Newsletter from September 22, 2003
Hello
Thanks for subscribing to the Tailored Newsletter.
I'm a typical businessman. I try and figure out what people want and I give it to them. That's always been the way to a successful business.
And a successful newsletter is no different.
In developing this newsletter I've done a few things:
1. I've asked probably 100 of my clients and contacts what they'd like to read about.
2. I've read, absorbed and dissected over 100 newsletters (I call that benchmarking rather than cheating. It sounds so much nicer!).
3. I've been through my personal files, my book and my brain to find you the best information I could.
And now I plan to deliver it. So here goes for the Official First Edition of The Tailored Newsletter.
Hold on to your pants!
It's written in my usual style of "No fluffing around, here's the info."
Welcome and thanks for reading. Hope you enjoy it.
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This newsletter has 3 main sections today. Firstly, I'll talk about the importance of keeping in contact with your customers. I'll also provide some real life examples on great ways to do this.
The second bit is standing out. You've probably heard of Unique Selling proposition. Well, today I'll give you the low down on what this means and just how you can develop a great one!
The last topic is about media coverage. I'll give you some first hand insights into how effective it can be and show you first hand how you can hugely increase your chances of finding PR success.
Okay, let's get started....
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If you're in business, one of your biggest business assets, almost without question, will be your customer database. The name and contact details of each and every customer is absolutely vital. If you don't have them, then get them.
Stop reading and make a list. RIGHT NOW! It's that important.
Okay, you've kept reading...that's great that you have your customer's contact details. Now, give yourself an extra pat of the back if you have a history of what they purchased. Kiss yourself if you have the customer's personal details - such as children's names, their birthday, favourite football team, etc - on file.
There is no a business alive that wouldn't benefit, and benefit big-time, by having a customer database.
Perfect target market
There is no more perfect target market for you than your own customers. I did some work a while back for a telemarketing company. This company would ring you up (usually just as you sat down to dinner!) and try and sell you a cheap holiday.
The way they operated was basically to pick up a phone, open the phone book at any page and start dialing.
It was a terribly ineffective way to do business. They might be trying to sell a holiday on the Coast to a 105 year-old man confined to his house. And I'm sure they would have on more than 1 occasion.
If this telemarketing company could get hold of people who represented their target market then they'd make a lot more sales. It makes sense.
Here's what we did. I rang the resort they were trying to sell holidays for and asked them to provide the names and telephone numbers of their previous guests. The telemarketing company used that list to sell a repeat holiday at that resort.
The conversion rates went through the roof.
- Your customer wants to feel special.
- Your customer wants to be kept informed.
- Your customer wants to feel appreciated.
The number 1 reason customers stop dealing with a business is because they don't feel appreciated. Not because of bad service. Not because of high prices. Not because of poor products. But because they don't feel loved.
When someone buys from you, the least you can do is say "Thanks for supporting my business."
Don't make it a sales pitch.
Start a process today where you send every customer a personal note saying "Thanks so much for coming into the store and buying that wide screen TV/chair/computer/whatever.
It's a quality item backed by our 10 year guarantee. We're here to give you the best products at the best price with the best service - we appreciate you giving us a try. Thanks again."
That would be successful for one every good reason. Nobody does it. I cannot remember the last time I received surprising service. Can you?
Here are five- (5) things to do to start off:
1. Do the non-selling post purchase phone call
2. Start a newsletter! ;-)
3. Send a Christmas card
4. Have a drinks party
5. Send a "Previous Customer's Only" special offer
The products or services you sell are going to be pretty much the same as your competition. There may be a few small differences, but overall it's more than likely very similar.
As Tom Peters said in his excellent book, "In Search Of Excellence", the only thing that really differentiates you from your competition is HOW YOU DO THINGS.
Keep in contact with your customers. It's the easiest thing in the world to do. Send them an email here, a newsletter there, maybe even a Christmas card. Make them an offer every now and then. But keep in contact.
Do a survey. Send a report. Call up. Whatever you do, STAY IN CONTACT.
Four- (4) things will happen.
# 1: Your repeat sales will go through the roof.
# 2: Your back end sales will go through the roof.
# 3: Your referral rate will go through the roof.
# 4: Your drop out customer rate will drop through the floor!
In you keep in contact with your customers you will always be top of mind. They won't even dream of going elsewhere.
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Unique Selling Proposition is the term given by marketing people like me to mean you have to stand out.
And unlike what a lot of marketing consultants say, this bit of advice is actually true!
STAND OUT OR DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That got your attention!
