Marketing In An Age Of Simultaneity

Posted on 2015/02/14 by Jerry Fletcher

“It’s morphing again,” Bubba said as he lowered himself into a side chair.

“You are the branding Guru” said Rick,” but sometimes you are more than a little mysterious my friend. What the heck are you talking about?”

“Marketing and ‘bout everythin’ else,” Rob responded.

“So,” Kate said, “does that include sales?”

Rob drawled, “If you can’t run with the big dogs, these days y’all gonna have to stay on the porch.”

“Rob,” I said, “back up and tell us what got you all stirred up.”

“Look around the table,” he said. “Ain’t a one of you that does just one thing anymore.

Rick is a statistical whiz which is why he’s so good at direct marketing. And on top of that he can network his way to new business pitch standing in line at an airport check in counter!

Gail, writes, edits, teaches others to do it and has been an on-air personality and run a couple of ad agencies.

Kate can consult in a boardroom in the morning and go out and make cold calls with a newbie in the afternoon and then make a speech in the evening.

Chris writes code plus drives a digital marketing team that has built a business to twice what it used to be and he dabbles in real estate because he likes the investment opportunities and making houses better.

Fletch has a degree in design but managed ad agencies and PR firms. He’s an expert at positioning, CRM and automated marketing and speaks on three continents on networking. Somehow he explains what Rick does.

And we are not unusual. Like a lot of folks we do all that stuff simultaneously!”

Gail interjected, “So what is bothering you Rob?”

Rob replied, “Used to be y’all could be a writer or a coder or a single whatever. Today to be say a reporter you have to blog, tweet, video the event or the interview, photograph it, edit it and serve it up in multiple forms all of which require some expertise.”

Kate said, “I see what you mean. Most of us have been successful because we can do multiple things reasonably well rather than just a single thing.”

“But it’s more than that,” Chris noted. “That multiple expertise is what used to make us stand out but I think Bubba is saying that it is now the new marketing norm.”

“Y’all got it,” digital dude. “If you’re fixin’ to get into the business or you are ready to break out you’d best be adding some skills that match up with what you do or take it ‘round a corner folks haven’t connected yet.”

Gail said, “I’ll translate:

The Takeaway

Being good at one thing is not good enough anymore. You need to match your primary skill with a couple more that give you more insight and a greater spectrum of bankable capabilities.

This blog recaps the luncheon conversations of a group of business development professionals. They discuss what’s new, what’s old, what’s good, bad and ugly plus creative thinking to find what works. Jerry Fletcher is the fictions ringleader and secretary.

Jerry has been researching and implementing small business marketing that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy for 20 years as President of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

What’s The Right Amount Of Copy On The Web?

Posted on 2015/02/07 by Jerry Fletcher

Bill, a client who had joined the lunch bunch today, pushed his 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 said, “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.

Chris, our Digital Director said, “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 four 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 and overcome their concerns
When you need to develop 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.”

Rick, our direct marketing specialist added, “And 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.”

I jumped in to say, “But if you need more and have 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.”

The Takeaway:
The only copy count that matters is the number of sales or opt-ins or phone calls the page generates.

Jerry Fletcher has been researching and implementing small business marketing that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy for 25 years as President of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Fish Bowl Marketing

Posted on 2015/01/31 by Jerry Fletcher

“So the challenge is to think of a least three ways a small business can use a fish bowl in their marketing,” said Rick, our direct marketing principal.

Kate, ever the sales professional, said, “And the prize is?”

“Lunch on me,” Rick said without hesitation.

Rob, our southern fried branding expert said, “Can I get a piece of that virtuosity?

“All are welcome,” said Rick. “What have you got?”

I jumped in, “How about you put a fish bowl on the counter next to your cash register and collect client cards and then send ‘em e-mails for specials?”

Gail, our copywriter said, “That’s a no-brainer but you also need a guest register for those people that don’t have business cards if you really want it to work.”

“Flip it,” said Chris the Digital Director. “Instead of asking people to put a card in, have them take one out … a coupon good on their return works really well.”

Kate suggested, “Work out a deal with a non-competitive store on the other side of town and each of you offer coupons for the other’s store. It’s a cross promotion.”

“Okay,” Rick said, “so far we have:

Business card collector
Coupon dispenser
Cross promotion coupon dispenser

Seems to me those are all kind of the same.”

