(I’ve already addressed the first concern - that it will be a long winded program with
heaps to read and very few examples you can immediately apply. Or that you’ll never
be able to apply them without spending hours upon hours learning the art of copywriting -
at this link.)

CONCERN: My industry is different, so there’s no way this course will apply to me.

BACKGROUND: When I first notified everyone about this membership, I received a bundle of emails from people concerned it wouldn’t be right for their business. And that they wouldn’t be able to take the information and apply it.

ANSWER: I’ve dealt with hundreds of different businesses over the years, and of course they are all different. But when it comes to getting new customers, almost every business is the same. And if you take the strategies which are working in one field and apply them to yours, you’ll gain a competitive advantage over your competition.

Just for the record, I have clients in over 107 different industries, ranging from real estate agents, bed retailers, management consultants, photographers, internet marketers, pest controllers, carpet cleaners, network marketers and cleaners just to name a few. There is NO business, NONE, that the ideas and examples you’re about to learn cannot help you get new customers.

That being said, there are some distinct differences between how you would market an accountant’s practice… as compared to an information marketing business… as compared to a retailer selling beds.

Obviously, I cannot cover every single industry within a membership like this, however if you check out the sneak preview at this link you’ll see exactly how I give examples of how this strategy can be applied to a range of business types including:

Retailers

Professional Services (consultants, accountants, solicitors, trainers, etc)

Manufacturing or Distribution

Mail Order / Internet Marketing

It might sound too good to be true, and that’s why I have created this membership based around a monthly fee rather than a large upfront amount as most programs require from you. I am pretty sure that once you start reading and applying this information, you’ll see how it can be applied to your business… and just how easy it is - with a few creative twists… to create a lead generation campaign which generates customers for you every single week, so you are no longer at the mercy of the economy.

Stay tuned for more details. I will be releasing More Customers Made Easy on Thursday, 28th August at 4:00pm (Eastern Standard Time). The best way to stay informed about More Customers Made Easy is by joining our announcement list… you’ll find all the details below…

More Customers Made Easy Announcement List

If you haven’t already joined our More Customers Made Easy list so you can be the first to know about the course, just enter your name and email address and press the button that says “Submit”

And don’t worry, I will respect your privacy - I won’t share your email address with anyone for any reason.

Warmly,

Scott Bywater

P.S. Please feel free to leave your comments in the box below. I’d love to hear your thoughts about what’s important to you when it comes to learning how to get more customers.

CONCERN: More Customers Made Easy will be full of fluff, causing you to be overloaded with information, but not giving you the information in an easy-to-apply sequence so you can apply it withing your busy schedule.

BACKGROUND: A month or so ago, I let it slip to my readers that we were getting ready to release a course revealing easy to apply strategies to get new customers.

That little message sent out a firestorm of comments from our readers. And the biggest concern didn’t really surprise me. My readers told me that they were worried the course would be like many of the marketing courses they have studied before: too much to read, not enough ‘meat and potatoes’ and no examples they could immediately implement in their business.

And to be honest, that is one of the reasons why I created this course in the first place… everyone seems to be overloaded with too much information these days… we’re busier than ever - and what’s really required is easy-to-apply information you can implement quickly (without becoming a professional copywriter) and start generating results.

That’s why I didn’t create a big bulky course. It’s the reason why I’ve invested so much time and thought into putting it together. And it’s also the reason why I’m going to limit the number of initial subscribers to 570 people.

That’s right. I believe this course is so revolutionary and so valuable that I am only going to be releasing this information to 570 of my subscribers in the first instance. In addition, I will only be opening the doors for just over a week.

Once those 570 are gone or once the week is up, no other subscribers will be accepted into the program.

At that point we will take a break of 4 weeks or longer to get some testimonials from new subscribers. I will be keeping an eye on the results my clients are getting.

What I personally believe (and hope) is that within the first month or two we will create a swag of new client testimonials which will allow me to sell this program at the premium price I believe it’s worth.

