges, for example.
- Publicize successes. Internally promote the program with workers via a newsletter or email. Externally, use it for a PR boost by sharing results with local and trade publications with a Press Release. Hey, great advertising!
- Close the loop. Buy recycled content products for your business, reduce waste in the office, and reuse materials when possible.
21st Century Business Women
When the first generation of women entered the
workforce in earnest in the 1970s, they succeeded in the only way they could –
by imitating men. Authoritarian
leadership and tight control was the hallmark of that day’s businessman, and
women were not exactly welcomed into the ranks of management. Well ladies, that was yesterday, and today is
today!
Forget what your mama or your boss told you, because
following the rules can be bad for your career.
Today’s CEO/entrepreneur can no longer tap his/her company’s full
potential using a “command-and-control” style.
The 21st century business woman needs to be able to build a
vision based on the awareness of economic transformation, then help her
partners and staff fulfill that vision.
She must draw on a wide range of skills to get to the top and stay
there. Following are 7 Key
Characteristics that are essential:
1.
Sell the Vision: A leader with a
fresh, independent plan for her company’s growth and future has a distinct
advantage in luring and keeping great talent and investors. Vision is not some lofty ideal, but an
obtainable concept that is easy to understand and will make the company grow to
another level.
2.
Reinvent the Rules: While women have traditionally been
socialized to please others, the 21st century leader knows that good
girls rarely post great returns. The
strong managers/owners today not only anticipate change, they create entirely
new organizations that respond to shifts and search for innovation.
3.
Achieve With A Laser Focus: Go where others fear to tread! Being
aggressive and ambitious has long been considered male traits, but they are key
qualities for new leaders. Today’s
business woman has the ability to home in on opportunities that others may
simply not see, and then excel in that uncharted territory.
4.
Use High-Touch in a High-Tech
Era: When a number of leaders are
conducting business by e-mail, voice mail, passwords, and PINs, the female
entrepreneur succeeds because she guides with a strong, personal, bed-side
manner. Today’s business woman is just as technologically savvy as her peers,
but her skill with staff and customers is “high-touch” which gives her a
critical edge and separation from the “pack”.
5.
Challenge or Opportunity ?
– Women are great at turning a challenge into an opportunity instead of using
the “slash-and-burn” approach. They are
able to make bold strokes, but they also win the cooperation of others in the
organization in making any transformation a success.
6.
A Customer Preference
Obsession: In this information age which
makes it easier to shop around for the best “whatever”, businesses must work
harder to give people what they want before their competitors do. There is no substitute for spending time with
clients to become expert at their businesses and learn their demands. Female leaders are almost intuitively adept
in doing just that, and without the client even suspecting.
7.
Courage Under Fire: Show me any career woman or female
entrepreneur today that isn’t able to “stand-the-heat” in any tough-call
situation. Their decision-making skills
are rooted in a high level of confidence, because they’ve had to weather and
surpass any and all “corporate” storms they’ve encountered over time.
ADVERTISING WITH LITTLE OR NO MONEY
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Get What You Want in 7 Powerful Steps
In my most recent columns we’ve covered issues about
improving your business and marketing, but today let’s start right at the
beginning.
You’re really getting tired of the 9 to 5 “rat race” and are thinking about chucking
it for your own business. All your
friends keep telling you that you could do for yourself just what you’re doing
now for your boss. Why shouldn’t you profit from your ideas instead of him?
You keep thinking about it because you know that you’ll never
be financially where you want to be with a weekly paycheck, but what business
would you start?
Before you pack in that weekly paycheck, this is the time to
evaluate yourself and your future and it takes some real, down to heart
honesty. You want to change your life
for the better, so let’s start.
Did you know that you have the potential to do and be
anything you want? People have different
perceptions of the ideal life, and it ranges from obtaining financial freedom
to as simple as owning a new pair of sneakers. Unfortunately, many fail to
reach their aspirations because they can’t get a solid, clear picture in their
mind of what they want.
Take the next few days and embark on a fact-finding journey
that will be a life-changing experience.
Get a pad and pencil and start with this first step:
STEP 1 - KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT – Be specific in your
passions, then focus all your efforts on that particular desire.