“But Branding has not yet spoken,” drawled Rob “How about a way to use a fish bowl for a B2B business? Heah’s how that works. What you do is you get a nice glass fish bowl—gotta be glass to work right. And y’all get yourself some of those bags of tiny candy bars from a big box store. Then you walk into the front desk of a target account and you say you would really like to meet with the owner or manager but you only have time today to drop off this bowl which you’ll keep filled with candy by stopping in once a week if that’s okay. Then you pour some candy bars into the bowl from a little height so there’s this pleasant clinking noise.

You leave. And in a week you come back and fill it the same way. Nice clinking noise. You get to know the receptionist a little better and you learn a little more about the company. A question or two is never a problem as you fill the bowl.

After doing that for four to six weeks you should have a solid rapport and be able to ask for an appointment to see the owner and the folks in the company that will use your product or service. You have become known as someone who can be trusted because you clinked candy bars into that fish bowl once every week as you promised.

I know it seems like a lot of time, but I guarantee that dog will hunt. It never fails.”

“Bubba, you are one tough act to follow,” I said. “I know that Rick did a mailing once that used a fishbowl to sell medical practices on having aquariums in their waiting rooms. As I recall, a box arrived with a fish bowl and the next day a delivery person brought a live gold fish. Each time there was a note that talked about tranquility in the office and a request to present some research on how patients responded to aquariums on waiting rooms. A telephone call requesting a meeting with the office manager and the managing doctor followed.

Have you ever noticed how many aquariums there are in doctors and dentists offices?”

The Takeaway:

A simple fish bowl can receive, give, send and intrigue. It’s all in how you look at it. How do you find a way to see a greater potential?

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

How Small Businesses Really Find Buyers

Posted on 2015/01/24 by Jerry Fletcher

“Guys,” I said, “I got referred into this prospect because he needed strategic marketing help with a complex situation that could grow his operation by 500% in 3 years. I spent an hour with him discussing his business and the market he wanted to pursue.

Then he asked me why I wasn’t talking about about advertising and PR and Web Site performance.”

Rick, our direct marketing expert asked, “How did you respond?”

“I told him that I had to understand where they were now in order to begin to find a way to get to where they want to go.”

Gail, the veteran copywriter shushed me and said, “Did you ask him what he thought marketing was?”

“Yes. His ideas about marketing were similar to what I’ve found over the last 20 years asking business owners and managers about how they think people find them and buy from them.

I asked him to list where or how he believed marketing would have the greatest ROI for his Enterprise level computer consulting him. Here is his list:

Direct sales
Trade Shows
Online (Website, SEO)
Public Relations (PR)
Responding to RFPs (Requests for Proposal)

“I know you’ve actually gone out and asked your client’s customers how they came to buy, said Gail, “how does that compare?”

“Well, that varies by the phase the company or product or service is in at the moment. There are three phases as shown (This is just one of the information displays in the FREE Whitepaper that will change how you look for buyers)

It doesn’t matter whether it is a one man band or a corporate megalith the answers tend to be the same and are only limited by the budget available. What works according to the buyers fall into six categories:

Referrals/Word of mouth
Prior Experience
Distribution/Direct Sales
Direct Marketing
Networking
Everything Else.

You’ll notice that only one of these was on his list so he’s missing over 80% of why clients would seek him out.

The Takeaway:

Small Business Owners need to know what works versus the hype and what has changed over time and how to take advantage of the changes. Get the 20 page whitepaper: High ROI Marketing for a limited time FREE.

This blog recaps the luncheon conversations of a group of business development professionals. They discuss what’s new, what’s old, what’s good, bad and ugly but mostly what works. Jerry Fletcher is the ringleader and secretary.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

How To Be A Brilliant Conversation Networker

Posted on 2015/01/17 by Jerry Fletcher

“I spoke to a group about the Secrets of a Marketing Rainmaker on Wednesday. I used the write up about what it takes to be a stellar networker by being a brilliant conversationalist as one of my giveaways,” I said.

Chris asked, “Did you offer it as an incentive for filling out your feedback form like I’ve seen you do?

“Yes,’ I said, that is a trick I picked up from another professional speaker.”

Rob, the branding guru from Georgia, drawled, “Y’all know he does that right in the middle to shake ‘em up and make ‘em want that idear for their very own. It’s his way of gettin’ the dogs out from under the porch.”

