Bill pushed his lunch plate to one side, looked across the table and
asked, “Are my web pages too long?”

My reply, a little smart aleck, was, “Compared to what?”

“The other guys that do what I do,” he replied.

“Good answer,” Gail, our resident writer jumped in, “Especially since
people who don’t understand how to figure this out are always doing that.”

She pulled her pad computer out, fired it up and said, “Let’s see what we
can find in the way of a list of successful folks in your business…

Ah, here we go, this list is the top15 in the area. Does this one have
shorter or longer copy than your web site pages?”

Bill looked and allowed as how, “It’s about the same. Try this one. It’s
a bigger firm.”

She did. They looked. The copy was longer still. On the third try, the
copy was shorter.

I interrupted saying, “In my experience, there is no one right answer.
The appropriate length boils down to the fact that people will read as much as
they are comfortable with as long as it provides information they want.”

Gail commented, “I agree completely but there are five times that well-written
long copy performs better:

• When you’re selling
  something of high value
• When you’re selling an information product and you
  have to tell ’em all the benefits
• When you have to build trust
  
• When you’re selling something new and you have to
  convince the buyer the features are really something they want or need
• When you are selling on line and they can’t get any
  sensory data about it except for some visuals.”

I added, “On
the web if copy is too short it really limits ROI. When copy is too short it
leads to lower response rates, increased cancellations at checkout and leads to
more returns due to unmet expectations all because you didn’t tell them enough.

At a minimum, it takes about 250 words per page to keep the search engines and
the customer happy.

But if you need  to go ‘below the fold’ to be persuasive, you
should go ahead. There’s a study by User Interface Engineering (UEI) that
says users are perfectly willing to scroll and In the trade-off between hiding
content below the fold or spreading it across several pages, readership increases
when the content is on a single page.”

Looking for a professional speaker? www.NetworkingNinja.com

Gail asked me, Do you remember how you used to start that speech sitting on top a step ladder?”

“Sure”, I said, “Every business owner has a place they want
to get to. For some it is a simple thing but for others it is a full blown Technicolor
dream of a castle way up there in the air…

How are you going to get there?”

“Do you still do that speech?”

“Yes,” I replied, “but a little differently in terms of the
advice. Here’s the way it continues today:

What tool do you need to build you business?

If you had to reach the ceiling or get up on your roof or
rescue a kitten from a tree you would get a ladder, right?

In business in today’s world that ladder is a mystifying
array of ways to connect to potential customers. There’s all that advertising
and PR stuff and now all the new internet possibilities.

But, some things never change.

You will always have to introduce yourself

You will always have to get people to listen to you

You will always have to tell them what you do

You will always have to ask them for their business

You will always have to get to trust to get their business

Customer Relationship Management software is how to get to
the top rung of your ladder…updated. It won’t take the place of branding and
networking and generating referrals or turning contacts to contracts but it
sure can help.

It is proven and infinitely practical. And now there are
integrated systems anyone familiar with a computer can learn to use to build
automated marketing campaigns that capture leads and nurture them into sales.

Everyone that wants to get to their castle way up there in
the air needs a ladder and some Customer Relationship Magic! TM .

Get integrated Contact Relationship Management software and
start building your business today.

Learn about Jerry’s consulting at www.JerryFletcher.com

Need a speaker? Jerry speaks professionally (so far on three continents).
Find out more at www.NetworkingNInja.com

The phone rings. I answer, “This is Jerry Fletcher, how can
I help you?”

It sounds pretty normal, right?

Two young professionals each remarked on that simple phrase
yesterday.

Brenda said, “I thought you were just being gracious, but now
that you’ve met with me I know you meant it. How can I help you?”

Josh told me after about an hour of helping him sort out his
ideas about ideal customers where to find them and how to stand out from the
crowd, “I really want to find a way to repay you for the advice.”

This is the gem at the heart of relational networking. It is
the pearl I wrote of in an article first published a generation ago entitled
Pearl Diving. (You’ll find a copy on the resources page of my consulting web
site if that link doesn’t get you there.)

Each person you meet has been formed by years of rolling
around in a life filled with experiences you have not been touched by.

They can tell you about times, places and things you’ve
not experienced.

