Posts by Bob Bly
When You Want Customers to Buy, Tell Them They Cant
“What the eye sees not, the heart craves not.” – Dutch proverb A few years ago, I came across a brochure promoting the services of an independent consultant named Sommers White. It was written entirely in a question-and-answer format — and the first Q & A in the lead really caught my eye: Q:…
Read MoreAn Alternative to Advertising
“Make your bargain before beginning to plow.” – Arab proverb Those who frown upon the practice say that if you lowball to get the first contract, you can never charge that client your regular rates — and you have just acquired a highly unprofitable piece of business. But there are two flaws in…
Read MoreAvoid This Common Mistake With Your Money-Back Guarantee
“Relationships of trust depend on our willingness to look not only to our own interests, but also the interests of others.” – Peter Farquharson The best guarantees are: * fair * generous * long-term * unconditional When any of these four elements is missing, sales are likely to suffer as a result. Making your…
Read MoreMarket Research – Quick, Easy, and Free
“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” – Albert Einstein Once, I had to help a computer-leasing company figure out what to emphasize in its marketing. The company provided financing to computer buyers. They offered their financing through “resellers” — retail vendors. The marketing…
Read MoreMailing the Same Piece Twice: Yes or No?
Rule of thumb: Sending the exact same piece to the same list approximately 8 to 10 weeks after the initial mailing usually generates 40% to 60% of the original response. How to make the decision: Say you need a 1% response to be profitable. Your initial mailing generates 4%. Half of that would be 2%…
Read MoreIncrease Your Flow of Sales Leads with a “Bait Piece”
The “bait piece” is an informative booklet, white paper, or special report addressing some aspect of the problem your product or service helps the reader solve. You offer a free copy of your booklet or report to any prospect who inquires about your product or service. For example, you can often increase response with enticements…
Read MoreThe Secret of Making Money Online Revealed
“The great thing is the start — to see an opportunity for service, and to start doing it, even though in the beginning you serve but a single customer — and him for nothing.” – Robert Collier Online marketing works best when you e-mail to people who already know you. Therefore, successful online marketers build…
Read MoreThe Easiest Way To Convince Skeptics To Do Business With You
“You can convince anyone of anything if you just push it at them 100% of the time. They may not believe it completely, but they will still use it to form opinions, especially if they have nothing else to draw on.” – Charles Manson Using testimonials — quotations from satisfied customers and clients —…
Read More10 Ways to Stretch Your Advertising Budget
1. Use your ads for more than just space advertising. There are ways of getting your advertising message in your prospect’s hands at a fraction of the cost of space advertising. The least expensive is to order an ample supply of reprints and distribute them to customers and prospects every chance you get. When you…
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