“Fletch,” Kate asked, “Can you translate that?”

“Sure,” I said, “Rob’s idea of being a brilliant conversationalist is being the center of attention. For him, that works. For the really good networker there’s another way.”

“Oh?” Kate said.

“Yes,” I responded

The table went quiet. They were all looking at me.

I said, “Tell ‘em, Kate.”

Kate explained, “It’s a technique I came across in some sales training done by Xerox in the 90s, I think. What you do is:

Ask an open ended question, one that can’t be answered with just a word or two.
Shut up and listen.
When they run down simply say Oh?”

“Oh? “ I said.

She went on, “They will keep adding information just about as long as you are willing to listen. The trick is to get them started.”

Rick dove in, “And the most common question in our culture is what do you do? And the best way to answer it is in Fletch’s 30 Second Marketing.”

“Give the man a gold star,” said Kate. “Anyone else have a question that works?”

Rick, our inveterate traveler, said, “I’ve got another one—If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?”

“That works,” said Kate, “If you remember to say Oh?”

Gail piped up, “If you could have any technology to help you run our business, what would it be?”

“Sure,” said Kate. “Again, remember when they run down to say Oh?”

The takeaway: Ask an open-ended question and listen. When they run down just say “oh?” to learn more.

What question would you ask?

Jerry Fletcher provides this kind of proven marketing advice to all his clients from across kitchen tables to corporate board rooms. See his answer to “What do you do” in the video on the home page of: www.JerryFletcher.com

Jerry speaks on 30 Second Marketing, How to develop an unforgettable self introduction. See his story about Margie at www.NetworkingNinja.com

Building Blocks of a Successful Sales Pitch

Posted on 2015/01/10 by Jerry Fletcher

“Martin called me Tuesday to let me know two things:
1. Prototypes of his new product will be available next week.
2. They changed the name of the company based on the suggestion I made for a URL in a planning meeting. Needless to say, I never had that in mind but…”

Rick, our Direct marketing guru, interjected,” Back up. Who is Martin and what is the product and why the name change?”

Kate, Madame sales, said, “And what does all this have to do with a successful sales pitch?”

“I was meeting with Martin and his partner, I replied. “They were updating me on the product development and timing for final prototypes. I asked what they were going to call the product.

When they told me I jumped on it and asked if they had purchased the URL.”

“Good idea,” said Chris our resident digital marketing director. “It can kill you if you can’t use a URL for a product that is the same as the name. If you can, it gives you real advantages. The biggest one is that owning the URL is, in terms of marketing, sometimes more valuable than having a registered trademark.”

“Right,” I agreed. “What happened was that Martin pulled out his smart phone, checked on availability of the URL and bought it in less time than it takes to talk about it. Because the name can easily be put into a catch phrase I suggested how to use it in presentations they have coming up for acquiring more capital for the business. I never thought they would change the name of the company.”

“Could y’all slow down a tinch,” said Rob our branding Guru. I’m gettin’ all tangled up in product names and URLs and Company names and I still don’t have a clue how we gonna get a sales pitch outa this briar patch.”

“Well, Bubba,” I said, I can’t tell you the names because I’ve signed a non-disclosure agreement but I can give you an illustration of how it works. Let’s say your product name is the Real Thing. It’s easy to tell somebody to ‘get the Real Thing.’ I’ve found that anytime you’re doing a presentation where you are trying to sell something it is a good idea to give people a simple summation of what you are asking them to do throughout the presentation. By incorporating the same catch phrase from beginning to end you give the audience a way to remember you and to agree on the action to take.”

Kate said, “You have a point, cowboy, it isn’t subtle but incorporating a repetitive phrase in a presentation particularly to a boardroom full of people can work wonders. But I’ve found it is even more powerful when you combine it with what makes the product unique. I think you call that Positioning, don’t you?”

Gail jumped in saying, “As the writer I have to say that positioning can make my job easier. If I can tell the people that get the greatest good from a product how it uniquely fits into their need or use or occasion it is a lot easier to make the sale in print or video.”

I said, “You’re absolutely right. Sometimes there is a real difference. Other times it is a perceived difference. For instance, do you want your car repaired with replacement or genuine parts? Would you prefer a clone or the real thing? Do you want the one that can sort of do what you want or the one that is optimized? Positioning can give you that advantage in the marketplace.

