Speak to Me!

Posted on 2015/05/30 by Jerry Fletcher

Jean asked, “Should I hire a receptionist or a phone answering service?”

“What did you tell her?” said Gail.

“It depends.”

“Hold on theah, Slippery, thas your answer to just about anything it seems to me,” said Rob, our loveable branding behemoth from the peach state. “Just what does it depend on if you please?”

Kate jumped in before I could say word. She said, “I can tell you what he’s going to say, Bubba, because I’ve had this discussion with him a couple years ago. I can’t swear to the statistics but he made a pretty good case for having a human on the phone, particularly for a small business like mine. As I recall

Somewhere north of 75% of all callers that get an answering machine hang up.
Nine out of ten customers that get a machine in business hours think you are too small to do business with.
About two thirds of people will immediately call a competitor if a human doesn’t answer.

I said, “You didn’t tell them the most important reason to have someone answering the phone…you can’t afford to miss a call, especially if you look at the average value of your proposals.”

Chris pointed out, “You didn’t really answer Jean’s question: Should she hire a receptionist or an answering service?”

“True,” I responded. “A start-up should definitely look at hiring an answering service. Later, when they can hire a receptionist, assuming there are other clerical activities that person can perform you should look at keeping the answering service on.”

“Wait a minute,” Chris said. “Did you say keep them on?”

“Yes,” I said. “the fact is that if you operate like Kate and a number of consultants I’ve worked with, you will have people calling in anywhere up to three hours ahead or behind the local time zone you operate in because you work with clients or prospects across the USA. In addition, if you are connected on multiple continents you need to worry about what day it is as well as what time.

Over 85% of the times someone might call are outside the time a receptionist is in the office! The beauty of an answering service, a good one, is that you can get coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On top of that, if you need to gather data for a form or other information a good service can handle it. There are even services that can set telephone appointments for you when someone calls in.

I did a little on-line research to be sure I gave Jean today’s facts. The numbers Kate quoted are still true. Here are a couple others I found that make it a good idea to work with a telephone answering service that is human:

80% of callers that get a machine will not call back (and that percentage is increasing).
73% of callers answered by a human will not call a competitor (but you have less than two minutes to have someone knowledgeable on the line to handle their questions or arrange for someone to call them back).
A study from the UK indicated that a human answering every call could increase sales by 25%.

So I believe that it is a worthwhile experiment to try using a human based answering service and carefully monitoring the change in acquisition of new business and retention of current business. The probabilities are: up to a 25% increase in acquisition and assuring between 60 and 70% retention.”

Jerry Fletcher’s blog recaps conversations with clients, prospects and the unruly mob of business development professionals he consorts with. They discuss marketing that works from solopreneur to enterprise level. Jerry Fletcher is the ringleader and “Watson” of the dialogue.

Jerry 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

Your Story Is What?

Posted on 2015/05/16 by Jerry Fletcher

“We missed you last week. What were you doing?” asked our get right to it sales type, Kate, as I took my seat.

“Since you must know,” I said, “I was talking someone down from a ledge.”

“Mistah Fletcher,” Bubba oozed in his best Georgia peach way, “that is no job for the likes of you in my humble opinion.”

“That depends” I replied, “on a number of things. First, how high was it? Second, why was he up there? And third, was there a fire company with a net handy?”

Chris suggested in his digital director way, “Sounds like your leading up to the topic of the day and it doesn’t sound a lot like marketing or sales or all the stuff we usually talk about.”

“You are so wrong my oriental mastermind friend,” I said. “The guy on the ledge was me and I had totally screwed up my first column for a major forum. I didn’t need a net because the founder/editor is a gentleman and knows how to get the best out of a writer.”

Gail leaned looked over her glasses in her writer like way and said, “Back up. What were you attempting to write about?”

“My premise was that every company has a story. Each of us has heard and I’ll wager told stories about our companies and those we have advised. Most of us have heard how ‘when it absolutely positively has to be here overnight’ came to be and the legend of ‘just do it’ and others.”

“So where did you go wrong?” asked Rick our Direct marketing guy.

“I’ll bet I can tell you where he got all cattywampus,” said Bubba. I’m thinkin’ he went off the tracks on either Persona or Plot Line.”