Think of it like this. 10 companies sell computers. All at the same price. Same warranty. Same computers. Same locations. Same everything.
Who do you buy from?
Don't ask me, 'cause I have no idea whatsoever!
The point is this: Being in business is difficult. You'll have plenty of competition. Every single day you need to be making sales. You need people to be buying from you.
So give them a reason to buy from you.
You have to be different. And that thing that makes you different also has to be the thing that makes it easy for people to decide to buy from you.
And once you have identified that difference, you have to promote it and push it and really ride it because your business depends on it! Get out there and sell that difference.
Take a look at businesses you deal with. The unique selling proposition should be the thing they promote and promote and promote. It might be price, it might be quality, it might be a guarantee, it might be a free gift, it might be.............well, you get the idea. It can be anything.
Anything at all that sets you apart from your competition and that influences your market to buy from you.
That's your Unique Selling Proposition (this USP is called half a dozen other things, but they all mean the same thing).
And your USP has to be the focus of your marketing campaign. In fact it needs to be the focus of your business.
Just why should the customer buy from you?
Answer that question and then go and tell everyone in your market the answer.
Go on and get out there!
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Media Coverage - mmmmmmmmmmmm (insert drooling man here).
I love media coverage for a couple of very good reasons.
Reason number 1 is that it can be an incredible, enormous and huge boost to your business. I'm talking life-changing stuff here.
Huge, magnificent, sensational, amazing.......have I made my point yet??!
Here's another reason.
I once made more in one- (1) night than many people do in ten- (10) years is because of one- (1) five- (5) minute media piece (our product was mentioned on a national current affairs television show and on that program's web site).
That's not to brag. It's to make a point about the power of the media (Okay, okay. Maybe it is to brag!)
I have another client who made plenty more from the coverage of his product on the same show.
Reason number 2 is the price. Nothing, zilch, zippo, zero and zip. You can't get better than that.
All you have to have to receive some media coverage is........ a newsworthy story. If you have that, and an angle for the media, then you are on your way.
This newsletter isn't the place to teach you how to write a media release or how to catch the eye of an editor, but I'll repeat the most important part of getting media coverage.
You have to have a newsworthy story. And here's an example.
The timing of this newsletter topic isn't coincidental. You see, one of our businesses is to soon feature in a major Australian magazine on. It has a readership of 1.6 million.
It's still too early to tell the value of that story featuring us, but it's gonna be big. Real big. Hundreds of thousands of dollars big.
And as much as I would love to tell you how very difficult it was to get this story in the magazine, I'd be telling a fib. It was incredibly easy.
One of the team in the office stumbled upon the magazine's web site and saw a "Suggest a story" link. She pressed that and sent off our newsworthy pitch. It took her all of two- (2) minutes and didn't cost anything.
Within 24 hours the article was written and the photographs done!
One email for hundreds of thousands of dollars! Just because of a newsworthy story. Wow. That's how powerful the media is.
The main reason that media coverage is so successful is that it's perceived as being an independent 3rd party analysis by a credible source. For some crazy, mixed up reason people believe what the media tell them. It's an almost zombie-like trance!
And just like this newsletter's not the place to teach you how to write a media release, it's also not the place to suggest whether you should do your own Public Relations or outsource it to professionals.
But remember that PR can provide you with a huge competitive edge, great exposure and a possible avenue for tremendous business success!
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That wraps up the very first edition of the Tailored News. Hope you enjoyed it and have found some benefit from it.
Regards
Brendon
P.S: Someone around this office messed up last week and sent out the "dftryhgdfghj" email ("No idea who would make that mistake," he says as he slides sheepishly away.)
In the next email I promised a great FREE REPORT - well, I haven't let you down!
This FREE REPORT is devoted to encouraging as much word of mouth referrals to your business as possible. It's packed with rock solid information that you can use instantly to get more people buying your stuff than you can cope with - I'll be emailing the link to this report tomorrow.
BTW, always include a P.S on the end of every letter you write. The PS always gets read first, so that's where you put the important stuff!
P.P.S: Thanks for reading this far! Because you did I'll let you know a bit of special info.
And that info is this: Most of the people on our newsletter database are from Australia. This newsletter was sent at 10.30 am on a Monday morning.
And I did that for a very good reason. Some research I've just been reading recently suggests that sending out an email at 10.30 am is the best time to maximize readership (one of the main reasons is that you've cleared your email box of all the junk that comes in overnight).
Every little bit helps you in marketing your business. Good luck!
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