The VALUE Lie

Here's an email, received today, 4th April.

---------

Spring Sale Starts This Weekend

Dear Valued Customer,

I thought I would take the time to let you know our Spring Sale starts this weekend. We have some mouth-watering special offers on new orders and some end of line showroom clearance models that offer fantastic value for money We do hope to have the pleasure of seeing you in our store in the near future   Regards XXXXXXXXXXXXX The Director ------------   Now I receive a mail from this Furniture and Design company, maybe three times a year... whenever they have a sale and want money.   So I ask myself the question ;    How valued AM I, when all I receive is a boringly written, 'we've a sale' email?   Pathetic, really. And make note of the language - for example -  "I thought I would take the time to let you know our Spring Sale starts this weekend"...   I mean, who cares? Who really cares if THEY Have taken the time to tell us that they've a sale on.   It's as if they're doing me a special favour to interrupt my life to let me know there's a sale, because they want money.    How boring, bland and horribly typical of most businesses to communicate in such a non valuable way!   It's all about THEM.   How different would it be if I was told something like...    Dear Valued Customer,   Looking at our past records, it looks like your last purchase was a XXXXXXX. We hope you we're really thrilled with your XXXXXXXXXXXXXX and it's given you so much pleasure since buying.   I wanted to write to let you know that we've actually overstocked on a range that's really quite complementary to your previous purchase and so because of that, we wanted to invite you to a special viewing for our VIP customers.   If you bring this email with you on XXXXXX and you decide that you'd like to purchase anything you see on the evening, we'd love to give you a special 25% VIP saving, as well as giving you an extra special gift just for coming along.   We'd really love to see you on XXXXXXXXXXXX   Does something like that communication make you feel more valued than the first email?   Is it more inviting, more appealing, more chance of you coming to the store and buying, then the first communication?    Well, it's that VERY DIFFERENCE in the written communication that makes ALL the difference in sales, profits, in having continual happy delighted customers.   Alas, although most business have great products and services, they're woefully inept at communicating in a way that makes the customer value what's on offer, that makes the customer feel valued, appreciated and acknowledged.   www.RajaHireker.com

Tell The Truth... Most Marketing is Absolutle DRIVEL!

It's sad that grown men on a football pitch have to dive and feign their injuries in order to get another player sent off or, to have their roll over antics win a penalty or a free kick.

It's disgraceful and it IS point blank stealing and they should be called up on it by their own team, coach, manager, board.

Same point in with most marketing.

It's, on the whole, desperate and moronic, wobbling along hoping no-one will notice the sheer madness in it.

Yet... 

Someone had to create it. Someone had to agree it. Someone paid for it.  Someone got paid to create it.

And still, this INCOMPETENT diving practice is still in full flow and shows no sign of abating.

In fact, it's getting worse.

Want instant proof?

Simply turn on the radio in the morning and listen to the incredible 'funny, humour drivel' masquerading as marketing. It IS an utter waste of money and delivers a bad reputation for the client.

Really good marketing communications is all about showing (communicating) the benefits, the pleasure and the results the product or service will do for the client. 

That's pretty much it.

Communicate THAT and you're pretty much sailing in profitable waters because most do every other thing, but that.  

It seems troubling for most to do the fundamentals.

And of course, looks like most in the marketing and advertising game seems to want to have their name up in lights and have the heavy back slapping and so go to crazy creative lengths to get noticed, with results of course (the money being made) being something that's put on the back burner and left to simmer at some other later time.

If you're a professional marketer, an owner of a business, a CEO, someone who welds the axe in your enterprise, use the swift sword on ANYTHING to do with marketing and advertising designed to sell, that cannot be made measurable, that cannot justify its reason for being created, that cannot provide a customer an irresistible reason or offer to choose what you have to sell or promote.

Carry out a commitment to perform this one single exercise and you WILL see your enterprise become MORE profitable than you'd believe possible.