Bubba said, “And that all stacks up to build a better brand.”

The Takeaway Build a repetitive phrase that incorporates your name and positioning into sales presentations to achieve greater success.

Get a FREE copy of the ABCs of Marketing Without Money TM. Go to www.jerryfletcher.com/Profit.html and we will send you a link to get your copy.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

The ABCs of Marketing Without Money

Posted on 2015/01/03 by Jerry Fletcher

“So I’m going to start the year with an offer. A freebie.” I said as the lunch bunch assembled.

“I printed out what you sent but I haven’t read it yet,” said Chris our Digital Marketing guy.

“Welcome to the club, “said Gail. “I need to have my editing pencil in hand when he gets carried away like this. His headline: The ABCs of Marketing Without Money is a okay but there’s not a clear believable benefit.”

Rick, the guy that can’t seem to retire from Direct Marketing, piped up with “He put it in the subhead: Enterprise level marketing expertly adapted for small businesses. And he carried it through in the opening copy:

Have you noticed how everything you read about marketing seems to be about companies that are vastly bigger than yours?

You know how hard it is for small companies to find resources that understand the limited funds and time you have to build your business?

Over the years we’ve learned how to find enterprise level things that work, sort out the parts that can be done with the limited time and money available to us “Little Guys” and share the secrets with you.

“Guys, I said. “I am right here.”

Bubba said, “Y’all don’t really believe we’ll let that get in the way of the grits do you? I may just be a poah boy from Georgia but I know there ain’t no marketing without some solid branding. Did he mention that?”

“He did Rob,” said Gail. “B is for

Brand. You’re going to have one whether you want to or not. Watch out for charlatans that say they can brand you with a logotype and a slogan. Yes, you need to have a mark that people can identify but your brand will be the sum total of all their interactions with you and your staff, your customers and your reputation. Do your best but don’t believe you can control it.

is what he says.”

Kate, ever the sales doyen asked, “Anything about sales in there?”

Chris said, “I’m looking under S and there is a big long section here about Social Media. But next to it under Q there’s something I’ve heard you say:

Questions are how you turn contacts into contracts. You’re in business to make a profit and to do that you have to make sales.

Getting someone to purchase, regardless of the type of business means you have to understand the problem they are trying to solve, if they have control of the checkbook and when they are ready to buy.

The better your questions and the better you listen the better you will be at closing.

“Could I get a word in edgewise here?” I asked.

“Sure,” they responded.

The Takeaway

“What I tried to do was come up with short pieces of advice that any entrepreneur or small business owner could use as a way to start thinking about marketing their business without having to spend an arm and a leg or sorely needed time to get good results.

Any one that wants the ABCs, including friends and staff, can get it free. Sign up at www.Jerryfletcher.com/profit.html It will be downloaded to you rickety tick.

This blog recaps the conversations of a group of business development professionals who meet for lunch each Friday. They discuss what’s new, what’s old, what’s good, bad and ugly but mostly what works. Jerry Fletcher is the ringleader and the one that writes up their comments.

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Passion of Pursue

Posted on 2014/12/27 by Jerry Fletcher

I said, “A Linked-In contact in the Middle East described her ongoing education saying, “rather than pursuit of passion, I like the Passion of Pursue :).”

Gail, our writer, replied, “The tenses and words are all twisted around but there is a beauty in the comment.”

Rick, ever the practical direct marketing guy surprised us all saying, “There is something magical in what she is observing.”

“Magic?” questioned Rob.

“Magic.” Said Rick. “All of us spend our days working on ways to build our client’s businesses. They expect us to be passionate about it. But we can never be quite as passionate as they are. And as much as they think that for us it is all about the money. It isn’t.

For us the passion is in what we are doing. It is about psychic rather than physical rewards.”

Surprisingly, Kate, the tough sales consultant was nodding in agreement.

“How often,” she said, “have each of us admitted that we would do what we do even if we didn’t get paid for it. Ours is the passion of pursue… getting it done, making something happen, wanting to make the world a better place.”

“That reminds me of Steve,” I said. He was flat broke when he came across an article in the paper. By the time he realized what was happening he had started what will become a charity. It has a crazy name: Carbon Sucking Trees. Take a look at the website. He’s done all this work with no hope of a personal payback. It’s the Passion of Pursue.”

