What to sell (and never sell) via email

Email is so quick and cheap, it’s no surprise most businesses use it to get the word out about new products, special offers, and other promotions. But most emails end up with lackluster results because many businesses try to do all of the selling in the email.

What they don’t understand is:

Emails are not supposed to make the sale. Emails are supposed to drive your reader into the sales process.

To understand this better, let’s look at the typical business client…

The people I talk to usually get about 300 emails a day at work. About 150-200 of them are legitimate emails they must answer. If they spend one minute per email, that eats up nearly three and a half hours of their work day!

This doesn’t include the gobs of time spent answering these emails. So the shorter your email, the higher your chance they’ll read through it.

And you need to keep emails brief because roughly 7 out of 10 people read emails off their smartphones. When you’re reading from such a tiny screen, your patience level shrinks fast.

These reasons are why most savvy marketers keep their emails so short, they can be read in 30 seconds or less.

Step into the pitch

As you can imagine, it’s tough to convince anyone to buy or sign up for something in just 30 seconds.

That’s why you shouldn’t sell the product in your email. Instead, sell the next step.

Your next step is what comes naturally in your sales process.

For example, let’s say you developed a new pain relief technique called Manual Therapy Technique (I made this up, by the way). And you’re selling a 5 series class to a mailing list who hasn’t heard of the technique. You want 60 people to attend the classes at your workout studio.

Most people would send an email out saying something like:

Got back pain?

Learn exercises to relieve chronic back pain. Using
simple exercises nearly anyone can do at home. Taught by
Suzy Q, trained in Manual Therapy Technique (MTT)

Cost:
When:
Where:
Phone number/email:

Maybe there will be a picture of Suzy Q smiling, a brief bio about Suzy, a logo image of the studio, and a generic website address about the studio. That looks a lot like a flyer you see on a bulletin board, doesn’t it?

Unless your mailing list consists of Suzy Q devotees who would give their last dollar to sign up for one of her classes, this email will likely flop.

It’ll flop because the email left a lot of unanswered questions that most reasonable people need answered. Remember their time is valuable, their money is valuable, and they’re skeptical.

So you must answer their questions before they’ll consider buying. In this example, possible questions include:

• What’s MTT?
• How effective is MTT?
• Do I need special equipment to use it?
• Can I do it from home?
• Do I need to be in physical shape?
• Is it hard?
• How qualified is Suzy Q?
• Can I get a refund if I don’t like the class?

Follow your prospects’ thoughts

There’s no way you can effectively answer all of those questions in a 30-second email. That’s why you shouldn’t expect your email to do all of the selling.

Instead, make your email intriguing enough to pull the reader into the next step of your sales cycle. That next step is your call to action.

**Tip: Every email should have a call to action.**

To figure out the appropriate call to action, think about what your prospect asks during a face-to-face sales call.

If you tell them about a new pain relief therapy, do they ask to see how it works? Do they want to know why it’s better than what they do now? Do they worry they’re not strong enough to do it?

Let’s say it’s “yes” to all of those questions. Then the email from Suzy should be a fast and intriguing introduction to MTT with a link to a landing page. The page should include a short video explaining and demonstrating MTT. Even better, include one or two simple exercises you can do at home now, so you feel how it really does work. That’ll help convince the skeptical prospect why you’re the solution they need.

Now let’s step back for a second here…

You know a prospect likely will not sign up for your class until he sees a demonstration and maybe practices a couple of basic moves.

With that in mind, your initial email introducing your classes should NOT sell the class. The email should sell how to learn two quick exercises that relieve back pain—for free.

Here’s the reason why:

People are more likely to give you more of their time if it doesn’t cost them anything. In other words, you’re removing their risk.

At the end of the video, have another call to action that fits the next logical step in your sales process. Add a couple of paragraphs below the video to move your skeptical reader further into the sales process.

Maybe the next step is signing up for a free, 15 minute demonstration or to register and drop in for a free class. Then include a quick registration form in the landing page below.

