Editors Notes:
1. Greetings to all new
subscribers since October 4, and to all of you who have been
with us for a while. In the past 20 days we have collected some
really good information for you. The NewsFlash is a collection
of articles and information which we believe may be helpful to
you either professionally of personally. If there is specific
information that you feel you would like to have, use the
submit feedback link above to let us know. We also would like
your opinions on anything from our newsletter format to current
events, we can often improve what we deliver to you if you tell
us what you think.
2. For the past 3 years I have been out in the community
experimenting with business networking, in the laboratory you
might say, and now I am experimenting again, this time with
sales. I have aligned myself with a marketing and web
development company. I am currently in the field ( I always
wear a cowboy hat when I am in the field ) experiencing what
all of you who are in sales ( you know who you are ) go through
on a daily basis. The cold-calling, prospecting and of course
the rejection. With the personal experience in hand, you can
expect some articles on sales technique in the future.
3. You may not realize it but there are many thousands of
people using AtlantaEvent.com each week to find business events
and meetings. We do make advertising available to anyone who
needs exposure for their business. Our rates are lower than any
other web site that gets as much traffic as we do. Why is this?
It is because we have no investors, shareholders, employees, or
any other person to answer to. We do AtlantaEvent.com as a
community service. This is our mission, to help others in
business to be successful. We don't have to make piles of money
to keep it going. We do this because we care. What does this
mean to you? It means that if you need exposure, we can
negotiate our ad prices to make it affordable for you. You
might call us sometime to discuss your needs. Here is my cell
phone number, 678-508-5975 let's see what might work for
you.
4. Now some opinions. First, can someone please tell the
hurricanes to stop destroying all of my vacation destinations?
Soon I will have no beach to visit and margaritas don't taste
as good anywhere as on the beach! Second, can everyone please
stop calling their event the event of the year or month? I have
yet to attend an event that was the "Event of The Year"! Third
and finally, business does not slow down at the end of the
year, people do. I believe you will be working just as hard the
week after Thanksgiving as you were the week after Labor Day.
Correct me if I am wrong.
Now, let me suggest you check out all of the articles this
issue. You may not need the first one, but the last one might
be exactly what you needed. Be sure to visit AtlantaEvent.com
often and tell everyone about it.
If you would like more
info on Privacy-First™ e-mail certification ( logo at
right ), e-mail us
for details.
Thank you for subscribing - Jeff Glaze -
Editor
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The
Editor
Out In The Field
Click here
to buy his book.
This Newsletter Is
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Feature
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Whether your company is
business-to-business or business-to-consumer, selling almost
anything in today’s economic climate is a challenging
task. If your sales effort feels like you’re pushing
boulders up steep hills, it’s time to take a close look
at your media advertising, especially the advertising you do in
newspapers and magazines. The kind called
“print.”
Print advertising, unlike broadcast and the Web, allows you to
target your audience with a fair amount of accuracy. Plus, it
gives you an environment in which you have the room and time to
make your case with a prospect who’s inclined to linger
over words.
If you can capture attention with an intriguing, standout
headline, there’s a good chance your future customer or
client will want to know more about your product or service. At
this critical moment, your prospect should encounter readable,
engaging, highly persuasive copy. And it helps enormously if the
picture that goes with the words is eye-grabbing and relevant to
your message.
Chances are, you’re not going to be taking on this
“simple” job yourself. You may have an ad
agency working on your behalf. Or an in-house marketing
communications group. Or maybe even a freelance copywriter. If
money is tight, or you want to be meaningfully involved in the
process, a good freelancer may be the way to go.
But whether you’re the one who actually creates the ad,
or you’re overseeing someone else’s effort,
it’s a critical enough component of your sales cycle to
merit your closest attention.
So here’s a brief list of ten guidelines that will help
you ensure that your print messages work as hard for your company
as you do. Read them, heed them, and keep them in mind as you
write — or review — that all-important
ad.
1. Define exactly what you’re selling before you sit
down to create the ad.
2. Know who you’re selling to. Keep that person in mind
as you write your ad.
3. Come up with a clear statement of the benefits of what
you’re selling. Features are important, but
it’s the perceived value that prompts action by the
reader.
4. Write as if you’re one-on-one with the reader. Think
of ads that drew you in. They spoke to you. And they assumed you
possessed a certain level of intelligence.
