The Finest Argentine Beef? Not when it's described in a boring-as-hell, way!

A worldwide, business choking, cashflow stopping, phenomenon.

What is it?  

Quality products and services represented by weak mediocre ideas and thoughtless boring writing. 

Case in point - 

The following email from Tom Hixon (The world's finest meat, delivered. That's their labelling, not mine)  

Hi Raja

The Black Label Argentine Rioplatense beef is a cross between Hereford and Angus cattle, which are world renowned for it's consistency and delivering exceptional textures and flavours. Save up to 53% off today.

The cuts benefits from the natural skill of our Argentine producers, who ensure that the cattle live a tranquil and relaxed lifestyle through their careful efforts. As a result, the beef is incredibly tender.

Now if you're emotionally salivating over that descriptive ad copy and are ready to order, then you probably need a bunch of tablets.

The best part of that email ad promo?

The picture of the product. (No. Stop. Do not lick the page!) 

The picture renders all that copy, ineffective and unnecessary.

Now what if we were to lead the email with that picture first, and then revamp the ad copy, what kind of effect could that have?  

Let's experiment:

 

Hi Raja 

Can you smell and taste that! 

Because once you get your face into this mouth-wateringly unputdownable sizzling feast, there'll not be one slice left.  You can't but help drool over another serving of this amazingly succulent, richly flavoursome Black Label Argentine Rioplatense beef. 

Frankly, you're not at all sane if there's anything left in the serving dish!

Thinking of calling a few friends over? 

You might think twice about it once you realise the artisanal Argentine farmers who've raised this spectacular cattle (that are a cross between Hereford and Angus cattle), have you and your gloriously greedy taste buds in mind when they created this spectacular offering. But go on, why not celebrate the delicious Black Label Argentine Rioplatense beef today with friends and family.

Make no mistake - you and your beef will be the talk of the evening! 

And the exciting thing about it? Get 53% off the normal price of this sensational beef.  But you need to act right now to secure your lavish savings because this flavoursome Black Label Argentine Rioplatense beef isn't going to be hanging around for long.

Go here, order now, and start planning that amazing, intensely appetising, unforgettable meal.  

And please, do not send any pictures of you and your guests licking your plates clean... we've enough of them already to fill an entire wall!          

-----------------------------------------------

Note any differences?

Well, adopt, adapt and use them for selling and promoting your products and services. 

Now what's the BIG money-making lesson here for us all that'll help businesses grow and scale?

To fuse ALL our communications, promotions, campaigns, ads, emails... with the kind of energy, entertainment, salesmanship and engaging readability that compels curiosity, readership, engagement, consumption and... sales.     

Are you catching on that your communications ARE your business's currency?

And that means... your communications are an asset you'll want to continually refine and develop because not only will you make more money, it'll stand you and your business far apart from all others in your business category who are most likely numbing readers and customers into dull mental submission!  

FREE BOOK to Help You Write Emails That'll Get Opened, Read, Bought From... AND, Can Transform Your Business? 

The Ad, email, webinar, presentation, campaign... ISN'T your number one marketing asset. This thing... IS!

Most Owners and Marketers are flat out wrong about the importance and relevance of marketing.

Especially about what constitutes GREAT marketing.

Because look, you can easily think and believe that the ads you write or the emails you put out, or the presentations and webinars you put out, are the primary reasons for business success.

And on the face of it, you'd not be wrong. 

Because you can't really see any other reason for all business success that comes through the output that gets created.

And yet...

The KEY to one's ongoing success is the drive and unrelenting OBSESSION of the owner and leader.

What??

Yes, because the ingredients and nutrients of that obsession and drive, is what then gets packed inside any ad, or email or promotion or campaign or design.

In fact, that obsession runs throughout the entirety of the business's systems and processes.

It's everywhere. Top to bottom. Bottom to top.

Apple didn't just drum up great products, delicious design and desirable communications, right out of thin air.

No.

The businesses' success was driven by the obsession Steve Jobs has for what he wanted to create, and for what he stood for.

Disney didn't just magically produce a business that's endured for decades, that has people talking about it, and who keep on coming back, again and again and again.

Businesses like Apple and Disney aren't firstly about hiring the best marketing, advertising and communication bods. 