See how your landing page does the selling for you? That’s where you have the room to say more and show more.

Remember: The sale doesn’t happen from the email. The email’s purpose is to get your reader’s attention, take him by the hand, and lead him deeper into the sales funnel.

Fun time

When designing your emails, start from the end. What’s the big goal? For example, is your goal to have existing customers buy the new product upgrade from your website?

Then step a prospect backwards through the sales process, making note of each step.

Looking at the steps, see where your emails realistically help the sales process, and where they don’t. Once you know this, you’ll know what to write for each email and the call to action. Keep each email focused on what’s needed to advance your prospect to the next step.

To help, here are a few common calls to action:

• See a video demonstration
• Receive free product literature
• Download a special report
• Request a meeting
• Sign up for a newsletter
• Go to a landing page that drives them to your website
• See a free informational webinar
• Click to see the latest clearance items
• Click to read the rest of the article (good for newsletters that have several articles)

Brenda Do is a freelance, direct-response copywriter in Reno, NV and President of BL Copywriting, LLC. Contact her at: www.BLCopywriting.com or 775-223-3637.

How writing like a 7^th grader helps you sell more

When writing sales copy, there’s a reliable rule that’ll help you sell more effectively. It works for selling just about anything to anyone.

The reliable sales rule is: Write at a 7^th grade level.

Before you protest, please understand this has nothing to do with your prospect’s intelligence. It’s simply the most effective way to penetrate your reader’s busy mind.

Because we all have so much running through our heads at any given moment, it’s difficult to concentrate on what we’re reading. And when we read sales or marketing copy, we usually give it much less attention.

By keeping your writing at a 7^th grade level, your message penetrates the reader’s busy brain and half-hearted interest.

Just as important, it makes your message easier to remember.

Get your message across

When selling, you’re not trying to impress people with fancy words and flowery thoughts. You’re trying to prove you’re the ideal solution to a need or desire they want fulfilled.

I can hear you argue, “But if I write to educated professionals. Won’t they feel like I’m talking down to them?” Or “My audience is used to reading complicated writing. They’re _____s (insert high-fallutin’ profession here).”

It doesn’t matter. Because complicated, formal sentences make their brains work harder. Remember, they’re busy. They don’t want more work, they want solutions to problems they need solved. Or desires they want fulfilled.

Simpler sentences help them move effortlessly through your copy. The easier they move, the more they stay focused on your message. That’s why this post is written at a 7^th grade level. Actually, it’s 6.4 grade level and I’m guessing you didn’t feel offended, right?

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. Such as if you represent a government agency. Or you’re at an advanced stage of the sales cycle, addressing an elite group. You need to know your audience.

But for most of us, whether we’re selling to our neighbors or other businesses, we make more money by keeping it simple.

Tips for easier-reading copy

If you use Microsoft Word, turn on your readability statistics. Aim for 70% or higher reading ease. And the magical 7th grade reading level. Sometimes, you may have a paragraph here and there that can’t get any simpler than a 9^th grade level. That’s ok, so long as your entire document averages around 7^th grade.

Avoid passive sentences

Passive sentences occur when the subject isn’t performing the action. Passive sentences weaken otherwise good copy by adding extraneous words and robbing its impact.

Not this:

• The document was sent by Sally.
• They have been noticing the pending storm.
• The car was damaged by the shopping cart.

But this:

• Sally sent the document.
• They notice the pending storm.
• The shopping cart damaged the car.

Use shorter sentences

Keep your sentences brief and in digestible chunks. If you need a semi colon, you’re better off making that a period and starting a new sentence. If you have more than two commas…ditto.

Not this:

Some people complain baking is difficult, but you can make it easier by having all of your ingredients and tools prepared and ready to go before you start; such as, having all of your ingredients measured, starting with a clean area free of clutter and dirty dishes, and having all of your equipment easily accessible. (Reading ease: 49.7; Grade level: 13.1)

But this:

Some people complain baking is difficult. But you can make it easier by preparing your ingredients and tools before you start.