Rick smiled and said, “I’ll do the Persona piece. My partner studied this for years. What he came down to was that there were only three or four personaes that work in a selling context. He called them archetypes. They are:

The Expert the person who has gathered the data, compiled the information, taken action to gain knowledge and with experience has come to wisdom.
The Knight who doesn’t know about something but goes looking to solve a problem and then reports back on the results of the quest.
The Collector who gathers experiences and along the way finds secrets that must, in his/her mind be shared. Sometimes the most powerful version of the Collector is a person reluctant to step into the limelight which makes the discoveries just that much more appealing.”

Rob said “Well done, Yankee!” He acknowledged Rick’s nod and went on, “Plot, according to Ray Bradbury is human desire let run, running, and reaching a goal. It cannot be mechanical. It can only be dynamic. Here are four plot lines that you are already familiar with if you’ve ever read a comic book, attended a Shakespeare play or sat through a George Lucas movie:

Challenge and Call can be a game of chance, a personal problem remedied or as simple as standing up to that voice on your shoulder. You respond to a negative situation and find your way out of it.
Transformation is the before and after story. It demonstrates the change you’ve learned which you can bring to someone else’s life or status or health or you name it.
Finder’s Sharers is when you relate the way you came upon something and the effect it can have for the buyer. A subset of this is often about revealing a secret discovered.
You and me against the world is a replay of the competitive thing that most business owners believe in. Just like the war of Yankee aggression, it divides the audience and will make some of them hardcore fans.

Theah’s more but that’s the bigun’s in the briar patch.”

“You guys hit the nail right on the head,” I said. “I went back to my notes on our discussions about stories and using them for corporate positioning and branding. It was all there. Thank you all for helping me down off the ledge.”

Jerry Fletcher’s blog recaps conversations with clients, prospects and an unruly mob 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 ringleader and “Watson” of the dialogue.

Jerry 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

Go Where They Ain’t

Posted on 2015/04/25 by Jerry Fletcher

“Go where they ain’t,” said Rob, the southern fried branding guru we lovingly call Bubba.

Chris asked, “That is your great business development advice?”

“Yassuh,” said Bubba around a dinner roll slathered with butter. I’ll give you examples from every part of marketing ‘cause that is advice you can take to the bank.”

“Okay,“ I said, “if we use the seven P’s model of Marketing I’ll just set them up one at a time. Is that okay with you?”

“Bring it on, Watson” said Bubba, “and if any of y’all want to jump in, feel free.

“Prospect Viewpoint,’ I said, “out of all the people out there who buys or will buy your product or service and what do they think, feel and believe about it?”

Rick, our direct marketing expert said, “Let me take this one. If you really analyze both the demographics and the psychographics of buyers you’ll find that they have more than one reason for buying. Yes, one will be prevalent but reasons two and three are often just as viable as number one. You go where they ain’t by orienting your creative to one of those other reasons.

“Profitable Niche is next. I said when he finished. A niche is a way to minimize competition with a focused portion of a market that requires a product or service that is outside the mainstream either in the need it meets or the design of the product or service. “

Gail, the copywriter volunteered, “you know how the whole world is now into mobile? Well I have seen that work out really well for two industries not known for it. Our vet’s practice is all house calls. And our computer guy lately seems to live in our spare bedroom/home office.”

Kate asked, “Are the virus’s attacking again?”

“Don’t get her started.” Rick said.

“Positioning is the third item,” I said. It is how you differentiate yourself or your product or service.

Bubba cleared his throat and said, “I figure I oughta take this one ‘cause everybody confuses it with brand and names and logos and taglines and you name it. Positioning is how you tell people quickly and succinctly how our product or service is unique. The classic examples are: The Uncola for Seven Up or We try harder for Avis or when it absolutely positively has get there over night for Federal Express. All or part of it may appear in a tagline. It can be a product name. It will, overtime, be part of the brand.”

“Persona is next, I see it as the heart of any business, the operational strategies. It is a core of trust wrapped round by Product, Price and Passage (distribution) encased in your name. Any one of the key elements can take you where they ain’t. For instance: The Chronotherm (the world’s first automatic setback thermostat). Or how about a fixed price to get a Pilot’s license or to integrate reporting software into your corporate systems. Consider a vending machine in orthodontist offices to dispense the most common items used. TWo of those I helped put in place and they are killer!

“Promotion Anybody”

Chris said, “I’ll take it. The internet has changed things but mostly just added another channel. The easiest way to go where they ain’t is to use direct mail. Use has declined so it stands out. Yes, it costs more than e-mail but used in combination with on-line activities it can increase acquisition geometrically.