Each person you bend an ear to and assist can provide you
with insight into paths you haven’t taken and visions you have not dreamed.

They will help you choose the better course and give
you foresight.

Each person you help with no expectation of return will,
almost inevitably provide you with assistance.

Each is a pearl.

Each gem of a contact will improve your life …if you help
them better theirs.

Every business deal begins with a single connection. That
relationship can only be built and sustained by true caring. Try it. Ask how
you can help. Then do it. Just do it.

Learn more about Jerry Fletcher’s approach at www.JerryFletcher.com

Looking for a speaker? Go to www.NetworkingNinja.com

I was on my way out the door of a networking meeting when
Steve and I got into the usual conversation.

Steve asked, “What do you do?”

I’m the originator of 30 Second Marketing TM so you might
figure I’d have an answer. I said, “I teach people to Market Without Money.”

That stopped him cold. He tilted his head to one side, read
my name tag, leaned in and replied, “What does that mean?”

I said, “You know how solopreneurs and small companies have
limited budgets but still have to make sales regularly?”

He told me, “Boy, do I. I’m
the sales and marketing director for my company and we’re doing pretty well but
everyday we have to go out there and knock down some sales.”

“What we do,” I replied, “Is supply folks like you and your
owners with the basic training you need to get prospects to know, like and
trust you so they will buy from you. The nifty thing is that most of what we recommend
can be done at little on no cost.”

Steve put a hand into his shirt pocket, pulled out a card,
passed it to me and said “Please call me. I would like to learn more.”

“Can do,“ I answered, handing him a card.

That is a demonstration of 30 Second Marketing TM. There are
only 4 parts to the Formula:

• Hook ‘em
• Hold ‘em
• Pitch ‘em
• Close ‘em

Did you notice that here was no “We provide an insidious
feature about a peripheral product I didn’t ask about” in there anywhere?

Instead of rattling on about me, I got his attention with
what I call a hook (“I teach people to market without money.”)

He asked me to tell him more.

I responded with a problem he knew and understood. (The
Hold)

He told me about his experience.

I dodged the commiseration bullet and made the point that we
have a solution for that familiar problem. (The Pitch)

He asked me to call him. (The Close)

Did I get a contract signed? No. I got a commitment to meet.
That is what 30 second marketing TM is all about.

30 Second Marketing is just one component of Marketing
Without Money TM.

Comment if you would like to learn more.

Jerry Fletcher speaks internationally: www.NetworkingNinja.com

His Consulting Practice information is at: www.JerryFletcher.com

“So what more info should I have about somebody other than
their Contact data? That should be enough for a good salesman like me,” said
Tom.
 

Barbara sent me an article that had been published in a prominent journal that talked about the demise of “Old Media” as an instrument of persuasion.

I have a standard answer to the question, “How are you?’

“Sweet, lovable kind, thrifty, brave, clean and all that
other boy scout stuff… would you like to buy a bridge?”

It is silly but I’ve been doing it so long that friends get concerned
when I don’t respond that way.

But there is a kernel there that all of us need to consider.
The boy scout motto is Be Prepared.

That is not a bad piece of advice.

Are you ready? Are you prepared to market yourself and your
business?

If you are you should be able to check off these items. If
you can’t check them off, call me.

__  I know the vision
of my company.

__  I can state the
mission of my company

__  I can sum up how
my company is unique in 7 words or less

__  My initial answer
to the question, “What do you do?” is 7 words or less

__  I can sort out if my products/services can help you in 30 seconds or less.

__  I use a contact
management system to help me turn contacts into contracts.

__  Most of my business
comes from referrals

__ I regularly get business from my social media connections

__  I do business with
people I know, like and trust

__  I know that sooner
or later I must connect with people in person to really power up the
relationship.

How did you do?

If you run a business you need to be ready with the answers
to these questions. They are the heart of your marketing. All but one of them
can be done without spending a cent…if you know how.

Knowing how is what Marketing Without Money TM is all about.
If you would like to know more about this product I’m developing e-mail me
here.

Jerry Fletcher
speaks: www.NetworkingNinja.com

Learn more about his
Marketing viewpoint at:
www.JerryFletcher.com