5. Stay away from ego statements unless you’re skilled
enough to be humble or modest or humorous. Smuckers is an odd
name for a line of jams and preserves, but they turned it to
their advantage with the famous line, “With a name like
Smuckers, it’s got to be good.”
6. Make sure there’s a strong connection between your
headline and main visual. You want each to amplify the other in
order to make a dynamic statement of benefit. Fresh donuts need
to be made early in the morning, which is why Dunkin’
Donuts showed a sleepy guy named Fred crawling out of bed before
sunup because it was “Time to make the
donuts.”
7. Choose your ad environment carefully. Your better mousetrap
may not be appreciated in Gourmet magazine.
8. Study competitive ads and make sure that yours is different.
Work hard to make it stand out.
9. Solicit comments. Track results. Change your approach if there
seems to be a problem.
10. Be certain your product or service lives up to any claims. No
matter how brilliantly conceived and executed your ad is,
it’s satisfied customers and clients who create your
best advertising.
Gary Watson, GW Copy Writing Services, writes ads that add to the
bottom line. To learn more, visit him at GWCopy.com or call
508.651.9737
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How to Write an Ad
That Adds to Your Bottom Line
By Gary Watson
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Feature
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Don't
you just love a freebie? I know I do. I've been in two situations
recently as a customer, when I received an unexpected freebie.
After ordering my usual bagel and coffee at the Bagel Bar, the
girl behind counter offered me a free bottle of mineral water. I
was about to ask for a glass of water anyway, so this came as a
welcome surprise.
A few
days later found me buying a steak at the meat counter in my
local supermarket. I was having a chat with the guy behind the
counter about the fact that there didn't seem to be too much meat
for so much money. He obviously took pity on my miserable face
when he said - "Tell you what sir, why don't you have this other
steak for the same price" and he slapped another one on
top!
So
what's the customer service lesson here? The lesson is that most
customers, love a freebie and if they receive one from a supplier
it builds a positive relationship. As customers, we're more
likely to return and do business with people who give us freebies
and we're more likely to tell other people about our positive
experience.
I
once read a story article about a restaurant owner who would
occasionally give people a free meal. When a group of diners or a
family asked for the bill he would spontaneously announce that on
this occasion they were his guests and they didn't have to pay
for their meal.
Can
you imagine how these people felt - what they said to friends and
work colleagues the next day?
That free meal probably cost the restaurant owner a lot less that
advertising in the local newspaper and it also brought in a lot
more new customers.
The
Law of Reciprocity states that - "If you give someone something
or do something for them - they will want to repay you - to give
you something."
Why
don't you think of some little unexpected freebie you can offer
your customers that'll encourage them to return and also tell
others about their positive experience. And while we're at it -
why not try the same thing with members of your staff. Even your
personal relationships - a small unexpected gift or an act of
kindness can do wonders for any relationship.
Believe me, once you
start to do this, you'll have many more satisfied customers,
happy staff and appreciative friends.
©
Alan
Fairweather - All Rights reserved howtogetmoresales.com
Discover how you can generate more business without having to
cold call! Alan Fairweather -"The Motivation Doctor" - is the
author of "How to get More Sales Without Selling" To receive your
free newsletter and free ebooks, visit: howtogetmoresales.com
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Why Aren't You Using
Freebies to Get More Customers?
By Alan Fairweather
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My
patron saint of leadership is lee Iacocca. What’s even
better is that he’s back on TV touting the great line
of Chrysler cars, “If you can find a better car, buy
it”. Mr. Iacocca took a corporation from the abyss and
led it to the top of the class as his competitors were struggling
to stay afloat. For three years his company was making a profit
as the two competitors were loosing money hand over fist. He lead
by example, he didn't’t get in the trench and do the
work he was paying others to accomplish but if he had to he would
have jumped right in. He worked and worked very hard, he expected
managers to manage, supervisors to supervise and workers to work
and together they rebuilt Chrysler Corporation.
So
many leaders today say one thing and do something else. There is
way too much “do as I say not as I do” in the
business world. Just look at the rash of judgments against former
“respected” leaders in industry. Look at the
newspaper pretty much any day or watch the news at 6 and see more
and more examples of just what not to do.
Airline executives and
others taking multi million dollar parachutes and standing on the
sidelines as their former company goes slowly down the tube to
bankruptcy. Staff being laid off and furloughed causing great
pains and problems for families of trusted and loyal employees.