Those who always change their minds and those who give up
easily when the going gets tough will never get anywhere. If you’re a bit confused and aren’t sure what
you really want in life answer these questions:
- What makes your heart beat with excitement?
- What makes you happy?
- What are you constantly thinking of day and night?
- What do you want to do with the rest of your life?
- What do you enjoy doing?
- What are your obsessions?
- What things make you jump for joy?
Write down all your possible answers to the above
questions. Write down everything, no
matter how silly or unimportant it seems. Put all your desires on paper that
answers any of the above questions.
When that’s done, go back and circle five to seven items
that interest you the most. Then
evaluate and choose with your heart, not
your mind, the one and only thing worthy to spend all your time and resources
on and that brings out the best in you.
Now you may wind up with something like, “I want to play
quarterback for the RAMS.” If you’re
over 20 I’d say that isn’t too viable a choice, but you could do something
related to football or sports. How about
starting a sports publication? Or
perhaps a sporting goods retail business, sports memorabilia business, or even
a gym could be the answer. You can
always read books and surf the net to help you in your search.
The most important thing to remember, no matter how “pie in
the sky” it seems, is to USE YOUR HEART.
Others may disagree with you, but you should be firm with what you
really want. Others may offer comments
or advice, but the final decision is always yours to make. You should concentrate on what you want, not
what others want.
Remember you only get one shot at living your life. There are no replays and you don’t get to do
it over. You may not do it right, but at
least you’re doing it. Too many lives
have been lived in quiet desperation waiting until – until they had saved a
nest egg, until the children are out of school, until I retire, and they depart
this life before “until” ever arrives.
Don’t go to sleep tonight without making a decision on WHAT
YOU REALLY WANT IN LIFE MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.
Then spend a few days evaluating how to make it possible and
make a living at it. Begin living every
day as if it were the last day you had – never leaving anything to be done next
week, next month, or next year.
There will always be bills, things will always break down
eventually and need replacing, there may be storms and earthquakes and repairs
– but there will only be one life for you to live. It can’t be put on “hold”!
WRITE ATTENTION GETTING ADVERTISEMENTS
The
most important aspect of any business is selling the product or service. Without sales, no business can exist for very
long.
All sales begin with some form of
advertising. To build sales, this
advertising must be seen or heard by potential buyers, and cause them to react
to the advertising in some way. The
credit for the success, or the blame for the failure of almost all ads, reverts
back to the ad itself.
Generally, the "ad writer"
wants the prospect to do one of the following:
a)
Visit the store to see and judge the product for himself, or immediately
write a check and send for the merchandise being advertised.
b)
Phone for an appointment to hear the full sales presentation, or write
for further information which amounts to the same thing.
The bottom line in any ad is quite
simple: To make the reader buy the
product or service. Any ad that causes
the reader to only pause in this thinking, to just admire the product, or to
simply believe what's written about the product - is not doing its job
completely.
The "ad writer" must know
exactly what he wants his reader to do, and any that does not elicit the
desired action is an absolute waste of time and money.
In order to elicit the desired
action from the prospect, all ads are written according to a simple
"master formula" which is:
1) Attract
the "attention" of your prospect.
2) "Interest"
your prospect in the product
3) Cause
your prospect to "desire" the product
4) Demand
"action" from the prospect
Never forget the basic rule of
advertising copywriting: If the ad is
not read, it won't stimulate any sale; if it is not seen, it cannot be read;
and if it does not command or grab the attention of the reader, it will not be
seen!
Most successful advertising
copywriters know these fundamentals backwards and forwards. Whether you know them already or you're just
now being exposed to them, your knowledge and practice of these fundamentals
will determine the extent of your success as an advertising copywriter.
CLASSIFIED ADS
Classified ads are the ads from
which all successful businesses are started.
These small, relatively inexpensive ads, give the beginner an
opportunity to advertise his product or service without losing his shirt if the
ad doesn't pull or the people don't break his door down with demands for his
product. Classified ads are written
according to all the advertising rules.
What is said in a classified ad is the same that's said in a larger,
more elaborate type of ad, except in condensed form.