And of course, I may end up packaging it into one of those $2,000.00 courses and selling it off the stage. I am still undecided on this.

However if I do open More Customers Made Easy back up for sale, I will be raising the price dramatically – eventually to $97 a month.

Initial subscribers will be limited to 570 OR two weeks from when I begin selling the program. In addition, I am not doing ANY outside promotion. The only people who will know about this program are those on my internal mailing list.

Keep an eye on my emails and blog for more details. My anticipated release date is Thursday 28th August.

The best way to stay informed about the release of More Customers Made Easy is by joining my announcement list… see the details immediately below…

More Customers Made Easy Announcement List

If you haven’t already joined our More Customers Made Easy list so you can be the first to know about the course, just enter your name and email address and press the button that says “Submit”

And don’t worry, I will respect your privacy - I won’t share your email address with anyone for any reason.

Warmly,

Scott Bywater

P.S. Please feel free to leave your comments in the box below. I’d love to hear your thoughts about what’s important to you when it comes to learning how to get more customers.

Should I continue to promote my business when I am already incredibly busy and have too much work on?

And I answered with a resounding YES.

Why? Because you need to have your wits about you at all times in business. So when you’re coasting downhill and everything is going like a dream, remember things can change very quickly and you could soon be looking at a totally different landscape.

That’s why you should always be filling your well - YES… even though it’s not empty.

After all, there’s worse problems to have than too much work,
isn’t there?

Or too many people at your shop.
Or too many clients if you’re a bookkeeper or solicitor.
Or too many retailers and wholesalers buying from you if you’re a distributor.

You see,  most businesses make this mistake:

I received a call from a guy in the United States a few months
ago, and he was desperate for me to work with him because
business had quietened down.

2 days later, all of a sudden, he received a new job. And decided he
didn’t need to be concerned about promoting his business any longer.

I can tell you right now that this guy is in for one heck of a
rollercoaster ride. Up and down like a never-ending yo-yo.

The key to a stable business is to never stop marketing. Always
promote your business. And be consistent about it.

There’s another reason for this as well.

If you’ve got too much work on, this enables you to lift your
prices because it doesn’t matter whether or not you end up landing  the job. (and you’ll
probably find your calm - rather than desperate - attitude increases your conversion rate too) You can push yourself to manage the additional work-flow through setting up additional systems in order to generate
leads. And take your business to the next level.

So how do you achieve all this?

It’s easy. If you’ve got an advertisement (or a sales letter, flyer or any other kind of promotion) which works for you, then keep running it week in and week out.

If you’re really busy, always remember that when the job finishes,
you’ll be sitting around wondering what happened if there’s nothing else lined up.

And make sure you put aside some time everyday to market your business. That’s the key to your longevity and success.

In Anthony Robbins program called the ‘Rapid Planning Method’ he
talks about a space called ‘the zone.’

Basically, when you’re in the zone you are focusing on the
things which are important but not urgent.

Most of us spend our time in the urgent and important. Or the
not urgent, not important. Or the urgent and important. 

However the key to business growth and stability is to spend a
some time each day on the not urgent… but important
activities. And for most of us, that is marketing, promotion and advertising. 

Scott Bywater is a professional direct mail and direct response copywriter, and the author of Cash Flow Advertising. To receive a complimentary copy of his exclusive report ‘7 Ways To Boost Your Turnover… No Matter What The Economy’ (valued at $29.95) hop along to his web site at: http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au

Well, actually… I bought the tickets. But only because I love my
wife so much - and knew she’d be thrilled.

Anyway, the concert was scheduled for a Saturday night on the
forecourt of the Sydney Opera House. But it was as windy as
Wellington that night and so the event got cancelled.

So after dinner we left and scheduled to come back the next
night to see if we had better luck.

Thankfully, we did.