1. Measure out all of the ingredients
2. Remove nearby clutter or dirty dishes
3. Have equipment easily accessible

(Reading ease: 67.2; Grade level:  6.4)

Use simpler words

Some copy looks like a thesaurus vomited ten-syllable words all over the page. The writer may feel smarter, but complicated words are like long sentences. They force the reader to slow down and work through the message.

Remember, every time you make the reader work (even slightly), you give them the opportunity to stop reading. That’s death to your conversion rates. So keep it simple. Don’t imbibe when you can drink. Don’t pontificate when you can think.

Sometimes, you must use bigger words because they’re industry terms or scientific names. This may lower your reading ease and increase your reading grade level, but that’s alright because they’re necessary.

Break the rules

Have you ever noticed when you read, your voice says the words out loud in your head? Don’t worry, nearly all of us do it. When you write in a conversational style, it helps that voice in your reader’s brain glide through your copy and retain it better.

Since most of us don’t speak in proper, grammatically correct English, it’s ok to mimic some of that in your writing.

You may notice I start a lot of sentences with and, but, and because. I respect proper grammar, but I purposely sacrifice good grammar for good reading flow. This doesn’t mean it’s alright to go wild tossing all the rules out the door. Some audiences can handle more leeway than others, so break rules strategically and don’t break so many you risk losing credibility.

Fun check

Should you make your copy easier to understand? Try a grammar check on your last email, a section from your brochure or website. Your goal:

• Passive sentences: 0%
• Reading ease: ≥70%
• Reading grade level: ≤7.0

Then adjust your sentences until your message flows effortlessly when read out loud.

Brenda Do is a freelance, direct-response copywriter in Reno, NV and President of BL Copywriting, LLC. Contact her at: www.BLCopywriting.com or 775-223-3637.

Never Place and Ad Without These 4 Elements

Yesterday, I was flipping through a magazine, getting progressively annoyed with each page. Not because of the contents. But because of how most of the ads were a waste of money.

Some of the ads looked like photocopies of the company’s business card. Others were barely a step up from that.

I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. You’ve probably ignored them on the back of event publications, national magazines, phone books—everywhere.

Tell me, if you saw a CPA’s business card in a stack of other cards, would that compel you to call them for a consultation?

If you saw a salon’s business card amongst the bills and other ads in your mailbox, would you suddenly drop your stylist and go to the salon advertised?

I’m betting it’s a big fat no on both questions.

And that’s how a sizeable chunk of the magazine’s readers are reacting too. That’s why those ads were a waste of money. Even if the business made a few bucks, imagine how much more they could have made if they had a decent ad.

So what convinced bright business people like you to place such an ad? It’s likely because the ad sales guy was trained to say something like this:

The typical ad sales call

Sales guy: “You can be in front of __ (big number) potential customers who all trust the ___ (publication name) brand. These are all people in your target demographic. And it’ll only cost you $___ to be in front of them all month long.

Business owner: “Well, that sounds good, but I don’t know how to design an ad.”

Sales guy: “No problem. We have our own in-house designers who do this every day for businesses like yours. Or just look at what the other companies in your industry are doing, and make yours look like that.”

That’s when the business owner unknowingly lightens his wallet for nothing.

Don’t fall for ad templates

In most cases, those in-house designers don’t know your business and they don’t care to. You’ll know they don’t care when the only questions they ask about your business are contact information and your offer. They won’t find out what makes your business unique, your business’s personality, or anything.

Their job is to churn out ads quickly. You may sell roller skates, but your ad could look similar to a financial planner’s.

Just take a look at the phone book. Pick any profession then check out the ads. You’ll see they all look similar: the same colors, the same talking points, and nearly the same layout.

If you look like your competitor and sound like your competitor, how will the prospect know to choose you? They won’t.

Later, if you report the ad didn’t work, the sales guy will tell you it’s because you need more repetition. It has nothing to do with the ad itself.