Leading by example? The example seems to scream loud and clear,
“Look out for number One”
History has provided us all with an array of great leaders. These
examples were people of vision, people who saw something that
others could not see and unselfishly shared their vision to
improve the quality of life. Never once did a leader become a
great leader by being pessimistic and negative. Never has
anything of value been accomplished by looking at a problem and
complaining. In my own experience I tell employees,
“Don’t come to me with your
problems”. Oh I should add that’s only half
the statement they hear. “Don’t come to me
with your problems unless you have an idea or suggestion on how
we can fix it”. Leaders who only offer a negative
picture and a dismal forecast to the employees remain as leaders
for a very short time, Employees need an inspiration when they
look to their leaders not a desperation.
My
daddy used to tell me that if you lie down with dogs you get
flees. He was saying that you must surround yourself with
positive ideas and people to be successful.
As a
leader of people you must understand that to be effective, you
have to give the people who follow you hope of better things. In
doing so, you rise to greater levels yourself and accomplishes
greater things. When you lose sight of the lofty challenge of
being the positive visionary in your organization, as a leader
you are destined to fail, for no one will follow a leader who is
going over the falls.
As
you strive to develop your business or career, keep in mind that
you can become whatever or whomever you wish to be. You can look
at problems and challenges as what they are, opportunities, and
offer real solutions and visions for the future that your staff
can readily grab hold off or you can see them as someone
else’s problem, rub everyone's nose in it as you gripe,
moan and complain about it until no one cares anymore and nothing
is done.
If
you work for a company and find yourself complaining about the
company all the time, its decision time, QUIT. Keep in mind that
the chronic complainer is giving the company a bad name in the
business world and your customers are getting a full dose of the
negative feedback.
When
you have a customer and they lodge a complaint, you perk up and
listen to them. Your job becomes one of solving the problem, same
thing applies to the ever complaining employee, listen and fix
the situation. If the complaint has merit fix it and fix it quick
but if it is merely the habitual complainer you still have to fix
it even if it means firing the problem.
As we
look at our so called leaders today, we should never fail to
remember that we are not the only ones seeing them. Our
customers, competitors and other employees see them for what they
are; they see them as a distorted picture of discontent and
failure with no sense of solving obvious problems. More
importantly and more concerning is the fact that they see them
also as representatives of us and our company.
Only
when people realize that the role of the leader is to be the
visionary, the one with the answers, the one who can solve
problems, will things change for the better.
Expect great things,
offer great solutions, and when you are ready for the challenge,
step up to lead; but always lead by example.
John A. Delves
is a speaker that needs little introduction after you hear Ken
Blanchard, author of The One Minute Manager, has said, "This guy
is better than I am most of the time." With more than 30 years of
experience, John is one of the leading speakers in the world.
Contact John at setrainingdev.com
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A Novel Idea For
Leaders – Lead By Example, Yours.
By John Delves
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Attend ITEC
Exhibits For Fr-ee On Us
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Attend this conference in
Atlanta For Fr-ee
ITEC 2005 Click Here to
Register When You Register
use priority code 50149231
If you’re responsible for building and managing a more
secure, productive and intelligent infrastructure for your
organization, then ITEC is for you. If you have one or more of
the following responsibilities, you should attend ITEC:
IT-Related Functions
»
Executive IT Management (CIO, CTO,CSO, VP IT/IS/MIS)
» Manager/Director IT department
» Network/Systems Administration
» End-user or Desktop Support
» IT/End-user Training
» IT Consulting
» Web Development/Design
» Software/Applications Development
Corporate
Functions
»
Executive Management
» Accounting/Finance
» Training/HR
» Manufacturing/Distribution
» Research & Development
» Marketing/Business Development
» Sales Management
Fr-ee exhibit pass for ITEC. When You
Register use priority code 50149231
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Feature
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In
every interview situation there are at least seven underlying
questions or conversations that are going on simultaneously in
the Hiring Manager’s mind. By no means is this list
complete but it will hopefully give you, the candidate, some real
insight into the thought processes and hiring RISK fears that
plague most hiring managers. This risk avoidance causes most
hiring processes to slow to a snail’s crawl. It also
forces the group interview, etc as it spreads the RISK.
Your candidacy must outweigh these risks of hire. Your entire
transition process must be designed to mitigate the Hiring
Manager’s risk and increase the REWARD of HIRE.