It's primarily about the magnificent Obsession Jobs and Disney had for what they wanted to create.

It's about being so good that others can't help telling others about you.

That's where the happy contagious infection happens.

The marketing, the ads, the promotions, all of that fell into line because of said obsession.

Without such an obsession, without such desire and clarity, businesses falter and splutter.

Owners then try to make up for things by turning to marketing and promotion.

That can work. For a short time.

But, those marketing surges and campaigns aren't fuelled and filled with the hot intense passion and desire the owners have for their businesses and ventures.

You can se the gaps and holes. The lack of passion and love for the products and services, leaks out.

That'll be immediately evident and obvious.

There'll be cute marketing tricks and gimmicks leading the charge.

And the lack of fresh creative ideas, the lack of energy, spirit and passion will be there for all to see.

And listen, you do NOT need to have a business the size and scope of Apple or Disney to benefit from having a raging obsession for what you do, for the products and services that you sell and promote.

The best, crazy good marketing and ads for your businesses are not a series of activities or a set of systems or processes.

It's a way of being. It's how you, the owner or leader, are structured internally for what it is you want to produce and create. It's about you having a burning, white hot desire and passion for what it is you stand for and what you then put out into the marketplace.

Your marketing and promotions not really working that well for you?

Then don't go and rifle through your ads and promotions for the answer.

Instead, look inside you, and check what your drive and obsession that you have for your businesses, is like. Check how really committed and turned on you are about what it is you're doing and producing.

Do that, adjust things, and soon you'll find you'll have created some of the best advertising and marketing for your business that you'll have ever had created.

It all comes from your obsession. 

It comes from being so good that others can't help stop telling others about you.  

Be THAT for your business, and then check your success. 

Because YOU are your businesses best marketing asset!  

Get FREE BOOK and proper quality Obsessional help via email to turn your marketing and business success, right around. Simply Click Here. 

        

The (marketing) questions you DON'T ask, can't help you.

Your number ONE asset, is something you ALREADY own.

That being...

Your brain.

More specifically...

Your ability to ask and answer questions IS your number one asset.

Yet, most rarely use that skill to help them solve their most pressing problems or challenges... to ask those searching questions in order to diagnose what's not working well enough. 

And yet, the asking of questions and getting answers is part of the solution formula.

But that's not the end of it.

You've now got to act, you've got to practically do something with the answers you've got to the questions you've asked because of the problem or challenge you were in in the first place!

Otherwise...

You'll be back to square one -- having an unsolved issue, problem or challenge. 

Let's make this practical: 

What could be a possible issue you want answers to?

How about -- why is our ad or promotion not as successful as we thought it would be? 

Now if you're an Owner who simply believes that you can't find answers to that question, that or you believe the common canned answers given out by agency owners, consultants and practitioners who say things like...

Don't worry, the market is all messed up at the moment...

It's okay, we just have to run it several more times before we embed the message in the consciousness of the marketplace...

We'll just pay for a bigger sized ad...           

It's probably the time of the month that's caused it...

Give it time, we're building your brand here so it takes time to create the kind of results and awareness we're looking for.

Although response is on the seemingly low side, we're moving in the right direction as we've had great comments from people who loved the ad/campaign.

...then you're heading for more of your money to be flushed down the toilet. 

It's far more profitable for you to ask those difficult and not so difficult questions that'll help you get to the bottom of things so you won't have to repeat those mistakes and errors of judgement that had your ad / marketing campaign, flop.

So what kind of questions should you be asking?

Well, there are literally dozens of them. And in this post, I'll give you a few of them so you can use them and apply them to your marketing ads and promos you've recently created.

But remember, YOU have to generate your own answers to the questions and then, take the necessary practical action based on those answers.

The Questions:

Have we identified exactly WHO our ideal customer target is, and is it reflected in our ad?

What are the emotional hot buttons we are focusing on in our promo piece, and does it reflect the same emotions and pains that are currently being experienced in OUR marketplace?  

Does the headline of our promo hit the right core issue?

Is our ad promo entertaining and compelling?

Is there a specific response mechanism that's easily identifiable?

Are we making an irresistible offer for the product or service being promoted, and does it make the reader drool over what we're offering?

Is the ad, all things to all people (a one size fits all, promo)?

