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The Wonderworking Minute
A Marketing Newsletter from Kristen Michaelis
May 2007
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In This Issue
-- How One Word Can Win You Thousands In Sales
-- The Key To Business Growth: Good Follow Up
-- The Dangers of Eating Corn
Greetings, Unlike other marketing newsletters, The Wonderworking Minute isn't simply about how to sell, sell, sell. It's about you. It's about being a whole, healthy person who's able to confidently market yourself and your clients to other persons. Geared towards novices and professionals alike, each edition of The Wonderworking Minute contains brief, informative mini-articles relevant to anyone who wants to be a better marketer, communicator, and person.
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How One Word Can Win You Thousands In Sales ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once, a marketing company which produced a
product to help take the hassle out of
their clients' marketing efforts did a test.
In the
first direct mail piece, they used the
headline "Put Your Marketing On Autopilot!".
While their response was good, they did some
testing and made a one letter change that
improved response dramatically. Can you guess
what it was. . .? They changed the headline to
read: "Puts Your Marketing On Autopilot!".
Now why would such a simple change boost
response? Because the word "Put" implies that
you have to do something, whereas "Puts"
implies that something is done for you - a
minor change and a huge difference.
When you are writing copy or preparing a sales presentation you need to be very careful about the words you choose. The wrong word can instantly turn a prospect off, whereas the right ones will lead to greater success. It's easy to speak without thinking, but when you depend on your message to put the bread on the table you can't afford not to pay attention to what you say. Anybody who has done an extensive amount of selling will tell you there are certain words that help seal the deal and others that will kill the deal. For instance, whenever you have contract that needs to be signed, refer to it as an agreement. Legal documents and contracts scare people, but agreements are different. Likewise, people don't like to "pay" for anything, but if you ask them if they want to invest, then that is a different story. Whenever you describe your products and services you want to couch them in language that implies quality, value, and above all ease of use. Here are some words to avoid when you write copy: cost, price, complex, learn, work, earn, deal, but, worry, difficult, decision, liability, obligation, hurt, death, failure, and sell. If you notice, these words all imply some kind of negativity or at the very least effort when your picture them. Now, here are some words to make sure you use when writing sales copy: experience, get, love, proven, value, fun, trust, deserve, new, right, discovery, safety, and profit. Each of these words carries a positive mental picture when you think of them. If you focus on eliminating these negative words from your sales vocabulary and replace them with positive ones, you will see your closing percentages increase. Words matter. What you say is at least as important as how you say it. For help with any of your copywriting or editing needs, be sure to give Steve or I a call. Websites, brochures, press releases, direct mail, you name it. We're good, fast, and affordable, and we'd love to be of service. To view our portfolio, visit our website at www.wonderworkingwords.com.
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The Key To Business Growth: Good Follow Up ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How effective is your follow up? Do you
follow up? So many businesspeople and
salespeople fail to follow up with prospects,
clients, and associates. However, follow up
is a critical part of business existence and
growth.
Many people tell me they just don't have time to follow up. I submit they don't have time not to follow up! The key to successful follow up is developing a tracking system. Decide what methods you want to use for touching the contact. This depends on results and desired outcomes. The Sales Process: When you are selling, your follow up can be the difference between getting the sale or not. Think about it - what is the point of making the initial contact (cold call or introductory letter) if you aren't going to follow up with a phone call? Why bother? Do you really think the prospect is going to call you? Sometimes they do. More often than not, they don't. You're the salesperson. It's up to you to show the prospect that their business is important to you. There are several ways you can stay in contact with prospects: calling, emailing, sending snippets of information you think might be of interest to them. Establish a program and stick to it. Like any habit, it gets easier once fully adopted. New acquaintances: When you meet someone at a networking event, luncheon, seminar, etc., ask them for their business card and follow up with them. Sometimes just a handwritten note is sufficient. Depending on who they are and the conversation you had with them, you might want to drop them a note and suggest a future meeting. Once again, you'll have to follow up on the suggestion. Don't wait for them to call you up. They might, but if it's important to you to develop a relationship with them - prove it. Call them. Old acquaintances: Have you ever run into someone you knew in the past but for some reason you had lost contact with them? Whether they are someone you want to establish a current relationship with or not, send them a handwritten note telling them how nice it was to see them. If you have no interest in pursuing a relationship, wish them well. If you do want to keep in touch, suggest a meeting. And again, follow up on the suggestion. Clients: Some people are in constant contact with their clients so follow up may seem unnecessary. I submit that everyone should be following up with their clients on a regular basis. This can take the form of a survey, a drop-in, a note thanking them for their continued business and support, a small gift, and so on. Choose one or more methods depending on your client base, and establish the routine to make sure it happens. Everyone likes to feel appreciate and important. By taking the time to follow up, you are letting the people you know and meet, that you value them. It's so simple and yet can yield huge results. This article was contributed by Diane Helbig, a Professional Coach, and the president of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople to help them create successful business development strategies. As a team, they embrace the possibilities. Diane's website is http://www.seizethisdaycoaching.com and her blog is http://www.seizethisdaycoaching.blogspot.com
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The Dangers of Eating Corn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A study commissioned by Greenpeace, published
in the journal Archives of Environmental
Contamination and Technology, demonstrated
that rats who were fed for 90 days on
Monsanto's MON863 maize showed "signs of
toxicity" in the liver and kidneys.
This marks the first time that independent research published in a peer-reviewed journal has shown toxicity stemming from a genetically modified organism (GMO) authorized for human consumption. Greenpeace and other organizations campaigning against GMOs say that GM technology is unproven and potentially dangerous, and also that GMO crops can contaminate other crops. MON863 is genetically modified to make it resistant to corn rootworm. It has been authorized for human consumption in the European Union since January 2006. Dr. Mercola, the author of the world's most popular natural health newsletter, had this to say about the latest finding: After hearing this information, you might be thinking that you are not at risk, because you don't eat GM corn. Think again. At least 75 percent of the processed foods sold contain some GM ingredients, including common foods you find at the grocery store, like frozen dinners, breakfast cereals and cooking oils. Consider further that 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food is for processed foods, and that you also likely eat in restaurants. There is, in fact, a major probability this is affecting you even if you don't go out and consciously purchase GM corn. If you still have any doubt about the harm GM foods can do to your body, devote an hour to watching the brilliant documentary, Genetically Modified Food -- Panacea or Poison. Some quick tips to protect your health and stay away from GM foods as much as you can: * Strive to use organic foods as often as you can and don't let the trend toward greenwashing fool you. * Read produce stickers and food labels carefully. * Reduce, with the plan of eliminating, processed foods from your diet."
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Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
phone:
512/828-7746
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