Then your wallet lightens again…

So how do you write effective ads that get people’s attention?

Four elements of an effective space ad

1.      Start with a kick butt headline

In small space ads, use headlines that are benefit driven or attention getting. Or if your unique selling proposition is an effective selling point, use that in the headline.

DO:

• Bold the headline
• Use a larger font size than the copy

DO NOT:

• Make the headline in all CAPS (this lowers readability)
• Include your company name in the headline unless people buy based on your name
• Use a crazy font that’s tough to read

2.      Meet the reader where they are

Let’s say you’re shopping around for a landscaper. Nearly every ad’s going to offer free estimates, have a license number printed in the corner, and bullet point a bunch of services they provide.

When you give the same sales spiel as your competitors, it encourages the reader to shop based on the lowest price. And that’s a terrible way to sell your product or service.

Think about what the prospect’s thinking as he’s looking for a landscaper. Put yourself in his shoes.

Your biggest fear may be choosing the wrong person. It’s a pretty pricey mistake. You want someone who provides the landscaping design you like, who’s reliable, knowledgeable, stays on schedule, who provides quality work. And someone whose crew you can trust around your family. There is a lot to consider here, not just price.

If you flipped through the phone book and saw a page of landscaper ads all looking the same, then you saw this ad headline:

Warning: 5 Common Tricks Landscapers Use to Cheat You
Falling for these tricks can cost you thousands in repairs!
Before hiring anyone, look for these warning signs…

Would that get your attention?

Then you can fill the rest of the ad space with a quick description of a free report you offer about how to choose the right landscaper. Add a couple of ways they can get this no-obligation report (website download or call) add a testimonial, contact information and a few credibility elements and you’re golden.

Notice in this ad, you’re not selling your landscaping service. You’re selling helpful information that breeds trust and when the person reads your truly helpful information, they’ll likely call you to do their landscaping.

3.      Have a single call to action

Just like all of your sales letters, email campaigns, direct mail, everything – have a call to action in your ad.

Keep in mind, your call to action likely won’t be “buy now!” because you wouldn’t buy a $3,000 lawnmower off a 3” x 5” ad, would you? But if the ad did its job, you’d probably be interested enough to download a free brochure from the company’s website, right?

So make your call to action realistic. Remember the sales cycle is like dating. Ask her name and get to know her before you ask to meet her parents.

4.      Don’t be afraid of copy

If you look at most ads, the majority will have an image or your company name/logo take up one third or more of the entire ad space.

The trouble is, most of these images, and especially your company name or logo, doesn’t mean much to someone who doesn’t know you from a can of paint. So don’t waste valuable selling space with images that don’t support the sale. Then fill the rest of the ad space (or all of it) with copy.

You need to educate and entice the reader in a small space. So use only what helps them want to take the next step with you.

Fun time

Take a look at your current ads, or flip to any random ad in the newspaper or magazine.

Then ask yourself, “If I’m the target customer, would that ad make me want to call them (or place an order, visit, etc.)?”

If the answer is no, dissect the ad and figure out why not. That’ll help you analyze your own marketing better too.

Remember, it’s always about the prospect’s WIIFM—What’s In It For Me? Answer that clearly and you’ll elevate above the ads around you.

video by: Adam Rasmussen
Channel 2 News

“My goal is to help them get it started, and help them succeed,” says Rod Jorgensen, director of counseling for the program.

The foolproof way to grab your reader’s attention

Doesn’t it drive you crazy when people tell a story that drags on and on until you want to shout, “Get to the freakin’ point already!”?

Or you wish you could just walk away?

When we write, it’s easy to be that guy people want to walk away from because we take way too long getting our copy started. And when your writing drags on, your reader can easily delete your email, leave your website, or throw away your letter. That’s bad for business.

Thankfully, you can prevent this from happening by writing an effective lead (also spelled lede).