If I had to put my mother's life savings on the line in order to fund this ad, would I do it because of the quality of the ad/promo?

There's obviously more you can ask. A whole lot more.  

Facts are...

You could get even more microscopic with your questions and by doing so, you'll quickly un-earth a intel treasure trove that'll help you create the kinds of ads and promotions in the future that'll be of a much higher quality and standard than the ones you've been putting out. 

Questions.

They'll not only save your bacon, but they'll also help you build the kind of quality, insanely profitable business you've always wanted.

Keep on asking them.

Because remember --

The questions you DON'T ask, can't actually help you.

Want big marketplace advantage and fatter profits? 

Then be a masterful question asker! 

        

Want to know what questions to ask that'll get your Email Marketing game good 'n profitable?   
Sign up for the glorious answers, here.

.  

Your marketing and sales results are created by YOUR system

Very few people like hearing that THEY are the reason for their poor marketing results, poor profits, poor morale, poor anything.

Oh, they of course love the celebratory din and back slapping when things go well. When sales are up, when profits are rising. 

But...

When there's low morale, low sales, low profits, high misery?

Then quite naturally, everyone else is to blame for that!

The marketplace's erratic nature is to blame.

Rising costs are to blame. 

Poor marketing advice is to blame.

Competition is to blame.

Government red tape is to blame.  

Customer hibernation is to blame.

Higher taxes are to blame.

...

And yet.. 

Despite all the above happening...

The core central message remains: 

You created a business and marketing system that takes into account, or doesn't take into account, all those external happenings.

Want different money results?

Then create a different marketing and business system that'll solve those problems for you.   

Now what you can't do is just pray and hope that what you're currently doing from a marketing, lead generation, lead conversion, customer referral and customer retention system, will some how magically produce a different set of results for you than it's currently producing.

Can't happen.

Won't happen.

Trying to force different results with the same operating system is not going to end well for you or your business.  

Like hearing it or not.

That kind of thinking is reserved for non-adults. For the wandering, unfocussed mind. 

Because each system is PERFECT for producing the results it gets. 

And that's a productive framework question for you to apply to any aspect of your business that's coughing and spluttering. (Major hat tip to Steve Sanghvi, Chairman of Microchip for that insight)

Best thing you can do for your business at the start of 2023 that'll spread throughout the entire 12 months ahead?    

Put your business principles, your strategies, your tactics, your marketing systems, your ads, your emails, your promotional campaigns... everything... through the SS framework --

"is each system I'm currently running and operating for the above elements of my business, is it producing the kind of results I want?"    

And when you do that and when you apply that simple one-sentence process, you'll find in some areas, you'll get a definite and categorical NO to the question. 

The good news about that is now you've got something to work with. 

You've got a system that needs to be tweaked, tightened or even, overhauled and recreated.  

And that's how you begin to create different results.           

And 2023 is all about producing different results. 

Stay the same, and you'll soon be yesterday's news. 

So, let's hear the core message again - 

YOUR marketing and sales results are created by YOUR system. 

And EACH system is PERFECT for producing the results it gets. 

Hint: Begin creating a NEW set of systems if you don't like the results you're getting!

[Want to create the kind of systems and communications that compel, inspire and sell? Then sign up here and find out how to do that. And, you'll also get your FREE BOOK on how to write emails that get read, opened and bought from]

Personality, Entertainment, Fun (that doesn't sound like most marketing communications, does it?)

Formulas

Templates

Frameworks

Done for you communications

Fill in the blanks

That kind of short cutting, the hack-the-communication and marketing system process, is gathering mucho online pace and momentum.

But why is that the case?

Because there are way too few creative marketing minds having the originality and brains to make their business, or that of their clients, be filled with personality and authentic ideas... to come up with interesting, fun and entertaining ways to present, promote and offer what's being offered.   

And that's super important. 

Because in today's business environment, if you plan to be like everyone else... to speak and communicate like they do... to use the same ideas and thinking they do... to give the same reasons and rationales they do for their products and services...    

Then no surprises here...your ideas and your copy won't stand out and get attention. It'll blend in and look like everyone else’s on the block. 

That'll of course mean you're not going to create any kind of unique difference and positioning in the marketplace. 

And yet, that's exactly what you have to strive for if you want that unique positioning.   