“Carbon Sucking Trees,” mused Rob, our branding guru. “That is one of the weirdest brand names I’ve ever heard. I’m not going to ask, I’ll just go to the web site and figure it out. But I have to tell you this playful approach to words is one of the techniques commonly used to position and brand products and services. Here are some examples:

Famous: The Uncola for Seven Up
Not so famous: The Untangler for Shell Tain a money consultant who is one of Fletch’s former clients
Sorta Famous: Digimarc (the name Fletch came up with for a “digital watermarking company”
Not so famous: KDI Americas (Fletch suggested adding the ‘s’ to broaden the scope of a company already known in Asia and Africa which was moving into this hemisphere. It worked.

I responded, “Bubba, you are kind to use examples from my portfolio. I do appreciate it. But I’d like to get back to what Rick and Kathy were saying. I agree that the true professionals in business development do it for more than the money. They are passionate about it, but it is the results that gets them involved.”

Chris, the digital director said, “Then how come the very best cost so much more than others?”

“They do and they don’t,” I said. If they are good at what they do, they are always working. They have less time and because of that they raise their rates. And the world knows they are good at what they do and more people are eager to work with them. That cycle repeats and repeats. But they are still intrigued and if you can lay a problem in front of them that gets their interest the price to you might not be as high.

The Takeaway

Don’t be put off by your fear of the cost of an expert. That expert may get you answers much, much faster. More importantly, if your problem is intriguing they will give you value in multiples of what you pay. And, should you catch them at the right time, their advice may cost nothing yet be the best you will ever receive because theirs is the passion of pursue.”

The lunch bunch is a group of marketing and sales professionals that meet for lunch each Friday. They discuss what’s new, what’s old, what’s good, bad and ugly but mostly what works. Jerry Fletcher is the ringleader and the one that writes up their comments. Sign up to get updates on all their discussions at www.JerryFletcher.com/profit

Jerry Fletcher has been researching and implementing marketing that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy for 20 years as President of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

CRM and a Grain of Sand

Posted on 2014/12/20 by Jerry Fletcher

“Little things do mean a lot, ” I said as I took a seat at the Friday lunch gathering and passed out copies of my year end thought starter:

“Take a single grain of sand. It’s the most common element on earth. You can find it on every continent. And not just along the shores. It is at the heart of each computer and just about every permanent structure that serves mankind.

A single grain is virtually invisible…unless it happens to be the mote in your eye.

In that case, that single well-placed speck is the most important thing in your life. That tiny messenger, by being in the right place, can demand all your attention. Nothing else can get your undivided focus until you have removed it.

One small particle can capture if not captivate you.

A handful can demonstrate human nature. Think back to the last time you scooped a handful of sand up and poured it from hand to hand. Wander down memory lane to the beach and cupping your hand to hold as many grains as possible. Remember what happened when you squeezed it. Do you recall how it first squirted and then dribbled out between your fingers and how much less there was when you again cupped your hand?

Customers and prospects, family and friends, staff and employees are all like that handful of sand. The harder you squeeze the less you have. The more you put pressure on them the more they stream away from you.

An open caring relationship keeps more of them with you.

Can there ever be enough? Each of you must make that decision. But the more there are, the greater the risk of losing some through inattention and the vagaries of the winds of time.

Think about that picnic on the beach when the breeze picked up. How about the first time you saw a sand dune. Stop now and consider the number of grains that there were in that dune you climbed. Imagine stacking them up to get someone’s attention. What do you see in your mind’s eye? Do you see the dune or the grains? Your business, your career and your life are like that. Each action, every statement as well as any and all your behaviors add to the stack, grain on grain, until people see the combined aspect.

That shifting, wind-sculpted mass is your persona. It’s the face you present to the world, at once ever changing and yet the same. It is your achievements taken together, which are perceived.

You, your career and your company are the sum total of your deeds and those of the folks you draw around you.

You can choose to be a mild irritation blown helter skelter by each passing breeze or
you can add a little water, some lime and cement and have mortar.

Mortar. With it you can lay brick on brick and build strong and straight and tall. Suddenly the world sees you differently. You’re no longer a drifter. You’ve settled. You’re going to make something of this choice you’ve made.