Pull them into the conversation

The lead comes right after the headline. Once your headline (or subject line if it’s an email) gets the reader’s attention, you pull them further into the copy by making your next few sentences very engaging.

Think of the lead as the conversation at the bar that follows, “Can I buy you a drink?” and she says yes. Now you have to make conversation and keep her interested.

Start to bore her and you’ll end up with a curt, “Thanks for the drink” as she walks away.

But if you keep her smiling into your eyes and laughing along with you, you can start planning the evening.

Written correctly, the lead increases your chances of getting the desired action because it holds the reader’s attention and pulls them further into the copy. As we mentioned in a previous post, the lead can take anywhere from one sentence to a third of the overall copy.

But no matter what the length, your lead needs to do one thing: Tell the big, overriding benefit you’re promising the reader.

Your Big Promise

Before you start writing, list out all of the benefits your product or service offers the reader.  Out of that list, there’s one that’s the granddaddy of them all and pushes your readers’ emotional hot buttons more than all of the others.

That’s the big promise your lead must focus on conveying.

Depending on what you’re selling, you’ll either present your promise as an Indirect Lead or a Direct Lead. Here’s how to decide which one to use…

The Indirect Lead

For some products and services, it’s difficult for your prospect to associate an exact dollar value. For example, if you’re a life coach helping people live happier lives, each person interested naturally assigns a value to feeling happier.

When your value is less tangible, your big promise is usually a feeling of:

• More power
• More admiration
• More attractiveness
• More popularity
• More control over your health

And so on. So how do you put a dollar value on a treadmill that makes you feel sexier?

What’s more, many intangible benefits can’t be stated outright because most people are embarrassed to admit what they really want. Imagine a 70-year old man at a Porsche dealership admitting he wants the car to feel younger and more virile. Not gonna happen.

That’s when you should use the indirect lead. The indirect lead tells a story to increase perceived value. As done by this lead from AAA Life Insurance:

“Dear Member,

          In just a few weeks from now, this could be you…

          You’ll receive a valuable document in the mail. It will be from us. You’ll review it carefully, then slip it into your brown manila envelope for safekeeping.

           And feel greatly comforted.

           Rightly so. Because it will be a Certificate of Coverage made out in your name, and for the amount you specify (from $25,000.00 to $200,000.00).

            You’ll know that, if anything happens to you, this Certificate will quickly turn into a real benefit.  This money may be a lifesaver for your family, as it helps make their future more secure. Their dreams an still come true. Thanks to you.”

————

The big benefit promised in this letter: peace-of-mind knowing your family is taken care of after you’re gone. And it hints at the pride you’ll feel knowing you’ve taken care of them in case something should happen to you later.

Peace-of-mind and pride. Pretty powerful emotions. What’s that worth? $100, $500, $1000? Most people can’t give you an exact number.

But when you tell it in a story that gets them emotionally engaged and makes it personal, they’ll come up with a number in the back of their mind. And if you wrote the rest of the sales letter properly, that number will be a lot higher than what you’re charging, so they’ll be glad to buy from you now.

The Direct Lead

Now what if you’re selling a product that people generally associate an approximate value? Such as an appliance, jewelry, or toner cartridges. In this case, you can state your big promise outright in a single sentence.

Example:

 “Take 2 strokes off your golf game in less than a day with Swing Correct. Results guaranteed.”

Here, your lead engages the reader just by stating the facts. Direct leads are pretty straight forward.

So before you start writing, make a list of your benefits and pull out the big promise. Then decide if your big promise is tangible or intangible. Write your lead and let someone read it. You’ll know you did well if the person is so engaged, he wants to read more.

Another copywriting practice is write out your lead, then delete the first three paragraphs. For many of us, it takes that long for our brains to warm up and finally get to the good stuff. Then you can start refining from there.

Remember, a lead is just one of the many elements needed for persuasive copy. Before you spend time and money printing up a brochure, sending a sales letter, or starting en email campaign, be sure to read this.