“Performance is next, I said, “this is the way you, your company product or service interface with the client/customer/user.”

Kate, our sales doyenne said, “Got it. Have humans answer the phone. Actually help people find a competing product. Provide content that actually helps. Listen to your sales force when they tell you what people are saying about you and competitive products. Make it easy to opt out. Basically just treat people the way you’d like to be treated.

“Perception is the last one,” I said. “Bubba will you do the honors since Brand is your baby?”

“Sho’ nuff. Brand is the sum total of all the ways you or your company, product or service wind up on folks’ radar. What you want to have happen is for folks tell others Look what Mama gimme!”

The Takeaway:

Be different. You can do it with a name, a product, a distribution channel, pricing, delivery, after sale support, positioning, finding a niche. The better you understand your customer/client/user, the easier it will be.

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

Personal Touch Breakthrough

Posted on 2015/04/18 by Jerry Fletcher

“Once again a blast from the past takes over!” I said as I slid into my seat for lunch with the rowdy crew of business developers I’ve become the Watson for.

Gail, our copywriter par excellence took a sip of iced tea and replied, “Can we assume that this has something to do with your choice of a topic for the day?”

Kate, the sales consultant sneered, “Yes, do tell. We’re all atwitter.”

Rob, who we call Bubba because he hails from Georgia, said, “Y’all are a cranky bunch today. Give the man a chance to ‘splain himself afore you go flingin’ him into the briar patch.”

“Thanks Bubba,” I said. “You know how we all get those heavy duty pitches from guys trying to sell us on line sales and SEO expertise and products and you name it? Well I look at some of it but this last video really threw me. Usually these guys are all about on-line and they’re as personable as a loan shark looking for a past due account.”

Chris, the Digital Director said, “Whoa. Not every on-line business is that way. The truth is you have to offer some value or you will soon be out of business. You know that. You helped me when I was doing my entrepreneur thing.”

“My point is,” I said, “that because about midway through a video presentation that had some good stuff in it I was astonished when three of the experts being interviewed talked about how they experimented with personal touch in their on line businesses. What they tried was:

Hand written thank you notes to everyone that signed up for a free trial for an App. That more than doubled the conversion from trial to paid membership.
Personalized 30 second videos maintained that increase but cut the time needed per touch from five minutes to a minute or two.
A one-to-one text e-mail that is not generated by an auto responder started a dialogue that allowed a merchant to discover things about how his product/service is received and used. It proved to be a huge value for the next version.
You can use You Tube to put up an unlisted video. Then you send a link to the customer. They never forget.
You can overcome cart abandonment using the telephone. If you use a two-step sales approach (Contact info entered separately from Credit card) you can easily see who leaves without buying. Once a day or so, simply call those folks and have a conversation with them. You don’t sell, you just listen to the problem they have and let them know how your product can help them. This approach generates 12% to 30% additional sales.

Rick, our direct Marketing guy who really understands process said, “Let me sum up:

The Takeaway:

Customers do not want to be treated like numbers. They want to connect with a human being that understands their problem, relates to it and is really interested in them as a person. That pays off in increased sales.”

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

Visually Shameless Networking

Posted on 2015/04/11 by Jerry Fletcher

“So how was the conference?” Kate asked as I slid into the booth.

“I noticed something that was subtle but important,” I responded.

Rob grinned and said, “Wait for it y’all.”

I continued, “The best networkers also tend to be the best dressed or the least concerned about standing out from the crowd. In a room with over 200 of the top consultants in the country in attendance a dozen or so were just flat visually shameless.”

Gail asked, “so were they well-dressed or over-exposed?”

“It was subtly sophisticated in some cases, colorfully shocking in some but never overtly sensual. One guy was wearing a day glow orange sweater. Another wore an obviously expensive merino wool and silk ensemble. The women that stood out through color, quality and just looking comfortable in tailored outfits that ranged from suits to office casual.

The thing is that I identified those folks the first day and made it a point to meet them. On the last day of the conference they were the ones that led the table discussions after lunch.”

Chris said, “So if I’m at trade show or conference I should look successful.”

“That’s right,” said Kate, “but I’d extend that to any time you may be meeting prospects. And I would say it goes beyond the clothes. You should have a relatively new phone, an elegant folio for taking notes and carry a pen that is a cut way above the one you got from the local printer.”