But be wary. You must mix well to make sure the edifice stands. Too little sand or too much and the hold on the bricks crumbles.

Better perhaps to add some chunks of rock to the mix and fill a form with the amazing material the Romans discovered and named.

We call it concrete. It is a reasonable symbol of how a business or a career or a life can be built that will last. One of the Roman’s aqueducts still carries water to Rome centuries after it was built. It was conceived by engineers and constructed by men proud of their craft. It was a joint effort. No single individual could claim all the credit.

Yes, some took more risks than others but all acknowledged it was a group effort.

They, like we, were and are interdependent. Today that interdependence is global. The World Wide Web is allowing more of us to be swept along together than ever before.

The Takeaway:
The grains are accreting.

Some are trying to squeeze profits from them. Others see only the encroaching dunes. This Age of Access is still in flux. Nothing, as yet, is cast in concrete.

Only the sands of time will tell.”

Each week Jerry and his rowdy but experienced crew of business development consultants gather for lunch and a discussion of what works, what doesn’t as well as the good, bad and ugly marketing and sales they have observed during the week. Yes, their conversation will be back next week. Sign up to get your copy of every blog here.

Jerry Fletcher is a Networking Ninja, Marketing Rainmaker and a CRM Magician. Learn how he answers the question “What do you do?” View the video on his home page at www.JerryFletcher.com

View videos of him speaking at www.NetworkingNinja.com

What Is The Best Pick-up Line Online?

Posted on 2014/12/13 by Jerry Fletcher

Rick said it again, “A pickle label is the best pick-up line.”

Gail, one of three ladies at the table responded, “I love you dearly lad but believe me you need a great deal more. How long have you been married this time?”

She was just the first. All the rest jumped on him with varying degrees of disgust based on their age and their sex.

It fell to me as the oldest guy at the table to ask “What are you really talking about my crazy Direct Marketing friend?”

“Finally,” he said, “A person who is not besotted with carnality. What I meant was that failing all else play to the problem your target has. Label it. Help them understand what you are talking about even if you can’t bring yourself to use socially unacceptable language. Get as close as you can.”

Rob, our branding Bhudda smiled and said, “Now I get it. How many of you know what this headline was for: Within the curve of a woman’s arm…

Gail, copywriter and editor answered, “I don’t remember the product but it was the first underarm deodorant for women.”

“Hold it, I said, “What has that got to do with a pickle label?”

Rick replied, “It is kind of a shorthand way of saying that people will pay more attention to you on line if you tell them what you’re selling or problem you’re solving in their terms.”

Chris, the digital marketing director chimed in, “So what you’re saying is that in Adwords for instance I’m better off to use a headline that Includes the Main Keyword.

“Exactly,” Rick responded, “When your main keyword is in the ad and it matches the search query, the keyword will show up in bold.

Test your way to success.

The Takeaway

Test what you’re doing on line. Start with the pickle label and use that as your base of comparison or control. For instance:

Snoring (the pickle label)

Stop snoring (the benefit pickle label)

Stop Snoring Guaranteed (The benefit pickle label with a guarantee)

There are lots of alternatives but does that make the concept understandable to one and all? Remember, include the pickle label, the keyword that appears in your targets search in order to get your ad clicked on. That is what makes it a great pick up line on line.”

The lunch bunch is a group of marketing and sales professionals that meet each Friday. They discuss what’s new, what’s old, what’s good, bad and ugly but mostly what works. Jerry Fletcher is the ringleader and the one that writes up their comments. Sign up to get them all at www.JerryFletcher.com/profit .

Jerry Fletcher has been researching and implementing marketing that builds businesses, careers and lives of joy for over 20 years as President of Z-axis Marketing, Inc. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Schedule a personal appearance. Jerry speaks internationally on Networking, Marketing and Contact Relationship Magic. www.NetworkingNinja.com

Jerry Fletcher's Secrets of Small Business Marketing

How to build your business, your brand and a life of joy…on and off-line.

Marketing In An Age Of Simultaneity

What’s The Right Amount Of Copy On The Web?

Fish Bowl Marketing

How Small Businesses Really Find Buyers

How To Be A Brilliant Conversation Networker

Building Blocks of a Successful Sales Pitch

The ABCs of Marketing Without Money

Passion of Pursue

CRM and a Grain of Sand

What Is The Best Pick-up Line Online?