I say thankfully because I learnt a few lessons that night. The
master of jazz is not only a great musician… he’s also an
incredible communicator, and has a solid understanding of human
psychology. (could this be one of the reasons he’s achieved the
heights of success?)

Here’s what he did.

1 .He opened up the concert by addressing the guys. And saying…
“Men. I bet when you found out the concert was cancelled last
night, you breathed a sigh of relief and thought… thank god.
After all, when you see me on my album, you probably think ‘What
a smuck.’ I know I would!

What’s the psychology behind this? Firstly, he went straight for
the jugular as to what people were thinking. He knows his target
audience is female (they go wild over him) and he knows the guys
are coming along for the ride.

The majority of guys aren’t that into him. And in fact, many of
us men are probably jealous he gets so much damned attention
from the ladies.

He also realises some people are a tad upset over the fact the
concert was cancelled.

In short… he brought the objections up to the surface and
handled them immediately.

And you need to do the same in your ads and sales letters.

Here’s an example of something I wrote in a sales letter to immediately answer people’s objections about the property market (which at the time was seen as something to keep away from).

—
Notice how everywhere you turn today… the media keeps hollering
at you:

“The property bubble is over”
“You can’t make money from property anymore”
“Interest rates are going to go through the roof”

Give up. Don’t invest now. Hold off… we keep being told. Yet in
some areas the prices continue to rise. Like in… (then I listed
areas where property has risen)
—

And here’s another way of dealing with people’s objections
upfront…

—
“I know what you’re thinking. You think I’m a stark, raving
lunatic when I say…. (whatever claim you are making).

Well, before you have me strapped into a straight jacket and
dragged to the nearest funny farm, think about this…

—

So take a lesson from the king of Jazz… and think about what’s
going on in the back of people’s mind when they read you ad or
sales letter. Then answer that objection upfront.

If you’re a mechanic… they’re probably worried you’re going to
rip them off and overcharge them.

If you’re a pest controller, they’re probably wondering if
you’re environmentally friendly. And if the toxins will damage
their pets and plants.

—

Can you see how powerful this principle is? Can you see at
one of the reasons Michel Buble has risen to the top…
when someone of equal musical skill would have remained
a brilliant but virtually unkown performer?

I don’t know about you, but my experience tells me that
our ability to get our message across has more to do with
creating wealth and success than anything else - no matter what industry you’re in.

What do you think?

About the Author

Scott Bywater is a professional direct mail and direct response copywriter, and the author of Cash Flow Advertising. To receive a complimentary copy of his exclusive report ‘7 Ways To Boost Your Turnover… No Matter What The Economy’ (valued at $29.95) hop along to his web site at: http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au

Why do people buy a newspaper or magazine? To read the articles,
right? Well, then doesn’t it make sense that if you want your ad
to get read, then…

YOU SHOULD DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO AVOID IT LOOKING LIKE AN AD

And make it camouflage in with the newspaper’s articles as
closely as possible.

So how do you do that?

1. Read the headlines of the publication you are considering
advertising in.

2. Model your style on the way they write their articles.

3. Use the same typeface the newspaper or magazine uses.

So why would this work better than something which looks like an
ad? Simple. Advertorials work so well because of the way people
disbelieve ads… but tend to believe what journalists communicate
within their articles.

Try it next time… and test it out for yourself.

About the Author

Scott Bywater is a professional direct mail and direct response copywriter, and the author of Cash Flow Advertising. To receive a complimentary copy of his exclusive report ‘7 Ways To Boost Your Turnover… No Matter What The Economy’ (valued at $29.95) hop along to his web site at: http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au

You wake up in the morning, gather your weapons and head out to combat. Some days you come back with a boar, other days your family goes hungry. The pressure is on you every single day to make the ‘catch’. It’s a battle.

Now imagine yourself as a farmer…

You plant your seeds and wait for them to harvest. In the meantime, you nurture them and treat them like your baby. When they’re ready you simply start harvesting your crop.