It comes as no surprise that we live in an attention deficit world where there's an obvious impatience in that most people want things, and they want them, now. 

They're easily bored. Easily distracted. Happy to flip onto something else in a heartbeat.

And that's why you need work diligently and differently, in order to not only capture attention, but to keep it and to continually keep it in an ongoing way.

Now that can't happen by guesswork, or by wishing and praying.

It takes a deliberate shift of thinking and a deliberate shift of perspective.

The problem with that?   

Many marketing 'Pros' and Owners suffering with 24/7 lazy-brain-itis.

The result of that?  

It's far more convenient and far too easy to reach for a canned, ready made, off-the-shelf solution when it comes to thinking, creating ideas, coming up with different unique angles to sell and promote. 

And when they do that...

They're not really realising that by employing that lazy recliner way of doing things, they instantly destroy using their / the businesses'... own personality in their communications. 

That's what happens when abdicating out to the wooden, off-the-shelf, solution -- you suffocate the core asset of the business -- its character, its essence, its personality.  

And if that wasn't enough... 

By sticking with being a commodity based communication business, the business destroys the whole communications and selling process from being fun and entertaining -- both for the Owner / Marketing Pro, and, more importantly... for the customer or recipient of the communications, promotions and presentations.

And look...

In today's marketing and communications world, we're all being starved from having communications being fun and entertaining.

Let's change that.

Want a clear cut example of how to bring the entertainment and fun factor into your communications? Then let me show you how I brought a yawnful presentation letter, back to life. (In fact, look at the whole communication piece here and ask yourself this core question - were you entertained, or not, would you buy the products, or not!?)  

(Important: it does not matter what business category you are in, or what you sell and promote - you can take the ideas you find in the communication piece above and see how you can apply them to your communications and promotions because I guarantee you that there IS a way to make your communications fun, interesting, entertaining.)    

  FREE BOOK shows you how to write entertaining emails that get opened, read and bought from.

       

The money-making marketing wheel gets another spin (pointer 8)

Before we get to spin the money marketing wheel once again...

There's something I've got to shout about.

It's this:

There are certain principles and fundamentals to everything that almost ALL bypass and ignore.

You'll find the flagrant ignoring and detesting of the fundamentals in anything and everything... is something akin to a mass mantra of kinds. 

A collective messing of the Pink Floyd chant.

"We don't need no... f-u-n-d-a-m-e-n-t-a-l-s" 

Want to be, and stay fit and healthy?

Exercise. Eat good food. Take your nutrition and vitamins. Live happily and healthily. Daily

The Fundamentals.

Want to be a good human?

Do good things. Say please and thank you. Be Kind. Help others. Excel in what you do. Tell the truth.

The Fundamentals.

And in the world of marketing, there's more deletion, destruction and non-profitable businesses around... all because of disregarding, discarding and dismissing the fundamentals. 

So what are some of the marketing fundamentals?

Have irresistible offers. Continually Put them in front of people most likely to buy. Have entertaining copy and communications. Have a series of back end products and services. Create astonishing after care and follow up. Stay committed to being unique and different to any other business out there doing something similar to what you do.

Those are core.

Yet like I say...

Most toss the fundamentals out into the cold. 

And instead, want to dive into the unchartered and insane, all in the name of being different and pioneering. 

Shiny object syndrome does that.

It messes with the brain. It creates chaos and confusion.

End of Sermon.

Let's spin that wheel.

And, as we do that, we see that the marketing wheel's pointer pointer, points at....

SLACK ADJUSTER.

Um... whassattt!?

That, my dear uninitiated, is what's also referred to as a beefy whopping product or service that'll top the profit numbers barometer and will bring in and boost the cashflow numbers... significantly. 

Now I've heard Dan Kennedy speak about the Slack Adjuster, and it's something that EVERY business ought to have because the thing is, most of your customers won't buy it, but... all it takes is one or two buyers a month and you'll see the money numbers will ramp up significantly for you.

Examples:

A coffee shop can sell a mammoth sized, all bells and whistles coffee machine for hundreds, or thousands of pounds. Like I say, most customers won't buy it. They'll come in, buy their coffee and croissant, maybe a sandwich, a pastry, they'll do their normal shop. Yet, day in day out they'll see this new gleaming coffee machine for sale. Some WILL get tempted to buy. And you don't need to manufacture your own - you can create a deal/arrangement with the tons of coffee machine manufacturers who would no doubt love to sell a few extra machines a month, and where you receive a 50% commission for your displaying of the machine in your shop, and selling and promoting it.                         