To start learning how to write good
classified ads, clip ten classified ads form ten different mail order type
publications - ads that you think are pretty good. Paste each of these ads onto a separate sheet
of paper.
Analyze each of these ads: How has the writer attracted your attention -
what about the ads keeps your interest - are you stimulated to want to know
more about the product being advertised - and finally, what action must you take? Are all of these points covered in the
ad? How strongly are you "turned
on" by each of these ads?
Rate these ads on a scale of one to
ten, with ten being the best according to the formula I've given you. Now, just for practice, without clipping the
ads, do the same thing with ten different ads from a Wards or Penney's
catalog. In fact, every ad you see form
now on, quickly analyze it, and rate it somewhere on your scale. If you'll practice this exercise on a regular
basis, you'll soon be able to quickly recognize the "Power Points" of
any ad you see, and know within your own mind whether an ad is good, bad or
otherwise, and what makes it so.
Practice for an hour each day, write
the ads you've rated 8, 9 and 10 exactly as they've been written. This will give you the "feel" of
the fundamentals and style necessary in writing classified ads.
Your next project will be to pick
out what you consider to be the ten "worst" ads you can find in the
classifieds sections. Clip these out and
paste them onto a sheet of paper so you can work on them.
Read these ads over a couple of
times, and then beside each of them, write a short comment stating why you
think it's bad: Lost in the crowd,
doesn't attract attention - doesn't hold the reader's interest - nothing special
to make the reader want to own the product - no demand for action.
You probably already know what's
coming next, and that's right. Break out
those pencils, erasers and scratch paper - and start rewriting these ads to
include the missing elements.
Each day for the next month,
practice writing the ten best ads for an hour, just the way they were
originally written. Pick out ten of the
worst ads, analyze those ads, and then practice rewriting those until they
measure up to doing the job they were intended to do.
Once you're satisfied that the ads
you've rewritten are perfect, go back into each ad and cross out the words that
can be eliminated without detracting from the ad. Classified ads are almost always
"finalized" in the style of a telegram.
EXAMPLE: I'll arrive at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon,
the 15th. Meet me at Sardi's. All my love, Jim.
EDITED FOR SENDING: Arrive 2pm
- 15th - Sardi's.
Love, Jim.
CLASSIFIED AD: Save on your food bills! Reduced
prices on every shelf in
the store! Stock up now while
supplies are
complete! Come on in today, to Jerry's
Family Supermarkets!
EDITED FOR
PUBLICATION: Save on Food!
Everything bargain
priced! Limited Supplies! Hurry!
Jerry's Markets!
It takes dedicated and regular
practice, but you can do it. Simply
recognize and understand the basic formula - practice reading and writing the
good ones - and rewriting the bad ones to make them better. Practice, and keep at it, over and over,
every day - until the formula, the idea, and the feel of this kind of ad
writing becomes second nature to you.
This is the ONLY WAY to gain expertise in writing good classified ads.
DISPLAY
ADVERTISEMENTS
A display or space ad differs from a
classified ad because it has a headline, layout, and because the style isn't
telegraphic. However, the fundamentals
of writing the display or space ad are exactly the same as for a classified
ad. The basic difference is that you
have more room in which to emphasize the "master formula."
Most successful copywriters rate the
headline and/or the lead sentence of an ad as the most important part of the
ad, and in reality, you should do the same.
After all, when you ad is surrounded by hundreds of other ads, and
information or entertainment, what makes you think anyone is going to see your
particular ad?
The truth is, they're not going to
see your ad unless you can "grab" their attention and entice them to
read all of what you have to say. Your
headline, or lead sentence when no headline is used, has to make it more
difficult for your prospect to ignore or pass over, than to stop and read your
ad. If you don't capture the attention
of your reader with your headline, anything beyond is useless effort and wasted
money.
Successful advertising headlines -
in classified ads, your first three to five words serve as your headline - are
written as promises, either implied or direct.
The former promises to show you how to save money, make money, or attain
a desired goal. The latter is a warning
against something undesirable.
EXAMPLE OF A
PROMISE: Are You Ready To Become A
Millionaire - In Just 18 Months?
EXAMPLE OF A WARNING: Do You Make These Mistakes In English?