We have written a portion of this discussion as if the manager
was talking to him/herself during the review of your paper,
interview stage, phone screen or face-to-face or offer stage.
Please carefully prepare yourself to answer the below questions
that most managers carry as their hidden agenda.
The following can be used as a guide; as you attempt to present
your story, develop your answers and questions for the hiring
process. Most hiring processes have three stages, Credential,
Interview and Presentation, Offer & Negotiations, yours must
as well in 2005.
Prior to submission of any credential information, your
NARRATIVE, RESUME, PROFILE, or BROCHURE, be sure that those
documents properly reflect the company’s needs and
concerns; as well as the requirements of the prospective
opportunity. Your needs are irrelevant. The more study and
research you do prior to contact with the prospective company or
hiring authority, the more likely your PAPER will be selected or
at least reviewed.
You may have noticed that I keep referring to the Hiring Manager;
that does mean the Hiring Manager and not the HR department.
Remember that the job search is really nothing more than a sales
call, as such you call on the final buyer, not the
“accounts payable department.” I am not
diminishing the value or role of the HR department, but they can
make no real hiring decisions.
Some of my best friends are HR people. But again, this process is
a sales process; and the best prepared sales people are the ones
who land the biggest deals.
Here are the questions that most if not all; hiring managers
ruminate over every time they are in a hiring mode. It is your
job to be constantly aware of their riskometer in your transition
process.
The following might well be considered the Hiring
Manager’s trinity of interviewing. Will hiring the
candidate:
1. Reduce my stress?
2. Make me more money?
3. Possibly get me promoted?
Every other question should be viewed as being constructed by the
hiring manager to satisfy one or all of the above. If risk of
hire outweighs reward of hire, you will not get noticed, not get
the interview and not get the offer.
Here are the seven silent hidden agenda questions that are on the
mind of most Hiring Managers as they think about your
credentials:
1. Will hiring this candidate be the best for: my career, my
family, our company, our clients, and the candidate?
2. Does this candidate have measurable and verifiable
Accomplishments, Competencies, and Potentials that can and will
mitigate my immediate RISK of hire?
3. When I put this candidate in the job is he/she a used-to-be, a
has-done, a can-do or a will-do?
4. If I put this candidate in the job will he/she embarrass me
with my boss, clients, company, industry or him/herself?
5. Was this candidate’s presentation of
“his/her product” presentation materials
(resume, etc) done professionally, with thoughtful planning? Does
it reflect my company’s, client’s and my
needs?
6. Do I get value (v=n2+a-c2) for my recruiting dollar with this
hire? Is this candidate the best I can afford? Are there better
candidates available, if I just keep interviewing?
Does this candidate meet the Value statement that is inherent in
every interview? If I hold out for a better candidate what
opportunity cost am I risking?
V=N2+A-C2 (Value equals need [perceived or real] plus application
[use] less cost [emotional or fiscal.)
Does the candidate, fit the value formula? Since I have to
remember that I need to concentrate on the need aspect of the
formula, especially the corollary, that the higher the new
applicant’s proposed salary the more the need is a
perceived need and therefore the more the costly the candidate
becomes because emotional needs are not usually a budgeted
item.
That means I have to make an ARGUMENT for this candidate to my
superiors. It means I have to tale a stand.
7. Since I know the learning curve/sales cycle in our job
assignment could be long, six months or better for this
“new” hire, and I also cannot really readily
evaluate this new hire for at least 3 months; is my personal
exposure worth the risk? How much of a gamble am I willing to
take on this unknown candidate? How much dislocation can my
family stand if I fail with this hire? It maybe just easier not
to extend the offer, or even to interview the candidate. It could
be therefore easier, and less risky for me to do nothing!
Your task, as a candidate, is to HELP the Hiring Authority see
past their immediate risk. You need to present the best "product"
(YOU) in the most attractive form. That is the purpose of your
Candidate Information Program (CIP?) and interview preparation
and practice time.
V=N2+A-C2
Use it. Focus on it. Buy THE CONCEPT. This formula can be the
difference between an extended transition period and an imminent
offer. It should be your mantra.
I hope this has been helpful in your pursuit of that next
opportunity.
Bruce Dreyfus
is with Dialogue Consulting Group and can be reached at dcghire.com or
770.579.6050
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Hiring
Manager’s Hidden Agenda
Bruce Dreyfus, dcghire.com
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