An online or offline place selling cooking items, pots and pans, blenders, etc. They could team up with a cooking class provider in some far off place like Bali, or Barcelona, or Brazil, or Bermuda, or Brisbane, and create a luxury experience out of it for the customer, whilst attaching a nice value price tag to it. Again, all it takes are a few people to raise their hands and the cash flow and profits that come in, can in some instances, trump sales of the normal monthly takings from the normal sales of the regular products!

One more... (actually, I've squeezed in two for you!)

A bookseller or sports equipment seller can sell 'an audience with an author', or a 'week long training bootcamp' with the stores' physical trainers. (And if they don't have any trainers and only sell the equipment, then hire a trainer and split the money!)

Doesn't matter what service or product you sell or promote. 

You can adopt, adapt and apply the examples you see above and customise it to your products and services to create your own beefy slack adjuster version.

You ARE looking to increase the average order amounts every month in your business without having to triple down on your selling to make it happen, aren't you?

Well, then don't skip the fundamental examples and instructions above that'll help you boost your cashflow.

Look out again for the next post because the Marketing wheel is going to be spun again soon. 

  Want the Can't-Throw-Away Fundamentals That'll Get Your Emails Read and Bought From, Nearly Every Single Time? FREE BOOK shows you how. 

      

       raja. hireker @ gmail . com 

         

Join Mr X for drinks on his Superyacht?

An interesting email headline just flopped into my email inbox.

And, probably for the right person, a somewhat intriguing invitation on the face of it. 

Who would that RIGHT person be?

• Most likely someone infatuated with the super yatch person in question -- (Mr X represents a real person) 
• Most likely someone who is infatuated with high value material possessions. 
• Most likely someone who WANTs that type of lifestyle.
• Most likely someone who wants to run with the big dogs, to be linked and associated with them.
• Most likely someone who likes people with big show-off egos.
• Most likely someone who automatically drools and salivates at glossy luxury pictures of the inside of a luxury super yatch. 
  
  

However...

The lead in invitation email does a rather poor and pathetic job of framing the invitation as something other that's private, elite and invaluable. 

All they've lazily done is to think and believe that those on the communication list receiving the communication, will be all googoo and gaagaa about the whole thing, who'll be mesmerised and boggled eyed over the yatch picture interiors and as such, will wrestle and hair pull in order to snap up the invitation for drinks with Mr X.

Let me add something however... 

That the conditional pre-requisite for even being in a position to accept the invitation, is to buy and enrol in one of the courses and training programmes Mr Super Yatch owner promotes and sells.

Nothing wrong in that.

However...

Simply believing that joining Mr X on his super yatch for drinks is a compelling enough reason to want to go, demonstrates you could have the highest value products and services in the world.

And yet...

Without having the proper thought out communications and copywriting, the whole thing can fall flat on its face.     

The BIG Key: (no matter what you sell and promote) 

You want to give people enough compelling reasons as to WHY it is they should buy what you're selling, take you up on the proposition, invest in what you're presenting, request the information you're offering. 

Without doing that, you're asking people to decide on something simply based on thin air.

Join Mr X for drinks

Why?

• Because he'll share some insights and info you won't get in any of his courses. 
• Info and insights that'll make you a lot more money in the next X days than anything he's shared before.  
• You'll get to meet a few of his secret aides who've inspired and helped him become a multi-millionaire, and they'll give you their most prized information that'll help accelerate your thinking and future business activities. 
• You'll get to ask Mr X any questions you want about how he's doing what he's doing, and how you can do the same.

Let's think about the difference here:

Are those reasons why above, more interesting and more compelling than the reason they've given in the PS in their promotional email for the drinks invite - 

PS. You can find more pictures of the boat here:

They've, of course, (ahem!) missed the boat here.

Don't let that be what you do with your communications when selling and promoting your products and services.

Give them REASONS WHY.

Want to create the kind of emails and communications that compel, inspire and sell?
Then sign up and find out how to do that, here.