In both of these examples, I've
posed a question as the headline.
Headlines that ask a question seem to attract the reader's attention
almost as surely as a moth is drawn to a flame.
Once he's seen the question, he just can't seem to keep himself from
reading the rest of the ad to find out the answer. The best headline questions are those that
challenge the reader; that involve his self esteem, and do not allow him to
dismiss your question with a simple yes or no.
You'll be the envy of your friends
is another kind of "reader appeal" to incorporate into your headline
whenever appropriate. The appeal has to
do with basic psychology: everyone wants
to be well thought of, and consequently, will read into the body of your ad to
find out how he can gain the respect and accolades of his friends.
Wherever and whenever possible, use
colloquialisms or words that are not usually found in advertisements. The idea is to shock or shake the reader out
of his reverie and cause him to take notice of your ad. Most of the headlines you see day in and day
out, have a certain sameness with just the words rearranged. The reader may see these headlines with his
eyes, but his brain fails to focus on any of them because there's nothing
different or out of the ordinary to arrest his attention.
EXAMPLE OF COLLOQUIALISM: Are You Developing a POT BELLY?
Another attention-grabber kind of
headline is the comparative priced magazine
headline: Three For Only $3,
Regularly $3 Each! Still another of the
"tried and proven" kind of headlines is the specific question: Do You Suffer From These Symptoms. And of course, if you offer a strong
guarantee, you should say so in your headline:
Your Money Refunded, If You Don't Make $100,00 Your First Year.
How To headlines have a very strong
basic appeal, but in some instances, they're better used as book titles than
advertising headlines. Who Else wants in
on the finer things - which your product or service presumably offers - is
another approach with a very strong reader appeal. The psychology here being the need of
everyone to belong to a group - complete with status and prestige motivations.
Whenever, and as often as you can
possible work it in, you should use the word "you" in your headline,
and throughout your copy. After all,
your ad should be directed to "one" person, and the person reading
your ad wants to feel that you're talking to him personally, not everyone who
lives on his street.
Personalize, and be specific! You can throw the teachings of your English
teachers out the window, and the rules of "third person, singular" or
whatever else tends to inhibit your writing.
Whenever you sit down to write advertising copy intended to pull the
orders - sell the product - you should picture yourself in a one-on-one
situation and "talk" to your reader just as if you were sitting
across from him at your dining room table.
Say what you mean, and sell HIM on the product your offering. Be specific and ask him if these are the
things that bother him - are these the things he wants - and he's the one you
want to buy the product...
The layout you devise for your ad,
or the frame you build around it, should also command attention. Either make it so spectacular that it stands
out like lobster at a chili dinner, or so uncommonly simple that it catches the
reader's eye because of its very simplicity.
It's also important that you don't get cute with a lot of unrelated
graphics and artwork. Your ad should
convey the feeling of excitement and movement, but should not tire the eyes or
disrupt the flow of the message you are trying to present.
Any graphics or artwork you use
should be relevant to your product, it's use and/or the copy you have written
about it. Graphics should not be used as
artistic touches, or to create an atmosphere.
Any illustrations with your ad should compliment the selling of your
product, and prove or substantiate specific points in your copy.
Once you have your reader's
attention, the only way you are going to keep it, is by quickly and
emphatically telling him what your product will do for him.
Your potential buyer doesn't care in
the least how long it's taken you to produce the product, how lone you have
been in business, nor how many years you've spend learning your craft. He wants to know specifically how he is going
to benefit form the purchase of your product.
Generally, his wants will fall into
one of the following categories: Better
health, more comfort, more money, more leisure time, more popularity, greater
beauty, success and/or security.
Even though you have your reader's
attention, you must follow through with an enumeration of the benefits you can
gain. In essence, you must reiterate the
advantages, comfort and happiness he'll enjoy - as you have implied in your
headline.
Mentally picture your prospect -
determine his wants and emotional needs - put yourself in his shoes, and ask
yourself: If I were reading this ad,
what are the things that would appeal to me?
Write your copy to appeal to your reader's wants and emotional needs/ego
cravings.
