Order Reprints

Mind Capture

By Tony Rubleski
President & Author,
Mind Capture Group
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

By the time you’ve received this issue I’ll have finished reading yet another brilliant new book by Dan Kennedy titled, No BS Pricing Price Strategy. A couple of weeks ago when I picked the book up while browsing at Barnes & Noble I started to reflect and think back on the many ways his work, teachings and advice have not only positively impacted countless business owners, but my own career as an author, speaker, consultant and newsletter publisher in such a massive way.

To celebrate the release of his new book I felt it would be interesting to sit down and not just pay homage to my number one business mentor, but reveal three of my all-time favorite pieces of advice gleaned from being up close and personal with Dan for almost 15 years.

Creating this “Top 3” list was not easy as I’m reminded daily via my own habits, words and actions, as to just how much his wisdom has positively shaped my entire business career. I know many of you reading this newsletter are also big fans of Dan’s work so I’m especially curious to your thoughts and feedback. So, buckle in, grab a pen or highlighter and let’s get started on this month’s article.

#1 Favorite Tip from Dan: “The #1 sin in marketing is to be boring.”

While this statement may seem simple at first, so few businesses subscribe to or consistently pull it off. One of the quickest and easiest ways to get attention in today’s noisy and distracted marketplace is to avoid this sin.

In an age of massive choice, the Internet and instant communication, people’s attention spans are not only small, but when you actually engage them you must work extremely hard to hold it. To send out a marketing message or offer, even when it’s tightly matched to the best prospect, is foolish and often a waste of time if it’s not done in a unique way. Take for example, if you’re using a direct mail piece to communicate a new offer to a current customer. To increase the odds significantly of receipt, getting opened and looked at, doing such simple, yet extremely important steps as using a colored envelope, handwriting the outside envelope to the addressee and using real postage stamps to give the mailing a personalized look are known ways to stand out.

Yet, even with such proven strategies outlined above to increase the effectiveness of direct mail, many businesses and sales professionals still choose to ignore it, mail out boring offers/updates and then sit back and complain that direct mail “doesn’t work in their business.” No, actually it does. A combination of laziness and being unimaginative doomed the mailing from the start and it frankly it’s not all that difficult to see why.

One of my favorite ways to avoid the sin of being boring is to use humor in my direct mailings to current and prospective clients. In the first two Mind Capture books I devoted two entire chapters to what I call “grabber” mailings. They are often known as three-dimensional or lumpy mail pieces. I’ve recently been using the good old bank bag mailing (you send your offer/information in a bank bag versus a regular envelope) when following up referral prospects, and it never ceases to amaze me how effective it is at cutting through the noise and getting people’s attention.

Yes, for some subscribers the use and many benefits of using grabber-style direct mail promotions is common knowledge, but for others this term is foreign and new. Instead of spending this entire article explaining what they are and how to use them, here’s a quick reminder list of reasons why grabbers work so well:

• They’re lumpy, unique and clearly stand out from all the other mail
• They are fun and not boring
• They get opened and looked at
• They give a person a reason to follow up to the mailing
• People remember them

#2 Favorite Tip from Dan: “Build and feed the herd.”

Again, a quick explanation is in order as to the term “herd” as Dan sees it is much differently and not how a cattle rancher would. The term “herd” on planet Dan is simply another name for a customer. While some may shake their head at first, what I love about this term is that he doesn’t see customers as livestock, but as a captive audience that must be nurtured, defended and fed often.

The key point from the last sentence is “fed often.” What Dan’s driving at and I completely agree with him on is that once you have a customer you must continually work to earn and win more business from them. The business landscape is littered with stories of customer neglect due to one primary reason: little or no follow up after the initial sale has been made. Getting new customers is not an easy proposition in most industries, so once you’ve earned the right to serve a new customer it should be your primary mission to stay in touch with them and on a very consistent basis.

The statistics on customer retention are sobering: For each month that goes by without some form of communication with a client, 10 percent of TOMA (Top of Mind Awareness) goes out the door. If a business goes eight, ten, 12 months or even more without staying in touch with a customer, the odds increase significantly that the customer will go elsewhere and that they’ll also spend additional dollars with your competition on products/services you currently have but have failed to educate them on.

Here are seven of my personal favorite ways to stay in front of the “herd” so that they not only don’t forget about what we do and the many services we provide, but also to encourage them to work with us even more and send us referral business:

• Use both an e-letter and print newsletter to inform, educate and update
• Employ regular direct mailings including postcards, letters and grabbers
• Leverage social media channels to spread the word and gain valuable feedback
• Share articles, reports and other forms of valuable educational content
• Use video testimonials and case studies to demonstrate your expertise
• Hold client appreciation events, sales and promotions throughout the year
• Make more offers on a regular basis to your customers

#3 Favorite Tip from Dan: “Defend yourself against time vampires.”

While the first two favorite tips we’ve covered are marketing related, this third tip is different and extremely important for one central reason: it’s great to employ world-class marketing strategies when you have the time to actually create and get them implemented. If people are always around you or have the ability to interrupt you, getting anything done is often frustrating and done haphazardly.

One of my favorite quotes from the late, great direct marketing legend Gary Halbert is, “Motion beats meditation.” It’s simply amazing how many people let others completely run their day by being too accessible. Yes, we live in the age of instant communication, but it’s supposed to make our lives easier, not stress us out and distract us constantly. There’s a huge difference between being busy and being productive.

Again, let me be clear and direct. One of the single most valuable things in any business is the marketing function. It is the oxygen that keeps the business body up and running. Without it, the organization risks ill health, decreased sales and eventually if it’s not treated or fixed, the threat of dying and/or going out of business! Yes, a strong visual, but it’s worth remembering. To be able to achieve consistent follow up and marketing, time must be made and given high priority to defend against the marketing function being put off, interrupted or put on the back burner when other supposed important issues come up usually from the mouths of time vampires.

One of my favorite ways I’ll now share to avoid time vampires is what I call “going dark” throughout the day. I’m asked daily: “How do you keep up with all of your writing deadlines?” It’s simple, not sexy, but it works. I schedule writing time and shut off my cell phone, email and focus on the task at hand. If I make myself too accessible or get caught up checking emails, Facebook or doing research online, it can suck up an enormous amount of time and throw off my schedule and waste time. Yes, the temptation is always there, but when I “go dark” I get a ton of productive writing done to keep the marketing engine primed.

So there you have it. Three of my all-time favorite business tips from the brilliant marketer Dan Kennedy!

  Order Reprints

TAGS:

• columnists
• mind capture
• mind capture group
• tony rubleski