The big question we forget to ask customers and prospects

While enjoying dinner with friends, their 9-year old son suddenly asked, “Aunt Brenda,
do you have a muffin top?”

His parents instantly looked up in horrified embarrassment.

I didn’t mind. I figured if the boy’s brave enough to ask, he deserves an answer. So I told
him the truth: “Well, it depends on how tight my pants are that day.”

That made me think about all of the questions we business people ask our customers.
Of all we remember to ask, many of us forget to ask one of the most important question
of all.

That is, we forget to ask for action. This can mean asking for the business or an advance in

the sales cycle.

When I review a client’s past copy or listen in on sales calls, I see them move through the
sales cycle smoothly. They build a relationship…they uncover the prospect’s needs…they
position themselves as an ideal solution…they may even throw in a kick-butt offer.

All the while, the prospect’s engaged and nodding their head to everything the copy or
sales person’s saying.

Then the conversation ends. Everyone smiles at each other and the sales person walks
away empty handed.

What happened?

There’s no call to action.

A call to action can be: calling you, filling out an online form, sending in an attached
request form, or even ordering right there. It’s anything that advances the sale.

If you did a proper job selling on the front end, then the difference between getting the sale
and getting a goose egg can be that simple.

Oh boy, I can hear the excuses now:

“But I don’t want to be pushy…”

“They know I’m selling something, I don’t need to actually say it…”

“I think it’s embarrassing to ask…”

Ok, I understand the hesitation, but remember your prospect is a very busy person too.

They know they have a need. They understand you may be the ideal solution. But in the
back of their mind, they’re also thinking about the 200 emails piling up in their inbox.
They’re wondering why their employee didn’t show up. They’re wondering if they remembered
to feed the dog that morning…

Like most of us, they’re busy and easily distracted. They need a little nudge to cut through
all of the other demands in their day.

Your call to action focuses them to make a decision.

If you don’t ask for the sale, the person jumps back into their busy day where fires are
going off left and right.

Even if they’re really interested in your product or service, it’s easy for you to become less of

a priority and get pushed back further down the “to do” list. And you know where that ends

up…in the “never-did-but-meant-to-do-it” list.

So don’t let yourself get pushed down in your prospect’s busy day. Ask for action while you

have their attention.

And the next time you feel hesitant to ask for the business, think of the bravery of a 9-year old
boy who dared to ask.

Chances are, you’ll get what you ask for.

What the Hare Krishna can teach you about marketing

Depending on your age, you may remember the days when you’d pass a group of Hare Krishna at a street corner and get a worn-out daisy shoved into your hand.

You try to avoid it. You try to say no.

But despite your protests, they swiftly force that tired daisy in your hand saying it’s a gift of love.

In your head, you shout, “I don’t want this “gift!” Because you know once that daisy hits your hand, something in your brain snaps. Without warning, BAM!  The dynamics dramatically change.

Now you owe them something.

As that faded daisy lies begrudgingly in your hand, you automatically feel you need to reciprocate. Even though every cell in your body screams, “Take your daisy and run!”

While you stand there paralyzed by moral flux, the Hare Krishna gently asks you for a donation.

Before you know it, you empty the change jingling in your pocket or pull out a buck. Then you hurry away, immediately tossing that daisy into the nearest garbage can.

So what happened?

You just experienced a powerful marketing tool called The Principal of Reciprocity. It’s one of the many principals explained in Robert Cialdini’s brilliant book, Influence.

In short, here’s how Principal of Reciprocity works…

When you give something (an item or a favor), the other person naturally feels indebted to you – especially if the gift is unexpected.

But people don’t like feeling indebted. So we’re hard-wired to balance the scales again as soon as possible. Eager to regain balance, you instinctively give something back. This helps you feel better about yourself and the situation.

That’s why when you see that bruised, limp daisy forced into your hand, your left brain tells you it isn’t worth the wadded up gum wrapper in your pocket. But another part of your brain says now you owe the guy. And you better pay up soon because you feel very uncomfortable.

