by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
I’ve taught marketing for more years than I care
to remember. The biggest challenge is getting
students to understand how marketing works.
What is it? Why do you need it? How do you get
the biggest return?
To answer these questions, I came up with
a simple image that works wonders: YOUR
money is in THEIR pocket. Do you want it to
stay there… or do you want to get the funds
into YOUR pocket?
Bingo!
Light bulbs start going on around the class
room as one student after another "gets it."
Of course they want to get their money out of
that pocket. We’re ALL clear on that. The
discussion then shifts to how to get it out…
and how to do it FAAAST!
The Pivotal Role Of The Offer
"Try this," I say to the class: walk up to someone
on the street and ask them for $50. Will you
get it? Unlikely. Instead be prepared for dirty
looks and worse. "Asking," I say, "ain’t getting."
The students nod their heads knowingly. They’ve
been there… done that.
"Ok," I say. You guys get this. Then why don’t these
folks, at which I show them one marketing
communication after another (Yellow Pages ad,
brochure, direct mail letter, etc.) where supposedly
savvy business people spent good money doing
nothing more than saying "Here we are, here’s
what we have."
"That," I say "is not marketing. It’s just telling…
not selling." If you want to make MONEY… YOU
must motivate people to part with the bucks.
Offers Get People To Move
What gets people to buy is offers, offers, and
more offers… saying, in effect, I’m prepared
to give you
* this
* and this
* and this
IF and ONLY IF you take action now to
get what I’m selling.
"What," I ask the class, "is more likely to get
you to respond: just saying here I am, here’s what
I do." OR saying
"I’ll give you one hour free for every three hours
of my service you book."
All knowing, the students say "people will act faster
if you give them MORE." Now it’s my turn to nod
sagely. "Bingo," sez I.
Brain storm offers all the time… because you will
need an offer EVERY day you want to empty
prospects’ pockets and move that money
I ask the students what days they want to profit
in their businesses. They look quizzical: "Well,
EVERY day," they say.
Another "Bingo" from me.
"So, if you want to make money EVERY day…
then when do you need to make offers?"
ANOTHER "Aha!" moment for my budding
marketing masters. The idea is beginning to
sink in that EVERY day you want to move money
from your prospects’ pockets is a day you must
make offers.
"Make offers," I say, "every day you want to
make money." And I write "Money means daily
offers" on the chalk board.
Open A "Swipe File"
Where can you find marketing intelligence, great
offers that produce the bucks? In the marketing
communications of people who live or die by marketing.
And where do you find these? Everywhere!
If you want to move money from other people’s
pockets into yours, start collecting and studying
marketing communications. Open a "swipe file,"
and pop in marketing communications that work.
Make this a daily endeavor. When you see ads
that work for others, adapt the copy for your
profitable use.
Don’t Stop!
Marketing is like breathing. Stop doing it and
you die. Finish any day by selecting the offer
you’ll use tomorrow. Start each day by reviewing
how well yesterday’s offer pulled. Note these
results for future reference; winning ads should
be repeated; ads that wilted must die.
One more thing: see marketing as a great game,
a game that takes everything you’ve got. Embrace it!
Enjoy it! If you don’t, your money will stay in THEIR
pocket and that’s just not acceptable!
I’ve taught marketing for more years than I care
to remember. The biggest challenge is getting
students to understand how marketing works.
What is it? Why do you need it? How do you get
the biggest return?
To answer these questions, I came up with
a simple image that works wonders: YOUR
money is in THEIR pocket. Do you want it to
stay there… or do you want to get the funds
into YOUR pocket?
Bingo!
Light bulbs start going on around the class
room as one student after another "gets it."
Of course they want to get their money out of
that pocket. We’re ALL clear on that. The
discussion then shifts to how to get it out…
and how to do it FAAAST!
The Pivotal Role Of The Offer
"Try this," I say to the class: walk up to someone
on the street and ask them for $50. Will you
get it? Unlikely. Instead be prepared for dirty
looks and worse. "Asking," I say, "ain’t getting."
The students nod their heads knowingly. They’ve
been there… done that.
"Ok," I say. You guys get this. Then why don’t these
folks, at which I show them one marketing
communication after another (Yellow Pages ad,
brochure, direct mail letter, etc.) where supposedly
savvy business people spent good money doing
nothing more than saying "Here we are, here’s
what we have."
"That," I say "is not marketing. It’s just telling…
not selling." If you want to make MONEY… YOU
must motivate people to part with the bucks.
Offers Get People To Move
What gets people to buy is offers, offers, and
more offers… saying, in effect, I’m prepared
to give you
* this
* and this
* and this
IF and ONLY IF you take action now to
get what I’m selling.
"What," I ask the class, "is more likely to get
you to respond: just saying here I am, here’s what
I do." OR saying
"I’ll give you one hour free for every three hours
of my service you book."
All knowing, the students say "people will act faster
if you give them MORE." Now it’s my turn to nod
sagely. "Bingo," sez I.
Brain storm offers all the time… because you will
need an offer EVERY day you want to empty
prospects’ pockets and move that money
I ask the students what days they want to profit
in their businesses. They look quizzical: "Well,
EVERY day," they say.
Another "Bingo" from me.
"So, if you want to make money EVERY day…
then when do you need to make offers?"
ANOTHER "Aha!" moment for my budding
marketing masters. The idea is beginning to
sink in that EVERY day you want to move money
from your prospects’ pockets is a day you must
make offers.
"Make offers," I say, "every day you want to
make money." And I write "Money means daily
offers" on the chalk board.
Open A "Swipe File"
Where can you find marketing intelligence, great
offers that produce the bucks? In the marketing
communications of people who live or die by marketing.
And where do you find these? Everywhere!
If you want to move money from other people’s
pockets into yours, start collecting and studying
marketing communications. Open a "swipe file,"
and pop in marketing communications that work.
Make this a daily endeavor. When you see ads
that work for others, adapt the copy for your
profitable use.
Don’t Stop!
Marketing is like breathing. Stop doing it and
you die. Finish any day by selecting the offer
you’ll use tomorrow. Start each day by reviewing
how well yesterday’s offer pulled. Note these
results for future reference; winning ads should
be repeated; ads that wilted must die.
One more thing: see marketing as a great game,
a game that takes everything you’ve got. Embrace it!
Enjoy it! If you don’t, your money will stay in THEIR
pocket and that’s just not acceptable!
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of
Worldprofit, Inc., www.worldprofit.com where
small and home-based businesses learn how to
profit online. Attend Dr. Lant’s live webcast
TODAY and receive 50,000 free guaranteed
visitors to the website of your choice! For details
on Dr. Lant’s 18 best-selling business books,
go to www.jeffreylant.com
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