Remember, it's not the "safety
features" that have sold cars for the past 50 years - nor has it been the
need of transportation - it has been, and almost certainly always will be the
advertising writer's recognition of people's wants and emotional needs/ego
cravings. Visualize your prospect,
recognize his wants and satisfy them.
Writing good advertising copy is nothing more or less than knowing
"who" your buyers are; recognizing what he wants; and then telling
him how your product will fulfill each of those wants. Remember this because it's one of the "vitally
important" keys to writing advertising copy that does the job you intend
for it to do.
The "desire" portion of
your ad is where you present the facts of your product; create and justify your
prospect's conviction, and cause him to demand "a piece of the
action" for himself.
It's vitally necessary that you
present "proven facts" about your product because survey results show
that at least 80% of the people reading your ad - especially those reading it
for the first time - will tend to question its authenticity.
So, the more facts you can present
in the ad, the more credible your offer.
As you write this part of your ad, always remember that the more facts
about the product you present, the more product you'll sell. People want facts as reasons, and/or excuses
for buying a product - to justify to themselves and others, that they have not
been "taken" by a slick copywriter.
It's like the girl who wants to
marry the guy her father calls a "no good bum." Her heart - her emotions - tell her yes, but
she needs to nullify the seed of doubt lingering in her mind - to rationalize
her decision to go on with the wedding.
In other words, the
"desire" portion of your ad has to build belief and credibility in
the mind of your prospect. It has to
assure him of his good judgment in the final decision to buy - furnish evidence
of the benefits you have promised - and afford him a "safety net" in
case anyone should question his decision to buy.
People tend to believe the things
that appeal to their individual desires, fears and other emotions. Once you have established a belief in this
manner, logic and reasoning are used to support it. People believe what they "want" to
believe. Your reader "wants"
to believe your ad if he has read it through this far - it is up to you to
support his initial desire.
Study your product and everything
about it - visualize the wants of your prospective buyers - dig up the facts,
and you'll almost always find plenty of facts to support the buyer's reasons
for buying.
Here is where you use results of
tests conducted, growing sales figures to prove increasing popularity, and
"user" testimonials or endorsements.
It's also important that you present these facts - test results, sales
view, and not that of the manufacturer.
Before you end this portion of your ad and get into
your demand for action, summarize everything you've presented thus far. Draw a mental picture for your potential
buyer. Let him imagine owning the
product. Induce him to visualize all of
the benefits you have promised. Give him
the keys to seeing himself richer, enjoying luxury, having time to do whatever
he would like to do, and with all of his dreams fulfilled.
This can be handled in one or two
sentences, or spelled out in a paragraph or more, but it is the absolute
ingredient you must include prior to closing the sale. Study all the sales presentations you have
ever heard - look at every winning ad - this is the element included in all of
them that actually makes the sale for you.
Remember it, use it, and don't try to sell anything without it.
As Victor Schwab puts is so
succinctly in his best selling book, How To Write A Good Advertisement: Every one of the fundamentals in the
"master formula" is necessary.
Those sitting across from him at your dining people who are
"easy" to sell may perhaps be sold even if some of these factors are
left out, but it's wiser to plan your advertisement so that it will have a
powerful impact upon those who are "hardest" to sell. For, unlike fact-to-face selling, we cannot
in printed advertising come to a "trial close" in our sales talk - in
order to see if those who are easier to sell will welcome the dotted line
without further persuasion. We must
assume that we are talking to the hardest ones - and that the more thoroughly
our copy sells both the hard and the easy, the better chance we have against
the competition for the consumer's dollar - and also the less dependent we will
be upon the usual completely ineffective follow through on our advertising
effort which later takes place at the sales counter itself.
ASK FOR
ACTION! DEMAND THE MONEY!
Lots of ads are beautiful, almost
perfectly written, and quite convincing - yet they fail to ask for or demand
action form the reader. If you want the
reader to have your product, then tell him so and demand that he send his money
now. Unless you enjoy entertaining your
prospects with your beautiful writing skills, always demand that he complete
the sale now, by taking action now - by calling a telephone number and
ordering, or by writing his check and rushing it to the post office.
Once you have got him on the hook,
land him! Don't let him get away!