So you reciprocate. In this case, you make a donation.

Before you scream it’s manipulative, let’s take a look at how businesses do this all of the time. And how you may want to do it too.

Think about how many free address labels, notepads and stickers you get from charities. They’re not sending them to kindly fill your junk drawer. They’re strategically giving you a gift first.

And because of The Principal of Reciprocity, many people donate to the charity offering the gift.  Even if they promptly toss the freebie right after they write that check.

Studies prove charities not only get a higher response rate when they include free gifts, they also receive a higher dollar amount per person too.

Here’s another example:

There’s a certain coffee chain that adds a new drink item seasonally. When they do, they mail loyal customers a free drink coupon to try the new item for free. That’s smart because most of us couldn’t just walk in, grab our 16 ounce free drink and leave. We’d feel guilty for accepting their generosity. So what do we do to feel better? We buy a $3.00 pastry to go with that “free” drink.

Cha ching! Another sale. They got you in, they got a purchase. And hopefully, you liked their drink enough to pay for it next time.

Pretty easy, eh? Ok, your turn.

Look at the subtle and obvious ways you encounter the Principal of Reciprocity in your daily life. Brainstorm how you can apply this principal to increase repeat sales, build customer loyalty, encourage referrals, or increase the average sale amount per customer.

You can start by copying other businesses. Or do something completely out of the norm. Be creative. And have fun with it.

Do you have a tagline or a slogan?

What’s the difference you ask? Here’s my non-marketing-speak definition:

Slogans are rather generic and can apply to different industries. And taglines show a unique and specific benefit of the product and can’t apply easily to other products or industries.

A slogan example is Nike’s “Just do it.”

It’s a slogan because it’s rather flexible and generic. Imagine:
•    5-Minute Loans: Just do it.
•    Friendly Family Counseling: Just do it.
•    Ferrari Club: Just do it.

A slogan this generic makes it rather fluffy and less effective, doesn’t it?

A good tagline shows a specific product benefit such as M&M’s, “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.”

See the difference?

Unfortunately, most corporate “taglines” are little more than fluff and clichés. Such as McDonald’s “I’m lovin’ it™.”

We can substitute quite a bit here:

•    Veggie World: I’m lovin’ it.
•    Zippy Cars: I’m lovin it.
•    Friendly Family Counseling: I’m lovin’ it.

Or Ford’s old one,“Built Ford tough™.” We can insert any car in here: Built Dodge tough. Built Toyota tough…

Stand out from the crowd
See how those “taglines” don’t make the company look unique? An effective tagline should reflect – or better, incorporate – your unique selling proposition (USP).

Think of your USP as the pithy little statement that quickly tells your prospects why they should buy from you.

You get extra bonus points if you evoke emotion too. That gets the mind and body fired up to support you.

Hallmark greeting cards has a good tagline that incorporates their USP and tugs at your emotions: “When you care enough to send the very best.”

That tagline claims product quality and challenges your psyche. It’s saying if you really care, if you want to express yourself in the most thoughtful way possible, you send a Hallmark card.

What if Hallmark said “I’m lovin’ it”?

It probably doesn’t tug on your emotions enough to convince you to spend more on a Hallmark card verses other card, does it?

Another good one is, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” It promises the adventure you may crave and the magical absolution you may need.

Slogan types to avoid
What doesn’t work well are the slogans that focus on the company. Ford’s latest one is simply, “Drive one.”

Hmm…they gave me a command. Do you like being told what to do? I sure don’t. I bet the marketing group who figured that one out thought they were being cool.

Problem here is this slogan turns all of the attention on the company, not the customer.

Such as how Toshiba’s slogan is, “Leading innovation.” It brags about them and doesn’t tell how they benefit me, the person shelling out the dough for their innovation.