In my experience, most businesses are hunters not farmers:

-they cold call to generate new customers
-they spend forever getting a new customer and then forget about
them
-they chase after the quick fix
-they advertise for the direct sale rather than the ’shy yes’
which will germinate in the future

This became blindingly obvious to me when I created some copy for real estate agents a few years ago.

-I would write an ad offering a free report.
-Without fail, they would receive calls from those ads.

However if the sale didn’t come off right away… they would

NOT put them on a database
NOT follow them up
NOT nurture them

… even though they had responded to an ad which identified them as their specific target market.

… even though each sale was worth several thousand dollars

… even though it would cost less than $12 a year to keep in touch with them

Why not? Well, I believe it’s because we live in a world of instant gratification.

I remember reading a book, a long time ago now, by M.Scott Peck which said one of the keys to happiness was to be able to delay your gratification. In a marketing sense, that means…

Accept the fact people may not buy right away

Put them on a database

Mail them something every month to stay in touch and position yourself as an expert

And like a farmer, wait for that customer to harvest. (of course you can touch base with them by phone in the meantime and nurture the relationship personally)

Most people won’t do it. It’s too much work. Writing letters & keeping in touch. They would prefer to knock their head against a brick wall cold calling and doing things the hard way because at least they feel like they’re keeping busy.

But by doing this… you’re being ineffective. I know because that’s how I used to operate. Heck, two of my first jobs were as a door to door salesperson (selling cleaning chemicals to businesses) and a telemarketer (selling hotel cards) and I can tell you that business gets a lot more enjoyable when you are…

-an invited guest (when others call you because you have educated them of the benefits of your services)

instead of…

-an uninvited pest (where you cold call and use other archaic marketing methods)

The most important thing you can take away from this message is to become a farmer. How do you do this? Simple:

1.Build a database
2.Nurture your database

… and prepare yourself for a rich harvest in the near future.

About the Author

Scott Bywater is a professional direct mail and direct response copywriter, and the author of Cash Flow Advertising. To receive a complimentary copy of his exclusive report ‘7 Ways To Boost Your Turnover… No Matter What The Economy’ (valued at $29.95) hop along to his web site at: http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au

So what are you doing about it? Have you stopped spending… stopped moving forward… because you’re convinced that everyone else has too?

Or are you going to look the tiger in the eye and attack him with all your might?

Here’s my thoughts on the recession: The economy is like a stream. Sometimes the tide runs in the direction you’re heading. So everything is easy. In fact, you don’t even need a paddle to achieve your goals. Just sit in the boat and you’ll get to the bottom of the river.

But then the tide turns…

All of a sudden it becomes obvious that if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re going to go backwards.

So what’s the solution?

Paddle Harder. Paddle Faster. Do more of the things that work.

Or perhaps change your approach altogether and find a new strategy – give your friend a call and ask him to bring his speedboat down to the river.

Of course, things are tougher. But if you work harder… work smarter… and get the right vehicle… I believe it’s truly possible to earn more in the recession than you did in the boom.

Ok, here’s how you can move from the row boat to the speed boat:

1.Market to the people who aren’t affected by the recession: change your business model or set up a direct marketing campaign which goes to the rich people and companies that are going to be least affected in tough times.

2.Improve your advertising: Most advertising is pathetically weak. If you’ve noticed a 30% drop in business, simply improving the copy in your advertisements could cause you to be doing better despite the slow economy.

3.Address the recession upfront in your marketing: Have a sale because you’re trying to help people cope with the recession and figure that if the cost of food, petrol and mortgages is rising so much… you’ve got to help offset it by offering some substantial savings. Your customers will love you for it!

4.Contact your existing customers: That’s right. It’s five times easier to sell to an existing customer than to create a new one. So send out letters or jump on the phone to your existing customers and pay them a “how’s things” call

5.Study marketing: If you’ve got some spare time, use it to soak in and study more information about marketing and business. After all, just learning a few new tricks could make you that much richer in the months ahead.