Probably, one of the most common and
best methods of moving the reader to act now, is written in some form of the
following:
All of this can be yours! You can start enjoying this new way of life
immediately, simply by sending a check for $XX!
Don't put it off, then later wish you had gotten in on the ground
floor! Make out that check now, and
"be IN on the ground floor!"
Act now, and as an "early-bird" buyer, we'll include a big
bonus package - absolutely free, simply for acting immediately! You win all the way! We take all the risk! If you are not satisfied, simply return the
product and we will quickly refund your money!
Do it now! Get that check on its
way to us today, and receive the big bonus package! After next week, we won't be able to include
the bonus as a part of this fantastic deal, so act now! The sooner you act, you more you win!
Offering a reward of some kind will
almost always stimulate the prospect to take action. However, in mentioning the reward or bonus,
be very careful that you don't end up receiving primarily, requests for the
bonus with mountains of requests for refunds on the product to follow. The bonus should be mentioned only casually
if you are asking for product orders; and with lots of fanfare only when you
are seeking inquiries.
Too often the copywriter, in his
enthusiasm to pull in a record number of responses, confuses the reader by
"forgetting about the product," and devoting his entire space
allotted for the "demand for action" to sending for the bonus. Any reward offered should be closely related
to the product, and a bonus offered only for immediate action on the part of
the potential buyer.
Specify a time limit. Tell your prospect that he must act within a
certain time limit or lose out on the bonus, face probably higher prices, or
even the withdrawal of your offer. This
is always a good hook to get action.
Any kind of guarantee you offer
always helps you produce action from the prospect. And the more liberal you can make your
guarantee, the more product orders you will receive. Be sure you state the guarantee clearly and
simply. Make it so easy to understand
that even a child would not misinterpret what you are saying.
The action you want your
prospect to take should be easy - clearly stated - and devoid of any
complicated procedural steps on his part, or numerous directions for him to
follow.
Picture your prospect, very
comfortable in his favorite easy chair, idly flipping through a magazine while
"half-watching" TV. He notices
your ad, reads through it, and he is sold on your product. Now what does he do?
Remember, he's very comfortable -
you have "grabbed" his attention, sparked his interest, painted a
picture of him enjoying a new kind of satisfaction, and he is ready to buy...
Anything and everything you ask or
cause him to do is going to disrupt this aura of comfort and contentment. Whatever he must do had better be simple,
quick and easy!
Tell him without any ifs, ands or
buts, what to do - fill out the coupon, include your check for the full amount,
and send it in to us today! Make it as
easy for him as you possibly can - simply and dirert. And by all means, make sure your address is
on the order form he is supposed to complete and mail in to you - your name and
address on the order form, as well as just above it. People sometimes fill out a coupon, tear it
off, seal it in an envelope and don't know where to send it. The easier you make it for him to respond,
the more responses you'll get!
There you have it, a complete short
course on how to write ads that will pull more orders for you - sell more of
your product for you. It's important to
learn "why" ads are written as they are - to understand and use, the
"master formula" in your own ad writing endeavors.
By conscientiously studying good
advertising copy, and practice in writing ads of your own, now that you have
the knowledge and understand what makes advertising copy work, you should be
able to quickly develop your copywriting abilities to produce order-pulling ads
for your own products. Even so, and once
you do become proficient in writing ads for your own products, you must never
stop "noticing" how ads are written, designed and put together by
other people. To stop learning would be
comparable to shutting off from the rest of the world.
The best ad writers are people in
touch with the world in which they live.
Everytime they see a good ad, they clip it out and save it. Regularly, they pull what makes them good,
and why they work. There's no school in
the country that can give you the same kind of education and expertise so
necessary in the field of ad writing.
You must keep yourself up-to-date, aware of, and in-the-know about the
other guy - his innovations, style, changes, and the methods he is using to
sell his products. On-the-job training -
study and practice - that's what it takes - and if you have got that burning
ambition to succeed, you can do it too!
QUESTIONS
& ANSWERS
1. WHAT'S THE MOST PROFITABLE WAY TO USE
CLASSIFIEDS...
Classifieds are best used to build
your mailing list of qualified prospects.
Use classified to offer a free catalog, booklet or report relative to
your product line.