Rick said, “I’ll take that a little further. So many people today really miss the boat because they try networking on line instead of in person. That is their first mistake. But more importantly they just take a selfie and throw it up on the social networks never considering the consequences. If your profile photo on LinkedIn is a low-res-looking-off-into-the-distance-wearing-a-T-shirt you have told me that at best you don’t care what I think and at worst that you really don’t want to begin a relationship with me.”

Gail added, “Visuals, especially quality ones, crack through the clutter. I saw some research on this the other day. Apparently:

Your brain processes visual data over 60,000 times faster than text
Visuals or videos on landing pages get conversion rates over 80% better that all text.
Posts with visuals are good for over 90% more views than those without.”

The Takeaway:

Rob said: “So if you want to be in high cotton you need to be the vision of success as your prospects see it. That means that you dress the part and you use visuals in your on-line persona that are a class act. All of them. One mistake can cost you.”

Jerry Fletcher’s blog recaps conversations with clients, prospects and 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 ringleader and secretary of the dialogue.

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

3 Secrets to Linked In Success

Posted on 2015/03/21 by Jerry Fletcher

As I sat down, Kate, the sales doyen was saying, “It is amazing what you can do with Linked In! I use it to research companies and prospects and build my perceived expertise and all sorts of things.”

Rick asked, “Care to share?”

“Allow me my direct marketing friend,” I said. “I’m always curious about how folks use social media tools. I wrote a primer for my clients on Linked In mostly about how to get started. Here are the three things I said were essential:

Build a great Profile that includes your key words and start adding connections.
Select some groups and participate.
Research people, companies and prospects you find interesting and follow them.

Kate clapped her hands and said, “Way to go for the basics, big guy. Anybody have advice on the profile part first?”

Chris, who makes his living as a Digital Marketing Master, said, ”Remember that anyone searching you on linked In has one of two attention spans:

As long as gnat in a windstorm if they are scanning
As long as it takes to read it all if they really want to know about you… the kind of research I’ll bet Kate does.”

Branding Guru Rob (who we all call Bubba) piped up, “So you’d best ‘member to give folks a reason why to learn more with the words right behind your name.

“Good point Bubba,” said Kate. “I’m going to read that piece that Fletch wrote for the profile part. What about the part they call interests on linked In?”

Gail said, “I’m a writer, I like to know what they are calling things so I opened it up on my laptop. Under interests it has: Companies, Groups, Pulse and Education.

“Let’s stick with groups,” said Rick. “Do I want to go with peers or prospects? Do I even have to choose one or the other?”

“Kate,” I said, “let me take that one. I say both. If you do only peers it can wind up like you’re talking to yourself but you do need to know what is going on in your profession. Prospect groups can give you insight into what they want from people like you and whether or not they have problems you can solve… for a fee.”

“I agree,” said Kate. “The only way to determine which groups to join is to look at them. Look at the number of posts and comments and frequency to decide which ones merit your attention. Then get involved. You can set notifications from for every discussion to daily or weekly summaries.

Gail asked, “What about research?”

“Pull up my profile,” Kate responded. Notice that there are entries in just about every category they provide. Notice, too that the words sales, sales consulting, sales training and other sales references occur throughout. (Sign up to get your copy of the Networking Ninja Beginner’s Guide to Linked In.)

That gets people to come to me. But when you are looking for information you can use just type the search term into the search box at the top of the page. A person’s name or a company name is where I usually start. Once you get to a person’s profile you’ll be able to learn more than you ever thought possible. Where they went to school, how they got to their current position, even how you might be connected.

Every person I know uses it slightly differently but there is no longer an excuse for walking into meeting with an executive knowing nothing about them.

The Takeaway
Have a complete profile that is consistent with your website, your other social media profiles and causes people to want to contact you. Engage with the kinds of people that can keep you informed about your profession and may need your services. Be proactive. Look into those that express an interest and build the relationship.

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?

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 ringleader and secretary. look into his products at www.Z-axisMarketing.com

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

Jerry Fletcher's Secrets of Small Business Marketing

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

Tag Archives: Marketing

Speak to Me!

Your Story Is What?

Go Where They Ain’t

Personal Touch Breakthrough

Visually Shameless Networking

3 Secrets to Linked In Success

Fish Bowl Marketing

How Small Businesses Really Find Buyers

How To Be A Brilliant Conversation Networker

Building Blocks of a Successful Sales Pitch