6.Do joint ventures: Find other business owners who have similar clients to you and recommend each other. It costs you virtually nothing and is probably the most effective and profitable method of promoting your business.

7.Apply the power of 10: Contact 10 times as many new prospects. Follow up 10 times as many existing customers. Make 10 times as many “touches” with your client base.

8.Measure everything: Make every ad… every marketing campaign… and everything you do 100% accountable. If something is working for you and profitable, run it more. If an advertisement or marketing campaign is losing you money, get rid of it quickly.

In closing, remember that your competitors are going to PANIC and SCRAMBLE and this represents an enormous opportunity for anybody who holds their ground and finds the speedboat they need to get ahead despite the turning tide.

So what is that speedboat? The metaphorical speed boat is more effective marketing campaigns and stronger copy so you get more leverage from everything you do. If you need any help in finding your speed boat and getting the leverage you need, then click here. And if you have any other ideas or strategies you’d like to share on how to thrive in tough economic times? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

About the Author

Scott Bywater is a professional direct mail and direct response copywriter, and the author of Cash Flow Advertising. To receive a complimentary copy of his exclusive report ‘7 Ways To Boost Your Turnover… No Matter What The Economy’ (valued at $29.95) hop along to his web site at: http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au

]]> http://www.scottbywater.com/copywriting/8-marketing-tips-for-thriving-in-the-recession/feed/ http://www.scottbywater.com/copywriting/why-the-number-1-is-dangerous-in-marketing/ http://www.scottbywater.com/copywriting/why-the-number-1-is-dangerous-in-marketing/#comments Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:31:53 +0000 Scott Bywater http://www.scottbywater.com/?p=3 Recently, I pulled out a copy of my book from the winner of Donald Trump’s Apprentice, Bill Rancic.

Now on page 111 of Bill’s book, You’re Hired, he talks about his cigar business and how he had built the business up through radio advertising.

However, when the sudden flush of dot-com advertisers came into the marketplace , advertising rates skyrocketed. Because of course, the rates were all based on supply and demand. The more demand – the higher the prices went.

Of course, that was great for the radio station, but not good for Bill’s business.

Now to cut a long story short, it was no longer viable for him to advertise. And he had to change his entire business operation.

Through some smart thinking, they moved the way they did business from mail order to on-premise sales.

However, it’s a very tough situation to end up in. And it could happen to any business that relies on one advertising strategy.

For instance:

- If you get most of your business from the internet: what happens when advertising rates rise? Or when it’s not so easy to get high search engine rankings? Or when pay per click rates go beyond an affordable price?

- If you send out heaps of email, what happens if the government starts charging for email?

- If you use fax streaming to generate leads, what happens if the government brings in rules which makes this marketing strategy illegal?

- If you rely on the Yellow Pages, have you ever considered the fact it could become less and less effective as people move online rather than relying on the book?

- If you rely on telemarketing to generate leads, what if the government outlaws it at some time in the future?

- What if your television advertising rates double?

My point is this. If you rely on one of anything, you are leaving yourself in an exposed position. Imagine building a house which balances on one pole. If that pole gets weak, down goes your house.

And it’s the same with your business.

Think ahead. Test a variety of lead generation strategies…

-Yellow pages
-Newspaper
-Fax streaming
-Internet
-Television
-Direct mail
-Radio
-Joint Ventures
-Referral Programs
-Seminars
-Database marketing

And anything else you can think of. That way… if the laws change… if the advertising rates go up… if all of a sudden one specific strategy stops working as well as it used to…

Your business will be safe.

And you are the one that has the power because you are not reliant on any particular advertising strategy.

Right now, write down the strategies you currently use to generate business. And then write down a few other ideas you can test, so you have 5 strategies to draw people into your business.

And let me know how you go…