2. WHAT CAN YOU SELL "DIRECTLY"
FROM CLASSIFIEDS...
Generally, anything and everything,
so long as it doesn't cost more than five dollars which is about the most
people will pay in response to an offer in the classifieds. These types of ads are great for pulling inquiries
such as: Write for further information;
Send $3, get two for the price of one; Dealers wanted, send for product info
and a real money-maker's kit!
3. WHAT ARE THE BEST MONTHS OF THE YEAR TO
ADVERTISE...
All twelve months of the year! Responses to your ads during some months will
be slower in accumulating, but by keying your ads according to the month they
appear, and a careful tabulation of your returns from each keyed ad, you will
see that steady year round advertising will continue to pull orders for you,
regardless of the month it's published.
I've personally received inquiries and orders from ads placed as long as
2 years previous to the date of the response!
4. ARE MAIL ORDER PUBLICATIONS GOOD
ADVERTISING BUYS...
The lease effective are the ad sheets. Most of the ads in these publications are
"exchange ads," meaning that the publisher of ad sheet "A"
runs the ads of publisher "B" without charge, because publisher
"B" is running the ads of publisher "A" without
charge. The "claimed"
circulation figures of these publications are almost always based on
"wishes, hopes and wants" while the "true" circulation goes
out to similar small, part-time mail order dealers. Very poor medium for investing advertising
dollars because everybody receiving a copy is a "seller" and nobody
is buying. When an ad sheet is received
by someone not involved in mail order, it is usually given a cursory glance and
then discarded as "junk mail."
Tabloid newspapers are slightly
better than the ad sheets, but not by much!
The important difference with the tabloids is in the "helpful
information" articles they try to carry for the mail order beginner. A "fair media" for recruiting
dealers or independent sales reps for mail order products, and for renting
mailing lists, but still circulated amongst "sellers" with very few
buyers. Besides that, the life of a mail
order tab sheet is about the same as that of your daily newspaper.
With mail order magazines, it
depends on the quality of the publication and its business concepts. Some mail order magazines are nothing more
than expanded ad sheets, while others - such as BOOK BUSINESS MART - strive to help the opportunity seekers with
on-going advice and tips he can use in the development and growth of his own
wealth-building projects. Book Business
Mart is not just the fastest growing publication in the mail order scene today;
it's also the first publication in more than 20 years to offer real help anyone
can use in achieving his own version of "The American Dream" of
building one's own business form a "shoestring beginning" into a
multi-million dollar empire!
5.
HOW CAN I DECIDE WHERE TO
ADVERTISE MY PRODUCT...
First of all, you have to determine
who your prospective buyers are. Then
you do a little bit of market research.
Talk to your friends, neighbors and people at random who might fit this
profile. Ask them if they would be
interested in a product such as yours, and then ask them which publications
they read. Next, go to your public
library for a listing of the publications of this type from the Standard Rate
& Data Service catalogs.
Make a list of the addresses,
circulation figures, reader demographics and advertising rates. To determine the true costs of your
advertising and decide which is the better buy, divide the total audited
circulation figure into the cost for a one inch ad: $10 per inch with a publication showing
10,000 circulation would be 10,000 into $10 or 10¢ per thousand. Looking at the advertising rates for Book
Business Mart, you would take 42,500 into $15 for an advertising rate of less
that THREE TENTHS OF ONE CENT PER THOUSAND.
Obviously, your best buy in this case would be Book Business Mart
because of the lower cost per thousand.
Write and ask for sample copies of
the magazines you have tentatively chosen to place your advertising in. Look over their advertising - be sure that
they don't or won't put your ad in the "gutter" which is the inside
column next to the binding. How many
other mail order type ads are they carrying - you want to go with a publication
that's busy, not one that has only a few ads.
The more ads in the publication, the better the response the advertisers
are getting, or else they wouldn't be investing their money in that publication.
To "properly" test your
ad, you should let it run through at least three consecutive issues of any
publication. If your responses are
small, try a different publication.
Then, if your responses are still small, look at your ad and think about
rewriting it for greater appeal, and pulling power. In a great many instances, it's the ad and
not the publication's pulling power that's at fault!
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