For an effective tagline or slogan, do not:
•    Insult the reader
•    Brag about yourself
•    Sound like everyone else
•    Turn the focus on yourself instead of the customer

To create a sales-driven tagline or slogan, be sure it does at least one of these:
1.    Show a benefit
2.    Incorporate your USP
3.    Focus on what the prospect wants
4.    Evoke emotion

If you’re blending in with your competition, analyze your unique selling proposition again for today’s market. Then check it against your tagline or slogan.

A great tagline or slogan is just one way to stand out from your competition. When sending out any sales and marketing material, be sure they contain authority elements too.

Depending on the industry, the beginning of a new year can be incredibly busy or the slowest time of the year. Wherever the start of a new year finds your business, January marks a good time to begin thinking of baseline business strategies. Here are six things that should be reviewed in order to keep your business running smoothly and moving ahead of the competition.

1. Update your website.
   Begin by updating photos. Many businesses use the same photos and graphics for the About Us section or Products/Services section. With new images, viewers realize your website is active. Additionally, add to any blogs or newsletters and revise menus, staffing, or other items. These revisions immediately give your website an inexpensive facelift.
2. Review pricing.
   Costs on shipping, fuel surcharges, supplies, utilities and other day-to-day items can slowly creep up during the year. Review all costs to make sure that pricing is maintained to produce a comfortable profit margin.
3. Mystery shop your own business.
   Have a friend do an internet search for your business, call in to ask a question or schedule an appointment, and visit your location. Ask your friend to give a detailed account of your business so that you can determine how to improve customer service. This is important to get an honest view point that a customer might not be able to give you.
4. Evaluate employee compensation.
   Every business person knows that great employees are hard to find. Keep employees loyal by evaluating compensation in your industry and being competitive in wages and benefits. It is widely written that employee turnover is one of the most expensive costs of business. Avoid these costs by keeping the talent in-house.
5. Re-visit your competition.
   When starting your company, visiting competition was a main activity. Although there doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day, keeping track of the competition is a key ingredient to success. Knowing what bargains key players in the industry are offering, and what events they are participating in, are important to keeping pace. Anticipating growth opportunities that your competitors are pursuing are important to keeping ahead of the game.
6. Get one new thing.
   Strive to add one new item to your business this year. This new item could be a big new client, an addition to your product line or service offering, or a new location or outlet for your services or goods. Adding one new thing to your business stimulates growth by creating fresh interest in your business and increases your client list.

Whether you are updating your web presence or evaluating yourself or your competition, this information is useful in growing a business. Each of these to-do items increases knowledge of the industry and gives a head-start to the new year.

Dear Valued Mernber of our SBA Resource partner Network:

Small businesses are the engine of job creation in America. With over 50 percent of Americans working or owning a small business, it is important that we seize every opportunity to support these businesses across the country. That is why I am writing to you about a new initiative started last year called Small Business Saturday. Most Americans know Black Friday and cyber Monday as big days for holiday shopping. Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses during the holiday season. It is as easy as walking into the local shop on your Main Street. These local businesses are the job creators in your community and every community in the country. Supporting these independent business owners is mission critical.

When I walk around my own neighborhood in Washington, it’s just great to see mernbers of my community helping each other. People supporting each other is what we’re all about in this country, and no one does that better than the small business owner who buys from the local farmer, sells to the local patron and hires the local employee. These people are taking care of each other every day in America and supporting them is a privilege.

I am writing to ask for your help. First, please consider doing business with a small business on Small Business Saturday, which this year is on Saturday, November 26. Second, encourage others to do the same, whether they are your family, friends or members of your own community. Third, help us spread the word across your networks. The websites www.sba.gov/saturday and www.Smal lBusinessSaturday.com provide a wealth of information including vendors and other ways to get involved. Tell the businesses you work with to register on the website and to promote their participation. Work with them to prepare for a busy holiday season so they cag maximizethe opporfunity in front of them.

As the holiday season begins I want to take a moment to thank you for all the work you do to support America’s small business community. I know the example we all set helps to drive our nation forward throueh these economic times.

Sincerely,

Michael Chodos
Associate Administrator
Office of Entrepreneurial Development